Jim Wideman: 0:00

Tommy Barnett is one of my heroes. Brother Tommy used to say to build a great church. I think the same thing's true with any ministry is you find a need and you fill it. You find a hurt and you heal it. That was really. What I'm still doing today is just looking for what are the needs that aren't being met, what are the hurts that we need to heal? And Jesus is so faithful. It doesn't matter if you're talking to four-year-olds or 40 or 50, or the word of God works. You know it was at Birmingham, there at the cathedral, when the Lord started dealing with me. He said keep handing out fish sandwiches, just don't forget to teach people to fish. And that's when we started training folks as well as just doing services for kids. And the big switch in my ministry I never wanted to be one of those guys that tell people what they used to do.

Rhett: 1:11

What is going on everyone? Welcome back to another conversation with your friends Rhett and Justin right here at Armchair. Authentic a podcast that's designed to have real conversations about real life with real people. We're here trying to steward our stories and even our relationships in a way that serve you. And today, my friends, we have the honor and the privilege to sit down with the one and only Jim Weidman.

Rhett: 1:44

Now, jim is a true pioneer, innovator, creative in family ministry. I mean, he's been in ministry over 50 years and he has shaped the way churches support and empower families. Now he's just not a pastor, he's an author, he's a ministry coach, but more than that, he's just simply a leader. He's mentored thousands, both personally and through many influential books, such as Connect With your Kids, children's Ministry Leadership, kid Men Leadership and his most recent work, authentic Leadership that Lasts. I love the word. Authentic Kind of goes with our podcast, doesn't it Listen? His impact is decorated with numerous awards and his partnership I love this with his wife, julie just continues to inspire leaders everywhere. Now, justin and I were so beyond excited to have Jim join us today on our show, and here's why. It's because that in our formative years, jim was our children's pastor. That's right. He profoundly impacted both Justin and I's life in so many ways. Number one, it was his love for God and it was also, honestly, his creative approach to children's ministry.

Rhett: 2:55

Now we cannot wait to get into this conversation, but before we do, we always want to take a moment and say welcome to every single one of you who might be joining us as a friend for the first time today. Man, it means so much to have you along for the ride. Could we encourage you to take a moment? Look us up on Facebook or on Instagram. You can find us there at Armchair Authentic. That's at Armchair Authentic. Or if you're over on X, we're there too. You can find us there at Armchair Authentic. Or if you're over on X, we're there too. You can find us there at Armchair Off Pod. That's Armchair Off A-U-T-H-P-O-D. All right, friends, now for the moment. We've all been waiting for our conversation with Jim Weidman. You guys ready? I know I am, let's go. I know I am.

Justin: 3:46

Let's go Well, rhett, I would think that every podcast episode we record, I think we'd say they're very very special and important right, Absolutely One hundred percent.

Justin: 3:55

So understand when I say this today, this takes a whole new level of meaning for both of us because of our guest. Today we have the honor and the privilege for us to actually before I say his name we get to have someone who probably made the first impact of ministry for us Before we even knew we were going to be doing ministry and that would be a call of God on our life, literally for the local church Before me and you met we were part of the same church and our children's pastor, who we always have called by a certain name that I'm going to try not to say Brother. It did. It started with brother, everything was brother in the 80s, but I'm going to announce him by his name.

Rhett: 4:41

Okay, that's hard to do. For us it's hard to do because this is amazing.

Justin: 4:45

We have an amazing guest with us today and it is the one and only Jim Weidman. Welcome to Armchair, authentic, jim.

Jim Wideman: 4:54

Hey, it is great to be with you guys on the randomness of Armchair Authentic. It is kind of fun. I am a fan. I've been listening since you told me you were going to start Justin and it has been fun to follow. And what a privilege to be on board today and get to be here and we've been having fun catching up. We've been all over the world. Yes, just in the pre-call yeah, that's true, so that's kind of fun yeah.

Justin: 5:27

We'll have to hide some of that material We've gone from.

Jim Wideman: 5:30

South Alabama to. North Alabama to Oklahoma. Yeah, well, what's interesting is your world.

Justin: 5:37

That's right. Your world will take us everywhere because of where you've gotten to be a part of with ministry. Yeah, it's going to go. This is you know, we have you and I have definitely had contact over the years, but I mean it's still special, right. I mean this is Jim Weidman. This was our children's pastor who actually showed us. I mean it was, if you, if you talk about a cool children's ministry, when we were growing up, there was none other like the children's ministry that he really created.

Rhett: 6:07

Yeah, and I was sitting here thinking we did have a pre-call and it was so funny. We were just talking and talking and we could have kept talking for another hour. I was like man, we're talking about so much good stuff.

Jim Wideman: 6:16

Like we should be recording right now.

Justin: 6:18

It's gold.

Rhett: 6:18

So we had to just kind of like, hey, let's just hit the record button and jump into this. But I think it goes without saying, but I'm going to say it my life. I wouldn't be serving Jesus today had it not been for Jim's faithfulness and his sacrifice and his obedience to preach the gospel to kids in a very life-giving and, at the time, very cutting-edge way. This was the early 80s. As far as having seeds planted in my life that would later in life, at 16, produce fruit, right, but the seeds of Christ.

Rhett: 6:50

Christ's love is just through your ministry and what you've done, not just in me but in thousands and thousands of kids and who are now grown adults, making a difference for Jesus in this world. I mean, like we're talking to a legend here in kids ministry. We're talking and I'm very grateful and I want to say thank you as a 47 year old grown man who is serving Jesus and whose family serving Christ. Thank you so much for just loving kids the way that God loved you and loved and I'm just being pouring out your heart and your soul and just creative, fun life giving way that actually made kids want to come to church, and there's so many things we could talk about this with you and go so many different directions, so I'm not really sure where it's going to go today, which Armchair Authentic is, and that's what conversations of friends are like.

Justin: 7:38

I do know, Rhett. It was a sad day, as God shifts people in ministry. It was a sad day for the Bradshaw house and the Barton house when Brother Jim Weidman Brother. Jim moved on to his next step in ministry, because we missed him greatly.

Rhett: 7:59

You had that kind of impact on us. Yeah, if I could go back to and I just want to go back to my moment and really what I remember the most about the ministry. And now again, I was like I don't know seven, eight years old. So I'm really going back and it's a blur for me, but what I remember it was Huffman Assembly. At that day, I believe, pastor.

Justin: 8:19

Dan.

Rhett: 8:19

Ronson's Valley, if I'm saying that correctly, was the pastor. You were the children's minister and I remember that the children's church seemed to be down these stairs like and as a kid visiting for the first time.

Jim Wideman: 8:31

Well, we had two. Okay, we had two, all right, okay. So in the mornings we had children's church down at the Christian school in the cafeteria Cathedral, christian School, okay, and then at night we would do children. The building was kind of scary, yeah.

Rhett: 8:55

To be honest, that's what I was going to say. I felt scared as a kid there was all these rooms down these stairs.

Jim Wideman: 9:01

Yes, it was like going to the catacombs. That's what I felt like as a kid, and I was scared to death.

Rhett: 9:07

And then you walk in and there's all like bleachers and they're like this, like sesame street meets the muppets, and I will never forget when satan the muppet came out.

Justin: 9:16

Oh my gosh, freak me out the devil, yeah, yeah, like you're bringing back the memory and I will never forget as it was.

Rhett: 9:24

I don't know if it's my first time there, but I was like whatever, I don't want to go to hell and I don't want to deal with that guy right there. And if I'm giving my life to Jesus right now, as a kid I'm like because that got that I don't know man.

Justin: 9:37

It scared the crap out of me. I can't believe you remember that.

Jim Wideman: 9:41

But those were the good old days when you came to church and scared the devil out of you.

Rhett: 9:48

Well, and let me bring it into context because I was mentioning earlier very life-giving and people were like how is that life-giving? Like it was so much fun. But I just remember I was like that right there, that character, whenever he would come up and tempt and do whatever you know to try to get the other good guys away from you know doing good things, it was just like I don't, I don't want that freaks me out, I don't like that guy.

Jim Wideman: 10:09

You know you can always appreciate a good Carmen song. Yes, you got to appreciate a Carmen song and a little devil.

Jim Wideman: 10:23

You have to but if you think about the 80s, later on I was in Montgomery. Later on I was in Montgomery and I ordered some little demon puppets for this little corn and sick and the pastor you know, he's just having a big time looking at sheep and he was looking for something to eat and he came out there and opened the box and he said here we are fighting devils up to our armpits and Jim's ordering a man by the box. That's funny.

Rhett: 10:55

Well, I got a lot of trouble. I will say. There was one moment I don't know if we were at church and there was choir practice going on and nothing was happening. I was wandering the building. I found my way downstairs.

Jim Wideman: 11:10

Nobody was happening I was wandering the building.

Rhett: 11:11

I found my way downstairs. Nobody was there and I peeked for the first time behind the.

Jim Wideman: 11:14

You know the stage.

Rhett: 11:19

And when I saw that they're hanging on pegs and the devil one was right there, I dude. I don't think I've ever run so fast I was like the real oh my God the real.

Jim Wideman: 11:26

You know, I was like the real oh my God the real. You don't realize how there's a thin line between effective ministry and creepiness.

Rhett: 11:32

Yeah that's true. There should have been a sign.

Jim Wideman: 11:36

Especially in children's ministry.

Rhett: 11:37

Well, I say all that to have some fun, but also just to say, man, like if people are listening to this now, they're thinking, how was how relevant were Muppets, if you will, man, that was the thing man, you had very, you had the Sesame. Street. You had the Muppets. You know you had the Muppets Like it was huge Fraggle Rock.

Jim Wideman: 11:54

All this stuff was going on and it was like there wasn't social media, there wasn't anything happening with videos.

Rhett: 12:00

It it was like man, I mean like you, relevant to the culture you live to, like I can't wait to hear the story that's going to continue today at church with it, with what's happening, and it was like, oh my gosh, it was amazing and that was our church.

Jim Wideman: 12:11

It was and that was the ministry.

Justin: 12:13

Jim, we had fun man.

Jim Wideman: 12:29

It was, you know, back in those days, just if you followed any kind of marketing, if anybody geared anything toward the family, whether it be a theme park, a restaurant, everything had full-body costumes, and I got to be one of the first that started bringing all those full-body costumes to church. We had a bunch of them. If one or two are fine, then 40 are wonderful.

Justin: 12:51

Yes.

Jim Wideman: 12:52

Yes, we just kind of went nuts. It was just everything from Tuscaloosa, the Elephant, ballerina when it was your birthday, ballerina when it was your birthday, um, you know, we ended up the all gorilla band, um just having a big time, and so it was a lot of fun. But uh, it was the 80s, I mean, everything was well it was the 80s too, and and you also it's.

Justin: 13:19

You know you're an artist. I mean, you love music, you love entertainment.

Justin: 13:24

So you naturally have this sense of wanting to be relevant with what was going on with the culture, and you know you definitely did that. But even as ministry began to you know the word, I'll use that lightly, but take off for you. I mean, we're kids. So it's like you exited the building to go, step into something else and it's like we continue life. But the life of Jim Wadman continues as you're growing your family. Tell us a little bit about that journey. What happens after you?

Jim Wideman: 13:49

step out of Birmingham. Yeah, so I actually started ministering to kids in the 70s and I grew up in Birmingham, played around town, every place, from the Low Lower Brown and Homewood to the Shakey's Sing-A-Long Circuit down in Midfield Shakey's Pizza. And then I kind of grew up in elementary school and early years of high school being on Country Boy Eddie oh, wow, anybody in Birmingham. Yeah, I was playing with a band that were a bunch of 40 year olds, uh me, and uh another 10 year old who was actually the leader of the band, and uh, um, we, we were playing the uh elks vfw american leg Legion circuit and uh, just, you know, having a big time with one leg between making money in country music and trying to be hippies when we grow up. And, um, I was a part of that revival that uh hit Birmingham during the movie Woodlawn.

Jim Wideman: 15:01

And in the seventies, uh, ask Jesus in my heart got radically saved. And next thing I knew I was asking Jesus if he had a plan for my life and went to Bible college, graduated from high school there in Birmingham in 74, went to Bible college, cam in 74, went to Bible college. So while I was in college, if you got saved during the 70s. The first thing they ask you is they want to know your testimony, want to know if you ever took drugs. And if you ever took drugs, they just put you in the youth group, told you you know, don't pass, go, don't collect $200. You know you took drugs. You're going to work with teenagers? Yeah, let's go. And you know they. Just so. I was leading worship with teenagers and one day the lady quit that was doing children's church. At the church I was attending in Mississippi, my pastor said put your hair in a ponytail, grab your guitar, get your Bible, go to children's church and don't come out. And it's been 50 years. That's amazing. Yeah, I've got to go over to the executive pastor role, just because of my age, I guess, but of things.

Jim Wideman: 16:22

But I started ministering to kids and, um, uh, when I found you guys in Birmingham, um, that was actually my second church and uh, I had, uh, uh, scarily, been trying to figure out what I was doing for about eight to 10 years. Uh and uh, it was just eight to ten years. Uh and uh, it was just. You know, everything was new. If you had a budget, you couldn't have spent. Uh, there was nothing. There was no curriculum to buy. There was anything and there was nothing. And so you just watched tv and, uh, looked at, uh, you know, I'd watch.

Jim Wideman: 17:02

When cable finally came around and you could get Bozo Circus on the Chicago channel WSM, we'd start stealing game ideas and trying to make them bigger and better, and do that on Sunday Plus, just making Bible stories come alive and puppets were big and uh, you know, uh, you know, a lot of people don't really realize that children's ministry was kind of like the last thing in churches to be hired if hard times came. You know, uh, the children's pastor was usually the first to go, he was the last hired and music and youth came before kids. But so y'all did something else on the side and I started hanging out with different magicians and stuff in Birmingham. Wow, cousin Cliff Holman that did the Popeye show, cousin Cliff Holman that did the Popeye show, chris Frings, who pretty much had a birthday party business in Birmingham, and there's another guy named Arch Duncan. They're all in heaven now.

Jim Wideman: 18:20

But when y'all were little we did the first Christian magicians chapter in Birmingham from me, hanging out with these guys and learning stuff and I got to tell them about Jesus and I was part of the Birmingham ring and so I would help them for extra money and do birthday parties on the side. They did big illusion shows, chris did. They would get dumb young children's pastors that needed money to come help and set that stuff up. It was just a fun time to just be creative. There was nobody telling you you couldn't do stuff because you know whatever you did was more than what kids had. So it was a lot of fun and a lot of doors opened up there at the church. You know, brother dan was such a wonderful visionary and he was so quick to jump on vision and he loved the parades and things we ran. You know, birmingham a lot of people don't realize this but they're veterans parades one of the biggest parades, veterans parades.

Justin: 19:41

We talked about the whole yes and yeah. So we used to do stuff and they had, you know.

Rhett: 19:48

Well, I think you know. When you say that it was your second church, I'm impressed because the second church that you took on was one of the. I don't know the stats, but I only know what I know looking back. But it was a very fast, progressively growing church on our side of town that went on to do some pretty cutting edge things, not just in children's ministry but in I don't want to say global ministry but at least local ministry and probably nationally as far as, because everybody's like oh, you go to Huffman Assembly and then, oh, cathedral of the Cross, and then they're like this, and so it was one of these. Like everybody was looking to the men in Birmingham. From my understanding you can correct me if I'm wrong, I was a kid but it seemed as if everybody was looking to our church as the leading cutting-edge church in our city, making a massive difference with television ministry and everything that you were doing with kids.

Jim Wideman: 20:38

I mean we had a 24-track recording studio in the church.

Rhett: 20:44

And a lot of people don't?

Jim Wideman: 20:46

some of the kids listening will need to Google this, but Don Francisco's live album was done at Huffman. I did not know that. Oh yeah, and so that whole he's Alive thing that is right there.

Justin: 21:00

I did not know that You're blowing my mind Wow, I did not know that yeah.

Jim Wideman: 21:05

Yeah, so that was all done there. I did not know that you were blowing my mind. I did not know that. Yeah, so that was all done there. So there was a B room as well as the A room. Well, when I got saved, they were just so glad at the church I grew up in that I wasn't selling drugs to the neighborhood anymore. They just wanted to hurry up and get me to Bible college. So I was still smoking and playing bars and doing this stuff when I went to Bible college and I got there and they said, hey, you don't need to smoke, you don't need to play in clubs anymore. And so I started playing as a jingle cat and, uh, uh, riding jingles and different stuff. So, you know, had a little bit of studio background. So I get to huffman and here's this 24 track recording studio and they're saying you know, basically you can do anything you want with this equipment. And so we had this thing where if you raise, you had to raise your own budget.

Rhett: 22:14

A lot of people don't realize this.

Jim Wideman: 22:17

But so I said, well, can I use the studio? And they said, well, yeah, and so I got so many hours of studio time and so we came up with, uh, praise and worship for kids on cassette for other churches, and all of our full body costumes had their own theme songs and all these things were recorded at the recording studio and, you know, then I started selling. We made these vinyls. If y'all remember Showbiz Pizza.

Rhett: 22:56

Oh yeah.

Jim Wideman: 22:59

We were there one day and I was eating with Yancey, my oldest daughter, who was a preschooler at the time. I was there with Randy Harper, oh.

Rhett: 23:10

I remember Randy.

Jim Wideman: 23:13

Randy now plays in Pure Prairie League plays and, uh, uh, pure prairie lake, uh. And so anyway, he was, uh, we were sitting there and she said you and uncle randy, I'll just record some songs like fats the gorilla. And we said, great idea. So we went back and started cutting these crazy songs we called puppet tracks and I started marketing those things and it funded our children's ministry Wow, amazing. And funded the youth ministry too at the church, and that's what kind of opened up the whole national ministry from just doing stuff regionally.

Jim Wideman: 23:56

But those were the good old days when you could just, you know, your imagination was really the only thing that kept you from doing something. And I think even now in the church world we confuse creativity with innovation. We just try to make things better rather than say what doesn't exist that needs to exist. And so we were just real blessed at Huffman and Cathedral to. You know a lot of things that people do in children's ministry all the time. We got to help establish some of those things and we did that as well. From there on, when I got to Tulsa two churches later, we got to create everything from computerized check-in to you know, you name it.

Rhett: 24:54

All the things that churches are using today. You were a part of creating the things that didn't exist.

Jim Wideman: 24:59

Yeah, we got to video create and all that stuff, and so you know, it's just if you need it. Everybody else does too. So you know, it's just one of the things you love about America.

Justin: 25:14

Yeah, that's right. Well, I want to talk more about your move to Tulsa, but before that you're talking about raising funds. I remember a fundraiser that you did. Let's see if you remember this or not. Because I remember, because me and my brother Bo, we saved up jars of coins. I mean we just like it was for a it was for a rainy day. And then one day there was a competition you did, and it was called Shave or Keep.

Jim Wideman: 25:43

Or no, Shave yeah.

Justin: 25:45

Oh my gosh, If you're looking at what we're looking at right now. You guys can't see it because it's audio. But Jim Weidman has a big beard and he's always been known for having a beard, and he has since 75.

Jim Wideman: 25:56

You have, I ruled out for the bicentennial in 76.

Justin: 26:00

But you did something and you said shave or keep, if you want me to shave it or keep it, and we so wanted to see him shave that thing. And I just remember me and my brother felt like we were awesome because we brought in all these containers of money and we were pouring them in there.

Jim Wideman: 26:16

I was familiar. It was either missions or building fun.

Justin: 26:18

And he had to shave it. By the way, he had to shave it it could have been building fun.

Jim Wideman: 26:22

Okay, yeah, probably so I just love your ability.

Justin: 26:25

Again, there's so many things.

Rhett: 26:27

I'm sure you're. I know from our conversation previous that the prefixes and all the accolades really mean nothing to you. All you've been doing is being faithful, being creative and trying to create things that don't exist to really serve the kingdom of God, and it's amazing how that humility has opened up doors for you. And really I'm telling you people listening if you don't know, just Google them. Massive, massive influence maker, not just statewide, nationally and around the world. People come by the droves to want to learn all the systems and the processes that deliver to the vision of building the kingdom of God in kids' ministry. We're talking to the kids' ministry legend. We really are, and so I.

Rhett: 27:07

but I just what stands out to me hearing your story. There wasn't really any like epic moment. You were just like, oh, this doesn't exist and let's just create it. And let's just figure it out and let's have fun doing it. And then you were faithful with that, and then you just continue to be faithful in those moments and it just opened up doors.

Jim Wideman: 27:25

Tommy Barnett is one of my heroes, and Tommy used to say every great place to live needs a great church. I was picking Brother Tommy up at the airport when he was coming to speak at Churchill Move one time and I said Brother Tommy, I ripped off your sermon. He said which one? We only had three, but that's a great thing about being an evangelist. And I said well, you know, every great place to live needs a great church. Every great church needs a great children's ministry. And he said well, did you use my points? And I said, oh yeah, and it was just real simple.

Jim Wideman: 28:05

Brother Tommy used to say to build a great church and I think the same thing is true with any ministry is you find a need and you fill it. You find a hurt and you heal it. Find a hurt and you heal it. And, uh, that was really what I'm still doing today is just looking for what are the needs that aren't being met? And, um, what are the hurts that we need to heal? And Jesus is so faithful and it doesn't matter if, if you're talking to four-year-olds or 40 or 50, or you know, the Word of God works with every age, and so it's been fun to come up with those things.

Jim Wideman: 28:51

And then, as churches started growing and started you know it was at Birmingham uh, there at the cathedral, when the Lord started dealing with me to, um you know he said keep handing out fish sandwiches, just don't forget to teach people to fish. And that's when we started training folks as well as just doing services for kids. And the big switch in my ministry other than in the local church because I've always, and I still do, work at a local church I never wanted to be one of those guys that tell people what they used to do. I like being able to say what happened last week. And so, um, you know, working at a local church, but uh, always the Lord opened up doors for me to uh train and help other people and uh, do those things. And so that really started there at Huffman and uh just going and training others and um, then I left there and moved to Montgomery, alabama.

Rhett: 30:03

I was real pivotal because, hey friends, red here Just want to take a moment and ask if you're enjoying today's podcast. Could you do us a huge favor, man? It would mean so much to us if you would take a moment to copy the link from your favorite podcast platform Apple, spotify, amazon, whatever it is. Copy the link, send it to a friend, come on, email it, text it. If you're at work, airdrop that over to a coworker. I don't know why I'm whispering as if I'm in a library, but if you're in a library, share it with someone. Listen, life is so much better together, especially when gathered around the Armchair, authentic Podcast table. Let's go. Okay, guys. Now back to the conversation.

Jim Wideman: 30:43

And moved to Montgomery, Alabama. That was real pivotal because it was during that time that I could either go into denominational hierarchy or kind of go into the whole non-denominational world that I'm living in now, where I just get to help a lot of different people.

Rhett: 31:08

I didn't realize you went to Montgomery. I thought you went straight over to William George in Tulsa. I went to Montgomery.

Jim Wideman: 31:13

No, I went to Montgomery from Birmingham and that was I could have become a casualty of the ministry after Birmingham because there was, you know, there was a lot of different things, moving parts. Yeah, you know, churches go through different changes, different things. But I worked for a pastor in Montgomery that just loved me, you know, to keep my yes where it needed to be and not to get your eyes on people but to keep it on Jesus, and so during that time it was a real time of healing as well. As we had some great ministry there in Montgomery and I was able to hook up with a dear friend that ended up working out at Willie George Ministries Church on the move with me.

Jim Wideman: 32:18

That was from Dothan. We did a TV show together there called Fort Rock, where it advertised his church in Dothan when it aired there and then they advertised ours in Montgomery and so we started doing more for kids and then I ended up on staff at Willie George Ministries Church on the move in 90. Okay, and I stayed there to 2007. And I kept running into Justin. That's what's funny, that's true.

Rhett: 32:55

From 90. To 2007.

Jim Wideman: 32:58

Yeah, that's crazy. The Lord wouldn't let him out of my life.

Rhett: 33:01

Well when you were at Willie George Ministries. Again, this was I wasn't serving the Lord in this season of my life, but the woman that I've married been married to 19 years man. I love her to death. She grew up on Gospel Bill.

Jim Wideman: 33:17

Oh yeah desk.

Rhett: 33:20

She grew up on gospel bill, oh yeah. When I told her, I said, yeah, tomorrow we're having a conversation with jim weidman.

Jim Wideman: 33:24

Oh, yeah tell lucky. I the barber. I said hey, I was like what, lefty, lefty, that was it. She said lucky. I was like lefty, lucky, okay, maybe I heard her wrong. No, lucky, lucky was a three-legged one-eyed dog maybe. Maybe that was it.

Rhett: 33:38

Anyway, she was like you're talking to a childhood person I hooked up to and I was like, wow, okay, I'm talking to a movie star right now. To my wife, she's like unbelievable yeah because, a lot of people look to that ministry for kids' innovation.

Justin: 33:56

Well, the way that it was growing, growing. You know me and you've talked a bit about this on the phone before. But you know, taking back to our childhood, after you were gone, there wasn't socials to keep up with everybody, so you just lose touch. We randomly ran into you when you were at montgomery and we're going to the beach, we, I remember seeing you. We're driving right down the road together and we wave and I still remember that memory.

Jim Wideman: 34:19

But then it's like, yeah, that's the only children's church kid out of thousands that I just randomly have seen on the highway. Yeah, so cool.

Justin: 34:31

I'm glad to be that one.

Jim Wideman: 34:32

It was one of those things that it was a God moment, things that it was a God moment. That's what's crazy. That I remember is you look over and you see, you know, and I know Bo was there, but it was always you and your dad at key places and your dad just he worked so hard at keeping you and Bo all I mean y'all were at church for everything. Yeah, Yep, I don't think you ever missed. I think I missed more than y'all did.

Rhett: 35:10

Probably so man.

Justin: 35:12

He was a single dad trying to figure this thing out.

Rhett: 35:14

When I met him at eight years old, he started dragging me to church more consistently and then we were like how can we talk your dad out of not getting us to church?

Justin: 35:23

We'd be like let's go on a ride, dad, We'd try to pass cathedral.

Justin: 35:27

Yeah, but it was special because there was a night where I was at Parkway Christian Fellowship fellowship, uh, back in 93 to 2000. And we had, uh, we were going to go do a trip in Oklahoma and so we had the flyer to this conference because our youth pastor wanted to study some things with a Willie George's youth ministry called one 80, but on the flyer I'm seeing all the people in the different areas. But they also had like a kid's conference going on and there's a picture of Jim Weidman and that was the first time I'd seen you and it's like there's where he's at. Because I kept hearing about this flourishing children's ministry with just I mean I won't even say numbers, but it's just a crazy number of children who would attend. Like it was so many and I couldn't. I mean it was five times bigger than our church. I couldn't comprehend. And to see you on that it brought us back into each other's life. And then you came to parkway one day with your daughter because her and I led worship together one night.

Jim Wideman: 36:29

Yeah, and there you are in the hall. Yeah, and I was just along for the ride to see my mom. I was always looking for reasons to get back to Birmingham and there you were and I just kept running into you and kept running into you. It's been fun.

Rhett: 36:54

There's so many leadership things that I would love to dive into. I don't know how far and willing you're able to talk and I know you want to be honoring in what you say and what you do, but I think it would be very beneficial to those. As long as you've been in ministry, I know you kind of mentioned there was a season where you were wanting to keep your focus and it was healing not on man but on God. You've had transitions in your life. I don't know the stories, I don't know, so I'm literally coming to you and talking to you as if we're sitting down for the first time. But what are some things like? What are some hard things? What are some challenges that you've had to go through, that you've had to overcome in order to sustain ministry and life and family and continue in your faith and your walk with Jesus?

Jim Wideman: 37:39

You know senior pastors. I think sometimes when people start looking at the ministry they just throw senior pastors and associates kind of in the same thing. But there are decisions and things as an associate pastor or someone who is leading an age group or something that you're not privileged. In those situations you have no voice. You have an opinion but nobody wanted it and it's one of those things. You just said yes and you have to learn to go with the flow. Sometimes there's disappointments that you would have. You know, I have been a lifetime associate. I've never been a senior pastor. I've led at some really big churches and you know, like Justin said, I've had the privilege of pastoring thousands of kids but I've never been a senior pastor. So sometimes you have to deal with decisions that were not your own and you have to come up with the situation. Am I going to keep my yes to the Lord or am I going to let situations that I had no control over or things? You know churches hit financial problems. Churches have to make some tough decisions at times. Churches have to make some tough decisions at times Every season in my life in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and now getting ready for the ministry in the 70s as a minister, there's different decisions.

Jim Wideman: 39:44

It's just like now. I can't physically keep up with the 20 and 30-year-olds that I oversee, but I can get in the weeds in our thoughts and I can help them think bigger and then let them pull off some of the sweat equity that I did when I was younger. And every season there's different things and the key is to keep your yes. The best advice, rhett and Justin, somebody ever told me was keep a tender heart and grow tough skin, and that pretty much sums up the ministry is keep that yes on the table and keep saying yes. But every season I've had the privilege of working for seven different pastors for 50 years and everyone has put something in me that needed to be there and it is. I didn't. There were some things that I'm glad didn't rub off, but there were some things that needed to be deposited and I hope that the people that have worked for me down for the years can say that you know I'm a better daddy, I'm a better husband, I'm a better minister because of Jim Wideman's influence in my life and you know that's been true of the pastors that have put into me.

Jim Wideman: 41:14

The fact that we've talked about some of the struggles that churches, y'all have gone through and the very fact that you didn't know any of that. That's just the goodness of the Lord, you just keep loving people. Ministry's not rocket science, it's just loving Jesus. Keep loving people. And you know, ministry is not rocket science, it's just loving Jesus and loving others and just looking for needs and help fill in those and just be there for people. And that's been the greatest privilege of my life.

Jim Wideman: 41:56

And now you know, I went from, uh, the whole children's minute. You know I was a youth pastor start with and then children's pastor and then did the whole family next gen, where you're kind of over everything, and then um went to the executive pastor mode of things where I've got to oversee the operation side of things at one church and now I'm overseeing the ministry side of that executive role and it's just fun and it's just fun and every season to keep that, yes, you know, to keep your attitude right and your attitude controls your altitude and if you don't want to run in the mountains and trees, you keep a good attitude so that you can fly over that stuff, just staying in the Word and letting the main thing be the main thing. The main thing is always the Word of God and people.

Justin: 43:12

I'm always so inspired whenever we get to talk and, as I've said it, I've studied from afar just to kind of watch your journey now that we have the beauty of internet and the great things that you did with Church on the Move. And you said you 90 to 2007. I know you made your way back to Nashville, is that right?

Jim Wideman: 43:45

Oh yes, I've been here almost 18 years and it's funny how, uh, uh, you know, um, I always wanted to live in nashville, you know, I always felt like I was supposed to and uh, just um, I really thought when I left, uh, montgomery that we would move to n, but we moved to Oklahoma, and then the Lord let us move here in 2007 and by the end of the year. And so it has. It's hard to believe that I've been in Tennessee longer than I was in Oklahoma.

Justin: 44:14

Yeah, yeah, you're right there and I know you started shifting into these executive pastor roles. I mean, what's really cool to me too is just how you know you were in Oklahoma for such a long time building such an infrastructure, a foundation. Obviously the season in your life to raising a family your daughter, sons-in-laws have I mean, they're doing great things in ministry right now as well and then to see you step into Nashville it was, you know it's from helping these churches just with your experience, to even like some of these younger churches, like the Belonging Co. I know that you really had a season where you really got to be like here I'm going to kind of be this father figure to a lot of this younger staff and they've blown up like crazy an amazing church.

Jim Wideman: 45:01

It's fun it's fun to um, uh, hang out with younger leaders and that's really been the march and orders that the lord gave me. When I left tulsa he said I'm gonna spend the rest of my life putting in the younger leaders and I I knew that, age and experience-wise, and that's really been the focus of the books I write, the things I'll be speaking, you know, at the Orange Conference coming up in just a little bit. It's just such an honor to still get to hang out at the kids' table with younger leaders and younger folks and you know you have to work at staying relevant, reinventing yourself and just keeping up. But that's been a fun journey and, um, you know, it's uh, what the Lord's doing here at Conduit has just been so fun and we're, um, we've got a great young staff and, um, I keep finding myself being the oldest person on staff.

Rhett: 46:16

Well, I've got a question to that, I got a question to that, I've got a question to that, and I'm not sure I know how to word this question because I'm just going with the flow here in our conversation. But I'm curious in every season of life from 20, 30, 40, 50, every season was there ever a season that you struggled with identity in looking at like, oh man, I'm the children's guy of a megachurch reaching thousands of people and look at all the people that are coming and seeing. Was there ever a moment where you tied what you're doing into who you are? And, if so, how did you work through that struggle? That was one of the questions that I had and I was just curious.

Jim Wideman: 46:53

I think everybody, it doesn't matter what you do, you're tempted to believe your own press kid. And I had a one. I don't even know if you guys remember Brother McManus that worked at Huffman but he was an old Cajun guy, he was over the pastoral care and he was just funny, that's the way you'll care and he was just funny. He was from South Louisiana and he used to tell me all the time I'd be going to a conference or something and he said you don't need to go to another seminar. He said you just need to love people. And Brother Mac would say we're all just a pair of overalls that the Holy Spirit wants to put on. And he had a way of just helping you not believe your own press kit. But I think some of those years when you know we were training, you know, 50,000 children and youth pastors a year in conferences and folks, we had a camp that 10,000 kids a summer would come to the camp and I got to speak at the camp and you were, you know, making movies and doing some of this stuff and speaking and it's easy to believe you're on press kit.

Jim Wideman: 48:24

But it all goes back to I remember saying Lord, if you'll open up a door, I'll go through it, and he's kept his end of the bargain for all these years. And I keep praying every day Lord, give me the strength to keep going through the doors you open up. And if you'll open up doors, I promise I'll go through them. That's kind of been my prayer for the last 50 years is, if anything, I struggle with the fear of those doors stop opening, because I just want to keep blessing and helping and if the Lord has something for me to do, I want to do it, and that's been the great thing. And so far there's been churches that have needed that help.

Jim Wideman: 49:21

And now I'm I'm working on a legacy, uh, online community called next gen leader lab that, um, I can give away all my my resources and books and stuff where, um, people that I've coached and trained or coaching as well as me, um, you know, it's just all about leaving that legacy, uh, because you know there'll be a day that, um, you know I'm looking forward to going to heaven. And, um, I I'm, I'm at that age where, you know, as we were talking on the pre-call, so the folks we started talking about you know they're already in heaven and uh, so it's. You know, I'm looking forward to that. But you know, every season has its challenges and I heard somebody say one time everything's hard, you just, you just pick your heart.

Jim Wideman: 50:18

That's good, yeah. And you know it's hard to be married, it's hard to be single, it's hard. It's hard to be unemployed, it's hard to have a job, I mean it's hard to be fat, it's hard to be skinny, I mean it's hard to is. The Lord promised in every season he'd meet my needs and those needs change. But his faithfulness does not. And you know I'm just one good Cody Carn song. You know his faithfulness. You know there's not a generation I haven't seen. I love Cody. I haven't texted. I love Cody. I haven't texted him since yesterday, but it's one of those things that you know. I look at all these faithful through every generation song and I just sit there and boo her oh yeah, because that's been the Lord's story for me. Yeah, and he's still opening doors and still giving me an opportunity to bless other people.

Justin: 51:24

Yeah, well, I think about too how you said executive pastor really of operations, when you're a belonging code, now conduit, you're really that executive pastor, but you're more into ministry. What is that looking like? Because I know you also have your coaching and the next gen that you are really putting into legacy right now. But what does that look like at the church for you?

Jim Wideman: 51:46

Yeah, so you know I have all. What is so funny I don't know if it's just the whole children's pastor thing of I've always been kind of bi-vocational, they just both happened to be ministry and a lot of churches uh after uh, you know, when I was at church on the move we did conferences for a living. So I'd come home on the cheap airfare and I'd stay over and minister at churches. And Pastor Willie is just so wonderful about, you know, when I was there allowing the people that worked for him to just continue to minister to folks as the Lord opened up doors.

Jim Wideman: 52:34

But as soon as you work for a church over 10,000, nobody wants you to preach anymore. They just want you to come consult. And it's kind of funny how you want to preach because you're a preacher but they want you to be a secret shopper or just come and look at their organizational setups or their parking lot and organize stuff for them. And so you know, every church that I've worked at since Church on the Move, they just kind of built these extra opportunities. They see that on my life and let me do things. And you know we get a couple off days and I coach on one of them here, and it's funny because the pastor I worked for was one of my volunteers when he was going to Bible college and so I've consulted long before I was on staff in this church. I consulted with him several times, and so you know he's honored for me to still consult and help with other folks is. You know, and that's the great thing about Zoom, you don't have to go there anymore.

Justin: 53:53

Things have changed yeah.

Jim Wideman: 53:55

Oh my Lord.

Justin: 53:56

Especially five years ago this month?

Jim Wideman: 53:58

Yeah, what would Paul, what would, especially five years ago this month? Yeah, what would Paul be able?

Rhett: 54:02

to.

Jim Wideman: 54:03

I mean, he wrote most of the New Testament without a pen. And here we are with computers and Zoom and a cloud and all this stuff. Don't you think Paul is going to give us a hard?

Justin: 54:15

time he's going to be like is this all y'all did? Is this all y'all did?

Rhett: 54:19

Is this all y'all did?

Jim Wideman: 54:20

You had all these tools and this is all you did, I wrote three-fourths of the Bible without a pen Imprisoned.

Justin: 54:30

Yeah, it's interesting.

Jim Wideman: 54:31

Imprisoned, yeah, you know, every season. You know it's kind of crazy. The crazy thing now about ministering to kids and young people today is we're preparing young people for jobs that hadn't been invented yet, so like what your kids will do for a living. That hadn't been invented yet and you know what their kids will do for a living, you know. Nobody's even thought of that, and so that, how do you prepare them, teaching the Word of God at a level where they can relate to it now and apply it to their life as well as just dreaming?

Rhett: 55:17

the Lord. That's really good, jim. I mean the perspective you have on life and in ministry. How many years have you faithfully served in ministry? If you know, how many years is that?

Jim Wideman: 55:28

Yeah, this year is my 50th year of being ordained.

Rhett: 55:32

Okay, so 50 years from ordination and you were obviously serving Jesus before that. Okay, so that's a lot of time. You've seen a lot of things come and go. You've experienced the 20s, the 30s. So when I say 20s and 30s, I'm not talking about 19. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking like living through your 20s, living through your 30s, your 40s, your 50s and now, you know, approaching your 70s. You're very young, in my opinion.

Jim Wideman: 55:55

What I tell people. What's funny is I was 20 in the 70s and now I'm only 70 in the 20s.

Rhett: 56:03

That's good.

Rhett: 56:05

So, with that mindset, we have a lot of young leaders and so we have young leaders who listen. I'm in, you know, approaching my fifties and I'm noticing that the way I approach life and ministry in my twenties and thirties is a lot different now in my, you know, mid to late forties, going into fifties. So my mindset's different. The way I look at life is different, my perspective, the way I think through things. So one of my questions is to the young leaders who are listening what would you say to them? Maybe you go back and you look at through the perspective of what you would say to your younger self. And I know you said keep a tender heart and tough skin. But if you were to really dive in a little deeper, how would you minister to a young leader and what would you say to them, knowing the perspective you have of life being long but life being short at the same time? But what would you say to somebody in their you know that 20 to 30s and then the midlife approaching, the season that you're now in?

Jim Wideman: 56:59

Well, really the same thing and that is your first ministry is to your family. God created the home before he created the church and my greatest sermon is my family and that. You know the crazy thing. You know I'm considered one of the fathers of family ministry and people talk about youth and children and all this stuff, but nobody talks about marriage as part of family ministry. You can't have, you know, you can't be in family ministry if you don't have a great marriage, just working on your marriage. And you know, when your kids were little, the first thing that flew out the door because you didn't have the money for it was date night and that working on your relationship. And the main thing I would say is always have a date night, even if the date is the Walmart and if all you can do is go to Lowe's and look, go and you know the important thing, you don't have to have a full meal, y'all just eat a pretzel, have a big time, and it's one of those things that you work on your marriage, you work on your kids and I'm so thankful.

Jim Wideman: 58:25

What I would tell most young ministry leaders is watch how many nights you book. The church can't have more than three at the most and you're the one that's going to have to guard those nights. And you know, I hear y'all stories about staying out all night at the coffee shops and I did the same thing with my leaders and hung out with them. That was one night. That was not every single night, that's right, and you know it's one of those things that you have to watch your nights and you know that's that's that's important thing. But your home, um is. You know, what happens at home can undo what happens at church and um, now that, uh, my daughter Yancey does podcasts for PKs and um, and what does that call it, by the way?

Justin: 59:28

for PKs, and what is that called?

Jim Wideman: 59:30

by the way, go ahead and give her a shout out, it's called Stained Glass Kids and it has just been amazing to hear these stories. But the sad thing is ministers who are one way in the pulpit and another way at the house, and the greatest thing you can do for people, and especially your own families, just be the real deal everywhere you are. And, um, you know, that's been, uh, the story that, um, you know, when PKs live in a bubble, it's hard enough. Uh, you know, and you guys uh know you know, and you guys uh know you know, for some pks they're with the same group of people on the weekend as well as in christian school, and you know, you're around these same people seven days a week and all this stuff and they don't have a choice.

Jim Wideman: 1:00:26

You know, I used to yeah, I used to tell my girls, if you live in a glass house, you learn to dress in a basement and you know, just realize, everywhere you go, somebody's watching. There's somebody from the megachurch that knows you Everywhere you go. I mean, I lived in Birmingham for years and I still behave every time I go.

Rhett: 1:00:50

I mean, I had lived in. Birmingham for years and I still behave every time I go.

Jim Wideman: 1:00:55

It's one of those things that that's the most important thing is guard your family and guard, you know, and everybody knows this from bank doing your banking but if you don't make deposits you can't write checks. And that's the same way. Spiritually, you learn how to minister out of that overflow. And, just like me, Sunday night I streamed the worship night at Gateway to hear Martin Smith and Kerry and Cody and that night was so rich we ended up streaming it Sunday night and watched it again Monday morning and just sitting there worshiping the Lord with them and crying and boohooing and carrying on. And you just need those times of refreshing and filling. You just can't be on all the time you have to take in.

Rhett: 1:02:04

I have one question along the lines of the season of life that you're in and I hope, as I'm processing it in my mind, I can ask the question correctly what was important? What did you think was really important in ministry in your early ministry that now, at the perspective you're in, you're thinking it really wasn't that important. Maybe it's the priorities. What are your priorities really now, looking at the lens of life that you're looking through 50 years of ministry plus, because I want to learn from what you've learned and where you are now what did you think was important? What were the things that you thought? Maybe it was an agenda, maybe it was accomplishments, maybe it was success. And now, looking back, you're looking. You know those things are really as important as I thought they were. So I'm just giving you examples of what I'm thinking. But like, how are you living life differently now than you were when you were a younger minister?

Jim Wideman: 1:03:02

I think that's the question. I used to think that I could met. I probably measured how effective I was by how busy I was. And now I'll give somebody else a love offering to not speak at their church. That is so rich, you know. Rather than me looking for a way to get a love offering, I'll give one or two and just stay at the house. You know, I'd rather, you know I would, I would rather be. I'm going to help a couple that want to write a book this weekend and the first thing I did was check see which grandson had a hockey game. Oh, that's awesome.

Jim Wideman: 1:03:44

And before you know, I committed to my church calendar. Before you know, I committed to my church calendar and I think maybe when I was younger, I went ahead and booked a church calendar and then looked at my family calendar. It's, you know, my phone has a bedtime now, where it, just because we have a cell phone, don't mean it has to work 24 hours a day. And it's not that you're not willing to be on call 24 hours a day, there's just no reason to. And it's one of those things that, as I look back on ministry, I think sometimes you can look at accomplishments or look at your schedule and wear that as a badge of honor. When you know, yesterday my oldest grandson turned 14 and he wanted to go to Raising Caves, so there was nothing on my agenda that was more important than getting that boy some chicken fingers.

Jim Wideman: 1:04:57

I love that. You know that's one of those things that because I put in the time with their mothers, those three grandsons of mine you know, know that G has time for them. You know you can win every kid in America and if you don't have a relationship, the ones in your house. I think you have your priorities out of whack.

Justin: 1:05:27

Yeah, so, so good. And speaking of raising canes, my 15 year old has never tried it and he wants to, so bad.

Rhett: 1:05:35

We don't have one in Birmingham.

Justin: 1:05:36

Evidently it must be a great place.

Jim Wideman: 1:05:38

It is incredible. Yeah, it's good. Now these days, I'm definitely ordering off the secret menu.

Justin: 1:05:48

You have raising canes. They have a secret menu. Oh yeah, oh, hold on, you've got to hook me. Why don't you tell the secret to our podcast audience, please?

Jim Wideman: 1:05:55

So basically all it is is they still fry the chicken, they just don't dip it in butter. So it cuts about half the calories, but it still makes my cardiologist Well that's a great secret.

Rhett: 1:06:12

I don't know if I want it.

Jim Wideman: 1:06:16

You say no to the French fries, no to the bread. Yeah, and you just get all coleslaw and then don't do the cane sauce and just do the hot sauce. It's about 12 hot sauces because there's zero calories.

Justin: 1:06:34

So we've shifted now to like family advice.

Rhett: 1:06:37

Now he's giving us some good food tips Jim.

Jim Wideman: 1:06:39

Wadman tells us all Y'all live in Birmingham, the greatest food city in the world.

Rhett: 1:06:46

It is great. It is great, yeah, it surprises people.

Jim Wideman: 1:06:52

And y'all don't have a downtown 3rd Avenue anymore. With all those little Greek hot dogs stands Gus's hot dogs Birmingham.

Justin: 1:07:01

I went to.

Jim Wideman: 1:07:03

Birmingham I grew up in with all the Goulas family and all the different Greek Costas Goulas, oh yeah, All the all the Nicky's family and all the different Greeks Costas Goulas, all the Nikki's West Come on now, come on.

Justin: 1:07:16

We frequented those places.

Rhett: 1:07:18

My wife can't stand Nikki's West, and it's not because of the food, it's because she doesn't like being yelled at going down the line, because they're like if you don't know what you want. The minute you walk up to them, they're asking the next person what do you want?

Jim Wideman: 1:07:35

If you know what you want. The minute you walk up to them, they're asking the next person what do you want? If you don't answer, what do you want? What do you want? 5, 10, 20 people down the line?

Justin: 1:07:41

it's like no pictures of the sign that nicky's west is in my twitter account no rollers in your hair, no tank tops.

Rhett: 1:07:48

Yeah, it's great you must wear shoes, all right. I mean, buddy, if we're in nashville and and we're going out to eat and you, you're picking the restaurant where. Where is, where is your place? And it can't be raising canes, I mean, it's got it no, okay, where are we going?

Jim Wideman: 1:08:03

jim uh, we probably go to hattie b's and get you some hot cheese.

Justin: 1:08:08

Let's go, love hattie b's hey, okay, so birmingham, we all have one. Now I know I know you do so we'll see the clip.

Jim Wideman: 1:08:16

The closest dreamland to me is in huntsville. Oh wow, there you go.

Justin: 1:08:22

Yeah, we talked about so much yeah, yeah yeah, do you remember the big bob gibson craze?

Jim Wideman: 1:08:28

I mean, oh yeah, you remember on that podcast last week.

Justin: 1:08:31

I guess it was last week or two weeks ago. Who knows, rhett didn't remember that.

Rhett: 1:08:35

Well, we couldn't remember the name of Dreamland. Barbecue.

Justin: 1:08:40

He didn't go that far south. Okay, yeah, that's true. Yeah, that was so good, you know Birmingham.

Jim Wideman: 1:08:47

I still think Birmingham barbecue is better than Memphis Agreed.

Rhett: 1:08:52

Hey, you know, there's nothing like that white sauce, baby. Let's go. Rodney Scott have you had Rodney Scott's? Are they in Nashville?

Jim Wideman: 1:08:58

Yeah, I've had it.

Justin: 1:09:00

It's Carolina, it's okay.

Jim Wideman: 1:09:02

It's Carolina.

Justin: 1:09:03

He ain't.

Jim Wideman: 1:09:03

Birmingham, no.

Rhett: 1:09:06

Where would you go in Birmingham for barbecue? You're coming down. Where are?

Jim Wideman: 1:09:09

we taking you. I'm going to go to Dreamland. Okay, come on.

Justin: 1:09:12

Okay, see, they got a vote.

Jim Wideman: 1:09:14

When I first I used to sell program at Alabama Games in Tuscaloosa oh man, that's right. And Big Daddy Williams lived in the house and there was just picnic tables in his front yard. Yeah, and it was before he turned his house into a restaurant when I was 10 years old. That would have been 65.

Rhett: 1:09:33

I didn't realize he turned his house into a restaurant, but I remember going.

Jim Wideman: 1:09:39

I was probably like I don't know five, six years old.

Rhett: 1:09:42

You need to drive to get off the air and get in your car and go to Tuscaloosa.

Jim Wideman: 1:09:46

Okay, and you know, before Dreamland had anything else on the menu, it was just ribs and white bread. Yeah, that's it, that's all, and that's what you want.

Justin: 1:09:58

They kept the main thing. That's all I order the main thing.

Jim Wideman: 1:10:01

That's all I order when I go to Test Place.

Rhett: 1:10:04

Well, think about that for a second. When food people do things really well, they stick with the simplest, simple things. Why can't?

Jim Wideman: 1:10:10

we do that in ministry man.

Rhett: 1:10:12

Why do we feel like we got to do everything? That's a whole nother can.

Jim Wideman: 1:10:17

I know, but I'm just, that's a whole, nother podcast episode, I mean there's something to be said about going.

Rhett: 1:10:22

You know, keeping things pure, simple, clean, like do it well, man, and I think that's what you've done over time, though You've really done things really well. You've simplified, you were creative in creating systems and processes that delivered on the vision.

Justin: 1:10:34

Yeah, and ultimately this podcast is about. You know, I love the tender heart that you have, the thick skin. But when you talk about, when you hear a song that says God's faithfulness, how it just kind of melts you. And the reason that's powerful to us and our audience is you're hearing Jim Weidman 69 at the time of this recording about to turn 70, and he is as tender as he's been.

Justin: 1:10:59

And you're living the story of a faithful servant and that moves me and it's like, hey, when I grow up, when I'm hitting 69, when I'm hitting 70, I want to say the same thing, and that's the takeaway today.

Jim Wideman: 1:11:17

It has just been so fun to keep saying yes, and that's been the thing. You know, everybody, the whole. Natalie Runyon I've known Natalie for a long time. Her mom was a children's pastor at her daddy's church and you know that whole race to stay. You know there's so many reasons to quit but there's more reasons to stay and that one main reason is Jesus and that's that's been the thing. That's been so good.

Rhett: 1:11:55

Can I ask one last question as we land the plane? Sure, what would you say is your secret to the secret place for your relationship with Jesus? Like, what does it look like to stay tenderhearted with tough skin? I know you mentioned reading the word, but like, practically speaking discipleship, practicality, I like to.

Jim Wideman: 1:12:17

I'm a worshiper. I still, if I miss anything from being an administrator, I miss leading a bunch of kids in worship, leading a bunch of kids in worship, and that comes from a place of me just being a worshiper myself, and so I keep a guitar somewhere close by at all times. I play a little bit. I don't play much, but I play a little bit every day and I'm usually singing a little bit every day. I'm usually singing a song about faithfulness. My favorite place to worship the Lord is I've got a screened-in porch at my house. My grands and my daughters and my wife finds me there most of the time. I'm just sitting there calling out to the Lord and worship, and I think that you know he inhabits the praises of his people. There's no age group on that. Whether you be young or old, he'll inhabit and dwell in the middle of those praises. I think that's an important thing.

Jim Wideman: 1:13:32

Before I get in the Word, I always start out worshiping the Lord. It's just like Justin. You can put him over hospital visitation if you want to pastoral care, but you're a worshiper and that's just who we are, and so that's been the biggest secret, I think. And all this stuff is just still worshiping and longing for the presence of the Lord. You know, in teaching any age group, everybody wants to teach well and have kids respond well, but if you focus on the presence and just let the Lord show up, he'll draw every age unto himself. So you know that was always. You know, if I'm speaking to adults, I want to create an atmosphere where the presence of the Lord is in this place. You know I was doing the Christmas story with preschoolers. I want the presence of God and so I think that's important, so good.

Justin: 1:14:55

Jim, I'm so moved by this conversation. Oh, it's been fun guys, I would love at some point me and Rhett, we need to get our guitars. We were actually worshiping together before we got online with you. We had our two instruments. He had his piano, I had my guitar.

Rhett: 1:15:11

Yeah.

Justin: 1:15:14

And we were just everything you're just saying right now and that means so much, so much. When we hear it and I know the audience listening just to be able to find that secret place I mean I'm connecting with you. We want to take our car up to Nashville and sit on that porch with you and play some guitar and then we'll go to Hattie B's after. Let's do it. Well, we can do it.

Jim Wideman: 1:15:35

See, I just need to come to Birmingham.

Justin: 1:15:37

Yeah, that too. See, you're looking for an excuse, I'm looking for an excuse to go to Nashville.

Jim Wideman: 1:15:41

Yeah, I would say you want to come up here, I want to go there. Justin wants to get to Nashville any minute he can. He can in any moment.

Rhett: 1:15:46

I love some Nashville so um, we want to give you the opportunity. If anybody wanted to follow you, uh, find your resources, your books, like, how would they do that? You know where, where, where can they find you online?

Jim Wideman: 1:15:58

Jim Weidmancom at Jim Weidman on uh all the platforms, as far as Instagram.

Justin: 1:16:08

And I don't have a tick tock I, I don't have a TikTok. I mean, you know, you just have to say no, you have to say no to something, so I just said no to that.

Jim Wideman: 1:16:17

But as far as you know, facebook is so weird because you know they only let you have 5,000 friends. I filled up a couple of different pages.

Rhett: 1:16:29

If that gives you some perspective of who the man we're talking to. Some people are like God. I love this.

Jim Wideman: 1:16:35

You can't work at big churches and have a. Facebook.

Justin: 1:16:39

It's so true, I mean, it just doesn't work.

Jim Wideman: 1:16:41

It doesn't work, so so you have to like me.

Rhett: 1:16:45

Yeah, that's right, oh, okay yeah.

Jim Wideman: 1:16:47

You know, I had to save my regular Facebook account for the people I actually know.

Justin: 1:16:53

Jim, you also have. You talked about it a little while ago, but even as we land the plan here to let people know specifically, we got the handles to find you online. But you have different times throughout the season where you open up certain coaching seasons before you know you have to shut it down after it fills up. But how can people learn when the next entry point to that is JimWidmancom under coaching is pretty the main landing place.

Jim Wideman: 1:17:21

Like I said, I do individual coaching, I do group coaching and then now I have the online community. That's affordable for any leader at NextGenLeaderLabcom and that's been a lot of fun to have a place to hang out online if people are looking for you.

Justin: 1:17:46

There it is. Well, you guys, you got to hear this and I know if you're like me, you want more of it. So those are the handles. Check out jimweidmancom and go see what might be an offering. You could jump in and make yourself even better and create a tender yet thick skin heart as you begin to progress in your journey with Christ. So, Jim Weidman, we love you so much. Love you buddy.

Jim Wideman: 1:18:12

Thank y'all so much.

Rhett: 1:18:14

It's been so good to sit down with you. Can't wait for Hattie B's. We'll order it to go. We'll sit on your back porch and we'll make some music On the next episode of Armchair Authentic. So Linda's like in an effort, because she's a great leader, she's like let's rally the troops.

Rhett: 1:18:32

five, six, seven, eight, happy birthday we all start in two and I start laughing. What blows me away is you counted five, six, seven, eight. And then we start singing one, two, three, like, like. It should have been like five, six, seven. Happy birthday to you 5, 6, 7, 8.

Justin: 1:18:58

This birthday's been brought to you by Zatarain, they got like their hat on, they got like their striped outfit.

Rhett: 1:19:04

You got Harry Connick Jr One more game. Happy birthday, happy birthday. Happy birthday to you. That's a jam, you know. Happy birthday to and they run out of the kitchen.

Justin: 1:19:17

We're really looking forward to that conversation. If you're enjoying these episodes of Armchair Authentic, would you do something for us? Would you rate and review our podcast? It would mean so much to us. Thank you Well, friends. We're looking forward to our next episode next Monday on Armchair Authentic.