Jillian Chambers: 0:00

Even in the midst of our trauma and our pain, if we will allow God to, he will show Himself. He will reveal to us that he's with us. You know, I felt so abandoned. To be honest with you, I think sometimes we see pain as punishment and I remember I kept thinking Lord, what did I do wrong that he had to die Like? What did I miss? And the Lord was like this isn't about anything that you've done wrong, you just have to trust me. You know, we all have a life script, whether we admit it or not. We kind of think things are going to turn out a certain way by a certain time. And I remember having to surrender my script because this was nothing that I would have ever written in my life. I mean, I just turned 50 years old. That's not. I don't want to be a widow. It was on my 2020 vision list to become a widow and I didn't even understand that world at all.

Rhett: 1:03

Welcome everyone to another conversation with your friends Rhett and Justin, right here at Armchair. Authentic a podcast designed to bring hope, inspiration and encouragement around real conversations about real life with real people. We're stewarding our conversations, our stories and our relationships in a way that serve you. Now, today, justin and I have the honor and the privilege of sitting down with Jillian Chambers. Now, jillian is a woman of God who is ferociously in love with Jesus Christ. She's a God chaser, a freedom fighter, a public speaker, a life coach, author, widow and a widow advocate. Today's conversation, my friends, is one that is not only encouraging, inspirational, it's challenging, and if you've ever wanted to see someone who has learned how to see God in the midst of their pain is Jillian Chambers. So, without further ado, our conversation with our friend Jill.

Justin: 2:15

Well, rhett, we are in the Armchair Authentic studios today with one of my really good friends, and I'm so excited that you finally get to meet her. Me too, jillian Chambers. Welcome to meet her. Me too, jillian Chambers, welcome to Armchair Authentic.

Jillian Chambers: 2:28

Wow, it's so great to be here with both of you amazing humans. I love it.

Rhett: 2:32

You are so kind, I'll tell you from our pre-call and then even some of the group texts that we've had. I was like this is the most encouraging kind person. I've ever met that I haven't met yet, and so like.

Justin: 2:45

anyway, I just wanted to say that, even through your texts and the group texts that we've had in this pre-call, it's been so good to just have an opportunity to get to know you and to connect from the six degrees of separation that I've seen, that we've had, you know, in life it's so true, because when, when, jill, when we, we basically would set up a text thread, sometimes before we have a conversation, and so I wanted to invite Rhett into what me and Jill are already friends, and I love Jill, how you just didn't even wait, you just jumped right in.

Rhett: 3:11

I loved it.

Justin: 3:11

And it was like it was one of the pals. Oh yeah, and I mean next thing, you know, I mean I'm sending like those little videos of like little little memes.

Rhett: 3:19

Oh, you got some memes going on.

Justin: 3:21

Yeah, I'm basically like Jill this is, in essence, what me and Rhett are, and I sent a meme of Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted's excellent adventure. She jumped right in and it was like this is going to be a. This is going to be a good conversation and some good friendships in the future that we're establishing. Yeah, so thank you for just just the way that you are.

Justin: 3:38

So you're with people and I'm so excited that we're able to have you on this podcast, because people need to know Jillian Chambers and you are a very, you're an encourager, obviously very, very experienced in ministry and we're going to get into all this. But you've also really experienced some deep tragedy. People would have no idea because of the joy that you carry, but you carry so much depth to you as well when you're in conversation, because of the things that you've been through and we're going to get into all of that. But I just kind of wanted to take this early moment of just kind of just taking it in and saying, jill, this is going to be a great, a great episode. So I hope, I hope you're ready to roll, because we're going to get into some good conversation.

Jillian Chambers: 4:22

I'm ready to rock and roll, thanks. Thanks so much, justin. Yeah.

Justin: 4:25

Well, I met Jill. I'm going to say Jill at times, I'm going to say Jillian because it is Jillian Chambers, but I say Jill because I met her in 2007. You and I met when, me and Summer, two of our friends, lane and Rachel, and you and Danny went to Switzerland for a John Maxwell. It was what Equip.

Jillian Chambers: 4:50

Yes.

Justin: 4:50

Equip Equip leader. It was the.

Jillian Chambers: 4:52

Million Leader Mandate yeah, the Million.

Justin: 4:55

Leader Mandate and I met you guys there and you know we were kind of talking on our pre-call that in this other culture, like in Switzerland, you know, just other countries it's not like America where it's like fast food. Even at a sit down restaurant they're trying to get you in and out because they got to bust a table, they got to change over. These would be, if you can imagine.

Rhett: 5:16

you know, in Switzerland you sit down in a restaurant and it's a two to three hour affair and I love that and I know we have people listening from Switzerland that are into our podcast the things that we get to see. So I envy that about our Swiss friends. I love that. If we could just bring a little bit of that over into the United States of American culture, you know why they get to do that is like the waiters, the waitresses.

Justin: 5:41

They're paid. It's more like a salary. It's not based on the table, they're not based on tips. See, I did not know that, and so you get to take your time and they want you to have an experience.

Justin: 5:51

And so with that, that's when I got to know you, because we would just get to have some great conversations and talk about ministry, that you and Danny were doing and what we're doing at Highlands and how we've come together. And now you guys, there you are training an event as we're raising up these million leaders across the world, and it was just really, really powerful. So I don't know what you remember from that trip, jill, but here's how I'm going to set you up. I'm in the lobby with Lane and he says hey, danny and Jill should be walking up soon. Would you go out and greet them?

Justin: 6:27

And I'm thinking well, I've heard of the Chambers, but I don't know what they look like. And he looks at me. He says, hey, justin, you'll know. And I walk out into the streets of Switzerland where it's like you know the European, tall, dark and handsome Everybody's got their long jacket sewn and they just got that dark look, just clothing, okay. And all of a sudden, in the distance, it's like I see the city of nashville walking to me you're like okay, there's the creative musicians, I mean I could tell it was like.

Justin: 7:00

These are some artists from nashville walking up this is danny and jill chambers coming up and I remember meeting you guys and greeting you. I mean, I don't even remember what you could even remember from that moment, but that was. It's just, it's branded on me that's so funny.

Jillian Chambers: 7:19

I I would like to know what made you think that, but I'm also scared to know what made you think that. But I'm also scared to know what made you think that that's a good thing.

Justin: 7:27

It was a really good thing because it goes back to what I said a while ago. You're so, you're just joyful, and in that culture it's not always like a lot of joy, it's very seriousness. There's kind of a bit of a darkness. That's in some of the in the city that we were in to a degree, and so the bragging part is y'all bring such a light, but just even in y'all's apparel, I mean you were, I mean y'all looked awesome, but it was just like there was color, there was belt buckles, there was.

Justin: 7:55

it was, it was it was so fun, jill. Just when I think back on those times.

Jillian Chambers: 8:02

You know we started the when, when we were at John Maxwell's house when he launched the vision for the Million Leader Mandate and I remember there was about 30 of us pastors there. We were outside in his backyards when he had his house in Atlanta and I remember Pastor Chris came up to Danny and he said he introduced himself. He said Danny Chambers, chris Hodges. He said man, I've Chris Hodges. He said man, I've known you since you came to Brother Larry's Missions Conference and Youth Conference and led worship. He said I love your music.

Jillian Chambers: 8:33

And I remember Danny said well, sit down with us at this table. So we sat down and started having dinner together and Doug Carter from John Maxwell's camp came over and he stood up. He said I like this table. And he said y'all want, y'all want to train together? And we said absolutely. And then my husband stood up and he said well, my wife has to teach. And I was kind of uncomfortable, you know, cause I was like okay, honey, you know just put it right out there and he said, wherever you assign us, my wife has to teach us.

Jillian Chambers: 9:05

My wife has to teach and Doug's like absolutely. He said we'll make sure she's in a country that accepts, you know, women teachers and all that fun stuff. And it was funny I think I was one of two women teachers at that time that more came on board but it was. But that's how I got to know Pastor Chris, that's how I got to know Lane and that's how I got to know you, justin was, I was able and what's funny you will will.

Jillian Chambers: 9:22

You will appreciate this being in the preacher world um chris. Pastor chris liked me because I I ended on time yes, he loved it.

Justin: 9:32

He's like, can you do two or three of?

Rhett: 9:39

those lessons like we're each supposed to do like I think two and he's like, could you do more?

Jillian Chambers: 9:43

because, because he knew that I was going to end on time, my husband was an evangelist.

Justin: 9:48

You know, three closings and then another, that's so true, because you guys I mean what you did in ministry and where you guys were going I mean it wasn't like hour and 10 minute services, these were like revivals, and worship alone would have gone an hour and a half if not more.

Jillian Chambers: 10:03

Yeah, we had a season of our life before we started our church that the Lord really allowed us to go into dry environments and we had a song Let the Rain of His Presence. And every time we would go in you could feel the power and the presence of the Lord and, honestly, people would get healed without an altar call, without being laid hands on, we would just be in worship. And I remember one lady came and she had. Well, we came back to her church after I think it was a year, and she came and told us she said last year you were here, you sang that song and she said I had lost all my hair because of chemo, I had cancer. And she said that night I went home and I just was like you know what, lord, I'm just believing you're going to heal me. I don't know what pathway you're going to use to heal me, but I'm believing you're going to heal me. And the next morning she looked in the mirror and her hair was two inches.

Jillian Chambers: 10:50

It was red, red, fiery hair and she went and told her doctor and her doctor was like, oh, you were just, you know, that's just manipulation, those churches, you know. And she goes, well, explain this. And she took her little beanie cap off and showed him her hair. She goes, explain this. He's like, okay, so she showed us the document that they actually said it was a real miracle and that all happened in worship. It was just constantly, I mean, I still get testimonies to this day about people's lives being transformed through worship. So we really were able to bring this new.

Jillian Chambers: 11:21

It was kind of a movement of worship, Because I grew up in a church that was, you know, spirit-filled, life-giving, but it was more of a song service, you know, where you just kind of sing your songs. And then the main thing about Sunday or the main thing about the service was the preaching. And it's not to take away from the preaching, but we just saw real power in worship to prepare our hearts. We likened our hearts to soil and we felt like, before the seed of the word got in, it needed to be tilled a little bit and prepared a little bit, and so we just, and then we saw the fruit of it, you know. And so God really allowed our ministry to unleash a movement of worship and it started because, you know, back in the eighties there was no worship geared towards student generation. You know we're singing all these pardon me, I don't know if anybody but Jewish jig songs.

Rhett: 12:06

Oh yeah, that's true. I remember those. This is a day, yeah, yeah yeah yeah, yeah, oh yeah.

Justin: 12:09

And all the people are like Jewish jigging. You know what I'm saying.

Rhett: 12:12

It's so fun, they'd slow it down and they'd speed it up and they'd slow it down and speed it up. You shall go out with joy and be led forth joy with peace, mountains and the hills. Oh yeah, I just went back my hair, just oh yeah absolutely and so you know, you don't really want to bring your friends to church.

Justin: 12:37

You know what I'm saying?

Jillian Chambers: 12:38

yeah, that's true, and so yeah that god just gave danny a revelation of worship and the church actually grew. The youth group grew from about 25 students to 702 years.

Justin: 12:50

Craig.

Jillian Chambers: 12:51

Rochelle was actually part of that youth group.

Justin: 12:53

Oh, that's wonderful, we did that, let's go.

Jillian Chambers: 12:56

So you look back and you go wow.

Justin: 12:58

A lot of seeds planted, that's incredible.

Jillian Chambers: 13:00

Yeah, he was in the college.

Rhett: 13:02

I appreciate you mentioning that song because as I was talking to my wife, you know, earlier this morning she was actually playing that song for me because I'd never heard it, and so the rain, let the rain let the rain and that's you know, you got to understand like I I I didn't really give my heart to Christ until I was 16 years old and then I was kind of like bottlenecked into whatever our church was doing at the time and so, but she was like y'all's ministry and that song specifically, as she was even playing it this morning, like she had tears in her eyes and I could just sense the presence of God on it, even though it was recorded, you know, several years ago.

Rhett: 13:39

But it was so integral into her development and her relationship with God and her worship experiences. And so I want to say thank you because, having been married to this wonderful woman for 19 years, I am I'm reaping the benefit and blessing of the ministry and the, the um, the investment you guys have made into her life through your faithfulness and obedience and worship and creating those experiences, because you know it was a huge part of her development and her walk with the Lord. So, on behalf of her, since she's not here today, I want to say thank you for that because, again, such a huge blessing, so yeah, it's a powerful song.

Justin: 14:13

And that's something I want to at least want to bring to light in this moment that the saying you hear behind every great man is a great woman. And a lot of people will know that name, danny Chambers, because obviously he's a great worship leader, great songwriter, but it was almost a brand Danny Chambers because you were right there with him and you can watch these videos. I mean, you can go back and see him and it's Danny and Jill and the team that they brought. So when I say Danny and so many times, I'm referencing both of you because of the ministry that you have. So I agree with Rhett wholeheartedly. It's funny. When I first heard of you guys, it was actually I'll be sensitive here because I want to be careful with names, I won't use names but there was a season in life where we had kind of a. It was like a youth pastor for a short time. Oh boy it. We had kind of a.

Rhett: 15:06

It was like a youth pastor for a short time.

Justin: 15:07

Oh boy, it wasn't like the beloved youth pastor of the church. It's like after they leave and the next one comes in and they're always compared to the former, which is kind of sad. But this one didn't really work out anyway. But I guess one thing I know now that he was bringing great to the table was he and I got in a dispute one time about like worship theology. I was leading certain songs and he didn't like certain words that were used, even if they were from the Book of Psalms, like if it says in my weakness you're my strength. He didn't want to confess any weakness at all, so it was very much the other side of the spectrum Pendulum swing to the.

Justin: 15:43

Huge. You can find great balance in all all what he was trying to say and where I was trying to say. I think if we would have come together in the middle, we both would have been in the right spot. But one time he was saying, justin, we got to change this music, and he said here's a, here's a cassette. It was a cassette. Then he said a cassette I need you to listen to, and he had already just chewed me out. So I was almost annoyed at him. So it didn't matter who he was going to put in front of me next. I was going to be annoyed at whoever he hands me and he hands me a Danny Chambers cassette. He said this is, and so which obviously would have been us meeting in this middle.

Justin: 16:20

I didn't have ears to hear then because I was immature. I took the cassette from him in my mind, thinking I didn't have ears to hear them because I was immature, wow. I took the cassette from him in my mind, thinking I don't want to listen to this stuff because I didn't know you. I knew him, but that's the first time I saw Danny Chambers, like the name, wow. And so, unfortunately, jill, meaning you've talked about this before. It wasn't like the best start because I just kind of put it to the side and just tried to. You know it wasn't like the best start because I just kind of put it to the side and just tried to you know before we got to the Danny.

Rhett: 16:54

Chamber music, his role came to an end.

Justin: 17:05

So, unfortunately, I went back to this other music and I didn't realize that I should have actually taken him up on that, because I would then begin to hear the name Danny Chambers, as I would dive more into worship and realize like, oh my gosh, this is a powerful ministry, this is powerful music and a lot of people are doing this and it was different than what I was used to, as you were saying, in the church, where great songs, people are being touched, but this is the Lord's church and Jesus is Lord. It was a little different than that and I could appreciate, as a youth, just the power of Him actually awakening this next generation that we can have worship and actually have a style of music that we could appreciate.

Jillian Chambers: 17:41

There was a sound that somehow just captivated and it was obviously spirit-led. But people would say that constantly. They'd say there's something in the sound. There's something in the sound, and Dan used to teach spirit travels on sound.

Rhett: 17:57

Come on.

Jillian Chambers: 17:58

When the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came into the room. He came in like a sound of a rushing mighty wind. He didn't come in like a rushing mighty wind, that's right. He came in as the sound and so he used to talk about. You know, listen to certain music and you feel a spirit on it. You know, that's why we did have to tell some of our students please don't listen to that.

Justin: 18:19

yet it's going to awaken a part of you that you should not wake up, and once it's awake, you're going to want to feed it, so put it back to sleep.

Jillian Chambers: 18:25

Listen to this music.

Rhett: 18:26

That's really good.

Jillian Chambers: 18:27

And so we, we found ourselves all over the world, literally in all different kinds of tribes and camps, unleashing that sound, and then really the Lord's, the spirit of God, would just travel on it. So people that were struggling with faith or hope or you know addictions, were struggling with faith or hope or addictions. They found freedom, People found healing and that led us to. I remember one of the worship leaders today, israel Houghton, was watching I think we were on TBN or something and he was in another room and he came out and saw Danny. There was a clip of him kneeling on the ground with his hands up, singing and belting and Israel was like how are you doing that? Like vocally, you know Right and um, and it was just what he just did. He just was very expressive in worship and I remember he reached out to us and we were getting ready to do this event called Washington for Jesus, which was in 1996.

Justin: 19:19

Yeah.

Jillian Chambers: 19:19

And we just kind of, you know, we gathered on the Capitol lawn at the US Capitol.

Justin: 19:25

And.

Jillian Chambers: 19:25

Danny. He was very strategic, and so the churches that we had traveled to on the East Coast. We reached out to our partners to help us raise money so that we could send each one of those youth groups a cassette tape. Yes, a cassette tape, ladies and gentlemen, for those of you that are in Gen Z, just Google it.

Justin: 19:44

It's more than a picture that they refer to.

Jillian Chambers: 19:47

It's a retro sign now, but back then it was like a real thing.

Jillian Chambers: 19:52

And so he had this philosophy. He said I don't want to gather all these students on the Capitol lawn and have them learn the songs there. I need them to know the songs before they get there. And so we sent these cassettes to like 1,200 youth groups up and down the East Coast and there was 500,000 students that came to Washington for Jesus, and that first night is where we had I mean, it's so funny Bart Millard from Mercy Me was singing with us, and Cindy Cruz Radcliffe, and then, of course, Lincoln Brewster was playing. And then it's so funny Nobody was. We were, nobody was anybody back then, you know, we were all just like we just want to sing, you know.

Rhett: 20:27

Yeah, that's right.

Jillian Chambers: 20:29

And it's so neat to see how God just breathed through that moment. But even the strategy of you know, even the strategy of saying I want them coming prepared, I don't want to come and have to prepare them, it like when we would sing.

Justin: 20:46

I believe in jesus. You got 500 000 voices, most of them knowing every single lyric. You don't necessarily have an imac that you can fit on that stage. No, you didn't have powerpoint.

Rhett: 20:51

You know what?

Jillian Chambers: 20:52

I'm saying and so in that day we just had to know the songs and it was a difference maker. And what's funny is our saxophone player, tim coleman. He keeps posting on social media clips of these old like services and you're're right, you know, danny always had me with him and it was, it was, it was. It's neat now to look back and go wow, he, he took me through every open door and that's one of the things I loved about him was he never walked through a door alone. If he could bring someone with him myself, other people he wouldn't like we were listening to one of our um were mastering the Integrity Hosanna project called Carry the Call, which one of the reviews was it's rock and roll, meet to Jesus, because we had Lincoln Brewster on the guitar and he was riffing out every single song.

Justin: 21:32

Oh, that's right, I can play he can play.

Jillian Chambers: 21:35

And it's so funny because even the A&R guys were so funny, because Danny would do these prophetic moments and the song would be 13 minutes long. Yeah, and they would want to take it to the shopping block just because it didn't fit in there. What their mold was and. Danny's like.

Jillian Chambers: 21:50

I'm sorry, but I this is who I am the music I loved how he would be prophetic and spontaneous and just let it go and we would go to youth groups and they would literally repeat the prophetic part, like as if it's a bridge or something. But it was great because it taught people how to be open to that Exactly.

Justin: 22:07

We were. We were one of the students.

Justin: 22:09

That's so cool Because at youth camps you know it was almost like CCLI does a lot better job getting their the rights to the songwriters where it shows at the bottom. Back then it was just transparencies and no credit to any kind of writer, so you never know who wrote it. I would learn later that these youth camps we were doing I mean it was Danny Chambers songs all the time and here I was knowing the songs. I just didn't know that I knew them. But our lives were being transformed as we were doing these two three-hour worship nights and just in spontaneous moments, and it would go so fast.

Justin: 22:44

It didn't feel like two, three hours. Oh no, it was not at all.

Jillian Chambers: 22:47

But that's what kind of opened our hearts. I remember Israel was. We were doing youth conferences in Oklahoma and he was staying at our house, him and Melissa at the time and he was saying man, I wish you guys would consider moving to Nashville. He said there's so many musicians that just need this leadership. You know, they really need what you have. And so we did. We started praying and God was, like we call it, obnoxious confirmation, because everywhere we would go, someone would say we feel like the Lord is moving you to Nashville.

Justin: 23:13

I love that phrase. Obnoxious confirmation. I mean Brother Larry.

Jillian Chambers: 23:17

Stockstill was one of the first ones that said you're moving to Nashville but you need to start a church.

Justin: 23:25

And I was thinking oh man, I cannot be a pastor. You know what I'm saying. Like I don't play piano, I can't sit at the piano. Stereotype in it.

Jillian Chambers: 23:31

You know, I play radio.

Justin: 23:32

I don't play piano and the stereotypical pastor's wife back in the day. You know.

Jillian Chambers: 23:37

I mean, I teach, I'm creative, I do think, and in our tribe the pastor's wives didn't do that, you know. And so, and then, in Nashville, being a religious city, I remember one of the first times I got up to speak, like all these people left.

Justin: 23:51

Really, oh gosh, are you serious? I am so sorry.

Rhett: 23:55

Oh yeah, it was fun Overcoming.

Jillian Chambers: 23:56

That was great, oh my gosh, but you know it was fine it was just like I remember my husband was like well, who taught you your ABCs? It was probably a woman.

Rhett: 24:05

Yes.

Jillian Chambers: 24:05

Did you get up and leave first grade?

Justin: 24:07

Right, she taught you.

Jillian Chambers: 24:10

So there was a lot of catalystic things that we brought into the culture. You know what I'm saying Good for you and especially a husband and wife team in a lot of environments. That was something that was new to people. Worship was the way we did.

Jillian Chambers: 24:23

It was new to people, so it seemed like God always allowed us to be on the cutting edge of something you know even the church having. We were very diverse. The Oasis was extremely diverse, ethnic, you know, but, but financially I mean, even you've had business people sitting next to artists, you know. And so it was. It was quite a community and that's how we ended up in Nashville. We ended up here that in pastored for 21 years and went through a transition and you know my husband went through some mental sickness that was the result of some mold that we had found in our house. It was horrible and we started him on a holistic journey and getting him healthy and throughout this whole time, you know, stayed very close contact with Pastor Chris. He was on our board until his board told him to get off everybody's board.

Justin: 25:15

Because he was on everybody's board at the time.

Rhett: 25:18

There's no way you can just do that.

Jillian Chambers: 25:20

He's relational PC's like dude, if you need anything, call. So you know, throughout our lifetimes together we would always support ARC. You know he told us about actually, he told us about ARC on one of the trips to Switzerland and we'd already started our church so but we started supporting immediately. We started giving our 2% because we believed in church planting, you know, and that's where I think our relationship began to expound and grow. And you know, we would speak at Highlands. He would come speak at Oasis. We would do. You know we would go down for leadership. He'd come train our staff. It was just a great relationship and he was really encouraging throughout our pastorship, you know. But in 2020, you know, the world shut down right.

Justin: 26:02

Yes, it did.

Jillian Chambers: 26:03

Wow and we had just transitioned out of our church. We were preparing to kind of relaunch. I started a book about behavioral science using the DISC personality and how I utilized it throughout my entire life with our church culture and, you know, just putting people on the right seat on the bus, not just on the bus, in the right places where their gift could make room for them, naturally, and it just worked. It was so strong and so we were. You know, we were recalibrating and just Lord, what do you want us to do in this next season of our life? And we felt called to help pastors. We felt called to kind of pastor pastors because we had a whole group of pastors that looked to us, not as many as Pastor Chris, but we had a whole group of pastors that would reach out to us and a lot of them were worship leaders that had started a church. So that cross-pollinating that culture of a worship pastor along with a teaching pastor and you know just how do they do that and the artist's mind having to learn, you know, or hire someone to be administrative, all the balance in that. And so we were.

Jillian Chambers: 27:10

We were ready to, we were traveling, and then the world shut down, so we were not traveling and you know, but we were navigating and it was a brutal time. I say brutal because it was beautiful, because Danny had gone through such a really. It was a really. It was just a really tormenting time because he went with his sickness and um, but God really did heal him and um, we saw it, we saw it on the brain scans, we saw it on it just this mold assaulted his left side of his brain, but then we saw his brain start to get healthy again and um, you know, it was neat, the world started kind of opening back up. So we're thinking, okay, this is going to be amazing. We're going to, we're going to be able to do what God put on our hearts to do for 2020 new vision. You know how we do every year.

Jillian Chambers: 27:55

We got new vision 2020, 2020 vision.

Rhett: 27:59

Baby, let's go. All used Vision 2020. Can you?

Jillian Chambers: 28:01

see in 2020? All that, hey and Jill you know what I can remember.

Justin: 28:08

Kind of pause and I want you to keep going, but pause right there for a minute. I remember a lot of online stuff kicking in. I still can remember my feeds. All of a sudden I don't know if it's through our relationship or what I would see you and Danny on Facebook, if I remember this right like Facebook Live Playing worship.

Justin: 28:27

And you guys would be worshiping, and I mean it was thousands of people who were tuning in and I just remember thinking this is so cool. So it really did. I can only imagine when you guys were trying that to see. Let's see what the response is. What was that like?

Jillian Chambers: 28:46

That was crazy. So if you want to rewind a little bit, you know, back in I think it was 2013 or 14, we started using an online live stream company I think at the time they were I don't remember the name of their company. But anyway, because we had a lot of people traveling and so they would watch us online, and we started noticing our numbers, were like there's a lot of people traveling and so they would watch us online, and we started noticing our numbers. We're like there's a lot of people watching us online. And then we started so we kind of upped it up, we got our cameras upgraded, we got our lighting upgraded and then all of a sudden I mean some of my Facebook memories posts pop up and it'll say thank you, 42 countries and 20 states are watching. I'm like what?

Rhett: 29:23

Let's go countries and 20 states are watching.

Jillian Chambers: 29:24

I'm like what? And we would have 150,000 views on our, on our live stream, and so you know, that was before everybody jumped into live stream. Right Again, a catalystic thing that we got allowed us to do and it was funny. We were actually trying to tell some of our pastor friends to do it and they're like no, we want people to show up to church. We're like that's fine, but we have people watching us from Germany and.

Jillian Chambers: 29:46

Singapore, and you know that's fine if that's, if that's where your vision lays, but we've got people all the way across the world that are joining us, so what that did, though, was it gave us this kind of a confidence of we can do it in front of a camera, even if it's our iPhones, you know, and so we set up in our, we have a studio in our basement, and we set up down there. We had a couple of friends come over and guitar player, and Danny was set up his keys, and we just started going live on Sundays at 1 PM I think it was March was the first just for kicks just to just.

Jillian Chambers: 30:15

Hey world, we're alive, hey we're okay.

Jillian Chambers: 30:17

Honestly, we really wanted, we just felt compelled to to just minister to people because there was so much fear and people were afraid We've never been here before. And so we just felt really led by the Holy Spirit to just create an atmosphere of worship right there on your laptop or your phone, or however you're watching us, and just really try to combat that fear that was trying to overshadow and overtake and hijack. And I mean again, yeah, there were thousands of people watching and I started laughing. I'm like you know, this is actually bigger than our church that we just stepped away from. Like this is hilarious. And so, you know, we, we just felt like the Lord was really preparing us, you know, for a relaunch.

Rhett: 30:58

Hey, friends, just want to take a moment and say, if you are enjoying today's conversation, could you do us a huge favor. Would you take a moment and copy the link from your favorite podcast platform and share it with a friend? Email it to a friend. How about airdropping it over to your buddy or your sister right now? Man, that would mean so much to us. Thank you, all right guys. Back to the conversation.

Jillian Chambers: 31:22

We just felt like the Lord was really preparing us for a relaunch as the world opened up. But then, as the world opened up, on September 23rd, I woke up and Danny was not in bed and I didn't know where he was. He had had trouble sleeping and so sometimes he would, he would sleepwalk. And so I thought, well, maybe he's sleepwalking, so I better go find him. And when I went to go find him, um, he wasn't in the basement where he sometimes he would go and write music. If he wasn't able to sleep, I thought, well, he's not down there. And then I thought, well, maybe he went somewhere. Well, he had he had died.

Jillian Chambers: 32:03

I found him and it was so unexpected I couldn't believe it. I just was like in shock when I found him and it was awful, he happened to pass away in our garage and I just was in so much shock and I just remember looking and going wait what? Because we had just come through this traumatic season of transitioning our church. In a way I wish we wouldn't have had to. It would have been so much easier if God would have followed my life script and then getting his health back and him being seemingly on the mend and doing so much better. I mean, he was the best version too. He was so kind and helpful. And you know just, he was Mr Type A, bungee jumping, you know, all the time, just always 20 feet ahead. You know speed. He was on 80 miles an hour, 24-7. And this time he was slowing down and it was just like what? And I just remember the shock of it. And I remember hearing the Lord say his life was big, but his death is bigger. And I really did not want to hear that because I didn't understand why. Why does this death have to be so big? And, and in my shock, I just I couldn't believe it.

Jillian Chambers: 33:17

And so I did what most people do and I, you know, called 911 and um, they my family, one by one. I have five kids, all five children, except my youngest. She was 15 at the time. She was upstairs asleep. All of the other children are married and out of the house. So I called 9-1-1 and I had to stay on the phone until the first responders came. But I called my mom and then I called Pastor Chris. I actually texted him and I just said help. I said help, danny's gone. And he called me within, like, I think, 30 seconds and he just brought such peace to my heart because I was in shock and you know, some people in shock they kind of go crazy.

Jillian Chambers: 34:00

I get very focused and so I was. I mean, I was very focused and I, even though I was crying, I just I. I mean I remember hearing there's a there's a fire station rider outside of my neighborhood and I remember, when I called the first responders, I remember the sirens going off and I said to the lady I need a silent entry. She said okay, I said he's gone and I don't want the neighborhood waking up. I need a silent entry and I heard it go erp. So the siren went erp and went quiet. I don't know what a silent entry is. I don't know if I saw that on CSI Miami or I don't know where.

Justin: 34:34

I heard that. But, in my head.

Jillian Chambers: 34:39

I'm like I don't want to wake up the neighborhood and a house filled with you know, all kinds of crazy stuff, you know people in chaos. And so, one by one, you know, they came in and this I feel like seven foot sheriff guy came into the garage and I just remember looking up at him and him looking down at me and and I said I need to go wake up my daughter. And he was like, oh Lord, yes. And so when I, you know, I had to wake up my daughter and tell her what happened. And from then on, you know, it was just chaos. You know, one by one, my kids came to the house and it was awful and it just took off so fast. I remember pastor Chris said turn your phone off and be there for your family. And I tried but I had other family, you know, calling and different things.

Jillian Chambers: 35:29

And then a pastor, friend of ours, as we say in the South, bless his heart, made a post on Facebook and people thought it was a rumor. They just couldn't believe it. And that was hard because I wish I could have had a little bit more time to think about it and from that moment I realized I have to make, I have to, I have to go make a post, like I really have to go make this announcement right now, because I didn't want it being announced by everybody else. You know, I wanted to have, I wanted to be able to speak the truth but also be and hopefully people just were thinking it was a rumor. So they just kept calling calls and then they would call my sister and then they would call my mother, and so I finally thought, you know what? I just need to go and do this and I couldn't believe it. I remember sitting down in my bedroom and praying and thinking I can't believe I'm going to do this. I just I can't believe this. This is real. And I actually referred to Let there Rain song when I made the post. And then you know that's what happens.

Jillian Chambers: 36:34

You go into the whole arrangements mode and Pastor Chris sent Lane up to the house. Lane, the NASCAR driver was there in record time, let's just say that. And you know he was just such a brother to me and helped me, and I mean my kids they call him Uncle Lane. I don't know if he knows that, but to this day they go Uncle Lane and I mean he was there. You know you're starting to make arrangements.

Jillian Chambers: 37:00

And I remember going into the funeral home and meeting with the director who I'd worked with you know, part of you know I felt as a mama of the house at Oasis when someone's we didn't have a lot of deaths, but when someone did pass away I worked with, you know, my team and I worked with the family. So there were two, you know, basically memorial homes, one closer to church and then the one South of the church that we worked with. And I remember the funeral director coming in and grabbing me and crying and saying I can't believe it's him, I can't believe it's him and I'm like I can't either. And, um, you know, I I will say, even in the midst of the shock and the sorrow of this experience, you know, I heard pastor Chris teach. He was referring back to Rick Warren's um stages of grief after his son passed away. And I heard pastor Chris teach these stages of grief and I remember just thinking that's exactly what I've gone through. And he referred to shock and then sorrow and struggle, but then when he said surrender. Once you surrender, everything changes.

Jillian Chambers: 38:03

And I remember looking back at this moment of sitting at the memorial home. I remember looking back at this moment of sitting at the memorial home not believing I'm still in shock that I'm actually writing his name down. You know, and my kids. I remember the director saying what do you want to put as his occupation? Because we had stepped away from pastoring and without I mean without hesitation my two sons in unison said hope giver.

Jillian Chambers: 38:27

And when we would travel people would ask Danny, on the plane they'd say what do you do for a living? He said I'm a hope giver. Or at the grocery store, I'm a hope giver. And so we kind of laughed about it a little bit and I'm like, okay, yeah, let's put hope giver. And then we wrote the obituary and all that stuff. But all of these elements come into play through my entire journey of how God is so intentional, even in the midst of trauma, even in the midst of pain and sorrow.

Jillian Chambers: 38:53

And every time I would get to that place of surrender. You know the next stage that Pastor Chris would talk about would be sanctification. And you see God in the midst of your pain. And I'm telling you it happened every single time. It would happen. I mean to the point where every little detail. So we had written a will years prior and we didn't want to bury our money. So Danny and I were going to be cremated. That's what we put in our will, and I actually joked with my kids because I had a brochure that you can turn your ashes into diamonds. You know what I'm saying.

Rhett: 39:27

So I told my kids you can wear me around your neck for the rest of your life.

Jillian Chambers: 39:31

You can think of me, you know and then I have this philosophy listen when the trumpet blows. Think about this, though you know our crowns are filled with diamonds, I mean yeah they could just go with us to heaven.

Rhett: 39:41

Let's go, you know be in the crown.

Jillian Chambers: 39:43

So I mean it's a good theology yeah, it makes sense, it would be an investment right, rather than just burying your cash.

Jillian Chambers: 39:49

So, yeah, anyway, that was my philosophy. Um so, but my mother-in-law was still living at the time and she just did not want, she did not want us to cremate her baby. And I remember, I remember going out to the garage and just sitting down because lane was actually looking at through some stuff in the garage for me, and um, and I remember sitting on the step and he goes you okay? And I'm like no, I said I don't know how to do this. I said you know, danny wanted to be cremated, but my mother-in-law wants us to, you know, bury him. And I'm like I just I don, yeah, and I'm like I just don't know what to do. And Lane grabs my shoulders like a brother would. He looks at me and he goes Danny doesn't care, it doesn't matter, he doesn't care. He said let's honor mom. And I was like, okay.

Jillian Chambers: 40:39

So you know, even having someone like him there, you know, I used to be that person on that side. And now I'm on this side and God, having just bringing the right people, even in the midst of this pain and this death, and just shock. And I remember standing in front of all these caskets and having to pick one out, and I just remember thinking I can't believe I'm doing this, you know, and my sons so my sons and I, we, we cope with humor my oldest daughter, who was there she does not, so she was she was getting a little frustrated with us, um, but every time we'd start to sink somebody, somebody would say something funny, you know, and that's just how we would cope, and um, and so you know it, that's a whole nother podcast, but anyway, um, but I'll never forget they, I so they actually, um, they were looking at like the plain black boxes.

Jillian Chambers: 41:31

I'm so sorry, I don't mean to be disrespectful but again, I cope with humor, um, and they were like dad would want this. You know, like just, you know plain and um. And then I'll never forget this because of what Highlands had done for me and my family and just the support that they provided and just the love and the embracing and we were preparing to celebrate his life at the campus and Grant's Mill. I promise I've never seen this before and I've never seen it again. But I'm standing there looking at the caskets and one really catches my eye and it's really pretty. It's like this marbling of like a redwood and a whitewood and it's just, I don't know it was so symbolic of like purity in the blood of Jesus. I don't know something about it and I looked down at it and it was called Highland Cedar.

Rhett: 42:15

Of course it was.

Jillian Chambers: 42:16

And I'm like, of course, that's going to be the one I pick because it's hello and it's so interesting because it's little simple things like that. That became such a game changer for me and gave such hope to me that God was revealing, he was with me even in the midst of all of this trauma and all these plans. And I mean I could probably spend hours telling you story after story, about how, after he passed away, even trying to adjust to my new life as a widow, which I didn't even accept, I didn't identify as a widow for a very long time because I just I had the stereotypical image in my mind of what a widow looked like. You know it was that. Do you remember the Tweety Bird, little Tweety Bird cage, and you know Sylvester, and the old lady that had the glasses and the little white bun and she was just sitting. That's what a widow looked like, right, and I'm looking in the mirror, going I'm not a widow. And um, it took me such a long time to accept that, you know. And um, interestingly enough, I remember one day I was, I had to go through Danny's one of his drawers where he kept some of his information, like his insurance card and things like that, and I remember opening his drawer and he had this tennis bracelet, a diamond bracelet he had purchased for me for one of our anniversaries, but it was broken and I had it in my jewelry drawer.

Jillian Chambers: 43:35

Um, but I found it in his and I was thinking why is it here? And I just had this thought he's going to get, he was going to fix this for me and give probably give it to me for Christmas, cause we were rounding the corner to Christmas. And then I got mad. I was like why did I see that? Like Lord, I did not have to see that. That's just so painful right now to see that. And I cried and then I went on my merry way A couple days later. I was preparing, because now we're into December, and I was wrapping presents because I had at the time eight grandchildren. Ladies and gentlemen, now I have 10 and another one on the way I can't say who because she'll shoot me.

Jillian Chambers: 44:13

But anyway, yeah, crazy. But it's like I'm wrapping presents and I have my ring app goes off and it shows me this lady at my front door and this was a lady that used to go to our church a long time ago. Hadn't seen her and I'm thinking, what is she doing here? And honestly, I was having a moment because I was crying about wrapping presents for kids that my husband would never see them unwrap, and so I'm having a little moment and I'm thinking maybe she won't know. I'm here and I feel like the Holy.

Jillian Chambers: 44:44

Spirit goes you need to open the door and I'm like oh, come on, Like Holy Spirit goes, you need to open the door.

Rhett: 44:48

And I'm like, oh, come on Like no, open the door.

Jillian Chambers: 44:50

And goodness gracious, I thought are you kidding me? And this is a person. You know how there's people that are like five-minute friends and then you've got your five-hour friends. She's a five-hour friend and I was thinking I don't have a five-hour capacity to have a conversation. I have a five-minute capacity. You know what I mean. That's where I really was and but the Lord's like, I said, let her in. I'm like, yes, sir. So I go to the door. She's like, oh my gosh, I Googled you and I found you and I'm thinking that's safe, you know.

Justin: 45:20

And so I'm like great, everybody can Google me and find me now. This is wonderful, it's all out there now so, but you know what I live in a gated community and she I don't know how she got in. She just there's all these obstacles that she flew over right.

Jillian Chambers: 45:33

Yeah, yeah, so, and so I'm thinking she's probably supposed to be here you know, and so I let her in.

Jillian Chambers: 45:38

She said we sit down and at the table and she tells me this story and she says you know, I? Um. She said I, I, you know I. I bought myself a christmas present and she said but when I got it I felt like the Lord told me it was for you. She said, so I didn't know how to get ahold of you Cause, again, I hadn't seen her in years I mean, we're talking like 10 years and um. And so she says I didn't know if I could find you. And I found you, and for for her it was like okay, god, if this is you, let me find her For me.

Justin: 46:12

I'm like why did you find me? How did you find me? It's so funny people's perceptions on the journey.

Jillian Chambers: 46:17

So she literally puts a box on the table and she goes so this is for you. And I said, well, thank you. And so I reached for it and she goes wait, hang on. And I said okay. And she said I actually don't think it's from god. And I'm thinking, oh, I get the anointing oil. I'm about to come out. What do you mean? It's not from god. What is happening here, you know? And, um, and she says no, I think it's from danny actually. And I just looked at her and I looked back and I said okay, and I opened it and it was a, it was a diamond tennis bracelet. Wow, and I couldn't believe it. Nobody knew that story.

Justin: 46:50

I was, I didn't want anybody to pick.

Jillian Chambers: 46:52

I was in this like tired of being pitied so I didn't want to share it that I'd found the bracelet, cause I just, I just didn't want people to feel sorry for me again. Um, and so when she left, I'm just like saying, almost, like in shock, like are you kidding me? First of all, I almost didn't let her in.

Jillian Chambers: 47:13

But I was thinking, lord, thank you, like this is amazing, like for you to go to this extreme to show me that you are paying attention to me and my you know. I mean, do I need a diamond bracelet? I mean, every girl does, but at the same time it was like so intentional and mindful. And then, I promise you, this happened. I'm sitting there thinking, and I'm so sorry this makes me sound terrible, but I was thinking but why her?

Jillian Chambers: 47:44

I haven't seen her in 10 years and don't you know what I mean Good question, it's great, and then I literally it hits me like a light switch goes off, and I don't even know if this is theologically correct, but I hear my husband. I hear his voice laughing so hard. I literally hear him laughing and then it hits me. Oh my gosh, Her name is Hope. She was a hope giver.

Justin: 48:09

Wow, that night she was a hope giver.

Jillian Chambers: 48:11

That is unbelievable, and she's probably the only hope that I actually know in the city, so that's why God picked her.

Justin: 48:17

That is awesome.

Jillian Chambers: 48:19

Oh my gosh, I love those little.

Justin: 48:21

God winks. I mean that's so cool and it's from the person. No offense to Hope. We love Hope, yeah absolutely. But it is funny how it came in the form that it came in. I mean, god had to literally prompt your heart to even answer the door. That's amazing, isn't?

Jillian Chambers: 48:39

it funny and if there's anything I can say is, even in the midst of our trauma and our pain, if we will allow God to, he will show Himself, he will reveal to us that he's with us. I think we've. You know, I felt so abandoned. To be honest with you, I felt, you know, I think sometimes we see pain as punishment and I remember I kept thinking, lord, what did I do wrong that he had to die Like I don't, I don't, what did I, what did I miss? You know what did I do wrong? And and the Lord was like this isn't about anything that you've done wrong. You just have to trust me.

Jillian Chambers: 49:17

And you know I mentioned earlier about a script. You know we all have a life script, whether we admit it or not. We kind of think things are going to turn out a certain way by a certain time. And I remember having to surrender my script because this was nothing that I would have ever written in my life. I just I mean, I just turned 50 years old. That's not. I don't want to be a widow. It wasn't on my 2020 vision list to become a widow and I didn't even understand that world at all about. I didn't even know what I was getting into. I was searching for resources and all kinds of things. I couldn't find a lot of information. I mean, people sent me these devotion books, Confession time. I didn't read them because all they were were like scriptures and I really didn't really want to read the scripture. I was mad I've been called PC. I'm like I'm so angry. He's like you can be angry, just don't sin. I'm like well, what does that mean? At what point does profanity become sin?

Jillian Chambers: 50:19

you know, I'm just like I'm so angry, right now and, um, I was just like I can't, because I am like you, justin, I am that joyful person, I, I, I don't. I don't even understand Like righteous anger makes sense. You know injustice absolutely, you know the enemy absolutely. But I was just found myself angry and I have a girlfriend that teaches kickboxing. I'm like I need to come, punch a bag, I think. And she's like come on, and I'm like I think this saved lives. I think me punching a bag actually saved lives. And she's like come on, and I'm like I think this saved lives. I think me punching a bag actually saved lives.

Jillian Chambers: 50:52

And there's a real biological foundation for that, that your body, your hormone, everything you just go through. Not only do you go through shock and sorrow, but there's a real struggle, and it's real and it's anger. And I had to gear that anger towards something that was not human. Yeah, because I didn't want it to come out against my children, my grandchildren, my friends. It's good, but I just remember surrendering that script.

Jillian Chambers: 51:14

And then I remember God in one of my prayer times. He was like Jill, you need to surrender your why to me, because I kept just asking why. I don't even remember having any other conversations with the Lord except why, why, why, why, why. And then he said you need to surrender your why, but you also need to surrender your need to know why, which is different. And so and I felt like he was almost telling me, even if I give you the answer, it's not going to be good enough Because ultimately, what you want is for him to come back and that's not going to happen. And so all of these answers aren't going to bring him back, and so you just need to surrender, and I did.

Jillian Chambers: 51:52

And you know it took several months, several months for me to just find my bearings. You know, one of the beautiful things was the Lord made a way for me to join Highland's team part-time, which honestly gave me a purpose. And, funny enough, pc calls. He's like okay, now I'm not saying this is the Lord, but it's an opportunity and we have a need in this area. Y'all are not going to believe this. Justin already knows he's like premarital counseling. He goes we got a seat for you on the bus and it's in premarital. And I'm thinking are you kidding me? This is a sick joke. Of all the ministry things I've done in my life worship, kid media, social media, I mean all the creative stuff I'm like you're going to put me in premarital counseling after my husband just died. You know I'm having those moments and I'm just like are you kidding? And then I almost feel like God's laughing at me. I'm thinking this is not funny.

Jillian Chambers: 52:48

This is not funny, and I remember even going through training and Tony amazing her patience with me Because as a pastor I had people to do the people stuff. I didn't have to sit behind and look at Excel spreadsheets and get the interpretation. You know what I mean. It was just like so much of this admin stuff, but it was a way for me to feel purpose and a way for me to. I had to get up in the morning, right, I had to check in for work and it it was so funny. One day I was just whining. I used to tell my kids whine or shine and I I'm telling myself whine or shine, jill, but I was whining about it. This little, cute little couple from I think it was probably river chase or something you know. I'm completing their file and I'm like, oh gosh, you know, and they're. I'm looking at their cute little assessment and they're just so in love and they met at Highlands college and I'm just like, oh you know, it's like so.

Jillian Chambers: 53:38

I'm just like Lord seriously, I'm having a super duper, big, huge pity party and um and the Lord's like listen, I put you here and you are a vow fulfiller. He said, you said till death do you part. And you did. And he said I want you to pray over every single one of these couples, that they too become vow fulfillers.

Justin: 53:59

I love that phrase vow fulfiller.

Jillian Chambers: 54:02

What happened to me was I don't know what happened. Something inside me shifted from feeling like a charity case poor Jill will give her a job to I'm on assignment, and something inside of me, some internal force just was unleashed because I saw that, as I am on assignment, this is not. Oh, poor pitiful her. Once I found out, wow, I still have purpose, even if it's praying over these couples in this season. I'm here intentionally, I'm here on purpose, and as I began to step into that and re-approach that entire part-time position, everything changed. Everything changed. My framing changed, my life changed, having a purpose. I think Pastor Chris talks about it in his Out of the Cave book. It's like, oh, my goodness, I have a purpose now Because I got married so young.

Jillian Chambers: 54:54

I was always like you referred to it earlier, justin I was always Danny's wife and now I'm Danny's widow, and so my identity had been so much in who we were as a couple. I know my identity is in Christ and now, becoming a widow, it's like I will say this I don't feel like I went through identity crisis, because I really do have a relationship and a foundation with the Lord and I know who I am, but I went through identity displacement because I was married and now I'm not. I'm supposed to be single. I don't really feel single. I'm called a widow. I don't really feel like a widow. So where's my place? And that threw me off for a while to try to figure out. Well, what do I do? Where do I sit at church? Who do I go with? Who do I go out with? Who am I supposed to call? Who am I supposed to be around right now?

Jillian Chambers: 55:44

I remember the first holidays I didn't even sit in our normal seat. I asked my oldest son to sit in his dad's seat at the head of the table and I sat at another table because I just couldn't sit there for a while. So there was certain things I had to allow myself grace to grow through and go through and grieve through. And I remember I was so done with grieving Cause. Again, I'm a happy person. And I remember um. One day I was like God, can I just fast forward? Can we just press fast forward? I just want to get through this. So bad and it was so funny. He took me back to this um trip that Danny and I took. It was our 27th anniversary. We were in Hawaii, our spiritual father and his wife. We were there with them, sandy Culkin and Danny. Now, mind you, he's in his 50s, late 50s goes. I'm going to go surfing and I'm like, okay. And he's like I'm going to get a GoPro, I'm going to rent a GoPro and I want you to film me surfing for the kids.

Justin: 56:46

And I'm thinking America's funniest home videos. Right, that's honestly what I thought. America's funniest home videos. Right, that's honestly what I thought. We're going to make a fortune off this.

Jillian Chambers: 56:50

That's me. I'm thinking college is paid for, yeah, and so that's funny. But yeah, so he actually gets his surfboard, hands me the GoPro. I don't even know I was not thinking. I was so excited about whatever was about to happen, thinking this is going to be funny, but also very supportive wife not trying to be very supportive, of course.

Jillian Chambers: 57:11

And so he's paddling out into the ocean on a surfboard and I'm walking into the ocean not realizing what was I thinking? It's getting deeper and deeper and deeper and he's just paddling out of a sudden I'm I'm getting kind of tired of fighting these waves. You know, these waves are coming and crashing over me and I'm like fighting through them so I can get to him. And he turns around and he's like are you coming?

Rhett: 57:38

And I'm like dude trying to give him my wife face.

Justin: 57:42

Y'all should have seen the face she just made you guys have probably given that face, at least once. The eyes face at least once the eyes. It's all in the eyes. All in the eyes for an audio eyebrows for an audio only podcast. You guys just imagine the look that she just gave us glance.

Rhett: 57:55

You know, you know, there it goes exactly.

Jillian Chambers: 57:59

And so I'm walking out and I, honestly, I just got tired and I was like I can't do this anymore, I need to take a break. So I stopped. You know, I just stopped fighting the waves and all of a sudden the wave picked me up. It took me away from Danny, closer to the shore, and then it brought me out. And as it brought me out, it actually got me a little bit closer to Danny. And then I thought, huh, it did it again. Wave picked me up, brought me away from Danny, closer to the shore, and then it brought me back out, closer to Danny, and it was kind of like, as I surrendered to the wave, it actually took me to the place I was trying to get to.

Jillian Chambers: 58:32

So instead of fighting it, right, well, the Lord says stop fighting the ways of grief. He said I'm trying to take you to a place you've never been and you're fighting the vehicle that I'm using to get you there. Surrender to the grief, it's going to take you somewhere. And I just didn't like it. I didn't like crying, I didn't, I just I just didn't like it Cause I, I, I honestly, I went and saw a therapist and she said why are you afraid to cry and I said cause I'm afraid I'll never stop.

Jillian Chambers: 58:59

She goes, you will. And um, she said why are you afraid to go deep in your feelings? And I said, cause I'm afraid I'll never come up. And she said you will. And it's so funny. I, I, as I've studied and researched there's, there's, your tears and grief, biologically, are actually your body's way of detoxing. So there's, there's, there's toxicity in in your body because of your, your fight or flight mode in your adrenals and all that. And so, as you, you know people, when, when I was growing up, people used to go see sad movies, like where the red fern grows.

Jillian Chambers: 59:37

You guys remember that first book I ever read. I would be like I don't, why, why do you want to go, why do you want to cry like that? And all my friends would be like, oh, it made me cry and I'd be like, but why would you pay to cry? Like I don't understand? And they'd be like I just feel so much better after.

Jillian Chambers: 59:48

So I literally grew up my entire life avoiding those environments and like, even when a movie would touch me, I'd fight those tears and my kids would be like mom just cry, like no, you know. And then so here I am immersed in grief and I can't stop crying. But it's true, I felt like this weird release. After I cried and it actually was a, it was kind of a healing bomb, and so I, where I was trying to fight grief, the Lord was like I need you to surrender to it. And you know, throughout the last couple of years since Danny passed, it's really, it's really brought me to this place of you know, not only trusting in the Lord that he's going to, he's going to use this, you know, to help others. I mean, I remember going to a it was, it was called Modern Widows Club and I remember going to a session there and the founder of it.

Jillian Chambers: 1:00:38

She started talking about widows and she said 2,800 women every day become a widow in the US. And I just was like what? How do I not know this? And she said 76% of women that become widows are under the age of 59. There's almost 12 million widows and we're not in war. You know Ukraine. There's 500 women every week becoming a widow because they're in war. Globally, there's millions and millions of widows. And I just was like why don't we know this?

Rhett: 1:01:10

Hey guys, red here Just want to take a moment and say thank you to every single one of you who have taken the time to follow us on social media. Now, if today is your first time to join us for an episode, man, we want to say welcome, friends, it's so good to have you with us. Could you take a moment look us up on Instagram or Facebook? You can find us there at Armchair Authentic, or you can go on over to X. Find us there as well, at Armchair Auth Pod. That's Armchair Auth A-U-T-H-P-O-D. All right, now back to the conversation.

Jillian Chambers: 1:01:44

Globally there's millions and millions of widows. I just was like why don't we know this and what's going on? And it's all of a sudden I felt this need to be like I want to know more. You know, and it was interesting. I started um in my in my first 15, one of my prayer moments, the lord said I want you to start posting about your journey and I thought I don't want to post about my journey. Danny was the public one. He told everything about us. I mean, he always talked about us right.

Jillian Chambers: 1:02:18

But I was the private one. I'm like I'm not telling you my business. And then I just remember thinking what if I do it wrong? What if I grieve wrong or do it wrong? I don't really want to do this. And the Lord was like you have to trust me. So I actually started posting and he said I want you to be real, I want you to be raw, but I want you to bring hope. And he said and then I want you to lead people through your pain to me. And so I was.

Jillian Chambers: 1:02:42

I started posting about how I was mad and how I was hurt and how it was this and that and the other, but then I would bring it around to but I trust you, lord, or nevertheless, god is good and God is faithful. And I talked to my publisher and I said I went back and hashtagged ferociously and forever. And right now, when widows reach out to me, I'll say hey, just go to my social media, search hashtag ferociously and forever and you'll see my journey. And search hashtag ferociously for it and you'll see my journey. And that becomes kind of the first point of contact with someone who's lost their husband, because they kind of they kind of get to dive in at their own pace and it's not invasive or intrusive but it allows them to see my journey and always it has never not happened they find a connection point, they reach out to me, I have a conversation with them, and so that kind of became a lead into me realizing how many widows and women were becoming widows. I mean, I was talking to three widows a week, brand new widows. Pastors from across the nations would call me. They would be calling me going. I have this, I have someone that lost their husband. I don't want to say to them and I say, well, give them my number but also hashtag ferociously and forever on social media. So they'd end up reaching out, calling, texting, and I remember, after watching Pastor Chris talk about that, those stages of grief according to Rick Warren's journey.

Jillian Chambers: 1:04:01

It hit me I'm like I have to do something, like I have to do something. So I remember calling him. I was like PC, can I, can I use this sermon? Can I create a small group curriculum for our widows? Because I just feel like I'm having the same conversations three times, three, four times a week with these widows and I'm listening to them at the beginning of the conversation and by the end of the conversation, they have hope and I'm thinking this is amazing how quickly they're like. First of all, somebody understands my journey, she gets it, she understands and now she knows what to say. So I remember Justin and I I mean we talked about it I was like Justin, I feel like we're supposed to do this. So I did, I created a small group curriculum and Highlands has been using it and I mean, even last year, pastor Chris was like what do you want to do? I'm like, well, we should probably do like let's get together. Let's get them together.

Jillian Chambers: 1:04:55

And you know, may 3rd is National Widows Day. So we did a brunch on May 4th last year and I remember Pastor Chris getting up the Sunday after and announcing that we served almost 700 widowed people. And my mind went what? And I mean these people two months prior were unseen and now they're seen. And that's really where my heart is. My passion is is I want to help equip the church to take care of widows. That's a mandate from the Lord is we're to take care of widows.

Jillian Chambers: 1:05:26

And what we don't realize is most women not all, but most women in my world the ones that become widows. Their husband was the main source of income generator. Their life insurance and health insurance were on them. So when they're gone, I have one widow. Her husband had life insurance so she had enough to pay off her house, but when she went to the dentist his health insurance expired. She was not prepared for that. So she's got her kids at the dentist and now it's not covered. And so there's all these extra layers and secondary losses that we don't realize we face.

Jillian Chambers: 1:06:05

I remember the first time I had my air conditioner died and I remember I had to call Lee company and the guy that came to the door I just opened the door and started crying and he was like, are you okay? And I'm like, no, so he's like doing his business. But he was, he was like my dad's age and so he said he came into the living room and was showing me all these air conditioner units and everything. And I'm just sitting there and distraught thinking I'm so inadequate I don't have no idea how to do this. So I looked at him and he goes ma'am, are you all right? I said no, sir, my husband passed away recently and I'm feeling a little inadequate. And I said I'm going to be really honest with you. You can take full advantage of me right now because I know nothing about air conditioners. Or you could look at me like you would your own daughter and advise me as such, because right now I have no idea what I'm doing. There's like air conditioners, yeah, oh my gosh With special infrared.

Jillian Chambers: 1:06:57

I mean it's like are you kidding me? What model am I supposed to buy? Right, yeah, and so he literally comes, sits down next to me, opens his laptop, asks me a few questions and I get the base model. And then, and then, and then another electrician came by and he happened to be a friend of the family and he's like where's your breaker box for the upstairs? And I'm like I don't know.

Rhett: 1:07:20

I have a box that breaks, but there's a box in my house that breaks. What is this? I don't.

Jillian Chambers: 1:07:24

I was like I know there's one in the garage and there's one in the basement. I'm like what. Yeah, he's like well, I need the breaker block upstairs, the one upstairs, and I'm like I have no idea where it is.

Justin: 1:07:35

And I just remember staying in the living room.

Jillian Chambers: 1:07:37

Yeah, I was just crying and I was like God, I need you to help me and I looked up. I remember looking up, going God, please help me. And then I saw this door to the attic and I was like that's where it was, there's a door. Right there there's a door, and in that attic it's not just my Christmas decoration.

Rhett: 1:07:58

The breaker box is in there.

Jillian Chambers: 1:07:59

So, yes, I mean, you know, we, we don't realize. I mean even some of the widows at.

Jillian Chambers: 1:08:04

Highlands. You know that I would reach out to they. Most of them didn't want to come back to church because they don't know who to sit with, they don't know where to park. Their husband would drop them off. He'd pick them up. I mean, I went to a birthday party for a local pastor in Nashville. It was in March. While we were there it was his 50th. It was a big deal. While we were there inside it snowed three inches.

Jillian Chambers: 1:08:27

So I walk outside and my heels are out to the lobby and I'm just looking and I'm parked down on a hill and I'm thinking I don't really know how to go get my car. I seriously was like the only people that I knew at the church were the people inside on the stage, because all the other people were nice, but I just didn't know them. And I just remember thinking how am I going to get to my car? I literally thought I'm taking my shoes off, I'll freeze my feet because my shoes aren't going to make it. I mean, I'm going to fall, something will be broken. You know what I'm saying. And so I'm just sitting there and I'm watching these people go out, these men go out and get their cars and pick up their wives. And I'm like man, lord, this is not cool, like I really don't. I'm seriously stuck right now.

Jillian Chambers: 1:09:12

And then I feel this tap on my shoulder and it's the head of security for the church and he's like six, eight. You know, I don't want all these tall people keep finding me, but I was. I said yes, sir, he goes, mrs Chambers. And I said yes, he said my name's so-and-so. He said I, my.

Jillian Chambers: 1:09:25

I moved here from California with Pastor Such and Such about five years ago or six years ago. We were going to launch a church. He said we came to Oasis for three months and you guys trained all of us in our launch team. And I was like, oh my gosh. He said the pastor has since moved back to California. The church is no more, but I'm the head of security here at Bethel. And he goes is there anything you need? And I'm like, yes, I'm like would you get my car? So he did and I was just like thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord.

Jillian Chambers: 1:09:59

You know, but I'm telling you, all of this became awareness to me. This is like how many people don't have that? How many women don't have that, you know? And I thought we need to do a better job, you know, as a church, and we need to do a better job as a community of help helping women specifically. I mean there's you know, I have a group that we meet at my house once a month. It's I call us vow fulfillers, because we fulfilled our vows and it's men and women and we've just kind of developed this community and relationship. It's really fun Over the last, it's since 22, since 2022. And it's really cute because one of the guys he's in his mid-60s. He will like go shopping at like TJ Maxx or something and he'll lay out like pants and shirts and take pictures of them and send them to the girls in the Telegram thread. He'll be like I don't know what goes together, somebody help me out, you know, and so it's.

Jillian Chambers: 1:10:51

It's really, it's just kind of fun and turning it into like a community thing, and what's what's been happening, though, is I've watched them go through the like, cross this bridge from hope to healing. Several of them are dating, not each other, but others. Some of them have gotten remarried, and it's kind of funny. We've gotten remarried, and it's kind of funny. The last meeting we had, we had like the smallest group we've ever had, and I was talking to the guy he's in his early seventies who, um, I think he's in his early seventies, might be late sixties, but he and I were talking um, cause he's the one I reached out to to help me start the group and, uh, he said I feel like. He said I feel like your season with this is changing, the winds are shifting, and I said you do, and he goes. Yeah, he goes. I just I need you to feel freedom, to not have to do this every month if you don't have to, because the last stage that we talk about in grief, which I actually added to Rick Warren's I hope he's okay with that, but I added reinvention, because one of the things I discovered was life is not going to be the same. You're not going to have the same life without your spouse, no matter what loss you've gone through. I've wrote a book called Live and Be on the Loss because I've realized a lot of people have experienced loss and they're stuck. One of the girls I mentored for 20 years passed away tragically in a car accident last December, and her parents her mom was my administrative assistant at our church for almost 10 years and I mean I'm saying the same thing to them that I'm saying to widows You've got to learn how to live beyond your loss or you get stuck. And reinvention is a part of that and you have to reinvent. And it's like I'm different is a part of that, and you have to reinvent and it's like I'm different. I realized that I'm mostly the same core who I am, my you know my character, my integrity, my values, but the, the things that I see, are different, the values are different, my calling is different. Um, I, I just I found myself in this place of. I really have kind of found a reinvention, you know, and I'm, I'm okay.

Jillian Chambers: 1:12:52

You know you, you struggle with moving forward because you feel like every step forward you're leaving your loved one in the past and I remember one day the Lord was like no, that's, that's backwards. Every step forward is a step closer to them in eternity. So don't feel guilty for moving forward. You need to live your life and so if anyone listening I will tell you don't feel guilty. Please don't feel guilty for moving forward. I mean even even if I find love again. You know, I remember Danny would tell me he's like cause he was older than 12 years older than me. He'd be like Jill, probably going to go before you. I don't want you to live alone, I want you to be alone. And and I told him well, if I go before you, I got it picked out for you.

Jillian Chambers: 1:13:39

But in the, in the reality of it. Truthfully, I know that even even being with other other widows and widowers, it's like your spouse would not want you miserable and you don't. There's not. It's not betrayal to love someone else. It's not betrayal to move forward. It's not betrayal to live your life. You know you love differently. You know they're not here, so the location shifted, but in your love shifts in a different way. But it's not betrayal and I think that's what a lot of what I've seen people struggle with. Probably one of the most things they struggle with in reinvention is how do I do that without feeling like I'm betraying my loved one or abandoning my loved one? And, truthfully, they're not thinking about you, honey. They are in heaven, probably rejoicing with Jesus and the angels.

Justin: 1:14:26

Yes, and so if they are thinking about you, they're thinking live your life. You know, learn to live your life. Wow, I love how you just that statement vow fulfiller. Yeah, I mean that really. You know, I don't know if people have ever thought of it that way and what you're doing, but you know, by making such a great statement, is obviously. And what you're doing, you know, by making such a great statement, is obviously.

Justin: 1:14:54

It's not like we're getting rid of the word widow, widower, but you are putting the accomplishment that you just had, like you have spent this set of time that God is giving you and, for better or for worse, you fulfilled that vow. If you're grieving, it actually meant that they meant something to you, and so grieving is actually these wonderful emotions that God allows us to emote when we're going through things, because the person actually meant so much to you. And I love how you even will draw out just psychologically and even chemically, what's going on in our head. You know when we can get frustrated in all these chemicals that actually become toxic, and I love how you even describe that our tears. It's a way to let that toxicity escape from our bodies. We read all kind of scripture where it's like God bottles up these tears and the story that you'll end up reflecting is, you know, it feels like David in the Psalms when he's lamenting and there's not always solution to every Psalm he ends these poetic moments with just a I don't know. But I will trust in you. But I'm also frustrated with you, god, but I trust in you. And just the different I know you're an artist too, being able to create a lot of the you're definitely that wordsmith and the analogies you've given us with the waves, I mean that was awesome, the waves kind of bringing you back, but you surrender, it brings you back in.

Justin: 1:16:27

I can't wait to read when the book releases, because all these stories, even just the example of Hope Giver, and just these narratives of the lady named Hope, just to see your struggle of not embracing, being a widow and now discovering and actually being aware that God has placed an assignment through that season on your life and you know, rhett, we've talked about this, but at the time of this recording and actually being aware that God has placed an assignment through that season on your life and you know, rhett, we've talked about this, but at the time of this recording you're listening to this the event that Jill was talking about, especially for the church that I'm on staff at, church of the Highlands, this past Saturday we just had our widow's event. It was a widow brunch in honor of National Widows Day, which happens on the calendar, obviously, every year, and an encouragement that I would have and I've learned to even know to say this because of the very woman of God we have on the podcast today. But I've learned so much from Jill that my encouragement to pastors and any leaders who have opportunity to create space is to create some of these. Uh, like we're doing this widow brunch, we have different events where some of them are scheduled and some of them are the organic stuff that happens like in your living room, jill, where people are just gathering and they're just forming community.

Justin: 1:17:47

But I've learned so much from you on some of the things that we don't even think about that when someone loses their spouse I mean the simple. I remember you had this checklist that we went in and kind of went through to make sure that we are making it available to the widows of our church, and it was a simple thing too of I mean, what's the password to even get into this stuff? I've just lost my spouse and I can't even fully grieve my spouse because I'm trying to find out how to get into our bank account. I'm trying to find out how to even find the breaker box. There's so many things that we just think about the end and the death and the grieving, and some people can't properly grieve because they're having to still function in life.

Justin: 1:18:37

And I just wanted to give you a shout out. You have brought awareness to countless people who have lost their spouse and you know, ming, you've had conversation that people even need to have the awareness before they could go through such a thing to already know some of this stuff. And I just think that what you're bringing to this table, it's not just those who have lost somebody, but you're teaching all of us to steward. I can guarantee you, me and Rhett are listening to you as students, listening, and we're thinking about our wives. We're thinking about our wives. We're thinking about anything that they may know. I'm thinking all this stuff Summer knows that I don't.

Rhett: 1:19:16

I need to go figure some of this out.

Justin: 1:19:17

But this is a great awareness too.

Rhett: 1:19:19

Yeah, the reframing, the perspective. I mean, jill, honestly, I've been sitting here taking notes. I'm just writing down things. You got pages full, I you know, just authenticity.

Rhett: 1:19:29

You know I hate, I hate that that has been your story, but I'm also grateful for how the Lord, I you know I wrote down some stuff here. You said you know this whole idea of seeing God in the midst of your pain. You know my question to you, as I was sitting here thinking about this, because I know all three of us were worship leaders I'm curious how important if we have a moment for this time I don't know if we need to edit this out or anything, justin.

Justin: 1:19:53

No, this is. This is good. Keep it going.

Rhett: 1:19:55

So my question is how important and maybe I don't even know if I know how to ask the question, but it's around worship. Like, what was your worship life like in those moments in the tragedy, you know, before in the tragedy and after? Like, how important was it, how important is it? Has it changed? What does it look like, that intimacy with Jesus and His presence in worship, with music? Can you speak to that?

Jillian Chambers: 1:20:22

Absolutely.

Jillian Chambers: 1:20:23

You know your state of emotion is determined by your point of focus. Your state of emotion is determined by your point of focus. So what you focus on determines the emotion. And I had to allow myself to focus on the Lord because my emotions were so gripped with pain and loss, and I was so I guess the word would probably be saturated. I felt completely saturated in the absence of my husband, and the only way to get through the absence of my husband was to get in the presence of God. And so the presence of the Lord is what took away that pain of absence. And you know, I really have walked with the Lord since I was. I mean, I got saved 10 times because I was in a Baptist church when I was five.

Jillian Chambers: 1:21:09

Every Sunday, I just raise my hand just in case and I got filled with the Holy Spirit when I was 13. And even in high school I led a youth for youth Bible study on my high school campus. So I've always been in leadership, I've always been in relationship. I really have people, have the delivering power of God as their testimony. I have the keeping power of God as their testimony. I have the keeping power of God as my testimony and I'm thankful for that.

Jillian Chambers: 1:21:34

But when you get so blindsided by this death, you just think, God, are you going to do this again? You know what, if you do this again and in that it was interesting because my worship first I was very hesitant, but then I realized there's no way I'm going to get through this if I don't focus on him, If I don't see him. And I'll be honest, I couldn't listen to Danny's music for a really long time. It was so painful to hear his voice. But there was one song off Carry the Call, I Will Bow Down in Worship, and I remember listening to it.

Jillian Chambers: 1:22:14

And he goes into one of those prophetic moments, Justin, where he starts singing and he starts singing you're not alone. You're never alone. And I remember, with my hands raised, eyes closed, worshiping, and I was taken back to it was 1997. We just launched our church in September. We were recording this live thing. In October, Integrity came to us two months after we launched and said oh, we can market you. Now You're a pastor, Because they didn't know how to market Danny, he was too rock and roll.

Jillian Chambers: 1:22:50

And so I remember that night in worship, I was standing on belfort circle in the building, in our oasis building. I was taken back to that building and I remember when my husband felt prophetically prompted to start singing you're're Not Alone. And in this moment, in 2020, I'm sitting there going. Lord, you dropped that in his spirit to sing that at that moment because you knew I would be here right now, feeling alone. That's the God who is at the beginning, at the end. He goes before you, he's behind you. That's who God is.

Jillian Chambers: 1:23:29

And at that moment, when I heard Danny singing you're not alone, I realized, god, you did that all those years ago, just like he put Chris Hodges at our table at John Maxwell's house, so that Chris Hodges would be the third phone call that I made. We have to think in our lifespan, not just in a moment. Our lives are moments, but they're intentional. And so after I realized oh, my goodness, lord, you knew this was going to happen when I saw that, my paradigm shifted from why didn't you stop it to? You were with me. And I realized that morning, when I woke up, he was with me. When I woke up and got out of the bed, he was with me when I walked throughout the house searching, but he was also waiting for me in the garage, so he never left me.

Jillian Chambers: 1:24:21

I mean, another quick story before we go. But I, danny and I went scuba diving back in I think it was 2014 or something, and, um, we were scuba diving in the Cayman islands. And I remember scuba diving back in I think it was 2014 or something, and we were scuba diving in the Cayman Islands and I remember we were really deep in the water, we were at the reef, at the walls, kind of a famous scuba diver spot, and I remember this moray eel darted out and when it did I didn't jump back because I was in water, but I kind of floated back and found myself turned around and my back was to the wall and my face I was facing this abyss of darkness. And I remember in that moment Danny chased the Moray eel because he was that guy.

Jillian Chambers: 1:24:55

So I'm left there and I'm looking in the dark and I'm, I feel, paralyzed because you can't, I can't see anything, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, I I don't know why, I don't know why the reef was illuminated, but this was dark. I have no idea. But I just kept imagining all these sharks biting my head off and all this other stuff, and so I was like, oh my gosh, and I felt like the Lord said let your eyes adjust, just be still and let your eyes adjust to the dark. And all of a sudden I see this eagle stingray which is black, with white spots, and you don't normally see those in the shallow waters. You have to kind of be a little bit deeper to see them most of the time. I saw all these schools of fish. I saw a hammerhead shark in the distance. My depth perception came to me and I realized it was far away. So that was good. But I realized, oh my goodness, all this marine life was swimming behind me this entire time. I just didn't see it until I stopped and let my eyes adjust to the dark, and then I began to see. It was illuminated to me, and that's what the Lord said to me. He said, jill, you need to let your eyes adjust to the dark. And then he took me to Isaiah 45. It says I will give you treasures out of darkness, secret riches that are hidden, so that you know that I'm the Lord, god who called you by name. You know, my name for almost 31 years was Jill Chambers. But before it was Jill Chambers, it was daughter, it was beloved, it was called, it was anointed. God called me Before I was formed in my mother's womb. He knew me and so, just because my name is no longer Mrs but Ms Chambers, there's women who knew me. And so, just because my name is no longer Mrs but Ms Chambers, he still knows who I am. And I've had to let my eyes adjust in the midst of this dark season to realize and see that, just like that, marine life was swimming behind me that whole time. God's been with me the whole time and now worship for me. It's not even painful, it is powerful, it is a gift.

Jillian Chambers: 1:26:50

I mean, I sing all the time. It's so funny. I live alone in my house, my daughter's in college and I find myself singing so loud. The other day she came home for her birthday I guess it was last weekend and she came home and I've kind of gotten into this routine of just singing all the time like loud Danny used to do. That You'd hear Danny singing throughout the house, You'd hear my other kids singing. I just was not that person. And now I'm like I'm just worshiping.

Jillian Chambers: 1:27:14

I've still got joy and chaos. I've got peace. That makes no sense. I won't be my firm foundation. I mean, I'm singing all these songs and I will tell you the lyrics to those kinds of songs have come alive to me. Where you know, joy and chaos Maybe I got a traffic jam, you know what I'm saying Like that was my chaos. But now my chaos is this whole new world, this whole new life, and I still have joy. I have peace. That makes no sense. And it's amazing. And you know, one of the most beautiful things is that God has so reinvented me and so brought hope into my life that when I tell my story it's almost unreal because I'm so filled with passion and purpose and joy that it's almost like is she kidding? Did this really happen to her? But that's evidence of God's ability to take your tragedy and really turn it into a testimony that can bring healing to other people.

Jillian Chambers: 1:28:14

Part of the healing process is serving, another stage of serving, and when you start to help somebody else, we start reaching down, lifting people up. Your serotonin and your dopamine replenish because you get depleted of that through depression and through grief. It causes it, it's like it reinforces depression when you don't have serotonin, you know, and your dopamine. And so when you're serving that's one of the things I remember. In November, um, right after Danny passed away, I remember waking up and I remember grabbing my daughter and my oldest granddaughter, who's close, close to my daughter's age, funny enough, and I'm like we got to go serve. So we went downtown, under the bridge in Nashville, we started serving our homeless people because I knew I'm not going to make it. I got to stop thinking about me.

Jillian Chambers: 1:28:57

So my point of focus is determined. I mean, my point of focus determines my state of emotion and I realized when my emotions were dipping I had to change my point of focus and the first go-to was worship Always. Change my point of focus and the first go-to was worship Always. I had to focus. I had to sing songs about Him. I had to sing songs to Him. I had to sing songs to Him in front of myself so that I could hear myself saying them out loud.

Jillian Chambers: 1:29:19

And I will tell you, in worship, worship is different for me now. It's definitely different. It's not just a way of lifestyle. It's not just a beautiful song Although those things are wonderful. It's not just. It is to magnify the Lord. It's not just a way of lifestyle. It's not just a beautiful song Although those things are wonderful. It's not just. It is to magnify the Lord. It's all those things that we know as worship leaders, but it's a lifeline for me and it's a game changer and it gets me out of bed and it keeps me out of bed. I would get up and make my bed just so I wouldn't get back in it. I'm that girl.

Justin: 1:29:51

I mean your story. It's the widow that's listening to this, but, my goodness, it's so much more Everything you just said. I mean we're all learning from this. You just described what everybody is facing in certain ways and how to deal with this, and so, jill, you know it's the whole reinvention. You know you're doing so much for widows right now, but it really is like you're just getting started. There is a whole reinvention that's clearly happening. We get to see your face, we get to see the spark, to see the spark and and there's so many things that that are probably being um grown right now that we can't even imagine that are coming your way. But every word that you're saying right there is so applicable to anybody whose ears are on this podcast right now, and I'm just, I'm grateful that that you just joined us on this podcast and um and and just was so vulnerable with your story, but also just so open with what's going on. And I know, before we wrap this up, rhett, do you have anything you're about to add?

Rhett: 1:30:57

No, I was just going to say thank you for your vulnerability, thank you for your honesty, as you were sharing that story of even of the prophecy, of that recording and then going back and listening and then the Lord using that word for your life, that was speaking to me Like I was in tears.

Rhett: 1:31:15

I was like you know, and that's the power of God and that's the presence of the Lord and in the light that's in your eye. I know we don't do video and we do that on purpose, you know, but there's light in your eye, it's the glory, it's the joy of the Lord, but there's light in your eye, it's the glory, it's the joy of the Lord, and I'm just so grateful for the time, even if I'm being a little selfish, just even for the things that I'm learning and growing through and the Lord using you in a moment to speak to me through things that you don't even know. But it's just the way that God works, and so I'm really encouraged. Just all that to say thank you for encouraging me, and I know this is going to be a huge blessing to so many who are listening and I hope that this is the first of many conversations.

Justin: 1:31:56

Well, absolutely yeah. Jill's our friend and Jill is fun and there's so many things that we'll be talking about especially. We'll have to address this book that's going to be coming out later, but tell us anything you want to, as we're closing here. Anything about, maybe the book, but also, where can people find you when they want to continue some of this, the life of what's going on with Jillian Chambers?

Jillian Chambers: 1:32:20

The best place is just probably social media Instagram, facebook. I do have a website, it's jillchamberscom, but it's a little anorexic right now. I also just jumped on board a new ministry called International Scripture Ministry, and we're translating the Bible into every language through apps that we're building, and I'm a content creator for those apps as well. So what's really neat is this book Living Beyond the Loss. As soon as I press as soon as we press, you know, I guess, print digitally it'll be translated into 40 languages immediately, and so I'm very excited about being able to not only reach the 12 million widows in America, but also to go into the countries that don't have hope and a lot of societies.

Jillian Chambers: 1:33:09

Actually, a woman becomes outcast when she loses her husband, and so just being able to reach beyond the borders and God just planted me here in this place and these people pursued me. I used to be partners of our ministry and they came to Nashville to open one of their offices and I just was like what in the world's happening, lord? You know I still am working with Highlands, you know consulting and everything, but it's just funny because I honestly I've written two more books. I've written three books in about eight weeks and because we are really trying to reach the 45 million foreigners or immigrants in America, we want to empower them with the word. And so if they're here, let's empower them. Yeah, you know, let's instruct them, let's teach them, and so creating content for them as well. That's being translated and it's. It's crazy, it's that that's a whole nother show.

Justin: 1:34:03

But talk about reinvention.

Jillian Chambers: 1:34:05

Wow, it's a faith tech company and they're using. You know we're just. It's so much I can't even talk about it right now. But, there's so much that God is allowing us to use with technology to spread the gospel. That would have normally taken 10 years, we're doing within 10 hours.

Justin: 1:34:22

Yeah, hey, it's the power of converting AI. Yeah, yeah.

Jillian Chambers: 1:34:27

Exactly Telling AI about Jesus I actually have an AI agent.

Justin: 1:34:29

Yeah, yeah, exactly Telling AI about Jesus, yeah.

Jillian Chambers: 1:34:30

I actually have an AI agent.

Justin: 1:34:32

Yeah, I really actually do. I know we've had combos. I don't know if we're going to name her.

Jillian Chambers: 1:34:35

Jill or Jillian, but we have an AI agent.

Justin: 1:34:38

It's true, it's so true, that's awesome, I mean that's going to be another great combo, because you and I you've shared excited like the widow's curriculum for what you're doing.

Jillian Chambers: 1:34:57

Yes, you will see me on the video curriculum, speaking like ukraine. Oh, that's so cool. I mean I can't wait to see that it's. I can't wait.

Justin: 1:35:01

That is called utilizing thank you, jesus ai, the glory of god, my goodness. Okay, so I know you said socials, but what are they at? On? Instagram chambers jillian chambers okay. Greatian Chambers Okay, great, all the places at Jillian Chambers.

Rhett: 1:35:12

And we'll have all this on the show notes for anybody who's interested to follow. We'll have it all there. Yeah, every bit of it.

Justin: 1:35:17

Yeah, Jill, thank you so much.

Rhett: 1:35:19

Thanks guys.

Jillian Chambers: 1:35:20

This was such a treat. It's been fun Appreciate it.

Rhett: 1:35:29

Yeah, friends, thank you so much for joining us on today's conversation. We cannot wait until our next episode that drops next Monday. So until then, we hope you have a great day, stay safe and we will see you soon right here with your friends Red and Justin, at Onchair Authentic.