My Tennessee Table- Meet the Hosts! (Part 2)

On this episode, we continue the conversation of how this podcast came to be and meet the other host of My Tennessee Table, Lele! She gets the hot seat this episode with questions about her hopes for My TN Table podcast, the best joys of her life, and what struggles God has redeemed for good. We are so happy you're at the Table with us today! 

Transcript

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Well, welcome back to my Tennessee table where we two friends who also happen to be neighbors and served as pastors have real conversations about doing life with Jesus. Hello, Lili. Hi, Julie. We're back at the table, literally at my Tennessee table. Literally at your Tennessee table. Yes. That's where we are. Yes. In your dining room. That's right. I love it. And we've talked about this before that we spent a lot of time, a different table. Yes. A table at my house. Yes. Together. Yes. Lots of hours. And Bible study and friendship. So neighborhood get together. Well, last week we got to share. I got to share a little bit about me and kind of the inspiration behind the podcast of My Tennessee Table. So this week we get to hear a little bit about you, which makes me so happy. I'm so glad. You get to sit and ask the questions. I know I'm the one who's like on the hot. I love that. because I know you and I know a little bit of your story or a lot of bit of your story. And so I'm anxious for listeners here too, so they can know, all things Lele and love you like I love you. So, hit the high spots. That's what you kind of asked of me last. week. So the high, spots in life. Tell us a little bit about lately. All right. Well, so we're going to start back from the beginning cause I feel like this helps people understand me more is I'm the oldest of four kids. So I'm the boss. I'm telling you, I'm the boss from the get go. And one year I even, I, my brothers and sisters have always leaned on me to like get my mom's. Presence and gifts and stuff. And so when you're, they make fun of me for it. Cause I'm like, Hey, everybody's missing a little bit and they send me the money. I buy the gift and it's done. Well, one year I was like, I'm not doing it. Cause they make fun of me. And then at the last minute, they're like, Hey, Lily, what are we getting mom for her birthday? And I was like, see, I already bought her something. So anyway, being bossy and being the oldest, if you're an oldest child, I feel you, it's like a lot of pressure, but you also get to be the boss and tell everybody what to do. So I tend to be a little bit bossy and a little bit of a delegator. So anyway, I love that quality in you. Can I just say working as co hosts together, I love Lili. And that quality in Lily. Yay, Lily. Okay. Okay. So anyway, I'm the oldest of four kids. I grew up in Alabama. I grew up in the church from probably the time my mother could put me in the nursery. I was there. I grew up in a big Baptist church. Both sets of my grandparents were there. and we were there. Every time the doors were open, I was there. So I came to know the Lord at a really early age. I was baptized when I was eight years old, by Dale Huff and, at first Baptist church, Montgomery. And, from that point, I remember after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior, and I was baptized, I was sitting next to my grandmother one Sunday morning and she leaned over and she patted my leg and she said, I can tell, I can tell you're different. And it's funny, the things that you remember, I stick with you, but I just remember. My grandmother telling me she could tell I was different. And for me, that's been like such a confirmation that when you come to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior at an early age, a lot of times you grow up and you're like, did I, and you doubt, and you have like, just doubts around, like, what did that really mean? Did I mean it? But like, I really look back and I think a minute, like I loved Jesus from, from that point on, like as my savior and my Lord. So, my church had a huge impact on my life. And so when I graduated from high school, I went off down the road, 45 minutes away to Auburn university for college. And when I was there the summer after my freshman year, I felt the Lord calling me to go on mission. And so I went with campus crusade to China for the entire summer. My mother was like. You are not going, she was so mad and I was like, just watch me. I don't think I knew this about your story. Yeah, I spent a whole summer in China. So I basically failed the, the Chinese language class that we took. Like some of my friends that I was there with, they do really great. And I came away with Ni Hao. And that's about all I can say. I just walked around China, just saying Ni Hao to people all the time. And I think like, it can mean, Myriad of things. So I don't, I don't really even know like what I was saying to people as I walked around China. But what I did learn was how to share my faith, how to share my faith. just effectively I met with college students, women in China and they wanted to practice their English. And so I would say, okay, well let's meet at KFC and we would sit and they would practice their English. And I would. Speak to them. And while I was speaking to them, I talk about Jesus and I would talk about my relationship with Jesus and what he meant in my life. And so that was also another key point just in my life and ministry. So after that summer I spent in China, the next four summers I spent working for my home church. I did student ministry. I helped start our worship. Ban for our little middle schoolers, like just so much that the Lord did in that time and in me and just growing me up to be, in ministry and to work for the church and to love the church. Like I loved the church since I was small. So. All of those things have just meant a great deal to me. And after I graduated from Auburn, I just felt the Lord calling me to Nashville. I was sitting in this office, where I had this little side gig job and there was a map of the Southeast. And I remember just being like. Oh, Nashville, it's just straight up. Like you just go up 65. I was like, that seems like a good spot. It's a little bit bigger city. Gets me out of Alabama. Like, let's try it. And so I moved here and I moved here because I got, an internship at what is now my home church and I started working there and I did student. Ministry and worship ministry, and I loved it. And, just the ways that the Lord used me, we were meeting at a movie theater at the time. And so just the things that we had to do just to have church on a Sunday morning, it just showed me like, I don't know, just what, what God can do, just the things that you might have to do just. Right. To get people in a building to talk about the Lord. And so, when I moved here, I met my husband, Eric. he was a student at Belmont at the time and he was about to graduate. And so I met him, we were just friends for a while and we can talk more about this later. this is a great story. Yeah. he is hilarious. He is. So weird and I love all of that about him and we fell in love and we got married and about nine months after we were married, we had our first child, Laney. She's now 13. And then we have Cade who's 10 and Emmy who is five. And, I continued to work in ministry over the years. And about two years ago, I felt the Lord calling me away. And that was a really hard. we can talk a little bit more about that in a little bit, but yeah, I, I stepped away and in that, you know, I've experienced some heartache, but I've also experienced some joys in getting to step away and just doing my own thing. So, so here I am. Yeah, that's just kind of a brief overview, I guess. Yes. Yeah. Yes. I had said last week in the podcast, a broad stroke, right? Yes. And you, you get permission to do a broad stroke. And as you were listening, my eyes were like lighting up, lighting up because the story of how you met Eric, which is great because Eric is funny and he is fun and quirky, quirky. He's quirky. That's a great word. Yes. And so that story is fantastic too. And other parts of your story too, And we'll get into this again. We keep saying that we'll get into this. Another just keep listening. Just keep listening, listening. as we visited about the podcast, we, have known each other a while, but The light bulbs didn't come on on how, our walks have been so similar Mm-Hmm. in so many ways. And so we'll talk about that a little bit too as we, you know Yeah. Get along. We both had stepped away from a vocational industry almost to the same day. It was like two months apart. Yeah. Of the same year. and so kind of how that, how we're rolling with that, right? Mm. And that will definitely, or not rolling with or not world with, definitely be an episode for sure. so thank you for sharing, the broad stroke of Lili. there's so many great nuggets in there. We're going to mine for later, but along the way, what has been some of your biggest joys in life and you, you can frame it about ministry, you can frame about family, you can frame it about. I would say the greatest joy was, you know, coming to know Jesus. I know that sounds so like churchy, but like just walking through what I've walked through over the course of my life, just if I hadn't had Jesus, like, I just don't know that I would have made it. I don't know that I would have survived. I don't know where I would be. I might be like on the side of the road somewhere. I don't know. That's one of the greatest joys is just knowing him and walking with him and him walking with me because I, I don't, I mean, can I say this? I don't feel like I'm a great Christian, like I really don't. And so the fact that he knows me and knows that and loves me anyway is just. I mean, I don't even know. I just, it just makes me feel so grateful. And so, just full of love back towards the Lord for loving me that way. But also marrying my husband, like we keep saying he's so weird and quirky cause he is, but I, so I. One thing about me is I tend to be like, I care about what people think I care about, like the outward appearance and the, what I give off and Eric could care less, like he could care less. And so when, at the time when I like started liking him, I guess he had this old beat up Kia that had a stick shift and what had happened was he had accidentally left. The gear shift in gear. Is that what I don't, I've never driven a gear shift or shift. I don't, what am I saying? Am I saying right? You all know what I mean. So he actually left it in gear and it, it, it kept driving and it scraped a tree. And so it was all like dented in on one side and he did not care. He didn't care open. Did the door, yeah, the door still open. It still was like. Workable, but this huge scratch across and he just doesn't care. And I thought, I need that in my life. I need that. And I need somebody that doesn't care. Cause do you know how many conversations we have to have where it's like. Lily, why do you care? And I'm like, Oh, you're like, I need, I need that. So marrying him while I could also say was a challenge is a joy. And also, having my three kids, I mean, I don't know, that's so cliche to be like, my kids are my greatest joy, but they really are. They're so fun and they're all in really fun, different stages and ages. And I'm just loving just being a mom to them. And then I love where I live. I really do. I, I'm telling you, I told you a minute ago, like, I really felt like God called me here. And so I just, I love it. And I like, don't ever want to leave. Eric's made me leave a couple of times and we've come back like super fast because I just can't leave. I can't quit. I can't quit it. I can't quit you Franklin. We don't want you to quit. So those are, yeah, those are my greatest joys. Let me hop in if you'll let me. Because this is how we initially met. Do you remember this story? Okay, so we moved into our house on the cul de sac. Which, by the way, I wish everyone who listens could live on our cul de sac. Because it's so great. or I just pray that You have that cul de sac experience that street neighborhood experience But anyways, we moved in and met a few neighbors And then we noticed a house at the end of the cul de sac was just getting like a full remodel like something was going down Lord help me. I've survived that. Oh my gosh down the street and but y'all weren't there So things are happening down there and another friend we would chat and she'd be out walking with the kids I was like, how's it going down there? And you seen the family? No, not yet. And dada Well in the meantime, we are searching for churches because we're new to the area. We visited a lot there are some great churches in our area and there's a lot and it's different than where we came from from the Northwest Pacific Northwest. It's just a completely different culture. So we had visited churches, My aunt and uncle were in town and we happened to go to our present day church now that we attend for the first time that day. And you were on worship team. And this is what I told my aunt Donna, I go, that is Natalie Grant. And I said, she goes, there's like, Oh yeah, that's Natalie Grant. She must serve here. Well, then I Googled and I was like, Oh, that wasn't Natalie. But it was you. It was me. It was you. Equally as great as Natalie. P. S. Not as good of a singer, that's for sure. She's really good. That's what I'm talking. That's what I'm talking. So then, fast forward to Sunday afternoon, I'm still in my Sunday clothes. I'm in the driveway. Again, talking to the neighbor. And I said, have you seen the family yet? Because I had a gift. Like, I want to bring you something. And you drove past in a van. Mm hmm. Your previous car. And our neighbor said, Oh, that's her. And I was like, what does Natalie Grant? I just saw her at my church. Literally, I had no idea a who you were because I thought, but then that the lady on praise team who I had not met yet is the one who's remodeling on my street. And it was you, and you had the same cute little jean jacket on you had on when you were at church. I was like, oh my gosh, and now we're going to be neighbors. So, there you go. Isn't that crazy? I know. Wild. It is. It's like just wild the way the Lord just like puts us in places. Cause we were moving, and I just remember feeling like the Lord is calling us to move. And I will tell y'all, like God is in a move. Like if, if you're Moving like the Lord is in that whether you're moving across town or you're moving to a new city Like God is just in that like he knows the people that are gonna pour into you He knows the people that you're gonna pour back into and he's like, I really believe he's like design that for just so many great Purposes like so many you're going on but you said that at that point in time I was a part of this friend group that had just fallen apart. I felt so sad and lost and lonely and here God just like plunked me in this little cul de sac full of these women that would end up sitting around a table with having Bible study every Tuesday night. Like it's just kind of like wild. It has been quite the ride I almost want to hold my breath. I don't want our seasons to change. I know they do change, but I, this is such a sweet one. So I'm so thankful. Okay. Well, thank you for letting me interject. I have another question for you. Tell me. What has been, something difficult like having to walk through in life? And again, I, I know part of parts of the story and there's been difficult. So if you would share one or two. Yeah, I didn't, I didn't talk about this earlier when I was giving that brief overview, but when I was, um, 16, 17, my parents divorced and it was a big messy divorce. And like I said, being the oldest child, you just, you know, more, you know, more of what's going on. You also feel responsible for your siblings, for taking care of them, making sure they're okay. Like my. My youngest sibling is nine years younger than me. I mean, he was just a little, little kid when all that was going down. So you just feel that protective part of you just come out. and so that part of my story was so hard and the Lord really has redeemed that in so many ways. It wasn't long after that, that I was able to sit down with my dad and to be able to forgive him and like fully forgive him the way that Christ has forgiven me and just say, I, I forgive you. Like exactly what I said, like the way Christ has forgiven me. And so that means that like anything past, present, future. It's just lifted. It's gone. And to be able to walk in that freedom with him and that relationship has just been beautiful and like just one of the most like gospel centered things in my life ever. But it was really hard for a long time and we're both hotheads. And so there was a lot of blowing up and fighting and just, I was a teenager, there was just a lot of stuff going on in general. Yeah. So that was a really big challenge for me. also. When we were trying to have a third child, we could not get pregnant and it was It was really hard. It was hard on my marriage. It was hard on me. It was hard on my relationships outside of my marriage. I just, it was hard on my relationship with the Lord. It had been really easy for us to get pregnant with, Laney and Cade. And so to be walking this road of like, I don't understand why, why is this not working? What is happening? I go to the doctor, they be like, well, it's only been a year, you know, just keep trying. And like, that's, that's kind of standard, you know, usually takes your, I'm like, it. Did not take me more than one try with my others. So what's happening and, just walking through miscarriages and losses. just anybody who's ever walked through that, you know, it's just, it's gut wrenching and you just don't know until you know. And, but you know, there are challenges. Or just for me, at least are some of the most beautiful times with the Lord. And in fact, one of the things I feel like God's teaching me right now is like to be like, to build my relationship with him and to be okay, being in the good times, I cannot do that. I struggle through that because I think I just am waiting for the next shoe to drop. And so I just am like, no, no, I always feel so close to you. And I always feel like I grow the most when I'm walking through those challenging things. And God's like, yes. And that's why I've got you in this good season, because I want you to learn to walk with me when things are good. And so currently that would be one of my challenges in my relationship with the Lord is just how to walk with them when everything's okay. Wow. That's wow. I mean, because what I'm hearing you say is that the converse of that is I feel comfortable walking through adversity with him because I feel closer, but to have an awareness that I want that closest, not that you want adversity. What you want is a closeness even in the good. Yes. That's a good word. Huh? Well, that's what I feel like God's been talking to me like, cause I keep being like, is something bad about to happen? Something bad about to happen. And I feel like the Lord in my spirit is just going, it is good. Let it be good. Like my daughter, like let it be okay and just walk, let's just walk together on this beautiful day and this like beautiful place. Like let's just be together and let it be okay. So anyway, that, that's correct. You didn't even ask me that, but that's what I'm walking through right now. I'm thinking of my statement. My mom used to say, don't worry, don't borrow worries from tomorrow or something like that. I just thought of it this morning. Borrow trouble. My mom says that to me all the time. Mm hmm. Not crazy. I just thought of it today. Well, thank you for sharing that. I mean, it is those, those moments, like you, you said the words heart wrenching and hard. And we know the outcome. You know, I mean, tell us the third one, Emmy. Oh yeah. So we struggled, but we have Emmy. Thank you for reminding me she's here and, she is, I call her a joy bomb because she is just full of joy. And while I was. Pregnant with her. I did struggle. at the beginning of our pregnancy, I just had a lot of issues and I was terrified and I had this group of women that I actually didn't even really know that well. Well, I went to this Friday night, gathering of women at a local Bible study teacher's house, and there was probably. I don't know, six or seven of us, but they could tell I was terrified. And so they would just circle around me and they would pray for me. And this one woman, she just prayed, Lord, let her be, let this baby just be a joy, a joy to their family, a joy to her siblings, a joy to her parents, a joy to everyone who comes across her. And I will tell you, if you walk around town with me by your side, you will see smiles on people's faces as. Like she just lights up a room and she is just, she is, she's a joy bomb. So I'm grateful to Jesus for giving us her and that gift, even though sometimes I feel too old to have, a preschool or still, but it's exactly how God designed it and she's going to keep me young. She is, and I call her Emmy Joy. Her middle name is not Joy. I called her Emmy Joy before you told me that story. I'm not sure. It might've been on the, might've been right after you told me that story, but she is a joy God has big plans. All your kids, all of our kids. That's right. Has a purpose and a meaning for, but she just got labeled. Joy. She did straight out. She totally did. Okay. As we wrap up here. one last thing, what excites you most about, my Tennessee table? What are your hopes or what do you, you know? Oh, I just love this. So a part of my former job that I, stepped away from a couple of years ago was. I got to host a podcast for our church and I loved it. And when I quit, I was like, and if I can keep doing that, that would be great. And they're like, no, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You can't do that anymore. So I didn't get to do it. And I, and I had told my husband actually recently, which is why I told Julie, there's just. Timely that she asked me, but I was like, I just love doing the podcast. I wish I could do a podcast. And he's like, well, why can't you do a podcast? And I'm like, you're right. You're right. And then the more I got to think about it, I was like, well, we can't have two podcasts on the same street. That's weird. I know, which we could, but it's more fun together. No, like why? Y'all don't want to listen to me talk by myself. So it's more fun when there's like a conversation being had. And so it wasn't long after that, that Julie randomly called me one day and was just like, well, I need to ask you about something and I will talk about it later. I was like, no, no, no, just tell me, like, I just, if you're going to say that, I'm like, I need you just to get it out. What is it? And she told me, you know, she wanted me to pray about being a cohost on the podcast and I wanted to immediately say yes, but I'm really bad about that. And so I gave myself about a week to pray about it and to see if this was what the Lord had for me. And I, obviously here I am. The Lord said, yes. So praise Jesus. I'm so happy. I'm just so excited to be here. I'm excited just to have a place to talk about the Lord, a place to share with other women around that hopefully will listen. I hope you guys get something out of this. I'm excited about just the things that we're going to get to talk about because we are both former pastors. There are things that we couldn't. I know that sounds weird, but that's just, that's just kind of how it was. And so, now that we aren't staffed at a church, we can just talk freely about things and things that were struggles and things that were great and. I don't know. So I'm just excited to be able to share. Mm-Hmm. Yeah. And to clarify that too, I think people that are listening who have been in vocational ministry totally get that statement. Yes. Yes. Totally get it. Because there's a responsibility on that shepherd. And there's things that you carry that it would be, irresponsible of you as a shepherd to share. And sometimes some of those are personal things. Mm-Hmm. and so that's what we mean by Yes. Thank you. Yeah. There's things that we can, and we jokingly when we met for lunch, said, and now we can say that. And it, that's a whole nother topic really is, it can be ministry while surrounded by sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands of people can be the loneliest place to live. Yeah. And that's a difficult spot to hold. And so, yes. Clarifying. Thank you for sharing. Thank you guys so much for listening. This is, just part of the conversation and we love to have you as part of the conversation on My Tennessee Table. So if you like what you've heard here, please go to wherever you listen to your podcast and subscribe. There's an option to leave a review, or leave a rating. You could sure do that too. So, we'd be grateful for that. And, until we get to talk next time at My Tennessee Table, blessings to you.