1 00:00:00,414 --> 00:00:02,148 James: As far as the transition 2 00:00:02,148 --> 00:00:04,797 from going from Illinois to Missouri 3 00:00:04,797 --> 00:00:07,008 and co-pastoring with Bob Jennings, 4 00:00:07,008 --> 00:00:10,595 how did the Lord bring that about? 5 00:00:10,595 --> 00:00:12,854 Clint: Well, I was working full time 6 00:00:12,854 --> 00:00:15,148 as an electrician. 7 00:00:15,148 --> 00:00:20,238 And I began to feel less and less 8 00:00:20,238 --> 00:00:22,981 tied to my occupation. 9 00:00:22,981 --> 00:00:24,606 My mind and my heart were 10 00:00:24,606 --> 00:00:27,039 more and more in ministry 11 00:00:27,039 --> 00:00:30,263 than in electrical work. 12 00:00:30,263 --> 00:00:35,211 And it progressed to the standpoint, 13 00:00:35,211 --> 00:00:36,960 if you could view it on a scale - 14 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:38,966 the one scale of being an electrician 15 00:00:38,966 --> 00:00:40,396 got lighter and lighter, 16 00:00:40,396 --> 00:00:42,605 and heavier and heavier 17 00:00:42,605 --> 00:00:45,037 the work of the ministry. 18 00:00:45,037 --> 00:00:48,716 And so I knew that my days were numbered 19 00:00:48,716 --> 00:00:50,699 in the electrical trade 20 00:00:50,699 --> 00:00:53,546 and sooner or later, 21 00:00:53,546 --> 00:00:57,214 the Lord would move me out of that. 22 00:00:57,214 --> 00:00:58,730 At that point in time, I had 23 00:00:58,730 --> 00:01:01,879 28 years as an electrician. 24 00:01:01,879 --> 00:01:03,929 I had been conversing with Bob 25 00:01:03,929 --> 00:01:06,169 by email back and forth. 26 00:01:06,169 --> 00:01:08,947 And Sedalia is my hometown. 27 00:01:08,947 --> 00:01:10,609 I was born here. 28 00:01:10,609 --> 00:01:13,765 So, my parents and our families 29 00:01:13,765 --> 00:01:15,869 would make return trips to Sedalia 30 00:01:15,869 --> 00:01:18,031 to visit relatives and so on. 31 00:01:18,031 --> 00:01:19,880 And when we were in town, 32 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:21,226 we would always worship 33 00:01:21,226 --> 00:01:23,520 with Highway M Chapel 34 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:25,275 and sit under Bob's teaching 35 00:01:25,275 --> 00:01:28,160 so we were very familiar with Highway M Chapel. 36 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,590 And Bob and I had been corresponding 37 00:01:30,590 --> 00:01:32,512 back and forth by email. 38 00:01:32,512 --> 00:01:34,905 And in the providence of God, 39 00:01:34,905 --> 00:01:37,164 he was in a very difficult season 40 00:01:37,164 --> 00:01:40,831 in the church. 41 00:01:40,831 --> 00:01:43,992 He signed off an email one time - 42 00:01:43,992 --> 00:01:47,894 an email that was simply me asking a Bible question - 43 00:01:47,894 --> 00:01:50,104 he signed off that email 44 00:01:50,104 --> 00:01:52,786 saying "wish you were here." 45 00:01:52,786 --> 00:01:56,820 And it was those words right there 46 00:01:56,820 --> 00:02:00,647 that instantly the Lord used 47 00:02:00,647 --> 00:02:03,223 to plant in my mind that this 48 00:02:03,223 --> 00:02:06,673 was the direction that He had for me. 49 00:02:06,673 --> 00:02:09,003 So at that point in time, 50 00:02:09,003 --> 00:02:11,431 it started the ball rolling 51 00:02:11,431 --> 00:02:14,661 which only snowballed and got bigger. 52 00:02:14,661 --> 00:02:17,815 I approached Bob with this idea, 53 00:02:17,815 --> 00:02:18,816 this thought, 54 00:02:18,816 --> 00:02:21,612 and he was very supportive of it. 55 00:02:21,612 --> 00:02:23,844 I began to talk to others - 56 00:02:23,844 --> 00:02:25,224 Charles and different ones - 57 00:02:25,224 --> 00:02:28,698 anyone I could talk to 58 00:02:28,698 --> 00:02:31,631 to ask them for any counsel they would have 59 00:02:31,631 --> 00:02:33,052 positive or negative, 60 00:02:33,052 --> 00:02:36,578 and it was all positive. 61 00:02:36,578 --> 00:02:43,150 Some wanted to not influence the decision 62 00:02:43,150 --> 00:02:44,994 and so their counsel 63 00:02:44,994 --> 00:02:47,001 was somewhat reserved in the sense 64 00:02:47,001 --> 00:02:48,580 that they did not say, 65 00:02:48,580 --> 00:02:50,056 "I think you should do it," 66 00:02:50,056 --> 00:02:53,890 but rather, "I think this could be of God." 67 00:02:53,890 --> 00:02:59,207 And others were very much supportive of it. 68 00:02:59,207 --> 00:03:02,104 "I think you should do it." 69 00:03:02,104 --> 00:03:06,709 So He began to put things in order in Illinois. 70 00:03:06,709 --> 00:03:09,288 The first thing was my career 71 00:03:09,288 --> 00:03:10,863 which was a good career, 72 00:03:10,863 --> 00:03:12,517 a lucrative career, 73 00:03:12,517 --> 00:03:15,282 an established career. 74 00:03:15,282 --> 00:03:19,691 But I determined I needed to sew that up. 75 00:03:19,691 --> 00:03:23,040 And so I had been employed by my contractor 76 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,230 for at least three years in one location. 77 00:03:27,230 --> 00:03:30,095 And I went in and I talked to my boss 78 00:03:30,095 --> 00:03:33,590 and I told him what I was going to do 79 00:03:33,590 --> 00:03:37,561 and I said, "I'd like to put in my two week notice." 80 00:03:37,561 --> 00:03:38,459 And he said, 81 00:03:38,459 --> 00:03:40,489 "Well, as a matter of fact, 82 00:03:40,489 --> 00:03:43,853 you're going to be laid off tomorrow." 83 00:03:43,853 --> 00:03:49,231 And so that sealed that up very abruptly. 84 00:03:49,231 --> 00:03:51,944 But nonetheless, a confirmation. 85 00:03:51,944 --> 00:03:54,210 And that was only one step along the way. 86 00:03:54,210 --> 00:03:56,217 We put our house on the market 87 00:03:56,217 --> 00:03:58,730 and began to make trips to Missouri 88 00:03:58,730 --> 00:04:02,689 to hunt for a place to live, 89 00:04:02,689 --> 00:04:05,324 those kinds of necessary things. 90 00:04:05,324 --> 00:04:08,208 One by one, they began to fall. 91 00:04:08,208 --> 00:04:10,978 I've never had faith in my life 92 00:04:10,978 --> 00:04:14,383 so far as I know as I had 93 00:04:14,383 --> 00:04:16,637 during that season 94 00:04:16,637 --> 00:04:20,388 that I was marching in the course 95 00:04:20,388 --> 00:04:21,917 that God had for me. 96 00:04:21,917 --> 00:04:23,875 I'd set my sights on that goal, 97 00:04:23,875 --> 00:04:26,803 and one by one, He was removing things, 98 00:04:26,803 --> 00:04:29,381 confirming them along the way. 99 00:04:29,381 --> 00:04:32,504 And so, by the grace of God, 100 00:04:32,504 --> 00:04:35,828 we arrived in Missouri. 101 00:04:35,828 --> 00:04:38,613 James: Was there any specific wise counsel 102 00:04:38,613 --> 00:04:40,726 that above the rest stuck out 103 00:04:40,726 --> 00:04:45,686 and was specifically used to help in that season? 104 00:04:45,686 --> 00:04:49,445 Clint: One of the things Bob said to me, I recall. 105 00:04:49,445 --> 00:04:55,116 He said, "the world has a lot of electricians, 106 00:04:55,116 --> 00:05:00,134 but not many preachers of the Gospel." 107 00:05:00,134 --> 00:05:04,927 That was very helpful. 108 00:05:04,927 --> 00:05:07,032 James: So you get to Missouri here 109 00:05:07,032 --> 00:05:09,135 and how long were you co-pastor 110 00:05:09,135 --> 00:05:11,557 with Bob Jennings before he died? 111 00:05:11,557 --> 00:05:13,638 About how long was that? 112 00:05:13,638 --> 00:05:15,824 Clint: Well, we came to Highway M Chapel 113 00:05:15,824 --> 00:05:17,740 not on a call to be a pastor, 114 00:05:17,740 --> 00:05:20,235 but just to be a part of the church 115 00:05:20,235 --> 00:05:25,626 and let God do it in His own time. 116 00:05:25,626 --> 00:05:27,682 So we moved to Sedalia 117 00:05:27,682 --> 00:05:33,002 and we were here roughly six months maybe 118 00:05:33,002 --> 00:05:35,675 before the Lord brought it to pass 119 00:05:35,675 --> 00:05:37,146 and the church appointed me 120 00:05:37,146 --> 00:05:40,535 to co-pastor with Bob. 121 00:05:40,535 --> 00:05:43,131 How long I was a co-pastor with him 122 00:05:43,131 --> 00:05:48,550 before he was diagnosed with cancer, 123 00:05:48,550 --> 00:05:49,886 I would have to do the math. 124 00:05:49,886 --> 00:05:52,790 It would be kind of difficult for me right now 125 00:05:52,790 --> 00:05:54,240 in front of the camera. 126 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:57,222 But it was a couple of years, 127 00:05:57,222 --> 00:05:59,502 a few years, 128 00:05:59,502 --> 00:06:03,200 and then he was diagnosed with cancer. 129 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:04,563 James: So I wanted to ask 130 00:06:04,563 --> 00:06:06,891 in regards to Brother Bob Jennings, 131 00:06:06,891 --> 00:06:09,684 you had a unique insider perspective 132 00:06:09,684 --> 00:06:12,396 as his co-pastor with how he dealt 133 00:06:12,396 --> 00:06:14,690 with his cancer diagnosis, 134 00:06:14,690 --> 00:06:16,748 his final years of suffering, 135 00:06:16,748 --> 00:06:19,904 making preparations for the church's welfare 136 00:06:19,904 --> 00:06:22,165 following his death. 137 00:06:22,165 --> 00:06:24,619 Are there any memories from that season 138 00:06:24,619 --> 00:06:26,228 that might be insightful 139 00:06:26,228 --> 00:06:29,104 and encouraging to share? 140 00:06:29,104 --> 00:06:31,585 Clint: Well, I haven't told many people. 141 00:06:31,585 --> 00:06:37,904 I had a real sense on occasion 142 00:06:37,904 --> 00:06:40,905 that God had brought me to Sedalia 143 00:06:40,905 --> 00:06:43,240 in order to remove him. 144 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:47,910 It was a very fearful thought to me. 145 00:06:47,910 --> 00:06:50,886 You might call it a premonition. 146 00:06:50,886 --> 00:06:54,772 It was definitely in the realm of subjective. 147 00:06:54,772 --> 00:06:56,771 And so, typically, I don't put 148 00:06:56,771 --> 00:07:01,011 much weight on those kinds of things. 149 00:07:01,011 --> 00:07:04,070 But it would grip me and it would be very real. 150 00:07:04,070 --> 00:07:06,388 And I talked to Bob about that 151 00:07:06,388 --> 00:07:08,474 on at least two occasions 152 00:07:08,474 --> 00:07:10,316 prior to his sickness 153 00:07:10,316 --> 00:07:12,786 that I felt like I was afraid 154 00:07:12,786 --> 00:07:15,966 that God had brought me there to take him. 155 00:07:15,966 --> 00:07:18,193 Lo and behold, he comes down 156 00:07:18,193 --> 00:07:20,816 with pancreatic cancer. 157 00:07:20,816 --> 00:07:24,500 And so that set my heart to trembling 158 00:07:24,500 --> 00:07:27,283 as you can imagine. 159 00:07:27,283 --> 00:07:30,440 Bob's mother died from pancreatic cancer 160 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,678 and she had three months 161 00:07:33,678 --> 00:07:37,031 from her diagnosis to her death. 162 00:07:37,031 --> 00:07:40,549 If it would have followed the same course for Bob, 163 00:07:40,549 --> 00:07:42,891 that didn't leave much time. 164 00:07:42,891 --> 00:07:45,930 But in the grace of God, 165 00:07:45,930 --> 00:07:49,443 Bob was given two and a half years 166 00:07:49,443 --> 00:07:53,553 of time - that's very surprising, 167 00:07:53,553 --> 00:07:55,468 considering pancreatic cancer 168 00:07:55,468 --> 00:07:58,170 and its normal course. 169 00:07:58,170 --> 00:08:00,508 During those two and a half years, 170 00:08:00,508 --> 00:08:02,860 it was a great blessing to me, 171 00:08:02,860 --> 00:08:05,709 a great grace of God to me, 172 00:08:05,709 --> 00:08:08,896 to prepare me for what was to come. 173 00:08:08,896 --> 00:08:14,289 And so Bob and I had plenty of time together 174 00:08:14,289 --> 00:08:18,082 with this looming difficulty 175 00:08:18,082 --> 00:08:20,359 hanging over our heads. 176 00:08:20,359 --> 00:08:23,951 And he set about to prepare me 177 00:08:23,951 --> 00:08:26,706 to oversee the church in his absence 178 00:08:26,706 --> 00:08:29,613 if it were to be in the will of God 179 00:08:29,613 --> 00:08:32,683 to happen that way. 180 00:08:32,683 --> 00:08:35,636 I was involved on two occasions 181 00:08:35,636 --> 00:08:38,421 anointing Bob with oil and praying over him 182 00:08:38,421 --> 00:08:41,128 as per James 5. 183 00:08:41,128 --> 00:08:44,557 But I'm sad to say that on both of those occasions, 184 00:08:44,557 --> 00:08:46,509 it was not my prayer of faith - 185 00:08:46,509 --> 00:08:49,713 I didn't have faith that God was going to raise him up 186 00:08:49,713 --> 00:08:51,845 and heal him. 187 00:08:51,845 --> 00:08:55,807 And so it was a melancholy time for me that way, 188 00:08:55,807 --> 00:08:59,267 but nonetheless, we were praying. 189 00:08:59,267 --> 00:09:00,445 I was praying. 190 00:09:00,445 --> 00:09:05,636 And I never stole Bob's hope 191 00:09:05,636 --> 00:09:09,542 as far as I know during those years, 192 00:09:09,542 --> 00:09:10,988 that season. 193 00:09:10,988 --> 00:09:13,183 There was a time when he was praying 194 00:09:13,183 --> 00:09:14,948 for twelve more years. 195 00:09:14,948 --> 00:09:19,809 And others came forward and said, 196 00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:21,662 "we believe God is going to give him 197 00:09:21,662 --> 00:09:23,523 twelve more years." 198 00:09:23,523 --> 00:09:25,023 But all the while, 199 00:09:25,023 --> 00:09:27,552 I was inside shaking my head. 200 00:09:27,552 --> 00:09:31,314 I didn't have the faith to lay hold on that. 201 00:09:31,314 --> 00:09:34,112 But nonetheless, I tried to support him 202 00:09:34,112 --> 00:09:37,001 and encourage him and give him hope 203 00:09:37,001 --> 00:09:39,969 during that time. 204 00:09:39,969 --> 00:09:44,229 After the initial shock wore off 205 00:09:44,229 --> 00:09:47,903 for Bob and for myself, 206 00:09:47,903 --> 00:09:52,284 Bob didn't want to die. 207 00:09:52,284 --> 00:09:56,087 You know there are verses: 208 00:09:56,087 --> 00:09:57,692 "For me to die is gain..." 209 00:09:57,692 --> 00:09:59,769 "To live is Christ, to die is gain," 210 00:09:59,769 --> 00:10:01,611 and so on, but the Apostle Paul said, 211 00:10:01,611 --> 00:10:03,799 "I'm torn between the two." 212 00:10:03,799 --> 00:10:05,844 And that was Bob as well. 213 00:10:05,844 --> 00:10:07,821 He was torn between the two. 214 00:10:07,821 --> 00:10:10,329 He had a son - Jared - 215 00:10:10,329 --> 00:10:13,122 at the time was unconverted. 216 00:10:13,122 --> 00:10:15,032 And he had three children that 217 00:10:15,032 --> 00:10:18,071 at the time they were unmarried. 218 00:10:18,071 --> 00:10:20,619 And there was a lot of life left. 219 00:10:20,619 --> 00:10:23,666 He said tearfully to me on one occasion, 220 00:10:23,666 --> 00:10:27,055 "I view myself as a young man still." 221 00:10:27,055 --> 00:10:30,532 And so, he had a hold on life. 222 00:10:30,532 --> 00:10:33,748 He didn't want to die. 223 00:10:33,748 --> 00:10:36,507 And I think there's an element of bravado 224 00:10:36,507 --> 00:10:38,331 that we hear sometimes 225 00:10:38,331 --> 00:10:41,325 where people talk like they're not afraid 226 00:10:41,325 --> 00:10:44,934 of dying and maybe they're not. 227 00:10:44,934 --> 00:10:47,045 I don't know that I would ever say 228 00:10:47,045 --> 00:10:49,782 Bob was afraid of dying. 229 00:10:49,782 --> 00:10:51,847 Surely the process of dying 230 00:10:51,847 --> 00:10:54,318 can be fearful for us. 231 00:10:54,318 --> 00:10:57,587 But I believe that God gives us life 232 00:10:57,587 --> 00:11:00,221 and there is a world there 233 00:11:00,221 --> 00:11:02,553 to take in that He's put us in 234 00:11:02,553 --> 00:11:06,816 and filled us with the love of life. 235 00:11:06,816 --> 00:11:10,838 So anyway, there was some of that with Bob. 236 00:11:10,838 --> 00:11:14,393 He didn't want to die. 237 00:11:14,393 --> 00:11:17,761 There was a point in time 238 00:11:17,761 --> 00:11:20,059 when he had Terri researching 239 00:11:20,059 --> 00:11:24,196 many different approaches to treatments 240 00:11:24,196 --> 00:11:26,537 of cancer. 241 00:11:26,537 --> 00:11:29,536 People who loved Bob - he was well known - 242 00:11:29,536 --> 00:11:31,887 he had an Internet ministry and so on - 243 00:11:31,887 --> 00:11:33,969 they would send articles. 244 00:11:33,969 --> 00:11:36,980 They would send holistic methods, 245 00:11:36,980 --> 00:11:38,821 homeopathic methods 246 00:11:38,821 --> 00:11:41,822 to try and treat cancer. 247 00:11:41,822 --> 00:11:44,211 Some of them were way out there. 248 00:11:44,211 --> 00:11:46,870 Some of them had a little bit of credibility. 249 00:11:46,870 --> 00:11:49,236 But Bob would send Terri on these missions 250 00:11:49,236 --> 00:11:51,678 to try and determine if there was any 251 00:11:51,678 --> 00:11:53,283 scientific evidence; 252 00:11:53,283 --> 00:11:55,869 if this could possibly be something to pursue 253 00:11:55,869 --> 00:11:58,324 because he didn't want to die. 254 00:11:58,324 --> 00:12:00,998 He wanted to prolong his life if he could. 255 00:12:00,998 --> 00:12:02,953 There were times when we would 256 00:12:02,953 --> 00:12:04,450 be in prayer together 257 00:12:04,450 --> 00:12:05,662 and he would be weeping 258 00:12:05,662 --> 00:12:10,328 and he would be praying from the Psalms. 259 00:12:10,328 --> 00:12:12,424 "What profit is my blood 260 00:12:12,424 --> 00:12:14,419 if I go down to the pit? 261 00:12:14,419 --> 00:12:16,542 Will the dust praise You? 262 00:12:16,542 --> 00:12:20,338 And will the grave declare Your faithfulness?" 263 00:12:20,338 --> 00:12:22,359 I think it's written there. 264 00:12:22,359 --> 00:12:26,542 "Will the departed spirits rise and praise You?" 265 00:12:26,542 --> 00:12:29,839 Or, "Will the grave declare Your lovingkindness?" 266 00:12:29,839 --> 00:12:31,611 Those different psalms, you know. 267 00:12:31,611 --> 00:12:34,479 You hear it in the psalm writers. 268 00:12:34,479 --> 00:12:35,909 So he had that sense 269 00:12:35,909 --> 00:12:38,922 where he really did want to keep going. 270 00:12:38,922 --> 00:12:41,638 He was in the height of his usefulness 271 00:12:41,638 --> 00:12:46,708 in his ministry - very effective. 272 00:12:46,708 --> 00:12:49,632 So, those were difficult days, 273 00:12:49,632 --> 00:12:51,292 difficult times. 274 00:12:51,292 --> 00:12:54,170 But he did progress. 275 00:12:54,170 --> 00:12:57,215 He was concerned to establish me. 276 00:12:57,215 --> 00:12:59,793 And that was very loving on his part, 277 00:12:59,793 --> 00:13:02,692 very helpful on his part. 278 00:13:02,692 --> 00:13:05,885 There's a time I haven't shared with anyone - 279 00:13:05,885 --> 00:13:07,668 even before this interview. 280 00:13:07,668 --> 00:13:09,706 We had a time of prayer in the chapel - 281 00:13:09,706 --> 00:13:11,143 just he and I - 282 00:13:11,143 --> 00:13:13,743 sitting on the front row of the chapel, 283 00:13:13,743 --> 00:13:16,133 largely silent, 284 00:13:16,133 --> 00:13:18,516 kind of a sad time. 285 00:13:18,516 --> 00:13:20,711 And it was a time of prayer. 286 00:13:20,711 --> 00:13:22,729 And he turned to me 287 00:13:22,729 --> 00:13:25,898 and he quoted Isaiah 60:1. 288 00:13:25,898 --> 00:13:28,220 He said, "Arise and shine, 289 00:13:28,220 --> 00:13:30,025 your light has come, 290 00:13:30,025 --> 00:13:33,135 and the Spirit of the Lord is upon you." 291 00:13:33,135 --> 00:13:38,849 And that was very confirming from him. 292 00:13:38,849 --> 00:13:41,944 He would, from the pulpit, 293 00:13:41,944 --> 00:13:43,684 make confirming statements 294 00:13:43,684 --> 00:13:48,665 to the congregation in regard to me. 295 00:13:48,665 --> 00:13:51,933 I had to be ready at any time to preach 296 00:13:51,933 --> 00:13:56,073 during those years, those months, 297 00:13:56,073 --> 00:13:58,198 especially toward the end. 298 00:13:58,198 --> 00:14:01,467 The way Bob and I worked our ministry here 299 00:14:01,467 --> 00:14:02,994 he preached one Sunday, 300 00:14:02,994 --> 00:14:04,575 I would preach the next Sunday. 301 00:14:04,575 --> 00:14:06,272 We would alternate. 302 00:14:06,272 --> 00:14:07,706 But when he was sick, 303 00:14:07,706 --> 00:14:11,434 I had to be ready every Sunday to preach. 304 00:14:11,434 --> 00:14:16,539 But he didn't miss hardly any 305 00:14:16,539 --> 00:14:19,276 of his obligations to preach. 306 00:14:19,276 --> 00:14:20,736 The Lord would strengthen him 307 00:14:20,736 --> 00:14:21,684 and he'd be able. 308 00:14:21,684 --> 00:14:24,452 And I would doubt up till the last minute 309 00:14:24,452 --> 00:14:28,524 that he'd be able to, but he would. 310 00:14:28,524 --> 00:14:31,472 Sometimes I would be preaching 311 00:14:31,472 --> 00:14:33,103 and I would look over 312 00:14:33,103 --> 00:14:35,478 and he would sit off to my left with Terri. 313 00:14:35,478 --> 00:14:37,034 That was his place to sit. 314 00:14:37,034 --> 00:14:41,268 He would stretch out on the front rows 315 00:14:41,268 --> 00:14:44,705 to try and get comfortable. 316 00:14:44,705 --> 00:14:48,859 And I would preach to Bob laying down, 317 00:14:48,859 --> 00:14:50,864 if you can picture it in your mind 318 00:14:50,864 --> 00:14:52,376 on the front rows 319 00:14:52,376 --> 00:14:56,678 of the seats of the congregation. 320 00:14:56,678 --> 00:15:01,760 Those were difficult days. 321 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:05,624 Bob was my best friend. 322 00:15:05,624 --> 00:15:10,085 We talked practically every day. 323 00:15:10,085 --> 00:15:13,163 There were spontaneous times. 324 00:15:13,163 --> 00:15:15,194 I would get a phone call mid-morning. 325 00:15:15,194 --> 00:15:17,622 He'd say something like, 326 00:15:17,622 --> 00:15:19,166 "I'm taking my vehicle in 327 00:15:19,166 --> 00:15:20,697 to have maintenance done on it, 328 00:15:20,697 --> 00:15:22,569 the tires rotated, the oil changed. 329 00:15:22,569 --> 00:15:27,290 Can you meet me at the car mechanic's place 330 00:15:27,290 --> 00:15:30,682 and we'll sit in the parking lot and talk and pray?" 331 00:15:30,682 --> 00:15:33,040 Or he'd call to go for a walk 332 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,194 or something like that. 333 00:15:36,194 --> 00:15:38,722 So when he died, my phone became 334 00:15:38,722 --> 00:15:43,398 strangely silent. 335 00:15:43,398 --> 00:15:48,160 I was on my own from there. 336 00:15:50,649 --> 00:15:53,247 I might interject at this point 337 00:15:53,247 --> 00:15:56,621 that others really helped me. 338 00:15:56,621 --> 00:15:59,289 Brother Mack Tomlinson, 339 00:15:59,289 --> 00:16:01,324 Brother Tim Conway - 340 00:16:01,324 --> 00:16:03,401 they both preached sermons 341 00:16:03,401 --> 00:16:06,875 the day after we buried Bob. 342 00:16:06,875 --> 00:16:09,980 And their sermons were very confirming 343 00:16:09,980 --> 00:16:15,624 because they said things to my church 344 00:16:15,624 --> 00:16:17,645 that would have been extremely awkward 345 00:16:17,645 --> 00:16:19,310 for me to say. 346 00:16:19,310 --> 00:16:21,350 Brother Mack preached a sermon 347 00:16:21,350 --> 00:16:25,302 on the commissioning of Joshua. 348 00:16:25,302 --> 00:16:28,001 He said my servant Moses is dead, 349 00:16:28,001 --> 00:16:30,283 therefore rise up and take the land. 350 00:16:30,283 --> 00:16:33,553 And it was a very powerful sermon. 351 00:16:33,553 --> 00:16:38,866 And very confirming for me as a pastor 352 00:16:38,866 --> 00:16:41,031 now in Bob's absence. 353 00:16:41,031 --> 00:16:43,017 Brother Tim preached a sermon 354 00:16:43,017 --> 00:16:45,131 from Hebrews 13: 355 00:16:45,131 --> 00:16:47,273 Submit to your elders. 356 00:16:47,273 --> 00:16:51,983 And again, it was very confirming. 357 00:16:51,983 --> 00:16:54,517 Brother Mack made statements like: 358 00:16:54,517 --> 00:16:57,268 You don't need Bob Jennings anymore. 359 00:16:57,268 --> 00:17:00,377 If you did, God would have left him here. 360 00:17:00,377 --> 00:17:05,039 And those kinds of things I couldn't say. 361 00:17:05,039 --> 00:17:08,614 As a pastor, it would have been extremely awkward. 362 00:17:08,614 --> 00:17:10,054 "Rise up and follow me." 363 00:17:10,054 --> 00:17:12,321 "Rise up and support me." 364 00:17:12,321 --> 00:17:14,931 But here these men - godly men - 365 00:17:14,931 --> 00:17:16,862 men who our church and myself 366 00:17:16,862 --> 00:17:20,823 greatly respect were able to stand up 367 00:17:20,823 --> 00:17:25,289 and with authority commission the church 368 00:17:25,289 --> 00:17:31,729 to follow me and to support me. 369 00:17:31,729 --> 00:17:36,012 I'm very grateful for that. 370 00:17:36,012 --> 00:17:37,679 James: After Bob died 371 00:17:37,679 --> 00:17:39,758 and you were left just the only pastor 372 00:17:39,758 --> 00:17:40,852 in the church, 373 00:17:40,852 --> 00:17:43,381 what has been an encouragement to you? 374 00:17:43,381 --> 00:17:47,006 It's not like these last years have been easy. 375 00:17:47,006 --> 00:17:48,751 There have been difficulties. 376 00:17:48,751 --> 00:17:50,857 How has the Lord kept you going 377 00:17:50,857 --> 00:17:53,981 in the midst of those trials? 378 00:17:53,981 --> 00:17:56,237 To hear Clint's response to that question, 379 00:17:56,237 --> 00:17:58,747 you can click below if you're watching the video. 380 00:17:58,747 --> 00:18:01,380 If you're listening, you find find the audio 381 00:18:01,380 --> 00:18:02,946 on our mobile app 382 00:18:02,946 --> 00:18:04,867 or on illbehonest.com.