Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to On Purpose with Paul Peters. Today we're uncovering the passions, principles and divine guidance that leads to a meaningful life. You're watching now Media Television.
Welcome to On Purpose with Paul. I am Paul Peters, your host. We're here today to talk about how to discover your purpose. It's interesting. I have been in Dallas for a few days here and happened to have a lunch with some gentlemen that I had just met yesterday.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: And.
[00:00:26] Speaker A: And here they are on my show and I'm going to explain to you how these things kind of come about. And when I met with these two gentlemen, there's actually three. When I met the third gentleman today, and that is Brian Ulch, Tom Dixon and Matt McKeown. And they're going to be talking to us today about how God worked in their lives to bring them together. They didn't know each other. I think Brian and Tom met back in 2017 and Matt met them in 2022. Their story is very, very unique and it's interesting how God brought them together in their careers to do something even greater that they didn't really even expect. And so I want to share with you and have them share a little bit about their story. And then we're going to talk about why they're here together and why in just a meeting yesterday, I have them on my show and it's really about helping discover purpose. And sometimes I'll meet people on the street and I'm like, you've got a story to tell. So I'm going to go ahead and introduce each of the gentlemen here. We've got Brian here.
[00:01:27] Speaker C: Hi, Paul, how are you today?
[00:01:28] Speaker A: Great.
[00:01:29] Speaker B: Tom, Good to see you. Thanks for having us.
[00:01:32] Speaker A: And Matt. Well, thank you, gentlemen. I would like to start with you, Tom, because I really. You were sitting right across from me at the table and you were sharing with me. I'd like to have you tell the audience a little bit about some of your upbringing and what led you to where you're at today.
[00:01:49] Speaker B: So, you know, I grew up in a pretty rough background as a kid and had a lot of inconsistencies. And, you know, I've always been stubborn, kind of doing my own deal, even as a kid. And as an adult, I just kind of ran my own course.
And a lot of those courses that I ran as a youngster were destructive and ended up, you know, getting in quite a bit of trouble. But, you know, through God's grace, he protected me from a lot of the repercussions that can happen to people that are getting in trouble.
But you know, coming out of that environment, I knew that once I became an adult that I really had to figure out how to stop being a boy and become a man. And you know, the really definitive channel that I found in doing that was through working and, and finding a job.
So you know, I, I started out in, in a job basis early on, 19 years old as a, as an electrician and I was a pool man for two years and you know, a lot of back work, a lot of heavy lifting. I wanted more for my life and really didn't have enough structure to know what that purpose was as a career basis. But I knew that I, as a kid I knew how to take things apart and put them back together again.
And so I decided I was going to pretty much sell everything I had, buy a motorcycle so I can afford gas and go to tech school. And you know, how I had struggled through high school just, you know, due to instability, but I ended up graduating tech school in the top of my class and went in to become a technician and been in the automotive business now for, for 23 years working for the same organization. Started out as a, a quick lane technician, worked as a regular technician, started working with customers on a retail basis as a service advisor, began managing people as a, as a service manager, began running business as a, as a service director.
Up until now that I'm a director of operations, so spent a lot of time and through the results of the industry and through the path that God's provided for me, I've been able to learn a lot of business acumen that has become valuable. And at this point in time where I'm at, you know, I spent a lot of time knowing that God existed but, but proverbially running from him, shaking my fist at him, being angry with him for the situations I had been in.
And while I knew he existed, I hadn't surrendered until 2017.
And when I surrendered my life to Christ, that's when everything changed. And the surrendering of myself, the surrendering of business, a lot of the trans, the transferring of focus, going from my own personal gain through business, but being able to provide platform and landscape for others to grow and provide opportunities even for some people that may have a checkered or a rough pass and helping them growth track and take next steps into development and success and insulation from, you know, the instabilities and insecurities of life. And God's blessed me in so many ways, including having both of these gentlemen thankful to be working with them and they both have been just blessings and Assets into, into my life and my career.
[00:05:21] Speaker A: Yeah. Can you elaborate a little bit about some, if you feel comfortable a little bit about your childhood and what some of the things that you experienced that led you to where you're at now? Because you know we're going to talk about one of the things that form came from that.
[00:05:34] Speaker B: Yeah. So you know, when I say I had a rough childhood, I was abused as a child, physically abused, emotionally abused, psychologically abused and you know I had a lot of, of of acting out that happened through that.
But again I've, I've had so many different instances in my past where God has insulated me or given me an opportunity to, to grow right where I'm at. And you know, had early on been in a boys ranch, had been institutionalized and I didn't understand then why I was going through all that I was going through. And it's not until again my own salvation, which I'll keep referencing that it put purpose to the pain.
And you know I'm now equipped to help other people that have been through similar circumstances or maybe in the middle of those circumstances to help give them hope in a pathway and a way out.
And also the realization that I've realized that in my own life and testimony that God doesn't do anything on accident and anything meant for evil has turned to good. And you know, everything that I had gone through that the time I perceived was terrible has now equipped me to help other people that are either going through current struggles or past hurts. And I have an ability to do that and this is a blessing.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: Yeah, we're going to talk more and I love that you said there's a purpose in the pain. Most of us will avoid pain but God allows the pain to just to help reveal something deeper. And we're going to, we're going to go into that a little bit more. So Brian, tell us a little bit about yourself.
[00:07:11] Speaker C: Well, I absolutely am blessed as Tom said, to have the brotherhood and the opportunity to be able to be here with each one of you today. I think it's who we're blessed to walk with that oftentimes define our destiny.
I was born preacher's kid. My father was a bi vocational pastor. So I saw demonstrated my entire life. Love God, love people. And once again as everybody here seeking out God, what's your purpose for my life? What's your will for my life in that right out of high school got into the automotive industry, became a really a baseline of my professional career and spending close to 35 years in the automotive industry.
God opened up an opportunity for me to become a staff pastor at a church that I have a legacy based in that's over 75 years old and just an amazing legacy ministry. And after being on staff with them for about five years, I had some medical needs that really forced me to make a transition. And out of making that transition from being a staff pastor, being a chaplain, and really doing what I had in my heart, and that was to love God and love people, I felt like I had a vision that crumbled. All of a sudden, all of a sudden my. My heartbeat of what I thought God had designed for me to do, it seemed like it went dim. My picture of what I thought was supposed to be now wasn't the same. And there was this unknown that was in front of me, but what was known is my trust in God, of knowing that he works all things together for our good. And standing in the doorway about to leave for one of the last days of being an on staff pastor, I tell me that the ministry is not inside these four walls, that God may be calling me to a higher purpose that was in bigger circles than my eyes could see. And out of that, God changed the trajectory of where I was and the things that I was doing. And that is taking my heartbeat to really just be a light, be an example, and that's my heart's cry, is to make a difference in people's lives. It's not about perfection. It's about passion of being able to lead others to Christ and to hopefully be a reflection of what God has inside people. I think one of the greatest struggles that every single one of us have is knowing who God's called us to be and when we can be a reflection of Christ. We show people what's inside of them. And that led me literally to walking alongside and being a part of Tom's life, which changed the trajectory of kind of where we are today. And that is with a heartbeat passion to be alive and be an example and hopefully help those individuals that we are blessed to connect with, be able to see who God's called them to be, and to find their identity and purpose in this life.
[00:09:58] Speaker A: Yeah, it's interesting and I'm hoping you all can see some of the patterns here. Both these gentlemen were in the automotive industry. How many years did you say, Tom? 23 and 35. For you, you grew up with a pretty rough childhood and Brian, yours was a legacy of ministry. And interesting. It's in the disappointments when you raised your fist to God and when you what I refer to as a death of a vision. You were going on a path like, I'm going to be a pastor. That's what I'm meant to be. And things shifted. And it's exciting to see when these things occur, there is frustration, there's disappointment. But the revelation of why those things occur, the purpose and the pain are revealed later. And I'm excited when we get to the point to share it. We've got about, about a minute, but we're going to give you a bit more time in the next segment. Tell us a little bit about. About yourself.
[00:10:47] Speaker D: I grew up with both biological parents having struggled with addiction, struggled with their own physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse. And that translated into what they thought parenthood was supposed to be, which then created patterns that were developing that were based around substance abuse and physical abuse and just not being a lot.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: More.
[00:11:21] Speaker D: Conducive to better backgrounds.
Really a big part of it was that at the age of 12 was when we might, I've got some siblings, but we'd found out about the actual.
We actually found some of the substance and we were able to get into the foster care system.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: We will be right back after these messages. Right back with more stories and insights to help you discover your calling and live with purpose. This is On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television.
I'm Paul Peters and you're watching On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the journey towards your best life.
Welcome back to On Purpose with Paul. We are here talking with the these gentlemen and we were talking with Matt. Matt, continue your story. It's pretty fascinating.
[00:12:11] Speaker D: So when the foster care system had finally taken its actual grip upon my family and put me into the system, really, it felt like a scene out of a movie where suddenly everything's chaos and the people that are supposed to be there are truly helping.
So that was interesting.
But went into the foster care system and slowly started to realize that the things that I thought were normal weren't normal.
[00:12:45] Speaker A: How old were you?
[00:12:46] Speaker D: I was 12.
[00:12:46] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:48] Speaker D: So as I started to get a better sense of what actually made up childhood, what made up being, you know, just a kid really put a lot of things in perspective. But that parentization, basically becoming a parent for my siblings and having to bear burdens still stuck. And so that was an interesting thing to learn. But then as I moved through the foster care system and struggled with depression and anxiety and a lot of my own just ability to understand what was actually happening and what had happened, knowing that that Stuff was not my fault.
The transitions that kept happening were what kept me from moving forward and moving past that. So that stigma of being a foster kid, that stigma of growing up from a broken home, was really hard to let go of for the longest time. And so as I went from foster home to foster home, I was in nine homes in seven years and then five high schools in four years.
And as I transitioned through each different situation, having realized when I was in elementary school that I'd always gravitated towards people of higher power, people in higher positions, the principals, the teachers.
I was learning skills from them that helped me deal with the foster parents that I had and the foster siblings that I had. And then having a handful of foster parents who truly helped me get past a lot of my own struggles and the things that I couldn't let go of, that was huge.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: So what was it? Were you the only. Were you an only child?
[00:14:39] Speaker D: No, I've actually got a younger sister and a younger brother through one parent. And then on two other sides of that coin, there's another bro, two other brothers.
[00:14:55] Speaker A: And so when you were separated from your parents at age 12, and then from the age 12 to when you could, how long do you stay? Just one stay in the foster care system.
[00:15:03] Speaker D: So with no foothold on anything, you can be ejected out of the foster care system at age 18.
What will happen? And one of the things that I was able to advocate for when I was a legislative representative was the ability to extend foster care out to the age of 25. When I was in California, I only stayed maybe 10 months, eight months out from me turning 18.
But when everything had changed, it was. It was different. It was just a different situation.
[00:15:48] Speaker A: Now, you've been in the. Well, you've been in the foster care system, and you're pretty aware of the statistics for kids that have gone through the foster care system. One, be able to complete and go through high school, college, get a job. Can you share some of the things that you are aware of? Because you are one of the exceptions. So can you talk about that? And some of the struggles that you face to go from your typical foster kid who may go towards addiction or maybe incarcerated. I don't know exactly what happened with your mom and dad, but typically, individuals that have gone through the foster care system have gone through abuse and neglect, may, because of unconscious motivators, whatever, continue down that path. What sets you apart and how you were able to break free from that.
[00:16:31] Speaker D: Really, the biggest thing that I reminded myself as I looked at my peers in elementary school, middle school, high school, and then I looked at the teachers that I was surrounding myself with. The biggest thing that I reminded myself of is that as long as I don't become my parents, right, as long as I don't stick to those patterns and behaviors, I understood that I had to break that cycle.
And part of that meant not going back to it.
And so during the, you know, 16, 17, 18 range in my life, there was a big push for reunification with my family.
And knowing what I knew about them, about my biological mother, that was an interesting situation. On trying to make sure that if I do go back, she is a changed person, but not seeing those things in her and recognizing that I wasn't ready for it either.
I stayed in the system.
And then as far as getting out of that and getting into just transitioning from foster care to being independent, when at least in California, it may be different in Texas, I'm not sure.
[00:17:52] Speaker A: The.
[00:17:56] Speaker D: System has nothing in place for making sure that you understand how to get a job, how to balance a checkbook, how to find place to live. There are some programs out there. They're not that great.
I had just moved to a new town, didn't know anybody. I had one foster parent who, you know, he's no longer with us, but he was a big.
Through. Through all of that.
Trying to get out of the foster care system and not having any. Any safety net is probably one of the biggest struggles I. I suffered through, really, or tried to figure out how to handle. And so what was interesting with that was that trying to. Trying to find a job while on independent study at a school that I didn't think I was supposed to be in.
So I was in this remedial school. When I'm thinking I'm a normal kid, I don't, you know, okay, I moved around a lot. That's great. But I was in this remedial school thinking, okay, this is some kind of punishment.
Ended up on independent study so I could go out and find a job. Ended up working at a. At a pizza place in the mall, of all places. You know, just.
He kind of took pity on me and was like, all right, you're here practically every day.
Just come work for me. This is fine.
Was doing that going to school part time.
Had I graduated on time that end of the school year, I would have been homeless. From finishing high school to starting college because there's no financial support. There's nothing that really prepares you. I. I just started having the ability to make enough money to take care of my normal transportation and daily needs. So that was an interesting transition. But as I got out of high school, I was approached by a college program to become a fast track to become a teacher for STEM and went in this fast track teaching credential program. And having seen so many foster agencies fail based on funding and other money issues, as soon as I had started to recognize that within that program, I said, I got to go find work. I've got to do something that is going to keep me alive.
So I left that to get into automotive sales. As I'm sitting in the third floor of the campus building finishing out a final, I'm looking at this car dealership going, do I like cars enough to be around people?
[00:20:35] Speaker B: Gotcha.
[00:20:36] Speaker D: So I transitioned into automotive sales and just kept going.
[00:20:39] Speaker B: Interesting.
[00:20:42] Speaker A: The connection between your life as a foster care child and I think it's very important for everyone to understand some of the dilemmas, some of the frustrations from the challenges that a foster child who's not equipped to handle the abuse, the neglect of, because the parents should be raising the child to be able to learn things, grow, have respect, love. And these were absent not only in Matthew's life, but in many individual young children's lives. And they are put in a situation where now they get a new set of parents or one parent or whatever the situation is and they have to develop relationship and in some cases not even yet healing from whatever they experienced. And then they go through the school system with a sense of identity. And can you talk briefly about what that identity because you were. I'm a foster kid and that's what I am. And some of the struggles that, that I face as a foster kid because one of the challenges that people have, especially foster care kids, they have this identity and an almost self sabotage and they don't have, they don't have companies, they don't have people. They're going to believe in them to give them a new sense of identity. And I'm excited about these gentlemen telling their story how they all were brought together in different circumstances to give hope but share a little bit about some of the struggles because you obviously knew you wanted to get a, get a job because you did not want to be like your parents, right. What was the identity you were struggling with?
Really?
[00:22:02] Speaker D: It was trying to understand what my purpose in life was supposed to be. So as I understood that I've just got to do better than they did, right? Don't, don't stay in one place and exist solely based on substance abuse or solely based on the company you keep, it was, that was as far as I'd ever really planned ahead.
I didn't know anything else outside of that. So it became survival as I went from being a.
I'll rephrase that. It became survival as I understood that I needed to get away from it all.
But once I got away from it, I didn't know what else I was supposed to do. There was no direction. There was no guided solution.
And as I'd figured out that between my social worker at the time and the foster parent that I had, it was very foggy. But it was still the direction of the, hey, if you focus enough and you become a person who's able to stick, stick to something for long enough, it's going to become important.
[00:23:25] Speaker C: Gotcha.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: Gotcha.
[00:23:26] Speaker A: It's very interesting. You had mentioned the concept of guided solution. And at that point you entered into these gentlemen's world at what year?
[00:23:36] Speaker D: 22.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: And so we're going to be talking about the next part of this story of how God brought each of these three gentlemen and bringing forth a guided solution that God's hand was involved in. We will be right back after these messages, Right back with more stories and insights to help you discover your calling and live with purpose. This is On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television.
I'm Paul Peters and you're watching On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the journey towards your best life.
Welcome back to On Purpose with Paul. I'm hoping in the last two segments you are beginning to see, see how what I would call God puts puzzle pieces together because in the future he has a masterpiece or a plan and a purpose. He is designing as he brings people's people together and in their paths. And so I want to talk to you, Tom, because you kind of started this whole thing. And so talk to us about the origin and your a little bit more on the story and how you know from your standpoint how God brought these two great men together.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Yeah. So it was the night of my salvation in 2017 that God placed on my heart that he wanted me to start an organization or business called Guided Solutions.
And you know, I didn't know how to start a business, how to start an organization, so I googled it and WikiHow showed me how to start an LLC to begin with. And so I just kept taking steps of obedience and not knowing quite what I was doing or, or why I was doing. And so after I had gotten at least something started, I was waiting for what God wanted me to do next. And I didn't have a whole lot of call to next steps. I did feel like my background and, you know, being in a boys ranch, being institutionalized, I was around a lot of wards of the state and foster care kids. And so I felt there was something definitive in the aspect of foster care at the time, but I didn't quite know that there was, if there was a need for it. And so I ended up reaching out to an individual to ask her.
I looked her up and she was part of an alumni and an organization that's in my backyard called Christ haven for children.
And she said that I was trying to figure out if I had heartburn or if God was putting something for purpose. And this was obviously six, seven years ago.
And she said, there's definitively a need for what God's placing on your heart. And so then I kept praying, God, what are my next steps? What are my next steps? And I mean to tell you, it was crickets. And I'm an ambitious, driven guy. I'm like, I want it right now. I'm not a crock pot guy. I'm a microwave guy. And so God untrained me from those expectations.
And so six years went by and I was just trying to discover and. And be obedient and what his purpose is. And in 2022, you know, I'd hired Matt and had really changed the surrender of my. My business, the business, the company that I work for, realized, you know, in the automotive sector, our motto is, we work on cars and fix people. And, you know, at first, those people that we were fixing were the customers. But realizing that after salvation, God was sending me employees to fix more, so, or that he could fix, we could fix instead of just customers. And so Matt was one of the people that came in to the business and hired him with a definitive need. And he actually filled a position that there was some traumatic events with somebody else who had passed away. So he came in right at the right time, which is how God has always worked in my life.
But, you know, after some months of working with Matt, he had wandered into my office just kind of blindly, and I was working on a report or an email, and he sits down and starts talking about coming out of the foster care system.
And I was immediately like, I think there's more to this conversation, because we weren't. We had never had any discussion about any of that. And so, you know, I curb the conversation for a little bit. And during an ice storm in February of last year, we were the only three People that showed up to work and we had a whiteboard with dry erase marker and we started just mapping out what we could do to help first off, young adults aging out of foster care get placed in the workforce and create some insulation and stability of life. But as we really started looking at the concept and where I was looking at it from that point when we collectively started brainstorming and talking about it, really the ability and the opportunity to impact so many more people's lives unfolded into the aspect of not just foster care, but human trafficking. Survivors, people that are coming out of drug rehabilitation, soldiers coming out of the military with post traumatic stress or without it, people coming out of light incarceration, women's battered children shelters. I mean, the list goes on and on. A scalability of people who are not only looking for somebody to give them opportunity and to really get sponsored in or vested in with somebody kind of taking that first step in sponsoring somebody. That sponsorship of somebody is so valuable.
But you know, in reality, as we started discovering how we could make that impact, we found that there was a distinct ability to not only help connect people into the workforce and business, but help them understand their identities and who they are. And that became just as important because as you had said and Matt had said, most of the people that are coming out of these specific situations, they've got a label on themselves and they've got something that they call themselves and tell themselves. And we've been able to, through a really great assessment program, help people discover their identity and by uncovering their strengths and weaknesses. And when we do that, it really disempowers, if not disintegrates, those labels and titles that they've been handed in life or they've given to themselves.
[00:30:07] Speaker A: Yeah. I want to ask actually all three of you question because as you're talking and Brian, you kind of came from the church, religion, very family, and you face the disappointment, which, you know, I don't know if you raised your fist to God at that point, but the Tom and Matt, you both suffered some pretty severe things and I know that. And I think a lot of the viewers are asking, especially because we're talking about God and a lot of people think, you know, why would God allow this? And so if you could briefly, because from the pain you guys are able. And I want you to, I want to ask a quick question because I don't know if we got that clarify, where did you come up with the name Guided Solutions?
[00:30:49] Speaker B: Yeah, so God placed that on my heart the night of my salvation. We Had a lot of what, you know, it seemed like in my entire life my conversations with God were one sided and most of them I was angry and I was bitter through a lot of it. And it was, it was not odd. But the, you know, when I surrendered my life to Christ and accepted the Holy Spirit into my life, that's when the revelation of having a two way conversation more so began and started. And so there was a couple things that happened that night and I had, you know, of course I was fasting through a specific ministry at my church that we do three days of fasting and three nights of worship. So I was fasting and had just on a spiritual plane.
Not only had God placed that on my heart, but had he had also revealed to me as I began exploring some of those.
Sorry.
So I started exploring some of those definitive hurts and pains that I previously had shaken my fist at God for and asking him why it had to be so hard and why I had to be alone.
Sorry.
And he revealed to me that I was never alone and I wasn't.
But also just kind of a quiet understanding that there would, there would be an understanding for everything that I've been through for a reason and for a purpose. And a lot of things that have happened in the last seven years have brought that to service and brought that to life. It's been incredible.
[00:32:30] Speaker A: It's interesting you had mentioned, and I'm assuming the same thing with you, Matthew, same thing with me with some of the things that I've shared with viewers is you get disappointed because pain comes into your life and you feel unfair and you develop anger and resentment. And the very solution is, which is hard for people, is the surrender to the ultimate one who can bring the healing to your life. And so I'm going to ask you what, what was the, could you grow up with abuse and neglect and what got you to a point where you felt I needed surrender? Because you're in a much better place. And in the next segment we're going to talk about that. But what was it that kind of got you to a point? Like did you raise your fist to God? Were you angry at all the things that happened to you? Did you feel like you were a victim?
[00:33:20] Speaker D: So some of the early parts of my childhood were more or less a blur a lot. The brain has an interesting way of helping block out a lot of trauma.
And as you, as I was trying to assess what was going on and unpack it, having just been put in the foster care system, it was wave after wave of trying to figure out why it happened, what was happening, why do I feel this way?
Why is this happening now?
And through counseling and therapy and being surrounded by a few people who truly cared in the foster care system, I was.
It allowed me the ability to understand that it wasn't something that I did.
[00:34:26] Speaker A: So.
[00:34:29] Speaker D: For whatever reason, as far as being here and being in a better position now, I've always wanted to do my best. I've always enjoyed being around people who were successful. I enjoy being around people who are in a position that allows them the ability to have that sense of control because that was the one thing I never had. And so now here I am as the department manager, two years into working for a company that I've never had that volume or scale with. It was, it's interesting, but it really, it took me losing everything when I was in California to get out of that and moved, it moved to Texas.
I thought, hey, I have this. I know what I'm doing. God doesn't know anything on me. I'm going to make sure I make my own way because I have got things to do.
And when I lost my job after moving here, I had two suitcases, I had three days, I had a job and in four days I had a car, I had stuff to do, I had places to be. I was on the move and I worked there for about four months, Got laid off. Was really struggling to figure out what was supposed to happen with myself. And that was when I got placed into the automotive industry again. But on the service side.
[00:35:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:57] Speaker D: And trying to figure out how to fix people, because that's really a big part of that.
[00:36:01] Speaker A: Yeah. And he was playing a part in the steps and choices you were making. We'll be right back after these messages. Right back with more stories and insights to help you discover your calling and live with purpose. This is On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television.
I'm Paul Peters and you're watching On Purpose with Paul Peters on NOW Media Television. Let's continue the journey towards your best life.
Welcome back to On Purpose with Paul. We are in the last segment and it's so exciting to hear how each of these men have come together and then what they're going to do and they're going to share that with you. So, Tom, talk a little bit about how Brian came into the story.
[00:36:38] Speaker B: My pastor spoke of this pastoral prayer meeting and so I said, well, I've never been to a prayer meeting, so I'm going to try all this stuff out. And so I show up to this Prayer, pastoral prayer meeting. And lead pastor approached me and said, I don't think we've met before. And so I introduced myself and he said, welcome, I'm glad that you're here. And, you know, it was in the worship set in that prayer meeting that I surrendered my life to Christ. And after that, salvation, while my whole life I'd been praying for mentors and people to guide me and show. Show me the way I got plugged in with through that same pastor. He plugged me into a men's development group for eight months every week. And Brian came to work for the automotive dealership that we were at. And so I went from having, you know, praying for mentors to being surrounded by pastors. I couldn't escape them. And so when Brian came in, he was just coming out of ministry and I was fresh and born again and really just covered in the spirit. And Brian came in and discipled me and mentored me. And as we've progressed in the years that we've known each other, we have a really firm philosophy in iron sharpens iron. And really the armor that we all carry every day in the proverbial battles of that we're in that we need each other to be able to fight those battles. And not only are we not alone, that a lot of circumstances, we can't do it alone. So, yeah, and Brian has been the catalyst, one of the largest catalysts of that in my life.
[00:38:15] Speaker A: So it's interesting, Brian, when we first introduced you, you had had that depth of a vision of not being in ministry. And then you were working with the automotive and so tell us about what ministry you're involved in now.
[00:38:26] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh, just listening to it. As you've heard each one of the stories today, you know, so many of us in our lives, we experience pain, we experience disappointment, we experience moments that are. That are unknown. And, you know, walking away from really was heartbreak of what I, what I, what I had yearned for. And that was to impact people and to. And to do God's will and to find his purpose. And I think it ultimately fell on my shoulders. And you've been speaking on that word, submission, laying aside what is in my heart and my plans and going, God, I trust you. And that is truly taking what's in my hands and giving it to him so that he can give what's in his hands to me. And that's where he did. He literally took that pain of disappointment, that pain of God. I didn't script it this way. And he placed me into A position to where it propelled not only a relationship and friendships and brotherhood of fulfilling God's ultimate plan through guided solutions, which ultimately was Tom's vision of impacting people. And you know, of course he spoke of the day that we sat down and dry race, that vision of a heartbeat, being able to impact not just individuals aging out of foster care, but also the incarcerated, trafficking survivors, those individuals that have gone through domestic violence, that have struggled with situations, but really honestly being able to connect with individuals and for every single one of us, being able to take our moment of pain and feeling hopeless. And guided solutions being that conduit of really ultimately what he's asked us to be, and that is to be submissive and obedient and say, God, here I am, use me. That guided solutions becomes that hand from a candidate to an organization, and that's our heartbeat, is to partner with organizations and looking for organizations that are wanting candidates, that they have the beautiful gems inside them. They are that diamond in the rough that they need that opportunity to be able to change the trajectory of their life.
[00:40:23] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:40:23] Speaker A: And so Guided Solutions, what exactly do you do? Because I know it's related to the automotive industry. Can you kind of talk and either one of you can talk about that, how you use guided solutions to give a sense of hope, career job to individuals that are very limited on what they can do given their, their previous identity in the foster care system.
[00:40:43] Speaker B: So in our business there's an assessment program that we use called Zero Risk and I've been utilizing it for years in pre vetting candidates, even before interviewing them. And it identifies people's strengths and their weaknesses. And then you know, you can take this specific assessment results and plug them into different industries and job titles to see if their strengths closely match what the job requires. And so what I found in the time of utilizing this, this assessment program that I had really high success rates of engaged employees and matching these strengths with the job titles, but also providing an environment that was healthy for people, which is just as important.
And so the, the really the nucleus of what we started doing is utilizing the Zero Risk system. And we've been able and thankfully partnered with Zero Risk and providing assessments to help people with. But you know, the initial thought process was to help individuals get placed into the workforce utilizing this assessment that identifies their strengths and weaknesses and how they would fit into a team. And really what's been revealed to us and unfolded is that this assessment is, is just as important and identifying strengths and weaknesses to help people understand their identity. And you know, you don't know what you don't know until you start being obedient and going into the walk. And, and there's so many things that have been revealed to us and so much more to continue to be revealed. But really the, the assessment has been the biggest catalyst of our impact for change and helping people not only in their, their lives socially, but also in a professional environment, helping them get plugged into the right work workforce and the, the right career paths and right companies.
[00:42:32] Speaker A: It's very interesting when I'm listening to this and each of you recognize that, you know, people often will come to church as the spiritual hospital is often referenced, but a lot of people will not go to church today for different reasons. And I believe that God revealed to both of you that the people that you are working with have issues and no solutions. And so God was using guided solutions to help minister to them, to guide them into the solution which we know is God. That ultimately opened up the door. And I'm not sure if it was Matt that brought it to the next level of foster care system and domestic violence, but I think when our eyes are more open to see what God sees and we have surrendered hearts to get involved. So we'll talk about the remaining minutes that we have. What would you like the audience to be able to know and to do? Because there are needs all around us and we get so caught up in our lives, whatever that entails, that we, we miss the needs around us that we can be a blessing to someone. Because obviously God got all of your attention. He brought each of you together for a greater purpose which I think is just going to explode.
So talk about that what you guys foresee in the next few years and how the audience as they're listening can help.
[00:43:49] Speaker B: Yeah, so I, I think that one of the, the biggest principles that, that we've all learned in our place of business is that when God sends you people, there's a reason for it and you know, the ability to impact people's lives in finding out the, the, the what's the whys and the hows that typically happens through relationship building and conversation and getting past, you know, a lot of times just the surface level conversations that transpire and your day to day business. And it's not that, you know, we spend all of our days just talking to people about what's going on in their lives because we have to be productive in the workforce.
But there's always opportunities to get past really the business level and get into the also focus on needs that are important and you know, I think the statistics. Statistics state that, like, 60% of people in the workforce are going through a major event in their life. And when you think of that, in a scale of having 10 employees, that's six people. And an aspect for our environment that's, you know, we have 100 people, that's 60 people going through really, really tough times. But and. And typically, we don't talk about when we're going through a walk, you know, what those challenges are.
But, you know, the aspect of being heard, the aspect of being listened to and an aspect of caring, you know, I think all those fundamentals, when it comes into the workforce, God really reveals what. What to focus on, why. And a lot of times the conversations are. Are guided by the Holy Spirit. You know, when two or more are gathered, he'll be there.
You know, a lot of times, those conversations that come into play, much like in learning about Matt's past and history, those. Those circumstances happen, and people are placed in the right places with the right people for the right reasons, and that's where a lot of that unfolds. Yeah.
[00:45:45] Speaker A: What's interesting with all of you, and I want to give you a chance to have a closing comment to any of the kids that may have the opportunity to see the show and how you were able to be transformed through the concept. Got a solution? The solution being God, relationship with God and giving them a sense of hope that that's not their identity. Their identity is who God says they are. And so what would you say to some of the kids that are like, wanting to know, what do I do? What's the solution?
[00:46:14] Speaker D: Well, really, what ended up making sense for me was that no matter how hard I fought to try and put a plan in place and make sure things were happening and I wanted to be the spearhead and say, I'm doing these things. I'm making a path for myself. I'm setting myself up for success.
God knows every head hair on your head and knows where you're supposed to be and when you're supposed to be there.
It takes a moment of humiliation and loss to understand that when you let God have control and you stop trying to force your will in his ways, everything lines up.
[00:46:59] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:47:00] Speaker D: And had I not had a moment five, six years ago, seven years ago of complete loss for the second time, I would not have been here.
I wouldn't have been interviewing with the dealership. I would not have been talking to these guys and sitting here now because I had had to surrender at all.
[00:47:24] Speaker A: Right, Exactly.
So how do people reach you if they wanted to get in touch with you in regards to being involved and helping.
[00:47:31] Speaker B: So we have a website it's www.guidedsolutions.net that's the primary resource. We have a contact us link.
So you know if people feel like they're a good business for candidates and they'd like to connect with us to begin help, you know, really to build a program with the candidates in their places of business, they can just reach out to us through our website and the same with candidates also if there's any candidates out there or somebody knows of a candidate and we can there there's a link on our website for candidates as well that may be looking for next steps or help or you know just anything as a resource to help them in their path.
[00:48:16] Speaker A: Denim truly an honor and I know things are going to go great for you. Thank you for coming. Appreciate it.
[00:48:21] Speaker B: Thank you so much.
[00:48:22] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:48:22] Speaker B: Thank you.
