Today's episode contains explict information about drugs, alcohol and speaks about sex and other difficult topics in regards to testimony. This episode is not well suited for children.
Seriously, get your tissues ready! In today's episode we hear and remember how dark the places we can go before Christ restores our souls. This powerful testimony is for anyone who is feeling complacent about the saving power of God! We forget the same power that raised Christ from the dead saves souls from the fiery pits of hell on this earth and for eternity.
If you feel hopeless over a loved one in the bondage of sin, find hope today in Pastor John's story!
Transcript:
John Padula podcast Interview
Interviewer: Nickole Perry
Recipient: John Padula
Introduction:
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Church royalty confessions of church leadership is here to bring the
reality about church leadership to the masses so you can feel better
about your relationship with Christianity and the American church
today.
Oh, right, this is Nickole Perry with the church royalty podcast, and
today we are with John Padula, the outreach pastor at the altar church in
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In our family, we call him the beloved pants
pastor, because when we first met him, we were literally buying
children's jeans from his wife off of Facebook marketplace one night.
They are they were about to start their weekly Bible study. And they
invited us in, and we have loved their family ever since. So how are you
doing today? John?
I'm fantastic. How are you? I'm good.
I'm really excited to be here today. I'm so sorry that we couldn't do this
in person and that this is something you're tired of doing virtually can't
wait until life gets back to normal.
Yes, amen.
Well tell our listeners a little bit about your testimony. I know you have
a very powerful testimony in Christ. And I don't even know, you know,
the high points. So why don't you share with us a little bit about where
the Lord has brought you.
I was raised up here in North Idaho, had a great very successful family.
But none of them have known the gospel, none of them knew Jesus. And
at about 12 years old, I was very violent as a kid, even in kindergarten, I
was getting in fights. I just had this I don't know what it was this thing
in me that I just always was very angry, very, very violent and full of
rage.
And I got kicked out of my first school in fifth grade. My parents got a
divorce right around that same time. And it forced my mom and I had
to move to a different County. My dad kind of went off the deep end
started drinking really heavy because my mom left him while he was at
work. And he was just like me, he was full of violence full of rage. And
we ended up in protective custody because my dad was going to
murder my mom.
And so, we kind of had to be in police protection for a while through
Thanksgiving. I felt like I needed to protect my mom and you know,
shoot him before he killed her. And just a crazy childhood of that type of
stuff. Went to my second school, was there for about a year got kicked
out.
And then in seventh grade, we moved to another school still here in
North Idaho. I started using speed pills and was drinking smoking
marijuana, all that type of stuff, sexually, you know, just very active
young, and got kicked out of school and, and by that time, my dad and I
started talking even though he's still really hated my mom and was still
really hurt and angry. And he was moving to Las Vegas. And so, I
decided to go with my dad Las Vegas, and I had already started using
speed and a little bit of meth up here.
And I was 13 moved to Las Vegas, went to school for three days got a
gun pulled on me and me just kind of threw away the whole school
thing. I got into gangs started selling speed and crystal glass ice, all that
type of stuff they had down there. I ended up on meth for 17 years from
age 13 to 30. I'd use methamphetamines and pretty much everything
else. But that was kind of my main, the main thing that I used, got into
dealing heavy. Some of my friends were cooking meth and I started
cooking meth with some of them was always getting arrested, always in
trouble, had no care for women. To me all they were was just a, you
know, there for pleasure.
By the time I came to Christ, I had no moral compass, I had no moral
values. Just wicked at heart. And I ended up getting arrested in 1996 for
dealing methamphetamines went to a prison, basically prison rehab and
didn't succeed. So, the judge sent me to prison, and I had five years
fixed with a 15-year tail. So, I had a total of a 20-year sentence. And he
said, I'll let you get on probation. But you cannot come back to Kootenai
county for five years. So, you need to find somewhere else to live.
Well, my dad because of that my dad moved to Moscow, Idaho, I was
able to go down and live with him. And I didn't even make it a year
before I was back on drugs, selling drugs using abusing women. Just
same lifestyle. You know, my heart had never changed even though I
was incarcerated for a little bit.
After about a year that they violated me five year minimum with a 15-
year talent on top of this or could have done 20 and I ended up about a
year and a half into it. Go into a community work centre. And it was a
non-secure facility and the girl that I was with at the time was at least I
had heard she was sleeping around and so I kind of freaked out and I
still had that violent nature, and I took off and, in my mind, I was gonna
come up to Coeur d'Alene and just kind of murder whoever she was
with. I was just I literally went crazy. Coeur d'Alene,
I made it to Moscow, Idaho, got a hotel room, stay there for a couple
days. And then I talked to my family decided to turn myself in and try
to fix the mess that I'd created. Well, I turned myself in after three days,
and they sent me back to the prison. They added a new felony, they
charged with felony escape, and I ended up in prison for six years. I got
out in 2006, well, the end of 2005, I got out. And I went right back to that
lifestyle. I was bouncing it a couple of bars up here. Started using meth
and coke pretty much instantly when I got out.
Three years after I got out, I was in a relationship. And I never really
cared about girls before. I mean, there was a couple that, you know, I
kind of hung out with but for the most part, they were just, just a tool.
And for some reason, this girl that I was with, I really, I was almost
obsessed with her and we were only together for a couple months and
she ended up getting arrested her probation officer was telling her she
couldn't hang out with me or have anything to do with me. She ended
up getting violated and ending up in this rehab. Had never heard of
this. This pastor Tim's program is good Samaritan I had no clue what it
was.
But some of my friends were telling me that okay, if you want to see
your girlfriend, you can go to this church and there and she's there on,
on Sundays. And so, I started popping into this church and I was 137
pounds. Just in really bad shape. I sat in the back one time I came in here
sat in the back with my hoodie up and just kind of stayed to myself.
And I had no clue I haven't even to this day.
I have no recollection of ever seen the guy preaching on the stage or any
of that type of stuff. I was just, you know, just laser focused on wanting
to see my girlfriend, wonderful woman of God, Katherine Taylor, was
sitting in front of me and she turned around and asked if she could pray
with me, she said that the Lord spoke to her and told her to turn around
and pray for me. And so, me and my mom were there. And I let her
pray for me. And it didn't really impact my life at that time. But later,
you know, looking back, it was a huge influence of how God was trying
to get my attention.
Well, my girlfriend ended up graduating rehab. And even though I
called her my girlfriend, I was still out women and does not in good
shape, dealing drugs doing all the same stuff. Well, she got out of the
rehab and started calling me from a restricted number and was like,
Hey, I'm not gonna have anything to do with you unless you go to this
rehab. Pastor Tim started a men's facility in November, and I think this
was in like August of 2008. And so, I was like, Okay, I'll go to this rehab,
and she didn't tell me anything about it being about Jesus, like, I never
heard the gospel, never knew the gospel.
I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I just was gonna go fake
my way through this rehab. So, the time is getting closer, they're getting
this men's facility ready to get up and get going. And I believe it was
November. They got it up and going November 2008. They started the
men's facility. And I met with Pastor Tim and I walked in the church,
and I introduced myself and I said, Hey, my name is John. And he looks
at me and he says Johan Padula. And I said, Yeah. And he looked at me
said, God has a plan for your life. And it kind of freaked me out. So, I
just kind of backed up and walked off. You know, I had no clue what he
was talking about.
Well, I ended up meeting with him after that. And we sat down, and he
just started asking me questions. And he's like, Well, why do you want
the rehab? And I was like, well, because Danielle told me how to do the
rehab, you know, and he's like, Well, do you really want this life
change? And you know, at that point, I was still just in manipulation
mode. I was lying and yes, of course, we had one life change. So, they
get the men's facility up and going, I think there was two guys in it at
the time. So, I wouldn't check myself in and I was still using, like, it
wasn't like I stopped using and was trying to do better.
Well, I went there for I think one day, and it was so uncomfortable,
because I was just so full of sin and darkness and my motives were
wrong and impure. And just the presence of God at the ranch. I mean,
it's people up there dead serious about the relationship with the Lord
and there's just this love. It is so, so inviting. But when you don't want
that, it's, it's like the opposite. It's almost repelling. It's like man, I didn't
want nothing to do with this. I left after one day, well, then the girl tell
me to turn myself back in up there and going into the rehab again.
So, I went a week later, I think for two or three days, and I just couldn't
do it. So, I left again. Once again, here I am faced with this decision. Do I
want them, you know the relationship? Am I going to you know, try to
do whatever I can to keep the girl and so I did I let her talk me into
going back up there and this time?
This time when it was just a little different. Hey, I'm gonna actually give
this place a chance. I think it was about three or four days into it. We
were doing outside chores and the guy that was running the place at the
time he was the facilitators name's Chris Anderson. He came up to me
while I was raking the gravel. You know, trying to make the driveway
decent. And he just asked me, he just asked me about my relationship
with Jesus. And if I had ever known God, and He says, do you mind if I
pray for you? And now I had never even envisioned this whole God
thing.
Which when you're 70, think about a bunch of old people who go in
there with super boring, they don't have anything else to do. So, they go
meet on Sundays, and they worship that's dead and gone and know that
there's just nothing to it. I had no idea that God was alive and well, and
I was about to have an encounter that was going to change my life. So, I
said, Yeah, sure, you can pray for me. And he put his hand on my
shoulder. And as soon as you touch me, I wanted to punch him right in
his mouth.
Like just the scene inside of me the darkness that I was still holding on
to and you know, he was born again, he loved the board, a great man of
God. And he started praying. And as he started praying, Lord touched
my life. I started weeping for my sin, I didn't even know what sin was.
It wasn't like he said, Hey, here's the gospel. I'm gonna, you know, he
didn't explain any of that. He just shared Jesus with me and just wanted
to pray for me. And the LORD came into my life, revealed my sin to me.
And I was so broken over man, I didn't cry. Like I was, uh, I was like,
the total opposite of anybody who would ever cry or show my
emotions. And I just started weeping.
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And by the time he was done praying for me, I was grinning from ear to
ear, I opened my eyes, and we were in the driveway, and I looked up
and I see the sky was blue. And the trees were green. That 30 years old, I
had never known that. I'd never seen that. I never experienced that
because my eyes were just so blinded by my sin. And God radically
changed my life.
In not progressively in the blink of an eye. I was a different person. The
rage, the violence, the anger, the foul mouth, the pornography, I was
bound by pornography for 21 years, you know, not to be graphic, but I
would, you know, be sexual with women, sometimes multiple women
at once. And when I would leave, I would still be driving in my car,
looking at DVD players with pornography, playing in my car plugged
into my cigarette lighter.
Wow!
I mean, just bound by sexual perversion. And for 21 years.
I wasn't like the gentleman said, Hey, you know, this is what's gonna
happen, you're gonna be free of these sins. And, you know, you'd like
your hearts gonna be different, like, I had no clue. So, when God came
into my life, and the Holy Spirit touched me, and changed me, like, I
had no idea that's what was gonna happen. And I was free from the
porn with drugs, the whole all the whole nine yards.
2nd Corinthians 517, it says, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature, Old things are passed away, behold, all things have
become new. And at that point in my life, December 5, that's what
happened to me. I became a new creation in Christ Jesus, he took all of
my sin, and he made me brand new. Now, I, my whole life has been
very impulsive and emotionally driven.
Okay?
So, the program at that time, the inpatient was 90 days long, and you do
Bible studies, and discipleship and teaching and worship and prayer,
like all of this stuff, but I got saved, and I could not sit still, like I was so
full of. I had to go do something with it. And so, I've failed with you
know, relapse, and like I went 100 miles an hour, I was going into the
people's houses that I was dealing drugs with, but I was cooking meth
with the bars, the tattoo shops everywhere, I knew that there was people
that I knew that were lost, I was going and ministering to them. I would
grab them and bring them to the church and tell pastor Tim was like,
Hey, you got to meet with this guy. You got a minister; this guy needs
Jesus. My friends were coming to Christ. I was taking their drugs and
throwing them away in the dumpster behind the church to the point
where pastor told me, you cannot throw drugs away in a dumpster
anymore.
Oh my gosh.
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It was it was an amazing. Yeah. But I had no idea. You know, I didn't
know anything about sanctification or being above reproach. So, I was
just, I was doing things ignorantly. And so, the girl, you know, we were
kind of back and forth.
And I would always take somebody with me for accountability because
I thought that's what that meant. I had no idea. I just shouldn't have
been their period. But so, one day, she tells me, she says, you know
what, I'm done with it. You're not above reproach.
Okay?
And I told me that night, I had no clue what that meant, right? That's
putting myself in, you know, situations that I shouldn't have been in.
Sure?
But in my eyes, I would just go in to get the senators. I just want to get
all my friends and lead them to Jesus.
Right.
And so, she said, I'm done with you. And that was the first time in 30
years that I've ever had. I felt my emotion because I've been on drugs for
so long that I never really felt real emotions.
Oh?
And so, I ran straight to my friend's house, my Well, he was an old
friend, and I got high again, and I couldn't stop for three months. I kept
coming to the church, and you know, I wasn't deceitful about it. Like I
told everybody Man, I'm not doing good. But I kept coming in trying
and I couldn't find repentance again. Then about three months later, I
pulled up to the church and Pastor saw all drugs, a bunch of cash and a
pistol sitting on my seat. And I had no intention of him seeing any that I
was just going to drive through Park, go see him, but he happened to be
walking out. And he put his head in my car in my passenger window.
And he looked down and seeing all that was the first time I'd seen him
cry, and he was just streaming tears. And he said, I hand you over to
Satan in the name of Jesus. He said, whatever you're doing, go get done
quick. And I pray that the god somehow redeems you from all of it. And
I got so offended, so mad, I just burned out of there, took off and the
next day, I put my head on the steering wheel after I brought pastor and
another gentleman al Gregory, I brought them a coffee and I went
outside, and I wanted repentance. I just couldn't get there. And so, I put
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my head on the steering wheel of my car, and I said, Lord, you have to
stop me.
And I drove to the house I was selling drugs out of again. When I left,
there's a canine unit. And it followed me pulled me over said that I
hadn't had a warrant for a year. And he arrested me. And it was a
detective with a point. It was officer Craig Buell, who now I have so
much respect for he arrested me, and I had to go to 16 days in jail. And it
was for some old warrant that I really never had. I was on
misdemeanour probation through all of this. So, I really had no warrant.
But when my heart really cried out to the Lord, I feel like he's
superimposed himself on me and created this warrant that was never
there. And put me in jail for 16 days. And I was able to just start reading
the scriptures and reading the Bible and repenting and, and I got out
after 16 days, and that was 12 years ago, and no alcohol, no drugs, no
pornography and never went back. And God has just absolutely,
continually redeemed my life from all of my sin.
That is a radical testimony. I will tell I will tell you, and this is one of my
favourite things about being a Christian. I didn't come to my faith until I
was an adult also. And one of my favourite things about being a
Christian is that Padula, I would not have known any of those things
like there's so much shiny Jesus in you that it's hard for me to believe
that that's who you are, because you are different now, like you are such
a different man, the man that I met, and I am just floored at what God
can do in a person's life. Like it's amazing.
I also I couldn't have kids. You know, I've been with almost 1000 women
not safe. When I was in prison for six years, I had some pain in my ah!
Region.?
Yes. So, it was hurting so bad. I asked him to take me finally they took
me to the hospital and the guy did an ultrasound. And he, you know,
told me what was wrong. And he said, and by the way, you have a zero
sperm count. I hope you didn't ever plan on having kids because you're
never gonna have kids.
Wow?
And I love kids even in my son, I love my niece and nephew. And so, I
just kind of accepted it. And then I got saved. And now I have a nineyear-old, an eight-year-old, a five-year-old and a four-year-old. And so,
God didn't just heal me spiritually. He absolutely redeemed me
physically. He gave me four beautiful babies, a beautiful wife. And he's
been so merciful in it.
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Oh my gosh, Padula? he really has been so merciful and generous. And
wow.
Yeah
That's amazing. You know, um, I don't often share this, and I never plan
on sharing it in a podcast. But I grew up in a feminist family and didn't
believe that, you know, babies were babies in the womb, and in college,
I had an abortion. And the statistics for women having abortions and
then being able to have kids or having a lot of problems in that area are
high. And so, the fact that I have eight children, after, you know, having
murdered my own baby, unbeknownst to me, at that time, like is not
lost on me. And it's a great amount of grace that you feel when the Lord
redeems those things, you know, so, wow, I'm like so over
overwhelmed.
Oh, my gosh, well, and your wife is amazing, and your kids are
adorable. And we've actually benefited from the physical blessings in
your life in taking hand me downs from you and whatnot also, so Oh
my gosh, do you have um it's hard. You know, my, my next questions, I
don't even like them now after, after hearing your testimony.
Do you have like the part about you know where you are going back
into these places you had been giving your testimony and bringing
people to Christ. And just having that passion for people to know the
Lord and then being told that you weren't that you were being hunted
weren't being? What was the above approach?
Yeah!
Do you feel like that is an overused term in the sense of like, I mean, if
people are getting saved and coming to repentance, does it matter where
you are? Or where you are stumbling, and that's why it was being used
like that, that part strikes me so much, because it's one of those like,
Christianise, like terms above reproach that. They just wonder like, how
do you feel about that now? like, 12 years later, people being saved? Do
you feel like you really, were doing something wrong? Or do you feel
like you were walking in, like the Holy Spirit and excitement like
bringing people to the Lord?
Um! well, if I had to do it all over, would have ministered to the same
people, I just wouldn't have put myself in the positions that I did. Just
one of the circumstances, I went to a strip club, and I took the church
secretary at the time, you know, I said, Hey, I'm going out to this bar
and went to the strip club. And I went up to the tip rail, where the girl
was dancing, and stood up and shared the gospel with her. told her, you
know, that God loved her and that, you know, she needed Jesus Christ
as Lord and Saviour, and he could give her hope. And obviously, I
wouldn't do that again, as knowing what I know now.
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Did she come to know the Lord?
No, but the bartender who was a lesbian at the time, came to church
with me the next day, let me pray over and gentlemen, that was inside
the bar that I prayed over that night, he came to church the next day,
and God has definitely been working on them over-over the years. So
that there was a lot of cool things that happened, but I definitely would
have done things a little different.
Sure?
No one for the example. want somebody else to go into those
circumstances because I've seen it hundreds of times down the last 12
years, people great intentions went to the bar to see their friends to try
to minister to them, and they ended up drunk by the end of the night.
So, you know, being a good example of being above reproach, but not to
a religious extreme.
That's really good way to put it. I like how you worded that, you know,
we I always joke that I'm a recovering Pharisee. And, and we have to
really work to make sure that we're not raising little Pharisees in a very
Christian home, you know? And so, I like how you put that, you know,
we want to be careful to be above reproach, while not letting religion
become what is the ultimate factor? So, I guess so what I'm curious,
we're Calvary, we come from Calvary Chapel a lot of our, you know,
pastors have these.
These what I always call gnarly testimonies, you know, of great sin that
the Lord has shined light on in their life that they don't have any more.
Do you feel like this gives you an upper hand or, like a bad deal when it
comes to your faith? Now, I hear it both ways. You know, I see
grownups my age, you know, women in their late 30s, early 40s, who
have walked with the Lord faithfully. From their youth raised in a
Christian home, I call them I call them second generation, Christians.
And, and I'm in such admiration of them, you know, and then like, I
gives me great hope for my own kids being raised in a Christian home.
But they always say things like, Well, you know, but you understand
like grace more, you understand? forgiveness more. And they always
seem to have like this, this higher esteem for those who have great sin
forgiven. And it always bothers me, because I feel like I would have
preferred to walk faithfully in the Lord all those years, because we know
I think you and I probably would say, even though he's been gracious to
make beautiful things from our darkness, all those days were wasted.
For him, you know. And so, I'm curious as a pastor, how this comes
about I, when I sent you my questions,
I told you that I was greatly irritated when I saw another man talking to
you about me and just kind of jabbing you about having, you know,
drug addiction in your past. And you cleared it up for me and told me
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that he was just totally joking. And I just didn't know his personality
that well, but it rubbed me the wrong way. And I wondered if you get
that. And if you get that in certain church circles or if you are more kind
of deemed a higher echelon because you have this greater sense of grace
and forgiveness.
Well, it kind of goes both ways. We have a lot of local pastors that will
call us when they're dealing with family members, friends, church
members who are struggling with alcohol or drugs, or even suicide.
Jews in the community, lean on us because That's kind of, that's our
specific ministry. I mean, that's where we've came out of that's where
God has gifted us and being able to speak into those lives. But there are
some want to be very careful.
They lean more towards the religious side of things instead of the
relational side of things. You can tell sometimes they look down their
nose at you because you have a background like that and you weren't
raised like they were in a good Godly, you know, wholesome home. But
you got to witness a beautiful thing that we have here in Kootenai
County, we have the ministerial Association. And it's for senior pastors
only, which I'm not a senior pastor. But when our pastor got shot, they
asked me to come in.
And that was five years ago, and I've been able to stay ever since and
build great relationships with those men. And all of them in their have
pass. Have some type of sinful thing. Anyway? He's the ministerial
association president. He was a gangbanger in California. I mean, he
was pretty hardcore the other way and God rescued him out of that.
That is a Calvary guy huh?
Yeah. Yeah, so all of those men in there, we all have great relationships.
But in the community? Um, Yeah, it happens sometimes.
That's interesting. And what about as far as just general congregants?
No, no.
Yeah. Interesting. So, then I there was one other part. I mean, there was
tons in your story that I could just keep going on and on about, but the
part where you said, you know, you're at the rehab facility, and the man
put his hand on your shoulder, and you just wanted to punch him. I
could almost feel like a permeable like spiritual warfare in that moment.
What's your stand on spiritual warfare? And how do you feel like, or I
guess I should say, do you feel that Satan was just after your life? How
do you? How do you play spiritual warfare into this, especially in the
ministry that you guys are doing now?
We totally believe in spiritual warfare. We see it every single day. Yes,
that was a perfect example of darkness and light and full of darkness
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and sin. And it was a man who was full of the Holy Spirit just touched
me. I mean, it was like instant reaction to be violent. And I'm very
thankful that the Lord gave me the strength because in my flesh in the
past, I can never restrain myself like that. So that was definitely the Lord
protecting me because he knew what was about to happen. We deal
with spiritual warfare, demon possessions, oppression, affliction all the
time, especially dealing with people who are suicidal drug addiction.
Yeah, that's Yeah,
That's the people that we deal with come from. So yes, we know that.
What you do and what you're even, you know, expressing right now
must be spiritually exhausting. You know, Satan's fighting to keep these
souls from salvage salvation, and a flesh that's so deeply rooted in sin
like, how do you personally manage this sort of spiritual exhaustion?
Um? for me, I'm kind of an all-in guy. So, anything I do, I put 100% in.
So, to me it doesn't really bother me. I get physically exhausted more
than spiritually exhausted. Yesterday, I don't ever wake up in the
middle of the night. And yesterday, the Lord woke me up at 2am I
couldn't go back to sleep. So, I started praying for some people. One of
my dear, dear friends owns gross doughnuts here in Cortland. His name
is Dennis Gross. And I started praying for him.
And the Lord said, Go give him a hug. And it was like by that time, I
think it was 2.30 in the morning. Like what? Go give him a hug. So, I just
kind of dismissed it. And I kept praying. And the Lord said, Go give
him a hug right now. Well, he owns a donut shop. And so, I was like,
Okay, well, maybe he's baking overnight tonight. So, I got dressed.
When got my truck, drove to his donut shop and Post Falls because he
has one in Cortland. Wonderful falls. And he just happened to be there.
And I seen the lights were on and his car was in the back. And so, I went
to the back door and opened the door. He's like, what are you doing
here? He thought maybe something was wrong. So, it was like 2.30 -2.45
in the morning. By that time, the Lord said, Give me a hug. So, we're
thankful. He said, his neck was hurting really bad. And he can really use
prayer. He loves the Lord. He's a great man of God. And so, we just got
to fellowship for like a half hour 45 minutes and just pray and talk and it
was a great time. So, I'm still catching up from that I get physically
exhausted because that type of stuff. Physically, I have a hard time with
it spiritually.
The Lord definitely protects me and my family. We have four kids. I
have nine guys that live in my house with us right now. We usually only
have six at a time that we kind of mentor and disciple. It gets taxing, but
it's mostly for me. It's mostly physical.
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Oh, Wow, that's amazing. You know, it's funny the Gross doughnuts we
drove by on the way to the ministerial Association meeting, and we like
died. We almost stopped just to bring you guys donut so that we could
show up and be like, we bought Gross doughnuts. Like, we just thought
it was genius marketing. It never occurred to me that it was his last
name. Yeah, I think I think good doughnuts? They're the most amazing
ever. I cannot wait to get back there and try that if you are listening to
this podcast and you are in the north Idaho area, please get over to
Gross doughnuts immediately. Let us know how maybe they are.
Oh my gosh. That's so funny. I can't believe you guys are friends. Amos
is going to be excited to hear that because we had I mean, a good 15
minutes hilariousness over the Gross donut slice. So, there's also I feel
like where there are ministries where there's a great amount of spiritual
warfare, there is a great amount of fruit, something some that people
never get to experience.
As Christians in America today, just living very safe and quite lives.
What kind of fruit Do you think you see in your ministry that you wish
all Christians could see?
Well, I could tell you a story after story. I mean, even just with the guys
at my house, just sharing, you know, their personal testimonies. I get to
see people come in at their worst, hopeless, addicted, some of them on
the verge of physical death because they malnourished, I mean, they're
just in bad shape. And then seeing them come to Christ. I mean, we've,
boy we see it.
That's amazing.
Yeah.
Now how many other men do you know that have come through the
program that have become pastors? Are you the unicorn?
Um, well, there's been. So, I was one of the first men through the rehab.
And then a couple years after me, or actually year and a half after me, a
gentleman named Jeff Koch came. He came to Christ. started he was the
co-founder of set apart discipleship, which is the ministry I started in
2013. He was a co-founder of that, and then the Lord called him to go
and pastor somewhere else. He's pastoring, another church here locally.
And then another gentleman came in about eight years ago, Steve
Hemming, and he became one of our pastors, our associate pastors also
in just about six months ago, in September, a good friend of ours, Pastor
Dave Roberts was retiring from his church.
So, we have quite a few of them that have kind of grown up here and
branched out and started pastoring in other places. I had a guy live with
me, Logan Andalusian and he came to Christ. He's an amazing man,
lived with my wife and I, for two and a half years, instead of just a
normal six months at some of them do. And he said, The Lord told him
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to stay with us till he got married, and he did outside of the last two or
three weeks.
And now he's the youth pastor at Heart of the City Church here in
Portland. And so, we've seen so many beautiful testimonies now he's
married has a beautiful brand-new baby stepping into ministry.
That's amazing. I would say that is a great
27 of our staff, a good Samaritan, are graduates.
Really?
Yeah.?
Wow. What a fruitful ministry.
We love it. It's taxing, but we love it.
Well, I have to ask, I mean, I have a 13-year-old for like a pretty innocent
kid, you know, we home school and we've had the blessing of just
getting to be close with him. And even though my husband and I were
both raised by single moms, you know, just the fact that he has two
parents there. We've just seen such a such a different, like lifestyle for
him. I was like almost weeping through half of your testimony, just
because you started so young. And we have some law enforcement in
our family. So, they've heard a lot of things on the other side of this, but
what do you say to teenager youth that think they can dabble in these
things, and it's not going to affect them?
Well, the hard part about that with young men and women, you know,
young teenagers is even though you can tell them till you blue in the
face, all of the things that may happen to them, they're really not
consequence oriented yet, you know, they really haven't developed to
the point where most of them know there are some that may be the
exception to the rule. But most of them don't learn from other people's
stories, so they won't you know, you don't tell them hey, you know, this
is what could happen this guy, you know, or myself, Roomful. And so,
for us.
We try to just give them the gospel and get them going that direction
and let them have the power of Christ in their life because most of them
think they're the exception. You know, if they're already considering
using or drinking that or they at an age, they think that it won't happen
to them. They've already, most of them have already decided that the I
know that guy went to prison, this guy died, this guy committed
suicide. I know. But that won't be me.
That's really interesting. I actually I take a pretty firm stance that people
run one way or another that way, where they kind of feel like they have
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to experience something personally to know if it's true. And
unfortunately, that is my personality, too. But these, the secondgeneration Christians that have these great testimonies had the wisdom
that they say in the Bible of, you know, seeing somebody else fall and
not going down that same path.
So that's a really, that's a really great point, you know, to focus on giving
them something to do I always, as a Christian, in the American church
today, I've always struggled with raising our kids in a building where
they're just telling them all the things they shouldn't be doing. And I felt
like as the Lord grew me quickly, in my faith as an adult, there was so
much he told us to do, you know, and like, if you're busy about the
Father's business, and you are doing what he told you to do, you're not
attracted to sin and other things, because you're busy, and it's fulfilling
to be serving the Lord, and fulfilling your purpose and life.
So, I like that you said that. I mean, you know, it's true. Jesus needs to
get a hold of them, and they need to be directed to a life of purpose.
Yep, absolutely.
So, I keep throwing around the term the American church, because I feel
like there's a lot of things about the American church that are unique to
the world, and especially in churches, but in North Idaho, it seems to be
a little bit of a different picture, you guys have a really great grasp on
things from what we've seen. But what do you think the biggest
challenge as a pastor in the American church today is, and I would
imagine that yours might have something to do, you know, with drug
consumption in our country?
And the discouraging part for us in the American culture of the church
is that we get so much so many who come into the program, who've
been bound by sin, their whole life drug addict, since they were youth,
you know, everything contrary to Scripture, but because they said a
prayer when they were, you know, 15, there are saved and you can't
really tell them any different you can't get them to examine the fruit of
their life, because they've been told by all their church leaders that since
they repeated after them that they're saved. And so, we see so many
people who are just bound by sin. There's no fruit of their life. There's
never been a conversion, but because the American church culture is so
in my opinion, watered down with this cheap grace, that there's so
many false converts out there. It's, it's terrifying.
I agree. Oh, my gosh, that is I'm going to quote you on that. And there's
going to be graphics all over the place to Padula, that was well said. We
are actually in Pennsylvania right now. And we're in the middle of
Amish country. They're literally like horse, horses, and buggies, like
going by us on the roads. And I'm not incredibly familiar with the
culture, but somebody was telling me that the farm we're visiting, she
was saying, Amish are a lot like Christians, like there are some that do,
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you know, sinful things and call themselves Amish, whether they smoke
or use bad language or, you know, secretly use phones when they're not
supposed to, or whatever.
And then you have the faithful ones. And I thought, Man, it's, it's like
Jewish Christians. It's like Jewish people today to you know, you have
Jewish of faith and Jewish of religion, I mean, culture versus religion.
And, and it's true, it's very difficult today, to differentiate between,
when someone says they're a Christian, you almost just, you got to wait
it out and see if what they're saying is true, or if they have any fruit. It's
really interesting.
And I hate to, I only noticed it as a parent, because your kids will say,
Oh, so and so's said, they're a Christian. But were they just drunk it like
every barbecue last year, or whatever it is, you know? And you're like,
Oh, this is like, so awkward and painful. And how do you? How do you
broach that subject? So, as you're raising your kids, and you see this
problem in church culture of sort of that cheap grace and maybe people
saying they're Christians, and they're not how do you address that with
your own kids?
My kids, they seem to have a pretty good amount of discernment, my
two oldest, they will even see things and they said, you know, this
person said that they're this but the way they talk when nobody's
around, it doesn't seem there, eight and nine and so for them to be able
to see that it's definitely the work of God. We try to really raise our kids
to love everybody, and to not judge in a manner to condemn who is
really doing the right thing and who isn't? Or what is somebody doing
in secret? Because that's really who they are and to? you know, the
character shown on that.
That's true. I am, I always joke. I mean I joke but it's true. You know, do
we believe what we say we believe in theory, or in real life like do we
believe that A soft answer turns away wrath and a harsh word stirs up
anger because if we really believe it. We're not going to say that yelling
at our kids is what's going to turn them around right, it'll piss off the
answer and so I, my kids,
I really still struggle with, with raising my voice and yelling and we're
all working on gentleness and harsh tones even just this week. But the
thing that always cracks me up is I always tell the kids look guys, this is
who we are who we are right now in our house, the worst of us like this
is who we are like this, it's not who you are when you see Pastor Dan it's
not who you are, you know when you're sitting perfectly at church like
this is the sin that has to be routed out, it's really upset that your brother
put his foot on your bed or whatever, you know, and like we're like are
we.
I know you're probably better human than I am now but I'm like my
worst person to my poor husband and my kids. Not always, but they
have definitely seen the worst.
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Yeah.
Well, tell me a little bit about your wife and she just like I didn't catch it
that the same, the same woman from the story in the rehab?
It's not!
It's not so that woman just had a great impact in bringing you to the
Lord and you found your wife later.
Yep, the Lord blessed me with Amanda. She actually was an opiate
addict because she went through the ranch, and I fell in love with her,
and I went and told Pastor. He's like she's in the rehab leave her alone,
and I was like why, I know I was trying to tell you how I feel and then
she kind of had the same experience during her journey she just felt we
didn't even know each other and she at one point told Pastor when we
were baptizing people in the lake. And she says, I just have this feeling I
fell in I love with this guy. So she's amazing, amazing, amazing.
Well, I had a feeling she was amazing because she let the nine other men
sleep in your house and go through the discipleship program and I'm
betting she cooks a lot of food and probably does a lot of laundry.
Yes, she does. And she has a full-time job she's a third-grade teacher at
Cornerstone Christian Academy Post falls, which turns not a job it's a
ministry but it's still, I mean it's a lot, and then she comes home, and she
cooks, she cleans, and she's serves faithfully she's one of the busiest
women that I know in her heart is just, I love her. she's got, he knows
what he's doing.
That makes me so happy it's one of my favourite things to listen to. Man
praise His wife is a good thing a man who finds a good wife.
That's right.
Okay, so now.
She got the short end of the stick.
Maybe, I mean, she sounds like a better human than you should, so
I tend to be partial to the pastor's wives honestly so it's not you.
Okay, well let's do the lightning round, which is my favourite part. If
you're just joining us on the show. This is my, my favourite part, I take it
from that sort of Sports Centre mentality and we're gonna just go
through a list of some hard questions. Padula didn't have these
questions beforehand, most of them are yes or no or short answer, and
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I'm going to go through them quickly and hopefully you can just answer
them with the first answer that comes to your mind.
Okay.
Okay.
All right, first I do want to know do you do your own laundry.
No!
What's your favourite movie?
Oh Boy! I guess we don't really watch movies often.
You like any of the new Christian movies like The God's Not Dead,
Courageous.
Oh yeah, I said, Courageous, it blanked out on me. Yeah, courageous I
would say it's probably my favourite movie.
Okay, which is super ironic right getting your history with law
enforcement.
Yeah.
Do you lean more towards Calvinism or Arminianism?
If you could go right in the middle.
What about eschatology Are you pre-med or post-trib?
I'm Pan, all pan out, but I lean more towards group trib.
Okay, what is it Pan trib is that a real thing?
Yeah, it will Pan out.
Okay, Are you more of a fan of topical teaching or verse by verse,
Topical!
Pro or anti mask.
Anti!
Pro or Anti Vax.
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Anti!
Got a North Idaho boy on our hands, Contemporary or Traditional
worship.
Oh boy, probably right in the middle I just love to worship but there's
both of them really can really touch me as long as it's just intimate and
real worship.
Favourite superhero?
Green lantern.
Oh, I can't let that go, why Green Lantern?
School called me Green Lantern, even to the point where at my birthday
party. My mom, she yelled at me she was a Johnny Paul. And my buddy
Jensen because you don't have to call him Green Lantern.
Oh my gosh?
I just loved him as a kid.
Oh, that's good politics are no politics? from the pulpit.
Politics.
Do Christians have the freedom to drink alcohol?
I have the freedom to not drink alcohol.
That is good, actually. It's a great question asking you, you've chosen to,
to walk in and complete freedom from that. Do you have any objection
to those who did not have the bondage of drunkenness in their past, to
have the liberty of having a glass of wine from now then?
Most people didn't even let's say they have a glass of wine now and then
don't really just have a glass now and then. But there are some. Yeah,
there are some people that I know that love the Lord dearly. I just think,
why so to me it's like, I just don't see any use of it?
Awesome that is a good answer, should women be labelled as pastors.
No.
Does your church exercise church discipline?
Yes.
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Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost?
Through Holy Ghost.
What about spiritual guests do you think they were for the biblical times
only are present day also.
Present day absolutely.
Children in church or children's church?
Personally, children in church, we do have the possibility or the ability
in our church we do have children's church, but I might get sit with me
in church, unless my youngest ones get really rowdy in the middle of
service, I'll take him downstairs.
Okay! Who is responsible for sin, Adam or Eve.
You know as much as he did and he was, you know, it was Adam.
Biblical counselling or psychology?
Biblical counselling.
What's your dream job Padula?
I'm living it.
That's my favourite answer. What about your dream car?
Dream car. I had a 78 Caprice classic a two door and if I could have one
of those again and have it fixed up it would be my dream car.
Oh gosh. And you know what that is, I'm gonna have to google that one.
Okay, favourite food.
Any type of meat steak I love steak.
Then you're a Hunter.
Yes.
I wish we had more time to talk about that. Okay and I haven't done this
before, but I really want to ask you what is the thing you wish you said
to your wife every single day.
I appreciate you.
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Good, that's a good one.
All right, well, that's all I have for you Padula. Thank you so much for
your time you guys again this is John Padula. You got the altar church
and Coeur d'Alene in Idaho and if you get up to North Idaho. I think
that you go visit them. They're an amazing church doing a great work
for the Lord much, much group. Thank you so much for your time John.
Yes, ma'am. We love you guys and we're so, so, thankful.
