Dead Men Walking Podcast: Jeremy Stalnecker, Mighty Oaks Foundation - Leadership, Trauma, & Politics

Well, hello everyone welcome back to another episode of dead men walking.

I'm Greg And I'm Jason.

Hey Jason.

How you doing, man?

I'm doing awesome.

You think everyone knows her name by now.

We're Sure, I hope so, but you know, that's all right.

We might have some have some new new news.

Newsy news some new newsy news.

How you doing, man doing awesome, and this is uh, I don't usually tell people this but tomorrow is my

birthday.

Nice.

Happy birthday.

I will be 40 years.

Young goodness.

Yeah, you're young 40 years.

You don't get the applause for that.

No, let's do this one.

Yeah, that's what you deserve.

Actually, it should be gasped that you made it to 40.

Yeah.

Yeah this yeah never thought this would happen.

But yeah, the Lord is So good.

I just love being the young looks of the show.

Yeah.

Yeah me too at a young 39.

Oh, I'm the young one on the show true Man, you must have a true Wheaties or I don't had more

salads or something.

I don't know.

Well, hey, listen that welcome to the show everyone.

We really appreciate you guys listening.

We had a couple people reach out to us too and just say they really enjoy your post Jason my posts on Instagram at

dead men walking podcast, that's where you can find us on Facebook YouTube Instagram all those places dead men walking

podcast.

But we do appreciate you listening.

We have someone with us Today which I'm always it's always where we see with us or sit in to speak with us.

It's always zoom right now, right?

Yeah, vid and just you know travel and logistics.

Yeah, we don't have the cash.

Are they always really men, right?

One day one day one day our private jet.

We're gonna send about private jet.

Yeah, Kenneth Copeland style.

Yeah, creflo dollar style dollar, baby.

Okay, we're saying that tongue -in -cheek.

You guys know how I feel about those guys, but We have a Jeremy Stallnacher on the program.

He's actually USMC infantry officer Iraq veteran Navy

combination medal with V for valor for combat valor executive director and co -founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation

which Trump gave that a shout out when he was in office and he's a fellow podcaster nice.

He's in the Brotherhood man.

Yes, sir.

It is Jeremy Stallnacher.

Jeremy.

How are you, sir?

So.

Great.

Glad to be with you guys.

Yeah.

So with fellow podcasters, it's a thing, you know, it's a title.

That's right.

So and I believe he's an author too.

But we list off all these things and then the most important one is that last one fellow podcast.

Yes, exactly.

That's the Brotherhood that is that's actually that's that's horrible.

I say that Metal account he's got the voice for it though.

I don't know that we do we're just kind of like hacks over here.

We're working on it and you guys are just kids.

Yeah.

But listen, we're gonna get into what you're all about Mighty Oaks a little bit of your bio and background first.

We want to get into a little newsy news.

That's where we talk about maybe two or three subjects that came up this week and comment on it.

And Jeremy if you want to jump in at any point you hear something interesting feel free.

So a little newsy news.

Nice oh, yeah, so what do we got Jay?

Yeah, so we're just gonna jump into it today.

Usually we do a couple of that are a little bit lighter.

But there's just a few things that came out this week that we may just have to talk about.

Yeah, dr Rachel Rachel Levine.

Yeah, get her out of my newsfeed.

It seems as though him out of my newsfeed.

Yeah.

Yeah him.

It seems as though we're trying well, not we they are trying to pass a bill

Which allows children to make the decision to become a boy or a girl?

By getting injections and yeah all of the hormones and all that.

Yes.

So that was in the news because she testified before Congress, right?

Yes, correct.

I can't believe we're even talking about this, right?

We don't let Children drive until they're 16.

We don't let them smoke cigarettes till they're 18.

We don't let them drink until they're 21.

There's Sure are not allowed but we're going to allow them to

Mutilate themselves and do things that children probably should not have that decision if that isn't depravity I

don't know.

What is taking the innocence of a child, right?

You think about Jesus saying bring the children on to me?

Yeah, right and to say that they can either make that choice or really let's be honest.

It's parents or guardians indoctrinating them.

Yeah into a certain lifestyle.

It's true.

Okay, and now we've taken Boys that play with dolls and girls that play with trucks.

All right, which is totally fine and taken that to another level of oh.

The boy wants to be a girl and the girl wants to be a boy and with the urging of this is a sad part parent hopefully

that the children trust their guardians or parents and they're in the parents are misusing that trust and

Guiding those children into something that's going to be devastating for life.

Now.

We have an assistant health and human services.

What is it director administrator?

Whatever his title is?

Average not only advocating for it, but when questioned in front of Congress would not answer it wouldn't answer the question.

See the clip with our podcast Dr. Rand Paul, dr. Rand Paul really did an awesome

job in that clip, which we might I can't say anything right now.

But we're the works with possibly you might be here.

Let's get him might be hearing from him.

Nice.

He's a good guy so yeah, just once again the depravity of man, I mean

This Jeremy when you when you see because I know you're active politically and things like that I mean when you see

a you know, undersecretary essentially.

Advocating for something like this.

Obviously it is a reflection of the depravity of man.

I mean sin takes us down this road.

Roman chapter 1 is pretty clear on what happens when you're given over to sin.

What's interesting to me is is less those who are of that depraved nature.

Then it is those who would not be necessarily even Christian people churches that are saying well, we need to have compassion.

We need to have love.

We need to be have acceptance.

We had on one of the shows that we do we had a Incredible guest won't hire.

I don't know if you've heard of him, but Walt Transitioned as a man to

a woman in his mid -40s.

He accepted Christ about 10 years later.

Transitioned back.

I don't know what all that looks like.

But he's in his 80s now and he came on our show and he said what's crazy about this is we talked about compassion.

But 100 he said 100 I questioned him on it 100 of the people he has dealt with over

his 40 years of working with folks trying to help them.

Are doing what they're doing as a result of trauma so we talk about love and yet what we're really do

doing is is not dealing with the actual issue these young men and women have and

doing a tremendous disservice under the guise of compassion and love and all the rest and.

Yeah, it's it's it's fascinating like so many other things.

We're ignoring science.

We're ignoring You know basic math around these issues, right and and call something that it's not.

Yeah, it's crazy.

Wow, yeah, he said it too.

We're gonna touch on trauma a little bit when we get into it with Jeremy.

But what do we what else we got on the docket?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um, I think I think this will kind of lead us into the end of the subject.

But uh, we have been seeing more and more people coming out of their caves.

Since Kovac over caves, you know since that started can I make it can I admit something really quick to yes.

Yes on the podcast.

Yes.

I never went into a cave man.

You didn't I didn't mask weirdo stay home I was driving around you don't care about people.

Do you learn born to be wild?

No.

You know, but here's the thing.

Yeah, also Before Kovac guess what when kids had flu or colds we didn't go see grandma.

You don't common -sense.

Yeah.

Yeah, right I thought you were gonna say something like we let him sneeze on a piece of toast and then I oh and then we ate It

yeah, just so I could build up the immunity.

Don't you know, that's what the crazy homeschoolers do.

Yeah weirdo.

So, yeah, just people people coming out of their out of their homes after being isolated for a year

and just that that emotion that's happening once they finally really come into contact with

people that they love rather than Looking at them through a window or on the other side

of a screen door six feet back with three masks on.

Just a lot there, you know, absolutely there has to be some trauma that's involved within that one hundred

percent, you know.

Here's here's a here's a little something.

So back in Late March as a county commissioner.

I sent a letter to Governor Whitmer and I said, hey look at you're doing these lockdowns.

You're doing all these things, but you don't understand the ramifications of these type of lockdowns.

I said, I don't have numbers but I can guarantee you in a year's time We're gonna have numbers on domestic violence on suicide

on drug overdoses all these different issues that are related to lockdowns and restrictions of freedom and

The press secretary said oh we thank you for your service as a local elected official.

We're not responding to these issues right now, right about a week ago.

I sent another letter I said, well the numbers are out governor.

Here's my first letter.

Here's the second one all kinds of trauma all kinds of issues even in in our state in Michigan

domestic violence through the roof.

Suicides up drug overdoses up mental illness issues up because of

Restrictions and lockdowns and people not being able to provide for their families and go to work.

The Bible says it is good for a man to work.

It is good for a man to provide when I say man talking about man or woman.

But that's the way the Lord created us and you know, I didn't want to send it.

I told you so letter, but it's I told you so anyone with common sense understands this

and instead We are blindly being led by bureaucrats and politicians who simply just don't

care.

Well, that's called that's called wisdom on your part.

The little bit I have 10 better

than silver and gold brother, but yeah you deal in trauma Jeremy.

So I mean what have you seen in the effects of kovat 19?

I know more people are starting to come out now because of the vaccine they feel a little safer, you know, whatever I'm not gonna get a vaccine.

I looked at the raw data of what the corona family virus was with kovat 19 wasn't too

Fearful of it, but you deal in trauma and you've lived through kovat 19 now for a year.

What have you seen?

Yeah I was just looking at my notes on my my phone on some of these statistics early on back in April of This last year

ABC actually put out a study a report that said among other things that the United States mental health

Helpline.

That calls had gone up year over year by like a thousand percent or something.

And this is people just being locked in their homes.

Just trying to deal with the mental health issues that they already have and you know, we could explore.

What is mental health?

What does that mean?

What does that look like?

But clearly isolation is not good for us and particularly if there's not a spiritual understanding.

It's absolutely devastating.

So then fast -forward another year and this is the world that I live in the world of the military.

You know.

Toward the end of this last year so I could say earlier this year but toward the end of this last year the Department of Defense put out a study that

Suicides amongst active -duty service members.

So we say, you know, you hear the number 22 tossed around a lot for veterans.

And that's a high number.

It may be lower.

It depends on how you do the math exactly, but the active -duty suicide rate generally is about four per day

for active -duty suicide.

Service members a day take their lives.

The Department of Defense said over the period of coronavirus lockdowns from March forward.

That number had gone up by 20 % across the services.

So 20 % higher suicide rates amongst active -duty service members.

I mean either folks who are engaged with the people around them.

But because of the way lockdowns are being handled in the military the army said it's gone up 35 the Air Force had

its worst year in like 35 years.

It.

Again, this is like what we're talking about the transgender thing.

The data is there.

We just refuse to look at it under the guise of compassion and these other things and we'd have to ask What's the underlying issue for

real?

I mean what's actually going on?

It's not.

You know, yeah the data that we're acknowledging people are dying because what's being done to them?

Absolutely.

So do we got anything else on newsy news?

Are we jumping right in with Jeremy?

Let's jump in with Jeremy.

I think I think so.

So Jeremy, can you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself?

I know we touched on it.

We've talked about it a little bit here in the first segment.

But give us a little two three minute bio on who you are where you come from and what you're doing at mighty oats.

Yeah, sure.

And again, I appreciate guys giving me the opportunity to talk about it.

It's a critical issue.

Obviously the veterans issues and and these things I did serve the United States Marine Corps.

I served as an infantry officer during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 our infantry battalion was

part of the initial movement into Iraq.

We breached the berm in southern Iraq and made our way to Baghdad on April 10th of that year.

Came home and could tell the longer version of this story.

But I grew up in a pastor's home and I always say the one thing you learn growing up in a pastor's home is that you?

Don't want to be a pastor.

I told my dad I don't ever want to be in ministry.

I love you.

I'm glad you're in ministry.

I I'm thankful for God and what he's done for me, but I don't have anything to do with that and man, God gets a hold

of your heart and he certainly did.

We went to a great church and saw great things happen and Separated out of the Marine Corps in 2003 went to work on a

church staff in Southern, California here.

And then five years later after working on that church staff for five years I pastored a church up in the San Francisco Bay Area

and that was a great experience.

It was difficult in a lot of ways, but God used that in my life and my family and in that process of

time.

It's a weird thing how God brings the pieces together and you feel like why did that thing happen?

And now I'm doing this thing.

I went from serving in the military and then serving at a church in a military community to Serving in the Bay Area where

for those of you that don't know not a lot of military folks in the Bay Area.

And I was you know trying to figure out how it all worked, but God brought it together.

I met the founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, and he was just getting it started he was trying to get it off the

ground he asked me if I come along and help and We just started trying to help veterans and

really Take them through a process of understanding that there is a creator that he has a plan and that

they can align their lives to That plan but this trauma thing that has so much control over them doesn't need to have control over them

and God has blessed since 2012.

We went from running a couple of week -long programs a year to this year.

We'll run 30 week -long programs.

We have about 4 ,000 students that have graduated from one of our programs and it's just it's amazing.

What God has done and allows us to be a part of.

And that's what we do we serve veteran the first responders community are struggling and then The spouses and

families of those so that's what we do and thankful for the opportunities that God gives to us.

It's it's amazing.

We started small.

We thought we'd do a little bit you know a couple times a year and We have a staff that spread out across the

country facilities across the country and a long list of folks trying to get into one of the programs.

So is your target demographic then veterans with trauma or is it trauma in general with

with anyone with anyone.

It is those in those communities So veterans active duty service members or first responders

who are dealing with some type of trauma and we can talk about definitions of trauma, but Early on

when we started it was, you know 2011 -2012.

The wars were still really going on a lot of young men and women were coming home dealing with post -traumatic stress

disorder.

Combat -related trauma.

That's specifically who we serve since then we have served many folks in one of those categories.

Dealing with trauma that is probably related more to life than to combat or to their service and in

fact most of what we see is that what is designated as Combat trauma or work

-related trauma.

You move back a little bit.

What you find out is there was childhood trauma a lot of sexual trauma Relationship trauma a lot of other things that were

taken into the military or into the first responder community.

And now it's just been you know blown up and they're dealing with the fallout of that.

So that's what we deal with so we don't put a We don't stipulate what whether your trauma came from combat

or something else if you served in one of those communities or are.

We want to help you really at the end of the day.

We want to help you have a relationship with Christ and move forward in that.

Oh, that's awesome.

So what is your definition of trauma then?

I know you just mentioned that a little bit.

So what what's your definition of trauma.

Trauma is is something that's interesting.

And so we we work with folks who probably in many cases have been diagnosed clinically with

post -traumatic stress.

So they've been to the VA.

They've been to another clinician.

They've been diagnosed with post -traumatic stress.

The challenge there is it's very narrow.

In order to fit within the DSM 5 diagnostic and statistical manual of mental and health mental

health disorders 5 version 5 trauma has to be connected to.

Death or near -death sexual trauma or some other violent act, right?

So that's a very narrow definition of trauma and the problem is although that will get you a clinical,

you know.

Rating of trauma or post -traumatic stress.

It doesn't expand to the the thousands of other things that are traumatic in life.

Everyone who's born everyone who lives will deal with trauma.

A lot of statistics.

I could give you there I won't so the definition I like to use moving forward and this has been a great one that someone gave to me.

Trauma is an event or series of events that pushes one beyond their ability to

cope.

Trauma is an event or series of events that pushes one beyond their ability to cope.

Definition is only good if it is a bridge to healing and if we have such a narrow definition of

trauma that it excludes people they're not getting help and So we just say look if you have had an

event or series of events come into your life.

That's pushed you beyond your ability to cope.

That's traumatic and we want to help you move forward.

Right, I I was wondering I mean it and this might be

Completely different category here, but in a a You know, there's 12 steps and they they bring

in the Bible.

They bring in these different steps.

How are you guys able to? bring the gospel into this

situation.

With with trauma with with the military.

Yeah, it's crazy.

So.

Man, it's nuts when we started doing this program.

Several people in the faith community told us if you hang on to this Jesus thing.

If you keep talking about Jesus and the Bible and faith and all that you'll be able to help people.

Come to your program, but you won't be able to help active -duty service members.

They'll be excluded because you know separation of church and state and stuff.

So we said well, we're gonna try to be faithful to what God has called us to do.

We'll do that and see what happens and Initially people came to our program.

We then had some active -duty service members attend our program.

We now have about half of the folks who attend our program are coming on orders to us.

The military is sending them to us and in addition to our programs where they come for a week.

We speak at large military conferences.

I spoke in 2019 to 12 Air Force yellow ribbon conferences.

Probably about 12 ,000 people over the that that said thing.

We speak to tens of thousands of active -duty service members on bases in units

on issues of faith.

And it's Wow.

It's insane because the way we approach it is.

Your story may be different than my story, but let me tell you my story.

Yeah, this is where I was.

This is where I am and were it not for my understanding of a relationship with God through Christ.

I couldn't have gotten there now.

We can't do an altar call.

There are some things we can't do in specific settings but an understanding of the importance

of faith.

The Department of Defense has four pillars of resiliency and One of those pillars is the spiritual

pillar.

Now, they have no idea what that means, but they talk about how.

Resiliency requires an understanding of spirituality.

Yep.

And so we've been brought in hundreds of times over the years to talk about that and the door or is

open.

We leverage that to get people to attend our program.

About 70 of the students who attend one of our week -long programs will either place their faith in Christ or

you know make a make a Rededication or however, you would phrase that.

Yeah to live for God and to move forward in that and Opens up

incredible doors for biblical counseling and other things on the other side.

So we try to approach it very honestly very much from our own testimony and just say look you can do whatever you

want.

But we want to contrast the life you're living with the life you could live and we're gonna do that by telling our story.

This is what God did for me.

Are you guys funded privately with grants a combination of both or one or the other?

We are funded privately now.

We do have some grants, but they'd be private grants.

We don't.

We have we've looked at several different ways to there's a lot of government funds available so we would have to change

our message and we more importantly have to have a VA clinician with us and so we haven't done that

and thankfully.

You know, that's a that's a firm stand.

We've taken up to this point and God has provided Miraculously for us so that our program is

free to the students and we cover travel.

There is zero cost even to get there and to get home for the students.

We have the opportunity to remove every barrier and that's because people have been very faithful to support us.

Amen.

Amen.

Yeah, like I tell people in my limited capacity working with with grants and public money.

Just be very careful when you accept that money because there are strings attached, right?

Federal state or local government wants you to do something.

But so let me just ask this question.

I feel in the Christian community.

And believers evangelical, whatever you want to call us.

I feel like we're really good at like Rules, so it's like we can't do this do that.

We feel good about it.

If you want to sit down your kid and tell him you shouldn't smoke cigarettes.

We're pretty comfortable with dealing with that and you come from up from a pastor's family.

So you probably understand this more than most we are not very good with trauma in the church.

We do we hear sexual trauma or You know mental issues or anything like

that in boy I feel like a lot of pastors either aren't qualified for it.

The elders just kind of stiffen up.

It's it's very hard to deal with trauma within a church.

So what's the biblical approach to trauma and what is it that you guys do?

That is biblically based to help people deal with trauma.

I'll say a couple things if I can one is to the church because you're absolutely right.

I Don't believe look let me back up.

I do believe that a pastor who can rightly divide the word of truth can rightly divide it in any

situation now.

You don't have to have a special background or have been in the military to help those who are.

And this is something I get asked this question often from pastors.

I wasn't in the military.

I don't know how to help those who were.

But most of the counseling situations that a pastor would encounter are not situations that he has personally

dealt with and so Don't be afraid of that veteran or that situation.

What they need is for someone to faithfully and accurately Present to them what the Bible

says about what they're dealing with.

It's it's Discipleship it's understanding what God wants us to do to do to move forward

according to his Word.

But I will say there are some things that are difficult.

Sexual trauma would be one of those very very difficult situation sometimes.

Military situations and other situations a pastor doesn't have to feel like he has to be the primary

counselor.

That's something I think that we have gotten wrong.

I say we the background that I come from.

I think we got it wrong.

Where it was the pastor is always the primary counselor and even if the pastor doesn't

necessarily know how to deal with this.

He's God's man, and he needs to do that.

And I just don't think that's right.

I think a pastor should counsel Should understand that you know what there are some issues here

that I'm not equipped to deal with.

But I know someone who is so I'm gonna follow that through and get you to that person.

A lot of what we do Is helping people to understand that God has a plan for their lives that they need to understand

who they are in Christ.

Their identity is a big issue.

They get up on their feet.

They need to make a decision to move forward and then we have a large network of biblical counselors.

The old word used to be new static but biblical counselors.

That can help them with their marriages help them with addictions help them with these other issues and that can be a very long

Process but we want to make sure they make a decision they understand hope and what that

means they understand their identity is in Christ not in their trauma and then Hand them to someone

who is.

Educated and prepared to to help them work through that.

Hmm.

Yeah, that's so good and he is right about that.

You know, I grew up in church and it was like the pastor.

He did it all he was the dude.

He was the guy who's a counselor.

He was the therapist.

He was the Music he was the music director.

I mean it was like good Lord I grew up and I just went and I'm still good friends with pastors kids and I just and they've had

a you know real tough time with that because.

You know their dad gave more to the church probably than he could to his family, which was a which was real tough on them.

But yeah, you're so true I want to shift gears here a little bit and Jason maybe jump in on this too because we just did

I've been walking short on leadership verse discipleship.

You know, I I'm a real estate broker now.

Obviously you were you were a leader and influencer where you were working at previously Jason now kind of doing your own

thing.

You know a business owner now, we got two business owners here, but a new business new business.

There you go.

He said what.

Cove it.

I'll start a new business.

That's what I'll do.

Oh, yeah doors are open and I started my real estate business in 2010, you know the worst

time to start a real estate business, but the Lord led and he provided and thank God for that.

But so, you know and I've managed people.

I've had teams project managers.

I love the the idea of leadership and talking about it.

Obviously you were a leader when you served and thank you for your service.

So, how do we get people from where they are to where they need to be when we're talking leadership?

Do you have certain?

Styles that you use do you have certain philosophies?

Is it based in the Bible?

Is it is it a hybrid of things Tony Robbins?

Is it Is it Gary Vaynerchuk?

Yeah.

Yeah.

No.

Give us give us your opinion.

Let's talk about leadership a little bit.

All right, let's talk about leadership.

Yeah.

So yes, it's all of the above.

I love everybody who talked about leadership.

I'll tell you again where this came from for me.

I wrote a book.

I wrote a book called leadership by design and The reason I wrote that book and we published

it and we've used it and it's I think it's been helpful to some people.

The three or four that have read it.

They've really enjoyed it but we uh, I Wrote it because I

struggled with an accurate definition of leadership.

I love definitions definition of trauma.

I worked through that I love definitions because I think it frames every conversation.

You have to define the words correctly.

Amen, and what I grew up with was this idea of spiritual leadership or

servant leadership?

So we talked about that all the time.

But what I saw often in the context of the local church is that what we call spiritual

leadership is Just secular leadership.

It's manipulation, but with God attached

Right on you guys are talking about this was where I was right.

And I looked at it and went all you're doing is saying do what I want you to do.

Because God wants you to do it.

Hmm.

Well, how is that servant leadership and you can pull out a verse and say well now It's spiritual leadership.

So I struggle with that like in my spirit, you know and then I was in the military and I learned that leadership

was very strong principles of leadership and you recite all these principles and you do these

things and You need to be type a and it's very much that follow me.

We're going over there thing.

So I went from one Into the other and then I was in neither and

I just I just had no idea what leadership really was.

I mean, I've read every John Maxwell book I could read and you know every secular leadership book I could find and

and all the rest of it.

And it's just it was so confusing to me so I stepped back and I said I'm gonna go through the process of

really trying to figure this out for myself and The title leadership by design comes from my belief

that God has created us created all of us to be leaders.

Every single person we are all people that have the opportunity to lead those around us in our world.

But if our definition is wrong, then we won't believe that.

So what's the definition?

I Really believe it's it's it's way too simple.

But I really believe that an accurate definition of leadership the way God wants us to lead is

leadership Is simply taking people from where they are To where they need to be.

Leadership very simply is taking people from where they are to where they need to be.

It's using my influence my time my opportunities my skills.

Whatever I have whatever has been given to me by God.

To help the people in my life in my world that can be my kids.

It could be my employees.

It can be my employer.

It can be people that I just have a platform to influence.

It's helping whoever I can influence to move from where they are right now To where they

really need to be and the thing that's absent from that entire definition is me.

It's not about me leadership is entirely 100 about the people being led and

It has nothing to do with personality.

You don't have to be the type a guy who can scream and jump up on a table and get people excited.

You may be that person if God created you to be that person then be that person but but that's a

technique.

That's not leadership.

It's a style, but it's not leadership styles are important techniques are important.

Lists are important.

All of these things are important.

But those are not leadership and we see this simply and then I'll stop talking but we see this simply.

When someone that you know has been a leader, let's say in the military again where I come from.

Strong leader they knew how to get things done.

They transition out into a different world a civilian job, or maybe they retire from the military and they're

completely lost.

Their identity was tied up in this leadership thing.

But it wasn't really about leadership.

It was about a particular way to lead.

That's why you can lead in combat.

But you can't lead your kids and you can't lead your wife and you can't lead in a secular job.

Because that wasn't leadership.

That was a way to lead.

But when you realize that leadership is just moving people from where they are to where they need to be.

You learn a new set of skills to accomplish the exact same thing to me.

That's leadership and there's so many applications to this but it that's simplified the way I think about all of it.

You know, I start to see more and more in in the Christian community.

Just as people are are saying that they need to be in the leader.

But they're more or less stepping on others to get to the top to

have their platform to have their ministry grow to have you know, X Y Z and

Unfortunately when pride and ego get involved with anything.

That's when they fall, right?

But it's really sad to see ministries that are supposed to be you know

founded on The gospel on Christ, you know and here they are

pushing others down.

Just to get to the top.

I don't know if you guys can can kind of expound on that a little bit.

But man, I that really grieves my heart to see you know, it's like we

all Have a ministry we all have The gospel in front of us.

We need to be out there.

You know with sharing the gospel, but it's not like I can do it better than you

thing.

It's like man, you know, we're all in these different areas in our life.

But someone works it in the factory.

Somebody else is at the grocery store.

Both people should you know?

Yeah taking a shot like go up and take take a shot.

Take a swing.

You know, we don't need to sit around and wait for a leader pastor.

To be there to to be the voice for us.

Well, that's does that make sense?

I don't know if it no makes total sense.

That's exactly what Jeremy was talking about.

What got me is he goes look at that definition doesn't include you.

Yeah, he's saying take you out of the equation pick up your self a leader doesn't look and say I'm the leader.

Yeah, right.

You've heard the saying lead from behind and all those things.

He also said he doesn't care what personality you have now.

I'm a big personality guy that kind of when he said that I love the four temperaments.

I love the Meyer Briggs.

I love to analyze I love all that stuff, but he's totally right when he says yeah.

It's not about you.

It's about how I get from point A to point B with these group of people.

Sometimes I think we to get too caught up in the minutiae of well How do we do it the personality types all these

things and like you said people?

Essentially wanting to be that leader in that ministry.

I got this ministry.

I'm this I'm this person I'm gonna take over this town.

Yeah, and it sounds like Jeremy what you're saying is that's the exact opposite of leadership leadership leadership is.

Like you said doesn't doesn't focus on you doesn't focus on the leader.

Is that correct?

It it doesn't Accept and this is I guess this would be the exception to

understanding that.

I do think personality is important.

I do think all those things are important.

I think those tests can be helpful as they help you to understand better who God made

you to be.

So that when you're leading You are doing it within the realm or within the skill set

within the gifting that God has given to you.

And so it's only about you to the extent that you understand what you can do and what you can't do.

What opportunities you have what resources are available to you?

So this is where it gets tricky when you're talking about platform building and all these things we talked about.

If God gives you the opportunity to influence a crowd.

Then he has given you the Responsibility to steward over that influence to

influence the crowd.

Yeah, but again, it's not about building yourself up So that you can receive the accolades or whatever.

It's about God has put me on this rock, which is a little bit higher than everyone else so I better take this very

very seriously and help these people move from where they are to where they need to be if You know, and

I I believe that moms are the most influential people in the world.

I absolutely believe that.

Sometimes, you know a mom staying at home homeschooling the kids and taking care of the family would say well, I'm not really a leader.

I'm a mom.

I'm taking care of the family.

No.

You are leveraging the gifts that God has given to you to lead the people in your life.

To take them from where they are now right now.

It may be they need to learn how to brush their teeth.

That's where they need to be.

Yeah.

Maybe they then need to learn how to read that's where they need to be at some point.

They're gonna grow up and leave your home.

You're not Growing them to stay you're helping them to move from where they are To where they

need to be in the center of God's will then using their gifts to influence others.

That's what leadership is to me.

I just I have a hard time seeing it any other way.

There's management and we could talk about that all day.

That's a different thing.

That's moving people and things from one place to another.

That's important as well, I don't think they're in conflict but real leadership is saying here's where you are.

That's where you need to be and I want to leverage everything I have to help you get there.

Wow, that's a great definition.

Hey, let's switch gears here as we wrap this up and put some bookends on the episode.

So You've been all over the place Jeremy.

He's been on Breitbart.

I think I saw him on.

Where was he man?

He was just all over the news and commentating and things like this.

I know you dabble in the political a little bit and you have a military background.

So I did want to ask this Dabbles, you know, I don't know.

We might be we might be seeing Senator Stellen Ecker pretty soon.

I don't know.

We're not announcing anything here on the podcast.

Okay.

But.

Yeah, so so you have a military background.

So give us a little bit of insight on what you think about these airstrikes that went down with the Biden

administration this week.

It looks like we you know a.

Did we bomb.

I think we bombed Syria and some you know, they said militia led terrorists led Iraqi sites.

What is that when a military? Veteran like yourself see something like that.

Are we all going home for that?

Are we you know approach with caution?

Are we against it?

I mean, where do you land when you see those type of things happen?

Yeah, so one of the things President Trump did really well was articulated the America first

Idea the principle that the United States military exists to defend the national security interests of

the United States the the primary job of the president is to protect

Defend the national security interests of the United States and its citizens and that's why the military exists.

So we project power for that purpose and President Trump was very clear that if there is a place where we are

involved militarily Where there's not a national security reason to be there.

We're going to pull out and the issue of Syria was something that was dealt with in the last year of his administration so

when a president Joe Biden then Authorizes, you know, what are we two months away or two

months outside of his inauguration?

Authorized the airstrikes the airstrikes back into Syria.

It's about more than the national security the interests of the United States.

I don't know exactly what it's about.

But there's something more to it than that and it's extremely hypocritical just on its face the fact

that President Trump apparently was going to start World War three.

Yeah, and he is the first president to not get us involved in new conflicts in 40

years.

People this out didn't get us involved in anything new and now we're involved in Syria.

We'll probably be involved in Iran.

And in the short term I would imagine So it has to do I would imagine with

money power and agreements between countries that we're not aware of.

So no, I don't think military members are excited about it at all.

Hmm.

So what's your outlook on that?

So is the Middle East still important?

Are we still keeping an eye on that?

What about China?

We heard a lot about that over the last four years.

China and Russia was kind of our.

You know our new enemy to watch out for.

So for someone who served in the military I would suspect has some type of knowledge about.

You know about these types of issues.

What are we watching China?

Are we watching Russia.

Is the Middle East still important from a national security standpoint?

What should we be focusing on?

I definitely think the Middle East is still it's still very important.

We Secure and stable Middle East is.

It's important for a lot of reasons but one is because Israel is there and because most of the countries in the Middle East would

annihilate the nation of Israel if they could and so We have a treaty with them and it's important for us to

maintain stability there and peace there.

Which again the president President Trump did?

And so the fact that we're taking backwards steps on that is it's baffling.

It has nothing to do.

This is a theme, right?

It has nothing to do with science.

It has nothing to do with anything that makes Diplomatic sense.

Yeah, so what will happen there?

I don't know.

We took several steps forward we're starting to take steps back a Destabilized Middle

East is bad for the entire world.

You talk about North Africa and just that region very very bad.

China and Russia.

Yes, China is I would believe I would imagine our number one threat in

terms of size of their military influence economically and This is something President Trump was was

beating this drum just about every day and You know not to be too conspiratorial

because I don't want to be conspiratorial.

But I think probably the reason if there's one That so many on the left were

Against the Trump administration was because of his stance on China there was too much to be gained

and having a relationship with them and President Trump viewed it as a liability not as something to be gained.

So that caused a problem and it's going to be a problem.

We don't deal with with them.

Yeah, no 100 %.

Jason you got anything else for Jeremy as we wrap up man.

I just really appreciate this conversation.

I love that we jumped jump subjects so much.

This is this is cool.

Man you just gave us a lesson there man.

That was awesome.

So Jeremy as we wrap up here.

Can you just tell our listeners?

Where they can reach out and find mighty oaks where they could reach out maybe follow you if you have any social media platforms you Want

to know about?

Just throw those out and the website stuff like that.

Sure.

First one is mighty oaks foundation.

And again, our program is free to those who have served are serving or those in the first responder community.

We pay for travel we pay for everything.

Just get him in.

Mighty oaks programs org mighty oaks programs Website there's a place to fill out an application.

There a lot of information about us.

Go ahead check that out and then my socials.

I'm on All the platforms I guess most active on Instagram, but I have a blog Jeremy

Stallnicker comm.

Jeremy Stallnicker comm and that has all of the information there about my socials and other stuff that I do.

So if you'd like to check that out, please do and I'd love to hear from you.

Well, Jeremy.

Thanks so much for coming on and we'll make sure we link those all up.

Not only in the Podcast where you wherever you listen, but also YouTube videos on our Instagram page all those good

social media sites.

So all those links will be there so you guys can check out Jeremy and what he does.

As always we appreciate you guys reaching out to us following us.

Sharon.

Our Sharon.

Sharon who's sharing sharing?

Sorry, that's that Midwestern accent.

That's a Michigan stuff.

Sharing our content.

I mean it really does bring glory to God.

We didn't get into this to for fame or fortune or anything else.

We did it to bring glory Yeah to God's name and we hope we can do that having guests on like Jeremy who can come on and you talk

about these Things educate us a little bit.

His mighty Oaks foundation that is doing great things for our veterans and first responders.

That's biblical and based in the word.

I love it when we take Real world issues we we combine it with a biblical

and Christian worldview and Help advance the kingdom and help our fellow brothers and sisters.

So Jeremy, thanks so much for coming on Jason.

Do you have anything as we wrap up later dudes?

All right.

God bless guys.

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