238 Stories Series: God Delights in His Children with Pastor Brad Habegger

The Savvy Sauce

238. Stories Series: God Delights in His Children with Pastor Brad Habegger

**Transcription Below**

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Questions or Topics We Cover:

1. Reflecting back, can you identify any specific habits or experiences that seemed to be catalysts for deepening your faith?

2. How did God show you He sees our individual needs and delights in blessing His children?

3. What are a few of your favorite stories that come to mind from working with children for so many years?

Brad Habegger has been attending Grace Church since he was five years old and attended the children's ministries he now oversees as the Associate Pastor of Children's Ministries. After graduating from Morton High School, he earned a degree in Christian Education from Taylor University. For the next 12 years, he served as Program Director and later Executive Director at Camp of Champions USA (COCUSA), a Christian summer day camp. In November 2014, he became Grace Church’s first Children’s Ministry Pastor. Brad and his wife, Cali, were married in September 2004 and have two daughters. In addition to being a faithful mom, Cali works a few days a week as a sign language interpreter at Illinois State. Brad likes playing basketball and tennis and following the St. Louis Cardinals and college basketball.

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Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”

Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

**Transcription**

[00:00:00]

Laura Dugger: Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.

[00:00:18]

Laura Dugger: The principles of honesty and integrity that Sam Leman founded his business on continue today, over 55 years later, at Sam Leman Chevrolet Eureka. Owned and operated by the Bertschi family, Sam Leman in Eureka appreciates the support they've received from their customers all over central Illinois and beyond. Visit them today at Lemangm.com.

Brad Habegger is my guest today. One fun fact about Brad is that he has been attending Grace Church since he was 5 years old, and he attended the Children's Ministries he now oversees as the Associate Pastor of Children's Ministries.

We oftentimes witness so many females serving in Children's Ministries, but Brad wisely encourages the men of our church to also get involved. And it's such a gift to see what both men and women have to offer these kids. [00:01:21]

When I told Brad off-air that these kids often see him as a celebrity in the community, he kindly said it is a built-in humble accountability. Brad's going to share a few stories now of ways God delights in the lives of his children, and in turn, ways we can delight in the lives of the children among us.

Here's our chat.

Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Brad.

Pastor Brad Habegger: Thank you. It is an honor to be here with you.

Laura Dugger: Well, we're going to just dive right in. Will you tell us a bit about your story of coming to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

Pastor Brad Habegger: Absolutely. It is one of my favorite stories to tell, and it centers around when I was 7 years old, and our church was doing an annual missions conference, and they had a separate program for the kids. [00:02:21] And during that time, a missionary to Africa was speaking to us kids.

She shared the gospel using the wordless book tool, and God used that to help me recognize that my sins separated me from him, and I believe that His one and only Son, Jesus, had made the way for me to be forgiven through His death and resurrection. I remember taking that all in, and after church, got home, I told my mom about it as we were getting ready for bed, and had a special moment where she helped me talk to God about it. That is when I believe I became a child of God, like John 1:12 says.

My dad was a pastor, so he wasn't home yet, and I got the opportunity to stay up later until he got home to share the exciting news with him and talk to him about it as well. [00:03:33] So probably my own personal experience as a child is what excites me so much that I get to be a part of children's ministry even now. It's something we might talk about later.

Laura Dugger: That's incredible. I really appreciate. When you met with Mark and me, we were bringing in our oldest daughter, Selah, who recently chose to get baptized, and it really was special how you were able to share your testimony with her, and even encourage her that she did come to faith at a young age. You shared that with her, but also that God has really encouraged you along the way, that that was genuine.

Pastor Brad Habegger: Yeah, that is in part to my parents also doing a good job of capturing that memory with me, not that it's about one single moment only, but times that I could go back and see what was written about what I believed and confessed, and how we shared that together. [00:04:46] And God has used that many times to provide the assurance of faith.

Laura Dugger: That is really encouraging. I think even an application as you're sharing that, I'm just reminded to preserve these things for our children. I think the Bible is so clear about preserving this and passing it on to the generations, which you've done so well.

But Brad, as you do reflect back, can you identify any specific habits or experiences that seem to be catalysts for deepening your faith?

Pastor Brad Habegger: I can. I jotted down a couple of examples here. The first is back to being blessed with parents who modeled faith throughout my experiences. So being able to have conversations with them and just have them naturally bring up how the Bible applies to a certain situation I was facing or even a wrong that I had done, [00:05:57] but then also God has used many times just reminding me of how I saw my parents apply their faith to big things in their lives.

The second experience is going to summer camp as a kid. Yes, it was fun, but it also was a special time in a special setting to focus on God and make faith my own. My parents weren't there in chapel, my parents weren't there as I talked to a camp counselor. And it was in that setting that I remember realizing that this is a decision or a commitment that I need to make and is mine to pursue with the help of the people that God has put into my life. So certainly several summers of going off to camp and being challenged and encouraged. [00:07:02]

Then I've shared this experience a lot, that I would say the single most important factor in my discipleship as a teenager was being a part of a ministry at our church called Bible quizzing, where we as teenagers were studying, sometimes even memorizing portions of scripture. Yes, for competition, but it really was that experience that caused me to think about what I was studying and memorizing. And it was that experience that put those truths, promises, encouragements into my mind that even decades later are often the verses that the Spirit prompts me with in times of needing those reminders. So, parents who modeled faith, summer camp, Bible quizzing. Those jumped to mind.

Laura Dugger: And then I'm curious, so have you and Cali encouraged your daughters in the same way since those were things that specifically encouraged your faith? [00:08:13]

Pastor Brad Habegger: We hopefully have. We hopefully are modeling it as parents. I probably owe a lot of the parenting lessons or illustrations I use with my girls to what my parents did with me. They're not as excited to go off to summer camp, so we need to find other ways to give them those moments and memories.

But yes, especially Bible quizzing, and if I may share this, I don't think she would mind. My oldest daughter is old enough to do that now. She wasn't really interested or wanting to do that and we said, "There are some decisions that you get to be a part of with mom and dad, but this is one that we've already made. You're going to do this in your first year."

It was very encouraging after the first event of that, about a third of the way through for her to say that she's really glad to be a part of that ministry and a part of this program. [00:09:24] We'll continue to pray that for her and her younger sister, those years and those times in God's word will produce much fruit now and later.

Laura Dugger: That's so good. There's so much in that answer because I love... Just the reminder, it's not formulaic. So whereas summer camp was so instrumental for you, and that hasn't been a part of their story. But that's just a reminder that it doesn't mean just when we put certain things in that we'll get a specific result.

But also you're modeling great biblical parenting by some of those choices sharing and some that are already made. So that's an encouragement. But I remember you sharing one story at church and it illustrated how God sees our individual needs and delights in blessing his children. So will you share that story with us now? [00:10:25]

Pastor Brad Habegger: Yeah, I would be happy to. It is interesting that the stories that God allows us to remember so many years later, but this is one that impacted me. It was while at college, I was doing laundry before going home for a break, which probably means I had let too much accumulate to even take home.

But I put it in the washer, had transferred it to the dryer, and like so many other times, just went back to my room while it was drying. I came back for it and it was nowhere to be found. The whole load was gone. It wasn't like someone just got impatient, took it out of the dryer, and placed it over to the side. Someone had taken my whole big load of laundry.

And while frustrating, I do remember just kind of smiling and thinking, I hope they needed it more than I did. And never did. [00:11:32] Never did find what happened.

But fast forward, a week I was home on that break and I got an envelope in the mail addressed to me. So not even to my parents. Addressed specifically to me and inside was a fair amount of cash and an anonymous note that simply said, "God brought you to mind, use this for something you need." Of course, the first thing I thought about was my need to replace a whole bunch of clothes that had gone missing.

And so, like you said, in asking the question, it definitely illustrated to me how God, though omnipotent, omnipresent, He is also very caring for our individual needs and delighted in blessing me in that moment. Hopefully, I can continue to share it to encourage others or maybe even remember to listen to His promptings in my life to reach out to somebody else and maybe it's the example that they will need. [00:12:48]

Laura Dugger: I love that. Because there are so many times when we feel that nudge that it seems a little odd. That person who sent you the cash, for instance, maybe they had no idea what had happened with your laundry. But I love how their obedience not only blessed you, but you're really blessing all of us through sharing it now and pointing us back to glorifying God for it.

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Laura Dugger: Stories are so impactful and you've worked with children for years. So what are a few of your favorite stories that come to mind? [00:14:51]

Pastor Brad Habegger: Well, it has been quite a few years, but I also can't help but think of the ones that happened most recently, even as recently as yesterday at Church for us. I happened to be the one up front in the service, giving the announcements and then praying. And later in the morning, I was with the children again.

One of our five-year-old little girls at church is so expressive, and she came up to me and said, "Pastor Brad, I saw you up front and I was waving at you." And then she put her hands on her hips like kids do, "But you didn't wave back." And I thought, "Oh, I didn't see you" and had a good little conversation with her.

But it just reminds me how sweet kids can be. It reminds me of how they're always watching. [00:15:52] And I hope that wherever they see me or whatever I'm doing that I can be modeling well for them.

But similarly, yesterday, we had a young boy who wasn't real excited to be in the room where he was, and was actually trying to find his way out. Let me put it that way. I had an opportunity to just get down on my knees and redirect him and hold him for a little bit.

Once we got calm and once we got to the bottom of what was bothering him, we sat on a bench and we talked for a fair amount of time about things like t-ball, swimming, favorite video games. Those are just sweet moments where I hope this young boy went away from church not thinking about how upset he was, but how he had a good connection with a pastor, with an adult at church who hopefully he understood, heard his need, but also could sit and just chat. [00:17:05] So I love those special times with kids.

Other stories that come to mind are just when we're teaching some of those incredible Bible stories and you get kids who are just like, "Hey, wait, hold up. What? What just happened?" And you get to blow their minds with the truth and the miracles and the power of scripture. It's probably one of my most favorite things in working with kids.

And then now I've been here in this role at this church long enough to have seen the first group of kids that were with me in children's ministry graduate from high school. And now seeing where God is taking them and how he is working in their lives through the ups and through the downs, but to still get to go to those graduation open houses and reminisce with them, and also just say, I'm still here cheering you on and seeing what God will do. [00:18:10] And then having that same vision for the little ones that are currently among us.

Laura Dugger: Well, and you do that so well. You are very relational with everyone at church. Even practically speaking, I've observed how you will make it a point to remember every child's name and call them by name.

But are there any other pieces of encouragement you have maybe for those adults who are listening who aren't as comfortable interacting with children? Do you want to share any tips or kind of vision cast the impact that they can have on these little ones?

Pastor Brad Habegger: Yeah. I think sometimes we overthink that it's complicated to work with children. If you have a smile and you're able to look a child in the eyes, and it's helpful if you can still get down on your knees and look at them at eye level, then you can impact a child. [00:19:20]

I love when people come down our hallway and we'll just simply acknowledge the children with their smile or with a question or with a comment. But I would say wherever you go to church, if it's appropriate and you're appropriate to be around the children, don't always just go the other way or head to your class. But make a point to maybe introduce yourself to the kid's parents and just smile and help them see that they are surrounded by a larger family of God and a body of Christ that cares about them.

So I would just say if you have a smile, you can look in their eyes, get down on their level, you can have an impact.

Laura Dugger: Well. Even over the pulpit, there are times that you will be our teaching pastor. You've shared in the past... I just remember you sharing this book that you encouraged parents to read. And you were teaching on a level that hit all of us, all age ranges, but you were teaching about an 8-year-old king. [00:20:41] Can you remember the book that you were recommending?

Pastor Brad Habegger: I do remember preaching about Josiah, the 8-year-old king, and referencing a book that was helpful to me then and one that I really enjoy going back to from time to time. It is called All the Children of the Bible. It's not a necessarily new book, but it does a great job of just framing for us and pointing out for us just how many children or how often children are referenced, used, cheered on, encouraged in scripture.

I think sometimes we might gloss over or pass over or miss just how significant All The Children Of The Bible really are. So, yeah, if it's still available to get, I would still encourage it.

Laura Dugger: Yes, I believe after you spoke, we put that on reserve at our library. [00:21:43] So that's even an option for people if they can't find it in print to check their library.

But I like how you bring up there's so much in scripture about children. Obviously, we think of Jesus making room for the children. That's our daughter Kessler's favorite verse, Mark 12:14, Let the little children come to me. But is there any scripture that's been especially encouraging in your life?

Pastor Brad Habegger: There definitely has been. I tend to be one that needs to keep things simple, so thankfully, this is a very simple verse. 1 Peter 5, 7, where it says, "Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you." That has been helpful to me going back to being a kid who was often nervous, often anxious, often worrisome. [00:22:45] And to have that mental picture of just like taking my baseball and throwing it, I can take these anxieties and throw them on to Jesus and He will catch them and take them because he cares for me.

Most recently, five years ago now, during a cancer journey that I had, that short, simple verse carried me through and even led to a phrase that I guess I said enough times that the staff here at church even put it on a t-shirt. But it was just, God's got this and he cares. God's got this and he cares. First Peter 5:7, cast all your anxieties on Him, He'll take them. He's got them. And He cares because He cares for you. [00:23:44]

Laura Dugger: That's so helpful at any age to have that reminder. As you bring up your cancer journey, will you catch us up to speed on that as well?

Pastor Brad Habegger: Yeah. That's another opportunity to say thank you and praise the Lord. I know that everybody's journey is different. But for me at five years, everything has checked out clean and clear. So we're moving forward with that good news and just check in every once in a while now. So very, very thankful for how God has chosen to work so far.

Laura Dugger: Yes, praise the Lord for that. We were newer to church as you were just starting to go through that, but very grateful to see so many prayers answered. You've shared a lot of encouragement with us already, but is there any final encouragement you would like to leave with us now? [00:24:49]

Pastor Brad Habegger: Probably because I'm working on a sermon for this week about joy. Thinking about this thought that shared joy increases our own joy. That one way we experience joy is bringing joy to others.

The encouragement here might look something like I recently was talking with someone who reminded me of some advice that I guess I gave them a few years ago. I didn't even remember. But she said that at a time when she was discouraged, I guess I encouraged her to pick out someone in our church to send a note of encouragement.

And she shared with me that not only has she been doing that ever since, but that ministry has grown to multiple people. [00:25:49] That even though she still has times of discouragement, she can remember and take those and turn them into how can I encourage someone else right now.

And God uses those times of preparing a note to encourage someone else to then encourage her spirit. So that just seemed like a practical thing that God has brought back to my mind, both through that conversation and through preparing to preach and teach on the fruit of the spirit of joy.

Laura Dugger: Wow, that is incredible just to hear that seed that was planted, that little seed of encouragement, and how that has blossomed and touched so many people. That's incredible.

How did you find out about The Savvy Sauce? Did someone share this podcast with you? Hopefully, you've been blessed through the content. And now we would love to invite each of you to share these episodes with friends and help us spread the word about The Savvy Sauce. [00:26:53] You can share today's episode or go back and choose any one of your other previous favorites to share. Thanks for helping us out.

Will you also catch us up? What are you and your family up to these days?

Pastor Brad Habegger: Yeah, well, right now we are getting ready this week to welcome a visitor from Basque Country in Spain who is coming to stay with us for a month. We had the opportunity to do that last summer and we are looking forward to doing it again.

In full confession, my wife and I are both pretty cut-and-dry introverts. And so adding a young adult and another person to our family changes things for us. But it has been so worth it, not only for us to be sharpened and challenged and encouraged and equipped. [00:27:54] But one of the reasons, to be completely honest, that we have chosen to do it is to expose our girls to those outside of our own little context here in Central Illinois.

That there's a big God who's created a big world with lots of amazing people. This experience is one that has been helpful to do that for all of us. We look forward to having this young adult with us this summer.

We have also played a lot of tennis. I have a daughter who's taken great interest in that, which is super fun for me as someone who loves that sport as well to just have special moments of going to a tennis court with my daughter and playing and talking and laughing and enjoying it together.

I have another daughter who's really into cooking, baking, which I also am thankful because I enjoy eating her baking and taking part in that with her. [00:29:00] So that's a little bit of what our summer has entailed so far.

Laura Dugger: I love it. And it sounds like you take an interest in what your children are into. Is there any other parenting advice that you'd like to share with us, even as you reflect back anything that you and Cali are especially grateful that you've done thus far?

Pastor Brad Habegger: I think my advice, both to keep myself humble and to... well, because it's needed and to model to my girls, the advice is to be willing to apologize when we as the parent are wrong. It's hard to do. But again, the number of times of needing to get down on their eye level and say, "I'm sorry, dad did not handle that as wisely or as helpfully as I could have or should have. Will you give me another opportunity to do it better?" [00:30:06]

We do not have all the answers. We are on a journey of parenting. We want to model for our girls that we need to ask for forgiveness. And that sometimes it means we say, We need to go back to God's word and see how He wants us to handle this. Just to be appropriately transparent with our girls, I think, I hope, is something that is impactful for them and something that they can model in their relationships as well.

Laura Dugger: Absolutely. That's so good. Brad, you may already be familiar that we are called The Savvy Sauce because "savvy" is synonymous with practical knowledge or insight. And so as my final question for you today, what is your savvy sauce?

Pastor Brad Habegger: Something that my mom often did with my sister and I and something that I still need as an adult is she would ask us toward the end of the day, what was your eye spy? [00:31:17] What was your eye spy? And what she meant by that was, where did you spy? Where did you see God at work today?

That's so meaningful because her life has not been easy. Nobody's life is easy. It's important to ask that question even on the most difficult of days. What was your eye spy? Where did you see God at work? Well, I saw Him in that. I saw Him in this. I saw Him work here. I saw Him work there.

It is a way of helping me just elevate my mind and my heart above the things that I might be tempted to dwell on and recognize that there's an opportunity to spy God at work in every day and in every situation.

Laura Dugger: I love that so much. We just may have to implement that tonight at family dinner. So thank you for that. [00:32:15]

Brad, truly, you and Cali, Molly, and Libby have just been four incredible blessings in our lives. I can't say thank you enough for all that you do, both in our community and within our church to enrich the lives of children and of families. You have such a gentle demeanor and your patience is helpful. So I just want to say thank you for being my guest today.

Pastor Brad Habegger: Again, it is my privilege, and thank you for asking.

Laura Dugger: One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term "gospel" before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.

This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. [00:33:16] So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a Savior.

But God loved us so much, He made a way for His only Son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with Him. That is good news.

Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us.

Romans 10.9 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

So would you pray with me now? [00:34:16] Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to You. Will You clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare You as Lord of their life? We trust You to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring Him for me, so me for Him. You get the opportunity to live your life for Him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So you ready to get started?

First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the Book of John.

Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. [00:35:20] I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.

We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read Scripture that describes this process.

Finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.

If you've already received this good news, I pray that you have someone else to share it with today. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.