Ep_11 Scott Fast
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[00:00:05] Speaker: This is the Intersection Faith Work and Life podcast hosted by Bob Varney and Hugh Brandt. The intersection is committed to helping people see that discipleship means we live by faith in God in all arenas of our lives. All the time. If you wanna hear more discipleship stories of people living by faith in every sphere of their lives, please invite others to listen to the Intersection Podcast.

[00:00:31] Speaker: Welcome and thanks for listening today. To learn how Scott Fast has helped give leadership to the Colorado Clapham Circle. Scott Fast serves as Innovate Educates Director of Colorado Projects, focusing on the development of the Skills to Jobs model and the implementation of a model in multiple locations across multiple industries.

[00:00:54] Speaker: Areas of focus include the creation of career pathways in Colorado and [00:01:00] understanding and providing access to the supports needed for low income earners to transition to a career leading to the middle class. Scott also volunteers extensively with Colorado non-profit profit organizations. Further collaboration between business education and government and nonprofit organizations with the focus on strengthening the tie between the competency needs of business in the abilities of students and educators to develop those competencies.

[00:01:30] Speaker: Prior to his role with Innovate, educate, Scott developed and led IT projects with the most recent. 16 years at Accenture, Scott was responsible for leading the implementation, operation and maintenance of large computer applications for many of Accenture's federal government clients. At the end of his career, he served as the executive director of the Accenture Foundation, developing and implementing the strategy for the foundation support of [00:02:00] Accenture Skills to Succeed Initiatives, and overseeing the Foundation's grant program.

[00:02:08] Speaker: Today, I, Hugh Brandt, have the privilege of interviewing Scott. Scott, good to see you. Thanks for joining us today. And, um, as we get going, we wanna open in prayer. And Scott, if you'd open us in prayer, then we'll get going.

[00:02:23] Speaker: Happy to Hugh and, and a pleasure to be here. So, dear Lord, we ask for your presence and wisdom to descend upon us.

[00:02:31] Speaker: Guiding our discussions today. We also pray for your blessing on the listeners, helping them to hear anything you want them to hear and understand any actions you want them to take. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[00:02:45] Speaker: Amen. Thank you, Scott. So Scott I had that introduction of you, but please add to it. Tell us who you are.

[00:02:54] Speaker: Tell us more about yourself.

[00:02:55] Speaker: Well, I realize that was a bit long, so that, that, I'll try to keep it short and I'll add a few [00:03:00] things though. So, some of them a minister and minister's wife, so grew up in, in faith. But for as a young adult, I was really called to get into the business world, which is how I ended up in the IT career.

[00:03:12] Speaker: You, you talked about, uh, it was great to work for a couple of wonderful comp companies. Uh, learned a lot about leadership, uh, about serving customers. But I also learned a lot about how careers and working for a good company can really change the individual's lives that are having those jobs.

[00:03:32] Speaker: And just really became very passionate about helping people get into the IT company. And then that ended up me working with the Accenture Foundation. Through that window, I really wanted to serve people locally. In Colorado, where we live really felt that it was called to work with people from lower incomes because of that change, that a good job and a good career can make.

[00:03:54] Speaker: So really helping them build and, and see the wonderful skills that they've created and help them [00:04:00] recognize that and then help them tie that into a, a career that, uh, really can help them succeed. Their kids succeed. We see it, it crosses generations as well when, when the adults are successful.

[00:04:13] Speaker: Today I mainly work with about 30 organizations that do, that are in that space and are really caring for the individual. Most of them are faith led or led by a faith-based leader and they are beginning to work together. We'll talk more about the Clapham Circle and how that came together but.

[00:04:33] Speaker: They're all working on what we'll call throughout this discussion, the journey from poverty to self-sufficiency. So that's the first part of that, which is a multi-step, multi uh, organization set of services that help a family on the journey from poverty to self-sufficient.

[00:04:52] Speaker: Outstanding. Scott, just tell me a little bit about your faith journey.

[00:04:55] Speaker: Well, one of the, probably the biggest moment that, [00:05:00] that has led to where I am today is as I was leaving my, my IT job at Accenture and moving to the foundation, I, I was talking with one of the people I knew very well, and it was beginning to more freely express my faith, and it was, he didn't really know I was a person of faith, so I thought I'd been living it out in this relatively secular world.

[00:05:19] Speaker: But found out that I had not been living it out very front and center. So that really bothered me first of all, and also at that point I was having a little more time to lean into prayer. And it was really important to be able to spend that time in prayer. And that's really a lot of where my growth has been over the last several years.

[00:05:40] Speaker: Um, diving into prayer, listening to prayer, having the time for prayer. Another thing that's been really, really key is that, uh, working with, uh, friends where you can openly say that. So, you know, I was, I was blessed to be able to. Began to structure jobs where I could openly talk about my [00:06:00] faith and I could pray about, and I could have these discussions and found friends in, even in secular places that were in similar situations.

[00:06:10] Speaker: We started working together, praying together, and adding those type of things, seeking God's direction for work. Even now we're at the point where we stop in the middle of meetings and just say, Hey, we we're not sure where this is going, so let's just, let's just drop everything and, and stop and pray for God's, uh, direction.

[00:06:27] Speaker: So that really is been, um, probably a 12 year journey now for me. So it wasn't something that came quickly, uh, but it's just kind of stepped up o over time.

[00:06:40] Speaker: I appreciate you, um, sharing that. I, I have personally experienced being with you when all of a sudden we stop and we pray, which is so refreshing, so encouraging.

[00:06:49] Speaker: I think you've answered my question. I was gonna say, what has helped you to live out your faith at work? And I, I think that initial story where someone didn't realize you were a Christian, a person of [00:07:00] faith, and then your journey since then, but do you wanna add anything else to that? What has helped you to live out your faith at work?

[00:07:06] Speaker: Probably the thing I'll, I'll, I'll lean into a little more deeply then, is that situation where, in a secular environment just from the beginning when you first meet people begin just being able to say, Hey, I, you know, I'm, I'm driven by faith. I I'm a person of faith. Uh, my faith is. When, you know, and to try to have love flow out God's love foot throw through me and out to that person.

[00:07:33] Speaker: But having, it's taken me a while to have enough guts to say that and virtually every situation I'm in. But when that sets the foundation, allows me to have much more open discussions. Um, again, it, it's been a journey to get there, but I, I feel more comfortable I'm able to do that these days.

[00:07:49] Speaker: Oh, that's encouraging. I, I like what you said. It sets the foundation and then of course people around you are listening and watching and seeing how you live and behave and speak, and, um, [00:08:00] they'll recognize that it fits with you as a person of faith. Scott, I, I only realize just. Earlier this morning that, um, it was six years ago when you joined the Denver Leadership Circle.

[00:08:13] Speaker: I can't believe it's been that long. Oh my goodness. Yeah. My first question is what led you to participate in the Denver Leadership Circle?

[00:08:21] Speaker: Direct answer is that friend of mine, Gary Fuller, uh, and Hugh worked together, uh, along with several other people who have become very close friends to start the leadership circle.

[00:08:31] Speaker: So it was obviously something that I knew was gonna be of high quality. I was also searching, from, from what God really was wanting me to do and I was beginning to talk about that more openly with people. And so I was starting to get nudges to say, you know, I, I'm not sure I have all the foundation.

[00:08:49] Speaker: Of what is, is in the Bible, what has been practiced in the past, what others have done to lead this out. So, uh, praying to the Lord about it is, is one thing in talking to [00:09:00] friends, but what other foundation have already been out there? And that's what Leadership Circle, is one of the things that really does is help us have those stories, has that understanding, explore the foundations.

[00:09:12] Speaker: And then at the same time, me just continuing to talk about what I was looking to do led me, I believe God led me to the people like Hugh and Gary. That that then was the additional nudges saying, Hey, there's lots of other people out there like me. Yeah. And this is a, a place where you can get to know them and you can study and work together.

[00:09:31] Speaker: So that's what led me to the leadership circle.

[00:09:34] Speaker: Scott. I appreciate that. And I have to say, you're someone who knows a lot of people. And, um, earlier you said that you're working with 30 different organizations, which is incredible and so encouraging. Scott, what, um. In the leadership circle, everybody is given a challenge to create what we call a city renewal project, something that they care deeply about, that they wanna work on.

[00:09:57] Speaker: And out of that, to some degree, [00:10:00] you helped start what we call the Colorado Clapham Circle. What prompted you to do that?

[00:10:09] Speaker: So love, love the renewal project aspect of this. So there was, it, it was interesting when we were going through the leadership circle, there was a group of people that had kind of already been called to do certain things and were starting to focus, and others that were seeking direction as to what they wanted to do with their projects.

[00:10:26] Speaker: So it was an interesting mix to be able to work. One of the neat things that we found was, was that. There were several, and it wasn't just in our leadership circle. There was some people before and afterwards that were kind of working in the same space. Doing similar type of work. And so throughout the leadership circle we started bouncing ideas off of each other.

[00:10:47] Speaker: Uh, we kept in contact afterwards. Yeah. Uh, two of them actually at one point met with Hugh and I and really Jarvis and John were who they met with, and Truman was there as well. Another member of the leadership [00:11:00] circle. And we were like, well, let's, let's actively start to pull these things together.

[00:11:06] Speaker: Let's figure this out. And that's where we ended up with the journey from poverty to self-sufficiency boundaries and saying, you know, we can't tackle everything, but let's, we already work with enough organizations and enough employers that are, that are thinking about this, that we think that we can get something started with that.

[00:11:25] Speaker: That's what started the thought from our perspective. But the work that was going on was that many of the organizations that I mentioned, the 30 organizations were all starting, they had all seen over time that they would impact a family here. And then they'd kind of lose sight of them and that family would pop up back over here and need support from another organization.

[00:11:48] Speaker: And then that, that family would pop up over here. But often they had encountered some barriers in between a couple of the organizations that, that unfortunately caused them to have difficulties that maybe they needed to [00:12:00] start some portion of the journey over again. And we started to realize that it was really an interconnected journey.

[00:12:06] Speaker: That if you're gonna walk beside a family across what often takes five to 10 to 15 years on the move from poverty to self-sufficiency, that you're gonna need to have an interconnection that has a variety of time and a variety of activities that are there to support different families at different parts of the journey.

[00:12:28] Speaker: So it made sense for us to have a more holistic perspective and begin to bring people together.

[00:12:34] Speaker: Scott, what would you say, um, and you already have been answering this, but were there some key perspectives or principles or truths from the Denver Leadership Circle that kind of stuck with you as you helped launch the, call it a clapman circle.

[00:12:50] Speaker: Well, the name says the first one, which is we, we were just completely inspired by what the, uh, original Clapham Circle did to not only led to the [00:13:00] abolishment of the slave trade, but then also other positive things that were happening in, in, in England in the early 18 hundreds. So just inspiration and, and just to realize that people could do it.

[00:13:12] Speaker: Yeah. The other thing is that, you're placed, God has placed you in a specific situation, in a specific location because that's where he wants you to do your work. And, and Clapham circle was, it brought that out as well, right? So we, we all have our locations, our gifts, our current work.

[00:13:38] Speaker: That when we think about how all that can interconnect and begin to share stories and information and dreams and hopes, and then begin to work together, all that can come together to a broader good and all that come can come together. That another thing is, is that, you know, us living out our authentic lives that, that God [00:14:00] wants us to every day at work.

[00:14:01] Speaker: So even if you're in a secular place, then, you know, how is it that God wants you to show love to others through your work? Is it your coworkers? Is it your clients? Is it your customers? You know, whoever it is. But how is it that? But we then, as a group, need renewal through that process. So, you know, love flows out, but love flowing in from God.

[00:14:23] Speaker: It helps to have love flowing in with large numbers of other people to share, uh, with on the journey. Tackling poverty is a big, huge, complicated, uh, activity more than anything we can cover. We have to follow God's leadership. We have to have God open doors for us that otherwise wouldn't be open.

[00:14:40] Speaker: We have to work together and, and get re, renewed across many, many years. And, and some of us actually will retire when the journey is still going. So, uh, it's a multi-generational type of work as well.

[00:14:53] Speaker: Scott, I appreciate you saying that there at the end. You know, I'm, I'm kind of known as, um, people go through the leadership circle to say, [00:15:00] welcome to the rest of your life.

[00:15:01] Speaker: Now that you understand what God is calling you to you, there's a good chance you'll be involved in this for a long time, just as you just described. Could you succinctly I want the listeners to make sure they understand, Scott, what is the, the goal, what's the purpose of the, call it a clap circle.

[00:15:18] Speaker: So sis well try to do it very succinctly. Yes. There are really multiple areas where families struggle on the journey. So, and they have to have foundations, so they have to have good housing, they have to have the right skills to be successful in a job. They have to have a good situation if they're a parent for their children.

[00:15:39] Speaker: So whether it's childcare or school or whatever it is and. Those serve as a foundation. And people in poverty often don't have that firm foundation. Right? So there are several organizations that work with to, to help them establish that firm foundation. And then when you start to think about how can they be successful at [00:16:00] work, that transition there, they're often haven't had the opportunity to develop skills that would allow them to be successful at work.

[00:16:09] Speaker: Uh, having a car that can allow them to show up every day on time without breaking down having enough food where they feel good while they're working. They can be successful working, but also going to that work environment. So this is where employers get involved going to that work environment where they, are cared for and nurtured while they then love the customers. On the back end of that, they put their heart in into the products that they're creating. So that, that's kinda sets the breadth of the work that we do. And then in each situation, coming out of poverty, you have to be successful at a first job.

[00:16:49] Speaker: So where you get in the workplace, you have to understand what skills and experiences are gonna lead you to into a career. And then in, at least in the United States, you have [00:17:00] to have some additional training. Usually that's often cost money. So how is it that I can get that training? How is it that that ties into my, you know, my current employee or employer, an ex-employer?

[00:17:11] Speaker: And then you start a new career and then you need to be nurtured. And it's really only when you're in that good career. That you're at the point where you can afford to, think about saving for retirement and saving for your kids' education and, and, um. Buying a house. So that, that, that's the, towards the end of the journey is that building wealth and equity.

[00:17:32] Speaker: Scott, when you think that you and the others have been working together on this for probably five years or so or more Yep. What would, um, what are some things that have been encouraging to you with the progress you've made? What has encouraged you? What, what gives you hope? What motivates you?

[00:17:49] Speaker: So the, the work, the working with family starting to see, right? Right now we work with roughly the organizations at roughly a thousand people. And we're starting to measure more. Now that [00:18:00] we've been working on this, we're able to measure more what's really happening. With families that maybe we lost touch with for a little bit, right?

[00:18:07] Speaker: Um, seeing where things are working. So by just intentionally stepping through and saying, we're going to interconnect this. Where, where are the pieces that we need more information, where are the places that we're missing some solutions that we can, as for funding to expand the solutions that we have for us to, to kind of understand that big picture are roles within it.

[00:18:31] Speaker: And then how we can work together has been really a, an important piece of that journey is just to, to begin to put all those pieces together. The other thing, and we'll get into this with prayer a little bit, is just by getting together and talking through that and being involved with the other organiz, we're not the only organizations that are helping the leaders within these, uh, organizations really.

[00:18:56] Speaker: Connect and be become stronger leaders and you [00:19:00] know, so there's, there's other pieces that are going on in the community. We've seen this amazing network of a hundred plus organizations, so not just the 30, but how is it that there are so many people and there's at least a thousand people we work with on a yearly basis that are just helping families that care about them, that love the Lord.

[00:19:20] Speaker: But we don't often find each other until we're intentional about finding each other. So it's been pretty overwhelming to just understand who's working in this as well as then by beginning to meet together. And pray together, right? And talk about our dreams together. Then God seems to continue to open up doors.

[00:19:40] Speaker: We're amazed at the number of times that someone's been pre-positioned, right? God knew this was gonna be needed. We had no idea until yesterday or maybe even until tomorrow that we needed that person and then we bump into that person, right? So it, it is amazing how God is in the midst of this that understands it all [00:20:00] our, you know, our whole goal is just under.

[00:20:02] Speaker: Find his, uh, goals and steps for us. Give him our dreams, but then recognize that he, he's the one that understands the big picture and, and can best guide our goals and steps. And for us to lean into that, that has been a, an a, an amazing growth and journey.

[00:20:19] Speaker: You know, Scott, you're making me think, and in a few minutes we will talk about prayer because it is such a priority now, but, um, as you said, you.

[00:20:27] Speaker: Come into contact with people who care about the same thing, and of these theater 30 organizations and then the hundred I'm sure they represent different sectors of society. And to find yourselves working along with people that maybe in the past you never would've imagined. Can you respond to that?

[00:20:44] Speaker: Absolutely. And, and that's something that the, that the Leadership Circle has continued with why WM and, and their support. And you can talk a little bit about that if you want to Hugh The, the really understanding the spheres in society and the influence and how broad it does need to be.

[00:20:58] Speaker: We've been amazed [00:21:00] at the government employees, so in the United States, uh, government employees really. Can't talk much about their faith, right? So they can talk a little bit, but not much. But when they're in individual meetings and individual discussions, then significant number of them do have that faith.

[00:21:19] Speaker: And how is it that we can they, they, they're in their role because they care about people and they, they really wanna help people. Government puts a structure around what they can do and how they can do it. But that doesn't mean they as individuals don't have the same heart. As someone working in a nonprofit.

[00:21:38] Speaker: Employers have been interesting to work with, so that's another sphere, right? So we really need the employers to, to have great jobs and but we we're seeing that when they implement these and we've, we've had multiple employers who have done this. When they implement the ability to love their neighbors and love their customers, that their business takes off as well, right?

[00:21:59] Speaker: [00:22:00] So it is an amazingly powerful thing for business. You don't do it to get more money, but it somehow results. Many times in, in, in a more profitable business and a more effective business, a growing business. So for us to figure out that it's not just the educators and nonprofits and the organizations that, you know, are working in this space every day.

[00:22:26] Speaker: But the there's so many other people in related spheres that are working together. And then I have been, remiss in not mentioning many, many times that the families that we serve are really, you know, the heart of this. They own the journey. They're the ones encountering all these barriers.

[00:22:42] Speaker: They're the ones with the hope. Yeah. So many of them are faith-based and for us to empower them to talk about their faith and to live out their faith, that is something that continues to inspire us every day. But, uh, putting them at the center of the journey and allowing them to own the journey and just removing [00:23:00] barriers with them.

[00:23:01] Speaker: Um, is, is is an amazing thing to see. It's also amazing thing to see how many barriers come up. We see that roughly three to five barriers a year would, that would stop someone's journey come up, and we have to be there to either remove them or we as a group now are trying to remove them before they encounter them because they're just, they're terrible barriers that exist and we need to help 'em remove them.

[00:23:28] Speaker: Scott on that idea. Um, my next question for you was, is, um, what obstacles is the, call it a cloud circle facing? And you've already been describing some of that, but describe it some more, not just the obstacles that these poor families encountered, but also obstacles that you have encountered as, call it a cloud and circle is working together to help these people.

[00:23:49] Speaker: So the, I'll mention one more. Blessing. And then I'll, I'll get into the obstacles. Um, please. We're working with a group tangentially out of Alaska that, [00:24:00] that talked about how the Alaskan native uh, tribes just have the strong faith, right. And they were like, we're, we're not poor. We may be poor financially, but we are poor.

[00:24:12] Speaker: We are not poor. When it comes to relational relation and spiritual spirituality and things like that. So, so for us to help people see those, that's one of the obstacles, right? And so, some people recognize it, but some people don't. They have such great skills, they have such great faith, they have such often very strong family bonds.

[00:24:34] Speaker: Sometimes they don't have family bonds. Right. And that, that's a, a big obstacle. We, working with foster youth in the United States today is, is something that, continually lets you know how strong a barrier there is for anybody that grew up in the foster youth system, because they haven't built those bonds with the, with family.

[00:24:52] Speaker: They're actually our friends that are working in that space are helping them, helping them find their family unit. Find their chosen [00:25:00] family is the words that they use more broadly besides just the, the, you know, individual foundations. We could go on, uh, of the obstacles for the, each of the individual families that we're doing that we're working with.

[00:25:13] Speaker: But more broadly a lot of it is capacity, right? So it's a big issue. Everyone is just fully sprinting in their day-to-day jobs. And then for them to say, Hey, if we can figure out how to do two or three things more together, we'll be more effective. But how do I set aside the time to do that and how do I have the money to do that?

[00:25:36] Speaker: So capacity is probably our biggest issue at this point. Um, when we get two or three hours a week from, from a leader of a nonprofit or a a, an employer. That's a blessing to us, but we need to have the capacity to pick that up and walk beside those people and do a lot of the day-to-day work.

[00:25:55] Speaker: Right.

[00:25:55] Speaker: So that's what we're doing today. You know, one of, one of the things [00:26:00] that also we're trying to figure out is that so many people are wanting to take action, but when they get involved in their day-to-day activities, then. Where is it that we seem as a group to be hitting barriers over and over again versus where are we starting to make progress and leaning into monitoring that and leaning into it.

[00:26:23] Speaker: And part of that is through prayer. Part of that is through understanding and listening and recognizing that God sometimes puts up barriers. Or puts up, not, not yet. It's not time yet. Types of signals, and yet we, we just brazenly sometimes just, just try to blow through those barriers and we're like, well, that's kind of silly, right?

[00:26:45] Speaker: Looking back at it. Yeah. Um, so for us to understand where it is, that's the right time, the right approach, the right speed, what is God's timing? Not our timing. And when is it that he wants us to move? Right? [00:27:00] So one of the things we pray about is, you know, when is it that we need better solutions and help us to figure that out?

[00:27:06] Speaker: And when is it that we need faith and action to, to begin to implement those solutions? We don't need to keep refining them. We need to be implementing and moving. And for us to, to find the balance between those two. Is certainly an obstacle. And then bluntly, most organizations, most nonprofit organizations are struggling for money.

[00:27:31] Speaker: So for us to come together as a group and figure out, where is it that if I, if I tell you I'm not doing as good as I should over here am I gonna lose a funder? And maybe that funder will spend their money someplace else. So there's a bit of a scarcity mentality that's naturally built into nonprofit organizations, right?

[00:27:52] Speaker: Um, government organizations have different type of barriers that they hit. So how's it that we can figure out how to remove all those obstacles together. [00:28:00]

[00:28:01] Speaker: Scott, in many ways, what you're doing right there is you're describing how to live by faith in as helping to give leadership of the, call it a clap circle.

[00:28:09] Speaker: Um. Let's move on to prayer for a few minutes. I know some time ago you really began to focus on prayer in the context of this call to Clapham Circle work. Why, what led you to begin to focus that and then describe to us how prayer has the prayer rhythms that the call to Clap circle has. So

[00:28:33] Speaker: it's been a 15 year journey, right?

[00:28:36] Speaker: So, I mean, I was always in prayer, but I really didn't feel like I should be praying about my IT work because, does God really want my company to make more money? It didn't, it didn't. Seemed like I had a, a work that Yeah. Should be prayed about. And what I've learned since then is that I should have been right.

[00:28:55] Speaker: So the people I interact with the love that I could show, I, I should [00:29:00] have been praying about these types of things all the time, right? However, so I didn't know that at that point, but once I did get a job I was beginning to pray about, then just slowly and surely. I would hear, I would see this, I would recognize this, uh, something would pop into my mind that wasn't part of my mind.

[00:29:20] Speaker: Right? So that, that was, it was put there. And sometimes it was, yeah, don't do that. Or sometimes it was, you really need to do this. And so that just was kind of a slow growth. But once we got together as a group and we really started to say, Hey, how is everyone else praying? Let's start praying together in meetings.

[00:29:40] Speaker: That, that was certainly a big area of growth for us. Learning to stop in the middle of meetings, as I mentioned earlier, and just ask for direction, but then to continue prayer afterwards. And then, uh, about two years ago during one of my prayers a very direct message came to me that you know, I'll first preface this by saying [00:30:00] that we are, we were struggling a bit to have people truly understand what e everyone does day to day.

[00:30:05] Speaker: We have some people that are working in housing and other people that are working with employers, and they often don't understand what each other are on a day-to-day basis. And we, we tried a few different ways to do that. And one day it be just became clear that I was supposed to be sharing prayer requests across organizations.

[00:30:21] Speaker: So I wrote down, sat down and wrote out a prayer request. Asked the members to keep sending me prayer requests. I actively go out and try to find them. Um, then each night we just send you know, a, a prayer request or two out that's just saying, Hey, this meeting tomorrow, or, Hey, this is a struggle this organization is having, or, Hey, this is a, a joy, uh, that has come to this organization.

[00:30:43] Speaker: So we share in the, in the upcoming items, the outcomes the struggles we, we learned to share together. And the more that you know, I have a tendency not. To to be very in the United States would be called Pollyanna, right? So, [00:31:00] uh, I am someone that always believes that the, the, that good things are just around the corner and, uh, live life that way.

[00:31:07] Speaker: But it is, we also need to share our struggles as well. It is in those, those struggles and being open about them, and sometimes they're personal and sometimes they're organizational and sometimes it shows weakness. But God wants us to do that with our brothers and sisters, right? And he wants us to, to give that up to him.

[00:31:28] Speaker: So working with people to actually be able to state this is something I'm struggling with and need help with, has been a, an amazing journey for me and I think for some of the, the members as well. So we do that now daily, and I'd encourage everyone to start to share, uh, whether it's in meetings or in, writing.

[00:31:47] Speaker: Or in a prayer app. There are several good prayer apps out there where you can share information, whatever works for you, your team, and your rhythm to start to share or at least have one prayer buddy, right? Uh, with and about work. Um, [00:32:00] amazing things happen whenever you, whenever you start to pray about this.

[00:32:05] Speaker: Scott, I appreciate your description there, and I am. I'm one of those that I wake up in the morning, soon I'll go to my phone or my laptop, and there's this prayer request that Scott has sent to all of us the night before, along with a written out prayer for that prayer request. And it's, it's delightful to, in a sense, be guided, but also to know that there's so many other people praying for the same thing.

[00:32:33] Speaker: And, um, I just, I guess I just wanna say thank you that you have acted on that, which God said to you, to then bring all of us together to pray about these important things. Um, and, um, it's so encouraging. I look forward to seeing that email from Scott Fast saying, we gotta pray about this, a prayer request that you have been alerted to.

[00:32:56] Speaker: Scott, as we're moving along, what gives you [00:33:00] hope?

[00:33:00] Speaker: Well in that, in that working together again the fact that God has continued to put things in place that we didn't even know we needed and we recognize they're there is, is just probably the biggest source of, of joy. That and just the relationships that we've been building with the families and with the people that we work with because.

[00:33:21] Speaker: When we do these, studies and someone's feeling down, we we're able to fall back on we're, you know, we're doing what God wants us to do, right? So we're, we're, we're not in control of so many of the outcomes. Or we're only partially in control, but the fact that we are serving. The Lord, and we are actively seeking his will for us, and we are trying our best to do that will, as for me, it just fills me with, uh, joy, not just for me, but every time that we're interacting with [00:34:00] people.

[00:34:00] Speaker: At this point it's, it's almost like it, the, the hope and joy is just kind of flowing, right? So you, you, you encounter. At least a third of the, the news we get is bad, right? And so something happened, something was difficult. And I'm not just talking about the big broad news I'm talking about with our families, right?

[00:34:19] Speaker: Something happened with a family and it's probably 'cause those, I mentioned, three to five barriers a year. It's probably one of those barriers, right? Um, and encounter. So lots of bad news comes in, but at the end of the day, so God's love kinda washes that away. And renews you, and fills you with hope for your next day and, and for the next interaction with the individual.

[00:34:40] Speaker: So that's, it's been such a joy to, to have that in my life that, I can't express it well enough.

[00:34:48] Speaker: Amen. Scott, just the last couple questions before we finish for the day. What dreams do you have for this? What dreams.

[00:34:55] Speaker: Yeah, it's been interesting coming out of the business world and talking [00:35:00] about some big broad change methodologies.

[00:35:02] Speaker: You have to have goals, right? So set goals. Set goals. Set goals. Talk about your goals. So, you know, our stated goals is that Will, will provide the support for any family we interact with that they need to complete their journey, that will help them remove their barriers. We'll have the whole thing integrated.

[00:35:18] Speaker: You know, continuing to integrate the journey. And have it work for our families is probably our immediate goal. And I mentioned about a thousand people today. If we had to state a goal, uh, you know, it'd be to get to, you know, eventually 5,000 people and eventually 10,000 people we're working on. I mentioned that it's a multi-year journey, so it takes a long time.

[00:35:37] Speaker: But if you can start to, think about moving 10,000 people in, in Colorado, which has about 6 million people. 10,000 people at a time moving out of poverty, you start to really start to move the needle on poverty. So that's that's our, you know, when we have to state goals. But the biggest dreams we have is that we really are able to just say, God, what do you [00:36:00] want us to do today?

[00:36:02] Speaker: God, what is your will? Amen. How do you want us to live it out today? And then everything else will take care of itself. 'cause he's already, he does so much more than what we are able to do and he's got so much greater understanding that yeah, that the more we can just say, well, today is yours, Lord.

[00:36:21] Speaker: Uh, the, the goals will take care of themselves and, and the dreams will be answered. Obviously there's lots of dreams for families housing to get more and more people through to housing. Um, to saving for retirement, to, to not having debt. You know, a lot of those are the blocking and tackling.

[00:36:36] Speaker: If anybody's ever wants to talk through that please reach out to me. Yeah. Um, so, uh, I should I, is it okay if I give 'em my email address? Yes please. Um, Scott, SEOT t.fast, F as in frank, a ST dot co@gmail.com. Uh, CO stands for Colorado. Love to talk to you about it. Love to [00:37:00] figure out how we interconnect.

[00:37:01] Speaker: Uh, we got multiple cities doing this with different organizations because we know we learn from each other. Love to do that. We have a framework that we use, but others have frameworks as well. We use, ours is based on our organization called empath out of Boston. So everyone learns together and rises together.

[00:37:16] Speaker: So that, that's, that would be, some of the dreams and hopes that we, we have coming up is that we continue to just, uh, be part of this national network that is just following God's will within our own communities. Scott, I've heard you

[00:37:30] Speaker: over the few years that you have referred that you just earlier referred to Alaska and then you refer just now to Boston.

[00:37:38] Speaker: And I know I've heard you refer to other cities and I how encouraging that you're aware of what's going on and wanting to learn from them and partner with them. That's really encouraging. Scott, as we're coming to the end. What else do you want to tell our listeners? What's something you think you want them to remember that they, um, understand during this, [00:38:00] uh, podcast we've had today?

[00:38:01] Speaker: Thinking back through the, the leadership circle approach, right? So, and whether, hopefully there's a leadership circle in your, your city. Uh, if not, there's a virtual one, but. A lot of it is set the foundation, begin to pray, make sure you're praying, make sure you're seeking God's will.

[00:38:20] Speaker: Make sure you're seeking it with brothers and, and sisters that are trying to do the same thing. And then figure out how you're gonna take action, right? Where is God telling you that it is something that you can do. And even if it's just one or two things, three to five hours a week.

[00:38:37] Speaker: Get out there and find something that you love. I actually did about 10 of those different activities over 15 years before I found what my calling really was. Right. Uh, it took me a long time to to fall into the, the po the work, the of alleviating poverty. And that's great, right? You're learning skills if you're working, learn skills from your supervisor.

[00:38:58] Speaker: Everything that you have [00:39:00] will come to bear later in life when you are, when you, God wants to use you for something. It's amazing how many of these things are like that, that thing I learned 15 years ago and, and that piece was an experience that someone else learned 10 years ago, but mentioned to me last week.

[00:39:17] Speaker: So just, just take joy in what you're doing right now, recognizing you're, you're serving the Lord. Uh, figure out one or two actions to take one or two brothers and sisters to do it with, and then get connected with the group. And pray. Pray. Right? So that's, that's the engine for everything of understanding God's will is, uh, to pray about it to and watch what he's doing and, and your life and others.

[00:39:42] Speaker: Scott, thank you for this time knowing you personally and hearing you speak. It's, I can. Verify that what you're saying you're actually doing. It's so encouraging. Thank you for making time today to join us, and thank you to all our listeners for joining us on this 11th, the Intersection [00:40:00] Faith Work and Life podcast with Scott Fast.

[00:40:03] Speaker: We ask you to go to our website at www.citiesprojectglobal.com or to LinkedIn or to Apple, apple podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. And subscribe to our podcast, and if you have found our podcasts helpful, please let us know through our review. Scott, go on. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[00:40:27] Speaker: Thank you for sharing your life and what you care about and with your real focus on prayer. Thank

[00:40:33] Speaker: you. Happy to be there and Hughes right there every step of the way. So same. Same to you, Hugh, and look forward to our future journeys together. So peace, everyone.