Why "Who Do I Say I Am?" Changes Everything! | Mike Hilson E50

Curated Questions: Conversations Celebrating the Power of Questions!

"Who am I? Was never gonna turn out well. Who do I say I am? Had a chance." - Mike Hilson

Host Ken Woodward welcomes Pastor Mike Hilson, senior pastor of New Life Church. They delve deep into how questions shape identity, leadership, and personal growth. Mike shares his journey, from wrestling with self-identity as a child to leading a thriving network of churches. Key discussions include the necessity of creative boredom, the evolution of the question 'Who do I say I am?', the importance of strategic delegation, and balancing doctrinal adherence with familial love.

Episode Notes

00:00 The Origin of a Pivotal Question

01:51 Introducing Mike Hilson

03:18 Mike's Early Life and the Power of Questions

04:16 Struggles in School and the Importance of 'Why'

05:18 College Years and Career Decisions

05:49 Journey into Ministry

06:14 Challenges and Realizations in Ministry

08:21 Creative Boredom and Leadership

11:00 Self-Awareness and Personal Growth

11:24 Marriage and Life Decisions

15:38 Parenting and Fatherhood

17:24 Wrestling with Identity and Faith

18:17 Leadership and Church Growth

22:40 The Impact of Lifelong Questions

30:36 What is a Good Dad?

36:16 Delegation and Empowerment

38:57 Handling Authority and Humility

40:38 Church Planting and Community Building

41:58 Maintaining Humility and Perspective

42:46 Mentorship and Church Growth

43:33 Rabbinical Mentoring Approach

44:04 Coffee with the Pastor Series

44:37 Rick Warren's Baseball Diamond Structure

45:39 Impact and Ministry Goals

48:52 End Game Thinking

50:36 Succession Planning

53:27 Communism and Totalitarianism

54:14 End Game Thinking in Personal Life

58:37 Questions and Anger in Society

01:00:48 Philosophical Base Choices

01:03:57 Biblical Truths and Cultural Application

01:06:04 Personal Identity and Roles

01:07:26 Future Plans and Family

01:13:13 Living a Full Life

01:15:51 Common Question: Proving God's Existence

01:16:10 Philosophical Game: What If I'm Wrong?

01:19:43 Final Thoughts and Gratitude

01:19:48 Summary Takeaways

Resources Mentioned

New Life Church in La Plata, Maryland

Producer Ben Ford

Southern Wesleyan University

Appalachian State University

John Maxwell

Rick Warren

Napkin Theology by Mike Hilson

Speak Life by Mike Hilson

A Significant Impact for Christ by Mike Hilson

Coffee with the Pastor by Mike Hilson

Theo Bolden

Outlive by Dr. Peter Attia

Brett Favre

Mike Hilson on LinkedIn

Beauty Pill

Questions Asked

When did you first understand the power of questions?

Why am I here, why am I here without anybody? Why don't people like me?

Why is that bird doing that? Why does that rabbit hide there? why does that snake stand in that tree?

Why am I doing this [college class]? Why am I here? Why am I doing this?

What's this gonna be like?

Why am I a Wesleyan? Why do I believe this about the Bible versus that?

Could I be a Baptist? Could I be a Pentecostal?

Where is your creative boredom?

How have you used questions in that journey of self-awareness?

If I keep dating this girl, I'm going to marry her. And I had to stop and say to myself, am I okay with that?

Who do you say I am?

Who do I say she is?

Am I, Mike the guy who's gonna be a businessman who's gonna do this? Or am I, Mike the guy who's gonna be a pastor? Am I pastor Mike?

How do I figure it out?

How do I help other people deal with this?

Who do I say I am? Who does God say I am?

How could you leave?

What do I think a father ought to be?

What does a good father do right now?

How do you properly unpack things?

Which matters more?

What did Jesus die for?

If I fail to show grace here, how is it that I'm being like Jesus?

How does a dad show Grace?

What is a good dad, and how do I live that out?

Who do I say that I am?

What can I not, not do?

How quickly did you embrace load shedding and being okay with that as a leader?

How do I make sure we're taking care of them properly?

What is the logical outcome of what I am currently doing?

What is end game thinking?

What do I leave behind?

How do you think through what that building's gonna be worth in 30 years?

What's the natural outcome if I continue to treat my wife the way I'm treating her right now?

What happens if you silence half or a third of your nation and tell them they can't talk anymore?

How generous am I being to other people?

What does that mean for my life? What does that mean for how I live?

What measure did I just use?

What measure do I want God to use back to me?

What does it mean to love my child, even if my child's gonna reject my faith?

How do I balance these?

How do you now do your job? What can I not not do to fit inside of that?

Why would I believe in a God that you can't prove exists?

What have I missed in my life by following a biblical worldview and the biblical tenets of how I should live?

What if I'm wrong?

What if I'm right? What have you missed?