Troy Gramling | Serving Others: The Power of Leaving a legacy beyond your lifetime
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I'd love for you to just talk a little bit about potential and what it means to you and how you define it. I had a coach when I was playing basketball in college and he drew two lines and he said that we're going to play some teams that have greater potential, you might say. They have greater gifts. He said, but really what is going to determine who wins is how much of your potential you realize.

And he said, you know, some folks have greater gifts, but they don't reach their potential. Whereas if we reach our potential, we'll be victorious. Someone said, when you ask the question, why seven times you get the true answer. And I know your because changes over time. What was your early because? What was that thing that said, I'm going to make a change? The earliest I can remember, I've had a strong belief that what I'm looking for is only going to be found in obedience to God.

Welcome to Mick Unplugged, where we ignite potential and fuel purpose. Get ready for raw insights, bold moves, and game-changing conversations. Buckle up. Here's Mick. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today I am truly excited because we have an amazing guest.

We have an extraordinary leader who has dedicated his life to helping others discover and maximize their potential. He's a visionary pastor, a dynamic speaker, author, and a creative strategist who empowers people to live with purpose and passion.

Please join me in welcoming none other than the inspiring, the motivating, my pastor, Pastor Troy Grambling. Pastor Troy, how you doing, brother? I'm doing great. It's such an honor to be here and get to be a part really of all that you're doing. Hey, I love it. I'm truly honored that you're here. And you know, we were talking just a few moments ago about how

Potential, man, and what that means and how it's a mission and it embodies everything that you are. So I'd love for you to just talk a little bit about potential and what it means to you and how you define it.

Yeah. Well, years ago when they used to have the day timer, you know, back before all the smartphones and everything, and they would always challenge you in the front of it, you know, to kind of write your mission or vision statement, something to that effect. And if you were to go back all those years, you would see a very similar statement to the

what I'm passionate about today, even the opportunity to get to lead the church in that direction. You know, I had a coach when I was playing basketball in college, and he drew two lines, and he said that

we're going to play some teams that have greater potential, you might say. They have greater gifts. He said, but really what is going to determine who wins is how much of your potential you realize. And he said, you know, some folks have greater gifts, but they don't reach their potential. Whereas if we reach our potential, we'll be victorious. And that's just always stuck with me, is that idea. Two things. One, God, you know, we were created

with intentionality to do something of significance. You know, that always kind of gives me chills when you think about there's intentionality in that. And then my responsibility to pursue that. And every step I take in that direction, it actually, you know, it enlarges. The more I become who I was created to be, the more opportunities that I actually have

along the way. The fact that I'm the pastor here is the result of taking steps towards my potential long before I ever even knew I was going to be here. Because you don't know when opportunity is coming, that potential. So it's important to take those steps of development along the way. And my heart is to help folks, one, realize that. Because I think that's

Probably for your listeners as well. So often, especially we live in such a critical world, you know, it's the belief that we truly do have the potential to make a difference, the potential to have a good relationship, the potential to bring about transformation. To me, that first step often is the most challenging.

Totally agree. And, you know, one of the things and I was telling you before, like huge fan of yours, huge follower. I love your social. So your Instagram and your YouTube, because you really break these down in what I call bite sized chunks for people. Right. And you really are uplifting and doing that.

What inspired you to truly focus on that aspect of potential and helping others realize theirs? I think it began with what I originally thought I was going to be doing, which was coaching basketball. That was my plan. You know, I had played in high school and college and

I overseas a little bit. And I thought, you know, that's what I'm going to do. And then and it's so cool the way things always work out. My wife and I were at this little country church called Finch Baptist Church, and they were looking for somebody to teach the young people. And, you know, nobody volunteered. We were in our early 20s. We didn't know how to do it, but we kind of raised our hand. And that decision kind of really changed.

changed the direction of my life because then I began to kind of have this nudge after a year or so of going in this direction and

And my hesitation was, I mean, I loved my pastors. I just didn't necessarily want to be a pastor. You know, I didn't want to dress or act a certain way. And I just remember getting that sense of freedom is that I can fulfill that role, that calling and still be who I was created to be. And that is that coach. So, you know, I'm a challenger.

and uh an encourager hopefully but you know that belief that's kind of father i am that's kind of husband i am that's kind of friend i am it's kind of pastor leader that i am it just encompasses really all that i am is to say no no we can go a little further let's take advantage of every opportunity that's going to come your way let's not

you know, let's not allow ourselves to blame others. Let's not allow ourselves to be the victim because we've all had that, you know, temptation. We've all went down that road, even though, you know, there are things in life where they are unfair, but that's so disempowering, you

You know, I remember when I was just at a little church that we had started in Arkansas and I got frustrated because we kind of plateaued a little bit. And I remember going to my office and I was thinking, if these people could get their stuff together, we could reach this community. And it's like all it's like God just kind of nudged my heart. And it's like, well, if you became a better leader, then they would become better at what they're doing.

And that was so much more empowering because, you know, there's nothing more than disempowering than for me to, you know, wait, have to wait for you before I can, you know, pursue my potential or my destiny. And so I've never forgotten that. I mean, that's been, I don't know, 30 years ago. And so every time I'm kind of tempted to want to blame, you know, South Florida is difficult or this person or that person or whatever it is, it's like, no, no, you just got to get better. You got to, you know, reach more of your potential.

Amazing. Amazing. That's good stuff. And, you know, here on Make Unplugged, we talk about going deeper than your why and really being focused.

and fueled by your because, right? That reason that gets you where you're going. You know, I forgot who the great person was that said this, but someone said, when you ask the question why seven times, you get the true answer, right? And so to me, that's your because. And for my listeners, they all know, and viewers, my because started as a promise that I made to my mom, right? When I was 10 years old, I made a promise to my mom that I was going to help change the family dynamic. And I didn't know how I was gonna fulfill that promise,

But that was my because because of a promise that I made for Pastor Troy. And I know your because changes over time. What was your early because? What was that thing that said, I'm going to make a change? That's a good question for us to reflect upon. I think the earliest I can remember.

I've had a strong belief that what I'm looking for is only going to be found in obedience to God, in my case, and the pursuit of that. I can remember as a young basketball player, you know, getting frustrated because I didn't necessarily participate in everything the rest of the folks on the team did. And I can remember

you know, going to my room and, you know, when I was still living at home and thinking, I can do whatever I want, but it's not going to lead to what I'm looking for. And so I think it's been that internal belief that God truly does have my best in mind and the pursuit of that in order to honor him. That sounds kind of, you know, religious, I guess, and spiritual. But when I think back,

That's the thing that keeps me in the lane. When things are rocking and rolling, it's about seeing people accomplish something, seeing people do something, but it's not always rocking and rolling.

And, you know, and in those days I kind of have to go back to, you know, what is the because, what is the why that I'm going to get up the next day and not give up? Or, you know, as a pastor, you get called to a new church. You know what I mean? And sometimes people do, but sometimes it's just a way to get away from what's not going well.

And to me, I always go back. I can do that. You know, I can pursue, you know, coaching. I can pursue something different. But deep down in my heart, I know that what my greatest fulfillment is going to become is going to be experienced in being what God's created me to be. We could do this all day, like literally do this all day. And again, you speak so passionately and eloquently on your YouTube channel and Instagram, and you're always driving people to that place.

And I love that you help people discover their purpose, right? So for the listeners and viewers, and I know that there's someone listening right now that's struggling or they feel uncertain, they feel lost, they feel uncertain. From Pastor Troy,

What are some specific steps or practices that you would recommend for that person that's listening right now? Yeah, you know, the book is really my favorite story. It's the people of God who are enslaved. You know, they go to the promised land, right? The destiny for which they were created, their purpose. And at the very beginning of the story, you've got Moses, you know, he's enslaved.

Nobody at this time and he's nowhere and he's screwed up. He's got all these reasons why it shouldn't be him. And the question that he gets asked by God is really interesting. God says, well, what's in your hand?

And that, you know, we tend to focus on what's not in our hand. And I know that your listeners today, I'm sure it's real easy to be thought, to think of the things they don't have. You know, the money they don't have, the education they don't have, the relationships, the loan, the property, right? There's so much that we don't have, but...

When you read that story in scripture, you know, he had a stick is what he had. He had a staff and God took a stick and had the most powerful man in the world at the time, Pharaoh, bowed down to that stick, you know, and I think, well, what can God do in your listeners life? I mean, I think the practical thing is to step back because we often take for granted what's in our hand. We're focused on what we don't have.

You know, sometimes there are some folks that I'm sure are listening and watching that are 25. You know, I'm 56. They've got 25 years, you know, that's in their hand. They've got youth. They've got energy. They've got time. Some folks have a family.

Right. What is that in your hand? Or some folks are single. So I think the first practical step is to stop focusing on all the things that you don't have and begin to ask the question, what is in my hand and how can I leverage that to move forward towards my potential or my destiny? That's awesome. And so I want to go a little bit deeper where you just were, because I agree, like the world is so full of distractions.

I mean, if we go back to when we were kids, Pastor Troy, we thought we had distractions, but it is nothing like now. I mean, we used to be able to go outside all day and our parents would have to yell at us to come home. We would get in trouble for being outside too long. Now you can't get kids outside and you can barely get adults to go outside. So in this world full of distractions, how do you help people stay focused on their goals and their true purpose? Because it's got to be challenging for

Yeah. Well, I think that's the role importance of community, you know, community can play the right community, I guess I should say, inviting the right people into your life. And by that, I'm not talking about, you know, rich or wealthy. I'm just talking about folks who will...

In my life, there are three groups of people that I have chosen to listen to. Because in today's world, you can get distracted if you listen to everybody. And you emotionally really can't handle it. I mean, everybody's got an opinion. And because of social media, they can get it to you. So I've chosen to listen to those who love me. You know, they may not know what I'm trying to do. They may not even think I'd ever be able to do it, but I know they love me. And then I listen to those who believe in me.

They may not love me, but they see something in my life. They see a calling. They see gifts. They see talents. And then those who know more than me. And sometimes these folks are through a book or through a podcast. But I've decided that I'm going to invite those people into my life to help me keep from being distracted. Because I think one of the things that can distract us more than anything is

is criticism. And, you know, because you can start to pursue what somebody else thinks you ought to be instead of what your real voice is and what your real calling is. So other folks can kind of help you because it's easier, you know, it's easier for me to look and see in somebody else's life that may be a little more challenging in my own life. And so I think community plays a big role. And sadly,

like you were saying, because of social media, which can be, you know, we're on social media, it's effective, it can be incredibly helpful. But sometimes we don't build in the relationships that we need into our lives. Because, you know, I only know versus social media what you allow me to know.

You know what I mean? You've got to put it out there before I can see it or hear it. But if you and I are friends and we're going for coffee every so often or going to play ball together or whatever, I can see a difference in your life. I can see if you start to drift. I can see if you're hurting or if you're going through a difficulty, as can you in my own life. So I just think those things are really, really important if we want to reach our potential.

Agreed. And so in the latest book, right, you have a lot of tips and tricks. Obviously, from beginning to end, it's a great read. From your viewpoint, if you had to summarize the book a little bit, what would you say are the three highlights that you really want people to get out of the book? And we can go promo the book right now. So let's go title and let's talk about it.

I think the most important part is the first section because I spend a lot of time dealing with the different excuses people have, the different fears that folks have, and really beginning to understand who you are. Because I think the more you know who you are and pursue it without fear, the more success you're going to have. And I think that's the most difficult thing to do. I mean, there are not a lot of people in our lives telling us that we can do great things.

that, you know, we live in a world that's often depressed and discouraged and telling us if, you know, the right person doesn't get elected or you didn't go to the right school or whatever, you know, you can't succeed. And so that first part of the book, we really spend a lot of time dealing with all of those different ideas and how do we honestly reflect on ourselves? How do we find our voice? You know, what's unique about you and me and how can I leverage that to pursue my destiny? And then in the kind of the middle of the book, we deal a lot with

the challenges because you know once you get started you know when they went they're going after their destiny and just like all of us they want to get there quick you know who when i punch in my gps i don't put the long way i put i want to go the short route

And yet it's interesting. God says he took them the roundabout way. And I think a lot of times we think that challenges are roadblocks when in reality, they're just preparation, you know, for our success or for our potential. And so we talk about who those folks can be and how to deal with that. And then probably my second most like

passionate part is towards the end of the book, we talk about having a dream bigger than just your own life. I've discovered that sometimes our dreams are too small. And what I mean by that is not that we don't dream to have a big enough impact or a big enough business or whatever it is that we're dreaming. But what I mean by that is we tend to dream for just our lifetime.

And in doing so, we can often get discouraged, especially the older we get. We can become more discouraged because we can think, well, I got less time to actually accomplish it. And if I'm not going to accomplish it, then we can kind of let up as opposed to realizing that I want to dream something that's bigger than me. I want to dream something that's multiple generationally. And that's going to impact the decisions that I make.

in the book is just a great example because Moses raises up Joshua and you see how he does that, the mentoring and all of that. Then after Joshua in the Bible, it goes into the book of Judges, which it even says there was a generation that forgot. And I thought about this. I don't think

that the older generation stopped talking about the walls of Jericho. I mean, if you walked around the walls and they fell down and all of a sudden, I mean, you're going to talk about that your whole life. I think what happened is they quit in

intentionally inviting the next generation to hear those stories. You know, because as you get older and as you get young and old, and if we're not intentional, we stay here as opposed to, you know, coming together. And Moses did that and Joshua didn't. And, you know, I want my life, my potential to have a greater impact than just

It's not my heartbeat. You know, I want to be able to pass it down to set them up, you know, to pursue the uniqueness in the dream that we have. It's not about them accomplishing what I want done, but it's about them having greater opportunity to do the bigger part of the dream.

Absolutely. And so I know I have listeners that are like, all right, Pastor Troy, this all sounds great. Do you have an example of how you've helped someone like truly unlock their potential through your guidance?

Yeah, I mean, I've talked to, you know, a lot of different people we've had actually with the help of Rick Warren's book, you know, talking about the purpose driven life. And I had a young man who was at the time he had just retired a professional athlete. He had had some success there. And, you know, because in South Florida, there are lots of retired athletes, but didn't have any sense of direction and had made some bad decisions along the way. And

Again, really the main way I impacted his life was just, again, time. That's where I think time and community that we committed. And we walked through that, the purpose-driven book. But we could have walked through any book. It was an opportunity for us to discuss where he was and what are the next steps. I think sometimes we make it a lot more complex. It's only complex because I'm only thinking about it here. You know, I can confuse myself.

So incredibly, you know, I can't even decide where I want to go for lunch, let alone determine, you know, do I go to college or not go to college? Do I take this job? Do I move? You know, all those kind of decisions where if I talk to you, you may have a lot more clarity and then and then I can give you more context and you can give me more clarity. You kind of work through that. We might invite somebody else in who's made that move.

And what are they thinking along the way? And so that's what we did. Him and I would get together. Then we'd get together in a group. And today he's... And again, I think that other perspective is really, really important if you've been through challenge.

So as not to blame the circumstances or blame God, because we can get stuck there. You know what I mean? It may have been unfair what happened or how you got into this situation. We're not arguing about whether it's fair or not fair. But the reality is we all are where we are. And how do we move forward from where we are and who you invite in your life and where you spend your time is going to be so important in where you end up. I mean, a year is going to pass.

It's going to pass. And the only question is, am I going to be any different? And if I'm not intentional about what I'm inviting to my life, I'm not, you know, I'm still going to be thinking I'm going to lose that weight or I'm going to take that class or I'm going to. So I think and I know myself, not everybody's like this, but if I don't invite people in my life to help me keep those commitments that I'm making.

Even if I know the right commitments, if I don't invite somebody into my life, when it gets difficult, I'm liable, like you said earlier, to drift from it. So I think that sense of

Community is so important in us succeeding at whatever it is that we're called to do. Totally agree. Totally agree. Pastor Troy, you're one of the biggest givers that I know, right? Just your servant leadership. You give and give and give. How do you balance your personal aspirations with your commitment to serving others?

I think it's a forever frustrating tension. I mean, I wish I was more spiritual, you know, in that sense. I wish I was more... I remember Joel Osteen, some may know, you know, he's all over television. I remember when he first took over for his father and I thought, well, he's not going to do very well. He's just too nice, you know, he's just too nice. And then I got to know him and he's really that nice, you know. For me...

It's attention. You know what I mean? It's always a wrestling match. But I think reflecting is really important. Why am I doing this? What do I want from this? And I think I have to call myself out. I mean, again, I want to invite people in my life to do it, but sometimes just calling myself out. You know what? I gave you a cup of coffee and then...

I got frustrated when the next time you didn't give me a cup of coffee. I got to call that out myself, you know, and I think the more honest I can look into the mirror, the more truly giving I can be, you know, so that it comes from the right place. And it's a true desire without expectation, you know, because to me, that's the highest level of giving is to be able to say, look, I'm truly giving this to you, you know, and I'm not

expecting something back as a result of that. And I think I need to worry if there's not attention. You know what I mean? Like, as long as I'm, you know, attention, I've got to deal with, I think I'm going in the right direction. But if I don't have that tension, then I start to, you know, get concerned that my heart might be getting a little hard. Amazing. Amazing. So I want to wrap this up with rapid fire with Pastor Troy. So college basketball, college coach, one,

What program do you attend? What school did you go to? I went to several because I have a bad back. So I ended at Union University, which is out in Tennessee. Okay. I know exactly where that is. Actually, in Arkansas State University.

Okay. Okay. Good stuff. So favorite college basketball program and why is it my alma mater, the University of North Carolina? Well, North Carolina would be up there because you got Michael Jordan, right? I thought, should I say the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville or should I say Coach K? I read his book. In that book, he talks about how he made decisions in this game for, you know, a game, 10 games down the road. And I thought, wow, that, you know,

to want to win today, but be able to think beyond today is so important as a leader. All right. I'll give you that. You know, I have some Duke friends, you know, Lisa Borders, great mentor of mine. She's a Duke alum. Love Grant Hill. He's a great human being. Yeah. Still hate Christian Laettner, but you know, outside of that.

What position did you play in college? Well, I played a small forward, but I'm 6'4", so I'm really, really, really small forward. But I can jump pretty good, so I can get away with it a little bit. Okay. All right.

All right. Good stuff. And then important question now. So we gave some tips for people that are looking to find their purpose or maybe struggling. What's one or two things that you think are key to people right now that they should be doing just to activate their life, to activate that purpose?

I think the first thing is to do the hard work to discover, you know, begin the journey. You don't have to have all the answers, but what are you pursuing? And like you said a few moments ago, why are you pursuing it? You know, what is your because? Why do you want to and really ask some difficult questions.

questions. And then the second thing is, is then be intentional about what you're inviting in your life, where you're spending your time, what books you're reading, what podcast you're listening to, who you're going to coffee with, you know, where are you really spending your time? Because at the end of the day, we can make it sound real mysterious, but once you know where you're going, you know, and then you invite the right things into your life, you're going to get there.

Amazing. Pastor Troy, where can people follow you? I'm going to have links to everything in the show notes and I'll be promoting this as well. But where do you want people to follow you, find you? Yeah, my name, Troy Gramling, and the books on Amazon, you can go to, that's for all my handles, all social media is just Troy Gramling. And if you'd like to see the teachings, you can go to Potential Church. Potential Church.

Troy Grambling. I have links everywhere. I promise you, you will not be disappointed in following Pastor Troy Grambling on social. Like I said, I love what he puts out YouTube, Instagram. That's where I follow him. He has a lot of amazing things that are out there. The book, especially if you're a leader, because I talk to a lot of leaders, this book can really be a guide for you as a leader. So everyone definitely go get the book and I'll have a link to the book as well.

Well, thank you so much. It's an honor. Enjoy the conversation. I enjoyed it as well. And to all the listeners, remember your because is your superpower. Go unleash it. Thank you for tuning in to Mick Unplugged. Keep pushing your limits, embracing your purpose and chasing greatness. Until next time, stay unstoppable.