Angela Stackhouse: Unveiling Stories-The Heart of HeavenEarth Church | Ep. 003

Ross Stackhouse: 00:00:01

What would it look like to start a community that was really, it's for the people like Jesus would be for? Welcome to Heaven Earth Church. I'm Ross Stackhouse, the founding pastor of Heaven Earth Church.

From the start, our heart has been to be a church for people who don't fit neatly into church. We want to meet people where they are and know their stories. Because in every story, there is God's story. And this podcast is just about that.

It's about inviting you into the stories of the people of Heaven Earth Church. So let's turn to the story.

Brad Miller: 00:00:43

Hello, good people. Welcome to the Heaven Earth Church podcast. My name is Brad Miller and I'm the producer and one of the hosts of the podcast.

And today we have as our special guest. Her name is Angela Stackhouse. And we welcome you to the Heaven Earth Church podcast. Angela, tell us a little bit about you.

Tell us, first of all, where do you come from? What's hometown for you?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:01:06

Hometown's Shelby County. I grew up in Fairland and went to Fairland, a small rural school where Ross, my husband, also went. So. Yeah.

And my family still lives there mostly, and now we're of course in Greenwood, so still pretty close.

Brad Miller: 00:01:21

Yeah.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:01:22

Yeah.

Brad Miller: 00:01:22

So did you meet Ross in high school then?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:01:25

I did. I actually met him in middle school. Middle school, yeah.

Brad Miller: 00:01:27

Kind of grew up together.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:01:28

Wow. He's a grade behind me, so we weren't interacting all the time.

But when we got into high school, he was in advanced math and I was just in regular math, so we ended up lining up there. So we spent a little more time together then.

Brad Miller: 00:01:42

Well, awesome. And then. So did you ended up getting married, I don't know, Shortly after high school. I don't really know. Help me out.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:01:49

Yeah, no, we actually. Let's see.

year, let's see, it would be: 2010

So we had a pretty long time together. And then sometimes not together, but mostly together.

Brad Miller: 00:02:12

And we should, you know, I get that, of course, but I get. And what we want to say at this point and be a part of our conversation is that Ross Stackhouse is the pastor of Heaven Earth Church.

You were just a part of the ongoing mission and ministry here, but let's learn a little bit more about you, particularly kind of some of the formative things that happened in your life, either growing up or in your family that you grew up with, school or whatever. What were some of the things that were. Kind of helped shape the person that you are?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:02:40

That's a good question. One that I don't probably reflect on terribly much. I grew up in. I guess what you would consider, at least my immediate family was a nuclear family.

Both my parents are still married today. I had a younger sister that was from that marriage.

But then I also had two older siblings, an older brother and an older sister from my mom's first marriage. So we had kind of that dynamic where they would kind of be living with us sometimes and then living with their dad sometimes.

Grew up in the country, actually. I started out in Carmel, and I went to school there first till first grade, and then I went to. We moved to Fairland.

That was quite the transition, moving out to the country. And one that really. I loved living in the country. I would say probably one of the biggest influences.

My parents were both small business owners, so my mom had a diner and my dad had a hardware store.

Brad Miller: 00:03:27

Okay.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:03:28

And that was kind of. It led to kind of a charm childhood where I got, you know, go to these businesses and work and then eventually actually really work, flavor of small.

Brad Miller: 00:03:36

Business, entrepreneurship, that type of thing.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:03:38

And got to spend a lot of time with my parents, which was nice. And my other family, my dad's father helped. My grandpa helped him. They owned the store together. So I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents.

Another thing that was definitely formative is that both my older siblings struggled. Have struggled with addiction their entire lives. Heroin addiction, specifically.

So I got to see as a child growing up, kind of how that was impacting their lives for the negative. And it definitely kind of put me on the straight and narrow. I didn't want to do any, you know, anything that. That they were doing at the time.

And then also my sister had four. Has had four children. My parents have raised. So starting when I was 12 years old, Eli was my sister became pregnant when I was 12 years old.

And then Eli was born when I was 13. So I really have basically four younger siblings. Even younger than my sister Maria. Yeah. And that was definitely.

I mean, that's been a huge impact in my life.

Brad Miller: 00:04:28

Well, that's really a part of informing the person.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:04:29

Yep. And their addiction has too. I mean, it's an awareness I have.

Brad Miller: 00:04:32

So let's talk a little bit about your life of faith. You know, you're in a part of a faith institution here, Heaven, Earth, Church, now, but people come to be a part of a church for lots of reasons.

And obviously your husband's the pastor here. That's one reason.

I know we'll get into some of that, but yeah, let's talk about your faith story, about how you came to faith in the first place and how that's kind of been a part of forming your life, part of your faith story.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:05:00

So after we moved from Carmel back to Shelby county, my mom's from Shelbyville originally, so I think she felt a little more called to get us what she considers back into the church.

We started going to the church when I was probably 11, 12, 13ish that she went to as a child, which was First Baptist in Shelbyville, which is part of the American Baptist Church. There are a lot of different Baptists, and they have.

I know growing up, I didn't realize that there were all of these different flavors of Baptist, but American Baptists have. For instance, they'll have, like, women preachers, which is different than some Baptist religions. I was. I think it's a little bit more like.

Like, I was allowed to do certain things that I know some of my other Baptist friends weren't.

Like, I could read Harry Potter, for instance, just to give people kind of an idea of what it was like as far as kind of the flavor of what you would hear on a Sunday. There was definitely more fire and brimstone than what I would hear Ross talking about.

Now, there were some things that I think happened in the church that harmed other people. I don't feel harmed by them, but I was part of the. The era that grew up in purity culture, which was a big deal.

I went to church camp a lot, and that was like, one of the themes one year for the entire church camp was like, true love waits. I kind of grew up in that era, but I'm a really big rule follower. So I actually liked having.

Brad Miller: 00:06:11

She liked it.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:06:11

I liked having this from the security.

Brad Miller: 00:06:13

Culture type of thing. It gave you a real kind of rigid set of parameters to live within, right?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:06:19

Yep. And the church kind of as a whole, did, too.

I felt like some of the stuff that I realize now is probably dogma, it might not have come straight from Jesus's lips or even some of the stuff that we see in acts. It, I think, for me, and I know many people have a very different experience, it helped me because I was prone to wanting to follow the rules.

So it helped me kind of create a framework for my life.

Brad Miller: 00:06:41

Yeah.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:06:41

So.

Brad Miller: 00:06:42

So how did that upbringing there kind of evolve or Influence you as you and Ross started your life together. And where kind of where you at now? How has your faith journey evolved?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:06:53

It's evolved a lot the older I get, and I think a lot of people probably have the same experience. I realize that the world is not black and white, that there is so much nuance to the world.

And that a black and white framework, while it might have worked for my younger life, and it really even works a lot for my life now. I mean, I'm still a rule follower. I work in compliance. That's what I do.

I realize that it doesn't always work when you're applying it to the greater world.

I've definitely had some faith crises along the way where it didn't seem like things really, you couldn't reconcile them with a black and white framework. And so that was difficult at times. And I also had.

There was a lot of evolution where for me, I realized growing up, the discussion, a lot of the discussion was about how to get into heaven. And that was really foundational to my faith. How the choices you need to make to get into heaven.

I definitely had a faith crisis when I realized that it meant if certain people are getting into heaven, that means certain people are going to hell.

And I looked around me and there were so many people in my life that weren't following that strict, like a plus B equals C guideline for how to get into heaven, but they were really, really good people and like, pillars of my life.

Brad Miller: 00:08:09

So you had some dilemmas that you were dealing with?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:08:11

Yes.

Brad Miller: 00:08:11

Kind of based on your faith teaching compared to your life experience, Right?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:08:16

Yeah. And that. That was troubling to me. I think it probably led to me to that becoming. Not just. It wasn't just that realization.

If there were certain people in my life that were going to hell, then that wasn't. I wasn't gonna be able to continue in that mindset. And I know for a lot of people that that still is kind of their.

Brad Miller: 00:08:35

Did you come to any kind of resolution or place of understanding where you. That you're at now? So take us there.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:08:42

I think so too, or I think I have. I think. And Ross was very aligned with me too, by the way. We had a very similar.

I mean, we both grew up in a rural area that kind of had a similar kind of feel, even though he went to a Methodist church and I went to a Baptist church. Eventually.

When you look at the Bible, I think in its totality, you realize that it's actually that the question is not actually how to get to heaven. The prevailing question that it's actually a lot more about relationship with God. That has helped me a lot.

I'm not focusing so much on where everybody is going. I'm focusing more on how do we live out our relationship with God in relationship with others. And that's been really helpful to me in my faith.

Brad Miller: 00:09:20

So it's gone from kind of a little bit of dogmatic to more relational. How relate to Jesus and to others and how they're all integrated together.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:09:29

Yes.

Brad Miller: 00:09:30

Your life of faith is being lived out. You are a part of the Heaven Earth Church, and we're here on the Heaven Earth.

Tell us about how you end up getting connected to Heaven Earth Church in the first place and kind of what are you involved with now?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:09:43

Yeah, it started out with kind of a funny story, actually.

I told Ross before he became a pastor that I was adamant with not going to be a pastor's wife, which, of course is a ridiculous thing to say, probably. But again, I grew up in a Baptist church where I felt like there was a prototype or a stereotype for what a pastor's wife did.

And I didn't feel like I fit that stereotype.

Brad Miller: 00:10:04

Just taking a slight aside, give me a couple nuggets of what was burnt in your brain about that.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:10:09

Like, they led children's church all the time. A lot of them didn't work, which is totally fine. It's just that I knew I wanted to work in my life. They played the piano.

I don't know how to play the piano. They always sang on Sunday. Yeah.

Brad Miller: 00:10:21

So those are some of the things stereotypical. I just wondered if your experience was similar. Let's go back to your. How you got connected with heaven or church.

And where we left it at was you told Ross, I don't want to be a preacher's wife in the kind of traditional sense. So what has that evolved to you now and kind of. How did you get started here?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:10:35

Yeah, and the reason I told him that is because he was in theology. He was in a theology program, and he wanted to be a professor. Well, he got rejected from all of his doctoral programs.

His sister sent him a job interview or not a job, a job description for opening at a church in Carmel. And I was like, I don't want to be a pastor's wife. He went ahead and applied despite me. He was really good at preaching. He'd never preached before.

He'd never done anything like that before. And they did, like a practice sermon with him. And I went to it and I was like, okay, I think I might have to be a pastor's wife.

He became a pastor in the Methodist Church, which is kind of leading to Heaven Earth Church. He was at that Carmel church. He was there for, like, six years.

Thankfully, the stereotypes that I had in my mind about being a pastor's wife were not really stereotypes that I saw an action there. So I didn't. It ended up being fine, like, a lot of things I worry about. And then it came time to.

Within the Methodist Church, they move people around. Pastors get moved around to different churches. And it came time for him to move to somewhere else.

And to make a long story short, he ended up leading the charge of a church plant. Brad, you probably know more about it than I do in that, like, the different technical terms, but a church plant in Johnson County.

That's how Heaven Earth Church originated. And it was a house church at first. We were meeting in our house every week. It's always had a recovery church component.

So there was also a recovery church meeting going on. But, yeah, it's really grown from there.

I can't remember exactly the details about how we ended up in this building, but even that was really felt very ordained.

Brad Miller: 00:12:06

What was your initial feelings in that first year or so about the church? Were you kind of thinking, okay, this is a little wobbly. This is something cool going on here? What were some of your emotions?

Because it's not only about starting a church. There's family life, there's marital life, there's transitioning to new community, things of that nature.

And really, with a new church plant, you do not have a community that's supportive of you.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:12:30

Initially, I will tell you that I really struggled with the idea that our family would be uprooted every so many years because of Ross's calling. I struggled because I struggled as a woman, because I had a job that I liked, and I didn't want to be uprooted and moved around away from my job.

And I didn't want my kids to be uprooted.

So honestly, knowing that we were going somewhere close in proximity to where we were before, which was in Shelby County, I was actually very grateful that we were going to be trying to do this.

I remember making a joke that I was going to lay in front of cars to get them to come to our church because I wanted it to work, because I want to be close to my family. I don't want to move to Fort Wayne or something.

Brad Miller: 00:13:11

Any new adventure is a little bit dicey, if that's right.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:13:15

Exactly. So I felt good about it.

Knowing that we would still have at least our family within an hour of us, you know, and still be able to see them and participate in family stuff. And with a church plant, if it goes well, then it usually lasts a little longer. And you're not uprooted every, you know, five years.

So I was also excited about that prospect, although it is scary because it's a parachute drop, and oftentimes those don't work.

Brad Miller: 00:13:36

Tell me about a time in that era of forming the church and getting involved with the community and things that you have chosen to be involved with in the life of the church where you kind of had a. An aha moment. Okay, this might work. And this is kind of cool. You have a moment like that kind of. That.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:13:54

I remember during COVID we had. I can't remember if it was the beginning of COVID or if it was toward the end of COVID where we decided we would meet outside.

I guess it must have been further along because I don't think people were meeting at all. But we decided to have an outdoor meeting and, like, outdoor church service.

And I just looked around and I couldn't believe I looked at all these different people that we didn't know, you know, like, two or three years earlier. And it was just. It was very inspiring to see all of these people that somehow had made their way to our church that we had not even known.

Like, there was no relationship, and now there's a relationship. And it was very organic, too. And so that was really. That felt really neat.

And we've had a couple services, like the Christmas service, which a lot of people tend to. You know, your whole church ends up kind of coming to that, and you see everybody in one place, which sometimes you don't do.

And those moments have been really. It's not all about the numbers, but there is certainly something about seeing everybody together.

Brad Miller: 00:14:51

It's kind of the validity that comes with seeing a group of people there. Every end endeavor has its times of challenge and of stress and crisis. So if you don't mind, tell me.

Tell us about a kind of a lump in the throat moment that you've had in the life of the church that you're kind of like, okay, I.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:15:11

Know exactly what it is for me. So there was a time, and it was shortly after Iva was born.

I think it put us again in the middle of COVID So I was already feeling probably isolated, and we had started meeting in the church. Church service in the church, you know, as opposed to, like, meeting outside during COVID and stuff. So it must have been pretty far on.

We didn't have a lot of kids coming at that time. I was really the only one with kids. I found myself coming to church with my children. Ross would have already left in the morning.

I found myself getting the kids ready to go to church, to take my children to the back, to watch my own children, to not even be around anybody, and then to come back home. And I found that to be very. It was difficult for me. I don't. I'm not a person who likes to be told what to do anyway.

And sometimes a pastor's wife can feel so pressured to do something, even though nobody's telling her to do it.

Brad Miller: 00:16:02

Goes a little bit to the stereotype. You had children's ministry, and.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:16:06

And the line gets blurred where you're saying, is this my decision, or am I compelled to do this, even though nobody's said it? And that was difficult for me.

And I was going to a counselor at that time, and I talked to her about it, and it eventually got to the point where I told Ross, I'm not coming anymore. I'm gonna stay at home.

I'm gonna watch the service at home while the kids play in the comfort of our own house where I can actually hear what's happening. And until we get, like, a better structure in place, that's what it's gonna be. And I felt. I've told you before, I'm a rule follower.

Brad Miller: 00:16:37

Yeah.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:16:37

So that was very difficult.

Brad Miller: 00:16:39

So that really went as good as great. You personally, and I'm sure it had its challenges, family wise, marital wise, all that stuff.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:16:44

It was hurtful to Ross, which I don't blame him. But it was one of those moments that I had to be, like, authentic to myself.

Brad Miller: 00:16:50

You had assert yourself to be. Because I sensed that there was. This was a moment when you kind of felt something kind of slipping away, some sense of.

Of this was just not working here.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:17:00

I felt my autonomy slipping away. Like, I. I didn't have control over that decision. And it was a decision. It felt like it was harmful to me at the time.

Not that Ross was actively doing that. I want to be very clear. Ross wasn't harming me. It was just the position. It was the circumstances.

Brad Miller: 00:17:15

Circumstances were happening that were as they were.

But let's talk about a moment, a cool, high, holy moment, when you just kind of knew that this isn't just kind of a deal where this organizationally is going to work, but this is a God thing. This is a holy thing. This is something bigger than myself. And bigger than a lot of things. Have you had a moment like that?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:17:36

I think it was our very first harvest gathering that we had, which is something that we have come to do now. Every year it's another time in the church. You know, I've mentioned that we have.

I don't know that I mentioned that we still have house churches going, but we also have our recovery church. I have mentioned that. And then we have our normal Sunday gathering. There are a lot of different people that oftentimes don't come together at once.

And we had a harvest gathering where everybody did come together at once. And it wasn't for the church service. It was to just be in community together and to see each other. It was a moment where we were all eating together.

I felt like we were doing.

Even though it's, you know, a modern flair with cell phones around and stuff, it felt like we were doing something holy and connecting to something that people have done forever. Like commune together, eat together, and just celebrate together.

Brad Miller: 00:18:27

Kind of a connection kind of with something that's a little bit traditional, a little bit historical, but in the context of a new church plant.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:18:36

Yeah. So that was special.

Brad Miller: 00:18:38

That was a God thing, right?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:18:39

It totally was, yeah.

Brad Miller: 00:18:41

If you were not married to the pastor, do you think this is the type of church that if you lived in this community, you moved here for whatever reason, Is this the type of church you might want to either be attracted to or seek out? What is it about this place that you might be attracted to in that regard?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:18:55

I definitely think it would. Although it is hard to. Ross and I have grown.

I mean, we got together as children and we've been so influential on each other in the past that we've taken. It's hard to imagine what type of person I would be without him. But I can only answer with a present mind.

Yes, it's definitely a church I would want to come to. I love how we have a very diverse group of people. Maybe not racial diversity, but socioeconomic diversity.

We have the diversity that you see with people who are in addiction or recovering from addiction versus people who aren't. That's a big, you know, a big difference. We have a lot of political diversity. I really value that in my life and in my children's lives.

I don't want them to be part of. Even though the experience that I had in my First Baptist Church was a positive experience, it was very one dimensional in a way.

Like I wasn't exposed to a lot of people and that wasn't First Baptist's fault. I mean, it was, you know, just a little town church and that's just the people that come there.

But I'm thankful that we've created a space where we do attract a of different kinds of people. I think because there are so many different people on so many different journeys. My hope is that people would feel welcomed no matter where they are.

Brad Miller: 00:20:04

Given your interaction you have with people in the church, because the point of entry for many people is through the pastor Ross, and then you're right there as well. What do you think would keep you here? But what you hear people talk about why they stay a part of Heaven Earth Church.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:20:20

I mean, I hesitate to say this because it's one of the things Ross and I always talk about should not be the premier thing. But Ross is a very gifted teacher.

I think he's been given a lot of gifts and I know for sure that's one of the reasons people stay is because when they hear him preach, I think it feels very meaningful to them and to their lives. But there's a lot outside of teaching and preaching in a church, and a church should be a much more vibrant offering than that.

The fact that we're small is a big draw to me. I'm not a big person who likes the great big church where you feel like you're kind of just going to check a box sometimes.

And I mean, any church can really be that. Like you're going to check a box. But I feel like we're hopefully building the opposite of that.

Like you really can feel connection and you can feel like convicted without being judged. And I think that's a difficult balance sometimes.

Brad Miller: 00:21:09

I see connected and convicted, but without being judged. I think that's an interesting way of putting it. And so I think that's kind of the struggle a lot of people have.

They do not want to feel guilt driven, but they want to feel responsible. They want to feel kind of a connected to something greater themselves that they can invest in that is something that would be make a.

Make a difference. Because I believe people really, many, many people really want to make a difference and they're transformed by that.

So I'd like you to tell me a story, if you will, Angela, about a person or situation here in the life of the church where you really seen something happen that changed either a person's life change or a situation change where life change took place.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:21:49

I mean, there have been people that came initially. I mean, they were some of our very first church attendees that are still here.

There are some that are no longer necessarily Attending our recover church.

But Ross is still connected with them through other organizations, and their lives and their testaments are very compelling, especially to other people who are trying to obtain sobriety.

Brad Miller: 00:22:09

Mission statement of the church that is displayed quite prominently is we exist to make a lasting impact in our community. Yeah, tell me about that. What does that statement mean to you?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:22:18

Well, it makes.

I mean, we were talking this morning during church, and Ross was recounting a story that really made me think about how when you're connected to the vine, and I think that's kind of church speak, but when you're connected to Jesus, that you can't help but flourish. And this is not prosperity gospel. You can't help but feel like your cup can overflow. And that cup.

I had this image in my head today of one person's cup overflowing to flow into other people's cups. I think our church tries to embody that.

We make connections throughout the neighborhood, throughout the neighborhood, throughout the community, with a lot of different organizations that are already doing really important work. We've also.

Ross and team have also created the Heaven Earth Spaces organization that is trying to make not only housing, but places for nonprofits, physical places for nonprofits to use. And so downstairs in the basement, we have resources of hope. That's one example they offer.

They're basically a store for foster parents and foster families help get resourced for their foster journey. And then the house that the church owns is also now part of Heaven Earth Spaces. The church does not own it. Heaven Earth Spaces owns it.

Heaven Earth Spaces owns it. And it has a family that lives there now that gets reduced rent. And we're trying to expand that. Heaven Earth Spaces is trying to expand that.

So that's like a very real example of that.

Brad Miller: 00:23:48

So you see that impact. I guess what I'm getting at is that statement is a real thing. It's not just a trite thing to put on the wall somewhere, right?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:23:56

Yeah. No, I think it's one of. I mean, it is. It's certainly something that is. You can see it in the lifeblood of the church.

Brad Miller: 00:24:02

One of the things that's said about Heaven Earth Church in one line is if you feel you don't fit in church, you fit here. Is that true?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:24:12

Or for people who don't fit neatly into church, is that true?

Brad Miller: 00:24:15

And how do you see that lived out?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:24:16

I think it is true.

I know for certain that there are many people who have felt harmed by some of the institutional churches that they encountered as children that have found a safe place to exist here and try to grow their relationship with God. I have always felt like I fit in a church, so I'm not a person that can personally attest to it.

But Ross has also felt like he doesn't fit neatly into church, and I would agree with that. And so I think he's tried to build that and the people around him have tried to build that here. I think it has worked.

I don't think that we get very caught up. I mean, we are a United Methodist church, but you're not gonna hear us talking about it that often.

You're not gonna hear us talking about a lot of institutional stuff or even using a lot of churchy words because we don't wanna alienate people who might not, you know, have that insider speak. I think that there are a lot of small intentional decisions made fits here.

Brad Miller: 00:25:10

And they're doing okay.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:25:10

There are, yeah. Oh, yeah, definitely.

Brad Miller: 00:25:13

Let me just ask you if there's somebody who came to in your life outside of the church, meaning a co worker. You know, your kids are involved with athletics and other things, that kind of stuff.

If you're talking one of the other moms and there's somebody that came to you and said, okay, I just got some issue in my life. It might be job related or marital or, you know, health or whatever. They got some issues in their life.

Do you think you'd be comfortable inviting them to be a part of Heaven Earth Church as a part of responding to their need?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:25:42

Yeah, I definitely would. I think we have something. I think what we have here is something very special and different than what a lot of people perceive church to be.

It has a very vulnerable community that comes along with it. And I think that's one of the most powerful tools in the face of really any kind of adversity is vulnerability.

And I think that people would benefit from that. We joke a lot because one of our biggest evangelists for this church is actually an atheist.

It's a woman in Franklin who has sent like five people to us. It's just really funny to me that she's constantly sending people to our church because of what she has seen, even though she's atheist.

Brad Miller: 00:26:21

Yeah, isn't that cool? Tell us a little bit about one cool thing. Tell us the names of your kids and then something cool about each of them.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:26:29

Okay, so I have Boaz, who's 8, Iva, who's 5, and Juniper, who is a year, almost a year and a half. Boaz is the typical oldest child. He's a rule follower. Like his Mommy. And he has a heart of gold. His teacher said that he is a friend to everyone.

That was one of her main pieces of feedback she gave us in our parent teacher conference. Iva is like a ray of sunshine. She is on the go all the time and wanting to do some sort of activity all the time.

I mean, making things out of materials you wouldn't even think could really amount to anything. That's her superpower. And then Juniper, who's the caboose? We're not having any more, if I have anything to say about it.

And I never say never anymore, because Ross became a pastor like you said. So I don't want to tempt fate here, but most likely, she will be the last child of ours. She has really just been. It's been such a joy.

She is so funny and just so cute, and it just tickles us every day getting to watch her. I mean, all four of us, because the kids are older. She was born when I was four and a half, so we just all.

She's like the little princess that we just do whatever she wants, basically.

Brad Miller: 00:27:43

She's awesome. And I still don't know how you get that top knot thing working on her hair there. And here you are, you're raising a family.

You're planting the church. You're doing all the things here. Tell us about Ross. Tell us whatever you want to tell us about Ross. Good, bad, ugly, anything but any.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:27:56

So I remember when I was in high school before, I had really had serious relationships, because I wasn't really that kind of person that had a lot of serious relationships and. Or any kind of relationship, just to make that clear. I was very independent. That's a better way of putting it. I didn't really need anybody else.

I remember telling myself that I wanted to find somebody that was genuinely a kind person. Like, that was kind of like the number one attribute that I wanted in a partner.

And Ross is one of the most genuinely kind, empathetic people that I have ever been around. I mean, he has people. You know, we all have people in our lives who have, like, done something to us and, you know, that you feel victimized by.

I feel more victimized on his behalf than he ever does on his own behalf. He just gives people so much grace. Amir. I mean, it's truly, really wonderful to watch.

Brad Miller: 00:28:47

Well, just one last thing, and that is just. Is there anything. Just any word of encouragement or anything else you'd like to share with the Heaven Earth Church?

Angela Stackhouse: 00:28:54

I mean, if it's the Heaven Earth Church community, we're happy to have you here.

And if it's anybody else who's not part of the church, just I hope what I've talked about today makes you feel welcomed and makes you feel like a child of God, because that's important.

Brad Miller: 00:29:07

Well, thank you. Our guest today on Heaven Earth Church podcast, Angela Stackhouse.

We thank you for joining us here on this podcast, which is all about a church that's looking to make a lasting impact in our community.

Angela Stackhouse: 00:29:19

Thanks, Brad.

Ross Stackhouse: 00:29:22

We want to thank you for spending time with us today. My name is Ross Stackhouse, the pastor to Heaven Earth Church.

And you may think out there that your story is over, but in fact, your faith story may just be beginning.

If you want more information about our church or you're interested in the next step, you can go to heavenorthchurch.org Otherwise, we look forward to being with you next time at the Heaven Earth Church Podcast.