Chris Renee Hazlett (2:03)

Calling all my sweeties to the forefront, I'm your host, Chris Renee Hazlett, and this is the Keep It Positive Sweetie Show. Bishop Walker is widely known for his leadership, influence and reach. But today's conversation is about the weight that comes with that responsibility. From stepping into leadership at a very young age to navigating faith, loneliness, marriage and Legacy. This is a chance to hear how he carries leadership beyond the pulpit and how he continues to go through it. Kiss family, please give a very warm welcome to the incomparable Bishop Joseph Walker iii. How are you, Bishop?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (2:43)

I'm great. I'm great. I'm here with you. Wow, we finally got you here. Oh, gosh, I'm so honored to be here.

Chris Renee Hazlett (2:47)

No, I'm excited. When you hit me and said you got a new book, it was a no brainer. I wanted to have you on. I'm excited to finally have you on with us. I know that this is gonna bless some people and your new book, Pursuit of Purpose, piece by piece, is literally, you're the one who has pursued purpose and done it very well. So I'm excited to get into that. But before we dive into the book, I definitely wanna talk to you about your journey. You started in the church at 24 or your own church at 24 years old. But before that, how did we get there?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (3:18)

Isn't that crazy? Like, yeah, you know, so I grew up in church in Louisiana, in Shreveport. I was the first musician of drums in my church. And so we introduced the drum. My dad was like, you're gonna have to work and do well in school to play the drums. So that was like an incentive thing for me. But I've always grown up in church and understood the nuances of church. Kind of a church kid, right? And so. But I had in my mind, like, I was gonna be a lawyer because my siblings had two siblings that were judges. Another sibling was attorney. So for me, it was about law, law, law, law, law. And then God like, okay, all right. That's what you want to do. You want to make God laugh. Tell him your plans, right?

Chris Renee Hazlett (3:56)

Come on.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (3:57)

And so 20 years old, Southern university, under my paternity tree. And God's like, I need you to do this. Call me to preach. I'm like, no, I'm running. No, I want to be the black Matlock. I got my Seah circus suit already ready. I'm ready to go. Law school, been accepted, you know, and ended up pivoting for purpose. And at that moment, I realized that God was calling me to do something much greater for me and to impact lives. And at 20 years old, my life took that trajectory and went to divinity school and started pastoring the church. I pastored now at 24, it was my first church and I've been there ever since.

Chris Renee Hazlett (4:41)

And it went from. How many was it?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (4:43)

Yeah, it was 175 people. And now it's over 33. Isn't that crazy? That is to God be the glory.

Chris Renee Hazlett (4:49)

To God be the glory.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (4:50)

To God be the glory, man.

Chris Renee Hazlett (4:52)

Well, and you steward over it so well, my word for this year is stewardship.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (4:56)

Yes.

Chris Renee Hazlett (4:56)

My personal word. And I want to talk about that. Like, when you were given something and God entrusted that in you at 24 years old, but 175 people to now, over 30,000 people, what was that stewardship like for you?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (5:10)

You know, a couple of things. For me, one, I think it was about really understanding, truly living out humility, because you could never be a good steward if you're not humble. And when things are happening fast and you're young, you often attribute those things to, I'm doing it, I'm doing it, you know? And one of the times I heard God's voice so clear. We had moved to the World Baptist center in Nashville. Our church was growing so. And thousands had come. People thought the church was going to be swallowed up. This young preacher, it's a fad. God did it. Everybody left out. And I stood there like, God, we're doing this. And God was like, you're insignificant to the process. This is for my glory, my goodness, man. Talk about humility.

Chris Renee Hazlett (5:52)

Humble you real quick.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (5:53)

That was it. And I knew at that moment, like, this is what it's about. The second thing that I think really blessed me in terms of stewardship in this whole process is in one of my prayers. I was praying to God about God. You're doing all these locations and, you know, people around the world being blessed. He says, well, how high can I take you without losing you.

Chris Renee Hazlett (6:15)

Bishop? My goodness, stewardship.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (6:18)

How high can God take you without losing you?

Chris Renee Hazlett (6:23)

My goodness. Was there ever a moment where you felt like the altitude was getting too thick for you, where you were like, all right, Lord? Yeah, like, this is a lot.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (6:33)

Oh, yeah.

Chris Renee Hazlett (6:33)

You know, I wanted this, but, yeah, yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (6:36)

And you realize at that moment, right, you need him. You need counsel, you need community of people who operate at that level to help you navigate those spaces. Because often when you're there, you're probably the first person in your own, you know, in your own crew that's ever gotten to that place. And so you. Your relationships change. And the people that. Who've been cool with you at certain levels have to understand that relationships change because language changes. There's a leader language. There's a different conversation at that altitude on the 27th floor than it is in the lobby. Yeah, right. And so how to navigate those spaces are important.

Chris Renee Hazlett (7:11)

So, yeah, that's so good.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (7:13)

Yeah, man.

Chris Renee Hazlett (7:14)

My goodness, you preaching to me already. That is so true. I know for me, when it comes to, like, how you say, the language changes, the conversations change, and a lot of times we are the first ones in our group to, to go those places, but that's where our purpose comes in. And understanding that, absolutely. At a young age, how are you able to identify, okay, God, I know this is what you want me to do, but now wait a minute. This is actually my purpose?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (7:38)

Yeah, yeah. You know, so for me, and I think I write about it in the book, you know, I think purpose is preordained. We don't really know it, but before we were born, God is at work, right? When our mother and our father meet each other, our grandparents meet each other. Before your grandfather shot it, shot at your grandmother, God was thinking about you. He was thinking about all that DNA, all those genes. He was preparing the earth for you. So your arrival is not an accident. Jeremiah says, before, before I form you in the belly, I knew you, right? So it was pre ordered. You come into the world with like this passion. As a baby, it's passion. So you ask a young kid, what do you want to be? Fireman, astronaut? I want to be. It's all this passion, but it's not focused. It's like all this light. And so you take all that light and you focus that light. It becomes a laser. So that's that moment when you realize, when you're able to actually comprehend that something's different about you. And. And God is pulling you into it. And that's when it gets clearer and clearer and clearer. And that's what purpose is. It's that thing that you don't choose, it chooses you.

Chris Renee Hazlett (8:43)

Wow.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (8:44)

And the acceptance of that is. It's often a place of negotiation because you're trying to hold on to what is comfortable. And you're like, well, God, can I have a few more years of just doing this? And God say no, because purpose and vision, right. Are for a moment, a time. And there's a window you have to move in that space. And I tell people all the time, you are born to solve a problem.

Chris Renee Hazlett (9:13)

Wow.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (9:13)

And if you don't understand what that problem is, you become the problem.

Chris Renee Hazlett (9:16)

What is that verse? You were born for such a time as this?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (9:18)

Yeah. That's Esther. Right. For such a time as this, you've come into the kingdom, right. And you recognize that the earth is waiting on your gift to arrive.

Chris Renee Hazlett (9:27)

When you understand that, gosh, Lord, like you're here for A reason. And for this time, I think about, like, what we're going through now. We were born to navigate these times and to help people through these times.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (9:39)

What, what. What do you think about your life that God would allow you to be alive at this season to do what you do in the midst of all that's going on?

Chris Renee Hazlett (9:51)

Yeah, he.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (9:52)

He thinks the world of you. He thinks something. You are a world changer. You are. You know, you are a culture shifter. You. You have so much purpose and what the enemy wants, you have no value. You know, your voice doesn't mean anything. But when you walk squarely, unapologetically, into that space, don't get it twisted. This ain't. This ain't. Like, I'm not walking around here arrogant. I'm just confident.

Chris Renee Hazlett (10:15)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (10:16)

Don't confuse it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (10:17)

Don't confuse it.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (10:17)

Don't confuse my confidence with arrogance. I'm stepping into this role, walking to this place, saying, this is where God wants me to be.

Chris Renee Hazlett (10:25)

Yes. I love that you said unapologetically. That is unapologetic is the theme of season 10.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (10:29)

Oh, gosh.

Chris Renee Hazlett (10:30)

So you just. We're gonna definitely use that.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (10:31)

Look out.

Chris Renee Hazlett (10:34)

So let's talk about this. This is book number 14.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (10:36)

14.

Chris Renee Hazlett (10:36)

14 books. Pursuit of Purpose, Peace, as in peace by piece. All right. I love how you did that. Now, what inspired this book and why now?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (10:47)

I looked over my life at all the various seasons and saw them as pieces of a puzzle. And individually, those pieces, obviously some of them are not as pleasant as others. Very painful moments. Loss, betrayal, the things that we often go through. And when I experienced those things, I realized that when you understand why those things happen, the pieces happen. They were actually forming you into a place of creating or moving you to this place of purpose. And when you understand that, that's where peace comes. I have peace about what happened. When Joseph says, you know, the thing you thought evil against me, God meant it for my good. Like, all those different pieces of my life, from the pit to the prison, all of it, I have peace about it. So I'm not going to be vindictive. I'm not going to be bitter because I can't walk in the fullness of my blessing if I'm bitter. So that's kind of what inspired it. And people really asking me over the years, like, how do I understand my purpose? How do you arrive at it? And purpose does not come without pain.

Chris Renee Hazlett (11:59)

Ooh, let's talk about that. Yeah, it doesn't. Because I think a lot of times people see us living out Our purpose. And it looks amazing from this vantage point. Right. But they don't understand everything we've gone through. You had a book. Leadership. Loneliness.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (12:12)

Loneliness. Yeah.

Chris Renee Hazlett (12:13)

And people don't understand with that.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (12:15)

That's right.

Chris Renee Hazlett (12:15)

And that there's pain that comes with it. Where you talked about betrayal, you talked about grieving. What are some moments as you were even writing this book that you had to relive and you were like, oof, I have been through a lot.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (12:28)

Chapter 10. It's an interesting title. 7:30. 7:35. I'm writing the book, reflecting over at the time I wrote it, 735 funerals I had done.

Chris Renee Hazlett (12:43)

Jeez.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (12:44)

And trying to process the fact that God has blessed me with this extraordinary memory. And I can't unsee it. I can't forget it. So every time I have a funeral, I relive every funeral I've ever done. Then kind of got a little bit more focused around it and realized, why was God showing me that while I was writing it? It's because I experienced loss as a spouse. I lost my first wife to cancer, and then I lost my mother. So I lost. I experienced it as a son. Then I lost, recently, my brother. As a sibling.

Chris Renee Hazlett (13:22)

Right.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (13:23)

So as a spouse, as a son and a sibling, I began to realize that most time I engage people in grief, they're in one of those spaces.

Chris Renee Hazlett (13:33)

Right.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (13:35)

Either they've lost a spouse, they've lost a parent, they've lost a sibling. And so I began to ask God, why. Why was I chosen to walk in that space? Because now I don't show up as this person who's got it figured out. I show up in my brokenness. I show up in a place of empathy. And I think what happens, people who lead well in purpose have a greater sense of empathy.

Chris Renee Hazlett (13:57)

Absolutely.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (13:58)

We're not out here alienated from other people's pain. The reason you're able to do what you do authentically, because it comes from a place of your own personal experiences.

Chris Renee Hazlett (14:08)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (14:09)

And people don't realize that. They think you're just, you know, you're reading the Cliff Notes. They don't realize. No. What you're talking about you. You've lived. And this is why when you are presented, you know, this smorgasbord of opportunities, you only are drawn to that which is authentically you.

Chris Renee Hazlett (14:24)

Right.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (14:25)

Right. You only like this algorithm. I can only do that. That is authentically me. I can't do something that's not organic. Because if I haven't lived it, it's hard to for sure.

Chris Renee Hazlett (14:37)

And I think a lot of people kind of fall short when they start saying yes to a lot of different things that aren't in alignment and that.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (14:42)

And that's the point, right, that alignment piece. Because one of the things that. One of the mistakes I made early on in ministry and in life was just saying yes to everything, not having any boundaries, just trying to, you know. And that's the thing about purpose. If you don't really understand purpose, you try to manipulate the outcome. You want to manipulate the outcome.

Chris Renee Hazlett (15:03)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (15:04)

You get it. So you move from hustle. You move to hustle versus honor. So, yeah, you out here hustling when you should be. If you honor. Right. Honor God, he'll show you. But if you don't honor God and say, God, what would you have me to do? Right. Lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him. He will direct your path. That's honor.

Chris Renee Hazlett (15:25)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (15:25)

But if I don't honor him and I'm like, I got it figured out. I got all these opportunities, what's going to happen is that you're going to crash out.

Chris Renee Hazlett (15:31)

And that's a real thing. We're seeing it. Burnout is real.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (15:35)

Yeah. And I believe you're a perfect example of it, that success is in sustainability. If it's of God, it's.

Chris Renee Hazlett (15:43)

Yeah, yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (15:45)

It's not episodic. It's not. People told me, oh, yeah, you got this great church. Yeah. I'm 34 years in Crystal.

Chris Renee Hazlett (15:51)

Wow.

Taco Bell Announcer (15:52)

Goodness.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (15:52)

And God continues to do it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (15:54)

Yes.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (15:55)

I've seen them come and go. Right. And when you do what God tells you to do, I mind my business. Stay in my lane.

Chris Renee Hazlett (16:01)

Yes. You do.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (16:02)

You get it. You know I do. Right. I don't bother nobody. I just do my thing, keep my head down and keep my face to the clouds and say, God, just lead me and guide me. And when you do that. And that's where the blessing is.

Chris Renee Hazlett (16:13)

Yes. My goodness. Three pillars that were in this book were, why am I here? Why did this happen? And what do I do now? And you talked about you. You asked God, like, why. Why have I gone through all these things? But what is that pivot of why did this happen to? What do I do now? What are those steps?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (16:32)

Yeah, yeah. Why did it happen? Has a lot to do with, I think, understanding the peace. You never get peace until you understand why. And what was it building in me?

Chris Renee Hazlett (16:42)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (16:42)

Like when I look at the scripture, why did this happen to this person? What was it? What was God preparing? And I always say, God is always preparing something for me. I was always looking at it like, well, God, you're punishing me, or, shucks, why me? You ain't got nobody else, right? But he's like, no, I'm preparing you, and I'm allowing this to happen to build something in you. Because I don't look at you in your actuality. I look at you in your potentiality. Everybody else sees you in your actuality. That's why they give up on you in the wrong chapters.

Chris Renee Hazlett (17:13)

Wow.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (17:14)

God always sees us at our potential. And so he's preparing us not for our right now, but our not yet. And so for me, that's when I began to realize why this has happened. It was giving me resilience, helping me. I've been to school. I studied pneumatology, sociology, psychology, epistemology. But I didn't know folkology. I did not know folk. I could have said that so many different ways. You know, I could have, right?

Chris Renee Hazlett (17:40)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (17:41)

Listen. You know what I'm saying? I know.

Chris Renee Hazlett (17:43)

Exactly. Listen. Only life can teach you that goodness.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (17:46)

Only the Lord can help you navigate EQ and iq, navigating rooms, knowing people's agenda, having discernment. You know, those things are important. You don't know how to navigate those spaces, and God will let you get hurt sometimes. He'll let you walk into it. So you'll say, okay, I've been there before. So now I have. You know, I kind of have a few boundaries now as a result of that. And I've learned. And sometimes you have to go through that to experience that.

Chris Renee Hazlett (18:13)

No, for sure. You're also a father of two beautiful children.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (18:16)

Oh, gosh.

Chris Renee Hazlett (18:16)

So I want to know, like, how do you implement these. These principles into your children as they're growing up? Because they have great examples in you and Dr. Stephanie. So to have two amazing parents as you and Dr. Stephanie, but what are you guys implementing into them daily?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (18:32)

Yeah, Giovanni, you know, she's 13. She's all into ballet. She's just doing so many amazing things. They're both just incredible students. Joseph 7. And one of the things that Steph and I decided to do is take that scripture literally. Train up a child in the way they should go when they're old. They will not depart from it. And the way we read that scripture is train up a child in the way they're leaning, like they're telling you, don't try to impose your wishes and thoughts and your visions on your children. Find out which way they're leaning, and then train them. Put the energy toward that.

Chris Renee Hazlett (19:07)

I love that.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (19:07)

You get it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (19:08)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (19:08)

Like. Like my son, man. He loves music, he loves baseball. He loves. My son likes writing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (19:14)

Really?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (19:15)

My son has written books. Listen to me. I came in, he's 7 years old, and he wrote. He writes these books, and he comes and asks me to staple them, puts a cover on them, stacks them up. His project for school was a book about his dad. You know, I cried. I was mud. Yes. My hero was my dad. He went through looking at all the people that were famous. He said, I know what I'm gonna do, Mom. I'm gonna talk about dad.

Chris Renee Hazlett (19:38)

Oh, my God.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (19:39)

And he said, the best part of this book is that he's my dad. And you couldn't tell him nothing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (19:44)

I know that wrecks you. You were like, I was.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (19:46)

I was mud. But the idea that he's leaning toward that. He likes to read and he loves math. We invest in where they're leaning. We don't try to push them. I'm not this pastor who's, like, my son gonna be my successor. No, indeed. No, son.

Chris Renee Hazlett (20:01)

Do you? Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (20:02)

I'm not about to wait for you to grow up. Do you? I want my daughter to do herself. She's coming into her own. She loves ballet, and she's very bright. So we just got to continue to cultivate that.

Chris Renee Hazlett (20:15)

Yeah, I love that. I love that outside of your pastoral duties, you are also an astute businessman. And a lot of people don't, like. They look at you and they're like, what else does he do? You have your hand in so many different fires. And I just want to touch on that because it. A lot of times, I mean, you're an entrepreneur as well. How did you know? Like, okay, these are the things I want to tap into.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (20:36)

Yeah. So I'm glad you asked that question. And I think that one of the things I tried to address in the book is purpose is never one dimensional. Never.

Chris Renee Hazlett (20:46)

Yes.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (20:46)

Purpose is like. Once you walk squarely into purpose, then God begins to show you all these other things that come from that. Never let people typeset you into one thing. That's how they'll forever deal with you. So when you walk into that purpose, God will start showing you. Okay, but there's this thing now called the energy of synergy. All the energy I put out must connect to the actual purpose. If it doesn't connect to the purpose, I can't do it. I don't have the energy for it. But everything I do connects back. Connects back. Every book I write, every production I Do. Everything I do has to point back to the same initial purpose.

Chris Renee Hazlett (21:25)

Right.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (21:25)

Elevating people, bringing people to destiny. Everything I do, I can't do anything. You know, people ask me all the time, can you be on the board of, you know, the, you know, there's a board for, you know, this or that or that. I'm like, you know, I just. That doesn't. It's a great. I'll give money to it, but it doesn't. It's not in the synergy of what I'm doing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (21:43)

Right.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (21:43)

Everything has to align with purpose. And so all the things that I'm passionate about doing, being an author, Stephanie, having a production company, all these things we do have a lot to do with. It has to align with the main thing. Yeah, yeah.

Chris Renee Hazlett (21:58)

Keep the main thing.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (21:59)

The main thing. Gonna believe it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (22:01)

That is so true. I love that because a lot of times I feel like pastors can get typeset, as you say, like you can get stuck in.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (22:07)

Oh, yeah. Stuck in one thing. I'm just gonna preach. That's what I do. That's what I do. And I'm like, there's so much more.

Chris Renee Hazlett (22:12)

You know, sometimes the people that want you to just do that, man.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (22:15)

I'm like, no, I mean, I love. Yeah, I love. I do commencement addresses. I teach, teach leadership stuff. Stuff for corporations. I'm just all over the place. I just want to maximize. For me, it's about living full and dying empty.

Chris Renee Hazlett (22:27)

Wow, I love that.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (22:29)

Live full, man. And die empty. Leave nothing on the table. God. Everything you have given me, I left it in the earth.

Chris Renee Hazlett (22:35)

Yes, I love that.

Imate Health Announcer (22:37)

Tired of juggling dozens of supplements? IMH is different. Co founded by David Beckham and developed with experts from Mayo Clinic and NASA, it's an all in one daily drink that replaces 16 supplements in one scoop world. One tennis player, Aryna Sabalenka, trusts it. In a clinical study, 95% reported a noticeable boost in daily energy and 85% experienced better digestion. Real energy isn't forced. It's balanced. Visit imatehealth.com iheart and use code iheart for 10% off plus a free welcome kit. That's imaithealth.com iheart code iheartra happy dance.

Ollie Dog Food Announcer (23:18)

Empty bowl, tail in overdrive. That's the Ollie effect. Fresh human grade dog food your pup will love. Ollie delivers clean nutrition in five delicious recipes made with real ingredients in the US no fillers, no preservatives, just real food that supports your dog's health from the inside out. Start with a quick 30 second quiz@ollie.com gopup to create a personalized meal plan based on your dog's age, weight, activity level and health goals. New subscribers get a welcome kit with two weeks of meals, a free storage container and a step by step guide to help with the transition. With Ollie, you'll see more energy, shinier coats, healthier weight and yes, easier cleanup. Dogs deserve the best. Go to ollie.com gopup and use code GOPUP to get 60% off your first box. That's O L L. It's backed by a happiness guarantee, so if it's not the right fit, you'll get your money back.

Capella University Announcer (24:17)

At Amica Insurance, we know it's not just what's inside your home that matters, it's who you share it with.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (24:25)

That's why we work even harder to protect it.

Capella University Announcer (24:28)

And as a mutual insurance company, we're built for our customers. We prioritize your needs and are here for for you when you need us. Amica empathy is our best policy. Visit amica.com and get a quote today. You know what's wild? We can video chat from space, order groceries just by talking out loud and men have like 17 options for hair loss alone. But a bra that actually fits and feels good? Apparently too much to ask. Until now. Meet the Uplift bra from Nix. That's KN I X, a wireless bra that finally delivers real lift and all day comfort. The secret? Molded cups with a built in foam panel that gently enhances your natural shape so you get a subtle boost without wires digging or that. Why am I still wearing this moment at 3pm? You asked for it. We delivered in a push up bra that doesn't dig, poke or pinch. And with an extensive size range from 28A through 42E, you'll be sure to find your perfect fit with the uplift. Try the uplift bra@nyx.com and use code perfect fit15 for 15% off your first order. That's kn Ix.com code perfectfit15nyx.com with the.

Chris Renee Hazlett (25:47)

Many hats that you carry, a big part of this platform is mental health. And a lot of times when it comes to religion and therapy, there's this huge dichotomy where it's like we don't want to put the two together. We want to keep the separation.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (25:59)

Unfortunately.

Chris Renee Hazlett (26:00)

Yeah. How do you feel about that? And with everything that you're carrying, is that something that you've had to lean on as well?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (26:05)

Oh yeah. Quite often. And our church and as you know, we really stress the partnership between faith and clinical counseling, mental health, it's so important. And I think that this whole stigma that's placed on mental health, I think we should be well beyond that, particularly a lot of the trend of mental health stuff. We're seeing all the different pressures and people are under. I think now we should normalize mental health, and I think that we should help people get the help that they need for us. And for me, I've had to deal with it, with the loss I've experienced. You know, my first wife passed away. I went to therapy. I talked about it publicly. You know, Dr. Stephen and I, we go to therapy to. Together, we counsel the couples about therapy. I preach about therapy. When I look at text, when I preach, Crystal. And you know, this. I preach from a. I call it a psychosocial theological perspective. I always say, you know, what's happening in the mind of this person and then what's happening in the culture in which they are having to exist and what is God saying about it? You know, everybody preaches about the one with the issue of blood, right? And that's a wonderful story. But what could potentially be happening in her mind to be in this place of ostracism, to be a woman with an issue in that culture psychologically, when she finally gets to Jesus, and the Bible says she pressed her way, people often assume it was because of the crowd, and it was. But what did she have to press through before she got to the crowd? You don't realize where people press through before they even got to the church. Listen to me. You get it. That's the real pressing just to wake.

Chris Renee Hazlett (27:44)

Up, show up, get out of the bed.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (27:46)

I'm trying to tell you. And so I think that's where I believe, you know, for me, purpose is the path to destiny. And if a person understands their purpose, that's what gets you up.

Chris Renee Hazlett (27:57)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (27:57)

My why is what gets me up, Crystal.

Chris Renee Hazlett (27:59)

Wow.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (28:00)

My why. Why I exist. That's what gets me up in those days when I'm foggy, I'm like, lord, that's what makes me go talk to therapist. That's what makes me put. If you talk to someone, I can pray for you, give you scriptures, but you gotta talk to somebody. Because when you understand your why, the enemy's gonna always try to attack that. But that's what pushes you to that place. So I think, you know, that's how we deal with it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (28:20)

Yeah, I love that. I lost my mother at a very young age. And I recently told this story about how he took me to my aunt's house, his sister and dropped me off and said, I cannot take care of her. Like, I can't raise a little girl by myself. You gotta do it. And he went home, and he said the next day when he got home, he said, I'm coming to get her tomorrow when I get off work. And she said, well, what happened? And he said, it was as if God himself sat in the car and said, go get her, and I will help you take care of her. She said, crystal, for the three years that you didn't have a mom or a mother figure in your life, you would have never known it because your hair was perfect, you were dressed perfect every single day. She's like, it was just like, clearly, there's a woman there, right? I mean, of course, he had. His younger sister came and stayed with us. She said, but the fact that he was able to do that. But then he found love again. I want to talk about the grief and when you knew that it was time, because God Bless you. With Dr. Stephanie, man.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (29:13)

Yeah. Like, how did you navigate three years, man? Three years of being widowed.

Chris Renee Hazlett (29:18)

Same for my dad.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (29:19)

Three years.

Chris Renee Hazlett (29:20)

Three years.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (29:20)

Wow. Three years. And the Lord has a way of doing things in threes, huh? Three days. But three years of navigating singleness, and I had to go back. Honestly and humorously, I had to go back and tell my church, I'm sorry, to all the single people. I'm sorry. I told y' all it wasn't that bad out here until I realized it was a jungle out there.

Chris Renee Hazlett (29:40)

Even then.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (29:40)

Oh, let me tell you something. Listen, there's a thin line between the voice of God and mental health. I'm going. Just leave that right there. I'm going to leave that right there. Okay, I'mma listen. You know how many times I heard. The Lord told me, right? The Lord told me, I can't. I just talked to him. He didn't tell me, I'm God, what's up now? But three years, man. Three.

Chris Renee Hazlett (30:10)

That's so good.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (30:11)

Three years, man. Three years of walking this path, praying. And I remember sitting in my home, throwing my hands up and saying, God, I resign. I give up on trying to. It's crazy out there.

Chris Renee Hazlett (30:25)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (30:26)

And little did I know, while I'm saying the same thing, Stephanie is in Boston saying the same thing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (30:32)

My goodness.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (30:33)

I'm at a conference that following weekend teaching leaders. Meet a guy I never met before. He's, you know, I'm talking to leaders in Florida. He walks up to me and says, and I'm a little leery of this sometime. He says, you know, the Lord told me. I said, here we go again with.

Chris Renee Hazlett (30:50)

What the Lord said, okay?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (30:51)

But the Lord told me that, you know, I am to help facilitate finding your wife. And I think I know who she is. I said, sir, my name is Joseph Walker. How are you? But I, you know, but this man of God was so. So genuine, Such an awesome, kind man out of Boston, and. And Bishop Waters, and he's such John Borders, just an amazing man. And I said, okay, I'll give it a chance. So he then gets back. He hadn't told Steph this at all. Steph's on faculty at Harvard. She's doing her thing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (31:24)

Steph is that girl, first of all. Oh, y' all didn't know.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (31:28)

Listen, purpose is about marrying up. Y' all better hear me say it. I knew my purpose. Y' all better understand this. But let me tell you, man, this girl.

Chris Renee Hazlett (31:36)

Did y' all catch a young man?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (31:37)

This girl is out. Hurry up here doing it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (31:42)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (31:42)

And she goes to this church. And you know what her pastor told her the next Sunday. You're not gonna believe this. He told her. He said, yeah, come in my office, you know, and she's with a boyfriend at the time. That ain't him.

Chris Renee Hazlett (31:58)

In front of him.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (31:59)

No, no, no, no. Thank God.

Chris Renee Hazlett (32:00)

Oh, God.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (32:03)

He told her, that's not him.

Ollie Dog Food Announcer (32:05)

Wow.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (32:06)

And then, of course, weeks later, you know, and she kind of knew that was the case, you know, he knows. You just, you know, so, you know, hey, I want, you know what, you know, I'd like you to. I got somebody coming in town I'd like you to meet. She's thinking, because she's in the health policy, maybe it's somebody like that. And then I'm like, in Nashville, like, yo, can you send me a picture? Right? You know, I'm a guy, right?

Chris Renee Hazlett (32:28)

What am I walking into?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (32:29)

What? I don't date by faith. I date by sight. Anyway, so listen. So. Anyway, so. So, yeah, so he goes back to her and says, well, do you have a picture or something? And so she's kind of feeling a weird out about this. Like, why? My pastor asked me for a picture, right? And it hits her. He's trying to set me up. So she's like, who's this person? And of course, you know, he tells her, like, you know, I'm a pastor. He's like, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. She doesn't want it. No.

Chris Renee Hazlett (33:00)

Parts of it I'm wearing.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (33:01)

But watch how this works. Watch how this works, though, Krista. This comes full circle, right? So then she finally, you know, yields to having a conversation. And we talk. Come to realize. We talk in May and come to realize that she attended Mount Zion when she was at Vanderbilt undergrad. And we had never met.

Chris Renee Hazlett (33:22)

What?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (33:23)

When she was a student. And God would have it that we had never. Cause we had met. It would have been rap, right? We had never met. She'd come, get the word and go back. So now we're talking, we're connecting. One day we're on the phone. I have a list of all the things I asked God for in a woman. She has a list. Not knowing. I didn't know that. Let's read our list. We're both on the phone. Like, you gotta be kidding me.

Chris Renee Hazlett (33:46)

Wow.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (33:46)

Same thing. Straight down, down, down. Metarin. May we start talking, like, in early June. By September. I put a ring on it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (33:55)

Hold on. What was them date?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (33:57)

Three months. Because when you know, God be doing things in threes with me. When you know, you know, you know. Don't play with it. You don't play with purpose. God. And so God brought us together for purposes greater than ourselves.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:10)

I love it.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:11)

Listen, you don't play with it, you can't be somebody here. Put people in a holding path. You don't put purpose in a holding pattern.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:16)

Bishop, you better.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:16)

When it's real, you got to land that plane.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:21)

Land it.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:22)

Come on in. Come on.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:24)

Bishop.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:24)

You clear for landing? Some of y' all didn't hear that. You clear for landing?

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:27)

Clear for landing. That's the season I'm playing. I'm not. Do not play with me. Land a plane. Land it. No. I said this year is going to be my year. I feel it.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:38)

I believe it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:39)

I feel it. I feel it. And it ain't going. It don't take all that.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:43)

Don't take all that. When you. When you know, you just know.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:45)

I love it. And here we are. How many years later, man?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:49)

14 years later.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:50)

Goodness.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:51)

Isn't that a blessing?

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:52)

And I just love everything you all do together. Yeah. What was the book that you guys wrote together?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:56)

Oh, Becoming a Couple of Destiny.

Chris Renee Hazlett (34:58)

Yes.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (34:58)

Oh, Becoming a Couple of Destiny, man. And you know the crazy thing, and I'm 16 years and becoming a couple of destiny. And God has blessed that book. And God has blessed our, you know, our. Our. Our YouTube podcast together. Couple of Destiny. We're doing things together there, and it's a blessing. So, man, I'm telling you. And she's a real superstar with that now. She dropping gems, baby. On Couple of Destiny. Y' all gotta check it out. She dropping gems.

Chris Renee Hazlett (35:23)

Y' all gave me that. Me and Ra. Y' all gave that to us when we house. And I remember, like, yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (35:29)

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Chris Renee Hazlett (35:30)

That book was crazy. Yeah. Any couples read that book?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (35:33)

Read that book, Destiny on YouTube. I know that's right.

Chris Renee Hazlett (35:37)

So good. I love that with Pursuit, they can get this now.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (35:41)

Yeah, yeah. Get that. Anyway.

Taco Bell Announcer (35:42)

Yeah, it's out.

Chris Renee Hazlett (35:43)

But what are some things that you want people to take away when they get through this book?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (35:46)

Yeah. So I want you to understand that, you know, your life has never been a series of accidents, but they've been incidents that have really directed you toward true purpose. And don't look at life as this big casualty. Look at it as it was all caused by God to push you to a place you otherwise would have never gone. Recognize that you are unique and walk in that uniqueness of who you are. Recognize that God fearfully and wonderfully made you. He knew everything about you when he called you. You don't have to tell him all your short comments. He knew that. But when God anoints you, he anoints originals only, not copies. And always come to a place where you recognize, live it, and do it for him. Because whatever you do in purpose, I always tell people, if. And I said in the book, if you do it for the applause of people, if their applause becomes your oxygen, you will suffocate in their silence.

Chris Renee Hazlett (36:46)

That is so true.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (36:48)

People can't handle when the applause stops, because they don't. I don't need their affirmation. I have his confirmation, and I understand how to navigate various seasons of purpose and continue to re vent and evolve and reimagine what God wants me to do. And purpose is an amazing thing. And you look at it, look back over your life, and you begin to realize, God, you chose me to do something extraordinary. And I am humbled and grateful that every piece of it has mattered. All the heartbreak, all the setbacks, all the false promises, all the crazy stuff I had to go through. I tell you this crystal, every time I fly a plane, you know what I do? I always look for the pilot. Know why I'm trying to find out how many stripes he got.

Chris Renee Hazlett (37:34)

Really?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (37:34)

You know why? Because, see, if he got one little stripe and he's the pilot, what's going to happen? Through a storm, ladies and gentlemen, begin through this storm. It's my first time. Y' all pray we'll get through it together. I can't do that. I need somebody with four stripes because that means he's got a lot of flight hours.

Chris Renee Hazlett (37:51)

Yes.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (37:52)

And sometimes people look at us and don't realize the stripes we have. You want people who can help you navigate those spaces and the people that can help you navigate those spaces of people that have cast some stripes, people that have been through some things. And because of what we've gone through, God does not just let purpose stop with us. It's about. He uses us for the benefit of others. Every day I wake up, Lord, let my life be a gift to someone else. Let my story be for your glory.

Chris Renee Hazlett (38:22)

Come on.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (38:22)

That's it. Ultimately, yeah.

Chris Renee Hazlett (38:24)

My goodness. That is so good. That is so true. For New Year's, I brought it in. I was watching church, and I just started reflecting. I feel like New Year's Eve is always a time of reflection for a lot of people. And I listened to my friend. I was like, do you realize that we're chosen? And I was like, how humbling is it that God literally said, you and you, I want to build you up for my kingdom. And you're going to get to do all these amazing things and impact all these people, because I know I can trust you to be trusted by him. And I was like, man, I was like. It just put everything, my whole life into perspective in that moment.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:02)

To be chosen and to be chosen before the foundations of the world. That. That was a moment that you had to emerge. And the enemy knew it. The enemy knew Moses was chosen. That's why he tried to kill him.

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:15)

Sure did.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:15)

He knew Jesus was chosen. He tried to kill him.

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:17)

Yes.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:17)

And he knew you were chosen and all the things. He couldn't kill you, but he tried to get you to kill yourself. He tried to get you to self destruct. But the devil is a liar.

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:25)

He is a liar.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:26)

You just keep walking in what God told you to do.

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:29)

Yeah.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:29)

And all this stuff, man, all these attacks God's got that I've learned, man. I let God fight my battles. I'm like, I'm chosen. I'm walking on that. Because he will save his anointing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:39)

Yes, he will.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:39)

The Bible says He'll preserve his anointing. Yes, he will. Yes, he will.

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:42)

Oh, my goodness. I'm so grateful for the day that I sat next to you in first class.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (39:48)

Oh, my God. Do I ever remember that day?

Chris Renee Hazlett (39:52)

Yes. So I was styling Tyler at the time, and I was coming from work, doing something with him, and I sat next to you, and I knew you because I had. I was Going to Bishop Morton's church. And I was like, oh, my goodness, it's Bishop Walker. And then. What's her name? Janae Stevens that works at Neiman's.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (40:09)

What's her name? Natasha.

Chris Renee Hazlett (40:10)

Natasha. She introduced us. And I was like, yeah. I sat next to him. I got his book. But I'm so grateful for moments like that because you just never know who God will put you in the presence of. And you have continued to cover me ever since through life, and how God has continued to take me on this ride. You've been there every step of the way of my ascension. So I want to say thank you.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (40:29)

So proud of you.

Chris Renee Hazlett (40:30)

Thank you so much. I'm proud of you. Everybody, please go get the book. Pursuit of Purpose, piece by piece. Bishop, thank you so much for joining us.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (40:39)

Thank you for the opportunity.

Chris Renee Hazlett (40:40)

Yes, absolutely. Okay, so this is from Briana Butler, and she says, how do you stay motivated and focused when things aren't progressing as quickly as you would like?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (40:57)

Oh, yeah. So I think you have to believe in what God showed you. Vision for me, purpose for me kind of works this way. I agonize first. It's in me deeply. I know it's something I'm supposed to do, and then I visualize it. And the visualization part is when you see it, vision is for an appointed time. So you have to constantly keep your focus on that vision, regardless of the distractions or setbacks. Never forget what God showed you. Yes, Right. And then there's the visualization for me. Then goes to. I visualize and I strategize. That's the board, the whiteboard, and then I organize. Right. But I think sometimes when you're organizing a thing and you say, okay, I strategize and I organize and I mobilize. Why aren't I monetizing? That's how it works, right?

Chris Renee Hazlett (41:46)

How did you get my business?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (41:48)

Where's the monetizing?

Taco Bell Announcer (41:50)

Where is the.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (41:50)

How much more do I need to strategize? Right. And you can. And you have to realize, never forget the visualization, because it is for an appointed time.

Chris Renee Hazlett (42:00)

Yes. And it's God's time. That part.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (42:02)

And all it takes is one thing.

Chris Renee Hazlett (42:05)

And suddenly.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (42:06)

And suddenly. And you're thinking like, well, I've done this and done all the things, by the way. God's like, no, I'm gonna show you what I do no man or woman can do for you. It'll be one moment, one situation, and boom.

Chris Renee Hazlett (42:17)

And you'll know it's nobody but him.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (42:19)

And you gotta trust it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (42:20)

So true.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (42:20)

You gotta trust it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (42:21)

I love that. When I look at my life, period, just in the vision that I had to be where I am today. And it took 10 years from moving to Atlanta to getting the first TV show. If I had allowed the setbacks and things not moving at the pace that I thought they should be moving, I would have missed it. We wouldn't be sitting here today.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (42:40)

Absolutely no. Absolutely no.

Chris Renee Hazlett (42:42)

You know, Yes. I kept my eye on it even when people didn't see it. Because a lot of times people don't see what God has placed in your heart. You know that vision that God has given you, People like, ah, okay, girl, that part you. Okay, I understand you dream, but this is a little too far fetched. I'm like, no, I can do this. And my parents always said, you just believed you could do anything. And I did.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (43:04)

That's right. That's right. That's how.

Chris Renee Hazlett (43:05)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was talking today, I do what I call like a TikTok update or whatever, Life update. And I was telling people that a lot of times during that preparation period, what we feel is like, God's not moving fast enough. He's preparing us. Because sometimes we think we're ready for something and we're really not. We're not ready.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (43:24)

Listen and get mad when God don't.

Chris Renee Hazlett (43:25)

Give it to us, honey. Because I thought I was ready for a husband. I was not. And get mad, get mad. I was like, you are not ready, girl. Because I was alone single too long. I think there's a such thing too, where you get used to being by yourself. And for me, I was like, but can you wait? Yeah, I was stuck. He's like, we gotta have to switch some things around and rework this, this mindset of yours. But, yeah, I do feel that anytime things are kind of slow cooking, that's always the best way.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (43:51)

That's always the best way. No doubt. And when it shows up, you know. Yeah, you'll know.

Chris Renee Hazlett (43:55)

You will know. Me and Brenda Palmer's quote for this season of our Lives or this year is. And suddenly. How about because God is doing things. And suddenly it'll feel like it's taking forever. And then suddenly God be like, it's time.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:09)

And you're like, whoa, that's it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:11)

Yeah, but you'll be ready.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:12)

That's so true.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:13)

Yeah, Brianna, you'll be ready. So that's. Hang in there. I love that Bishop. Thank you.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:18)

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:20)

Absolutely. Is there anything that we can support you in? We're gonna Go by the book.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:24)

Yep. Yep, that's it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:25)

Anything else?

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:26)

Okay, yeah, I think you got my. My IG handle all that stuff. Yes, just walk three so that. Yeah, yeah.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:30)

Make sure we follow you and you can watch online. If you live in Nashville and you're looking for a church home, Mount Zion, baby. Come on over. Yes. I love it. Well, thank you.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:41)

I thank you so much.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:42)

Yes, sir.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (44:43)

I appreciate it.

Chris Renee Hazlett (44:48)

Wow, that was such a meaningful conversation and a reminder that leadership isn't just about strength. It's about honesty, care, and knowing when to pause. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode of the Keep It Positive, Sweetie show. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who might need it right now. And as always, stay blessed, stay encouraged, and remember to keep it positive, sweetie. I'll see you guys next time.

Imate Health Announcer (45:23)

Tired of juggling dozens of supplements? Imate is different. Co founded by David Beckham and developed with experts from Mayo Clinic and NASA, it's an all in one daily drink that replaces 16 supplements in one scoop World no.1 tennis player Aryna Sabalenka trusts it. In a clinical study, 95% reported a noticeable boost in daily energy and 85% experienced better digestion. Real energy isn't forced, it's balanced. Visit im8th.com iheart and use code iheart for 10% off plus a free welcome kit. That's im8th.com iheart code iheart.

Bishop Joseph Walker III (46:02)

The new year brings new health goals and wealth goals. Protecting your identity is an important step. Your info is in endless places that could expose you to identity theft leading to lost funds. Lifelock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, Lifelock's restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Resolve to make identity, health and wealth part of your new Year's goals. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iheart Terms apply.

Taco Bell Announcer (46:32)

This is Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules. Rob, I've never asked, are you a dips guy? Like the workout? You can't tell. No, I mean for your chips. Oh, I knew that. Yeah, of course. You got to try this new daisies French onion dip. Goes great on Sundays. I like the sound of that. Everyone knows you need a good dip for game day. Personally, I like to dip everything I can. Veggies, crackers, chips. Heck, I might even dip a buffalo wing in there. That reminds me, they also have Daisy's ranch dip. Now you're speaking my language. Yup. Seems like a no brainer on game day. So get out there and give the French onion dip a try. You won't regret it.

Imate Health Announcer (47:21)

There's a lot of noise in the business world today. Leaders like you need clear insights from professionals you can trust. Navigating beyond the Expected is a new podcast from Truist securities featuring conversations with investment banking experts, experts at the center of financing deals in manufacturing, healthcare, entertainment, and more. It's practical advice for leaders who need to know what's coming next. Subscribe at truist. Com Beyond Podcast Copyright Truist Securities Incorporated Member FINRA and SIPC.