How to overcome obstacles // S05E11

How do you tap into God’s strength? How do you deal with wounds that seem bigger than you? No matter what pain you are living with know that God can give you supernatural strength that allows you to flourish in ways you wouldn’t expect. You may be surprised it may be those very wounds that lead you to His purposes. Listen to today’s episode to listen to Pastor Dorsey Ross’ walk through his wounds.

VERSES FROM BY HIS WOUNDS:

Psalms 55:22, Philippians 4:13, Proverbs 5-6.

QUESTIONS FROM BY HIS WOUNDS:

• How to overcome obstacles?
• Dealing with struggles?
• Where does strength come from?

QUOTES FROM BY HIS WOUNDS:

“When I listen to everything you’ve been saying, I think about how you flourished against all of these odds. And you have said, you know, that God has a purpose for you. And I think sometimes we focus more on what others are able to do”.

Michelle Watson, The Pantry Podcast, By His Wounds.

“I’m thinking about this is a man who loves God. This is definitely a man who is working in God’s purpose. God has given him a mission. And we know that If you love God and you’re walking in his purpose, all things work together for good.”

Shea Watson, The Pantry Podcast, By His Wounds.

“You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, and you know, you can overcome those obstacles and overcome those difficulties because God is with you and he is by your side.”

Pastor Dorsey Ross, The Pantry Podcast, By His Wounds.

ANNOTATED TRANSCRIPT:

Shea: What do you do when the consensus is hopeless. Would you give up or put it in God’s hands. This week, Pastor Dorsey Ross shared the keys to overcoming the obstacles of his birth and how he found himself flourishing in ministry.

Shea: Hey, I’m Shea and I’m Michelle. There’s a battle being waged. It’s not flesh. It’s not blood, it’s spiritual, and we need to be prepared. The last thing a warrior wants on the battlefield is spiritual anemia. So when the enemy attacks we need to be prepared.

Michelle: We don’t always realize where the attacks are coming from or that we’re being attacked at all. This is the Pantry Podcast, and we’re here to remind you of who we answer to what we’re capable of, and how we are called to do it in every aspect of our lives. 

Shea: Season five on naturally flourished, we are gearing up for season four, left off looking at God’s unusual, amazing, and miraculous methods of elevating relocating, and redeeming us into his purpose in ways the world can’t access, 

Michelle: Support our ministry, reaching the lost and found in over 35 countries with spiritual and literal nutrition, every one-time and recurring donation makes a lasting impact donate through Patreon or pantrypodcast.com. And now let’s dig into the meal. 

Shea: Hey, hi, man. We are back. We are back. I love sitting in these chairs. Comfy chair. What makes it even more fun is when it’s not just us. It’s not just me and Michelle today. No, no. We’ve got a very special guest today and we’re gonna be talking about his wounds. And I think that’s just going to be an awesome, lead-in for what we’re going to hear about flourishing in the word of God. Yeah. 

Michelle: Today we have the honor of welcoming pastor Dorsey Ross onto the show. He was born with Apert syndrome, he’s overcome life’s obstacles to inspire countless audiences with his story that disproves that the world’s narratives always rang true. And instead embraces God’s ability to shape us against the odds. His story is one that shines a light on God’s faithfulness through some of the most challenging times, he’s endured 68 surgeries over his lifetime, he still graduated with a bachelor’s degree in youth ministry and was ordained to share God’s light and truth with the world. So welcome pastor Dorsey. It’s awesome to have you today. Yeah, it’s awesome to have you. 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: Thank you for having me I appreciate it!

Shea: So I think when we think of this by his wounds, and we’re thinking about this nourishing, you know, it always takes me back to Psalms 92 13, where it says they are planted in the house of the Lord. They flourish in the courts of our God. You know, we’ve been planted in this, this house, you know, in God’s house where we’ve been planted into this kingdom. And there was, there’s nothing that he wants more than to see us flourish. You know, he nourishes us so that we can flourish so that no matter what we face, no matter what we go through, like pastor Dorsey, right. What you went through. And yet we see this man on the other side and that’s what we’re going to dig into today. Yeah. 

Michelle: So how did your life start out? What were your parents told? Cause I know you mentioned to us that, you know, the doctors kind of painted a dismal picture. What did they tell your parents about you? And then what did your parents do?

Pastor Dorsey Ross: Yeah the picture they painted for my parents was very dismal. I’m actually going to talk about a few of them. They didn’t expect to have a baby with a birth defect they didn’t have the testing that they do today to determine you know, what the baby would be like, their life. So the doctors said they should put me in an institution. And my parents said no we cannot put him in an institution we cannot sign those papers. They found out from a nurse that there were other babies like me. They said that I would have to overcome a lot of obstacles and difficulties growing up.

Shea:   So your parents, you know, we, we, we always hear these wonderful things about parents. What was their relationship with God? Like, you know, what was the family home? Yeah. 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: You know, we went to church every Sunday they were very strong. I loved my parents. I went to youth group Friday nights. The biggest support in my life. And I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my parent. He kept them for me because of the perseverance they had for me and to keep moving forward and to allow me to do anything and everything I could and wanted to do in my life. You know when I was older going into, you know, getting ready to go into college, then my parents were like, Hey, you know, if you want to do that, you can try it in a week, go and go for it. Even when I had my high school history teacher told me, you know, there’s no way you’re gonna make it in college. You’re not, you don’t do well in school. You don’t do well in tests. You know, you’re not gonna make it. And my parents would like, my mom especially was like, Hey, you know, you think you can make it, go for it. And I even asked her how long you think will take to for me to make it and they said I don’t care if it takes you 10 years to make it. And I went to community college and finally, it was really hard for me the first couple of weeks. And I even had another discussion with my mom about how difficult it was and my mom said, well, take it a few more weeks. And if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll discuss what the next step will be. And I found out about the cooking group on the campus and for the rest of my time on that campus. And that really helped me to develop perseverance.

Shea: Isn’t it amazing how God shows up in those moments? You know, you’re, you’re, you’re talking about a couple of weeks, then it’s hard, you know, and you’re talking to your mom and it’s like, oh, we’re about to, you know, maybe we’ll give up, then God says, no, no, no, no, no, I got you. I’ve got you. And see that is the God that we serve. And it’s so awesome that we serve a God who always comes in in the right place, meets us, right where we’re at. And so with that, you know, this group on campus that you were with, you, obviously it was nourishing, and it was flourishing. And was that maybe some of the reason that you went into ministry? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: No, I wouldn’t because I was grown up and I can mention to the youth speaking life today, you know, being there for them being a leader to them in that group, that’s what I felt like wanted to do. I wanted to be calm as I got older and started to go more liberally to the youth group that I had. They never, they never looked at me as someone that was different. They never made fun of me never treated me or looked down upon me.

Michelle: I love that about children. I think children get a bad rap because we say like, children can be so mean, I also think children can be so loving. You know, when they’re in, when they’re in the right atmosphere, like there, they can love without the same kind of questions. I just love that. I love that. You’re still in that you still have a passion for the youth and I’m sure you’re touching a lot of youth with your message. Now, do you find yourself being contacted by any youth that might be struggling with disabilities? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: Not really. I think most of the time it’s adults reaching out they contact me. Do you know they ask me things like how do you keep going? You know, I tell them, it’s not going to be easy and it’s not easy. It’s difficult at times to know that when you’re done with it on your end of it, you’re going to make it. Whatever the components are, what are they, what are you going to go it will be okay. You’re going to be better. You’re going to look better. You’re going to feel even about yourself until, you know, belief in God. You can believe that he made me that way for eight weeks in a cup. It’s now morning, like an income type of kinetic in the DNA that caused it. I still believe that that has to reconnect perfectly to allow me to be born the way that he did. 

Shea: Yeah. That’s awesome. That’s awesome. So what is something you’re still wrestling with? What is, God’s showing you in the struggle? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: I think the biggest struggle that I’m dealing with is that, you know I’m 44 years old and I’m still single. I’m still looking for that one that God has for me or will I ever get married, you know, will I ever find that woman that He has for me, will she ever be able to love me because of the way I look on the outside, will women ever find me good looking enough to say, Hey, I want to try.

Michelle: I know that’s a struggle. And I know, I know a lot of people that actually they’re in their singleness and some, you know, they embrace it and some of them they’re grappling with it, they all have their own. They all have a different relationship with God and they all kind of handle it differently. How are you handling that? How do you navigate that with your relationship with God? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: I can’t believe I say that he will, you know, send me someone at some point, at the same time on the flip side of that, I’m okay. If I realize that it’s him, it’s his time. And if he doesn’t be that me maybe not to get married and that to have a, you know, intimate friendship or intimate relationship. 

Shea: Yeah. I think that a lot of people probably experienced that in that waiting period. Like God’s time, it’s like sometimes it’s the longest time ever. You’re like ever, is it ever gonna? And it’s like, like, I like your answer though. I love what you said. It’s like, you know, you know, you on one side you, you want, you know, you’d love to be in a relationship. I mean, a lot of us would, a lot of people do. Then you said, I love it. On the flip side, you know, I want to live in God’s will I want to live in God’s plan?

Pastor Dorsey Ross: I just got to believe that for myself sometimes.

Shea: Right. I mean, you know what, pastor it’s like, that’s the real struggle though. And you know, a lot of our listeners, we don’t like to sugar coat be like, oh, no, everything is just always wonderful. And like, no, we struggle. And it’s okay. Because I think in our struggles, that’s when we find God more. I think that’s when we, really have that connection through the holy spirit to be with Jesus. You know, it’s like, I think some of my deepest and darkest times where I had that, it was just like this tight knit communication level, you know? And just this, this comfort that came, that could only come from God. So yeah, 

Michelle: It, it aligns with a verse that when we were looking into your ministry and details about that, you had a verse on your about page, and it’s Proverbs 5-6 that says trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways, acknowledge him. And he will make straight your paths. And I’m, I think that it’s such a strong anchor verse for a person, why, why did you choose that verse? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: You know, with the closing, with having to go through the operations and not knowing what the outcome of those operations may or may not happen? No, I could have gone to an operation and the doctor could have said, well, we’re going to help them to become better. And, you know, God forbid it could have gone. And I may not have come out on the other side of that better than I could have come out worse than what I had to trust in him. And I had to rely on him that he was going to bring me through those times. And that goes back to my peers and my parents helping me to trust in him. And it goes back to my mom being in the room with me, every time I was in the hospital, he would live with me. He would sleep next to me in my room. And she would go as far as he could, even into the operating room with me and even play with me say, Hey, when are you believing that God will help you to go through this operation? Even the, of him because he, and that thing, you know, because he leaves tomorrow because he lives he’s gone because I know he holds if he can live with the living difficulty. 

Shea:  Ooh, I like that song. I like that song. He just, he just came right up in my alley. You know, w when we’re thinking about this, the season, you know what we’re talking about flourishing. And so what I’m hearing here is like this nourishing, right? It’s nourishing. Your mom was obviously in a position of flourishing, because if we think about this, you know, if you think about Psalms 55:22, where it says, cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you, he will never permit the righteous to be moved. See, we are, we are raising generations and your mom was in a nourishing moment. She was, she flourished. And in that flourishing, she started to nourish you. And then in that nourishment of you, you began doing that same thing. She was casting her burdens on the Lord. Now you’ve turned and cast your burdens on the Lord. And what does that do? It just continues to build this nourishment and this, and this beautiful relationship, this with Jesus. And we’re sure that your message, you know, as you take this out. So see, now you’re flourishing and you’re making this out to other people and you’re like cast your burdens on the Lord. And we’re sure your methods stick with people and inspire people. Would you like to share one of the most memorable times you’ve had with someone in the audience? Yeah. A lot 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: You know, a lot of them, when I moved the time going, people would come up to me and they would say, Hey, I needed that today. I needed to hear that today. I’m done with you, you know, this time of my life. And I need to see that the way of what you are doing and what you’re going through in your life and how you have overcome those trials and how you overcome those difficulties in your life or time when people say, Hey, you know, I have, you know, the doctor doesn’t give me my coat. Can you, can you pray for me?

Michelle: You know, when I listened to everything that you’ve been saying, I think about how you flourished against all of these odds. And you have said, you know, that God has a purpose for you. And I think sometimes we focus more on what others are able to do because they don’t have our struggles, you know? Oh, they don’t struggle the same way I do. And because they don’t have that, they can do this, they can do this. And I can’t write, I’m interested in what you think you can do because of the circumstances that you’ve been given, you know, what are those things, where those perspectives, those mindsets that you’re like, because of my circumstances, I can walk with this. You know, 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: I love Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. So very few times in my life, will I ever use the word can’t and I’ll always try to do things in my life that may even be beyond what a lot of people. Okay. No, he’s not going to be able to do that. He’s not gonna be able to this. I laugh every time people come up to me and say, you know, how did you get you today? Well, I drive.

Pastor Dorsey Ross:  I mean, you may not want to come into the car with me. You may be saying a hail Mary.

Michelle: I love the mindset. You know, I think it’s, it’s sad, true about people that when we have it, like, you know, when we have a quote-unquote, all together, when we think we have it all together when the world would say, we have it all together, sometimes that’s our biggest stumbling block to get to Christ. And some people, all the challenges, get mad at God because they blame him for it. And they’re like, because of all these things, like I can’t, I can’t right. I love that. You said, yes, I have all these things, I can, you know, and it’s because you have God, you’re not using your struggles as a stumbling block. You’re, you’re using them as that jump-off point, you know? And you’re focusing on that. And I just, I’m, I’m inspired by that. And I’m challenged by that in my own life. I love it. I want to ask you to share something that, you know, when you’re, when you’re out there speaking with people, what are, what are some of the things that you say, like those zingers, those inspirational things you want them to walk away knowing? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: I think the biggest thing is it’s not in my vocabulary because of what you facing. We don’t know what you are going to say, that you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength, and that, you know, you can overcome those obstacles and overcome those difficulties because God is with you and he is by your side. 

Shea: Well, that’s awesome. You know, obviously I, you know, as I sit here and I’m thinking about that, this is a man who loves God. This is definitely a man who is working on God’s purpose. He, God has given him a mission. And we know that we, at that point, right, if God, you know, if you love God and you’re walking in his purpose, what we know, all things work together for good, and you are definitely doing something, good pastor. And I think you’re just an awesome person. And I think as we get ready to wrap this a little bit, you know, that, that, that kid, or that person, or, you know, whoever would approach you. And I know, you know, you said it, you know, don’t give up. If what they took that farther and light, where does this strength come from? How do I tap into this strength that you’re talking about? You know, this, this, this God that has all this strength, what would you tell them? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross: Tell him to pray and to read the Bible to start in the New Testament and read the Bible and start to get to know who God is, what God can do in your life.

Michelle: I love how simplistic, like some people have a 12 step, you know, something, the key is getting to know who it is that this book’s about. That’s the key. And that’s exactly what you hit on. I love that. That’s that is the key y’all, 

Shea: You know, what’s amazing is the w the world can label us, right? The world can label us to whatever we are, whoever we are. However, we were born, whatever disability we were born with, whatever shortcomings were, were, you know, that we end up in, God sees us completely different. He doesn’t see this. He sees what’s inside of us. And I just want to say, thank you, pastor, for sharing your story. Thank you for allowing me. Yeah. Thank you for letting people in to know you. Man, keep going, brother, keep going. Is there anything you want to tell anybody before we leave? 

Pastor Dorsey Ross:  You know, he put me and keep pushing forward and what, and what you want to do in your life and what God had for you and your life 

Michelle: So can you let our listeners know how they can connect with you best?

Pastor Dorsey Ross: Yeah, you can connect with me on my website or you can connect with me on Facebook or on Instagram as well.

Michelle: As always, you can connect with us @thepantrypodcast.com. So until next time. 

Shea: Bye. Bye. Thank you so much!

KEYWORDS: SEEKING STRENGTH. FINDING STRENGTH IN MIDST OF STRUGGLES. FAITH IN STRUGGLES. BIBLE VERSES ABOUT STRENGTH.