What Happens when Your Family Rejects Your Faith
Season 2: Episode 43
“If you walk out those doors, you’re not coming back home.” She walked out anyway, and that was only the beginning.
On Covenant and Conflict, Trysten Tice tells David how a secular Jewish teenager from South Florida ended up asked to leave home for believing in Jesus, and what it cost her to keep going. She traces the years of persecution, the questions across the kitchen table, and the slow way her own family’s hearts began to turn.
What we cover in this episode:
- Growing up culturally Reform Jewish, with faith as identity rather than belief
- The church service where she wept and couldn’t explain why
- Praying “if Jesus is the truth, answer me” and watching her desires change
- Being told to leave home, and the friends who took her in
- Canceling her own baptism to honor her mother, then baptized in the Jordan River
Trystan (00:00):
Well, the pastor told me, “Go home and pray and talk to God like you’re talking to a friend.” And I said, “You can’t just talk to God like you’re talking to a friend.” Because we were always told you go to the synagogue, the rabbis have the close relationship with God. I didn’t know what I even believed about God, so this was all new to talk to God. And I go home and I started praying prayers specifically in Jesus’ name. And I said, “If Jesus is the truth, answer me. And if not, I’ll keep searching. I know what I experienced. I know you’re a real God, but I’m going to choose to believe in Jesus first.” So I went back home and there was so much persecution. She goes, “If you walk out those doors, you’re not coming back
David (00:51):
Home.” Well, welcome back everybody to the Covenant and Conflict Podcast where we take ancient truths, modern issues and see how they come in conflict with one another in today’s world. And we have a very special guest, Trystan Tice.
Trystan (01:08):
Yes.
David (01:08):
Do I say the last name right?
Trystan (01:09):
Yes.
David (01:10):
Okay, good. Just making sure. Every time I introduce someone on the podcast, I’m like, “I hope I’ve been saying their name right.” No, that’s
Trystan (01:15):
Right. You got it. Hi, I’m Trystan.
David (01:18):
We’re so excited you’re here. I’m
Trystan (01:20):
So happy to be here.
David (01:21):
We first met a few years ago on Zoom.
Trystan (01:24):
Yes. This is
David (01:24):
The first time we’ve met in person.
Trystan (01:26):
Yes.
David (01:26):
That’s exciting.
Trystan (01:28):
I feel like we’ve already connected though. I know your family.
David (01:30):
We’ve
Trystan (01:31):
Had calls and you’ve called with my brother.
David (01:33):
Yep. That was a fun conversation while driving to Lubbock, Texas.
Trystan (01:37):
Yes. I
David (01:37):
Don’t know where you guys were, but I think we were both on a drive.
Trystan (01:40):
We were on drives. And
David (01:41):
We were just talking. Keys. So tell us a little bit about who you are because I want us to know more about your story. You have an incredible story, but first just ground us in who you are, where you were born, your family, where you’re living right now.
Trystan (01:55):
Yeah. So I’m Trystan and I live in Boca Raton, Florida.
David (02:01):
Boca Raton.
Trystan (02:02):
I’m currently on staff at a church in Florida. And my family, we all grew up together South Florida. One of them lives out in Las Vegas now. O is here in Texas and the other one is back home. They’re triplets. My brothers are triplets. And I’m on fire for the Lord, my mom’s now on fire for the Lord, and then two of my brothers are on fire for the Lord, but we all grew up Jewish.
David (02:27):
Yeah. So tell me about the first time I was introduced to you, I don’t know if I was introduced to you and then watched your YouTube video or watch your YouTube video and then was introduced to you, but the YouTube video was something like Jewish person goes to a church camp or something like that.
Trystan (02:44):
Yes.
David (02:45):
Sees Jesus, finds Jesus or something like that. Yeah. So walk us through that story. So you grew up Jewish.
Trystan (02:49):
Yes.
David (02:50):
And this is in Florida. Was this religious Jew Orthodox or was this like high holidays? We were Jewish culturally. What was it like? Okay.
Trystan (03:01):
Yeah. It was more we’re Jewish because my mom’s Jewish, my grandma’s Jewish and I was bat mitzvahed. My brothers were barn mitzvahed. We do Passover, Hanukkah, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah. But we would kind of keep Sabbath Shabbat however we felt like it that week.
David (03:21):
But
Trystan (03:21):
Very much I would say, what do they call it? Secular reform,
David (03:25):
Judaism,
Trystan (03:26):
Not Orthodox.
David (03:27):
How a lot of Christians are. It’s like Christmas, Easter, love it. Are you my Christian? Sure.
Trystan (03:33):
Kind
David (03:34):
Of, yeah.
Trystan (03:34):
Born it. So yeah. Yeah.
David (03:36):
And what was both you personally and your family’s understanding of God? Was it like, oh, we believe in God? Or was it like, yeah, we’re Jewish?
Trystan (03:46):
Probably more like, yeah, we’re Jewish. My one brother, Landon was atheist. There was a point where I was atheist and I just said, I’m Jewish because I’m told it, but I’ve never seen anything of God. I’ve never heard God. So am I just Jewish in the same way that it’s an identity like I’m a girl, I’m blonde, I’m Jewish, not like a faith in the Lord.
David (04:09):
Yeah. It was cultural, not a faith.
Trystan (04:11):
Cultural, for sure.
David (04:12):
So then take us to the point where you end up at what I believe is a Christian camp, but maybe I’m making that up. No,
Trystan (04:20):
That is exactly what happened. So I was invited to sleep at my friend’s house on a Saturday night and she said, “You’re welcome to sleep here, but I have to go to church in the morning with my whole family and you can either sleep in or come with us.” And I was like, “I’m not going to sleep in your house while your whole family goes to church.” Good
David (04:39):
Call. So I’ll just
Trystan (04:39):
Go.
David (04:40):
Who wants to do that? Who
Trystan (04:41):
Wants to do that? I’ll just go. So I went to church and the pastor was preaching and talking about Jesus. And I always was told we’re Jewish. We don’t believe in Jesus.That’s not for us, that’s for the Christians. But I just was there knowing that it’s not for me, it’s for Christians. And maybe it was my own lack of understanding or lack of knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures. But when he started speaking, he was talking about Moses, he was talking about Jonah, he was talking about Noah and the ark. And I was like, how does he know the Jewish stories? I’m at church. Why is he talking
David (05:22):
About
Trystan (05:22):
Jesus and Moses and Noah? I
David (05:24):
Remember you saying like, why is he talking about
Trystan (05:27):
Abraham? Why is he talking about Abraham? Why is he talking about my people? I know. Yeah. And I guess I didn’t know that the Torah is the first five books. Then there’s the Tanakh, but then there’s the New Testament and that makes up the Bible.
David (05:40):
So they have both. You didn’t know that Christian was built on that.
Trystan (05:43):
You’re making my sentences make sense. I didn’t know it was built on that. And he starts talking about Jesus. Andy shares a story about a neighbor who got Thanksgiving food and bought this whole meal for their family who was really in poverty and didn’t get to celebrate. And God is our provider and talking about who he was and the characteristics of God. And I’m just weeping. Something in me doesn’t know what I’m feeling. Now I could say it was the Holy Spirit, but I’m just crying. My friend starts videoing me. She’s actually not saved, but God will use anyone, which is really interesting.
(06:23):
And she’s videoing me, asking me why I’m crying. And I’m like, I don’t know, but I’m feeling the things in my heart and I’m just, something’s happening, but I can’t explain. And it talks about how the scales are removed from our eyes and the blinders are removed. And that’s all I can say happened. I felt the purest form of love I’d ever felt and I’m just weeping and I had to know more. So it kind of went from that to a family friend who’s a Christian growing up our whole life. And she was never allowed to tell me about Jesus. My mom specifically with my triplet brothers, my dad would work. I was home. Me, my three brothers. So four kids under four years old and just my mom at home. She would have me go and be with the Christian neighbor. Her name is Sarah.
(07:17):
And she would watch me. But she specifically told her, don’t teach her about Jesus. Don’t pray with her. Read the Bible.
David (07:24):
I know how you Christians are
Trystan (07:25):
Trying to evangelize anything. Yes. We’re Jewish. And if you want to watch Trystan as a baby growing up, you can do that. Just don’t be weird. That’s basically
David (07:36):
What my mom said.
Trystan (07:37):
And she didn’t. She never told me about Jesus specifically, but I knew they were Christians and I know she was praying for me. You can’t tell a Christian don’t pray. So I just know that and we’re still in relationship to this day, dinners every week. But she gets me my first Bible.
David (07:57):
So did you go to her house or what text? I went to her
Trystan (07:59):
House. And I said, I went to church and I’m crying and I don’t know why I’m crying, but I felt something and I think it’s God and Jesus. And they’re talking about the Holy Spirit and I think it’s that.
David (08:10):
Abraham, I think got something. And Abraham is somewhere in the story. Noah had a big moment with this, I think.
Trystan (08:16):
I want the big moment with God like they’re saying. And so she gets me a Bible and I am all in reading it. How old are you? Sorry?
David (08:26):
How old are you at this point?
Trystan (08:27):
16.
David (08:28):
Okay.
Trystan (08:29):
And I get this Bible. I don’t know really anything. So I start meeting with the pastor at the church weekly. I go, I reach out. I’m like, “I need help. Here’s some of my story. I don’t know what I know or what I don’t know. Can I just sit with you and ask you questions?” So one of the pastors meets with me every week and I remember it so clear. He opens the Bible and he goes, “This big number is the chapter and these little numbers are the verses. And these four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John are the gospels. These are some of the letters and this is the Old Testament.” And I was jaw dropped and just said, “You know so much.” And he’s like, “I’ve been doing this a long time.” But he’s just saying what the Bible is.
David (09:14):
Big numbers are chapters. You’re like, whoa. Whoa, where do I start? Big stuff here. Yeah.
Trystan (09:19):
And so I’m reading and I start reading all through the gospels and just kept reading. And I think it could have been easy for me to say, I don’t really know anything. Where do I start? I don’t even want to try because the Bible’s daunting. Yeah, totally.
David (09:35):
It’s this huge
Trystan (09:35):
Book and I still am trying to figure it out eight years in.
David (09:39):
But
Trystan (09:41):
There’s so many resources. So I would Google things and call people and call my pastors and kept going to church and making friends that would help me. And I just fell so in love with Jesus. Well, the pastor told me, go home and pray and talk to God like you’re talking to a friend. And I said, you can’t just talk to God like you’re talking to a friend. Because we were always told you go to the synagogue, the rabbis have the close relationship with God. I didn’t know what I even believed about God. So this was all new to
David (10:12):
Talk
Trystan (10:12):
To God. And I go home and I started praying prayers specifically in Jesus’ name. And I said, “If Jesus is the truth, answer me. And if not, I’ll keep searching. I know what I experienced. I know your real God. Maybe more agnostic, but I’m going to choose to believe in Jesus first.” And I would pray and prayers would get answered. I was a huge party girl living in the world, just very much guys and clubbing and the fake ID that I didn’t have and I got rid of and just very much not in any way living for God. I didn’t know what that even meant. But as I kept reading, the desires of my heart started to change. And I just didn’t want anything to do with the old way that I was living. It actually started to grieve me to go to some of those places and entertain some of those conversations with my friends.
(11:08):
But the only thing in my life that was changing was I kept reading the word of God. And faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing the word. And I kept hearing and I was convinced that Jesus is the Messiah.
David (11:21):
Yeah.
Trystan (11:22):
I’m rambling.
David (11:24):
No, not at all. Well, my next question is, okay, so as you’re doing all of this… Well, maybe continue on this thread for a second. Was there a moment where you’re like it’s Jesus? And then what did you do with that?
Trystan (11:37):
Okay. So yes. Because
David (11:39):
You’re convinced he’s the Messiah and you’re just like,
Trystan (11:41):
“Sweet.” I’m convinced he’s the Messiah.
(11:43):
I’m falling in love with him through the stories on the pages. And I also started to just go out and share my faith with people. I didn’t know what to say, all the right words, but I’d be in the grocery store and just be like, “Sorry, mom, one second.” And go run up to someone and say, “This might be so random, but I just felt like God was highlighting you to me. Can I pray with you for anything?” And my mom would start to be like, “There she goes again. Here she goes. There she goes.” And I would just see people start crying and feel the love of God. Everything in my life started to just change organically. So I don’t know if there was an exact moment that I was like, “Jesus is it.
David (12:27):
”
Trystan (12:28):
I just heard his voice leave everything and follow me. And I just started to do that. Which is
David (12:32):
Interesting because that’s very biblical. You think in the modern day, because we have this say a prayer moment, which is great and that’s a lot of people’s stories. When you read the accounts of Jesus, even the disciples aren’t fully understanding when they start following him because they drop their nets and follow him. And then later on the boat when he comes the seas, they’re like, “Who is this dude that the winds and waves obey him?” So they’re gaining in revelation even though they started following.
Trystan (13:04):
Yes.
David (13:04):
I think that’s what you were experiencing.
Trystan (13:06):
That’s a great way to put it. They didn’t have all the answers. They didn’t go to theology school and those things are amazing. But you just read the scriptures, you read about Jesus. There is a simplified version. And you’re kind of like, okay, pray for people. I’ll pray for you. Share your faith. Here’s why I believe in God. You don’t
David (13:23):
Know what to do. We’re all stumbling our way through it, just trying to follow him.
Trystan (13:25):
Yeah.
David (13:26):
So my next question is, go back to the church where you have this experience, the Holy Spirit basically falls on you and impacts your heart in that moment. You go home. What’s your mom think? What’s your family think? Was this a, oh, she’s going through a phase. She’ll come on back or was there opposition?
Trystan (13:54):
So I think my mom thought it was a phase until I was really living it out. And then eventually I had church camp. So you’re right in your church camp
David (14:06):
Though. I knew there was church camp somewhere in there.
Trystan (14:08):
Knew it was church camp. And it was my youth group because I was 16.
David (14:11):
So she was okay with you maybe exploring?
Trystan (14:13):
Yes.
David (14:13):
Because it wasn’t like it was a bad thing in her mind maybe.
Trystan (14:16):
She was like, she could be doing worse things. She’s getting to know God. It’s not the right God. It’s not the God we believe in. But she is more loving and she is more kind and she’s not partying anymore so that’s good. All right. I guess it’s not the worst thing.
David (14:33):
There’s decent fruit, but maybe she’ll come on back. She’ll come back. Keep
Trystan (14:37):
This fruit, but come back to udaism. And I go to church camp and I needed someone to sign the papers for me to go. My parents are divorced. My dad grew up Methodist, but he’s kind of figuring out what he believes about God would say he’s Christian. And I go and I bring the papers to my dad because I knew my mom wasn’t going to sign papers to go to church camp. And I was like, “Dad, I really want to go to church camp. Can you just sign?Just sign the dotted line. Ju sign right there.”
David (15:06):
Don’t read it. Just don’t read it.
Trystan (15:08):
Don’t ask questions. Don’t call mom. Don’t call mom. Just sign the papers. He’s like, “Oh, that sounds great. I love church camp. Go. Signs.” I packed my suitcase and in hindsight, I probably could have honored my mom better and let her know that I was doing this. Fair. I didn’t.
David (15:27):
Take the L forgetting.
Trystan (15:28):
Listen, sorry. But I pack my suitcase. I’m walking out the door and my mom goes, “Where are you going? ” And I said, “I’m going to church camp with my church.” And she –
David (15:40):
At least you told the truth.
Trystan (15:41):
I did. That’s a way.
David (15:42):
Take the W there.
Trystan (15:43):
Yeah, thanks. And she goes, “Church camp? No, you’re not. Who signed your papers to go? ” And then I said, “Dad.” And that threw her for another casket
David (15:52):
Because she’s
Trystan (15:52):
Like, “Now it’s church. Now it’s your father.” She goes, “If you walk out those doors, you’re not coming back home.” And I said, “Okay.” And I left. And I go to camp and I get on the bus and that’s where I met my three best friends who are still my best friends to this day eight years later. And I sit with them, but I didn’t even feel fear. When I look back at that, I had so much joy, David. I literally sit on this bus, meet these girls, and I go, “I think I just got kicked out of my house, but I’ve been reading the Bible and God is going to come through and he is not going to make me be homeless. He’s going to meet my every need. I see what he does for all of his people. ” And I’d be quoting verses.
(16:36):
I don’t even know if they were in context, but they were –
David (16:39):
They were verses.
Trystan (16:40):
They were verses. And my friends were just like, “God is going to come through. I know he is. So we’re just tag teaming all this joy and
David (16:48):
Faith.” You’re sharing faith, borrowing faith. All this
Trystan (16:50):
Faith. It’s going to be great. I don’t know where I’m going in a week when I get
David (16:54):
Home. Figure that out later.
Trystan (16:55):
But right now I’m here with the Lord and making friends. And then my friend Sophie, who’s actually Jewish as well and came to know Jesus, she ends up taking me in to live with her and her mom
(17:08):
After church camp. She tells her mom that I’m Jewish. I got asked to leave home for believing in Jesus. Can they take me in? They say yes. So I live with them through that summer and Sophie then graduates high school and goes to college and I had my senior year left of high school. My mom says, “Come back home. I miss you. I’m sorry. I just needed a break and I needed some space.” Well, I felt if she’s asking me to come back home, I’m going to go back home. So I went back home and there was so much persecution constantly. They would sing Sister Christian. Here she goes, Sister Christian. And I don’t know if that’s like a song or… I feel like it’s a song they would sing.
David (17:52):
Yeah. If not, you can write a new one and it can be reversed for the kingdom. Yeah.
Trystan (17:56):
Great. I’ll get on that.
David (17:59):
Good.
Trystan (18:00):
So
David (18:01):
They were teasing you about you being found faith.
Trystan (18:04):
Yeah. And would ask me questions. Well, my mom would Google things and it’d be out of thin air like, “What do you think about this verse or that or this? ” But she didn’t really know much of the Hebrew scriptures either. And I’m new to learning about God and not to say there weren’t answers. Yeah,
David (18:20):
But it’s not like you’re the apologetics teacher now. I’m
Trystan (18:23):
Not a theologian. I didn’t know. I hardly knew what I was doing. But I loved the persecution and the mocking because it led me to get to know Jesus deeper. So every question led me to research, led me to call the pastor, led me to reach out to friends. And then I’d come home from school and there was this book betrayed, like Jewish person believes in Jesus. Or she’d send me articles, 47 reasons why Jesus isn’t the Messiah. Well, I would read so that I could know how to defend my faith.
(18:52):
And honestly, that probably just did more harm than good for her because I’m getting even stronger. And she’d ask me all these questions and if I didn’t know, I’d say, “Oh, I don’t know. I’m going to get back to you about that. ” But I have another question in Genesis 1:27 when it says, “Let us make mankind in our image.” Who is that talking about? When it says the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, “Let’s read it, mom. Actually, better yet, will you read this for me? ” And I wouldn’t tell her where it was from.
David (19:20):
And she’d
Trystan (19:20):
Read it and be like, “I don’t want to believe what you believe.” Yeah,
David (19:24):
That’s that New Testament verse. I’m like, “Yeah,
Trystan (19:26):
You don’t want to believe what I believe. This is literally Old Testament about the Messiah. Don’t you see that Jesus is the Messiah mom?” And we’d have these conversations, but it would plant so many seeds. And eventually I left for college and my mom comes to church with me. She goes, “I’ll come to support you. I love you.
David (19:48):
I just
Trystan (19:49):
Want you to know that you’re doing good things and I’m just coming for you. ” And I was like, “Are you convincing me or you? But I’m glad you’re coming. Thanks for coming to church with me. ” Well, I leave to go to college and I come to find out that my mom had kept going to church and Sophie’s mom who took me in to live with them ended up leading my mom to the Lord and my mom got saved.
David (20:12):
Then
Trystan (20:12):
She had a vision of Jesus. She should come share her testimony. This is a separate story.
David (20:17):
Yeah, come on. We’ll text her after the show. We’ll text her and
Trystan (20:19):
My brother and my other brother.
David (20:21):
Yeah.
Trystan (20:22):
And should I keep going? Yeah.
(20:25):
Okay. So she ends up getting saved, gives her life to Jesus. Well also, I want to go back prior to this. I also end up getting baptized. I was going to be baptized at an Easter service, but my mom said, “I don’t want you to make that decision. You’re going to regret it before my mom got saved.” She goes, “When you’re 18, you can make that decision, not when you’re 16.” And I had the whole thing planned with our church. They were going to do this promo video and the baptism thing and it was all done. But when my mom said not to, I canceled it and I said, “I’m sorry. I really feel actually that the Lord is asking me to honor my mom and he would reward that decision.” Which
David (21:07):
Is super biblical. It is
Trystan (21:08):
Biblical. And
David (21:09):
The submission to authority.
Trystan (21:10):
And then there’s the thought like anyone who hates mother, father, brother or sister isn’t worthy of me, which is love less, not hate. So I’m wrestling, honoring God, my family,
David (21:23):
But also
Trystan (21:23):
My mother and my father. What do I do? I want to do this God. What’s the right thing?
David (21:29):
Yeah. We have to teach a lot of people about… As a youth pastor, one of my top messages and most important messages was on submission to authority because it’s all throughout the scripture. My two favorite examples is one, when God tells Moses from the burning bush, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, let my people go. ” Where’s the next place Moses goes?
Trystan (21:55):
Does he go to Pharaoh? Aaron? Who does he go to? Jethro.
David (21:59):
Jethro.
Trystan (21:59):
Jethro.
David (22:00):
He goes to Jethro. See, most people don’t even get there. I’m surprised you got there. Because we read completely over it because we don’t know why he’s doing it. But he asks Jethro, “Is it okay with you if I go? ”
Trystan (22:12):
Interesting.
David (22:12):
Because he has to be released by his human authority. Because God says all authority’s been put there by God. And if you… I can’t remember what the word is, what the verb is. I think it’s like, “And if you disobey them, you disobey God.” But the way that I would teach it is I would put two blanks because the scripture says, “If you blank them, you blink God because God put them there.” So all authorities from God, if you obey them, you’re obeying God. If you disobey them, you disobey God. If you speak curses on them, you’re speaking curses on God because he put the authority there.
Trystan (22:47):
Wow.
David (22:48):
But then people get all wonky. Are you saying all authority? What about… And they’ll fill in the blank with terrible leader, dictator. You’re like, “Well, Paul said this, not David, all authority. So yes, he’s sovereign. However, the only time we’re biblically mandated to come out from under our God-given human authority is illegal, immoral, or unbiblical.” So if your parents are asking you to do something illegal, you have the biblical right to say no.
Trystan (23:20):
Wow.
David (23:21):
Immoral, no. Or unbiblical. Do not believe in Jesus. It’s like, sorry, that’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s not uncomfortable. Some people say, “Oh, my authority’s uncomfortable, so I have to leave.” And you’re like, “Well, comfort is not something that God promised.” And you look at King David, or before he was King David, David was persecuted by Saul, but he refused to go out from under the authority and kill Saul because he knew I’m not touching God’s anointed. And the one person that celebrates says, “Oh, Saul’s dead. I killed him.” Or, “Here’s his crown.” And David’s like, “Kill this guy.” Because he does not understand God’s anointed. Why are you celebrating? So he understood authority, which is I can leave authority and I can flee and disregard if Saul’s trying to get me to do something illegal, immoral and biblical, but I will not attack the authority.
Trystan (24:16):
So good.
David (24:17):
It even
Trystan (24:18):
Says he cut his cloak and felt conscience stricken when he went to… He had the opportunity to kill Saul and
David (24:23):
Didn’t. Yeah. But shouldn’t have even touched his cloak.
Trystan (24:26):
Yeah. Shouldn’t have even done
David (24:27):
That. So you’re living out the biblical life, but without even at the time, even realizing these principles, you’re not like, “Well, just like Jethro.” I didn’t know anything. You’re just like, “I think I’ supposed to do those.” The Holy Spirit is leading you into all truth.
Trystan (24:40):
Yes.
David (24:41):
Yeah.
Trystan (24:41):
Isn’t it
David (24:42):
Amazing? God, he does. Look at the
Trystan (24:44):
Spirit of God that speaks to us every day. He’s still speaking and guiding us. And I didn’t know those things, but –
David (24:51):
So you paused the baptism.
Trystan (24:53):
So I pause the baptism. I end up getting a random trip come to pass with my mom, her ex – boyfriend now who is Israeli. His whole family’s in Israel. We end up going to Israel
David (25:06):
And
Trystan (25:06):
I get baptized in the Jordan River six months later.
David (25:10):
So you paused the little church pool for the real deal.
Trystan (25:14):
They find the real thing. And that’s
David (25:15):
A whole – Not disparaging church pools. We can’t all be baptized in the Jordan, but cool
Trystan (25:20):
Story. It’s all amazing. It’s just really cool that God honored that. Yes, not to knock it. My mom was baptized in the church thing. Yeah, same here. My brother was at the beach at home. It’s just really cool that –
David (25:33):
Yeah, that’s a cool story. The
Trystan (25:34):
Lord said, don’t wait.
David (25:36):
You laid down what you desired and –
Trystan (25:37):
Yeah.
David (25:38):
The teddy
Trystan (25:38):
Bear
David (25:38):
Thing. He gave you something better.
Trystan (25:40):
He gives you something better.
David (25:41):
Yeah.
Trystan (25:42):
So my mom gets saved. We’re going back. Mom gets saved. Sees this vision of Jesus. And basically the Lord tells her after I had left to college, my mom’s so going, my friend Sophie and her mom, Deedee, lead my mom to the Lord. She gets this vision where there’s a staircase and it’s this presence. She says she couldn’t see the face, but she knew it was Jesus. And there’s this huge staircase and she’s standing at the bottom of it. And there’s these ominous clouds and it’s dark and it’s eerie. And there’s a thundering voice that says, “Just go home.” And she wakes up from it. She says there’s a staff in his hand. And it says, “His rod and staff comfort us and you don’t see God’s face and live.” And she snaps out of this trance vision. And she knew that what God was wanting her to do is to share her faith in Jesus with our family.
(26:39):
Our family’s Orthodox Jewish, my cousins. And so my mom’s sister. So my mom has this vision, wrestles it because at that point she’s been keeping her faith in Jesus to herself now. Just, “I’m kind of figuring out. I don’t know what all I believe and I’m learning, but
David (26:56):
I do
Trystan (26:56):
Believe and kind of playing the fence. And you can’t play the fence. It’s all or nothing. It’s all in or you’re out. ” So she posts her whole testimony on Facebook and ends up getting baptized at Easter service a year later when I was going to get baptized at the Easter service. And I didn’t. She gets baptized a year later.
(27:15):
Wow. So she’s on fire for the Lord. We’ve led mother-daughter Bible studies now. She loves Jesus. And next part, my brother Dalton sends me a text and I have a screenshot of it. And he says, “I’ll never be a Christian the same way you know Jesus is for you is the same way I know I’m not a Christian and I never will be. ” And this whole thing came up because we had this argument where he basically cornered me into telling him information I had from God. And he was like, “I felt that Dalton would be a pastor. He didn’t know God at all. We’re Jewish.” And I had told someone that and that got back to him and he was like, “Why would you say that? I don’t believe in Jesus and now you’re putting these things on me and you’re sharing this with people.
(28:06):
I’m never going to believe in Jesus. You don’t have to force what you believe on other people. ” So then I told him I had a vision and in this vision, he was teaching the word of God. And I don’t know if that’s a pastor of a church or if that’s just
(28:21):
Preaching and all the language
David (28:22):
I had. Just a believer. Yeah.
Trystan (28:25):
Well, he sends me the text and he says, “The same way you know Jesus for you is how I know he’s not for me and he never will be. I truly know there’s zero shot I ever accept him as my Lord and savior. And I know I’m not going to be a pastor. It’s not my calling and it never will be. ” And I just was like, “Okay, love you. Please don’t hurt me. ” And we just leave it there. But I knew that he was just upset. Why would you put beliefs on someone that doesn’t believe what you believe? Well, two years later from that point, he ends up hearing the audible voice of God get saved, started praying for people who got a Gary V. Conference if you know anything about him. He’s like a business business guy.
David (29:10):
Yeah.
Trystan (29:11):
He’s at a Gary V conference and he hears the audible voice of God.
David (29:15):
What does the voice say?
Trystan (29:17):
It said, “Oh, he hugged-”
David (29:19):
I should say he. What did he say?
Trystan (29:22):
So Dalton made friends with this boy named Matt who had special needs and it became a really good friend of him when he went on this business retreat conference for Gary. He becomes friends with Matt and Matt had a speech impediment and couldn’t really speak well and say words properly. Well, Dalton had been seeking God more and more conversations, more and more seeds. And he wasn’t sure that he had believed in Jesus, but he also wasn’t not sure that he didn’t believe.
David (29:56):
So he
Trystan (29:56):
Was in this in between.
David (29:58):
Well,
Trystan (29:58):
He goes on this trip and And he’s sensitive to Jesus. He’s more open. Well, he hugs Matt and Matt says with this clear audible, Dalton would say, “Fatherly voice, I see you. I love you. I’m proud of you and I need you to stay positive like I am.” And he pulls away from him and Dalton’s crying. He feels chills over his body. Something empowered him to then go pray for people at this conference. And he started to go out and tell people about Jesus from that moment.
David (30:29):
Gosh.
Trystan (30:30):
He prayed for this one guy who literally, he goes, “I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ve seen my sister do this. Can I just pray for you? ” And he prays for this guy and he falls on his knees in this conference arena crying to the Lord. And so Dalton is all in and now he’s started his own ministry and he does online social media, YouTube, preaching the word of God and one day wants to be a pastor of a
David (30:54):
Church. Gosh. Wow. Praise the
Trystan (30:56):
Lord. Tell me God’s not real. Tell me, try honestly. I echo the words of Paul when he says it’s like what? Acts 26 or 28. He’s telling his testimony to Festus and King of Grippa.
David (31:10):
And
Trystan (31:10):
He’s like, “Listen, I experienced Jesus. I fell off. I had this blinding moment. Can’t make it up. I was killing them all, but I’m not anymore.” This is the translation I’m
David (31:21):
Doing. Yeah, this is the Christian
Trystan (31:21):
Translation. The Trystan translation. He’s gone them all and he was like, “Wait, I experienced God. He’s real. I’m going to live for him. Release him all from prison. And actually we all want to believe in Jesus because he is the Messiah. And that’s all I got. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. I’ve experienced it. I’m saved. My mom saved, my brother’s saved. And my other one who lives in Vegas, who’s a professional poker player. He heard God’s voice and I’m trying to think of what his story is, but he encountered the Lord would have all these conversations with me and Dalton now. So now Dalton’s helping teach him.
David (32:01):
You’re recruiting
Trystan (32:02):
Members of the family. Dalton teach him. We’re all like, Landon, you got to understand. And he just starts researching it. And he had a girlfriend who was Christian and would just start to plant seeds and minister to him
David (32:16):
And
Trystan (32:17):
Made some different changes to their relationship. And he went all in for the Lord. I want you to call Landon. You cannot talk to him and not hear scriptures overflowing. He read the entire New Testament in three weeks. Whole thing, just learning, reading. And me and Dalton ended up praying for Landon to receive Jesus in the car when we were taking him to the airport. So we led him to the Lord. That’s my family story.
David (32:45):
That’s amazing.
Trystan (32:47):
God is so
David (32:47):
Real. Yeah. So real so good. So patient.
Trystan (32:51):
Patient.
David (32:52):
And I think I love that you’re sharing your story because I’m hoping that everyone that’s listening, it gives us faith. It gives our listeners faith because we can wane. The faith can begin to feel depleted. We can get into a constant state of, at the very worst apathy at the very best, just plateauing the mundaneness of life. And this is breaths of fresh air that breathe life into us and faith into us again. But I think it’s also important that when you’re telling these stories, some people, maybe in a really hard season, maybe they have a prodigal son, daughter, sister, brother, mother, father. I wish that would happen in our family, but this didn’t happen overnight.
Trystan (33:44):
No. It
David (33:44):
Happened years and seeds and persecutions and prayers, time with God, unanswered questions. And it’s still not your entire family. There’s still miracles yet to be done. And so I think that can give hope as well, realizing sometimes we hear people’s testimonies in a vacuum, in a 20 minute podcast, “Oh wow, they were sick and then they got healed.” And you’re like, “Well, yes, but there was also two years of that healing journey. And there was, yes, I got saved, but I had worked through addictions that I had developed and break habits that I had developed.” So it can seem like, “Oh, it’s just this miraculous Abraham moment, Moses moment.” And you’re like, “Yeah, but Moses also lived 120 years.” There was probably a lot of mundane years where he didn’t have that burning bush moment. God gives the burning bush moment, but then he also requires faith in the wilderness when you’re like, “Oh, I guess we’re just still walking and don’t know where we’re going, but I’m going to look back at the Red Sea, look forward to the promised land and live in this messy middle.” So good.
(34:57):
So I think it’s bringing hope and faith to all of our listeners.
Trystan (35:02):
So good. And I want to encourage, I just felt it on my heart too, that literally just exactly what you’re saying, that it’s not overnight, it was years. But if you’re someone watching this that is believing for your family, maybe you have a sister, a brother, a parent, one of your childs, the prodigal child that you mentioned that you’re praying and believing for, I would love to just encourage you, do not grow weary and keep praying. There were so many nights that I was on my knees, on my bedside, crying out with the reality that I was wrestling between heaven and hell and knowing I was going to heaven because I had a relationship with Jesus. But I have friends and I have family members in my life that don’t know him and I would pray for them and continue reaching for the hem of Jesus garment.
(35:48):
Just like the woman bleeding. 12 years, 12 years bleeding. You hear it, bleeding, saved, bleeding, done bleeding.
David (35:56):
Go for her. You’re like, 12 years is a long time. 12
Trystan (35:58):
Years. Over a decade. And Jesus did it in a moment. But in Acts 16:31 says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you’ll be saved, you and your whole household.” And that was at the time in the circumstance, but I would take that verse and write it. I have journals and journals filled with that verse. I would be writing their names, my family members’ names, believe in the Lord Jesus. And I will be saved in my family and Dalton and Griffin and my mom and my dad. And I just want to empower you and encourage you to take that verse, cling to that verse and believe that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than you could ask, think or imagine. He loves your family more than you do.
David (36:41):
Praise God. So good. Well, I know that’s probably all the time that we have for today’s episode, but this will not be the last time.
Trystan (36:51):
Okay yeah.
David (36:52):
We can talk more topics next time you come, dive into fun things. But thank you so much for being here and sharing just a little bit of your story. It’s an
Trystan (36:59):
Honor.
David (37:00):
Where can people connect with you? YouTube, Instagram, anything?
Trystan (37:04):
My name is
David (37:06):
Trystan. Trystan Tice. Tice. T-I-C-E?
Trystan (37:08):
Yes. T-I-C-E. Oh, on YouTube, Instagram, email. I don’t know. Give my phone number. I don’t know.
David (37:15):
Don’t do that. Don’t do that. But thank you for sharing your story. From the first time that I heard it two years ago or so, it was something that I knew the Lord was going to use, not only in your life, but in the people around you through a camera on YouTube, but also and most importantly individually. I think that’s one of the things that we’ve lost in the kind of modern church age is the power of laying on of hands. Everything was relationally connected and everything was relationally transferred. Paul didn’t get sent to be an apostle before the laying on of hands at the Church of Antioch. So there’s both of those, but God is using you in incredible ways digitally and in a ministry sense, but also physically hands and feet. So thank you for your faithfulness.
Trystan (38:06):
Well, I honor you and all that you’re doing and this ministry, Gateway Center for Israel, this church, just having the heart for Israel and the Jewish people, it’s refreshing and my family is all fans. We’ll
David (38:19):
Tell you all, we’ll take it.
Trystan (38:20):
We love you. We love this church. We love this ministry. We love what God is doing.
David (38:23):
Well, come on Tice family. Get to Texas. What are you doing? Yes. Florida’s like a good, they’re like a good cousin to Texas. Yeah. If you’re not in Texas, go to Florida.
Trystan (38:33):
Yeah.
David (38:33):
But you should come to Texas, Tice family. Okay. Well, that’s all the time we have for today. We’ll see you next time. Continue to look at the other resources we have as well as YouTubing Trystan Tice, hear her story, se some of the interviews that you’ve done talking about the Bible, the word, the Jewish people, and we will see you next time. We love you.