1 True Talks
1 True Talks
Become Whole Before Love Finds You with Pastor Bri DuPree
What if waiting for love isn’t about pause, but about becoming? We sit with Pastor Bri DuPree, leader, mentor, and inspiring single woman in ministry, to explore how faith meets desire, how community heals loneliness, and how to prepare for marriage without losing yourself along the way.
Bri shares her path from psychology student to pastor and reframes “kingdom work” as simple, daily acts of presence: listening well, asking better questions, and dignifying people in ordinary moments. We press into the hardest parts of singleness, end‑of‑day loneliness and the ache for true companionship and talk about practical steps to build healthy friendships, create robust community, and grow emotional intelligence. Bree challenges churches to move beyond clichés, equipping singles with tools for real life, including candid conversations about sexual desire that remove shame and point toward wisdom.
Together we dismantle the myth that there’s only one person for you and replace it with a grounded vision of compatibility, shared values, and timing. We dive into non‑negotiables, why “you complete me” sets couples up to fail, and how to wait actively by cultivating hobbies, purpose, and spiritual depth. Bree’s theology of suffering brings hope after heartbreak: if God collects every tear, nothing is wasted. The invitation is clear, become whole, so you can love from abundance, not desperation.
If you’re navigating singleness with faith, longing, and a desire to do the inner work, this conversation offers clarity and comfort in equal measure. Listen, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and subscribe for more honest, hope‑filled talks on love, faith, and relationships. We’d love to hear your biggest takeaway from this week's episode!
Follow Bri's Church Here: https://www.instagram.com/theembracecollective_/?hl=en
Hello Loves. Welcome back. I am so excited to introduce my next guest of honor, Bri DuPree, who is a lead pastor for The Embrace Collective and an Associate Pastor at the Experienced Christian Center in Orlando, Florida, which is in our backyard. And I just love Orlando. We have so many incredible hearts there that we are constantly matching and finding our clients the love of their life in your backyard. So welcome. I can't wait to learn more about you, share with our audience, and just have another incredible pastor in our backyard of Orlando, Florida.
Bri DuPree:So welcome. Thank you so much. I'm honored to be here, Renee. I'm excited. It's gonna be great.
Renee Richel:And I am excited when you come from a source of a reliable human that we just already love and that you've known for 22-ish years, right? Um, and how God brings us together in his perfect timing. So uh thank you for joining us. So let's dive into it. I feel like I have a million questions I want to ask you. So let's start off with your journey. Can you share your personal testimony and what led you into ministry and how has your relationship with God grown and shifted over the years?
Bri DuPree:Yeah, so I was raised in a Christian home. I was originally raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Um, my parents were involved in church. So every time those church doors were open, my sister and I were in the church. So that was just life for us. Um, and then I started going to Christian schools at about fourth grade, I believe. So I went to private Christian schools from fourth grade all the way through um to college. That's where I met Kate, we were talking about before. Yeah. Um, I met her at Cedarville University, and so I actually went to school for psychology. So in high school, the Lord really just started to develop in me a passion and love for people. I just love listening to people, I loved hearing their stories, and I wasn't really great. I at least I didn't think so, and giving advice. I was like listening. So once I found out, hey, I can get paid hundreds of dollars just to have somebody sit on the couch and talk to me. Oh, yeah, that's the job I want. So I went to school for that. But during the process of my time in school, the Lord really started to pull on me for ministry. And ministry is something I've always been involved in, but I never thought I'd be in any type of like pastoral ministry. I was like, I just want to be your like number one volunteer. Like, I love church, I love church culture, I love I love everything about it at that time, and so I just said, hey, I'll just I'll just keep serving the church and doing this on the side. But the Lord really started to pull me towards ministry, so I changed my major from psychology to comprehensive Bible, which is just a fancy phrase for build your own Bible degree, basically. I started putting these pieces together, and then um, long story short, I had to do an internship. So I did an internship at what was then my home church in Ohio. It was a house of prayer in Zenia, Ohio, under the leadership of then pastors Mark and Anna Brooks, and um started serving there doing the internship there and post-internship, they saw something in me and they said, Hey, we think you'd be a great associate pastor of discipleship and a great co-pastor for our college ministry. And so I was completely blown away by that because I was not in any way, shape, or form, Renee, trying to be a pastor. I just wanted to come.
Renee Richel:Isn't it funny how God shows us a different path than what we think we're set out to do? Which I think that all day long in matchmaking. So I give it.
Bri DuPree:I just I it wasn't for me, I thought, but uh, when they asked me, I prayed about it, talked with my mom about it, my family about it, and I felt like I was supposed to say yes. So I did that as well as serving at my alma mater as a resident director. So I did that for a period of time, and then um from that point forward, I was launched into ministry and the rest is history.
Renee Richel:That's amazing. It's amazing. I always say the stepping stones that get us to ultimately his bigger plan are always better than we imagine. But when we're in it, it's like, what is happening? Right.
Bri DuPree:Right, right.
Renee Richel:So I love that. Okay, so as a single woman in ministry, because as a matchmaking company, we are working with single hearts all the time, as well as our no-match ones. How do you personally define kingdom work and what does that look like in your everyday life?
Bri DuPree:Yeah, that's a great question. I I think kingdom work is doing anything in your life that helps advance the kingdom of God. And I tell people all the time that I think that looks a lot simpler than we make it. Like sometimes I think people think it has to be like you have to be serving in a church ministry or you have to be serving in a ministry capacity. But I really do think it boils down to what does God make you passionate about and what do you get excited about ever when you wake up every morning and open your eyes? You know, like what fuels you for some people? That's art. I can't draw a stick figure, so it's just not me.
Renee Richel:I'm the same way. I agree. We're better at working with people, right?
Bri DuPree:But I got some people in my life who are incredible artists and they they're not making quote unquote Christian art, they're making incredible paintings and uh incredible music and all these things that are really making an impact for the kingdom of God. And I think for me, it really starts with I took a class actually at Cedarville where I had to write a personal mission statement for my life or a personal business statement for my life. And it came out to for me that I want to help people embrace their process. I think sometimes you rush so much to like the end goal or to promise that there's so much in between that whole process part, that's the hard part.
Renee Richel:Once we like we stop and smell the roses or all the little details we got to go through, right?
Bri DuPree:Exactly. It's like, man, that that process is hard. But I realize I can help people embrace their process by being a barista at Starbucks by just stopping them in the middle of their day and saying, Hey, I'm so glad you came this morning. How's your morning going? What's the day like? Bad traffic, bad morning, your kids getting your nerves? Okay, you're gonna be all right, keep going. That's a way to help you embrace your process. So it doesn't really have to do out thing with the job, it has to do with knowing what God has really uh infused you with as far as your purpose and passion, and then living that out. So I think in my everyday life, I just happen to be able to do that as a pastor. But I tell people all the time I can do it as a janitor, I can do it as a barista, I can do it as a pastor.
Renee Richel:Right, it's called looking up, saying hello, smiling, and being kind to people. And it's amazing how it's like a trickle effect that then as a single too, you just never know.
Bri DuPree:Right, exactly right. So it's just it's loving on people, like you said, and it's I love it, um, being passionate about those things and letting God use the gifts that He's given you already. But I think that's what like what kingdom work is to me.
Renee Richel:I love it. Okay, so from your vantage point, what are some of the most pressing emotional and spiritual challenges singles face today?
Bri DuPree:There there are two I can think of right now. I think one is loneliness.
Renee Richel:Yeah.
Bri DuPree:Like I'm 35 years old right now, and I'm still single. Um well, I'm sorry, I'm 37. See, I tried to I tried to make myself younger. I'm 37 years old right now. And I'm still single, but one of the things that I battle with more than like sexual desire, more than just you know, wanting intimacy romantically or physically with a man is like after I've worked all day, talking to people all day, I would love to just come home and have someone who's going to be the pastor, leader of my home, and just let me be. I can just crumble in your arms and just go about my day, right? And I think that's something as I've gotten older that I can't really say I've wrestled with because I think I've I've come to terms with where I'm at, where God has called me to. But something that I've really realized, man, that's the thing I'm missing. I think is that loneliness and wanting that companion. And I think that's the second part of first battling that loneliness to feel like you're doing ministry or life by yourself. But the second is like just wanting someone to do life with, you know, that is just where we can go hang out or have a vacation or uh we're sharing each other's burdens very intentionally because we're together. So your problems are my problems, and my problems are your problems, and we're gonna go for this together. And I have incredible family, I have incredible community, but I I realize even over the years as I've gotten older, people some people are seasonal and some people are there forever. They can come in and out. But for me, uh in a covenant relationship with the man of God that that God would have for me is like we're stuck with each other. So through through hell or high water, we're gonna figure this out together, okay? All right. And so I think it's those two things I think is that that wrestling with loneliness could be a really hard thing. And I think that deep desire for a companion that is for you, regardless of what happens in the world. All your friends leave, you know, you got this one person there. If your family starts acting crazy, you know, you got that one person there. So I think those are are two of the things that I think a lot of signals wrestle with at times.
Renee Richel:And I couldn't agree more. And I think I always tell everybody you're only one part of the equation of two, right? And so I love that it sounds like you're preparing the space and preparing the readiness for that person to come in because I think that's half the battle, is like people are alone, but if they're not working and preparing to be their best version of themselves, God knows they're not ready yet. So that person doesn't come into their life. And we say all day long in our work of what we do, timing is everything too. So I love it that you've already prepared that that place, being intentional in prayer and knowing that someday when that day does come, I always do say, then we focus our time on that other person. And sometimes our relationship with God, it goes a little bit astray, but having it together is stronger of what he also wants, too. So it's a special time when it's just you and God, too. But it's also rewarding when you have that one. So, how do you think the church can do a better job at addressing this? Because I know this is a conversation I have with pastors all across the globe about how the singles in church environments really struggle.
Bri DuPree:Yes, they do. And I think it has to go beyond like just having a singles ministry, which I'm not against single ministries. I actually think they can be super helpful, but I think churches need to do a better job of helping people wrestle with the reality of their loneliness and not just say, just go to your house and pray and read your Bible. That's not gonna, that's not gonna take care of it all the time. Again, I believe in the power of the word of God, I believe in the power of prayer, but like how do I actually wrestle with and deal with loneliness? How do I develop healthy community? Because I know I have some people in my life who are wrestling with being single and they have no good friends and they never really learn how to be a good friend. So you don't even know how to operate well in community because you're so focused on finding that man or finding that woman of God that you're just you're bent on that that you're not actually spending time developing community. So I think as a church, we can do a lot better job of equipping people for interpersonal relationships. Um, talking about emotional intelligence, how to even uh uh embrace what it means to be a part of a community. The second thing I think that churches have to wrestle with and deal with is how do you deal with sexual tension? Understanding, I tell the girls I mentor all the time, like it is not a sin to be horny. My personal my personal opinion is not a sin to be horny, but it's how do I handle that? How do I handle these natural physical desires that God gave me, but I don't have an opportunity to release it in a way that is biblical? Right. So, how do I handle that? And how do I, and I feel like so many people struggle with sexual repression because we're just told you gotta wait until you're married, you gotta wait until you're married, you can't do this, you can't go too far, you can't go to this base. And it's like, I hear you. And I'm not trying to say move the biblical standard, I'm trying to say you have to give me some tools to help me figure out what to do while I'm having these uh natural things that God gave me.
Renee Richel:It's a good thing, and so I think Well, and I think it's something that of course nobody ever talks about, so it's like taboo, right? So you just feel like then what do I do? And right there's gonna get into the details. Right. I love your candidness in your in your uh say what it is, right?
Bri DuPree:Yeah, exactly right. And I think I think it's just that's how you start to really embrace true community where you you realize that like you're not crazy. Like I know one time at Cedarville, you're not alone, right? Exactly right. We had a uh a girl who came at Cedarville and she spoke on uh masturbation for women, and after she spoke, it was a whole it was a whole uh uh like assembly that we had for women in our community. At that time, I was a resident director at Cedarville, and so after that assembly, I had so many girls from my dorm come into my office saying, Brie, I've wrestled with this, that, and the other. Because it just opened up the opportunity for conversation, and they just felt so relieved to know that they weren't the only ones that had these desires, and I think it just it brought a wave of healthy conversations around sexual desire and relationship that um I wish happened more in church.
Renee Richel:Yeah, I love that. And for anybody that's listening listening, you may be getting a an influx of uh emails and questions coming here. Bring them on. I will leave that to you in the uh pastoral role that you do have.
Bri DuPree:Bring them on.
Renee Richel:Oh, I love it. Okay, so singleness can be a scary season. What biblical truths or personal um practices would you encourage singles to embrace while navigating this time of waiting?
Bri DuPree:Yeah, I think when we when we use the picture of someone waiting, sometimes people think waiting means I'm sitting in a corner with my sitting on my hand. Uh for me, waiting is not that. For me, waiting is um developing who God's called me to be. Um I think embracing what who God's called me to be, embracing who um uh how I'm called to interact with the world around me, um, developing passions. One of the things I was called out recently by my therapist was the fact that I had no hobbies. She was like, You do ministry, great, you have like you know, family time, friend time, but like, what are your hobbies? And I couldn't think of one. So I was challenged to find some hobbies because um I think I I'm old enough now and have talked people through. I have married many couples, um, talked people through their relationship relationship issues and um their relationships enough to know that once you get married doesn't mean that all of your desires and passions and those things go away. So one of the things that I want to do is know like know who Brie is, um know what Brie likes to do, know what I enjoy, know uh uh who I am in God, um, so that my husband and I um have the opportunity to really fully experience each other and not having to work through again, we're all in process, and I'm not saying I'm gonna be perfect, but I think I've I've taken this mindset of waiting is not me waiting on my hands. Um, waiting is me actually exploring and developing who God's called for me to be. And that has been a really exciting thing for me to do.
Renee Richel:I love that. And it ties right into our course, Love Starts With You with God, which is I always say to my singles, God is waiting to hear from you, and not to be somebody that we think we should be or uh you know, dwell in our past decisions or things that we've done. But to meet you where you are today, to have like house talk conversations, endless moments with God that I always tell on my singles. I'm like, if anybody asks why you're still single or how you haven't met that person, I'm like, tell them you're dating Jesus. And truly the time of singleness and waiting should be your most precious time that you're dating Jesus. Because when you add somebody else into your life, I gotta be honest, you then divide up your time because you also are spending time with somebody else. So it's like the coolest time and it's the most undivided time you have to find your purpose, your passion, and do something of a hobby, right? Too.
Bri DuPree:Absolutely.
Renee Richel:I love that. Okay, so ministry often um intersects with real life relationships, which is kind of what you were just saying. So can you share a story either from your own life or a pastoral experience where you saw God move powerful, powerfully through a relationship?
Bri DuPree:For me, I've really um it's just going back to when I was talking about like I feel like singles need to learn how to embrace community is one of the things that I've really been pushed to embrace, not only one because I'm a pastor, but also two realizing that I need people around me. And some of my um, actually some of my friends from college, especially especially some of my guy friends, I can think of uh uh five of them right now. We actually have a Marco Polo friend that we've had for the last like eight years that we just talk almost every day on this thread. But in my relationship with them, they've really taught me what it means to be a woman. And what I mean by that is they have this way of respecting my leadership in their life as their pastor, but also respecting my femininity. So it's little things that I had to learn, like letting them hold the door open for me. You know, if they come over, let them take out the trash. Because again, I live a lot by myself, so I'm like, yeah, I can do these things, but I think in our relationship um over the years, they do a great job of just really still loving me and saying, you know, Bree, we love you as our pastor, but also like we're your big brothers. So, and some of them are younger than me, but they still say themselves as my big brother.
Renee Richel:So let him be a man, right?
Bri DuPree:Let them be 100%. So I gotta let them be men. I gotta let them bet the guys that I'm dating. I gotta let them have those hard conversations. You know, my my father passed away a few years ago from COVID. So I don't really have that like strong male figure in my life outside of my pastor, um, and uh outside of some of my family members. But as far as like brothers, I have one biological brother, but he's younger than me. Um uh uh and so we find ourselves now in the space of like, man, where are the like male friendships that are really teaching me how to like be a woman? And it's been fun too, because uh uh three of them are married. So I'm getting to know their wives and they're getting to know their kids and just being in a relationship with all of them. It's like, okay, this is what healthy relationships look like.
Renee Richel:Like this is Yes, and amen to that. Because I know how difficult and I remember in my season of waiting and dating and taking years and thinking, why, God, why, or how long, right? Right. Also hanging out with married couples and surrounding yourself around healthy married couples. Now, you don't always want to be the third wheel, but there's nothing better to start to witness and see. So when you do meet that person, you're that much more equipped to be married. Like the secret I learned was start reading marriage books while you're single. So when you meet that person, you're already gonna be uh frequent in how to communicate with a the opposite sex and b, think marriage-minded. Because I always say if you want to be forever single, then read single books, and then they will make sure that you are, you know, you're only one side of it. And that's the one thing I don't think people think through is like a marriage is two, right?
Bri DuPree:So absolutely. No, I love that. That's great advice.
Renee Richel:So there's a lot of noise around love and dating, obviously, in today's day and age we live in. It's crazy, it's scary, it's risky, it's tough out there. What's one misconception you often hear Christians believe about relationships and how can we reframe uh that through a biblical lens?
Bri DuPree:Yeah, I think the biggest one I can think of that I've heard a lot is that there's only one person for you. And um I think, especially in some of like church circles and stuff, it's kind of like, well, God told me this is my man, and then they get married to somebody else, and everybody's and then their whole world collapsed because that was supposed to be the one that was for you. And for me, I believe that that God really can join together people who have similar passions, beliefs, and all those things. And I'll leave all the connecting points to you and your couple, you guys know what that looks like, but I do believe that there uh, as the phrase goes, that there is more than one fish in the sea. And so helping people realize and like breathe after a heart breakup or breathe after a hard broken relationship, be able to say, okay, there was more than just that one guy, there was more than just that one girl. Like, we can we're gonna move forward, you're gonna find someone else. And I, you know, people we can get stuck in our mindset of saying, Well, I'll find no one who was as good as him. He checked off all my boxes and everything on my list. And it's like, okay, that that was one guy, it's gonna be okay. Let's keep moving forward. And so I know that's one thing that that I am even now helping some people work through of saying, okay, I get it. Your eyes were set on him, but he's moved forward. So we got to figure out a way for you to move forward too, because there's somebody else who might have their eyes on you, but you're so stuck on him. And I actually have a friend now who's married after having dealt with some of this, and she's married to a man who um I'm glad it, I'm glad it was him and not the other guy. I'll say it that way. Like, I'm just it just was obvious that, right? Yes, it was obvious that it was a God thing of like, oh, this is the man for you 100%. The other guy, he was good, he was fine, there's nothing wrong with him. But man, the one you're married to now, oh yeah, you guys were definitely made for each other, and they have a beautiful family now. So um, but yeah, I think that's one of the misnomers is that there's just that one person, and I think it stops people from you might run into this, but what you do, it stops people from dating because they're waiting for that one.
Renee Richel:Yeah, and it's funny because I just did a woman's uh talk last night exactly on this topic. And it's amazing how I'm like, you know, our most powerful tool God gives us is our mind, right? And it's amazing how if you go back to the trajectory of life, even childhood and whatever, how many times you could fall in and out of love with somebody and who you thought was your high school, you know, love, you fall out of and you fall in love again. And vice versa, right? And so the truth of it is that we do this needs and wants analysis, which is like a roadmap in a prayerful way of intentionally holding ourselves accountable for what are our non-negotiables. Because what happens in love and in today's Instagram world and just in general online dating is everybody's like window shopping, right? And so we fall in love a lot unless. And then all of our non-negotiables go quickly out of the window, and then we wonder why it doesn't work out down the road. And so in our business, we hold our clients and just in general, even our matches, like accountable for those non-negotiables, because at the end of the day, the world is full of plenty of options. It's hard to find without a matchmaker, right? Kind of into trusted hands being there between um both parties. However, I do say the one thing to stay steadfast in is your non-negotiables that you've been prayerfully intentionally praying. And they they don't align to your forever. And if you write a love letter to your future spouse and they don't align with somebody you're dating, then get out. There is somebody else. I do believe you can fall in and out of love with multiple people, but when you do find the one, because I am now there, right? Myself, I'm like, then you know that is the one.
Bri DuPree:So I love that. I love that. That's excellent.
Renee Richel:For the one who feels overlooked, weary, heartbroken. What words of encouragement or truth would you speak to someone who's discouraged in their singleness and healing from a broken relationship?
Bri DuPree:Yeah, I I think um one of the things I've learned actually also at a class at Cedarville was the importance of developing a theology of suffering as a human, meaning an understanding of God in the midst of suffering. Because no matter where you are in life, we're all gonna suffer through something. However, when we develop kind of an understanding of suffering when we're not suffering in that moment, it helps us to kind of, I think, uh wrestle with those grief and those moments. And for me, it's really it's helped me realize like the pain is still gonna be there, but God is with me in that and he also cares. And I think what I would say to someone who is maybe wrestling with loneliness or wrestling with a broken relationship is knowing that God like does care about what you're going through. He's in fact, I believe, crying with you, weeping with you, um, desiring and moving forward with you. Um, and I think that's one of the most beautiful parts of grief. I experienced a lot of grief in my life, um, of realizing that I'm not dealing with this alone, that God cares and he actually wants um good things for me. I think it was A. W. Tozer who said that what we believe about God is the most important thing about us. And so if I believe that God is a God who gives good gifts, like it says in scripture, that if your father, if your early father give you good good, give you good gifts, how much more does your heavenly father want to give you good gifts? If I believe he does want to give me good things, then I have to believe that that right person is coming. I have to believe even after this, it's on the way because that's just his nature, that's his character, and that's what I'm choosing to believe about him, not just from a feeling, but from what scripture outlines him to be, is the God who wants us to have life and life abundantly. And so I would encourage them to say that your season of tears won't be forever, but I really do believe is what's uh the thing. The psalmist uh has this beautiful metaphorical language where he says that God collects our tears and God doesn't collect things that he doesn't end up using. And so I know that there's going to be a great harvest even from this moment of grief and weeping.
Renee Richel:I totally agree. And I love that uh uh art we were talking about earlier of like footprints in the sand, and it's just one and you feel alone, but you realize God's carrying you and it's his footprints, not two, right? Just because it's him through that season of feeling lonely. Um, and it's funny because I tell people all day long, too. So I now at 45 finally met the love of my life, right? And it's very clear, but I look back at it from all those years and all those heartbreaks and all those, you know, good, bad, or toxic or healthy, whatever relationships. I'm like, the moment of like when and why and how, why is it taking so long? And I look back at it as like I wasn't a hundred percent ready. And I look back at them that at the time it didn't make any sense and how many years it was lonely and dark and like I just never gonna happen. Um, but then when we get out of our own way and we truly prepare ourselves, then I'm like, I wouldn't have been ready 15 years ago. I wouldn't have been, I wasn't the person that I am even 10, five, six years ago, right? And so it really is one of those things that witnessing our clients fall in love and who they choose and who chooses them back is nobody they ever would have imagined, but it's so much better than they imagined. And I always say it's because they went through the stepping stones of what God needed to teach them, and some are longer than others. I promise you, for hope, that it does eventually happen and it is so worth the wait when uh you're patient through the journey and trusting in the Lord and not giving up on that first and foremost.
Bri DuPree:That's right. That's right. That's beautiful.
Renee Richel:If you could sit with every single person preparing for marriage, what one piece of wisdom or caution you wish more people would take uh to heart earlier on in the relationship?
Bri DuPree:I would say give your spouse the gift of not having to complete you. One of the things that I'm very excited about when I do meet the man that God has for me is that he will never be pressured by me to complete me. Because I've had all this time to find out who Bree is. I know who Bree is, I know what I want. What we talking about before, those non-negotiables, like I know that. And when I do meet him, I'm not going to be looking for him to complete me. I'm going to be looking for him to be my partner, to be my companion. I want us to do life together. He doesn't have to carry the he already has to carry the weight and the responsibility of being the head of the home and loving me like Christ loves the church. That's enough pressure, I think. So you told that part, I'm gonna do it my part of um making sure I'm loving you well and supporting you and covering you and all those things. And so I think that's one of the things that I tell, especially women all the time, is like some I feel like some people I've talked to, they're looking for a man to complete them. They're like, my life will won't be complete until someone's there. And I say I get the desire for a man 100%. I understand. I get the desire for a companion, but man, that's way too much pressure. And that's why sometimes we run guys out of our lives, honestly, if we're not careful. And for guys running women out of your lives, is because you're trying to make them complete some missing portion. And I just say, Man, give them the gift of saying, Hey, you don't have to complete me, we just get to walk alongside each other.
Renee Richel:And I do say what screwed that up for everybody is that movie Jerry Maguire.
Bri DuPree:Yes.
Renee Richel:And we all heard that, I don't know, 10, 20 years ago. I have no idea how much this is dating me, but back. But we saw it. And he whatever, he or she runs out and says, You complete me. The worst line ever. And I think everybody felt that way after that movie because it was such a romantic movie, right? But I'm like, no, if somebody's not complete, you can't fix them, nor do you want to have a project. So like make sure they're complete before. And that's why, you know, when people wonder why they're still single, I'm like, because maybe ask God, are you complete yet? And if you're not, that's why. Right. Okay. In what ways have your life experience shaped how you lead love and live out your faith? And how do you hope your journey might speak to others navigating similar paths?
Bri DuPree:Part of it is because I am a pastor and I have the privilege of talking to so many people. I've heard so many stories. And I tell people a lot of times I have a preventative testimony. My testimony isn't crazy. My testimony is what I shared at the beginning of this podcast. I grew up in the church, nothing really ever wild or crazy happened to me. I've had, you know, deaths in the family and things like that. But I don't really have one of those like crazy, like I did this, that, and the other. But my lot of my testimony's been preventative because of all the stories I've heard. I've talked to so many people about so much of their processes, whether it be through relationships or life in general. And I think we can just do a lot better job of um listening well. And I think that's something I strive to do is just listen well, listen to people's journey, listen actually caring about people when I see them at church. You know, when you go to church and everyone's like, How you doing? Everybody says, Good and walk away. But people know that when I ask them, I really care. And so I can even get caught up sometimes in that pastoral mode of just saying hi to everybody and say, How are you doing? And everybody's like, uh, this week was rough. And I go, and then I have to like switch back and say, Oh, wait, great, you care for real. So let's stop. Yes, greeting time, but I'm gonna stop for 30 seconds and kind of hear about what your week was like real quick. We'll talk about it after service, but I actually want to know what's going on. So um, for me, I think it's just the importance of helping people embrace their process, embracing my own process. But I think the key to that for me has been really learning to listen well and um not talking as much. I'm an extrovert, I can talk a lot, um, I preach a lot, so I I'm a talker um by nature, but it's really learning the art of just shutting up at times and just listening, listening to people's stories and their journey. And I think that's really helped me live out my faith well because I say it all the time that I rather sometimes um I I want to be in a position where I love Jesus more than I love being right about everything. So I'm just gonna listen to you, try to love you like Jesus would, and um let God do his job of convicting hearts and um and guiding you in that way.
Renee Richel:Well, that's awesome. And I love that when we talk about your hobbies, I think one of it is that you're in your calling and that God uses your voice and just your beauty and your infectious personality of allowing just people to share some things that they've never shared with anybody before, and that you just have this accepting, unjudgmental just spirit about you that is absolutely beautiful. That is one of your hobbies that I think you put down outside of what you do. I know it goes hand in hand, but there's nothing better than when you meet somebody that is in their calling and they're living it out. And you know, so many times people will say to me, How are you so positive? I'm like, Because every morning I wake up, I drink Jesus Kool-Aid and I feel great. And it makes a difference when you breathe it, when you walk it and you talk it. And uh things come from that. So I I'm so excited that I have now connected with you, met you because now anybody you come across, or just yourself, we're gonna have to get you to fill out a profile so that we know you exist because that's where we work our magic in knowing everybody's beautiful heart that God has created, because I do believe there is someone for everybody. It's just hard to find. But when a matchmaker knows a little bit of everybody that's placed a little bit of everywhere, and people have an open mind too, it's not where they live, it's about finding the right person. And when it is the right one, God will move mountain and earth for the two of you to be together and wherever he wants to place you and put you, right?
Bri DuPree:Absolutely, absolutely he will. I believe it.
Renee Richel:So I will be keeping you in my prayers and thoughts, and I can't wait to work together and continue to uh speak this ministry for love and that the great work that you're doing for singles. And uh, if anybody wants to write in and hear more of Bri's pearls of wisdom that I think you could really help a lot of our singles with, uh, please do that. Um and I can't wait for more chats with you and more to come.
Bri DuPree:Absolutely. My pleasure. Thank you so much, Renee, for having me. It's been great.
Renee Richel:Thank you for joining us. Have a blessed day.
Bri DuPree:Thank you.
Renee Richel:It's been another great talk on this episode of 1 True Talks by Renee Richel. I look forward to our next chat. Please write in your questions and comments so I can be sure to talk about whatever it is you want to discuss in our next upcoming episode. Lots of love. God bless. XOXO.