🎙️ My Next 40 Years | Lessons Learned, Goals Ahead & Why the Best Is Still Coming

Welcome to Not Your Typical Church Podcast with Cory Hester — a place for real conversations about church, life, leadership, and everything in between.

This episode is personal.

It’s the last episode before I turn 40, and instead of rushing past the moment, I wanted to pause — to reflect on what the last 40 years have taught me and to talk honestly about what I want the next 40 to be about.

In this episode, I reflect on:

What I thought mattered in my 20s vs. what matters now

Why relationships matter more than results

Lessons learned about faith, leadership, health, and margin

Why consistency beats intensity every time

How God’s timing has shaped my story

What I want my faith, family, leadership, and legacy to look like moving forward

We also dive into Scripture, including:

Psalm 90:12 — learning to number our days

Philippians 3:13–14 — pressing forward instead of living stuck

Isaiah 43:18–19 — why God isn’t finished and why the best may still be ahead

This episode isn’t about pressure or regret — it’s about purpose, priorities, and being a good steward of the life God has given us.

Whether you’re approaching a milestone birthday, starting a new chapter, or just needing a moment to reflect, my hope is this episode encourages you to stop, evaluate, and ask a simple question:

What do you want the next chapter of your life to be about?

🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.

📅 New episodes drop every week!

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7GketfqnylNxzFj4KITTsv

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-your-typical-church-podcast/id1832359619

📲 Follow Pastor Cory on Instagram:

@TypicalChurchPod

https://www.instagram.com/typicalchurchpod/

🌐 More content + show notes:

#ChurchPodcast #FaithAndLife #PastorCory #ChristianLeadership #RealTalkFaith #MinistryLife

🎙️ Welcome to *Not Your Typical Church Podcast* with Pastor Cory — a place for real conversations about church, life, leadership, and everything in between.

🔔 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode.

📅 New episodes drop every week!

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7GketfqnylNxzFj4KITTsv

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-your-typical-church-podcast/id1832359619

YouTube: You're already here 😉

📲 Follow Pastor Cory on Instagram:

@TypicalChurchPod

https://www.instagram.com/typicalchurchpod/

🌐 More content + show notes: Welcome to Not Your Typical Church Podcast with Cory Hester — a place for real conversations about church, life, leadership, and everything in between.

Today’s episode releases on Thanksgiving Day, and I wanted to pause, reflect, and share a quick encouragement on what it truly means to live with a thankful heart. This week I had the honor of preaching at New Light Church, and I shared three truths about thankfulness:

✅ Thankfulness resets your heart

✅ Thankfulness refocuses your eyes

✅ Thankfulness releases your worship

We’re not thankful because everything is good — we’re thankful because God is good, and He is good all the time.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why Thanksgiving should move us toward gratitude

• The biblical call to “forget not His benefits” (Psalm 103)

• Why we should be thankful even when life isn’t perfect

• How I use my 5-year gratitude journal to stay grounded

• Simple ways you and your family can practice gratitude today

• The blessings we often overlook until we write them down

I even share a few entries from my own gratitude journal — little moments I would’ve forgotten if I hadn’t written them down. And trust me… some of them are funny, some simple, and some surprisingly meaningful.

Before the episode ends, we take a moment to pray together and thank God for His goodness in our lives as we head into the holiday season.

From my family to yours — Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃

May today be filled with joy, gratitude, and moments you’ll still be remembering five years from now.

#ChurchPodcast #FaithAndLife #PastorCory #ChristianLeadership #RealTalkFaith #MinistryLife