Discovering Your Purpose: Finding Your Why
About this episode
Pastor Rusty Nelson of The Rock Family Worship Center in Huntsville, Alabama joins Philip Cameron for a soul-stirring conversation about discovering your God-given purpose — what Rusty calls "finding your why." Drawing from 1 Peter 4, Rusty unpacks how the Apostle Peter, once sifted and shaken by the enemy, ultimately anchored his life not in survival strategies or earthly security, but in a singular focus: glorifying God. "When you find your why," Rusty declares, "you will always find your way." Rusty traces his own journey from worship leader and pastor at New Life Church in Jacksonville, Florida — under Pastor Paul Zink — to planting and growing The Rock Family Worship Center in Huntsville. He reflects on a divine airport encounter that ignited his passion for global missions and how that moment of clarity realigned everything. He also shares how a serious car accident and temporary memory loss became a turning point that drove him back to the core question of why God placed him where He did. Whether you're a pastor going through the motions or a believer whose life feels off-center, this episode offers a powerful framework: when Jesus is your center, every wobble finds its way back to purpose. Tune in and let this conversation help you find your why.
Part of our Fulfillment collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“The rescued became the rescuers. Hundreds waited in the rain, shuffling along in a line that ended up in love, smiles, bread, fish, and the words of care from the heart of the redeemed.”
“One thing the Lord said to me with that. He said, son, when you find your why, you will always find your way. Always.”
“When you're in the why of heaven, God will move chess pieces around the world to get you to where you are.”
What's Discussed
Pastor Rusty Nelson of The Rock Family Worship Center in Huntsville, Alabama explores the concept of 'finding your why' — the God-centered purpose that stabilizes and directs a believer's life. Anchoring the discussion in 1 Peter 4, Rusty shows how Peter, once nearly undone by Satan's sifting, ultimately learned to live with the end in mind: sound judgment, fervent love, hospitality, and using spiritual gifts to glorify God. Rusty shares how a divine airport encounter sparked his global missions heart, how a car accident and memory loss redirected him back to his core calling, and why Jesus as the center — not circumstances — is what keeps life spinning true.
- Philip Welcomes Pastor Rusty Nelson
- Peter's Sifting and Living with the End in Mind
- First Peter 4 and Glorifying God
- Car Accident and Returning to His Why
- Airport Encounter That Changed Everything
- When You Find Your Why You Find Your Way
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hello, my friend. Welcome to Daily Faith. My name is Philip Cameron. We have got a fabulous program here today. And for those who are watching and know what we're doing in Eastern Europe in Moldova and Ukraine, my son Andrew, who normally sits over there and tells me what to do, he is on the other side of the world. And I'll bet you he is sitting somewhere in a car by the side of the road if he's got signal, and he's watching me right now thinking, oh my goodness, is my dad gonna make it through this 30 minutes without me? And Andrew, watch me, I'm gonna do it all by myself. Well, yeah, he's here, your wife's there, so I'm gonna have good help today.
Philip:Those that know our ministry and have been watching this for a while now on Daily Faith, you know that we have a passion for caring for young folk in Eastern Europe. We have a village, an amazing place called Vatra Village, that is full of young people. In that country, when the kids leave the orphanage, they are at risk of being trafficked. One girl can make $300,000 a year for a trafficker. And God allowed us to buy this village and finish this fabulous place for these young people to come to, and then we put them back into school. This last September, one of our girls, Natalia, became a doctor, and we have supported her in Vatra Village, cared for her mum who was bedridden for six years. But we now have a doctor in our family, and I'm so proud of what God has done in her life. And many others are just growing. Most of the ministry in Moldova today is run by the kids that we rescued all those years ago.
Philip:And so as you know, we've been going up to the border and then into Ukraine helping people, and our team just came back and they sent me this video, and I think it's gonna blow your mind. Watch what they did in the middle of a war zone. Watch this.
A year ago, their world was a happy place. They had jobs, their kids were in school, the corner shop sold bread and cheese and everything else. Their world was just like yours, until through the mist and snow, monsters came. The tracks rattled on the ice-packed fields, the guns pointed towards the world they lived in. It took less than a second to obliterate everything they had spent their lives building. There are no accurate numbers of how many have died. The end is nowhere in sight.
We have been in Ukraine for years. From the first explosion we were involved. We could not stand on the sidelines. In June, our amazing group of young men and women did the unimaginable. Once again, they drove into a war zone. Once orphans themselves, they have felt personally the hand of grace and redemption. To go to this devastated world seems to them as normal as having a meal or going to church. They drove for hours, unable to stop and stretch their legs, as inches on each side of the vehicles were live mines. Every few miles they were stopped at checkpoints by nervous soldiers. They were running along the line between the Russians and Ukrainians.
Our team finally reached recently liberated cities still held in the grip of desperation. They had brought food and burning stoves that will save lives in the bitter, deadly cold that is to come. They brought blankets, that to many is the only barrier between survival and death. On a dreary day, within the sound of guns and bombs, the most astonishing thing took place. The rescued became the rescuers. Hundreds waited in the rain, shuffling along in a line that ended up in love, smiles, bread, fish, and the words of care from the heart of the redeemed.
As they traveled, they came across bombed-out villages, carved by the strife of bullets, destroyed by the engines of death. Their water, electricity, and everything else was gone. But the wooden stove had become the guardian against the deadly cold. We know it is impossible for most to even imagine this world. But by giving and praying together for this unfolding tragedy, we can join our hearts and hands to bring the hope that was sent to earth by the living God. If it were us, we would wait in line hoping that someone somewhere was thinking of us. We must go back. Will you send us? Every gift you give allows us to be his hands.
Philip:Every time I see that video it reminds me of grace. The kids that went into that bombed-out area were orphans themselves. And they stood in line and gave out bread and food to these people. We found a place that we can get stoves — wooden stoves — made, and in a place in villages where there's no water, what Putin's plan is is to completely destroy the infrastructure of Ukraine. So there's no power, there's no water, there's no fuel. And then if winter — thankfully so far it hasn't been as brutal as it can be, thankfully, it's the grace of God — but what's going to happen is if the winter turns bad, nature will do what his guns can't, and that is the plan.
Philip:So we've been giving out these stoves. We found a place we can buy them for $150, and they go into a village and they give out these stoves to widows and families, and there's enough wreckage around them that they can burn and keep themselves alive and cook on the stove and heat the room that they're in right now. You can help us. If you could, please, we need a miracle of grace. Every gift you can give right now will allow us to continue going back and back and back. These kids, from the very first hours of this tragedy, were up on the border standing in blizzard conditions. Nadia and some of our head kids slept on the floor in this concrete bunker, laying on a concrete floor, because they didn't want to leave the front in case a mom showed up and there was no one there to feed them. And I've seen more of God's grace in the lives of these kids than I've ever seen anywhere else in my life, and I'm amazed and astonished by it.
Philip:You can help us. Whatever gift you can give, you can contact us at PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. You can give — it's really simple — PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. We're also believing God to buy our own home in Odessa. This is the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life. We are believing God to buy a house in a war zone. How crazy. Only God can make me do this, believe me. And we are so close to seeing it complete. Our kids — all our kids that we have — we've had this home for six years in Odessa. We've released it and the owner is selling it. We moved the kids. The girls have been moved from Odessa back to Vatra Village in Chisinau, but they're at the point of having to return to Odessa and we've got nowhere to put them until we can get this house. And we asked — we asked the brother, you know, the man — if he could not sell the house until December.
Philip:That's what we asked. We're now into February and we really need God to move on this behalf. And we're holding on, believing God for a miracle. Whatever you can do, I want to stand you in front of that house right now and say, we can save 24 kids' lives in this house. We can rescue 24 girls, and then 24 more, and then 24 more, because as they grow and mature and are educated, they're free to stand on their own two feet and they go out and in fact help our ministry. I just need you to pray, and if I understand you, I'd say if you give a thousand dollars or two thousand dollars to buy this whole house, would you do it? I just need about 30 more people to believe that way and we are going to have this thing done in the name of Jesus. So please pray about that. Let me give you the address one more time. It's PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. You can go to dailyfaith.tv — very simple — there's a giving page there, or you can dial 1-833-DAILY-FAITH, just dial Daily Faith into the phone system and a real live person will talk to you and you can give today and make this miracle happen in Jesus' name.
Philip Welcomes Pastor Rusty Nelson
Philip:I am delighted beyond words to have my friend with me today. Rusty and I go way, way back. I first met him when he was a song leader, a worship leader, and he moved to Huntsville, Alabama to start a church. I was in the very first building and then prophesied over the next building and helped him believe God for the next building, and what has happened and what has resulted in that city is the most amazing thing. He pastors The Rock Family Worship Center. If you are ever in the Huntsville, Alabama area, you have got to go and see my friend Rusty. It is a delight to have you with me today. God bless you, and I'm sorry it takes so long to get to you, but I'm glad you're still here anyway.
Philip:In our journey, actually our close journey began on an airplane, you leaning your heart about orphans who would freeze to death.
Rusty Nelson:Yeah, I remember that day. Now you're responsible.
Philip:And I will tell you, my friend, it's been an amazing journey, walking and seeing just that video in Ukraine. Because when the war broke out, you were the first one I called.
Rusty Nelson:That's right.
Philip:And I said, how can we help? Because I know you're there and you're gonna be there. And so we were able to connect, and as we stay connected all these years, your heart just still bleeds the heartbeat of God.
Rusty Nelson:Absolutely. Thank you for your faithfulness all these years, and watching these girls and boys grow up and now take on the reins of the ministry.
Philip:Did you notice in the picture — you saw Nadia was there, and you saw Andre was there, and a whole bunch? All those videos are made by our kids. We don't have a production team in Moldova. That's made by our kids. The girl's voice is Jazz Google. She's a house parent in one of the homes. And to watch these kids raised up from orphans, when no one took them seriously, to become men and women of God and missionaries, is just the joy of my life.
Rusty Nelson:Well, in that foundation, what was established there from the very beginning, you said we're going to raise up orphans to take the gospel throughout the world. We're gonna raise up orphans and they are going to be the hands extended. And my friend, that's exactly what's happened. It's there. It's doing it. It's in black and white.
Philip:God's been putting something in your mind that just fits. It amazes me. We don't plan these programs too tightly at all. We just are open for the Holy Ghost to talk to us and through us. But one thing God's been talking to you about — and I saw this work out in your life — when you went to Huntsville, you were part of a great church in Jacksonville, Florida, New Life, and the pastor, Pastor Paul Zink, and then they sent you up to this place. And I'm thinking, why is Rusty Nelson leaving such an amazing place in Jacksonville to go to this town in the middle of nowhere? But you found your why there. What I found in Moldova was my why. We were on TV, we were known for praise and worship, 300,000 copies of the household salvation book. But only when you find your why do all the elements and all the connections come together and the light comes on, and that's what God did for you in Huntsville. Help us understand today, how do we find our why?
Peter's Sifting and Living with the End in Mind
Rusty Nelson:Well, it's really interesting how you even opened this today. Whenever you began talking about the end of times and the scripture, I'm sitting there listening to you and I love how the Holy Spirit sets this up, because I went to Peter's life and I went to First Peter chapter 4. And here's what Simon Peter — now here's the one that Jesus said, Satan has desired to sift you like wheat. You know Peter, the Lord, I'll never forsake you, they'll all walk away, I'm not going to. Jesus said, before the rooster crows in the morning you'll deny me three times, because he was still working out why he was a disciple, why he was following Jesus. And through that, Jesus said the devil's going to try — Satan is coming to sift every good thing. He's gonna try this. That's what sifting is, it's separating the good from the bad. When you winnow something you are actually throwing it in the wind, except it's separating the bad from the good. The point of sifting is to get the good from the bad. That's why he's gonna try that.
Rusty Nelson:Now you get into the letter of Peter. Here, Jesus died, rose again. He's now one of the lead apostles. He's followed God throughout all of this. And he says this in First Peter chapter 4. He says, the end of all things is near. In other words, he learned to live with the end in mind. He says the end of all things is near, so be of sound judgment and a sober spirit for the purpose of prayer, and above all keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint, and that as one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace. Whoever speaks is to do it as one who is speaking the utterances of God. Whoever serves, do it as one serving with the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the dominion forever and ever, amen.
First Peter 4 and Glorifying God
Rusty Nelson:Now notice, he never mentioned Satan in this — the one who tried to sift him like wheat. But he didn't say here's how you counter every attack and how you press into the last days that are here. He doesn't say anything about the loss of houses or land in the last days. He doesn't tell you where to put your money for safety. He doesn't say buy gold or silver. He doesn't mention anything about how to survive. What he talks about is what he learned. And what I've watched orphan's hands and I've watched you, Philip, do all these years, and that is to totally focus your life on glorifying God. Because the why is for his glory. Sum it up — everything that the focus is on is a love that is ready to forgive again and again, that refuses to let sin give its way, and that we use our spiritual gifts to serve one another to glorify God. Hallelujah. It's also the end of man — is for the glory of God.
Car Accident and Returning to His Why
Rusty Nelson:And you know, I went through a situation about a year ago, a little over a year ago, that man, I was in a wreck. I had a loss of memory, didn't know where I was for about eight hours. A lot of things were kind of activated through that, and what God took me back to — I want to bring you back to the why. I called why I redeemed you, hallelujah, why I put you in the place I did. Son, your life, through my anointing, through my presence, through my heartbeat, will always bring glory.
Rusty Nelson:And that's the beauty of that why. When I look at you, when I look at your family that I love so dearly — Lisa, I love you — stayed the course all these years. The same man I met on an airplane, that had that encounter, going in to touch those who cannot help themselves. And you have stayed faithful. And Orphan's Hands, it's why we sow monthly into Orphan's Hands. That's why.
Rusty Nelson:What has happened through the miracle of watching these — no longer orphans, they've been adopted into the family — absolutely the why and the heartbeat of God. What Peter said, he said this is what's kept me going all these years. The devil didn't win. He didn't know that. And the thing is, and what's important to understand, you never saw the huge church that you now pastor and the campuses that you have. You never saw that. What you do is you go out and find the why. And the why you find is the center point that's in Jesus. It's like a spinning sphere and it can get hit and wobble for a while and not spin true for a moment. But if you're still centered on the why, it comes back into shape again, because him being the center brings things back into shape. So a car wreck can slow you down and give you a wobble for a season, but as long as you're focused on him, eventually the wobble stops and the hum, the spin, comes properly.
Philip:And we never saw all those years ago — sitting in Montgomery Airport. I was sitting there, here's the story. I was sitting in Montgomery Airport sobbing. I had a briefcase with a VHS in it, and I'm sitting waiting to get on a plane to go to Columbus, Ohio. I remember where I was going. And the kids had no coal in an orphanage in a town called Ungheni, freezing. By December the 11th, 16 had frozen to death. And I was over there and I'm sitting there, lost. I didn't know then what I know now. I was just blown up by what I'd seen. And I looked up and — why is Rusty Nelson in Montgomery, Alabama? He belongs somewhere else. But when you're in the why of heaven, God will move chess pieces around the world to get you to where you are. And I looked up and he says, hey Philip, how you doing?
Airport Encounter That Changed Everything
Philip:And I wasn't friendly. I didn't know what to say. And I talked about what I'd seen and I gave him a VHS, and I said, now watch this. I went on to Columbus, Ohio and preached there, and he went back to his church and showed the video. And that was the beginning point of countless lives. Not just you can save someone and give them a meal and put new clothes on them, but to have them be transformed by the power of the Gospel, that they go to the war zone for you and they risk their lives for the kingdom — that's called finding your why. And if you're watching today, you're a pastor watching and you're going through the motions of what your life is about, let me tell you something — find your why.
Philip:Because when you find your why, everything else — that wobbly bobble that's in your life, that's spinning, it's just not quite centered — once you find your why, that slows down and it comes tight again into the spin of God's purpose in your life. And I just pray for you. Go ahead, go ahead.
Rusty Nelson:One thing the Lord said to me with that. He said, son, when you find your why, you will always find your way. Always. And the very thing of Jesus — what was the why of Jesus? He said, I came to glorify my Father. Even the prayer of Jesus in John 17, Father, glorify your Son that your Son can glorify you. The aim of his glorious grace. Philip said, show us the Father. He said, if I've been so long with you and you've not seen — if you've seen me, you've seen my Father. You've known me, you've known my Father. Jesus said, I am the heartbeat. I am the Word of the Father in flesh, to show the glory of the Father, that I may glorify you, that the Father may be glorified in me. It's all for his glory.
When You Find Your Why You Find Your Way
Philip:I love it. One thing I've learned about you over the years, Rusty Nelson — you're a Jesus lover. You only want to see his heart. I'll never forget a conversation in one of the houses in Moldova, and we spoke about getting into the presence of God, knowing his presence. And when you do that — I don't know why this bubble thing has come so clearly in my mind. I've seen images of space and you have this celestial being and it's out of kilter. And I just sense that there are folk watching and your life is spinning out of control it seems, and there's a wobble and a bobble and you're thinking, my God, will it ever come back? If you find your why, if you know your why, God will bring all of the odd pieces and all of the fractured pieces and all of the broken pieces and bring it back in.
Philip:When I was a kid back in Scotland, we had pottery classes and I would throw that bit of clay on the wheel and it would spin and I'd be trying to hold it all together, and the teacher would laugh and say, oh Philip, that's not the way to do it. And he would move me out of the way and take the same cup of clay that I could make no sense out of, and mold it and spin it and shape it and move it into a vessel. Rusty Nelson, I love you. I am so glad you're with me. We appreciate your kindness and your grace towards our ministry, and I pray — would you, we've got a minute left, could you pray and ask God to help us in this last minute of the program? Finding our why in these days we're living in — pray for us.
Rusty Nelson:Father, I thank you today that you're not afraid of our questions, as long as at the end of the day we're willing to embrace you as our answer. It's not an explanation we need from you, because God, even our finite beings could not even comprehend the one who created everything with the spoken word. It's not an explanation we desire, it's the revelation of you. I pray, God, for those that are watching. I pray for those that are struggling with why am I here, what have you called me to do. Lord, I pray that they would sense today the very purpose of God, your purpose. It's not built around ours, but Lord, when we embrace yours, we find out it's all to bring you honor, to bring you glory, to love, to care. And I just pray in the name of Jesus you would bless today everyone that's watching and listening to the sound of our voices. And I bless today Orphan's Hands and everybody, yes, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Philip:Amen. Thank you so much, Rusty Nelson. We love you. Can't wait to come and see you soon. Thank you for being part of our world. God bless you. See you all later. Bye.
Common questions
What does Rusty Nelson mean when he talks about 'finding your why'?
Rusty says your 'why' is the God-given center point of your life — the core purpose that keeps everything else in alignment. He uses the image of a spinning sphere: life can get hit and wobble, but as long as you stay centered on that why (which he says is ultimately about glorifying God), things come back into true spin.
What scripture did Rusty use to explain living with purpose in the last days?
Rusty drew from 1 Peter 4, where Peter — the same man who once denied Jesus — instructs believers to be sober-minded, love fervently, be hospitable, and use their spiritual gifts to serve one another. Rusty pointed out that Peter never tells you to stockpile gold or plan for survival; instead, the entire focus is on glorifying God through love and service.
How did Rusty's car accident connect to his message about purpose?
About a year before the episode, Rusty was in a serious wreck that left him with memory loss for roughly eight hours. He says God used that season of wobble to bring him back to his foundational why — reminding him that his life, through God's anointing and presence, would always bring glory to God, no matter the setback.
What's the key phrase Rusty says God gave him about finding your why?
Rusty shared that God told him directly: 'When you find your why, you will always find your way.' He tied this back to Jesus himself, whose stated why was to glorify the Father — and Rusty argues that when our why lines up with that same purpose, direction and clarity follow.
How does Rusty connect Peter's denial of Jesus to the idea of discovering your purpose?
Rusty explains that when Peter denied Jesus, he was still working out why he was a disciple in the first place. The sifting Satan put him through was actually separating the good from the bad in his life. By the time Peter wrote his letter, he had found his why — and that's what gave him the clarity to focus entirely on love, service, and God's glory rather than on self-preservation.
Topics
rusty nelsonfinding your whychristian purpose1 peter 4the rock family worship centergod's glorycalling