Someone You Should Know: Brad Demmert

On our Someone You Should Know podcast, we interview Faith members to help us get to know them, see how God is working in their lives, and make new connections within our community. In this episode we get to know Brad Demmert.

Plus, in this episode, meet your new host, Caleb Effinger.

• Automated Transcription

• Seth Weber 0:00
  Hello. This is Seth Weber, communications director at faith, and today, as promised, we're continuing someone you should know as its own podcast. We won't be releasing episodes on any regular schedule, but we'll aim to get you a few each quarter, as well as the quarterly hospitality highlights with Jennifer Brandt. Now I'm excited to share a little bit of news with you. We have a new host for the podcast, Caleb effinger. He and his wife, Melissa, and their two daughters moved here from Southern California about a year ago and joined faith as members. Shortly thereafter, I asked him to host the podcast because he has produced his own podcast called strong, courageous men. I've enjoyed getting to know him a little, which has included a lot of laughing and a few intense games of racquetball, and maybe at some point I'll need to interview him on this podcast so we can all get to know him a little bit better. But for now, here's your new host, Caleb effinger.
  
  Caleb Effinger 0:58
  Well, hey there today we have Brad and Brad McDermott, is Am I saying that? Right? Close enough.
  
  Caleb Effinger 1:07
  Sweet. Brad Demmert, I gotta give you a hard time.
  
  Brad Demmert 1:12
  Somehow amazing how people can put your names like a finger or effinger or
  
  Caleb Effinger 1:20
  or a singer, we get that one a lot. Okay, yeah, we get that one a lot. So, okay, so Brad, let's get to know you. First off, my wife and I have just had such a joy of getting to know you and your wife. We just, we love you guys. We appreciate your hospitality. So I want the church to know you, and a lot of the church does know you. You have a long family history at our sweet church. So that being said, Tell us about your growing up your hometown.
  
  Brad Demmert 1:57
  Yeah, was born in Bellingham, but moved here to Spokane at a very young age, grew up on the South Hill, spent a couple years on the South Hill, and then went to spangle, Washington, which is close to where we are right now, and we lived on a little piece of land that was probably the Most fun years of growing up. We had some chickens, some cows. Got to watch the miracle of life by watching cows be born. Had ducks, cats, lots of mice. And we would swim in this little pond that we had in the summertime, and we would ice skate in the wintertime, and we would play broom hockey. Nobody fell through the ice nice, and that was an absolute blast. And we grew up having the most fun of our childhood, probably when we lived in a double wide in spangle on some land. And we really look back as brothers and sisters and cherish that time that we had.
  
  Caleb Effinger 3:03
  So you were really, you were really Hunter gathers. Like, like, we think that's a new term with all of our, you know, hipster generation here, but you were like, the OG of hunter gatherers.
  
  Brad Demmert 3:14
  I like to let the other people hunt and gather. I like to eat. That is my forte. And then after that, we came back, actually lived back in the same house on the South Hill, and was homeschooled for a good portion of my learning life, and then went to the Oaks for a couple years, and then came back to high school, or back to home school before going off to high school. Nice.
  
  Caleb Effinger 3:42
  So that then leads right into your high school. Walk us through that high school and any other higher education.
  
  Brad Demmert 3:53
  Yeah, so I went to Ferris High School had probably the least amount of school spirit one can have. It was a big transition, going from being a homeschooler to go into a public high school with a couple 1000 people, but it was a good launching pad, kind of going from life at home to life in the real world. Got exposed to a lot of real life stuff going into a public high school. I was glad I got exposed to it while I was still at home, and could come home and talk to my parents and and work through some of those things together, from some of the things they taught in school to the things kids were talking about, was good to be able to come home and talk through those things with with parents. So I did that for freshman and sophomore year, and then actually went to Eastern and did Running Start for my junior and senior years. Really didn't Seth foot back in my high school after my sophomore year, except to play some baseball. Nice after that, I had a really sweet year. I went to. To Capernaum Bible School, which is in England, the northern part of England, wow. Bougie went to that Bible school. It's kind of a short school year, but we went through the whole Bible. Was a huge moment in time for my faith to really grow and become my own. From moving away from home into a country 1000s of miles away when you're 18 years old. And you know, if you wanted to call home, you use the calling card. And you know, you know, 15 minutes for X number of dollars, kind of thing like, that was how we was able to communicate back home. And there was, you know, very little social media, so there really wasn't a whole lot of connection back home, except for when you were able to call home. But it was a sweet time. We was six hours a day of being fed the word from different pastors and teachers, and they did a good job presenting the Bible in a way that it wasn't really a denominational school and it wasn't a seminary by any means, but they taught it and said this is how different denominations might understand this, and they allowed you to Take what you wanted from those Bible classes and Bible lessons, but they stuck to the Word of God very well and taught it for what it was and what it is. So really a sweet time I look back on that, you know, 678, months of my life, and it was one of the best periods of time for me to really grow into a man and call my faith my own, leaving the nest. Wow, would totally do it again. Yeah. Looking back after that, went, came back to Spokane and started my nursing degree at Eastern and then finished at Washington State.
  
  Caleb Effinger 7:07
  Nice, wow. What a journey of schooling and
  
  Brad Demmert 7:12
  such kind of touched it all, private, public, home school, Bible school, kind of have been exposed to each brand of schooling, which is which I look back on, and I'm thankful for,
  
  Caleb Effinger 7:26
  and I'm sure you could be a helpful consultant today with parents who are trying to navigate all all the things, schooling, home school, private school, public school. So talk about, talk about your family.
  
  Brad Demmert 7:41
  Yeah, I have the world's best wife. Her name is Andrea. We met at church. Hilariously, we met probably at Lewis and Clark High School, back in the what would be in the 90s, in probably the kindergarten class. Really, I'll say we met when we were in college. She was friends with my sister Anna, and God, put her in my life at the perfect time where I remember we were teachers in or leaders in the junior high ministry. And I remember the day she walked into that youth group room, and that was the moment that God drew me to her, and I knew that that was a very special woman, and she has been more than that. She's been amazing, amazing wife, amazing helper, amazing friend. Together, we have three kids, Grace, Noah and Landon, third grade, first grade and pre K. And then, as far as other family we have, like you said, there's, there's a lot of demorts at FBC, and thankful to be able to worship alongside them on Sunday mornings.
  
  Caleb Effinger 8:57
  Well, yeah, you definitely have a beautiful family, and like I said, we've we have loved getting to know you guys. So okay, so then talk about your career now.
  
  Brad Demmert 9:08
  Yeah, so I've been Intensive Care Unit nurse for almost 15 years. The last 13 of them have been at Sacred Heart in their cardiac intensive care unit, and it has been a sweet blessing to our family. Get to work, long days but short weeks, if that makes sense, yeah. And the time at work, I really enjoy my job. Driving to work. I don't dread it. That's great. I think, yes, a cool thing, yeah, because a lot of people, not everyone, has that, yeah, absolutely dread, yeah, going to work. And I work alongside a lot of people who dread going to work. There's hard days and there's hard moments, and it's been a real neat ministry opportunity, not only to co workers, but to patients and their. Are their hardest times, their hardest days, and sometimes for sure, last days, being able to tell them about Jesus, pray with them, love them, yeah.
  
  Caleb Effinger 10:10
  What a cool opportunity to to just Yeah. Glorify the Lord in your in your work. How did you come to know Jesus.
  
  Brad Demmert 10:22
  So like you said, my family has gone to FBC for a long time, and actually since the very beginning. So growing up, my folks are godly parents, godly people, godly servants of the Lord, and they were faithful in teaching their five children the gospel and portraying our need for the gospel at every stage of life, whether too young to remember. And then I remember Bible times, Family Devotional times. And it was one of those Family Devotional times that I remember understanding that I needed a Savior, because I was probably the child who got disciplined with all my siblings the most. Maybe it's just my memory, but I feel like if there was discipline happening, it was me and my brother or me and one of my sisters or just me, which has to probably show you something about who I was as a child. But I jokingly like to tell my mom and dad that they just like to pick on me, but they know that I love them and that I'm thankful for how they raised us, because we are trying to mimic how they raised us and how we raise our kids. So saved at a young age, probably seven or eight. I don't remember the exact date or time, but I remember in my testimony, what I like to talk about is just the faithfulness of God. He has been so faithful to put people in my life, in the hard times, the hard moments, the seasons where I'm not being a faithful follower of Christ and I'm allowing myself to maybe dabble in things of the world. Goddess put people in my life like Corey Milliken, Oh, yeah. A huge blessing to my to my walk with the Lord Amen, Jess, Colvin, Nathan, Thiry, Dean, Pyle, all these men alongside my my own family and especially my wife, all these people just keep pointing me back towards Christ. And that really just reminds me of the amazing blessing of what the church is, the church body, and how it can keep each other pointed in the right direction. Yeah, I know that I am saved because God keeps directing me towards himself, sometimes through through people, and oftentimes just through His word and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. And I'm far from perfect, but forgiven and loved, and I'm thankful for that men, yeah, it's been fun. Really thankful for God saving my parents? Yeah? Weber for them faithful to preach to us as kids and bring God into kind of the mundane, if you will. Yeah, my mom faithfully as I'd wake up, my dad would probably already off to work, because I like to sleep in growing up my my mom would be sitting at the table with her Bible open, pouring over scripture every day. There was never a day she was sick. She was sick in bed. You know, I remember just her Bible open, yeah, on her bedside table, which is just a real cool example.
  
  Caleb Effinger 14:03
  Amen, well, church, you heard you heard her here first. If you need discipleship, faithful discipleship, turn to the dimmerts. Okay, so how did you end up at faith? Faith, Bible, church, we covered it a little. I guess, through your through
  
  Brad Demmert 14:20
  your parents. I've been here practically my whole remember in life, yeah.
  
  Caleb Effinger 14:25
  So, yeah. So basically, your family has been there since, since the founding. Your parents have been there, yeah.
  
  Brad Demmert 14:31
  And especially, what I love about watching how my parents have lived out their faith is they have been very sober minded through some of our churches harder moments. They've never jumped or run. I really appreciate how they've just been faithful to the church body that they have become members of so many years ago. Yeah, it's really a sweet example. Yeah, to. Yeah to myself and my family, yeah.
  
  Caleb Effinger 15:02
  What a sweet testimony. There's a lot of folks that would do well to learn from your family's testimony, because through hard times in the church, we can often get embittered and just like leave and your parents and family knows know the secret of church, which is there's no perfect church, right? Not until, not until Christ returns. Okay, so how? What's your involvement at FBC,
  
  Brad Demmert 15:32
  we have been growth group leaders now for a number of years. We were in Brian and Kathy Yates's small group. Oh yeah, years ago, and I remember Brian giving me an opportunity, this is how you portrayed it, an opportunity to test out my gifting. And he started just by having me lead the breakout time with the men. And then over the course of that year, however, many years ago, this was had me start leading, sometimes some growth group nights going through the lesson, and branched out and alongside other faithful servants, we have been leading small groups, growth groups in our home for seven or eight years, and we absolutely love it. Shout out to the best growth group at FBC. Wow, we could take anybody on. No, we absolutely love it. We love the people that God has put in our lives. I feel like I grow more from the other people, then I do help other people grow, which is sweet. We have had some, a lot of very sweet, godly people be a part of our growth groups through the years, and we love it. So currently have a co leader, Justin Seymour, and his wife, it's been a huge blessing to be leading alongside them, to loving our group together, sharing the duties. Yeah, it's kind of nice to have a co laborer, yeah, to labor alongside and love our group together.
  
  Caleb Effinger 17:18
  So yep, yeah, and you said it, right? It's a blessing. And so I'll just take this moment to say, if you're not in a growth group, you're missing out on a ton of blessing. It's just, it's a sweet reminder of who we are in Christ and the burdens that we can share and the joys that we can share too. Okay, so, so what is God teaching you right now?
  
  Brad Demmert 17:45
  Lots when I heard this question was when we asked it was like, which one do I choose? But I think lately, what I've been learning is that my earthly Wisdom does not compare to God's wisdom or his sovereignty. In the midst of uncertainties in life, whether they're big uncertainties or small, that I need to continue to go to God first, because his good and perfect plan is always the best, and it's kind of a lifelong battle, because my tendency is to think that I'm pretty special, and I kind of have a life figured out, news flash, I don't, and sometimes I think I have a lot to offer God and that He, you know, he chose well, by choosing me to serve serve Him. And I know that's absolutely ridiculous. It's the dumbest thing anybody could ever think, because I am a broken vessel that God has chosen to use. And I'm thankful that he is good and that I can come to Him and His Word is His Word is a lamp into our feet, light into our path, and reminding myself of that, and being reminded of that to go to God in uncertainties and and leading the family. It's, it's the best, it's the best way, yeah, is to use God's word to make the decisions for your family. Amen.
  
  Caleb Effinger 19:17
  Okay, so then, on the heels of that, how can we be praying for you,
  
  Brad Demmert 19:23
  just praying for me in that battle of my tendency to think I'm wise when I'm really not, it's I need to go to God and His wisdom, I just Pray that I would be a faithful husband, father, servant. I want to bathe my family in God's word. And I want like I shared with my that my parents did well just I want my kids, our kids, to see their parents loving God, loving people. And. And using the the blessings that He has bestowed upon us for His glory and His good, or his glory, and our, you know, our good in that, because we're just stewards, yeah and
  
  Caleb Effinger 20:17
  yeah, that's good. Weber brother, you and Andrea are doing that well. So thank you for your your time and recording this before we go, we have to do the speed round. So Okay, are you ready? I'm ready,
  
  Caleb Effinger 20:41
  cats or dogs, chickens. Oh, okay, wow, pineapple on pizza. Yes or no, absolutely, what? That's weird. Absolutely, pets. We have chickens and two cats, okay, Barn Cats. Okay, all right, so back to the hunter gatherer thing you're really chasing after that dream? Yes, exactly. Favorite book besides the Bible,
  
  Brad Demmert 21:04
  going old school, the hatchet. Wow.
  
  Caleb Effinger 21:10
  Nice. Favorite band,
  
  Brad Demmert 21:14
  Captain geech and the shrimp track, shooters. I don't even know what that means. Need to breathe. It's a line from a movie classic.
  
  Caleb Effinger 21:23
  Okay, need to breathe, all right, I can get down with that favorite movie or TV show.
  
  Brad Demmert 21:28
  Love anything related to World War Two? Oh, specifically, probably have to go with Band of Brothers. Okay, I love that series.
  
  Caleb Effinger 21:36
  Wow, that turned dark. Okay, yeah, let's see. What would you do with extra time if you didn't have to sleep? I would probably golf. Oh, I love golfing. Favorite place to eat out in Spokane,
  
  Brad Demmert 21:51
  anything, sushi. Ooh, can't make sushi at home like they make in the restaurants.
  
  Caleb Effinger 21:56
  Amen. I think we should go eat sushi and golf right now, dude, thanks so much Brad for taking the time. This has been really fun, and we should like do it again someday. Yes,

Caleb Effinger

Caleb and his wife, Malisa, have been members at Faith since 2025 and have two daughters. Caleb hosts our Someone You Should Know podcast and has hosted his own podcast called "Strong Courageous Men".

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