1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,000
Don't get down when you're seeing the worst,

2
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,000
Cause the last will be the first.

3
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,000
What a day I'm telling you,

4
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,000
All things will be new.

5
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000
Living up in a down world.

6
00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,000
Yeah we're living, yeah we're living,

7
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000
Living up in a down world.

8
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000
Oh!

9
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,000
This is Jimmy and Ed,

10
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,000
We are super excited to be with you on this Monday,

11
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,000
As we are living up in a down world.

12
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,000
Oh and by the way, Mr. Chevy is with us as well today.

13
00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:38,000
What's he doing today?

14
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,000
Well he's just sleeping.

15
00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,000
But you know what, this is episode 23.

16
00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,000
Can you believe it?

17
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:44,000
23!

18
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,000
23! That doesn't even make sense.

19
00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,000
23 weeks we have been doing this podcast.

20
00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,000
Crazy, I feel like we literally just started doing this.

21
00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,000
It's so bizarre.

22
00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,000
But I'm happy about it, I'm excited.

23
00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,000
I'm thinking we're sitting there going,

24
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,000
Okay what are we going to talk about?

25
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:01,000
Oh my gosh.

26
00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,000
And then I called an audible.

27
00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,000
You did, thank you.

28
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,000
And that makes me, you have no idea.

29
00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,000
Mrs. Rule Follower, Mrs. Linear Thinker,

30
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000
I'm Mr. Random Abstract,

31
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,000
But you called an audible, I'm so proud of you.

32
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:15,000
I keep doing that you know.

33
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,000
And whatever you do with that, I'm happy with it.

34
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000
The fact that you actually called an audible.

35
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,000
Well because we were going to go one direction,

36
00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,000
And I felt in my spirit we needed to go in a different direction.

37
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,000
Love that, love that.

38
00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,000
Yeah I was all geared up to do something different,

39
00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,000
And then you went, errrr.

40
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,000
It's like that record sound,

41
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,000
It's like oh no, no, we're going to do something different.

42
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,000
Too bad you don't have any sound effects like that.

43
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,000
Okay you have something.

44
00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:42,000
I know, it's an alarm.

45
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,000
What I'm saying is like whoa, okay stop the presses.

46
00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,000
And that is going audible.

47
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,000
I love that, called an audible.

48
00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,000
So first of all let me just say,

49
00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,000
I'm so proud of you and Tina.

50
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,000
Tina Curry, you guys,

51
00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,000
Cockering the hills,

52
00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,000
What, two days a week?

53
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:00,000
Two days a week.

54
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,000
You walk also on a Wednesday.

55
00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,000
I walk Wednesday and maybe Thursday, Friday with someone else.

56
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,000
Four miles.

57
00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,000
Wednesday, Thursday.

58
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:08,000
Four miles.

59
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,000
And listen to our listeners,

60
00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000
I just want you to know, first of all welcome to the podcast.

61
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000
We're thrilled that you're here.

62
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,000
We're here to help you live up in a down world,

63
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,000
And engage life instead of letting life engage you.

64
00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:20,000
Right.

65
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:26,000
And so part of engaging life means sometimes tackling things that seem impossible or beyond you.

66
00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,000
And you two getting up and walking these hills,

67
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000
And you know, we've been doing this for a couple weeks.

68
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,000
And this today, I think we were talking so much,

69
00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,000
Which we do talk a lot,

70
00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,000
But it wasn't that hard today for some reason.

71
00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,000
And I think it was because the weather was,

72
00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,000
It was a little cooler because we had some rain last night.

73
00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,000
It was like a hundred degrees yesterday,

74
00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,000
Humidity like way over 50%.

75
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:51,000
So it's like, feels like 110.

76
00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:52,000
Exactly.

77
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,000
And yet we had this beautiful rainstorm come through last evening.

78
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,000
I actually sat out on the back porch,

79
00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,000
Had a little drink for myself,

80
00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,000
Just a little enjoyment,

81
00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,000
A little beverage stuff.

82
00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,000
Just sitting and enjoying the rain,

83
00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:11,000
And had a massive, wonderful prayer time with my heavenly father sitting out watching the rain fall.

84
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,000
While I was cooking your Father's Day dinner.

85
00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,000
I so appreciate it.

86
00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:15,000
It was amazing.

87
00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:16,000
It wasn't amazing.

88
00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:17,000
You think it wasn't?

89
00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:18,000
I'm just so thrilled.

90
00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,000
I made a roast and it was too tough.

91
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:26,000
And all the meats, all the beef I've made recently have been so tough,

92
00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,000
That I'm kind of done with beef for a little while.

93
00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,000
Let me ask you a question.

94
00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:30,000
Do I care?

95
00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,000
No, you don't.

96
00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:32,000
Because you would eat,

97
00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,000
If I gave you a sandwich with butter on it,

98
00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,000
You would say, oh, thank you.

99
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,000
You're the most amazing wife.

100
00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,000
I've so said this before.

101
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,000
I grew up a latchkey kid, oldest in the family.

102
00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:45,000
So I grew up on Tony's pizzas, SpaghettiOs, and Campbell's chicken noodle soup.

103
00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:46,000
And we don't buy any of that.

104
00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,000
Well, we do buy chicken noodle soup.

105
00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,000
But I don't buy any of the other stuff.

106
00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,000
I really tried to make you a beautiful,

107
00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,000
I actually had planned to put the roast in the crock pot yesterday morning.

108
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,000
So that when we got home from church, or the night before,

109
00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,000
When we get home from church, it's perfect.

110
00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:06,000
Totally spaced it.

111
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:07,000
We were driving to church.

112
00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:10,000
You said, oh no, I forgot to put the roast on.

113
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,000
I'm like, I don't care.

114
00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:15,000
So we put it on while we were making our sandwiches

115
00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,000
for Father's Day.

116
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,000
Ham and cheese sandwiches.

117
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,000
But then I made this nice dinner and I didn't enjoy it.

118
00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:23,000
I did not enjoy it.

119
00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,000
You have to understand, I'm so grateful for everything.

120
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:27,000
I live a grateful life.

121
00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,000
That doesn't bother me at all.

122
00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000
And you know, our daughter got sick,

123
00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,000
so she couldn't even come over and celebrate Father's Day.

124
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,000
That was a bummer.

125
00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,000
She didn't even tell you happy Father's Day.

126
00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,000
But she did write a post on Instagram and Facebook.

127
00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:41,000
Very beautiful.

128
00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:43,000
That is typical of faith.

129
00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:44,000
That's true.

130
00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,000
That's true.

131
00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,000
Face to face, she's a little flat.

132
00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,000
And with the keyboard, she's amazing.

133
00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,000
Yes.

134
00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:53,000
Well, let's get back to the walk.

135
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,000
So I want to talk about the walk.

136
00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000
So I was walking with Tina this morning

137
00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,000
and she said something that hit me so hard

138
00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:08,000
because it really helped me see the value she has in my life

139
00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:11,000
and her own values, her strengths,

140
00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:15,000
that are so amazing that it caused me

141
00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,000
to when I was listening to a message today

142
00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000
while I was at the gym, it all came together.

143
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,000
I was like, Lord, you're so good, how you put things together.

144
00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,000
So for context sake, sorry to interrupt.

145
00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,000
Context is I'm thinking about what listeners are,

146
00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,000
they're just hearing that you went on a walk.

147
00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,000
But on Mondays, we practice Sabbath.

148
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,000
This is a relatively new thing in our lives

149
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,000
that we made a hard decision on, kind of coming out of COVID.

150
00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:41,000
Exactly.

151
00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,000
That we're going to take Mondays and Sabbath,

152
00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,000
which is biblical and it's actually a command of Scripture.

153
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:48,000
Yes.

154
00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,000
It's all about rest, but doing things that you enjoy.

155
00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,000
But walking, I don't really enjoy.

156
00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:55,000
It doesn't bring you a lot of joy.

157
00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:56,000
No.

158
00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:57,000
It kind of does.

159
00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:58,000
But it brings benefits.

160
00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,000
And so what it does is it clears my head.

161
00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,000
To me, it's as good as going to a therapist.

162
00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,000
Now, some people need a therapist, that's fine.

163
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:12,000
But to me, walking or any kind of exercise that I do

164
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,000
is very much therapy for me.

165
00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,000
But anyway, we're walking today and she was telling me,

166
00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,000
and I'm not going to say the organization,

167
00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:25,000
but that she has a lot of expenses coming out this month.

168
00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,000
And she shared that one of the expenses was a pledge

169
00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,000
that she made to an organization.

170
00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,000
And she's not real happy with this organization

171
00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,000
because they've kind of gone woke.

172
00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,000
But she, her and Adam made this pledge,

173
00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:42,000
I think about a year ago, to this organization.

174
00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,000
And this month, she needs to honor that pledge.

175
00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,000
And I made a comment to her.

176
00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,000
I said, but they're going against your principles basically.

177
00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,000
And she said, yeah, but I made a pledge.

178
00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:54,000
And I thought, wow.

179
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:55,000
I love that.

180
00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:59,000
Okay, how many people would, they would just stop.

181
00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,000
They would just stop their giving or they would,

182
00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,000
but they don't honor their word.

183
00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,000
And that told me a lot about Adam and Tina

184
00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,000
that even though that particular organization went woke,

185
00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,000
they're going to honor their pledge.

186
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:18,000
Maybe they won't continue their pledge,

187
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:21,000
but they're going to honor it because they made a commitment.

188
00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,000
Whoa, that's a new concept in this world.

189
00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,000
It says a lot about character.

190
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,000
Yes.

191
00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:29,000
And character is what matters at the end of the day.

192
00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:30,000
It is.

193
00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000
And it really got me thinking and I thought, wow,

194
00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:38,000
how many people say I'm going to sign a commitment,

195
00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,000
I'm going to sign a covenant, I'm going to,

196
00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:46,000
but they don't stick with it because they don't have that in them.

197
00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:52,000
This is a principle and a truth that Tina and Adam have embraced.

198
00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,000
It's an honor thing too.

199
00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,000
They're honoring their word,

200
00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,000
but they're honoring the people that they gave their word to.

201
00:07:58,000 --> 00:07:59,000
Yes, which is huge.

202
00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:00,000
Powerful.

203
00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:04,000
So then I listened to this message today and there was a...

204
00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:05,000
While you were working out.

205
00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,000
While we're working out, we left.

206
00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,000
What did you do today, by the way?

207
00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,000
I know.

208
00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,000
I worked out four miles, I walked four miles,

209
00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:16,000
then I went, got in the pool to cool off because I was burning up.

210
00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,000
I mean, I'm sweating, I'm pouring.

211
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,000
We drive to the gym.

212
00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:23,000
We drive to the gym and I do biceps and triceps, yes.

213
00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:24,000
You're a rock star.

214
00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:25,000
Well, I know, I'm trying.

215
00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,000
Remind me of...was that girl that was in Terminator 2?

216
00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000
Oh my gosh, if I could only look like that.

217
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:32,000
She was ripped.

218
00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,000
Yeah, I don't remember her name.

219
00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:35,000
Well, thank you.

220
00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:36,000
That's so sweet.

221
00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:37,000
Those arms, those traps.

222
00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,000
You don't have your glasses on or something.

223
00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,000
No, literally, I'm seeing your arms right now.

224
00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,000
I'm working out hard.

225
00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:44,000
I'm really...

226
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,000
Go girl.

227
00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,000
Because not everybody wants to do weights like that.

228
00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:49,000
Right.

229
00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,000
Since I was 29, I started working out with weights, so I enjoy it.

230
00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,000
It's not even about our bodies as much as about our head space.

231
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:56,000
Again, it's therapy.

232
00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,000
So, I had lots of therapy.

233
00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,000
I always have lots of therapy before we have our podcast.

234
00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,000
So, in my journal, I wrote down temple care.

235
00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:04,000
Oh yeah, that's what it is.

236
00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,000
So, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was proud of you.

237
00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,000
No, but that's okay.

238
00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:14,000
But there was a Scripture that this gentleman used that went off on me and then I came home

239
00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:21,000
and I said, you've got to...let's dive into this Scripture and it's Jude 1, 1.

240
00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,000
And go ahead, I'll let you read it.

241
00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:28,000
I'll read the Scripture because as you were sharing this with me, you were so lit up over

242
00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,000
this amazing message.

243
00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:36,000
And anytime I see you like that, I'm like, okay, Holy Spirit saying, pay attention.

244
00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,000
Pay attention.

245
00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,000
And so, Jude 1, 1 says this.

246
00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,000
And Jude's just one chapter.

247
00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,000
It's not like eight chapters or four.

248
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:47,000
It's one chapter.

249
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,000
It's an odd book because it is one chapter.

250
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000
One, one, it's Jude 1.

251
00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,000
I mean, literally.

252
00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,000
And so, listen to this Scripture.

253
00:09:53,000 --> 00:10:00,000
It says, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James to those who have been...there's

254
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,000
three things that are listed there.

255
00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:08,000
In other words, this is a letter to them but saying everybody that's been...

256
00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,000
Yeah, to those who have been.

257
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:11,000
So, to everybody.

258
00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,000
And listen to what it says.

259
00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,000
This is amazing.

260
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:22,000
To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.

261
00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,000
Okay, that went off.

262
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,000
Called, loved, kept.

263
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:30,000
I mean, when I read that, it was like, wait a minute.

264
00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,000
I'm called, I'm loved, and I'm kept.

265
00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,000
What?

266
00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:39,000
So, you shared with me from the message as I was listening to Coach Mullins.

267
00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,000
He was a football coach, football player, football coach.

268
00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,000
Now, he's a pastor of a massive church.

269
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,000
His name is Coach Mullins, or call him Coach Mullins.

270
00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:47,000
He's in Florida.

271
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,000
And he was preaching for Pastor Robert Morris at Gateway because Pastor Robert is taking

272
00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:57,000
two months off to do part vacation, part study break to prep for the next year.

273
00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:03,000
And so, when you shared this with me and he told a beautiful story about his daughter

274
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,000
having to have a major surgery during COVID.

275
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:07,000
Can you share this story?

276
00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:08,000
Yes, oh yeah.

277
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,000
In 2020, she had to have a major surgery.

278
00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,000
And back then, I think...

279
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,000
They were in Florida.

280
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:20,000
They were in Florida, and most of the country was in shutdown mode, or all of the country

281
00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,000
was in shutdown mode.

282
00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:23,000
And hospitals...

283
00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:24,000
Follow what it is, lockdown.

284
00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:25,000
Yes, lockdown.

285
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:31,000
And hospitals wouldn't even allow family members to come in while a person was having surgery,

286
00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:32,000
which is...

287
00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:33,000
Unbelievable.

288
00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:37,000
Can you imagine a child needing surgery and their parents can't even be with them?

289
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,000
Don't get me started on that.

290
00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:39,000
I know.

291
00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:40,000
I know.

292
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:41,000
I know.

293
00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,000
Exactly.

294
00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:47,000
Well, anyway, I'm sure she's an older adult, but still she called her parents and she was

295
00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:48,000
like...

296
00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,000
Or the day before the surgery and said, I'm scared.

297
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,000
I'm really scared.

298
00:11:52,000 --> 00:12:00,000
And she talked to her mom and her mom went and got her husband, which is her dad, and

299
00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,000
said, our daughter needs you right now.

300
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:04,000
Our daughter needs you.

301
00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:05,000
Can you talk to her?

302
00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:10,120
And he got on the phone and he said, I want you to remember three things.

303
00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,200
You are called, you are loved, and you are kept.

304
00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:15,040
He said, I taught you this from a child.

305
00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:16,040
From a child.

306
00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:17,040
You have...

307
00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,600
I have instilled this in you as a child.

308
00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:24,960
And she wrote it down on the inside of her hand...

309
00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:25,960
Before she went into surgery.

310
00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:26,960
Before she went into surgery.

311
00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:32,680
And then she showed it to every doctor, every surgeon, every nurse, the anesthesiologist,

312
00:12:32,680 --> 00:12:40,560
and explained to them the story of her dad sharing that and how he had instilled that

313
00:12:40,560 --> 00:12:45,800
truth from the Bible, Jude 1.1, for her whole life.

314
00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:47,960
Oh, that totally went off on me.

315
00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:51,520
I love what one of the nurses said, that is so powerful.

316
00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:52,520
I'm going to have that tattoo.

317
00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:53,520
I'm going to get a tattoo.

318
00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,280
And the nurse said, I don't even believe in tattoos, but I think I want a tattoo of that.

319
00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,160
I'm getting a tattoo of Paul loved and kept by God.

320
00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:06,480
So I came home, I was like, Jimmy, you've got to listen to this.

321
00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:08,280
This is your Sunday message.

322
00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:15,400
Not that you plagiarized, but when you hear the Scripture that just goes off on you, you

323
00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,120
got into what you did.

324
00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,120
You actually started studying that Scripture, and you went into the Greek.

325
00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,800
I went into autopilot at that point.

326
00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:26,880
You actually took it to a new place than he did, which is good.

327
00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:27,880
This is what we do.

328
00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:28,880
There's nothing new under the sun.

329
00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,000
We're teaching from the Scripture, not from the message.

330
00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,440
That's what we do.

331
00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,280
We learn from one another.

332
00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,720
And it so went off in me, just like you said, it went off like a bomb.

333
00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,600
So what does called mean?

334
00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,240
When you read this to me, that went off in me again.

335
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,120
So I did a little Greek word study.

336
00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:52,960
You may or may not know this if you're a listener, but the New Testament was written in Aramaic.

337
00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:57,360
Aramaic was one of the languages, but not as much.

338
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:00,640
But the Greek language was the language of the world at the time.

339
00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:05,480
And so that's the common language to everyone, no matter where you're from.

340
00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:09,240
Most everyone spoke Greek, kind of like English is today, to be honest.

341
00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:11,640
You can catch people who know English all around the world.

342
00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:13,000
Very similar.

343
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:19,480
So Greek was the language of culture, and Hebrew, obviously, for the Israelites, but

344
00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:21,080
yet they also spoke Greek.

345
00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:25,280
So they knew these languages, three languages at least, that was common to them.

346
00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:32,000
So in the Koine Greek, Koine Greek is what's considered an ancient language.

347
00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:39,160
So a modern person who speaks Greek from Greece wouldn't speak in Koine Greek, but they're

348
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:40,160
still very similar.

349
00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:44,840
It's kind of like us speaking Elizabethan English and speaking West Texan.

350
00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:50,960
So West Texan is far removed from Elizabethan English, but you'd still understand it, right?

351
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:53,840
Even though you'd say, oh my gosh, that's so proper, I don't speak like that.

352
00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,360
I say y'all and them and fixing to.

353
00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:57,360
So you guys...

354
00:14:57,360 --> 00:14:58,360
Which doesn't make sense.

355
00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:00,040
And then if you're from the north, it's you guys.

356
00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:01,040
Fixing to doesn't even...

357
00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:02,760
I know, you guys and all that.

358
00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,920
So we have all these aberrations, so it's the same thing.

359
00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:10,360
So in the original Greek language that scripture is written in, here's what the word means,

360
00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:11,560
the word called.

361
00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,360
It means divinely selected and appointed.

362
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:16,360
That literally?

363
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:17,360
Divinely.

364
00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,560
You might as well have put a firecracker on my head.

365
00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,440
I know that's kind of a weird thing to say, but literally...

366
00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,360
I was like, what?

367
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:31,720
Okay, when we say we're called, a lot of times we'll say we're called to preach at this church

368
00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:39,040
or we're called to pastor at this church, but we're called as children of God.

369
00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:42,040
God called us into his family.

370
00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,200
That means divinely selected and appointed.

371
00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:46,200
Isn't that beautiful?

372
00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,640
That is the most beautiful way to...

373
00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:56,080
What it does for me is how it speaks to me is it elevates me to say, if God has called

374
00:15:56,080 --> 00:16:02,400
me himself, has called me and selected me, chose me, we're chosen.

375
00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:05,760
Scripture even says we're a chosen generation, we're chosen.

376
00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:13,120
If I've been chosen by God, appointed and selected, that elevates my life to say, I

377
00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:14,960
don't want to live a normal life.

378
00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,040
I don't want to be like everybody else.

379
00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:22,240
I want to live above the fray, the norm.

380
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,600
We have to be separated from the world.

381
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:25,600
We have to be.

382
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:30,560
So, if you're new to the podcast and you're listening, you're going, man, I have some

383
00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:34,720
Christianity background, but I haven't really pursued that.

384
00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,280
I want to welcome you to this because this is for you too.

385
00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:43,640
Or maybe you're new and maybe you've never even stepped over the line to accept Jesus

386
00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:47,080
Christ as your Lord, as the Savior of your life.

387
00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:51,680
You're welcome here and I want you to listen to our hearts in this because I wasn't raised

388
00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:55,280
in church and wasn't raised in a Christian family.

389
00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,240
So it wasn't until I was at the very end of my high school years and out of high school

390
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:00,680
that I actually stepped into this.

391
00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,360
So this was new to me at one point too.

392
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,280
But these are the kinds of things I needed to hear because of what they did, they inspired

393
00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,640
me to live up to this.

394
00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:14,760
But even if you've been in church all your life, you cannot know what the Scripture says

395
00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:15,760
or means.

396
00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:16,760
I mean, I was…

397
00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:17,760
I meet people like that every day.

398
00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:21,480
I started going to church at 10 years of age.

399
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:25,320
My mom didn't go to church until I was in junior high.

400
00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:33,480
And I didn't…I don't think I heard either I heard some of this and it wasn't revelation.

401
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,720
And now it's revelation.

402
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:43,120
I mean it becomes…the older you get, the more…the New Testament, the Bible is revealed.

403
00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:44,120
It's called revelation.

404
00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:46,120
You need to define what revelation is.

405
00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:48,160
It's kind of a churchy term.

406
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:51,720
Yes, and it means to pull back or revealed.

407
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:53,320
To peel back.

408
00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:58,480
Yes, and so to me it's like just that word called…man.

409
00:17:58,480 --> 00:18:01,760
Man, called by God, divinely so.

410
00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:06,360
Because when I think of called, I think of my dad calling me out on something or my dad

411
00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:07,720
calling me for dinner.

412
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:08,960
You know something like that?

413
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,600
Oh, I can hear my mom calling my brother now.

414
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:15,160
We could hear her voice from the other end of the United Supermarket.

415
00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:16,760
We all can because we know her.

416
00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,000
We're on aisle 14.

417
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,000
She's on aisle 1.

418
00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,520
She could call our name and we would hear it above all the chatter and noise and static

419
00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:25,520
of the store.

420
00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:26,520
Yeah.

421
00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:31,400
But we're selected and appointed divinely by God.

422
00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,840
To me this is an identity scripture.

423
00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:34,840
Totally.

424
00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,240
It's a total identity scripture in knowing who you are.

425
00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:44,080
When we can get a hold of that we're God's masterpiece, we're His workmanship.

426
00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:48,540
He knew us before we were born.

427
00:18:48,540 --> 00:18:49,960
He created us.

428
00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,120
We are called Jude 1.1.

429
00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:54,600
You better preach.

430
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:55,600
Oh my goodness.

431
00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:57,640
It just…I don't know why.

432
00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:03,960
I think because well a lot of the things He said when He was preaching that message today

433
00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:12,880
was talking about how when you have truth instilled into you in your life, in your lifetime,

434
00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:19,000
your childhood, you have truth, you have Bible principles instilled, they should come out

435
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:25,400
when you get called out by your peers or whatever to do something that…

436
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,040
Invited into something that you know is not good.

437
00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:33,320
Is not a godly thing in your life.

438
00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:34,720
You've got a choice to make.

439
00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:37,280
It violates your values or your principles.

440
00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:38,280
You have a choice.

441
00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:45,160
So you choose either to fall into peer pressure and go against the principles and truth of

442
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,480
your life or you say no.

443
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:49,480
You know what?

444
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:50,480
Yeah.

445
00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:52,880
And you don't have to explain to anybody.

446
00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:57,280
To me you don't have to explain, you just back away from it, walk away from it.

447
00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:58,280
Can I share the story that…

448
00:19:58,280 --> 00:19:59,280
Oh the story was…

449
00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:00,280
The coach shared…

450
00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:01,280
Yes.

451
00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:02,280
Share that.

452
00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:03,280
Coach Mullins shared this great story.

453
00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:04,400
So listen up because some of you will relate to this.

454
00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,160
I did because sometimes I was on both ends of this as a kid.

455
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:09,160
I was too.

456
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:11,000
So I was the wild child in high school.

457
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:16,720
I had a fast car and all that stuff so it kind of…it lent itself to getting in trouble.

458
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,520
And so Coach Mullins, they used to hang out at a drive-in.

459
00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:23,160
Typical drive-in, come up, get your food.

460
00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:24,160
Drive through.

461
00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:25,160
Yeah, like your food.

462
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,160
They come out on…

463
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:27,160
Like a Sonic or something is what I was picturing.

464
00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,160
Oh yeah, we had Holley's burgers.

465
00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:30,160
Yeah, I was thinking about that for you.

466
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:34,040
They come out and wait on you and they still do that actually which is really cool.

467
00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:35,800
And the kids have a drag that they…

468
00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:40,360
Yeah, you drive around downtown, get in trouble and listen to a lot of rock and roll and look

469
00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:41,360
for girls.

470
00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:42,360
And usually drink.

471
00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:43,840
Yeah, I wouldn't say that.

472
00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:44,840
Yeah, party.

473
00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:45,840
Party, party.

474
00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,000
So that was the culture I grew up in.

475
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:54,760
And so Coach Mullins tells a story about he was invited by his friends and they said,

476
00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,120
hey, go with us.

477
00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:58,000
We're going to go do something.

478
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:03,920
And when he walked up to the car at the drive-in, they were all drinking at the time in their

479
00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:04,920
car.

480
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:09,360
And he knew it violated the principle of his heart and what he had been raised with.

481
00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:11,080
And he said, no, I'm good.

482
00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:12,080
You guys…

483
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,240
He was about to get in until he saw that.

484
00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:15,240
Yeah, and then he decided.

485
00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:16,640
And he just said, no.

486
00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:17,880
So he didn't.

487
00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:22,520
He says that later that day he was actually driving through town and he saw like a fire

488
00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:23,520
ball.

489
00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:29,240
I mean, he saw something weird, like just smoke and flame, a flash.

490
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:33,520
And he rushed over there in his car to it and it was his friends.

491
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:34,520
His friends.

492
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:38,360
He would have been in the back seat of that car and his best friend…

493
00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:39,360
Passed away.

494
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:40,360
Yeah.

495
00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:41,360
Because they were…

496
00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:42,360
They got ejected from the car.

497
00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:44,400
Because they were doing a drag race.

498
00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,040
And nobody wore seat belts back then.

499
00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:47,040
No.

500
00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:48,040
Nobody.

501
00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:49,040
Nobody did.

502
00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:54,800
I think he said late 50s or something, but he said they were driving and they were drag

503
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:55,800
racing.

504
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:57,280
How many times have I been…

505
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,680
I know when I was young, in a car, drag racing or…

506
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,320
Let's go through this stop sign real quick.

507
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:07,360
God really protected me, but not those kids.

508
00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:10,880
And if he would have been in the back seat, he would have been killed.

509
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:16,640
So when he drove up to the wreck, all the, you know, the fire, the police, the ambulance

510
00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,440
had just gotten there too and they were all looking for the body.

511
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:21,960
I mean, these kids got ejected from the car.

512
00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:23,640
It was so bad.

513
00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:28,360
And he went to looking for his friend and he was walking through the grass and his foot…

514
00:22:28,360 --> 00:22:29,360
Touched.

515
00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:32,440
…hit a body and it was his best friend.

516
00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,480
It got to ambulance and he died on the way to the hospital.

517
00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:40,600
And he said, you know, if I had not had these principles in my life to understand that my

518
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:47,360
grandmother, my mother, my father, my pastor all had said, you are called.

519
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:48,360
You are called.

520
00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:52,800
Well, and he said that when he got home, he realized he had blood on his hands from his

521
00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:53,800
friend.

522
00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:59,240
And when he saw that blood, he realized, oh my goodness, that could have been me.

523
00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:00,240
He had blood on him.

524
00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,240
But I chose not to do that.

525
00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,360
His hands, which is just mind-bending.

526
00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:12,720
So he understood because he understood that he was called, divinely selected, chosen and

527
00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:13,920
appointed.

528
00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,240
He didn't get in that car and it saved his life, literally.

529
00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:19,440
So here's a couple of scriptures.

530
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:20,440
This may help you.

531
00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:21,960
The Bible talks about this.

532
00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:27,100
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 1 says this in the New Living Translation, therefore I, a prisoner

533
00:23:27,100 --> 00:23:28,520
for serving the Lord…

534
00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:29,520
This is Paul talking.

535
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:30,520
This is Paul speaking.

536
00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:36,600
I beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling for you have been called by God.

537
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:41,880
You have been divinely selected, chosen and appointed by God.

538
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:46,440
Why wouldn't you want to lead a life worthy of our calling?

539
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:51,400
Which means there are principles and core values that you say…

540
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,240
I love to say it this way.

541
00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:54,960
When somebody says, what's a core value?

542
00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:55,960
I say it's a non-negotiable.

543
00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:00,120
It's just something that cannot be violated.

544
00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:01,120
It will not be negotiated.

545
00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:06,320
You're not going to talk me out of it and I'm going to live by these principles.

546
00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:11,200
And these principles come from scripture, especially from Jesus' teachings, from the

547
00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:12,200
Apostle Paul…

548
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,040
Which is why it's so important that we know the scripture.

549
00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:19,560
We've got to get in the Bible to know the scripture and live by it.

550
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:23,560
And that we have these values and these core values built off of the scripture so that

551
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:29,160
they become for us…the way I say it is it's like you're on a street and on that street

552
00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:33,800
there's a curb on the right, a curb on the left, right?

553
00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:37,600
And then there's signs all along the way as you're driving.

554
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:38,600
We've noticed something.

555
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,480
I mean, you called it out this morning.

556
00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:42,480
We saw yet another head-on collision…

557
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,520
Head-on collision in San Antonio where people are dying.

558
00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:46,520
In several.

559
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:47,840
Several in the last six months.

560
00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:53,840
And I did a funeral last year of an EMS driver who was killed in a head-on collision in the

561
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,880
middle of the night, like three in the morning as her and her partner were responding to

562
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:04,560
a car wreck and someone was on the wrong side of the road, hit him head-on, killed her and

563
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,560
I did that funeral which was heartbreaking.

564
00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:10,760
And it was because we're not watching for the signs.

565
00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:11,760
Exactly.

566
00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:12,760
We're not reading the signs.

567
00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:13,760
We're not following the signs.

568
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,480
We're not following the rules of the road.

569
00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:21,200
We're doing the things we want to do without any concept of boundaries.

570
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:25,040
Sometimes people see that God's like this cosmic killjoy.

571
00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,080
But what He's trying to do is protect your life.

572
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:33,480
There are things that were commanded in Scripture to be wise about not to take the fun out of

573
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:34,480
life.

574
00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,600
It's so that you can live a full life.

575
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:37,600
Yes.

576
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,040
And you're not taken out before your time.

577
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:44,880
And so this idea of being divinely chosen and appointed and selected is really powerful.

578
00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,960
To lead a life worthy of your calling.

579
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,480
So if you've been called, we want to lead a life that's worthy of that calling.

580
00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:52,480
And you know what?

581
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:53,480
Everyone has been called.

582
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:55,000
Every person has been called.

583
00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,480
We just haven't all received that calling.

584
00:25:57,480 --> 00:25:59,560
But we've all been called.

585
00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,080
Yeah, we may not understand exactly what that means.

586
00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:04,840
But that's what life is about.

587
00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:07,480
It's a journey where you're discovering.

588
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:12,680
When my brother and I went to Ruedosa, New Mexico years ago, we hiked up one of the biggest

589
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,160
peaks outside of Ruedosa.

590
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,680
Sierra Blanca and that Apache Bowl.

591
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:18,680
All that area.

592
00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:20,280
And Ski Apache.

593
00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:23,980
We hiked up to the top of Sierra Blanca in the summer.

594
00:26:23,980 --> 00:26:26,720
We thought this wasn't going to be a big deal until we got started.

595
00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:27,720
It was brutal.

596
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,560
But we had to follow the signposts along the way.

597
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:39,280
And every turn and twist, every new incline and rise and elevation was a discovery.

598
00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:40,460
We discovered beauty.

599
00:26:40,460 --> 00:26:43,320
We discovered twists and turns.

600
00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,240
Then when we got to the very top, we got this blessing.

601
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:48,240
We did not.

602
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:53,660
First of all, you could see miles and miles all the way around from the top of the summit.

603
00:26:53,660 --> 00:26:56,160
But while we're up there, we heard a rumble.

604
00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:57,480
And it was the weirdest sound.

605
00:26:57,480 --> 00:26:59,480
I can't even, it's hard to even explain.

606
00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:00,480
What was it?

607
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:01,480
It was a herd of elk.

608
00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:02,480
Oh my goodness.

609
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:04,120
They ran right past us.

610
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:05,120
Wow.

611
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:07,160
And they actually ran right in front.

612
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:08,880
I took a couple of pictures.

613
00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,080
Just reaching for my camera as they were running our way.

614
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:13,800
I took a couple of pictures.

615
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,920
We were on the top and a herd of elk ran by.

616
00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:21,120
We made so many amazing discoveries on that journey.

617
00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:22,540
And that's what this is about.

618
00:27:22,540 --> 00:27:28,000
It's about reading the signposts and discovering along the way these amazing beautiful things

619
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:29,240
that God has for us.

620
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:31,160
Well, and that's why we get in the Word.

621
00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:34,840
But sometimes we get in the Word, but the Word doesn't get in us.

622
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:36,180
Ah, nailed it.

623
00:27:36,180 --> 00:27:39,120
And so to me, sometimes scriptures I could read.

624
00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:41,760
I've read Jude 1, how many times?

625
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,400
I mean over and over and over and over.

626
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:46,960
We just did a two-year Bible reading.

627
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:48,960
We read through the scripture.

628
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:53,760
And sometimes you can hear someone say a scripture and it just comes.

629
00:27:53,760 --> 00:28:00,400
It's like a symbol that just goes off in your ears and you're just like, oh my goodness.

630
00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:02,400
That's what this scripture did for me.

631
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,400
And then Ephesians 4, 1, I love it.

632
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,760
But then there's Ephesians 1, 11 in the message.

633
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:12,240
This is the message of Pastor Eugene Peterson who translated scripture into what he would

634
00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:13,960
call the common man's language.

635
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:14,960
Which I love.

636
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,640
And it says, and this is 1, 11 and 12.

637
00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:24,440
It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

638
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:32,120
Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had His eye on us.

639
00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:33,460
I love that.

640
00:28:33,460 --> 00:28:38,720
Long before, long before we first heard of Christ.

641
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:39,720
Got our hopes up.

642
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:45,120
He had His eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living.

643
00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:49,240
Not living down, living up in a down world.

644
00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:54,640
Part of the overall purpose, He is working out in everything and everyone.

645
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:58,880
If I was in church, I'd stand up and shout, hallelujah.

646
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:03,680
This is one of those scriptures that brings a lot of definition and clarity that God has

647
00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:06,160
a purpose for your life.

648
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,200
This is not, you weren't born just because.

649
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:10,440
We don't just go through life and just keep doing the same thing.

650
00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:11,440
There's a purpose.

651
00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:17,400
You were born in this world for a purpose and part of that purpose is to make a difference.

652
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,480
It's not about leaving a mark for you.

653
00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:21,760
It's about leaving a mark for Him.

654
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:22,760
His glory, His honor.

655
00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:23,760
Wait.

656
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:24,760
Is that Chevy?

657
00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:25,760
Is he snoring?

658
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:26,760
He's snoring.

659
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:27,760
Okay, sorry.

660
00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:28,760
Keep going.

661
00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:29,760
We're boring him.

662
00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:30,760
I know.

663
00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:31,760
We put him to sleep with our excitement.

664
00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:35,840
This is what happens a lot of times when we read the Word of God at night.

665
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:37,200
It puts us to sleep.

666
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:38,200
Yes.

667
00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:39,440
That's what it just did for Him.

668
00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:40,600
But I love this.

669
00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,640
That God had His eye on us and had designs for us.

670
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:46,960
He's got a plan for us for glorious living.

671
00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:52,280
Part of the overall purpose, He is working out in everything and in everyone.

672
00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,160
God loves people.

673
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:55,800
He loves us that much.

674
00:29:55,800 --> 00:30:00,120
So He puts boundaries in, but it's for our own good.

675
00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:01,120
Exactly.

676
00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:07,440
It's like we put, when we build schools, we put fences around the schools so that children

677
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:12,320
won't go out of those fences, those boundaries, and it's for their own good.

678
00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:13,320
Exactly.

679
00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,360
It's to save their life and preserve their life.

680
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,600
We think, oh no, God is the killjoy.

681
00:30:17,600 --> 00:30:20,320
He wants to keep us from having fun.

682
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:21,320
Really?

683
00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,080
I think I'm having a lot of fun.

684
00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:30,660
I don't have to be out there doing drugs and drag races and all the stuff that the world

685
00:30:30,660 --> 00:30:33,880
ends up, or things I was doing when I was young.

686
00:30:33,880 --> 00:30:36,000
I'm enjoying life right now.

687
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,800
I enjoy life when I hear scripture go off and it's like what?

688
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:41,320
It blows up like a bomb inside of you.

689
00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,520
I can't stop until I have to tell you.

690
00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:48,760
I almost get a dopamine dump or an adrenaline pump when something goes off in you and you

691
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:49,760
go, yes.

692
00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:54,400
There's an inner yes that yells out, I so agree with that.

693
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:55,640
That resonates with me.

694
00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:58,280
It's like a tuning fork going off in your chest.

695
00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,060
So the next point, I love this.

696
00:31:01,060 --> 00:31:05,800
Not only are we called, we're also loved by God the Father.

697
00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:09,460
God loves us, but let me say something to you as a listener.

698
00:31:09,460 --> 00:31:11,320
You need to hear this today.

699
00:31:11,320 --> 00:31:13,320
God loves you.

700
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:14,320
Yes.

701
00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:15,480
On your worst day.

702
00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:20,120
On your worst day, in your worst moment, in the middle of your worst decision.

703
00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:24,520
God still loves you and still wants to call you home.

704
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,560
Listen to this, Romans 5a.

705
00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:28,280
Love, love, love this verse.

706
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:32,600
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this.

707
00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:36,600
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

708
00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:41,400
What that says to me is he wasn't waiting for us to get our act together before he was

709
00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:43,240
willing to give his life.

710
00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:47,280
When humanity gets it all figured out and cleaned up, then I'll show up.

711
00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:53,040
No, he died for us while we were sinners because we needed what his death brought.

712
00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:55,120
We needed a Savior.

713
00:31:55,120 --> 00:32:00,960
New life, new hope, and this idea of being loved, truly loved.

714
00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:04,600
Not like the world loves, but how God loves, which is unconditional.

715
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:05,600
Powerful, powerful.

716
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:08,600
Listen to this next verse.

717
00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,360
1 John 4 and 9.

718
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:12,360
Love this.

719
00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:15,600
This is how God showed his love among us.

720
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:22,560
He sent his one and only Son, that's Jesus, into the world that we might live through

721
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:23,560
him.

722
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:24,560
This is love.

723
00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:25,560
So he's just laying down.

724
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:27,320
He's being very clear.

725
00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:29,200
This is love and here it is.

726
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:37,440
Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for

727
00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:38,440
our sins.

728
00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:40,760
Now you and I have very different stories than that.

729
00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:42,080
I had a loving father.

730
00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,520
In fact, I reached out to him yesterday on Father's Day.

731
00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:49,880
This is a beautiful response and just I'm so thankful that he's still alive.

732
00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:51,880
He's 86 years old now.

733
00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:52,880
Oh my goodness.

734
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,000
I know and still going strong.

735
00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,480
He's like the Energizer Bunny.

736
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:57,840
He didn't quit.

737
00:32:57,840 --> 00:32:59,240
Your situation was different.

738
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:00,240
You didn't have a father.

739
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:01,240
I didn't.

740
00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:08,240
I didn't have an understanding of the love of God because I didn't have that understanding

741
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:12,120
of the love of my own father, my own dad.

742
00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:19,680
This was a hard one for me for many, many years until I got the revelation that God

743
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:27,880
and my dad are two totally opposite people because God created me.

744
00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,480
He loved me from the beginning.

745
00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:36,200
My own father didn't have the love of God in him.

746
00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:38,360
God loved him, but he didn't understand that.

747
00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:46,600
So he never became a Christian until two weeks before his death.

748
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:51,520
Do you think, for those that are listening, there are people who are listening right now

749
00:33:51,520 --> 00:33:56,120
and they've never had the love of their own earthly father.

750
00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:00,360
Do you think that it's easy to use that almost as a template and we put that over God?

751
00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:01,680
We say, oh God's mean.

752
00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:02,680
You can't even compare.

753
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,800
God doesn't love me because he's mean.

754
00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:08,440
We're thinking about our…we're projecting about our own earthly father.

755
00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,400
It's because of the word father, I think.

756
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:12,400
It's the word father.

757
00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:14,600
It can be a bad word for some and for me it's a good word.

758
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:15,600
It can be.

759
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:16,600
It can be for others.

760
00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,240
It was a bad word, but Jesus wasn't.

761
00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:20,320
Jesus was a good word.

762
00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:26,720
But God the Father was a hard word for me because father, I didn't have a good father.

763
00:34:26,720 --> 00:34:32,480
So many in our culture, our society have been raised by horrible fathers.

764
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,760
When I worked in the child care industry, worked for Butler Children's Home and dealt

765
00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:41,600
with kids, most of the issues were daddy issues straight up.

766
00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:45,400
They were unwanted, unloved, they were rejected and abandoned.

767
00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:49,120
Others didn't know how to be fathers because their own fathers were.

768
00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:50,120
Exactly.

769
00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:51,120
It's generational.

770
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:52,120
It's generational.

771
00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:57,240
But the depth of those scars and wounds and cuts were so deep that sometimes you would

772
00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:01,680
almost think apart from God, they can't be healed.

773
00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:06,560
There needs to be a move of God in their lives and encounter with a person of God.

774
00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:08,600
And that's what happened with me.

775
00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:16,960
And I got that revelation that God the Father is a whole new different person than my own

776
00:35:16,960 --> 00:35:17,960
father.

777
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:19,640
My father was a human.

778
00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:21,760
God is divine.

779
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,320
He's divine.

780
00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:27,720
Jesus was divinely human, but God was human.

781
00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:29,720
I mean, was divine.

782
00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:32,480
My father was only human.

783
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:37,760
He didn't even have the divine quality until he became a believer.

784
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:39,880
I didn't get to grow up with that.

785
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:40,880
It's sad.

786
00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:49,120
When I see and hear of men and women who had amazing godly fathers, my heart just drops

787
00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:55,680
because I only wish that I had a father that loved the Lord Jesus.

788
00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:57,480
It literally meant you had to overcome.

789
00:35:57,480 --> 00:35:58,480
I did.

790
00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,640
It's a lot harder to overcome.

791
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:06,200
For me, it was easy to just receive God as my father and go, oh, God's good.

792
00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:08,480
All the time, and all the time God's good.

793
00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:15,040
I've never doubted that in my whole existence as a Christian now for a long time.

794
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,680
So for me, that was an easy jump because I had a good dad.

795
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:22,520
But I also understand just the damage that can be done and how hard it can be to just

796
00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:24,640
say, oh yeah, God's my daddy.

797
00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:25,640
He's my father.

798
00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:27,040
He loves me.

799
00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:28,040
Some will struggle with that.

800
00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:29,040
Some will.

801
00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:33,560
Which my father's day was yesterday.

802
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:35,840
That could have been hard on many.

803
00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:37,520
It could have been really hard.

804
00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,840
I didn't even honestly, this is what's so sad.

805
00:36:40,840 --> 00:36:43,600
I didn't think about my dad much.

806
00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:47,300
When I was thinking about Father's Day, I was thinking about you because you're such

807
00:36:47,300 --> 00:36:50,080
a good daddy.

808
00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:53,940
I say daddy because that's what your daughter caused you.

809
00:36:53,940 --> 00:36:55,560
To me, it was about you.

810
00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:57,000
My dad's passed on.

811
00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:58,000
He's gone on.

812
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,360
He's gone on to be with Jesus.

813
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:06,400
Now he sees everything, all the mysteries have been revealed to him.

814
00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:09,080
He knows everything.

815
00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:15,280
So I don't mourn because I didn't have it good with him.

816
00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:16,280
You know what I'm saying?

817
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:22,160
I'm sad that he lived the life he did here because he could have lived such a...

818
00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:23,160
You have compassion.

819
00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,440
Yes, I have much compassion.

820
00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:29,200
But I didn't mourn because I don't mourn what I had.

821
00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,680
I mourn what I wish I had.

822
00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:32,680
That's the difference.

823
00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:33,680
Right, I get that.

824
00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:34,680
Totally get that.

825
00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:40,400
The last thing I love, the Scripture says, to those who have been called, who are loved

826
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:45,200
by God the Father, and then the last part is kept by Jesus Christ.

827
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:46,520
What an interesting word.

828
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:47,520
Listen to this.

829
00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:49,880
Kept, that means held.

830
00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:51,560
That means covered.

831
00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:56,240
What a powerful word to be kept by Jesus Christ.

832
00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:57,640
So in Christ we're kept.

833
00:37:57,640 --> 00:37:58,640
This is our identity.

834
00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:00,840
2 Timothy 1-7, listen to this.

835
00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:07,800
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

836
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:09,760
The ability to think well.

837
00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,200
This is what we've been given.

838
00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:12,520
He keeps us in this.

839
00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:14,320
He holds us in this.

840
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:21,720
This ability to not be impacted by fear, but to live above and beyond fear.

841
00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:26,720
So many people have been impacted by fear and live by anxiety.

842
00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:28,000
Oh, no doubt.

843
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:32,040
This world has created so much fear.

844
00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:39,320
And we as Christians have to keep this Scripture, this Word of God in our hearts so that we

845
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:41,760
don't allow fear to take us down.

846
00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:43,520
Oh my gosh.

847
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:47,400
This idea of being kept and covered, I love this Scripture.

848
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:53,440
I want to look up another Scripture because I feel like it really fits here.

849
00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:58,480
While you're looking it up, I'm going to read Jude 1-24 because this one we were going through

850
00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:00,880
Scripture after hearing that message.

851
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:06,560
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling.

852
00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:12,800
He keeps us from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault

853
00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:14,280
and with great joy.

854
00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:15,280
What?

855
00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:21,400
Okay, so he keeps us from stumbling and he presents us before his glorious presence without

856
00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:22,880
fault and with great joy.

857
00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:26,160
In other words, he doesn't see our faults.

858
00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:28,840
He sees us whole.

859
00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:32,840
We are whole and perfected in him.

860
00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:34,440
We see our faults.

861
00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:35,440
Wow.

862
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,880
Listen to what the word, I looked up the Greek word while you were talking.

863
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:40,440
That is beautiful.

864
00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:43,760
Listen to what the actual Koine Greek word, it's a word.

865
00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:44,760
Of kept?

866
00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,000
It's a word, tereo, tereo.

867
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,640
And it means this, yeah, of kept.

868
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,760
It literally means this, to guard.

869
00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:52,760
To guard.

870
00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:53,760
He guards us.

871
00:39:53,760 --> 00:39:58,480
To guard from loss or injury properly by keeping the eye upon.

872
00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:03,640
He's watching us and guarding us, thus differing from others which means to prevent escaping

873
00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:04,640
or whatever.

874
00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:09,240
He keeps his eye on us in a good way, a positive life-giving way.

875
00:40:09,240 --> 00:40:16,760
It actually implies a fortress or full military lines of protection.

876
00:40:16,760 --> 00:40:17,760
Wow.

877
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,200
Like to have a brigade around you.

878
00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:21,200
Wow.

879
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:26,440
I live in Abilene, Texas which is, there's a military base there so I'm picturing being

880
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:30,480
in the middle of that military base with military people around us.

881
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:31,480
I always felt safe.

882
00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,480
We went to a lot of functions on Dias Air Force Base.

883
00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:39,520
It was always like, man, if there's a safe place, it's right here in the middle of all

884
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:42,760
these soldiers and these amazing warriors.

885
00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:44,840
It means, this is so powerful.

886
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:45,840
I love this.

887
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:48,520
He's able to keep us from stumbling.

888
00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:57,040
So that is the Holy Spirit in us which is what happened with Coach Mullins, Pastor Mullins,

889
00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:05,600
is that the Holy Spirit in him literally pricked his heart and said, don't go in that car.

890
00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:06,920
Reminded him of a principle.

891
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:07,920
Yes.

892
00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:08,920
No, don't fall into that.

893
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:09,920
Don't fall into that.

894
00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:11,760
He's like, nope.

895
00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,400
I have truth inside of me.

896
00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:22,000
Am I going to go against that truth or am I going to use that truth to make my decision?

897
00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,040
That's exactly what he did.

898
00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:25,040
I love that.

899
00:41:25,040 --> 00:41:29,160
Some other words as I'm looking at other words that relate to that.

900
00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:30,760
One is to preserve.

901
00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:31,760
Wow.

902
00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:34,040
Christ preserves us.

903
00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:37,120
That doesn't mean bad things aren't going to happen to us.

904
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:38,120
Things happen.

905
00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:39,680
We live in a fallen world.

906
00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:40,680
Stuff breaks.

907
00:41:40,680 --> 00:41:42,000
Wheels fall off.

908
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,200
Things happen.

909
00:41:43,200 --> 00:41:44,200
People abandon.

910
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:45,200
People turn on you.

911
00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:46,200
Rejections.

912
00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:47,200
Things happen.

913
00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:49,440
But he preserves us through that.

914
00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:54,720
The word preserve, it's like this idea of giving you endurance to endure through.

915
00:41:54,720 --> 00:41:56,680
So you don't succumb to it.

916
00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,480
You actually preserve and get through it.

917
00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:08,680
So kept, to be kept by Christ means you have now the ability to be preserved through calamity,

918
00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:10,720
through hard things.

919
00:42:10,720 --> 00:42:15,840
And knowing that even if calamity hits, let's just say a tornado comes in, because right

920
00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:17,920
now we're in tornado alley.

921
00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:20,400
It's happening everywhere in Texas.

922
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:21,480
Not just Texas.

923
00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:25,840
I know that if that's how, I mean we're all going to die.

924
00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:27,880
We're all going to pass.

925
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:29,720
We don't live forever.

926
00:42:29,720 --> 00:42:32,880
But I know where I'm going to go when it happens.

927
00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:34,140
And there is a time.

928
00:42:34,140 --> 00:42:35,140
There is a time.

929
00:42:35,140 --> 00:42:36,680
I mean I think about that.

930
00:42:36,680 --> 00:42:39,800
I think the older we get, the more we think about our mortality.

931
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:41,480
So I think about it a lot.

932
00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:45,920
I think I brought this up in our last podcast or one of them, because I do think about that

933
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:47,200
because we're aging.

934
00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:51,720
And as we're aging, I know we don't have as much time and we're not going to live to be

935
00:42:51,720 --> 00:42:53,160
130 years old.

936
00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:54,160
It would be a miracle.

937
00:42:54,160 --> 00:42:56,560
I don't know if I would want to live to be 130.

938
00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:58,000
I'm thinking not right now.

939
00:42:58,000 --> 00:42:59,000
No.

940
00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:04,960
But the thing is, is we all are appointed to die.

941
00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:08,520
But dying for a Christian is living for Christ.

942
00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:09,520
It's living.

943
00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:10,520
We don't know where we're going.

944
00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:11,520
We don't.

945
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:14,200
Our flesh dies, but our spirit soars.

946
00:43:14,200 --> 00:43:15,760
It continues.

947
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:24,640
And so, you know, if we're kept, even if calamity came and we died today, we're still kept in

948
00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:28,240
Jesus because we just go to the next place.

949
00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:30,500
We don't die and it's over.

950
00:43:30,500 --> 00:43:34,520
So many people believe that it's just all going to be black.

951
00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:36,600
We're going to die and everything goes black.

952
00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:37,600
What?

953
00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:38,600
What a tragic way to live.

954
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:40,800
They don't know what the Word says.

955
00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:42,720
They do not know the Bible.

956
00:43:42,720 --> 00:43:47,520
What I love about the Synod, also it helps us not only in the future, it helps us live

957
00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:48,520
fearless now.

958
00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:49,520
Yes.

959
00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:54,040
I love the fact that Pastor Steve Berger out of Tennessee, he was our pastor in Nashville

960
00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:55,520
when we lived there.

961
00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:57,440
What I loved about him, he lived a fearless life.

962
00:43:57,440 --> 00:43:58,440
He still does.

963
00:43:58,440 --> 00:43:59,440
He's a fearless individual.

964
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:04,240
The reason was is because he lost his 19-year-old son in a terrible car accident.

965
00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:07,880
I'm sure they were praying he would come out of a coma.

966
00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:08,880
All of that.

967
00:44:08,880 --> 00:44:13,080
But on the other end of it, it drove him to study about heaven.

968
00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,880
Remember, he came out of that with this fearlessness.

969
00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:19,080
I'm not afraid.

970
00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:20,320
If I live, I win.

971
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:21,600
If I die, I win.

972
00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:23,160
Boy, that will change your perspective.

973
00:44:23,160 --> 00:44:24,160
It does change your perspective.

974
00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:25,160
So that you live fearless.

975
00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:26,160
It doesn't mean you live foolish.

976
00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:27,160
Exactly.

977
00:44:27,160 --> 00:44:28,160
It means you live fearless.

978
00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:29,160
Exactly.

979
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:33,680
It means you're not afraid of preaching the gospel, sharing your faith, helping people

980
00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:35,800
understand you're fearless.

981
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:38,560
This fearlessness has so inspired my life.

982
00:44:38,560 --> 00:44:39,560
It has.

983
00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:40,560
In a huge way.

984
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:44,560
You're not even the same person that you were before we attended that church.

985
00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:45,560
I agree with that.

986
00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:50,000
God really used Pastor Steve because he was kept by Jesus Christ.

987
00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:51,000
He got it.

988
00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:52,000
There you go.

989
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:53,000
He understood.

990
00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,000
There you go.

991
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:55,000
Listen, I want to give some shout-outs.

992
00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:56,000
This is so powerful.

993
00:44:56,000 --> 00:45:01,960
Our heart for you that are listening is that you would step into, at least take the first

994
00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:04,840
step on the journey towards Jesus Christ.

995
00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:08,560
One of the ways you can do that, and we can help you do that, if you'll go to our website,

996
00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:12,560
livingupandadownworld.com, you can write us on our website.

997
00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:13,560
There's a box there.

998
00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:15,120
You can click on it, contact us.

999
00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:16,120
We want to hear your story.

1000
00:45:16,120 --> 00:45:17,400
We want to hear your struggles.

1001
00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,000
We're here to encourage you, to help you.

1002
00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:24,240
We'll pray for you and pray with you along the journey.

1003
00:45:24,240 --> 00:45:25,240
Feel free to write in.

1004
00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:27,720
Feel free to contact us.

1005
00:45:27,720 --> 00:45:29,640
Sometimes you just need a listening ear.

1006
00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:31,160
We're here.

1007
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,120
We would not be doing this podcast just to do it.

1008
00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:36,680
We're here because we feel like it's for a purpose.

1009
00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:40,640
It may be part of that purpose is for you today.

1010
00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:42,120
This is resonating in you.

1011
00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:44,200
You're thinking, I need to come home.

1012
00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:46,240
I need to come back to Jesus.

1013
00:45:46,240 --> 00:45:47,240
We're here to help you.

1014
00:45:47,240 --> 00:45:49,640
I don't know this Jesus you're talking about.

1015
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:51,040
I need help.

1016
00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:52,520
Help me understand.

1017
00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:54,360
We can share our heart with you.

1018
00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:55,800
Do go to our website.

1019
00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:58,040
You can always obviously listen to our podcast.

1020
00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:03,760
I do a daily devotional on there so that every day you can read that and be encouraged in

1021
00:46:03,760 --> 00:46:08,520
your faith because that's my heart is to inspire, to encourage, to build up.

1022
00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:12,520
You can be encouraged from the scripture and then also just from personal stories.

1023
00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:13,880
We're here for you.

1024
00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:14,880
Go there.

1025
00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:19,720
Now, we also would always encourage you to listen on Fountain, the app.

1026
00:46:19,720 --> 00:46:21,040
You can get that app on iOS.

1027
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:23,480
You can get it on Android.

1028
00:46:23,480 --> 00:46:27,400
You can actually earn Satoshi's while you're listening.

1029
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:32,340
I also want to give some shout outs of people that have written into us and shared some

1030
00:46:32,340 --> 00:46:33,340
things with us.

1031
00:46:33,340 --> 00:46:34,340
I want to say this.

1032
00:46:34,340 --> 00:46:40,320
Sir, by His grace, who gave us some sat, so appreciate you loving it forward, this value

1033
00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:42,760
for value where you say, you know what?

1034
00:46:42,760 --> 00:46:46,320
What you're saying is valuable to me and it's adding value to my life.

1035
00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:48,160
So, I want to add some value to yours.

1036
00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:50,600
It's a beautiful exchange, we call it.

1037
00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:52,800
I love what Sir, by His grace says.

1038
00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:55,040
He says, stoked for y'all.

1039
00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:56,040
Here's what he's talking to me.

1040
00:46:56,040 --> 00:47:00,640
He's referring to last week, we talked about we're going on a sabbatical for eight plus

1041
00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:01,640
weeks.

1042
00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:05,440
I'm doing a digital detox and we'll still do the podcast because we don't consider

1043
00:47:05,440 --> 00:47:06,440
this work.

1044
00:47:06,440 --> 00:47:07,440
We consider it as personal.

1045
00:47:07,440 --> 00:47:10,680
So, we'll still do our podcast on a weekly basis.

1046
00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:13,360
And so, he says this, stoked for y'all.

1047
00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:18,960
Our staff just implemented the sabbatical thing a year or so ago.

1048
00:47:18,960 --> 00:47:21,800
It was tough for all the pastors because it is tough.

1049
00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:23,200
We tried to back out, didn't we?

1050
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:24,200
Oh, we sure did.

1051
00:47:24,200 --> 00:47:26,400
We totally tried to back out, but we got called out by some friends.

1052
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:28,200
Because they said, there's no good time.

1053
00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:29,680
We're like, it's not a good time.

1054
00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:30,680
There's no good time.

1055
00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:33,760
He says it was tough for all the pastors, but very rewarding.

1056
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:38,200
No talking about church, but I know y'all will be talking tons and tons about Jesus.

1057
00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:41,040
Okay, this is funny that you said, I have to say this.

1058
00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:47,160
I got approached by someone who invited us to an event in July during our sabbatical.

1059
00:47:47,160 --> 00:47:49,480
We had planned it before the sabbatical.

1060
00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:53,080
And she said yesterday, okay, well, we won't pray.

1061
00:47:53,080 --> 00:47:54,520
We won't ask Jimmy to pray.

1062
00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:55,520
We won't talk about God.

1063
00:47:55,520 --> 00:47:57,520
I said, no, no, no, no, no.

1064
00:47:57,520 --> 00:47:58,520
Praying is not work.

1065
00:47:58,520 --> 00:47:59,520
We're Christians first.

1066
00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:00,840
We're Christians first, period.

1067
00:48:00,840 --> 00:48:03,480
Just don't talk about what happened at church.

1068
00:48:03,480 --> 00:48:04,480
If the speaker...

1069
00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:05,480
But I love the heart.

1070
00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:08,640
Because we're going to have different pastors preach while we're gone.

1071
00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:13,200
I said, just don't talk about how good or bad they were or how you miss Jimmy.

1072
00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:14,200
Just leave that out.

1073
00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:15,200
Let's just be friends.

1074
00:48:15,200 --> 00:48:16,200
Let's be friends.

1075
00:48:16,200 --> 00:48:17,200
Let's just talk about life.

1076
00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:18,200
It's kind of funny.

1077
00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:19,200
It's going to be funny.

1078
00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:20,200
Yes.

1079
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:22,060
And then he ends by saying, Jesus is the only name to remember.

1080
00:48:22,060 --> 00:48:25,080
Thank you for your courage and Sir Bia's grace.

1081
00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:29,100
Thank you for the sats, but also thank you for sharing just the encouragement there.

1082
00:48:29,100 --> 00:48:30,720
You tell a little bit of your story.

1083
00:48:30,720 --> 00:48:33,520
And then somebody named Adam Curry.

1084
00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:36,880
All the sevens for the seventh year, a little Straper boost.

1085
00:48:36,880 --> 00:48:37,880
I love the Straper boost.

1086
00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:38,880
Oh my gosh.

1087
00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:39,880
That's so awesome.

1088
00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:40,880
Thank you, my friend.

1089
00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:45,200
Sir Bia's grace also earlier than that said, they're all good.

1090
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:48,280
Talking about the podcast, they're all good.

1091
00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:49,280
This one was fantastic.

1092
00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:50,280
That really...

1093
00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:51,360
Which one was that?

1094
00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:52,360
Last week?

1095
00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:53,360
Last week.

1096
00:48:53,360 --> 00:48:54,360
Wow.

1097
00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:55,360
And then of course, Sir Brian with a wine.

1098
00:48:55,360 --> 00:48:57,440
See, Sir Brian keeps changing his name.

1099
00:48:57,440 --> 00:48:58,520
Why is he doing that?

1100
00:48:58,520 --> 00:48:59,520
Sir Brian with an I.

1101
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:01,400
So now he's saying with a...

1102
00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:02,400
With a wine.

1103
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:06,080
Not W-I-N-E, but W-H-I-N-E.

1104
00:49:06,080 --> 00:49:07,880
That's so funny.

1105
00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:10,000
He just gave us the big thumbs up.

1106
00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:11,880
Listen, we so appreciate all of you.

1107
00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:16,480
We've had other comments I wasn't able to access right quick, but so appreciate it.

1108
00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:21,520
It means more than you know for us to hear from you because our heart is for you.

1109
00:49:21,520 --> 00:49:25,400
So as we land the plane today, I mean, anything you got on the way out today?

1110
00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:26,400
Oh man, I'm just...

1111
00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:27,400
Today's been a good day.

1112
00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:28,400
Very good day.

1113
00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:29,400
I love getting in the Word with you.

1114
00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:30,400
It's just iron sharpens iron.

1115
00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:31,400
It does.

1116
00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:32,400
I love that scripture.

1117
00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:33,400
I was in Proverbs 27.

1118
00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:34,400
And that's what we do.

1119
00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:35,400
We're weird as a couple, right?

1120
00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:36,400
We are.

1121
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:37,400
We start talking about the Bible.

1122
00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:38,400
We start talking about sermons and messages.

1123
00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:39,400
And we get super stoked and fired up.

1124
00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:40,400
And then we're like hilarious.

1125
00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:41,400
That's what makes our life fun.

1126
00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:42,400
That makes it wow.

1127
00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:43,400
I love you.

1128
00:49:43,400 --> 00:49:44,400
I love you too.

1129
00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:45,400
Thirty years of wow and counting.

1130
00:49:45,400 --> 00:49:46,400
We're just getting started.

1131
00:49:46,400 --> 00:49:47,400
I got chill bunch when you said that.

1132
00:49:47,400 --> 00:49:48,400
Well, I'm just saying, I love you.

1133
00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:49,400
I love you too.

1134
00:49:49,400 --> 00:49:50,400
I love you.

1135
00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:51,400
I love you.

1136
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:52,400
I love you.

1137
00:49:52,400 --> 00:49:53,400
I love you.

1138
00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:54,400
I love you.

1139
00:49:54,400 --> 00:50:01,400
I love you too.