Almost Brothers Podcast
Whats up whats up whats up.. welcome to your new favorite podcast. Join your hosts Michael, Richard, and Tyler as we discuss God, church, life, and the journey through this crazy world. Get away from the stresses of life with this podcast. We will be hitting on various topics from sports, to life with Christ.
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Almost Brothers Podcast
Finding Rest: The Spiritual and Nostalgic Journey of Unplugging
What if we told you that rest could be a form of worship? Join us with our guest Johnny Burkhalter on this nostalgic and insightful episode of the Almost Brothers podcast as we reminisce about camo pants and Bass Pro Shop hats, reflecting on how these symbols of redneck pride transitioned into mainstream fashion. We'll take you down memory lane, sharing family traditions and the regional identities that shaped us, all while exploring the often-overlooked significance of rest and how it intertwines with faith. Discover our favorite local spots, like The Coffee Shop in Opelika, where the balance between work and relaxation is perfectly struck.
Ever struggled to switch off from work, even when you love what you do? You're not alone. We'll share personal stories and practical advice on the importance of scheduling intentional downtime to avoid burnout. From solitary movie outings to setting strict boundaries with technology, we delve into the challenges and victories of truly unplugging. Special attention is given to those in ministry, as we discuss the unique pressures they face and the critical need for rest to maintain balance and spiritual health.
Family time isn't just about being together; it's about being present. Listen to our tales of joyful activities like playing football, video games, and the ever-challenging task of letting kids win at Mario Kart. We emphasize the biblical principle of Sabbath and the dangers of overworking, sharing personal journeys and the struggle to find equilibrium. As we wind down, don't miss our "That's What's Up" segment, filled with our latest TV, movie, and music favorites—guaranteed to add a mix of humor, nostalgia, and spiritual insight to your day.
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So I know one thing I've seen the camo pants man. I respect it.
Speaker 2:It's my upbringing showing, my south is showing. So it's crazy because my family they're about as redneck as they come. Yeah, I could probably get canceled for saying redneck, but I mean it with love, but yeah, so my stepdad would wear camo to church, like on Sunday morning Now this is in the dinosaur ages, like in, like the nineties, before every cool Instagram pastor was preaching in a pair of dunks and some camo cargo pants. This is in the nineties, when you if you should have been camo like people were asking questions but, that was just his vibe and I used to make fun of him for it.
Speaker 2:And he would wear catch this. He was the coolest worship leader before. It was cool Cause he would wear camo pants and Bass Pro Shop hats, and before anybody yeah. Now Tomlin's doing it Like half of. Maverick City. I mean it's crazy, he was a trendsetter Did you, have you ever been Okay?
Speaker 1:so I went to Bass Pro and got a hat. So I'm in there and I'm, like everybody knows, Everybody's looking at me because they know Like I'm not their key demographic here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I bought every color of Bass. Pro Shop hat that is awesome.
Speaker 1:Wear it with every outfit. Yep, Awesome, Wear it with every outfit. What's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up. Everybody, Welcome back to a brand new episode of the Almost Brothers podcast. On today's episode, I've got my brother, my homie brother in Christ, fellow pastor, worship leader, YouTuber went viral Just a little bit of everything. It's tough man Johnny Burkhalter in the building in the flesh finally getting to hang out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's up, man? I'm here in Opelika, Alabama.
Speaker 1:Look at that, saying it right.
Speaker 2:It's crazy. Oh, dude, it's crazy. People, there just needs to be more respect for Alabama. Alabama's got it going on, dude, it's pretty cool, it's a little hot.
Speaker 1:It's a little hot, but we're from. It's about as hot, but we've got in Missouri. It's Mosquito Central. Oh dude, yeah, it's rough man.
Speaker 2:Well, well, you know, I live in Hotlanta.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It didn't get that nickname for no reason. Right, right Bro it is hot, it's crazy. We're starting to my wife. God bless her if she's listening to this. She's already broken out our fall decor. Oh love it so if you walk in her house it's all pumpkins and brown leaves and I'm like babe, you realize it's still 95 degrees outside. I know it's almost September, but yeah it's wild.
Speaker 1:That is so awesome. Yeah, we are cooped up here at the Coffee Shop in Opelika Amazing place. Man, any listener if you can get out, come to this place. It's awesome. It's a great vibe. Great coffee, awesome people. So get on out and support this place. It is amazing, it's a vibe.
Speaker 2:It's my first time here, I'm digging it.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love it, man, I'll come up here and just they got little cubbies up there that you can go and get in and kind of isolate yourself and get some work done, man.
Speaker 2:It's awesome. You remember the cubbies in school.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Yes, Absolutely. Those are the best. See, we had them just for when you get in trouble. You had the cubby where school and didn't have to go to that.
Speaker 2:I only went once and my mama was like you better not go back. That was it. Yeah, that was it?
Speaker 1:Learned your lesson? Yes, sir. So I wanted to talk, man, as we were connecting you know, we've been connected for a while now and and we were trying to make this happen to where we could just hang out, man, and you're like, well, I got a day off from the church and they want us to go and kind of get a day of rest, and I was like, well, what a great topic for an episode, man, you know, and how rest is almost one of the purest ways of worship and purest ways of stretching your faith in Christ. So let's start out with with how are some of the ways that you yourself enjoy resting, or or a few things that maybe hobbies, or things that you could do to get away and just say you know what? I'm going to shut my brain off and do something I enjoy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, on a practical level, I'm weird. I like to go to the movie theater in the in the middle of the day by myself and, uh, it's just the whole thing, cause there's nobody there. Um, but yeah, I think I think rest, uh, if we're not careful, can be one of those things that we really misinterpret. Um, I think I heard somebody describe, uh, what we think is rest is is actually dirty rest meaning we're, we're, we're being lazy or lounging, and that doesn't always equal rest. Now, by all means, like, have your day, your netflix day, like, I mean, do you do all the things, but that's not going to refill you. I think, right, there's a part of when we rest that when we're, when it's over, we we need to feel refreshed too, not just I got enough sleep. Like what are we putting back into our? What are we refilling our tank with? What are we walking away with? Not just physically, like rested up, but like um, but filling that, filling that tank, checking those boxes, recharging the battery. And that looks different for everybody.
Speaker 2:You know like I'm a recovering extrovert what I mean by that is like if I'm not careful, I just I'll be around people all the time, right, uh, and what I've found is that I actually may, careful, I'll be around people all the time, and what I've found is that I actually may not be an extrovert at all. A friend of mine once told me they said I think you're an introvert disguising yourself as an extrovert, and I was like you might be right, because it's when I kind of hide away for a little bit, take some time by myself, take a drive, that I really can begin to be with God, you know, have conversations with Jesus and pray it out, cry it out whatever I need to do, but really refill that part of my battery that goes out, you know. I think that's why Sunday naps are like biblical right.
Speaker 1:Oh man, they hit different, you gotta have a Sunday nap.
Speaker 2:You wake up, you're like I missed the school bus. I'm 38, hit different dude, you've got to have a Sunday nap. You wake up. You're like I missed the school bus. I'm 38. Whatever that meme is, but it's true, because on Sundays you're giving out, you're pouring out, you're whatever you do on the platform Plus, if you're a good pastor or a good leader, you're in the lobby too. You're shaking hands and you're hugging right, you heard all the stories, right. And you get home and you're just like I always joke and say the anointing has lifted Right.
Speaker 1:The spirit has lifted, it's drained.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jesus has left the building. You know, um, but I think it's because we give out so much uh that we need when we, when it comes to rest, it's. It's not just about the sleep or the, the chilling or whatever, but what are we putting back in to restock the shelf?
Speaker 1:So to speak. That's good. Well, and you know you mentioned, you know, watching that's my, that that's my go-to also is just and I have to. I don't have to, but I enjoy going to the theater.
Speaker 3:For because if I'm at home.
Speaker 1:I'll do something like I'm on my phone, I'm checking emails, I'm, I'm working, I'm doing stuff. I'll an hour and a half movie takes me four hours, yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:But if yeah, dude, it's, it's so frustrating, but if I'm, if I'm at the theater, I have to shut her down come on, you know, and just enjoy and turn my brain off and and yeah, get that that kind of I'm gonna let life just deal with itself and I'm just gonna shut myself off for a couple hours because I think that, especially as men, we want to figure stuff out and we want to do things, we want to put our hands on things. It's like, man, this is so nice to just shut her down and then you come out of that and you go, wow god, you're the one that keeps the world spinning. Yeah, like come, keeps the world spinning.
Speaker 1:Like the world didn't stop without me. You know, I kind of shut away for a couple of hours and it's like and having having a spouse and my wife that knows you know that that's something I enjoy doing and she encourages me to go do that.
Speaker 2:So that's also a blessing too. Yeah, I think too, man rest is intentional. It doesn't just happen. You know, here today, as it stands, as we're recording this, I'm on what we call renewal day at our church. We get four of them a year where they essentially say don't come to the office, go and do something like renew, be with God, be with people, whatever. But that has to be intentional, I think. If you're not careful, what do they call it? Doom scrolling.
Speaker 2:Yes, when you just get on your phone, you can doom, scroll through your life if you're not careful and never be intentional. And before you know it, you intended to rest, you intended to catch your breath, you intended to read that book or listen to that podcast or have that conversation, but you never did.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean?
Speaker 2:yes, that's, it's got it, you got to. If you're like me, um, add element op. Like, if it's not on the calendar, it's not happening. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:So yeah, oh yeah, and I've got. That's something. I've got to work. I've got to get better at that, at not even just scheduling rest but scheduling period, like I like I'll have all the things I've got going on during the day and then I'm like, well, let's see what the world brings us today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's, and it gets to, because I've I've always been, I've been an athlete forever and always told people I enjoy working with my back against the wall. I enjoy that stress of something last minute. Okay, I've got something to figure out, but that's just not healthy. Yeah, and we do, we can intend for. Okay, I'm going to try to have a rest day Saturday, but you don't intentionally say, no, I'm going to have a rest day and you allow things to come up, you allow things to happen.
Speaker 2:You start saying yes to things because they come up last minute and it's like now your rest day has turned into not so much of a rest day. Yeah, absolutely, and I'm the same way. I'm wired, very similar. I'm super spontaneous, like, yeah, I enjoy like the get up on saturday. What are we doing today? Like I a portion of me is just I'm, that's who I am, um, but again, I think it. If we want to move the ball down the field, uh, when it comes to rest, and not just look back over our life and say, where did burnout happen? Yeah, I think it. We. The way that we bypass burnout is by being intentional.
Speaker 2:And it's tough, dude, especially when you're a doer like I'm a doer, I love to do the thing like and I, and if you, if what you call work is something you also enjoy, that's hard too, right you? You know what I mean. If you hate your job. I'm sure coming home and not thinking about the assembly line is easy, but if it's something you enjoy or whatever, now the office is literally in our hand. You get emails to your phone. You get Skype. Do we do Skype? I'm so old.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think Skype has probably been absorbed by Zoom or something cooler, but all the things like we use Slack for our organization GroupMe, whatever it is. It's ding ding all the time, unless you choose to shut it off. You know, what I mean, and so I think, and by being intentional about moments of rest, days of rest, we help move the ball down the field and not wake up one day and be like how did I get here? You know what I mean, yeah.
Speaker 1:And you mentioned it just burnout. Have you ever been to that point, to where it's just like I don't want to do anything? I'm frustrated with everything, I'm frustrated with life, I'm frustrated with work, because you're just burnt out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I see I'm weird, you know I, I, I genuinely do love ministry Like I've. I came up with a bunch of guys and most of them are not in ministry anymore. Yeah, and I realized it's not for everybody. Our pastor, anytime somebody says they feel called to ministry, he'll ask them. He'll say can you do anything else? Yeah, if you can do that, yes, because ministry is it's. It's it's not for everybody and I, but I tip, I really do love it and I typically enjoy even the, the tedious parts of it.
Speaker 2:But there have been moments where I've just I feel depleted and burnout, and there's I can look back now, um, in hindsight, and there's seasons I would have operated differently and made decisions differently had I had a moment to catch my breath. Now, god's good, he's, he's gracious and he, he, he can, he can keep us and put us where we need to be, despite our, our mistakes. But, uh, there are the definitely those moments where had I known if I, if I could have gotten some rest? Uh, there are the definitely those moments where had I known if I, if I could have gotten some rest, uh, I would have approached it differently or made a different decision. Um, but I, yeah, and I think too I I've been in this space lately, like my pastor asked me yesterday. He's like what's God teaching you? He'll ask me that sometimes, yeah, he keeps you on your toes, you know. Oh, yeah, he's, it's like oh, if you can't say nothing, have you. Are you praying, right? Yeah, are you in the bible? Um, but I feel like what?
Speaker 3:what keeps?
Speaker 2:circling in my mind is uh, a lot of us are hustling, but not many of us are healthy. Yeah, that's good. And I think, uh, you know, we can appear busy so that other people think we're right, important, right. I mean like, absolutely, and it's the old saying, if the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy, he'll make appear busy so that other people think we're important.
Speaker 3:You know what I?
Speaker 2:mean.
Speaker 1:Like, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:And it's the old saying if the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy.
Speaker 1:He'll make you busy, that's right.
Speaker 2:And dude, it's so, so true, but I've been in this kind of season where I'm evaluating every part of my life, like, yeah, I can do it, the habit right, you know what I mean. Yeah, and really doing some inventory on my life.
Speaker 1:um, because, at the end of the day, I don't want to give those that mean the most this, the leftovers yeah, and that's where that's where I really really seen that okay, now I'm becoming burnt out is when that was happening is my family was getting the leftovers, they were getting what, what I had remaining at the end of the day, you, and then I had to see that and my wife was the one that was like, hey, look, I think you're pushing a little too much and we're kind of getting the worst version of you, and I had to be like, okay, I need to put things back in proper perspective and really focus in on okay, because I think that's what happens is our priorities are out of line. That's why we get burnt out. We, because I think that's what happens is our priorities are out of line. That's why we get burnt out. You know we're not prioritizing rest, we're not prioritizing our prayer life, our family. You know our hobbies, things that we enjoy doing.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, and I want to talk to you about that aspect of it is where your family comes into that and where sometimes they realize it even before you do. That's good, dude. Yeah, I think one of the things I really try. A mentor said this years ago the way that they modeled this I thought was so incredible. But they said ministry isn't what I do, it's what we do.
Speaker 2:And I think, if I can make that true in my family, that when my kids see what we do or what dad goes to do, is that's not just what dad does, that's what we do. Like like this past summer, we did six weeks on the road doing different summer camps and things, and, and for the majority of that, they were with us and we'd pull them up. There's clips on Instagram Like we'd pull them up on stage and they're just like you know, like doing the whole thing. Right, they're up there with us, you know, and so, uh, them catching that, hey, this isn't, it's not, it's not what dad does, and then, uh, it's like integrating the two. I think is is huge, um, but yeah, I think our, our kids and our, our spouses for sure, are the best indicator of how we're really doing.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean, because you can think, oh, I've got this thing figured out.
Speaker 2:Um, I mean, I had to tell my wife the other day, I like I I've had to become a really good apologizer, you know? Um, what's that old saying a good marriage is the union of two good forgivers.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like and that's what it is.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, so I just had to go up to her and say, hey, listen, like I've, I I've kind of been a jerk lately, like I've been living in my head. When you're in your head, you're dead. You know like, and I've been like we had a family member pass away and I didn't really know this family member super well, but it was just this whole like. You know, grief does weird things, and so I'm in this whole wow, yeah, that he was. My parents are getting older.
Speaker 2:You start going down this trail of like life is lifing right now, and so I just tell my wife, hey, listen, I've, I've not been the best version of me, like I'm, you know, I see I I've been living in my head, I've been dealing with this and I didn't even know I was dealing with it right, and so I think being aware of that, help, asking the lord, help me be aware of it. But also, yes, I think our wives for sure are the first indicator of how we're really doing. And so I've. I've got a friend of mine, I mean, he's, he's a pastor, he's crushing it, but he, he, he does inventory. He asked his wife how am I doing Like? And sometimes, if I'm honest, I'm scared. Is that to?
Speaker 3:ask. I'm scared to ask that question.
Speaker 2:I'm scared because sometimes I don't know if I'm going to like the answer Right, but I think it's healthy. It's a healthy habit you know, to keep us from living in the hustle. You know, Do the hustle.
Speaker 3:Do the hustle.
Speaker 2:Cue the soundbite. Yeah, but I think because they see what we don't see.
Speaker 1:Yeah don't see. Yeah, yeah, they see our blind spots. They really do, yeah, and and I try to. I try to do that with my kids just because my one of my biggest fears in life is that they'll they'll dislike church because they see church and ministry as that's taking daddy away. And I got real bad into that when Aaliyah was younger and my you know kind of beginning stages in ministry and it was ministry. Ministry came first. Ministry was my first priority, yeah, and then my family. And it took me to step back and look at that and I had to like go to her and apologize. I was like Daddy hasn't been a good daddy to you, like I've been a good spiritual father to a lot of people but not a good daddy to you. Like I've I've been a good spiritual father to a lot of people but not a good earthly father to you. So I need to back it up and I need to. That's my first. Ministry is your family, you know so I had to.
Speaker 1:I had to back up and say, look I, I had things out of whack and it's not church's fault, it's not ministry's fault, it's daddy had his priorities off yeah you know, because that that terrifies me, especially with zeke's all in.
Speaker 1:He wants to go when I'm, when I'm traveling, he wants to go with me, he wants to be in on that. So I want to keep that good outlook on that and and rest is a huge part of that is saying we're taking this, we're not doing anything. Ministry, I'm going to deal with y'all. I'm hanging out with y'all. We're playing football. We're gonna hang out and play switch. We're gonna, you know, do things as a family and it could be just the dumbest stuff, yeah, that you could do. You know, it's like we do family tag in the yard. Come on, it's just so goofy and it's just like us four running around the yard, but it really is just spending time and investing in your, in your family you know, yeah, another one for me is video games.
Speaker 1:You game, come on.
Speaker 2:Dude. I mean I'm pretty great at Mario Kart oh oh, is this a challenge?
Speaker 1:I don't know that.
Speaker 2:But honestly I didn't. I played the games as an adult that I played as a kid Just like you know what I mean, like I'm still. I noticed the Mario tattoo you got. You're rocking my kids. They're into Mario now and they're almost better than me at eight and six years old Like crazy good.
Speaker 1:So that's the extent of my. Does it make you mad? When they're better than you A little bit. I get so frustrated. They still can't beat me at Mario Kart though.
Speaker 2:I'm still kind of letting them win. I'm spinning out on purpose to let them win. But yeah, I never kind of got past Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2.
Speaker 1:That's kind of where I peep.
Speaker 2:Okay, that dates me.
Speaker 1:I know. Another thing I wanted to ask you is I love picking brains anyway. So I know you've been in this for a while. You've been in ministry and you've been under different people and in different ministries and different leadership positions. So you talk about the place you're at now, you know, encouraging y'all to go and do this, to take a day and say, hey, you know, go out, I want y'all away from the church, I want you away from the office. Have you seen that be kind of a common thing in ministry? Cause I feel like in our culture, especially in the United States, hustle, go do it.
Speaker 1:You gotta be busy, and I think that's why's why you know, you talked about it earlier we, we get to that zone as we want to tell people man, just busy, you know, busy doing stuff. Because, yeah, we feel like that's what we need to do. You know, because we, we almost congratulate each other on being busy. We never congratulate each other. Man, I had a good day of just hanging out yesterday. That's awesome, yeah. No, it's like you ain't doing nothing. Like what'd you do yesterday. I watched the movie, that's all.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know we don't congratulate each other on that you know so so do you find that that, that that in ministry it leans more towards the hey rest or more towards the hey, we've got to go, We've got to be busy?
Speaker 2:I think, unfortunately, we're on the back end of of seeing a lot of ministries fall and a lot of ministers fail.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think again, unfortunately, it took that for us to, as a church, capital C church, to say, hey, we're not, we got to fix something Like we're going like, literally, we're going to kill people, like you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like if we don't figure out how to be healthy and I don't know where we got it twisted. I mean, if God himself took the seventh day to just chill, like why we think we don't have to. Yeah, I don't understand that. But somewhere along the way we did we thought busy equal better, or we stay busy to not have to look inward.
Speaker 1:I think that's what it is. Yeah, with a lot of these, like you said, a lot of, a lot of these big preachers and pastors and evangelists that have kind of fallen I think that's exactly it is is they don't want to address the problem that's going on in them. So they feel that with being doing doing stuff, they think, well, as long as I'm doing good, I don't have to address the bad in me yeah, so I'm, I'm a, so I'm a formerly Enneagram 7.
Speaker 2:I say that because I don't know if I believe in the Enneagram anymore, but that's a whole other episode. I'm kidding. I'm kidding, it's like the church horoscope or something.
Speaker 1:Right, it really is. What are you? I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but there's a lot of good things to take away. I was reading a devotional, an Enneagram devotional, which is wild, that that's even a thing. But typically when you're a personality type that's like a seven, you just you go, you go, you go, and it's hard for you to stop and sit because when you stop and sit you have to deal with you, you have to deal with the stuff you're going through, you have to sit with yourself and sometimes it's easier just to keep going and keep going without even knowing that you're. You're running sometimes from some of the things you need to sit with. And so I've learned in my walk with the lord that, uh, as someone who's wired to go, go, go, that it's in the moments when I stop and sit, you know it's like be still and know that I'm god, like that's. So it's true that you know he's. What was the? The scripture? They searched for him in the fire.
Speaker 1:They searched and he wasn't there.
Speaker 2:Yes, wasn't there he's in the still small voice you, but you can't. You can't get to that place if you're so busy. Yeah, like you can't get to that place. If, if, the if, uh, everything else in in your life is producing noise. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:like um, we were in the car the other day, me and my, uh, my, my kids and we're in this, our, our playlist is so weird. It's like Forrest Frank and then, like the Descendants soundtrack, shout out to both and so, but our, my phone is like Bluetooth right To the speaker. You know, because we bougie no, I'm kidding.
Speaker 1:No aux cord for us. That's what I was about to say. We don't do wires around here.
Speaker 2:But I guess my Bluetooth wasn't on or something. But we turned the radio on and it was just static and my daughter's like why can't I hear anything? And I was like, oh, because I'm not connected. Yeah, and don't you know?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so good, god, you said it.
Speaker 2:you'd probably like oh I had to pull out my phone and write it down and I think a lot of times we're, we got a lot of noise, a lot of frequency, a lot of uh static in our life, but we're not really getting through to the lord because we're not connected. That's so good, uh, and we have to stop long enough to to catch our breath and connect with jesus and he'll let, and he'll let you.
Speaker 1:You run around like crazy and he's just like all right, run around like crazy, and he's just like all right, well, I'm right here. He's like I got to chase you and all these, he's just like I'm. And then you finally take a second. It's like are you ready? Are you ready now? Like I've been here all along.
Speaker 2:It's like that old story they used to tell back before every pickup truck had four doors. You know, real pickup truck, the, the husband and wife, and the old ford pickup truck. And they first get married. They're sitting next to each other and as the years go by she kind of goes from sitting next to him in the middle to her side, the passenger side, and one day she looks at him and she's like why, why are we so far apart? And he's like I haven't moved.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I haven't gone anywhere yeah, I've been here the whole time and it's just like the lord, like sometimes we feel like god, why are you so far away? And he's like bro, I'm right here I've been trying to talk.
Speaker 1:I haven't moved.
Speaker 2:I'm still driving this thing. You're the one who's over time has inched over to your side. Yeah, you know. So I think a lot of times we, we like god, where are you?
Speaker 1:and he's like man, I'm right where you left me yeah, I did a sermon once about you know, the bible says I'll make, I will prepare for you a table amongst your enemies, but we get mad when we order the food and it doesn't taste good. He's like I made you the table, I got you a seat. Wow, you're the one that ordered all that junk, not?
Speaker 3:me. Yeah, you know, and that's god. Where are you?
Speaker 1:at.
Speaker 2:It's like I never told you to do these things I've been here long trying to talk to you and you can't hear me wow, you know, dude, it's, it's so crazy like I, I think too and I just kind of piggyback off of that but like, even in the context of rest, when we rest and when we slow down, we hear the lord and we really begin to get our priorities in order. You know what I mean? Yeah, uh, and, and it helps keep us from being in rooms or at tables that we don't recognize. You know what I mean? I was just in Idaho with some friends and I mean they're out in the middle of nowhere, dude, and they fly me out to like this like two-gate airport. I mean it's a regional airport, dude, they should make a sitcom.
Speaker 2:I think they did Wings back in the day. Anyway, it's like the dude, they should make a sitcom. I think they did Wings back in the day. Anyway, it's like the perfect. Literally, I felt presidential because I landed out and there was no terminal. I just walked off the plane to the parking lot. That's how the president feels, but he's like, man, I can't believe you came all the way out here, and I was like dude.
Speaker 2:I said I'm just at the place in my life where I want to be in the rooms that Jesus is in. Yeah, like I don't need to be in the biggest rooms, I just want to be where Jesus is. And I think you don't get to that place of hearing him clear enough to make those decisions, to set the table without rest, yeah, without just taking a moment.
Speaker 1:Just be quiet, be still. You know that's. I love good worship and hands raised and and excitement, but when I really get locked in, it's just, it feels like everything has stopped and it's just and I can't. I don't move, I'm just quiet. I'm like God. I just want, I just want to be in your presence. I don't want to say anything, I don't want to talk, I don't want to look up, I just want my eyes closed. I just want to be with you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's like that's when it gets so overwhelming, when you could just say God, I just want to reverence you and not say think, open my eyes, not look around, not do anything, but stand here, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, dude, I've. Some of the most monumental moments in my life were in moments like that with God, where I wasn't singing anything, I wasn't saying anything, I just couldn't move because the presence of the Lord was there. You know what I mean and I think too, you know like those kinds of things take time, they take intentionality, they take us slowing down. You know, it's just like. You know it's like you can put something like I can make, um, chicken nuggets in the microwave if I want to, yeah, like. You know what I mean. Like. But if I put them in the air fryer it's going to take three times as long. But, man, those dine-in nuggets are going to hit.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Like or or, or, like or what, or we could the same meal. You might it sit in the crock pot all day. It's going to be even better oh yeah, you know. So I think it's just those that good things take time. Let it process, let it sit, let it marinate, and that doesn't happen when we're go, go, go, when we're busy all the time like we're. We're not the product of the process when we try to speed it up, that's so good, so good.
Speaker 1:Well, for for for the next segment, man, we do. We do a segment called that's what's Up. Okay, so give us a movie, a TV show, a song, a band, something that this week you've been watching, listening to, that you just want to share.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dude, so I'm probably late to the game. As far as TV shows go Me and my wife, you can judge me if you want the Andy Griffith Show. Yeah, you can judge me if you want, but the Lord's got to deliver us from trash reality TV.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because we are there bro Like love is blind.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, dude, we're like we're like matching these people up Like you shouldn't be like that.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, that's so good.
Speaker 2:It's like on my list of what I want, yeah like, if you like the office, like that kind of there's no laugh track, right, it's a comedy, but there's.
Speaker 3:It doesn't tell you when to laugh you get to, you get to make your own choice yeah, um, but essentially they.
Speaker 2:They work for cloud nine, but it's basically wal basically. Walmart and it's like the inner workings of it's hilarious dude. So I'm watching that. What else? As far as like music goes, I've kind of reverted back to like 2000 hardcore, like Screamo, just for fun. You know, just to pull it up, but I've been listening to Joel Barnes' new record.
Speaker 2:It's so good dude, it's super different. It's like a live kind of worship thing. I mean, it just kind of takes you right there. It's super, super good, and I'm also really into this up-and-coming country artist named Morgan Weiland.
Speaker 1:Oh, I've heard of him. I've heard of this person's got some hits, bro.
Speaker 2:Okay, he's wild dude, that. And you know Our kids, of course they keep me up to speed, yeah, with the latest and greatest From the Disney. It's not the Disney channel anymore God, I'm so old Disney Plus, yeah, but we've kind of like Been playing catch up. So my son, he's like he's gonna be like the musical theater guy or something, I don't know. Yeah, but he somehow or another. We came up on our queue, our suggested, whatever he saw, the movie, lemonade mouth, that old disney no, I haven't seen it.
Speaker 2:Go watch lemonade wild, what it's wild but it's so, uh, for this rock band, they meet in detention. I don't know any. It's this where it's crazy, uh. So we've been listening to the uh lemonade mouth soundtrack, yeah, which took me down a dark path to the camp rock soundtrack okay, okay now yeah, you can't tell me camp rock, don't hit all right, so good.
Speaker 1:I always see like the memes about it.
Speaker 2:I'm like I didn't think it was that bad. It's so good, dude, it's not that bad. It's so good, dude, it's not that bad. People are hating, bro, they're hating on.
Speaker 1:Joe, that is so. So we're kind of going through a stretch with our kids now that now that Sissy's kind of old enough to actually watch, like actual movies and not cartoons, so we've, we've went back through the like old disney movies uh, we watch. It takes two dude american watch that the other day yep oh yeah I was like what's that?
Speaker 2:line, the. Oh god, I can't think of it. I'll have to text you later it's so over the over the fence world series, kind of stuff. Yes, whether they're talking about love or whatever.
Speaker 1:Yes, like I'm sitting there getting emotional watch. I'm like, babe, I forgot how good this movie was. Come on, yeah, christy alley just killing it man, yeah, so watch that and then, uh, watch the new alien watch that in theaters. It's pretty good man, okay, it's pretty especially if you like the originals, like one and two, it's, it's pretty good I saw the uh, the new deadpool movie, obviously yeah not for the faint of heart.
Speaker 2:You know, you, uh don't. You can't be easily offended but, but I'm a huge Marvel buff and dude. There's some really, really cool callbacks and if you're like us, growing up on all the original Fox X-Men movies and the original Fantastic Four and all that, they do such a good job of calling back and dude, I'm geeking out the whole time.
Speaker 1:Well, it was really cool Like the cameos were like Did you see it? Yes, oh, dude, come on the cameos were like it wasn't expected, like cameos.
Speaker 2:So I was just like.
Speaker 1:I was like and then I was like, oh man, this is like okay.
Speaker 2:I like this. There's spoilers for anyone that has been living under a rock or that's just under the age of 18 and cannot see this movie. Yeah. But the the chris evans that's so good dude, it was so good because I, I didn't, I didn't, I didn't think about it. And then, as soon as I was like, I was secretly hoping but I was like, no, they're not gonna do that. And then they did it and I was like, let's go yeah, like that's so good, man, that's so good of course.
Speaker 2:Now it's all over the internet, the the opening. Bye, bye, bye oh my gosh, which is crazy I've never met a, an nsync member, but just recently my wife took photos, for one of the Backstreet Boys has a son who's an up and coming artist. Long story short. We wake up on a random Tuesday or Wednesday and that night we're in a green room with one of the Backstreet Boys.
Speaker 3:That's crazy it was wild.
Speaker 2:He did a Christian record back in the day, so we were talking about the Lord and it was. It was, it was. It was one of those. Mike I'm talking about Jesus with a backstreet boy right now.
Speaker 1:That is awesome Title of my autobiography. Right, it's crazy. Yeah, that is awesome man. Yeah, and it's cool how you talked about it earlier just finding yourself in those rooms, yourself in those rooms, yeah, you know that you can almost step back and go. How did I? How?
Speaker 2:did I even get here? Yeah, like this is crazy.
Speaker 1:Those are the phone calls, you say yes to right, yeah, the battery boys is called.
Speaker 2:Can you make it sure? I mean I guess, like, let's do it it was. It was cool because typically, like uh, my wife is just kind of supporting whatever. Uh, I got going on, but it was cool to be able to support her she was was the photographer I'm like holding her purse.
Speaker 1:Right yeah, what do you need?
Speaker 2:Yeah, like I don't know what this is, but you know there's 10 lenses in this bag which you need to give me the 10 to 35.
Speaker 1:I'm like I don't know what that means.
Speaker 2:I need you more than me. It's one of those. It's wild, it's just crazy. I could tell tons of stories, but yeah, it is crazy what rooms you'll end up in the longer you walk with Jesus and just say, yes, show up. One of the biggest kind of like takeaways that I'm living on right now is that God rests on our yes. That's where he sits, know, yeah, and I'll say this, and then we can talk about deadpool some more, if you want, but um uh, I was reminded last week from a mentor that you know our praise starts god.
Speaker 2:Like he gets him going. Yeah, like you know, like he inhabits the praises of his people, he the praise like you, they. On palm sunday they welcomed him with praise and he entered the city through their praise, literally yeah so praise starts him, but worship stops him right, yeah the spirit of the lord is looking for that which would worship. So when we worship god, it like say oh, now I'm gonna stop and I'm gonna sit yeah, I'm gonna stay here, I'm gonna hang out with you now.
Speaker 2:We're gonna let's, let's do some business, that's so good so, but that didn't happen. If we don't give him a place to rest, yeah, you know what I mean. That's so good little circle oh yeah, that's so good.
Speaker 1:Full circle back to the rest come on yeah, well, as we end, man, we'll just share anything that's on your heart, yeah uh, dude, it's wild I.
Speaker 2:So I don't have my phone on me, but I keep this, this thing called the pantry, on my phone. Um, uh, I just anytime I I feel like something's like oh, that's good, that's good, I'll write it, I'll write it down, um. But, um, I don't know, man, I'm trying to think of just one great thing. Um, I try to daily put something in the in the pantry that the Lord is uh is saying or sharing. Put something in the pantry that the Lord is saying or sharing. But, yeah, I think I'll say this I've kind of been living on a few different Proverbs, but there's one that says essentially like we make plans but the Lord guides our steps, and I've kind of been living there, Like make the plans, make the spreadsheet, all the things, have the calendar, but ultimately trust God to order the steps. That's good.
Speaker 2:And I think that's where I've been, and when plans don't go as what you thought they should or whatever. You know my wife she's type A, she's like I need to know where we're going before we get in the car. Right, I can get in the car and say left or right, you know yeah and so I think it takes both.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's know where we're going, but the minute that we get in the car, like if god says I'm gonna need to turn right, I know I know your dps says turn left, yeah, I'm gonna take a different way, knowing that he orders the steps, um, and trusting that process well, man, and that was for me.
Speaker 1:Thanks for sharing that. That's good, that's good, that's I'll talk to you about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so good. I'll, I'll, I'll pull up my pantry.
Speaker 3:Yeah that's so good man.
Speaker 1:All right man, it's been awesome. Next time we'll be in your neck of the woods. Chick-fil-a is from Atlanta.
Speaker 2:Oh, I had no idea.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:The first Chick-fil-A was in Greenbrier Mall. It was in the food court of a mall. Don't go to this mall. It may be condemned, oh gosh Now, but years and years ago, first Chick-fil-A mall food court in Atlanta.
Speaker 1:Wow, no, I didn't know that. See, I went to one Pastor took me to really big one in in atlanta it was, I can't remember the name of it, but like we walked down like the, the, the money part, where, like louis vuitton and all this stuff, I'm just like I should.
Speaker 1:I came to spell right, that's my tax bracket yeah, he's like we'll just walk through and look at stuff and I'm just like, oh my goodness, like rolex store and tutor. And I'm just, I'm a big watch guy. So I'm just like, oh my gosh, I'm taking pictures and sending it to my dad, because that's one of our bonding things is, we do watches, and I'm just like taking pictures. I'm like I'm about to go in Tudor. He's like no, you're not. I'm like, no, I'm not, but I'm here beside it, I love it, man.
Speaker 3:Well, it's been awesome man hey, listeners, we just want to thank you for your continued support for the almost brothers podcast. Do us a favor and go to your favorite platform and rate us and like us and share with everyone that you know. Thank you so much, love you.
