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
Holy or Hollywood? The Social Dilemma
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Drawing the line between cultural engagement and spiritual compromise is a tightrope walk for every believer. The Almost Brothers dive deep into this tension by examining Christian musician Brandon Lake's recent collaborations with secular artists like Jelly Roll and his appearances at mainstream music festivals.
When does reaching new audiences become compromising your witness? We wrestle with this question through thoughtful exploration of reputation versus intention, examining how even pure motives don't always justify putting yourself in potentially compromising positions. There's a necessary line between being "in the world" and becoming "of the world" - but where exactly should that boundary exist?
The conversation expands beyond music into how churches often fail to nurture creative Christians, instead forcing them into traditional boxes that stifle their God-given talents. We challenge the notion that Christian art must explicitly mention Jesus to honor God, arguing instead that excellence in any field can glorify our Creator. From Christian actors who won't film love scenes to musicians navigating industry pressures, we examine how believers maintain their distinctive witness while engaging meaningfully with culture.
We also tackle church traditions that resist necessary evolution, exploring how resistance to technology and contemporary expressions has hindered ministry effectiveness. Whether it's online church services that reach homebound believers or embracing new musical expressions, the church must remain culturally relevant while staying biblically faithful.
Join us for this thought-provoking discussion about navigating Christian identity in complex spaces. Subscribe to hear our upcoming "Taste Test" segment where we'll put our preferences to the blind test with name brands versus store brands!
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Episode Introduction
Speaker 1He still isn't. No.
Speaker 3You're going to need to be bigger.
Speaker 1That's really where we're at with it.
Speaker 2There's a table there and it's crooked.
Speaker 3Leave me alone.
Speaker 2Is the phone crooked? You got to fix it, man.
Speaker 1It's going to bother Mike the entire episode.
Speaker 2Lord have mercy, man. I tell you, like rich you've passed over into the like full-on dad mode.
Speaker 1With the, with the dad said that the last time. Okay, it's the same comment.
Speaker 2Okay, I am a dad and I'm proud of it man, it's like the gi joe t-shirt that says dad, a real american hero true story hey, yeah, what what I saw.
Speaker 3I saw a post. I thought about sharing. It said uh, uh, something like I'm not I. Or it said I can handle my alcohol. Me 20 minutes later starts talking about. Starts talking like Stone Cold Steve Austin. I thought about sharing and be like I don't need alcohol.
Speaker 2It's on a daily occurrence. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, were you saying something? I was not. I didn't know you started recording. Yeah, oh, my bad, my bad, all right, go ahead.
Speaker 1No, I don't Sorry, that's messed up. I'm sorry. Okay, go ahead For real. I don't know what I was going to say. Dang, i's messed up, I'm sorry, okay, go ahead, pharrell. I don't know what I was going to say, dang.
Speaker 2I lost my thought. Were you going to say 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. I don't think he was. No, I was about to say that on today's episode, we are going to be talking about where is the line drawn?
Speaker 3we need that yeah, we really do, yeah, yeah need more buttons.
Speaker 2So, as always, we have tata. How's it going? Yeah all right, what rich? How's it going?
Speaker 1it's good man.
Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll Controversy
Speaker 2His idiocy never ceases to amaze me yeah, but not in band-aids poor kid so, yeah, we're going to be talking about the, the line that is drawn. So we're kind of talking a little bit about brandon lake and kind of getting in a little bit of I don't want to say trouble, but you know, just people talking getting in the waters, yeah, getting in the deep waters uh, you know deep dark waters where's the line drawn?
Speaker 2as a, as, not even just a christian, just as as anyone in general, if you're a, a husband, then there's probably places that you shouldn't be like. Where is the line drawn? Where is the? You know, okay, I probably shouldn't do this, even though doing that maybe not be a, it won't be a bad thing, but just keeping yourself out of that situation. So, tyler, break down what, uh, what you started with uh, yes, so I love brandon lake we know, we know we we yep okay, just that's really it start off.
Speaker 3Start off with that so brandon lake has been, uh, doing stuff with mr jelly mr roll sorry, jelly mr roll um, and he was at stagecoach was it last week or two?
Speaker 2sorry, go ahead, I'm done talking sorry, it was just the jelly, mr Jelly, the roll, anybody, no, mr Roll.
Speaker 3I would so address him like that. Anyways, he was at stagecoach, what, what, like two weeks ago, yeah, and there's people on the fence of you know is he, you know kind of working his way into quote, unquote Hollywood and all that stuff, quote, unquote hollywood and and all that stuff, or you know is he, you know living out the commission of go out, and you know, spread the gospel, make disciples yeah and such yeah so what and and it?
Speaker 1it all comes down to heart. It's where your heart is in those things, and I know he got a lot of pushback just by choosing Jelly Roll for Hard Fought Hallelujah. You know of all the Christian artists that he could have chosen.
Speaker 3He chose none of them.
Speaker 1He chose none of them, and it's an amazing song and they did a great job. But I'm of the same opinion on Jelly Roll, you know, because he, depending on who he's with, is what he proclaims. Yeah, you know, and it's a frustrating thing to see.
Speaker 2Especially for you know Christians that are trying to break through in the industry, trying to get you know, because when you get up there, your job is to then look behind you and help someone else get there Right, as opposed to that's. What frustrates me is when you get artists that finally make it and instead of helping someone else make it, they're looking around them at who they can connect with you know so. So in that, in that instance, when he did the song with him, it's like okay, great. So in that, in that instance, when he did the song with him, it's like okay, great, awesome, fantastic. How many christian artists are just as good that haven't got that breakthrough moment yet that he could have? It would have changed their life. Right, you know it would have. It would have been a moment, but instead he decided to step into the other lane right.
Speaker 1But I will say, on the flip side of that coin, with him including jelly roll, it did reach an audience that it may not have if it had just been played on Christian radio. So I mean there is another side to it. So it's hard to say.
Speaker 2You know, what is?
Speaker 1like you were saying where is the line?
Speaker 2Because there has to be one.
Speaker 1Right.
Speaker 2Because that's when the slippery slope happens, right, is you?
Speaker 1think there's no line, and then all of a sudden it just moves a little bit at a time, and now you're 100 miles away from where you should be. Well, and those circles inevitably come with temptations. You know, the money is a temptation, the people you're around are a temptation. The temptation, the, the people you're around are a temptation. You know these. These events are attended by people that don't have the same values that christians do, so so there are all kinds of temptations out there, and that's.
Christian Artists and Public Perception
Speaker 1We had a missionary that, uh, was a biker missionary yeah right, so they would go to sturgis, yeah, and they were very adamant about staying away from certain places in las vegas, right, or in in vegas and sturgis and different places, right, and you have to. You and you know, because while you are there to spread the word, you cannot put yourself into a position for people to question your Christianity.
Speaker 2Right, right Leaders are held to a certain standard, to where your reputation not even what you're actually doing, your reputation has to be protected. So, even being in those places, you are already putting yourself in a position for people to start talking for people. Would it be okay for a missionary to go to a strip club and start preaching? No, so there's a line, right, so we had that.
Speaker 1We, we understand there are lines somewhere we are understanding that they exist, yeah so the question is where is that?
Speaker 1yeah, and that's that has to be on an individual basis. You know, I I used to be an alcoholic, so I'm not going to a bar to witness to people. That's obviously not my field of expertise. I wouldn't stand outside a bar and try to hand out pamphlets to people, but I don't think anybody does that anyway. That's just. My point is everybody has their own temptations. It's personal convictions that you have to be aware of as well.
Speaker 3Ty, what do you think with your boy I? I agree with what richard said. It comes down to heart. Obviously there's a line for everything. You know. That's not uh you're talking about. You know where you would go, so you know. Say you know you as a pastor. Say there's a woman at your church and she's struggling, you wouldn't go to her house alone and pray for her.
Speaker 2No matter what the heart is behind it, Because we could say that all day and that gives people an excuse to go. Yeah, but my heart is in the right place.
Speaker 1But your body's not Right exactly.
Speaker 2And that's a great point no matter how innocent it is, no matter where your heart is at, that is a place you just do not go. You don't go not because of the heart is wrong, not because it in itself is wrong, but because of the optics of it. Because what it would look like to people on the outside, like it or not, that's every leader, every Christian, every Christian musician. That is part of it. Because what it would look like to people on the outside, like it or not, that's every leader, every christian, every you know christian musician. That is part of it. It's the optics of it. If you're on a bus and everybody is is on drugs, even if you're not doing it, and you were just there hanging out and you were just there witnessing the optics of it don't look good.
Personal Convictions and Boundaries
Speaker 1Therefore, you shouldn't have yourself in that situation right, but I'm reminded of the um jesus revolution movie. Um mark lorry is that his name? Greg greg lorry? And he, you know he, he was influenced by the people he was around. Who you have in your circle matters, you know I say it to my kids all the time it matters, matters who you are around. So allowing people to influence you, that's the opposite of what we're called to do, and you can be as strong as you want to be, but at some point you're going to be like, well, maybe.
Speaker 2And it should grieve your spirit as a Christian, it should grieve your heart to be in those circles and see these things happening. You know he got him and whatever the group was, the singing group, they had a lot of flack. They were at the Grammys oh, maverick City, yeah when all the demonic stuff was going on and they just kind of sat there and continued. I myself, my spirit, wouldn't allow that. I would have had to look, I've got to get out of here. Like this is. I don't want to be tied to this.
Speaker 2So again, there has to be that certain line where it's like, look, this is not the best situation for me to be in. I need to remove myself or not put myself in it in the first place.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2Because Lecrae got in that same instance where it was like a sidewalk preacher, which they drive me crazy anyway. But that's a whole other episode where he went to a Wu-Tang concert and the guy was talking to him about, like, why are you here, why do you feel the need to have to say, well, I, I need to be here so someone can witness to them. Well, you can witness to them without going to the concert, right, you know. So it's like, where is that that line? Because it, if we just say, okay, well, as long as they're they, they have good intentions, well then anybody can do anything and just say I have good intentions and we have no way to to to gauge what we should and should not do right, yeah, we watch american idol.
Speaker 1That has been well documented on this show you leave, carry on the wood alone.
Speaker 1I'm going to take away your buttons. So and this is about your girl, carrie Underwood but they had the praise night. You leave Carrie alone. I'm not, but it was an amazing thing to do and I'm glad they did it. But the the exact day that the praise night was, I saw a Tik TOK of Carrie Under Carrie Underwood on stage with Papa Roach yeah, cussing and dancing in short shorts, and all this. And then that night on American Idol, I see her giving one of the most beautiful how Great Thou Art versions I've ever heard, and all I could think was the video of her with Papa Roach ever heard. Yeah, and all I could think was the video of her with papa wrote.
Speaker 3It lost its ability to witness to people because of the other people, she's around, it's not okay yeah, yeah, I like, I love, I love carrie underwood for her voice, her voice and she's in and quite a few of her songs. I started questioning a little bit when she basically went on tour with guns and roses yeah, yeah um, and I, as a songwriter, and I'm trying to uh, I'm trying to write more christian uh songs man, that one you sent us sorry to interrupt, that one you sent us was really good oh, thank you really good, man, sorry, go ahead yeah, it's so good.
Speaker 3Um, there's, I think obviously there's a, there's a line, but with I don't know how. But there's, there's songs that I think it's okay if they're not come like I don't know. Quote unquote christian like like worship music like yeah, like I've written songs that they're not about God, right, but I think people can connect with them.
Speaker 2Right, and you know, you write a song about your wife. That's not necessarily a song singing to Jesus, but it's still. Yeah, it's.
Speaker 3Well, yeah, it's, it's. I mean, you know something like that, taking delight in my wife enough to write a song about her. I mean, uh, you know, I wrote a song about a friend passed away, taking the light and in the time that I, that I had with him, you know, um, no and that no. In that sense, I think, no, that's okay, and and I think that's okay, that's okay for you know, but at the again, at the same time, it's, I don't know, it's, I don't even know how to put it into words. Really, it's, it's a line you can't if, if you are proclaiming that you shouldn't cross it. But I think, at the same time, it's okay to understand that some songs are coming from a, a heart of worship.
Speaker 2In that sense, Um, and we do need people in those spaces, in certain spaces, like we need Christian actors that are in, that are in other movies other than like the you know the Lifetime Christian movie. So we need Christian actors in Hollywood. You know the, the Chris Pratt's and and the. You know people like that. We do need those in those spaces. Christian, a Christian actor in Hollywood doing normal movies, like I know um, oh gosh, the guy who was in the um, he was in the longest, not the longest yard. What's that movie with the rock where he had the big board, walking tall walking tall, the blonde guy like devout Christian, like outspoken Cool.
Churches Stifling Creativity
Speaker 2In Hollywood there are certain movies, certain roles that he says I just will not do that because I will not cross. He will not do a, a, a scene with another woman where they're kissing. That's not his why. He just meant he has. He has set that line and said I just will not do that, even though that would be well in your rights as an actor to do that. You know, if you are a christian surfer, a professional surfer, there's probably certain outfits, certain things that you just will not do because you say I'm just not going to cross that line. So there's a way for us to be in those spaces without fully being okay. I'm, I'm all in, I'm going to be backstage with these people. I'm going to be, you know, hanging out while they're doing what they're doing. Yeah, but still be in those spaces and still be friends with those people.
Speaker 3Yeah, that's something I thought about as a musician too, because I'm, you know, I want to get out and play different places and there's a friend of mine that, uh, owns a bar and grill that I reached out in the past before to play there, and then she reached out again.
Speaker 1I was like I don't know, yeah, if that's a place where I should and bar grills are tough because some of them are more grill than bar, and that's and that's one that's more bar than grill.
Speaker 2All right, yeah yeah, and it's tough and and essentially there would be nothing wrong with you playing there, like really there, that wouldn't, that wouldn't be you backsliding, you getting out of your faith or anything like that, it's just, and I and you you've said you just had that.
Speaker 2I don't know, that's not, that's not a feeling, that's just from you, because if it was us, you take that opportunity. Hey, it's an opportunity to play. No, what that is is just that, knowing that man, is this going to look the best if I do this, so that's definitely out there. I try not to walk, to go anywhere in a room with a female, even in the church with open doors, without someone else there, just because I don't want us walking out and somebody looking and seeing you know. So there, there just has to be that awareness and that certain thing and I think that a lot of artists, a lot of people in hollywood, a lot of the because it's happened a thousand times and it's all started just like this you know there have been katie perry started in a worship band. She was a christian singer.
Speaker 3Her dad, her dad was a pastor, wasn't he?
Speaker 2Yeah, and it started just like this the same excuses, the same. Well, you know, you got to be friends with sinners. And then they're completely.
Speaker 3There's a lot of singers Whitney Houston- that's kind of how I see Lauren Daigle. I'm iffy about playing her music especially in church because and no judgment, uh well, as christians we are, we're supposed to righteously judge each other hold each other accountable to, to the beliefs and rules that we say we, we follow, and you know some some things that, uh, she said and and things I've like seen her do.
Speaker 3It makes me that's not necessarily question her faith, because her faith is her faith and I don't know that, but it makes me question her, uh, I guess, ability as, because, as as a if, if you are a christian songwriter, christian musician, you're a worship leader. Yeah, and that makes me question her, uh, her heart as a worship leader yeah, because we get to choose our leaders.
Speaker 2You, you know, like we get to pick. Okay, am I going to let this person influence me or not? So we are to look at them and go is this the greatest person for me to be looking up to? You know, or? Or you know, yeah, not not necessarily judging their walk with Jesus, but judging their ability to be a leader and someone that we look up to and use their material and use their you know, their influence as something that that shapes us.
Speaker 2You know, because, yeah, it's, it's, I mean, it's all throughout music, it it's with the christian artists that, instead of going with the christian label, they go with the, you know, the secular label. That's who they decide to sign with and it's like and that's fine, that's great, that's who they decide to sign with and it's like and that's fine, that's great, that's awesome. Again, you need people in those spaces. But the question then arises well, why? Why sign with them and not with the Christian label? You know, why go and do a concert with Jelly Row and not go do a concert with an up-and-coming Christian artist? Was it Forrest Frank?
Speaker 2Like Tyler Hayes why not look out and and and reach out for a hand up to somebody, instead of planting yourself in those circles? Why can't we have the equivalent of Hollywood in the Christian sphere, right to where now we're? We're the thing that everyone's trying to get into, as opposed to the other way around.
Speaker 3Yeah. You know, we had a pastor from Generation Church down in Tennessee come up two weeks ago kind of do a leadership thing, and he said something I can't remember exactly. Basically was saying if you try to attract God, god will attract people.
Speaker 2Right, and that's, I think, if we just stick to mimicking Jesus. He didn't plant himself in those circles. Those circles came to him, even the religious, the Pharisees. He didn't have to go and plant himself and be I need to be a part of this. No, he went and he did his ministry and God called people to him. People came to see him, people came to talk to him. Whether they liked him or not, it draws them in.
Speaker 1Well, it's the same thing with what we started talking about Brandon Lake. With his popularity, he doesn't need to seek people out. All he has to do is be Brandon Lake and people will come to him.
Speaker 2Yes, and that was the point I was going to make when you were talking about well, it's reached out to a larger audience. It's already reached to a larger audience. Just look at how many downloads. He didn't need to do that to get people to get eyes on him. This dude is selling out concert after concert after concert. So that excuse if he was like an up-and-coming christian artist that then did that okay, I could see. Okay, this is gonna help.
Speaker 2This is gonna help kind of get me out there to where people are now kind of looking at what I'm trying to do and I could proclaim jesus, get it absolutely at this point, especially in, I'd say, normal everyday middle american family. Brandon lake is as big of a name as jelly roll oh, yeah, probably bigger, so. So so that excuse I think kind of goes out well, he's reaching out. Not really right, not really he's, you know. So his songs have already been sung on American Idol Right.
Speaker 1Like this was going on years ago, you know, so it's not something that Well. It is a question that I would love to have Brandon Lake answer.
Speaker 2Oh, come on.
Speaker 1Why did you choose Jelly Roll over anybody else?
Speaker 2And to me. I'd love to hear the answer, but I don't know if there's a good answer to that Right. You know. Why have you not?
Speaker 1I'm sure he has his answer.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, so basically, what you're saying is we need to bring Brandon Lake on the podcast.
Speaker 2Absolutely. I don't know. Tyler already takes. You know, it's hard for him to remember things If he comes on, if he comes on he's just.
Speaker 3There'll be no no tyler, what do you think about?
Speaker 2this uh so graves in the gardens.
Speaker 1Yeah has 94 million views yeah like, yeah, that's a lot that was only from 2019.
Speaker 2Yeah, I think so. You know so. So it's such a hard line to walk, man, because you really do, you want, you want christian musicians in hollywood. You want this is a big one for me. Where are the christian comic book writers? We want christians in every sphere of of life. You know we need, you know we need christian people that are. There's nothing better than watching a basketball player sit on Of life. We need Christian people. There's nothing better than watching a basketball player sit on the sideline with his Bible. It's awesome having them in those spots.
Speaker 1Well, and there are people in. There are comic books that are Christian-based, but they're generally pretty corny. You know nobody. Terry blackstock is an amazing christian author yeah and she writes, uh, crime fiction. That is really, really interesting, like it is so good without the cuss words and the graphic stuff and but they're really good mysteries. We need people in those circles to to produce as quality of work, to show god to people that will actually get those works you know the kendrick brothers their movies they're huge, and I think what has happened is church has taken that and this goes what?
Speaker 2what you said earlier, tyler, is that church takes those, those skills that people have, and instead of helping them flourish in those things, saying, oh awesome, you write crime fiction as a christian, it's clean, it's, it's cool, it's interesting, we're gonna help you in that instead they tell those artists, well, you, you have to, it has to be about jesus, you have to write it about jesus.
Speaker 2So then what becomes corny about it is they're all exactly the same you know, so what you were talking about with music, like every song you write, doesn't have to be about jesus. For it to be worshiping him, for it to be a good thing you know.
Speaker 2So it's like we need to take those people that are artists that want to go out and draw anime awesome, we want to, we. It doesn't have to be an anime about jesus, it can be. Oh cool, go write a good anime, that's awesome. We want to support you in that right. You know, you have a man. Uh, we came across this one guy. He was a, a christian worship worshiper that worshiped by djang with turntables. Churches don't. They don't help people. They don't turn up right, let's see what you did there.
Speaker 1That was that was pretty good that was very good, thank you.
Speaker 2Um, they, they don't. They don't take those. It's it's oh well, do you know how to play piano and guitar? And so it becomes the same. It becomes cookie cutter. It becomes to where we're not getting innovation out of the church. Innovation comes out of the world, and then the church has to adopt it.
Speaker 1Because it doesn't fit into that mold that we have for years. This is church.
Speaker 2Right.
Speaker 1We're in this box.
Speaker 2Yep, that's church.
Speaker 1We can't step outside of that box.
Speaker 2Yeah, and we've severely hurt ourselves to where now the church is so far behind in all these areas, all these categories, all these extra things, that now we don't have a foothold in any of that.
Speaker 3So it becomes corny, it becomes every Christian movie is exactly the same think, when it comes to things like that going back to the brandon lake thing I feel like it almost gets to a point where people like brandon like feel like, feel that same way, yeah, and we've got to do something drastic yeah, get more exception out of that crowd than they do their own.
Speaker 1Yeah, absolutely well, I've never been the type of person that believes that secular music and movies is the only thing a Christian can use, or can produce. They can consume whatever. I love 80s rock, I love it. Now I understand that the culture that that created was bad, but the music that came out of that was phenomenal, and most of it is. It's not Christianian by any means but it's not bad.
Speaker 1You know, it's remember striper, it's been a long time, but yeah, but everyone knows striper, but just because it's not glorifying god does not mean it's demonic right?
Speaker 3well it's. It's almost like you take something like that and like drinking your coffee. Are you doing that for God?
Speaker 2Right, that drives me crazy.
Speaker 3What are you dressing? Are you dressing for God? It's like we.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, because you hear that Like that's a thing Like.
Speaker 2that's a real like well, if you're not doing that for God, then what are you doing? And it's like you could be doing things not directly going I'm doing this for God and still be doing it for him, like you're raising your kids, you're watching movies, you're playing video games, you're going on walks, you're doing all these other things, not thinking so much about I'm going to go on this walk for God. No, you do it and you have him with you. You're you're doing it, you know. So, yeah, that's exactly right. It's like, well, you got to make sure you, if you ain't doing it for and it music is a big thing, so that you know, only listen to christian music. Okay, the happy birthday song isn't christian, star spangled banner isn't christian. I mean, you know, it's like. It's like now let's, let's calm down a little bit, like it's okay and you can get really silly with it.
Speaker 1Yes, it's, yeah, it's like now, let's, let's calm down a little bit, like it's okay and you can get really silly with it.
Christian Music Beyond Worship
Speaker 2Yes, it's yeah it's just nonsense yeah, now they're now again. There's still lines to where okay, maybe that's not the best music for you to listen to, it's got bad language, it's got you know yeah 100 killing in it and all this. But like there are so many, my favorite bands are non-christian bands, because it's just good music. You know Jack Johnson and Death Cab for Cutie and a lot of these bands.
Speaker 1I know y'all are. I have a clue what you're talking about.
Speaker 2It's music I enjoy. I love the Beatles. I've just been falling more and more in love with the Beatles recently and it's like this isn't music that is glorifying god, but it is great, beautiful, amazing art, right, you know it's. It's not a bad thing to go look at a picture of the mona lisa and think it's beautiful art. He didn't draw it, he didn't paint it. To go, I'm praising jesus here. No, but that doesn't make you know, it doesn't make it bad, it doesn't right, well, and in a sense like that I think.
Speaker 3In a way I mean it might be a stretch, but I mean that's in a way kind of celebrating humanity. God's creation and our individualness and uniqueness.
Speaker 1God created us all with our own gifts and ideas and uniqueness. That's not a stretch at all.
Speaker 3And it was like testimonies. It's not written in the Bible. Our testimonies aren't written in the Bible. That doesn't mean we shouldn't listen to each other and take account of each other's testimonies and things like that.
Speaker 2And it makes you wonder how many of the artists, like we talked about earlier, that started in the Christian circles that are now outside of it, how many of them were, like we talked about earlier, that started in the christian circles that are now outside of it, how many of them were kind of pushed out right you know by the church, like I want to be creative in the church, it's like, oh no, we don't have space for that here.
Speaker 2You can't, you can't, right, you know you can't be, you know outside of that box. So you and then, okay, well, then I'm gonna go elsewhere to find out where I can be. You know the whole not working on Sunday. Well, sunday is the day of rest, even though it's not. It's actually Saturday. Saturday is actually the day of Sabbath, but you know, we have made Sunday our day that we do it, but it's white people church tradition.
Speaker 2But it's like so then you kind of rule out professional football player right, they work on, yeah, so it's like well, pastors right work on sunday.
Speaker 1Oh, that's that's true too.
Speaker 2That's their main work day so it's like wow, it's like we have to be able to take what people are doing and what the gifts that god have given them and allow them to flourish in the church and allow the church to be able to use it and allow the church to help grow those people and say, hey, this is a space for you to do that. If you're, if you're gifted at that thing, hey, we want to lift you up and we you know Christian rap, we're lucky that that's, that's even a thing anymore, because they kind of had to go and make their own thing outside of the church.
Speaker 2And then, finally, it got accepted into the church, as opposed to this kid saying hey, I love this genre of music, I'd love to do it for Jesus and the church going cool. How can we support you? Instead, they ah no, that's not the type of music that we do here.
Speaker 1And they kind of push them out. I can't stand Christian rap. I can't stand rap at all. They kind of push them out. I can't stand christian rap. I can't stand rap at all.
Speaker 2But I'm absolutely thrilled that it's an option for our teens yeah, yeah, because it, and and that's the beautiful thing that there isn't a genre of music, of types of movies that you like, that there's not a christian option for right, I love skillet disciple.
Speaker 1You know those harder rock yeah I was gonna say no.
Speaker 3All the older folk, home rock and metals, the devil's music right and telling me. And tell me a guy in a band screaming for the glory of god is, is devil music right?
Speaker 2right and and I remember I had an older lady this was years ago that was just dead set against it, like, okay, cool, I want to show you something. So I just went and printed out lyrics for like multiple songs and so I want you to read these lyrics. See all that? This is awesome, it's beautiful. Oh man, listen to the music, play the music. It this is what it is about. Right, like it if you read the words, if you know what goes with it. If you see a concert where this guy that's up there headbanging and screaming and it seems like, oh my gosh, what is going on, that then at the end stops and gives a sermon and an altar call Right, and it's okay for you not to like a certain thing.
Speaker 2Right Not.
Speaker 1to understand a certain thing. It's not for everybody. That's the point.
Speaker 2Yes, you know, is that there are things out there for people that like that specific thing and not for you.
Speaker 3Yeah, Cool, and that's that's where. That's where I'm so tired of tradition.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, it's exhausting.
Speaker 3Like, like I, I I'm not going to use the word hate. I dislike 99.9% of hymns.
Speaker 2Oh yeah.
Speaker 3Because growing up in church which I'm thankful for, but I grew up in and I feel weird saying this too old people, churches where 10 was, you know, 10, 10 am Service starts since everyone's grandma and grandpa, great grandma and great grandpa and and they're, you know, four year old grandkid, and we sing two hymns and and message and that's it and that that's I mean. That's that's what I grew up in, and I was bored out of my mind.
Speaker 2And it's just not for you, and that's okay. It's the same as if an older person that likes the hymns goes to a church to where they sing all upbeat music. That's probably not going to be for them, and it seems like that generation. They only look at it one way Well, I like that music.
Speaker 3okay, well, there's a lot of people that don't like your music either yeah and then uh, because I wrestled with it for a while. You know the hymns versus, you know modern worship music and I feel like I feel like the old, the generation that grew up with hymns, had hymns and they loved hymns.
Traditional vs. Modern Church
Speaker 2It's almost like a kind of the King James Bible, it's that it's that way or it's not biblical right and it, and, and what they have to realize is there was a day where the hymns was the new modern music right, you know, I don't hear, I don't hear them singing these songs, right yeah, right, you know. So you know they are. This new worship music, like your music, was new worship music at one time and that and that's oh, and then just give me another thing.
Speaker 3That's what I hate. Oh, I'm not gonna use the word. That's why I severely dislike about people like oh, they don't make music like this anymore. Good, they're not supposed to.
Speaker 2That's the whole point.
Speaker 3There's a natural evolution of these things it's supposed to change.
Speaker 2Well, it's the same with movies, it's the same with cars.
Speaker 3It's the same with phones.
Speaker 2They don't make it like they used to, because it evolves. It doesn't mean mean I've had this conversation. Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Speaker 2Okay, it doesn't have to be broke for it to be improved yeah, I was about to say it can work just fine for the time, but it can be better. But it can be improved. There's a reason why we don't use the same. We could find a nokia that works now, but there's a reason why we don't use it. Because phones have improved doesn't mean it's broke. It just means there's been better made.
Speaker 1People love air conditioning yeah there was a time we didn't have that right indoor plumbing I mean microwaves anything.
Speaker 2Just because it's pool noodles does not mean it's bad right, or that doesn't mean the old thing is bad, right, it just has changed. Yes, everybody hates that word, but we have to have that. Why? Because society changes the church, not the message. The church itself has to change with culture. It doesn't have to be affected by culture, but it has to change with culture. If it doesn't, church becomes irrelevant because culture has now taken off in a whole different direction, to where the church is no longer relevant to the world we live in today. Right, it has to stay relevant. That's why live music came in the church. That it's. It's literally the whole reason of why the bible was translated into the common language. Right, so that it can appease the common people, so that they understand what is going on. So we didn't have to learn Greek.
Speaker 2Right, and I think a lot of churches figured that out when a thing called COVID happened and most of them wasn't up with the times, didn't have an online presence, and they go, uh-oh. Now everybody's staying at home and maybe 20 years ago we should have caught up with the times and actually getting cameras and running a live feed so that people sitting at home can watch. Sure, you know? And and they lose all these people because everybody goes home and they have no way to reach them, they have no way to serve their people.
Speaker 2Well, yeah, because y'all refused yeah refused to get with the times and update your stuff.
Speaker 1And there are still people post-COVID that say that you shouldn't have live feed because it encourages people to stay home, right, instead of understanding that that's an availability thing.
Speaker 2Right, yeah, right that you have people that can't. You have people that are sick. You have people that don't have vision.
Speaker 3I was going to say I have a friend that's been coming to our church and like a stretch of five weeks he wasn't on Sundays. I reached out to him he was like, yeah, one Sunday this kid he's got I think he's got three or four kids.
Speaker 2Like one one Sunday this kid was sick kid, and then one saying my wife was sick and yep, but he was like but I've been watching every sunday, right, life. Well, now we have we have where the nursing home watches our services right. We have people that are home written. We've got a lady here that that works at the church. Her husband can't come to church, he physically cannot watch his online because we have that available to him. You know, you have people that just cannot make it. You have people that do work on Sundays and would like to go back and watch the message and still feel like they're a part of church. So, yes, in a small sense, of course, you have some people that are like well, I could just sit at home and watch it. Absolutely, I think that happens far and few in between. You have far more people that that is another option for them to watch. It's a resource, yeah, you know. So you have to get with the times, you just have to.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1Got to do it.
Speaker 3Guts to do it.
Speaker 2Well, we were going to do a new segment that we're going to do next time, called Taste Test.
Speaker 1He's been saying this for the last three episodes, so I want you all to come up with some good things that we're gonna do.
Speaker 2We're gonna do the chicken nugget challenge. Yeah, we're gonna do sauces. We have to guess what sauce is what. That's gonna be really good, yeah I'm good with that and then we're gonna do some that, where we taste stuff that like maybe none of us have ever tasted, or one of us really like and the other two I haven't yeah oh, here's one name brand versus off brand.
Taste Test and What's Up Segments
Speaker 3Oh, that's good, and see which one's actually better. Yeah, blindfold, and you have to yep like I know, one pop tarts yes, 100, oh my gosh like.
Speaker 2Have you ever tried? Like the kelo?
Speaker 3I'm like yeah kellogg's pop tarts are nasty give me the great value baby. Oh what? No, no, yes, I like the name brand. Oh yeah, no man.
Speaker 1I got.
Speaker 2So we'll see if you really do like the name brand or if it's the name.
Speaker 1And that's blindfolded. You have to taste and see which one you like. Miracle Whip versus mayonnaise oh, miracle Whip all day long.
Speaker 3Yeah, I hate regular mayonnaise. I don, yeah, regular mayonnaise. I don't know if I'll be able to tell the difference. Oh, because I like, I like both, I'll get, I'll get both.
Speaker 1And like I don't put my finger in one licking and then do the other and be like what's the difference sticking your fingers in mayonnaise? Everybody got to use that. I'm never using condiments at your house. It was just an example.
Speaker 2Oh, it's a metaphor.
Speaker 3Get over yourselves.
Speaker 2Well, we are going to do a segment, though, called that's what's Up, something you've been listening to, reading, watching, playing throughout your week. What do you got?
Speaker 1I just started a new book series called the Ranger Series.
Speaker 2The Ranger.
Speaker 1Okay, yes, it's a fantasy novel series series and I'm only about four chapters into the first book, but it's, it's. I'm hooked already, so I'm hoping it uh are you?
Speaker 2is that the audiobooks?
Speaker 1yes, I don't actually I don't physically read anything okay, all right, well hey I can't man, I'll asleep. I used to be an avid reader for years and now I will fall asleep. It's like melatonin.
Speaker 2I mean, it's just like Just ride to bed. Yeah, that's what's up.
Speaker 1That's really odd. We've finished several shows and we're talking about starting Suits. Actually we talked about starting that, and there's a new show called Long Bright River that we thought about watching Okay.
Speaker 3Tal, what about you? So we finished the other day Great American Family, the docuseries on Natalia Grace, yeah, the little girl?
Speaker 2that wasn't a little girl. Yeah, that's crazy, yeah, so crazy. You got to whisper, are you?
Speaker 1scared. She's here, like she can hear me nothing, I'm gonna.
Speaker 3They have an actual documentary on hulu. I think I'm gonna watch. Uh, we're in the middle of the rookie, I don't. I don't know if we're in the middle we're just watching, watching the new episode.
Speaker 2I've been told by multiple people to start that.
Speaker 3It's a good show. Well, it's action packed and there's a comedic element to it?
Speaker 2Oh, absolutely, and I love it.
Speaker 1Yeah, okay.
Speaker 3Because it's almost like the Office. They have a funny cold open scene.
Speaker 1It's good stuff. It's funny. Who's the Nathan Fillion? He's like the main actor on it.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's pretty funny.
Speaker 1Good show.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1We haven't started the new season yet. We're waiting until it's all on there. Yeah, brandon Lake doesn't have any new songs this week His album's coming out next month.
Speaker 3June 6th, I think.
Speaker 1Well, he's already done the contract we talked about it a lot, this episode.
Speaker 2I gotta fulfill my contractual obligations.
Speaker 1Nintendo Switch 2?
Speaker 2Oh gosh, there's nothing new about it I have to, it doesn't matter, I have to say it, so I said it all right, is that?
Speaker 3you just have to say one tree hill, yeah that's so funny, chad michael murray said so what do you got?
Speaker 2so I went and watched a movie monday. It was fantastic, really good. I've never heard that until dawn yeah based off of a playstation video game. So good, it was really good. I was. I was pleasantly surprised. You know I went in just like oh well, you know I want to, I want to relax, go watch a movie, and it was really really good yeah I think I'm probably gonna go back this monday and watch something, but there are movies coming up that I'm very excited for, so I wrote something down.
Speaker 2You got superman. 28 years later, tron uh, megan too, which is I don't know, and I knew I know what you did last summer no, is that legit?
Speaker 3coming out like?
Speaker 1legit, legit, yes, legit, legit, yeah. So I'm really lying to you, tyler. Well, I've seen on facebook.
Speaker 3But I wasn't sure because you know people post that fake stuff all the time yeah, I just saw that that's a lot of fake stuff, yeah so I'm really excited about some upcoming movies.
Speaker 2Of course, summertime, summertime, you know, kind of some of the better movies start coming out, so I'm really excited.
Speaker 1That's always been the case, sometimes always, yeah, summertime blockbusters I heard uh, they're making a.
Speaker 3Now you see me three yes I saw the preview for that. It doesn't have the original it does except for, uh, the um it has all of them. Jesse eisenberg? No, it has all of them, does it? Yeah, you mean mark zuckerberg? Yeah, because I watched it right.
Speaker 2Yeah, I watched the preview for it and the way it has it is. He goes out on his own and he's like, oh, they're all dead to me, but they all end up okay showing up and it's all so I do have a question, but it doesn't look good. It does not look good.
Speaker 1No, it doesn't I have a question because I know that you have not done very well.
Speaker 2Yeah at our challenge.
Speaker 1Yeah, I know me and tyler are doing very well at ours yeah so I want to know why you're failing in life well, I wasn't well.
Speaker 3First of all, we want to know why you suck Durn, diddy, darn darn.
Speaker 2I wasn't done with my. That's what's up, oh sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 1My bad, I didn't want to interrupt you.
Speaker 2Go ahead. Why? Because I got stuff to do. That's why I don't know I've got nothing.
Speaker 3Also, you said June 6th, June 5th, nintendo switch 2 comes out.
Speaker 2I don't know I've said that, but what's june 6th? Counting down to that, brian lakes, uh, I think that's when his new album comes out, but I am looking forward to our branson trip going to silver dollar city, that's coming up, so we're preparing for that yeah fancy. Yeah, no new shows, just movies. Oh, we watched. Uh, we watched a new movie that had um Willis and Megan Fox and it was on Netflix. They were like detectives trying to catch this serial killer. It was pretty good. I can't remember Something in the tall grass.
Speaker 1Cool Something like that. Bruce Willis has not been making great movies and he was only in that for maybe 10 minutes total.
Speaker 2You know just kind of in and out, but it was okay, it was.
Speaker 3it was an all right movie there was a show that live was watching, and I can't remember exactly what it was called, but it was about, um, this lady, and she was like a cleaning lady for this police department and like. The first episode was like oh yeah, they're yeah, they'll have, like you know, like the board with all the like, the clues and stuff, and she like basically pieces it all together and all that and start works and really yeah, working as a detective, and then I can't watch it with live because the main detective makes me so mad.
Speaker 3Yeah, because it's like so there's one, it was like I don't know woman went missing or whatever, and I think it was like husband or boyfriend or someone, someone like closely related. Well, he was out of town, the way she disappeared, and he's like, okay, I'm like you're not gonna look into that. The main, the main suspect, says he was out of town. Yeah, the the weekend she did.
Speaker 3You're not that you're good with, okay, yeah, okay yeah, that's lazy writing that yeah, yeah, I think well, and it there's multiple instances like that with the same character, I'm like I'm thinking they wrote this guy to be like that and it it's making me so mad, yeah.
Speaker 2I got a game I'm looking forward to playing Expedition 33.
Speaker 1That's a lot of.
Speaker 2What about 1 through 32?
Speaker 1That's what I was hung up on. Is that like the sequel number?
Speaker 2Or is it the name? Why are my friends with y'all? Is it the name of the?
Speaker 1expedition.
Speaker 2Oh, there we go. That is so much man. Go. That is so much man. It is so much quieter in my ears. So, anyway, I'm really excited about about this game. Man, I'm so pumped. It's gonna be really good. It's on playstation and I'm really pumped. It's probably gonna be game of the year, but I'm I'm really really excited about it. Uh, thank y'all for letting me, letting me talk about that and just being quiet, appreciate it that's not nice I hate I hated every moment of it.
Speaker 3I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I used the word I severely disliked every moment every of it anything else on your heart? I feel like I was gonna say something, but I can't remember. There's a shock, but I can't remember there's a shocker, tyler can't remember everybody.
Speaker 1Shocker. 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.
Speaker 3Oh wait, I remember now Crap.
Speaker 1Never mind Love you oh wait, I remember.
Speaker 3Now it crap, never mind.
