The WOFOYO Podcast
The WOFOYO Podcast
Real Brotherhood
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“We’re family” can be a beautiful promise or an empty slogan, depending on what happens when real suffering shows up. We start with three scriptures on friendship and brotherhood, Proverbs 18:24, Proverbs 17:17, and Ecclesiastes 4:12, then ask the uncomfortable question: what actually proves loyalty when someone’s life gets messy?
We talk about shared adversity and why it forges bonds that comfort alone cannot. From military camaraderie and workplace pressure to the moment you find yourself defending a friend harder than you defend yourself, we break down how character gets revealed in high-risk moments. One of the most personal stories is a reunion call with a battle buddy after 35 years, the kind of connection that snaps back into place like no time passed, and reminds you what “sticks closer than a brother” can look like in real life.
From there we bring it home to church community, divorce, grief, and the way people react when they learn your flaws. We draw a line between rumor and presence, between shunning and righteous judgment, and we talk about what it means to love someone without excusing their sin. We also dig into mentoring as mutual discipleship and why honesty with God is not rebellion, it is often the doorway to healing, clearer doctrine, and deeper faith in Jesus.
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Proverbs And A Definition Of Friends
SPEAKER_00Everybody, welcome to another episode of the Woe Fo Yo Podcast. Going to bring up about three Bible verses. They're all from around the same area, too. If you read your physical Bible, Proverbs 1824. I'm going to read the last half. Said there's a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 17 17. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Ecclesiastes 4 12, same author. Right. So in our last episode, that the last full episode that you and I did together, you had mentioned you were going on vacation. You're going to get reacquainted with a with a battle buddy from back in the day that you had gotten reacquainted with here not too long ago. And we were talking about one of the things you said you could emphatically say was when church people tell tell you that we're family, you can say, I could emphatically say that we're not. Because you you've been through family, and then you say, Well, we'll talk about that. So here we are, uh a couple episodes later. Think it's about time to talk about family and hardship and comfort and what family is and what it ain't.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I'd say we're uh we're distant cousins uh most of
Shared Misery Makes Real Family
SPEAKER_01the time. When we get into church and we actually start talking about things, and we want to start talking about family, I I would say we're distant cousins. Um because I've got brothers. Uh one from my mother, who who's who's a true brother, I'd I'd I'd die for. And I got some really close friends who are brothers. Um and the the common denominator uh with my brothers, those who are in my inside my inner circle, who I would say I keep inside elbow distance. I mean, they're they're that close, um, is shared misery. Um we we've we've shared some misery together, some bad times, some good times too, but we've shared some bad times and we know some of the most intimate things about each other, and we still love each other uh in spite of that. Um and when we get to talking about that inside the church a lot of times, um, but it seems that the more intimate we know each other, the more we want to judge each other. Uh so that that has that can create some difficulty when it comes to uh uh being family, so to speak. So anyway, I digress.
SPEAKER_00Well, one of the things that also popped up, you know, thinking about this on the last few days, and you was thinking about, you know, what should we be talking about? Is there there's also the you talked about you've talked about the shared adversity quite a bit, the shared hardship. And it reminds me there's a psalm that David wrote, and it says, Before I was afflicted, I went astray. And one of the things, you know, you talk about a three-four, three-fold cord is not easily broken, it's not quickly broken, as the new king said. One of the things about that, if you're braided together, there's a common mission, a common purpose. Yeah, you know, and the the thing about the military that got me, and e even with some of my co-workers, uh, there's some I'm close with, you know, because it's just been through too much stuff together. Right. And I found myself wanting to stand up more and defend them in certain situations that I actually have wanting to defend myself.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um every now and then when you're in a uh tense situation, high threat is is I believe you have called them high threat environments, um, high-risk situations, uh situations that are going to be highly scrutinized. One of the things is, you know, you end up getting interviewed by the man.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Why'd you do highly scrutinized in this day and age? Why'd you do this or why did you do that? I've had some had some good friends uh that we've been through the thick and thin and been wrongfully terminated from a job. I got more upset about that than if I had been terminated.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Right. Yeah because I know their character.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there's there's something about um defending each other. Uh we'll we'll die defending each other a whole lot sooner than we will dying for ourselves. Um actually before we'll save ourselves. Um, you know, it might sound a little cliche, but when when folks, especially when veterans, when veterans talk about um why they do things, who they're fighting for, and and all this stuff, and we're not fighting for the red, white, and blue. We're not fighting for the flag. We're fighting for our brothers to our left and right. Um, when it really comes down to the nut cutting and the bullets are flying, and and it's really uh you're really in a bad way, you really are more concerned with uh defending your your brother to your left and right. That's what it comes down to. Um because all the politics of of freedom and and and this and that and the flag, all that really goes out the window. Um but your buddy, your brother to your left and
Finding A Battle Buddy After Decades
SPEAKER_01right, that's what that's what you really have. That's one you can lean on. Um went on vacation, uh, went out to Massachusetts and seen my buddy Rob. Uh, we were in combat operations in Central America together. Um and this is our second trip out there. We went out there three years ago uh and met up with each other for the first time in over 30 years at that point. So we went out again this year, and there were three of us in Panama that were really close. Um, me and Rob and a guy we call Nappy Ned. Uh Nappy Ned, his name is Ed Napier. We call him Napy Ned. He was from Connecticut, and uh, super good guy. We loved him to death. He was we were three amigos, if we were anything. And we had been looking for Nappy Ned under every rock that we could find. Uh couldn't find him on social media or anything like that. So we've been been wondering where is Nappy Ned. Well, we finally found him uh when we was out there. We found him, we've got a phone number, got a phone number, said this is this might be him. Uh and we called, and sure enough, long story short, it was Nappy Ned. And so here we are, me and my buddy Rob, uh talking to Napy Ned after 35 years, hadn't seen or heard from each other in 35 years, and it was like we just left each other's company yesterday. Um we both all three of us said we, you know, first thing out of our mouth is damn man, you sound exactly the same. You sound like you did 35 years ago. We all sounded the same that we did 35 years ago. Um, but we fell right back locking step uh in into where we were 35 years ago, talking to each other, got caught up a little bit, talking about family and where everybody's at right now. Um, and uh there's probably a road trip somewhere in the future.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, about say there's got to be a road trip or a reunion of some kind.
SPEAKER_01There is, there is. Um, but it really, it really it warmed my heart, it made my heart full to find Nappy Ned and and hear from him, hear his voice again after 35 years. Um I can't think of anyone else. Um that would I can't, man, that's just it blows my mind. I would have I thought I would never hear that man's voice again. So that would that was a big thing for me. That's probably that's probably better than Gettysburg that we went to, uh Valley Forge. Uh that's probably better than all the seafood that we ate. Uh just hearing that man's voice for five minutes was a big deal to me. That's family.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And you could tell it just listening to you talk.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00There's something about that shared adversity. I all it for for those of you that have never experienced it, um, feel sorry for you. But if you want any hint about the closest thing that you will find in this is Jesus talking to his disciples at the Last Supper.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, I I call you friends. It's coming to the end of the road for this for this leg of the march. Oh, yeah. I don't even call you disciples, I'll call you my friends. And uh except one. And uh he had to wait for him to leave before he said that. However, you also get a really good layout of it when they start listing David's mighty men. When you King David is just a prime example, especially
Why The Church Struggles With Brotherhood
SPEAKER_00before he becomes king. Um after, but you look at how his inner circle became his inner circle. You look at what forged those bonds, and it was basically running throughout the wilderness together, trying to stay alive, trying to provide for your family, with a bounty on your head.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. That's a hard concept to relate to in the American church right now.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, and and I know I know all this sounds negative, but but just hang on. Um, that's a really hard concept to to grasp in in our American or our Western church, because we have it really, really good in the church here. Um have a church full of resources, uh, there's no need of want for anything. Uh, we have everything at our disp our disposal. There's there's really there's no persecution in the American church, there's just no nothing. Um, so we have it really, really good. Um but if you do find that church that is that's being rocked and has is going through hard times, or or if you have uh friends in in church that are going through hard times and you can help them and you go through those hard times with them, you'll you'll start to understand that um once you start getting close to people like that, because you're sharing that misery, you're sharing that adversity with them, uh, you become a part of that struggle with them. Um when the enemy pops up his head and starts to talk trash and talk smack about you or about them or anything else, you won't be moved. You won't be phased at all. Yeah. Because you know their character. You might matter of fact, you've seen their character in action. Um, and that's that is that's a big, big thing.
SPEAKER_00There's a guy we both know, not going to mention his name. Um, we both worked with him, and I was at a different facility. He was the same place. Uh he outranked me. And uh I was a sergeant, he was a lieutenant at the time. He ended up moving up way above that. And uh dude trying to get this is just old school stuff. Dude tried to get snarky with me, didn't know who I was, didn't know what I'd been through. And he knife-handed him about three inches from his face and got dead in this day. He said, 'Look here,' threw a couple choice words at him. He said, You're not going to disrespect my sergeant. You don't know what he's been through, you don't know what I've been through, you don't know what we've waited through together. Says until you've done the same thing, you can keep your mouth shut. Go back and do what he told you to do.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Let me tell you something. That shared experience and camaraderie, there ain't there ain't no price on that.
SPEAKER_01Oh no. No. You can't put a price on it. It's priceless. Um, and it it never it never leaves your mind. Uh it's always it's always there. It's always there. Um it's a good pool to draw from, it's a good place to drink from. Um, in those times when you're doubting yourself uh and things of that sort, you can always look back and say, okay, that's where I was, that's where we were. And and um we came through it by the grace of God. Um we came through it together. Um, so yeah, those those times of shared adversity, uh, those shared experiences are are glorious. We have a tendency these days to want to avoid those places. We want to avoid the adversity. Oh Lord, you know, just uh if you if you can get me out of this, this would be great. No, Lord, don't take me out, take me through. Uh amen. Get me through it to make me stronger, uh, make me stronger, make me uglier, make me meaner, make me something. Just don't take me out of it. Um, because we need those experiences. We need that adversity. That's what makes us um this makes us tougher, not just physically, but spiritually as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. You there there was something you said a little bit earlier about, you know, the closer you get a lot of times, and and this isn't with all of them. I was thinking about this um about this topic, you know, I was pretty sure that this is what we wanted to cover, been thinking about last week, and I was trying to think of circumstances where it was that intense, like it would be something military-wise or something that I experienced at work. Uh,
Showing Up Through Death And Divorce
SPEAKER_00and and it wasn't me experiencing it, but uh there was a guy who um not perfect, marriage was troubled, uh, wanted to be a good dad, just was dealing with issues, also had a calling on him. You know, uh go figure. You you can have both. And kind of lost touch over the years. He's no longer on social media or anything like that. But um he ended up going through that program where you get ordained and stuff like that through uh the Church of God uh denomination. He ended up going through the S1. The Lord told me, Don't do it. You know, that is what it is. I'm I'm not trying necessarily to slight the church of God, nor am I tiptoeing around the church of God. It was about me being obedient, and I'll also tell you about half the stuff they taught, at least that first thing was nothing but denominational garbage. Uh don't really matter to a hill of beans. Um, but that being said, we get a call. My ex-wife was uh very close with his wife, and um next thing you know, one of the real church members, you know, this lady's husband ran a food pantry. She's about one of the most tender and compassionate ladies I've ever met. Said, uh, hey, uh, she calls my ex-wife, and we had just come back from dealing with something. I can't remember what it was, whether we was visiting somewhere or what was going on. We might have been out on a date, I don't know. But there's a message on the phone that uh this guy's wife had been in a really bad car accident and was dead. So it was one of my ex-wife's best friends, and definitely down there was her best friend. Right. And um, so we were having to deal with that aspect of it, and he's devastated. Not on on top of that, uh, he's dealing with having lost a wife, but she had one of the kids, one of his sons, in the car with him, and that was about a two-year road to recovery for him.
SPEAKER_02Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, because he was young and he looked anemic, he had broken bones, uh, I can't remember, like one leg or maybe both legs, couldn't walk for a minute, and he finally, you know, three months out, he's finally taking steps, you know, grace of God showed up. But you're talking about hardship. And there's a group of us that were there together, and you know what? That's that's being there for one another, that's adversity, that's brotherhood. But another thing that happened during that experience, and you kind of touched on it about church folks, the more they get to know you a lot of times, um, will get really judgmental the more they know you. Well, me, me and him got really honest, and uh, I'll tell you what, the the one thing about it, when you're close like that, um, you've been through experiences like that, um, been through experiences like I've been at work or military, you go, you know what? I can't excuse your flaws. I won't excuse your flaws, but you've always been there for me in this, right? And that accounts for something. So don't expect me to call right wrong, but you can expect me to love you and be there for you despite that. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there was uh, you don't have to get shot at, you don't have to do all that stuff to to feel that kind of experience. Um shoot, man. But my first divorce, going through that, um, really good buddy of mine refused to let me be alone. Um, he would not he he would not let me be alone. He would either stay over uh at my house or I would stay over at his house for uh for about a year, but he refused to let me be alone at any given any given point. Um, because he knew he knew where I was, he knew where my head was at and where my heart was at. And uh you're talking about someone who's willing to sacrifice a lot of his own time uh to just sit in a room, sit in a dark room and watch TV and not say a word for hours. Uh just so I would not be alone. I would not be by myself. Um when you're going through something like that and you you start sitting by yourself and start being alone, your your brain starts working against you. Uh you get into your own head and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_00Worms start eating on that thing.
SPEAKER_01Yes, and all kinds of stupid stuff. Yeah. But just the present. And that's the thing, just the presence of a good friend. Don't even have to say anything, but just the presence of a good friend sometimes enough to uh to help you out. Um never once, never once judge me, never once said, Man, you're stupid for not letting go. You're you're stupid for doing this, you're stupid for letting this happen. Not a not one single time. But uh that's that's another brother I hold close. Uh simply because he he he chose to to to not let me go uh when uh when everybody else was, it felt like anyways.
SPEAKER_00So one of the other things I noticed is familiarity. I I look at what what separated uh folks that I like and folks that I thought we were going to be real close, you know, back during my church experience, um, that I thought we were gonna be close with versus those that I am close with. And and there's a couple things. The closer they get when they find out about your flaws. How do they treat you? Uh I can think of two guys as equally close with uh at the time. And um one uh they were spreading rumors and kind of I don't know, something's off and this and that. And I'm not saying they didn't have some valid criticisms, but the the other one, hey man, I know you're going through some stuff. If you need anything, I'm here for you.
SPEAKER_01It's not their story to tell though. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that that was that was the whole thing about it. Was one was just there. And even after I got divorced, you know, with that we there were some times that we, you know, kind of like like you were talking about with your bow buddy. Man, there was there was a uh period of about three and a half, four years we hadn't talked. And something happened, and there was uh I knew knew he was mentioned, but our paths were always crossing, you know. Oh yeah. Every three years, every four years. Now I done left that particular church, and we were always going to the same church at some point or another, and it and like I said, just we gelled. Whereas the one guy, as soon as he found out that I wasn't perfect, you know, it was instant distance, instant distance. Him and his wife decided to distance themselves from me. Rather than even come at me and have an honest discussion, and I go, man, that's it was it was a I I remember writing about that. I'm like, you know, where this leaves us is uh I hear you got an issue, you know, had him out to lunch, and I'm like, you know, um, okay, uh you might be right on that, you know. He said, Yeah, I'm seeing this and seeing that. I said, but we we told each other, if we ever saw each other messing up, that we come to each other man to man. I said, that ain't the way this happened. I'm finding about it from this couple and that couple. Well, you know, what the hell's going on, dude? Well, and the hoeing and the humming. And and you know what? They're that that couple's really good at putting up an image, just like our pastors were really good at putting up an image. And uh I said this, where you know, brother, I love you. Uh I pray for you. I want nothing but the best for you, but I sure can't trust you. And his jaw drop, he like Yeah, yeah, you because you're used to people playing church, you're not used to having people just be honest about what's going on. And uh don't get me wrong, does that mean that they're they've never experienced adversity? They've experienced some things that I never would ever want to go through. Don't know if it would break me or not, some of the things they've been through. So, you know, with with all due respect that way. How you treat people when you find out about their flaws, and when you find out the aspects of them that ain't so nice, man, that defined you. I'll tell you a stupid story. When I got divorced, I'd been I've been doing the right thing, doggone it. I told the Lord, Lord, all right, marriage didn't work. I was pretty much devastated. Um, because I've been trying to make it work, and it was just this big letdown. And it was this big thing of not understanding there was some wrongdoing that had been accused, and I wasn't doing it. And so after the divorce and after the letdown, even after God let me know that he had my back during my come apart, so I don't want even, I'm gonna go, you know, I've been doing good. Let's see where that got me. You know, I went out and did some stupid stuff. Um, I'm not gonna say what they are because I don't want to glory in it because it was stupid. There you go.
Flaws Rumors And Righteous Judgment
SPEAKER_00But I got to laughing about it because sometimes as guys will laugh about the stupid stuff we did, you know, uh primarily because we survived it. Uh it didn't kill us. Yep. Didn't kill us, didn't bankrupt us, you know. So we can laugh. Um hey, watch it. You know, it's the old, you know, like when you're when you're in high school, hey, watch this. Oh, he lived. It's great.
SPEAKER_01And did you die?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. You find out, see your buddies wipe out doing something stupid. First thing you do is check, should make sure they're all right. And then once you know they're not going to die, now it's time to make fun of them. Because that, you know, and that's kind of the way we were. But the Lord had led me to, I knew they were doing some stuff uh ministry-wise, and Lord put it on my heart to donate a certain amount of funds just between me and them and me and the Lord, really. Um, but anyway, in catching up, I said, Yeah. I said, that had this happen, this happened, this happened. And he goes, he just starts laughing. He said, that's why I love you. He said, you've always said exactly what was on your mind. You know, what he said, I wouldn't say it, but you get to say it, therefore I don't have to say it. He said, but you know what? You're just open and honest about what you did. He said, Thank God I'm not in that, in that, you know, in that uh boat. I won't ever tell you I'm so high and mighty, I wouldn't have done the same thing. You know, if I were in your shoes. He said, just know I love you as a brother. He said, You've obviously learned that that wasn't the thing to do. You know, it is about the most, you know, loving correction I've received. And he was also like, you're being you, you know. Uh so rather than the judgment, uh, like I said, uh, and that dude was Daryl Colson, uh, that I talk about quite often, and you know, I end up going to his church quite a bit uh if I'm able to go to church if I have a Sunday off. And I'm just like, you know, he's that that dude's just been solid. Him and his wife both just been consistent people. And you know what? When the Lord called them up, the first thing they did in kind of doing this new work that they've been doing is he came clean about the things that he struggled with. He said, You can want me as a pastor, you cannot want to be a pastor, I'm still called, but here's where it is. Brought the whole congregation to here's what I've struggled with, here's what the Lord's delivered me from, here's my testimony about that. He said, if you don't want to be part of this, I fully understand. Yeah, and you know, when you got somebody like that, dude. That folks like that you can be family with.
SPEAKER_01Yes. We may not all be in the same boat, but we've probably all been through the same storm. Uh and that's that's something we need to need to keep your eye on. We we talk about judgment, you know, and that's one thing that goes back and forth in the church a lot. You know, you can't judge me. Well, I can judge you, you know, just judge not lest that you be judged, all this stuff. Righteous judgment, according to the scripture, is when you can recognize what someone's doing and and call it out and it not change the way you treat them. Yeah, that's when you've judged rightly. And we don't have a lot of that sometimes uh amongst the body. We have this unrighteous judgment where we see what's happening, we call it out, and then we think we have to act differently now. Like we have to distance ourselves, and you know, and that's that's not righteous judgment. That's not even expecting fruit. Shun, shun, shun, shun. Yes. Um, but the truth is there's a lot of junk going on in the body of Christ. There's people going through divorce, there's people going through bankruptcy, there's people going through, you name it, they're going through, and they need people to cling to. They need people to hold on to um just as much as they need the Lord. Um, but the Lord has us here on earth to help them through that. And we need to be the kind of family that they can lean on and hold on to, and we'll sit there with them in the darkest hour and not say a word in judgment to them, other than I'll be here right here. I'm right here. Yep, I'm right here. You ain't wait, uh you you go down, you know, I go down with you. Yeah. Um, and that's uh that is a hard, hard friend to find. When you find it, you know it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. There's this fine line, too, you know, in what you're talking about, is especially if you've been through it, um, even though they can be your friend, there, and this can go both ways. And there's no like uh Yoda and Luke Skywalker and Mr.
Mentoring Honesty With God And Hope
SPEAKER_00Miyagi and Daniel's son, you know, um, but what can happen is when you've been there, when you've got there first and you've had to go through the garbage, uh, just like you know, uh when I went through my divorce, I sought you out for divide uh for advice because there were some lit similarities in our situations. And, you know, uh you didn't have to give a lot of advice, you just had to be there and let me know it was gonna be okay. And uh didn't have to be profound to be profound.
SPEAKER_01Well, it's it's like intermittent problems.
SPEAKER_00They're always intermittent. You didn't have to try and be profound, the fact that you were there and just listened and had a couple words, uh, you know, uh the the thing that Brother Frank had shared with us had prepared us both for that, you know, and and and I think we were also willing, if any one of us got to the point where maybe we were getting to the point of bitterness and all that, there was a soft, tender, corrective word uh to do that. But but what I found even with with the with friendship and brotherhood is that um sometimes you can end up mentoring somebody who's going get going through something you just went through. And and again, I mean I'm the master and you're the student. You know, it's not really like that, but like, hey, bud, just gone through this crap myself. Come here, let me show you. Um let me show you how to navigate these waters a little bit.
SPEAKER_01Trust me, the sun's gonna come up tomorrow, I promise.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, and uh so it's really, you know, in discipleship, we we probably have some mindsets there that aren't really applicable. Uh, but they um at the same time, um, you can end up mentoring each other as family, as as uh brother, and then guess what? The same person you were mentoring as a as a brother, as a friend, as a fellow believer, uh, they can end up mentoring you in a whole different area.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, sure can. Sure can. Add the Holy Spirit and all that. Oh man. And you've got a threefold cord that is not quickly broken. Um the Holy Spirit is is what binds all of that together. It's what uh it's what solidifies that, it's what makes your counsel righteous, it's what makes your counsel good and right. Um even if you're telling uh off-the-wall jokes, uh, you know, it's it's what uh it's what keeps it's what keeps you sane. Uh it's what maintains your sanity uh through all that. Um look at Job, man. Job dealing with his three idiot friends. Uh, you know, the the glorious thing with Job, even as he's even even as he's yelling at God, he never he never lost faith, he never lost his belief. He always maintained uh a true heart towards God. Um the fact that he turned to God and was talking to God is evidence of that. Um and we do that too. We get frustrated, we get our argumentative with God, we we turn to God, you know, there's probably a part of us that wants to know if he really knows what he's doing, because it don't feel like it. Uh some of us say it and some of us don't. Um, but we have a God that's gracious enough um to to know that and still want to love us in spite of that. Um, so yeah, the Holy Spirit, when the Holy Spirit is in all of that mentoring and all that counseling, all of that, all those conversations, um, that's how you know. That's how you know you're gonna come through it.
SPEAKER_00I was recently on episode uh, you know, talking about this on one of the episodes was I've seen these people coming up, these up and comers. You know, and but one of the things they they got right into, these are people that are influencing the world for Christ, and they're doing it in an unconventional way. Yeah. Uh, but when I hear them, I get so encouraged because their foundation is so much more solid than what you and I were going through. Uh, you know, when we started out, we're in the same boat. But one of the things that impressed me was their ability to get honest with God. Uh, one of the guys I heard, he was like, you know, uh, I had to get honest about being mad at God because, you know, uh they say you're a good guy, but now you're the God that took my grandfather. Or uh another guy had given up a business thing. Now the business would have destroyed his family. Yeah, but the Lord tells him to give it up, and he does, and he's expecting some fruit from it. Nah, buddy, I was just seed. You were just being obedient. Yeah. And he said he said he's mad and frustrated and dir near suicidal. And uh said, you know, I thought I think you're a bad father. And about that time when he finally got honest is when stuff all of a sudden started breaking out and it started revealing every bit of his character flaws and how God had had him the whole time and been keeping him. And I go, been there. I didn't use those exact words, but I go, man, as soon as I got honest with God, frustrations and all, then it's go, okay, now we can talk.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And man, I I think that voice is down in the bottom of every Christian at some point in time. Um, but we're scared to let it loose, we're scared to let it fly, because we've been told that God is a is a is you know is is a a God of wrath, and and he's uh you know you're supposed to fear the Lord and and all those things. And I won't deny any of that because those words are in the Bible.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, but I will say that I'm at a place now where the God that I used to see in the Old Testament is not the same.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, I see Jesus in the Old Testament now. Um Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. And so now when I see the Father, I I see Jesus, and man, that that rocked my world. That changed things a lot for me. Um that means that the father is the one standing, uh, you know, giving the sermon on the mount. Uh that means that's the father who's talking to the disciples in the upper room. That's the father who's doing all those things in the New Testament that we read about. Um, and that means that that's Jesus in the Old Testament, uh, all those things. So that really changed a lot for me, uh understanding that uh God is really not trying to play whack-a-mole with me, um, even though it certainly feels like it sometimes. That's that's my that's that's a flaw in my doctrine, not his.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, kept going back to uh the original Lord of the Rings, the fellowship of the rings were Bilbo Baggins. You know, you're trying to keep it from me, trying to, you know, he's got this ring. About the time old Gandalf makes some shadows crawl across the room, and his voice gets boom boom, he just lays it down. He's like, oh crap. He says, I'm not trying to rob you. Amen. Trying to help you. Amen. And man, that is exactly what God has been doing. About the time you go, God, what are you doing? He's going. Not trying to hurt you. Trying to help.
SPEAKER_01Just trying to help you. You just need to get out of my way.
SPEAKER_00Yep. We got to get you someplace where you need to be going. That's right. Amen.
Closing And How To Follow
SPEAKER_00Hey everybody, thanks for listening. We hope this challenges you and causes you to grow. You can always check us out at wofoyo.org or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Audible, or even check us out on YouTube. Remember, folks, if you're going to grow, you got a Wofo Yo. Get in the word for yourself.