From Lent To Wilderness: Finding Faith When God Feels Silent

In this episode, Josh and Debbie brave the elements—literally. With the office heater broken, we’re recording outside in the Florida "cold" to talk about a different kind of chill: The Wilderness Phase.

We often think spiritual dryness is a punishment or a sign that God has left the building. But what if the wilderness isn't about abandonment? What if it’s about preparation? Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, sometimes God strips away the noise and comforts to get us ready for the mission ahead.

We also breakdown the upcoming season of Lent, the real meaning of Shrove Tuesday (it’s more than just pancakes), and why "following your heart" is terrible advice when you're lost in the woods.

In This Episode:

• The "Icebox" Studio: Why we are recording outside and how distraction works.
• Theology of the Wild: The difference between wandering due to a lack of faith (Israel) vs. wandering for training (Jesus).
• Counseling Corner: Distinguishing between "Spiritual Dryness" and clinical depression.
• The "Shrove" Strategy: How to "clear the deck" of your heart before Lent begins.

The Challenge: The Pancake Summit. Before Ash Wednesday, sit down for a meal with your family (phones away!). Ask this question: "What is the one thing distracting us from God right now?"

Action Step: Pick Your Fast. Don't just pick something convenient. Choose one thing to "kill" for the next 40 days. Whether it's social media, sugar, or TV—pick a sacrifice that will actually cost you something, and use that space to seek God.

https://www.missionsent.org/

Transcript

Framing The Wilderness

SPEAKER_03 0:21

Welcome to another episode of practically Christian. In this episode, we are going to talk about how to survive in the wilderness. That's exciting. Okay, not like a survivor man, but as someone who has been lost in the woods many times. Um it sucks.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

You made it out.

Lent, Ash Wednesday, And Fasting

SPEAKER_03 0:42

And obviously, we were doing the episode, but but we're gonna talk about the wilderness. And and by wilderness I mean those times where your spiritual life just seems really dry and like God isn't there. Like he doesn't care. Now, if you're watching on YouTube or if you notice the audio sounds a little different, we are doing this episode outside. Right. Um, my office feels like an icebox. Um if you're not for you know, this is what the first week of February?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:16

And we've had snow in Florida twice now, which if you're not from Florida, it's not a very common occurrence. We are the sunshine state, not the snowy state.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

For a reason, and not because we have snow. And it is no, his office was colder. It's colder in his office than it is outside.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

Yes. The air conditioning in my office is broke and that's not fun. The heater makes it smell like the whole building's on fire, so but in the Christian calendar, we are heading into the season of Lent. Yep. And and for a lot of people, this is gonna be a grind, you know, because historically speaking, Lent is a time where for 40 days you fast.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

So it's like a reflection of don't listen to me. Don't listen to me.

SPEAKER_03 2:03

We're preparing, you know, for Easter, and part of that is is like getting your heart right. Yeah, and and duplicating Jesus' fast in the wilderness. Right. Which is why we're talking about the wilderness and fasting. Touche. Um, because they they really do go together. And and for some people it it's 40 days of just being miserable. Right. And it's funny because that's why Jesus tells the Pharisees, you know, or or tells not the Pharisees, he tells his disciples about the Pharisees. When you fast, do not fast, like the Pharisees.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Right.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

You know, who cover themselves with ash and and look miserable, but when you fast, fast in secret.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Because Ash one Wednesday is coming up.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

That's so when you're listening to this, this came out on Monday. Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday coming up. It's the 18th, and Ash Wednesda Wednesday is February 18th.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

Okay. And and that kicks off 40 days of Lent. Right. Which historically, like I said, is when we fast. Right. And the whole point of fasting, yes, is to prepare your heart. Is to, you know, deny yourself.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Empty yourself.

SPEAKER_03 3:09

And and you know, start to prepare your heart for Easter.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

So next Tuesday or the day before, Ash Wednesday is Shrove Tuesday.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

Which also knows I did research for this episode. This is the first time I've ever heard that.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

Pancake Day. Um, and it's when you empty the pantry of all the sugar and fat to prepare for the fast. Um, and then we're gonna, you know.

SPEAKER_03 3:32

Which is funny because who keeps fat in the pantry?

SPEAKER_02 3:35

We used to have Crisco in the pantry. That's fat. Well yeah, I guess. You know, lard. Yeah, but your grandmother had lard chip. Yeah, but everything with lard.

SPEAKER_03 3:43

But we keep like my brisket tremens and and stuff like that. That goes in the freezer.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Yeah, but we have the butter next to the stove in that container.

SPEAKER_03 3:52

And I never think about that as fat.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

You know, but that is that that's kind of goes with emptying the pantry of your heart and emptying yourself of all the things.

SPEAKER_03 4:04

It's hard.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Because, I mean, Jeremiah 17 shows us the heart is wicked and deceitful above.

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Of all things, yep.

SPEAKER_03 4:11

But yet in today's society, isn't that what we're told to follow? Follow your heart. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

And it's gonna lead you to some places that I don't think you necessarily wanted to go.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Nope, and then you will look back and go, uh-oh, I was being led by my emotions, my feelings. Oh, I struggle with that. I would have burned my my life away ten times over. Burn myself away. Literally, in the worst way, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

But in Matthew 4, it it does, it talks about Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness, right? Now, what I think a lot of people overshoot on this, right, in in the wilderness, is this in Matthew 3, we see the baptism of Jesus, right? And immediately after he's baptized, the Spirit leads him into the wilderness.

SPEAKER_00 4:58

Right.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

Now, most of us, when we think the wilderness, right, we think the woods, right? Which is wilderness.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

That's true, right?

SPEAKER_03 5:07

And and like I said at the beginning, you know, when you're lost in the middle of the woods, like if you look over there, and I know you can't see it if you're listening to this, but if you look right behind you, you can you can look. When you get into the middle of that, and it's all woods over there.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Right.

SPEAKER_03 5:22

When you get into the middle of that, everything looks the same.

SPEAKER_02 5:27

That's what I was gonna say, everything probably just looks exactly the same. And like when we go trail walking, I never know where we are. Yeah, I'm like, didn't we just pass this? You're like, nope.

SPEAKER_03 5:34

And and if you're not careful, it's very easy in those moments to get turned around and to get lost and and all of that. And and that's what most of us think when we think of the wilderness. The wilderness, right, right? And there is some theological nuance to that. Okay, however, throughout scripture, God uses the wilderness as like either a shedding away of things or a proving ground for your faith. Like you can look at it in both angles.

Jesus In The Wilderness And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_02 6:08

A proving ground or a pruning ground? Or both.

SPEAKER_03 6:11

Proving.

unknown 6:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:12

Because think about it.

SPEAKER_02 6:13

I didn't know, I just I wasn't sure.

SPEAKER_03 6:14

Like in the Exodus, right? You know, God miraculously, after 400 years of slavery, pulls his people out of Egypt, right? Out of slavery, out of bondage. Um, he he starts sending them to the promised land. They send out the 12 spies, all but two, Joshua and Caleb. They like the other ten come back and go, hey, the land's full of giants, we're like grasshoppers, we're never gonna be able to take this from them. Right. Joshua and Caleb are the only ones that that look at it and go, no, I mean, we got God with us. I mean, look at everything we just came through, we're gonna be just fine.

SPEAKER_02 6:49

In the wilderness.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

Right. Well, no, no, no, not in the wilderness. Like, think about it. All the plagues leading up to this, like Israel had to go through them too. So it wasn't just Egypt that was yeah, that sun goes behind the clouds, and but it wasn't just Egypt that experienced the plagues, it was Israel too, you know, and and and there's a lot in that. Like, I mean, I could really side into here, like that's a whole when we as Christians think that our life just needs to be cushy.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Right.

SPEAKER_03 7:20

Understand Israel experienced the plagues too, you know.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

But that but that also goes to bat theology, which is a whole is a whole other episode. 100%, and that's why I say that's a that could be way off.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

But anyway, when when you go into the wilderness, um so so what God does is is he goes, Hey, since you guys lack faith in me, you're gonna wander through the wilderness until an entire generation dies off.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

Because I want the people who who are gonna be like ready to in faith do the things that I'm putting in front of you.

SPEAKER_02 7:53

So he's training them, he's gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

And so he sends them into the wilderness for that whole generation to die off. Right, right. Now, Jesus going into the wilderness here in Matthew 4, it is the same kind of concept because he needs to shed, right, you know, and and really focus in, really lock in, as we would say, um, and and ready to get on this mission that he's about to do. Because think about it, like when you really stop and think about Matthew has 28 chapters, right? 25 chapters of Matthew are only a three-year period. Okay, so a lot of the Gospels, like half of the book of John only deals with only deals with one week. Okay. Like, we think about it because it's a long book, right? Right, but like again, you have 21 chapters in John, more than half of them only deal with one week of Jesus' life.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

Right, but it seems like a really, really long time.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

Right, but it's not you know, it's all of this stuff that's it's actually Passion Week, you know? And and again, what we see in the wilderness is is sometimes God deploys us to the wilderness not as a punishment, like we saw in Exodus, right, but as a a training ground for what's coming up.

Proving Ground Or Pruning Ground

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Like sometimes it's to silence the noise to get us ready to because we do have a lot of noise around us, whether it's work, home, all the things, and then we get busy, and I mean we've talked about it where it's like we're just it's like Groundhog Day over and over and over and over again, and then And for most of us that's what it is.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

It is and we're so distracted by the noise of everything around us.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

Where God's going, I'm gonna literally, and I mean that happened to us even like when we went through losing everything.

SPEAKER_03 9:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:40

You know, we were living this life and we were doing whatever we wanted to do, and it was all good. We had plenty of money, all the things, and God went, Oh, oh, you're too distracted. I gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

And the Lord knows I can get distracted really easy.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Easy, literally stripped us of everything. We had nothing. All we could do was listen to what God had to say.

SPEAKER_03 9:59

Like even recording this outside in comparison to my office. In my office, it's easy because there's only four walls.

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Oh yeah, you are literally in the house. You're dying out here. We're like, oh look at that, look at that, look at that.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

And I keep like looking around.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

You hear the noise and the cars and oh the tree, the the leaves blew a little bit. Oh yeah, you're dying on the inside right now. I know you are.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

And so sometimes, you know, God, you know, puts us into the wilderness to go strip to strip all that away. You know, again, when when we see Jesus going into the wilderness, obviously it's not because of lack of faith or any of that, but but the father sitting here going, hey, I'm gonna prepare you for this mission that's coming up.

SPEAKER_00 10:37

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:38

You know, even before you go on deployments, right? You know, in the military.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

Which I've never been, but I've heard plenty.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Yeah. Before you do like bivwack or anything, I'm well, not before you do, it is part of bivwack. You know, you're you're about to go on to deployment, right? They're like if you're training to go to Afghanistan, they're gonna send you to the desert here in America. Okay, and you're gonna live in the desert to prepare for going over there to the desert. And and it it's the same thing. Sometimes God's gonna put you in the wilderness to prepare you for what's about to come next.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

And we didn't we don't see what's coming next.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

And we saw that firsthand because there were times that we were going through things and we were like, what the heck? Like, what is happening? Oh yeah. And then years later, things were happening, and we talked where it was like, oh, so when that was happening, God was getting us ready because this is happening, and because we learned how to deal with this, this is easy. Or easier.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

Let's look at something stupid like work ethic. Okay. Okay. Not that work ethic is stupid, but I, outside of sports growing up, had a terrible work ethic. Like, I mean, I was not the hardest worker. Because especially like when it came to school and stuff like that, everything came easy to me.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Right.

SPEAKER_03 11:55

Right? And and so I didn't ever have to like work at it. It just was easy.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Right.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

So I didn't develop those good habits, I didn't develop all of those things to be a good worker.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 12:11

So when I got out of high school and decided I didn't want to go to college and I wound up working construction, I didn't have the opportunity to be lazy anymore.

SPEAKER_00 12:21

Right.

SPEAKER_03 12:22

You had to hump it. Right. And in in doing that, I developed a work ethic that I didn't have before.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Which prepared you.

SPEAKER_03 12:31

Which prepared me for the 60, 70, sometimes 80 hours a week that we're putting in now.

SPEAKER_02 12:37

Yeah, right now.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

And I go now, it's like, all right, let's keep going, keep going. This is just gotta get it done, yes. Right?

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Like, you know, and and there are plenty of people that have been like, what on earth? How do you guys do that? You just go and go and go and go, but they have they they never saw the before where you were just working 12, 15 hours, coming home, doing schoolwork, playing with the kids, doing all the and then and then you're doing it all over.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

I mean you're working 12 hour shifts, right? And my first 43 days out of training, yeah, I work straight without a day off. Right, you know, and it was like the hours now compared to that. And I go, and and but while we're going through it, it just sucks.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

It feels terrible, and you're like, God, are you like are you not near me? Like, are you far from me? Did I do something wrong? And a lot of times he's literally the closest to you that you could possibly imagine going, I'm gonna walk you through this because you have other stuff coming.

SPEAKER_03 13:30

I'm gonna walk with you through this, yeah. You know, because again, we don't see what's coming up. Right. God does. Right. God knows. And and sometimes he's gotta pull you away, strip you away from all of the other distractions in your life so that he can take a minute and go, okay, hold on, we gotta build you up.

Noise, Distraction, And Being Stripped Down

SPEAKER_02 13:49

And sometimes he's pulling you from idols, he's pulling you from, you know, busyness, he's because there is a danger in just being busy. Yeah. Just to be busy.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

And and it's sitting here going, you know, some of us we do like to just be busy for the sake of being busy, and that's not the that's not the wilderness like we're talking about.

SPEAKER_02 14:09

No. You know, or you're draining yourself out just to drain yourself out, because some people do that and because it makes them feel a certain kind of way. That's a dangerous game to play.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

And and but this is God strategically, you know, strategically, if you're watching on the video, we're waving to parents picking up kids after care. But strategically, what's happening is God separating you on purpose. Right. For a purpose. Right. And and you're not going to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

And you may not always know what that purpose is half when things know half the time you're going, what the hell? I mean, we've splent plenty plenty of times going, what is happening right now?

SPEAKER_03 14:51

And I'll be honest, like, this is one of the biggest things as a pastor, this is one of the biggest things you know I hear. Not not even the struggle. I mean, obviously you hear about struggles a lot. Right. But one of the biggest things I hear is is I don't feel God.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

Right.

SPEAKER_03 15:05

Where is God? You know, and you know, or God is silent, and and and I go, Sometimes he is. You know, and he may be silent for reasons because of, like bad reasons. Right. You know, like like again, you know, in scripture it says do not grieve the Holy Spirit, right? You know, so we can do that. And and I'm not saying that.

SPEAKER_02 15:30

That doesn't change what God's doing.

SPEAKER_03 15:33

No, right? No, but but again, you know, God disciplines those who he loves and and all of that. So so some of the silence could be from something like that, right? Like in the book of Job, like that's what his friends automatically assume, right? All of this stuff is happening to you because of something you've done.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

Right.

SPEAKER_03 15:51

Right? And and sometimes that may be the case. Right. However, just like in the book of Job, sometimes that's not the case. Sometimes it's to prepare, sometimes it's to get you in a position where you're open to hearing and and building. Right. Like again, you go work out, it hurts. Yeah, no pain, no gain. Right. Not that it should hurt.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

No, no, but you are gonna feel discomfort. You're gonna feel discomfort as you're growing.

SPEAKER_03 16:21

Right, because no pain, no gain.

SPEAKER_02 16:23

Right.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Why would it be any different in this? Spiritually. You know, we didn't get to the closeness we are now by going through nothing. Right. Right. You know, because you know how's the saying go, you know, diamonds are formed in the pressure, gold is refined in the fire. Right, right. Forged with fire or whatever. And and that's where I think we miss the boat because we don't want discomfort. We don't want any of this. And we think if we have it, then it's a bad thing.

SPEAKER_02 16:54

Right. And and and we think God's far from us and he's left us when it's like, nope, again, part of the process.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

Right. And and I get it, like, you know, you're praying, but it feels like you're hitting a ceiling, like like your words are just bouncing. I mean, how many times I've said this over and over and over throughout our life, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:11

Oh yeah, actually, there was a quite a while that you said that regularly. I feel like my prayers are just hitting the ceiling, come right back down. Yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 17:18

Because everything I would pray for, everything, you know, I I was sitting here trying, hey, God, you got the answer, I need you to open this. Well, and then you know, you start second guessing, and you're like, Right, did I really hear this right? Is is this what we're really called to do? Right. And I go, and sometimes God's not there. And and the easiest thing I could think of, like, as far as that goes, is sometimes like I'm working with JT doing something, our son, right? We're working on the car or whatever, and I'm just kind of watching what he's doing.

SPEAKER_00 17:49

Right.

When God Feels Silent

SPEAKER_03 17:49

Like, I know in my mind he forgot to put a part in, he's gonna get all of this stuff back together. And then go, oh and then I'm gonna go, what about that? You know. Now in that moment, he feels all that pressure because he's like, all of this is on me, right?

SPEAKER_02 18:05

When you're going, I'm here. Like, I'm here, I got you.

SPEAKER_03 18:08

And I'm gonna and I'm gonna tell you before you get too far.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

But now undo it and do it all over again.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

Right, and and sometimes that that's what's happening, you know, in our life. Like, you you just you feel like God's silent, but but again, and and I think it's John Piper that said it, you know, God may be doing 10,000 things in your life, but you may be aware of three. Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

You know, and it's like I do love that saying because it helps me on the days where I'm like, you gotta be kidding me. Even you know, now like stuff happens and I'm like, this is a joke. This can't be real. I get it.

SPEAKER_03 18:38

Yeah. Because sometimes you do. You feel dry, you feel empty, you you got nothing. And and here's what I tell people all the time. It's the same advice. But do the things you're supposed to do.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

Anyway, even when you don't feel it.

SPEAKER_03 18:55

You keep doing what you're supposed to do. Right. And you let your heart catch up with your head. Right. And it will. Even with like marriage and and stuff like that. Like, I don't, as shocking as this may be to people, I don't look at you every morning I wake up and just think the the stars in the heavens that we're together.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Right.

SPEAKER_03 19:16

You know? You know. The majority of mornings I do.

SPEAKER_02 19:19

And and right. Oh, I I I get it. Um, you know it, it's just you don't always feel it.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

But even when I don't feel it, I'm still gonna be the husband I need to be. Right. I'm called to be.

SPEAKER_02 19:30

You're not letting your heart dictate that moment. Right. You're going, I have this information, I already know this, you know, head on, and everything else can't be. Even as a parent with kids, sometimes you're like, those are mine, huh?

unknown 19:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 19:48

Well we just we just told JT that last night. Yeah. Sometimes you you look at them, and in the same moment, you're like, I could snatch your life, but man, my heart breaks for you too. And and it's a very conflicting.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Yeah, it's buried like a yep.

SPEAKER_03 20:01

And and that's why honestly, and and this is something I preach all the time, right? Like, sometimes we have to get rid of what we feel to hold on to what is real. Right. And and you know, because sometimes you're not gonna feel it. Sometimes feelings are are a terrible thing. We've been trying to understand them for thousands of years, and and we're still no closer now than we were then. Right. Like we don't even know where feelings originate. Right. You know, and and I go, so when we're led by that, that's a very dangerous place to be.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Right, and then that's not to be confused with depression. There's a real thing being sad, down, and frustrated because you feel like God's not listening to you or you're spiritually dry. Um, you always say, go see a doctor if there's something deeper.

SPEAKER_03 20:47

Look, doctors are a common grace given to us by God. Yep. Right? Be careful.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

Yep. Be careful with the doctor you go to, yep.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

But they are a common grace.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

You know, God has given people the ability to understand the human body better than others.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

Call the doctor and the pastor at the same time. Like talk to, you know, cover all parts.

SPEAKER_03 21:05

Right. And and no, I'm not talking about like clinical things, I'm talking about spiritual things right now.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Right.

SPEAKER_03 21:10

And spiritually, sometimes, yeah, you you do, you just have to put your head down and and keep it and just keep it. You may be in the wilderness. And and so one time I was hunting and and on the map, you know, it looked like it was a small little stretch, less than 500, like right around 500 yards. That's what it looked like from a trail through this thick, you know, woods to this big opening that that we really mean. I was out with, we went, There there's gotta be turkey over here. Um, you know, and and to get there, we just had to walk through, like I said, maybe 500 yards, which isn't that long.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Right.

Feelings Versus Faithful Practice

SPEAKER_03 21:52

And and so we were like, we could do this. So we got to the point in the trailhead. Both of us were in the military, both of us have gone through land navigation and And stuff like that. And and so we got to the point on the trailhead where we have to cut into the woods. And again, we're talking about 500 yards. You know. It took us six hours to get through to the other side. Because it was so thick? Not just because it was so thick, but just because I mean, yes, some of it was it was so thick and and you couldn't move. You know, you had to like it was a snail's pace. Um, but also because again, when you're in that, it's easy to get turned around and it's easy to get lost, and and try to try to stay on the straight narrow. Yes, and and the maps we were using were older, and and you know, things changed, especially out.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

Is that that day you came back like sopping wet, covered heads?

SPEAKER_03 22:47

It started raining on us, yep. It started pouring off.

SPEAKER_02 22:50

And you didn't find any turkey that day, did you?

SPEAKER_03 22:51

Threw my boots out because they gave me blisters and and you know came home barefoot. I do remember that thinking what of the world. It was horrible. And no, we didn't see any turkeys. Um, but what we did find is another trail.

unknown 23:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

That the next time we went out, we could walk straight to and now we have a trail. You know, and and it's like sometimes that's what you find in the wilderness.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

Right.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Is you find that other trail that you didn't even know was there. Right. It didn't appear on a map.

SPEAKER_02 23:19

You're like, oh, look at that.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

Yep. And and you know, that's that's what happens, you know, and then so you you said this word shrove.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

All right.

SPEAKER_02 23:28

Comes from shrive, which means to confess.

SPEAKER_03 23:31

I've like I said, I've never heard this word until I was doing the research here.

SPEAKER_02 23:35

So before we start the 40 days, uh you gotta clear the deck, um, which also means you can't use your weapon if it's jammed.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

What? That's in here?

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:48

Before we start the 40 days, we need to clear the deck. You can't start a new mission with a jammed weapon.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Yeah. It's true.

SPEAKER_03 23:53

It's not called clear the deck, though.

SPEAKER_01 23:55

I thought it was. No. I'm trying to think of my ROTC days.

SPEAKER_03 23:58

Clearing the deck is a navy term.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

I was in NJ R O T C. I could have been where I heard it.

SPEAKER_03 24:06

Yeah, but clearing the deck, like, again, when you're on an aircraft carrier, you clear the deck. Get everybody off the deck. Like right before a storm.

SPEAKER_02 24:15

I'll believe you, you were in the military, I was not.

SPEAKER_03 24:17

Like that's not. I mean, I don't know, maybe I know that was not that was not a in the army? That was not a an army thing when I was in, at least. Like I've never heard that.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

It would make sense to be.

SPEAKER_03 24:33

Make your weapons safe, like I've heard that a lot.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

I mean it would make sense to we're gonna get off on a tangent, continue.

SPEAKER_03 24:38

But, you know, and then we're gonna talk about the fast before the feast. Oh, sorry. No, the feast before the fast.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Right.

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Um, so before we get to Lent, we have what's called Fat Tuesday, which is funny because the other day Kayla and I were talking about this. I didn't know what Fat Tuesday was. But it's a it's the party before the fast. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 24:58

Um That's on trope to it. I personally do not agree with doing that. Yeah, with that's gluttonous. Not just it's gluttonous, although it is gluttonous. Um I don't agree with that approach. Um because, and and this is what we all think, right? If I could just get this out of my system, this will be easier.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_03 25:25

Nothing you do beforehand is going to make this part easier.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

No.

SPEAKER_03 25:29

It's just not. Right. You can gorge yourself, like you can go to a buffet, you can do all the things like you go to a buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, right? It's still not gonna help come day 15. Right. Day 16. You know, the first part of any fast is easy. That first week, you're like you're all hyped up and stuff like that. It's not until you know you hit day five, six, seven, eight that your blood sugar is down. Well, and and all of a sudden now is when it takes work, right? Because you don't have this goal to hold on to anymore.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

And you don't have anything stored up in you.

Shrove Tuesday And The Purpose Of Fasting

SPEAKER_03 26:00

Right. You've you've been emptied. Right. Now you're gonna have to put all this work into it. And and that's where that's the whole point of the fast is when you get to that point, right? What are you focusing on? Are you focusing on you know, and there's a lot of different types of fast, right? You know, some people are gonna fast from electronics, some people will fast from social media, some people will fast from food, you know. There's all these different things. Um the whole point of it is to give up something that is actually a sacrifice for you.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

Right.

SPEAKER_03 26:30

Right? So, like for me to go, hey, I'm gonna sacrifice or I'm gonna, you know, fast from social media. Dude, I could do that with my ass closed, it's not gonna be a problem.

SPEAKER_02 26:37

We did the uh food fast.

SPEAKER_03 26:39

Like I fasted from social media and it wound up going like five years.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:43

So I go.

SPEAKER_02 26:44

Or it was the the meat fast, fasting for meat where I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 26:47

So for me, I right. Where for me that was very hard. Right. Because you know, I'm a meat and potatoes kind of guy, you know.

SPEAKER_02 26:53

But I was like, yay, more salads.

SPEAKER_03 26:56

Um, you know, and and I go, and that's where that's where it comes in though, right? Is when you hit that point, it really shows you a who your God is, right? B what are you going to choose to focus on? And this is where we get things wrong because it is a choice.

SPEAKER_02 27:13

Right.

SPEAKER_03 27:13

You can focus on how miserable you are.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

And if you do, you're going to be more miserable.

SPEAKER_02 27:19

Yep. And then you're gonna make the people around you miserable. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

And they'll be like, man, I don't want to be around him or I but in those moments where you're sitting here going, hey, I want to log on and see, you know, who's saying what, I wanna, you know, eat a nice juicy steak. You know, I want this, I want this, I want this. If in those times you go, hey, no, no, no, I want the Lord and I'm gonna go pray, right, you're gonna find much more contentment in that than simply And as you communicate with your creator, he's going to communicate with you.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Right.

SPEAKER_03 27:48

And I think people that like going through a fast have really completely transformed their life and and found things that they never even knew they were looking for, which is the crazy part.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Right.

SPEAKER_03 27:58

You know, because again, in those moments where I'm actually seeking Jesus, because let's be honest, for the most part, we don't seek Jesus. Right. He he is just kind of an add-on.

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:08

You know, and it's when we choose to focus and choose to shut all this stuff off and choose to fast and choose to seek. Right. And this is why Jesus says, if you seek me, you will find me. Find me. Right. Right? Like, because you you have to seek.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:24

You know, we just want to kind of lay back and go on cruise control and get all the things. Right, and that's not that's not how it works.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

No.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

So this week we have two assignments.

SPEAKER_01 28:32

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 28:33

I'm not doing number one.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

Well, we could.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

I hate pancakes.

SPEAKER_02 28:39

Well, we could do it with the other stuff on the side.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

Like bacon and eggs.

SPEAKER_02 28:43

And I can make a hearty, like, whole grain pancake. It's like really thick and dense.

SPEAKER_03 28:49

Here's the deal. On Tuesday night.

SPEAKER_02 28:51

The 17th.

SPEAKER_03 28:52

Okay, tomorrow. Which I know it's not tomorrow while we're recording this, but tomorrow, eat dinner as a family.

SPEAKER_02 28:59

Yep. And and pancakes if you like them.

SPEAKER_03 29:02

And that yeah, I'm not doing the pancake challenge. I don't I don't like pancakes. It's because me and my brother used to like compete and who could eat them, and and now it's just like, no. I'm seeing it. I could give up bread with no problem.

SPEAKER_02 29:15

I didn't have pancakes growing up.

SPEAKER_03 29:16

Yeah, I could give up bread, no problem.

SPEAKER_02 29:18

We had toast, refried beans, and eggs.

SPEAKER_03 29:21

This week, okay, Tuesday, tomorrow, February 17th. Sit down with your family, a eat eat a meal together. You should be eating dinner together as much as possible anyway.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

It could be through a drive-thru meal dinner if it has to be.

SPEAKER_03 29:34

Eat dinner together and really talk to each other and go, hey, what is it that keeps you from God?

SPEAKER_02 29:39

And when you're eating dinner, put all your phones away.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Get away from anything that's gonna distract you.

SPEAKER_03 29:44

But but what is the one thing that is distracting us from God? And go through each person in your family so everybody has something.

SPEAKER_00 29:52

Right.

SPEAKER_03 29:52

And then number two, pick your fast. Now, in my notes it says don't just give up chocolate, that's rookie. Hey, if you are a chocolate holic though, that may be what you need to give up.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

Right.

SPEAKER_03 30:06

You know, and and you know, if if you're addicted to social media, give it up.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Give that up, yep.

SPEAKER_03 30:11

You know, if you're you know sitting here going, hey, I don't know what else to give up, give up TV, give up food, not all food, you know, fast. If you're gonna fast, fast responsibly.

SPEAKER_00 30:22

Right.

Choosing A Sacrifice That Actually Costs

SPEAKER_03 30:23

You know, don't go from I eat 10,000 calories a day to I drink nothing but water. You know, that's gonna have some bad effects health effects. Right. You know, but find something, pick one thing to kill for the next 40 days starting on Wednesday. Right. You know, and if you're sitting here going, hey, I can't do 40 days, do seven, do 20, do do 20, you know. I know a lot of churches do 20 days. 21 days, yep, you know, of fasting and prayer, and and you know, but but give up something.

SPEAKER_02 30:51

And it can be a I'm gonna fast from dusk till dawn or dawn to dusk or whatever your schedule looks like.

SPEAKER_03 30:56

But don't no, now hold on. Don't make it too easy where like it's convenient.

SPEAKER_02 31:02

No, no, but like I go, if you're doing a food fast where you're not giving up a food in particular, but you're going, I'm gonna fast and pray, like you can do like a 12 hour shift and then you eat from these these few hours.

SPEAKER_03 31:14

Right. But don't the whole point isn't to make it convenient. No. It's it's to be sacrificial.

SPEAKER_02 31:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:21

So until next episode, we love you guys. We thank you.

SPEAKER_02 31:25

Can't do this without you.

SPEAKER_03 31:26

Bye guys.