The Worship and Leadership Podcast
Real conversations on worship, leadership, and living a faith-filled life beyond the platform. Hosted by leaders from LifePoint Church, this podcast is here to inspire, equip, and challenge you—whether you’re leading in ministry, in the marketplace, or just learning to lead yourself well.
The Worship and Leadership Podcast
Rest Without Guilt
What if the most powerful thing you do for your leadership and your worship is stop? We dive into a rich, scripture-driven conversation about rest that starts in Genesis 2—where God finishes His work and blesses a day—and winds through Psalm 127, John 15, Exodus 16, and Matthew 11. Along the way, we challenge the myths of hustle culture, name pride and fear for what they are, and rediscover rest as a gift the Father enjoys giving, not a luxury reserved for when life slows down.
With real stories, simple practices, and a few much-needed laughs, we chart a path toward “unforced rhythms of grace.” If you’re tired of feeling guilty for slowing down, or unsure what Sabbath looks like in your season, this conversation will help you trade striving for trust and find a rhythm you can keep.
If this encouraged you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a quick review so more people can discover a healthier pace built on God’s presence.
Hey, what's going on, everyone, and welcome to the Worship and Leadership Podcast. My name is Elmer Gunyons Jr., and I'm excited that we get to spend this time together. And thank you for taking the time to join us on YouTube, on Spotify, Apple Music, wherever you're watching and listening from. And like always, we got Willie C. Simpson, the second.
SPEAKER_01:Yo, what is going on, everybody? I'm excited to be here. Come on.
SPEAKER_04:Shambadi. Come on. You need a t-shirt that says come on shambadi. Gotta have it. Come on, Shambadi. How do you spell kummer shambadi?
SPEAKER_01:It's C apostrophe. M-O-N. S-S-H-O-M-E. Shambadi. Shambadi. B-O-D-Y. Shambadi.
SPEAKER_04:Shambadi. Shambadi.
SPEAKER_03:And we got some amazing guests. We really do.
SPEAKER_01:In the room. I'm excited. So we have the often imitated, never duplicated Joy Fountain. Yeah. Miss Emily Himes in the building. Hello. So good to see you, M.
SPEAKER_04:Say that again.
SPEAKER_01:She has such a distinctive way she says hello. Like it's all, you know it's her.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:And super excited, man. We got one of the VIPs in the building. I always tease her. I say she's Jesus' little sister. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Yes. I just listen. I want to be, listen, I want to stand next to her when she meets Jesus. I can say, hey, listen, I'm with her.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. No, her light will shine bright enough.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:You won't even be seen.
SPEAKER_01:I won't be seen in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_03:How'd you get in here?
SPEAKER_01:Hey, who lets you in? Hey, combo plan. Combo plan. I got the friends and family discussion. Y'all giving up for Miss Signon.
SPEAKER_08:Glad to be here.
SPEAKER_01:Oh man. I'm excited, Miss Simon have you here.
SPEAKER_08:Thank you, Pastor Willie. I love you.
SPEAKER_01:Love you too. So much. So today. You're blushing. I am. You made a black man blush. My lord.
SPEAKER_08:Let's go. I love Pastor Elmer and Emily too. Thank you. And they know it. Oh, yes. Yes, we do. We do.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, we know it.
SPEAKER_01:And we love you too, Mission.
SPEAKER_00:Very much so.
SPEAKER_01:She said she loves me first. So today, we are talking about healthy rhythms of rest. Come on. Now, for some of you listening today, the word rest is like a cuss word. For some of you, the word rest engenders feelings of anxiety and a little bit of PTSD. You're like, rest, what is that? And so today.
SPEAKER_00:I always wonder what happened.
SPEAKER_03:Sorry, I had the button.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, where's the button? You're ready today.
SPEAKER_01:We're gonna talk about and how you better make sure that you don't or else you no. So I wasn't ready for that at all. That was awesome. So today we we want to talk about God's design and desire for rest. We don't like thinking of that, that God has a design and a desire for rest.
SPEAKER_03:And there's a there's this thing, and I can just hear people like, man, you guys talk about this a lot about rhythms and rest. And it's important because we are talking about leadership and a lifestyle of worship on this podcast. Right. And rest is very much a part of number one, being a child of God, and we're gonna talk about all that, but in order to be effective in what we're called to as children of God, right, and husbands and wives, and all these things and leaders, rest is one of the most important things that we as a society struggle with, and even applying it to our daily, weekly rhythms, and so that's why we're gonna talk about it again and more in depth. And so we're gonna do it.
SPEAKER_01:Come on, we're gonna do it in Jesus' name. So, you know, again, I if if you've been tuning in for a while, you know that we love to always start with high view theology. If if if this is your first episode, again, this is a uh a faith-based, faith-based like Mike Tyson there, faith-based, faith-based, Christ-centered podcast. It's biblically oriented. So we're gonna start with overarching theology of rest. So let's look at God's word, and we're gonna look at the book of Genesis whenever we talk through rest. We're gonna look at the book of Genesis starting in chapter two. And I love this because again, God, he's the model. He's the one, again, he designed it and he desires it. So this is Genesis chapter two. This is talking about the creation narrative, the creation story. Verse 1, thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Genesis chapter 1, that details the order of creation, how God does it. And then look at verse 2. And on the seventh day, God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Verse 3. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. So, what we have to first understand, okay, is that God is a worker. So that's why we work. Labor is not sinful. Labor is good and righteous and holy and kingdom-oriented, it's good for us. But we also can see that God had rhythms, God finished the work. So at some point in time, we have to see ourselves as finishing and completing work, whatever the work is. And then lastly, we see that God rested. Now, I it's interesting again for us as Christians to think of God needing to rest because the Bible says he doesn't sleep nor slumber. He is eternal, he is always awake and always watching. The Bible says he's always working in our lives. You're like, well, what do you mean? Well, God didn't rest because he was tired, exhausted, or fatigued. He rested because, hear me, the work was finished, the job was done. And also, he is resting as an example for us to follow. We have rhythms of work and rhythms of rest. And like you said, that's why it's like you said, Pastor Roman, that's why it's a lifestyle. Because we have rhythms of work and rhythms of rest. So, ladies, I'll start with you, Miss Sonia. Can you just kind of walk us through why it is so important for us as believers, as followers of Christ, to seek to emulate God's example that He has set for us in regards to rhythms of work and rest.
SPEAKER_08:I believe it's important to know that every boundary God invites us to live within is a good and healthy boundary, first and foremost. Yes. But it's not just here in Genesis chapter two, we also see that Jesus modeled it even in the New Testament. And I know we'll get there. Yeah. So I believe that if Jesus, who was fully God, fully man, who did not really need to rest, but he was still human and chose to rest because he was modeling it for the disciples that were with him, that it's still important for us to employ some of that rhythm even now for us. But it will serve us well.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:To embrace it. If God valued it, we need to value it.
SPEAKER_05:Right.
SPEAKER_08:And we need to rest. Whether we consider it a bad word or not, it's healthy. And I think I want to real, you know, for us to really consider rest helps us be more healthy. And not just physic physically speaking, but spiritually speaking, so that we're more tethered to God more closely. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01:That's good. So Emily, why do you think we as human beings struggle with the idea of resting?
SPEAKER_00:I think that it is selfish motive, selfish behavior. I think it is, I think our culture teaches us that rest is not good, which is totally a trick of the enemy of trying to confuse us, distort us in in thinking that you're wasting your time. You know, no, nobody wants to waste their time. And I think that we get a little confused on what rest looks like. And I and I I think that's why we have an issue with it, is just because we think that we're wasting our time doing it and it's not serving a purpose. And clearly in scripture, it serves a big purpose. And so I I think I think us as humans, as creatures, especially in America, we have the hustle mentality, and that's it's okay to hustle, but it's also commanded for us to rest too, and that's okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So good.
SPEAKER_03:That's good. Yeah. Uh Sonia, when you were talking about when you were mentioning what you're mentioning, I I was just the word workaholic just came to my mind. And and funny story, my we were at, we were doing a pastoral care appointment, my wife and I with a couple, and my mother-in-law was in town, and so she she came along with us. It was a like a dinner, and while we're at dinner, she starts telling them, Yeah, yeah, my son-in-law used to be an alcoholic. I'm like, no, no. I was like, mom, no, a workaholic.
SPEAKER_04:And she's like, Oh, yeah, that it was funny.
SPEAKER_03:But the couple that were like, What?
SPEAKER_08:Okay, we learned something like that.
SPEAKER_03:That's a revelation. No, but just going back to workaholic, it it's I can't I can't just shake this off that you think of alcoholics, you know, just people that are tied to addictions, it's it's something that has a grip over you, it's a stronghold over your life. And so the reason God modeled rest is because it's something that we get to do, and it's something that we we produce. It doesn't have a grip on us. So good. It's like like God's the creator as creatives, like you know, when I'm working on music, I have to, I have to feel the music, I have to feel where it's going. I can't let the music lead me in a sense, or else you'd never get anywhere. You kind of hit this wall. Yeah. And so you you really have to uh when you're creating, have a sense of control over the content versus the content having control of you. But I'm sorry, I'm talking about songwriting, but when you're writing songs in the context of church, let's say, and the content is controlling me because I want I need to write for the for revenue, you know, because I'm trying to make money, I need to write to impress people, I need to write because other people are doing it. Yeah, now that has control over my creativity. When God made me the creator, and so when I'm able to write because I'm inspired, when I'm motivated, there's a pure motive to it, it has a different outcome, and it doesn't have control, and it's a lot more satisfying. I know people that write songs like hundreds of songs a week, and and it's become a job. They've gone from it something that was an art to something that now is their actual job. And so I think a lot of us have enjoyed even in ministry, yeah. We enjoy coming into ministry because it's so natural, but then it becomes a job because now the work itself takes a grip and it's we're bound to the work, yeah, versus we do this because we get to serve, we get to work, you know, and and and that's why God models rest because it's he's showing us as God the creator, right? Creation does not have a stronghold on him. That's good. And if it doesn't have that on him, like we can't. So that that term workaholic, it's somebody that's just for many reasons. If it's guilt, I I gotta keep working, you know, because I grew up with nothing. And so guilt, shame, whatever is driving that, that, you know, that drive, you know, if if you can't put it down and have control over it and let it submit to you and surrender it to the Lord, like that's a problem.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know, that's the word pride keeps coming into my head. Yes, is every everything that you're talking about is pride and pride and pride, pride, all of the things. And and honestly, the times that I know that I haven't stopped to rest, it was because I thought I was the only one that was capable of doing literally fill in the blank. And that's pride. Yeah, that's selfishness of me. That's that's very prideful of me thinking that I mean, that first and foremost, God can't. Right. And so I just every everything you're saying, just pride really just kept kept coming back to me.
SPEAKER_08:I think as Pastor Elmer was speaking, I it really gave me a different view, even of Matthew 4, when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, right? That's why none of it had a grip on him. That's why he could tell the enemy it is written and keep moving forward because he was not subject to it. That it he understood who he was and just chose not to. And I believe that as Christ followers, we have to remember who we are first and foremost. No matter how successful we may be in whatever arena we may find ourselves employed or the busyness of family life, we are God's sons and daughters first.
SPEAKER_03:Ooh, I got goosebumps. Yeah, it didn't affect Jesus. Yeah, that's good. I like how you said that. Because his satisfaction was found in his obedience to the Father, not in the food that he created. Yeah, yeah. Even as a farmer, you can create the food, but your satisfaction is not in eating it. It's in I got to grow that.
SPEAKER_01:That's right. Yeah, I love how you you again he used the word. Yeah, and that's why he was able, he said it is written, hey, listen, so again, the word is there's wisdom there. Hey, devil, the lies aren't gonna work because I know the truth. And that does make me think through, which is it's funny, it's one of my favorite songs. And and because of my dear sister Sonia, I've really learned to cherish the message translation because it just it the word just comes alive in a new way. And Psalm 127 does speak to that very thing that y'all just all kind of just uh discussed in the pride aspect, and so Psalm 127, the the the starting of verse 1, and this is gonna be in again in the message translation, verse 1 he says, if God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. Useless work. It's pointless. He said it's pointless. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap. So you could have a hundred security officers out there, they might as well all be asleep because the Lord's not over it. Then he says, It's useless to rise early and go to bed late and work your worried fingers to the bone. And here it is, when I talked about design and desire, don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?
SPEAKER_08:Yes, man.
SPEAKER_01:So good, just so power packed, so rich. It's usel, which means you can have all the talent, all the creativity, all the productivity. And if the Lord is not setting the pace, it is useless. You could have everything buttoned up and tightened up. You can have the best of the best, like that is available. And if the Lord is not the one watching over it, all of that, they it they might as well be asleep. And then he says it's futile to be productive to the point of fatigue and exhaustion, and then just a beautiful bow on it. He enjoys. Can I just remind you all that are listening and watching today? Your Heavenly Father enjoys giving you rest. You don't have to beg him for it. You don't have to convince him to give you rest. He enjoys doing it. It's okay. We just kind of unpacked that. Just that, I mean, it's so rich. So Miss Say, I'm gonna throw it to you. Because again, I I I love the message translation because you got me on board with it. Thinking through that.
SPEAKER_08:So much of what you said is stirring in a in so many ways. But I was really thinking about John 15, verse 5. Yes, the latter end of that where Jesus is saying, Apart from me, you can do nothing. And a lot of times we struggle with that because we can really do a lot.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_08:But when we are doing it apart from God, even when we are considering rest, it means absolutely nothing. What shall it profit us to gain the whole world, to be able to do all the things, have a jam-packed schedule and lose our souls?
SPEAKER_05:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Because we are not connected, we're not at rest, we're striving. God has invited us to do life with him. And when I read through the gospels, I slow read quite often just over and over, and I love that it keeps Jesus before me. Never ever once do I see that he's his calendar was so full or his pace was so fast that he couldn't be interrupted, that he wasn't gentle, even when he had to have firm conversations and say direct things to the religious people of the day, he was at peace. That's what rest affords us a full and abundant life. The tail end of John 10 10. It starts with rest realizing we get to cease from all the striving culture invites us into. As you said that, Emily, I thought Romans 12, too, because it's so true. Yeah, we're conditioned early on that we have to strive and prove and earn and maybe even step on somebody else's. We're trying to climb up the ladder.
SPEAKER_06:Right.
SPEAKER_08:But that is not God's design. We get to rest and trust in his ability to guide us. Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need, and the shepherd knows when we need to rest. And we dare to allow him to cause us to lie down in green pastures, and that it can be just being with him, being still and being present so that we really come back to what's true. I have all that I need. And all of this whirly earthly stuff doesn't have to have a grip on me. So good, Pastor Elmer. Praise the Lord. That's a tension point.
SPEAKER_03:Come on. I I think some of the most refreshing moments in my life have been doing some of the most challenging things with God. And I love photography, I love hiking, I love outdoors, and as a family, it's been it's been some of the most amazing memories that we've had, just you know, going out and exploring creation. And it's hard. Yeah. And you sweat, and like you, you, you know, you're sore after, you know, if you don't do it all the time. And are you chunky like me? You know, and then and but it's it's incredible the how refreshing it is to our souls, like our kids at a young age, they they've just fallen in love with like where are we gonna go now? Right, you know, and and and resting isn't just I think we said it earlier, it's not just taking the nap. Yeah, it's great. There's there's a place for that, you know, take a nap. If we lived in Spain, we'd be taking a nap right now. Right now, yes, then, you know, and and there's a place for that, but but resting in in the Lord comes in many ways, and like you just said, like finding satisfaction in him, in how, you know, I think that's a good question. You had a few questions on what's right, what's wrong.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I was just you know posing the question because I think a lot of people get confused on what rest is, and you know, we have the word sabbath, and I think that that can be a can be coined as a big churchy term, however, I I think it's accurate that we need to know how to actually participate in a Sabbath, in a rest day. So can y'all kind of deep dive into what Sabbath is and how God wants us to rest?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Come on, somebody.
SPEAKER_04:That means he's thinking.
SPEAKER_00:He's thinking.
SPEAKER_01:So so in Exodus 16, kind of just starting there, in Exodus 16, this is where God is really, through Moses, being prescriptive and descriptive on what the Sabbath is. So this is on the back side of God rescuing Israel out of Egypt. And so, you know, there's listen, because there's work ahead of them. He's like, You're gonna make your way to the promised land, but it's gonna be a trek. And so he's talking to them in the context of provision, namely manna. Okay, so that he's you know, he's given them meat, and now he's going to give them manna. And so I'm gonna start at verse 15. He says, When the people of Israel saw it, the manna, they said to one another, What is it? That's what the word manna literally means, what is it? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, It is the bread of the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded. Verse 16, gather of it each one of you as much as he can eat. You shall take an omer, which is a measurement, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent. And the people of Israel did so. They gathered some, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, everyone had enough, basically. Everybody had enough. And Moses said to them, Let no one leave it over to the morning. But they didn't listen, and then it got worms. And on verse 21, morning by morning they gathered it each as much as they could eat. When the sun grew hot, it melted. Verse 22, on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, said to them, This is what the Lord has commanded. Verse 23, Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake, and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. So they lay it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink, as there were no worms in it. Moses said, Verse 25, eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field. Verse 26, six days you shall gather. But on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none. So, prescriptively, God is letting Israel know six days you're gonna have all that you need. For six days. And on the sixth day, you'll be you'll gather twice as much. And so God is so committed to them resting, I will give the opportunity to gather twice as much on the sixth day, sixth day, because tomorrow there will be none. So it's like I'm gonna force you to rest. So you can see the Sabbath, it's an act of mercy and love from God to his people. He's so committed, he's like, I'm gonna make sure. And remember, the Lord said, You're gonna gather twice as much. All the other days, he was like, eat it, don't leave any because it's gonna rot and stink. But on that sixth day, it won't rot or stink because it's gonna carry over through the Sabbath. So he's it he's speaking in terms of provision, he's speaking in terms of satisfaction. You all had said earlier to be satisfied, muchness. So let's pull that forward today. None of us are eating manna, but we still have provisional needs.
SPEAKER_07:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:And those provisional needs are not just physical, they are spiritual, emotional, and mental. And so can we now enter into that same rest and say, okay, Lord, I can pause on labor because in you I find that rest. In you I get this manna, and it won't rot, it won't stink, the worms won't, they won't foul it up.
SPEAKER_08:Pastor Willie, can we just look remember who he was speaking to? Yes, they were God's people.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_08:But they had been enslaved.
SPEAKER_02:That's right.
SPEAKER_08:All they knew was work. Was work.
SPEAKER_02:That's right. That's right.
SPEAKER_08:I mean harsh treatment.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:And so we have to be willing to unlearn unhealthy rhythms so that we can learn what's good for us. Amen. Because even when God gave them clear directives on the manna, they didn't trust him. Nope. They tested him, right? Yeah, we're gonna start.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we're gonna keep pushing forward. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:And guess what happened?
SPEAKER_01:The camp sunk. That's right. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_08:They had to learn too that they could trust God. And I believe that we can do the same today. I I love that you said that. God knows what we have need of. He's blessed us with jobs and the passion for careers that we, you know, get to, I'm gonna say serve in, because I pray that that's what we're choosing to do, working as unto God, letting it be worship for him so that we are available for him to reflect himself through us to others. Right. That it's not just about the paycheck, yeah, you know, that we get, but that we really see my God is supplying all of my needs, therefore I can trust him. So then it releases the tension or pressure to hold it tight.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_08:To allow it to have a grip on us. I love that, Pastor Elmer, because that is the tension because culture has conditioned us. And maybe we have family and friends that live in that vein and appear to be very successful because of the rhythm of life that they have. But God does not want us exhausted. Right. Pastor Mike and Pastor Stephanie really lead us well, even as they're talking about family and extracurricular activities, which are great. Right. But if our calendars are chalked full, we are being sifted of time with family that we can never get back. We may be at an event, but we're not fully present. Right. So we have to become wise in how we say yes to things so that there is margin to rest. I love what Pastor Elmer said. His family enjoys his children now are excited where we're going next. Right. Because he's they've exposed them to that and it's created a desire, and they get to see the goodness of God because of it. That's intentional.
SPEAKER_02:We have to be intentional about resting. Yes.
SPEAKER_00:I'm so glad you said margin. Margin. Yes. I hung on to that word that you said margin, because God is so intentional with what he gives us that he created margin on the front end for his children to be able to do it.
SPEAKER_08:So good.
SPEAKER_00:What are we gonna do with our time? Are we gonna create margin back to him? Like that is I I hung on to that margin. So it's like, what are you going to do? He gives it to you already. It's already been given to you.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I think that's I think that's that's what it is. He's you already have it.
SPEAKER_08:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:You already have the capability of resting. What now? What are you gonna do?
SPEAKER_08:I love that, Emily. Because how many times have you heard, oh, I wish we had more hours in a day?
SPEAKER_00:Me too. Yep.
SPEAKER_08:Now we're telling the creator, right? Yes, you didn't give us enough.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:Like, yes, he has. And he's given us margin.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:On my on my Google Calendar, because I have everything on my calendar. And it shows you on the side, uh, so I color code every different activity, leave it's family, ministry, you know, and different meetings and stuff. And I even I even put in my sleep. It's crazy. Like, even if I don't sleep that time, but I I put it in this is when I should be asleep. And all of that because uh Google, if you open up the the sidebar, at the bottom it shows you how many hours you spend doing what. And and there's some weeks where I'm like, man, I've done nothing but meet with people, or like, or just you know, worked on production stuff, and and I get to really gauge based on the hours that I actually put in. And regardless of how much work I've done, there's so much more time that I've not done anything, and or time that you know I've slept. I probably slept more than anything, like just you know, even if I didn't go to sleep. Yeah, and and so when to your point, we we feel like we don't have time when there's really a lot of time, yes, but because we're so anxious to to do things and get things, the results that we want, and and to feel satisfied in the things that we want. Yeah, you're never gonna find the satisfaction. Yeah, you know, the word anxiety is thrown around a lot, and I'm real cautious with that because there are people I I understand that they go through anxiety, it's a real thing. Right. And then there's those that have naturally it's a consequence of of their poor choices. And so now they're now they're like stressing out, they're freaking out. Yes, but and so they're and they're calling it anxiety and they they get medicated, all these things, but it's just a lack of of taking care of your time management and all these things, right? Yes, and so and so some of the pressures and the stresses that we feel in life are self inflicted, yeah, because we we've we've failed to recognize that we're we're trying to satisfy ourselves, yeah. By by chasing and pursuing things that are not gonna satisfy us. Yes. And And I know we get to do ministry, we we get to serve people. This it's not easy, but it is satisfying in the sense that we're serving the Lord, we're serving God's people. Yes. And not everyone gets that opportunity, you know, to do it as as the way we do it. Right. Um, there's people in the marketplace and different types of you know careers. And you can find satisfaction in that when you surrender the purpose of it to the Lord. Yes. And so you you might be like, but I'm not doing what I want to be doing. I'm an artist and I'm over here doing construction. But when you surrender your daily purpose and your life to the Lord and you carry your cross daily, your satisfaction is not in the work, it's in Christ Himself. Yeah. And so everything that you're doing, all of a sudden has a different purpose.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Like everyone you encounter, it's it's not just another person, it's another opportunity to serve, to be the light in dark places. That's right. And so when when you your purpose is to be the person God's called you to be, regardless of position, title, what you're doing, the physical work, right? None of that matters because your satisfaction is in Jesus. Right. Easier said than done. Sure. But but then again, that that helps with a lot of the the tension and the stress and the self-inflict inflicted anxiety that that we deal with. And so when it comes to resting, it's we talked about it yesterday on the podcast. Reevaluate where you're investing yourself and what are the things that you're pouring yourself. Where where's my money going? Where's my time going? All of those are good practices. And let somebody else speak into your life. Like, man, yeah, you spent a lot of time on the television, watching, you know, watching television, you know, Dr. Phil and Maury and like all them things. You are not the father. You know, so I think I think self-evaluation is also important. Yes. To be able to move forward in an honest way. Honestly, that's it. That's that's it.
SPEAKER_08:Romans 12.3. No justifications, no rationalizations, yeah. Honest.
SPEAKER_01:Honest evaluation. Yeah, that's yeah, Romans 12.3.
SPEAKER_00:And honestly, I think it's difficult to get there without resting in our father and allowing him to absolutely like so it's it's that double-edged sword of it's it's honestly impossible.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, what think of a sinner, like with someone that comes to the Lord for the first time, right? I'll say that we've all sinned. They they they don't understand forgiveness immediately. So they come to church for the first time, they're like, There's no way I could be forgiven of my past. This is what I've done. I carry all this baggage, all this stuff. So they don't understand resting in the Lord and his grace and his forgiveness and his mercy until it's it's exposed. Yes, it's exposed. I think it's the same thing with with the rhythm of rest, yeah. Until it's exposed. We don't get it.
SPEAKER_08:Yeah. Can I read something? And I'm gonna stay right in the message translation. Let's go. And I'm gonna read out of Matthew chapter 11. I believe we're very familiar with these verses, but I believe it ties right into what Pastor Elmer and Emily were just saying. And this is Jesus speaking. Are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion? Come to me, get away with me, and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest, walk with me, and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.
SPEAKER_01:There it is.
SPEAKER_08:There it is.
SPEAKER_01:Learn, walk with me. And I love that is, I'm telling you, Mr. Work with me. Work with me. With me. With me.
SPEAKER_08:Work with me.
SPEAKER_01:And I just say this first off, and then I want to hand it off to Elmer again. Some of y'all, you think you're working with the Lord and you're actually working against him. You're working against his will, you're working against his word, you're working against the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I mean, the the Lord is speaking to you, and you're just charging ahead. The Lord's like, no, I I want you to go this way. And you're like, no, but God, I want to go that way. And he's like, Would you say manna was what is manna?
SPEAKER_03:What is manna?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the word manna, it literally means what is it in Aramaic. It means what is it?
SPEAKER_03:But we don't like that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:We're like, no, I want this.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Like we want to know. Yeah, they wanted to know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:They're like, what is this? And look, and and the Lord, he just says, No, this is food from heaven. This is bread from your father. That's what you need to know. But they're still like, well, what is it? That's why to your point, that's why they struggle. Well, I'm gonna keep some just in case. Yeah. I know Moses said not to, but I'm gonna keep some just in case. And then it rotted in stank. And then what's crazy, they tested them again on the Sabbath, they went out. And he's like, I just told y'all, you big dummy. Don't go out tomorrow. Ain't gonna be no man. God never calls us dummies.
SPEAKER_04:Well, Willie's international. I'm saying that, Pastor Willie. Moses probably did. I'm just gonna say that.
SPEAKER_08:I'm saying that because so many of us have been called words like that. That's true. By those who maybe who they haven't cared for us words. Right. True. And so when we think about hearing God's voice, we think God also speaks to us that way. And he does not.
SPEAKER_01:He does not. You're right. Moses probably did the most like you big dumb. I can see about Fred Samford, you're big dumb.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh. He did say dummy.
SPEAKER_08:I promise. I heard it. I saw it. Can I can I read something else in the message? Because I just I'm going right back to a chapter that we've already hit, but the message just is different in Romans 12, verses 1 and 2. So here's what I want you to do: God helping you. Take your everyday, ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out, readily recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. The best thing we can do for God is embracing what he's already done for us. But I love that he will help us take every part of our everyday, ordinary life and offer it to him, giving him the ability to show us how to navigate one day at a time.
SPEAKER_07:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:One day at a time, not looking into next week. It's good to have a plan and we can have things on our calendar, but we need to allow God to speak into that. But he will meet us in every one of those places and direct us in the way that we are to go.
SPEAKER_01:That's so good. So, you know, kind of jumping back, Emily, to your, you know, your original question about, you know, it's it's the how, like, how do we do this? Yeah. And I I I think that's a very human way to think about the Sabbath and rest. Like we're we want to, hey, give me a formula, like give give me a pattern. And what I am hearing and and really just sensing from the Lord, based even through this discussion, and and then obviously through his word, is it's really more about relationship. It really is. I mean, again, going back to that Matthew 11 text, I mean, he says, work with me, walk with me, learn from me. So I think the best way to Sabbath, the best way to rest, is to come to the one who invites you into that rest.
SPEAKER_08:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:Because the season or the shape of that rest will largely depend on the season of life that you're in. Yes. If you're a single mom, a single parent, your shape of rest will look vastly different from a two-parent household. It just will. If you have young children, if you have older children, hey, if you are in the military and you are deployed overseas, that rhythm and shape of rest will look vastly different than when you're stateside. It, you know, again, all of us, you know, working in ministry full time. I mean, there are seasons and shapes of rest, and they vary depending on what we have going on during times of the year. So I love how you said that. Let come to Jesus and let him teach you what the shape of your rest needs to look like. Let him teach you, let him show you what the what the shape of that rest has to look like. Let him show you how to do it, how long to do it, with whom to do it. And I somebody had said it earlier. I do, and I think it really bears repeating. When we're talking about rest, we have to remember that this is a spiritual rest that encompasses mind, body, and soul. So this is more than just taking a nap. And listen, you have to sleep. You have to get away and unplug and disconnect for sure. Sometimes it really is good to just go for a walk or a jog, 100%. But when I look at the example of Jesus, the Bible says that he went away to a desolate place. He went away to be alone. But he does the scripture doesn't stop there. He went to be with the father.
SPEAKER_08:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:He wasn't just sitting in seclusion by himself. He was with the Father. And how do you know he was with the Father? Because when he came out, he would say, I must be about my father's business. He even makes this statement when his disciples are demanding on upon him, Master, you got to eat something. And he says, I got food that you know nothing about. My food comes from doing the will of my father. That's my satisfaction. That's my manna is doing the will of my father because I've been spending time with him. So some of some of you may be frustrated because you're resting physically. Like, man, I'm getting all the, I'm getting eight hours. I'm I'm going for a swim, I'm going for a hike, going for a jog, I'm working on my truck. Praise God. Your physical self is getting rest, like you're getting rejuvenated. But what about the inner being? What is it? Ephesians chapter 3. We read it today during prayer. Paul says, I pray that the Father, who names every single family on heaven and earth, would first strengthen you with power by his spirit in your inner being. It's the Father that gives you the strength for that. And Jesus connects us to the Father. So this is more than just taking a nap. Hey, listen, take your vacation. But in the midst of you vacationing, can you Sabbath? In the midst of you vacationing, can you reconnect with the Father and allow him to fill you with His Spirit, with His power in your innermost being?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So go for it, go for it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Which one? Okay, so just a question. Right now, in y'all's personal life, in this exact season where you're at today, what does resting look like for you? What does your Sabbath look like for you? It's like, and go.
SPEAKER_08:I don't mind sharing. Um, I had to kind of step away. You know, life happened for me that required surgery. And after surgery, of course, there's a time of healing and recovery. And so I really thank God that not only did my body have to be operated on so that I can continue to move forward, but in that time, I was just with him. Before the surgery, I remember August 9th because that was the day life changed for me, because I started hearing that life was going to look different. But even in the midst of hearing those reports, the Lord spoke to my heart. I was in the in the emergency room and he said, I'm with you and you're on a journey. And there is a piece that I cannot explain, but it does align with Philippians chapter four, if we will but trust him. And so I stepped away, but never stepped away from the Lord, stayed with him. And so being blessed to return to work, I've shared with those that I've had conversations with. I didn't return with the mindset of it being what it was before I had to step away. I've come back with an intent and determination of God revealing to me what he has for me in each day, what that rhythm looks like with him, but also more passionate about protecting margin to get to be with him. Yes. So that I don't miss him because he's he oftentimes speaks to us in a still small voice. And when it's loud and we're busy, we miss it. And so I believe that it comes back to valuing again the importance of why God invites us to rest. But once we allow him to show us what rest looks like for us, that's why it's not one size fits all. That we meet him in that place. And that when we show up in that place, we are showing up to meet with him. Not a checkbox to do it, but in meeting him because when we encounter him, we are refreshed, we are reminded of who he is, who we are, and what he is asking of us. And we're also reminded he's with us. Amen. And it's different when we are working with him, yeah, opposed to working apart from him. Come on.
SPEAKER_01:That's good. Yeah, for me, because of this, the natural rhythm of, you know, our work schedule, you know, Fridays were off, and so Fridays are are one-eye Sabbath. And so what that looks like, it's in the past it was just okay, like I just, you know, I disconnect from emails and calls and texts and things. But recently, what the Lord, and I say recently, within the last like two to three months, I just I flood my house with with worship music. You know, you know, the my my wife, she she's a teacher, so she's at work, and my kids are in school, so I have the whole house to myself. And so I just, you know, hit the Spotify playlist. You know, I start with with the word, and then I just engage in in worship. And when I first started doing it, you know, again, I'm a musician and I'm I love to worship, don't get me wrong. So it didn't feel weird. It was just like, man, I really would probably rather be watching, you know, Netflix or something right now. But it has, and y'all will appreciate this, like it's become addictive almost. Like it's become like a I hate to say this, but like a vice, like a man, I can't wait for Friday to come because I get to spend that morning with the Lord. And it really is a Sabbath. It is. It's not, again, it's not just a cessation of activity. That's what's crazy about it. Like in the rest, I'm still active. Oh, that's a word right there. Like I'm it's active rest. You know, those of us that have played sports, you know, when they talk about active rest, what do they do? A lot of times it's the conditioning, you get the foam roll around, you do the ice bath. Now, I'm not on a football field. I am resting, but I'm active. Does that make sense? Like, you know, you get the massage or you do whatever. And so in the rest, I'm still active. I'm active with the Lord. And man, I'm just crying out to God. And so there's a song that I've that I have been playing every single Friday. And I I know Miss Sonia and Elma, you you've heard it. Grateful by Hezekiah Walker. Man, that is my jam.
SPEAKER_08:You've heard it, have you? Yeah, you heard grateful. Oh, yeah. Even in the vault.
SPEAKER_01:Like I go old school Friday, I play old school jams. I love it. And I'm, I mean, I am just weeping before the Lord God. I hey, it's gratefulness. That is flowing from my heart.
SPEAKER_08:Can I say though when you said that it's addictive? Yes, ma'am. It just reminds me of, oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:Come on.
SPEAKER_08:The more we taste of him, the more we want of him.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, ma'am.
SPEAKER_08:The more we encounter him, we just hunger to encounter him more.
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely.
SPEAKER_08:That's the place of rest. That's the wealthy place.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, absolutely.
SPEAKER_04:Come on, somebody.
SPEAKER_03:Uh, for me, it's learning to to not that I don't love my family, learning to love those around me. And a lot of our time during the week, it's it's serving others, pouring yourself into ministry and opportunities where we get to serve other people. And and so doing the same for the people in my household can be really difficult because we're all all together on this journey, and I've shared before when we've talked about rhythms of of life, that we don't have like God's number one and family. No, like God's at the center of everything. Yeah, he we know and so everything that we do as a family, God's at the center. And so if it doesn't line up with what God's doing and what he's calling us to do as a family, we don't do it. And so it's easy to to have blurry lines where like, oh, we're gonna go do this because it's for Jesus, right? And then so here come the kids and they didn't sign up for it, right? But they they're doing ministry with us. And so one of the things that have has become part of our rhythm of rest is being intentional with spending time with our children, spending time with me and my wife, dating my wife. And and that's become part of our our rhythm, really, to to to rest. So when the kids, when we don't have family time, the kids are like, like, we didn't, we didn't do our thing. Yeah. And so they it it disrupts our week because they're like, we didn't get that time where everything stopped. Everything around us, sports, church, you know, the the people we do life with, and it was just the the moment that we have together. And so we have a 16-year-old, 12-year-old, and a five-year-old. So we got big span, one's a senior, one's in kindergarten, you know, one's about to go to college, and the other one's just like learning how to you know, spell and all that stuff. And so we we understand we're in a season where we know like life isn't with our children isn't forever. And so being able to be intentional in spending moments with them, it's work. Yes, it's work, yeah, because kids are gonna be kids, and then siblings are gonna be siblings, and you know, they're gonna wrestle and and then want to fight me, and I'm not gonna let myself, you know. That's right. And so it's work and it's but it's fun, it's fun, and and just again, making sure that this thing right here is not overruling our time, right, with fan family, making sure that I I have healthy boundaries, that I'm communicating with our team, with people, if there's not an emergency that hey, I'm I'm with my family. Right. It's incredible for those of us in ministry when you can have family time and not not I'm not gonna say be interrupted, but not be distracted by the things that you've in the inside, you're like, but I didn't get that done. Where work work again has that it just creeps in and it's like, but you know, well, the kids are asleep, they're taking a nap, so or they're with their friends. Let me just go jump on my laptop, you know, and so so whenever you don't go back to those devices that kind of introduce work, you know, back into your day off, yeah, it's it's so refreshing. And so for me, it's just disconnecting completely from a lot of the things that we do. Not it doesn't mean I'm like, you know, out in the mountains with no signal or anything, but it means I'm my my full attention is on my family. Yeah. And so, and and I I think that's one of the things about Sabbath is that it's it's not so much it's not so much the the disconnect of not working, it's the fact that hey, work doesn't have a grip on me. Yes. And so I'm reminding myself that God's given me dominion over the work that I get to do. That's right. And so I'm gonna put it down and it's not gonna impact me or my kids. Yes. And so now I'm teaching my kids and my family, hey, number one, you're more important than the work. And also that, hey, this shouldn't drive you. Right. You know, I've been just very much like Miss Sonia reading the gospels. I haven't got out of Matthew. I've been in Matthew for like five months already. I get to the end of it, I go back. Yeah. And right now I'm back in in verse chapter six. And as much as we read it and we think of, you know, like there's there's so many things in in chapter six alone. You got the Lord's Prayer, you got all these things, right? And I always viewed it as like, all right, he God's uh you know, Jesus is teaching them all these different things, but pretty much throughout all of chapter six, Jesus is is showing them it's it's like right and wrong. Like, like, you know, when it comes to fasting, he's not saying, he's not saying, hey, you need to fast. No, he's saying don't fast like this. Yes, yeah. He's talking about money. He's like, don't, don't give like this. Give like this. Yeah, don't let your your one hand know what the other hand's doing. So he's he's really teaching them, he's showing them like again, I mean, Sonia touched on it earlier. You know, the religious people of that time were very, very much wanted to be heard, wanted to be seen, you know, would pray in the corners, pray out loud, elaborate prayers, you know, so people could see him. He's so he's telling the people that he's talking to, he's like, Hey, you don't you don't need all that. Yeah, you know, just just chill. Yeah, you know, it's it's simple. Like people don't need to know, like you know, yeah. When you get this is between me and you, yes, right? And so he's he's bringing it down. And then and then we got verse verse 21 for where you for where your treasure is, yeah, so your heart will be also. And then I love verse 22, and I've been stuck on this. The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then, if then the light in in you is darkness, how great is the darkness? And then I got confused. I'm like, this is weird. Yeah, but then just again, don't just read the word, like study it. And so then you got go down to the Greek and you start reading, oh, what is what does the word I mean? And then and then you understand that when he's talking about the I uh for the Jewish people that he was speaking to, they understood these idioms. That's right. And so now he's telling them your focus. Yes, if your focus is on good, life is gonna be different. So the the the focus of your life, yeah, you know, and so so he's talking about what are you focusing on? So, what are the tensions in your life that you're you're you're spending time? And then he goes on to verse 25. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.
SPEAKER_01:Right, yeah. Don't be anxious.
SPEAKER_03:About your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more value of more value than them? And then he goes, verse 27, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And then it just keeps going. If you've not read it or you've read it, just go back and read it slow. And then verse 33, which a lot of us know, but but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Yeah, and so Jesus is reminding them, like, man, like, hey, chill out. All these things that you're calling traditions, all these things that you're calling religious, like don't, don't. Yeah, it's it's just about me. Like, make it about us. There's a relationship here, focus on on me. He's just trying to pull them back to him. And I think that's one of the most beautiful things. And again, in ministry, with the weight that we carry, the responsibilities, people come to church broken, people come hurting, and and we get to do life with them and lead them and point them back to Christ. It's not easy, and and it's it can be very tiresome for uh for some people if if you're hearing a lot of you know heavy stories or heavy situations, and then going home and feeling guilty that man, my life is different, or you know, and it's hard. So again, in ministry, for those of us in ministry, if we don't fix our eyes, yes, our focus on Christ, it's we're gonna care carry all of this. And Miss Sonia, I'd love for you to speak into this because I know through our pastoral care, you guys hear so many different scenarios and situations. And so we're we're talking about rest, we're talking about peace. And so I I guess right now I do want to focus on people that are in ministry and and pastors and ministers that might be listening, or those of you that you feel you feel the call of God into ministry, but you're like, I don't know how I would deal with this. I'm not qualified. Number one, God will qualify you. But I if you could speak into that, because that does impact our rest. Like I said earlier, it's it's something that a lot of us struggle with. And so it does impact our rest because we feel guilty, we feel like we got to do certain things and go above and beyond out of the way to help other people. And so, as pastors, as leaders in church, sometimes we would be at fault to to neglect our own family, to neglect our own health, yes, for the sake of the the one. Yes, and so which at the end of the day, then you know, we're no good to people when our our own lives, our own minds are falling apart. So you can speak into that.
SPEAKER_08:Oh, Pastor Alma, that's so good. I would like to first share a resource from Mercy Multiplied Ministries and power training, yes, is what I would encourage any pastor or leader to watch and not only watch, but listen with your heart so that God helps you understand He never ever expected you to be the solution or in their language be Holy Spirit Junior. Yeah. And so I believe that we have to first know that we get to partner with God as He's providing care for whomever he's allowing to connect with us. I believe a good boundary and rhythm to always have is to start with prayer. Stay in the Word even when the Holy Spirit is guiding us to share or end in prayer. And if it really is something heavy, give yourself time even when they leave. And if you need care, get it. Yes, make sure you don't carry it. I just read out of Matthew chapter 11, Jesus would never put anything heavy or ill-fitting on us. So he's not inviting us to do life with those who are hurting to burden us. And it does not mean that we don't have compassion or empathy, but we have a very real enemy if we're not careful. We first need to have on the whole armor of God. We need to understand that the weapons of our warfare aren't carnal, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. So we have to engage in the fight right. We have to first make sure we're guarding our own hearts and we get to meet people where they will allow themselves to be met by God. Don't push, don't carry, get care. Sometimes it really can be hard. Awful things have happened in people's lives. They deserve space and care. But that's God's job. We get to be used by Him to allow Him to meet them. And if we really keep that mindset, it helps us to stay in that place of freedom more and that we have healthy boundaries because if we don't, we run the risk of becoming unhealthy.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_08:So good.
SPEAKER_03:That's great. Because again, in what we do, it's one thing, I'm gonna go build the house, I'm gonna take rest from building the house. I don't feel bad because it's gonna get built. I still have a house, whatever. But when it comes to man, my my brother and sister are struggling. That means I gotta go above and beyond even my own responsibilities. And now we want to go, we want to go the extra mile, but then like when we're called to a place of rest, it's hard for a lot of people in ministry to take vacation. We're always talking to people, hey, have you taking time off with your family? And people are like, no, I can't, because I gotta do this, I gotta do that. And it's really really common because the the the weight is real. And and like you said, when when we make when we're when we think we're the solution, yeah, and like you said it earlier, when we think we're the solution, we're the ones that the only ones that can do it, then we're carrying burdens that we weren't meant to be carrying.
SPEAKER_08:That's in power training too, by the way. We should never be just the one, the only one caring for someone. That's right. So we really may need to invite others in. But Pastor Elmer, I really want to ask you something with all due respect. Yeah, I do know that we can love our sisters and brothers in Christ enough that we want to come alongside them, but should we be going above and beyond if God hasn't ordered our steps to go there? That's great. Yeah, yeah. So I think that we have to allow God to guide us because we will have that mindset. Right. And sometimes we run the risk of getting ahead of God and also getting ahead of where that person may be in their ability to receive from God. Yes. And so it's so important that we really kind of maybe even think of, God, I want to stay present with you. That's my prayer. God, I don't want to miss you. Help me to really be like Mary more, intentional about staying at your feet. Yes, even in prayer.
SPEAKER_03:And how do you, how will you know if it's if it's intended from God for you to step into that if you're not spending time with God? That's it, right there. So if you're not resting in the Lord in the first place, it's hard to, you'll just take everything away.
SPEAKER_02:That's exactly right.
SPEAKER_08:Or how do you know that it's your place to step into it at all? At all. Because it really may not be yours to do. That's right. We get to do this as a team. God may be revealing to you what's happening and your best care for that person really may be praying for them and connecting them with someone else who can help them take the next steps in their journey. But everything is not just ours to do just because we're made aware of it, but we can certainly pray for God to move in their situation.
SPEAKER_00:I think it's cool that it's that he calls it the body of Christ, not the Elmer of Christ, not the Willie of Christ. Like it's it takes all of us. Absolutely. It really does. And it takes the good, the good boundaries to be able to say, hey, maybe I'm not the right person for this. And that's another thing in empowered training is understanding that you can say no. Yeah. Maybe this person could help you even better. So like that's why it's it's yes, the body of Christ. All of us together. It's God doing it anyway. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:I was thinking through Galatians 6, and Empower Training touches on this, but I I just kind of I did a word study on that. Galatians 6, starting at verse 2, says, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. So we are called to be burden bearers. Yes. But then just three verses later in verse 5, he says, For each will have to bear his own load. And at first blush, I thought, man, this sounds really contradictory. You said bear one another's burdens, but then you say got to bear your own load. Paul, which one is it, brother? Well now you do a word study. He says, bear one another's burdens. And then verse five, he says, you have to bear your own load. The word burden in the original language is baros, and it it's talking about something that is inappropriately heavy for you to carry. So that's like a boulder. Right? It's inappropriate for you to like, you know, it would be inappropriate for me to think that I could carry the refrigerator in the staff kitchen by myself. Tote that mug. And I know I look like I can do it. I'm yoked up.
SPEAKER_00:Just know I believe in you.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you. I thought you were wearing a smaller shirt. Nah, brother. You kidding me? That's Smith and Wesson. I got a permit for him. Galatians.
SPEAKER_00:And he's back.
SPEAKER_01:I'm yoked for Christ, and I'm yoked with it. Hell yo! There it is.
SPEAKER_00:There it is.
SPEAKER_01:There he goes.
unknown:Okay.
SPEAKER_01:So, but that's inappropriate. I need somebody to bear that burden with me. Verse 5 that word load is the word for Teon. It's but it's spelled P-H-O-R-T-I-O-N. And it's where we get the word portion from. That is an appropriate load for me to carry. So that's like a backpack. The burden is a boulder. The load is a backpack. It would be silly. Like if all of us right now were to get on a plane, we're going through TSA and I have my carry on. I got a backpack. It would be silly for me to say, hey, Elmer, can you can you tote this for me, brother? Be like, nah, man. That's your backpack. You can put that on. You got it. That's you. That's you, bro. You got it. So what the wisdom is, hey, I'm going to bear the burden to help you unload it. 100%. But you got to bear the load. You got to bear the load.
SPEAKER_03:And you don't carry a boulder. No. You eventually have to put it down. You have to put it down.
SPEAKER_01:But a backpack. You help someone put it down. Absolutely. And here's what's crazy. And a buddy of mine, when I was sharing it with him, he even took it deeper. He said, What's interesting about the load, the backpack is that you actually feel it.
SPEAKER_08:But if we're not careful, we can go back to Genesis 2 as to why God was telling them, giving them an invitation to meet him in that place of rest. Is he was talking to a people and wanting to lead a people, become a God to a people who had been enslaved, who had to bear and carry burdens.
SPEAKER_01:That's right. Burdens. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_08:And so carrying a backpack.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_08:So we have to, I think we can look at, yes, we have a portion. I think will we pick up our cross and follow Jesus and what that looks like every single day. And that looks a little different for each one of us, but he never intends for us to be burdened. Right. For long periods of time. And that's why it's so important to get appropriate care. And it does not mean that life won't present some journeys that are extended.
SPEAKER_06:Right.
SPEAKER_08:But hopefully for a Christ follower, they become aware of God being with them in that journey so that they are still able to rest, so that the situation doesn't have a grip on them. Right. That they still have a firm grip on their faith and their eyes on Jesus. Right. So that they get to stay present with him. But there is a portion of life that causes us to have to carry our load.
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_08:That's good, Pastor Willie.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I look at, I even asked the spirit, I said, practically, what does this look like? Because as a pastor, I really do want some practical wisdom. So here's what it looks like to bear a burden. That's exhortation, that's encouragement, that's directing back to the word of God. So case of point, like somebody walks into your office or to a care appointment or into a connection, and they are burdened with the lies of the devil, that they're worthless, that they're shameful. This is always how it's going to be. I'm going to unburden you with the word of God. Hey, no, give me some of that. Let me remind you who you are. You're a man of God, full of wisdom, power, and authority. You are full of the Spirit. God loves you. He is for you. He is not against you. Let me remind you of what I am unburdening you. Hey, you don't, no, you're not meant to carry that. That lie, you're not meant to carry that. I will help the, I will bear that burden. And I'm doing that by giving you the truth to combat the lie. How you're going to bear your load? You got to read your word. Yes. You got to spend time in prayer. Yes. You got to spend time in community. You might need to go see a therapist and a counselor. That's your backpack. I'm not going to schedule that for you. I'm not going to be checking with you every single day. Did you read your Bible? I'm not going to be spoon feeding you the word of God. No, no, no. I'm going to give you a plan. But you got to put the backpack on. You got to commit to reading it. Pastor Mike Thompson, you got to find a spot in a slot. So there so there's your backpack.
SPEAKER_08:That sounds like maturing.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, man. Come on now.
SPEAKER_08:It all fits and it weaves in together.
SPEAKER_03:And again, going back to Matthew 6, there's a reason Jesus is telling us it's not what everyone makes it seem. Yes. It's it's a lot simpler. Life is a lot more simple than we make it. Yes. And and I think that's that's why we struggle with rest overall. Yes. And so this has been incredible. Come on. I really appreciate all of your feedback. And we can keep even keep going more. I know Emily, the work that you guys do with the Men's Hope Center, and just seeing a lot of people go in and out, and just I don't know. I I can can't imagine just that that's a heavy burden in itself. Yeah. And man.
SPEAKER_00:And but it is really awesome with all of that, real quick. I know that we have to end up wrapping up. But that's why the burden in the people pouring in and the maturing, because the rhythms coming that I have learned after maturing. Because I've had a beautiful, lovely lady that likes to get in my business sometimes. But I allow her to get in my business.
SPEAKER_08:She invites me. She invites me.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I absolutely do. I went through a really rough, tough season recently, honestly. And just I'm in ministry, my husband's in ministry. We're constantly doing and going and everything. And Miss Sonia has, hey, when are you resting? When are you resting? When are you resting? And I was able to get away and I'm back. And the rhythms of resting through that, it has really made me realize that that if God really wanted you to do this, which He does, He commands us to do it, He wouldn't make it difficult. At all. He wouldn't.
SPEAKER_08:Yes. The enemy makes it appear difficult.
SPEAKER_00:Right there. So so anyone who's listening that has these questions of, I'm still confused on what I should or shouldn't do. God isn't making it that difficult. He's asking you to step into his presence and rest in him. Whatever that looks like for you. And I think through for all of us right now, we've decided it is different.
SPEAKER_06:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It's different for all of us. Yes. I rest in the mornings. I do we do have one day for a family, but sometimes life gets dip gets crazy, right? Yeah. I don't feel less of a child of God because I didn't stop and just have a Sabbath for a day. I don't feel less loved. I don't feel less. I do like for that to be a rhythm. I do. I do like to have one day. But if it doesn't happen, I don't feel less like a child of God because I choose to wake up even earlier and rest in my father before I even start my day every day. And so it's that rhythm of rest to make sure that I'm stepping into his presence. I'm doing, I'm, I'm doing what he commands us to do.
SPEAKER_02:That's great.
SPEAKER_00:And it's not that hard. It's not. It's not once you choose to do it, and it's a choice.
SPEAKER_08:It sounds like something Pastor Mike has kept before us from time to time. Is it Luke 646? Yes. Why do we call him Lord and not do the things that he says to do? He's inviting us to rest. And a lot of times we struggle with where he's inviting us because we believe our wills supersede his. So he still needs to become Lord of our lives so that we allow him to show it, show us what it looks like to rest.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And it looks different.
SPEAKER_03:That's so good. I know when I go the the next time I make dinner at home, my kids are like, Dad, what is this? I'll say manna.
SPEAKER_00:Just manna.
SPEAKER_01:That is so good.
SPEAKER_03:What are we having tomorrow? Mana.
SPEAKER_01:We're gonna have manna. What is it? Exactly. Exactly.
SPEAKER_04:Oh man, we'll see what happens.
SPEAKER_03:Let me know. Please let us know how it goes.
SPEAKER_00:Tell us how that works.
SPEAKER_03:Man, again, thank you for your time. So good. We love you guys, and and we hope that you guys were blessed by this episode. I know this was real refreshing. I learned a lot from all of you. And just we're gonna work on rest and what that looks like in each of our lives. And so we hope that that impacts your life as well. And so until next time, peace out.
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