We use a line oftentimes you definitely won't regret that , you definitely wouldn't regret it . If you do this , I assure you you're not gonna regret it , right ? But I put that against the backdrop of eternity . You think of all the things that we will likely regret having done in life . You could say , yeah , you may regret that , but this you definitely won't Like . What kind of regret would we have if we truly did set our face as a flint , if we truly did live without distraction , if we truly did love and give and serve ? I mean regret . There's going to be abundance of joy when we stand before the Lord 2 Corinthians 5 , and give account for our lives . And Paul says in that context you know that , whether present or absent , that we may be well-pleasing to him . Name that name , that name , that name .
Ray Comfortthat sound I'd say that's a cell phone that doesn't work . Hey , utter silence . It's a phone that doesn't work . Utter silence .
Emeal ZwayneThere we go , I hit the wrong button Name that sound .
Oscar NavarroAnd utter silence again .
Emeal ZwayneName that sound .
Ray ComfortSomeone walking into a chicken coop .
Emeal ZwayneOh close , you said the first one , I thought he got it . Someone walking into a spider web with a spider going in their hair , my beautiful daughter , julia .
Ray ComfortWhy wasn't there screaming ?
Emeal ZwayneYou didn't hear it .
Ray ComfortI feel like you didn't hear it , ray Comfort . I feel like spitting , spitting Every time I see a spider . I feel like spitting , spitting every time I see a spider .
Emeal ZwayneI feel like spitting . Look at this , oscar . Can you guys see it ?
Oscar Navarrothat's a way to start your morning oh , I love it .
Emeal ZwayneI gotta tell you guys before we delve into that um , I love ring . You guys have ring . Yes , mark , you have ring . Do you know I don't not have a wedding ring ? No , no ring , no ring . You do have the ring , I don't .
Oscar NavarroYes , mark , you have Ring . I do not have a wedding ring , no .
Emeal ZwayneNo Ring , no Ring . You do have the Ring . I don't have a Ring no , you have Ring Dad .
Ray ComfortWe don't have a Ring , but we do have security cameras around the front . Oh yeah , I helped install those . Seriously , no , no , they're the fake ones .
Emeal ZwayneWe've got real ones , best inventions , and I think didn't they come out with it like , tried to sell it on Shark Tank , mark Shark Tank , and I think that nobody , they all passed on it , they all passed and it turned out being I think he sold it for the company for a billion dollars . It's probably worth a lot more now , but I love it because it captures these moments . You know , you're able to see so much happens at your front door .
Ray ComfortNow remember , when Nostradamus Remember that ? How long ago was that ? Was that nearly 30 years ago ?
Emeal ZwayneCarter was in office . No , it was . It was about Almost 30 years , because Rachel and I Were married 28 and we were just engaged .
Ray ComfortYeah , Well , I got some Fake spider web From somewhere .
Emeal ZwayneOh is that what you did , yeah ?
Ray ComfortThat's right , and you could walk into it Without freaking out All over your face .
Emeal ZwayneHorrible , ray you . Without freaking out , it would go all over your face . It looked horrible , ray . You draped it on the little tombstone .
Ray ComfortYes .
Emeal ZwayneThat's where I got shot for drinking out of . Nostradamus' skull .
Ray ComfortWhat was it called ? It's online the .
Emeal ZwayneSecrets of Nostradamus Exposed . That's right . It's on YouTube Exposed . Yeah , if you want to see me getting shot as a 19-year-old French soldier , I memorize the French lines Ça m'a fatigué Del . It means my back hurts , Because we were digging the grave .
Ray ComfortThe shot rings out and I'm about 15 years old . Yeah , the secrets of Nostradamus exposed .
Emeal ZwayneNow , Ray , I want to expose something here on the Living Waters podcast . Why do you have such sinful hatred towards spiders ?
Ray ComfortOh , they're part of the form . There was no spiders in Eden . They're God's creation . Yeah , yeah , squish them Horrible .
Emeal ZwayneDisgusting . There are certain spiders that don't freak me out .
Ray Comfortbut they're Okay , I think I'm just drawing on .
Emeal ZwayneI really do wonder I was in Hawaii in 1986 .
Ray ComfortWe were staying in Kelowna , I think it was at a base , and they'd given us a room up the back there as a speaker to missionaries at YWAM . And I walked in and Sue says there's a spider on the wall and I'm not kidding , it was at least three inches , three and a half inches across . It was what's called a banana spider .
Oscar NavarroA little smaller than the one on your shoulder .
Ray ComfortYeah .
Emeal ZwayneHe flinched for a second there .
Ray ComfortIt was like the size of the back of your hand , without the fingers extended . Being a man , I rushed up to it and I could hear its feet on the wallpaper as it was walking across the wall , and so I freaked out . I said I can't , we're going to bed now . So I got the bug spray and I went and it jumped actually jumped off the wall into our bed and disappeared , and I was freaking out . I said we can't get a bed tonight , and so I lay on the bed . I looked through it and suddenly I saw this leg come out From under the bed and I just so filled it with Insect , repellent sort of foam right up and drowned it , I think .
Ray ComfortBut , it was still there . We went back about a year later On the bed , but it was still there .
Emeal ZwayneWe went back about a year later On the bed it's still there .
Ray ComfortYeah , under the bed .
Emeal ZwayneOh , under the bed .
Ray ComfortYeah , it just came out from under the bed . Oh yeah , so you know , spiders freak me out . That was a yeah reminded me of Dr no , the first James Bond film , where he had a great tarantula walk across across his chest . Oh yeah , and it freaked him out ?
Mark SpenceRemember when we went to Hollywood with a box of chocolates with a hidden spider on the inside ?
Ray ComfortOh yeah , that was great .
Mark SpenceWe would thank people for their interview and give them a piece of chocolate and they would open up the box . There was a spider inside and they would all jump in .
Ray ComfortNo , what happened was the lid came off . The spider was connected to the lid with a little bit of fishing tackle you couldn't see , so the spider would move when you took the lid off .
Emeal ZwayneYou're a monster , people scream . So , ray , would it have been appropriate to call you Little Mr Muffet ?
Ray ComfortNo , oh , little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet . Little Mr Muffet , what is a ?
Emeal Zwaynetuffet , I have no idea Eating her porridge in a way .
Mark SpenceNo curds , in a way Along came a spider and sat down beside her and she killed it with fly spray .
Emeal ZwayneAlternate ending . Oh boy , yeah , I am the designated spider killer in our house . In fact , kylie came home the other day and she said that's the biggest spider ever . It was like on the near the door and I'm like , okay , yeah , it's definitely not , and it actually was one of the biggest spiders . I've seen in person you know like uh , yeah , yeah .
Ray ComfortSo what's today's subject ?
Mark SpenceSpiders . I used to have a spider octagon where I'd put a spider on one side and then put another spider on another side and then I'd lift up the center and they would . They would attack each other . So I'd put in all kinds of bugs , like different kinds of spiders , and just because the spider's big doesn't mean it wins .
Oscar NavarroYou started with bugs , then chickens , then dogs and then kiwis .
Ray ComfortWe used to lower spiders on guests at the ministry .
Emeal ZwayneOh yeah , that was actually part of Mark's job description , wasn't it back then ? Yes , I'm Mark .
Ray ComfortOh , that's right , he lowered the spider from his . Yeah , you don't remember that .
Oscar NavarroWhile they were reading something .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , Wait what did you have them read , Ray .
Ray ComfortOh , it was a little poem or something , oh like an alliterated .
Emeal ZwayneOh yeah , it was some layman , yeah , yeah . Yeah .
Ray ComfortWow , a little tongue twister so it would get their mind off . Everyone could see a spider was being lowered on them from the roof .
Mark SpenceIt was quite fun , yeah , remember when Ray wanted to put a fireman's pole from his office down to the packing room . Yes , and it was like no , the city will not allow us to do that , oh Ray .
Emeal ZwayneI'm going to go down to the city's office from my office , but also you would have fallen down it because gravity is not your friend .
Ray ComfortGravity is not my friend , yeah .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , anyway , spiders and all that good stuff . All right , friends , time for a cool , classy comment . This is from La Fonda Lopez , dear Ray , easy , mark and Oscar , I want to say thank you for hosting the living waters podcast . My husband , dj , and I love it . Y'all make us laugh and exposit the word so wonderfully . I'd like to share something with y'all .
Emeal ZwayneEarly this morning , on May 28th , I received a call from my mom . She said that my grandma had passed away unexpectedly at only 69 years of age . I'm devastated and completely heartbroken because my grandma and I are best friends . We talk every day and I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that she's gone Lately . I've been behind on the podcast episodes and didn't realize I won the giveaway until I received a winning Ray box in the mail today , right after I heard about my grandma . I cried . When I opened it , it felt like the Lord planned it to arrive at just the right time so I could be reminded of his goodness .
Emeal ZwayneBecause of y'all's ministry at Living Waters and all the resources y'all offer , I've been saved since 2021 .
I immediately began speaking with my whole family after that , including my grandma , about the Lord Jesus . My grandma told me a few months ago that she asked the Lord Jesus to forgive her of her sin and she put her faith in him completely . I cried when I heard she passed this morning out of sadness and pain but also immense joy . I have no doubt where she is right now and I have so much peace knowing she's at home with the Lord Jesus . I can't wait to see her again . Thank y'all for everything .
Emeal ZwayneLa Fonda Lopez Wow .
Oscar NavarroI'm impressed you got through that La .
Emeal ZwayneFonda .
Ray ComfortNo other still tears . Are you gone by ?
Emeal Zwaynefeelings . Oh , yes , I am . Oh , La Fonda , what can we say ? I mean , she gets saved through the ministry . Then because of that , she shares a gospel with her grandma , her grandma gets saved , and on the day she hears her grandma pass , she gets the box of trash in her house .
Ray ComfortAmazing Praise the Lord .
Emeal ZwaynePraise God , lafonda , thank you so much for taking the time to share that and for just sticking with us as a ministry and allowing us to minister .
Ray ComfortIs she writing to us from Alabama or something like that ? I love the y'all . There's a lot of y'alls there . There's a lot of y'alls , definitely some of it . There's about five of them in there , yeah .
Emeal ZwayneSo wow , praise God . All right , friends . Time for a radically revolutionary resource . This podcast is brought to you by Search and Rescue , guiding believers to the Savior , by our very own Eduardo Romano .
Ray ComfortYes , eddie Roman . They're all looking up , eduardo Romano . I'm not seeing it .
Emeal ZwayneEddie Roman , the legendary Bowman yeah , eddie is a blessing , as we've shared before . He came to our Ambassadors Academy when he looked up evangelism years ago because he was convicted and then came and ended up becoming our producer and now wrote a book on evangelism One of the most genuine guys I know and just passionate to reach the lost . So you'll be blessed by the book . So check it out .
Emeal ZwayneAnd don't forget the Living Waters mug and the Evidence Study Bible , all at livingwaterscom . Alright , friends , today we are talking about how to live an undistracted life .
Oscar NavarroWhat did you say ?
Emeal ZwayneI didn't get that Undistracted life Ray . You are the most distracted person .
Ray ComfortI know I was just going to say this program was made for me .
Emeal ZwayneThere is no question , the most distracted person on the face of the earth , squirrel , squirrel , squirrel Ray . Why Explain ?
Oscar Navarroyourself in 30 seconds .
Emeal ZwayneTell us why I just want to know what goes on inside of you , what happens in your head in your body .
Ray ComfortIt's got to be fast moving to hold my attention . If it slows down , it's gone .
Emeal ZwayneLet me tell you my testimony he's gone .
Ray ComfortWhat did Spurgeon say about boring preachers , whose victims find relief through sleep ?
Emeal ZwayneRay , your biggest nightmare is when someone starts in on a very , very long story .
Ray ComfortWhen they say , ray , it's nice to meet you . Let me tell you I started when I was two . I think no .
Emeal ZwayneOh boy , yeah , I've seen you , ray . I've seen you pull out your escape mechanisms . Do you want a maze ?
Ray ComfortAnd it's the glazed look . I can't help it . It's the eyes go glazed . I'm not the only one . I think there's a lot of people like that .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , I think it's the byproduct of selfishness , hyper selfishness . That is certainly true .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , but look , we're joking around , but we can all relate to this , you know , and we're not just talking about distraction and attention span , but distraction and just losing our focus in the grand scheme of life in relation to the things that the Lord has called us to do . Get on A , you stupid Arab . But yeah , so it's a big problem . I know that . I deal with it a lot of times in my own life and my bottom line is I want to get to eternity , having done what the Lord had called me to do as His child .
Ray ComfortSo that's what we're talking about being distracted from doing God's will in our lives .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , exactly . And how can we live a focused life that can keep us , like that arrow heading towards its bullseye , not getting thrown off because of the different things that can distract us in life ? And , man Mark , we live in a world that almost seems intentionally designed to constantly distract us .
Mark SpenceYeah , you consider , every app does that very thing . We think that apps are designed to free our time up , but in reality , well , let me say , most of them are not . Every social media outlet now is designed to keep you on the platform , so anybody that creates a video within YouTube , the way the algorithms work is you get a lot of views , that people watch a lot of it , or , if you're subscribers , click on it right away , and then how many videos are they going to watch of your material after they've watched that single video ? It's a cat and mouse game . It really is hard , you know , before you know it , an hour goes by and you went down this wormhole of watching reel after reel after reel In shorts Shorts , yeah , these short form videos , or even long form videos .
Mark SpenceThe trouble is they're really interesting . Some of them are what's that one ? All right . So we need to practice some very good , disciplined time management .
Mark SpenceEphesians 5, . Be very careful , then , how you live , not as unwise , but as wise , making the most of every opportunity , because the days are evil , matthew Henry . He worded it like this , the great commentator time is a talent given to us by God , and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design . You know , there's nothing wrong with pausing and slowing down and playing a game , watching a movie , but if that just almost defines who we are , you know we need to be careful . Sit down and watch that movie , but maybe you could do something else at the same time if you haven't gotten things done that you were need to be careful , sit down and watch that movie , but maybe you could do something else at the same time if you haven't gotten things done that you were supposed to get done , like eat , like eat , whatever it may be . Maybe there's multiple things that you can do at one time , but discipline , time management is so important .
Oscar NavarroYeah , neil Postman . He said that Americans were going to start amusing themselves to death . He said that at the invention of the radio and TV amusing ourselves to death I mean almost in a prophetic way . He had no idea the power of the phone . And here's the reality . You're hitting it on the head . Your attention is a commodity and your phone , whether you realize it or not , like you're saying , it , doesn't work for you . You're not the customer , you're the product . A multi-billion dollar corporation in California is selling your attention .
Oscar NavarroAnd here's the reason why this matters is because , as someone once said , attention is the beginning of devotion . I love this quote that I read in a book once . It said this because what you give your attention to is the person you become . Put another way , the mind is a portal to the soul , and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character . In the end , your life is no more less than the sum of what you give your attention to . That bodes well for those apprentices of Jesus who give the bulk of their attention to him and to all that is good , beautiful and true in this world , but not for those who give their attention to the 24-7 news cycle of outrage and anxiety and emotionally charged drama , or the nonstop feed of celebrity gossip , titillation and cultural drivel . As if we give it in the first place , much of it is stolen by the clever algorithm out to monetize our precious attention . But again we become what we give our attention to , for better or for worse .
Emeal ZwayneOh man , that's one of the most accurate descriptions of something I've heard , because that's exactly what it is .
Emeal ZwayneI mean , look , when you boil down everything in this world to kind of its bare minimum , I mean there's not much there in terms of , like , the main elements that can kind of consume our lives . You see , you hear , you talk , you eat , right , I mean , and you relate . And so in all of those realms there are so many things that can distract you within them , and there's sometimes things within some of them that will distract you from the other ones that are more important . Like it could be something I'm listening to or hearing , but it's taking me out of the realm of relating . So now I'm not interacting with my children , I'm not interacting with my wife . You know , I remember reading this one thing once that talked about how , you know , a man sits at a table and he's reading his newspaper and is totally ignoring the woman who bore his children , who washes his clothes , who loves him dearly every day , who put that breakfast in front of him , and he doesn't even put that paper down for one moment to relate to her .
Ray ComfortIt's really . You actually cut a little hole in the paper so you can see your wife when you're reading it , see , you raise distractions .
Emeal ZwayneI'm'm gonna talk about that right now .
Oscar Navarroyeah , how many holes in ipads have you tried cutting ? Yeah , we know you've done that
.
Ray ComfortI was thinking about it yesterday because when I was brought up on newspapers , newspapers delivered to your house every day and you'd read it and I thought be fun to sit down and just take my time and read a paper . I thought no , I wouldn't , because the news is like 12 hours old . You know , I want instant news on my iPad .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , I mean . It's so weird when you think of the things that people had , as opposed to what we have now , and they used to see those things as wow , you know like you'll watch something and there'll be a whole family sitting around a radio and they would have those . Remember the radio theater programs and that was intriguing for people . That changed the world . When you're inside your house and there's a voice coming from thousands of miles away and you're hearing it , Like Winston Churchill , yeah , I mean it was huge , orson .
Emeal ZwayneWelles . Yeah , this morning I came across some video , probably a distraction . It's funny because sometimes I'll open my phone to go like look something up or to get back to someone or something , and it'll be like on Facebook or something , and then a video and I'm just like , oh , and then you're just there and you get distracted , you're gone . But it was Tony Robbins . You guys remember that motivational dude ? Yeah , of course , big guy , and he was so young he must have been in his early 20s but he was talking about sales technique and he was talking about how he was with this one company and they were selling cassette tapes and they were selling like a service where they would send you constant tapes of your favorite kind of music and it's like $1,000 back then . Columbia House . Yeah , that's what it was . Columbia House , oh , was it ? Yeah , okay . So I'm like , but I was trying to think of what a like for a young person today listening to that . They would have absolutely no idea what he's talking about .
Emeal ZwayneRight , not the language At the click of a button , like millions of songs , millions of videos , movies . I mean it's incredible . Constant , constant distraction , wonderful . So I love it . Wonderful . Okay , constant distraction , wonderful , I love it Wonderful . How does Lucy feel about all this Ray ?
Ray ComfortShe really likes it , lucy , your dog . She gets jealous whenever my phone rings . I'm not kidding , she becomes incredibly affectionate , just like my wife . What a possessive dog .
Oscar NavarroDo you know that the attention span of a fish is seven seconds ?
Ray ComfortIt's goldfish ?
Oscar NavarroGoldfish is seven seconds . Is goldfish ? Goldfish is seven seconds . And they just did a survey . They believe now that the attention fan span of most young people is six seconds . Dude , we're losing to the goldfish . Are you serious ? Yes , we are losing to the goldfish . They're in a bowl . It's yeah , it's not fair .
Emeal ZwayneIt's utter madness , you know , but , but we can all relate to it . And what is it , though ? Let's explore that first . Like what is it ? I call it an itch . It's some sort of itch , like I feel it oftentimes when I'm about to do something very important , like study , or , you know , work on my book back in the day when I was writing it , or whatever , like prepare for a speech . There's this itch .
Mark SpenceWhat is it ? Dopamine , Yep , instant gratification you mean to ?
Ray Comfortdo something else that doesn't require discipline , right yeah , it's like custard , you don't have to chew it , just swallow it .
Oscar NavarroWell , mark just hit it on the head . It's delayed gratification . So the Lord has created our minds and what they're supposed to do is that , after hard work , we get a dopamine hit , which is an affirmation of gratification for the hard work that we put into something . So you think about like , if I drive up a hill and see a sunset , the experience of that is very different than me hiking up a hill and seeing that sunset . Oh yeah , it's much easier driving .
Oscar NavarroThe Lord has created our brains to give us a sense of satisfaction when we accomplish something . And the reality is that our phones are also designed to give us dopamine hits . And so you made the point like right before I'm supposed to do something important when you're doing something important , the way the Lord created your brain is that it's going to give you the satisfaction when you're doing something important . The way the Lord created your brain is that it's going to give you the satisfaction when you're done . But your brain now knows that it can bypass the hard work and get the dopamine hit right now . And so you go to your phone and you get the hit that you're wanting to do and avoiding the hard work that you normally have to do to get the hit .
Ray ComfortSo that kills the satisfaction you get from climbing a hill . You don't want to climb a hill .
Oscar NavarroYeah and it , yeah . It kills the satisfaction , it kills motivation and drive and it kills the imagination .
Mark SpenceSo , so , oscar , I'm totally intrigued with this . So what is the alternative , Right ? So , after a hard day's work or creating something , instead of going for that dopamine hit , is there a different type of dopamine hit that you go to , or is there a different place you go to for rest ? Yeah , what do people ?
I'm forgetting the title of the book that I read this from , but the suggestion was to recognize that you have to give yourself a sense of gratification after the hard work . So they would say , for example like I know I need to write X , y , z , I know I need to answer all of my emails and when I am done with this project I'm going to give myself this reward . So one of the examples is they talk about working out in chocolate shakes like a protein shake . He says if you don't have any sweets all day long and you know the first time you're gonna experience a sweet is by drinking your chocolate protein shake after your workout , you're more likely gonna go to the gym and finish the workout because your brain is attached to the reward of the chocolate shake . After your workout , you're more likely gonna go to the gym and finish the workout because your brain is attached to the reward of the chocolate shake after the workout .
Emeal ZwayneIt's so true and we've all experienced it when we do something that required exertion and was noble . We know what that feeling is . We can all recognize it .
Emeal ZwayneI mean , I would say it's kind of like this maybe this is a draw it would be , like you know , eating a healthy meal , which is not in and of itself usually enjoyable , right , versus eating a bunch of junk food , right ? So I would tend toward wanting to eat that junk food because in the immediate it feels good , but usually after I eat that junk food , I feel horrible , like . I feel like whereas I deny myself I eat the healthy food and , even though I didn't enjoy it per se , I do feel better afterward . And then you know , when you put it within its context regarding just moderation , and then you eat something that's sweet and enjoyable or whatever , regarding just moderation , and then you eat something that's sweet and enjoyable or whatever , then it's like the dessert after the dinner , it feels fine . So I think it's just that determination to deny ourselves for what is the greater good and to work hard and to be determined and committed and , most importantly , ray , being about our Father's business .
Ray ComfortYes , when we talk about not being distracted or living an undistracted life , I just think of the gospel , that sinners are sinking into hell and that we need to do everything we can , with God's help , to reach them . And so I look at Luke 9 , 51 . And think of Isaiah 50 , verse 7 . Let me quote it therefore I've set my face like a flint , it says in the Messiah , and I know that I will not be ashamed , so the Messiah would set his face as a flint . And then Luke 9 , 51 , and he steadfastly set his face to Jerusalem . That word flint is speaking of a stone . That's very , very hard and if you hit it , you a spark . That's what they use in the big lighters and stuff . I'm not sure , maybe they used it Flint rock . Yeah , was that Flint rock ?
Ray ComfortYeah , that was like Fred Flintstone , flint Michigan .
Oscar NavarroOh , I've been to Flint Michigan .
Ray ComfortThat's a distraction , stop it . Yeah , so what we need to do ? We need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus . He set his face toward the cross and we need to set our face toward the preaching of the cross . And when Peter tried to distract Jesus from that , setting his face like a flint toward Jerusalem , he got sparks . Get behind me , satan .
Ray ComfortAnd that's the attitude that we need to have when it comes to evangelism to seek and save that which is lost from all our hearts . And this isn't pride , and I'll qualify it in a minute , but that's what I've endeavored to do from the moment I become a Christian until this present day to set my face as a flint , to reach out to the lost , and that's nothing special . We're to present our bodies as living sacrifices wholly acceptable to God , which is our reasonable service . We're like servants that do the reasonable thing , just do that which we should . And we should if we're in a lifeboat and all around us people are drowning . Nothing should distract us from our commission to reach out and save them , to throw a line to them , and nothing should stop us from reaching out to the lost .
Emeal ZwayneWe use a line oftentimes you definitely won't regret that , you definitely wouldn't regret it . If you do this , I assure you you're not going to regret it , right ? But I put that against the backdrop of eternity . You think of all the things that we will likely regret having done in life . You could say , yeah , you may regret that , but this you definitely won't Like . What kind of regret would we have if we truly did set our face as a flint , if we truly did live without distraction , if we truly did love and give and serve ? I mean regret . There's going to be abundance of joy when we stand before the Lord 2 Corinthians 5 , and give account for our lives . And Paul says in that context you know that , whether present or absent , that we may be well-pleasing to him . You know we just have to be all in , and I can't remember if I shared this on a recent podcast or not , but I was talking to someone about this recently . You know , when you think of the parkour guys Hardcore parkourour , did I ?
Oscar Navarrotalk about that on the podcast .
Ray ComfortI can't remember .
Emeal ZwayneAnyway , it's worth repeating . But you see , the parkour guys . What's the parkour guy ? Parkour , the parkour . Oh , I must not have talked about it . No , it's those guys that do the crazy jumping off of buildings oh yes , yeah , I remember , you mentioned that yeah , they're doing . Did I talk ?
Ray ComfortI remember it , but say it again because we've probably forgot . I did talk about it . You forget 90% of that what you hear .
Emeal ZwayneNo , mark doesn't remember . I think it's 90% . Well , no , it's just the whole principle of like oh yeah , I remember .
Ray ComfortYeah , do you remember ? No , I don't Oscar , do you ?
Emeal Zwayneremember , you don't remember right ?
Ray ComfortYes , I do . Oh , I remember . Yeah , what did I say about him ?
Oscar NavarroYou were mentioning how they were coming from place to place , how that reminds you of something else .
Emeal ZwayneGo ahead , tell us what it reminds you of . So the whole thing was I remember seeing one guy on one video where it's going for long he kept going up .
Emeal ZwayneThere it is . He was going to jump across like a big chasm from one roof of a building to another roof of a building and he kept going back and forth . He kept like oh , and he kept stopping and he's like , oh , I can't commit , I can't commit . And then finally he's like , all right , man , I think I'm going to commit . And then he just did it and he went and he did it . So my point in that is Did he land it ? He landed it . Okay , my point in that is you know that you cannot go half-hearted into that because it's going to cost you your life . You have to be fully committed , 100% , all in , or else don't do it . And that hit me recently as I was thinking about that , with an evangelism outreach I was going to do . And I remember thinking to myself I am all in , there's no half-stepping here . There's no , hey , how are you ? It's like , all in , because I want to make this jump .
Ray ComfortYeah , that's really good yeah , it really .
Emeal ZwayneIt was like one of those paradigm shift moments for me . That like it was like one of those mark we talk about , the hey , it's going to work out , it always has , it always will right . It became like that for me with evangelism it was like no , I'm all in , I'm committing they don't show you the guys that died , yeah right , but uh , but we just have to tell ourselves that no , I'm , I'm fully in here . There's no , there's no . It makes no sense to be half-hearted , you know .
Oscar NavarroFully in also has a lot to do with presence . Like you're , like when you say I'm fully in , definitely when it comes to evangelism , but also in regards to distraction I have . There is this moment for me , similar for you , in that kind of epiphany , where I realized the importance of practicing presence in my life . And so this comes back to distraction . I'll tell you that , the awful evilness that I am . One day I'm sitting on the couch in my living room and I'm scrolling social media and a friend of mine posts this like perfectly back lit , angled picture of him and his family playing a board game . And I look at this and I go , I'm sitting on my couch and I'm like you know , envy starts to come up in my mind . I'm like man , how come ? How come we don't play board games as a family as often as they do ? Look at how much fun they're having . And I look up from my phone and my wife and my three kids are sitting at the kitchen table playing a board board game Playing a board game without me .
Oscar NavarroYeah , well , I was probably obviously invited . The point is is that in that moment I realized how much distraction pulls me away from being present and enjoying the moment . Which , by the way , presence is a gift from the Lord . God is trying to bless me with all of the extraordinary ordinary is the gift from the Lord . God is trying to bless me with all of the extraordinary ordinary moments in life and here I am getting my dopamine hit instead of enjoying the gift that he gives us .
Oscar NavarroSarcastic is this philosopher . He says wonder arises when the commonplace becomes suddenly perplexing and the ordinary takes an extraordinary quality . Alan Noble tells the story about his daughter jumping and how much joy she was getting at just like jumping . And he says he points out she's jumping like an inch off the ground , but his daughter's just loving it . He says her pure excitement overwhelms my wife and me . We can't help but cheer her on , even though her jumping is , technically speaking , pretty sad . In these moments the praise we give is not feigned praise for her jumping . Brie prays for taking delight in the goodness of being See . Distraction pulls us away from presence , which pulls us away from all the beautiful wonder that God offers us in the extraordinary moments of life .
Emeal ZwayneOh , man , oscar , that's so- .
Ray ComfortBlue skies , just blow me away . Never get tired of big puffy clouds and blue skies .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , and I think sometimes we get so accustomed to relating in distraction mode that we we take it as normalcy , like we don't realize , like how hurtful that is to the people that we love that and , and maybe because they don't voice it , we don't realize it . But I assure you it's that and we talked about feelings on on the recent episode , but but it is , there's that feeling you can't describe that you get from someone's mode or the way they relate to you . It's like all of us , we know those people that just when we think of them we can't explain it , but there's this feeling that just arises and it's like , oh , I love being around that person , I'm so excited to see them . You know , and how sad to think , especially when it comes to discipling our kids and leading our wives , that they get that sense about us unintentionally , but like there's no excitement because we don't act like we're excited about them . You know I may have told this story but I think in this context
it's worth sharing . Was it the parkour ?
Mark SpenceSo this parkour thing , how did you know ? How did you know it was about ?
Emeal Zwayneparkour . So I was reading this book and I'm almost done with it . But he was talking about how Green eggs and ham . In their neighborhood , where they lived , all the homes were in this like circle around a pond and all the back doors were facing the pond and they were all sliding glass doors . So if you can imagine , right , like everyone who's who's hanging out in the evening , everyone can look into everyone's home , Right ? So he , he in the book .
Emeal ZwayneHe talked about how he , he did a whole lot of nothing with his family , and what he meant by that was they , they , they just spent time together . Right , it wasn't anything people would say is like , oh , hugely significant , Like , and . And he talked about how he had an opportunity to get this really high paying job but he decided to forego it and take something where he made a lot less money but he was able to be with his family . And he said , every night they would just hang out in their house , they would play games , they would go outside and throw the ball around , they would take walks , they would laugh , joke together , whatever . And again , everyone's looking at everyone's houses . So he said , one day one of the neighbors that he didn't know finally approached him and he said you know what , man , I just got to tell you .
Emeal ZwayneHe said I can't explain this . It's the weirdest thing in the world , but every time I see you and your family together doing the things that you do I don't know why , but it makes me think about God . It makes me think about God and man . I remember reading that and thinking whoa , and again , don't misread here I'm not saying that's all we do and that's our evangelism God forbid . But there is something about that that I think , is communicating a message to other people , to unbelievers . This is something different . This is something significant , Like there's something that's so contrary to the way this world rolls and that can be an opportunity for the gospel , and it's great to hear that story again .
Emeal ZwayneYou did say it Did I share it .
Oscar NavarroI like the idea of the guy responding like why are you looking inside my house ? Did I share it before you did ? But it's really good In this context .
Emeal ZwayneI think it was worth it . For those that didn't hear it , so didn't hear what , no , it was distracted . So so , oscar , do you have something to say ? Let's get practical , yeah .
Oscar NavarroOh man , I'm so glad you said that , cause what is the answer ? You know what is the answer ? I think I alluded to one which is practicing presence , and in a very practical way . Let me just . I mean , these are like silly practical things , but I'm just going to tell you some phone practices that we have in our home . First , I have all of my notifications on my phone turned off , except for three . I've got text messages , phone calls and work emails , because those are things that I know need my almost usually need my attention or willing to need my attention . But other than that , youtube , instagram , any other social media , any other news cycle I have them all turned off because I don't want those apps telling me when to focus on them . I want to decide when to focus .
Emeal ZwayneSame here . Yeah , I have all that stuff off Cause you're saying you have the notifications turned off .
Oscar NavarroIs that what you mean ? Notifications and banners ? All of it's off completely . I can have 500 comments or whatever . Not that anybody ever would send me 500 comments . The point is , I would never know until I decide for myself when to go into those apps .
Oscar NavarroSecondly , we practice our phones . We have a phone place for our home . When we walk into our home , in our living room , there's a corner and that's where we put our phones , and so what that means is that if I do need to grab my phone , I'm not stuck on my couch anymore , getting pulled away from the present moment . I'm standing at the counter . I know what I'm doing and what that does is it tells me I'm here for a moment to get this thing done , and then I'm putting it down and I'm walking away again . So just practicing presence , having a discipline with your phone , not having it be the first thing you grab in the morning that was another awakening for me was . I woke up one morning and I turned off the alarm on my phone and there was like a notification . Someone mentioned something about the news . I pop it in and before you know it , I'm getting out of my bed and I've been on my phone for 30 minutes Before I even step feet on the ground . I've spent 30 minutes on my phone .
Ray ComfortWell , that's wise . I always go from my iPad .
Oscar NavarroSo practicing presence , fasting from digital distractions . And then here's the thing is discipleship , because ultimately we're having discipleship conversation here . Discipleship isn't always less than it's not just taking away , it's in addition to , it's adding . What do you add ? What you add is prayer , meditation , time in God's word , replace the , because again we're talking about attention , and where you put your attention there you become . So don't be distracted by these things and instead replace them with attention , soul grabbing content , which is the glory of God .
Emeal ZwayneAmen and Mark , wouldn't you say like what if I say no , though , yeah , then I've never said that .
Emeal ZwayneThen you used to be on the living water , so um . But . But aside from those , those benefits that are so phenomenal , that statement to your family of here's what I'm doing , right ? That statement in and of itself and they know , this is my dad's habit . He puts his phone aside when he comes home or whatever , and again , I'm not saying this has to be the norm for everyone , but Oscar does this . That's where I desire to get . I've done it at times I haven't been consistent . I want to get there where I really get home , put my phone to charge and go check it periodically when I need to , right After I've really invested in my family , check it periodically when I need to right After I've really invested in my family .
Mark SpenceSo that statement , that's a huge statement . I was at a restaurant last night celebrating the birthdays of my wife and my son Nathaniel they share the same day and there was a couple that were sitting at this table and the entire time they were on their phones , not engaging with each other . I was so blown away I could not take it in quick enough . Did you film them Off from my phone ? I did not , but I love taking pictures of people that are on their phones while they drive , while I'm driving . But , yeah , trying to live in the moment . Right , this is all we have live in the now . You know , I saw an interesting meme not too long ago of hey , you want to come over to my house and hang out on our phones together ?
Mark SpenceBecause , that's the way teenagers really are right , let's get together . But then you see what they're doing they're just all on their phones , so they don't know different do they ?
Ray ComfortThis is this generation .
Emeal ZwayneYeah , unfortunately , it's default . It's just what they do . I love those families where you know the kids , they , they and there are I've seen a few of them but the kids really don't have much interest in in social media or that kind of thing . Like , of course they'll , they'll do some of it , but it's measured , it's controlled , and I think that's something we need to think about . Like that is a part of discipleship . You're teaching your kids how to control themselves , you're teaching them how to have structure in their life , and it's kind of like when you put things in the right order . You guys have all heard that analogy with the jar of walnuts and rice . Right , if ?
Ray Comfortyou put the rice in first . I haven't heard it . You haven't . No , no .
Mark SpenceDo it , another story rice right if you put the rice in . I haven't heard it . Yeah , no , no , do it . Another story that easy is shared once before millions of times .
Emeal ZwayneBut no , you put . If you put the rice in first and then the walnuts , they won't fit . If you put the walnuts in first and then the rice and goes in between all the cracks , then both will fit , and then water , and then everything else .
Mark SpenceNo , there's like a whole . Yeah , that is well .
Emeal ZwayneThere's like six different things the box with the bowling balls yeah , bb's and the marbles , all , all that oh parkour .
Emeal ZwayneOh boy , but yeah , so it's putting things in the right order and then things fit and then it's enjoyable , like when I do , and I've taught my kids this since they were small do the hard things first . Do the things you don't necessarily desire to do first , then you can relax and enjoy . If you're trying to enjoy an activity , a movie , whatever , and you still have something to do , it's weighing on you and you can't fully enjoy it , do those more difficult things then Deal with Goliath right now .
Emeal ZwayneYeah kill G life now and then carry on and then enjoy you know , so , Ray , what are some of the things that you do to keep you from distraction ?
Ray ComfortWell , first of all I'd like to say how much I appreciate you guys and how , over the years , that you've not made me have to go to committee meetings and stuff like that . The word committee has got two M's , two T's and two E's . It's a total waste of time Redundancy the word .
Emeal ZwayneCommittee has got two m's , two t's and two e's .
Ray ComfortIt's total wasted time , yeah just just like committees , and it's so , so neat of you , especially easy . You say you don't have to come to these so I can devote myself to seeking the lost , which I do each day . So that's one thing I really appreciate . And distractions I have to discipline myself and it's going to bring me back to a memory that that's going to provoke some thoughts in you . I once got distracted from what I was doing by making a 30-foot balloon of an arrow .
Emeal ZwayneI remember that .
Ray ComfortThe giant arrow , yes yes , I had an idea and I'll just give a little rundown on how it did distract me and why it distracted me and I won't let it do it again . I'll just give a little rundown on how it did distract me and why it distracted me . I know I won't let it do it again . I'd drive around the freeways and I'd see all these car sales floating balloons trying to get our attention . I thought imagine if you had a huge balloon that was just a red arrow , held or tethered by fishing tackle . That couldn't be seen , so it would be an arrow in the sky pointing down to this and that would get incredible attention . So I had a 30-foot balloon made . We filled it with helium , our whole staff went and did it . We put it up over a car sales yard by the was it the 405 or 605 ? We got permission and it was absolutely incredible . When Izzy and I left , there was this huge arrow pointing down to the car sails and we came back an hour later the wind had come up and it was going crazy like some sort of big game fish on the end of the tackle fighting for its life and it just dived . I mean in the truest sense of the word . It was dead .
Ray ComfortBut looking back on it , that was a big distraction . The reason I justified putting so much time and energy into it is because I thought that could bring in huge money for the ministry . But as I gave it some thought , if that had taken off I would have to get a building to house everything in employ people , pay taxes , get an accountant , get a lot of money to get these balloons made , then put all this energy and time into advertising it , selling it , running after people , make sure they're there , and what a total waste of time . It would have been An absolute distraction . So now when I get some dumb idea , I don't pursue it , even though it seems good . Getting patents and things like that is just a waste of time .
Emeal ZwayneYou know it's so tempting , man Ray , I'm so glad you brought that up . You know , if you guys have ever watched Shark Tank , oftentimes you'll see these guys just pass on things and they'll say you know , well , it's because that's just something I don't know , it's not something I'm into . And then they'll say , for that reason I'm out , right , that's kind of the standard thing they say . And I'm sitting there looking at someone like Mark Cuban and I'm like dude , you've got like billions upon billions of dollars . Okay , it's not in your wheelhouse , it's not something you know , but just throw it at it , just do it . You know . But these guys have learned through wisdom and experience .
Emeal ZwayneBut here is the temptation . And this came up because I was recently talking to a friend who had done really well in the medical industry and then he said another guy that he knows was in the gas and oil industry and he tried to get him to invest in , in , in something in gas and oil . And he said he just said to him no , you know what I know medical , and that's . I just want to stick with what I know , focus on what , what I'm familiar with . And he went on to tell me , but the guy ended up hitting it big in this , in this oil thing , you know . But that's the temptation , because something else might come up . Oh , I could make money doing this . But that's where discipline comes in and you say I am made to do this , this is what I'm gonna focus on . I can't get distracted with the what ifs , but maybe this one , because then you end up being pulled away from what you're really called to do Parkour . Oh yeah , what's that ?
Emeal ZwayneSomeone talked about parkour recently Called to parkour , parkour , parkour , parkour , parkour . And Ray , let me just say what a blessing you've been in that you have truly stayed the course .
Mark SpenceYeah .
Emeal ZwayneYou know what you're called to do and you do it , and you keep doing it .
Mark SpenceOne day you'll get it right , yeah Well there you have it , friends .
Emeal ZwayneAnother fun one , don't forget Search and Rescue , guiding Believers to the Savior by Eddie Roman . The living waters among the heaven study bible . All living waters dot com . You keep us at a top rating , friends , and you continue to make us one of the top podcasts in the world how many downloads since ?
Emeal Zwayneso many millions , so millions , and your comments and your , all of that . Keep it going , friends , own friends and uh , yeah , and all that good stuff . Thank you for joining us . Oh , podcast , livingwaterscom and all those other good things . Thank you for joining us , friends . We'll see you here next time on the living waters podcast where we have still yes , still no idea what we're doing .