Growing Together

Balancing Tradition, Technology, and Togetherness

• Organic Church • Season 3 • Episode 2

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Ever wonder what a $70 heated cat box has to do with the trials of test-taking or the quirks of modern-day fasting? We're here to fill you in on the unpredictable journey of our latest episode, sprinkled with laughter, life updates, and a few heartfelt reflections. From humorous tales of our pet's antics and quirky home improvements to the camaraderie found amidst grueling test preparations, we've crafted a narrative that brings a smile to your face and perhaps a chuckle or two. Our banter will keep you entertained as we catch up on misadventures and missed meetings, making even the mundane amusingly relatable.

Wrapping up with a playful yet insightful conversation about modern-day technology habits and the humorous outcomes of targeted advertising, we invite you to join us in pondering the value of time spent with loved ones. Whether it's exploring fasting traditions or humorously dissecting the Department of the Interior's duties, our episode is peppered with anecdotes that resonate with the heart and tickle the funny bone. So grab your favorite snack, settle into a cozy spot, and let us entertain you with stories that remind us all of the importance of community, laughter, and cherished moments.

Speaker 1

So how long has it actually been since we've been in the room together?

Speaker 2

Six weeks.

Speaker 1

Has it been the week?

Speaker 5

before Thanksgiving or the week of Thanksgiving the week before.

Speaker 3

Thanksgiving, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5

Yeah, yeah, because you bailed. Yeah, yeah, so really, I only bailed on one, I think two.

Speaker 2

Two, two, did I really. Yeah, there was two. Oh, shame on me. Yeah, was it back-to-back though?

Speaker 1

Yeah, I don't think. I think you're wrong.

Speaker 4

Yep, no, he one. He was moving. That's all right, pastor Michael, I'm bailing in April.

Speaker 5

Did I really? Was it two? Are you going to April? Yes, Are you really?

Speaker 1

I remember the one, the week that we moved. You might want to go again in July, oh, closing got wild.

Speaker 5

Closing got crazy.

Speaker 6

Two weeks in a row.

Speaker 1

Sorry, sorry guys, we're keeping track.

Speaker 6

Yeah.

Speaker 1

Do we have an attendance?

Speaker 4

record. Attendance record. Yeah, we're going to have a tally sheet running somewhere Rough.

Speaker 1

Take the calendar or take the map down with the pins in it. We're just going to put our names up there.

Speaker 2

No, no, we're going to put your face and we're just going to throw, throw darts, throw darts at it. Every time you miss.

Speaker 1

You guys are harsh.

Speaker 5

So, Nick, I really think that Margie's rubbing off on me.

Speaker 3

What did you do? Oh, no.

Speaker 5

You know I went and bought a $70 heated cat box.

Speaker 3

Oh my gosh. We don't even have a $70 heated box, not that you know Not that I know of you plug in, so it has heat. That's what I know of you plug in.

Speaker 5

someone has heat.

Speaker 3

That's ridiculous. Was this for a new cat? Well, we now have four that come in?

Speaker 1

Well, of course you do. You've got a heated cat box.

Speaker 5

You've got the penthouse. I think they talk to each other.

Speaker 1

That's what I was going to say, I really do they do? They hang out in the alley by the trash cans and they're all like hey come over to my place.

Speaker 3

They know where the good houses are.

Speaker 1

Yeah, they definitely talk On the reverse end of that, beth. We have an orange tabby cat at one of our tree houses that I three, four times a week. People are like I hope this cat has a house. I'm like, yeah, it does, in the bottom of the pond, but you might want to edit that out.

Speaker 3

I'm kidding, you're going to be in trouble. I'm kidding, no, we do trap. We're 30 seconds into it, I know, and I'm already in trouble.

Speaker 1

We trap them and then we find Amish people who want them for their barns. Because there are so many of them at the one property. We catch six, eight a week. Really, we might be good for two or three weeks, and then there's a bunch of them back?

Speaker 2

Do people drop them off you?

Speaker 1

think no, the houses that are around will feed stray cats, and so then they see people and they think those people will feed them. And then they try to get into the units and obviously we can't have them inside Mine aren't coming in, the dog will eat them.

Speaker 5

Well, can I borrow your dog? You're not putting that collar on it.

Speaker 1

She says I'm not allowed to put the collar on the dog, but she complains about how her dog behaves, and my dog don't behave that way. He is still kind of stupid, though.

Speaker 5

Your dog behaves very well compared to mine.

Speaker 1

He's a pretty good dog. He's a pretty good dog Mine's been sick.

Speaker 5

I don't know what he ate.

Speaker 1

Crayons and some bubble bath.

Speaker 5

And a sock I did take. Ooh, charlie did do that, yeah, because she puked that thing up and I'm like, who said that dog, a corn dog, it was all like rolled up perfect.

Speaker 4

That's gross. Nope, it was a sock.

Speaker 5

25 minutes later the other one came too.

Speaker 1

Lord have mercy. Good gravy, Sid. Tonight's topic was yours. What was it that we were?

Speaker 2

New Year's resolution slash fasting. I thought that could go.

Speaker 1

I bought myself a treadmill. I figured I'd start to run this year?

Speaker 2

No, I'm kidding.

Speaker 5

It was an absolute lie. I just knew it would be Like you just got rid of one. Did you really sell it?

Speaker 1

Yeah, so yeah, yeah, we sold it pretty quickly too. It was nice. Yeah, I was going to have Tyler carry it to the basement and then sell it. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. We'll hey news on the home front, by the way. Real quick update like your home.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah uh, they started framing the basement today, so we'll have that hopefully will be done by the end of february. So nice, have a nice finished. I went and ordered carpet today. All the big stuff, all the fun stuff hey, I think roger, roger, what's your bookmark?

Speaker 2

that looks like what alissa was sending when me and courtney were saying, like you would color it, color each chapter.

Speaker 1

Oh, who knows? Probably.

Speaker 2

Like the top of it there's a full page that it looks like it'll show all of the books, like in the Bible.

Speaker 1

Yeah, you're right. Based on a bookshelf. Is that it? That's exactly what it is. That's cool. Yeah, that's funny.

Speaker 5

I got my news. I got my sunroom done, my new furniture. Look at you. Go that entertainment center that I love because it has a little electric fireplace in it.

Speaker 1

You pick that up off the side of the road. You buy that.

Speaker 5

You know what? I would have loved to have it, but I didn't want to say a word to Jarvi about it because he'd tell me it was too expensive. But he fell in love with it, so he bought it, it worked.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that's perfect, perfect, perfect.

Speaker 4

So, yep, listen, Beth and I both have picked things up off of the side of the I'm not shocked by that statement. I'm not shocked by that statement. We'd take walks in the evening and she'd be like oh, oh, look at that.

Speaker 1

Back after oh, also want to let both of you know that now that I know where each of you live, because I didn't know. I knew you lived on chestnut but I didn't know easton showed me where you guys lived the other day and I was like now I know where to steal the flowers from you.

Speaker 5

See me out there in the middle of the night with my shovel I, and then we had this whole argument over what size of tv to put in there you know 95 no, 65 is all that would fit in there. But he argued and argued we got it home. It don't fit. I told you we had to go with the 55. I'm like, tilt it, tilt it and put it in.

Speaker 1

Oh yeah, he just wanted to be right, that's all it was.

Speaker 2

All right, nick, I got to ask have you gotten your results?

Speaker 3

back. Oh no, Didn't make it.

Speaker 1

Really Didn't make it.

Speaker 3

What did you score? Do you know what you scored? My total score was a 78. Okay.

Speaker 1

That's better than I would have done, yeah.

Speaker 3

Little below the bar.

Speaker 1

What's the bar? What do you have to be?

Speaker 3

at Well. They only took the top 20 scores.

The Challenging Park Service Test

Speaker 1

Okay, that's what I've heard. They could have had 2100 percents for all we know. I mean that's probably not likely, but no, keep in mind.

Speaker 3

Okay, so there was supposed to be 100.

Speaker 1

We should preface that we're talking about your test Gettysburg Gettysburg Because anybody who doesn't recall that conversation like what did he, yeah, yeah, so there was 100.

Speaker 3

100 no, I'm sorry. Uh, 385 questions. But within those questions each question had like five questions within that question oh my goodness so yeah, it was. The surprising thing to me was how little had to do with the actual battle. Oh, and a lot of really random facts. Here's what got me. There was a whole section on government legislation, both past and current, having to do with the Park Service. Oh, I was totally unprepared for that yeah. So if you miss a whole section, you're toast. Yeah, you're not going to make it.

Speaker 3

And I was just not prepared for how many of these like almost kind of like mundane, random questions that didn't have anything to do with the battle per se or even the battlefield as I know it, but just all this legislation. I'm like I have no idea, like dates and laws and stuff like that. I'm like you know and they don't tell you this, they don't tell you like here's what's coming on the test they're not multiple choice either, are they no, fill in the blank.

Speaker 3

You either know it or you don't. Yeah, and, like I said, you would have like a question and I'd be like oh well, I got four out of five of them filling in the blank.

Speaker 6

You still missed it.

Speaker 3

But if you got one of those wrong, you get the whole question wrong. Oh gee, so you're not even getting partial credit for what you did fill in. So it is a very, very difficult test. I mean, I felt I had like a 50-50 chance. Well, you, did.

Speaker 1

It's either pass or fail.

Speaker 3

Yeah, I mean, I just felt like how I did. I felt pretty good about how I did, but I knew there was that section there that I didn't do well on that. I wasn't prepared for. I actually did very well on my essay portions.

Speaker 1

Oh good.

Speaker 3

So I got very good scores for my essays and I felt really good about those. When I left, uh, taking the test, um, but I just knew how I did, I thought, okay, yeah, you got a chance, you know you might, yeah, you know so.

Speaker 2

So yeah, I think, for taking it, for the first time, yeah um, I think I did pretty well and I definitely know now you know, yeah, I've never known that, you would have never known that.

Speaker 3

so now I know to go back on the things that I've never studied before, even even though I'll admit like I don't want to go start studying government legislation but this is something I want to do.

Speaker 2

I'm going to have to make that decision to do it the next test.

Speaker 6

it may not be on.

Speaker 1

I was going to say that.

Speaker 2

You're going to go do all that, and every time it's completely different than the first time I took it.

Speaker 1

Imagine the guy who's writing those tests. He has to come up with those questions.

Speaker 2

I see little Grinch like yeah, it sounds like the state board.

Speaker 5

That's how it felt.

Speaker 3

These guys are really just trying to just make you sweat it out.

Speaker 1

Jury duty jury duty blackmail jane letter.

Speaker 3

What are some of these questions, like what visitor to the battlefield will ever ask this question?

Speaker 1

Yeah, they're just stuff that nobody will ever ask. How did the postmaster in 1922 vote?

Speaker 3

What One of the questions was who is the current Department of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior? I'm like I have no idea.

Speaker 2

I didn't even know there was a Department of the Interior.

Speaker 1

I would just go with Bart.

Speaker 6

Bob Dole. Yeah, bob Dole, that's.

Speaker 1

Bob Dole's chair.

Speaker 3

You know, I'm trying to remember all these colonels' names, yeah, yeah, what part of the battlefield they fell on. And you know, and it was just like all this stuff, like who's going to ask? This stuff and it's funny because the podcast I listen to the host of the podcast and I sat right behind him. Oh really. He didn't pass and he said he did really bad. And I thought well, if a host of the, you know the guy that actually sits and listens to these guys talk every day. He didn't pass.

Speaker 2

Were you like fangirling behind him? Like, were you like?

Speaker 1

Did you get his?

Speaker 3

autograph Well, it kind of was an odd experience. Well, we had a Christmas party that evening. He threw a Christmas party for all the listeners, oh cool. So so I went there and it was kind of cool, yeah, cause some of the guides were there and you know, some of the people that you know from listening to the show.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 3

So it was kind of surreal in a way. Yeah, but he was real down to earth. We talked for a little bit and he pretty much told me there he's like there's no chance, I'm moving on.

Speaker 2

Where was the, the Christmas party?

Speaker 3

It was just right down from the battlefield oh that's neat though. It was like this big I forget the name of it it was a huge barn and they turned it into a restaurant, so it was kind of a cool place.

Speaker 2

Yeah, when you said it was like the Patreon, I just figured it was like online. Oh no, no.

Speaker 3

It was actually the night after the test, that's pretty cool.

Speaker 1

Yeah, it was cool.

Speaker 3

But no, it was actually the night after the test. That's pretty cool, so it was cool. But yeah, all in all it was a great experience. You know, got to meet some nice people and talk about it and just be around people that like it, as opposed to here where nobody yeah, Everybody's like.

Speaker 1

What is he talking about?

Speaker 3

It was cool to just be around people.

Speaker 2

Like us right now.

Speaker 6

It's interesting to me, though, how much knowledge you actually have.

Speaker 1

It's interesting to me, though, how much knowledge you actually have.

Speaker 3

It's bizarre to me, yeah, and it was humbling though too, to be like, okay, I thought I knew a lot and pretty confident I was like okay, well, you know you got to. Yeah, and some of it, I think, comes down to do you test. Well, were you, you know? Were you ready?

Speaker 4

Test anxiety, yeah Test anxiety?

Speaker 3

Were you fully ready for the test? A lot of those things go into it. But you know, like I said, a lot of the main guys. They have taken it three, four times to finally get through. And even these 20 people that passed this, they still got four more stages to go yeah, yeah and they get harder. I'm sure most likely they'll get like four or five guides out of this if they're lucky.

Speaker 4

So that is amazing to me. That seems so stringent. Why would it be so tough?

Reflections on Commitment and Disappointments

Speaker 3

I mean, they want you to know the best of the best. But you know and, and I think they really want to see if you want it, if how bad you want, yeah but I mean, like seriously, how many people tour?

Speaker 5

I mean I know people go and tour you go on a regular gettysburg but they're that much into it that's going to ask those questions. Most of them are school bus kids that just oh hey, they're all running carrying on you know that couple from Iowa with two kids.

Speaker 3

They're going to come one time in their life, and that's another part of it that makes me think after all this, because I talked to some of the guys and I said, okay, you're out there every day and you're given this same tour, two hour tour, because that's all you can do is just give them the basics. I said what does that do for you, for your own, you know, love of the place or inspiration? I said do you find yourself after doing this all day? Do you want to get back on the battlefield for yourself and enjoy it?

Speaker 3

And they're like, well, you don't really have time for that, and sometimes you really don't I think, well, do I want that?

Speaker 2

Right.

Speaker 3

Do I want to do this so much that I lose?

Speaker 2

why I love it in the first place.

Speaker 3

So it does make you think in a lot of ways, like, okay, you know you really got to want to do it, you know you really have to be committed to doing it and it's just.

Speaker 2

Yeah, it's a unique thing that reminds me of, like the sorry, the little caption thing that says just a reminder, like you're currently living in what you prayed for.

Speaker 4

You're back.

Speaker 2

You just forget sometimes. I feel like that would be a situation like that, yeah.

Speaker 3

So it's just I was down for a couple because I found out Well for sure. Well, what I didn't like was I found out all of a sudden people were posting on Facebook that they passed.

Speaker 2

Oh.

Speaker 3

And I'm like what are you talking about? They haven't. I haven't got an email yet. You know, I don't know anything. So and then, and of course, everybody's jumping in like, well, where are the results posted? Where do we find the results? And we didn't know. So that's how I found out was people bragging?

Speaker 6

that I passed.

Speaker 3

So, I'm sitting there thinking like, well, did I pass. For a couple of days, and then, finally, I did get my email, um, and so I was down about it for a couple of days you know, as anybody would, just disappointment. But after that I was just like well, you know, put in perspective, it's a learning experience. You know you'll you'll learn from the, from the failure you'll. You'll be better prepared next time if it's something you truly want to do.

Speaker 5

And you know, who knows.

Speaker 3

I mean, it's just, it's definitely a work in progress and, like I said, most people are, you know, go through the same thing. As I talked to one kid he said, yeah, he goes. I made it all the way to the end last time and I was giving my tour to the superintendent and I got two chances because I failed them both. And then COVID came and it took him seven years to get back to take that written test.

Speaker 5

So if you fail the last test, you have to start completely over.

Speaker 3

Even if you get to the very end, you have to go all the way back to the written. That's rough you can't just start back. That's rough At the end.

Speaker 1

You have to go all the way back to the written.

Speaker 4

That's rough, you can't just start back.

Speaker 1

That's rough. Yeah, at the end, yeah, okay. So does anybody know who? The secretary of the Department of the Interior?

Speaker 4

is no. Who is it no?

Speaker 1

I still don't know, I never bothered to look.

Speaker 2

Michael does not know, but he does.

Speaker 1

I have no idea. I have H-A-A-L-A-N-D. Have any of us ever heard of her?

Speaker 2

Nope, no.

Speaker 1

Do you know what branch of government that falls under?

Speaker 2

Learn this today. The Air Force? I don't know.

Speaker 1

The executive branch. Oh shoot, I was thinking the military?

Speaker 2

Yeah, no. Can you believe that? Executive?

Speaker 1

branch. Yeah, but I did know this. The Department of the Interior covers the white house because it's public property and they're the ones who issued the budget for what the president is allowed to spend to redecorate, say, the oval office or the residence. So, um, and the department of the interior is also the one who litigated hillary clinton for allegedly stealing furniture from the white house. I don't like. I read that. I know that it is true, but I don't know that she intentionally stole furniture from the White House. But yeah, it was a whole thing.

Speaker 5

Don't even get me wrong, isn't it?

Speaker 1

interesting that you could be sued for stealing furniture from the White House. Wow, anyhow.

Speaker 5

Well, I'm guessing, if they bought it for you, in your mind you would think that it was yours.

Speaker 1

Well, I think the stuff that you put in the residence they can keep. It's the stuff that they put in the Oval Office or in the official portion of the White House. That stuff stays. So if she opted to buy armchairs for her office or whatever those belong to, the White House. Those belong to the Department of the Interior.

Speaker 3

I would love to see the storage room.

Speaker 1

Oh my gosh, Can you?

Speaker 3

imagine, because each president ends up they bring out old stuff. Yeah, and I'd love to see that, see what they have.

Speaker 1

Yeah, because the Oval Office changes with each president, like they put up a bust of Martin Luther King Jr or Abraham Lincoln or whatever and they've got all of that stuff stored somewhere.

Speaker 5

Right Luther King Jr or Abraham Lincoln or whatever. They've got all of that stuff stored somewhere. Do they do an auction once every 10 years? I don't know.

Speaker 1

It's in the basement. Let's go to one. You might just be present and be like hmm, which bust do I want in my office? You know what I don't like? Any of these. Can we get one made of meat? Oh goodness, that's fun. Any life updates for you, roger. Anything fun new happen for you in the six weeks.

Speaker 6

No, not really A dog died. Dog died.

Speaker 5

I'm so sorry.

Speaker 1

It's so hard Way to bring that one down, roger. Well, hey you asked. No, he and I were talking about it earlier and we jokingly admit that they are like children.

Speaker 2

It's crazy I always complain about mine and Beth complains about hers, but at some point it's weird because this time last year is when my dad lost Maya and then a week later we lost Karki.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that would be.

Speaker 2

I think the winners are, I mean, even if they are indoor dogs, because they both were. I just think the winners are, I mean, even if they are indoor dogs, because those they both were, and I just think the winner does something.

Speaker 1

I was talking to a funeral director, imagine that Go figure. Why wouldn't I be? Did you take your picture with him? I didn't, I didn't. He and I were chatting in the front seat of the hearse, by the way.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Speaker 1

And he said to me that he no longer takes vacations in the winter months, specifically in December, because business picks up Like they get busy and I'm like what I've noticed, that he said it is crazy. It's so hard to believe how, in the winter months and specifically December, how much peak they have in their business.

Speaker 4

There's a lot of heart attacks in December. It's crazy Anxiety and depression. It's nuts Winter rest.

Speaker 6

Shoveling snow, shoveling snow.

Speaker 2

When I was delivering mail that nursing home on the south side it was baffling how many names were going in and out of there during the winter months. I think I was looking back at it at March. I'm like, oh my gosh, I think there were 20 new residents because 20 of them had passed away.

Speaker 1

It's crazy, it really is On mine. My jumpsuit didn't fit.

Speaker 3

Happy 90th King.

Speaker 1

Yeah, happy 90th Elvis. Too bad, my jumpsuit didn't fit. I'd have wore it for you today, but here we are, so it's back at the tailor, hopefully getting fixed and right now, you are not a tiger man. I am not maybe you should have kept that treadmill maybe no, no, this was like it was weird in all the wrong places. Like it was too short in the middle, but the arm holes were too small, but the legs, oh, I've got pictures, I've got pictures.

Speaker 1

Same woman make it. Yes, but this is my first custom suit that she tailored specifically for me. The other ones were what she called ready to wear. So it was this four-way stretch fabric so you could put it on and it had a little bit of give. So if the armholes were a little tight, it was forgiving. It's the wool gabardine that elvis would have actually worn. They are not forgiving. It is not forgiving at all?

Speaker 5

and did you have to measure yourself and send it to her, did you guys?

Speaker 1

it's weird it's. So, yes, there are measurements that you have to send, but she doesn't ask about your armholes. So, like she doesn't, how do you measure your armhole? Like, yeah, it doesn't?

Speaker 3

like that's not really a thing. So you couldn't have said just make it like the black suit. I did.

Speaker 1

I actually said, hey, this suit fits me the best.

Speaker 1

But she didn't have that torn apart to use it as a template. So once she had sewn that one together, it's kind of like, yeah, I've got an idea, but we did two fittings, so what she would do, she would send me a shell. That was completely plain. I took it to my seamstress, who then pinned it in all of the places that it needed to be pinned, sent it back to her. She brought it in, tucked it up, twisted it around and did all of the things and then sent it back and I put it on again. And the second one I got fit worse than the first one, and so I was like, hey, we really got to work on this, because this is still like the arm holes aren't right, like the shoulders were down real low and so I didn't have any arm motion without everything coming up. So we fixed it, pinned it all up, sent it back, and then I got it back and again it was probably worse than it was the first time so just where we are.

Speaker 6

Maybe she's getting old yeah, I don't know. It just wasn't good. Or the people that she has working for don't know.

Speaker 1

It just wasn't good. Your kids went in her tailor room.

Speaker 3

And just like, just so you got somebody's arm, somebody's leg when I.

Speaker 1

So she's in Canada, and so my initial reaction was call her because I need, I want her to hear my voice, I want her to hear me explain it, because through email it sounds aggressive. Like I'm like, hey, the jumpsuit came and it doesn't fit. So we really cordial conversation and she's like I just can't imagine how that happened, like how long the legs were. We pinned the legs up and my guess is is she just didn't hem the legs to the pinning, she just hemmed them off and considered it done and didn't really pay attention to that length.

Speaker 2

So did you have like terrible, like delivery service, because the Canadian post no because she mails UPS.

Speaker 1

So there was no UPS in Canada is incredibly bogged down because of that. So I it takes about two weeks to get anything from her, so when she mails it it comes from her to Seattle Washington and then makes its way across the United States. So, I mailed it back to her before Christmas. She didn't get it till January 3rd.

Speaker 2

Oh, wow.

Speaker 1

So to do the adjustments and then, once she's done with those adjustments, which is probably a week, two weeks, another two weeks before it gets here in the mail. So kind of rough.

Speaker 5

How's picking up all your Amazon boxes at the post office going?

Speaker 1

I don't mind it.

Speaker 2

However, I don't like saturdays.

Speaker 1

That's annoying. Why do you close at noon on saturday?

Ice Cream and Resolutions

Speaker 2

because they don't even like being there that long I'm sure they don't, but you.

Speaker 1

A lot of times I still see the, the truck, the carrier still out oh yeah, oh yeah, that that would have been me like this doesn't. This doesn't seem fair like you went home and I've got packages inside it absolutely was not fair yeah, I still got packages, but no, I don't.

Speaker 2

It's not that bad have you noticed you're like cutting down on delivering ordering?

Speaker 1

not at all.

Speaker 3

Not at all, like no, I'm pretty sure Chuck hates me and I don't like I was going to say well, maybe someday they'll give you a key, but that's exactly they should just give me a key to the back door and be like hey, your packages will always be stacked right here, Scan them yourself.

Speaker 1

Get out Like I've got stuff sitting there now.

Speaker 4

It's probably been there three or four days.

Speaker 1

I know.

Speaker 5

No, no, no I haven't been able to make it Mine. I've got stuff there too that Jarvee doesn't know is there yet me too, this is a light day.

Speaker 1

No, I don't mind that, um. What I struggle with, though, are returns. They don't, because I used to be able to like where you could return it in just about any form or fashion. It seems like when you buy and they ship through ups, they assume that you don't have, or usps that you don't have access to a kohl's or a FedEx. Right yeah, it's really strange. Your options seem to be a little more limited in returns, which has been the only inconvenience for me.

Speaker 5

Makos has that little box, a UPS box, that, if you have the label you can drop it?

Speaker 1

Yeah, and that's great if it fits inside that box, which most of the stuff I mail does not fit inside that box.

Speaker 5

I'm thinking to myself how safe is that sitting there? Yeah, yeah right?

Speaker 1

No, I don't mind that we are really truly adjusting to life in Jenayton, though.

Speaker 5

I bet.

Speaker 1

It's very strange. It's very strange.

Speaker 5

You've learned to get everything before you come home from work or you have to run to Philly. Yes, that is a fact.

Speaker 2

We have definitely learned to like. Alyssa tells me hey, can you stop and pick up? We do that a lot better than we've ever done that, because it used to be oh, no big deal, I can just run back across. Yeah well, even too much, even for me, like with cooper now and even like before cooper because, like chase, would be working in philly and yeah I'm not gonna make my self-drive 12 minutes up there if he's already working up there, yep for sure so now the dollar store does carry a good variety.

Speaker 1

Okay, can we talk about the dollar store for a second? Anybody ever been in the dollar store in Gen 8 besides the three of us who live there? Family dollar, family dollar. They know everybody. Okay, I don't care if they know me or not, but here's the deal. I went in on Christmas Eve, maybe, and I said to the it's young girl, she's in her pajama pants, she's sitting, whatever.

Speaker 2

Okay.

Speaker 1

So I'm just making casual conversation. Employee was in her pajamas sitting on a stool behind and it's Christmas Eve.

Speaker 1

So I'm like, hey, this girl should just chill. Whatever, I'm fine. Okay, I'm going to give you some grace, so go in. I'm talking to her and like I'm trying to be polite and she's like she's not rude, she's not standoffish, but very uncomfortable, like very awkward, and it's like very strange to try to talk to her and I said, what time do you guys close tonight? And she goes well, I get to go home at two.

Speaker 1

It's not really the question I asked and I'm like, oh, you're not, you're open later than that. Than that she goes, yeah, but I don't know what time. Okay, fine, and I'm thinking I knew I had to take Adeline back because she wanted to shop for two more gifts, so just take her down there. So I said, all right, well, I'll be back in a little while with my daughter. So, oh, I was going to Philly to take down the basketball hoop from Brooke and Stone's house because we left our basketball hoop there and they wanted it out. So I do it on Christmas Eve, because what better day to do it? On my way back I realized they needed antifreeze to put back in the base of the basketball hoop so it wouldn't freeze.

Speaker 1

So I go back in and I've got Easton with me and I go in and I get up to the front and I'm again casual chit chat with this girl trying to be polite and as I go to leave she says to me you didn't bring your daughter. It was just like you wouldn't even talk to me 15 seconds ago. And then you make that weird comment At the end yeah, like I'm away from the counter, going out the door you didn't bring your daughter, not like. Oh, I noticed you didn't bring your daughter. You didn't bring. It was very matter-of-fact like I'm inconveniencing her.

Speaker 4

I will be back what?

Speaker 1

is happening. We left it open just for her happening.

Speaker 5

We left it open just for her.

Speaker 1

That was her way of asking um, I think I know. I think I know which one. And then there was another lady was in there one time and she was new year's day. We were having company over and we realized they they're mountain dew drinkers and we don't drink mountain dew. So I stopped there to get a two liter. And there's somebody in there with a dog. This isn't a service animal, just a dog on a leash. Okay, bring your dog in, yeah. And the dog is up front barking and she's barking back at it like she's like and I'm like what is happening?

Speaker 2

like is this real life? I went in there one day and I'm like am I in a twilight?

Speaker 1

I know it is so strange, but it is what it is. So anybody else got anything fun for New Year's? Like we really need to talk about our New Year's resolutions.

Speaker 4

Well, I got to go to Massachusetts twice.

Speaker 1

Oh yes, while we were off. Yeah, how was that?

Speaker 4

I had been up over Thanksgiving and we did Thanksgiving and Christmas and Lily's birthday.

Speaker 1

Yes.

Speaker 4

Because her birthday is Christmas Day, so we did all of that while I was up there.

Speaker 2

That's such a rip off.

Speaker 4

Yeah, home the first part of December, and then I went back up for a three-day weekend to see. Lily's fourth grade Christmas program, because I've not been able to see any of her school programs that she doesn't live around the corner, but it was really nice. Had a great time. That's great.

Speaker 1

Beth, anything fun for you.

Speaker 5

Nope. Nothing fun Not that I can think of, just the excitement of a new room.

Speaker 1

Well, so let's just talk about our New year's resolutions. And then we're also the church does 21 days prayer and fasting in january, we started monday, so if you, if you are fasting, just we can share a little bit about what we're fasting.

Speaker 4

So I don't do resolutions me neither.

Speaker 5

Never have me either, because I would always going to be losing weight and do this and do that, and then you know I'm not losing weight, and then it just I'm beating myself up for it again. I always say I'm going to be losing weight and do this and do that, and then you know I'm not losing weight, and then it just I'm beating myself up for it again.

Speaker 4

I always say I'm going to try to live healthier. Yeah, I'm going to try to like cut out some sugar or some of those things, but I've never been a resolution person yeah, me either.

Speaker 6

I'm fasting ice cream oh, that sounds terrible.

Speaker 1

Oh, I won't tell you that I had two bowls of mint mint chip soft serve last night. Then After the fast is there a carton of the soft serve.

Speaker 6

I don't know why, because there's like four gallons of freezer.

Speaker 5

I love ice cream.

Speaker 4

Temptation. It's a good test. It's a good test of your willpower.

Speaker 1

I'm good at it, but what's your ice cream of choice?

Speaker 6

yeah, black cherry I could fast.

Speaker 4

I grew up with black cherry, my dad always had black cherry or black raspberry.

Speaker 1

I could very easily fast both of those.

Speaker 4

Give me that black raspberry too.

Speaker 6

But see, well then, but there's one flavor that he's going to say buttered pecan or something. I like that. Oh my God, Now buttered pecan's, my favorite, that's my wife's favorite too Got to have buttered pecan and chocolate in the same cup or same bowl. But the chocolate has to be on the bottom, it has to, yeah.

Speaker 2

Okay, you know what's my favorite Cookie dough, ice cream with Nesquik powder, chocolate Nesquik powder. Oh my goodness, making my mouth like, yes, like the Nesquik syrup. It's a powder form, I don't know. My friend got me hooked on it. It's the same friend who did salami and peanut butter. Don't knock it till you try it.

Speaker 3

That's good good.

Speaker 4

I like salami and cream cheese, salami and peanut butter though oh, peanut butter and onion, that's good. Uh, there's something sandwich all right, pastor michael, what's your, what's your flavor?

Speaker 1

uh, mint chocolate chip always mint chip is my go-to, especially in a hand dipped or a hard ice cream yeah I prefer soft serve all day, every day, now. This is the bad part. I prefer vanilla soft serve all day, every day Now, this is the bad part. I prefer vanilla soft serve, the most basic soft serve that you can get. However, blue Bunny now makes soft serve in containers.

Speaker 2

Like the smaller ones.

Speaker 1

No, they make the big ones.

Speaker 2

Oh, the blue, Don't get me started on those little ones.

Speaker 1

Listen, I could eat three in a night and my stomach hurts so bad by the time I'm done. They had a mint chip with fudge in the bottom. Lord have mercy. They were $3 a piece and they were this big. Okay, this is not a joke. I would go to giant Eagle and buy out everything they had. I'd take it home and put it in the freezer and then I would have one a night, sometimes two a night on a real rough night. Three, but I'm telling you I would be so sick by the time I was done. But no, they make the regular size container with soft serve now and the mint chip is to die for. But if you want the best vanilla soft serve this world has to offer, go to Softies in.

Speaker 5

Dover.

Speaker 1

I don't care what anybody says. It is the best vanilla soft serve. I don't know how they do it. I don't know if they've got like it's the water they use Well the people that I work for own that, so I'll have to ask. Yeah, it's got to be. Magic, it's got to be. That's. The only thing I can think of is that Santa sprinkles magic in each batch of their vanilla ice cream, because it is delicious.

Speaker 4

Vanilla was my always go-to. I always liked vanilla.

Speaker 1

My kids make fun of me because I'll walk in. Like we get to Softies we walk up and they're like Dad's getting vanilla. Now have I want to enjoy the ice cream, not work for it.

Speaker 5

Roslyn and I did it last year.

Speaker 1

I had an ice cream maker. You put the salt and the ice in there. First of all, it doesn't yield enough ice cream to make it worth the labor. I can go to the store for the same price and buy a whole container of ice cream.

Speaker 6

Rum raisin. I've yeah, rum raisin.

Speaker 4

I never had rum raisin.

Speaker 6

Well, Goshen Dairy was the only place that I could ever find it.

Speaker 2

You know, my grandma used to work there For like years, really Years, because they lived right behind it. The one in your, oh yeah. Oh yes, you probably didn't go there.

Speaker 6

No, I went to the one in New Philly.

Speaker 2

Okay.

Speaker 1

Let's think back to our childhoods. Most of us will remember going to Goshen Dairy and remember you get the little cup of ice cream with the wooden paddle. I can still taste that wooden paddle. You're not supposed to eat the paddle, but when you would put it in your mouth, that is just, it's iconic. It's the pine resin on it.

Speaker 4

It's iconic. You'll never forget it Junaidin's store. The gas station was our Goshen Dairy.

Speaker 6

Really.

Speaker 2

Yeah, really.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Speaker 6

Oh yeah, that's, right Interesting.

Speaker 1

Okay, so we all know that we don't set resolutions. I never have either. It's not been.

Speaker 3

I don't really set resolutions.

Speaker 3

But your message on Sunday about the fruits of faith, right.

Speaker 3

So and I had already been thinking about this, but you know you're talking about for me, I'm like I've really got the patience down, the kindness I think I'm pretty good at, but the one for me, one of those on there, was joy, and what I had said to myself before the first of the year was I just really want to try to go about my work and the things I have to do in life with a little more joy, because I'm not good at that.

Challenges of Modern-Day Fasting

Speaker 3

It's not that I stress when I'm at work, but I just take it really seriously. So I'm just trying to go about things with a little more joy. And, of course, when I'm at home doing chores and stuff and stuff my wife asked me to do, I'll be honest, I don't always go about it with a lot of joy. But so for me, that's the one that I struggle with and I keep telling myself you got to, you got to work on that, you got to go about the things that you have to do in life, that if you think about it, you're really blessed to be doing these things.

Speaker 4

You know, I think you put all yeah.

Speaker 2

But you have a great job. Yeah, oh, yes, you have a great wife.

Speaker 3

You have a great home, so that comes with responsibilities, yeah. So why not just go about it with a little more joy instead of always being like? You know just?

Speaker 3

taking things either too seriously or just thinking, oh, why do I have to do this? I could be doing something else I want to do. I worked all day and I got to come home and do this. Yeah, yeah, I'm there. So, so, yeah. So that that's for me, that's the one thing that I'm going to try to, uh, and and wouldn't you know it, like the first two or three days of workout, the first of the year, just really testing.

Speaker 6

Oh yeah, oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3

Really testing that whole idea. Yeah, so are you fasting?

Speaker 1

No, no, okay, that's okay.

Speaker 3

I just, I don't know, I just because for me, like we've talked, like you know, you're going to Go right back do it.

Speaker 1

You know you're going to do it again, which I know that's not the point, I know, but If you're taking that thing away, then perhaps it will make you concentrate more on God during that period. But what is the fruit if you just turn around and go right back to it?

Speaker 3

But I don't want to say I think it's a good thing for anybody who's doing it.

Speaker 2

Yeah.

Speaker 3

So I just, I don't know.

Speaker 1

Not everybody's in the same season.

Speaker 3

Yeah, it doesn't. I guess I've yet to find I shouldn't say I haven't found how it's beneficial to me yet.

Speaker 2

Not right now, not in this season.

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, like, oh, christians love a good season, don't they?

Speaker 3

I mean, I just I'm confident in myself that I know if there's something that I need to work on, just like I'm talking about joy, like I'm really cognizant of that thought.

Speaker 2

Which is good.

Speaker 3

Yeah, you know good, yeah, you know, like I'm not, I don't need somebody.

Speaker 2

I don't need something to prompt me to say, hey, yeah, this is something you need to work on, although, like I said, your message was kind of like oh hey, that's perfect, because I was already thinking that and then, and then your message kind of hit right on that point.

Speaker 3

I thought, oh, that makes that's when it makes me feel like I'm on to some yeah, like I'm already that confirmation right yeah then you confirm it. I'm like that'll work.

Speaker 1

Well, and that's good for me too, because I write those messages a week in advance or more and I'm like I'm working on these messages, I'm excited about it. I feel like this is a great message and it was a light Sunday. There weren't very many people here, it was 50 people. 50 people, and most of them were kids.

Speaker 2

So. But I'm like man did that land, so it is nice to know when it does it does. Yeah, now I was gonna say I'm kind of the opposite as nick, because a few years ago I felt the same way like, well, if I'm just gonna give up pop, I know I'm gonna go right back to it, but a few. And it was so funny because months back I'm like I would get on tiktok maybe twice a day and scroll for five minutes, but then once I had cooper I'm like I had no time now oh but now the rules reversed around like mid-november, to where I was getting on there, a lot like and you doom scroll.

Speaker 2

You just never stop not doom scroll I'm almost never on the for you page, but I'm always like girl never heard. There is a thing right now where it's like if you, it's the creative insight and like that's my creative spark, like I want so that there's a creative insight tool that tells you hey, if you talk about this, you'll get more views and then you can.

Speaker 2

Jenny is like certified to like start selling things on there. So I was like, well, if I do that and get more views, then I can get certified and start selling things. But then I'm like, why? Why don't I even need to sell things? Yeah why am I even trying? To do that, but it took me to like thinking about what do I want to fast? I'm like I was just not even on tiktok that was your adhd I know, I know it was months ago.

Speaker 2

I wasn't even on there you know, and then it turned into like me, just like obsessing over it, and then that's kind of how the fasting started.

Speaker 1

So what are you actually fasting? You're fasting TikTok, tiktok.

Speaker 2

Specifically, yeah, which Cooper logged on to it today. I'm like, get off of there. He like touched the button. He touched the button and I'm like, oh my gosh, no, I can't see, it's like finding Nemo.

Speaker 1

Don't you touch that boat.

Speaker 3

I'm really trying to hold strong too.

Speaker 2

To no cell phones someday it's something I started a long time ago and I did pretty well with it.

Speaker 3

But then during the holidays, like when I had time off, I know, on them Sundays I was on it. But now I feel like, okay, we're getting back to normal. I really try to keep that going because that is nice just to be away from it for one day. Like I said, you don't get into the doom scrolling.

Speaker 2

That's so easy to do.

Speaker 3

It is, and you can just find yourself a whole day's gone Well, and especially me.

Speaker 2

He's only this little for how long. Yeah, exactly, I can't be consuming this over some stupid app.

Speaker 1

And I'm going to tell you what I still think about my Christmas Eve message. I can't stop. Alyssa and I were talking and I said, well, we'll just tell our oldest boy's mom, we'll tell her, well, we'll just take Christmas Eve going forward. It's less confusing for them, it's easier on them, honestly, like they're not at home at our house because they don't come very often, so it's a little bit chaotic for them. We love to just be able to have Christmas with them in any form. And she goes Michael, that's only one more year and we don't have them anyway, because aaron will be 18 for christmas next year, so he doesn't have to come. If he doesn't want to come, he just shows up. When he shows up, right, aiden will be 17, but he will be um at his mom's this Christmas this coming in 2025.

Speaker 1

And then in 2026, when he would be back at our house he'll be 18. Yeah, like think about that. You don't realize how little time you have. Like I still look at those kids like they're kids. They are not kids, they're almost grown adults.

Speaker 6

And it's so hard to believe that, yeah, you'll always think that way, though.

Speaker 1

Yep, yep, yeah, they're not. You'll always think that they're, though yep, yep, they're not babies anymore. Yep, so yeah, dawn, how about you? What are you fasting?

Speaker 4

um, I'm trying to get rid of that sugar okay one, um, but more so than the fasting. I'm going to try to read a lot more. I just don't find the time yeah to read as much as I would like. So more so than fasting something I just want to study more You're going to invest that time. That's good, I can go without a cell phone all day long. Half the time I don't turn it on, Beth will be like are you ignoring me?

Speaker 5

I actually Facebook. I'm not completely off of it, but I don't allow myself to be on it until I've spent time with God or in the.

Speaker 3

Word yeah, that's good Put it in its place.

Speaker 5

I did that last year and I did it really well for quite a while and then I got back into first thing in the morning before I climb out of bed. I'm scrolling, and if I got time to do that, I got time to spend with my Lord.

Speaker 1

Yeah, so this is fun for me because I thought about this long and hard on what I was going to fast and everybody thinks they know what I'm fasting. Everybody always thinks they know what I'm doing and nobody ever has any clue what's going on?

Speaker 1

No give me a break, girl. I just said to Alyssa there's one place that we go to regularly. It's Harrison, on 5th and Columbus. This lady started booking us at another facility she was at. She loves us, we love her. It's fantastic. The kids love going with us. It's a long drive but we enjoy it. There's one lady there. Her name is Claire. I tease her and pick on her and she tries to FaceTime her granddaughter while I'm there, but it's a riot. So, anyhow, we love it.

Speaker 1

And so we try to make sure that they see a new suit and we change the music every time we go. And that's hard to do because I mean, you have to learn all of this music because in your mind, like I, know these 40 songs really well. Once you've done those 40 songs, you got to change it up, because this is the sixth time I've been there. So we always try a new suit and all of that. And I joked with alissa they haven't seen my black one. No, yes, they haven't seen my black one. No, yes, they haven't seen my black one, either of my blue ones or my tiger. So I've got four more shows and I said, and shoot, by the time they've seen all of those. I'll have a sundial suit on the way.

Speaker 2

So I mean we're fine, All right. Yeah, definitely not fasting that.

Speaker 3

Slip it in there. Yeah, exactly, yeah, oh listen.

Restoring Church Focus on People

Speaker 1

Her rule of thumb is she does not care how much I spend, so long as I've got the money from having earned it from Elvis money. I just ordered a new wig, all human hair, custom made for my head. It was $1,500 and she didn't even bat an eyelash.

Speaker 3

This didn't come from the uh, what we were talking about last season, the parts, the body parts, yeah, maybe, I don't know Body brokering.

Speaker 1

Yeah, Maybe I didn't ask if the hair was clean or not, I just like I need hair, so yeah.

Speaker 2

Good, well, that's your third wig then, isn't it? Yes, it'll be my third wig. Did you end up watching the podcast? Oh my gosh. Yes, I did, I did and I loved every minute of it.

Speaker 1

There's a show on Netflix called Kings of Tupelo, or Tupelo, something like that, and it is about body brokering and Elvis impersonators. You honestly couldn't get a better show for me, and it's a. It's a true story. It's a true story. You have to watch it. It's, it will blow your mind. You will not be able to believe it, but it's real. It is real. Double trouble, wow.

Speaker 2

Yeah, anyhow. So real quick, what think about it? Is he crazy?

Speaker 1

oh, he's crazy. No, I don't. I think he's a little crazy, but I think there's a little there is some truth to it and that one politician that, like owns the funeral home is totally legit, that that dude is dirty, dirty, dirty, dirty that was my for sure, but how do you prove it?

Speaker 1

because he runs the town like what are you gonna do? Um, I have opted not to fast this season and I opted not to fast for a couple of reasons. I am not emotionally or mentally in a place to fast in it to mean anything. I would be fasting to fast. I would be fasting to say that I'm participating.

Speaker 2

A check off.

Speaker 1

Right, it's a, it's a check in the box. And what is the purpose of doing that if I don't actually mean it or feel it Right, and that sounds terrible, that you know the church is fasting and the pastor is not?

Speaker 2

Well, I think you need a time and space for that.

Speaker 1

There is a part of me that like walking into the new year. Yes, there was a part of me walking into the new year when I want to do things differently for the church and for myself, and I can't just do things because that's what I'm supposed to do, because it doesn't mean anything. Like you know, alyssa and I are trying to figure out how we balance our schedules now because, before all of the other things, I'm a dad and a husband, but I'm never, home.

Speaker 1

Monday nights I get to go home after work, but we have dance and gymnastics. We're not together Tuesday nights. Roger and I are usually here to do some maintenance task, whatever it may be. Wednesday nights we're here for this. Thursday nights Roger and I are usually here to do some maintenance task, whatever it may be. Wednesday nights we're here for this. Thursday nights. What do we have? I think that's going to be basketball.

Speaker 1

This coming week We'll start basketball practices, and it's two practices at two very different times. So one of us is at the basketball court for like four hours while they practice and we can't leave because it's too far to drive one way or the other. So Fridays is our only night, and now we're filling Friday nights with planning meetings for the Easter egg hunt. So we're going to have people at our house on Friday nights to do that. And then Saturdays are really our only free day, but Aiden plays basketball, so we're going watching him.

Speaker 1

It just it's chaotic and so we don't really have time as a family to just be together, and so we're just trying to like how do we readjust our schedules? How do we fix that so we're not always running in opposite directions? The fasting part for me, when I listen to other people talk about fasting, I get disappointed because again and this isn't everybody, but you know we talk about the different types of fast you can do a full fast where you're nothing but water and you're not. You know, I don't know why somebody would ever do that.

Speaker 2

My grandpa did it.

Speaker 1

But people do it. And then there are people who do it and then fail, yeah, and then they're like, oh well, god understands, you're right, but you made a commitment right, yeah.

Speaker 1

Like let's follow through, and that's why I don't want to overcommit to something, and so that's my mind is like let's refocus on the foundation, and that's why I talk about this year being about restoration. Here I really want us to restore what we're doing at a foundational level, not at a operational level. You know, not at a operational level. This is a business, very much so. A church has to operate like a business, because if we just give away all of our money, you can't keep the doors open. Right, there has to be some good stewardship of the money.

Speaker 1

But at the same time, do we need to have eight different events every year? Do we have to have all of these extra activities that we're doing here and there? Because all of it costs money or takes somebody's time and people are like, oh, we can do dodgeball, that doesn't take any planning. Yes, it does. Somebody has to do all of the social posts, somebody has to do all of the invites, somebody has to manage that and it does take time. But people don't understand that. And then a lot of times when I say no, well, he never wants to do anything. That's not true. I would love to do it if we had more volunteers to do it?

Speaker 5

Yeah Well, unfortunately it's always the same one.

Speaker 1

Yes, exactly, and I you know this is not me being upset, this is me stating a fact. Roger and I were taking the basketball ho in foil and a loaf of bread that was completely moldy. And that was from the Christmas party. Now here was my complaint. I'm not mad at anybody for leaving it, because here's what happened those of us who came and worked all day to get ready for that Christmas party there was no cleanup crew.

Speaker 1

Nobody wants to stay and do the dirty work. Everybody wants to come and enjoy, but they don't want to do the yeah, the heavy lifting, and so that's frustrating for me and that's why I think people don't understand about, yeah, this year it's people, not programs. I want to build disciples, not build programs.

Speaker 2

You know we're going to do, but you need a program to. I'm saying the program as in like the people that are prepping and then like the people that are cleanup crew, like that is a program. Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 1

yeah, but for what though? For what part?

Speaker 2

just like a christmas party.

Speaker 1

Yeah, for events so you're exactly right, and so we have to limit those number of events based on the number of volunteers that we can get. Yes, so, like this year, we're going to do an easter egg hunt because the community loves it and it is a huge hit and there's no reason not not to. We've got the eggs like 40,000 eggs. It's not a joke, it's not an exaggeration. There's 42,000 eggs back there. Denison Foursquare wants to help this year. So we're doing a planning meeting with Denison Foursquare so that we all have our own responsibility, like their responsibility this year might be stuffing half of those eggs, versus us trying to do all of it, and we may stuff all of them together at their church one night through that event. Quit wiggling your cord. That's what I keep hearing. You need a ruler. I know, I know. Just give me a wiffle ball bat.

Speaker 2

Or at least a sound effect of a ruler. Yeah, roger.

Speaker 1

So like because last year we did half here, they did did half there, but we didn't know how many eggs we had, there was really no cohesive agreement yeah but we did cited that very late into the game. So this year we're going to plan it early and we're going to do it well and we're going to like try to make sure that everything is functioning, but I don't know that we'll do much beyond that. Yeah, like we're going to have a christmas party for the church members but the but.

Speaker 1

The community expects us to show up for that so I think that is that's why I do it what we need to show up and and I know that I have the capacity to handle that event yeah like for me to just say this is mine, I'm planning it yeah like I'm gonna take care of it. I'll tell like I'm gonna need volunteers, but's going to have a job. Everybody's going to know where to be.

Speaker 2

And I can be here this year.

Speaker 1

And it's not going to be a like. We're not going to fight over whether or not Denison is supposed to be spreading eggs or what time are we starting. I'm going to tell Denison, like, these are your roles, you figure out how you're going to do it. We'll set the space you. You come out and delegate place it right, like between myself and Sonia from Denison, like we're going to captain it. We're going to be in, just we're going to spearhead that project. But much beyond that.

Speaker 5

I don't want to do it.

Speaker 1

And I say things like the Fall Festival is always such a wonderful time, and it really is, and we will probably do that one, because Courtney and Tyler like to plan that one. But here's the thing, it can't just be. At the end everybody goes home. We left roaster lids lay outside last year because it was so dark.

Speaker 1

Do you know what I mean. We have to have plans for that, we have to think that through and that's not on, courtney and Tyler. It's dark out there Like you don't think about that stuff in advance. Yeah, but we use that as a correction of errors when we fix that, going forward, we got to learn from our mistakes.

Speaker 1

And so we have to continue with that mindset as we continue to lay that foundation. What is the purpose of the event? Does the event serve the church body or does it serve the community? Those are the questions we need to ask.

Speaker 2

And it's not necessarily going to serve the person who's asking to have it.

Speaker 1

A lot of times people say, hey, you should have this. And I'll tell you, financial Peace University was a big one and there's nothing that makes me more mad that we spent $2,000 to host Financial peace university Cause we had nine people tell us that they were interested. So we bought 12 kids. We're down to five, five families that have signed up for it, and it's such a good program but you can't explain it to people and some people just don't care, like they're, like I just blow my money. It doesn't matter.

Speaker 5

Quit talking about me.

Speaker 1

Well, that's me too. I can't share the conversation that Alyssa and I were having. We were having a conversation tonight about finances and she said to me she said well, we could live without it, but like we would just have to adapt our spending. She's like that's extra money right now, but we go through it. Like you know, I ordered a $200 dog cage the other day without even thinking about it.

Speaker 5

Like nah, we need it. Was it heated? No, do you know?

Speaker 1

this is we're jumping off track and I'm going to have to take a break because I need to make sure that Holly is mic'd up for tonight, because we're going to start recording Wednesday night services. Yay, today we had the contractors there framing out the basement and Lucy, that yapping little mutt, just barking, barking, barking. So Alyssa would put her outside every time she'd start to bark, and she didn't like to be outside because it's cold. So then she'd want to come back in. She'd come back in, she'd start barking.

Speaker 2

She'd go right back outside Four times before she figured out, if I bark, she's going to put me outside.

Speaker 5

She's going to let loose and get into that cat box. It's warm.

Speaker 4

That's funny Around the bend.

Speaker 2

That's funny.

Speaker 1

She's like some little cat's told me about this. That's funny, but yeah. So I have decided not to fast this year, but again, it's not for any like. I'm still participating in the prayer portion and I'm still doing all of the things, but I just know that if I do it, I'm not gonna, my heart is not gonna be in it and there's no intention on.

Speaker 5

Yep, I've struggled with this one. Yeah, I knew what I needed to do, but I, you know, I did my morning prayers but I haven't been in and read my verses or anything and I went on Facebook. I'm not gonna get on it.

Speaker 2

Well, and what is it? Was it just me? Because I was like, well, I don't want to do the same thing I did last year. Like, did you feel that?

Speaker 5

Yeah, I did yeah, but I knew, I knew it, it did help last year, yeah, so, yeah, I mean so the 21 days.

Church Humor and Fasting Traditions

Speaker 1

You, then I slowly— so Holly sent me a text. It was something that she had rolling around in her head and I'm going to get her permission, but I'm going to use this in service next Sunday. And the text message I had her send it to me, and it said this no conviction equals no change, no change equals no repentance, no repentance equals no transformation. And I will tell you that it has been a strange, strange year, I think, for everybody, because we've come into the season where we kind of got fat and lazy because everything was operating well and you know, there was a great move of the Spirit on Sunday mornings and so much happened. Do you guys remember the last time we, like physically, prayed for people up front? It's been a while.

Speaker 1

Three weeks three-ish, four-ish weeks that that happened, but nobody came up. We had two people that came up front for prayer, and it's because we've gotten lazy in what we're considering like that move of the Spirit, we've become spectators, we've become—and so part of my message, and so anybody who's listening to this now is going to get a preface to this Sunday's message. But before you walk into church on Sunday, you should find Ray Stevens' Mississippi Squirrel Revival, because you're going to need to understand that song, because you're not allowed to sing it.

Speaker 1

I'm not allowed to sing it. I asked Alyssa if I could sing it before I preach. She said absolutely not.

Speaker 5

Oh, go for it. Yeah, she said absolutely not.

Speaker 1

Are you allowed to play it? Here's what she said. Nobody wants to listen to three and a half minutes of that.

Speaker 4

Oh listen, I like that song.

Speaker 1

I do too. It's funny and it's clever and I might just sing it and we'll just see what happens.

Speaker 2

I mean, I don't think she's going to divorce me over it, but I guess it could happen. He might need that cat cage Sunday night.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I'll just say you know, don and Beth told me I could, but my dad also told me I could. He said just don and do it.

Speaker 5

Everybody's against it. Don and I can talk each other into anything. Put us together, we might be able to talk you into it. We gotta quit shopping together.

Speaker 4

Oh my gosh.

Speaker 5

I did wear my coat today, did you? I fit sober there, okay.

Speaker 1

I've gotta go out front for a few minutes If you guys want to keep this one going. If not, Sid, you're gonna have to take my seat for a minute.

Speaker 2

I gotta go for a few minutes If you guys want to keep this one going.

Speaker 1

If not, sid, you're going to have to take my seat for a minute, I got to go. Okay, I got to go get.

Speaker 2

Holly, does anyone have anything else to say? You know what? I had kind of a question why does it start on January 6th? Does anyone know, cause what? I don't know why they started Like even it's not just our church like fasting. Oh, I don't know, because I know a couple other different churches.

Speaker 3

Well, is it Epiphany or something? When's Epiphany? I saw something.

Speaker 5

Oh, now you're going to make us Google something I know.

Speaker 2

I need a learning lesson out of it. I don't know if it has anything to do.

Speaker 3

I thought I saw something about Epiphany and it has.

Speaker 2

Let's just Google. Why does fasting start?

Speaker 6

Because everybody's so hung over after New Year's.

Speaker 3

Not me. Get them while they're vulnerable.

Speaker 6

Not me. I was rested up.

Speaker 2

So this is either the 6th or the 13th, so this is either the 6th or the 13th.

Speaker 6

I know who has the right answer. See, everybody's got their phone but me.

Speaker 5

Right.

Speaker 6

Mine's out in the truck.

Speaker 5

Well, now this is getting all political. Well, if you left it out in the cold, it's dead now, Roger.

Speaker 6

No, it's not because I have it plugged in.

Speaker 4

Oh, okay, no, Roger. No, it's not because I have it plugged in. Oh, okay, yeah, mine's pretty much just saying why we do it, you know, to draw closer to God and to have that experience and to have a breakthrough. Nothing's really telling me why.

Speaker 3

On the 6th, so Monday, the 6th was Epiphany which is also known as Three Kings Day or Theophany. It is a Christian holiday that commemorates the visit of the magi to jesus christ.

Speaker 2

I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but anything important yeah, we're talking about the like, the history and like why is it always january 6th, or I guess not january 6th? It's always that following monday from well, yeah, it is always january 6th, isn it's always that following Monday from, it is always January 6th, isn't it they?

Speaker 1

always do January 6th January.

Speaker 3

6th is Epiphany, which is a Christian.

Speaker 1

They always ratify or is that what they call it On January 6th? It doesn't matter the day of the week, it's always January 6th.

Speaker 2

Yeah, so I guess we were wondering why it's just.

Speaker 3

Epiphany commemorates the visit of the magi to jesus there you go.

Speaker 1

There's your answer, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

Speaker 2

But yeah, I don't know what'd you just say epiphany it's when the magi would have.

Speaker 1

It's when the wise men would have visited jesus. This I just yeah.

Speaker 2

The revelation that jesus is the son of god, the way god reveals his truth wait, what are we talking about? Three things. Epiphany means for Christians.

Speaker 1

What are we talking about? January 6th for?

Speaker 2

Because it always starts on the beginning of the year.

Speaker 1

Yeah, Okay, it doesn't. No, I thought we were talking about the election, like certifying the presidential election. I walked into that and I was like no idea what we're talking about. Alright, it is always the Monday following and it's to start on the first of a full week.

Speaker 1

Okay so it is not necessarily like because that's a four square thing, like they. They set it up to start the first of a full week. So it's the first Monday after the new year and it's just to start the full week. So then you have 21 days, which is three weeks. So yeah. Yeah, yeah, because last year it was January 8th, which is why you guys got the initial text that said January 8th when I sent that out, because my brain was thinking last year, so yeah.

Speaker 6

See, everybody was on their phone, mine's in the truck, roger was like phone.

Speaker 4

I don't even know where mine's at yeah, I do, he did know where it was I had everyone on the spot Googling.

Speaker 1

Googling, everybody's Googling, dr Google, dr Google.

Speaker 2

We would have probably just had Roger, like, can someone help me? How do I turn on my Google?

Speaker 6

Where's my Google at? You know, I used to like you.

Speaker 1

I'm just about to die. I never have to worry about that, I'm just messing with you.

Speaker 5

Michael's trying to show me how to get into the Gmail.

Speaker 1

Oh listen.

Speaker 5

It's bad.

Speaker 1

I would attest that Beth could be as bad as you, Roger. Yep Listen she said I'm trying to get into it, but it's telling me I have to buy Google. Like Beth, you can't buy. Like Google is a free service, you can't buy Google.

Speaker 6

Please don't spend any money buy like google is a free service.

Speaker 1

You can't buy google, please don't spend any money.

Speaker 2

Watch what tells me too. Yeah, do you do a lot of like digital.

Speaker 5

That's how I do it work well but this is and I have a complete meltdown when they do updates this was.

Speaker 1

This is a unique. So what we did was we set up the cupboard of hope on its own email address. So now anybody who applies for assistance through the webpage, which we force like even if somebody messages the church page, we force them back to that webpage to register because, then it keeps a running document for us. And so we set her up an email address so she would get those notifications, but it's all managed by the church.

Speaker 2

Company profile does that make sense?

Speaker 1

yeah, and so we set her up, but she couldn't access the the documents still. So I've, like, I logged into her email and I was trying to get it and she's like, no, it's still not there. Oh wait, there it is. So it is a little more complicated because you have to know exactly what you're looking for and if multiples come in it probably would have been easier if I'd left the living room.

Speaker 5

Jarvis got the tv blaring.

Speaker 1

He's got tiktok blaring and she's on speakerphone in the kitchen, it's a whole thing.

Speaker 3

I have never been on tiktok I have never either me neither.

Speaker 2

You know what, though I also heard it's getting banned, so I'm like well, I'm not, that'll just help my fast because, it's supposed to be in January.

Speaker 1

I did not. I've never signed up for TikTok and, like Tyler gives me a hard time about it all the time he's like, ah, you're old. Yes.

Speaker 2

Chase doesn't have it either.

Speaker 1

I don't like because I will doom scroll Like I'll be there forever watching these stupid videos. Have you ever seen those videos on Facebook that count down stupid things that people have done? Like starts at 25. It's like funniest one. And then you realize it's 28 minutes long and I've watched the whole thing.

Speaker 2

Chase will do that with reels and he'll watch it, and then he'll watch the next thing that pops up and was like, oh yeah, 20 minutes, and this was 20 minutes. It's, it's evil.

Speaker 3

It'll be a reel about classic pro wrestling.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and you can't like For Macho man.

Speaker 3

I'm like, oh, I gotta watch that. And then all of a sudden, everyone's Macho man.

Speaker 1

I'm watching them all. I've watched Macho Man's entire career. What?

Speaker 5

am I doing?

Speaker 3

Yeah, that's crazy.

Speaker 5

Jarvee, he fusses about Facebook. Oh, that's terrible, but yet he's on on TikTok.

Speaker 3

That was my assumption.

Speaker 1

Side note did you see that TikTok's doing or that Facebook is doing away with? Their moderations and opening it up to free speech. So you know how, like certain things used to get blocked or they would put up that like thing.

Speaker 6

They're not going to do that anymore. No more Facebook jail.

Speaker 1

Right? Well, I think you'll probably still be able to go to Facebook jail, but they're going to. It's going to be community notes, where people can leave notes that, hey, this might be misleading or whatever, but it won't get taken down because of it.

Speaker 2

So like you won't have that community guidelines thing anymore, correct?

Speaker 1

Have you ever seen the the picture of Abrahamincoln playing the bass guitar? And it talks about the bass guitar that abraham lincoln played? Yada, yada, yada. Obviously that wasn't a thing, but that used to get taken down because it was fake. But it was meant to be satire. But a lot of times the satire would get taken down because people would assume that it was real and reported well, that won't happen anymore and that's probably dangerous because well it is dangerous, all the ai stuff now it.

Speaker 1

But at the same time, when you can't post a joke, like if I one time said to somebody I was going to poke them in the eye it was obviously a joke and I got in trouble for it, like they gave me a little wrist slap, like I was going to do to Roger.

Speaker 2

TikTok is really bad with that, though, too, they're very sensitive.

Speaker 1

You can't send gun emojis Like. They even changed the gun emoji to a squirt gun Like cause it used to be.

Speaker 2

It looked like a real handgun and they changed it to a squirt gun Cause I made a video of face like back like in high school and there was a video of him like just like riding a pig and, like they said, it was like animal cruelty, because people can report it as such.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I don't know how this happened to me, but somehow all of these vegan pages started coming up. So when I'm on Facebook, it's like this is your friend, not your food. Nobody eats their pet. Why are you eating a pig? And I'm like this is ridiculous.

Prayer Rotation and Funny Ads

Speaker 1

I love bacon. This has nothing to do with what we're talking about. What is on your phone, listen? Well, it's because I saw a post that somebody else had liked, or whatever, and I was like, oh, I gotta read these comments Because, you know, sometimes you go to a post just for the comments, and I spent time on it. So the algorithm now thinks that I'm interested in becoming vegan, and so let me tell you, I am not interested at all.

Speaker 6

I'm glad I don't know how to work my phone.

Speaker 1

I don't even know what like I don't know how to work my phone. I don't even know what like people are like there's vegan then there's pescatarian. Yes, yes, which I really don't understand. That.

Speaker 3

But the thing is, Roger, it's almost like your phone is working you.

Speaker 2

Yes.

Speaker 3

I'll have a conversation with somebody at work about a particular subject or something.

Speaker 2

And then all of a sudden, on my phone. I'm getting in my news floor I'm getting things that we talked about. Have you had that Like when you think about it?

Speaker 3

Yeah.

Speaker 2

And then you don't even talk about it. You're thinking something, and then it pops up like three hours later.

Speaker 1

I joke with Alyssa that I go by her phone and I whisper things I want her to buy for me.

Speaker 5

Well, Dawn and I, we had that. We were being good people and walking every day. We were talking about what, like those razors or whatever, and then, like later, that night.

Speaker 1

All this stuff is just coming up in ads.

Speaker 5

I'm like oh my goodness.

Speaker 1

And they say they're not listening though.

Speaker 5

Amtrak one time.

Speaker 4

Dad and I should do Amtrak out west.

Speaker 1

All of a sudden all of my travel is for Amtrak. It is crazy, it really is. It is alright. Anything else fun and exciting, ready to button up? Alright. So here's how we're gonna do prayer this year. We're just gonna start and work our way around the table that way I don't have to guess at who prayed last. You don't have to remember exactly well, we're gonna start with Beth and then we're just going to move around the table.

Speaker 2

Okay, so each episode, the next person will come, so I'm going to be sick every six weeks, that's messed up.

Speaker 1

You're not last. That's messed up. Yeah, you would only be five. You would be the fifth week, every five. All right, beth, you want to go ahead and pray us out this?

Speaker 5

evening. Oh, dear Heavenly Father, we just thank you for this opportunity to be back together again and we thank you for the words that have been shared here this evening. And we thank you for the growth that you're going to do in each and every one of us this year and, dear Father God, we ask that you just bless us all, get us home safely. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen. Amen.

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Michael Brindley

Host
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Beth Jarvis

Co-host
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Dawn Reed-Enochs

Co-host
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Nic Affolter

Co-host
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Roger Deardorff

Co-host
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Sydney Erickson

Co-host

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