Growing Together
Step into a virtual garden of spiritual growth and community connection with the "Growing Together" podcast. This podcast is a nurturing space for individuals seeking to deepen their faith, cultivate relationships, and explore the boundless beauty of a shared spiritual journey.
Each episode of "Growing Together" is a breath of fresh air, where Pastor Michael, Syd, Nic, Pastor Holly, and Pastor Roger try to navigate the twists and turns of life while staying rooted in faith. Their warm and inviting presence makes you feel like you're sitting in a cozy living room, engaged in a heartfelt conversation with old friends.
Diving into topics ranging from personal growth and self-care to building resilient relationships and fostering a sense of community, the podcast aims to equip listeners with the tools to nurture their faith in all aspects of life. Through scripture readings, open discussions, and interviews with experts in various fields, "Growing Together" provides a holistic approach to spiritual development.
Whether you're a lifelong believer, a seeker on the spiritual path, or simply someone curious about how faith can shape lives, "Growing Together" offers a welcoming haven for everyone. Tune in during your morning routine, while taking a leisurely stroll, or even during a quiet moment of reflection – the podcast fits seamlessly into your daily life.
Join the "Growing Together" community and embark on a journey of discovery, growth, and genuine connection. In a world that can sometimes feel disconnected, this podcast reminds us that nurturing our faith and cultivating meaningful relationships can lead to a life that's deeply fulfilling and spiritually abundant. Subscribe now to start your journey of growing together in faith and fellowship.
Growing Together
Hearing the Word vs. Receiving the Word
We explore the significant difference between just hearing the Word of God versus truly receiving it into our hearts and lives. True reception of God's Word transforms us from casual listeners into dedicated disciples whose lives truly reflect it from the inside out.
• Receiving God's Word means treating scripture as essential as daily necessities like coffee or brushing teeth
• Scripture should become a core part of our identity rather than just something we occasionally reference
• When we truly receive God's Word, we approach difficulties differently with a stronger foundation
• The story of Jonah illustrates how easy it is to hear without receiving, leading to hardness of heart
• Receiving scripture means it penetrates deeply enough to change our responses and attitudes
• True reception of God's Word guards against deception, especially in challenging times
• Just as we wouldn't leave home without essentials, we shouldn't begin our days without God's Word
• Fellowship with other believers strengthens our reception and application of scripture
COVID, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Was there an outbreak? No, I wonder. I didn't get it, though, getting soaking wet.
Speaker 3:All those people over there, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, we're live, we're live.
Speaker 4:Okay, yeah, how is everybody dealing with the acceleration of the heat? We went from what? 57 degrees to 88 degrees within two days.
Speaker 2:You know Ohio, we can't just work up?
Speaker 4:to it, we just throw you right in the heat. Yeah, your body's just don't know what to do with itself.
Speaker 2:No, I sent my dad to water, stay home, it was good, you look like you really got some sun. Well, we were there four park. You look like you really got some sun. Well, we were there four hours. You look like you had some fun, though, did you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we did. Did you have fun? Yeah, and she thanked me for taking him. You could have been in your pool.
Speaker 2:Mine's not even clean yet.
Speaker 1:I was in my dad's pool Only two hours, but I did get some sun from it. Cooper was in there with me.
Speaker 2:I did get some sun from it.
Speaker 1:Cooper was in there with me, you loving it. Oh yeah, he was like just. He wasn't like really excited, playing Like he'd splashed around a little bit finally, but most of the time he was just like chilling, chilling out, and he started kicking his legs like all right, are you?
Speaker 3:going to learn to swim, you know what?
Speaker 1:He's probably not big enough, but I got one of those I'll have to get in the closet and dig it out, those buddies oh yeah around them, and then they put their little arms through. Well, because the thing he was in today, I'm like I think he's about to be too big for that, like within the next month or so. So that would be perfect. Because I'm like I don't know what he's you know should be in now, like he's not an infant, like I just throw him in and hope he swims. Yeah, my dad does. Yeah, my dad said he had to do that to me growing up because we lived in lock 17 and he put a pole in there and he's like you just didn't listen. He's like, so one day I just let you jump off. And he's like I almost like purposely waited, just so you could scare yourself, and then I came in and got you. I'm like, oh, he's like, yeah, I don't even think you were four yet.
Speaker 4:I'm like, oh, gee, wow, sid really sank to the bottom. Oh gee, maybe I'll get him.
Speaker 3:That's what's wrong with her roslyn was probably about four when she was she's actually was with one swimmy, oh yeah, but she wasn't paying attention and that she didn't have one on and she just jumped right in. She came up. I'm like you're fine. The dog's the one, he would walk the edge of the pool and then, fall in, then you'd have to rescue him and take him to the side and he'd sit there and he'd glare at you.
Speaker 4:I got pictures, you can tell how mad he was Just staring at me like how dare you?
Speaker 3:I'm like dude, I didn't do it, he did it.
Speaker 1:I thought dogs would naturally know how to swim.
Speaker 3:Well, you'd think him being a poodle, being a duck dog, that he should know. But he, I mean he did swim, but he was mad, just getting wet.
Speaker 2:So then, what you got gotta do is get him out of there and take the hose and shoot him with the hose.
Speaker 1:See, you don't like to get wet, there you go we got a kiddie pool for zara probably four or five years ago, just one of those small blue ones for her to lay in while we're outside. She looked at it and was like scared of it. I did the same thing for mine she won't. Yeah, she wouldn't get in it. She was just like terrified of the image of it or something like.
Speaker 3:Like you are so goofy listen, when we had the pigs out at the cabin out of we had that cabin out westchester I went and got him a baby pool at the dollar store and I got in there, dug it all out and put it down and filled it up with water. Jarby's like 15 minutes. I give it 15 minutes and they'll have it destroyed. I said I better not. I just paid $25 for that. It didn't even last 10. Oh yeah, because it was that hard plastic. So they were just flopping and laying.
Speaker 1:Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3:Cracks, thanksgiving and Christmas, that was their name, that's funny.
Speaker 1:I like that.
Speaker 2:Could have been ham and bacon.
Speaker 1:Yeah Right, that's funny. I like that Could have been ham and bacon. Yeah Right, yeah, could have been Alright, nick, for the fourth time, can you tell me what the topic is?
Speaker 4:Come on. I asked him Sunday, I gave you one job, one job to do. I know.
Speaker 1:Sunday. I asked him Today, I asked him Last week, maybe yeah, this would be the fourth time. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I think so. He was supposed to text it. Was he hiding?
Speaker 4:it.
Speaker 2:We all had it yes. We never did get that text.
Speaker 4:Oh, I thought we all agreed before we left.
Speaker 2:Well, we did, we still wanted that text.
Speaker 4:I'll take responsibility, but I won't take blame. So, yeah, what is the difference between hearing the word and receiving the word? And when I think about receiving the word, I think of billy graham, because he was the best at saying receiving. He would throw his whole body into it. When he said receiving, he, you know, throw his hands up and, um, he was very, uh, direct about what it meant to receive the word of god and he said it's basically, that's, that's the main thing that you need to do, is to receive the word of God. And he said it's basically that's the main thing that you need to do is to receive the word. But for many people, if you say that, I think it would bring up a lot of questions. Well, what exactly do you mean? You can go every Sunday to church, you can listen to the sermon, you can hear the word over and over again. That does not mean at all that you are actually receiving the word.
Speaker 4:And talking about Billy Graham, I was just reading about him a little bit and he tells this story in his autobiography about the moment when he truly began to receive the word. And this came about because a friend was trying to tell him that he couldn't trust the authenticity of the Bible, that it was just too far-fetched, just too many things couldn't possibly happen. So I'll just read you these few paragraphs here about what Billy Graham had to say about the moment when he finally decided to receive the word. So after his friend tells him he could not trust the authenticity, he says, I got up and took a walk. The moon was out, the shadows were long and the San Bernardino mountains surrounding the retreat center Dropping to my knees. There in the woods I opened the Bible at random on a tree stump in front of me. I could not read it in the shadowy moonlight so I had no idea what text lay before me. Now it was an altar where I could only stutter into prayer.
Speaker 4:The exact wording of my prayer is beyond recall, but it must have echoed my thoughts. Oh God, there are many things in this book I do not understand. There are many problems with it for which I have no solution. There are many seeming contradictions. There are some areas in it that do not seem to correlate with modern science. I can't answer some of the philosophical and psychological questions Chuck and others are raising. So I guess Chuck must have been his friend.
Speaker 4:I was trying to be on the level with God, but something remained unspoken. At last, the Holy Spirit freed me to say it. Father, I am going to accept this as thy word by faith. I am going to allow faith as thy word. By faith, I am going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts and I will believe this to be your inspired word. When I got up from my knees at Forest Home that August night, my eyes stung with tears. I sensed the presence and power of God as I had not sensed it in months. Not all of my questions were answered, but a major bridge had been crossed In my heart and mind. I knew a spiritual battle in my soul had been fought and won.
Speaker 1:Thoughts Deep thoughts, thoughts, deep thoughts. Roger's in deep thought he is in deep thought.
Speaker 4:I think the main point. You know there's all the different chapters in the. Bible right and of course they all have authors.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:Whether it be like I I said we talked about jonah last week. You know you can talk about all the gospels matthew, mark, luke and john. You have all of these authors, but it is all god's word yes none of none of this. Whatever's in the Bible, none of it comes through basic human understanding or trying to figure things out. Some philosophical meditation from a human's experiences. It is all, no matter who it came through.
Speaker 2:It is all the word of god and that is the first thing to remember about it this is their interpretation of what god was telling them so I have um.
Speaker 1:Hearing is simply listening sometimes to go further, you can hear. Sometimes. To go further, you can hear, but not To go further. Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound, and receiving is actively accepting, believing and embracing. It's something that you're consciously choosing to do.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, when we receive that word, we're going to live out the word yes.
Speaker 1:We're going to toughen it in our heart.
Speaker 3:We're going to apply it to our life, and that's when you see the transformations taking place. Yes.
Speaker 4:And let's think about it this way Like every day, there are certain things that you must do that I think every human being, whether believer, non-believer, you feel like you have to do. Most people, when they get up in the morning, they have the same breakfast they have. You have to have your coffee. It's a must, can't go on with the rest of your. If you miss your coffee, you're done for the rest of your day.
Speaker 1:I need to agree.
Speaker 4:Maybe it's every day. You have to get up and exercise. You have your exercise regime.
Speaker 2:I do drink in my coffee.
Speaker 4:That's a net harm and left arm and scrolling
Speaker 4:on social media. Yeah, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta catch up on. You know what the cleveland guardians are doing. You can't, you know you can't miss a game. Um, even, like, think about your favorite foods. Like if, if you thought about your favorite food and somebody said, okay, we, we're going to take that away, you can't ever have. You know, you can't ever have pan graziers pizza ever again. You would, you would probably you'd be very upset and you'd be like, oh, how am I going to live without that? So every human being has all these things every single day, from what you eat to how you plan your day, to what you wear, all these things.
Speaker 4:But a lot of times nobody's thinking like I have to make sure I get my fill of god's word, yeah nobody puts that as as part of their yeah, no one's top priority right yeah, it seems a lot of times it sinks well below all those other things, or none at all yeah so like we need to look at it.
Speaker 1:Like I don't leave the house if my teeth aren't brushed. Like, yeah, right yeah right, like that's how we need to look at it, yeah no, yeah, yep, you need my hair Sometimes I'm not walking out the door without my glasses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yep, that's the way we need to look at it.
Speaker 4:Yeah. So receiving God's word is when you hear the word. It is something that you must have every single day. That is when you truly receive it. That is when you're no longer just listening to what the pastor has to say that Sunday, but that you actually receive it and you tell yourself I can't function in my day, I can't be a leader, I can't be useful, I can't be successful if I don't have the word of God as part of my everyday habits. So I think that's the first thing, that, uh, probably the most important thing and I?
Speaker 1:I saw something that said, um, you know, hearing versus listening or receiving. I'm kind of listening as receiving, um, but listening also leads to learning and you know, it's not going to be a bad thing if you learn a thing or two, you know, yeah right, it transforms our mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it changes our thought process yeah, and we have to.
Speaker 4:We have to get to the point where we are mature in god's word, because if you think about it, like when you're a kid and your parents tell you to clean your room, you heard them. You know, you heard them but you're like okay yeah, I'll get it.
Speaker 4:I'll get it you know, and they tell you to clean your room. You heard them, you know, you heard them. But you're like yeah, I'll get it, I'll get it, you know. And they tell you again, and okay, in a few minutes. You know you can hear it, but We'll do it when we come back.
Speaker 2:Mom, Just let us go.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you're always trying to parlay. Yeah, you know, just buy yourself a few more hours without having to do that. Yeah, we promise. Yeah, how many broken promises.
Speaker 3:She knew, when she told us, yes, that we were going to break our promises.
Speaker 4:Yep, so we have to. I think another important part of it is we have to desire God's word and we have to make it something that is positive. It can't be something if you feel like you got to do it every day, like oh yeah, well, I better go in and sit down with my Bible for a half hour. That's not receiving God's word. You're hearing it.
Speaker 2:You're making it Well, you're just reading it. You're not even You're making an effort to hear it.
Speaker 4:But you're really not. You're not going to remember anything that you read.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 4:You're just going to be like, okay, I got it in for the day. I read my couple verses of scripture, I'm good, I'm good with God. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't do anything for you spiritually.
Speaker 3:Well, I think I can use like last week's lesson on jonah and the whale I mean in my mind, I thought I knew that story, and when I got in there and needed steel toe boots on, the lord was stomping all over me, showing me some things that I needed to correct in my life yeah, that's when we truly received it and so I look at that story all completely different yeah, absolutely yeah yeah yeah, it's no longer the, the little, the child tale, the child tale story that we heard.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, you're not even uh, you're not even thinking about the whale at that point. The whale is pretty much insignificant to the rest of the story. If you can imagine putting a whale in a corner In my mind it's time Whale timeout.
Speaker 3:The process was the whale was the biggest part of it, but it had nothing to do with it really. I mean, it had a big part of it, but yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that was just a God's weapon of choice. You know that particular moment in time to get Jonah to do what he was supposed to do. Yeah, so.
Speaker 3:I don't want him to get my attention quite like that.
Speaker 4:No, no, you know, and that's and that's a great point is that's what's going to happen when you're not receiving the word.
Speaker 2:He is going to use something like that. Because he has no other choice. Something drastic Because again.
Speaker 4:Jonah heard God. He knew what he was supposed to do, but he wasn't going to do it, he would not receive his mission. So you know, God had to get his attention.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he wasn't going to be obedient.
Speaker 4:No, no, god gave him every chance in the world. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:But I think when we receive the word, we're obedient to what he wants us to do.
Speaker 4:Right and we're glad about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we're not doing it begrudgingly yeah it's not doing it begrudgingly.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's not a push and pull type relationship where oh, what's God going to ask of me today? You have to because I think sometimes, when you get into the word, you'll find what your purpose is.
Speaker 4:and I think then the more that once you know what your purpose is, and you're even more into the word, then I think you, I really think it's like he'll put the right words of scripture inside of you to help propel you towards whatever it is you're supposed to do. I think some of those things will almost come naturally, like because the more you get into the word, it again it it doesn't matter which scripts you're reading from, you'll be able to pull. Whatever your mission is, you'll be able to pull something from that. You know that scripture. Yeah, that's going to help you in your next step forward. But you have to be open to what that's going to be right. You know that's going to be Right.
Speaker 4:You know again, you can't be begrudging all the time. Right, you know just like oh, I'm going to avoid this as long as possible and, you know, hopefully, you know, either he'll move on to somebody else or he'll pick a different mission for me, you know, or he'll just some people might well.
Speaker 4:Maybe he'll just leave me alone, you know, or he'll just some people like well, maybe he'll just leave me alone, let me live the life I want to live, you know? But um, as we've said many times, god uses everybody, whether you're. You know, and I was thinking about that too after, uh, we left, you know like he, and god uses some really terrible people yeah like a lot of those kings of Israel and some of the stuff they were doing was like man. These guys are worst of the worst you know, and yeah, and yeah, God is still using them.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 4:And I don't know, and I don't know these people, so I can't say that they didn't know God or didn't that. But maybe, despite knowing God, they were still just terrible people. Maybe, despite knowing.
Speaker 4:God, they were still just terrible people. They just couldn't help it. But if God is going to use you, he's not going to discount you because of something you've done. If he still feels that you're going to fulfill his purpose, that's what he's going to do. What he's going to do, yeah, but uh, I guess I would like to think that if you do receive the word and you're positive about it, that he'll make it an enjoyable experience for you.
Speaker 4:He'll make it worthwhile yeah, you know you'll get all the fruits of that back into what you're putting in. So I I think that's uh, that's another important part of it.
Speaker 1:In James there's James 1, 19. My dear brothers, take note of this Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to come angry, For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
Speaker 4:Therefore, get rid of all the moral filth and the evil that is relevant and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you yeah, um, I think that probably brings up a good point that the more you're into the word, the less you're going to be distracted by all those things yeah, and you know, I actually I'm like that's not what I wanted to read, but it it was.
Speaker 1:It was relevant, though, but I needed to go on to 22. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect, into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continuing continuing to do this not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it he will be blessed in what he does.
Speaker 4:So I mean, it says right there, like we can't just in year one, you know, in one year out the other, yeah, it's not, not gonna work yeah, yeah, just because you know I, I, you know you get some people that I'm not, I'm not, uh, criticizing anybody, but you know, you get the people that go on Easter Sunday, christmas, they go, they hear the repetition of that type of service and they think, well, that's plenty, that's all I need, I've done what I needed to do. So I should be safe, I should be good.
Speaker 4:I'm good for another six months right you know, and, like I said, that's you know, that's fine. Um, but as we talk on this podcast a lot, but think about how much more you could be yeah receiving yes, and after the receiving, how much more you could be doing? For the kingdom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Like, if you're not a sponge taking it all in. Then what are you doing? Yeah, yeah, it's. I mean, it's just. That's the way I always think about it Every Sunday that I come to church. I'm hoping that I get something that's going to help me in the coming week, Even if it's one thing that Pastor Michael says when I come to church, that's what I expect. I expect to get the word, something out of it that is going to propel me forward into the next week and kind of wipe all my anxieties away, Kind of you know, if I'm tired, if I'm you know feeling down about something, if I'm feeling doubtful about going into the new week, if you know you've got a bunch of challenges coming up.
Speaker 4:You're busy at work, busy at home. You know it's hard to battle that by yourself.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 4:And let's face it, we live in a world, lots of times, where nobody really cares how you feel. That's right?
Speaker 1:No, no, they don't.
Speaker 4:Because nobody's got time to care how you feel. You might as well not even bother telling anybody how you feel, because it's not really going to do you any good because nobody really cares. They know Because, guess what Everybody else is there too In the same boat.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So that truly cares. Yeah, you know. If you're not telling your troubles to him, you know Jesus want to say yeah, you'll find rest with me. Yeah, you know. But that's and sometimes think, yeah, that's probably the only true place you're going to find rest, because nobody else has got the time to pick you up.
Speaker 1:No no.
Speaker 4:You know, but just a different, different destination. Yeah, right, yep, we all have our own challenges and to, and I've always think that you know, you think like, whatever your problems are, they're the worst problems in the world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, looking, yeah, but you look at it, you look around and you see other people that are yeah have more problems than what you have, so your problems seem small and right. Have more problems than what you have.
Speaker 4:So your problems seem small, then Right, you know, and it's fair. You know you have to deal with the problems that are set in front of you. A lot of times you can't deal with anybody else's problems. You know you have your own responsibility. You have your own things you have to do. You can't ignore them because you're not going to go away.
Speaker 1:No, they're not going to go away. I feel like if Michael was sitting here right now, he would say yeah, and that's why we don't have any church volunteers, because they're all like oh well, I have this and this and this I have to do. Seriously though.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, and it is yeah.
Speaker 3:When you mentioned problems, it just made me think of Jarvi and his little quote that he says all the time If money can fix it, it's not really a problem. If money can fix it, it's not really a problem, he said. Even if you don't have the money, if it still can be fixed with money, it's not really a problem, he said, because there's many things out there in this world.
Speaker 2:Money can't fix. Money can't fix yeah.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, we have to be, we have to be mindful that, yeah, the more time we spend in the word, the less time we have to get caught up in things that don't matter and idleness, things that are not going to serve us any real purpose, and that's again in this day and age that is so easy to do. I mean, we're I hate to say it, but we're raising a generation that's conditioned on that idea of idleness. Oh, yeah, you know I'm not really idle on uh what's my call it?
Speaker 2:uh, they're just on social media scrolling?
Speaker 1:yeah, mindless scrolling or death. Doesn't he call it death scrolling?
Speaker 4:yeah, something like that yeah, yeah, but that's, you know, we're, yeah, we're conditioning a generation that lives by that just you know there's so much lost time.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, instead of reaching for your Bible first thing in the morning, what do you reach for? Your phone? That phone to see what's going on. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, and I know that it's not really the proper fast, but when we give up the fast it was. I wasn't, I didn't allow myself on social media until. I spent my time with God and it was a challenge. Oh yeah, and then I felt guilty.
Speaker 1:Guilty.
Speaker 4:Well, I've been doing the no cell phone Sunday thing. Well, last Sunday it was about 4 o'clock. I was watching the Reds. I like the Cincinnati Reds.
Speaker 4:So, I'm watching the Reds. They start losing badly. I'm like, oh, that's just so. You tell margie let's go on a walk. Well, we're on the back porch now and I forget what she was doing. But I'm like, you know, I'm just gonna go up and get my phone. I want them to got my phone and I'm out there no more than five minutes and maggie comes out, she goes. Isn't this the day you're not supposed to be on your phone?
Speaker 1:14 year old, who was constantly on her phone but she called me out on it within five minutes and I was like yeah, I know you're right.
Speaker 4:I said she's like I think I might have saw you on it last Sunday too, and I'm like no, I don't think you did, but yeah, it was just and it was right there. It was like, okay, I've started something I was doing really well on it and have a good purpose for doing it and as soon as I went against it.
Speaker 3:It wasn't five minutes, and got called out and you called out you probably didn't even give it a thought that you, it was sunday and that was your day, not? No, I did, oh, I did oh, I did.
Speaker 4:I was just like well, this day's pretty much I think that was my attitude, because the reds are losing what's one sunday?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, I guess it's pretty much over.
Speaker 4:It's close enough. It's 12 o'clock somewhere. Yeah, that's a perfect example of that sometimes. But yeah, we have to be mindful that distraction is a big thing and that is probably the number one killer of not diving into.
Speaker 1:Even connection as a whole, like not only your spiritual connection but just connection in general with relationships, friendships, like yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, because fellowship is such a huge part of it. Yeah, and I think fellowship probably goes a long way in receiving the word.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:When you're sharing the word with people you know, as we do, I think that we have having this podcast. We have a huge advantage that most people don't have. Because we get this, we make time every week at least one hour maybe a little more to sit down and share the word.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Which a lot of people just don't get to do that no, no, so you know, even if nobody's listening, which I don't know we're gonna have to talk about that soon, like what our demographics are I actually was going to get on today and look and I forgot, but even if nobody's listening, we're good.
Speaker 2:Work is still being done oh yeah, you know, we're still sharing in the world amongst us, amongst us, yeah, yeah, so yeah and first john, chapter 228 says and now, dear children, remain fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. And 29,. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God's children. So when we receive that and we work it out, people see that through us.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they can see, they should be able to see. Yeah, people see that through us.
Speaker 2:yeah, they could see they should should be able to see you can see christ within us.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yep, yep, yep and uh, and we get to know him all the more. He gets to know us even better yes um.
Speaker 4:So I mean, if you think about any healthy relationship, that's the way it's supposed to work, you know. If you know a marriage is failing or a friendship is failing, it's most of the time because one or the other isn't putting in their time right, you know. So if we're not putting our time in with the word, then we're definitely. If, if you know, if it's the word of god, if the bible is truly the word of god, then that's what we're missing out on. We're missing out on that relationship with him. As much as I love the history part of it and dive into that too, I want to understand that a lot more. Um, I can't take away from that very idea that you know. Even when you know, even when you're reading, even when you're reading the lineage and it's you know, it can be boring as page after page of just begat and begat and begat.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:But even that is the word of God.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And as important, just as important, as you know, the more colorful scripture that inspires you. You know it's, it's all that important and I've always been like I'll call myself out on this, like I know I can quote what general.
Speaker 3:Robert E.
Speaker 4:Lee said on the battlefield at Gettysburg verbatim. I can quote what he says to who and when, what time he says it. But there's not a whole lot of scripture, I can just fire off.
Speaker 4:And I think I should probably be better at that, because I think I read somewhere like, if you can, if you're, if you can quote it, yeah, that that means it's part of your arsenal. You know, just as when jesus was in the desert and satan's tempting him, that scripture was his arsenal. You know because, because otherwise Satan's trying to fool him, satan's trying to get him to do things he wants him to do, and if Jesus wouldn't know scripture, what would he have to defend himself with? He wouldn't have anything. So that's the way we have to think. So, even if it's, even if we pick one sentence of scripture that really affects us and we choose to maybe just focus on that one sentence for the whole week, then you, you have a better chance of memorizing that scripture. Yeah, because you read it, you put it in your heart, you memorize it and then you start to use it, and I think once you start to use it, then you don't use it, and I think once you start to use it, then you don't forget it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So I think it's getting to actually using it is what helps you memorize it, memorize it. Because you have a purpose for it. Yeah, you know it's part of who you are and what you do. So instead of just trying to be like, yeah, I'm going to try to just start memorizing scripture. That's a good, that's not a bad idea.
Speaker 1:Sure. But I don't think it's not as helpful, but with no intent, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Just for the exercise. Yeah, okay, great, you know that's something, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because I think once, when Satan's after you and after you and you can, you know, throw out those scriptures to him that sometimes he thinks I'm going to find me a new victim for a while, right.
Speaker 4:Yeah, this ain't any fun, Right?
Speaker 1:This ain't any fun Tired of messing with her.
Speaker 4:She's not listening. Satan's on a treadmill.
Speaker 1:Luke 6, 46 to. Let's just see, We'll start at 46.
Speaker 1:Why do you call me, lord, lord, lord, and do not do what I say. I will show you what he is. I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and put them into practice. He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house, but could not shake it because it was well built. But the one who hears the words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. Yep, and I'm going to that has left us speechless.
Speaker 1:I'm going to insert my characters now. It'll be the three little pigs. That's what I was thinking of.
Speaker 2:My fame is building on that firm foundation.
Speaker 1:That's true, though.
Speaker 4:As it says in Psalm 119, 105, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. So, yeah, you always know where you're going, Even in the darkest of times, the more it becomes natural. Like I said, if there's certain scripture that you've memorized and things that, uh, because maybe there's just a certain area of life you really need help, like you know you've got it all figured out, but maybe just this, you know one weakness, that you have, one thing that just can't quite overcome, one thing that you truly feel like holds you back, and you can focus on that, then that that does become the light to your path, as you can. Just you know you're not going to trip over, you're not going to stub your toe on the coffee table right in the middle of the night.
Speaker 3:You know, because you've got the word of god, so it's my new one, and I shouldn't say but I just have my toe, I say I'm not gonna swear, jesus, I'm not gonna swear because I'm stomping my toe trying to yeah, that's the worst cooper is high chair real quick.
Speaker 1:It's like it's not just a normal height chair, that the legs go down straight, like they widen, and so it almost like expands out. I don't know, but you think that it could just go straight down from the chair. No, there, and I walk past it. Sometimes it just hit my toe and it's so annoying and then you get mad at yourself because you're like it sits there all the time. You know it sits there all the time. You know that's what it looks like, but you're just too stupid to remember.
Speaker 1:Once in a while you'll have the moments where you know you're on the path to stubbing your toe on it or hitting your thigh on it, whatever and you'll actually move yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's instinctively like.
Speaker 4:Yes, you know like avoided at that time that one sly move and the next time you forget about it and whammo yeah.
Speaker 1:Yep, I thought it was interesting. The Hebrew phrase for obey means to hear.
Speaker 3:Hmm, let me get to my Bible.
Speaker 1:And furthermore the idea of obedience in the New Testament is a hearing that takes place under the authority or influence of the speaker. Because at first I read that it was the hebrew phrase to hear, and then somewhere else I read it was to hear under, and then it also had kind of brought in the new testament stating that it was a hearing taking place under the authority or influence of the speaker. Just crazy how it all mingles together all the time.
Speaker 3:Proverbs 4. I have to go with 20. My child pay attention to what I say, Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them.
Speaker 4:Let them penetrate deep into your heart. I can add to that sword it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart yeah I had a thought there and I just lost it all these verses that tells us you know?
Speaker 3:we should have that word in our heart what? What is our excuse? Is it we're not in our Bible more than we are?
Speaker 4:Yeah, Yep, Well, and I think that's the attitude of the heart is such. Another important part of it is is the word of God reaching your heart. Yeah, or has your heart become so hard that you hear it, but you will not accept it. You will not. You will bend it to what you want, your will. Or you'll just it bounces right off you. You don't again. Your heart is so hard that you can't use the word of God.
Speaker 4:You can't use what you've learned to help anybody, to console anybody, to help yourself you know you just, you know, and that's what we had to, we had to be so careful about, and I think sometimes that was. Another problem with Jonah was that his heart became so hard to these people because he, for some reason, the word of God started to make him judgmental the word of God started to make him judgmental, and I'm saying it was the word of God that did it, but he wasn't totally listening.
Speaker 4:Once again, he conformed it to his idea of what he felt the word of God should be and how he can use it for his purposes, and it made his heart hurt. He got to the point where he became judgmental because of those things Instead of, as it said, the Word of God is alive. It is what it is.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 4:The Word of God is not for you to dissect and to come up with your own reason and judgment. It is what it is.
Speaker 1:And I think that's hard for people to grasp.
Speaker 1:It is Because and I think that's all. I think that's hard for people to grasp, because I just had someone now she was complimenting me about how I'm true to myself and she said I'm not going to lie and she's not a religious person, but she's like I have been turned off of religion, you know. And she said over the past few years, and yeah, because people acting like Jonah, basically you know years and yeah, because people acting like jonah, basically you know, and um. But she said I think the the beautiful part about about um, the bible is like the way you interpret it. And I'm like, yes, and yeah, because it has been interpreted. How many times? However, I feel like the way that it's been interpreted is because, like that was, that's an advantage, like it should have been interpreted from those other languages, that way we can learn it today.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean, but yeah, yeah, I think you know we have to be humble and meek and not arrogant. I mean, we're not going to receive it when we're arrogant. We have to be, humble and meek.
Speaker 1:And I think to not get like Jonah is like you just have to constantly self-analyze Like am I acting like Jonah? Am I headed down that road? If so, you know, lord, help me.
Speaker 4:Like just yeah, yeah, I mean you have to be asking God to perceive the word in the way that he would have us interpret it. That's the only interpreter that we should be looking for is how does God himself want? Me to interpret this scripture.
Speaker 2:I ask him for wisdom and the knowledge and discernment yeah.
Speaker 4:Because a lot of times we don't know what that is. Just as Billy Graham said, he goes. A lot of questions were still unanswered. A lot of it, you know, can't figure out using science. You know all these things. A lot of it is just truly by faith. So when we're getting into the word and receiving it, we have to receive it by faith.
Speaker 4:We have to believe that everything that God says is true to the T and that's the other thing about the Bible is there's no to be continueds, there's no cliffhangers, there's nothing that doesn't come full circle. So when you really start to get into the word, like we said with with jonah, then you get to jesus and you see the three days and how it applies to not only him but then to jesus christ. You just realize that there's nothing in there that doesn't have a purpose, that doesn't come full circle. There's nothing in there that's just like oh, he's going to say this to fill a chapter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like you might think it's a plot twist, but it's not, it's all apart. No, it all comes together.
Speaker 4:Like I said, even the lineage. If you study that enough, you really go wow, there is no holes in that. You're not going to go in the Bible and be like, oh, I can take this and I can take this and prove that it's not true, because I read this at the beginning. Then I found this in the middle it didn't match up with what's in the end. You can't do it.
Speaker 1:No, you can't, you can't.
Speaker 4:It's just, it's incredible.
Speaker 1:And non-believers have tried. And then, what do you know? They become believers.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Right, right yeah.
Speaker 1:Because of that.
Speaker 4:Yep, and and that's the thing too is, you know, we're going to deal with a lot of non-believers. If, if, if we're doing our job, if we're into this enough, we're going to deal with a lot of unbelievers, and if you don't have the word of God, you're not going to change that person.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 4:It doesn't matter how you feel about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Like you can have all the faith in the world. You can love God.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But without actually the word.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You're not going to change that person. You can't. No.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're not going to change that person.
Speaker 4:You can't, no, you have to have it. You know, even if they can look at you and be like, wow, they got it all together and I wish I had that, and you know, you know, we don't have it all to get. That's, that's it.
Speaker 2:We don't have it all together we have still.
Speaker 4:You know Christians, you know we never run out of problems. Just because we become saved doesn't mean that you know we're free of our problems and our burdens.
Speaker 2:Now sometimes I think we have more.
Speaker 4:Yeah, sometimes.
Speaker 1:I mean I say all the time.
Speaker 2:The enemy works on us harder than he does somebody that's in his realm.
Speaker 4:But if somebody can see Christ in you, you know it's more often than not it's because you are exemplifying what's in the word.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:It's not just because you're a nice person.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 4:You know it takes a lot more than that. I mean, yeah, they might think you're a nice person, but that's not going to change them. I think that true confirmation comes from you know. I think that true confirmation comes from you know. I know I've been bringing this up, talking about that wrestler that couldn't walk.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, Confined to the wheelchair.
Speaker 4:Now he's almost walking, is it just?
Speaker 1:incredible. Yes, yes.
Speaker 4:But it's, and he said, the wrestler that got him to become saved was his best friend, steve borden, who's better known as sting and uh. Sting told him. He says you know, if this accident would have happened to you before you got saved the old lex luger, you probably would have offed yourself.
Speaker 4:I truly believe that you would not even been able to handle yeah what had happened to you, and it's only through being saved that you know you were able to overcome this. And you hear lex luger talk about it and it's just, it's just pretty incredible, um, that he has went. He went from believing I'm pretty sure believing that he would never walk again To getting his faith to such a point where that faith led him to the right people. Yeah, that truly could help him walk again, and that to me is amazing, but that's a great example of how the Word of God actually works.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Like it will move you in the right direction, to the right people that you're supposed to be with and to help you overcome whatever it is that you have going on, but sometimes that's I don't know how many. I know that was a long time coming. So you know, the minute he got saved it didn't happen right, you know, like what's life, didn't.
Speaker 2:I mean it. Just it's a process, it's a journey.
Speaker 4:And that's the thing. Even after he got saved, that's, he still had the accident yeah so, but sometimes you think about. You think, well, he had a lot more to learn. He had so many things in his life that troubled him that he had gotten himself into that. You have to wonder okay, was that, unfortunately, just another part of that process?
Speaker 2:that he had to go through to come to where he needed to be.
Speaker 4:Because now, when you hear him talk about God, it's wonderful. And I'm sure there's a lot of other people thinking like, well, I believe I never walk either, or whatever, I never believed I'd do this, I do that. Now I see a chance, and I see it through the word of God, not because, well, I watched him wrestling when I was a little kid and I just loved him and yeah, you know that's one thing.
Speaker 4:But yeah, I think when you see it through the word of God, it just takes it to another level, the prophets.
Speaker 3:How many different things that they suffered through to build them up to where God wanted them. Oh yeah, Amazing yeah.
Speaker 4:Because I you know, that's another thing I was reading because you know, we were talking about that with the deaths of all the apostles. We were talking about that with the deaths of all the apostles and you just think like, okay, these guys truly had the word of God in them, because it wasn't negotiable. The word of God was not negotiable, Like they weren't going to trade it for anything, no matter how much pain and torture and imprisonment and you know all these things these guys had to go through, they give it all up except the word of God.
Speaker 4:They weren't going to give it up, no matter how much torture they were going to go through, even at the point of death, they're like, nope, not going to give it up. So that's true faith. By the word and that goes back to what we were saying is you have to treat the word of God as though it was something precious.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 4:You know, think about all the things that you, you treasure in your life. You know, whether it's family heirlooms, uh, just things that you know you've had since you've been a child, just things that you've spent a lot of money on. You know that you treasure in your life. Um, you know, you may have like a collection you've been working on your whole life and it's just your whole pride and joy, but it can't ever be as precious as the word of God. That's how you have to look at it. If I have to give everything else up right now, the word of God is going to be the only thing, not going to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, our only constant.
Speaker 4:And that's even tough because you guys say, yep, even family members, yeah, yes, you know well. And it says you know we'll lose our brothers and sisters, or yeah whatever and that's a hard part of it sometimes you become a believer and you got yeah, brothers and sisters who don't feel that way, family don't feel that way, they'll disown you yeah, yeah yeah yeah, even lex luger said that about sting.
Speaker 4:Like yeah, when he first started telling me about this he goes I was mad at him. He goes. I thought I was losing my best friend. He wouldn't go out and party with me anymore. He didn't hang out, I lost my best friend. And so people can get that way when they see you. It's a strange thing, but people do. I guess they get jealous of that, just as any other relationship. People have a hard time with that when you finally decide like I'm not going to do those things anymore.
Speaker 1:Yeah right, they get uncomfortable with you going out of your comfort zone and being uncomfortable, like, yeah, you're uncomfortable too, but like you're willing to, and they're like, oh, wait a minute, where's my best friend going? You know what am I gonna do now?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah. I think one important thing about having the word in your heart is being able to see the signs of the time. Yeah, the antichrist is going to be coming and he is going to fool many of us. So I want that word engraved so I recognize him and I don't stumble and fall into those traps that he is going to put forth.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, Because if you don't know, people can tell you a lot of things.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:We could be easily deceived if we didn't know you know so many things sound good that was actually margie was talking to me and nick on sunday and she's like I'd like for you guys to do like a revelations podcast but, I mean it's a good idea yeah, and that'd probably have to be like a two or three yeah, you really have to break, yeah, yeah
Speaker 3:um, yeah because there's so many different, not necessarily interpretations, but right how each person perceives the things.
Speaker 4:Yes, yeah, yeah yeah, that's pretty hot, isn't it?
Speaker 3:that's it's pretty heavy stuff yeah yeah actually I was just listening to a um a podcast today and they were talking about when pa Paul was writing the things, that's, who wrote Revelations. I questioned myself once. I said it. He did a lot of that while he was in prison, yes, and so a lot of those things were written in the words. So, because those papers were going out, he wrote them. So the Roman soldiers didn't intercedecede.
Speaker 1:They would read it and didn't really know what he meant I think I might have seen or read that somewhere yeah, that those that were in christ, that they were going to, were able to understand it.
Speaker 3:And then some of the things that god showed him were things that he just didn't know the words for so you're trying to say, like it was some, it was like cryptic.
Speaker 4:Yeah, like he would explain things in a way that they'd be like oh, this is just like he must have had a bad dream.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, exactly. But yeah, when the letters got to the churches or got to they actually understood they understood Huh.
Speaker 1:Huh.
Speaker 3:No, whether that's true or not.
Speaker 1:No, I've heard that somewhere too it made a lot of sense. Yeah, yeah, it does yeah.
Speaker 4:Because you think about that. Yeah, how did he get it out of the prison? How would they let him do that?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:If he was writing about the very thing that put him there in the first place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how would it escape those four walls? How does he get the word? Out if it was so straightforward, especially more than one book multiple books. That's interesting yeah, so I guess we'll have to do Revelations not right away, that might have to be it maybe that can be that can be our summer school project. That can be on the back burner each week like we'll, we'll do some studying, but then that's, yeah, our big project for the end of the summer.
Speaker 3:I don't know right, yeah because it's a lot we can tackle it. Yeah, school, yeah, school project for the summer.
Speaker 1:There you go, there's your homework for the summer our 4-8 project, we get to go to the fair.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He's got a whole pile of papers here. He does.
Speaker 4:Like I said, I just did not have the study time, and so this one. It had all these different verses.
Speaker 2:I was like well, I'll at least print that out so I at least have some verses that I can find because I didn't have time to go through the Bible. And Jesus reminds us, when he was being tempted, that life is sustained not only by bread, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Speaker 4:Yes, or in hopefully I get this one. Hold on, let me see if I'm on the right page here. I think this is Isaiah 55, 11. So is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. So when you're working from the word of God, you're not going to be deceived.
Speaker 1:You're not going to be going down the wrong path.
Speaker 4:You're not going to waste any time on an effort or project that you're going to go. Oh well, that was a waste of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right.
Speaker 4:Because it was a dead end. Yeah, you know, didn't fulfill the purpose that I hoped it would.
Speaker 1:And I know we keep saying that the Old Testament and New Testament all come together. But I mean truly it does.
Speaker 4:Like we've just said so many different verses all night and like, yeah, they were a good mix of Old and New Testament, you know, like Well, and I think a lot of times people have a problem with the old testament because you're like well, here's this wrathful god that says you can't do this and you can't do that. Nothing is forgiven, and you know, every, everything is just, and it seems like they they focus so much on that that they don't see how much of the love of god is in the old testament yes because it truly is, uh, but it kind of gets overshadowed by the harsher part of his judgment and his wrath, you know, and the lessons that are trying to be taught there.
Speaker 4:And so sometimes they try to use the Old and the New Testament as that contradiction to say, well, you can't have both. So that alone is like. Well, you know, he says one thing in the Old Testament and Jesus comes along and it's a whole new thing. It's like, yeah, that's exactly right, that is, that's the point.
Speaker 1:That's the point.
Speaker 4:You know, yes, god is giving us, you know, a new direction and a new relationship in which we can be saved for our sins, instead of all these other traditions. And you know sacrificing. You know and all that kind of thing. So that is the point, um, and then, of course, when jesus himself is all his parables, everything that he's saying it's not coming from, it's coming from god. Yeah, you know, jesus is not a separate entity.
Speaker 4:That's coming in, uh in addition to I think I can't quote it, but I think he says he's not coming to change anything. Yeah, he's not coming to change anything, he's just confirming the word of God. Yeah, but I think he's putting forth the love part of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:He's putting that out at the front for everybody to really see, and not just for the Jews but for the Gentiles he's giving. So he's giving it to everybody, which, of course, is a new thing yes, for sure and that's the one thing like jonah couldn't accept, that, you know, in his time he couldn't accept it no that this is just for us.
Speaker 4:This wasn't supposed to be for anybody else. Um, so yeah, he's making it clear through god's word, all those things you know are going to come to fruition and everybody has a chance to know him and have a relationship with him and be saved through him. And that was the last. When we went off the air last week, first thing that came to my mind was you know, the criminal on the cross next to Jesus.
Speaker 4:Like he's the he's like the first one, yep, that we can clearly see what God was trying to tell Jonah. It's like everybody has that equal chance.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Up till the very end. Yeah, if it's truly in their heart, they can be saved. Doesn't matter if they never knew me beforehand, as long as by faith, yeah.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 4:And by the word they can be saved in that very moment.
Speaker 2:What is simple as VBS as long as you knew your ABCs.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Admit, believe and confess.
Speaker 4:And that alone is no coincidence that that happens. It's not a coincidence that he is hung on the cross between two criminals one that's going to laugh at him and one that is going to believe it, except him yes, yeah, you know. There's no coincidence in that, whatsoever no, no, I mean right up to the end.
Speaker 1:You know everything has purpose, purpose, yeah, yeah, right up until his last breath, yep.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yep, I have Proverbs 3.3, but you almost have to go back to the beginning. My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you. Tie them around your neck as a reminder, write them deep within your heart, it says. Then you will find favor with both God and people and you will earn a good reputation. That's irrelevant, but satisfying life. When you're walking with Christ, you're happy, you are.
Speaker 2:All your needs are being met Well and not only that, even if we do have troubles, we have that foundation that lets us endure our troubles until they pass.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That we know who to go to Exactly.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean I, you know I can never guarantee this, but oftentimes I think when you see somebody that loses their cool really, really quickly and it will show nobody compassion whatsoever in, you know, difficult times, I doubt that God's word is in their heart.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, I don't think it's made it there yet. No, no, not to say that they're not trying Right, right, you know I would never say that, yeah, you know, I don't think it's made it there yet. No, not to say that they're not trying Right, right, I would never say that, but I think you know just I think that's God's word can change things like that in somebody.
Speaker 4:I think that you know not to say, you know nobody's ever, you can never say, well, I'm never going to lose my temper. Yeah, because I have the word of God in me.
Speaker 2:Now you will, oh, you will, you will, you will Absolutely yeah, yeah, you will do it less but you will do it less every now and again. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And you will think about it before you do it. You know you will. You will be more, I think, on the able to understand. You know why your life is the way it is. You know, that's, I think, for people. A lot of people will question God, like why is this happening to me? You know, why did God let this happen? And they're talking about God as and this is a perfect point they talk about god as he is a separate entity from themselves. So you're, you're basically saying, well, he's not in me. Because when you say, why is god letting this happen to me, you're talking about him as if he's yeah, another person.
Speaker 1:He's not, he's not the holy spirit. Yeah, he's not inside of you, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 4:And it's. You know. That's an easy thing to say because it's almost in our world.
Speaker 2:It's almost a cliche thing to say yeah for sure. Why does God let this happen?
Speaker 4:But does you ever sit back and think, well, when's the last time I talked to God? When's the last time I actually got the word out and made a true effort to receive it? A lot of times, that's where the shortcoming is. It's really never on God's side that there's a shortcoming.
Speaker 2:It's usually us 100% it's us Not usually. Yes, 100% it's us.
Speaker 3:There's something we're not.
Speaker 4:That's a tough hurdle, I think, for people who, you know, have not considered being saved, have not considered truly trying to be one with God's word.
Speaker 3:Well that's a deep subject be one with God's word.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a deep subject. Yeah, it was very deep, deep subject and I think we got deep. No questions today.
Speaker 4:No, no questions. This was more of just going to be a conversation.
Speaker 1:You warned us at the beginning.
Speaker 4:And I didn't plan on having questions for this one. Yeah, honestly this is more of a conversation.
Speaker 1:Something to dissect, all right. Well, who prayed? I prayed.
Speaker 2:Was it Dawn?
Speaker 1:Okay. So, beth, if you're ready, let me see if I can get you ready.
Speaker 3:Dear Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the opportunity to come together and talk about your word and have it. We want you to apply it to our heart, dear Father God, we just don't want to hear it, dear Lord, we want to receive it. Yes, lord. Heart, dear Father God, we just don't want to hear it, dear Lord, we want to receive it. Yes, lord, and we ask that you just fill in each one of us that desire, that desire every day as you give us a new day that we want to dive in our Bible so we can receive your word, dear Father God, and we ask that you be with each and every listener. We ask that you be with all of us as we travel home tonight, dear Father God, and you bless us with your grace and your mercy and your safety as you guide us home. In Jesus' precious name, I pray amen.
Speaker 2:Amen.
