73 | Once...But Now

The gospel is a story of transformation. 

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly reminds His people of who they once were compared to who they have now become because of His grace. Once dead... but now alive. Once slaves... but now free. Once far away... but now brought near. Once in darkness... but now in the Light in the Lord. 

In this episode of Sermons on the Side, Richard and Brad explore one of the Bible's most beautiful recurring themes: the "once... but now" passages that reveal the transforming power of Christ. Walking through passages like Ephesians 2, Romans 6 and 7, Galatians 4, and Ephesians 5, they unpack how our identity has fundamentally changed - not because of our effort, but because of God's redeeming work. 

The conversation culminates in the powerful imagery of Ezekiel 36, where God promises to restore what was once desolate until people can only marvel at what He has done. It's a fitting picture of every believer's testimony. 

No matter your past, your failures, or your present struggles, the gospel declares that God is still in the business of writing "once... but now" stories.

Scripture Referenced:

• Ephesians 2:19
• Romans 6:13
• Romans 6:17-18
• Romans 7:5-6
• Galatians 4:7
• Ephesians 5:8
• Ezekiel 36:33-35

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Welcome to Sermons on the Side. I'm Brad. And I'm Richard. And life can move pretty fast. So we're here to slow down, dig deep, and find the story hidden in everyday moments.

SPEAKER_05 0:14

With years spent in ministry, friendship, and navigating real life together, we're all about blending humor, honesty, and faith into conversations that meet you right where you are.

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So whether you're brand new or you're back for more, we are so glad you are here.

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So relax, listen in, and let's discover meaning together.

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In the ordinary, the messy, and everything in between.

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Sermons on the side. Finding meaning in the everyday. Doritos.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Doritos.

SPEAKER_05 0:51

Oh, that did not just happen.

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Oh. Oh gosh. Did you know that most people have three different types of sheets on their bed?

SPEAKER_04 1:01

I did not know. This isn't a joke. This is just a joke. I thought you were out of control. It's just a blanket statement.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

I'm done.

SPEAKER_05 1:16

I'm done. You can't stop him. You can only hope to contain him. Come on, everybody. It's Sermons on the Side. Welcome, Brad Williams, the co-host with the most.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Oh, man, I appreciate that. I love that. The Mostess with the hostess and the co-hostess. That's awesome, dude. Well, hey, happy uh Thursday to you too, sir.

SPEAKER_05 1:55

Yes, sir. Drop day. Sermons on the side day. And we are glad that everybody's with us listening in. Got another great episode for you. And we just really we want to start by saying we thank you for the feedback on a question that we posed last week in our episode.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

That's right. And we specifically called out our friend Larry from New Orleans for some uh some geographical feedback. If you'll recall, we talked about the difference in pronunciation of root versus route. And uh I thought my take was I thought I was spot on, by the way.

SPEAKER_05 2:33

Uh honestly, everyone I've spoken to, with the exception of Larry from from New Orleans, but most of the people I've spoken to has said we always say root when you're talking, but occasionally it'll pop the route thing will find us.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Everybody off guard.

SPEAKER_05 2:53

And you know what, Rhonda, my darling wife, she said that it's often with the uh GPS, where she'll ask herself and she'll say it out loud, she'll ask me, What what route is the GPS taking us? But she never says route, hardly, in any other context. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02 3:13

And it's a great point. It's a great point. I want to know what Larry says because I this is this guy.

SPEAKER_05 3:19

All right. So Larry said it's always route, not root.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

It's always route.

SPEAKER_05 3:26

Always. And you know, I'm talking a definitive, yeah, no, you know, kind of like with attitude. There was attitude in that. There was, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

You could there's a little retired attitude in there.

unknown 3:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_05 3:37

Oh, that is one retired dude.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Happy retirement, by the way, Larry.

SPEAKER_05 3:41

Indeed. Congrats, Larry. So on Friday night of last week, he was gathered with his a small group from his church, and he was leading the small group. Okay. And there were 15 people there. And he texted us in the middle during the the life group or the small group, and he said, Tonight, I have asked the question in the home group that I teach. There were 15 people there, 14 for route, and one for route.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

So if wide is the is the path that leads to destruction, but narrow is the I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_05 4:21

Uh it's not too late for y'all to give us some feedback on that very question.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Yeah. No more feedback from uh narlands, by the way. We want that we want that one person to rise up in that life group.

SPEAKER_05 4:32

Come on. We're we're we're glad there's there's a remnant, even in greater New Orleans and that home group at Larry that Larry was leading.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Well, that was that was the oh sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_05 4:43

No, no, you go you go.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Well, that was the first thing that we wanted to say is uh just that little circle back to root route. The second thing that we want to say is USA! USA! Dude, I am loving the World Cup, bro.

SPEAKER_05 4:57

There's so much energy men's World Cup energy.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

And speaking of, there's a game going on tonight on drop night. Okay, 10 o'clock.

SPEAKER_05 5:05

Who is in said game?

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Well, I'll be well, USA, and uh, we're playing Turkey, I think. Uh, it's is this still group stage? Still group stage, it's a hundred percent meaningless because we've already clinched top of group D and they've already clinched not making it past this round. Right, yeah, but I'm still so fired up for it, you know. Every four years you just wake up and you bleed red, white, and blue, baby.

SPEAKER_05 5:28

So, anyways, this is this is one of those times. Hey, listen, I want, I actually want now that you brought up the World Cup, I would like for a moment, before we get to our sermon on the side for this week, I would like us to do something that will both honor Father's Day, which was just this past Sunday. That's right, and at least this first one will also honor the World Cup. Okay. Okay, so what we're gonna do, it was Father's Day. We were remiss in not referencing that last year. Yeah, shame on us. You like that word? That was good. Yeah. Makes me sound fancy, dude.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

I need a dictionary. I hope it starts, but then I remembered I can spell that thing, so I'm just gonna kind of go with the flow here.

SPEAKER_05 6:08

So we should have said something last week, didn't feel horrible about it, but we're about to fix it. In retro, we're going to honor Father's Day by swapping dad jokes. That's right. I don't think we've done this yet in history of Sermons on the Side. We are about to swap some dad jokes, and we're going to see if we can make the other laugh. All right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Let me go first. Let me go first. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 6:33

All right. Well, I yeah, and and mine has a World Cup flare to it.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Oh, okay. Well, you want to go first? Yeah, let me go first. You go first. Go for it. Go for it.

SPEAKER_05 6:41

So a soccer-themed dad joke. All right. Okay. Why does Reynaldo never have to clean his room? I don't know. Because he's not Messi.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

What? What?

SPEAKER_03 7:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

At the time of recording this, Messi has also scored five goals in the World Cup.

SPEAKER_05 7:09

He's going now has the the overall record for all time moving.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

Literally, I'm going to tell my grandkids about watching Leonel Messi. It's unbelievable. But that is a fantastic theme. Okay, there you go. All right. Mine's not World Cup themed. It's the greatest showman theme. Oh, come on. Knock knock.

SPEAKER_05 7:26

Who's there?

SPEAKER_02 7:27

Jackman. Jackman who? No, no, no. You Jackman. You you almost you started to mess it up. I said, Jackman, and the first thing you did with your mouth was Hugh Jackman. And then there you go. All right. Can we No, that was the joke. That's the that's the unjust. No, I messed it up. No, you didn't. That was perfect. There's no finish. It's just you interrupt him and you say, oh no, it's Hugh Jackman. Oh, that's so bad. I feel terrible. No, it was perfect. We can re-record. Did you hear about Steve Harvey getting in a fight with his brother?

SPEAKER_05 8:07

I did not.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

They say it was a family feud.

SPEAKER_05 8:14

Oh, that's survey says. All right. Um okay, last one. We want to do one more.

SPEAKER_02 8:23

I got a couple. I got a couple strand for the cheese, though.

SPEAKER_05 8:26

Let you finish. Okay, so I'll give my last one. Uh, why do why do dinosaurs make such bad pets?

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Because they're not messy. No, why?

SPEAKER_05 8:40

Because they're all dead.

unknown 8:43

Okay. My forty.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

I'm gonna have to select explicit for this episode. That's horrible. Why is this episode explicit? Oh all right. All right. What what is your foot's favorite snack?

SPEAKER_05 8:58

I I don't I don't know what is my foot's favorite snack. Doritos.

SPEAKER_03 9:07

Doritos.

SPEAKER_05 9:09

Oh, that did not just happen.

SPEAKER_02 9:13

Oh gosh. Did you know that most people have three different types of sheets on their bed?

SPEAKER_04 9:20

I did not know. This isn't a joke. This is just a blanket. No, it's just a bloke. I thought you were out of control.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

It's just a blanket statement.

SPEAKER_05 9:33

I'm done. I'm done. You can't stop him. You can only hope to contain him.

SPEAKER_02 9:39

Once you wind me up. Good luck. Hey, and this is without coffee. Right? Yeah, I had three people telling me. Three people tell me last week. I was like, that that coffee definitely had caffeine in it. Don't do that again. I'm not. I'm not. Oh, that's this is just how he makes me. That is he wanted to do dad jokes, folks.

SPEAKER_05 10:00

Oh, that is so good. Hey, and just want to give everybody a quick heads up. All right. For the end of this episode, later, our segment. We've never telegraphed a segment before.

SPEAKER_03 10:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 10:09

Want everybody to know. We're going to kind of continue in that vein of the root and route thing. We're going to have the segment is called Fun with Pronunciation. Oh. Or is it pronunciation? No, I'm kidding. All right. So seriously, hang on. Stand by for more. Did you like that?

SPEAKER_02 10:28

That was I had more to go, but I'm you'd be pretty. This is this is self-discipline out in the wild right now. It's happening. This is real life restraint.

SPEAKER_05 10:39

The restraint you are showing. It is impressive. Deep cleansing. Yes. Let's go. Okay. Can we center? Center. All right. So our sermon on the side for today. Yes. Are you ready, man?

SPEAKER_02 10:54

I'm so ready.

SPEAKER_05 10:55

All right. Now, this thing kind of hit me recently while I was doing some reading in the scriptures. I was I was looking at Ephesians chapter two. I just happened to be kind of flowing along, checking out the verses, and I come across the very first phrase in verse 11 of Ephesians chapter 2. And it says, Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You used to be outsiders. Outsiders. Great movie from the early 80s. You familiar? Uh no. Yeah. Stay golden, pony boy. That's a great line. Stay golden pony.

SPEAKER_02 11:44

It didn't fit in the Ephesians narrative, so I figured that that was.

SPEAKER_05 11:48

Yeah, you didn't. You were like, Paul didn't say that, did he? Anyway, so he he makes this statement and he in Ephesians 2, verse 11, he says, Don't forget that you as Gentiles used to be outsiders. Know what he is explaining? And he goes on after that phrase to do this whole conversation, uh, which was a very important thing for the first century Christians when the scriptures were first written. It was this whole thing that if a person was not a natural-born Jewish person, that somehow they felt like they weren't on the inside track to get connected to the God of the Jewish people. All right, so that was this thing. And Paul and the other apostles spent a lot of their time making sure everybody understood. No, no, no, the Jesus movement, the Jesus thing, following Christ, it's for everybody. It's not just for Jewish people. And so that's why that sentence sounds the way it does. And he he he targeted it specifically first towards these non-Jewish people. But his point was he was talking to people who at one time were outsiders when it comes to the faith thing. And so it's important for us to note that all of us at one time could have been in that category in our lives, right? It doesn't matter what our nationality is, where we're from, our our economic status, or where we are socially. No, no descriptor, descriptor about us automatically gets us in with God, nor does it automatically put us on the outs with God. It's just the human condition at one time, and we were outsiders. We weren't in with the Lord. And that's what struck me when I read this not that long ago when I came across this sentence. And then he talks for a little bit and kind of goes through a lot of explanation about that uh that uh ethnic divide between Jews and non-Jews. But basically, he finishes the thought, he completes the thought at the start of verse 13. All right, so he said, Don't forget you used to be outsiders. And the first sentence of or the first phrase in verse 13 says, but now you have been united with Christ Jesus. So you were an outsider, but now you're united with Christ. And then right after that, I mean, the very next sentence he says, Once you were far away from God, but now you've been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. The cross of Jesus is the thing that takes all of us who all used to be outsiders, and now we can be brought near to God. Isn't that a cool thing?

SPEAKER_02 15:05

It absolutely is. And it's I I I love this because it reminds me of something that we often quote um in in our men's group, one of the Heidelberg catechisms. Oh, bro. The it it says, There's three things that I must know to live and die in the joy of the comfort of Jesus Christ. Okay. And the first one is a lot like that first sentence from Paul. It's very sobering and it's a little like the these three things are number one, how great my sin and misery are. And it's just like that. It's like, hey, you were once an outsider. Hello. Wake up to the reality of our depravity. Yes, okay. That's the first thing. The second thing is how I am set free from all my sin and misery.

SPEAKER_05 15:52

And there's the good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

And then number three, how I am to thank God for such deliverance. And this little journey that Paul takes the Ephesian church on, specifically the Gentiles, specifically all of us reading it 2,000 years later, is almost that exact same little bing bang boom, right? Hey, hello, your sin has kept for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Every one of us. Hello. But now you're not an outsider anymore. And who do you have to thank for that? Jesus. Jesus Christ, baby. Come on.

SPEAKER_05 16:25

Indeed, indeed. So really the reason I wanted to kind of harp on that little conversation starter that Paul laid on him in the middle of chapter two is because that's actually a theme that comes up from time to time throughout scripture. All right.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:44

And what I call them, I could these certain kind of verses or sentences or sections of scripture that I like to call the once but now.

SPEAKER_02 16:56

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:57

And you can picture this once, dot, dot, dot, but now. And these things are everywhere all through the Bible. Because, especially in the New Testament, because it's like God really wanted us to know how important it is to remember that sequence. That's right. Those realities that once, oh, no shot. I was totally on the outside. But now it's that's important. And I wanted to just for a quick second before we we go any further, think about why why do you think let's let's bat around why it's important for us to remember those two those two things. The once part of our lives.

SPEAKER_02 17:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 17:44

That makes sense. The once stuff, and then the but now stuff.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

That's a good question. I I know for me in my own life, it's because of how hard-headed and how quick I am to forget things, you know. But I think that's probably a condition for humanity and it has been for all of you know time. Because you think about this in the Old Testament, what did God instruct people to do when He carried them through this unbelievable, miraculous moment, right? It was to build an altar all throughout Scripture. I feel like altars are what you're in some capacity, what you're talking about. They are the reminders of what God's faithfulness you know permeated in the, you know, just did in their lives. And so I I think that why this takes place, why the Lord has just sort of all throughout scripture given us these once dot dot dot but now dot dot dots are like little mini altars, even for our own life.

SPEAKER_05 18:42

I love the way you said that because and no, I think I think you're a hundred percent right on that. And one of the things these thoughts and verses and realities or reminders do for me keeps me humble.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 18:57

There's a humility piece to it. It cut but because the once part, it just it reminds me to to use your word that uh that it's not all about me, you know, that I'm not uh I'm not all that. Yeah, because I had gotten myself into a whole lot of messes over the years. I it messes follow me around, you know what I'm saying? I my choices have have consequences, and I've been living and dealing with those, and and there was a time the once parts are the reminders that man, I was I was tangled up. The but now parts, so it's so it's humility, but then it's gratitude.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Well, that's what I was about to say. It's like so once once the Lord kind of takes us through those first couple of moments, the the reminder, the the humility, right? The whole other aspect is is the truth of who we are coming out of that. It is the but now state of who we are as beloved sons and redeemed daughters of Christ.

SPEAKER_05 20:08

That's the miracle stuff, and what can you to quote uh Brandon Lake, you know, the gratitude song, all that I have, you know, what what else can I give other than my thanks to God? And I think God wants that. The third point of that question you brought up that we read in our meeting, you know, it's like how bad off we were, how we were rescued and continue to be rescued. Thank you very much, and then the third thing, how I'm to thank God every day, multiple times a day, for the miracles that he that he is doing. So those are some of the reasons why it is important for us, I mean, it to not forget. And and for me, there's part of me that would love to close off all the uglier stories, right, uh or chapters in my story and never speak of them again. But that's not the way it works. We're not to live bound up by it, and God will loose us as we travel this road. He's gonna loose us from regret and from pain, and and he's gonna help us and he's gonna heal us. But brother, I look back on those once, the once column, and I say, Thank you, Lord. It brings praise, yeah, it brings worship. Hey, can I lay some once but now stuff on you?

SPEAKER_02 21:46

Yeah, the the one, the the most famous one that comes to mind is the I was lost, but now I'm found.

SPEAKER_05 21:52

Oh, but I I need I need your full and but now I see.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

Come on, come on, come on, little. But I I see your I see your notes over there. Oh, I got some. You got some list.

SPEAKER_05 22:05

I'm gonna rapid fire something here.

SPEAKER_02 22:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 22:06

Okay. And I don't want anybody to feel like they gotta write these down. Maybe we could could we list these in the in the show notes? All right.

SPEAKER_02 22:15

We are the creators of the show. We can do it.

SPEAKER_05 22:18

Do whatever we want, man. All right. So Bible's packed with these. Okay. Ephesians 2, uh later in that chapter, verse 19. We are no longer strangers, we are now members of God's family. So it might not say once but now, quote unquote, but the vibe of these verses is big contrast. Okay. It's like the contrast language. It was this way at one time.

SPEAKER_02 22:43

But now.

SPEAKER_05 22:44

And but now so all right, Romans 6, 13. We were dead in our sins. Now we have new life through Christ. Romans 6, 17 and 18. We were once slaves to sin and now we are free. Romans 7, 5, and verses 5 and 6. We were once controlled by our sinful desires. But now we are released to serve God. Isn't that cool? That's great news. I'm no longer a slave to fear.

SPEAKER_02 23:21

We did that on Sunday.

SPEAKER_05 23:22

No, you didn't. I am a child of God. Galatians 4 7. Come on. Ephesians 5 8. We were once full of darkness. But now we have light from the Lord. Bro, why do I groove on one spot now versus so much? I'm gonna tell you. Because what it does is it lets me know that the thing that I hope for the most is true. And the thing that I need the most can happen. And that thing is that God can change me. That's what this is all about. God can change me.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

And He can change you. I think that I think the one that you probably groove on one of the most is one that you have brought. You've you've brought the sermons on the side before. You and you've brought plenty of times on our Tuesday gatherings. It's it's found in Ezekiel 36. Come on, man. And it's this whole little now, you know, then and now dynamic. It does. Yeah. I'm just gonna read it. This is this is 36, uh, Ezekiel 36, 33 through 36. It says, Thus says the Lord, I will cleanse you from all your iniquities, and I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. And they will say, This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden. And the waste and the desolate and the ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited. Then the nations that are left all around shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have rebuilt the ruined places, and I have replanted that which was once desolate. I am the Lord, I have spoken, and I will do it.

SPEAKER_05 25:40

Oh ruined, once ruined, but now rebuilt. That is the miracle that God does all the time. And it can happen for you. I say that it can happen for me. It's happening for me, it's happening for Brad, and I want all our listeners to believe that that's what God is doing.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

But but what if it's what if it's too desolate? What if it seems so broken that it couldn't possibly be rebuilt? Because we're we're not we're not so naive to to think that we might not have listeners that are going, I I I hear that, but I just don't see it. And friend, let me encourage you that the Lord doesn't move according to what we can see and what we can feel. This is what the Lord has said that He has rebuilt the ruined places and He has replanted that which was what is desolate. I am the Lord, I have spoken, and I will do it. And so wherever you're at, no matter how desolate, no matter how broken it seems, the Lord can and wants to rebuild in our lives. So let's open up our heart to him.

SPEAKER_05 27:07

Amen, brother. Oh, thank you for saying that. And you know what I hope? I hope our listeners maybe we could even have some conversations about this.

SPEAKER_02 27:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:17

Because I would love to hear from some of our folks, and maybe you've got a once but now uh Bible verse or Bible story that you that is your favorite. Maybe you've got a once but now vibe in like a song that you love. We we sang we busted out with a couple of songs. Um or maybe maybe you just maybe in your life there's a you you have a once but now story. You know, some of us do, don't we? Where our story is literally, let me tell you, specifically, some stuff that used to define me. And it does it just doesn't anymore. And that we would love to hear that because those are the miracle stories. That's right, and that's what God is up to.

SPEAKER_02 28:21

Amen, dude. Well, thank you so much. That's awesome. I'm I'm I'm gonna sit, I'm gonna need to listen to this one again because there's so much truth, there's so much scripture, there's there's so much wisdom and knowing and remembering, being humbled, but also being lifted up by that promise of I was once, but now I but now oh bro, that is so good.

SPEAKER_05 28:45

Thank you for going along uh that journey with me and sharing your heart. Man, God's on to something here, right? He's gonna, I think he wants to reveal and show us a lot of stuff. Well, as promised, I I wanna I wanna just uh I want to take our listeners back to funny and weird and different kind of pronunciation pronunciation issues. Listen, so here's here's my question Your mother, uh does she have uh sisters?

SPEAKER_02 29:20

Yeah, she's got one sister, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:23

Um, what do you as that woman's nephew, what do you call her?

SPEAKER_02 29:32

Uh my Aunt Kelly.

SPEAKER_05 29:34

Aunt Kelly, yeah. That's awesome. Where's Aunt Kelly live? Just curious.

SPEAKER_02 29:38

Down in Jacksonville, Florida.

SPEAKER_05 29:39

No, I was asking for the address. I wanted people to be able to visit. Kidding, kidding. Just a joke. Okay, so Aunt Kelly.

SPEAKER_02 29:48

Yeah, it's not Aunt Kelly. I can already see where you're going.

SPEAKER_05 29:51

But here's the thing weird word. It's spelled A-U-N-T.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 29:58

But I grew up my whole life, and I don't know if this is a southern thing.

SPEAKER_02 30:02

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_05 30:03

Uh, you know, a redneck thing, but I pronounce it like it's spelled A-N-T, like ant, the insect.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Same.

SPEAKER_05 30:12

Ant.

SPEAKER_02 30:13

Yeah, ant.

SPEAKER_05 30:14

All right.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Aunt Kelly.

SPEAKER_05 30:15

Okay. Never, but you've never called her aunt.

SPEAKER_02 30:18

No.

SPEAKER_05 30:19

Okay. Do we have any listeners who call their parents' sisters aunt? Yes. We need to know this.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

But we also need to know how long they've also been nuns. Because if you have an aunt that you call aunt, you're either a nun or you're in a way different tax bracket than me, brother.

SPEAKER_03 30:40

All right.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

My aunt Sylvia is coming into town to have some tea and crumpets.

SPEAKER_05 30:44

Pinkies out, everyone. All right, but listen, we don't stop there with fun with pronunciation.

SPEAKER_02 30:49

Yeah, now do uncle.

SPEAKER_05 30:51

No, no, no. We're still on the aunt thing. All right.

SPEAKER_02 30:53

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_05 30:55

Here's the thing. Uh now, now, now I'm gonna tell you, this is this is where the Mississippi's gonna come out of here. All right. So I I were, I mean, I'm familiar with calling your aunt, your auntie. You call her aunt, right? Okay. Okay, I get that. But man, I was growing I grew up and we called ours, we called them ain't. Ain't as in, you know, that bad grammar word, like I ain't gonna do it.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_05 31:28

Ain't cat, ain't Gene, ain't Masil. Ain't uh ain't Effie. We haven't Effie E F F I E. All right, ain't. So is there anybody within the sound of my voice who has ever called your parents' sisters ain't? I've lost breath.

SPEAKER_02 31:49

Why are we fixating on the word ain't after you rattle off those names?

SPEAKER_05 31:54

Hey, bro, there's more. There's more. All right, you want you want some of my aunt, my my aunt? Yeah, see that you slipped up. Yeah, come on. Oh, is it mace? Ain't Shelley, uh, ain't uh Ordeen.

SPEAKER_02 32:11

And it sounds like what you're saying is like you're rattling off somebody who brought who didn't bring a bad dish to the populace. This mac and cheese tastes horrible. Who brought it? Well, it was it ain't Effie, it ain't Sylvia, and it ain't Mason, and it ain't this, and ain't that? What are we talking about?

SPEAKER_05 32:31

Hey, my my you want the last name that comes to mind is ain't Hortense. And yes, that was her name, Hortense. Uh that's a thing.

SPEAKER_02 32:39

What is going on in the name in Mr. T. What's going on? I'm concerned. How did you make out with Richard? How did you not come out with just some this was about to be sermons on the I have no Oh Lord help us?

SPEAKER_05 32:58

But anyway, so do you let me ask you the last question on this particular word? Do you know anybody who who calls their that calls uses the term auntie? Because that's I'm hearing that more frequently now.

SPEAKER_02 33:14

Yeah, auntie. Maybe so, but I feel like it's with little kids, man. And you can't take your pronunciation cues from kids. My daughter called my daughter called milk moat for the first four years of her life. Wait, moat? Yeah, dude. I miss it all the time. She she used to be like, Daddy, I can have my moat. I literally, I'm not kidding you. I'm not kidding you. Like six months ago, I looked at my five-year-old daughter. I was like, hey, Becca, can you start calling milk moat again? I thought that was the cutest thing.

SPEAKER_04 33:48

No.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

Anyways, whatever.

SPEAKER_04 33:50

Oh, that's adorable. So all right, we gotta hear from our listeners.

SPEAKER_02 33:54

Yeah, I need to hear from my auntie Kelly.

SPEAKER_05 33:56

Auntie Kelly? Is it Auntie Kelly? Is it Aunt Kelly? Is it Aunt Kelly? Or just aunt or whatever. We need to hear back from some folks. And we need to.

SPEAKER_02 34:11

I'll tell you who we don't need to hear back from Larry from New Orleans. I don't want to hear nothing west of the Mississippi.

SPEAKER_04 34:19

I need to stop that. What about our Texas people?

SPEAKER_02 34:23

All right, we can pick back up once we get to about Houston. There the rest of the way.

SPEAKER_05 34:29

I need our boardman organ listeners uh to uh to chime out. Well, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 34:37

This was awesome. That was fun. We had a lot of pronunciation issues. Y'all correct us, y'all help us. This is Iron Sharpens Iron Moment right here. Yeah, because see, next week when Richard gets put in his place, we can say he was once wrong. But now he says aunt. And that's why you're such a pro at this. Professional circle back here. You guys have an awesome week. Go USA tonight and into the knockout round. Yes. Uh, we got an awesome guest coming up in just a couple of weeks. You'll keep your eyes and ears posted. And you guys have an awesome week. And we'll see you next week for Sermons on the side. Literally. Ain't uh Ain't. So if you're writing a birthday card, you say, oh, I got ain't Effle. Effie? Effie. I got Effie. I got F-F. I got Ain't Effie. A card. Mm-hmm. And they said, hey, Lil' Rico, do you want to write Ain't Effie's name on the card? Yeah. Write it out.

SPEAKER_05 35:55

All right.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

Right now.

SPEAKER_05 35:56

A-U-N-T. No. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 36:00

A-I-N-T. No, I you it's not. You're going to spell it wrong.

SPEAKER_05 36:05

Yeah. I ain't going to put and then.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Alright, now spell Effie.

SPEAKER_05 36:08

E-F-F-I-E. Effie. And let me tell you. Effie. Let me tell you. God rest her soul. She made the greatest homemade cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten in my whole life. Can't wait to get to heaven so she can make new.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

Dog, if you have a name like Ain Effie, everything that you cook is gonna be 10 out of 10.

SPEAKER_05 36:32

No doubt. Everything came out that kitchen. Absolute gold.

SPEAKER_02 36:36

You got any uh you got any eights still living? I do, and cat is still living. Eight cat.

SPEAKER_05 36:44

With a C, C-A-T. Any cat's or H. No, she she always uh I was always her favorite uh of all the nieces and nephews.

SPEAKER_03 36:54

Little Rico.

SPEAKER_05 36:54

And there were many. Man, from the kid, she would say, she would say, Richard, you are the best boy. The best boy. Boy. Boy. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

Yeah, if your name is Ain't, you're saying Boy. Well, ain't cat. I hope I meet you one day.

SPEAKER_05 37:09

Come on, yeah. I'm gonna get her son, Walter, my cousin, to let her listen to this episode. Shut up, Walter. Walter? All right. Gosh, help me. What's wrong with us? Stop it! There's so many. No more dad jokes, no more ain't jokes, no more yelling at cousins over the microphone.