77 | Frequency Illusion

Have you ever bought a new car, only to suddenly notice that same make, model, and color everywhere you look? 

This week on Sermons on the Side, Brad and Richard unpack the fascinating psychological phenomenon known as the Frequency Illusion. Richard shares the story of purchasing his Kia Sorento in what he thought was a one-of-a-kind metallic bronze color - only to spend the next week convinced that everyone else had suddenly bought the exact same vehicle. 

Of course, the world hadn't changed. His attention had. 

That simple observation opens the door to a much deeper conversation about the Christian life. How often do our emotions, assumptions, fears, or past experiences shape the way we interpret reality? How often do we begin to believe something is true simply because it's what we keep noticing? 

Scripture repeatedly calls believers to anchor themselves in truth - not feelings, not circumstances, and not the ever-changing narratives of the world around us. When we're rooted in Christ and grounded in God's Word, we're able to recognize the difference between perception and reality, resisting the subtle lies that can so easily shape our thinking. 

Join us as we explore the psychology behind the Frequency Illusion, the danger of unchecked assumptions, and the life-giving invitation to fix our eyes on Christ - the One who never changes and is always true. 

Whether you've experienced this phenomenon with a new car, a word, a product, or even a personal fear, this conversation will challenge you to ask an important question:

Am I living according to what feels true—or according to what God says is true?

Sermons on the Side Bible Readings

Connect with us on our FACEBOOK page

Connect with us on INSTAGRAM @sermons_on_the_side_podcast

Check out our website HERE

Love the show? If you’re enjoying the stories, laughs, and conversations we share here, we’d be so grateful if you’d consider “buying us a cup of coffee” to help keep things brewing. It’s a simple way to show your support and keep the podcast going strong!

Here’s the link: buymeacoffee.com/sermonsontheside

Thank you for being part of the journey with us!

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_00 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.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

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

SPEAKER_00 0:30

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

SPEAKER_02 0:34

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

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Sermons on the side, finding meaning in the everyday. This is actually a thing. There's a scientific term for what we just described.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

About the scratch or flaw or whatever that was pointed out to you, that now you can't think about anything else, and there it is. The car thing that we all can relate to, and it's called the frequency illusion. The frequency illusion.

SPEAKER_02 1:28

Here we are. Here we are. We've got another episode, another Thursday. I have a knock-not joke for you, Richard. I do not. I do. It is German themed. Oh dear. Knuck knock. Who's there? Even ask the questions. Right. Oh boy. We've lost Richard. He's choked on his vitamin D. The vitamin C vitamin C cough drop. Thank you very much. I can't wait until we go video and I can make fun of them because they're real. I'm looking at them. It's gonna be awesome. And you just choked on them. Sorry about that.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Richard, how are you, sir? Uh now I'm better. Okay, I have regrouped and life is good. That was pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

I tell you what, my kids love that joke. And uh they will ask me to repeat it over and over and over again. Oh, I mean, 20 times in a row. Daddy, can you knock knock? And then they take off running anyway.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

So good, so good. Look, well, I don't have a knock-knock joke for you, but I do have a question for you.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

And it's because, you know, the World Cup ended on this past Sunday. Are you sad, Brad?

SPEAKER_02 2:40

I am. I am. My my compass is pointed north towards uh to the English Premier League as the new season is upon us. I'm a big soccer fan.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Okay, so is there not much of a uh layoff between the World Cup and the Premier League starting?

SPEAKER_02 2:56

No, not much. I mean, we've got we've got a little bit over a month, but uh but dude, and what an yeah, big Arsenal fan, huge English Premier League fan been for for a long time, and before anybody comes after me. Oh, Arsenal just won the league. No, no, no. I've been following Arsenal since 2010.

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Oh, were they not so good?

SPEAKER_02 3:15

That's exactly right. That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

So so no bandwagon fans are at this table.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

That's right, that's right. Since 2010, I've been doing this for a long time. I got skin of the game, and I'm I'm repping that Arsenal shirt. Anyways, but yes, I'm very, very sad that uh that soccer is over here in the United States, and I guess that means I have to start watching the Braves again.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Uh you know what? I'm gonna be well, you know what? I gotta tell you, I'm a little offended the way you said that. Like we're the we're we're the leftovers. I'm sorry, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:45

I get to watch the Braves again. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

You're gonna edit that other thing out. Seriously, Braves are uh, boy, they was hot as firecrackers earlier in the season, were they not? Best team in baseball. Yep lately, not so much.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

Yeah, well, but ever since the World Cup got here, they all started watching soccer, forgot how to have a baseline.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

But uh anyway, second half of the season just started, and we started off well. Okay. When in the first series, and hopefully we can get back, you know, in our flow.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

Yeah, we were talking about that on the way over here uh after you uh so heroically saved me from being stranded.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Oh look, man, Brad, it's really not about me.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

I'm just you have one hand up and the other hand say, come on. No, really, no, no, come on.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

You know, seriously.

SPEAKER_02 4:34

No, it was one of those nights you've been there before, uh, folks that have kids or multiple schedules with with your your wives or your husbands, and all of a sudden you're trying to leave in one car and you realize that the keys to the other car are with the other person who's in the other car across town or on the end of next town. And uh so the old you know, 10 minutes till the time we're supposed to be rendezvousing, me calling Richard.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

Can you come pick me up? Yes. So we turn that Kia around and went and got you.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

I appreciate you, sir. So we got because hey, we gotta keep the we listen, talk to me. We gotta keep the street going. We every Thursday, our tens and tens of listeners are expecting to get a sermon on the side.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

There would be a revolt if we did, you know, if we took a Thursday off, not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Seriously, we do love doing this and glad we could uh that it all worked out. And so here we are, and we're ready to go with another sermon on the side. Are you are you? Uh I mean, right there. You're on the edge of your seat.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Let's do it. Fall off my seat.

SPEAKER_00 5:41

All right. Well, we're actually gonna talk about that Kia Sorrento that you rode in here on and then I'm riding back in.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Oh, wait. So you want me to take you on this one?

SPEAKER_02 5:51

Is that not part of the deal? Wait, I thought I'd start sending out some SOS texts right now.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

There's a there's a couch right here.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Hey, my stepdad, hey, my stepdad's retired. He's glorified Uber for me, dog. I'm gonna get Fred on the phone.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

No, no, you I'm gonna see you in that key.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Listen, uh, you know, our listeners just need to know that Rico drives a Kia Sorrento 2012.

SPEAKER_03 6:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

So that makes it 16 years old. All right. No, dang it.

SPEAKER_02 6:24

There you go again. There you go. You didn't learn. I just went with it. I just went with it. I was like, sure, 16. I was gonna make a 16-year-old joke.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Horrible.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Come on, dog.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Horrible.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

Hey, hey, what you told me right before we went live. I need you to tighten up as start as you get. First chance, you get I need you to tighten up.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Oh this is not this is an inauspicious start here, brother. This is not the way we wanted to start this sermon on the side, but for real, I'm driving this 2012 Kia Sorrento. I got it used, and I've had it for eight years. All right. And I've been and I've been putting miles on it, brother.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

And it's all up there. Well, with with corporate chapters of America, yeah. I know you're putting it on.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Oh man, I'm out there, I'm I'm grinding it. Some tough miles we've done put on this thing. Up there, round 290. So, man, we're breathing down the neck of 300,000. And this vehicle has been awesome for me, right? And uh, so I love it, and it's it's just going real fine. But I gotta pause here and tell you a funny story from this past weekend. We spent the weekend, we were in uh Rhonda's car, it's a little nicer, not quite as many miles on it. Okay, and so we're driving around, and she starts hearing a little sound when she goes over a bump or when she turns and things like that. And it was so funny because she said, uh, now I went and took it into the shop this morning, just check, everything's fine, no big deal. But it was so funny because she was real worried because she said, There's a sound, the car's making a sound. And she's asking me, Do you hear that? Do you hear that? And see what's happened when you drive a vehicle that's almost 300,000 miles, you get numb to certain things and certain sounds, sounds or wheels, uh check engine. No, but seriously, and I just laughed at her. I said, baby, I wasn't laughing at her, I was laughing near her. No, wait, that's not anyway. Seriously, I I was uh I was chuckling and I said, baby, my car makes so many different sounds that I'm I'm just I don't even pay attention anymore. Yeah, so your car could be like rattling like BBs in a can, and I wouldn't notice it. My Kia, but I get into it. I mean, everything I do, turn the wheel, crank the car. There's always sounds. It's like the car saying good morning.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

Yeah, there's a new light on the dashboard every day. It's a rainbow. Yeah, cars are a lot like humans, you know. The older we get, the more sounds we make as we move about this world. I got up from playing with my kids the other day. Oh boy, I surprised myself. Okay. I was like, oh I was like thought to myself, I was like, what did I just do?

SPEAKER_00 9:19

You know, uh, our friend Heath Goodson sent me a meme one time. And it was this, it was a short reel, right? And and it's this guy stretching. He says, What's it like? What it's like when you stretch and you it kind of gets away from you, and it sounds like you're being uh you're being delivered from a demon. And he's just, you know, when you're stretching, you're just going, rah. Man, where where were we? We were talking about the Kia.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Kia the nicer car sounds. You know what?

SPEAKER_00 9:56

It's good for it's good for our listeners to get a glimpse. This is what it's like being friends with Rico. Y'all just pray for Brad. Because this happens all the time. We don't talk about six things, and we're still not to the line of my notes, right? So, anyway, I love the car. Uh, I love what this Kia has meant to us. It's it's got me got me everywhere I need to go. Well, here's the thing, and and I just I remembered this the other day when when we were talking about it, and I I've always enjoyed, I like the color of my car. Now, it's basically a dark brown. Is that what you think it looks like when you think about the color? I would have gone like more maroon. See, I it's technically a a brownish mix of some sort, but it's got the little metallic thing, sun hits it just right, it looks maroon. I'm a Mississippi State fan, it's perfect for me.

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

So I'm I'm sitting there when we're shopping for this car, and I go, Man, I really like this car. I like this color. And because it just was, it seemed unique to me. It wasn't like anything I I was a lot, I was like literally to Rhonda, you know, you don't see this color every day uh on a on a little SUV. And she's like, Yeah, it is kind of unique, and so blah, blah, blah. Anyway, we were able to seal the deal, close the deal, driving the car. Now the key is mine. This is eight years ago, right? Right. And I kept, I just kept telling, I was telling all my family, it's pretty cool. I like this car, plus it's got a unique color. And so tooling around, enjoying it. But do you know what happened to me the very next day? I mean, the first day I'm driving my new to me, brand new to me, Kia. I'm driving to work. Do you know what I see? I see a ton of dark brown slash maroon-colored Kia Sorintos. They're everywhere. Everywhere, same color. I'm just sitting there going, what just happened?

SPEAKER_02 12:03

All the brothers and sisters came out.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

Listen, we're family, you know, because we're we're Kia people.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

You do the motorcycle thing where you like wave to each other, hey, how you doing? We got a maroon Kia Sorento. Hey, how you doing? We're cool.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

But I'm like, how does this happen? All my whole life I've never seen this vehicle with that color.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

And then the very next day, boom, I can't, I can't look, I can't find them, I can't look anywhere where it's not right. Yeah. And I'm just going, that is crazy. Where did all these things come from? Now here's the real truth, and I think we all know this. They didn't just show up that day.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

That next day, right? They were there the whole time. I just didn't see them.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Didn't notice them, wasn't paying attention to them. And now at this point, I need my all our listeners to say, come on. I I'm asking you, do you feel me? Have you been there? I think everybody's nodding. Don't you? Because that's just a thing.

SPEAKER_02 13:03

Oh, yeah. Is it not? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Crazy. I remember specifically one time there was like this little thing. I can't remember if it was like a scratch or a or a piece of paint like chipped off of this beautiful church that we were in one time. And a buddy of mine was sitting next to me, looking right up there. The whole rest of the time I was in that church, what am I looking at? That thing right there.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Nothing else.

SPEAKER_02 13:24

That like maybe I was aware of, but as soon as my mind was fixated on it, it's like that's the only thing that I could see, you know. And maybe that's a little bit different, but as soon as your mind was set, your attention, your affections on this really unique car color combination. Exactly, man. No, every single time you looked, you saw another one.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

That is exactly it. And I I'm telling you, this is actually a thing. There's a scientific term for what we just described.

SPEAKER_03 13:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

About the scratch or flaw or whatever that was pointed out to you, that now you can't think about anything else, and there it is. Uh the car thing that we all can relate to, and it's called the frequency illusion. The frequency illusion. It's it's it's the way our minds work. And and the bottom line is that it's saying that what we notice, what we're thinking, what the whatever is taking up the most or a big chunk of brain space in our life, we're gonna notice and see that out in the world. If we're thinking on it, we're it's gonna show up in different parts of our life.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

But then we would inaccurately, you know, attribute that to it's happening more frequently, all of a sudden. Yeah, just all of a sudden.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

And that's the illusion part, their frequency illusion is because what we have started thinking about and given a lot of inner mental energy to has started to get confirmed. And it only takes a couple of times for you for us to legitimately see something that we've already been thinking about, and it confirms. And we go, oh, there it is, and there it is, and then our minds just grabs it and blows it into a proportion that makes us feel like that thing or that thought or that perception is everywhere and it's surrounding us, and then that's what life is like, it like could define what we see and what we think, and that's what the frequency frequency illusion I'm a trained speaker, so don't try this at home, but that's what the frequency illusion does, it creates these these mindsets, and so the the bottom line is that if we give our thought patterns over to a certain direction, and we really invest a lot of brain space and a lot of mental energy on something, it's gonna come, it's gonna, we're gonna start noticing it everywhere. And the real truth is, to put it very simply, what you're thinking about, what you're looking for, you're gonna find it. And you're not making it up because it really is there. But at that point, we're in a loop where we're assuming and thinking about it, and boom, we see it, and it happens multiple times over and over again. And now we're in uh this now our perception is that's the way life is. I'll I'll put it this way what we notice shows up, and then when it keeps showing up, it shapes us. It shapes the way we think. Yeah, it's a it really is.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

And something as simple as, oh my goodness, now all of a sudden, this past weekend, everybody must have bought this, you know, maroon brown Kia Sorrento, all of a sudden that's shaping the way that you think. But I see the I see the corner that you're going here on the sermon on the sun and how how man, there's there's so many things that if if not checked in our spirit, we can become impressionably inaccurate in our life, you know. And I feel like one of the one of the very important readings that you know that you and I have have experienced a lot of freedom in our life over these last several years, for you the last several decades, is being rooted, being grounded, being in reality at all costs, right? That that phrase being in reality. And so when we allow ourselves to kind of get to this, what's the phrase?

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Frequency illusion.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

When we allow ourselves to to be illusioned, whoa.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

Oh, I like it. Let's make it a word.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

I'm also a trained speaker, question mark. Uh, but when we allow ourselves to kind of disconnect from that, right? From reality and go, oh, I guess this must be Morchius Sorrentis. Does that make sense? Is what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 18:14

It really does. It really does. One of the one of the definitional uh little pair uh sentences that I read as I was looking this up and digging around in it, it said, this is one of the fascinating reminders that our perception of the world is heavily influenced by what our brains decide is important. What my brain decides is important, which that morning it was the super unique, one of a kind almost Kia Sorrento. That's what was important, and then boom, I start. My perception of the world is influenced by what I think is most important. And so the reason that that is our sermon on the side is because you don't think God knew this. God knows how this works, and He also knows how the enemy of our souls will play that card on us to keep us bound up, limited, limping mentally and spiritually through our lives. So God put right there in his scripture some really cool instructions. Now we're gonna start with Romans chapter 12, verse 2, where it says, Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Some versions say, be transformed by renewing your mind. And the instruction is that that's actually an option. There are two options. We will either be shaped and formed by the world. Now you remember that's what this frequency illusion thing leads us to. We end up getting shaped by what we're perceiving. And then, but but God is offering us another option. He's saying instead of just letting the world and your environment and all those things shape you, why don't you renew your mind? Let me change you into a different person by changing the way you think.

SPEAKER_02 20:31

Well, I think it was so important that it was one of the four things that God includes in the greatest commandment. What's the greatest commandment? To love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

He did not leave that out.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

No, absolutely not. There is an absolute focus there. And I think that there's a lot of us, me at the top of the list, that need to double-click on this episode and go, man, Lord, what have I allowed myself to be inaccurately illusioned to by this world? What is the world forcing down my mind, my and in my soul, so to speak, to try to get me to focus on something that the world is claiming is important.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

Yes. Right.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

And how can I remove that and how can I establish what is important from God in my heart?

SPEAKER_00 21:22

So good. So good. But you know, let me let me let me give you an example. And you might be able to relate to this. I know it's happened to me at different times in my life. Let's let's just say, as a as a scenario, that either at work or school in my family, or just in some sort of setting in my life, there is a person, maybe a group of people, who are mistreating me. And that's legit. You know, I mean, it's a it's a real thing where somebody is they're just not doing me right. And I get thinking on that, and I'm like, man. And they were just, oh, they were all over me and they were they were mean to me and they were you know insensitive and disrespecting me. And if I think about that enough, what do you think? I mean, can't you imagine that in my mind, the next time I walk into that scenario or that setting or see those people, you know what's gonna be going on? I'm gonna be going, they're gonna do it again. I think it's gonna happen again. And then I start because we're not just mental, we're also emotional people. So it all starts getting tangled up. So now I'm mad, angry, I haven't forgiven them. I'm embittered, I'm ashamed. I they embarrassed me, whatever the situation was, they did me wrong. So now I've convinced myself the frequency illusion is it's gonna happen again. It's happened twice, it's gonna happen every time for the rest of my life. And eventually it doesn't even have to be that same group of people. I create this assumption based on my frequency illusion journey. Yeah, and now it becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy almost, because that's all I'm thinking about.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

That's really good. And that's awareness of that dynamic is half the battle. The other is that there's an actual battle going on inside of our hearts, inside of our souls, inside of our minds. And if and if you can kind of go there with me on this analogy, imagine you've got this is kind of a an old uh I don't know, one of those old sayings that I've just kind of picked up on. But if you have two wolves inside of you that are battling, which one do you think wins? That's all the information I'm gonna give you. Is it the biggest one? Nope. They're equal in size, so to say.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

All right. I mean, are they is is one of them just some somehow magically superior? I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 24:03

Whichever one you feed. Come on, and that's that's what we're talking about. Yeah, and obviously, I'm not putting the Lord and the enemy on the same level playing field, but the Bible absolutely talks about how there is a battle between our flesh and our spirit inside. And man, the battlefield will be won by whichever one we feed. And if we decide to feed our flesh, to feed the things of the world, to put those things on a pedestal in our hearts and in our minds as quote unquote important, then no wonder we feel disconnected from God. No wonder we feel disconnected from our faith.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

No wonder we're putting up walls between us, us and other people. Because that's where disconnected.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

We we are in, I can't keep remembering this phrase.

SPEAKER_00 24:53

Frequency is our world. Exactly. Exactly. So that verse that we read, God gives us the option. That's the beauty of all this. We do, we literally get to choose. We can decide. That's right. And this is not just think happy thoughts and you know you know, rainbows and fairy dust. This is this is the instructions from God Almighty saying I can change you into a different person just by change if you'll change the way you think.

SPEAKER_02 25:28

Yeah, yeah. And this isn't a vending machine relationship with the Lord either. Oh, if I have a by uh, you know, a quiet time and if I pray, then I'm gonna have a better life. No, that's not the case. However, we do believe that God says He what He can say He can do. We are gonna sow seeds of faith. That's right so that way the kingdom of God can be flourished, yeah, flourish in us, yeah, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 25:53

And we become start becoming a different person because we're starting to think differently. And I just got to jump to one more verse of scripture where Paul in Philippians chapter four gives us an incredible punch list of things we should think about.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:09

I mean, he literally just says, tell you what, guys and gals, this is what we should be thinking about. He goes, fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable. Think about these things that are excellent and worthy of praise. He's literally given us a starter kit for rewiring our brain.

SPEAKER_02 26:34

Because it's important to go, okay, well, if I'm quote unquote doing all of these bad things and I need to lay them down, that's that's only half of it. You gotta pick something up in its place. And this list from Philippians 4 are those things. Like, yes, obviously, let's purge ourselves, let's do an inventory, let's stop the bleeding in terms of the things of this world of our flesh, but then let's take up the things of the Lord, let's take up these fruits of the spirit, let's think on these things that are good and true and praiseworthy.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Oh, yes, indeed. Now, let me give you a quick little snapshot of what this could look and sound like. And I don't know if you could relate to thinking or saying these kind of phrases. How about when we're in uh when we're trapped in a negative frequency illusion in some or multiple areas of our life, we will hear ourselves saying things like, I knew it, this always happens. Here we go again. Doesn't matter how good things are going, something bad is gonna happen. Story of my life. I'm stuck. See that because I can I can I hear myself. There are times when those are phrases that I used to utter that I think inside, and I'm trying to let God rewire my brain, and trying to plug and play some of these uh suggestions from Philippians 4 and trying to become a new person by letting God renew my mind. Listen, then I start hearing myself say, I knew it. This always happens when I'm in a pinch, God always comes through. When I am, boy, I tell you, I I there's there there, God goes again. He always does this. You see the difference? Oh, this is always gonna happen. Look at God always coming through. Story of my life is that God did not leave me, and that God invades, and that God, let me tell you, this is the bottom line here. What we believe is is that God can bring something good out of the very worst stuff we're going through.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 29:06

Because let's be honest, you gotta remember something we said before the frequency illusion stuff that we eventually get stuck and really burrowed down deep into. We didn't make it up. It was some stuff that was actually happening.

SPEAKER_03 29:20

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 29:21

So we're talking to each other and to our listeners who are going through things, man. Bad things are going down, difficult, other shoes are dropping, quote unquote. Some things that could tempt us to say, here we go again. I knew this was gonna happen. It always happens this way. That stuff happens, but here's what we know. Here's what we know because it's because it's in scripture. God meets us in the very worst of our stuff. When bad things are going down, God does not abandon us. He is there for us, he comes to us in the very worst of our circumstances, God will come through. And you know how I know that? Because it's in there, man. It's in the scripture over and over again. But I'll tell you another way I know because I've experienced it. And when I was at my worst, God came to me. In the darkest nights of my life, God didn't leave me alone. He brought some light, he brought some hope, and that is what I will choose to build my mental patterns on. The times that God has come through. And I will, and, and I will create, God will create a new person as my mind is renewed. That's what Romans 12 tells verse 2 promises, and that's what I want everybody who's listening to believe can happen for you. Isn't that good news? That's good. God is good, brother. God is good. Hey, listen, I've got a uh I've got a segment thought for you. All right. Listen, it's uh we're just kind of can we do two movie things in a row? I mean, we did the movie theater thing last week. I've got some movie follow-up for you. Okay. Are you ready? I am because one of the things, we actually went public out loud, said it to all our listeners across this entire world. And we said that one of these days you and I are gonna go see a movie together.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

At the theater. Get our popcorn and our ice cream. I see, yeah. I'm excited about the icy. All right, but here here's um I need you to ask, how old is Rico? Ask that question.

SPEAKER_02 31:57

Go ahead. So I was supposed to ask you how old are you? How old is Rico?

SPEAKER_00 32:01

Rico is so old he can remember a time when you needed to find out what was playing at the movie theater, you called a phone number. Do you remember movie phone? You do you don't remember movie phone?

SPEAKER_02 32:13

I don't know anything about movie phone. Movie phone. I've never even heard about this.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

Now the the the the movies were listed in the newspaper, too. That was actually printed. Okay. The news was actually printed.

SPEAKER_02 32:24

I think I remember see now now. See, that was that was also when you could get the standings. The daily standings of MLB. Exactly. Now, see, now I'm not those were the days. Yes, those were the days. But I'm telling you, but I don't know enough about the thing.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Not everybody would get the movie, the get the paper uh delivered to their house so they didn't know what was on the showing at the theater. They had to show yeah, at the picture show. You had to pick up a phone and you called, and then it took forever, Brad. You just don't know. They'd say, Welcome to movie phone. Because they knew it's like this national hotline. Well, they knew I don't know how it worked, man. It was magical, okay? It was movie magical.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

It was a real person that was just following a script. Welcome to movie phone.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

And so they're Hello Baseball for say for if there's two theaters in your town for such and such a theater, press one. You press one, and then there might be eight movies on.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Alphabetical?

SPEAKER_00 33:31

I don't even remember, but you it didn't matter if you wanted to info on the eighth movie, you were gonna listen to every one of them. Not just the name of the film is Jurassic Park, starring Sam Neal, God rest his soul. You know, Sam passed away last week.

SPEAKER_02 33:49

I did not know that.

SPEAKER_00 33:50

Yeah, and Jeff Goldboom, all these people, you know, whatever. And then they start listing the times.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

One that's that's for the first movie.

SPEAKER_00 33:59

For the first movie, bro, you better not have anywhere to beat.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

If you're hoping for Jaws, then uh they just didn't.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

So anyway, movie phone. Have you never heard of movie phone?

SPEAKER_02 34:10

I don't have a nope. Okay, nope, that's before my time. Okay. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of um, I don't know why, but it reminds me of uh the TV guide.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Oh, I love TV Guide.

SPEAKER_02 34:22

You know, before before like TiVo, or like you know, before you know streaming, before you could like go forward eight hours on one channel just to see what was coming up. I mean, dude, you had to watch that slow scroll channel five. That was our uh wait, no. Was that the was that the weather channel? Was channel five the weather channel? Okay, I can't remember. Anyways, but yeah, if you missed your channel, if you happen to be distracted, you gotta wait till it loops. Wait until that sucker circled back. And that thing was on like a three-minute loop. You're like, there goes three minutes of my life.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

I remember it that just that slow crawl. But I go back to when I was a kid and the TV guide was a magazine that was delivered to your house.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, that was a little bit before my time.

SPEAKER_00 35:08

But and you know, I it's it let's say during the school year, I got I go straight when that thing comes in, I go to straight to Friday night because that's the only night I'm getting to stay up late, and I'm just like, what kind of movies are coming on? Nothing, you know, or whatever. That's the TV guide, bro. I wonder if any of our listeners can relate to our movie phone, to the TV guide. All right, well, thank you for going down memory lane with me. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 35:35

So if you know, uh if you have a story about movie phone or TV guide or you know anything else, we'd love to hear from you. You guys are awesome. You guys have an incredible week, and we will see you again next Thursday for Sermons on the Side.

SPEAKER_00 36:05

Come on. Well, let me tell you. Uh, one of the Seinfeld episodes was Kramer, and he's this taller. I know who Kramer is.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:14

And he would always get in these weird scenarios. And so at one point, for some reason, the phone company messed up his home phone number with movie phones.

SPEAKER_02 36:24

Oh, no kidding.

SPEAKER_00 36:25

And so he's getting calls.

SPEAKER_02 36:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

He's just getting calls, and he's proud of it. He's like, look, I just talked to a guy, and he he's like, hey man, what time is so-and-so showing at this theater? And he's telling them, and then he decides to just embrace it. This is Kramer's decision on this one episode. And he's like, I'm gonna just do this. This is my thing now. So he's got the newspaper spread out on his coffee table and he's taking calls. And he goes, Hello and welcome to movie phone. And then he thinks he's gonna be sharp, and he says, For such and such a theater, press one. And so somebody goes, and he goes, but he doesn't know what button to press. And then he just goes, Why don't you just tell me what movie theater you want to go to? And then he goes, starts going down for you know this movie, press one for this movie, and then he realizes he's stuck, he's in trouble. And so this classic line is why don't you just tell me what movie you want to go to? I'm sorry. I again, for you, not funny at all. Yeah, for me, rolling on the floor laughing.

SPEAKER_02 37:30

No, you're not lying, rolling on the floor laughing.

SPEAKER_00 37:33

Oh, I'm exaggerating. I've never rolled on the floor laughing in my life.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

No, I have.

SPEAKER_00 37:39

Sometimes it's at me.

SPEAKER_02 37:41

Yes. But anyway. Anyway, so you have to be a little bit of a lot of people.