Deeper Roots Podcast
We explore what it means to live a life rooted in Christ—beyond Sunday sermons.
Whether you’re planted in the church or still searching for your soil, Deeper Roots is your weekly reminder to stay grounded, ask better questions, and grow in the direction God is calling you.
Deeper Roots Podcast
Cheating on the Jumbotron, Justin Bieber's Album, and Christ over Culture
Are we going to play Uno in Vegas? In this episode, the guys discuss how looking to cultural figures for Godly examples is a dangerous way to live a Christ-centered life. They also discuss the basketball top 100 player list, Justin Biebers new album, and a reflection on Amos 7.
This is a Deeper Roots podcast. We are here for hosts with life. No, I missed the intro again.
Speaker 2:How did I do that? Because you've been gone too long.
Speaker 3:I was gonna say it's them greasy lips what you put on them, things A-yo.
Speaker 2:So, moving on to the next topic, this is not the corner A-yo.
Speaker 4:This is worse. The corner, this is Ayo. This is worse. This is worse than Atlanta.
Speaker 2:Holding your lips While I cut your mustache? Why you looking?
Speaker 1:at my lips, rj, jesus, okay. So yes, wifey, put a little Vaseline In the car Like a little, you know, pocket one. So I've been making sure I've been, you know, moisturized. You know my bad, I'll like a little pocket one. So I've been making sure I've been moisturized, my bad I'll put a little less on for you next time.
Speaker 3:I noticed that's all I'm saying. I figure your words might be jumbling together slipping and sliding. I don't know.
Speaker 1:Alright, that's enough. Cancel again. This is the Deeper Roots Podcast. We are four hosts of a lot of topics about life and godliness. Rj, you messed up my intro. Anyway, it won't be A lot going on.
Speaker 1:Listen, you can text the pod. When you look at your player, no matter where you're listening, from right underneath the player, it says text the pod. When you look at your player, no matter where you're listening, from right underneath the player, it says text the pod. Text us, talk to us. We want to engage with you guys and bring you guys into the conversation that we're having here, speaking of things that are happening. There's been a lot this week happening in pop culture and news. I know I sent you guys a pretty thick list of things that are happening. We'll just go one by one. Have go one by one.
Speaker 1:Have you seen the video of the kid who saw Jesus? So apparently he was skateboarding, got into a little skateboard incident, had to go to the hospital and when he woke up he was like staring blankly into the ceiling talking about his encounter that he was having with Jesus and he was like I see Jesus, he goes. It's so beautiful here, like the video was intense and he's just wide-eyed teary, like you could tell the kid was looking at something. And so his mom started filming and started like asking some questions about what's going on. And he says I see dad there with Jesus. And he goes he's so beautiful and daddy is so beautiful.
Speaker 1:And then he starts having this conversation with Jesus where he says my mom really loves you. And then Jesus responds and says I like the. What did he say? I like the time I spend with your mom while she's praying and like oh, this is happening right here Now. I'm a little skeptical, right. So I'm like he might have a little little drugs in his system, because you know, he just had this little incident, all this kind of stuff. But then he said something that got me. He let out a huge sigh and he goes whoa, his eyes are like fire. That's the one me, because that's scripture right there, that's Bible. You can't make that up. Have you guys seen this video?
Speaker 2:No, I started it I ain't finished all of it. I got to the part of him saying how beautiful they were and then I had to stop it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was intense. And then he starts describing like there's so many flowers and there's like these things that are like butterflies. And then he starts describing like he's like there's so many flowers and there's like these things that are like butterflies, and he starts describing this thing and then he says and it's another part that got me he takes another big sigh, he goes I need to talk about the gospel more.
Speaker 1:I'm like yo he looked to be under. He had to be under 13. I think in a video his mom said that he was a teenager or, like some of the research, I found that he was a teenager, so he has to be in 13 range or something like that. But he starts talking about how he he looked younger.
Speaker 3:I thought he was like. Maybe he was like 11.
Speaker 1:Small kid, I don't know, I thought he was a teen. I need to talk about the gospel more. I need to let people know what I'm experiencing and what I'm seeing. That, plus the fire in his eyes, just a little commentary that he was giving. I was like I'm convinced he saw something, because you don't have that kind of intense encounter and fake it the way he was going. Have y'all ever had an encounter like that before? Whether it be angels unaware or Paul said, whether I was in the body or out the body, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I haven't had one where I felt I seen anything, the only kind of experience I had and I mean, people can chalk it up to what they want, but I had a friend who I had a dream about, a friend of mine that I grew up with and his mom was sick in my dream and so it was. You know how you have dreams just feel like you're really there, so vivid. So I'm sitting there and I start praying in the dream and it's just like I'm going, going, going and next thing I know I'm awake, wide awake, and can't stop praying, and it doesn't skip a beat from the words I'm saying in the dream literally comes to where I'm saying it in real life, praying over his mom and his situation.
Speaker 2:I didn't act on it, but fast forward. His mom actually ended up being sick, like in my dream, in real life, but I didn't find it out two years later. I didn't know that at the time, um, and I didn't even say nothing to him, because his mom is perfectly fine. What am I going to say something to her for? And I had just gotten saved, so it wasn't like I was as aware of things now as back then.
Speaker 2:But that's like the only encounter I can speak of, other than the time I was bad-mouthing and, I'll be honest, I slipped a few things to my mom and fussing her out In the house we lived in. It was a downstairs. My mom asked me to get it. I'm like you get it. We got to get it for a lazy self and just going in and in.
Speaker 1:I was probably about yeah, right.
Speaker 2:I was probably like 13-ish, 14-ish, walking up the steps and I'm walking up the steps. It's dark, I can see, but it's dark, but it's a shadow. It's enough light from upstairs that a shadow starts coming up the side and I hear my name being moaned and I'm like, probably, if it's 20 steps, I'm on the 17th one and I went from 17 to the floor in .0 seconds, like it was no time, and I ran in there with my mom.
Speaker 2:That's the only two encounters I can't explain. Somebody might be like oh, it was your shadow, but it was no light. It was coming from the opposite direction, from around the corner. Of course, didn't see nothing when I went out there with my mom, which now I'm a punk. My little five-foot-something mom has to go out there with me. I know I heard something and seen something coming around that corner.
Speaker 3:Yeah, um, but needless to say, I changed the way I talked to my mom after that um, I, I can't think of nothing that specifically relates to this um, but I'm just thinking like I, I believe that it could happen. I believe that he could see something. I think there's scriptures that say certain people had visions, um, in the new testament, and seeing things that, um, normal people didn't see. Um, I had a, a book I went through maybe two years ago. It was a guy, I think his name is john burke and he did this book. I think it's called imagine the god of heaven and it was about he compiled a list of a bunch of people who had near-death experiences um, where it's almost near-death experiences isn't the best word, because a lot of them were pronounced dead for some 30 minutes, some hour and a half and the things that he brought together that they seen. I mean, it was like even people getting converted when they came back, like Muslims who, when they came back, believed in Jesus, or you know like extreme things, came back, believed in Jesus, or you know, like extreme things, and they all. And when he compiled all these people together, they all seen very similar things. They all seen a light which they described to be brighter than anything they ever seen, but not to where it blinds you type thing, you know, or.
Speaker 3:I can't remember all the specific examples, but I believe that I believe that it happens. I believe that God could reveal himself to to people and show people things and I believe that it got in his grace. A lot of the people that it happened to were people who were unbelievers when they went in and said that they were told they were given a choice or given a chance, you know, to believe in him and that's at. I believe God's got that type of grace, that type of love, to where you know when it's over, I mean I'm not, I'm not I'm gonna say get saved now if you're not.
Speaker 3:I wouldn't bank on it. But I believe that, yeah, I believe that it happens, I believe that it could happen and has happened.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I agree it's wouldn't put it past God, he's able to do that. I was thinking, as Elder Chris was talking, like I don't know that I've ever had an experience like that. I feel like I've probably only heard the Lord, not audibly, but I've felt the Lord speak very strongly like a voice, probably only once in my life. And then there's been a few times in prayer where I was praying and it felt like 15 minutes and it ended up being like three hours. Like there's been a few times where that's happened, where I feel like I was out a little bit longer than I thought I was. Like that's happening, you know, at night sometimes you're praying it's been a few years ago, probably the last one that happened and you wake up.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I felt like I spent 15 to 30 minutes and it's three or four hours. I felt that before and I feel like not, I haven't seen angelic like big, you know, kind of the pictures, the seraphim that you hear in Scripture. But I feel like there's a couple of times in my life that I entertained angels, like just with an instance or with the conversation, and I like that felt different than just a normal. I mean it was in human form, but just you felt like, okay, that was something different than just a regular conversation. So that's the extent of my experiences with it.
Speaker 4:I'm always jealous. I'm not jealous, but I would like to. But I think it's the difference between Thomas and the other disciples too. Thomas was Jesus, went out of his way to show him scars and he said blessed are you when you believe and you don't see, and that's a reward and a blessing in that too. But I think there's always something in us that wants to see. But thank God, we can believe without having to see, but it can be a blessing as well, I've never had like an explicit encounter.
Speaker 1:I see the Father like I see Jesus and the Holy Ghost is floating in the like. I haven't had those encounters but I am a dreamer. I dream pretty vividly and, like Chris was saying, I've had dreams that came true later or things that I shouldn't have known, and I felt that or I think it's called like word of knowledge Like I'll meet somebody on the street for the first time. I'll just start asking them questions, like I feel prompted to ask them questions, and it turns into us praying together because they're like I never told anybody, like that right, and those things are scary. In the moment when the Holy Spirit starts working through you and you're like, oh my gosh, this is a lot to handle but definitely a lot of dreams for me.
Speaker 1:I wake up. I have a voice memo like folder in my phone where I wake up and I just start talking into the phone because I don't want to forget the dreams that I'm having. My grandpa at one time he was farming and got trapped underneath the tractor and he said that you shouldn't be able to lift the tractor off of you when it comes on top of you and he said I was able to push it off, but it felt like someone was standing there helping me lift it up. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:And he was like I know there was someone there, like I know it in my know, like my five senses are telling me somebody is helping get this tractor off of me. But when I got up, no one was there. And I do feel like there are those moments and I think in my Christian walk I think sometimes, well, if I'm not having word and knowledge and seeing dreams and seeing angels, I must not be spiritual enough. You know, I feel like that's a trap.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I have just talking about, like you know, spiritual things. So like I have an odd. So my mom's side of the family they all seem to have stories of like seeing angels, seeing I guess what you would call ghosts or spiritual beings or that type of thing, that are mostly positive. My dad's side of the family have the opposite stories. So where he grew up, you know, his dad had like witchcraft books and things like that and they have some stories of demonic visitations or what they would call a demon or a grim reaper or you know these type of things and vivid experiences of even physically being touched, know by these things.
Speaker 3:And so, growing up, I'm hearing. I'm hearing both these sides and, without getting far into it, I mean I've, I've experienced some of those things on both ends. Um, sometimes I felt like like the awareness wasn't there, and then there was an awareness you know what I mean of things that were around. So I feel like there's I mean I know there's another realm and things happening that's a lot closer than people realize it is. Yeah, it reminds me in the Bible.
Speaker 1:I closer than people realize it is. It reminds me of the Bible. I can't remember who it is you all have to help me but there's a story in the Bible about like the word of God was coming to one of the prophets and it couldn't get there because it was held up Daniel. It was Daniel. It was being held up in like the big dogs, the arks. Who was it? Was it Gabriel or Michael? One of them had to come down and help deliver the word and message. So the Bible is very clear that there is another realm out there and there is something going on. I think sometimes we can kind of get accustomed to our realm. This is all that is around us and that person just has an attitude. Well, this thing is just a coincidence and the Bible is like we don't battle against flesh and blood, like there are things that are out there. But yeah, that was just one of the things that was trending this week.
Speaker 4:Another thing that was trending this week, speaking of palaties and principalities and all this kind of stuff Vegas Good transition Segway.
Speaker 1:Segway king over here here. Vegas now allows you To play Uno At the casinos.
Speaker 4:Let's go Question. I didn't know this question was coming, but do y'all play Double Plus twos? What is it I'm thinking?
Speaker 1:Draw twos, you stack draw twos or no. Yeah, yeah, of course, 100%. You have to. You don't have to Draw two, though Some people try that when you put two, draw twos.
Speaker 2:Oh, you can do a draw four, but you can't do, just because they put two, draw twos, do a draw four.
Speaker 3:But can you put down three number twos at the same time? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's stacking.
Speaker 1:It's stacking, I do. If you hit a draw two, Pastor Jason hits a draw two, and then I hit a draw two.
Speaker 2:Chris going to draw two. He better go home.
Speaker 1:He better go home. He got a draw two.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but can you put down them? If you have them all in your hand, can you put them down?
Speaker 1:All at one time?
Speaker 2:Yes, that's how I play. It's not wise, but yes, yeah because you got to protect yourself. You got to protect yourself.
Speaker 4:You got to protect yourself because we all have one that you're back to you.
Speaker 3:Y'all just be making up rules in Uno man.
Speaker 4:Thanks y'all.
Speaker 1:Now, I was included in all of y'all.
Speaker 3:I'm going to tell a story okay, Growing up we were big Uno people, okay, Big Uno people. And this might you know, I don't care if people taste anything anymore.
Speaker 4:Edit people and this might you know.
Speaker 3:I don't, yeah, I don't care how people taste anything anymore, so we're edit, edit, edit. I am. This is rj. I am a white man, okay, and we grew up playing uno and we played what I would call the right way, and which is you put down one card at a time and go to the next person Boring. I went. When I was nine years old. We moved to a new place. My next door neighbor shout out Troy. They were not a white family and they were like do you play Uno? And I was like, yeah, I play Uno. When I tell you, I was like what game? What game are these people playing? This was a completely different game and they were getting rid of cards left and right.
Speaker 2:I'm like what?
Speaker 3:That's the point of the game.
Speaker 1:We don't deal five cards when I play. We deal like seven to ten cards because we know they're going to go quick. You got to be able to stack them and put them in there, all that kind of stuff. The only thing I don't tolerate is when you try to put a draw four on a draw two. That's crazy.
Speaker 3:That is crazy Because it's not the same card Right yeah.
Speaker 2:So what were you going to say about the rules? Because clearly you don't agree with what we were saying here.
Speaker 4:No, I was just like. I mean, I've done research on this because there's a house divided.
Speaker 1:He's one of those guys. We're a house divided.
Speaker 3:The back of the box.
Speaker 4:And Google helps you out with what the true rules are. Y'all are playing a different game. Y'all ought to rename it something other than Uno. You play space.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir. So you know well, maybe for us I'm actually.
Speaker 1:I'm Chris and I am an African American, but we play spades depending on where you go.
Speaker 2:It's house rules. So whoever's house you're in determines that the basis is the same but it determines the level of. Is it Joker, joker, deuce If you play with the Deuce of Diamond and all that. So I just have chalked it up to Uno. If you're in my house, we stacking. I don't care what the back of the box say. That gives it the fundamentals, but we stacking.
Speaker 3:Now have y'all ever played? It is funner that way.
Speaker 1:I will say it's funner that way Than the stale one card rule the back of the box, mr Google over here. But have y'all ever played open face Uno where you show your cards?
Speaker 2:No, like you, lay them all out on the table.
Speaker 4:I have a four year old and a five year old. When we play Uno, it's always open face.
Speaker 3:We all lay in our cards.
Speaker 4:They can't hold their cards in one hand so it's all open face.
Speaker 1:Do you take it easy on them or?
Speaker 4:do you just destroy them every possible time? Character development yes, sir, not destroy, but we don't just.
Speaker 3:You're not just letting your kids win every game you play. Can I tell you something? Rosetta's worse than I am. Oh, she is.
Speaker 4:Rosetta takes a lot of joy in beating her kids she takes a lot of joy in. I think, yeah, it's, it's, it's uh. I've looked at her a time or two. I was like, why are you enjoying this?
Speaker 3:much.
Speaker 4:This is a four-year-old girl. Did you just be? Why did you have to throw it down so aggressively and talk so much?
Speaker 1:Skip you back to me, skip you back to me.
Speaker 3:Reverse back to me.
Speaker 2:And then they will start crying Like I didn't get a turn and you go like oh well, I used to tell my mom.
Speaker 1:I used to tell my mom I'd be like mom. That's not fair. She looked at me, dead in my eye, and she said the fair only comes once a year.
Speaker 4:Wow, I was like mom, that's tough.
Speaker 1:Good job, tough Character development. Speaking of character development, did y'all see that CEO get caught on the Jumbotron at the Coldplay concert Context? So there's a CEO and his female counterpart, who's in HR I guess they went on a little trip and nobody was supposed to know they was on this little trip. They end up going to the Coldplay concert and at the Coldplay concert they're showing all the couples in love and they're all wrapped around Buddha swaying to the music, and so Mr Coldplay puts them on the jumbotron. As soon as that camera shows their face, that man literally ducks behind the banister and the chairs and she turns around. So Mr Coldplay man is like either they're shy or they're in an affair, and he said it in front of tens of thousands of people. Right, it's cold, that is cold. The internet takes it and run. This man had to issue an apology. He might probably face a divorce. There's actually people in Vegas.
Speaker 2:Both of them are married. They're both married.
Speaker 1:There's a Vegas line right now betting on if they're going to get a divorce or not, and I think it's like at $200,000. So somebody's going to profit off this. But that was crazy. The wife Go get half. That is crazy, I know. The Bible says doing things in the dark Will bring it to the light, but he didn't say it was going to be on a jumbotron.
Speaker 2:Jumbotron that's rough, but his apology was trash, though he basically blamed them For not allowing him to give them consent To expose his affair.
Speaker 3:What you read his response. He didn't even try to say we were just team building. Oh, they were like hugged up and stuff.
Speaker 1:There was no denying. No, you don't sway with your boy like that you don't.
Speaker 3:It was like hands around his yeah around the waist on some prom date.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 1:Buddy was caught, buddy was done, buddy was done, oh man.
Speaker 3:See, people haven't. I'm not trying to give cheating advice, but going. Have people not learned from these jumbotrons? I've seen whole highlight videos of people getting exposed on j jumbotrons and they scan to them. Like you don't know, there's a thousand cameras around.
Speaker 1:Let me tell you something about sin.
Speaker 3:Mm.
Speaker 1:Yes Sin will cloud your judgment.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's this is, this is good sir, you feel me.
Speaker 1:It will be like all of a sudden, the simple things, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, basic. Oh, if I'm going to cheat via my phone, I should probably not leave my phone unlocked in front of my kid, Like all that stuff just goes out the window, because sin puts blinders on you and it's a selfish reasoning that you have and so I can't see anything else. So, yeah, he was enjoying his high life and his time not even thinking and understanding. I could get caught here, Because that's how sin works.
Speaker 4:And as soon as you get caught.
Speaker 1:sin leaves you and gives you guilt and condemnation. This is good.
Speaker 3:I didn't mean to go preachy on y'all, but as a man who's sinned before sin will put blinders on you. Buddy, you're right, you're right, you're right, 100%. And he had them on.
Speaker 1:He had them on Tight on his face.
Speaker 3:Speaking of blinders, Whoever made that list? No.
Speaker 1:Give me a. That's where I was going. Somebody made this 100 Top 100 basketball player list. I think it's Bleach Report and they put it out and it has some people. Somebody made this top 100 basketball player list. I think it's Bleach Report and they put it out and it has some people uptight. I know y'all saw the list. What do y'all think about this list? That's out.
Speaker 3:You see my shirt. The list was right. It was about one thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at least the number one came through. Air Jordan is better than LeBron.
Speaker 1:Okay, but LeBron was like, what was he two? He was two, lebron was two. Okay, I'm okay. Like if you're talking about 100 all time, for me LeBron should be one. But okay, jordan, you can put him up there. That's cool, you can put him up there.
Speaker 4:That's like theologically making a statement I believe in scripture. I just don't want to declare that Jesus is God.
Speaker 1:He had to go that deep.
Speaker 4:Everything else that you say afterwards is built on a faulty foundation, so invalid argument.
Speaker 1:Top ten was Jordan, then Bron, then Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and that's when the list just fell off for me. I was just all right, this list is going to be some baloney. Four was Magic Johnson, five was Bill Russell. We'll go to 10. Shaquille at six, tim Duncan at seven Questionable for me. Larry Bird at eight, wilt at nine and then Curry at 10, which is diabolical. To take Curry out anything, that's not top 5, pushing it top 3 for me, but top 5 wait, where was Kobe again? 11 11.
Speaker 2:That's why I was thinking he came he didn't even make top 10, that's crazy, that's crazy top 10. I really couldn't figure out what they were basing it off of. It seemed to be all over the place.
Speaker 3:Names just seemed to be all over the place through that list, Like I started from 100 working down and then I just kept passing people and I was like, wait, wait, wait. Was that person above this person?
Speaker 1:Like you mentioned Vince Carter. Yeah, vince Carter was over. Who was it? Was it Iverson? Well, he's way there.
Speaker 2:Drastically a gap between Carter and Iverson.
Speaker 3:I think Iverson was like 30.
Speaker 2:Iverson was like 30-something. Then Nash was right below Iverson, which I wouldn't do, but who was better than Carter. A lot of people that I can't even recall their names. That's how bad it was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the list was crazy.
Speaker 4:And then somebody put something in the group chat about their top three. Well, I was just doing anything to exclude LeBron from my top three. So I was including Steph in the top three and I was also including Jordan as the top one and then number two. I mean we can have some discussion. I threw out Wilt. The only reason I didn't say Kareem is because I think Kareem the same reason that LeBron is in the conversation, is the same reason that Kareem is in the conversation is longevity and stats, although Kareem does have about the sky hook. He's transformational to the league because of the sky hook, things like that. But I went with Wilt as my number three. So I went with Jordan, wilt and Steph as my top three.
Speaker 1:Do you know how many people you had to exclude to put Wilt that high?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, I skipped over, shaq Skipped over.
Speaker 1:Tim Duncan Ginobili.
Speaker 2:Did you just throw out Ginobili?
Speaker 1:We're not going to act like Ginobili wasn't the best point guard to ever live we are we're not going to act because he wasn't.
Speaker 3:He was too high on the list.
Speaker 2:Ginobili was not one of the best point guards.
Speaker 4:I was shocked by KD being that high, though he was up at like 13.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he was top two, he broke top 20 for sure, and I was shocked by that. Well, I mean, I guess he's still playing, but I think Joker's probably a little higher than 17. He's going to be a little higher than 17.
Speaker 1:He's going to be At the end of his career. Yeah, At the end of his career. He might be the greatest big man ever.
Speaker 2:I mean, where was Westbrook? And I only ask that because, a lot of people discredit Westbrook and his accolades is ridiculous. The average of triple-double. You put him up there with the Joker and stuff like that.
Speaker 3:But do you really think that Wilt couldn't play today?
Speaker 1:Yeah, pre-pod conversation. No, I don't think Wilt would survive in today's. I don't think anybody from that era would be able to score like they did. Well, first of all, Wilt was playing farmers and plumbers. Let's just be honest, okay.
Speaker 2:The skill set JJ Redick honest.
Speaker 3:Okay, the skill set, jj reddick. The skill set wasn't there. We are so much more, but he's one of the people though he had. He had the height. Yes, he was known to be very fast. He jumped very high. I mean, what do you?
Speaker 1:compare to who the irishmen that were standing out there with him they also didn't have.
Speaker 4:They didn't have like the training that they have. The game is different. He was dominant. He was dominant during his time period. That was what the exposure that was. That was what he was.
Speaker 3:You really have to go by like time period somewhat. Yes, I agree, you can't fully just exclude. Oh well, they play. I mean, because 50 years from now they're probably going to do that I'm going to say, oh, those guys couldn't play.
Speaker 1:Why do you have steph curry so hot?
Speaker 2:yeah, I agree, yeah and I don't think people keep in mind too that you just keep in mind his game back then. But if you took that same person and brought him today, he's gonna have the same training that the current people have. So what would that then look like?
Speaker 3:He would look like Giannis is probably. He's fast, he's tall, he's strong, he can jump really high, I mean. But probably with a little better defense, more blocks, more rebounds. I mean you're talking about a guy who averaged 50 in a season. Yes, okay, here's my A guy who they told to stop scoring so much and they changed the rules and said he couldn't dunk anymore. I mean we're like it's a different level of domination we're talking about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because there was. He set the standard of what modern basketball would be, and they weren't ready for that. He was way ahead of his time. Wait, was he the one that scored 100 points in?
Speaker 3:a game. Yes, that'd be him.
Speaker 1:Which questionable, by the way. Do y'all really think he actually scored 100 points? Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Why would you think he didn't?
Speaker 1:Inflation.
Speaker 4:Inflation, what? Why would you think?
Speaker 3:he didn't. Inflation, inflation, what? I'm just reading his stats too.
Speaker 4:He began his career by averaging 37 points and 27 rebounds in the 59-60 season, winning Rookie of the Year and MVP, and then, two seasons later, he averaged 50.4 points per game.
Speaker 3:And probably 25 boards.
Speaker 1:Yes, Against who Well?
Speaker 2:what defense now? Is so great, though, against the competition? What was his?
Speaker 1:competition. Bill Russell, that was later in his career.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was super late, but still, what defense now is so great? You very rarely have teams that have truly good defense right now have you seen the Thompson Twins?
Speaker 1:They ain't doing nothing with that man.
Speaker 2:The Thompson Twins have one of the best, and they're not even on the same team.
Speaker 1:If you take anybody from that era and bring them up here, they're going to get exposed on defense Because the offensive power of today's NBA is so incredibly great, you will be exposed. If you take anybody from this era and bring them back there, their defense is so much more superior. They're going to. They're going to stop bill wilt. They're going to stop them.
Speaker 4:I'm not denying the conversation about the era that's. That's not I. So you're saying that the only people that should be in the top 10 are people that in the last two eras?
Speaker 1:I'm saying building an all-time list is extremely difficult, I agree. Because you're including so many eras and it's just tough to put people that high. Now, if we were to do a list based on eras, then I feel like we could have that conversation. I feel like that's a better way to articulate greatness.
Speaker 4:Now I know I'm a LeBron hater and I'm well-known for that, and I don't deny that, but I do want to make a valid statement, I think, a reasonable statement, based on what you just said. That's really one of the reasons that I don't put LeBron as high as most people do is because I don't think he has even been the most dominant person in his era. Stealth has been just as dominant, if not more dominant than he has in his own era.
Speaker 4:The reason Michael Jordan will are named as high as they are is because there was no rival to them during their era. There was for they. They won whatever was faced in front of them. Lebron has had competition and he's also lost to that competition and given up more to someone in his same era. Now, those that's, I think, comparing apples to apples, and I would say to add on to this conversation I enjoy so very much.
Speaker 1:Insult to injury.
Speaker 4:Come on, this is when we need the text messages.
Speaker 3:I would say from the time LeBron got in the league until 2010,. 2011,. Kobe was the best player in the NBA, I think. After that it switched up. You got some Derrick Rose, you got some KD as far as MVPs and stuff go. Then I'll say LeBron scattered once or twice through there and around 2015, steph took over and in my opinion, from that time until well, he just won pretty much by himself two years ago. So until present day, I would say you know, I mean I'd say the Joker probably the best player in the NBA now maybe, but I'd say I'd still say it's Steph from then.
Speaker 1:Who's the all-time scoring leader? Come on, that's just a question. I don't know. Okay, anybody here know all-time scoring leader.
Speaker 2:LeBron James. How many years did it take him to do that?
Speaker 3:He was blessed with great health. Okay, he was blessed with great health. A lot of these players that he passed. They weren't able to play that many years. They had unfortunate injuries.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's talk about the years. Who has the most all-NBA first-team?
Speaker 2:selections, and how many years though, you still got his longevity of 13.
Speaker 1:But is it? Look how long he's been in the league. He has 13. Exactly, he has 13. He's been in the league for 22 years.
Speaker 2:That's a long time brother.
Speaker 1:Dominant, you said dominant.
Speaker 3:We're talking about domination here. Okay, come on, bro. I think he was consistently really good.
Speaker 1:Oh my, Alright, we're changing the subject because that's egregious.
Speaker 3:I think he was consistently really good, I think even on his own teams. I'm not sure. I mean, does he win without Dwayne Wade being the actual game time score? You know like. Does he win without Dwayne Wade being the actual game time score? You know like, does he win without Kyrie taking over in the fourth quarters?
Speaker 1:No, who got him?
Speaker 3:there. Okay, anybody can get you to the dance.
Speaker 1:Why didn't they do it before he got there?
Speaker 2:Who didn't do it before, because Miami had one I said he was really good.
Speaker 1:They did have one. What was Dwayne playing?
Speaker 2:But me saying Dwayne playing.
Speaker 4:But me saying Dwayne, yes, dwayne had one before he got there.
Speaker 1:Yes, in Miami.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah with Shaq 06, I think, or 506. Shout out to Dwayne. Dwayne was the first one out of that trio.
Speaker 2:Definitely.
Speaker 1:Not Kyrie. Kyrie came much later. He's not in with that. Kyrie needed Braun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, which I believe makes the point.
Speaker 1:I have Shaq in my top five. That's decent. I like that.
Speaker 3:Let's just go from 95 to present day. Who is your top five?
Speaker 1:95 to present day.
Speaker 3:Is this too long?
Speaker 1:It's our podcast. We do what we want.
Speaker 3:That's right. Y'all can skip this part.
Speaker 1:I gotta go in no particular order. I gotta go Braun, steph Russell. These last two are going to be tough.
Speaker 2:Russell Westbrook.
Speaker 1:Westbrook Most triple doubles of all time. Come on, shaq, shaq.
Speaker 3:Kobe Okay, he may top five. I like that. Are we not counting Jordan? I know I said 95, but you know.
Speaker 2:Oh, Jordan got some at the 95, so you can count.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, oh no, then I got to take out Russell and put Jordan. I forgot about it. I forgot about him. Speaking of stats, let's talk about the greatest singer of all time. Justin Bieber just released his new album. Justin Bieber is the greatest male singer of all time. Argue with your mom. He just dropped a new album and on this album he plays a lot to his faith. Okay, the pod mood is gone because of what I said. We just need to go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Name a better artist male artist than Justin Bieber. I'll wait. Name a better artist male artist than Justin Bieber.
Speaker 2:I'll wait. I'm not about to go secular on this, so I'm just going to let you keep talking, but there's quite a few better than Justin.
Speaker 3:Bieber, are you saying like male singer or like pop artist, or are you just saying just?
Speaker 1:in general, in general Holistic artist Name one. There is one that you can name that would rival him.
Speaker 4:So we're saying above Michael Jackson.
Speaker 1:Above Usher, no, definitely above Usher. I think Mike, jack and JB might be neck and neck.
Speaker 4:You just call him Mike Jack. Mike Jack MJ. Come on, yeah, mike Jack, I just call him Mike Jack.
Speaker 1:Mike Jack MJ. Come on, yeah, mike Jack, I know him as Mike Jack, that's why you think Justin Bieber's up there.
Speaker 4:And also why you believe LeBron James is up there too.
Speaker 3:JB and LeBron.
Speaker 1:Did you have their?
Speaker 3:posters in your room growing up.
Speaker 1:No, I didn't. But we're not going to act like JB wasn't doing world tours at 13. I mean, yeah, we ain't going to act like he was doing world tours at 11. That he hasn't had a bad. Well, he had one bad album, but like he can go on a world tour whenever he wants to. We're talking about longevity. We're talking about constantly creating hits, putting out the music out there. Usher's retired. Chris Brown needs to retire.
Speaker 4:Mike Jack Usher is still in residencies. Yeah, he's doing residencies.
Speaker 1:But he's still active what's?
Speaker 3:a residency to a world tour. What are?
Speaker 1:we talking about.
Speaker 3:Handing out cherries.
Speaker 1:That man goes viral for everything but music so does justin bieber.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, he just recently went viral, for you know whatever and then he drops an album. Yeah and let's just let's talk about a guy who pretends to be christian.
Speaker 1:Wow, okay, okay, okay. So here's the thing no on on his album. No, no, let's talk about it on his album I'm kidding justin the very justin if you want to sponsor the podcast. That's what he's about to say on his album.
Speaker 4:He, he talks about god, except that rj on one.
Speaker 1:Rj on one today, by the way, still waiting for somebody to say a greater artist than JB, but on his album. The very last song on his album is Marvin Winans singing you came from heaven to show the way, and I guess he recorded it. He went to one of the gospel things and he put it out there All throughout the album. He's giving glory to God, he's talking about his faith and all this kind of stuff. There's little excerpts all throughout the album. It's also alongside a little bit of non-Christian values. Some of the features, most notably Miss Red. She's on the album. She's gospel right. No, missing. You're missing glorilla, not glorilla oh, oh, sexy red sexy red gotcha.
Speaker 2:They do not all look alike rj so she's also on the album I.
Speaker 3:I put them in the same category. They are my brain puts them in the people I don't listen to but have oddly interesting voices. I don't know they do.
Speaker 1:They're very unique artists.
Speaker 2:Unique.
Speaker 1:So you have JB talking about God, giving glory to God, calling him the most high on his album, talking about the gospel kind of arc underneath songs and stuff, but then he's also talking about things that's not so Christian values, and it's a little lustful, it's a little sultry and it's all these things and I think it's an interesting mix of where millennials and Gen Z's are right now, where it's a little bit of both. It's Jesus is spiritual, but he's not my savior. Right, right, right.
Speaker 3:You feel me.
Speaker 1:I like the gospel as an idea, but I necessarily don't want to follow it. Is he Lord? Is he Lord? So that's one thing. I was listening to a couple like Ruslan and a couple other people kind of talk about this and I think that some people are, you know, raising all hellfire against JB, being like how can you talk about Jesus when you're also talking about sex on your album? And other people are like praising how he's Jesus curious, and we're not going to act like he hasn't been going to church and he doesn't have a pastor that he goes to and all this kind of stuff. But then you put out a body of work that's supposed to represent you and where you are in your life right now, and it's lustful and faithful at the same time, If I was a singer, which I am not.
Speaker 3:I'm also not an NBA player, but I have opinions on these things. A player, but I have opinions on these things. Okay, um, I would say, if you are a believer and you are a follow of the Lord Jesus Christ and you feel like part of your mission is to express your faith and the gospel and share that, then you probably wouldn't want to put out anything to bring a reproach on, possibly, the name the Lord Jesus and and the things that you're trying to get across. You could actually pull the rug up under your own message by your next song being about something completely different than the one before. I appreciate all.
Speaker 3:I mean, I appreciate I like art, I like I'm into a bunch of different things. So I'm not gonna say I won't listen to anything that doesn't explicitly proclaim jesus, because I have and and I will. Um, but just as I don't know, I don't know, I don't know where the line is and I think we may have talked about this before I've always been interested in this. Like it was kind of like do y'all remember, are y'all into like Christian hip-hop stuff A hundred percent? So like when Lecrae had his thing right, and like in the beginning it was very explicit gospel yes, and it was like he used to talk about walking around with his John MacArthur.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah, very, rest in peace. Very explicit. And then he went through almost like a transformation. Then his music he was like no, I just do hip hop, you know, type of thing, and it was with different artists and different things and but he would say now that that wasn't the best part of him. Yeah, he would say he was going through something.
Speaker 3:And listening to him in recent years and his music has changed back closer to explicit, christ, honoring, um, you know, uh, art, and I think that that's a good picture of I just think you're what, what comes out of the abundance of the heart. The mouth speaks. I think you, you'll, what comes out of you and a lot of people. That's probably where jb is. He's, he's, he must be in between. Yeah, thank dylan.
Speaker 3:You know, I imagine I can't imagine having that type of fame as a pre-teen. Yes, crazy, having you know people screaming your name and chanting and everybody following you all the time and everything you do is under the light. So it's like I don't know what that feels like and I don't want to know what that feels like. I don't ever want that type of fame. Not that I would get it. I'm not that good looking and not that great of an artist. But I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. But I pray for him. I hope that he continues to grow in his faith and I hope he puts out more and more Christ exalting music.
Speaker 2:Trying to find the words Cause. So nobody's perfect. Everybody has their flaws and their issues. And just because you're going through something don't mean that you can't promote Christ when you're going through something. Don't mean that you can't promote Christ when you're going through a certain situation or scenario.
Speaker 2:I think the biggest issue is how are you talking about your shortcomings? Like if we were having a conversation, or if I was an artist and I was talking about Christ, but I was being transparent and real, which nowadays, is what they want, and I'm being actually open and honest. I'm not trying to act like oh, my life is perfect because I have Christ, I've done everything right, I've done all this. But when I talk about my shortcomings, I'm not promoting nor condoning you to do it. When I'm telling you about it, I'm telling you how far it's pulled me from Christ, not about glorifying, chasing women or having all these women in my past. I'm actually talking about it because I'm ashamed and I'm trying to tell you that there's no glory in that Verse me singing to try to encourage you to do the same or to say you're okay. And even if it is a okay, it's not an okay because you're doing it. It's an okay, christ still loves you. Let's get it corrected. He's not condemned you, but let it be a conviction in you. So that's my stance on that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:I haven't heard the album so I don't really know which way he's coming or how he's trying to do it. It may just be a confessions thing and he's putting it out there which, like RJ said, I've never been in that level of fame. And when you're at that level people can take what you say as gospel and they shouldn't. But we live in a world that they love the messenger more than the, the actual person that gave them the message and the creator of it. And that's even in the church itself, where you have like 100 gospel artists and stuff like that. They hold on more to what they sing about than actual scriptures themselves. Um, but that's kind of my take, like no judgment on him because, like I said, I haven't the album, but that is my view on those kind of things.
Speaker 2:As I've grown, as I've gotten older, there was a day and time where I'm like, yeah, I went to church and then I went and did this and it was cool to be on both platforms, but I was trying to please both worlds. But when I really started to make the decision now it's like, okay, that's not cool.
Speaker 2:I can't be over here and over here there's an actual division, a divide between this and there's a standard. I think a lot of people try to adjust the standard of God based off the people they listen to or they like, and now based off how successful they are, what their walk looks like. If I can at least get to a Pastor Jason's walk I don't know all his things he's going through If I can get to Isaiah's walk I don't know all his things he's going through If I can get to Isaiah's walk, or if I can get to this person's walk, then I'm good. That's not the standard. The standard is Christ and the scriptures. So I mean, in a nutshell, that's kind of my view on it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think if we remove JB and I think a lot of people in my generation have this good energy versus godliness factor where this good energy versus godliness factor, where I really like the good energy of the church, I like the good energy of Christ, that's good. I like the good energy of the Bible, I like the idea of doing the performative things, it's really good energy. It makes me feel good when I listen to Christian music. I listen to K-Love Radio. You know what I mean. But good energy doesn't get you obedience. You know what I mean obedience.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean, and so I fall into it my own self. Where I feel like this is it feels really good to listen to this while I'm in the car and I'm going to the place that would not glorify God. It feels really good here and I see that duality. I feel like, as you were saying, as you draw closer to God these other good energy stuff or stuff that just feels good, it will fall away. And it's very hard to take my double life to the throne room of heaven if I'm actually spending time there.
Speaker 4:You guys have given great thoughts on it. I'll take it. I think Elder Chris's point was spot on. Most of us will never be in that position where we have that type of pressure, as you guys have stated. So I think most of our conversation should be centered around how we look at these people, how we view these people, how we receive from these people, meaning that entertainment should not be our place where we get our doctrine from and our theology. And we need a church, we need pastors, we need people, we need accountability in our world. And will there be weak people that are influenced by fame and popularity? Yes, but never let it be the true Christians who are, although it may be recreation or entertainment from them.
Speaker 4:Let's get our idea of what Christ-honoring life is from people that are in our world, people that are around us, churches that we're planted in, pastors and leaders and elders that speak into our life on a consistent basis. What you hear on the radio should not be formational when it comes to your walk with the Lord. And then I agree with you guys, and the reason I say that it should not be formational for us is because I pray for Justin. I pray that his conversion is true. I pray that he continues to journey and draw closer to the Lord, but I don't trust his walk with the Lord enough to allow his walk with the Lord to influence my walk with the Lord, and I think that's kind of the thing. That's his own personal thing. He has a lot of influence. If I had his ear and I was able to speak some things into his life, maybe I would take that opportunity to more overtly remove from some of the things that are contaminating. But since I don't have that, my encouragement is to all those who do listen and people within the body of Christ.
Speaker 4:It is entertainment. He's got a lot of demands on him, a lot of pressure from him from a lot of different ways, and that should never be good or bad effect. The way that you see Jesus, the way that you're walking in your walk with the Lord, Let that be at a much more firm foundation. That's why I think when Paul New Testament writers Paul included Peter as well gives instruction to leaders within the body of Christ, their expectations, their expectations like above reproach and to live a life of hospitality, and why Scripture puts so much responsibility on leadership is because they're supposed to be the ones that are influencing the flock, and I pray. I miss the moments when I miss it, when gray-haired people were the people that were influencing next generation, not people within our own generation. That was influencing us, because they're just trying to figure it out too, Does that?
Speaker 1:make sense at all. Yes, sir, yes, sir, Me and Wifey speaking of that. I'm going to open the Bible real quick. Don't open it Me and Wifey. I love what you guys are saying of. You know we don't take the people around us as the standard of the Christian walk or how we should look. So me and Wifey were talking and we went to Amos. So me and wifey were talking and we went to Amos. When's the last time you heard a sermon out of the book of Amos.
Speaker 1:Amos 7 talks about the plumb line, and I love this Old Testament vision that Amos is having about the standard that we are subjected to. So in Amos 7, verse 7, thus he showed me. Behold, the Lord stood on the wall made with a plumb line, with the plumb line in his hand. So for those of you who don't know, a plumb line is like a string with a weight on it and you place it up against the wall to see how crooked the wall is. Now, the thing about a plumb line is that it will always be straight. Always, no matter the height, no matter how long the string is, it will always be straight. You can tell that the wall is not straight, not based on the wall, but based on the plumb line, and you usually dangle the plumb line off the side of the building or you nail it too. To figure it out, this scripture right here says the plumb line is measured in his hand. Thus he showed me.
Speaker 1:Behold, the Lord stood on the wall made with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand, and the Lord said to me Amos, what do you see? And I said a plumb line. Then the Lord said behold, I am setting the plumb line in the midst of my people of Israel. Then he gets into judgment. I in the midst of my people of Israel. Then he gets into judgment I will not pass by them anymore. The high places of Isaac shall be desolate and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be made waste, and I will rise the sword against the house of Jeroboam. So he starts giving judgment.
Speaker 1:And I think this right here is convicting to me personally, because I think I measure myself against other people, I measure myself against the past, I measure the self against things that make me feel good about myself, or I feel like you know what I'm actually doing pretty good in life. Then I read Amos 7, and he's like I'm the one that's holding the plumb line. The plumb line is in my hand and I am the standard. Therefore, you should be looking at me, not the influences around you. And I think that ties exactly what you guys are saying of we don't look to other people around you, and I think that ties exactly what you guys are saying of we don't look to other people, we only look to the standard. And guess what? Everybody is crooked against that plumb line that he has in his hand.
Speaker 3:There is none good, no, not one. Amen, amen, except the Lord Jesus Christ. Benedict is out.
Speaker 1:RJ Benedict is out.
Speaker 3:That's why he had to come and live a perfect life that we couldn't live.
Speaker 1:Amen. Sometimes I'll be seeing a preacher in RJ. It's in there.
Speaker 4:If he wanted to sneak out, he don't even need a podium.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Jonah said the same thing.
Speaker 4:And that's the end of the podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank y'all for listening. Be sure to like, share and subscribe. Send us a text message you want to hear from y'all and we'll see y'all next week.