Pursuing the Heart

Galatians 4:11-20 & Grant's Story

• Scott Blewett

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Scott Blewett, Tim Hunter, and Grant Byrne discuss Galatians. Then Grant shares his story. I hope you listen and enjoy...KYEOJ!!!

SPEAKER_02

What's up, guys? This is uh pursuing the heart. And God pursued me. Now I get to pursue him. Guess what? The co-host is back again.

SPEAKER_04

Here I am. You're stuck with me again.

SPEAKER_02

I'm stuck with you. I think I'm stuck with you. Been stuck with you since like when you were a seventh grader.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's okay. I'm I'm good with it.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. It's been a an amaz an amazing ride, whether we've been you know close or not close, but yeah, I'm I'm I'm very willing and excited to see what the Lord can he's unpack for us.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and guess what? We got a special guest, your friend and my friend.

SPEAKER_04

My boy, Grizzy Grant. Grant, what's up, Grant?

SPEAKER_03

How's it going, guys? You doing all right, man? Doing great. Um, been busy in the best way. So are you? Yeah, wife and kids.

SPEAKER_02

How many kids you got?

SPEAKER_03

I have three. Um, geez, I have my boys.

SPEAKER_02

Hold on. Oh, hold on. I got how how old are you? I'm 30. You're 30, and you got three kids? I yes, I have three.

SPEAKER_04

Um he probably the youngest guest we've had on.

SPEAKER_02

No, Isaiah.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, Isaiah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're right. Okay. Sorry. Youngest one with kids.

SPEAKER_02

Youngest one with kids.

SPEAKER_04

How to redeem myself.

SPEAKER_02

I think I see a lot of myself in Grant because I was young and and I had like I was 20, 21, and I already had two kids.

SPEAKER_03

Oh wow, yeah, that's similar to my mother.

SPEAKER_02

So it's like it's like uh down south they don't teach you like you shouldn't get married when you're young. Right. Right. But anyway. Makes it a little easier to keep up with them. Yeah, that's right. Agreed. Um, but I love my kids. So so anyway, you got a wife and three kids.

SPEAKER_03

Wife and three kids. Uh, eight, three about to be four in May, and my youngest, she just turned one in December. Wow.

SPEAKER_02

Are you a Purdue fan, like uh your friend over here, Tim? I am a state of Indiana fan.

SPEAKER_03

So whenever the state of Indiana is doing well, I'm happy.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, so you like anybody that represents Indiana? You don't have a set college team then? I do not.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I don't have a preference. I like Notre Dame, IU, Purdue. I like them all. I know that's a bit blasphemous in the state of Indiana.

SPEAKER_02

It's awake. I give Tim a hard time often. So, like, if you were from where I'm from, you would never say that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I even here I struggle to say it, but uh, you know, I get a lot of slack for it. But okay. I I support the state of Indiana, born and raised. Sounds good. Anytime we're doing well. All right.

SPEAKER_04

I can appreciate that. It's good. Okay. I love I love, you know, even though I'm a Purdue fan, you know, I do love when my friends can have joy when their teams win, even when it hurts when it's the rival. Seeing my close friends get have an experience like winning a champ a national championship, that's that's good. Like I I would I hope to have that someday.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, hopefully.

SPEAKER_04

Hopefully. And it doesn't look good this into the way basketball season when you've fallen apart.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. We'll see. I'll say I also have a bit more skin in the game because I have a lot more teams that have opportunities.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, there you go. See, there he goes. If you got more skin in there, you that's you got more chances of hitting a hitting home run, right? There we go. IU won a national championship. Yeah, come on.

SPEAKER_03

Never thought that would happen in football.

SPEAKER_02

Uh yeah, when I moved here, I always made fun of IU fans because IU fans used to be like IU basketball, but Notre Dame and football. You would never associate yourself as an IU football fan. It was embarrassing there for a while. But anyway, yeah, it's a long story. But anyway, glad to have you on the podcast tonight. Thank you for having me. Very happy that you said yes. This is pursuing the heart. My name is Scott Blewitt. I didn't introduce myself, and um, I am the host, and uh God pursued me, now I pursue him, and uh Tim shares that same belief, and the people that come on this podcast believe that same way. Um also to let you know too, Tim. Did you know that we have an email that people can email the show here if they want? Pursuing the heart at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_04

You mentioned it before.

SPEAKER_02

It's still out there, right? Pursuing the heart at gmail.com. If anybody's listening to this and they want to give any feedback, anything that they want to, any recommendations, we'll listen to you. Not saying that we're gonna do them, okay, but we will listen to you. And if there's some prayer requests in there, man, we would be praying for you. And if there's anything that we can do for you, just uh you can send that an email to that. It's checked pretty regularly. I know Tim's never checked it, but anyway, I check it all. What is it again? Pursuing the heart at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_04

Oh, what's the password?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, dude, I gave that to you.

SPEAKER_04

Well, let me let me say this in all seriousness, you said this already. Like, we are praying for you listeners out there, whether we know what we're praying for or not. I trust the spirit um that's within within them or desires to be within them to guide that. So, but if there are direct prayers, if there's need, like, you know, there's there's means to find us, and an email is one of them. Uh so if you feel so led and you desire prayer, even as a different language, like we can Google translate things, no big deal. Uh we would love, we would love to pray for you specifically.

SPEAKER_02

Even though I'm from Southwest Georgia, I think I probably couldn't.

SPEAKER_04

You guys have like 13 words in your entire language?

SPEAKER_02

I can figure out how to Google translate. So all right. Um, so uh anyway, let's uh open up in prayer, and then we're gonna jump in some scripture there. So, Tim, you want to lay down a prayer?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, for sure. Precious and Almighty Father, uh, again, the space you've created here, uh, just what a blessing it is to be chosen, that you saw somebody that you want to do a good work in even in all my all my junk, and you've seen a good work through. I'm I'm humbled that you choose you choose me and choose me daily. Uh Lord, I pray over these listeners uh that they can experience your deep, intimate, reckless love um right now, that their ears and their heart and their mind can be settled, uh that they can uh hear exactly how you're wanting to speak to them and what you want for them is that deep, intimate love that we just talked about. Uh so Lord, whatever's uh on their hearts, whatever's on their minds, uh allow them to surrender it to you and not pick it back up, to leave it at your feet, and to have faith that you are taking care of whatever that is. And for those who are still seeking you, um their heart that be prepared, that the the forces and the things outside in this world that they have no power over them, and they are to be um pushed far away from them so that you are able to be the only fixation of their eyes, of their minds, of their hearts. Um I leave them into your hands, I trust you with them, Father. I just pray over the space right now uh that everything that's that's said in here is all spirit led, uh, that the holy scriptures are spirit led, and we can just rest in knowing that with some of us have to work towards anything, we can just talk about this and know that our spirit is uh having the perfect words uh spoken that are gonna reach uh that one, Father. So I thank you for your son, you give the grace, heaven pray, amen.

SPEAKER_02

All right. Uh so we're going through this book called Galatians, and we know the author is Paul, and Paul is uh came back, established a church, and has left like he has a lot of these churches, and he spoke a gospel that was unbelievable. Unbelievable. It was Jesus plus nothing, not Jesus plus the little law, not Jesus plus you gotta do this or do that. Well, after he left, because he's traveler and goes town to town and a sojourner, if you will. Sojourner, kind of like uh Abraham and some of the guys in the old testament. Yeah. Grant you would know that if you come to Bible study. He listens in. So anyway, I just gotta give him a hard time. Yeah. So uh anyway, he's left, and then some people come in behind him and was speaking. Judaizers. Judaizers was talking about a different gospel. It was Jesus plus some of the law, Jesus plus circumcision, Jesus plus you gotta do the Ten Commandments, Jesus plus this. Well, Paul writes a letter because he's heard these things, he's heard the account, so he wrote a letter back to them to remind them who he is, why he's called, and also who Jesus is, the gospel, also that who the Holy Spirit is, what faith is, and faith is greater than the law. And he even went through a chapter there where he talked about the Abrahamic covenant versus the Mosaic covenant, the law, the law is a mosaic covenant, and how the Abrahamic covenant was greater, and then it's the Holy Spirit, and you've changed, you're changing from the inside out, and God is the reason, Jesus is the reason, the Holy Spirit is the reason for that change, and he's reminding them that, and we left off last week, we had read all the way through verse 11 of chapter four, but you guys know I like to go back just to get a little refresher so we can get in the groove here. Um, so if you pick up in verse nine, it says, But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? And 10 and 11 kind of go with it. It says you observe days and months and seasons and years, I fear for you that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. If you read that, Tim, and you were part of that church, how would you have felt?

SPEAKER_04

Well, there's a lot there. You know, uh for me reading it right now, I I do get stuck on that to be known by God. But if you go further in that, you can see really see see and experience Paul's heart. And if I'm putting myself in the church of Gal the church that's part of Galatia, hear who he gave the gospel to, I'm like, I'm probably feeling like, man, like what what have we what have we done? Like how did we get this all mixed up? I'm probably feeling a little small because you know, we know the truth and to have uh the somebody who's representing Christ come in and give us the truth, and now we mix it with the law, is now he's just emplo just pleading with us. Like, why would you walk back to that? Yeah, I I'm probably feeling a little like man, I probably kind of hurt hurt my brother a little bit there. You know, I he came in and shared this with me, just no different than if we were gonna talk to somebody and like they just are blatantly just you know, walking away or refusing to listen even. And that's probably how they realize Paul feels like you know, he we're refusing to listen to him and he knows it. And he and he and like we don't it's not disappointing Paul, but it's it's it's disappointing Christ because that's who he's coming on on behalf of.

SPEAKER_02

What about you, Grant? If you heard the gospel, and then some people came back and behind this guy that spoke the truth, and you knew it, you felt it, the Holy Spirit's living inside you, you had this transformation, you had been baptized not only by water, but uh by the Holy Spirit importantly by spirit, and and you have that, and you've discovered this new life, and then someone comes in behind that and says, now that you need to add some stuff to that, and then the guy, the guy that taught you the truth is now telling you why why are you doing that?

SPEAKER_03

How would you feel? Um, yeah, it's a Tim's point. I mean, you definitely feel little. Uh, you feel like you've let down a brother or you know, a family member, somebody that loves you. Um, you know, it it is we do have a duty to hold each other accountable in that aspect. And you know, Paul coming on the behalf of the Holy Spirit to hold Christ's people accountable to the truth, um, to find out that you were doing it wrong. I mean, that's I don't I don't want to mince words, but it's a defeating feeling. You know, it's like uh they fell in the trap. Yeah, it's it's it's it's you know, you feel hoodwinked and and and you just it's and and whether it's intentional or not, I mean you don't ever intend for that to be the case. Nobody intends to be hoodwinked, but then when you find out that you were, I mean, it's you probably to an extent feel betrayed. Um You as Paul.

SPEAKER_02

But if I'm reading this letter and then he's like I fear for you that perhaps I have labored over you in vain, I'd been like, oh I just like disappointed him. Yeah. Huge because I fell in the trap.

SPEAKER_03

Man, okay, all right. It's one of those things you just feel sorry. I mean, it's it's definitely sorrow there. It wasn't you know you don't want to let them down, especially when it's somebody that you know loves you.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and that's what I I'm I'm sensing here that he's just putting it in words like you're you know God, you're known by God. You have chosen to go back to the elemental things of the world or whatever, or the elemental things of the law, and now you're observing days and months and seasons and years, and that verse is actually talking about, say, a Jewish person that knows Jesus now, they're going back now under the temple sacrifices and observing the the feasts and the festivals, and Paul's Paul had told them you don't need to do that because they're freed from that. And then the next verse is I fear for you that perhaps I have labored in vain over you in vain, like whatever I did the first time, it just I I feel like it didn't really mean anything for you.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. It's a good I mean, we apply this to today. It's no different when you have you have the gospel, you have identity, you have grace shared. Um and you get these uh what do you call it nominal Christians who come in and they celebrate Jesus once once or twice a year. Maybe three times, a couple times. And that's that's what they they play Christianity. And I think you anyone who's you know pre out there evangelizing, you know, bringing, you know, allowing to see the God using them to bring those of Christ, when you see them fall back into um, let me let me live my six days and thirty you know, twenty two hours for for myself and my two hours for Christ, and you see that, it does like it's like, man, like when are you gonna list get this? And I'm not mad, I don't get upset about it, I don't get angry. I just I do feel disappointed because they're not experiencing the freedom that Christ has for them.

SPEAKER_02

I think that's a key word, disappointed. Yeah, I think this is disappointment. Yeah, this is I didn't mean to cut you off, but I I love that word because he's disappointed in them. He is because they know the truth.

SPEAKER_04

It's not a personal disappointment, it's like there's a freedom, like, come on, yeah, like experience Jesus, get like given that we talked about on the last podcast, he's so worth it. Just let him.

SPEAKER_02

So Paul has a I think a sense of humor, or not a sense of humor, but way of I'd say this, not not humor, but just a way with words, right? So if you read verse 12, it says, I beg of you. I beg you, I beg you, man. Like if you're a highlighter person or underliner person, I know a lot of those people in my life. Uh, you can highlight that. He he's like, I beg you, brethren. So that's brothers or sisters in Christ, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong. Oh, he's letting them off the hook. Yeah, is that what that is, Grant? I think he's giving them a little grace. Give oh, he sprinkled a little grace in there, yeah, and he's reminding them hey, you're just like me. Isn't that what he said? I'm I'm and tell me if I'm wrong about it. That I think that's what he was saying. I agree. I am I am for I have become as you are. So we're we're brothers and sisters in Christ. And it says, You have done me no wrong, right?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. I think he's it's his way of saying, I'm no better than you. It's not like I have access to something that you don't have access to. Yeah, we all have access to this. Yeah, we just have to choose to get that. I mean, we all have a seat at the table.

SPEAKER_02

To receive it, to get it, and to do it. 100%.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it's important when especially when you are running after Jesus, you get you get so jacked up, you get so excited to share the word, and then you go through some of this moments like this. It's important to remember that just like Paul is doing here, to do it from a position of of empathy, because you've been where those people are most likely. And if you come at them and you preach the gospel and it's you put yourself in a position where they feel inferior to that, it's not it's not gonna do any good. They're gonna be turned away. But when you come and you empathize, like Paul's doing right here, like I've been where you are, I've done the festivals, I've done the law, I've I've you know, I've persecuted Christian, I've done all these things. So I I get it, I get it. But you're not don't don't follow him because because of me, you're not hurting my feelings. Like you know the truth, so run after him because I was in your same shoes.

SPEAKER_03

No, he's telling him he's like, I've done that. Yeah, and this is so much better. Come get some of this. I promise you won't be let out.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's what he's telling. You know, he displaying the chip even said he's he's funny because he is, but he's still displaying the the gentleness with the gospel that he expresses a Timothy to go out and go out, be bold in this, but also be gentle.

SPEAKER_02

You're seeing you're seeing his heart. Yeah, for the for his for his brothers and sisters here, brethren. He's you see his heart, he's like trying to tell them, just like you said, Grant, uh, I'm no better than you, man. We we both have the spirit, we both love God. It's just you need to realize that, right? And then uh the the next verse I think ties in with the following. It says, uh, but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time, and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition, you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God as Christ Jesus Himself. And I'll ask you, Tim, that bodily illness, is that the stoning that he possibly have taken, or was the beatings that he had taken, or was it both?

SPEAKER_04

It could be that. It could be other, you know, you could look at this different ways. You could see this because we're gonna read a verse coming up here about eyes as well. And we know that on the road to Damascus, Paul's eyes were blinded. Um so is he carrying that bodily ailment of his eyes? Is it referring to the stonings and the in the beatings he took in the prisons? Um, you know, could he be so disfigured from not just I mean, you think about this as when you walk out and you have a very obvious, somebody has a very obvious physical ailment, blindness of the eyes, you know, a limp, something, you know, I think an a reaction if to look is you know, sometimes we stare or we understand try to see what's going on, and maybe do you do you immediately run to that person or do you do people step away? I I don't know. Do you embrace them right away? Right. Or is it spiritual? Yeah, well, that's where I'm going next. Okay. So, you know, all these physical things, but could he be referring to the the the dead body, the flesh that he was walking around in before he was completely wrecked by Jesus? It could be a lot of you could take this so many ways. It's I don't know if there's like a dead set right answer for sure, but that could have been the intention though, as well.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

It could Paul's writing. It could go uh that you could replace Bodily illness with weakness of the flesh.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So he probably wasn't, and if it's the weakness of the flesh, then he is not as like a mature teacher when he went to them the first time, and now he is possibly.

SPEAKER_04

Well, consider this. So Paul was Paul's Jewish. Okay. I'm always big on going back to okay, what's going on? Who we write into, you know, all the things because if he has a physical ailment of some sort in the Jewish culture, that's considered unclean, or you have unrepentant sin, there's something going on, and you're cast out. You are not allowed to be a teacher. You're probably ashes from society of your culture because you're considered unclean and the Lord's favor is not upon you. So for him to call that out about he was embraced by his by the people, that they did not scorn, despise him, which they should have done if they are adhering to the Jewish customs. But they didn't because they were receiving a new gospel, they received him as an angel of God.

SPEAKER_02

And if it was physical or spiritual, it's like they didn't cast him out and be like I don't they didn't say, I didn't believe you, but you accepted me. And that last part says, as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. Now in and so it's like you took me as an angel or as Christ Jesus himself.

SPEAKER_04

Because when you preach the law, you had a you could you had to look a certain way, had to be a certain way, but he came as he was and he preached the truth. And they still didn't matter. Didn't matter what it his heart. It was his heart that mattered because that's what Christ dwelled.

SPEAKER_02

So so Grant, he's what is he doing here?

SPEAKER_03

I think he's just connecting with them. He's connecting them on that level of that letting them know that you don't have to look a certain way, you don't have to be well, I mean, there's a way to be, but you don't uh it doesn't matter physically um or not spiritually emotionally, spiritually, where you are come as you are. And I think that he's connecting to them on that human level because uh there's a lot of to your point, you know, they're still trying to practice these laws, so Jesus plus the laws. So they look at if I'm not this, if I'm not that, then I'm unclean to you know what Tim was saying, and he's letting them know. No, it's Jesus plus nothing.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, Jesus plus nothing, and reminding them, you just accepted me who I am, and you just let me speak the gospel to you, and you accepted it. And that's Christ-like in itself. Yeah. And in in verse 15 it says, Where then is the sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given to me. So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? Ooh. That's pretty harsh right there. But so going into before we get into 16, 15. Uh 15's pretty, pretty harsh. It's like he he's like, you bear witness to what I said. Would you have just given me your eyes because what you just heard? Is that what it's saying there, Tim?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, you could uh it's kind of what I mentioned about the eyes a little bit ago. You could take this verse and run back to his blindness, and maybe there was again a physical um there's a f it was an obvious physical ailment to to them. So is he imploring to them because of because of I'm not because I'm not cursed, I'm I'm still blessed. So is it because of that? Would you have been like Christ? Would you have given me, you know, a like a possession of yours, something that's probably precious, like your own vision because of my own thing? You could see it that way. Um, but yeah, it's it's it's I think it's further hammering home that you don't see me for who I was, you don't see me for all that all that Saul stuff. You see me for who I am now by heart.

SPEAKER_02

And in verse 16, he hammers them, says, So I have become your enemy by telling you the truth. What's that saying, Grant? I need some help here.

SPEAKER_03

Uh I think that's a tough one. And we still have this issue, this problem in humanity today. Um I mean, if we're being honest, nobody likes to be held accountable or be told or be told yeah, wrong. Um, be told that they're, you know, when they think that they're right and they're doing something the right way, to be told that they're doing it the wrong way when they believe in their heart of hearts that it's correct. So um I think what he's saying here is, you know, how have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth because I'm holding you accountable, because I'm telling you that what you've been doing was wrong. I am I'm I'm now the bad guy. I don't is is the love no longer there? You don't you don't feel that I have your best interest in mind because I'm holding you to this truth.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

At least that's how I'm perceiving it.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, there's there's a lot here because our society now has is so um sensitive. And good word choice. Yeah. It's sensitive to the point where love through truth is not accepted. It's there's a defensiveness up with anybody, and you you're not gonna be able to to change the tone of a conversation with a more aggressive aggressive tone. So Christ did this right here. He you know, you talk about you know the the truth telling. He didn't he didn't try to change a mind, but he but he ch he he tried to change a heart by asking a lot of questions. And those who came with defensiveness, he did his best he did the best well, he did the best at disarming the situation to flip it from being defensive to being willing to accept what the truth is being told. And that's what you know for us today, and especially Christians, like the the term Christian, we actually talked about at church on Sunday about wish it would be go back to be called the way. Um, but the term Christian has been so uh come so muddied. So yeah, water down you have the you have follower of Christ, that's when that's when someone asked me, I'm a follower of Christ, but the term and all these adjustes have been thrown on to Christianity like you know, Zionists and nationalists and all these other things that are meant to divide and divide within our own our own following of Christ. And now there's this label upon us that if we don't we choose to to follow the truth here and it aligns with something that the world has given that title, then you you're a horrible person, and you I can't listen to you. And that's where the division has continued to to be the bigger presence well.

SPEAKER_03

That's the tactic of the enemy. It is. I mean, it's it's isolation, war, divide and conquer.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, it's isolation for sure of groups. Um so for him for Paul to call this out how I become your enemy by telling you the truth. Like he's trying to remind them like, listen, I'm gonna continue to give you truth. I'm gonna continue to have the same message. Whether you like it, you like it or not, you can call it, you can call me the enemy, you can call it whatever you want to call whatever you want to label me as.

SPEAKER_03

I'm just not gonna sugarcoat it.

SPEAKER_04

But I'm yeah, I'm I'm not I'm not here to give you pastel Jesus. I'm not here to give it all sunshines and rainbows. I'm here to give you exactly what he told me to give you, and that's truth. That's exactly what he did. 100%. So there's a lot, there's a lot more there. There is. Gosh, there's so much there.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm gonna choose to read the next two verses in the hippie version. Chad Hayward's version.

SPEAKER_04

That is NLT for those wondering out there.

SPEAKER_02

The New Living Translation. Yeah. All right, so listen to this. So if you if you read 17 and 18 and you're struggling in your translation, new New Living Translation might help you. Says those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They're trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. So this is where he's warning them. He's like, if you put your hand on the stove, it is gonna get you are gonna get burned. 100%. And if you play with that snake, you might get bit. So he's saying, hey, those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but the what's behind that favor is not good. And then he says, they're trying to shut you off from me, Paul. Okay, and that you would pay attention only to them. I think it happens sometimes when new people might come into your life and they're friends, and they like, hey, you don't need to talk to Tim that much anymore. I'm here, I'm your friend. Right? It happens in life. Like sometimes friends will be like all I've had some where they just want it's all control, and it's like, hey, what are we doing today? Well, hey man, you know, and you all of a sudden your other friends are you just lose contact or you just don't talk to them no more. Uh that's what this is saying, right?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah, it's isolation. It's isolation. It's exactly how you said the the evil one does work. It's I must I must pull the sheep away from the flock in order to get them to, you know, fall away. That's exactly what the the the Judaizers have been are doing here. I call them out because that's who's called out here, but it's it's any any group who is opposing Christ here, you know, there was there's um Romans here, there was Greeks that were doing similar things where they're they were more focused on pagan um pagan worship. But yeah, there was always isolation. Let's let's get a group or a small percentage of them to come aside so we can now teach them a different way. Because if they're together, we can't we can't we can't give them the truth because they can't have the stronger be in their ear trying to say, come on back, come on back. There's you know, Paul's Paul's acting as the shepherd here. He has a care over them and he has a a deep a deep care for them and intimacy with them.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I agree. Um, so I mean it works both ways. Obviously, there's a spiritual warfare going on right now. Um, you feel it around you, especially, especially, you know, the closer you get and the more you feel the Holy Spirit, the more you feel that pressure, that intensity, that intensity. Um But yeah, I mean the something that I talk about often with my wife and family, and you know, that I'm teaching my children is you know, the enemy is a great theologist. The enemy knows the word, and that's a powerful weapon in itself. Um, especially to those of us that, you know, and I'm still growing every day in my maturity and my walk with Christ. Um, those of us that are learning the theology and the word of God, um, the enemy knows it and he uses it as a weapon against the masses. So when you get those false teachers that Paul is talking about here, he's drawing attention to it. He's letting them know, hey, it sounds good. What they're putting out might sound good, but I'm giving you the truth. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So like piggybacking on what you're saying, it was like I was starting to remember. So I was uh watching uh another podcast, all right, and uh I was listening to Wes Huff.

SPEAKER_04

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Sean Ryan was interviewing Wes Wesley Huff. And uh Sean Ryan is a new believer and he had some questions. Wesley Huff didn't give him his opinion, he just reached down right beside him and pulled up the Bible and said, Let's just see what it says, and he went right to scripture. That's a perfect example of if you're talking to someone to where you if you are have as you're maturing and as you're reading the word and gaining confidence in what the word is saying, how you can just oh okay, Tim, you asked me that question. Let me just pull the Bible out here and we'll just read this and see what it says about what your question is. And he did it not only one time, if you go watch the uh thing on YouTube, he did it multiple times. And he answered his question, whatever Sean was asking, he answered it with scripture.

SPEAKER_03

He was citing his work in live time, right?

SPEAKER_02

And that is the best way if you're a young Christian, a young believer, and you want to grow in your faith, open the word of God and dig deep into the scripture to where if you are in conversation with people, you will know where to go in scripture to answer someone's question. Because again, this is a second podcast in a row. Scripture, scripture is spiritually inspired.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And when you read scripture or when you study scripture, you are, I mean, the Holy Spirit is going to come through that, it's gonna feed the Holy Spirit, and you're gonna have a gain in knowledge and understanding and who Jesus is, who God is. I think it's I just want on a side note, I just really love what you said. It it really you really do need to know that.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, 100%. I mean, you've you know, Tim and I have talked about this a numerous amount of times, and for those that don't know, Tim and I are going on 12, 13 years of our friendship at this point. Um we've talked about this often where you typically leave what you feed is what leads. And when when you get your daily bread and you feed that Holy Spirit, it's typically what you lead with, then you start to become a light to the world. You start to become that light bearer. Come on, light bearer, maybe it's a t-shirt. It's it's it's and it's it's out there though, too. And you know, um something I picked up on while you guys were speaking with Juan is people recognize that to what you said when you're in a room without even saying anything, people know, yeah. And the further I've gotten in my journey, the more frequently that happens. Where I can be in a room and I just be sitting off to the side, and people approach me and ask me questions about the word of God, and I don't always feel adequate, but I you know I allow the Holy Spirit to use me as a vessel, and and it's just it's empowering. Um it's it's it's just awesome to watch the work in live time.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. We talked about the word, and I I know there's a lot of different um sources that you can go to to get to get fed, and you know, find you know, phones good and um you know computers great, and you know, podcasts are good, but I I there's just a a different intimacy when you have a physical Bible in your possession and you can open it and read the holy scriptures. Um if if you don't have if you don't have access to a to a Bible and you're hearing this, like we talked about the email, like reach out. Like I'll I don't care what I don't care what it costs or what you need, like I'll send you a couple different versions and you know get you in possession of a physical copy of the word. Um because I I I used to be somebody who didn't you know have a physical you know, I had a physical Bible, I didn't carry, I always relied on my phone or I would just listen to things in the car. And it it's so easy to get distracted and not have that intimate time with the Lord when there's other uh things going on, notification on your phone, or um you know, the the noise going on in here. But when you are when you're in in your word, like there's a focus, there's a personalized time that you've set apart. Like I'm making a choice to spend time with you, Lord. Well, when you're holding that physical Bible, there's a delicacy to it as well. There's so much power in it. So I would really encourage everybody, you know, have a physical Bible, you know, spend time in it. Uh, because as you just as you said, like Scott, that you know, that's the best way when you have um that the that defensiveness or you have questions, go to the word. And when you're flipping through the pages, your muscle mark kick's in your go, I remember where that was.

SPEAKER_02

I remember and don't be surprised today. I got a phone call from a friend of mine who's going through a sh a season, and he's like, Hey, I just want to read to you what Psalms is saying to me today. Come on, and and that is so amazing because he because I'm I'm walking that with through his season with him and helping him, or just walking with him through that. Right, walk together. And um, but he he just called and was like, Hey, what does this tell you? What does this say? And then same vice versa. Um, so uh it's it is good to go through scripture together.

SPEAKER_04

And yeah, don't encourage you, don't do it alone. 100%. Do what do with community brothers, sisters, whatever, but do it together.

SPEAKER_02

So same version.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, Paul's gonna switch it up here.

SPEAKER_02

Going looking at 18. This is the same version that I just read out of 17 for 17.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, Paul, I I think in right here, Paul's tone changes a little bit here.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. He says, if someone is eager to do good things for you, that's alright. But let them do it all the time, not just when I'm with you. All right, so if you guys remember in chapter two, he went to Peter to talk about this same very thing. Because Peter was saying one thing to the Jewish people, and then was doing something with the Gentiles, and vice versa. And so he's saying, he's like, hey, it doesn't matter, you know, just continue doing that thing. Not just with, you know, I ain't gotta be around you.

SPEAKER_04

He knows, yeah, because you know he he knows, he knows that God knows him. He mentioned it a few verses ago. You're known. So yeah, he's he's definitely hitting him right here. Yeah, so then he comes, he's coming back with some passion, I think, right here in the next verse.

SPEAKER_02

You like this passion? I like this, yeah. It says, My children with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you. All right, we'll take a pause. So he's calling them child his children, his people, his like followers or whatever is his children, my children. It could be also the Holy Spirit saying, My children, why are you doing but it's Paul writing this to them? So the context is, hey, my children, children, what does children do? They always make mistakes, right? And they're hope, and you're hoping that one day your child will grow up and realize that they don't need to make those same mistakes, right? Yeah. So he's saying, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you. So he's saying, You already have Christ, but I'm laboring until you are maturing in your faith, and it's an inward, outward there, formed in you. Am I right or am I wrong there, Tim?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, I'll go back. We talked about this, I think uh I'm not sure if it was last podcast, one before, or maybe one before that, even. Uh, but he I believe he's using the children analogy again. And you could also go with that about this from Shepherd and Sheep as well. But what did children, you mentioned what do they do? You know, they usually have a tutor, they usually have somebody in this in this context, they had what you said slave, they had somebody who was teaching them law, but he's switching it, you know, because he's coming in and teaching the truth grace. So he's talking about them calling them children because they are young in their faith, and he has been called by the Lord to be the shepherd for the Gentiles to go out and and share the gospel. So he's saying, I'm here for you, you know, as in your in your young walk. I'm always gonna be here. Like he has an intimacy with them because he sees them as um as these young Christians, and he feels responsible almost for for them. But because you know, he's he's had this gospel given to him and has a you know a deep love for the Lord. So when you know, just as Like you, and we we're gonna take you know you're talking about being a parent, but you know, you can tell Atticus or you know tell Arya, tell any of them anything, and uh over and over again they choose the other thing over and over again.

SPEAKER_03

It's nature of children.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and that's you you see that. Okay, but it uh eventually, because I I experience it, I come to a point where I'm like, I have told you this same thing over and over again, and you still choose to do the other thing. Right. Like you feel disappointment. You feel like, what is it gonna take?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So that's but that's the intimacy you have with your kids, is because you know if they just choose the other thing, their life is not a good thing. Nothing good will come of it. Right. But they choose the other thing, and more peaceful, they'll have more rest. That's what he's trying to tell them here, too. It's I I've seen you grow, I've seen you accept this gift. Don't run away from it.

SPEAKER_03

It's like a disappointment, it's like disappointment and heartache because I do have your best interests in mind. Yes, yeah. There there's there is love there, there's genuine love, genuine care there. I have your best interests in mind, and that's where the dis the disappointment stems from. That's what the foundation of it is.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. And then the very next verse says, But I wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I'm perplexed about you. So he's like, I want to change my tone, but I'm just really puzzled what's going on.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's that's what we just mentioned. Like, I've I've said this plainly. Yeah. What what else can I say? What else can I do? Like to get you just keep your eyes on Jesus. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Well, and and that's the thing, is and that's where that deep desire, I mean, it it we're all parents here, and that deep desire of I is my job to train you in the way that you should go.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But if you know, I'm going, I I I get that. I'm gonna repeat myself. But I want you the reason why I'm trying to drill this into you is I want you to get to that point where you make this choice on your own because that's when it becomes genuine. Not just because I'm telling you to, yeah, but because you want to. And I think that's that's where Paula is here is I want you to want this for you.

SPEAKER_02

I want this for you, but I want you to want this for you. So, Grant, what does tell us about how you discover who Jesus was for you?

SPEAKER_03

Um, there's two parts of the story.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

There's the younger version of myself, and then there's the more modern version of myself. I know both versions. So uh really?

SPEAKER_02

So which one's the hippie version?

SPEAKER_03

I guess if it has to be it's the old one. I guess so. I was I don't know. The long hair was more of a uh a fashion statement rather than anything. But you know, Tim used to love it. Okay. Tim actually used to braid my hair. I didn't. No, so the younger version of myself, um I knew about Christ. I knew of Christ. Uh, my family, I grew up in a you know, very Christ-following home. Um, single mother, three oldest of three children. So, um, but she came from a family. My grandparents are, you know, my grandfather is one of the greatest men I've ever met to this day. Um just a follower of Christ, and he's brought so many people to Christ just by being who he is. Um, I mean, he he's just a very respectable man. So growing up, I always knew I wanted to be like him and I wanted what he had. And seeing just how he was as the head of our entire family, not just, you know, my mother was the head of our household essentially, but he was the head of everything. He was at the helm. Um, my family's very close knit. We always, you know, we get together for every holiday, birthday, and we look for excuses to get together, and we're that's just how we are aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole nine. Um, so I knew about Christ as a child because I was in church and went to church camp, and you know, I asked the Lord to come into my heart as a child. Um but then between those years of being that innocent child and um I would say a few years ago in my adulthood, in my in my adult life, there's a big gap there of being lost, um being that being that one and essentially, you know, not running away from it, but not seeking it either. Um and I came to know Christ to the point that I actually know him now, not just knew about him, knew of him, but now I know Christ. Um and it's been a journey. Uh, you know, I went through a lot, and you know, I'll try to give you the shorter version of everything, but um I used to play college basketball. I tore my ACL. From that point on, I kind of spiraled, and I I wasn't living the best life at that point either. Um, I had vices, oftentimes it was women. Um, but from that point forward, I kind of spiraled into a very deep depression and um really went through that journey of questioning my faith. I always knew I never doubted that there was a creator. Um, but I I just went through a journey of wondering what was the true religion, what was the truth. Um and always told myself, you know, the God that I believe in wouldn't people wouldn't go to hell just because they weren't part of the right religion. And I and I just found myself often torn. I knew that I knew God was real, but I didn't know God. Um, and then over the years, I mean, things got darker before they got better. And um, when I was actually at my lowest, I met my wife, my now wife. And um, she is a believer as well. We were we were in the same boat as far as I mean, she was doing better in her life than I was, but we were in the same boat as far as our walk with Christ. I mean, she was a believer, but she wasn't religious and she didn't have a religion. She just knew that God existed, and that was kind of the extent of it. Um so we we we knew him at a bare minimum. And for the first few years of our relationship, I mean, we I did some wrong. Um neither of us were perfect, but I did some wrong. I hurt her. And um things that I deeply regret, and we had some issues, it was very rocky, and uh, we just we weren't God wasn't the head of our household, and uh we kind of got to a point together where we made a choice that it was like we either pursue this together or it's not going to work for us. And we both we chose God and in turn chose each other, and um, you know, so I I I owe her an insane amount of gratitude in that moment. She gave me so much grace. And we came to know Christ together. Um so we got deeper and deeper, and I was that lukewarm Christian. I was going to I was going to church every Sunday, I was crossing off the you know, checking off the list, I was doing the right things, I was a better person. Um, but at that point I still didn't know Christ. I truly, um, and Tim, this may be the first time you're hearing this, but I uh truly came to know Christ at the uh great banquet. And Tim, you know, for those of you out there listening, Tim was the one who invited me to the Great Banquet. And the first time he invited me, I did say yes uh without hesitation because I was at a point, I was at a crossroads in my journey that I knew that there was more, there were there was a deeper connection yet to be had with Christ. And um I just felt the Holy Spirit speak to me and just knew that this was this was the correct step to make to take to take. So, Tim, first of all, thank you for loving me so much to invite me to something like this, knowing what the potential of what it could do. And I mean it's it's been it made a huge impact in my life. Um, so thank you.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, that's uh that's obedience through the Lord, because as he's the one who wanted you there. So sure, thank me, but it's it's not for me at all. It's it's for the Lord and thank him for pursuing you relentlessly.

SPEAKER_03

Well, and then that's that's the bad half of this second part of my life is he has pursued me relentlessly. Yeah. And he's the same way that we talked earlier and we touched on how the enemy will put people in your life to try to pull you away. Christ will put people in your life to pull you closer. And and I firmly believe that. Because uh Tim and I, even though we've known each other 12-ish years, there was a there was a gap in that time during my depression and and you know, during a part of your life of you know, a season of your life that you were going through that we we kind of fell apart. Not that we there was any bad blood between us, it was just that I was lost and I can't speak for you, but I was lost for you, you know. So we were both lost, and um Tim, you know, me finding my way back and Tim finding his way back, everything it just you kind of feel there's a there's divinity in the works behind that, and uh we get we we reconnected, and um then there's the invitation to the great banquet. So I I say that say this, and I've had some very, very deep conversations with Tim about crossroads in my life, and I feel like I've been moving at a rapid pace, and I I feel like I'm at a crossroads frequently. Um, you know, and when I when I listen to the Holy Spirit and um I feel like I make the correct choice, things tend to get better in my life, and then I find myself at another crossroads. So in this journey, I've come to genuinely know Christ. Um, He is the head of my life, the head of my household. Um, my wife knows Christ comes first, then her, then my children, and then family and friends, and so on and so forth. And um, the expectation is that it's the same for her, and and I believe that she truly lives that as well. Um we're still learning the word, which we're gonna spend a lifetime learning it, becoming, you know, to get to a point of the wisdom that you have, Scott. I'm extremely it's it's just impressive the wisdom that you that you have, you know, when I am able to make it to the Bible studies and you know can't wait till she graduates nursing school. But when I am able to make it to the Bible studies every week, um, it's just I sit right next to you and I just sit there and soak it all in, and it's it's just extremely impressive. But I what's most impressive is not just your your ability to retain it and receive it, but um just watching the Holy Spirit work in you. So these these people have been placed in my life. I say that to say this. These people have been placed in my life, and I see the Holy Spirit working in them. And you know, when I pray, I ask God to use me. I ask God to use me as a vessel and let the Holy Spirit work through me in any way that He sees fit. Um, and I try to be cognizant and conscious of that every day. So I've come I've come much further, and I'm so far along in my walk with Christ, and I know I've so far to go, but um it's just immense gratitude. It's immense gratitude that God has pulled up a chair for me at the table and has not just welcomed me with open arms, but has pursued me relentlessly and uh given me these opportunities to choose him time and time again. And there was a time, and Tim and I have talked about this, there was a time I felt like I didn't deserve God's grace. I mean, but when I came to the realization that we don't get his grace because we deserve it, we get it because that's just who he is. And that's come as you are, you know. That's what really resonated with me is come what come as you are, you don't need to get clean before you come to God. Come to God now. And um ever since I've just been, as Tim put it, I've I've just been running towards Christ in a as fast as I can. I'm just running towards Him. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. You know, I I've it's been a pleasure to have like kind of a front seat to this transformation that you've had. You mentioned your your story's like not too far off from my own, where finding coming seeing some seeing uh uh an individual who's just pursuing the Lord and desiring to be like that person. You know, my grandma was that for me, your grandpa was that for you. You know, I realized looking back on that it wasn't my grandma for me, it was the Christ within her who I desired to have that with. I didn't know what that was. But then at that point, same for you. At that point when you accepted him, that was he became your savior. You were good, you're you're no more perfect than you are now, but then you know the Lord of my life Lord, you were not following him. Right. I can you know he has that front row seat with my with me, um, where he's seen me go through the junk, the pits, the crap, see me on emotional highs and all that. Where I I've been held, I say you, I say Scott, but for it's just all comfortably for circle now. I'm just noticing I'm just realizing that right now, now the Lord I had the same prayer you have use me. I had that same prayer and to see be able to to have that with you now, it's been a full circle moment right here. Um to see how you model Christ in your marriage, how you model Christ for your kids now. It you know, that that's exactly where you know the rest that you know I've we've talked about trying so hard, stop running like doing all this stuff. Like just choose Jesus and everything else will be alright. Just rest in him, be still, be still and know that he is God and let him let him do this work because he chose you. He chose you when he knew everything else that was going on in your life, even when you decided like I'm gonna do my own thing, I'm gonna maybe dabble over here and and try these things or believe this over here, he still chose you and he knew what he's gonna he knew what he was getting himself into. So he's gonna see the good work through though. And that's now he's doing some of his best work. And if you just choose him, you will see the byproduct of that. All the fruit that now is produced from you because of your faith, because of him, are enjoyed by your wife and your kids and now those around you. You know, like we share a common community of work, and you see, because you know, the attraction, people are attracted to those who are different, and it's what the difference is in you and I and others, some others around us, is Jesus. But there's there's a lot of there's a lot of sheep in there. There's a lot of people who are darn even sheep at all right now, but they have they have the opportunity to become that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So, you know, encourage the encouragement is just let Jesus do his thing. 100%. Yeah, just let him control your life, let him let him do that, live in a state of surrender.

SPEAKER_03

Um, I do if we have a bit more time to follow that up. I do have a testimony that's taken place recently in my life. So to that point, Psalms 46, 10, be still and know that I am God. Heard that verse my whole life, but the great banquet is where it really resonated with me. And I was able to take that and speak that to my wife and to help that resonate with her because she is a warrior by nature. Kari, I know you're gonna listen to this. I love you. She is a warrior by nature.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, she was in a car accident back in October, as you know. Uh, somebody ran a red light, T-boned her, totaled the car. She walked out without a scratch, which is a blessing in itself. Um, but and and I do want to clarify, she's been a nurse. She's just taken that next level to further her education, and she's in her final year of nursing school for her RN program. Um, one of the most intelligent women I've ever met in my life, which was really, really attracting me to her. But um, during that time, there was a lot of stress, there was a lot of worry. And um we weren't really happy with where we were living at the time. Uh, it wasn't a safe area, it was on the east side of Indianapolis. And um on top of that, we're down to one car, three children. I work full-time and as you know, need a car for what I do. We drive a lot. Um, and you know, she she has classes, and this this is um oh, it was in November, but this is in November, this is right before the holidays, and she started school in early January, her last year. So there was um a lot there, and we both come from single parent households. We don't come from high-income families, and everything that we have, we have because we've worked for it and the Lord has blessed us with it. Uh, bless us with the abilities to go out and have these things, but we didn't just have liquid income to go buy a brand new car, and we were already upside down on the car that we just lost. So we're in a difficult situation here. Um, but I can honestly say I felt no worry. The only moment of fear or worry that I had at that time was this for the safety of my wife because she had me on the Bluetooth when she was involved in the accident, and I heard everything. Once I heard her voice and knew she was okay, all my worry went away. Um, so she was stressed and worrying afterward and uh wasn't sure what we were gonna do because in that situation, I mean, we don't really have anything or anybody to turn to. What are we gonna do? And uh I remember telling her, you know, our Lord is a provider, be still. Amen. And um she is and it's hard, it's I get her position. It's hard to just take that and just be okay with that when you know at the end of the day, we do have to go get a car, we have to physically figure this out. Finan like money doesn't just happen, and there I get that, but I told her our Lord is a provider, be still. And it was hard for her, but she did. She took what I said, took it to heart, and she was still. Um, and through the you know, the church community, um, and can you know, Tim, connections that you have that I still don't know to this day. So whoever was able to help us with that situation, we're still grateful. And I just want to say thank you. Um, but Tim was able to bless us with a car, a mode of transportation. And then right after that blessing with the car, Kari got a call about a scholarship for school to pay for the rest of her schooling. And then right after the call about the scholarship, because she wasn't sure that she was gonna get financial aid, she got a call from the Bursar's office at the university that she got financial aid. So she called them back. At this point, we don't know what to do because blessings are just rolling in. Um, she called the the scholarship back and was like, hey, I don't want to be dishonest here. I just got to call and was told I'm gonna get financial aid. And the people that gave the scholarship said, that's fine. We want you to have this anyway. So we were blessed with these finances that essentially came from from, I mean, let's call it what it is. They came from the Lord. These are blessings directly from the Lord, and and it doesn't stop there. Um we found our now home. We moved into a house that's in a nice neighborhood with a yard, things that we didn't have before for our children and our dog, and and we happened upon it. And the price that we got it at in this economy, it doesn't make sense other than God. It it just it you saw the Lord working in our lives real time. And I remember my wife and I looked at each other and just smiled and cried tears of joy together because there's no other explanation. And we, you know, this this testimony is just that. It's have faith. Always have faith, be still. I struggled with that, and um the the Lord is a provider, he's he he uh he will challenge you and he will give you opportunities to practice your faith. Choose to practice your faith. That's I mean, that's if that's the one piece that I could give, just choose to practice your faith because I promise you he is working in your life and he's using you in ways that you don't even know. And I mean that your light will just shine brighter. And again, if I only reach one person, then great. I would like to reach as many as possible, but if I reach at least one, then great. And um, you know, the Lord, the Lord has worked tremendously tremendously in my life and who I am today. My mother and I were just having a conversation uh two days ago that who I am today and who I was three years ago, even, is it's almost night and day. And I have I can only thank the Lord for that for that change. I mean, he's used people in my life, and I can Thank people directly like Scott and Tim and my mother and my grandfather and so on and so forth. You know, past Pastor Darren, Pastors Darren and Nick Shesky of Heartland Church. I I can thank these people directly. But it's the Lord working through them. So it's just all praise to the most high.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Well, um I appreciate you sharing your story.

SPEAKER_02

Uh appreciate you. I appreciate you uh being a part of our group on Fridays, our text thread. Thank you for having me. And uh that's an honor. It's uh great that Tim invited you to come and you've showed up. And um uh as we close, um just remember uh his story be still. I I that's uh good it's a good um it's a good reminder that we have uh faith in God that He's gonna provide.

SPEAKER_03

It's easy to lose track of in this sped up world that we live in now, right?

SPEAKER_02

So what the opposite of that is to fear, to be um scared, and not have faith. And um so Grant, thank you for your story. Uh appreciate you coming on, saying yes. And uh it wasn't as bad as what you thought it was, right?

SPEAKER_03

I honestly I was looking very much forward to being. Oh, okay. All right, okay. I'll say you two are uh, you know, not not to uh brown nose here a little bit, but you two are just two of the greatest guys I've ever met. Oh I'm grateful to have you in my life. Um, Scott, even when you reached out to me on my birthday, I told you you've you've been a blessing in my life. So it's a problem, man.

SPEAKER_02

All right. Um, so as we wrap up here, just a reminder we're pursuing the heart. Uh God pursued us, now we pursue him. And uh we just love everyone. And we do have an email. Tim has mentioned it, uh, pursuing the heart at gmail.com. And uh feel free to send us an email. Um, we had one person send us an email. Uh happened to be a friend of ours, but anyway, they did send an email, so it was cool.

SPEAKER_04

Thanks, Chad. I don't even know, but I'm positive.

SPEAKER_03

Sounds like something Chad would do.

SPEAKER_02

Uh sorry, we did have one person send an email, so um, it was a good one. Uh it was very encouraging. So uh, but uh anyway, uh what's let's see, Grant, what what's the tagline on the way out?

SPEAKER_03

Tagline on the way out on the podcast. K-Y-E-O-J.

SPEAKER_02

Wow, what does that say to him? What does that mean? Keep your eyes on Jesus. Hey, just remember keep your eyes on Jesus, and uh he is going to take care of it. Thank you. Love you, bye.