Westminster Talking the Text Podcast for Sunday, August 9th, 2026 | 1 Kings 19:9-18 | with Donovan Drake, Guy D. Griffith, Ashley Higgins, and Stephanie Boaz

Westminster Talking the Text Podcast for Sunday, August 9th, 2026 | 1 Kings 19:9-18 | with Donovan Drake, Guy D. Griffith, Ashley Higgins, and Stephanie Boaz

1 Kings 19:9-18

Elijah on Mount Horeb 

19:9At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

19:10He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

19:11He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake,

19:12and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

19:13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

19:14He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

19:15Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

19:16Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

19:17Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill, and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill.

19:18Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Talking the Text as we prepare for this Sunday, August 9th. I'm Ashley. I'm Stephanie.

SPEAKER_06 0:13

Guy and Donovan.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

This week we are in the book of 1 Kings, chapter 19. Uh, let me pray for us and then we'll read it. The Lord be with you.

SPEAKER_06 0:24

And also with you.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

God, we are grateful for this day for a moment to catch our breath. To read your word and to wonder together what you were up to in this text and what it might have to say this day. Be with us now. In your name we pray. Amen. All right, 1 Kings 19, verses 9 through 18. Guy's gonna read it for us.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

Hear the word of the Lord. Then Elijah went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him. What are you doing here, Elijah? Elijah replied, I've been very zealous for the Lord, God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death by the sword. I am the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too. The Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? Elijah replied, I've been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too. The Lord said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazel, king of over Aram. Also anoint Jehu, son of Nishme, king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel, Maholah, to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazel, and Elisha will put to death any who escaped the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all of whose knees have not bowed down to Baal, and all whose mouths have not kissed him. So Elisha went from there and found Elisha, son of Shaphet. He was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

SPEAKER_06 3:30

All right. Nice to have a good priestly writer putting an end to a great story.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Gotta love the priestly writers. Surprised we didn't get more about what he was wearing.

SPEAKER_00 3:47

These are really funny jokes. Really niche jokes. I think half of our audience just turned off the puck. That's right.

SPEAKER_06 3:59

That's right. For the true listeners.

SPEAKER_00 4:03

All right. Uh I I love this passage of scripture.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Why do you love this passage of scripture?

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Oh gosh, it's so many reasons. I love the whole story. I love a narrative. I love a story. Um, you know, what comes before this, just Elijah's whole, this whole journey. And I love the question. I love the question that God asks and the way that Elijah responds, the way that God responds. Uh I've there's so many things that come to mind. I'll throw out a few and then we'll see where.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

How do you read the question? What what emphasis on which syllable did you put?

SPEAKER_00 4:48

You just stole my whole thing. All right, sorry. I'm kidding. Um I'm not kidding, but we'll start there. So Jake was telling me that he was listening to a podcast a little while ago, and I think this uh uh person was talking about the prodigal son, but I I wonder the same about this. I'm curious, I wonder if it's worth asking the question on Sunday. How do you hear that question? Because in this podcast, them the man was saying about the prodigal son, but I'll say it about this. How I wonder how you hear the question, what are you doing here? What does that say about your understanding of God in this season and your relationship with God in this season? Is it, you know, what are you doing here? Is it really gentle? You know, what are you doing here? Like what do you need? Is it, you know, what what the heck are you doing here? How how you I'm curious how giving people a chance to wonder, oh, how did I just hear that? And is there something to wonder about in the way that I'm hearing God right now? So um that's kind of that's a big thing that I wonder about. Another thing I think it's interesting pairing this with Donovan's sermon from Sunday, where Jesus has gone away by himself, and here Elijah has gone away by himself. So that we were spinning.

SPEAKER_04 6:41

Run away.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um because your emphasis on Sunday was really, I mean, it was a don't give up over and over and like hard and loss and sadness and don't give up. My instinct is to read this differently, to read um the kind of what do you need? What are you doing here a little differently than that text, but also don't want to take away from someone who might be experiencing a text like this.

unknown 7:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

The way that you kind of portrayed Jesus getting away, um, going away by himself.

SPEAKER_06 7:24

Yeah, I think it's interesting, you know, that Elijah, you know, defeats the prophets of Baal, the fire, all that stuff. I mean, the guy's got power at his fingertips. He can do whatever he wants to do.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

That's right before this.

SPEAKER_06 7:40

And Queen Jezebel says, I'm after you, and it's like he's nobody.

SPEAKER_05 7:46

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 7:47

You know, what is it about her, that statement that can just make him go, I'm afraid. Yeah. When you got all that, that makes no sense to me. So saying that, it's like I mean, I think this is my biggest beef with the church. I said it on Sunday. It's like, if you got all this power and you're not using it, what are you doing here? I mean, that's what how it hears for me. Sure. But like personally, it like what you're saying, I think you can hear it a number of different ways. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

I I think, you know, keep bearing in mind the context that these great sh um shows of God's might uh have happened on the mountain with the Baal prophets. And Elijah has proven to be very faithful, very bold, very courageous.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

Very depressed.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Well, he does he, I know that's one of the reasons why I like Elijah, because he's got his highs and his lows. Yes. And it does really relate to that, you know? And so, so here he comes off this big high and he gets some pretty harsh criticism, a death threat from Jezebel. And and there doesn't really seem to be anybody coming to to help him at all. Just like the death threats out there and everybody's sort of business as usual. And so Elijah's like, out of there.

SPEAKER_06 9:19

He just takes off, he flees because I never thought of Elijah as one asking for help.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

No, but no, but but like all the people saw this.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

I'm alone. There's nobody else but me.

SPEAKER_01 9:32

Exactly. That's so Elijah. But think about it. He when he responds to the question, he says, the people have abandoned you. The people aren't really, yeah, there's no one, they're not ready to proclaim your goodness, they're not doing anything. And I'm running off. That is Elijah's wine, but it also is true because nobody steps up and says, We're gonna stand with Elijah. We don't see that in the story anyway. And it seems at least that Elijah feels very alone. And so he takes off. He flees, he runs away because he's discouraged, maybe, because he the depression is coming back in. Maybe he's left it all out on the field, and now he's just exhausted and can't imagine continuing on.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

That's a lot of adrenaline in the face of all that he's just been through, right? Like the like come down from that. Yes to be like, oh no, I'm actually terrified and exhausted. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 10:32

And I just had a a random thought about John the Baptist, you know, as the model of Elijah and the question of, are you the one who is to come or are we to look for another? Is that his running for the mountain?

SPEAKER_01 10:49

That's good. Yeah, yeah. And um, and then I think what happens like right before verse nine is Elijah's been running, he's exhausted, and the messenger comes and gives him something to eat and tells him to rest, and then tells him to get up and move around, and then does it again.

SPEAKER_06 11:12

Yeah, the Hebrew is the second time the angel comes, he kicks him.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Oh, really? What's just reading him more like a nap? Okay. That's a really good point. That's a stunning point. So that's a really different perspective.

SPEAKER_02 11:29

You know, I haven't thought until this very moment we should give angels Native American names. Yeah. Wow. To who kicks.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

Wow. But still, like this this Elijah is fully depleted spiritually, even. Right. And the first thing that happens is that he's given nourishment and encouraged to do what he needs for physical health. And so for sure, God is reaching out to nurture there before the question comes.

SPEAKER_06 12:01

And he's hitting the high holy places. He's hitting Jacob's the place where Jacob sees the angels, and behold, there's angels. And so then he goes to Moses's mountain, fully expecting to see God and gets fire and pyrotechnics. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Yeah. But but God's not in the pyrotechnics dominant. He's not. What do you think about that? I think that's what God is, right? Okay.

SPEAKER_05 12:26

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Sorry, did I we just like divert from what I go ahead and do that?

SPEAKER_01 12:32

No. The only thing I was gonna add is I feel like that's very relatable.

unknown 12:39

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

That we can be really faithful in life and show up, and then when we get discouraged, all we want to do is run away and and complain and and really feel truly alone. Um, like we've been abandoned, and so we're abandoning everything, but just lost. And how important it is to remember that sometimes we need to be patient with ourselves and with each other and nurture ourselves from starting with the body and then to the spirit. Um, because when I think when God asks this question, it really is an opportunity for Elijah to search his own soul. But not till after he's had some rest and some nurture and now search your soul.

SPEAKER_06 13:27

And sometimes, like from the pulpit's perspective, and this has nothing to do with the listeners out there, but uh every once in a while the random member will start to become more every Sunday. And I often think, what's going on there? And it's like I can hear, you know, everybody's after me, and I alone are left.

SPEAKER_05 13:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 13:53

Whatever it is, the cancer or the sicknesses and that kind of thing. And so now I'm hitting the high holy places. And is there a word for me? Or do I get what are you doing here?

SPEAKER_01 14:09

Oh, that's interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

Yeah. When I was reading it, I was, you know, which word do I emphasize? What are you doing here?

SPEAKER_05 14:19

Right.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

What are you doing here? I mean, you know, there's really lots of different ways you can um emphasize that question, and it shades the meeting each each different way. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_06 14:30

And when I think of Elijah, I think I'm like, what are you of all the people in the world? Why you? Why you? Yeah. I mean, you got it, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

I thought I thought we had you taken care of. I got all these other people. You think you're the only one? Get over yourself.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

I did, I hadn't thought about this before, but hearing you read it, guy, you know, when you know, go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by, that doesn't happen without consequences, you know, in in scripture and particularly in the old testament, like, no, you can't see my face and live. So I wonder in that moment if Elijah was like, well, this is it. Like, I'm done for, right? Like, if the Lord is about to pass by, is this is this it? And and we also know of God to to like just that power, and then to not be that in this moment, I think it's really tender for God to be the quiet voice. I wonder if that was really startling and jarring for Elijah, especially all that he had just been a part of, like all the might and the, you know, the rain and the all, you know, the gods, you know, competing with the gods. Uh that feels really tender to me. I still hear a little bit of God, like y'all saying, like, what the heck are you doing here? But the quiet of it is also really compelling to me. Like, that's not the God. I wonder if Elijah's like, that's not the God that anyone would have expected in this, in this moment. And I've been thinking about that before your I my brain is going lots of different places since your sermon on Sunday, but before that, I was thinking a lot about the loud, the loudness of the world right now. And that was sort of the path I was going down with this scripture of the world is so loud right now. And sort of you're, you know, making something out of nothing, making nothing out of something. Just thinking, uh we trying to find this something in the loud? Even like, are we trying to find God somehow in all of the loud and really missing God in the quiet right now, which I think is really hard, hard to find.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

One of the questions I'll often ask uh folks in Bible class is you know, who is the preeminent prophet of the Old Testament? And folks will generally say Isaiah or Jeremiah. Few ever say Ezekiel with good reason, you know, Amos, Hosea, but Elijah doesn't get a book. Yeah. But he is the preeminent prophet. And uh you know, so it's Moses and Elijah in the New Testament that are representing the law and the prophets, and and that he, as the preeminent prophet, is still riding the struggle bus.

SPEAKER_06 18:01

Aaron Ross Powell But is he preeminent because of the New Testament? So so you come to a time in which we think of a Messiah coming, and then we need a John the Baptist, you know. So I could argue with that that you know he could be just a prophet. And there are a prophet among many prophets, but later on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

But in terms of being in in Christian tradition, in terms of being honored.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

Right, absolutely, right. Nobody else gets their own flaming chariot and gets to go directly to heaven. Right.

SPEAKER_05 18:37

But still he was whining.

SPEAKER_06 18:39

That's the second coming. There you go. So part of me was you know, maybe I wasn't joking about the priestly writer ruining a good story. But I to me it's like I do think if I was writing a story, I would want it to end with he heard the sound of a still small voice or the sound of powder. And in that what are you doing here? For me, that's that's enough. I don't need God going, oh, and then what do I need you to do? Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:21

But that's also part of the I mean, there's there's different responses to the same question. I mean, his first response to the question that's asked twice, and then his second response are exactly the same. The people aren't being faithful. I've been passionate for you, I've done what you've asked me to do, and the people aren't being faithful. That's one response. But then there's the question of why are you here? Like in more of an existential sense, like why do you exist? What what is it that you're here for that I think is what 15 through 18 gives us. There's still purpose for you.

SPEAKER_06 20:10

Right. I like for me it's going to the high holy places and getting nothing. That that's not the magic. Because he goes to where Jacob rests his head and gets kicked. He goes to Moses' mountain and gets nothing. And and you know, if y we can worship the places or we can worship God.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

That's great.

SPEAKER_06 20:50

And we do that a lot.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Yeah. Yeah. That's a great point. I think it's pretty incredible too that Elijah is so down and really has nothing good to say even to God, and God shows up in a very particular way for him.

SPEAKER_06 21:17

Right?

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:20

Yeah. You know, and and I think maybe that's a little bit about from last Sunday is you know, to be alone. As frightening as that is, God shows up in that. Oh, that's great. Right.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

Yeah, I would just I would say though he's uh I was thinking about those two words. Here, he seems alone and lonely, though.

SPEAKER_05 21:48

Yeah, right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

You know, yeah, I think he he hits both of those that you touched on. And so God being able to say, like, you're not low, you're not lone. Right. Like you're alone in this moment with me, but actually you're not alone. And you don't have to be alone.

SPEAKER_06 22:07

What are you doing here?

SPEAKER_00 22:08

Yeah, right. Right.

SPEAKER_06 22:10

Go to where the people are. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Yeah. Like in Matthew last week, Jesus was alone, but not lonely.

SPEAKER_06 22:17

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

And Elijah's both here.

SPEAKER_06 22:22

Yeah. But it's like, you know, if if we believe Jesus is fully human, it's like, okay, you know, nobody's getting this. You know? I alone have left. Yeah. They just killed my buddy in this thing. And dang. It's weird.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

You think he doesn't get anything from God uh on on the mountain?

SPEAKER_06 22:52

Oh God is a present. I would like to think that the presentation is in the nothing that there's there's something. I mean it's uh I mean he yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

You think Elijah feels like he's not getting anything from from God. Is that what you're saying? Uh even on the mountain.

SPEAKER_06 23:14

I I'm I'm saying that, yeah, it's not in the fire. You know, you get all the pyrotechnics as guy says, and yet then it's strip all that away and there's nothing there.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 23:28

I mean, it uh I think like our culture is continually trying to find something new in Jesus. Right. And it's like it ain't there. What you got is enough.

SPEAKER_05 23:37

Right.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

The end of John's gospel. Right. Could have told you other stuff, other stories, but I put this down because this is what feeds the faith. Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_00 23:47

Which then begs the question, right? Like it is that enough is God enough? I mean, this is what you think. You know, it can I think that's a lot for us to wrestle with too. Is God enough?

SPEAKER_02 24:03

In every church I've served, somebody's wanted me to, you know, teach the gospel of Thomas. And I'm like, you don't know Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John enough to get to it. Let's let's let's stay with that. Uh there's enough there for your faith. Don't you know you don't need something else. Uh just yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:25

Yeah. And this is what drives me crazy, but to me, it's like the just the concept of the church that it's like we should be the most powerful force on the world. And we're like, Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_01 24:40

We went into a cave. You know, like I mean, I love that the first verse you're you're working with is nine, and it says, Then he went into a cave and spent the night. He was on the high holy mountain. Right. And then he went into a cave. Yeah. Right. This isn't doing it for me, so I'm just gonna go in this dark place. Right. Well, also I'm sure safety was an issue. But still, metaphorically speaking, the cave.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

I found myself, as y'all were talking earlier, you know, as often I do think of hymns.

SPEAKER_04 25:13

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

You know, why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home when Jesus is my portion, his constant friend is he, his eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. Let not your heart be troubled, his tender word I hear, tender word I hear. And resting on his goodness, I lose my doubt and fear, though by the path he leadeth, but one step I may see, his eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. You know, these are such gifts for us to hold on to. It's not just the music, it's the lyrics, the the poetry that you can just kind of keep on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

So quick shout out to John Semmingson, um, because he looks at the scripture and brings the hymns every week. He always leaves space for us to ask for something as well. But I I mean, I don't know how many times people stop me and say, that was a beautiful, beautiful service. Did so-and-so pick the hymns? No, John picks the hymns. I mean, we work with him a little bit, but he really looks and chooses things that are so perfect.

SPEAKER_02 26:28

Yeah, that Isaiah 55 uh anthem last week was just so glorious. Although Amy was sitting out, you know, it's it's bad when I'm in the congregation. It's really bad when you have a former choir member in the congregation. Whoever was sitting in front of us heard, you know, both of us singing the anthem. Sorry, sorry, folks.

SPEAKER_06 26:52

I love that one. Yeah, when you're up there with me, John's usually giving you the sign-out.

SPEAKER_03 26:59

Will you stop? Quit singing.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

Oh my gosh. But also, I just I I think it's it's so poignant that we start with Elijah goes into the cave, and then the Lord asks the question, why are you here, Elijah? And Elijah says, Nobody's being faithful. I've done everything I can. I'm so I've been passionate and zealous. And then the Lord says, Go out, and this incredible drum roll of the mountains and the quaking and the wind, all of a sudden for a still small voice, and it's God. And then pretty soon he says, Why are you here, Elijah? And he says the exact same thing he said before that. Um and so I think somehow it's interesting that God just gives him direction. Because on his own, Elijah was about to go back into that cave. He Elijah, when he heard the the still small voice, he wrapped his face in his coat. He went out and stood at the cave's entrance. And a voice came and said, Why are you here, Elijah? And he said the same thing as before. That feels real to me. That feels very human to me. And so then God gave him direction.

SPEAKER_00 28:24

It may, it almost it's uh so my my brain is going to parenting. Oh good. And it almost seems like Elijah is wanting to ask is wanting to talk about the situation.

SPEAKER_01 28:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:38

And God is wanting to talk about Elijah. Right? Like what's going on out there? And God's response is like, I I want to tell you who you are. Like, I don't know why you need reminding, right? Like all that's just happened. Like that this is incredible. But like, let me tell you who you are. And just if I if I need to, if I really need to tell my kids something about them, I'm gonna like look them in the eye and and talk to them that way. And I feel like sometimes that's what's needed in a moment where something's happening when I like I might want to discipline you. Um like I am so frustrated. But what I really need to do is like tell you who you are, not get at you about the situation or you know, um what you need to be doing. I even think uh in the in in the telling him what to do next, there's a telling him who he is and it it the the like no, look me in the eye. Let me tell you who you are. Like, is there a deeper question than like, where are you? I'm alone, what's happening? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 30:04

And y I hear it in the terms of uh kind of the heading into retirement, right?

SPEAKER_05 30:10

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_06 30:11

I mean, here's a guy who's given his life to it. Yep he's like burned out, it feels like. This has nothing to do with me for you listeners out there. But but and and God goes, okay, we're gonna move on. But you know, here's a list of things for you to do, and Elisha's in the coming up.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

So hey.

SPEAKER_06 30:38

Thanks. You know?

SPEAKER_01 30:40

Yeah. Oh, that's very interesting. Yeah, especially with the conference you just came back from.

SPEAKER_06 30:46

Yeah, but you know, it's like the thanks, you know, he gets a fiery chariot. Nobody gets a fiery chariot. My mother wanted a fiery chariot. And I said, Mom, you you're not Elijah.

SPEAKER_02 30:58

I I'm loved with the Elisha Elijah story.

SPEAKER_06 31:02

How we uh I guess you didn't get a fiery chair. Thank you, Steven.

SPEAKER_04 31:07

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 31:09

I love though about how Elijah passes on the mantle and blesses Elisha.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

And you know, some of the Elicia story uh I think I preached on maybe last summer. Um you know, he's effective too, with maybe different gifts and different challenges and opportunities. And I think as we both sort of think about you know, passing it on to somebody else, uh realizing that, you know, God's got got it and we don't have to worry about it.

SPEAKER_06 31:46

Guy who's sensitive about his hair loss.

SPEAKER_05 31:50

What?

SPEAKER_06 31:50

What? Hey Baldy, and then the kids are yelling, hey Baldy, and he puts a pack of bears on him.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Oh yeah. See, we don't we don't preach enough Old Testament. I mean that that's that'll preach. I was asked to sit in with one of our great young men who uh uh is in a Bible study with other MBA guys last night, and they were starting uh judges.

SPEAKER_05 32:23

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_02 32:23

So they called in a preacher from the bench to kind of help them get oriented and you know, working through the first four chapters of judges, and uh, you know, I told them first thing you need to know, don't date a girl named JL. Like that's a really important thing. She's a real hit. Exactly. Yeah. Takeaway.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 32:46

Well, do we have a sermon titled?

SPEAKER_00 32:47

Not yet. Not yet. There's too many ways to go.

SPEAKER_06 32:54

What are you doing here?

SPEAKER_01 32:56

It's only Tuesday. That's what I always think.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

I know.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

I know every week of the preaching week is so pregnant. You just don't know what's going on.

SPEAKER_02 33:04

It's just there is so much gotta have to have a title before you know where you're going.

SPEAKER_01 33:08

That's me too, but everybody's different.

SPEAKER_06 33:12

Yeah. Sometimes you get a title and then you get another title when it's past the printing date.

SPEAKER_02 33:17

That's uh that's why KC used to call them a homily on this text. Right. He did away with titles. Yeah. Really?

SPEAKER_01 33:26

Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We would have we would have way long sermons if I didn't have a title because that's what keeps me. I know, agree. I don't have to shoot.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

That that's gonna have to keep me. Unless we want to be here for, you know, 95 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 33:42

I'm gonna Jesus is my portion. Oh gosh. My community friend is here. For his eye is on the sparrow.

SPEAKER_01 33:56

He's gotta finish. We're waiting for you to finish.

SPEAKER_03 34:03

And I know he watches me. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

All right. Well, thank you all. This is lovely. Back into the groove. Uh, Donovan, you want to pray for us?

SPEAKER_06 34:16

Sure. Let's pray. Oh, holy God, we give you thanks and praise that your eye is indeed on the sparrow and you watch all of us. And in those times when um we're not sure why we're here. Uh may we go to your word and remember your grace and your love and your call for us all. And uh may we delight in it so that we might uh lift up your name with all power and joy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 34:48

Amen.