Episode 30 "Have you ever been slapped by a wet squirrel?"

We have a special one for you this week, including a special guest Rusty Glennon! Starting off with trials again in 1 Peter and then leading into INHERITANCES. What is more important worldly inheritances or spiritual inheritances? We hear Bro. Rusty story from when he had lost everything, nothing was going his way! 

BUT GOD.... "Slapped him with a 'Wet Squirrel' he compared it to" 

Thank you as always for joining in and we pray for peace over you and your families life!

Bro. Lane, Bro. Philip, Bro. Ryan, Bro. David with Special Guest Rusty Glennon

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:10

Welcome to the Pick It Up Podcast, the podcast where we'll discuss what it means to pick up your cross and follow Christ. Living a life for Christ takes commitment, sacrifice, and ultimately being obedient to his word. Not only on Sundays, but every day. God's word says it, that settles it. So pray about it, practice it, and proclaim it. Let's get into it. Do you want to come over here and run this thing breaking? You good, brother. You can handle it.

SPEAKER_04 0:41

Well, gentlemen, how's things going?

SPEAKER_05 0:44

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

SPEAKER_03 0:48

God's good. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us into loudly hope. He started the resurrection of Jesus Christ to an inheritance incorruptible, undefined, and faith not away. Preserved for me in heaven.

SPEAKER_06 1:05

You've been burning.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

1 Peter chapter 1.

SPEAKER_06 1:12

Well, it's a Thursday morning. Mid morning. We've never done it at 10 o'clock before.

SPEAKER_07 1:18

I know I almost filled out of place. What's the day 16th?

SPEAKER_03 1:21

I'm actually awake. That may be a bad thing. I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 1:24

You don't know what today is? The day after 10 years.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

April the 16th.

SPEAKER_07 1:29

Two years ago. I was in the hospital. You went for a break. Is that right? Wow.

SPEAKER_06 1:34

I'll be though. Like this was the day that you went in or the day you wanted the day they operated? No.

SPEAKER_07 1:42

Before you went to warn you. Yeah. I'll be.

SPEAKER_04 1:46

Ain't that a look at you next.

SPEAKER_07 1:48

I recall. I had a brain injured. Steel brain surgery. What's your excuse?

SPEAKER_03 1:51

Still ugly. Well, tell them a little bit about it. People listening may not know.

SPEAKER_07 1:57

Yeah, two years ago, uh knew something wasn't right, uh, high blood pressure, spiked up and went to the ER and they said that uh, well, you got brain injuries and we're gonna fly you to Little Rock and get you operated on. Well, they didn't fly me, thank goodness. Uh they took me in an ambulance up there and stayed up there eight, nine days, somewhere like that. Had brain surgery. They uh clipped my um my aneurysm pretty much, and then in two places to keep it from bursting. And well, long story short, I'm I'm here. You know, amen. I had a bunch of people praying for me and uh looking out for me and my family, and thank God that uh he was looking out for me and he had a bigger plan for me.

SPEAKER_06 2:52

It's not many people that make it through that, and uh I was fortunate to be one of the well, was it two days ago, two years ago, that we went and ate fortune cookie on the way back? You were talking about something you didn't feel right in preacher. You said, Well, you might have a brain bleeding or something like that. I don't know if he said that, but I'm gonna do it.

SPEAKER_07 3:08

I remember sitting in the truck and I was like, Man, you Ryan, you ever had a problem not spelling a simple word or something like that?

SPEAKER_04 3:21

I do I do remember sitting at the um, I guess it was at Drew Central, and you made the comment to me we was in the auditorium watching our kids do something. And you said, Man, I just can't get my words out or something, something don't feel right. Yeah. And I thought, well, welcome to my world. And then next thing we knew, you were headed Little Rock.

SPEAKER_07 3:40

Yeah. It was uh it was scary for sure. You know, that was a bunch of praying, and um I remember sending the video to you guys that Sunday, and that was about to me that was awesome. I thought a little bit.

SPEAKER_05 3:54

Yeah, I I remember that.

SPEAKER_04 3:56

Yeah. Well, one thing I want to say before we still proverbs, by the way, is telling you this if you don't know who um I I want to say I remember going to the hospital that day before your operation, and my thought was we need to get out of this room and let you and Marcy have some time, you know. But we were all gathered up in there, and I remembered the peace that was in that room. It was almost like, well, I I just say in my mind, I was thinking, this guy may not come out of this surgery. Here we are taking up all the time between him and his wife. And but y'all had a peace about you.

SPEAKER_07 4:32

Oh yeah, we was we was ready. We we knew God was in control. Whatever his will is what was ready. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

And and four, they said what, four hours? It could have taken up to four hours.

SPEAKER_07 4:44

I think it was an hour and a half.

SPEAKER_04 4:45

They rolled you down there, and it seemed like an hour. I guess it was an hour. They rolled you back through there. And I thought, man, that was quick.

SPEAKER_06 4:52

We went and ate golden crab real quick, came back, and he was done.

SPEAKER_04 4:56

You could have come eight with us again. But hey, uh, go ahead. What you hollering for? I'm trying to stand there. Two o'clock in the morning.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

I don't sound right with the three cup of coffee, please.

SPEAKER_04 5:09

We do have a special guest in the room with us. Yep. And uh go ahead. Go ahead, go ahead. Well, what I don't sound right. I don't know what you want me to do. You sound normal. Okay. Trusty Rusty. We got old trusty Rusty in here with us. Special guest. Special guest. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

He walked in the church about 10 minutes ago. I said, Rusty, you're gonna be on the podcast today.

SPEAKER_04 5:34

He said, I don't care.

SPEAKER_03 5:35

He said, What's that?

SPEAKER_05 5:38

Before you get too carried away, I want you to lift up Pat Barnett. Uh he'd been in the hospital last week, but uh he's in Little Rock right now. They're checking on his liver. Yep. He's got some issues. Y'all lift this boy up for him.

SPEAKER_06 5:51

Mr. Pat. Pat Barnett.

SPEAKER_05 5:53

I'd greatly appreciate it, and I know he would. Yep, we'll definitely do it. Definitely. He's not doing well. Well, tell us, tell us something, Rusty. Who are you? I am Rusty Glennon, born and raised in Possum Valley, Arkansas. I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ in October the 11, 1970.

SPEAKER_04 6:15

A lot of water went under the bridge since then.

SPEAKER_05 6:17

Way too much. It's flooded a time or two. Yeah. But it's all right. Uh I'm just a common Lord-fearing guy. I love serving the Lord. Uh I think uh I'm a disciple without papers. Uh that's just the way I am. I love I love I love to do for the Lord.

SPEAKER_04 6:40

I don't think I've ever heard that before. Disciple without papers. We think in deacon without the papers.

SPEAKER_05 6:45

Deacon without the papers. That just shows you how qualified I am, all right? There you go. I'm just a servant. Under the radar. And that's called unconditional love. That's what I do for my Lord.

SPEAKER_04 6:55

Well, I would definitely agree with you on that. I mean, you are here anytime you can be. And uh from a garden to maintenance to cooking.

SPEAKER_06 7:05

How long have you been teaching third and fourth grade Sunday school, trustee? 17 years. Seventeen years. Started out first second grade. We moved up. And got another 17 to go. No.

SPEAKER_05 7:17

Whatever the Lord desires, I want to ease out of it. But uh my pastor told me the Lord told you to quit, and I said, No, he said, Well, then he quit. Hey, let's talk about this, preacher.

SPEAKER_06 7:26

The Lord told you to quit the van ministry. Yep. Bring it back at him, Rusty. He wanted to quit the van ministry.

SPEAKER_04 7:34

He he confirmed it yesterday. Preacher said, I have got a vision or something. He said, The Lord has told me I'm done with bus ministry.

SPEAKER_05 7:45

Well, 28 years. And and that thing happens, then it happened to me in Iwanas, and I had to get out before everybody else would step up. And I I was told that. How can everybody else serve when you're doing it for them? I got out of the way and they stepped right up. And it's amazing how God clears my head because I felt bad about it. But the young people stepped right up and said, I got this. It makes you happy, but it makes you sad. Well, they really didn't need me after all.

SPEAKER_06 8:14

And the thing about it is, it's not that you stepped out of serving, you're still serving, but it's in a different part of the night.

SPEAKER_05 8:21

And this man here is the one that told me that. He said, How can they do it if you're doing it all? So and I'm I'm blessed. Uh God has got this church going in the way he wants it. And whatever he needs us to do, that's what I see let's do. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 8:35

Same with me on that van, 20, I've been doing it a long, long time. And uh, I mean, some of the kids I used to pick up years ago, they're in their 40s now. I still see them often, you know, and they remember them days from 20 years ago. I'd come pick them up. You develop relationships, see kids saved on a church van. You know, think about it. It's cool. Some wonderful experiences through the years, and how's anybody else gonna experience that if I keep it?

SPEAKER_05 8:58

And that's what my Sunday school kids step up about the hands on the wall. I said, these kids are married, got kids. That's how long I've been doing this. I mean, come on.

SPEAKER_03 9:11

Amen. It's just a rerouting. That's all it is. Philip tearing up stuff over there.

SPEAKER_04 9:17

Well, you know, one day you're talking about the the listeners probably don't know what you're talking about, but uh you have your students put their hand on the wall with a painting. You know, they dip their hand in paint or whatever and put it on the wall.

SPEAKER_05 9:29

One day, one day their kids may have their Well, it was wrote on there, little hands can do big things for God. Yep. And they they they put their hand, put it on the wall, put the date on it, and the kids they come back and they see this and they say, Well, look here, that's 2011. That was me. Yeah, look at you now. Yeah, yeah. You got babies and grown, and it makes you feel good. But I've been blessed. I'm still blessed. Amen. Lord's good to me.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Amen.

SPEAKER_05 10:02

Yep, amen. Wonderful teacher. Ah, that's a matter of opinion.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

Have you grown have you grown any personally as a result of having to teach Sunday school?

SPEAKER_05 10:10

Yes, sir. It made me study. There you go. It made me get in God's word where I'd never seen the need to. Is that the way to put it? Yep. And uh these kids expect not only do they expect a need. And I I failed at it for six months. I told you all about that. I I was miserable at it. Kids wasn't getting nothing. I wasn't getting nothing, and I asked God one day. I said, God, what's the problem? He said, You can't teach me without me.

SPEAKER_04 10:40

Amen.

SPEAKER_05 10:41

That was a slap in the face.

SPEAKER_04 10:43

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 10:44

From then on, it's been a breeze. He fills me up with what he wants me to say, whether it's in my lesson or not, and that's what we go for.

SPEAKER_06 10:52

Amen. You know, a lot of people don't encounter this, Rusty, but on like a 530 on a Sunday morning, you know, all three of us in our offices, and you're gonna come by and tell us your Sunday school lesson, and most of the time you're gonna have an illustration with it, and you gotta smile from ear to ear about it just because you know it's where the Lord's leading you that morning.

SPEAKER_05 11:08

That's what you get when you got him in your heart. Amen. Amen. And if you're willing, he's able to provide.

SPEAKER_03 11:17

So were you 60, 63? How old are you? Four. 64. So you started teaching third graders in your late 40s. And uh, you know, from that period of time from say mid-20s as a lot to the late 40s. What about that 20-year period?

SPEAKER_05 11:35

Miserable time of life. I wasn't involved in church any shape, form, or fashion. All I did was work. Uh, I met a little one red-headed woman named Diana. Yep. She was coming here. She got saved when she was like 40. I mean, come home one night and she's crying. I said, What's the world's wrong with you? She said, I miss my wanna kids. Do what? I said, Wanna go? She said, I can't, I'm not a member. I'm a member of the bathroom now. Where are you going? I thought about that. I went on and hard. I said, All right, I'll go to Shady Girl. But my mind was made up. Ain't what for me, the big church, the big folks. Come into Sunday school, I would come in this class, the room down here. Not a person but Greg Lovely shook my hand. Boy, I was mad. We walked out of this church. I told Diane, I said, we'll never grace these doors again. God'll make you a fool if you let it. Anyway, I felt bad. I prayed about it. God said, Well, there you are. You did come to hear me.

SPEAKER_04 12:43

Made it about you, huh?

SPEAKER_05 12:46

So about three weeks later, we came back, and I believe every son going down there shook my hand. At first, God will make a fool of you. Or you'll make a fool of yourself. But he'll be.

SPEAKER_04 12:58

That first Sunday, I don't think you wanted anyone to shake your hands.

SPEAKER_05 13:01

Probably didn't. Yeah. You probably had them in your pocket the whole time. But I told this man right here, Brother David, about a year after that, I've gone more than a year than I grew in the first 40.

SPEAKER_04 13:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:16

Godly. And Don White in the old kitchen took a Sunday school class, and he said, uh, I need a Sunday school teacher. I look at my wife, she says, We can't do this. I said, Well, somebody got to. And it wasn't nothing but God telling me, This is how you're gonna grow, and it's the only way you're gonna grow. Let's go. So here we go. Been there ever since.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Amen.

SPEAKER_05 13:43

And I'm blessed to be a part of a church that allows me to teach. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 13:49

Well, we we we as a church are blessed to have it.

SPEAKER_05 13:56

Cool and it's necessary at their young age. It's a husband and a wife teaching. I think it's necessary.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

Amen. Amen. I I would agree. I mean, they they need to see the consistency of it.

SPEAKER_05 14:10

Well, he told me, he said, You're the only daddy some of these kids ever see. And that slapped me upside the head. I had to think about that a little bit. So you gotta watch your P's and Q's. And just trust in the Lord to lead you, guide you, direct you, and He will. You just gotta open your heart and hear what He got to say. Get yours get you out of the way.

SPEAKER_04 14:32

But you know, they them kids are always gonna come back and remember, just like those hands on the wall, but they're gonna remember you and what you invested in them.

SPEAKER_05 14:42

Well, I I I hope so. Uh my wife told me, she said, I don't understand. When we go to Walmart, the little kids come running, Mr. Rusty, Mr. Rusty, and they grab you. They don't grab me. She said, You're mean. I said, I ain't a mean bone in my body, but they go hear the truth when I speak. And they go listen to this old man. But anyway, it's getting harder and harder to do.

SPEAKER_04 15:03

Uh would you say your patients leave you at an age? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:08

No doubt. Why I'm re re I'm redirecting.

SPEAKER_05 15:14

You quitting. I ain't quitting. He is just stepping aside for a little bit. If he's needed, he'll be there. You ain't got to worry about that.

SPEAKER_03 15:22

I need you, preacher. Well, these kids are different nowadays, man.

SPEAKER_04 15:26

Oh, I'd agree.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

I mean I mean, I they get uh I get that van full and I'm about to go to preaching here in a second.

SPEAKER_06 15:31

Okay, watch out. I'm gonna lose it.

SPEAKER_04 15:33

Well, I I've even noticed caught myself with teenagers on Wednesday night.

SPEAKER_05 15:37

Like, man, I used to would let that go, but my patience gets a little You had me teach one time at teenagers, yeah, and I got so dry mouth I couldn't speak. They scared the out of me. You got it? It was scary. Yeah. Every one of them's eyes, you was saying you was having trouble. I didn't have no trouble. Every one of them's eyes was glued to me in what I was teaching.

SPEAKER_04 16:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 16:04

But after about 10 minutes, I couldn't talk. My mouth got so dry I couldn't speak. I said, I got to go. I told your wife, you might want to take over. I'm through.

SPEAKER_04 16:16

Oh man.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 16:19

Well, God's awesome. He is. He is. I think we all got our Bibles kind of open today to well, I know we do to 1 Peter. Brother David's been in that book. I've kind of been in that book. Um we've talked about it for the last couple weeks. I don't know what direction y'all want to go this morning.

SPEAKER_03 16:41

I don't y'all, y'all, y'all waiting on me to speak up. Well, I do. I got a lot on my mind, but uh, I don't know how much to reserve of it.

SPEAKER_04 16:50

So y'all want to talk about it? If you're looking at uh this week's lesson, I know you probably want to save it for Sunday morning.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

Well, it's encouragement. I just let's start with this. Let's encourage. So I want to be an encourager, right? As a pastor, I want to encourage you, Philip, Rusty, Lane, all these guys, listen to us, you know, encourage you. Well, encourage you towards what? Uh living a life for the Lord. Yeah. Well, how in the world do you do that when you're you've been diagnosed with a brain bleed? You know, how you know how in the world do you do that if uh you know you got responsibilities in the church, but yet job ain't going good, marriage ain't going good, family's tough, got problems with my kids, da-da-da-da. How in the world do you keep going? I think it was a word that Lane used last week on this podcast. I didn't forget about it, but it was press on. How do you press on? How do you keep going? You know, and you address that. So we have been in uh the book of 1 Peter, all right, just started, but uh Timothy's on Sunday nights we've been talking about for a while now. Just began 2 Timothy, but those letters are written by Paul as encouragement, as Peter wrote 1 Peter, 2 Peter as encouragement. Yeah to who? To these Christians who were scattered, who were being persecuted, who were going through tough times, tough trials. And it just excites me to no end to look at the beginning of each one of their letters, Paul and Peter both, whether it was Timothy or these folks that Peter wrote to, and they start out that way. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who have begotten us into uh uh by his abundant mercy, unto uh a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and then just giving words of encouragement to an inheritance uncrupted, undefiled, faded all the way, da da da. And then uh he gets down a little bit further and he starts talking about it, wherein yeah, he says this, verse six, wherein you greatly rejoice. Rejoice, though you're you're going through some trials. You read that in verse six? Amen. True. Your faith is fixed to be tested. But he said, I'm gonna preface that, or you got to rejoice. I just remind you who you are through Jesus Christ, and the hope you have and the heritage you have awaits waiting on you at the end of your life. Rejoice, even though you suffer. Rejoice in these trials. Your faith is being tested. We have to be people who who fan the flames, who encourage one another, who lift one another up, who say things like, You, you, you gotta keep going. You you you know, you just got to. Even though you think you can't. All right, I know I'm rattling on the case.

SPEAKER_04 19:25

Well, no, I I I wrote this down, Peter encouraging here. I may read this wrong or I read this wrong, but I love how he says it right there in verse one. He reminds us that, or everyone during that time, that we're just foreigners to this land.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 19:41

That's the first encouragement right there. Knowing that This ain't your home. This ain't your home. This ground you walk on is not yours. You are you will soon be in a place that is made of the. So that's the very first encouragement to me out of that book, because just uh I'm I'm letting the cat out of the bag here just a little bit, but I'll just say it because everybody won't be listening to me.

SPEAKER_03 20:04

We're in your great rejoice though now for a season in verse 6, 1 Peter chapter 1, now for a season. He's saying for a little while. And me and Rusty can tell you, and you guys can too, now that you've lived a little bit, there are things that you're gonna go through in life that are tough, that are hard. Two years ago, what Philip experienced. Rusty can tell you of the things of failure and bankruptcy and my wife, wife getting cancer. Wife getting, I mean, you think about it. Uh but is it true, Rusty, that it's and when he says for a season, for a little while, you know, it ain't gonna last forever, is it, Philip? You're good to go. Yeah, and I had after that bankruptcy. But when you in the middle of it, yeah, you're thinking, Well, in the world. What am I gonna do? Well, testing my faith.

SPEAKER_05 20:48

Yeah, and that's it. Uh, it's not an obstacle, it's opportunities. Uh my wife and I struggled during her cancer, but we was together. We had each other, and God had both of us dare it. And uh it was after it was over, and she's cancer free. Lord, thank the Lord for two years. Uh there's nothing else I'm getting tears in my eyes because I know God took care of us. He's just seeing what we was gonna do with it. And I believe that with all my heart.

SPEAKER_00 21:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 21:20

And your wife was an encourager to my wife. Because she wasn't the first one. But those who have been where we have been and struggling with cancer, because cancer's a scary thing.

unknown 21:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 21:35

You had support. And that means something to those who are going through what they're going through. It was nice to have, it wasn't necessarily family, it was God's family, but they were there for you.

SPEAKER_07 21:47

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 21:47

You know, when I say my head, when my daughter got cancer, I done that because I loved her, nothing else. You ain't gonna be the only bald headed person around here. I got you. Let's go.

SPEAKER_03 21:58

Yeah, I'm gonna look at it like you.

SPEAKER_05 22:00

I'm gonna walk the walk right with you. Come on.

SPEAKER_03 22:02

Is it true though? It's for a little for just a little while. It's over.

SPEAKER_05 22:06

It's done.

SPEAKER_03 22:07

Hard to see that way in the middle of it. That's what I'm saying for us as encouragers, as pastors, to be able to walk into a situation. And you're gonna find yourself walking in those situations when somebody gets that diagnosis. Or when you go to the hospital and it's bad. You know, and you gotta be able to somehow walk in there with the right perspective and the right frame of mind with the right spirit and let God use you. That's right. To to bring hope. You know.

SPEAKER_05 22:32

And these are these words that we're a lot of these people you're telling that to said, You're crazy. God let me have this cancer. Well, man, I'm not gonna But but there are people who believe this.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

Well, God allows things right there.

SPEAKER_05 22:45

He allows things to happen, yes. But what are you gonna do with it?

SPEAKER_03 22:49

That's exactly right. It's uh the whole purpose of it is the trial of your faith. It's so that you can grow. I'm gonna I'm gonna say this next Sunday and try to make sense of it from a parental perspective. You take Lane and little Elliot now, you know, a little dude I caught him in the women's bathroom yesterday with the door closed, pouring his stuff down the toilet and watching it flush. First time I heard about that one. Being a baby. I didn't tell only. I'm not gonna tell only. But anyway, there are gonna be things that you'll see that you're gonna be tempted to protect him from, but you know that you need to allow him to go through it because of the necessity. That's where you grow, that's where you mature, that's where you gain ground. It's not gonna be easy as a parent. And me and Russ can tell you, even as adult parents, parents of adults, when our kids are in their 30s and 40s, you know, you still they're still the that's still your little boy and little girl.

SPEAKER_05 23:41

That's a fact.

SPEAKER_03 23:42

And uh it's hard. You want to step in there and you want to try to keep them from it. But out of necessity, you realize they need to go through this, they need to experience this.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

Well, they need to grow.

SPEAKER_03 23:53

Think of that from God's perspective, as our Heavenly Father, who knows what's best for us. And when He allows us to experience things like cancer or bankruptcy or brain bleed or what your parents are going through, you know? Do you think the thing that God calls it, God didn't cause us, sin cause it, right? But did God allow it? Yeah, if he's sovereign, he allowed it. But he allowed it for a season and out of a need. If there be a need, and he knew that as a parent, he knows you need to go through this. You need to experience this so that you can grow. Your faith needs to be tested because it's in the fire. It's in the fire, is where you gain ground with God.

SPEAKER_04 24:32

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 24:33

It's in the fire where your faith comes to the top. All the other junk gets burned out, right? And your faith rises to the top.

SPEAKER_04 24:40

I'm gonna make a comment and I'm not gonna take it too far.

SPEAKER_03 24:42

I apologize again for dominating.

SPEAKER_04 24:44

Well, no, no, no. I'm gonna make a comment and I'm not gonna take it too far because something you shared with me. Because something you went through a while or a long time ago in your walk with God, you know, and he allowed you to go through a situation. And you thought to yourself at that moment, when will I ever? Why? You know, and then it was several years later you were able to minister to someone because of something you went through in life.

SPEAKER_05 25:09

Been there doing that.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

Yeah. And and it dawned on you, okay, God, this is why. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:15

You look back over life, you see God's hand all over it. Yeah. If you choose to have that perspective. You have to make that choice though, to see that God intended it for good. But then the whole time you're thinking that's bad. That's bad.

SPEAKER_05 25:30

And there's the attitude is what gets a lot of folks. They don't want to look it through God's eyes.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

And you walk into that situation, that fight, that war, and you're trying to be positive and see God's hand in it, and say, you know what, there's a there's an opportunity here. I see it. But you can't see it. You just have to you're gonna have to live through it in order to experience it. And they're coming. I mean they're coming. And it it's kind of it's interesting because it's kind of uh what's the word? Uh so I look at I look at this young man right here and knowing that you know he's he's gonna have to have these experiences. You know, and even I mean he ain't my kid, but I'd love to to walk before him and try to prevent some of those hard times. I don't know how hard it's gonna be, I'd have been there and done that. Yeah. But at the same time, I know it's been necessary. And you can't stand in the way. It's not intended for you to stand in the way. You gotta let it happen. Yeah. And I hope and pray, you know, he'd go through his entire life and not have to have these kind of experiences, but chances are uh yeah. And you can't grow any other way.

SPEAKER_07 26:45

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

Can I add something?

SPEAKER_07 26:47

Sure. Well, something's been on my mind pretty much all week. I heard it and I was like, man, that's that's awesome. But uh, and thinking about what you're talking about trials, who's the one person that went through a trial for us?

SPEAKER_03 27:01

And it don't get no worse than that, does it? Yeah, no. When's the last time you wept for the Lord? To the extent to where you were bleeding. Think about it. You're talking about Jesus, I know. Yeah, he he he he was so agonized over us. Did you say that right? Over what was coming, yeah, you know, and what God intended for him that he he did. He sweated and it it was, as the Bible says, great drops of blood.

SPEAKER_07 27:31

Yeah. I can tell you uh He went before us uh Easter Sunday after Josh Saint Songboy. It took me 10, 15 minutes to get the tears out of my eyes.

SPEAKER_03 27:42

I could have said amen right there.

SPEAKER_07 27:44

Realize what maybe should have realized what the Lord did for us on that cross being whipped, and nails drove through him.

SPEAKER_03 27:55

We can get so sidetracked and so distracted with life and the things of life, and thinking about uh careers and money and making money and all our houses and all our stuff, and and we forget about the real reason why we're here and what we're doing. That's right. It's so easy to put things down.

SPEAKER_07 28:12

And here's the deal He'd do it all again.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Well, I can tell you from experience, whenever you do that, whenever you're you do, you you're listening to the world around you thinking, I gotta do this, I gotta do this, I need to succeed over here. And God will allow you to go down that road. But this is where you think to get tested. This is where your faith finna get tested. So you bring it on yourself, you don't even know it at the time. At least that was what what it was for me. It is now I can look back, and you know, my effort ought to be to try to share those stories and out of an effort to prevent somebody else having to go through that. You know? Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_04 28:53

I asked a question a w a couple times ago, something about suffering. How do you view your suffering? Uh, and this thought just came to my mind, who are you giving your victory to?

SPEAKER_05 29:03

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 29:04

Who are you giving your victory to? You talk about people with success, and God will allow your success, but he's also gonna give you a trial sometimes with success. Well, what is success? Well, you got two different types. You got you got the worldly success success, and then you got spiritual, godly. Which one's gonna be which one's gonna last? Oh spiritual for sure.

SPEAKER_03 29:27

So which one's more important?

SPEAKER_04 29:28

That the only the only one is spiritual, you know.

SPEAKER_03 29:33

Pop quiz. Uh-oh. I'm out. Who knows where they the only time the words that say is found in the Bible.

SPEAKER_04 29:39

Uh Joshua. Oh, there you go. Joshua 1 13. 1 8.

SPEAKER_03 29:45

12. I think it's 12.

SPEAKER_04 29:46

Maybe it's 11.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

We talked about this about two months ago. Yeah, two months ago. Do y'all know the context? Come on, man.

SPEAKER_04 29:56

Oh, he was just telling Joshua he could be successful if he followed him.

SPEAKER_03 30:01

Well, how did he did he tell him how he was going to be successful?

SPEAKER_04 30:05

Oh, no, I don't remember all that, preacher.

SPEAKER_03 30:08

It's actually verse eight. I told you. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but that you shall meditate therein day and night. You mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. So obviously he's talking about the word of God. And he says, For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Have not commanded you, be strong. I love that. Of a good conscience, courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee wherever you go.

SPEAKER_04 30:41

Mine says, Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Only then. Only then. It's by the word of God.

SPEAKER_03 30:50

You keep this book in your heart. Amen. That might not be success by the world's standards. Is that if you do that, if you be obedient to the word of God, does that guarantee you a million dollars? No. Does that guarantee you a full, happy retirement? What it guarantees you is an inheritance that's incorruptible, undefiled, and fades out of the way that's reserved for you in heaven. Yep. 1 Peter chapter 3, verse 5.

SPEAKER_04 31:16

It's that inheritance, this unchangeable. Unchangeable.

SPEAKER_03 31:20

I'm getting all excited now.

SPEAKER_04 31:24

Well, I love how he adds those words in there. What verse is that?

SPEAKER_03 31:28

That's um, you gotta chime in. You ain't chiming in.

SPEAKER_04 31:31

I'm listening. It's verse, it's verse uh four, and we have principles and inheritance, and inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. Nothing can touch it. Nothing can touch it. You know, I love how you added those words because even back then, I'm sure people haven't had inheritances, you know, and they were due to change at any time. And you would worry about that change. Well, so-and-so may get this, and I may not, you know.

SPEAKER_03 32:02

In that day, it was a huge thing, inheritances. Think about what what was coming, you know, what these people looked forward to. And even today, I mean, me and Rusty's at a stage thinking about that, you know, well, am I gonna be able to leave anything to my kids? Or have I been worried about leaving anything to my kids financially? You know, I may have an inheritance sitting up there at Edward Jones for my kids. But what's more important? That inheritance or what they see in my life.

SPEAKER_04 32:30

Amen. That's that's a good point. What are your kids getting from you?

SPEAKER_03 32:34

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 32:35

Are you more worried about them financially or spiritually?

SPEAKER_03 32:39

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 32:41

I like that. They may not get a dime from me money-wise, but they're gonna know spiritually where I stand.

SPEAKER_07 32:51

Can I add a hand-in-hand between each other? Like one together. Like can they be tied together?

SPEAKER_03 32:59

Like a financial inheritance and an eternal inheritance? Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 33:05

Like financially, you know, people they're not doing good. You know, they're broke, you know, bankruptcy. You're talking about losing losing your house and and all that, you know, and you're don't have anything. Does that put you towards God or does that lead you away?

SPEAKER_03 33:32

Well, I think that depends on where your heart is. And who exists in your heart. If you are a child of God, then it's going to pull you towards right.

SPEAKER_05 33:40

He took everything. Or I lost everything. I only had one way to go. I can either keep digging deeper or I can look up. Well, that would that make you that was a changing point in my life.

SPEAKER_07 33:52

But I'm talking about leaving that inheritance, like like for me, when my kids are old and that's rusty.

SPEAKER_05 33:58

Rusty's been there. I'm gonna tell you my father.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

He had two kids at the time.

SPEAKER_05 34:01

My father left me one thing, that's love. Nothing else. And I'm I am blessed that he left me that. I still think about that man every day because he loved me and he walked for God just like a man's supposed to. He didn't leave me no money, didn't we didn't have we didn't need money. We had love in our family. That's one thing we had, and he made sure of it. And he took care of us. And that's good enough for me. I he left me something that I'll never lose.

SPEAKER_04 34:30

Well, that's what I was gonna say. It's something you won't never run out of. Never. You can run out of money, but you can't run out of that memory of love.

SPEAKER_05 34:37

You can't run out of what your parents left you. And I'm not talking this here. I'm talking what they taught you, how they taught you to walk, how they taught you to talk, everything. And my daddy done a pretty cotton-picking good job of it. Yeah. Your daddy did too.

SPEAKER_07 34:54

Yep. Yep. Do you think uh, which I I know a lot of financially wealthy people, do you think that's their version of love as well?

SPEAKER_06 35:05

You got to go back to that verse for the love of money is the root of all evil.

SPEAKER_04 35:08

Well, you think in their mind they're thinking, well, I'm leaving them well to do, so that's a version of love. That's my version of the people.

SPEAKER_07 35:14

They're godly people. I mean, they're godly people, obviously. Church, you know, growing up and love the Lord and you know, leaving their inheritance, you know. That's this is me taking care of you. Yeah. That's what you're saying.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

My direction, my direction to anybody is going to be, you know, as far as inheritance of your kids, is that what that verse says? You need to leave them something. You want to leave a legacy behind, you want to leave an inheritance behind, then what's going to be most value to them is something that is incorruptible. Well, if it's an IRA account or if it's a million dollars in a bank, is that corruptible? Is it possible to be stolen from you, taken away from you? Right? Could the stock market crash? Could we go back into a depression? But you worked your whole life to leave that kind of inheritance then. Or would you rather leave an inheritance the Bible says is incorruptible, indestructible, it's not going away. It can't leave. No, it's rare, you got your reservation. That should be what we work towards is leaving that kind of a legacy and that kind of inheritance. That's that's I think that's the whole reason I get so excited when I I read those scriptures there in 1 Peter of what Peter is trying to tell these people that he's writing to and us. Look, y'all going through some stuff right now. But let realize, look what you got. Look what's left to you. What you're going through is going to be for a little bit, a little while, a season. And it's necessary. Your faith's going to grow. But oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_04 36:42

These Christians. These scattered Christians that Peter's talking to, had they been taught at this time to leave everything? To leave everything and follow God?

SPEAKER_03 36:55

They had been scattered as a result of their faith. They had been scattered as a result of their walk with Christ, right? So they're no longer in their homeland. If you look at the region where the first two verses there it says where they're at. In today's world, that's northern Turkey, right? That's not Jerusalem. That's not Galilee. It's not in that region where they were. So they were persecuted, they were scattered, they're running for their lives. They lost their homes, they lost their businesses. That's what I was going.

SPEAKER_04 37:21

I was saying, did Peter recognize in them that they were worried about everything they just lost.

SPEAKER_03 37:27

No doubt.

SPEAKER_04 37:27

So he said, look here. I know you're sick, you're worried about what everything you just lost, but there's far much more that's in the herbicence.

SPEAKER_03 37:36

Come on with it. He's fanning the flames.

SPEAKER_04 37:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Yeah. Where he said, we're going to greatly rejoice. You got something to think about. You got something to be joyful about. And you may be, yeah, you may be hurting right now. And right in the middle of a fight or whatever it is in life, you know. But think about this. Put your mind here, get your attitude here, get your perspective where it needs to be. And that's on things of heaven, not of this earth.

SPEAKER_04 38:02

Well, and you got to think about where Peter and Paul and all of them were at this time. They were all in. They didn't care if they would die tomorrow. They were all in.

SPEAKER_07 38:12

Can I be another ask another question? Hey, we'll let you in on this. Come on. And Lane may have said this in his Sunday school. That's probably where Callan got it from, but he asked us a question. 11-year-old asked us this question. Who do you think was the most faithful person in the Bible?

SPEAKER_06 38:33

Yeah, we talked, we talked about Hebrews chapter 11 Sunday because it's the hall of faith. Right. Because we're going down the life of Joseph. Well, it started with Abraham, his grandfather, then went to Jacob, then went to, or went to Isaac, then went to Jacob.

SPEAKER_07 38:48

That was my answer to the generations of faith. When he led Isaac upon the mountain.

SPEAKER_04 38:54

I'm wondering if it's. I mean, that's a good question. Well, my go-to would be Jesus, but besides Jesus. Yeah. Besides Jesus. It makes you want to think was it one of those guys that was called out man of God? You know, it wasn't but a few.

SPEAKER_03 39:10

I don't think it's an accident when he's called Father Abraham.

SPEAKER_04 39:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:13

You know, we reference him as that. Yeah, he was a unique guy.

SPEAKER_04 39:17

Well, I went to Enoch. I'm thinking about Enoch. The Bible don't tell us a whole bot about him, but he was fixing to sacrifice Isaac right there.

SPEAKER_05 39:24

Yeah, that's what I was. I mean, that's that's pretty that's pretty faithful. I know what was gonna do it till God stepped in and said, Hold over this.

unknown 39:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:35

Well, didn't didn't Abraham say God will provide? Yeah. So he had the faith to know that God's gonna take care of test.

SPEAKER_03 39:42

But he couldn't see it.

SPEAKER_04 39:43

He couldn't see it.

SPEAKER_03 39:45

God said, Give me your Isaac. But but God asked anything of me. Anything of me. But do not ask me to give you my son. I'm gonna squaw. Thinking about it. You know what? And think what he did for you.

SPEAKER_04 39:58

And think about how bad they they Would you give up on it? Oh, it'd be tough, man. But think the Lord asked me to. Think about how hard it was for them to have to make you. Yeah. Yeah. Such a gift. Such a blessing. I mean, it was a blessing for them to have Isaac. He struggled. They struggled having Isaac. And then when they got him, God said, All right, give him back to me.

SPEAKER_03 40:22

Yep. What have God? What's God gonna ask of you? Oh man. Could it be this, Philip? I can say this to you. I couldn't say it thereby, I know I can say it to you. God said, give me your business.

SPEAKER_04 40:34

Yep.

SPEAKER_07 40:35

He took it.

SPEAKER_03 40:38

Give me your give me your you know, give me your life. Those things that might distract us. And and you think, was Isaac a distraction to Abraham? Is his his son? I mean long-awaited son. Precious. You know he worshipped him. But he couldn't put him before God. So God said, I need him.

SPEAKER_04 41:02

Well, you'd think Isaac learned through that. Wow.

SPEAKER_06 41:07

What what he learned faithfulness to it. I mean, that's my that's what I wanted to add to it.

SPEAKER_04 41:12

You know, Isaac might as well ain't going nowhere else with you, Dad.

SPEAKER_07 41:15

Well, the trust issue.

SPEAKER_06 41:17

The whole reason, the whole reason we brought that up, Sonda, like I said, we're about to start the life of Joseph, but the whole reason I brought that up is a train reaction. It started with the grandpa, and now it's all the way down to the great-grandson, you know, and how important it is for us. I looked at me and Tyler, me and Tyler in that class together helping each other. I said, How important do you think it is to us for our families after this, for our grandkids after this, for great-grandkids, and so on and so forth, to remain faithful in the in the word of God and the life of Jesus, whatever, you know? How important is that?

SPEAKER_07 41:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 41:50

Pretty important.

SPEAKER_07 41:51

Going back to what you just said, you know. I can't remember what Lane just said. When you said Philom. I can't forgive him. I'm gonna give you, I want your business. Yeah. And looking back, I thought about that a lot. How hard-headed was I? Well, at first originally I thought it was God's plan for the business, and it probably was, you know, it was. And then it came to a point to where I was so hard-headed that he wanted it, and it wasn't what I was led to do that he had a brain, I had a brain bleeding, and I was hard headed, and then hey, it's time to give it up. Bankrupt.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

You know, this is where I need you to be, Philip.

SPEAKER_07 42:34

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:36

And so and that's the same thing happened to me. Yeah. I didn't see God's direction in where I was going. And two years after starting tomato farming down here, I made a promise to God. I said, if I lose a dime, I'm done. Well, I lost way more than a dime. Banker man taught me into doing it again. Well, this time I didn't get just hail. I got hell and spotted wheel virus. He left no doubt.

SPEAKER_00 43:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:04

But it was up to me. And that's when I saw God in my life. And what his direction for me was was not the direction I had. And I had to get out on my knees. Say, Lord, what am I doing here? He said, acting a fool. He said, You made a promise to me, and that's one thing you don't do and not keep it.

SPEAKER_00 43:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:28

You make a vow to God, you better hold to it for all you got.

SPEAKER_04 43:32

I tell those teenagers all the time when they want to come up and I guess you can say recommit their lives to God. I said, Don't you make a commitment you're not going to keep. Thank you, thank you. He will make you pay for it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:45

You know, it's uh interesting you bring it up. My mind immediately went to LG. And it was a time to where I sit on the bank of the river with Logan. Mm-hmm. And he admitted, I'm lost. You know, and and I sit there and say, What is it? What's standing in the way? You know, he said. And that was it, commitment. I do not want to commit to something I don't understand.

SPEAKER_04 44:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:04

Or that I'm going to live up to fully. Yeah. And there's another young man floating around here. It's the same, he's in the same spot. I think he may be saved at this baptism. That's young Malachi. Yeah. Y'all know Malachi. I asked him the same question. You know, and that's what he told me, the very same thing. I'm not going to commit to something I can't. Yeah. You know, I ain't taking it lightly.

SPEAKER_05 44:26

But he's coming all ways.

SPEAKER_03 44:28

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_05 44:29

He's coming.

SPEAKER_03 44:30

Well, that kid wants to end up in uh, I talked to him yesterday on church van, Juilliard. You know what it takes to get into Juilliard in New York City? That's crazy. I'm gonna say, what is that? That's his dream.

SPEAKER_06 44:39

That's up in New York, ain't it? That's in New York. That's up in Buffalo. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:43

That's liberal, that's everything. And what in the world will God do with this young man who who's experienced Rusty Glenn and been picked up in a church van all these years? And you know, will that faith stay with him, you know, if he makes it? I believe that's God's will. I believe it will. I hope and pray it does. But it's as interesting, and he's not committing to anything that he, you know, he didn't just haphazardly do it. And there's you can identify that in some qualities and not everybody, but in certain individuals. And uh you it makes you wonder, well, what the world is God gonna do? And I think it's something let me say this. I think Paul probably identified that in somebody like a Timothy. You know? And uh he may have put a little more emphasis towards certain individuals and poured more into one than he did the other, you know what I'm saying? Because you can just see certain qualities. And Lane mentioned that faithfulness a while ago, and you read it Sunday night in 2 Timothy about an unfeigned, the King James says, unfeigned faith. Right at the very beginning, verse 5, when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith in you that come as a result of your parents, your mother and your grandmother. Yeah. Genius and this inheritance. It was a it was a it was the faithfulness of the Abrahams of the Hebrews 11. Yeah. That that unfeigned, that that faith that is, and Paul's saying, look, I know this about you. I'm gonna get goose myself thinking about it. I know this about you. Your faith is real, your faith is genuine. You can't say that about everybody, but you can pick some out and say it about a certain ones, and then that's the one that he really pours into, you know, and we are beneficiaries of the words that he wrote to Timothy. Man, we that Peter wrote to those scattered, you know. The unfeigned faith that is in you, and this is what he says, this is what I'm thinking, courage. You gotta have faithfulness, Timothy, above everything else, faithfulness.

SPEAKER_04 46:40

So in my lesson last night, you just happened to bring, I gotta bring it up now because you're talking about faith. Matthew chapter 21, it tells you if you have this type of faith, you can do all things. You can even tell that mountain to get up and put it in the ocean.

SPEAKER_03 46:54

That's what scripture said.

SPEAKER_04 46:55

Yeah. And and but that the disciples were confused about how this fig tree, I'm gonna talk about this fig tree, could immediately wither.

SPEAKER_03 47:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 47:06

And Jesus said, Well, if you have this type of faith, you can move a mountain if you wanted to, right? That's what he said. But he was talking about this fig tree and the fact that it it had all the leaves. It looked beautiful. I mean, it was gorgeous. And all the fruit. But no fruit. It had all the leaves. Yeah, all the leaves, but no fruit at all. And it makes me think this morning about our faith, you know, and we may look like we're producing, but there's no value. Genuineness. Genuineness.

SPEAKER_03 47:37

Therefore, it's gonna be tested.

SPEAKER_04 47:38

Yes. Yes, yeah. You have no production. That's exactly right. And and and that's what I presented to those teenagers last night. I said, some of y'all doing some pretending today. You're pretending to be something you're not. Did Jesus test that fig tree? Oh, yeah. He walked up to that fig tree. He knew that thing didn't have fruit, you know, but he walked up to it to make an example out of it.

SPEAKER_03 48:01

So there are those who profess Christ, follow Christ. Yeah, I'm a believer, I'm a Christian. Yeah. Is it real? It may not be. Jesus said, Depart from me, I never knew you. You can say it, words are cheap, but it's in your heart.

SPEAKER_00 48:13

That's right.

SPEAKER_03 48:13

And if that faith is real, it's going to be tried and it's going to rise to the top. You're going to be able to know it. Yep. You'll you'll know a genuine faith, an unfeigned faith, as he said about Timothy. I believe that. Yep. That's the difference between just saying the words. You think about who he was. There's another word, and we said this recently on this podcast. We talked about, I don't know what context, being ashamed.

unknown 48:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

Y'all remember that? But it says that here in 2 Timothy. Oh, you read it. And but he told Timothy, be not ashamed of the gospel. Oh, yeah. Why would he have to write that to Timothy? You think it was tempting for Timothy to be?

SPEAKER_04 48:52

I said that Sunday night. I think Timothy struggled with that a little bit. Exactly. Why else would he say it? When a certain people come around, or when he got around certain people, he may have kind of sit back. There you go. And he said, I'm just going to let hang out with the crowd for that.

SPEAKER_03 49:07

Yeah, I'm down here at the deer camp. Yeah, I'm just I'm I'm an old boy at church on Sunday, but I'm down here. I'm a little ashamed of the gospel now.

SPEAKER_04 49:14

I will not bring up Jesus at the deer camp.

SPEAKER_03 49:17

I got a beard in my hand, I ain't talking about the Lord. Yeah. Right? That kind of thing. He said, Timothy, don't be ashamed. No matter who you're around, do not be ashamed. And then he wrote verse 12, that which the cause of some of these things nevertheless, I am not ashamed of the gospel.

SPEAKER_07 49:34

Okay. Preacher's gonna mangle that uh mic stand up. Like a pulpit. You're about to throw that thing off the knee headset.

SPEAKER_04 49:46

Well, right before that. Right before that, you know, the devil's always confusing us as Christians, believers. Yeah. He wants us to feel timid. He wants us to be feared, fearful, you know, of the people we come around, and man, I don't I need to live a certain way, I need to do this. He tells us in verse 7, God has not given us the spirit of fear. That's right. He had not, I mean, that is just point blank. If you have fear in your life about living for God, it didn't come from God.

SPEAKER_07 50:18

Let me tell you somebody's unashamed. That's my wife. She don't care, she would tell you one way or the other. And I wish I had that sometime.

SPEAKER_03 50:28

It's kind of cool. Old Robertson's their podcast is called the Unashamed Asham. There's something about it, there's something to it. Genuineness, genuine faithfulness, and being ashamed that goes together. How bold are you? That's right. How bold are you willing to be? Yeah. I know from a pulpit's perspective, you know, it's it's one thing to, it's really simple to stand up in the pulpit and proclaim it boldly. You know, but then to do that on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you know, it's easier older you get along, you do it because of your confidence and your maturity. You've grown. You experienced these trials. God has God has grown you, you know. Uh, but as younger fellows like yourself, it's a whole lot you you you question your words. Let's say like y'all for to bring up uh travel ball on Sundays and mess at church, you know. It's a whole lot, it's more tempting for you guys to compromise, you know. Well, you ain't that bigger down, but yet it's their God. Yeah. You know, it's their God. And it's uh it's sad to say it that way, but yet it's the truth. I don't and uh one way that you can be you're talking about being bold. I'm not gonna share that story. I love it when he he he gets us there and he says, I'll too be content. There's just one instance, and it's how I responded to it. Uh it's been about six weeks since I'd seen his family and then playing baseball. That's fine, you know. And uh but oh my goodness, the bottom fell out, and you know, here they come. Oh man, we need to talk. And uh I was questioning their faithfulness, you know, as a result of why they're going through this trial right here. Could it be that God says, Well, I need y'all to see something and I just have to point it out to 'em. You know. I said, You're serving the wrong God, you're worshiping the wrong God. But yet you cry out to him when you need him. Exactly. And whenever you say something like that, although it's bold, it's truth.

SPEAKER_07 52:44

Yeah, they can't deny it.

SPEAKER_03 52:45

And it rusty said a while ago, it's like slapping me with a wet squirrel. Right.

SPEAKER_05 52:50

And and people don't want to hear the truth, the honest truth.

SPEAKER_03 52:54

They don't want to hear it.

SPEAKER_05 52:54

They want to sugarcoat it.

SPEAKER_03 52:56

That's that's right. And it's more tempting on you guys to be ashamed of that side of the truth. And that's what he's telling you on Timothy. Awesome. It's so easy to just say, oh yeah, I'm writing to you from prison, Paul. You know, I'm in prison because of my faith. But I ain't ashamed, and I'm gonna go to the I'm gonna die being unashamed.

SPEAKER_04 53:18

Amen. You know, I said it Sunday night in the pulpit, and I I kind of joked about it, but it's the truth. You wish you could see the other side of the conversation. You know, the the side of Timothy writing Paul or something, you know, like with questions. Like, man, what do you what do you do with this? What do you do with that? You know, what do you do with old brother so-and-so that's acting like this or or something, you know? We're seeing that one side of story, which that's what God wanted us to see.

SPEAKER_03 53:45

Oh, that's the that's the beauty of the spirit, that's the beauty of the inspiration of the Spirit of God to these guys who wrote it, and how it's relevant to us today. Isn't that amazing? It's just amazing. And how you can't believe that the the word of God is alive and unchanging, and yet so, so uh relative. I mean, it is exactly what we need in 2026, as it was exactly what Timothy needed 2,000 years ago. Yeah, it's amazing. It's good stuff. That's where you that's where you're gonna succeed. That's why Joshua said what he said. Get in this book, get in the word of God. That's where you're gonna truly have success.

SPEAKER_04 54:28

I here's another Ryan thought. Um, if I if I got the right information from what I studied, there was four years between 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy, right? We don't really, I guess, know the exact time frame, but there was a good little bit of time between 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy.

SPEAKER_03 54:47

That's also the last book that Paul wrote.

SPEAKER_04 54:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 54:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:50

So 2 Timothy.

SPEAKER_04 54:52

He was all in on telling Timothy whatever.

SPEAKER_03 54:54

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 54:54

Because he knew his time was none to lose. Yep. But is that the last time Timothy heard from Paul was four years ago before he got this letter? You know?

SPEAKER_03 55:06

Yeah. Did he have enough because he'd been in prison?

SPEAKER_04 55:08

Yeah. Did he have enough, I guess you use the word faith, you know? And then he got to a point where Paul had heard he's struggling a little bit. You know? He got worn down a little bit, maybe tired again. And Paul said, uh oh, I better send him a little pick-me-up.

SPEAKER_03 55:29

Yeah, that's right. But you can really see the heart of Paul there, right? Uh greatly desiring to see you. I have remembrance you in my prayers night days in prison. But he can't. You know, and then he tie he he before he prep said that, he prefaced it both grace and mercy and peace. Yeah. You know, these spirits, these fruits of the spirit. Well, here's another thought. Was Paul. All I got to rely on now is my memory of you when I call to remembrance. That's right. The unfeigned faith. So yeah, uh, he probably hadn't seen him.

SPEAKER_04 56:03

Well, was Paul, yeah, I may be, this may be a dumb question. Was Paul in prison for those four years? Those whole four years?

SPEAKER_03 56:11

I think so. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 56:13

So at this time, Paul was either going one or two ways, and I see the way he was going, but he could have just been discouraged himself. You know, and like, man, what he can die.

SPEAKER_03 56:25

He's done. Verse 7, chapter 4. I have fought the good fight. I've finished my course, I have kept the faith. He says, eh, I know what's laid up for me. A crown of righteousness.

SPEAKER_04 56:34

How did Paul die?

SPEAKER_03 56:35

He's gonna give him that crown.

SPEAKER_04 56:37

He was crucified. He was crucified, right? Okay. Don't you know at that time he was like, Lord, let's do it. Let's go. Let's get this over with. You know, I'm ready to see you.

SPEAKER_03 56:51

Was it Peter that was crucified upside down?

SPEAKER_04 56:53

Upside down. Yep. Because he didn't seem to be.

SPEAKER_03 56:59

We done done it again. We're all over the map.

SPEAKER_04 57:01

Well, Paul, I won't say that Peter was crucified upside down because he didn't, he in his eyes didn't deserve to be crucified the same way that Jesus was. He said, Hey, I can't, I don't need to be crucified the same way Jesus was. I wasn't nothing like that, man. You know?

SPEAKER_03 57:20

Rusty, can you recognize genuine faithfulness in people?

SPEAKER_05 57:25

I do believe so.

SPEAKER_03 57:27

In time. Does God give us that discernment, you think?

SPEAKER_05 57:33

Probably so. Uh I try not to use the word judge, and that's not right. Uh but some people, after a little time around them, you know if their heart's right or not. I believe that. Yeah. I believe you if God gives you that. You can't take that instant judgment, because some people are fooling. But in t in time, if you hang around them, you see their heart is right, then you know you got a really good feeling that they got it.

SPEAKER_02 58:01

Amen.

SPEAKER_05 58:02

But I do believe there are some people that will fool you.

SPEAKER_03 58:08

Could we call them uh wolves in sheep's clothing? Yes, sir. I mean, it happens every day. Oh my goodness. How many people are deceived by you know?

SPEAKER_05 58:17

They just show up for church and say, look at me, here I am. And you never see them again.

SPEAKER_07 58:23

I made it this week.

SPEAKER_03 58:25

Amen. I come to church for it.

SPEAKER_04 58:27

Well, I think about that fig tree. I know I keep going back to it. But that wasn't the first time Jesus walked by that fig tree. Right? It said that he was returning to Jerusalem. So he had walked by it on the way. And he noticed, he said, ain't no fruit on that tree. And when he comes back by it, wasn't no fruit either. He says, I'm done with you. Dead. Be careful. Yeah. Hey, I got a question. I don't know how much time we got left.

SPEAKER_06 58:59

We got two minutes.

SPEAKER_04 59:00

I got one minute. One question I want to give y'all, and we gotta make it quick. Talking about the life you've gone through and you know, from the trials in your life, would you say that that in the long run was a blessing in disguise?

SPEAKER_05 59:16

Yes, sir. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 59:18

Blessing in disguise.

SPEAKER_05 59:20

But that goes back to your heart. If you got the heart of God, you see it. But if you got the brain of a man, you don't see it.

SPEAKER_04 59:30

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 59:31

You're mad versus thank you, Lord. That's right. And when you if the day comes when you finally humble yourself and say, Lord, I'm sorry. Please. And if I can't, I'm gonna apologize to you.

SPEAKER_03 59:50

Will he forgive you?

SPEAKER_05 59:51

Yes, sir. Every time.

SPEAKER_03 59:53

Well, if you without fail, if it's genuine. Yeah. If you mean it. If you go to the altar because your wife has been mad at you for a couple weeks and she needs to see you on your knees and it's all fake.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:08

I need to be at the altar every week. She stays mad at me. God can take you out.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:13

You run the risk of God. If you if you play games with God, the wet squirrel is gonna do the wrong thing to do.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:20

That's what that fig tree was doing. It was playing games.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:23

He's gonna slap you in the face with a wet squirrel. I don't think I'll ever forget that title of our uh podcast today.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:30

Don't get slapped. Don't get slapped by a wet squirrel.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:33

Well, I'm gonna you say that, but sometimes it's good for you to get slapped. That's right. That's a fact. Bring you down. I promise you, if he hadn't a slap meat, ain't no telling where this boy would be right now.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:43

So you can rejoice over that.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:45

I have to.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:46

Was it gray squirrel, red squirrel, red squirrel?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:48

It was a black folk squirrel.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:51

I'm gonna say this. A lot of people are still getting slapped with a wet squirrel and they're not waking up.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:55

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:56

Well, I can see the title of this podcast.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:59

Maybe it needs to pick up a grizzly bear and slap them back. That's right. I mean, until something puts them on their knees, they're not gonna change. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:08

We are running out of time. We're one minute over. Love you. Won't be long. That's good. Season two. Yeah. Season two.

SPEAKER_07 1:01:17

Episode two. Oh, season two and episode one.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:20

We're episode 30 right now. Y'all won't ever invite me back, but that's okay. Hey man, you can come up here anytime. I probably can still hear us.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:27

I think y'all are natural. He cracked me up. I don't know if I said it at the beginning, but he said, man, y'all have dressed up and I'm in my overalls. I said, Ain't no camera up here. They can't speak.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:38

Well, we finally got somebody in my generation. Who else do we have? We had Chad. Steve Bowling. Steve. Yep. Rusty. There you go. Hearing from some of these old timers.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:47

I am old, but God's blessed me with the years he's put under my foot. I look at Rusty Groom and think of one verse.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:53

Colossians 3 23. Whatever you do, do hardly to the Lord not to men.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:57

Ecclesiastes is a time and a place. Place for everything. A purpose for everything in his life. In season and outside. You have to allow him to put it in your heart. What do you got in store for you?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:10

Yep. I hope you guys listen to this, you know, are encouraged by our words, our excitement, maybe. That's all this is is an effort to just glorify God. Sit down here and talk for an hour about how good God is. And yeah, maybe, maybe hit on a few things that causes conviction. But you know, if you ever hear something and it stirs you, as I've said recently, or pierces your heart, then recognize that for what it is. And it's God talking to you.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:37

True peace comes. True peace comes from serving the Lord. Surrendering it. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:42

Amen.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:42

True peace. Money gives you a little bit of happiness, but serving the Lord puts something in your heart he cannot lose.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:50

And we see that in every beginning of every scripture of the book in the New Testament. It talks about peace that God gives us. It is it's a cool thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:58

That was a very interesting point you made the other night about that. I ain't never thought about it. But it's there.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:03

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:03

It's always there.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:06

I think that would be my encouragement for everybody is to enjoy the peace that God provides and share the same grace that He gives us. Amen.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:15

Philip. Amen. If you're going through trials right now, hang on. Hang on. I promise there's a last forever. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:26

Hang on to the Lord.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:27

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:29

Grab a hole. And that comes from experience. Because he's got you. Trouble is, you don't grab a hold to him.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:36

Gird up your loins and get at it. That's it. I like it. I like it.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:41

Pager. Gird up your loins. What? Oh, I'm encouraging. Uh go to church Sunday. Amen. Amen. Go to church Sunday. And be early. Come to Sunday school.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:53

Be here at 5 30. I'll take 6 30. Rusty might fix you a cup of coffee.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:01

I'll fix you some coffee and we'll have a conversation.

unknown 1:04:05

Good deal.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:06

We got chicken and gravy biscuits y'all warning.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:09

You don't say the night, Rusty. Chicken and gravy. Well, don't eat nothing unless you ate rusty chicken and gravy.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:15

Food brings people to the church of the house.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:17

Ain't no doubt. Well, you think the Lord said, hey, give me that fish and bread. I'll make us a supper.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:22

Increase it.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:24

I like it. I'm gonna end this in a verse right here, and this is what I ended last night. Been in the book of Exodus with the life of Moses for seven months now. But that's what I ended the kids with last night. Moses said to the people, do not be afraid, stand still, see the salvation of the Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians who you see today, you shall see again no more. The Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:46

Stand still and see the salvation of God.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:50

Didn't they see it? I'll read you verse 31. Thus Israel saw the great work of which the Lord had done in Egypt. So people feared the Lord, believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:04

The people believe you.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:13

Yep. Took a long time. It didn't happen like that. That's right.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:17

It's hard being a leader. And all they did was whine and cry. Yep. Give me more. Give me more.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:22

Falsely accused.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:23

Yeah. Oh, it didn't stop there either. The children of Israel kept being corrupt after that.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:29

It's like they forgot how much God blessed them.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:32

Yeah. And God kept reminding them.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:37

And they uh Hebrews chapter 2, 3, the rest. And the comparison they use is those children of Israel. Don't be like them. It's warning after warning after warning. We have the example. Don't do that.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:50

Back when you done away with the northern kingdom of Israel and Judah, you know, eventually they got to come back a little bit. But it's all in the heart. I mean, they got their heart. Right and got the idols out of the way. God says, You're my people. Come on.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:03

Ooh. Think of what he just said.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:05

Get the heart right when the idols out of the way. And that's that's okay. That's everybody's problem. Is that idol? Anything you put before the Lord Jesus Christ is an idol. I ain't calling a little G God. I'm saying big G God. I said that's taking in the fear of you and me.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:22

You better get it out of there.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:24

Is there really a time limit on this? Because we can keep going. I will reveal one more thing. And you said it Sunday morning in your sermon. It's in uh I don't know what verse this is, but in 1 Peter chapter 1. God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:53

Just the thought of ready to be revealed. You see, that's the last part of verse 7 there, ain't it? I got six and seven coming up. I got six and seven coming up this week. I'm gonna reserve that. I'm gonna reserve those words. Pull them reins back. Pull it back. Hold up. I better close the Bible. Those descriptive terms. You drop the reins, put the spurs in him, and let's go. Let her eat, boys. Try with fire. Might be found under praise. Praise and honor. Honor.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:23

My thought is you talked about that salvation.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:25

He deserves to be honored by your life. All of it. Amen. Not part of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:29

Those of you that have received peace through the salvation, you ain't seen nothing yet. It will be revealed on the last day.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:37

You ain't seen nothing yet. I got my reservations. I think Rusty should pray us up.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:43

I was gonna let these two finish. I feel like they're feeding off each other. I love the way Rusty prays. Yeah. Mr. Rusty, would you pray? Can you close us in prayer, dear, Mr. Rusty?

SPEAKER_05 1:07:54

Lord, thank you so much for these uh these guys here. Uh I was scared to death to come up here, but uh you led me through it, and I appreciate that. Uh you have placed in my heart your love. And I just pray, Lord, that I'm not uh the lampshade. I want to be the light. Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of your church here, your body. Thank you for allowing me to grow in your word, your will. Forgive me where I feel, and thank you so much for your Lord Jesus. Amen.