A Little Snackity Snack

After a long week for everyone, Andrew decided, we just need a chat.  Lizz is back with the boys to talk new music and ask some questions that make them think a little.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:06

What's up, y'all? I'm the one that started that way. Shout out to everybody listening to this podcast. Shout out to the people getting ready for work first thing in the morning. Hi, Mom. Shout out to y'all who can breathe. I saw the pollen on the car. Shout out to the people with allergies. Second. We love. Oh man. What else? What else? What else are we saying on that? Shout out to the people who are the only person you know listening to this podcast. What's up? Shout out to the people in town. I've never been towns. But there's mad people in those towns listening to this podcast that are probably like, hey, have you heard the Eternal Creatures Podcast? No. No one has. No, there's 17 listeners. I don't know who you're talking about. What's up, y'all? Welcome back to the Eternal Creatures Podcast. The podcast for people who view the world different a little bit differently. Oh, oh, oh, hold on. Kind of noticed that I should talk in the mic. Do you hear me? Do you hear me? Good. Y'all can't say it anyway. Shout out to y'all. The podcast for people who view the world just a little bit different, where creators and worshipers are one. Brought to you as always by the Abiding God Studios. Uh, thanks again, Keith. Uh, how y'all doing? What's up? Lukey B's here. We have a podcast. We do. We still have a podcast. Yo, I was just thinking that, Loki. I was just thinking that. I was like, when I was texting you guys, like, hey, so who's the podcast tonight? I was like, these guys are still doing this. Like, these guys are nuts.

SPEAKER_04 1:42

That's why they smiled when we were uh you were doing the little reading and the prayer right before we started recording. I was like, we have a podcast. Yes, this is awesome. It's kind of fun.

SPEAKER_06 1:54

Right?

SPEAKER_02 1:55

Yeah, no, we're in double digits for sure.

SPEAKER_06 1:57

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

That's nuts. That's very nuts.

SPEAKER_06 1:59

Liz is also here, y'all. Liz, how you doing? I'm back. After a month, it feels like.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

You are back?

SPEAKER_06 2:04

I think it's been a month. Is it been a month?

SPEAKER_04 2:07

Yeah. I mean, I guess. Yeah, because we go every two weeks.

SPEAKER_06 2:09

So yeah, I guess technically. Welcome back. Thank you. Welcome back. It's good to have you. Yeah, a lot's happened.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

By the time we're recording this, they have not heard the episodes of just me and Luke, which, you know. Get ready, y'all. Yeah, that was if you haven't listened to them by now and you're listening to this episode, go back and listen to them. They are a treat in their own way. So, uh, but we're very happy to have Liz back.

SPEAKER_06 2:31

Did you just call yourself a treat? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

A treat, a snack, the whole dang table. What you talking about, girl?

SPEAKER_00 2:38

What do you think I'm doing this pod for? What are you talking about? Including the appetite. I'm the appetizers tasters and dosers, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

The AWs of them.

SPEAKER_04 2:59

Maybe even the palate cleansing.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

I'm the on the snackity snack. What's up, man? As you can tell, this episode's about to be about nothing. Oh, speaking of which, oh, that's a good point. Y'all kind of took my dedication. Today, my episode is dedicated to these two.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Yay, looking like that. Oh, yeah. Because for exactly what I said.

SPEAKER_06 3:27

Did y'all hear the high five?

SPEAKER_04 3:29

For the audio listener.

SPEAKER_06 3:30

We should have just clapped in front of our own mics and just pretended it was a high five.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Look at the video look at the video watchers from 2029 or whoever's watching this video.

SPEAKER_06 3:40

Hi kids.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

Oh but yeah, man. Uh today's episode is dedicated to Luke and Liz. Uh, because you know what? You it's not every day you get friends that are crazy enough to to you know just walk your dreams out with you. Uh don't know why they're here. Maybe I'm making too big of a deal of it because we're like, they're like probably sitting here like Andrew, we we talk for an hour like once every two weeks. Like we would have done that anyway. I know. But it's a big deal. It's just stay consistent with it. So it, you know, I appreciate you guys continuing to show up, continuing to be interested, whether you're on certain days when you're feeling great, not feeling that great. I mean, this has been a very, very fun uh experience. It's been one of the proudest things I've ever been a part of. And so, or I don't think that was a English sentence. That worked. But um, yeah, no, thank you guys. You're welcome.

SPEAKER_04 4:32

Thank you for having us. Yeah. I say that like I'm not a co-host, but yeah, happy to be here.

SPEAKER_06 4:37

Thanks for inviting both of us and like allowing us to be a part of your dream. You know, that's super fun.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Oh my gosh, I wouldn't want to do this with anybody else. So I will do this with them as long as I can.

SPEAKER_04 4:49

We have a special guest.

SPEAKER_06 4:51

He has six legs. Um it flies.

SPEAKER_04 4:53

Yeah. What? There's a bug in here?

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Yeah, he's on the ceiling. I don't know what he is, but he's a friend. And y'all thought it was smart to say this in the Biden God Studios? Weird. No, no, no. He's a friend. All right. He's a fellow creature.

SPEAKER_04 5:06

On that side of the room, he's a fellow creation. Oh, that's right. I am. No, we don't have to.

SPEAKER_06 5:15

Nope. Well.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

Darn rocky.

SPEAKER_06 5:18

Thank you, Andy, for having me. This might be my last episode.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Liz, you'll be fine. I think the bug will be out by then. Or we'll have friends.

SPEAKER_04 5:24

Or I'll make friends with him. Mice are cool. I had a mouse run over my foot recently. Yuck. I was sleeping. Where? In the garden shit? Where the heck were you sleeping? I was in California in December, and uh my friend Ryan lives in like rice country, like foreign country. And he lives in this like old house, like super old house. Um and I used to live there for a little bit, like off and on. Yeah. And uh we were always catching mice. Um so when I was there back in December, I had to sleep on the floor because he has a roommate that sleeps in my room now, my old room. Um so I'm sleeping on the floor in the high traffic area where we always caught the mice. Yeah. And uh yeah, felt something crawl on my leg. And I went, at least as long as he doesn't bite me, I'll be alright.

SPEAKER_06 6:17

I was in church this week and there was a mouse that ran across the back of the sanctuary.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Shout out to all the mice. Why are there so many mice in the water?

SPEAKER_06 6:24

I just want some holy gross music.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

I think somebody gave it a cookie. So you say come on, nobody.

SPEAKER_02 6:31

You got it. No, we both got it. New music, yo. What y'all be listening to? Actually, wait, before we do that, this was during worship you told us about the mouse. Because she told us this story right before we started recording. Yes. Okay, this was during worship. So what so what did you do while like So I wasn't on this week, which was nice.

SPEAKER_06 6:51

Okay. And so I was able to float around the room, um, take some photos, help our tech team, and as I was walking from one side of the sanctuary towards the back to head towards our tech station, um, I saw what I thought was a really fast tumbleweed, but then I doubled it too.

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Wait, wait, take it the size of a raisin? Stop.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Stop. A tumbleweed in the church. Girl, we live in Virginia. What do you mean in the church? No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_06 7:20

My thought was let me rational in the rationalizing of my brain in like three seconds was it's a clump of hair, it's a tumbleweed. Nope, it has a tail and four legs. There's definitely a mouse.

SPEAKER_00 7:31

All right.

unknown 7:32

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_06 7:33

And this wasn't a quiet, like really intimate part of worship where everyone almost was like sitting down or lying at the altar, and it was really quiet, and I was just like, I can't scream, I can't do anything. I was gonna go get our director ops, dude. He goes down, and there's only one other person.

SPEAKER_04 7:52

Doc?

SPEAKER_06 7:52

No, um, well, Kevin, because Chris is out.

SPEAKER_04 7:56

I thought you meant you were gonna go get Doc, and I'm like, Well, I'm not gonna do that.

SPEAKER_06 8:02

No, I was trying to get someone to help. And then so poor Alex is just sitting there. I'm like, I'm gonna get Alex. And I'm like, Alex, there's a mouse in our tech station that just ran across, and he gets like one of those like janitor buckets and a broom. He's like, This is for you. I'm gonna go and we'll if it comes back, just sweep it up. And it's like, Well.

SPEAKER_02 8:19

If it comes back, just sweep it up. Scratch it with your hands.

SPEAKER_06 8:24

No, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

This is all very male advice. Um just just sweep it up real quick. Oh, yeah, because it's just gonna sit there and let me do it.

SPEAKER_00 8:32

Yeah. You're just gonna be in the back. You're just gonna be in the back of the sanctuary chasing them with a broom in the bucket.

SPEAKER_06 8:38

Yeah, I feel like Tom and Jerry.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

You guys have to get me off of this uh train of thought because I have some stories that I want to talk about. It's all right, new music, new music, new music.

SPEAKER_02 8:47

Listen, I'm gonna warn y'all now. This is the energy of the episode. All right, we we got nothing to talk about. We ain't been watching the culture.

SPEAKER_04 8:54

I'm watching the news, but we haven't started that on the podcast. So we'll refrain.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

We'll do that next week.

SPEAKER_06 9:01

We've all just been like really busy. We've all just been really busy and haven't had a lot of time to just Yeah, with life.

SPEAKER_04 9:08

This is the first time the three of us have been together like this in a long, long time.

SPEAKER_06 9:12

Mm-hmm. That was all out last time.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

Kind of personally, too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:17

It's been at least like a month and a half, I think.

SPEAKER_06 9:19

No.

SPEAKER_04 9:20

Yeah, since just the three of us hung out.

unknown 9:22

Easy.

SPEAKER_04 9:23

I don't think so. No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

Because what was when was Barnes and Noble?

SPEAKER_04 9:30

Anyways, uh They don't care.

unknown 9:32

All right.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Oh, let's give him some more new music suggestions before we get to the real topics. And so we can actually just start talking. So, what y'all been listening to? Luke, you can start. You were excited about yourself.

SPEAKER_04 9:42

Oh, yeah. Luke Combs, baby. Dropped his album. I don't even remember what it's called.

SPEAKER_06 9:47

That's who he's named after.

SPEAKER_04 9:48

No. Named after a hockey player. But he doesn't That's actually a fun fact. My dad tells me I'm named after a hockey player, but this guy spells his name L-U-C. So I think I think my dad's lying. But I'm not gonna call him a liar. Plus, that hockey player played for the Los Angeles Kings. I hate the Kings. Anyways, Luke Combs, he dropped a new album, The Way I Am. Um, he's been releasing songs off of this, so it felt like the album was already out.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Yeah, but then he released 15 more songs. I thought he was done because he released nine already.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

So I burned through that whole album Um in a single shot the other day.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

Did you really?

SPEAKER_04 10:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:32

Were you on a long drive or something? I was just at work. Oh, you were just kicking it. Alright, cool.

SPEAKER_05 10:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:38

Wait, was I at work? I don't remember where I was. But yeah, I I burned through that whole album. I was at work. I just wasn't doing anything important, so I was just driving around. Um yeah, so I burned through that whole album. Obviously, like all the stuff that's been out for a bit. Um it was just like cool to listen to because it's in my current rotation of songs. And I've mentioned all of those ones on here already. Um, but then all the other ones just blew me away. Like, I think this is my favorite Luke Combs album as like a whole project. There's some like good songs like on his other stuff. Like my my favorite Luke Combs songs are on different albums, but this album as a whole is so well rounded that I love it. Even the songs that weren't like I wasn't so amped about, I was like, I still love this song.

SPEAKER_06 11:34

Didn't you say a lot of them were written in like 2020 and then like kept as like archives or something? Some of them.

SPEAKER_04 11:40

So he he's been doing this since 2020. It's ridiculous. Not in a bad way, like really like kind of cool way. Um let me find it. It's Evermine featuring featuring Allison Krause. Um so back during COVID, um a lot of artists would do like little Instagram lives and they would just play stuff, you know? And Lou Combs was doing that like once a week, I think. Once or twice a week. Um and there was a song he played called Evermine. Um and it's it's about like a soldier that's off in war writing a letter back to his woman. That's a cool concept. Yeah. And uh I remember listening to this song like years and years and years ago. And then when I saw it in the lineup for this album, I was like, no way, he released it. So on his previous album, not sorry, not his previous album, because he did a let me find it. Because he did a he did an album about like fathers and sons. Okay, yeah, yeah. So his last album before this is Fathers and Sons. I haven't listened to a single song off of that album. We don't have to get into that now, but that's intentional that I've done that. On the one previous to that, Gettin' Old from 2023, he has a song. Uh it's Love You Anyway. It's the 12th track. Um he dropped that back in 2020 or 2021, um, as like a little demo. He just poop, here it is, and then he didn't touch it for a few years. Like it didn't come out like, and I'm sitting on this thing, and I just gotta listen to this thing on repeat on Instagram. Because that's like, I think, probably top two favorite Luke Combs songs.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

So, what makes the album so special for you? I'm glad you were talking this whole time. Y'all, y'all, and all the audio listeners missed it, but Liz is like teaching me how to fix a mic the whole time. And Luke is just like, Luke Combs is the greatest in the world. This is why back in 1954. He's giving us a history lesson on Luke Combs, and meanwhile, I'm over here.

SPEAKER_04 13:56

Yeah, I saw you guys doing stuff, and I went, I went, if I probably look at them, I'm gonna totally do it. I disassociated right at the piano. Yeah. Um, this this album?

SPEAKER_02 14:11

It's his reflection. He's staring at himself. Looking pausing. I can see my knee. All right, before we move on, what is what what what do you like so much about this album? Why is it so special for you?

SPEAKER_04 14:21

I don't know if I'd call it special.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

Or is it just like musicality? Is it the messaging? What's I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 14:26

It just it feels like there's a flow with um a lot of the themes. I've said this before. I love sad country music, or like really introspective country music. Yeah, it's just awesome. Um and there's a really good flow. There's like like his first album or his first track is Back in the Saddle, and then it's Back in the Saddle, My Kind of Saturday Night, and those are two like upbeat, like fun songs. Right. Um and then it slows down for three songs, and then it picks back up a little bit, and then it slows way back down for a long time, and then it it just I don't know, it's like a really fun emotional roller coaster, and not in the sense of like, oh my god, I'm feeling all these emotions. It's like this is sick, this flow is awesome. Nice, it all sounds good too. I get I get really irritated when like an album sound is feels like the same song over and over again. Shout out Morgan Wallen's last album, um, and the one before that. We just cooking and the one before that.

SPEAKER_00 15:36

Oh, we're just cooking Morgan for no reason.

SPEAKER_04 15:38

I like him. But just don't let don't put his whole album on because I'll get bored. Just give me give me the hits or the ones that I like.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

And then we're cool on the cool one. We'll tell him the album cover again, then we'll give Liz the floor. What's the Luke Combs one? Yeah, yeah. The Way I Am. Perfect. Go check out Luki. Alright. Me?

SPEAKER_00 15:57

Lukey Combs.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Alright.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

Luki C. Luki C. What is you up?

SPEAKER_06 16:03

Um, so I have uh one new and then a couple like things that I've been rediscovering. Um, so Ella came out with a single.

unknown 16:13

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 16:14

I was gonna say that if you didn't, I was gonna be like, wait, Ella has one.

SPEAKER_06 16:16

I was actually really pleasantly surprised with it, and not like I haven't been pleasantly surprised with her other stuff, but I really just appreciated like the storyline of it. I think it's loving Loving Life, Living Life again.

SPEAKER_04 16:28

Loving life again. Yeah, loving life again.

SPEAKER_06 16:30

And I just really relate to that song in a couple different ways. And so actually, actually. I just thought it was a really cool song that wasn't just about a relationship and it wasn't just about pursuing your dreams or like it just really was hey, I relate to this song, and I think that's why we do this section of stuff that like inspires us or connects with part of our story. So I really like that. There was a song that was released um last like Friday, whenever it was, by Michael Ketterer. Ketererer. It's called Ordinary Man. And I thought listening into the first chorus, it was just like I'm just an ordinary man, like he's talking to like a woman. Come to find out it's actually like he's just an ordinary man saved by God. Yeah. And so it's a Christian song. I actually sent it to Andrew. I think I sent it to you too. Yeah, you sent it to you. I sent it to them. Um yeah, and it was really encouraging, and I was like, Yeah, I really like um just how simply it was put. And I really like Christian country music, and I wish there was more of that, because I really just relate to it.

SPEAKER_02 17:37

Yeah, I'm still working on finding Christian country I like consistently. Um there are a couple good artists out there, but uh yeah, um Corey Asbury is one who has a he's not country, but he has the he's got like, I don't know, he sounds less CC. He's suburban country, he's got twang.

SPEAKER_06 17:55

So some other things that I've been listening to, they they're not new, but I just really appreciate them. Um it's the Riverside is an artist, and they have three EPs called the Riverside Hymnal, and it's just hymnals done in a more like bluegrass um acoustic style setting type of way. So I was looking at doing a couple different hymn arrangements, and there was this guy on my team who plays like blues like a picking style, and so I was trying to get some inspiration for it. Anyway, that's how I discovered this band, and I really like it. So they have three different EPs of just fresh arrangements of the hymns, which I really appreciate. There's this album by Stephanie Gretzinger that I've been listening to called Faith of My Father, which is like songs of like the 80s to early 2000s and just done in a very acoustic style, so like More Precious Than Silver, or Come Now Is the Time to Worship, or There Is None Like You. And I just really like those simple songs because I grew up singing those songs, not really understanding them, but they're very nostalgic in faith to me. And then the last one would be King's Kaleidoscope, their title album from I'm gonna guess it's like 2023 or 2022. Uh it's the one that has like a class, oh 2023, King's Kaleidoscope. So I re-listened to that one because when I first listened to it when it came out, I was like, I don't like it right now, so I'm just gonna figure it out later. And then I figured it out like this last week, and I was like, I really like this album.

SPEAKER_04 19:26

Is that the one with a prayer?

SPEAKER_06 19:30

That's um beyond control, but I love that song.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Yeah, that one's nuts. Dude, uh, I love doing that. Like when all of a sudden an album makes sense to me, it's one of the coolest feelings in the world.

SPEAKER_06 19:43

Yeah, it wasn't like I didn't like it the first time. It was like, okay, I'm probably gonna appreciate this better in a different season.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Right. Yeah, yeah. Uh Ann Wilson was the other person I wanted to give a shout out to as far as like I seen her live. Country Christian kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 19:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Did you really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:01

She was like five feet away from me. Oh, that's sexy.

SPEAKER_06 20:04

She came walking down into the rows and what's a hammy length away.

SPEAKER_04 20:09

Huh?

SPEAKER_06 20:10

Five feet.

SPEAKER_04 20:11

Hammy needs to be held at ten feet.

SPEAKER_06 20:14

I'm talking about her height.

SPEAKER_04 20:16

So, like sideways.

SPEAKER_06 20:19

Moving on.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

I don't know what these guys are talking about. Anyway, these people are falling asleep.

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Although, with good music, though. They're falling asleep with sick album recommendations. I didn't mean it. Alright, let me rattle through mine while we go ahead. Uh there's a few I've been looking at, but haven't been listening to. Um, the one I've listened to, you know what, Jamie McDonald. I'm gonna have to give you some credit. Because look, I know you're already all over the, I can just hear it from the style of music. You're already all over the Christian radio stations. 90.5 Life FM, I'm sure you're playing her all the time. But her out her album that she released like relatively recently, uh, self-titled Jamie McDonald, it's actually really good. If you like, if you like like uh just big voice, uh I don't know what you call it, just contemporary Christian gospel, that kind of sound. Mom, if you're listening to this, you're gonna love her. Um, but she's actually pretty good. I tend to like not love like the CCM kind of style, but she's actually she's actually pretty good. So I'll I'll give her her credit. Red Hands. Uh they are like a jazzy kind of gospel project. They have an album named Red Hands, uh, also pretty decent. That I like that. That's a lot more RB jazz kind of style. Uh I like that a lot. The Grow EP by Field Lily. Um just a sweet little EP about growing up. I've already told y'all. Coming of age stories, that's the thing I'm feeling right now. So why? Because I'm 28 and that's all my life is about. Um, my girl, Allie Pay!

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Drop the single God of my seasons. I love it. I love it. I do.

SPEAKER_02 22:04

Allie Paige is one of my favorite artists. I don't know why. She just hits my sweet little uh Christian indie alternative soul. Um my man Isaac We're gonna like I feel like all the spit in my mouth gonna caught. My man Isaac then is a little brand. Listen, man. It's not coming in the pod, man. You're not scrimming it. Isaac Whedon, where are you? Or where you are. Good song. Uh Brooke Liggard Liggard Wood. She's releasing a project called Eat. Um, it's actually she's released a couple singles, Even Death on the Cross, The Warren.

SPEAKER_06 22:51

That one is based off of Ephesians 2.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Dude, it's actually really good. Really good project. And that's it. Yeah, no. Otherwise, I've been listening to the music that they've been suggesting, and I love it. So um, all right, let's move on. Let's move on to the good stuff. So, today's episode, we're just chit-chatting, honestly. Yeah, I just uh Bidencont Studios, and thanks for hosting us. Um, I just had a bunch of questions that I was like, you know what? I just want to get back to chit-chatting with my friends. Uh I wrote down a bunch of questions, let them know, hey, go ahead and pick a couple or add some of your own. And so we are going to do that. We're gonna just chit-chat. Ask, ask questions to get to the heart of stuff, man.

SPEAKER_04 23:38

Not it.

SPEAKER_02 23:39

Liz, what's this hot seat thing?

SPEAKER_06 23:41

I want to do it at the end.

SPEAKER_02 23:42

Oh, you want to do it at the end?

SPEAKER_06 23:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:44

Alright, cool. All right, who wants to ask their question first? Not it.

SPEAKER_06 23:48

I'll do. Alright, Liz, go ahead. Imagine if I just said hot seat. Oh, Liz!

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Imagine if you said hot seat.

SPEAKER_06 23:58

Frick it I. I wanted to start with, wow, I just stuttered. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_04 24:04

I wanted to start with this question here.

SPEAKER_06 24:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:08

This one is nice.

SPEAKER_06 24:09

Yeah, it's meaningful.

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Okay, go ahead. No, it's it's I know I know which one you're you're doing. I wrote it for that reason, actually.

SPEAKER_06 24:17

I was gonna start with what's your morning routine? Yeah. I thought that was a good one to just start with. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:24

Um, I open my eyes, I turn my alarm off, and I put my pants on and go to work.

SPEAKER_02 24:31

Like a man. Uh you don't do anything else, you don't eat breakfast, you don't brush your teeth. No, I brush my teeth. All right, cool, cool, cool, cool.

SPEAKER_06 24:40

You put on deodorant?

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Oh, yeah, I do that too. Alright, alright, cool, go. He's like, I thought that was obvious. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:46

Uh do you uh so waking up for you is just going to work? Yeah. Well, you don't have an actual like nope, no routine. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 24:53

Yeah. I I actually loathe morning routines.

SPEAKER_06 24:58

Okay, well, then you're gonna take my answer. So I I'm excited for this answer.

SPEAKER_02 25:02

I get up and I immediately look at it. I'm gonna sound like an amazing Christian. I'm not. I'm just that's the the reason this routine is my routine is because I'm trying so hard. Uh I'm not. This is just what I need to like, you know, breathe throughout the day. So I get up, I immediately do 10 to 15 minutes of silence. Uh just look at Luke.

SPEAKER_04 25:22

Luke's already eight hours of silence, bro.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

No, but away. Silence. Okay. So I do silence because I'm practicing. I think I told y'all in the past episode that I'm practicing solitude and silence. So I get up.

SPEAKER_06 25:38

Hey, John Mark.

SPEAKER_02 25:40

So I I get up and I do that, which is nice because instead of checking my phone or doing anything else, I just sit and just be for a little bit. I get to like let the thoughts that immediately hit my head first thing in the morning run through me. And I can, you know, just you know, just focus a little bit and just exist. Why are you I haven't even gotten through half of it, so you might as well get the chuckles. What do you what is this so funny about this? I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

I don't have thoughts when I wake up.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Oh, I do.

SPEAKER_04 26:08

My thoughts are I don't want to be awake. Where's the caffeine?

SPEAKER_02 26:12

No, I do. I do. For some reason, my worries hit me immediately. So I get up at six, that's what I do, and then I will typically throw on my weighted vest and or I'll do something beforehand.

SPEAKER_06 26:27

So if like a weighted blanket?

SPEAKER_02 26:30

No, like a like a weighted vest. Like what people. Oh, okay. So again, I'm gonna throw on a weighted vest. Stud. Trying to be that too. And so if I'm doing like a devotional or something, like I'm going through a devotional, then I'll do that beforehand. But once the sun gets up, I'll throw on the weighted vest and then I'll go on a walk, and then I will work on I will usually listen to my Bible reading plan because I am trying to go through the Bible, and I will uh do like a prayer Lectio Divina style or like guided prayer based on scripture or something like that. Um, why? Because I need all of this. And I have the time to do so. Like this probably won't be my everyday for the rest of my life routine. But right now I have the time, I need the time, and uh and then after that I come home, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, all that kind of stuff. But yeah, that kind of it gets my head in a good place in the first thing in the morning.

SPEAKER_06 27:27

I like it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

What's yours?

SPEAKER_06 27:30

Um, so unfortunately, I wake up and I was about that got dark.

SPEAKER_02 27:37

I was about to say, imagine if it was just yours. She was like, I wake up, put on my pants, and go to work.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

I'm like dang.

SPEAKER_06 27:45

So it's just me who takes four hours to wake up and No, I take a while away. So the the reason why I say unfortunately is because like I typically go to bed with the intent of like having a long morning, but then I have my alarm clock in my bathroom set on 20-minute increments for snoozing. And so I don't ever get up at the time I want to. I'll just take three 20-minute naps and then start an hour later.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

So I could you you get out of bed to turn the clock off. Oh, you're one of those.

SPEAKER_02 28:15

You're one of those people. You're you're the snooze people. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 28:18

I'm a snooze person. I set four alarms every night.

SPEAKER_06 28:21

Yeah, but I try to s I try to do this thing and I was good for about five years. Haven't been so good about it recently of like not having my phone be alarm my alarm clock because of the reason of like not wanting to to be the last thing I look at and the first thing I look at in the morning, so that's why I have an alarm clock in my bathroom. And I thought it would help me, and so I'm trying to get back into that rhythm. But when I do finally get up, it's typically well now, it's drink a glass of medium hot water because it helps so lukewarm?

SPEAKER_02 28:51

So you just that's not an okay word.

SPEAKER_01 28:56

It's it's just a word, I it's got my name in it though.

SPEAKER_06 29:00

Are you feeling warm?

SPEAKER_01 29:01

No. Liz, continue.

SPEAKER_00 29:05

The reason why is because I'm fancies. Everything we do in the morning. Luke is just like, look at these dorks.

SPEAKER_04 29:15

I have the ultimate reason why I keep my phone next to my bed. What? Like, because you said you don't like to keep your phone next to your bed as like the last thing you see and the first thing you see.

SPEAKER_06 29:25

Correct. Do not call me in case of an emergency.

SPEAKER_04 29:28

No, no, no. I don't. No one. I have my I don't sleep very well. So if I'm up late, that's it's gonna sound crazy, but if I'm up late, I know I have a better chance of seeing if like war broke out somewhere in the middle of the year.

SPEAKER_06 29:43

Which happened twice at the end of February.

SPEAKER_04 29:46

Yeah. I I was scrolling when Venezuela happened and scrolling when Iran happened.

SPEAKER_02 29:52

Have you ever been in the military?

SPEAKER_04 29:54

No.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

Then why do you wake up like a Navy SEAL? Relax, son. Relax. Get up like the neighborhood. Jesus, guys, this boy wakes up like he wakes up underground. Alright, ladies, continue your normal birthday routine. Alright, Ladies, guys. Chucks.

SPEAKER_03 30:19

You said what? She called us chucks.

SPEAKER_06 30:22

Luke calls us girls chicks, so I call them chucks.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Yo, that's actually pretty good.

SPEAKER_06 30:28

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 30:28

I didn't like it.

SPEAKER_06 30:30

Great. Chuck. I don't mind it. Anyway, Chucky, I drink hot water.

unknown 30:35

I don't like that.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

That's offensive. You crossed the point.

SPEAKER_06 30:39

I drink hot water because it helps with my metabolism. Then I make my latte at home, which is nice. And then I try to journal. Um, it's been hard recently, but I'm starting to reread um Paul David Tripp's uh New Morning Mercies devotional because it's something that my grandfather actually did, uh and he just passed, so I just wanted to read the book because he read it like for five years every single day because I gave it to him. So I was like, I'm gonna do it and try to read it too. So it's been sweet. And I try to eat breakfast. This sounds as really bad. I eat breakfast when I'm driving to work because why is that bad? Well, typically you should keep two hands on the wheel.

SPEAKER_04 31:23

So who says that?

SPEAKER_06 31:26

Typical people.

unknown 31:27

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

Tracks. Well, well, we just learned Luke's always ready for war. So he's got a gun in his one hand, a burrito in the other, and his foot on the steering wheel. So this man just lives different. Don't look at me like it's cool. Yeah, no, that is cool. I've done that before. I've done that before. Lazar, what else do you have?

SPEAKER_06 31:46

Is it is I make my lunch at home because it's economically smart.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

So that's it. Well done. Thank you. Alright, y'all. That was well, thanks for watching.

SPEAKER_00 32:01

Play the music with your ears.

SPEAKER_04 32:03

Luke doesn't sleep, so he can see if war happens. Yeah, right. And then you're our morning routine.

SPEAKER_02 32:08

What did we learn today? Alright, Luke, you want to ask one of your questions, or you want me to go? Oh, you you can go ahead. I need to recover. Alright, cool, cool, cool. Uh, let's see. Do I which one? Do do do do do Okay. This one's interesting. What is your best guess at this time at what God made you for? Take it away, Liz.

SPEAKER_00 32:31

Well, he's just passing stuff off to somebody else.

SPEAKER_06 32:35

I was gonna say joke answer first. I was gonna say be a doormat.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Oh wow, that's that that's but then I'm we can't afford sound effect board, so it's just me.

SPEAKER_06 32:49

But for the record, I refuted it and then you asked me about it. So well, I also egged it up, so it's all fine. But I'm sorry, can you say the question again?

SPEAKER_04 33:00

To your best guess, what do you think God has made you for? Yes.

SPEAKER_06 33:03

Like purpose? Yeah. Sure. Um, well, I feel like in this season, like I'm very grateful for the way that I've been able to show up for people. And so the way that I'm able to I don't think it's always healthy, like never addressing your own story, but I'm I'm learning that there's grace for people to pour into you and that you're also given the chance to pour into other people. So something that I'm really like grateful for is even though there's like a lot of questions or I'm grieving like some things with my family, like I'm grateful to be placed in situations where I could just like be an encouragement to people, um, to see people to walk through their seasons as I'm also like asking the Lord to move in my life. He's still giving me the opportunity to listen to people, to encourage people, to remind them of truth, to point them back to God, even though I'm still in that same season, and we're all in that season at the same time. So I'm honored to be trusted to encourage people as I also need encouraging. I feel like in this season, um, like I've just been kind of like charged to bring stability to a couple different areas of my life that have needed it in my family, in a couple different um like other areas, like with my friendships from college and like them going through like moving transitions and so just trying to be to them what I would want for me right now, too. So and all in the purpose of like discovering purpose and will, like trusting the Lord will work out whatever dreams and passions I have, like the realizations of gifts stuff, all that will come to fruition. But right now, like I'm just tasked to take care of the people around me.

SPEAKER_02 34:52

Do you think that what your your current situations, like what you're going through, has helped with that area? Like maybe it's made it it's made other people's like situations that need encouraging more relatable to them because you're going through your own. Like, do you think it's helped at all or do you think it takes away from it, maybe?

SPEAKER_06 35:14

Something I've really been challenged with is like the concept of like what did James really mean when he said like joy and trials? And we had this like moment, not this past Sunday, but the Sunday before, where we're really we're leaning into the joy of the Lord being our strength, and that's how we fight um when there are trials and tribulations or persecution or just any challenges. And I'm just always remember that like Peter encourages us that it is through these trials that the genuine test like the genuineness of our faith is tested during this, and like there is rejoicing when we're becoming more like Jesus at the end of the day through this, through the formation of the Word, the Holy Spirit, our community, and most importantly, the Lord being the Lord over our lives. And so I think more than anything, like personally, I'm being challenged of like what it means in my walk to keep having faith and keep having joy despite these things. But I am grateful that the trials give me maybe not the exact scenario of everyone around me, but to empathize what it means to struggle with faith and doubt or joy in the ashes, and so I'm it's weird, it feels like you're building up a life experience resume to carry weight and joy and faith at the same time so that you're able to like help others while you're doing it, because no one's had it figured out, everyone's living for the first time, they're all trying to f follow a good God, which is like something I have been saying for a few months now. We're all just trying to follow a good God, and you know that he's good, and you're all trying with the help of the Holy Spirit, and so I'm grateful for that. It's it doesn't feel like it's a big purpose, but I think that gives me more purpose if it's not this like monumental goal, but there's more of like, oh, I can see this in like everyday purposes right now, yeah, as I'm waiting for like my other dreams or aspirations or certain events to happen in my life.

SPEAKER_02 37:09

See, I feel like it's interesting listening to yours because mine is somewhat similar. I feel like for some reason that my purpose, as as well as I can assume at the moment, is to help people love ordinary life. And um yeah, you do a good job at that. Thank you. Yeah, um, I think my f like I'm not a super um I I don't have like this super drive to travel. Like I think there's a lot of people who like they just want to go places or they're chunk constantly traveling and experiencing the world, and I think that's great. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, and I'm I'm not saying it's I don't want to travel ever, but I like being a homebody. I kind of like being uh like I like my community and I like um just making the most out of everyday life. And so whether it's hiking in local parks or just hanging out with friends at a great coffee shop, and like I think I I think God is really helping me redeem my heart and my mind for my personal life, and it's helping me sort of um just sort of see the beauty in life, whether I'm in a great situation in life or whether or or I'm not. And as a result, because I do like also encouraging people, kind of like you mentioned, you know, I sort of want to help people see the beauty in life, and I think even I think that's sort of the mentality behind the podcast, is like it, you know, a major part of it, aside from having just interesting discussion to listen to, is or I hope you guys are interested in this, but uh is uh like suggesting music or suggesting uh just good writing, or that allows you to just be introspective on just how special it is that we're alive. Like, I think that's one of the nice things about like we talked about my morning routine. It going outside is a massive part of it because it just reminds me of how crazy it is that all this stuff exists and how much bigger the world is than I understand. And I don't know, for some reason being outside makes me like makes me really feel like, and it always has been, but it makes me feel like God is like truly he's more real than I I can understand, and it it makes his love for me more real, and you know, just yeah, I I want to continue to understand that, and I want to wake up every day, you know, experiencing him in his world, and then bringing that to the rest of the world around me. And so learning how to do that more and more is something I want to do so I can just keep bringing that to people. Like I want I I like the idea that God loves the mundane, I I like the idea that he made life this way for a reason, and we're bored with it not because he's wrong, but because we're not viewing it through his eyes. Yeah, and I want to view the mundane everyday life through his eyes and help people see it for how special and beautiful it is to just be alive wherever you are.

SPEAKER_04 40:28

So yeah, yeah. I think that's uh I think that's like really cool, like going out in nature and just like finding God there, you know. Um the thing that came to mind just like listening to that is like have you seen like the meme where it it's like get off your phone and go touch grass?

SPEAKER_06 40:48

Yeah, oh my gosh, I did that today.

SPEAKER_04 40:51

Yeah, it's like that, you know, it's like reconnecting with the Lord in nature is like that system reset, and it works so much better than a lot of other things, you know.

SPEAKER_06 41:03

So he spent five days creating it. He spent five days creating it.

SPEAKER_04 41:07

Oh yeah. I thought you were saying Andrew spent five days creating it. I'm like creating what exactly.

SPEAKER_02 41:16

What does Andrew make?

SPEAKER_04 41:18

He makes us happy.

SPEAKER_02 41:19

Oh, move along. Um my was it purpose?

SPEAKER_04 41:27

Was that the word that was used?

SPEAKER_02 41:28

Uh yeah. What do you what do you think is God made you for? Like, what is your purpose? As well as you can guess. Being none of us know a good dude.

SPEAKER_05 41:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

Anyways, um yeah, I think when you ask that, um it brought me to the ide the the like super Christianese question of like, what's your calling? What's your calling? Let's help you find your calling, let's help you find your and I'm like, oh my god, give it a rest. I'm like, I can I could empty out those sort of conferences about like what's your calling. I could empty those places in like two minutes. All you have to say is, where are you now? Like, where are you right now? That's what you're called to do that. And when it changes, then you know what you're at next. You know what I mean? Yeah. And then it's like I get that's very that's very real. I get the the idea of like, you know, there's something that the Lord has called you to down in the future, but like you're not a time tra traveler, so don't worry about it. Just be where you're at now. Um and I have to tell myself that because I look ahead and I'm like, what am I doing? You know. Um but I think yeah, like I don't have like a a clear thing of like if I had to do that like future perspective thing, there are things that I would like to do that I've talked about previously, but right now um yeah, I feel like I feel like this is gonna sound crazy, but like I feel like I'm doing a good job at what my purpose is right now. Like I'm present in my day-to-day life. Dude. Present with my friends, yeah. I'm present at my workplace, I'm present at my church, I'm present in the youth group, in the young adults group, like I'm here, you know? Yeah. Um and that that has that hasn't been something I've been able to say most of my life, like I guess not most of my life, but like the last 10 years of my life, it's like I've had little blips of like, yeah, I'm supposed to be right here, right now, and I'm present. But a majority of it has been like, what am I doing next? Where am I going? What's my calling? You know. But yeah, it's like that that thing that you were saying about like getting people to enjoy everyday life, you know. Like I didn't I didn't have that before we were friends. You know, I had blips, but as of as of late it's been very consistent. Really? Like yeah. I like where I'm at, you know. It's very easy. Oh go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 44:13

Like of the enjoy your life, enjoy your work, for this is God's gift to you type of thing.

SPEAKER_04 44:17

Yeah. I've I'm not in a um not the turmoil part of ecclesiastic.

SPEAKER_06 44:23

The the hopeful, simple but really true.

SPEAKER_04 44:26

I'm not like a a uh what would you call that?

SPEAKER_06 44:29

Like in despair?

SPEAKER_04 44:30

No, like uh a big Ecclesiastes guy. Like I think I've read it once. I love it. I got through like all the like you know humdrum stuff and I went, man, that's not fun. But anyways, but no, that that yeah, that's a good point.

SPEAKER_02 44:45

Um You know why I love Ecclesiastes though? I feel like it calls it ultimately calls you to presence because it's like, dude, we we worry about all this nonsense. I've experienced all the nonsense you're worried about. It ain't nothing. But y'all keep worrying about it. Let me tell you right now, it's crap. And nothing you worry about. You might as well just go and live. Yeah, that's what what changed that for you recently? Because I'm starting to get into that place of like making small changes that make me more present. And dog, it's it's changing.

SPEAKER_04 45:20

Um honestly, uh, how much I complain.

SPEAKER_05 45:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:30

I I noticed towards the beginning of the year that I was complaining a lot and just um a real like negative dude. Um and it was it was eating away at so many different parts of my life that like I just realized I was like, man, I'm miserable, and it's nobody's fault but mine. It gets exhausting. Yeah. I just like exhausted myself. I'm like, dude, all of this stuff you're complaining about is like not an issue. And it the the funny thing is, I think I was telling my mom this on my way um home from work today, but I was like, like it's nothing that I haven't been through before. You know? Like all of this stuff I was complaining about, I was like my whole complaint was like, man, I've been through this before, and blah blah blah blah blah. And then it was just like, dude, shut up. Like stopping a luss and just man up, you know. And yeah, and just getting to a point of like it's okay, you know, people are gonna be who people are, and you know, things aren't gonna go your way, but like don't let it affect you, you know.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

Well, also Jesus Jesus did so much for us to be able to redeem our heart, to get us, to be able to get us out of that place of being trapped by negativity. Obviously, sin is still here, so we're gonna keep we're gonna continue being hurt, we're gonna have to heal through that, and that's gonna take a level of negativity. And there's some times where you can't get out of it because you're in the middle of processing it. But at the same time, when we think of all the work that God has done to bring us back to to him, to the sustainer of all life, it's like, dude, I can't like when you hit that point where you realize I don't have to be negative. I am negative, I don't have to be. I'm holding on to something that I've that I'm kind of out of like I'm getting out of processing.

SPEAKER_06 47:48

Yeah, there's like not an option except to just let it go.

SPEAKER_02 47:52

Yeah. And figure out, okay, God loves life, and I'm still here for some reason. So he clearly cares about me, he clearly loves me, he clearly wants me here. What why am I here? Jokingly, and how can I take this and how can I see myself and this situation through his eyes?

SPEAKER_06 48:19

Jokingly, when I wake up sometimes on the third time to my alarm clock, I'm like, well, I'm up another day. Like that's genuinely a thought, and then I'm like, nope, there has to be a reason why I'm alive, otherwise I should have just died in my sleep. And that's not a morbid type of thought. Yeah. That's like uh, well, if there's breath in my lungs, I can give it to him and should and will. And there's something for me that I have to do today. And it's not like, oh, I have to go to work. Oh, I have to do these appointments. I have you know what I mean? It's not that type of thing. It's like, okay, for some reason the Lord still has me here. I'm just and kind of like what you were saying before, Luke, of like, I'm gonna go to work where he has me right now. I'm gonna go hang out with the friends that he's placed me around with right now. I'm gonna call my family, even though stop.

SPEAKER_04 49:02

No, I was gonna say, and our friends are sick.

SPEAKER_06 49:06

I thought he's gonna get on the chuckle train again.

SPEAKER_04 49:08

Well, keep talking.

SPEAKER_06 49:13

For some reason I'm still here. And if it's for some reason. Exactly. If it's the bother of PP forever, I'm okay with it.

unknown 49:24

Alright.

SPEAKER_03 49:25

Alright, I'll get to ask a question. Yeah, go ahead. Ask your question. I want I want to hear what you're getting.

SPEAKER_04 49:33

What is what was my other one? Hang on. That one's deep. Yeah, we'll go with that one. Uh what is something you've been contemplating lately?

SPEAKER_06 49:45

Take it away, Andrew.

SPEAKER_02 49:47

Oh, what did I say? Oh, because I was thinking about obviously I wrote all these questions, but great potter. Um, what was I thinking? Um, how to how to submit without being afraid. Um, as I I'm kind of in that position. By the way, I want to give y'all a challenge. Um if you have a job that you use YouTube or social media to distract you through the job, because maybe it's just boring. I challenge you to not do that thing between nine and five and see what you feel during the day. Right? Like that is that's a level of presence that I had to work on.

SPEAKER_04 50:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Because I am going through life, feeling a way, reacting to life, but I don't actually know what's going on with me throughout the day. And so I think, and so as I've been doing that, I'm kind of seeing the way my life is and the way that I've just like I'm almost like waking up, I'm like, oh crap, this is how I'm living. And I'll be honest, in a lot of ways, don't love it. Don't love it. I'm just gonna be real. Camera, audio listeners, just screaming into them, like, I hate that. I don't love it. So, what am I gonna do about it? And so there is this balance between my own desire and allowing God to move in me and then God to open doors. Because what happened, I'm new to this thing. I'm new to this like truly following God thing. So sometimes I'm like, oh gosh, I can't handle this life on my own. You just do it. And I just want to sit back and let life come to me. Well, guess what? That's how I got into this situation is just not taking, not taking any initiative. But then there's but then I'm like, okay, well, once I realize that, I want to switch hardcore and be like, I just gotta make it happen, get it done. And now I'm stressing out about life that I don't control. So, what is that balance of letting you take the lead, but also uh playing your part in it and doing playing my part and going, allowing my desires to be shaped by him, but lead me in a direction. And that's what I've been contemplating.

SPEAKER_04 52:35

Yeah, it's like not being stagnant, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:38

Yeah, not being stagnant, not being afraid to say, I can actually pursue things I want, yeah, be okay with the parts that don't come, that don't like work out the way I want it to, and trust that God will lead me even though my decisions are not always in his plan. Yeah, like trust that he's gonna turn me the way he wants me to, and that requires the presence you were talking about, which is why I loved you saying that. It's so it's it's so so important.

SPEAKER_06 53:09

Yeah, I learned a lot about like that balance between like following his lead, and then it's like, but I'm not just in a robotic relationship with this being who doesn't want relationship with me type of thing. And I learned about this in like partner dancing, and I think I shared this analogy maybe one of our earlier episodes. Probably. But I'm gonna hate the dance the entire time. Um, if we have really bad connectivity, like where I don't feel like you're communicating the step well, or you're letting me bump into other couples on the floor, or your frame's really like not proper, like I'm not gonna want to dance with you because you're a weak lead. Or um leads that are just really distracted or not present, what you were saying. But a good lead will always protect you, will always let you know what you need to know when you need to know it. Like, he's not gonna tell you every step of the dance, like all three minutes of it. He's just gonna give you the signal, and then it's up to you as the follower to respond to the signal, the cue. And in this um analogy, in ballroom dancing or salsa dancing or whatever, this isn't applicable to God. It's um they always say it's always the lead's fault for not communicating clearly if the follow misses the lead. Um, we have the best lead and he communicates clearly, but there's grace. And so what the leads do exemplify of the father who is perfect is they always give us grace, which is like it's our fault we didn't communicate clearly. But for us, when we miss a step or we're um, like you said, maybe you make a turn, it's like his grace works it for good for those who are called to him and are are loved, and he loves um sorry, I'm so butchering that verse right now. But you you know, it's just like there is grace and there is sovereignty even if we miss something, and that's that's really hard to like balance that.

SPEAKER_04 55:16

So yeah. To go back for a second, um that thing about like being stagnant. Um I heard this philosophy um going back way further from some Navy SEALs. Um they have this No wonder you think this way. They have this philosophy from um like clearing buildings, so like going in and shooting people inside buildings, um that stagnant equals death. If you're not moving, you're gonna die. You know? Um and I took that philosophy and like framed it into oh, sorry, I just hit the mic. Um framed it into like the spiritual life. If like going back to what you said, like if there is no momentum towards Jesus, if there's no more ment momentum towards the good, then it's like you're gonna die, bro. You will you're gonna die.

SPEAKER_06 56:17

Stagnant water has a lot of germs in it.

SPEAKER_04 56:19

Yeah, still water, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 56:20

That's sorry, still water.

SPEAKER_04 56:22

Without the air, yeah, you're gonna die.

SPEAKER_02 56:23

And I was I was listening to uh the Perries today, uh Jackie Hill and Preston, and they were talking about Peter, and one of the things that they mentioned, because they were like Peter gets a whole lot of criticism as a disciple, even though we're all drives me nuts. Even though we're all Peter, we we all are that character of person. That's probably why he's so important. Uh and he was like, and and one of the things they said is I see a lot of young Christians with way too much confidence uh that they know what they're doing and believe that like this is never gonna happen to them. Like, oh, this thing over here, like this, oh I'm a Christian. This is I'm never I would never do this, I would never do this. You and they're pretty much like y'all gotta stop thinking that you can't fall into anything. And one of the things I thought, I'm I'm Mr. in wildlife conservation. I'm going to college for a career that is cool and impactful. I'm never gonna be one of those guys who loses his vision and lets himself die from stagnant living. And guess what? Dead. Hello. And thank and I'm so thankful because that is like that level of just stagnant living in all areas of my life, not just uh, not just career or anything. Like, thankfully, God is finding me again. But yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I took up a lot of airwaves, but we're running low on time, but uh go ahead. I want to hear other things.

SPEAKER_04 58:04

What are you contemplating?

SPEAKER_06 58:06

Oh, that was the question.

SPEAKER_04 58:08

I'm contemplating solitude. There you go. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 58:15

There's a lot about like family that I'm contemplating right now. Did I did I say that, Mike? No, okay.

SPEAKER_04 58:21

Um my grandfather uh you said that part.

SPEAKER_06 58:24

Passed.

SPEAKER_04 58:25

Wait, did I don't think so.

SPEAKER_06 58:27

My grandfather passed. This is my second nope, this is my third grandparent. I am losing. Well, lost. And it just makes me contemplate things about uh like death and going to be with Jesus. It makes me contemplate what like family like dynamics look like, because that's like my current family, but then also like the family like I hope to build. And I think I'm also contemplating a lot about like forgiveness, and because forgiveness doesn't always mean reconciliation, like from person to person. Right. It doesn't justify the wrong done to you, but it it basically takes away any of the power that well, I don't know like what specifically, but any negativity again, right? We're trying to just like if God has forgiven us of everything, we should go and forgive those. I think of the parable of what's like the master and then the the two servants, right? And the master like was in debt like millions, and then the one servant owed the other servant like what, like a day's wages, something like something smaller, completely smaller. Um so contemplating forgiveness in that, like it should make sense to just spread out forgiveness because of the grander of forgiveness that was given to me. And but forgiveness doesn't make every family relationship right, so it's how do you honestly forgive? But there you still want justice at the same time for the wrongs that have been done, and so contemplating those things probably just because they're like the bigger events in my life right now, um, but like at the same time, it's like, man, like I want to do this so I can tell my kids like I did this well, even though it's like the hardest thing I'm like learning about forgiveness right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:23

So yeah, thanks. I uh I know we've said this to you off pod, but um I just want to always express that I'm so sorry about your grandfather. I know you loved him a lot and I didn't ask you to, didn't need you to, but I thank you for um just sharing that part of your life, and I pray it blesses somebody who is listening to this um who can relate to either that contemplation or that situation. And so uh yeah, I'm always praying for you with that.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:01

Thank you. I really I really appreciate it. And it makes me like um I've walked through actually two of my other like volunteers losing their grandpas in their 90s recently. So it was really interesting to have that happen. Then I'm like, oh, like do I tell these people? Cause like I'm their leader. And but it was cool because both of them showed up for me in a different way. And I it's kind of like what I alluded to, like the purpose of like the way that I want to be cared for is the way I want to care for people. And so it's kind of really sweet to see them still offer that same grace and love and compassion to me that I offered them when they went through the loss. And so, like, I'm really blessed by that. And death is sticky and tricky, but um, I'm really grateful. The one thing I like to say is like he was a believer. I asked him when he got saved. He's like, I got saved in youth group. I don't know, these people who were our leaders were really cool. So I decided to give my life to Christ. I was like, that's awesome, because like there are people who give their life to Jesus when they're kids and when they're teenagers, and so it just was like comforting to know that I knew when he was saved, and that he was basically then that means like a Christian for over like 80 years. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:11

Very good.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:13

Guys, I know this uh this episode, I don't know, may have been all a little all over the place for you. Some of you are like Andrew, every episode's all over the place. But um uh I I hope that you hear this and you call up one of your friends. I like that this podcast is every two weeks because in between that we get to live life. Our whole life is not dedicated to building content. And look, maybe one day mine will be. Um but I always I never want to put content above living life because the whole reason we share this is because there is nothing better than living this life, and there really is nothing better than doing it with the people you love. I don't think anyone will ever regret spending more time with the people they love. Yeah. So this podcast was all over the place, it was a little messy, but guess what? So are people, and there is nothing better in this world than fellowship with God and fellowship with the people you love. It is what it is. So I hope this inspires you to go out and uh call your family.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:21

Tell them you love them.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:23

Call your family, call your friends. Enjoy this kind of time for yourself. Enjoy these conversations, ask them some of these questions. You may be surprised what you find out. Alright, y'all. Thank you as always for doing this with me. Thank you. Pleasure's mine.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:39

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:40

Not any of yours, it's mine. Until the next time, y'all. Eternity is for the beautiful, eternity is for the timeless, eternity is for those who walk with God. And everyone's welcome. Eternal Creatures Podcast. We out.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:52

Play the music, Keith.