IT'S A LION! CRNRSTN Collective - Episode 27

In this episode, the host, J, along with co-hosts, Angus, Javan, and Gage, discuss the tragedies behind human trafficking rings out of North Korea as well as instances of grooming amongst K-Pop groups and how all of it ties into the news relative to the Epstein files. The four of them also look at a funny circulating video of what the Lion King is really saying, and the result is much more basic and humorous than one would think. They also look at some of the news circulating around Timothee Chalamet's comments relating to the 'dying arts' of opera or ballet, and how his statements have helped further spur the conversation of what AI will truly be able to replace in the artistic media sphere. The group also looks at the arrival of AI models like Openclaw that seem to be all the rage in China. Pastor J also sits down with a missionary named Kyle and has a conversation with him about their efforts and wins for the kingdom of God in Genoa, Italy. Lastly, the trio talks about the importance of walking with a commitment to Christ for everyone's future family and how perspective and dreams help shape the way you live your life.



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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Hello, friends, and welcome to the Cornerstone Collective. My name is Jay Brown, your host. Today with me is Gage Lee. What's up? As well as Angus McLeod and Javen Brown. Hello, hello. We're jumping in today and talking about these seven C's of values that we have in our community here of commitment, community, communication, competence, creativity, compassion, and celebration. We want to jump off of the scripture first. I'm gonna ask Angus to read it for us. It's in Romans six.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6 23.

SPEAKER_03 0:30

The Lord be praised, man. Thanks be to God. I love that. We're talking about this idea of commitment to Christ and especially that idea that each and every one of us needs a savior, that none of us can get to God in any other way, can't earn your way in, you can't be born into it, your grandma can't save you, you have to make a decision to follow Jesus. And so, in doing so, we want to be those who have a commitment to Christ. Interesting, and uh in talking about being those who are committed to Christ, there have been a lot of things in the news recently, especially tied to the Epstein Files, a lot of bunch of things that have been coming on uh coming to light that have been hidden from us in trafficking, human trafficking, child trafficking, all sorts of evil, heinous things. One of the things that got brought to light was these people from North Korea that have escaped living in that country, and they were talking about how vile it is and how poor the people are, and how they were trying to scrounge and if they were lucky, they would get a rat or they would get something to eat in winter. Terrible conditions. One of the women that survived that as well, she was a very beautiful person, and so she was actually sold to a Chinese man to be his wife or consort or whatever you want to say, and talked about how she she told her own story of being sold for $300, where her mother was only sold for 100. And they said, as what's happening is that in places in rural China, because of the one child policy, many people they would do away with their baby girls either by abortion or by giving them away. A lot of a lot of Chinese girls came to America, became adopted American, became American citizens as families took them in because Chinese families wanted the heritage of their family to go forward with the namesake, so they wanted a son. So they there was priority on sons, making an uneven number of sons versus daughters, meaning men to women now that you have years progress in the future. So they had whole small communities, uh rural communities of men without women available to be their wives. So what they were doing was going to North Korea and buying people to be used for sexual activity. And what her story was was that she was sharing how they would go and use a woman collectively as that as that area, as that town. And then she would end up passing away because they abused her so much and they'd get another one. And so this is the narrative this woman is telling. She survived that situation, she was able to escape, she's able to come to America. A lot of things happened in her behalf, and it wasn't just her, there was numbers of people telling these stories. I know you guys have seen some of that. This is some of this has been come out over years, and there's a very popular Joe Rogan podcast with this woman and other people on there. You guys had a chance to see some of that, Angus?

SPEAKER_01 3:14

Yeah, I have. In fact, um, you know, it when uh uh the Cry for Freedom, I think it was, came out. Yes, yep. Um, you know, it really turned a light onto that. And shortly after that, we were working in the conics. Okay. It was during the summer, and I just uh actually I was with uh with a couple of our youth students, Jed and uh and uh Gavin, and I said, you know, I'm just curious what what it's like to be in these, because I said, you know, this is what they ship people in. And so I said, uh, if you guys promise to let me back out, would you lock, you know, shut the door, close the door because I want to see what it was like. Oh yeah, and so man, when that door shut and you hear it lock and you know there's no way to get out. Uh and the the temperature, I mean, there's there's very little, there's almost no airflow. Right. Uh just a little bit of light. And so I knocked and they the guys let me out and I asked if they wanted to to see what it was. And so I let them go in and man, it it gives you a real perspective. Um, and so it just just the thought of that is is horrifying. And that's just the the transport. That's right. That's the before. That's right. Uh before the real bad stuff kicks off. Oh you know, and so just just that alone, um man, it it really changed my perspective and gave me a real heart to pray for those people in those situations.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

Yeah, terrifying, terrible, and man, it gives us a real understanding of like the brutality by which people are treating other people, not treating them as hum treating them as chattel as like a thing. And um, you know, I know recently we've seen in in Afghanistan and other places, they have opened back up slave markets in public, and you can go and buy people. And so, you know, people think human trafficking is a thing of the ancient past. It's not, my friends. There's more people in human trafficking today than there was in the ancient days, whenever America and and the Dutch and everybody else, the Brits, were all doing it back upon the days in the 1600s, 1700s. So, um, what a terrible thing to see and to hear this story of these people suffering. Gage, you've seen a little bit about this and and talking about it. What do you think, man? I mean, these people are surviving in North Korea trying to fight against their own government.

SPEAKER_07 5:20

It's so sad. It's honestly so sad. I'm so grateful for what I have and the circumstances I was born into. Yeah, amen. Just I mean, by the grace of God, I'm here sitting in this nice air conditioned room. That's right, hanging out with friends, not worrying about where my next meal or food's gonna come from or what somebody else has planned for me in my life. I just worry about what the Lord has planned for me in my life, and it's not even a worry. It's a promise that I get to hold on to and cherish. That's right. Um, but yeah, I mean, it really just breaks my heart, man. That's I I can do nothing but mourn and grieve for these people and lift up my voice in prayer for them.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

That's it. That's right. You know, America's a lot long ways from perfect, man. We are we are in many ways a very, very broken place and promoting broken brokenness. But I am thankful for the freedoms that we have to be able to worship publicly and freely, for the decisions that we're able to make, for the the bounty and even to excess, where we throw away food and clothes and all these other things that these people are fighting tooth and nail to have.

SPEAKER_07 6:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:22

And so we're praying and standing with the people, the people of of North Korea and asking for the Lord. I mean, no, many people have come to faith, you know, even in great suffering, where they smuggle the Bible in digitally or print and are able to have this life change. And so, you know, where hearts go with them and that they would find that freedom and find that where they're not being sold into slavery. Angus, as a dad, as somebody who's traveled to Asia, what's your perspective, man?

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Man, it's I I can't it it does break my heart. I can't imagine as a parent um being because a lot we hear stories of a lot of these parents selling their kids. And it's not because that they're evil people or you know, they're trying to make a quick buck. A lot of them, it's their only I mean it's it's that or they die. You know, and so s for some of these, um for some of these, I can't imagine being in in that situation where it's like, okay, I've got four kids, but I can only afford to feed three of them and continue to provide. Right. You know, so what do you do? And uh if you die, the the four will die. Right, and so there's a market. So I can't imagine as a father being uh placed in that position where you kind of have to choose. Um but also you know, just that that it happens. That's right. I mean, I can't imagine any of my kids in in that kind of a scenario. Yeah, it's just heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

Yeah, I was thinking about my daughters, my wife, and thinking about how these, you know, this is this is happening in the world and uh brutal, man, terrible, absolutely heinous. Jamie, you've been spent a lot of time in Asia, man, and got a chance to see some of this stuff. Uh, what's been your take? What do you think?

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Yeah, I mean, like we've been in Southeast Asia before, um, and this is 100% a reality, even in uh to where Shiloh's going this summer in Thailand, like there's a huge amount of prostitution and human trafficking that goes over there. That's right. Um, so much so that they have an entirely devoted part of their ministry just to the red light district.

SPEAKER_08 8:15

Right.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Um, and I mean it's it's so crazy because to think about Shiloh as a 16-year-old like going over there, the fact that she has the freedom and security to be able to go over there with safety around her, instead of having been just born into a terrible situation in Southeast Asia and then like slowly indoctrinated into the system. I mean, we're thankful, but at the same time, our heart absolutely mourns and grieves and goes out for these people. Um, and especially out of North Korea, because for so many of these immigrants and people that somehow get over the border, there's such a small and select number of them every single year that there's no real relief for them unless they go to South Korea, and that's the hardest place to get to. Yeah. So a lot of them will take cargo and transport ships to China or to Vietnam. Um, some sometimes get out to Japan, depends. But it's just like because there's no actual relief system for them, right? The only people that are gonna pick them up are those with heinous intentions. So I mean, it really's the opportunity, they're using them as that. Exactly. So it calls us as Christ followers to really have a heart for these people because even the one lost sheep man, the Lord would leave the 99 in order to go follow that one. So to see, even though to us it's just such a small number of cases, it's still that that's one human life. Every time that happens, it's another human life that's being put into the system that they have no control over. So just to really put that into perspective, especially in a Western society where we really don't see that all mainstream, is uh our heart breaks for these people.

SPEAKER_03 9:46

I agree. You know, it's interesting to see these guys who are not a faith, but definitely value people. You know, you see people like Joe Rogan, obviously one of the number number one podcasts on the planet and um all these other things, you know, they're they're using their voice to to bring this to light, to understand these narratives about these people and what's going on there. And so, you know, it's not a it's not in uh just North Korea that's happening. Obviously, that's a that's the story that's understanding what we get, but it goes beyond that, obviously, drastically, and and being those people who want to make an impact in the world, you know, and being people that reach out to that. We have missionaries that are working both um in North Korea, or I'm sorry, in in adjunction to try to reach into North Korea from South Korea and other places, and have done so intentionally, bringing the gospel message there. I've heard some amazing stories about the gospel going in there and the ingenuity of people treating it much like you know spy craft and trying to get the word of God into the country and get it people that they can realize what's happening. And it's pretty powerful to see how people have really been trying to do that to see life change despite the terrible circumstances.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

So one of the the things that uh when we were over there in Thailand and talking with the missionaries, uh when these people are trafficked, they no longer it's it's interesting that we use the term human trafficking because once they're trafficked, they are no longer considered human. That's right. Uh and they are property, their property, their goods. And so there was uh one of the missionaries, what they um when they were coming in, they just kept meeting resistance and they could not break into the area. And every time they they tried to minister, there was all kinds of things shut down uh for them. And so what what they did though was they would go to the dumpsters because that's when when these girls would die um after being used up, uh they were thrown into the dumpsters like trash. And uh so what this missionary would do is him and his people would they would come and they would cover her uh because I mean they would throw they would throw the naked body in the trash because the clothes are still good. And so what they would do is they would come and they would cover her with with sheets and they would give her dignity and they would go and give her a burial. And so uh what what hap what ended up happening was that ministered to the girls because the ones who were still alive saw that even in death that these people would treat them with dignity. Yes, that's right. And and so that was what actually opened up uh the the the gospel to this this community was the fact that they were willing to go and and care for what everybody else literally was treating as trash.

SPEAKER_03 12:16

Yes. Man, so good. It reminds me very much, even here in America, the problem we have um with abusive households and the foster care system and how people like OCJ kids are reaching out to see that these foster kids they thrive, they have the resources to do that very thing. They have a dignity room teaching young women how to take care of themselves and and how to how to you know get sized up for a Brazier and how to use women's products and all these other things that otherwise they've not ever been taught how to do because they never had anybody care for them in that way. So to be intentional, to give them resources to do that, help them adult and to get out of that, because statistically it's not in their favor here in America that they'll end up in jail, they'll end up abducted to drugs, they'll end up homeless or in prostitution, and all these things are statistically a very, very high percentage. And we know that narrative and that story. Um, Angus, in your own family, you've seen people break that cycle. What's that been like?

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yeah, we uh so my my mom was in the foster care system, uh, my brother-in-law was also in the foster care system. And uh, you know, so my mom, she she bounced around um in in the system for a long time until she met the until my grandmother, the the woman that we knew as our grandmother nanny, uh finally adopted her as a as a rough teen. Wow, you know, um, and so it it was one of those things that, you know, my mom was headed down a certain path and uh without uh without my grandmother uh pulling her from that system, you know, it's it's amazing to think that I wouldn't be here, my kids, all of that. And so the ripple effect um of loving those people, because uh even though we think ah we're taking care of them in the system, there's they still are not um, there's still a lot of gaps. And um, and so uh for my my brother-in-law, for example, when uh because not all of his siblings made it into the system um because again his his parents couldn't care for everybody, so he made it into the system. And when his family started to kind of get back together and they wanted to go find him, they said, Well, check the prisons or the morgues, because that's probably where you're gonna find him to statistically. Right. Uh thankfully that was not his story. He got connected to my sister and and my family, and uh and they loved on him, and now he's a nurse and you know, he's uh father and and the whole thing. But it's it's um it really does speak to what the those outside influences can can do to you.

SPEAKER_03 14:43

And the power of love, the power of change, the power of family and belonging and support, yeah. That's right. Um, you know, so that's one thing that we actively want to be those that are that are fighting against human trafficking and in support of uh those that are being family and being uh a resource to those that are fleeing that situation. Similarly, what's interesting, and we talk about it in commitment is being those who stand against um, you know, this this thing that we're seeing recently with Epstein files and all these things coming about with um with with underage trafficking and with with all these sexual improprieties and things that have been happening. I heard a recent uh interview talking about the culture of Korean boy bands. And this was a very interesting thing because K-pop is crazy popular across the world. I know my girls like some of that, and it's has its own kind of genres and music and all the style and all this other stuff. But it's very interesting to hear some of their origin story. I was I was talking with my daughter about it, and I was saying, hey, you know, like, man, they're super feminine and they have like you're wearing a lot of makeup and they're just having a very much like almost androgynous look to these guys and and very like young looking. So even though they're now men in their 20s and stuff like that, you know, or even me as a teen, obviously getting popular and then go into their 20s, they're still popular, still a group, still making music. Um, you know, they're they're very much that way. They look this certain way, and you're like, that's not what a like, you know, like what a man looks like. These are this is a very funny. I didn't look like that at 26. You didn't you weren't wearing makeup and had your hair all like popped up and long? No. But they're saying that a lot of this whole wave of things happened by a Korean American man who was very, very wealthy. He was a billionaire or hundreds of millions kind of a person, very influential, went in and started establishing these groups and that stuff, but he was someone who was later accused of pedophilia and was later accused of assault and actually assaulted many of the early groups that were there, setting a standard for what a gr successful group looks like. And so that became the narrative. Not that everyone that's in any group was assaulted, but it seemed that this was the story that's being told in the accusation that's being made. It was that's where the origin story of these things came from, and the look and the shape and all the other stuff of these bands, and that's so terrifying. And I started thinking about it not to blame South Korea, but more in our own context of our own stuff and how people are groomed up within media and things like that, and just the heinous stories that come from that. Gage, you you've had a completely different, different upbringing than that kind of stuff, where it's like kind of like, hey, you're gonna run and be wild and this other stuff, not this other controlling kind of situation. What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_07 17:15

Right. I mean, uh That's definitely what I don't want for my boys. Right, thank you. I definitely don't want that for my boys. You know, I want my boys to be able to grow up rough and rugged and playing in the dirt, eating worms. You know what I mean? Like the stereotypical, like old time, yeah, you laugh with them dead seriously. I want to be there's there's so many kids out there, like even my three-year-old right now. I'm trying to I'm trying to check them on it, dude. Because like I there's a cricket I caught in the garage the other day, and it was like one of those big fates that seemed like and I was like, hey bro, come here. He was like, no, thank you. I was like, nah, dude, come here. Like, come look at he's like, no, no, thank you. No thank you. You keep that. No, yeah. But like I yes, very much so. I grew up running around doing fun stuff, like not worried about any of that stuff, you know, any of the other side. So I definitely want there's so much going on in today's uh cultural norm, especially in the Western world, that I feel as though as a God-fearing father, I want to direct my kids to what is in my my point of view the correct way, right? The natural way. And I don't want them to be confused when they go somewhere as to who they're called to be. Right. Right. They there was a there was a line in a movie once, and I I couldn't even tell you the movie, I saw a clip and it just stuck with me. Um But the dad was talking to his kids because one of the boys got into a fight at school and he said, Listen, there's there's three things that you can be. You could be the sheep, you could be the wolf, or you could be the sheepdog. Oh yeah. And you will be the sheepdog. Right? You aren't gonna be out here attacking the innocent or preying on anybody. You also aren't gonna be incapable, right? You are going to be capable and you're going to stand up for what's right, and you're going to do the hard thing when you're called to do it. It's good. Even when you don't want to. Sometimes you will be in a situation where you need to do the, and that's that's what I want to raise my boys to be.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Yeah, it's good. That's great. You know, I'm not trying to take a uh a shot at South Korean like pop or any of these guys that are very talented, you know, they make music super catchy and they got cool hair. For sure they do. Different strokes. I mean, as my hair starts to get a little wispy. I still look like Dracula, thank you very much.

SPEAKER_05 19:43

No, it starts to go back. I'm more I want some of that, you know, big, you know, Korean pop, big hair.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

But it it's uh it's sad to hear some of the origin of why these guys have that style. Sure. And it breaks my heart from that perspective. J, but you've seen this stuff like growing up, and it's been fairly normal for you guys. I mean you get that's your whole way of your generation. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

Um, kind of in relation to the pedophile thing that I think was was so interesting about this is because it mirrors something that I just saw out of um something in relation to Hugh Hefner, because at the Playboy mansion, he used to have, I think like he would use kids for some of his, which is already questionable, but he would use kids for some of his shoots and stuff like that. It the whole thing about the Playboy mansion was very dark. Yeah, because there were like tunnels connected to people's houses and things, so they think that it was another base for a trafficking ring, the exact same kind of thing that we see out of like some Epstein spots where we see people coming in and out, and we see people go in but never come out. So, but um, there was a photo of a kid who was made to dress up as like a bunny. He had like these ears and was like given a very feminine caution, but the kid was like eight or nine. And there's also images of like um in Epstein files, yeah, yeah, of like people dressed up as princesses and things like that. I think Clinton and them even dressed. Yeah, exactly. Oh, yeah, there's a there's a painting painting. Exactly. So um, I mean, yeah, that stuff's all super dark. They're basically making these uh just boys really effeminate. They're almost making them like little girls in some sense, but they're also saying, you're not a man, I'm a man, so uh to them I have authority over you, which is super dark, super, super twisted. Um what does the enemy come to do? Still still destroyed destroy it. Exactly. Yeah, um, but yeah, in in the same sense as to what Gage is talking about, it is definitely a spiritual attack from the perspective of the enemy because the enemy, especially over the last few decades, has really targeted family roles, and especially as we move towards a more uh liberal and accepting America, we see that the delineation between what we understand as like traditional manhood or traditional womanhood or what it means to be a father, what it means to be a mother, has uh really Really blurred and kind of become a gray spot for a lot of people. Like to some people, conquest as a man might look like, oh yeah, I have a ton of kids, but they don't spend time around their kids, they just financially support them. That's not being a real father. Right. Or in the same thing, being a mother is like, yes, I have these children, but at the same time, I'm gonna put my own ambitions and dreams above theirs. I I'm not really gonna care for these children in that way. In that sense, you almost have like two dads in a household, which is, I mean, it just breeds for um you know, like somebody not really getting the the full sense of what it means to be a family. So within that sense, there's definitely an attack on family roles and trying to um gray that line between what is masculine and what is a feminine in that sense. So I completely respect what you're saying about like really instituting that within your boys, and I think it's gonna be something that's really important for my generation to do going forward, is because as there's a bunch of influences of what's going on, especially in the West, a lot of people aren't really gonna understand what it means to be a true man anymore. So it's getting real dicey.

SPEAKER_07 22:59

People are gonna look to your kids and my kids to understand what it means to be a man because there aren't gonna be a lot of people left. I mean, like the same way, like who's gonna listen to this old head? No, I know, I know. As we start to get older and we get less connected to the current, you know, uh the you know what I mean, less less connected to the what what's the culture, right? So we're we're now past, long past, and we don't have as much influence anymore. But who will have influence is our boys, you know what I mean? And they are gonna be the ones to set the new standard. So, in the same way that like your dad has come to you and to try to bring you up in a way to surpass him, that's what we want to do with our boys, right? So I want my boy, I want my boy to be smarter, more capable, and go much farther than I've ever dreamed of going because I know he's capable of it, right? And I know that he is going to be setting the standard for his kids. That's right. In the same way, whenever we follow after Christ, right? It's not it's not just for me. Yeah, right. Yes, it's for the kingdom, yes, it's for God's glory. I also want that for my children, my children's children. Right. Right. We talk about it all the time. Setting up generational relationships with the Lord, right? It's the same thing. We are gonna be ones of very few who are helping to establish what it is to be a man. Yeah, not only just to be a man, but to be a faithful follower of Christ as a man. Yeah, a ch a man of God.

SPEAKER_03 24:31

Exactly. Yeah, and the fighter for the truth, one that stands and is a righteous man of God and stands for the values that are there.

SPEAKER_07 24:36

One who stands, yeah. Not one who sits, not one who watches, one who stands and who's willing to go against the grain and do the right thing, not because it's easy and not just because it's hard, but because it's the right thing.

SPEAKER_03 24:48

Yeah. And you know, uh to talk about femininity, obviously I have two daughters and and my wife, and I I want them to be feminine. I think it's very beautiful, I think it's wonderful. Um, I think there's something very uh man special about that. And so it's interesting to see that being stolen away in this way, and and I'm like, man, that's not how this goes. That's not what we value. We want value um, you know, women to be feminine and men to be men, and to see what that looks like. And and so we validate and and love people, doesn't matter where they're at or even their identity, we believe and value them as a person does not mean I have to agree with them. And I'm a long way from that. Like we we we're in a line, we're in alignment with Christ and his values, and and I'll tell you, like, I value this and and and I value what the Bible says about it. And so we're gonna be people that have that alignment. We're not perfect, but we just read about it. All have fallen sin and short of the glory of God. It's only in Jesus Christ that we find this truth and that we find that we're redeemed. It's only by his work on the cross for us, can't earn it, can't buy our way in, as we talked about. So the Lord help us to understand where some of this darkness comes from. And, you know, though these guys are artistic and they're talented and all this stuff, we just better be very aware of the influence that it has upon us and upon our kids. And what that looks like. Angus, we've been talking a little bit about the F Syn Files and the darkness that's been in there. What do you think to you has been the response? Because as pastors, we get these questions all the time. It's really starting to pick up with in the last couple weeks as we've been talking about on the podcast. But what's been your response to people whenever they start talking to you about like the weight that they feel because of the brokenness of the evil that they've read?

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Um just that the evil is obviously persistent, so we need to be more persistent. Yeah, right. So the the reality is is all the Epstein files have done is shine light on what's been going on. That's right. Right. So it's not like this is breaking news of what is on the horizon, like this is what they're planning. No, this is what's been going on. Right. This is why they have so much, this is part of why they have so much power, is because they're tapping into you know spiritual entities and and things like that. And so my response is if if if you're fearful of it, well then pray more about it. Because I and I'm saying that because I had to say it to myself because uh as we talk about it, as the algorithm starts to feed you more. Man, I I had to I had to uh get off of Instagram for a few days. I I had to I had to get completely away from the news and everything because I I was feeling the weight myself. Yes, um, and then so I'm personally feeling it, and then you feel other people as they as they bring their weight, and man, I was realizing that I just wasn't prayed up enough for that. And so, but that's that's the thing, is like the they're these other forces, they're making sacrifice, they're doing all of that. So our response is we need to be praying against that. You know, our sacrifice is uh it doesn't have to happen the same way. We don't have to to do that to our kids, and you know, we don't have to go to these extreme lengths. Our sacrifice is obedience and uh you know and doing the things that the Lord has called. And when we do that, not only do we live better lives, but there's there's power in that. And so if we want to see the power structure change, then we need to do our part and and pray that that it can change. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

So that's as a staff we were praying in alignment with that, talking about how we want to be those that are praying against burnout, right? Don't grow weary and doing good, but instead being those who are filled by the Spirit to live that thing out consistently to your point, so that we're not we're not uh giving up, but we're trying to work the consistency, the habit of living for Christ, the habit of being renewed. Because if we're not careful, to your point, man, it'll just pile on top of us. Yeah, and then you feel like giving up.

SPEAKER_01 28:43

Well, see, and that's exactly it. So if if you let it just come and pile on you, it'll crush you. But as you cry out, it's as we all collectively cry out. That's why God brought the Israelites out of Egypt. So good. Was because the people cried out. And so if we just cry, you know, if we just if we just read the the Epstein files and we cry to ourselves and we go, Oh, this sucks. Right. And you know, there's nothing I can do because what can I as an individual do? Right. And so we just sit there and cry about the mess instead of crying out to the Lord and saying, Lord, I hate this mess. Help us fix it. Show us how to do that, show us how to collectively come together as a people and what does that look like? That's right. You know, where we because I'm not I'm not praying for a second French revolution where it's like line them all up at the guillotine. It's you know, we're talking about a a a real change that comes from the Lord.

SPEAKER_03 29:35

Yeah, it comes with an alignment of his values, his vision for who we are, and what that means to be the righteous people of God in alignment with what we were just talking about, about being those who bring up our sons and daughters in the way of God. We want to be those who are also being the same people to fight for those things with consistency and a tenacity and a and a toughness, uh, a grit that does not give up. So the Lord help us to be those people.

SPEAKER_07 29:57

I think it's so good, man. And and uh so encouraging also to hear you say that because I do think so often my mind goes straight to the French Revolution and the No joke. I've thought about it a couple times. Like it it it it it not only stirs up a sorrow in me for the victims, but like almost a righteous fury for those who are going against the creations of God, right? Because the enemy, he doesn't just want to take our souls, he wants to take the promise of God away from us by distracting us and lying to us and all these things. And parts of me feel I I catch myself so often like despising these people or these groups or these collectives, and I have to check myself because it's like my wife. I was talking to my wife about it just the other week, and I I'm I'm getting so angry and riled up about these things because I feel I feel so ashamed that I'm not doing anything about it, right? But I'm also not going to prayer about it. Yeah I'm also not taking it to the Lord because vengeance isn't mine. Yeah, you know what I mean? But like I'm talking to my wife and she's like, What is this who Christ is calling us to be? And she had to check me in that. Like, like, no, that's not.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

Yeah, because our default setting is you know, kill them all at God's mouth, but that's not what his heart is right.

SPEAKER_07 31:18

Right, a hundred percent. And it's just it, I'm I'm just voicing here that it's hard for me to not have that mindset sometimes of like this is so wrong. And these people are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, right? And the enemy is using other vessels to destroy this beautiful perfect image and to just desecrate it. And it's so disgusting and it makes me angry. Yeah. So it's very encouraging to hear you say take it to prayer. Yeah, right. That's the fight. That's the fight.

SPEAKER_03 31:50

And I think we should be those who seek justice and ask the Lord for justice and do all those things. That's totally right. Um, that's the prayer of the heart. That's what we see David is the psalmist writing so often, Lord, bring your justice, or bring your soccer, you know, your salvation to me and to my to the people. And that's the same thing we pray for us and for our families and for our people is that Lord, bring your salvation, bring your righteousness, bring your justice, bring your justice. Because if we're not careful, I agree. Um that's a hundred percent my default setting is like we'll smoke them all, let God sort them out. That's not his heart for us. Remember as someone who lived in France, the French Revolution, as we sat at the Place de Concorde and we see the obelisk that they took from Egypt actually out of uh out of Alexandria. They took one of Cleopatra's needles out of Alexandria, brought it to Paris, it sits at the end of the Champs-Elysée, and as you walk down the Champs-Lysee and you see this place, this big obelisk there, that's where the guillotine was. The guillotine killed everyone, but they didn't they didn't do so in alignment with God. They set themselves up against the Creator. Yeah, that they were the ultimate. So be very careful that in our hearts, that as we go to judge, that we don't do exactly what you know Gage and I and all of us are talking about slippery slope of falling into, and that we instead bring that fight to them spiritually and understand that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, the powers in the darkness that are already losers in the end, because Jesus is glorified. Let's go, baby. Hey, creativity is one of the C's we talk about here. I thought this was amazing, really funny. One of the things that we came across recently was this Lion King song, which all of us grew up like singing and knowing. And this it's actually a song in Zulu, which none of us knew it, but there were some comedians talking about it, and uh, they had it on this. I want to play this real quick. That's kind of like it's a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

I can do it. Do it. So they're singing like Na's again.

SPEAKER_04 33:38

What does it mean? It means Luke. There's a lion. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 33:49

That is not what they do. That's exactly what it is. So he says, Look, it's a lion. Oh my god, it's a lion. We tried all lies growing up, man. We didn't know what they were saying, man. I didn't know what the fuck is that. Like, oh, the beautiful line or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_04 34:07

No, no, no. Oh, it's a lion.

SPEAKER_07 34:09

Oh my god, it's a lion.

SPEAKER_04 34:10

That's so funny.

SPEAKER_07 34:11

Something more tied into the circle of life and then just a lion.

SPEAKER_05 34:17

Because it makes sense. They're looking at the rock in the video, they're holding the lift up. It just made me laugh so hard that, you know, from the West we're like, oh, that's so meaningful.

SPEAKER_04 34:26

Because we didn't understand it. Like we didn't speak Zulu. I sounds really great. And so shout out Godfrey and the other guys on the podcast. You know, dude, it made me laugh. I was like, dude, I gotta champ up on my Zulu. It's like it's saying obvious things in a beautiful language.

SPEAKER_05 34:43

Yeah, that's right. Duolingo Zulu. You know, jump speak Zulu.

SPEAKER_04 34:48

Jump speak Zulu. None of these are sponsored, by the way. Uh man, I mean, Angus, you grew up around that. You guys do musical theater. What do you think, man? Are you guys gonna champ up, do Lion King?

SPEAKER_01 34:57

I don't know if we'll do the Lion King, but it's definitely funny. That was so funny. I'm I'm curious now all of the other things that are hidden somewhere, you know. Yeah because we know Disney likes to hide all kinds of fun things in their movies and stuff. So I'm just curious now what other people Yeah, both intentionally and non-intentionally.

SPEAKER_03 35:14

Which we all know. Javid's given seriously.

SPEAKER_06 35:20

Yeah, both good and bad. Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_03 35:23

That is true, man. That's true. Okay, um, one language that's like obscure. So I'm not a major major. I mean, like, what's an obscure language? You'd be like, this would be sick to speak. For me? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:35

So something that's not like really commonly spoken of it.

SPEAKER_03 35:37

No, not like not like billions of people speak it, like something that you're like, okay, this is more nuanced.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

Oh, okay. I think like I think I got a good one. Oh I want to say almost like I I think to speak like Swedish would be kind of cool. Oh, okay. Yeah, I think I think just like because it's really niche unless you live in Sweden, but especially there's like such a small huge amount of Swedish influence that like unless you're with somebody that's like from over there, then there's not really a whole bunch of people that speak Swedish. So I just think it'd be pretty cool versus something like German or like even Dutch, though it's a dying language, like it's probably more commonly spoken. So you like this.

SPEAKER_03 36:19

Let me tell you a quick story. So we have a friend. When I was part of the fellowship of European International Church, as well in Paris, I had a friend named Paul. Paul's from Ivory Coast. So his natural languages is French. Yeah, he also is very fluent in English and other languages. Like me, polyglot speaks like four or five six. He moved and married a woman because he went to he went into Belgium and went to Continental Theological Seminary there in Belgium. He married a girl from Finland and moved to Finland. No, he is dark in his complexion, he's very dark. And he moved to the whitest place on the earth. These are white, these are clear people. They are so white. Does he just get looked at all? Dude, I'm telling you, when he first he was telling me crazy stories. I mean it's like crazy snowfall. It's it's Finland. You know what I mean? And he's there, a part of the community to their credit. He's like, dude, no, they he's fluent in Finnish. He like is in the mix doing the doing the wood cuts with everybody and doing the tragedy. He's telling me a story. He's like, bro, I'm like, is there anybody like you?

SPEAKER_05 37:12

He's like, no, what am I talking about? It's like no, dude. I fell out of my chair. I was laughing so hard. Here's a response. He's very put together. His response made me die laughing. I was like, oh. He's like, that's beautiful language. I was like beautiful language. Helps if you marry one. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:28

All right. So what were you saying? Go back to it. Um, no, no, just because I think it'd be really cool. And because there's probably not a lot of people, especially in the near future, that are really going to be able to speak it. Right. Especially because there are so many Swedes that will move out even further west, like towards America. Right. And then slowly but surely their language and culture kind of starts to like just get integrated into the melting pot that is America.

SPEAKER_03 37:50

That's everywhere north in America. That's all those places are you know that are Scandinavian.

SPEAKER_02 37:54

100%. Yeah. But I just think it'd be pretty cool. And I think it sounds kind of cool. It's hard. I've seen like some of the stuff that they say is like common phrases, like even high is like some really weird variation of what sounds like hey, yeah. But it's like it's like guttural and almost like it's it's like I'll say this as somebody that's heard Arabic before, I think Arabic would be a lot easier to learn or like sweet or to actually like be able to sound native in almost. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

But that's my that's you'd be talking to PewDiePie and like and like you know, a little pitchy and all these guys on YouTube. Yeah, you'd be in there mixing it up with them, you and Nelson, all these guys are following. That'd be pretty cool. Pretty cool. Angus, what do you think, man? What do you think like obscure language you'd be like down for?

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Uh I think of the the uh the Aborigines and Gods Must Be Crazy. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's cool. Out of South Africa, the click and the yeah uh out of Losho. Yeah, so I think that would be really cool um to to be able to speak that language that includes the click, man. I there's that's just wild to me.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

I just saw an interview with a guy, he's he's he speaks a bunch of languages and he was doing it, talking, explaining it. He's going, and I it's so beautiful. I can't even make the noise. I'm like, dude, how did he learn? Yes. That's pretty crazy. Gauge we think, man, of like a some random, like not random, but like a like more of a obscure language.

SPEAKER_07 39:13

See, I'm so like uncultured in the world sense that I don't really know what's niche. Okay. I don't know what's like, you know, very few people. You speak Mexican. Yeah. I won't speak the Spanish. The Spaniel. Yeah, yeah. Um, I don't know. I like so for me, one of the things I there's times when it sounds beautiful, and there's times when it sounds gross, but French?

SPEAKER_03 39:34

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 39:34

French would be awesome. I I took mega language though, like 28 countries. Exactly. Exactly. So I know I know 100% it's not niche, but like that was one of the first ones I thought. And then I thought about like that South American clicks because I saw that same video where a dude's like breaking down each click and what the word was that he was saying. So cool. And then you put together the sentence, but it was like the same click and different like octaves, and like like some like you you did with like a C and others were like a P. Anyways, it's super cool. That's crazy. But I think honestly, if I were to learn one, I think I would want honestly, I'd want it to be Spanish. Okay, it's not niche, but I would totally want it to be Spanish because of how much I could use it in a recording. 100%. Yeah, yeah. No, I mean major, I mean, of course, you want to speak Spanish, French. So much more German than I do. I know more German than I do Spanish, and that's actually more obscure like my whole life. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I took German 1, 2 and honors German 3 in high school. Supposed to go to Berlin. We don't gotta talk about that, bro. I need to read it at heartbreak. I can start crying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I could have been clubbing it up at 7. Yeah, Germany.

SPEAKER_04 40:45

But Frau Davis had the anyways. Froud.

SPEAKER_03 40:48

Yeah, I think I'd learn Spanish, dude. That's cool. That's dope. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go local A Z. I'm gonna say Navajo. Oh, I'm gonna go wind talkers. Go wind talkers. I came across it the other day, and I think we have some Navajo people in our church here, part of our community faith. And um I just think it's so cool. Um the older ones speak it, they're kids, not as much. It's very difficult. And as interesting, uh, we follow a guy on YouTube, uh, named Xiaoma, and he's a he's a guy, he's actually a Jewish guy out of uh out of New York City, married a Chinese girl, moved, lived in, lived in Beijing, went to school there, fluent in tons of languages, but especially like Asian language is very good. But he learned Navajo, said like a bunch of phrases in Navajo, and learned how to kind of he says one of the hardest things. You remember the video we were watching? Did you watch that one? Yeah, I don't think I haven't seen the Navajo. It's really good. He so he came to Four Corners, he came up to the Navajo Nation and was using it at the outpost, talking with the different and the the elders they brought him in, they're like, This is crazy. They were astonished, yeah. This is some white kid from New York.

SPEAKER_02 41:51

Well, isn't there like literally less than I want to say a hundred people that can speak this now or something? Like it's not that small. It's not that small, but it's it's really small. But I thought, yeah. Or maybe it's read and write. Maybe there's like nobody, nobody that can do that in the future. It's really difficult because I think that yeah, they said like only the elders have access to some of like or can are able to like go in and read documents of some of the stuff that they've written past, which is crazy to think about how many how many Navajo people there are that like just can't speak it anymore.

SPEAKER_07 42:17

Well, a lot of it has to do with the fact that like people dying aren't. Yeah, exactly. The only time they really use the language is during like local ceremonies, right? Whenever they get the tribes together, they'll do like the same set. That's why they're Navajo is still a language that's spoken, it's just not spoken consistently, like I can speak Spanglish, you know what I mean? Sure, yeah, yeah. And it's kind of the same thing, right? They have certain words or phrases that are memorized throughout the communities through like different whatever that they do, but that nobody there, even the elders for the most part, unless they're getting together in secret, like or in the quiet times of just the elders, nobody's walking around speaking just Navajo. Yeah, all my terrible French and Spanish.

SPEAKER_03 42:56

It's that it's me learning phrases in church and other places and navigating how to buy, how to sell this Arabic same or other things. Yeah, and that's how we able to do, you know, where you go place to place. Like, I sound like I can speak it, but I speak it this deep. Yeah, yeah, it's contextual. Yeah, so I'm decent in church, I'm decent in buying and selling. If we went and they were like, okay, you have to make your case in front of the court, I'd be like, Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 43:17

Can I have a glass of water?

SPEAKER_01 43:18

You know what I mean? Like things like that. Yeah. Well, with the Navajo uh, because I I've gotten to go on a few trips to there. One of the other things, so there is the the divide between the generations, but really one of the biggest reasons is because of the the boarding schools that we had uh as brought them into Phoenix Indian School Road. Well, so that's that was the uh what we did as us as Americans, what we did was once we put them onto reservations, we created boarding schools. It was that the boarding schools were created by the American military.

SPEAKER_08 43:48

Right.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Um, and so they uh the Native people didn't have a choice. They were these kids, once they were five, they were basically gone and they were dropped off at these boarding schools. And part of part of the boarding school was um they were they were sharing that as you walk in they had it posted throughout the throughout the schools kill kill the Indian save the man save the man yeah and so the idea was kill because being uh Navajo that was they were dirty people and the language was a dirty language and so if they spoke it they would have their mouths washed out with soap they would face all kinds of corporal punishment and things like that and so they were brought up that that was a it was destroy any form of pride in who they are as a people right so that they will assimilate and become Americans isn't the term for that gentrification yeah is that what I think sort of that's more of a different yeah but in alignment with that the idea the idea also is like you know that's really alignment with nationalism and a bunch of other things but okay you're essentially establishing cultural dominance and we did that everywhere we were not just here we did in other countries too and places where you know if you're going to have a barter system and a barter trade thing you need common language and we did that through media we did it through establishment we did it through trading posts we did it through our military and so it's interesting to think about it that way but you know we talked about how it's it is a dying art so there it's interesting to see people that that are like trying to keep it surviving going on that idea um recently uh the actor Timothy Chalamet he was making some comments and popped off in the arts community because he was saying man I I want to do media I want to do movies I want to do this other stuff I don't want to be tied to things that are dying arts like ballet and opera and he was saying that along like uh I think it was Matthew McConaughey or other people that are present with him they were having a dialogue and it's kind of an actor's interview but man what an interesting thing to talk about that Jamie you've seen that a little bit what he's thinking hot take.

SPEAKER_02 45:40

Man people are making such a big deal out of it and I think it's because Timothy Chalamet has like within the media kind of solidified himself especially when he was younger like around like 16 or even like just before he became an adult he was so big about being present within the arts and keeping the arts as a concept alive. Yes and that's why some of the people are so mad at this statement that he's making is because he's like you are or he's essentially or to their perspective he's essentially desecrating an art that's been around for much longer than cinema's been around for and they're like oh yeah your movie's not going to be remembered in five years for like being some random ping pong player and Marty Supreme nobody's gonna remember this but ballet and opera like um Swan Lake or something like uh the Nutcracker is going to be performed for hundreds of years on end. So at the end of the day what's really more of a like culturally significant art but I also think like some people are just making like making a mountain out of a molehill in some sense because like to what he's saying he's saying that like there's such a niche um kind of community for what's going on and he he's also like such a huge presence within a much wider audience of people that are going to pay attention to cinema and pay attention to film. Yeah exactly whereas like there's only a really small population of people worldwide that probably really care about opera ballet within that sense and you kind of already have to be upper echelon in order to consistently do those things anyway. That's so expensive.

SPEAKER_08 47:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:08

But I do understand the concern from their uh point or the argument from their point about how what he is doing in cinema can potentially be replicated by AI in the future and that his talents are no longer needed. I think to some degree their argument makes sense because of what we see with things like C Dance 2.0. They as long as you have a character or two characters and have enough audio and visual recording of yourself, the AI can essentially just take your likeness and put it into whatever scenario the people behind it, engineering or mastermind whatever film they want to want to put out. And we're not going to pay to see robots perform Swan like the way we would a ballerina because it's about the human ability and about their ingenuity their strength and all the jumps and all the true but at the same time I also think like if you didn't know it was a robot and we had it coordinated well enough to where it looked like it was a human like with some of these humanoid robots that come out in China, sure they're not well equipped to do ballet or anything like that. But sure 10 years down the line that very much could be a real possibility and who's to say that if you like trained an uh or if you had like a voice box behind like something that looked like a physical human at an opera but you didn't know that it wasn't a human, who's not going to pay to go see it if you did an entire opera or a ballet with like a room full of AI robots but you didn't tell anybody how long would it take for people to figure out that are sitting that far back from it to where they can't actually see like all the inner workings of it.

SPEAKER_03 48:31

Which brings us directly into our next point of humanoid robots with emotional response are already being made they have real looking faces they have real looking emotives and their eyes emote the way that we that's what I mean. What do you think about that jazz?

SPEAKER_07 48:46

It's all just funky it's all funky man I love that I don't I don't like I don't gauge is like the subconscious of reason he's like I don't trust it and I don't like it. No that's not for me I'll tell you that cool right like wow that's awesome what's the application for movies for cinema for this that we already have people to do that 100 what are the other people going to do that were doing cinema are they gonna build the robots wow what a phenomenal life yeah well they're they're what are we replacing their point is that the reason they're making these is because their point is is for the mental health side that's the argument and they're saying that oh actually many people are separated away from people that will actually listen to them will actually be emo be like emotionally supportive of them and this thing can be trained or programmed to be emotionally supportive and you could sit right across from this beautiful robot that's like oh Angus I care about your heart and your dreams.

SPEAKER_03 49:46

What do you think man?

SPEAKER_01 49:47

Yeah uh there was a uh there was a show um still chiving in it's like no uh you know there have been a few shows uh where where there's somebody who you know he's got a a life size doll and it's a real it's sure and it it's very weird it's creepy but you know loneliness is a real thing that's a real thing and that's just like as pastors we we all the time we're all the time with people who are lonely that's right and you can be surrounded by people and still feel utterly alone that's right uh because you you don't feel like you there's uh safety or a closeness or whatever uh but this thing that you know because it's programmed it doesn't judge you it doesn't do anything so I can see where you know it would be very uh popular for a lot of people because it's you know it's a companion in a in a world where we're just getting less and less familiar with how to connect with people.

SPEAKER_07 50:44

Sure absolutely because it's I don't think connecting with a robot's gonna fix that problem though.

SPEAKER_01 50:48

No but that's but that's the point is if you can just start uh start on day one at a deep relationship with a computer why do you need the other relationships you know and so you you becomes like Blade Runner 2049 or something where he's like has this like AI thing.

SPEAKER_03 51:06

He's in I mean or other lots of other shows where they're like they're interacting in the future and it's like you know this AI entity or other things that support them and they're dialoguing with.

SPEAKER_07 51:15

I think we kind of lose our our sense of humanitarianism.

SPEAKER_01 51:20

We do and that's exactly the point is like if we already can't get along when we talk if if we get along with our robot who supports our every idea and and everything then when we come we you know we just butt heads even more so I don't see it as being something that would progress us further necessarily and I think it would give a lot of people a sense of not being lonely but still ultimately you're you're still it's still just a machine.

SPEAKER_03 51:48

Yeah and eternally you're still alone you're still separated you're still all the things that they're trying to fill the void with something that is essentially a spiritual issue. And to that in I think that yeah that's like a God sized void.

SPEAKER_07 52:00

That's right. Right they're trying to put so many different things you can put but none of it's gonna fill what only God can fill. Such a good point man that's right on but hey I'm gonna go right back to a no thank you.

SPEAKER_04 52:13

Shout out shout out we were talking about this in a previous podcast but it's one of Gage's sons uh Cassius man we quote him all the time at my house me and Chaven and you now all of us but we're like you know as Cassius would say no thank you. No thank you.

SPEAKER_03 52:26

No thank you. Yep 100% I think there's a piece of that uh you know we talked about often how AI has started to replicate be used kind of ubiquitous everywhere but more specifically in in work remote stuff that's software specific or task specific that's driven by software we talked about how up open claw has been used as a software that's been rolled out with lots of people and now because it's being it's being put into the hands of people where they're like oh you can use this as a business dude there are lines and lines and lines in China where they're buying Mac minis or other versions of that made by Huawei or other people like these small computers but powerful computers and they're using those loading open claw into it and then using it software driven to do different tasks and using that as a business for themselves. There were crazy lines dude all sorts of ages old people young people you know men, women didn't matter they're all in line to get these uh software engineers who are donating their time to help load their stuff in a way they're just massive lines and lines and lines of people in China. And so I feel like we're way behind the ball because these there's gonna be thousands of go of like businesses going online using this mentality. Interesting. Jim what do you think about that?

SPEAKER_02 53:33

Oh I mean it's super smart. I think like anytime you have something that's that diversive in its functional use it like as long as you use it to its full extent then they're gonna get all the value in the world that they would get out of using that. Whether they have to pay like a crazy subscription for it is kind of I don't I don't know exactly all the details but I know whatever they're getting as long as they make all the revenue back from it do they're getting they're getting absolutely paid because you don't have to pay somebody that can call in sick that can or that like takes an emotional support day that has issues with their family blah blah blah.

SPEAKER_03 54:05

You're paying something that can do work for you 247 as long as you tell it to do this it'll do this for you as long as it doesn't rebel against you like we talked about last time but well it talks about it ties right into Xiaomi making these robots that have been used now we talked about full dark full darkness meaning they don't have to pay to turn on the lights because they're just run in the dark though you know robots don't need lights they're they're programmed to do what they want. So you only need lights for the engineers that go in to fix a robot. So they're fully automated you know uh carts on the floor that are moving things to place to place humanoid robots that are doing tasks we talked about the BNW plant in the past now man they're talking about showing in China there are robots making robots there are all sorts of stuff going on it's it's full Skynet from from that perspective looking that direction. Yeah so uh how do you feel about that one guy? No thank you. No thank you no thank you. Not to do it it's interesting you know I man I think about it as somebody who employs people and obviously we need people like for in a in a daycare situation obviously you want people you want people who can care and and and be compassionate and all those things. But I'll tell you what I don't need them to do is I don't need them to clean the windows I don't need them to do this. Now they do need to do those tasks because we need to have a clean place and so that's part of the tasks of our team and our tasks of our team here. What if I didn't have them doing that what if I had four robots that cost 20 thousand each and guess what? It's still cheaper than employing two people and so you're like okay so then what does that look like? Well and then they don't stop and they just keep cleaning and oh it looks so nice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 55:30

And then that's where the the trade off goes Angus what do you think man you talk about having your kids clean up your house at what point do you just like we're making the investment well yeah so yeah we talked last time about uh in in one of the previous podcasts about how uh Harvard tied doing chores to success that's right yeah so if we hire our robots to do all of our kids' chores what are we setting our kids up for uh yeah laziness sitting in those in those floating chairs in the in Wally that's a that's a different kind of a of role than what you're talking about raising your sons to be yeah no I don't see that I don't see that it's not even not even in my vision man I ain't I I do have a robot at my house but it doesn't have arms it doesn't have legs it'll run around and sweep the floor that way my kid's not picking up random stuff as a nine month old and putting in his mouth crumbs or whatever that we may miss as we're vacuuming.

SPEAKER_03 56:24

But like bro I mean so you're saying you opened your home door to the machines is that what you're telling me I'm not proud of it Jay but you know what is crazy deep so don't worry about him that same thing uh we we were talking about on one of the last podcasts and I thought about it but I wanted to bring it back up that same thing with those little roombas or whatever some guy hacked like oh yeah access to the 7000 dude how insane and I I allowed myself to bring a clanker into he's using turns sorry sorry hey don't apologize you're totally good I shouldn't be bringing those demographics easy no no you're easy you're good you're good it's not human it doesn't have feelings oh wow here we go just because it doesn't have feelings doesn't mean it may not be sentient uh oh good point I do not necessarily share the same opinions with you as the words Lee shares I do not neither confirm nor deny anything any statements dude it was so crazy so we're we're sitting at the park and I had I caught myself like way too late on this I'd be shouting out random stuff every once in a while oh dear like it catch me off guard and my spirit's just like no dude we're sitting at the park and uh this lady was like oh blah blah super cool my wife's like yeah you know my birthday just passed whatever she goes oh so you're a Pisces and then like I sat there for a second go identify as a child of God like I was like oh no I just and this lady sitting there like this not knowing what to say I was like I don't think that's how I'm supposed to minister to people I love that's gonna that's really funny dude I blame it on the clinker oh my gosh that's infiltrated Anthropic has talked about they've just released a list and they showed like a this big pie chart of uh of report how AI will replace jobs interestingly it's some of the best jobs that we have out right now so it's like software engineers and and biological engineers other things like that a lot in the software and that development kind of space it's really taking those jobs in a big way I know um man ChatGBT OpenAI on these places they fired like half of their workforce it was like 40 to 50 percent and because they're like well we don't need you anymore like it you thank you for scaling us up where we don't need you thanks for your for us using your intellect to make another intellect yep but that's part of the things they're dealing with so it is really where it is going to take it will be a shift it will be interesting to see if we have to get to the place where we talked about before where there is like some kind of a you know income for everybody and all this other stuff because they now they're gonna replace we we talked about here on the podcast where we got 18 wheelers being replaced taxis being replaced robo there's no more Uber driver there's no more this there's no more that so what job are you going to get there's no more Amazon fulfillment person that's all robots there's you know no delivery to your house that's gonna be by drone come on you know pretty soon you're gonna have the robo you know the the you know you don't have to worry about it going on a pea break yeah just starting to automatic automate fast food that's true that you can't even put burgers yeah we talked about that at the you know at the Taco Bell where they they had it they had it delivered down the thing you don't have a person at the window it's just shoot disgusting all I mean it's still it's still good it keeps you regular yeah no it doesn't you lose the consistency the discipline like we're talking about picking up after yourself of doing chores all the things around the house oh dude I I can tell you as some you know like you live in different cultures especially you know we're we're like when we were here on one income we're like low middle class like you know just in you go there suddenly you're in upper class because you're the same money but the buying power is so much different so the expectation is different so you we had people that we hired to do different tasks it's expected that you provide job now we didn't have we had like you know part-time people that kind of thing but one of the part-time people we had was someone who did some cleaning and stuff like that now we still expected our kids to clean and stuff like that but dude if you don't watch them these kids we had kids that our kids went to school with that would like literally walk out they had a driver who was also like a protector and then they'd have a nanny so they have both people there waiting for them after school with a car not their parents they had a separate car to go get their kids they would just drop their backpack on the ground yeah dude and the nanny would pick it up I'm telling you but dude these were people that ruled the roost this is the this is the son of the guy yeah dude it be I mean you gotta watch them dude because that was that happens now yeah you imagine how it is now I have the money to buy a fleet of robots dude they carry me on a chariot it's insane bro walking around like Cleopatra you have four robots carrying one four four hundred one fast that's the problem is obviously that's not what we want to do but the point is like people will do this this is what's happening it's coming man yeah it's crazy uh one thing that we saw recently to us and it's both creative on the people that were trying it and creative on the cops that caught them but that here in Arizona some dudes were trying to steal $300,000 worth of Jordans out of a train at a train heist in Arizona for Jordans which they weren't even that great and that's for me as a shooter we don't have trains in Phoenix we have but not for people so they were stealing they were stealing these these Nikes off this train car and they were like dude just boxes and boxes and boxes they were stealing but there's even like you know they're showing aerial footage like they caught them like using some of this new technology this new surveillance so Jamie you saw this thing?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:44

I I have not seen it but if what you're talking about is true that they caught them using like flock or something like that it's that's real interesting because they're gonna use this and set this as a precedent going forward that's like oh this is completely why we need this technology because it helps it helps eliminate all these problems and it means like a huge heist of like hundreds of thousands worth of product aren't going to go missing like this. But they're gonna completely negate the fact that oh yeah all your privacy is definitely not interfered with whatsoever by us tracking you literally wherever you go. Exactly yeah that's never gonna ever be released at any point it's never going to be backfired no exactly so don't worry about your personal your personal independence. I mean like literally the thing about um ring where people are like yeah they're definitely just using this in order to gain intel on everybody but like from your actual doorstep is like oh no we're just doing this for the benefit of the dog. Find your dog your dog is lost we need to find Robert no but yeah I mean they're just doing it it doesn't matter whether or not people care it's gonna happen anyway.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:44

We're back to we're back to Gage being being cashist and saying not thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:49

I was just watching uh Gavin and I were just watching the movie Shooter with uh Mark Wahlberg Mark Wahlberg and stuff Marky Mark and uh and some of these older movies from the 90s and early two before 2001 um you know there's so many things that it's like that doesn't happen anymore. Right. Like this and it's not that kind of an old movie but where where that movie was shot to where we are now it's like the whole this whole movie could not exist because of the technology we now use. Yeah. And so it's it's wild to think that like how different our world is because you can look back and see uh via our cinema you know what it what life used to look like and how crime could happen and all of these things. And it's completely different. We're moving more towards like a minority report kind of you know place where it's like that was the future and now the the stuff that we're experiencing you can't even it's not even possible anymore.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:43

Living and running man well and we've talked about you said how you we were talking together about this whole concept of how we we were showing our kids old movies and stuff like that. Jamie and I were watching an older movie the other day and I was like dude there's look at this picture again there's no phone. Like it's so surreal to see like crowds of people no phone we're like we're we're watching you can't hardly wait I think can't hardly wait we're watching skulls we're watching these other movies they're old movies and they're like talking about different stuff and I was like think about how this would change if you had a phone dude you know what I mean like anyone yeah I mean like wow all the secrecy gone they would have to do the the zip bags and all you know like all the the things to make your phone not work. Like they would have to do that to keep the secrecy like it'd be so much harder.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:19

I mean it definitely goes on though yeah we're talking about a secret society that's existed since like the 1860s or something ridiculous.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:26

So dum dum dum hey one of the things we talk about here is our community we're talking about kingdom builders and being those who give to missions and sacrifice so that others may know Jesus we have an interview with Kyle that we want to bring in he's a friend of ours and a missionary church planter to Italy so we want to hear from Kyle right now. Hey with me today uh is a friend and Pastor Kyle Truan he is a missionary church planter as well as a church planter here in the States uh has a background um in ministry and a master's in theology and just want to share a little bit with us today Kyle man welcome glad to be here hey great word today just got away from a Sunday morning and you did services for us really powerful really appreciated the word it ministered to me personally I know we had altars full of people man that were responding to the gospel and and to the message of of being those that that take up the challenge. You want to share with us a little bit about like your call and what's going on with Italy and even like kind of your background a little bit?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:20

Yeah I mean we got so many layers of connection with Arizona ministry. I'm third generation Arizona pastor I was born in Cottonwood and so even just the story of getting called into ministry I mean I was 13 years old at at Granite Hills Campground in Prescott and had an encounter with God that really shaped the the direction of my life there and was so formative in even into what we what we do now and and part of the move of God that that we saw in our churches in the in the late 90s that was the fruit of so many people's prayer and hard work in church planting and now we're we're still even you know 30 years Later, reaping the benefit of.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:01

Yeah, powerful man. It's awesome. You know, um, something we didn't even talk about on stage today, but you know, I got to spend time because obviously my wife was in Cottonwood, and this is before I met her, she knew you because she was helping with the youth ministry. You were in the youth ministry.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:12

I was in the youth ministry, did fine arts and all that the whole thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:16

And we were talking about how many pastors and ministers and everybody else think about like Evan and Carissa and all these other people then, like from like Wickenburg and Cottonwood and all these places, and they're like doing big stuff and on recording and all these things. All the pastors that went out there, all the missionaries that went out of Cottonwood, crazy.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:30

Yeah, and we're still seeing even now God move where um you know my cousins that we prayed for for a long time just came to know the Lord here in the last few years, and there's a revival among the young men there still happening. That's right. And and it's just amazing.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:45

And it's amazing too. We're talking about our friend Jeremy Peters, uh, him and Rachel, they're they're in our wedding, like we've been friends forever. And uh, man doing a great job with Journey Church there, and they're just a piece of what God is doing in that small city and what God is even doing here uh in Phoenix Metro. So it's a blessing to be a part of it. Tell us a little bit about like Italy and kind of what what the call was like there. I know you know you guys kind of planted a church in Boston, saw it be successful, still successful today. It's still there. Boston, after seven years you guys doing that, you shifted gears and ended up going towards missions eventually. And then now you've been in Italy already a full term, now your second term.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:19

Yeah. You know, talking about the call of God and the direction of God, I've never had God just like airdrop the whole plan to me. Right. Some people, it's like they've got the whole the whole vision and it's all there, and you got it, you got it laid out. Um, it's always for me been uh more like exploring the will of God and the the intersection of that burden for the lost in a in a particular area, kind of that thing that says somebody ought to do something about this. It's good. And then uh every time you pray that it seems like the Lord says to me, you know, who's somebody? And that that ends up being uh part of the drive there, and then the desire to do it when we delight ourselves in the Lord, he'll give the He'll give us the desires of our heart. That doesn't mean like we shape his desires to match ours, it's the other way around. So he makes what we want into be, you know, what he wants. And we're you know, we're kind of some of these things intersect um along with the just the doors that that actually open. And so we felt a need and a burden to uh be a part of the international church movement in Europe. Yeah, and we've loved that, supported that as pastors, and kind of had an an open an open door policy with God of just like, hey, with missions, like say when and we're there. Yeah. And and it really felt like this was this was when and this was that time. It's awesome. And so we started taking steps in that direction. Didn't have Genoa, Italy, like specifically on our hearts. We had never been there. First time I went there was when we moved there to like live. Wow. Uh, but we sought out the wisdom of leadership with Assemblies of God World Missions in Europe and said, and leadership there and said, hey, here's who we are, what we've done. We've pastored a multi- multicultural church, church planted. We're open to uh either planting new or or leading something that needs a pastor, but we want to be part of this international church movement. The multicultural thing is really kind of we feel like our sweet spot. Yes, we get a lot of joy from it, and also we feel um uniquely equipped to do that. And so they came back to us with a few cities and said, Hey, here's some ministry context, take them, pray over them, research them. And uh Genoa, Italy was on that list, and we after after seeking the Lord and and praying about that together with leadership, we said, Hey, we think this might be where God's leading. And as we took steps towards in that direction, the doors just flung open for us.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:32

Ah man, I'm so encouraged by that. Uh, you know, our story and being missionary church planners in Europe as well, our ours in Paris. And uh, we had Larry Henderson with us this last year, and got it, you know, Larry's a an old friend and good friend, uh, oversees a lot of the mission in Europe. You're a colleague with him, and yeah, he was part of that process. Yeah, yeah. And uh Mark and DeLene Good, which long-term friends were with us in France. Before that, Celeste was with them in Bangladesh, uh, now heading up to Benelux in that area as the area directors in Western Europe. It's cool to see what God is doing and how like we are friends with some of these people that are like yourselves that are like getting a chance to be boots on the ground and right there, man, having an impact in these big global cities.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:08

Yeah, you know, it's it's a good reminder that we're not the sole carriers of the power and presence of God, but we're part of like a whole story and a whole community of faithful believers. And uh man, that just really encourages me every time I think about that. That you know, all of these these connections and the way God weaves our stories together in the way that that only He can. Um it's a reminder that we're not the we're not the main character in our stories. Yeah, but we are part of Christ's story, and he's the he's the main character, and that that's just that's amazing to me every time I think about it.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:40

Oh, dude, I love it. I was thinking about um friends that served in Italy for many, many years. Um and and as Steve and Patty, they they gave their lives on the field in loving Jesus, and unfortunately they're they lost their lives in a fire that was there in Padova, Italy. But their passion for the people there, you know, I kind of thought about it as as many others do. It's like, oh, they're mostly Catholic or whatever, but they're not they're not reached. There's less than two percent of people have a relationship with Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:06

Yeah, we think about sometimes the the countries that are that have a lot of Catholic influence historically speaking as like almost like backslidden Christians. Right. Um, but really when you get in these countries like Italy, Spain, France, the culture has moved so far post-Catholic so as to be pre-Christian.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:26

That's true. Yeah, there's generations of people that have never had an active faith in God.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:30

Yeah. So when we talk to people about orienting your life around Christ or being an apprentice to Jesus or following following Christ with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, right, they will literally look at you and say, I didn't know people still did that. Right. Yeah, that's right. So we get to we get to be be part of showing what that looks like in the in the here and now. Man, I love that.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:52

I was thinking about our friends, uh, you know, friends that we have, Josh and Becca or Milan, thinking about like great people in Italy that are doing a good work, and I'm like, man, I'm so encouraged.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:00

We got to go with Josh and Becca and Milan. They needed somebody to play Jesus for a living last supper. Because the last the Da Vinci Last Supper painting is there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we did this Palm Sunday production with like the disciples and everything, but they need somebody they needed somebody that could grow a beard out. Yeah, so I grew up my beard and really and we I was Jesus for the living last supper. Did you grow your hair too? I I did grow my hair out, but it wasn't quite long enough. So I had the wig. But so we would freeze, we would freeze in like the position of the painting. And then there would be like a monologue from the disciple or whatever. And it was really, really effective. But one of the like effective things was like taking selfies with people afterwards. Everyone wanted to take a selfie with it. So we're on the street and there's like tourists with backpacks coming by, and they're like, I just saw Jesus. So that was really cool.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:46

That's awesome. There it is, right there.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:49

Man, it's cool. Today you're sharing a challenge to our congregation, to the community of faith, uh, about being the people and that can you share just the very short version of the of the of the saddle story?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:59

Yeah. So my grandpa was an old cowboy preacher and uh he preached the gospel for over 60 years. And after he passed away, some of his friends took a an empty saddle ride kind of as a tribute. And took a picture of his his horse and his saddle next to the cross with the with the empty empty rider kind of look empty saddle. And uh it just kind of struck me that there's a lot of in the kingdom of God, there's we're we're part of this story, and there's a lot who have gone before, and and we sit where we are even now because faithful believers set things in motion often before even our lifetimes. Yes. And just that realness of the the empty saddle idea of that there are a lot of opportunities in the kingdom of God that just like we're one generation away from a great revival across the world, we're also one generation away of a great falling away. And there's an opportunity and a moment that we have in the here and now to say, Here am I, send me, Lord, I'm I'm willing to get in the saddle and and take the opportunity that's set before me to to ride roundup on the on the lost souls in the in the local and regional and and global world.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:24

That's such a good challenge, man. And I know it really resonated with me as someone, you know, we felt that call like you, you and your wife did. And and it's crazy um to be those that say yes, that see that there's a saddle to be to take up that that to take up that calling and to say, I'm gonna go, we're gonna sacrifice, we're gonna make it happen. And how that doesn't have to be some far-off place. I can be right here in your own community, say, okay, I'm gonna have the boldness to share my faith with someone, or I'm gonna have the boldness to obey God in this area. Maybe you said give to kingdom builders or to say whatever it is, give of my time and serve. So each one of those things where it said there's an opportunity here, are you gonna be the one that steps up to do something?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:58

Yeah, I heard somebody say success looks like faithfulness and obedience. Love that. And you combine those two things. So it it it's not so much about making, you know, sometimes he c he might call us to go across an ocean. He might call us to go across the street.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:13

Um, what matters is our obedience and our faithfulness to that obedience, and saying, God, you have my yes before the question is asked. And and whatever you ask of me, Lord, I'm gonna I'm gonna do it with with enthusiasm with my whole heart. And uh man, I wish I modeled that every day. I'm I'm learning how to do that. Um praying that that God you know continues to give us the grace to do that, and and we're thankful that uh that he includes us in his story in that sense. Um, but yeah, it it might be giving sacrificially to kingdom builders so that others can go. I heard somebody say that in missions we can be senders, sent or disobedient. And I would much rather be one of those first two. So if if you're not being sent, you get to be a sender. That's good, man. That's a good word.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:57

Now, um, you know, I my kids grew up as as missionary kids, as pastors' kids. You have both two. You have missionary kids and pastors' kids. They're so cool. And so as a pastor's kid and as a missionary kid and having that heritage kind of passed down, um, I wanted to tell a very quick story, which I know I've told you before, but I'll share with these guys today, which is uh one of the encouragement parts we had was on our first year missions, and maybe second year, uh, when our kids were really little. So our daughter Shiloh had just been born, Javen was three, and your folks, uh, when your mom was still with us, she they came to Paris and they were with us. And so they're like, hey, we meet them. Obviously, my my wife knew your folks from back then. I knew of them sort of, but and then knew them kind of at the time he was at SAGU, and then you know, your mom was doing all she was doing in Texas with the women's ministry, and they spent time with us just loving on us like grandparents because all of you guys had kids uh all away from that, and they were they were like, No, we want to be like spend like grandparents for the day. So we have pictures of like Javen on your dad's shoulders when he was three walking down the Champs lysees, and like your mom right there holding, you know, holding Shiloh and like different things. It was really good moment for me, man, like really encouraging. And it's cool to see like your dad is super gifted in business, has been someone who's raised tons of money, bought like buildings, $20 million buildings, all sorts of stuff for big schools and done all that kind of stuff, has been you know, city planner, all these like with really cool skills, cool skill sets, and still using all that for the glory of God. Yeah, and I love that. And I was I was just want to I just want to like share that again about man, how cool it can be. You don't have to be, you know, some title, some you know, you don't have to be a preacher like me and you. You could be anyone doing anything about that. Now they had ministry, obviously, and all those things, but um man, it's just to be an encouragement, such a big deal.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:39

Yeah, it's amazing what happens when we take our ability and put it under the anointing, what God can do with that. So good, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:48

So good. Give me one last snapshot before we jump today, like about uh Genoa. What's some of the things that you really love? It's been something in your heart from this last season.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:56

Oh, it's it's a lot of fun. Um the Mexican food is terrible, but of course the Italian food is great. There you go. So I smuggle in red chili in my in my suitcase, the the powder so that I can make enchiladas. Oh, we just not listening. Yeah, they're like, what is this? I'm like, it's just spices, man. It's just spices. But yeah, uh the uh yeah, the the the food is obviously great, but really the even more than than the food and the and being near the the Mediterranean Sea and all this is the the people that we get to meet. That's always the biggest blessing in in every ministry context we've been in. It's awesome is the Lord puts us in people's path and and people in our path, whether it's a a family that was um fleeing war in in Ukraine, and they're like, Man, it seems like it's always the missionaries that show up in just like the weird moments of our life when we just need somebody. Or whether it's uh you know people that have been asking questions of faith for a long time and they say, I've been praying for somebody like you for decades.

SPEAKER_08 1:18:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:55

Um that's always the the coolest thing. So we get to meet really neat, really special people that I think we'll we'll be in relationship with for uh for a long time and um walking with them in the direction of Christ. Uh walking with people in the direction of heaven, saying, Hey, this is this is the way, come walk it with me. Uh man, there's that's the best thing in the world.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:17

Yeah, I'm so encouraged by you, man. And thanks again for your ministry and pouring into our people and um and just saying yes to Christ. Powerful. Thanks for having me. It was great to be here today. Yeah, man. Thank you. Hey, so that's uh from Kyle, and uh we'll jump back in with you guys. Man, amazing to have Kyle with us. We're thankful for that. I want to post something to you guys um talking about this idea of church planting, us partnering with Kyle and talking about him in Italy. Um, do you feel as you're giving, do you feel more compelled to give to a person for like monthly support, or do you feel more compelled to give to a project? What do you think, Gage?

SPEAKER_07 1:19:49

Uh I feel as though it's all going to be circumstantial. Okay, so like uh it when it comes to giving outside of my tithe and I feel led by the spirit to give to something in particular, that's what I'll listen to. It's not that it's not even that I have more of an inkling for a person or a project or a place, it's more just whatever the spirit's speaking at that time. Um, but it's you know, it's so encouraging to know that it's going towards not just the person, right? Not just the project, right? It's going towards God's plan and God's will and his kingdom that's being done here on earth as it is in heaven. So good. And that's what's so encouraging. You know, that's usually where I'll divert my my my little extra to.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:36

And I think that's wise to listen to the Holy Spirit. I think there's, you know, some of motivated. I know some people are like, I don't give to support the missionary, they can do other things. I just want to give to the project. I want to build a place or I want to do this, or I want to dig a well, or whatever. Angus, what do you think? Man, you've been on you've had a chance to go missions and do some stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:51

Uh kind of like Gage is it's both. You know, I think so. For me, I like to give to kingdom builders because I know that collectively, uh, I mean, that's the whole point of the assemblies of God, right? Collectively, our money goes further. And so that's why I like to give to to um the kingdom builders is because then I know that I'm pooling with everybody else here at Cornerstone so that we can collectively go and make an impact. However, there are some other ministries that um just because we are limited in our resources, that you know, um it it's better to to give some of these missionaries something that will fund them rather than saying, well, here's 20 bucks a month to you and 20 bucks, it doesn't necessarily make a difference. Um and so, but then I can go outside that and I can give to to missionaries specifically. And so, like, if there is a uh if there is somebody that I'm like, this is a part of the world that they're ministering to and I really support that or uh a specific community, then outside of that, outside of kingdom builders, I'll designate to to an individual.

SPEAKER_03 1:21:52

That's cool. I like that. Javin, you've had a chance obviously growing up around the world, traveling all over, you know, over over what do you got? What's your number on now? 51. 51 countries. That's okay. That's pretty cool. It's a couple.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:03

It's a couple how do you even keep track at this point, bro? Oh, we got an app. It's an app called Ben. Ben, yeah. Like I've been there, B-E-En. I got it, I got it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:11

So interesting. We're doing the count. Um, but um, to that end, what do you think? What you personally, what would you be more motivating? And we were supported obviously monthly by people giving a monthly, but also projects.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:22

No, 100%. I I agree with what both of them are saying and that it is very circumstantial because I think um to the end that Angus was talking about something like Kingdom Builders, because of how interconnected everything is through the assemblies of God, you know that it's going new something that you directly support, not only doctrinally, but like that somebody you know is directly connected to, instead of like some random uh third-party project that you have no idea where the money breakdown is. Right. But I also think at the same time, um, in being that we were a family that was direct recipients of but like just for a family to go out, it is definitely dependent on whether or not you really understand the initiative that a direct family is taking and the steps that they have going forward, the availability, um, whether or not they really understand what they're trying to do in the host country. Because if you really have somebody that knows what they're doing or has an operation in their back, like on furlough trying to raise more money, supporting that direct missionary is is something that is uh makes complete sense. And it's something that like you understand that this money is going to a good operation, like um with what's going on with like the iHeart Cafe or even like in Istanbul with uh with our friends that have been doing it for for over like I want to say around two decades now, something like that. It's crazy, dude. Yeah, I mean yeah, praise the Lord that that's happening. But within that, um within that regard, yeah, or to like what um what Dick Brogdon's been doing, because we know that Live Dead has like solidified itself as um as something that is very interconnected across the Arab world. Now, obviously there's a lot going on right now, but over the last few years, how they really have been intentional with the way that they've raised their money and with the projects and initiatives that they've had in those parts of the world. I I'd be open to either. I think it it is kind of just dependent on where the Holy Spirit leads you in that regard and the comfortability that you feel one-on-one with the um with what a specific missionary is willing to do, but also what the breakdown of what they're doing is because you're not going to give somebody money if they don't know what they're gonna do with it.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:19

It's just yeah, it's a good point. And I would say that's the tension of us uh investing into the kingdom of God in that way and kingdom builders. You know, we we have a kind of a matrix of understanding of what we try to put uh people through is in alignment with us. I mean, obviously they have to have connection to our church, but more specifically to the mission that we feel called to. That's very much to unreach people's international communities to church planting is a big initiative of that. And so we have a lot of things that align with that, and that's people that we've invested in that to support the monthly. Now, we're not doing a huge amount monthly to each person, but a hundred, two hundred dollars to each person, it does add up over time. So they have a lot of partners to actually be onto the field, but we get to be one of those consistent partners to make it happen. Whenever we're gonna give to a project, it's with that in mind. So we're not gonna give to a project to people that we don't already support because we believe in the person and then the work that they're doing. So we give to both things. So we've done that um in Thailand, we've done that in other places in Laos and other, you know, like with with um in places like Sudan and things like that. And as we're giving to those projects, they they have longevity because you're giving to something that's gonna be an implementation to help them step up to reach more people. Now you have to fund them to be there. Right. It we we talk about the theme this year is how can they hear? We have these little bracelets that we put out and and given people just to remind them to pray for that way. How can they hear, the scripture says, unless they are sent. So we need to be those that are sending, but also praying first, praying for them so that they can be successful in doing what they're doing as they get there, but also supporting them and then also being those that come alongside them as the Lord enables us to give to a project, as you guys said, the Spirit guiding us and what that looks like. So we do both. Um, and that's why we talk about people giving to Kingdom Builders, because we do both through Kingdom Builders. We're gonna talk about it this weekend, but it's a really powerful thing from that perspective that we can do more collectively than any one of us by ourselves. One of the things we talk about here is competence. It's one of our C's, and we've been looking at different books. One of those is this book, Dream Big, by Bob Goff. And the concept we want to talk about today is this idea that he says is called clear the path. What that means is he says this concept, figure out what is holding you back. So, what is it that's that's in the way of the path of where you need to go and the obedience steps you need to do in going to the next place? So clear the path, figure out what's holding you back. We've talked a little bit about this in the past. Um, what do you think has been something in the past that's held you back that you've you found freedom from, that's cleared the path, you'll be able to move through it?

SPEAKER_07 1:26:44

Oh my goodness, dude. Drugs and alcohol.

unknown 1:26:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:26:48

100%. That's pretty clear. That's that's that's outside of just, you know, like random criminal activity, but I mean, drugs, drugs and alcohol were a huge setback for me and all the things that I wanted to do in life. And Lord be praised that he's delivered me from any desire for either. Um, you know, I've had the the desire to taste a beer, right? Or to taste wine, but I haven't had any desire to feel the way I felt in that time. And I think so much of it has to do with like when I was heavy into the alcohol and to like the weed or anything else, it it was one of those things that we talked about, like God-sized hole, right? Right. Trying to feel that. Yeah, and just and not trying to feel trying to feel some other way than how I felt consistently, right? Like always chasing after not feeling how I felt. Um and man, it making that decision went it it ran right in line with giving my life to Christ and allowing him, right? Because like when I gave my life to Christ, it wasn't like a okay, now I'm gonna do these things. Things to serve you, it was like I'm incapable of doing anything, and I need you to do anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, like, come in. Yeah, I can't do this. I need you to do it for me. Right. You had to be medicated in order to do that. I had to surrender all of those things to him to let him take control. So, like, it clearing the path was giving these things to Christ. And then when I gave those things to Christ and I allowed him to be my like the light of my life and the thing I look forward to and the thing that I relied on, made him my shelter, my refuge, right? My dwelling place. When when those things started to happen, funny enough, started moving in a different direction. Yeah, that's right. You know what I mean? I saw something recently. Like whenever you're leaning towards these things, you're leaning into something. When I stopped leaning into those things and I surrendered them to Christ, started leaning into him, my life started going in a different direction. Yeah. And I don't think it was a um, I don't think it was a direct response to me not doing these things, but rather it was a direct response to me doing the thing of following after Christ.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:14

That's good, man. Super good. He cleared the path for you.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:16

Amen. I didn't clear it.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:18

I didn't clear it, bro. Not even a little bit. So good. Angus, we think, man, we talked a little bit about that story.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:24

Well, I can I can definitely identify and agree with Gage on that, but to take a different uh thing, it's really just my decisions and and uh my perspectives and things. And so so many of my own habits were getting in my way, you know. And so I I've had to really clear my path in a lot of different ways. And so a lot of it though had to deal with attitudes and just how I how I saw things. And so my attitude and a lot of things would hold me back. So, you know, whether I wanted to work harder or not was dependent on my attitude, and so um, so a lot of that is what I would say is uh clearing the path is changing perspective and attitudes on things.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:04

Such a good perspective, man. I love that. Javen, what do you think, man?

SPEAKER_02 1:30:07

Clear the path. Yeah, for me, uh, which is kind of ironic, is even though we've been all over the world, I think when I first came back to America, um, especially during the time of COVID, I feel like I got entrapped in this idea of like, this is all that um that I really feel like called to, or this is all that like the Lord has placed me to, which is just to be like in this sphere and like the narrow-mindedness of all that idea, because it it took us a while to really go back outside of the US again. I think I was here for three years before we even went outside the country again till like 22. I want to say we went to France or some somewhere like that. But 21, 22. Yeah, even just to go back, it was uh it was really important for me because it it gave me an understanding and just a like almost a re-realization of just how global the church is and um the extent of mission support that we I had grown up living my entire life, but it was almost like diminished just to the fact that I was like growing up with a cool experience instead of like understanding the true value of like the the work that went into preparing the Lord's kingdom until he comes. Um, so it just like especially for me within these last few years where we've been able to go to Thailand um and see the missions that um Dana and Bridget are doing over there and uh is it ICE Bangkok or ICE? Yeah, in ICB. Oh, so IC Bangkok, sorry. And then um we were in Spain and we saw the uh what they were there too. Yeah, ICB as well. Yeah, exactly. Um and then we were also we got to see the bridge again, and then in South America was incredible. We got to see all the different ministry that was going on, not only in Colombia with Pastor Isaí, but with Pastor Moisés as well in uh in Chile, and it was just uh and in Paraguay we got to be with Alberto like in his hometown, which is super dope. Be with the superintendent and the pace and see the ministry that was going on there in the the ground that they had laid for a potential church that they wanted to go in. Um, and just to hear about even Raul and them that got a chance to go back and help uh not only demo the remnants of like a building that had tried to be started in order to start a church over there, but also help set up new walls for the church that will eventually go over there and uh help pledge money towards that operation is incredible. And it really just gave me that perspective of just how global the church is, especially as I'm stepping into this time where I have all the decisions in the world to make and I essentially the world is at my feet. And the Lord reminded me, hey, this is not your end place at all. Like, this is just like almost like a temporary spot where you're at. Like the reason I've shown you all of this is because eventually you're gonna use this all for my glory, eventually. Um, whether or not that's in this place, this place, that is indifferent. But he'll I I have a feeling everything that I have is not only in America. Whereas like back at the beginning of high school, that's like where I was trapped in for a while. And then yeah, so it's good.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:51

Really good, man. Really good. I think for me, um, the clear the path thing recently has been in alignment with um with doubt, and I think it's just because of pressing against things, pressing against things and getting growing wearing and doing good to what Angus was talking about earlier. And in the quarter four of last year was a little tough, man. It was just school and pressure and church and this and business and all sorts of things going on simultaneously. Obviously, family and all those things is first, and it's really, really important pieces, but it felt like man, it just felt like a ton of bricks. And the Lord was just like, listen, I am more than enough for you. And I I'll call you to do these things, and I'll empower you to do these things. And man, it just felt like like it just relewed relieved all the pressure of that stuff, and I was able to walk in a different way. And it really clears the path of what God has called us to do. We can't do it in our own strength anyways. If not, then it's never his vision. It was our vision. And our vision was too small. So it has to be bigger than us, and it has to be accomplished to dream big, to do the big thing, as to Bob's point, is being those who follow after the path that God has for us, and he will clear the way. As we are obedient, he will light the path.

SPEAKER_07 1:34:00

His burden's light.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:01

Amen. One word to leave the podcast. Gage lead. Gratitude. I love that. Angus McLeod. Oh. I love that. Job. Calling. I'm gonna say There's a lion. Oh my god. Hey, we love you so much. Thanks so much for being a part of the collective. God bless you, wherever you are.