Soil Sisters

Whether we’re planting seeds or receiving them, good soil is essential for growth. In today’s episode, Ariana and Kimberly discuss Jesus’ parable of the sower. 

Follow us and send us your prayer request on Instagram at @throughitpodcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Do you miss having a structured? It wasn't nine to five for you, but just saying that metaphorically. Do you miss that nine to five? No? Yeah. That was a click.

SPEAKER_01 0:16

I still have like pretty structured um in terms of like what time I'm in. Yeah. Yeah. Like I technically I'm supposed to be there 1.30 to 6.30. I usually get there at least at 12 30. I usually get there early because there's just always more to be done. And then on Fridays I'll work 11 to 4. So I still have the structure of a schedule, but I don't, I'm not a slave anymore. Yeah. Where the they literally owned me before. That's what happens. It's they call it golden handcuffs. They pay you so much that you can't go anywhere else. And then at you have to be at their beck and call any hour of the day, no matter what. You're stapled to your desk. And now I'm like, I got two phones, but as soon as I'm off the clock, that other phone doesn't exist. Yeah over the weekend. I'm not looking at that until Sunday. Oh no, I just thought of that Kevin Gates song, Two Phones. Do you remember that?

SPEAKER_02 1:11

No. Never mind. It's not for our listeners. Our listeners wouldn't know. Song is. Well, welcome to Through It podcast, everyone. This is Kimberly. This is Ariana. Don't look up that song.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

No, I would never. It's been it. This is you. Welcome to Through It's forecast of the week. Because it's crazy weather. I can't not talk about it. Like there it's been snowing in March.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

But looking out the window now, there's no that would sound like a lie. Because it's so beautifully sunny.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

And I mean, pretty green outside my front door, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Yeah, the sun is shining. You had no idea that the whole state or the side of the state was all stuck yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:59

It's gonna get warm really quick, I bet. Now that it's snowed and that the fake spring is not a thing anymore, the last ditch effort of like winter trying to come back has finally happened. Like you did it. Yeah, it's over. It's gonna get 30 degrees warmer in a week, I bet.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Man, I would love that.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Yeah. Anytime I'm ready. Yeah. People that are listening from out of state or from wherever, we have had like such a mellow winter in Washington, and like everyone's been waiting for snow.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

And it finally happened.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

And now that it finally happened, we don't want it.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Mid-March.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I was thinking that this morning. I'm laying in bed in the freezing, looking out the window. Because you didn't have heat. Yeah, I didn't have heat and have electricity. And it was so beautiful. I I love it. It's so pretty. And I was just thinking, this is what you wanted all winter, and now you're complaining.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

We just want it for 10 seconds, though.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Get your act together. Yeah.

unknown 2:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

I want to see it.

SPEAKER_02 3:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

But I don't want to have to deal with the consequences of it. Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Isn't that everything in life? We just want the good part of it, none of the bad that comes with it. Yeah, like whatever it is. The crucifying of the flesh. Yeah. I know he just wants um the heaven part of it. Yeah. And nothing else. Yeah. Just kidding. Um, I read the study. I hate when I say that. When I say like I read the study, I saw a social media post.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Nobody would have known. Maybe it was a study.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Told on yourself. Good for you. I saw this post on social media that could be completely inaccurate for all I know because no one actually does research when they see that. But it was the so-called study that said if people that wear socks to bed get better quality sleep and fall asleep faster by like seven and a half minutes or something. Because it's talking about like how your body has to regulate to be a certain temperature in order to fall asleep and get to a certain place, right? But then I was like, I hate wearing socks in bed. I think it's gross. And I'm like, okay, maybe I need bed socks. But I I think I was thinking about this because you were saying the power went out and you were so cold. So I'm like, did you not get good sleep last night? Or did you have socks on?

SPEAKER_01 4:23

I always have to wear socks to sleep. And I think about all the time. And I even I remember we talked about this once, and I was like, Well, I usually change my socks. I have inside socks and I was cold. I'm so I'm pretty sure it was this week. If not, it was last week. It was really cold one day, and I wore my the socks I had on that day to bed. And I thought I didn't think anything of it. And then I was like, Kim would kill me. She I Kim would be just so disgusted with me right now wearing the socks I wore all day to sleep.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

If you're a cold girl, I'll forgive you.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

And when you know what's crazy, this is like this might be TMI, but last night we it was freezing, right? No heat. I'm in full getup. Like every part of me is covered. I have three blankets on.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Do you have a hoodie on?

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Comforter hood on?

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Yes. Comforter and two blankets. I love to sleep with a hood up.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Frankie's not a stitch of clothing on. And has his blankets pulled back and his legs outside.

SPEAKER_02 5:32

He's like, this is perfect weather.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

She kept saying that. It was literally in the 50s in the house. In the 50s. And I had him scoot as close to me as possible, and I like just like wrapped myself around him like a koala, and he was so warm and it put me right to sleep.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

That's perfect. Yeah. Anytime I need to warm up, like specifically my feet, like I won't be cuddling Jordan, but like my feet will be on him.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

To just get the warm.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Just enough, yeah. So also why I don't need socks in bed because I have a husband next to me.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Are you gonna buy bed socks?

SPEAKER_02 6:06

I have a bad idea. No, I have like these like cozy, fuzzy socks that like if I am genuinely cold, I'll wear those just in the bed, you know? Or like a lot of times in the house, like I pretty much have socks on in the house at all times. I used to have house slippers, but then I just like I just go through those so fast.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

Yeah, I never wear them. I have house slippers everywhere. Yeah, I don't know why. I just don't I don't like the feeling. Frankie always has house slippers on.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Yeah, like in three years I've probably had three different pairs.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Yeah. But and then I just when we moved into this house, I just never bought a new pair. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Would do you wear them? Are they like comfortable for you? The slippers.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Uh I don't know. I just like having my feet covered in the house.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Same.

SPEAKER_02 6:52

Yeah. And then we have a pet. You know?

SPEAKER_01 6:56

And so like with the cat, he likes to take your doll your shoes.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Yeah, I know. Every day, girl. Every day. And lately it's been like the same shoe.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

He's got a favorite shoe. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

And then this morning before you came over, um, Jordan's flip-flop was like under our coffee table. I'm like, what? Because Jasper's taking it. And so like my garage door that we leave cracked open because his litter box is in the garage. He drags those shoes from outside, like from the garage. So he has to like carry it in his mouth. It's actually impressive. Carry it in his mouth and push the door open with his body.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

That's so funny. What a cat.

SPEAKER_02 7:39

I know.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

I'm I think we've talked about this. I don't know if it was recorded, but like cats will bring you dead animals because they believe that you're just a big dumb cat that can't feed itself. And I'm wondering if he's trying to like help you out. Like, here's your shoe. I don't have any shoes on. Let me bring it to you.

SPEAKER_02 7:59

Oh, that's funny. And it's mostly Jordan stuff.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

So that means Jasper's recognizing that Jordan needs Jordan needs the most help.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

I'm just kidding. Yeah, so okay. Today we are going to talk about the parable of the sower. You may or may not have heard about this, but the reason why I wanted to talk about this is because a couple weeks ago, Arnie and I were talking about how we're we feel like we're mostly seed planters. And I feel like you said that on the episode that maybe you'll be a lifetime seed planter, but it's but then it just made me think like that should be how we all feel.

SPEAKER_01 8:35

We're all that way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

Because who's watering the seeds? Yeah. And who gets the increase? God. Yeah. And so, yes, we all have different gifts, talents, anointings, and even just what our ministry maybe could all look different. But I think at the end of the day, what we're doing, even as we share the gospel and share the truth, these are all seeds. I feel like right now my mouth is so dry and I cannot talk straight.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Do you need water?

SPEAKER_02 9:08

I have water right here.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Why is it dry, you think?

SPEAKER_02 9:11

I you're talking well. I feel like everything's like my mouth is dry, my lips feel dry, my skin feels dry. It's the crazy change in weather. Anytime the seasons change, my skin feels it so much.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

I wish I could trade you a little bit or we could share because I'm the opposite of dry.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

I know when you said that you never use chopstick, my jaw was dropped.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

I hate putting on lotion.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Um I would shrivel up and turn in too.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Frankie puts on lotion every single day. I put it on begrudgingly, and I'm like, I'm gonna feel this.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

No, I I cannot. Like, right, I have chapstick right next to me. Like those questions that people have asked, like, okay, if you're stranded on an island and you can only take 10 items, lotion and chapstick would take up two of those ten items for me.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

It's why you have such pretty skin though, and lips.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Legitimately though, like Jordan makes fun of my wrinkly hands. But thank you.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Wrinkly?

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Yeah. For no reason. They just have like a million lines on them. Are they not any different than I have no, I have grandma hands, which is why I'll probably just cover them in tattoos.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

But the backs, I don't think my hands are pretty at all. I keep trying to take pictures of my tattoos, and I'm like, no, they're like knobby. Like you know, like knobby. I just have, and I noticed this from competing. Like some we're on a tangent, whatever. We'll get back to it, guys. When you compete, you know, and you get really lean, some girls, regardless of how much muscle on them, just look very small. And it's the small joints. I don't have small joints anywhere. So I'm I am more compact than like probably the average person. But even when I'm a very lean or thin person, I don't look like small, I think. If you were to just see a picture of me, not next to like other people, you wouldn't even be able to tell.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Which is hilarious to hear you say because you're like tiny, you know. But I've also noticed that specifically women with thicker joints, they do have a tendency to put on more muscle.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

That's good.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Like an easier time.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

What is it's a mesomorph? Yeah, it's a mesomorph body type.

SPEAKER_02 11:26

Yeah, where I have like I'm sure my wrists are the same size as Kendrick's. Sometimes I even look at them, I'm like, how does this support any weight? You know, like even my ankles are so tiny.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

Yeah, I don't have that problem at all. Yeah, I don't have small ankles, I don't have small knees. Small knees.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

These are like the things that we notice about ourselves because no one would ever say, like, Ari, you don't have your your knees are big. Big, uh like NPC judge would. Actually, and those again are like the weird things about our sport or the sport of bodybuilding, I should say, that like we notice, even like the shape of someone's rib cage. Like, these are things that like the average person does not notice. Like, what do you mean a flared rib cage? You know, what do you what do you mean by ribs? Small wrist, elongated muscle bellies.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

What I don't understand, but yeah, that's short insertions, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Yeah, yes, I know. High tie-in. Okay, go on in attendance. Okay, we really are gonna talk about the parable of the sewer, but um, let's just start so you guys know exactly what we are referencing. Um, I'm gonna just start by reading this passage out of the Bible. It is in three of the four gospels. I'm going to read it out of the gospel of Mark. It is several verses long, so bear with me as I read through this. Will you give me the address in Mark? I'm a match. Mark four. Okay, thank you. So it's Matthew 13, Luke 8, Mark 4. I have that in my notes here. I don't have that off of memory. But and I also want to say there are some theologians that say that Mark was the first gospel that was written, although that is not in the order that it is in the Bible, because it's Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Um, but if that is true and Mark was the first gospel that was written, then the parable of the sower is technically the first parable that um Jesus had spoken of. Is that true a hundred percent? We'll have to ask him one day in eternity. Okay, so parable of the sower, Mark 4. I want to see actually, because it goes all the way through verse 20. And to be honest, with my mouth being as dry as it is, I don't feel like reading 20 verses. So I'm gonna read through verse nine. And this is before he actually, after verse nine, he talks about, he explains actually what the parable means, but that's what this episode is gonna be about. So we'll do that. All right, starting from verse one. Again he began he began to teach beside the sea, and a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land, and he was teaching them many things and parables, and in his teaching he said to them, Listen, behold, a sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Okay, let's paint a picture. Okay, imagine that you are in this crowd where Jesus is teaching, and that's all you hear. He's talking about seeds being sown in different environments, and then he finishes it by saying, and he who has ears to hear, let him hear.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

He also starts it that way.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

The first word is listen.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Yes. So listen.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Could you imagine Jesus standing in front of you and saying, listen? Yeah. Like it's every single word means something. This is so important.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

He's trying to get their attention because that's exactly right. He has something important to say. And so when he's like, listen, and it even has an exclamation mark here, and then he finishes it with, Okay, well, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. But all that part in the middle from the listen to where he finishes that parable, everyone's like, What do you even what seed? What did he even think? What is he talking about?

SPEAKER_01 16:24

I think that at the time, right, agriculture was such a big part about what they were doing, right? Like there it was so big in um like in this time period, yeah, that's how a lot of people lived, whether they made a living that way, or whether it was they were planting for just themselves. There wasn't supermarkets, there wasn't Monsanto didn't exist to own all the food yet, or maybe it did, but that this agriculture was something that they um would have known really well.

SPEAKER_02 17:00

Very familiar with it.

SPEAKER_01 17:01

And still there is this aspect of listen, and those who have ears hear. And even that, I just want to like think about that. Like, probably we don't know everybody's anatomy that was there, but most likely every person who was there probably did have two ears on their head.

SPEAKER_02 17:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

So even that is like dig in.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

Yeah. And then it he continues to say, I'm gonna read verse 10, even if I said I'd stop at nine. And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables, and he said to them, To you who to you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. And so to what you're saying, he's speaking in agricultural terms, in a way where most people are very familiar with how to sow a seed in good soil. But he's like using all of those elements of their culture and kind of twisting it in a way where to them it's like still hard to understand. They're like, okay, we're familiar, those are all familiar terms that you're using, but where are you going with this?

SPEAKER_01 18:24

It's almost so regular that they can't see the supernatural in it.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

So good. Wow, that is so good. Wow, that could be a whole nother episode. Because how many times does that happen where something is so common? Like you even said in a different episode, don't make what is wholly normal, where you could be so familiar with something that you end up getting in your own way that you can't see any other reality other than what you know in your own little box.

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Even in the way that, like this not having electricity, we're so used to having electricities in our part of the world. Even people who even when I growing up and was poor, and there were times when we didn't have electricity for, you know, maybe it was out for a couple days or something, but it's so normal that we just think this is like our right when truthfully, like it is still a blessing from God. Our home is still a blessing from God, still a privilege, yeah. Yeah, still something, and we may want to normalize it or make it regular, but it's still like I lost it. I don't even know what my point was. Sorry.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

No, but okay, but taking that what is regular though, and it just is so embedded into the baseline of what just is. And so, in the context of agriculture, a lot of them are probably farmers' work in that industry, if you want to call it that. Um, it's like they can't see beyond.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yes, like of course the seed that wasn't planted in the good soil didn't produce good fruit.

SPEAKER_02 20:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

Because we know it has to go in.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

They're probably like, yeah, we know that. Yeah. Where are you getting at? And so to think that he started by saying, listen, and he just says things that are common knowledge to them. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

Yes. What would that sound like today, you think?

SPEAKER_02 20:18

From like, listen. Like, if okay, you have this um health condition, listen, eat your fruits and vegetables and get your protein in.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:30

You know, there's nothing uh like spectacular about that bit of knowledge. It's actually such common knowledge though, yet people don't do it.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Yes, right, because it's almost too regular.

SPEAKER_02 20:43

No, there has to be a different way to get healthy. There has to be something else. Yeah, there has to be another way. Cool, cool, but what else? And so, even with this, it's like, okay, I I I wonder too, as they're sitting and gathering around Jesus and he's getting ready to teach, or who knows, they probably don't know what to expect, with you know, considering his reputation by this point. But for him to give such common knowledge, I've never thought of it like that. But this is interesting though. So as he spoke to the crowds, and then it continues on to say that the disciples around him gather around him, and they're basically asking, like, why do you speak in parables? You know, Jesus is like, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? And he's so gracious then to kind of break down what he means by this. But I even love that in the the gospel of Luke, when the disciples asked him what the parable meant, um, Jesus goes, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables. And so even Even that gives me pause, and I think that's another reason why I really wanted to talk about the parable of the sower because you and I and our husbands and another couple we were reading through the Bible and in First Corinthians, and there's a part where it talks about just the hidden things and treasures of God and just the importance of be even being in the secret place. And so I had this question of like, um, why why is the secret place even a thing? And then again, here Jesus is talking about the secrets of the kingdom of God and how he continues to speak in parables, essentially in a way so that not everyone can understand. It's very intentional. Um and so I was just kind of chewing on that. Like Lord, it would be nice if we just knew. But there's something about a treasure and something of value. It speaks to how rare it is. Right. It speaks to like you have to seek it out. It's not common. If it was common, it would actually decrease the value.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Yeah, you know, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

Um, so there's something to that.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Why it it's a treasure hunt.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

Mm-hmm. Because you have to like go on a mission to find it.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Yeah. I love that you said treasure hunt because I just kept thinking about like a treasure map and everything that exists to some degree, even if it's in like fairy tales and fork folklore, you know, I'm like, it all comes from the Bible to some degree. But like the a treasure map, like our the Bible, it is really a treasure map. It is with directions. And so, okay, let's break down, like, praise God that although we can't physically sit with Jesus and like the disciples ask him questions, like, hey, what do you we don't understand? What are you talking about? Like, we have the word of God today, we have community, we have the Holy Spirit who is our helper to be able to even understand things that during the times of Jesus when he walked the earth, people did not understand. How cool that we could just sit here. Like, what a privilege. Talking about having things that seem common to us that are such a luxury and such a blessing. This really is like the freedom of even religion, like the fact that I could sit here with you. We have to record these conversations that we can record it, and that I even have a friend where like to share these beliefs together, you know. I can't imagine being a Christ follower and just uh living it walking by faith in isolation.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Yeah, can you do it? Probably, yeah, should you?

SPEAKER_02 24:49

No, no, yeah, no, especially if you have an option, right? Okay. Any thoughts before I break down the different soils?

SPEAKER_01 25:00

No. Go ahead, let's keep going.

SPEAKER_02 25:03

I'll also say that had I not had this further explanation on the types of soil, if I had if I was a listener and I only heard verses one through nine, I don't know if I'd be able to connect the dots.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

I don't think I would have thought of them the same way.

SPEAKER_02 25:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:21

As as the commentary. Yeah. Um, and what we had talked about. I don't I think I would have perceived them differently. Yeah. But it does like when you it's just the same way that we talk about like actually studying the word. You can read through this. This is especially this this parable, it's not very many verses, right? You can read through this in seconds and keep going. Yeah. But there's there's so much here to to get into to really understand the different types of soils, what happens to the seed in these different types of soils, why he's using this alliteration and yeah, just the um, just the way that like studying the word intentionally, whether it be alone or with somebody word for word, is really gonna open up more of those hidden treasures. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

It takes time. And when you're reading the Bible, not just this particular passage, but it's like when it when you're not grasping it immediately, that is actually an invitation to sit with the Lord. Like, not knowing is truly an invitation to seek.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Yeah. Even like you were saying, like the the disciples here could sit physically across from Jesus and say, Hey, what does this mean? And then receive that answer, right? In the way that he does here. But we still have like, look, just like we were talking about last episode, Jesus still died, so that we have this new covenant with him, so that we can have community. So you can you can sit and ask you and pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to give you a greater understanding of what you're talking about, what's being spoken about?

SPEAKER_02 27:11

That's good. It's like, are you the type of person when you don't get something, do you just get frustrated and discouraged and stop? Or when you don't get something, are you the type of person where you're gonna like buckle down and dig into it? Like, let us be people that actually dig into it.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:31

So that we can eventually come out on the other end with a knowing. So, well, that being said, the seed along the path is the first type of um ground that is being referenced here. So the seed along the path, let me find actually where it says um verse four, and as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. So here the seed along the path is it is referring to when someone hears the truth. So in this case, when someone hears the gospel message, they hear it, but yet when it says a bird came and devoured it, so you hear it, so Satan immediately takes away the word. You hear it, you receive it, and in an instance, or maybe even over the course of it, it never even lands.

SPEAKER_00 28:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:25

The enemy takes it away. And so let's in a practical sense, what is an example of like if someone like were to hear the word and it gets taken away? Because in this case, like I know a bird's not gonna fly down and like take my Bible from me.

unknown 28:44

You know.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

I'm just thinking of somebody who has been so indoctrinated in in the world, right? And how we've we continue to reference what Paul says in First Corinthians, where you know the the cross is going to seem foolish for those of the world. You're so indoctrinated in the ways of the world, you're so of the world, you have been groomed to be that way. That is not your you didn't, you're not just that unique, you're not a snowflake, right? And then when you hear these, the good news, the literal good news, capital G, capital N, right? You're not even going to try to um ingest it or digest it or think through it.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Because the bird takes it out. You're not a snowflake. Maybe you are a snowflake. Yeah. No, that's a perfect way though to say that in the way I love that you use the word even indoctrination, because let's think about the word love never even landed. Yeah. Let's think about someone who is born to a family that was never Christian. They go into a public school these days, and they're educated, raised, even in a community where there's just no truth. Like they're so blind to it, and they have no idea. But they're raised to be just a good person.

SPEAKER_00 30:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:19

And then they hear the word, and you hear things like, oh, being a good person won't get you into heaven. You know? Like they may think that, well, that's foolish.

SPEAKER_01 30:29

Yeah, exactly. They do.

SPEAKER_02 30:31

It doesn't even have a chance to land.

SPEAKER_01 30:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

That actually makes me so sad. Because it's easy reading this parable at first to be like, to almost be condemning of the person that doesn't have good soil. But when you when I think when we think about it like this, it's actually so sad. And really, as we're talking about this, it's positioning my heart now to be in a place of lament and to want to like pray for the body. It's really good, can't pray for the world is lost, like we're so blind. Like that's actually so sad. You have not even had an opportunity because of we live in a fallen world, not even a chance. The bird snatched it up. That's I'm getting actually full-body chills. Yes. Because that's so devastating.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

That is I you just the way that that came to you and the way that you worded it, that is so perfect because I don't think I would have thought about it. I wouldn't have. I wouldn't have thought about that on my own. But it is another way that that we're called to be Christ-like and to think about things like that, right? Like I'm sure that that was part of his intention. The so the seed didn't even land in any soil. There was no chance for it to germinate, there was no chance for it to have roots, and the birds came and got it before it could ever be anything but that seed. And if we think about that in instead of thinking about division because of people who have different beliefs in us, and even when they're very loud in those beliefs, and it's hard. I mean, this for me specifically to to remind myself to still be considerate and compassionate. Not that I'm like outwardly angry and mean, but sometimes, you know, when it's so there is so much opposition from what I know to be the truth, it does kind of like rile me up in a way that makes me want to be angry first.

SPEAKER_02 32:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

When we should have that heart posture of lamenting and being sad and praying for them. Because God loves to show up to those people, right? Yeah. Like it's the same God that they're still his sons and daughters.

SPEAKER_02 32:42

Right. It's his desire for us all to be saved. Um going off on a tangent again, which pretty much is like the nature of a podcast, I guess. I hope so. Yeah. At least for this one, if you guys haven't caught on, we're gonna talk about everything. Um, as you're talking about just God loves everyone. I've been stuck on the fact that the Bible says that we are the apple of his eye. And so I went down this rabbit hole earlier this week of where did that come from? Like we did an episode of like where did certain idioms originate from. So I went down this rabbit hole of like apple of my eye. Like, so we know that today to be like if I say, like, you're the apple of my eye, like you're seen as something like so precious. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

That's so I love that curiosity that you have in that.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

Yeah. I feel like we're similar in that way though.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

I'm fascinated. Where does this come from?

SPEAKER_02 33:44

Yeah, I don't know. I'm a very curious person though.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Yeah. Like it's like when you have a conversation with someone, you're like, where did that come from? You just Google, you just so quit at our fingertips. Like, why not look it up?

SPEAKER_00 33:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:57

So, okay, so I went down this rabbit hole. What does um apple of my eye come from? And like it is mentioned in Deuteronomy 32 for the first time. And then again, I think somewhere in Proverbs and then also in like Psalm 17. And um apple of my eye, apple referred to in the beginning as um not necessarily the Bible, but just like in in culture, as the pupil of an eye. Because in order to see, you needed to care for the health of your pupil. And that the pupil used to be seen as like this round, hard thing, which is basically like an apple. And I'm gonna have to pull up here what I had taken note of because I don't want to mess this up. There's some like um Hebrew terminology in here that I want to refer to. Give me a second.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

So even shot at it. This very um familiar phrase that we use all the time, it originated, it has its origins in the Bible.

SPEAKER_02 35:04

Oh, that's cool. Um, I think kind of like in the same way that we're talking about parables, that there's just some like historical context there. Um give me a second here while I find it. You know, the iPhone did an update like several months ago where it changed the look of um the photo gallery. I still don't know how to navigate my photo album.

SPEAKER_01 35:35

I don't know how to navigate my phone, truthfully.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

Okay, so the apple of um so a more literal translation of just like the Hebrew for in Deuteronomy 32, 10 is the exact place when it says he found him in a desert land and in the howling waste of the wilderness, he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. So the more literal Hebrew translation in in Deuteronomy 32 basically translates to little man of his eye, which refers to the reflection that you see of yourself when you look at someone else's eye. So as I'm looking at you, I could see a reflection of me in your eye, right? And so even the world, the word um apple, it was um from like an Anglo-Saxon word arpel, which I'm probably mispronouncing, but that's apple, and it's also another word for pupil. So that's where like the whole phrase apple of one's eye, where that had come from.

SPEAKER_01 36:37

Fascinating.

SPEAKER_02 36:37

But in the context of Deuteronomy 32, where it's talking about little man of his eye, because that's the more direct Hebrew translation, it made me think. So if you say you're the apple of someone's eye and that's referring to something like so, so precious, when God is looking at us and he calls us the apple of his eye, he sees as if the image of him in you, because the image of God is inside us. And not to be like, oh, I see me and that's why I love it, but like, no, that's how precious we are. He made us in the image of him to the point where God looks down and delights in us because when he sees us, he literally sees as if the reflection of him in your eye.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

That is so, so good.

SPEAKER_02 37:22

Wow. It blew my mind when I read that, and it made me stuck on like just how like in my prayers, how we can say our father in heaven is getting me stuck on like how much he loves us. I'm like, so anyway, all that to say that could I could go on forever about that.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

Like that specifically. Like I feel it is man, that's why I think I get so torn up about people who don't want to have a relationship with our father in heaven because that type of love that I experience that that we experience from just even one time just being like I am just like really feeling just like the spirit of God right now over us, and just I really just pray in the way that like um pausing on that thought of how he delights in us because we are his daughters and his sons.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

I really pray that people could feel that because if you could feel that, that'll make you want to run to him.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

Yeah, and then and that's all it takes. Yeah, you don't. I think I've I've had conversations with people that are well, I I don't my life is fun or I like my life and I don't want anything to change about it. So that's why I'm apprehensive to like find Jesus as if like you have to go look for him. But it's it's all you have to do is literally turn your face to him. He it's it.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

That's a perfect segue though to even the parable of the sewer here, because as you're talking about, like people don't want to live a godly life because they're scared of what they have to give up, like the things that they love in this worldly world, as if life will be worse if they follow God.

SPEAKER_00 39:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:17

When it's like it's not fun. That will like what a lie of the enemy. And so we talk about the seed along the path. So it's basically the seed never even lands, it immediately gets taken away. Rocky ground, when people hear the word and actually they receive it with joy, but it has no root. So you think about when you plant a seed into the soil, into the dirt, now it's able to grow roots into the ground. But if you throw seed on just like what is very rocky and maybe even gravelly ground, it's not gonna have a very good chance of roots growing down. And so it could maybe endure for a little while. Yeah, the seed can kind of hang out there for a little bit and maybe really try in its own best efforts, which is not gonna be very good or enough. In in its own best efforts, won't do much good if you're not on good soil, it's got nothing to be rooted to. It's on its own. That's really good. And so, in that case, soon as let's say a gust of wind comes, or in our life a tribulation comes gushing over your life, that seed is gonna get blown away. So that's what it means to be on rocky ground. And so now what you're talking about with people not wanting to give up their ways of life right now, as someone who is not saved and doesn't know God, reminds me of the thorny ground. Thorny ground is when, okay, someone hears the word and they're like, oh yeah, that sounds cool, but don't want to give up anything because the cares and the riches of the world are taking over and it is choking out like thorns, choking out the truth, choking out the goodness, and they desire other things of the world more. And this will lead to unfruitfulness. And so that seed is has fallen, and now you've had a chance to have a conversation with someone. So this is not like even someone that is like is so lost and has been so groomed by the ways of the world. This is someone where, like, okay, maybe even a friend, you know, where you have a solid chance to preach the gospel, the good news. And they're like, uh, would rather not. And the truth gets choked out.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

And I in you may have seen this too, but I was I was looking through um when I was doing this a study on this, I really wanted to like understand choked out. And it's because that I mean that's a language we that we know, we understand it. I don't plant, so I don't know if that's like regular agricultural language, choked out. It is, it is, but it also I was looking at other like biblical references, other places that word shows up, and I don't have I didn't save it, so shame on me. Sorry. I can maybe find it and come back to you guys if you really want. But it there was the the same word, the Greek word that he used for choked out, shows up somewhere else, and it was and they translated it to taken taken by the throat, which actually means choked, right? When you're choked, like you're taken by the throat. But when you think of something being taken by the throat, that's a lot more of a violent experience.

SPEAKER_02 42:42

Like it sounds life-threatening.

SPEAKER_01 42:44

Yeah, yeah. And if you think about being taken by the throat by and deceived by the ways of the world, like what's happened when you're taken by the throat? You can't breathe. You don't have any life in you. Oh, this is good. Yeah. And what's our life? You know, like he's the vine.

SPEAKER_02 43:02

Yeah, he's our source, he is Alpha and Omega, like we say. Yes, he is the beginning.

SPEAKER_01 43:07

The way, the truth, the life.

SPEAKER_02 43:09

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 43:11

So to just the like, even going that much further with like it's choked out, and people say that with plants, that's the things will be choked out, but taken by the throat just was another layer of like intensity for me.

SPEAKER_02 43:27

That is so good. I'm gonna read that verse 19 here. It says, But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. So, going off of what you said, like I I that gives it way more justice, I think. Cause again, with our English language trying to translate, in this case, Greek, it just Don't give it enough color to kind of show and paint what is being said here. And so to choke the word, like it is getting strangled out by the neck.

SPEAKER_00 44:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:15

No life. You cannot breathe. There's no breathing room. There's no breathing room for the word. Like there is no room for something because other things are overcrowding it. And so what is overcrowding your life? What desires and cares of the world is overcrowding your life to the I'm like thinking about an episode of hoarders. Like there's so much stuff in your room that you like you cannot breathe. There's no room for anything new.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

Yeah. And I think it's and it's nobody hoards good, nice stuff, right? So I can't imagine we hoard good nice stuff.

SPEAKER_02 44:54

What are you holding on to that you actually need to let go and you will be shocked? Like, how do you know if you haven't tried? Actually, these things that you think are are adding value to your life, just try to let it go. What is the worst thing that could happen if you just try to follow the words of Jesus? What is the worst thing that could happen?

SPEAKER_00 45:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

You know, but if it means that you are to gain your soul, and if it means that you could finally have some like ah, like breathing room. I could breathe now. Why not give it a try?

SPEAKER_01 45:30

It does feel that way too, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 45:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

Like you can have like a full lung breath.

SPEAKER_02 45:36

Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:38

That does, it feels like that. That's the difference in being born again. Like I can, you have a like your lungs can take a full breath now.

SPEAKER_02 45:48

Yeah. And I even like where it says desires for other things enter in. So you can maybe be in a space what seems like a clear room and you have breathing room at some point, but you have to guard the entryways. Because what's gonna enter in?

SPEAKER_01 46:07

Yeah, those little doors. It's I think we can both attest to this, right? Well, we grew up with with the backbone of Christianity, right? We understood it. We went to church, we had families that spoke about it, but then we we didn't, we weren't this way. We weren't living in obedience, we were not surrendered, we were not living attached to the vine. We're out there trying to do it all ourselves. And the um I'm getting worse at this. I'm embarrassed to be on a podcast right now. This is so good.

unknown 46:48

I'm laughing.

SPEAKER_01 46:50

Maybe I didn't get good sleep.

SPEAKER_02 46:52

No, no, this is really good, and this is the great thing because I think I'm cracking up because like as you're talking, I have like brain fog right now, too. I feel like, and I just caught myself right now spacing out. But I'm like hearing you, Lord. We rebuke this in the name of Jesus. Nothing is getting choked out over here.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

Did you see me glaze over for like a millisecond? No, but as soon as you said you had brain fog, I was like, this is very fog. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:26

Jesus, we rebuke that as we're talking about, like, okay, let's take our deep breath that Holy Spirit breathe into us right now into this conversation in Jesus' name. Okay. Recentering, going back to the thorny ground, I'm even thinking about people like music. How many people, and I'm not talking about unbelievers, I'm talking about believers. How many people even don't want to give up secular music? And this is so not of me trying to point the finger people, like please don't hear what I am not saying. But is what you're listening to taking you away from God or towards God?

SPEAKER_01 48:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 48:07

I don't really think there's such a thing as running in place, really. No, you're going somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 48:12

You can't be like going in neutral with Jesus, right? Like you're either going, you're pursuing, you're going towards him, or you're going further away.

SPEAKER_02 48:23

I like that you said that you can't be in neutral as if like it's a gear, because when the wind comes and you're in neutral, it's gonna take you away. You're like you're you're bound to move, you know. And even if right now, if you're like, oh, well, I kind of feel unbothered by it, it's not really affecting me. Trust me, when the wind blows, it's gonna, you're gonna roll in some direction. And not wishing that upon anyone, but really just trying to breathe maybe a little bit more conviction and continuing to ask God. Don't listen to me, don't listen to necessarily what we're saying, but really just challenge yourself and take it to God and be like, God, is this bringing you honor and glory?

SPEAKER_00 49:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:03

Is this bringing you honor and glory? And continue to ask that. Like we even talked about before the podcast, our devotional time is not only first thing in the morning. We're like, okay, I'm in the word, I'm praying, journaling, maybe, worshiping, you know, and then it's done. No, like take God with you everywhere you go during the day.

SPEAKER_01 49:23

I don't want to go anywhere without him.

SPEAKER_02 49:26

Yeah. So, like when when you're you're bumping to whatever song, I don't know. Um I really perfect. When you're playing that art, like would Jesus be next to you bopping his head? Like thumbs up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:44

Just picture Jesus in the car next to you with like thumbs up. What do you think? Or is he gonna put down the scandal? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:53

Okay. No, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 49:54

So it's it reminds me kind of where I was going.

SPEAKER_02 49:57

Okay, let's flow.

SPEAKER_01 49:58

That exactly what you're saying though, like when I when I was talking about that, we can attest to this because there was a time in our life that we had the word. Right. And there, there we even probably I would say, I don't know if I don't want to speak for you, but when I was younger at different times, I had more of a relationship with God, but I wasn't fully submitted to the world, the things of this world were completely choking it out.

SPEAKER_02 50:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:22

And for too much entered in. Yes, too much entered in. There were too much. That's great. I was it was hoarding the ways of the world. Yeah. And like world normal doctrine.

SPEAKER_02 50:34

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for bringing that back because that is so good. It's true. I even remember I have a Bible actually upstairs in my house where it's a Bible that I've had since elementary school. And it's like kind of precious, like on the side of the Bible, like when the Bible's closed where all the pages are, like, wrote my name with like a gel pen.

SPEAKER_04 50:54

That thing is so precious.

SPEAKER_02 50:55

Little things that are highlighted. I'm like, why did Kim at 10 years old highlight that? That's random.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

That means so much that you have that.

SPEAKER_02 51:04

Yeah, I it's one of the honestly, I think one of the only things that I have still from my childhood. I don't have anything in this house from my childhood.

SPEAKER_01 51:12

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 51:13

Except that. I don't know how it came with me all these years. And there's certain pages in there that are super crisp because they have never been touched as a kid that young, you know? But all that to say, I did have my phase where I was like, okay, I love you, Jesus, in my precious way as a kid.

SPEAKER_00 51:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:31

But what I didn't do was guard the other entry points. And then I just, as the years went on, I just started to collect more things and more things and more things. And like you had used that metaphor of being in a warehouse, and there's just boxes stacked up high, and now that separation between you and the Lord, it's so muffled you can't hear him. And I didn't even know it.

SPEAKER_01 51:54

Yeah, all those thorns, all the that the rocky ground that's choking it out.

SPEAKER_02 51:59

And it's making me think like so seeds could either grow to be some beautiful, luscious plants or tree that bears fruit. But thorns, where do you think thorns grow out of? They're also plants and they come from seeds. And so, what started as good soil, there were seeds that were not good that was planted and it entered in somehow. And before I knew it, it had a garden with some fruit and a garden with a lot of thorns, and it choked out the good fruit.

SPEAKER_01 52:37

Yeah. And because it's yeah, this thorny, rocky ground, you you can't the um the roots don't get in there and get deep. That's like rooted, right? They're not like stuck in there. When I was looking up like the agricultural meanings behind all this and like how to sow seed and blah blah blah, like it's pretty straightforward. It's exactly this. There's not a lot of like behind the scenes meaning. I'm sure there is, but in the way that it's spoken about with more than one seed, yeah. It's yeah, it's pretty literal. But something the the wording that I read with what I was literally like, what happens when you plant seeds like this? Like researching that way. It said that the sun, when you plant seeds in um thorny rocky ground or the thorny, whatever, that the sun will stress out the plant and kill it. And I just thought that stress was such an interesting word to use. And just thinking about like when you're not rooted, and you've already kind of touched on this, like when the wind comes around and you're not rooted, like the it's just gonna be taken away, and then it's a weed and it's dead, and you it's not good anymore. Yeah, you can't replant it. Yeah, but then even still like the wording of it being now this plant is stressed out. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 54:02

I'm sorry, plants. Yeah, yeah. I am um even thinking about like so I had read some time ago, and I think I shared this at a Bible study like several months ago, about um like the California Redwoods. And it's like, I don't know again what took me down that rabbit hole, but thinking about like how do they grow to be such um mature, massive in height, strong trees in an area that is known for like fires. Yeah, they even survive a lot of wildfires. Um, they're massive and they've lived for years and years and years, like they're known for that. You know, California is known for people driving through the red woods, and so I had read that um it's because they survive off of what's something called an interconnected root system. And so these trees do not stand alone, and so even if some of their roots are kind of shallow, a lot of them, but these trees' roots connect with other neighboring trees. And so as one is malnourished, or even if one is kind of um not as firmly rooted, it leans underground, interconnected with the tree that's next to it. And so it makes me think of as Thorny Ground, and you're even talking about the shallow roots, the importance of fellowship and the body of Christ and community and coming together and linking arms and really being interconnected in the body, contending for each other, contending for each other. Thank you for saying that. Contending for each other, praying again and again and again and again until something happens, until what needs to be uprooted gets plucked out.

SPEAKER_00 56:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:01

Where if there's weeds, I can be like, listen, sister, this needs to get plucked out. I will stand with you and contend with you, and we will link arms and be an interconnected root system together.

SPEAKER_01 56:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

You cannot do that on your own.

SPEAKER_01 56:13

Those trees will actually feed nutrients to each other.

SPEAKER_02 56:16

Each other.

SPEAKER_01 56:17

If somebody is struggling and not getting enough nutrients to live, they feed each other. And it it makes me think of at Bible study last week, we had um one of our friends sharing about something, and she was so bold and in talking about this big life struggle that she's been dealing, dealing with, and to the point where she was like, I am done praying about this. And I just kept thinking, like, that's why we're all here.

SPEAKER_02 56:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:41

So that we can pray for you. Like, if you feel like you're that tired, like let's exactly what you're saying. Link arms and be this interconnected root system. This is why God calls us to be in fellowship and in community so that we can contend for each other.

SPEAKER_02 56:54

Bear one another's burdens, confess to each other your sins. This is why we could be made healthy.

SPEAKER_01 57:01

There are so many of these illustrations of of vines and roots in in the Bible, right?

SPEAKER_02 57:08

Being connected, abiding, and dwelling. Right.

SPEAKER_01 57:11

And there's it's it mirrors, I mean, no kidding, it mirrors the planet in real life because come on, who created it? Beautiful, but it's like it's these are kind of like the secrets and the treasures, right? Yes. Like I was saying before we were recording that, like that reel of that little kid that's like, come on, yeah. Like, where are we going? Around. Yeah. What do you what do you have? It's a secret. Come on. Like, this is our walk with the Lord, where it's like there are so many things that are layers upon layers upon layers that you just gotta keep reading, you gotta keep coming to the secret place and keep living and abiding. And I'm gonna keep showing you.

SPEAKER_02 57:51

And this is like tying it back to the beginning when we're talking about like what Lord, why are there hidden treasures? Why do you call us to the secret place? This is why he is in the way that if there is an event, invites are sent, please RSVP. Like he is sending us an invite, but we have to still RSVP to take our seat, you know. Like he is inviting us, he wants us to, he is drawing us in, but we still will have to follow. We have to have good soil. We have to have good soil. Okay, so let's talk about the good soil. And so, seed along the path, rocky ground and thorny ground. Then there is good soil. Praise God for the good soil. It is one who hears the word, accepts the word, bears fruit, and guess what? Doesn't just bear a piece of fruit. You just get one apple, guys. No, 30 times, 60 times, a hundred times, God multiplies. He is a God that multiplies, and he is our father in heaven that wants to bless us. We need the good soil.

SPEAKER_01 58:59

Can you what is verse um 14 say in the ESV?

SPEAKER_02 59:04

Um, verse 14, the sower sows the word.

SPEAKER_01 59:10

The sower sows the word.

SPEAKER_03 59:12

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 59:14

So I have the farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God's message to others, trying to plant good seeds within their lives.

SPEAKER_02 59:23

That's so much longer than mine.

SPEAKER_01 59:26

This is what happens different Bible transformations. Yeah, this is great. Can you read that again? Yeah, so verse uh chapter four, verse 14.

SPEAKER_02 59:33

The f yeah, 414.

SPEAKER_01 59:35

The farmer I talked about is anyone who brings God's message to others, trying to plant good seed within their lives. So the farmer is the one sowing the seed. And then in this in this translation, it says the farmer that Jesus is talking about is anyone trying to plant seeds. Like we talked about being lifetime seed planters. So we're gonna plant seeds and it's gonna fall in these different uh places of soil. And if we if it falls in the good soil or we plant it in the good soil, um the the return is what is it, 30, 60 a hundred times? A hundred times more than what the farmer thought. Yes. This is this reminds me, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:24

I've shared this before. I don't know if I shared this on the podcast though. When you, I'm I'm just gonna continue to use apple as the example. When you plant an apple seed, you plant the seed, it grows to be a tree. That once from that one seed comes this one tree, but that tree is gonna bear dozens and dozens and dozens of apples.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:44

And more seeds.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:45

And then with the apples are gonna come more seeds. That is how God multiplies. Yeah, from that one seed of obedience.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:53

Yeah. And that's that's it, it's exactly this, right? Like that's that hundredfold of return and like the way that we talk about kind of like jokingly about, you know, sometimes the Holy Spirit gives you this nudge to go talk to somebody or pray for somebody, somebody that you don't know, you've never known, or maybe you only kind of know, and you're like, holy dude, yeah, you drag your feet on it, but you don't know what that seed planted is going to do. You don't know if that's the hundred seed planted, yes, the millionth seed, yes, or the first seed. Right. And where it's gonna go, as long as it's in, I mean, you plant the seeds regardless of the soil, but like when that when when it does land on the good soil, the generations of blessings that come from that.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:43

And this again, going back to I don't know how many episodes it was where you had said that you're a seed planter, this is the beauty of this parable. Because whether someone else has thorny ground, rocky ground, you know, along the wayside by the pathway, I do not know. Because now the condition of the ground is a reflection of your heart's posture towards God, right? That's not my job. Yeah. What kind of ground you have? I am not the creator. That's not my job. But our job, as we are called to go and make disciples out of the nations and to follow Jesus, right? Follow Jesus first and then go. We're planting these seeds. Like let that seed fall where it does and be obedient. That seed is a seed of obedience. Plant the seed, God will water it, like the Holy Spirit will water it. But we cannot, we we cannot go into I mean, really someone else's yard and just start randomly. Yeah, like you know, were you invited to do that? Were you called to do that? Maybe if you're invited, sure, then you could walk in community together. But I'm even thinking about like, okay, so clearly here what Jesus is teaching is uh guys, we want the good soil.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:14

And so I did like a quick Google search of what makes a garden soil healthy. And it lists out here so key indicators of healthy soil, high organic matter, abundant life, good structure and drainage, optimal pH nutrients and loose texture. And as I was reading what each of these elements and indicators meant, it was such like there was such a beautiful parallel that just came so easily with like, okay, high organic matter, meaning like rich, dark, crumbly soil that enhances nutrient cycling and water retention. And then it made me think like, in order to have soil that really even allows water retention, means it can't be overcrowded. Yeah, it can't be so compact. There's no space for even Jesus and the good news to enter. Yeah, there needs to be space and like it needs to be porous so that truth and water can flow through, right? Abundant life is referring to like earthworms, fungi, bacteria that exists in in in high numbers, basically, to again provide nutrients to the soil. And that to me spoke like community, like we need to live in community together to come together in numbers, and that also is so enriching to your to your heart, which is what we're calling soil here, and then even um good structure, you know, to prevent root rot and erosion. Um hello, yeah, like all these things that I mean, like the Bible is brilliant, as we tie all these little things together, they're all again. We keep referring to Ecclesiastes, like there's nothing new under the sun. I know, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:59

I love it, it comes alive, and in the way that like the Holy Spirit gives you wisdom. That's where wisdom comes in. Yeah, you want to learn something, there you go.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:12

Yeah, there is a verse that um Pastor Jen had shared, and speaking of wisdom, I want to read this verse. It's Proverbs 24, 3 to 4. Through wisdom, a house is built, and by understanding it is established. Through knowledge, its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Through wisdom, a house is built, and through knowledge its rooms are filled. Like I think that's so appropriate for this conversation, even with like how to tend to good soil, how to cultivate it, and how to nourish it. How it's saying here wisdom a house is built. So that's Proverbs 24, three to four. Um In ways of okay, trying to create an environment that encourages healthy soil and just like the condition of your heart and what you need to do to have a healthy condition of your heart. Like you said, we need the Holy Spirit, we need the word of God, we need the Bible, we need scripture, we need truth, fertilizing our soil and making it healthy.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:26

We can't do it without how this is like you said, the Bible is brilliant. Like it is just so beautiful. And then the knowledge and the wisdom again, and that we get from the Holy Spirit in the way of like the parallels between growing a good crop, uh getting a seed to germinate and produce, and then getting us to uh also produce good fruit, us as humans.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:50

Yeah. And then how that spreads, like you were talking about, it goes from generations with that ripple effect, and just all the good things in our life, the fruitfulness that we have been so, so graciously blessed with started from a seed.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:06

Somebody's seed somewhere, too. Yeah. And like I I say it all the time like I don't know, I don't know who prayed for me, or how or why, or what what happened that went right for the Lord to meet me in the way that he meant me and and change me in the way that he changed me because I don't deserve it. And it doesn't make sense.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:31

It doesn't make sense. It's something that only God can do, but there's no theory that's gonna prove it outside of like, thank you, Holy Spirit, yeah, for penetrating my heart.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:42

There are times where the seeds were thrown and the birds came and took my seeds. There are times where the seeds were thrown and they didn't get very far because the soil was wasn't good. It was it was rocky. There are times where the seeds were thrown and the the thorns choked it out. And there were seeds after seeds after seeds, and then finally I got that good soil. Yes. And I became a new creation. And it's it is like there's just no there are no words, there's no amount of thank yous. Like it's all it's just so humbling, yeah, genuinely. There's so 1 Corinthians chapter 3, uh verse 7 in the ESV, it says so neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:35

Yes, God gets the increase.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:38

So the it the seeds need to be planted, the seeds need to be watered, but God is the one who does who does the growing, who does the growing. The um this other Bible, the living translation says the person who does the planting or watering isn't very important, and I love that. Yeah, because I think like like we were saying, we're seed planters. Yeah, we don't have to that doesn't mean that we have to go put on a bunch of pressure on us and become like you know, like theologists and apologists to have the perfect answer to everything, it wouldn't hurt. But we don't we don't have to be perfect because we're not important, but God is important because He is the one who makes things grow.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:22

Yes, that'll take the pressure off of you. Yeah, if what we are called to do is simply follow the Lord, say yes, be obedient, and I I'm always like, who am I that you would use me? Yeah to thank you. You know, I and I feel like that's even with like the purpose that sometimes people look for in their life, like that is your purpose, and it could not be a greater one than that. Nothing, yeah. And so to encourage anyone listening to be a seed planter, take the pressure off of yourself, like you're not the one watering it anyway. That is God, and he gets the increase, but also the importance of laying the seed down, right? Um, and we will forever be seed planters, and I am so good with that. Yeah, even if we don't get to see the fruit on the side of eternity, yeah, a hundred percent. And I think that's also where trust and faith comes in. Because Lord, you said so, and I will, even if I don't know why. And you know what? Like, we don't have to fully understand to be obedient, but we will plant the seed, Lord.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:37

You likely won't understand, right? Yeah, and I kind of think that also takes the pressure off of it, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:45

Here I am, here I am. That's great. It's funny. So when Arya and I discuss what the topic of um the episode's gonna be, we usually just kind of present an idea. And and most of the times when we present the idea, we're like, I don't really know where this is gonna go, but let's just start and hit record and see what happens. And 10 out of 10, when we just start the conversation, I I I genuinely feel like we are just being led. Because a lot of what we talked about, I didn't expect it to go where it did.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:23

I know.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:24

And so, like, thank you, Jesus, for even uh bringing things to mind for us. And we really just pray that this blesses you in some way. Um and I love how you kind of broke down the different grounds. Like, we've had all of these types of conditions of soil, all of us, and praise God now for the good soil.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:44

Yes. Thank you, Jesus. Yeah, any closing remarks? I thought this was so good. I loved this. Yeah, yeah, exactly what you're saying about like, you know, we come with um, I think Kim is always very prepared, guys. If you know her, you would just know that. I think I could be more prepared. Okay. Just being truthful.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:04

We could be like, no, you, no, you, no, you. But I I feel like I no joke, had this conversation in my mind this morning, even with thinking about like the notes. I'm like, I feel like yours are like more, I don't know, orderly, kind of like the flow of it. Like I was saying, I don't know what's gonna come first. And so it's funny that you say this is look it.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:28

This is Jimmy, the love we have for each other, because every week I'm like, Kim, Kim has it so together, and I just get on there and talk.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:37

No, oh man. Well, we're just on here just to talk. Yeah, but I and I think even like with what we're saying, like we're not the one watering the seed. I I think like to take the pressure off of like I have nothing profound to share.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:50

I know nothing, right? Yeah, this is all here I am, holy spirit.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:55

Yeah, here we are. Thanks for listening. For those that continue to listen, this is what episode 20 or 21. 21.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:03

Either 20. No, it'll be 20.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:06

Okay, that is 20 more than what I had ever thought.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:10

I know it's so amazing. If you look, yes, if you listen to this, like you're a real one. Even if you only listen to once every once in a while. Right. I want to know if anybody listens to this that we don't know. Sometimes I look at the stats and I'm like, somebody in India listened to us. We must have a friend that's traveling.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:29

Yeah. Well, a lot of times when it's like other places, I feel like that is true, or someone's traveling. Um, I don't know anyone that went there though.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:39

South Africa one time. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know, but I just man, I feel so grateful that people care that they want to, that they might even find a little bit of blessings in this. Grateful to the Lord to give us a space.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:56

Yes. Yeah, super grateful for that and just even our schedules. I can't I this week especially, I keep thinking about how grateful I am for just the work-life balance that I have. Granted, I I really do guard that, um, but just the privilege it is to for that to even be an option. Because I've definitely been in a place where it wasn't an option and I just had to. And so thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Let's pray. Yeah, thank you, Jesus, Lord, we thank you. Our Father in heaven, we thank you. Heavenly Father, we thank you. Lord, we just we praise you and we just take this moment right now to just thank you. We thank you for fellowship. We thank you for the body of Christ. We thank you for your word. We thank you, Holy Spirit, that you're our helper, Lord. We thank you. We thank you, Father. We thank you. And I just pray, Lord, for those that are listening that they could receive something from this episode and this conversation, that you would be so gracious to speak to them and meet them where they where they are. Meet them where they are, Father God. And I just ask you, if anything, that they have a recognition and a discernment and a sensitivity to know that you are already there, that you are seeking after us, that you're chasing after us, Lord, and that you want to be, you want us to come back to you. So continue to draw us closer to you, continue to increase our appetite for you, continue for us to um have a willingness and um a zeal and a desire to know what your will and your purpose is. Father, forgive us when we doubt you, forgive us when we question you, um, when we get in our own way, and even when we pause without immediate obedience, Lord, forgive us where we fall short, where our flesh tries to choke out the truth, Lord. And I just ask you, Holy Spirit, that you would overflow, that our spirits would be made so much stronger than our flesh, that you would continue to empower us and that we would continue to be people that say, Yes, Lord, here I am. Equip us and empower us to continue to plant those seeds, Father. And we just thank you in advance for the harvest that that is to come. The harvest is abundant. I ask you, Father, that you will continue to call laborers to go out and go forth and to preach the truth and to share their testimonies of your goodness and faithfulness, Lord. And um we ask you for convictions. We ask you for visions and dreams, and we just ask you for a renewed strength, a second wind, a fresh wind, and just nourishment to the good soil in our hearts, Father. And all these things we pray in your mighty name in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:34

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:35

Amen. I love that.