The Middle Ground (Ep. 35)

In this episode, Pastors Luke Evans and Devon Patton talk about finding the middle ground, serving God from the right place, and learning how to walk in His calling with wisdom, balance, and purpose.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Oh, hello. He didn't say one. He didn't say one. I didn't know when to start.

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Nobody knew what to do.

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Welcome to the New Life Podcast. We might have to just cut that out, I guess. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

That was a bad open.

SPEAKER_03 0:11

Ah, that's that's depressing, you know.

SPEAKER_02 0:15

You gotta say one.

SPEAKER_03 0:16

You gotta say one. You gotta say one. How am I supposed to know that it's gonna start?

SPEAKER_02 0:20

Five, four, three, two. I'm sitting here waiting for you. We're sitting here waiting for the pause. Like when people stop praying and don't say amen. Yeah, I always like to finish with an amen. You have to. You have to. Have to. Have to. So let it be. So let it be. And welcome to the new life podcast. One more time. We're glad that you're here. We are glad that you're here. My name is Pastor Devin. This is Pastor Luke. To my left, your right. Yeah. Right? That's Mateo over there.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Hi. Hi. And Spencer's here as well.

SPEAKER_02 0:51

Whether you believe us or not, because I've had people who've told me they don't believe that he's actually here.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

I just broke the microphone.

SPEAKER_02 0:56

He's here. Spencer is here. Oh, he's here. He is. He's got a really cool shirt on. Yeah, dude, are you going golfing today? Are you? Are you? Oh. Oh. I was about to say thanks for thanks for the interesting. Also, new Apple Watch. I feel like I don't have ever seen you wear a watch before. Didn't you give that? You wear that every day? Did you give a few like three years ago? Are you kidding me? Are you? Are you serious? Have you ever noticed that?

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Well, he he's always wearing long sleeves.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

True, he does wear a lot of long sleeves. Dude, even in the summer. Big long sleeve. He had a full hoodie on the other day. It was 80 degrees.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

He's got like a nice baggy long sleeve tee that I'm always envious. That black one that you wear sometimes? I'm like, man, that's a nice one.

SPEAKER_02 1:36

It's just a basic tee, but just go buy a black tea.

SPEAKER_03 1:39

No, that's something they just get something like a ticket. And then I buy a too big and then it's too big. Maybe I gotta get it and then crop it.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Sweet spot. I get my shirts tailored sometimes. Like I'll thrift if I really like a shirt.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

You've told me that before.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

No, I think it's so like a t-shirt? Yeah. Oh. Well, and also shirts. What do you mean? Well, yeah, shirts. But what do you mean? How much are you paying for that? You tailor a t-shirt. You get a hem, like a just a hem.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

So instead of so instead of just cutting it like a normal person, you have you pay someone to actually put the stitch back in. That's kind of sick.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

That's kind of like a a baller movie. Who does that? Who does that? Irene down at Minutem Cleaners. Oh, or the shirt.

SPEAKER_03 2:21

I should do that with some pants. Across town.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Across town, oh. Yeah, well, Taylor and pay. How much that costs? Shirts? Yeah. How much that costs?

SPEAKER_00 2:31

How much that costs? Like 10 bucks a shirt, 12 bucks a shirt, something like that. Oh, that's way more than a shot. Well then you're not really thrifting the shirt anymore, are you? Yeah, but if I'm thrifting a I thrifted a Ralph Lawrence shirt for 10 bucks, and then I got it Taylor's 20 bucks.

SPEAKER_03 2:45

For 20. You're in for 20, and it fits like a so do you find now I'm just intrigued.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

So you find that the majority of shirts that you buy are too long. Too long.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

This guy's got a small torso.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

Yeah, must. You must. I got a long time.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

So actually that doesn't make much sense.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

Yeah, I would think I mean you're basically like an average like an even you're like the size of an average human being. I so I would think that most shirts would be who's stretching out these shirts properly or turn them into goodwill.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

I don't know. I think I have short legs. Because we've given Stand up right now. You've given me pants. Let's have a look at you. I've donated Spencer pants and I like donated.

SPEAKER_04 3:27

I've given you pants and I've donated it.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

That is donated.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

That is crazy. You've given me pants.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

I've donated them to Spencer.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Spencer pants.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

And we all fit, but we're all different sizes. Insane, dude. My bad. That's wild.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

But yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 3:51

Speaking of pants, we have all at one point probably worn the same pair of pants. Dude, did you take that suit?

SPEAKER_00 4:00

Not a same type of Grant took the suit. Oh, dude, Devin gave me uh a suit while we were moving him out from Brantford, and it was like almost ripped through the back of it. It was so small.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

It was like my wedding suit. I was like 19. Oh, there's no shot I could fit in my wedding suit right now. Dude, remember the pants? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

And his roll back to put his pants on it.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Yeah, dude. What a time to be alive. Yeah, he gave me his wedding suit, and he was like, Can you uh stop by Goodwill on your way back to the Trumbull House? I was like, You want me to drop off your wedding suit? Uh Goodwill. What else am I doing? Do you think I'm ever fitting in it?

SPEAKER_02 4:34

It's not like you save it like a girl does our dress. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

No.

SPEAKER_03 4:38

Put it up in the rafters. How many times has Summer taking her wedding dress out to look at it?

SPEAKER_02 4:42

Summer doesn't even know where it is. It's in our office closet over there. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Yeah, it's in a carpet.

SPEAKER_03 4:48

Like ours when we moved, I told Nicole, I'm like, so we're like good, right? Like we don't really need this anymore. And she was like, no, I'll keep it. I was like, you haven't unzipped it from this bag. Yeah. Whatever it is.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

The only thing I have from our I still have the shoes. I still have the white vans that we wore. I've never I haven't worn it. They're just in my closet, like under a bunch of stuff, but I was like, I might as well keep those.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

White vans. That's right. I got my wedding ring. Just getting this as one I had to replace because I lost the original one.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

So you play with it too much. Yeah, you're like always like heads or tails. Heads or tails, man. Tails. Whatever I say is gonna be wrong. What do you guys? It's heads. Sorry. I don't know what to tell you. I don't know. I don't make the rules. Circle or circle them.

SPEAKER_02 5:30

Circle or circle. I just follow. I don't even wear a wedding wing ring. Redding ring. I like you were like, it's uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable when I don't have it. Zoom in. I'm like Thanos. You ever get flaked for that? Flag? Flack from who? Just people. My wife? No.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Hey, put your wedding ring on. No.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

I don't think so. No. Every time people ask me, I'm always like, you know. I would always have to take my wedding ring off. Like if I was at the gym or playing basketball or even in the summer. Which I do not have that. So in the summertime. Like, doesn't it in the summertime isn't it irritating? Like when your fingers swell. I told you, I'm like, I'm more comfortable with it on. Yeah. With it off. Like if I take it off, or like I lost mine for those like couple weeks, I was like, I had a hard time like falling asleep, dude.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Getting hit on a lot too. Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Also, when I got married was right right after I got married, is when Jimmy Fallon almost ripped his finger straight off. That's why he has a ring. I can't remember what it's called, but it's like a really common thing. Like guys will like trip or something and they'll like go to catch themselves, and the ring, his ring got caught like on the edge of the table almost. Almost rip your finger. It's called something. I don't remember what it's called. Google it right now. What is it called when your ring almost rips your finger off? What is it? Degloving? Degloving skin. I'm gonna throw up. Can we change? Like a snake skin, dude. It's called shedding your ring finger.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Uh ring avulsion.

SPEAKER_02 7:00

Ring avulsion. Emulsion. Do not Google image that Legion Blender.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Emulsion blender.

SPEAKER_02 7:07

That's nasty. Yeah, it's nasty. So after that happened, I was like, you know. Understandable. Now I'm a marked man forever. Nice.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Any more tattooing?

SPEAKER_02 7:22

I gotta finish my leg.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

I don't know if I'll get another one.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

No?

SPEAKER_03 7:26

They're so expensive.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

They are expensive. They hurt. And they hurt. The older you get, they hurt so bad, dude. Wait till you wait. Just wait. Just get them all. Plus you got little tiny ones. Like, no offense. I mean, that's true. The older you get, they hurt. Like right now, like I used to be able to sit for hours. Hours, like no problem. And now, after like an hour and a half, I'm like, oh my gosh, this hurts so bad.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

My arm just falls asleep like nearly immediately. Really? So it's very uncomfortable. I don't know if that's healthy. How are you?

SPEAKER_02 7:59

How are you holding your arm? Like how are you doing just like he's like, go ahead, tattoo, tattoo me. Do whatever you need to do.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

He's like laying off of the table backwards with his head and his arms just dangling. I feel like they're tattooed my leg.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

I'm just gonna hold it up like this the whole time. I feel like when there's less blood, it hurts less. That's so dumb.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

That's crazy, bro. It's like those things that Oscar does on the office. Is that?

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Or is it from his uh his legs? Oh yeah. Yeah. I've seen those. Too good.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

I was just about to ask, where's the timer?

SPEAKER_00 8:38

I gotcha. Thanks, bro. No worries. Is that accurate? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Hmm. Well, anyway. What were we talking about before? Oh. Tattoos, wedding rings. No, you were talking uh Frozen 2. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

Movie night last night?

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Last night, me and Cy like I forget where we were. We went out. Nothing like watching a princess. Trumbull farmers market. So yeah, already not off to a good start with the me and my son. We went to the farmers market together. And then we watched Frozen Market. Princess movies. Yeah, so then we went home. We were at the farmers market and went with the whole fam. And then uh Jacob and Julia met us with their brand new baby. So it was nice. It got out. And um it was great. We had a we had a nice time before that crazy thunderstorm. This is gonna be weeks uh ago for for everybody listening. But so I was like, hey, dude, and he we got home and he's like, Dad, can we do like a movie night? And I was like, sure, like you want to watch a movie? Let's do it. So put on a movie. Frozen two is what he picked because he'd never seen Frozen or Frozen Two. He's seen Frozen One. He's seen Frozen One and so we watched Frozen 2.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

And when I say we watched, I meant he watched because I fell asleep near immediately.

SPEAKER_03 9:53

Like it was 8 p.m. and I was just slumped the minute Elsa started singing, it was like you're right.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

I'm like, yeah, dude, and so I was knocked, but I was I made it to the part where Olaf does like a whole recap of the funniest, literally like one of the funniest Disney scenes of all time.

SPEAKER_03 10:14

Like Nicole like looked at me and was like, Why are you laughing that hard? And I was like, that was so funny.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Her parents are dead. Her parents are dead. And he's like, dude, it is next level. Josh Gadd is so funny. So we've told Mateo that tonight he needs to go home, sit in his apartment by himself as a single 20-something year old man and watch both Frozen.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Yeah, not World Cup. Dude, me and Cy will come over and we'll watch a movie. Movie night of the movie. Dude, I'll watch it with you.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

I love Frozen 2.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

So funny. So it was great. Movie night with Cy. That's what I got up to.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Frozen 2 also I would say is less girly than Frozen 1.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:54

There's like some action, some some frozen one. She's on the offensive. It's great. Oh, dude. She's going out trying to figure out what is.

SPEAKER_02 11:02

Frozen 1's just annoying because Elsa's just like She kind of sucks. She's just like a moody woman. No offense. It's like like that's all it's all it's about.

SPEAKER_03 11:11

No offense. Not none taken.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Also, the cold, you know, like what like the cold doesn't bother me anyway, and what bothers everybody else. So if everything else bothers you, if you could stop, it would be awesome. Only the cold doesn't bother you, but everything else does for some reason. Seriously, dude. Frozen 2 is way better.

SPEAKER_03 11:30

And then we were talking about before is uh me and you were is like how all these videos of people coming over for the World Cup to America and realizing like how awesome America is. It's hilarious. Like I told Dude, I just saw a post of that too. I saw a video, maybe it's the one Luke was talking about.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

Last podcast, guys. Best country in the world, best place in the world. Number one.

SPEAKER_03 11:54

I have not changed my mind. I don't think we're cracking the top five. It's fine. Um, but it was like this British guy, and he went into like a pub to get fish and chips or something, and so he was like, he's like, Yeah, I'll give it a shot, I'll see how it goes. And so they brought him like a clam chowder to start, and he like took one bite and he was like, Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

And he's like eating it, and he's got like clam chowder all over it, and his wife's like, like, honey, you got some on your bid, and he's like, I don't care, it doesn't matter. He's like, It's so good, and then they bring in the fish and chips, and he's like expecting it to be like trash, and he eats the like the fries and the coleslaw that comes with it, and he's like, Oh my gosh, and then he takes a bite of the the fish and he's like, Oh, that's nice. And so, dude, I was like, This is the best.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

That's my favorite part of the World Cup so far is people all the people traveling, experiencing uh America for the first time. The guy went viral from Germany. On he's like been tweeting all the places that he's like visiting. Oh, dude, it's so fun. Just went to Waffle House at 10 p.m. 10 out of 10. And then customer service. Yeah, and then yesterday he posted and he was like, This place is insane. He they even have a shooting range in it, and it's just a picture of Bass Pro Xiaomi to Bass Pro. It's just the best, dude. Yeah, dude, it's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 13:10

He uh the same guy America the Beautiful he went to the game, it was like a friendly, I think, before the tournament started at Auburn, and he was like, He's like, I can't they did the light show, I can't believe it.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

They have an eagle flying through this, like, and it's like it's like I can't even and so I saw a guy like reposting it and he was like, they really should have just I get it, it's America's World Cup, but they should have done it in like all the SEC stadiums like that and let them do their like pre-college football rituals before each game, like or like Texas. Like Clemson let them run down the hill. Chills. The Texas Longhorns running or something like the Florida State guy on the horse. So when he throws the spear into the middle, people would be losing their minds.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

Also, what why are we now? I understand there's money involved, so they're doing it at all the professional state, but like why is the final not at in Michigan with like a hundred and ten thousand people? I don't know. Like, why are they not doing it like stadiums, you know?

SPEAKER_03 14:09

That would be sick. I don't know. But I saw another thing, sorry, last thing on the World Cup, but it was like uh British.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

This is why it shouldn't be an American, and it was like British chance compared to like US chance, and it's like we're blind, we stink, we're the ref, I think. We stink, and then it's like America, go team! Give me an A. It's like the complete opposite. It's so funny. It's like, man, we really should not be hosting this world. So their chance are so creative.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

Well, and they sting through like the whole thing, they're like stinging and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Did you see the video comparing the NBA finals to the Euro League finals? It's like loud.

SPEAKER_02 14:54

Oh, dude, it's in like whatever it is because they have the whole game. Yeah, but the basketball, it's like I'm not talking soccer.

SPEAKER_03 15:01

It was basketball. They're in the thing. There's flares in the stadium. It's like there's like smoke and flares in every battery. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you seen it? It's crazy, dude. And then it's like the NBA finals, it's like Timothy Chalamet just like sitting courtside. He's like, Yeah, guys. So, yeah, it's wild. I don't know. We just got onto that, but screwed up.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

How about that picture of him yesterday? He was icing his knees or whatever. He was he was like, these it's hard on these fans out here. It was like, okay. What are we doing, bro?

SPEAKER_01 15:29

What are we doing, TC?

SPEAKER_02 15:31

What a life. TC, my guy TC. Yeah. Dude, speaking of New York, how was your night? My night was awesome. We'll be seeing this uh what a couple weeks later, but I we went and saw Forrest Frank last night at MSG the night after the big tip in by OG. Oh yeah, dude. We were in the garden. I was just telling Pastor Andy how cool it was. Like we, you know, we saw He had no idea who Forrest Frank was. We've obviously been following Forrest Frank for a long, a long time when he was with Surfaces, like we used to listen to him and stuff, and then obviously now he's super famous. But we went and saw him, it's probably like 18 months ago, maybe two summers ago. We went and saw him at Terminal 5, and there was like maybe three, four thousand people there. If that, like every and it's Terminal 5, like there's not even anywhere to sit, you just stand the whole time. It's basically like a bar with a flat surface bottom that you just listen to people do music. And now, like two years later, he was he sold out Madison, like not the theater at Madison Square Garden, like actual Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden. And uh it was really cool. And like his whole his whole tour, like the his new album, it's all called the Jesus Generation. So he's like it's all catered to like you know, Gen Z and all that, and trying to get them to just fall in love with Jesus. It's really cool. If you could ever go see him, I would encourage you to see him. If you don't like his music that much, the energy in there is like the good first concert for kids, I bet too. There's like a like a entry experience. Tons of kids there, and obviously what was really cool too was he Tori Kelly opened for him. And so she sang some of her songs from her new album, and then she sang the song that she sings with him, and then she was like, Have you guys ever seen the movie Sing? And the place went insane, and she sang all her songs from Sing. Oh, that's the elephant sings. That's a good idea. So if you like close your eyes, you're like, dude, the elephant like Mina is singing, you know, it was cool. Like all so all the kids were like going nuts, and me, um, because I love those movies. I love those movies. These are so good, dude. So that was cool, and then when she was done, like a guy came up and gave like a little testimony and like try to encourage people to sign up to sponsor kids in Tanzania. They had like over 2,000 people sponsor kids, like they sponsored like two whole villages um in Tanzania, and then obviously Force comes out and he does his thing, and then a guy came out and uh he brought Corey Asbury out at the end, the Reckless Love guy, and he did like a whole worship set. He did this, you would have loved it. Now we're just talking, now I'm just talking to you, not anybody else. But uh he did this, he did this and you guys. He did this, he did a mashup of like 12 different worship songs, like back to it was it was really, really cool, and it was like all like well-known ones, so like everybody was worshiping, and then this pastor from New York got up and gave like a salvation message. People, you know, raising their hands all over the place. So it's like very, it's not about very intentional.

SPEAKER_03 18:32

Yeah, it's not about anybody.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

Yeah, it was like it was basically like even Forrest got up, he was like, This is the biggest. He's like, Do you guys think about like this is the biggest Christian gathering in our country right now at this moment? Like there's 14,000 people here. Like, this is the biggest, the biggest group of believers.

SPEAKER_03 18:48

Didn't have it on the same night as one of our worshipers.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

Yeah, he didn't have it on the same night as our midweek. Um so he was it was just cool, like because he just he's always pushing, you know, it's about Jesus, it's about Jesus, it's about Jesus, which is Yeah, he seems like a humble dude. Yeah, he's for sure. Is like down to earth, he has not let the fame get to him at all, which I think is really cool, and which is I think why people like him and why people you know, you could we talked about it over the last few weeks of how we when we talked about worship and even in other weeks we've talked about how like you can you can tell when someone really has it, like when it's not about them, like when it's really about Jesus, and like just in the way he carries himself, and even just like his it sounds weird, but even like his face, like you can just you can just see something in his eyes that like it's it's it's just different. Alright, this is getting weird. This guy this guy's over here going to to farmers markets watching Frozen, and I don't know what that chant was that you did a minute ago getting on my case.

SPEAKER_01 19:53

Give me an A, yeah. Alright, what are we talking about today? Now that we're 20 minutes in.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Last time we talked all, you know, we talked a little bit about just some things like where you were at, like what you'd been reading, what you'd been seeing, things like that. And so it's good that Mateo asked me about that concert last night because I was thinking about what mine was gonna be, and mine honestly was thinking about the idea, and I know that I talk about this a lot, but the simplicity of the gospel and the way that I think we are starting to move into a generation which is really cool, and last night just reaffirmed what I was already thinking, is we're moving into this generation of people that are not overcomplicating the gospel. I think when I was growing up, when you were growing up, and then in between that age group, I think a lot of people over either overcomplicated the gospel and pushed people away because of it, or overcomplicated it and and made it feel like there's no way that I could ever be fit for this. There's no way that I could ever grab hold of it. Um and over the last few weeks, like the this idea of how simple the gospel is and how how basic not basic's the wrong word, but but I'll use it for lack of a better term. How basic it is that if we'll just if we'll just accept it for what it is, if we'll just grab hold of it for what it is, it's something that's obviously transformative, it's something that we've all grabbed a hold of that Christ has saved us and we figured out. But if we'll just go live it out and we'll just say, you know what, I'm not perfect. I know I'm not gonna be perfect. The Bible says I'm not gonna be perfect, Jesus knows I'm not perfect, but I'm saved, I'm on my way to heaven, I'm doing the best I can. God sees the conditions. In my heart, like it doesn't have to be this overcomplicated thing that I think it sometimes is made into. It's if I'm obedient to him, if I do the things he's called me to do, then I'm safe.

SPEAKER_03 22:13

Yeah. I think I I agree. And I think that it's almost like a middle ground because I think there was a lot of like when I was younger, I think like college age, um maybe even at the end of high school too, it was like people it was like this deconstruction era almost of like people who are like, No, I don't or like this grace is free, so like it's I can do whatever I want.

SPEAKER_02 22:39

Like, and then it's not and then it's it's less of a traditional faith, like where when we grew up it was more I don't know, not harsh is the wrong word.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

Rigid, like it's more rigid, yeah. It's more like it's it's black and white. This is what God's word says, this is what it is. But at the same time, like there was that big group of I think young adults and people who it's like, well, I could just live however I want. I could go, that's why people were living together but not getting married. That's why people were going out and getting drunk and then showing up to church, and everything's fine, and it is what it is.

SPEAKER_02 23:11

And it's like now we're seeing more young couples who they know they're they're not living right, they're fixing that and they're getting married. We're seeing people who are a little more conscious and what they allow into their minds, into their bodies, everything like that, and it's like, but we also see this hunger for truth that I don't think we saw before. So I thought that that was really Yeah, and I think when you hunger for when you hunger for truth and then you hear the truth and you accept the truth, yeah, now all of a sudden that transformation begins to happen. And I think a lot of times, instead of just like you're saying, there was that middle ground of maybe when you were a little bit younger, or maybe when these guys were growing up, was that era of like, well, your truth's your truth, and this and that. There was no truth. And when I was growing up, it was like, you know, almost like over the top of like, you can't do this, you can't do this, you can't do that. Yeah, yeah. And now, like you're saying, I think we found this middle ground. The the thing that really like kind of brought this all up a couple weeks ago was obviously everyone knows I'm a big hill song fan, and their new album came out. And you know, the first song, the first song on their album, Good News. Good news is the album. I believe the album's called Good News, yeah. Um and I was the gospel. Yeah, it's so good.

SPEAKER_03 24:39

It's literally just talking about what it is.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

Literally, literally, literally just talking about where it is. But that's I screen I literally screenshotted um I just said literally a lot of times. Literally in it. Literally. Um if I can find it right now. Watch, I'm not gonna be able to find it now. Um I screenshotted it. I'm gonna find it. Sorry. I thought I screenshotted it, but maybe I put it on my uh Oh, you know what? I know exactly what I did. Ha ha ha.

SPEAKER_03 25:15

You found it.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

No, yeah, I found it. I know exactly what I did. I texted it to myself. That's never a good one. I do that all. I do that from my computer to my phone. That's exactly what I did. I texted it to myself. It's right here. So I just I I don't want to bore you with this, but I just want to I wanna read this really quick because obviously Hillsong has always been goaded because of their lyrical genius and the way that they just write very biblically in their lyrics. They do love the O's. But listen listen to the I just listen to the words and listen to how simple this is, right? Love that we can't earn, grace we don't deserve, far more than we'll ever understand, how great the burden, death that felt certain, nothing could stop what the Lord had planned. Now on this truth will forever stand. This is the gospel. Christ died for everyone. This is salvation bought with his precious blood. While we were sinners, Jesus poured out his love. This is good news. And then at the end, they in the tag, as they usually do, it says, If I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth, Jesus Christ is Lord. He rose from the grave. There's power in his name, Jesus Christ is Lord.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Like There we go. It's pretty simple.

SPEAKER_02 26:37

You can't, you can't, and then again, I can't contain it, so I will proclaim it. This is the truth, I'll forever sing. Jesus is risen and I believe. Like, I was listening to the song, and I was just like, Man, the sim the way that we sometimes overcomplicate it or feel inadequate or feel unworthy of the gospel, and the simplicity of it is Jesus came, he died, he rose again, and because of that, I can have this free gift of salvation.

SPEAKER_03 27:05

I can proclaim it.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

I can proclaim it, I can tell people about it, I can show it with my life, and if I'll just grab hold of that, if I'll stop worrying about everything else, yeah, and I'll just grab hold of that, all of a sudden, my life can become you know what God intended it to become and what God wants to do through me.

SPEAKER_03 27:25

Yeah, I think so. I think that's a really I love their their new album and stuff, so yeah. I've been bumping it and listening to it. A bunch of OGs. We'll get some of the songs on the set list. Let me talk about it. I haven't finished it yet. No, it's good. But it's the same thing, like you said, it's just it's scripture, but it's that understanding of the good news and and how good it is. I think that's something that I tend to forget just personally. It's like, man, this is this is good. Like, this is great. I look at my own life and my own circumstance, my own uh past and and where I came from and where I am now, and it's like, man, it's because of salvation, it's because of the good news.

SPEAKER_02 28:00

I found uh in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul is obviously writing to the church, and he says in the first two verses, he said, and and this again, the whole idea of grabbing hold of the gospel and just relying on that. I'm not gonna worry about anything else. I'm just I'm just gonna rely on the fact that Jesus came and he died and I'm saved and I gotta live for him. And he says, when I he's writing obviously to the church, it says, When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the testimony of God concerning salvation through Christ. I did not come in superiority of speech or of wisdom, no lofty words of eloqu of eloquence or f or philosophy as a Greek orator might do, right? So I cut I came to you with the simple truth of the gospel. For I made the decision to know nothing, that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding ins inconsequential things and opinions while among you accept Jesus Christ and Him crucified and the meaning of his redemptive, substitutionary death and his resurrection. Like he literally starts off the letter and just says, I didn't come to you with fancy language, I didn't come to you as a theologian or some with this this deep sense of this whole all I came to you with was Jesus came and he died and he rose again. And because of that, like we can all be saved. And like the simplicity of it at times it leaves me in like in awe of man, this is and last night was like I said, just the kind of culmination of it of being in a place like Madison Square Garden, full of all of its craziness, and being there with you know 14,000 other people singing all about Jesus and thinking to myself, like, man, like we all come from different places, different backgrounds, but we've all grabbed hold of the same thing, and that's the good news of the gospel and the truth of it.

SPEAKER_03 30:04

Well, that's kind of cool too that you said like Paul. I was just thinking of like who Paul is, like, and the importance of the gospel.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Like, Paul is this like we if you study the the word right or you hear the first thing was is that he's a Pharisee, but if you go even further back, like Paul is from Tarsus and he's but he's taught from a young age, like he's very wise, like he knows the law, he studied the law, super smart. He's he's studied under the best teachers, then he becomes a Pharisee, and he's almost like a zealot for the law, which means like he's so passionate and on fire for the law, like he studies it, knows it, but wants to enforce it.

SPEAKER_03 30:41

And he, this person who knows all of this, who's studied all of this, who then now has this amazing conversion and who's writing and he's trying to encourage these churches, is saying, This is all great, like I know all of this, but the most important part is this simple piece of the gospel, and so I just think that that's interesting too and cool.

SPEAKER_02 30:59

Yeah, he Paul found the middle ground, yeah, right? He's preaching he's preaching to people who don't know. I don't know any of this episode. The middle ground. Write that down. The middle ground. Paul Paul is he's he's he like you're saying, he knows everything, and he's preaching to people who know nothing, and he's bringing bringing the two together. He's bridging the gap, dude. He's bridging the gap. That's cool. The middle ground, man. Man, nuts. That's good stuff. That'll preach. That'll preach. That's a new Sunday series, the middle ground. The middle ground. No, I I just think you know, because I get dude, you really could go off on that.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

Yeah. Yo, David and Goliath at middle ground, dude, just he runs to Goliath and covers that middle. Yo, we're cooking right now. Don't give it away, don't give it away.

SPEAKER_02 31:43

New youth series coming in September. Yeah. Coming next fall. I just think about my own life, and I think about like the kids I went to youth group with and stuff like that, and I just I think that sometimes the gospel was portrayed as this like insurmountable, like, you know, this like the ring from Lord of the Rings or something. Like this thing that, like, I gotta get it, I gotta get like, and it's like, dude, it's right there. It's right there. It's simple, it's right there. It's it doesn't need to be that complicated, you know. You don't need a treasure map to find it. It's uh it's available.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

So I think that's like the theme of like all of world right now. I don't know if that makes sense. Like you know, obviously there's so much going on with like I don't know, economy is like, you know, things are getting expensive and rents like people my age, like right, it's hard to find uh a job and like job markets tough and housing markets tough and all that stuff, and it's like alright, I gotta I need stability, I need answers, I need truth, and it's like I feel like that's why we have such a great young adults program. You know what I mean? Like we have a super sell steady um ministry that you know people are just looking for. And I think that's it's good that we have a good grasp of that now as like a church culture now where we are presenting it in a way of like, hey, it's really this simple. Like Jesus died for you, and all you have to do is just accept it and obey him and go for it. Um and I think that's super cool. I think uh I I think I told you this a couple times, but every now and then I'll just be in the car and like the simplicity and the weight of the gospel will just like hit me. It's like, man, like thinking about the Old Testament and all the stuff you had to do to even think about talking to God or talking to a high priest or something like that. It's like man, I can just talk to God in my car right now. Yeah, it's it's kind of nuts when you really think about it.

SPEAKER_02 33:35

But like, yeah, his presence used to dwell in the Holy of Holies or the inner place, right?

SPEAKER_03 33:41

And now we're in a church service or we're in a room, the four of us, and his Holy Spirit is dwelling amongst us as well, which is kind of wild when you think about it.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Yeah. Oh, there's no and there's no set of like like Mateo just said, I mean, there's no set of like, you know, you can't eat this, you can't do this, you can't cut once a year.

SPEAKER_03 33:57

You gotta go, and you better bring the best sacrifice you can for your family. Yeah. Or you're cooked.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

Or you're cooked, chat.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Or you're cooked.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

Chat, we're somebody's getting cooked. Somebody's getting cooked. He just walks out, we are cooked. Walks out to his ass.

SPEAKER_00 34:13

Animal fat. All the sheep are like really old and we're like cooked. We are cooked. What are we gonna do?

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Oh, that is so funny. Yeah, but it's true. It's that's that's really true. Good job.

SPEAKER_00 34:26

How funny would the Old Testament be if like it had like Gen Z slang?

SPEAKER_01 34:30

That's that's the videos of the producing like you sent me yesterday. It's like, yeah, we'll just do like some Old Testament scenarios. Oh, they have those.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

Have you not seen them? We're gonna make our own. That's what I'm saying. What was the video I send you? Oh, it was the guy going against Jesus in a fishing competition. He's like, he's like, I I got like 15 fish. She's like, That's like a record for you. He's like, this guy got 35,000.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

His net broke. He was walking on the water. They go out for one extra cast and he comes back in. Their nets are hilarious. They have like those people.

SPEAKER_02 35:07

I think he was cheating. Those POV ones where it's like the like a teenage character, so it's like David, and he's like, he's like, yo, what's up, fam? I'm got to find T Stones or whatever. Like, so crazy.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

Smash that like button. Anyway, smash that like button. There's definitely uh comment and subscribe. Probably not a good one, but a translation Bible of like there is a Lego Bible, dude.

SPEAKER_02 35:29

You gotta get the Lego Bible. The Lego saw it the other day. It's so graphic.

SPEAKER_03 35:34

Yeah, and then I saw a comic book Bible at the store.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

Yeah. That looks cool. I never like it. You had it? Explain to that. The leg explain it to me right now. Give us a book report. This guy wasn't reading. This guy wasn't reading.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Explain it as well. A lot.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

The Lego Bible's crazy graphic. You'd think it's for kids. It's definitely. I thought it was weird that David was fighting Goliath with Wolverine by his side, but other than that, it was pretty much. In the Lego Bible, the part where David goes and and uh gets the foreskins as the price for his wife, dude. He's just he's the Lego character has a wheelbarrow with all these like little clear Legos in it. It's so funny, dude.

SPEAKER_01 36:19

It's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

Alright, what are we doing? That's it. Well, that's it for our talk, I'm guessing. I mean, we're way off track.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

Yeah, we're way we're way off track at this point.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Can't go back to the to the gospel now. Let's go back. Spencer's the fun police over there. I know.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

What's our game today? We've already established my dad doesn't watch the pod. We can say what we want. We can say whatever we want.

SPEAKER_00 36:45

And you're both my boss.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

Until my mom watched, Mark it in here.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

Just speaking facts. Um you guys know the game Incoherent? I do not, but actually, let me do this.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

He did preface it by saying, you will know the game.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

I also have I also brought I also brought something with me. It doesn't need to be our game, but I I brought something with me. It's a gift for everybody? Um well, no, it's for one person because I'm pretty sure a couple of you said that you would eat the chip Dorito. And so I found this the other day. It's called Lil Nitro. Oh.

SPEAKER_03 37:21

It's a gummy bear?

SPEAKER_02 37:22

It's the world's hottest gummy bear. I don't think I can do that. I bought it for the pot. Spencer will do it on camera. You have to do it on camera. That's the one. So let's play our game, and then Spencer can take my seat and he can do the uh do you remember the bowl at Bar Taco? How yeah, dude, this guy. We went to Bar Taco with a couple of friends of ours that are pastors, and Spencer came and started eating his spicy chorizo bowl or whatever it was. That was my rapper name. Didn't didn't say Lil Nitro. Oh, I thought Spicy Chorizo Bowl was your rapper name. Hottest gummy bear. He didn't talk again the rest of the lunch.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

Bro just lands the camera.

SPEAKER_00 38:08

Oh man, we're getting off the rails. Alright, how do we play this game? Um it's the you guys know the game. It's the game where you've we've already established we don't know the game. Um it's you you say the phonetically keep it going, keep it going. Okay all the way. There he is. So it's you say the words and you try to decipher what the actual That's what taboo is, right? I've never played taboo.

SPEAKER_02 38:34

I don't think so. I think so. I also don't think so either. No, taboo has a list of things you can't say, and you have to explain the word at the top.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

Mad gab is what I'm thinking of. So, for example, this is just gibberish, but it's supposed to sound like an actual phrase or sentence that you can. Oh, you read it fast.

SPEAKER_02 38:52

So you're gonna read it to us because I can't see that. No. Oh. So, like that third one down here. Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan. There you go. Oh, that's easy for my turn. Can you can you read it now? Read the top one. The top left. Canooky pass egret. Egret? Canookie pass egrit. Canookie pass egret. Canoe. Is it supposed to be a person? Or it could be anything. Canookie pass egrit. Canookie pass egrit.

SPEAKER_01 39:32

Can you pass egret? Pass me that egret quick. We've been trying a lot of new birds for dinner. Can you pass me the egret? That's delicious. Um canookie pass. Can you it has to be can you pass Essiegrit? Can you keep a secret?

SPEAKER_02 39:50

Yeah. I don't think that sounded like that at all. Can you can get it? It's all about the inflection. Alright, your turn. Go. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid. Delete her mermaid. Delete Elmermaid. Dude, that one's hard. Michael Jordan was still.

SPEAKER_04 40:14

Deli Mermaid.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

Delete. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid. She has a mermaid made out of the. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

You guys know the deli.

SPEAKER_02 40:25

Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmermaid. You're close. Deli meat. Deli. You're close. Deli meat. Delete Elmermaid. Delete Elmer. Delete Elmermaid. Delete El Mermaid. Delete Elmermaid. We just keep saying it over and over again.

SPEAKER_01 40:46

Yeah, it's is it something mermaid?

SPEAKER_02 40:47

Mm-hmm. Delete El Mermaid. The Little Mermaid. Oh, Deli Mermaid. Deli Little Mermaid. Jog Clay d ice cream. Chocolate ice cream. Chocolate ice cream. I can't see those ones. You gotta Little Rat Rotten Hut. Little Rat Rotten Hut. Little rating. Says Amy Street. Stays Amy Street. Nice dude.

SPEAKER_01 41:14

Hi Danique.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

That just sounds like you said it with an act.

SPEAKER_01 41:26

Stalker balls. Oh my gosh. I don't even know what you said. Soccer balls. Man, I should really read them in my head. You definitely got it though. He did.

SPEAKER_02 41:59

Soccer balls. You did. Before and after. Before and after. Oh man. Alright. Rapunzel. Rapunzel. Man, these are getting tangled. Talk about another great princess movie, man. Great movie. Tangled is a movie. Leave me alone is the bottom one. Leaf me alone. Oh my gosh. Dude, my chest. Freeze ham pulse. Freeze hem pulse. Freeze impulse. Freeze ham pulse. Freeze impulse. Freeze ham pulse. What is that one? Freeze impulse. Freeze. I don't know. Freeze hammer. Freeze ham. I don't know. Frez. I can't even think. I can't even think straight right now. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 42:46

Oh, I was just so excited.

SPEAKER_01 42:53

I can't. I can't. Alright. Somebody's gotta wrap this up. Alright. Spencer. Come on over, bro. Where is it?

SPEAKER_02 43:01

Come on.

SPEAKER_00 43:01

It was free samples. Free samples. Like a copy.

SPEAKER_02 43:04

You said you'd do it. Both of you guys said that you said you'd said he would do it. You're not talking to the mic anymore. No. He said he would do it. She sounded like a nerd. He said he would do it. I'll do it. You don't have to eat the whole thing. Just bite the head off of it. I'll do it. Split it in half. My man.

SPEAKER_00 43:25

Let me see the box. Oh, it's so small. I thought it was. Yeah, we're going to sit down. It's a gummy bear. I thought it was a big one. That big old box. Big old bangle. I meant just give me the box.

SPEAKER_03 43:33

Bingo, bango, bangle.

unknown 43:36

I get sunny days after this.

SPEAKER_03 43:38

I'm just going to pop it. The world's hottest gummy bear.

SPEAKER_02 43:41

Think about it. What's the skew? You want a bite of it? Yeah, wait, there's a thing in there that says post your video to YouTube. Well, good thing we got a good video. The little nitro challenge. We want you to make the best.

SPEAKER_03 43:53

This is the little nitro challenge.

SPEAKER_02 43:57

Bro, you're not going to pop that whole thing. Why not? Tell me I won't. Tell me I won't. Do you dare eat this fiery gummy? But if it gets really hot and I throw up, then you guys owe me $50. 15 calories. Not on my carpet. It's only 15 calories.

SPEAKER_03 44:11

Oh, then we're good.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

Bite it and plug it into my neutral. Bite it in half. Why can't I just eat it? Because you have horrible stomach issues. So what? This will be a good climb. Give Spencer half. That's true.

SPEAKER_01 44:23

Why can't I just eat it?

SPEAKER_02 44:24

Fine, eat it. Shut up and eat it.

unknown 44:26

Go. Give me half it.

SPEAKER_02 44:29

You're disgusting. This is intended for adults only. Should keep out of the reach of children and pets.

SPEAKER_03 44:34

That's why Spencer couldn't have it.

SPEAKER_02 44:36

That's why Spencer couldn't have it. Not to be consumed by those with any heart or respiratory conditions. Is it hot? What's it feel like?

SPEAKER_03 44:46

It's pretty hot, dude.

SPEAKER_02 44:48

Is it spicy? Does it taste bad?

SPEAKER_03 44:50

No, but it's pretty it's pretty hot.

SPEAKER_02 44:54

What's it comparable to? Like a pepper or a hot sauce?

SPEAKER_03 45:00

I don't really know.

SPEAKER_02 45:02

Your eyes are watering.

unknown 45:04

Oh man.

SPEAKER_02 45:05

You want to talk more about soccer balls? World Cup. Oh man. It's not too bad.

SPEAKER_04 45:12

No.

SPEAKER_02 45:14

Is it aftertaste?

SPEAKER_00 45:17

What is that?

SPEAKER_02 45:19

I didn't know it was gonna completely coffee.

SPEAKER_03 45:21

No, it's water. Yeah, it's pretty bad.

SPEAKER_02 45:25

Yeah? Like on the tongue or the upper mouth throat. On the Ugula. Yeah, we gotta go. We hope that you have a great rest of the day. Thanks for joining us. Bye dev. The little nitro challenge. Bye dev.