Beyond Sunday

Not Alone - Week 1

• King of Kings Church

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Kicking off the Not Alone series, Dina, Tyler, and Pastor Greg talk about finding real connection and hearing God’s voice in a noisy, lonely world. They explore how rest, quiet moments, and genuine community help us persevere in faith and remind us we’re never meant to run alone.

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SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the King of Kings podcast, where we dive a little bit deeper into our message series and see what we are taking Beyond Sunday. My name is Dina Newsom, and I am blessed to have some wonderful guests today. Go ahead and say hello.

SPEAKER_01:

Hello, my name is Tyler Rolfson, campus director at our Fremont campus.

SPEAKER_04:

Hey, I'm Greg. Good to be with you all today.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so I don't know if you guys know this. I know you never know this, whatever I'm gonna ask at the start. But tomorrow, so when this podcast actually posts, um is Facebook's birthday. Oh wow. 2004 was when Facebook started. And um Mark Zuckerberg had started something previous to Facebook called FaceMash.

SPEAKER_01:

Face what?

SPEAKER_00:

Face Match. Which sounds like face smash, but it's spelled face mashed. That's right. That was all about rating the looks of other people on his college campus. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Where is this question going?

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so my question is with regards to it's tying right into our message series, not alone. With regards to now it's been 22 years of Facebook and various other social media. Facebook is still the most widely used according to statistics. But my question is, what does this do? We're getting deep right away. This isn't really a fun one, but you know, feel free to comment all you want on social media. What does social media do to help and to hurt loneliness amongst people? What's your thoughts on that? And also, are you a Facebook person, not a Facebook person? Like what's your social media of choice?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, Dina, let me start here. That if we were doing a rating of the looks of our King King staff members, you would get a 10 in the count.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01:

As would you, Greg. For those of you that aren't watching, because this is an audio podcast, Greg is rocking a tremendous what color is that lavender?

SPEAKER_00:

I think, yeah, lavender. Yeah, I'd say lavender. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

With the the what what is this what is that part of the sleeve called? The cuff pulled up with a nice little pattern underneath.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, very stylish.

SPEAKER_01:

10 out of 10. All right. So kind of the pros and cons of social media in regards to loneliness.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I mean, the starting with the negative, the cons are pretty obvious, right? Is that it um it kind of breeds comparison and it can kind of distort our sense of uh real relationships. And and so kind of these relationships that uh aren't aren't enfleshed and aren't embodied but are digital and is that reflection of reality. Sometimes it is, sometimes it's not. But on the positive side, we are connected to people who otherwise we wouldn't. And so, you know, I'm in this seminary program with and guys that are all over the country. And like I would never, I would never have guessed to see their churches live stream to see them preaching. But I scroll through my Facebook feed. I am a Facebook person. Um, and I, you know, I get, oh gosh, uh, this is sweet. Uh Michael's preaching out in Cleveland. Let me let me watch a little bit of how he how he would have done that. And I would that that would not have been possible otherwise.

SPEAKER_04:

So, Tyler, you're rocking since you went with wardrobe one, a fabulous sweater, which your mother-in-law gave you. Yes. But also, uh, those are new, like different glasses frames in normal.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, I've had these for five years, but my kids stepped on them six months ago and the lens fell out, screw fell out. I went to the optometrist last week, brought my broken glasses. They fixed it in like four minutes. Right. So it kind of feels like new glasses.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, yeah, they're they're real nice. I like rocking. Thank you. Yeah, they got like a gold band Ray-Ban. Uh they got that Ray-Ban kind of look going to them too. So they don't have the Ray-Ban camera in them, though. They're not meta glasses. No, no, no.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm not, I'm not to Johnny Lowell, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I find meta glasses a little annoying. But, anyways, um, I don't actually rail too much against social media. I think I think that's the easy way out. I think, I think, as Tyler said, I think social media actually has connected us in deeper ways. Um, it's one like I can catch up. I mean, uh, I enjoy getting good Christmas letters. I like getting people's Christmas letters. I have zero desire to produce one of my own and send one out. Most people know what we're doing through Facebook or through uh Instagram. Um so I feel like more connected with friends than I ever have. I know more about what their lives are going on and all those types of things. Um, yeah, I think sometimes you can have like a false friendship. Like, uh yes, I am friends with Justin Bieber. Uh we're like really good Instagram friends. Mic drop. Mic drop. I've DM'd him a few times.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you think he listens to the podcast? Do we have 10 listeners now?

SPEAKER_04:

Maybe hopefully he's listening with clothes on. So um yeah, but um you know, we had to watch the grammar to get that reference. So um, but yeah, I mean, I think it's one of those things where um like we we actually can be connected um in in greater ways. So actually when I catch up with friends around the country, um like it's because of social media that I at least know where they're at in life. And um sometimes I'll find myself like with someone being able to say, like, hey, how are you doing? Or like sometimes even celebrating with someone. So so that's kind of kind of cool. Um, I'm not a Facebook person. I actually have gotten to where like I pushed it off of my home screen, it's now and wherever. Um, if you see something on Facebook from me, it's because my Instagram populates the Facebook. Um, I'm strictly just Instagram, I don't really have time for anything else um on that. My wife just joined Instagram because my daughter, uh Macy, got her. We don't allow our kids to have social media until they turn 18. So um, so they all got social media. Macy got social media um and just does Instagram and and like little stuff. So um, yeah. So that's where I'm at with social media.

SPEAKER_01:

Dina, I want to hear your answer, but something I just thought of is a very practical benefit finding out people's birthdays. Yes, totally. I understand that.

SPEAKER_00:

That's like the number one thing about yeah, I get so many birthday wishes on my birthday from people that sometimes I have to stop and remember how I met them through something, which is uh wonderful to me because then it gives me like it's just that little shining gift.

SPEAKER_04:

Do you have any rules? Like one more rule I have is if you don't have a profile picture, I will not friend you.

SPEAKER_00:

I have to know who you are in person. I don't blind friends. Yeah, I I have always been so like there's there may be some of our listeners who have sent me a friend request on Facebook, and I maybe I will leave it sit unresponded to for quite some time as I try to figure out. But if it yeah, if there's not a profile picture, no, no way.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and unless I know you like personally, if you're under 18, I won't friend you.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, Dina, I was wondering what happened to that friend request I sent you a couple months ago. It's just been sitting there. Yeah, even you've been waiting. I've waiting.

SPEAKER_00:

Who's that Tyler guy? Not really sure. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

He hasn't been enough podcast for me to feel really close to him yet. Yeah, that's fine.

SPEAKER_00:

I love you, Tyler. What are you thinking? Um, no, I really I like Facebook. That's my social media of choice. That's the first one that I go through, which makes me um understand that I'm old now because that's no longer, you know, that's for the Gen X and above. Yeah. Yeah. My kids also are getting to that point. Um, but I think it's it can be sometimes very deceiving. That's my struggle with it. People feel connected because they have lots of friends or they scroll through their feed and they see lots of activities, but they don't feel connected. You know, they still feel isolated. And that's where I think it can be a two-way street. Like I do think there are cousins and extended family members. And um, I I talk uh about this a few times, but I spent 10 summers in Hong Kong doing VBS and I Facebook friended, like many of the students that I met there, I have watched them grow up over the last 15 years, where now they're having babies and getting married. And I would never know that. They're not going to text me those pictures 12 years later, but I get to see it because we're on social media. And so I love the connectedness that that brings. And like you said, just being able to know where people are at, checking in on people that you don't see all that often. I enjoy that. Okay, so we did start week one of our not alone series, um, Finding Hope in the Wilderness. And Pastor Seth Flick is kicking it off for us this week. And um, he started off uh on a treadmill, running. And the first question I got went both both services that day. I was not in there when he started the message. Did he use a treadmill in 8 a.m.? Dim blended. I wasn't sure if it made it in there. No, both of the services people stopped me like in the back of the room. Is he running on that the whole time? I was like, I don't know.

unknown:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

But anyway, what are you taking beyond Sunday from this message?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I mean, I it was a tremendous message. I think I think it's a reminder for us that um one, we're we're not alone, even when we we feel that. And then I I loved, I really loved the point, and probably because I have a personal connection um of a similar experience of just going the extra mile to help someone in need. And so my my nephew, we he we were all climbing 14ers. Um, we were doing Quandary Peak, and my sister-in-law, um, who has never climbed, is not an exerciser, all that stuff. Um, she said, I want to do it. And um uh, you know, so she started out with kind of a nice stroll, eating an apple and kind of, you know, and then she got to the point where it was like super tough. And my nephews had summited the mountain, and then um her son Dino um actually walked back, probably about um, I don't know, maybe, maybe a thousand feet uh in an elevation change, walked back uh down and then walked back with her. And so that was a really cool moment. Was super proud of Dino for doing that. Um, I wouldn't have done it, but that's that with that is the hardest part of the climb. That's the hardest part of the climb. Yeah, yeah. That was uh yeah, and if you know Quandary Peak at all, it's got a false summit. Um, so you kind of get to uh the sun, this one summit, you're like, oh, I'm here, and then you see this little ant trail. Oh, crud. So, anyways, I'm a 13er, I'm not a 14er guy, but anyways, so I got I got to my summit. So, but I thought that was really powerful. Just a reminder, and then a reminder for us like go ahead and sacrifice and go the extra mile for people so that they know they're not alone.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. The uh that that and that story that Seth told of the marathon runner who ran back a mile to like have a theological conversation or something, and then ran ahead and ran back. What did Seth say? Like eight extra miles after he's already running 26.2. Yeah. Um, it's just it just kind of that's a kind of story that just really sticks with you. Yeah. Um, and then Ali and I had a a situation on Saturday, uh, the day before this series, that really just kind of brought home like, man, this is really needed. I think we all recognize that uh that kind of general epidemic of loneliness. Um, but yeah, we had this situation with uh actually from a play date with our uh our four-year-old daughter set up with her friend at preschool that then we found out and like, oh, our four-year-old's making plans. How about that? Um, but just over the course of kind of meeting, meeting the mom, and we're like, man, it was just a practical, like, yeah, loneliness really is something that touches a lot of our communities. Um, and I I think this is a timely message and a timely series. I'm really excited for what God's gonna do in the next five weeks.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, what really got me is I love Elijah. I love stories about Elijah. And um uh there are just some few choice ones. I feel like the stories about Elijah are much more um applicable to adults than kids. So I spent a lot of years in kids' ministry, so there's only a few that we tell, but kind of the part about him napping under the tree is one of them. And I just love the reminder that sometimes a snack and a nap can just change the world. All right. So um, how do you see Seth's running analogy resonating with people who are going through their spiritual journey?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, the um I saw this question in my the first word that came to mind was the uh the biblical concept of endurance and perseverance. Um you know, so so Jesus says in the towards the end of the gospel of Matthew, you know, the those who endure to the end will be saved. And look at something like Hebrews 12. I don't even know if Seth referenced the Hebrews 12. No, um the maybe maybe it's too predictable if he's on a sermon about running. Yeah. Um but you know, where the author of Hebrews, you know, says, let's let's run the race that's set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, endured, scorned its shame, is seated at the right hand of God the Father. And then the next verse, consider him who endured um such shame from sinners, so that you might not grow weary or faint-hearted. And like, man, that draw in our spiritual lives to grow weary or faint-hearted is there. And I think certainly Elijah's story, right? It's like it's there. He just experienced this amazing thing. And the the biblical reminder to like endure, persevere. You got this, God's got you. Don't give up. Even if you're going at the slowest pace. I mean, I'd be going slower than Seth, like if I was running that race. Um, but just keep going. Don't stop, don't give up, keep going.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. So as a half marathoner, I also uh Justin Bieber, half marathoner.

SPEAKER_05:

Who are you? Wow, we're not worthy of all these.

SPEAKER_04:

Um but uh no, I mean, when I did the half marathon, and when I when I do any races, I I don't I enjoy I enjoy the 5Ks, um, 10K's I don't love, half marathons I certainly didn't love. But there is something about knowing that you're not the only one. And so uh, you know, you you pass someone or someone passes you, and you just have this this reality that you're all working towards the same goal and walking towards the same thing. And then there's also kind of this thing of like, you know, there's this spot where you're all for one another. So we also did when I was growing up, we ran an aid station at the Western States 100-mile run on at the 60.1 mile mark, um, was there and it was at the time and still is considered one of the world's elite endurance runs. And um just seeing runners, like that's a that's a community in of itself. And if someone gets hurt, they're there for each other. Um, it's you know, someone is is kind of struggling, they're there for each other, and so it it's really fascinating to watch and to see. And so this kind of reminded me of that of like in this in this human race that we have, like to be for one another, care for one another, love one another, um, support one another. And then also, you know, in in when you run, like there's a ton of mental gymnastics, like I don't want to do this, or even the thought of like I'm gonna go and get out super early. And um, and I think in our faith journey, sometimes we we think we want to do something. We bought off more. I'm gonna read the Bible front to back, page one to Revelation, and uh, you know, and then we go, This is this was not a good idea to start this way. I got to Genesis five and the whole genealogy and um skip that chapter. So um, you know, so I think it's just that reminder too of like there's always gonna be a mental gymnastics that we're taking, but we're we're not alone in that. And then share that, share that with each other when you need help and um go ahead and and take the breaks and and um you know let let people help you. I mean, that's that's a big thing. I think we we don't like to get help a lot of times.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so I am not a runner at all. That is my least favorite thing to do. Um I like to do color runs. I like to throw the color on the runners as they run by.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't like being messy. Is it is it paint, chalk? What is it?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, in it different runs, it's different things. The ones that I have done, it's like a powder. Oh it's like a power, it's almost like a paint that's like been um dehydrated and it's powder that's then gets all over you.

SPEAKER_04:

It's just cancer and powder pump.

SPEAKER_00:

It probably is. But it's like at least they're all experiencing it together, Greg.

SPEAKER_02:

They're having fun while they're dying, literally.

SPEAKER_00:

But I have a good friend of mine who has run many marathons and has competed like in the Boston marathon and stuff. Wow. And I always thought in my head, not being a runner, I always thought, okay, it's like most things. You train up for it, and then you're really good and you just stay good at it as long as you stay in shape. But what I learned from him is how much it depends on the day. Like he was so excited, he trained and trained, and he had like sub-three hour marathons that he had run and then went to run a really big one. And it was just an off day for him. And he could not pinpoint what it was. Was it something he ate, he didn't get enough sleep or whatever? And he had in his mind a horrible time. And this was fascinating to me because there's so many variables that play into it and how it affects you. And that's where I think it relates to your spiritual journey. There's so many variables, kind of like what you were talking about. Like the there's just so many pieces to it that even if you think you're well prepared, you're well trained, oh, I'm good to fight off the temptation or whatever, day to day, you don't know what your mood is like, whether you're cranky, whether you're vulnerable, whether you're gonna be strong, you're gonna give in. Like, and that's where I think the the analogy for me was like when when Seth was talking about his salt tablets and you know, all the things that you need and how, and then you the mental gymnastics that go into it, that's where it related to a spiritual journey to me, where I feel like you have to, you have to be on your best preparedness, but you still never know how it's gonna be, you know.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, some days it doesn't it feel like you're like crushing Christianity. You're like, this is this is great, this is easy. Like I was nice to a person and I, you know, didn't eat all my Chinese food, and then I found the guy on the like he was perfectly in line on the freeway, and like I the stoplight happened, and like I gave him the Chinese food, and he was like so excited, and then you're like, you know, I loved my kids and we prayed and they prayed, and you're like, Yeah, this is great. And then like the next day, you're just like, Oh, I'm the worst disciple ever. Like, I, you know, ate all my Chinese food, and I didn't, you know, so yeah, I I think it's truly an analogy. I mean, I run 5K's like on treadmills, and some days you're just like, Man, I I could have ran for two hours, and then some days you're like, Man, that first smile, you're like, I'm done. Like, I want to quit. I don't want to, like, yeah, it's just it's just a lot.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So no, it's definitely peaks and valleys.

SPEAKER_00:

So um, Seth referred to uh several different pieces of Elijah's story through this. And Elijah's story is a powerful reminder of vulnerability and God's response. How can we use that? How can we use his story to encourage those battling loneliness today?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yeah, the the word that came to my mind as I was reflecting on this, the the first first Kings 19 scripture is how God brings refreshing. He brings refreshment. And you know, we we use that language, you know, in reference to we're throwing an event here, we'll, you know, we'll say, and refreshments are available afterwards, sort of thing. And and because this is King of Kings, it's often involves food. But like in this case, like you talked about earlier with the snack, like, yeah, like his body needed nourishment, it needed sleep. Um, and then from the emotional kind of spiritual level, like he was just in despair. And God came through um in refreshment in every way. And it's not like choosing the physical over the spiritual, it was it was both and. They're not a mistake. Like Jesus was the one who took on flesh. Our bodies are gonna be resurrected one day. And so, like, we we have no choice but to be in this world as embodied creatures. And so, like, if if if there's a lot of stuff going on in our minds or our hearts, it's really important that we follow God in attending to our body. And it could mean like, like, I the you guys are gonna be so impressed with this. I've got nine hours of sleep the last two nights. And that's because the prior week and a half, I got like an average of four. It's like, like, yeah, my body. Tel of me, like you're you can't you your mind won't keep going. Like it just shuts down at some point. So maybe you're not proud of me because I anyway.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's great. I'm always proud of you. Yeah. Thank you, Greg. I'll bring you a cookie later. Always proud of you.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm just gonna end my end my end my comment there then. If I if I get a if I'm proud of you and a cookie, then perfect. Bottom line, God rings refreshing. It's all of us, not part of us. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

I think it's important to just be honest. I think, I think, first of all, no one's struggle is unique in the in the framework of this. Um the circumstances may be unique, but we all struggle. And I think I think, first of all, um, you know, we we see uh Elijah just at his lowest point and ready to say, I don't want to live anymore. And um he needed he needed someone to step in. Now the Lord stepped in and said, Here, uh, take rest, here's what you need, and and to get you well and recovered. And sometimes we need someone to step in with us and come alongside us. And so um that when we get down, and and especially if we get down to where we just don't see another way out to say something, um, and then as friends to see one another and say, hey, are you okay? Um, because that that's an important part. And that's why I think there's there's a mental health epidemic that's happening right now, um, where mental health is something that um everyone needs to take account of right now. That's why I love we have our core counseling. There's tons of openings in our core counseling. Um, there's always always space available. Um, and so uh counseling's good, um, it's healthy. Um, think of it the same as a doctor. You would go and say, I need a checkup, I need to see how I'm doing. Um, counseling's good for marriages, like uh, how's our marriage doing? Um, counseling is good for parenting, it's good for new seasons. And sometimes it's just good to have someone talk to that says, I just I'm invested in you. Um, and so um I I think I think it's uh that vulnerability spot is where we realize we're all human beings are all fragile and we need to we need each other and we need to talk about where we're at. There's no one that has everything figured out.

SPEAKER_00:

I I really like the reminder in this of where when we feel at our, like you said, our Elijah was at his lowest of low, when we feel that despair, God is still there with us. And I think it's easy to forget that and to think that he has abandoned us. Um, but it may not be that what we want is what he's offering. He's offering what we need in whatever form that takes.

SPEAKER_01:

The I I hadn't seen this before, Seth drew it out really nicely. Because I, you know, if you just read that first part of the Elijah story, it's it's Elijah and God, right? Elijah's talking to God, God sends the angel, brings refreshment. But then you you go down a few verses, and and God is the one who says, Hey, you might you you've believed that you are the only one. You're the only faithful prophet left. And then what does he say? I will leave 7,000 in Israel. I mean, like to your point earlier, Greg, like 7,000 are actually running this race. Yeah, not just you, right? All the knees that have not bowed to the idol and their mouth hasn't kissed them. Like, where the what the enemy likes to do is to get in our minds and tell us you are alone. Nobody, nobody's experiencing anything like you. And like, yeah, there's a world. I'm looking at Dina right now. Like, who else is coordinating Millard campus night to shine? Like, like there's kind of like it's it's Dina. Like, who else is lead pastor of three um grow large and growing campuses in and and more to come, right? Like, there's a sense of like, well, there there aren't many, but we are never alone. There are always those around that God is supplying us with. Um, and I think, like you said, Greg, those resources are so abundant uh to be able to take advantage of um so that the Lord can get the Lord can take care of us.

SPEAKER_00:

So true. I do have one question. Um, what is a broom tree? Do either of you know what a broom tree is?

SPEAKER_04:

I I I I didn't look it up, so I'm not 100% sure. I mean, I would assume.

SPEAKER_00:

I just was curious. Tyler's whipping out the Google now to uh find out.

SPEAKER_04:

It's probably one that just is shaped a little like a like kind of sweeps over like a broom and is my guess.

SPEAKER_00:

Offers maybe more shade.

SPEAKER_04:

No, yeah, protection. Yeah, offers a lot of shade. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I just thought that was an interesting Middle East, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, honestly, looking at this, if you guys want to see that, it it doesn't it remind you of the tree from Lion King?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yes, that Rafiki looks like that yeah, it looks like an African safari tripe tree, which would make sense there in the desert.

SPEAKER_01:

So a broom tree is a desert shrub found in the Near East, known for its small pale flowers, thin green stems, and ability per to provide sparse shade in arid regions. There you go. There you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You learn something every day here on the Beyond Sunday podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

Aren't you glad you tuned in, everyone?

SPEAKER_00:

All right, so another part of Elijah's story is what um when God spoke to him. And it wasn't in the um grander things, but in the quiet whispers. And so, how can we, as you know, normal Christians discern God's whispers in our everyday lives instead of looking for him just in big moments?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I think that's an important part. I I really appreciated Seth reminding us of that. I think sometimes a folly from preachers can be like, you know, look at all the amazing things God's doing and all these things. And and and the reality is God's God's actually uh usually doing the extraordinary and the very ordinary. Um and so it's the quiet things where God's showing up the most and doing that stuff. And so um I I really appreciated that. And I think I think what what it really comes down to is like um, you know, just listening for the voice of God, listening for the heartbeat of God, um, listening for the prompt of the spirit in the everyday living and being open, um, whether it's just a walk to your mailbox, whether it's sitting quietly, sipping a cup of coffee, um, whether it's just laying down your head and taking a few moments of solitude and quietness and just trying to quiet your mind and your spirit and your soul, um, and and letting the Lord speak. And so, um, and sometimes again, we're we are entertained by angels. And so sometimes it's you know, where did something or someone show up just kind of giving us something we didn't even know we were looking for? Or um, or sometimes of of just a quick like celebration that we didn't even know we needed. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, Greg, you mentioned kind of the quieting and getting away from busyness. I know that's something that I actively struggle with is giving myself space where, well, one of its heart, right? Like if you have three young kids, like quiet is not the same.

SPEAKER_00:

I was just gonna say, when you're a dad of multiple children, there's only so much you can do.

SPEAKER_01:

I I I get home and I'm there for about 10 minutes and I look at my wife like, I don't know how you've been doing this for the last three hours. But uh um, but yeah, we like even even in the times where it is a little quieter, right? Like, how easy is it back to the social media conversation to just scroll? Or like, gosh, I'm throwing an AirPod and I'm listening to this or watching this video. Um, and like it is a choice, a deliberate choice to say, I'm going to say no to some things right now, to choose like a quieter moment to give God the opportunity. God, like he's already always speaking, he's always prompting. It's just, am I quieting myself enough to actually listen? Um, and you know, that's obviously in connection to his word. The more that we're in his word, the more we're gonna hear what he's trying to say to us.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, I this made me think of that. I sometimes struggle to remember that sometimes God shows up in the no or in the disappointment, which really is something better for you, or it's providing that quiet space for you, or you may have wanted something large to happen or a new, you know, job or a new relationship, and it may not be a yes in God's plan because it's giving you the space or the time that you need, you know, where he is.

SPEAKER_01:

Kind of like not in the earthquake, not in the wind. Like I hadn't really thought about that before. Yeah, we'll see.

SPEAKER_00:

I really like that. Okay, so Seth talked about the phrase did not finish, which is kind of like the, you know, what no runner wants. Um, how can we use this concept to motivate perseverance in life and faith?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I mean, I I think there's right, the final words we want to hear, well done, good and faithful servant. And and at the end of the day, I think it's not about finishing any earthly thing, it's about finishing the race of faith. And so no matter what Satan throws at us, what the world um befalls us, right? Um, of the the reminder of like finishing, holding and clinging to the cross of Christ um and and his empty tomb. And so to hear well done, good and faithful servant, um, is is what our whole purpose is. And and that's that's a life well lived. Amen, Pastor Greg. Amen.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I don't know if I don't know if I have much much to add. Like in endurance is something that um the enemy is actively trying to pull us against. And so it's but it but we're not like it's not like trying harder, it's just allowing Jesus to keep us in the race, um, and knowing that man, there's there's forces against us that that are just saying, just quit, just give up. I heard this simple phrase in high school and it stuck with me. If you don't quit, you win. If you don't quit, you win.

SPEAKER_00:

That's good. Um I I always think of one of my children. There's a phrase that people say, go big or go home. You know, that you gotta go. And and she always says to me, I think people underestimate my desire to go home. And she will bring that up when she is struggling with things, when things get hard, because that it is okay, I'm done. I'm done trying. I'm done. I'm not gonna go big, I'm not gonna succeed at this. It's too hard, it's too whatever. So I do just want to go home. Um but I I just think of that of then where do we find our source of strength? And do we have, you know, um, Pastor Seth talked about having that group of people around you and your connectedness, feeling not alone. And I think that can be a source of strength, obviously, from you know, God our Father and what we can find in his word and his ways. But um, I just think that physical connection with other people is a valuable tool to help encouraging you to keep going. So, speaking of that, um, Seth talked a lot about connect groups that we have here at King of Kings. And so I want to ask how do Kinect groups here help people foster community and battle loneliness? And gosh, as our central connect group person, Tyler, who knew when I asked you to be on this particular date so many months ago, I did not know this was going to be mentioned in this sermon.

SPEAKER_01:

The Lord works lay it on us. He's not in the earthquake, not in the waves. He's in Dina's podcast scheduling. Um yeah. You know, do you guys remember the end of the sermon where the the worship team came out and Seth got back on the treadmill and then they kind of surrounded him, which is really good because he nearly fell off.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

The sisters go watch the video if you didn't see it.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, and I just like there was just something visually really powerful about that. Of you know, Greg, you referenced it earlier, but but bearing one another's burdens and giving God space to work through other people to support you, while also God working through you to support other people. Um, and so I know there's gonna be people on the other side of this podcast that they're like, yep, I've had that group for years, we're super, super close. Others of you, you've tried it and it was okay, or maybe you even got hurt because man, when we're in proximity to sinners, right? Like we we we hurt each other sometimes. And then there's others of you that you've just never given it a go for whatever reason. Um and there this isn't a drum we're gonna really stop beating because the call of the New Testament is so clear that like we are called to be in community. Um Greg, what's your what the line that you use all the time? Transformation happens what?

SPEAKER_04:

Not in circle or not in rows, but in circles.

SPEAKER_01:

In circles, that's right. And so God does something really special when we are willing to take that step of courage and vulnerability. Um, and so yeah, if you aren't aren't yet in a connect group, or heck, maybe God is even kind of itching on your heart to start something, um, get in contact with your campus director, associate director, or you can email me, TylerKingKings.org.

SPEAKER_04:

That's good. Yeah, I mean connect groups are extension. I I call them care groups, um, they're connect groups, they're um family groups, they're life groups, they're I mean, you're you're just doing life with these people. And that's they really become your family. And um I think for every church, right? It doesn't matter your size. Um, a church of 50. Um, if you don't know seven to eight people, you will feel like a stranger. If you are a church of 50,000, if you know seven to eight people, you will feel like you're um known by by everyone. And so um there's real power in that because you know people and they know you. And that's what we're called to do in life together.

SPEAKER_00:

At my last church, um, there's a story from one of the Kinect groups that I always think of when we talk about like what this means about doing life together. And there was a family in this Kinnect group whose, I think she was nine months at the time, their nine month old had a stroke. And they sent out, they, as soon as they got to the hospital, taking her in, they sent out a text to our senior pastor and their Kinnect group and said, please pray for our daughter. This is what's going on. We don't know anything else yet. And um our pastor got the text, wrapped up what he was doing at his office, and headed to the hospital. By the time he got there, three quarters of the Kinet group was already there. And I just that I'm like, that's what doing life together. You can't always drop everything and physically go to somebody, but they responded in such a way that that was okay, we're here. We don't know what you need. You don't know what you need, but we're here to be with you in the mud. And that I think was very valuable. That's what groups mean to me.

SPEAKER_01:

That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. All right. Final takeaways from this week's message.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I'm I'm just really excited for that the Lord led us to to these six weeks. And I think it's gonna be transformative. Um, so I'm I'm certainly excited for the the messages to grow in that, but also like, man, what is the Lord gonna do in our in our campuses to to build community? I don't know how you guys ended services in the other campuses, but um, as as we release people and bless them on Sunday, I said, hey guys, you're not allowed to to leave until you give a hug or a handshake or a high five to five people. I actually had our Fremont people put up their hands, make sure they could count to five. Um and uh and but the but the kicker was people that you don't normally interact with, yeah. Right. And uh to their credit, they did it. Yeah. And we're gonna do it again this Sunday.

SPEAKER_04:

That's sweet. And I love it. You're you're you're gonna be a good preacher because you got the right of good preachers always either find an acronym or start with the same letter hug, handshake, or a high five. Good job. Well done. Yeah. No, I I think um community is so important in connectedness. We live in a world that is so disconnected, and so I am reminded always like we have to be connected to each other. And I'm excited for this whole series.

SPEAKER_00:

I really liked how Seth kind of wrapped up talking about the Holy Spirit and how we sometimes almost forget about the Holy Spirit. You know what I mean? Like it's not the big grand one. And um, but he talked about the Greek word, and I honestly I don't even remember what the Greek word is for spirit, but he said that it meant one who is called next to you. And that I had not heard that before. I hadn't heard that definition before. And I was like, oh, okay, there's my there's my people around me. I've always got the spirit with me. So I liked that. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series too, and we will talk more about it next week. Thanks for being here today, guys. And until next week, let's keep living our faith. Being on Sunday,

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