Behind The Mike Podcast
Behind The Mike Podcast is a Christ-centered show where host Mike Stone dives deep into inspiring stories and profound insights from guests who view life through a biblical lens. Each episode offers hope, encouragement and wisdom to help you navigate life's challenges with faith and purpose.
Tune in for conversations that uplift your spirit and strengthen your walk with Christ.
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Behind The Mike Podcast
Living Boldly as a Christian in Today's World
What does it mean to truly understand and embrace Christianity? Fourth-generation restaurant owner and multifaceted entrepreneur Peter Demos shares his captivating transformation from a religious skeptic to a committed Christian. Discover how Peter's journey through the family restaurant business, a brief stint in law, and his eventual return to manage multiple ventures led him to confront his misconceptions about faith and develop a genuine relationship with Christ. This episode promises a deep dive into Peter's personal history, the challenges he faced, and the pivotal moments that reshaped his spiritual path.
Raising children in today's ever-changing cultural landscape can be daunting, especially for Christian parents. Peter Demos offers invaluable insights into navigating these challenges by integrating faith into everyday life. From historical conflicts over religious texts in schools to the current exclusion of prayer and the promotion of secular beliefs, Peter underscores the importance of parents actively teaching and modeling their faith. He warns against superficial religious practices and emphasizes the need for authentic, lived-out faith that intertwines biblical history with general education, providing a roadmap for Christian parenting in the modern world.
Our conversation also touches on the critical intersection of faith and politics. Peter discusses the vital role believers must play in the political realm while staying true to their faith, challenging the misconception that Jesus avoided political issues. Through real-world examples of the tension between faith and political mandates, Peter highlights the necessity of spreading the gospel to influence culture and politics. Inspired by the Book of Daniel, he calls for a boldness in faith and reflects on the hope for a less divisive political climate in future elections. Tune in for an episode packed with profound insights and practical advice on living boldly as a Christian.
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PETER DEMOS' WEBSITE:
https://peterdemos.org
UNCOMMON SENSE IN CURRENT TIMES PODCAST:
https://www.peterdemos.org/uncommon-sense-in-current-times
FOLLOW PETER:
X: https://x.com/peter_demos
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeterDemosOfficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-demos-7889623/
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Welcome to Behind The Mike Podcast
00:23 - Introducing Peter Demos
04:07 - Negative Experiences within the Church
07:52 - Challenges of Raising Christian Kids
26:33 - Intersection of Fait
All right, well, welcome back to Behind the Mic Podcast Today, I have with me CEO author, podcast host and speaker Peter Demas. Peter, thank you so much for joining us today. We look forward to talking to you.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it. Thank you so much for having me on. I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you've got all kinds of directions we could go on. I'm looking forward to it. Yeah, so you, you've got, we've got all kinds of directions we could go here. You've got a fascinating story where you've been, where you're at. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you. You started out in the restaurant business and it sounds like you're still there, but you also have a lot of other things going on too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I actually started. Well, I'm actually a fourth generation restaurant owner. The restaurant company I work for now was started by my parents 35 years ago. I took it over back in 2001,. Bought it from my parents in 2009.
Speaker 2:And so been mostly in that, but I took a little break, became um and so um, been been mostly in that but I but I took a little break became a lawyer. Um, uh, got my law degree. Uh, uh, have a little license, don't practice often, but I have several cases going right now, um, which you don't want to hire me as a lawyer, but I can at least represent our company. So um and then um.
Speaker 2:But you know, I grew up, um in the middle Tennessee area and um, you know, and just uh, started with um. Yeah, well, I grew up in a church home and went to Christian schools, but I really wasn't a Christian and um and so and so that that journey of everything with work and everything that I had kind of revolves around whether I was before Christ or after Christ, and that's kind of where a big part of this you know a big part of that story comes from and it's kind of hard to tell my story you know from it in that sense, without looking at it from that perspective, because it was a delineating factor in my life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, sure it often is, but I think with you, what caught my attention when I started reading about you was the phrase anti-Christ. So tell us a little bit about that. I know you said you started washing dishes and things in the family business around age 12, but you were in the church but you weren't really following Christ you mentioned. Talk a little bit about that, no no, Like I, literally like.
Speaker 2:I mean, we went to church every Sunday, went to Sunday school, went to Christian elementary school, Christian middle school. I went to a private high school that was kind of Christian they didn't call themselves Christian, but we did devotions and we had a Bible class and we had that stuff and then graduated from a public high school where actually I dealt with more people who were really Christian. But the problem was was, throughout this entire time, my experience and my exposure to people who call themselves Christians was not good. They were either, in my opinion, dumb. A lot of the people that were teaching children in the Sunday schools weren't very smart. They would tell you the stories and then you would draw a picture of the sling for David and that was kind of so. There was that, so there was that, and then from there I would be bullied by a lot of the people that were Christians and, as a result, instead of understanding what Christianity was about and when I'd ask questions, bullies. I finally just came to the conclusion that Christians are not nice people.
Speaker 2:But I believe that I was a Christian because I went to church, I didn't have any other option and you know, I wasn't a Muslim wasn't anything else like that. And I recognized that to not believe there wasn't a God, to be an atheist, was illogical. So I was like, OK, so I can't be that. And then, as I went to college, I literally came to the point of saying you know what? I'm just going to start attacking Christians. And really, because we're in high school and I just started whatever I could do just to aggravate and antagonize them, not recognizing and while the whole time thinking that I was saved, the whole time thinking I was a Christian, so, that's what I was doing, because they were mean to me and I had to be mean back.
Speaker 2:And that's where a big part of that came in. So I was really kind of anti-Christian not necessarily anti-Christ per se, but I really was because you attack his followers, you're attacking him. But I didn't see it that way at the time.
Speaker 1:Sure. Well, you said that people were mean to you. Christians were mean to you. What did that look like on your end? Because I understand what you're talking about. I think that there is such a broad range of people who are like Christ, which is what Christian means is to be like Christ. There are so many people out there that have such a broad view of what that really means. We have people on one end that are agitators they're fighters and we have very passive people on the other end. So what did that look like for you when you say that people were mean to you as Christians?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, I recognize, as I've gotten older, and especially after I got saved, that there's a difference between being in the name of Christianity and being a Christian, and I think so many of these kids, they thought the same as me. They thought they were a Christian because they went to church. They thought, well, my parents are Christian and they didn't recognize that there was a difference, because no one that I was associated with recognized, explained, talked about the um. Um, they didn't talk about the relationship aspect of it. Um, it was that you have to do these certain things in order to be a Christian and you can't be saved until you do these certain things because you're a Christian. So the means of they would do I mean, obviously, rejection being left out. Um, I remember, you remember going on the youth camps being made fun of for either the books I was reading or things that I said I would go to, and, in that extreme, all the way to the general bullying, the beating you up in the schoolyard, that type of stuff, and then watch them wear the Fellowship of Christian Athletes shirt. You know and you know, and again, they weren't acting Christian. I don't know if they were or if they are. I don't know that now. I know they were clearly hurt at the time, but at that time I didn't recognize that. I didn't have the maturity, I didn't have the mentorship around me to be able to explain that to me. I didn't understand any of that and so again, I just associated it with all Christians.
Speaker 2:And then the other ones was I would ask questions. You know. So you know cause. I just didn't understand. I didn't understand the, the. I didn't understand how evolution and creation were there. I mean, we're taught evolution is fine. Well then, if that's science and that's the way it really is, well, you read the Bible. That's not what it is. So you'd ask questions about it and I would get yelled at about it. I would be like you're not supposed to ask questions. I've been asked to leave multiple churches, christian student union, sunday schools, because I was asking questions. Now, in all fairness, they probably thought I was asking it very antagonistically. And reality was I wasn't. Reality was I really wanted to know. My approach was probably bad. But, and after a while you kind of get to that point where your approach is bad because you're expecting that response back and that's where some of that came in.
Speaker 2:So it ranged from literally from elementary school all the way up through college.
Speaker 1:Wow, and I think that's part of the situation that we're still in today, where I think we're more open to people asking those hard questions. But I think, growing up I'm not sure that it would have been any different for me to be asking the same questions, because as a child I certainly wanted to know those things too. I didn't fully understand why Christ had to come to the earth and die for me. I just knew that was the case and that I believed in him. I knew I believed in him, but I didn't understand how all that worked the blood of Christ, the sacrifice, all of those things. But I'm not sure I would have been met with any difference than what you were had I asked and I think that's probably still an issue in the church today is that maybe more so with people who have questions? They just feel like maybe they shouldn't ask, kind of like I did, and that's. I don't want to say it's dangerous, but it's certainly that's something we should be very open to as believers seeking answers.
Speaker 2:Well, I think we have to. I think especially now, because if our job is to make disciples, you know, if our job is to spread the kingdom, spread the gospel. If our job is to make disciples, if our job is to spread the kingdom, spread the gospel. If our job is to do that, younger generations now, or even more so. I think J Warner Wallace says it really well. He says nowadays the youth not only want to know why it's true, but they also want to know why it matters that it's true, you know so it's even deeper.
Speaker 2:And when I talk to people and I talk to them specifically about being bold, about talking about Christ, generally the answer I get on why they're not bold. There's about six or seven real reasons, but the two main ones that I see the most is a lack of confidence. They're afraid that someone's going to ask them a question they don't know the answer to and then they're going to make it worse. And then the other one is they're afraid of losing relationships. But that confidence, that knowledge base, instead of saying I don't know, is an acceptable answer, because there's so much we do all the time. I don't know, I don't know how we're doing this right now. I don't understand. I know that I can click the link you know and you can click your link and we can have this conversation, but I don't understand how it works.
Speaker 2:I don't understand how it makes it through this roof, through your roof, to a satellite. I don't understand any of that. But I'm perfectly fine clicking the link and living my life like it's normal, but we don't do that when it comes to faith matters, and we're too scared to tell anybody that.
Speaker 1:We think well, I'm a Christian, so I have to have all the answers.
Speaker 2:No, God has all the answers.
Speaker 1:I just got to point them to him.
Speaker 2:That's all I got to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's so good. And I would actually say, based on my job, I know that this generation that are young people now they really do. I agree with you, they do want questions answered. Back when I was growing up, I think it was more like this is what I've heard, this is what I believe, because I always have as far back as I can remember. But I think this generation they really are seeking, they want truth, they want to know, like you said, not only what the truth is, but why is it true.
Speaker 1:And so I think, as the church, we have a great opportunity right now to capture the attention of this generation, to give them some answers and also to say you know, those of us who are lay people we don't have all the answers, our pastors don't have all the answers, but it's okay to say that. I love that because it's true, and I love the analogy about this technology we're using is I love it, I use it all the time. That's what my podcast is based on. I have no clue how it works other than clicking the button and that's really. You know, I'm not shy saying that because I'm not a tech person in that sense. I don't know about networking and connections and all that, and we can't possibly know everything that God even wants us to know let alone the stuff that's way beyond us anyway.
Speaker 2:No, especially, I mean you can read his word and come to very strong disagreements of what even like a few sentences mean.
Speaker 2:I mean you just look at, you know, is it a post-trip, pre-trip or mid-trip, like I can engage in an argument with somebody you know, and a post-trip, pre-trip or mid-trip, like I can? I can engage in an argument with somebody you know and and I have my strong feelings about it, but I it doesn't mean that I think, oh well, you're the opposite of me, so therefore I'm not going to see you up there.
Speaker 2:You know, it's not like that right, I think there are times where we can have genuine disagreements and genuine discussions without it resulting into you're right, I'm wrong, you know. But I think, again, part of this culture and part of what we've kind of moved into, that we think we have to be right. You know, it's not a matter of we think we have an opinion that's right. We don't think we are. We have to be right. And if we're not right, well, there's something wrong with us and it's just. It's a slippery slope emotionally that I think that too often we can't handle, and it really is rooted in pride, you know, and your Bible says you know, pride is an abomination and I, you know, we can see it, I battle it, I understand it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've talked a lot about pride in our household here recently, because we all have it. It's built into us as human beings. We have to keep it under control because it can really spin out of control and do all kinds of damage. And I think you're right Talking about this generation and the conversation we're having right now about how the church interacts with others. Let's talk about the kids. Let's talk about raising kids in our world today and what that looks like as Christian parents, because we're now in a situation where the schools are basically telling our kids, like you had mentioned earlier, evolution, evolution is being taught. The faith part of that, the creation, part of that is rejected. So what's it like raising our kids of this generation in our culture now?
Speaker 2:You know it's sad. In the 1840s it was in the presidential election of the 1840s there was a big fight over which Bible was going to be put into the public school system and there literally ended up being a bloody riot over it. I mean, people died over the determination of which Bible is going to be in.
Speaker 2:120 years later, the Supreme Court says we're not allowed to have prayer in public schools years later the Supreme Court says we're not allowed to have prayer in public schools and the lady who was the spearhead of that O'Hare, she's the one that says she was called the most hated woman in America, but she still was able to get that accomplished.
Speaker 2:Now you fast forward another 30 years. People are talking about and making fun of God, making fun of Christians on late night TV. You know it's part of now our culture to be anti-Christian within our entertainment industry, et cetera. And then you see it transcend into the schools, where you know you, you know they're, they're they're not only saying that, that, um, you know talking about evolution, but now saying, well, I know you feel like a girl, so you can be a girl. You know, and I don't want you to tell your parents about it, and and you know, and, oh, you feel like a cat. Well then, I'm going to get a litter box and put the litter box over here in the corner. You know, we're we're, unfortunately, are moved to that level and not that long a period of time, and it's just a few generations.
Speaker 2:So we're battling it as Christian parents. I think you have to look at it as to where your kids are. But I think, early on, and even throughout, I think part of the problem we have is we want to earmark our Christianity. This is Sundays, so I take them here and I go there. Oh, they're going to Christian school. So, okay, well, now that's their job, they're going to do this here, but then, as I gauge normal everyday life, everyday conversations, I don't talk about it. I don't talk about it if it's normal. Either I want to super spiritualize it or I want to just kind of slough it off to the side because popularity is more important. I want my kids to be invited to the birthday party. I want to make certain on Instagram I look awesome, and we teach them that by what we do, not by necessarily what we say, and so they learn that type of stuff. And then by the time we think, oh, it's time we really need to teach them the bigger things. Well, it doesn't really matter, because they said the prayer, they walk through the pool. They don't really know or understand what it means, but they said they did, and so therefore, we're saved. I don't have to worry about it because the water that's dripping off of them will save them from the fires of hell. It doesn't work that way, but we too often get caught up in that mindset and that it's somebody else's job. I think we have to do it from an everyday, everyday perspective.
Speaker 2:When we talk about history, we need to talk about it from a biblical perspective, even if you don't go to a Christian school. We're going to talk about Egypt. Let's talk about Egypt. Let's talk about it in relation to Egypt being a superpower, how it became a superpower. It became a superpower because Abram went there and then it became Abraham.
Speaker 2:When he went there, and then he built it up and people moved there for different reasons when they went there to avoid the drought, and then he got taken as a slave there, went to prison and then led them to an amazing stored stuff because he heard from God and he stored things up. So all these other countries depleted and they were great. How on earth can we ignore that part of history but we don't talk about it? Well then, when we ignore that part, it no longer becomes true for them because it's not ingrained in them, and then we just expect them to kind of get it through other sources and we just don't. They don't understand it, they see it as separate, and as soon as they do that, I think we run into a mistake and we we run a lot of risks when we start separating those out.
Speaker 1:Boy, that's really good. You know, we've heard for years, for decades. We've heard. Well, I think the latest version is that is that we want what our kids see from us. We want it to be caught, not taught, because I think there's a big difference in saying basically it's do as I say, not as I do. That's completely spun on its head.
Speaker 1:When it comes to what God says, is children naturally model what we do and how we act and what we say, and I think you're right. I think that especially you know, growing up, church was just a Sunday thing. That's just what we did. I think most of the nation did that, even if they weren't strong believers. They just did that. And part of that, I think, is the reason why we're where we're at today, is that, like you, you went to church, you did all the things right, but some of that stuff wasn't caught, even though it was being taught Our kids today.
Speaker 1:Like I said, I think they want to know the truth and so when they're hearing about these things, about Joseph in Egypt storing up all the grain and everybody, none of that is in the history books, it's in Scripture. So we have to separate those two, right, because history doesn't line up with the Bible, but it's in Scripture. So we have to separate those two right, because history doesn't line up with the Bible. But that's not true. I was amazed as I began to look into it myself and go. You know, I don't want my parents' religion, I want to believe what I want to believe. And I went through a long period of time in my life where I searched out all the different religions and I came right back to the Bible and and said this is the only one that really makes sense. But I was surprised in that on that journey of how many things in history line up with what the Bible says. Nobody puts those two together in our in our culture today not at all.
Speaker 2:I mean there's, you know, even even looking at, okay, you know why was Jesus said. You know why was Jesus around the Sea of Galilee, why was he at Capernaum for as long as he was teaching? Because it was one of the biggest trade routes that went through around that area. So again, and there are people out there that don't know that, and I understand that, I appreciate that, but there are things that we do know. And then there are lessons that we can still learn the teaching teamwork through Nehemiah. I mean it's just a great little, quick little story, you know, that we could just tell. And, again, we don't have to make it like a big deal, we just talk about it.
Speaker 2:The same way that we're going to talk about the fact that you know when I watch the 85 Bears and you know when I watch Refrigerator Perry score the touchdown. You know, I mean, I can remember Plain as day. It's a story that I get to tell about how this big lumbering guy went through and they did the Super Bowl shuffle and I can show my kids the video. We'll have that conversation, just the same way that I'll have a conversation about Hezekiah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right, I mean you know, it's just we, just again, it's just part of our conversations, it's just part of who we are, and if we think we have to separate it, then it's not who we are, it's what we do. That's right.
Speaker 1:And that's majorly different.
Speaker 2:And I think that's where a lot of non-Christians don't understand about real Christians is that we can't separate it. When they tell us you don't pray, I can't not do that, I don't know how to not do that. So what do you? What do you mean? You know, I don't know how to do it. When you tell me I'm not allowed to talk about god, I, yeah, I am um, I don't know how not to do that, um, but, but I but I think it's easier when we try it again. We want to separate it. I think the other problem that we have is we've bought into the lies of non-christians about what christianity is. Well, love is love. We don't want to offend somebody. Well, if you say something that might be offensive, they'll never come to Christ. Well, if you don't tell them about Christ, they'll never come to Christ.
Speaker 1:Amen yeah.
Speaker 2:So what's the difference? In reality is there's not, but reality is. I think it's an excuse for our laziness, it's an excuse for our discomfort and as a result, we kind of start cowering down to that and we use it. But then the problem is we tell our children that. The problem is we tell our grandchildren that and one of the things that struck me in the Bible, in Judges the grandson that led the tribe of Dan into idolatry, or the priest that led the tribe of Dan into idolatry, or the, the, the priest that led the great the, the tribe of dan, into idolatry, was the grandson of moses and when you look at that and you think his father had to die in the wilderness because that generation kind of got wiped out yeah, so he had to hang around with caleb, joshua and moses.
Speaker 2:He was around these people and yet he led the tribe of dan into idolatry, where Dan is not even brought up in Revelation. I mean, it's unreal, but it's just two generations away. That frightens me and it also excites me for the opportunities that I have before me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's something that I saw if you remember, back to Promise Keepers years ago, when I went and heard a message on that that we're just one generation away from a godless generation, and that is a scary thing, especially when we see the world's now shifting the way that it is, and you mentioned that the world sees Christians kind of in the wrong way, and I think that now we're seeing the attacks of saying, hey, you know, we've talked about this before in the podcast, homosexuality is a sin. Well, I think that that non-believers see that as we're attacking them, when in reality, we're saying this is God's Word and I'm not gonna shy away from that, but listen, I can still love you, and I think that that message is getting lost somewhere, whether it's in the translation or whether it's in the way that it's delivered. But that's an example of how we need to speak truth. We can do it in love. We don't need to battle against people who are sinning because we're all sinners. But yeah, I hear what you're saying and take that very well.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I hear what you're saying and take that very well, but the truth of the matter is is, if I really love them, I don't want them to end up not with me in heaven, Right, you know. So for me to truly love them would be to say, hey, what you're doing is wrong. Now again, the way I say it, you know, can definitely be interpreted different ways. Say it, you know, can definitely be interpreted different ways. I'm not going to a funeral and with signs and screaming and yelling at somebody else because, you know, not that level, but to have a conversation. We've had many employees at our restaurant to you know, who are battling homosexuality and they will ask me point blank. And if they ask me, I'll tell them. I'm like this is what the Bible says and yes, and this is something that you're going to have to deal with, the same way that the Bible says that pride is an abomination.
Speaker 1:That's right Well.
Speaker 2:I've got to deal with pride, and so it's a battle that I do.
Speaker 2:but I think we're putting forth efforts, but when we yield ourselves to sin, I think, is when we yield, is when we give up being a Christ follower, when we give up the opportunities that Christ is presenting before us.
Speaker 2:And that's the difference. I think there's a difference between struggling with homosexuality, struggling with sexual sin of all, struggling with pornography. We can just take pornography and just substitute it, because in reality it's the same, you know, and so I might be able to struggle with that sin, um, but, but. But if I yield into it and just be like, oh, I'm going to go to church on Sunday and then I'm going to leave and go to the restaurant and watch porn on my phone at the restaurant, which I've seen literally from people from my church, um, I just want to shake them and be like you understand what you're doing, not to yourself, but what you're doing to everybody else too. All these other kids who aren't believers, who see this. They know that you just came from church, and that's the part that makes me so angry with them, not the fact that they're struggling with a sin, it's the fact that the message they're sending because they're living in their own self-righteousness instead of Christ's righteousness.
Speaker 1:So good. Yeah, I think a lot of times we fail to realize that there's so many great sayings out there in the Christendom that we may be the only Bible that people ever read. We like to say things like that, but do we really believe that? Because if we're in the restaurant and we're looking at that stuff, somebody's seeing us, somebody's watching us all the time and it's important. If we really want to follow Christ and be his hands and feet, we need to be his hands and feet.
Speaker 1:Peter, we're starting to run out of time here, but I want to touch on one other topic. So we're going to shift gears here and I think it's fairly appropriate. You talk about it. It's one of your topics on your website and when I saw this, I thought, especially lately it's not been that long ago that we all saw at least replays of what happened to former President Trump in Butler, pennsylvania. I want to talk about how believers deal with politics. Faith and politics seem to be like water and oil, but in reality, we need to be involved. This has been a really every time we see the elections coming up. I think this is the worst it's ever been. I don't know if that's really true, but it seems that way, and this is no exception, I think, when we talk about Biden and Trump, we have all kinds of people saying all kinds of things. Can politics and faith coexist?
Speaker 2:Well you know, if you vote the way I vote, then yes, no, I'm just joking.
Speaker 1:That's our society. You don't believe the way I do, then I don't want to talk to you. We're enemies, right.
Speaker 2:I mean, you're clearly going to hell if you don't agree exactly with what I'm saying, right? I mean you're clearly going to hell if you don't agree exactly with what I'm saying I. I'm um, but no, I. So, first of all, faith and politics have to coexist. I mean and, and I, and. If you don't believe that, then you're not reading your bible, um you know.
Speaker 2:Just, people are like well, jesus wasn't involved in politics, he was. He challenged one political system and was put to death by another political system. I mean, he was actively involved in politics. The first church had to do with politics. We don't get to spread the gospel. We either spread the gospel against the political system or we can spread the gospel with the political system, and we've seen success both ways. But we have to be prepared for both ways. But that doesn't limit us from saying, hey, I got to obey God and not man. And that's where a big part of this runs into is the fact that we want to again. I think it's an excuse for our laziness of saying I don't want to say no, you know, and we? You know somebody who I'll give you an example Somewhere in California I can't remember the city the city manager there has told the chaplain that he is not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 2:Our duty, if somebody tells us that, is to pray in the name of Jesus. And in fact I encourage people to call the city manager, and I did myself and prayed over the city manager in the name of Jesus. It wasn't to be mean. I prayed literally, hoping that God will help the city, that he'll help them make decisions, because I know if God's involved, something will happen. I'm not doing it as a means of attacking him, but I also know that it's important to do so. There's a woman in Birmingham, uk, who was arrested three times silently praying outside of an abortion clinic and people get all upset about it because she's silently praying, and I agree that that's wrong and I think it's something we need to start learning and expecting from ourselves. If she was thinking, they wouldn't have done it. But the problem is, is the other side believes in the power of prayer more than we do? Otherwise they wouldn't have tried to stop her.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, so true.
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, I mean we get caught up in what's happening to us, but we look at what's going on around us in this politics and the political world and we say, oh well, I shouldn't be involved, I'll just go and pull the lever and that's what I need to do, and I don't think that's good enough. But I also think part of our job in politics goes earlier than that. My son got real upset when the governor of New York advocated well, they passed the late term abortion there and they advocated the murder of babies a day after, within 24 hours after they were born. And he was real upset and he's like what do we do about it? I didn't have an answer. I'm like I don't know One. It's a different state that I'm in. I don't want to just post on social media and contribute to the noise. You know that's not there and it kind of hit me. It took me a couple of weeks but I got back with him and I said you know, our job is to share the gospel, our job is to teach people about Christ.
Speaker 2:Once God changes that, we change our culture, then we change our politicians. But our politicians reflect who we are and I think too often we think that the fix is going to be our politics. In reality, it needs to be flipped on it. But it doesn't mean that we don't get involved. It doesn't mean that we don't say things. But we also have to remember no matter what, we're an ambassador for Christ and we have to act as an ambassador to Christ. No matter what happens, whether we're arrested, whether we're beaten, whether we're not allowed to vote, whatever the situation is, we're still an ambassador. We must act accordingly. Whatever the situation is, we're still an ambassador. We must act accordingly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, really good stuff. I just finished reading in my Bible study the book of Daniel. It's very central to what we're talking about. So if you haven't read Daniel, or if you haven't read it in a while, I encourage you to go back and read that. I'm talking about boldness. I mean we really need to decide.
Speaker 1:Talking about boldness, I mean we really need to decide, and again, it comes down to not do as I say, not as I do, but really model, not only for our kids, our boldness in Christ, but model for everyone else. That's going to happen, naturally, but the focus really is our relationship with Christ has to come first. And so, man, it's a tough world, especially with the political climate now. I've recently read that both sides the Trump and the Biden camps are going to kind of refrain from all the mudslinging. We'll see what happens, but you know that's a good insight, though that you have we need to be involved because what you know, christ comes first. Christ will make the change, not the politicians. But where are we in order to make that happen? I think is really an important part. So we do need to stand up. We need to voice our opinions in the political arena.
Speaker 2:You know, if Biden calls Trump all sorts of names and Trump calls Biden all sorts of names, and you know, part of it is you know we do often. We, we look at name calling as if it's something new. You can look at some of the writings between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson about what they said about each other. It's hilarious. Some of the insults are incredible. Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson did not pull any punches with John Quincy Adams at all. Okay, it's a name, but that's between Biden and God, that's between Trump and God. That has nothing to do with us. They call each other names. We don't have to do it. We don't have to engage in it. Now I'll be honest. I say some of Trump's names, some of the nicknames he does, because they're funny. I think they're hilarious and I mean I would be honored to get a nickname from him.
Speaker 2:Just because, I think it's like some level that you move up, that you make it on his radar. But people call me names all the time. It doesn't bother me, it's just words. They have no intrinsic value outside of the context of which I put in it. Most of the time it just feeds into my own insecurity. But I'm not sitting here on this podcast or on my podcast or any of the others. I'm not sitting there saying, oh well, this is what he called Joe Biden and this is true because of it. No, I'm going to say look.
Speaker 1:Joe.
Speaker 2:Biden believes in abortion. I don't believe in that. I can say that. I can say look, I can look at what Harrison Butker said with the kicker for the Chiefs. I think he was spot on on most of what he said and I don't think he did anything wrong in how he said it. Where he said it, I thought he was quite appropriate. I thought he represented Christians quite well in what he did, but he didn't pull any punches back.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:So I think again, there's a way in which we do it, but it doesn't take away our sense of humor. It doesn't mean that we can't look at the craziness of the world and laugh at it, because I think if we don't laugh at it at some level, I think we'll become part of it. I think it will bury inside of us and feed into our anger, which is never healthy and never good.
Speaker 1:Yeah, amen, amen. Well, Peter, I would love to dig deeper on the topics that we've talked on. We've got all kinds of things you do personal growth and business. You're a business expert. I'd love to tap into some of that, so I'm going to ask you to tentatively hold a place in the schedule so you can come back. I'd love to have you back on and dig a little deeper. This has been really good and it's been great getting to know you as well. You're in Middle Tennessee. Where can people connect with you? Because you have a podcast, you're an author and you also are a speaker as well as CEO. So I don't know of any other titles that you could squeeze in there, but you've got just about everything covered. Where can people find you and learn more about you?
Speaker 2:The easiest way is my website, which is PeterDemosorg. That's P-E-T-E-R-D-E-M-O-S dot org and there there's a connection that comes straight to me. Some people just I ask you, look, if you need prayers, just hit that connect and come straight to me. I'll pray for whatever the situation is there is. But you know there's all different ways, but that's the easiest way to do it.
Speaker 2:My main area for my podcast is shown on Rumble. It's called Uncommon Sense in Current Times and so if you want to hear there, I have interviews with a lot of political interviews, and those political interviews some of them are kind of the crazy people we're saying we don't need to be like, and I get to interview them and that's kind of fun too. Uh, when they say something crazy and I don't know it, I'm like Ooh, um, how do I? How do I respond? You know, but, um, but, but no, I think but, but there's some but, but again, if, if we only deal with the people we agree with, we can't find the answers, we can't find the resolution, we can't find the way to work together. So I enjoy having that. There's one in particular that I got to really argue and disagree with on his interpretation of Revelation, and it was one of my favorite ones and we don't hate each other from it, but I think it's a great example of how we can engage as Christians with each other as well.
Speaker 1:It's a great way to learn and to grow is to listen to other points of view, but also know what you believe. Talk about your books really quickly too. I know you've got some books out there. Would love to have people check those out as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can also get that through the website or you can go to Amazon. The first one is called Afraid to Trust and it's about my journey as a journey to become a Christian and then turning my business over to God and then dealing with failure with a business as a new Christian, you know, because people say, oh, just turn it over to Christ. Well, okay, I don't know exactly how to do that, and so it's kind of gives you through a narrative format. It gives you the practical tips on how to do so. And then the last book I wrote came out because of what I saw happen in 2020 and 2021, um called on the duty of Christian civil disobedience, and I talk about civil disobedience and the the how it should be done for, even from a secular point of view, talking about people like Gandhi and Mandela, but also you know people, but talk about it from a Christian perspective of when we get to say no, not just because we get angry over something and we have a right to do it, because you know there's the I have to walk another mile, but there are times where I have to do it and there's kind of a three-part test on that.
Speaker 2:We get to apply and I use that same test and then I take the life of Jesus and I said okay, when he said no, when he fought against them, did he fall under these guidelines? And it did every single time. But it's a means of empowering people and teaching them how, because I think, the more we keep going in this direction, we're going to have to learn when we are able to do it and how to lead people to Christ through our suffering, through our ability of saying no.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. Well said, peter Demas. Thank you for joining us. Stay in touch. I would love to have you back. Lots of topics we could touch on. We could just have a few weeks of podcasts just with you and learn a lot of information. Hey, thank you so much you asked for an orange.
Speaker 2:You asked for an orange. I'll give you a fruit basket, so you know.
Speaker 1:No, we do appreciate it. Lots of great insights there Enough to scratch the surface that hopefully those that are viewing and listening will check out the information that you've got on your website, your books, your podcast, and dig a little deeper into their faith and that boldness that we all need to have in Christ. So thank you, Peter.
Speaker 2:Thank you again.
