HOTLCAST
Join the Heart O The Lakes Team as they talk about everything from theology to lifestyle to worldview!
HOTLCAST
New Faces, Big Updates, & Staying Grounded in Faith
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In this week's HOTLCast, Pastor Matt is joined by Pastor Mark and Sarah — the Brooklyn Campus's new secretary — for a special introductory episode. They kick off with exciting campus updates, including major waterproofing work at the Jackson campus that's reclaiming thousands of square feet of basement space, and the nearly-complete restroom renovation at the Brooklyn campus. The conversation then shifts into a rich discussion on faith and the Philippians sermon series, exploring what it looks like to stay committed to Christ through every season of life — the mountaintops and the valleys. Together, they dig into how personal struggles become powerful tools for ministry, the importance of surrounding yourself with the right community, and why remembering "God is good" can anchor you even in the most chaotic moments. Plus, a preview of the upcoming "At the Movies" sermon series and Father's Day weekend events.
Well, hello there, and welcome to this week's HODLCast. This is Pastor Matt, and I'm joined by uh Pastor Marks here.
SPEAKER_01And Sarah.
SPEAKER_00Yep. So we have a very special edition of the HODL cast today. Sarah is here because she just took on a new role at the church, and we were excited to be able to introduce her and some of the things that she's going to be doing as a part of the Brooklyn campus. So Sarah is the new secretary, which is a position we've been waiting for a while to kind of get filled and get me out of and put somebody far more capable into. So we welcome her. And just I wanted to start by saying, how's it been going so far? You like the like the role?
SPEAKER_01I love it. I'm enjoying nerding out.
SPEAKER_00Yes, that is awesome. That is fantastic. So as you are doing things through the Brooklyn campus and you're wanting to try and kind of get things figured out or added to the bulletin or whatever, your new contact is Sarah, and she's going to be kind of taking that role on, and she's kind of already diving in. So we are very excited to welcome her and have her on board. But this Sunday is the third Sunday, which means it is time for a 3:30 update. And if you aren't going to be at church on Sunday, you're going to get to hear some of those details today. And if you are, you're going to get to see pictures and everything else that goes with it. So let me actually start with you, Mark. We've had a lot of work being done up at the Jackson campus.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_00What are your thoughts on how things are playing out right now?
SPEAKER_02I am so happy because so we're redoing the water treatment and the water like prevention for the Jackson campus. We've been having issues since I've been there, and probably even longer than that, where especially when it rains, like water ends up seeping into the classrooms down under the sanctuary. And so those have been like virtually unusable uh for the time that I've been here. We've stored stuff in them sometimes, but and looked at trying to use them for stuff. And every time it's like, but this water key, like the wall is just wet. Yeah. And so I know they uh have done a bunch of work so far to like dig out around the uh building to seal off the specific wall that's been an issue. They're running drains out, and the fact that it rained and it didn't get wet this past like yesterday or this.
SPEAKER_00It's no small thing. That's not a small thing at all.
SPEAKER_02It's it's it sounds weird to be excited about like no, like it feels silly to talk about how excited it is, but I'm just glad and thankful that we finally are like, we are gonna be able to use these soon. We're gonna be able to actually utilize these spaces and make them use useful for what we're doing. So I know I can't wait to see them finish up these projects, make sure that our building is stays dry as it needs to be, um, and is taken care of for the future.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, from like just to give you guys more of an idea of what exactly this means for the Jackson campus, like we're talking a square footage area where it would be like if you took the Brooklyn campus and you're like, hey, we're just not gonna use the gym and cafe anymore. Like, we're just gonna call that off limits and just never touch it, never go into those areas again and just say, yeah, we've got a church, but we're not gonna use these sections of it just because it's uninhabitable. Well, that's kind of the amount of space that we're talking about. It's a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea that there's a huge portion of the basement of the Jackson campus that has just been there. There were restrooms down there, there are five classrooms down there.
SPEAKER_02There's uh four classrooms down there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And these run the length of the sanctuary of the Jackson campus. So it's a lot of space that we're talking about that is being reclaimed, that we're gonna be able to look at and say, hey, this is an awesome thing that God is allowing us to get this stuff taken care of, and we're gonna be able to use this space not just for ministry, but for programming and everything else. So we're excited to kind of see what the future holds with that and what that's gonna look like going forward. But at the Brooklyn campus, if you guys have been paying attention and watching, which I'm sure you have been, the restroom project is well underway and is happening and kind of taking some big leaps forward. So have you guys both seen what the restrooms look like down there now?
SPEAKER_02Or not with like the new flooring. I've seen it gutted and what it looked like. It and I was surprised at how effective they were at using that space because the room is not big.
SPEAKER_00It's it's smaller than it looks whenever you're actually in there with the stalls and everything else. But what did you think, especially of the ceiling? Because that looks really cool.
SPEAKER_01I really like the ceiling, I really like the floors. Yeah, and they just finished the finishing touch of the trim and the molding and everything else around the room. It looks really nice. I'm excited to see what it's gonna look like when it's done.
SPEAKER_00And I will say tell you guys that if you weren't at the original 3:30 dinner that we had done last year, where we kind of rolled everything out and we announced all of that stuff. There were people who were excited about the parking lot. There were people who were excited about the fact that we were gonna be making changes in the sanctuary, then the lobby and all of those things. But the loudest cheers more than anything else came from the fact that we were gonna be updating and renovating the restrooms. And so I know that this has been a little bit of a hassle for people of having to go all the way to the other end to be able to use the restrooms down there, but I think it's ultimately going to be worth it. I think it's gonna be awesome. So more details about that will be made available whenever you go to the Brooklyn campus or the Jackson campus on Sunday. There will be all kinds of things being discussed about those topics there. But let's hop into the Philippians sermon and the things that Kyle had talked about this week or even the past couple of weeks. Like he's been really kind of diving deep into this, and people have been responding in a very positive way. So when you guys think about your relationship with Christ, what are some of the things that you would say are the hallmarks of what you're doing to remain committed to Jesus in the way that you live your lives? We'll start with Mark.
SPEAKER_02The hallmarks. Uh remind me, what does hallmark mean?
SPEAKER_00It's a greeting card company.
SPEAKER_02So Yeah, that's where my brain's going as you're saying that.
SPEAKER_00So what are some of like the big pillars, like the big rocks of when you look at your faith, what are some of the things that you look at as saying, this is a huge part of what my faith means to me? What are some of those things?
SPEAKER_02I mean, uh trusting God with every single plan that's happening and reminding myself that God's in control, like taking those moments, especially when, especially when things are feeling chaotic and overwhelming and crazy. I I'm I always am trying to practice being like, you know what, God's got this, God has a plan, God knows what's happening, what needs to happen. He knew this would happen. This doesn't surprise him. It surprises me a lot, but nothing shocks him at all. So especially when I like catch myself missing it, I like I have to like take a moment and be like, no, no, no. God's got this, God is good, and I can find peace in that understanding, in that trust, in that belief. Because God always makes a way, and in every situation that I've gone through, God has provided, even if in the moment it I wasn't sure how he was, he always has. So um I guess that's like prayer and like scripture studying is kind of how that looks like directly, but it also is looks like sitting there being like, okay, God is good. God is good, like just repeating that to yourself, like reminding yourself that that is true.
SPEAKER_01I'm close to that. Um I you guys didn't know me when I had the bad anxiety depression thing, but one of the things that sold me to Christianity was that you're gonna get peace all the time. And as soon as I gave my life to Christ, that's what happened. I just have peace all the time. I'm not I get those anxiety moments, but they're just moments. Um, so I think that's what keeps me grounded and remembering to, you know, continue to read the Bible and the word and um pray, and you know, praying helps keep you grounded. So I think with God all things are possible, which is Philippians, correct?
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01And so yeah, that's what I do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And I mean, I think that it depends kind of on what season of life you're in at the moment, too. Because if you're in a situation where life has kind of got you down and it's kind of you feel a little bit beaten up by the world, by society, by whatever that might look like, your response in your relationship to God is going to look a little different than it does when you're kind of on top of that mountain and everything kind of seems to be going pretty smooth, going pretty well, kind of being able to walk down that path and say, you know, I haven't really kind of fallen any in any holes of life of anything lately. So, you know, it almost feels like there are times when in those moments we look at it and we're like, okay, God, you can kind of, you know, take the child carrier leash thing off of me right now. I've kind of got this, I've got, you know, everything figured out. But the minute that, you know, you end up at the bottom of a, you know, down deep into a valley of just chaos and stress and anxiety and confusion and frustration or illness or whatever those challenges might be, that's when it feels like that's when we're kind of holding our hands up and saying, okay, God, I really need you right now. But the mentality should kind of be both, where even if you're at the very top and things are going great and everything's been smooth and wonderful, you're still reaching up to God then and saying, Hey, I still need you to kind of keep me close by because I don't want to end up down in that valley. And the only thing that can stop it is my relationship with Him. So as you guys have lived life and walked through different things, inevitably there are challenges that your life has presented at some time or another. How do you use those stories of the things that you've been through to encourage other people in their faith?
SPEAKER_02No worries. For me, I always try to apply it to the students and tell them about it because I'm far enough now that I can see like what it was like, where I missed it, where God was moving, how it was being shaped, how it did finally like pay off in the way that God needed it to. And so I often try and use those stories to showcase one how weak I am and how much I need God. And the same for those students, how it's very much about trusting him and have letting him be the one that drives the bus. I'm not, I'm I don't have the license that's needed. God does. So like he knows where we need to go, what needs to happen. And um, I love that I'm able to apply that. Because I know for the longest time I was like, Well, I'm I'm young, I don't know, I don't know what I'm talking about. And it's not that I'm smarter, it's that God has taken care of me through all that stuff, and now I get to see it, and I'm like, hey guys, like he's doing the same for you too, he's guiding you too. These are the ways that God is directing all of us, and um so I I guess that's kind of how I just try to use those stories not to showcase when I was awesome, but showcase when God was awesome.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that's kind of what I do too, is I look at it from a scenario of if I went through something and I don't use it for God's glory or to bring other people closer to him, why did I even go through it? Like if there's nothing beneficial that comes out of it, even if it is the hardest and the worst thing that you could possibly have to go through, if I'm able to take that and then turn it around and be able to share with somebody else, hey, God brought me through this, and I know that my situation and your situation look different and that they feel different, but I just want you to know that while you are doing your thing, that God can get you through that too, because of what he did for me, and use that as kind of that that leveling of the playing field sort of thing. Where for me, one of the things I think of is my divorce, you know, that there are people who would look at a church and be like, well, nobody there could possibly understand what it's like to go through a divorce. Well, yeah, I can. There are many other people who can. It's just I'm in a unique position where where with me being on staff, that gives me the opportunity to speak into what's happening for people and to the things that they've gone through. And as miserable as that was to go through at the time, and as much pain and heartache and all of those things that kind of came with that that had occurred, it's still something where I can look at it and say, Okay, God, I went through this. Now I want you to use this to help further your kingdom and to grow your kingdom and to allow the ministry you allow me to do to be inclusive for all of the people who have been through similar situations.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, like I was talking with a student at Youth Group, and they were like, they had just recently gone through a breakup, and I was like, hey, I get it. And I'm like, I felt this way and this way, and they're this way. They're like, I feel that way right now, too. And I'm like, listen, here's some wisdom for you that was given to me. Some of it I listened to and it helped me, and some of it I didn't listen to and it hurt me. So as somebody who knows where you're at, heed the like, take this advice. I hope you do well with it. I hope you learn from it. I hope you know all the things. Like, I get where you're at. I understand what you're thinking, and this is what you should do, this is what you shouldn't do. And that's again, that's just because I was guided through it, and I and I had wise people that were there to guide me.
SPEAKER_00And I which is always valuable, always so much.
SPEAKER_02It's when people are like, No, yeah, this is this is smart, or like, no, that's dumb, don't do that, please. Like, you're gonna hurt yourself, and then you hurt yourself, you're like, Oh, wow. It's like they knew who they're talking about or something. Uh it does help quite a bit.
SPEAKER_01So I think opening up to people helps them open up to you for sure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01It's all about perspective, and if you can take your hard times, you guys know I had a hard year, and think it how can I use it as a teachable teachable moment to somebody else? I think that's a huge part.
SPEAKER_02Because you're like, hey, I got through it. Yes, God took care of me. Yes. I'm here past it because of God. Your storm's gonna be fine. Like it will be scary, but God's got you.
SPEAKER_00So when you think about that too, I think that the storms that we endure and the things that we go to, go through actually add to the authenticity of who we are whenever we are open about that kind of stuff. And we tell people, yeah, I'm a Jesus follower. No, not everything is smooth sailing, no, not everything is easy, but it's not supposed to be. It's not supposed to just be this cakewalk after you become a Jesus follower. If anything, we're actually promised the opposite that there's going to be more struggles, there's going to be more trials, there's going to be more trouble. And if you haven't read that in scripture yet, spoiler alert, it's true. So there are things that come up where we need to depend more heavily on God and leaning into Him for all of those day-to-day things that kind of come up, whether it's our attitude toward co-workers, our kids, our spouse, whatever that situation might look like. So as you guys are thinking through this, and as you have, you know, walked through this journey, what has your takeaway been for I'll put it this way. When Pastor Ryan talks about remembering to remember, I love it every time he says that statement. What are the things that you use as like reminders of God got me through this? So I know that he is capable of getting me through that. What does that look like for you?
SPEAKER_02I mean, mine is that simple phrase I said earlier. I just say God is good. I literally repeat myself to that. And like there's more loaded into it, like remembering all the things that has happened, but I boil it down like because when you're in the heat of the moment and you're overwhelmed and freaking out and stressing, you're not like thinking about paragraphs. You're not like there's not this long stuff because the moment you get distracted again, you get swept up again, you lose it. So for me, it's God is good. Like, God is good, God is good. Not he was, not he is going to be. God is good now. And it is hard to do. It when when you're like, I mean, I think about the story of like the disciples in the boat with Jesus, and they're all freaking out as he's just falling, as he's just taking a nap. Yeah. And as Jesus being that example, that storm, he's like, Oh, it's fine. I he's like, I know the outcome, I know what's gonna happen. As they're like all like, we're gonna die. This is it, it's over. And he's just like, calm. All right, yeah. And then it always baffled me because he's like, You have little faith, and then just falls back asleep. And so I try to remember that when that happens, I need to know that God is good, that that doesn't change because of the circumstance I'm in, because of the situation I'm going through. That never will change because of the circumstances. Like God is the same yesterday, today, forever. He's the same God no matter what. And that's why I love I love the song Same God for that reason. It's like, yeah, the the God that moves mountains, uh, and not even like a different time of him, it's the same God. It's like there's like there's a whole nerdy thing about that, but um He's present, so Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, I will be honest, I do forget quite a bit. Um we actually studied Matthew last year at my CBS Bible study and uh they were talking about how the disciples always forgot, and everybody in the class was like, oh, they're doing it again. It's like, well, we're kind of the same way. Um but I think the biggest thing for me is just getting plugged in and forcing myself to get up and go and do um and be surrounded by other believers. I think that's a huge part of so much. Uh keeping me.
SPEAKER_02Because they also help you get out of your own head too. And you're like, 'cause like you'll say it and you'll be like, oh, that actually is not right at all. And I don't know how I tricked myself into believing that. But like I know that's that's been one of the things for me. Like, I'll think it and then I go to say it's one of the guys. I'm like, Yeah, that doesn't make sense. Why did I think that was the case?
SPEAKER_01Which is it's dangerous too, because if you start thinking your own way and you're not around other believers, that's that's how it made me go away from Christianity altogether at one point. Yeah. So yeah. It's very important to keep keep your people.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And I mean, Kyle brings this verse up all the time, you know, that bad company corrupts good character, or depending on the translation, bad company corrupts good morals. And we live it out and we recognize it in, oh, well, I don't want to spend too much time with this group of people, but we very rarely apply the reverse logic of that, that great company will kind of make those good morals kind of be spurred on into great things. Where you, I mean, you've seen the studies, I'm sure, both of you, that you know, you are the mean or the median of the five people that you spend the most time with, which means that if you are surrounding yourself with Christian people that are going to be speaking into things and kind of pushing you on and holding you accountable and going through and doing all of those different things to kind of say, hey, don't be this knucklehead that kind of keeps falling into the same pit again and again and again. You've got people kind of in your corner trying to help uplift you versus the other people that exist that simply want to tear you down and create an opportunity to drive that wedge and so forth. And we see it time and time again, but I don't necessarily think that we look at it from that level of practicality that exists with it. But it does, and it does matter. I mean, you work with a lot of teens. I'm sure that you see this just constantly, where they have, you know, a couple of negative influences in their lives that they're just, well, these guys are my friends, you know, and they just won't cut them loose, and it's constantly creating struggle.
SPEAKER_02Well, and and I I understand the tension as a student because like you're like, well, I like these people, like I enjoy hanging out with them because I felt the same way. But then, like, once I realized how unhealthy my unhealthy friends actually were to my life in general, that's when I like was, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm not gonna not love these guys, but I'm definitely wanting to protect the character that I have. Yeah, because like even I, I just got swept up in it with these students. You can see in the just the subtle habits, because we all have subtle ways that we operate. There's very intricate pieces of how we operate, how we interact with people, the way we talk to people, and you can see how that shifts over time with everybody. Yeah, not just students, even adults, too. Yeah, like depending on who you're spending time with, it'll be not like this.
SPEAKER_01It's like it's not like just going up. It's up and then down and up and then down.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. Well, the next thing that we have that's big that's coming up at the church. We had a couple of events this weekend. Uh, the next big thing we have, sermon series-wise, coming up at Brooklyn and Jackson both, is either Hoddlewood at the movies, whatever you know it has. It is an opportunity for us to continue to look for God's truth in more recent or popular culture. And it's one of my favorite series that we do here because everything that you do, everything that you see in the church is, you know, stuff you can take out and apply in the real world, but you don't often see people doing the reverse of that, saying, okay, what is in the world that we can look at and use as a way to find God's truth? And so that's one of the next big things we have coming up. I know that kids' ministry is currently closed for the Jackson campus because of getting ready for that. It's gonna be closing soon for the Brooklyn campus so that we can give those volunteers a much needed amount of time off. We're excited about the things that are coming up. There's gonna be popcorn each service, and we would love for you to start inviting your friends and family and neighbors out for that. But we also have this weekend donuts for dads for Father's Day. So go ahead and make sure that you make those invites, kind of get those people connected, and be watching to see what movies we're going to be talking about and be able to learn more about how we can find God's truth in the midst of all of those things. Thank you so much for joining us on this week's HODLCA. This has been Pastor Matt, Pastor Mark, and Sarah. And we hope to see you next time.