Dreaming Big God's Way

In this episode of the HOTLCast, Cyle, Cody, Ryan, and Mark reunite to recap Sunday's sermon from the Holla Woods series, inspired by the movie GOAT. The crew kicks things off with a lively debate about who deserves the Greatest of All Time title — from Michael Jordan and Lionel Messi to the Apostle Paul — before diving into the real heart of the message: dreaming big God's way.

The guys explore what it looks like to stop building your own kingdom and start pursuing God's dream for your life, drawing from Ephesians 3 and the idea that God can do "more than we could ever think or ask." They tackle the "unlimited money" question as a spiritual gut-check, challenge the cultural myth that following Jesus means an easy, comfortable life, and talk about what it means to embrace delayed gratification in an instant-gratification world. The episode wraps with a simple but powerful daily practice: before your feet hit the floor, pray "Lord, interrupt my plans with yours today" — and mean it.

Also: pink hair updates, Dinner With Friends testimonials, and hidden goats in a church projection.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello, and welcome to podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Hi, Kyle. I'm back too.

SPEAKER_04 0:08

I guess I'm here as well.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Ryan's back. Yeah. Pastor Ryan. Well, great. Uh that's good. Nick is back. Nick's been gone for like a month. So yeah. You can't see him.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

He's behind the game.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

If you don't know, this was gonna be a video recorded live and in technocolor. So uh live and in technocolor.

SPEAKER_04 0:25

Yeah, that's always good. Mark is here too. Mark, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 0:29

I'm back also. Hey Mark, I'm back also. I think I'm back three.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Mark, your hair is not as pink as it used to be.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

No, it's fading quick.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

I'm back too. I'm back three. You're back full. Somebody asked me the other day, he's like, so what's up with your uh your pastor at the Jackson campus with the pink hair? And I'm like, so yeah. That's what people see on the internet. So but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

So it's like, why'd you do that? I was like, for youth chance. She's like, okay, good. She's like, I would have said something to you if you would have just said just because people go, oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

That makes sense. Like, okay, that's fine. Uh yeah. So you need to wear a shirt next time it says, I did this for a youth challenge.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Oh, I should. I just need to get a bunch of shirts that say that just so I can preventually have that information ready.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Yeah, or you'd be like a middle schooler who doesn't shower and wears the same clothes every day. Yeah. That's called middle school camp.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

It's true.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Well, um, yeah, I mean it's been a good summer, so we've been kind of hit or miss. The summers are kind of hard around here, but um it's been good. We've done a lot of baptisms, seen a lot of life change. It's been really cool. Uh, and I'm excited about our new Hotel Woods series that we're in.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

This Sunday we talked about the goat movie. Yeah. Yep. Is it the goat or is it just goat movie?

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Goat. We found that out.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

It's a goat movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

We put it in and it says just a goat.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

We had an interesting conversation at dinner with the friends last night about the goat movie. Or the goat movie.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

They did not find like one of them only found one of the hidden goats in the uh image. That's they're like, were there even any in there? But we had tons of kids.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

The kids found them right away.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

And so, like, I'm like, yeah, there were there were 11. We told the whole story about how you thought there were six. And then I said, like, oh no, no, you gotta count the poster. And it's like, yeah. And then I talked about the goat up in the in the bushes.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

So it wasn't, it's just, it was a shape. It wasn't a goat.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

Yeah. But let me just say, I'm really sad after yesterday. A lot happened yesterday in my life, but I'm really sad because my dinner with friends group is over. If you don't know what dinner with friends is, you need to do it next time. They're gonna start it back up in the fall. Yep. But we met three times. A random group of people were assigned to meet and have meals together, and you sign up to do dinner with friends, you're gonna you're gonna have meal, you're supposed to have a meal three to four times over the next quarter with that group of people. You don't know them, it's a way to get to know people, and it's just kind of a random mix of people, but we have had so much fun. Like I think we all said at the end, like, well, this is this is over. And then they're like, Well, we'll see you around church sometime. And and so they're like, Don't like, well, we don't have to quit meeting. It's like, yeah, we don't, because you're the ribs and cookies are amazing.

SPEAKER_03 3:03

So it's basically an excuse to make your best dish.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Yeah, I told them I don't want to give you guys up because you guys are gonna be hot commodities in the next reshuffling because like they're who was it?

SPEAKER_02 3:11

I just need for note.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

I'm not telling any of the names of my people in my friends' group because uh I'll figure it out. I'm gonna try to redraft them. It's like, how did I get the same group? I don't know. Oh no, but yeah, we can make custom cookies made, custom desserts every yeah. Like, no, it's amazing. So uh when it comes down to it. So if you haven't done dinner with friends, sign up in the in the fall. Yes, I know some of you are like, I don't like I don't like people, or I don't like new people, or whatever. Just do it. Like get to know people from church. It's it's fantastic that you get to see people at church now that you've had meals with and a conversation with, you know, about their life. I love it. And it's fun to hear they all go to different services, so it's kind of fun to hear perspectives from all three of our church services because you know we have the we have the the responsive first service, we have the vibrant, you got lively second service, and then we have the chill third service, and it's kind of fun to hear all the conversations across the different services that we have. And nobody goes to Jackson campus, so sorry, Mark. Um my friends group, but that's okay. Um so that's that's kind of dinner with friends. So you are you guys in dinner for you in dinner with friends.

SPEAKER_04 4:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We have a we have a group we've got together a couple times.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

A couple times. So are you getting together one more time before the end?

SPEAKER_04 4:16

Or I assume so. I am not the organizing person. You know, I I just go where I'm called.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

We're signing up for the next batch, and we bet like the other thing that's great is if people are after they go to dinner with friends, the idea is like they'll get involved in some kind of life group, or if they're not already. Like it's a great onboarding process for our life groups, which you know, like meet regularly, and the people that go and have they really they really find their their tribe, their community of people.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

So yeah, no, I I agree. So check it out. But uh let's go back to the goat movie. Goat movie. The goat movie, or goat movie. I it's hard to do. Uh well, let me ask you this quick. I asked people, I got all kinds of random responses on Sunday, so I didn't get your guys' specific responses. Who is the goat? You can't say Jesus, it's always the right answer. Who's the goat? Like there's no greatest of all time. Who is the greatest of all time?

SPEAKER_00 5:09

In what category?

SPEAKER_01 5:10

In any you when I say goat, what comes to the matter? He's gonna say what comes to mind.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Uh Will Smith? No, because the goat's name is Will in the movie.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

This is why you're not on camera most of the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

Ryan, when I say who's the goat.

SPEAKER_04 5:34

Yeah, I mean, I don't know, man. I'm I'm an 80s kid, so it's is it's always gonna be Michael Jordan. Jordan, okay. It's always gonna be Jordan. Cody, who's the goat?

SPEAKER_03 5:42

I mean, I think Bill Russell is probably up there.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

You're saying basketball, okay. Yeah. I see Nick behind the camera. Who's the goat?

unknown 5:50

Jordan. Jordan.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Jordan, okay. I a serious answer. I' Pa Paul from the Bible, not basketball. I really like Paul.

SPEAKER_03 5:58

I mean, Bill Russell winning 11 championships. I think that's 11 out of 12.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

Is better than Paul. So yeah, I mean, Paul's pretty great. That's not gonna be.

SPEAKER_03 6:09

Are you talking about basketball specifically?

SPEAKER_01 6:10

No, but no, it's fine that Paul is your answer since I took away Jesus being an answer.

SPEAKER_03 6:14

Go, however, I mean some people would say Tom Brady.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

Who is the greatest? Let's just go, who's the greatest athlete of all time?

SPEAKER_03 6:22

Arnold Palmer.

SPEAKER_04 6:24

Michael Jordan, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 6:28

If we're going athlete, I think Barry Sanders has to be in the coach. Oh, not the greatest athlete of all time.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

All the round athlete?

SPEAKER_04 6:35

I mean, I don't know. I don't have that information.

SPEAKER_01 6:37

For sure, right now it's Lionel Messi. What he has accomplished in soccer.

SPEAKER_03 6:40

Okay, but you're saying overall.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Overall, he's it's not going to be replicated in our lifetime. What he's been able to do winning the Balando. I mean, listen, I I don't disagree that Messi.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

The problem is, and I think this is the problem with any quantifier. Like, there's conditions for that quantifier. There it's impossible to be the greatest. In every category, right? That you dominated your level of the bigger. You put Leonel Messi in basket in the NBA. No, it doesn't speak.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

But it's you got to keep it in perspective to their sport.

SPEAKER_03 7:10

But that's what I'm saying. It's like if in perspective of their sport, then I'd say it's Michael Phelps.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Basketball is played now internationally. Michael Phelps. Soccer is played all over the globe. It's the most played sport in the globe, and Leonel Messi has dominated it to a level that no one has ever done or will do in the next probably 40 years. It's insane.

SPEAKER_03 7:29

I mean, but every record. Football Tom Brady's a go.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

But Patrick Mahomes is probably going to replace him. Let's just be honest. He's gonna he's already got a lot of championships. By the time he gets through the end, he may he may replace him. So it's just that's gonna happen. There's not gonna be gonna replace Messi for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 7:43

And the other problem is there's so many, there's so many emotions tied to the interpretation of who is actually goat. If you just go based on stats, if you just go based on stats, there'd be a different goat in every sport.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_03 7:56

The problem is you don't go based on stats. You go by all the way, you go based on team impact, you go based on fan base, you go based on popularity. Like, I mean, who's to say that there's not a much more talented soccer player that just has no exposure and has never played professionally? Like we talk about all the time, like track and field, the fastest people in the world are probably not running track and field. Like, that's the reality. They're probably in FIFA, they're probably in the NFL. Like, so the the reality is like it impact on the sport is that matter, like I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 8:28

Usain Bolt was kind of done.

SPEAKER_03 8:29

Usain Bolt is insane, right? I think he's probably will go down as the fastest man in all of all time, and I don't think that right that's a record that I don't think is gonna get broke for a long time. But then, you know, like do you talk about impact of the sport? I mean, I I don't know. So there's there's all these leaps.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

If you go to impact of the Bible, then Paul. Yes, good one.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Yeah, depends on your impact. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Impact Jesus is out, definitely Paul if Jesus is out. Like default, yes.

SPEAKER_03 8:57

Honorable mention David. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Um, but definitely Paul is a goat. So I we agree with you there. So but this week we talked about the goat movie, and we could have just talked about the greatest of all time. We heard Harry Potter, we heard Michael Jackson. I mean, people kind of went off the rails, so like we had to kind of change that. Um, but when it comes down to it, what what we the theme of the movie beyond greatest of all time was really dreaming big. Like, and so we talked about dreaming big, and we talked about how essentially the Bible makes it clear in Ephesians 3 that God can do more than we could ever think or ask because he's the creator of the cosmos, the universe, everything in it. And so we are so limited in our human perception that our dreams, although they may seem big, they're nothing like the dreams God has for us and the plan he has for us life, so for our lives. So, what do you think about the idea of just dreaming big but but following God's big dream for our life and not our own?

SPEAKER_03 9:54

I like to ask the students, um it's kind of a trap question, if I'm being honest. So, like I kind of don't want to tell the students that it's a trap question because I'm kind of giving my trade secrets away. But the question is if money like if if you won all the money in the world, like unlimited monies, what was the first thing you would do? Because I think that is the most telling thing when it comes to how your dreams align with where God is, like in your life.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Let's ask Ryan that question. Right this is a good question. If you had all the money in the world, what'd you do with it? If you were Elon Musk, what would you do with it?

SPEAKER_04 10:34

Probably a lot of things. You know what I mean? I would do good with it. I wouldn't need it. I'd probably keep what I needed and give the rest away on some level, you know. Um I mean I've already decided that. Like we we've kind of talked about those things. Yeah, like you know, I mean, i in in the event that I came into a big sum of money, we we give the we give the church theirs, you know, give God his right off the off the rip and and you know pay the pay the bills and in and help and you know, I mean I don't need that much. I I'm doing all right as it is. So I don't I don't really need anymore. God's already given me enough. So I don't know. You know i I I don't think it's moving the needle in my life.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Yeah. Uh I've thought about this a lot. Um what would I do if I had Elon Musk money? And I would crash the economy of the globe, and I would buy as much land as I could, I would create as much grain and and produce as I could, and I would I would send it to nations free of charge.

SPEAKER_03 11:32

Yeah, just take care of world hunger.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

I mean, he's worth what, trillion dollars? I would I would spend hundreds of millions doing this. And it'd probably only cost you.

SPEAKER_03 11:40

It would probably cost you a staggeringly low amount. Yeah, why would I need to let it be a good one? And it would shock probably the world how little it actually would cost to do it.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

And like I people say, yeah, right, you wouldn't you wouldn't do that. You'd be so rich, you know. No, I this is what I would do. Yeah, I 100% would. I mean, I'd have a house in Tuscany too. I would literally buy a house in Tuscany. Yeah, and I would do it from there. So and I would start Harlow Lake's church in Tuscany. Yeah, and I would just kind of keep rolling. But like I literally would just I don't need my.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

I think we've talked about this. Like a lot of people, their first thing is like I'd retire, I'd be done. Like, I'd you know, whatever. Like their dream is like, hey, I'd be retired, I'd be done. Like, and and I just go like, I go, the work is never finished. Like, if we're if you're if you and I I'm gonna say this, it's gonna sound harsh, but it's really not harsh. If you truly love Jesus Christ, the work is never done until you're dead. Yeah, like and that is the truth. And like the work of it is disciple making, practically doing ministry, serving with your hands, and like I mean, that you you find that the happiest people who are retired from their vocational jobs are serving in ministry. Like they're the most happy because they have they have invested back into the kingdom. And like when I think about like the same thing, like if I got a bunch of money, I mean, I've all of the things that I would do are ministry, like they're all ministry. Everything I would do would be ministry-oriented. Like I would uh all the ministries that are underfunded and struggling that are doing great work, I would fund them, right? Like to the degree that they needed. And like, you know, like I talk about our church, like uh we would we would do everything that we needed to take care of all of the people in our church in perpetuity, like and make sure that the church had a future for a long time, you know, with with guidelines. But like it's complicated, but like it is telling. Like when I ask students this, you know, like I know where they're at based on their answer, because a lot of them, oh, I buy this and I buy this and I buy this. And and if your buy is all about what are you doing, then your dreams are not aligned with Jesus. Like if you're if your buy or your or your investment is all about other people, there's a better chance that you're in alignment with Jesus. It doesn't necessarily mean you are. So, like when it comes down to it, like what Kyle was talking about on Sunday about dreaming big, is like we God wants us to dream big for his kingdom. Yeah, like so that when we're doing things, like we're actively pursuing advancing the kingdom of God and genuinely making an impact in people's lives, not just buying their affection or you know, like yeah, non-transaction, right?

SPEAKER_04 14:18

Like, like I think we're called to to not transact, right? We're called to be of service, to give, give without expecting anything in return. And so I I think in the in this bubble of of having all all all wealth, it it could create a space in which not only I don't have to transact, but I could create a situation where maybe millions of people don't have to transact, and then therefore it creates a a void where where service could fill that void and then they can go forth. I mean, I could see how that could be a butterfly type effect.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Yeah. Yeah, and I mean I think what I we talk about, we kind of ask people to think about these questions like are you building your kingdom, your dreams, your earthly kingdom, your desires, or are you building the Lord's? Are you building God's kingdom? And if you're building God's kingdom, you have to sacrifice your desire to build your kingdom for his. And that means you know, the question we really challenge people to do is pray every day when you before your feet hit the floor, before you get out of bed, say, Lord, interrupt my plans with yours today, and then just watch what God does. I'm telling you, it'll rock your whole world. And hopefully, um you know, hopefully when God rocks your paradigm, you know, it's gonna it's gonna really change your peace, your hope, your joy, your perspective. Like and you know, I I prayed that prayer yesterday and my whole day went crazy. So it was good. I mean, but it was it was crazy. And like when you do that, like you when you release God to be in full control, it's a ride. And it's a good ride. Doesn't mean it's easy, doesn't mean you don't get persecution, doesn't mean you don't get attack, but it's a good ride and you're at peace.

SPEAKER_03 15:52

I think that's another really cool point that you made. Like I don't think that if your dream is for it to be easier for you, that it's necessarily going to be in alignment with Jesus either. Because like I I I hate the idea. I hate the idea that Jesus called us to ease and comfort. Like that's not what Jesus called us to. He called us to peace, but peace is a choice made through the power of the Holy Spirit, like to be at peace with things. And it doesn't mean that hardships don't exist, hardships will continue to exist. And like all the money in the world like isn't going to change the difficulty of living a life for Christ. Because it Jesus told us it was going to be difficult. Like if we don't have friction, like I think a lot of times especially because I get to I get to spend time with all these kids that don't go to church and all these families that don't go to church because I'm in the schools, like uh the things that I hear all the time is what people's dreams are, like what their their hope for the future is. Like, what do they want? And like how do they want and like you know, a lot of parents will say, I just want my kids to never have to have any hardships whatsoever. And I go, gosh, not me. Like, I hope they have lots of hardships and they triumph over them and they're proud of they're proud of what God has done in their life to help them triumph over those hardships. Like, I don't want them to have an easy life because they like because I did something to make it happen. I want them to know that there's peace in Jesus through difficult times, no matter what. And so, like, I and and parents will go, well, that's uh, but you you don't understand that's what I want for my kid, and that's fine. That's fine, but I would argue that I don't think that's what Jesus called us to. Like our our relationship with Christ is like his burden is light, but that's because he takes the burden away. It doesn't mean that the burden is no longer existent, and so like we have to weather those storms and figure that out. And I would argue that like any any dream, right? Any dream that we have that we're pushing for and we go like hey, I want this, I want this to be easy and like I want it to be super like you know, not not have any friction, no tension, whatever. I would just say like I think that that's probably not also in alignment with what Jesus has called us to, right? Like Jesus bled and died on the cross, and then the gospels like uh talk about it in depth, and then the epistles where Paul is talking to the churches and they're they say take up your cross daily. That's not a that's that's an abrasive statement. Like that's that's a this is going to be tough. I'm not telling you it's gonna be easy, it's going to be tough, but it'll be worth it. And I think I think that's the that's I think really that's more where the dream needs to go.

SPEAKER_04 18:38

I mean suffering is part of being human, right? And so and suffering is one of those things we either choose it or it chooses for us. Yeah. And often when the world the world chooses it for us or or we can choose God and we can and and it's an easy now, hard later, right? And so when I choose the easy now and don't consider the consequence, I end up with a worldly consequence and I end up with a godly consequence. But when I choose the hard now, I get I get that peace just on the other side. That hard now is the all that peace that God offers me and all those fruits that God gives me. And just if I'm willing to choose the hard now. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:14

There's this cross-country coach that has this quote. I love this. I and I've used it in ministry because I I I just think it works great. But um, he said, We're we're coaching a delayed grad, like cross-country, you you have to run so much. Like the kids are running miles every day, like to prepare for a three point in in high school a 3.1 uh mile race, like a 5k, and in college a 10k or an 8k. Like, and they're spending their entire season preparing for these races, right? And incrementally getting better as they go. And and what he said, and I love this quote, is we coach a delayed gratification sport in an instant gratification world. And like I think the same is true about our as pastors in ministry, yeah, we are trying to help people understand eternal concepts, right? Delayed gratification in an instant gratification world. And I just think that I think that concept is so important because when we talk about big dreams, it's like big dreams, like the people who actually like, I mean, let's talk about successful people, the people who are actually successful, that have patterns of success, understand that it takes time for things to pan out and time for things to take root in a lot of hard work before any results are even seen. And I think that like when we talk about this concept of like where are we dreaming, like your heart should be, God, what's my what you know, how are you gonna interrupt my day? Like, like how are you gonna change my course? But also, how are like give me the perseverance to do the little things well, right? Right? Because that's how you're gonna accomplish the dream that God has put in front of you. Because we, I mean, we've been in ministry, we've seen all these guys with these, we've with great ideas, really great ideas, like good concepts, great ideas, no follow-through, no work ethic, don't really want to don't really want to push past a couple weeks of having that idea, and then it's a flash in the pan and it's gone. And like I've been, I've been guilty of that. I don't know if you guys have ever been guilty of that. Like I want it, I want it, and I want it now, and I don't really want to put the work in. And as I've gotten older, I realize, man, he really it takes a lot of work to see a little result that might make a difference that's a bigger result later on.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Yeah, that was great. That was deep. Thanks, Jack Andy. Those are deep thoughts. Um, I mean, I think the the reality that we have to face is that God has a big dream for us. It's eternity, and he has a big dream for us here, and it's us carrying out the plan he has for each of us. We all exist in this time and place because God placed us here at this time and place. God is that uh intentional in creation that we are here right now because God intended us to be. So we have to figure out what does God want from me now? What's God's big dream, big plan for me, and then do it. Stop building our own kingdom and build his and then watch what he does. So I encourage you, if you're listening to this, pray every day before your feet hit the floor, Lord, interrupt my plans with yours, and then be okay with it. That means your day is gonna change, it's gonna go sideways, and hopefully by the end of it, you look back over the week and say, I have such a peace and joy. I've been so busy serving God, but I am fulfilled, and that's that's the that's the hope, that's the dream for you. So uh thanks for listening. We'll catch you on the next episode of the HODL cast, and hopefully we'll see you Sunday at HODL Woods.