1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hey, Bryce, thanks for joining me. 2 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,799 Speaker 2: No, thanks, Michael, I'm glad to be here. Evangelist and 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 2: podcaster Bryce Crawford. He's the host of the Bryce Crawford Podcast, 4 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: runs a ministry called Jesus in the Street. He's everywhere 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 2: on social media as well, and he's traveling the country 6 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 2: right now as part of the I Love Jesus Tour. Bryce, 7 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:22,319 Speaker 2: I want to talk to you about your ministry, but 8 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,240 Speaker 2: I also wanted to briefly start off with a personal question. 9 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: You recently got married. What is marriage taught you about 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: your faith and maybe about the character of God. 11 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 3: Well, it's taught me how selfish I am. Didn't realize 12 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:34,840 Speaker 3: how selfish I was until. 13 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 4: I got married. 14 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 3: But man, what a beautiful picture of union and commitment 15 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:40,639 Speaker 3: it is to know, like man, God has always been 16 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 3: so faithful to us, and his faithfulness fuels us to 17 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 3: be faithful back to him, and so the same way 18 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,599 Speaker 3: that my wife and I choose each other daily. It's 19 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 3: such a beautiful picture of man and how God chooses us. 20 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 3: And so it's really encouraged me to remain faithful. Even 21 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 3: when I don't feel God, it still encourages me to 22 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 3: choose Him in those times, I. 23 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: Think every husband can understand exactly what you're sitting there. 24 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: Let's transition to the tour in your life. You've been 25 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: traveling in the nation speaking to a lot of young people. 26 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: Do you sense a real hungry for God right now? 27 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 1: And if so, what do you think is driving that? Well, 28 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:13,800 Speaker 1: it's not that I just sensed it. 29 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 3: I think there's a real visible hunger for God, and 30 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 3: I think it's almost tangible. And I think the thing 31 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 3: that's driving it is we're tired of fluff. We're tired 32 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 3: of fake stuff. Phones and entertainment has been the gateway 33 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 3: to a lot of vices in people's lives, whether it 34 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 3: struggles across the board, mental health, particular vices, substance abuse, 35 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 3: you name it. And because of the access, how quickly 36 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 3: we can get into our hands, and the quantity we 37 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:39,960 Speaker 3: can get it in because of our phones. I think 38 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 3: my generation has gotten tired very quickly of fake stuff. 39 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 3: And so that's why they're turning to Jesus. Because Jesus 40 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 3: is the truth. He is not a truth, he is 41 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 3: the truth. And so because they're finding Jesus, they're going, Wow, 42 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 3: this is everything I've searched for everywhere, But in Jesus, 43 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 3: so I need him and I want him. That's why 44 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 3: I believe we're seeing a real sense of As. 45 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: You said, there seems to be a revival or hungry 46 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: for God right now among young people that there wasn't 47 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: even five years ago. 48 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 4: Do you think the pandemic helped spark that? 49 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 3: Was it? 50 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: Social media? Just I mean, I've been trying to figure 51 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: out what is going on. I know God's driving it, 52 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: but I mean, are there ways to explain it that 53 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: you thought of? 54 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 3: Well, you know, I think the pandemic did something. I 55 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 3: think the negative effects of the pandemic kind of made 56 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 3: people realize, Like I know, for me, like in twenty twenty, 57 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 3: this in between fiftwenty twenty was the year I was 58 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 3: gonna take my life. So leading up to that time, 59 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 3: I remember what the isolation and being alone and having 60 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,399 Speaker 3: to stay inside and all that did to me mentally. 61 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 3: I also know the new gateways I had and going 62 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 3: into devices and sin. So I think in a sense like, yeah, 63 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 3: the pandemic has helped in that way where yeah, maybe 64 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 3: there were negative effects of the pandemic, but the Bible 65 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 3: says that God works all things together for the good 66 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 3: for those who were in Christ Jesus, so he can 67 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 3: use negative effects of anything for the sake of his 68 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 3: name and his glory being known. But also too, like 69 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 3: I think, aside from the pandemic, just think it is 70 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 3: a sit and a hunger for truth because everything we're 71 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 3: being fed is a worldview. Every time you open your phone, 72 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 3: a perspective that someone preaches from a podcast, whether they're 73 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 3: a believer or not, whether someone says something from a 74 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 3: podium on a platform, a commencement speech, a video about food, 75 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 3: it's some sort of worldview or. 76 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 4: Belief about whatever's being shared. 77 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 3: And so society and gen z is being fed a 78 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 3: bunch of worldviews on a whole bunch of different things. 79 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 3: What food is healthy for you, what religion is the 80 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 3: true religion, and all of these things. 81 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 4: And so I think. 82 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 3: That's why there's this Jesus revival going, because they're finding 83 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 3: Jesus and saying, oh, yep, that's the. 84 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 4: One amen to that. 85 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: You have a boldness for Jesus price that is rare 86 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: among anybody, especially in this generation. 87 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 4: What shape that and where does that come from? 88 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 3: Well, Michael, Jesus saved my life into some between through 89 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 3: the twenty twenty. So the real simple answer is the 90 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 3: love that God has for me has fueled me to 91 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 3: love people. It's the greatest commandment, love God and love people. 92 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 3: And so it's what God has done in my life 93 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 3: and the love that He has shown me that gives 94 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 3: me that same strength to be bold and love people. 95 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 3: You know, I think I'm going to butcher this, but 96 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 3: Thomas Soule once said, if you want people to like, 97 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 3: you tell them what they want to hear. But if 98 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 3: you love someone, you tell them the truth. And so 99 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 3: I think that that's very important, is that if we 100 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 3: really love. 101 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 4: People, we're going to tell them the truth. And there's 102 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 4: a way that you can deliver the truth that is 103 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 4: full of grace as well. And so I think that that. 104 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 1: Just the love Jesus has for me has fueled me 105 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: to love people. For someone bryce who wants that same 106 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: type of boldness, but they feel timid, they feel a 107 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: great what advice would you give them? Pray for boldness, 108 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: just like the early Church did in the Book of Acts. 109 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,839 Speaker 3: They got saved, baptized holy Spirit, and they go, all right, Peter, 110 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 3: what do we do? 111 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 4: And he says, pray or boldness. We need to pray 112 00:04:59,240 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 4: for more boldness. 113 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,039 Speaker 1: For people who know about your podcast but not about 114 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: your backstory, what were. 115 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 4: The key moments in your own life that shaped you well. 116 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 4: I mean I grew up in a Christian environment. 117 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 3: I went to private Christian school, you know, and I 118 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 3: think growing up in the Bible Belt, I'm from Georgia, 119 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 3: there's this sense of Christianity where it just becomes mundane. 120 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,160 Speaker 3: It's more of an attachment to a lifestyle rather than 121 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 3: culture in our blood. And so for me, Christianity was 122 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 3: just the thing on my Bible quizes and tests in school, 123 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 3: and I was a good student. 124 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 4: So I had a lot of head knowledge. 125 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 3: But I think the difference for me was when I 126 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,119 Speaker 3: realized that Jesus is more than just an intellectual thing, 127 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 3: that he's a real human being who wants relationship with us. 128 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 3: That's where the shift happened for me. And I was like, 129 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 3: oh wow, Like Jesus is alive, active desires more for 130 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 3: me than just what I can intellectually imagine about who 131 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,839 Speaker 3: he is and his character. And so all in all, like, yes, 132 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 3: my upbringing has shaped me, and so have the wrongdoing 133 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 3: that I had. But you know, that night I was 134 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 3: going to take my life that I had an encounter 135 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,919 Speaker 3: with Jesus. I was the most broken, most selfish, most prideful, 136 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 3: most greedy, most lust filled version of myself that night. 137 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 3: But I was the most honest I'd ever been, and 138 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 3: I believe that's why Jesus met me was because that's 139 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 3: the most honest. 140 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:13,760 Speaker 4: I'd ever been in my life. 141 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 3: And that night I gave my life to Jesus and 142 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 3: I've been following him ever since. Tell me how your 143 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 3: street evangelism started, because it's what you're known for. What 144 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 3: did that look like the first thing you were doing it? 145 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 3: Why did you want to do it? Why? I used 146 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 3: to run up to people and say, Jesus loves you, 147 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 3: and I'd run away before they could respond because I 148 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 3: didn't have the answers to their questions. And then I 149 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 3: slowly started standing in the face and you know, letting 150 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 3: people ask tough questions that allowed me to dive deeper 151 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 3: into my faith. I've always been sharing my faith. I've 152 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 3: always been passionate about it because I found the antidote 153 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,359 Speaker 3: to everything that I thought was endurable in my life. 154 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 3: And so I know all the mistakes I've made that 155 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 3: no one knows, and I thought one man, God could 156 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 3: do it. In my life, you sure as heck can 157 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 3: do it to anyone else's life. And so that's kind 158 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 3: of where that love overflowed and ultimately led us to 159 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,600 Speaker 3: share in our faith. It's more than just a social 160 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 3: media or a ministry thing. This really is a lifestyle 161 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 3: that we live because we really believe that He is 162 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 3: a necessity is the necessity. 163 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 4: Some skeptics look at what's. 164 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,400 Speaker 1: Going on right now among gen Zy and they think 165 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: it's just emotion or hype. How do you respond to 166 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: skeptics who don't really think there's a real spiritual awakening 167 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: going on. 168 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 4: Keep being skeptical. 169 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 3: You know, we need to be good, respectful skeptics in 170 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 3: a sense, you know, don't just believe everything everyone says, 171 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 3: you know, dig deeper. If someone claims Jesus is God, 172 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 3: you should just sit in your high horse on your 173 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 3: siat and go, oh man, that's a total lie and 174 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 3: do nothing about it. Your skepticism should drive you to 175 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 3: evidence and let the evidence speak for itself. And I 176 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 3: think that the evidence overwhelmingly points to Jesus being the truth. 177 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 3: So in fact, I am not afraid of skeptics. I'm 178 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 3: not shy from me. I have in fact, invite skepticism. 179 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 3: Bring it on, but be a good, honest, respectful skeptic 180 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 3: and let that skepticism drive you further into evidence and truth. 181 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 4: What can people expect on your tour. 182 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 3: They can expect Gus to be in the room. They 183 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 3: can expect God to show up. They can expect Heaven 184 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 3: to invade the space. And that's the promise of the 185 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 3: scriptures where two or more gathered, He is there, and 186 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 3: there's definitely more than the two people in the room, 187 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 3: and so we believe that God is there because of 188 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 3: what the scriptures have promised. 189 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: If you like today's episode, please subscribe and leave a 190 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: five star review. 191 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 4: That's how we help more people just like you find 192 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 4: the show. 193 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 5: A big thanks to the team at life Audio for 194 00:08:27,880 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 5: their partnership with us on the podcast. If you go 195 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 5: to lifeaudio dot com, you will find dozens of other 196 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 5: faith centered podcasts in their network. 197 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 4: See you next time.