1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,600 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:06,080 Speaker 2: I felt like a bungee cord was wrapped around me 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,879 Speaker 2: and I couldn't breathe. And I remember standing at my 4 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 2: dad's bedside, just moments after finding out that they would 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,920 Speaker 2: not be able to reverse anything and that they won't 6 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 2: be able to perform a surgery. We thought that would 7 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 2: be life changing, and I said the word I can't, 8 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:19,920 Speaker 2: and the Lord said, you don't have to. 9 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 3: Welcome to the Faith Over Fear Podcast, where we discussed 10 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 3: powerful truths to quiet anxiety and fear big and small. 11 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 3: I'm Jennifer Slattery and sadly I know from experience the 12 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 3: chaos I can create and the anxiety I can feed. 13 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 3: The more I live disconnected from Christ. Stated another way, 14 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 3: the closer I am with Him, the more time I 15 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 3: spend in his presence and taking in and living according 16 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 3: to his truth, the better my day, my week, and 17 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 3: my life goes, in part because He prepares me for 18 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 3: what's ahead, and he gives me increased strength to live 19 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 3: according to my deepest values rather than allowing my external 20 00:00:55,840 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 3: circumstances or unregulated emotions to drive my I found many 21 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 3: of the insight shared by today's guest Tarah Beth leach 22 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 3: In her latest release, Practical and Helpful. Tara, thank you 23 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 3: so much for joining us. 24 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: Hey, I'm thrilled to be here. Thanks for having me. 25 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 3: Tara Beth Leach is the senior pastor at Good Shepherd 26 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 3: Church in Naperville, Illinois, and is the author of Emboldened 27 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 3: Radiant Church, Forty Days on Being six. Okay, I really 28 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 3: want to hear about that later sometime. That intrigues me. 29 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 3: The title and the book we're discussing today, The Great 30 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 3: Morning Revolution, Daily spiritual practices for meaningful Moments with God, 31 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 3: and this book. It encourages readers to develop a practice 32 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 3: of seeking God's presence in the morning to more consistently 33 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 3: experience His transformative power in our lives. In it, Tara 34 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 3: provides practical guidance, spiritual encouragement, and a structured yet flexible 35 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 3: approach to finding sacred serenity through our intentional connection with 36 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 3: Christ and Tara. In your book, you begin by sharing 37 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 3: a time when you were completely overwhelmed and God used 38 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 3: that season to deepen your walk with Him. Is that correct? 39 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 1: That is absolutely true? Yes. 40 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,920 Speaker 2: Twenty twenty, I was living in beautiful southern California, Sadena. 41 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: My husband had a wonderful job, our boys were thriving 42 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 2: in school, and we all know everybody experienced twenty twenty. 43 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:26,760 Speaker 1: That is not unique to me. 44 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 2: But there were some other particular things that were happening 45 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty. My life personally beginning with my dad's 46 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: diagnosis of terminal stage four stomach cancer, and he was 47 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 2: in his early sixties, so that was very young. And 48 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 2: then my mom's diagnosis of early onset dementia was later 49 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 2: diagnosed to frontal temporal dementia, and then their home. I 50 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 2: grew up on a farm, horse farm. It was forty 51 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 2: acres and my husband I got married on that property, 52 00:02:54,440 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 2: brought our kids home there and the home and this 53 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 2: was also a matter of a few months, thank you. 54 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 2: This was all the matter of a few months. And 55 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 2: I was found myself flying back and forth from Lax 56 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 2: to Midway Airport in Chicago, and every two weeks to 57 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: drive my dad to chemotherapy, and their situation just got 58 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,360 Speaker 2: more and more dire. My husband and I both discerned 59 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,799 Speaker 2: that the Lord was calling us to leave everything in California, 60 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 2: leave the dream, and come back and honor my mother 61 00:03:25,160 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 2: and father. That sounds like such like a wow, that's amazing. 62 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 2: That you did that, but also it came from a 63 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,399 Speaker 2: place of deep exhaustion and grief. 64 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: I know often liken it too. 65 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 2: I felt as though I was in this place where 66 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 2: on one side was a church that I was pastoring 67 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 2: through the pandemic and incredibly polarized times. On the other 68 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 2: side where my parents that were in desperate and dire need. 69 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: And I felt like a bungee cord was wrapped around me, 70 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 2: and I couldn't breathe. And I remember standing at my 71 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 2: dad's bedside, just moments after finding out that they would 72 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 2: not be able to reverse anything and that they wouldn't 73 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 2: be able to perform a surgery. 74 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: We thought that would be life changing. 75 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 2: And I felt like a bungee cord was wrapped around me, 76 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 2: and I couldn't breathe. And I remember standing at my 77 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 2: dad's bedside, just moments after finding out that they would 78 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 2: not be able to reverse anything and that they wouldn't 79 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 2: be able to perform a surgery. We thought that would 80 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 2: be life changing. And I said, the Lord, I can't, 81 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 2: and Lord said you don't have to. I said the Lord, 82 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 2: I can't, and Lord said you don't have to. It 83 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 2: was just clarity in that moment that the Lord had 84 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 2: cut one side of that bungee cord and released it 85 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 2: and released me from the church in Pasadena where I was, 86 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 2: and was calling me to come home, even though it 87 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 2: was an unknown situation. 88 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: And so we came back, and I had ten. 89 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 2: Months to care for my dad before he passed, and 90 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 2: then we moved my mother in with us, and we 91 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 2: cared for her until this last January. She's now in 92 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 2: hospice and memory care. And several months after my dad dying, 93 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 2: I was in an incredible wilderness. And it wasn't even 94 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 2: just the grief of my dad. I mean that was significant. 95 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 2: My father was an enormous figure in my life. I 96 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 2: was navigating the grief that he died way too young, 97 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 2: and that I was also losing my mom and lost it. 98 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 2: Just everything that I knew was ripped out fro underneath me, 99 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 2: but also my sense of purpose and calling. And here 100 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 2: we were. We were no longer in beautiful, sunny California. 101 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 2: We're now in Chicago. It's the polar vortex, you know, 102 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 2: negative thirty degree windchill. And I was waking up most 103 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 2: mornings feeling completely despondent, without a purpose, without direction, without meaning. 104 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 2: It was winter outside, but I was also in my 105 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 2: own spiritual winter. It was dark, it was dreary, and 106 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 2: I remember thinking, I left this call of ministry in 107 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 2: beautiful southern California, only to come back to only having 108 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 2: ten months with my dad, and now here I am 109 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 2: with my mom who doesn't know who I am anymore. 110 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 2: It was just like it was like groundhogs day, waking 111 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 2: up every morning, rolling out of bed, woe is me dead? 112 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: Inside? 113 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 2: When cold January morning, I heard the Lord say to me, Teabeth, 114 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 2: it's time to rise. It's time to wake up. And 115 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 2: I knew that that call to rise, to wake up 116 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 2: was a spiritual awakening that God was calling me to. 117 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 2: Is time to take off my you know, my funeral clothes, 118 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 2: my grave clothes. It was time to open myself up 119 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 2: to the power of the resurrection for God to renew 120 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 2: something in me. But I also knew that I needed 121 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 2: to do something tangible with that, that I needed to 122 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 2: do something with my body. 123 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: Something had to shift, and so I the next morning set. 124 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 2: My alarm for four thirty AM and woke up that 125 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 2: morning and I said, Okay, God, if you're going to 126 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 2: awaken me, here I am. 127 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: I'm awake. 128 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 2: And I wasn't naturally a mourning person. I'm still not 129 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 2: a naturally mourning person. And I started to wake up 130 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 2: every morning, and eventually it became habit. I started to 131 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:30,679 Speaker 2: look forward to it, and I would say to my husband, 132 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 2: you know what, babe, today is going to be a 133 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 2: great day. And he'd say, yeah, why is that? And 134 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 2: I'd say, because I began with God and my day 135 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 2: is not going to be perfect. I'm going to have 136 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 2: hard things that are going to happen. But I allowed 137 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 2: God to set the agenda of my day, and I 138 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 2: kept saying, how great, great, great, And eventually, you know, 139 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 2: me longing for structure and direction with what I was 140 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,599 Speaker 2: going to do with my morning, Great became a double 141 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:55,600 Speaker 2: entendre and an acronym, which also stands for gratitude, reflection, exaltation, asking, 142 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 2: and trusting. 143 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 1: I actually remember that I practices. 144 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and I thought that was super helpful. I 145 00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 3: do have to say so two things. The one thing, 146 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 3: as I heard you talking, if what I'm understanding is correct, 147 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 3: it sounds like God gave you space to grieve right 148 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 3: and to kind of disconnect and process through all of that. 149 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 3: But then they're reached a point where he's like, Okay, 150 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 3: it's time to move forward, to return to thriving life. 151 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 3: Would you say that's cor absolutely. 152 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 2: I think about the Book of Lamentations, and I write 153 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 2: about Lamentations chapter chapter three, Versus twenty two through twenty three. 154 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 2: When Jeremiah says his mercies are new every morning. That 155 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 2: was such an important and profound passage to me, because 156 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 2: Lamentation is a. 157 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: Collection of laments. 158 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 2: Jerusalem is in destruction, the temple is gone, and we 159 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 2: have this weeping prophet Jeremiah, who is I mean, it's 160 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 2: one lament after the next that the people are wicked, 161 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 2: the enemies are against us, everything is gone, everything is ruined. 162 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: And then he. 163 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 2: Always shifts his prayer. And yet my hope is in 164 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 2: the Lord, and his mercies are new every morning. And 165 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 2: so waking up early in the morning was maybe coming 166 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 2: out of my place of lament and entering into a 167 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,560 Speaker 2: place of hope. It wasn't that I stopped lamenting or 168 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 2: stopped grieving, or stopped tending to that space. God was 169 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 2: very nurturing in that time for me and gave me 170 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 2: that space. And yet his mercies are new every morning, 171 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 2: And that became a literal action step for me. That 172 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 2: I needed in my own life. 173 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 3: I absolutely love it. But I have to tell you 174 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 3: when I read about your snooze button, yes, yes, on 175 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 3: my phone, my alarm in the morning is set for 176 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 3: six am. Uh huh so two six soh four, and 177 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 3: I usually want to hit snooze on blow and then 178 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 3: I get confused. And then from seven o'clock my husband, 179 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 3: who knows if I'm still in bed, nice seven, you 180 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 3: need to help me get out of bed. So I 181 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 3: do have to say, I was kind of laughing. Yeah, 182 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 3: I want to gently push back. So first I have 183 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 3: some practices in the morning that are really foundational to 184 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 3: my walk with Christ. That's been a habit since since 185 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 3: my now twenty seven year old adult daughter was a child. 186 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 3: So I do recognize a lot of the encouragement that 187 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 3: you connect directly to the morning. But for those who 188 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:18,560 Speaker 3: are listening to you know, there is just absolutely no 189 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 3: way for whatever reason, Like I have narcolepsy, I don't 190 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,760 Speaker 3: know if that's the word, but I just I fall 191 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 3: asleep when I try to read. So would your driving 192 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 3: premise be you know what, the biggest priority is connecting 193 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:32,679 Speaker 3: with Christ. But here are the reasons I find in 194 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 3: the morning highly beneficial. 195 00:09:34,559 --> 00:09:35,199 Speaker 1: That's absolutely it. 196 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 2: We do see in scripture a lot of examples of 197 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 2: people rising in the morning to deal with God. Follow 198 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 2: God early. It says early in the morning. We see 199 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 2: Moses after receiving the tablets. He then went to the 200 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 2: mountain early in the morning. And I love and for 201 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 2: Samuel when Hannah, Hannah says early in the morning, they 202 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,079 Speaker 2: arose and worshiped before the Lord, even Jesus. I think 203 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 2: in Mark's Gospel Chapter one, Jesus is in the height 204 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 2: the beginning of his ministry, calling disciples living in an 205 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,840 Speaker 2: exhausting you know, he could have said, Hey, you know, 206 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 2: I've had a really long day. I'm going to hit 207 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 2: this snooze a few times. I deserve it, but he didn't. 208 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,559 Speaker 2: That's also descriptive. That doesn't mean that we are prescribed 209 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,559 Speaker 2: to be early morning people. In fact, we don't see 210 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:13,679 Speaker 2: that anywhere in scripture, a prescriptive directive from the Lord 211 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 2: that we ought to wake up early if we want 212 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 2: to be good Christians. I think that's really important to note, because, 213 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 2: like any ritual, we can turn it into a legalistic 214 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 2: ritual to think that, well, if we want to be 215 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 2: in good standing, if we want to be holy. If 216 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:26,840 Speaker 2: we want to be righteous, then we ought to do 217 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 2: these things. And at the same time, I think two 218 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 2: things can be true. We do see these examples of 219 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 2: people rising early in the morning to be with God. 220 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 2: I will say, for me, and I think a lot 221 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,560 Speaker 2: of people that I've had conversations with these days around 222 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 2: this topic, there is something about the world that we 223 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 2: are living in and giving our first morning fruits to 224 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:48,600 Speaker 2: God because we now have available to us at our 225 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 2: fingertips these very powerful devices that we are consuming all 226 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 2: day long, and most people in the morning when they 227 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 2: wake up, the very first thing that they do is 228 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 2: they reach for that device and they look at their calendar, 229 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 2: they look at their email, they scroll through their TikTok, 230 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 2: they scroll through their messages, and those are all things 231 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 2: that we are consuming, and by way of consuming them, 232 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 2: they are kind of setting the agenda of our day, 233 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 2: of our emotions, our intention, and shaping us because everything 234 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 2: that we consume has a powerful force in shaping, malforming, deforming, 235 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 2: or forming. And so for me, one of the reasons 236 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 2: why contend that morning hour is a good time to 237 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 2: begin with God first before anything else is because in 238 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 2: the morning, our minds are blank slate. That passage that 239 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 2: His mercies are new every morning is so true. How 240 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 2: many times have you had a hard day and you 241 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 2: wake up the next morning you're like, Oh, it wasn't 242 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:42,360 Speaker 2: as bad as. 243 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: I thought it was. 244 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 2: I feel a lot better about that now because there's 245 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 2: been a refreshing and a renewing. And when we rise 246 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 2: early to be with God, we are offering God our 247 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,680 Speaker 2: first fruits, our best, our first thoughts, our first waking moments, 248 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 2: and then allowing God to set the agenda of our day. 249 00:11:57,760 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 3: Now. 250 00:11:57,920 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 2: I mentioned at the start of this that there's a 251 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 2: season where I was waking up at four thirty am. 252 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 2: That's not always the case right now. Sometimes the Lord 253 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 2: wakes me up that early. The Lord woke me up 254 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 2: this morning at four am, or perimenopause, I don't know 255 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 2: one of the two. Yesterday I was up at at six. 256 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 2: And it really depends on where you are in your 257 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 2: life and what you need. And this looks different for everyone. 258 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 2: I think of the young mamas who have a baby 259 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 2: on their hip, and it is that is that monitor 260 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 2: that's waking them up. Rising early with God can happen 261 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 2: while you're nursing, while you're changing diapers, and you're singing 262 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 2: praises to the Lord as you're rocking your baby. 263 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, I was thinking too. For me, there are things 264 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 3: like I like to use my shower as a prayer prompt. 265 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,359 Speaker 3: I'm stuck in there anyway, why not use it effectively? 266 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,439 Speaker 3: And this is a little bit of a pushback, but 267 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 3: also alignment, so there's both. But when my daughter was young, 268 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 3: I would set my alarm and somehow she had a 269 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 3: sixth sense and so she would wake up. And then 270 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:51,880 Speaker 3: I said it a little earlier, and pretty soon I 271 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:53,599 Speaker 3: think we were getting up at like three thirty or 272 00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 3: four in the morning. And finally I'm like, Lord, I 273 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:57,679 Speaker 3: don't know what to do here, and I sensed him saying, 274 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:01,280 Speaker 3: we'll invite her in. But I will say that wasn't 275 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 3: That was a very sweet time with my daughter, and 276 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 3: I think molding her and showing her how to prioritize 277 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 3: scripture even in busy seasons. But that wasn't my deepest 278 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 3: connecting moment, just because I was so fragmented, and so 279 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,480 Speaker 3: I like your emphasis on maybe while you're driving to 280 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:21,440 Speaker 3: work listening to prayer music or there was there was 281 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 3: one practice I've recently started that I learned from someone else, 282 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 3: is before I opened my eyes, just spending five minutes 283 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 3: in gratitude and prayer. 284 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 2: That'd be flexible. Yes, for people who are maybe in 285 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:34,719 Speaker 2: a stage of life like where I am. My kids 286 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 2: are in high school and it's you know, a little busier. 287 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 2: They're self sufficient, they're getting themselves ready. I have the 288 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 2: privilege and luxury of carving out this time in the morning. 289 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:45,199 Speaker 2: When they were little, I did not. It was very different. 290 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 2: But there's still opportunity to give our first morning fruits 291 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 2: to God in some way or another, whether it's simply 292 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 2: that before before you walk to that nursery, you know, 293 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 2: you're reciting Psalm twenty three or the Lord's Prayer and 294 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 2: knowing God will connect more later when at nine point thirty, 295 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 2: when the little one goes down for a nap, You'll 296 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 2: be able to connect then. But yeah, I think that 297 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 2: we've got to have incredible grace and flexibility because God 298 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 2: is not rigid about this. God is God is just 299 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 2: happy to connect. 300 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 1: God wants our hearts, not our formal legalistic formulas. 301 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 3: I love that. Speaking that, I also really appreciated how 302 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 3: the emphasis of pre planning and so, you know, especially 303 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 3: if like when my daughter was in high school. We 304 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 3: always were intension in the morning before school and rushed 305 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 3: and knocking eggs all over the floor. And I'm so, 306 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 3: what are some steps we can take if our mornings 307 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 3: are highly chaotic, recognizing everybody's situation is different, what are 308 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:40,480 Speaker 3: some ways that we can pre plan to create more 309 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 3: margin in our morning? 310 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: Yeah? I love that question. 311 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 2: I'll confess, like my husband calls me a moving chaos 312 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 2: and so like this is like an act of like 313 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 2: actual deep resistance information for me to not be so hurried, 314 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,520 Speaker 2: to not be so chaotic in the mornings, and this 315 00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 2: is I'm a work in progress. Some steps that I 316 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 2: take is that that plan the night before, make a 317 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:03,680 Speaker 2: decision and be decisive about it about what time you're 318 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 2: going to wake up the moment that alarm goes off. 319 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 2: You know, I sighed the night before, I'm going to 320 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 2: wake up and I'm going to no matter what, get 321 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 2: up and walk downstairs to go and be with God, 322 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 2: to move my body, to get that blood flowing. But 323 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 2: also time management. If you are going to say, spend 324 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 2: fifteen minutes with God, do that leave your cell phone 325 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:30,080 Speaker 2: behind the greatest temptation that everyone is experiencing and I 326 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 2: can't say everyone, but I would imagine if you're a 327 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 2: suburban mom like I am, is these devices in these 328 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 2: phones and make decisions, set a rule of life, like 329 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 2: what are the things you are going to do and 330 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 2: what are the things that you aren't going to do? 331 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 2: If you drink coffee, can you set the coffee maker 332 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 2: on a timer? If you know, need to pack a lunch, 333 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 2: can you pack the night before? 334 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 3: Like? 335 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 2: What are things that you can do to prepare the 336 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 2: night before to get ready for the next day to 337 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 2: have a peaceful morning. 338 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 3: I love that instead of and I especially love your 339 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 3: emphasis on not going straight to our phone because that 340 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 3: sets the stone the for like anxiety and frustration exactly. 341 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 2: And I'll give you an example of how that happened 342 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 2: to me a couple of weeks ago. My husband and 343 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 2: I when we can, we'll do the Great Morning Prayer 344 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 2: routine together and we've started integrating. It's a lot of 345 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 2: reading of scripture during reflect During that time, we didn't 346 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 2: have a hard Bible with us, and so I was like, oh, 347 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 2: we'll just do it for my phone and an email 348 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 2: notification was up and I clicked on it, and he goes, 349 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 2: what are you doing? 350 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:25,480 Speaker 1: I said, hang on, hang on. 351 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,600 Speaker 2: And it was an email from someone in our congregation 352 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 2: that was upset about something. And let me tell you 353 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 2: what the rest of the morning that shaped my emotions, 354 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 2: It shaped my intentions. 355 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: It was in the backdrop of everything we were doing. 356 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 2: I was forcing out gratitude, I was forcing out praise, 357 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 2: but all I was thinking about was that email. 358 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a good point. Shifting a little. You also 359 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 3: address wilderness seasons. First, to those who don't know what 360 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 3: that is, give a little description. And then you made 361 00:16:57,600 --> 00:16:59,840 Speaker 3: a statement that I found really intriguing. I would love 362 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 3: to hear more on you. You said that God helps 363 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 3: us form our identity in wilderness seasons. I'd love to 364 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 3: hear how that was true for you. 365 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. 366 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:13,400 Speaker 2: So we see wilderness and scripture as this liminal space, right, 367 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:14,919 Speaker 2: it's between space. 368 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 1: It's it's the already but not yet. 369 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 2: The Israelites, they were already rescued, but they were not 370 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,919 Speaker 2: yet to the promised land Jesus in the wilderness. 371 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: Jesus was born into the world we. 372 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,800 Speaker 2: See fully god fully human, but not yet have gone 373 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 2: to the cross and the resurrection and the wilderness trips 374 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 2: us bear. It's vulnerable. We you know, we feel naked 375 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 2: because we don't know where we're going, we don't know 376 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:39,280 Speaker 2: what's next, we don't know what it's going. 377 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:39,679 Speaker 1: To look like. 378 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 2: We are vulnerable to the conditions of the wilderness. Wilderness 379 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 2: in scripture is this image of a harsh environment where 380 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,520 Speaker 2: you know, the weather, conditions are tough, where we are 381 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:54,199 Speaker 2: vulnerable to say, prey animals or to something that could 382 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 2: attack us. And one of the things that happens in 383 00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,360 Speaker 2: the wilderness is we are not forced, but like we're 384 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 2: invited to learn in the power of dependence. So, for example, 385 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 2: think of the Israelites. They had to learn how to 386 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 2: trust independent God, that God would provide them that manner 387 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 2: that God would lead them. Living in the scarcity mindset 388 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 2: was not helpful at all for them, but instead they 389 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,760 Speaker 2: had to find gratitude and what God did provide. And 390 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 2: so for me in the wilderness and that year of 391 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 2: twenty twenty to twenty twenty two, twenty three, I was 392 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,680 Speaker 2: in a season where I was stripped bear. So much 393 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,600 Speaker 2: was taken away from me, as so many things that 394 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 2: brought me comfort and meaning was taken away from me. 395 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 2: Things that I had kind of placed my identity and 396 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 2: I'd placed my identity and my father and my mother 397 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,880 Speaker 2: and that family. I had a really strong family identity 398 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:38,919 Speaker 2: and the home that I grew up in. 399 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: And I was stripped bear. 400 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 2: I also placed my identity in the fact I was 401 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 2: a senior pastor in southern California. 402 00:18:44,119 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: That was lost as well. I was forced to come 403 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: to terms with who does God really say? 404 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 3: Am? 405 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: Who? Am I? In Christ? Alone? And is that enough? 406 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: Is God enough? 407 00:18:54,119 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 2: And the wilderness brought me to a place of being 408 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,119 Speaker 2: grateful for the daily bread that God does provide, for 409 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 2: the manna that dot God does provide. And I was 410 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,199 Speaker 2: shaped and formed because the lessons that are learned in 411 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,679 Speaker 2: the wilderness are profound. And one of the lessons are 412 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 2: God doesn't waste an ounce of our suffering. 413 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 3: And then I've been praying Romans twelve one and two 414 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 3: for a long time, So I really love that you 415 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 3: emphasize and that you pray that do you happen to 416 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 3: have a Bible handy that you could read Romans twelve 417 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 3: one and two and then also explain how you use, 418 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 3: particularly Romans twelve two to train your mind to remain 419 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 3: anchored and true. 420 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 2: Yes, I love that that is such an important verse. 421 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 2: The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Rome, and 422 00:19:36,520 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 2: he says, therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in 423 00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 2: view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a 424 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:43,720 Speaker 2: living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. 425 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: This is your true and proper worship. 426 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 2: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but 427 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:52,000 Speaker 2: be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you 428 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:54,639 Speaker 2: will be able to test and approve what God's will 429 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 2: is is good and pleasing and perfect will. One of 430 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 2: the things I love so much about this passage is 431 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:06,479 Speaker 2: Paul is calling us to live and embodied faith. And 432 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 2: this is something that Christians often skip past. In this 433 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:12,479 Speaker 2: verse and even in this conversation, we often think our 434 00:20:12,480 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 2: faith is disembodied. 435 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: It's in our souls, it's in our hearts. 436 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 2: But everything we do in our bodies is in a 437 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 2: way for us to live out our faith, in a 438 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 2: way for us to experience our faith. And so Paul 439 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 2: is saying, what you do with your body offered is 440 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 2: living sacrifice, wholly and pleasing to God. And then he says, 441 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 2: don't conform to the pattern of this world. We were 442 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 2: talking at the beginning of this podcast about how we 443 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 2: are consumers by nature. Now we are consuming culture around us. 444 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,120 Speaker 2: We are consuming talk radio, news podcasts, we are consuming 445 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,679 Speaker 2: a social media, we are consuming influencers and books. Some 446 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 2: of those things are malforming our minds to a degree 447 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 2: that I think it's almost demonic in the ways that 448 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 2: we are starting to see people behave and act in 449 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:54,680 Speaker 2: that absolutely. And so as Christians, what Paul is saying 450 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,600 Speaker 2: here is, don't conform to that like the world. The 451 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,199 Speaker 2: Church and Christians have to be able to offer what 452 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 2: the world cannot. And one of the things that we 453 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,120 Speaker 2: are navigating right now in the world is we see 454 00:21:06,119 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 2: this dysmonic mindset that so many people have, and we've 455 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 2: got to do a dismantling of that within the Christian conversation. 456 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,680 Speaker 2: And so when we are not conforming to the Pattern's 457 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,080 Speaker 2: world and we've been transformed, what that means is is 458 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:20,960 Speaker 2: we are consuming the things of the. 459 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 1: Lord and allowing God to form what is. 460 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 2: Malformed in us and to shape and reshape, to be 461 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 2: able to see the world as God sees it, to 462 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:31,120 Speaker 2: have a heart as God has it, to hear as 463 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 2: God has it, so that we can then live in 464 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 2: our bodies the way Christ would have us. 465 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:39,160 Speaker 3: Live Wow, that's a power statement right there. I love 466 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 3: that I'd never heard this before your discussion of Ephesians five, 467 00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:58,240 Speaker 3: verse fourteen, and I'm actually already from thirteen and fourteen. 468 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 3: And then I would love you to share your insight 469 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,119 Speaker 3: on that passage. This is also written by Paul, but 470 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,120 Speaker 3: he said, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 471 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 3: and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is 472 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 3: why it is said, wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, 473 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 3: and Christ will shine on you. How did God use 474 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,120 Speaker 3: that verse to I guess, awaken you. 475 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, so Paul is talking this about this in light 476 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 2: of the resurrection, that Christ has come, Christ has risen. 477 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:29,879 Speaker 2: And it's said that this verse is also possibly with 478 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,200 Speaker 2: something that was said over those who are being baptized 479 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:39,400 Speaker 2: as as a hymn of declaration of what's happening in baptism, 480 00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 2: that we have died with Christ, but we have also 481 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 2: risen with Christ, and we are rising with Christ. And 482 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,120 Speaker 2: so this is absolutely about the resurrection, but it's also 483 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 2: about I mean, resurrection brings spiritual renewal. Resurrection isn't just 484 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 2: a someday thing. But we pray, God, may your kingdom 485 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 2: come on earth as it is in heaven, which means 486 00:22:56,640 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 2: that promise that the future future resurrection is impinging on 487 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:01,400 Speaker 2: the present and the power of the resurrection is available 488 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 2: to us as believers today. And so Paul is also 489 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:07,520 Speaker 2: calling the church in Ephesus to have a spiritual awakening 490 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:10,879 Speaker 2: as well, to open their hearts, to wake up from 491 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 2: their slumber, to rise from the dead, and that as 492 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 2: they are awakening from the dead and rising to the 493 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:20,360 Speaker 2: light of Christ with their bodies, with their hearts, with everything, 494 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 2: the light of Christ will shine on them in such 495 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:24,159 Speaker 2: a way that the world will see the power of 496 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 2: the resurrection. 497 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: Amen. 498 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 3: And speaking on that, I personally believe God is raising 499 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,680 Speaker 3: up more peacemakers in our world and using the full 500 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 3: embody like peacemakers is in that's also reconciled to the Gospel, 501 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 3: reconciled to God, which then makes us more. 502 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 1: Able to be people of peace. 503 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 3: But so as I'm as I was reading your book 504 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 3: and kind of thinking of especially that verse you just read, 505 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 3: and in light of our consuming culture, it seems and 506 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 3: I totally agree with you on how the devil has 507 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 3: been steadily working to deceive us from the true mission. Yeah, 508 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 3: the Gospel. It's just my interpretation, but it seems like 509 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:04,920 Speaker 3: we have shifted as a big sea church to equate 510 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 3: Christian nationalism and building kingdom earth kingdom for those in 511 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 3: the United Kingdom, United States, and seeing that as revivals terrifying. Yes, 512 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:19,560 Speaker 3: and really the thrust of your book is not talking 513 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 3: about all this external stuff, right. 514 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, No, it's not talking about the external stuff. 515 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,920 Speaker 2: But at the same time, the world is as every 516 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,719 Speaker 2: bit of polarized in everything that you mentioned. I'm as 517 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:33,600 Speaker 2: a pastor, I'm incredibly concerned about the rise in Christian 518 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 2: nationalism and the polarization that we're seeing in the church 519 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 2: and between Christians. It's as if we have forgotten about 520 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 2: the power of the gospel that in Christ there is 521 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 2: there is no separation between jud gentile, male, female, slave 522 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 2: and free and that's you know, Paul is talking about 523 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 2: the dividing wall of hostility has been torn. Yes, the 524 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 2: dividing wall of hostility has been torn. We're missing that, 525 00:24:57,359 --> 00:24:59,120 Speaker 2: We're missing that the heart of the Gospel is about 526 00:24:59,119 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 2: reconciliation of believers. And not only that, but the kind 527 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 2: of kingdom that Jesus came to establish is fully realized. 528 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 2: We see a picture of this in Philippians chapter two. 529 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 2: The kind of kingdom is that of a servant that 530 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,000 Speaker 2: did not equality, did not consider equality with God is 531 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 2: something to be crass, but instead took on the nature 532 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 2: of a servant of a human And the kind of 533 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 2: kingdom that Jesus came to established is is the kind 534 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 2: where Jesus is asking for our ultimate Agians. Anything that 535 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 2: competes with that allegiance has the power to I believe, 536 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 2: malform and even more polarize, and is a distortion of 537 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 2: the kind of kingdom Jesus came to establish, and a 538 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 2: distortion of the Gospel. 539 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, I wish we could so talk more. Have so 540 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 3: many talking about kingdom theology. Yes, well, and I especially 541 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 3: love just to because I don't know if I clearly 542 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 3: say this, but your emphasis on developed a kingdom mindset 543 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 3: that and then living from that, and I think sometimes 544 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 3: we get that a little confused, because, like you said, 545 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:00,640 Speaker 3: we're being formed by so much that's not really centered. 546 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,560 Speaker 3: So thank you for your great content, Thank you for 547 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 3: this conversation. So many practical and we didn't get into 548 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 3: a lot of the you have a lot of really 549 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:12,399 Speaker 3: practical tips as well, and including that great prayer, which 550 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 3: is an acronym, which y'all are gonna have to get 551 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 3: the book so that you can get the tips done that. 552 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 3: But so a lot of great, really practical tips that 553 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:22,440 Speaker 3: people can implement and along with how they can be beneficial. 554 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:23,439 Speaker 3: So thank you so much for that. 555 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:25,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. 556 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,159 Speaker 3: To our listeners. I don't know about you, but my 557 00:26:28,440 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 3: conversation with Tara inspired me to continue building my relationship 558 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 3: with the Lord. I know each time I do that 559 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 3: is increasing my ability. I know each time I do 560 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 3: I am actively increasing my peace and reducing my anxiety. 561 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 3: I'm increasing my clarity and reducing my confusion, and I'm 562 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:57,280 Speaker 3: increasing my joy and most importantly, my intimacy with the Lord. 563 00:26:57,720 --> 00:26:59,720 Speaker 3: If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to 564 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 3: subscribe to this podcast. Then you won't miss a single episode. 565 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 3: Share it with your family and your friends, make sure 566 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 3: to rate it. That encourages me and Carol, and it 567 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,560 Speaker 3: helps others to find our content as well. Until next time, 568 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 3: may you live as one who truly has been set free,