WEBVTT - #212 Being a "Fake" Christian 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.080 It is easy to be a cultural Christian. It is 0:00:04.160 --> 0:00:07.159 hard to realize that you have been stuck in it. 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:19.880 What's up, everybody, Welcome back to the podcast. This is 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:23.400 episode two twelve. I'm by myself today answering your questions. 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:26.960 You email me Grangersmith podcast at gmail dot com and 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:28.840 we'll walk through it just like we're sitting in the 0:00:28.840 --> 0:00:32.239 cab of a truck just having a friend conversation one 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.840 on one. You can look at it like a campfire. 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:37.919 Talks could be about any subject and you'll see, as 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:41.480 we've gone through over two hundred episodes, the questions really 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:44.600 are all over the place, and we'll call it a 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:47.040 safe place. This is a safe place. Let me go 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:48.680 to the first one. And by the way, no notes 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:50.960 in front of me. I like to say that because 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:53.960 I have not prepared. I have not read these questions beforehand. 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:57.080 I don't have a bunch of CS. Lewis quotes on 0:00:57.120 --> 0:01:02.520 my desk, or I don't have anything prepared. So I 0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:07.680 do that so that you can get my first reaction. 0:01:07.840 --> 0:01:11.280 It's that means it's not always right, but it's my 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:13.480 first reaction. Because if we were sitting in the truck 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.800 and you you asked me something I will tell you, 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:18.679 and later I might say I probably should have said 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:22.000 this or that, But in the form of this podcast 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:23.360 and for the sake of this show, I want to 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:27.319 keep it where. This is my first reaction. You may 0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:29.800 or may not agree with it, but I promise you 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.759 it's from my heart, and I'm telling it as if 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:37.440 I was telling my own brother. Okay, So, first question 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:41.440 from Grangersmith podcast at gmail dot com. The subject line says, 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:45.479 fear of the Second Coming. Hey, Granger, I don't want 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:47.480 to be riding in the truck with you for this conversation. 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:50.080 I want to be us fishing for bass and cats. 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:54.080 I've grown up. First of all, Hey, good intro. I 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:56.640 like it. We're fishing me and you. He said, I've 0:01:56.680 --> 0:02:00.520 grown up in the church. I'm sorry, it's a she 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:03.600 she said. I've grown up in the church for thirty 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:07.200 three years that I've been alive. And I know that 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:09.560 none of us could ever know the exact day or 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:12.600 time that Jesus will be coming back. However, I do 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:15.800 know that the Bible proves that there will be signs. 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:19.520 With everything going on in Israel, it makes you wonder 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.960 if he is coming soon. From growing up in church. 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.800 I know his second coming is something all Christians should 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:30.600 look forward to. Is it normal to also be a 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:35.120 little scared? I know I should feel comfort in knowing 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:37.359 that he is coming back, But at the same time, 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:40.920 I thought of forever as a tad bit scary to me. 0:02:41.160 --> 0:02:43.200 The thought of forever that a tad bit scary to me. 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:47.560 Should I be questioning in my heart in this situation 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.000 or do you think it's a normal thing. I would 0:02:51.040 --> 0:02:52.960 love to know your thoughts. Thank you for all you do. 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:58.080 Your podcast encourages the single mama daily and I want 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:00.840 and it makes me want to be a person for 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:03.000 my daughter to look up to. I live and do 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:09.600 things hard, and I'm having trouble on the first question 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:12.880 reading all it says. I live by the do hard 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:15.720 things motto. That's what she says. And your words have 0:03:15.800 --> 0:03:18.440 helped me on this journey. Be content in my singleness 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:21.679 and wait on the Lord. Keep getting his word out there. 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:25.880 Natalie from Martin, Tennessee. Thank you, Natalie, and I thank 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:28.440 you for the kind words. Yeah, this is a good question. 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.560 It's not straight eschatology as far as the end of times. 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:35.360 You have a little twist to it. Should we be 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:38.400 a little scared of it, and so yeah, it's a 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:41.800 good question, thirty three years in the church. I want 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:44.400 to point out to anyone listening that thirty three years 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:48.560 in the church could mean that you've learned things, but 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:52.000 it also doesn't necessarily mean that you're a Christian. Not 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:55.000 speaking to you specifically, Natalie, I'm just saying for anybody, 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:59.680 it's not the amount of time in church that matters. 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:02.880 It's the heart, right, It's the full surrender of the heart. 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.880 And I can attest for someone who was myself in 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.840 church most of my life as well, but didn't really 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:15.800 know the Lord until later. And that's that's really my testimony. 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:18.080 And I hope that everybody hears me when I say 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:21.719 that that it is easy to be a cultural Christian. 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.680 It is hard to realize that you have been stuck 0:04:24.680 --> 0:04:27.360 in it, and that when I talk about cultural Christianity, 0:04:27.680 --> 0:04:31.080 it's it's difficult unless your eyes are opened to know 0:04:31.279 --> 0:04:35.560 that I'm actually talking to you, right, because our pride 0:04:35.600 --> 0:04:38.000 gets in the way. They're like, eh, I'm not me. 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:43.360 I'm definitely a Christian, definitely, But that's a that's a 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.880 top conversation for another day. Maybe maybe it's because you 0:04:45.880 --> 0:04:48.480 said a prayer and repeated a pastor at some time 0:04:48.520 --> 0:04:51.200 in your life, and that gave you this false assurance. 0:04:51.440 --> 0:04:55.039 That's another question, and we'll get to your question here, Natalie, 0:04:55.800 --> 0:04:59.919 talking about the end times, the second coming of Co 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:05.280 He became the first time in the flesh, the incarnate son, 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:09.520 came God in the flesh to redeem sinners to himself, 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:13.280 went to the cross, took upon himself as a substitution, 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.560 took upon himself the sins of his people so that 0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:20.159 he could pay for that in full, as the ultimate sacrifice, 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:25.400 as the sacrificial lamb, which was always part of Judaism culture. 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:30.120 Now he became the final sacrifice, this abolishing the sacrificial 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:33.680 system from then on, and then it became faith in him, 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:39.760 belief in him and he his atonement would be transferred 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:43.719 to you. His righteousness would be transferred to you through 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:47.279 faith by grace. Right, that's the first coming. Then he 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:52.240 ascended after he resurrected from the grave after three days, saying, 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:54.040 all who believes in me will have eternal life. He 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:58.400 ascended after a while, after he met with over the 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:01.279 over five hundred people saw him. After the resurrection, he 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:03.960 talked with the disciples. He ate with them, He sang 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:07.640 with them, he prayed with them, and then he ascended 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:10.000 into heaven. That was the first coming. The question here 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:12.320 on the podcast is about the second Coming that he 0:06:12.400 --> 0:06:17.200 promised would happen. Here's my thing, you'll know me. You 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:20.240 know about eschatology, that's the study of him times. And 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:25.120 the crazy thing about eschatology is that it becomes a distraction. 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:29.120 I have heard so many people lately saying things like, man, 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:31.480 I've heard a lot of good preaching on the internet 0:06:31.520 --> 0:06:33.880 lately because a lot of pastors are putting together all 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:37.040 this eschatology. They're putting together all this end time stuff, 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.640 and sure is sounding good. And I have to warn 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:44.560 everybody that that can and I think is becoming the 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:50.200 tickling of the ears, people with itchy ears wanting scratched 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:54.240 the things that they want to hear because it sounds nice, 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:58.080 it sounds it sounds good. But those same people have 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:01.160 to be very careful that they have the full concept 0:07:01.200 --> 0:07:03.640 of the gospel. The gospel is what I shared earlier 0:07:03.640 --> 0:07:06.560 with the incarnate Son, the first Coming. You know, it's 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:08.600 almost like you could say it this way. We worry 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:11.280 more about the Second Coming these days then we do 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:16.040 the first coming, the Atonement happened the first Coming, right, 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:18.480 he comes to collect his people in the second Coming. 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.000 But you don't know his people, you don't know who 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:24.760 they are until the first Coming happens. Then they're separated 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.920 by faith, those that believe in him. And so when 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:30.920 he talks about Jesus, when he talks about the end times, 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:32.800 and he talks about the Second Coming, and he talks 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.120 about the signs, he talks about the birth pains, he 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:37.800 talks about how you'll know the season. When he says 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:40.480 all that, why does he say it? We should ask 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:43.240 that question. Why is he saying it? Well, the answer 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:48.320 is to be ready so that you will be ready. 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:53.040 So be ready. That's the whole point of eschatology. And 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.560 no one talks like this, but I think about it 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.880 all the time. No pastor gets up and says this. 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:03.800 Perhaps maybe in your church, maybe he does, But as 0:08:03.840 --> 0:08:06.280 far as I know, you don't see it on the internet. 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:08.240 It doesn't get a lot of views on TikTok, it 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:10.920 doesn't get a lot of views on Instagram. Reels a 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:16.000 pastor just saying, hey, be ready, stop worrying about the end, 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:21.040 Stop worrying about using revelation. The book of revelation, like 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:25.160 it's a roadmap, like you're a treasure hunter on Indiana Jones, 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:28.720 Pirates of the Caribbean. We're trying to read a treasure 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:31.960 map using ancient texts of the Bible, going, Look, we'll 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:34.240 put this together and look six six six, and look 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:37.079 at the anti Christ. Look Israel here, looks Syria from 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:39.000 the north, and the look Hamas here. And you know 0:08:39.000 --> 0:08:41.800 what Hamas means, oh man, it means evil. And then 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:44.240 these guys are coming, and then Russia if they get 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:46.120 up on the China with the million man army. If 0:08:46.120 --> 0:08:49.200 they come, you start reading like this, and what are 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:53.280 you doing. You're just getting distracted. You're using the second 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:57.360 coming to distract you from the first coming, and you're 0:08:57.400 --> 0:09:00.320 missing the cross. It's the whole point. The whole point 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:03.360 is the cross. See it. Know that you're a sinner. 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:06.160 Know that he went to the cross, Jesus to redeem 0:09:06.400 --> 0:09:10.560 sinners to himself, becoming sin. He who knew no sin, 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.760 became sin so that we could be forgiven, so we 0:09:13.840 --> 0:09:17.760 could be seen as guilt less. The guilty we are guilty. 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:20.480 We are seen as guilt less. With what he did 0:09:20.480 --> 0:09:24.320 on the cross, he covers us right, He takes on 0:09:24.840 --> 0:09:28.000 the wrath of God, the punishment, so that we don't 0:09:28.040 --> 0:09:31.160 have to. So we believe in him, we turn from 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:33.680 our sin, that's repentance. We turn away from our old lives, 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.960 and we turn to him. And when we do, we 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:44.320 are forgiven, restored, redeemed, covered, cleansed, gifted eternal life by grace, 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:47.440 not on our own doing, not because of anything we did, 0:09:47.840 --> 0:09:50.920 but everything that He did right there on the cross 0:09:50.960 --> 0:09:53.400 in the first coming. And so then what do you 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:55.920 think the enemy would do if this was if this 0:09:56.080 --> 0:09:59.480 was like you're building a storyline, what's a pretty good 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:02.520 plan for an enemy to do. Ah, let's use this 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:06.360 whole second coming thing as a distraction, because look, y'all, 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:11.640 Jesus is coming. He's coming, that's a fact. It's just 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:13.960 a matter of win. And so if we get so 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.160 caught up on the win, the one thing that's going 0:10:17.440 --> 0:10:19.839 that's not known. We do know he's coming, but the 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:21.800 one thing that's not known is win. And if we 0:10:21.800 --> 0:10:24.440 get so hung up on the win, we forget the 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:29.320 fact the thing we do know, he came, He had toned, 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:35.280 he resurrected, he has risen, and he's coming back. Stop 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:40.880 worrying about the win. He said, no one will know 0:10:41.160 --> 0:10:44.400 the day or time. No one will know. But we 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:48.120 get so obsessed as a culture that we think we know, 0:10:48.400 --> 0:10:50.800 we think we're the generation. What do you think the 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:53.959 last generation thought that it was them? What do you 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.559 think our greatest generation that we call the greatest generation, 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:58.280 the World War two generation? What do you think they 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.800 thought when not were just about taking over the world, 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:04.600 they thought, well, this is probably yet. Then they saw 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:06.680 the Holocaust and this is probably yet, this is probably 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.480 this has to be the second coming. Then they saw 0:11:09.720 --> 0:11:12.600 Israel become a nation again. Oh, this this is the sign. 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:15.120 This has to be it. He's come in any moment now, 0:11:15.600 --> 0:11:19.080 and he didn't. And that generation is about to pass away, 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:23.800 if they haven't already. My Granddad's passed away, all of them. 0:11:23.920 --> 0:11:25.040 What do you think that? What do you think they 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:28.440 thought in the Civil War when the bodies were piling up, 0:11:28.600 --> 0:11:31.640 or World War One, or the Revolutionary War? What do 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:33.520 you think they thought in all the other wars that 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:36.080 the world has seen. What do you think they thought 0:11:36.080 --> 0:11:38.520 in the Black Plague in the Middle Ages? They must 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:45.240 have surely thought this is it. He's coming. He's coming, Lord, Lord, Come, quick, Marinatha, 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:53.560 here he comes right. Don't get distracted by reading the 0:11:53.640 --> 0:11:59.280 Times and not paying attention to the first coming, losing 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:03.600 the grip, losing the focus on Jesus' first coming, because 0:12:03.640 --> 0:12:05.760 you're so distracted by the second. I think. I think 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:08.200 it's a great ploy by the enemy to get us distracted, 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.760 to get us, not to get us forgetting the gospel, 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:14.800 to get us not evangelizing the gospel because instead instead 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:17.160 of going out and telling the gospel, which I've done twice. 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:19.360 Now you know why I've told the gospel twice on 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:23.880 this show already is because Roman's one says, the gospel 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:28.040 is the power of God for salvation. Faith comes through hearing. 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:30.560 So I've told you the gospel now twice, so that 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:32.959 you're left with no excuse. To listeners of this podcast, 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:37.160 there's a supernatural power that comes through hearing the gospel 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:43.079 and believing. I'm appealing to your conscious, not appealing to 0:12:43.120 --> 0:12:47.000 your mind. I'm appealing to your conscience that knows that 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:50.120 you're a sinner. And so what's happening is preachers are 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.280 going out and they're preaching eschatology, they're preaching the end 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:55.920 of times. They're trying to put Israel in a box, 0:12:56.200 --> 0:13:02.839 and Syria and Babylon and Egypt and Rush and Palestine 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:07.000 and Hamas and China. They're trying to put all this together, 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:12.400 and it really gets great attention from the church. Everyone 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:14.440 loves it. It gets tons of us, tons of clicks. 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:17.000 People walk out saying, that's the greatest sermon I've ever heard. 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:20.120 And guess what happened. A lot of time was wasted 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:24.199 talking about that and not enough preaching the gospel. Because 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:26.280 the only way to be ready for the end of 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:29.600 times is to be equipped with the Gospel, to believe, 0:13:29.960 --> 0:13:33.240 to believe the Gospel, that's how that's how you get ready. 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:38.600 And so to your question, Natalie, you say, I know 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:44.080 his second coming is something all Christians should look forward to. Right, 0:13:45.120 --> 0:13:46.880 let me stop you right there, and before I get 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.720 to the next sentence, let me just say, his second 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.520 coming is something all Christians should look forward to. Yes, 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.440 but odds are if we're just playing odds here, you're 0:13:56.480 --> 0:14:01.040 going to see him in your lifetime through death, through 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:06.720 physical death. That's what to look forward to, right The 0:14:06.760 --> 0:14:09.160 sting of death is gone, so we look forward to 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:14.040 seeing him, but not necessarily the second coming. That's fantastic, 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:15.520 But the odds are you're gonna see him a lot 0:14:15.600 --> 0:14:19.000 sooner than that because you only have let's say you're 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:22.200 thirty three years old, do you only have Lord Willing? 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:25.360 You only have fifty sixty seventy years left. So unless 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:28.200 he comes between fifty and seventy years, Lord Willing, if 0:14:28.240 --> 0:14:31.840 you live that long, then you're gonna beat everybody to it. 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:33.760 You know what I mean. You're gonna beat the Second 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:37.720 Coming and your own mortality. So think about that first. 0:14:38.240 --> 0:14:41.240 Make sure you're equipped with the Gospel, You're ready in 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:46.520 that aspect, and let's get to your second question. Is 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:51.360 it normal to also be a little scared? I know 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:53.440 I should feel comfort in knowing that he will be back, 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:55.800 But at the same time, the thought of forever is 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:58.720 a tad bit scary to me. What's scary to me 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:04.160 is reading that's sin, it's from you, Because yes, forever 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:08.080 is scary if you're not sure where you're going to 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:13.400 end up, right, if you have that blessed assurance, like 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.080 the old hymn says, if you have blessed assurance, then 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:21.680 you go. Christ is magnified in my life, whether life 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:26.760 or by death. So hurry Christ, hurry death or keep 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:28.760 me here for as long as I need to tell 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.760 everyone else about my treasure right. Either way, I'm Christ. 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:37.120 To live is Christ, and to die is gain That's 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:40.000 the thought, that's the apostle Paul. That's what he's thinking about. 0:15:40.040 --> 0:15:42.720 That's what he's preaching, and that's coming from his art. 0:15:42.720 --> 0:15:45.160 That's what he feels. To live is Christ, to die 0:15:45.360 --> 0:15:49.200 is gain right. And so there is nothing in that 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:52.480 about to live as Christ and to die. Oh man, 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:58.040 I'm scared. If you are scared, then maybe we double 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:00.480 down on here in the Gospel again and a little 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:03.640 bit less eschatology, a little bit less in times, a 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:07.160 little bit more first coming, a little bit less second coming. 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:09.920 Does that make sense? I hope it does, Natalie, and 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:12.560 I thank you for the question, and I hope that 0:16:12.600 --> 0:16:15.960 probably answers a lot of other questions and probably riles 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:18.120 up people. People are probably gonna email me and go, man, 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:21.880 don't you know the mark of the Beast is coming? 0:16:21.960 --> 0:16:25.920 And you know President Biden and United States and Russia. 0:16:26.160 --> 0:16:32.320 And I'm going to be like, please don't read revelation 0:16:32.680 --> 0:16:39.840 like it's a treasure map. Yeah. Next question, very different 0:16:39.840 --> 0:16:43.600 one sounds like subject line grand old Opry, and the 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:45.880 question says, did you ever get a chance to play 0:16:45.880 --> 0:16:48.600 the grand Ole Opry before you retired from music comes 0:16:48.640 --> 0:16:51.480 from Teresa. Thanks Teresa. Yeah I did. I played the 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:57.040 Opry two times and it was great. Yeah. I enjoyed 0:16:57.040 --> 0:16:59.560 the Opry that I believe. The first time I played, 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:04.359 my grandmother came my grandmother Mini, who's now ninety seven. 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:06.919 She got to be with me. So yeah, playing the 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.600 Opry was really cool. I'm not gonna say it was 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:13.800 a the climax of my career or the pivotal moment 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:18.320 of everything, or the apex of music. It was a 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:24.800 beautiful building. The ryman's great, The Opry house is awesome 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:29.800 and gay lord, but it's you know, I'm a Texan. 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.920 I most people in the South grow up and they're like, man, 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:36.800 the opry is it. I never thought that. I never 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:38.200 grew up that way. I grew up a big George 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:40.840 Straight fan, so that was never like George wasn't big 0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:42.679 on the opery, so I never saw that as like 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:46.920 the thing, so I never pursued it. And the opry 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:50.040 is typically it was like on a Saturday night or 0:17:50.080 --> 0:17:53.600 a Tuesday night, and me living in Texas when they 0:17:53.600 --> 0:17:55.240 would invite me, it would I would me, and I 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:58.359 would have to travel outside of my own tour to 0:17:58.440 --> 0:18:01.080 go and play the Opry for and pay my own 0:18:01.119 --> 0:18:04.760 way and play two songs and go home. And I 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:07.480 just never was into it that much. It never mattered 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.760 to me that much. And that's not everyone else is 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:12.879 not like that. Most people are like, man, the Opry 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:15.960 is everything. I'll drop everything and go do it. And 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:18.560 so I have great respect for it, great respect for 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:22.159 the history of it. I think it's a fantastic platform 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:24.320 and it has been in the history of country music 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:26.680 for so long. But I never looked at it as 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:30.120 like the top at the top, and so that's why 0:18:30.119 --> 0:18:34.960 I never I guess you know what. Oh look behind me. 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.199 Oh you can't see it. The camera's not covering it. 0:18:37.240 --> 0:18:41.040 But there's a promo poster right above me. If you're 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:46.040 watching on YouTube, that is the live at the Opry 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:49.199 at the Rhyman and it's my promo from when was 0:18:49.240 --> 0:18:55.879 that November twenty eighth, twenty and fifteen. So there you go. 0:18:55.920 --> 0:19:01.560 We'll take a break, be right back if you want 0:19:01.560 --> 0:19:02.600 to get a hold of me, if you want me 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:04.760 to send you a message, I say this a lot 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:07.520 Cameo dot com slash Granger Smith. It's a really good 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.040 way to do it. Or you can download the cameo 0:19:10.119 --> 0:19:12.960 app and search for me Granger Smith. You ask for 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:15.120 whatever you want me to record, and I pull out 0:19:15.160 --> 0:19:18.719 my phone and do a video message specifically to you 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:22.800 or to your son or your boyfriend or girlfriend or 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.800 daughter or whatever. It might be a word of encouragement, 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:31.560 happy birthday, happy anniversary, Merry Christmas. I could do it all, 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:33.399 and I have done it all, and it's really easy. 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:36.359 It's a great last minute gift and something for someone 0:19:36.400 --> 0:19:40.280 that has everything. So cameo dot com slash Granger Smith. 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:47.560 Back to the podcast, All right, back to the podcast. 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:50.640 Thank you guys for listening and watching whatever platform you're 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:54.800 coming from. And this has been This has always been 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:57.320 a treat for me having this podcast, and kind of 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:01.600 it's different than everything else I do because I just 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:04.480 literally sit down and start some cameras and start my 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:07.840 computer recording and dive into your questions, which you email 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:11.359 me Grangersmith podcast at gmail dot com. The next question 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:14.480 going down the list here just randomly it has no 0:20:14.600 --> 0:20:16.560 subject and it says, hey Granger, my name is Ian 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:19.760 and I love your podcast. I'm fifteen years old. I'm 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:21.920 a Christian and I like this girl, but I don't 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:24.600 know if she likes me. I've prayed, but I don't 0:20:24.600 --> 0:20:26.960 have any clarity on whether or not I should ask 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:31.800 her out or just wait until i'm older. Also, if 0:20:31.800 --> 0:20:34.280 I do decide to ask her out, should I ask 0:20:34.320 --> 0:20:38.280 her dad first? Thanks? Ian, I believe that's how you 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:41.880 say your name. It's spelled e O. I in Ian. 0:20:44.320 --> 0:20:46.240 If we're sitting in the truck or is that one 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:51.080 message said last break? If we're fishing, then I'm in Annita. 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:53.800 I needed a little bit more information from you, Ian. 0:20:54.760 --> 0:20:57.680 And one of the questions I would ask is how 0:20:57.720 --> 0:21:03.360 old is she? Fifteen? Is that's going to be borderline 0:21:04.480 --> 0:21:07.920 of what I'm gonna think is too young? And if 0:21:07.960 --> 0:21:13.280 I'm the girl's dad, I would say no. And I 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:16.520 do have a girl that's twelve. I would say no, 0:21:17.640 --> 0:21:22.440 it's not time. And I'm probably rare. There's probably not 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:25.200 a lot of dads that would do that. Say you're 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:29.680 not going to date, but I would say, let's hang 0:21:29.680 --> 0:21:32.280 out in a group. Right, you could go out with 0:21:32.280 --> 0:21:34.640 my daughter and you guys could hang out in a group, 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:37.720 maybe go see the high school football game. Maybe you guys, 0:21:38.400 --> 0:21:41.840 we could all go to the town festival. We can 0:21:41.880 --> 0:21:45.040 go to the county Fair as a group. And there's 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:48.280 four or five guys and there's four or five girls, 0:21:48.720 --> 0:21:52.320 and I'm going to say, you're not going to be 0:21:53.160 --> 0:21:57.240 alone with my daughter. It's not you Ian. In fact, 0:21:57.280 --> 0:21:59.640 I don't know you at all, and it's not that's 0:21:59.800 --> 0:22:02.600 the It's kind of irrelevant to the situation of who 0:22:02.640 --> 0:22:07.080 you are. It's your age, that's the deal. However, that 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:09.800 being said, of course I remember being fifteen. I remember 0:22:09.800 --> 0:22:12.560 liking girls, and I remember thinking what you're thinking, and 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:15.760 so what you're feeling and what you're asking is not 0:22:15.920 --> 0:22:19.679 wrong in itself. I'm just going to counsel you, and 0:22:19.720 --> 0:22:23.320 I hope that others will counsel around you and go, hey, buddy, okay, 0:22:23.520 --> 0:22:25.480 I got it. You like this girl, I got it. 0:22:25.760 --> 0:22:29.040 Let me tell you how we're going to walk through this, right, 0:22:29.240 --> 0:22:30.679 I would hope that that's how it's going to go. 0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:35.199 I probably won't. I'm glad you emailed this podcast, So 0:22:35.359 --> 0:22:38.240 let's walk through it as if you actually are going 0:22:38.280 --> 0:22:42.800 to ask her and pretend that the dad's totally cool 0:22:42.800 --> 0:22:46.960 with this and this is not my daughter, Okay, let's 0:22:46.960 --> 0:22:49.560 talk of it that way. I think, first of all, 0:22:49.840 --> 0:22:53.680 it's a fantastic idea to ask the dad for everything 0:22:53.720 --> 0:22:56.800 I just for every reason I just gave is a 0:22:56.400 --> 0:23:00.800 fantastic thing. You're fifteen years old to talk to the dad, 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.080 Because what if the dad says, my daughter's not allowed 0:23:04.119 --> 0:23:08.560 to date, okay, and the girl goes ahead and goes 0:23:08.600 --> 0:23:11.840 behind his back and goes out with you. What kind 0:23:11.880 --> 0:23:15.640 of future does that possibly leave you? None? Because you're 0:23:15.680 --> 0:23:17.680 just sneaking around and as soon as the dad finds out, 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:20.560