Latest / All About The Joy / Get to Know our Co-Host Rick Costa - Questioning Church and Inclusivity in Faith

Transcript

Get to Know our Co-Host Rick Costa - Questioning Church and Inclusivity in Faith · All About The Joy

• 0:00
  Carmen Lezeth: Hi everyone, welcome to All About the Joy.
• 0:02
  Carmen Lezeth: This is the podcast version.
• 0:03
  Carmen Lezeth: We're doing a little interview today and a little chit chat with Rick Costa.
• 0:07
  Carmen Lezeth: I just realized, rick hi, how are you, hello, hello, how are you?
• 0:13
  Carmen Lezeth: Nice to always have you here.
• 0:14
  Carmen Lezeth: I realized the other day that you know we haven't taken some time to kind of get to know you as the co-host of All About the Joy.
• 0:22
  Carmen Lezeth: So I thought we'd do a little few minutes kind of just chit chatting about that and why our relationship kind of works.
• 0:29
  Carmen Lezeth: And then the other thing I wanted to talk to you about too is some of the topics you've been talking about on your live stream, because I thought it was interesting.
• 0:38
  Carmen Lezeth: So welcome to the show, rick.
• 0:43
  Rick Costa: Thank you, I feel welcome.
• 0:44
  Rick Costa: Thank you yeah.
• 0:46
  Carmen Lezeth: So why don't you tell people how we met?
• 0:50
  Rick Costa: So this wonderful app that no longer exists called Apps.
• 0:54
  Rick Costa: That was just an amazing, positive experience of being so sarcastic right now.
• 1:00
  Rick Costa: Yeah, we just came across each other on there, but I think the one video I saw was when you were with three other women and you guys were talking about men and I was like, oh, this is amazing.
• 1:14
  Rick Costa: This conversation is awesome.
• 1:16
  Rick Costa: I'm learning stuff right now.
• 1:17
  Rick Costa: And I was like that's when I was like, oh, I like these people.
• 1:21
  Carmen Lezeth: Oh, that's so funny.
• 1:22
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't remember who that was, but that price sounds like me, whatever.
• 1:26
  Carmen Lezeth: Oh, that's hilarious.
• 1:28
  Carmen Lezeth: Yeah, and when I first ran into or started getting to know people on Apps and anyone who listens to me or is on our show knows that I hate that app with every fiber of my being, and I say it every time, just to be clear Part of it is because it was just a very toxic place.
• 1:45
  Carmen Lezeth: But there were pearls, there were people, and you're one of those people, rick, that I thought were pretty cool, even though you and I do not believe in the same things, and that's what I want to talk about, so, rickcostedcom.
• 2:00
  Carmen Lezeth: So when I first met Rick, I thought he was a pastor, because everyone called you Pastor, rick.
• 2:08
  Rick Costa: Oh, I mean, so how did that come about?
• 2:10
  Rick Costa: So it was on Periscope.
• 2:13
  Carmen Lezeth: Another app.
• 2:14
  Carmen Lezeth: Wait, wait, yes, yes, periscope is another app, right.
• 2:17
  Rick Costa: Periscope was pretty big back in the day.
• 2:19
  Rick Costa: Actually, I think the second year I was out it became like the number one app and that's when it really kind of pulled in.
• 2:25
  Rick Costa: Everybody was on that thing.
• 2:27
  Rick Costa: But, funny enough, people have called me that like slipping, sort of Like, oh, pastor, I mean Rick, they've done that for forever.
• 2:38
  Rick Costa: Even my own pastor has done that in front of the church and I'm like, hmm, what's that about?
• 2:44
  Carmen Lezeth: Yeah, but why you should tell people why.
• 2:47
  Rick Costa: Because I am super hardcore into the Bible and Jesus.
• 2:53
  Carmen Lezeth: OK when you're being a little humble, let me intervene.
• 2:55
  Carmen Lezeth: It's not just that you're super hardcore into the Bible, but that is part of it.
• 3:00
  Carmen Lezeth: But you also have a daily service show that you do on let me see if I got this right Sunday through Friday at 3.
• 3:13
  Carmen Lezeth: Pm Pacific and six pm Eastern, and it's about half an hour 45 minutes and you do a Bible reading, you do a Song that you all sing together.
• 3:27
  Carmen Lezeth: You have regular people that come on the show.
• 3:30
  Carmen Lezeth: You read the Bible and then you have, like some games that you do that I try to once in a while come and visit and I always Kind of into being when the games are going on because I think they're fun and you do a lot of praying for other people and stuff like that.
• 3:44
  Carmen Lezeth: So you've been doing this for Eight years now, every day's gobbledy.
• 3:50
  Carmen Lezeth: You have not missed a day which you're very proud about that and I'm all like we doing this podcast because we taking off Thanksgiving.
• 3:56
  Carmen Lezeth: I have no interest whatsoever in doing that, but Congratulations to you.
• 4:02
  Carmen Lezeth: But the reason why I bring that up is because I think that's why people were calling you also pasturic is because you are providing a Religious service or sermon, or I don't want to speak for you, but why don't you tell people what you call it?
• 4:16
  Rick Costa: I mean that's what people just naturally started doing.
• 4:19
  Rick Costa: And then it got to the point where it happened so much when I was like, okay, I guess this is happening, so I'm just gonna let it happen.
• 4:28
  Rick Costa: And I even changed my name on periscope to pastor Rick Costa.
• 4:32
  Rick Costa: I was like we're just gonna go with it, that's what it is.
• 4:34
  Rick Costa: And I mean I'm serving the the purpose of one.
• 4:39
  Rick Costa: You know I do.
• 4:40
  Rick Costa: What do I do?
• 4:40
  Rick Costa: That's different and not really much, you know I.
• 4:42
  Rick Costa: There's like a little sermon, you know.
• 4:45
  Rick Costa: But there's the worst it's a church service.
• 4:46
  Rick Costa: It's literally a church service, for yeah, it's online.
• 4:49
  Rick Costa: So, yeah, we just kind of went with it and everybody was calling me that and I was like, all right, I Guess I accept it.
• 4:56
  Rick Costa: You know, I didn't.
• 4:57
  Rick Costa: I fought that.
• 4:58
  Rick Costa: For the longest I was like mm-hmm, no, no, don't put that on me, don't put that on me.
• 5:02
  Rick Costa: But then I was like, all right, all right.
• 5:05
  Carmen Lezeth: What?
• 5:05
  Carmen Lezeth: What's the big deal?
• 5:07
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean, if I mean I don't know what the okay, so let's just talk about we don't have to go down why you are or not called pastor Rick and I understand you have a lot of humility issues and being some.
• 5:18
  Carmen Lezeth: I Say that respectfully but, being someone who grew up in the Catholic Church, I went to school for 12 years, from first grade to 12th grade went to Catholic school.
• 5:29
  Carmen Lezeth: My mom for you know the years that I had her up until it was 11 1 1 1 was Catholic.
• 5:36
  Carmen Lezeth: We lived in the archdiocese, so there was a lot of this around me growing up.
• 5:42
  Carmen Lezeth: The difference was is that my mom made it very, very clear to us that you know there were things about the Catholic Church specifically that we didn't have to adhere to.
• 5:54
  Carmen Lezeth: So like, for example, my mom.
• 5:57
  Carmen Lezeth: I remember vividly I came home when they started having the priest have face-to-face confession.
• 6:03
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't know what you know about Catholicism because your services I grew up in Catholicism.
• 6:07
  Rick Costa: Oh you did was.
• 6:08
  Rick Costa: I was a hardcore Catholic oh okay.
• 6:10
  Rick Costa: I prayed a rosary every day.
• 6:12
  Rick Costa: Oh yes, oh goodness.
• 6:13
  Rick Costa: Okay, I was a altar boy.
• 6:15
  Carmen Lezeth: Oh, were you oh everything, yeah remember when they switched from going into the confessional into Going face-to-face to the priest the first time I did communion, because I was in Catholic school as well as regular public school.
• 6:28
  Rick Costa: I cried.
• 6:31
  Rick Costa: I don't remember what he said.
• 6:33
  Rick Costa: I came out of the room and I'm like I just wanted to leave.
• 6:36
  Rick Costa: They're like what did he tell you to do?
• 6:37
  Rick Costa: You got to say however many prayers, I don't remember what he said.
• 6:40
  Rick Costa: Well, you go up there and you fake it.
• 6:42
  Rick Costa: You can't just leave.
• 6:42
  Rick Costa: I was literally crying because I was like this is weird to me.
• 6:45
  Rick Costa: Why am I telling a human my thoughts?
• 6:48
  Rick Costa: Can God not hear me?
• 6:49
  Rick Costa: Like what?
• 6:49
  Rick Costa: This doesn't make sense to me.
• 6:50
  Carmen Lezeth: I never thought that was a little bit different.
• 6:52
  Carmen Lezeth: I just didn't want to be in a room by myself with a priest or with anybody, and and you know I was a little kid but I remember my mom being very dismissive about Confessional and I think it's probably kind of in line with what you're talking about.
• 7:09
  Carmen Lezeth: She was just like go in, say you sword your mother, say you did baby and don't, don't worry about it, and then just sit there and pretend you're praying and don't.
• 7:16
  Carmen Lezeth: You know it's kind of that thing and I was really young.
• 7:20
  Carmen Lezeth: But I remember the impression was Because I don't remember what she said exactly, you know I'd be lying if I said I remember but the impression was your relationship is between you and God.
• 7:31
  Carmen Lezeth: We're just here because we're part of the archdiocese and it's a good school, you know.
• 7:36
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean, I kind of always understood that, and also you know Just the people around me.
• 7:41
  Carmen Lezeth: So yeah, so we, we have that background as a common thing.
• 7:47
  Carmen Lezeth: But I also think you're pretty cool.
• 7:50
  Carmen Lezeth: You don't push religion on other people.
• 7:52
  Carmen Lezeth: You, you know, as everyone has seen the show, you're a big Marvel fan and a Star Trek fan and and so we kind of connected on that end too, and we've had some heated conversations about issues and I don't think I changed your mind, but I feel like I made you think about something.
• 8:16
  Carmen Lezeth: Yes and I like that.
• 8:18
  Carmen Lezeth: You know what I mean and I've come on your show and I've enjoyed the you, how do you say the community of praying for people?
• 8:27
  Carmen Lezeth: I love that part.
• 8:28
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't usually chime in.
• 8:30
  Carmen Lezeth: I chime in during the game.
• 8:32
  Carmen Lezeth: I say hi.
• 8:34
  Carmen Lezeth: I do say hi, you know, but I do love that People are asking worshiping together.
• 8:43
  Carmen Lezeth: I do think there is something beautiful about that, no matter what church it is.
• 8:48
  Rick Costa: Yeah, yeah, I agree, I definitely think there's something to it.
• 8:51
  Rick Costa: When you do it together, you know, yes, you can do it yourself, and that's awesome.
• 8:55
  Rick Costa: But when you're doing it in a community, it's just different.
• 8:58
  Rick Costa: Somehow.
• 8:58
  Rick Costa: It's I don't know, it's powerful, it's just different.
• 9:02
  Carmen Lezeth: I absolutely believe in God.
• 9:04
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't believe in the Bible.
• 9:07
  Carmen Lezeth: That's where you and I kind of have a difference of opinion or faith or whatever we're calling it.
• 9:13
  Carmen Lezeth: But I respect it.
• 9:15
  Carmen Lezeth: I respect your viewpoint.
• 9:16
  Carmen Lezeth: But I love going to like a Baptist church or whatever, just for the sheer community of it, of worshiping with people, and also the music is just.
• 9:27
  Carmen Lezeth: So there is a spiritual I don't even know what to call it.
• 9:33
  Carmen Lezeth: There is something that happens when you're with other people who are that intense about praying.
• 9:38
  Carmen Lezeth: You can't help but become part of that.
• 9:41
  Carmen Lezeth: I'm gonna call it joy.
• 9:43
  Carmen Lezeth: I'm sorry.
• 9:44
  Carmen Lezeth: Yeah yeah, there is something really beautiful and powerful about it.
• 9:49
  Carmen Lezeth: So, yeah, I'm not against it.
• 9:52
  Rick Costa: Yeah, community aspect is definitely a big attraction, I would say, for sure you know.
• 9:58
  Carmen Lezeth: And you have a pretty decent following, and what I'm so grateful for is so many of the people that follow you on your show come to All About the Joy, which is so lovely of them to stop by, and they've become part of our regular people and I kind of love that.
• 10:15
  Carmen Lezeth: I think it's so cool, so thank you for bringing your crew with us.
• 10:19
  Rick Costa: Yeah, not like I'm begging them, they're just like oh, rick's gonna be over here, let's join.
• 10:23
  Carmen Lezeth: Yeah, okay.
• 10:24
  Carmen Lezeth: So I have a question, though, because I the reason why we're doing this is because I wanted to have this conversation with you.
• 10:30
  Carmen Lezeth: Now, I don't remember everyone's names, but you have a group, two other people that you do a show with.
• 10:37
  Carmen Lezeth: Why don't you talk about that?
• 10:39
  Carmen Lezeth: And then I'll ask you the question about the subject matter you were talking about recently.
• 10:43
  Rick Costa: Yeah, so there's Jason Wallace and also Catholic.
• 10:46
  Rick Costa: But then he started going to another church and the pastors challenged him to read the Bible every day and he saw me and he goes.
• 10:58
  Rick Costa: You know what?
• 10:58
  Rick Costa: I could go online and read the Bible, so he started doing that and then it just started a snowball of him broadcasting all the time, and now I think you got more people watching him than me.
• 11:09
  Rick Costa: So, yeah, he was there from almost the very beginning and then Sue, who we call Mama Sue.
• 11:18
  Rick Costa: She's been Christian for a long time too, and, yeah, we asked her one day would she join us, and she goes oh, I'd love to, and so, yeah, so we do a monthly broadcast together if we're all available.
• 11:27
  Carmen Lezeth: A monthly.
• 11:28
  Carmen Lezeth: I thought it was weekly.
• 11:29
  Rick Costa: Yeah, it's monthly.
• 11:31
  Carmen Lezeth: It's monthly and the subject matter that you guys are talking about intrigued me.
• 11:36
  Carmen Lezeth: I haven't been able to watch a show because I think it's on a Saturday or something right, yeah, usually Saturdays yeah.
• 11:41
  Carmen Lezeth: But you were talking about and I'm so sorry to do this You're okay talking about it though right, yeah, yeah, you're one on that, yeah.
• 11:49
  Carmen Lezeth: So the subject matter is why are people no longer going to church?
• 11:55
  Carmen Lezeth: Is that correct?
• 11:56
  Carmen Lezeth: Am I putting that correctly?
• 11:58
  Rick Costa: So basically, it started with a Facebook post where I asked the question, and this was like from two or three years ago why do you think people don't go to church?
• 12:07
  Rick Costa: And boy did the comments flow.
• 12:10
  Rick Costa: People had lots to say.
• 12:12
  Carmen Lezeth: And so my question is what are some of the reasons or what are you learning through this conversation?
• 12:18
  Carmen Lezeth: Because if people really want to know about it, they should probably go.
• 12:21
  Carmen Lezeth: I want to promote Mama Sue and what's his name?
• 12:25
  Carmen Lezeth: Jason Wallace's, wallace Jason Wallace's show as well.
• 12:29
  Carmen Lezeth: I want to be nice to them in kind, and you can find out more information about them on RickCostacom.
• 12:34
  Rick Costa: You can find out more about the schedule there.
• 12:36
  Rick Costa: Jesusdiditorg is specifically for the whole ministry.
• 12:39
  Carmen Lezeth: I am so sorry and I never promote his show on my show, but I will today.
• 12:44
  Carmen Lezeth: I'm so sorry, jesusdiditorg.
• 12:47
  Carmen Lezeth: What's RickCostacom?
• 12:49
  Rick Costa: Oh, that's just personal, that's just me yeah.
• 12:52
  Carmen Lezeth: Okay, so I'm sorry, but if people go to RickCostacom can they find JesusDidItorg.
• 12:59
  Rick Costa: If they click on the link for my book, it takes you to JesusDidItorg.
• 13:02
  Rick Costa: Yeah, I'm not.
• 13:03
  Carmen Lezeth: I am so sorry, I did not know this, so yeah that's fine.
• 13:05
  Carmen Lezeth: You maybe want to put a button there.
• 13:08
  Rick Costa: Yeah, I was just thinking do I even have one?
• 13:15
  Carmen Lezeth: So yeah, so my apologies, jesus did it.
• 13:18
  Carmen Lezeth: Org.
• 13:18
  Carmen Lezeth: I always say, rick, cost of that, come, because people are starting to know you.
• 13:22
  Carmen Lezeth: That's like your brand, your name.
• 13:24
  Carmen Lezeth: So yeah, I think after tonight you gonna put a little button somewhere, right.
• 13:28
  Rick Costa: I need to if it's not.
• 13:31
  Carmen Lezeth: But okay.
• 13:31
  Carmen Lezeth: So what have you learned in your conversations?
• 13:35
  Carmen Lezeth: Biggest reasons or biggest surprises?
• 13:38
  Rick Costa: I think the biggest, biggest thing that just keeps coming up over and over and over again through all the different types of comments is people have been hurt.
• 13:45
  Rick Costa: We call it church hurt, quote, quote.
• 13:48
  Rick Costa: Um, yeah, people just been hurt in church and it's like Church is not a place where you get hurt.
• 13:54
  Rick Costa: Church is a place where you're supposed to get help and healed and have hope.
• 13:58
  Rick Costa: And the fact that people get hurt it's like what are y'all thinking about?
• 14:03
  Carmen Lezeth: You get more specific.
• 14:04
  Carmen Lezeth: What do you mean by like, like?
• 14:06
  Carmen Lezeth: Are there some specific examples Like?
• 14:08
  Carmen Lezeth: What does that mean?
• 14:10
  Rick Costa: Some people are real sensitive.
• 14:12
  Rick Costa: Some of them, you know they're just too sensitive.
• 14:15
  Rick Costa: Like the pastor didn't say hi to me, like sometimes is that done?
• 14:19
  Carmen Lezeth: Well, that's ridiculous.
• 14:20
  Rick Costa: It is ridiculous, I mean.
• 14:21
  Carmen Lezeth: I know some people who have left the church because of the hypocrisy, yes, of what priests have done in the Catholic.
• 14:28
  Carmen Lezeth: You know, church to Alter boys, to young people, that you, I mean, that's in the news, you can Google it, that's not.
• 14:36
  Carmen Lezeth: And I know people who are like you know what?
• 14:38
  Carmen Lezeth: It's not even that the act happened, it's that.
• 14:41
  Carmen Lezeth: Then you know, the Pope or the bishops have just moved people on.
• 14:46
  Carmen Lezeth: You know, I mean, and not really dealt with that and I, you know I have other reasons why I don't go to church, but that to me is a big one.
• 14:54
  Rick Costa: There's a yeah.
• 14:55
  Rick Costa: Yeah, you can't sweep that under the rug.
• 14:57
  Rick Costa: Yeah there's no way.
• 14:59
  Rick Costa: There's no way.
• 14:59
  Rick Costa: And, like you know, just like Any sex offender, you know you get on the registry and if they move into your neighborhood you can get an email.
• 15:07
  Rick Costa: Somebody just you know right, shouldn't be a secret.
• 15:09
  Rick Costa: You know you want to be.
• 15:10
  Rick Costa: You know I feel bad for them, yeah, because it's embarrassing.
• 15:13
  Rick Costa: But I mean you want to be safe if you got kids, especially so.
• 15:16
  Carmen Lezeth: Wait, wait.
• 15:17
  Carmen Lezeth: Who do you feel bad for?
• 15:19
  Rick Costa: Like I know somebody that there was a situation and they were accused he, yeah, but the girl was totally pretending to be older and it was just a big mess and so there's no doubt.
• 15:33
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean, this has nothing to do with the church.
• 15:35
  Carmen Lezeth: I've known men who were accused as well, and I find it hard to believe.
• 15:40
  Carmen Lezeth: But you know that that's a whole other conversation, when people are taking advantage of the fact that we will believe you.
• 15:50
  Carmen Lezeth: We want to believe you and we will do whatever we need to do to protect you.
• 15:55
  Carmen Lezeth: You know so that's a tough one, but let's get back to the check.
• 15:59
  Carmen Lezeth: What else have you learned?
• 16:00
  Carmen Lezeth: So I don't want to hear the stupid stuff which you know.
• 16:03
  Carmen Lezeth: The priest didn't say hi to me.
• 16:05
  Carmen Lezeth: Oh, whoever.
• 16:07
  Rick Costa: We need to talk to see definitely comes up.
• 16:09
  Rick Costa: People say all their hypocrites are hypocrites and like well, join in, because I'm sure you probably got some hypocrisy you too.
• 16:15
  Rick Costa: Nobody's perfect, I mean there's just.
• 16:17
  Rick Costa: There's an expression to say well, if you want to join the perfect church as soon as you get there ain't gonna be perfect no more, because you ain't perfect either.
• 16:23
  Rick Costa: None of us are, you know.
• 16:24
  Rick Costa: So that's kind of a dumb reason, not me, not dumb.
• 16:27
  Rick Costa: But Anyway, there's a million churches.
• 16:31
  Carmen Lezeth: Okay, how about the?
• 16:32
  Carmen Lezeth: Okay?
• 16:32
  Carmen Lezeth: Here's my reasoning, and this isn't specifically to the Catholic Church.
• 16:36
  Carmen Lezeth: But what about all of this evangelical Wealth?
• 16:39
  Carmen Lezeth: That, I think, is, I mean, I think, one of things that bothers me.
• 16:44
  Carmen Lezeth: I went to Catholic school and the nuns were sisters of charity and let me tell you, there was no doubt about it, they were sisters of charity.
• 16:52
  Carmen Lezeth: We didn't have nothing.
• 16:54
  Carmen Lezeth: They didn't have nothing, definitely sisters of poverty or whatever their thing was, and I remember that.
• 17:03
  Carmen Lezeth: You know, but I feel, like some of these churches, I'm shook by the tithing and then, and I'm okay, I'm okay investing in something you believe in, but if he's driving a Rolls Royce, I'm just saying I don't think that's what Jesus would have thought when you're fucking got food.
• 17:24
  Rick Costa: Yeah, that's definitely one of the big ones too is they're like oh, they just want money, they just want money to do, and I'm, and I care it, I understand it.
• 17:30
  Rick Costa: And that was a funny thing on Periscope again the first time I was on and because it was a so many more people over there, they'd see me be like, oh, here's another money hungry preacher.
• 17:40
  Rick Costa: And I'm like, excuse me everybody, can you tell this person how many times I have ever asked for money?
• 17:46
  Rick Costa: Right, they're like you never asked for money.
• 17:48
  Rick Costa: Right back then.
• 17:49
  Rick Costa: I definitely did never.
• 17:50
  Rick Costa: Never asked for money.
• 17:51
  Rick Costa: Um, I don't know, I don't get paid to do this.
• 17:53
  Rick Costa: No, I'm gonna pay check noise, but I'm gonna go into my head either I just do it because I want to do it.
• 17:56
  Rick Costa: But, um, yeah, I definitely understand that.
• 17:59
  Rick Costa: I mean, if you're sitting there broke and the past is like you gotta give blah, blah, blah, I'm like I gotta pay my rent.
• 18:05
  Rick Costa: What are you talking about?
• 18:05
  Rick Costa: I gotta get what well and he told me.
• 18:08
  Carmen Lezeth: When they tie the Amount of money you get to the miracles and the blessings, I'm like that's your first clue that that is a bad place to be churching, as I call it.
• 18:19
  Carmen Lezeth: If someone cuz, cuz, your relationship with God is your relationship with God and it doesn't matter how much money you give To whoever is pretending because at that point you're pretending, I'm sorry, you know.
• 18:32
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean like if you're doing a quick pro quo, like if you give me 10% of your salary and then I will give you a blessing, that's a red flag right there.
• 18:42
  Rick Costa: Yeah, and I've heard horror stories too.
• 18:44
  Rick Costa: Like I'm a person that's pretty well known, we'll say the name.
• 18:47
  Rick Costa: But some good, some, some brother guys.
• 18:50
  Rick Costa: Brother went to his service and he said to the preacher he's like, hey, my mom's got cancer.
• 18:56
  Rick Costa: It's not looking good.
• 18:57
  Rick Costa: And he said, oh, buy this $50.
• 19:00
  Rick Costa: Oh, my god oil, pour it all over her and she will be healed.
• 19:05
  Rick Costa: She died a month later.
• 19:07
  Carmen Lezeth: Of course she did.
• 19:08
  Carmen Lezeth: So that's there.
• 19:10
  Rick Costa: I'm sure I'm not trying to be funny, but come on that stuff, like that dad, just is disgusting and it makes all of us look bad, like what are you doing?
• 19:18
  Carmen Lezeth: stop, and you do know that there are more churches like that than not, right?
• 19:22
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean, that's the problem.
• 19:24
  Rick Costa: I don't know every church, so I don't know.
• 19:26
  Carmen Lezeth: Well, okay, I'm sorry, Let me talk about Catholic churches.
• 19:29
  Carmen Lezeth: Like, every time I go into a Catholic church, like even here in Santa Monica, which is this big church right down the street here, very well-known, very famous tour guides go by, whatever, and you know, even when you walk in there, the opulence.
• 19:41
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean it's beautiful, right, Because these are the old churches, the old cathedrals, whatever, and all that has to be, you know, up capped or whatever, and if you go to church, that tithing thing comes around three times.
• 19:54
  Carmen Lezeth: Okay, here's the thing about Catholic church.
• 19:57
  Carmen Lezeth: In case black people be listening, who are not Catholic, Catholic church is maybe 40 minutes.
• 20:03
  Carmen Lezeth: You're not there all day.
• 20:05
  Carmen Lezeth: It is our father, we sing a song, it's the same.
• 20:10
  Carmen Lezeth: You know.
• 20:11
  Carmen Lezeth: Sermon, whatever.
• 20:12
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean, I haven't been to church in a long time and every time I step in it's like I was just there yesterday.
• 20:17
  Rick Costa: Because it's exactly the same exact thing Every time.
• 20:19
  Carmen Lezeth: So in 40 minutes, when that basket comes around three or four times that's a lot of pressure.
• 20:25
  Carmen Lezeth: You know what I mean and I'm not saying you shouldn't invest in things that you believe in, but it's like nonprofits to me.
• 20:33
  Carmen Lezeth: If you want to invest money to a nonprofit, you need to research it, find out how much money is going to the administrative costs which are valid.
• 20:43
  Carmen Lezeth: You can't have a nonprofit without the administrative staff working to do the stuff.
• 20:48
  Carmen Lezeth: But you want to make sure that ratio is 80% administrative and then 20% to the actual thing you're supporting.
• 20:57
  Carmen Lezeth: And I don't think churches have that.
• 20:59
  Carmen Lezeth: But you can do research on some churches before you give money to them.
• 21:03
  Rick Costa: Yeah, and listen, if I didn't give it to you the first time, what makes you think two or three and four, five more times?
• 21:10
  Rick Costa: If I'm broke, I'm still going to be broke.
• 21:12
  Rick Costa: Don't be that time you pass this thing around.
• 21:14
  Rick Costa: Okay, like, what is the point of that?
• 21:16
  Rick Costa: I know that's.
• 21:17
  Carmen Lezeth: You know what.
• 21:18
  Carmen Lezeth: That was so good, rick, that was funny.
• 21:20
  Carmen Lezeth: No, but it is true.
• 21:22
  Carmen Lezeth: But I remember thinking like that's changed, because I don't remember getting that basket.
• 21:27
  Carmen Lezeth: So many times when I was going.
• 21:28
  Carmen Lezeth: I thought it came around once right before you gave, when you shook each other's hands.
• 21:34
  Carmen Lezeth: I forget what that thing is, you know what I mean.
• 21:35
  Carmen Lezeth: Yeah, you know what I mean Kind of the peace or whatever.
• 21:37
  Rick Costa: Peace, be with you, peace be with you, right?
• 21:39
  Carmen Lezeth: So that offering would come by before or after that, I never remember, but it was always like one time, but yeah.
• 21:44
  Rick Costa: Yeah, yeah, me too.
• 21:46
  Rick Costa: When I was a little kid I was just once, so yeah.
• 21:48
  Carmen Lezeth: Why would you say that people should go back to the church, whether it be online or physically?
• 21:56
  Carmen Lezeth: What would be your best argument?
• 21:59
  Rick Costa: Well, I mean, there's so many first of all, so you got to kind of find one that you kind of like.
• 22:05
  Carmen Lezeth: What do you mean?
• 22:06
  Carmen Lezeth: Oh, so many.
• 22:07
  Rick Costa: Oh, in America.
• 22:07
  Carmen Lezeth: In.
• 22:07
  Rick Costa: Americans In every street corner.
• 22:09
  Rick Costa: I mean maybe not that many, but there's a lot, there's a lot.
• 22:12
  Rick Costa: So you got to, you got to search a little bit and I always say ask your friends.
• 22:15
  Rick Costa: You surely must have some friends that go to church.
• 22:18
  Rick Costa: Why do you like it?
• 22:19
  Rick Costa: What's good about it, what you don't you like about it?
• 22:21
  Rick Costa: Da da da.
• 22:21
  Rick Costa: And then do some searching, don't just go to one.
• 22:24
  Rick Costa: You're like I'll give up, like no, because again the whole sense of community thing is awesome.
• 22:29
  Rick Costa: You make friends there.
• 22:31
  Rick Costa: Maybe that friend might help you one day when you need to help.
• 22:35
  Rick Costa: Sitting at home watching TV, ain't nobody going to help you.
• 22:40
  Carmen Lezeth: So you wouldn't say you should only look at churches in your neighborhood.
• 22:44
  Carmen Lezeth: You would say you might want to look online or look at other places.
• 22:48
  Carmen Lezeth: What about inclusivity?
• 22:50
  Carmen Lezeth: How about that Like, how does your sermon or what you do I don't know what the right word is.
• 22:58
  Carmen Lezeth: I was going to say manifest, but that's not right.
• 23:00
  Carmen Lezeth: How do you deal with maybe someone who's gay, somebody who's transgender issues that are?
• 23:09
  Carmen Lezeth: You know, maybe somebody is very politically inclined or something, or whatever it is.
• 23:14
  Carmen Lezeth: How does your teaching deal with that?
• 23:18
  Carmen Lezeth: Or your service specifically?
• 23:21
  Rick Costa: Yeah, so I mean, to me, the focus should always be on the person of Jesus, like, if you're not.
• 23:27
  Rick Costa: I even have a shirt that I used to have a shirt that said if you're not talking about Jesus, you're not talking about Jesus.
• 23:33
  Rick Costa: People are like huh, because it's like that's the thing we're here to talk about.
• 23:37
  Rick Costa: That's what we're gathered around rallying around him, not agendas.
• 23:40
  Rick Costa: Not my sin is worse than yours or better than what, I don't care.
• 23:44
  Rick Costa: That's your issue.
• 23:45
  Rick Costa: That's between you and God.
• 23:47
  Rick Costa: Don't judge somebody else because they sin different than you.
• 23:52
  Carmen Lezeth: So you would okay.
• 23:53
  Carmen Lezeth: I just want to clarify something.
• 23:54
  Carmen Lezeth: Are you saying that somebody who's transgender or gay is sinning?
• 24:00
  Rick Costa: That's not my issue.
• 24:01
  Rick Costa: That's between you and God.
• 24:03
  Carmen Lezeth: Okay, Well that's what I want to be clear, because, as I said that, then you started talking about sinning, and I just want to be clear that that's not your issue, your issue.
• 24:10
  Rick Costa: The church loves judging, judging, judging everything, and they're big for that, unfortunately.
• 24:14
  Rick Costa: And that turns off people.
• 24:15
  Rick Costa: I'll never forget.
• 24:16
  Rick Costa: I was on Periscope and it's actually happened in real life too.
• 24:19
  Rick Costa: Somebody came on and they're like, oh, you're a Christian.
• 24:23
  Rick Costa: I was like, yeah, and he goes.
• 24:24
  Rick Costa: Oh, so you hate me?
• 24:25
  Rick Costa: Huh.
• 24:25
  Rick Costa: I was like, huh, what?
• 24:27
  Carmen Lezeth: do you?
• 24:27
  Rick Costa: mean, I don't even know you.
• 24:29
  Rick Costa: What are you talking about?
• 24:29
  Rick Costa: Well, I'm gay, so by default you hate me.
• 24:31
  Rick Costa: I was like I don't even know you.
• 24:33
  Rick Costa: How can I hate you?
• 24:33
  Rick Costa: I don't know the first thing about you.
• 24:35
  Rick Costa: I was like why?
• 24:36
  Rick Costa: And again, church hurt.
• 24:38
  Rick Costa: They've been hurt before, so automatically all Christians must hate you know, blah, blah, and that kills me.
• 24:43
  Rick Costa: I had a real life encounter too with somebody who visited from Florida, stayed with family, but the family was a little bit judgy too and I made the effort.
• 24:52
  Rick Costa: He loved to go to movies.
• 24:53
  Rick Costa: I went to the movies with him and we hung out and we went to the restura and the day before he left and it was fighting so hard not to cry when he said it he was thank you, rick, because you're the only one that didn't make me feel like an outcast or a weirdo or, you know, like I was a leprous person or something.
• 25:08
  Rick Costa: Oh man, I'll try so hard not to cry when he said that because that hurt me so bad.
• 25:13
  Rick Costa: I'm like are you serious, even your own family?
• 25:16
  Carmen Lezeth: So, yeah, I mean To your whole, your whole service or your and I don't want to speak to you, but I want to clarify.
• 25:22
  Carmen Lezeth: You don't care if someone is gay or transgender, or black or white, or Jewish or whatever.
• 25:30
  Carmen Lezeth: Well, I doubt somebody who's Jewish would come to your service.
• 25:34
  Carmen Lezeth: Well, we don't know Somebody never know.
• 25:37
  Carmen Lezeth: You know, convert or something and believe that Jesus is a different, because they believe in Jesus.
• 25:43
  Carmen Lezeth: But he's just a prophet for those of you who don't know.
• 25:45
  Carmen Lezeth: But you don't care where someone's coming from, because you don't judge them.
• 25:50
  Carmen Lezeth: They're accepted into your service because, unlike a lot of other churches, they're not gonna you're not gonna try to change them because that's not what you're there to talk about.
• 26:02
  Rick Costa: What you believe, which is, yes, not my job to change nobody.
• 26:06
  Rick Costa: I'm working on me, okay, and got time to work on you, I gotta fix me.
• 26:10
  Rick Costa: So, yeah, I accept anybody and everybody, because we all got issues, you know, and if it's something you got to deal with between you and God, do it.
• 26:17
  Rick Costa: But I got my own issues.
• 26:19
  Rick Costa: I ain't trying to fix nobody.
• 26:20
  Rick Costa: I don't have the power to fix anybody or change anybody.
• 26:22
  Rick Costa: I can't change anybody.
• 26:24
  Carmen Lezeth: Right, so what?
• 26:25
  Carmen Lezeth: So?
• 26:26
  Carmen Lezeth: Why are you the person who has the expertise, let's say, or the like?
• 26:33
  Carmen Lezeth: Why are you someone I should come and listen to Preach about Jesus or the Bible?
• 26:41
  Rick Costa: Well, I mean, as far as my background, I Became a what I am now type of Christian, 12 years old, voraciously into the Bible like I could not get enough and it's my life completely turned around.
• 26:56
  Rick Costa: When I did that I was gonna kill myself at 12 and it was just those into so much stuff, just garbage.
• 27:03
  Rick Costa: But, um, yeah, I've been into this since I was 12 and I've never stopped and I've dealt with all kinds of people and, you know, prayed for so many people, help people.
• 27:16
  Carmen Lezeth: Um, and you do it like in Spanish we say like Anna, right, like you do it from because you have to do it.
• 27:22
  Carmen Lezeth: You've read the Bible how many times now?
• 27:26
  Rick Costa: I'm not even sure.
• 27:27
  Carmen Lezeth: Well, I heard you say the day was like the third time Maybe.
• 27:30
  Rick Costa: well, online, yes, online, starting in Periscope.
• 27:34
  Rick Costa: We've read it.
• 27:35
  Rick Costa: This is the third time, I think, now going, but me personally, I'm not even sure anymore.
• 27:39
  Rick Costa: It's because I read it every year.
• 27:41
  Rick Costa: I do a one-year Bible plan, so it's been a bunch times.
• 27:45
  Carmen Lezeth: Yeah, it's Periscope still around because all of you talk about it so much.
• 27:49
  Carmen Lezeth: I just want to be clever.
• 27:50
  Carmen Lezeth: People gonna be like looking up Periscope.
• 27:52
  Carmen Lezeth: So Periscope was an app they all used in the past.
• 27:55
  Carmen Lezeth: It was part of Twitter back in the day right.
• 27:58
  Carmen Lezeth: It was huge and it was huge and there was really bad parts of it, but really good good parts of it.
• 28:04
  Carmen Lezeth: This is where most of these people became friends, and then Periscope got shut down and then people went over to a place called Haps for a minute.
• 28:12
  Carmen Lezeth: So I just want people not to get confused, because you keep saying you all talk about Periscope.
• 28:17
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't realize how much.
• 28:20
  Rick Costa: It was.
• 28:20
  Rick Costa: It was huge.
• 28:21
  Rick Costa: That's where we got our start, like it was nothing to get 2,000 people on our broadcast like and everybody talking and you try to keep up With all the comments.
• 28:28
  Rick Costa: So yeah, it was, it was a big thing.
• 28:31
  Carmen Lezeth: So yeah, um, is there anything that you would want to add to our conversation today that might inspire people who have decided not to Be religious or be but still have faith?
• 28:47
  Carmen Lezeth: Like, is there something Last words or something you want to tell me last words?
• 28:52
  Carmen Lezeth: That way, I just want to move on to another topic.
• 29:00
  Rick Costa: There's anything else you want to say to someone who might be a little intrigued, inspired, but yeah, there's a verse in the Bible that says if you seek him with all your heart, you will find him.
• 29:11
  Rick Costa: And I 100% believe that.
• 29:12
  Rick Costa: And people say, like well, what if there's somebody on a island and they never heard of nothing about Jesus or Bible?
• 29:19
  Rick Costa: And I'm like I still stick with that verse if you seek him with all your heart, you will find him.
• 29:24
  Rick Costa: God will find a way.
• 29:26
  Carmen Lezeth: Okay, but what if people don't know Jesus?
• 29:30
  Rick Costa: I Hope you want to find out something about him, just in case, in case.
• 29:37
  Rick Costa: In case this really is his universe that he created, it might be in your best interest to, just in case, find out a little bit of something you know.
• 29:46
  Carmen Lezeth: No, I really appreciate you doing this because I think it'll be really helpful for people.
• 29:51
  Carmen Lezeth: People ask me all the time Like I don't understand, like why are you have him as your coat?
• 29:57
  Carmen Lezeth: Like because he's okay, he's cool, he's not crazy, totally lowest, we do get along yeah.
• 30:07
  Carmen Lezeth: And and I I have no issues with anyone who is pursuing what they believe in their heart and soul and I think the biggest problem, and especially in the United States right now, is this inability to be okay with somebody who's different than we are.
• 30:26
  Rick Costa: Right, and I think that's a big thing about me too, and the people say all the time that I'm very open to listen to anybody, to hear anybody, to hear different opinions.
• 30:34
  Rick Costa: I'm not scared to hear somebody's different thoughts, you know.
• 30:38
  Rick Costa: So, yeah, and I'm going to treat you.
• 30:40
  Rick Costa: You're all human, I'll treat you just as good as you treat me.
• 30:43
  Rick Costa: You know, probably better sometimes, but yeah, Well, I appreciate you for doing this.
• 30:49
  Carmen Lezeth: I want to tell people again it is JesusDidItorg.
• 30:53
  Carmen Lezeth: Sorry that I was saying RickCostacom, but as of tonight he's going to set up a button just to keep.
• 31:01
  Rick Costa: You should do that anyways, because it might even be on there, I can't remember.
• 31:05
  Carmen Lezeth: But yeah, because I was always saying that you know it means other people and and look at, just so people are aware.
• 31:12
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't promote Rick's show on my show because I don't want to push people away who are not religious.
• 31:20
  Carmen Lezeth: And you know, I mean, like this show is all about the joy and we do specific topics, we have guests on or whatever.
• 31:27
  Carmen Lezeth: So and Rick knows that.
• 31:29
  Carmen Lezeth: But it's not because I'm avoiding what he does.
• 31:32
  Carmen Lezeth: I respect what he does.
• 31:34
  Carmen Lezeth: I try to visit his broadcast at least once or twice a week to be supportive and I believe in who Rick is as a person.
• 31:42
  Carmen Lezeth: So I don't want people to get it twisted.
• 31:45
  Carmen Lezeth: I may not believe exactly what he does, but I know that he is and I say this respectfully one of the good people.
• 31:53
  Rick Costa: You know?
• 31:53
  Rick Costa: I mean, I was just thinking like if anybody on the Christian side is saying the same thing like, well, why do you hang out with Carmen?
• 31:59
  Rick Costa: Because she's good people.
• 32:00
  Carmen Lezeth: That's right, we're good people.
• 32:03
  Rick Costa: I just checked my website, by the way, and there is a link to Jesus that did it at work.
• 32:10
  Carmen Lezeth: Oh, okay, good, good.
• 32:11
  Carmen Lezeth: So I wanted to see.
• 32:13
  Carmen Lezeth: I mean again thank you so much for for letting me kind of go through this and kind of talk to you.
• 32:18
  Carmen Lezeth: I think it's an important part of it.
• 32:20
  Rick Costa: I mean you, let me interview you about your book.
• 32:22
  Rick Costa: So it's only fair.
• 32:26
  Carmen Lezeth: Like how you like to slip that all in there.
• 32:28
  Rick Costa: No called canela on Amazon.
• 32:31
  Carmen Lezeth: But actually, you know, what's so interesting is I am writing a second book and I'm now trying to carve out time Because I think if you really want to do something, you need to do it.
• 32:40
  Carmen Lezeth: You need to stop talking about it, you need to just do it.
• 32:42
  Carmen Lezeth: But it is hard, right, when you're so busy and just ridiculously off I don't know on so many things, but so glad you were here.
• 32:51
  Carmen Lezeth: I'm going to shut this down and thank you again and I appreciate you so much and I love that you're part of all about the joy.
• 32:58
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't think I would have the broadcast without you because you've got to have, but it's true, you got to have the ability to talk with somebody that gets you and that you can argue with and have.
• 33:11
  Carmen Lezeth: I don't think we've really had a lot of arguments, but we disagree on a lot of stuff, but when it comes to, like Loki and, you know, thor, things that really really matter, yeah, but I appreciate you so much and we definitely want to say what time and day do does all about the joy?
• 33:34
  Rick Costa: come on, can't forget to say that.
• 33:36
  Carmen Lezeth: But they know.
• 33:37
  Carmen Lezeth: No, I'm just kidding.
• 33:37
  Carmen Lezeth: So Thursday night, 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern.
• 33:43
  Carmen Lezeth: You can visit us on All About the Joy on the live stream on Thursday night, 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern.
• 33:51
  Carmen Lezeth: You can always catch the podcast it posts by Monday morning at 6am on the east coast.
• 33:57
  Carmen Lezeth: And yeah, we will catch you all next time.
• 34:01
  Carmen Lezeth: So thank you for stopping by and remember it's always All About the Joy, see ya.
• 34:07
  Carmen Lezeth: Thank you, rick.
• 34:08
  Carmen Lezeth: Bye, thank you, bye-bye.
• 34:09
  Carmen Lezeth: Thanks for stopping by.
• 34:11
  Carmen Lezeth: All About the Joy.
• 34:13
  Carmen Lezeth: Be better and stay beautiful folks.
• 34:15
  Carmen Lezeth: Have a sweet day.