Latest / Sermons on the Side / 92 | Easy Ricardo, Easy

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92 | Easy Ricardo, Easy · Sermons on the Side

0:01
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Sermons on the Side.
0:04
SPEAKER_02: I'm Brad.
0:04
SPEAKER_02: And I'm Richard.
0:06
SPEAKER_02: And life can move pretty fast.
0:08
SPEAKER_02: So we're here to slow down, dig deep, and find the story hidden in everyday moments.
0:14
SPEAKER_00: With years spent in ministry, friendship, and navigating real life together, we're all about blending humor, honesty, and faith into conversations that meet you right where you are.
0:24
SPEAKER_02: So whether you're brand new or you're back for more, we are so glad you are here.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: So relax, listen in, and let's discover meaning together.
0:34
SPEAKER_02: In the ordinary, the messy, and everything in between.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: Sermons on the side.
0:40
SPEAKER_00: Finding meaning in the everyday.
0:44
SPEAKER_02: First Thessalonians 5 18.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: Okay, now I gotta stop and write it down.
0:49
SPEAKER_02: Picked up his name.
0:50
SPEAKER_02: All right.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: Spell thess spell Thessalonians.
1:01
SPEAKER_01: It's first testing to try to spell Thessalonians.
1:22
SPEAKER_02: It's beginning to look a lot like Christ.
1:25
SPEAKER_02: Whoa!
1:28
SPEAKER_00: Wadenstein over.
1:30
SPEAKER_02: Hey, Halloween is over.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: That means it's Christmas time in the deep south.
1:38
SPEAKER_02: Dude, that was the funniest, funniest reel.
1:42
SPEAKER_02: This guy was like coming out of his house, and it was like early morning dusk.
1:47
SPEAKER_02: It was like the morning after Halloween.
1:49
SPEAKER_02: I heard some craziness outside, and then it's like, ha ha ha ha.
1:54
SPEAKER_02: But then it like faded away, and he was like, What was that?
1:58
SPEAKER_01: She's coming.
1:59
SPEAKER_01: She's coming.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: But welcome to November.
2:05
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to November.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness.
2:09
SPEAKER_02: First of all, this year has flown by.
2:11
SPEAKER_02: This month has snuck up on us.
2:13
SPEAKER_02: But my goodness, am I grateful to be here?
2:16
SPEAKER_00: Come on.
2:16
SPEAKER_00: Welcome, November.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: Welcome gratitude themes.
2:20
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
2:21
SPEAKER_02: Am I right?
2:21
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
2:22
SPEAKER_02: Speaking of gratitude themes, our pastor, I'll talk to you a little bit about this uh before we hit the record button, Richard, but our pastor uh Don Butler.
2:31
SPEAKER_02: Shout out, Don.
2:32
SPEAKER_02: In uh in Hamilton, we are doing, he has challenged the church to do several things.
2:38
SPEAKER_02: And I am publicly declaring mainly just for some accountability purposes, okay, uh, that I am doing these.
2:47
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
2:47
SPEAKER_02: Number one.
2:49
SPEAKER_02: Oh, there's multiple.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
2:51
SPEAKER_02: You know what?
2:52
SPEAKER_02: I'm laying down the gauntlet to our listeners.
2:55
SPEAKER_02: I'm extending the Don Butler challenge.
2:58
SPEAKER_02: Do you dare?
2:59
SPEAKER_02: I'm doing it.
3:00
SPEAKER_02: Ready?
3:00
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
3:01
SPEAKER_02: One aspect of it.
3:02
SPEAKER_02: Okay, here we go.
3:02
SPEAKER_02: Lay it on.
3:03
SPEAKER_02: Aspect number one is memorize first Thessalonians 5 18.
3:08
SPEAKER_02: Okay, now I gotta stop and write it down.
3:11
SPEAKER_02: Picked up his name.
3:12
SPEAKER_02: All right.
3:15
SPEAKER_00: Spell Thessalonians.
3:19
SPEAKER_00: First thest.
3:22
SPEAKER_01: It's first thessium.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: First Thessalonians 5.
3:28
SPEAKER_02: Five 18.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: Give thanks in all circumstances.
3:33
SPEAKER_02: Oh, this is the will of Jesus.
3:36
SPEAKER_00: This is the real will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
3:41
SPEAKER_00: Boom.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
3:42
SPEAKER_00: You're already there.
3:44
SPEAKER_02: I'm clearly not.
3:44
SPEAKER_02: So I'm still working.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: I know my thess.
3:50
SPEAKER_01: Nobody ever saw that.
3:54
SPEAKER_01: My thest.
3:56
SPEAKER_02: That is awesome.
4:00
SPEAKER_02: Okay, I know my thest.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: So I'm still working on memorizing that.
4:04
SPEAKER_02: Hey, shout out.
4:05
SPEAKER_02: It's important to memorize scripture.
4:07
SPEAKER_02: I have done a horrible job of it since I've turned 30.
4:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, so, anyways, 1 Thessalonians 5.18, right?
4:13
SPEAKER_02: Give thanks in all circumstances.
4:16
SPEAKER_02: Okay, what's the second part?
4:20
SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, the second part of the verse.
4:21
SPEAKER_01: Oh, because this is the will of God.
4:23
SPEAKER_02: This is the will of God in Christ Jesus.
4:26
SPEAKER_02: Concerning you.
4:26
SPEAKER_02: Concerning me.
4:27
SPEAKER_02: For your life.
4:28
SPEAKER_02: All right.
4:28
SPEAKER_02: So then the second thing, and this is the part that I think is going to be very, very fun.
4:34
SPEAKER_02: And by fun, I mean it's going to require a little bit of discipline.
4:39
SPEAKER_02: But I have done this once before in my life, and it was very, very cool.
4:43
SPEAKER_02: So our pastor has challenged us to every day in the month of November to write down three things that we're thankful for.
4:52
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
4:52
SPEAKER_00: Oh, whoa, whoa.
4:53
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
4:53
SPEAKER_00: So every day.
4:55
SPEAKER_00: Three things.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: And you're not supposed to be spilling out like distinct things.
5:01
SPEAKER_00: So in theory, you're not writing the same three things every day.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: Sure.
5:05
SPEAKER_02: Now we've got young kids that the list is being repeated by.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: What if I'm a child at heart?
5:12
SPEAKER_02: What if I'm a child of God?
5:14
SPEAKER_00: Can I copy and paste my three?
5:16
SPEAKER_00: No, you absolutely can.
5:17
SPEAKER_02: No, no, you absolutely can.
5:18
SPEAKER_02: But it is it it's an awesome thing because one of our routines in our household right now is for every meal when we get together with our three kids, is before we eat, we say, Hey, what's one thing that you want to thank God for?
5:34
SPEAKER_02: And so that's been super, super cool.
5:35
SPEAKER_02: And so we've kind of built that into our rhythm.
5:37
SPEAKER_02: But what we haven't built into our rhythm is writing those things down, maybe even like consulting those things at the end of the day or at the end of the week.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: And here we are, already several days into the month.
5:49
SPEAKER_02: And I totally recognize that there might be some listeners going, hey, I want to do this, but it's already November 6th or 7th or whatever it was.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, right.
5:59
SPEAKER_02: You know what?
5:59
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:00
SPEAKER_02: Pick up with us today or write 15 things that you're thankful for.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: Sure.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: Come on back.
6:06
SPEAKER_02: If you want.
6:06
SPEAKER_02: And at the end of this month.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: In fact, I guess on a drink day.
6:13
SPEAKER_02: On Thanksgiving, we're going to have a very special episode that is just like a little gratitude episode.
6:20
SPEAKER_02: And we're still kind of fleshing out what that's going to look like, but we're very excited about it.
6:24
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I just love it.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: And I thank Don Butler for that's some solid pastoral leadership right there for the month of November.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: So that that's amazing.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: Hey, before we proceed with our sermon on the side for this episode, can we just give one more shout out and thank you to the great Rob Strickland?
6:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, man.
6:46
SPEAKER_02: That was so awesome.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: Whoa, what a and we've getting so much good feedback.
6:49
SPEAKER_00: And we just thank Rob and his family and his church and uh all his friends for getting uh get getting on board.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: What a what a great man.
6:57
SPEAKER_00: Let's support him, pray for him.
6:59
SPEAKER_00: And I just got to tell you a funny story.
7:01
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: So, Rhonda, my darling wife, she loved the episode and and loved Rob's story.
7:08
SPEAKER_00: Loved loved hearing about how you and Lisa, way back in I guess the high school years intersected.
7:15
SPEAKER_00: Well, check this out.
7:16
SPEAKER_00: I just need you to know my wife let me know today.
7:19
SPEAKER_00: Now, this is we record on on a Monday.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: And so this so she let me know that tomorrow night for supper at my house.
7:29
SPEAKER_00: Chicken and rice!
7:30
SPEAKER_02: Chicken and rice.
7:31
SPEAKER_02: Dude! I hear you.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: She was like, you know what?
7:34
SPEAKER_00: It was funny just over the weekend.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: I think I'll make chicken and rice.
7:37
SPEAKER_00: I said, baby, is that a subliminal nod?
7:40
SPEAKER_02: A little tip of the cap to reach out to Highland communities, to publics and to Walmart, all the different chicken and rice ads to the grocery orders that have taken place because of the tens and tens of listeners.
7:54
SPEAKER_00: That's it.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: But anyway, seriously, I thought that was really cool.
7:57
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
7:58
SPEAKER_00: Amazing stuff.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: Hey, bro, you ready?
8:01
SPEAKER_02: I'm ready, bro.
8:01
SPEAKER_00: Ready for a summer on site?
8:02
SPEAKER_00: Let's bring it.
8:03
SPEAKER_00: All right.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: Hey, we're gonna go in the Wayback Machine to uh a block of time between in my life between 2010 and 2012.
8:11
SPEAKER_02: 2010 and 2012.
8:13
SPEAKER_02: Woo!
8:14
SPEAKER_00: That's correct.
8:15
SPEAKER_00: That was the assistant manager at the Chick-fil-A in the Birmingham Galleria.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: That's the mall location.
8:21
SPEAKER_00: Boy, we had some crazy times in that mall.
8:24
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
8:25
SPEAKER_00: Chick-fil-A.
8:26
SPEAKER_02: I also worked at a Chick-fil-A during that season of life, but without a mall location.
8:31
SPEAKER_00: Same years, though?
8:31
SPEAKER_02: Same years, 2010 and 2010.
8:33
SPEAKER_00: That's the one you where you uh washed your own uniform.
8:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
8:40
SPEAKER_00: Gosh, I wish I knew which episode that was.
8:42
SPEAKER_02: I don't remember.
8:43
SPEAKER_00: There was a segment from an episode where Brad shared a funny story about that.
8:47
SPEAKER_00: So if you never heard that story, just go back to all the episodes you've not listened to and you'll find it eventually.
8:53
SPEAKER_00: But I was assistant manager at the mall location, uh, had some great times, worked with some amazing people.
9:01
SPEAKER_00: And the leader of the nighttime kitchen crew, kitchen shift, I think it was the afternoon and evening.
9:08
SPEAKER_00: Her name was Maria.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: So Maria was just this really experienced uh kitchen leader for that Chick-fil-A.
9:16
SPEAKER_00: And she was such a cool person and so had such a good heart.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: And uh she and I got along really well.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: But what would happen is occasionally, occasionally, when I'm up up front, I'm on the front line, and we're maybe we're having a rush, things are getting a little stressful at the at the Galleria Chick-fil-A.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I'm up there, I'm trying to help bag, I'm trying to keep everything moving.
9:41
SPEAKER_00: Anytime Maria noticed that I was getting a little stressed out, she had this phrase that she would say every time.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: And she would look at me and she'd go, easy, Ricardo.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: Easy.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: All right, now she called me Ricardo, and it was all good.
10:03
SPEAKER_00: When I was stressed, easy, Ricardo.
10:07
SPEAKER_00: Easy.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: Now listen, this was not uh, she was not being dismissive or disrespectful, sure, and she wasn't acting like there was no reason, like, don't be stupid, Richard, stop being stressed.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: She was just trying to comfort me and let me know, you know what, we're gonna get through this.
10:29
SPEAKER_00: This is a moment, this is a really stressful time.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: A busload of basketball players from somewhere else in Alabama just stopped here and they're all coming to Chick-fil-A.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: The Sabaro people are watching us give them chicken sandwiches.
10:44
SPEAKER_00: There's nobody, none of the other food court places are getting any buses unload.
10:49
SPEAKER_00: Where do they go?
10:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Chick-fil-A.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: Lines are out to the to the chairs and tables.
10:54
SPEAKER_00: We're stressing out, and you know what she's saying to me?
10:58
SPEAKER_00: Easy, Ricardo.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Easy.
11:01
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be okay.
11:03
SPEAKER_00: Somehow we're gonna get through.
11:05
SPEAKER_00: I know it's hard, but we're gonna get through it.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: That was such a cool thing.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: That that phrase, easy Ricardo, is a mantra in my life now.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: Wow, it totally is.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: To this day, I too I find myself all these years later, I you know, I get in a really I can feel the the pressure rising, and I'm starting, my brow is my eyebrows are furling, and my I'm just getting teeth are getting clenched.
11:34
SPEAKER_00: It's like I hear that voice and I tell myself, easy, Ricardo, easy.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that cool?
11:43
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: That somebody in in those moments didn't add to my stress.
11:47
SPEAKER_00: She tried to help me uh have hope, you know, that we're gonna make it through.
11:54
SPEAKER_02: I think it's a testament to like how successful she was in that because it's been so impactful.
11:59
SPEAKER_02: And you can I I would imagine in those times where you're saying that over yourself, you almost hear that same tone of voice, the same accent, the same inflection.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm so thankful that that our paths uh crossed and that she was so good at her job.
12:16
SPEAKER_00: She was a highly skilled uh person and uh a great leader, but also a real encourager.
12:23
SPEAKER_00: And and so there are just so many times, I think, in our lives where we need someone to say to us, easy, easy, it's gonna be all right.
12:38
SPEAKER_00: We'll figure this out.
12:42
SPEAKER_00: Understand how how stressed out you are right now.
12:45
SPEAKER_00: I get that it's uh a thing, but we can get through this thing.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it reminds me of this Bible verse in Psalm chapter 131.
12:58
SPEAKER_00: This is a very short psalm.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: There are literally only, we're checking now.
13:03
SPEAKER_00: The department is checking.
13:05
SPEAKER_00: Okay, there are three verses.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: There are three verses in this psalm.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna read all of them to you.
13:11
SPEAKER_00: Are you ready?
13:12
SPEAKER_02: A whole chapter of the Bible.
13:13
SPEAKER_02: Here we go.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: Here we go.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: I want you to memorize this.
13:16
SPEAKER_02: Just kidding.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: Just kidding.
13:18
SPEAKER_00: All right, this is uh one one of the psalms that David, our great Bible hero, wrote.
13:24
SPEAKER_00: And it says, Lord, my heart is not proud, my eyes are not haughty, I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: Verse 2, and here's the punchline.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: There's a version that says, I have stilled and quieted my soul.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: I have stilled and quieted my soul.
13:56
SPEAKER_00: And then for the last couple of lines, he takes an interesting turn in how he describes what this could look like.
14:04
SPEAKER_00: He says, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: Put your hope in the Lord now and always.
14:23
SPEAKER_00: A weaned child, a weaned child is a child that is no longer nursing with its mother.
14:28
SPEAKER_00: It's it's grown to the point where it's functional and and nursing is not a thing anymore.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: A weaned child.
14:36
SPEAKER_00: Why would he say, I have stilled and quieted my soul, and then compare himself to a child who no longer is nursing?
14:46
SPEAKER_00: That's okay.
14:48
SPEAKER_00: Well, here's what it means it means that see, a a child that has that is no longer nursing with its mother, had all those months, months and months on end, being nurtured, cared for, and supplied with nutrients from his mother.
15:10
SPEAKER_00: That child's mother.
15:13
SPEAKER_00: Now, nurturing and nutrients are different.
15:18
SPEAKER_00: They come through meals, they come through other connections and time with his mother, his or her mother.
15:27
SPEAKER_00: But the way David says it, he says, I'm going to still, I'm gonna calm and quiet my soul, just like a weaned child.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: See, the winged child doesn't have to scream hoping it will be taken care of.
15:46
SPEAKER_00: He or she doesn't have to say, What's gonna happen?
15:51
SPEAKER_00: Am I going to be fed?
15:54
SPEAKER_00: No.
15:55
SPEAKER_00: That winged child has a history and can and can and something intrinsically inside them says, Mom's got me.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna be taken care of.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: Not just for the nutrients, but also for the nurture that happens when a mother nurses her child.
16:15
SPEAKER_00: So Dave, so now I'm thinking, oh, dude, that's the best analogy that David could have chosen.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: When the stuff that's happening is too big and too maybe too intense for me to understand.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: You remember he started by saying, I do not concern myself with things that are too great and too hard for me to grasp.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: In other words, long list of stuff in this world that I don't understand.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: Bunch of stuff above Rico's pay grade.
16:49
SPEAKER_00: Am I right?
16:51
SPEAKER_00: I there's a ton of stuff I don't get.
16:53
SPEAKER_00: I can't concern myself with that.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: I can't carry that.
16:58
SPEAKER_00: I can't fix it all.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: Instead, easy, Ricardo.
17:08
SPEAKER_00: Easy.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: We serve a God who has proved himself to us.
17:16
SPEAKER_00: And he can and he will nurture us and he will feed us, and he will our needs will be met.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: And so my soul can become like a weaned child that really believes we're gonna get through this.
17:33
SPEAKER_00: This is somehow gonna work out.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: How about that?
17:37
SPEAKER_02: Man, I love this.
17:40
SPEAKER_02: Something that you said at the beginning of just kind of explaining that is you said that when a when a weaned child, um, when a child becomes weaned, okay, that the nutrients and and the nourishment are no longer the same action.
17:56
SPEAKER_02: Is that what you said?
17:57
SPEAKER_02: What did you say?
17:58
SPEAKER_00: Nourish nourishment and nurture.
18:00
SPEAKER_02: Nourishment and nurture are no longer the one action, you know?
18:04
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
18:05
SPEAKER_02: And and I think I think that is where, man, if we could apply that into this situation from our soul's perspective.
18:14
SPEAKER_02: Because I think there's so many times in our own life where, and let me just speak for my own self, especially as it relates to holidays and the schedule and all of the things, you know, you start thinking about people that start getting stressed, the long lines, you start thinking about the the moments where we need somebody to come up to us.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: Easy, Ricardo, easy, you know.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: That we are in that season right now.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: For sure.
18:40
unknown: Yeah.
18:41
SPEAKER_02: But there are so many times where maybe the thing that I think I need, which is, you know, I need my kids to clean their room and and I need an extra hour in the day to do the yard work, and I need, you know, this, that, and the other, you know, blah, blah, blah.
18:57
SPEAKER_02: Man, I need to start separating some soul-level care, okay, into my nourishment and and my nurture, nurture, you know, needs.
19:13
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
19:14
SPEAKER_02: And what I think what David goes in in verse one is, hey, I'm separating the two.
19:20
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
19:21
SPEAKER_01: I'm separating.
19:22
SPEAKER_02: There are things I don't get.
19:24
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
19:26
SPEAKER_02: What I do know is that my soul needs time with the Lord, and I know the Lord is gonna provide that.
19:36
SPEAKER_02: And so I know it feels so counterintuitive.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: I'm listening, I'm preaching to myself right now more than anybody else.
19:45
SPEAKER_02: I need that soul care from the Holy Spirit.
19:49
SPEAKER_02: I need to slow down, I need to melt away all of the Chick-fil-A distractions that come with a lunch rush.
19:58
SPEAKER_02: And I need the Holy Spirit to whisper to my to my soul, easy.
20:05
SPEAKER_02: Easy, big red.
20:06
SPEAKER_02: Big red, easy.
20:08
SPEAKER_02: You know, no, seriously, you know what I'm saying?
20:10
SPEAKER_02: And I I I wonder, I just wonder if we've got some listeners that feel the same way.
20:17
SPEAKER_02: That we need to open up scripture, we need to turn to Psalm 131 and we need to go easy.
20:25
SPEAKER_02: The Lord wants to do some nurturing to our soul.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: Indeed, indeed.
20:33
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh just a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about, we were referencing a cool passage of scripture from Jesus in uh Matthew chapter six, where he's talking about the birds and the flowers, right?
20:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, in the middle of that, he says this line is so cool because he's trying to tell us, he's trying to tell us easy, huh?
20:55
SPEAKER_00: He's trying to tell us don't be anxious, right or worried about these things.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: And in the midst of that, he makes this great statement.
21:02
SPEAKER_00: He goes, Oh, by the way, your heavenly father knows you need these things.
21:08
SPEAKER_00: So God is it's very similar to the way Maria used to talk to me.
21:11
SPEAKER_02: I never once thought she was like dogging me out, yeah, or didn't know what the needs were.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: She doesn't understand how serious this is.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it never was that.
21:22
SPEAKER_02: Right.
21:23
SPEAKER_00: And that's what that's how God deals with us.
21:26
SPEAKER_00: He's not smacking us the back of the head saying, Wow, it's silly for you to be worried.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: He's just saying, I know.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I know you need these things.
21:35
SPEAKER_00: And that should be our comfort.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: Like a wean child.
21:40
SPEAKER_00: My God knows what I need.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: My the child.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: My mom knows.
21:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:47
SPEAKER_00: So let's be encouraged by that.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: One other verse I'd like to reference uh Psalm 112, verse 7, talking about how blessed people are when they have a true heart connection.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: With God, when they're following God, when they are in fellowship with God, and they are blessed when they fear the Lord.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: And it's this great long list.
22:10
SPEAKER_00: And verse 7 says, They do not fear bad news.
22:17
SPEAKER_00: They do not fear bad news because they confidently trust the Lord to take care of them.
22:25
SPEAKER_00: I want that.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: I want that to be me.
22:28
unknown: Wow.
22:28
SPEAKER_00: That's my goal.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: That I would not fear bad news.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: That I would not be overwhelmed by things that are just way above it, too, too lofty for me to understand.
22:41
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to fear that stuff because I'm so confident that God is going to take care of me.
22:48
SPEAKER_00: So this is this is an encouraging.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: Hey, I'm glad you mentioned the timing of this on the front end of the holiday season.
22:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.
22:56
SPEAKER_00: As these pressures and stresses, and maybe for some of us, even emotions, regrets, grief.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: You know that that just all the emotions can spike during holiday times for some of us.
23:11
SPEAKER_00: Of course.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: And so I think it's cool that God just worked it out that we're going to be talking about this on this episode.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: So that we can be confident that He is going to take care of us.
23:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
23:24
SPEAKER_02: I agree.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: So a couple of tips.
23:26
SPEAKER_00: I just want to leave a few practical ideas about how we could literally have an easy Ricardo moment in our own lives.
23:36
SPEAKER_02: All right, lay it on me.
23:37
SPEAKER_00: And or if I can just say that we could have a still and quiet my soul moment.
23:44
SPEAKER_00: Psalms 130.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: A Psalm 130.
23:46
SPEAKER_00: One moment in our lives.
23:49
SPEAKER_00: And it's very simple.
23:50
SPEAKER_00: It's just three quick ideas.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: Pause, breathe, speak.
23:58
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
23:59
SPEAKER_00: Pause, breathe, breathe, and speak.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: Now, the pause is an amazing, it could be a superpower.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: If we could learn to pause when things are getting out of control in our minds, in our emotions, in our fears, that could be such a big deal.
24:16
SPEAKER_00: If we could just push the pause button, even for a nanosecond, in the midst of a crazy day or whatever scenario we might be in, to be able to just pause and pray.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: And when I say pray, I'm not talking about long drawn-out prayers.
24:31
SPEAKER_00: Could be if you have time and energy, but I'm talking about prayer flares.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: You remember how we talk about that?
24:37
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you just gotta shoot one off.
24:39
SPEAKER_00: God help me.
24:40
SPEAKER_00: Boom.
24:41
SPEAKER_00: It's just you're like, you just it's a prayer where you just even for me, you know what I love to do?
24:51
SPEAKER_00: When I'm overwhelmed, I just like to say the name of Jesus.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm telling you, it's it's there's power in his name.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: And when I say the name of Jesus, it doesn't there's this cool song by Life Church Worship called When I Say Jesus.
25:10
SPEAKER_00: The very mention breaks through the shadows and calms my soul.
25:16
SPEAKER_00: It's a great song.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: But just to say the name of Jesus is a moment of saying, I need help.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: So pause.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: The second one was breathe.
25:25
SPEAKER_00: We do this even when we're opening our Tuesday night meetings.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: We don't just open in prayer and all right, Lord, thank you for blah, blah, blah, blah.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: Let's have a good meeting.
25:33
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
25:34
SPEAKER_00: What do we do?
25:34
SPEAKER_02: We take a second, we breathe.
25:36
SPEAKER_02: We sit and sit in silence.
25:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: And we literally take several deep breaths.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: And I sometimes when we do it, I'm reminded how how rare it is for me to just stop and take some deep breaths.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: I need to do that more.
25:55
SPEAKER_00: Because in those moments, it can just help our bodies, our minds, and our spirits kind of steady, get steady, kind of to have our spirits calm.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: My daughter Carly and I have this thing now, and we text it to each other every once in a while.
26:10
SPEAKER_00: And I it just came to me one day.
26:11
SPEAKER_00: I was I knew she was having a rough day and dealing with some rough circumstances.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: And I I know that when I'm stressed out, I start hearing the voice of the enemy trying to get inside my head and discourage me and say you're stuck, it's never gonna get better or whatever.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: So I I I just texted this to her one time, it was the Lord who gave me the idea, and I said, breathe in truth, breathe in truth that you're not alone, that the Lord is with you.
26:45
SPEAKER_00: Breathe in truth and exhale gratitude.
26:50
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Lord.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: Breathe in truth and exhale gratitude.
26:56
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
26:57
SPEAKER_00: Even if you don't say it out loud, you're breathing in truth.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, I'm not alone.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: And exhale gratitude.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Lord, for being with me.
27:09
SPEAKER_00: So there we go.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: Okay, pause and a prayer flare.
27:14
SPEAKER_00: Breathe.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: Breathing in truth, exhale gratitude.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: Here's the last one.
27:18
SPEAKER_00: Say something.
27:19
SPEAKER_00: Speak.
27:20
SPEAKER_00: Say something.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: Speak.
27:22
SPEAKER_00: Speak an affirmation.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: Speak something, speak something based on that truth that you just breathed in.
27:28
SPEAKER_00: All right.
27:29
SPEAKER_00: Now we have some cool affirmations that you and I actually share back and forth periodically, and and it's a part of our our Tuesday night group, too.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: Can we go over some of these affirmations?
27:41
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, man.
27:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
27:43
SPEAKER_00: Uh you want to you want to pick pick one you want to like to start with.
27:47
SPEAKER_02: Man, they're all great.
27:49
SPEAKER_02: I think one that sticks out to me right in this moment is today I will let the Holy Spirit melt the hardness of my heart.
27:57
SPEAKER_02: And I think even that, just in the in the spirit of the busyness of the season, I think sometimes maybe I'm holding on my heart's a little hardened to some circumstances.
28:10
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
28:10
SPEAKER_02: I need the Holy Spirit to come in, do some soul care and melt that hardness away.
28:17
SPEAKER_00: He can do it.
28:19
SPEAKER_00: He can do it.
28:20
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's good.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: Now check this out.
28:22
SPEAKER_00: And this is just one of several that we share, but um, the one I'd I'd like to share is I accept that life is difficult and that leaning into the struggle adds to my balance.
28:39
SPEAKER_02: That one, I listen, there's there's seven good ones.
28:42
SPEAKER_02: That one is the Rico affirmation.
28:44
SPEAKER_02: For real.
28:45
SPEAKER_02: It really is because I can't tell you how many times you will you have encouraged me, or I will hear you encourage another brother.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: It's just, man, just keep leaning in.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: Keep leaning in.
28:56
SPEAKER_02: And it doesn't, first of all, half the time it doesn't make sense.
28:59
SPEAKER_02: You're like, dog, I've had a horrible day.
29:02
SPEAKER_02: What do you want me to lean into?
29:03
SPEAKER_02: Like, right?
29:04
SPEAKER_02: Lean into what?
29:05
SPEAKER_02: You know, but that I that concept of leaning into the struggle adds to my balance.
29:14
unknown: Yes.
29:15
SPEAKER_02: You know, on another, on another one of these, it talks about living in reality at all costs.
29:19
SPEAKER_02: All costs.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: I think that's maybe closely linked to that.
29:23
SPEAKER_00: Actually, they are uh brother and sister.
29:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because when we when we think about having a hard day, man, our my tendency is to, all right, let me just either pretend it didn't happen, move on, and if I just throw a bunch of dirt on it and cover it up, maybe it's like it didn't happen, I can you know have a better evening or whatever the case is.
29:43
SPEAKER_02: When that's that's not what David is talking about in Psalm 131.
29:48
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
29:48
SPEAKER_00: That those reactions don't ultimately help.
29:52
SPEAKER_00: They might give an instant moment of relief, but there's no reality in it.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: And there's no and and that stuff doesn't change.
30:00
SPEAKER_00: But and and more importantly, God doesn't change my heart if I'm minimizing, avoiding, hiding, or blaming.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: Right.
30:09
SPEAKER_00: That's one of my little things, is point the finger at somebody else for my my problems.
30:13
SPEAKER_00: But here's the thing lean into that struggle, live in that reality at all costs, and we'll find balance and we'll find peace and we'll find easy regardless.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: We'll find Psalm 131.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: Well, our soul that we could actually develop the skill and exercise that muscle that as the Lord helps us, we could calm and quiet our souls.
30:39
SPEAKER_00: Wow.
30:40
SPEAKER_00: Even when the chaos is raging around us.
30:44
SPEAKER_00: So that's our encouragement for this Sermon on the Side episode.
30:48
SPEAKER_02: Man, you talk about homework.
30:51
SPEAKER_02: We've just loaded these people up with homework.
30:54
SPEAKER_02: We got first Thessalonians 5 18.
30:57
SPEAKER_02: We've got writing down something you're thankful for for every single day of the week.
31:01
SPEAKER_02: We've got pause, breathe, speed.
31:06
SPEAKER_02: We got all sorts of little tips and tricks for you on episode.
31:12
SPEAKER_00: Our listeners are gonna be like, I didn't know there would be work involved.
31:17
SPEAKER_02: Lisa's gonna be like, I listened to this while I picked up all the kids and then cleaned the entire house.
31:22
SPEAKER_02: I didn't have time to do it.
31:23
SPEAKER_02: No, I'm kidding.
31:25
SPEAKER_00: Oh, good stuff.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for uh joining me on this.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: Hey, we got time for a quick segment.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: You are you ready?
31:31
SPEAKER_00: Need it.
31:32
SPEAKER_00: Need it.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing.
31:34
SPEAKER_00: Now, in the midst of all my travels back and forth uh to Birmingham, I'm uh packing my suitcase, I'm unpacking.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: So I I just I have a question for you related to trips that require you to pack a bag.
31:50
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
31:51
SPEAKER_00: When you return and you get home, trip's over.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: You made it home safe.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: Here's my question: how quickly do you unpack your bag?
32:03
SPEAKER_00: Are you a must unpack now, guy?
32:06
SPEAKER_00: Or like get to it in a few days to weeks, days to weeks.
32:13
SPEAKER_00: Where do you stand on that?
32:15
SPEAKER_02: Let me just clarify.
32:17
SPEAKER_02: You mean to tell me that there are people that leave dirty clothes in a luggage container for days or weeks?
32:32
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
32:32
SPEAKER_02: Brother, if you are one of those people we're praying for y'all.
32:36
SPEAKER_02: Listen, I cannot tell you.
32:38
SPEAKER_02: Y'all need Jesus.
32:39
SPEAKER_02: Y'all do need Jesus.
32:40
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna tell you right now, I don't know what's quicker.
32:45
SPEAKER_02: Okay, the load of laundry that is started after I get back from a trip, or the first time going to the bathroom back in your home-based toilet.
32:56
SPEAKER_02: You know what I'm saying?
32:57
SPEAKER_02: Because that's a like home-based toilet.
33:01
SPEAKER_00: And it's normally a need by that point.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, now we're getting too personal.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing.
33:06
SPEAKER_00: Here's the thing.
33:07
SPEAKER_00: I am not home until I unpack that bag.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: You understand what I'm saying?
33:13
SPEAKER_02: I'm unpacking the bag in the airport.
33:17
SPEAKER_02: Sending that stuff, UPS.
33:19
SPEAKER_00: No, I can't.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: I cannot.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: Now, my wife, she could wait till the next morning.
33:25
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
33:26
SPEAKER_00: No, she can't wait days.
33:27
SPEAKER_00: Don't don't make it.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: I made it sound horrible next.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: But but Ron is.
33:32
SPEAKER_02: If we get back at 3 a.m.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: It's crashing, you know.
33:35
SPEAKER_00: No, no, that that bags in.
33:37
SPEAKER_02: No, it's not.
33:38
SPEAKER_02: No.
33:38
SPEAKER_02: What is empty is my clothes and I'm getting in bed.
33:42
SPEAKER_02: 3 a.m.
33:43
SPEAKER_02: You're unpacking?
33:44
SPEAKER_02: No.
33:46
SPEAKER_02: If it's 3 p.m., brother, I'm gonna be done with the load of laundry before I go to sleep.
33:51
SPEAKER_02: 3 a.m.
33:52
SPEAKER_02: I'm going to bed.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: But no, it just has to be quick.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: And then there are other, I just know there are people in this world that are like, I'll get to it when I get to it.
34:03
SPEAKER_00: And I don't understand those people.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: I don't either.
34:05
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so we need to hear from our from our listeners.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: We need to clearly.
34:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:10
SPEAKER_00: Need to find out where they stand on this critical issue.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: Do you unpack immediately?
34:16
SPEAKER_02: Or are you psychopaths?
34:18
SPEAKER_00: Or do you just let it ride?
34:21
SPEAKER_02: Here's the question.
34:22
SPEAKER_02: Here's a here's a little quick quick question.
34:24
SPEAKER_02: You come back, yeah, and 75% of your bag is dirty clothes.
34:29
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
34:30
SPEAKER_02: So you're obviously that goes to the hamper and you're, you know.
34:33
SPEAKER_02: But then there's a couple of clothes in there that you didn't wear that are clean.
34:38
SPEAKER_02: Right.
34:39
SPEAKER_02: You're washing those, or are those thank you, Jesus', and go back into the drawer?
34:44
SPEAKER_00: Right back into the drawer.
34:46
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
34:46
SPEAKER_00: Right back into the drawer.
34:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:48
SPEAKER_00: Now I know some people are like, if it if it's in the suitcase, it must be cleansed.
34:54
SPEAKER_00: I know those people I don't know.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
34:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:56
SPEAKER_02: No, because if it's clean.
34:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, man, it's it's in the rotation.
35:01
SPEAKER_01: It's in the lineup for tomorrow.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: I got my clothes picked out for the morning.
35:06
SPEAKER_01: I'm not even putting them at the foot of the bed.
35:09
SPEAKER_01: Man, it's beautiful.
35:10
SPEAKER_01: It's a beautiful thing.
35:12
SPEAKER_02: You guys, y'all come help us, man.
35:15
SPEAKER_02: You guys are awesome.
35:16
SPEAKER_02: I hope you have a wonderful November.
35:19
SPEAKER_02: Go on this gratitude journey with us.
35:22
SPEAKER_02: Do that.
35:23
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be fun.
35:24
SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be all some blessings.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: Thank you again.
35:27
SPEAKER_00: And as always, can't wait to connect with you next week for another episode of Sermons on the Side.
35:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, dude.
35:49
SPEAKER_02: I normally have like one outfit that's that's clean from a from you know, coming back.
35:56
SPEAKER_00: And don't think that I'm not noticing that.
35:58
SPEAKER_00: That that that last day of the trip when I'm zipping that up, I'm I'm looking, I'm smiling, I'm like, Mission accomplished, baby.
36:06
SPEAKER_02: Because something I'm wearing you as soon as I get home.
36:11
SPEAKER_00: I see you boo.
36:12
SPEAKER_01: I see you boo.
36:15
SPEAKER_01: That shirt.
36:16
SPEAKER_01: That's just like a friend waiting on me.
36:20
SPEAKER_02: It traveled with me.
36:21
SPEAKER_02: It knows our schedule, it knows what we went through on that flight.
36:25
SPEAKER_00: You know, because hey, and then on those ones where you just you just barely had enough and and you used everything, it does make an easy empty into the hammer.
36:36
SPEAKER_00: No, just dump it in, bro.
36:37
SPEAKER_00: But there's just nothing like a little left over there, and you just ooh.
36:41
SPEAKER_02: Well, it's also because those are your those are your go-to's.
36:45
SPEAKER_02: You know, you're bringing your go-to's, man.
36:47
SPEAKER_01: Got to.
36:48
SPEAKER_02: And if you got clean go tos, what are you gonna go to?
36:52
SPEAKER_02: Of course you're gonna go to your go-to's.
36:55
SPEAKER_02: What am I saying right now?
36:58
SPEAKER_00: This is we're delirious.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: We've lost the plot.
37:02
SPEAKER_00: Send help, people.