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Tell Me More is a weekly podcast hosted by Katy Reed Hodges and Luke Stehr, where they unpack the Sunday sermon with Dr. Dennis Wiles. This podcast is designed on the premise that Dr. Wiles always has more to say than can fit in a 35 minute sermon - so we have fun discussing it here each week. We hope that in listening you are educated, encouraged and more connected to the pastor and his teaching!
Welcome to this week's episode of Tell Me More. It's just me and Luke, although I shouldn't say just. It's enjoyable. And we talk about prayer and also what's going on around here as it's a transition time in this month of August, and there's a lot to look forward to and to celebrate. And so we enjoy it, and we hope you do too.
Speaker 2:Alright. Well, we are in the studio making another episode of Tell Me More.
Speaker 1:We're doing it.
Speaker 2:We're still doing it.
Speaker 1:It's Monday afternoon. And you said this is, like, episode two eleven or something?
Speaker 2:I think I guess two zero five.
Speaker 1:I don't look very often at, like, the Spotify.
Speaker 2:Apparently, it's actually two ten.
Speaker 1:Two ten.
Speaker 2:Maybe? We could be wrong.
Speaker 1:How many of those do
Speaker 2:you think
Speaker 1:you've been on? You joined at I mean, I was going a little
Speaker 2:bit before you got in. Probably have been on for at least a 150 of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I bet that's I'm somewhere in there. One seventy five, maybe. Yeah. I mean, I've missed
Speaker 2:One seventy five.
Speaker 1:We all miss occasionally.
Speaker 2:Somewhere in there.
Speaker 1:One seventy maternity leave too, which was, like, fourteen weeks or something. Yep. Longer than the average maternity leave.
Speaker 2:You had more than the average number of babies?
Speaker 1:Straight up. Yeah. I don't feel too bad about that. Although, I am grateful for the generosity of our church. Yes.
Speaker 1:Well yeah. Anyway, yeah, we just keep trucking in here. Today, we're without our faithful leader.
Speaker 2:We are. What's he up to these days?
Speaker 1:Well, this week, he is in Colorado on probably the most, like, vacation y thing he's done in quite some time. Like, just fishing and studying and having a little bit of rest. We joked his study leave was not the most study ish
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:He that it's ever been.
Speaker 2:I was here.
Speaker 1:He was here a lot.
Speaker 2:Meeting with Jordanian delegates.
Speaker 1:Yeah. A lot of things popped up.
Speaker 2:Leaving funerals.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So just a lot of significant events here that kept him from doing kinda what I'm hoping that he gets to do this week, which is I think it's okay to say he's with the Steigers who are hosting him. He loves going to their place. It's very peaceful in the mountains with a river. So I think a lot of time with God and a lot of time by himself.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, obviously, with God, but to to study and kinda get his mind around some things that he just maybe hasn't had the chance. Like, he wants. Right.
Speaker 2:Obviously. And we want him to do that.
Speaker 1:What I hope you all know I mean, I Luke and I talked about it, like, I want y'all to know what's going on. It's not like he doesn't know what he's preaching this Sunday. It's not that kind of thing. Right. But he's probably behind where he likes to be at this point.
Speaker 1:But it it compared to our peers in ministry, he's still much further ahead in terms of plans, execution, all that.
Speaker 2:So pastor is a textbook overachiever.
Speaker 1:That he is. So and, yeah, I never want you to think he's, like, just stumbling into the pulpit. No. But he's trying to get ahead. Like Yeah.
Speaker 1:On a larger staff, it is very, very helpful for us to have a a longer range vision so we can plan well and have everything fold together. And he's just trying to get us that kind of info.
Speaker 2:Which is so good and so beneficial for us because it helps us pull off incredible Sundays like yesterday.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about it. So much I wasn't here. Mean, y'all know we talked about this. I think I nodded to it awkwardly last week. Mom passed away, which I've been out I was out I've been out three Sundays.
Speaker 2:Which is not common
Speaker 1:No. For For me, a maternity leave would be one of those. Mhmm. But and then I had a a family reunion this weekend, Brian's side of the family. So I feel very out on just on Sunday mornings.
Speaker 1:I mean, I've been here in the weeks, but you're gonna have to tell me. Like, I feel like a spectator at this point. Like, what happened yesterday? I I was here last night, so I mean, I'm kind of Well,
Speaker 2:you can talk about last night.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I will. I'm I'm happy to. I'm happy to. But tell me about Sunday morning.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We had well, the weekend really started before Sunday because the youth did merge weekend, which is where our sixth graders move on up into the youth ministry.
Speaker 1:Yes. They do like a very intentional transition.
Speaker 2:So intentional. Yeah.
Speaker 1:They get bigs and littles and all the things
Speaker 2:that help. Partnering them up with older youth basically is what that means and they walk them through kind of the things that will happen in their lives over the course of junior high and high school.
Speaker 1:Is it true that they get the sex talk? I Can I say that on the first I don't know that I can
Speaker 2:verify that? I've heard rumors I
Speaker 1:think that does talk about their bodies and maturing and
Speaker 2:But honestly, things you would hope your youth ministry
Speaker 1:if not us, then who? Yeah. Where are they getting it from?
Speaker 2:I would rather them learn that sort of thing from the church.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And and our and our trusted yes. And always, particularly youth ministry is a partnership with parents. Everything is, but gosh, we gotta figure it out.
Speaker 2:Yep. I mean,
Speaker 1:sixth grade, seventh grade, that's huge. So merge weekend, Friday night, Saturday morning. Right?
Speaker 2:Yes. That's what I think. Then we had Big Enough for Big Church. So there's a breakfast during the Sunday school hour where I think thirty
Speaker 1:Mhmm. I heard thirty one. Thirty know.
Speaker 2:Over thirty.
Speaker 1:I need to, like, disassociate while you talk about this because it is on my doorstep.
Speaker 2:Yep. Next year for you. Okay.
Speaker 1:Because Big Enough for Big Church is go ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It's where our four year olds who are going into pre k, get their Big Enough for Big Church bags. Mhmm. So you may have seen very small people dragging bags on the floor because they're just not tall enough to keep them off And the And then in worship. Then they throw
Speaker 1:them into worship. Enthusiastically. Which I saw a really sweet post. Ondi Gardner posted in, like, the women's one of the women's Facebook pages about how much, like, hey, young moms. We love that your kids are here.
Speaker 1:We want your kids here. We see you. It doesn't matter. It was just really sweet. It's what you would want out of our church.
Speaker 2:And I think you see the parents coming in, and I think there's this, like, fear of judgment, like, kid's not gonna behave Of course. One Of course. But the thing is, and even me who's not that far past this You've been there. We've been there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:No one's judging you if your kid makes noise, needs a snack, needs to get up. No one's judging because we know that they are four years old.
Speaker 1:Well, we're getting a lot of jokes this week of, like, get ready, Katie. What are gonna do? Because, I mean, I think everyone listening knows we have three 3.5 year olds that will next year be 4.5 year olds and will be according to someone somewhere, big enough for big church. So we're recruiting volunteers to sit in, you know, every other
Speaker 2:We'll schedule them through planning
Speaker 1:such to help you. Just kidding. Yeah. We might have to. So yeah.
Speaker 1:One of them, I won't name I won't name which one, is gonna have a real hard time sitting still for
Speaker 2:that long. You know?
Speaker 1:Ryan Hodges. Ryan
Speaker 2:Hodges will have a very hard time sitting still for that long.
Speaker 1:And he'll do it. And the church, we've learned we have learned the hard way, the best way. The church will not judge. Church will help us.
Speaker 2:And so if you are a parent of a four year old and maybe they are you feel like they're talking too much or they're too squirmy,
Speaker 1:don't worry about it. Yeah. And the
Speaker 2:kind of It's all good.
Speaker 1:The kind of escape hatch, whatever it is, is come see us in the Welcome Home Center if you need like a reprieve. Young families do that and it's great. We we are happy to host in a little more rowdy
Speaker 2:Sit somewhere else for a minute.
Speaker 1:Yes. If they just need to get their their wiggles out and come move around, we'd happy to host them.
Speaker 2:We'd love to. Yes. And we have. Yes, you're Many times.
Speaker 1:And we'll continue to do so.
Speaker 2:Yes, we will.
Speaker 1:At some point for my own family. But so there's Big Enough for Big Church.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh.
Speaker 1:31.
Speaker 2:Four year olds.
Speaker 1:Thank God.
Speaker 2:What a number. Thank God. Four year olds to have at one church.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it too. Well, little class with my boys, it's mostly boys, and it's not small.
Speaker 2:Anyway Here we go.
Speaker 1:So then, okay, if you're a couple years older
Speaker 2:We had First at First
Speaker 1:Which
Speaker 2:is where our
Speaker 1:an orientation in first grade. Right?
Speaker 2:So, you know, our kindergartners had their last Sunday in kindergarten Sunday school.
Speaker 1:Which for us is preschool
Speaker 2:right now. Preschool. Yeah. And so then they next week, they'll be upstairs, but they have a lunch, basically going over what it's like to be in children's ministry. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So welcome. Here you are, answering questions for parents.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Getting the parents. Feeling good about
Speaker 2:The land of moving out of preschool ministry into children's ministry.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:So there was also a college mentoring lunch.
Speaker 1:So the people For
Speaker 2:everyone who's Yep. Mhmm. So I was actually at that. I didn't go to
Speaker 1:First at First. I'm a parent of a first grader. We divide But you're also a mentee?
Speaker 2:I'm also a mentee. Mentor.
Speaker 1:I have a mentee. Of course. I mean, hopefully, I we're
Speaker 2:am mentee. Yeah. But not through the college minist yeah.
Speaker 1:You have a mentor?
Speaker 2:I have a mentor.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Not through the college ministry. Same. The college student is not mentoring me.
Speaker 1:Same. I okay. Full discretion. Connor's asked me for a couple years, couple semesters to be a mentor, and I've just felt like I couldn't do it well. My life just I want I am not even sure I'm doing the things that I've said yes to well, so I just didn't wanna say yes to something else.
Speaker 1:But this year, he asked me to be the mentor for his associate, Tatum. And I was like, well, I can't. I literally can't say no to that. No. And she's delightful.
Speaker 1:So we already started meeting over the before she went to work at a camp this summer.
Speaker 2:And Nice.
Speaker 1:I I am She's wonderful. On my side, it's going well.
Speaker 2:Good.
Speaker 1:Can't speak for her.
Speaker 2:No pressure, Tatum, if you're listening.
Speaker 1:If you're listening, you're getting in this podcast studio next week, and we're gonna grill you on what you think about me. No. I'm just kidding. But it's a very, very, very important thing to be a part of. Just investing in someone's life.
Speaker 1:Yeah. We can speak to how that's changed our lives. So important. Yep. Then That was all yesterday.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:And then last night
Speaker 1:Wait. We're not done. I think Casey had like a fifth grade thing too. No. It may be just for the leader.
Speaker 1:Our fifth grade class, one of them has like all new leadership, which is great and full of life. But that was a There are lot of new meetings for her too.
Speaker 2:Casey has done an incredible job recruiting people.
Speaker 1:Three cheers for Casey Fagan. Because anytime a longtime minister like David leaves, you have leaders who kinda reassess. It's natural. It's not one way or the other. But that left Casey having to recruit not just for her normal turnover downstairs, but kinda this reassessment of people upstairs.
Speaker 1:And I think she had to fill, like, 18 spots. Yeah. And that's just not warm bodies. Like, that's very strategic.
Speaker 2:Casey Fagan is a champion for the Lord.
Speaker 1:The girl is on fire.
Speaker 2:Yep. So if you if you don't know Casey Fagan, get to know Casey Fagan.
Speaker 1:Will sponsor
Speaker 2:Casey Fagan.
Speaker 1:I will sponsor a coffee or lunch with Casey Fagan if you wanna get to know her more. It's worth doing. Wonderful. I think and I can when did she get here? Three years ago?
Speaker 1:Does that feel right? Three
Speaker 2:Sounds right.
Speaker 1:I think we interviewed her while I was on maternity leave. That's kinda how I remember, like, coming in. I think she's figured out us, and we figured out her, and we are hitting stride. Really fun. Yes.
Speaker 1:Really fun. She's who I want my kids. She's the minister I want for my kids
Speaker 2:Five star.
Speaker 1:This season. Yeah. Truly. Truly. I could say that about a lot of our people right now.
Speaker 1:Just filling in gaps. You know, y'all know we're short staffed and really prayerfully trying to fill these roles. And everybody's just a utility player leaning in. How can I help? What do you need?
Speaker 1:Or not even asking, just understanding the assignment from from, like, you know, part time wherever to all the way up. Just really encouraging. Really encouraging to be a part of it. So the Jordanian experience, we talked about that's like a microcosm of it, but it's happening everywhere.
Speaker 2:It
Speaker 1:is. It's just really encouraging to me. And it's the kind of church I wanna work with for.
Speaker 2:It's a good place to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Our lay leaders are doing the same thing. So They are. Okay. I'm bragging on too much.
Speaker 2:Last night.
Speaker 1:We're not done with yesterday.
Speaker 2:Yesterday just kept on rolling.
Speaker 1:Yeah. What did do in the afternoon, Luke? Did you get to go
Speaker 2:home, eat lunch? I my Walmart order for the week. Oh, don't you love it? Put groceries away.
Speaker 1:This is my Sunday
Speaker 2:ritual as well. And then came back to church?
Speaker 1:Yep. So we got back in town from the family reunion, and Ryan took took one for the team. Because he's on GCC.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And so it was like, which of us do you wanna go represent GCC, or should I go represent, like, the staff in the MLT? I wanna, you know, I wanna know I want these youth to know, and college students, that we support them.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:So Ryan took one for the team, stayed home, put the kids to bed after quite a long weekend with them at a hotel for a family reunion. But I got to come up and be a part of the night celebration, which I was really, really, really glad to be in the back of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Which is the first time we've done this in a long time. At least since I've been here.
Speaker 1:Me too, I think. I mean, in this way, at least.
Speaker 2:So but we had testimonies from all of our college and youth trips Yeah. Which is five trips.
Speaker 1:And I mean, we we quote unquote commissioned them at the beginning. I don't know why I did quote unquote. We did commission
Speaker 2:them at the beginning.
Speaker 1:Sunday. Yeah. And it was like 85 people up there.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It was a
Speaker 1:great kind
Speaker 2:of Huge number of people we sent on
Speaker 1:trips this summer. And then they all went. And now they all have come back. Thank God. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And we kinda debriefed and got to hear testimonies and So thank God and prayed. It was. It was really good. You know, from my I I hate to say outside perspective because I am on the engagement team, and I somewhat at least know what's going on. But I'm not, you know, in there as deeply as y'all are in the planning, and how much work has gone in behind the scenes from just let me I wanna I wanna talk respectfully about it.
Speaker 1:So if I get that wrong, it's my fault. But, like, the trips have been very disparate. Like, when I was college minister, it was like, what do I wanna do? Where do I wanna go? What do I feel is right?
Speaker 1:Who do I know? And let me just put this trip together.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:It's it wasn't really in concert with anybody else to to our detriment, I think. And now I think there's just y'all have worked so hard to get everyone around the table early enough to plan strategically on how everyone's gonna be impacted in their own personal growth, their own exposure
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And obviously, for the sake of the gospel around the world. It's been it's been really fun to watch. It's a really thoughtful mature, missiological approach.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, and how we develop our students through those experiences over time. Yes. The idea being there's actually succession in order to these trips.
Speaker 1:Right. Like if you grew up in our youth group. Yeah. And you went on
Speaker 2:all three of them, you'd have gotten a pretty robust practical theology of mission.
Speaker 1:Which is, I think, just changes your changes your whole world. And I and I'm really proud of our church for doing that. Obviously, engagement team has a has probably the biggest hall, but you still need the right spirit of cooperation.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. It's not just us. It's youth industry. It's
Speaker 1:Even if it's very a great idea. Small I might I might top house. Again, without sorry. I'm rolling right over you.
Speaker 2:No. That's okay. But I'm
Speaker 1:trying to
Speaker 2:make that point. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to the point that you're making. We're I'm just talking over you when we do But it's like, maybe it's like the fullness of time even that you have the right partners Mhmm. In all of these players. But, yeah, you have to get all the ministries around the table, because it's like, even if Conor thinks the place is great, but you're like, well, we really want the juniors to go there. Like, you just have to work together to get them.
Speaker 1:I feel like this summer was a really good snapshot of what it can be when it when we work collaboratively with enough lead time. And even subsidizing them, we just talk brass tacks, like the money of it all, helping everyone Mhmm. Get there excessively is just really special thing. That's kind of a thing that makes big church cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah. It is. Well, it had so many layers to it too. I mean, I don't know if people remember we had the passport booths back in January because Yeah. Our ninth grade trip required a passport.
Speaker 1:But
Speaker 2:a everybody And so through the generosity of the church, one of the things we were able to do was basically offer a scholarship for first time passport applicants going on trips whether they were college students or youth
Speaker 1:Which is huge.
Speaker 2:Which is huge. So just one more way of removing the barrier of going. And so we helped people get all their paperwork lined up. We took pictures. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then once they basically showed us the receipt that they had submitted their passport, we knocked the cost of the passport off their trip.
Speaker 1:Which is, I think, as a parent with three, we're just talking about this, that'll come up through it at once. It just makes it accessible. It makes me feel like the church and its leadership understands, like, the average family trying to do this, you know. Mhmm. It's not just for the elite.
Speaker 1:It's not just a luxury to be able to go on these trips.
Speaker 2:No. We want all of our students to be able to engage.
Speaker 1:I love that. Think it's awesome. I I really do. And I think each trip just sitting in the back last night and hearing these students give testimony, each trip accomplished what we had hoped.
Speaker 2:It did.
Speaker 1:I think. At least in someone's life. I mean, I watched it. Man, some of those youth. My word.
Speaker 1:I'm so proud. I was in the back. Like, I need to write them some notes. Just the way they articulated their experience and the maturity that was on display. Way to go, church?
Speaker 1:Way to go, parents?
Speaker 2:It was wonderful.
Speaker 1:It was really cool.
Speaker 2:I was blown away.
Speaker 1:Yes. College students were great. The whole thing. I I was very encouraged by it. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:And I and it's a good I hate call it an experiment, but it is a new thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Was great.
Speaker 1:It's trying.
Speaker 2:Yeah. We have more people come next year. It's a great night.
Speaker 1:Mark your calendars.
Speaker 2:It'll
Speaker 1:Sometime in August 2027.
Speaker 2:It'll it'll happen.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's a it's this funny thing. It's like, it's gotta happen when all the trips are done.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:But you wanna get it before the school year starts.
Speaker 2:So Early August Yeah. There we are. 2027. So Mark your calendar.
Speaker 1:Really fun. Okay. That was all yesterday?
Speaker 2:That was all yesterday.
Speaker 1:That's it and that's all.
Speaker 2:That's it. And then this week, church just keeps on moving.
Speaker 1:Tell you what. It's
Speaker 2:our Traditionals Ministry is in their second week of grieving my friends on Wednesday. Not grieving my friends, but grieving
Speaker 1:Yeah. Your friends. The loss of a friend. Yeah. Or the even the anticipated.
Speaker 1:You you don't have to have a certain friend in mind that you're grieving. But just if you if that experience seemed relevant to you, you can come. It's really for anybody, but it is hosted by Traditional. So so cool.
Speaker 2:That's happening.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Brian, for, like, meeting the needs of people in your ministry. I don't even know, Luke. I mean, a lot of my stuff this week is, like, internal planning for launching. Like, I think that's where I'm
Speaker 2:And we're all there, but just some things to think about as church members. Today, our classic worship ministry, contemporary worship ministry, college ministry, and really over the next three days are picking up from the airport. Our largest incoming class of Korean college students. You told me the number. Twenty eight
Speaker 1:Twenty eight.
Speaker 2:Korean students are coming this year. Some returning, a lot of new students.
Speaker 1:It's like a college ministry in itself.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 1:You know? I'm sure there are churches in town that have less than So Very exciting. You know, we love our Korean students. Do. One thing that I wanted to plug if we're looking just a few weeks into August.
Speaker 1:Well, Fresh Start is is it just this coming Sunday?
Speaker 2:Fresh Start Sunday. Which is where It's college
Speaker 1:Sunday. Everybody promotes, and it's college Sunday.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, all of our college students are coming back.
Speaker 1:Yes. So I would say to those veteran church members, let's be extra kind, extra accommodating, look people in the eyes, make sure they are welcomed, one. And two, get help us get their info Mhmm. Bring them to one of the connection points or the welcome home center. Like, we we wanna be on our a game just in terms of genuine hospitality.
Speaker 1:Genuine not just friendliness, but the the offering of friendship. And that's, you know, y'all understand what it's like to walk into a church, to try to find your way. Just gotta put yourself in their shoes, and let's be, over the next few weeks, just super welcoming.
Speaker 2:And if I can teach you a pro tip
Speaker 1:Please.
Speaker 2:On how to question a guest, I have learned the Okay. Hard way to never ask
Speaker 1:So yeah. Tell me what not to say.
Speaker 2:Never ask and this is from experience. Is this your first Sunday here? It your first time here? Inevitably you're gonna ask someone who's been going here for thirty years. Right.
Speaker 2:And they're gonna go, I've been going here for thirty years.
Speaker 1:So instead
Speaker 2:So instead, I like to say, how long have been going to First Baptist Arlington?
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Which is a much more open ended question. The answer could be, oh, it's my first time. Mhmm. Or it could be, I've been going here for forty years.
Speaker 1:Good. And that just makes it a little bit
Speaker 2:A little
Speaker 1:bit easier. Yes.
Speaker 2:And so how long have you been going to First Baptist Arlington? Don't ask if it's their first time.
Speaker 1:Yes. How long
Speaker 2:you been here?
Speaker 1:When people come to me in the Welcome Home Center, somebody's already kind of vetted that out. Mhmm. And one of my questions is often, are you new to Arlington or just new to looking for a church? Because that can open up that's a very open ended question.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they you usually get a lot of their story and
Speaker 2:We like open ended.
Speaker 1:Well, and you don't wanna say, like, are you coming from another church? Because we're not I don't wanna get the get the scoop, but I wanna know how to serve them and how to help them find
Speaker 2:their way.
Speaker 1:And there is a different set of needs, I think. If you're brand new to Arlington, gosh, we're like, how can we help you just find your way? Mhmm. A little different if you've if you're just kind of looking for something new in a different season of life. So but, yeah, you can fumble through it.
Speaker 1:As long as you're friendly and you're looking for the outsider, we'll be proud
Speaker 2:do great.
Speaker 1:We'll be very proud of you. And then so that's fresh start this Sunday. Lots of promotion, mostly in the education ministry, just new life for everybody, new teachers, all that. Be praying for that. That's huge.
Speaker 1:I mean, y'all know. If you can connect with your teacher
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:You come back, you get formed. Just really important. Two Sundays from then, the the August 30.
Speaker 2:What's happening?
Speaker 1:It's a big day. If it's not on your calendar, then shame on you. Let's get it on there. But it's we're celebrating our pastor's twenty fifth anniversary at the church. It's actually technically already passed, but we're celebrating it on the thirtieth.
Speaker 1:It's here on campus. It's one service at 10AM with a reception before in the fellowship hall, And I think it's gonna be really special. Mhmm. There's a lot of special planned. There's a lot in the works that people have been working on.
Speaker 1:Because doctor Rawls isn't here and usually doesn't go back to listen, we'll just trust
Speaker 2:so safe.
Speaker 1:I'm crossing my ears that he that he won't. He probably knows most of it. Well, I I want y'all to know that doctor Todd Still's gonna come preach that Sunday, which we're very excited for, because he knows us, and we know him. And he and doctor Wallace have pioneered so much together, seen and unseen, just that kind of friendship. But we are still collecting for the love offering.
Speaker 1:That's our our biggest gesture to to the Wiles is a love offering. And so you can donate up until the day of, and I bet we'll even let you the day after. But it's fbca.org/ okay. Write this down because it's not all that catchy. Wiles 20 5 offering.
Speaker 1:Did get that right?
Speaker 2:Fbca.org/wileswiles20five, the number, not
Speaker 1:the four.
Speaker 2:Yeah. 25. 25 offering.
Speaker 1:Wiles two five offering. If you can't get it right, email me, and I'll send it to you. We are collecting notes and videos, I think, too, and that's fbca.org/wiles20five.
Speaker 2:Or you can turn notes into the Welcome Home Center.
Speaker 1:Or come see us
Speaker 2:at the
Speaker 1:Welcome Home Center. But the notes are very, very important. You all know that. That's a very sweet gesture. And then the love offering.
Speaker 1:We kind of assessed, you know, just they want a big trip. They want like for his twentieth, it was custom golf clubs and something. And this is like I just think this is a a gesture of just true gratitude for both of them in the way they've served and sacrificed for our church. And so I want everyone to just consider how you could play a part in that to be really special.
Speaker 2:I love it. Yes. And he did preach a sermon yesterday that we should talk about at some point.
Speaker 1:Twenty two minutes in. Let's let's take a look see. Look, I wasn't I was not here. I was in Austin. But I
Speaker 2:He had a good family member.
Speaker 1:I hope so. I hope so. My boys okay. I wanna I know we're 22 in, but we stayed in a hotel. It's that's where the family it's like a nice resort in the hill country.
Speaker 1:But a hotel, we got adjoining rooms. The boys got their own room, which is that's normal, but they get to sleep in big boy beds. We put each, like, one boy in one of the queen beds, another boy in the other queen bed, and, like, a pretty nice roll away Man. For the other one. And they look like little princes.
Speaker 1:They were so excited to sleep in big boy beds. And, you know, we put the pillows, you know, because,
Speaker 2:like, that's a long
Speaker 1:That's a long fall for like a small Sam.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:They couldn't even get all the beds themselves because they're they're tall hotel beds. They're like, can you help me up? Yes. And then we put all the beds. Anyway, they felt like little kings.
Speaker 1:Was so fun. So fun. And then all they need is like that and a pool. And they've had the best weekend of their lives.
Speaker 2:Living large.
Speaker 1:So that's what I was doing yesterday.
Speaker 2:Since you didn't get to listen to the sermon yesterday.
Speaker 1:I didn't. I'm just confessing that to
Speaker 2:Do you mind? This is completely
Speaker 1:Woah.
Speaker 2:Off the cuff from the head.
Speaker 1:We not we did not prompt this.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna ask you a personal question, and there is pressure because we're recording.
Speaker 1:Live. I mean, somewhat. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I think you can answer this. Yeah. What is God up to in your prayer life these days?
Speaker 1:Because we're talking about prayer. We're talking about prayer. Well, Luke, my mom just died.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's pretty honest. It's pretty raw. What but here here's the deal. Let me think of let me get my mind around it.
Speaker 2:I think
Speaker 1:because that's my honest
Speaker 2:And I think that's a good thing to say and a good thing to acknowledge.
Speaker 1:But let me, it's it's pretty honest right now, and I think it's we're leaning more toward, like, when you don't have the right words, the spirit intercedes on our behalf. But I think the important thing for me right now is that I'm showing up to God.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Because it's a little bit I'm a little bit upside down. You know? And so, oh, okay. But I I it's a natural response to a life of love. Right?
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:And the the more you love somebody, the the harder it is. And so my mom and I had a great friendship relationship, and then turned to friendship, you know, in the last probably decade. But so I'm a little bit upside down on it, but I'm choosing to show up to God in it. And I don't always know what to pray or how to pray. Kurt Staley Bell Raiders have been very helpful because they guide me.
Speaker 1:And I think that's the beauty of, like, liturgy, that sometimes you don't know exactly what you wanna say to God, but you can lean on the saints to do it. You know? But I so I'm not sure what I'm praying right now, but I am being conscious, truly, I mean this genuinely, to to not shut God out in the doing. Because I don't think I've probably, like, made it through a very coherent and beautiful prayer that I've come up with on my own. But I am trying to open myself up to God's presence.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And sustaining power in my life. Yeah. And I think that's probably the most honest answer I can give you about my prayer life right now.
Speaker 2:Well, think that's You know? I don't know that you could be more honest. And so first, thank you for your vulnerability because that was a deep question.
Speaker 1:An honest question.
Speaker 2:So
Speaker 1:And I'm not I'm not we're not on pedestals. No. We're not minister like, church just doesn't do that. But I do wanna model when I can, at least an honest life before God and before our people. You know?
Speaker 1:And that's so that's the truth of it for me. Can I ask you? What does prayer look like for you right now?
Speaker 2:You know, I think there are times where yesterday one of the questions that got asked in the college mentoring meeting was how long have you
Speaker 1:been following Jesus or when did you decide
Speaker 2:to follow Jesus? Yep. Sorry about that. I'm not trying to pick on anyone when I answer this and I just said the number of years and people before me had said, you know, I've decided when I was a kid but didn't really understand it until much later.
Speaker 1:Right. Which is a common
Speaker 2:Which is a common answer. So Kyle Dossi was sitting next to me. So if you're listening Kyle, this is all your fault.
Speaker 1:I often blame Kyle Dossie.
Speaker 2:Just do it anyway.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He said, oh there's got to be more of a story
Speaker 1:than that.
Speaker 2:And I just said, well, you know I think Yeah. Just life with God, what I've realized, you know, it can
Speaker 1:be easy to talk about those decisions we
Speaker 2:make as kids to follow Jesus. Like, oh, I didn't really know what I was doing. Yeah. But I think what I expressed in that moment is like, no one knows whether if you decided to follow Jesus today as an adult, don't what you're committing to. You don't know what you're embarking on.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Wade is a big proponent. He says something like, I mean, we should have him in sometime.
Speaker 2:Oh, he'd be so good.
Speaker 1:Have we have we not? Anyway, okay. But he'll he'll say he became a Christian. He gave his life to Jesus at a young age, and he said, I think God did that so that I would have more confidence in the kids that come forward Yeah. And believe that they actually understand as much as they can Yeah.
Speaker 1:This life with God just like we do. He has a very, like, let the kids come. They they get it, and we might learn something from them. Yeah. So and that's, you know, everybody's hero Charles Wade.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You know? And I think one theologian talked about, you know, if you if you knew everything that was gonna be entailed in your marriage over the course of the decades, you probably would not say yes Burp. As a young adult. But you don't know what you're committing to.
Speaker 2:Yeah. There's no way to understand the gravity of what we commit to when we set out to marry someone or even more so to follow Jesus. And so I think in my prayer life, I continue to be surprised by God k. Which is both an unnerving thing and a super fun thing. You know, I think it could be easy to look at ministers and hopefully we don't project that we have it all together.
Speaker 2:But it
Speaker 1:could be easy to look at
Speaker 2:us and go like, oh my gosh. They know everything.
Speaker 1:Especially if you're new here. If you've been around a while, you might know better.
Speaker 2:I'm not perfect. I'm not gonna speak for you. But I'm definitely not. You I'm still can speak for me. And so I think for me it's so much of the same
Speaker 1:as just continuing to show up Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And continuing to practice trust and what God is up to.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And so and being open
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:To God doing new things in my life, which is a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1:It is. And a good challenge for those more seasoned listeners or viewers that I mean, you all know we're not trying to preach to the choir, but God's not done. You never arrive.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:You never retire from following Jesus, and he can always, always show up in new ways and does. So
Speaker 2:Yeah. I think Rich Biotis once said there are no masters of prayer.
Speaker 1:Yes. And amen.
Speaker 2:And so That's good. It's just
Speaker 1:continuing to show up and continue
Speaker 2:to work through it. And there are practical habits and disciplines I engage in.
Speaker 1:Think, you
Speaker 2:know, you've mentioned those things. And I think the beauty of those things is they anchor us.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I still I still really like the Pray As You Go app. That's my plug for the listeners.
Speaker 2:Still really love the Lectio three sixty
Speaker 1:five Yeah. It's just they're they're both really
Speaker 2:quality apps. And we would heartily recommend either one along with the daily Bible readings. Do the daily Bible readings.
Speaker 1:I think Church Daily Bible readings are great.
Speaker 2:Stellar.
Speaker 1:And they're very helpful. And they help you go deeper in the life of our church because they're very tethered to what we're doing. I would say, much like evangelism, whatever form you are taking on and practicing of prayer, great. You know, it's kinda like evangelism. Whatever you're doing and are comfortable with, go for it.
Speaker 2:Are you doing it?
Speaker 1:Yes. Awesome. Are you praying? Great. Maybe try something new.
Speaker 1:You know, build it into the diet, but the fact that you're doing it is is the point. Yeah. Mean, the point is showing up to God and letting him minister to us, speak to us, obviously interceding on behalf of the world, all of that.
Speaker 2:So Well, one of the beautiful things that one of the students said last night, Neil Jones, I don't know if you remember this moment from
Speaker 1:his testimony. Yes. Did great.
Speaker 2:Doctor if doctor Wiles doesn't quote him in this sermon series
Speaker 1:I wasn't sure if he was quoting Ddub or Ddub ought to quote him. It sounded like he'd come from our pulpit. Yeah. He well, you quote it for me. Mean, I was
Speaker 2:I'm gonna butcher it. But one of our students, Neil Jones, just basically talked about, you know, the point of prayer stocking. Like, you know, I used to think it was I would pray so God would give me what I want.
Speaker 1:Yeah. He used the word want.
Speaker 2:And then just through the engagement trips this summer, he's then come to realize that in prayer what happens is I change to become the sort of person who wants what God wants.
Speaker 1:That's yeah. You got it right. You got the spirit of it right.
Speaker 2:And so it was something along those lines.
Speaker 1:And I'm in the back like
Speaker 2:I think I was emceeing and I got up on stage.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Basically said In d dub?
Speaker 2:You better quote that. Quote it. It was so
Speaker 1:well said. That's great. And the fact that our students are learning that at a young age. Yeah. And and able to articulate it back to the church like adults.
Speaker 1:Beautiful. So good. I love it so much. Okay. We should talk about the sermon.
Speaker 2:We should.
Speaker 1:Thirty one minutes in. Yeah. Confession. I told I already told Luke. I, I've looked at the notes.
Speaker 1:I tried to go listen a little, but I really haven't listened to it all. I know we're talking about Elijah.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. And James.
Speaker 1:And the book of James.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And so the tie together between these two books, and, you know, James talks about how the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Yes. Which again, I wanna bring that back to what Neil said last night because it's not that you just start asking God for things hoping that he'll give you what you want. The prayer the prayer of righteous people is powerful and effective because you become the sort of person who wants what God wants.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. And that's what you pray for and you begin to see God's activity just unfold around Mhmm. And so Doctor. Wiles talked about how James uses Elijah as this kind of paradigm of what a righteous person prays for and he turned to one Kings, which is just an incredible chunk of stories.
Speaker 1:Right. Just such a powerful
Speaker 2:powerful story.
Speaker 1:We have Elijah in the, my kids storybook bible, and it's been fun to, you know, revisit some stories I probably haven't read well since seminary. And Elijah's one of them. And Elisha.
Speaker 2:Yeah. He comes just a few chapters after.
Speaker 1:Yep. So prayer. Pray earnestly.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Pray expectantly, and pray every day, everywhere about everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think if we could abide by that
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:We'd be doing alright.
Speaker 2:My favorite bible memory verse. So easy.
Speaker 1:Go on.
Speaker 2:Are you ready?
Speaker 1:Uh-huh.
Speaker 2:Have you memorized it?
Speaker 1:I think I
Speaker 2:think you mentioned it. Yeah. If you this is your bible memory verse for this sermon series. Oh, let's think you can pull it
Speaker 1:off Okay.
Speaker 2:By the end of the series. If you come and tell me on Sunday, I will give you a high five.
Speaker 1:I'll send you to lunch with Casey Casey Fagan. Casey may be too busy to go to lunch.
Speaker 2:Got a lot going on.
Speaker 1:We can do one lunch for everybody if it gets out of hand. Yep. Okay. Give us give us your memory verse for the week. Okay.
Speaker 2:Are you ready?
Speaker 1:I'm ready.
Speaker 2:Pray constantly.
Speaker 1:No. I can't.
Speaker 2:Versus love you.
Speaker 1:I can't memorize it. It's too big.
Speaker 2:You can do it.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 2:So but that's what it is. It's Yeah. Just in every place you go, every every moment of the day, turn your attention to God. That's what that means. It's it's just a constant turning of your attention to God's presence.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's a little bit of a tune my heart to
Speaker 2:Mhmm. That praise.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. Similar. Just being in tune with and and in step with the spirit.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Easier said than done.
Speaker 2:But so worthwhile.
Speaker 1:But the goal. It's the goal. Have you enjoyed this prayer series?
Speaker 2:I love prayer. I love talking about prayer.
Speaker 1:As one who has not been to church in three Sundays, which would be all the Sundays in August.
Speaker 2:It's been good.
Speaker 1:I've kinda missed it. I mean, I've watched I've watched online when I could. I haven't watched It's not the same. It's not It's great. For those at home.
Speaker 1:It's I mean, if if y'all know. If the way that you can access our church is online, then we're so glad it's there for you. That's why we invest in this whole digital ministry. But if you can get here, there's just Worthwhile. It is.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It is. It's worth being in the room. I miss it, and I'm looking forward to this Sunday. I'll be, obviously, be back this Sunday, which will be, like, a month for me.
Speaker 1:I missed, you know, four weeks, three Sundays, so I don't like it. I'm not getting in the habit of it. I hope not.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So We're we're ready to have you back.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Me too. So anything I need to know? There's just a lot going on.
Speaker 2:You know, August is a really transitional and and we keep using that phrase that we're in a transitional time. But even just on a regular year on our church calendar, August is the month transition. It's the switch from summer to the school year and that is a big switch. Yeah. So teachers have already been back to school.
Speaker 2:Kids start this week. Yes. So I think Grand Prairie starts tomorrow, ACA starts tomorrow, Arlington and Mansfield are Wednesday. Right? And so We're praying for y'all.
Speaker 1:Yeah. We know it's it's significant. Scary in some ways.
Speaker 2:Know, huge scary area.
Speaker 1:Walk into a new classroom and who knows what the school year holds, good and bad, I'm sure, for many. And we are lifting y'all up in prayer, and we're aware that so many families are facing that this week. Mhmm. It's, yeah, it's it's significant. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We are in transition. I think it's worth saying, you know, we we are searching for through through a search firm for the through the search process search and call and vote process three ministers, but some other positions as well. And we've gotten some candidates for those. So pretty excited to start that moving a little bit, even just to introduce the committees to candidates and see if we sense that they might be the kind of people we want to come work with us.
Speaker 2:Maybe so.
Speaker 1:Oh, wouldn't that be exciting, to say the least? So you can pray along with us for that. We're just you don't wanna get it done. You wanna get it right, which is a challenge. So pray with us for the minister of formation, minister of children, minister to youth.
Speaker 2:Speak time.
Speaker 1:And whatever else you wanna pray for, we'll take it.
Speaker 2:Yep. We will. We'll take all the prayers. Really? Well Thanks for listening, everybody.
Speaker 1:Week, we'll be back, I think, with T Dub. Yeah. I will report to it. Alright. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Tell Me More podcast today. You can subscribe to this podcast on your app of choice, or you can visit us at f b c a dot org to find out more information about the podcast and our church. Thanks for listening. Have a good day.