00:12.34
Josh – Hello hello hello we’re just 2 normal dudes trying to live this jesus life. My name’s Josh.

00:22.70
Andrew – I hey I’m Andrew and I was muted this is Jesus I so messed this up. How are you my friend I dude it really has I we okay I know people we always mute.

00:31.00
Josh – That’s awesome. It’s been too long Andrew it’s been way too long. They were just Rusty a handful of weeks. Go by.

00:40.56
Andrew – When the music is going ah and then we unmute right to say hello hello hello this is you know we’re just None normal dudes trying to live this jesus life my name’ is Josh my name’s and Drew anyway, dude I messed it up and ah. I don’t know you should kick me off the podcast for that I think it was pretty much a fireable offense. Honestly.

01:02.36
Josh – Oh ah, yeah I don’t know if it’s fireable I feel like we’ve we’ve done worse. So it’s all good I First thought something broke. Yeah when I saw you talking but you weren’t talking and then I realized you were still muted and I can’t I can’t unmute you from my side.

01:08.70
Andrew – Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:16.42
Andrew – Is it I right? right? I would say it’s like probably demerit worthy. Um, you know if we’re being honest I probably got a demerit or 2 Um for real yeah dude.

01:22.32
Josh – Like you gotta meet yourself. Good old demerits. That’s a good question Andrew how many referrals or demerits have you gotten in your life.

01:36.89
Andrew – Um I I don’t know I to my knowledge I never got a demerit when I was in college Um, and what do you mean Referrals is that like a work thing is that like workplace punishment you’re in trouble.

01:44.89
Josh – But really oh.

01:52.83
Josh – I Don’t know no, that’s just what we call demerits in in my school like growing up they were called referrals which is funny that they’re called Referrals they you think about it. Maybe the teacher was referring me to punishment and that’s why they were saying me the Principal I don’t know why it’s called referrals.

01:58.88
Andrew – That’s funny. That’s funny. Yeah I don’t know.

02:09.70
Andrew – Yeah, yeah, you know what? I Never how you got sent to the Principal’s office a couple times. Ah but never even got like ah in-school suspension or detention any of that. Never.

02:11.47
Josh – I should look into that did you get any in school.

02:23.85
Josh – What such a freaking goody goody over here Gosh That’s why we’re gonna kick you off the podcast.

02:28.80
Andrew – Um, dude the closest the closest I got to a lot of trouble was in None grade when I I swear and I’ve told this story at some point but I pulled the fire alarm with my binder. On accident cause I was being awkward and nervous and a girl was walking down the steps who had a crush on so I like got way too far out of the way and I swear my the like zipper on my binder stuck in the fire alarm and I pulled my arm down and I felt this thing go Click. And then I was walking up the steps. It was just me and I’m like I nailed that I was so smooth you know and then I was walking up the steps and I hear were were what like flashy lights and I look back and the handles down and like oh Man. So I.

03:19.33
Josh – Ah, that’s funny.

03:19.84
Andrew – I went to class like nothing happened and I was sweating bullets and that girl who had a crush on for ah 5 seconds um immediately went and told the teachers. Yeah I saw Andrew he pulled the fire alarm. He totally did it on purpose like oh crap.

03:36.69
Josh – And that’s fine.

03:39.50
Andrew – But yeah when I when I went to the principal’s office I was like I am in so much trouble but to this day I swear it was on accident and I think they believed me because they didn’t actually like send me home or give me any problems you know, but I could have got suspended for sure for that None ah, yeah, man did you.

03:59.25
Josh – That’s crazy I had plenty referrals growing up I felt like I was always shoot my None grade year I probably spent more time in the fourth grade classroom and in school suspension than I did in my own classroom.

04:09.41
Andrew – Wow man did you learn a lot from it was that ah was that beneficial to your life. Josh is that helpful for you right.

04:13.22
Josh – I I wouldn’t say I I learned a lot from it because again my sophore year high school I got a couple more referrals. Ah one of them I got out of though and that’s when I learned I could talk myself out of things. Ah.

04:23.63
Andrew – I right. There you go.

04:31.39
Josh – And then the second one I got kicked out of art because Mrs Mushroom head didn’t like me but she was rude so I didn’t care. Yeah was her name I did I did call her that no she was the she was just she’s extremely condescending and rude.

04:36.50
Andrew – Mrs Mushroom head did you call her that is that why you got f.

04:50.51
Josh – And my personality is if you’re going to be an ass I’m going to teach you a lesson and I’m going to be an ass back because you shouldn’t teach you shouldn’t treat you teach your your your students like this. So that’s what I did I made her life a like living hell and I did and she learned.

05:02.15
Andrew – You’re like I will take it up on myself to teach you this lesson teacher. Ah and I did Yeah Wow. Wow.

05:09.73
Josh – Ah, she eventually actually got fired after I think at the end of the semester theynew. Her contract anything. But yeah, she was she even called my house to complain about me and my mom said well if you talk to your students like you’re talking to me I can understand why you have a problem controlling your classroom.

05:18.52
Andrew – Yeah.

05:25.19
Andrew – Wow, That’s awesome way to be mom that is awesome. That’s what’s up. Yeah yes, yes.

05:28.31
Josh – And I was like damn go mom I was still in trouble but I was like go mom. We used to take my brother’s Beanie babies and we’d rip them open and get the bebes out of them and there was a mechanical pencil that has like a metal sleeve on it and you could slide the metal sleeve off well the bebes fit perfectly inside that sleeve.

05:44.58
Andrew – Ah, huh. Yes, they did dude. Okay, next level on that my friend James and I figured out you could take a bic pencil simple plastic bick pencil and a film canister and you could cut the big pencil. Um.

05:46.73
Josh – Just sped mattered. She wasn’t looking. We drill her in the back of the mushroom head.

06:04.40
Andrew – In such a way that it was basically ah you know a gun um and cut a little hole in the top of the big pencil itself put a rubber band on and a film canister on top and attach it dude and make a hole we literally made little guns. That we’re like with those and and this was way back in the day so I don’t think I ever sold to me but James was literally selling these things on the school bus on the way to school and eventually got in trouble because they figured out like that’s the reason.

06:25.20
Josh – That’s fine. That’s fine.

06:43.58
Andrew – There’s all these tiny plastic beebs everywhere is James James is selling these automatic semi-automatic, ah plastic bb shooters ah and we were in like fourth grade or something. But yeah man.

06:47.70
Josh – Ah I’m sorry.

06:55.90
Josh – My brother my brother and I lived together. Ah right after high school in early twenty s yeah and when I moved out of that house like I probably picked up easy 20000 bbs like airsoft beebes from inside that house.

07:09.70
Andrew – Wow that is so many believe it or not and I know this isn’t anywhere near our subject but believe it or not my wife Jana got suspended in high school.

07:13.45
Josh – We just shoot each other constantly. So.

07:24.99
Andrew – Um, I think she’s in the kitchen. Maybe she’ll to come tell the story but essentially she’s like great student as you’d expect you know killing it really responsive really respectful of her teachers good reputation all that stuff and she. Of like she went to a pretty rough school but she got caught one day like leaving early to go pick up lunch and I think she was actually planning to come back like she just drove somewhere to get lunch and was coming back or maybe walked across the road because it was like in the city and she got caught. And they gave her a suspension and like when they sent her home and called her parents. They’re like wait. Why what? she do? Oh that’s fine like no Worries. You know she can be suspended for a day. But. Of like all her siblings. She was the best behaved like best you know grades all that stuff and she got suspended so you know I think it taught her a lot is what I’m trying to say think that the lessons stuck.

08:20.85
Josh – Yeah, yeah, freaking my brother my my brother got suspended for looking at Pornography once at school it wasn’t really pornography. It was actually a joke website that I told him to go to.

08:32.24
Andrew – Um, oh no. Um, oh no.

08:39.89
Josh – And there was like a picture of like old lesbian women um like Shirtless and was like some kind of it was like memes before memes were a thing and he got busted and I was like dude you go to it like at school. It’s wrong with you but he I think he out of school suspension for it like it was a big deal I don’t remember it I should ask him about it.

08:42.51
Andrew – Um, so Rest. Ah. Yeah, what are you thinking? Of course they can see that how man man how man.

08:59.41
Josh – You remember that time you have to spend it because you went to that website I told you go to I wonder if he remembers the website we used also try to get friends on school computers to go to Pin Island Dot Com um and and and see if they get busted.

09:13.90
Andrew – Yeah, yeah, yeah, and another one that we did. We never never did that but we got we got people to go to me at spend http://dotcom

09:15.34
Josh – Just spell it out if you’re like what’s http://pinyland.com don’t type it into your browser I don’t know what shows up now. But ah.

09:28.22
Andrew – Which you just spell it out and it’s http://meatspin.com as you can imagine you can imagine. It’s it’s it’smitting and it’s really hard to click out of and when you finally click it flash before it closes it flashes. You sat through 15 spins or whatever the number.

09:32.71
Josh – Pros like only imagine what that is oh, that’s so.

09:45.50
Josh – Um, oh gosh that’s funny, the other the other one we used to send that’s pretty funny. That’s what yeah, that was always the line but well the other one we tried to get people on was.

09:47.97
Andrew – Like terrible so dumb but 1 of those high school pranks that like you’d be like yeah, there’s some really cool games over there. You should go check it out. Ah.

10:03.94
Josh – There was a video I’m trying to remember what the premise was I think the title was like C two hot Blondes Whatever Ah, and when you went to it like there’s like ah a screen that comes up and says it’s really quiet turn up your volume and then it like says it again.

10:05.90
Andrew – Um, this.

10:11.50
Andrew – Um, just.

10:19.24
Andrew – Oh no.

10:23.14
Josh – Yeah, now your volume’s all the way up and it just starts at the at the loud as it can. It’s like I Love Gay Porn I Love Gay porn.

10:29.45
Andrew – Oh go do ah hi.

10:34.39
Josh – I just remember I just remember sitting in my computer science class like my junior year high school and like 2 roads back. All you hear is that you’re like oh that’s amazing.

10:43.88
Andrew – Ah, somebody got him somebody got them. Oh man, that’s so crazy play halo how in the world. Could you play halo during computer science did you like have an Xbox hooked up like.

10:48.10
Josh – Got him all I did in computer science was pay play Halo I just played Halo every day thought we didn’t.

11:01.20
Josh – Now I was like on the computer and we played against each other I didn’t really play like computer games like that then so it’s all new and me but we we’re in visual basic was the programming language we were learning and we all made fake start bars on our old windows Xp computers. So when somebody.

11:02.82
Andrew – But the world. Oh okay, yeah yeah, Wow. Wow.

11:18.71
Andrew – You would switch over.

11:20.88
Josh – Um, you know came in to view our computer while we’re in it all they saw was these applications. You know the applications we wanted to see open and not and not halo.

11:25.67
Andrew – Um, so you guys learned you you learned plenty I guess you know you learned enough to to fake it or.

11:32.84
Josh – Yeah, that was that was the same teacher that was the same teacher. So we I went through that class with him and then I had another class on C Plus plus with him and he had no idea what C plus Plus was and he had no idea to teach how to teach it so instead of doing my homework every night I would study the textbook.

11:46.53
Andrew – This.

11:52.65
Josh – Come up with questions I knew he couldn’t answer and I would ask him in front of the class with research notes so he’d be like Josh his his line was always joshing to read the textbook and I’d like oh yeah I did on page 16 It says this this and this but doesn’t fully explain that that other concept like can you explain I looked in the table of content.

11:55.42
Andrew – Um.

12:02.73
Andrew – But.

12:09.49
Andrew – Um, ah and you wonder why you got more like you wonder why? you got demerits referrals. Ah yeah, that’s funny man.

12:11.48
Josh – And the end of the back and like I can’t find that concept anywhere and this is before like the internet was the internet. So like you weren’t able to like just Google some still Aol he never send air kicked me out of the class though. The worst part of that story is though I’m years later I’m now working at a church. And I’m walking out with somebody for lunch and this is the middle of the day and he comes riding his bike like through the parking lot and I was just like hey mister and said his name just like oh dude I I probably got that guy fireed like.

12:44.61
Andrew – oh man? oh no oh man well I guess not I guess not so but it finally caught up with them after 10 years of teaching it. They realized he had no idea what it was um.

12:47.33
Josh – Probably my fault. He’s not working in the middle of the day that he probably shouldn’t have been teaching that class the None place. So.

12:56.22
Josh – L. I think it was like his None time through is weird.

13:03.00
Andrew – Anyway, dude man I don’t even know how we got on that topic but that was fun and if you if you’re new to the show and you’re like wait. Why is this titled this jesus life podcast. It’s not a trick. It is actually we tend to talk quite a bit about. Relationship with the lord and None another and jesus and all of that. Um, but as you can see Josh and I also like to just be lighthearteded and see where things go so that’s kind of what I think we’re going to do today if you. Have been listening. You know we just kind of wrapped up a season of all kinds of relationship focused conversations. So it was really about like if christians are going to be real and effective that they should be awesome at at relationship with None another. And with god um, and we kind of walked through None episodes maybe None of like using some great questions and prompts um to build relationship with None another and model that and try to give anybody tools that would want some tools of like I could do this in my life I just need None or 2 people. Ah, that want to do this too. Um, so we’re going to continue in that vein in our next season we don’t have an exact title but we’re going to look at kind of the way Jesus related to people through quite a few texts and bible and um. Try to just bring like some of the relational dynamics out there and things that challenge us things that we like that we’re similar to things that we’re not as similar to but would like to be all of that so we’re going to go into that. Um, but today. Kind of that in-be between and it’s honestly just been a while since we talked because Josh and I ah unbeknownst to us. But we perfectly timed some vacations so I went on a camping trip and beach trip Josh went on a beach and family trip and we had some time away. Ah, coupled with some crazy work on either side of that. So. It’s been a few weeks and we figured we would start with kind of ah how is it with your soul. How are you doing discussion. Um, what are you learning these days. What’s god teaching you all of that. So Josh my friend. I hope you haven’t got any demerits recently. But it was fun to hear some about some in the past. Um dude, how are you? how how’s life like how’s how are you doing you know and and what’s god teaching you these days or what do you feel like you might want to teach you.

15:46.34
Andrew – These days.

15:47.68
Josh – Yeah, ah probably lots of things God’s teaching me um our leadership team with with the church just completed a ah fast last night. So we broke it together and one of the things that we were were asking or praying through was um, for.

15:56.87
Andrew – 5

16:06.78
Josh – I guess this is twofold one was to get god to give us just discernment on when to speak and when not to speak when to engage and not to engage. You know so much of what we do is relational in nature. Um, and you know we’re trying to help people grow in their relationship with Jesus but you know that. Ah, good portion that’s depend on how much relational collateral you have with people so you know when do we speak up when do we push and challenge and and then when do we keep our mouths shut. Um, but just kind of the discernment that we were asking god for and there’s a lot of cool stories that came out of that. Ah, journey I’m excited to hear even more stories coming out of it over the next few days at least for me that’s it’s after you in the fast where you kind of get those realizations about things. But yeah, that’s kind of been the big thing that the none thing we were praying for is just you know recognizing where god has already.

16:45.32
Andrew – Yeah.

16:56.14
Josh – Done work in our hearts personally to get us ready for this next season and then what what work still needs to be done um in our hearts. You know we we as discipple makers can’t lead someone you know to a place. We’ve never been so you know.

17:01.77
Andrew – Yeah.

17:11.99
Andrew – Um, yeah.

17:15.50
Josh – So much of what we do is is dependent on our ability to foster relationship with Jesus so he can lead that sanctification process and and lead us to change so we can you know be changed by him and know him better. Um, so I think.

17:21.94
Andrew – Um, it.

17:30.60
Josh – Been a lot of areas where god has been working an area that I’m kind of coming out of that. It’s god been working over the last few months and it’s funny how god works even with the fasting like you know god like you have a bunch of what feel like random conversations. Sorry if you’re hearing a buzz on the on the thing I don’t know if Mike’s picking it up. But apparently.

17:37.23
Andrew – Um, yeah. Um, I’m not I’m not.

17:48.33
Josh – My dryer my dryer just finished and it’s buzzing behind me and it’s pretty loud. Um, but even with fasting like I had this idea of like oh I wonder I shouldn’t say idea I should say just a thought a prompting of like I wonder we should fast as a team as we get ready for the summer and and dig into the things we’re trying to dig into and um.

17:58.40
Andrew – Um, yeah.

18:07.20
Josh – As far as it went for me like I didn’t think much of it after that I probably should have but it didn’t and then one of our other leaders reached out and started asking me a bunch of questions about fasting so they know I fasted before and I’m going through all that and you know they they say they’re they’re gonna fast as well or they’re going to start a fast and I was like oh that’s great. We should.

18:15.99
Andrew – Yeah.

18:26.28
Josh – Should actually all start a fast I was just thinking about this a couple days ago and that’s kind of how it all started and everybody jumped in pretty quick but for a lot of them. It’s the None time they’ve ever fasted. Definitely that long so that was kind of cool and then it’s also kind of determined for us that you know as a part of Hill City culture

18:29.74
Andrew – Um, ah, that’s cool. Yeah, well.

18:45.92
Josh – Um, we’ll encourage our people to fast every the start of every year and you know we’ll we’ll do it for twenty one days we’ll you allow people to figure out where they want to go but we’ll just kind of build that into our rhythm as a church but that’s kind of exciting to you just the things that kind of came out of that. Ah.

18:47.95
Andrew – Um, Wow. Wow.

19:05.33
Josh – And then the other thing. Ah, that’s how I started This was ah sorry I’m trying to fix my microphone and still talk at the same time. It didn’t work. Um, the other thing God’s been teaching me is I think I might have talked about this on the podcast too. But it came from you know came from conversation on the coaching group we were talking about it.

19:13.69
Andrew – Home.

19:24.99
Josh – Couple of conversations with different friends. We’re talking about it. But you know your your ability to show empathy and compassion to people which is you know, hugely important in in what we try to do is is disciple Makers um is limited by your ability to feel that emotion yourself. Um, not that you have to have gone through the same exact things that they’ve gone through but you know can you connect their experience of loss to a moment of loss in your life. So You guys are on the same playing field and you could be. You know everyone feels this but like that you can feel the emotion of what they’re feeling at least to some small extent.

19:53.26
Andrew – Um, right, right? right.

20:03.29
Josh – You can relate to them better and just be there with them in the midst of it. So god’s been doing a lot of work and just identifying emotions even us going through and like I think one week even during conversations. So if you haven’t had opportunity to listen to conversations go back 10 episodes I ago I guess it was and and go through those but.

20:14.16
Andrew – Yeah.

20:19.49
Andrew – Um, yeah, go into the last one yeah

20:22.24
Josh – If you just want to hear and I get really mushy and and weird you can go to the last episode and just check out that one? Um, but yeah, just how do we identify emotions in my own life. Um, so I have some kind of bearing to be able to help identify emotions in other people’s lives.

20:38.33
Andrew – Um, yeah.

20:40.17
Josh – Or at least identify him internally for me so I can show empathy and and compassion towards that. So I think that’s a big piece too and that god’s been teaching me recently um, those are probably the big 2 But how about you.

20:49.16
Andrew – That’s cool man that’s awesome. Dude ah I’ll answer that in just a sec but I wanted to ask I know we’ve talked about it in the past but fasting like that’s that’s something that. To be honest, I’ve always been like how in the world does Josh 20 fast that long because you’ve done it multiple times and often you don’t even announce that it’s happening you know and they come in a setting like this but but you go big on fasting and I just wanted to ask like. What’s the what’s the reason you keep coming back to that. Um I know it’s biblical. You know, but like for you just personally, why do you Why do you keep coming back to that and why is it important enough that you want it to be a part of Hill City’s culture of like this is something we do as leaders here and this is something we invite. You know everybody into.

21:43.35
Josh – Yeah, um, so at the core of everything that that I do in terms of spiritual disciplines like I’m trying to foster relationship with Jesus right? That’s that’s my goal. Um, whether it’s you know, reading the bible every morning or in prayer and conversation or fasting like I’m I’m trying to foster a relationship with Jesus um, for me ah fasting just has this unique ability and I I stumbled into it and I’ll tell the story in a none but um, fasting has this unique ability to just refocus me and and draw me back in. It’s.

22:08.70
Andrew – Um, yeah.

22:15.31
Andrew – Um, yeah, yeah, just kind of sucks right? That’s cool.

22:16.40
Josh – It’s super unspiritual in the midst of the fasting like I don’t feel like oh these moments with god but I don’t feel mountain high experience and and valley lows anymore either like I’ve learned how to always be connected with god so but yeah, that’s the 1 thing that like draws me back in I think has the power to draw other people back towards Jesus as well. Um.

22:34.68
Andrew – Yeah.

22:36.26
Josh – But for me like the long I’ve always fasted probably since high school I think my youth pastor probably introduced us to it and it was more fasting for something so it was like let’s fast that someone gets healed or let’s fast that this you know comes to be as we’re asking up for um, which.

22:45.50
Andrew – Um, yeah, yeah.

22:55.90
Josh – I Don’t know I We don’t have any so we don’t have any scriptural evidence that that’s a thing in the new covenant. Um, and to me it’s really easy to get to a place where it’s just manipulation right? It’s just transactional God I’m doing this for you now Do what I now do what I want for me.

22:58.76
Andrew – Um, two. Yeah.

23:07.23
Andrew – Um, yeah, um, break.

23:14.10
Josh – And that’s the opposite of what the life with Jesus looks like and feels like and should be so for me no matter what spiritual discipline you’re practicing. It should always come back to is it deepening your relationship with Jesus and fostering your relationship with Jesus and that’s what fasting does for me it fosters that relationship it.

23:16.32
Andrew – Um, yeah.

23:28.98
Andrew – Um, that’s cool. Yeah.

23:33.36
Josh – Kind of refocuses a lot of things makes you know the important things the important things and the unimportant things the unimportant things like it just resets priorities. Um as well and I think I think that’s big and helpful I’ll link to it on our um, show notes. So if you go to this G’s Lifepo Dot com.

23:37.59
Andrew – Um, yeah.

23:48.25
Andrew – Um, yeah, oh cool. Nice.

23:51.74
Josh – Um, but I wrote an article on my website a while back about fasting and the twenty one day fasts and I’ll link it. But it’s it’s called only fasting’s only for super cuions and the argument. It’s not true, but and give you some kind of tips and tricks on how to do it and why I do it and the fact that you know when you’re in the midst of it. You don’t you don’t talk about it like.

23:59.55
Andrew – Um, that’s awesome. Ah, that’s cool. Right? right? Don’t miss Out. Don’t miss out Dude. That’s cool I Um I was just curious because it’s some I haven’t actually fasted for a long time. Um for a while quite a while at this point. Um and it’s it’s just because it’s.

24:10.21
Josh – Don’t don’t lose out on Jesus’ ‘ blessings what he asked for you I should say.

24:27.93
Andrew – Hard so hard to do um and inconvenient and all those things. Yeah.

24:28.16
Josh – Yeah I was proud like some of our some of our leaders have never fasted in their life and we just fasted for 72 hours so their None fast was 72 hours there’s like hey I I would never be able do that.

24:37.54
Andrew – Wow, that’s cool. That’s cool. Yeah, but yeah man, that’s pretty intense and it does it really does create space. You know to when you’re not eating and you’re kind of. For me in the past when I have fasted. It’s like hey when you have when you’re feeling really hungry and just thinking about that take that energy and apply it to prayer. You know, use that like I just want a burger so bad and just apply it to like I’m just going to pray for 10 minutes until my mind is kind of off this.

25:02.98
Josh – Yeah, yep.

25:14.33
Andrew – And that’s the intent anyways like I’m going to spend more time with God Um, and I don’t know God always shows up in that context. Yeah yeah.

25:18.64
Josh – You increases faith too right? like faith and trust is increases because he proves that you know he’s he is sustaining you like when I The first time I were fasted for that long I think I was reading an audio book or maybe I was listening to a podcast I’m like I was on a road trip.

25:25.84
Andrew – Um, yeah.

25:34.17
Andrew – Um, yeah.

25:36.80
Josh – And there was a pastor talking about it and they did it as a church every start every year and I couldn’t shake it. You’re like that’s that’s mind boggling twenty one days and like this is true of my faith in general like I’ve always been ignorant enough to just do something without really understanding the repercussions of that. Um.

25:40.50
Andrew – Um, Wow it is It is.

25:52.90
Andrew – Ah, you’re like I could I’ll dive in. Yeah.

25:55.97
Josh – Yeah, yeah, like I I quit playing hockey in a moments in a moment in time I played 1 more game because I just felt like that’s what god said to do so I’m ignorant enough just to do it so I remember I couldn’t shake it and I was trying to figure out well I wasn’t trying to figure out how to do it I was just trying to figure out when I should do it.

25:58.43
Andrew – Um, yeah, right.

26:06.27
Andrew – Are. Rate.

26:13.13
Josh – Because I know you know Matthew you know and Matthew G is very clear that you know put on your good face. You know, get all dressed up and nice. Don’t let people know you’re fasting because if they’re going to if man’s going to give you praise you’ve gotten what you’ve gotten. You’re not going to get anything else and in the midst of that. Um I picked the days.

26:16.73
Andrew – Um, yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, are you.

26:31.62
Josh – So I picked a a story and we might even share this story. We talked about fasting years ago. You can probably find it in our in our early episodes. But um I started fascinated fast and I figured out like when can I do this best where I wouldn’t have to explain it to people. Um.

26:31.74
Andrew – Um, yeah I think so yeah, somewhere in there.

26:43.80
Andrew – Um, yeah.

26:47.71
Josh – Like you don’t want to end up at a party or you’re supposed to be eating and you’re not eating then you have to explain it to a bunch of people. Ah so I set those in the day that I started that fast like my my my life blew up with my my old job and my boss like it just and it it progressively got worse from there over the years but

26:49.18
Andrew – Right.

26:58.20
Andrew – Yes, it did Yes, it did.

27:05.91
Josh – Like it was in the midst of that that I was able to carry a fair amount of hope. Um and not even concerned about losing my job actually started looking for a job um during that season because it’s like I don’t want to play this game anymore. Um, but god said stick it out stay faithful and so I did for another two years and then it all imploded again. But. Um, and it was in that that like I was just able to have a level of faith and hope and I would say accredit it to the fact that I was fasting so I was connecting with Jesus on deeper levels and that was the thing that kind of pushed me through and got me through it that.

27:35.36
Andrew – Um, yeah.

27:43.36
Josh – I don’t think I would have experienced I would have ah engaged with it the same way if if I didn’t if it wasn’t fasting or at that time. So it’s kind of cool those moments sos god’s provision of like hey I’m going to get you I’d even know that that was Goingnna happen I no clue that it was going to implode like that.

27:44.90
Andrew – Um, right.

27:52.90
Andrew – Um, yeah. I know and we were you know we were meeting every week at that time to do accountability encourage each other all the things and yeah I remember it was like almost this. Ah it just you know I could tell god was in it because your response is to all each step of this. Situation and honestly your your responses in that three weeks like kept blowing my mind. You just kept showing up hopeful and levelheaded and like calm and like no god’s got this like yeah, it sucks and here’s what just happened you know and it just kept going almost worse and worse. But I don’t know.

28:33.23
Josh – Yeah, yeah, was a crazy season. Yeah well shoot after I ended my fast ah like within that next week I I quit my job like I just said I’m done I’m not doing this anymore.

28:36.57
Andrew – But I don’t know is way that the holy spirit was like rely on me in this time for sure. Dude Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

28:52.70
Josh – And then I got talked into sticking it out and staying. But yeah, it was is a crazy moment but it learned so much through it too like I learned a lot about myself I I learned a lot about how I treated other people and you know there’s a lot of people I reached out to during you know the next couple of weeks after that and and apologized of like man. Um.

28:59.68
Andrew – Um, yeah.

29:07.23
Andrew – Yeah, yeah.

29:11.28
Josh – I’m leading you the same way I’m getting led and this out feels and and for that I’m I’m so sorry and it healed a lot of relationships and past you know, employee interactions and that kind of stuff too. So you know I think it’s just it’s a moment of time that you can refocus on the important things Let the.

29:14.35
Andrew – Yeah. Yeah.

29:24.28
Andrew – Who yep.

29:27.73
Josh – Um, craziness of life and then distraction of life kind of just slip away for a little bit but I don’t and and I said this so earlier but like I think it’s important I don’t have like these spiritually high moments on fasting like that’s not the case. It’s normal day even kill like there’s nothing crazy about it in terms of emotional responses or something like that.

29:29.84
Andrew – Yeah.

29:35.27
Andrew – So who right.

29:45.37
Andrew – Right.

29:46.98
Josh – Um, because that’s really like let’s be honest, it’s typically what we call a spiritual high like it’s an emotional response to something not necessarily god moving. But yeah I think I’ve talked plenty now Andrew um, ah.

29:54.77
Andrew – Yep. yeah yeah man yeah sorry dude I just kept you talking and I didn’t mean to do that. But thanks for carrying the show. Ah I grew something on my arm. It is a eighteen month old that I’m holding.

30:04.59
Josh – This pretty good. You grew something on your arm. It looks like.

30:14.48
Andrew – And you know she just woke up from her nap and she’s trying to grab the microphone. Um, so and she is she just bid the mic everybody She can’t hear you because I have my headphone in but she’s looking at you like what is happening but dude um.

30:18.83
Josh – Yeah, she wants to be on the podcast. Hello.

30:33.10
Andrew – You ask? How am I what’s God doing in my life and and I’ll do my best to have this be reasonable hey could you let go? She’s hugging the mic I know but I should go get her Teddy bear but um, man God is.

30:33.82
Josh – Yeah.

30:39.88
Josh – Now it’s now it’s like her Teddy bear.

30:50.56
Andrew – God is good like I just came off um a pretty pretty cool vacation trip. Ah really adventure where for about I think it was nine days we were gone. We went camping in 2 national parks and we. Joined my family for part of the week at the beach in between um and man it was really cool. Um like seeing seeing our girls love nature and love family and love all the the new and change was like really. Really fun. You know and I can’t like you could call it a vacation but it was definitely like an adventure a series of adventures in a trip you know because parks we had never been to time with cousins and family at the beach like really good but far from like kicking my feet back. That’s going to be like. Years from now or if my wife and I go on a trip alone and it’s not with our girls for a while and that’s okay, but ah, but it was really good I was reflecting on it I was a little annoyed about it a few times but in both the parks we were in at our campsites we had like. Just 0 phone signal. You know like maybe enough to to call None one None not enough to like you know, check your email or even send text messages or whatever but man yeah I was annoyed a few times because like trying to navigate to trailheads and do that. However.

32:06.80
Josh – I.

32:24.18
Andrew – Um, man it was a real gift to just like unplug from technology get away have quiet have campfires in the evening. All that stuff like it was. It was really good. Um, really really good. So. Ah, in that space I don’t know I I think I just came back feeling a little more lighthearted and and a little more rested you know from intentionally disconnecting. So I don’t think god like taught me anything huge in that but it was a good reminder of like man. Every once in a while I do need to unplug and just focus on not worrying about. Where’s my phone or what’s going on in the email or what calendar appointment do I have but just like enjoy god’s creation. You know? so um so it was really good man. Um, yeah, the. The 1 thing I had a conversation. It was one of those ones that would be easy to to discount but actually just yesterday and it’s came back to my mind a bunch of times. Um and a senior leader in our organization which is ah a Christian organization and pretty. Mission driven. Um, he was talking about like our brand you know like what is the brand of the place I work and what do we want to be like all these great things but he made a point of of talking about when he was talking about the mission. He’s like should we bow to the mission. You know as employees of this should we bow to the mission and and his answer was a resounding like no bow to god be excited about the mission. You know, like be be glad you can be a part of it use your talents in it. But you don’t bow to the mission because if you do that. Like None you’re making an idol ah None you’re going to eventually burn out because you’re like I’m going to give every wake and waking moment I have to this mission and that’s what I’m about you know when really it’s it’s not the mission It’s not what Christ has called us to it’s ah it’s just.

34:28.25
Josh – Yeah.

34:32.65
Andrew – Something that can honor him if we do it in his name and and trying to live as he lived along the way. Um, but it was a cool idea and for me it struck me because it’s like man. It’s easy to put things in God’s place for me in my life like it’s easy to. Check the boxes of oh I have that covered I don’t need any help there. This is good to go and and like I can confidently say in this moment I’m not bowing to the mission of the place I work even though it’s a good one. It’s not.. It’s not God You know? Um, so. Kind of cool but it was a good reminder of like don’t don’t do that. Don’t make your your church God like God Be God Don’t make your job God Even if it’s like really a great God Honoring Mission. It’s not God You know it’s a mission.. It’s not the mission.

35:25.13
Josh – Go.

35:27.66
Andrew – It’s not the great commission. So anyway man that was a cool reminder and one of those conversations I just had kind of out of the blue yesterday that that I was reflecting on there’s 1 more thing except I got to go grab my eighteen month old but just walked away so I will be right back. My friend.

35:42.96
Josh – Nice, nice. We’ll take this opportunity. We have a partnership with a app called dwell. Um, you’ll hear us talk a lot on this podcast about Foster relationship with god.

35:49.42
Andrew – 5

35:57.32
Josh – Um, spending time with god building relationship. You know god plays by the same relationship rules that relationship plays with with another human being. Um so there needs to be trust there needs to be vulnerability. There needs to be time conversation. Humility. All of those types of things and a great tool that to help you. Ah, start in that journey of start having conversations with god is is well dwell as a bible reading app but isn’t like your typical bible reading app or what you’ll find in the bible app. You know that that monotone dude and of of the and iv no offense to hammy did a great job but I’m also a little bit bland. Um, these people that ah read on the dwell app are. Passionate about god’s word passionate about their relationship with Jesus and a great It’s a great jumping off point for you to start having a relationship with Jesus and foster relationship yourself? Um, so definitely check it out I’m going to play this ad form and then I’ll give you a little bit more details on how to find them.

37:47.99
Josh – And you can find dwell at this jesus life podcast dot com forward slash dwell this jesus http://lifepodcast.comforward/dwell and if you do ah check them out. Shoot us an email and let us know your experience.

38:01.10
Andrew – Um.

38:03.45
Josh – Um, how is it working for you. How is it foster a relationship with Jesus for you or or starting that process of doing that for you and you can email us at hello at this July podcast dot com but that is well and andrew is back to Andrew.

38:14.47
Andrew – That’s right I’m back I’m back.

38:19.65
Josh – I was trying to think like 1 last question for you but I can’t remember the one last question. So let me just talk about the next series. Um, we start next a new series next week now that we’ve been off for I don’t know if it was two weeks or three weeks I don’t remember how many episodes we missed. But we missed I would say we missed you guys.

38:25.17
Andrew – Um, yeah yeah I don’t know you know between a week and a month somewhere in there. Yeah, we missed some time we’re sorry.

38:38.41
Josh – Are listening but let’s be honest I didn’t miss you guys mainly because you’re not actually here I did I miss talking to you and I missed talking and I missed doing the podcast I didn’t necessarily miss the listeners of the podcast because unfortunately listeners you’re just you’re not actually sitting here with us and that’s.

38:40.36
Andrew – I miss talking to you Josh I did I miss talking to you but that was it yeah right? right? right? right? sure. Right? right? Yeah, thanks for keeping yourself honest, you know.

38:57.60
Josh – Kind of hard and I’m not gonna lie to you and say that I did because that would be a lie and not true, but we’re so glad that you listen, we’re glad that we’re helpful and we’re glad that you know hopefully we give you a little bit of some Jesus and helpful information and and knowledge and next steps and and all that fun stuff and it isn’t just all fun and ah. You know the pranks that we pulled on our friends growing up. But yeah, so we started a new series where we don’t really have a name for it. We don’t really have an exact topic for it. But essentially we just want to go through the life of Jesus and talk about really his humanity.

39:26.25
Andrew – Um, right?? um. Um, right?? um.

39:32.40
Josh – Do it like ah a dive into how did he interact with his disciples with others around him just so we get a better picture of who Jesus is and who Jesus was and in the physical form and kind of talk through that so we’ll do that over the next few weeks probably to finish out our summer that will be our topic at hand and we’ll just.

39:51.20
Andrew – That’s right.

39:51.34
Josh – I don’t know if we’ll go through chronologically through Jesus life or we’ll just pick stories in general I don’t know at some point we’ll figure that out before we record for next week but that’s the plan that’s kind of what we’re gonna dig into. Yeah the the why the big.

39:53.82
Andrew – Yeah I don’t know yeah chronological might be cool. Yeah, anyway, we’ll figure that out people. Sorry Josh I keep jumping in on you right.

40:09.98
Josh – Good the big why is like you’re probably not spending time with Jesus now I would I would suspect. There’s a reason for that and use it’s because either you believe something not true about god or you’ve applied a characteristic to god that isn’t. True of his character that’s keeping you at a distance and not wanting you to engage him and I would argue he’s he’s definitely more than engagingable full of grace even in the midst of the ugliness of your life and the worst parts and times of your life that god is there and he’s he’s in the mess with you so he’s definitely worth engaging with so.

40:28.63
Andrew – Um, with that.

40:45.56
Josh – We wanted to go through just you know Jesus you know, living here on earth is the is the physical representation and character of god um, so there’s a lot we can learn about who Jesus is and who god is through the through that conversation. So that’s that’s the why we’d would love for you to journey with us if you didn’t have an opportunity to check out.

40:51.60
Andrew – Um, yep.

41:04.73
Josh – Um, the last series we called conversations. Definitely check that out. Check out our website. You can go back on whatever podcast platform you’re listening on and check out that season as we talked about just conversations relational conversations how we relate to each other how to relate to god.

41:06.37
Andrew – Um, you should? yeah.

41:22.27
Josh – I think it was it was hugely helpful for me as we just talked through some things and even at times we like it felt extremely uncomfortable. It was very beneficial even though you know we’re not the touchy None kind of guy so I’ll take it that is what it’s.

41:22.83
Andrew – Me too. Yeah, yeah, right. We joked about doing a whole episode on discouragement because our last one was so high and and encouraging. You know that we’re like we got to. We got to humble each other a little bit but we decided against it decided against it. Um, but hey I I know we have this in Outro My friend.

41:42.21
Josh – Share.

41:48.97
Josh – That’s true.

41:54.17
Andrew – But ah for real anybody taking the time to listen and if you’re still listening 40 minutes in thanks like it is really cool that you do that? Um, and in whatever way is comfortable for you. We’d love to hear from you. Ah, you can email us. You can like any our website gives all kinds of ways to get ahold of us and we’d love to hear like what impacts does this happen on your life. Um, not because Andrew and Josh are great but like what’s got doing in your life as a result of. Hearing something and being sparked by the holy spirit to do something about it in this podcast. So if you ever have stories about that. Please let us know. But but thanks for taking the time to actually listen like it’s pretty meaningful and the fact that people do listen is is why we keep doing this. Um. I don’t know maybe Josh and I would do this and just not record it if ah if you weren’t here if it wasn’t a podcast but I’m glad we’re doing it this way. So thanks for listening? Yeah yeah.

42:50.80
Josh – Sure.

42:55.86
Josh – Yeah, and always just reach out and say hi can d mount dm us on Instagram um, that’s probably the only pi from you on to Dm us Amazon a few messages on Facebook anda or and I know I’m not stay so probably not see or if you have I haven’t checked it in months and months. So.

43:04.11
Andrew – Yeah, yeah, probably not going to see that. Yeah yeah, yeah.

43:15.11
Andrew – no no I would’ve got a notification on Instagram so I don’t think so I don’t think so ah yes, yeah, yeah.

43:15.77
Josh – If you didn’t with the showss on Facebook you’re like those guys are jerks told me oh that’s true I think we do um yeah messages just say hi. Yeah, one of us will definitely respond and say hi to you. But yeah, we appreciate you listening share us out to those around you.

43:32.46
Andrew – Um, yeah.

43:34.30
Josh – Um, actually if you message us with your address I will send you a this jus like podcast sticker with the new branding. We’ll send that your way just as a thank you don’t have to pay us. You don’t have well we pay the None 58 and whatever it is right now for postage and send that your way just.

43:38.97
Andrew – What That’s what’s up.

43:48.43
Andrew – Yeah, we’ll handle it. We will cover that yes.

43:53.21
Josh – A thanks for listening. But yeah, shoot us a Dm shoot us ah an email and we’ll definitely get that sent off your way. Um, but yeah Andrew dude as always my buddy. My friend my I don’t have another word my other person that I talked to on a regular basis. Your co-host Mike.

44:02.30
Andrew – Yep.

44:07.65
Andrew – Um, co-host code Labor pal.

44:13.34
Josh – Co-host my pal. Ah always good to see you I’m glad your trip was amazing. I’m looking forward to more of your camping trips and camping stories I Hope the chickens are well and all that fun stuff.

44:16.88
Andrew – Ah, good to see you man. Yeah thanks Ben yes yes I’ll tell you a chicken story next time man something something happened, but we’ll save it.

44:36.60
Josh – Oh cliffhanger man.

44:36.28
Andrew – That’s a little bit of you should listen next time but dude dude good to talk to you My friend and and I’ll talk to you soon man. Thanks for doing this you name. It’s a cliff hanger.

44:47.64
Josh – He’s gonna play that game with you guys. He’s just gonna leave you on a moment just like I got a story but he’s not gonna tell you thanks for listening. Okay.