Ep. 3 - Talkin' "Who" Is God

SMALL GROUP IS BACK! Following a brief and unexpected break, the Group is together again to discusses the question stemming from a personal experience shared by Benjamin of "who is God?", as well as other variations like "what, where, why is God?"  Diving deep into all of these considerations as objectively as possible, Taylor, Sabrina, Lacey, and Benjamin attempt to describe the indescribable by each presenting their perspectives on God. The opportunity arises for Lacey to show off her Marvel-movie knowledge. The group gears up for Easter plans, sharing what their favorite treats are for the holiday, and announce that there is now Small Group merch at their website (SmallGroupPodcast.wordpress.com). Also, - SPOILER ALERT - Christmas is officially over. 

Thank you for joining in Small Group, and please feel free to participate with us by sending your thoughts, questions, or ideas by commenting, messaging, or by email (goat.bear.lobster@gmail.com). You can also reach out, and find out more about us, at our website: SmallGroupPodcast.wordpress.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:47

This is Small Group Podcast. I'm Benjamin Maxwell.

SPEAKER_02 0:50

I'm Lacey Maxwell. I'm Sabrina Bain.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

And I'm Taylor Bain. We thank you guys for joining us again tonight. Hopefully again tonight for our small group study. We man, it's good to be back. Good to be back with everybody. I know Taylor's chomping at the bit ready to go.

SPEAKER_06 1:12

I'm very excited. Yeah, we had to do short hiatus last week, just the crud's going around. But everybody's well and we're excited to be back at the table.

unknown 1:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

And as of the recording, we are right here. It's Good Friday. That's right. I forgot what day it was for a second. And so Easter is day after tomorrow. So yeah, here we are. You guys are fired up. I know you've got a big 48 hours ahead of you.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Yeah, Taylor has completely planned this event that we're having at the end.

SPEAKER_06 1:48

That's not true. I yeah, I'm really excited. We're doing a we've mentioned this on a previous episode, but we're doing a full read through Matthew to Revelation of the New Testament at our church starting tomorrow morning, going through Easter morning before our service begins. We've got, I believe, 41 different readers signed up.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 2:17

How many chapters are there in the New Testament? Do you know?

SPEAKER_06 2:21

You had to ask me, didn't you? I don't actually answer.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

I didn't mean to put you on the spot. I was wondering if you would know that, by the way.

SPEAKER_06 2:29

Not anybody. We've got people who can Google that. We have people.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

260. We married.

SPEAKER_06 2:39

260. So yeah, we're excited.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

Put you on the spot again. What's 260 divided by 41? Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_06 2:46

We've got most people are reading between three to five chapters, but it varies because we have some readers who are tackling books with a larger word count per chapter, but it's adjusted so that people can read within a 30-minute time frame per slot. So we're excited about it. Yeah, we're really looking forward to Easter. It's gonna be great. You're kicking off what time tomorrow morning?

SPEAKER_03 3:13

6 a.m. So you get to sleep in a little bit. Good job. Are you gonna be the guy standing there keeping everybody on time? Like read faster, speed it up, let's go.

SPEAKER_06 3:25

I think I'm going to make my dear friend Robbie living so do that. It's perfect for that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

I think actually Taylor will be great at calming people. People will be like, okay, do I need to read at a certain pace? And we added some buffer time with each slot, so we'll be there to remind everyone to slow it down.

SPEAKER_03 3:47

And I'm really sorry. Did you guys I know this was brought up a little bit. Yeah. And I hope I'm not bringing up an ill subject. Are you guys gonna be recording it? Or live streaming?

SPEAKER_01 3:57

So the beautiful thing about this process is so we went to okay, I'm gonna answer your question, but you're background.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

Hey, you're you're speaking how I speak right now, so I'm gonna I'm all report.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

We we went to a college visit with my little brother who's a senior in high school and he's going to college next year, and he's looking at going to the University of Mobile, and their university was talking about during finals week doing a Bible reading. And they did it in the during the course of what like three days.

SPEAKER_06 4:32

Three days Genesis to Revelation.

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Right. And so that's where the idea came from. Taylor presented this and it got accepted or approved. I don't think it was anything official like that, but they let us move forward with the idea. And then several people started having ideas, which was awesome because it's become bigger than we ever imagined it would be. Oh, yeah. So two people from our church, Adam and Robbie, have fully taken over the recording. That being said, I don't I think that it is going to be recorded. Awesome. I'm not possibly.

SPEAKER_06 5:12

Yeah, and I should mention too, we have a number of people in our congregation, more than I could list, who are helping to provide food, who are opening the doors of the church. So yeah, we're really excited. We hope that people will come to listen as well, not just to read. We're hoping that it'll be just a great time to reflect on Easter weekend for about what Christ has done for us and to just draw close together as a as a church and as a community.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

So and I hope it is gonna be recorded or hopefully then live streamed, because we'll be traveling for for Easter to see family, Lacey and I. By the way, before we get too far away from it, I say Christmas is finally over, officially over, because we just finally celebrated our last Christmas with Lacey's family.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

So yeah, we uh we had to keep rescheduling Christmas because people kept getting the flu, or there were dance competitions and baseball games and all the things. So we just had Christmas with my family two weeks before Easter.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

So it really puts Easter in perspective when you do that like that.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Well, I also love the commitment and I love that now you don't have to wait so long for Christmas this year. It was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_03 6:45

Well, I feel like we've been running around so much today. It's good to see you too, my beautiful wife.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Oh, good to see you, hon.

SPEAKER_03 6:53

So you want to start, I guess, breaking the ice here. I know you've been busy at work trying to come up with some icebreakers for our episodes.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:05

Okay, so maybe that's what we should call it.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

The squirrel icebreaker question?

SPEAKER_03 7:15

Today's squirrel question.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

Squirrel! Okay, gotcha. So, okay, so today's icebreaker or squirrel question, whatever. What is your favorite Easter candy or treat?

SPEAKER_05 7:34

I'm thinking about it.

SPEAKER_06 7:36

I my go-to with any kind of candy is a gummy of any kind. Like I love gummy worms, I love peach ring gummies, I love gummy bears. So I like if I could go for my one candy, it would probably be those little gummy eggs.

SPEAKER_05 7:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 7:57

But I'm also I love Reese's, so a Reese's egg is also on the table for me, I would say.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Reese's as magnets are always like they're just it's hard to.

SPEAKER_03 8:09

Imagine dangling a I don't know, some form of alcohol in front of an alcoholic. That's what it's like with Reese's in my life.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

I love Reese's.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

I love Reese's. I think my answer is the same. The egg. And for whatever reason, it tastes better when it's in the shape of something. So it's in the shape of a pumpkin, an egg, a sand.

SPEAKER_02 8:33

It tastes better. It tastes better. It's science. I don't know how they do it, but it it's true.

SPEAKER_03 8:38

So I know your I know your answer on this. What's what's everybody take on peeps? Pro con?

SPEAKER_06 8:46

No, yay. I'm actually pro peeps. Really? I I'm a I just have such a bad sweet tooth. I'll I'll literally as a kid, I would literally take sugar packets off of the table at like the waffle house and eat them. And my parents would be like, what are you doing? Stop doing that. I'm I'm a fiend for sugar. It's it's not ideal, but it is what it is.

SPEAKER_03 9:08

Lacey is super anti-peep. I'm sorry to bring up such a sore subject. Anti-peep. Yeah, I am too. It's three-on-one. Sorry, Taylor. Oh, that's fair. Huh?

SPEAKER_06 9:16

It's it's it's objectively low-tier sugar, but you know.

SPEAKER_03 9:22

I think I OD'd on marshmallows one time as a kid. It made me sick, so I I just can't do marshmallows anymore.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

So favorite Easter candy.

SPEAKER_03 9:32

Yeah, I was trying to avoid it because I'm gonna sound like a Debbie Downer. I don't really do candy. As far as huh?

SPEAKER_05 9:39

Or treats.

SPEAKER_03 9:39

Yeah, and that's what I was trying to think, and I'm gonna it's gonna sound weird. Because like to me, Easter is all about the ham. I'll take the short schmicken. Schmikken? Schmicken? I've been learning German by the way. And Schmecken, yeah, I'm not good on pronunciations of anything. But I believe that's how you say ham in German, by the way. Dunka. Donke shame. What's your answer?

SPEAKER_02 10:04

Reese's.

SPEAKER_03 10:05

Okay. Reese's or why even ask? I knew that.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Reese's um or carrot cake. I love carrot cake at Easter. Aunt Teresa makes really good carrot cake.

SPEAKER_03 10:14

My favorite food. Children. Sorry, we're a bluey family now. We uh we speak in bluey quotes. Well, that's great. Yeah, I know. I'm a Debbie downer. I'm not a big candy person.

SPEAKER_06 10:27

So what about what about for just like dessert in general? Are you pro dessert?

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Yeah, well, I am cake, ice cream. If I had to choose a dessert, and I'm not always on oh, but if I had to, I usually go towards pie. Key line pie, pecan pie. And I and I I do get very picky when it comes to desserts of all things, but that's about it. Well, we're gonna do it a little different. Well, the last two episodes have been primarily a icebreaker, galore, let's get to know everybody. We're gonna get a little more focused now from here on. We at least tonight we got a pretty easy topic and to discuss, so it should be pretty smooth. Tonight's episode topic is going to be do you want to introduce this? Was kind of your idea, I believe, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Well, it it's from your story, but it was my idea, but it it was from the back in the glory days of Troy University.

SPEAKER_05 11:34

So if you want to so basically we're gonna phrase it like this who, what, where, why, how is God?

SPEAKER_03 11:46

What is God, basically? But you can apply any kind of preface uh pretext to it. Uh and I say that not to sound irreverent, but please don't get me wrong. I think and I think we're all on the same page here at the table as far as who we perceive God as, who being the key word, a a again, I try to it's I'm gonna struggle with this episode of sounding irreverent, at least to myself, but a living being of God, God Theos, which we discussed a little bit in previous episodes, but you know, that's how we view it. But I do phrase the question, the topic of you know, really what is God? Because uh, like Lacey was just mentioning, I have a story we Lacey and I went to Troy University in LA, Lower Alabama, and Harvard of the Wiregrass. And I was involved in it's basically an English English second language program, ESL. We call it conversation partners. And it takes we had a a really large international student body on campus, and they took some uh this is how I I put it, some of the domestic kids and pair them with some of the imported, and we discuss it and uh we just have conversations. We meet it's up to us to meet with them, you know, once, twice, whatever a week, and just have conversations, help them kind of uh with any questions they have about the culture, about the language, and and stuff like that. And so I got paired up with three girls from China, the first time being in America, very broken English, and and and all the international, and we had international students from all over the country or all over the world, Asia, particularly India, the Middle East. We had a lot of you know Middle Eastern students in South America everywhere. And they asked me that first time we met, just point blank, what is God? And it just caught me off guard because it's like as we've grown up and or we've discussed, we've grown up kind of in church, always kind of knowing a guy, knowing God and and knowing kind of faith and all that. And so I never once stopped to think about an answer to that. And that set in motion a whole lot of trying to analyze what other things do, what are my other blind spots? What do I not, you know, have answers ready to answer, and really trying to ID those things. And I think it's something at least made me aware of things I take for granted, what is God, and never stop to think about it. So anyway, sorry, I didn't mean to hog the the hog the episode, but that's kind of set the scene, the backstory of this this episode. And by the way, to if you ask me what how did I answer them, I don't remember. I was uh just like now, a just a fumbling mess of trying to explain it. But I did bring up that there were students from all over the country because I don't know how to make what to make of this, but the reason they asked me what they told me was uh some of the middle, like I said, they they're all over the country and they're all in one dorm primarily. And so they were having you know, there they said that a lot of the Middle Eastern I'll just say Middle Eastern students were really pushing them and asking them on that. So that's why they ask. And so consider like even if you're listening, like what is God, how would you answer that? But two, another way to look at it, how would you answer it in very limited English, in a very limited way, you know, to someone who may not understand concepts like the English word for faith, spirituality, stuff like that. So anyway. We'll start there. Who wants to start with answering the question, who is God? Or what is God if you want to go that way?

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Um, I could start. Um so I don't know whether to tackle the what question or the who question first, because we but we all in this room know that for us the question is who is God? So maybe I'll I'll wait to talk about what you have chosen wisely. That's right. I won't put you guys to to answer the what if you don't want to, so don't but that's that's so interesting, that's really challenging, especially talking about it with someone where you don't share the same native language. But for who is God, one of the first things that popped up in my mind was the song. The song is As the Deer. You know that song? Yeah, I think it's a hymn.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

Oh, a deer?

SPEAKER_01 16:55

As the deer, and in that song, one of my favorite verses or just like parts of it, it says, You are my friend and you are my brother, even though you are the king. And so I broke it up into friend first and backed it up with some scripture. So John 15, 15 says, I no longer call you servants, instead, I have called you friends. And then John 15, 13 also says, Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. And then the second piece is brother. Some scripture to back that up is whoever does the will of my father is my brother and sister and mother, Matthew 12, 50. And Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, Hebrews 2.11. And I will say, out of all of the descriptions of who God is, friend and brother is the hardest for me to fully understand because it is so emotional and it feels so close. And I just I love that description, and I specifically love that in the Bible it says brother and sister. It just makes me feel so included, I guess. Which I love.

SPEAKER_03 18:17

I agree real quick. I agree with you on that point. I struggle with it, but uh for a kind of a a little bit of a different reason. The the whole concept of friend and brother, uh, mainly friend, because to me, going there there's a I I I worry how like that can be perceived as uh a little irreverent. And that's something I'm probably gonna mention a lot through this episode, particularly. I I try to be very reverent in in how I talk about God. And when I when I say you know, call him a friend, I love that idea, but I'm with you. I I do kind of struggle with that a little bit because I don't want to be irreverent, especially when I I know how me and earthly friends are. It's like I don't want to liken it to that.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Well, and I think the key there is you're also the king. Yeah, and you are also my father. You know, like there's so many, there's so many descriptions of God in in scripture, and also that we feel that hits on your point of needing there needing to be a reverence towards our Lord. But yeah, the last part is king, and some of the scripture is the Lord is the great God, the great king above all gods, Psalm 95, 3. For God is the king of all the earth, Psalm 47, 7. The Lord sits enthroned forever, insinuating that he is king. Psalm 9 7, the Lord will reign forever and ever, Exodus 15, 18. The Lord is our judge, lawgiver, king. It is he who will save us. Isaiah 33, 22, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Revelation 19, 16. Um, so I'll stop there because I I have other descriptions of who God is, but I would love to hear some of y'all's answers.

SPEAKER_03 20:06

I'll make this real quick because I I love that you brought up a song, and so I started thinking, what is my favorite song as far as uh epitomizing who God is. And I think most of us probably know this one. Our God, He is Alive. The lyrics to that are so direct, so straightforward, and the way that it's written, it's written in such a way that you have to belt it out. You have to sing loud and proud. But I mean, the the the I I won't read all of it just real quick. Like first verse, there is a there is beyond the azure blue, a god concealed from human sight. He tended skies with heavenly hue and frame the world with his great might. Hit the bass, Taylor. Boom. There is our God. But no, but okay, so the chorus are God, he is alive. There you go. I'll stop it, I'll stop here at the chorus, but the it's so simple and straightforward, and but it still hits so hard. There is a God, He is alive. In him we live and we survive. From dust, our God created man. He is our God, the great I am.

SPEAKER_05 21:14

I mean, it didn't get perfect than that for me. Yeah. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 21:22

Just one thing that I just kind of I don't know, just kind of latched on to was God is love. Just it it it is this is a very hard question. But but you know, in first John it says, you know, everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God because God is love. And that that is something that is like it's hard for me to like wrap my brain around. That God is love. He doesn't just love us. He is love. And the really cool thing about Jesus to me is yes, he he went to the cross as the ultimate sacrifice. And you know, that that was love. But even without the cross, Jesus lived the perfect example of love, even if you took the cross out. And so that's that's where I've been with it. But God is just it's he's so big. And so it's so mighty. So it's hard to for me to like just kind of describe him. Just you know, he is the creator of the universe, he is the Alpha and the Omega, he is our heavenly father, he created all things. It's just there there's so much. And he's not just the creator of life, he is the sustainer of life. Um, and he is a loving father and a righteous judge and a good shepherd, and it just the list just goes on and on and on.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

So yeah, I love that a few things popped up. The greatest commandments is to love God and love one another, and so I think your description of God is love is so key because that has to come first in my mind before you start saying that God is like the judger, which he is, and I'm not trying to belittle that. He is like the molder, and so you know, our friend at church, Andre says, like, I'm not gonna come into my father's house and and ask him how to sweep the floor, you know? And so I I think like that's so key that reverence is really, but at the same time, like God is love is so important whenever we're thinking about all the characteristics of who he is in scripture and how he is in our in our hearts.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

And I'm so glad you brought that up. The greatest command in the second. That was one thing I didn't get to in our first episode. What are our favorite verses? I don't think I did. And I I've said it before, I that's always, for lack of a better way of putting it, my default. When I get overwhelmed with, you know, people discussing and having disagreements and debate or whatever over theological theology or spiritual matters, it can get very overwhelming. But what I've done is I've found that one place I retreat to. If I'm feeling uncomfortable about anything or whatever, and it goes, it's the greatest command and the second, just like it, to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. And so it's like if I get overwhelmed and I'm not sure, or I'm confused, I'll go to that. And am I loving God here? Am I loving my neighbor here? And I have a whole tangent on that, but I'll say that for another day. But I'm so glad you brought that up.

SPEAKER_05 25:23

That's that's such an important part for me. Yeah, I you know, I often I yeah, I I start. I think it's really interesting that you're your classmate from this totally different cultural reference point being Chinese and coming to this what is a crazy foreign place to a person from China.

SPEAKER_06 25:56

I mean, I I've been to China, been fortunate to travel there, and can say that if they were as shocked coming to America as I was going there by just you know how different the culture can be, it it must have been, especially coming to a place like southern Alabama, it must have been just a totally different world for them. I really would say that yeah, the way that you frame these might call them God questions is so essential. And there is a we've kind of been getting at this, there's just it's it's simple and yet he is so vast and and in a way beyond our grasp that there's this almost paradoxical nature to asking these questions a lot of the time. And I also like you've been find myself wondering sometimes, you know, and Sabrina mentioned this too, like how how could Jesus be our brother and our friend, and yet scripture says that he is. And so I think it gets to the point of we know, and this is like the overarching point I would make, is that we can sit down and have really intense theological discussions, we can break down the Greek, break down the Hebrew, and talk about all these qualities that we see in scripture that God has. But ultimately God is not a puzzle. And I think that there is a there's there's a lot more to be gained, of course, by relating to God in a personal way. He wants relationship with us and he asks us to be in relationship with him. He has called us into relationship with him. And so I think I think that balancing the the the the sides of it, where you're like, I do it is fair to dive deep into theology. We should be intentional about the questions we ask and our approach. It's also more important on a foundational level to affirm that relational aspect, you know. And I think that this brings me to a different point about God's nature, which is that God in his nature is a relational being. And not I guess we're gonna dive into it, but the Trinity, the Holy Trinity shows us that God in his very nature is relational, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existing in perfect union apart from time for all of eternity. And so that relationship presupposes ever like whatever we might be able to say that God already existed before the foundation of the universe in perfect relationship and and perfect communion and in this holy way that is really beyond our ability to fathom.

SPEAKER_03 29:18

And to that point, real quick, I the question I and I and I get some people I may if you ask the question, what is God? Some people cringe at that a little bit. And and I'm not saying you know, you're wrong for for doing that. I think there's some good behind that of how reverent you treat God. And I I the same with the Holy Spirit, like you're bringing up, because I've I've since that day with these girls, I've kind of what you're talking about, tried to really analyze what God is. And and to your point, it's so He God is so much, He is a living being, and and whatever I say, however phrase it, please don't get me wrong. But he's so much more than how we our perception will allow us to understand, and that's something we cannot forget about because uh the when when that that question was asked to me by those girls, it was in a genuine, curious way. That was clear to me. That's how I perceived it. And and I've I know I've going to the Holy Spirit, I've asked the question or brought up like what is the Holy Spirit? Because I know some people may I've seen different ways of looking at it, and I've had some people get upset that I phrase it that way, but I don't mean anything by it. I just mean by really God covers all of those. He covers who, he covers what, he covers when, he covers how. All of those can be used to describe God in some way, those type of perspectives. Because he's not just a living being, he is everything, he is love, like Lacey was talking about, and I might get back to that in a minute. But I'm sorry, I just wanted to make that point real quick, but I don't know if you have a little more.

SPEAKER_06 31:08

Oh yeah, no, I think Yeah, one thing that I think is interesting is that we if you look if you look to some of the early church fathers, some of the writing, they have this, I don't know if I call it a method, but a lens by which we might begin to describe, or should I say should I make maybe even say not describe God if that if that makes sense? Because they have this apophatic approach. There's a word for you. It means that we talk about God almost in apathetic apophatic apathetic. Is it similar to apathetic? No, so apophatic theology would be describing God in the what he is not.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

So in order to understand who he is, he is, exactly.

SPEAKER_06 32:05

So God is uncreated, unlimited, invisible, unhoused, divisible, immortal, immaterial, unchanging. So apathatic, an apathetic approach would say we don't actively have the the vocabulary to always say because preach. Right. You wouldn't always have the vocabulary to say the who in a precise way. It's almost easier to say what is God like. Right. And as Licey said, he is all loving, he is all knowing. We have these this inadequacy linguistically at capturing God's essence. And so He's lighting my views because we're holding back. Because we cannot adequately through language describe always the I'm gonna mute my mic from here on the totality, we can say he is indescribable, right? We use this apophatic approach sometimes. You see that in early church fathers when talking about God's nature to try and to try and grasp his essence is impossible. And the Bible talks about this. I think pretty clearly that God in his essence, you know, no one can look at the face of God, and no one has seen the face of God. That's clear in scripture, Old Testament and New.

SPEAKER_03 33:30

I have a question about that real quick. Yeah. I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to cut you off. No, no, I'm right. Before we get too deep. Didn't Adam and Eve did they not? I was thinking about this the other night. Did they not see am I about to light your fuse now? Oh, go for it. Did they see and and I and I kind of do have a little bit of a theory, because if they did, it was it what I'll say it was before the fall. Now possibly after when Godford confronts them, did they see it? That's a to me a bigger question. Because it would make sense that they could see him before they sinned, but when he approaches them afterward, did they could they see him? I wonder. They could see that he could see them.

SPEAKER_01 34:16

That I'm sorry if I opened up a canon. No, we were talking about this the other day while reading Job, because in the Old Testament, especially, there's a lot of descriptions of God seemingly directly speaking to individuals. So he's like directly speaking to Adam and Eve, what you're referring to, directly speaking to Cain and Abel, directly speaking to Job, and that's where it kind of came about. We were reading Job, and there's this section of Job that's titled God Speaks. I can't remember the remaining description, but it's almost like a courtroom setting where it it seems like God is getting up to the podium and then kind of rebuking or yeah, he's in a whirlwind. Yeah, he's in a whirlwind. So I don't know how to answer your question then, but that we were just talking about this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:11

Yeah. Well, I'm disappointed that you didn't have an answer to that one. You must not be very active in your church. What time you gotta get up for that thing in the morning?

SPEAKER_02 35:23

You had my permission to hit him by the way. Hold on.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

I have whole you you heard that what he was talking about, right? And you saw me hold back. But now here we go.

SPEAKER_01 35:35

Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_03 35:36

I and again, I I didn't, I'm sorry to cut you off right there. If you uh not at all. But if I could, real quick too, before we go any deeper, I did have a couple of quotes that I found more of an introduction to this topic as far as overall in general. And we'll get a little more into detail. Lacey brought up a couple things I've got I'd like to talk about as well. But just kind of stepping back just for a second is in a more general tone. John Mark Comer is one that I know our preacher Matthew is a he he's a big fan of that, of him and his books. We did a class not too long ago. It's called Practicing the Way. I think you I'm pretty sure you guys have read it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 36:22

I've heard of this, but no, I've not read it. Although it does sound strike two. Uh-oh. We're in trouble. I love the title though. I mean, the the Didique early Christian text that describes Christian living, not the Bible, but essentially how did the Christians write after Christ do life? And that's kind of how he opens it. Right.

SPEAKER_03 36:47

They call it the way fascinating. Yeah. The way of life and the way of death. And that's kind of and that's what he talks about, like certain types or levels of the way, practicing the way. But a couple of quotes from him, John Mark, John Mark Comer, who I've becoming a big fan of, by the way. God is. Let's let the dog get some water. I don't know if y'all can hear that or not, but no, he's okay. You're thirsty. God is not a concept or an emotion. And he's certainly not a doctrine in a statement of faith or a chapter in a theology book. He is a person whose burning desire is to know and be known by you. And like and like in any intimate relationship, there is a kind of knowledge that goes beyond words. A kind you can get only by direct person-to-person experience. I love that one. And then a little later, one quick quote here from him, too. This, and I know I'm I'm kind of coming in on a in the middle of a thought, but bear with me here. This is why God is a trinity, because God is love, and love cannot exist outside of relationship. Ergo, God must be a kind of relationship, one that is self-giving, others-centered, humble, and joyful, and full of blessing and goodwill. And I think in a general sense, I think that's such a great, you know, kind of to get you thinking a little more. Not just I think the questions themselves, like we were just talking about the who, what, when, where, why, how. Consider those, even if they make you a little uncomfortable or cringe, consider those in regards to God, God being out time outside of our perception, outside of our space, time and space as we perceive it, kind of thing. And I think this the whole God is a Trinity because God is love, I think was such a very fascinating thing for me. And by the way, any quotes that you want, and and real quick, just a little quick plug. We we have discussed probably on our website, small group podcast.wordpress.com. Probably create a note page there for some of our quick notes and anything that we've created, a few references that you guys want to go to. I also have Benjamin Book Journal dot wordpress.com where I store all of my notes from all the books I've ever read. John, that's how I pulled this one up. So anything I highlight in a book I put on that website. So if you ever wanted to find any information or anything like that, you can go there. But anyway, shameless plugover.

SPEAKER_02 39:31

Just real quick, we're we're talking about how indescribable God is.

SPEAKER_03 39:39

Describe that for me.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

So a few years ago, we went to the Grand Canyon. Oh, and we get there, and I call my mom and I said, it's like big. It is so big. Like, you need to see this. This is so big. And I could not come up with any other word to describe the Grand Canyon, except big. But my point is, I am I was looking at the Grand Canyon and couldn't find the words. And so, yeah, we do not have words to describe our God. Like it, the the words fall short. We can try. We can try, but but Taylor, I loved how you were talking about the relational aspect of him because I'm about to drop a John bomb on you. John one, he wrapped himself in flesh to dwell among us. That is just mind blowing to me. Um so so yes, he is he's definitely relational. And because I mean, you know, in the beginning was the word, the word was God, but that word became flesh to dwell among us.

SPEAKER_03 41:05

So powerful. I'm trying to pace myself here. You've already hit two big things that I'm like holding on to.

SPEAKER_05 41:10

Uh when I get to but Taylor, please continue.

SPEAKER_02 41:13

Sorry.

SPEAKER_06 41:14

Oh, no, no, I mean, no, y'all are hitting a lot of amazing points that I fully agree with. I mean, I think it's very interesting that there's almost like this paradox where we struggle with language to ever capture the essence of God. We experience what you might call God's energies, his the way he moves. We experience his love, we experience grace, we can experience forgiveness. And it's the same, I think, when the way we relate to each other. Like right sitting across from the table from you, Lacey, I know you through our interactions, through the way you communicate with me, and you know me through how I communicate with you. If you were to ask me who is Lacey, I wouldn't say Lacey is a collection of X number of atoms with this many carbon molecules. You know, that would be true scientifically, but if I was describing Lacey, I would say Lacey is the golden retriever at the table who is so bright and positive and caring, right? But but these are all true things. Please keep going. So they're all true things. Golden Retriever, great. Perfect breed for her. Just happy. Just this happy, bright person. I would I would explain to someone who any of you are through the way that you make me feel, through the experiences and memories that we share, through my memories of you. And I think that's the difficult thing. This is going slightly different direction, but I think that's that like that kind of like always I ask myself, like, why is it so hard to explain or dive into the God questions with someone who doesn't yet know the Lord? And I think part of the reason is because it would be like me trying to describe Ben to someone who's never met Ben. It's almost as if I could say Ben is he has all these qualities. We know the qualities of God through, you know, he is love, he is light, those chap those powerful chapters in 1 John. But unless you've been in that light and experienced that love, there is an ineffability to it, an inadequacy of language to say, unless you've been around Ben, unless you've been around Lacey, unless you've been around Sabrina, it's hard to. speak in a direct way to the way that they make you feel the way that all of you bring joy and positivity into the space that you're in. So you know my my prayer that I often pray, especially for people that I love and care about who don't know the Lord yet is just that they would feel God's love and love him back. It's so simple. But I just when I pray for people that's who don't know the Lord that's my prayer.

SPEAKER_03 44:28

And and I'm not I'm really not trying to get quote heavy here. I don't want to just sit here and read quotes all night but you mentioned something and and Einstein had a quote very similar to what you're talking about. I got two real quick I just they're so eloquent and they're great thoughts for anybody listening. But to straight to your point Einstein was asked by a reporter one uh do you believe in God? And he he responded to him I'm not an atheist that's Albert Einstein by the way I'm not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books and many languages I mean it's almost spot on to what you're talking about. The child knows someone the child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how it does not understand the languages in which they are written the child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That is that it that it seems to me is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelous marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws. That's Albert Einstein.

SPEAKER_06 45:51

You know what Einstein was missing the incarnation because there's another part to that quote that I'm saving for another day. In that analogy to my knowledge Albert Einstein was not a Christian.

SPEAKER_03 46:04

I don't know that for sure hold on to that thought because I'll answer that in a later episode I'm really one but his my most favorite quote from him I'm saving for a particular episode but anyway go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 46:15

Okay. Well I don't mean to spoil anything I don't know the quote spoiler hearing the hearing the analogy if you were that child in that library of vast books it would be as if the librarian or even better just someone that you have never met before were to sit down at the table with you and say I'm the author of these books and I know what's in them and you can sit with me and I'm gonna read them to you. That's an imperfect analogy but that's what it's like to know Jesus in my mind that he through the incarnation God has revealed himself to us in the person of Christ and we no longer have to fumble around and question in the same way that we might have before with the with the darkness with the unknowing you know he he as Lacey said you know he took on flesh he lived a perfect life and through his example and through the word of scripture we have a chance to sit down in relationship with him.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

It's beautiful and like I said I'm gonna I'm gonna try to make this one my last one it's gonna be difficult because I got some other ones but to Lacey and Taylor's point the relationship side and speaking to this what you're talking about the indescribability but and particularly to the relationship side I got one more quote for you from J.I. Packer he's one of my favorites is very very makes you think and as you're listening I really really consider this thought if the descisive factor was notional correctness then obviously the most learned biblical scholars would know God better than anyone else but it is not you but it is not you can have all the right notions in your hear you can have all the right notions in your heart without ever tasting in your heart the real realities to which they refer. And a simple Bible reader and sermon hearer who is full of the Holy Spirit will develop a far deeper acquaintance with his God and Savior than a more learned scholar who is content with being the theologically correct the reason is that the former will deal with God regarding the practical application of truth to his life whereas the latter will not the emotional side of knowing God is often played down these days for fear of encouraging a mid maudly maw modeling wow here's a word for the day maudlin self-absorption absorption I know that was a little wordy and I butchered it but that notion that whole idea of a relationship and you think it's so easy to get for me my algorithm on YouTube and and Instagram is loaded with you know all different types of quote unquote scholars or quote unquote preachers of talking about all kinds of different things and and sometimes some of these folks can come across as you know very knowledgeable very in and you know studied and and know so much about scripture that it can be man you know it can be intimidating or whatever but that whole idea that it doesn't matter how much you know how much Greek or Hebrew you know how much scripture you can can recite those things are important and good but you can still have a relationship with God no matter where you are in your spiritual walk or journey whatever as long as you know God know he's there you're and and seeking God is is a very important part too and like I said I'll try to make that my last quote I'll try so hard I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_01 50:22

That's really good. I will say just to add to both of your points I think that's why I like Psalms so much because Psalms to me is like poetry and because of Taylor I've read more poetry in the last 10 years and I think that poetry is so special and beautiful because it puts into words that we're feeling that otherwise like couldn't be put into words in the same way like the song hits emotions pretty intensely and so yeah I wrote down some psalms that kind of speak to that idea. So yes thank you I want to bring in some scripture yeah for sure yeah like so speaking to God being savior like Psalm 23 says even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the death I fear no evil for you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me and moving on to describing God as merciful Psalm 103 8 the Lord is compassionate and gracious slow to anger abounding in love Psalm 136 repeats over and over his mercy endures forever talking about God being creator the heavens declare the glory of God the skies proclaim the work of his hands I don't know I feel like I mean it it's still talking about how we describe God but but I don't know I think because it's poetry there's a lot more feeling to it it's it's David's heart.

SPEAKER_03 51:59

It connects on so many different levels for like it may mean something to you and something different to me and poetry I think is more inclined to do that than just you know like a gospel account or something.

SPEAKER_01 52:11

Yeah exactly so I think it hits on both like here is a way to describe him but it is also an emotional way to describe him.

SPEAKER_06 52:23

Yeah I love that I I definitely am very very impacted by a lot of the psalms and I think yeah we in in many ways we I think want to apply interrogatives um these questions to God that we we struggle to come up with adequate answers for but as we're all saying I mean knowing God in relationship inviting him into your life you know he stands at the door and he knocks and we choose whether or not we open the door to him you know I've had that very personal and intimate moment where I felt I felt Jesus his presence in my life and it was just powerful in an indescribable way and I felt that sense of he's knocking at the door and unless you open the door you're gonna be in a place of of of still wondering you know and it's like that kid in the library you know you can sit with all of the books try and piece it all together like a puzzle but God isn't a puzzle. You know he is a he is the eternal creator and sustainer of that of all things. He's alive yeah he's alive and he literally he literally is alive through his resurrection which is the most just mind boggling backwards thing right it's incredible it's incredible so yeah and I think one thing I would bring up another interesting point is that a lot of times people especially with the why question apply this why question to God and I think that that is in why why is this happening why does God exist okay like why is there a God basically and I think that that type of question is cannot be that one it can't be asked in an intelligible way because a why always presupposes a cause so you can say why did the glass break well the cat knocked it off the counter or why did the baseball go over the fence well because the guy hit a home run.

SPEAKER_03 54:56

You see that too in the whole debate of uh creation versus evolution if you know if you go to the Big Bang one of the big and case for faith I I think it's case for faith goes into this really well as far as like one of the issues that you have with the just strictly evolution big bang thing is what caused it. So everything has from our understanding even like whether it's scientific or whatever everything has to have a cause.

SPEAKER_05 55:23

Right.

SPEAKER_03 55:24

Nothing can't come from or something can't come from nothing.

SPEAKER_06 55:27

And that's usually what that debate boils down to just like you're talking about yeah and I think that in a hypermaterialistic world hypermaterialist view of the world where everything is reducible to physical laws biological and chemical precepts a a pure science way of looking at the world can never answer the question of the ultimate why and so I think actually unasking that question is the appropriate thing to do because we cannot ask a why of the cause of all whys it's like trying to say you are he is the cause of every why and he existed before any why existed and so the the why question is it's like the unmoved he is the unmoved mover. He moves everything and the why cannot be asked of him and in the Bible when when when when Moses says to the burning bush you know he's he's asking God you know who who are you he says I am that I am in Hebrew that's the Greek what is in the Septuagint okay version of the Bible but Jesus quotes this ego ami concept multiple times in the New Testament when he's being questioned so for example when he when he's walking on the water and this is John chapter six he it's often translated as it's me. The disciples are like who are you? But it's actually it's me it's actually ego am it is the same Greek from the Septuagint version of the Bible that is used when God speaks to Moses through the bush. Also in John 8 before Abraham was I am right I am the he is the being the he is the source of being the great I am the great I am exactly he's the source of being and then even at his arrest we talked about this in the previous episode when they come to arrest Jesus they ask where he is and he says I am he says you know are you the Messiah the Son of God and he says I am the one who is it's like this cosmic mysterious it's the ultimate sour he is the ultimate source of being you cannot ask the question why does God exist intelligibly it would be like you it's just unanswerable because he exists before existence. He is this he's the source of all existence.

SPEAKER_03 58:09

Here's an off the cuff meta or modern example for you guardians of the galaxy or nosey's my a Marvel movie chick girl lady yeah I know it's in a weird same chick I'm sorry who is Gomorrah why is Gamora it was very funny and made no sense but in the movie but yeah anyway there's an example of what you're talking about yeah you know what we're talking about I I've seen it's the Chris Pratt movie is it the end game it it's infinity war infinity war okay Chris Pratt says where is Gamora and then Robert Downing Jr.

SPEAKER_02 58:54

says who is Gamora and then the other character says why is Gamorra oh I think I have seen that movie it's been a while I've never seen quoted it verbitum that's what I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_06 59:09

I love that yeah I need to go back in and watch some of those films yeah it sounds like we're at where and how now oh you've been keeping track well I just was scanning my notes I think the where the where question yeah that's a really interesting one definitely everywhere I also put God is also in heaven on the throne yeah I think also it's interesting to think about God being present in in us we are the temple of the Holy Spirit we are the temple of the living God our bodies are which is also a mind boggling concept that he dwells with within us that his Holy Spirit moves in us and empowers us to be transformed be conformed into the image of his son which is really mind blowing so I have a question on that actually okay so John 424 says God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth so what does that mean? What does that mean to worship God in spirit and in truth what do you think it means I don't ask him a question I know but I'm waiting for you to find it reminds me of what you brought up during our last podcast lacey about the our flesh or no our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak I don't know the answer to your question but I feel like it has something to do with that like our spirit within us wants to follow the Holy Spirit him I think there's a yeah I think you're right that's all I have on that so I was just agree I just wanted to I know I don't even know how to fully explain it but I just read something about it and I can't remember yeah I you know I think it gets I I I think probably when I hear that verse Lacey I think of how he wants us to approach him through our worship authentically in the same way that we would want authenticity in our human relationships when we approach God in an authentic way in especially in a way that's truthful like we're being honest about where we're at spiritually with God we're pouring that out to him in our prayer we're we're approaching him with it's been a really hard week this is where I'm at God like I'm struggling with this that or the other thing or I'm so overjoyed and so thankful for what you've done for me today. When we approach God in that way through our worship that is to me the heart of worship and that's what he wants for us because he wants us to have an authentic relationship with him. So when I hear that verse I think of authenticity first.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:32

Yeah I I've been a little hesitant to answer your question because you you I feel like we just witnessed a really good nerd moment from you and I'm not I'm not saying anything wrong with that I just feel like we only we don't have time for both of us to nerd out on one episode and I'm trying so hard not to so it's in trying to keep it short the word truth arite I don't know if I'm pronounced it right in Greek but that that would to the verse that you just referenced Lacey must worship him in spirit and in truth the the arite the truth is the one thing that really stands out jumps out to me and that's one thing that I've been kind of focused on is I don't know if I've mentioned it on on on the show yet or not but like my mindset I've and this will be more for my testimony I've I've tried to change from a I know the truth because to me that is the end point. Once you know the truth where is there to go I've tried to shift my personal perception and and this is just for me I'm not saying this is what everybody needs to do but for me it's more constructive for me to shift to a seeking the truth posture but then there's that whole concept of truth and we could spend a whole episode on that objective truth all of that but there's one verse in particular and this is a really favorite one of mine and it coincides with what you're talking about must worship him in spirit and in truth and in John and by the way I will point out and I'm I was I've been trying so hard to get back to scripture I've been heavy handed on worldly quotes but all the scripture with the exception of Psalms we we lean we've been leaning heavily on John if if anybody's noticed that which I love but here's another one from John John 4 I'm sorry John eight verse 30 verse 31 so Jesus was saying to those Jews I don't know I'm just taking this out of the single verse out of context here excuse me then Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him if you continue in my word that's a key one here logos if you continue in my word then the then you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free you will know the truth and so when I read that like when I was younger it's like okay I know Jesus I know God I I believe I've I've I have faith I you know I'm working on my on you know my acts my my works and all of that um and so I've I've kind of in a way I've just felt like I know the truth and then for me I have to learn by being challenged unfortunately and I have to be put in very uncomfortable positions before I feel like I really learn one thing that I've I've learned is I haven't reached that you will know the truth and and I just haven't reached that point of know the truth and I've been set free. I'm still seeking the truth again this is speaking from personal experience advocating that this is how it has to be or anything like that but just from my personal character Mindset that I you know but I love that verse. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. I think it kind of coincides with the verse that you were just talking about. And and I will keep because we're we're running low on time, and truth can be its own episode. What I'm about to mention is gonna be its own episode, but uh I can't get past this episode without bringing it up because and I was trying to find verses for this. Who is God, what is God, where is God, all that. The one verse when it comes to God, one verse that I love and even on its face in English, John 1 1 is such a just fascinating verse to me. Just in the English. In the English, in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. That stands out so much to me. And then later in verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth. There's a rite again. That that first chapter of John is so awesome, full of awe. But that's just in the English. So, and I'm gonna keep it short. I'm not gonna go too heavy on this. I this needs its own episode. The the word for word in the beginning was the word that word in Greek is logos. And I'm so fascinated. I know Lacey's already zoned out here because I talked her ear off about this, and this is something I don't I'm I'm I'm researching and and trying to discover more of. I'm so fascinated by this word logos. And to keep it brief, there's basically, and I'm I'm gonna at the risk of oversimplifying, over-generalizing, there's basically two ways of looking at that Greek word. There's a biblical uh aspect or biblical translation, definition, whatever. And there's a Greek philosophy type. Because one thing to consider too is when John's writing this, this is in the Greek text. And if you go to I don't try not to say this, but more secular history. I don't like to say that, but but more of a like what we consider secular history. You have Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. They were just before I think just a couple hundred, I think Socrates was just a couple hundred years before, because he had been put on trial where Paul goes to in Acts 17. That's the same place Socrates was tried. That's the same council that tried Socrates just a couple hundred years earlier. But anyway, so you have that concept. And today you may hear logos every once in a while. It's typically like from three quick points just to kind of sum all this up. There's the from what I've found so far, modern mainstream philosophy where you have ethos, pathos, logos. You may hear those referred to every once in a while. Ethos being a uh personal credibility, faith that people have in your integrity. Pathos is the emphatic side, the feeling that logos is described as logic and reason. So ethos, pathos, logos from our modern like this is from seven habits of highly effective people. Stephen Covey. This is how he describes it. And so, and he even points out that you know, in a sequence, ethos, pathos, low logos, character relationship logic. That's how he presents it in the just the form of like business and and and and you know, giving a presentation that derives from those Greek philosophers. And going back to Acts 17, it mentions the Stoics and the Epicureans, who were the big players at the time when Paul goes to Athens, Greece. And the Stoics in particular, they uh they they thought that or they basically their position at the time was it's described as God and the world are more or less the same thing, and the divine spark of life, the logos, exists within everything. This life consists of a fire or a spirit that animals or the that animates the whole universe and that will eventually blaze out in a a great moment of conf conflagration. And then you've got the biblical, and I said I was gonna keep it short, so I'm just gonna start getting very s very short here. So and then you've got the biblical side where it's typically described as usually it's word, something that's spoken. But the fact that it's it's referred to here as Christ. The word became flesh. So here in the Bible, you're seeing logos, but it's it's being represented most uh for most translations, if not all English translations, word. But when you go to the Greek philosophy side, it's logic and reason. And we need to consider it in that text, the logic and reason kind of concept in our English language, then it I mean it's already an amazing verse, but it takes on a whole nother thought. In the beginning was logic and reason. And logic and reason was God, it became flesh. And again, I'll save everything else for another episode, and uh which I'll probably end up be doing on my own. Uh but it's just uh I I we I can't go through an episode about God without re bringing that up. I think it's such an amazing thing. In a way to get to a point is it it starts it starts to kind of describe righteousness justification, just just being just meaning a balance, a perfect, complete picture of something or or or completeness of something. That is God. He is the perfectly balanced, perfectly just, perfectly righteous idea of being. And then, you know, we we sin against him, and then that causes well, if we want a relationship, that that starts to cause animosity or whatever, but that's the word, the logic, the reason, the spark of life. You know. Like going back to what you were talking about, Taylor. The the it's the best I can do to describe the undescribable. It's to quote Lacey, it's big. God is big. I love that. Thank y'all for bearing with me on that. I was I was trying so hard to sum it up.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:50

And it's important because it hasn't been mentioned yet. I think that's a very interesting, and I've thought about that verse too, John 1-1.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:57

I'm glad you brought it up. And it and and and as I'm researching it, it there's not a lot. There's a lot about logos and the biblical concept, but bridging those two together has been very difficult. I've even reached out to preachers across the country, guys that I follow, their blogs, their podcasts, just asking them for do you have any information? Have you done anything on this? And I haven't had a hit. Lacey actually found a a thesis paper, some guy did, I don't know how she found it. And that's been the closest hit to that at that thought of bridging the philosophy and the biblical concept together. When I get done with Divine Nature, by the way, the logos is going to be the next book. So if I survive.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:37

I'm on that's awesome. I'm glad you brought that up.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:41

Well, does anybody have okay? Apparently we have time for two rants, two nerd rants an episode.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:49

Yeah. That was great. No, I think yeah, it's interesting what you said earlier that we've all been in this episode drawing heavily on the gospel of John, and it is such a powerful stroke of genius. You know, John obviously writes his gospel through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it's not a mistake in my mind to bring it back to the very beginning, perhaps, that in this cultural milieu of you know, zero, you know, 33 AD, I guess the Gospel of John was written out obviously out. 60. 60-ish AD. 60, 70. Yeah. So in that in that zone of mingling cultures, that there's this word logos that can captivate and and and move people from different cultures to be able to understand a little bit more about Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:51

You can look at scripture in in English or you know, Jesus' language, old English. You know, like Jesus taught. That's my favorite joke, by the way. Anyway, uh it's easy to take for granted that those are that's translation of a another language, Hebrew, Aramaic is one that gets forgotten a lot, and then Greek. And and then those those these concepts, these ideas of of God, of law, of of faith, of whatever, sanctification, these concepts are being conveyed to a like you're talking about, a language through in a language of that day and culture of that day. And then it's since been transcribed. And and I'm not taking anything away from translations or anything like that. I I think the Holy Spirit's at work in protecting the the the thoughts, but there's something I think that every once in a while it's good for us to just consider the context. Like what is that's why I love going back to the Greek or the Hebrew if I have to, of what is what is that word? How is it understood? And try my I try so hard to try to understand what how what is it conveying and being understood within the context of that time. Otherwise, like the word that that could be it's wholly overlooked sometimes and and lost. I'm getting the eye for my my wife, my beautiful, amazing wife. I knew as soon as I mentioned Logos, that's why I was trying to save it to the end. As soon as I brought it up, I I've lost her. But I have a feeling lose me. Well, okay, good.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:35

No, I'm just really excited. I actually have a present for Taylor. Oh, I have a pack of peeps.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:42

Oh my goodness, do you? You got peeps into this house?

SPEAKER_02 1:16:46

So, yeah, there's a pack of peeps for you. Happy Easter!

SPEAKER_06 1:16:51

I'm into it. I love sugar. So any uh you're telling me that there's three marshmallows, I'm into it.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:59

Hey buddy, you want some sugar?

SPEAKER_06 1:17:00

Yeah, I just just any amount of sugar, I'm here for it. This has been a really fascinating discussion.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:06

I I have a feeling every topic we we pick is gonna it's gonna be hard to keep it condensed to one episode. I feel like this could easily be a uh and maybe we'll come back to it and revisit it, but I have you know, I I just have a feeling our our every topic we choose could easily run into multiple episodes, but we'll we'll try to break it up a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:30

I want to give a quick shout out to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Teresa, who right now are getting um Mike, Aunt Teresa. They are entertaining Gabby right now so that we can do that. So, but Taylor and Sabrina, thank y'all so much for going on this adventure with us and being so wonderful and adding so much to this podcast. We're so excited to do this with y'all.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:58

Oh well, we're really yeah, I don't appreciate how much goes into creating the website and the sound effects and setting up the mics and all having a three-year-old. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:21

We had some new effects tonight. Well, thank y'all, and thank you for bearing with me. I try so hard to you you brought up some topics, man, that were very hard for me to let just go, but I think this is great. Like I said, we could come back to it. And um definitely want to say thank you to all everybody listening. We we've got so we've had some major success with our first couple of episodes, and we really appreciate you guys listening, man. We'd love to hear from you. Comment, uh you know, message us. We go back to our website. You can email us directly, goat.bear.com. We want to hear your thoughts, we want to hear your questions, want to hear your topic suggestions. So please send those to us. All of our information, everything, how to message us. We have swag now on our website. You can find all of that at our website, smallgroup podcast.wordpress.com. Please like, please share our podcast, send it to a friend, let them know about it, and thank you guys so much for listening. And we'll be back next time with another topic to nerd out on.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:32

So and if you want before we finish, yeah, if you're listening to this and you want to know who God is, what he is like, he is loved, he loves you, he wants you to love him. And he's waiting at the door knocking. Open the door, it'll be the best thing ever. God is love, he loves you.