Growing Together
Step into a virtual garden of spiritual growth and community connection with the "Growing Together" podcast. This podcast is a nurturing space for individuals seeking to deepen their faith, cultivate relationships, and explore the boundless beauty of a shared spiritual journey.
Each episode of "Growing Together" is a breath of fresh air, where Pastor Michael, Syd, Nic, Pastor Holly, and Pastor Roger try to navigate the twists and turns of life while staying rooted in faith. Their warm and inviting presence makes you feel like you're sitting in a cozy living room, engaged in a heartfelt conversation with old friends.
Diving into topics ranging from personal growth and self-care to building resilient relationships and fostering a sense of community, the podcast aims to equip listeners with the tools to nurture their faith in all aspects of life. Through scripture readings, open discussions, and interviews with experts in various fields, "Growing Together" provides a holistic approach to spiritual development.
Whether you're a lifelong believer, a seeker on the spiritual path, or simply someone curious about how faith can shape lives, "Growing Together" offers a welcoming haven for everyone. Tune in during your morning routine, while taking a leisurely stroll, or even during a quiet moment of reflection – the podcast fits seamlessly into your daily life.
Join the "Growing Together" community and embark on a journey of discovery, growth, and genuine connection. In a world that can sometimes feel disconnected, this podcast reminds us that nurturing our faith and cultivating meaningful relationships can lead to a life that's deeply fulfilling and spiritually abundant. Subscribe now to start your journey of growing together in faith and fellowship.
Growing Together
Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones
We explore the concept of stumbling blocks versus stepping stones in our faith journey, examining how our actions can either hinder or help fellow believers grow spiritually.
• Scripture foundations from Romans 14:13 and 2 Corinthians 6:3 about not placing obstacles in others' paths
• How "seniority" in church can become a stumbling block when older Christians judge newer believers
• Everyone's spiritual journey progresses at different rates - transformation doesn't happen overnight
• Small acts of kindness like giving up your seat can be significant stepping stones for newcomers
• Being sensitive to others' struggles and respecting their boundaries with addictions or past issues
• Personal testimony of turning struggles into opportunities to help others facing similar challenges
• Jesus becoming what seemed like a stumbling block on the cross to be the ultimate stepping stone to salvation
• Practical ways to be Christ's ambassadors without harsh judgment or creating obstacles
Remember that obstacles in your faith journey might be there because you have a target on your back as a Christian - learn to navigate them wisely and help others do the same.
dollars well, my insurance resets in august.
Speaker 1:Well then just wait till august so I'm gonna do the deep.
Speaker 2:He wants that like done immediately, because they haven't done one and I've got periodontal disease so um, so we are going to go ahead and do the deep cleaning, because I still have money, yeah, for this year. So we're going to do the deep cleaning and the two cavities and then, come august, we're going to do the bridge yeah, and the two crowns it's funny that it renews in august.
Speaker 3:I've I've known a couple of them to do july, but yeah my resets in august.
Speaker 2:That's what the girl at the desk said she's like hmm that is weird doing this, you reset next month or in august and we're waiting until august yep, so now my out-of-pocket expense will be $2,500 instead of $58 yeah, that's nice, so still a hefty still priced. Yeah, but but listen, I pray to God all the time not to let me lose my teeth, so I'm gonna have it done yep, you only have two sets, so, and don't let me lose this set.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I was. Cooper is such a daredevil. I'm like I mean, he's walking on the edge of the couch like losing it, laughing, like I'm like you're going to fall. I'm like you know I'm just going to have to let him fall and I'm like, but you only get two sets of arms and legs, dude. You're going to have to throw some throw pillows on the floor, so when he's on there, something I don't know- he's a trip he is you better get that kid playing an instrument.
Speaker 4:He's got such natural time he does, yeah he does.
Speaker 3:yeah, my friend, my friend said um her son's he'll be four and she's like I think they start doing like dance classes or music classes at the Y at three and I was like, well, I need to get him into something you know, along those lines.
Speaker 2:Yes. As soon as he can. He does have some rhythm, yeah.
Speaker 4:I mean I'll bear with that flag.
Speaker 3:I know.
Speaker 4:Because you know most kids would be probably pretty silly or getting chaotic. Yeah, you know, and you'd have to like, and he was just going right along on time. That's why I didn't really. He did a great job.
Speaker 3:That's why I didn't really like stop him, because he was like yeah, he was great. It wasn't like he was killing, you know, stabbing anyone with it. He was actually going and had his hand up at times.
Speaker 1:I'm like, oh my gosh, but roger, what were you doing today? Just now, uh, taking the baptismal out. It's up on the top of the stage the old one.
Speaker 2:Is it lifted up and out? Yeah, yeah, hmm, yeah, yeah, I had to crawl.
Speaker 1:I've crawled underneath the stage and way back in there, lift it up and out. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I had to crawl. I crawled underneath the stage and way back in there. Of course I had. I should have been a skinny guy Because I had to beat a piece of two before out so I could.
Speaker 4:Then I got halfway in there and the nails is digging in my side, so it's built. It was built into the stage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, no, yes and no. I think it was an afterthought.
Speaker 4:Right, but so, but it wasn't meant to ever like come out once they put it in.
Speaker 1:It wasn't supposed to Right. Yeah, they didn't anticipate on my skills. If it don't come out in one piece, it'll come out in two or four, but I got it.
Speaker 3:It was a stumbling block, hmm.
Speaker 2:It was definitely an obstacle of some sort. Yeah, it was. It really wasn't a stumbling block, but was definitely an obstacle of some sort.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really wasn't a stumbling block.
Speaker 3:But not a stepping stone either.
Speaker 1:No, the stepping stone is the stairs going up.
Speaker 3:Yes, that's what I was picturing. Yeah, that's our topic for tonight.
Speaker 4:Hey, you remembered Yay.
Speaker 3:I know you looked at me. I reminded you, Nick. I know you looked at me at church like she's going topic for tonight hey you remembered?
Speaker 1:Yay, I know you looked at me.
Speaker 3:I reminded you. Nick. I know you looked at me at church like she's going to ask me. She's going to ask me.
Speaker 4:I know she is and I was like.
Speaker 2:I know what that look is and I know what I actually remembered I had typed those verses in just like in a draft, and then I sent a message to somebody and when I went back they disappeared. They weren't there. I must have deleted them, as I sent that message. Oh no, I gotta ask nick what those verses were well, let me tell you how I came upon that I think you and I talked about it.
Speaker 4:Yes and it wasn't last week's message but the previous two that pastor michael gave. The first one he was going, he, he was in Romans quite a bit, and so he was in Romans 14 at one point. And usually when he's giving his message, doing his thing, whatever he's got up on the screen, you know, I'm still paying attention. I'm always paying attention. Just so you know, michael, but I always tend to read further. Whatever verse he's got up there, I always read a little bit further.
Speaker 4:And so on. Down the page there was something about the stumbling block in Romans 14, 13. So I'm like, all right, I kind of got an idea. I thought, yeah, that might be a good idea. Well, the next week we were in 2 Corinthians, and that was 2 Corinthians. What did I say? It was 6-3?. And of course I'm reading down again. And there it is. The very next message was about a stumbling block. I'm like, well, that's gotta be it, because two weeks in a row, you know, I'm seeing this verse and I thought, hey, you know, that's the way it works, that's confirmation right there. That's all I need. And I'm usually when Pastor Michael is giving his sermon, I'm usually kind of always looking for ideas.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's like maybe sometimes what he says will kind of piggyback off of it yeah yeah, sometimes it'll just kind of inspire something else, um, so I'm always kind of looking for those key things, uh, you know, for things for us to do. But yeah, that was just really cool that two weeks in a row I just looked down to the next verse yeah and they both had the phrase stumbling block in it. I was like well you didn't ask him.
Speaker 3:If it like if he got that too, did you like. You didn't ask him separately. You know what? I mean no because I wondered I haven't said anything to him yeah, we'll have to find out yeah because that kind of you know, since it had led you from the first or the first know message, led you to the second one with the stumbling blocks. Maybe his first message in general led him to the next week's message.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean. No, no, I did not say anything at all, which makes it all the more interesting.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Yep. So that's one thing people is. There's always confirmation, and if you're willing to, if you're willing to look, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:And if you're, as we talked about a few weeks ago, if you're receiving the word and not just kind of listening, you'll find those things, yeah yeah. So our topic is stumbling block or stepping stone. So if you want to, we can maybe just kind of read that verse in Romans to kind of get us primed ready to go. Do you want me to read it? Somebody else want to read it? I can read it. Somebody else want mic time?
Speaker 3:I'll read it Unless, roger. Do you want to read it?
Speaker 1:I have to find it.
Speaker 3:All right, I'll read it. I don't have it marked.
Speaker 1:I have to find it All right.
Speaker 3:I'll read it. I don't have it marked, so this Bible that I'm reading out of it's a study Bible, but it is the Christian Standard Bible. She Reads Truth is like a how did I find it? A podcast, maybe Just like a five or ten minute podcast a day. And then they also have an app like devotionals, and then I noticed the Bible. So it's a little harder to understand, but it's still.
Speaker 4:It's still that's what we can still understand it Therefore let us no longer judge one another.
Speaker 3:Instead, decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister when you keep going.
Speaker 4:Yep, keep going Okay.
Speaker 3:I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.
Speaker 4:Keep on going All right, go all the way through 21. Okay, keep on going All right, go all the way through 21.
Speaker 3:Okay, for if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy by what you eat someone for whom Christ died. Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and receives human approval. So then, let us pursue what promotes peace and what builds up on one another. Do not tear down God's work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats. It is a good thing not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. I'm just going to keep going. There's like two more Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves, but whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin.
Speaker 2:That was a lot.
Speaker 4:Yep. So you know he's using the example, I think, of food and drink, you know, as a way to kind of express what he's. You know what he's trying to get at there. But of course, you know, in our daily lives there can be many things that can um, as Christians we, we do have to be careful about Um, and I think I said this last week. You know when, when I look at Christians myself think I said this last week, you know when I look at Christians myself, others, it doesn't matter to me how long somebody's you know been saved been a Christian.
Speaker 4:You know, once somebody has been saved and has started that journey, you know, I want to look at that person as an equal.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes.
Speaker 4:So I would say the first you know stumbling block, you know you can talk a lot about church hurt. You know people talk about that all the time and I think one of the main things is that sometimes there's seniority can sometimes play into that. You know, the older generation has tougher time with the younger generation because younger generation doesn't do quite things the same way.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And so you know, we have to be careful about how we we always have to be looking to okay, how can we help this person on further in their journey. Not making them feel like sometimes, like well, everything they've done to this point, yeah, okay, you're coming along, but you still belong at the back of the line.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you know so so, when we're bringing people up, we we have to be careful about how we exercise. That, yeah, and we have. We have to be aware that, yeah, they are just starting out their journey and perhaps you know they they haven't experienced everything that we have.
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, and you know, that gives me an idea of when. Even when you guys say, oh yeah, I said you're 20.
Speaker 4:You're so young? You're only 20.
Speaker 3:I don't even know how old I am now.
Speaker 4:Well, we have a good like right here we have a good.
Speaker 2:Diverse age group.
Speaker 3:We do, yeah, but you hear it, you know. Oh, and if I could still be your Roger Roger just said it last week, I think or you're just a little baby, which, yes, I am, but we need to look at that. We need to have those goggles on when we're thinking of these new Christians.
Speaker 2:Christians. You know what I mean, right, and we don't. We have. Well, no, because I was 30 when I gave my life to the Lord. Yeah, you know, I mean a lot of people were raised in the church and continued on, but I was 30.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm. So yeah, and I mean that's normal, you know yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I feel like we just we need to be more cogn. Looking at it that way rather than oh well, they should know better.
Speaker 4:No, they're not going to change overnight, yeah, so yeah, discouragement is generally not the way to help people grow.
Speaker 1:We're all a work in progress.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, yep.
Speaker 1:None of us are perfect. No yeah, we've got to show everybody grace. Yeah, and hopefully they show us the same grace.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, We've got to show everybody grace and hopefully they show us the same grace. Yeah yeah, your seniority does nothing to kind of absolve you of making yourself a stumbling block onto new believers.
Speaker 3:If anything, I feel like that seniority could make you a stumbling block. If you— yes, right, depending on the attitude.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. Yes, because some very mature Christians will say things like well, I can't believe they're Right, right, Well, they're a brand new, they're a babe in Christ, Exactly. They're a baby in Christ.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yes, it could be something as small as I'm not going to do is give my seat up when the exact opposite should be true. Right, I'm going to give my seat up to this person because perhaps they need it more than I do. Yeah, you know, perhaps it's you know. What they need is is to you know just something that small could really lift somebody up to that next level.
Speaker 3:That could be a stepping stone right there.
Speaker 4:Something that small could really lift somebody up to that next level. That could be a stepping stone right there, because when you're being that example because, yeah, a lot of young churchgoers when they first start coming to a new church they're afraid to approach people- they're afraid to talk to other people. So if somebody would actually be like, yeah, yeah, you can sit in my seat, that would be a stepping stone right there for somebody to be like okay, I feel accepted, right, right, you can sit in my seat.
Speaker 2:That would be a stepping stone right there for somebody to be like okay, I feel accepted Right.
Speaker 4:Right, you know, they notice me.
Speaker 2:Yes, they am aware that they welcomed me. They even gave me their seat.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yes, I mean that would just, you know, that's that would be huge. Yes, something that small, yeah, yeah, because we have to. You know, those are the things where we always talk about getting out of your comfort zone to do you know, go to that next step in your journey, but sometimes it's something as simple as that Like yeah, get out of your comfort zone, get out of your chair.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:Let somebody else sit there. Yeah, if you have to stand as long as you're able, maybe you should. You know that could go a long way with people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I wanted to just bring up again, um this what I just read out of, but verse 14, I wanted to bring it up again. I know and am persuaded in the lord jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one, it is unclean. I'm thinking to that one individual. It is unclean. I'm thinking to that one individual. It is unclean. You know like it almost sounds like keep whatever you're thinking to yourself Believe in yourself. Yes, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, because sometimes you can think, oh, that's silly, that that person needs to. They think that way, that that's part of what they believe, like that's part of their walk with the Lord is that they don't do this, they don't do that and somebody is like, well, that's silly, that doesn't matter, that shouldn't affect your relationship with Christ. But maybe it doesn't for you, right? Maybe?
Speaker 4:for you, it's like for you, right you know, maybe for you it's like yeah, you, you, you, you know maybe there's you never think about it to why they do or don't do something. Yes, you never know why that person has chosen to right you know, behave a certain way, not do something yeah and, yeah, you don't want to be.
Speaker 4:You don't want to be that person that either, uh, either offends them or, in most cases, you don't want to be the person that tempts them or draws them back into something that they really worked really hard at to you know, pull out of.
Speaker 1:To pull out of yeah.
Speaker 4:To stop sinning, whatever it is, whatever challenges they've had.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 4:You know, sometimes we have to be very careful that, yeah, we're not the one that is going to, because to you you'd be like, oh, what's the big deal? Yeah, yeah, you know there's plenty of Christians out there who smoke cigarettes. Okay, Now, a lot of us might not think anything of that.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, just you don't even think about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But if it's, if some, there's that one person that has struggled for, you know, 10 years to quit smoking. And then you pull them into a situation a social situation, yes, where you know you're tempting them to smoke. Yeah, you know, for them that's a big deal oh, yeah, yes, a huge deal, yeah, so we got to be you know, that that's a stump, that's being a stumbling block anytime anytime that you know that you find what one person is doing is not productive for your walk.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes.
Speaker 4:And so you think well, you know why is this person got to, you know why is it such a big deal, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah Well, and not to mention you know some people. Maybe it took only a year for you to stop smoking, but it took him 10 years. You know, that's probably just based on how their brain is wired, or their willpower versus your willpower, like we're not all the same in that sense.
Speaker 4:You know, you could be saying I got saved and, yeah, I quit smoking right away.
Speaker 3:No big deal, you know it only took me a year.
Speaker 4:What's their problem? Right, it doesn't work the same way for everybody.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's literally biological that there's some people struggle more with like addiction than others. Absolutely yeah, they have that addictive personality. It's wired in your brain. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And when you define addiction, you know it's something for somebody that distracts them from every other productive thing in their life.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes.
Speaker 4:To me, that's the true form of addiction.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 4:Is when it overtakes everything else in your life. You can't concentrate on anything else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what you're always thinking about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, all your finances go towards that, yeah, yeah, if you have any extra money, it's controlling your life, that's where it goes, your health is going more than likely downhill because of it, you know, yep, yeah, it's holding you back from moving forward.
Speaker 4:That, to me, yeah, is addiction yeah and that's hard for people.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah and not just, not just like smoking, I'm thinking cell phone usage or you know, like that's. That's interrupting your your health, like your emotional health.
Speaker 4:You know what I mean, oh, yeah so your physical health well
Speaker 2:I had a friend that was a recovering alcoholic and like if we were all going to go out to eat, he didn't want to go someplace, that there was a bar inside the restaurant, yeah, you know. And everybody would be like you know, we can't go here and we can't go there, and you know. Or he would just say, well, you know, you guys go ahead and go. Well, you know, you guys go ahead and go. I'm just going to stay home because I am tempted when I walk in that establishment and I'm faced with that bar yeah, right in front of me as I'm being seated at my table. That tempts me. Yes, so I don't want to go yeah you know, but even his family.
Speaker 3:That would just frustrate them tremendously like yeah, they just didn't understand right, right, yes, yeah, and he was probably one that couldn't just have one or two.
Speaker 2:Well no he had been an alcoholic into his 70s. Yeah, yeah you know, and when he finally gave it up, then yeah, yeah yeah, I mean, that's some.
Speaker 3:I'm sure that was something he was proud of too.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, and the family was proud of it but you know, didn't understand we can't go out to dinner anywhere, so there's a bar in every place. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:And you can agree or disagree, but I'm not really sure. But I don't know. There's some things, even though when you're saved, there's just certain things that you always have to work on.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 4:Whether it's anger issues.
Speaker 3:I even feel like gossip or something like that. Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:Like, even though you're saved, you know it's a big. Sometimes I think it's a big and this is agree or disagree. It's a big misconception that once you're saved, you know non-Christians can look at us like, oh well, now they think they're perfect.
Speaker 3:We're just running around. We're running around in wildflower fields, yeah no, we get irritated and irate too, yes, yes, there's no more challenge for us.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, and.
Speaker 2:Sometimes we're challenged more, right, you know, I mean Most of the time.
Speaker 4:Yes, sometimes those yeah, sometimes those temptations come at us all the harder.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Yeah, because that's the enemy at work. Absolutely so you know we had to, like I said, this huge misconception that you know, just you know I used to drink. Now I can walk into because I'm saved, I can walk into a bar and look at all the drinks on the wall and I don't feel any temptation at all because, I've been saved.
Speaker 4:I don't know, maybe for some people that's true, some people that's true, but I don't know. I think there's certain things that people really have to. For the rest of your life, you really do have to exercise Always a temptation.
Speaker 2:Yes, extra prayer Mm-hmm. Yeah, like I've been convicted lately about my venting, my specific vent that I have, I'm like I have to stop. I just have to stop that because I it I've been convicted of that and beth said no, you're just talking to me about it, we're we're two professionals it's, it's. No, I've been convicted of it because, yeah, she likes to, she likes to hear it.
Speaker 3:I think yeah, yeah, well, because she wants to know that she's not alone. Yes, yes, you know.
Speaker 2:So I'm like no, I have to stop. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:No, I get that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's like well, you're not gossiping, you're just venting about your day.
Speaker 3:Well, you know, my sister got married over the weekend and in the best man speech he said you know, I'll remember this. I think his advice was you know, once that day is done because he's a teacher and so is my sister is a teacher as well he's like sit or shy, I know you'll, you know, attest to this, he said. But once that day is done, you shut that door and you are now in your sanctuary. This is a new. This is like your second day. You know, this is the second part of the day. That's a whole nother day with you and Brady, like, leave that, leave it behind. Not saying that he shouldn't know anything about what happened with your day, but when you come home and talk about it all the time, if you're miserable all the time, you know like, and I, you know I did that with Chase for probably a year and a half cause I was miserable and I mean at what point they're like oh, what do I say? Right, you know what I mean? Do I have to listen to?
Speaker 4:this again. Wait a minute, we're talking about this again. Yeah Well, and it's even harder in our day and age because, guess what? Both people go to work.
Speaker 3:Yes, and both people come home with their own set of problems and you're like, okay, my turn, my turn.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and.
Speaker 4:But it's hard not to do, because you know you want somebody to listen.
Speaker 3:Exactly, to your problems, exactly.
Speaker 4:And yeah. So sometimes you do have to be like, okay, I'm not going to give this to my wife or my husband, I'm going to give it to God.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I'm going to pray about it.
Speaker 3:I'll talk to him about it All the way home.
Speaker 4:I'm going to spare my significant other of you know, and just try to enjoy the the day yes let's leave work at work yeah and let's, let's have a nice evening let's focus on the joy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, focus on the joy. There had to be some joy in the day as well, right, yeah?
Speaker 4:focus on the joy so we can rest and start again the next day, because before you know it, you're going to be right back in it right, yeah, yeah it is. You know it is good to I. I think you're right in that approach. It's just very hard to do it's so hard, hard to do. But I do think it's important.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Now on the same token, I don't think you should hold everything in Right right. There is a difference between just constantly holding everything in and never talking to anybody about anything, for the fear that you feel like you're complaining or venting Right right, sometimes you do need to talk, you do need to do it.
Speaker 3:Maybe Sometimes you do need to talk. You do need to do it.
Speaker 4:Maybe it just depends on make sure you're talking to the right person.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:You know. So where you're venting doesn't turn into gossip.
Speaker 2:Exactly, doesn't turn into destructive behavior.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you know to where like, hey, let's go get a few beers and talk about it.
Speaker 1:Right, you know, it's 12 beers and then you know you.
Speaker 4:I know you know young kids. You know I work with a lot of young males and you know that's what they do.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:That's what they do, and then they call off and they're sick today and you're like I know you're not sick?
Speaker 3:No, you're not. You're sick, but you know.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they had the flu, yeah they had the flu. Yeah, brown bottle flu, brown hard.
Speaker 4:You know it's hard yeah uh, and if you look down into romans 15, it kind of goes into what we're talking about there, because it says he who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up, for even christ did not please himself. But, as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me, for everything that was written in the past was written to teach us Mic drop. Yeah, so sometimes it's, you know, when you have somebody who's this is where, okay, am I going to be a stumbling block?
Speaker 3:or a stepping stone.
Speaker 4:Are you going to bear the failings of somebody you know that's struggling Right, or are you going to be the person that tears them down?
Speaker 2:Exactly we're going to tear them down or are we going to build them up?
Speaker 4:Yeah, Gossip about them do everything other than say hey, let's you know how can I help. You know, sometimes that's very hard for people to just say how can I help.
Speaker 2:Right, right, well, yeah, because if they're stumbling, they're going to quit growing, they're going to pull back, they're not going to continue to yeah we might cause them to.
Speaker 4:Right, and there are some people that you can't help sometimes in certain situations, like I had one today with this truck driver. We people that you can't help sometimes in certain situations, like I had one today with this truck driver we have this huge, uh, 400 tons, so like 800 000 pounds of steel uh coming into our shop and it's all coming up through like arkansas, georgia. So I have truck driver after truck driver. We're up to like over 20 truckloads of steel right now, like 45,000 pounds a piece, and I'll be honest, this thing's killing me right now because it's coming in so hard, so heavy, all the time Like it's hard for me to concentrate on the rest of my job because I have to put so much focus on this.
Speaker 4:But for the most part the truck drivers they're coming up from the South, south, most have been really nice, really polite, helpful, just easy going. Uh, but this guy today he was just, he hated the world because his appointment was supposed to be yesterday at 10. He couldn't make that so I was like, well, can you get here at one?
Speaker 4:yeah, I think I can come here at one okay and he was calling me that night at home trying to figure out what he was going to do, and I was was like, oh, okay, to come at one. If you're any later, I can't promise you anything.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But if you're there, we'll unload you, okay. So eventually he calls me again. He's like, yeah, I'm not going to make that, I'm still in Louisville, and can we just make it Wednesday morning at 6 am? I said, sure, that'll probably work out better for both of us anyway. Okay, I'll be there at 6 am. So he gets there this morning and he just he's not making any money as a truck driver. Our company is making it hard for people like him to survive because we should be open 24-7 to receive deliveries. He missed another load that he wanted to pick up because he still had that one on his truck. He sat at the place where he picked it up for seven hours.
Speaker 4:He's like I couldn't even give this trailer and this semi away right now because truck driving is so bad. I used to really love Trump, but since he attacked Iran, fuels went up 70 cents and. I didn't make anything on this job. He's like I'll never come back here again. And he kept going from me, then to another person, to another person, to another person, the same thing, and it's like I'm trying to talk him down from that ledge, Like just trying to explain to him like I understand where you're coming from.
Speaker 3:For sure.
Speaker 4:But there are certain things that I have to do as well. Yeah, you know this is my responsibility. This is mine To make sure all the steel coming in comes in at the correct time, that it's organized.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You know, everything has its place. I can't just have trucks arriving whenever they want to.
Speaker 3:That's how I get my paycheck.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah I get my paycheck, so I have to manage this stuff. I can't have trucks completely backed up because I didn't hold people to their appointments and things like that and I said but you know? I said you know, I don't know, I appreciate your problems. I said, but it'll be all right. I said you'll, you know everything. I'm just trying to talk him down for that ledge, trying to be friendly, and he just wouldn't have it. So in some ways it's like that was a case of I'm offering the stepping stone.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:And he's picking it up and dropping it on his head, right yeah, as a stumbling block, or dropping it on his toe.
Speaker 2:He picked up the stepping stone Right.
Speaker 4:Dropped it on his toe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, can either hinder your progress or you could use it to grow and learn. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And so, as a Christian, I'm like, well, okay, you know I wasn't rude to the guy, you know I didn't tell him to just take his truck and you know. So I was doing everything I can just to try and get the guy to just be like it's going to be all right, get you unloaded, you know, you move on to your next job or whatever it is you need to do and things are going to work out. He just wouldn't have it and he that I gave him his paperwork at the end sign. He didn't even look at me and then, for whatever reason, instead of cause, you can collect, turn around and go around to head back out. He decided to back out, clear out of the lot which the and other trucks were coming. They got into an argument because now he's in the way, because he's trying to back out, and it's just like one of those things where you're like dude, you know, I tried to you know, help kind of stop.
Speaker 4:You know, it's like that powder keg, the line, you know the line of powder going to the keg. And it's like yeah, I tried to cut it off several times and you just kept lighting it. It's like well, you can't save them all.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And sometimes people are their own stumbling block.
Speaker 2:Yes, sometimes they love living in that misery. Oh yeah, they do. They like being miserable and complaining.
Speaker 4:Yes, and that's just where I'm thinking like I'm trying to bear the failings of the week. Yeah, You're trying to bear, you know, the failings of the week.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You know, yeah, you're trying to show love.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm trying to do everything I can to not make it worse.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I know, I, you know, I'm pretty certain there's nothing I can do to deescalate his feelings. But I certainly don't want to escalate them. But some people would, some people would relish.
Speaker 3:And that's the thing some people would relish and making that guy even more like I'm gonna do this and see if it makes them well, just well you're gonna give me a hard time.
Speaker 4:I'm gonna give you a hard time back yeah you know, just for the sake of it, just so I can show you I'm a bigger man than you are even though I'll probably never see you ever again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because he's like I'm never coming back here again and I'm like like, oh yeah, you're probably right, You're not?
Speaker 4:And I could have took the opportunity to be like well, you're never coming back, so I could talk to you however I want, but I'm like no you do never know. You never know. Yeah, you never know that person might cross my path again. So I don't know. That's another, that's a difficult one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and in the same sense, like he didn't take that stepping stone, you know, instead.
Speaker 4:No, he didn't. He made it a stumbling block. He picked it right up, dropped it on his tail.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but then there's there's people that can make a stumbling block into a stepping stone and like, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:But it's yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, I think, in that case, I think it would be somebody who has been an addict.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, exactly Through everything, or came from you know, poverty issues, or yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:And they can come back to be that person that goes around the country. You know talking to people about their struggles and trying to help other people not make the same mistakes or help them out of the same situation.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So, yeah, that's a perfect example of a stumbling block becoming a stepping stone and God will turn all evil to good. He can take something evil for good, and that's one of those situations where, yeah, you do have a lot of people in this life that have been through a lot of tough things, and sometimes their only saving grace is that they decide to be a stepping stone, they decide not to be a victim anymore.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes exactly.
Speaker 4:And actually help other people to understand what they're going through and let them know that it's not you. You're not unique. You know you don't have to be ashamed of what you've done. There is help for you. There's plenty of other people that have been through the same thing yeah and they can share, you know, uh, in your comfort and, like I said, yeah, be uh bear with feelings of the week, um, so that's great.
Speaker 3:That's a great example of that yeah, um, I saw someone say and I'm like I'm gonna have to pick their brain but they said jesus became a stumbling block on the cross, so he could be a stepping stone to us read that one more time.
Speaker 3:I get the last part, jesus became a stumbling block on the cross so he could be a stepping stone for us, and they were specifically talking about matthew 23. Um, but it was that's kind of that's like the hypocrites, and you know, and like the first 23 one. Then jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. The scribes and the pharisees are seated in the chair of moses, of moses. Therefore, do whatever they tell you and observe it, but do what they do. Or, excuse me, but don't do what they do, because they don't practice what they teach. They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them. They were talking about the full, like chapter of 23. But I mean, I think, I think those couple of verses definitely go with what we were talking about at the beginning, you know, yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, it's kind of like if somebody decides you're going to be a weightlifter, they're going to start power lifting. You don't put 500 pounds on the bar to start them off, Do you no? No, you don't put 500 pounds on the bar to start them off, do you? No, no, no, you got to build up to that kind of weight. No, so you know, it's the same thing there. It's like somebody's starting out. You know, in their faith, don't give them a.
Speaker 4:You know yeah don't put them on the bench and you know, slam two big 250 pounders on yeah, because you know what's going to happen.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, it's common sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're gonna, they're gonna they to give up? You want to?
Speaker 4:build somebody from, you know, from weight to weight, just experience to experience. Give them just, you know, just give them a little bit, see if they can handle that. Yeah, give them a little bit more. You know, when you feel you can trust them with that, give them a little more. But yeah let them feel good about what they're doing. You know.
Speaker 4:Let what they're doing, you know, let them kind of you know, because, again, everybody's different, everybody has a different, you know, yeah, there are some people that, yep, I can go in and within two weeks I'm lifting 100 more pounds than I was two weeks before.
Speaker 3:Some people can't do that, you know well, and especially if they, you know, get hurt during the process, then they're starting all over again, then you really yeah, then you really lost the yeah.
Speaker 4:If you're the responsible for the ones getting them hurt, chances are. Trying to get them back again is not going to be. They went backwards from where they were at. Yeah, and they'll tell everyone about that. Well, I tried going to church and here's what they did. This is what happened. It's like they wanted to prove themselves. Okay, AI delivered know.
Speaker 3:Okay, ai delivered again, sorry, yes, so I just wrote Jesus became you know, type that phrase, and it says the idea that Jesus became a stumbling block on the cross to be a stepping stone is a concept rooted in biblical interpretation. A stepping stone is a concept rooted in biblical interpretation. It suggests that while Jesus's crucifixion was a source of offense and disbelief for some the stumbling block it ultimately became a means of salvation and spiritual growth for others. The stepping stone.
Speaker 4:Well, pastor Michael and his sermon last week said something about, well you know, the same people that were shouting hosanna now shouting crucify, and for what reason? Because, you know, week prior they saw him riding in on donkey as the savior and they thought he was going to destroy everybody around him and bring their their kingdom, back physically in this world.
Speaker 4:And then you know that friday later he's being whipped and beaten and you know he he's not even the image of himself. You know he's. He's definitely, in their eyes, no image of power or control or, yeah, uh, being the savior that you know they thought they were going to have. Yeah, he looks totally weak and there's no possible way Now this is the guy that was going to do all these great things. I don't think so, and that's the difference is there's some people that saw it that way as the stumbling block, and there's other people saw it for what it truly was. Maybe that's maybe that still goes on today. Maybe, when people look at Christianity and following the Lord and trying to make that decision, their stumbling block is well, what can he really do for me? Yeah, I've heard the stories. Yeah, I've heard people talk about it. Yeah, I used to go to church when I was a kid, but that can't work for me. That's not true. You know, that's just a bunch of that's just people trying to control other people.
Speaker 2:And the religion is all about just trying to control other people.
Speaker 4:And so they don't see Jesus for who he truly is. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 3:This right here says in other words, jesus is like a stumbling stone because in in you rejecting him, if you decide to reject him, they're going to fall very heavy so that's another way to look at it, yeah, yeah yeah, like we were thinking negative the whole time and like, yeah, as far as the stumbling block goes, and but it's like this is kind of saying that's kind of up to you, that's on you. If you decide to reject him, it's going to be a stumbling block or, excuse me, yeah, stumbling block, but if you accept him, it'll be a stepping stone.
Speaker 2:Choice is yours there's nothing in the bible that Jesus says I'm going to force you to come to me, he's not that no, he never does that, nope yeah yeah, we have a choice of how we'll, how we will respond yeah, yeah, he's not forcing us no, we have free will yep huh hmm, chirp, chirp.
Speaker 4:Oh, so well, we'll go over to, uh, corinthians. That was the other one that we second Corinthians, yeah, second Corinthians uh six, three, six three yes, so read that one. 6-3, yes, so read that one. Maybe just go all the way down to through 13.
Speaker 3:Roger, you got it.
Speaker 1:Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed, but in all things approving ourselves as the ministry of God, ministers of God, and in much patience and afflictions and necessaries and distresses and stripes and imprisonments. Necessaries and distresses in stripes, in imprisonments, in term in term, turmoils in labors, in watching, in fasting. Go ahead, sis or Sid. My eyes is all screwed, messed up, yeah.
Speaker 3:I forgot. Sorry um, where'd you end? Six, six, okay, my eyes is all screwed. Yeah, I forgot. Sorry Um, where'd you end.
Speaker 1:Six.
Speaker 3:Six, okay. By purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, through weapons of righteousness for the right hand in the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report regarded as dece. Did I skip something? Okay, many as having nothing yet possessing everything. We have spoken openly to you, corinthians. Our heart has been opened wide. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. I speak as to my children as a proper response. Open your heart to us.
Speaker 4:And I'll go back up to 520. It says we are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as, through God, we're making his appeal. Through us, we implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. God made him, who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And then mine's a little different when we go into 6.3. The first thing it says is we put no stumbling block in anyone's path so that our ministry will not be discredited.
Speaker 4:So again, there's an important point of what we do as Christians, what we do as Christians, as once we become Christians, we're not getting a badge that says okay, now I can judge people the way I see it. You know I can decide who's going to be, who sits up front, who sits in the back. You know I'll decide if this person's worthy to serve here, serve there. You know, yes, there does have to be responsible people in place, but we're not coming at people with harsh judgment. So we are Christ's ambassadors.
Speaker 4:We are to do everything that he tells us to do, the way that he would do it himself. We're not supposed to stretch the truth. We're not supposed to stretch it for our own good, so it benefits us. We have to make sure that you know, in this whole process, the last thing that we want to do is turn somebody away from God or get jealous because of this, because of that. Uh, it's like Vicki, uh, going to church with her friends that were interested in going to church you know, she could have said why do you want to go there, right, why don't you?
Speaker 4:you know you really need to come to church where I go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, come to my church.
Speaker 4:Yeah, if you don't come to my church. I'm not going.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Because that's where I go to church. She very easily could have been the type of person to do something like that, but that's not what we're supposed to do.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 4:Because again it all goes back to what we were saying Not everybody is built like you, Not everybody is built for the Pentecostal church just the way that it is. And for her to go, do that, to go to another church, to be there with them, to give them all the confidence they needed or all the support and love they needed, to get them into a church, to where they would be like, yeah, we want to keep doing this.
Speaker 3:That's huge, that's a big deal.
Speaker 4:And that's being an ambassador for.
Speaker 3:Christ.
Speaker 4:That's truly what it's about, and she did that without, like I said, no jealousy, no regret, no thinking like well, okay, I'll go ahead.
Speaker 3:No strings attached. If I do this, you have to do this for me. You know, yeah, no strings attached. Yeah, no strings attached. If I do this, you have to do this for me.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you have to come to our church next week.
Speaker 2:if I go to your church this week, yeah, if I come to Dover to go with you, then you've got to come down here. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:So that's the kind of things we should be doing.
Speaker 2:And that doing and that's being truly a stepping stone. Yes, and how old is vicki? Oh gosh, I don't know.
Speaker 4:I don't know, but I think she said her friends were in their 70s and 80s, so even at that age she's still being a stepping stone yeah so it's never something that we should grow out of or think our time has passed and yeah, so again. That was. That's another one of those things.
Speaker 2:Just thinking about this episode, I mean like that's all perfect timing from it is from me finding the two scriptures to her doing that all things that we're talking about have happened in the last couple weeks and it's like yeah yeah, she relied on her faith that if she went and gave them that influence, yeah, of her savior, but at another church, and they accepted it, they enjoyed it and they were going back and Michael's still going to make fun of her sweater even if she doesn't have a sweater on he's still going to make fun of her for not having a sweater on, so she didn't lose anything there.
Speaker 4:No, no but.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:You were saying something about Don. Well, the no strings attached. Like you know. Well, if I go there, you have to come with me and like joking, but really not joking, though, because that's how a lot of friendships are absolutely you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if I do this for you, yeah you have to do something.
Speaker 1:There's something, yes exactly you're not doing it. You're not doing it just out of love love.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it's a benefit.
Speaker 3:There's something else has to come of it, yeah or you have, like I was thinking almost, like like I've never been this way, but girls like, oh, will you go to the restroom with me because I can't go by myself. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, but that's what it reminded me of like well, I can't go by myself, so if you go this week, I'll go to yours next week, like yeah, you know, yeah, well, and I know what it's like to walk into a church for your first time by yourself, yeah, you know, because I was out of church for about five years after my mom passed, and so five years in I'm like I got to get back to church, but I knew what it was like walking through the doors of someplace new.
Speaker 2:Now I knew that the church that I went to there was going to be a few people that I knew, because a lot of the people that I worked with at the hospital went there, but that wasn't a fit for me, and so when Beth invited me here, she's like you know I'll wait for you out front, you know I'll come out and get you whatever. So I didn't have to walk in by myself. But yeah, it sometimes is overwhelming, oh for sure, no matter how outgoing you are or whatever, but sometimes it's overwhelming walking in someplace brand new.
Speaker 4:And what do you do? Criticize Pastor Michael's squeaky voice. The first time I'm here First time she's Whiny, whiny voice, not squeaky, it was whiny. I don't think your voice is squeaky.
Speaker 2:I never thought that.
Speaker 4:That was my own thought.
Speaker 2:And since then it definitely hasn't been whiny either. The devil was just certainly working on me. He did not want me here, yeah, Because he knew that if I was here I was going to grow in my faith.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yes, so here we are Three years later. Yep, I'm still here.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and the Lord prevailed.
Speaker 2:Amen Yep.
Speaker 4:Yep, satan's dominions is paved with stumbling blocks. Mm-hmm, yeah, so that's what it's all about.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 4:You just yep, got to remember that A lot of times when you got that stumbling block in front of you. A lot of times it might not be anything you did.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:You didn't really put yourself in that situation. It's just guess what. You know you're a christian, you're.
Speaker 2:You got a target on your back yeah, you just do and we have to learn how to navigate.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know yep, kind of have to be like the old time navigators and you gotta map that stuff out yeah never know when you're going to be coming that way again. It's good to know where those stumbling blocks are and you know safe passage when that big oak tree is.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when those potholes are.
Speaker 4:Yeah, or the roundabouts. Yeah, avoid the roundabouts. Oh speaking of roundabouts, oh no.
Speaker 1:When I went to North Carolina, we went into this town. It not only had one roundabout, every intersection was a roundabout. Yeah, I had to laugh. I laughed to myself, I didn't say anything to my wife Roundabouts.
Speaker 4:Here it is.
Speaker 1:You get out of this one and you're into another one.
Speaker 3:Yes, I think I was going down to Myrtle Beach and I think we were avoiding highways or something you know and it had. I think we went through seven or eight of the roundabouts, but yeah.
Speaker 1:In the same town, uh-huh yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, you must have went through the same town.
Speaker 4:I did probably, probably, yeah, it would have been they're getting more, there's more and more of them. Yeah, yeah, it seems like anytime they. Uh, I've just noticed, like I've been through places like it used to have a traffic light. Now it's gone that's a roundabout yeah, that made people upset about sitting in a traffic light or stop sign could you imagine a roundabout at Macaulay Drive?
Speaker 2:What are they doing out there?
Speaker 4:anyway it's like a roundabout. I'll tell you that you never know if you're allowed to go left or right.
Speaker 2:You have to turn left and turn around and come back to go straight across.
Speaker 4:Well, the one post was like oh, all you got to do is go up to Midvale X and come back.
Speaker 2:Back down. You know how far that is oh, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:I've seen people turn in there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and they'll still do it.
Speaker 1:They'll turn in there.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I don't blame them, I really don't as long as it's safe. Right, I mean, and it does depend on the day, because I mean even today it wasacaulay drive will be changing you know direction or routes again, and I'm like, oh my god yeah, I've just decided I take 416 yeah through tusky home now every day.
Speaker 4:I just like it's more scenic anyway, yeah, yeah, yeah I like 460
Speaker 3:yeah and I've um, I will leave my house on parish street and go east port Road onto Wolf Run and then take it into Midvale and then get on. Yeah.
Speaker 4:And.
Speaker 3:I mean, I think it added three minutes.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it really doesn't add that much time yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 4:So yeah, you just never know.
Speaker 3:No.
Speaker 4:I mean, there was one day I sat there for I don't know how long. It was a long time.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I think four traffic light changes.
Speaker 2:I sat through three one time a couple days ago, and that's the thing is they'll post on Facebook.
Speaker 4:Now you can no longer turn right or left A lot of people don't read that stuff. No, because I just did it the other day. I wanted to go right to go to Dollar Market and it said I couldn't go right. Well me, I went up the highway, got off Midvale exit, did that whole thing. But I'm looking in my rearview mirror, there's people going right.
Speaker 4:I'm like I should have just did it, you know, but I'm trying to follow the rules. Yeah, so much for trying to follow the rules. Yeah, I did the same thing. So, half hour later I get to the dollar market. It's like, oh my God.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So I've heard like october really, or they have that done, yeah, so it will be a stumbling block for quite some time.
Speaker 3:Well, when I went to the one city council meeting just to sit on in on it and because it's open to the public, and I'm like, what are they actually talking about? But, um, someone was stating that the their daughter lives on parish street, which is where I live, and I may or may not have created a group message with everyone that I know on parish street saying we all need to do something about this. And, you know, come to the council meeting anyway. I didn't realize. Her dad was on, like he's a board member and one of the girls and, um, he, but he brought it up because if, if they weren't going to talk about it, I was, that's what I was there for.
Speaker 3:I was going to bring it up but he was saying, you know, hey, my sister was, or my sister, my daughter, was telling me, you know, a lot of people are pretty unhappy with how parish street is looking. And he said I'll be honest, I went down at the other day and the first couple blocks they're pretty rough and that's right where I'm at. And our mayor is like, well, I mean, I think they call it like the Water Street project because it's still technically Water Street. Yeah, well, I mean they get like two hundred thousand dollars a year or something. And he's like I mean it's mostly all on the water street project and I'm like what are you?
Speaker 4:doing yeah, there's. I was just telling margie the other night because we walk uh kind of like behind trenton avenue school there's a lot of little uh like walnut street street, willcoxon and my both my grandparents lived on will coxswain so we always go down there.
Speaker 4:Just I just do it for the nostalgia. But I'm walking on the sidewalks and some of the sidewalks are like, just like completely caved in and I told her. I said, you know, I said I remember as a kid seven, eight years old playing on this very uh caved in sidewalk Because we would act like, oh, it's an avalanche. Right, right, right I was like that has been this way for 30-plus years.
Speaker 3:Well, and it's your responsibility.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's the homeowner's responsibility.
Speaker 4:But it's just a lot of things like that.
Speaker 1:Even though the city can dictate how you do it Right, right, yeah, that's dumb.
Speaker 2:But if you're like Water Street or wherever, the city can dictate how you do it, right, right, right, yeah, yeah, that's dumb.
Speaker 4:Yeah, but if you're like Water Street or wherever, you get your sidewalks done, they're all brand new and you probably didn't have to pay anything for it.
Speaker 3:Well, I grew up on Water Street and when they did the first project, like I don't know, back in 07 maybe, or the first one, I can remember, yeah, that my dad didn't have to pay any of it, like it was brand new, like, yeah, how does that make?
Speaker 2:sense.
Speaker 3:Because for a while, someone that was on council had told me hey, hold off on doing your sidewalk, because they may or may not like it was in the talks about that they would possibly do it. And now I'm like I haven't heard anything.
Speaker 4:Are we gossiping or venting? Yeah, or both. Both, which is probably negative anything Are we gossiping or venting. Both.
Speaker 3:A little bit.
Speaker 4:Oh man. Well, does anybody got anything else to add to all that? I think I was made a nice hour out of that.
Speaker 3:Yeah 56 minutes and 29 seconds.
Speaker 4:I was hoping Beth would be here tonight because I wanted to talk to her about her. She had an idea about crowns or something.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I wanted to talk to her more about that Crowns, because so far I don't have an idea for next week. Yes, you were saying something about all the different crowns.
Speaker 2:Crowns that are listed in the Bible.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So well, we'll have to just keep, we'll have to just stay in her back pocket.
Speaker 3:She may be able to describe it.
Speaker 2:Right, a little more, yeah In detail for us Mm-hmm, so yeah.
Speaker 3:Stay tuned.
Speaker 4:Stay tuned.
Speaker 3:Right. Whose turn is it to pray?
Speaker 2:Pastor Rogers, it's my turn.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, I'm going to get situated here.
Speaker 1:Okay, precious Heavenly Father, we do thank you, lord, for this day.
Speaker 1:Lord, we just ask you to take and just be with those people out there that are having those stumbling blocks that are thrown in front of them, lord. Let them know how to deal with them and make them into a stepping stone to you. Lord, and we just thank you for being with us, lord. We thank you for those people that are in this house. Lord, we just love you, lord, there's no other words you know that we can say, and we just love you and we just honor you and we just praise you for all the things that that you've did in our lives, lord, for taking those stumbling blocks away from us and making them stepping stones to get closer to you, lord, and we just thank you and praise you. We give you all the glory. We just ask us all in jesus most precious name, amen, amen.
