Rotten Fruit

When life throws you into the depths of despair, where do you find the strength to climb back out? Our latest Foxhole Symphony episode is a beacon for those caught in the tempest of hardship. We share the raw emotions that accompany life's most challenging trials—illness, addiction, loss—and the profound loneliness that can often ensue. But it's within this very vulnerability that we discover the irreplaceable value of brotherhood and authentic community. Through the pain, we emerge not alone but supported, our faith in humanity and the divine restored.

Have you ever felt weighed down by the 'layer cake' of life's issues, uncertain of how to face another day? Our heartfelt discussion revolves around the power of community and faith, drawing parallels with the silversmith's artistic process—how through the heat and hammering, a purer, stronger self is revealed. As we examine scriptures like the Ephesians 6 and the Armor of God, we uncover the solace and strength that spiritual armor and community provide, empowering us to confront the darkness around us. This episode is a reminder that, even when the road is rocky and the shadows long, we are not walking it unaided.

Concluding our exploration, we delve into the constancy of God's faithfulness and the stability it offers our lives, even when everything else seems to be shifting sands. We celebrate and give thanks for the Bible as a source of comfort and guidance, inspiring us to engage with its words for deeper understanding, connection to our creator and solace in tough times. We close on a note of hope, encouraging listeners to find peace in God's unchanging truths. As we share our collective journey of faith, we extend an invitation to join us in discovering the transformative impact of an authentic, supportive community.

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Transcript

Mark: 0:08

Welcome to Foxhole Symphony, a podcast about the transformational value of men in authentic community.

Sarge: 0:14

And our Foxhole men are equipped to build relationships that foster belonging, accountability and growth.

Mark: 0:20

Stop believing the lie that you can thrive in isolation and instead join us on the journey for broken to whole.

Chris: 0:27

Hello everyone. They call me the maestro and we are back in the Foxhole where we actively pursue belonging, accountability and growth through authentic relationships. No masks, no agendas, just iron sharpening iron. Mark and Steve have come together again to share their hearts with us. While I know Holy Spirit is here with us, there is a funny smell wafting through the air. What is that? Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of it. You know what time it is. Everybody, open up your favorite no tap and settle in, because here we go.

Mark: 1:04

Hey, welcome back to the Foxhole Symphony podcast on another sunny Saturday morning here in the Foxhole.

Sarge: 1:11

Yeah, I'm so glad you did that, because I'm sitting here going. I don't know if I'm ready for this. I had to just get out there.

Mark: 1:19

You jumped in and welcomed everybody. I did, I did, I didn't pause there. You did great.

Sarge: 1:26

I listened to the master, you rescued me and I thank you.

Mark: 1:30

I want to take a moment to thank the maestro, our bear, Chris Soklaski by name for everything he does here, that smooth baritone.

Mark: 1:42

That's not Dean Martin, you're here in there. That's our brother, chris, who introduces what we're about to talk about, which I think is rotten fruit, which smells pretty bad, and then wraps it up so nicely. I was actually listening to one of our podcasts the other morning during a workout and, you know, some of it just becomes white noise. But then all of a sudden, the maestro's voice comes on and he's starting to connect dots and I'm like gosh, this guy is so blessed and an anointed to do that with us and for us. And you know, the truth is we could talk into these microphones all day, yep, but without our maestro bear and ain't happening.

Sarge: 2:24

Yeah, he's a gift, Chris. You are a gift to us and to our listeners, I'm sure.

Mark: 2:30

Yeah, and we should have him back here to talk with us.

Sarge: 2:34

Yep.

Mark: 2:34

Ninth different thing. So here we are. I see you See, you, you got the pinky there. I do. I often my pinky, my pibi.

Sarge: 2:43

The pinky ball. I'm fondling the pinky ball and squeezing it. It's my stress ball. It's my stress ball today, perfect.

Mark: 2:50

Perfect. So I think there's only one way to start a conversation like this that we plan to have. First of all, folks listener. We want you to understand that we are coming at today's recording in this episode, as raw and clear headed and befuddled at the same time as we ever have. Yeah, I just feel that in my chest and my solar plexus right now, I've got. I've got tension.

Sarge: 3:17

Yeah.

Mark: 3:18

And the title of today's episode is rotten fruit, and ostensibly that has everything to do with what happens when you make the commitment to a small group that decides to go deep. And for me, all of a sudden, you find your sump pump going on, often, almost daily, testing new depths of not only honesty and candor but a faith.

Sarge: 3:48

And pain, depths of pain and suffering.

Mark: 3:51

Yeah, yes, right, absolutely yeah. These are the realities of when we talk about simple colloquialisms like mountaintop moments and we're in the valleys and so on and so forth, and we experienced them both and praise God for mountaintop moments. I remember talking to you a few episodes ago about when I was in in Southridge early in my faith walk I'm hopping from mountaintop to mountaintop when we laughed and I remember feet, the need and, you know, baby bottle drives and all these fun things, not why we're here today. There's, there's a, there's a depth of those valleys that, if you don't remember that you're not alone walking in that environment. You, you just pointed that out to me right before we started the recording, right, that even though I have my brothers around me, especially the four, my four guys in victorious together in our group, there are moments of deep loneliness and aloneness and and just, it's a solo.

Sarge: 4:59

Yeah.

Mark: 5:00

You know, in the mirror when I'm dealing with my stuff and I've got a basket full right now I have some serious illness in my immediate family. That is hospital type of illness. I've also got addiction in my face. I've got depression and anxiety in my face and truth is I'm feeling pretty alone, yeah, and I know I have your love and the solidarity of my friends and brotherhood and fellowship and faith. But, bro, there's some rotten fruit in here. It smells bad, it feels bad to me and I'm I'm. I wanted to talk about it. I want to. I wanted to play it out with you and and just get your perspective on. You know what you're seeing. I know I know some of the things that you're dealing with. I we have other brothers, you know, who have death in their family, right, now, or in fact right and look we're about a baby's death.

Sarge: 6:07

Yeah.

Mark: 6:09

Yeah, I don't know why. I mean death is death. Right, we're taught death. Yeah, You're not alive. But when it happens to an unborn child, right yeah.

Sarge: 6:22

Um, yeah, there's, there's a depth of pain, like I said, pain and suffering and, and just, you know the realities of darkness that all five of us in our dearest, most sincere and authentic Fox hall that we've talked about, this Victoria's Together group, all five of us have been in a season of darkness and and depth of pain and suffering that is unbelievable. And so, um, you know, there's sort of this bizarre, it's almost like this upside down world. In other words, we talk about mountaintops and valleys and things like that, but it's almost as if, you know, we experience the mountaintops in that community, in relationship with one another, in the midst of our pain. We experience because we experience God. We experience, in the same way that we're experiencing new depths of pain and suffering in our lives, we are also experiencing new depths in our understanding of the character of God and in our authentic relationship with him. Yes, and so you know, use whatever language, mountaintops, valleys, whatever- yeah.

Sarge: 7:58

But he is drawing us in in a way that I don't think any of us have ever been drawn in no, that's a that this week was a brand new experience for me, and I'm not I am not coming to this episode saved.

Mark: 8:18

I do not feel balanced right. I feel, like I'm fighting through thick mud.

Sarge: 8:27

Yes, but those are our feelings. Yeah, right, and so, and they're not. They shouldn't be swept under the rug. They're not invalid, they matter, and God is in the midst of it, with us, he's in the mud with us. I'm glad you said and not. But yeah, it's and it's, and he knows, and he's in it and he, he is the most compassionate father ever, who, who's in it and who just wants us to be, to be, to be comforted and blessed in the midst of it. He's, he's. He's not just God of the fire, he's God in the fire, he's, he's. You know, I the, the. I'm reminded of the, the silver Smith. I think we talked about the. You know the silver Smith that you know has the, the silver and the fire, and you know people ask him how do you know when it's done? And he says I can see myself in it. I know to remove it from the fire when I can see myself in it.

Sarge: 9:36

I love that, and it's the same with our creator. We are his image bearers and he's he's. He's this refinement as he shows us more of who he is and more of who he is in us, and so and so, when you're standing in front of the mirror in the morning saying I'm thankful for my brothers, but I have to do this alone, well, there's some truth to that, and it's also true that you're not alone ever. You know, and I'm reminded of the. You know some of these, reminded of the armor of God. You know scriptures that we've maybe read hundreds of times, heard hundreds of times Some 23.

Chris: 10:25

Yeah, yes, right.

Sarge: 10:28

But but the armor of God. You know, I was reading it earlier this week in a mode of desperation which, you know, I've, I've, I've, I've been in and in in, you know, feeling, you know, having been lied to, manipulated and betrayed in a way that I've, you know, likely never been in my life. And you know, and I'm reminded of these scriptures Tell me Finally, be strong in the Lord, be strong and in His mighty power. Right, be strong and courageous, not in our own power, in His mighty power.

Mark: 11:15

It doesn't say in your mighty power, in His mighty power.

Sarge: 11:18

And then what translation are you looking at? What to say, to do now? But your role is put on the full armor. Here's our role. It's His mighty power, but we are called to put on the full armor of God so that we can take, you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, it's against the realms, it's against the, the heavenly realms Right, the darkness. Yep, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil and the heavenly realms.

Sarge: 11:49

Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that, when evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and, after you've done everything to stand, stand firm Right, on a firm footing. What is it? The belt of truth, buckle it around your waist. The breastplate of righteousness. As I read these, feel the weight of them, and I did that. I'm walking and I'm imagining the armor, not just putting it on, but Jesus placing it on me.

Sarge: 12:24

Right, the belt of truth, feel it around your waist. The breastplate of righteousness. Right your feet, fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith which can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil, one, the helmet of salvation Feel it on your head. The sword of the spirit Right, which is the word of God, and pray. Pray in the spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, with this in mind, be alert and keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

Sarge: 13:06

Right, so you're not alone, you're not alone. The rotten fruit, right, cause cause, there there is, there's a lot of rot, there's a lot of rot. There's a dark, broken, messy world and some of the things that you reference, the pain that, that that we see, the, the, the, you know, the evil can be so discouraging. Such a wet blanket and it, it can drive us from the faith Absolutely, and therein lies the value of this community, because I, you know we need each other to. You know, pull, you know, pull each other right Out of the muck and the mire, out of the mud. You know, throw, throw the tow chain. You know, yeah, right Into the midst of the mud, pit and and be dragged out.

Mark: 14:14

Look, I know in my heart that I'm in the right group at the right time in my life. I know it, I. There is no question in my mind.

Sarge: 14:26

Yeah.

Mark: 14:27

I know that as surely as I know I married the right woman. That's how strongly I feel about that relationship. Somehow, the rotten fruit and the darkness have piled on the the what I call the layer cake.

Sarge: 14:42

Right, it's just so many layers, it's tough.

Mark: 14:48

So many layers, it is brutal is actually the word that comes to mind, and I I'm longing to go to sleep at night, just to shut it down Really, to just say really surrender it at that time, and I'm I reminded so much this week of Psalm 23 even though I walk through the valley of shout of death, I'll not be afraid for you or with me or on your staff, comfort me right over and over and over. I walk through the darkness and I won't be afraid, baloney, I'm afraid. That's the truth and I just looked it up. It said what's this valley of the shadow of death, mean? And somebody smart says the valley of shadow death is a place of scarcity, danger, pain and the unknown. Well, hallelujah sounds familiar. Scarcity, danger, pain and the unknown. Yeah, I'm feeling that and so desperately want several things in my life to turn at the same time. Each is in different depths of darkness, each has their own emotional attachments.

Mark: 16:06

Our good, dear friend lost a grandchild yeah and I want to cry, yeah, thinking about how many times I've gotten on my knees and said, lord, just take this from me. Yeah, and I'm waiting. I realize it's not a bakery, I know it. I don't say it out loud, I don't have a ticket, I'm next in line and you line up and you get healed, yeah.

Mark: 16:31

So this, short of having you brothers around me, and the praying that we do every morning, the, the, it's, it's so alive, yeah, it does counteract that. I I have 45 minutes to an hour each morning where I feel good. I feel pretty good because we're in the word, together, we're praying. We did pray like a man right from from gather. A few of those things have rescued me. I can't imagine. Maybe that's the message for folks who are listening today is I'm here to remind you that there's such joy, there is such love, there is so much fulfillment in drawing yourself into a small group. Yeah, but there is also real life and real pain and real scarcity and and a lot of the unknown darkness and rotten fruit that you experience. And I'm not saying my life would be different, you know, like these things wouldn't have happened to me if I wasn't in victorious together, right, but thank god, thank god for you and Chris and and Bo and Richard yeah, well, that, and yeah, there, it is right.

Sarge: 17:41

So, the rotten fruit. You know, the paradox again, and, and it's sort of yeah, it's a play on words, it's an oxymoron, I mean, it doesn't have to be there's, of course, rotten fruit. That's not what we're talking about, right, we're talking about the, the spiritual fruit. It's both right, there is rotten fruit and then there's there's okay, in the midst of the rotten there's, there's still fruit, right, the spiritual paradox that, in the midst of pain, god is there with us. And you know, I mean the Psalms, you know we've been spending a lot of time in the Psalms. We have, right, thank god as a, as a group, right, thank god for them. Right, and I, psalm 27, you know 13 and 14. I remain confident of this. I will see, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. It's not easy. Whoa, whoa, right, the waiting, the waiting and the waiting, and the waiting and the waiting.

Sarge: 18:43

Um, you know, and and and you go gosh well, like how long and of course you know plenty of scriptural references I don't even want to go to because they're far too long waiting. It's far too, long right do you?

Mark: 18:56

remember going to the beach as a kid. I don't know if this happened I'm guessing this happens everybody but you go to the beach as a kid and your body, surfing all day, got a nice little sunburn going and you've realized when you get in the car to go home at the end of the day from the Jersey shore you've swallowed so much water that you can't take a full breath. You got that up the up and down breath doesn't happen. You know right. And it says you just got salt water everywhere, you got sand everywhere. But that chest feeling is how I feel yeah, like it's, it's heavy yes, you know.

Sarge: 19:31

And then we have hope right, and and this is, you know, we as a group recently finished this study on hope. Right, you know, through all our suffering, we have this confident hope. Right, it's Romans 11 36, for from him and through him and for him are all things, are all things that God is always working, you know, for good and for his glory. And so much we can say about hope. But, you know, one of the things we talked about was the, the, you know, the peace, the peace that we can have, confident hope in the promises of God, the provision of God and the plans of God right, his promises, his provision and his plans.

Sarge: 20:24

And you know, those are some areas that you know, particularly provision and plans. It's, it's, you know, in this waiting time, like what's, what's the plan? We've talked about this the pain of not having a plan right, or or you know, the circumstances are so far beyond planning, right, it just can't, you just can't plan anything right, there's no, there's no planning out of these circumstances, some of them right, you know the provision, what is the family?

Sarge: 20:56

we think of things in a material sense, but then there's also, just again, like you said, what, what our dear brothers dealing with you know the, the provision of, you know just God's comfort and and, and you know, compassion needed in some of these situations. But you know, and then another fourth P that comes in my, is protection. I mean just, you know, when we're in these situations that are just so vulnerable, right, we cling to his promises, protection, provision and plans, because we don't have it, we can't do it so you know, it's really tough to buy.

Sarge: 21:43

As a control freak, you know that yeah, so here we are right, and and the fruit, the fruit that comes out of this is and we've already talked about it is we become more like him, we get to know him better, we get to know, we get to see him in us more and you know he develops in us this, this strength that only comes from him, right, and so you know, for each of us, you know we've got to identify the things that we need, right, the things that we need and that, and that's best done in community, right, it's best done in community. What you know so you talked about the fear you know what do we need? Courage, right, peace, all kinds of things that that only he can, he can give yeah, it comes all the way down the kernel.

Mark: 22:36

A little green nub at the bottom of that onion is belief.

Chris: 22:39

For me it's like you know when I pray in the morning?

Mark: 22:42

yeah, what do I start with? Thank you for this good day. You are my god. I trust you, I believe in you yeah. I believe I mean sounds pretty rudimentary.

Sarge: 22:52

Right, start teaching kids that in Sunday school yeah, I mean, how many times we pray, we believe. Forgive me for my unbelief. My faith is shaken right and reading the scriptures, I will not be shaken right like I mean. It's this. Here's how I'm feeling and I'm going to continue to, to believe the promises, right, the promises of God, and what he says he will, he will give us, is our good, loving father. And that's where, again, we are reminding each other. We come with our mess and we're reminded inauthentic community. First of all, you're safe here. I hear you, we're gonna pray and you know. Thank you for that confession and let's ask God for for what it is that you, that you need, and because he's faithful, to provide it.

Mark: 23:40

Well, that's thank you for the segue. The Bible project there are videos there. There's a video series on God's faithfulness, and I can see it as clearly as I see you right now and.

Mark: 23:55

Exodus 34, it says the Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out yeah, by the way, start with that yeah, hey, moses, oh, yahweh, the, the Lord, the God of compassion and mercy, I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. That is what, more than anything, that sentence, that verse has carried me this week, because I just keep hearing Faithful. I have a faithful God. You, you said it.

Sarge: 24:44

Yeah.

Mark: 24:44

I'm not alone, he won't leave me. I Just don't know what I would do with the found without the foundational building blocks of my faith and you. Our Relationship is a building block. Victorious together is a building block. Things I've learned at Mark men are building blocks. Things I continue to learn in the word, the Bible project, the Bible app.

Sarge: 25:05

Yeah, let's just park there for sure, because that that is, you know, and you've, you've, you know. You've been shouting from the mountaintops right and just encouraging and challenging Everybody that comes along your path, that crosses your path, to get in the word of God, which I so appreciate about you. And this is where, you know, the word of God, the living, breathing word of God, just you know, begins to really come alive in the depths of our despair. Right, and you know he is. He has been speaking to us and our you know, our little group so clearly and so miraculously and so consistently and so frequently. And it's not just manly wisdom or advice or experience at all, it is we are speaking the word of God, reminding each other consistently, over and over and over and over again, what the the word of God says.

Sarge: 26:13

And then, when we break, break out, when we break from the huddle Right and go about our daily lives, god's continuing to speak to us through the living, breathing word of God. So I just want to stop and Jump on your bandwagon for a second and challenge our listeners. If you are not in the word of God and if you know what, if it's not living and breathing to you. Yet it will be, yes, it will be. So keep Reading it and get with others. Read it with others and don't worry about that which you don't understand or can't comprehend, because there's plenty there.

Mark: 26:52

Absolutely, and you know everyone who listens to this podcast knows I'm a zealot for the Bible project but find whatever works for you. Yeah, find a voice that speaks to you about the word and helps you understand what's going on in there, because lost without it.

Sarge: 27:07

Yeah, and if you're, listen, if, if you're new to the word you know, start in the book of John, read the book of John, read through the Psalms, and I would encourage anybody who's feeling alone or in despair or in a season of suffering To be praying through the Psalms. Start with someone, personalize it and pray through them from beginning to end and be washed over, watch what God will do and listen for his voice, because you will hear him.

Mark: 27:38

I Would go so far as to say do something that I've been doing it not every night, but I have some noise in my ear every night. Bible noise is really good noise. Put an ear fob in your ear, put the Psalms on and go to sleep and let them whisper to you all night long. I I just the episode before this one is airing. Is Brett's not aggressive and iron deep? And when he spoke to us I said one of the amazing things happening in our lives is we're in the Bible app and there's a verse of the day and then we go to do a Bible plan and that verse is in the Bible plan and Then you and I, two days later, get a flag message from our friend Justin Kamp and the verses in there unbelievable, right Unbelievable. And you'd have to be a dingaling yeah to go.

Sarge: 28:21

Oh well these dots aren't connected. No, because it's just so consistent. Again, that's the consistency and the frequency with which God is doing this and been doing this, which is, which is the the Beautiful part of being in such a dark valley for so long.

Sarge: 28:34

Yeah is that he literally just grabs your hand Right or the back of your neck, pulls you in and says come on, let me just remind you that I'm here with you. I'm here here. You will not be burned. You will not be burned in the fire. I'm here Right, and I know, and I see and it's coming Right, it's coming, believe so well, no, that's, that's so good.

Mark: 29:05

I'm, I'm, I'm picturing Daniel, but I I have to admit I Know I have spoken about victorious together as five guys, yeah, but there's really six or more, because I don't mean to just give God one spot, but when you and I and the guy that our guys are doing that, the verse like the holy cow, did you guys read that? Did you see that? I mean we're pointing it out to each other. Don't you see God smiling, going? That's me, I'm with you, I'm in it, I'm showing you now that's not a mistake or an accident that you're getting these same things over and over and over. I want you to hear those words, right.

Sarge: 29:43

And that's what are you hearing. Are you hearing? Are you listening? Yeah do you get it right, and I'm gonna keep telling you until you do right and and and. That's just the Loving father that we have and you know we listen. We have a tendency to write like you know. Invite God in. Yeah right, like God. You know, here we are like holy spirit.

Chris: 30:08

Oh, invite your spirit.

Sarge: 30:09

We invite you into this man. It's like you know it would just fine. But like yeah, listen, mmm-hmm, go ahead, right. No, we bring him with us, he's in you, he's in me, and the five of us gather. We don't need to invite him. He's there, he's in us, he is with us, he's you know. He doesn't even need his own chair, right.

Mark: 30:33

But we still have one in the corner. Do just in case, because we're not really sure he might want we may have been you that did this for me, because I'm flashing back to Someone saying what you just said to me many, many years ago, and I remember they said we don't invite the Holy Spirit, we accept the Holy Spirit, mm-hmm or we know right, acknowledge we activate Holy Spirit, activate and, and that's what is, and and that's the Master's class.

Sarge: 31:02

Yeah, well, understanding, we walk in grace, yes and yeah, the whole that's that is. He is the holiness in us, he is our righteousness, he is. You're anointing. You know my anointing Right, like you know the authority. He's the only authority we have. I mean, yeah, I'm holding up two empty hands. Well, I have a pinky ball in one which you have is now sweaty. Pinkie bowl is glistening. These are really not great stress balls, I have to be honest.

Sarge: 31:41

There's not enough squeeze, it's a very, it's almost like, but it bounces. We know that. Well, yeah, We've.

Mark: 31:47

we've played a lot of wall ball with let me tie this together for me to close.

Sarge: 31:53

Yeah.

Mark: 31:55

Remember my word for the year.

Sarge: 31:59

Please Can we not even go there?

Mark: 32:01

It's hard to talk about.

Sarge: 32:06

Go ahead Chiseled. Yeah, mine was surrendered and you were. You were like, oh wow, just putting a target on your chest coming right in the new year, huh, and taking cannonballs into the chest. Remember the old like what was it? Right? The old cartoon, the guy get catching the cannonball on his chest. That's me, that's me. Yeah, no, it's the like, the old circus guy that like stands there and catches the cannonballs, right?

Mark: 32:38

Oh, sorry, Chiseled, no, no, I. I for those that weren't paying attention in episode 58, our words 2024 words and ending Well, I picked chiseled because I wanted it to remind me that I have every reason to stay fit, yeah, and honor God with the gift he's given me and take good care of the vessel was one. But I also felt there was work to be done to chisel off some crap I had on me that I was carrying from my past that I really needed to rid myself of to enjoy my relationship with God even more. And if you quickly tie this and have seen the skit, guys, God's chisel some of the best 11 minutes you ever spent in your life. Every time Tommy gets chiseled he goes, oh, he wins his and flinches away. Remember it, Can you see it?

Sarge: 33:38

Yeah, totally.

Mark: 33:39

Yeah, I'm there. It's hurts yeah.

Sarge: 33:44

Hurts.

Mark: 33:45

I'm, I'm, I'm getting exact. You know the old saying watch out Like get what you asked for, get what you pray for, yeah.

Sarge: 33:53

Yeah, yeah, it's funny. I had a wood hardwood floors in my house that are original, really old, banged up, cuts in them, I mean all kinds of I mean gouges, right, and I'm like gosh, should we get these things redone? And I had a quote done and I had a guy come and he's like, well, we could do this one of two ways. We could do it the expensive way or the cheap way. I'm like what? Okay, explain them, explain Lucy.

Sarge: 34:21

So he says, yeah, well, you know, expensive way is we get in there, we sand it down to it's, you know, past all this, this mess that you see, right, to get down beneath all the scratches, the gouges, the you know. And then we sand it down to beauty, right, this beautiful original floor. And then we come in, we stain it and it'll be, it'll be perfect, right, a lot of work, a lot of work, a lot of sweat, a lot of, you know, blood, sweat and tears, mostly in my wallet. Or we could come in, we could do a light sand, buff it, you know, and it'll look. It'll look shiny, it has character, it has character, it'll look shiny, but you're still going to see all the scratches, everything else, right?

Sarge: 35:06

Yeah, well, you and me, my friend, we're getting the sanding down to the original floors and the beautiful thing is the masterpiece that we are. Underneath all that, all that pain, right, all of us are, and it reminds me of the chiseling man. Like it's just, you know we can, you can go get a quick buff and you know, like you know, kind of you know, get a nice sheen on that. That hard corner edge right, paint the pig.

Mark: 35:37

Yeah, and that's how I say it work Right, right, or, or, or.

Sarge: 35:41

You could go, you know. All right, you know we want the bandaid or do we want the, the, the, the surgical fix, that's, that's for the longterm right, and sometimes I just want the bandaid Right.

Mark: 35:56

I was just going to say that's a whole, nother episode. I don't blame anybody listening for taking the bandaid route occasionally, because taking the tourniquet, the full full on general anesthesia there isn't any. You don't get to sleep through this.

Sarge: 36:13

Unless the pain and the suffering is so far beyond our own ability to fix anything, that God's just gone. Come on Laying us on the surgical table saying let's do this, let me do this, and hence my word for the year surrendered End of the rope, I got nothing left. What do you, what do you want to do, lord? What do you want to do in me and through me? Because I believe with all my heart that it's going to be beautiful. And that's not to say I'm like I'm going to get anything I want, but he's going to get everything he wants through that, all for his glory, and the promises are true, and that that is more fulfilling than anything I could ever really want.

Sarge: 37:12

So, you know, rotten fruit is some of the best fruit, some of the best fruit, because you know God's presence and his movement. His presence is so palpable, his movement is so powerful that there's no better place to be, and the freedom that comes with all of that, and you can have this world. You can have this world and everything that comes with it. Just give me more of that. Yeah, more of him. So, brother, be encouraged. I'm so glad to do this messy, hard life with you and to celebrate the, the, the mountain tops and the beauty that comes from the ashes. It's coming. I love to hear you say that it's coming.

Mark: 38:10

I'd like to make a note for the record that my wife can turn the most rotten bananas into the most incredible banana bread you've ever had in your life. So there is for me a very real life and maybe for you, if you're a banana bread fan, a very real life metaphor for how God can turn it around. And if you would sing with me, I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. That's what I'm going with. I'm going with the mantra. I've decided to follow Jesus, amen.

Sarge: 38:44

There is no turning back.

Mark: 38:45

Peace.

Chris: 38:48

Sometimes it's a funny smell. That's tolerable, but it has you distracted and looking for where that smell is coming from. And sometimes it punches you in the face and has you looking to run as fast and as far as you can. I am truly blessed to call Mark and Steve my friends. I forgot what it was like to endure those punches to the face alone, without a foxhole, without brothers who want the best for me, regardless of where I am on my journey and how bad it may smell. Faithful brothers who point me to the foot of the cross and help me get there when I can't do it on my own.

Chris: 39:23

In a world of never ending new truths, where people want to rewrite dictionaries and history books and believe the world revolves around them, I hope that you and I will always remember this. God is perfect truth. He will never change because he is the author of time, the creator of you, me and everything around us, and when he talks to us through His word, it's His perfect truth that comes to life. It was perfect 2,000 years ago, it's the same today and it will remain unchanged until the end of time. The author of that truth made you, he knows you, he loves you. Jump into His word and find yourself in His truth. As our friend Richard always says, the journey continues. Lord, please continue to use this podcast to impact the lives of all who listen. I ask that you would bring hope and healing to each and every one of them, lord. Meet them right where they are and reveal yourself to them like only you can do. In Jesus' name, amen.

Sarge: 40:57

Drop us a line with feedback, questions, topic requests. Who knows, maybe you'll be a guest on our future episode. In the meantime, prepare to move, embrace discomfort and just be you.