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I am unashamed. What about you?
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Welcome back to Unashamed. Was that. Did Maddie just, like, give us a chide? Was it. Would you call that a light rebuke?
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In our world, we haven't seen each other in a week. And so we sat around and talked as friends. Did y' all hear that? Yeah. That. You have somebody in your room, Zach, with you, and I hope it's not demonic.
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No, I'm saying there was a howl. Did you not hear, like, a wolf howl?
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Yeah, that's why I said, I hope it's not demonic, but why do you
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think it's in my room? That was in my.
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That was not here.
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It's not here, buddy. It.
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Did you do that, Josh?
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It's happening in your world? North Carolina.
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I heard a wolf howl in my ear, in my earphones. And then I looked up on the screen, and it said howl and all red. I don't know what just happened.
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Sounds like someone was playing the theme song for a movie. Probably one of these horror films.
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Oh, he's got. Yeah, he's getting to some. I don't know what he's got going on over here. So that was.
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Tell him to replace that. What's that?
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It's called the hat. I'm watching him do it on his howler timer. I don't know what he was into. It's a timer that when it goes off, it sounds like a wolf. I don't know what just happened. I'm sorry, guys. Continue.
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I thought it was. I mean, it's better than starting off.
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Was that young Josh?
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Is that it was young Josh. I. I mean, it scared him crap out of me, though.
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Okay, well, I don't know what. I don't even know what. We were talking. Oh. I was saying our travels. I was saying we were catching up because in our world, literally a week. So.
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Well, first of all, let's just talk about the. The elephant in the room. Zach was not here last. The last four podcasts we did. You and I were just left out on.
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Not happy about that.
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I mean, but anyway, it was just like, oh, I'm busy. We'll see you in a couple of weeks. I don't know what happened, Zach. Were you. Were you somewhere important? Were you making some deals for us or something?
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I was.
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As long you're making me money. I mean, you can't remember.
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I can remember. I just tell you offline about it. I don't want to tell you on the podcast, but we were. Yeah.
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All you need to say is two words. No comment.
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No comment.
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So. So, Zach, in your absence, I will tell you this. In your absence, we had. We had the God one zone and. Which was excellent.
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I love them both, but I have a hard time understanding what they're saying.
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They're very country, which. Al.
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I went to North Carolina and Zach, I went to North Carolina.
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What part?
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Well, that's an interesting question.
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I know what part, because I know a guy that went to your show.
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So let me just tell you what I did before I tell you what part, because I made that part of the speech, and Missy was with me and Aunt Bonnie. Everybody needs an Aunt Bonnie. We say that all the time. And so when I was getting off the plane, because I was wondering, where am I right now? Because I had my organizer and my organizer with me. Yeah. So I. I was doing. I was free rolling here.
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Yeah. I'm like, you weren't even looking at where you.
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I had no idea where I was.
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You were being handled by your handlers.
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It really. To tell you the truth, after a couple flight, I. I didn't know if I was on the West Coast. I didn't know if I was in the same country. I'm looking. So I look up and we're walking.
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Jay's being chased.
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What gets my attention and when I'm exiting any kind of facility is where you see the signs where it says exit no return. That always scares me.
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Yeah.
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It's like you're leaving the park because
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you have to stop and pause. Like, do I really want to go back? Because you're not sure for a minute there exactly I have the same feeling. I always feel that way because I think if I walk through, it's usually little glass doors that open up in some of the areas, airports. And I'm thinking if. If I. If I go, I'm there. If I left something on the plane, you know, it's not the exit.
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It's the. It's the no return. No return that's intimidating.
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So I stopped and it said, look, this was an interesting thing. And Zach, since you're from North Carolina, I look up and it says, after the no point of no return, all this. It says, entering the North Carolina Research Triangle. Oh, you're in Robbie Darrell in big letters. And I just thought, entering the North Carolina Research Triangle. Have you ever seen that?
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I have not. I've been to that airport, but I have noticed.
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Well, so I looked. I looked past, like on the horizon. I was looking for triangles. You know, I thought, what are they talking about?
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It almost sounds like everybody that walks through that door is now a subject in a research triangle to me.
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So I couldn't get that off my brain. And so I was in. You're right, Zach. I was in the Raleigh Durham area.
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I'm flying in there.
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And when I got to the hotel, because the events we had. I was going to do an event Thursday night, which I did. Then Friday night, I was doing a men's event, not too far from the first one, but totally separate. And then Missy Saturday was doing the women, so that was kind of why we were all traveling together, which sounds great in theory, but that's a lot of time just to be moving around hotel. We moved every time.
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Trust me, I know. I just did three during that same period.
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So I got to the hotel, and I was like, I got to look this up. What is this Research Triangle, North Carolina?
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You'd never heard that phrase before?
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No.
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Have you?
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Yeah, only about 20 years ago.
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Well, let me ask you what I asked the crowd. So I get up after I looked up, opening line.
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Okay.
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I said, I am in first. I said, the town, which was Smithfield. I said, you know, I do my Larry the Cable Guy joke. People always laugh. It's good being Smithfield, North Carolina.
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Bet you never heard that.
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When's the last time you heard that? Everybody laughs. That's why I do it every time. It's always funny.
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He had one more line after that here that you can't say.
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Say, you know, I don't remember that, but I don't like to put poison in my mind. So then I said, I'm Just saying. I said, I have entered the North Carolina Research Triangle. And so then I said this.
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Did you get a chuckle when you said, no? No chuckle. No dead silence. Okay.
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So then I said, well, what'd y' all find out? I mean, crickets. And I said, silence doesn't bother me, because I looked this up, and y' all formed this phrase in the 1950s. So I want to know, what have we found out? Because we're researching a triangle somewhere in North Carolina. What was the verdict? And look, crickets.
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Nothing.
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I said, someone please say something that in 75 years we've come up with something in one voice said, well, we have a park. And I said, I get a laugh.
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Did that.
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You gotta laugh because they have the Research Triangle Park. And I said, but we still have no data in 75 years of research.
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This is why Jason's good to have on the podcast, Zach, because only he would go to this leather. He. He chased a rabbit hole inside a rabbit hole inside.
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So look, you got the three big universities there. You got Duke uncle.
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I read that.
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I read that. Well, why didn't they say that? Nobody said anything. So let me tell you what I said, Zach, drum roll. I'm getting excited about this because it just. This went over like a lead balloon. And so here's what.
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I can't imagine why.
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I said, well, I've been doing some research on another triangle.
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The Father, the Son, the Spirit. Yeah.
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And so I quoted Matthew 28. I said, here's the research I've been doing. Here's a fellow a couple thousand years ago got up in a loud voice and said, all authority in heaven and on earth. So let me save you some time on that research. You're on a planet called Earth. I realize you're in a research trap,
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seeing them get on the edge of
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their seat among Earth, that no one knows what research we're doing, but, I mean, I just couldn't believe no one had an answer. And I said, according to the verse, go make all authority on heaven and in earth has been given to me. Therefore, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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There's my triangle. Ooh.
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Ooh. That's where I started, Zach.
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That's pretty good.
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That's good. That's good.
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So, illustration number two. So then I got a little deeper, because when I look what Smithfield was known for.
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This was your second stop, Smithfield, or is it?
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No, I'm at the same place we have the triangle because, look, they've created a North Carolina Bermuda Triangle. No one knows what the heck that's talking about.
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Even the people that live there don't know.
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They don't know. And then, then they started chuckling about it. I was like, it is funny, isn't it?
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Yeah.
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That you had somebody put on the airport. I'm entering some weird triangle that it's a research center to nowhere. So then they're famous for Ava Gardner.
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We all know the story of the cross. We've heard it since we were little bitty kids. But what if you could hear it from a totally different, different perspective, where it really hit home? What if the cross itself could tell you what it experienced that day? That's actually the idea behind a new book for my good friend Tim Tebow. It's called if the Tree Could Speak. Chase, you have a copy right there in front of you.
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I do. And I embarrassed myself by making fun of the title when I had no context because we were going through an ice storm and trees were falling everywhere. And I was like, if a tree could talk, it would be saying, ouch, help me. But this. I'm not a big book reader, but when I read this, I thought, okay, now we're talking.
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Look, here's what it does. It walks through Jesus's crucifixion from the perspective of the cross, which is to think about it, that's the closest witness to the events that happened that day. And, man, it's powerful. It's very well written, beautifully illustrated. It makes you slow down and really feel the weight of what Jesus did for us. So if you've heard the Easter story a thousand times, this one will challenge you and deepen your faith. What you get from this book will stick with you long after you put it down. And I think this is going to be one of those books that you pick up year after year after year as you prepare to celebrate Easter. So step inside the story, hear the witness, and experience Easter like never before. Check out Tim Tebow's new book, if the Tree Could Speak, on Amazon. And that's if the Tree Could Speak by Tim Tebow. Order your copy on Amazon today.
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When I asked people going to the event, because I asked people, I was like, what's this place known for? They said, Ava Gardner used to. She was from here, Ava Gardner. So I had to look her up.
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Is she a singer, actress?
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She was an entertainer back when they were doing the research triangle, when that launched. So back in the 40s and the 50s. And so I looked what the most famous, because I thought, well, how am I going to make something out of this? Because I'm trying to get to know
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these people, and you want to show them you care about their community.
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So I said, what was the most famous thing that she did? I asked the crowd, and somebody. Now, they had this. There was a few answers, but the most famous one I agreed with was she was married to Frank Sinatra. So there. There was my angle.
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I thought his wife's name was Nancy. Was he married more than once?
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I was researching Ava Gardner, and she was married.
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Yeah, maybe his first wife was.
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You'll find this interesting.
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Okay.
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I said, I love Frank. Now, look, I was like. I asked all y' all what this place was famous for, and everyone said the same thing. They got no mention of the triangle all about Ava Gardner. I said, but look. Then I asked you what she most famous for? Frank Sinatra. They got divorced. And I said, 10 years later. It led him. His experience with Ava Gardner led him to write a song. And Al. I sang the song, which I told Missy, I was like, that's the most nervous I've been. Because when you sing a song, especially
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a few times, was it I Did It My Way.
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I Did It My Way. And so then I said.
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And that was based on his divorce from Maple Garden?
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Well, he wrote the song 10 years after the divorce. And I'm like, you're hanging your hat on that. So look, I said, these people, at
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this point, Jason, the people that brought you here, are thinking, what have we done? They're thinking in their mind, in this moment, we have made a huge mistake by bringing this man to speaking.
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Just like I did with the research triangle. I went to Jesus, who I said,
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how can I love it? But I said, they're thinking, what in the world? This guy's insane.
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That all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him. I was like, he's either a lunatic or he just came back from the dead. Well, you're missing my point. My overall point.
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No, I know where you're going.
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So then when I sang the I did it my way, I didn't do it like in the shower.
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Yeah.
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Because I really belt it there. I just did that. And then I said, well, how's that working for you? Because from my experience, every time I've done it my way, that's been a complete disaster.
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That's a dumpster fire.
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Yeah, dumpster fire. What's interesting, when I get back home, Missy turns on the news. I kid you not. This was like a sign. And Mar? A Lago was having some ceremony. I have no idea what the details were. And they had a military band that came in, and they were singing from a. From a choral view. I mean, people were crying. It was very beautiful. Wow. But I thought. You know what I thought, well, how's that working for you? I like it. Yeah. So I did that. And then I said, look, we need to make this place famous for something else. And then I went back to the same guy who said, all authority in heaven on earth. Let's make the triangle of God famous. Let's make. Let's do it God's way. Let's do it God's way. Al you. That was.
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So I knew you.
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And then I did my normal speech in between all that.
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So that was your setup. That was very good.
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Yeah. So that was Smithfield.
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You got their attention.
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Well, then I went to somewhere near Sanford. How far is that from you, Zach?
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Sanford?
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Four or five hours, because that's down around research triangles.
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About four hours.
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Well, I was still in the research triangle. That still wasn't happening. So I go to Sanford. Well, I look it up. Guess what?
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What are they known for?
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Brick capital of the world. Brick capital of the world. So in the VIP line.
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So now, in the last month, you've been to the carpet capital of the world.
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This was the brick.
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And now the brick capital.
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Here's what I found fascinating. 200 people were in the VIP line. Guess how many built bricks.
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None.
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One and I. And look, he was right at the end, because I said, what do you do? And I was thinking, where are the brick man? This is the brick capital of the world. And they. I mean, they're doing everything but building bricks. Finally, I got to the guy. Elderly gentleman, really nice guy. And I said, well, you know what I've concluded? He said, what's that? I said, you're the brick capital of the world. And he said, you know what? I'm going to agree with you. And I said, what is the.
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Was he an elderly.
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This is interesting. I said, what is the key to making the best bricks? He said, getting clay out of the ground. Okay.
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You were expecting a little more, right? Yeah.
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He said, just give it time. I love this guy. So you know where I went with that? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I went to Acts 17. Look, and I don't normally do this. I read the entire. I said, brick capital of the world. Good to be in Sanford. When's the last time you heard that? Ha ha ha. I said, I want to go. Brick capital of the world. Acts 17. God doesn't live in buildings. I don't care if they're made with bricks or not. He doesn't live there. He's not like some other image that, you know, like gold and silver or gold bricks. He lives in people with a house of God. That's where I started. So then did the same speech. So anyway, that was the synopsis of those.
A
I like that you use the regional. You kind of have a regional opening thing, which is, you know, typically what you. You're trying to, like, connect. Right?
B
Well, look, here's what happened. A few podcasts ago, Zach kept talking about abide, which is a word that we no longer use. Correct. And so.
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But that word appears all in our text. In terms of the Greek word.
B
Well, here's what I found fascinating. So in the niv, it's used as remain. And I said, it's God moving in and you moving in. It's a dwelling. That's another word. So, like the times that it's not used in connection with your relationship. It's used as, like, a house to get on the house thing. Dwelling, abode.
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Like, this is my humble abode.
B
Abode. And Zach made a big deal of that. But I'm like, when's the last time you used that word in a sentence? You know, it's not a word we use. And you're like, what does it mean? And so wouldn't you know, it, I was listening to. Because I've been traveling. So I was listening to various services or however you want to describe Sunday
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worship and various sermons.
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Various sermons and worship. And I heard your buddy John Tyson, Zach in New York. And one of the better sermons I've heard him give, it was about Jesus and the vine from John 15. Well, guess what it was all about. He said, yeah, what is a vine? I was like, you can't make this up. So I looked up that Greek word out two dozen times in First John.
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Yeah.
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So, man, when I. The. The. I'm adding another leg to a. To the wheel of most common themes in First John. And we did the. About being known, you knowing. And what were the other things I did? I had about four of them. When it. When he was like this. The ifs. Remember I did the ifs. There's a lot of ifs. If, if, if, if, if.
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We claim. Yeah, that was a big one.
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And then another one was, this is how. This is the message. Just. And then he makes these profound statements.
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I write this to you.
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That was the. And then obviously, agape love was one Right. But abiding or remaining or connecting is a central theme. And he went. He was going from John 15. But that's what we should have done in first John. Yeah, because. And we can do that at some point because. Oh, I'm ready. It was a fantastic sermon. But what that means.
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And he had a Zach, in your. In the ESV is the word abide there. All the words we're for remain. Does. Does your version say abide?
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I would assume because it's a better translation than the NIV and I concur the remain doesn't quite give it because something can remain in our. The way we interpret that. You guys remain here while I go over here. It doesn't give the same essence of like home dwelling. This is like my place.
B
I think you're here to stay. If you look at it like that, I'm here to stay. God's here to stay.
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Yeah. Jace, Cozy Earth, one of our sponsors has been a big hit in our homes. Wouldn't you say that's true?
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No doubt about that. My wife absolutely loves this product and
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you know we got the blankets, the bubble cuddle blankets and of course they fight over the one at my house that I gave to Lisa and then Alex brought her dog over and the thing just got right up in the middle of that thing and just went smooth out to sleep. It was like even the animals love Cozy Earth. Lisa and I love them as well. A friend of ours gave us the Cozy Earth bamboo sheets for Christmas this year, which was a great gift. I love the pajamas and just the loungewear. Everything is really good. I know. Jace. Missy has been doing Cozy Earth way before they were sponsored because pajamas. Right.
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She, she. Every Christmas she buys the family matching pajamas which is a little embarrassing but they're comfy and so I'll allow it.
A
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C
Yeah, but it's a. But it's not just. It's not just a proximity thing. It's also. It is a. I mean, it is a home. I mean, that's. I think that's the thing when. Because, like, you know, you could stay, you could remain somewhere else. That's not your home, and it doesn't feel it. But to be in your home, that's that place where you're really you. The place where you're really known. The place where you can let your hair down. The place where, like, real intimacy, the real you and so you've gone out. You know, that. That. I think that's the picture of when it talks about abiding. It's like it's getting to that real core idea of intimacy.
B
Oh, I agree with that statement. But. But let me just read the. Read this. This is going to be helpful. Look, it's two dozen times in. First, John, put my shades on. All. All that happened was the red letters got darker. Let me put my glasses on. Look, I want to read this because we missed this. We should have gone through this in John 15. So when he says, I am the true vine and my father is the gardener, now you got to remember, he's in the section about pouring out the Spirit. John 14, John 15, John 16. Remember, right in the middle. Believe. Yeah. So I'm the true vine and my father is the gardener. And I have to say, Mr. Tyson did a wonderful job. He went through all these Old Testament verses in the Hebrew scriptures talking about how Israel as a nation is referred to as the vine. As the vine, as divine. As divine, but not in a positive way. A lot of things, they were connected to God, but they weren't functioning.
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Yeah, they weren't bearing the fruit of.
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He made an interesting phrase, and I really liked it because that is the whole point of this. They weren't connected to the source. And so what happened is they started serving other gods. So he made a really good point on that. And even so, through that nation, of course, he was saying. The only thing I kind of disagree with, he was saying it didn't go well, but that was God's plan to bring about Jesus. So in essence, it did go well because it produced Jesus. Their lack of relying on the source had Jesus come out to become the ultimate human from the nation of Israel.
A
Which is interesting because God showed in that just a large picture view. It didn't depend on the people getting it right for his will to be done, because Jesus was going to Come, no matter what. See what I'm saying? The functionary of all the people, you think, well, everybody had to get it right to get Jesus here. Nope. Most time they got it wrong. But Jesus still got here.
B
Well, but it also to go back to Sinatra, it made us conscious of what happens when you do it my way. Start spreading the news the connection is broken. I had a point for bringing that up. I think it's very important. It. And so, all right. Then it says, he cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear, he prunes. So there's some discipline, there's some clean.
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Remember we talked about that when we studied John? Clean.
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So that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because the word I've spoken to you. Remain. Oh, there's a remain. Yep.
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Abide.
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So abide. Remain in me. So it's a connection to the source. He had a really good illustration here about you buy your wife flowers for Valentine's Day, which I did. And you're like, wow, this is majestic.
C
It's beautiful.
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Give it 10 days. Even if you water it, what's the best you can hope for? A slow death. You're like, what happened? What happened here?
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It was so beautiful.
B
But just think about how powerful that illustration is when you lose connection from the source, the intimacy, the relationship. It's a slow death. And you look up and you're being thrown out into the fire. I mean, it's over. And just any fire gets around. Dead, dry, lifeless. Remain in me. I will remain in you. To your point about intimacy, Zach, no branch can bear fruit by itself. There's Sinatra.
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Yeah.
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You do it your way, what happens?
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No fruit.
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You just have a hit song and
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you divorce Ava Gardner.
B
Yeah. And you're dead. I mean, it's just sad, but it's just the truth. But must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain. Abide. Abide, Abide. Remain, Remain, Remain, remain. Four in one verse. One, two, three, four. What is the point? The connection. So that's why.
A
And I see it another half a dozen times.
B
What blew me away about this is because that first John, 1, 1 4, he's like, we've seen him. We've touched him. And then he's like, you have fellowship, partnership, connection with him. I'm going to explain that to you. So that is the point, this relationship. And Zach, he had a very good illustration. He said when he was engaged with his wife, he had for circumstances of just trying to make a living. They Separated physically. He was in North Georgia, his wife was in Florida and. But they're engaged to be married. And he's like, well, I'm in Georgia. He's like, I'm a young hot Australian. It was a joke. And there would be some Georgia girls come up and be like, hey, what are you doing Friday night? And he's like, well, look, I know it looks like I'm single, but my heart is with. And he said his wife's name even though she's not here. That so I can't go with you. I appreciate it, but. And he was just saying he was remaining. He was connected even though he wasn't physically seeing her.
A
And they weren't in the same space.
B
They weren't in the same space. But he was like, look, he kept using the word his heart. There's a love connection that is beyond the physical actual viewing of my. Why I am madly in love with this woman. Yeah, you're out. I thought it was a great illustration.
A
It's a good illustration.
C
And the fruit, the fruit of that is, is very pleasing. The fruit of remaining is very pleasing. But, but the. To your point of, you know, Jesus point that you, you cut that off in the vine. It's, it's a whole nother story. When I was in high school, my first job, When I was 13 years old, my dad was like, you have to go to work. And so literally he sent me to work in a watermelon field, which is the hardest job like ever. I mean, it's, I mean it's, it is hard. I mean, you're talking about 30, you know, 25 pound melons that you're, you're basically walking through a field and you're, you just bend over, you pick up a melon. You thought to the guy next to you, he does it. The guy next to him and there's a truck going down the. The road. You throw it up to him and he puts it in the truck. They take it and put it in a semi and they haul. When the semi is fully haul it off. And every day that summer, that's what I did. And the first day I got super sick, by the way, because it was so hard. So it's hard work. It's 100 degrees in North Florida, but the way a water, watermelons grow on a vine and, and it was interesting because you're looking at all these melons and I, and I used to love watermelon till that. Until I started working in the fields. I hate, I hate it now.
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I Hate it.
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I feel like we're in some kind of counseling session.
C
It's therapy. But let me tell you why I hate it. Because the smell. Like it. Once they get cut from the vine, then it takes about two, two or three days that they just. I mean, the hot Florida sun just. They just start to sour and they just turn into like a mush. I mean, it's the most disgusting smell. It's like this. I mean, it's horrible smell. And it's like the one. The reason why they smell is because they've been cut off from the source of their nutrition and they literally just start to decay and die. And that's the picture of, of us when we get cut off from the source of Christ. As we begin to die, to decay and diet, we smell like death. And if you're connected with Christ, you actually take on a whole different aroma. And I think that's a. That, that's, that's the. And that's what attracts the world around us.
A
80,000, Jace. That's how many babies were rescued last year thanks to the faithfulness of Unashamed nation and other dedicated supporters of preborn. We obviously, you know, all of us, Zach, you, me, we all have a different sort of approach and way that we are kind of in the pro life movement. But at the end of the day, it's about saving babies and about helping people. Right?
B
Each individual is important. And when you think 80,000 now, it's getting powerful.
A
Exactly. And that's the idea. That's why we want to keep going every day. Women in crisis are told the same lie. That abortion is their only option, that they're alone and that there's no hope. But everything changes when she walks into a preborn clinic and sees her baby on an ultrasound. It's not just an image on a screen. It's her baby made in the image of God. And just hearing the baby's heartbeat for the first time can double a mother's chance of choosing life. One preborn donor shared this powerful truth. My mother chose life. That's why I'm here. And that's why I donate to preborn, to help other mothers choose life. So let's show up for these moms. Let's make sure that they know that they're not alone. For just $28, you can provide one life saving ultrasound. Let's make this year the biggest baby saving year in history. To donate securely, call £250 and say the keyword baby. That's £250, baby. Or visit preborn.comunashamed. that's preborn.comunashamed.
B
I can't believe you just brought this up, because the only other interesting thing that happened, and I'm apologizing in advance for this rabbit hole because it has very little to do with anything spiritual, but this was so interesting. I have to share this as a PSA public service announcement. We walk onto the plane to get from Atlanta. No, no. From Raleigh, Durham to Atlanta. As soon as I walked in, I have a high sense of smell. And I was like, oh. I wanted to gag. And Missy was like, oh. And she doesn't have a high sense of smell. She's like, it was the bathroom. I thought it was the bathroom. Well, when I look for help from the stewardess, she turns around and she has a mask on. And I was like, oh, no. And she's like, what's wrong? I was like, the smell. When she's looking, like, I don't. I don't. What smell? I thought, I can't complain because this one has a mask on it. Usually I make fun of people.
A
What would she do? Anyway?
B
She's just, wow, you don't realize how bad the smell was. It was so bad. So I thought, let me just get away to my seat, and maybe I can create some distance because I felt like I was going to throw up. It was that bad. It didn't go away. And so I'm on the. Look, I'm flying first class. For reasons I've already stated before, I don't apologize. In the second seat, Missy's beside me. Aunt Bonnie is across the aisle in the second seat. So we all sit down, and everyone that's passed us like, whoa, whoa. So it's a thing. It's not like, okay, Jase, you're embellishing rotten watermelon. So bad. Just horrible. Well, Aunt Bonnie points to the woman in front, very large woman. She's like, I have found the source right here. And I thought, what do we do?
A
She's not leaving.
B
She's not leaving. I mean, she's getting. And I thought, well, I had. Usually I wear my Honey Ho shirts with. And I thought, I've got to make a mask out of the hood because I can. This is undoable. Because I told Missy, I was like, let's just get off and I'll take the next flight. Because I think she's like, that's ridiculous. I was like, she's like, I'm not saying it's not bad. This is the worst thing I've ever smelled. But it was a humidity. And so here I am in this weird world. I think, you know, we did the mask thing and Covid. And now, now you wish you had a mask. Stewardess looks like a genius. She's oblivious of what's going on. All the people are suffering. And I'm like, I think I could just make a revolt and get her removed due to odor, but I'm not sure. And then I wound up making a mask out of my hoodie and I wore it the entire flight. So not sure why I told that story, but what would you do in that situation?
A
Here's what I. So I had a similar situation on my way home yesterday, but I was in my truck. We were driving back from Arkansas, Bentonville. And we come through Farmerville, which is famous for chicken houses. And we went, they're bad. We went through a stretch. And all of a sudden everybody went, ah. Because it was me and Lisa and both my girls. And it was. And they were like, what is that? And I was like, chicken farm. Chicken. Chicken houses. And so I took a can Altoids that I happened to have in my console and I opened it up and I just put my nose in the Altoids, you know, the curiously strong peppermint or whatever. And I just sail right on through it. But it was about a five mile run of putrid dead chicken's mouth.
B
It was such.
A
Got to have an Alto.
B
It was such a weird thing because, look, I. I mean, I stink a lot of times. And I always, I'm always have told my wife, I'm like, well, it smells like money when I was a commercial fisherman or when I was cutting firewood. She's like, man, you stink. I was like, what are you talking about? I'm providing for you here. But now I had a life changing experience on that plane. I'm like, you get a certain person who goes this far into bodily, bodily odor and it just disrupts the entire setting because you're trapped in a space.
A
Yeah.
B
And you, you and boy, I don't know, there was so many spiritual applications. I made it humbled.
C
I don't. I mean, it's. I mean, every thing you're saying is kind of provocative and it may make some people mad, but I will, I'll tell you.
B
Make people mad. What?
C
That they'll get. People get mad about that kind of stuff. But, but I think it's. But I. But I'm with you. I mean, there's, there's.
B
We need to have this out. Why would people get mad?
A
Because they're Gonna be like, you're making fun of this person.
B
Cause they see I'm not making fun of the person. Al. We're literally dry. He get it over this. And the way our system works with the mask and the COVID And because, you know, then I felt like I'm siding with what I was once against. I'm like, I should carry around a mask just in case this ever happens again.
A
Because sometimes people have also because they're nervous about flying or maybe they had a bad breakfast burrito. But there's also sometimes flatulence on airplanes that has the same effect. Well, and you need a mask, you know, just to get you through the moment.
C
I mean, you got to have a mask. There's a lot of different reasons to wear a mask. You know what I mean? And I'm. I'm with.
A
I was always anti mask because it was forced on us. But. But you're right, you're making.
C
I'll say this. If you were to rank threats against me, I would probably put the foul odor above Covid. Like that's more. I'm more likely to wear a mask because the odor situation. I don't know, maybe it's something in our family. I've got a really sensitive nose and I can smell that stuff.
A
We made you gag one time to
B
make this a spiritual application. You're right. I think the connection brings the fruit and I think there's a sense of relief. I can't remember the points.
A
There is a verse about.
B
Well, I just turned to it.
A
Yeah. Be the aroma of Christ to one. This is the smell of death.
B
1 Corinthians 2.
A
But it's. No, it's 2 Corinthians 2, 2nd Corinthians 2.
B
Let's read that.
A
Yeah.
C
I was trying to go there earlier. You sidetracked me with.
B
Well, I know, but I had to share that story.
A
2:14.
B
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death. To the one, the fragrance of life, who is equal to the taste. So that's a very profound. After that illustration, you know, what do you smell like if you're in him? It says which. Look, I want to make a. I want to make a statement today. And I could be wrong because I haven't. I thought of this this morning, but I thought, you know what?
A
Jason's making a statement.
C
Everybody.
B
I think the most two important words together in the Bible. I'm going to make a very profound in the spirit of my dad. Blanket statement. The two most important words or version of is in Christ.
A
I like that.
B
I just. When it says, which, by the way,
A
is most of the book of Ephesians,
B
remain in me and I will remain in you. That in me, in Christ. I mean, you read Ephesians 1. It's mentioned like a dozen times in that chapter when he kind of gives the overview of how God's plan came about. In Christ. In Christ. In Christ. In Christ. In Christ. In Christ. And this whole idea of abiding two dozen times, this connection, one, it takes the pressure off your performance because he's basically supplying the power. He's the source. So he's like, I want to work in you and through you. That's the attitude we should have. And when you go out, look, you start smelling like Jesus. It made me think of that verse that nobody knows what to do with in First John that we quickly went over when it says First John 2. 6. Whoever claims to live. Now look, there's that phrase in him.
A
In him, which.
B
Right above that, the sentence before that. This is how.
A
This is the message.
B
If anybody obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete. This is how we know we are. Here's that in Christ, in him. Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Well, you're like, well, I can't do that. I can't be perfect. Well, but if you're connected to the Source, he's going to work in and through you. Remain in me. That's where the fruit is coming from. We're getting down to the tree, the roots. You're just a little offshoot of the branch, but you're remaining in him. That connection. It's very hard.
A
It actually takes the pressure off, you know, trying to worry about it. Right.
B
Yeah. See, it's like, oh, you're not saying, oh, I got to do something. I'm. I'm. I'm hooked up. I'm connected to a source that's. This is happening.
A
And here's the. Here's the proof of what you're saying is true. Back to Ephesians 1:4. He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless. I mean, where.
B
Yeah. So do y' all disagree with my blanket statement?
A
No, I think it's. I think it's powerful.
C
I'll tell you what's interesting, though, how this relates to the kingdom. When you get to Hebrews, the end of Hebrews. And I'm actually. We're actually Going through the Book of Hebrews at our church, which is absolutely. I mean, we're three weeks in, I'm preaching the third sermon.
A
We did it last year. It's so good.
C
Oh my God. I'm like, it's so. It's so good. But one of the things that, that's interesting in the Book of Hebrews, as the argument begins to unfold, the Hebrew writer is essentially, obviously establishing Christ as the center of all things and the fulfillment of the Old Testament, the fulfillment of the prophets. He's a better high priest, better prophet, better, better everything, better temple, better sacrifice, all of that. But there's another thing that's happening underneath that truth of Scripture that he is establishing humanity as the ones who will be over creation in the world to come. That's in Hebrews 2. It wasn't the angels to whom he subjected the world to come. It was to humans. That's the whole point. We referenced the Psalm 8. So that all goes all the way through to Hebrews 12. And he says in Hebrews 12 that we belong to a kingdom that can't be shaken or destroyed. And he says the things that are passing away, when the shaking happens, when that, when the shaking of what the. The universe happens, it. The things that aren't of God, the things that are falling away anyways, they just fall off. And then what remains is the kingdom. And so going to this. This idea of abiding and this idea of the fruit, the way I. I imagine that is, it is. It's. It's a tree. It's like, you know, Phil used to shake those. What's the jelly he made? Mayhaw jelly. And he would shake those trees and that fruit would come off. But. But that all the fruits, everything that's falling off whenever, when the world shakes are things that are passing away anyways. And it is the. The real fruit of the spirit that remains. It's that which is attached to Christ that remains. And that gives a lot of comfort. Because no matter what happens, whatever shaking the universe is undergoing at the time, those who are connected with Christ are part of a kingdom that even though everything else is shaking around us, that one thing remains. It holds.
A
Now, that's so good. Zach, when you think about Jay's talking earlier about that illustration, you know those roses, as long as they're connected in the rose garden, you can walk by and smell them, and they always smell good until they go into their own regeneration process. But the minute you clip them, they still smell good. But time is ticking, man.
C
I just wonder I just want to read the verse because you had mentioned the verse remain or the word remain. This is in the ESV of Hebrews 2. At that time, his voice shook the earth. This is Hebrews 12:26. But now he has promised, yet once more, I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens. This phrase yet once more indicates the removal of the things that are shaken, that is, things that have been made in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain, may abide. I mean, that'll preach. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.
A
And half of that passage were Old Testament prophecies.
C
Oh, yeah.
A
That pointed to this moment. Yeah.
B
Well, look. But what does this look like? And I think that's the problem. What does it mean to be connected? And so if you go back to John 15, when he's like, Verse 5, I'm the vine. If a man remains in me, he says it again, and I in him, he will bear much fruit. All right, so whether somebody. There's some fruit going to happen. So that's one thing, it looks like, but it's coming from the source, this connection. So then he's like, if you remain in me, verse 7, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish. Oh, so there's conversations. Well, then he gets down and says. He brings up this idea about friends, which I really. This kind of hit me like a ton of bricks, because most religion, there's a certain amount of reverence, or, you know, the religions of the world, we deal with that. But you don't be calling God your friend. But that's what he did in this context. He says in verse
A
14.
B
Yeah, he starts in about verse 11. He said, I've told you this, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. So we're getting this joy. And then love.
A
And he uses that same phrase, Jason,
B
these are fruits of the spirit, right? Love each other. Greater love is no one than this. That he lay down his life. Well, he brings up for his friends. And you are my friends. I mean, there's no. When you try to look up the Greek language for this scenario about. Because we're fine with servants of God. He's God, we're not. But you have trouble when you start trying to say, well, wait a minute, he wants to be my friend. And it made me think, well, who are my best friends? Well, my brothers,
C
obviously.
B
My wife My kids, these are my best friends. Those three.
C
Your mom said that the Dashers were your best friends.
B
She did say that recently. I think she was kidding. Maybe not, but they are. But then I thought, well, you know why these people are my best friends? Because I spend all my time with them.
A
You're connected.
B
We're connected. This is the way it is. And it just kind of hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought, man, what Jesus is presenting here is like, I want to be the ultimate friend relationship here.
A
And what's amazing is I hadn't thought about this to brought this up, that I run into people all the time that their best friends are not their family.
B
Well, exactly.
A
They're, like, disconnected from family and they have other friends, kind of almost like replacement. And it's kind of. It makes me sad when I hear that, like, they're like, hey, I hadn't seen my parents in a year, or they're on the other coast. And I was just like, whoa. I mean, that seems strange to me that those you're most connected to on the earth wouldn't be your friend. Yeah, that makes me sad that people would not have that.
B
Well, it is sad.
C
Yeah.
B
But people, I think that's the number one motivation, especially when you're a teenager. And kind of it made that click for me, because really, the process of rebellion that occurs is they put their friends wanting to be accepted above anything else. That is with all three of my kids that we gave natural birth to, not the ones I've acquired. But I just noticed that process, and I'm like, I think this verse should be useful in that realm, because you're never going to have a better friend than the creator of the universe.
A
Do you remember, Zach, when Dad was working on his last book and he had. He had a whole list, and he did it on the podcast. It's also in the book. I could be wrong, but he has the whole list of things, the titles for Jesus, and he got to the very last one, and he said, and he's my friend. And it was very compelling and powerful when he said it that day on the podcast. I've never forgotten that. And then it was reinforced to me yesterday morning because we were in Bentonville on the set of the movie, the Lifetime movie that's being made about Lisa and I. And so I was there for an hour, and the one scene that we were watching that was being filmed was me and dad sitting on the front porch, which was exactly where we would have been back during that day. And I'm a teenager. I just got back. I'm still kind of bruised from my battles. And, you know, you have to watch the movie to see all that. But. And then dad, like, I'm apologizing for my behavior, you know, the person I've been. And dad just preaches me the gospel on the porch. And, you know, just me watching that yesterday, I didn't get, like, super emotional. But, I mean, it touched me to remember the moment and see that on film. These two actors playing me and dad. But what got me was, is that we reestablished our relationship and our friendship when I came back from. When I came back and reconnected to the vine, when I reconnected to Christ, to my family, to all this. And so that's exactly what it is for any of us. You lose your way. But the beautiful thing is you can come back. I mean, like, he's still there. The vine is always available for us.
B
But it makes sense. I mean, if you're so called friends and you go weeks without talking to
A
them, in my case, two years.
B
Well, yeah, it's over. I think it makes you wrap your head around John's point in First John about what this is. This is a relationship. Not even a strong enough word. I mean, it's a friendship. Which is why he would eventually go on to say, because I always wondered why he said that when he said, look, you didn't choose me. I chose you. Well, think about this goes back to third grade. Like saying, who's going to be your friends? And you get picked last for the soccer game. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that gets. Kind of moves on to the glory that God is wanting to have you, experience is his approval of you, his choosing. He's like, I want to be your friend here, and I'll give you everything.
A
Right?
B
It's all yours.
A
And no matter how much the world doesn't choose you, God will always be there.
B
Tell you what, it makes that verse that says friendship with the world in James is hatred toward God.
A
Yeah.
B
Well, what's friendship with God? That's what this is about, which is why he brought up the first John 2.
A
All right, we're out of time. That seemed to go by fast to me. I hope it did to you. We'll see you next time. Thanks for listening to the unashamed podcast. Help us out by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcast. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube. And be sure to click the little bell and choose all notifications to watch every episode.
Lessons We Learned from the COVID Mask Mandate & ‘I Did It My Way’
February 26, 2026
In this engaging and faith-driven episode, the Robertson brothers (Jase, Al, and Zach) reflect on lessons learned during their recent travels, weaving together humorous stories, local observations from speaking tours in North Carolina, and deep biblical discussion. Central themes include the importance of abiding in Christ (John 15), warnings against doing things “my way” rather than God’s way, the relational nature of faith, and how spiritual intimacy produces true fruit in life. The episode also discusses the COVID-era mask mandate—using it as a springboard for broader lessons about connection, community, and the aroma of Christ.
Timestamps: 01:06–06:44
Timestamps: 06:44–15:15
Timestamps: 16:22–18:41
Timestamps: 18:51–24:24
Memorable Quotes
Timestamps: 32:04–42:08
Timestamps: 42:08–44:45
Timestamps: 44:53–48:29
Timestamps: 48:29–55:11
Jase (on the “Research Triangle”):
“I was looking for triangles. You know, I thought, what are they talking about?” (05:34)
Jase (on Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way”):
“Every time I’ve done it my way, that’s been a complete disaster.” (15:00)
Zach (on abiding):
“To be in your home, that’s that place where you’re really you... intimacy, the real you... the picture of abiding.” (23:05)
Jase (on the true vine):
“When you lose connection from the source... it’s a slow death.” (27:58)
Zach (on disconnection):
“That’s the picture of us when we get cut off from the source of Christ—as we begin to die, to decay and die, we smell like death.” (32:04)
Jase (on “in Christ”):
“The two most important words or version of [them] is: in Christ.” (42:08)
Zach (on Hebrews 12):
“Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken... our God is a consuming fire.” (47:34)
Jase (on friendship with God):
“Jesus is presenting here: I want to be the ultimate friend relationship here.” (50:55)
The episode masterfully interlaces stories from the road, local color, and personal experiences to illustrate foundational Christian truths: the power and necessity of abiding in Christ, the emptiness of trying to do life “my way,” the relational richness of true faith, and the irresistible “aroma” that flows from authentic connection to Jesus. The Robertsons challenge listeners to evaluate where they are finding their identity, intimacy, and sustenance—and to embrace the promise that in Christ, life is not just richer but unshakeable and eternally fruitful.