Best Days Podcast Season 11 Episode 1

Summary

Victory Church: Paul Daugherty — Best Days Podcast
Season 11, Episode 1 | March 25, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode celebrates the beginning of Season 11 of the “Behind the Scenes of Our Best Days” podcast, where John and Arvin, leaders in the Victory Church creative and production teams, reflect on the meaning and challenges of carrying God-given burdens, staying energized by their faith, and balancing deep care with healthy boundaries. The hosts delve into recent developments at Victory Church, share personal stories, and offer insights on caring leadership, both within ministry and in personal life. This episode is rich with vulnerability, practical wisdom, and encouragement, particularly around the theme: “My best days are right in front of me.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Celebrating Season 11 and the Heart of the Podcast

• John and Arvin express gratitude for listeners, sharing the journey through 100+ episodes, and set the stage for what “Behind the Scenes of Our Best Days” is all about.

  “...at the beginning of every single sermon service...we do the Victory Confession...Pastor Paul came up with.” — John, [02:24]

• The Victory Confession, especially the line “my best days are right in front of me,” is a central motivation, born in a dark time and persisting into 2026 despite cultural cynicism.

  “...we have stayed with that confession because we truthfully believe those who love the Lord...He has the plans to prosper them.” — John, [03:18]

2. Recap of Recent Highlights at Victory Church

• The hosts recount the recent Victory Conference, highlighting impactful speakers: Lisa Harper, Robert Madu, John Bevere, Keith Moore, Pastor Ashley (on mental health), and Pastor Paul.

  “Lisa Harper...she was very motherly...intentional gentleness...knows scripture extremely well...presents it with jovial friendliness.” — Arvin, [04:05]
  “Keith Moore...uses scripture, and he doesn’t contort scripture...Victory would not be where we are without the faith message.” — John, [05:07]

3. Productions and Creativity at Victory: The “Great Forever”

• Discussion around the creative process of Victory Productions. John and Arvin, as chief writers, describe their commitment to annual Christmas and Easter productions—this year, launching a wholly new piece titled “The Great Forever,” inspired by reflections on eternity following personal loss.

  “As we’ve released this podcast, the teaser and the trailer are out...I began thinking about eternity.” — John, [07:46]

• “The Great Forever” promises to take a creative route, deeply zooming in on the lives of biblical characters and exploring the gaps between the known events, especially emphasizing the reality of eternity and legacy.

  “It’s probably...the riskiest thing we’ve done story wise, but in a good way...It is a scenic route zoomed in on biblical characters unlike ever before.” — Arvin, [10:12]

4. The Blessing and Curse of Deep Caring (“Curse of Caring”)

• Both hosts share how their passion for various ministries sometimes leads them to overstep boundaries, assuming roles or responsibilities in areas not their own.

  “...the curse of caring, there’s a blessing to it and then there’s a curse to it...sometimes you care so much it can drive you to be the unhealthy version of yourself.” — John, [13:02]

• John shares a transparent example about over-involving himself in his children’s sports teams, realizing that his drive to help could inadvertently cause friction or frustration.

  “I began implementing myself...communicating to parents, organizing team pictures, renting facilities...I just wasn’t voicing my being like, ‘Hey can you do this?’” — John, [14:59]

• The conversation turns to the importance of communicating care, not simply taking over, and supporting others’ growth and leadership:

  “I’ve done productions where we filled in that gap with what we can ascertain that still edifies...With this one in particular, it’s a unique, fresh way.” — Arvin, [11:03]

5. God’s “Easy Yoke” and “Light Burden”: A Spiritual and Scientific Perspective

• Arvin offers a metaphoric and scientific reflection on Christ’s teaching, “My yoke is easy, my burden is light,” connecting the physics principle that matter transforms into energy—suggesting that when burdens are surrendered to God, they become energizing rather than draining.

  “If God—if you trust God and he lives in your heart...He’s a consuming fire. So that’s how things that feel heavy, like...the burden of keeping a little baby alive, every day feels heavy...When you present it to God, the consuming fire...now you’re energized by the very thing that was making you feel weighed down.” — Arvin, [22:53] / [25:05]

• The key is allowing God’s presence to transform our cares into purpose and momentum, a process likened to ice melting into steam.

  “...as the burden is also in your heart, it is light, it is illumination...because of God’s consuming fire turns it into energy.” — John, [28:19]

6. Healthy Boundaries and Relinquishing Control

• Discussion of practical ways to discern between God-given burdens and control-based anxieties.

  “There are some times...I get emotionally invested into something that’s not my area and I begin to care so much that I begin to insert myself.” — John, [11:47]

• Arvin warns against over-focusing on things we can’t control (social media, national drama), while neglecting those we can (mental, emotional, spiritual health, relationships).

  “...the average person is escaping from the burden they do have control over, to be lost in the weeds of the burdens and the curses that they don’t have control over.” — Arvin, [35:38]
  “If your mind is made up mostly of social media news cycles and the drama...it’s because you’re refusing to trust God.” — Arvin, [39:52]

7. Personal Growth Through Vulnerability and Surrender

• Real-life stories illustrate these principles, particularly John recounting a candid conversation with another father at wrestling practice, who confessed struggles with anger and control—demonstrating the breakthrough possible when we let God transform our deepest cares.

  “He comes over and he’s just like, ‘God has really been dealing with me about my temper...I’ve realized that I’ve been trying to control my seven-year-old son...I want my son to feel safe around me.’” — John, [44:11–47:31]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Scripture and the “Victory Confession”

• “We’ve gone through seasons within pop culture where people only post their best days...now it’s looking nihilistic...But we have stayed with that confession because we truthfully believe those who love the Lord...He has the plans to prosper them.” — John, [03:17]

On Transferring the Burden to God

• “If you think you don’t have any unhealthy motivations, that is your unhealthy motivation.” — Arvin, [18:24]
• “When you present it [the burden] to God, the consuming fire...now you’re energized by the very thing that was making you feel weighed down before.” — Arvin, [25:26]

On Living Out Care and Ministry

• “I care so much currently about our elementary sports at the school...I wasn’t voicing my needs. That’s the curse of caring too much about something...this is not your rodeo.” — John, [14:20]

On Focusing on the Controllable

• “What is necessary to digest...the average person is escaping from the burden they do have control over, to be lost in the weeds of the burdens and the curses that they don’t have control over.” — Arvin, [35:38]

On Surrender, Humility, and Next Steps

• “God has given you everything that you need right now...if you can steward that [your spiritual, mental, emotional health, and relationships] well...God will reward you with greater opportunity and healthier influence.” — John, [41:36]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Opening & Reflection – [00:00–02:24]
• Victory Confession & Episode Purpose – [02:24–03:32]
• Victory Conference Recap – [03:50–05:41]
• Victory Productions & “The Great Forever” – [05:47–11:19]
• The Blessing/Curse of Caring; Personal Stories – [11:46–18:33]
• Scriptural & Scientific Analogy: Burden and Energy – [18:45–28:35]
• Application to Church Life (Manford Campus Example) – [28:52–34:35]
• Focusing on Healthy Boundaries, Not Control – [34:35–41:36]
• Personal Growth Story: Wrestling Practice – [43:02–47:55]
• Closing Encouragement – [47:56–End]

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Summary Takeaways

• Embrace caring deeply, but continually surrender that passion to God so it becomes an energizing, illuminating burden rather than a crushing one.
• Focus your attention on what you can control: your own spiritual, emotional, mental health, and core relationships, rather than expending energy on what is outside your influence.
• Allow God to transform your burdens, just as matter turns to energy—He can turn your weight into momentum and light.
• Vulnerability and humility—being honest about your struggles—are essential to growth and effective leadership, in the church and at home.
• “Behind the Scenes of Our Best Days” in 2026 is about championing faith, creativity, and authenticity, trusting that, in God, your best days truly are right in front of you.

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For more information or to get involved with Victory Church, visit victory.com.

Transcript

[A]

Hello.

[B]

Welcome back.

[A]

Welcome back. My name is John.

[B]

My name's Arvin. And this is behind the Scenes of Our best days.

[A]

Season 11.

[B]

11. We made it to 11.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

That's crazy, right?

[A]

Thinking about that. This is the 11th season of behind the Scenes of Our Best Days. Yeah.

[B]

We've talked about a lot. We've done over a hundred episodes.

[A]

Mercy Cow.

[B]

Isn't that crazy?

[A]

It is.

[B]

Sat down for like a 40 minute conversation on camera hundred plus times. Because there's like three or four we just didn't post.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Various reasons. Yeah. There have been technical issues before. There were, I don't know, random stuff like that. But we've done well over a hundred episodes. Yeah.

[A]

Those of you who have been listening, thank you. Or watching. Thank you.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. The feedback's so kind.

[A]

Yes. You guys have been very, very kind about, you know, just being, you know, very communicative with us. And I'm just very grateful that you guys had that. Okay, so here's the thing. I have my. You can't see this because it's, you know, black and white on screen. I have stains on my fingers and from. I have stains on my fingers and on my hand. So there was a prop that we had that I was like, oh, it needs to be stained because it needs to look weathered. And it was for. Anyway, it was for something. Well, I was like, okay, maybe I'll just put coffee on it or something. And it wasn't working. And so I went to my mom's house and she had self tanning lotion. I didn't think about gloves. And I'm rubbing this self tanning lotion on it and it does the trick. And then I go to wash my hands and it's not coming off my hands.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we had Easter rehearsal practice and people go, are you self tanning lotion? And I go, it's only on my hand. Yeah.

[B]

Why would I just take it?

[A]

And then they're like, well, it looks really bad. It's either that or you dipped your hand, like, in sewage. And I go, man. And so the last few days, I've had stained hands. Anyways, bottom line is we're so happy to be here. Season 11.

[B]

Very happy.

[A]

And for those of you who do not know what this is, this podcast talks about the behind the scenes of Victory Church.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And at the beginning of every single sermon service that we do, whether it's chapel from kids to high school to Victory College, the Dream center, we do the Victory Confession and the Victory Confession is a staple. It is a tradition that we do, and it's a. And it's something that Pastor Paul came up with.

[B]

Yes, that's right.

[A]

In a very dark time. But it has been a pledge of allegiance, almost. Yeah, absolutely. That is unique to Victory. And within the Victory Confession, we say,

[B]

my best days are right in front of me.

[A]

And it's a confession. And so we know that everyone has their best days. And, you know, we've gone through seasons within pop culture where people only post their best days. And then you are in 2026, where people are like, is our best days right in front of us? Because now it's looking nihilistic. People are.

[B]

Yeah, that's right.

[A]

Now it's looking like doomsday is coming. But we have stayed with that confession because we truthfully believe those who love the Lord and who are obedient to his word, that he has the plans to prosper them.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And we have nothing to fear. And so anyways. But because of that, we talk about the behind the scenes of our best days. So anyways, that's the whole purpose of this podcast. We are currently in 2026. We just came out of. We had Victory Conference.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And who spoke.

[B]

We had a lot of good speakers.

[A]

Let's.

[B]

I'm trying to do an order. We had Lisa Harper.

[A]

Lisa Harper, who was Holy Spirit Mommy.

[B]

So sweet. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

She basically, when I say that, she was very motherly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But so good.

[B]

Very. Because you can tell she's the real deal. Yeah. Like, she's got this real intentional gentleness with her demeanor. But then you can. There'll be, like, moments, especially in the morning session, there were snippets of like, oh, you know scripture extremely well.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And yet you are choosing to present it with a style of jovial friendliness. You're not interested in, like, flexing how much you know Scripture. Right. And so really impressed with her. Robert Madu. Yeah, always.

[A]

He's always great.

[B]

Yeah. And then my lifelong favorite, John Bevere. Again, I love him dearly, and I'm grateful to him. And then we had Keith Moore for the first time in a while, Keith Moore.

[A]

If you guys don't know who Keith Moore is, this man, like, in the faith, he's not quirky. Whenever I say the faith message.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

I mean, he's quirky, but he's not bad.

[B]

Like, he's sincere.

[A]

He is sincere.

[B]

That's what I preach.

[A]

And he uses scripture, and he doesn't contort scripture. So When I say the faith message, you know, sometimes that gets a negative knock, but we as believers need that. And that's also part of who victory is. Victory would not be where we are without the faith message, you know, Anyways. But he came back, and he has not been here for probably 15 to 20 years, but he came back and it was awesome.

[B]

And then, then we got to hear also on Friday morning, we had Pastor Ashley share on Mental Health. That was great.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then on Sunday, we had Pastor Paul as well.

[A]

Pastor Paul. Yeah. So conference was good. We immediately kicked off straight into Easter 2026.

[B]

That's right. Yes.

[A]

Oh, yeah, Baba. You guys, Easter 2026 is earlier this year. And so we finished Les Magnificat.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

At Christmas. And it was awesome. And it was really great. We were really grateful on how we redid it. Loved it. And we actually, like, God spoke to me and Arvin about doing something new.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So just to catch you guys up, for those of you who don't know, whenever we initially took over Victory Productions, me. And for those of you who don't know, me and Arvin, we write the Victory Productions. And then Dom on the Victory worship. Me and Dom write all of the songs. Ryan and Jill Stafford are the directors of choreography and direction behind film and on stage, Spencer Klick does all of our film. So there's a great group. And that's just a few people. There are so many people that make it happen. But. But throughout that planning process in December, around Les Mag. Les Magnificat, it was. We were thinking back to what we said was we, you know, God really. I feel like God spoke to me about doing seven productions. The first, you know, seven years of Victory Productions, one Christmas, one at Easter. So 14. 14 productions. And then to revisit those and tweak them for the current year that we were going to redo them and sharpen. Sharpen them, you know. And so that's what we did. And we did them with about probably four or five.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

You know.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

So I think we're going on. I think it's year 11.

[B]

Amazing.

[A]

Year 11. So after the first seven years, then we kind of revisited for three. So we probably did five to six. So this one, we felt like, okay, God is speaking something new to us. Arvin, what's the title?

[B]

The Great Forever.

[A]

The Great Forever.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And, you know, in this day and age with. And as we've released this podcast, the teaser and the trailer are out. You know, the One thing I lost Gran Gran, you know, this last year, Gran Gran, our grandma, she died at 101. Faithful Servant of Victory. You know, I began thinking about eternity.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

I just. Eternity was on my mind. Someone who was very dear in my heart. Even though it's so funny how certain people, whenever they pass or they go to heaven or they pass away, they just hit you differently. I don't know if you guys know what I'm talking about, but like, let's say you hear a certain celebrity or you hear a certain musician or someone that you. And it. It impacts you more than others.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Right. This individual, he served in over our facilities and maintenance and building. And his name is Wayne Cates. Amazing man. But whenever he passed away, he passed away. And his family is still here at Victory. Big beautiful man. Big beautiful heart. When I say big beautiful man.

[B]

No, he was.

[A]

He was like 6, 300.

[B]

Was a teddy bear too.

[A]

Tough guy. Teddy bear. Had a construction company. But he had a huge heart for missions. Always gave so much money into missions and outreach. And any kid who didn't have enough money to go on a missions trip, he would pay for kids to go on missions anonymously. Anonymous.

[B]

Yeah, we found out later.

[A]

Yes, I'm exposing him now for doing that. But he wouldn't say anything. And he would do it y. Whenever he passed. And me, when I'm talking about it, I still get emotional thinking about it. But whenever he passed, I was like, oh my gosh. I started thinking about him in heaven with my dad and with other people who have gone and passed away. And all I could think about was, man, everything that we're doing, it only really matters with how we spend eternity.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

How and where. And so anyways, so from that talk, then we began. Then God began to speak into me and Arvin and the Great Forever.

[B]

That's right. Yeah.

[A]

Came out. And so we immediately wrote it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Casted, started filming, jumped in. We're already in production. Rehearsals.

[B]

Yeah, we're two rehearsals in. With the whole cast.

[A]

With the whole cast.

[B]

And we've done several rehearsals with the cast. And I won't reveal too much about the plotline, but it's been wonderful to write it. It was fun to. It's probably. I've been telling people it's the riskiest thing we've done story wise, but in a good way. It's not like pushing the edges in a weird, inappropriate way. It's more so like there's always a. We're always going to arrive at the cross of Jesus Christ, his death, burial, and resurrection, his miracles, his ministry, everything but the path you take to get there. This is the most scenic route I think we've ever done. It is a scenic route zoomed in on biblical characters unlike ever before. But I. That's just a muscle we've gotten really strong at is like, these are characters in scripture, but there are. In scripture, there are gaps in their stories. Like, we don't know between Jesus being 12 and 30, what happened.

[A]

Right.

[B]

We've done productions where we filled in that gap with what we can ascertain that still edifies and lifts up the other portion of the New Testament as well. And with this one in particular, it's like a very unique, fresh way. And when. By the time you. I mean, this will come out before Easter.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But when you see it, you'll know what we mean. If you're watching this after Easter, then go back and watch it.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. So that's. I think that's the exciting thing. You know, one thing that in 2026, that as we are here working at Victory, Victory has multiple entities. There's two dream centers, a camp, a school, a Bible college, and then there is the main Victory Central campus. Then there's a Manford campus and a north campus.

[B]

Yeah. A lot going on.

[A]

So there's a lot going on. But one thing that kept on, you know, me being. I'm Pastor Paul's brother, Right. Me being his brother, I don't feel called to be the pastor. But there are some times, whenever, like, across all the entities, I get emotionally invested into something that's not my area, and I begin to care so much that I begin to insert myself. I don't know if you guys have done this, but it's kind of like that. Really that funny. It's an insurance where it's like, we can help you with your insurance, but we can't help you from not becoming your parents.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

And it's the parents who go, you might not want to put that in a plastic bag. You may want to put that in a paper bag. And they're kind of like parenting people in the commercial. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like I do that, but for other people's departments. Do you know what I'm talking about?

[B]

I do. Yeah.

[A]

And I don't know if you guys have ever done this, but maybe those of you who are listening and watching, you begin to. It's the curse of caring. You begin to care so much about something that then you. And it may Be something that you don't have complete control over.

[B]

Yeah, right, right, right.

[A]

And I've seen this, you know, from church plants or organizations that the curse of caring, there's a blessing to it and then there's a curse to it. Because sometimes you care so much it can drive you to be the unhealthy version of yourself.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And it's not that God. And you're like, well, why did God give me this care? Like, for example, I care a lot currently about our elementary sports at the school. Yeah, well, you know, as I was seeing some gaps in some communication and organization, I began implementing, implementing myself and being like, okay, I am going to da da da da. I'm start doing this. And I was assistant coaching two elementary basketball game, two elementary basketball teams and then my daughter's volleyball and then elementary wrestling. And that was during the winter. Hence why we haven't done that, hence why we're just now starting podcasts. We had to get through that season, sure, yeah. But in those moments I was not the head coach, but I found myself communicating to the parents, organizing team pictures, renting facilities and just doing basically the admin work. But then I felt like, hey everyone, you know we have practice today from 3:30 on court two tomorrow our game is at this location. Make sure that if we are away, we're wearing the white jerseys or the black jerseys. Let's show up 30 minutes prior in order to start our warmups and to get through layups, all that small stuff. And the coach was like, hey, thank you. Do you want to. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, you got it, you got it. And I just wasn't voicing my being like, hey, can you do this? Because this helps parents.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

That would be me asking that head coach being like, hey, can you communicate and can you organize? And this is what it would look like. And me send them a text message and go, hey, this would really help parents. Because parents are trying to plan and they're having to come back and forth. This is all an example, FYI, those people are listening, watching, and this is a low hanging fruit, low risk example. And then helping that coach out from behind the scenes as opposed to me being like, I'll do it.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And then I'm getting frustrated or that head coach or that person over that department is getting frustrated because it's like this person is just kind of taking over and steamrolling. And I'm like, yes, I am, because it's not being done. And then God, Is like, well, have you communicated that? Have you had a sit down communication meeting about, like, hey, you know, because in a production meeting, one thing that I used to do with my brother, my brother's pastor Paul, he would be like, hey, I'm doing a sermon series. And I'd be like, what's it on? And this is an example. And this happened. But this is just an example I'm going to give you. Like, we're currently doing a sermon series on the life of Jacob. I would then go through the book of Genesis and I'd be like, hey, on week one, you're going to talk on this, Week two, you're going to talk on this, week three, you're going to talk on this. And here are scriptures that you can pull from. Here are examples that you can use. I you let us know and we will build the prop for you on Thursday. So that way the prop is ready on the weekend for you to test and then you can show up for soundcheck. And it's me telling my brother what to do.

[B]

Sure, sure, sure. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Like that is something in my most unhealthy version, in which I have been before, that I have done. And it was the curse of caring too much about something that it's like, dude, this is not your rodeo. And I'm like, yeah, but. And so I had two options. I can crap talk. Like, oh, Paul's not prepared. Paul doesn't put enough thought into it. Like, I'm not even the pastor. And I put more thought into it, you know what I mean? Like, that's a temptation. And then the other temptation is just to be like, dude, let me do it. And him being like, well, God told me this series. So I'm going to read and I'm going to listen to the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit shares me. And there will be some times where I may do a sermon on Saturday night and I'm just like, I may shift and change a few things. And then 9 and the 11am could be a completely different sermon.

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[A]

But on the life of Jacob.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, this is happening in every person's life, whether they're aware of it or not. In the sense that there you can draw a line between the burden of caring and the curse of it. The burden, yeah, It's God given. Because he says, my yoke is easy, my burden is light.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then if there are simultaneously healthy motivations and God given motivations and incentives, and then there are the unhealthy ones, that everybody has a version of. And if you think you don't have any unhealthy ones, that's your unhealthy one.

[A]

Is that you think that. Hey, did everyone hear that? I want you guys to rewind this. Arvind, say that again.

[B]

If you think that you don't have any unhealthy motivations, that is your unhealthy motivation, is that you're trying to maintain this ideal of like, well, I'm good. I'm set. I'm good to go.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you're just gonna get more and more delusional as life goes on. And unfortunately, the average fourth grader will know that you're full of crap and will be able to proceed. And we've seen that in the past.

[A]

And what's funny is that people can actually smell it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Whenever we say full of crap, what we mean is just like you're. You're delusion to this.

[B]

You project your delusion onto reality and then you bully other people into believing it, you know?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And people are like, but since the Internet happened, you can't do that anymore.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And that's not just a church thing. That's just human nature. Yes. So there's the burden caring, and then there's the curse. And what's interesting is if you. In my experience, I've latched onto, I want more than anything, at any cost, the plan and purpose of God for my life. And as I hold on to that, it's almost like we've talked about it in terms of a highway before. Yeah. It'll be helpful to think of it as like, the kingdom of God is advancing like a speedboat on a lake, and I'm attached to it on a wakeboard of some kind. And over time, the speed, the elements, the different waves, the different jumps, the different things that will come at me, they will knock off. If you're attentive and faithful, they will knock off the parts of you that create it and turn it into a curse.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Make you resent God for calling you in the first place. This is the Jonah story, you know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then they will enhance the part that make it a blessing and make it a God given burden. Because in light of my life's recent events, I just became a dad. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Re examining just human existence through the lens of now there's this little girl involved. It was strange to me. This is only a few months in, but early on it was like I feel the heightened stakes of every day. Every day in this little girl's life is so much more important than the average day was to me before. And so I was reading that where he says, my yoke is easy, my burden is light. And it's like, look, dude, I have to care a lot about. It's right for me to care this much about this little girl. And then whether it's parenting or Victory, the organization, Victory, the church, or the calling of God on each person's life, whatever job they have, whatever it is that God has called them to, it's like, it is actually, it is an unhealthy reaction to just stop caring. And some people, that's their solution is like, I'll just distance myself from caring because then I won't get hurt. And that's no way to live. Because at some point in time, you're going to get that passive. You're basically just co signing evil at that point.

[A]

Co signing evil, you're becoming numb.

[B]

You're like, I don't want to get. I don't want to get confrontational. I don't want to have to. And it's like, where do you draw the line? At some point, evil is going to be banging on your door. And at some point you have to answer with something to say or something to fight back with. And if you don't have that perspective, then, man, I really hope you don't have anything you care about. I really hope you don't have any bills to pay. You know what I mean? Like, it is. What's the word? Recusing yourself from life. And that's not a solution. What that demonstrates, though, is I have so little to no trust in God, that if he were to operate with me and I were to operate with him, that if I hold on to what he's called me to, I could eventually actually arrive at what he has for me. And what I've come to ask God a lot recently in the last several months is, okay, it's right for me to care as much as I do.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

About these things. The care that I had for other things that made it a curse. They are constantly getting stripped away over time. But what am I supposed to do if I feel the heavy, heavy burden that I know is not unhealthy? What am I supposed to do with that? And what's thankfully occurred to me in the last several months is if you look at scripture, the idea God is trying to create throughout the Old Testament is, hey, I'm going to empower you to build me a place to dwell.

[A]

To dwell. Building the temple building, the tent temple,

[B]

it's the tabernacle on the way from Egypt to Israel, etc. And then, thankfully, in the New Testament, with Jesus and with the arrival of the Holy Spirit manifesting on the earth, he's saying in First Corinthians, Paul writes, now your body is that temple.

[A]

Now your body is. That's good, good revelation.

[B]

I want to live in you. And he says that again. He says it in the Old Testament. Then Paul quotes him in Second Corinthians 6. And it's like, I want to live in you, walk with you, be your God, and you be my person, my man, or my woman on the earth. And so this is an area where science was really helpful for me because what Einstein pointed out with his famous equation is that mass and energy are not separate things. They are the same thing operating at different speeds.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So if you heat certain things up enough, the molecules move faster so that they turn into energy. When you burn something, it goes from being mass to turning into energy. It's not ceasing to exist.

[A]

Yeah. It's melt. Yeah. It's water turning into steam.

[B]

That's right. That's right. It's merely just the molecules are moving at different speeds. So that is where the paradox of this gets resolved. Meaning, I have these deep, deep cares and concerns. God has given me the best burden of. I am this girl's dad. I am this woman's husband. I am this church's production producer for these productions that we do. These are the burdens he's given. While simultaneously the events of reality are shedding and sanding off the curse. Parts that are, like, unhealthy, micromanaging, overreacting, putting my identity into things that are not for my identity. At the same time, there are these worthwhile cares and concerns and burdens. When you take the thing that feels super, super heavy and you put it in your heart. If God. If you trust God and he lives in your heart, Hebrews says, he's a consuming fire. So that's how things that feel heavy, like. And they should feel heavy. The burden of keeping a little baby alive feels heavy every day.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

The burden of making sure victory is aligned with the excellence and the core values that we have here. That's a worthwhile burden. And yet when you present it to God, the consuming fire, the thing that was heavy mass. Yeah. Meets the consuming fire and turns into energy.

[A]

Oh, I see what you did there.

[B]

So all of a sudden, the thing that felt like it would slow you down as you're carrying it, when it's entrusted to God with an open hand, it burns in the consuming fire's presence in your heart because you trust him with it. Now you're energized by the very thing that was making you feel weighed down before.

[A]

No, that's really good. Brother went scientific on us.

[B]

You know what I mean?

[A]

So it was an ice cube.

[B]

Yeah. It turned into steam.

[A]

It turned into steam.

[B]

And when you have enough steam, that's a locomotive.

[A]

Come on, baby.

[B]

Is that God given burden evidence? Because I was confused by. Why do you say your yoke is easy? Your burden is light.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Doesn't feel easy. This doesn't feel light. What am I supposed to. And then I realized, oh, this is the beauty of poetry and scripture. When he says, my burden is light. Yes. We're talking about. It doesn't weigh. It won't feel like it weighs too

[A]

heavy for you, even though it's still big.

[B]

But also, we can take other scripture and look at it and go, but your burden is. Is light. Your burden is the consuming fire. All he's asking you to do is to house him. Is to house my burden. AKA what I put on you is light. Not light. Not heavy light. Like light bulb. Oh, like illumination.

[A]

My burden is. Is illumination. Yeah. So it's not like, as in, like, if I'm bench pressing, it's. It's not lightweight. You're talking about. I'm flipping a switch and a light. L, I G H T illuminate.

[B]

Both, both, both, both, both. But how does this feel light? If you steward it as fire God living in you. The things that matter to you, you give to him, they turn into energy for you. You become energized. I've always wondered, when I watch people that are heroes of mine, there are people I know that are well into their 60s who are living with this brevity, there's this lightness to how they operate and effectiveness in ministry, but also effectiveness in family and also being.

[A]

Yeah, they're in a. They're in a flow.

[B]

That's right. And I go, I don't know. Like, they are operating as though their burden is light. But I know they care very, very much about all of these things.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That's how they've come to do it. They've created a regular practice of like, the more I care about it, the heavier it is for me, the more quickly I submit it to the consuming fire that is God's presence. And as it burns in him, as he accepts the fact that, hey, I care about this, I really, really care about this. Because you called me to care about this. It turns into energy that propels them forward.

[A]

So those of you who are listening, if you were able to grasp that what Arvind was saying was the burden that you feel whenever you steward it correctly and you house God on the inside.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[B]

No, that's it.

[A]

That's it.

[B]

That's it.

[A]

That as the burden is also in your heart, it is light, it is illumination.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But it also. You won't have to carry the weight.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Because of God's consuming fire turns it into energy.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And that is the process in which we are in turning ice cubes into steam. Do you guys remember that, like, in a science, when they would see, like a flame on an ice cube and it would melt and then it would turn to steam because of the heat? That's what I think of whenever you're sharing.

[B]

That's right, exactly.

[A]

No, that's really good because, you know, like a prop, not a proper. But like a current example is I help out with our campuses. So Victory Manford is a campus. And, you know, whenever we first announced Pastor Scott and Gabrielle as pastors there. So Victory Manford had been through four different pastors, and Victory north has had the same Pastor Iman and Stephan Markland, which are awesome. They're crushing it. They've been at Victory north since the beginning when we started Victory North. Pastor Scott and Gabrielle are the fourth pastors that have been at Victory Manford since we started. Well, Manford is different than North. North is still close to close to the city. And so you're close to the metropolitan area. So you have people coming and going. It's not its own town. Manford is its own town. So the people live there. They've been known. Camp Victory, which is where our camp is, and Victory Manford, which is a beautiful rural town on the shores of Lake Keystone, baby. Well, some of those people, they get really attached to pastors, and when those pastors decide to transition or move on, then you begin to lose trust of the people in that community. So the biggest thing that first year and a half while Pastor Scott and Gabrielle were in their roles and what helps is they live in Manford. They're like, we are Manford people, and our friends are Manford people. And so it's like, okay, we needed pastors in there, you know, but everyone was like, well, it's only a matter of time before they leave. You know, you had had some people who were members not in the pastoral position that were trying to. They were like, they cared so much about Victory Manford. And I was trying to figure out, man, why is there certain drama around this person wanting to be like, oh, well, this is how we do outreaches, and this is how we do connect groups, and this is how we do service, and this is how we do events, Mother'. This is how we do certain things. And there was constant tension and fights and just things that I had to, like, you know, I'm involved to be the peacemaker, or at least peacekeeper. Not that I'd be making peace, but, you know, I try to keep it. And so. And I'm also trying to help out with some of the other needs of the campuses. Well, as we began to sit down with these people, what was wonderful and beautiful to see, and I'm so glad that they responded this way, was that this person who was not the pastor got emotional in this meeting and was just like, I care so much because I love Victory, that I've been hurt by it because of people who have transitioned on. And I thought, I'm the only one who has been staying. And so I feel the need to take on everything so that we don't miss a beat and that we don't experience the pain of other people being like, oh, another person is going to leave.

[B]

Right?

[A]

You know, and so that is why I do these things. So she was doing them out of fear and out of distrust and out of like, okay. And Pastor Scott and Gabrielle have been there for the other pastors, you know, and Pastor Scott and Gabrielle, they've done a great job that they really got to minister to this family and be like, hey, we understand. And at any moment, let's talk behind closed doors if you're beginning to feel something. But we feel called and committed here, you know, and now they're coming up on. They're going on their third year. Incredible. And this family has become such a huge proponent of Pastor Scott and Gabrielle, you know, but I understand the whole, like, this care and this burden and then allowing the Holy Spirit to be like, hey, this is good, you know, but what do you have control over? And, like, you know, and unfortunately, that doesn't always work out, you know, in some entities. But for this one, that was an example that I wanted to give those of you who are listening and watching that, you know, okay, there is a version of this in which, you know, you get to be energized by the Holy Spirit and you also get to be doing what you care about. You know, there's that old adage, that old saying that says, if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. And currently, you know, at this season in our lives, I can't speak for Arvind, but I'm guessing that what we do, I know for me, I absolutely love it.

[B]

Same.

[A]

And there are times whenever I'm like, oh, man, I didn't realize how many hours we just put in, you know, but it's because we care deeply about it. And I feel like being in a position to do something that I deeply care about is such a blessing.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

But I also believe that maybe it was because I stewarded situations that I cared about that I didn't have control over, that I released to the Holy Spirit, that I stewarded those well, that God rewarded me. An opportunity to be like, hey, now you get to be in a spot where you do have say, yeah. Where you do have a little bit more control.

[B]

Sure, sure.

[A]

I remember anyways. And I'm not gonna talk about old stories, but I think that those of you who are listening, watching, what we're trying to get across to you is in 2026, you're going to experience things that trigger you, that make you upset, and you go, or maybe you're just a really caring parent, you know, like me with elementary sports. Or it could be in your kid's classroom, or it could be in the department that you're in, or it could be with the politics. And you're like, I've got to do what I now I know to do. And so I got to get on TikTok and I need to become a personality and an influencer in order to influence people to vote a certain way. All of that deep care is there is. Remember what Arvind was saying is that my yoke is easy, my burden is light. It should illuminate you. It should also be moving at a pace of energizing you. Allowing the Holy Spirit, allowing God to make his home in you.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, and what is necessary to digest, but probably pretty unfortunate, is like, the first thing that might come real to the surface and be Evan is like, chances are the average person is escaping from the burden they do have control over, to be lost in the weeds of the burdens and the curses that they don't have control over.

[A]

So it's like, okay, hold on. Make that a very. Because I agree with you, but make that a very practical example.

[B]

Neglecting your own mental, emotional, spiritual health, your own relationships because you're so lost in social media. You're so lost in the news cycle. You're so lost in the drama of the different Real Housewives of your community that you're involved in, you know, the Kardashian version of your life. And there are a lot of people who, because they feel powerless with their mental, emotional, spiritual health and their relationships, because they don't feel a sense of identity and because they're evil, tried and failed to manipulate God into giving them the fiefdom that they want, the little side kingdom that they want with God's power. They get bummed out. They don't trust God anymore. This is a very ubiquitous problem. A lot of people.

[A]

Okay, explain for those people, what does ubiquitous mean?

[B]

Unique means. It's like special ubiquitous means. It applies to everything.

[A]

It applies to everything.

[B]

I think the church in the west right now, this is the thing that they've been exposed to deal with.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

In the past, it was like, you know, don't drink, don't smoke, don't do this or that, whatever. Sure. This is the new idol, which is, I can't finagle God to give me the success that I want so that I can platform myself and get the sense of being worshiped that I really want. Unfortunately, same problem as Lucifer. So I'm going to get lost in the weeds of caring about things that do not matter. Caring about, like, I. I'm not. Social media is not sinful. It's not good or bad.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But it does expose the human motive of, like, okay, so you just want to be seen doing this. You know, there's a. There's a very controversial book that I read this past year.

[A]

You go, it's called the Bible. No, I'm kidding.

[B]

That's that one. There's that one. But there's a quote in it. And I'm. I don't. We don't have time for me to, to go look up the quote. But essentially the, the characters in the book, there are people who are about the work and they're about doing what they're supposed to do. And then there are people who. Their whole thing is, I want to be known for having done the work. And so one of the quotes that I wrote down upon reading. It's the. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I don't want anyone to think it's like some terrible. I'm not reading terrible stuff, but it's the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Okay. And basically there's one character, he wants to be an architect He's a bad one. But the idea of him is he's not really even a person. He's just a collection of all the opinions of people that he wants to impress.

[A]

Oh. So it's like he kind of is in rooms and he's like, oh, I heard what these people are saying in this conversation. I see what this person is doing on social media and so I'm gonna make that my personality.

[B]

That's exactly right. Yeah. It's Aaron Burr from Hamilton. It's. I want to be in the room where it happened. I'll change my politics to align with what puts me in the room, what gets me more power, what gets me. So it's the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

That is happening at the human level where an individual, whether they know God or not, goes, I don't trust God to actually do in my life anything great or beautiful or wonderful or true. So I'm not going to pay attention to my mental, emotional, spirit, spiritual health. I'm going to get lost in the weeds of all the other things that I can waste time with. And that's a lot of people. And then also there's a whole category in the curse side of having opinions on church and opinions on all this, you know, Anyways, I don't want to get long, long winded about it, but that's what happened. That's the practical of it. If your mind is made up mostly of social media news cycles and the drama and gossip happening in your church or your, your community, chances are it's because you're refusing to trust God with your mental, spiritual, emotional health or relationships.

[A]

So control the controllables. Always look inward first at your, what you just said, mental, emotional, spiritual health and your relationships, specifically your immediate family, which would be wife, kids.

[B]

Sure, sure. And if you're a young single person, it's like make it your aim in your universe, in the internal world that you have. And that should be the case for everybody. Obviously, if you're not in a position where you're married, if you're not in a position where you have kids yet, if you're not, you know, whatever. Yeah. Chances are the folks who are getting lost in the zeitgeist are. And I need to be gentle about it because most of the time the thing that got them there is because they were hurt by God not doing what they wanted him to do. You know what I mean?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And there's some innocence and beauty to that, but it's part of Maturing, you

[A]

know, it's part of maturing. So with this being the first episode of behind the Scenes of our best days, we're closing, and I know that we went deep today, but I feel like this is the year to do that.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

[A]

Come on with it. Like, it's 20, 26, y'. All. And so season 11, you know, we have been. Not that we don't have all the answers. Obviously, you guys listening are like, yeah, we know. But, you know, there are some strong conviction things that we'll be talking through and also talking about the behind the scenes of Victory Church and ministry. But the one thing that we wanted to leave you today with in an encouragement is like, God has given you everything that you need right now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So you close your eyes and you just think all of the things that you are striving or wanting certain people to think about you a certain way or wanting to control something that you get so frustrated and hurt over. And yet you're like, why won't this individual do X, Y and Z? All right, so just for these next few moments, I want you to release that and I want you to look and say, okay, Lord, what are you speaking to me about? My spiritual, my mental and my emotional health in 2026 of something that I can control and then my current relationships. I believe that if you can steward that. Well, steward means being intentional with it, you know, having standards and having a plan for that. Okay. Now that I'm able to do that, Lord, I'm going to trust you to put me in the places where I can have more control, where this burden will be released on bigger stages or whatever it is. I'll close off with this in this story. Last night, I was at My kids. My kids had a wrestling practice and wrestling season. I'm getting ready to say some things a lot of you guys do not care about. About wrestling.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But there's a point.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So folk style wrestling is what is famous with elementary, high school, and college. And that is usually like, in, like, October through, you know, end of February is. That's what high schools around the country compete in. After folk style is something called freestyle and Greco Roman. And that is what they wrestle in Olympics.

[B]

Sure. Okay.

[A]

And that's. And it's a different type of style. All right. It's the difference between pickleball and tennis. Yeah. Like, it's just different, you know, but similar. But kind of different.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So my boys, I, you know, I was like, all right, you know, we're going to do this And I realized that I was not being the healthiest version of myself, you know, in certain tournaments of just yelling at my boys, of just being like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And this is me looking all goofy. I didn't wrestle in high school, but I'm like, hey, I've been to three years of elementary practices. And I watch Flow, which is like, it's like a YouTube for wrestling matches. I watch flow wrestling. And so I know what I'm talking about. It's me trying to get onto my kids. My kids are already doing things that I never did. First off, mad respect for my kids. I honestly should shut my mouth. All right? That's what I've learned about Johnny. Secondly, I saw this other dad who actually did wrestle in high school, champion. I mean, he's huge. This dude is a monster. He looks like a philistine. And he. And his kid was actually doing good. He's at another school, but we would see each other at multiple tournaments and I mean, literally would demean his child in front of everyone. And I'm not. But there's a redeeming factor to it. So last night we show up to this club to practice, to do this new season. This, you know, and this father is there with his kid. And I'm just sitting there doing work on my laptop. And he comes over and he's just like, hey, da, da da. And he's like, how's Victory Church? And you know, talking to me. And I'm like, yeah. And I don't bring up anything. And he goes, God has really been dealing with me about my temper. And he goes. And I feel like my temper is rooted in. And this dude just starts dumping on me. And he's like, I feel like my. This absolute anger where I could actually hurt my child. It scares me. And I'm having to go get help. And he was just like. Because I. And he begins talking about his childhood and the reasons. And not that this gives him reason to do it, but he was like, this is why I am this way. And he goes. And all I've known is this. And he goes, but recently I've started going to church. And recently, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I've realized that I've been trying to control my seven year old son. And he's just like. And he goes, I want to be known as a dad who is a fierce protector of his son. I want my son to feel safe around me. I want my son. And dude, when he's talking, I'm getting emotional. This dude's getting emotional. We're having an emotional fest at this wrestling practice. And I was like, bro, you got it, dude. You're a man of God, and I'm praying for you, bro. But it was wonderful that, like, I never said anything. And he brought up and he goes, I know you're a pastor at Victory, and I know you saw me at Fill in the Blank tournament. I know you saw me. You know, you walked by me, and I. I looked in your eyes as you walked past, and I could tell you were disappointed. What? I was yelling at my son. And I go, hey, man, I did not. And I go, I have my own problems. I also get that way around my kids. Now, I didn't say this. I'm like, not as bad as you, but. But anyways. But it was a wonderful moment where both of us were like, dude, let's be intentional about in 2026, allowing God to take that burden, that deep care.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And to turn it into energy and to turn it into an illumination. And so anyways, that's. That's. We're done with this first episode. But that I wanted to leave you with that is that, you know, it's as small or as simple as a wrestling tournament or, I mean, with your kids or at work or with your spouse of that God truly wants to be involved in that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You guys receive that?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay. Thank you. Hey, we love you. Thanks for listening.

[B]

See you next time.

[A]

See you next time. Bye.