BEST DAYS | Season 10 Episode 1

Summary

Victory Church: Paul Daugherty

Podcast: Victory Church – Behind the Scenes
Episode: BEST DAYS | Season 10 Episode 1
Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: John and Arvin

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Brief Overview

Season 10 of Victory’s behind-the-scenes podcast kicks off with John and Arvin reflecting on the journey of creating and growing Victory’s creative ministry, events, and productions. The episode is a lively exploration of recent church events, personal milestones, unexpected stories, insights on creative persistence, and the importance of getting started even when you feel unqualified. It weaves together humor, candid storytelling, and spiritual encouragement.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflecting on Season 10: Growth & Milestones

• The hosts celebrate ten seasons, having produced close to 100 published episodes (00:17).
• They recount the variety of events and productions Victory oversees, including Dream Centers, K-12 school, Bible college, campuses, and camps (01:32).

2. Behind the Scenes of Recent Victory Events

• Easter & Christmas Productions:
  • After the success of Easter, the team planned ahead for both Christmas and Easter 2026 (01:21).
• Revival Nights Conference:
  • In August, Victory held Revival Nights instead of a fall film production (02:56).
  • Purpose: To kick off the school year and focus on themes of repentance, surrender, and spiritual openness for college students and the community (03:08).
  • Featured Speakers: Russell Johnson, Darius Daniels, and Sean Feucht (03:24).

3. Wild Guest Speaker Story: A Security Lesson

• The hosts share a humorous yet nerve-wracking story about Russell Johnson, who was picked up from the airport by a random attendee who posed as a Victory contact (04:42–07:24):
  • Russell was taken to a taco joint for ministry chat, thinking it was official, until clarifications ensued at the church.
  • “Russell Johnson gets in this guy's car… that we didn't have any connections with... is that terrifying?” – John (05:58–07:11)
• The incident prompted the team to tighten up guest security protocols.
• Both hosts reassure listeners that things are under control and encourage visiting Victory (07:26–07:36).

4. Personal Updates: New Life and Family

• Arvin announces he and his wife are expecting their first daughter in December (08:26).
  • "So first, we're excited. Little girl, you're fertile. Praise God." – John (08:37)
• John shares about the energy of raising children involved in multiple sports, balancing family life and ministry (09:01–09:19).

5. Dreaming Big—Filming in New York

• The team fulfilled a multi-year dream by filming a Christmas production in a "magical, unbelievable spot" in New York, a location they'd only imagined using years ago (09:28–11:14).
  • “It’d be like saying, 'it’d be cool to have a Ferrari…'” – Arvin (10:14)
• The process included honest conversations about Victory’s mission: offering a free Christmas show and toy giveaways for families, which moved partners and locals in New York (11:05–12:31).

6. Openness to Faith Conversations

• John recounts how, despite initial hesitation to identify their project as church-based, he encountered only curiosity and positive conversations in New York—regardless of others’ faith backgrounds (12:42–13:40).
  • “People are really open... and everyone I talked to was eager to get involved.” – Arvin (13:40)

7. The Art of Start: Lessons from 10 Seasons (14:10–17:04)

• The central theme emerges: You never know what God can do when you just start.
• Emphasis on overcoming fear of starting because of imperfection or lack of clarity.
  • “Our biggest thing has just been: Let’s just be consistent.” – John (15:32)
• The ripple effect: starting small and sticking with it leads to bigger opportunities, even unexpected ones.

8. Legacy, Courage, and Impact: Charlie Kirk & The Power of Beginning

• The hosts reflect on the recent public assassination of Charlie Kirk, underscoring the impact of saying “yes” to God’s call, even amid controversy or hardship (17:04–21:52).
  • “Your life is measured not in your duration, but in your donation, what you give your life for.” – John quoting a service message (19:39)
• Encouragement for listeners: if God stirs something in you, begin now—write it down and start.

9. Embracing Failure: “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.”

• The value of starting badly is highlighted with quotes from Ira Glass and a nod to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour rule (22:08–23:12).
  • “When you start out in any sort of endeavor, you’re gonna suck.” – Arvin (22:11)
• Social media often presents only the polished “after,” which can be discouraging to beginners.

10. Building Empathy, Facing Fear, and Healthy Comparison

• Start with empathy—try to understand those with different perspectives (24:16–24:53).
• Practice being okay with “making stuff that sucks” because that’s the training ground for excellence (25:01–26:56).
• John illustrates this with his daughter’s volleyball team, where learning through lots of losses led to later victories (27:23–30:16).

11. Identity & Worth: Being Bad ≠ Being Unworthy

• Don't let fear of failure tie your worth to your performance (31:48–33:42).
  • “As long as your identity and your performance and your work are attached... you're only going to be—it's just such a bummer.” – Arvin (31:51)
• Growth comes from persistence through discomfort and trying new things, at any age (33:42–35:03).
  • John’s grandma worked until age 101, always unafraid to learn.

12. Leadership & Lifelong Learning

• Pastor Paul Daugherty has modeled consistent growth, embracing new roles and connecting with people who challenge his comfort zone (35:03–36:38).
  • “Good for him... as I see him do it, I know I can do it.” – John (36:38)
• True freedom comes from seeking to honor God through growth, not the applause or criticism of others.
  • "Your boos mean nothing. I’ve seen what you cheer for." – Arvin, quoting Rick and Morty (38:00–38:01)

13. Motivation: Impress God, Not the Crowd

• Over time, the urge to impress “the crowd” is replaced by wanting to honor God, yourself, and those you genuinely respect (39:39).
• “By the time you get good at it, you want to impress hopefully God and yourself and the people that you respect.” – Arvin (39:39)

14. Don’t Wait to Start: Your Life Is the Event

• The journey itself is the reward, not just recognition or success (40:44–41:28).
  • “Your life becomes the event you've been competing to get a ticket to.” – Arvin (40:55)
• Losses and failures become gains if you remain introspective and persistent (41:28–43:43).
• Stories of perseverance: a 90-year-old CrossFit athlete who simply kept showing up (42:16–42:59).

15. Closing Encouragement

• God shapes us through hard things; embracing this process leads you to surprising places and genuine growth (43:00–43:44).
• “You always gain something when you can be introspective.” – John (40:58)
• “We just wanted to say thank you so much for listening and watching. And we will see you next week.” (43:44)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “Russell Johnson gets in this guy's car… that we didn't have any connections with... is that terrifying?” – John (05:58–07:11)
• “So first we’re excited. Little girl, you’re fertile. Praise God.” – John (08:37)
• “It’d be like saying, ‘It’d be cool to have a Ferrari…’” – Arvin, on filming dream locations (10:14)
• “People are really open... and everyone I talked to was eager to get involved.” – Arvin (13:40)
• “Let’s just be consistent.” – John (15:32)
• “Your life is measured not in your duration, but in your donation, what you give your life for.” – John, quoting a service message (19:39)
• “When you start out in any sort of endeavor, you’re gonna suck.” – Arvin (22:11)
• “I have spent a lifetime making stuff that sucks.” – Arvin (23:12)
• “Empathy is putting yourselves in the shoes... even if you don't agree, seek to understand.” – John (24:39)
• “If you're bad at something, that means you’re bad? No.” – Arvin (31:51)
• “As I see [Paul] do it, I know I can do it.” – John (36:38)
• “Your boos mean nothing. I’ve seen what you cheer for.” – Arvin, quoting Rick and Morty (38:00)
• “By the time you get good at it, you want to impress hopefully God and yourself and the people that you respect.” – Arvin (39:39)
• “Your life becomes the event you’ve been competing to get a ticket to.” – Arvin (40:55)
• “You don’t lose in your losses. You always gain something.” – John (40:59)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:17 – Introduction, celebrating ten seasons
• 02:56 – Decision behind Revival Nights vs. Fall Film
• 03:24 – Noteworthy guest speakers for the conference
• 05:17–07:36 – Russell Johnson’s “rogue airport pickup” story
• 08:26 – Arvin’s family announcement
• 09:28–11:14 – Dream production in New York: how it came together
• 13:04 – Openness to “church” identity in public conversations
• 14:10–17:04 – Lessons from starting the podcast and creative consistency
• 17:04–21:52 – Remembering Charlie Kirk and the importance of starting
• 22:08–23:30 – Being willing to start “badly”; the value of failure
• 24:16–24:53 – Building empathy and understanding
• 27:23–30:16 – Lessons from youth volleyball: sticking with it through the “bad” seasons
• 31:48–33:42 – Detaching your identity from results/failure
• 35:03–36:38 – Pastor Paul’s example of growth and lifelong learning
• 38:00–39:39 – The freedom of not chasing applause or fearing boos
• 40:44–41:28 – Making your life “the event”; embracing your own journey
• 42:16–42:59 – The 90-year-old CrossFitter: building strength through steady persistence
• 43:44 – Closing encouragement

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Tone & Style Highlights

• The hosts maintain a conversational, humorous, and deeply encouraging tone, blending behind-the-scenes anecdotes with spiritual reflections.
• The language is direct, authentic, often self-deprecating, and always aimed at motivating listeners to take action and embrace imperfection as part of their faith and life journey.

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Summary by AI Podcast Summarizer
For more about Victory Church and their resources, visit victory.com.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Hello, everyone. My name is John.

[B]

My name is Arvin.

[A]

This is behind the scenes of our.

[B]

Best day, season 10.

[A]

This is our 10th season, guys. How many. That's one million episodes.

[B]

That's almost. Yeah, it's a little. A little less than half of that.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But by the end of this season, how many episodes will there be?

[B]

100.

[A]

Yeah, 100.

[B]

100 that we've aired. We've done probably 105. Yeah.

[A]

There's some that we did not air. Because to air is human.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Get it. That's pun intended.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Okay, well, if this is your. If this is your first time, that was.

[B]

That's kind of dumb. It's good.

[A]

If this is your first time listening or watching this podcast. We are a part of Victory. Yeah. And. And we serve behind the scenes at Victory in the productions. It is currently 2025. And you know what just has happened since our last podcast, which was season nine, was we finished up Easter.

[B]

That's right. Wow. It's been a while.

[A]

Yes, it's been a while. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Creed or Nickelback. So anyways, then this summer we wrote Christmas and easter. Yeah, Easter 2026.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And then in August, you know, here at this. Here at this ministry, we have five entities that we have two dream centers, north and west. We have a school K3 through 12. There's a Bible college that kicked off. Then we have our churches and those campuses. And then we have our camp.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And so anyways, behind that, we. We did our all staff, which, you know, we helped put on. And then we had a revival nights conference, and it was basically to kick off the year. But anyway, so there's lots of things happening at this ministry, and this whole podcast is a behind the scenes look at those things that are going on. That's right. Yes, it is. So anyways, but revival nights happened in August. And the reason why we do revival nights was, you know, that actually that budget was a budget that was going to be used for fall film.

[B]

Oh, sure. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Oh, yeah. So we did this fall film called the center and you should watch it. Yeah, it's great. Yeah. And if you're a major production company, we are taking offers. But anyways. But then afterwards we're like, okay, Pastor Paul, what is on your heart for this next season? He was like, I actually feel like we need to do go away from fall films right now and go into basically a conference. But kicking off the school year.

[B]

Totally. Yeah.

[A]

You know, for our Bible school, for our School across the street. We're from oru, and Tulsa is actually a city where there's lots of different colleges. So you have an influx of all these new college students in August, right?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So to start off the year to do something really, really connected to repentance, surrendering and allowing God to move. And so hence came forth revival lines.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

So anyways, but we had some great speakers. Who were they?

[B]

We had Russell Johnson, Darius Daniels first name. I was there. I can't.

[A]

It's Sean Voight.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Yes. And anyways, and. And we're good. We're going to get into this. But it is such, like, a tense tone right now in America. Wait, tell me. Yeah, no, but all of those people experienced intensities in their own ministries and churches, and it was like, hey, you want to come here to. Little did we know what was going to happen in the fall of 2025.

[B]

Yeah, sure.

[A]

You know. Yeah, absolutely. So. But anyways, it was great. You know, Pastor Paul and Pastor Ashley, you know, they hosted an incredible conference and created some really awesome moments for people to encounter God. So Russell Johnson is a guy from Seattle, and he was speaking. This is crazy. So he is very outspoken, similar to Sean Foyt, similar to Charlie Kirk, who has just passed. You know, very outspoken. But the difference between him and Charlie and Sean Foyt is he is someone who is a pastor. Yeah. And he's in Seattle. That's right in the heart of everything that is opposite of what he stands for.

[B]

Very different climate. Yeah.

[A]

Very different climate than Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Bible belt. Yeah. Well, anyways, so you got people that have made death threats on his family. You have people that have, you know, that have become really big fanboys or whatever. Well, so he gets this. So Pastor Paul gets this direct message from this person who's like, hey, I am wanting to be someone who is like, I'm friends with Pastor Russell. And so I'm, you know, wanting to be there whenever he arrives at the airport. I would love to pick him up.

[B]

Uh. Oh, yeah.

[A]

Well, then Russell gets a direct message on social media from this individual and is like, hey, I am gonna be. I'm someone who's from Victory, and I'm friends with Pastor Paul.

[B]

Oh, my God.

[A]

I'm gonna be pick up from the airport. Ah, is that insane?

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

So anyways, so wait, so we have people picking up these guest speakers, bringing them to Victory, taking them to their hotel, making sure they have everything that they need. Well, Russell Johnson shows up with his Keyboard player.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

To the airport. And this guy's like, hey, I'm the guy that direct messaged you. I'm here to give you a ride.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

Russell Johnson gets in this guy's car.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

This rando.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That we didn't have any connections with.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

And is at. Takes him to. To a taco joint to like, talk to him about ministry. And it's like, yeah, I'm doing this with my ministry and all this stuff. And so the whole time Russell's like, this guy is from Victory. And like texts Paul and Paul's. And. And Russell gets to. So anyways, thank God nothing odd happens.

[B]

He just wanted to like, talk.

[A]

He just wanted to be bros. With a guest speaker. And I'm like, whoa, this guy found a loophole.

[B]

That's. How did he.

[A]

Exactly. So we sent. We have another person. Our young adults. Pastor Josh Calm.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Who was. Was helping with the transportation of the guest speakers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so anyways, so Paul's like, hey, did we pick him up? And he was like, no, he said that he had arrived.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

So anyways, well, then Russell gets to church and Paul's like, hey, did I think we missed you at the airport? And he goes, some guy picked me up. Oh, my gosh. Is that terrifying?

[B]

That's very terrifying. Yeah.

[A]

And it was like, wait, why did you get in the car with this one? And it was like, well, this guy just. He was saying that he was. And he goes. And then while we were eating with him, I was like, this guy's kind of Looney Tunes. Yeah. Anyways, thank God nothing happened. But is that not insane?

[B]

Do we know who that guy is? Have we tracked.

[A]

We do. And. And I will tell you guys this. It's all taken care of.

[B]

Praise God.

[A]

Okay. You know everything.

[B]

But please do come visit Victory.

[A]

Please visit Victory. That is not a deterrent.

[B]

We'll let you know who your ride will be.

[A]

Yes, it. Yeah. Everything got worked out. Security measures have been taken. But it's. Isn't that a wild behind the scenes incredible.

[B]

I can't imagine that conversation. Yes.

[A]

So anyways, but thank God. And you know, Russell was rescued. You know, we got everything free Russell. Yeah.

[B]

That is nuts.

[A]

So anyway, there's a pun here.

[B]

I can't. Nipsey Russell.

[A]

That's not. Yeah, no, no. I don't even know people who know that. Who that is.

[B]

I'll cut it out. I'll edit it out.

[A]

But okay, so that happened. And then, you know, personal life there's been some things happening in your life as well.

[B]

Yeah. This December, my wife and I are having our first baby. Whoa.

[A]

Yeah. Season 10.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is ushering in the birth of a new child in Arvin's home.

[B]

Yeah, that's right. So first we're excited. Little girl, you're fertile. Yeah. Praise God.

[A]

Yes. Praise God for fertility.

[B]

Yeah. That's a real thing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I was. I heard a million stories ahead of time about so many close friends we have are all over the spectrum of how difficult or whatever. So I'm grateful that so far, so good. So far, we're praying for her every day.

[A]

Yeah. So, I mean, that. That's exciting news. You know, my kids are in all these different. My kids are in three different. Not three different sports, but they're on three different sports teams.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we have practices every night along with the church stuff, and it is such a fantastic time to be alive.

[B]

Good.

[A]

I'm just like, oh, wow, this is a lot. Yeah. We just recently got back from New York. We're filming for Christmas.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And this is what's really cool. And I will share this in a later podcast, but there's a small, specific place. Me and Arvin talked about filming in this specific place. Five years ago.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or four years ago.

[B]

It was. Yeah. Between four and five during COVID And.

[A]

It was like, oh, man, one day, wouldn't it be wild if we filmed this? And it was like, something that we talked about and something that, you know, if it fits with the right story. It was insane to even dream that this would even happen.

[B]

Totally. Yeah.

[A]

But Christmas 2025, Arvin starts calling up, and we actually were looking for other places to film. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But then he was like, you know what? I'm just gonna call this place that we've talked about.

[B]

Right. Yeah. So, yeah, we had talked about it. It was one of those, like, it'd be like saying, like, it'd be cool to have a Ferrari. It was like, that kind of dream.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And then, yeah, we had everything set up on the west coast, and we were about to go there and film, and we had different options and everything. And then I finally just made a call. I had. I'm, like, doing this role has gotten me so comfortable with rejection. I've gotten really good at hearing no or, you know, being like, whenever you're.

[A]

Calling to be like, hey, can you film here?

[B]

I used to be very sheepish and shy because I didn't want to hear a no. And then just doing this for years there's so many stories there too. But basically, this precious person, Sarah Williams, I'm trying not to reveal too much. Depending on how much you want to.

[A]

Share, I don't want to reveal.

[B]

She is the event manager for this particular place. That is like a magical, unbelievable spot. And we get on the phone and we just talk about. I was just very honest. Here's where we're at, here's what we do. But I will say I was really proud of Victory in this moment, because when you do something at victory so much, you kind of lose track of how special it is. And so to tell somebody, hey, we do a show for free for the entire community, no one buys a ticket. No one has to. Like, you know, there's not like VIP or anything like that. You show up, you get to see this show. And then also one day out of those five days that we're doing the show, we advertise, we spend money to market to people to say, hey, we're giving toys away. So if you're a family who can't afford a Broadway show, you can't afford to go to the Nutcracker in Tulsa at the Pac. No worries. Like, here's a free, fun show that's appropriate for your kids, that's meaningful for adults and everybody in between. And afterward, we'd love to hook you up where you get to go and pick not just one gift, but like several gifts for each kid. And that's something that I think is significantly a much bigger deal than even what was on my mind before, because my mind's on making the show happen. But when I said that to Sarah on the phone, she was like, oh, my gosh. Really?

[A]

So she was very shocked and moved by whenever we were filming all throughout New York state, we would see people and they'd be like, what are you guys filming for?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

And I'm always. I will be very honest. Sometimes I'm hesitant to say we're a church because I don't know how people are gonna take that.

[B]

Yeah. To be fair, we've gotten weird reactions before.

[A]

Yeah. And I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of Jesus. But I'm just like, you know, in the past, what I've said is like, oh, we're a faith based ministry and we're filming for a Christmas project.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's what I have said.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You know, but so many people were like, what type of Christmas project? And then I would be like, what? Well, it's based on the book of Luke in the Bible, the story of Jesus's birth. Probably 20 different conversations. And I think that people right now in America, I did not have one negative conversation. Every person was like, wait, tell me more. How can I see this?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And it was strangers, and it was people that. I'm like, these people aren't Christian. Which convicted me of me just judging a book by its cover. But I do think that people. People are really open.

[B]

And, like, everyone I talked to was eager to get involved. Even the rental car place was like, oh, you're gonna use this in your. And I'm like, yeah, we're gonna move stuff around. They were like, what's it called? They wrote the name down. I was like, go to this website. You'll see it.

[A]

So, yeah, it's very. That's so refreshing. Yeah, it's amazing, you know, especially whenever you've experienced the other side. But I think that, you know, the. The whole point of what we want to talk off today is this being season 10 is a. That being a lesson in and of itself is.

[B]

You never know.

[A]

You never know what God can do with something when you just start.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We started behind the scenes of our best days.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Season one, because we wanted to talk about the behind the scenes of victory. And you can go back and listen to them, and they're cringe and they're wild and kind of funny, but it is a. It's a journey of God's faithfulness of. And I'm not saying that we always say yes, and we always obey the voice of God like we should. Like, we miss it, you know, but we did say yes to a few things that God has been consistently faithful in, and that's why we started this podcast. And we're such a firm believer in, you know, people who attend victory or who are aware of victory on the outside. It's like, oh, yeah, they're just church. And there's Pastor Paul and Pastor Ashley, and there's the sermons. But what is it like behind the scenes? And it was like, okay, I do think that we. I would love to talk about this.

[B]

Right, Absolutely.

[A]

And, you know, our hope is that you have something that you have dreamed about or thought about, and it's just the art of start.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because starting there is an art to it, but it's just starting, right? Yeah, absolutely. And some people are so afraid to start because they're like, well, I don't know what it is. And our biggest thing has just been. Let's just be consistent.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

You know, and as you see that, you see that ripple effect, and I feel like it has opened up today. Like, where we just filmed would not have happened if we were not just consistent and being like, hey, for this next story that we are doing in the retelling of the gospel, what does God want to do with this story? Okay, now where are we going to film or what type of music are we going to do? And it's been unique how? I mean, you can even say that God has just opened up doors. And it wasn't that we had special connections, none. We had zero connections for certain things. But things have just happened and it's been like, wow, I guess when you just start, and you just start doing things, you never know. The ripple effect to segue from that is, you know, like, obviously we talked earlier. Charlie Kirk just passed. Now you guys are going to be hearing this and everyone has already processed this. And sure, we're not here to talk about the event, but I think that what he represents is like someone who started something and was like, all right, yeah, God, we're gonna, we're gonna let it take, like, what God did with it. And in fact, what's unique is to. Is to hear how many people who said, I did not know this person when he passed. Sure, everyone.

[B]

Yeah, they found out.

[A]

They found out. Everyone found out. And you know, like, of course we stand with anyone who has been. Anyone who has been. We stand with any family of someone who has passed or has been shot or killed. This man, whether you agree with him or not, was murdered, publicly assassinated on tv.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he stood for preaching the gospel. I'm sure now there are certain people who are like, well, I didn't like him and he was racially. He was racist or he was a bigot or all these different things. I'm sure if someone took a minute, snippet, 60 second snippet of something that you have said and put it online over all of your life, you would have something that people would think that you, you listening? Would have something that is. Could be hurtful to a certain group of people. But people have to know the context. Again, I'm not here, you know, to sway you if you believe otherwise. But I'm wanting you to know that, like, his heart was for Jesus, for the gospel. And the things that he stood on were, okay, marriage should be between a man and a woman. He stood on that. God created man and woman, that those are the two biological genders that there are. He stood for. He stood for racial equality. You know that you should Be hired based on, you know, what you are like, you should be hired on based on your performance, not necessarily giving things out according to age, gender or race or whatever. You know, those are things that he stood on that he believed for that, you know, most of my beliefs line up with those beliefs. And so anyways, I think that in this time, Pastor Paul shared a really great word that we would encourage you guys to go back and listen to was his sermon in September. We were going through the book of Ephesians, and it was. And his sermon is called the Turning Point. And I think that there's a more in depth, in context behind what we as Victory is what we believe and what we are standing on, the Word of God. But I think the thing that really, that everyone can agree on who is a believer, if you are a believer in the Bible, if you're a believer in the Word of God, is what he stood for in the Word of God. And so anyways, but whenever you see the. The impact. And I didn't mean to get off on that tangent on this podcast, but I think that what you see was the impact of, oh, my goodness, this person Facts. This person would go on college campuses when I don't think I would do that. I would actually be intimidated and scared. He went on college campuses and he had debates and he debated the Bible and the Word of God. Now, like I said, there was probably certain things that he said that were taken out of context or certain things that could have come across cross and sensitive, but he did something that no one else was doing. I wonder, like that type of an individual, did they ever have an opportunity not to start? Did he ever have an opportunity that just said, you know what, I got really shut down at this last one. I'm not gonna do it. Sure, I got embarrassed. I got whatever. And so really what I actually wanted to hit on was the art of start of him just doing it and then seeing the ripple effect of after he passed. The impact of what happened is that, you know, one thing that was shared in the service at Victory was, you know, your life is. And this was a quote taken from someone else who's talking about it. It's like your life is measured not in your duration, but in your donation of what you give your life for. Jesus gave his life for mankind. What are you giving your life for anyways? There's certain things that maybe God has put on the inside of you. Those of you who are listening and watching and you're like, well, I've thought about doing this I've thought about doing that, and you're just talking yourself in circles. I want to tell you today. To start. Yeah. To write it down. Because you never know what God can do with it.

[B]

Yeah, I agree. And Charlie's actually a really good example of this concept because there was. I don't remember who it was, but it was a gentleman. It was like one of the founding fathers, like Benjamin Franklin or somebody off to find out later. But they said, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.

[A]

And so what does that mean when you start?

[B]

Ira Glass, also from this American Life, said this really well. He says, when you start out in any sort of endeavor, you're gonna suck. It's gonna be bad. And you. You're delusional if you go, no, I'm good at this. Like, that is delusional. You're lying to yourself. So you have good taste. You know what's good, but you don't have the skill, and you won't have the skill until you do it a lot. Malcolm Gladwell had that famous 10,000 hour rule of like, you should spend about 10,000 hours on something before you start. You know, this is another area where. And I'll keep my comments about this limited. This is another area where Instagram and like, social media does people a disservice because when you look online, you see all these incredible whatevers. Look at this cool film. I did, this cool video, this cool whatever. And it's so intimidating to make stuff that's sucks. But I have spent a lifetime making stuff that sucks.

[A]

Yeah. And.

[B]

You have to be okay with that. You have to try. And if you. Charlie's an example of this because his early stuff is where everyone goes for all the bad examples. And he did say things that even he himself later on would be like, yikes, you know?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So as he came into his late 20s, as he became a dad, as he was like, turning into his 30s, you experience life, you learn, and you. Your heart softens. And so there were a lot of. Obviously I didn't love everything he said either. But that doesn't. That's. That has nothing to do with what happened. Yeah, but you did see a softening. There are so many more examples of videos where he is tender and soft with the person he's speaking with. And I think there are people on the left as well who are like that. And I'm like, I've been listening to them. And I'm like, I love all of this.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

This is the kind of.

[A]

It's great to see both sides, people on the left being soft and tender towards the right. Because it's like, oh, wait, we don't live in an echo chamber.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

An echo chamber is where it's like all you're hearing is the people that you agree with. I also think what's wonderful is when you are starting whenever, whatever it is that God has put on your heart, those of you who are listening, watching, whenever you're starting something, I do think it's important to put yourself in the shoes of the people that are opposite thinking of you.

[B]

Or.

[A]

I mean, that's basically what empathy is. Is, you know, Absolutely. Is putting yourselves in the shoes. And also, even if you don't agree with someone, hearing and seeking to understand.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Is like, oh, man. Because then someone's like, okay, well, then I will then listen and seek to understand you. You know?

[B]

Yeah, it's really valuable. Yeah. So I just think, make stuff that sucks and be okay. I've made. I've had websites before where I'm blogging and I would like graphic design, my own thumbnails. It's just like. So now I look at. Like, this is hilarious. Even stuff that we've done before, like, because it keeps getting better, we always look back and go, wow, remember that? Remember that. But you have to do those things because you don't arrive at a film trip in New York without the film trips to everywhere else. The, like, dozens of times we've gone to Arkansas and the little incremental.

[A]

The film trip to West Tulsa.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Over by the refinery plant.

[B]

Yeah, over. Down by. Yeah, exactly. Over by. Down by Lawton. All the times in Utah. All the time. You know, there's everything that, if I had not known, all those little things I learned the first time we went to LA and the rental car experience went the way it did, it was just like such a conundrum. And thankfully, with the budget we have, like, we can't afford to make those kinds of big errors in big cities. So it's like, you couldn't have. This week in New York. Eight days in New York could not have gone so well and had been so not stressful. Like, so many things that happened while we were there that I just. We just had the muscle to go, okay, let's do this, let's do this. Let's move around. And I just love that because otherwise, the essence of what you're doing is constantly tense and stressful. And you know what I mean? So I think that's what that tension is, what People feel. And that's why they don't start, because they go, I can't make awesome stuff right now, so I'm not going to start because I'm going to be embarrassed making stuff that sucks. And the tension I feel of how badly I want to make something good, it's like, you have to. That's. Yes. That's the curve.

[A]

And I think that that's a beautiful muscle to build in 2025 as you close out this year. You know, we are now in September, going to October. Well, 2025 is going to end at the end of December.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so, by the by, our last podcast, it will be 2026 will be kicking off. And as you look back, being like, did I finish strong? Did I finish by starting something?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did I finish by not being afraid to be bad?

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I think that that is a fear that stops many people, because you live in a society where things are compared and everything. And you know what's so unique is. So I have a daughter who plays volleyball. Yeah. And, you know, they're. She's on a team, and they're just sweet girls. They're all in sixth grade. Yeah. And, you know, I've been there at all the practices, and I've seen. I've seen all the games except for maybe one. And seeing that, you know, initially, whenever they would start to do bad volleyball, whenever you start to do bad, you can, like, play plummet.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Like, if you make four or five errors, all of a sudden you start, like, not trying, or you begin. You get scared for diving for a ball, or you get scared for running because you're like, wait, are you getting the ball or am I getting the ball? And watching them, watching this group of girls progress, like, over the summer, it was tough, you know, not winning a game. And then, you know, we're in the fall, and this is their second season, and what they've done is they've built a muscle to where it's like, okay, we're focusing on having fun and encouraging one another while we are messing up. And it's so funny to see them encourage each other between every single point and set. Well, then this other night, they're playing, and they get down by, I don't know, maybe seven or eight. And I am frustrated because I'm like, here I am. I'm a competitive person, and I'm. I'm getting angry and frustrated. Their coach is doing a great job of keeping them calm, cool, collected, and chill. And she's like, hey, ladies. All of A sudden they make one good. They make one good. I don't even know what it's called. Bump, set, spike type of point. And then it begins to turn. But they never freaked out while they were bad. Because it's like, oh, we're used to being back.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Well, then that's it.

[A]

And so when you're used to being. When you're used to being bad and you're not scared of being bad.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They were just like. I was getting frustrated, but I'm like, john, okay, sixth grade volleyball. Sure, calm down, chill out. And I saw them come back, they won their first game and it was like, dude, we went absolutely nuts. The parents went nuts because we have sat through three different seasons and now it was like, oh, this third season, we're seeing them volley back and forth. You know, they don't look like newborn baby deers with their knees knocking and falling everywhere or like, I don't know, like a drunk sailor wobbling. They're not drunk. They're six grade girls. Yeah. Anyways. But it's so cool. And they came back and them winning. They were so excited. But I never saw one point where they were like getting mad at each other. Stressed.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

They were just having fun.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

And I think that while you are. Okay, so first off, the artist starts. Secondly, not being afraid of sucking. Not being afraid of being bad. And the third thing, like, even when you're bad. And this is something that John has to tell himself because there's been moments where I've been bad at something and I beat myself up and I'm in a bad mood because I'm not doing well at whatever it is, whether it is coaching my kids or whether it's sports or whether it's in the middle of a. If I'm the middle of preaching or speaking or maybe I'm in the middle of pitching a script and I feel like it's really plummeting or whatever it is. Or we're in the middle of writing a song and I'm like, this song is not good. Sure it is. Still being like knowing, having this reassurance, it's going to be good. Yeah. Just maybe not now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And not making like life is so unserious when you think about it, that to take it seriously, all of the small things and get worked up over these small things. I believe it takes away years from your life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so that has been something that I've. I've had to challenge myself of being like, okay, yeah, it's gonna be good. Maybe not now, but it's going to be. And so I'm.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In the meantime, I'm not gonna wake up stressed or wake up angry or snap on certain things because. Because it will work out.

[B]

Totally. Yeah. The trap people fall into is that this has to be good, because if it's bad, I'm bad, and I'm only gonna be measured by how good I am.

[A]

Has anyone ever felt that? You guys listening? Say that one more time. Yeah.

[B]

You think if you're bad at something that you're. It means you're bad. Like, if something you make sucks, that means you suck. Yeah. And as long as your identity and your performance and your work are attached to each other, like, you're only going to be. It's just such a bummer. It's like saying, I only know the map in Tulsa. I don't want to, like, go get lost in some other city driving around, so I just won't. And it's like, that's such a lame.

[A]

So what you're doing is you're connecting, like, just staying in Tulsa to people who just stay in what they're good at and in their comfort zone.

[B]

Yeah. Where it's like you have natural skill or talent in one area, and you only do work on that because you're terrified of being perceived as bad at something. Yeah. Whereas it's actually a really beautiful strength to go, hey, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go stink at something. Because then I can enjoy and I can learn and I can grow and I can find new ways to do things. I think most people are so uncomfortable with uncertainty around something because, A, the verdict of what people think of them, either online or in person, is going to be too important. So if you get rid of that, you're totally fine. And then, B, it's like, it's actually really cool to go try stuff that you suck at and. And to get. As you get better at it, like, that's how it goes. And that way it just eliminates fear. You're just not afraid anymore.

[A]

Yeah. And I think that's the biggest thing is that anything that you do that is not easy, it builds you as a human, for sure. And I think that it actually helps you live longer to continue. You know, I remember talking to Gran Gran, and every few years, she would either be given another responsibility by my dad or changed responsibilities, and she had to learn a whole new thing called email.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, or learn how to text or learn how to be on, you know, Facebook at 101 years old or just learning things of like, okay, so this human resources process that we are currently doing, we're changing it now. We're going to make it media. It would be very easy for my grandma, who's now in heaven, for her to go, I'm 90 years old. I'm not going to learn this. But she worked at Victory another nine years. She worked at Victory till 99 and then 100, 101. She had to reel it back. But for nine years, she continued to decide, hey, Jeremy Vargas, I know you're our IT director and you're over our wifi. Can you help me get my computer back on WI fi? I don't know how to do it. You'd have to come in. And she just wasn't afraid to ask for help. And I'm like, I do believe that that made her mind strong because it's problem solving. It's like sharpening. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so I basically am just wanting to encourage you in that is whatever it is that you're afraid of to start. Start. And then just know, man, we never know what God's going to do with this. With my. Yes. And I am. I am good at being okay in the middle of being bad, Right?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

And just knowing it's building you and it's growing you as a person, you know, I am. I am very grateful for our pastors. I have seen my brother, Pastor Paul, I've seen him grow in that. To where he has had to choose growth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In times where it would be very easy not to.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

And every time I've seen it, I've seen it. I mean, I'm watching from the outside, but also because I'm close to him, because he's my brother, I've seen it. Bless him in his life privately.

[B]

Yeah. Good.

[A]

And I'm just like, man, I'm really. I'm really happy that, yeah. Paul has decided to continue to grow even on things whenever. You know, at one point he was the young adult pastor. Like, when I say young adult, like, yes. Over young adult ministry. But at one point he was like the youngest guy being over a megachurch. So it's. It was cool to be young. Well, guess what? He's not young anymore. So now he's having to learn. Okay. I'm now a dad and a pastor and a husband. And I have to evolve my teaching. I have to evolve my preaching, which means I need to evolve my thoughts, which means I need to connect with other different people that think out differently. Than me. Good for him. You know what I mean? And just exposing himself to like, those other people who are pastors, who are preachers that are at a higher level than him, that would be intimidating. Or even people that are his own age that are at a higher level than him. It could be embarrassing, but he's like, no, this is, this is better for me. And so I'm like, as I see him do it, I know I can do it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I think that that's like a blessing follows that in your life.

[B]

Totally. It's also really a relief when as you're trying to get good at something initially, if we're honest, the incentive, the motivation is I want this group of people to see me be good at this. Yeah. And then over time, you're so bad at it for so long. And then you start to figure out who you are while you suck at whatever thing. And then there's a Rick and Morty quote. Rick and Morty, which I don't even watch the show. But this quote went viral. And it's, it's, it was strange how I landed at this thought. And then I heard someone say. And I go, oh, that's it. Where the quote is. People are booing him for some reason. And he says, your booze mean nothing. I've seen what you cheer for. Your boos mean nothing. I've seen what you cheer for. And so at least in my life, as I have been awful at so many things for so long that I want to be really good at. And there's a group of people I want to impress and say, I want them to cheer for me and go, yes, we're so proud of how well you've done. You're so good at this. You're so good at this. Over time, while you suck at something and you're working hard, you see them cheer for people who suck more than you do.

[A]

You're like, okay.

[B]

And you go, huh? Your opinion is decided by a few ad executives in Madison Avenue. Yeah, like you got. Nowadays, I don't watch the Oscars. I don't care for the like, nothing against those people. But I'm like, you guys, your rubric means nothing. And if you. I remember when, when John Chow died. This is what happened in 2018.

[A]

John Chow is a guy who graduated from. In 2018.

[B]

I went to college with. Or I had gone to college 2011 to 2015 with a dear friend named John who was martyred in the Sentinelese.

[A]

Islands, which those are islands you're not supposed to go on because of a protected tribe.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And you guys probably heard this viral story. Those of you who went all over.

[B]

The world, everyone's talking about it, whatever, but watching. Yeah. And he gave his life for his faith, and he was so well prepared. No one knows that part of the story, but anyways, when that happened and I saw the whole world, Christians included, being like, really, really mean about this dude. And I was like, you guys were talking about Jim Elliot and Nate Saint and all these guys from the past who did the exact same thing. And, you know, when I saw them boo him, their cheers meant nothing anymore. And then vice versa. So what I mean to say is, over time, while you. When you start out on the journey of being good at something, the incentive and motivation is, I'd like to impress X group of people. By the time you get good at it, you want to impress hopefully God and yourself and the people that you respect.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Who may not be the famous ones, who may not be the ones getting attention for it. And by the end of it, it's like, oh, that was just the, like, on ramp onto the process. And I appreciate those people, but now I don't really care what they're gonna think. Yeah. I don't really necessarily mind if they don't like something. You know what I mean? So that's the freedom of. That's the most important reason to start. It's not so right now. We live in a culture that's like, your life is not valid unless you become famous and you're an influencer and you have a bunch of money online, and that's just a disease that we're gonna have to figure out. It's a new pandemic. But I'm saying the reason to start is not so. Someday you're on a podcast or so you're famous or so you have a bunch of money doing it, but it's that you become yourself and you go, oh, yeah, whatever. Like, I don't need their booze or their cheers. I'm really, really grateful I got to paint this picture. I'm grateful I got to play this volleyball game. I'm grateful I got to have this conversation or eat this meal or cook this thing or. And then all of a sudden, your life becomes the event that you've been hoping to earn a ticket to get into.

[A]

That's beautiful. Arvin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I love what you said, is that. You know, what you said, is that last thing you said. Your life becomes the event.

[B]

You've been competing to get a ticket.

[A]

You've Been competing to get a ticket to.

[B]

Yeah. What a beautiful.

[A]

That's beautifully said in my mind. So just repeat after me. I don't lose in my losses. You don't lose. You always gain something when you can be introspective. So whenever you feel like, oh, I'm losing now, I understand. I'm not talking about loss of a friend or loss of. But throughout life, you're going to lose, you're going to be bad, you're going to do these things. I'm sure that there were some losses early on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, you know, whenever you look at the. The people who have a significant impact in the world.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, whether it be, you know, Charlie Kirk or whether it be Martin Luther King Jr. Or whether it be, you know, athletes, you know, Venus, Serena Williams, whether it be Wayne Gretzky in hockey or Michael Jordan, it's like you look at all the things that they were bad at, and you're just like, okay, so it does take. Yeah. You know, you look at people. People who, you know, have made films. There's a story that I heard this morning at I go to this workout place. There was a guy who started CrossFit at 67, and he is now 90 years old. He just had his birthday today.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

And the CrossFit organization celebrated him today on their website. And he just hasn't missed a day. And he's not trying to compete in competitions. But I'm like, at 90 years old, this guy, he can, like, deadlift 330 pounds. He can. Yeah. And. And 330 pounds. If you're like a horse in the weight room, that. That's like, oh, I could do that. The dude is 90 years old, bro. 90 years old. He's. And he can clean and snatch, which all of those movements are insane to even learn. But he was like. Was watching my friends get old and pass away.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And he was like, that was enough for me to show up. Wow.

[B]

Good for him.

[A]

And so, anyways, I think that that is what we're talking about, is that when things are hard, that is God having you on the potter wheel, and he's just molding and shaping you and forming you, and you're going to meet this next version of yourself. And we're excited. Excited for it. Yeah. And you're gonna feel dumb. You're gonna feel great. Yeah, that's great. You're gonna feel. You're gonna have all the questions, am I doing this right? Why do I. Why am I bad at this? But then you're gonna arrive at that other side, the version of yourself, you're gonna go, wow, it's season 10. Right behind the scenes of our best days. Of my best days, I'm on season 10, episode one. I remember when I started in bubble, blah, blah. You're going to have that moment in your life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's going to be a beautiful moment. And anyways, we just wanted to say thank you so much for listening and watching.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And we will see you next week.

[B]

Bye, guys.

[A]

Bye.