Beyond Sunday

Giving Abundantly: Trading Scarcity for Abundance

• King of Kings Church

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Dina, Pastor Greg, and Peter talk about shifting from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance. They explore practical ways to recognize what you already have, rewire your focus toward gratitude, and respond with open hands—learning to trust God’s provision and live with lighter, freer hearts.

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the King of Kings podcast, where we dive a little bit deeper into our message series and see what we're taking Beyond Sunday. I'm Dina Newsome. And we were just talking about I have a new combo of guests today. These two gents have not been here together. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.

SPEAKER_04:

Hi. Hi, I'm Peter.

SPEAKER_00:

And I'm Greg Griffith.

SPEAKER_04:

Nice to be with you all.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm a nose breather.

SPEAKER_04:

Am I a nose breather?

SPEAKER_00:

I can hear it. I can hear it in the microphone.

SPEAKER_04:

Am I nose breathing?

SPEAKER_00:

It's some type of breathing.

SPEAKER_04:

That's why I don't wear the earphones. So I don't have to hear people. No, Lori gets so mad at my chewing. Yeah. Because she can hear me chew.

SPEAKER_01:

There's like a name for that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So occasionally I'll walk up behind her and just chew bananas. Oh boy. She gets so mad. There is a name.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you chew like when it irritates you, when you can't stand the sound of people chewing? There's a there's a name.

SPEAKER_04:

There's a name. There is a name for that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I remember.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, it's like a it's like a syndrome that I think you can actually like almost like murder someone, and then that's a fine defense.

SPEAKER_01:

This is a defense because it's not your fault.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. My kids do that. They love chewing right in our ears. It is a worse, and it uh it may lead to murder eventually.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. So yeah, and I think you can you can say you heard it here first, that it's a defense. That's fine.

SPEAKER_01:

That's what we do here, providing you with legal aid defense for free legal aid.

SPEAKER_04:

I would probably say none of the neither of us, no one in here is a lawyer, nor has any ability to give true legal advice.

SPEAKER_01:

No.

SPEAKER_04:

That was for you, Dave Rattle.

SPEAKER_01:

Subtext.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. So I don't know if you guys know this, but today is National Chocolate Day.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh.

SPEAKER_01:

Today. Yeah. This is a very excited look you have, Peter. Are you a chocolate lover? Do you like chocolate? I love chocolate. Yeah. Okay. So my question is what's your favorite kind of chocolate? Yeah. Dark. Just dark chocolate. Dark chocolate straight, or is it like chocolate in something? I know, like you're quite the baking baked goods connoisseur. Like, is there something you really like chocolate on or in?

SPEAKER_00:

Or yeah. Yeah. Notice she didn't say baker. I just eat it. So that's that is something because there's bakers and people are like, oh, you're a baker. No one's like, oh, you eat everything.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, they do say that. It just might not be.

SPEAKER_00:

They say it to each other, yeah. Not to you.

SPEAKER_04:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh so that's what I hear. I love all most all things chocolate. It'd be hard to come up with something I don't. But yeah, I'll eat straight up dark chocolate up to about 90. 90. And uh, but if 90 pieces?

SPEAKER_04:

What do you mean 90?

SPEAKER_00:

90% cocoa.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, I didn't realize it was real bitter.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Real bitter, yeah. Like when you get like a little Hershey's dark chocolate, it's like 43% or something like that.

SPEAKER_01:

He does the hard stuff. That's what you're saying. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

After it.

SPEAKER_01:

Like spoonfuls of cocoa powder. Will you do that?

SPEAKER_00:

Like I mean, if you got it here, I'll try it right now. All right. Cocoa, chocolate and anything. But I recently took a test to find out which food mess messes with me. Yeah. And chocolate's on my list. So not good. Yes. When I was a teacher, I would give kids extra credit if they brought me chocolate.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_04:

You're not a teacher anymore.

SPEAKER_00:

That was many years ago before my stomach issues.

SPEAKER_01:

What about you, Greg? What kind of chocolate?

SPEAKER_04:

So I hate chocolate. Really? Yeah, I don't like it. It's probably why I didn't know that you can eat 90 pieces. I don't like it at all. I like white chocolate. That's not chocolate. That's not even, that's like fake. But I will eat white chocolate. I love white chocolate. Um, white chocolate, raspberry cheesecakes, um, white chocolate, Reese's pieces or peanut butter cups. Uh, yeah, anything white chocolate is fine. But other like regular chocolate, uh, gross. Can't stand it. Makes me thirsty, irritable. It's not good.

SPEAKER_01:

Good. I will do chocolate just in small amounts. I'm not a huge chocolate lover. I'm not by any means a connoisseur where I'm like, oh, this is the real good stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, but I will, I will take it. I will have my chocolate in scarcity, not abundance. How's that for a transition right there, folks? Uh-huh. So we are talking about uh the giving challenge week four, Pastor Zach Zender. That's what this podcast is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Wasn't sure.

SPEAKER_01:

It's the side of the food. We're gonna start a separate food one because we always talk about food. But um, trading scarcity for abundance was kind of the theme of our week four this week. And so what are you guys taking beyond Sunday from this week?

SPEAKER_00:

There it is. It's just so much breathing.

SPEAKER_04:

I think they edit that out.

SPEAKER_00:

They uh oh well if they do, then I'm gonna sound crazy. Kind of hope they do now. Um yeah, it was a great continuation on the topic of uh of giving and generosity. Uh it's been a convicting series, and this was another one uh for me that just leaves me having to think about like one, how blessed I am, and do I do I in accordance to how much God has given me give it away. Uh not just with finances, but also with uh energy and positivity and um time and uh I I can find myself losing patience and and not being very generous. So I mean this whole series has been a great great look into God's word on um just living a lifestyle that it gives.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I think for me what this week I came away with is just the reminder of like we're always to be in margins, um, nuanced is is good. I think it's just every subject is this, right? Like extremism is never healthy. So extremism and scarcity mindset, extremism and abundance mindset, extremism in you know, biblical mindset, like all these things, it's just never healthy. And so, so how do you nuance and live with an attention that's a healthy responsibility? And so um, you know, moderation truly, truly is is uh good and holy and righteous living.

SPEAKER_01:

The thing that really stuck with me about this week was when Zach was talking about the book that he read, True Riches, that um where these two men were really diving into tithing and and all types of things. And when he said they kind of flipped it from thinking, how much do I need to give to how much do I need to keep? Like that stuck with me. I was like, okay, that's something I can translate to my regular life where I do think, oh, how much, like, let me decide the smallest amount that maybe I need to give and I'm comfortable with, you know, but really can I decide the smallest amount that I need to keep and give the rest away? That was one that hit me hard. So Zach started out with a story of beach day. Have you guys experienced the beach day with your families where you pack everything up, take it there, get every, you know, by the time you get everything set up, and then it's time to leave, you get home, have to do all the cleanup and everything. And then his flip on that was when someone allowed them to stay at the beach house and you didn't have the travel there and the cleanup after, and how much more amazing it was to experience that day. Um, how did you relate to this story or how does that type of thing happen in other areas of your life? Was there something that it sparked for you?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, first off, the beach has no allure to me. Zero percent. You talked about the sand everywhere. Uh totally agree. Don't need that in my life. And then if you get into the water, there's just killers in there. Like things that sting you and eat you, and undercurrents and rocks to bash your head on.

SPEAKER_01:

You also don't enjoy swimming.

SPEAKER_00:

I can't swim. So it's the worst thing ever. I'm I appreciate what God did with the oceans. They're beautiful, but just not for me. So I yeah, even with the beach house, it'd be more of a curse for me, but I get what Zach was saying. Um, I think I think in in in my life, I do have a tendency to uh here's an example. So the Zenders, they love the fun vacation. And I'm married to a Zender, and so like they will save up all year to go on a great vacay. Um, my family we vacate differently, so this is a new type of vacay for me. And so a couple weeks ago we went to Cancun, all inclusive. It was actually really cheap because it was um off season and and uh I went into it with a really bad attitude, and just like so I wasn't generous with my attitude, with my encouragement, with my excitement, and um, and then it turned out to be a great vacay, and all inclusive is awesome, and the kids had a good time, and so it's uh like one of the takeaways I I took is like going into it knowing everything I have and I have been given by God really ought to change my perspective. It doesn't seem to be working yet, but it is something like golly Peter, quit. I don't think I'm a grumpy gus, but um, there are definitely times where I can just come into it kind of pessimistically. Then God slaps me around a little bit and I come out and realize, oh, life isn't too bad.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, that's that's I that's interesting. I no, I I like the beach. I love the beach. I can I like I enjoy it, I think it's fun. Um, you go in the water and you can relax, and the Atlantic Ocean's like being in a bathtub every single time. And uh Pacific's a little cold. Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan, there's nothing stinging you, there's no fish that are gonna bite you. It's like being on the ocean. Um they got sandy beaches. Oh, yeah, white sandy beaches, the most beautiful Sagatuck, Michigan, most beautiful white sandy beaches in America. Uh, I should say the United States of America. So yeah, absolutely gorgeous. So I I like the beach. I think you were right though. The attitude is is kind of there. I mean, I think, you know, if you hate it, you hate it. I had friends that lived on Newport Beach, like literally on the beach, and we would go every weekend, and it was awesome. Didn't fight parking. We parked it where they were, and you know, you just walked right out to the beach, but then like, you know, you still had house sand in the house, and you still had stuff like that. But it's like it's a beach house, it's supposed to be that way. So it was great. I think you're I think the nail on the the nail on the hammer that you hit is absolutely right.

SPEAKER_00:

That is a crazy way to say that.

SPEAKER_04:

That's the idiom. It's so it's it's it's all about your mindset. Yeah. What is your mindset? How are you, you know, and that that's what this whole the message really was was what is your mindset? And um, you know, if you go in and and I will say this, I mean, uh like I I'm not there, so I I don't know, but all the stuff Zach was talking about bringing, like probably 90% of that was unnecessary. Like you don't, you know, I've never no one pops up a tent at the beach. I mean, maybe an umbrella, but like I don't see people bringing tent. I'm not sure if he was planning on living there or what.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, there was absolutely some exaggeration. Yeah, for sure. But it was great for the story.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, it worked perfectly. Yeah, like I'm not bringing a tent to the beach.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know. Never my daughter brings a kitty tent to the beach.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, yeah, but those pop up in two seconds, right?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, they're like the little right just popping up, yeah, putting it away.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, it is those are yeah, impossible to put away.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, yeah, that's why you leave them and buy a new one.

SPEAKER_00:

When you say kitty tent, are those ones that like pop up so fast?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's like a little half dome. Yeah, those are our heads would fit in it, but that's it. Right.

SPEAKER_04:

The worst part of beaching is the sunscreen. As a person who has pale skin, I have to sunscreen everywhere, and then my bald head is worse too. But so that's the part I hate, but I'm not gonna not go.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, can can you think of a time like if it's not the beach, w what is a a gift or something that you have where it's like you you don't really see it as a gift?

SPEAKER_04:

Lori and I have two. We we we paid a lot of money for when we moved here. We said we need to do something together here, um, and all those things. So we bought inflatable kayaks. Oh. So we have two very nice, very like they can go down uh five uh star rapids and inflatable, but they are so much they're heavy, yeah, because they're two persons, so we can take four, they're heavy, um, and they they hand pump and they just take a lot of work, and then they take a lot of work to break back down and put them back into the little bag. And so, like, I think we've used them two times, maybe three, in like six years, and so they they just sit in our garage. We should give those away.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, that's actually been a great takeaway from the series for my wife and I, Krista and I are both like, yeah, um, because yeah, our our house gets cluttered, like many people's. Uh, and then we've always had a tendency to go on the Facebook marketplace, try to sell these things off.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And but it's been exciting to be like, no, let's just give it away and see who who wants it. And uh, when you when you do that, I mean, there's always so many people who will take your free stuff.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, do either of you want kayaks?

SPEAKER_01:

Not me.

SPEAKER_04:

No, not a kayak. I don't know. So much fun. You don't have to swim room. That's another blow em up and take it. Disagreement, Lori and I have. It's like we'll be in Zerenski. No. Where am I gonna in the Zerenski or standing bear? Gross. No. So, like, she's like, Wear your life jacket. I'm like, I'm not wearing my life jacket. Like, what's gonna be?

SPEAKER_00:

Are you advocating for not wearing life jackets?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I'm not gonna wear one in my butt you're a good swimmer, aren't you? I good is a relative term. I mean, can I swim? Yes, but you can too. I've watched it's a doggy.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm a sinker.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean you sink, but you swim near the bottom.

SPEAKER_01:

You're tall enough, it's not as much of an issue here in Nebraska. There's no place that's that deep here.

SPEAKER_03:

You can stand in standing bear. That's why it's called Standing Bear Lake. Oh, that's why you can stand up in it.

SPEAKER_00:

Nothing to do with the Native American guy, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely nothing.

SPEAKER_00:

He was awesome, actually. My kids have told me about him.

SPEAKER_01:

Really?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Yeah, because I they told me because King of Kings Northwest, we have a school partnership with Standing Bear. Yeah, and so they're like, Do you know who Standing Bear is? We just learned about him. I was like, No, I don't. So yeah, it's great. Look him up, Standing Bear, good dude.

SPEAKER_01:

Awesome. All right. So one of the things that Zach really talked about was the difference between that scarcity mindset and the abundance mindset, like you were saying, Greg, it's just about the mindset. So, what are your initial thoughts on the contrast between these two? Like, and do you find it easier to slip into one or the other?

SPEAKER_04:

I mean, I I think I think again that they're extremes, right? Like if I'm sitting there going, I'm scarcity mindsetness, and you know, and and and I'll use this. Like when I want to get something with someone that's like, we can't afford that, or like you know, my kids are be like, ah, stop being scarcity mindset. And it's not always that they're being scarcity mindset, they're just thinking kind of logically, and I'm thinking abundance, like I really need that next pair of shoes. I've got 45 pairs of shoes, half the amount that Peter has.

SPEAKER_00:

But that's correct.

SPEAKER_04:

Um yeah, so I I just think it's like again, it's not always like only get what you need. Because I think I think that need like we only buy what you need. I I think that's a scarcity or a scarcity mindset, right? Like at the end of the day, we only need food, shelter, clothing, right? And so so you you always have to have inflatable kayaks. You don't need inflatable kayaks, right? Right, we don't even need three meals a day, right? You don't like now they're saying one meal a day is the good thing. I I don't know, that's not me, but um, yeah, so I I just think like you know, it's easy for I will slip more into abundance than I will scarcity for sure.

SPEAKER_01:

And I just said that you just have a more generous nature.

SPEAKER_04:

I do, but even my abundance, so like an area that's unhealthy for me that I always have to watch. I I don't know where it comes from. It's probably be a very long counseling session, would be multiple, would be like my retirement and my savings. I like it's it's way overabundant. Like I'm like, ah, you know, so um, and I I've got to just temper that down.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so yeah, I I think there's different seasons. Um I think if you are young and married and um trying to get rid of your debts and you agree to live on less, so then you can climb out from your student debt or credit card debt or car debt or whatever it is and live with scarcity, like way to go.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh and and uh I think the biggest thing is contentment. Uh am I happy with what God has given me, or do I need more, more, more? Where's my identity? Is it in my stuff or as a child of God? Um, and then with abundance, it's I I think there's seasons for that too. I think it's it's fun to give good gifts and to celebrate well and to um really cheer people on and get the matching t-shirts and whatever it is. I think I think those are are really honoring ways to see and value the people that God has placed around you. Um when I look at because I'm like, man, I won't what did Jesus live in? Well, he clearly didn't have much, he traveled with very little, um, but then like abundance, like he gave everything. So um I I do think there's seasons for and and Greg, I think you're spot on that you the nail on the hammer that you hit with your finger, or whatever you said, uh of of moderation, like there's there's seasons for everything. Um, how do we acknowledge that and ask God like the realization from a week ago of it's not mine, it belongs to him anyway. And am I returning my things to him or am I trying to hoard them for myself?

SPEAKER_01:

I feel like in my younger season of life, I was much more of an abundance mindset. And I wanted my kids to have everything and I wanted my neighbors to have everything and that. And now as I get older, I find myself slipping pretty hard sometimes into that scarcity mindset of, oh, am I gonna have enough for retirement? Am I gonna be like, what's that gonna look like? Oh, I need to hang on to this for X, Y, Z reasons. And it, this, you're right, this message series has been challenging me of, okay, that's not, I don't need to live in that extreme, you know. I don't need to live in an abundant extreme where I am giving everything away. But how do I find that balance that is honoring both to God and to my life? You know, yeah. Okay, so Zach kind of gave us three ways to work towards a more generous mindset. And I want to just kind of hear your thoughts on each one. So the first one he said is to recognize, recognize what you already have. How did that speak to you?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, uh Greg mentioned it earlier. Uh, I love shoes. You do lots of them. I do love shoes.

SPEAKER_04:

What's your favorite pair right now?

SPEAKER_00:

Right now, you know, so when I was in New Orleans for the youth gathering, I went to a Skechers and I was like, I'm wearing Skechers, yeah. And and I had I was making fun of Skecher slippins because I'm like, this has got to be the lowest form of footwear. Like, how lazy are we getting? And I slipped my foot into one of those slippins, and it was glorious, really. And but then I'm like, I've been looking online for decent-looking Sketcher slippins because for me they all felt a bit geriatric, yeah. And and I was like frustrated because I really want a pair, and then I went to Ross Dress for less. And guess who makes a whole line of Skecher slippins? Who? Snoop Dogg.

SPEAKER_04:

Snoop Dogg and Doggy Dog.

SPEAKER_00:

So wow, you're wearing them now. So you can't see it, listeners, but on the bottom of my shoe, it says Snoop Dogg. And I Doggy Dog says doggy dog. Doggy dog. Doggy dog united.

SPEAKER_04:

I'm not gonna put my finger on the inside. Look at that though.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, wow, it's green and like it's got that um beautiful Paisley Pranchy. But Snoop Dogg Skecher slip ins, they're definitely my favorite.

unknown:

Wow.

SPEAKER_04:

So I and I'll let you get back to your story. But I the Skechers I'm wearing came yesterday. First of all, they were$48, which I always find that's great.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a good price.

SPEAKER_04:

Really great price for shoes. Um, and I bought these thinking they were slip-ins, they're not. Oh disappointment. Yeah, and but they are they they are a little geriatric looking, they are, but like I was finding my feet were hurting a little bit, and I was like, they feel great. I'm really liking these right now. Yeah, fashion is second.

SPEAKER_00:

So, yeah, how did we get here? What was the question? The abundance recognize what you already have.

SPEAKER_01:

How did it speak to you too? Yeah, this is a way you can read it. Right.

SPEAKER_00:

So I have a lot of shoes, I love stuff, I'm a collector of stuff. Um, but I always have to remind myself of what happened in in October of 2017 when we had a house fire and we lost all our stuff, and I was okay. And my family was good, and like really it elevated what really matters to me. And that is just such a good reminder to me to like the it's okay for me to have stuff into like shoes, um, but to like really give things away and to be generous with what I have.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and I I've shared this and I won't share this long, but like for me, yeah, I I recognize and I think when I went to Uganda and just experienced everyone living every day with just their four walls, which were huts, their food, and basic clothes, not a closet, but what the wear clothes to wear. Um, it just made me realize like you know, I don't I don't care that the garage door doesn't open for six months. Like I we we can we can get along with that. Um you know it it it's okay that because of hard water or whatever, that all my sinks have like this white stuff around them, like whatever. Um, I can get beyond that.

SPEAKER_01:

So in this um section, Zach brought up Psalm 21, 23, one, where it says, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. And that is a verse that um stuck with me in a Bible study I did years ago, and it was part of an Easter study. And at that time, the encouragement was to do 40 days of giving things away. And so I did a challenge that was called 40 bags in 40 days, where you could do 40 bags of items you were donating to a place, to goodwill, to wherever, you know, and not like giant garbage bags, but you know, could be little target bags or whatever. And I that really I was shocked at the amount of stuff we had that I could we could go through and give away as a family. And I have tried to continue to do that. I don't get it done every year, but I try to do 40 items, whether it's boxes or bags, every like in Lent, as part of my just preparing my heart for Easter, of realizing that this isn't the stuff I don't need. Like Jesus died on the cross for me. That's what I need. And I don't need 45 pairs of shoes, but I'm not a collector of it either. I collect other things. But I I just am I'm shocked even when I do it one year and then go back to do it the next year, that I've got 40 bags again. Where did it all come from?

SPEAKER_04:

I I have a good friend who's actually a minimalist, and um, it's really fascinating. I mean, he's got five t-shirts, five pairs of pants, and no, two pairs of pants, um, one pair of shoes. Like he's he literally is a minimalist.

SPEAKER_01:

That is crazy to me. Interesting, absolutely crazy. Okay, so the second thing, the second way that we can work on a more generous mindset is to rewire your mind. How did that one strike you?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, I think I um I would have I and I like he connected this with renew your minds. I would have I would have used renew here because this is one of the gifts I think God has given us with our minds, that that we can change the way our minds fire. You can change your habits, you can change your thinking, you can change your disposition, you can change all things. I was just actually talking with Chad, doing a little coaching with him, um, and was just talking about this of like when when things go poorly for me or things are bad, or I'm an achiever. So when I fail, um I give myself permission to have a pity party. I I have told myself that it can be no more than two days. Generally, I choose an hour or two, and I'll be like, all right, you can feel sorry for yourself, you can be upset, you can be angry, you can have all the terrible thoughts that you need to have till 7.15 p.m. And then at 7.15, that all goes away. And you start over and you move past it. And uh God's just given us this great ability to change. This is why we can intermittent fast, you can, you know, change your eating habits, you can change your it's your mind is so powerful. And so, um, so we can change what we think we need or what we think we want, or even our spending patterns and how we're doing things.

SPEAKER_00:

That explains why I got all those crazy texts last night at like seven o'clock.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I was done at 715.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my gosh, just kidding.

SPEAKER_01:

Penny party over.

unknown:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. No, I uh the idea of where am I fixing my eyes? And uh am I fixing my eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of my faith, um, or on my wants, even what I think I need. And so that rewiring is really a um a priority sharpening to um what's going to give me life and uh what's I mean, maybe take life from me, but uh at the very best, it's like neutral. You know, it's it's I'm not gonna take my things to heaven with me. That that verse of lay up your treasures in heaven. Um I sang a song about that when I was in college, and it was just such a good reminder of like all this stuff that we think is important now, if it were gone and all we had was Christ, would it be enough? And if I truly examine myself in that, I think I'd struggle with that answer. But the reality is, yes, it would be enough.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and you're a good singer too.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, thanks.

SPEAKER_04:

You are you're really good.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not doing it right now. Don't make me do it. Oh no, I won't.

SPEAKER_01:

Are you gonna sing us out today later?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I I I can sing us out. Okay, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04:

But I rewired, like I had an obsession, and it was an obsession for like four days of the meta glasses. Like I was ready. I was like justifying in my mind where I could come up with$399 that Lori wouldn't really care or notice about. Like I had all these things ready to go. And then it was like, I was like, okay, when would I actually wear these sunglasses? And when would I actually do this? And I was like, it'd probably be for at the most an hour a day, maybe two hours into summer. And I was like, I don't need these. Like, I'm I'm okay. Like, this doesn't isn't gonna, you know. And so then it was like, okay, stop watching the videos about them, stop researching them, stop, you know. And so now, I mean, I brought it up, so I'll probably think more about it, but but for the most part, I don't think about them at all now. And like that, which I was like for three days, like, gosh, if I'm just even in the vicinity of where I can buy one, I probably would. Now I'm kind of like, I don't even give it a thought, you know. So you can rewire your mind pretty renew your mind pretty easily.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and what you're putting into your mind, it really helps with that. Uh, and this happens to me all the time. As a person who like loves stuff, I'll I'll find that pair of shoes and then I'll look it up and I'll read the review and whatever. And then I'm like, well, of course I need to get this pair of shoes. Well, what am I putting into my mind? It's all that. If I'm putting into my mind like things of Christ, God's word, a great conversation with a friend, uh a great conversation with someone I don't know yet. Um, oh my goodness, I'm not really gonna care about those that pair of shoes. I'll care about the people that God put around me.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm utterly fascinated with how God created our brains. Like I'm just fascinated with how they're wired together and how easy it is to just go on autopilot on some things. Like, I don't know if you guys experienced that. Like when my kids change school, I would start driving to the old school. Oh, yeah, you know, or when I changed jobs, I would start driving, you know, to the wrong place just out of I was on autopilot. And it is not that difficult to renew it. Yeah. Um, it just takes a little bit of effort and what you like you said, what you're putting in front of it.

SPEAKER_04:

And my frontal lobe's still forming. So like I I've got a ways to go.

SPEAKER_01:

Because you're only 27?

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Oh, oh, that was a joke. I was like, how late does that go?

SPEAKER_04:

All your life.

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe for you, Peter, it might be longer.

SPEAKER_04:

Just grow a unicorn horn. Just like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That's how you can say you're eternally leaning.

SPEAKER_04:

Be patient with me. God's not done yet.

SPEAKER_01:

There you go. There you go.

SPEAKER_04:

T-shirt.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. So the third way that um Zach said that we can work towards a more generous mindset is to respond with open hands. How did that one speak to you?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I I thought the prayer that he had us uh at like at the end of it, like grip your hands together. Um, I don't know if he did that at all campuses or if that was a Millard thing, but I know I've I've used that before too, where I grip my hands and I make them like a fist and I and I squeeze them as hard as I can, and I and I pray to God and I say, God, help me to quit um taking control of my own life. And then I like name the the areas where I'm trying to take control, and it takes me a little while. And then when I finally let go and let my hands relax, there is such relief, and it's just that reminder of like there's freedom when we quit holding on and and give things over to God who can ultimately do something about it and who has for all eternity.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, it reminded me of a I've used this in a sermon illustration multiple times, but there's a uh uh ape in uh Africa that the poachers, the the trap is the fruit, and as the ape reaches its hand in, it it can go in easily. But once it grabs the fruit um and in the fist, the fist is too big to come out. And so then the trap is tied to a tree and the poachers calmly walk up to it. The ape knows it's in danger, um, but the ape's mindset is I can't let go of this food. This is what I need to live and survive, even though in imminent danger is coming, and then the poachers just kill it, skin it, and and move on. Where if the ape would just let go of the fruit, it could escape. Um, and and that's what happens. We get to where we hold on to something and we think my life cannot go on without this. And and my conviction is like we we get this not only with stuff, but we even get this with relationships. We get this with, you know, and and at the end of the day, it's really about us with Jesus and and Jesus. And that's the most important relationship that we have to have. And so as a parent, like I want my children to do well, but if I haven't taught them Jesus or I've chosen things that point away from Jesus for them, I've messed up. Um, and I've I've I've held on to something for them when I'm I'm in danger and I can escape that.

SPEAKER_01:

So um Zach talked about Luke 12, 48 here, which I'm gonna misquote it, but it's those too much is given, much is expected. That kind of this is the verse that I translate into Marvel language. I'm a Marvel superhero junkie, and to me, it's the same thing as with great power comes great responsibility. Like that's what it says to me. And I thought that was a a fitting part for this. You know, you have to be ready to respond to what God has given you, but to take care of it, you know, and treat it with respect and um share, give generously whatever with, you know, being a steward, like Zach talked about last week, you know, being a good steward of things. Um, okay, so as we wrap up here today, what are your final takeaways from this week? Week four of the giving challenge.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, well, mine was I I really I really am big into this. And I think if anyone's listening this week, not if anyone, all those that are listening this week, um I I think a challenge I I found myself convicted with was on the gift card thing, it's great. I love it. I did feel like I was like, ah, like for me personally, I was like, these are like leftovers. I was like, why don't I really make a difference and go buy some new gift cards and some gift cards with full amounts? And so I bought a couple of those, along with the ones we we won't use. And so I think for me, I came away with like like I I kind of was more thinking about like let me give to God first in my tithes and offerings, which I do, but then also let me give to my neighbor first, um, even even greater. And so that that was a challenge I was working through with myself.

SPEAKER_01:

Now, if we have a listener that hasn't watched the service, the service yet, do you want to explain what the gift card challenge is?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, grab grab I grab a new gift card, go buy one. Yep. Um, five, ten, fifteen dollars, twenty five dollars. What doesn't matter. Um, and then and then uh bring it to any one of our campuses, and then in a couple weeks, uh those those will be all given away. And I actually like this. Like, I think, right, the in Acts it talks about the fellowship of believers gathered together um and and broke bread together and prayed together, and not a need amongst them was found. And sometimes, like, we always think like, Oh, can't these go to people with more needs around? Yes, but also the church cares for one another, and so like there's something really good about releasing a burden with someone right next to you in church, or or even just giving them the ability to go, you know what, kids, this week we are gonna go get ice cream.

SPEAKER_00:

Um yeah, and and I would say, so I'm a person like every time I get a gift card, I'm like so pumped. I love it, but it's hard to use them sometimes, and so what I'm like, I am gonna go back and look at I've got some really great gift cards that I haven't used in over half a year or a year. And um, for me, it's gonna be hard to give those away, but like, Lord, show me which ones to give away. And then uh yeah, when when people come to church uh in a couple weeks, they can grab it, you know, like we can't afford this, or they could say my neighbor certainly can't afford this. That's okay. And grab it and give it to them. So yeah, a great, great opportunity for for generosity there.

SPEAKER_04:

Or or even sometimes I think like I, you know, I I not I think sometimes it's not even the need of like afford or not afford, right? Like imagine this, like sometimes a parent or or we in our family or with our spouse, it's not that we can't afford it, but if it's like we get in a car and we say to our kids, like, hey kids, we're actually gonna go to Dairy Queen because someone donated at the church and it's gonna be fun. And there's some joy that happens in our house and they're excited. And it was like, you know what? It was a long week and we just needed joy. We just needed a little, a little relief, a little excitement, a little, a little ice cream.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Or shoe.

SPEAKER_01:

Or shoe. So um I really am uh still kind of chewing on where Zach talked about uh flipping your mindset from what if I don't have enough to what if God really is who he said he is, and just trusting him for any everything. He talked about abundance mindset, a true abundance mindset is I can live open-handed because everything I need will be provided. And that's something I want to work towards. Like I said, I tend to be a little more scarcity right now. So that's something I want, which is really just trusting that God is gonna do what he said he will. Yeah. Well, thank you guys for being here today.

SPEAKER_04:

Did my breathing get better?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, no, yeah, I could tell you were really concentrated on that.

SPEAKER_04:

Really, yeah, that really got to me.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, and so as we wrap out, uh wrap up, I'm ready for your song, Peter. I'm ready.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. This is the official theme song for the giving challenge. Nope, please don't do that. Okay, because I am coming up with this. So it goes like this. If you want a challenge that truly is living, follow our Jesus, go and start giving. Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

I just how do you do it? I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

How do you do it? I love it.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know. Living and giving that one felt good. Sometimes they don't work. That was really good. That was really good.

SPEAKER_01:

Quick sign out until next week. Let's keep living our lives. Living our faith beyond Sunday.

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