Beyond Sunday

Not Alone - Week 3

• King of Kings Church

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 38:36

Dina, Peter, and Pastor Greg talk about why community isn’t optional—it’s protection. Looking at Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, they explore how courage grows when we stand shoulder to shoulder and trust that God is present in the heat.

Stay up to date by following us on your favorite social networks.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube

Have questions or comments? Email us at contact@kingofkings.org.

Thanks for listening!

SPEAKER_06:

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. My name my name. I can't talk today, guys. They're starting off real great. My name is Dina Newsome, and I have some great guests today.

SPEAKER_00:

Hello, Dina. One man. Actually, two men, one woman, one podcast, Beyond Sunday.

SPEAKER_05:

That's not our that's not the intro at all.

SPEAKER_01:

That's well, it was.

SPEAKER_06:

We can pitch that to creative and let's see what they think.

SPEAKER_01:

This is Peter Bam, the campus director of King of Kings Northwest.

SPEAKER_05:

You have like totally not talked in your normal voice twice. I'm Greg.

SPEAKER_06:

Peter, you're looking quite dapper today. You're quite bright in in colors.

SPEAKER_01:

At the point of filming this, it's like it's Meridian. It is like 75 degrees outside. I knew I wouldn't get outside, but I wanted to wear clothes as if I was outside.

SPEAKER_06:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And so I'm bringing spring, baby.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah. It's a really simple thing. Peter's got like melon-colored shorts and uh and a flowery polo shirt.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_06:

It's bright. It's bright. Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

Let the flowers let the flowers bloom. Let the allergies come. It's time for spring.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, I forgot about allergies.

SPEAKER_01:

You gotta get on that flow nay zyzole routine.

SPEAKER_05:

We don't uh yeah, just this constant sneezing.

SPEAKER_06:

We go from everyone needing tissues from cold season to everyone needing tissues for allergies.

SPEAKER_01:

So this is quite the starts of the podcast. One podcast talking about allergies.

SPEAKER_06:

Okay. Um, so I don't know if you guys know this, but today, the day we're recording this, is random acts of kindness day.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, that's sweet.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah. So my question is have you ever done a random act of kindness for a stranger or ever had one done for you?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Actually, let me tell you a story about a time where Greg Griffith, it was awesome. What did I do? He calls me and it was when you had like what was it called? A pechkey? Pachke?

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, punchkey.

SPEAKER_01:

Punchkey.

SPEAKER_05:

It's Fat Tuesday, which punchkeys. This is a day. Yeah, punchkeys are everywhere. It's P-A-C-Z-K-I, I think.

SPEAKER_01:

Is that Polish? It's Polish. So it was a Polish like donut type treat. Yeah. And uh and it was on Fat Tuesday. Which what when is Fat Tuesday?

SPEAKER_04:

Today. Today. The Tuesday before. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:

Do you listen? I mean, you know, we're in airphones. I just said this. Yeah, it's today. Today's Fat Tuesday. It's a Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

SPEAKER_01:

This is the one year anniversary of when you did this for me.

SPEAKER_04:

Wow.

SPEAKER_05:

Okay, great. This is the first one. Perfect timing. I spot punch keys into the office today, but I didn't.

SPEAKER_01:

One year ago today, Greg gives me a call and he says, Oh, yeah, I remember this. Where are you? Yeah. And I was like, I'm at Ross Dress for Less. You were. You were. And he's like, I'm right over there and I've got some punch keys. I'm gonna bring you. You never had one. Because I never had one. I'm gonna bring one to you. I said, Let's go. So he walks into Ross Dress for Less with a box of punch keys, and I just eat one at Ross. It was the greatest day.

SPEAKER_05:

They were fresh, yeah. They were fresh. Yeah. You did you have the custard uh raspberry or lemon?

SPEAKER_04:

Um maybe I might have given you three or four of them. I I just kept eating punch keys at Ross.

SPEAKER_05:

They're like a thousand calories per donut. And I mean, they're bigger than a normal donut. Have you ever had a punch key?

SPEAKER_06:

I think you brought some in. And I tried it.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, amazing. Yeah, they are so in Michigan. You will wait two, three hours in line to get a punch key. Like it, they're they're just yeah. I mean, they're they're they're an amazing thing.

SPEAKER_01:

So today is the one-year anniversary of a random act of kindness from Pastor Greg Griffith to me at Ross Dress for Western. I remember that now.

SPEAKER_05:

Lori came with me too.

SPEAKER_01:

She did. She was there. It was a beautiful day.

SPEAKER_05:

That was that was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01:

I remember it's like the birth of my kids, my wedding, and that day.

SPEAKER_05:

The birth of your kids is higher than the wedding?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, it is. Actually, the birth of my kids was not that exciting. I gotta tell you. Like, it was gross. It was like because they're all C-sections, there's blood everywhere. I don't know. So you peeked over the sheet? They they invited me to because uh the the surgeons, both the OBs, were friends of mine.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And so they were like, they're like, Yeah, you can. And Chris was like, could could he videotape this?

SPEAKER_04:

Is it Tom Martin?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh-uh. It was Anchalin and June Wettergren. Oh, nice. Shout out to Anna June.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And uh um Chrissa asked me to videotape. So it was wildly graphic and strange moments in our life.

SPEAKER_06:

And have you ever gotten out that tape and watched it?

SPEAKER_01:

I'd never watch it again. I can't do that. Chris was like totally fine with it.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I can't. I can't even watch horror movies.

SPEAKER_05:

They asked me to peek over the sheet, and then I like went to get up, and Lori goes, You better sit down. Yeah, yeah. That's probably true.

SPEAKER_01:

So it wasn't they didn't it was amazing how quick we went from no child to child. Um, but it was a wild, wild scene. So yeah, so I probably put wedding first, actually, now that you question it. Yeah. Wedding, then the birth and the punch keys.

SPEAKER_06:

Where do you get punchkies here in Omaha?

SPEAKER_05:

Well, I just saw actually yesterday, I like to walk around Costco just for fun and then also to find a sample or two. So yesterday they had a really good sample, like they had a little tiny spicy hot dog, which was great. Um, but they have them now at Costco. So in the punch key punchy uh thing. And then Baker's, because Baker's is a Kroger, which is out of the Midwest and heavily in the Michigan area, uh, also has punchkies. Um, your best bet if you can find like a little little Polish bakery, um, I would assume the Lithuanian bakery might have something here. Um, that would be that would be really good.

SPEAKER_06:

I really think like 30% of our podcast is talking about food.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, especially if I'm on it. 30% of my life is talking about food. 30% of my life is not talking about food.

SPEAKER_06:

Okay, random accoinness, anything spark your memory, Greg?

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I mean, I've I I like doing that. You know, we've done uh like pay for the person behind you. Um I don't I don't know. Like, I feel like even today, like I just was walking into a restaurant and there was someone dropped their like fork napkin, and so I like picked that up. I I feel like that's a random act of kindness because someone else didn't have to pick it up. And um, but I think the the most impactful, I mean, and this was just a really like it was great. We had a guy one time came into our church, his wife had passed away suddenly, and uh he came back to see me and he said, My wife and I always enjoyed vacations just with each other, and it reminded us that we're married, and we we once a year would get away, and then he handed me an envelope and he said, The only rule I have for this is that you and Lori go on a vacation just together. And so like that was super sweet. So he paid for we went to Boston and uh it was like just an absolute blessing. So I was like, wow, that was really, really kind. So that's cool. Yeah, yeah, that was fun. Yeah, how about you?

SPEAKER_06:

Um mine is kind of a similar thing. Um, my family used to go to Hong Kong in the summers, and there was a it was a minimalized expense because we would work with fundraising through our church and stuff. But the second year that we were trying to go, it was kind of pinching some pennies. And my boss came up to me and said, Hey, I just had somebody that donated$2,500 towards your family's trip. And like it was just a huge blessing that we were gonna not have to worry about that.

SPEAKER_05:

It's crazy. Yeah, that is yeah, yeah. Did you eat any like Hong Kong? Scares me.

SPEAKER_06:

Like, I don't Hong Kong is amazing. Weirdest thing you ate already. Chicken feet. Chicken feet is the weirdest thing. There's not really you just kind of gnaw on them, you know. There's not a whole lot of mean. Yeah, frog legs are very popular.

SPEAKER_05:

I didn't eat frog legs and niggas.

SPEAKER_06:

And then everything is like bean, bean paste this or lots of tofu, and I don't enjoy any of that.

SPEAKER_01:

Tofu's terrible, but we went other things. The one time I went to Hong Kong, it's like yeah, there's the uh kind of Americanized places you can go, but then we were like, take us somewhere that's not that. And they brought us to this busy street, and like the tables were on the street. These cars are driving by so fast, and uh, and I was like, they're like, Well, what do you want to eat? And I was like, just order a stuff that we would never order. And it looked like they brought like bugs and stuff, and we just we got after it. Yeah, and uh yeah, yeah, tried, I tried everything. It was the students did not, they'd like there's some unfortunate food wastage that day.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, there's a lot of street food vendors that are just really good if you know the right ones. Like it was very funny. We would go to the same places can like each year, so then we would know, oh, around this corner is the street noodles, and around this corner is the breakfast guy and stuff. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good. All right, so we are in week three of our not alone series. Um, and Pastor Seth Flick has been taking us through so far. Um, what are you taking beyond Sunday from this week's message?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, one, flickage is crushing. I mean, it's awesome to see the groove that flickage. Is that is anyone this is called Flick Flickage?

SPEAKER_05:

I haven't heard flickage. I I've said flicker occasionally, but I also went to school with a flicker. Like the name was actual flicker, yeah. So we call him Flickr.

SPEAKER_06:

I think you guys should just pick one right now, and then everyone listening should come and call seven.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, anyway, um, I I think that the the main takeaway for me is like surrounding myself with um people who are willing to go against the current norms to stand up for God, and that can look a lot of different ways, just how important that is in my life. And it made me think about people in my life who are already doing that. I think of Marcus Nathan. I know that you film uh another podcast with him, but he's I've been part of a Bible study with him for Coffee Break Theology dropping really shortly.

SPEAKER_05:

It's season two is on the way out, just a little plug since you asked.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and it's fantastic stuff. So check it out. Um, but Marcus and I have been doing one-on-one Bible study for probably over eight years now, and now it's actually grown. We had eight guys on um Monday morning, and like just him and there's several other people in my life, another guy called Sean on the way to work today, just talking about faith, talking about family, and how grateful I am to have community around me that loves Jesus.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I think I I think I I've really enjoyed this series as well. You know, I I'm really I'm really like just reminded of how important it is outside of your spouse, and I I also think they need to be people of the same gender, same sex as you. And I think that's an important spot too, because you just need people that you really can uh be vulnerable, that will hold you accountable, that you can be raw with, and um, and in that community that will just stand with you through through thick and thin. And and even standing in the fire with you also sometimes means like standing uh up to you, right? Not not just up for you, but even standing up to you and and making sure you have those friends that can do that. Um and and that that they know you know that even if they say something that you don't like, it's it's not because they're against you, it's because they actually love you and they really care the most for you. And so um, so yeah, that was it was good.

SPEAKER_06:

Just really to me, the point of being us being better together, you know, and that's kind of this whole series, but I felt like this one was more of the community and not just a one-on-one friendship, that it was really how we are just better in a group that's jumped out at me. Okay, so um Seth kind of started out his message talking about how a lot of people were saying 2025 was a dumpster fire, but you know, it was a fire. The world, the world was on fire. So, how do you relate the idea of the world feeling it's like on fire? And how does the concept of community help mitigate that feeling?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, yeah, I I think I'm going to uh jump to the end of the story a little bit here. So if it this answers a question from later on, but the one of the big pieces of the message was about the fire. Shadrachnish and Abednego and how they were not alone one in the fire. Like God, um some believe that it was Jesus. Is uh are there other points of view on that?

SPEAKER_05:

No, I I think most most uh ascribe that to the pre-incarnate Christ.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, how incredible is that that Christ, so they they do not pray to any other God, they do not pray to Nebuchadnezzar, they they pray to the one true God, and they're throne in the furnace. Um, talk about the world being on fire, and uh they stuck to God's promises for them and were punished for it. But yet, in this time, God saved them. Christ was there, and it just really reminds me like I'm going to die, but Christ died first so that I may live, and he will be there, and because of that, I'll have life. And so for me, regardless of the circumstances around me, I get to live from victory for all eternity.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, that's good. I I really think too, like one of the things for me is just the reminder of like being surrounded with you know your community and and then and then walking together in that community. Um and and then just knowing you're you're standing shoulder to shoulder, like that's a big deal.

SPEAKER_06:

I think it always feels better when you're in the midst of something just to know you have people beside you.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

All right. So, in what ways can historical examples like the battle of thermopylae there's a word to say, Peter, is that uh Yeah, that was a Monopoly.

SPEAKER_05:

A little fun fact, it was from the town Thermopylae that uh uh I think it's Warner, Warner Games uh made up Monopoly.

SPEAKER_06:

Oh, for really? No, but if you say something serious and that like people believe I totally I totally would have believed you if you would have said yes, I would have repeated it to other people.

SPEAKER_05:

I know.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, you you my son-in-law loves Monopoly. I mean, like, did you know?

SPEAKER_05:

Well, tell him. Yeah, no, you got it. You got it.

SPEAKER_06:

What do 300 and Warner Brothers haven't come?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, Warner Brothers, yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

All right. So, in what ways can things like historical examples like the battles of Thermopylae teach us about the importance of community and unity?

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I I think I really so a couple things in my mind is like this is where, especially as a coach, like when I used to coach basketball, right, and sports and stuff like that, when you can get a team united around a shared mission and a shared purpose that's beyond themselves, that they know by themselves they could never win, but together they can do something. Um, it just it just multiplies and it just gets going really well. And um, and and then that that even like working together, and this this reminded me of I coached, I coached in um uh East St. Louis. We did a Saturday morning basketball camp, was what what I was doing at a local church down there. And we'd have this team, and man, they were some athletes. Like um, it was, I mean, they were some of the best individual athletes, fast as nails, um, could shoot the lights out, but they uh could not and would not play like a team. And then we played, we played, I set up games, so we played Red Bud, Illinois, this junior high kids, Red Bud, Illinois. And so it was all an all-black team from Unity Saint St. Louis, and then Red Bull, Red Bud, all white team. And um man, Red Bud destroyed us. Like, I mean, like they were they weren't as good, but they just played basketball, like they played the team, they played as one. And man, I I we so we learned from that and we kind of then learned formations and learned from like and learned to trust each other and learned each other's roles. And the next time we played Red Bud, we destroyed them because we were we were much better, and so it was so much fun. So, yeah, I I think I think there's just that reminder of that. And so, so you're in this together, and you've got a shared mission, shared vision, and you got a shared community that's all for one another.

SPEAKER_06:

That's really good.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm I'm looking up the Red Bud, Illinois middle school mascot.

SPEAKER_05:

I don't know if it's has a mascot. Yeah, it's got oh, yeah. Every every school has a mascot.

SPEAKER_01:

They do the mask, the mascot for Red Bud, Illinois, specifically Red Bud Elementary Junior High, is the Red Dogs.

SPEAKER_05:

The Red Dogs. That would be that makes sense, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That is so funny. The red the Red Bud Red Dogs. Oh, I'll never forget that.

SPEAKER_05:

I'll never forget that team. We were just a bunch of ragtag kids that just were playing. That's funny.

SPEAKER_01:

I've been to Red Bud.

SPEAKER_05:

No, you have?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, because my brother's wife is from Red Bud.

SPEAKER_05:

Get out of here. She might have been on the junior high team. Uh no, I mean sisters too. So she well, she would have it was an all-boys team, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I think historical examples um can point to all kinds of illustrations and can help. There's there's so many different types of thinkers, and so when you can grab something from history to help teach a lesson, it really connects with some people and other people um may not be able to connect in that way, but I think it's it's awesome to give those examples of how people work together. We've heard about the Chileans and the that got stuck in the mineshaft and how they didn't give up hope. And the Paloma, I think, is was that Zizzy who talked about that? I don't know, in a message a few months ago. But like all those incredible stories about community coming together are always inspiring. Uh, the Olympics bring up these type of stories. The Jamaican bobsled team, just any going through adversity together is always better.

SPEAKER_06:

I just watched a documentary on Netflix called Miracle that's about the 1980s hockey team. Oh, yeah. It's a great documentary if you want to watch it.

SPEAKER_00:

Crush the Russians.

SPEAKER_06:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

The Russian red dogs.

SPEAKER_06:

They only crushed them the last time they played them, though. They played them like shortly before and got beat. But it was, I it's kind of like a stereotype stereotypical story of where, you know, they didn't all like each other when they first got put on the team together. They had to learn how to get along and learn how to, you know, build that community. And the coach almost like purposely made himself the enemy so that they would have a shared something in common that they all hated him, you know. And I just think that's a that's a consistent theme throughout a lot of battle stories in history, you know, of people coming together. All right. So, how does the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, which to me is always Shak, Rak and Benny because I'm a veggie tales girl, um, illustrate the power of faith community in overcoming challenges?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I, you know, I I kind of I've known that they that these weren't their birth names, but Pastor Seth talked about uh what their names, their birth names meant, which were all like biblical and strong, and then the names that they were given by the Babylonians, which were like, you belong to this God or whatever. Uh, and it was like two uh conflicting name things, and that and that kind of reminded me of we are not of this world, heaven is our home, and yet while we are here, we sometimes have this weird expectation that everyone around us should act Christian, right? And that's not the truth, right? I mean, the culture around us is more often than not not going to be Christian, and we shouldn't be surprised by that, but we should also not be surprised that to know that our God doesn't change. Yeah, He is faithful regardless, and uh and him showing up Christ showing up in the fire with them is one of the coolest pictures of that and that I can think of in scripture.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, and I I just think I think it's a reminder in the illustration too. We're we are not called, you're not called to run faith alone. And so so so that this is not an individual faith. Um, I I love this. Like Jesus is my my Lord and my savior. My faith is not personal, it is it is public and it is meant to be communal. And so um, and so that's a like we we we need each other. And um, so I I think I think this event just reminds us too that um you're you're not called to do this alone. And and if and when we separate. It out or when we become isolated in our faith, we actually we're going to be walking a dangerous path that God never designed us to do.

SPEAKER_06:

I can't remember. I think it's a verse in Hebrews where it talks about how important it is to keep meeting together and encouraging each other. Those two pieces.

SPEAKER_05:

411, I think is what it is.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, meeting together and encouraging each other. And I think that's how we live in faith and community. Like we can't stop seeing each other and doing life together, but also encouraging each other. And that's, I think sometimes easy to forget one piece of that. You may be doing really well at the other one, but not so well at both. All right. What are some personal experiences where you've seen your community act as a protective phalanx in your life?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, for me, one comes to mind really easily. Back in 2017, we had a house fire and uh we lost most of all of our physical possessions, but saw person after person and God's like God's people, God and his people step up, provide for our daily needs, uh, but also provide for our spiritual needs, prayer and watching and like our family needs, watching the kids while we went to meet with adjusters and and who knows what. Uh, it was a really incredible season of seeing the community of believers step up. And I never experienced anything quite like that before.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I mean, I I can say over and over again, just the times where people have really stepped in um and come alongside us from you know um, you know, things that have happened in our life. But but I think personally for me, where it really came, I was actually I was I was maybe 14 or 14 probably, and we were freshmen. And I'll never forget, I was like, it was like first day of PE, and I was in all boys Catholic high school. So I get out there and Joe Pitone was a PE coach. And he said, All right, guys, we're gonna do Jesuit jacks. And he said, So all 35 of us had to do jumping jacks in sync. And then you you did two jumping jacks and you said J, two jumping decks, e, and then spelled out Jesuit, and then at the end you you said Jesuit, and then got into a three-point football stance, right? Or a four-point stance, whatever it is. So um I for for some reason must have been nerves, must have been this. I could not do it. Like I was, I was, and so so every time I was out of sync, it was me. He'd say, Yep, we're like first time he's like, 10 guys are out of sync. And then it got down to like one, and it was me. And so for 40, I think our class periods are 42 minutes, for 42 straight minutes we did jumping jacks, and he never moved on. And I remember walking off, like my head's down. I'm like, you know, this is the first time. It's like, do I go back to school? Like, you know, like you're just devastated, right? Yeah. Two guys that I like would become and still are two of my best friends, Mike and Rob, both walked up to me, put their arm around me on each side, and they're like, Don't worry. And they they just saw my name and they're like, Don't worry, Griff, we'll get it next time. And I was like, Oh wow. Like, I mean, and and so then you know, it was just it was just amazing. And so I think that's where community like can just make a difference.

SPEAKER_01:

And you didn't know those guys prior? No, no, it was our first first class. That is like a movie start.

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, it was so awesome. That is awesome. Yeah, it was great. We went on, we were we were thick as thieves. I didn't steal, but they actually did. But oh geez.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we're not even protecting the real names. I'm sorry guys.

SPEAKER_06:

So I'm uh like a a phalanx, if you don't know, if you haven't watched the sermon yet, you know, to kind of see is like uh troops or a group of people that are like really tightly in a real tight format or formation. Um, like the image that Seth was using was with the shields all interlocked, you know, in the and I'm a big like Star Wars and that kind of fan. So it just looks like a force field to me. You know, you get a hole in the force field, and that's your little spot. I like that imagery of just having a force field of people together around you. Um yeah, I that just spoke to me. All right. How does the story of Moses' arms being held up by Aaron and her relate to times when you were maybe supported in a spiritual battle?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I th this has been so many parts of my life. Um I can think of just gosh, what was it? 11 days ago or so, something like that. 12 days ago, I was uh driving out to a friend's house and going to have a tough conversation and uh didn't know what like how to have it. And so like I called up Gigi and I said, Hey, I'm this is where I'm off to, this is what I'm gonna do. Give me some help here. What what what should I be praying for? And and just to have someone outside yourself in those moments where it feels cloudy because emotions are high, uh, to help give clarity can be so helpful. And I've uh I've got story out story after story about these, but it I really didn't used to because I used to try to figure them out on my own. But I think um it was a while ago when I just came to the realization that people like to help. And they don't, it's not uh I'm not what's that phrase where you're you're nervous that you're like you're gonna make it hard on somebody, or just like inconvenience. You're not inconveniencing someone to call them and ask for help. If someone calls me to ask for help, I am so honored that they would call. And to be able to give them whatever advice I have and then pray for them is amazing. So once I realize that and that I'm not a burden to the people around me, it's actually brought great joy to reach out and take advantage of the community that God has put around me.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I'm just I that's so good. I I'm amazed. I mean, I, you know, my mom battled esophageal cancer um maybe two years ago now. And I've still got people from King of Kings, from this community, and I I don't feel like I shared a ton. I, you know, I I didn't talk a lot about it, but but I definitely opened up into prayer circles and stuff like that. I've got people coming up to me um consistently and just saying, Hey, I you know, uh, how's your mom doing? Like I'm still praying for her. Is is she doing well? And and my mom's doing great, she's in full remission and and thriving and doing terrific. But like I it's just like to know that there's people that are constantly doing that. Um and and that that's what a King of Kings, whether it's from our people, our congregation, our staff, our teams, I always say there there's just something special here because it truly is it, it truly is a a community of family. Like I feel like we're we're really a village where we're all walking together. Um, you know, it's it's that beautiful thing where you just feel like your your kids could run into someone else's house and you know they're gonna be fine. Um, and I I just feel like that that's this place. And so it it's it's truly special and unique.

SPEAKER_06:

Um, in 2015, which was a while ago now, my I lost my mom in June of that year. And then um in September of that year, my husband left. Um, we were separated for the first time. And I can remember like going into the end of that year, um, just feeling like I still had to do everything, you know. Um, I was now a single parent and I was dealing with the grief of losing my mom and what was gonna happen with my marriage and just feeling so depleted. And I had a couple really good friends who would just check in with me. One of them would call me in the morning and one of them would call me in the late afternoon. And it really was, what do you need right now? Do you need me to pick up your kid? Do you need me to go grocery shopping? Do you need me just to pray for you? Do you need me to leave you alone because you're gonna take a nap today or whatever it was? And I think of that when the story about, you know, Moses with his arms being held up, that just that imagery is I really felt like I was being held up by my friends at that time. Like I was just so emotionally depleted. Um, and how God does that for us every day, you know, that we need it. Yeah. Okay. So reflect on the significance of knowing each other's names, which is something that Seth really talked about within a faith community. How does this build a foundation for prayer and for protection?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I get to see this a lot. Um one of the things that I've tried to do for probably the last at least 10 years in ministry is be at the door whenever I can. And that doesn't always work on Sundays, but whenever I can, I try to be at the door to meet every single person I can, and I want to use their names. Um now prior to this year, we did not have name tags, and so that was a harder challenge. And even at the door, it still is because they haven't put the name tags on yet. Um, but I remember this has come up a few times where someone new comes and we learn their name, and I sh and I've introduced them to somebody else, and then on the way out, a couple people are already using their name and saying, Um, Alexa, it was so good to meet you. As uh, and how'd it go today? Do you have any questions? And the impact that that makes on people that they share with me, they say, I've visited three churches prior to this and I didn't even get a hello. And you guys are using my name. And um, there's just power in that. Um, I think my kids hate it because I always try to learn the names of the servers that we need and and try to use people's names because I know it it matters to say people's names. Um, and then once you're using someone's name, I do think it opens up a little bit. Ultimately, relationship is what's going to build trust. Um, but I think using someone's name from the jump helps in that direction and uh gives people a little bit more confidence when they have a need or prayer to come and and actually ask for it.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I'm I'm huge on using names. I always I always try to use someone's name with them. Um, I'll ask them their name. And um I think that's just an important part. Um, I I am the same way my kids, my wife, uh, I always ask the server what their name is, and um and and mainly because I just want to know and then I use that name with them. And I think I think what it does is it just reminds them that like we're we're not alone. Like you're a person, I'm a person, and you know, we have a name, and and I mean in a world that changes so much, like our name doesn't. And so like it's just something like consistent and steady and close and intimate, and yeah, name names really matter.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and and it helps you to see people as like people creating the image of God, yeah, and not the inconvenience between you and your casserole. You know, like if the meal's taking a while, I I'm gonna be less apt to get mad at Charles because he's just a guy doing his best. Yeah, but I I am able to say, Hey Charles, is there any update on on that meal? And and most of the time, Charles, because uh we've been talking and I've been using his name, he'll say, Let me go check on that. And it's like less adversarial um all the way around, simply by us like getting to know each other even a little bit. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06:

I have really enjoyed um here at Millard, we just started using name tags at the start of the year. And that has been a big blessing to me. I've only been at King of Kings for a couple of years, and I know there's a lot of people here that have known each other for 10, 15 years. And um, there was a gentleman that came up to me shortly after I started, um, before we had even launched the Northwest Campus, and I was still, we were doing our visiting days at here, and he had just randomly asked me to pray for him. And I had prayed for him in that day, asked his name that day. And then I was at the Northwest Campus for the better part of a year for a while, came back here, had seen him, kind of, you know, nodded some acknowledgement. And the situation that he had asked for prayer for that day was he was dealing with an estrangement from his college-age daughter and struggling with that. So then almost a year later, he spots me in the corridor, comes up, gives me an update on the situation, asks me to pray for him again. I, because he remembered me and remembered that I had prayed for him for that situation, felt bad to ask for his name again when I couldn't remember what it was. So I just prayed for him, did not use his name, did not ask. And then maybe once a month he'll stop by and kind of give me an update. And I didn't know his name until we started using name tags. And now I know his name. And I love that because then I can include him by name in my prayers that I pray at home and not just here with him. There's people that I just feel like there's a you're worried about offending someone by asking their name. And we shouldn't be, right? But it feels that way conversationally, or you feel like you should know their name. And now I like it's it's kind of like a cheat sheet, but I feel like it does bring us like the whole point is making this community feel smaller. And I think that it works.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and it's so funny. People often say, I'm I'm great with faces, but terrible with names. And that is such a funny comment because like it never works the other way where people are great with names and terrible with faces.

SPEAKER_06:

I am great with names and terrible with faces.

SPEAKER_01:

How can that even be explained?

SPEAKER_06:

You give me a list of names. So, like for years I've been in kids' ministry before I came to King of Kings, years and years and years in kids' ministry, and we would do registration for VBS or for a big event, and I would be looking at those names and creating name tags and putting groups together, and I would see their names over and over and over again. And then the first day of VBS, you know, somebody would come up. I wouldn't know them from Adam and they'd be like, Hi, my daughter's name is Cecilia. And I'm like, Oh, Cecilia Jones, and your mom is this, and you wanted to be with your friend Susie, and because I've looked at those names so much. But I gotta say, a week later, I may be able to pick their face out of a lineup, but I could tell you their name and how the weird spelling of it is. Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, sorry, Cecilia, that uh you were in a lineup a week after VBS. It feels like an ineffective VBS.

SPEAKER_06:

Very true. We gotta do better. All right. Final takeaways from this week's not alone message.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, surround yourself with with people who are going to care enough about you to pray for you, to be with you, and to even call you out when that needs to happen.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I I've got two guys that I just we text every day. What's the best thing from the day before, the worst thing from the day before, and the prayer for the day of. And um, you know, I just am super thankful for them because they definitely walk through the fire and on a mountaintop with me.

SPEAKER_06:

So I just find your failings. Like that to me is just, you know, something that stuck with me.

SPEAKER_01:

That force field.

SPEAKER_06:

Yep, force field. No chips in it. All right, guys. Thank you so much for being here. We are gonna continue our Not Alone series next week with you, right, Greg? Yeah, Greg's preaching in the next couple weeks.

SPEAKER_03:

There we go.

SPEAKER_06:

So I'm looking forward to that. And until then, let's keep living our faith beyond Sunday.

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.