Guardrails — Week 2

Dina, Pastor Seth, and Peter continue the Guardrails series by looking at the impact social media has on our minds, relationships, and faith. They share practical ways to set healthy digital boundaries, resist comparison, and make sure technology serves us—instead of shaping us.

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Transcript

Welcome And VBS Week Energy

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the King of Kings podcast, where we dive a little bit deeper into our sermon series and see what we're taking Beyond Sunday. My name is Dina Newsom, and I have two delightful guests today.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Delightful by Dina.

SPEAKER_03 0:17

This is Professor Wilhelm Vingeding. And who do we have here?

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Sometimes I forget my name. It's been a long week. But I'm Dr. Flutterby Flick.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

All right, Dr. Flutterby. I've changed my accent so many times. And who knows if this will be what happens at VBS.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Peter Bay here. What was great was uh my compatriot on stage, my fellow villain for VBS, uh, he goes in and out of his accent pretty regularly. Yes, he does. Half of the time he sounds like a mix of Kermit the Frog and Patrick Mahomes. Yes. And other times he's just saying it's wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

It's VBS week here at our Miller campus at King of Kings. We've got two more VBSs coming up in the next couple weeks at Fremont and uh Northwest. And our campus directors are blessed with being the scientists this year that are challenging our kids to raise their goal for the mission project. You're gonna do VBS. Yeah, they are.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

I think I, you know what, I think we won't. I I'm gonna go on. I'm gonna say that King of Kings Northwest for the first time in history won't make their goal, and then they won't receive whatever gift or punishment for the first time in the history of Peter is only saying that because he knows what the punishment is and he wants to avoid it at all costs.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Is it the same punishment that we have? It is the same punishment you have, and we don't need to talk about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

You know what we should do though? We should do a screening party.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

I'm sure there'll be video later.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Jake the snake robberts putting his python on Macho Man Randy Savage, and the python bites the macho man.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

There's some clues in there for you folks to learn what the what the punishment is for this year. Yeah. There's also a giant like 40-foot snake hanging from the corridor in in Millard. Stop by Millard this week if you haven't yet. It'll be gone this weekend.

SPEAKER_03 2:15

Yeah, I'm fine with that guy. He's pretty cool. If he came to life though, it'd be something else.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

It'd be bad for a there's a there's a little girl here who's convinced it's a dragon. She says it's a dragon. No matter how much we've told her, she's convinced it's a dragon.

SPEAKER_03 2:30

They've got to be related.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Yeah, in some way. Okay, well, I I have a great question for you guys today.

Corn On The Cob Hot Takes

SPEAKER_01 2:36

It's very Nebraska appropriate.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Oh, I don't know how we'll do then, both of us being from Wisconsin.

SPEAKER_01 2:41

This this week, June 11th, is National Corn on the Cob Day. Classic, classic treasure of the Midwest. Um, so my question is A, do you like it's a two-part question? A, do you like corn on the cob? B, what do you put on your corn on the cob? Or do you cook it a certain way? Some people are real particular about how they cook their corn on the cob.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Yep. You want to go first, beer?

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Be be cautious. You might offend some people. All right. I'm looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

So here's here's how we do it at the flick house. One of two ways. There's like the super like low-key way. We just boil it, you know, it's already shucked and everything else. Boil it, and then you have to have the the stick of butter on like its butter tray. We don't have butter trays in our house. Who am I kidding? The piece of Tupperware.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

I grew up with a butter tray. I know what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

And then you roll it over top of that with salt. So that's like the easy way. But my favorite way is we keep, you know, like it's all like not shucked or anything. You just take as much of the hair off the top as possible and you throw it on the grill. But while you're doing it, you take an empty coffee can, which doesn't have coffee in it, because that'd be gross. But then you put like two sticks of butter, and then you you fill up water up to a certain point of the little coffee can and dip it in. And the water and the butter inside of the grill heats up to this like delicious butter lava. And so when you're done with the grill, grilled corn, you like take the the was it ear, not not ear. Yeah, the ear, and the you have all the stuff, you take it off, and then you just upside down, dunk it.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

And then the the like what what do you call this up? The husk? The husk then it acts as like a glove over your hand so you don't get the hot butter, and then you just shake salt all over it. It is phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Grilled in the husk, dipped in butter.

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Yeah, my stance is that corn is a way for butter to get to your body.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

And it is the VL chosen.

SPEAKER_03 4:39

Yes, and corn itself is lame and useless, and I can never eat it again. You just offended all 12 of our listeners, I think. There there are literally hundreds of listeners to this podcast. There are, you're right. And I've probably offended several of them, but I'm standing by it. I could, I mean, I'd be fine to never eat corn on the cob again. Wow. Um that is a summer hot take. I do love butter. So it's like if if this is how I'm gonna get butter into my body, you could just eat butter. It's a way. Yeah, it's a way if I had deep fried butter, I would pick that over corn on the cob every day. Yeah, and I've got fragile teeth. Like I never got braces, and so my teeth get stuff stuck in them very easily. And so corn is like, then my mouth is like a half pound heavier because I just have corn everywhere, can't get it out. So yeah, there you go. So what are you taking beyond Sunday?

SPEAKER_01 5:34

I love corn on the cob. I love corn in general. Like corn, I I was born in Nebraska, I was raised here, I lived somewhere else for a while, but then came back. I love corn on the cob. I love grilled, I love it boiled. I however you this is like a doctor's book. Yep, it is. I'll eat it. I will eat that. Yep. I will eat it in a box. Um, I will eat it in a coffee can.

unknown 5:59

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 5:59

No, that that did sound great.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

Because of the butter. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

I'm I've I'm this, I'm rethinking this now. This is like a butter conspiracy, you know. Like, who knew? Everyone else was like this together. Everyone else was like sh taking the corn off the cob to cook. And then the butter companies came around and went, hey, let's market this.

SPEAKER_03 6:20

Have you tried it on the cob?

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Because you don't put nearly as much butter on it when you just serve it in a bowl.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

Right. But what would it be like if we just took all that butter and water, just put it in the middle of the table and be like, You gonna drink that? I can tell you right now, three out of my five boys would be like, Yep.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

I don't know. One of my uh a single child of mine, I used to have to not put the butter in the back of the grocery cart when she was in it because she would open it and just take handfuls and eat it. So good for your skin. Multiple times.

SPEAKER_04 6:55

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

Yeah. All right. I don't know how that transitions to guardrails, but um, maybe we need to put some guardrails around the butter.

Guardrails For Social Media Habits

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Yep. Yeah. Watch your butter intake, your salt intake. We are in our second week of the guardrail series, and this week, Pastor Zach Zender took us through uh guardrails around social media. What are you guys taking beyond Sunday from this week's message?

SPEAKER_03 7:20

Yeah, a lot of conviction. Um we'll get to in the discussion, but the the three ways to guard, uh, I I for me, it's it I don't even have my own Instagram. Like I only have a church account, and I still find myself scrolling on that thing, you know, and so uh conviction in the time I'm spending. Um but then also like, yeah, it can be used for good. So I I'm excited to talk about the the positives and the challenges to social media.

SPEAKER_00 7:53

Yeah, I would say conviction as well, because I I have my own social media account, but I rarely use it. So like if you were to look at my posting, there's literally like 12 posts ever. And one of them was just a couple of days ago for my anniversary. That was it. Uh but I think what your point was, Peter, about like it's not all bad. Right. So like my algorithm is pretty vanilla probably by most, you know, standards, because it's like preachers that I really like to follow and sermons and musical groups, and you know, like it's it's not all it's not bad. But for me, the conviction comes in like after I said, Oh, I just want to look at this one thing. And then how many minutes later have I just ignored everybody else in the room that I actually care the most about to look at something that I care very little about? So I would say that that's where I'm at with that.

SPEAKER_03 8:46

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Three hours, 14 cat videos, 12 soldier came home videos. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:52

Is that is that your algorithm?

SPEAKER_01 8:53

I don't know. At one time, yes. Oh, the soldiers surprising their kids when they come home, those get me.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Those are beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

I'm a sucker. I'm a sucker for those. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Milwaukee Lutheran High School just went viral all across the nation. And this was a like a high school that was like really close to where where we were at. Uh, in fact, I still have friends that are teachers there. And a sister came home from serving overseas. Like a nun? No, no, like the sister of somebody who was graduating, a sibling. And the the magistrate or whatever the lady's name was that was like officiating the whole service. She gets to this lap, like this one student, she's like, Whoa, I don't have this, I don't have this student's um diploma. Hey, do you have it? And the other guy was like, I don't got it. And she was like, Hey, can you go in the back and take a look? And you know, what they're doing is they're setting up his sister, like, dude has no idea. The graduate has no idea that his sister came all the way across the pond, like just to be there for that moment. And then they make this announcement, they're like, uh, oh, I think we found it. It had to travel a long way. And of course, then she's in the back, and then she reads his name, and then like they run to each other.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

It is awesome.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

See, and that's not bad.

SPEAKER_03 10:06

That's the positive side.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Completely sucked in right about it.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

And my algorithm's pretty great, actually. It's like boys to men, WWE, and that's on the King of Kings Northwest account.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

That's on the King of Kings Northwest account.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

I love it. So it's great. I could spend a lot of time uh uh checking those things out. But yeah, I for me it's that same thing of who am I ignoring at what expense?

SPEAKER_01 10:31

I thought it was a little bit ironic that you know I do the podcast schedule and I schedule two people. And I thought it was funny that you two got scheduled today because you two are the least social media active.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

And yet, we're also responsible for our own individual campus of social media. It's it's not going great. It's not intentionally not going great. That's not it at all. It's just not part of my makeup.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Yeah. I thought that was really funny. Um, I there's a lot, there's a lot that I'm taking away, but I I really just like the reminder that this is something that you can often argue is used for good, but it still is only with with good measure.

SPEAKER_04 11:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Yeah. Um, that Zach talked about. All right. So how can an individual examine how much social and media is influencing their lives and whether it really aligns with the values of being a Christ follower?

SPEAKER_03 11:26

Yeah. So so what is the verse that is like whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is pure? That's Philippians, I think, chapter four. Okay. So I I think that for me is a great framework. Like, um, and so that's I'm not I'm not convicted in what I'm seeing. Um now if something pops up on my algorithm that's unhealthy. Right, because that exists. Right. But like uh to see funny videos or NBA highlights or golf highlights or whatever, um those things to me, it's like, yeah, this is noble. This like these things fit within that uh those verses. Let me read it for you all. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Um, so that is a great framework for me with the things that I'm consuming. Um, and on the adverse side of that, it would be like things that lead to comparing or things that lead to um lusting or things that lead to sin. Uh, and so for me that's a an easy framework to decide is what I'm looking at worth it or not. And even then, there's a whole time thing we're gonna get to later.

How Algorithms Quietly Form You

SPEAKER_00 12:47

Yeah. I think one of the kind of guardrail pieces that isn't thought about as much is, you know, I think most people that interact with social media understand what an algorithm is. And they think, like, and and Chad or Chad, Zach brought this up a little bit as well during his message. They think that the for you page of whatever it is that you're watching is set by the algorithm. Like it's observing what you like, and therefore it's presenting you with things that you would like. But in all reality, algorithms aren't necessarily planned just that way. There's other external pieces that are part of the formula. So, what do other 44-year-old guys like to watch on their algorithm? What do other guys in your area like to look at in their algorithm? And the algorithm will suggest these things by means of placing them on your for you page. So, what most people don't realize is that you think you're shaping your algorithm, but the longer and longer you interact with social media, your algorithm is actually being used to shape you. And so it's much more of a discipleship. Yes. Or no, no, no, how about like we'll go law and order? Dun dun, because it's a little bit more convicting when you think about it that way. Um and and that's what I think is so insidious about some aspects of social media is that you don't realize how much it's forming you because it's just passively happening, just like one little drip and one little drip at a time. And then all of a sudden, maybe there are things that show up on your for you page or your algorithm where you're like, whoa, where'd that come from? And you're like, oh, well, it's because I looked too long at this other thing. And because I was presented this other thing that I didn't swipe, you know, quite quickly enough through, because then the algorithm thought I actually might entertain whatever that is. So I I think that would be the part that I would look at is the more and more you engage with it, the less and less control you think you have or you actually have over it.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

Yeah. 41-year-olds in my area most really love boys to men. ABC and BBD, the East Coast family.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

At least that's how our environment is. I'm getting a lot of that.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

All right. So the sermon mentions the gradual, almost unnoticed shaping effect social media has on us. How can we remain vigilant in discerning in our and discerning in our digital consumption?

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Well, I think I just touched a little bit on what that is. Just like that slow drip of forming you who you are. And I'm I'm gonna touch a bit on this in the last guardrails sermon about how it really is slow movement over time is gonna show the biggest advances in your character and like the pressures that like can be stood up underneath with the power of the Holy Spirit over slow drip kind of time changes who you are. And that can either be for good or it can be for really bad. And um you know, social media is a tool, so could use it for either one, but more often than not, if you're just passively gonna allow something to be in your life, it's not going to make you a better person.

SPEAKER_03 15:53

Right. I I think about the uh in my childhood, um, we didn't really have social media as much. Um, but I think about like uh something that the people around me, I would see them just spending lots of time on and ignoring the people around them. Um, and it was considered a very wholesome thing, the newspaper. And um to be informed of what's going on in your local news can be a good thing. Um, and if you're not informed, it's like I'm not even sure how bad of a thing that is. But so my dad loved reading the newspaper every single morning. I did not like the smell of it, I did not like the sound of it. Um but the bigger thing was that I uh didn't like that he wouldn't talk to me when he was reading his newspaper, right? Um, and that it was totally fair that he wanted to start the day off with the newspaper. Um, and so I think it's not just our social media, but it's whatever we are spending our time on is what's going to shape and form us. And just it happens to be that the average person is averaging many hours every day on social media, and that's going to affect you one way or

Parenting Smartphones Like Driving Freedom

SPEAKER_03 17:14

another. Uh, and so I I I do feel like moderation in regards to social media has kind of gone out the window, and honestly, just the use of smartphones. Um, when I was a teen, and I would ask you guys when you were a teen, what was your um avenue to freedom? Like what was a milestone of freedom for you in your teenage years?

SPEAKER_01 17:39

Driving.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

When I finally figured out like the smoke signals, because I'm old, or like tapping out Morse code.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Shut up, you're not that old.

SPEAKER_00 17:50

No, I would say that it was it was driving.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Driving was a like a big one, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:55

Right, driving for sure. I think for most people that was big. You can finally get out, you can visit your friends, you can go to the movie, you can hang out at the drive-thru or whatever it is. And um, but most parents had some rules. You get home, you put the keys on the refrigerator, you don't or you could only drive certain areas.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Like I couldn't go anywhere in town. Yes. My parents had to know where I was going, but also I could I could only go within these boundaries.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

And your state governed rules about it too. Uh until a certain age, you weren't allowed to have people outside your family. You uh, if you had your permit, you could only go to school and work, and and there's those rules still exist.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Well, now I see where you're going with this.

SPEAKER_03 18:36

This is why it's yeah, now the I'd say the milestone to freedom is actually smartphones, but they're most kids are getting them earlier, and there's way less guardrails being put on them uh to and or training to learn how to use them wisely and who to use them with and when to use them. Um, and and so I I think how we um how I as a parent of young kids um parent that into my kids uh intentionality is going to matter and it will help shape them positively or negatively.

SPEAKER_01 19:15

It's also a huge difference, I think, between um how it affects the brain and the um like just mental health in general of young people when they get them without any guardrails on them. And we don't even know the full effects of that because it's only been what 15 years maybe since smartphones have been around. Like I'm looking back. Um my children, I have I have three children. Two of them are 28 and 27. So they were very close in age. They got smartphones, they came out, they were available to them when they were in high school. That was the age, which is a more appropriate age for them. When we first got them, we didn't put a lot of restrictions restrictions on them. We were excited that this was a tool that they could use, you know, and ex and social media was not really as popular when they first got their phones. My son is 10 years younger than his oldest sibling. It was a completely different dynamic. When he got a smartphone, we got him a smartphone much younger because it was convenient or it was what his friends did. And I I there it was a struggle, you know. He was felt pressured to, oh, well, now my friends are starting to get phones. I want a phone, you know, and a flip phone didn't do, you know. Um, there is a Netflix documentary, and I couldn't remember the name of it, so I just looked it up, The Social Dilemma. Have you guys watched that?

SPEAKER_03 20:33

Yeah, that's from like five years ago.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

Yeah, it's it's it came out during COVID, like 2020, and it's absolutely amazing. And it talks about the algorithms and how they shape that are based on bait shaping your psyche and um how they're just used to feed you content that you are selecting, but also content that people are paying for, you know, to select to you. So um that's a really good. I I'm fascinated. I feel like there's been a shift just in my lifetime. You know, I didn't have a cell phone until I was a grown woman with children, like it wasn't even an option. And my children were of decent age, where my oldest got a cell phone probably two years after I got one, because that's when it became convenient, you know, in our family. Um, and so I feel like I've watched the arch of how social media has changed. Even when social media first became popular in my life, I would not say in everyone's, you know, but I would say it was 2010 before I was really active in on social media. And and the majority of my friends were also on social media. And that's, you know, just over 15 years ago and how much it has changed since then. At

Highlight Reels Comparison And Real Community

SPEAKER_01 21:44

first, it really was the picture of your messy kitchen or, you know, your family vacation photo, but it was not the highlight reel that it has become. And Zach talked a lot about that, especially with the pictures of his boys and how they really didn't enjoy the day at the basement.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Can't believe all the hate on the Brewers. Come on now.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

He was very positive about the sausage race, though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Well, that is a big thing. And for those who like, I don't think many people know what he was talking about, but in the seventh inning stretch, they have like a kid you not, eight foot Polish sausage, Italian sausage, chorizo, hot dog, bratwurst that race against each other along the entire like dirt warning track.

SPEAKER_03 22:24

Yeah, it's perhaps the greatest tradition in sports.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

I I'm I'm thinking this is maybe something we could do here at King of Kings.

SPEAKER_03 22:31

Easily. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Maybe we could have large cobs of corn race against each other.

SPEAKER_03 22:36

Just as on speaker doesn't have to eat them.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

One without a husk, one with lots of butter, so it's hard for them to run. There you go.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

I do think this does open the door for me to share my favorite mascot story. Um, so I went to a Storm Chasers game. That's the Summer Pro would that be SummerPro? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

I don't find ball at all.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

Triple A ball team here in Omaha. It's a fantastic experience, family-friendly stuff. And I happened to go on a peanut allergy day, and so they like had power wash the entire stadium to get rid of all the peanuts because a kid who has a peanut allergy can never go to a baseball game. I didn't even think about that.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

I didn't think about that either.

SPEAKER_03 23:12

Yes, and so there's one game a year where they did like peanut-free allergy day, and they would have the kid on the jumbotron. My name's Timmy. I've never been to a baseball game. Thank you, Storm Chasers.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

So then in the seventh inning, apparently I've never been on live television before.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

This giant mascot peanut showed up in the outfield. Just get booed. And yes, and the announcer was like, Peanut, you're not allowed here. You're not supposed to be here. And everyone started booing. And then all the other mascots beat him up and carried him out. It was my favorite mascot moment of all time. So just wanted to bring that up.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

That's a good one. All right, back to the experience with the highlight reel. I like that that's your highlight reel.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

That was not the focus when social media was first started. You know what I mean? But it is what it has become. And I love the behind-the-scenes pictures you see of, you know, what angle someone is standing at to try to get the perfect angle of their omelet for breakfast or whatever. It's just silly.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

That is one thing I actually like about our Scotty, uh, who does social media here is he almost always includes like bloopers and stuff like that. So then people realize that when we're doing whatever it is we're doing, prayers, study or whatever, like what you see is a final edited copy, but working in those bloopers lets everybody realize that like this was multiple attempts. This was, you know, like actually thinking it through and praying it through and messing it up sometimes. And I think that there's like an honesty to that that's refreshing.

SPEAKER_01 24:45

And just laughing a lot. I like that we laugh a lot together as a staff.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 24:50

Okay. Can you discuss the balance between using social media as a tool for ministry and avoiding the pitfalls of comparison and distraction? How do we stay true to that calling in a digital age?

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Well, I just shake my head because that I think if we could figure that out and put this over the airwaves or is it airwaves? It's digital now, so whatever. Um I think that people would pay millions of dollars for that kind of an answer. And sadly, I think Christians do just as poorly of a job, if not worse, because we have such a clearer standard that's communicated to us, and we have such a a higher level of importance that the Lord has given us to like care for our families and fulfill our vocations and invest our time wisely in creative and beautiful things, things that are good and noble. And instead we waste our time. So, like, if somebody else that doesn't have those expectations doesn't fulfill them, well, that's one thing. But when someone has told you, like, no, this is there's something so much better than what you could be doing right now. On the other hand, um, Zach was right. Like, how many people have heard the gospel now? Or um they've opened up the scriptures because they heard, you know, some like really good teaching that occurred there. Uh, or they were in, you know, maybe they're in the throes of depression and they happened to be scrolling and they found some word of hope from the gospel. So um, I think one of the biggest differences that I could like try to grow from is creating more positive content, not for the sake of shaping an algorithm, but as in, like, look, if somebody's gonna be on there anyways, why not invade the darkness of social media with the light of Christ and hope? So maybe that's just something that would be an easy way to like take a good step forward.

SPEAKER_03 26:44

Right. Yeah, the the scripture that he tied um into this message, one of them was Romans 12, 2. Um, and the gist of it is don't confirm conform to the patterns of this world. Um, and then how does the second part go?

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Yeah, do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed. So like I love that too. That I think that's what you're gonna talk about, the difference between being conformed by the world, but the difference is big when it's transformed for the gospel, uh, so that you may know the will of God. So you may know and approve the will of God is good, pleasing, and perfect will.

SPEAKER_03 27:18

And and one thing I liked about that is it tied to week one, Seth, when you preached about instruction leading to wisdom, leading to understanding. So if you're not receiving instruction, you're not going to be able to approve and test and and know is this from God's word and is it not, or be convicted by it. Um but when you when the word is dominant, well then we become transformed through Christ through the Holy Spirit, and we can actually transform what some people use as a negative tool to be positive, as to what you were speaking into before, Seth. And so, yes, that that thought of comparison is hard. Um, but my favorite way to combat comparison is face-to-face encouragement to see the people around us and to see the way God has made them and to tell them about it.

SPEAKER_00 28:21

You are naturally gifted at that though. Like the first day of VBS, Peter comes up and he's like, Okay, now for for doing this role for vacation Bible school to make sure you get these kids engaged. So, like that's the overall role. And then he gave us like a ton of ideas. So, like that's an that is very natural to who you are. Like the Lord has wired you in that way.

SPEAKER_03 28:41

Yeah, yeah. And I need to remember that too, um, because we all have a tendency to to really press the things, the strengths that God has given us. Um, but I think everyone has the ability to look around them uh and see and see the positive things going on and then and then cheer people on. Uh, and some people are naturally more cheerleaderish, uh, and some people are not. But the more often we would lean into encouragement, the better it will be for the people around you and for you, because it's going to be less about the self-loathing and and more Did you say Seth loathing? Seth Seth loathing. Yeah. Comparison's hard though. I mean, like another person on my algorithm is Philip Anthony Mitchell. Oh, I love that guy. Yes, and he's this fantastic um believer, and he's a pastor, and and that guy gets after it, and I hear and I'm like, I listen to him preach and I get a lot out of it, and then I'm also like, oh I'm not that good. Not that I am not that. And so it's like then I have to be reminded, but what am I? One, I'm a child of God, two, God has given me giftings and geniuses that other people don't have. And even if even if some people don't value them the way that other others, what are they? Like, well, that's not fair either. I'm not like, who am I to doubt God's God's craftsmanship in me or the people around me? So uh it is, it's an active thing to fight against daily.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

I really like the piece of you said face-to-face, face-to-face encouragement. And I think that's what I struggle with the hardest. People who argue that they're using social media for quote unquote ministry related. Oh, well, I'm spreading the word of God. Well, if you're getting in an argument with a complete stranger on a neighborhood Facebook app and you're quoting the Bible, I'm not gonna say that's really bringing someone to Christ. He wants us to be in relationship with each other, and that's a face-to-face piece, that's a community piece. And so that I think is where social media can be a valuable tool. It can enhance relationships, but I I think we have to remember that there has to be that face-to-face relationship too.

SPEAKER_04 31:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

And that that is a big piece that that's what Jesus acted out.

SPEAKER_03 31:08

Yeah, um, I've been I've been tracked along with Proverbs, because that's what this this whole guardrail series is all about. And I'm forgetting which chapter it was, if it was eight or nine, it was one that I've read in the last day or two, but it's essentially like like, don't argue with a mocker because they will just insult you. And I was like, that is so true. So that person that you're disagreeing with on uh your Facebook neighborhood group, because they're rude, like if you argue with them, they're only going to insult you. So don't do it, don't waste your breath, waste your time, your energy, put yourself in a bad mood. Um, so there's some good stuff in Proverbs. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

Yeah. I was listening, I was reading it while listening to it this morning too. And I was like, if you desire to be wise, seek wisdom. A fool will seek folly. I'm like, you know, that's not wrong. The dumb get dumber, the smart gets smarter.

SPEAKER_02 32:07

We yeah, me and the kids have been chanting folly a lot because that's what we decided. If we see something that is folly, we're gonna chant it. So it's it's coming up a lot in the house.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

I'm trying to picture that just you know, out getting ice cream.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

Oh, yeah. You get the wrong change, and all the kids are like, folly, folly. A lot of Seth loathing then happens.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

A lot of Seth loathing. Yep. I'm now gonna think of that every time I say self-loathing.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

It's fine. I'm gonna work in a lot of those. Like you could reference first Sethalonians if you wanted to. Uh if a doctor needs to listen to your heart, he can use his doctor stethoscope.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

A stethoscope.

SPEAKER_00 32:46

I've used that before in ministry. It's good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 32:49

All right. So

Peter Sinks And Jesus Reaches

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Zach talked about the story of Peter walking on water, and it was used as an analogy for maintaining focus in chaotic times. What practical steps can our listeners take to keep focus on Jesus amidst life distractions?

SPEAKER_00 33:06

There's a pretty amazing painting uh that's come out probably like in the last 10 years or so, and it's actually from Peter's perspective while under the water. So we don't know if you're like he was totally submerged or whatever. But what's beautiful is like it's from his perspective under the water, and the water is kind of choppy, so you can't quite see everything, but the one thing you can see clearly right above Peter is Jesus right above him, like reaching his hand down to grab him. And like there's movement in this painting. So you can see Peter's hand like rushing out to try to grab, and then you can see Jesus' hand is going to be right there. And so to me, like that was the image that came to mind is that when it comes to the failures of social media or whatever, uh, there's never a place where you can get too far into the lake or into whatever it is that Jesus isn't willing to give up his last breath so that you could actually have new life. And that painting to me just like kind of makes the moment that Zach was preaching about very alive but also applicable. It's probably made by AI or something. Somebody put it on their algorithm.

SPEAKER_03 34:13

Yeah, there's those like platitudes um at times where people may see them as platitudes of you're never too far gone, or or there's nowhere you can go where God isn't there. And and but the reality is like the God is there, and and Jesus' death and resurrection conquers it all. And so I can't outrun his grace. Um, I can't outrun his mercy, and and so that that is a beautiful uh explanation of totally submerged, already drowning, and he's right there, and he just desires to pull you up. And I think the choice is like, do we let him, do we receive the gift, or do we reject it because we we can do it on our own and just keep drowning. Um, and I and I think when I try to explain to people um the difference between like what heaven and hell is, and this is a big thing that came up in our confirmation uh and our confirmation conversations quite a bit, is because I ask these kids, well, what is heaven? What is hell? and they and they give me their explanation and and we talk about it. And and my favorite way to explain it is um we can all think of a time in our life when we had when we felt hopeless. And we can think of a time in our life when we had like great joy. And in that hopeless situation, we felt distant from God. Like I ask the students and the parents, can you think of a time when you were hopeless? And I've seen many parents just immediately tear up because they can connect with that, or maybe they're in it in some way right right then. Um and that is that picture that is as close as I can fathom to what hell is, because and when you feel hopeless, um you feel like you can't win, you feel distant, you don't feel like you may even feel like God's not there, and that's the reality of hell. God's not there, and God is the giver of good of all good gifts. So if all good gifts are gone, well that's a terrible and sad situation to be in. And that's actually for me a much more compelling reason. I don't want my biggest enemies to ever experience an eternity without love and joy and peace, um, to be distant from God. And on the inverse side of that, like we can hopefully most of us can think of a time when we experience joy or love or peace. And I think for some people that's hard to come by, but that's what heaven's going to be like, and that hand that we didn't even reach for at times will be we'll be face to face with him for all eternity. And that's also very compelling. I want everyone to experience that.

SPEAKER_00 37:22

And there's an immense sense of gratitude that you have and like urgency to share that. So you use the words before you said, I couldn't fathom what that would be like. And fathom is actually a measurement of the depth of water. And so if somebody else wants to look up like even more so what it feels like, like so that you can have gratitude on the back end of it, like read Jonah, because that's another story of someone actually descending to the depths of water, several fathoms. And it actually he actually says, um, out of the belly of shoal, I cried out to you. So like he he's talking about from a point of death, I'm crying out for grace and mercy. So like this very thing that you're talking about, that emotion of like yearning for the love and the presence of God and the goodness of God because maybe somebody isn't connected. Um, that that or or like the urgency of we don't want anybody to feel that. Like, read that part of Jonah and you'll see that like there's an urgency that you get a chance to be the hand that Jesus is extending into the water to bring somebody back up to life again.

SPEAKER_01 38:26

There's a Bible study written by John Ortberg from uh probably the 90s, maybe early 2000s. If you want to walk on water, you got to get out of the boat. Great study. But I this made me think of that, and it made me think of the level of trust that Peter had to have to take that step out of the boat. I mean, hopefully he knew he could swim if he sunk it right away. He was a fisherman, so I hope so. I would think so. But just even with all the miracles that he had witnessed, still just to step out of a boat and expect that you can stand on water. I just think the the inner turmoil that was happening, like, oh gosh, is this really gonna happen? You know.

SPEAKER_03 39:09

You know what? There could be several reasons why Jesus named him the rock, though.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Because he's saying he's saying I thought it was because he was so muscular and loved to wrestle. And his best friend is Kevin Hart.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

Wrong rock. Oh, dang. All right. How

Practical Limits For Time Temptation Comparison

SPEAKER_01 39:29

can we practically implement the three guardrails suggested in the sermon, guarding against comparison, temptation, and wasted time?

SPEAKER_03 39:39

Yeah. Um, yeah, I I think there's a lot of practical ways with social media. Uh, there's a device called the brick that you can connect to your phone and you can block um you can block certain apps uh or only allow yourself to use them for so many minutes a day. Um and I use that. And so I I cap out at 30 minutes on my social media because otherwise I could be on there way too long. Um and so there's there's there are things like that. I think there's apps that um it'll give you a countdown from like 30 or 60, or you can set that before you can even go on an app. And so like just sitting there and waiting for 60 seconds is so long, and a lot of times you just decide, nope, don't want to do that. So there's some practical ways like that, but I also think uh establishing some daily rhythms uh is very healthy as well uh to uh to put before you um before you get into the less meaningful parts of your day.

SPEAKER_00 40:43

So yeah, Seth, what do you think? Uh so I'm on board with all that, but there is an app. I don't have it, but you have to do like you set the amount of push-ups to earn the amount of minutes for social media. So, like, can you imagine like you haven't seen somebody in a year and then all of a sudden they're swole but then like dumb as a rock? Because they just spend all their time doing push-ups so that they can scroll social media. Um, but when it comes to it, like um guarding your time, guarding your comparison. I think it's actually really healthy to do set times throughout the year where you're gonna just like kind of set it aside. So I love things like Lent that are constructed for formation, it's constructed to reset after all of the things that kind of go on autopilot for a year. And so I would highly suggest setting Lent as a time where you really reevaluate how much time you're spending on something like that. Uh so the daily stuff is good. I've got daily stuff on mine too, where it's like you can only watch for this many times. But here's the problem Life 360, for some reason, is considered social media. And so, like, I want to be able to see like, hey, I did my kids make it to school, like if they're just driving to college, or didn't even make it to camp because one of them is a camp counselor. Uh, it'll block it off after I've like looked at 10 minutes of Facebook or whatever this stupid setting is. Now, here's the thing with Life 360, uh, it goes both ways. So, yeah, like I just use it as kind of like this thing to help me as a parent to know, yeah, my kids okay. Oh, okay, they should they're fine. Uh they also use it on the other side, and I had can't tell you how many texts would be like, hey dad, you're gonna be kind of swinging past BW3s. Any chance you could pick us up some wings? Uh I went in to go get groceries the other day, and Jude's like, Can you check and see if they have Pokemon cards there? No.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

You're like looking around, wait, what?

SPEAKER_00 42:38

And then I knew.

SPEAKER_01 42:39

I think I it starts with just knowing how much you are on social media. Check your your phone will tell you how much screen time you have. Your apps can tell you how much you're on there. I think most people that think they're moderate or mild social media users would be shocked at the amount of time. And it's just like with your budget. You know how when you're doing your budget and you're like, okay, where can we cut corners? And then you start looking about, oh, we how often do I eat out? Yes, you know, that. Or I had a friend that was like, I added up the amount of money I was spent on getting my nails done in a year. And I was not happy with that number. So I stopped doing my nails. I learned to do them myself, you know, because that was something that now that she was aware of, it was an extravagance she didn't need. And so I think just finding out what your actual numbers look like. And then are you happy with that? Like, is that the way that you want to be? Is that the is that shaping you? Are you letting God transform you through that? Or is that, you know, the ways of the world that are tugging at you potentially away from your relationship?

SPEAKER_00 43:45

And what I love about that is so, like we were talking about techniques that can help. And that does help when you're on a certain path and relationship with social media. But I think that there's something that's deeper that needs to be done with character work, character work that only Jesus can do. So that It's not a matter of how much can you white knockle through in terms of the law in obedience. Uh I think what you're talking about is how much of you as a person for some reason need that kind of stimulation from social media, from your for you page or whatever it is that you're trying to seek out in your scrolling. And if Jesus can actually meet that for you, if real life face-to-face interactions with your family that the Lord has given you can meet those needs for you, how much are you going to need like if joining a connect group here at church?

SPEAKER_01 44:30

Yeah, maybe that. So interaction.

SPEAKER_00 44:33

Or being connected to Jesus through baptism because there's baptism Sunday coming up this weekend.

SPEAKER_01 44:37

Or serving, you know, those things at Millard. At Millard, yep.

SPEAKER_03 44:40

And then Fremont and the Northwest after each of their VBS weeks.

SPEAKER_01 44:44

Awesome.

Key Takeaways Resources And Love Well

SPEAKER_01 44:45

All right. Final takeaways from this week's message.

SPEAKER_00 44:48

I love Zach's sin cycle. Uh, the I saw, I covet, I took, I hid. I saw, I covet, I took, I hid. It is very rhythmic. And I think like the rhythm of that like matches with your heartbeat. And when you think about I saw a covet, I took, you can put that and overlay it over not just biblical stories, but I cannot tell you how accurate that cycle is when I look and like do an autopsy of my own, my own dead self and my own dead sin. I saw a covet, I took, I hid. And man, if that doesn't get if that cycle doesn't get interrupted somehow, man, you're in for a world of cyclical downward spiraling.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

Yeah, death. And Proverbs talks about that a bunch, leading to death. The kids start, are they starting to repeat that kind of stuff?

SPEAKER_00 45:36

Folly and death. It must be a fun day at your house. It is. It's pretty funny. I don't know if Luca's coming over anymore. Or is he cheering on? You want him even more now.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

Uh for me, a couple things. Uh, one, there's a secular book named uh uh The Anxious Generation. It was uh the big one of the biggest books of 2024, Jonathan Haight, H A I D T. If you want to get a glimpse into what social media is doing in the minds of not just young people, but but in everyone, and then some practical ideas on on how to parent that well, that is was has been my favorite resource outside of God's word for that. Uh, and then finally, one of my favorite verses is beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God. He that does not love God does not know love. Um, beloved, let us love one another. And that comes from first John 4, 7, and 8. And I often have to go through the lens of that to say, um, how am I doing with that? Am I loving well? And uh is social media a good use of my time to love well, and if it's not, then I need to curb that. Uh, use a guardrail so that I can love well.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

I really just liked the three points that he made, the three guardrails, you know, about looking at comparison, temptation, and wasted time. I think it's really easy to scroll and think it's completely mindless. But okay, what is why why is it that this post is, you know, piquing my interest? Oh, you know, how is it making me feel? Yes, this is a really lovely living room. My living room doesn't look like that. Oh, now do I feel better or do I feel worse? Am I inspired to change mine or am I just feeling shallow about my own? Um, I just think that's a filter that we can use and then look at, okay, is this making me feel better? And does it, is it shaping me in the way that I want? Yeah. All right. Well,

Next Week Preview And Closing Blessing

SPEAKER_01 47:43

thank you guys for being here next week. It's politics, right? Yep. Next sermon. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 47:50

Pro corn or anti-corn.

SPEAKER_01 47:52

There you go. Thank you guys for being here. Until then, let's keep living our faith beyond Sunday.