The speakers emphasize the importance of creating a safe place for vulnerability and gratitude. They use a sports analogy to illustrate the need for healing before returning to the game. Accountability and helping each other align with gratitude is highlighted. The challenges of creating a safe space for sharing vulnerabilities are discussed. The speakers conclude that a mindset of thanksgiving and trust in God's goodness fosters safety and love in a community.
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[00:00:09.90] - Gregg Garner
Can because I'm just really curious because, you're you're making some some interesting points, Mitch, to talk about our need To have a safe place. Yeah. In order to commence with vulnerability to culminate In Thanksgiving, and I just I just wonder if that's more for us and less in obedience to God. Mhmm. Yeah. Because, like, I I I get it that that's the trend right now. The trend is people wanna feel safe. People wanna be seen. People Wanna be heard. All good things, not bad things. Right. God himself says that's that's that's how he identified Israel. Right? Yeah. Sees him, hears him, knows him. And so we get that, but but then we we, like, attend to the person's felt need when their real need is to just implement Thanksgiving. I do it probably has to be a dance nonetheless. Yeah. Like Yeah. Decision
[00:01:06.20] - Ashley Moore
Decision to accept people recounting to him To or to that person, you know, like, yeah. Accept that Derek I see all these things that Derek did. I need to, like, go back and have a different perspective or Work out something with you or what you know, whatever the conflict was. Like, it takes that person being humble To hear a different perspective, not just be like, oh, yeah. He is like that.
[00:01:30.00] - Gregg Garner
But, you know, like, let let's let's use a sports analogy. Yeah. Okay. Let's say that we're It's our basketball team, you know, and our top point guards out, and we're just we're just
[00:01:43.40] - Derek Bargatze
Like on the bench.
[00:01:44.70] - Gregg Garner
yeah On the bench, injured. K. Whatever.
[00:01:48.20] - Mitchel Buchannan
Suspended for twenty five games.
[00:01:49.79] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Whatever. Something like that. Hypothetically. Whatever it is. And then that that a few other key players are also injured, so we're just trying to figure ourselves out. Right? And then now we're we're just not winning, And so we just get really mad at, the things that maybe those guys did to contribute to their injuries, To contribute to why they're off the bench. And, really, what are we supposed to be doing?
[00:02:15.90] - Mitchel Buchannan
Competing.
[00:02:16.50] - Gregg Garner
Winning. Competing. Yeah. Playing the game. But now Our energy goes toward, condemning, airing out grievances related to Stuff that already happened that you could do nothing about except move forward with.
[00:02:30.19] - Ashley Moore
Right.
[00:02:30.50] - Gregg Garner
They're still on your team. They're still part of who you are. And so it seems to me that, like, what What a coach would do to a player who all of a sudden would be like, well, I wouldn't have to be playing this position if so and so wouldn't have done this and that wouldn't have happened, And I could be doing what I'm used to doing. Mhmm. It would just be better for them for the coach to just say, hey. Stop talking like that. Like, that's your position now. That's what you have to play. Right. This is what you need to do. Yeah. Start doing it. Mhmm. And I think if the player said, No. I really wanna be heard on this. Yeah. Then the coach can say sit on the bench. Right. But I I think that sometimes in Christian community Yeah. We we don't We don't bench people.
[00:03:12.30] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:03:12.69] - Gregg Garner
We we don't like, even even, like, benching them because they're injured. You know? Like, We want injured people to play on the court. like,
[00:03:21.00] - Gregg Garner
Like, hey, man. Just open up. Be vulnerable. And then they're, like, spewing all of this, like, Yeah. Like, they're externally processing Yeah. Their criticisms. Yeah. And now they're on the court playing, shooting, and these are not good shots.
[00:03:34.00] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. Yeah.
[00:03:34.40] - Gregg Garner
This is not the goal of the team. Yeah. And then then if the game's over, and we're like, man, what is happening Around here? I I it's just interesting that Sometimes with the current culture we feel something really great is happening When when people really open up about the bad things
[00:03:55.09] - Derek Bargatze
Mhmm.
[00:03:55.50] - Gregg Garner
That are happening. Right. And I just don't think we would ever do that on any Yeah. Like, we identify this person is injured. They need to sit on the bench until they get better. And then, yeah, that means that someone else needs to play, but that's where we're at.
[00:04:08.50] - Derek Bargatze
Mhmm.
[00:04:09.00] - Gregg Garner
It I just I don't know if if we have a community like that where we're comfortable Yeah. Identifying when someone's just kind of Like, I'm pretty sure I should have been benched a few times. Like, there's this one time, someone in our community gave me terrible news. Like I was so mad for their situation. Like, it was bad for them. K. And I was super emotional. And then I came in to do a meeting in here, in this room over here, Like, fifty people. And, I was so upset. Next scene, I don't even know how I got there. I'm throwing my clipboard on the ground Yeah. And I'm just getting Super upset with everybody. And I'm like, man, I'm clearly in a bad state right now. Right. But, like, I need benched.
[00:04:50.80] - Derek Bargatze
You need benched.
[00:04:51.30] - Gregg Garner
I need benched. And I had to bench myself. Yeah. You know? I mean, I just told her, but, hey. That's I don't what the heck? Yeah. You know? And so the next meeting, I let everybody know. that was bad. Mhmm. But I think, in our in Christian accountability, We we don't help people to see, bro, this is not who you wanna be. Yeah. Sis, this is not who you wanna be. Mhmm. Do you really wanna be the person that talks like that about people that love you and Care about you? Come on. I know it feels right. Yeah. But let let's let's let's get back to the Thanksgiving. And if you're not there yet, sit at the bench, and let's Yeah. Let's go to let's wear a red shirt and go Do some rehab and
[00:05:29.89] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. Because god defines the line that we're supposed To be. Yeah. So then we hold ourselves accountable to that line.
[00:05:36.50] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. And we all need it.
[00:05:38.00] - Derek Bargatze
Right.
[00:05:38.10] - Gregg Garner
Like, I would not have despised anybody if At that moment, they they would've just gone Greg, are you okay?
[00:05:46.60] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. Yeah.
[00:05:47.19] - Gregg Garner
I went, no. No. I'm not okay. This is hard. Yeah. Like, something just happened. It's crazy. And they're like, can we pray for you? And they're like, yeah. And I'm like, can someone else finish this meeting? Yeah. Right. Notes are on the clipboard or whatever it is. I just think I think we need to to because of these texts, you're right. It's an imperative. Yeah. These these are these are, like, Ways out. This is how you get out Yeah. Of the depths. Yep. Right? Yeah. The the Psalms are are directives along those lines. And and while I understand, again, we have to express ourselves, and there people need brought into our context, We shouldn't end Yeah. There. Yeah. Definitely. You know? Hundred percent. And and and I use a sports analogy because it's just more obvious on the face. Like, oh, he came down on someone else's foot. Yeah. He has a sprained ankle now. He was our hope to replace our other guard. Right. Now he's on the bench too.
[00:06:47.10] - Derek Bargatze
Mhmm.
[00:06:47.60] - Gregg Garner
just where we're at. And it's like, okay. Let's see what we can do. Mhmm. But the because we are the body of Christ. Yeah. There's some there should be consolation. You know, Philippians two talks about if there if there's any consolation because of the love that you have, If there's there's any comfort
[00:07:04.39] - Mitchel Buchannan
Mhmm.
[00:07:04.80] - Gregg Garner
Then you should share this mind Yeah. That's in Christ. And I I think that we should feel comforted and consoled by the fact That we share mind in Christ, and that even, allows us to receive the rehabilitation that gets us back to Thanksgiving. That gets Back to recounting the deeds God's done and remembering who God is to us and how he's alive in our Yeah. Our brothers and sisters. And, yeah, I by again, I'm not I'm not saying I got this unlocked, like, by no means, but I want to. Yeah. I want to.
[00:07:39.89] - Mitchel Buchannan
Yeah. I think I was just trying to think through, like, in Maybe in people's where there is a lack of thankfulness, I think being able to, I Think be vulnerable or voice whatever concerns. Whatever I think if we're saying it's not giving thanks, because the directive in the Psalms is give thanks. It's like, I think that is on the face. Like, hey. This the path is clear of what we should be behave how we should behave be behaving. How we are moving towards health is to give thanks because it it it does something in us. I think if people aren't doing that activity, I think just in some way, prompting the conversation to even get the ugly out or to figure out because, you know, I coach I coach Maisie and Jacoby's little teams, and it's like the most Trading thing is if I can tell one person's frustrated on the court, and I'm like, hey. What's going on? Like, they can't say it. And I'm like, I don't know how to help you. So then it's like, if they aren't giving thanks, if they don't have and they don't have that mindset of, like, hey. This is how I'm participating is to have you know, To be, enacting thankfulness, if they're not there, we have to be able to break open, you know, that shell. It's like Yeah. To be able to, I think talk about it and just push people towards, like, this is a safe place no matter, you know, good, bad, or ugly. Mhmm. Like, this is a safe place. Yeah. The it's not that we're gonna stay in, like, oh, yeah. Now we wallow in our criticisms of, like, why this isn't good enough or how I'm not playing my role Yeah. That I should be doing. It's like, We should have that corrective perspective where it's like, hey. This doesn't seem healthy, but it's like, unless we can see that, then it's like
[00:09:15.10] - Gregg Garner
What makes it a safe place in your mind? Our church?
[00:09:23.50] - Derek Bargatze
To to share something vulnerable? What makes it it a safe place?
[00:09:26.60] - Gregg Garner
I think I think within many people's context, they're afraid of the consequences of sharing. Right?
[00:09:33.10] - Mitchel Buchannan
Even in your example of, like, if somebody could raise their hand back, are you okay, Greg? Like, that's a tough position for somebody to raise their hand in a meeting and call down. Not called down, but, like, call out to you. Yeah. Hey, man. You seem out of control. Like, the I don't know if there's even a right answer. Like, that just takes a lot of gumption. It takes, like, a lot of, like, Since it didn't make sense a lot of love. Right. It it takes a lot a lot of love. so you're saying that would not be a safe place.
[00:09:58.29] - Mitchel Buchannan
No. No. I'm saying we I I love that. I love that example. I hope it can happen. I think people aren't free enough to be themselves To where, like, that how does that happen?
[00:10:08.50] - Gregg Garner
So how do you create the safe place is what I'm asking. Is a safe place like, I I, you know, I work out at Planet Fitness, And they try to create a safe place there for inexperienced workout people. Right?
[00:10:20.39] - Derek Bargatze
No. Just So it's like Judge judge free zone. Yeah.
[00:10:24.20] - Gregg Garner
Judgment free zone is what they say. Yeah. There's signs. Huge letters. Yeah. All over the place. There's a lunk a lunk alarm, I think they're called. Yeah.
[00:10:32.79] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. Somebody, like, does stuff real loud. Shaming other people. Yeah.
[00:10:36.60] - Gregg Garner
And and, like, you sound that alarm so that everybody knows this is Like, they have all these signs all over the place.
[00:10:42.79] - Mitchel Buchannan
This should be a whole pot. You at Planet Fitness should be the podcast.
[00:10:47.00] - Gregg Garner
So I think, like, do we have to put signs all over the place? Right. Because I'm I'm pretty sure what the Bible teaches us is that we ourselves are supposed to be those signs, Those those those that light, those directives. So at some point, people have to embody that safety.
[00:11:05.70] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:11:05.89] - Gregg Garner
You know? So I do think that there's a there's a faith element to this. And, it's it's not according to these texts, It's not preconditioned on whether or not the environment's safe, but because God is good. Right. Mhmm. Because of who God is and because of what God's done, that we should be able to assert ourselves in that way.
[00:11:25.50] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. I like I like how you said that it that Thanksgiving's a disruptor because you're not disrupting a safe place. You know what I'm saying? There's no nothing to disrupt in that situation. If that's the case, then we're just sitting around waiting for a safe place. And how do we construct that Safe place. Like, well, when does it happen?
[00:11:43.60] - Gregg Garner
I think we we manifest the reality when we practice obedience.
[00:11:48.79] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:11:49.00] - Gregg Garner
So I I'm holding that the community of Christ is a safe place. Sure. Yeah. Is a safe place. So now by faith and obedience, we should manifest that safety. you know, we walk by faith, not by sight. We're not gonna be able to visually posterize our world that people know this is a safe place. We we have to act it out.
[00:12:09.10] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:12:09.70] - Gregg Garner
And, I've have seen that when people do practice that kind of vulnerability and truth, it's it is it's disruptive. For example, if you would have played, like, sports with Rob and I, when we were playing sports a lot, you know, ten years ago or whatever, You might think we hated each other in some of the exchanges Yeah. Yeah. That we'd have. Right. But we're both trying to, just Be honest and and truthful. And I'm sure there's some tact and, considerations that could have been made for the culture that we find ourselves in. Mhmm. But, what I knew was afterwards, we were very thankful for one another. And it was not It it it was always gonna be worked out. There was nothing that we could say or do to one another that, In fact, all of that was done because we felt safe.
[00:12:59.60] - Ashley Moore
Mhmm. Yeah.
[00:13:00.50] - Gregg Garner
It was when we realized that we weren't safe when other people heard it. Right. And we realized, oh, now we're being criticized, and now we're being looked at as lesser than, or we've lost respect.
[00:13:11.10] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:13:11.39] - Gregg Garner
Now it became an unsafe place Instead of just being human. Yeah. Because I mean, I
[00:13:16.10] - Derek Bargatze
And people not having the ability to just ask the questions, but what's happening here? Are you guys okay? Yeah. Like, are you gonna be okay after this? Yeah. Like, really kinda that's even, like, Bottom level Christian things. That's like friendship. Like, is everything alright?
[00:13:33.50] - Gregg Garner
I wonder if that's still the case today because This this new generation seems like they just so hate confrontation.
[00:13:42.29] - Ashley Moore
I feel like it's Challenging because I think even what we're toeing the line of is the, you know, cultural expectation of safe place. Safe is gonna be relative for Everybody. Yeah. You know, it's relative, but, you know, first John four is gonna say, there's no fear in love. Perver low cast out all fear. If you have fear, it's because you've not been perfective. You're you're afraid of condemnation, you know, if I'm paraphrasing at this point. But, you know, it's I think We're trying to work out, okay, what does it look like to be a community Christ that is gonna sit counterculture because the Bible, A lot about scripture is gonna be countercultural to our current moment. So I think it's I think it's challenging. I'm glad we're having conversations about it.
[00:14:21.20] - Gregg Garner
yeah like, If Thanksgiving is is this virtue that's being taught to us, that Is is being taught to us in a a command form where an act of obedience manifests it, but we recognize there's Kind of even a journey to get there because there we're we're frustrated. There are things happening in our lives, and we wanna give people the safe place to vent that. It it just seems like it it will never be a safe place unless it culminates in this conclusion. Someone could be grateful for whatever it is that's happening. Mhmm. Like, that day someone raised their hand, and if they start with Thanksgiving, they would have said, Greg, So grateful for your leadership over the years. So thankful for this meeting. You you you seem like you're you're having a hard time right now, though. I think I woulda heard it different. And and I'm not saying everybody has that tact immediately. Sure. I do think it's easier to be like, Greg, you are out of control. And, this is ridiculous. And I I might even get defensive because I'm already in a bad place
[00:15:28.39] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:15:28.79] - Gregg Garner
In that moment. But even starting with Thanksgiving Seems to to diffuse some of the hostility Right. That Does not come from God. It it it comes from the lack of maturity that we have To realize that love can characterize, that safe place.
[00:15:49.39] - Ashley Moore
I think in that moment, you feel seen by that person if they're acknowledging You know? Yeah.
[00:15:55.89] - Gregg Garner
me because they hear I'm emotional. Yeah.
[00:15:57.50] - Ashley Moore
Right.
[00:15:59.39] - Mitchel Buchannan
Yeah I think and I think what we're saying is, Obviously, there's nothing about the place that we are creating. If we're the if we're believers, people of God, every place should be safe If we are acknowledging that God is good and, like, that we're just being ourselves. You know? So it's like
[00:16:14.79] - Gregg Garner
It should be. The kingdom of God is among you. Now Jesus will highlight, I send you out like sheep among wolves. Sure. So there are some environments that are hostile that that we have to practice The wisdom of a serpent, the innocence of a dove to navigate.
[00:16:29.89] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:16:30.29] - Gregg Garner
But in the community of Christ, the kingdom of God is among you. We should be able to anticipate safety.
[00:16:38.10] - Mitchel Buchannan
And if we don't feel if if we feel like, oh, I don't feel safe to share this. Obviously, like, you're bringing up Tack. There's, like, maybe different ways to approach it. Hey. Maybe this isn't the right venue. Yeah. But, like, if we feel like, oh, there's really not a place, it's really our mindset that needs a change.
[00:16:52.89] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. And I think that person needs to make an adjustment.
[00:16:56.89] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right. It's it's our mindset that needs to change that, oh, I can share here. And like we're saying Yeah. This is leading Towards, I think, a thankful heart where it's like and even I think you brought up earlier. It's not just criticism for the sake of it. It's like, I wanna solve a problem. Like, I wanna make this better. Yeah. I wanna contribute, and then it's out of that, I think, participatory, the active, you know, Way that you're engaging this the kingdom of God, it's gonna have Yeah. Thankfulness outflowing, you know, from that
[00:17:24.20] - Derek Bargatze
And all of us have the We're all responsible for obedience. So Right. That person would just need to take a that's what we mean when we say take step of faith. You're taking a step in obedience to say, This environment doesn't feel like this is the right time to start with something to say thankful. You know, he he's clearly upset or something along those lines. But by doing so, I'm obeying God.
[00:17:44.09] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:17:44.59] - Derek Bargatze
And and God's gonna be with us now and then to communicate. Hey. Hey, brother. I'm so thankful for your leadership. And then to move in obedience and faith to figure out what's going on Mhmm. And I think sometimes we allow our culture just is very deceiving. And, well, that was one of the things I think that helped when we started learning God's word at the institute and, All those things was to evaluate how much of my Christian life, I didn't have any any of God's word attached to it to give us the direction. That's why I really like what we're talking about now is, like, we're Saying no. No. No. We're allowing ourselves to be directed by what God's word's teaching us saying, like, this is a command. Mhmm. Not something I just go like, yeah. I'm thankful. Because I think what ends up happening is we, we allow because I'm Christian, thus all my thoughts must be Christian. All my beliefs, my my cultural expressions, my however I feel in this moment, even if it's a critique
[00:18:43.20] - Gregg Garner
Its Christian because im christian.
[00:18:43.79] - Derek Bargatze
because im christian. And so this must be good. So then what I'm doing is godly. Where rather than starting with, you know, god told me to give thanks Right. Because I know he's good. And now I'm gonna take a step of faith in that because I don't feel that.
[00:18:58.40] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Right.
[00:18:58.90] - Derek Bargatze
I'm not thinking that.
[00:19:00.09] - Gregg Garner
Well, it reorients your mindset. Right? Because In that moment, if your thanksgiving, to the Lord is as a result of him being good, You you you can look at any situation and recalibrate. Right? Get recentered. Yeah. The situation could be really hard, But then you could just go, okay. But God's good. And then the second part of the verse, his love endures forever is just that That comfort that we have Yeah. That God's not leaving the room, that God's Yeah. Staying with us in that if you have that love of Christ, like Philippians two talks about, That's, covenantally bonding us together with the mind of Christ.
[00:19:39.90] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:19:40.40] - Gregg Garner
Then you can feel safe enough to know that nobody should be leaving the room. Then we learned that the people who do leave the room didn't share that mind. Because we should be able to Go on that journey towards Thanksgiving, shredding shrugging off all of the, like, Hebrews twelve will talk about, the residue from the pain or the Kurtz Right. Just like you're trying to communicate, and it come out wrong, but know that you're loved. Yeah. Mhmm. People aren't going anywhere. Yeah. That's the love of God that endures Forever. Yeah. Like, we're we're gonna we're gonna work through this.
[00:20:13.70] - Ashley Moore
Right. Right.
[00:20:14.29] - Gregg Garner
There incredible comfort knowing that people will Display that kind of love that is patient. Yeah. That's kind. Right? Right. Even get King James on it. That patience is long suffering. That that that that's not gonna remember a wrong.
[00:20:30.09] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. Oof.
[00:20:31.20] - Gregg Garner
Man, mI, like, I wanted to move to this part of the verse So That his love endures forever. Because I have heard people try to justify their actions By just holding, I I like a phrase like, I have a different theology on that. And, they don't wanna argue about theology. I don't wanna argue about theology either. I would argue about scripture, like, just straight up scripture. And when the scripture says Yeah. That love doesn't remember a wrong, I'm not loving right when I'm remembering your wrongs. Yeah. But I might be remembering your wrongs. So I need to get that out, but I also need corrected. Mhmm. I need someone to tell me, hey. I get it. I get that you're remembering that, but that's not what love is. Yeah. Well, what am I supposed to do? Forgive them? Yeah. Well, they've done it so many times. Yeah. Now we're getting on the Jeff's first. Right? Like but we don't do that for each other. We're just like, I'm just so happy you opened up. I'm just really thankful that, like, you can be so vulnerable
[00:21:33.29] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:21:33.59] - Gregg Garner
Because, like, that is, like, Like, powerful. Yeah. And your vulnerability is so powerful. Yeah. It's like, bro, like We've got
[00:21:41.90] - Derek Bargatze
we've given a lot of power to vulnerability. Yeah.
[00:21:45.79] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Thanksgiving Is is what these texts are saying Mhmm. Needs to be our reflex. Mhmm. And if we're not there yet, We need help to get there. Mhmm. And if we don't feel safe enough yet, there should be safety in the community of Christ and the kingdom of God. We need to get that mind. Yeah. And we need to share that mind. And that mind comes through obedience.
[00:22:05.70] - Derek Bargatze
Obedience. Yeah.
[00:22:06.50] - Gregg Garner
And so maybe at first, it's gonna be very awkward to reorient Our words like, I'm thinking about for me, this is such a good talk for me personally because I wanna be that kind of person, and I don't think I always am. I think that I because of the nature of my work and having to always problem solve and and look at how a system could fail before it's even failed so that I can Input fail safes before anyone gets hurt. Like, I'm I'm wired to think along those lines. Yeah. But it's not healthy With respect to our, interpersonal relationships.
[00:22:36.50] - Derek Bargatze
Mhmm.
[00:22:37.00] - Gregg Garner
And so I too want God to do a work in me, but it's really cool. It's like a It's like a a kid learning to swim, you know, and they're with their their their parent. Yeah. And then, like, at first, you see them and they're looking all left Then, right, they're looking at all the other kids in there. Mhmm. They have all this fear. And what do you do as a parent? What do you tell the kid? Just look at me.
[00:22:57.00] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:22:57.40] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Just look at me. Just look at me. yep. Just look at me. Come on. Don't worry about anything else. I love how God does that in this verse. He's like, give thanks to the Lord, please. He's good.
[00:23:05.90] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah. Mhmm.
[00:23:07.00] - Gregg Garner
Just look at him. His love endures forever.
[00:23:09.90] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:23:10.20] - Gregg Garner
And then we can receive that love of God through everyone who's obedient. it's those obedient ones that are the children of God.
[00:23:16.29] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:23:16.59] - Gregg Garner
And so if we are in a community where Jesus is lord, which we are Yeah. And and we recognize that All of us are not if Paul Apostle's like, not that I've already attained Yeah. Surely not that any of us have attained. Right? Right. So so if we can all recognize we're his workmanship, we are works in progress, and that we can actually be instrumental. Like, I really wish for me as a leader That and I get, Mitch, it's intimidating and it's hard. But, like, if if people love me, they'll find the right venues to talk to me. And they'll say, hey. I didn't understand when you did that. Then I can share too, and I can grow as well.
[00:23:53.29] - Derek Bargatze
Right.
[00:23:53.59] - Gregg Garner
But we all need it. And and the the safety I'm I'm really hoping to communicate that the safety is something God gave us. Yes. He is our shield. he's our strong tower.
[00:24:05.70] - Derek Bargatze
The kingdom
[00:24:06.29] - Gregg Garner
He's our fortress. Right? Like, God already did that for us. Right. We need to manifest that safety By implementing this kind of Thanksgiving, reorienting your mind.
[00:24:17.20] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:24:17.40] - Gregg Garner
Because no matter what you've done to me or or what I feel has done Been done to me. If I start thanking God, and then I can even start to see you through that lens of thanksgiving towards God because some of our thanksgiving to God is gonna be like, God, thanks for Entrusting me with this responsibility even though I didn't earn it. God, thank you so much for for giving me this this child that that I didn't even think I'd appreciate or Or, like, we have so many things that God has done for us. We're counting all those deeds and even done for others that we know we did not merit. Others did not merit, but God did it because he was good.
[00:24:52.29] - Ashley Moore
right.
[00:24:52.50] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. And if we recognize in one another that that there's there's the kind of love we can give to each other that we don't deserve
[00:25:00.29] - Derek Bargatze
Yeah.
[00:25:00.90] - Gregg Garner
But it belongs to God's family. So much health, I think, can emerge because it doesn't require people To to have everything right. Like, you brought up the the first John passage. Like, there there's a fear of judgment Mhmm. Because people haven't matured in love. So if I'm afraid to express myself because I'm afraid to be judged, and I've felt that On even as a leader, even from the pulpit Yeah. From podcasts like this, like, I need to grow. Mhmm. I need to grow and let God Help me to overcome that fear, but it starts with remembering who he is and what he's done. And and it's it's just like Stopping at looking at all the other kids at the pool and everything else and just focusing on on your dad and just taking the risk and jumping into the pool and Or the beach or wherever it is and learning to swim.
[00:25:54.59] - Mitchel Buchannan
Which even just like that that dad example, Ashley phrased it in her sermon where it's like, god you know, When you feel like you're in the midst or, like, things are skewing in your life or you're just, like, turmoil, like, God has always showed up for you. You know? And it's like, if that's the way she phrase it, which was just so awesome, like, Be thankful because he has always showed up for you. So it's like just like your you know, that relationship you have with someone you you trust, like your your parents, like, you're gonna Trust that because they've always been there. You know? Yeah. And our good father, how much more, you know, than it's Yeah.
[00:26:24.59] - Gregg Garner
His love endures forever.
[00:26:25.90] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:26:26.50] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. One of our responsibilities Is is to call out the Christ in one another. Yeah. You know? Which is to call the best in each other. I think, modernly, people will say, yeah. I wanna see the best Version of you out there, but the best version of us is in Christ. Right. For your life is hidden with Christ in God, Colossians three three. And it's like When when we recognize that we're calling out the Christ in one another, I think there's a comfort there because we know Jesus. Yeah. We all know his tenderness and his love and his care. So we know that that same spirit can animate all of us, and that's who we're talking to.
[00:27:01.70] - Derek Bargatze
Mhmm.
[00:27:01.79] - Gregg Garner
And I think when people start talking to the Christ in us, this the the holy spirit that resides in us, The rule of God that resides in us. Because I I don't want it to be mystical or imaginal magical to say call it the Christ in you. When I'm calling out the Christ in you, the term itself is to highlight the lordship of Jesus. Right? And so if I'm calling out the Christ in you, I'm calling out that aspect of you that's obedient to God. Yeah. And so what I'm asking you to display patience, forbearance, and kindness, and to not remember a wrong and to still be there because love doesn't fail, I'm calling out the the the lordship of Jesus to animate your decision making process. So when I'm telling you to give thanks or I'm asking you to recount the goodness of God, It's not merely an exercise to calm you down. It's a total transformative reorienting Maturation opportunity.
[00:27:51.79] - Derek Bargatze
Mhmm.
[00:27:52.29] - Gregg Garner
And and there's a there's a lot of love and care if we can do that for one another. And, I I think I'm I'm with you, Mitch. I I wanna see a lot more of that in in our community, and and I know that all of us have to just come to terms with the fact Starts with us Right. Manifesting the safety by the faith through implementing Thanksgiving. Mhmm. Yeah. Excellent. Well, thank you, Ashley. Yeah. Thanks, Derek. Do you guys wanna say anything else before we close-up?
[00:28:17.90] - Derek Bargatze
That was great. I appreciate that. I love that. Yeah.
[00:28:19.70] - Ashley Moore
I love that talk that was awesome. Yeah.
[00:28:21.20] - Gregg Garner
It was a good talk.
[00:28:21.90] - Derek Bargatze
I feel blessed by that. Yeah.
[00:28:23.59] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Thanks, Mitch.
[00:28:24.79] - Derek Bargatze
I hope you guys are too. You should be.
[00:28:28.00] - Gregg Garner
Alright. We'll see you.
[00:28:29.00] - Mitchel Buchannan
See you guys. Oh, man.
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