In this first episode in our series on Seasons, pastors Jeff Sherrod and Ashley Moore discuss the theme of seasons, emphasizing the need to trust in God's plan over worldly systems. They highlight the importance of staying faithful and rooted in God's word, especially during times of economic uncertainty and changing circumstances. The conversation also touches on the tension between flexibility and systematization within the church, emphasizing the need for unity and intentionality among members. Overall, the speakers encourage listeners to deepen their faith through meaningful conversations and active engagement with scripture.
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[00:00:09.83] - Mitchell Buchanan
Hello, hello, hello. My name is Mitchell Buchanan. Welcome to the Sermon podcast for the community church for God. It's a great day. I'm here with Jeff Sherred and Ashley Moore. Yo, Ashley Matthews, as some of our mc's like to say in church, but if this is your first time listening and joining us, we have a practice where we want to sit down with the people who speak on Sundays, dig into where they are coming from with their sermon, really get to talk about the word, how it applies to us, how we can live it out and just extend that time. Because I think the worst case is we prepare for sermons, we come in, we feel like we're hoping God will meet us, and then it kind of just stays there in the church and we don't really discuss it anymore. This should be a great time. I think we'll start first with Jeff. He actually kicked off our series, which we'll be talking about today of seasons. So kind of how we typically do. If you want to just read through or just kind of give the main passage that you worked with and then some of your main points, we can go from there.
[00:01:14.95] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah, I'll totally do that. Before we do, I had told a few people what the theme was before they started, and I think everyone I talked to, they're like, seasons of. And so I was, you know, curious. What were, you know, for you guys on pastoral care team, what were you hoping with seasons? Why did it come up at this time? What were you, what were you guys thinking? You were going to get out of it?
[00:01:37.26] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah, I think, well, even the whole year, we're trying to tackle, like, what are the values we have as a church? I think, you know, a lot of them, they'll come up with naturally where our minds are at in that time of year. So I think, like, generosity might have been December. It's like, it's something that we're inundated with. Like, I have to give gifts to nephews and nieces and giving stuff.
[00:01:59.96] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah, yeah.
[00:02:00.56] - Mitchell Buchanan
Figure out how we're kind of our culture, how we're operating. So I think some of it was, hey, you know, kind of throughout the year, where are we naturally going to be having those thoughts and conversations that we can have, like a sermon series that's like, hey, we're not just subject to, you know, the Christmas frenzy. How do we really think biblically through generosity. So that was some of it. And then I think just this time of year, naturally, what you kind of hinted on seasonality is like, there's so much happening and then I think it is a time where we're leading into some changes, where you're on a semester schedule, where it's like that is. Yeah, you're very proud of it. I get to do that. Yeah. But that, that's kind of coming to an end. And I think something Ashley, you know, kind of mentioned, it's, I think it's some, something where we're all in a similar spot where it's like, hey, it's thrown around a lot. Hey, this isn't my season. Or like, hey, I feel like this season is really busy, where there's a vernacular, probably not just specific to our church, our community, but I think it's a way that people process their moments of, like, considering it this time frame. And I think we're just wanting as a pastoral care of, like, I think it is biblical seasonality is a thing, but it's like, what are we thinking? What are we talking about when we say, hey, this isn't my season? It's like that can just be very social media sound bitey and it's like we can kind of excuse ourselves from lots of things.
[00:03:30.18] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah. And it mostly turns into like, I haven't heard many people say I'm in, I'm in a season of service.
[00:03:36.52] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah, I don't think I've heard that right.
[00:03:39.28] - Ashley Moore
I used to example, I'd hear it more like season of growth. Like, I feel like God's growing me in this season or stretching me in this season.
[00:03:46.00] - Jeff Sherrod
That's positive.
[00:03:46.49] - Ashley Moore
I hear it on that way. Like, maybe not season of service isn't used, but maybe season of growth could be with it this.
[00:03:53.05] - Jeff Sherrod
Sure.
[00:03:53.41] - Mitchell Buchanan
But yeah, if we're talking about like, what people talk about, like on Instagram or TikTok, the amount of knowledge Ashley has compared to me and Jeff is.
[00:04:00.03] - Ashley Moore
That, oh, I was saying we use that as a church community. I've heard people say this. I think we use the vernacular running season or this season, God is doing XYZ or this is not. This isn't a good season for me.
[00:04:13.80] - Mitchell Buchanan
Right.
[00:04:14.25] - Jeff Sherrod
I mostly hear that.
[00:04:15.91] - Ashley Moore
Right.
[00:04:16.31] - Jeff Sherrod
That's probably what I'm sure if you're.
[00:04:17.43] - Ashley Moore
Asking someone to do something.
[00:04:19.56] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah. Just don't think I'm going to say.
[00:04:22.48] - Mitchell Buchanan
I think the context, you know, of your, your seasons of like, if you're a student, we always say, hey, you're, this is a season as a student to like, learn to serve, to have those opportunities.
[00:04:32.82] - Ashley Moore
Yeah. I think it's also used in the versa, like mentors or teachers or, you know, if a younger student was coming for me for advice, I might even use. Okay, like, let's think about it in this moment, the context of what's going on. Like, you're this age. These are your experiences. And that's even, like, talk about seasonal.
[00:04:51.66] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah.
[00:04:52.22] - Ashley Moore
You know, your season, like, what is happening. But I think we do use that language colloquially. Well, I think we use that language in our church congregation. A lot of.
[00:05:04.13] - Mitchell Buchanan
Oh, yeah, for sure.
[00:05:05.05] - Ashley Moore
And it's wild. And it's also on, you know, TikTok.
[00:05:07.55] - Jeff Sherrod
It's also there.
[00:05:08.25] - Ashley Moore
And Instagram.
[00:05:09.29] - Mitchell Buchanan
We wouldn't know. But you would.
[00:05:11.00] - Ashley Moore
I would.
[00:05:12.99] - Mitchell Buchanan
So, Jeff, if you want to kick us off Jeremiah seven, I know you kind of gave a broad intro for it and then really honed in on that passage on some things you want to pull out. What was some of your thoughts going into it and then some of your main points from the text.
[00:05:27.12] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah, so Jeremiah is 17 is a section of scripture. I think that it gets referred to a lot, even in the rest of the Bible. It kind of comes up a few times. I think what I was trying to say is that one kind of related to the conversation we have over here. First of all, let's figure out what we mean by seasonality. This is something that's done personally. We can talk about it community, we can talk about it as a society. But then regardless of where we are, we all have a requirement to find the Lord in whatever season we are. I think that the other thing that happens with seasonality that I was trying to do, too, is that we have a knowledge of what's next. There's a time coming up that is difficult. And what I was trying to allude to is what we're mostly concerned about is winter's coming. Not that summer's coming, because that's the good times. But winter, even throughout human history, this has been a time where people are going to have to, you know, tighten their belts, as it were. And, you know, it's a. It's a time of. It's a lean season, you know, so it still is referred to around the world as a lean season. And I think that part of the question that people always have is, like, in that time, will I have enough? And so there's. There's periods, you know, there's a. There's a way of. I mean, calendar observance is a major part of even the Old Testament, you know, like, that there would be. Then they're tied to seasons, like, even some of the festivals and the times that they would acknowledge God's presence are tied to seasons. So, you know, but I think that what we're trying to get is that there's ways of dealing with seasonality, especially the upcoming winter that we all can see coming that can be.
[00:07:06.23] - Mitchell Buchanan
This is a true game of Thrones, like, winter is coming. Yeah.
[00:07:09.99] - Jeff Sherrod
And it is. I think that, you know, it's just plan on, like, you know, worldwide.
[00:07:13.82] - Mitchell Buchanan
Jenny shared, like, no matter what season we're in, winter is. Right. Is coming, like, just the stress, like anxiety, the possibilities of negatives.
[00:07:23.56] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah, I think so. I mean, she's often very, very positive, too, as well, if you're hearing me say this.
[00:07:30.81] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah, she is.
[00:07:31.69] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah. But, yeah, I think that, you know, so I think that there's ways of dealing with that. So Jeremiah, I think, is trying to get at, you know, you're either going to be a kind of person who. Seasonality is affecting you in the worst possible way, which I was trying to note that sometimes it's like our desire to never change. Let me just be in this moment forever, and then I'm not going to stretch myself or you're this person that is full of fruit and we need to understand what that means and then still experiences not the homeostasis that the shrub does in the guard, in the. In the wilderness, but the different environments, the heat waves that still come, but yet still has an appearance of life and still has the product of life, you know, the fruit. So that's, I think that that's our resolve is to say, even with our perceived thing of what's coming around the corner. And a lot of that for Jeremiah's economic, is to consider what does the Lord have to say and how do we really build systems that are based on him and that because they're his system, these kind of alive systems that come from him.
[00:08:38.00] - Mitchell Buchanan
No, I think it was really interesting and powerful. You had the homeostasis idea, which you're kind of keying in on, I think, verse six, where. And then comparing that and drawing the connection with broken cisterns that we see earlier in Jeremiah two. And just like, hey, I. I think you kind of alluded to and obviously give more words than me, but, like, we have an inclination as human beings that we can control. We want to control more elements, you know, and it's that, that we kind of shirk or.
[00:09:09.80] - Jeff Sherrod
Shirk depends on where you're going. Shirk means, like, throw off or disregard. Yeah.
[00:09:15.82] - Ashley Moore
About it.
[00:09:16.49] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah. That we kind of, like, shirk at change that's happening. And it's like, hey, we want to make sure. That, like, we, and, you know, if we're not trusting the word, we're trusting in the systems of this world. And you were saying, like, hey, if we want to have, like, this perfect balance of, like, hey, we're at this place. We want to be. We're trusting in what Jeremiah was. Show is broken cisterns. It's like, from the get go, like, from the outset, we're trusting in the system that is failed from the start, you know? It's broken from the start.
[00:09:43.83] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah, that's the irony. I think Jesus, the way he says is that, you know, those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose my life for my sake, from the gospel, save it. Like, there's this contrast where we're so worried about what could be that we build systems that actually guarantee our destruction. And so in results of trying to save our life, we do lose it, because all we're concerned about is our own salvation, which is not God's intention. The way we save our life is by living our lives in accordance to God's expectation, which means that we're going to have lots of heat, winds that come and lots of things that come at us. Uh, but we have a responsibility to, uh, stay the course.
[00:10:23.44] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah.
[00:10:23.98] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah.
[00:10:24.25] - Mitchell Buchanan
And I think, you know, something I thought of in just thinking through that. Cause it can be attractive. You're looking at, uh, I think you had brought up that high scores that ask you about day trading, and it's like, that's, you know, every fifth, like, YouTube ad or something is like, is a day trader. It's like, buy my system. You can like. But I think there's an attractiveness, which you hinted on a lot in those elements. Wherever I. And kind of a question I had is, okay, so we find a lot of change, like, in the Lord, where there's really not a set structure. It's like, listen and obey. It's like, follow, you know, cloud by day, fire by night, that it is this alive moment with the Lord where you're engaging, you know, him not in a system that we established, and, like, we're seeking value from that system. So some of my thought is like, do you think that the difference in when we try to combat the thinking of, like, hey, this a broken sister, it's not going to work. I can also see the other side of the coin where it's like, what if I am still, like, trusting the Lord? I'm just in, like, a really unsustainable pattern of life where it's like, hey, whether that's like, I don't make enough money, and my bills are kind of above my head. And it's like I'm not necessarily trusting in this job to save me, but I'm just in an unsustainable pattern. And it's like I'm looking for answers that can help even the short term thing, you know, it's like, yeah, I.
[00:11:50.62] - Jeff Sherrod
Think this is all reasonable. I was actually talking to Greg after the sermon, and one of the things that we were talking about, you know, you can only do so much in a sermon if I. Yeah, you know, like, so. But one of the things I think that people do need to kind of hear next is that whether it's like, you know, the living waters of Jeremiah two or the. The tree that's planted by the stream in Psalm two or Jeremiah 17, I think the question is still, like, what does that look like? You know, like, kind of the practical part of it. Does it mean, like, all right, so I have a job over here, but I guess that's broken cisterns, and I'm gonna trust, lord, I don't really know how to get involved in that. Like, what does that look like practically? I do think, though, that Jeremiah is trying to talk to a community who is going to experience economic downturn even though they might not know it yet, right. About how they can work together to build systems that are, according to God's word, together. And this can mean things like work opportunities and job and the kind of living that we can do. Like, I don't think that this means, like, you have real concerns about what's happening for a season that you're in now or one that you can imagine. And we're saying, yeah, don't worry about any of it. It's all just going to work out through magic instead. I think what Jeremiah does say is that there's real concrete plants. When this happens, we're supposed to. Part of the concrete plants through JERemiah is surrender to Babylon. And then when you go there, create a learning community. You guys are going to be a resource to the city that's there. So make sure you pray for it. And it's Welfare. Plant gardens and take wives. There's concrete steps that are given, not just this ephemeral, trust the Lord. Because I think otherwise, you know, people can hear that and they're like, sounds good. What do I do next? You know, like, I have real things I need to do, and all of.
[00:13:40.48] - Mitchell Buchanan
This should lead us, correct me if I'm wrong, all this should lead us to a mindset of, like, in the world, but not of it, where it's like, you're Talking AboUt the activity in Jeremiah. Yeah, in exile, make your homes, you know, like, you know, be a benefit to where you're at. And it's almost like, don't trust in the systems of, you know, the overruling nation. Don't trust in the systems of this world. Trust in the Lord. But, like, you're going to need to work out that context of how you exemplify that trust on a day to day, practical type of way with other.
[00:14:08.10] - Jeff Sherrod
People that are also doing this as well.
[00:14:09.80] - Ashley Moore
I was going to say, I think part of it, too, just on a practical level, is not trusting the system of the world, and trusting our trust is in the Lord is also the people that he surrounded us with that are saying the same thing, and not, I would say, to trust in the Lord is also saying, I trust you enough to share this burden. Like, things I'm, you know, my family's going through or even just asking for help. Hey, how does your family deal with this? Because I feel like bills are insane or whatever that looks like for that family. Like, what are ways that you're cutting costs in this economy? Or, you know, even if it was a need that need me brought to somebody that, like, a. Someone who does well with finances and asking for counsel in that way, I feel like that's a way I don't know. I know that my mom was not, even if we were a member of the church, that was never encouraged to at least my church, it wasn't to have some accountability there of, like, yeah.
[00:15:11.24] - Jeff Sherrod
There was a benevolence fund, but it wasn't for people in the church. We went to the same church, but it wasn't for the people in the church, for the homeless person down the street, that really had no other recourse.
[00:15:25.46] - Ashley Moore
Yeah. So I guess I'm just thinking, like, not trusting in these broken cisterns is also just saying, hey, I'm dealing with this, and just taking that step in humility and vulnerability, really. To say this feels volatile at the moment. Like, I'm trying to do my best. What are ways that you're doing your best in this season, too, I guess.
[00:15:45.75] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah. No, no, no. That's 100%. And the thing I kept re listening to the sermon, think about it, said the message of the systems of this world is so unrelenting on, like, where we feel those pressures or where we feel how things are going. And it's like, you know, you had mentioned, I think that the season, our season of, like, following the Lord and being engaged isn't minimized, too. When you're a full time student or, like, if you're only in full time ministry, it's like every day we need to be engaging that, because if we're not in God's word, if we're not planted by that stream, if we're, you know, hey, I'm a shrub. I have enough word. And it's like, that'll wither, wither, wither if we're not in it every day, because whether we want to or not, other things are getting in us, which is the, you know, viewpoints of this world on, like, just wisdom on how we should operate or how you can get more money or what people are doing. And it's like almost no matter what, that's kind of those thoughts edge into our lives unless we really plant ourselves in the word and weed them out. We can see that gradual change, which I think you brought up.
[00:16:58.25] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah. I think Jesus refers to Jeremiah 17 when he enters into Jerusalem for the first time, and he sees the tree that's out by the gates and it's full of leaf, which means that it's green, but it wasn't in season yet. And then he curses it. And then the disciples are real confused by this, and they come back out and they're like, hey, that was the tree that you curse at, withered. And I think that what we're acknowledging is that there's a time for anybody who can have an appearance of life, but they move away from actually contributing fruit, which was part of the service that we're offering the world. I mean, the tree was there for. It was supposed to be a symbol of the vitality of the temple, that you could walk in there and anybody, a stranger could take fruit, and it would symbolize the life that was there. It just looked good, right? That was it. Now maybe we could be like, well, it wasn't in season yet, you know, but that's kind of beside the point. The point that Jesus tries to make is that it's not full of fruit, but this one that we get in Jeremiah 17, is perpetually full of fruit, which means that the only way that we're going to have the kind of fruit that we have is we don't start with God and then be like, all right, now we figured out success, and we figured out some systems, even in our own, and now we are leaning into money that's really gonna, like, feed the world again. I wanna be clear. I'm not saying, like, don't build any systems. That's what we're doing. We're doing in accordance to God's word, which means that we have to stay in God's word, and that's how we're actually gonna get the kind of life that I just. I wanna be the kind of church where people, like, metaphorically, they're gonna pull up at any time and doesn't just look good, but they're really getting fruit from it, which means that they'll be able to say, man, being part of this community means that even an economic downturn, I know that I'm going to be taken care of, not because I'm just going to get a handout, because I'm going to learn what a life of faith is about. And I know that that's going to come through a knowledge of God's word.
[00:18:55.10] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah, yeah.
[00:18:55.80] - Ashley Moore
One thing that really convicted me, I think you were hitting on just a minute ago, but I think it's the idea of the homeostasis. Like, I don't, you know, the older that we get, we may feel attention to not have to engage the Lord on the day to day be like, oh, yeah, that's for the. I feel like you brought up, like, that's for the younger. You know, this is when you were younger. Did you bring up. Maybe you didn't, like, are students having to move every so often? Yeah, I mean, I moved, like, as a student at the institute, you know, switched apartments several times, switched even roommates several times, which, looking back, was incredible for me. Just like a sense of growth. But I was trying to think through after the sermon, I'm like, man, what if someone's like, yep, you're just gonna pick up and go tomorrow? And not that that would happen, but I was thinking, like, you know, even with just a little bit of notice, I would feel frustrated about that. Like, even just in that small thing. So I think I was trying to think, man, I want to be the person that is engaging God every day and putting to death those things that says, no, you don't have to experience that, like, aliveness that the spirit of God has in us anymore.
[00:20:06.76] - Mitchell Buchanan
Right?
[00:20:07.08] - Ashley Moore
I don't know, it just. I think it really, like, yeah, extreme example.
[00:20:10.52] - Jeff Sherrod
I just. I think you're bringing up the point I was trying to get. I don't want our stories as people that are in early thirties, early forties around this table to be like, we're flexible because we used to move a lot when we were 20. Right, right. Like, what's our story now.
[00:20:23.26] - Ashley Moore
Right?
[00:20:23.79] - Jeff Sherrod
And I think part of it is, like, maybe it's not moving houses currently, although sometimes it is.
[00:20:27.91] - Ashley Moore
Sure.
[00:20:28.25] - Jeff Sherrod
Sometimes it is that. But, you know, sometimes it's like, we can't, we can, like, make all the plans that we want. Maybe people can be like, make plans better so they don't fall apart. Okay, we'll try, but there's still going to be needs that come up. Like, there's needs what we're, you know, like, there's needs that me and Mitch work with slam a lot. There's needs that come up that, like, you didn't know. And we're reaching out to members of the church and saying, who can help us? And there's certain people that are like, I'm here to help. That's what I'm doing. I'm a soldier in this, in this kingdom. And that means, like, that I have an agenda. And it wasn't just because you didn't ask me six months ago means I'm out on this thing because you didn't consider me.
[00:21:02.16] - Ashley Moore
And I think that's the thing for the tension. Like, I feel like with my age group in certain ways, I'm like, come on, guys, like, let's, let's make. Well, sometimes I'm just like, come on, guys, like, get it together. We could, we can pull this together. Like, it doesn't have to be, you know, laid out for us a through z, 100%. Like, especially thinking, you know, I think some things that can seem ad hoc are actually just, like, a turn of God's spirit and, like, what the need.
[00:21:32.67] - Jeff Sherrod
Actually, I think so, too.
[00:21:33.55] - Ashley Moore
And I think it, I think it gets confused, and sometimes I can be so critical about it, too. Like, I'm like, why is this such a last minute change? This makes me, this makes my schedule for my day so much more challenging or whatever. And really, it's like, no, like, this is going to be the best for this occasion. Like, it really will be. And it always ends up. In my experience, it ends up better most of the time because something was changed so that it could accommodate what. How God wanted to move in that moment or, like, the spirit leading the organizers of that event or the speaker for that event or whatever. You know, I think it comes out in a lot of different ways, but.
[00:22:10.56] - Mitchell Buchanan
And there is that tension because I think in a lot of ways, our, our church and then our broader, like, you know, nonprofit with God international is getting to a place where things are kind of, like, being systematized and being, you know, like, working through accreditation with the institute, that there's elements where, like, plans have to be set. There has to be systems set in place, like real systems. And it's not that we're trusting in those, but at the same time, I think that flexibility of just like, hey, pick up your tent and go. It's like that gets a little harder just because things are kind of established in place. Right?
[00:22:47.70] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah.
[00:22:48.24] - Mitchell Buchanan
Are those in opposition? That's maybe my.
[00:22:51.84] - Jeff Sherrod
I don't think so. That. I don't know. I think that systematizing can be just as much of excuse as I'm in a season that I can't help right now, because I think that, yes, we should do our. It's a service to make plans. That's all we're doing is we're trying to help other people by letting them know what's going on so they can be on the same page. I think making plans is the problem, but what we find, I think, in the gospels with Jesus's ministry is that there's plans that he does right. Like, we're gonna go to this place and we're gonna preach the gospel. So we have, like, some plans.
[00:23:26.72] - Mitchell Buchanan
Stop that away.
[00:23:27.80] - Jeff Sherrod
But then there's all kinds of things that come up that I don't think that he knew that he was gonna be in a house and there was a woman from syrophoenicia that was gonna enter the house and ask for his daughter. We know that he says it's necessary to go through Samaria. I don't know that he knew that there was gonna be a woman there at 12:00 right? Like, there's things that I think come up that are outside of plans that we're making, because we just don't know everything and what we're trying to say. And I think that this is where, like, hospitality and being available to be a tree full of fruit regardless of the season comes into play to say, like, hey, regardless of when they show up, even it's at midnight, knocking. And this is also Jesus story. We're the person there that says, yeah, we have bread for you. And I think that if we're gonna be like, I don't accept this. I just need more control in my life because I'm too stressed. When I don't have that kind of control, then I think we've missed something, and even I think that we will. There's a slow attrition that happens in that kind of inflexibility. I mean, we stay. The term flexible is a good one. Right. It's like we recognize that flexibility happens in everything. Like, whether that's physically we work out and we stretch more when we get older. We were doing, like, a moving day for. For Easter, and I was like. And all the chairs, I was, like, 30 minutes before we started, I was stretching, you know, like, I want to move all these chairs, but then all these young guys, dude, they don't care. Like, literally rolling out of bed and just picking all these chairs. I'm like, dude, I was stretched, and I still hurt my back. Still dealt with it for a week.
[00:24:58.13] - Ashley Moore
After Nicknick also hurt his back.
[00:24:59.50] - Jeff Sherrod
I did, and I was just like, I don't know. I mean, I really stretched. But anyway, it's like, all of us, we all deal with this. It's a way that we just invite continued flexibility, but we practice it. We practice that kind of flexibility. And so it's like, you know, I think that there's the problem with the person. The shrub is not that it's actually homeostasis. It's that there's a relief that comes, but they can't see it, you know, right in verse six. Right where. And conversely, I think that you find people who can recognize hardship, recognize difficulty, but at the same time be plugged into the stream so they're able to still produce fruit regardless of when the needs do pop up, even if they're at midnight and we already have all of our kids asleep in bed. It's a. It's. It's a. That's an easy story for, like, people that don't have kids. That's a hard story for people that do have kids. Like, I. That was a task to do all that. And you're, like, knocking at the door. My whole house just woke up.
[00:25:52.13] - Mitchell Buchanan
Right?
[00:25:53.01] - Ashley Moore
Yeah.
[00:25:53.49] - Jeff Sherrod
That's crazy, right? Yeah, yeah, and, yeah, but that's. That's part of. That's. That's part of what it does. It's part of what Jesus says.
[00:26:01.22] - Mitchell Buchanan
The whole time, I'm just thinking who. How each of us would manage that scenario. Like, we're.
[00:26:05.18] - Jeff Sherrod
I'd be so confused. I'd be like, what's. Everything okay?
[00:26:09.00] - Jeff Sherrod
You know, we're all going first to, like, something happening first.
[00:26:13.48] - Mitchell Buchanan
Jeff would have so many clarifying questions. Like, you need to come here. Like, it needs to be here.
[00:26:17.45] - Jeff Sherrod
Like, if you knocked on my door and it's like, 03:00 a.m. and then your request is like, do you have bread? I have people over, and we ran out, I'd be. Yeah. I'd be like. And they want it right now.
[00:26:31.28] - Mitchell Buchanan
They know it's our bread they want. It needs to be ours.
[00:26:34.66] - Jeff Sherrod
They want this.
[00:26:36.00] - Mitchell Buchanan
I love. You said three m. It could literally be probably 1015 and you would feel the same way. Like, how late? I mean, it's not that late.
[00:26:44.84] - Jeff Sherrod
What are you saying?
[00:26:45.76] - Mitchell Buchanan
You all go to bed early. Jenny does.
[00:26:49.93] - Jeff Sherrod
I don't know if she wants me to disclose her.
[00:26:51.84] - Mitchell Buchanan
We don't need to hang up. Yeah, I think what you're saying is great and just being challenged to stay flexible and to have that mindfulness with the Lord and then to recognize I'm in a hard season. I can still recognize the fruitfulness or recognize the goodness of the Lord in that moment, because I think we've all kind of acknowledged it to some degree of our age or as we get older. There is what you brought up in attrition. It feels like as you get older, either it's just easier to kind of like, give yourself over to your tiredness or like, the systems at play or the schedule that's happening. I think it is easier, I think, to relax your own animation in God's spirit, where it's like, if you're a young person, you have less responsibilities, you're available for everything. You know, you could be. It's like, go to Kroger at eleven at night. It's like, yeah, I mean, they're closed now. I'm living in the past, but, you know, go somewhere late at night or do anything, like you're available to do that. I think you get older, and particularly when it comes to things from the Lord or serving others or considering others, it's like, it's far easier not to request that from other people, like friends. And it's easier, I think, to just kind of resign yourself over, like, no, it's already late, or it's like, we have a full week next week. I don't think I can work that in. Oh, sorry. And it's like, truly, I don't think a lot of those things aren't really passing through. I think the spirit of the Lord that, you know, is near to us. That's written on our heart, you know, it's really just passing through of like, what is the ebbs and flows of my week and my schedule and how I'm, like, perceiving things. Yeah, but, yeah. Anything else? Any other? I had. I had a question because you started, you said, you know, a question like, what season are we ending as a church? Like, that's a great one to throw out to Greg, but I didn't know if you had any thoughts on, like, what's our season as a church right now? Like, that's how you started yourself.
[00:28:48.81] - Jeff Sherrod
I don't know, man. Yeah. Greg is good at these questions.
[00:28:56.70] - Mitchell Buchanan
I'm not giving up on you, Jeff.
[00:28:57.85] - Jeff Sherrod
I used to ask him, like, dude, where do you think we're at? It was, like, always a angle that I wasn't expecting.
[00:29:02.94] - Mitchell Buchanan
I think there's a lot of. Particularly overseas, there's a lot of opportunities for international church growth. And I just keep trying to think through, like, the members we've been around the last, like, 510, 15 years. Like, are we ready? I think to really see this as an outlet of. For introducing more and more people into what we're doing in this vocation. Like, it takes, as the integrated pastor, it takes some attention, intentionality, to, I think, see, the church is like, no, this needs to have an investment into it. You know, it's like. And I think the members particularly have been around for a long time. It's like, hey, are we seeing this in the same lens? Because, like, I think we could be on, you know, kind of the precipice for a season of such great growth and, like, opportunity to really incorporate more and more people. And it's. Because that's not always been the case, you know, the last several years. Covid, namely, is the easiest thing. It's like, it's hard to grow in the midst of that. But it's like, I think all the exciting things happening in our community around what we're doing, it's like, are we on the same page? And it's like. I think that's kind of an interesting.
[00:30:09.17] - Jeff Sherrod
Yeah. I mean, we have more students at the institute, international students, than we've ever had before, by far.
[00:30:14.09] - Ashley Moore
Amazing.
[00:30:14.84] - Jeff Sherrod
You know, they're. Yeah, so there is, like, the God spirit really is moving in the places that we've been working for a long time. And so it's just. That's super exciting. I think that we need. There's a lot of flexibility that's required in working with people that are not here, that are to have different culture, different languages. You know, we're also. There's a critical mass, maybe. I don't know that's the best way to say it, but a large contingent of the church community that's moving into, like, mid age, you know, 40, I think that's gonna be something that is a. It's a potential storm that people do need to be able to weather. When you look back at your life, which is a natural time to be able to do it, I think part of the season on the downhill, but to be able to say, like, man, like, God's been so good to us, I'm gonna keep the course, you know, I'm not abandoning this thing halfway because I didn't get what I wanted, and I thought I would be more secure by now. You know, whatever. Whatever people want to do. I don't know. I hope that doesn't happen that way.
[00:31:17.02] - Mitchell Buchanan
Yeah, no, I think it's great. There's a lot to work through and to stay the course, stay rooted in God's word, and not just to trust in a system that we know is already broken. So, Jeff brought up so many texts from the gospels, from Jeremiah. This was. It's a really, I think, deep topic that can have a lot of angles, and I think the next few weeks will be fun to explore those. But thanks for joining us on the Sermon podcast. And as always, you know, give us a. Like, give us a good review. We did awesome today, by the way. A. Yeah. Thank you. A plus. And then, obviously, next time you're with friends, family, an accountability group, spark some of these conversations, because I think what we find in God's word and the wrestling with, I think these topics is going to be more fruitful than just talking about that thing we saw on YouTube or that thing that kind of crossed our eye that we were interacting with that day. So be open, be vulnerable to one another. Let's really press this moment. What season are we in as a church? I think we can come up with God's word and come up with some great opportunities on the other side. So thanks for watching or listening. We'll see you next time you.
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