Full Transcript for 041: DOES JESUS GET YOUR BEST—OR WHAT’S LEFT?

clinic's easy, but now I'm gonna put this to a test by going back into and and that's kinda like, you know, when you go into church and you're doing the men's groups and you're doing all that stuff, you're you're set up in a in an environment to succeed and to put to put Jesus first. But then you gotta thrust yourself back into your environment and then remember to do Those things. Yeah, it's it's a challenge. I I think part of the the saving grace, if you will, is is it's not just men's group and Sunday, right? It's it's our friendship and and you know, friendship with Christian and shooting with you guys and reading the word on a daily basis and and you know, getting on the on the phone and scrolling through the devotionals and listening to that stuff. So I think that that's a huge part of, you know, how how I stay grounded in it. 'Cause man, it'd be so easy. It it's so easy just to fall back into, you know, the the world, if you will. yeah. Are you open to s sharing like what specific idols you were? I mean it everything that I did around hunting, like my podcast. Okay. involved in a couple of businesses, right? Like you're putting this stuff in front. But but honestly, my entire life, because until until last year. I wasn't thinking anything about God, right? So it's like you live a secular life what you you just don't know what you don't know. Right? And and if you don't have any reason to look and everything is just Call it for the lack of a better word, cruise control because you're going to work and you're doing what you're s what we're told we're supposed to do for sus in society, right? As a man, protect your family, provide for your family, and you're doing all these things. You don't even know that. Right. You wouldn't even know that those things were idle. You have no idea. Right. It's just life. And and as I as I got into scripture and started to to read and understand and listen, It just started to anything secular just started to feel wrong. Right. So I think it was a little bit easier for me to realize and deal with because it just of the world did not feel the same. Like I couldn't watch I I used to love watching any kind of B movie with violence and death and you know horror movies. And and that was where I first saw it, right? That stuff just started to, I was just like, man, what? That's gross, right? Like I don't even want to watch and Rosanna would be like, What? And I'm Yeah, I don't even watch this. Turn this crap off. You know, and it just Yeah. And and I didn't understand it. She didn't, but it just anything like that, it just started to fall off music, you know, pretty eclectic music taste. but then there was stuff I listened to and I'm like, Yeah, no, I shouldn't be listening to this. And no idea, you know. Yeah, it's like you said, when you don't know, you don't you just don't know what you don't know. Do you feel like a lot of it was success and notoriety? Was that like an idol? Mm absolutely. Yeah. To a point like,

you know, being in being in that hunting space and being successful there and and wanting more success there. For whatever I and I can't even explain it. Like I don't it but I again you don't know what you don't know. I think it's anything we do 'cause it feels good in a worldly way, those to to have people look at you as like a mentor or like a and that's not necessarily worldly mentorship, but But that's what we're told, that's the hard part, right? Is that's what we're told we're supposed to do as men. We're supposed to succeed as men, right? Fall down. What do they tell you? Get back on the horse. Right. So there's no there's no understanding that there's a separation of how society tells us to live. There's I mean, even tod today, there's still confusion when I read scripture. Because it tells me to do the same thing. It's just a different heart and a different mindset with a different leading relationship. Do it for him and the kingdom, not for yourself, right? Right. But there's still conflict in that. Right? There's still huge conflict in that. Well, and there's something to be said too for people who have platforms or large platforms or large success, like can you keep that and turn the p focus to God? Absolutely. Abs I a hundred and ten percent you can. In my head that's my plan. Mm-hmm. But it sounds like you're nervous. No. No. I don't know how to do it the right way. Right? Because I don't think that I'm in a place Outside of testimony that I should be talking. Definitely can't teach. I can only speak from my experience. So there's this hesitation because what's what it's going to do is going to bring up questions. It's going to bring up maybe I don't care about criticism. but just say it's just it's it's gonna bring questions and I need to be able to answer those questions solidly. For the building of the kingdom and not like but stumble around it, right? Like I want to nail it so I affect that person in that moment, yeah, how they should be affected. Now maybe I put too much thought into things, but that that's how I see it. I don't think I can come from a place of teaching yet. See, I go the other way. I like I would I would just swing to the fences and be like, hey, like I'm muted this. What I'm saying could be massively incorrect, but here's how I'm including it and then I'll just speak my part. But that's and I I don't care. Right. But that's still testimony. Right? You're saying we're saying the same exact thing. But I'll just I'm just like it's like, well here's what the Bible says. Right. I'll get up and I I'll get wrong for sure. something we've spoken about before and we've definitely spoken about, but never actually preached it on on the podcast. But like that the book of Revelation's talking about the the transparent glass in heaven and that the streets the streets are paved in gold, we know that. And also the buildings are actually all gold. Everything is gold in essence. And so they talk about that gold being so pure that it's transparent as glass. The reason they talk about that is and and one way to interpret that, is that if if the buildings were made of any other thing, or even just normal gold, the gold that we think about as gold, then If Jesus is sitting in his temple, then anybody outside of there cannot see him. But he is the entire reason and the entire focus of heaven. So there doesn't want to be an in any person anywhere that cannot see him. And so the gold becomes transparent, meaning f no matter where you are, you can see Jesus. And it points to golds in the world that we live in. So in the world, and the whole idea of this is to bring heaven down to the world. And so Those things that we see as golds that compete can be idols, but they can also be good things. Like, you know, getting a good job and being successful is something you can you can work away at and do good things. You can be a really great hunter, you could be a professional sports player. As long as you and this is it's it's easy to say, hard to do, but as long as you're doing it in a way that that gold that you're work that you're seeking in the earth becomes clear so that people can see Jesus through it. That's the idea. It's like This podcast, we could do it in search of fame, or we could make sure that it's a transparent piece of gold. We're gonna seek the gold. It's not wrong to have gold as long as people can see Jesus through it. I like that. And so this is your first hunting season with this frame of mind. Yes, ma'am. Yeah. That's so cool because you don't like you said, you don't know what you don't know. It's like with we talked about this maybe on I don't think it was last week's podcast, but the week before Aaron and I just had like some friends and family send us questions and we answered that. That's cool. And talking about how you you sin less but feel worse. It's like when you become aware of sin, when we become aware of when we miss the mark in that way, it's so much harder and it's a little bit can be a little bit scary or just rattle us more. Where do you guys I mean, if you don't mind me asking? Where d where do you have that struggle? For like my idols? Yeah. One of the first things that comes to me is like worldly people pleasing. I think just I was taught always, you don't want to rock the boat, you just want to be quiet. You don't like everyone should like you and you should make everyone feel comfortable all the time. That's so funny. You're sitting in between two people. That is so crazy to me. That's really hard for me. and so, you know, even just s like s really like not making that worldly approval, my idol. That's been an interesting journey for me. So you said the sin part of it, right? And that makes it harder because you know where do you do you struggle with that anywhere? yeah, of course. Like You know, one thing happened a couple weeks ago that I lost my cool on and my temper on. And that doesn't that doesn't really happen for me that often. I

feel like I don't generally lose my temper and I did and I felt terrible. So I'm like that, you know, that in and prior to that I still would have felt bad. But Not in the same way where I really was like, wow, that's not the heart that I want. That's not how that doesn't reflect Jesus at all what I just did. does it? And I mean to do is flipping tables. Well I think this I think it needed to happen. because it happened. So clearly it needed to for whatever reason that is. You know, whether that was because I needed to do that so that I could reflect and repent. I had a lot of repenting to do about that. And maybe it needed to happen because maybe that person did need to hear it, you know. But yeah, I feel like that's a big that was a big idol for me that I have to just I'm it's getting a lot easier. I put a lot less emphasis on having worldly approval. going through a divorce will do that to you. Because a big part of that too was like people don't understand. I just have to be okay with people not understanding and people talking and people having assumptions and whatever. So that kind of like you realize, okay, y life still goes on. And I'm not doing it for worldly approval and doing things for his approval. So that's a big one for me, I think. Worldly approval is so f finny anyway, like They'll approve of you for two seconds and then they move on and they'll just find something else to judge you on any. Yeah, right. It's a it's it's an insatiable burst. Yes. It really is. Yeah. But it's interesting because it's not in all things. Like there are some things that I just like I had home births, I never cared what people's opinions were on that. Like those kinds of things didn't bother me. But Yes, maybe there's a level of conviction with it too. When I'm convicted about something, yeah, I guess I don't really care. But it's just people pleasing. That's a big one for me. Is it Galatians one ten that's it talks about seeking seeking the approval of man, personal approval of God? And once we're seeking the approval of man, we've stopped seeking the approval of God. Yeah. for me it's it's all the it's all the same stuff. Pride, primarily, but It's it's it's this is a challenge for me. I I've gotten better, but it it's an ongoing thing. It's a daily cross. I and I don't know that I'll ever be healed of it, so to speak. It's just get up in the morning and do my best to get through the day without altering the best I can. And that's it's everything. It's or it's a pride thing. So it's like if I'm teaching the Bible, I want you know, there's that's still a part of me that that wants somebody to say, Man, you're so smart, you're so good at this stuff, you're so good like you know so much. There's that and there's like Pi but there's still a part of me that wants people to reach out and say, I love the podcast. So I have to fight that every day. I'm just like don't we're not doing it for you. Like you're not doing it for you, not doing it for you. That's

hard, ain't it? I don't know that that's gonna go away. It's probably gonna get easier. It might get quieter because it has gotten easier. but I don't know that it will go away. I think that's the point we're supposed to bear our cross daily. Right. I have a good one that came up this week too, which I don't think it's an idol, but Maybe Erin and I got into a good discussion about my love for snacks and how much I love them. And it just led to a lot of discussion around and a lot of thought for me around like how I will regulate my emotions with snacking. And which is what impulsiveness, right? Like it's like an impulsive act that's not done with intention. So I'm currently doing some work around that. And really like it just that one brought up a lot for me. There's a lot of layers to that, like eating disorder history and not wanting to eat too much because you it I'm still like my brain is still wired to never want to feel full. So there's just a lot there. But I mean, good luck just beating the marketing side of that. Right? Right? Like that that's crazy. I just do. And then I cope with some really, really challenging dynamics at work with snacking because I get But that's not coping. No, it's just that's just making myself try and feel better at the No, but that's just snacking. Well it goes to the point, like this whole thing raised the bow, and it's like it's it's how what I was use the the the way I was phrasing it, it's like it's impulse. And you're you're feeling a desire in an immediate desire for something and not having the ability to say, no, not right now, or no, not at all. That that is what we talk about in the Bible as killing The flesh, but denying the flesh is the ability to have a feeling and being like, no. And it's no different than what I call the second glance. And so, like, you talk about like we're humans. So there's something in us that if you see an attractive person walk past, you sort of stop. Look, that glance, preachers have preachers, it's not in the Bible, but preachers have preached at the first glance, it's free. The second glance will cost you everything. That's the That's the denial of the flesh. The drive by it catches your eye. When wired to notice things, you look, turn away. To look back is the flesh winning. To not look back is the denial of the flesh. But it works in so many things. And snacking is a is a really good example. But it could be anything. Like anytime sit smoking cigarettes, anytime you feel the need in a moment that your body is saying, I want this now. If you if you give in to the The flesh begging for something, then you haven't denied the flesh. And then so the Bible tells us to deny the flesh, and it really opens up something broader about fasting. And sometimes it's hard for people to read the Bible and be like, I don't understand fasting. Why do I fast? That's exactly why. Because you're saying, This is just my flesh screaming for food, and I don't need this. I can go without. To do

that is in as like you're at the same time you're saying, Jesus, I trust that you will provide. And as though as much as I feel the need to want to eat this cake, I trust you that I don't need this right now and I can move past it. And that denial of the flesh is is what he calls us to do. And part of that is is the capturing of the thought, right? and I mean that's it's the drive by look, right? Like there's the first glance, nope, lust, right? Call it what it is and then move on right there. That's a big slot. It's it's like like how many times you're gonna go back to the peak slot and hate yourself for it. Like stay out of the peak slot. Yeah. Yeah, I think we I think we have to immediately capture it, call it what it is, and you're just aware you're more aware, right? And every time it gets easier to the point where it's like it's not even a thing. You know? Until until you get lazy and then it comes back quicker than it quicker than it took to get rid of it. That's true and often more intense. Well, I mean that's you know. We're fighting a spiritual battle every single day. So that intensity is absolutely intentional, if you ask me at this point. Yeah, and Heidi said on when we when we had Heidi on, she said like it says in the book of Luke that cast out the demon, he's gonna return with seven demons. Yeah. He's coming back harder. I just I think about it like If you if you just have a small breach in you could have such a fortified wall in your armor and you have a small breach and you let the enemy in, then that like the enemy gets foothold, which eventually becomes stronghold, which eventually becomes stranglehold. Yeah. And then it just controls your entire life. And that second glance, that's now everything you do. Now you're just spending your life looking for opportunities to flirt, womanize or whatever it might look like, depending on who you are. That's stranglehold. People are people whose intelligent law is controlled by food. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. All right, so Guy, what are some of the things you did while you were out there that you found helpful to keeping you grounded and sort of working towards that transparent gold? So it's hard for me to it's hard for me to answer that in a way that is just straightforward, right? Because I told you th there was a struggle up until probably two and a half weeks in. so what did you do? Maybe a better question is during that struggle, what did you do? What do you want me to do? What am I am I supposed to am I supposed to love this still? Am I supposed to fall for this head over heels like I have before? I stayed in the word. Like I th I've read more books in September than I probably will the rest of the year. A book's off the Bible, yeah. Yeah. yeah, sorry. I thought that was obvious. Maybe to Aaron. It was obvious to Aaron. but really it was just it was kind of staying in prayer, staying in relation, and really being cognizant of where I was at in it. and and again, that was a challenge,

right? Because because there was this, there was this internal battle. and not necessarily I wanna, I just wanna do it like this, right? It was I do not want to fail him. Right. However that sounds, whatever that, you know, means, that was where my head was at. And it really it was really hard to settle into the hunt because of that. again, for me, my entire walk has been about obedience. Right? wow. What? Really? Okay. Yep, that's what I'm doing. What? yep, okay, I'm going. that literally just Obedience step after obedience step after obedience step after obedience step and as far as I know without question. Right? Like if you're telling me to do it, I'm doing it. I'm not saying on my terms, I'm not saying can you just give me a moment? I'm just going okay. Right? Period. so there's there was this conflict and not necessarily between an an and old idol. in Christ, but with me and not wanting to backslide, digress, or do the wrong thing. So I just had to stay in relation and make that the priority. I mean such good advice for everybody. But I don't know what this is where so many people are falling down. They're like I don't even I don't even have they're questioning why they're backsliding. But if they are But we say this so often, like are you in the work, are you in prayer? If you're not in those two things, what kind of relationship do you expect to have? Right. That's it's yeah, it's crazy to to think that you'll be in any sort of relationship with anybody if you're not communicating in the two ways you have to get to know that person. So the only well, okay, so I'll play devil's advocate on that. Never play never advocate for the devil, but go on. Gotcha. Counter argument. Counter argument, yes. Verbiage change. see I'm still learning, still working. That's not emphasized as you, as I feel like it should be emphasized. Like, you know, with my son in law, right? Connor and I sat in camp one day. I mean, we got dumped on. And I'm like, dude, we're not going out in this. And we literally sat in camp all day and and we had this conversation. And that's where the conversation ended was relationship. And I just don't think that there is enough, there is enough talk, enough reading. To get people to understand that, you know, being a Christian doesn't mean I'm perfect, I never sin. I walk this straight and narrow path, my nose is in the air. Right? I don't think people's the opposite. Right. But I don't think that there's anyone that says that the relationship is number one. I I haven't heard it. Like I don't be. That's what I'm saying, right? I so that's my counter argument to that is. I don't know that folks realize that that's what they should be doing. Right. So if you ask someone like, Hey, yeah, what do you do to be a good Christian? They might say, Well I go to church and I pray and I'll say a whole but the whole but it's a answer should be I have a great relationship. Right. I'm in my I'm in my prayer closet. I I I would imagine like not imagine, I know for fact Joe B presses this hard. So he's one. And so if people are if this is news to anybody Just check out Jersey. Like he's yeah, he presses that. That's it. I mean, everything I say just comes from him anyway. So Church of 1120s. And the only thing, okay, my my counter argument to that would be he's not everyone's cup of tea. Right? So definitely not. Right. So so you have this, we have this challenge, the three of us have this challenge to push that messaging. Right. If you want to get to know Christianity or be more Christ-like or walk with our Lord and Savior, then you need to establish and and keep in relation with Him on a daily basis. That to some people is just bearing their cross on a daily basis, right? That could be the extent of bearing your cross on a daily basis and not narrowgate and and trying to figure out what that looks like when you're surrounded by secular or worse and you're you're tread literally treading like let me take my shoes off so I could tread this line because it feels so narrow. Yeah. But and that distracts from the relationship. Yes. Here's what I was gonna ask you too. If you those first few weeks if you were kind of like I really don't want to screw this up. Do you feel like that detracted from your relationship with God anyway? No. Like it strengthened it? Not at all. Yeah. Because it's for me again, for me, it's been about obedience. Right. And told me to drop this, you showed me to drop that. Done, done, and done with no question. Done and destined. Right. Like not looking back, no problem. Don't don't feel the loss of anything that I cut out. literally do not feel the loss. I see the fruits of everything else. Is that opened up space in areas that you might not have thought? Absolutely. Absolutely. The ability to come over here on a Sunday afternoon. the ability to go, you know, Wednesdays where my head isn't just clouded and and on, you know, to men's group or minist men's ministry on Wednesdays, walking into church. I mean, it's it's just this clarity and this peace that you walk with. Yeah, because and God doesn't want us to be afraid of stepping off that line. Like I mean, Yeah, that yeah, 'cause it it ends up that just quickly becomes religion, right? Yes, exactly. That becomes religion. I'm gonna not swear my way and I'm not gonna you know drink my way and it's all a whole bunch of what I'm not gonna do is when it just essentially what what it all boils down to is that relationship. Just people building that relationship. And even if you're even if you're stuck heavy in your sin and can't get out, just keep praying and keep reading. That's a pretty good start. Another element to that relationship that that this only occurred to me recently. and it's something that I just started very recently because it it came to me through a prayer vision, but I don't need to get into that. But it like the main so Jacob is Jacob is one of the patriarchs of the Bible. He's who we end up knowing as

Israel, and that's where the Israel people come from. But his name changed to Israel because Israel means wrestle with God. That's what the word means. He was he was rewarded for wrestling with God. And so something that I've started now is I would wrestle. I'd be Lordy, like, what is this garbage? I'm struggling here. Where are you? And I'll have these conversations and I get the best revelation because it's like you need a little bit of You need a little bit like any relationship needs a little bit of that tension in order for it to grow better and for everybody in it to get better. And so that's another area that I encourage people. Like That's a good point. If he didn't like wrestlers, he would have killed Jacob on the spot. You just gave him a gimpy hit. Gave him a gimpy. Because being a relationship is never perfect all the time. There's gonna be friction, there's gonna be doubts, there's gonna be questions. Like We're not meant to never question that. And if you're in a real relationship with someone, that will happen. Yeah. and right like yeah, that's the relationship. I so my oldest Hayden for a school project did a podcast on Christianity for the radio radio station. And they had me on this week. They interviewed me, her and her two classmates. So that was really fun. That's awesome. And part of it I was trying to just like explain my belief in that religion, church, and faith are three completely different things. Right? Like church is a gathering of people, religion, the rules, the man made structure around all of it. And then faith is that relationship between you and God. And sometimes they come to b together and it's perfect. Yeah, and sometimes they don't. And that's okay. But they're three separate things. And that relationship is what it's all about. and in in that relationship, he doesn't expect us to be absolutely perfect. In fact, he tells us we're never going to be, that we will miss the mark. That's why he sent his son. We all fall short. But when you're in a right relationship with someone, you want to do good and you're trying. So Max Comp as another love. And even baptism, like those kinds of things, is like. Like I mean this relationship that it's so good I wanna tell everybody. Everyone stand up like like Ankman says, stand on the mountaintop and scream and whatever. Yeah, that's me wanting to be that guy when those songs come. Yeah. Those people would go some of those people would freak out. Get the worldly approval. Or you know what, guy? It's like someone might freak out and three other people might be like, I have production. Let's go. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean? And that's what matters. That's the cool part. So what switched around week three for you that you kind of let go of some of that? I think when I you know, Aaron and Christian were up. we did some days ago, which was freaking phenomenal. let's talk about that for a minute. We had church on the mountain. Right, like legitimately, not you know, not this beautiful, you know, worship space, but we're sitting we're sitting in his creation with with you know, people that are near and dear to my heart. and and it was it was amazing. Like we wake up and we're in scripture and we're talking about it and we're on the mountain and calling elk and going, Where the heck I was going, where the heck are they? And We sit down and and yeah, pretty much. And we you know, we talk we talk God, you know, we talk our relationship with God and where we're at, and we go back to camp, we do some more reading, you know, or Christian would read and then we would we would just discuss it and it was it was flipping awesome. It was so good. It was so, so good. and then I think it was like maybe the first Saturday of season, you know, I put an offer out in to the to the men's ministry group and said, Hey, anybody wants to come and hang out in base camp for the for the day, for the morning, afternoon, you know, and and let's just hang out. And that was awesome. so that was the that was the first Saturday of season, yeah. And I had to go down, grab my son in law. My buddy Scott was up there. Scott's an amazing man. And We just got to have fellowship and we didn't we didn't talk scripture I think almost at all, maybe for ten minutes. During the men's ministry. Yeah. We just yeah, we played cornhole, watched, you know, watched Pastor Jake blow mines. Is he really good at cornhole? With a cigar in his hand looking like a stud. It was so funny. but but it was so nice to see the guys that come up kind of grab a hold of of what was going on by not you they weren't even hunting, right? But but, you know, everyone there was like, I wanna do this. Right. Tony, Jake's like and I'm like, I told you, dude, you should have taken action. sorry. And then and then, you know, with my my son in law being there and with Scott being there, they both they both are, you know, Scott and his daughter started, you know, kinda going to church and whatnot a year or so ago and His daughter wasn't finding connection in it. which we hear a lot with women at church, unfortunately. And they kind of fell off. And when I went down, I to get Connor, I was like, you know what? Something told me, grab his devotional, grab your devotional and give it to Scott. So I grabbed that devotional and went back up and I didn't hand it to Scott that day. I think it was the next evening. he was leaving, I think Sunday or something like that to go back to work and Just wrote a little note in it and said, Hey man, I just, you know, wanted you to have this and he was all excited, which was great, right? Like if if I can get him back on his walk and then Connor and I had, you know, conversations for hours. You know, and he's like, Man, I got a he got a K J V too for his first Bible. And it was like I don't know what I'm reading. I'm like, Bro, I got you covered. I got you covered. We had some amazing conversation, right? Amazing conversation. And you know, to see both of

those guys you know, on on wanting to be on fire for the Lord and and you know, seeing their love for him. and just whatever small role that these men played that I played in that was a step in the right direction. it was it was amazing. so I just wanted to talk about that 'cause that was I mean, that was so impactful for me. that made it right. Right. That goes into your question. That made it right for me. To still be in there. So it's understanding for me how to use that space, hunting, the hunting industry, the podcast, how to use that space, still feel good about what I'm doing in that space. But doing kingdom work as well as enjoying it for myself. Yeah, because that's fine to enjoy hunting or like good at it and you're it's just again. Right. But there's this right when you when you're trying to be obedient. It it there's j there's gonna be a conflict. But don't you think God loves that you love hunting and that you love bringing hunting to others? Because as long as kingdom first. Yeah. Right. That's not what it was. Yeah. But as long as it's kingdom first, I would agree. Yeah. And I needed to see that. Right? I I needed to see that. going through, you know, every step when it was just Aaron and Christian, when it was just me and Connor, when it was just me and Scott, and then when everyone was gone. Guess who it was? You and God. Yep. Right. And that's where that's all the stuff leading up to it is really what made it okay. Right. And then I had a couple friends, Kim and Josh Adams, called me and said, Hey, we're in this area. Do you want to come over here for a couple days? And that was that was great. Right. So I'm I'm in a new area. I've never been. I'm not the the master of the area. Yeah. And I just have to Let go, let God. Right. So it there was this culmination of things that had to happen. and then they left. I think they were there two days. They left and then it was just me, elk, and a bunch of moose. and and God. But you can't shoot it's 'cause you don't have a moose. I didn't have a moose tag. I wish I did though. Holy guacamole. There was I mean, you want to talk about some stud moose. There was a couple really good moose. Yeah, super cool. Really cool bulls. but the so to get to your question, the culmination and the action from from my brother's And seeing God's hand in all of that is really what settled me in and said, This is how you handle this. And it has to be kingdom first and then you can move forward with it. and I was just fine with that after that point. I mean I was sitting there and I haven't started dropping yet, but I was like looking and I'm like, that's great scenery. Take a picture and all my all my mountain pictures at this point are, you know, pictures, elk country, scripture. You've been doing that. Yeah. So Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, that's what's gonna be, right? Like midweek reminders. and then I did a bunch of videos where I'm actually reading chapters that mean something to me. so I'll start posting those too. but it was really the culmination of all those things and and understanding how to be, you know, God forward on that stuff and still use the platform and the air quote, you know. influence, whatever amount I have to progress his kingdom. So cool. Yeah. So that's what made it okay. And then how do you feel now? Do you feel like you kind of know a balance you want to strike with all of that? Do you or you're just like, I don't know what, but I'm just I'm just doing it. Yeah. That's it right there. I'm just doing what he's telling me to do. you know, I'm I'm I can't say that I was looking forward to September as I usually would have. But now I'm looking forward to the later season hunts. You know, Justin has a rifle tag, a friend of mine, Whitney, who you guys absolutely have to have on. And her fiance, Chris, are coming out this Thursday. Okay. Chris has a tag up by us. so they'll be with us. And and they're trying to figure out where they're at with their relationship and their relationship with God. Right? So I'm like, you're dropping into the good house, buddy. Thirty years with a frickin' B A woman, I'm like, yeah, this is awesome. so there's opportunity. There's an opportunity there, right? I have another opportunity, which is phenomenal. And you do you, and let him do his right exactly. Yeah. I all I could say is say check this out, right? And then let him hit the heart. Right. It's interesting. So on that podcast we did with the questions, like Aaron's responses were very much like, Well, this is what the Bible says. This is what the Bible says, right? In that way. And mine are very much like This is what God told me, and I don't really have any evidence or any of this, but all can tell you is this is my story and what he told me. Right. And I think I'm in I think I'm I'm I both. I have both, which is super freaking awesome. Yeah, he definitely does. I think he plays his ish down sometimes. Yeah. I mean, if I had to talk about impact on me more than just j anybody, his impact has been far greater than anyone's. Like if we're swinging swords, like me and this guy are back to back. Legit. Yeah. so it's yeah, that's it's a it's definitely a definitely a cool thing. I was telling him, like we talked about the you guys' podcast, and I paid you some accolades up on the mountain. Your maturation through this in the amount of time has been freaking phenomenal to watch your growth with it, how you communicate through that microphone and the impactfulness of the things that you are relaying via the podcast. Holy crap, there's some grand slams. Right. Yeah, because it it's gonna take the bacon, wasn't it? The bacon was that was that was you have to just throw that into this podcast so people know that maybe not. Or or go listen to that one. CruciFit: That is a gripe I do have. Bacon in Australia is not good and it's not bacon. I mean if you if you just this is where you're saying it's wrong because it's good. It's still bacon just

because it's not what you eat. Well, it's not as good as the bacon at home. And this is where we're at a pass because I genuinely do really enjoy that bacon. I would like it if they called it ham. In-Person: is bacon. That is a gripe I do have. It's not good and it's not bacon. This is where you are saying it's wrong because it's still bacon just because it's not what you eat. Well, it's not as good as the bacon at all. And this is where we're at a pass because I genuinely do really enjoy that bacon. I like a watch. CruciFit Pod: But That I listen to a lot of podcasts. That's one of the best lines in any podcast I have ever heard. It was just unbelievable, it was so funny. Well, thank you. I I mean, I can feel God working through me in the past few months in ways that are really incredible. Awesome. And I like I feel him and and talk about relationship. Like when I really opened up and was like, Okay, I'm ready for this relationship, it changed everything. I and I swear to you that that's the b that is what we have to get people to understand. Right? Like we we have to be able to get people to grab hold of that and understand that it's not Sunday. It's not in structure. Yeah. Sundays are great and structure is great, whatever, but that's not it. It's not it. And it's just it seems like it's so it's such a vague concept. Through everything I listen to, right? There's a few certainly good point. There's a few people that have how important that is compared to how much it's preached. Right. There's a divide there that it's yeah, that's it's nuts. So I really think that that you know getting folks to understand and not just understand the relationship, but understand how amazing the relationship is, right? How life-changing, perspective changing, view-changing that relationship is. You know, it's when you look around at the world, right? You're look everyone's looking for someone to save them from whatever position they're in. You've already been saved. It's just you don't have that view because you don't have that relationship. You don't understand that relationship. You don't understand what was paid for you. Right. And I think that has to be our message. I'm not telling Crucifit what to do with their podcast, but I think that has to be our messaging. If we have any voice, because that's the only thing that is going to get people to look away from secular. The world. Yeah, you know, it's almost like a it's almost like the skeleton key or the the piece of the puzzle that make all the others fit into place anyway. We can talk about understanding what he did on the cross We can talk about like what Daniel spoke about today in terms of what's my next step of obedience. We can talk about any of that. But most of those things to the average person is just words and they're like, Well, how do I know what my next step of obedience is? Like it's through relationship. All of that starts to come like how did I At a point and it was pretty recently, like the penny finally dropped of the finished work on the cross, read it a million times, heard it preached a million times. But something finally dropped, broke me down, fell out of my chair crying on the floor. Because I finally a penny dropped. But that comes through relationship, not through reading, but the the relationship comes from the reading. Reading about the finished work on the cross doesn't make you know internally the finished work on the cross, the relationship with Jesus does. It and those all the other things that get preached. start to fall into place and come eventually as a result of you building the relationship. I think it increases the understanding of everything else. Yeah. Right? Yeah. Everything else that that you just it's like light switch. That's something I I have mentioned before I don't know where or when, but maybe men's group. But people ask me how do you know it's the voice of God? Well, I haven't always known Jesus, but I've prayed to God since I was twelve. Every night. How do I know it was God? 'Cause we've spoken every day for four years, thirty years. That's how I know it was God. That's it. Like put in the reps, build a relationship. If we wanted to get to know somebody, read the book they produced. Yeah. And if it points back to scripture, that then's pretty good. Right. Yeah. probably just you. or You know, the devil. Yeah, it happens a lot. You know, trying to people will chase something and say, Well God told me to do it, but there is a difference between having a relationship and being because there's also a level of uncomfortable. We talked about this today. It's like if it's comfortable then It's probably not God. Yeah. Because he doesn't want you just sitting where you exactly where you are. If he's calling you to something, you know it's an influ 'cause it's like it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough and I'm scared and don't wanna do that. Yeah, it's gonna burn a little bit. It's gonna burn a little bit. But you'll know. You will absolutely that's one thing I could tell you. Everybody listening, like you will know. Like when I've heard God speak to me clear as day, like there's just no question. Yeah. So He's like You're gonna get baptized on Easter and they're laughing, like, No That's that right I was thinking exactly about that today in the sermon because he was he was speaking to me in that same church. I was like, Yeah, this is exactly what Chris was experiencing on that baptism day but he's just like it's time to go. It's like you're it's time to get it all get all your stuff in order and start. Detaching from whatever holds you back and it's talking to stop and works. I think we and I had asked I don't know if I asked you or Christian that on the mountain, like what do you think prevents people from that? And it's those attachments. What we're scared of losing but man, what we gain is so much more. And I would rather I mean, read Job. I would much rather give it up than have it taken. Like

that's, you know, that's not a joke. Yeah. Yeah. But I I think that there's I think there's obedience steps that that we can take. I mean, who like I can't imagine. Like I read that and I'm and I'm like, please don't. Like I don't know that I have the strength for that. You know, please don't. I don't want if you if you tell me to, okay, but ooh, that's scary. What a man. What a man. there's something to it. It it c can be terrifying. Yeah. Because you have to like give s you're giving something up all the time. Always. You're always giving something up, something that you think is part of what defines you and it's not. That's a good way to put it. I mean every day, right? Everybody ev I shouldn't say everybody, but most folks every day are giving up time. Yeah. Right. I mean that's the you know, air quote sec you know, worldly wise that's the most valuable commodity there is is our time. We gotta reposition that frame of mine as well, right? But you know, you go and you you put in eight, ten, twelve hours, and then you go home and you just want that time. You just want that few minutes. But what is that few minutes doing, right? Somebody's picking up a whiskey, you know, and getting in the whiskey, and then there's more time there. It's like, Hey, deny the flesh. Pick up that scripture, you know, go go. I don't care if you go outside or if you go into an office or you gotta, you know, just find that spot and and make that your time, right? Find that time as valuable as getting into that, you know, that coors banquet or getting into that whiskey bottle every night. Yeah, modulus TV. Yeah. Right. And just go and just go give that time back. Just whatever that looks like, right? Start small, just aim small. Just go have some words. What do you want me to do? Show me what you want me to do. Show me who I need to be to glorify you. Or you don't even have to say that. I don't know you, but I want to know you. Just show me. Just show me. And then do it again the next night. And the next night. And the next night. Right. Right. But if you are, if you are there with your heart and you are putting that first before it it's taking care of a couple things. And the most important is that eternal time that we don't even consider, you know. I mean, for the longest, I didn't even like when I started this, I think I was six months in. I'm like, there's an eternal part to this. No, didn't know about that. It didn't, it just didn't click. And as I'm reading, I'm like, We had this conversation on the mountain. And I had read Revelations. And I'm like, that needs to be the first read. That needs to be the first read is revelation. Put puts urgency. Yes. It's watching the it's watching the football replay when you know who wins. Yeah. The rest of it makes more sense. It's less stressful. it's it's like, okay. Right. Like that battle is already victorious. We've already won. Now we have to understand the rest of it so we could be on the winning team. Yeah. Yeah. So it's like I know who wins. Now I'm gonna read the rest of the book to speak I had to be of Matty. Right. Exactly. Right. And and just work towards that. You know the outcome. Just work towards it now. You know, I there's there's so much we see it all the time. I see it in men's group, where there's a constant yearning for an answer. And it's like, well, all the answers are in front of you, right? But I think if you if you're reading through, especially if you're reading Old Testament. Right. But if you go right to Revelation and then go back to the beginning, it just makes it so much more obvious. Right? Like it's like, I when I read it, I was like, Woo, that was a trip. But I should have read that first. That's fine. I wish somebody would have said, Read that. Start with the end. Yeah, start with the end. Now I could I could see it going the other way and terrifying somebody. Yeah. Right. Right. I could see it terrifying somebody, but terrifying to the goodness of it all, right? But it's something else. I was reading Ezekiel. I think Ezekiel is worse than Revelation, worse than, air quote. because there is a I found myself in a battle of whoa, that seems brutal, right? but then understanding our God It it just it just makes it all to come together. I think if I would have read Ezekiel before Revelation, I wouldn't have understood Ezekiel as much as I did. You know, I just think I'm not telling anybody how to go through the Bible, but I think you read that, you understand, that gives you the understanding of the battle. Why we were why we are where we are, why we were where we were, and what's coming. Cool. I just yeah. Revelation is something. What do you think of the mountain? Ooh. I I loved it. I I knew I would love just being out there with the nature. I I I long for that. We all do as men. That's part of what we're wired for. society has tried to convince us otherwise and molded a new generation of I don't know I'm I don't know. They're not men. I know the nanice way to say that. But but we are wired for that. the book Wild at Heart. It's the entire premise of that book is that we're wired to explore, we're wired to be out there in the wilderness. We were created in the wilderness. So man was created in the wilderness and then the rib removed and and female was created in Eden. The man was created in the wilderness and then dumped in Eden, whether it's in our nature, it's part of who we're supposed to be. So that side of it it's just I just I loved it. I also really enjoyed the fact that it it wasn't a successful hunt, so to speak. Like in the fact that we didn't get milk. I think I needed that more than if we had shot something. I think I got a lot more out of the fact that we didn't and an entirely different appreciation for the sport and what it is and what it represents and how hard it is and how intelligent those creatures are. it's crazy. I couldn't have had that scene. I could not have even if we got something on the last day, I still

don't think I have the same appreciation. I wish you guys were in two thirty-one with me. 'Cause it was they were going off. Like my second day there, I think it was that Sunday that Josh and Kim were leaving and I walked out and I mean it was like twelve bulls just screaming. And I was like, Thank you. Thank you. They exist. I mean, when we were in we were in on the flats, I had Bugle the night before opener, I was by myself. And then that morning had a a small bull bugle in as soon as the sun hit, done. And then I don't think I heard another bugle or have another response until maybe four days, maybe five days in, and called a bull within fifty yards of our base camp. And pitch black just going, all right, let's see where they're at. Nothing. Give it a few minutes, hit it again, and he cracks off and and comes within 50 foot or 50 yards of camp. And it was like, dang. And then Scott called in a cow. I don't know why he was calling a night. He never explained that one to me. and yeah, probably. And had a cow walk in literally right behind where he had his little camp set up. You saw a cow though when you went back to the We saw a bull. that's right. Yeah. I'm an in. I saw a bull coming in. I saw a cow that day walk away. I saw a cow second time when I was out there by myself. Yeah. Did you hunt when you were by yourself? Mm-hmm. nice. That's where I saw her. Okay. So was like I was like, I'm just gonna get up so early, and go and stalk where I think they're going. And so I was heading down that way. I just had a red lamp on. there's a lot of moonlight, but I had my red lamp on. And it was there was a really steep hill as well. We wore the night before I was walking down the steep hill and it just it hurt me, that's why I saw it. Because it just walked away, calmly walked away, and I was like, there goes that. So yeah, it clearly saw me earlier, stood up, moved, and that's why I saw it. god, at least you saw her. I mean that's that was the crazy part to me with the whole season is how is how switched on they were and how fast they went nocturnal. 'Cause usually it takes a good few days to really get pushed. And I mean, it happened instantly. And I think part of that is because of where we are at it and just the majestic beauty, like my God, it's beautiful. All the lakes and ponds and you just have so many recreators that I think that their switch is just to to operate nocturnally. When when everyone was gone, I was still up there the day you left. Aaron was like, you probably go home Tuesday. And I was like, Nope. So I I went in, I'm not gonna say exactly where we were, but I dropped into the north side of where we were hunting and took my glass with me and I dropped in. And I mean I'm stepping in fresh steamers, you know, but you couldn't get an animal move. Pulled out, went, there's a cliffside, set up my glass, sat on the cliffside, and I'm glassing the opposite side of the the drainage. And it's a good drainage. I mean, Christian and I dropped in a mile and a half and we never went to the bottom. so I'm glassing the other side. I didn't see a mule deer, I didn't see a bear, but I saw hunters doing the same thing I was doing, sitting on the edge of timber. I'm like, I'm picking these guys out. They're doing the same thing to the opposite side. Like it was just one of those one of those seasons. yeah, it was it was crazy. And usually like we went into a couple areas when we first did the spike camp when we did the took the long ride, that area you you walk in there and there's two three hundred head. I heard one flipping bull in there. It was crazy. It was just it was crazy. Well that's I mean you see the private herds all the time, right? They're they're just yeah, they're they just have what they have and it's a smart creature, man. Yeah. But I I got, you know, friends that that shot some really nice bulls. Real early in season. Well, no, Jeff shot his like I think he shot a bull on the day before season closed and he shot a decent bull. but yeah, it was crazy. It was a it was a trip. But yeah, the highlight was definitely being up with with my brothers up there. and then that like I said, the last week I f I found a bull. I battled that bull. He was on private, had eight cows in a river bottom and the willows were just They were too much for an arrow. It was a it was a good season, all in all. some great takeaways. I couldn't wait to get home to my wife. Yeah. that that is that's the hardest part for me is is being away from her for so much. So I'll do you know, I'll run down, have a day or two at home with her. but in that it's that yeah, but in those two days the the season changes so much. Yeah. You know, you can I could be down, they could be on fire because what happens is those those bulls aren't going nuts. They're not rutting and it takes one cow to drip. Set everything off and that set off is until she breeds. It may take four hours. Once she's bred, still a little drip, so they're gonna go, go, go, go. But the next day there's nothing. It's back to silence. Yeah. So it's blink of an eye. It's gonna be up there a lot. You have to you have to be in and then if you wanna be selective, it's even worse. Which I was to the point where I'm like brown is down. It's yeah. It was it was great. All in all, it was great. It it showed me a lot. a lot of what I needed to see. I needed to be okay with what I was out there doing and what I was trying to accomplish. I th I'm I'm good with it now. So whatever comes, comes. it's just staying grounded. Right. You just gotta stay grounded in it. In that relationship. Yeah. That's that's it. We gotta make that a priority. Gotta make it a priority. Not to say that, you know, everyone's gonna put that first, but we should do everything we can to put him above everything and use and use that grounding and that relationship to filter down into every relationship we're involved in. Right. I I I really, really Not I believe that that is what scripture tells us to do, right? Like that is the foundation of of how we build for his kingdom. Yeah. thank you guys for having me on. Love you guys too. This is fun. It was it's always a blast. I was telling Aaron I like, I'm so excited because I just like sitting down and talking to you. So I didn't know what we were gonna talk about it. So I was like, all right, just poof it out and when we sit down, we'll just rock and roll. We rocked and rolls. Yeah, that was a that was a good one. Cool. That was probably the best one. You guys tune in, CruciFit What do we say? Shoot elk. like and share. Like and subscribe. There you go. Get it all. Cool. Thanks, guys.