AP updates boys. They made major changes to the way we play Madden. Was it a WRL? I talked on the podcast why it was an L boys. I just feel like Madden's coming to an end. We're in the offseason. I wish it would have went to 20 AP on both sides or 30 AP on both sides more. The more we can change, the more we can add. Why not? You know, I feel like the game it's not dead, but it's on life support and giving us way more AP. It would have been cool. This didn't change too much. What it mainly changed was escape artist, arm, leg, torso, thigh. You got to spend everything to get escape artist. I know we hate escape artist. I do too, but man, they really just hit it with a bazooka escape artist. Honestly, it's going to be good. It would have been good for comp. I just feel like this update was two months too late. Let me know how you guys feel. Is this a W or an L? You guys can watch me play on Twitch and I'm going to show you guys the abilities I'm going to be rocking right away with this new AP update. They got four more AP on defense too, so you can stack that defense a little bit more. All offense didn't get any additions and escape artist got that super nerve. You guys can watch me play live on Twitch. They ask me all the time about my ability, so here it is. This is what we're going to rock. We're actually going to ditch Derek Henry. This might be an overreaction, but it's my first reaction.  You can really back in. Part of me thinks I will go back to escape artist. I'm not sure, but this is what we're going to try. These are the abilities we're going to rock first day of the new AP updates. Let's take a look at it. We're going to go to Joe Namath because he's a field general. He gets that pass lead elite for a little bit cheaper. We're going to rock pass lead elite and we're going to rock hotrop master because it's only two for hotrop master. It's such a valuable bargain ability that you've got to have it. Then you have pass lead elite for three. That's just five AP on a quarterback. If I wanted to use escape and pass lead elite on Derek Henry, that would be 13 AP. That's a huge difference five and 13. Eight AP we can use elsewhere. I'm going to show you guys where I choose to use that. First off starts up front because I'm saving so much AP on my quarterback now going to Joe Namath. We're going to put two post-ups at guard. I always put my post-ups at guard that way. They're always involved in a double team. If you put it at center or tackle, sometimes they're not going to be involved in a double team. If you have a double team right up the gut with the center, it's always going to be with one of the guards, so he will be in a post-up. If you have one with the tackles, unless you max protect, it's always going to be with a guard. You're going to get your most value out of your post-ups right there, boys. That's why I put him at tackle. We're also going to run three deep out elites. Deep out elites, they catch pretty much every single pass, but pass 16 yards is what I'll say. Every single deep post, deep streak, deep dig route, deep corner route, they're going to catch every single one. It is a really good ability. It's one that I could do without, but man, if all three of your receivers have it, they're going to just snag every pass that they can. We have Hot Route Masters, so we don't need any slot apprentices, wide receiver apprentices, anything like that. Everybody's going to be able to go on every single route, and we have our route runner, Cooper Cup. Actually, all my receivers right now are route runners with Chad, Josh, Gordon, and Cooper Cup. We have our route runner, Cooper Cup. He's going to get route tech. That's going to be the last icing on the cake. People think man coverage is going to make a comeback with the AP updates, so you've got to have that route tech just to be safe, just to keep it in the back hip if you want to run those Hot Routes. If you want to get open on deep poles, deep crossers, dig routes, out routes, anything, Cooper Cup. He is the Super Bowl MVP, not overall, so we'll give him route tech. He shouldn't be able to be covered by man coverage. We have Joe Mix in here. I'm still giving the running back rotation. Let me know who you guys have in running back. Defense, this is where I'm not going to make too many changes, man. You guys know I've been running six Acrobatts all year, both safeties up top, Sean Taylor, Taylor Maze. I'm going to use Cam Chancellor. He gets those upgrades. I don't have him fully upgraded yet. I'm not a nerd. If you haven't fully upgraded, you're actually a demon. So we have Cam Chancellor. He actually has 97 speed. So for me, he plays linebacker, so that should be enough. I wish I meant 99 soon enough. Soon enough we'll get him there. So we'll use Acrobat on him. And you know he has that free out of my way, so we'll keep that there. Sherman, DK, Metcalf. You guys know I use Seattle Team Team just for these two corners to have 99 speed. They're both 6'3". They both can hit. They both can do a lot of things. So we have Acrobat on all those guys. A bunch of different things I tossed around was, do I put pick artists on everybody? Do I do that? But what I want to try first, I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to geek the D-Line up a little bit. We're going to keep unpredictable on D-Tackle, which I'm going to use Aaron Donald right now. We're going to use Dwight Freeny. We're going to put Edge Threat on him. And then come around 98 overall Max Crosby. We're actually going to put Edge Threat Elite on him. And what Edge Threat Elite is, it is just Edge Threat plus under pressure. So you get both of those abilities combined when you use Edge Threat Elite. So I'm going to geek the D-Line up a lot. What D-Line abilities have you guys been using? I know Unpredictable has been really good all year for 1AP, so we might go back to just two Unpredictables, but right now I'm going to try to geek that line up. If people are going to overreact to this and drop their escape artists, I think boosting the D-Line, really geeking up these guys is going to help you play defense. They're not going to be able to run away from Aaron Donald. They're not going to be running away from Max Crosby, Dwight Freeny.  It's going to be what I start with. Shoot, I will see how it goes. Make sure you guys check in on Twitch. Let me know you're from YouTube, man. I will gift you guys a sub, and you guys can watch me try to play with this, see what it's like. In my heart of hearts, part of me feels like escape artists is still the best ability in the game. If I could do a escape artist pass lead elite in one post up, I would lock it in 100%. But for me right now, this is what I want to try. We're going to try to go to Joe Namath. I played a little bit last night, and I was getting sacked. I'm used to being able to roll out at the last second and throw the ball away, or gain five yards scrambling, so I got to get used to going back to no escape. It's going to be tough for all of us. I know we've all been kind of crushing that escape artist, but these are the abilities I'm going to try. Let me know what you guys are thinking, and let me know if this ability update was a W or an L.


rejected you and that my friend is great news on this Friday. We're so glad that you're with us on hope today. I'm Anna and I'm hanging out with Angela and we've got a story coming up in just a few minutes. So Angela, tell us about it. Oh, I'm telling you, this is one you want to sit tight for. God has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us. Every life is important to God. And coming up in just a moment, you're going to meet piano artist Kim Dyrdorf. He has an incredible story of being found in a garbage can in Korea when he was just a baby. He was eventually rescued and is now using his story and his life to encourage and inspire others. You'll also be blessed by his beautiful gift of piano playing that will surely touch your heart. Anna, when I hear his story, I am blown away by the power and the choice of living for God. Yeah. And to think about the fact that he was left in a dumpster by a likely his parent, like his parents rejected him. And, you know, I'm just thinking about you at home. You know, there's not many who have been left in a dumpster, but maybe you have felt that rejection by a significant person in your life, such as a parent or you have felt that rejection from a friend or from a spouse or somebody along the way, like rejection has the potential to shut a person down. But we know that when God gets involved, when you draw near to him and you understand his love for you that his purpose still exists, that he has chosen you to be his, that he is your father. Woo, you can get up from whatever you have experienced and move on to fulfill that purpose for the kingdom. Yeah, you know, and Anna, the significance of fathers in our lives, we all are very well acquainted with. This Sunday, we actually celebrate Father's Day. And so as Anna spoke, this may be a sore spot for you.  We wanna take a moment and just pray for you and pray for those of you who are fathers. So, Anna, would you take a moment and just pray for those who are watching? Yeah, absolutely. Well, Heavenly Father, we first just want to lift up those who are maybe struggling with celebrating this Father's Day. Lord, we just pray that your presence would wrap around them, that they would feel your perfect love for them, that it would go down deep into the marrow of their bones, God, so that they can truly celebrate, that they are loved by a perfect father. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. And we are so thankful for the fathers out there who are doing the work of fatherhood that are speaking life into their kids who are being intentional about spending time. And, you know, it's fascinating, Angel. There truly has been studies done for decades, talking and showing the importance of fathers, the significance of dads in their kids' lives, and how it really does improve the well-being of that child. It's so critical. Yeah, we can never underplay the role of our fathers within society and within the family. And I think that strength.  I work my job and get the kids what they need. You are so much more than a paycheck. You are the very essence of their being. They will emulate what you do and how you show up. And so we just declare blessings over you today and we say, dad, you are significant. Everything you do matters. Well, today we have a beautiful interview here. So let's now go over to Tom, who's with piano artist, Kim Dierdorf, as he shares his unbelievable story of being saved and how he's using his life to make a difference. Our next guest has been blessed with an incredible gift of music, but he also has had tremendous challenges to overcome in his young life. You're not going to want to miss his story. He began playing melodies at age three and started writing on the piano when he was just five years old. Today, Kim Dierdorf is quite an accomplished pianist and he's been blessing others with his wonderful music. Kim, it's great to have you with us on Hope Today. Well, thank you so much, Tom. It's an honor to be here. Well, let's go into your story. Sure. Because it is really, in many ways, it seems unique to us. I'm sure others have had similar difficulties, but tell us your beginning was very difficult. Absolutely. So when I was just a few days old, I was found in a garbage can in Seoul, South Korea. I was taken to an orphanage where I spent the first two weeks of my life in a hospital. They actually thought I might be blind. I had something wrong with my eyes. And then they didn't know when my birthday was, so they gave me the birthdate of January 1st. And four months later, I was adopted by some American parents. And with a girl that was also adopted at the same time she became my sister, I was taken back to Michigan. Okay, so you were put in this orphanage that was run by a Christian group? It was. It was called Holt International. And it was interesting because the time that I was adopted, a prominent news media group was shooting a documentary on international adoption. It was kind of new at the time.  So what was it like then to grow up in America, again, from a background where you didn't know, you were obviously Korean and they didn't know, what was that like? It was different. Me and my sister were the only Koreans in our little town. You would think that that beginning was the beginning to something really nice. And in a lot of ways, of course, I'm very fortunate to have been adopted. But I also went through 18 years of an abusive adoption home where, I think my mom in particular, I think she just had a troubled background. She had wounds that never healed. She expressed that how she never really wanted me. And every day of my life growing up, I was told how worthless I was and how I would never do anything with my life and that I just, she wished she hadn't adopted me. And so I would go to bed every night as a child thinking, why would God rescue me from the garbage and put me in this situation in a home that they didn't want me? Were they at least outwardly Christian? I mean, did you know about God? We went to church every week. I grew up in some of the Adventist church. My dad never went to church. He never graduated from high school. He hated every, he worked in a factory for 35 years, hated every day of his life. But you know, at the age of three, I've somehow just felt God's presence over my life. And I'll say that being found in the garbage is actually one of the greatest blessings that God has ever given me because I realized that I'll never be in a more vulnerable position, more helpless situation. And yet God saw me there and chose to rescue me.  At the age of three, we had limited records at home. We had about 15. And I was told that I started playing melody self-records when I was three. By the time I was five, I started writing things. And the piano for me was a way for me to connect to something beautiful. The first time I ever played a note on the piano, it just, the sound and the tone of the instrument, even though it was an out-of-tune piano, never ever was made in 1900, it was a terrible, terrible piano. It just connected with me and allowed me to feel a sense of God's beauty or something beautiful in my life. At the age of 14, my parents got divorced. My dad went to live in a hotel and my mom didn't want me there, so I became homeless again. Basically, I spent a year in boarding academy. I spent a year living with a faculty member that took me in at the age of 18. I left home the day after I graduated from high school.  And she said, if you're gonna go there, she says, get your stuff ready because we're leaving at six o'clock in the morning and we drove all the way to Collegedale, Tennessee.  The bad thing of it was is throughout my childhood, I'd never been allowed to make any decisions. And so I was really unprepared for life. And I was lost, I was completely disoriented when I got to college.  So where does God begin to enter into this? That's a really good question. So I was taking a class called The Life and Teachings of Jesus. And even though I'd gone to church my whole life, something about reading God's word in that particular class, it just, God just spoke to my heart and you know, and he changed my heart. I was hanging out with some not so great friends at college, I mean, they were a positive influence. And at that moment, I had to tell them that I was making a change in my life, that God was coming into my life and he was setting a whole new direction. Sometimes what is at least outwardly a Christian school, that can be a hard stand to take even. It is. Yeah, so then where did God lead you? Did you finish school or did you go on to something else? I dropped out of college two and a half years. I didn't really have anything that I knew that I wanted to do. I spent a couple years, I mean, I spent a summer in Kentucky living with a friend. I got called to Texas to Adventist College outside of Fort Worth. And they were starting a recording studio. I was asked to come down there. I spent six months just reading books and working at a place for the abuse children of the state of Texas. For six months I did that. Somebody donated $75,000 to the college and I was asked to build a recording studio. So your reputation was going before you that you were someone who understood music or how'd that happen? I just wanted, I love technology and recording was kind of somewhat new in college campuses at that time. And the director of music knew that I was interested in music and music technology and recording. So he, that's how he invited me and that's how I got started. So I spent three years doing that. I spent a year almost starving to death trying to get music projects in Fort Worth and Dallas, ended up writing music for Del Taco, Bell South, the Dallas Cowboys, this kind of thing. But all through that process, God was just speaking to my heart.  I mean, there was some really hard times. During that time I lost, I didn't have enough money to stay in my apartment. I had to live out of my car and... So it's not something like we got to the real good part yet. I mean, you know the Lord and everything, but where's he taking you? Where's God moving you? You're working there, building out this technology for music? Yes, and while I was doing freelance work in Dallas, I get a call from a gentleman in Thousand Oaks, California and he asked me to, if I was interested in coming out there and working in their production office and their audio department. And that goes through a whole set of circumstances that we can go into later. But basically in Dallas, I'd gotten hooked up with this con man who took me in and I got involved in his dealings. I actually had a warrant out for my arrest because of being connected with him and God delivered me from that whole thing. I went to California. I worked there for five years. I learned audio digital recording. It was kind of new at the time. I'd spent a week in education on this one piece of audio software and my first project was a $5 million animated film after one week. And what I realized is that I always struggled with my self-worth and self-confidence because of what I'd went through as a child. But I realized that God, when he gives you an opportunity, he always gives you the ability to be successful. And I always had a hard time trusting people or trusting anything. And what I came to the knowledge of is I could always trust God. He never let me down. He hasn't never let me down.  So where does God take you from there? He's moving you along here. Right, so five years there, I get a call from a friend of mine in Orlando, Florida. A new production company was just starting. They needed an audio engineer. I went down and interviewed with them. They had already hired and fired two audio engineers in the first six months of their business. I was the third one that they were interviewing. I spent a week with them. They offered me the job. I moved to Orlando two weeks later. My first project was a million dollar commercial for Walt Disney World, The Tower of Terror. I had an ear infection in my left ear. I couldn't even hear out of my left ear. And here I'm supposed to be the audio engineer. And so again, by the grace of God, by God's faithfulness, he allowed me to be successful even in that situation. So where was your music at this time? What was God doing with you musically during all this period? When I was a little kid, I always wanted to be a composer. I wanted to be a famous songwriter. I wanted to see my name on a piece of music or on a record. So I could tell my mother that I actually was, that I actually was able to succeed. But you know, it's just gotten through God's directing and his prompting and his humbling of my heart. I was always able to do music. I was, you know, I wrote some music from the commercials. I was able to do music production for some of the other productions that I had when I was in Orlando. But it wasn't the prominent thing, audio production. We ended up doing, I ended up doing all the audio work for all the exhibits at NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. And all the theater. It's a great place. Yeah, it was quite a project. So, you know, from a little kid coming from the garbage, growing up in nowhere in Michigan and being able to do these kind of things, I felt like that was really something.  So when you reflect on, and we're gonna get to more of your story and we're gonna have a follow-up in our next show about your life, we're gonna hear some of your great music in a little bit here as well. But when you reflect on God, what was God showing you about himself through all this? A lot of people look back and say, hey, God, why did you give me this, deal me this bad hand? But what was God showing you about himself? He was showing me that he could be trusted, that he was faithful, that whatever his plans for your life, whether it be, you know, positive or having you go through challenges, I think a lot of it is, you know, when God sends you through the challenge, he's able to, he's able to display his glory, he's able to display his power. And he's also able to draw you closer to him as being dependent on his power and not your power. Have you been able to communicate that with other people as God did? I sure hope so, I sure hope so, because you know, I learned a lot about, throughout my life, I learned a lot about waiting on God. I didn't get married till I was 47. And that's a big part of people's lives is learning how to wait on God. I spent 11 years as a freelancer sitting in my bedroom doing outside projects. And you learn a lot about patients when you sit in a room by yourself for 11 years or when you're single for 47 years.  So it's the faithfulness of God. Yeah, I mean, that is, there are people out there saying, well, I hope I don't have to wait 12, 47. Of course, of course not. But you know, that's, God gives us the strength that we need to go through those times. And everybody's story is different. And you realize that God's timing is always perfect. And one of the things that's helped me in my life is to also realize that if you're following God's leading in your life, there's never a missed opportunity. Well, we're gonna hear more about your story and what God's been doing in your life in our next program. But I'm gonna ask you to just be, to share some of your music with us. Absolutely, of course. So we're just gonna take a moment now to just reflect on what Kim has shared already and think about where God has taken him and where God has taken you. What is God speaking to you through Kim's life? Right now we're gonna hear from Kim. The song is called The Love of God.  Kim certainly has proven with his life that truly it may not be good, the things happening, but he was able to find a good God whose love satisfied his soul. Anna, that is a powerful man of God. He's a living testimony of where God's glory is displayed and this scripture, God laid on my heart during the story, it's from Isaiah 41 verses nine and 10. I want you to listen closely. There's so much in this where God says, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, you are mine. I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. When we get this revelation that we are chosen by God, that he has not rejected us.  David says in Psalm 139, like, where can I go from you? If I go to the heights of the heavens, there you are. If I go into the depths of darkness, there you are, darkness is as light to you. No matter where you are today, God is with you. He is fighting for you. He wants to draw you close so you can feel his heartbeat.  Know that our prayer line is here to pray with you, to tell you more about how to start that relationship with Jesus is<PHONE_NUMBER>. We're here for you. All you have to do is call out Jesus, repent of your sins and ask Him to be yours. What a glorious, glorious hope that we have in God.   Listen, you wanna stay tuned here on Thursday, June 22nd for part two of Kim's story. It is surely powerful.  It wasn't like, but it was these hills and these valleys. And you know, I don't know where you are today. If you find yourself on the mountaintop experience and you feel like, man, this is really what life is about. I'm living in my purpose. Or if you feel like you are in the deepest, darkest valley, Kim's story, and more importantly, Jesus's testimony, is that all of these things Jesus has overcome. Take heart, my friend. Stay encouraged because God is on the throne. It may not look good. It may not feel good, but the good God we serve is surely to be here for you today and into your future. Every day that we walk this journey, we have a choice just like Kim did to either grab a hold of faith or hold on to fear. I believe today is your opportunity to hold on to faith and declare there is hope today. God bless you.


Hey man, all right, so we went crab fishing this last weekend and that's something that I'd never done before and it was kind of my It's kind of my thinking on crab fishing was it was my replacement for Deer hunting and deer camp so we set up crab camp this weekend and I went crab fishing With the boys and it was a good time But you know we had an interesting weekend we had some trouble over the weekend and you know we went out It was something that we had never done before But basically we went out and we were out on the ocean and we were crab fishing and we were doing some fishing And we were about 25 miles offshore or off off from the marina And we heard some clunking down in the engine room of the of the boat And now let me tell you something that when you're at 25 miles from the nearest harbor. That's not something that you want to hear Okay, you don't want to hear you know the rotating equipment inside the motor starting to bang around and clunk around so You know it turned out okay. We made it home But I just as we took the long ride home I had a lot of things to think about and we had a lot of time to visit and You know fellowship, but I had some you know, I just did a lot of thinking and you know There's a lot of lessons In trouble, so you know it was kind of interesting because after that the last night we were there Now we were coming out of the we're coming out of the camper and I had just you know we'd gone and we were we're camping out you know for the weekend and Came out of the camper and went in the the toilet in the camper for some reason You know when you went to flush it it just like sprayed water All over the place and I got water all over my pants and and as I came out of the camper I said man I was like the toilet just sprayed water all over my leg and Jacob just looks at me and he goes and in Jacob and Garrett and I just decided that this was the quote for the Whole weekend, but Jacob just looks at me and he goes man He goes because earlier like several weeks before we had some sewer problems, you know and with something else But Jacob goes man more sewer problems He says and I was like I'll just look at him and I said you know what Jacob? I said life is one sewer problem after another You know so look everything I mean how many times have I said to you that everything should have a teachable moment So I just got to thinking about this situation this weekend and you know just thought to think about some biblical lessons and dealing with Trouble dealing with problems and how we can we can look at that from a biblical perspective And the nice thing about you know reading the Bible and knowing the Bible is that when you run into things in your life You relate that to things in the Bible and you be like oh, yeah It's kind of like this and you know there's a lesson here and there's a lesson here There's lessons in everything right so look down at Matthew chapter 8 and let's just first of all look at the story That's happening in Matthew chapter 8 and just see what kind of lessons we can we can learn from the Bible this morning On how to deal with problems and how to deal with trouble in our lives because look you're gonna have trouble in your life At some point so look at the story here, you know Jesus is of course He's preaching to the multitude and then you know he's he's talking. It's actually a great story on faith You know just a side note. It's a great chapter in the Bible on faith You know he talks to the centurion first and he just tells everyone how great that the faith of this centurion is and Relates that to how you know people that are not Jews are gonna get saved and can have faith in Jesus But look then you know you have some people come up to him and say hey We want to follow you but he tells them you know there's gonna be trouble like I don't have a place to sleep You know and he's just saying you know what you know one guy wants to go back and bury his father He's like look you know that there's no time for that type of thing He's like this is serious business if you're gonna follow me it's serious business so then him and the disciples get into a ship and they head out in the water out into the sea and Jesus uses this as a teachable moment in the Bible You know then Jesus of course, you know the wind in the sea rises and Jesus then Rebukes the wind in the sea and actually fixes the actual problem. I mean I wish you could fix problems like Jesus fix problems But you know Jesus fix the problem But before he fixed the problem It's important to note that Jesus used the problem as a teachable moment for the disciples and as we go through the sermon I want to show you that you know that moment that Jesus was teaching the disciples was actually something that was very Important that he would teach again and again and how important it was and the reason that he was teaching that lesson To the disciples look Jesus didn't do anything by accident. Okay? I mean he knew everything that was going to happen He knew the lessons that needed to be taught to the disciples and why they needed to learn those lessons So the first point I have this morning is that you know It's a it's a prerequisite and a lot of these points most of these points Actually are going to be things that you need to look at things that you need to think about before you actually have problems Okay, so the first pre point is is this if you never do anything you're never going to have any problems That's the first point where I mean think about this where were the disciples heading with Jesus look back at verse number 18 Look back at verse number 18 of Matthew chapter 8 the Bible says now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him He gave commandment to depart unto the other side and a certain scribe came unto him and said master I will follow thee whether so ever thou goest and Jesus said unto him the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have Ness, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head and another disciple said unto him Lord Suffer me first to go and bury my father But Jesus said unto him follow me and let the dead bury their dead pay special attention now to verse number 23 however What did the disciples do that ended up getting in trouble that ended up getting in trouble in the sea look where it says and It says when he was entered into a ship his disciples followed him So they were literally you know we talk about this and you may have people talk to you about this when you're out So winning you know oh you need to follow Jesus right they were literally following Jesus here They literally got into this situation out on the sea because they followed Jesus Period now turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 3 Now let me ask you this is everybody is Everybody in our lives that we meet even in this church going to follow Jesus in their life Look at 2nd Timothy chapter 3 Because the Bible says that something very specific will happen to you if you follow Jesus and the Bible says this in 2nd Timothy 3 12 it says yay and all that will what all that will live godly in Christ Jesus Shall suffer persecution that's saying that all that live godly in Christ Jesus. That's all that follow Jesus Will have trouble is what that is saying It's saying look if you follow Jesus that thing is that not exactly what happened to the disciples here It's almost like it was a teachable moment that Jesus was trying to show them They're like look if you follow me there's going to be storms if you follow me. There's going to be trouble If you never look if you never do anything you're never going to have trouble.  I don't want to go through tribulation, but here's the downside Here's the downside you say I'm just going to YouTube this thing. I'm not going to get involved. I'm not going to sell out In this Christian life.  Nobody wants trouble Nobody goes and looks for trouble, but Jesus is just saying look if you follow me you're going to have it You're just going to have it, but here's the thing if you say sounds good I'm just not going to do anything in my life, you know, you will never do anything great with your life You will never find out what you're capable of and what's worse You know the Bible says tribulation work with patience and patience what? experience If you never step out in your Christian life, you will never gain any experience at all In your Christian life and look you'll know and if that's the case you'll never be able to handle anything If any kind of if you never step out and you never gain that experience You'll I mean the smallest thing can happen to you and just knock you out of your Christian life Know anybody like that? There's a lot of people like that you'll never get that experience Look, I used to have since we're using you know boating analogies They used to have a sailboat many years ago back when I was young like 20 years ago And there was always these guys in the docks that like if there was one cloud in the sky They would never take their sailboat out and I was always the one where it's like forecasting rain And I'm like motoring out to the middle of the lake and I'm like well How are you gonna know how to how to sail and high winds and how to how to handle types of situations like that if you never I mean look You could you could say that that was stupid in some situations But the point is how you ever gonna know if you never go through anything you're never gonna gain any experience with anything I mean how else would you know how to do it? If you've never done anything in your Christian life You're never gonna know how to handle anything you'll never get any experience and that's what the Bible says in Romans chapter 5 second point on Dealing with problems and this is kind of a side note But look the second point on dealing with problems and it was pretty easy for the disciples to do this one If you look at verse number 25 the second point on dealing with problems in your life dealing with trouble in your life is this It's deciding if it's your problem The first thing that you should do before you deal with a problem or deal with trouble is just decide is this my problem Is this trouble that it pertains to me look at verse 25? This was pretty easy for the disciples to personally identify with this problem and his disciples came to him and awoke him saying Lord save us We perish Look when it when you're out in the middle of the sea and things are going wrong. It's pretty easy to personally identify with that problem However turn to Proverbs chapter 22 You can't can't you say today that there are plenty of people that create problems that don't exist first of all Look at Proverbs chapter 20 and look at verse number 3 Or even worse I mean people that create problems where there is no problem or look at Proverbs 20 in verse number 3 It is an honor for a man to cease from strife, but every fool will be meddling Turn to first Peter chapter 4 Even worse than creating problems out of thin air where there is no problem is meddling in other people's problems Is is getting involved in problems that don't pertain to you look at first Peter chapter 4? first Peter chapter 4 and This is kind of interesting because remember point number 1 that if you never do anything in your Christian life You'll never have any trouble You'll never have any issues. You'll never have any problems But this is why the Bible relates busy bodies to people that metal to people that don't do anything You'll start to realize the connection between those three things look at first Peter chapter 4 and verse number 15 Now remember point number 1 if you don't ever do anything in your Christian life. You're never going to have any trouble But let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evildoer or as a busy body in what in other men's matters Go to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 other men's matters means other men's issues That means other men's trouble It's easy to see why being a busy body is directly linked to those that do no work It's totally easy to see look at 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse number 10 And this is just a side note on trouble Don't create trouble where there's there's none and don't meddle in trouble that doesn't pertain to you Look at 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 in verse number 10 for even when we were with you this we commanded you that if any would Not work neither should he eats we have somebody here that's not working For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly working not at all, but our busy bodies So here's people that are doing no work. They have no trouble. So they're getting involved in other people's trouble They're people that you know Look and this is true whether it be in the life for the Lord or your secular life or whatever people that just don't have much going on They're just the ones always causing trouble in other people's business Because they don't have anything on their turn to Proverbs chapter 26 So they start they don't have anything going on so they start meddling in the trouble of others Look at Proverbs chapter 26 People who are not busy become busy bodies Think of it that way or even worse in Proverbs 26 look at verse number 20 Where the Bible says where no wood is they're the fire goeth out so where there is no tailbearer the strife see that so What's even worse is they meddle in the strife of others and then they just throw fuel on the fire to problems They start creating trouble where there's no trouble You take a small thing maybe and they fan the flames and turn it into something big I mean did you hear about so-and-so and you know all the time they're making things worse? By getting involved in meddling with things that aren't their business busy bodies And it's because they have nothing to do and the Bible tells us look if you have nothing to do You'll have no trouble so you'll start just kind of looking around and just finding trouble and Fanning trouble. This is what happens. I mean the Bible tells us this and how many times have you seen this? I'm sure you can all think of situations that you've seen this because look once you start doing things in your life Once you start doing things in your life. You're going to realize two things You're going to realize that they're simply there's simply no time to make trouble where no trouble exists That's the first thing and then you're going to realize this you will have zero interest In getting involved in problems that do not pertain to you because look you got your own problems.  This is really motivating look. This is true This is the Bible. This is the other side of the prosperity gospel Okay, this is the this is what the prosperity gospel leaves out Once you start hitting it in this Christian life, you're going to have some issues look God's going to bless you You're going to be right with the Lord, but you're going to have some tribulation That's tribulation from the world not from God You're going to have some tribulation. You're going to have some issues You're going to have people that maybe don't like what you're doing that are trying to stop Look, there's this I mean there's a spiritual war going on There's a spiritual war once you start getting involved in that war you're going to take some hits You're going to take some shots And you're going to realize that when you're taking these hits and shots which the blessings of the Lord come along with that By the way, and it way outweighs any of the any of the negative But once you start getting involved in that fight In your Christian life, you will simply just you will lose interest in all this stupid stuff That's not even trouble that has not and it's that that's problems that don't pertain to you and things that aren't problems You'll just you'll start to look at things and say oh, yeah, that's That's silly You'll start to see things for what they are So if you're constantly just looking around and kind of like always being negative and always like being negative about other people This might be you Maybe you need to get involved in the Christian life You're constantly just being negative about you know other people that have nothing to do with you Maybe you're not enough. You're not involved enough in your Christian life yourself Because you're looking around for trouble where none exists for trouble that doesn't pertain to you You're trying to take on for yourself. Hey, get your own trouble Get your own trouble And and here's another thing once you start getting involved in things in life and start getting involved in things in your Christian life You're going to realize you know first of all you're going to get experience with other people meddling in your stuff And you're never going to want to do it to somebody else. I mean here's a small I mean just imagine imagine a stressful situation you found yourself in and Imagine how it would make you feel or maybe it's happened to you when somebody comes up to you You're trying to work through this problem and someone's you know coming up to you and they're you know I mean you're stressed out you're trying to just work through something and somebody's coming up to you and being like man That's bad. Whoa. That's horrible. What happened there?  I mean look It's distracting when you're trying to actually get through something a small example You know since we're talking about crab camp is we're at the camp on I don't remember which night it was But we're at the camp and I'm cleaning fish and we're boiling crabs Okay, so I got a lot going on Garrett's got a timer. I don't know how to do this I've never boiled crabs before we're boiling crabs. You got to get it just right. We got the seasoning We got the timers going and then these people from the campsite next door I mean, I'm trying to clean these fish so I can get you know all this ice ready for the crabs and they come out of the Boiling pot. I mean look, it's like a kitchen situation. It's complicated. It's stressful I'm trying to get this done and these people come up and they just say hey, what are you doing there? Oh, that's neat and they just start pointing it. I mean this is a small example But they're distracting me, and I'm just like and just the fish I mean Garrett was like videotaping me clean of fish. I just butchered this fish as these people were talking to me this poor fish Because they distracted me. I was trying to work through something. They distracted me. They made the situation worse, right? I mean that's a small example, but it throws you off is the point I'm trying to make so once you see things from this type of perspective Look, you will never want to do that to somebody else when you see somebody working a problem or working through something and you've done it yourself You will never want to meddle in other people's affairs Because you can say hey, you know, I've been there You know, I've been that guy trying to fix problems like that And you know, there's nothing that you can do that that makes it worse than just be a busy body in metal And somebody else's affairs, right? That's why it's people that don't work to do that Because they don't have that they don't have that experience themselves That that knows how annoying that is and how how you know distracting that is So the third point is another prerequisite to trouble So point number one was what? Step out in your Christian life step out in your life and you're gonna have trouble period You know the second step is is this to a prerequisite to having trouble You better have faith that you can get through it before you get into it And that's kind of what Matthew chapter 8 was teaching what Jesus was teaching the disciples That's what he was teaching the disciples when he talked to them about the Centurion That's what he was teaching them when he talked to the people before they got in the boat And that's what he was teaching them before he fixed the storm in the boat three separate times He taught this lesson in Matthew chapter 8 before the trouble comes up go to verse 26 before the trouble comes up and You know it's coming right because you're like you know what I'm stepping out in this life I'm stepping out in this Christian life, and I'm gonna kill this thing. I'm gonna go after it You know troubles coming so do a faith check Do a faith check look at Matthew chapter 8 and verse 26 And he saith unto them why are you thief? Why are you fearful oh ye of little faith look these guys? They went out in the middle of the sea with no faith I mean, what are you doing? That's what he's saying He's like you went out in the middle of the sea with no faith or lack of faith or little faith And they're just fearful then he arose and rebuked the winds in the sea and there was a great calm The worst thing that you can do when a problem arises is panic and be afraid Is what Jesus is explaining here this goes for situations in life? This goes for situation in the Christian life as well and this is where your faith comes in don't embark on this Christian life with no faith With no faith look turn to Matthew chapter 14 if you embark on this Christian life if you say I'm gonna embark on this Christian journey and I'm gonna get involved and I'm gonna become I'm gonna get in I'm gonna sell out for church and I'm gonna become a soul winner And I'm gonna win souls to Christ and you have zero faith that the Lord can carry you through you won't last You will fall out of the Christian life I think I I know that this is the number one reason that people quit the Christian life Because they get into the Christian life and trouble comes and they can't handle it and they quit Because they don't have faith that God can carry them through They don't have faith that that the Lord can get them through the trouble. I mean it doesn't really make look From a logical perspective, maybe I'm too logical sometimes, but it makes no logical sense, but it happens all the time People say I'm doing this thing and they go in head first. This is your look. This is your bottle rocket Christian Or you know pop done This is what happens. Like I'm it seems like a good idea. I mean I'm gonna sell out That's what the Bible says to do the Bible says I should follow Jesus that I should live godly in Christ Jesus And that's what I'm gonna do trouble comes. I'm done pop That's the number one reason people quit the Christian life Maybe it's some quit after two months some quit after a year some quit after three years But that's the reason right there. I mean it boils it down right there Look at Matthew chapter 14. This is the this is the lesson Jesus was teaching the disciples This if he could not have bottle rocket Christians He wasn't gonna be around He's constantly teachable moment teachable moment teachable moment. Hey life is one sewer problem after another Teachable moment teachable moment.  Here's another here's another time where they get into a ship again Later down the road they get into a ship again and straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and go before him Onto the other side while he sent the multitudes away And when they had sent when he had sent the multitudes away he went up into a mountain apart to pray So he sends them off in a ship this time by themselves He's not with them But the ship was now in the midst of the sea tossed with waves here we go again For the wind was contrary and the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea and when the disciples saw him walking on the sea They were troubled saying it is a spirit and they cried out in fear But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying be of good cheer it is I be not afraid and Peter answered him and said Lord If it be thou bid me come the onto the water and he said come and when Peter was come down out of the ship He walked on the water to go to Jesus But when he saw the wind boisterous He was afraid and began to sink and he cried saying Lord save me and immediately Jesus stretch forth stretch forth his hand and Caught him and said unto him. Oh ye of little faith Wherefore didst thou doubt turn to mark chapter 6? So Peter gets out of the boat, but it's interesting because he sends them out into another storm if you go to mark chapter 6 and look at verse Number 48 you'll see a different a little bit more detail on this same story and look they did much better this time He sends them out by themselves and they get into a storm again, and they weren't afraid of the storm this time Look at mark 648 This is when Jesus walks up to them, and he saw them toiling and rowing For the wind was contrary unto them and about the fourth watch of the night He comeeth unto them walking upon the sea and would have passed by them so they did much better here They were at least working to get out of it. They weren't afraid of the actual weather itself here You know they were afraid of this guy walking on the water towards them So they were I mean they were not panicking of course Then he steps it up a notch and tell hey get out of the boat and walk on the water and then they you know The fear set in again, so it's just another lesson, but look Jesus was preparing these guys for what was to come Can you not see that? Everything being a teachable moment. He's building their faith. He's stepping up the situations that he puts them through I Mean if they never got into the ship think about it in Matthew chapter 8 if they never got into the ship Where did they go they got in the ship to go where to the other side? To the country of where to the country of the gurglesons. What happened over there? What happened over there? Jesus casts out Legion many demons Jesus casts out he does this great miracle and it's right after he lectures them on what? faith Now What does it take to fight demons? Just curious If you've read the Bible, let me just answer it for you to fight demons. You know what it takes it takes faith Turn to Matthew chapter 17 Turn to Matthew chapter 17. I Want to walk you through what Jesus was showing them and why he was showing them what he did at that time Look at Matthew chapter 17 We see a case here where the disciples were trying to cast out a demon, but they could not and Jesus ends up doing it for them look at Matthew chapter 17 look at verse 15 Just remember what does it take to fight demons the answer is right here Lord have mercy on my son for he is lunatic and sore vexed for often times He falleth into the fire and often to the water and I brought him to the disciples and they could not cure him Then Jesus answered and said oh faithless and perverse generation. How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?  He's like you guys have got to get it right You guys have got to understand like bring him hither to me and Jesus rebuked the devil and he departed out of him And the child was cured from that very hour Then the disciples came to Jesus apart and said why could not we cast him out and Jesus said unto him because of your unbelief For verily I say unto you if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed You shall say into this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible To you he knew that they would have to deal with trouble Especially when he was gone and he was teaching them that the prerequisite to dealing with the trouble that they're dealing with is Faith and look he's teaching them that in the moment that they were in the sea They lacked faith for their defense because they were in trouble and their faith would have brought them through But they're gonna need that faith because they're gonna need to go on the offense You need faith for defense in your life against trouble when that persecution comes when the tribulation comes you need that faith for defense But guess what? Once you have that faith then it becomes your offense in this spiritual war that we are fighting together As you become look can you be can you be a soldier for Christ if you have no faith? If you can't even get past the the faith defending you from trouble you're going through. How will you ever get to the battlefield?  How are you gonna fight? That's what he's showing them.  You can't fight because you have no faith Because to cast out demons to fight this spiritual war is like if you have faith you can fight anything period Turn to Proverbs chapter 21 your faith protects you in times of trouble but then It casts out demons and fights the darkness of this world Turn to Proverbs chapter 21 So we know what do we know we know that if we never do anything we will never have trouble We know that we need to check our faith before Embarking now here's another one Turn to Proverbs chapter 21 and look at verse number 31 Another prerequisite to dealing successfully with trouble is this you need to prepare for trouble You need to be ready for trouble look at Proverbs 21 31 The Bible says the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord look We always say safety is of the Lord, but the horse is prepared against the day of battle look You don't want to hear a clunk in the motor when you're out to sea, but you know what I had another motor I had another motor I Told Garrett two weeks ago when we were tuning up this second motor I told him I was like you see me taking this thing out and putting it on it's all gone wrong. I Never had to put that second motor on But the point is is that you need to be prepared for trouble We need to be prepared for trouble. That's why we have so look. That's why we have soul winning tips on safety That's why we do things a certain way when we go out into neighborhoods keep an eye on the ladies We we navigate Streets and blocks a very specific way we pair people up in a very specific way because look we're just preparing the horse for battle You know we talk about safety with animals safety with dogs, you know, we try to be smart, right? We try to be smart out there. We're preparing the horse for battle. We want to be prepared I mean ultimately we know that our safety is in God's hands Ultimately, but the Bible does say that we should be prepared as much as we possibly can be Okay, so now those are the prerequisites. So now, you know, how do we actually deal with problems? How do you deal with problems? You know, you see now you have faith.  I mean, it's pretty simple from here. You know, you just take it one step at a time You just work it one step at a time. We're out in the middle of the ocean and Jacob says to me He's like When are we gonna fix this when we get home and you know, where are we gonna take it to get fixed? And where are we gonna fix this and I'm just like hey one step at a time. Let's get you know step one Let's get back to Monterey Bay step one Step two, let's rescue the crab gear that's out in Monterey Bay and then step three Let's get back to the marina and then we'll think about fixing the problem Then I mean once you break it in look one foot in front of the other when you get yourself in trouble That's the bottom line. Just fight the monster in front of you Don't be looking at the ten monsters behind him because that's when you get overwhelmed and panic Just one step after another what were the disciples doing in the second storm that they got into they were rowing They were toiling they were just trying to they were trying to fight the contrary winds the problem that was in front of them and they were just It's it's when you get into yourself in trouble is when you start looking three steps ahead When you start looking four steps ahead or when you start taking the whole picture by itself, and then you panic and You and you freak out It's just one foot in front of the other I remember this is a small example that I thought about but brother Stucky Brother Stucky is like this super soccer player and he's like I don't know he's like almost went professional or something He's like awesome at soccer. So we played soccer all the time.  I'm just gonna go after him And I went right after him and by some miracle. I just took a swipe as I ran full speed after him I stole the ball perfectly from him And he's running that way everybody's running that way and all I could see Was the other goal was brother Stucky's goal right behind me and there was nobody there There wasn't even the goalie there Everybody was gone and all I could visualize in my head was myself scoring a goal against brother Stucky And I'm like this is the most amazing moment and number one I was talking trash and I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe But I forgot to actually put one foot in front of the other and I fell flat on my face and Everybody laughed, but I was like I just I envisioned myself scoring the goal and I forgot to move my legs It's a small silly example But you just take one step at a time when you get into trouble when you have problems you just break it into steps It's very effective in the situation always looks better when you're just like what can I do as step one? How do I get to step one and you just start grinding through it one step at a time? It's very simple So in conclusion this morning. We're talking about trouble, you know, we had some this weekend We had some trouble, but a guy I worked with many years ago. He was an older guy He was an older guy in his 60s and I was working with this guy And I came into work one morning and I was I was walking into the plant and he saw me and he saw He must have saw something in my face that I was stressed out about something and he asked me he said I was stressed out about the project or whatever I was working on with him and he said, you know, you look you look stressed out You know, you look like you have you have trouble, you know, I was like, yeah You know I do and he said well he says to me he says, you know what he said can money fix it And I said yeah, you know money can fix it because it's a problem at work And it's an issue with a project and he looks at me and he says then it's not really a problem Is what he said and so this was a guy that you know had had some trouble in his life that was actual trouble So I know that I'm giving you an example This weekend about boat issues and sewer problems and all things like this. These are nice analogies These are nice teachable moments They're nice ways to get some experience with things, but they're not really problems Is what I'm getting at Ultimately when you think of problems that affect life and the health of your loved ones things like this It's really that first prerequisite of faith That counts with you in your life. I mean because look I mean you can prepare you can prepare I mean a lot of the things that we talked about You know things that happened this weekend a lot of things that examples I gave you you can prepare for going out on the ocean You know you can prepare for going on a long hike You can prepare for you know going on overnight trips and camping, but other problems serious problems in your life You may just have to rely on faith Turn back to Matthew chapter 17 and that may be What you have to get you through and this is why Jesus focused on faith in all these examples And all these lessons that he was giving to the disciples is because ultimately when there's real trouble When there's real problems, that's what you need. Look it back at Matthew 17 And I didn't read this verse for you because I wanted to save it for here But ultimately Jesus said this so you said you know I just have to rely on my faith And is there really action for me at that point, but yes There is action and Jesus gives you that action right here Matthew 17 21 He says you couldn't you couldn't cast out the demon because you had a little you didn't have strong enough faith is what he's saying He's like in addition to that here's what you can do He says how be it this kind go with not out but by prayer and fasting So there are things that we can do in times of trouble that I mean There are things that we can do in times of trouble that are completely out of our hands So you're like this is out of my hands. There's a health issue with a loved one whatever But this is action that you can take prayer and fasting That's what you should be doing in times of trouble. You should pray and Yes, you should fast in times of trouble I mean look appeal to the Lord to intervene for you and by the way, you know Don't let your prayer life begin when you have serious trouble Here's the thing we prayed for a safe return before we left You should have a prayer life.  Haven't heard from you in like five years. What's the problem? What who where do you live now? I Mean not that God's like that obviously, but my point is that you should have a prayer life You shouldn't just hit the emergency buzzer with God and that's the only time you pray But the Bible does say that you know When disaster strikes you should pray You should pray for God. Look now you're you're asking God to intervene for you And I mean, that's why that's another reason you need to be in the right standing with the Lord Because when you do call for help You want God to be like, oh, that's you know, that's that's brother Ryan You know, I just talked to him yesterday for half an hour and as I talked to him once a day and you know He's you know, he's in good relationship with his Heavenly Father and he needs help right now And we're just gonna get him out. I'm gonna get him out of this You want to have a good standing with your Heavenly Father? I Mean, look, I want to be on the Lord's side. I mean because I'm gonna need him on my side Period I mean I need I am going to need God to intervene for me in my life I don't know about you, but I know that I Know that so I want this strong Relationship with the Lord and I know that look I know especially.  I mean it doesn't it's not logical first of all It doesn't make any sense to do that Like hey, I'm gonna do all these things. I mean, why are you doing it? You're doing it for the Lord I mean you're not doing it to get to heaven. You're doing it for the Lord. He saved you You're going to heaven because of him. I mean you're doing it for him. Why would you not? I mean get that relationship right? and Then he will fight for you and then at times of real trouble that faith your relationship with God your prayer life That's gonna come into play and then he will intervene for you so make sure that that relationship and This prayer life of yours is healthy this morning because trouble is inevitable my friends Trouble is inevitable life is just one sewer problem after another and Some problems especially problems in your Christian life can be serious and you need The Lord fighting with you and if you have the Lord fighting with you and fighting for you Everything's fine Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer


Maybe I could just do a bit of a soliloquy. Prime off a good soliloquy. I spell that right. Soliloquy. Welcome back to Life Lessons in the Film. Greetings. Greetings. And today we're going to be making sense of life through Lars and the Real Girl. I thought it would be a slippery day today but my feet are all sweaty. I'm just going to take those off. Yeah, starring Ryan Gosling. And other people. Yeah. I hadn't even actually heard anything about this movie till you were like, why don't we watch Lars and the Real Girl? And I was like, okay. Yeah. Never heard of it. I hadn't actually seen it but I had. How did you know? I just saw it. It just, you know, it came by. It passed by. Okay. I don't know. Like, I, god, I can't speak today. How did I know? I, yeah, I don't know. I found it somewhere. It came to my attention. I thought General Real Girl was actually really sweet. Yeah. Heartwarming. It was sweet. It, it, they were, it's, it's a drama really. So there is sadness but like there's heartwarming, more heartwarming than sadness, I would say. But so basically it's all those Lars who's played by Ryan Gosling. And he, he lives with, in the, in the, in the, yeah, in his brother's garage. Well, basically the parents passed away and left the property to them. And so the brother lives in the main house with the wife. Yeah. And then Lars. He chooses to live in the garage. He chooses to stay. They left the house for both of them. Yeah. And the brother says, you know, they keep inviting him to please. It's, yeah. Like they keep asking him to come stay in. Lars, I think because he was the younger brother and the mother died either at childbirth or very soon after Lars was born and then the dad died when he was young. The brother left, so the mom died, the dad was distraught and he, the brother's like, you know, I had to leave. I couldn't live in the house anymore. And I, now I regret it because I left you there all alone. So that means basically, yeah, like Lars was living with someone who couldn't really care for him. And it seems as though that is why he has these emotional challenges. And that's why he doesn't want to ever go into the house, even though they invite him all the time, literally the sister-in-law forces herself on him to try and stop him from going away. In a non-sexual way. In a non-sexual way, yeah. Jumps him. And then Lars gets in a girlfriend, Bianca. Yeah. They're of course very excited. One, what? Lars, you have a girlfriend because he's extremely socially awkward and doesn't really talk to a lot of people and keeps to himself all the time, doesn't like to be touched. And so they're really happy that, oh, maybe things are getting better. Turns out. And then they go, and then... Bianca is a doll? Yeah. Kind of a blow-up doll, I guess. Came in a big box. Male order, sex doll. Male order, sex doll, yeah. Yeah, with all of the... Akutma. Akutma. Of what you would expect of a sex doll. However, it is not sorted. It's not sorted. Yeah. He wants Bianca, the girlfriend, to be set up in what was in the pink room, which was his mom's bedroom. And says that Bianca is very religious and so doesn't want to make love. And so she's a missionary and he respects that. They can't sleep together. And so... These are all the things that Lars is, of course, making up about Bianca as Bianca is a doll. So this is all he's creating this story in his mind as a delusion to help him deal with or not deal with things that he's struggling with. Well, I'm not really sure. I feel like it was to deal with. I think it was to deal with it, but then it still wasn't really... Nothing was really coming about until the therapist doctor who was taking care of Bianca then started to do therapy sessions with Lars and then they started to make some breakthroughs with Lars working through some stuff. And then eventually it seemed like he needed Bianca less. But you see that's the thing, right? For me personally, I feel like having Bianca was Lars taking action. The therapist thankfully was accommodating and asked that everybody else be accommodating and understanding and let this play out because Lars has issues and this is his way of trying to deal with them. Bianca will be there for as long as Lars needs her. And the reason I say that this was Lars taking action because this guy is socially isolated and emotionally isolated too, right? We find out, as we said, that that was very depressed. After the mom died, then the brother leaves. So he didn't really have a lot, a good solid support system. So I'm imagining that he didn't know how to connect to people. And that's why he's touched. He says he feels like it burns when people touch him. Only Bianca can touch him without him feeling burned. And so before Bianca, he wasn't going into the family home. But after Bianca, yeah. So I feel like Bianca was him saying, I don't want to be alone anymore. But I don't know how to reach out to people myself. So I'm going to find this Bianca, you know, girlfriend. And that's how I'm going to, yeah. I like that the therapist was talking to the brother and the wife, brother's wife, he's like, well, you know what we consider mental illness can also be like communication. We look at it as it's always an illness, but it could also be a way of working through things. I think what she means is like, this is him coping, right? And all of these different mental illnesses are ways of dealing and compensating for miss things that are missing that someone needs, right? It's interesting that he even seems like a very kind of embarrassing thing. The brother is like, what do people think? Because he thinks this is an embarrassing thing, I guess, because humans, they understand the need for love and companionship. But if it's not from a human, if it's from a fake human, then they feel like that's to be embarrassing. And so I guess it's a cultural thing, because, you know, that can be a normal thing in other cultures. Oh, the thing in the oven is done. Hold that thought. Okay. Maybe I could just do a bit of a soliloquy, pry him off a good soliloquy. I spelled that right. Soliloquy. That's your sloth. That's the one I finished. Luckily, the town eventually gets not only accepting of it and not putting a stigma on it, but they actually get, they become as part of their community. Bianca, she goes to help with kids with, I think, with disabilities. And she does like church things. And she becomes kind of like, I don't know, a mascot, but they really do find ways for the community to benefit. I remember you saying like, oh, it's a nice thing about small towns that people can really band together and want to support one another. Because the wife says, you know, don't you say that we don't help you? Like we've been doing everything. Everyone, the reason why Bianca is so busy and you don't have time for Bianca anymore is because everyone wants to support you so much in this relationship you have with Bianca that we're all trying to find ways to make her, you know, feel welcome and alive. So don't you say that we don't support you? Now, it could easily have been the other way where he was ostracized and sent out of town. It's interesting that that is something that, because then at one point during like a church meeting, I think they're all, I don't know if we can, I just have him bring her to church and act normal. Then the one woman was there and she's like, well, pointing out basically everyone else's idiosyncrasies and quirks saying like, your cousin does that, this person's a klepto, this person does things with what I can remember with animals or has these weird habits or hobbies. So, you know, everyone's got their thing, whatever gets you through the night. And that really is kind of, you know, what it is. Small towns are more likely to be open and understanding. And just because of how close everybody is to each other, right? Like everybody knows that Lars experienced this thing with the mom. They know that the kids, you know, these two brothers, their parents died very early. And so I think there is an element of understanding that, okay, this guy probably has issues because the whole time he doesn't let people touch him. I think there is that awareness, right?   And I don't think that that's something that you could get in a big, in a city, right? Because people are just much more individualistic there. Yeah, respect for people's quirks can be contagious to other people.  And then they all get sad when Bianca dies. Yeah, when he does a movie. Funeral, she doesn't when he moves on and doesn't need that device anymore. At one point, once the therapist basically almost just starts doing therapy sessions with him, first kind of edges are weigh in by being like, oh, we're doing tests on Bianca, but why don't you and I hang up for a little bit and we'll talk. Then he ended up just coming in basically to do therapy sessions. So it's never anything that is stated as a therapy session. It's just the doctor trying to figure out, you know, what's going on, how you feel.  And why do you feel like that? She talks about one point being painfully lonely. Can't remember her husband passed away. And she was like, sometimes I'm so lonely that I can't remember how to spell my name. I like that line. I just like that, you know, everyone deals with that stuff.  She's the GP, it looks like. That line was really good because it is, it made her vulnerable. I think that there is definitely a big case to be made for being vulnerable with each other because people struggle to open up and so in order, if you really want someone who is struggling like that to open up, if you want to give them support, you have to be vulnerable. Every single relationship that is close is built on vulnerability at the end of the day. You know, if someone is willing to open up more to you, then you're more willing to open up. And the more you do that, the closer you get, the more trust you build, that kind of thing. And so when she does that, Lars kind of warms up to her and starts talking about his own personal experiences. I think people can bond very quickly in that way by opening up and opening up, opening up, opening up at this person and they open up and they open up. But I think that's also just as quickly people can then distance that way when people start to close down, people start to close down, you know what I mean? Because that's kind of what then causes relationships to fall apart is the opposite. It's just for whatever reason, people don't share the way they used to and then the other person shares less, the other person shares less. So then you get to a point where it's like, no one feels comfortable sharing anything. But yeah, and I like the part where I think from one of the suggestions that the therapist gives Lars, she's like, why don't you ask your brother about, because it seems like you struggle with feeling like you're an adult or you're not really sure what it's like to, what it means to be a man or be an adult. Why don't you ask your brother?  And so I think it was like, it was basically like, you know, what is it to be an adult? But he asked him like, what does it mean to be a man? How do you know? How do you know when you're a man? Yeah, because what he says, which I really liked. He talks about how in other cultures, you have rites of passage, right? Is the, the, what you're 13, right? Yeah. I hope I'm not messing up here. But a kid becomes a man, I think it's at 13. And it's just kind of like some kind of initiation. Obviously with other cultures there, they're, they do go through like initiation school and stuff like that. You get, and there are lessons that you, that are learned or teachings that you, you gain from that experience. And yeah. And so he asked the brother, and well, you know, how do we know? Cause we don't have those things. Yeah. How do we know? And he, and the brother himself actually struggles to respond to. Yeah, cause there is no real defined way. I like at first he's, he goes to maybe sex or maybe lies even suggest it.  And he kind of goes with it at first, but then he ended up as he thinks about it. I really liked that because again, that does feel kind of like the go to for especially a society, a culture, like a Western culture where there really isn't much in terms of initiation.  And so for a lot of people I think they feel like, well, what is the distinct change from being a kid to being not a kid? And you're like, I guess the most impactful thing is the first time you have sex or something like that, right? But then when he thinks about it, he's like, that doesn't really fit. That's not really a satisfying answer. And I don't think it is. And I liked his answer eventually where he kind of comes around to this like, it's like responsibility. You get to this point where you realize like, for instance, like doing things that you don't want to do because you know, it's right for other people that in your life or generally kind of respecting relationships, not to be on your wife. Yeah, not to be on your wife, thinking about other people versus always just, you know, think about yourself and thinking about community and other people and your family and putting your family first and things like that. And I just like that whole thing because also not only is it kind of a nice scene with the brother who up to that point for the most part was kind of like very against playing along with Lars's delusion. Yeah. Yeah. I also just think that that was a really well put together way of if you did ask someone in like a North American kind of, you know, culture, what is it to be a man? How do you know that's probably kind of the level, you know, where you're, how your mind would work, trying to figure it out is first you're like, I don't know.  So you're like, I can't really say that that was the thing because did I really feel that different after? Not really. There has to be something else that really starts to make you feel more, yeah, more grown up. When he asked that, I did feel really sad for him because I was just thinking about the lack of guidance he had, you know, growing up and developing into an adult. Bianca was his effort to try and to figure out how to navigate adult relationships. It's kind of like, you know, how little kids have an imaginary friend or they have like a teddy bear that they talk to. That kid is learning how to form relationships, right? Like with, with something that they love. Obviously, when you're a kid, those things are kind of much more accepted. And it's an easier way to, it's a very safe way to form a relationship because there's no talking back. Whatever kind of engagement happens between Lars and Bianca, it is determined by Lars, right? And so it has that really great safe space for him where he can develop and nurture a relationship or learn how to nurture relationships without actually having to expose himself to people, which is something that he's afraid of, but wants to be able to connect with people.  At the end of the day, because of his relationship, he's going out much more. People are talking to him much more, asking him, Hey, what's going on? What's she like or whatever? And he's explaining much more. These are things that he wasn't doing before. So yeah, like when he, when he asked the brother that, I did feel kind of sad for this guy, you know, just thinking about his history, his loneliness that he must have experienced and just that neglect that he went through, which the brother does say, you know, I'm really sorry for leaving you. I completely abandoned you. I just was thinking of myself. I wanted to leave. Our dad was just so difficult. It was in so much pain and it was so hard to, so hard to live with. And so I had to leave, but I didn't think about how that would affect you.  There was a girl that works with him that is into him the entire movie. And he even kind of, you know, in some ways, he also has some interest, which we only find out after he dates beyond, yeah, after Bianca. Before that, we thought he wasn't interested. Yeah. Yeah. That's the thing is when you have that certain self image where either he just doesn't believe or doesn't trust or doesn't understand this person who clearly, like very, most like aggressively, visibly is into him, wants to hang out with him, wants to ask him, you know, that kind of, but it's still, whether it, you know, it just, it won't enter in because there's, there's so many, and then it can confuse people.  We know each other. We work together. What's the issue? But like in his mind, it's, it's, his reality is completely different about who, how people see him or how he sees himself. I think the main challenge isn't necessarily that he doesn't want to interact with people. It's just more so he doesn't know how to do it. And so whenever you see him acting in a way that's, it looks like it's, it's rejecting the person. It's just, I think a form of paralysis. And I really say this because I used to be extremely shy. Like I, I really still am, but I learned how to act like I'm not shy because a lot of times when people see, notice that you're shy, like let's say you're in a social setting, they'll be like, oh, come on, what's going on? Be comfortable, be loose. It's okay. We're all, we're all, you know, friends this year, but they don't realize that that actually makes it worse. That never helped me when people would do that. They would, it would just make me even worse. And just kind of, I wouldn't be able to speak. And then I would go home and I'd be like, why didn't I just, why couldn't I just say that? You know? And I'd be thinking of all the things that I wish I would have said and how the conversation might have gone if I had said them. But yeah, like I can relate in that way. It's not because I didn't want to interact with people. It was just that I was very shy and I didn't know how to, you know, like it was, it was hard for me to just, you know, talk. Yeah. I think that's basically, that's really what's happening with Lars. And you start to see what's really going on in Lars' head.  And then invites her for a bowling date. And even though he's like, you know, I, man doesn't cheat on his woman as the brother has said. So I'm not gonna, don't expect that anything's gonna happen. I'm still with Bianca. Yeah. He then shakes her hand and he doesn't. He doesn't get this. He feels comfortable. He feels comfortable, which is, you can see in it with his facial expression that, oh wait, he's kind of shocked the fact that he's wanting, he's reaching out to touch her and he doesn't feel like it burns as he said before that it does. So I think is what started him to feel that he doesn't need Bianca as much. So then she starts to get sick. Sick. To pass away and then at the funeral.  So then after everyone leaves they're like, oh wait, we should go to see the others. Sit in and ask. Yeah. We go for a walk instead and you can see this confidence and this new kind of feeling about himself come up at the end of the movie. So yeah. Yeah. Because we were watching and we're like, oh lars. Yeah. Come on. Yeah.  You already. Yeah. Moving on to the next part. On to the next here not even like. Yeah. Yeah. But of course, right, like it because it wasn't a real person and it was just disorder that he had. Yeah. He can move on really quickly. The thing that I really liked about the community is, you know, some besides the fact of how invested everybody was in in this whole thing and how close they got to Bianca. I like the fact that they were having interactions with lars very generally like he was like Bianca as a person. Yeah. I remember when Bianca was not busy doing all these stuff. These things. He gets upset that you don't have time for me anymore. You know. Yeah. And then the lady's like, well, you know what? You go to work all day. What do you expect her to do? Yeah. You know. Yeah.  So you're going to stay here, mister. I'm going to, we're going to go out. Yeah. Yeah. And I like that because those are things that I think when people are growing up, you need those kinds of things. And obviously lars and the brother, their parents passed away very quickly. Yeah. And so they never really got those kinds of things, right? And so you like that the community was helping them. Yeah. Was helping him basically grow up and figure out. Which is what community should be for whatever reason. You don't have that in the family. But that's, yeah. I think that's a good example. That movie is a good example of positive community influence. Yeah. It could be negative community influence like the witch trials. Oh, okay. That's like the other extreme. But yeah. But yeah, this is where community can be a broader family, which can kind of compensate for when there is dysfunction in individual families. I think it's just reminded me of how impactful the way you grow up can be. And it really just shows you how important those years are. It's not one of those things where it's like, okay, well, I'm growing up and that's it. I have food. I'm eating. There's water. And the years are just passing by and I'm more thinking to an adult.  If you didn't have all of the things that you needed to have to paving your journey to adulthood, then you're never really fully formed as an adult. And there are just a lot of things that you are behind on. It's kind of like a constant juggling act. It's like, first you take on one, I don't know what you call those things that you juggle, but bowling pins. And then you take on another one. But you can easily drop them all and then you have to pick them all back up. And then you keep adding, right? Like it's not like one linear thing being an adult, right? You can find yourself middle aged and then still find yourself acting like you did as a teenager, you know, or vice versa almost, you know? So it's kind of, it's a very, it's a non-linear for sure. Anyway, I don't know what else to say about that. I feel like if I share anything, we'll just be repetition basically. But what did you guys think about Lars and the real girl? Did we miss stuff? Or did we hit all the major points? All the major beats? Were all the beats hit? Yeah. Either way, let us know in the comments down below. Honestly, yeah, comments are good. We like comments around here. Yeah, share your thoughts and our thoughts. Or just share any thoughts. Just share anything. Share your own thoughts about the weather. Yeah. But, you know, what you had this morning for breakfast. Yeah. And but yeah, until next time. That's a wrap. Bye. Peace.


In my dream, I was standing before the entrance of a cave in my peripheral vision. I could see a form, a light, standing beside me. I knew it was the Lord. Together, the Lord and I stared into the dark entrance. He asked if we could enter the cave and without hesitation, I agreed. Once inside, I saw many tunnels and caverns. Each chamber was filled with darkness. The Lord and I walked into these chambers one by one, each time He asked me if we could enter. As we entered each room, they would fill with light. We came to the entrance of a particularly dark chamber. The Lord only asked once if we could enter and then stood patiently beside me as I wrestled within myself. I hesitated and fretted, all the while sensing His loving, knowing attention. He could see through me, fear, doubts, motives, pride. Finally, I said, Lord, yes, you can have this chamber too.  The Lord revealed to me that the chambers represented areas of my heart. The Christian life is one of continual surrender.


الحديث الثالث والثلاثون الثالث... ثالثاد حديث أنا عايشة قالت كنت أغسل الجنابة من ثوب رسول الله عليه وسلم فيخرج إلى الصلاة وإن بقعة قلماء في ثوبه وفي لفد المسلم وفي لفد المسلم لقد كنت أفركه من ثوب رسول الله فركن فيصلي فيه الحديث is narrated با إمامه البخاري and it's his wedding and إمامه مسلم narrated it as well مسلم narrated it in كتاب الوضوء and he also narrated it in there only مسلم narrated يعني كتاب الوضوء مسلم narrated in كتاب الطهارة the other Rewire where he says وفي لفد المسلم مسلم narrated that only in كتاب الطهارة مخارجا narrated because the sheikh told you وفي لفد المسلم عائشة ترجمة عائشة بيوغرفي we took in the third Harith the messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم عائشة said كنت أعوز كنت أعوز أغسل الجنابة من ثوب رسول الله I used to clean from the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم his clothes the janaba فيخرج إلى الصلاة the messenger will leave for the prayer ودش يميل أغسل الجنابة ومعنى أزيله بالماء I would take off his many many his spam that had hid the clothing he seen them I was a lot of them I would take off his clothing she said وضي الله تعالى علىهم so she asked she says I would wash it wash it I would wash it she said أغسلوا فيخرج إلى الصلاة the messenger would go to the prayer وإن بقى الماء في ثوبه and the spot where I washed the water would also be the بقى الماء the place and the color would be different from that spot it would be different مسلم on the other hand it says لقد كنت أفركه من ثوب رسول الله فركن for your son to be here I used to what أفركه it means that it dried on the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم his clothing and she would take her nail and do this like this so peel off like that from the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى الله عليه وسلم فركن فركن يعتبر محمد إذا مصدر مؤكد لعمله إذا مصدر because he cut مشتقه من لفظ الفعل it is written from the فعل ضارب زيد ضارب زيد محمدا ضربا نفعول المطلق they call it to take it out of the فعل that was mentioned previously أفركه فركن أفركه فركن is both out of it so they call it مصدر مؤكد and the fact that there is a benefit in that which is نفع and يكون مع دلكم في مأ there is a meaning in that which is in that which is that she is trying to say I would only peel it I mean I won't wipe it with my hand that's the mean that's in it when she said أفركه I would peel it off فركن ايه peeling only I would only do that no else I won't even do that to show you that the way she used the many is dealt with is very light nothing big not like a urine the many is not impure it's not impure rather it was on the Prophet's terms it's still he'll go and he'll pray and it was like the patch was there the patch was there وإنبقع بقع المأ بقع here is patch it's patch the word بقع means patch it's a portion a patch فق الحديث the فق in the حديث so first of all we have to remember the first حديث she said she washes it the second حديث she said she peeled it it was رطبان meaning it was wet it was just right then and then she would wash it no problem if it dried then she would peel it off that's not the thick of the حديث is just the point I'm mentioning thick of the حديث is here one طهارة الملي that the many is pure وانهو ليس بنجس and that it's not نجس it is not نجس two استحباب المحافظة على نظافة الملابس striving to purify your clothing try it's recommended three استحباب غسل اللي باس it's recommended to wash your clothes وَلَوْ مِنَ الشَيْئِطْطَاهِنِ لَيْدِ يَقْحَرُواْ فِي even if the matter or the thing is pure such as juice poured over your clothes it's nice to wash it even if it's pure and it's not going to harm you huh still to wash it it's highly recommended four جواز وصفلا the permissibility of a prayer to pray a prayer في الثوب الذي في أثر الملي the permissibility to pray a prayer with a garment that has the is the yeah the remnants of the money or blood إذا غسله فأزال عينه as long as the person removes if he removes the original thing you can pray on it but then even it won't harm him if he does it five جوازو الصلاة في ثياب الرطبة وين أصابه شيء من الطاهر الرطبة جوازو the permissibility of صلاة في الثوب الرطبة the permissibility of praying a prayer with a clothing that's wet she just washed it right now it's wet وين أصابه شيء من الطاهر الرطبة if something wet and pure touch of it the water that she to wash it will do this clean water so it's wet and the profit will out with it six وجوب خدمة المرأة لزودها that is obligatory for the woman to serve her husband obligatory دليلو evidence على طهارة رطوبة فرج المرأة دليلو evidence على that it's طهارة that it's pure رطوبة the moist of the woman's private part it's pure seven التفريق في إزال المني to distinguish between when the money comes out when it comes out if it's dry on there or if it's wet to distinguish between how to deal with it one requires what it requires water to remove it and one requires it requires to do فرق the scourge have a khilaf regarding الله we finished that اختلاف العلماء dispute of the scholars اختلف العلماء في نجاسة المني وطهارتي the scholars have disputed one another regarding is the money طاهر or is it not the Malikia the Hanafia they are of the view that that it's impure it's نجاسة and the evidence that they use is they say if it was not نجاسة then why would the person be forced to do غسل وذهب الجمهور المحققينة but the majority of the scholars from the people of knowledge علماء are of the view that it's طاهر and they use many evidences first of all this hadith that we're on right now which the Prophet is clothing was still there was still remnant on it عليه الصلاة والسلام first second one is that the money is اصول الإنسان the money is the original essence of the human being وما عدنه الذي يخولي قامنه and it's what you originally made from فلا يجوز أن يقول معدنه واصلوا نجاسة الخبيثة والله أكربه واتهب عنه ورجس it isn't then it can't be possible that the person's original essence is impure and impure that's not clean and then Allah honors him سبحانه وتعالى and removes that that filth from him how can that happen when your original essence is 3 الغسل لا يدلوا على نجاسة so now we're answering they are a point we have to answer their point which is that the غسل does not show that it's impure the many it just shows بل هو لستقذار كسائر المستقضرة كلمخاط ونضافة من المستقضرة لا يدل على نجاسة بل هي مطلوبة وشرعا مرغوبة العقلان it is just for a person to clean himself from that which is filth or dirt when the person has many to come out he smells bad the odor that comes out of his and the way he smells is impure and the way he smells it's not good it's not good so it's just to clean the person but it doesn't show that there are many and there's a difference between the many and the person نعم and the strongest view as I said is the view that says that it's الحديث الحديث الرابع وثلاثون على به ريرا أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إذا جلس بين شعبها الأربع ثم جهدها واجب الغسل وفي لفد وإن لم ينزل هذه الحديث إمام البخاري نراتلت the first narration is بخاري وادن البخاري نراتل إنكتاب الغسل مسلم نراتل إنكتاب الحيب the second رواية the second رواية as the sheikh mentioned is the wording is the wording مسلم and مسلم narrated إنكتاب الحيب the message صلى الله عليه وسلم he says in his حديث إذا جلس بين الشعبها الأربع if the man sits in between شعبها الأربع شعب is between the two legs and the two hands since the woman lies down the woman lies down the man when he sits in between her legs are on the sides and her two legs are on the sides so he is in between her two legs and her two arms that's why it's شعبها الأربع that's where the four comes from the two arms are always going to be on the side and her two legs are going to be on the side نعم الرجلان or some of the scholars they say no the four that's been counted is her legs and her فاخذ her thighs it's either her two legs and her two thighs it's just a indirect way of saying intimacy نعم and Islam as you can see it always it doesn't speak that vulgar and that's bad way and another thing that we take from that point we have a mentioning is that which we insha'Allah are going to mention when we come to the we'll leave it to them the messenger said إذا جلس بين if the man sits in between شعبها الأربع he sits in between that ثم جهدها and then he sexually penetrates his wife فقد واجب الغسل the penetration as we said it is that his private part and her private part touch doesn't even have to physically it doesn't have to really fully enter doesn't have to it's just that if they touch واجب الغسل the غسل is واجب ما معنى واجباء اي لزمة it's lazy obligatory وثبت الغسل the غسل has now become obligatory on him وإن لم ينزل مني even if the man does not produce her سيمن even if he doesn't produce anything the Adam goes off and he leaves or something happens the house starts to burn from and he has to leave for one reason or another he stops then what happens is he has to still do وصل فقل حديث وإن لم ينزل I mentioned it even if he doesn't nothing comes out of it فقل حديث واجب الغسل that it's obligatory to have غسل بمجرد just the fact there's a sexual penetration between the private part of the man and the woman ولو بدون إزال even if nothing comes out two وجوب الغسل لازم ولكن وجوب عند وقت العبادة that the غسل is wajib but when is it wajib as soon as they finish now as soon as the Salah comes three الحكام الشرعية the the rulings of the شريعة بين المرأة بين المرأة الحكام الشرعية the شريعة's legislations between the wife and the husband متعليقة بتغييب حشفة في شفريني come back to that one number four come back I will mention it later number four number three هذا الحديث ناسخون هذا الحديث is ناسخ according to some of scholars' view this حديث is abrogated and they say that إن ملماء من الماء that the water is from the water meaning something has to come out that the prophet said إن ملماء that the fluid is from the fluid five using indirect speech that which matters that people will be shy of another matter that deserves to be brought to the attention which is the third point is the position in Islam chose for the men as إبن القيم رحمه الله mention is not an Islamic thing that the woman is on top of the man the شريعة does not promote that and it goes against the Islamic ethics of a woman and a man not that we're not that's the علماء say it's haram because they need evidence for it but it goes against the shyness and the way a man's power and a man's manhood is is not that the woman does sexual intercourse with him but he does it with his wife that's how Islam the man marries the woman the man divorces the woman the man that's how Islam mentions it so it's important that this ideology or this way of thinking that the women are on top the women do what they want is not what Islam mentions