Transcription
[Music] Welcome to the Beyond Sunday's podcast, season 4. We are so excited that you're joining us today. We are kicking off a new series this week, and we are so excited about it. It's based on the book by Craig Rochelle called Think Ahead. And as a church, what we're doing is we're navigating through the the concept, the idea of we want to make better decisions, right? But why don't we? Why is there a difference between our good intentions and reality in the moment? And so, I hope you'll join us over the next few weeks as we dive into making better decisions, having fewer regrets, and living the life that God desires for us to have.
And today, in this introduction episode, I'm joined by my co-hosts for this season. Hey, you guys! I'm so glad you're here. Hey! Hey, morning to be here. Yeah. Okay, so we're going to start from this direction. I'm just going to let you guys introduce yourself. So, why don't you go first?
Sounds great. I'm Molly Lee, and I work here at Beltway as, uh, or with the AV production, worship world, doing a bunch of different things. Um, and I also have a party planning business in Abilene, but I'm an Abilene local. I've been here my whole life. And so, yeah, I'm excited to be here.
I'm glad you're here. My name is Renee Buu. Um, I work here at Beltway in the foster adoption ministry part-time. I'm also a certified life coach and I run my own practice where I help people reach their goals, build healthy habits, and do all the things God's called them to do. Uh, I am not an Abilene native, but we have lived here for a long time as a military family. And so, we, we love being here.
Awesome. Glad you're here. Yeah. Uh, my name is Braden Crow. Uh, I am one of the missions and Outreach pastors here and also am blessed to oversee the internship and help do some research for Pastor Jeffrey and Pastor David. And so, that's a little bit about what I do here. Um, outside of work, I'm married to my wife Victoria. She's a kindergarten teacher, and I have a one-year-old at home, Caroline. And so, uh, Think Ahead hits really close to home because if I don't think ahead, not a lot gets done because.
Oh, sure. We're just in that season. One-year-old. Amen. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I'm excited because this series, we have some fantastic guests lined up for the series, and I hope you're going to join us all series long. So, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you don't miss an episode. But we are going to be interviewing all different kinds of people from all different kinds of walks of life. And you guys are going to help me with those conversations. So, thank you so much.
But today is more of like an introduction to Think Ahead. So, I want to ask you, you know, we've been kind of in the Think Ahead world for just a little bit because of the planning and the just getting ready for spiritual growth campaign here at the church. But what was your initial reaction to the concept of the book Think Ahead?
I'll go first. Uh, I, uh, I love Craig Rochelle as an author and a communicator. I mean, he's an amazing communicator. But, uh, I just loved how practical it was, you know? And and I thought it was just a slam dunk for our church to go through. I think that we as a church, you know, one of the things that we do really well is freedom. And we, you know, last year this time, we went through Freedom, we went through the Purify book, and just saw so much healing and so much breakthrough in people's lives. And Think Ahead is still about freedom. It's just, in my opinion, I think it's the next step. I think that we, you know, going through Freedom, we we know the stuff we have to break off. We know the truth that we have a good father who loves us. We're not an orphan. Um, we know all those things. And once you know those things, you have to do something about those things, right? And I, I think that Think Ahead is just that next step. It's really, Think Ahead is one of the most practical books I've read this year, and I think it totally lines up with our freedom, just what we are as a church and what we want to be. And, you know, for me, it's, okay, I know all these things. I know about who God is as a father. I know about my inheritance as a son. But I don't know the next step. And I think Think Ahead, I think there's really, really good just kernels of truth in that that are really practical for next steps for sure.
Absolutely. I couldn't agree with you more. Yeah. Yeah. I like how you tied that with what we've already done, just kind of growing upon it, right? And now it's like the action part and the preemptive, right? Now that we're set free and we kind of know more of our freedom, what do we do to stewardship our freedom and stewardship our life? And yeah.
Well, and it's, I'm sure you're probably, I think that he says it a million times in this book that, you know, the our decisions dictate the quality, the quality of our decisions dictate the quality of our life, right? Is that how he says it? Yeah. And it's like, I love that because it puts an ownership on us. That's right. Right. It's not, we're not victims to our circumstances. It's there's an ownership that we get to take. And, you know, it's, we're living in this victory, we're living in this freedom. But, you know, I just think it's the goodness of God that he gives us a sound mind and he gives us these opportunities to make quality decisions, to step further, yeah, into freedom. And so, I love the ownership piece.
Good. Yeah. I love change. And so the idea of thinking ahead, it's kind of tied into what Braden just said of when you're thinking ahead and you're positioning yourself in those places, it allows you to dream. It allows you to, um, just kind of explore and have those opportunities in front of you. And so, with Think Ahead, that's really where my mind first went is the excitement of it. Yeah.
I thought it was practical too. I mean, reading it, I thought, man, this is just so, like, it's putting handles on some concepts and things, you know? I think many of us, um, we want to make those better choices and better decisions, but sometimes, I mean, we're overwhelmed. Like the book kind of outlines the, the three major hurdles that we as humans face to be the reason why we may not make the best decisions and the best choices and choose, you know, to live the abundant life that God's called us to. And the, the, the three ways of thinking that people most often get trapped in that Craig kind of outlines in the book is, um, we're overwhelmed, we are afraid, or we're emotional. And doesn't that just speak to just about every single human on the planet? Like, one, we struggle with one of those hurdles. What, which one resonates the most with you?
I'll say it's the fear one for me. And I think he specifically talks about, like, worried that you're going to get it wrong, that you're not going to hear God's guidance, that you're going to make the wrong choice. And I'll say that that's the one that I feel like comes up the most for me because I want to do what God's will is, right? I want to be in step with the spirit. And sometimes you have to take a step of faith and make a choice, right? And so I'm like, what if it's the wrong one? And so sometimes I'll be like, well, I just won't make any decision. Yeah, which is still actually a decision, right? But really, what I'm noticing in my own life is it's just a lack of faith. And so, but that is one that I definitely struggle with the most. Yeah.
Yeah. We want our actions to be in line with God's heart and his character. Like, that is our heart's desire as his kids. And but the reality is, is like, there are so many choices to make. And so, I think for me, when I read that in the book that talks about we have like 35,000 decisions to make a day, that overwhelmed me. I thought, really? This is insane. But it's true when you really think about it. We have a lot of small decisions to make, as well as the big decisions. And so the premise of the book is like, basically dwindling down those 35,000 decisions that we make as humans a day to seven key decisions that we can make today for the God-honoring life that he desires for us tomorrow. And so, for me, I think the, the thing I might struggle with as far as like the hurdles would be the overwhelm because there's a lot of decisions to be made. Um, especially if you are a parent, or you have a family, or you are, I mean, I just really think anybody, we all struggle at some level with being overwhelmed right now in this day and age. There's a lot going on and a lot vying for our attention, right?
I mean, constantly. Yeah, absolutely. So, for me, at least, I think that's the, the place that I might struggle with the most when it comes to being overwhelmed. And it's even like the daily regular decisions for me, like, what am I going to eat for breakfast? And how many calories is that? And, you know, like, like, it's real. It's reality.
Think about, like, with you're talking about food, breakfast, lunch, I got it. Dinner, you're like, I don't care. I made so many decision, decision, right? If you notice, people will eat really good throughout the day, and then dinner, it's like, where's the pizza? Because I've made so many other decisions, not about food, but every other decision. So even just day-to-day, that day cycle, by the end of the day, you're so overwhelmed. So I can see how if you've already made some decisions in advance, you take away some of that overwhelm. Yeah.
Right. I get, I get that 100%. I get to the end of the week and I'm like, uh, no makeup, no hair. I'm throwing on a ball cap. Nothing. I'm not doing anything else because I've done it all week long. Decision fatigue is real.
Decision fatigue. That's right. Yeah. When was the last time you were overwhelmed by a decision that you had to make? Maybe it was small, maybe it was big.
I'm trying to, like, which one? Which one? All of them. Yeah. I think especially with starting our own business this last year, it's, it feels like every day, even if it's a small one, it feels so monumental of like, we're still in the building stage. So you don't want to make a decision that, it's the fear that's tied into it too, of you don't want to make a decision that's wrong or that's going to, um, put you in a position that you don't need to be in or, or really like cloud up your schedule when you could have said yes to something else. And so I think there's, it's mainly those little decisions right now. But, um, it's also nice to have my sister-in-law with me in it because getting to talk it out and not feeling the pressure of, um, you get to share a little bit of that burden of time and getting to make decisions over it. So, yeah.
This, I mean, we've talked about how practical Think Ahead truly is as a curriculum, but it's also a great way to reflect on your life and your mind and your spirit and what God is doing in your heart. And I think for me, it's made me realize, okay, Lord, like, you are in the details of my life. You do care all the way to the minutia of the little decisions that I make. And I'm just excited to dive into each of the seven weeks, um, with you guys because I think that it's going to build strength and endurance and perseverance and greater faith to make the decisions that we need to make with confidence, knowing that God is with us, he is for us, he is not against us, and he is, like, his desire, his heart is for us to walk in abundant life. And I'm just excited that we're going to be diving into this in greater levels. And so, I think the book is really reflective. Would you guys agree?
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So, um, I think the, the, the piece that I want to go to next is speaking to that fear place because I know that like, there is, and I think one of you mentioned that that's the place that you might struggle with the most. But fear is a huge hurdle, and it's, it's intimidating, right? And so when making decisions, do you, do you tend to stick with what you know, or do you like to try something new? Do you like variety? I know you said you like change.
I like variety. I like to almost, um, I think it's a, it's been a process now that you have all of these, you know, core values or just understanding, um, about the Lord. And after making decisions where you, it didn't turn out great, or decisions like that, it builds up this endurance too for that. And so, yeah, I love change. I love to take the risk, um, and just, I also just have developed a philosophy that it, you know, allow myself the grace to try. And if it doesn't work out, to be okay.
That's a good word. Good word. The grace to try. That's good. Well, and being okay with failure too. I think that that's, as a recovering perfectionist, that's what I probably struggle with the most is that, um, I don't give myself the space and the grace to fail. Yeah. And so learning to be okay with taking risks, and taking risks with God, not without him, but with him. And it, it builds my faith when I'm actually in that process of taking the steps that God's called me to take and being okay. And I think that's a true mark of character. And I'm not quite there yet. I'm not saying that by any means, but like, it is a mark of character to be able to get, pick yourself back up when you failed and go, it's okay. I'm not a failure. I just failed. I made a mistake, or I didn't, didn't anticipate that, and, you know, that surprised me. Whatever. Move on and learn from it.
What about you guys? How, how big of a voice does fear have in your day-to-day life?
I would, I would probably say, I didn't think it had a big voice. And then, uh, then you get married and you have kids, and there's just a different weight with the decisions you make, from the from the time you spend on things to what you do day in and day out to the money you spend to anything and everything in between. And, um, I, you know, like, I love change, especially when, uh, there isn't, or I love taking the risk whenever there isn't, I guess, much risk to it. Yeah.
When the risk factor is a little low. When the risk factor is low, I like to take risk. Um, but that's something that I'm honestly navigating even in just the years of, you know, now having a family of, you know, it's, I want everything the Lord has for me, and I want this life that I have with him to be an adventure, and I want to lead my family in that. But it's so easy to go to what you know, and it's so easy to, um, stick with the status quo because it's, it's safe. And so fear is for sure the answer for me on the things that hinder me of, you know, I want to do what's best for my family. And at the end of the day, in level-headedness, I know that that is trusting the Lord and taking those risks with him. Um, but it's in the, it's in the decision fatigue, it's at the end of the days, it's in the, the day in, day out where you're tired that it's hard to remember that truth. Yeah.
It's where that renewing the mind every day, like, helps, especially at the end of the day, right? Like, when we know all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, right? But when we have to make a choice, we're like, this might not work out good for me. And having to renew that mind of like, okay, what's true about God? What has he done in the past with decisions I've made? How has he been faithful, even if I've made mistakes or messed up or it wasn't the right way? Renewing that mind for me is what helps because the fear is the biggest one for me too. And just what I know about the brain and being a coach, your brain is wired for safety. It wants to keep you alive. And so being, I love that you love to get uncomfortable, or you love to try new things because that's how we grow, right? We're only going to grow if we're willing to take that risk and step out into it. And so doing it from that place of curiosity and compassion and fun and like, let's just try this, let's just test this out, um, is a really fun way to try to just put fear in its place, quiet that loud voice for a little bit and be like, no, we're just going to test things out, try things out, take the pressure off that decision, unless it's like, feels like a really big risk-taking decision, right? But sometimes, can we take that pressure off a little bit? And remembering too, that we're not just the things that God's calling us to, we're not just doing it for God, we're doing it with God. And that's huge, especially for me, when I remember that, man, my God's got my back. I'm his kid, I'm his daughter, and he's got my back. I'm not going to go, I'm going to do my best to be obedient and to allow him to lead and guide me in in the things and the decisions that he's asking me to make. But I'm also going to hopefully, uh, stay in step with the spirit and remain confident that he has called me, that he has equipped me, and that he has prepared me for every good work that he has intended for me to do. And this book is helping me build that confidence because it's allowing me to get there with the Holy Spirit in my time with him and just go, Lord, this is the life I really, really want. I want the life you have carved out for me, and I don't want to settle. And I don't want to settle because I'm afraid, and I don't want to settle because I'm overwhelmed by the culture, and I don't want to be, I don't want to settle because I am emotional, which happens.
What about you guys? Do you ever struggle with the emotional side of making the, the good choices and the good decisions that God has for us? Do you ever struggle in that?
Yeah, I think definitely too, with the idea of having to mourn stuff, grief, even before it happens. And especially in decision-making. Um, so even though I love change, there's been so many times in my life where what I felt the Lord speaking is about growing roots, which is actually hard for me to not be making changes and to be running around and doing all the things. And so, um, I think emotions for me, you know, I've started to look at emotions as indicators, but at the same time, when I can't really, um, detect what I'm feeling or what's going on or why I'm disappointed in something, um, that's when I kind of start shutting down and get overwhelmed. And so they all kind of play together for me because I get fearful of not knowing, not feeling in control, um, or not knowing what's going on. And and having to remind myself that, um, the Lord is already in control. And when I try to grip that back, it's when, you know, things start to snowball and spiral more. But yeah, so the emotions play a huge part for me too. But yeah.
Yeah, I love how you said emotions are indicators, right? They're still good. We have them. God gave them to us. But they're not always great decision makers. Yeah. So, um, knowing that when I'm really angry or really frustrated, it's probably not the best time to make a life-altering decision. Sure. Uh, and realizing that I'm allowed to have those emotions, process through them, but let's not make those decisions out of those places. So that definitely is always an area of growth. Yeah.
Emotions are, emotions are probably, at least in, you know, deciding factors, it's probably, it's probably the second phase, right? Like, if fear is the first, and it's, I fear, I feel all this fear, then the emotions that come next are, okay, well, I don't have what it takes, or I'm not a good leader, or I can't make these decisions. What kind of person can't make good decisions? And all of that is emotions. That's all the negative self-talk that we all struggle with in our heads. And so, you know, for some people, emotions is the first thing that hits. And, you know, I still feel those emotions, but I think it comes through fear first. And so, but I feel it too. Okay.
Well, what if I was going to, like, just throw out some words to you? I want to know what words best describe you generally. Okay? So, calm and steady, or passionate and unpredictable?
I'm very passionate and unpredictable. I can see that. Yeah. I'm passionate, like when I'm excited about talking about something, I'm very passionate. But I think I am calm and steady when it comes to making decisions and how I want my household to be. I'm really big about regulating our nervous system. So I would pick passionate, calm and steady. Oh, yeah. You did. Yeah. It's okay. The combination's great.
I would say, uh, calm and steady. Like, every personality test I take talks about, my personality is very slow to make decisions. Like, I'm very strategic minded. And so I, I tend to think about all the different factors in play. And very slow and steady. I feel like your answer is even that strategic. Yeah. Slow and steady. Yeah.
I love that. We love the way your brain works. I love that. I'm very passionate about the way you just answered that. Well, the reality too, is that like, our emotions do play a role in how we make decisions because we've been wired with them. God put them inside of us. You talked about that just a moment ago, that we've been given emotions as indicators. They don't get to drive. They're not in the driver's seat, but sometimes they like to try to get their way into the driver's seat. But they often, we have to remember that they, they belong in the back seat, right? They get to be there in the vehicle with us, but they don't get to drive. And so I think for me, when it comes to emotions and decision-making, like I struggle not to just go with my gut.
Do y'all? Yeah, I was going to ask that. Does anyone feel like they, like this heart feel of like, it does logically, it doesn't make sense, and I'm wondering as I'm talking, that's probably like Holy Spirit. But there's this time where it's just like, this doesn't make sense on paper, right? Right. And this is not the right decision on paper, but I just feel it in my gut, or in my heart, or just this knowing, right? I'm, I'm sure some of us, I have felt that very rarely, just because I'm such a strategic mind. I have to like, so we like, hey, go with your gut. You'll be like, no, I'm like, I'm going to need some to crunch the numbers and walk this for a bit. Yeah.
Yeah. So your brain is very analytical, steady. Yeah. My wife does not understand it at all. Like, we'll come home from work and she's like, she'll ask all these questions, and I'm just in my total own universe, like thinking about seven or eight steps ahead of anything else. And that's just, that is how we are different. And she is, she is the go with the gut. She is, she is totally that. And I'm just, I, I struggle to make decisions quickly. Interesting. Because I'm strategic.
Yeah. Have you ever, like, gotten to a place where you just needed to make a decision, but you decided not to?
Oh, yeah. I mean, I mean, so, um, I, so I previously worked with, uh, Jake Mills. He now is a lead pastor up in Ohio. Um, but Jake and I worked really closely, and Jake and I were the most different in this regard. That Jake is so confident in the decisions he makes, and is very level-headed with, okay, I know this is the right decision. This is going with my gut, and I can back this up, and I feel great. And working with him, he would say things like, we just make a decision. And I would say, but I need more details, and I need more understanding, and give me the afternoon to think about it. And, and it was so, that was the thing that he always challenged me in. And to learn to go with my gut, to learn to make a decision, and with the best details I have, and move forward. And so I've definitely been in analysis paralysis before, where I analyze things so much that I'm totally paralyzed. Yeah. And it's hard to make a decision. Yeah. And I just don't. I've been there. Yeah.
It's good that you know that about yourself. So it's like, sometimes give yourself a deadline, or, yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's good. It's good.
Well, Rochelle kind of introduces a lot of concepts here at the beginning, and the main one is the power of pre-decision. It's pre-deciding that there are certain things that God's called us to that we are going to say, I'm going to be that person. And we're going to uncover this over the next seven weeks. Um, but it basically just talks about, decide now what you will do later. And that's a huge principle. Like, decide now what you will do later, because today's decisions determine tomorrow, the quality of tomorrow. And that comes down from, I mean, it's, it's what you do with your body, your mind, your soul. I mean, it's all, it's all encompassing because we are whole human beings, right? Body, mind, spirit. And so I think that the way that Craig kind of unpacks each one of these principles in the book is really great because we, we do talk about all of the body, honestly. We talk about the mind, we talk about emotions in the book, we talk about, you know, even just taking care of ourselves and spirit and our mind and our body. And so, like, when it comes to, uh, the principle of, decide now what you will do later, how do you think that this is going to benefit, like, what this principle, how is this going to benefit your life?
Oh, my gosh, I just think this is an amazing concept because the choices you're making now either plus or curse your future self. And that's a very, like, maybe harsh way to say it, but we don't think about that, right? Now, we don't think about if I'm moving my body now, how's my 80-year-old body going to feel like? We don't think about those things. And so I love how this brings us to the forefront of the things we're doing now, and how can I bless my future self spiritually, emotionally, physically? And so, and I think it's just a really practical way to set that up so that we can start applying these things. And our 80 and 90-year-old selves are going to be very grateful for what we are doing now because we've already made the decision that we're going to do these things. MH.
That's good. I love that. I thought back to when I was moving back from Dallas, and my decision was just, I was battling between, am I going to move to California with my friends and pursue a dream, or am I going to move back to Abilene? Which is just hilarious of itself, but a big decision. It was a big decision. And I remember asking myself, like, whenever I would have big decisions, I started asking myself the who, what, where, when, and why of like, what's most important right now? And I was walking out of a really, really tough season with church and church leadership in Dallas. And I knew that even though it felt like such an easy open door to move to California, it was like, I just knew that if I moved, I would not be seeking out community. I would not be seeking out a church. And after all the pain I had walked through and had, um, been walking with you and Jeffrey, actually, through a lot of it. And I remember telling myself that I knew that I was at a critical point of like, I'm either going to make a decision now that will, um, help me like chase after Jesus, or if I end up moving, then I'm not going to seek him out. I'm just going to keep, um, in a lot of bondage and not heal from all of this stuff. And so I ended up moving back. And also knowing that the who was the most important of like, being around community, being around my people, being around my family. And there's still been just, it, it's so crazy, but there's still been just much just as much adventure in Abilene, I think, just with how my family has changed and how, um, I don't know, it's just been really cool to see that decision now of, even though there was a lot of grief involved of feeling like I was shutting a door, making the wrong decision, that there's been so much fruit come out of that of saying yes to coming back home. So it's beautiful. Yeah.
Love that. Mmm. Well, what aspect of your decision-making process, I mean, we've talked about the three hurdles, but what aspect of your decision-making process do you really want to see improvement in as we go through these next seven weeks? Is there something that sticks out to you?
It's a good question. Y'all know I need time to think, so yeah, I need y'all to say something. Yeah. I'll just be like, I would like to be more bold in decisions. I would like to pray about something, make a decision, go for it. I really like the idea of some things, it's just like black and white, like this is what we do. And you'll get more in that book when we read the book, we'll see that, but there's just some things as I was reading the book, um, that it's like, these need to be non-negotiables, no matter what. Yeah. No matter what. Um, and so there's a few things that I think I just want to take that concept and drive that home and stick to that, like, these are no matter what. Yeah. Um, for example, I don't know if I'm spoiling it, but just about consistency and like praying with my husband. We pray half-hazard. And after reading this book, I'm like, no matter what, we're going to pray. Yeah. It's good. Every night. And we're not going to be perfect, but like, we're not going to skip three or four days. If we skip one day, we're back. Like, no matter what. That's just something like drawing the line in the sand for some things. I really liked that concept. So for me, in the decision-making, there are just a few areas, it's like, no matter what. Mhm.
I think you go ahead. I think since it's easy for me to make decisions, um, and make them boldly, it's sometimes harder for me to have the patience or not make decisions on behalf of other people, by feeling the pressure. And so I think the patience and wisdom of like, knowing when there's a weightier decision that involves other people to take the time to pray about that and wait and be more analytical and strategic and thinking about what does this look like for the future? Because I do have that just gut feeling that it's easy for me to feel it and confidently make a decision, but, um, just the patience in that too, of discerning who does this involve and sure. Yeah. Yeah. That's good. Yeah.
Yeah. So the, the seven I am statements that he does, they're all, I mean, every pre-decision is just a, it's a character statement, right? And so it's, you know, the, the whole principle is, if I can get these seven things in me, I, I have the strongest foundation for what I want my God-honoring character to be. That's right. And, you know, and so it, it can be overwhelming, like whenever you read it, it's such a short book, but there's those seven things that feels like, okay, I, I have lots to do on every side to get there. And, um, it's just taking it one thing at a time, you know? And, and there's going to be, there's different chapters that resonate more with me, and I'm sure there's different chapters that resonated more with each of you. But, you know, right now, the thing that comes to mind is, is Craig was talking about, don't let your disappointment, uh, validate your disobedience. And that was super convicting for me of like, you know, just navigating disappointment. And whenever we process disappointment, it's so easy to, uh, recant the decisions of these I am statements of, I, I will be obedient, I, I will be faithful, I will be devoted, I will be, uh, generous. And whenever we encounter disappointment in those areas, it's so easy to, you know, talk yourself into validating. Yeah. Yeah. Validating that. And so that's something that was really encouraging for me, and he didn't even spend that much time on it, I don't think. I just remember reading that and like, I was like, oh my gosh, I, I almost like feel set free from just reading that of like, I don't have to, you know, I will feel disappointed. Yeah. And I don't have to be disobedient because of that. And so, um, that's one of the things that I love the most about the book. There's so much good meat in this book.
I'm so excited to to dive in with you guys over the next seven weeks. Um, you mentioned the I am statements, and I love that we are really going to do a lot of fun and cool things as a church over the next seven weeks with those I am statements. But basically, the I am statements are, I am victorious, I am consistent, I am faithful, I am devoted, I'm an influencer, I will be generous, and I'm a finisher. And so these are, I, my hope is that I get these so deep ingrained in the the core of who I am that when I come to a decision, I remember, you know what, I'm a finisher. I'm not going to halfway do this. God has called me to finish my race, and I'm going to do that, and I'm not going to do this halfway. I'm going to be a finisher. Or, you know what, the Lord has called me to be generous, so I'm going to be generous with my time and resources. You know, and so when there are those questions of, I could do that, or I could do this, all right, Lord, I will be devoted. You've called me to be a devoted follower of Jesus, and what that looks like in my life and how you've called me is XYZ, right? And so, just to remember, this is who I am. This is who I am, and this is who I want to become, right? So looking forward to it for sure.
I got one more question for you as we wrap up. If you can encourage someone who's about to embark on this series, how would you encourage them?
I would say, read the book on the schedule as we do for groups and for service, but use it as kind of like a character textbook. So like, you know, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you on, you know, which one of those I am statements is he calling you further into? And, you know, so once you read the book through, figure out what that is, and then go back to that and go through it slowly and think about the tangible things that, you know, the Lord's calling you to do in that. Because for me, it's like, I just want to do them all. Like, I just want to, it's every chapter I read was, oh my gosh, this is incredible. I can't wait to fix this. And then you pick your head up a few weeks later, and it's, oh, well, I'm overwhelmed again at all the things I need to change. And so it's me, you know, it's, it's so tangible that you can read it in the normal schedule we will do as a church, but it's also broken up in such a way that it's such a really, just a good textbook as you want to build character and you want to develop every, um, bit that God has for you. So that's good.
Yeah. Yeah. I would just echo that with, take it and maybe each week, find one thing you're going to practice with each statement. What's one thing you can change? Because it's hard to change a lot at one time. It's really not sustainable. So what's one thing that Holy Spirit is calling is calling you into this week that you can decide in advance? What's one area you can work on and grow and grow and grow? And so by the end of it, you would have seven things that you'd be right. Um, could be a good approach to just to take that overwhelm off, right? We want you to enjoy the process. I think that's a good word. Process. Yeah. This isn't a, this isn't a change your life in eight weeks series. This is a, we're starting, and this is an eight week start, and this is just the beginning.
It's good. Yeah, because you're literally developing identity, and identity work takes time, right? And so give yourself compassion and grace when you're stepping into these things. Um, if you don't get it perfectly, don't shame yourself. Do it from a place of compassion and fun and, um, just do one thing at a time. Yeah.
Yeah. I would say really to walk through it with other people, especially with the short-term groups. When I had moved back a few years ago, it was right around the time of the spiritual growth series. And so I jumped into a short-term group. And even though it felt really uncomfortable at first because of, you know, your mind swirling with all the shame of and all the things you need to heal from or whatever's going on in your life, but, um, that group changed my life in a lot of ways. And so I'm still really grateful for them. And I think that helps. It just helps walking through life with other people, anyways, but especially for this series when there's so much reflection and, um, it's good to have a sounding board in community that's committed to walk through it with you. So.
And here's the reality of community, is that we get to hear from other believers in their walk that, hey, you're not alone. The things that you're struggling with, you are not alone. And that is huge because then we are, we, we look around us and we go, oh, I've got people in this with me. I'm not alone. So.
Good. In isolation, you can get that shaming voice, right? Look at all the things that are wrong with me. All he's doing is pointing out all these things that are wrong with me. But in community, you're just bringing it to the light. You're feeling seen and known and heard by others who are also struggling with the same thing. And then you can move forward and heal and progress. So.
Well, and in community, as you talk about these things of, gosh, I wish I was more generous, or I wish I was a finisher, there's a good chance that you're going to find yourself in a, someone in your group is excelling at something that you want to develop more. And all of a sudden, there's relationship built in and a almost a blueprint on how to get there. So. Good. That is good. It's needed. Yeah.
Hey, you guys, so it's not too late. If you are still looking for a group, we are going to link information in the show description. Reach out to us. We want you to get connected to a community group, a short-term group this fall because we do life better when we do it together. That is something we say all the time here at Beltway Park Church, and we believe it. We stand by it. My encouragement for you would be to commit your ways to the Lord. This is what Proverbs 16:3 says, commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. So just commit that over these next eight weeks. Commit to reading the book. Commit, commit to attending a service. We have many options available, but commit to that. Commit to being in community and in a life group for these next eight weeks, and let us see what God can do through that. We're so excited that you joined us today. Thanks so much for listening and watching the Beyond Sundays podcast. We hope you guys have a fantastic day, and remember, God is always moving, and he's moving in your life too. Beyond Sundays, and we will see you back next week. Bye, guys.