Church is Messy

Church Is Messy, 03-18-2026 Ep137
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Svea: good morning. And uh, if I look out the window, I wanna say Merry Christmas.

Rick: I know this is crazy. We had to climb out of, dig our way out of just uncommon amounts of snow. This is the biggest snowstorm I've experienced, not in my life, but certainly in Minnesota in the six years that I've been here.

I think we got over 20 inches of my house, probably the same. Where you are.

Svea: Yeah. It was an impressive snowstorm. Even for a native Minnesotan.

Rick: Yeah. Can you remember a bigger snowfall in a 24 hour period than what we received on Sunday?

Svea: I'm not sure that I can, to go from bare, bare ground all the way to 20 inches of snow was pretty epic.

Rick: I know. It was insane. And next year, uh, Easter is, I think like March 28th. So this sort of thing could happen on an Easter Sunday. Could you imagine? Yeah. I would hate that.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: Could you imagine having to talk about canceling church on an Easter Sunday because of a blizzard?

Svea: That would be awful.

And, and we had to do that this last Sunday. We had to cancel church, and I bet I can count on one hand the number of times I recall that happening in my lifetime.

Rick: I hate it. It just makes my skin crawl. I cannot stomach having to cancel services because of weather. My attitude is always, Hey, if you don't feel comfortable.

Driving stay home. Mm-hmm. By all means, if you don't feel comfortable, if you don't have the capability, stay home, watch online. Everybody who does feel comfortable, come on in. We're gonna, we're gonna have a great time. But it just would not have been possible for people to come in. Mm-hmm. And if they tried, it would've been really dangerous.

Did you see any videos of the people who decided that they're gonna drive anyway and they're getting stuck in the road or they're It

Svea: was like parking lots on the highway.

Rick: Oh my goodness.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: And semi-truck on the highway that were just sideways. It was horrible.

Rick: We certainly can't contribute to that.

So I got up at five o'clock on Sunday morning to, to take a look at it. 'cause I, I just refused to cancel on Saturday night. Uhhuh, I ref, I have to see it. And, just other churches in town, uh, who we respect made the decision to cancel well before we did. And with the weather warnings and what was happening, there's just no way to justify.

Yeah, keeping it open. So I hope people enjoyed, you know, going to Bedsheet Baptist on, uh, this past weekend, you know, sitting in their pajamas, hopefully joining us on the online feed.

Svea: Well, we had a nice turnout Saturday night. Oh. People that were, we're pre-planning and it

Rick: was pretty cool to see just

Svea: wanting to come in person to worship. Hear Saturday night.

Rick: Yeah. Yeah. The folks that are typically Sunday came on Saturday so they could be part of it. And that just, that added to a really fun environment.

'cause we did get to gather together.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: On Saturday night.

Svea: But probably a majority of people experienced this last weekend's message online versus in person For sure. And, uh, so maybe, uh, recall back to when you were watching the message. Mm-hmm. Or if you haven't yet seen the message, I'd encourage you maybe to hit pause on the podcast and go and catch that message first.

'cause I will say it was a really good one. Sure. I mean, you're. There are, there are.

Rick: I know you're not like saying historically like, like, I can't believe it. You finally, you finally delivered a good one. But for whatever reason, this one s this one

Svea: landed, uh, in a very helpful way for me.

Rick: I wanna hear more about that.

Yeah. Because I gotta tell you, I enjoyed it because so many of these sermons. Have come from text that are about Paul giving a whooping to the people in the Corinthian church, and, and I was, I was over

Svea: some rather controversial topics.

Rick: Oh. And I was, I was just, I was just over the moon. I just loved not having to give any controversial sermons or deal with problematic passages, but really just getting to talk about something that's a really, really fun and meaningful facet of the Christian life.

Yeah.

Svea: Yeah. So the, the main theme of chapter 12 that you were preaching on was spiritual gifts. Yeah. And I have never. Quite seeing the approach you've taken to this chapter. Oh, heretic

Rick: alert.

Svea: Oh, not at all.

Rick: That's the heretics are, are always taking novel approaches. So what, what did I do?

Svea: Well, not, not a novel interpretation of spiritual gifts, uh, but by beginning the message with pointing out the, essentially the number of days that God has given each of us here on earth.

And so what do we wanna do mm-hmm. With our days? Yeah. And, uh. Put up your birthdate and the unknown date of your death and that dash in between representing every day that you have between, uh, and, and these the time you have here on earth.

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: And I thought that was really impactful.

Rick: Oh, good.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: Good.

Alright. So, uh, maybe this is impactful, maybe not, but we're thinking about how do we wanna steward the life that we have. Mm-hmm. And that's summer. Any tombstone you look at, your whole life is encapsulated by a dash.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: If you could know your end date today. Would you want to know?

Svea: I think I would.

Rick: Okay. Okay. I'm not surprised. Yeah. Because we, we,

Svea: but I think, I think that's the minority opinion based on who spoke up on Saturday night.

Rick: I think we are in the, I think we're in the minority view. I'm also, yeah. Let me know whether it's in two weeks or 20 years. I, 30 years I. I I wanna know, I think, um, the way that I'm wired, the reason that I would want to know is 'cause I think it would help me focus on continuing to make the most of the time that I would have.

Sure. There'd be some weird emotions attached to it, but

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: But almo, people were very honorable on Saturday night. No. Yeah, they do not. They do not want to know, and there's probably some real freedom in that.

Svea: Well, there's no doubt that I think knowing would alter your behavior in one way or the other.

Mm-hmm. You know, if you know you have 30 years left, you could be quite lazy about. A lot of things figuring you've got all the time you need, but if you know you only have one year left mm-hmm. You're gonna alter your behavior and what you focus on in that too.

Rick: And then there, there's some folks that would just be overcome with powerful emotions of grief and it would be paralyzing.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: So it's probably best that we don't know.

Svea: Yeah. I think it's God's wisdom,

Rick: but I'd rather know, I want all the information I can get.

Svea: So I'm curious mm-hmm. Um, for someone who would want to know. Yeah. And you talk about being intentional with how you wanna live out your dash. Has that kind of mindset shaped the way that you seek to use not just your life, but specifically your spiritual gifts, the way that you feel like God is equipped you to show other people his love.

Rick: Oh yeah.

Svea: And so, so like, talk a little bit more about that process in your own life.

Rick: I don't know. Yeah. I don't know how much, I don't know how much time that I have and all of that kind of, all that kinda stuff. And but I've played around with ideas, different things that I could do with my life.

There have been different opportunities that have presented themselves, but I cannot walk away from this.

And there's a spiritual gift component, and then there's a spiritual gift plus component. Okay. The spiritual gift component is I believe I, I'm convinced that God has gifted me to teach his word and to communicate to people.

I've gotta do that no matter what opportunities are afforded to me in the future, I cannot stop doing that.

Svea: Hmm.

Rick: There's nothing else. There's nothing else that can that can rival the primacy of that and what I'm doing with my time.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: But then I have, I've pursued that over the past two and a half decades in pastoral ministry.

And then for the past six years I've been here and I can't, like, I'm committed for the long haul here. Like it doesn't matter what kind of opportunities. It come up, I wanna do it in the relationship that I have with the people who are Ham Ridge Church. Mm-hmm. The people who live in and around Rochester.

Does that make sense?

Svea: We're glad for that.

Rick: And so, no matter what happens in my life financially whether the amount goes up or down, no matter what kind of need, opportunities are or are not available to me like it is, thinking about it through this way, I, no matter what I'm committed. I'm committed to this.

Does that make sense?

Svea: So it helps you stay really focused Yeah. On, on what you see is

Rick: mm-hmm.

Svea: Is not just your calling mm-hmm. But on what you specifically have to offer the kingdom of God.

Rick: Absolutely.

Yeah. This is my contribution, such as it is.

Svea: So does that help you then weigh out potential opportunities, you know, whether it would be to speak at a conference somewhere else, or to write a book or to engage with another parachurch ministry or something like that?

Mm-hmm.

Rick: Oh yeah. It's what? What would it cost? What I've committed to right here and what I believe that God has primarily gifted me to do, if it co if it comes at the expense of doing that and this relationship, it's a no.

Svea: Yeah, I like the clarity

Rick: mm-hmm.

Svea: That brings. But how about, can you speak to the person who might be thinking, okay, well Rick, you clearly do have a gift for teaching God's word.

Rick: Mm-hmm.

Svea: And for communicating mm-hmm. Complex subjects in a very clear way to a lot of people. I think God has clearly gifted you in that area, but what about that person that just feels like, well, I don't have that gift. Mm-hmm. And I'm not sure. How any of my talents Sure. Really can contribute to, uh,

Rick: so just real quick I believe that I am spiritually gifted for a particular thing that is connected to a particular kind of position and I've, that I've committed myself to this position.

But almost every spiritual gift all spiritual gifts can be exercised without being in a particular position. So like one day I won't be the pastor of OT Ridge Church. There is, I have an expert expiration date and my role here, but I will continue to exercise how I'm spiritually gifted, no matter what happens after this.

Whether, you know, I'm just, I'm just an old dude helping out other pastors or participating in ministries or whatever. In another capacity. So whatever your spiritual gift is, whether it's hospitality, whether it's leadership, whether it's teaching, whether it's, financially funding things, whether it's, I mean, I mean we could just go on and on and on and on.

Whatever that is, just use that and know that you are free in life to do. To go wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go there to do whatever you want to do, and as you go and you live your life, share these gifts for the common good and the benefit of others so that they can experience God's love with your fingerprints on it.

Does that make sense? I

Svea: love that.

Rick: Now, I know that I'm I don't wanna say vague, but I have a tendency to be like 30,000 foot view, and you sometimes wanna get me down to 10, 5,000 foot view. Sometimes you want to get me boots on the ground. And so what's your follow up question to press me into more clarity?

Svea: Yeah, so what I'd like you to speak to Uhhuh. Like in your case, I think you have a clear example of a gift that has an easy application for serving the kingdom of God. But I know there are people listening mm-hmm. Who are, are looking at their lives and they're thinking, I don't think that God has equipped me to do anything that is that quite clear and obvious.

And maybe I'm not gifted and maybe they're struggling to see how they can contribute

Rick: for, lemme start here. If you are a follower of Jesus, you're gifted. You may not be aware of it, but you are. So just bank on that. It is a non-negotiable. You are a follower of Jesus. The Holy Spirit of God is ready and is empowering you to do something.

The question is, are you taking advantage of those opportunities? Hmm. Right. And so, listen, I, some of the most influential, impactful people for the Kingdom of God, I'm convinced, are not in positions of ministry. I think the most impactful people are not pastors. Mm-hmm. Uh, my understanding of Ephesians chapter four is, is the responsibility of people who hold positions within the church to empower the people who make up the church to go out and do the majority of the ministry.

My expectation is, is that the impact that I make is nowhere near the impact. Of what you make, and I'm talking about the you is those of you who are, who are listening to this, and I could line up all kinds of stories of people I know who are making a powerful impact. So like may maybe you work in, in the business world, it doesn't matter which company you work for or, or, or, or where you go.

Or if you get transferred or you take another opportunity, go and be who. Are.

And let the Holy Spirit use you in whatever capacity you serve to exercise your gift, and maybe it's hospitality, maybe it's encouragement. Maybe you are the kind of person that the Holy Spirit has specifically empowered.

You are an incredible listener. You are great at connecting with people. You help people to feel seen and known and loved. That is powerful. Mm-hmm. It's powerful.

Svea: Yeah. Actually, as you're saying that, I'm thinking back in some of the most influential people in my lives. Mm-hmm. They were not invocational ministry.

Mm. But they had some of the most shaping and formative effects on my life and how I understand Jesus and who he is. Yep. By the way, that they loved him and they modeled it. Mm-hmm. And uh, and you know, I'm thinking of one. Lady in particular that was a, an older retired lady who just had this gentle spirit about her.

Mm-hmm. And she just, she loved Jesus and she wanted me to, and she cared that I processed my life through what God was doing in my life. And she just provided a safe space for me to be able to. Talk with her and reflect on that. And boy, in that chapter of my life, she had far more impact than any pastor or Sunday school teacher or, or anyone did in that time.

And, uh, I see her as being an incredibly gifted lady, but really all she did was make me a cup of tea and listened.

Rick: There's no time period and there's no place on the planet where that doesn't beautifully apply.

You could do that anytime, anywhere.

Svea: Mm-hmm. It's

Rick: awesome.

Svea: Yeah. So how about barriers that people might feel towards using their gifts?

Whether it's a barrier of, of time, or of insecurity or, mm-hmm. Or just, you know, not sure how to, how to actually take something and apply it.

Rick: I'm curious how you respond to this and I, what I'm gonna say next, doesn't have data. It's just kind of my experience with people, and this is what I think, I think probably the biggest barrier is people not.

Really believing or being able to imagine how they could be used. Mm. And just, or not even being aware of their own impact. I told this story of the guy that I knew Gary Shekel, fantastic guy. Loved, loved that man. I don't think he had any clue how God wanted to use him to shape and form and build up high school boys and girls.

Svea: Hmm.

Rick: But man, was it incredible to watch. And he discovered it just by being available.

So make yourself available.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: And so really, I listen, I, I grew up. Tell me about this. I grew up in a church culture where we would take surveys, the surveys and test watch your spiritual gift and Yep. And I'm not, I don't wanna make fun of that.

I'm not at all trying to make fun of that. I'm not even judging that. I do wanna observe a couple of things. One, everybody's gonna score something whether you are a member of a different a completely different religion. If you take one of those tests, you're gonna score something. Mm-hmm. If you are a hardcore committed atheist, you're gonna score some, everybody's gonna score something.

So, I mean, just take it with a grain of salt.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: And I'm not convinced that that is the best approach. I think that is maybe a helpful tool to start thinking about some things. But I wanna begin with prayer. Okay. How do you wanna use me and. Just kinda give me give me the enough clarity to see the opportunities and enough guts to follow you into a and and to, and to act on it.

Mm-hmm. How you might wanna use me and show me that and gimme opportunities to do it, and I'm gonna do it and I'm gonna start asking myself, well, what are some ways that I really, that I'm focusing on other people? It's to their benefit and I enjoy doing it when I do it, I just can't shake the sense.

I just feel like God is just so pleased with me. And then I'm gonna ask people, where do you see me? Where, where do, are you aware of anything that when I do it, it just seems like that God is using me to impact other people? Let other people speak into that. And it's possible that you can pray that prayer and you have no clue how to answer either one of those questions.

And if you have no clue how to answer either one of those questions, it's most likely because you're not just inserting yourself into opportunities to be used. Does that make sense? Mm-hmm. So just get out there and try some stuff out and see what happens as you become oriented to how can you be the person that expresses God's love so that other people experience it.

And where do you find that you're, that you're used, where do you find that you make an impact?

Let's go experi.

Svea: So I think it's a powerful prayer to start off the day. Yeah. With, you know, God, what would you have for me today?

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: And just maybe even surprise me today. Yeah. With how you might wanna use me and then pay attention to that.

Mm-hmm. And, and I think when you have your eyes open mm-hmm. For looking for ways that God might be answering that prayer. Mm-hmm. Not only. Might you find yourself delighted to see that he's doing it, but it might be in one of those ways where it suddenly brings some clarity to life in a way that maybe you hadn't been noticing before.

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: And then I think another positive exercise with that is at the end of the day. Reflect back on your day. You know, maybe there's a spiritual practice called the Prayer of Examine, which isn't a specific prayer, but it's just a practice of looking back on your day or maybe on the past week and asking some questions about like, where did I see God at work?

Yeah. In this last week? Or where did I feel especially close to him? Or where did I feel like maybe he really was seeking to use me in a certain way? Mm-hmm. Um, and, and I think just taking a few moments. To reflect on that can really bring some insight into how God is using you and how you might even discover that.

Yeah, maybe he has empowered me right now to express his love with human fingerprints.

Rick: I love it.

I think that's great.

Svea: So you brought up the spiritual gift inventories or surveys or things and, and I've taken a number of those over the years and uh, and I think there has been helpful insights gained from.

From just a confirming areas. Sure. That I think,

Rick: again, I'm not making fun of him. I'm not judging them.

Svea: No, but I was gonna say, I think one potentially negative side effect that I've experienced in my own life is in the areas where I score very, very low. Mm-hmm. So like. When I take the different surveys, typically I tend to score high on, on gifts like teaching and administration.

And so those have just become like my, my identity gifts. But I score very, very low on hospitality. Mm-hmm. Or on evangelism even.

Rick: Sure.

Svea: And I think I've had a negative forming because of seeing low scores in those areas, thinking, well, I'm just not good at that. And. You know, maybe it's just, it's not me.

It's not my area of gifting. Mm-hmm. And yet there's still important areas of the Christian life and we do ourselves a disservice if we just write that off and think, well, I'm not talented in these areas.

Rick: Well, I'm not gonna say things that I think you're not good at but let's just imagine that there are some things you're not good at.

Uhhuh.

Svea: Yes, there are.

Rick: Being responsible to do something.

Yeah.

Rick: It does not require you being good at it.

Svea: Right.

Rick: Okay. Like some people are more skilled at handling money than others. Everybody's, but

Svea: we all have to do it.

Rick: But you all have to. You're responsible. Yeah. You gotta, you gotta do it.

Svea: Yeah. No, and I'm totally tracking with you.

Yeah. Because I think that's the case. Like we are all called Yeah. To share our faith and to That's right. Witness for Jesus.

Rick: Are there some people who are exceptionally. Gifted

Svea: Uhhuh.

Rick: I knew a guy named Matt. He was exceptionally gifted and he would do things that I would never encourage anybody else to do, but it is like God, just, sprinkled just some, some.

Just powerful gifting on this guy. He could walk up and down the parking lot at Walmart, and this is not a supposed, this is a, this happened. He could walk up and down the parking lot aisles at Walmart and share the gospel and people would give their life to Jesus Uhhuh. One time he did that and there was a guy's like, Hey, I know you from somewhere.

I wanna fund your seminary, right? Can I pay for you to go to school? This guy was just, it just like everywhere he went.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: It was powerful. Now, just because God has supernaturally empowered him, that doesn't remove my responsibility to do it.

Even though I'm not as gifted, like some people are we, you, we picked up hospitality.

Okay. Some people are just like, especially gifted at hospitality. That's not a license for me to be inhospitable.

Svea: Right,

Rick: right. When you come to come to my house. Yeah.

Svea: But it, but seeing that mm-hmm. Has even maybe given me a little bit of, of insecurity in that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. So if I have people coming into my house that Yeah.

Are not good friends, that are just, I'm very relaxed around. There is that little voice in the back of my head that said, you're not actually good at this. And you know mm-hmm. Maybe they're gonna feel awkward and mm-hmm. And that's a very unhelpful kind of of mindset to go into trying to practice something that's just a beautiful part of, of the, yeah.

Community experience.

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: So there can be some flat sides to

Rick: Sure.

Svea: To, uh,

Rick: there's lots of things that we're, that we're not good at. Like, no one's ever gonna ask me to lead in music and, and musical worship, but I still am responsible to worship and celebrate God.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: As a, as a participant.

I don't know. S Faye, I, I don't know. I don't know what you are. I've been to dinner once or twice at your house. Pretty great.

Svea: Well, well, thank you.

Rick: Was it 'cause of Steve?

Svea: Steve's actually far better in hospitality than I am.

Rick: What time? What? Listen. One time I was out, I was scouting Turkeys.

Svea: Uhhuh

Rick: At your property.

Early in the

Svea: morning, he made you this epic breakfast

Rick: and Steve was like, Hey, you want to come in and, and have breakfast? And I'm like, I'm like, whoa, Steve, this is, this is really good.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: If anything ever happens to Faia, I'll marry you.

Svea: Oh, that's just not awkward at all. That's

Rick: a great breakfast, man.

Svea: No, he is. He is amazing that way.

Rick: Yeah,

Svea: of course. I think you were the recipient of possibly the most awkward dinner party I've ever thrown in my life. When, oh, was it the COVID

Rick: one?

Svea: The COVID?

Rick: It was like in week one or two or something like that.

Svea: It was like even before the lockdowns you just arrived. It was your first time we'd really ever had our families meet and we were socially.

Rick: At at the table. It was the weirdest thing. Just trying to figure it out. Yeah,

Svea: that was, yeah, it was like this 10 foot long table with your family at one end and mine at the other with six feet in between our families and two different sets of serving dishes.

It was just so awful. So I'm usually better than that, but,

Rick: okay. But, alright, so even if you are, this is what I would say. If we're having just an honest, not a totally jovial, but like a, we're trying to have a real conversation about hospi. So what You're not good at it. This, don't compare yourself to somebody else.

Uhhuh. A comparison is thief of joy. Don't do that. It's ridiculous. But don't be apathetic. It just be as hospitable as you can be. And if you want to get better at being hospitable, I bet you can. I mean, it's not like, it's not like rocket science. It's, it's not like the, the, it's the learning curve is all of that steep.

Svea: Well here, so I've got a, a theological component to bring out of this and then maybe even just a practical application.

Rick: Okay.

Svea: Because I think we can get so focused on where we don't feel gifted Yeah. That it causes us to lose sight of where we are. Mm-hmm. And. Paul talks about that we can embrace our weaknesses.

Mm-hmm. 'cause that's a way for God to shine through that he can. Yeah. God can show himself to be, um, at work and powerful in our areas of weaknesses. Mm-hmm. So if we have to engage in, in a certain practice that we don't feel that we are gifted at, that's an opportunity to say, God, okay, I know I'm not doing this outta my own gifting and talent.

So you show up now, you do it

Rick: just gonna, just gonna give the best I have and trust God.

Svea: Yeah.

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: Yeah. You know, and then, then maybe more practical application. Well, yeah, we do wanna maybe shore up some weaknesses that are, are unhelpful.

Rick: Mm-hmm.

Svea: But I think we waste a lot of energy if we try to focus on doing life in our area of weakness rather than doing life in our area of strength.

Rick: We're always gonna grow more in areas of strength.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: There's. There's so much data on that we're gonna grow most in areas of

Svea: strength. So this seems like one of those places where Yeah. The wisdom of scripture Yeah. Is just so profound where God is calling us to run in your area of strength.

Rick: Yeah.

Svea: And go shine for the kingdom. Mm-hmm. In the way that, that I God have created you to excel because you're just gonna contribute. So much more to the world around you if you hang out in your area of strength.

Rick: Think about what a waste of time it would be if I tried to take vocal lessons and learn how to play the guitar and stuff.

I'm sure I would benefit in some ways by doing that, but I'm never really gonna make a significant contribution to the kingdom or to our church in any way. But it would just be a waste of time.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: Let other people who are gifted handle that.

Svea: Okay. So back to the first Corinthians 12 passage.

Rick: Mm-hmm.

Svea: The passage ends and it, it kind of arcs into chapter 13 as we're gonna get to this weekend. Mm-hmm. With the trap that the Corinthians had in focusing on certain gifts. Yeah. And seeing certain gifts as a little bit flashier or more impressive.

Rick: Are you gonna try and push me into something I'm not ready to talk about yet?

Svea: No, I'm not. I'll save that for two weeks from now.

Rick: Okay.

Svea: But, um, where I'm headed is just, can you talk about this mindset and attitude? Towards using our gifts.

Rick: Yeah. So apparently what was going on in the church at Corinth? Is there ever, never ending pursuit of prestige? That spiritual gifts were just another way to tally up on a scorecard.

Who outranked who and what was your standing based on what, whatever that was. And it was just really, just really self-centered. That's ugly. But really. I think the best mindset is I'm gifted because God loves me. I should receive that as an experience of his love, and I get to express it so other people get to experience his love.

So really we're looking outward to others. How can I be used to benefit them, to serve them, to place myself beneath their needs and making them more, more important than mine, I think. And really that is, that's at the heart. Of what love is. I don't know that love can be utterly reduced to simply that.

But at the essence of what love is, is I'm investing in and I care about what is, what is in your best interest and what contributes to your wellbeing even more so than mine.

Svea: So, with that in mind

Rick: mm-hmm.

Svea: I think this is where I wanna. Land the plane here.

Rick: Okay.

Svea: As we get back to this idea of how we wanna live out our dash

Rick: mm-hmm.

Svea: For the, the number of days mm-hmm. That we have here on earth, what kind of mindset helps us as we've identified? I think these are areas where God has gifted me. These are ways that he's empowered me to be able to show his love to others. Mm-hmm. Um. Just talk about that posture of being intentional, about seeking opportunities.

Yeah. About embracing, uh, this mindset, uh, just riff a little bit more.

Okay.

Rick: Okay. I'll, I'll do my best and, and reign me in if I'm running in a direction that's disappointing. But all of life comes down to this. Jesus said, everything you read in the Bible comes down to this. It's the love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Just summarize that as love God with all of who you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. And so the. The driving ethic and framework of life is love. And when you look around and someone who has a need or there, there's a gap where they just need to experience love, where someone needs to invest in them, take advantage of that.

And as you are oriented in that way. I think what you're gonna discover is that there are things that maybe you don't even know how to explain. The impact might be beyond your explanation, but you're just finding that you are used and you are impacting people kind of in a particular lane, in a particular kind of way.

And just keep giving yourself to that because that, I would say, is most likely where the Holy Spirit has empowered you, and it could be anything. To serve his purposes and his people. So if you just kinda live your life as a, there you are kind of person instead of a, here I am kind of person, I think you're gonna find, oh my goodness, the Holy Spirit is using me.

I didn't even realize it.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: How's that?

Svea: You know what's cool is that when I've experienced that

Rick: mm-hmm.

Svea: That's some of the most satisfying mm-hmm. Moments of my life. There's meaning and there's purpose there. Mm-hmm. That even though maybe the, the act of something that I'm doing might feel somewhat self-sacrificial.

Mm-hmm. I've gained. So much more for just the sense of like, I can see the hope that someone has, or the love that they've received or, or that it's just, it's so satisfying. Mm-hmm. And, uh, and what a wonderful thing for our life to be about.

Rick: So I wanna riff on this for a couple of seconds. The spiritual gifts start with love and then what joy.

Love, joy, peace, patience, and on it goes. I've had conversations with folks who. Maybe they're, they're coming from a, a non Jesus oriented approach to life. Maybe they're religious, maybe they're, they're irreligious, but they're thinking about, you know, it kind of seems like there is a self-centered component to why we serve other people.

Especially if someone who's coming from a, a evolutionary kinda mindset. It's just something that has adapted. And it's for the propagation of the species. And so is it good? Is it not good? It's beneficial. So that's why we do it. It's really, it's kind of like we do this 'cause I feel better.

That's an approach. I don't think it's the best explanation of human experience, but I think from a kinda a biblical Christian perspective, this is what's going on. That all of life is about love. That's the first spiritual gift that's listed.

Svea: Spiritual fruit,

Rick: spiritual. Mm-hmm. Or spiritual fruit. I'm, I used the wrong word.

Spiritual fruit, fruit of the spirit. And God has designed all of life and he's designed you 'cause you're made in his image to enjoy that.

And so I don't think it's any coincidence. I don't think it's just like, oh, isn't any how that worked out? I think it's by design that the first spiritual fruit is love, and the second one that's listed is joy.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: Of course you should enjoy this of, and we don't serve others just so we can feel better, but we should expect that the best kind of life is the one that also has the most joy. And isn't it neat that God has designed life, that when you live for your purpose and you are a there you are kind of person instead of a, here I am kind of person and you are serving others, that's where you find the most delight and joy.

Svea: Mm-hmm.

Rick: It fits perfectly.

Svea: It just like evokes a spirit of worship in me to think of how God would design us to think that way, to experience life that way. It's just, he's amazing.

Rick: So we're not using other people so that we can feel better about ourselves, but we should expect that we, we are living life in the way that the one who is the source of truth, goodness, and beauty designed it, that we should just be thrilled.

It should be, should be the thrill of a lifetime to live. In such a way.

Svea: Yeah. Well, that's a beautiful thought. I just wanna reflect on that and, uh, take that into the rest of my day.

Rick: So, s faa, you are preaching this weekend.

Svea: Yep.

Rick: Is this getting you excited? How is this shaping what

Svea: Absolutely. This is just a springboard and what I can't wait to talk about this weekend.

Rick: Okay. Alright. So normally you say the closing comment, but this weekend I'm gonna say the closing comment. I hope people who are listening, especially before this weekend, are excited to come and really hear what's kind of a part two of what started last weekend.