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Summer Summation
43 Plays10 months ago
In this episode, Logan and Brendan Return and share about their summers. Scripture is Ecclesiastes 10:1
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Transcript
Introduction and Catching Up
00:00:06
loganhoward111
Hello and welcome to From Dublin to Cleveland. I'm Logan Howard and for once in a quite a while I am joined by the one and only Brendan Thomas Merritt. How's it going Brendan? How are you doing today?
00:00:20
BrendanThomasMarrett
He's alive. Yes, for all of those who have been wondering, did Logan like hit me with a shovel and bury me in his back garden? No, he did not. Or did our friendship come to a really really dramatic rotten end and he's been the one who in the friendship divorce got the channel? No, it did not.
Summer Reflections
00:00:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's just been an absolutely nutsummer.
00:00:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
Well, in a hundred thousand million gazillion different directions and it's likely to kick off the same direction in two weeks time. But who cares? I'm here today. Life is great, always great. And how are you, buddy?
00:01:01
loganhoward111
I'm doing well. Yeah, it has been quite a while. I think it's been since May at least that we have even had a chat with you all here on the podcast.
00:01:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
No.
00:01:10
loganhoward111
I have of course been on for a couple weeks, but let's be honest, I finished doing those in May. So I have not, we've not recorded anything since May. Um, so yeah, it's, it's good to be good to be back.
00:01:21
loganhoward111
Good to be back on the podcast. Um, Brendan has even been doing some things on his YouTube channel. So if you, Know how to get to the YouTube channel you can watch a ton of revelation stuff, which is super exciting um and he's
00:01:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
Thank you. We already have them there last week.
00:01:36
loganhoward111
Yeah, all they all got on there last week, but he's done a great job with those. So if you ever want to know more about it, go look at those things. But today, of course, we're back. So we're back to doing fun things instead of just our pouring our Bible knowledge into the world. ah So you guys probably want to know what we've been doing, what we've been up to, what's been going on with our summers. So we're going to do a a review of our summers, and we've got some questions to go through. so Uh, we're gonna start with this one and i'm gonna let brendan go first then i'll go Um, but what and i'm gonna give you you have to pick three But what were the three highlights of your summer this summer brendan or three ah pilots The
00:02:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
I don't know. um I know. Donald Trump survived. That was pretty great.
00:02:27
loganhoward111
memes were pretty great from that the memes were pretty great from that
00:02:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
um
00:02:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
They were. They were. there They've been pretty excellent, actually. And attacking our political rivals is always one thing. But, uh, it is miraculous and absolutely God ordained. Survival. Yeah. Why what memes just have been stunning. So, yeah, that's when you're at the top of my list. a And Logan, I haven't spoken like two months. The next time I mess around the blue, Donald Trump's got shot in the head, but he's alive. And Logan is like, damn, American. I know this already.
00:03:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
Gosh what else? I had a friend who lives in Pakistan and she finished up living in Ireland and she left for Pakistan and then three weeks later she came back. Just couldn't stay away from the Emerald Isle. Once you come here you don't leave. So that was pretty great.
Spiritual Highlights and Challenges
00:03:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
The day of her return was very very Unexpected, something that I surprised.
00:03:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
That was a lovely event.
00:03:36
loganhoward111
We'll be right back.
00:03:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
Ah, golly. And yeah, I suppose the third thing that's really made me happy is I will be going to Australia very soon to um get involved in the TSNL revival there, um the supernatural life.
00:03:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
Uh, drive demons out of people, break the chains of darkness off people, help people cross over from death to life, bondage to freedom, depopulating hell, and filling up heaven. So, uh, yeah. They're probably my top three. Order it yourself.
00:04:15
loganhoward111
um Yeah, so he's he's going from the Emerald Isle to the Prison Isle, just saying.
00:04:20
BrendanThomasMarrett
You know some of those prisoners were Irish, okay?
00:04:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
The English were busy massacring our country from nine million to four million. Those who stood up for themselves and to steal some potatoes were sent off there as enemies of the crown.
00:04:31
loganhoward111
but what
00:04:38
loganhoward111
Our one viewer from Australia is no longer listening after what I just said.
00:04:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
That one lives in Australia. It's probably an Irish descendant.
00:04:53
loganhoward111
The New Zealand people just added they we got two more of those just for that though Anyway, anyway, I joke I joke but So for me, I think the the number one highlight was a couple weeks ago towards the end of the summer I got an opportunity to go ah back to Patmos for basically a retirement slash leaving
00:04:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm.
00:05:20
loganhoward111
um like celebration of the director there which very sad uh that he asked that he's leaving and you know be praying for where patmos goes from here with that but um i got to go back and i got to see a lot of my old friends and a lot of people who have you know for lack of a better term gone to war with uh you know because
00:05:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:05:41
loganhoward111
the spiritual warfare is just as important as and sometimes and is way more important than actual warfare sometimes. so um But I got to see a lot of them and just hear from them, hear their hearts, spend some time with them.
00:05:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:05:56
loganhoward111
um And it was really a great refreshing time and encouraging time because One of the things that has been difficult the past year has been hearing appreciation or seeing my impact that I've made on other people's lives and hearing that from them, from people who I haven't seen in a while and like basically a lot of them said some of the ways that we acted this summer was because you laid the groundwork for us in past years, which was really really cool to hear and really cool to see.
00:06:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh.
00:06:28
loganhoward111
So seeing that impact that I made that I walk into a room and everyone is like Logan's here and they're super excited. um That was really cool. um I think my my second a second highlight was probably during um during staff training.
00:06:49
loganhoward111
we we so me and Me and my roommate Nathaniel, we We had moved, you know, of course, we moved all the way to New York and everything. And ah we had been told that we were kind of like in charge or doing some of the like training and stuff. um But one of the things we got told kind of early on was they're like, we don't want you to do these like initiative things, we have them already, we don't need them.
00:07:14
loganhoward111
Well then just out of the blue um like during the day of we get told that they're like there's this like weird gap that's like three hours of time and so like we need you guys to like come up with something for them to do um you know so that they can like work on we're like can we do initiatives and they're like yes we could do initiatives so initiatives are like things that you guide people through so like um For instance, you'll give them you like it's like a one's called a human knot and everyone has to like get into a circle and then grab hands like a cross and then you have to uncircle into ah a Huge circle and so we did a bunch of these um With the staff and they were they died that were dying laughing My favorite one was we did this like ah hula hoop one where you had to pass the hula hoop um you had to like
00:08:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm. Hmm.
00:08:04
loganhoward111
passed the hula hoop from from like where one between one person while holding hands in a huge circle and so he passed the hula hoop all the way around well somebody got in charge in the middle and they were allowed to like change rules or whatever and so they changed the rule that you had to stay on one foot the whole time and you couldn't speak so you had to be quiet the whole time well what happened was everyone started laughing every single time you tried to like with one foot go through a hula hoop
00:08:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
you.
00:08:32
loganhoward111
It was absolutely hilarious. We were almost on the floor in tears by how funny it was. So that was that was genuinely a great moment of just ah being absolutely ridiculous and doing silly things that you can only do at camp. You don't you don't do that on your workday.
00:08:51
loganhoward111
yeah well
00:08:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
then's where you work
00:08:55
loganhoward111
Yeah, yeah.
00:08:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
now
00:08:56
loganhoward111
um
00:08:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:08:58
loganhoward111
ah Then I think my third one was probably it was my second to last day So my last full day working at camp and I had been asked to do the like devotional or whatever for the the whole um You know the whole summer staff and so um They had been kind of
00:09:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
and
00:09:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
Depends where you work.
00:09:20
loganhoward111
We've done a couple that week and so I'm like super excited because like, let me be honest, there's not a lot of times that I've gotten to teach in the last year or so in terms of just teaching the Bible, teaching the gospel, doing those kind of things. And so to get that opportunity, I was like, let's go. Because like I had had a rough week most of that week and so I was like, let's go.
00:09:43
loganhoward111
So I end up giving them like a four or five minute just like encouragement through Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. And then ah once we're done, what I was told was there's going to be like a lot of schedule stuff.
00:09:55
loganhoward111
So don't, you know, don't take forever with your your topic.
00:09:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
See you.
00:09:58
loganhoward111
Just, you know, we got to do some schedule stuff, talk about the schedule. If I was thinking, I would have realized that there wasn't anything to go over in the schedule because it's literally the last day, but I wasn't thinking. So I was just like, okay, fine. And then um the guy who's in charge, my good friend Nate, he just goes, ah no. So the rest of the time I kind of lied to Logan. We're not actually going to do any schedule stuff. We've got like 20 minutes. And so what I want you guys to do is just say something that you're thankful for Logan being here this summer.
00:10:31
loganhoward111
and uh it was kind of wild it was it was quite it's quite a cool little time of them just kind of popcorn style saying things that there were some things i'd forgotten that had happened that i had done or encouraged people and there were some other things that i remembered but you know maybe i hadn't even talked to this person much of the summer and they kind of just were like i remember during that first week when you were talking about how um You know each of us has a really special gift that we have and that we've each had like a special thing about ourselves and that you were analyzing and watching us the whole time and you were looking for those things that we were really good at and I remember when I went up to to you Logan and I asked I was like so what are the things I'm good at because I don't really think of that I have a ton of good things and you were like Do you really want to know?
00:11:24
loganhoward111
And I was like, well, uh, yeah. And then you like listed off four things that were literal things that I actually really appreciate. And I hope that I'm doing well at, but I wasn't sure.
00:11:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
No.
00:11:37
loganhoward111
And, um, so they were like, that was really encouraging. And now this person, let me be honest, I didn't talk to him much the summer because they weren't in my program.
00:11:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:11:44
loganhoward111
They weren't on my, like, I wasn't working with them closely, but, um, But so that was that was really cool just to hear some of the impact that um that I was able to to do even in a place when a lot of times my head wasn't in it and um I was frustrated or whatever was going on. So that was that was really cool to hear. And then even on top of that, just that 53 campers ended up you know professing or recommitting their life to Christ, which is
00:12:15
loganhoward111
That's literally why we do ministry. If that doesn't happen or that isn't happening, then what are we doing this for? like It's literally for God's work to impact kids. So that was that was really cool. So yeah, those were my three highlights. um All right, so next question. What was the most challenging thing for you this summer?
Balancing Commitments and Relationships
00:12:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
Good question. Wow. I would say this challenging hit for me has been time management.
00:12:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
um I feel I've been pulled in a lot of different directions between investing for pro-life politicians and helping set them up to win and just the nation.
00:12:57
loganhoward111
Yeah.
00:13:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, get involved in life groups, um, which I don't know how familiar you guys are with those. Um, but some people call them cell groups, like home, home groups, home church.
00:13:16
loganhoward111
Small groups, yeah. Small groups, yeah.
00:13:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
you know Um, the Joshua generation, which would be my young adults, um, group of church. So pouring into them an end time series. I did for, I'll be able to coordinate three, three and a half months.
00:13:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
but I was teaching for like four to six hours each time, so it was like a 10-part series.
00:13:36
loganhoward111
Yeah.
00:13:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
and So they're the ones then that I reshot at home um into 4C shorter installments, which are now on my YouTube channel at Brendan Thomas Marish. By all means, people check them out.
00:13:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
um there One of the rapsters is doing particularly well, actually. and but I just bowed to someone like a week earlier, and i was who wanted me to teach on the end times to them, and I said, listen.
00:14:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Most people don't actually want to know the Angelic Rise, the Fool's Prophet, the Ten Kings, or Armageddon. They just want to know what the rapture happens before, during, or after the tribulation.
00:14:10
loganhoward111
Yup.
00:14:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
And in terms of like the view count, I'm like, evidence. you And yes, it happens before people, it does. um And then I suppose with all those things, and then, you know, the daily grind ort work.
00:14:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
I suppose I found it hard to carve out time for myself, for working on my third novel, for the things which are important to me, but not to other people, at least not directly.
00:14:42
loganhoward111
Yeah.
00:14:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I suppose maybe a week or two ago, it just hit me that I didn't really feel like myself. I felt like I was being so many people to so many people that I'd almost forgotten actually what it was like to be me.
00:14:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
maybe reintroduce myself to myself. So yeah, that was... and I don't know how that registers other people, but on a personal level, I'd say that was pretty challenging, yeah.
00:15:11
loganhoward111
um No, I do think that registers with a lot of people. Time management is... Life is so fast and there's so a little time. So, yeah. um So for me, I think there's there's a long list of things I could put on here. um I think for a lot of the summer, it kind of felt like I was trying to figure things out on the fly. um Because this is... Even though I've done camp ministry,
00:15:40
loganhoward111
Every camp is different. Every camp runs things differently.
00:15:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
Bye.
00:15:43
loganhoward111
They have different clientele, different ways of doing things. um So I think a lot of the the early stages and the early stress was all on trying to figure things out as quickly as possible and adapt.
00:15:58
loganhoward111
um As time went on, I'd say um Probably a lot of the challenges was just ah getting myself out of the way. um Just ah my desire and wanting to do what I was doing was slowly fading as time went on. Not because of anything that like the summer staff or any of those people but just um just thinking about the future and thinking about where I'm going and how this doesn't always feel like it is helpful for that.
00:16:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
Sure.
00:16:36
loganhoward111
And of course, along the lines, there's not feeling like support from upper management or upper people. And those those were challenges along the way.
00:16:46
loganhoward111
um So yeah, there's there's a lot of there's a lot of little challenges and a lot of tougher challenges that came along. um I think though the one thing that that that frustrated me here that was that I was trying to figure out and I I don't feel like I figured it out um was kind of the attitudes of some of the clientele that they had in terms of like the high school week and then um even some of the church kids that go there because you see I I come from the mindset of
00:17:22
loganhoward111
um like i ah Entitlement is not a thing that that I struggle with. um And entitlement or you know ah thinking that I can just do whatever I want or I can run whatever I want or any of those things like that never crosses my mind.
00:17:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yep.
00:17:40
loganhoward111
um But that was really kind of a problem. ah just they kind of did their own thing and did what they wanted. And at the same time, I understand camp is just to have fun and we're supposed to do those kinds of things, but, um, it feels like there's just a, there's been a culture of letting them do whatever they want. And, um, I've seen how that looks in, in other situations in life and it, that never really goes well, um, because,
00:18:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:18:14
loganhoward111
you're not really You're not really doing what's best for people. you're doing what is um You're doing what they want. You're placating people. You're not necessarily doing what's best for them.
00:18:21
BrendanThomasMarrett
Popular.
00:18:23
loganhoward111
Because sometimes what's best is not sometimes the most popular or ooey gooey mushy love kind of thing.
00:18:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:18:34
loganhoward111
um But it's what's best. um So it was hard to fight that.
00:18:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yep.
00:18:39
loganhoward111
um And it was hard to overcome that in sometimes in uh in those weeks and so that was kind of a struggle of fighting and warring against that um because again i'm not an entitled person i'm not saying they were terribly entitled either it's just it's been allowed for a long time and so it kind of just that's fine as to the way it is and i'm not i'm not that type of person who appreciates that so that was that was it that was quite a challenge of overcoming that not
00:18:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
And.
00:19:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
You
00:19:10
loganhoward111
not going because the the easy answer to that is just to yell at people or get angry and then you carry that attitude and that that attitude is not helpful. um So figuring that out was was a challenge.
00:19:20
BrendanThomasMarrett
no
00:19:24
loganhoward111
Whether I did it the best or handled it right, I don't know.
00:19:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
No.
00:19:27
loganhoward111
That's that's for the ah decades to figure out. but um right Next question, what are you grieving about as the summer ends?
00:19:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
o Hmm. I so suppose I figured I would have gone on more
00:19:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
day trips um or even more weekend trips even around Ireland to like different mountains or the Ring of Kerry or whatever than I did but then I look back and I think okay there were times when I absolutely could have done it but why didn't I?
00:20:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's because I was setting other people up to win so
00:20:15
loganhoward111
Yeah.
00:20:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, it's a case where I kind of comes back to the last point where I felt like I was constantly putting myself last ah in terms of putting other people ahead.
00:20:33
loganhoward111
So.
00:20:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
But that's something that, you know, in quieter seasons, I can always come back to anyway, and I can always make happen anyway.
00:20:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
but just in the summer when I was probably intending to do it the most on and in a mostly unrestricted vogue. ah Yeah, there were times when I had looked around and I was like, oh no, have I just missed out? But I'm accountable for the decisions that I made and I believe they're the right decisions at the time. So it's not so much a grieving, but I'm aware that there were missed opportunities.
00:21:18
loganhoward111
yeah
00:21:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, model yourself.
00:21:20
loganhoward111
um I think for me it's it's the relationships because every time you spend time with people um and then the people like and I struggle with this most of summer because it was hard for me to to invest as much
00:21:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:21:39
loganhoward111
um I feel like I did invest as much as I could have but the same time like I was always struggling with it because I was like These people live three hours away. Why would they like how are we supposed to stay friends after this?
00:21:51
loganhoward111
How is this supposed to work out?
00:21:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
So.
00:21:53
loganhoward111
um I Mean, I don't think that stopped me from anything But I think the people leaving and going off to their next thing and me going off to my next thing and that's always a sad thing um the people and leaving and
00:22:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
00:22:08
loganhoward111
people who you, again, went to war with for the summer and spent a long time and spent every day with, and then you don't see them again. So that's the hard part. At the same time, I know God has them. He's taking care of them. He has what's next for them. and um As I've told a lot of people, it's not really goodbye, it's see you later. Because even if we don't see them, you know, here on God's green earth,
00:22:36
loganhoward111
We're going to see them later, especially if they continue walking and living the way that they are.
00:22:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:22:41
loganhoward111
so yeah but still that That doesn't make it easier leaving people. so
00:22:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:22:48
loganhoward111
um What doable experience which help would have helped your your summer feel more complete?
00:22:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
I finally live my life and get married. he said I think you anticipate that answer with your air quotations. I sound bad, I said.
00:23:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
No, finding a house.
00:23:13
loganhoward111
and
00:23:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
In this economy, is that doable? I don't know. Maybe when the recession really and truly hits and everything tanks. Maybe. I don't know. ah Yeah, yeah like having a house in my own would've been great.
00:23:28
loganhoward111
Yeah, that's fair, that's fair.
00:23:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh my god.
00:23:30
loganhoward111
oh Yeah, um I think for me, ah something that I don't think
00:23:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh my god, it's time.
00:23:40
loganhoward111
I necessarily regret or anything. But I think it would have been ah kind of like you were saying, just taking day trips and going out places.
00:23:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:23:51
loganhoward111
ah Because there's a lot of things that are in the local area of where I was at that I completely didn't take advantage of, even though I kind of wanted to.
00:23:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
Sure.
00:24:00
loganhoward111
um And a lot of that was because just physical exhaustion, mental exhaustion, spiritually exhausted.
00:24:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:24:06
loganhoward111
But those things could have been um like rev revive or restore some of those things if I had tried to take that opportunity. but um So yeah, I think that makes it good because then I can go back to that someday and see it again when I have more of a vacationer attitude instead of ah here to work.
00:24:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
00:24:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
True.
00:24:27
loganhoward111
um But yeah, there's there's a couple of those things that I wish I could have taken advantage of one more time.
00:24:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:24:35
loganhoward111
or done once.
00:24:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
Thank God.
00:24:38
loganhoward111
But how can we intentionally close this
Embracing Change and Spiritual Growth
00:24:42
loganhoward111
summer? What is something one thing we can do that would intentionally close the summer well?
00:24:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
Ooh, so a couple weeks ago, a I decided to rejig how I teach the young adults in my church. So for the last five years, it's basically me pumping like 14 hours plus into like putting together PowerPoint slides and super special awesome thorough and deep presentations and this is the time we are for teaching the Word of God.
00:25:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
a And then maybe two months ago, I kind of felt God say, no, I want you to shift into more like prophetic teaching and prophetic worship on the likes. And I thought, oh, God, why? No, no, I very much like to be in control of how ah they they're running of everything. I know what people need to know. um So then I wrapped up two weeks ago and one of the girls had brought her guitar along and she prepared a few songs.
00:25:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
But next thing, the Olympics opening ceremony had just taken place before.
00:25:52
loganhoward111
ah
00:25:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
Literally, you have the bull bow, who, let's be honest, is Satan. um You had a guy running around in a white suit of armor on a bad horse.
00:26:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
He was obviously conquest, the Antichrist. um And then you had the absolute perversion of those quote-unquote transgender twats making a mockery of the communion of the Lord. And then fast forward a week or two later and you've got these men in rings beating women to a bloody pulp and people acting surprised when they you had literally been told that this was the game. So yeah, just discuss them.
00:26:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
But that day, because that was on a Saturday and then I turned up it on Sunday, and God just told me the Lord will not be mocked. So I turned to my friend named Anya and I said, listen, I know you've come here with some songs prepared, but I want to do something pretty wild for me.
00:26:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm going to give you this one liner. The Lord will not be mocked. Turn it into a song. And she just glared at me like, don't do this to me.
00:27:02
loganhoward111
but but
00:27:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Don't do this. I was like, I'm sorry, we we have to. Oh my goodness, I wish I had recorded what she came out with. It was just the most splendid song ever, spontaneous, just like a heavenly download. And then while she was singing that, God gave me a vision of things to come. Some good, some not so good. And then before, in my mind's eye, all I saw was B flat and B minor.
00:27:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
I did not play a six-string guitar. I got a bass guitar. I don't play a six-string guitar. I didn't even know if they were chords. So after she was finished, I was like, hey, do these exist? And she was like, yeah. And I said, tell me something about them.
00:27:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
And she said, I don't like them. And I said, play them anyway. So she began playing them. And I just read out what God had shown me. And one of the notes was like super turp, being optimistic.
00:27:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
And the other was like really, really low and dramatic.
00:27:58
loganhoward111
Hmm. Hmm.
00:28:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
And it actually resonates with the word God had given me so perfectly. Everyone was like, that was so cinematic. So I think it's B flat is actually in outer space.
00:28:11
loganhoward111
Oh.
00:28:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
You know, the way the word of God says that the post of heaven, the heavenly planets, they all resound of God's glory. The all-inmitted tune, which you cannot hear with the human ear, but I think it's actually B flat. I think that's what everything in creation actually resounds with, which is just amazing. So that's something that ah I definitely want to continue pressing into that, where, yeah, study the Word of God. Know your stuff. Don't be indelicate with it. Don't take it for granted.
00:28:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
um but go in with the flexibility of allowing Holy Spirit to take control, letting Holy Spirit take over. If his eyes just throw you a curve ball, let him.
00:29:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I had an idea of where the teaching was going to go, but in the end it turned into like a a gospel teaching spontaneously. And I was like, where did this come from? But God is so good. So yeah, had I want the summer to end and the fall to begin?
00:29:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
More of that.
00:29:16
loganhoward111
Mm.
00:29:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
But it takes. The onus off me, but puts it all all on God's, which is not something that I, as a control freak, typically like. But, Holy Spirit knows what its kids need to hear. And I just have to listen up to to that. What about you?
00:29:35
loganhoward111
um Yeah, I think for me it's ah intentionally making um restoration a part of my end of summer. um
00:29:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
Nah.
00:29:47
loganhoward111
but Even as I'm planning out what's happening next for school and what I'm going to teach and all that stuff, making sure that I'm refreshing and restoring because I feel like a lot of my summer or a lot of this year has been um taking hits and absorbing them and those those kind of things.
00:30:07
loganhoward111
And so that's not that's not happening anymore. Now it's like I need to refresh and restore and renew um instead of just trying to get by or survive through things like rebuilding those kind of stuff and rebuilding my, um you know, I think it's so easy for us to get lost in, you know, how others make us feel or those kind of things and getting back to continually focusing on God's Word, continually focusing on how to love people.
00:30:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. Yeah.
00:30:36
loganhoward111
ah and those kind of things that in the midst of it we may do it pretty well but we kind of can lose our focus as we go along even as we're doing it. So um just restoring, refreshing, renewing, getting back to um where I want to be in my headspace um instead of tearing people down or or any of those kind of things, letting those things go and getting back to though, you know, let's get back to being hopeful.
00:31:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm. Hmm.
00:31:05
loganhoward111
Let's get back to being encouraging. Let's get back to being uplifting. Let's get back to what's important and stop, you know, letting those things affect where I'm at. So, um, so yeah, so that's, that's kind of where I'm at.
00:31:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
No.
00:31:19
loganhoward111
Um, next question. Uh, uh, what can I, what can I plan to help you feel more excited about fall? What can we plan to be more excited for fall?
00:31:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
Ooh. I am a few weeks back. yeah Maybe two months ago at this stage, actually. um I took my young adults, I think the red only had six or seven of us, it was a small group.
00:31:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
um to what's called Ru's Town House. It's in the county next to me called Meave. It would have been an Anglo-Irish manner, which Irish colonizers, descendants would have been given by the British government in the 1700s, 1759. But a massive manor with a massive garden, its own lake, apparently the second lake, which I didn't get around to seeing, a massive forest, just glorious. I kind of grew up there every summer as a child, a teenager. And then, being an adult, I tried my best to stay as far away from it as possible, but I just felt it's an inclination just to go back there with them. And it was just the most wonderful weekend. It went to the Friday, it came back on a Sunday. And it was a time where
00:32:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
I had a teaching plan on the car on the way up for the Friday night, and God literally told me to teach something different on the car on the way there. And I was like, you couldn't have told me this at home when I was actually, you know, prepping this, really.
00:32:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
a And then the next day, Saturday, I did a teaching workshop.
00:32:57
loganhoward111
Hm.
00:32:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
So I taught them how not to teach the Bible through a very woeful, practical example, how to teach the Bible through a stellar example. how to teach children the Word of God and how to teach something on the spot. Literally, I think they said a word like cake, and I just told a Bible story, but we're based on the word cake. um And then I gave them an hour and a half to work on in small groups, and they had to teach me the Word of God. And by that stage, the two of the pastors arrived and actually saw them in action, which is great.
00:33:32
loganhoward111
Oh.
00:33:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I did a dream interpretation workshop as well, looking at how the biblical basis for it, what things typically mean, typical symbols. um And then I gave them 12 dreams and got them to interpret them ah through the biblical framework and lots and lots of food all weekend long.
00:33:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then that night I had dispersed like a dozen clues all around the building and the forest and the outdoors, the gardens, and then they had to do a midnight ramble went for the forests. They were looking for the clues in the forest and they were convinced that like the Nephilim had returned and were like, you know, they were just like, you know, huddling at each other, seeing amazing grace, terrified out of their minds.
00:34:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
when they came back to the mansion because like they hadn't even found like the prize at the end. Then they came in into the foyer and I had the whole place decorating Christmas lights and two big, like, you know, celebration cakes. And I was like, you know, this is the prize! It's me! And they just loved us. So I think more things like that. Costly, yes. Lots of time. But It's a good opportunity for investing in others.
00:34:49
loganhoward111
yeah
00:34:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
And you see the fruit that same day, because it's not just you teaching, it's also you giving the ability for them to put what their skills, they've learned to good work to teach you.
00:35:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And then you kind of see the evidence of the fruit of your labors. um And plus, it's just good to do something different and get away as well. So I think but more more more of that, yeah.
00:35:14
loganhoward111
Yeah. I think for me, for excitement is, you know, being back home, ah being back around um my support system, being back around this kind of thing, but um I am genuinely really excited about teaching this fall to be able to pour into some kids' lives um and to, you know, get to have fun as you teach again, because I really have missed teaching.
00:35:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:35:44
loganhoward111
I've gotten to Every time I like get that opportunity to like speak or go in front of people, um like I can just feel the passion for it come back. And I'm like, I wish I could do this all the time.
00:35:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
and
00:35:59
loganhoward111
um So ah just getting that opportunity again to speak in front of people and to encourage and teach some kids, ah you know, math, but also get to have some fun with them too. You know, I get to have one I get to have a week's worth of lunch with them during um one week every three weeks.
00:36:23
loganhoward111
So I'm trying to come up with some ideas for like games and fun things we can do while we're having lunch and just get to spend time that way, which will be good.
00:36:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
and Well.
00:36:35
loganhoward111
So ah so yeah, we'll we'll see how how and what happens and you know it's it's not going to be perfect. There'll be imperfect moments. There'll be frustration moments.
00:36:46
loganhoward111
There'll be times when you know things are like ah super stressful, but I'm excited for the season and just being able to
00:36:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:36:55
loganhoward111
go back to poor and the kids like I used to back when in youth group and high school and those kind of things that I was able to um be able to do that again in a different environment i with different kids.
00:37:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
No, no. Yep.
00:37:09
loganhoward111
But that's still like that's still the important thing. So oh so yeah I'll be good.
00:37:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay, good.
00:37:16
loganhoward111
But so that has been our summer in review. It's not everything. There's tons more we could sit for the next three hours talking about. And we kind of did.
00:37:26
loganhoward111
We kind of talked for a couple of hours before this.
00:37:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm not recording. our
00:37:33
loganhoward111
But we want to hear your answers to those questions. So if you'd send us an email for those, um, and and we'd love to hear those things and we'd love to hear how your summer was.
00:37:43
loganhoward111
And, um, we've missed you guys and hopefully we still have an audience. Um, I think we do.
00:37:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hopefully.
00:37:51
loganhoward111
I think we do, but, uh, hopefully we still do. And hopefully you guys haven't been worried about us or anything like that since we have been gone for
00:37:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh, I hope you can wear up even on your hands and knees. Interceding.
00:38:01
loganhoward111
Yes, hopefully. Yeah, because we need the prayer. We do. We're we're helpless creatures sometimes. um But you can always get ahold of us at our email from Dublin to Cleveland at gmail dot.com.
00:38:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah
00:38:14
loganhoward111
You can get ahold of each and one each and every one of us from ah Brendan Thomas Merritt on Instagram. ah logan sorry banana man seventeen i say that on the on Instagram and we're on Facebook as well. You can look up our names, whatever says friend request. We'd love to meet new people. Unless you're a robot. Yeah, we don't, we don't friend robots, but that's okay.
00:38:40
loganhoward111
um
00:38:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
mr No two in my time by mistake?
00:38:43
loganhoward111
Yeah, yeah, same. Anyway, we are going to be getting to our Bible passage, so it's going to be Ecclesiastes 10.1.
Avoiding Sin and Spiritual Vigilance
00:38:52
loganhoward111
Brandon, would you take it away from here and just give us some thoughts on what what you're seeing from this verse?
00:38:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
Join us. As dead flies give perfume a bad smell. So a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. and and All right, this reminds me a lot of his Proverbs 24 where it says, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, a little apathy, a little disregard, a little bad attitude, a little pornography, a little cussing, a little bit of dating someone you know you shouldn't be
00:39:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
And poverty will come on you like a thief. And scarcity, like an armed man. And so often, we minimize the sin in our lives. And look, yes, in our spirits, we are sinless. Christ died. His Holy Spirit lives within us. We're a new creation. yeah Yada, yada, yada. I get all that. I do. But you can still wound your soul. You can still damage your heart. Have you ever heard of a Christian with a heartache? Hello.
00:40:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
A Christian who had psychological problems and ended up institutionalized? It happens. A Christian who had a compromised will or really bad decision making? That's not the soul. So you can still be a Christian and have a wounded soul. And the enemy absolutely takes advantage of it. The perfume is your soul.
00:40:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
because you should be emitting a fragrant aroma onto your God and the things that you say and how you show love and the emotions that you show and how you show them how you show care, or how you show concern, how you mourn with those who mourn, rejoice with those who rejoice. But if you allow a dead flying there, you know what?
00:40:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
You might tell yourself, it's only small. It's only me. Sure, I'm still a Christian. Sure, I'm still a good person. While at least I don't get my bins collected, even though I haven't paid the bin man. Like the neighbors next door. Are we following the all kinds of comparison? But the reality is, you can deceive yourself, and you can. Because the harsh is deceptive above all things, because the harsh is the most deceived thing above all things.
00:41:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
But you cannot perceive the enemy. Deep cries out to deep. And, you know, Jesus said at the Last Supper that the aive Prince of this world, the devil was coming, but had no power over him because he had nothing in him, nothing in common with him. Jesus' soul had nothing in common with the darkness. So what does that mean? Commonality is vulnerability. And what you have in common with the darkness makes you vulnerable to darkness.
00:41:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
And there are a few things that are ceaseless and bottomless, and sin is one of them. It is not your friend. It wants you turning and burning.
00:42:08
loganhoward111
yep.
00:42:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
It wants you to give it a foothold so that it can make a stronghold. And once that stronghold has been established, it is very, very hard to get freed from.
00:42:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
But Jesus is not dying to make you free. He dies, he would be free and free indeed. And that involved moment by moment, not just day by day, but second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour decision making, to have nothing in common with the darkness.
00:42:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
Not to give it a foothold, not to play with it, because it's not playing with you.
00:42:45
loganhoward111
Hmm.
00:42:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
It might look like it's playing with you, but it intends to steal, kill, and destroy.
00:42:48
loganhoward111
All
00:42:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
And to steal...
00:42:52
loganhoward111
right.
00:42:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
timelines to steal destinies to kill you in totality and to destroy not just you but everyone connected to you and all the destinies that are relying on you getting your act together think of about logan shared about the 50 odd people who gave their lives to jesus or would dedicate their lives to jesus who over the last few months just hung themselves on the cross of jesus and said i will not let go this is This is how I cross over from death to life, receive the forgiveness of sin with child of God. Imagine Logan had had a compromise witness. Imagine they looked at him and they didn't see wisdom and honor, they just saw the flies. You know what? Bat 53 would have begun reducing very, very quickly. And sometimes people say,
00:43:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Well, you know, if I just look like a Holy Joe, I don't seem relatable. Light and darkness have nothing in common. You do not want to be seen as relatable with the darkness.
00:43:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
The Word of God says for you to return to your sin is as a dog returned to its vomit. Why would you do that? It would be like you going all kissy-kissy with a rat.
00:44:14
loganhoward111
Yeah.
00:44:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
Why? Why? Makes no sense. It's not part of you.
00:44:20
loganhoward111
Amen.
00:44:21
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's not part of your spirit. It doesn't have to be part of your soul. You can't overcome it. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. You got myself all psyched up there.
00:44:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm really sweating. I feel like I've just run out of time.
00:44:38
loganhoward111
okay
00:44:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
and I really hate sin. Go for it, Roski. When you read Ecclesiastes 1 and 10, and by one ten i mean ten one let's cut
00:44:49
loganhoward111
Yeah, so there's so many verses like you were talking about that just bring that up like you even talk about Jesus and he talks about how you know a little leaven leavens the whole lump like a little bit can just ruin it especially if the people see the little thing.
00:44:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
so
00:45:05
loganhoward111
um You know I think there's a lot of us that we always struggle with with sin we always struggle with maybe attitudes or or there's always these little things that that we
00:45:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
By one ten, I mean ten one.
00:45:16
loganhoward111
that we might struggle with. um And I think this this specific verse kind of points out why it's so hard for those of us who are like our relatives or people who um are really close to us, for us to like share the gospel with them.
00:45:33
loganhoward111
um especially if you know let's say they've they've heard all of it before and you know we've we've lived with them or whatever. This is not a situation where you just accept Christ.
00:45:43
loganhoward111
like that They see the the difference there. But ah people who have you know grown up with or you've seen around or you've lived with for really long periods of time, they know you and they've seen you at your best, they've seen you at your worst.
00:45:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:45:57
loganhoward111
And so when they've seen you at your worst, a lot of times they're like, well, That doesn't seem like Christ did much for them, so why do I need to listen to them? um And that's why where people who are around them, if they were to accept Christ and they were to see their life change, they'd go, hmm, this Christ thing is maybe more than I thought it was.
00:46:16
loganhoward111
um But I think so often they see the little flaws in us as humans because they get so close to us. um Especially, again, like those who have who know everything about the Bible.
00:46:28
loganhoward111
They've been taught the Bible since they were little.
00:46:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow.
00:46:30
loganhoward111
But if they ever saw Christ make a difference, or they didn't feel like they saw Christ make a difference, or they just saw how sinful we were, then they missed it. They missed Christ in there and then it's then it's so hard to try and get them back because you try and it's not going to work. um So yeah, i think I think that happens a lot but I think one of the strangely cool things with the way our culture is going, and I got to see that this summer, is
00:47:01
loganhoward111
Kids these days, they have no idea who Jesus is. They have absolutely no idea. They don't know who he is. They don't know anything. And sure, they might see us as imperfect people, but we have something that's different than they do. We have something inside. um Because again, we're we're not bringing them to us. We're not trying to save people so that they worship Logan or they worship Brendan. We're here to worship God.
00:47:26
loganhoward111
And we can show God by how we act and how we carry ourselves. And so that's why this is this is important. And so that's something you always have to think about. Because sometimes you know I think if you if you listen to us or you list other people, they're very good at taking verses. And you know this is not something we try to do. We try to put things in context. But there are a lot of people who try to pull things out of context. So if you just read this verse, you'd be like, man, I have to be perfect. I can't let any i can't make any mistakes or make any foolish decisions.
00:47:55
loganhoward111
Unfortunately, we still do. like We're imperfect. We talk about that if you put it in the Bible. We are sinful people. However, we are sinful people, but you know God has given us an opportunity to live differently. He's died on a cross for us. And so the reason we get rid of some of these things that get in our way, especially the ones we notice and God brings to our attention, the reason we get rid of those things is so that we can glorify Him more.
00:48:21
loganhoward111
God gets the glory when we get rid of our sin. We don't get the glory for that. If we're trying to get the glory for that, then we're probably going to fail and go right back to that sin real quick. um Because we're trying to be like, oh, look at me. Look what I did. I got rid of that sin all on my own. No.
00:48:39
loganhoward111
um so One of the, like I said, folly or mistakes or decision making that we've made in the past, those things those things need to be gone. We got to give them up because we've done them before. Now they're done. Now we forgive ourselves, we forgive others, and we ask for forgiveness, and then we're done. We move on from them. We don't keep staying there.
00:49:02
loganhoward111
um As somebody who struggled with sin, who struggled with continuing in sin, I understand how easy it is to keep going back to that, to keep thinking that your joy or your passion or your love or whatever it is, you're going to get it from there, always leaves you empty. It always does. No matter how many times I try to tell myself that, it still does. It still leaves you empty when you go back to it. um because the thing you're looking for is God.
00:49:25
loganhoward111
So look for Him.
00:49:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
man And fine.
00:49:27
loganhoward111
Find Him. um He is where you find your wisdom. He's where you get your honor. ah There's been so many men, so many people who have fallen because of their little folly that they didn't take care of, that they they let go for too long.
00:49:42
loganhoward111
that they continued in and they wallowed in. So many people who just get taken out, they lose their standing as people, they lose their standing or their respect, they lose their positions, they get fired, they lose their jobs, they lose things because they let that little folly get too close and they carry it for too long. So start be thinking about those things in your life that need to go, hey, bye, we don't need you anymore. You're not helpful. You're not a glorifying God.
00:50:10
loganhoward111
um You know, using that verse that talks about, think about things that are pure, good, lovely, of good report. um You know, those kind of things that if we actually sat down and did a ah deep investigation of everything we watch, everything we do, everything we think about, we would find a lot of things that need to go. But find the things that are that are the big ones. Start taking care of the big ones and then we'll slowly get rid of stuff.
00:50:38
loganhoward111
um It's kind of like tilling or taking care of as a farmer the ground. If you're trying to plant things, you're not just going to throw in a bunch of seed in a bunch of rocky ground. You got to pull the rocks out. So start pulling the rocks out of your life, the big rocks, the ones that are like, oh, this is not good. This is a really big rock. like No plants are going to grow because of this big rock that's in the way. Take care of those big rocks.
00:51:02
loganhoward111
And then as you go along and you start to clear your field, you're going to see the fruit. You're going to see the plants start to grow. And then you're also going to find a little bit more rocks. You're going to find some rocks that maybe aren't as big, but they're theyre kind of big and they need to go.
00:51:15
loganhoward111
And so then you start working on your way. It's um progressive sanctification, progressively growing and sanctifying yourself of being more like Christ.
00:51:22
BrendanThomasMarrett
Good.
00:51:26
loganhoward111
um I talk about this. I've talked about this probably 80 to 90 times on this podcast by now. I always want to be a better version of myself every year that goes by. we are We're coming up on the end of year three on this podcast. We're going to start year four at the end of this month. Crazy to think about. But the person you're listening to now, who you're hearing speak, should not be the exact same person who was speaking on the first episode. I should have grown in that time, especially if I'm following Christ.
00:52:01
loganhoward111
I like to think I have. Maybe I need to go back and listen to those episodes to make sure. Maybe he was wise. I don't know. Sometimes going back, I'm like, whoa, look at all these thoughts that I had back then. oh Yeah.
00:52:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
What lover were you We watched the first video back when it was just the old you, we didn't have we had to get the camera working.
00:52:20
loganhoward111
Yeah. um So, you know, that continuous improvement idea, of continually growing more like Christ. You're not going to be perfect. You're not going to fix everything. Don't think you can. You'll stress yourself out. Start working. Find one thing today that you can be like, yep, that's got to go. And then focus on that thing. Focus hard on that thing. And the more you focus on it and start to get rid of it, you're going to see the change. And then in a couple of years, you'll be like, oh, yeah, I forgot I struggled with that. Oh, yeah, I forgot that was a problem.
00:52:50
loganhoward111
um because you you meticulously worked at getting rid of it for a while and it goes. Because you with every habit you have to take time to get rid of, especially the bad ones. And you got to replace it with good habits. So start doing that now. But I think I've talked ah i think i've talked long enough now.
Podcast Anniversary and Reflections
00:53:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's all good, it's all worth hearing.
00:53:13
loganhoward111
Well, anyway, as we said, we are coming up on our four-year anniversary here shortly, so it makes us feel old. um To think that we I started this when I was 24 years old.
00:53:24
loganhoward111
I don't even remember what I thought about when I was 24 years old.
00:53:29
loganhoward111
Crazy scenes. crazy
00:53:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, twenty-six and I don't know what I was... I was going to hear my mind either. I probably thought that I had arrived and I was like the bees' needs of Christianity. But, uh, you know, I'm sure that we've both grown so much actually in that time and our stories with us that, uh, I know those days are probably actually like, like dust compared to who we are now.
00:53:46
loganhoward111
Yeah.
00:53:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
Just going from grace to grace, strength to strength and glory to glory, Amen.
00:54:00
loganhoward111
Amen indeed, amen indeed. Well, thank you all for listening. It's been hopefully a good hour of catching up with us. um But leave us a message, send us a comment, whatever.
00:54:11
loganhoward111
um And of course, leave us a like on our episodes and listen to it. And we'd love to hear from you guys. um You will hear from us soon. We'll probably have new shirts to celebrate the fourth year anniversary, all that fun stuff.
00:54:24
loganhoward111
So we'll be working on that too. But thank you all for listening. We'll see you all next time. Bye, friends.
00:54:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
God bless, friends, on the best day.