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The Peek Behind the Curtain
31 Plays5 months ago
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Transcript
Introduction and Contextual Setup
00:00:01
Logan Howard
Hello and welcome to From Dublin to Cleveland. I am Logan Howard. I am joined by the one and only Brendan Thomas Merritt. How's it going, Brendan? How are you doing?
00:00:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm great, it's always great. It is Friday and it's payday. It is Fri-yay. And it's election day in Ireland, so it's it's all happening.
Brendan's Political Involvement and Hopes
00:00:22
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's all going down.
00:00:23
Logan Howard
It is, it is. So, you've been working with this election stuff, so how is that, how is that going? What's been going on?
00:00:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's been a and pretty pretty nuts sweat a few weeks, actually, yeah. um So my brother left for Lebanon using the Irish Defence Forces and he left on Sunday for Camp Shamrock, which Hezbollah had dropped bombs on only a few weeks prior. So he has no Wi-Fi, he's very frustrated.
00:00:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
But God is so good, but a ceasefire has been declared. um So ah that timing is not a coincidence, definitely not. And while he's keeping people safe on the battle lines. I'm running the ship back here at home. So we've got um a few pro-life parties which have all sprung up in the last half a decade after all the other pro-life parties turned pro-abortion.
00:01:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
but What will I stand by your manifesto and voter commitments when you can just murder people?
00:01:28
Logan Howard
So I do that. Yeah.
00:01:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, mom so, uh, the one that I'm representing is a candidate called Michael O'Dowd of the party AIN2, which is unity or agreement.
00:01:36
Logan Howard
got
00:01:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
So, a pro-life party, uh, we want to see rising crime rates, diced to pieces. um Similar to yourselves, um we have an open border situation going on here with illegal migrants. In fact, our current politicians basically look at what your Democrats do and say, let's do the same thing!
00:02:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
And conveniently, you know, you've got Kamala Harris on your side, and we have Simon Harris. Are they related? It would not surprise me. But I just said, listen, you guys tore yours to shreds a few weeks ago. Let's do the same here.
00:02:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
I actually call our guy Dr. Abortion, I don't even call him the T-Shock or Prime Minister of Ireland because he's kind of the one who got the ball rolling all this wickedness and depravity. um So yeah, we've been hitting doors and people are just itching for change, looking for a drastic change in the trajectory that the nation's been going in.
00:02:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
And the thing with Ireland being such a small country is that every single problem we have is fixable. And that's the most frustrating part.
00:03:01
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:03:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
By looking at a minority of elites, similar to yourselves, and anti-patriotic nation-hating politicians deliberately trying to run the country into the ground.
00:03:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
um So, yeah. Praise God. I hope to have a very happy report next time we speak. I'll be at the ballot counting office early tomorrow morning.
00:03:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
I know for you guys, the counting starts on the same night for us it starts the next morning.
00:03:40
Logan Howard
Mmm.
00:03:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
So yeah, it could be yeah several hours on my feet. But here's hoping my smile will just get wider and wider and wider as I see people rise up and take the power back off these vermin. So here's hoping.
Podcast Format and Personal Updates
00:03:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm cautiously optimistic. God is absolutely good, but we do need to see on all levels. You know, um it just a church getting its act together, it helps. It's important, but it's not enough.
00:04:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
because demonic principalities look for human political personalities through whom to do their will. So we need to have righteousness on all levels.
00:04:24
Logan Howard
Very good. Very good. So this, i I guess I should have said it as way of introduction. This is not a normal podcast in that um this is more like episode 100, where we kind of just did it freewheeling and it wasn't really so totally hugely planned.
00:04:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:04:43
Logan Howard
um And you know, that's part of that is a gift to you guys for putting up with us and not hearing for us for feels like a month. I think it's over a month. I don't think we posted anything in November yet.
00:04:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's been a bad idea, embarrassingly.
00:04:55
Logan Howard
um
00:04:56
Logan Howard
It has been a busy time for both of us. So we're going to talk about some of those kind of things. We might get into some political stuff. um So yay, get excited. um And you just get to hear more about what's going on in our lives because it has been busy and sicknesses. that's You can probably still hear it in my voice. um but I think I've been sick like twice already this
Reflections on U.S. Election and Global Views
00:05:19
Logan Howard
month. So it's been a wild time. um But we'll be going over that kind of stuff and kind of our plans and what maybe our future will look like. And I also have to be careful because now I have students who listen to me so I can't just, you know, rag on those kids all the whole time.
00:05:39
Logan Howard
suspicious
00:05:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
Three hands, instead of like, you know, Sonny, say Johnny, or instead of Jack, his name is Zach.
00:05:48
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:05:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
Or instead of Sarah, it's Sarah Woods.
00:05:51
Logan Howard
That's too close. They're all going to know, as soon as I start to say, oh, this happened, they're all going to be like, oh, I'll know which kid that was.
00:05:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
You just send me a text in advance and I'll share the anecdotes as though they're my students. They'll never know, they'll just be like, oh, you only struggle with what's coming to our people.
00:06:09
Logan Howard
that seat But we're going to have to come up with something else that we don't say on here, because again, they've already figured it out now.
00:06:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
we
00:06:16
Logan Howard
These kids are bright. um So let's see. So for me, it's been, yeah, it's been a wild month. I mean, beginning of the month, you had our United States election going on and that was
00:06:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
USA, USA, USA.
00:06:32
Logan Howard
That was i was wild. um I think I did not believe it was real for like three or four days. um Not because I'm like a negative human being or anything, but just like, I was like, there's no way this actually, like when's the other shoe going to drop? Like when is someone going to just like come out of the woods and be like, Oh, no reverse. Nope. That was all fake. Um,
00:06:59
Logan Howard
Not that there wasn't a lack of trying, because boy, did they try to not make that happen.
00:07:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow.
00:07:03
Logan Howard
but
00:07:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then to try to start World War III, just like last week.
00:07:08
Logan Howard
yeah Yeah, I mean, they still got time. It's not like Trump gets into office till January, but um but yeah that that has been really kind of an exciting thing um you know to see that the American people actually
00:07:26
Logan Howard
were done with what was going on. um The economy was was terrible. The prices for stuff has been going through the roof. And really, we were signing up for another four years of doing that. um Not to mention all of the sins and terribleness that was being approved by this administration. um And the fact that that really, they don't they're not making
Brendan's Ministry Journey and Open House Mission
00:07:54
Logan Howard
America They're not putting America first. they are They're putting whatever their agendas and desires were before serving our country. And you know they're still doing that. They're off you know vacationing and not actually doing their job um as things are coming to the end. And so um so yeah, it's been a really awesome time that you know God's got his hand on the future for America. And this seems to be kind of a
00:08:21
Logan Howard
like no one expected this to happen. If you listen to any of the commentators, they're like, ah, there's no way he's going to win. Everybody, we've all, we've made him out to be a racist and ah homophobic and all this stuff. And um I'm impressed that he went and he He didn't go to the CNNs, the Foxes, the big political media stuff.
00:08:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:08:44
Logan Howard
He went to podcasts like Joe Rogan and all these different stuff.
00:08:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:08:49
Logan Howard
And I think that changed the game because people listen to those. They don't really listen to the political spheres anymore.
00:08:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm. That's incredibly transformative. And for those of you who are doubting Logan's belief in the, uh, allowance, that, uh, the Democrats would just keel over and not try being like, the Russians! Again, I literally sent him this text that night. Big night for you guys! Exclamation point. His response. Um, seven minutes later, and that's all I heard from him for two weeks. Indeed.
00:09:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
Just last one word.
00:09:35
Logan Howard
and
00:09:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow.
00:09:38
Logan Howard
well It was a big night. It was a big night. So as the person from not America, what was the like ramifications or the excitement that you heard when Trump won?
00:09:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
wow Well, firstly, congratulations, Trump on winning three times.
00:10:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then what are you implying? Where the 20 million voters go? Just, just, just throwing it out there. ah so Just saying. I was there for four years, just throwing it out there. Um, yeah, so I had absolutely no doubt in him whatsoever. Um, but like yourself, hu my reservations were okay.
00:10:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
what would the Democrats do? Although I did notice a week before, maybe two weeks before the election, the expression too big to rig was everywhere you looked.
00:10:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
In fact, I think probably saw that more than I saw Omega, which I thought was interesting. I said, yeah, 2020, they definitely had stealth on their side, pandemic.
00:10:51
Logan Howard
Oh, dear.
00:10:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
um whereas this time there was absolutely no denying the incredible support that he had on all levels across all demographics bar what the jewish women i'm in black women or something i think they're the only two two of the only demographics he lost if i'm not mistaken um so i would say um i had just complete confidence he'd win and i was doubting
00:11:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
that the Dems would try something, but I did anticipate that they would try to do something soon afterwards to make it very difficult for him when he enters in January and then just blame him for everything, which I think is then when you see the British as well, um and um American missiles from Ukraine shooting into Russia. So I think you're absolutely itching for World War III. I've been convinced of that for a long time. I know the European Union is as well.
00:11:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
on I think that
Personal Reflections and Experiences
00:12:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
they've ever gotten over the fact the Roman Empire collapsed and they want to rebuild it in our time.
00:12:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
um So yeah, I think we're still living in in days when the potential for things to go downhill and catastrophically is very much there. A lot of world leaders are pushing for it avidly. But I do think it injected you have hope and celebration in your country, but all across the world. I don't think Americans, I know sometimes Americans be self-obsessed. Your country's so big, they think it's a big country on earth earth, but I don't think your country actually realizes just how loved and prayed for Trump is locally. Yes, communism has impacted and infected and infested intentionally and subtly
00:12:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
every institution in the Western world. Um, but on a local level, actually, um, when you're talking to people across the dinner table or over a cup of coffee, um, he is incredibly loved and especially in Christian circles, very much prayed for. So, uh, yeah, I think it put a, a skip in people's stuff actually. I do. Yeah.
00:13:20
Logan Howard
Yeah, i I agree with that. um I think the amount of, I don't want to say reforms, but like decisions and people he is bringing in are going to change a lot of the way that America has been going.
00:13:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yes.
00:13:35
Logan Howard
um And like like, it's not just going to be ah like just these next four years. Like this is a futurist thing.
00:13:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
It is.
00:13:44
Logan Howard
um I think the trying to do the sustainable energy, I think everyone has seen that that kind of just fails in terms of trying to get this.
00:13:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
No. The green agenda is a scam?
00:13:53
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:13:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
It isn't so.
00:13:55
Logan Howard
and And now that Trump's in power, he's able to undo some of those
00:14:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm-hmm.
00:14:01
Logan Howard
things that were going to happen in terms of, well, now you have to have electric cars and you never get to leave the house because you can't charge your car because you don't have enough power because they shut down all the nuclear you know electricity plants. um I think getting the pipeline back up and going and getting us back into actually making natural gas in the States because we have it, we can make it.
00:14:25
Logan Howard
we just choose to buy it from the arabs to make them feel better about themselves or something i don't know um but we can make it in america so why do things outside
Explorations in Spiritual and Educational Themes
00:14:34
Logan Howard
of america making.
00:14:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
Great. so
00:14:36
Logan Howard
Fixing and making all these new industries back to america instead of having them in china where we have to owe them money. um putting Elon Musk and those guys in charge of fixing our economy so we're not spending money on sending transgender people to and Zimbabwe to for millions of dollars.
00:14:56
Logan Howard
like let's Let's get our act together so that we're not wasting money in America.
00:14:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:15:04
Logan Howard
Um, fixing, fixing kind of our debt, getting that back to a relatively good place. Um, the health parts where like you guys in Europe, uh, don't allow like blue, blue five and red 60, like the dyes that get put into our food are illegal in Europe.
00:15:23
Logan Howard
But in America we go, ah, it's fine. And that's why we have these health crises where people are dying from cancer and obesity and all this jazz and
00:15:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
I didn't know that, but it sounded like you complimented us, so I'll take it.
00:15:36
Logan Howard
Yeah, yeah. It was a compliment. It was a compliment.
00:15:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah Okay,
00:15:40
Logan Howard
you know we we There's a reason why you guys don't know what Lucky Charms are. ah We do because we let the the garbage in our house.
00:15:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
Here's the gas. Well, firstly, I know that's an Irish themed cereal, so watch your mouth.
00:15:52
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:15:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
And secondly, I was in like a two Euro shop recently, and I actually saw a box. I just said, oh my gosh, I'm gonna go back there someday. I'm gonna buy a box. and related to having an episode of me eating the whole thing.
00:16:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
but
00:16:08
Logan Howard
but yeah
00:16:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
I think I was too stunned when I saw it.
00:16:09
Logan Howard
but
00:16:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
I didn't even think of picking it up and putting it in the trolley. Or as you say, jumping cars.
00:16:15
Logan Howard
yeah
00:16:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's a trolley.
00:16:17
Logan Howard
Yeah. So how has the, um how has your, because I remember last time we were talking, I don't know if we did on the podcast, but I think it was when we were talking about your ministry that you went to Australia and you went to, um ah where was the, you went, was it Norway or was it Sweden?
00:16:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
It was neither. Holland.
00:16:43
Logan Howard
was What was it? Finland.
00:16:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
no I literally just said Holland.
00:16:49
Logan Howard
Holland, okay. All right.
00:16:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
The Finns would add a bit more hull, you know?
00:16:53
Logan Howard
little hall yeah okay so So how has that whole ministry been going?
00:16:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah um Every second country in Europe ends in land. Ireland, England's got land, Finland, Holland. and
00:17:04
Logan Howard
like Is that still something that you're a part of? Are you still supporting it? What's what's been going on with that?
00:17:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
That is a very timely question. Okay, so yeah, so as part of a group called the Supernatural Life, TSNL, um some Americans might have their their own opinions on it, I'll be honest. I didn't even realize that some Americans had certain associations with the ministry because I don't pay attention.
00:17:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
I live in Europe.
00:17:34
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:17:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
But yeah, so with that, I've done ministry in Ireland, in England, in Australia, which is when I ended up getting stitches, andm losing like a liter of blood.
00:17:47
Logan Howard
but
00:17:49
Logan Howard
yeah
00:17:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And then I had signed up to do in Holland as well. But just before going to Australia, I noticed it was becoming very corporate America. Um, no offense, no company.
00:18:02
Logan Howard
so
00:18:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah But when you join them in, people have different reasons for joining ministries. Some people are like, they think I'm the visionary and they think, Oh wow, I want to support what he's doing. Um, for me, it was, I want to see my nation alive and just thriving for Jesus.
00:18:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
The last time the earth was in the crisis of the age during Throne Empire, through St. Patrick's ministry and his disciples, Ireland was the nation that evangelized the earth and kept the gospel
Future Podcast Plans and Creative Ideas
00:18:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
of Jesus Christ alive.
00:18:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
So now that we're in the 11th hour when it is almost too late to scale things back, um we're in the crisis of the age again. So again, I think Ireland absolutely has a mandate on it to evangelise the nations once more, starting here and then branching out.
00:19:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, so from my my main incentive for joining it was they were using the word revival, which is a word I know was big on God's heart. And other people I looked to had tagged out. They were too busy lying on the rapture rug, just waiting for an antichrist regime to arise. Um, thinking, oh, you know, there's no point in replacing because it's already so bad and Jesus said we'd get worse in the end time. Not good enough. Not good enough. If the people of God get the rack together,
00:19:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
We can always push back disasters. Think of Hezekiah was given a death sentence by Isaiah the prophet.
00:19:39
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:19:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
He got an extra 15 years. um So I believe that's a big word for us today. How yes, things look very, very bad. They look like time's almost up.
00:19:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
But God just wants to resuscitate all the nations. um But what I found before I went to Australia was the whole kind of corporate overstep or overreach, and from the top 10, especially no offense, but coming from TSNL America, i um where again, like I said earlier, jokingly, but but it is true, um your country is so big that I don't think all of your citizenry, and I'm talking about Christians here, not your people in general,
00:20:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
actually realize that other continents exist, to has countries and as a yes, Europe, we say, has shared values, but every country is uniquely different as well.
00:20:36
Logan Howard
Yeah. but
00:20:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
are sandwiched together and you're only ever 60 minutes away, if even, from another nation, but they're all uniquely different. We all have our own flavor, our own flair, we all show the multifaceted, multicolored wisdom of God differently, and I did not see that that was being appreciated any longer.
00:21:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
Uh, it felt very much like, uh, um, everything must be done this way and no more of this, no more of that. We need to have this, we need to have that. And I said, now you tried doing that in my country, one night of revival, no one's going to come to the second and they'll just have like wasted money. Um, and you're not going to get new people involved. This is not something that unbelievers would respond to.
00:21:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
is something that believers would be hesitant to get involved in. So there was just no cultural sensitivity to the fact that there are legitimate differences that do have to be acknowledged ah and appreciated in their own respect. So after Australia, maybe a week, week and a half later,
00:22:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah God gave me a dream and in that dream I saw the ministry as a train and God just said, get off the train. Now in the dream the train was moving and I said, no, get off the train. So I said, okay. So I left straight away and God has spoken similarly to a lot of people actually in Europe, even some in Australia, but I can only really speak for Europe.
00:22:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
was left and you know for a week or two I mourned it because it had been a big part of my life. I'd taken a lot of time on my weddings days, Saturdays, time throughout the week.
00:22:45
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:22:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And I thought, well, what am i am I supposed to do now? God, with all this free time I have, you know we sit around looking for lots of free time, we get it, and we're like, I don't know what to do.
00:23:02
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:23:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
I think everyone was kind of in in the same boat. a So then I went to um ah sit into the Lord just to seek his face and similarly other people had as well and then he just said okay I want a group of you to come together and set up a new ministry called Open House Ministries.
00:23:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
a And we hadn't been planning this scheme and plotting. It just happened very naturally and organically. I think it took all of us by surprise because we we felt there was a lack, but I think we appreciated having a siesta. And God said, no, there's still momentum.
Political Impact Discussion and Hope for Change
00:23:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
Keep it moving.
00:23:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
um So what we do now is on Mondays we'll teach on something, um which is perhaps meatier than you might get at your typical Sunday service.
00:23:55
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:23:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
So for example, I just left there one day just gone. Then Tuesdays, a we do all all this through Zoom, because we're all in different countries. um Then Tuesday would be our normal meeting, where we'd have a time of testimony, prayer, worship, a teach and discussion. Then Wednesdays, I do discipleship, where I'll cover, currently I've got like 20 topics.
00:24:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'll pick a certain theme which is good to know if you're a believer.
00:24:30
Logan Howard
Hello.
00:24:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah come Basic things, but not looking at them basically. Treating them with with the depth that they deserve and the meat. um So yeah, why evil exists, how it's created.
00:24:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
um looking at your identity in Christ. a Looking at different gifts of Holy Spirit and eventually working my way up to future things like the rapture or what our lives in heaven will look like. What does heaven look like? What's the difference between an angel, a seraph, a cherub, what's an elder? Who are they?
00:25:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
um what do people eat, what do they do for all eternity, looking at judgment day, the remade, reality. um Thursday in mornings we do prayer and I wouldn't be surprised if we start adding in even more things and there is a deliverance aspect as well for those who want it. We've got a few who are trained up in spiritual warfare so we create a space for that too. And then the ultimate aim is ah Sometimes with events, Christianity, it kind of flops, because you put all your time and effort into a f**k. People go, and like, Holy Spirit moved! Well!
00:25:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then they're lying on their faces again on the floor with the very same issues times 10, six months later. um So rather than being an events-led ministry, we want to be an equipping ministry. So if different churches um have certain questions about a certain topic or theme or expression of Holy Spirit's power,
00:26:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
We can go there, train up leadership, give a demonstration, with the leader's approval, with them in the room. We book her off, and go back to her home countries, and we invite them to keep it going in their local church.
00:26:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
Where we're not overstepping, we're not creating competition, but we're there as a resource to assist.
00:26:33
Logan Howard
Hmm. Hmm.
00:26:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
Because they are shepherds. They have got a crook and a staff in their hands to protect their own
Scriptural Reflections and Encouragements
00:26:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
sheep. all they need to know is how to use them and then we release them to look after their own flock rather than kind of going into event and ministry and then just poaching people.
00:26:53
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:26:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
We also want to have a property at some point too where if someone is in the case of serious deep rooted sanctification where God's going really deep into really dark things We don't just have to abandon people and talk on the phone, but a place where they can go find some calmness, meditate, get rehabilitated, grow and in a safe place away from distraction, and just focus on Holy Spirit and let him heal them. um And even do a...
00:27:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
courses on, like, you know, how to grow food, how to make clothes, have a space where someone was made homeless overnight. We could accommodate them before that day was over and the new day had begun. So like it's so all going. It's all kicking off.
00:27:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, so we won't despise the days of small beginnings, but that's open house ministries. So it's got more of a European flair, but it's not limited to that. We do have some Americans on it too. I believe it's going to touch Australia, Asia, Africa, and the others, South America in days ahead. But at the moment, it's primarily Europeans who are kick-starting it.
00:28:08
Logan Howard
Very cool. I'm excited to hear how that continues to grow because I think that is the way that ministries needs to go. is helping pastors, helping local churches on the local ministry front, and not so much in a way that, oh, we're going to now start sucking up or making our own churches or any of those kinds of things, but taking what's already there, taking the the structure that's there and breathing life into it.
00:28:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
ye
00:28:37
Logan Howard
And that is, that's exciting thing. I'm i'm excited that you're involved in that and to see how God or uses you and uses other people for that, because I think it's going to be really good.
00:28:47
Logan Howard
I'm excited about that.
00:28:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
We have room for another American if you want to join. But actually your question was, what about Holland? So that's like a really, really long introduction to saying God had already told me to leave TSNL before the Holland rally began.
00:29:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
So then I had a conundrum and I said, God, what the heck do I do now?
00:29:03
Logan Howard
you
00:29:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was like, well, I just go as like a volunteer. Sorry, no, they wouldn't let me volunteer. I was like, well, I go as a guest.
00:29:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I was just going to sit back and let Holy Spirit touch me for a change. And I said, ugh, no. And I thought, well, I just go once because I had paid for the accommodation and everything.
00:29:28
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:29:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
Should I go and, I don't know, like, kook and clean for all the other Irish volunteers? I'll be like, the male Snow White there in the background. Like, the dwarf as per the Rachel Zegler version where, you know, she stays in your house but you have to accommodate her and clean the kook for her. um And I was like, you know, there was no sleeping brush and having breakfast ready before they all wake up and dinner on the table when they all get back from having drivenate demons. And I just said,
00:29:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm going to go to Amsterdam, someone else can have my room. And I just had seven days of touring and exploring. I was in Amsterdam, I was in Volendam, I was in places I can't pronounce, I went to Belgium, and it was just wonderful, just what I needed.
00:30:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I'm mostly technologically and technology-free week for the most part.
00:30:21
Logan Howard
Well, that is good.
00:30:22
BrendanThomasMarrett
I took lots and lots of photographs, which you will soon be able to see on Instagram.
00:30:23
Logan Howard
yeah
00:30:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
Probably starting Sunday, once the election madness is over. um And I stopped propagandizing my Instagram page for a little while.
00:30:35
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:30:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
But, finding out all the finna gale, finna volsh, and fin scum. which makes no sense to anyone who's not Irish, but that's okay. um But yeah, other than taking photographs, i it was just largely technology free. It was just wonderful.
00:30:54
Logan Howard
Very cool. Very cool. i' Glad that you got that opportunity to get the rest of it. A lot of people don't take anymore.
00:31:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:31:04
Logan Howard
so
00:31:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
and
00:31:05
Logan Howard
We live in a, ah no I don't know, I think I like to define it as a hustle culture. Like it's all about hustling. If you just hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle, which, you know, to define that word is like the idea of just you're always moving constantly, like pushing, like pushing yourself physically.
00:31:24
Logan Howard
And even in a Christianity, we can get into this idea that we need to just, you know, if we just work harder, if we just put more into it,
00:31:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:31:33
Logan Howard
And i I don't think that that's really how God designed life to be. He designed it with rest in mind. And um if we don't take that Sabbath rest or take the time to rest from the chaos, I think um you're so easily you're you're easily manipulated by the devil into thinking that, um you know,
00:31:56
Logan Howard
into thinking a lot of things that you shouldn't think of. and it we all We're always in a battle and to not take a break or rest from the battle in terms of a healthy way means we'll do it in an unhealthy way.
00:31:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm-hmm.
00:32:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's it. After you've already been burnt out.
00:32:14
Logan Howard
Yep.
00:32:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, because what I had noticed actually, and I hadn't until I went, was every trip slash holiday that I'd been on since I don't remember had always had a ministerial lens to it.
00:32:29
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:32:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, and I was like, God, when was the last time I went somewhere just for myself?
00:32:33
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:32:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, anywhere else, you know, I was like, okay, well that was for work, or that was, you know, to plan a secret birthday part of that person, or that was to, evangelize or witness or whatever it was.
00:32:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
I couldn't remember. um So I said, yeah, you know what? People are free, technology free, drama free.
00:32:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
Not that it really was because some people went nuts and just tried killing all the Jews outside my bedroom window. But i've got gotta said the building was shaken, bro.
00:33:05
Logan Howard
Yikes.
00:33:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
It was like bombs were falling in the sky. It was nuts. But it seems to be a pattern of everywhere I go, you know, whether it's Australia and Clops in the Eye or Mr. Drama in Amsterdam. But but ah for those part, though, actually, it was incredibly relaxing. um And yeah, it was long overdue, but so necessary. Because even when you read, like, Genesis 1, you know, it's like on the first day the Lord said this, it happened. It was evening and morning the first day.
00:33:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
On the second day, the Lord said this, it happens, evening morning, the second day. On the third day, the Lord said this, it happens, evening morning, the third day. There's that steady rhythm.
00:33:50
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:33:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
That beat where he's a dance partner, setting the rhythm, setting the beat. And we're following that beat, or at least we should be. And it's kind of what the message for all its faults and failures, um like, you know, Cass Rowell's being brought to Jairus's daughter's funeral. um But it was what it refers to as the rhythms of grace, find the rhythms of grace for your life. It is that that steady beat, that poetry,
00:34:21
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah your life synchronizes the heartbeat of God. And it's so important.
00:34:25
Logan Howard
It is.
00:34:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
It really is.
00:34:26
Logan Howard
It is.
00:34:29
Logan Howard
I guess more on on my front. School has been going well. My so my students have been um working hard. um Every day, I would say my second grade class um are what I would call drama queens and kings.
00:34:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
but yeah
00:34:48
Logan Howard
they ah they love They love to cause drama. um it is like i don't think they I don't think they realize how much they love it, ah but they are very good at it.
00:34:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay. Hmm.
00:34:59
Logan Howard
um every ah Not a day goes by where we don't have some issue where either somebody what somebody made somebody else cry or somebody accused somebody of something else.
00:35:12
Logan Howard
um it It just gets kind of... um they They are very aggressive towards one each other one of to towards each other and they're not always the most kind. um So I get to have a lot of teaching moments where in the middle of math class where we've ah we're supposed to be doing, you know, adding and subtracting, we instead have to pause to say, hey, um are we being easily offended here? Are we are we just saying, oh, this person's offending me when in reality it's not that big of a deal?
00:35:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh my bad, your salty tears. Go on, go on. Cry harder.
00:35:49
Logan Howard
Yeah. um is it ah And then then the other day, I had to punish all of them that did it. And they thought that I was going to like just take out the person who was being bad, but they were both accusing each other of being bad. And I'm just like, look, you're all going to have to walk. I'm sorry.
00:36:08
Logan Howard
And if you keep this up, you're going to walk for the whole recess. You're just going to keep going around and around and around. And I said, the whole time you're you're there, I want you to think about, how can I love the person that I was unkind to? And they're like, oh.
00:36:23
Logan Howard
so
00:36:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
This is why people say you're Republicans or Nazis. It's those marches you have the people doing.
00:36:29
Logan Howard
yeah yeah See, it's not like 1920 where I could just pull out the paddle and just start whacking them.
00:36:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
tobious The good days of corporal punishment.
00:36:36
Logan Howard
ah
00:36:39
Logan Howard
Yeah, there's there's no more. There's no more like take a spank. You don't get spanking to school. um Now it's you get to either walk at recess or um you get to go have a conversation with the principal.
00:36:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
those
00:36:52
Logan Howard
um But no, nothing like.
00:36:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
How's the marriage? like
00:36:59
Logan Howard
What'd you say?
00:37:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
So Deirdre, how's the marriage? Oh, peace run, glad you asked.
00:37:06
Logan Howard
Yeah, yeah.
00:37:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
You know, the conversation, the principle sounds so appealing.
00:37:10
Logan Howard
It does, doesn't it?
00:37:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
so one You know?
00:37:12
Logan Howard
So yeah,
00:37:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
so but through meal issues
00:37:14
Logan Howard
i um so yeah there's there's that that you have to strike wrangle in. I feel like it it's been a settling in month where I feel like I'm getting to the point where I'm comfortable and I'm able to do the things that I want to do and, um you know, from like recovering more from camp and more um getting my heart back into what i'm doing um ministry camp ministry because the amount of stress and pressure that i put myself through the last year has been like a
00:37:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was covering from cancer. I was like, when does it happen?
00:37:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, yeah, of course.
00:38:02
Logan Howard
um has not been healthy and ah it was not good for my heart and it was not good for my response or reaction to things and I got kind of jaded.
00:38:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
and yeah
00:38:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:38:14
Logan Howard
um and those kind of things and so um I've been reading a reading a book it's called Waking the Dead by John Eldridge um and it has been very very good because he he's pointing out how he said ah his comment was that there's a movie I believe it's some it's it's like It's like a rescue movie in the ocean um like there's this guy who's like rescue. He's like a rescue operation and um He has different levels of how many he rescues people where they're at in terms of are they alerts are they you know alive and What is their awareness of what's going on around him and? um
00:39:01
Logan Howard
So it goes from like zero to four. So zero just means you're awake and you're alive and you have no idea where you are. You have no idea what's going on. You have no idea all this stuff that's that's happening to you. um And then level four is like you have complete alertness. You're like, know who you are. You know exactly what's going on. um And he's the the author is is basically pointing out how he said most of our lives are spent with the level zero.
00:39:27
Logan Howard
We, we wake up in the morning and we have no idea where we are. We have no idea who we are. And we are completely disoriented and we're barely alert and alive. um And he said, that's where most of the most American Christians and most Christians live at is that point.
00:39:43
Logan Howard
And he said, Yeah, and
00:39:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's all about drugs and together by the Christ.
00:39:49
Logan Howard
so
00:39:56
Logan Howard
Yeah. yeah
00:40:01
Logan Howard
Yeah, and so he said but he said that maybe 30 days of the year, so like 10% of the year, are you at level four?
00:40:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
sir
00:40:09
Logan Howard
where you know where you Where you know exactly where you're at, you know exactly what's going on, you know who you are, you know what you're doing, you have your plan in life and you're like, go in, I'm taking it, I'm like grabbing it because it's mine.
00:40:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
Christmas.
00:40:23
Logan Howard
And he's like, most people have like 30 days out of the year, they're just like that. And so he's like, well, he then he goes into the verses about how Jesus says that Jesus wants us to make us alive and he's going to give us abundant life. And um he says that he's going to, um for all the stuff we sacrifice, our family, that he'll reward us.
00:40:47
Logan Howard
over a hundred fold in this life and the one to come. And he said, that's the key point. We all like to think that we're like, oh, well, the next life we get all our rewards. So why i um why be alive now?
00:41:02
Logan Howard
Why try to like be passionate about things now? Because you're just going to get hurt. You're just going to get run over. You're just going to get all this stuff. So why even even try?
00:41:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mmm.
00:41:12
Logan Howard
um And so he's pulling out how this
00:41:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
Or how many do you think? Yep.
00:41:16
Logan Howard
how how Christ promises full life as soon as you're saved, not you get it in heaven.
00:41:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
That's right. Am I?
00:41:22
Logan Howard
um And so he's he's talking through all that and it's been very good. um He has three very important eternal truths that he brings up. um One is that nothing is as it seems.
00:41:37
Logan Howard
So you might think that things are bad or horrid or any of that stuff, but you don't know the full story. Nothing is really as it seems.
00:41:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
00:41:46
Logan Howard
um The second one, eternal truth, is that we are constantly 100% always in a war every morning you wake up. um and then His third truth is that god or that we are um we are more than we actually think we are. We are um brave and powerful and we can do a lot of things way more than we can ever imagine. um We are like god when we when God saves us and he makes us new. We are a new creation. We're something that is dangerous to the enemy.
00:42:25
Logan Howard
um And he wants to do everything in his power to make you not dangerous, to remove all of your your sharp edges so that all you are is just a blunt or a ah blunt sword that doesn't do any damage to anything in his kingdom.
00:42:41
Logan Howard
Um, and so when you get those three perspectives into your head, you kind of go, Oh, all right. Well, this, this actually changes my mindset here. Like now all this tough stuff I'm going through is not necessarily bad. You know, it's not necessarily horrid. It's not necessarily awful. Cause it's not what it seems Christ might be using that to grow me. Um, and then realizing everything's a war, which means that my decision or my choices are not necessarily just frivolous or um don't have any consequences.
00:43:15
Logan Howard
Like if I make a mistake or make poor decisions, I'm losing the war.
00:43:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:43:20
Logan Howard
I'm choosing to lose the war. um And then on top of it, realizing how much power you can wield in terms of fighting back against the the devil and fighting back against what's going on around you.
00:43:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
00:43:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
More than I've gone for.
00:43:33
Logan Howard
Yeah. and fighting for the kingdom. um So it's it's been a really encouraging book so far.
00:43:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow. We might have to do a cheeky series on last on the channel.
00:43:45
Logan Howard
Might have to, yeah.
00:43:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
you That's the same guy he wrote wild at heart, yeah?
00:43:49
Logan Howard
Mm-hmm, same guy, yeah.
00:43:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. um Yeah, a phenomenal transformative book, actually.
00:43:56
Logan Howard
Mm-hmm, yeah. know
00:43:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'd say it's one where, ah for those of you who have not read it, so I'm ladies listening, there was a female version. um it's a Yeah, it looks at being a helpfully dangerous Christian men, um, shaking off the tameness that I think Western world Christianity tries to slap on Christian men into, you know, sit down, shut up, do whatever you're told, bugger off, don't chance anything, don't offend anybody, keep your mouth shut, if you upset someone you've lost the argument. But actually, like Logan said twice there, we were born into a world at war,
00:44:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
It began before we were sent. It will continue after we're gone.
00:44:43
Logan Howard
Aww.
00:44:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
But today, it is our job to fight it. As long as you've got breath in your lungs, you are to be mighty for the kingdom of light against the empire of darkness. um So, i yeah.
00:44:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
It makes phenomenal observations. All very digestible, all very accessible. But home truths. And a healthy slap across the face, I think is fair to say.
00:45:09
Logan Howard
Yep, they are a slap a girl at the face. yeah A needed one, for sure.
00:45:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah I know I did too when you first recommended Wild at Hearst, maybe we read that one together very soon after becoming friends. um So yeah, might have to do a cheeky series on the nationally that, I think that'd be good.
00:45:25
Logan Howard
Yeah, that'd be good. i'll I'll send you the link to how to find that book, but yeah, it's a good book, definitely. Um, so yeah, that's been kind of the newer stuff. Um, you know, trying to think, Oh, I did get to preach. That was the other cool thing I got to do. Um, this, this, um, God opened up an opportunity to preach. My pastor has been working with me, um, in finding opportunities. Uh, he's very,
00:45:58
Logan Howard
um There are a lot of ways we are very similar in how we think about life and how we think about things, and he's ah quite a very good encourager. um I'm kind of blown away by the amount of trust that he has in me, because I'll be honest, most people would not be like, oh, hey, hey random 28-year-old kid who's just started coming to our church.
00:46:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mmhmm. Wow.
00:46:24
Logan Howard
um who I've met before once or twice at a camp ministry. um Yeah, you can preach on Sunday morning. Good luck. Have have a great time. um
00:46:35
Logan Howard
And so it's ah it's been really cool that he's given me that trust to teach and to not be like a micromanaging and say, oh, here, let me show you how to do all this stuff. um So it's been really, really cool. It went well. I got to speak on the Rich Young Ruler and um how god um of God kind of how Jesus kind of put it in his court, kind of like made him, hey, look, here's here's your decision. You got to make a choice. Are you going to choose your money or are you going to choose me? um And we kind of talked about how God does that continually. Like ah God's always like putting you in situation choice. Are you going to choose to serve God? Are you going to choose to serve ah your wills and your wants and your desires?
00:47:27
Logan Howard
um And the only person who'd really know your heart well enough is is Christ. He's the one who would know exactly how you'd respond to those situations and stuff. And um and that's really what Christ wants, is He wants you to choose Him continually every day and to get rid of those idols that we put up. um we I don't know if I've ever shown or you've ever seen a video. I think it was done by possibly the skit guys. um They were doing a video on um idolatry.
00:48:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay, I haven't seen that one now.
00:48:03
Logan Howard
And so they're talking about idolatry and he's they're like um you know idolatry is demonic. ah People will paint their face. There's um crazy sense of worship.
00:48:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:48:14
Logan Howard
There's huge buildings that you walk into. um And there's like all this um this noise and singing that happens at these at these idolatry.
00:48:25
Logan Howard
And so then he says, well, Do we have that in America? And then they start playing videos of college football and people painting their faces and people um like doing their chants and their songs and all this drinking and stuff that's going on at these.
00:48:44
Logan Howard
um And he goes, well, maybe our idolatry is different than it was back then, but that doesn't make it any less idolatry.
00:48:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. Yeah.
00:48:51
Logan Howard
um And so it's very powerful, like moving imagery of We like to think that idolatry isn't a thing anymore. We like to think that it's, oh, nobody goes and like burns incense to alters anymore. But as soon as you give your time and you start sacrificing your life or something that is not Jesus Christ, you're making that your idol. So very interesting. It was it was a good time and it was enjoyable to to be able to preach and give God's word and
00:49:27
Logan Howard
um Yeah, so it's a great opportunity.
00:49:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow. No, that's wonderful. And how well was it received? Dangerous question, I know, because Christian's gonna be Vipers.
00:49:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
I love the body of Christ more than anybody else, but my goodness, Christians can be rotten.
00:49:49
Logan Howard
well um I think it went well. Some of my friends came and their comments were all that it was a big encouragement to them um in terms of that they were making the right choices in their lives.
00:49:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
one
00:50:03
Logan Howard
um One of my friends has kind of decided to change and move and go completely different states and not really know exactly what God's having them do. And it was kind of a validating thing for them that they are going and they're trusting God and they're not doing it out of idolatry or just staying where they're at.
00:50:27
Logan Howard
um So that was encouraging. um I think a lot of it I don't hear, possibly because I don't need the big head, um because I would sometimes have that ability of, as soon as people say all these great things, that I'll just be like, oh yeah.
00:50:47
Logan Howard
I'm a great preacher. um I don't need that. So i didn't think I didn't hear hundreds or thousands of people say, oh, how great it was. But I did hear some to encourage me to continue on in that it wasn't unfruitful.
00:51:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
Beautiful. I'm glad. Good.
00:51:05
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:51:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
Good. Wow.
00:51:07
Logan Howard
often So I'll be working with my my pastor and they've just hired an assistant or associate as well. And so I'll be working with them for the next couple of months.
00:51:18
Logan Howard
um Their goal is to give me a ah pastoral training without sending me to college. um So that will be
00:51:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
My hands.
00:51:30
Logan Howard
really cool to see how that works out. um It's in the infant stages of being worked on, so we'll see what that looks like. But um we're going to be trying to spend some time just getting into God's Word and learning stuff about God's Word and um pouring into each other and helping each other out and doing ministry. So we'll see how that goes.
00:51:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
Excellent. Very, very encouraging.
00:51:59
Logan Howard
Yes.
00:52:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
and And God bless that pastor too for um doing his job. um You know, I don't remember that to say.
00:52:10
Logan Howard
yeah yourself
00:52:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
Well, it is worth others. But I know it is a shepherd's job because even I was looking up the fight for ministry verse, I think it's Ephesians 4.11 there a couple of days ago.
00:52:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
There isn't a word for pastor in the Greek. The word is shepherd. You're supposed to look after someone from a lamb into a sheep and be responsible for their growth in the majority. And part of that involves, yes, defeating, but then also letting them run around and play, um letting them put their gifts into action, giving them that platform in a safe space, a controlled environment.
00:52:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
And in the the wilder, more uncontrolled environments to show up and show Christ, to enable them to to be fruitful. I hope people say a pyramid scheme like it's a bad thing. And the body of Christ, it actually is a strategy for someone to employ. And say good for him. That's awesome.
00:53:13
Logan Howard
Yeah, we're always supposed to be duplicating and replicating ourselves. um Not so they become, you know, little Logans or little Brendan's, but so they become little Christ followers.
00:53:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. yeah
00:53:23
Logan Howard
It's it's the replication of the Christ principle, not necessarily our personalities. As much as we think our personalities are great, um we don't need a million little Brendan's running around because eventually little Brendan's running into each other will just explode.
00:53:38
Logan Howard
And little Logan's running into each other will just explode.
00:53:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
very um the name is
00:53:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
I've got to find policy that can be replicated in the millions.
00:53:48
Logan Howard
so
00:53:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was just saying, no, no, no, it's like, follow me as I follow Christ. But yeah, you're, you're, you're gleaning what you can from the individual.
00:53:57
Logan Howard
Yep.
00:53:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
But yeah, yeah, songs are all following big JC. It's all good.
00:54:04
Logan Howard
It is, it is. um So, what do you think, because I know we've kind of been away, so this is maybe more for our our viewers, but what do you think or what do you want to have happen with the podcast in the next year? Like, what did you just say your goals are for it?
00:54:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
nice one um i gave up watching movies and tv shows a couple years back because let's be honest they're all just communist trash nowadays um a little bit extreme but any of them that are ever talked about talked about for the wrong reasons um so i think a series unlike either why they suck or so i know some christians are offended by that word why they
00:54:37
Logan Howard
He's not wrong.
00:54:51
Logan Howard
Oh.
00:54:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
don't perform as well as people might expect them to if they were to read the mainstream media.
00:55:02
Logan Howard
That's way too long. That's way too long. Why did he stop it so much better?
00:55:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
it's in know ah Short and sweet, to the point.
00:55:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
I never really ears it out on YouTube trying to listen to the song, um My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson, but it would never have the word suck. It would always show up like, you know, my life would duck without you when I was like, seriously, seriously, YouTube, seriously.
00:55:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
a What else? Or even from Dublin to Cleveland, Fixes, where we look at the premise of shows or TV shows that are a disaster, and we think how they could have improved, how they could have worked. For example, I was part of like the Pretty Little Liars generation. If people haven't seen it, when they hear the premise, they think that sounds crap.
00:55:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
to those who are part of the PLL l wave, oh my goodness, you cannot begin to imagine what an adrenaline rush that sure was. How addictive and just the absolute sensation it was. Not by nowhere, it's nowhere near the best written storyline there is. Nowhere near. But I would say for those who watched it, it impacted them more than almost any other show. That's, it's just the way it was written.
00:56:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
um and then they got to the last couple seasons and it was really and by the end of it you almost felt like it had dishonored your time and you actually regretted having loved it so much and having poured so much time over the years into it um it was like yeah do the writers even know what they were doing um so something like you know how that show could be fixed because people loved it but then it got the last couple of seasons and everyone stopped talking about it because they didn't want to criticize this because it would dishonor the time they brought in but I think by that stage they realized
00:57:09
Logan Howard
time.
00:57:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
okay this show actually doesn't care about our time they're just writing nonsense at this point for the sake of making money and keeping up the show on TV so I think something like that could be fun or even for like classic shows because sometimes I'll go on YouTube and I'll watch like you know clips of shows from like a decade or two ago ah or even like really old movies reaction videos to like TV.
00:57:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
I know we've done maybe one or two before, um, where we kind of watched this and then like afterwards shared a few opinions. But even actually if we had it like playing and the audience could see it playing, no, obviously there's only so much you can show before you're sued for copyright.
00:57:56
Logan Howard
yep
00:57:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, we could get like our instantaneous reactions, kind of like this, because what normally happens guys is Logan and I have a chat for now and a half, and then we're like, oh my goodness, the podcast, let's film it before we have dinner.
00:58:05
Logan Howard
Yup.
00:58:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And then you guys get like the 30 to 50 minutes where he mostly, whereas today, as soon as we logged on, we were like, hit that record button.
00:58:17
Logan Howard
Dregs. You get the dregs.
00:58:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
Let's keep it spontaneous. We haven't spoken properly in ages. Um, so, uh, yeah, I think the spontaneity is always really depressing too.
00:58:38
Logan Howard
Yes, yeah, we could even go through like um series of TV shows or those kind of things and just react to them as we're going along. Kind of like when you watch the movies or you watch shows together and you just kind of like critique it as you go along, you're like, oh, this is trash. um ah Why did he do that? Stop what you're doing.
00:59:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
He was 10 meters away. How is he behind that woman right now? That makes no sense.
00:59:08
Logan Howard
yeah pause it pause it yeah doing something that could be a lot of fun um um did you have something else that you had maybe that you want to do or another series if not that's okay i have some ideas as well all right um so i feel like i need to try some point um and
00:59:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh, I'd be interested in hearing your ideas.
00:59:39
Logan Howard
I think my biggest goal is to get more um listener engagement, which means that you people who listen actually have to come and speak to us who do the podcast.
00:59:52
Logan Howard
So that's going to be on you people to do this.
00:59:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
No more silent witnesses.
00:59:56
Logan Howard
What's that?
00:59:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
No more silent witnesses for all you want to understand.
00:59:59
Logan Howard
one what witnesses um Because we're always open to having more people on our podcast. We're always open to opinions. um So there are ways that I have not even gone down yet in order for us to make this a, quote, profitable podcast. That's not what we're about. We're not about that. Our mission goal is serving the Lord and all that stuff.
01:00:23
Logan Howard
um but always
01:00:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm just aware that a Christian people screw what he said. I'm all about the money.
01:00:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
I said that to someone months ago when they called me out and they're like on at the start of the week. I just laughed and I was like, I don't take it back.
01:00:38
Logan Howard
yeah Yeah, no, it's it's always great when you do that. That's always funny. um But I agree that there's, I think there's a way that we could do that. But it does require people to listen, to be okay with us using ads. um Because I always hate ads. ah Ads are just like,
01:00:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah the worst
01:00:57
Logan Howard
terrible um But they are so the way that you make money. um There also could be open opening things that we can do elsewhere to engage with people in terms of creating Discord channels, creating um possibly even Twitter.
01:01:13
Logan Howard
um That's the area that I'm thinking most of is getting our own kind of Twitter page and, excuse me, um doing those kind of things.
01:01:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, the worst. and
01:01:24
Logan Howard
um doing ah discussions or chats on different books or movies kind of like Brendan was saying in terms of getting those um discussions or chats about stuff um and doing kind of games, having more guests on because we kind of this year has been kind of pretty bad for guests. I don't think we've had anyone the whole year. Is that, could that be true?
01:01:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
while maybe so
01:01:52
Logan Howard
Maybe so, we've been horrible with it, but it's hard to get two people in a room to have a conversation when we're we're both doing as much as we do. um It'd be even harder to add a third person, but um getting more people on our podcast, just talk about different stuff, talk about life, um because everybody has a story to tell and it's always good to hear stories um about what's going on. So doing those kinds of things.
01:02:17
Logan Howard
um i This might be controversial because I don't know how Brendan's going to react to this. so think I think we need to to update our logo and change it up a bit.
01:02:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
of the contract.
01:02:30
Logan Howard
because
01:02:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
and
01:02:31
Logan Howard
we We have that old Thor hammer and um this is a ah peak behind the curtain. I don't actually own the logo. It's actually costs money to use it.
01:02:43
Logan Howard
um And I don't use it very often because, and I can't change it very often, because of the fact that it's now become behind a paywall. It didn't used to be. I used to be able to just use it freely and it was fine, but now it's become
01:02:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
01:02:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
need
01:02:58
Logan Howard
Yeah, that one right there.
01:02:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
and something guy
01:02:59
Logan Howard
And I love it. I do. It's like retro, but nobody bought those other than me and Brandon. So sure yes, yes.
01:03:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
But bought enough, let's be honest, between ourselves. I think I have like three or four of them.
01:03:10
Logan Howard
So have I, I think I have at least three or four, maybe more.
01:03:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
my Actually, they're very comfy.
01:03:17
Logan Howard
They are. I do love them. I don't think the quality of the shirt is bad, but we can do we can do more things with our shirts and stuff. And so we'll be doing that, um adding more items to it, maybe coffee mugs, because people like coffee mugs.
01:03:30
Logan Howard
I don't drink coffee, but I drink tea. So it's the same thing.
01:03:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
class
01:03:36
Logan Howard
It's better. um
01:03:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
And that way I can always drink from my Brendan mug, where my name is spelled incorrectly. I need a new mug.
01:03:43
Logan Howard
Yeah. yeah
01:03:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
Brendan.
01:03:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
How about our guests can, like, say submit logo suggestions? And if we go with one of theirs, they can, like, win something, like a free...
01:03:56
Logan Howard
Oh, that's a good idea. It's a good idea. Let's do that. But if you can send something to us, I have a feeling no one's going to send us anything. um But because let's be honest, they would have had to listen to us talk for an hour and four minutes to know that, oh,
01:04:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
01:04:12
Logan Howard
they They need a new logo. I need to send them a new logo. So we'll we'll put that out there on the social medias that we're looking for a new logo and you can help us with it. um Come up with something from from Dublin to Cleveland that maybe has to do with um like Cleveland and Dublin skyline or images or pictures from Ireland or pictures from Cleveland and how they meld to like gather somehow.
01:04:40
Logan Howard
But that's an idea. It's not necessarily what you need to do. Come up with your own ideas. Send them to us at fromdoubletoclevelandatgmail.com or you can send it to us personally, Brendan Thomas Merritt on Instagram, Logan Howard.
01:04:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's great.
01:04:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
Why it happens?
01:04:53
Logan Howard
um
01:04:54
Logan Howard
banana man 17 on Instagram. ah But yes, you can send them to either one of us um to get those things. I was trying to think there was something else I was going to come up with that I had.
01:05:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
We can advertise people's startups. If any of our listeners are writing books or starting their own company or something, and you want a bit of a boost, a bit of a platform, I believe very, very strongly that the body of Christ should be the body of Christ's best resource.
01:05:10
Logan Howard
Yes.
01:05:24
Logan Howard
well
01:05:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
And rather than turning to the world, no offense to everybody else, ah whenever we need something, I do actually think very, very strongly that we should be encouraging and building up each other and um supporting each other financially as well.
01:05:39
Logan Howard
yeah Yeah, no, I agree.
01:05:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
and there's something i think
01:05:46
Logan Howard
I agree. um Maybe even having for a podcast like games, we'll play games or something on the podcast.
01:05:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
who's
01:05:54
Logan Howard
like actual online board games that maybe me and Brendan will play or we'll have other people come on and play, um maybe trivia, those kind of things. So we'll be coming up with those in the new year, um maybe even doing more podcasts like this, where instead of us just like chatting for 30 minutes about our own personal life stuff, which we did in this podcast anyway,
01:06:15
Logan Howard
um we have We just started as soon as we get on and we just let all the good stuff go in and it might be long episodes, but it does mean that it's more organic and less scripted.
01:06:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm, artificial.
01:06:35
Logan Howard
Not that we script anything, because let's be honest. script
01:06:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was just about to say that.
01:06:39
Logan Howard
I think Brendan would be a nightmare. um yes He's too organic for that. oh you You never know what's going to come out next.
01:06:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
For better or for worse, especially the latter. Meme reviews. where we just have like 20 or 30 memes per episode and we just have a good old fashioned schnier.
01:07:03
Logan Howard
Ooh, yes, that would be good.
01:07:07
Logan Howard
That would be a lot of fun, as always.
01:07:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
having all
01:07:10
Logan Howard
um yes We could do that continually because there's always there's little ah literal pages that post like Christian memes 15 a day or something like that.
01:07:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
crack
01:07:21
Logan Howard
and that's that's like two that's ah You have enough episodes there just looking at that. so
01:07:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
um
01:07:29
Logan Howard
um Yeah, doing that. um Probably the next couple episodes, um we need to do Brendan's political compass where we figure out where Brendan lands politically.
01:07:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
So right wing, even the far righties would be like, oh my goodness, what's up with this guy?
01:07:48
Logan Howard
cd yeah Is he authoritarian? is Which, yes. Yes, he is.
01:07:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
01:07:53
Logan Howard
um oh Is he authoritarian? Is he financially left or right? yeah it's go to
01:08:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
of ve Very much so.
01:08:03
Logan Howard
you're You're farther right than Donald Trump.
01:08:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
You know what, i know I know that for the sake of the show, we was probably put together to like just insult libertarians, but at Ronald Swanson in that show, whose name I can't remember, and Parks and Rex, the reason he got like you know the top job was just to make sure the government would do nothing.
01:08:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm not spending people's money. I'm like, yes. Yes, Ron. You're my man.
01:08:36
Logan Howard
Yeah. Yeah, he was great. That is a great character.
01:08:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
you and
01:08:42
Logan Howard
um I think it would be fun on our fixes ones to do stuff on like um the Lord of the Rings Ring of Power, how Brandon and Logan would fix that.
01:08:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
that
01:08:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
I don't know if that show can be fixed. It can be fixed by buying the rights of the IP and then just like never releasing it.
01:09:06
Logan Howard
well the rules would be The rules would be you have to release it, but you burn the whole story.
01:09:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
eight
01:09:13
Logan Howard
Like the whole story they have, you can just get rid of and you just make your own story.
01:09:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
01:09:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. Yeah. I think that might be the answer to the all of our shows.
01:09:23
Logan Howard
Yeah, like um episode, like redoing the episode seven, eight, and nine, we fixed Star Wars.
01:09:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah
01:09:30
Logan Howard
um That's the same kind of thing. You can just throw that whole thing in the trash and just start your own story. um
01:09:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
Bring back the original expanded universe.
01:09:41
Logan Howard
Yes.
01:09:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
I think what Disney announced that, oh yeah, all those comic books and mine and, you know, graphic novels and things you've been collecting all these decades. Yeah, they just never happened. I think that should have been people's first warning sign of, okay, it's not that they don't respect the lore, it's that they don't know what the lore is, nor do they want to.
01:10:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
And that's sort of people's first clue.
01:10:04
Logan Howard
Let me be honest, there is some questionable stuff that's in the lore, but there is also a lot of good stuff too.
01:10:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
01:10:09
Logan Howard
so yeah There's a whole zombie episode, a whole book on zombies where the zombies like take over the clone troopers and it's like insanely horrifying.
01:10:20
Logan Howard
um
01:10:20
BrendanThomasMarrett
And who wouldn't there be?
01:10:22
Logan Howard
I know. Some kind of like...
01:10:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
Zombies are represented too.
01:10:27
Logan Howard
Yeah, they need to be. nope Zombies are people too.
01:10:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
Isn't that like your favorite word like in your country? Represented.
01:10:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
01:10:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
And if you have a problem with that, you're probably just a literally Hitler racist.
01:10:43
Logan Howard
but We could even do um what's ah what's wrong with series where you just go in and you just say, here's the things that are wrong with whether it's a show or a political figure or somebody in history, what's wrong with them? And you would just go through and you just say what's wrong about them.
01:11:05
Logan Howard
not
01:11:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
It looks like we were just looking for excuses to complain and I'm here for it.
01:11:08
Logan Howard
yeah you know but We don't get to complain in our normal day. we We need to do it on the podcast. but
01:11:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
We all say what everyone else is already saying around their kitchen tables and is just too afraid to post online.
01:11:23
Logan Howard
I guess maybe doing a less complaining thing would be a what if. So instead of um like whether it's a ah series or ah in a fictional series or even like politicals, like what would have happened had Donald Trump won in 2020 in terms of
01:11:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
He did.
01:11:41
Logan Howard
actually actually retaining the presidency instead of them stealing it from him.
01:11:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
01:11:47
Logan Howard
um What would have happened had that ah had that history happened? Those kinds of things would be a lot of fun to go through.
01:11:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
region Ukraine.
01:11:57
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:11:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
I don't think Hamas would have blown up all those Israelis either.
01:12:02
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:12:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. world I think The last four years of world history in terms of revival and God's plan, God's agenda, has been stolen because they got away with that. And you've got a lot of crooked Republicans, undoubtedly, who are 100% complicit for that nonsense as well. I think it was Lindsey Graham who went to like a prayer breakfast that one of my associates was at. And he actually admitted that there had been some underhanded tampering in the 2020 election.
01:12:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
And the whole room turns and then he just like ran off the stage. Because obviously he had no intention of dealing with us. um So yeah, ah God's plans have definitely been pushed back four years and it's said the world's been turned its head. But I do think Trump coming back is paramount actually in a lot of the world's problems being resolved. And it's not about deifying the man, but if God's chosen in a man, God's chosen a man.
01:13:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
And it shows them for a reason. So I think we're gonna have a very fast-paced, exciting four years.
01:13:13
Logan Howard
Yes, I think so. I think so. Hopefully one that is um restorative and less combative, meaning he has to spend all this time combating all these people who are going to stop him for what he's doing.
01:13:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. So, yeah, big time. I think it might get worse before it gets better, I do think. If they can, pull off World War III. All these wannabe dictators, I think they'll settle for our global economic crisis.
01:13:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
But when the going gets good, so I think it's gonna be just jubilant.
01:13:47
Logan Howard
Oh yeah.
01:13:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
Really getting started.
01:13:48
Logan Howard
well And it's a good thing that it's not just, um, it's not just that Trump got in, it's that he also, also the Republicans won house and Senate, even though there's some that I'm sure are rhinos.
01:14:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
Sure, of course, of course.
01:14:03
Logan Howard
Um, hopefully there's enough that it is a actual majority.
01:14:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
01:14:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, yeah, legitimate one.
01:14:12
Logan Howard
Um,
01:14:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, no, I think it's gonna be, it's gonna be good. um An exciting time and we're here to cover all of this.
01:14:24
Logan Howard
Indeed. And as always, we will always have our Bible ending and our um main focus is always on Christ as our Lord and Savior. And we want to remind those and help you who don't know Him as your Savior to help you along with your path and to do that because really that's That's really our importance and our purpose of why we do ministry. It's not so that ah Brendan or Logan could be have our name in lights and we're become famous people. As much fun and as cool as that would be, at the end of the day, it's really about what is Christ's name and that it's glorified and that he's glorified through us and through what we do. So with that being said, Brendan, do you have anything that you would like to close our time with from the scriptures?
01:15:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
You know what, it's been an interesting day, actually. A lot of people that I've been, a week, actually. A lot of people that I've been talking to, been going through lots of sickness or lots of struggles, lots of heartache, lots of pain.
01:15:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
that, yes, we're living in exciting times, but we are living in troubled times, too, when a lot of people are hurting out there.
01:15:38
Logan Howard
true
01:15:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
So, yeah, I suppose the verse that was in my mind just before I logged in um was Malachi 4-2.
01:15:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
And it was an end-time prophecy in context, but ah the application, I believe, is more elastic. um where it says the Son of Righteousness, which is just the most phenomenal name for Jesus, the Son of Righteousness will arise with healing.
01:16:09
Logan Howard
Yes.
01:16:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
That healing is soul-healing power. In the Greek we say dunamis, dynamite power. in his wings and in his light beams. And you will frolic like a calf in a field in spring. So for anyone who is listening in to- today, and you just feel spent, or you feel like you've given it all you had to give, and you know, the days are short, the nights are long and dark,
01:16:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
And you'd wonder, can you even make it till Christmas? Can you even make it in 2025? Or perhaps God promised you something, but it hasn't happened. And I know that hope deferred can make the heart sick and desperately sick. The kind of frustration and the disappointment that comes with it. Maybe you've seen other people get what you wanted and what you felt You deserve more.
01:17:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
um Whatever, whatever it is, whatever the roots.
01:17:31
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:17:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
I pray right now that Jesus Christ rises over you, shining his restorative, regenerative, healing, revival, resurrection power.
01:17:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Into those layers of your soul right now. Into your mind, bringing course correction. Into your will, bringing alignment with his perspective and his good, perfect, pleasing will of your life. His prosperous goodwill.
01:18:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
as numerous as the sand is in the seashore, so many of the thoughts he has for you, like Logan said earlier, an abundant life on the earth, more abundance in heaven, and even more abundance still in the remade earth. And you cannot count sand. Why not? Because you're gonna live forever. You'll only ever grow in the goodness, in the knowledge of the goodness and grace of God.
01:18:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
and resurrection, healing power over your heart. All the crevices, canals, doors, windows, and cupboards and hot presses in your heart, no matter how covered in cobwebs or hidden by boxes or debris, the Lord opens every single one of them now and begins to heal and restore them.
01:19:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
And don't be surprised if there's a revealing before the healing. Think of when he confronted Cain for his sin against Abel. Where is your brother? I don't know. Well, I do. I can hear his blood screaming. Hello. Revealing. And then he put a mark over for him to protect him. And in the same way, Christ will reveal things to you, to heal you. And it's all concealed by his blood.
01:19:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
As blood is eternal, it speaks a better word. It is sufficient. It has not lost its power. Don't shy away from the Lord. You're not sitting in a Garda Siacana or in America, a cop station under that interrogation light. Where are you? And who's with you? And why do that? You're a dentist, surgery. You open your mouth.
01:20:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
And yeah, you might feel a bit stupid for a minute going, o while you're asked 10 questions you physically can't answer.
01:20:19
Logan Howard
Cool.
01:20:20
BrendanThomasMarrett
He says, you look at the light, but he's removing the plaque and giving you a tooth whitening. The healing light is the restoring light is for your own good.
01:20:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
And you'll rise again. You're the righteous man, woman full seven times, but they do get up at night.
01:20:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
And when the day of war comes, the battle, they stand. And that battle, and when the battle is over, they're still found standing.
01:20:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then you'll frolic like a calf in spring in a field, running around with new energy on the inside and out. In Jesus' name, amen.
01:21:07
Logan Howard
a man Amen. Amen. I think I'll do today and ah today we'll do something new for the first time, which is Brendan gave us a good word from the Bible and I'll give you one as well. So you get double the double depth here.
01:21:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
That was a annoying thing, didn't mention.
01:21:23
Logan Howard
um Yes, so in Second Chronicles this is a story about, or not a story, the history of the Israelites and their kingdoms and one of the good kings from Judah was named Asa and in chapter 16 he makes a mistake.
01:21:45
Logan Howard
He decides to make a treaty with Syria and a prophet of the Lord comes along and
01:21:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
a
01:21:53
Logan Howard
reprimands him for what he does. And he says this, um it says at that time, Hananias, this is 2 Chronicles 16, 7, Hananiah the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, because you relied on the king of Syria and have not relied on the Lord your God. Therefore the army of the kingdom of Syria has escaped your hand.
01:22:13
Logan Howard
Were the Ethiopians and the Lumbim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen, yet because you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. In this you have done foolishly, therefore from now on you shall have wars. Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison for he was enraged at him because of this, and Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
01:22:44
Logan Howard
So here we have a guy who was, like in verse 2 of chapter 14, it says, that Besa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord.
01:22:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow.
01:22:54
Logan Howard
And then so two chapters later, we have this guy come up and say, look, trust in the Lord, like you've made a mistake. you didn't trust God as your true protector. And that's really what the book Waking the Dead is talking about, is we have to trust in God. We have to put our faith in Him because again, in verse 9, He says, the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
01:23:25
Logan Howard
So we need to be loyal to Him. We need to trust Him. And God is always willing to defend and be strong for those. And like Brendan was talking about with healing, same kind of thing. God is willing to be strong and protect and uphold those who are loyal to Him. And Asa made a mistake, not just in trusting Syria, that they would hold up their ends of the bargain, but in that He didn't trust God to protect Him and take care of Him.
01:23:54
Logan Howard
I think a lot of us are so easily misled or think we should trust stuff that we shouldn't be trusting. um We are very but can be very trusting people.
01:24:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm hmm.
01:24:06
Logan Howard
Sometimes, and i'm I probably lean more the opposite way where I'm a little too untrusting, um but the real person we need to be trusting is the Lord. People will make mistakes.
01:24:17
Logan Howard
People will let us down. I have to remind this to my second graders almost daily. Look, some people are going to lie to you. It's going to happen. yeah It's going to happen. People are going to lie. People are not going to tell you the truth. if People are going to do some really mean stuff to you. um But God doesn't. God is somebody you can't trust. Even when you can't trust anyone around you to give you truth, to give you fairness, you can go to his word, you can pray and speak with him. He will give you the truth that you need.
01:24:51
Logan Howard
You can trust him. um Asa didn't. He made a mistake then as he throws this guy in prison and then oppresses the people, which again doesn't seem like something somebody who's falling after God would do. This feels like a somebody going against God. But it can easily happen to all of us. We can get mad at God. We can get mad at the people who are trying to help us.
01:25:14
Logan Howard
and point out our wrongdoings because we feel that we are above it, that we are not allowed to be, people aren't allowed to be critical of us. um And so to think through this this whole passage of scripture here is to show that first and foremost we have to be loyal to the Lord. We have to trust Him first and foremost. Don't trust other people or deals or contracts or um though even even governmental services or any of the stuff that we think that we can trust, our money, our amount of stuff we own, any of this any of that.
01:25:55
Logan Howard
We can't trust that, but we can't trust God. We can trust that God has what's best for us. Unfortunately, what's best for us sometimes might be a slap in the face, which is what Hannah and I gave Asa in this moment.
01:26:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
01:26:07
Logan Howard
Gave him a nice slap in the face.
01:26:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
01:26:08
Logan Howard
What are you doing? Wake up. Here's your wake-up call. So we need wake-up calls. um And so that might be what's best for us. It goes back to those three eternal truths I talked about earlier. If you know, um first of all, you have to realize not everything is as it seems. Just because it looks like somebody is bad or has been rude to you or it seems like they hate you, doesn't mean that they hate you.
01:26:34
Logan Howard
It doesn't mean that until you get verbal proof that they say the words, I hate you. Can you really believe that they actually hate you? They might just be really introverted person. I have a friend from camp who I honestly thought was just like either nonverbal or he did not like me at all.
01:26:52
Logan Howard
And we are really good friends now because he's like he's opened up. And that was all because I still gave him opportunity and
Daily Life Reflections and Spiritual Growth
01:27:01
Logan Howard
time. I didn't just write him off because I thought he hated me.
01:27:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm. Mm-hmm.
01:27:04
Logan Howard
um We also have to remember we're in a battle every day and I forget this probably once or twice a day, I'll just forget that I'm in a battle and make a mistake and say something or think something or do something that is just ah ah just a mistake that is not living in a battle. It's a, oh, I'm just relaxing or I'm enjoying or I'm doing what I want. And I need to remember that we're in a constant battle.
01:27:31
Logan Howard
um And that's not a <unk> not to be discouraging. That's just to remind us of viewpoint of where we're supposed to be. It keeps you grounded. If you think that you're in paradise, you're going to be loose, you're going to be free, and you're going to make some decisions that you probably shouldn't make. If you think you're living in a battle, you're going to be a little more critical of the decisions you make and be a little more wise with what you do.
01:27:55
Logan Howard
um And lastly is that God has made us to to create and be glorious. We're supposed to be out in creating glory not just for ourselves but for Him. The reason He made us wasn't so that um You know, we could do whatever we wanted. It was so that we could bring glory to Him. We are His most glorious creation. We are the pride of His creation and the joy that He has. And we're supposed to live up to that. And so we can do glorious, important, amazing things.
01:28:28
Logan Howard
um It feels like sometimes a lot of our lives are kind of stuck in neutral or in going backwards, that we're not really living glorious. We're not really living it all out for the Lord. But even in the mundane, we are living we need to be living for Him and we can be living that glorious life even in the mundane.
01:28:49
Logan Howard
um Even in the everyday, the slow things, the normal annoyances, we can still show Christ to a watching world that is always watching for how you're acting and how you're responding. um it might not In a world where today and age, where we feel like a lot of people are so self-centered that they don't notice other things around them, God still uses his people to open people's eyes.
01:29:15
Logan Howard
so
01:29:17
Logan Howard
So my encouragement come is to know you know, trust in the Lord, trust his decision making, trust his way, trust his path, um realize you're in a war, that you're on a constant battle, and that you can win this war with his help. It's not a lost battle. It's not like we're going to lose. We win at the end. um So a remember who wins. Be on the winning side.
01:29:42
Logan Howard
and Continue to love and care for people even when they criticize you. Even when they make you, when things go wrong and you make mistakes and you don't want to acknowledge that you made mistakes. um Don't immediately just throw them in prison like Asa did. And don't start abusing the body of believers when mistakes happen.
01:30:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
Beautiful. Very good. Very good. Very rich.
01:30:12
Logan Howard
Yes. All right, Brendan, would you close us out in a word of prayer and then we'll send everybody out in their way.
Community Interaction and Closing Prayers
01:30:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hey, man. Well, listen, guys, if you are still listening to us at one hour, 30 minutes and 26 seconds, go get yourself some tinfoil, make yourself a little trophy and just wave it in the air and give yourself a pat in the back.
01:30:34
Logan Howard
and take Take pictures of that trophy. We want to see it.
01:30:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah The logo is desperate for more interaction for you guys. There's unfixures in the trophy. Even blot out your own faces if you don't want us to see how good looking you are.
01:30:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh, thank you so much for joining in. It's been great to be back with you again after four weeks or so.
01:30:55
Logan Howard
has been.
01:30:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
We will pray not to have such long delays. Again, it's just been a ah manic, mad, crazy month in many respects. Good, good, good, crazy and then in many areas, but but just nuts.
01:31:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
But I just pray the blessings of God over every one of you now under the sign of my voice, even those of you who had clicked on this video and then tagged out before getting to this point. um And we just pray that the Lord, who knows your situation better than you do, and who knows the challenges and opposition facing you better than you do.
01:31:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
And who cares for a righteous outcome? More than you do. And who wants you to flourish, prosper, and emerge as more than a conqueror? Even more than you do. We pray the Lord's report into that situation. That even if you're right now you're in a cocoon, metamorphosing, in your caterpillar state, that you will emerge as the butterflies.
01:32:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
that you'll be a moon reflecting the glory of His light, the light of the Son of God. The Son of Righteousness, the S-U-N, and the Son of God, the S-O-N, um that you would shine His light more beautifully, more powerfully, more authoritatively than you ever have before. But as you step out in faith, His word real amps your feet.
01:32:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
Even something that you've heard today in our discussions um would just come back to your mind at does just the right time. You'd say, oh, i been right I've already been prepared for this. Oh, I've been equipped for this. Oh, I can glean something from that. So you're like, Ruth, picking up all the gleanings and putting it in your basket. um That it would go well with you. It would be well with your soul.
01:32:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
and that whatever areas you're struggling in right now or praying into, that by this time next week, within one week of hearing this video, you would have a testimony. The test would be over and the testimony would cut would have come that the mess would have been cleaned up and instead you emerge with a message of the goodness of God extended towards you.
01:33:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
In Jesus' name we pray in agreement, because there is power in agreement. There the Lord commands a blessing, don't you know? And God's people say, and then and man Amen, and Amen.
01:33:40
Logan Howard
Amen. Well, thank you friends. Thank you, Brendan, for your time. And we will see you all next time.
Contact Information and Audience Engagement
01:33:47
Logan Howard
um Again, you can find us from Dublin to Cleveland at gmail dot.com for sending emails, any of those kinds of stuff.
01:33:53
Logan Howard
um And you can also find us at our personal Instagram handles, BananaMan17, Brendan Thomas Merritts, White Hot Memes for Brendan on there.
01:34:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's supposed to
01:34:03
Logan Howard
Currently, it's unfortunately a lot of political stuff, but the White Hot Memes are coming back. so
01:34:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
be a higher learning base.
01:34:09
Logan Howard
Yeah. So we'll see you all next time. Have a wonderful evening. Thank you for your time. Bye friends.
01:34:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
um