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ReUnion 147
21 Plays21 days ago
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Transcript
Reunion and Easter Monday Reflection
00:00:06
Logan Howard
Hello and welcome to From Dublin to Cleveland. I'm Logan Howard, and it has been a long, long, long, probably two months at this point that I have seen the man across the screen from me, which is the one and only Brendan Thomas Merritt.
00:00:22
Logan Howard
How is it going, Brendan? What have you been doing for the last two months?
00:00:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hey, broski. um Well, I made up for some of your slacking by making some episodes.
00:00:36
Logan Howard
This is true.
00:00:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
a
00:00:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
And what else did i do i I don't know. have such a busy life. i kind of forget from one end the week to the next. It all just blurs together. um Well, today is event holiday in Ireland.
1916 Proclamation and Cliff Walk Incident
00:00:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
We always celebrate on Easter Monday. um the Easter Monday uprising of 1916, when Irish heroes met in the streets and parks of Dublin city centre and said that, being halfway through World War I, of course,
00:01:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
um England's distraction was Ireland's opportunity. um So they rose up against the British Empire and to deal with them once and for all.
00:01:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
And we released the 1916 Proclamation of Independence, in which recognised that all Irishmen and women were equal before God, and those at home and those afar,
00:01:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
And basically encapsulated what the soul of the nation would be a in its most idealized form. And then what else happened today?
00:01:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
i went to County Dublin to a place called Hoth for a cliff walk. Now, normally avoid Dublin like a plague when I did not arrive.
00:02:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
Think of how like right wing Englishmen think of London. Or how, you know, right-wingers in the USA think of California. To me, that's that's that's Dublin.
00:02:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
And Mary Lou McDonald, don't come against me in the future when I run for office and try to use this clip against me. It's not that I have a person of Indiana against Dublin. I just can't be bothered. It's not a working day. i don't want to be there.
00:02:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
But it is only an hour away. It's incredibly scenic. So I went with a couple friends, Alicia, who lives in Germany, and who lives in the county of Dublin.
00:02:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
And we just had the most wonderful walk. And then at one point, Alicia was like, oh, oh there's a cave. And I said, oh well, let's go there. In those tones of voice, of course.
00:02:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
and And I was like, I walked over to it. They're like, oh hang on. there's There's no real way down to the cave. You're way up hundreds of meters on on the cliff. And the cave was in the middle of the sea all the way down. and But there's no real logical path.
00:03:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I said, let's make one. So there was some mud. I stepped in the mud. Yes, it had just rained earlier in the day. So I slipped and I rolled and I tumbled in every direction that is humanly and inhumanly possible.
00:03:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
And my clothes were just an absolute state. And I was wearing like, you know, white clothes. So it looks like I'd crapped myself seven ways to Sunday. It was shocking.
Injury Aftermath and Personal Loss
00:03:37
Logan Howard
Mmm.
00:03:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. And then he eventually had like, crawl my way up out of it as though was on me from a grave. Got to stop, and my finger, my middle finger, not sticking my finger up at you, just pointing to the screen, was particularly painful, especially, you like, under the nail. And I was like, what is this?
00:03:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
So basically, and
00:04:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
grass and dirt. if just If you feel you're going to get sick, how to stop? But grasslander got lodged under the nail ah but out until about halfway down the nail.
00:04:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh my goodness, the absolute, abject agony. So I've got a strong pain threshold, so I said nothing. And we continued walking along the cliffs, finished the trail, went out for some seafood and restaurant afterwards.
00:04:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
And all the while I had my hands under the table. was trying to, you know, massage it with my right thumb. Almost tried to push the mud and the grass to like the the surface of the nail.
00:04:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
And at some point, I just had to say, this is really sore. Because Neda's a doctor. And she was like, Brendan, when did I start hurting? was like, it's not hurting, it's throbbing.
00:04:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I said, it's at the same time.
00:04:54
Logan Howard
ah president
00:04:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
So ever since. Who's there?
00:05:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Is that your family?
00:05:03
Logan Howard
no
00:05:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Unless I'm hearing things. Hello, Howard family member.
00:05:11
Logan Howard
no
00:05:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
I just heard a little Brenda. I don't think my ears are heard, just my finger. and And she said, Bren, you have to get all that removed.
00:05:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I was like, Asher be grand, it'll it'll come up eventually. And she was like, Brandon, this isn't like when a splinter gets stuck in, like, you know, youre your flesh and it pops out of the skin.
00:05:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
She said, this has to manually be extracted.
00:05:35
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:05:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was thinking, are you messing?
00:05:41
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:05:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
And she Brandon, this is what I do for a living. Not that she looks people's fingernails for a living, which was like medocity.
00:05:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I was like,
00:05:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
no, but you're big grand. They'll just come out, be grand. And she said, Ren, if you leave that in there, she said, you're looking one heck of an infection underneath your fingernail.
00:06:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
She said, the flesh under, which I knew was still obvious so obvious, she said, the flesh under your fingernail is so tender, so raw, that she said that you've literally got something wedged in between nail and flesh.
00:06:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
There's supposed to be no space there, nothing in between there.
00:06:25
Logan Howard
Thank you.
00:06:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I was like, stop speaking. Like, i had just eaten, like, a full massive pot of mussels and a big pot of scampi and chips.
00:06:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
I could feel it
Flu Struggles and Funeral Commitment
00:06:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
coming up my throat in the middle of the restaurant. And she was like, you have no idea how serious this is. And I was thinking, okay, if I try to remove it, we're talking trauma.
00:06:55
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:06:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
and And if I do nothing, We're talking serious, long-term drama. So I said, chick, I just have to figure out which of those is more important to me.
00:07:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then it kind of dawned on me that I'd have to deal with the but the trauma of the drama eventually. And I said, ah, crap on things. So I drove home after that and literally spent two and a half hours locked in the bathroom and clipping my fingernail as long as it could go.
00:07:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I had a pin from like a cushion, and I was like...
00:07:37
Logan Howard
Oh, God.
00:07:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
For two and a half hours.
00:07:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
Absolutely agonizing. And just before I sent you the text, like, hey, bro, are you free today to record? u Is tomorrow better for you? And just a few minutes before that, I'd finally finished two and a half hours in the bathroom doing this.
00:08:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
And was hoping you would say, ah sorry, bro. You were so late in texting me. i was already busy. Let's do tomorrow. Because I was in such agony, i literally just wanted to fill hot water bottle and curl into bed.
00:08:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
And then you were like, today's perfect. And I was like, crap on things. So yeah.
00:08:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
But I laughed through it
00:08:29
Logan Howard
Oh, oh.
00:08:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
it. but That's me.
00:08:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
Sorry if finding anyone's getting her token at home.
00:08:36
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:08:39
Logan Howard
Well, you know, while we've got them, while we've got them here, I might as well tell the story that happened literally the day of my grandpa's funerals viewing. um So, of course, of course.
00:08:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. Yeah. know obviously see
00:08:52
Logan Howard
Gary, like last time I had said to pray for my grandfather, uh, he passed away a couple of weeks ago. Um, and so we've been going through that process. Um, for the most part, I would say that it's, uh, I know he he's in a better place. He's with his Lord and savior.
00:09:09
Logan Howard
Um, and we miss him. Uh, he, it is not the same. And he was a great storyteller. Um, you know like like brendan is and even i learned a lot of things from him without me even processing that i was learning things from him um he taught me a lot of how to tell stories what's that
00:09:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
You can call me your grandfather going forward if it makes you feel better. You can call me your grandfather going forward if it makes you feel better.
00:09:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
Gross skills out of 2022. twenty twenty two
00:09:37
Logan Howard
So 2022. So the day of the of the viewing, um so i I mean, I was basically a tightly ball, a tight ah ball of you like yarn at this point, because there was school going on.
00:09:55
Logan Howard
um I had to prep for ah
00:09:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:09:59
Logan Howard
prep for our young adults thing. We were starting our brand new young adults event. It was happening on Thursday. Wednesday was my grandpa's funeral. So I had to ask off of work and I had to, you know, plan all, give all the lessons plans to the substitute so that she could do all of the work for me.
00:10:16
Logan Howard
And then on Tuesday, i am trying to get all these plans together. And, you know, it's been a long weekend of my grandpa just passed away over the weekend. And so there was just all this chaos going on of things that I had to do.
00:10:28
Logan Howard
So I wake up on Tuesday and I'm like, I don't feel good. um Like, I don't really want to eat food. I don't really want to go to work. um But I have to because we're in kind of a crisis with how many days we've had substitutes at our school. So I'm like, I got to take this one for the team.
00:10:49
Logan Howard
I'm going to show up. We're going to get this done. So um I didn't eat much, maybe some water and a little bit of a cliff bar or something like that, some kind of like granola bar.
00:11:00
Logan Howard
And so marched my way to school, still feeling very miserable. um And then it like, we have our opening at school, it goes pretty normally.
00:11:12
Logan Howard
And then it like just nails me about, right as I get my first class of the day, I just start to feel this like, ah very twisting in my stomach, like I'm going to lose my lunch.
00:11:25
Logan Howard
And I'm like, this is not good. This is... What was that?
00:11:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
It was the granola bar, wasn't it? That's a smell some.
00:11:32
Logan Howard
No. So, you would think it would be the grimoire bar. um You'd think. But what had happened the week before was every member of my family who had gone and visited my grandpa or had like been around him, they had all had violent, like...
00:11:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
Proceeds.
00:11:49
Logan Howard
You know, violent flu. They had all like puked and all that stuff. And so when I met them on like Saturday or Sunday, I thought it was over. You know, they're healthy. No big deal.
00:12:01
Logan Howard
um Apparently this thing just somehow got everywhere to everyone. Like it was maybe airborne. I don't know what it was. But this this thing just weaseled its way into into me on a Tuesday afternoon when I'm supposed to go to my grandpa's viewing immediately after school is done. like I had to leave early.
00:12:22
Logan Howard
um
00:12:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
What?
00:12:23
Logan Howard
So I was just like feeling it at the first class, and I was just like, i I don't feel good. So I basically told the other teacher that had the third grader, out third graders, so i was like, i don't feel good. Can you take them? And she's like, yeah.
00:12:36
Logan Howard
So then I told the principal, I'm like, I don't feel good. And she's like, you look terrible. I'm like, I feel terrible.
00:12:42
BrendanThomasMarrett
but
00:12:43
Logan Howard
So I'm like, ah ah let me see if I can make it through. So then I go back to my room and I try to be like, okay, if I just, you know, do all the kumbayas, feel okay. And then immediately out it comes just violently ill.
00:12:59
Logan Howard
um And I go, I don't feel comfortable to drive home because it's a 45 minute drive. And if I feel terrible now, I'm going to feel terrible. Like as I'm driving home and I do not want to turn my car into a like,
00:13:14
Logan Howard
sick chamber, um, and be puking against the windscreen.
00:13:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
for
00:13:18
Logan Howard
So I'm like, that is not happening. So I called my mom and dad, they came and got me. They had already, my dad had already had off of work because he, uh, for the funeral and everything.
00:13:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:13:30
Logan Howard
So, um, So i they drive me
Community Building Amidst Challenges
00:13:34
Logan Howard
home. Of course, I am violently ill as we're driving home because every bump and every turn is just like bleh. So then I spent the next five hours laying on my bed, and I would wake up every 30 45 minutes and go puke go back to bed 45 minutes puke, go back to bed.
00:13:54
Logan Howard
it was horrid. I was terrified. I was not going to be able to make it to the funeral the next day. Um, and, uh, yeah, I was bad. So I had like seven, eight, nine o'clock at night. The viewing was already going on. So I didn't get to see any of the people who would say, you know, catch up on all the people you haven't seen a long time.
00:14:13
Logan Howard
Um, I finally started feeling better. i was sitting out in the living room. you know I started like taking little bites of food here and there, little crackers and whatever, to see if they'd stay down. Everything stayed down.
00:14:25
Logan Howard
um So then I eventually felt well enough that I was like, I can make it to the funeral because I had to speak at the funeral. So I was like... Uh, I had top billing. I was speaking for one of my dad's brothers. So my uncle, um, he had written some really good words, but he did not feel comfortable standing in front of everybody.
00:14:45
Logan Howard
So he asked me to to speak. And so the whole thing in my thought was, I'm like, I have to go for this. I have to do this. I have to speak. So I ended up dragging my tired, half-dead body to the funeral, um saying the words I need to say. ah People all thought I was like some kind of like professional speaker.
00:15:05
Logan Howard
And I'm like, look, I do this for a living every day. i have a podcast. I preach sometimes. like This is just second nature at this point. It is a lot of practice. It is not due to you know Logan's exceptional talent or skill. It's just practice, practice, practice, practice.
00:15:23
Logan Howard
um So it went well. The funeral went well. And then everybody got sick after it. I fell over the wall. I fell
00:15:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
During the speech, blah, blah, blah.
00:15:37
Logan Howard
over the wall. I felt terrible. we had We went over a couple days later to my grandma's house, and one of my great aunts was there. And, oh man.
00:15:49
Logan Howard
It was right as she was just getting sick. And she's um um she's a southern lady, so she has quite ah what a southern drawl to her ah to how she speaks.
00:15:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh no.
00:16:01
Logan Howard
And... no! Oh! now
00:16:06
Logan Howard
so It was so terrible and hilarious at the same time.
00:16:17
Logan Howard
So, yeah, it was it was quite an eventful time. I'm sure my grandfather either found it hilarious or was appalled by what happened.
00:16:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
He saw him making it all about himself.
00:16:33
Logan Howard
sex but
00:16:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah of The other limelight of my big day. That's very sad of funny sightseeing.
00:16:42
Logan Howard
Oh, yeah. So that was that was kind of the big stuff that's happened. my Again, we had the whole grandpa's funeral. um had but We've lost somebody for the year at school. One of my friends, he's going to be out for a little while with...
00:17:00
Logan Howard
ah I don't know how to say it, but he he's just out for the next tomb well next month because we only have three weeks of school left. I'm on spring break this week, which is nice.
00:17:13
Logan Howard
It felt like spring break would never come because it was so late in the year this year. But we made it and have survived to this point, so we have three weeks of school left. um The young adult group on the Thursday went really well. ah i had I felt like there was a lot of... um demonic forces trying to get me not to go that day.
Spiritual Warfare and Ministry Updates
00:17:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
a
00:17:38
Logan Howard
um cause I, I felt like I had a lot of built in natural excuses to not go, you know, grandfather just passed away. and just felt violently ill the week before or the days before, um,
00:17:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:17:51
Logan Howard
I had a busy work schedule. I had to go back to school ah for another day. And there was just but like a lot of reasons. And like my whole personality was just like, I need to to just say, no, this is too many things.
00:18:04
Logan Howard
And I'm like, it's once a month, like once every other month, even you can do this. You're relied upon for this. So i i I ended up going and it was a lovely time and meeting new people. I knew four people, five people there out of the 20 that came, 25 that came.
00:18:26
Logan Howard
So that was really awesome.
00:18:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow.
00:18:28
Logan Howard
Yeah. It seems like there is just this huge need for connection and it doesn't really have boundaries in terms of ages. um It is a is a society where we're at as we need connection. We need that um ah meeting people and real people.
00:18:49
Logan Howard
We have so much online stuff and where everybody lives on a TV screen, which again, that's what we do for our podcast. But... you Yeah,
00:19:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Instagram Facebook and fake YouTube. Yeah.
00:19:04
Logan Howard
that's what do we do for all of that, right? we We use all that. That's what you're listening to right now.
00:19:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:19:08
Logan Howard
It was just a a good reminder of how much we need those human connections to. Like the the internet connections can be good as long as you're not 100% living on there all the time because you just can easily get very lonely. So...
00:19:22
Logan Howard
so Yeah. And I've through this past two months, I've been working through a book that has been talking about finding your heart um and like how it's, how it's a bit lost sometimes. And it's really because we let the devil into our lives too much.
00:19:37
Logan Howard
We let him run rampant in our, you know, what we watch or what we think, or even we've let him in at some point, we make agreements about ourselves. We make ourselves, we say about ourselves that we're stupid or terrible or, um,
00:19:52
Logan Howard
Idiots or any of those things that we say about ourselves that we would never say about somebody else But we say it about ourselves and we kind of make those agreements that God would never say about us um So that has been kind of a eye-opening thing of how much the The demonic forces influence our existence, not only in America, but just around the world. it is like the devil wants us to be fruitless and useless. That is his purpose and mission.
00:20:20
Logan Howard
And he succeeds way more than we probably should let him.
00:20:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
Amen. Wow.
00:20:26
Logan Howard
so and And it's not so much that he you know possesses us. It's not like he owns our soul and our spirit, but more that he just like is in in our ah our struggles and our weaknesses and just is like stabbing us and making us useless and fruitless.
00:20:42
Logan Howard
um Because he can't really take us away from God's hands. He can't really um you know change our eternal destiny. But he can make it so that we don't impact anyone else, that we don't make it past ourselves.
00:20:55
Logan Howard
um so And I'm sure, Brendan, you've seen that a lot recently.
00:21:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
Indeed I have. And you know what, guys? You can take that word to the bank. It's come from a Baptist. A Baptist just mentioned demons. will Mark the weight of this moment. Seriously.
00:21:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
but The last Baptist who, I don't know, I thought made that big an impression was like but Wigglesworth or Smigglesworth or something. The Baptist guy who rose the dead.
00:21:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
But oh my goodness, it's so true. Because... and then Firstly, to come back to what what you said about the young adults, actually. um
00:21:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
Credit where credit is due. Your yeah churches just despise young adults and single people. Video, the YouTube version, probably your most watched version in about two years.
00:21:51
Logan Howard
is it
00:21:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
i was watching it.
00:21:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's actually been so popular because think just resonates with with where people are at. It's just, it's true.
00:21:59
Logan Howard
Wow.
00:22:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah
00:22:01
Logan Howard
That's impressive.
00:22:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
It is, so well done. um Our best video is one I wasn't even in.
00:22:09
Logan Howard
Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
You took your team once. But had reasons, you had things going on.
00:22:13
Logan Howard
um
00:22:17
Logan Howard
yeah
00:22:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah I mean, I have a couple different ministries going on. um I have Joshua Generation Church, which i I'm pastor of. Still not sure how that happened, but God's God.
00:22:30
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:22:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
um Then as well, as some friends in the USA and UK co-founded Open House Ministries and we're having a major revival event in Ireland in June, on the 21st of June. and Let's see if you're free, people. Come, check it out.
00:22:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Have some fun with us. ah Description the box below. and And then, what's college? Another one where I do basic topics on Wednesdays.
00:23:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's very unimpressive, unimaginative name, Discipleship Wednesday, but it does exactly what it says in the tin. And we kind of look at all sorts of this, that, and the other. But oh my goodness. aim Yeah, I think we've identified three witches.
00:23:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I'm talking incantation, chanting, pendulum swinging. i am but demon-filled women that, well, for some of them, probably just stalled out of the darkness entirely.
00:23:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
um Others, I think, want to have one foot in the kingdom of light and one foot in the empire of darkness. i And, yeah, just meeting up with their covens and casting curses and this Christian and that one and touching that one and making them sick, all sorts of mad nonsense.
00:23:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
And so yeah, it's, it's, it's no laughing matter. Um, we are in days of such intense spiritual warfare. Um, and it's funny, I, and, uh, just Sunday, I've got one, um, congregant who's 90 and he,
00:24:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
and yeah I run churching so casually, you wouldn't even believe everyone's able to have their say. she just piped up randomly at one point. It just goes, it just me?
00:24:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
Or did everyone everyone's life turn crap the moment you became a Christian? The whole room put up their hands and were like, yeah.
Authenticity in Ministry and Personal Reflections
00:24:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I didn't even have to explain it. She just said, kind of feels like the moment you get good with God and you start moving and the things of him, the enemy says, no, steal, kill, destroy. and I was like...
00:24:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Praise Jesus. It's going in. I'm saying it's going in.
00:24:55
Logan Howard
Word come the Lord.
00:24:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
to the war. a World War never ending. and But you know what? It's so true. And it's just like Logan said, God gave this new ministry for him to start up, to establish.
00:25:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
And they all got to turn out at 20. So you young, its infancy is amazing. It shows the hunger, the fire, the passion. Also i the trust your leader is having you, which superb.
00:25:27
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And yeah, it's just like the enemy to try to abort something godly in its infancy. And because people learn about their identity in Jesus um and who he really and truly is,
00:25:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
Well, then you're able to tear down the strongholds that the enemy has built in your mind. And the thing with the strongholds, the stronghold is it's it's a castle, a fortress, or a prison, or both.
00:26:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
And people often talk about you know, don't give the devil a foothold. agree. Don't. But the thing is, if the enemy gets a foothold, but then as Logan put it, you come into agreement with the lie.
00:26:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
You come into agreement with the deception. No one loves me. No one ever will. I am alone. This is as good as it's ever gonna get.
00:26:30
Logan Howard
Uh-huh.
00:26:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'll be dead by age 27, whatever it is.
00:26:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
Suddenly you have a stronghold. The foothold is the doorway. The stronghold is when you apply the cement and you throw in some bricks yourself.
00:26:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
and people are walking around with literal empires inside of them full of strongholds, full of towers. um They're not stepping into the absolute goodness God has for them, the fullness of life, but they look around, they absolutely see the enemy stealing, killing, and destroying, and it's basically because they have come into agreement with the stronghold, they've solidified themselves,
00:27:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
And you don't just pray those away. They have to be torn down and the violent take it by force. It requires rethinking, reimagining, leaving what you wanted to be true, what you thought was true, what so-and-so said, and stepping into God reality.
00:27:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
Who he is, finished work often the cross and the empty grave, hashtag it's Easter, and your identity in Christ. There are three of the major ones. And then there are others as well, depending on what the issue is.
00:27:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um, but, uh, freedom is possible. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be here telling you it is every week or once every two months as per Logan's availability.
00:28:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
Super villain laugh. Um, but no, I, I love that. Yes, it's been a bit of a, a mad start to the year. Most definitely. Um, but, uh,
00:28:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
God is enlarging tents. Very definitely. um He's entrusting us with more people, more lives. And I would say more people, more problems. and I don't even like like mobile phones.
00:28:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I'm almost never off them. Days like this when I go for hikes and nature walks, this is my getting away time. Other than that, I'm always canceling somebody, doing delivery somebody, you praying for somebody, giving advice to somebody.
00:28:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
telling somebody the same thing I've told them 17 times already that no, that haven't chosen to believe or done. that That's the job. and And I don't know what I'm saying all this. I just hope I've somehow answered whatever it was you wanted me to say.
00:29:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
Like Michael Scott, you know, sometimes I'll just start a sentence and hope that I find my way to the end of that.
00:29:05
Logan Howard
Find a way. Yeah. yeah No, i think you I think you did get to that. I think even in in that answer without you even knowing, it it fits right into your protecting your heart, right?
00:29:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
but
00:29:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:29:20
Logan Howard
Because you you have to take time to get away from that stuff. Like if you if you only committed to doing that, like for the next three or four years, eventually you would become burned out.
00:29:33
Logan Howard
And you would quit what you do. Like you have to take time to invest in your heart um and do things that you enjoy.
00:29:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's great.
00:29:40
Logan Howard
And part of that for some of us, I'm probably one of these people is finding out what is it do I actually enjoy doing? Like, I have spent so much time investing in other people and doing things for others that do you even know what you really want to do or what you like to do?
00:29:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Wow.
00:29:55
Logan Howard
And so you have to like start to find that a little bit. Um, but like you said, getting out in nature, that is a huge, a huge thing that people don't do anymore.
00:29:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
True.
00:30:04
Logan Howard
Um, and it is a good place to see God, especially if you go with friends, even by yourself, you can see, uh, you can see the creator God and what he's created and what he's doing in life. Um, And it gets you to sort of slow down that process of the crazy winding circle that it feels that life can be when you've got so many people who depend on you and rely on you and need you at every waking hour of the day.
00:30:30
Logan Howard
sleep
00:30:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm like, that's a sleeping hour.
00:30:34
Logan Howard
in the morning. Yeah.
00:30:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
I wake at 6 a.m. with 21 messages and four missed calls. I'm like, did you think I was going answer this? Did you think was going to answer this? Did you?
00:30:45
Logan Howard
ah Clearly you didn't.
00:30:50
Logan Howard
You don't know me well again.
00:30:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
You lied.
00:30:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
You said you came, but you lied. You lied.
00:30:54
Logan Howard
flip So I have a question. How many people do you have coming to your discipleship things that you have um or your church services as you would call them?
00:31:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Awesome sauce. ah Um... Open House Ministries probably has 70 to 80 members right now.
00:31:16
Logan Howard
Wow.
00:31:16
Logan Howard
Wow.
00:31:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
Um...
00:31:18
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, it's... I've got to start by six months old. a On average, you're probably looking at...
00:31:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
We do that one on Zoom because international. You're probably looking at maybe 20 Zoom rectangles. But then you have, like, some spaces and kids in there too, you know?
00:31:35
Logan Howard
Yeah, yeah.
00:31:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
um Wednesdays, I'll be honest, I haven't checked in a while. I think there's somewhere between 20 and 30 people.
00:31:44
Logan Howard
Nice.
00:31:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah You're probably looking about anywhere from the 9 to 19 Zoom rectangles. Because again, I do that one internationally through Zoom.
00:31:53
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:31:57
BrendanThomasMarrett
and And then on Sundays, let me see...
00:32:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
maybe seven people in person. and And then I also, God just told me in a dream, you Zoom and use a room. And I was like, I'm messing.
00:32:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm leaving 31-year-old established church of 500 congregants to stand at a Zoom link in my center room, which is tiny.
00:32:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I said, okay, okay. So then send out a Zoom link as well. And then we'll have ah couple of my friends from Kenya join.
00:32:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
um a friend living in Nigeria. He's Irish, but in Nigeria.
00:32:44
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:32:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah But could be a friend from Finland. A friend from Wales. um So about seven in the room. And you're looking maybe six or so on the Zoom.
00:32:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
and And then there'll be times when God might say, okay, now we'll just call this person another European nation and do deliverance, whatever whatever it looks like.
00:33:09
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:33:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
I just told God we would, the vision statement would be, want to see the dead alive, the banned, freed, the called, equipped, and meet the needs of the day, whatever they are, that the Joshua generation would not be a place, but a people.
00:33:18
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:33:27
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:33:31
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:33:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
Slap a hashtag on that, Satan.
00:33:39
Logan Howard
Yeah, no, that is, that is really exciting and encouraging to hear. Um, think in such and a day and age, and I think we've, we've probably talked about it and maybe you even covered it some on your, um, you know, apocalypse of the age or whatever, but like it's been with, with, with church and stuff.
00:33:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
Totally not the same idea, but okay.
00:34:00
Logan Howard
It's been, it's been a lot of, um, inauthentic people running churches. Um,
00:34:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm-hmm. Great job.
00:34:08
Logan Howard
A lot of fakes.
00:34:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
He's actually not handed.
00:34:09
Logan Howard
lot of fakes. the
00:34:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's true.
00:34:13
Logan Howard
Part of the reason why you're in the situation you're in, the part of the reason why the situation i'm in I'm in is because of those people who have been fake, and we realize, hey, that's not right. like That's not the way ministry needs to be done.
00:34:26
Logan Howard
um Like, it's not—I don't want to—I want to make it clear that, like, everybody's ministry is to go and spread the gospel and to share it.
00:34:34
Logan Howard
But not everybody's ministry is to be a pastor. Like, not everybody's equipped and built for that, unfortunately. I think a lot of people, at least here in America—I don't know if that's the same for you, but, like, a lot of people in Christian circles just think that, oh, it's easy life being a pastor, and it's easy doing it.
00:34:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
00:34:50
Logan Howard
So I might as well just, you know, out I can always just do ministry for the rest of my life.
00:34:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yes. Mm.
00:34:54
Logan Howard
And you're like— Okay, yes, but also you need to do stuff that you're you're skilled at, where God has gifted you, not just um because you can do it.
00:34:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm.
00:35:05
Logan Howard
That's always been my heart. A lot of people said, Logan, you should be a pastor. You should do that. And I'm like, uh... I don't know if I'm gifted that way. I think that God has given me abilities to do certain things like that, but I don't know. And then it seemed as time's gone on, God has shown that more to be ah possible reality in the future.
00:35:27
Logan Howard
Because you need authentic people doing this ministry. You need people who actually care about the people that are under them, not who are just out there to collect a paycheck or whatever.
00:35:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
wash
00:35:37
Logan Howard
look cute or get the praise and admiration or the power. Because, you know, being a pastor can be pretty powerful. Like, you can go places that other people can't go. You can say things that other people can't necessarily say. You get to speak into people's lives that other people can't do.
00:35:56
Logan Howard
um But it's not... the The purpose is not power. It's not like, um oh, now I just get paid to just say whatever I want. Like... you can't you shouldn't You shouldn't think that way.
00:36:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:36:09
Logan Howard
And you should also be genuine in what you're doing, really. I think that's that's the way Paul was. That's the way the apostles were. They lived their lives out on display.
00:36:20
Logan Howard
um And as you know, with Peter, he made a lot of mistakes. That brother was getting trouble every other week, whether it was ah not eating with the Gentiles and eating with the Jews, whether it was saying something stupid, not saying something he should have said.
00:36:36
Logan Howard
um That guy was always in trouble, um but he was real. He wasn't a fake person. He didn't. put on you know the The only time he got called out for being ah two-faced was when he did that whole like not eat with the Gentiles, eat with the Jews.
00:36:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
For
00:36:51
Logan Howard
But he quickly got back on where he needed to do as soon as Paul went. Come on, get your ass together.
00:37:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
for those who i couldn't hear, he said act, because this is a PG. Okay, so get your act together, just in case there's anybody. a He's got a knife like a sailor, though, once he presses the hang-up button. um You know what?
00:37:22
BrendanThomasMarrett
It's it's so true because i think a lot of ah people see the platform the pastors have and they think, oh, wow you know, i would love for people to know what I have to say.
00:37:31
Logan Howard
Hmm.
00:37:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
You know, I've got things to say and share that absolutely no paths throughout whole wide world shares. But if people knew what I know, well, I would fix all the churches, all the global church's problems.
00:37:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
Let me tell you people, without being manipulative about it or looking for a platform, I've tried. And the reason I am where I am and I'm doing what I'm doing is God told me church culture is a beast.
00:38:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
And with have everything I know and everything I do and all the people who trust me and know me and love me and expect me to speak into what they go through and share with me the most vulnerable points of pain, God told me, you son will not change church culture.
Church Culture and Spiritual Battles
00:38:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
That's how rife and wicked it is. So
00:38:33
Logan Howard
Mm-hmm.
00:38:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
we do need to drop the illusions here. we have about pastoral life. And as Logan said so beautifully and so importantly there, it's not just about the teaching, but do you actually care about the people?
00:38:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
Being a pastor is being a shepherd. Do you actually have a crook in your hand and you're willing to fight back? When you're leading a ministry and you, and you know what, you do want to play the numbers game because you feel like you have to mumble into a glass when someone asks, well, how many congregants do you have? Cause you know, they've got more and you had to kick someone out two weeks ago for being a witch and has them hexes and the other members.
00:39:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
Do you care enough about the people to actually deal with that? Do you care enough about the people to pray for longer than 20 seconds? Cause I'm sorry. You're not going to revive your nation on 20 seconds of prayer day. It's not going to happen.
00:39:30
Logan Howard
o
00:39:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
um When someone's standing on a chair and calls you and says, hey, I've got a noose around my neck. Are you willing to be inconvenienced and give up your plans for the day but and bring life into that person?
00:39:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
People are messy. God's kids are as messy as everyone else is in the soul anyway.
00:39:49
Logan Howard
And
00:39:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
And are you willing to go the extra mile out God's love? Empowered by his love, compelled by his love. And if no one is interested in what you have to say, and no one's interested in turning up on a Sunday morning, but they want your attention for five hours on a Monday, not Logan, another hypothetical person.
00:40:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
um ah Just in case he's feeling raw right now, we're judged. um
00:40:21
Logan Howard
Bye.
00:40:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
Does someone only matter to you if they're putting tithes and offerings in your basket? Or do you care about the people in the margins? Do you care the people in the peripheries?
00:40:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
So it's not something you should look for. It's not something I looked for. It's not something I wanted. When people told me would be doing this, I said, not a chance.
00:40:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
When people prayed for me to do what I do, I said, Lord Jesus, I cancel their prayers in Jesus' name.
00:40:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
But God is looking for authenticity. And the reality is to every denomination, and I'm not talking about cults and sects, that's S-E-C-T-S, they all took a certain revelation of God.
00:41:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
Catholics, yes, there are saved Catholics. I know that's shocking for some people to hear. There are. No one teaches the Passion of Christ and the Stations Cross quite like they do. But then they added all this extra nonsense.
00:41:27
Logan Howard
Yep. yep
00:41:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
You have the Lutherans, originally built on, know, sanctification and holiness. And then there were things that they just didn't want to deal with that was too messy. um You have Pentecostals who are like, you know, God has gifts for his kids and you should see the fruit of Holy Spirit in people's lives.
00:41:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And then they went a little bit crazy, a bit mad in other areas. You've got the Word of Faith people who say the Bible is not just a book, but actually history repeats itself.
00:42:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
Like Ecclesiastes says it does. There's nothing under the sun. So what can we claim for the Word and speak into our day? And then you've got some who are afraid to say that they're sick in case the devil jumps into them.
00:42:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
But the dispensationalists, they're like, you know what? There was a certain time when Jesus dealt with everyone from Adam to Nimrod. primarily Israel from Abram to Acts 15.
00:42:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
fifteen Now it's a Gentile, the end rapture, then Israel again. But if you say you had a dream from the Lord, they'd probably look at you like had two heads. And I think what God's doing now, these days, is you're going to see ah holysychking a holy holy earthquake in the body of Christ globally.
00:42:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
We can only really speak to the Western world because other countries where the church is underground are probably doing better than we are. Yes, they have their issues. But I think it will people where people are going to come back to the revelation that they first had.
00:42:56
Logan Howard
Yep.
00:43:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
they're going to shake off the nonsense. i am And God's going start raising them up. And it will look different and controversial and crazy and mad and manic and messy.
00:43:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
And that's okay. Because people are messy. And behold, says the Lord, I do a new thing.
00:43:18
Logan Howard
Yep.
00:43:22
BrendanThomasMarrett
And they're exciting days. it's exciting to be part of what God's doing on the earth.
00:43:27
Logan Howard
Yeah. I remember a time when i'm pretty sure if I had said some of the things that I've heard come out of your mouth on this podcast at my church,
00:43:41
Logan Howard
I probably would have been, like, excommunicated. Like, they probably would have said, why are you hanging out with this, like, lunatic over here? Like, he has these wild dreams and, you know, he's, like, casting out demons. Like, that doesn't happen in the real world anymore. That was a sign thing. And...
00:44:01
Logan Howard
Boy, has it been like, you know, I think it has been not only a blessing, but also a an opportunity for me to grow in my beliefs, you know, hearing Brendan say these kind of things. Because then I go, like, Brendan's genuine. He's not lying to me. He's not making things up just to go, oh, wow, look at this cool thing that happened to me.
00:44:21
Logan Howard
Sure. um
00:44:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm going ask in chat GPT how to make American Christians like you. Top 10 buzzwords. ah Deliverance. Casting.
00:44:37
Logan Howard
its
00:44:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah but Dream interpretation. Wow.
00:44:43
Logan Howard
Yeah, because there'll be things that, you know, at first at first you go, maybe he's just saying them as like ah just to be...
00:44:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
He's going be awesome.
00:44:51
Logan Howard
um
00:44:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Edgy.
00:44:53
Logan Howard
You know, edgy. Yeah. You know, kind of like titling the mess the the episode I did, ah The Church Hates Young Adults.
00:44:58
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:45:00
Logan Howard
I never said that, but it was a catchier title. But even as you hear you say those words, they they don't come from a place of like, oh, wow, look at this cool word that I know.
00:45:12
Logan Howard
It's like more that's actually what's going on and that's the way to define it. So, yeah. It has been quite a change because I think my old church, had I still been there, they and I would say something that you had spoken about or you know said about this dream or any of this kind of stuff, they probably would have been like, you need to stop hanging out with the crazy guy.
00:45:36
Logan Howard
if
00:45:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
My own extra that about me. I just don't care anymore. I just don't care.
00:45:42
Logan Howard
I know, I know. That's why I say If you cared about it, I wouldn't say it.
00:45:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Screw it. I'm miserable Jesus.
00:45:54
Logan Howard
like But Yeah. Yeah.
00:45:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
I breathe right through the mind and resurrected.
00:45:58
Logan Howard
yeah
00:45:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
I think it's
00:46:00
Logan Howard
Yeah, and it also it also gives me clarity as to why people um you know have such volatile comments about John Eldridge and his Wild at Heart book. And this book is because he addresses the heart issues and he talks about the demonic forces and what's actually going on in these situations that...
00:46:21
Logan Howard
is real. Like, if you, if you, um, but you, but you're believing a lie, if you think that Satan is just going to let us, like, leave us alone, and that his demons are just never going to affect us.
00:46:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:46:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:46:34
Logan Howard
Like, he is out to destroy, he's out to kill, he's out to make you useless, he's out to make you ineffective for the kingdom, and he can do it Pretty easily. We probably let him get away with more stuff than he probably should.
00:46:48
Logan Howard
Especially here in America, because we don't even acknowledge that he's... in this situation. um We like to think that demonic is more in somebody's music choices and how they sound rather than, oh a demonic situation is in your, you know, deciding or choosing to do something wrong against God.
00:47:08
Logan Howard
Like that's, that can be a demonic force to lead you that way.
00:47:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
Hmm.
00:47:11
Logan Howard
Or, you know, I'm really struggling with, ah you know, depression or I'm struggling with ah fear, I'm struggling with you know sexual sins or looking at something I shouldn't look at and realizing that that could be a demonic force that's trying to make you ineffective for the kingdom.
00:47:27
Logan Howard
um And we get so focused on, well, if I just you know but just fix my own life up, it'll be fine. And maybe one day it'll happen. Or if I just pray hard enough, God will just you know so just make that sin go away. In reality, it's probably a demonic force that's there that that has to be let go of and you have to figure out what is it that i was agreeing to that let that come into my life what is the thing that's in there it's not you're being possessed because possession is uh not a thing that someone who believes that jesus christ is their lord and savior and truly has their heart believing in him can be possessed however they can be influenced and manipulated and i think maybe even that's happening with um
00:48:10
Logan Howard
I see a lot on my social media whenever I go on is there are certain Christians who are anti-Trump, who burn Trump to the ground. How could you support this terrorist organization that throws humans out of our country?
00:48:26
Logan Howard
Okay, but are they supposed to be here? Like... yeah
00:48:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
I hear you ask that question. You thought right biggest. Real, literal Hitler, actual Nazi.
00:48:44
Logan Howard
Like, there's there's a passage I was just reading other day in Zephaniah, chapter 1, which a passage nobody reads because, like, nobody's reading Zephaniah. But... you read You read Zephaniah, and he's talking, he's having a conversation, or God is speaking about how Israel is walking away from the Lord, and he is going to punish them.
00:48:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
true.
00:49:05
Logan Howard
And his direct quote is, "...because they won't submit to me as their Lord and Savior, as their God, I am going to make them a sacrifice." I am going to get honor by sacrificing them to the Chaldeans at that point, the Babylonians. I am going to sacrifice them.
00:49:25
Logan Howard
um Which makes you think that God is going to get glory either by you sacrificing your life to him or He's going to get glory by destroying your life and ending you and sending you to hell.
00:49:40
Logan Howard
He's going to get glory one of either way. You get to decide which way it's going to be. One of them is going to lead to life abundant and ah he's going to be you know great and um it's going to be it's it's going to be hard It's going to be a rough life and this earth, but in heaven it's going to be so rewarding.
Young Adult Group Success and Challenges
00:49:58
Logan Howard
Or do you take the nice road here and have a
00:50:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
option.
00:50:02
Logan Howard
ah miserable life in the future.
00:50:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
ah
00:50:10
Logan Howard
Because as your as your congregant mentioned, how astute of, you know, our lives do get harder as Christians. Now, they also, they get better, I think, inwardly.
00:50:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
yes Yeah.
00:50:22
Logan Howard
They get harder outwardly. So, inwardly, you you find the peace
00:50:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
Unless you have the key to something I don't have. they just joking and joking and joking.
00:50:35
Logan Howard
inwardly your standing gets better most of the time unless you have that still that demonic presence within you um yeah like
00:50:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh, that's what happened to me, okay.
00:50:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
to yeah mon Go, go, go, You know, run Dovland to Cleveland at gmail.com and be like, is Brenzant okay?
00:50:52
Logan Howard
people are like he's got a demon who let him be a pastor what's going on
00:51:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Dot, dot, dot, questiont art question mark, question mark, suspicious eyes.
00:51:07
Logan Howard
And then I'm just going to respond it. You heard about the hangnail issue, right? You heard that he had issues with his finger.
00:51:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
like
00:51:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
then you point with that. It was his finger, don't you know?
00:51:21
Logan Howard
but You heard that, right? If you didn't...
00:51:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
And on his left hand.
00:51:31
Logan Howard
Oh, man. Oh, good times. Um...
00:51:37
Logan Howard
So what has been the best thing that you feel like has happened or you've done in the last two months? What has been the absolute best thing?
00:51:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
What kind of question
00:51:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
I unclogged the shower drain couple of days ago.
00:51:59
Logan Howard
Lame.
00:52:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
was beginning to smell really, really badly. mean
00:52:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
And you know what? I have, I've learned things I had not known before. and And I've learned to become more
00:52:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
and who Yeah, suppose I've learned to... Because I love teaching deep things, I do, and getting to the nitty-gritty of the Word. um And Wednesday Discipleship was meant to be have of an introduction to lot things. Now, I do need to kind of go back to that, I'll be honest.
00:52:41
BrendanThomasMarrett
um But I suppose the different topics I've been looking at recently have allowed me to kind of get back into the nitty-gritty. um But then being able to scale it back.
00:52:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
to take it back to the bare basics, especially on Sundays for newer congregants, for people weaker in their faith, new to exploring the Bible i and looking at a lot of Old Testament stories, but where the gospel ah the cross is hidden within that story.
00:53:04
Logan Howard
but
00:53:14
BrendanThomasMarrett
And yeah, just there on Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday, as personally like call it, one of the congregants asked for a Bible And they've never had before.
00:53:25
Logan Howard
Oh, that's...
00:53:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
So went to, it's really, really cool.
00:53:25
Logan Howard
awesome
00:53:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
So went to a Bible shop and bought two super-sized font Bibles. And I was like, you know, this one's got, it feels sturdier. love the leather cover.
00:53:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
said, this one's a bit on the floppier side. But look at that gold edging, that gold trim. And yeah, went for the bling. yeah.
00:53:51
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, it's it's been a learning curve for me and that in front. And then I got one of the young women as well who's been with me for over a year. And yesterday I gave her the opportunity to teach.
00:54:01
BrendanThomasMarrett
um I said, well, listen, I know you can. i know you're freaking out. I know you're not going want to. But I know you can teach the word because you learn from the best. wow So pointing you on the platform.
00:54:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
And no, she did a great job. So we recorded it. And I said, okay, I'm going to, at some point, sit down with you and we'll go through what needs changing, what was good, what didn't work so well, um where you try to cram too much in, where less would have been more, all those kinds of things.
00:54:35
BrendanThomasMarrett
So yeah, i just want to see people growing and flourishing the things I've got.
00:54:40
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:54:40
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah. What about you? What was the best? And then we'll do worst, because I've got an interesting one I haven't told you yet.
00:54:47
Logan Howard
Oh, boy. um So the best... um
00:54:52
Logan Howard
Honestly, it probably has been the the starting of the young adult group and then just hearing the that the like people came's hearts. um That was really cool.
00:55:03
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm.
00:55:04
Logan Howard
um and they You could tell how thirsty they were for that connection um because they were like, can we do this every week?
00:55:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
Mm. Fine.
00:55:15
Logan Howard
Can we do this every month? Can we do this way more frequently? It's
00:55:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
a
00:55:20
Logan Howard
it's like
00:55:21
BrendanThomasMarrett
i mean
00:55:22
Logan Howard
it's like, wow, this is ah this is a big need. like This is a problem that we have. like We knew it was a problem, but it's hard to ever realize how big that actually is. um
00:55:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:55:32
Logan Howard
And how much they really appreciated it, having an opportunity where they could they could come and they could meet people. um And I don't know the extent of how much that really impacted them, but the fact that they were willing to come and say that was really encouraging.
00:55:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:55:48
Logan Howard
I got to talk to one guy who Goes to a different church than me. um But he we had a really good conversation. he We got along pretty well. um He works at ah um like a local store, an outfitter store in our area, so for like tents and stuff.
00:56:05
Logan Howard
And so I got to ask him questions about what was going on and what he did. and um He said he was going to be doing um a drone drone capture, I guess, which was his new thing, which I was like, I was like, does that mean you're just like running around with like a net trying to grab drones out of the air?
00:56:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
00:56:25
Logan Howard
He was like, no, no, not what I do.
00:56:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was... Can people do this?
00:56:34
Logan Howard
people You paid for that?
00:56:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
this
00:56:40
Logan Howard
It was like, no no, I capture when hunters like shoot shoot the deer and I can like track the deer as it runs through the underbrush. And I'm like, oh okay. That makes way more sense.
00:56:53
Logan Howard
so
00:56:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay.
00:56:58
Logan Howard
um So that was that was kind of fun. But yeah, it was it really cool.
00:57:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:57:02
Logan Howard
Yeah. Yeah. So there was there was probably, i want to say, out of the 20 people, I probably talked to 10 or 15 of them.
00:57:13
Logan Howard
um So there are five that didn't, but they talked to other people. So I knew that they were at least getting that connection elsewhere.
00:57:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
time
00:57:19
Logan Howard
um So it it was it was really encouraging. um it makes It makes me wonder how much... um how much more leverage we can put into it, how much more can we do to make it more impactful.
00:57:32
Logan Howard
um
00:57:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
Screw
00:57:33
Logan Howard
Because I think at some point it's really going to be on each of them starting their own groups at their own churches um and starting that connection, like kind of spreading it out that way.
00:57:44
Logan Howard
um
00:57:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
them.
00:57:45
Logan Howard
Because our our mission isn't to say, oh just come to our church and join our church, because that doesn't really... You don't want all the hardworking, passionate people about their faith all at one church because that means the rest of the churches are like starving.
00:58:00
Logan Howard
um
00:58:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
um
00:58:07
Logan Howard
um So some some things to work through. We're going to have a discussion on Wednesday about it and so like a review um and what we want to do and where we're going. So that'll be encouraging for Wednesday.
00:58:22
Logan Howard
But that has has been one of my, like I was really looking forward to that. And then just seeing how much like demonic influence and stuff that was going on in my own life of how he was trying to drag me out of doing this shows me how important it is and like how much it's needed and um how
00:58:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah.
00:58:43
Logan Howard
like it can be a really huge thing. um
00:58:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
00:58:46
Logan Howard
not Not so that I get any glory out of it. i I could easily pass it on to someone else and they could do just as well of a job. But um just that but it's a need that needs taken care of.
Everyday Frustrations and Spiritual Reflections
00:58:58
Logan Howard
So that has been... Super encouraging that it it fits the need, that we weren't actually insane when we were coming up with this, and that people who we had never met actually decided to come out on a Thursday night of all nights and meet people.
00:59:14
Logan Howard
So...
00:59:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
Absolutely. But you know what? Don't be... Because again, God is doing a new thing.
00:59:21
Logan Howard
Mm-hmm.
00:59:21
BrendanThomasMarrett
So don't be surprised if... I always use halfway house because I know it's got prison or next con connotations.
00:59:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
But let's say, your mean don't be surprised if your ministry does become like they a meeting point, shall we say, where people from different congregations and different even fellowships, maybe some different doctrines, get to come together.
00:59:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
in a place of unity. Don't be, i would say, don't be surprised if it is to you what, let's say, Open House Ministries is to me or what the Wednesday Discipleship has become.
00:59:58
Logan Howard
Yeah.
00:59:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
Because again, I had no intention of people outside of the Josh Generation joining it, but it just very organically from day one took on international flair.
01:00:11
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:00:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And I would say,
01:00:13
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yes, perhaps at some point people will catch the fire and catch the vision and take it back to the local churches. But don't be surprised if them if God uses you to be a catalyst or that group to be a conduit for unity across different congregations, a place where people can come together, learn together, grow together, outside of the norm.
01:00:38
BrendanThomasMarrett
Because sometimes we We sell ourselves too short before something's even really taken off. We're already expecting its its end. um But don't be surprised if God does something unexpected.
01:00:52
Logan Howard
Very true. Very true. all right. So what is your low? What was your your low of your last two months?
01:00:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
This is such a first world problem, but i need to get off my chest. um For future reference, if... anyone who drives me to work watch this video i pray that the lord will have mercy in your souls and reveal the finished work of jesus christ but and the bus that i get to work um took a notion that they're no longer gonna give 10 trip paper tickets you had to use what's called the leap card and i was like why isn't taking my money half your job
01:01:26
Logan Howard
Okay.
01:01:34
Logan Howard
well
01:01:34
BrendanThomasMarrett
i'm like The price isn't going to go but you're doing less.
01:01:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
So I just thought, what absolute nonsense. So basically you had to order a card called the leap card and the symbol is a frog, know, leap.
01:01:52
Logan Howard
okay
01:01:53
BrendanThomasMarrett
And it's green because, you know, we live in Ireland. You know, leap from bus to train or coach to bus or whatever nonsense.
01:01:55
Logan Howard
Obviously.
01:02:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
um So I just said, right, good one. So you have to download an app called LeapCard app and wave the card around your phone in order for the money to want it.
01:02:11
Logan Howard
yeah
01:02:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, for the money on the phone app, wave your card for the money to jump onto the card, in whatever way it works. I don't know.
01:02:24
Logan Howard
oh my word.
01:02:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
I'm doing what the visual on the screen said, but apparently I didn't know correctly, but I haven't been denied bus fare yet, so who knows.
01:02:35
Logan Howard
Good.
01:02:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
so so, um, one Sunday i said, well, you know what? I should probably try to figure this out before I go on the bus tomorrow.
01:02:46
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:02:47
BrendanThomasMarrett
I loaded a LeapCard app, tried to put money on it to put on the card and wasn't happening. And I said, all right, uninstall the app. So un-loaded LeapCard app, installed that one.
01:03:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
It was even less helpful, un-install this. I was the first one thinking, maybe I misread something. I hadn't. Uninstalled it again. And then I saw TFI, whatever that stands for, LeapCard.
01:03:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I was like, oh, i think that's the one. Pressed it. Nothing happened. Pressed it. Nothing happened. Pressed it. Nothing happened. Read the fine print. Your phone is ineligible for this app.
01:03:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I thought, what twaddle. So, as always, you know, went to the Google and I said, you know, my phone cannot install the LeapCard app.
01:03:45
BrendanThomasMarrett
And basically every phone, correct, for anyone who's really techie, correct me if I get these letters wrong. But I think it said something like, him for phones that were created after 2021, they all have an nfc whatever the heck that is.
01:04:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
But I got mine in 2020. So it was like, you know, too old. and But NFC is basically a requirement on your phone in order to have a leap card or anything to put money on your phone or cards or whatever way that works.
01:04:17
Logan Howard
Uh...
01:04:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
But basically it just turned out that it wasn't going to happen. So I had a card, i had a phone, but the phone couldn't download the app, so the card was useless. And therefore I couldn't get a job. I had to get the bus ticket to work.
01:04:33
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I said, who thought this was a sensible idea? Honestly and truly. So the next morning, yeah i six o'clock, I sent my boss a message, an email, and I said, hi I hate to do this to you on a Monday morning, but I feel a bit, and didn't want speak sickness over my life.
01:04:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
grizzly this morning i thought grizzly was a very ambiguous adjective that perfectly sums up how i was feeling and my frustration on the inside without lying and i was like i have to take the day off and i'll see you tomorrow consider this a sick day though yeah i still get paid um and then had to go into a bus sorry bus shop a phone shop and i walked in and i said hey there Save your iPhones for someone who wants one.
01:05:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
I don't. I said, I'm looking for something cheap with a good camera um because I need to get a Leap card. And then the they sales assistant just goes, let me guess, your phone's six, seven years old and doesn't have an NFC.
01:05:43
BrendanThomasMarrett
And I was like, how many people have come into the shop with this exact problem?
01:05:46
Logan Howard
Yeah. Yeah.
01:05:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was like, what you have know? And he said, nothing. And I said, all right, then to the CEX shop I go, which is like a second half shop for phones and laptops.
01:06:00
Logan Howard
yeah
01:06:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
So I turned and walked out the door and he's like, no no, no, no, I have nothing. And I said, that's why I'm heading this way. And said, no, I have a nothing phone. And I was like, eh, nothing is the brand name.
01:06:15
BrendanThomasMarrett
I was like, what? So basically it's a nothing to a And the design, apparently, is that to recall the New York subway.
01:06:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
Now, I'm looking at it right now on my right.
01:06:31
Logan Howard
Bye.
01:06:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
Maybe I see the resemblance? But yeah, it's got a great camera. A better one than my old one had, anyway. and Still trying to figure out how to work it into kinks.
01:06:44
BrendanThomasMarrett
and Even when i have it on silent, I can still hear it going, ba-ting, whenever texts come through. So, yeah, figuring out it's fully but surely. But I think in total it was like, I don't know, 575 quid when I got like everything transferred over and all that crack.
01:07:01
Logan Howard
Oof.
01:07:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
So, is and that was just a fountain, just to get the app.
01:07:06
Logan Howard
Oof.
01:07:06
BrendanThomasMarrett
So it turned out the most expensive bus ticket I've effectively ever paid for in my life.
01:07:13
Logan Howard
Oof. That's insane.
01:07:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yep.
01:07:19
Logan Howard
Good night.
01:07:21
BrendanThomasMarrett
It was on a rough Monday.
01:07:23
Logan Howard
off
01:07:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
Then I got a cheeky KFC afterwards and it made me feel better.
01:07:27
Logan Howard
Okay, well, that's something. Um, so I have a funny story that is a low.
01:07:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
What about you?
01:07:33
Logan Howard
I wouldn't say it's probably the actual low. Cause I, there's been a lot of not so great things going on, but, um, the, I was coming home from, from work one day and, um, let me, let me just tell you how this, how this like roadway works.
01:07:50
Logan Howard
So, um,
01:07:52
BrendanThomasMarrett
Thank
01:07:53
Logan Howard
So you leave the you leave the school, you get onto a little like overpass, and then you get onto like the freeway or highway. So you turn onto the freeway and highway, and you go down, and it's got like this like bend that happens um as you go down.
01:08:09
Logan Howard
And as you're coming over, it's like you're up... you're up and then it it declines down into like a valley kind of thing. um So at the top, there's also an overpass that you have to go under um and you can't see what's on the other side of this overpass.
01:08:23
Logan Howard
Okay. So you can't see there's a, if there's a policeman, you if there's anything down there, you can't see it.
01:08:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
I can't do any of this, to be honest with the
01:08:31
Logan Howard
All right. Also, there is a certain, for some reason, right.
01:08:32
BrendanThomasMarrett
you.
01:08:37
Logan Howard
um They want you going, ah 60 miles an hour. all right and so i think Let me quickly figure out the......kilometer
01:08:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
Thank you, I'm not here.
01:08:50
Logan Howard
per hour, right so you so you understand how fast this is right um so It's like kilometers an hour.
01:08:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
Z-Colmberg.
01:08:59
Logan Howard
okay
01:08:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh, okay.
01:09:00
Logan Howard
ninety
01:09:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:09:01
Logan Howard
all right so
01:09:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
Sorry.
01:09:02
Logan Howard
um So roughly, you're you're supposed to go 60, right? You're supposed to go 60. um
01:09:09
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
01:09:09
Logan Howard
Unfortunately, this is a two-lane road, and it's also a road where people like to go like 50, 55. They like to go way below the 60, right? So you have to go around them.
01:09:19
BrendanThomasMarrett
Okay.
01:09:20
Logan Howard
But when you go around people, you have to go a little bit faster than 60 to go around these people because, you know... There's other people who also are trying to like fly down this road.
01:09:31
Logan Howard
um So it's it's a road that should you should be able to go faster on it because it's two-lane road, but you can't. um So anyway, i I go around this guy right as we're coming right over the top of the curve, right?
01:09:46
Logan Howard
And i go down the hill, and lo and behold, guess who saw me speeding? Was a police officer.
01:09:55
BrendanThomasMarrett
Oh, stop.
01:09:55
Logan Howard
Since every single day, I have gone 60 miles an hour every single every day since then. I have yet to see a police officer sitting there. But he was sitting there this day.
01:10:07
Logan Howard
And he turns on his lights as soon as I go by him and he pulls me over. And, you know, I have never had a ticket ever in my life. Right. It's never happened. um And so I'm like, crap, this is going to be my first ticket.
01:10:21
Logan Howard
This is going to be two hundred dollars because some idiot in the left right hand lane couldn't slow down.
01:10:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
Thank you.
01:10:27
Logan Howard
And also I was stupid. I should have known better. You know, I shouldn't have been going so fast. But so he he pulls me off to the side. and um you know I roll down my windows, and instead of coming to the driver's side door, he goes to the passenger side because he doesn't want to get run over um on this main road or whatever.
01:10:45
Logan Howard
So I roll my windows down, and he comes up to my window, and he's like, your your windows are pretty dark.
01:10:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
that's
01:10:53
Logan Howard
And I'm like, what?
01:10:56
Logan Howard
He's like, i you you need to slow down. you need to slow down. Don't get me wrong. You're going too fast. But your windows are pretty dark. And I'm like, okay. He's like, do you know the rules about how dark your windows have to be? And I go, nope.
01:11:10
Logan Howard
No idea, officer. So he says, well, let me get my thing when I come back. But I need your license, your registration, all that stuff, you know, because you're speeding. And I was like, okay, well, officer, I've never had a ticket. I'm very sorry for speeding. And he's like, okay, give me your stuff. And he goes, well...
01:11:26
Logan Howard
as long as all of this is valid, you're not getting a ticket today. And I'm like, what the heck? This was funny. I was like, had me dead to rights. He could have thrown the book at me. And apparently my windows were too dark, but he goes, nah, I'm not goingnna give you a ticket. So he goes back to his car.
01:11:43
Logan Howard
He comes back with my stuff. He tests my window and he's like, yeah, your window's too dark. And I'm like, officer, I bought the car this way. So somebody sold it to me this way.
01:11:55
Logan Howard
um How would you even get the thing off? Like, is there even a way? He's like, well, it's supposedly if these are aftermarket that you could just like rip them off.
01:12:02
BrendanThomasMarrett
The
01:12:07
Logan Howard
And I'm like, okay, well, I will look into that, sir. So i ah he gives me my stuff back, and he's like, all right, i this is a little slip.
01:12:12
BrendanThomasMarrett
yeah
01:12:17
Logan Howard
This is not your ticket. This is just a warning. you know Make sure you slow down. I'm like, all right, officer. So he gives it to me. And the whole time I'm driving but driving home, I'm like, what the heck? He had me dead to rights.
01:12:29
Logan Howard
He should have thrown the book at me. I should have a $200 ticket. What the heck is going on? And it was that was annoying me more than if he'd actually given me a ticket. Like, if he'd given me a ticket, I would have gone,
01:12:40
Logan Howard
Okay, you know, fair. I screwed up. I deserved it. But he didn't give me a ticket. And then he just got upset about my stupid windows and was so worried about the windows. um And I know people who are like military like people, and their windows are darker than mine. So I don't know why that was such a big deal. But he was very upset about my windows.
01:13:00
Logan Howard
Yeah. So it was just a whole it was a whole thing. So ever since, I've gone the legal 60 miles an hour down that road. Never seen a police officer since.
01:13:11
Logan Howard
Never been pulled over since. I guess I learned my lesson. ah I just thought that lessons cost a little bit more than free. So...
01:13:24
BrendanThomasMarrett
I feel like your takeaway from this story is not what your takeaway should be.
01:13:29
Logan Howard
ah Oh, really?
01:13:31
BrendanThomasMarrett
Everyone else would be in favor of the Logan's upon me, and Logan's like, why wasn't I condemned?
01:13:32
Logan Howard
I... but
01:13:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
Why wasn't I judged?
01:13:37
Logan Howard
I... I... ah
01:13:39
BrendanThomasMarrett
I deserve to be on a switch. Thank Logan.
01:13:46
BrendanThomasMarrett
For goodness sakes.
01:13:49
BrendanThomasMarrett
Any of our viewers who've actually just been, like, you know, given a ticket this week are just, like, spicing and cussing you right now under their breath. They're, like, Justin Reg.
01:13:57
Logan Howard
or
01:13:59
BrendanThomasMarrett
Just to know how good he has it.
01:14:00
Logan Howard
and What a jerk. I can't believe he would complain about something like that.
01:14:07
BrendanThomasMarrett
He's so edgy, just happy so different. Amazing, sir.
01:14:13
Logan Howard
Oh, well, anyway. So we have been going for well over an hour, and so I do want to be respectful of all of you listening and Brendan's time, because I know he's still in a lot of pain with his finger.
01:14:25
Logan Howard
So i I will read...
01:14:26
BrendanThomasMarrett
you're Yeah.
01:14:28
Logan Howard
I'll read us for us in Zephaniah chapter 1. And if, Brendan, if you have takeaways from Zephaniah or you have another passage that's been on your heart in the last few months, you're welcome to share it. um But I'll read just a couple verses and then just point out basically what i was talking about earlier.
01:14:44
Logan Howard
So this is Zephaniah chapter 1. This is verse 4. um Again, the Lord is speaking here. This is the Lord speaking through Zephaniah, who's the prophet. and He says, i will stretch out my hand against judah and against all the residents of jerusalem i will cut off every vestige of bail from this place the name of the pagan priests along with the priests those who but who bow and worship on the rooftops to the stars and in the sky those who bow and pledge loyalty to the lord but also pledge loyalty to milkcom
01:15:15
Logan Howard
And those who turn their back from following the Lord, who do not seek the Lord or inquire of him, be silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near. Indeed, the Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.
01:15:30
Logan Howard
On the day of the Lord's sacrifice, I will punish the officials, the king's sons, and all who dressed in foreign clothing. On that day, I will punish all those who skip over the threshold and will fill their master's house with violence and deceit.
01:15:45
Logan Howard
Basically, God is coming down very hard on the children of Israel, on Judah. um And he says he's going to use it previously, that he's going to use the Chaldeans or the Babylonians. He's going to bring them in and they're going to wipe out Israel, which is exactly what happens.
01:16:03
Logan Howard
um But it's interesting that he really what God is worried and frustrated and angry about is the fact that they do...
01:16:05
BrendanThomasMarrett
boiler
01:16:12
Logan Howard
pledge loyalty to him, but they don't with their whole lives. They are kind of like, um
01:16:20
BrendanThomasMarrett
Fingers crossed.
01:16:22
Logan Howard
what's that?
01:16:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
Fingers crossed behind their backs, speaking at two sides of their mouth.
01:16:25
Logan Howard
thank Two sides their mouth, worshiping two different gods. They are bowing down to multiple gods. They are basically um they're basically just, yeah well, we've got to cover all our bases. We've got to get all the gods on our sides, and so we'll be fine. And God basically tells them, you've you' made the choice that you need to be silenced because the day of the Lord is near. right God's going to come in and he's going to fix this.
01:16:51
Logan Howard
He's going to make it right. um And he's going to you're either going to be one of the honored guests at my sacrifice, or you will be the sacrifice. Those are your choices.
01:17:04
Logan Howard
You're either on the menu or you're invited to the party.
01:17:08
BrendanThomasMarrett
but
01:17:09
Logan Howard
hey Which is is very valid today, right? One day you're going to have to make that choice of, and today is as good a day as any, to make the choice of, am I going to choose to be a part of God's kingdom, or am I going to choose to be on the menu at the kingdom?
01:17:25
Logan Howard
Am I going to be the one who gets sacrificed, or am I going to sacrifice? um And it's really a a pride and arrogance thing that we think that we know better than God, that we can come up with some other twisted, manipulated way to either get to heaven or to get blessing or to live a great life here on earth.
01:17:44
Logan Howard
We think that we know better than what God says. And God says that the next life is immensely ah so much better than the one we live in right now. um And I am excited for it. I am ready for it. Just take me now, Lord, some days.
01:18:00
Logan Howard
um But I also know that there is an element of need that he has for me here. He has a purpose and a mission for where I'm at now, and I'm supposed to be living out that purpose and that mission. um But at the same time, we have to make that decision.
01:18:14
Logan Howard
We've each had to in our own personal lives. Are you going to be on the menu, or are you invited as as a guest? Your choice. You get to choose that by what you do with Jesus Christ.
01:18:25
BrendanThomasMarrett
The Lord in the system of his harvest, it's no laughing matter.
01:18:31
Logan Howard
Nope. Nope.
01:18:37
Logan Howard
Well, anything you have to add? Maybe something you've read recently or something even in what you what we read today that you can take away.
01:18:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
No, and a it's very, very true. And it's similar to what I said about earlier about even how you can have occultists and witches and warlocks even infiltrating church circles.
01:19:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
And yes, some of them just have evil on their minds. They're complicit the very forces that are destroying them. But some also genuinely think it's okay have foot in Jesus, like, you know, oh, if I die, I'm going to go to heaven.
01:19:23
BrendanThomasMarrett
And... um And then One Foot the Darkness, like you know, with dream catchers and pendulums and worshipping crystals and hoping to activate power through them and all this mad stuff.
01:19:37
BrendanThomasMarrett
um And at the very same as what was happening repeatedly in the Old Testament, so and it's still happens this today, where people would profess to believe in God, but actually they were serving people
01:19:43
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:19:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
demons, they were serving the devil.
01:19:56
Logan Howard
yeah
01:19:56
BrendanThomasMarrett
um Even Baal, I mean, he was often characterized as a bull. I mean, this god, tell mean a lot of people actually think that Loki, and most famously known for the MCU nowadays, and was actually designed off Baal, you know, that that the corraled horns. am And with Baal, I mean, they would create metal sculptures of him that they would set on fire through his piping hot ah babies in his outstretched arms and burn them to death.
01:20:29
BrendanThomasMarrett
Or they'd create, you know, a sculpture of him sitting on a throne, arms outstretched, his belly would be a furnace, and then they'd pull a lever and roll the baby into his belly to make it look like the child when coupled up, as it burned to death and played drums extra loudly to drown out the screams.
01:20:50
BrendanThomasMarrett
And these people,
01:20:54
BrendanThomasMarrett
interactions on one side of their mouth, worshipping demons, with the other side of their mouth thinking that they were good with God, just because they'd say a little prayer here and there, or use his name, or quote a Bible verse without any understanding of his heart.
01:20:58
Logan Howard
Yeah.
01:21:10
BrendanThomasMarrett
and So no, it's days of the separation of the wheat and the chaff.
01:21:17
Logan Howard
Mm-hmm.
01:21:17
BrendanThomasMarrett
They're the separation of the wise the foolish. ah The authentic. From the con artists. And not everyone is going to like.
01:21:30
BrendanThomasMarrett
The exposure. But it is a year of exposure. It's already been a year of exposure. And there's more to come.
01:21:36
BrendanThomasMarrett
um Clarity has a cost. But so long as. You choose an act of your will. have nothing to do the darkness. To be separated from it entirely.
01:21:48
BrendanThomasMarrett
And say Jesus. I'm all in. And you know what? Stick to it. The decision you make in a moment of clarity. Let it inform your decision in the moment of indecision. Um... Don't have a fun, two worlds.
01:22:04
BrendanThomasMarrett
Don't play with forces that are actively operating to destroy you. Um... Don't tolerate... Entities... That literally want to steal, kill, and destroy you.
01:22:16
BrendanThomasMarrett
And whose... Main focus is seeing you dead. Um...
Spiritual Affirmations and Closing Prayers
01:22:22
BrendanThomasMarrett
Go all in with Jesus. He's the way, the truth. He's resurrection and he's life.
01:22:28
BrendanThomasMarrett
He is saviour. He is Lord. And he makes all things beautiful in the time. And makes all things work together for good. And he's absolutely...
01:22:39
Logan Howard
Amen. Amen. Amen. All right. Well, thank you so much for listening. Thank you, Brendan, for giving us some of your time. um Have a wonderful rest of your week, everyone. i Let me close quickly in prayer, and then we'll send you on your way. and So Jesus, we thank you so much for what you've done.
01:23:01
Logan Howard
Thank you for the time of reconnecting with Brendan. Thank you for his willingness to come on, even in spite of... um ah pain and injury. And Lord, we just pray that you would heal him quickly, that you would, I'm thankful that he was able to take that time to get it all cleaned out.
01:23:20
Logan Howard
um I just pray that you bless him in his ministries as he goes forward. um And as we continue to have times connecting, I pray that you would make those opportunities and open them. um and open times for us to continue to to build out our podcast. We pray for those who listen. We pray that it would be blessing to them and honor honoring to them that you would ah hopefully they haven't missed us too much and that you would encourage them through our ah through our conversation today. Pray that you give us a wonderful rest of the week um and the rest of the day as well and that we can do all that that we need to do to honor and glorify you in all of our conversations that we have. In Jesus' name, amen.
01:24:00
BrendanThomasMarrett
Amen, amen, amen.
01:24:03
Logan Howard
Amen. Thank you, friends, for joining. We will see you next time. We're not sure when that time will be, but it will be sooner than you think. Bye, friends. Bye.
01:24:11
BrendanThomasMarrett
Under two months.
01:24:16
Logan Howard
by