The Prayers That Saved Us | Girls Gone Bible

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Hey guys, I'm Ange and I'm Ari.

And this is Girls Gone Bible.

We're a faith-based podcast where we we talk all things spirituality, mental health, relationships.

Most of all, we talk about the Bible.

We love reading the Bible because we love Jesus.

And we always say, come as you are.

Just don't stay that way.

You're welcome here no matter who you are, where you come from, what beliefs you have.

Yeah, we want you to come here and feel really safe and to discover the love of Jesus because he will absolutely transform your life.

Anything you're facing, God can redeem, restore, rescue.

And we know that because he did it in our lives.

So

what's up, R?

What's up, Bange?

We released an episode last week that was an older one that we had filmed months prior.

But this is the week back from,

obviously, the death of Charlie Kirk and just

even the stabbing of that beautiful girl on the train and just all the horrific evil that's been happening, the school shootings, there's just been so much going on.

And Ange and I are both just,

we've just been grieving this week.

And

I'm sure all of us are just, the world is just so heavy right now.

The things that we're being exposed to online,

we're seeing everything like right in front of our eyes.

And so

if you're anything like us, which I know you guys are, you're just, you have a heaviness, you feel scared, you're tired, you can't get out of bed, and of course you can.

It's heavy right now.

And

the things that we are being exposed to and we have to see and the evil is just, it's, it's too much to bear.

And then on top of it, you know, we're grieving for

the families and Charlie's wife.

And it's too much.

Yeah.

It's too much.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's

just such a weird time right now with

the internet and like how

exposed we are, like you said, to everything.

And we just obviously first and foremost want to say like we just really truly bless

Charlie's family, his wife Erica, his two children.

We mourn with them, we grieve with them,

and we stand and

in the gap for them and pray for them like everybody should be doing.

Really, all you can do during a time like this is pray your absolute heart out for

anybody and everybody.

And

yeah, I just think,

like Ari said, there's a lot of stuff that goes on every single day.

that we're not even aware of is taking place and it's so devastating and it's so scary.

I know I've experienced, I've been tempted to lean into fear a lot because it's just

unexplainable, the evil that takes place.

I think I felt really confused, really angry.

But what I've really realized more than anything truly is that like We have to pray for unbelievers.

We have to pray that everybody on earth would come to know Jesus.

It's literally the only answer.

Fighting people, arguing, like nothing, there's no answer other than Jesus.

It's literally just praying that everybody would experience the love of Jesus because it's the only way to extinguish evil, period.

It's literally the only way that everybody on earth, every pair of eyes, would open up to the truth of Jesus.

Yeah.

That's all I

know.

Like, that's literally all I know.

Yeah.

And a time where you could

mock evil and be angry and just sit and, you know, even write comments online and be enraged.

Like, we have to be the light.

Yeah.

And we have to be the family.

That's us and us.

And we have to be in unity.

And

it is so beautiful seeing everybody come together in prayer.

It's just, it really is beautiful.

I've been seeing it so much.

Everyone coming together.

They're doing their little worship and praying for the families and Erica.

And it's awful.

And

if you've been through grief, you can only imagine what these

the wife and the babies and the families are all enduring.

It's it's brutal.

And so I just say, like, I wrote on my Instagram story the other day, but

it was even comforting to me to even spill out and say that.

Like, if, because I spent, I couldn't get out of my bed for literally three days.

like I was so tired I my heart was just

and it's just the world right now so if you're anxious if you can't get out of bed if you're just trying to get through the day right now like we want to let you know that that's okay yeah like it really is okay and it's normal and it's normal to feel anxious it's normal to be scared it's normal to be so grieved that you can't even get your head off the pillow

we're seeing and being exposed to so much right now and I just we want to let you know that it's okay and it's normal and it's going to take a little bit to get back to normal and so let your heart grieve and we're all in this together and we just have to be a family and we have to be

we have to be people who who are like Jesus who love send out love and be like you said relentlessly pray and be kind and and and be people that people look at and say they have something

they have they have something special in them.

Like, we have to carry the light, especially right now

in this darkness.

Exactly.

So, that's that's our job right now.

And I know that's hard, but we are to be the light and to stick together and be a family.

Yeah.

And one other thing I would add is:

and this might, I don't know, Pete, maybe not everybody would agree with this, but I believe it wholeheartedly that like

you don't have to read and watch every single thing that's online.

Your other job, along with what Ari said, is to protect yourself, to protect your mind.

And that doesn't mean bury your head in the sand and not be aware of what's going on in the world, but you are allowed to log off the internet and stop looking because

I think

I even felt a level of guilt getting offline because I felt like I should be watching the news and everything happening every five seconds.

And I'm like, this isn't good for me.

Yeah, it's too much for your brain.

It's too much.

So I just want to give everybody permission to get off of TikTok, to get off of Instagram, to get off of the articles.

I know it's very like you want to know what's you want to read everything.

It's like very

in a weird way, it's like addicting.

It's enticing.

Like you want, it's not good for your brain.

So like just protect yourself and understand like you are allowed to protect yourself because that's that's what matters.

That's what really matters is that you protect yourself and protect your mind.

Let Jesus guard your mind during this time and just pray.

And what I've seen

with every pastor, with every leader that I respect, they're all preaching the same thing right now.

And it's urgency.

It is this is not the time for lukewarm Christianity.

If there's ever been a time to go completely all in with Jesus and stop being one foot in, one foot out, it's today.

If there's ever been a time to get rid of this idea that there's like a relaxed, chill Christianity, it doesn't, there doesn't exist because

we are seeing the evil that exists in our world right before our eyes and we haven't even seen this much of it.

That's the scary part.

It's not scary.

We haven't even seen this much of it.

But our job is to be so on fire and so on mission that everywhere we go, we're telling people about Jesus.

Like, this is like this is the urgency that we're meant to be living with.

That we walk along the sidewalk and see someone and know that this person might be really struggling or going through something, and you have no idea where they might end up in life.

Go get them.

Yeah, you know what I mean?

Ministry doesn't need a microphone.

Somebody said that, and I was like, Yes, we need oil in our cops.

Like, we need to be ready, we need to be prepared, especially seeing what just just happened.

Like it's time to

get right.

Yeah, exactly.

I love that you said that.

Yeah.

And

don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid.

Read the word.

Know who God is.

Read the Old Testament.

Read about who

the Lord is throughout the entire Old Testament, who he is as a protector, a provider, a defender,

and how many times he tells us, do not be afraid.

That's the call of God on our lives is not to be afraid.

So yeah, we say all that to say that we're with you guys.

I don't think as believers, we've all probably felt more unified than right now.

And I'm grateful for that.

I feel unified with you.

I feel unified with you guys.

I feel unified with leaders and pastors and other believers all across the world.

Like we're all one right now.

I agree.

You know, I really agree with that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We need Jesus.

But if you guys could just,

if you guys could

take this next week, honestly, it was a heavy week.

Try and do something that's light.

Go to the beach.

Like, I'm not kidding.

Like, I'm going to just like, go to the beach.

Like, try to relax.

Try to, I love that you say get off Instagram.

Get off.

Go, go, just go rest your mind right now.

You need to do things that bring you joy right now.

Grief is,

grief is like.

Do you want to read your thing?

It's so heavy.

Yeah.

I wrote something this past couple days when I was

in

the whole grief thing and just feeling everybody's grief and anxiety.

And I just wrote something, like a little poem.

Grief aches like a wound that never closes, a constant throb that whispers it will never go away.

Anxiety coils around your chest, thoughts spiraling, unbearable, each one louder than the last.

The pain is relentless, a storm that does not pass.

Denial grips you, this cannot be my life.

You find yourself on the bathroom floor, too weak to rise, too broken to breathe, wondering if you'll ever stand again.

And the weight of it all presses you into the ground, too heavy to bear, too much to survive.

But then, a presence in the dust, Jesus kneels beside you, not disgusted by your ruin, not afraid of your rage.

He places his hands on your shoulder, and your storm does not scare him.

He lifts you piece by piece from the floor of your sorrow.

He takes your pain and bends it into purpose.

He takes your wounds and plants seeds of glory within them.

Through grief, he shines.

Through your cracks, his light spills.

The darkness that devoured you.

becomes the canvas of his redemption.

And you rise not by your strength, but by his.

Yet even as you rise, he does not rush you.

He sits with you in the ashes.

He holds you in the silence and loves you when you feel unlovable.

Your grief is not too much for him.

It is the very place he chooses to show his heart.

For what the enemy meant for evil, God has meant for good, not only for you, but for the saving of many lives.

Because through your grief, others will find comfort.

Through your story, others will find hope.

And through your pain, others will see his glory.

Wow.

Wow, wow, wow.

That is beautiful.

People

are.

Yeah, it's true.

So

hope that makes you guys feel a little bit better and carries you through.

Yeah, one last thing.

I swear, last thing.

I'm committing every single day.

And I want you guys to hold me accountable to pray for unbelievers.

Like, I don't pray that.

Like, I don't cry out to God every day and say, God, like, sweep across the globe and save every believer or save every human that's alive right now.

You know what I mean?

Like, I don't, I don't pray that.

I pray very close prayers.

Like, people, there is like a world beyond the people that we know and like we can pray for them.

So, you can pray for the people in your city, in your school, in your nation, in other nations.

Ask God, Lord, is there like a nation you've called me to pray for?

I personally feel called to pray for the Middle East.

I haven't started doing that yet.

Why?

I feel it.

I know I'm supposed to, and I haven't started.

And so...

I just think we can all start praying for unbelievers and for like regions and like specific places.

God, save every person in Boston.

You know what I mean?

Save everyone on the Northeast.

It's just, let's all do that together.

And if you, if you feel called to pray for a certain certain city,

you can just do that or you can comment it if you want it.

And we can all just do this together because I think that's like, that's the most beneficial thing we can do right now.

Let's all come together and let's be in relentless prayer.

Yeah.

Charlie was just such a, he was such a incredible man of God.

He was an incredible husband.

father, and just a solid man of faith.

Really loved his family, Really loved his wife.

He really loved his kids.

You know what I always said about Charlie?

I always said,

every time someone would say, what kind of guy do you want?

I said, I want a Charlie.

Because he just, he was, he represented

a provider.

Like he, like, marriage and children were at the top.

Were his number one priority.

He was like being a father and a husband.

And he was 31 years old.

And this like for a 31 year old man to be like, that is the most precious thing in this life.

And that's what he always said in his videos to men.

And I just loved how he was such a voice to men to be like, get married and have a family.

It's the most important and precious thing you'll ever do.

And so, yeah, we just.

We just honor him and we dedicate this episode to him.

All right, guys, we're sorry to interrupt this episode.

We just want to remind you guys that we're on the Girls Gone Bible live tour.

Tell them about tour.

It's the best thing ever.

We get to be face to face with you guys.

We get to love on you guys, preach in the name of Jesus, pray.

To be with you guys face to face is hands down the greatest blessing that we've been given with, given with, given.

Given with.

We're keeping that in.

It's the greatest blessing we've been given.

Given, given.

Given.

There we go.

And it's one thing to be on a podcast, Ange and I, talking to you guys on the camera, but being face to face with you guys is just,

it's just the greatest thing ever.

So we can't wait to see you guys.

Get your tickets at girlsgonebible.com slash tour and come hang out with us in your city.

We can't wait to see you.

And I don't know if you guys know this, but we released a devotional.

It's Out of the Wilderness, 31 Devotions to Walk with God Through Your Hardest seasons.

We love this devotional so much.

We love this book.

We believe that God is all over this.

I believe that you will encounter Jesus reading this devotional.

It's RI's hearts on paper.

We love it so much.

We're so grateful that you'd give us this opportunity.

And we just want you to see your situation, your life spoken into through our life experiences and where Jesus was in our lives.

So if you guys want to go to girlsgonebible.com/slash book, you can get your copy.

All right, guys.

And you know that we're doing GGB Plus.

I'm so sorry.

You guys.

You laugh.

It's fun.

Okay.

Thank you.

I'm talking.

Okay.

You guys know that we're doing GGB Plus.

No, stop, okay.

No, this is good.

Okay.

Let's go.

Guys.

We need this.

You guys, we're doing GGB Plus and we're obsessed.

It's a subscription-based platform where we have conversations together and sometimes even alone, where we talk directly to you guys and it's not out for the world to see.

It's only our partners, our listeners, our supporters, and our close, close people.

It's only GGB Plus members who get to watch these videos and hear these conversations.

It's two bonus episodes every single month.

So we really want you guys to become members.

And you can go to GirlsGot

Guy Go.

Girls Gaigo.

GirlsGoneBible.com slash plus

and subscribe we want to see you there we love you

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I think Ari and I wanted to talk about.

Can you tell them about your eye?

Oh my gosh, you guys.

Yeah, we haven't even talked about that.

I

we haven't filmed in a few weeks.

I couldn't film.

You guys don't, honestly, I'm going to think about it.

I might put a picture up here.

Please, please do.

We have to, right?

Yeah.

I mean,

my eye,

it looked like I had a child growing out of the lid.

I mean, it was

choosing.

It looked like my eye was having a baby.

It was.

And, yeah.

So she had a sty slash a chill, something that's a little bit of a cell.

A chelian or something like that.

I thought it was a sty.

The doctor gave me ointment.

He said it'll be gone by three days.

I wake up three, four days later.

I can't see.

I said, we're going to all have to wear pirate patches at the show because.

You said I can't wear makeup on.

And I said, I will go on stage

with only one eyelash on with you I said and I'm cock-eyed and there's pus coming out down my cheek like

and I said okay we're not so we basically had to cancel the first two nights of tour so we're so sorry to anybody who is affected by that we've already rescheduled those dates I was dwelling for freaking a week yeah that was not easy I want you guys to know that was not easy for us to do not easy not easy that sucked um but there was just no way Ari's whole eye was like giving, she

had pregnant, but I guess, like, it's going around right now.

There's like this thing that like Sophia Velgar.

I thought it was because you fired on your pillow.

It's not.

I wrote a couple DMs about that.

Who?

A couple of people said that to me.

Fart on your pillow.

You guys are sick.

Oh, that's not very nice.

You

stay fighting on the episode.

It makes me so embarrassed.

Shut up, Ari.

I'm a moody.

I'm going.

So we just want to hang and we want to hang out with our friends.

It's right.

Yeah, we're going to just hang out with our friends and we want to tell you stuff that you may not know about us yet.

Tell us about Grandma Doula.

No, no, Nami, first, please.

Oh, I'm not going first.

You won't even pay me.

Oh, no, we're talking about Grandma Doula.

I don't even know.

Who's Grandma Doula?

Her name's Nanadaya.

Who's Grandma?

I apologize, Nami.

No, it's sorry, mom.

Tell me about Nanadaya.

Nanadaya is my mom's mom.

And so a lot of people don't know this,

but I come from a really long line of great women.

Very strong women.

Strong, warrior, Albanian women.

My mom is one of the most resilient,

tough as nails, strongest, smartest, quickest woman I know.

And her mom was so strong and so warrior-like and so tough.

My nanadaya had like five heart attacks throughout her life, survived them all.

She just like, she just like got right up and she was like,

a 4'111, like beating on her chest.

Like, come, come at me.

She was super small.

4'11?

Do you mean 5'11?

4'11.

Yeah.

She was a petite little lady and she was just a force.

Like, she was a lion.

She beat every heart attack, she beat every heart attack.

She lived until she was in her 90s, and she was just the best mom in the world, the best mom, the best grandma.

I miss her so much, and she's like, she's my mom's mom, you know.

And so, I just have such a special relationship with my mom, and I had such a special relationship with my mom's mom.

So, you were, how old when she passed?

I think I was 16.

You were young.

Yeah, or no, I think I was already in college, so I must have been 18 or 19.

I think before I was 20.

Grandmas, let me just say, grandmas

are everything.

Everything.

Because they love you.

Oh, they buy you.

Like your parents.

Yeah, but more.

But they don't discipline you like your parents.

So it's just the best relationship.

I missed you.

So you said, when you said Nana Doya.

Nanadoya.

Nanadoya.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

And then what'd you call your grandfather?

Baba Jusha.

Baba Jusha?

Yeah.

I love that.

I love him too.

He's passed.

He passed too, yeah.

And he lived until his 90s too.

So they both lived really rich, long lives, really, and, you know,

left Albania, went through all the things that my parents did.

But anyways, I say all this to say

there's just so much power in praying for your children, for your children's children.

And I feel like oftentimes when we pray, we want to see instant results.

But you have no idea what praying for a baby does for their lives.

You have no idea how God answers those prayers throughout that child's life.

Or if you're even, this is your encouragement that if you're praying for a family member

who you're not seeing anything change, you're not seeing those prayers getting answered, like keep.

praying.

Don't stop praying.

God will answer.

He's probably already answering.

You know, sometimes I think about like if I'm praying for a family member for a long time and I don't see the prayer get answered, I can shift my perspective and look at their life and be like, I can see so many ways that God is like blessing them and protecting them and taking care of them and making sure things aren't worse than they are, you know?

Anyways.

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So my grandma,

and we're also going to talk about Ari's auntie Barbara, by the way, because we, Ari and I both have family members who are literally probably one of the reasons God uses so many people in our lives, but one of the main reasons why both of us are probably sitting here today talking about Jesus.

Nanadaya,

so my mom grew up in communist Albania, and I never talk about this stuff.

And it's crazy because it's just such a major part of my life.

My mom grew up in, and my dad both grew up in communist Albania.

And during this time, I want to read this because it's so crazy.

Between 1960 and 1990, Albania went through one of the harshest anti-religious campaigns in the world.

In 1967, Enverhoja's communist regime declared Albania the world's first atheist state.

Oh my gosh.

Albania?

Albania, yeah.

Wow.

All churches.

So the leader declared Albania the world's first atheist state.

Wow.

And said no one's allowed to.

It's control.

Wow.

And said, no one's allowed to practice religion.

In what year?

This was in 1967, three years after my mom's born.

All churches, mosques, and other religious buildings were closed, destroyed, or turned into secular spaces such as warehouses, gyms, theaters.

So my mom growing up, my mom didn't go

step into a church until after my first brother, my oldest brother, was born.

So she was at least 24.

And still living, and not living in Albania.

She was living in Albania.

Yeah, how could they have Albanian churches if it was atheists?

They didn't have Albanian churches.

So no churches, they didn't practice religion.

So any churches or mosques, they would be turned, like my mom said that she would go into a church and it would be like a playground.

Like they would be playing basketball.

Wow.

So you weren't allowed to practice religion.

And then it said that priests and other religious leaders were arrested, imprisoned, or even executed.

Oh my God.

Isn't that insane?

And this is, my mom was alive this whole time.

Like it was not that long ago.

This is what happens in the church in other places.

Like, by the way, this happens today.

Today.

Yeah.

Not in America, but in other places in the world, and we're so unaware.

You weren't allowed to own a Bible, a cross, a prayer book, like you were not allowed to have any of that.

The government promoted atheism through schools, media, and youth organizations.

So, like, even there was propaganda.

So, like, every messaging that you heard was, God does not exist.

God does not exist.

Like, it's a like even in America, like, you see, media, Hollywood, like, the messaging that they send is all propaganda trying to get you to believe a specific message.

That's what they did.

Um,

teaching that religion was backward and against socialism.

So crazy.

Anyways, only after the fall of communism in 1990, 1991, four years before I was born,

were Albanians allowed, no, six years before I was born, were Albanians allowed to practice religion freely again?

And many churches and mosques were rebuilt or reopened.

So that's like

Even what my mom and her mom had to go through to love Jesus and worship Jesus.

like we just were not even aware of the sacrifices that were made before we were ever born for us to be able to freely love Jesus today, you know?

And like even before my family, like the millions of

people who died for the gospel, who gave their life, who were in prison for the gospel, you read the New Testament, all the disciples who literally gave up their lives so that the gospel would reach the ends of the earth.

It's just so crazy to think about.

And then so my grandma taught my mom about Jesus and my mom's siblings and the whole family taught her about Jesus in the privacy of their own home, would teach her how to do the sign of the cross,

would teach her our father, would teach her Hail Mary.

Like she never went to Catholic Mass.

She never went to church.

She never experienced religion, but my grandma told her about Jesus and like would teach her who Jesus is and about like there's a God.

his name is Jesus he died on a cross and so like that's where my so if you look at my mom my mom has one of the most special faiths I think I've ever seen my mom says what

most Catholics say and it's my favorite thing she goes I was born Catholic and I will die Catholic my favorite thing she says

and she is the most spirit-filled woman.

She

literally is such a presence person.

You guys, my mom closes closes her eyes and goes, He's here.

He's here.

You'll see my mom throughout the day, just in the corner.

There's a crucifix on the wall, and she just has her hand on Jesus.

She's just like, hanging out.

She goes,

and she's so, like, you see, my mom, she'll go to these meetings where it's just like the power of God is in the room.

People are getting healed.

Demons are being delivered.

Like, it's like so hyper-spiritual, power of God.

And And my mom is like, she grew up Catholic.

She didn't have these things, but she's so open to the gifts of the Spirit.

Like she's so open to like the power of the Holy Spirit.

And I just think her faith is so interesting to me because she's so open because her faith was never established in like some sort of religious environment.

Like it was just like, I believe in Jesus.

Yeah.

You know?

Yeah.

So really cool.

And then I just like, I love, yeah, I've just always wanted to talk about my grandma, Nanadaya, because she's the reason why I'm here.

She's the reason why I'm alive.

And would she pray?

Would she like pray with you when you were a bait when you were little?

I mean, you were 16, but well, I remember she would always tell me about Jesus in Albanian.

She would always, I didn't have ears to hear then, certainly, like, I didn't get it,

but she would talk to me about Jesus.

But she would always, like, she would, it was so innocent, it was so tender.

She'd be like, like, call on Jesus.

Jesus will help you.

And did you ever, are you like, did you even think about it?

Or?

So

what's weird about my journey is I always

talked to Jesus because I

Eastern European culture,

it's like very interesting.

I've been like trying to put the pieces together myself and

because Eastern European culture where I come from is a lot of, there's a lot of,

I mean, in all of Eastern Europe, not just Albania, there's like magic, there's white magic, there's like

they read cards, they read cups, there's like

yeah, it looks like a lot of new age, spirituality, it's new age spirituality.

It's like psychics and mediums and all these different things and

using

spiritual power outside of like the authority given to us by Jesus.

It's a lot of that.

And so growing up in Albanian culture,

what I perceive, it was kind of like a very mystical

spirituality.

So it was Jesus, but it was like mystical Jesus, like Jesus will save you and change everything.

So it's like real, like, but do you get what I'm trying to say?

Yeah, it was like...

like the charismatic, right?

Charismatic, but a little too much like not grounded in biblical theology.

You know what I mean?

So that's the issue.

It was like very much like out there.

Yeah.

And it wasn't grounded.

Okay.

And it was, yeah, it wasn't like

they don't teach you like obey Jesus because you love him.

It's more so like call on Jesus because he'll save you, which is beautiful.

So that was my theology was like, call on Jesus because he'll help you in hard times, but that's it.

I don't have to do anything for him.

I don't have to be anything.

Like I can live my life.

There is no such thing as purity or holiness.

I didn't even know what those things were.

But yeah, my grandma would tell me, call on Jesus.

Call.

And I remember my family has always suffered through a lot of crisis and just a bunch of things.

And I remember my grandma would always call out, like, in times of distress, just like what my mom did.

She would call out, like, Jesus.

Jesus.

No, she would say this, in albanen, uncam Christian.

I have Jesus.

And she would like never be rocked by anything.

She was the most faith-filled woman.

And she would just, and so my mom today goes, uncam Kristen,

I have Jesus.

Like, so I say all that to say, thank you, Jesus, for my mom.

Thank you, Jesus, for Nanadaya, who are the reasons why

I'm sitting here today, a faith-filled woman.

And all her prayers are why you're sitting here right now.

Yeah.

And she planted the seed for you.

Yeah.

And guess what?

It took a long time.

It doesn't matter.

It took a long time.

I bet you heard her.

I bet you heard Nanadoya's voice

saying, call on Jesus.

Yeah.

Seriously.

Like you remember that.

At the time, isn't it funny how like people can say stuff to us and it doesn't have a mark on us in the time, but then it's like God will remind us of that.

That's literally what planting a seed is.

Sometimes we get so frustrated with unbelievers or friends or family because they're not changing or believing or whatever.

But, like, our job is to plant the seed.

The Holy Spirit waters the seed.

It's not our job to water the seed.

I know.

You know, or force people to get it.

I know.

And that's why you can't be so annoyed or frustrated because it's not your job.

It's Jesus' job to change them.

Yeah.

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It is interesting how, gosh, what you model your children, what you model your children's children, like they pick up everything and guess what?

They become like you.

Like the faith that my grandma had of being, I have Jesus in hard times.

My mom, my whole life in the worst,

I have seen my mom in some really bad situations throughout my life, and all I hear out of her mouth is, I have Jesus.

And guess what I say today?

I have Jesus.

Yeah.

It's that simple.

Like they become you.

They take after you.

They believe what you believe.

Yeah.

So

yeah, it's so important when we model to our kids, what we model to our grandkids.

And by the way, I might not have kids yet, but I know one thing.

They hear everything.

Everything.

From a very

young age.

I think our parents' generation were very much under the impression that they're just kids.

They don't, it doesn't matter.

They don't get it.

They don't hear us, whatever.

We heard everything.

Our kids will hear everything.

It's crazy.

All right.

We just have to be, you have to be so careful.

I can't imagine what it's like being a parent.

I truly can't.

It's like you're the day that baby comes out, your whole life is like

protecting this child, watching what you say.

I just,

I can't imagine the responsibility of being a mother or a father.

It's the biggest responsibility you'll ever.

You shape them.

It's your job.

It's your job to make sure that they turn out.

I was talking to Bobby and he said that to me yesterday.

He said, just know the minute that baby comes out, your whole life is that child is your entire life.

I can't wait.

Yeah.

So crazy.

I can't wait.

I know.

Lil Louosh.

You don't lose.

loosh.

All right.

I think you're going to have a girl.

I think so too.

You do?

Every time I have a meal.

A meal?

I wake up every day

and I put my hands on my body like this and I say, I bless my body to eat today.

I bless my body to be full today.

I bless my body to be nourished today

because I'm going to have a child who's going to first of all have to be in this body and this body needs to be healthy for me to carry her and then she's gonna come out and she's gonna watch everything I do and if I'm being weird about food and not letting my body be blessed by the food I eat like I am going to curse my daughter with that so literally it's like

having children has been the driving motivation for me and getting healing in like every area of my life.

And you're going to be the best mom and the healthiest.

I love you.

I can't wait to be an auntie.

I can't wait.

I can't wait to be an auntie for you.

I'm going to be the best aunt.

I can't wait.

You're going to have a whole army of kids.

I can't wait to be an auntie.

Anyways, what about you?

Yeah, I have

my nan's sister, my auntie Barbara.

She is,

oh man, she's like the most devout Catholic.

Her whole life has been devoted to the church since I was just a baby.

I talked about her a little bit, but

her whole life is just, she's given her whole life to others.

She helped.

She's your dad's mom?

She's like my grandmother's sister.

Okay.

My auntie Barbara.

Barbara.

She's in her 80s and she probably looks like she's in her 50s.

Wow, that Jesus glow.

She's just, her whole life has been dedicated to others and helping people.

And all she would do is talk about Jesus.

Is she Catholic?

She's a, yeah.

Her whole life is to the Catholic Church.

Stop.

Her whole life.

I love it.

Yeah.

And she always talked about Jesus.

Always talked about Jesus.

I just would watch her and I didn't understand.

Did you think it was weird when you were younger or did you kind of like it?

I think everybody.

Did people think she was a little kooky?

Yeah, a little.

I love her.

I would just kind of like, you know, listen to her.

And I, she, it's just crazy how my life, I'm in ministry now.

And so I talk to her.

And now when we're together on the, on, during the holidays, her and I are in a corner and we're just like, Jesus.

And she has been praying me for me all these years.

And so now I just, that's why prayer, praying for.

And it's crazy.

I love what you said about family members because I've been praying for three years

for family members and now I see and I'm just like oh my gosh yeah and so you just don't stop praying even when you don't see it because

he hears everything

I was in line I was in line at Whole Foods the other day

And I saw this kid and he just like, he was different.

Like you could, he just had this energy and he was talking to everyone and he was like asking everyone questions and all these things.

And I'm, I'm like four people back, and I'm just looking at him.

I'm just like hearing how he's talking to everyone.

And he's brightening, brightening these people's days.

Like this one guy didn't want to talk, but he was like, man, you're just so like he's complimenting him and stuff.

And I'm just like, I bet you that guy knows Jesus.

Yeah.

Right.

And so I get to the front and I'm like,

hey.

And he's like, how are you?

And I was like, can I ask you something?

I'm like, do you, are you a Christian or do you know Jesus?

He goes, oh, you know, I love Jesus.

Yeah, that's my guy.

And I was just like, this is who we have to,

this is who we have to be like.

Like, this is, you want people to look at you and be like.

There's something different about that person.

You want to carry that light, like I was saying earlier.

And so, yeah, when I think about my auntie Barbara, she just always carried the light at every family gathering where there would be so much darkness and she would be the light in our family.

How did she, I'm just so curious, how did she relate to everybody else who wasn't a believer?

Like, was it

she just loved it?

She just loved.

Yeah.

She loved and she prayed.

And that's what we do, right?

She just loved and she prayed.

That is so cute.

I'm obsessed with her.

Yeah, my auntie Barbara,

she would buy me little saint things all the time, Saint Anthony things.

But her planting that seed,

always talking about Jesus always praying for me I remembered that later

I remembered that later like so it's like yeah you have no idea what's taking place even if someone completely rejects your like proposal or invitation to Jesus are you talking about like it doesn't matter It doesn't actually, you have no idea what God is doing with that.

Them even hearing this much about Jesus, this much of the gospel.

You have no idea, Even seeing your kindness towards them, like feeling the love of Jesus through you to them, that did something.

It opens something in there.

We don't know how it works.

There's mysteries to the kingdom.

So we don't actually know, but something happens.

That's why I love earlier how you...

Said like let's all put pray for the unbelievers and pray for pray for each other because we may not have family members that can pray for us, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, I just think right now is the time to really be, be praying for each other because it works.

It really, really works.

So works.

Plant that seed everywhere.

I'm reading Jeremiah at the end, and all he did was weep for the people, cry out for the people.

And God heard him every time.

I honestly, it's hard at times because it's not like, it's not easy to read some of the things.

Yeah.

Because it was like, Barb,

it's hard for me sometimes to read about like like

the wrath

on people.

It is, like, it really is.

Like, I really do weep when I read it.

But I think it was so, well, I know it was so barbaric back then.

Yeah.

Like, people were just crazy.

Like, sometimes people will be like, well, why did God like destroy things?

Like, if we knew how crazy it was back then, like, it was, people were destroying and raping each other and doing all this just barbaric stuff.

And so

they were all just turning against God.

But it is really hard to read.

Yeah.

But I really love Jeremiah.

I love him.

He's a guy that just loves the people.

He loves his people.

That's how we have to be.

We have to just love, love others.

You know,

when I took that 30-day

month off of Instagram, I've been reading through the Bible from the beginning for quite a while because I was like jumping back and forth, but I started reading Genesis.

Now I'm in Kings.

I was reading like six to ten chapters a day, literally, because I didn't have Instagram, so it's all I would do.

And then because I was reading so much of the Bible, like what we all say, we preach it every day, but sometimes it doesn't become a reality again until you experience it yourself.

Because I was reading so much of the Bible, all I wanted to do was read more of the Bible.

I would be doing something, but I would be thinking about, I just read through 1 and 2 Samuel, and I would be thinking about Samuel and Saul and David, like all the time, all the time.

It wasn't just like Bible stories that I was reading.

I was like in that world with them.

It became so real because...

And I'm not saying you need to read 10 chapters a day.

That's really hard.

It's a lot of reading.

But there is like so many challenges that you can do to get yourself reading a lot because when you read more than just one chapter a day and you read like through the Bible like that and you're reading so much, it all becomes a big story.

So for me right now, like the Bible, the narrative of

the Israelites and of God and the Lord all the way in the new Old Testament, like it's an overarching story.

Like there's a storyline that I'm reading and it's not just like

you know, David and Bathsheba one day, Ruth and Naomi another day.

Like it's not just these little snippets.

It's like a full picture story that I'm getting.

And it's changed my life.

It is changing the way that I read the Bible.

When I was reading specifically like

eight chapters a day, I would be like, okay, now I understand all of this as a full story.

And now I understand who God is.

Like I understand the Bible better because I'm reading big chunks.

And I always thought that because I would do like one to two chapters a day and then I would listen to a commentary.

I would meditate.

I would listen to a commentary and I would like break down the entire chapter.

And I thought, and that is really good, especially because we teach.

However, reading so much of the Bible, reading all the way through, you don't have to read it out loud.

You can, and you don't have to remember everything.

I don't remember everything that I've read, but I know the Bible story as a full,

in full picture.

I like to read more too because I somehow forget.

I'm like, you'd rather just read it through.

Don't even worry about remembering.

Don't even worry about it.

If you're going to seminary, that's different.

Don't worry about remembering.

Just worry about just like going all the way through.

And the more you read the word, the more you want to read it.

It's crazy.

But anyways, I say that to say, I'm like,

I feel so connected to God the Father right now.

I've never loved God as Father more than I do now reading the Old Old Testament.

I used to love, I still love Jesus so much, but like all I wanted was the gospels.

All I wanted was Romans.

I just wanted to hear about the blood of Jesus and the redemptive nature of Jesus.

But like now reading the Old Testament, I'm obsessed with the Father.

He is just and he brings judgment, but like there is a method to his, the way that he works.

And it's because like he, God protects Israel.

Israel is his baby.

It's his bride.

By the way, it's not modern day Israel.

It's Israel.

We are the church.

We are Israel.

If you read the Old Testament, if you've been adopted into the family of Christ, like you are the Israel that God protects, delivers, redeems, and loves in the Old Testament.

So God's whole purpose in the Old Testament, when he brings wrath and judgment, he's protecting Israel.

Yeah.

So it's like hard to understand because it's like he's like, he's protecting his bride.

And that's what he's actually doing for us today.

So it's like, yeah, it's hard to understand.

I'm still understanding, but it makes more sense when you realize like God's aim was to redeem Israel.

Yeah.

Because those are his people.

Yeah.

We are all his people.

We are all Israel.

So anyways, yeah.

I wish somebody could be a fly on the wall when I say some of the names.

It is true.

I'm like, Arisa Tita.

Aduta Tita.

Oh, oh wait just went at sorry

can you imagine how much he loves it when we're just trying our best he's

tell us about your um

your

uh what is it called

tell us about your phone

cleanse

Oh, she went on a 21 day.

It's been 21 days, right?

So I was going to do 21 days.

It ended up being over a month because I didn't ever ever want to go back

can you believe that guys my engagement tanked

probably lost followers couldn't care less it's so crazy like

I just don't want to be annoying about it because I don't know it's just why you're not

guys I

just people need to hear it The phone is the most.

Social media is like sure a gift in so many ways because we are on social media.

We talk about Jesus on social media, but it is one of the most poisonous, toxic, addictive

things I've ever experienced in my life.

I took the 30 days off of Instagram.

Like I said, I read so much of the Bible.

I spent so much time with Jesus.

You guys, I would be communing with the Holy Spirit throughout the day because I wasn't distracting myself.

Imagine I heard this quote that's like

most like profound world-changing thoughts and ideas and moments of creativity are born out of boredom.

It's when somebody's mind is completely empty so that they start imagining, like they use their imagination.

When you're on your phone, your imagination is not active.

You are completely absorbed, like every single part of your your brain is like firing off because you're receiving so much information.

You don't have a moment to use your imagination.

Like I believe that God speaks to us in our thoughts, in our imagination.

He like downloads ideas and

he's like,

God is a creative genius and his desire is to create through us.

Like you, we're meant to partner with God in our creativity to make amazing things, to make a cool podcast, to write beautiful songs, to do like amazing things.

He can't do that when we're in our phones.

And I know that sounds really intense and really crazy, but that's true.

And not to mention,

being on the phone, it fries your brain so bad that you're just like you're exhausted.

Like your eyes get heavy.

You're not the screen is.

Imagine you're scrolling like this, and within five minutes, you have taken in so much information.

It's not normal.

It's not good for you.

I get off for 30 days.

I felt amazing.

John specifically, maybe 21 days in, like,

he was genuine.

And I wasn't, and he said, like, it's not like you were on your phone too much or it was like got in the way of anything.

He's like, but I can't tell you how much I appreciate your presence.

Yeah.

Wow.

Wow.

And he was like, can we figure out a way for you to go back on it?

That's not like how it was.

It was amazing.

It was really amazing.

And then I go to download Instagram after 30 days because I wanted to, I had to post something.

And I got on, my whole, I'm not exaggerating, you guys, my whole body fills with anxiety immediately, immediately, so much anxiety.

And then I find myself very quickly with it.

I was on it for maybe 10 minutes.

I delete it off my phone.

I go, I just got addicted to Instagram like I never left.

You think that the 30 days would have been like, okay, now I'm not as addicted.

Not really.

Within two minutes of being on it, I was right back to where I was.

So, yeah.

So, where are you at now?

So, now I'm thinking I might just have it on a different phone that uses Wi-Fi.

That's a great idea.

Yeah, I know we were doing that for a minute.

What happened?

I lost that phone.

I lost that phone.

I'm devastated.

All my stuff.

All my photos.

I have no photos on this one.

It's probably better that way.

Yeah.

I don't need that pass on my phone.

Yeah.

Get out of here.

I think you and I got new phones on purpose for that reason, remember?

Yeah, we did.

Ari and I wanted to.

Yeah, anyways.

We got new phones.

Oversharing.

I am going to do, and Ari's going to do it with me.

Right?

When?

Well, I'll do another film.

No, no, guys.

Should we?

You know, it's...

I love my Pinterest at night.

It's not even so much Instagram.

It's like...

Really?

TikTok and Instagram, you're not on the law?

She really knows how to blow it up, huh?

You really know how to crack the case with that shirt, huh?

And you have not a lawyer.

It's just a caller.

Oh?

Pinterest is fine.

It is?

I think.

I don't know.

Why don't you just start with Instagram?

Okay.

Ari's like an all-or-nothing nothing type of person.

What do you mean?

Like you're like

either

we're gonna

go all the way in or all the way like that.

That's how you are.

That is how I am.

I am not an all-or-nothing person.

You are like, I'm even, I'm either gonna

eat five protein bars, chocolate chip from Quest today, or they're out.

Yes, yes, or yes, yes, yes, yes.

But you also are like,

you're either like, I am gonna eat like a carrot cake every single day or I'm not going to even eat eggs because I know.

I haven't seen you with a carrot cake in a while.

I know, but I'm slimming out.

Dog, you're looking good.

You're looking good.

I like to eat.

I really do.

And you know what?

I don't.

I don't like try to diet.

And sometimes I get a little heavy-handed on

the cakes.

I do.

Anyways, I hope you guys learned so much this episode.

What did we talk about?

I hope, okay, basically what we're trying to say is

pray for your kids.

Pray for people.

Pray for everybody.

You have no idea how far your prayers go.

Pray, pray, pray.

Don't stop praying.

Keep praying.

Pray that people get saved.

Pray that people come to know Jesus.

God will honor those prayers.

They don't fall on deaf ears.

Don't stop praying.

Don't stop praying.

I don't know what that song is.

I thought you were going to say.

Don't stop believing.

Oh, let's go, CJ.

Don't stop.

Okay, wait a minute.

Embarrass me in front of my friends.

Go ahead.

Don't believe in.

Okay, you're off camera.

Hold on to the feeling.

Why did your mouth do that?

Hold on to the end.

You just like wiggled your tongue and it looked creepy, man.

You're so creepy.

You're so creepy when it passes APM then.

With that big ball.

I do.

I still have the style on my eyes.

I see it.

It's staring at me in my face.

Can you see that?

Like that?

Yeah.

I'm going to do a close-up.

I hate taking antibiotics.

they make me sick yeah and you didn't finish them so now it's gonna grow over again you know future antibiotics what is that i know i know remind me when we get home okay clear the bubble in your throat please

gosh this is the first day i have to be honest like

you are rude

You are very mean.

Listen, this is the first day.

this is the first day i'm actually like

laughing good

this is nice i hope you guys got a little laugh today guys we love you so much may the lord bless you and truly keep you may he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you may he turn his face towards you and give you peace

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It's in our code.

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