Brooke joins for this episode about our experience with the foster care system over the last year.

James 1:27

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

I am not yet good at rest and relaxation.

But I have learned what it feels like to rest and relax, and I'm all for it.

Exodus 20:8–11

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

I use the wallpaper on my phone to remind me of 2 anxious statements that happen in my heart quite often.

1. How dare you put me in this situation!

2. Oh no, what are they gonna do when I tell them the truth.

When I feel one of those statements giving me anxiety and stealing my courage I know I need to be more like Jesus.

Jesus seemed to ride the waves of other people's anxiety with such skill.

To be like more Jesus you’ll need to develop a high threshold for the emotional pain of people you love.

Consider the story of Jesus being interrupted by Peter and the disciples who demand that he come back to town because everyone is looking for him.

1. People need to be healed 2. Peter says they’re all looking for Jesus 3. So… Jesus has a problem. He wants to go to the next town, but it’ll disappoint Peter and the disciples as well as a whole town of sick people. He doesn’t get caught in this trap. 3. I will preach in the next town because that’s my objective 2. Peter says they are all looking for me 1. So everyone will have do accept that I'm not going to be there to heal them Mark 1:35–39 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

It only takes 5 minutes to learn tips and tricks to a better marriage. The problem is, it takes less time than that to forget them if you haven’t really changed.

When the pressure is really on, you can’t just quote your pastor.

Philippians 4:8–9

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

This episode is about what I told a young leader, who aspires to plant a church.

It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.

-Adlai Stevenson

If you're not humble enough to take out the trash you misunderstand the burden of leadership. If you're scared to ask others to take out the trash, you misunderstand the honor of service.

Ecclesiastes 10:5

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler:

6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.

7 I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

Proverbs 19:10

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,

much less for a slave to rule over princes.

Proverbs 17:7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;

still less is false speech to a prince.

Proverbs 26:1 Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

so honor is not fitting for a fool

Luke 14:25–27

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.