Witness

Big time setup. Look at this production, though. I know. I mean, people are gonna be like, y'all, y'all going, wait. Yeah, watch out. Get her pulled out of table. Well, hey there. It's good to see you again. Thank you for joining us at the Bear Good Fruit Podcast. I'm Ben. I'm Julie. And today we have some exciting things to talk about. Yeah. But first, we always have to start it off with a game. Right. We're gonna start with a game today. I don't even know what this game is called. I just saw other people playing it. Yes. And so I thought we'd give it a try. So the goal of the game is to not hit the color that's called out. Don't touch the color that's called out. And you and I will rotate. Yeah. Calling out colors. And the goal is to not hit the color. OK. All right. So I got this hand here. Yeah. So it reminds me of like a PT back on my brain. Oh, man. I do hope this doesn't send you. OK. Got your hair right there. All right. So you going first for me? OK. I'll go first. OK. All right. Pink. Oh, I definitely wanted to get pink. All right. Good work. Red. Oh, OK. I'm ready. Oh, I go orange. OK. Green. Yellow. Orange. Red. I think we're close to you. Red. Yellow. Oh, no. You got there first. So I got a point. So it's one one. OK. I have one strike. You have one strike. Right. Are we on baseball rules? Sure. I just assume. Let's do it. The game is with baseball rules. I go faster. Yellow. Oh, pink. Oh, let's do it. Oh, me. Red. Orange. Oh, no, that's your turn. You're going back to me. Green. Orange. Pink. Red. Cotton wants to play too. Yeah. Yellow. Purple. Orange. Yes. The dogs. You're going off. She loves all of these colors. Look at you. You're having too much fun. You want in? OK. OK. All right. We'll call it there because Cotton's going to get you one. Good. All right. Well, thank you. See no mercy. No mercy. No mercy. And we play games. No mercy. All right. I got to fix this. And we're back. Like nothing ever happened. Doesn't work out. Like that. I got my shoulder exercise in carrying the table out of here. Yeah. I have to go entertain the dog real quick. Yeah. Yeah. I'm happy to distract the dog. So. Well, yeah. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for playing. That was a fun game. That was a fun game. That was a fun game. I think I want to play against the boys. Maybe I can beat them. I guarantee the boys would be hilarious. Yeah. We'll have to try that. We'll definitely try that. Well, you guys enjoy that game at your home. Hopefully you can play with your kids. And we'll just challenge your spouse to a duel. Yeah. Hey, never know. But today we get to talk about something different. So let's do a quick update. True life update. That's good. So true life update. We do have this really fun interest party that's starting. Well, that's going to be November 23rd from two o'clock to four o'clock. You can sign up to come. Please register to come. It's free. It's a family friendly thing. We just got to know how many people will prepare for it. That helps us plan. For sure. Yeah. So we have a lot of fun activities for the kids. We have a family serve opportunity that we're doing. A seed packing event, which I'm so excited about. And then we're going to talk a little bit about the vision of what true life church is. What we are trying to live into aspire to be in this community. So yeah. Hope y'all can come and support and see what we have going on. Yeah. Maybe you like to join jump in and be part of our launch team and things like that. Or even our prayer team that goes out into the community and prayer. Praise in parking lots or meets people to pray with. I'm excited about that. Really. But yeah, anyway, all that's to say sign up interest party. Coming up is our first public event as creative life church. So excited. It's going to be cool. Yeah. Now what else we've been doing. We just finished up our series of practicing the way. In our small group on Wednesday night. In our root group. Correct. And so I think this is fun because. This will be always something we can call back to. I think it's valuable for the early church. And for reasons we talked about the rule of life in another conversation we had. The podcast that we had. And so it's really cool that we'll always have kind of like this foundation to build from. In how we live our daily life. How we are trying to practice like being like Jesus and being with Jesus and doing what Jesus did. So it was a good conversation. And we finished up with the topic of witnessing. Yes. It's a good one. When you think of witness, what do you think about? Like how would the world use the term witness? Witness. Well, isn't there song like, can I get a witness? Oh, no. Say it. No, it's a Christian song. Yeah. Yeah. What is the world? Kind of go to for witness. I would think. More so like. Law. Like you witnessed this happen or you were a witness to a crime or whatever it could be. So you talk about the courtroom or like to the event to the event. Okay. You witnessed it. Yes. Saw something occur. And that now your title would be a witness since you were there. Yeah, and I'm curious what the etymology of the word witness is. But you're right. That's when you watch a car accident. Like then you have to be interviewed by the police because you're a witness. We just went to a wedding. Oh, yeah. We were a witness to a holy matrimony. Holy matrimony. Yeah. Holy covenant. Which is a, this was awesome. Which shout out. My parents just passed their 50th wedding anniversary. A big deal. Huge deal. So grateful for that. So we got to, I got to celebrate with them. We're about to celebrate as a family out in Tennessee and meeting up together for kind of a destination anniversary party for them. So that's cool. We got 50 years and then this past week we got to officiate a wedding for good friends of ours. Yeah. And Cameron and I have shout out. Happy one, you know, few weeks, few days. Yeah. Happy few days of holy matrimony. It's awesome. So yeah, we were witnesses to this and not just us, but many people in that room were witnesses to this wedding. So what, what would you kind of assume the responsibility of a witness is? To take into the account of what happened. And to remember like as a witness, you're there to remember what happened and then be able to recall it as well. Recall it and in what sense do you mean like? Why would you need to recall it? Well, as a witness, I feel like people, they know that you were there at some capacity, whatever the situation was. And so I think if someone is to say, hey, you were a witness, they were what happened. You should be able to recall the situation, hopefully. I mean, the older we get, you know, the worse our memories. Yeah. But. Yeah, that's a whole nother conversation. Well, what would you and what your example of witness be? Yeah, well, I had three kind of contexts to have the sporting event witness. I remember the famous LeBron James poster billboard that was in downtown Cleveland where he had his arms outstretched like Jesus figure, you know, King James, all those kind of references back in those early days. Yeah, the basketball is in his palm and it said we are all witnesses. It was a Nike, you know, banner. And that's what I think of sometimes in the sporting context that we witness history when, you know, World Series just happened and history is made kind of context. Everyone that witnessed that event where in the bleachers or watching on TV, there's something about observing something that happened. Taking in the information, right? But then I think the other responsibility, I should say responsibility in the legal sense. And in the Christian sense that there is this obligation you have because what good is knowing that information with no one to share that information with. Right. Like no one goes to their favorite restaurant and is like, yeah, that was great. And you just keep it all in internal. If you have a good experience, you're going to reference and referral and say, hey, you should try that too. And maybe you'll have the same experience. Um, such as our son. He is obsessed with this. Shout out another. Yeah, uh, to root local root. Yeah, he one time and he thinks it's the best burger of his life. And told my parents about it a hundred times to finally on Veterans Day, they went so they could experience the best burger. And Trent is not super easy to please. No. Food wise. And so it's funny when someone when you're passionate about something, it will come out one way or another for sure. Yes. Yes. And I love that you use that word passionate about something. It will come out, right? It will be expressed. And I think in a legal sense, you have an obligation when you're called to the stand, like you have to report truth. Like you have to share your perspective from your vantage point with your background with all of your, because they're trying to vet two things. One, the credibility of this witness and two, whether this testimony, which should I give the backstory of testimony. No, we can do that another day. I think it's very relevant right now for why body part is called the body part because of testifying on the stand. Yeah. Anyway, so that's a, that's a great. Yeah, well, be careful when you look stuff like that up, but his history of testify. Okay. That might be a good Google. So yeah, anyway, fun stuff with that. But yeah, they want to make sure the witness is credible and the defense attorney is always trying to throw shade on the credibility of the witness so that the whole testimony is just out. Yeah. So if you don't have a credible witness, then the story is not credible either, which I think is important. But then two, they want the discernment of the court is to identify what the truth is. What event actually happened? Who is that fault? Who is responsible in the witnesses bear witness to the event? And so I think that's cool. That is cool. I think it's important. Yeah. Why is it important to Christians? Why is it important to Christians to to witness to witness? Well, I feel like when we talk about Christian, Christian witnessing, I feel like my perspective changes on the word because I feel like I guess you are giving a testimony of what's happened to you and pointing people towards Christ and what's happened to you. It's not necessary. I guess it's witnessing a life event. What do you mean by? I feel like more, I would use the word testimony more than the word witness in my life because I feel like and I could be wrong. But I think witnessing is obviously a good thing, but a lot of time people will be like, oh, they're so pushy, they got a witness all the time. Everything, you know, I feel like maybe sometimes witnessing the word itself gets a negative context because it's been not done in a loving manner. And a lot of over history, maybe. And so when I say like, oh, we need to go witness to that person. It's like, oh, I'm going to shove the word of Jesus down their throat until they accept it. Yes. And that is not how I plan to witness to someone. So when I witness, I use it in the form of sharing my testimony. And so I think those kind of go hand in hand, even though they're two different words. Well, yeah, I think, and I think you've identified where Christianity has kind of gone to the wayside when it comes to witness because some. I might venture to say there might be some people watching this, this podcast that might be in this camp of witnessing has become a competition. It's become a sport. And there's almost like a strategy to winning more souls into the kingdom of God. It's more about a decision being made and a prayer being prayed versus an actual encounter and experience with the living God, but also. I don't know, a genuine concern for the person's well-being here and now versus eternal well-being, which is obviously important, but. I think there's one passage in first Corinthians 9, you know, where Paul emphasizes being all things to all people just so that he can win souls. You know, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win souls and I think in the heart of that is Paul really loves people to the point where he wants people to be saved from pathways of destruction. And I think that can happen here and now as well as eternal, but I think because of a distorted view of what that means, it's now this competition of how many souls can I win for the kingdom? It almost get like notches on belts or if you were in a street gang, you know, teardrop tattoos, how many tear drops can you get? I don't know, but I'm just saying some people are are seeking people like our middle child who love trophies who need acknowledgement for things that have been accomplished. Absolutely. There is a bent toward the rewards that I feel like witnessing when we think of it in the normal sense of the word is simply experiencing something and then telling others about it. Does that make sense? Yeah. So you use the word testimony. Why? Well, I think maybe because in my head, I've heard, like I said, like witnessing being unrelatable to some people like, oh, I'm going to witness like, let me give my witness of what happened and it's like, okay, but like testimony is personal. And then if they care about me or I build some sort of rapport with someone, then they'll care about my story, which leads them to God's story. As my hope and but witnessing is not like, I don't mean no witnessing is not a bad thing, but it's been we need to do. I think in your mind and your experience has been kind of corrupted. Right. Is that what you're saying? Yeah. And you just don't want to be that faith person person that's pushing faith on others in these sense of trying to get, you know, another notch on the belt, so to speak. Yeah. Yeah. And so you use testimony is like, here's my story. All right. Do with it what you want. Right. Which I think is what witnessing is right. And that's what I'm saying. I think they go hand in hand, but it's like this word testimony is like, oh, that's not. Doesn't have a negative contacts. Maybe. It's a very churchy word. It is. I will say that. That's true. That might be off putting the people to. I don't know. Can't make everyone happy, but try to. You're not going to make everyone happy. I'm just trying to discreetly turn to a Bible verse because you know, it's been a minute since we've read scripture on this. Go for it. I'm drawn to the story and I'm one chapter off. I'm still close. I'm drawn to the story of when the biggest event in history of mankind just happened. Jesus called his shot like Babe Ruth pointing to the outfield stands like Jesus many times foretold his own death. He knew that he upset the wrong people in positions of power and authority and on earth. And as a result inevitably it was God's will for him to lay down his life. For as a ransom for many, right? And so he then calls the shot that he is now back to life. He is resurrected. And here's the story in Matthew's account as Matthew was a disciple who witnessed Jesus is teaching his lifestyle. He spent time with him. And whether this is from Matthew himself or from his disciples who wrote down his oral tradition and his story, the gospels are witness accounts to the credibility of who Jesus is. So we take that kind of in context. But it says early on Sunday morning in chapter 28 verse 1, as the new day was donning Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven rolled aside the stone and sat on it, which I think is funny. It's a big time flex. His face shown like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him and they fell into a dead faint or some other translations like looked dead. Which I think is cool because this part then the angel spoke to the women, which jumps to the women, like didn't even address anymore. The guards story like, are they okay? Are they going to get nothing? Oh, yeah, the women are still coming. So they spoke to the women. Don't be afraid. He said, I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here. He has risen from the dead. Just as he said, it would happen. So it's a cool structure of the story where the living guards and representatives of a Rome and the authorities and the powers of earth, the empire, have become dead. And then the dead Messiah is now alive. So it's kind of this cool paradigm shift that the author is trying to intend on this to look at the contrast. But he tells the women, don't be afraid. Obviously you're looking for Jesus, but he's not here. He's alive. And then he says, come see where his body was laying and now go quickly tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. So for me, this instruction is from a credible messenger telling this story to these women, come and see, then go and tell. It's like come and see that the tomb is empty and then go and tell people about this fact that's happening. And they didn't have all the answers like they didn't see, you know, Jesus at that time, they didn't, they didn't understand that this is actually happening. I don't know they're just maybe confused or in awe because they just had this dude sitting on top of this rock telling them this thing that happened and they might be seeing the guards that are still laying over their dead or looking dead. I don't know what they're seeing, but they're in this kind of a frantic situation, but it's exciting. But they didn't first hand experience the situation. They just experienced a second hand account of what happened. But out of their obedience, they responded, verse eight, the women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened, but also filled with great joy and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message as they went. Jesus met them and greeted them and they ran to him, grasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, don't be afraid, go tell my brothers to meet for galley, they will see me there. So I think it's cool, just the kind of order of operations. And this isn't the formula. This isn't trying to be like a system of witness, but I love this example that there's an event that happened. And the women weren't first hand, but they they talked to a first hand participant of this event. They came and saw that the tomb was empty and then they were given an order to go and tell. So I think that kind of encapsulates the role of a witness. And the women obediently do this in the process of doing that. That's where they encounter first hand your experience and the presence of God. Maybe I'm drawn too much from it, but that's kind of what I read out of this. No, keep going because I have a verse, but I'm going to find it. Okay, you're going to, okay, so I can talk about anything right now. Go for it. Now, well, why don't you? Well, I find where my verse went. Who have you seen be a good witness or had given a witness to a story that in your spiritual walk that's been super impactful for you? I would say you. Yeah, I've seen you be a very good witness. I remember earlier years, you know, I had a lot of mentors. I was a lot of, I was very blessed with a lot of good people. And I remember it's sixth grade my Sunday school teacher, Mr. Sonny. He was an outnote, too much of his past, you know, sixth grade. And he passed away, you know, kind of thereafter being my middle school leader. But I just remember the fruit that Mr. Sonny bore. And it always impacted me that there was some credibility to this whole fall in Jesus thing. So that kind of set me on this track. And I obviously, I've parents that have been married for 50 years, like their relationship was fine. And I have sisters that have both given their life to Christ. I have friends and family that I grew up in a Christian environment. And yes, I pushed away from my faith for a time and, you know, studied and explored and thought and had a radical encounter myself with the presence of God. And I might sound a little woo-woo out there, but I think it's amazing and as part of my story. But I remember the first time where it felt there was credibility to this Christian thing, like this gentle, humble wise man who was patiently tolerating us sixth graders who were reckless and crazy and disrespectful, I'm sure. And yet graciously kind of guided us further on to our journey, just boosting the credibility of the gospel. So for me, that was, I guess, the first taste of of a credible witness that wasn't firsthand family. Yeah. And it was like, oh, there's something beyond my family, something else in the world that's kind of energizing. What about you? Well, I found my verse. I'm going to go to that real quick. And so it probably would have done better if I would have had this ready when you were talking about your last thing. But I found this in Acts 1.8. And it's talking about witnessing is not done in human strength, but also through the promises through God, like powered promises through God. And so Acts 1.8 is you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witness, a Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria into the ends of the earth. And so I think there's so much about us being witness to God is not because of anything we've done or situations may have happened to us. Or, you know, God has shown his glory through us, but it's really that we're able to see it in the light of God and what he's doing in our life because of the Holy Spirit because we've been given that. Companion, the what's what's the word that used to advocate the kit. There it is or helper. Yeah, of the Holy Spirit in our life that we can become witnesses and show people that it's beyond what's happened is not just good luck. It's not just a karma or whatever it is. There's so much more to what happens in our life and because of I don't know witnessing the goodness of God. Amen. I think it's so good and it reminds me also of like the Old Testament law and that the Ten Commandments and there's one of the Commandments do not bear false witness. Right. Do not bear false witness and that term bearing is similar to like do not bear the words name and vein or I forget exactly how it's phrased in the Old Testament. I remember there's something deeper than just saying words with using the words name and vein, but it's when you are identified as a God fear or a practicing Jew back in the Old Testament or if you're a Christ follower or a Christian here in this context. When you bear that name, it's not just about the words that you say like not just saying the the GD kind of a thing, but it's also about you bear witness by the the it's almost like you put on the cloak. I'm going to get Bible nerdy here for a second. Okay. Sorry. Sorry reader or listener. I was thinking of dear reader in the Bible. So there's a priest that was designated the high priest in the Old Testament that was supposed to have this responsibility to go into the Holy of Holies to basically ask God his will and for guidance. And what the priest wore was this thing called an ephid and there's all sorts of stones. There's all sorts of similar symbolism and imagery with this, but one of the things that was represented was 12 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The priest bore Israel as he as a placeholder went and talked to God. And for me that that that bearing the weight of being called a Christian, it's like I own this not just as part of my identity, but it's also responsibility to bear witness to the credibility of what I'm bearing. And if I bear this name Christian in vain, which means I say to others and I'm a Jesus follower, but my actions kind of speaks otherwise, then you're you're bearing the name in vain, you're using the Lord's name in vain. So for me, being a credible witness matters, you know, forget how we got on there, but, but the Acts 1, 8, it's when you're filled with the Holy Spirit or when you witness something that God has done, you've, you've observed it. You've experienced it internally or externally. Now it's your responsibility to bear that that information or that experience and then go and share it. Not just to Jerusalem, but also to Samaria and Judea into the earth. And I think that is so like it seems like, oh my goodness, how am I going to go to a whole nation or a whole city like if you're taking that text literally, but I think there's a lot of times in our life that all of us have had hardships in different facets in our life. And if we are just to keep how God has brought us through that to ourself and not being able to give testimony or a witness, I've got to switch my words and bear witness to what God has done, done to get us through that season. Then I think we are not only not portraying the bigness of God, how big God is and how good he is, but I think we are not being a good witness to show others how they can come through that too. Because hardships in our life sometimes can feel as if you're the only one that's ever going through that. And if you feel that way, then you don't really want to share it. You don't really, you wonder, will I make it through what's going to happen depending on whatever your story is. But there's something so powerful and being a witness for others to see it so that they can hold on to wait for the other side of their season. Amen. Yeah, there's a time of processing, trying to figure out what happened that every witness goes through and there's a lot of examples in the Bible, like Job goes through all sorts of stuff. And he's like, my witness is in heaven, like they know for a fact how I've held my integrity, how things have been happening and his friends are accusing him of all sorts of things. And it makes me sad because you recently went through a life changing experience, which can I say the Bible is it many people have this idea that God sort of superseded the will of authors and just like spoke through them or sometimes he does that with profits and things. But he was like, write this exact thing down and people didn't have agency. They just kind of wrote down from my understanding most of the Bible is people experiencing God and then retelling or formulating the story of how they encounter God or how God encountered this nation or tribe in radical ways. And they just kind of shared their story onto a scroll. Is that is that kind of a fair. I know. Anyway, and with that, it's like people have this account everyone has experience is everyone has their life story that they can share and everyone if you have the eyes to see it can identify where God is and how God has pulled people through. But sometimes people might have a different experience, maybe an injustice done to them. And if we have the wrong view of God, sometimes we can place blame onto God for whatever injustice happened, which I get I absolutely get that would challenge us to continue digging in through scripture and through Christian experiences and counsel with others, but but to navigate and kind of get a different perspective on our on our stories. But one, you've had a life changing experience in your life. And I would say it's been a wrestling match, not just with God, but also with other powers and principalities that are going on. And not to sound too charismatic and penicostle. I mean, there is some validity there. But yeah, anyway, we could talk more about that. But I want to I want to just highlight that you in my opinion have more witness through this journey. In a healthy way, even though we're still seeking closure and finality, there's still a way to express witness in the midst of the storms that we're facing. Is that true? Yeah, and I would think, I mean, an example that comes up because of my story is when I was really sick, we had a lot of friends and family that weren't local. And so to keep them updated, we started making videos on social media for just to keep people updated. And then it also became a way to just not intentionally witness. But we I just couldn't help, but anytime there was a breakthrough or not a breakthrough, just saying where I am mentally and spiritually in that. And I think it became a witness because I was able to share it. Was it easy? No. Did I ever think I'd get online and have tons of people see me with like bells palsy and not being able to move either of my hands, I called in my paws because they were stuck like this. I anyways, not that my intention was that, but I think I knew people were seeing it. And I like, oh, I hope something good comes from it. And I'm probably going to get emotional, but that's okay. For real experience. One time that I really saw that sharing my story, which because of the way I got sick, it was very taboo to even kind of talk about. Oh, yeah, you got some hate. I got a lot of hate. It's talking about the COVID vaccine in any negative context five years ago was extremely looked down upon. So to do that and was, I don't know, not typical. Can I say it was almost a form of treason at the time for real? Yeah, that's how we experience it. Yeah, which is crazy to think about. But yeah. But as I would share my stories, I'd have people reach out like what is working well for you? What's not? And I tried to any time I saw success and something I would try to share with people because I'm like, hey, if this gave me any sort of relief, I would love if anyone like me is experiencing it to have some sort of relief. But one of the most powerful moments was a girl asked to say, hey, I'm experiencing so much of the same things as you are. Can I call you? And so I was sure gave her my number and you know, she was experiencing a lot of the same side effects as myself. And when she would go to the doctors similar to myself, they would say, there's nothing on imaging. It's all in your head. You need to go see the only thing that's going to help you with psych and this precious lady was pregnant with a little girl. And she didn't have a family support at the time that I had. So when her husband would go with her and here, it's all in your head. He told her, this is all in your head. You need to get it together. Yeah. And she just kept weighing on what is happening. I can't talk about it. They think I'm crazy literally that she called me and she said before I saw your video. I was trying to decide whether I should kill myself and my unborn child because I obviously am not fit to be a mother if I'm gotten this crazy or leave my young son who she also had in my husband and sign myself in to a psych ward because obviously it must be me. Yeah, no one else will talk about this. Yeah, man. So when you share your story, it might just be one person that finds it and it's like, like, because of your witness and sharing your story because literally change people's lives. Yeah. And the hardship that they're going through doesn't feel alone. And if you can in the moment, let them seek the light of Jesus through that dark path to be a win-win. Amen. Amen. I'm grateful for your witness and I think it's in maybe we could maybe we shouldn't, I don't know, but throwing some of those videos in on this to kind of get people to understand what your witness was saying at that time. That led for that that girl, we don't have to, but I'm just saying, like, if people would recall some of those videos that you posted on Facebook that before they were taking down, I think they were taking some of them were taking that. It's not from my Facebook because of the videos that. Anyway, yeah, to give the message of hope that you were giving, especially because I remember one of my witness kind of things, my stories was when you were, I think it's like the first three months of being treated. You were preventive or precautionarily given some like epileptic medicine before they realized your seizures were non epileptic and the epileptic medicine made you worse. You went from not having feeling or strength in one side of your body to neither arm, neither leg worked and you were not quadriplegic because you could still feel, but you didn't have control over your body and your extremities. And so we, yeah, I kind of asked that friend of mine who's a pastor, he reached out like there's more than just praying that I feel God is wanting me to do in this situation. And so I'm like, dude, if you know someone in insurance because we were getting destroyed with insurance claims, we didn't have a great insurance. And so if you need someone, if you know someone in the insurance world that could help us out or if you know someone that knows someone that is doing some medicine for people in this situation, that'd be huge. So through his connections, there was people that he made aware of that request and he had a friend named Michelle who went to this gala that connected with a doctor that knew about some other doctor who was doing some backwoods research study in Kentucky. And we reached out to that doctor and it looked like he's coming to Asheville to the some crazy Christian retreat center that was sketch looking and we're like, you know what? And it was kind of a special moment because the first time I just remember this the first day that I talked to that doctor, it was when I was at youth camp and you were home because you couldn't come because your physical ability, physical health, but we had two youth interns that laid hands on me with our youth group that went to the youth camp. And they initiated this and it was just so powerful that they prayed over me, which in lieu of you not being there. And that was the moment where I had to step away because I was getting a call from this doctor. So I thought there was something cool, something valid about this experience. And then when I got back from youth camp, we arranged to go up to Asheville, met this guy, they interviewed you beforehand, you were in a wheelchair, can barely talk your arms and legs were fairly limp because you didn't have control over them. And after 45 minutes of doing this treatment, this I RT treatment, where it looked, okay, I just said, like, I know we're probably going long. Yeah. But this is so crazy. Like, it just, it made me rethink miracles. Like, how do miracles happen? And for you to go through this 45 minute treatment where this guy puts this like glowing orb on the end of your foot and your hand. It's more like an ultrasound, but it's that ultrasound with a taser inside. It just happened, you know. And for you to go in, not able to walk or even touch your nose like that would send you immediately into a seizure, like there was so many things that you couldn't physically do. And after 45 minutes, you stand up off the bed, you walk, you run in place, like, oh my goodness, did I just witness some crazy miraculous healing? Yeah. Because God put people in places in our life who were also reaching out intentionally in his spirit to connect us to resources and aid to get you better. Yeah, that and looking back, yeah, that treatment didn't last forever, but it did give us hope that this was reversible. Right. And then it started the path of us seeking fruitful medicine that would actually help you. I just think it's, it's an amazing account, an amazing story. I was rethinking because I have a, a brother in law who was kind of researching and diving deep into like how Jesus did the miracles he was doing. And let me submit this to you that he can control sound frequencies that went through the meridians of your body that breaks apart inflammation and allows people who can't walk to walk. I was like, maybe that's a thing. I don't know, man. It was unbelievable experience. And then we went to Mitchell and documented that story afterward. And yeah, you gave hope to a lot of people that were not with hope. And I think through God, blessing you with, you know, family and support systems around you that believed you that took your, because we know your credibility. We know you don't fabricate things at a thin air. You're not seeking attention that you are actually tough as nails. And for you to experience what you're experiencing could not be just a mental thing. There's something physiologically going on that was outside of your realm of control. But yeah, so we believed you and we trusted you and we still do and we're still pursuing this thing and look at you now. I can be now. So yeah, I just, I think it's so important. Like you went in small group group last night, been kind of asked everyone that's like the icebreaker. What's your favorite restaurant and why? And it's so easy. It's so easy to be like, boom, I love Chipotle. I'll do a happy dance every time I get my Chipotle bowl. Because I just love it so much. Like, um, and what blaze pizza is yours. And you can think exactly why? Like, yeah, get all the toppings that I can on a pizza. Yeah. Boom. Um, I think I just hope in challenge people that when, why do you love Jesus? It is just as easy. You do their happy dance. Well, I saw Jesus performing miracle. Jesus provides me with so much peace. Like, I just hope it becomes, we can become a witness for Jesus way easier and more excitingly than we could just about. And doesn't mean we have to be happy. Go lucky all the time either because some of the stories. I mean, Jacob wrestles with God. Right. We have had our job and our David times of lament and frustration, voicing the God. You are all powerful. You are all good. Why this and why this long? We were doing your will. So there's honesty and vulnerability. Um, you can have an experience at a restaurant. You're like, man, this is not the greatest experience, but it totally redeemed itself. When it gave me a free appetizer because of all my complaining. Right. So there's like little, the little things that might get thrown our way. But anyway, I, I guess part of my hope in this conversation is to inspire us to share our story with God. At the end of the day, if we're just kind of, you know, I know this is on YouTube. This is kind of feeding the beast. But if we meet our maker one day in heaven, or we, we pass away in the only legacy we have to share is the algorithm and the history of videos that we watched. And there's really no encounters with God and with God's people and with things of eternal matters, making differences in people's lives, restoring a family that has been broken, helping someone battle an addiction that has been taking toll on their own personal life, but also the relationships like finding finding someone to love and help through a situation that you can always put your name on. Like put your hat on there. I forget the phrase, but put your name on it and be like, yeah, I helped contribute and I helped partner with God in this effort to make the world a better place. You know, I think there's more important things that we get to be part of if we get a side of our box and witness absolutely. That reminds me, I got a verse for us, another one signing off with a verse girl. Well, I just thought it'd be good to like, capsulate it with bearing good fruit, right? So in Proverbs 1130, it says the fruit of the righteousness is the tree of life. And the one who is wise, wise saves lives. And so I think we can do that through our witness and we can bear good through through that. So look at you. My drop. There you have it. Go with bear good fruit by witnessing. Yeah. Okay. See you later.