There Is A Time

Hello, this is Matt Slick from the Matt Slick Live Podcast, where I defend the Christian faith and lay out our foundation of the truth of God's Word. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network.

This is the Truth Network. The heart of every man craves a great adventure, but life doesn't usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gates and wide roads, but the masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns.

So, how do we keep from losing heart while trying to find the good way when life feels more like a losing battle than something worth dying for? Grab your gear and come on a quest with your band of brothers who will serve as the guides in what we call the masculine journey. The masculine journey starts here now.

Pete Welcome to The Masculine Journey. We're glad that you're with us this week and we are excited about this topic. Well, we're kind of excited to see where God takes us on this topic because we have lots of different clips and lots of different perspectives on this particular topic. And Art, this was your topic, so it's really kind of your fault, honestly, that we're going in all different directions. It's God's prompting that we're going in other directions, so why don't you tell us a little bit about the topic? Art I'm sorry, I'll try to explain it.

I'll try to explain it in a way that makes sense. Okay, so this topic came to me last week when I was listening to the song that Sam had submitted for last week's topic and my take on it was that, you know, this man was kind of living a miserable life. It'd been two years since he talked to God.

He's obsessing and stressing over little things and didn't know who he'd be if he was happy. So, that got me to, you know, thinking that we should, you know, got me to thinking of the topic this week and that is how are we walking with God and working on our own self-care to not be in the same place as the singer last week and in talking with the guys back and forth over the topic, it kind of got changed into two topics in one and the other topic is there's also this time component because he says it's been two years since he talked to God and the other part of the topic is, you know, it's kind of like life is short and we need to work on these things that make us happy, that make us better people, that make us better, closer to God now because we don't, life is so short because life is so short. Chris Well, good.

Thank you. That does help and you actually have the first clip. So, you want to tell us a little bit about your clip and then we'll play it?

Steve First clip, okay. This is a bluegrass song by the darlings on the, from the ending of the show and it just states that life is short and it is, I know personally just recently I've started counting the past in decades rather than years instead of saying something happened years and years ago, it's just a lot easier to say, you know, three decades ago or something. So, you know, I don't know about the other folks here, maybe Harold measures time in scores. Four score.

Yeah, like four score and ten years ago, they invaded football at Auburn. But anyway. Chris That was pretty funny. Steve So we can, yeah, we can tell jokes here, right?

Okay. Chris What are you gonna do about getting home? Steve Oh, Andy, can you help me? Chris Help a brother out here. Steve Yeah, okay. Okay, so, so we'll play the clip and it is bluegrass music and we have also I meant to say also there is a and we have an annual bluegrass festival at the Carolina Bible camp that is the same place where we have our boot camps and it is a great facility.

They have a, they have a really nice show with some top names in it. I didn't go this year, Harold, Harold went, would you like to say something about it? It's, it's almost a shameless plug, Harold. This is your moment.

Steve Yeah, go ahead, Harold. Harold Yeah, it's a fundraiser for the camp that the kids go to seven weeks each summer. Several hundred kids attend. It's a great camp.

And that's a really good program. It's a wonderful, wonderful day out. So if next year plan to come, it'll be in September. Chris Yeah, you notice how Art wants to ride home. So he, he set Harold up there.

Steve Yeah, he's like, Oh, I need a ride. Harold, tell us about the Bluegrass Festival. Yeah, you know how that is. So this is a type of music you would hear at the Bluegrass Festival. We'll go ahead and play it and come back and talk about it. There is a time for love and laughter The days will pass like summer storms The winter wind will follow after But there is love and love is warm There is a time for us to wonder When time is young and so are we The woods are greener over yonder The path is new, the world is free There is a time when leaves are falling The woods are gray, the paths are old The snow will come when geese are callin' We need a fire against the cold There is a time for us to wonder When time is young and so are we The woods are greener over yonder The path is new, the world is free Steve Well, that was pretty good. I enjoyed that. Well, thank you, Sam.

And just come to the Bluegrass Festival next year and there will be plenty of good music to listen to. Steve Well, Harold, was that you playing the banjo? Harold Not hardly. Steve No?

Okay. Harold But I will say that six decades ago, I never dreamed about today. Steve Well, that's true. Harold And for you young folks, if you're lucky, it'll be here before you know it. Steve That's three score. Harold Life passes very quickly. Steve Yeah.

Harold Yes, yes. Like the song says, you know, life is short and soon you'll need a fire against the cold. So that is, you know, don't wait two years to talk to God and just live a miserable life like the man in the song last week. Do the things that improve yourself, that make you happy, that bring you closer to God. And for me, becoming a part of this show is a big part of my life. It's been a great help to me and I truly get a lot out of it.

It's really good to know this great group of guys and to come here and to talk about life and to talk about God and to pray to God. And also, you know, another, I was going to say also, my thoughts come in bunches, but kind of do the things that you enjoy doing that relax you and that, so that you're not obsessing and stressing over little things like the man in the song. And for me, it's spending time with my dogs.

And I have a couple of dogs that I've talked about before that I spend a lot of time with. And to me, that's relaxing and it's enjoyable. It's, you know, improved my life. It's my relaxing time.

It's my time to think about God and to think about the wonders of the world and nature. That's it. Well, thank you, Art. I appreciate it. Robby, actually, we're kind of continuing with this whole part of this topic.

So, why don't you go ahead and pick it up from there? Right. So, my clip is from the movie Dead Poets Society, just absolutely an amazing movie that Robin Williams did. And he's teaching these young men something about life here because he's going to use poetry to make the point that Art's song made about that, you know, you only have so much time. And when you think about it, you had today, right? And you'll have tomorrow morning. And if you seize the day, so to speak, as Robert Williams is going to talk about here, you know, you can actually talk to him. He wants to meet with you.

And he will share things that you really need the advice of, but you got to seize the moment when you can to get some advice from him. So, Robin Williams. Thank you, Mr. Pitts. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. The Latin term for that sentiment is carpe diem. Seize the day.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines? Because he's in a hurry. No.

Thanks for playing anyway. Because we are food for worms, lads. Because believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die. I'd like you to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces from the past. You've walked past them many times. I don't think you've really looked at them. They're not that different from you, are they?

No. Same haircuts, full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope, just like you.

Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because you see, gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you.

Go on, lean in. So gather ye rosebuds while you think about that. If you're like us and you've got grandchildren now, they're not going to have all that. You know now how many chances you're going to have to share Christmas with them, how many Easters, those kind of things. And you do have to seize the day. And I have to say my father, my earthly father, was a great teacher. It wouldn't be unusual for my dad to call and say, pick a date, we're going to Colorado this summer, fishing.

What works for you? He would seize those days and he would make sure that those plans were made for adventure. And I think that whether we're somebody's big brother or we're their father or whatever, that you got to be thinking, how can we seize this day? Because I think about how many of those opportunities I got to go fishing with my father in my 40s and 50s and 60s.

Because he seized, that was something he was going to do. I had that opportunity this morning with my own son, actually, because I seized the day and went to God. I said, what should I do? And he said, well, Robby's a big Panther fan, my son.

I said, your birthday's coming up, let's invite him to a Panther game. Like I had the opportunity with Tess that time to get her that promise ring when she was in her 30s. That promise to always love yourself. Again, seize the day.

I love Carpe Diem. I love that clip. Well, thank you, Robby. And go to masculinejourney.org to register for the upcoming boot camp. What we have at our boot camp is something that makes you stronger and it gives you the strength to go on your regular walk with God. It's something that will make you be bigger than you were when you got there. What kind of inspired you to come up this weekend?

Oh, my goodness. Just my faith just my faith in general. You know, my father has passed down that heritage of just that Christian life, that Christian faith and just godly morals and principles. And he's instilled that in my life.

And I have children as well. And I want to instill that in their life. So when I get an opportunity to do something like this, I jump on it. I just want to be here and I'm glad to be here.

It's a great opportunity. We're definitely glad to have you here as well. Any talk that stuck out to you this weekend that's really just kind of made your heart come alive with that fire back in you?

Probably one thing that just stands out to me is John 15. It's just not being alone. Know that I have Christ on my side. I can't do anything without Him.

And I need Him in my life. I'm a very private person. I like to do things on my own. I don't like to ask for help.

So that's hard for me to know I've got to ask Jesus for something and then also just to rely on a band of brothers that I can look to and turn to and say, Hey, guys, I need help. I can't do this alone. Register today at masculinejourney.org If you want to be well, you've got to stay healthy. Take care of your body. Take care of yourself. You gotta be strong. For your friends and your family. For everybody.

Take care of yourself. Welcome back to Masculine Journey. And yes, I know that was not the best bump ever. That was rough. But no, it wasn't. Now, here's the deal. You guys all were rolling your eyes. You're pretending like you're gonna get sick to your stomach, you know, whatever you want to call it, right? But just the simple advice from kids, if you would just take that, if you just want to listen to the bump instead of making fun of it, you want to probably learn something very, very simple.

That's why I used a kid's song because it can't be any more simple than kids' songs, right? Three scores ago. Three score years ago when I was in grade school, you know, Robert Preston, or you might remember him as the music man. He did one of those and it was, go you chicken fat, go away.

Push-ups every morning, three times. I'll never forget it. Sounds like I'm down there. The advice from the thing is, look, you got to take care of yourself, right? And so, yeah, that was not the best bump and I get it. But let's see, who else submitted a bump?

Oh, that's right. None of you guys submitted one. So when you submit one, you can talk about it. And Jim, you can't talk about it.

But no, the whole simple thing of that is, what I liked about that particular bump and the reason I chose it was, it was simple, but it was also, it's not just for you, right? When you don't take care of yourself, everybody else around you is impacted. How many of us would like to have more time with our parents had they been able to take better care of themselves, if that was what caused them not to be here?

Right? I mean, who would not have wanted another day with a loved one? And so we are all making those decisions every day based on that, that impact other people. And I just want to kind of bring that to life, that not as pressure, but there are people out there that depend on you to take care of yourself. Darrell Bock Put your oxygen mask on first and then Dr. Darrell Bock So the other good news is that, you know, we don't have to worry about Art coming up with another topic next week from the song you made.

Dr. Darrell Bock No, probably not. We probably don't. But you know what? Just for that next week, I am not going to be here. I'm not coming now. I wasn't coming anyway.

Still, I'm not going to be here either way. But yeah. All right, so back to our topic at hand, and if you're confused, that's all right, so are we. The topic that we're talking about is not waiting, you know, our whole lives to do things, but to stay in the moment. And in that moment, make sure we're working with God to take care of ourselves.

And that means different things to different people. You know, Art shared about spending time with his dogs or spending times with us, and we are a bunch of dogs sometimes, so I think that's a pretty good correlation. But Dr. Darrell Bock You sounded a lot like my Mouseketeers with that bump. Dr. Darrell Bock Well, we did. Yeah. So Danny, you were next with your clip.

I don't know if you still are. We'll have to wait and see. But no, and so we are going to take it in a couple of Dr. Danny Hill After hours. Dr. Darrell Bock After hours. We are going to take it in a couple of different directions, starting with Danny. We are staying with the Andy Griffith theme.

So if you want to tell us a little bit about your clip and go from there. Danny Hill Yeah, this is from the show Bailey's Bad Boy. And Bill Binksby plays this kid who rides in his sports car and creates chaos in Mayberry.

And I don't know whether it was before or after The Darlings sang, but anyway. And he gets arrested, and he goes to jail, and he's waiting on his father to bail him out. And the scene we're going to see is on Andy's front porch and an interchange with Opie. And Bill actually learns a thing or two from the interchange. And, you know, just kind of the interchange between Opie and his dad.

And then we can talk about it on the other side. Opie Binksby Paul, you're in a good mood. Paul Binksby Yeah, why? Opie Binksby If I tell you something, would you promise not to get mad? Paul Binksby Well, it all depends.

What is it? Opie Binksby Well, it ain't hardly worth mentioning, but I think I better mention it. You know that old window on Mrs.

Pretty's back door? Paul Binksby Yeah. Opie Binksby Someone threw a ball and busted it. Paul Binksby Would you by any chance be that someone? Opie Binksby Are you mad, Paul?

Paul Binksby No. No, I'm not mad. Promise you won't get mad.

You won't get an allowance till that one is paid for. Okay? Opie Binksby Okay, Paul. Paul Binksby Make way for the ice cream! Opie Binksby Oh, boy!

Opie Binksby And strawberries to go in it! Paul Binksby Strawberries! Paul Binksby Come on, Opie! Paul Binksby Give me a hand, though.

Opie Binksby Whoa! Paul Binksby Sheriff? Paul Binksby Huh?

Paul Binksby Weren't you sort of rough on the kid? Paul Binksby How's that? Paul Binksby Well, why don't you bail the little fellow out? Paul Binksby Bail him out? Paul Binksby Well, yeah, it's just a window.

Paul Binksby Oh, oh, oh. Yeah, yeah, I guess I could bail him out, like you say. But the only trouble with that, if I was to do that, why, every time he'd get in trouble, he'd be expecting me to come to the rescue, don't you see? This time, it's a broken window. Later on, it'd be something bigger, and then something bigger than that.

He's got to learn to stand on his own two legs now. I could keep that yelling straight. Paul Binksby The direction I went with this was that we were talking about, you know, don't wait two years to engage with God. And a lot of times that comes because of, you know, something we've done or shame or guilt, or, and we isolate. I know I do. If I pull away from, you know, family members or, you know, wondering if dad's mad, because I wrecked a car or not that I've ever done that, but I have, or something like that.

I love Opie's approach. You're in a good mood. And, you know, there have been times in my own life where I wanted to ask God, you in a good mood? You know, because, you know, we confess, but going back to God with things, you know, because in the garden, Adam and God met daily, until they didn't, you know, Adam messed up, and he went hid.

And, you know, we've been hiding ever since. But it doesn't have to be that way. Because, you know, we grace is not a get out of jail free card. Grace is a, you know, God is not going to pour his wrath out on us, but he is going to teach us a lesson. And I think sometimes we miss that in the church at times that, you know, he's going to let you struggle with things and he's going to let you learn the lessons and pay your own way and stand on your own two legs or feet, Robby, whichever.

And, but he's going to let you do that. So that you'll get better, you're building better character. And that was Andy's approach to Opie was he wanted to build character in him. And that's what God wants us to look like him. And he is the outstanding character that we should be building toward. So.

Darrell Bock And obviously it worked for him because he did such a great job as Eddie's father. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Through the whole courtship and everything. Andy King Yeah. But he had an anger problem later on. Darrell Bock Yeah. If you don't know what we're talking about, it's okay.

Just just keep going. So we will actually move to you next, Andy. Andy King I'm next. Darrell Bock Well, yeah, I'm surprised too. Andy King I thought I was destined for After Hours. Darrell Bock Yeah, I thought about it, but then it's Rodney and either After Hours. Andy King All right.

So I just thinking about this topic. There's one movie that came to my mind where a guy really kind of seizes the day, but it takes him a while to get there. And movies Groundhog and Phil is a guy that's, he's a weatherman or newsman that has to go report on the Groundhog and Punxsutawney. Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day. Darrell Bock His movie, yeah.

Andy King Yeah. And so, he realizes he's caught in this Groundhog Day where the days repeat, and he gets another opportunity. And he, instead of looking at doing things better and right, he progressively manipulates situations to try to get what he wants. And that's what I think we do a lot of times our lives. I was in a Groundhog Day.

It may not have been the exact day, but it was the same situation, me trying to do the thing and progressively manipulating situations. And he finally gets it at the end. And he goes and these repetitive scenes that you see him go through, whether it's a girl's heart, or it's a guy that he meets on the street that he knew from the past or whatever.

He eventually goes back and does those people right, but it took him a while to get it. Here we go. He's not just stuck in Punxsutawney. Will you be checking out today, Mr. Connors?

Chance of departure today, 100%. He's stuck in Groundhog Day. I'm reliving the same day over and over. Bill? Ned Ryerson? Ben! Do you ever have deja vu, Mrs. Lancaster?

I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen. Well, it's Groundhog Day again. At first, he was a little anxious. Bill? What? Will you be checking out today, Mr. Connors?

I'd say the chance of departure is 80%. But now, we could do whatever we want. He's discovering the possibilities. Don't you worry about cholesterol? Why?

And living life like there's no tomorrow. Phil Connors! Ned!

Because there isn't. I am an immortal. I have been stabbed, shot, burned, frozen, electrocuted. I'm a god. Your god. I'm a god.

I'm not the god. He's out of his gourd. But to get what his heart wants most What are you looking for, Phil?

A date for the weekend? means living this day over again till he gets it right. Believe it or not, I studied 19th century French poetry.

What a waste of time. I studied 19th century French poetry. You speak French. Bill Murray.

Andy McDowell. To the groundhog. So you just hear that and, you know, he finally does get it. And I think sometimes we finally do get it whenever you continually realize that you're replaying the same day.

You're going around the same mountain, God, just giving you an opportunity. And it's good whenever you finally get it. But it's a lot of times we do. We spend, to art's point, two years.

Shoot, it was two score for me or more, you know. It was a long time, you know, before I begin to see these things. And, you know, we do wait around a lot.

I mean, the Matthew, I think it's 11, 12, Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force. It's like you want to care about it enough to go grab it. And a lot of times you don't know what to do. You know, sometimes we feel like we're God a little bit, like he said in there. You just kind of feel like you have control. And it's your choice, but it's really not.

You've got to surrender that to him. So yeah. And as you said, if we don't learn from stuff, God will let us cycle back around and deal with it again. You know, how often do you find yourself saying, man, I feel like I've been here before. I'll be coming around the mountain. Yeah, exactly.

You know, and so might as well deal with it now instead of waiting till later. So this week, what I'd challenge you to go out and do is just take this topic to God. We've been getting all over the place. And in the after hours, we'll continue to go in different directions. But where's God want to take you on this topic? Where does he want to say, Hey, partner with me to help you grow, to help you get better, to help you step into more life, the abundant life that's promised. Go do that this week. Go register for bootcamp and we'll talk to you next week.