RL 364: Election Aftermath - 4 Thoughts for Navigating It

[00:00:00] I tell this to my kids all the time, and I think we need to hear it. It will be okay. Even if it's not okay, it will be okay. Even if something goes crazy and it's sideways, God will still be in control. It will be okay. And I think we can model something of that calm presence. And I think it really starts with spending some time with the Lord this week.

[00:00:23] Welcome to episode 364. It's Election Day. And let's just say tensions are high, Matt.

[00:00:30] This is a short episode about how we're thinking about our congregations in the middle of all this. How are we going to talk about it on Sunday? One thing is for sure, it will be okay. Four thoughts to consider post-election. That's today on The Reclaimed Leader.

[00:00:51] Welcome to The Reclaimed Leader Podcast. I'm Jason Tucker.

[00:00:54] And I'm Jesse Skiffington.

[00:00:56] We're two pastors in the trenches who are passionate about church health for greater gospel impact.

[00:01:01] We share the ups and downs of ministry, strategies that worked for us.

[00:01:05] And some that didn't.

[00:01:06] Best practices and practical tools for church leadership.

[00:01:09] The goal? To help all of our churches flourish. Let's get started.

[00:01:17] All right, we are back and it is officially Groundhog Day. Oh, no, no, I'm sorry. Election Day.

[00:01:24] And, oh man, it's here. We are not live. We are recording this early.

[00:01:31] So we don't know how today's going to go. Of course, now as this airs, you don't know how today's going to go either.

[00:01:37] We're all sort of in the dark about this election day.

[00:01:39] But we said we were going to talk about it.

[00:01:41] And no, sadly, we're not talking about the doctrine of election.

[00:01:46] That's right.

[00:01:47] Maybe pivot to that. Can we go to that?

[00:01:49] I actually think that would be less controversial.

[00:01:53] Which, by the way, it was the hardest class I ever took.

[00:01:56] And I like was Dr. Bruce McCormick's doctrine of election.

[00:01:59] The entire grade for the class was one final paper.

[00:02:03] And it was it was rough.

[00:02:05] There was a lot of stress, but it was really, really good.

[00:02:07] It was a good class.

[00:02:08] Episode 364.

[00:02:10] So this is one final test to, you know, to see whether 363 episodes will stand or be canceled forever.

[00:02:16] That's right.

[00:02:17] That's right.

[00:02:19] And before we get into today, again, we just ask that if you would do us a favor and spread the word about this podcast to your colleagues.

[00:02:26] Share an episode with friends.

[00:02:27] And if you like this episode or not, I don't know.

[00:02:29] Let's see about the election.

[00:02:30] But leave us a review on your platform of choice.

[00:02:34] It's a great way to help others find us, which our heart is to help as many pastors as possible.

[00:02:41] And, you know, we spent all of October in the trenches, if you will, talking with pastors.

[00:02:45] Our heart is just for pastors.

[00:02:48] And part of it's because that's us.

[00:02:50] And we're navigating life and ministry together.

[00:02:52] So anyway, thank you for listening and hope that you will share this.

[00:02:57] Now, listen, when this year was coming around and we were starting to look at the election stuff.

[00:03:04] I think we commented on a few times early on in 2024, but just, oh boy, here we go.

[00:03:11] You know, like not of all the stress that we've had over the last few years, the last thing we need is another election.

[00:03:17] That doesn't sound very democratic, but.

[00:03:19] Yes.

[00:03:20] You know, and now, of course, we're in the season of political ads.

[00:03:23] You know, I can't watch the news without getting political.

[00:03:25] I'm not just president, but, you know, everything.

[00:03:27] Everything, whatever.

[00:03:28] Yeah.

[00:03:28] And, you know, there's all sorts of competing information.

[00:03:34] There's misinformation.

[00:03:35] There's gaslighting on both sides.

[00:03:36] There's truth in there and all of it.

[00:03:38] And it's like, what do I do with all that?

[00:03:41] What do I do with really with the anxiety of my people?

[00:03:44] And that's really what we're leaning into today is for our congregations.

[00:03:48] If we're feeling anxious, I'm sure they're feeling anxious as well.

[00:03:53] And there's an, to sort of set the tone of where we're going.

[00:03:56] And Jesse did a great job of writing some points for today's episode.

[00:04:01] And notice I kicked that to Jesse for this.

[00:04:03] Yeah.

[00:04:03] Thanks, Jason.

[00:04:04] I really appreciated that assignment a couple of weeks ago.

[00:04:07] I know really helpful, important.

[00:04:09] Hopefully things don't think about, but it was challenging for me to kind of go, okay,

[00:04:13] what do we need to be?

[00:04:14] What's our mindset going into this?

[00:04:16] Yeah.

[00:04:17] And so this is going to be on the shorter side, but we just want to give you a little bit

[00:04:20] of encouragement to give you some tips or some things we're thinking about as we address

[00:04:24] our congregations.

[00:04:25] And I'm going to lead with this story.

[00:04:26] It came from Ed Stetzer's book called Christians in the Age of Outrage, which was in a lot of

[00:04:30] ways, a really prophetic book.

[00:04:32] It certainly was speaking to its time, but it was written prior to the pandemic.

[00:04:36] And it feels like since the pandemic, the whole age of outrage has just multiplied exponentially

[00:04:44] where everybody's mad all the time.

[00:04:46] And it doesn't take very much to trigger outrage.

[00:04:50] But he tells a story in that book that made me think actually of how to respond to this election.

[00:04:54] And it was the story about Starbucks.

[00:04:56] So I don't know if you guys remember this, but years ago, someone on social media, and

[00:05:04] I don't have all the details in front of me, but someone on social media basically

[00:05:08] made a post that went viral.

[00:05:10] And it was Starbucks is taking Christmas out of their Christmas cups.

[00:05:14] Right.

[00:05:15] And, you know, they didn't put Merry Christmas or whatever.

[00:05:18] The guy was upset.

[00:05:19] And this went viral and Christians were going crazy and like boycotting, calling to boycott

[00:05:27] Starbucks.

[00:05:28] Do you remember this, Jesse?

[00:05:28] Remember when this happened?

[00:05:30] Oh, yeah.

[00:05:30] It was a huge, huge thing.

[00:05:33] And there's a couple of funny parts about this.

[00:05:36] I'm well, maybe not funny, but interesting.

[00:05:38] One is their cups never said Merry Christmas.

[00:05:41] That was never a thing.

[00:05:42] This person just took it upon themselves to do that.

[00:05:46] And, and to Ed Stetzer's point was really interesting.

[00:05:49] He said, how many people do you think in that boardroom of Starbucks were like, you

[00:05:52] know what?

[00:05:53] These Christians are really thoughtful and, um, you know, peaceful and kind and faithful.

[00:05:59] And you know what?

[00:06:00] Maybe we should reconsider what we're doing.

[00:06:02] Of course not.

[00:06:03] They're like, these people are nuts.

[00:06:04] And he said, this is, this is the price.

[00:06:07] When you give in to the outrage, the witness to Jesus Christ is diminished.

[00:06:13] Yeah.

[00:06:14] And that's the last thing we want to do.

[00:06:16] We like, we want to show in my point of view, we want to show what the love of Christ

[00:06:20] looks like to really take seriously.

[00:06:23] We are going to love our enemies.

[00:06:25] And it's funny.

[00:06:26] We think that way, but we, but people do, we think about our political opponents as

[00:06:30] any, what does it look like to, to bring love into this age of outrage?

[00:06:34] I just think this is really what we're getting after.

[00:06:37] Yeah.

[00:06:37] I think that's spot on that, you know, it really comes out of, and we'll get into the points

[00:06:41] here in a minute, but it really comes out of our confidence.

[00:06:43] We have an anchor for our souls.

[00:06:46] We have a foundation under our feet that doesn't rise or fall on, depending on who's in the

[00:06:51] white house or who's in the elected office or whatever that we're secure and we care about

[00:06:55] our world.

[00:06:56] We want good things for it.

[00:06:57] We, we, we, you know, we want to be wise in the way that we go about governance and all

[00:07:02] those things.

[00:07:02] So the stakes are real and they are high, but as Christians, as believers, we should not

[00:07:07] be tossed about by the wind and waves, right?

[00:07:10] We should have this love that holds us fast in a matter of kind of what's going on around

[00:07:14] us.

[00:07:14] And so as pastors, I just, I want us to hear that first, that God's, God's love is secure,

[00:07:21] that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

[00:07:25] That that's the foundation under our feet is, is built on this solid rock of Jesus Christ

[00:07:31] and what he's done for us.

[00:07:32] And so in light of that, we get this privilege and also this challenge to speak into a political

[00:07:40] season like this and to try to do it wisely and faithfully and, and carefully and all

[00:07:46] of those things.

[00:07:47] And so what are we going to say the Sunday after the election?

[00:07:50] What's our approach going to be to talk about this really big, real thing in our real world

[00:07:56] and not just dodge it altogether?

[00:07:58] I mean, there's this part of me that temptation is just to kind of say, yeah, there was a

[00:08:02] election and now let's move on with it.

[00:08:05] So, you know, how do we do it?

[00:08:06] What are we going to do?

[00:08:07] And so I just, we, we were wrestling with, here's four things.

[00:08:10] I'm sure you probably could come up with better or different things as you guys are listening

[00:08:13] in.

[00:08:14] But the first one is just to come back to this very basic essential practice of Christian

[00:08:19] faith called prayer.

[00:08:20] Pray first and pray often.

[00:08:22] This is the number one thing I would recommend to you this week as you're thinking about what

[00:08:26] to say or what not to say on Sunday.

[00:08:28] Pray first, pray often, bring it before the Lord.

[00:08:32] I remember Martin Luther's admonition and prayer, short, frequent, fervent.

[00:08:36] Just throughout the day, Lord, help me, help me to be wise.

[00:08:39] Would your spirit guide me?

[00:08:40] Help me to be faithful to you and whatever this, this moment is going to be like.

[00:08:46] So short, frequent, fervent.

[00:08:48] And really, I think what I'll be asking for, and Jason, maybe you can reflect on this too,

[00:08:53] but I'm going to be asking God to give me wisdom, clarity.

[00:08:58] Don't muddle things and say something you didn't mean to say.

[00:09:00] And then if I need it, proper restraint, right?

[00:09:04] Yeah.

[00:09:04] Proper restraint.

[00:09:06] So give me wisdom about how to talk about this.

[00:09:09] That's going to help people and not hinder them in their faith.

[00:09:13] Help me to be clear about what I'm trying to say and all that.

[00:09:17] And then if you need to hold me back, help me to practice proper restraint.

[00:09:22] And depending on how you're wired, maybe that's the one you need to pray the most.

[00:09:27] Or maybe if you're not somebody who delves into this arena ever, give me proper boldness

[00:09:32] to say something if you need to do it.

[00:09:34] But I would say the restraint thing is probably what some people need to hear.

[00:09:38] Yeah, that's probably true.

[00:09:40] That's probably true because we're probably emotional about it one way or another too.

[00:09:45] And we just want to make sure that that doesn't cloud, again, our ability to be there

[00:09:51] as a non-anxious presence, as we used to say in chaplaincy, right?

[00:09:55] A non-anxious presence for our congregation.

[00:09:58] And I think that really goes a long way.

[00:10:01] The phrase that you said when we talked about it, which is the title of this episode,

[00:10:05] it will be okay.

[00:10:06] It will be okay, Jason.

[00:10:08] I think I really love the simplicity of that statement because it's true.

[00:10:16] Yeah.

[00:10:17] It will be okay.

[00:10:19] I tell this to my kids all the time and I think we need to hear it.

[00:10:22] It will be okay.

[00:10:23] Even if it's not okay, it will be okay.

[00:10:27] Like even if something goes crazy and it's sideways, God will still be in control.

[00:10:31] It will be okay.

[00:10:32] And I think we can model something of that calm presence.

[00:10:37] And I think it really starts with spending some time with the Lord this week.

[00:10:41] Yeah.

[00:10:41] Not in a quiet place, maybe even being a little bit more intentional than you would normally be.

[00:10:46] Just to remind yourself to be know deep inside yourself that it will in fact be okay.

[00:10:51] And even if things kind of go sideways today, I don't know.

[00:10:54] In real time, we have no idea what's happening.

[00:10:56] We have no idea.

[00:10:57] So I hope this ages well.

[00:10:58] Yeah.

[00:10:58] I hope this ages well too.

[00:10:59] But whatever is happening right now and whatever happens tonight and the rest of the week,

[00:11:04] it will be okay because God is good and God is with us.

[00:11:08] So, all right.

[00:11:10] So that's point one.

[00:11:11] Pray first, pray often.

[00:11:12] And I think it's really, don't skip that.

[00:11:15] In fact, sit with that all during this week.

[00:11:18] And as you go through draft or iterations or whatever you're doing,

[00:11:22] as you're thinking about what to say or not to say and all that,

[00:11:25] keep bringing it before the Lord and ask the Lord to help refine it and give you clarity about all of that.

[00:11:31] So pray first, pray often.

[00:11:32] Second is decide ahead of time.

[00:11:36] This is so important.

[00:11:37] This is wisdom I try to impart to people all the time,

[00:11:40] but decide ahead of time what your approach will be,

[00:11:43] what you will say, what you won't say.

[00:11:45] Decide right now before Sunday gets here.

[00:11:49] Don't make it up on the fly.

[00:11:50] And this, of course, applies in all sorts of arenas.

[00:11:53] And I talk about this with our people quite a lot,

[00:11:57] that in the moment, emotions have a way of clouding our judgment

[00:12:01] and making it difficult to know what we really think or believe or even to articulate it.

[00:12:06] So if we think about it ahead of time, before all the emotions hit,

[00:12:09] or if you're listening to this and the lecture's over and you're feeling all kinds of emotions,

[00:12:14] working through that to decide what you're going to say before you get to the moment,

[00:12:18] I think is going to be really important.

[00:12:19] So decide ahead of time.

[00:12:21] Yeah, I think pre-deciding really can be powerful in a lot of things in life.

[00:12:26] You know, when you're going into it,

[00:12:28] it's really whenever you're going into a difficult or tense situation.

[00:12:31] Yeah.

[00:12:32] What's my script?

[00:12:34] That's how we talk about it around here.

[00:12:35] What's my script going to be?

[00:12:36] And it's not like because you're trying to not be genuine.

[00:12:39] It's just, I just want to make sure I'm thinking about this adequately before I go into it.

[00:12:45] Don't let the moment not being prepared.

[00:12:48] You know, Russell Wilson, who's now at the Steelers, used to be in the Seahawks.

[00:12:52] And Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson always said separation is in the preparation.

[00:12:56] Yeah.

[00:12:57] Being ready ahead of time so that you're ready in the moment.

[00:13:01] And I think for me, I was talking to some folks this week about forgiveness

[00:13:05] and how is it that some Christians are able to forgive horrendous things that have happened.

[00:13:09] Like the person who stands up in the victim impact statement after a murder trial and says,

[00:13:14] I forgive you for killing their loved one.

[00:13:16] How does somebody do that?

[00:13:18] Well, they've decided ahead of time.

[00:13:20] They know ahead of time who they are, what their values are,

[00:13:24] what their life with Christ is going to look like and be reflected in.

[00:13:28] So I think when it's emotionally charged or those kinds of deciding ahead of time

[00:13:33] and taking time is really important.

[00:13:35] So a couple of things to think about there that I was wrestling with is

[00:13:38] I'm going to decide ahead of time how much time we will or won't give to talking about the election.

[00:13:44] Is it going to be a moment or is it going to be an extended time?

[00:13:50] And I think it probably depends on your context.

[00:13:52] We'll get to that in just a minute.

[00:13:53] But how much are you going to focus on it?

[00:13:56] How much are you not going to focus on it?

[00:13:57] And I would say part of deciding ahead of time this time might be the counsel of others.

[00:14:03] So think about what you feel like the Lord putting on your heart to do or not do,

[00:14:07] and then maybe run it by some other people and see how that sits with them.

[00:14:13] Decide ahead of time to get a little counsel before you go into that moment.

[00:14:18] And maybe if it's some elders in your church or another pastor,

[00:14:22] you say, hey, this is what I'm thinking about saying,

[00:14:24] or this is how much time I'm thinking about spending.

[00:14:26] And they might say, you know what?

[00:14:27] Yeah, that sounds about right.

[00:14:28] Or they might say, I don't know.

[00:14:31] So I think it can be helpful to kind of talk it through with some people this week.

[00:14:35] Yeah.

[00:14:37] All right.

[00:14:37] So that's two?

[00:14:38] That's two or three.

[00:14:39] Yeah, that's two.

[00:14:40] All right.

[00:14:40] Decide ahead of time.

[00:14:42] And I think one other final point on the decide ahead of time,

[00:14:45] I would say as you're thinking about this,

[00:14:48] maybe even flip it around and think,

[00:14:51] what would I want my pastor to say to me if the roles were reversed?

[00:14:55] So maybe even putting yourself in the shoes of people sitting in that congregation.

[00:14:58] What would I hope my pastor would say to me about the election?

[00:15:01] Or maybe what would I hope my pastor wouldn't say to me about the election?

[00:15:06] So that comes back to the proper restraint.

[00:15:08] So yes, pray first, pray often.

[00:15:10] Second, decide ahead of time.

[00:15:12] Really get clear in your own head and heart

[00:15:14] and maybe bring in some others to think about that

[00:15:17] and reflect on how your own emotions are doing

[00:15:20] and all that relates to the election.

[00:15:22] And then the third thing,

[00:15:23] I think this is work that you guys are all doing all the time anyway.

[00:15:26] I know you and I are, Jason, but know your context and your history.

[00:15:31] Consider the particular history and context of your church

[00:15:34] because it's probably different for each of our churches.

[00:15:37] If you're more of a purple church or a red church or a blue church,

[00:15:40] it might shape the way that your people are feeling

[00:15:42] or what needs to be said or how to address things.

[00:15:45] Who are your people?

[00:15:47] How have elections been talked about

[00:15:49] or maybe more importantly, not talked about in the past?

[00:15:52] Are you going to break with precedent in this moment

[00:15:56] to do something different?

[00:15:57] Or are you going to stick with kind of what the norm

[00:16:00] has been in your life together?

[00:16:01] Is this one of those times to stand up and do something different

[00:16:04] or to keep continuity with kind of what you've done before?

[00:16:07] And one of the things we've done,

[00:16:09] and I think probably we're still a couple of weeks away,

[00:16:12] but probably we'll do the Sunday after the election

[00:16:14] is we'll have a time for prayer

[00:16:16] and kind of our pastoral prayer in the middle of the service.

[00:16:19] And I'll just say something like,

[00:16:20] we're going to have a time for quiet prayer

[00:16:22] and the quiet of our own hearts.

[00:16:23] What do you need to say to God about the election?

[00:16:26] What do you need to kind of unearth

[00:16:27] and just share with God about what's going on

[00:16:30] in your head and your heart

[00:16:31] about what happened this past week?

[00:16:33] So that's one thing we have done before.

[00:16:35] We will do it again.

[00:16:37] The other elements that we may or may not include,

[00:16:39] I'm kind of still working on and wrestling

[00:16:41] with how much or how little,

[00:16:42] but what's your context?

[00:16:44] What's your history?

[00:16:45] And try to keep some degree of continuity with that.

[00:16:48] If all of a sudden your whole focus is on the election

[00:16:51] on Sunday and it's never been before,

[00:16:54] you at least got to count the cost

[00:16:55] and know that this is going to have some impact

[00:16:59] and make some waves.

[00:17:00] Yeah.

[00:17:01] I think that's good advice, Jesse.

[00:17:03] I think we don't always think about,

[00:17:09] you know, what's the history of my particular context

[00:17:12] and how would my breaking or keeping that history

[00:17:15] have an impact intentionally or unintentionally

[00:17:18] in what I'm doing?

[00:17:18] I just think it's like sort of an awareness issue.

[00:17:21] Like, am I just making sure that I'm thinking through

[00:17:24] whatever I decide to do

[00:17:26] in a way that honors the community of faith?

[00:17:30] I would say it's something like,

[00:17:31] is this in keeping with who we are

[00:17:33] and how we're wired as a church?

[00:17:35] And I would say if there's a way to maybe carve out a time

[00:17:39] like we're going to do in prayer time,

[00:17:41] I mean, that makes good sense.

[00:17:42] I mean, you're letting people kind of do their own work

[00:17:44] with what the Lord there.

[00:17:46] But then for me,

[00:17:47] there's also probably a natural opportunity

[00:17:50] to work it into some aspect of the sermon.

[00:17:53] We're doing a series on the Lord's Prayer.

[00:17:55] I often mention something going on in the world around us

[00:17:58] or something as an illustration

[00:18:00] in the context of a sermon.

[00:18:01] And I'll be talking about, you know,

[00:18:03] forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

[00:18:06] What a natural time to say

[00:18:08] and however you're feeling about everything.

[00:18:10] And if you've said something to hurt somebody's feelings

[00:18:11] or somebody said something to you,

[00:18:13] you know, how does this apply?

[00:18:15] What does forgiveness look like

[00:18:16] in the context of division and discord and whatever?

[00:18:19] So there might be a natural opportunity

[00:18:21] to work something in to what you're already doing.

[00:18:23] And so be looking for those.

[00:18:25] Think about your context.

[00:18:26] Think about your history.

[00:18:27] So pray first, pray often.

[00:18:31] Decide ahead of time what you're going to say, not say,

[00:18:33] you know, that emotional awareness

[00:18:35] of what's going on with you.

[00:18:36] And then think about your context and your history

[00:18:38] and try to do something.

[00:18:40] I think it's wise.

[00:18:41] And maybe you disagree, Jason, or somebody out there.

[00:18:44] But I think this is a time to stay

[00:18:45] in keeping with who you've been as a church.

[00:18:48] I might be wrong.

[00:18:49] Maybe there's a time.

[00:18:50] It's at least worth considering either way.

[00:18:51] Yeah, think about it.

[00:18:52] That's kind of my take on it right now.

[00:18:55] And then the last thing,

[00:18:56] and I know this goes without saying,

[00:18:59] but I think it's worth reflecting on,

[00:19:01] that we are blessed in order to be a blessing.

[00:19:04] Yeah.

[00:19:05] And I think giving our people

[00:19:07] and even ourselves a purpose

[00:19:10] beyond did our person win or not,

[00:19:12] or did our party win or not,

[00:19:13] or did we, you know, whatever.

[00:19:15] But we are blessed to be a blessing.

[00:19:16] How can we serve other people

[00:19:18] who are having all kinds of emotions

[00:19:20] and reactions to what's happened?

[00:19:22] How do we love our neighbor

[00:19:24] in the midst of a divisive election

[00:19:28] or in the age of outrages,

[00:19:29] people are having a hard time wrestling with things.

[00:19:31] What's it going to look like

[00:19:32] for us to encourage our people

[00:19:36] to love their neighbor as themselves,

[00:19:38] whether they think like us

[00:19:40] or voted like us or whatever.

[00:19:42] Whatever the sign in the yard

[00:19:44] was the same as the one we had in ours or not.

[00:19:46] I don't even know if that's a thing anymore.

[00:19:47] Or Merry Christmas on the cups, right?

[00:19:49] It's like whatever that looks like.

[00:19:50] We're going to show,

[00:19:51] we're going to be a good witness

[00:19:53] by the way that we truly believe it will be okay.

[00:19:56] And that idea that we are blessed to be a blessing,

[00:19:59] that we're there to be gracious in victory

[00:20:02] and hopeful in defeat,

[00:20:03] that we're going to model something

[00:20:05] that stands out in our world,

[00:20:08] that is not gloating over people

[00:20:10] or not getting panicky about the,

[00:20:13] you know, the world's going to end.

[00:20:15] Our foundation is secure.

[00:20:17] Well, and as I said,

[00:20:18] and it's a reminder to us and to our people

[00:20:21] that no matter how high the stakes are politically,

[00:20:24] they're nowhere near as high as the stakes are

[00:20:26] for the mission of God.

[00:20:28] God's mission to the world

[00:20:29] is through the local church

[00:20:31] and that is of the highest, most important stakes.

[00:20:34] And you can make all sorts of jumps

[00:20:37] about how, you know,

[00:20:38] the political reality is part of that, of course.

[00:20:41] But the stakes are really,

[00:20:43] are we being faithful stewards

[00:20:44] of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

[00:20:47] And if we just keep that the main thing,

[00:20:48] I think we're going to be okay.

[00:20:50] Yeah.

[00:20:50] Blessed to be a blessing.

[00:20:51] And I think what it does is just,

[00:20:52] I think reminding our people too,

[00:20:54] if we need to,

[00:20:55] and if it makes sense to do it,

[00:20:57] that as Christians,

[00:20:58] we don't get too high or too low

[00:20:59] based on the circumstances around us.

[00:21:02] Our happiness,

[00:21:03] our,

[00:21:03] it's not attached to the circumstances

[00:21:05] of our world.

[00:21:06] And it matters.

[00:21:07] We should care.

[00:21:08] And we do,

[00:21:09] but we don't get too high or too low

[00:21:10] because we're people

[00:21:11] who take the long view,

[00:21:12] right?

[00:21:13] That this moment will give way

[00:21:14] to another moment.

[00:21:15] And just guess what?

[00:21:17] In four more years,

[00:21:17] we're going to be doing it all over again.

[00:21:19] And so how do we be

[00:21:20] as healthy as possible,

[00:21:22] as,

[00:21:22] as,

[00:21:23] as rooted as possible

[00:21:24] in our identity in Christ

[00:21:26] amidst,

[00:21:27] you know,

[00:21:27] the ups and downs that come.

[00:21:28] So,

[00:21:29] um,

[00:21:30] I think

[00:21:30] my last phrase to our people

[00:21:32] probably will be something like,

[00:21:34] pray for your leaders

[00:21:34] and do what you can.

[00:21:36] Um,

[00:21:37] you know,

[00:21:37] we're going to be,

[00:21:38] we're going to be rooting for good things

[00:21:40] for our,

[00:21:40] our friends and neighbors

[00:21:41] and for our country

[00:21:42] and for our world

[00:21:43] as citizens of the kingdom

[00:21:45] who want to bring God's love

[00:21:47] and goodness to bear

[00:21:47] in,

[00:21:48] in whatever ways we can.

[00:21:49] So,

[00:21:49] uh,

[00:21:50] anyway,

[00:21:50] that's just a few thoughts,

[00:21:51] Jason.

[00:21:52] No,

[00:21:52] it's good.

[00:21:53] I think these are all good reminders.

[00:21:54] We navigate through.

[00:21:56] Well,

[00:21:57] we're pray for the Lord to help us.

[00:21:58] I think we probably could have

[00:21:59] just stopped right there.

[00:22:00] Yeah,

[00:22:00] probably,

[00:22:01] but you know,

[00:22:02] here are a few additional thoughts

[00:22:03] for,

[00:22:04] for people to wrestle with

[00:22:05] and I look forward to checking in

[00:22:07] and if,

[00:22:08] you know,

[00:22:08] I'm curious to hear how it goes

[00:22:09] at Tower Hill

[00:22:10] and be praying for you guys.

[00:22:12] I appreciate the same thing

[00:22:13] for us at Marine View.

[00:22:14] Now that would be a season

[00:22:16] that doesn't,

[00:22:17] you know,

[00:22:17] derail things

[00:22:18] and,

[00:22:18] and whatever.

[00:22:19] And we'll be praying the same thing

[00:22:20] for your churches

[00:22:21] that you'll move forward

[00:22:22] from this into the next season.

[00:22:24] The good news is Thanksgiving

[00:22:25] or Christmas

[00:22:26] are right around the corner.

[00:22:27] We can put this season behind us

[00:22:29] and no more ads

[00:22:30] and Hallmark movies

[00:22:31] and,

[00:22:32] and hot chocolate only.

[00:22:33] Let's go.

[00:22:34] I'm ready.

[00:22:35] Even bring on Mariah Carey.

[00:22:36] Right.

[00:22:37] There you go.

[00:22:38] Okay.

[00:22:38] Hey everyone.

[00:22:39] Thanks for listening.

[00:22:40] We hope this is helpful to you.

[00:22:41] And again,

[00:22:43] I hope it's encouraging.

[00:22:44] If you want to reach out to us,

[00:22:46] Jason or Jesse

[00:22:47] at reclaimleader.com.

[00:22:48] If you want to get into our newsletter list,

[00:22:50] it's,

[00:22:51] you just go to reclaimleader.com

[00:22:52] and you could go slash newsletter

[00:22:54] or there'll be a pop-up.

[00:22:56] You can get yourself on there.

[00:22:57] You get weekly updates

[00:22:58] and emails

[00:22:59] all absolutely free

[00:23:00] of resources

[00:23:02] that are just designed

[00:23:03] to help you lead.

[00:23:04] So thanks so much,

[00:23:05] everyone.

[00:23:06] Ministry is hard.

[00:23:07] It is so much better

[00:23:08] when we do it together.

[00:23:09] Min度.

[00:23:09] Thank you.