Chasing Elephants Podcast

Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.

It is a sin to abstain from the fellow believers you disagree with.

If we will remember, not how bad we are but how good God is in light of our rebellion and sinfulness, we're going to be really quick to accept our brothers and sisters we disagree with.

When consumerism is your approach to church the Body of Christ is harmed.

I don’t have to criticizes to think critically on issues.

We cannot digest ideas at the same speed we are given them. We must think critically about the world around us.

To think critically is to think deeply about the ideas around us.

Thinking critically about ideas is one of the greatest compliments we can give to others.

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The Mission of God - Christopher J.H. Wright

When we embrace a spirit of humility it allows us all to grow toward Christ.

We are commanded to put on love above all.
Choosing love is the not weaker position.
Choosing love is primary, opionions and "sides" are secondary.
Jesus chose us first, so we must choose love first.

A relationship is more important than winning an argument.
Your opinion is nothing more than a speck of sand on the seashore.
James 1:19: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

When you take the posture of listening it allows both parties to become learners. But when you take the posture of being heard, nobody learns.

We cannot view church like Amazon Prime. We cannot have a posture of consumption at church.

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Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.

Uniformity is not the goal of the Kingdom. The goal is unity within diversity.

To disagree well means to compassionately disagree in such a way that each party is adhering to the higher law of love, realizing at the end of the day, that God’s desired will on any subject is ultimately what matters.

The Foundation:

Christians must be able to agree on primary issues before there can be healthy
disagreement on secondary and tertiary issues.

The greatest apologetic Christians have is our togetherness within our disagreement not our uniformity of belief.

Disagreements falls into three categories:
Primary issues
Secondary issues
Tertiary issues

Primary issues are covered in the Apostles Creed.

The Apostles Creed affirms:

Belief in God the Father as Creator of all things.

Belief in Jesus as God's Son who died on the cross for humanity and bodily rose from the dead three days later.

Belief in the Holy Spirit who ministers to those who have been redeemed and are part of the church universal.

A few ideas that are secondary in Christian thought:
• Methods of how God created the universe
• Views on healing
• Gifts of the Holy Spirit
• Church government
• Modes of baptism
• Food and drink

These issues do not strike at the big idea of Christianity but they can lead to different tribes, movements, and denominations.

A few ideas that are tertiary in Christian thought:
• Timing of the return of Christ
• Styles of music
• Methods of preaching
• Church architecture
• Politics

These issues should not keep Christians from fellowship and healthy community; i.e. tertiary issues are those we can disagree about and still be members of the same church worshipping side by side.

For Deeper Insights into the topics from this episode check out some of these resources:
The Moody Handbook of Theology - Paul Enns
The Baker Compact Dictionary of Theological Terms - Gregg R. Allison
Growing in Christ - J.I. Packer
Bakers Dictionary of Theology - Everett F. Harrison, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Carl F. H. Henry

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Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.

The Wall Street Journal  

News stories & Events:

Highlights:
• Continued racial unrest
• Anti-lockdown protests
• United States Capitol attack and its aftermath
• Global manufacturing and supplies chains disrupted beginning in March
• Border crossings continued to fluxgate
• Biden sets date for withdrawal from Afghanistan
• April 20 conviction of Derek Chauvin
• Increased tension with China to play out over the followings years.
• Texas Abortion Law which banned most abortions after 6-8 weeks of pregnancy
• College athletes can get compensation
• Cosby somehow got out of jail
• The Afghan government fell to the Taliban immediately following the U.S. withdrawal
• Cryptocurrency is now mainstream

Standout events

Jeff:
• The George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery cases
• Jeff's youngest son leaving for college and revisioning parenting
• Brent's new book

Brent:
• First-year Family Birthday celebration  

5 Questions to ask walking into 2022:

1) What does it mean to live your life set apart to God?

Pursuing holiness in 2022 will be responding to events that we don't know about right now. We must decide now.

2) What does it mean to be a citizen of Heaven who lives in America?

We must guard our witness in the current culture and not let it be diminished or dampened.

3) How do we steward, cultivate and maximize our influence for God’s glory?

We need to remember that everything we hold dear is temporary. God will redeem all things.

4) How should disciples pursue the mission of Jesus?

Salt cannot be mixed with other things or it loses its purpose.

5) How do Christ-followers live each day focusing on life’s ultimate purpose?

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Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.

The Philosophy of Advent

"Advent" not only refers to the remembering of the first coming of Jesus but reminds us to be expectant toward the second coming of Jesus.

Advent is a time to pause and reflect on what has come and to reflect on what is coming.

Advent is God getting us out of our mess and bringing us home.

The more we reflect the more we are convinced of the hope that we have.

We can't focus on the problems, we need to focus on the promises of Jesus made real in Advent.

Advent season prepares us for a lifetime of looking forward to restoration.

Instead of being the end of the story, redemption is the beginning of a story that ends in the restoration of all things in the Heaven Country.

We live between two promises.

The Practice of Advent

There is no single "right way" to practice Advent. But Christians for millennia before us have handed down good practices to help us focus on remembering the Coming of Jesus.

Light different candles.
Praying for something specific.
Fasting from food or Abstaining from something.

If after Advent is done you desire the things of God and you long for Heaven more, you know you've done Advent right.

The practice of Advent is important but not primary. What is primary is being in the presence of God.

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American Underdog
I Can Only Imagine
Woodlawn

You don't have to be in ministry or be a missionary to serve God. All you can do is give God what's in your hands.

Our heads follow our heads, and we can communicate redemption straight to our hearts through beautiful art.

There is a powerful opportunity to change the culture through bravely engaging in art. We are giving up a powerful tool when we disengage from art in our culture.

When you give up a seat at the table in culture, the culture does not come chasing after you.

Your failure often can be your fuel. It's all about your perspective.

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Andrew Erwin
Kingdom Story Company

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Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.

Jingle Jangle on Netflix
Advent for Everyone - Josh Rutledge & Jennifer Nasser

A Paradigm for Traditions

Traditions are like a magnet that brings the family back together.

Traditions don't have to be "big".

One of the best gifts we can give the important people in our lives is the knowledge that they are a priority in our lives.

Traditions create opportunity for connection
Many of the great traditions of the Church create opportunities for our spiritual growth.
They help us grow, gather, and have fun.

Traditions create rhythms
They create memories for the journey.
People remember how you use the time you have with those you value in your life.
Memories help us journey well, and traditions help us create memories.

Traditions help us create communities
Traditions transfer from one generation to the next.

Traditions from Jeff and Brent

Jeff

Giving to homeless shelters

What it communicates:
Someone in a less fortunate situation deserves the same thing we get– not the leftovers.

Brent

Celebrating Advent

What it communicates:
We not only look back to the birth of Jesus we also look forward to the coming of Christ again.

Anticipating the coming of Jesus helps us filter our anticipating of other things.
It should inform our outlook as we anticipate everything else in our lives.

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Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.

Thanksgiving helps us prepare our hearts for Advent because being grateful for what we have helps us look forward to the coming of Jesus.

God created all aspects of Christmas, and the joy and fun of the season please God.

Jeff:
• Gingerbread options from The Grand Floridian, the biggest gingerbread house in the world.
• Holiday Popcorn

Brent:
• Homemade hot chocolate
• Christmas Truffles
• German Kolaches

Jeff:
• Similar to the Thanksgiving meal, a modification of some of the Thanksgiving food, but it's all about the sides.
• Apple upside-down cake.

Brent:
• Breakfast Christmas morning.
• Cinnamon Roll Bake

Jeff:

1. Christmas Vacation
2. Home Alone
3. Elf
4. The Christmas Story
5. Frosty the Snowman

Brent:

1. White Christmas
2. Scrooged
3. Elf
4. Disney's A Christmas Carol
5. Christmas Vacation

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Student Leadership University’s mission is to develop and equip student leaders to think, dream, and lead. We strive to instill future tense thinking; character-driven decision making; ownership of biblical values; and a commitment to influence through service.