Welcome to the Brant and Sherry Oddcast, sponsored by America's Christian Credit Union. To order brand's latest book. Life is hard. God is good. Let's dance. Or to find out more about the show. Go to branthansen.com. Let's see a couple pretty good tips for Election Day. Number one, if at all possible, vote as early as you possibly can. Okay. That is smart for any election. On election day. That way you can be obnoxious about how I voted. Yeah. Yeah. With your little sticker and stuff.
Yeah. The second one was I read this: If your election official hooks you up to a machine via a needle in your arm, you are actually donating blood. Okay. Yeah. Keep that in mind, everyone. Yeah. Keep that in mind everyone. Here's a reminder: And this is something we talked about a lot, but hey, today's a great time to talk about this. You can outsource your worries to God. You give them to him. And if it's election based or for our country, that's that's a legit thing to be concerned about.
I get that, but we don't need to be anxious. And so what we're told to do explicitly is to cast our cares on him, because he cares for us. If we're casting them on him. They don't stay with us. Right. So we're actually giving them to him. He can handle it. I can't, I just can't. He can. So I'm going to do that. And then I'm going to thank him for what he's done. That's what we're told to do. Outsource the worry to God for something completely different. We had breaking animal news.
Okay. Animals are out there doing stuff. This is so interesting. The Seattle Times had an article about T-Rex's. Okay. And a headline says T-Rex may have been smarter than you think. I don't know that I was okay, but the byline. So it says who the reporter is, Guy named Dino. Get out of here. Are you serious? Somethin like Dino Grande Doni, was his last name? Dino. I mean, I bet you he doesn't even bring that up in the article. T-Rex’s maybe smarter than you think. Really, Dino?
It was an article in the Seattle paper written by Dino. Just being brutally honest here. We don't have a mentally fit nation. No, we have, mental health crisis. Actually. And I think 2020 made it, after that and made it a lot worse. Would you agree? Or no you think, I don't know. I think it's I think it was there. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just maybe gotten more obvious. Okay. Yea. But we're not healthy, and, and we're having an election. So this is what you get.
You get a lot of stress and anxiety and fear. And it can be even spread to people who are generally healthy. And I would say don't beat yourself up for that if that's you. But but do tell God what you're concerned about. Be honest. Like I'm concerned about this or that on that. And tell him and then thank him for all he has done in your life. This is the way we were told that we will experience God's peace. You do that. You tell him really honest, get honest.
And then, and then thank him for all he's done. So this was in the news just now. Scientists now think there's a black hole in Omega Centauri. Now, follow me with this. It's a star cluster just outside the Milky Way, which is our galaxy. We apparently have one in the center of the Milky Way, but they say this one is actually closer to us because where we're positioning. Sure, of course. And the reason I mention it is because I kind of want to go there. To the black hole of.
Yeah, Centauri? Yeah. I don't know. No particular reason. It seems like it has a little more peace. Somehow the black hole of Centauri has a certain... I don't know. Tranquility? So thanks for listening to the podcast, as always. We’re really honored. And it's really weird because, as you may know, you probably know, like, a lot of the stuff that we do is from our radio show. So it's, it's taken and put on Christian music stations, cross country.
And it goes in between these songs and we have to record it therefore in advance because it's not on at a set time. It might be an afternoon show here, a morning show there. And we have to record it in advance. But we know with the election that there's going to be huge news things happening. And please don't forget because this is an important factor as well. There's time constraints. Oh yeah. You know what I mean. Whatever you're doing has a time constraint of 45 60s top.
You can you know, you get away with a few seconds over that, but you have to say it in a very short amount of time. And this is a real dilemma if you think about this because of the time thing, because we don't know everybody's head space anyway, right? It's really difficult to come on a nonpolitical station. The next morning. Because you have a bunch of people who are elated if you have a winner. Oh we don't even know that. It's nothing we don't know. Yes.
But you have a bunch of people who are absolutely elated and a bunch of people who are devastated. That's right. So if you come on and you're like, I wanted to just talk about peace, right? But then that's going to sound, defeatist. Right. To half the people. And the other half are going to be like yeah I needed to hear that. Right. So and they and half for like what do you mean peace? We won. Yes, yes. Why are you... And you sound mournful. But we just won. Right. So shrug emoji. Yeah. I do.
This is a real tough thing. We've been talking about this. Yes, we've been sitting here going back and forth for quite some time off air, trying to figure out ahead of time what to say. Yes. And and to be sure, this is every presidential election. So every time this has happen, this is what we have to do. But it's worse in this case because we do expect. I do expect violence. Yes. On election night, if they announce a winner and maybe even if they don't. Yeah. That's fair. I think that's fair.
I think that's fair to expect it everywhere. By everyone. Right. Because it's just been. That's the that's where we're living right now. And that's, you know, that that's what's in the air. Yeah. And I don't, Yeah. I don't think that that's unfair to expect. And so then how do you talk about that? Yeah. So you don't want to be completely. What I would like to do is touch base with the news touch touch base with the zeitgeist or whatever, whatever's going on. And then have a different take on it.
Where you quickly pivot. Yeah. To something that would, would be encouraging it deeply spiritually encouraging. Not just like blandly encouraging. Yeah. But buck up buck up. buckeroo it turn that frown upside down. So when you don't know and you maybe you've even listening to this. Yeah. Like oh yeah. That was, that was that didn't work. Yeah. Yeah. You know why? Because then it's so difficult.
I have I have been really struggling with it in, in, personal life and in personal relationships because, you know, you can come off, trying people think you're trying not to say anything. Right. You don't want to take a side. I don't, I don't want you. Yeah. That's how they sound if you remember you know. No I don't want to play a game. You know what I mean. Like you're playing a game I don't want to play the game.
So therefore no, I wouldn't take a side because the whole game I don't want to play. So when you're talking in your in, even when you start talking about kingdom things, it's hard because if people are dialed in like that, they, you know, it's difficult. The, it's almost like they're waiting for you to say a thing, to show the hand of what side you're on. That's right. That's right. You know what I mean? And so then you start. I make it personal.
I start dancing around the landmines of, oh, I don't want to say that, because I don't want you to think I'm talking about that. And I don't want to say that because I don't want you to think I'm against that. And then before you know it, you aren't saying anything because that's 100%. You know what I mean? You know what? Here's another problem, that I think I know is, it's just you didn't say it; But it's actually I might be able to give you the red meat you want.
And I'm not going to do it. Yes. Like like you actually want me to make a commitment that I'd be kind of like “I Yeah, I agree with that.” I'm still not going to say that because I don't want you, I don't want you in that space. Right. Yes. That is right. I want to talk about this other stuff. That's right. And if I put you in that, then we will forever. Yeah. Great. In that space. Great. We will forever be in that space. You got more of that? Yeah.
Congratulations. Right. We're all affirmed. People wanted Jesus to do that all the time. Yeah. Just just affirm me. Affirm us. Affirm our position in front of these other people. Just tell us. And he just doesn't do it. Well, I keep thinking about more and more and more. You know, love your neighbor as yourself. Who is my neighbor? Like, once we get to that question, the next sentence is, there once was a man. Yeah, you have to tell a story. Because it's...
we're not going to be able to. Okay. I can't do anything else. No academic debate here. No, because once you've asked that question, you're in a space that you've already justified or you're trying to justify. The Bible said that it was an attempt to justify him. So once we've gotten there, story is going to work. We have to transcend the cultural language or the cultural lenses of the day. Now, how about this? Again. Again. We've talked about this before, but not enough, maybe.
Look, it's not... it's not us denying the importance of such and such issue at all. Not even close. Right. But but I would ask people: Let us do our thing. You do your thing, right. We're all part of the body. If you're a believer, if you're a Jesus follower, we're part of this body. Maybe that's your thing. Like to get on the school board and do that thing. Or to get.....run for office to help the like okay. Yeah. Like how about let us do our thing? Yeah.
Or does everything have to be that thing? That's a yeah. It's not even acknowledging it's not important. It it is important. But that's. Yeah. All the parts of the body have an important role to play. Can we be this or does it have to be completely usurped by your thing? And I've had some... a lot of email discussions with people that would like me to “Blah blah blah”, I'm like dude just let me, let me do this. Yeah.
Let me do this. Let me talk... let me be like one place where people can just go at this level and talk about Jesus. And it's not as a... this isn't a means to an end either, a means to a political end. Right. Like we're just going straight to the thing about discipleship which that will have repercussions down the line if that makes you feel better. Yeah. If people are discipled we'll see a lot more justice in the world. Yeah. And a lot more mercy. Yeah.
A lot more protection for the vulnerable. Yeah. So, yeah. Let us, let us... You know what, man? That's a - that's that's a really great plea. I would make that plea. That you would love your brothers and sisters in a way. My friend Danny, to read the book about, being single. She lives in Australia. She, she always refers to the household of God. I think I talked about it before, like like...And she talks about if from single and married and all that, that we're all in this household.
But in what you're saying I love because we're in this household together. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, you got your thing in this, but we're still in this household. Yeah. We're not all going... That's the beauty. That's why Jesus said: And they will know you're my disciples because in this household, they can look in that window and know that and see us loving each other. Yeah. Right. Not it's not. We're not doing ....and respecting all of that.
Yes. Yes. I mean, I got this burning thing in me to to like, like get people to go: Wait a second. We're, we're misunderstanding Christianity. We actually need to be followers of Jesus. However let's say you are trying to make ends meet and you got two little kids in the house, single mom or whatever. And like no you need to drop it all. You need to find a radio gig and proclaim my thing. Drop it. No, that's not right. That's not. That's so good. You're like.
Yeah, all building each other up, encouraging each other and to into the unity of oh, that's that's exactly what that is. Yeah. You keep talking because I'm going to find that scripture that's in Ephesians. Okay. Good. I did we just noticed this other scripture which should probably be mentioned on the podcast, but I remember it's first Timothy chapter two, and it starts with I ask you to pray and give thanks for every all those in authority, and then seek to live in a quiet life.
First Peter or first Timothy two two. Yeah. I urge then first of all that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. So there's something about peaceful and quiet. You can be peaceful and quiet even if you say stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Still have this spirit about you. That's God's spirit. Yeah. And it, it's not coercive in hateful and and.
Yeah. Condescending. Go ahead. Sorry. No, I love that. In Ephesians, it's, starts with verse 13. It talks about us all being built up and this is until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
And then it talks about: then we'll no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind and teaching, and by cunning and craftiness of people, and deceitful scheming, meaning that unity and that maturity will then give us that stature where we're not like babies. Yeah. You know what I mean? You. It matters. This, this this matters. So I'm glad you said that, because I could, I could stand some of that on my end of saying, you know what?
If that person is passionate about that. That's because, that's, that... that's their thing, Sherri. And they don't have to be passionate about your things. So, yeah. So, if the... if the rest of what we do for the radio doesn't quite ring the bell, the right way, we apologize. But. Wow. It's tough. It is. 3D chess, which I've played. Okay. And that was tough. That was tough. And this is tough. It is. That's what we're trying to say. My friend had a Star Trek edition. It was really fun.
So we played it at work all the time. Okay, when we get on the other side of this, just let me know if it's, any if it equates. It's really fun. The Brant and Sherri Oddcast, sponsored by America's Christian Credit Union. To find out more about the show. Go to branthansen.com