James Meehan - Can God Use Me?
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Vince Parker: Welcome back to "Culture Makers". Today we talk, how can God use me? NBA playoffs, Billboard music awards and the biblical resurgence. I'm Vince Parker.
James Meehan: Okay.
Vince Parker: This is James Meehan.
James Meehan: Yup, yup!
Vince Parker: Let's dive right in James. How are you doing?
James Meehan: Dude, I'm doing fantastic.
Vince Parker: Okay. Here's my first question for you. I know I didn't list it on the topic list, but how'd you like my intro for you last week?
James Meehan: Um.
Vince Parker: Do you remember it? You can call him what you want but you can't call him broke because he's rich in Christ. Let's go.
James Meehan: Come on, that's good.
Vince Parker: Did you like that?
James Meehan: That's good. Except Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit.
Vince Parker: Okay. All right. You gonna hit me with that? Okay.
James Meehan: Yeah.
Vince Parker: Speaking of doing something amazing.
James Meehan: Okay. Phil Mickelson, age 50, oldest major winner ever, PGA championship tour. Is that an inspiration to you?
Vince Parker: Come on. Yeah, absolutely.
James Meehan: I don't even know if our viewers watch golf.
Vince Parker: You said he's 50 years old?
James Meehan: 50 years old.
Vince Parker: Dude that's two feet in the grave. I'm surprised he's still playing golf. How old are you?
James Meehan: Not 50.
Vince Parker: Next question for you, James. Here's the deal. Did you watch the Billboard music awards?
James Meehan: Uh, yes.
Vince Parker: Awesome.
James Meehan: No, I'm just kidding, I didn't. His face, he knew I was lying.
Vince Parker: I was like. Okay, so here's the deal. I'm gonna list off a category.
James Meehan: Okay. Yep.
Vince Parker: I'm gonna list some artists.
James Meehan: Yep.
Vince Parker: And I want to know who you think won this category.
James Meehan: Fantastic.
Vince Parker: Remember Billboard is based on radio play, Spotify plays, and sales, and things like that.
James Meehan: Dude, I'm great at multiple choice. I'm excited for this.
Vince Parker: Okay, here we go.
James Meehan: C
Vince Parker: Top artist. Was it Drake, Juice WRLD, Pop Smoke, Taylor Swift, or The Weeknd?
James Meehan: I think half of those are made up, so I'm gonna go with The Weeknd.
Vince Parker: You are correct. It is The Weeknd.
James Meehan: Ohhhh, come one.
Vince Parker: But none of them are made up. These are actually all of the real nominees.
James Meehan: You're telling me Juice WRLD? Juice WRLD is a real thing?
Vince Parker: You don't know who Juice WRLD is?
James Meehan: Nah, is that like Welch's? Welch's grape juice.
Vince Parker: Stop it James.
James Meehan: I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't be offended.
Vince Parker: Rest in peace Juice WRLD. I don't know if you know this, but Juice WRLD passed away.
James Meehan: Oh my gosh. And you let me say stuff like this?
Vince Parker: Yeah, well, I was trying to stop you.
James Meehan: Lord forgive me.
Vince Parker: He and Pop Smoke both have passed away. So yeah, James.
James Meehan: I'm glad I didn't make jokes.
Vince Parker: Top New Artist. Are you ready?
James Meehan: Yeah, I hate this.
Vince Parker: Gabby Barrett, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Pop Smoke, or Rod Wave.
James Meehan: I'm not saying anything else for the rest of this episode.
Vince Parker: Pop Smoke.
James Meehan: Okay, cool.
Vince Parker: Top group or duo. ACDC, AJR, BTS, Dan + Shay, or Maroon Five
James Meehan: ACDC like way back in the day? TNT Dynamite?
Vince Parker: Apparently, I didn't know they released something new.
James Meehan: Boom, ACDC.
Vince Parker: Way off, BTS.
James Meehan: Wait, are they actually in the running? Were they nominated for something?
Vince Parker: They were nominated. These were all actual
James Meehan: Oh, these are all the nominations.
Vince Parker: Yes, yes. Okay. Here's the deal.
James Meehan: That makes no sense. Oh you said BTS?
Vince Parker: BTS won.
James Meehan: They're the K-pop group, right?
Vince Parker: K-pop group, had that new song "Butter".
James Meehan: Come on, bro, tell me I don't know. Tell me I don't know. I don't know a lot of things, obviously. Still feel awkward about what I said earlier.
Vince Parker: That's okay. God forgives.
James Meehan: Come on. Come on!
Vince Parker: Top Christian Artists. Casting Crowns,
James Meehan: Oh, come on, yes.
Vince Parker: Elevation Worship, For King and Country, Carrie Underwood, or Zach Williams.
James Meehan: Okay, wait, time-out. Is Carrie Underwood, like, actually a Christian artist now?
Vince Parker: According to this Billboard nominations, she's in there.
James Meehan: Jesus take the wheel.
Vince Parker: That's your...
James Meehan: No, it's not my guess. I just, I just remember way back in the day watching Carrie Underwood on American Idol.
Vince Parker: Okay.
James Meehan: So that's my claim to fame. Okay, wait, so I'm gonna guess Elevation Worship.
Vince Parker: You would be correct, sir. Very good. Very good.
James Meehan: Let's go!
Vince Parker: Top country female artists. Is it Gabby Barrett, Maren Morris, or Carrie Underwood?
James Meehan: Wait, hold on. You're telling me Carrie Underwood is Christian and country.
Vince Parker: Yes.
James Meehan: Okay. Carrie Underwood. That is my final answer.
Vince Parker: It would be Gabby Barrett
James Meehan: That's not even a real person.
Vince Parker: Yes it is. And what's cool about her is she is a Christ follower. It's even the first thing listed on her Twitter.
James Meehan: Come on.
Vince Parker: She loves Jesus. She thanks God, the first person she thanks is God, in her awards. So my question to you, follow up, is if you were to receive an award, whether it be an Academy, I don't know if there's a preaching award, who are the people you would thank?
James Meehan: Uh God.
Vince Parker: Okay, God
James Meehan: I would thank God and Jesus. And then my mom.
Vince Parker: Okay.
James Meehan: And then, you?
Vince Parker: ...well, I don't why you'd thank me.
James Meehan: I'm not sure, I think this is like
Vince Parker: It's not a trick question. I was just watching her acceptance speech and I thought, I'm gonna ask James. Who would he thank if he won an award.
James Meehan: First person, God. Second person, mom. Third person, Vince Parker. Fourth person, you. The people of Switch. Students with intentions towards Christ's holiness.
Vince Parker: Super awesome. I love it. I love it.
James Meehan: He didn't mean that at all.
— No I do. I loved it James. Next up. Here's a question for you. We're gonna shift gears a little bit, cause we like to mix it up here on "Culture Makers",
— Please shift gears for me.
— How can God use me?
— You, specifically? Or is this
— No, just in general.
— In general, anybody.
— To our audience out there, those who are watching and listening. How can God use them?
— Yeah, absolutely. I think the thing that's super cool to note is the idea that God can, and God will, use anybody who is willing to be used by him. Right? Literally the story of the Bible follows the stories of people who are all sorts of messed up, but God uses in significant ways because they're willing to surrender their will to his. So, for example, we get the story of Abraham who's this dude who God calls and says, hey, I'm gonna send you into this place you've never been before, and I'm gonna turn you into a great nation. And along the way, Abraham does a lot of dumb things, but God still uses him because Abraham keeps showing up. Later, we're told about some of Abraham's kids and how God uses them. And again, lots of mess ups along the way, but God continues to use them. And then this man named Abraham becomes a great family. This family becomes the nation of Israel. You may have heard of David, David and Goliath. There was also a story about David, David and Bathsheba.
— Right.
— Where David, who is the king that God has chosen to lead His people ends up, literally, lusting after another man's wife. Then, getting that dude killed,
— Messed up. so that he can marry this woman and cover up the affair that he had committed. And guess what?
— God uses him?
— God still uses him. Right? It's through the line of David that we eventually get Jesus. And then Jesus shows up onto the scene. He calls these 12 disciples. And what's amazing is one of those, dude named Peter, who throughout the three and a half years that Peter walks with Jesus, he does lots of really ridiculous things. Like one time, Peter rebukes Jesus. He literally says, Hey Jesus, don't say stuff like that. And so Jesus turns around and calls Peter Satan. Are you kidding me? Have you ever been called Satan? Peter was.
— Not recently.
— And God still used him. Not only that, but Peter cutoff a dude's ear. Then he denied Jesus three times. And yet Jesus returns to him after his resurrection and says, Hey, I want you to lead my church. I want you to feed my sheep. And Peter was the leader of the early Christian movement. So over and over again, all throughout the biblical story, we have example after example of people who are being used by God, because they were willing to be used. So can God use you? 100%.
— So you're telling me, despite the mess ups, the mistakes, because some of the things you described.
— Yeah it's pretty messed up.
— Like that's straight cringe-worthy stuff right there.
— Right, man.
— That all I need to do is be willing to be used by God and I can be used by God?
— A hundred percent. I think that's the thing where it's like, if you're willing to show up, then God's gonna move through you.
— That's awesome. All right, James, shifting gears again. We're mixing up a little bit different. We're jumping into the NBA playoffs.
— Oh, come on. Let's go.
— Sixteen teams are in.
— Yep. Fantastic.
— We've played one or two games, and here's the deal. I just want you to tell me who you think is going to win the series on these teams.
— Oh, this is so scary.
— So the series are still going on. You just need to tell me who you think's gonna win.
— Kay.
— We have the 76ers and the Wizards.
— Kay.
— Who you got?
— 76ers, obviously.
— Okay, good pick.
— I don't know.
— The Suns and the Lakers.
— Uh, Lakers.
— Okay, going with team LeBron. They're already down a game, but you're still going with team LeBron, okay.
— Dude, come on, LeBron can do it. Space Jam 2. Space Jam 2? More like Space Jam Poo. I don't even know what I'm talking about then.
— Hawks or Knicks?
— Ah, man, I'm gonna go with the Knicks.
— Okay. Any strategic reason why?
— Uh, Stevie Nicks.
— Okay.
— Singer.
— Alright. The Grizzles or the Jazz?
— The who? The Grizzles?
— Yes, Grizzlies, Grizzlies
— Grizzlies or the Jazz? Man that Utah Jazz. Come on, somebody.
— Okay.
— That was my team back in NBA 2K16.
— Okay.
— Cause they were like the worst team on the game.
— And that's why you picked them.
— Bucks or Heat?
— Come on, bro, gimme them Bucks. That was my other team. Cause back in 2016, NBA 2K16, I think their team rating was like a 60.
— But they're great now, cause they got Giannis, and they're crushing it.
— Come on bro.
— So that's good Okay we got the Trail Blazers or the Nuggets.
— Nuggets, all day.
— Wow.
— Chick-fil-A nuggets, to be precise.
— And that's why you picked the Nuggets.
— Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh huh.
— Okay. I don't know why you pick the teams you pick, but we now know why James picks the teams he picks. Next up, Nets or Celtics.
— Celtics.
— Do you? We've discussed who's on the Nets.
— Yeah. Underdog.
— Okay. If the Celtics win, they're already down a game.
— Dude, it's just one game. They've got plenty of time to come back.
— Okay.
— Don't count em out.
— Okay.
— You know who they counted out? Jesus. When He was buried in the grave, come on, but He wasn't done, yet. He was down a game, but He rose. A King.
— I like how you just tied Jesus to an NBA playoff analogy.
— Am I saying that the Celtics are the equivalent of Jesus?
— I didn't say you said that.
— I'm not saying that. But they might be. Just kidding, definitely are not. All right, keep going bro.
— Mavs or Clippers?
— Oh, Mavs. Easy.
— Okay. Very nice, very nice. Mavs, Luka, the dude is good.
— Come on.
— Okay, very good.
— I don't know who that is.
— Oh, you don't know, oh okay. All right, James, recently talked about how there's been a biblical resurgence, like,
— Come on.
— More people are diving into the word of God.
— Yep.
— Discuss.
— Yeah. I mean, I think it's incredible. It's one of those things where we as a church have very much been believing and praying that through all things 2020, through all things global pandemic, racial tension, political division, that humanity, right, across the globe, would be reminded of just how fallen and broken this world is, and how good and loving our savior Jesus is. And I think what we're starting to discover is that a lot of people, unfortunately through terrible circumstances, have had a good thing happen. Where they've woken up to the reality that things are not supposed to be this way. That the world we live in right now is not as God intended. But there is a way that God intended. And so there are so many people that are trying to find meaning, significance, and hope through what is a really, really hard time. And thankfully, they're able to find that through scripture, through God's word. And I think the statistic was like pretty incredible to see how more people are engaging with God's word, this year than, like, before. To the point where previous years, like it had been like a steady decrease of people reading the Bible. But then all of the sudden 2021, boom, it like shoots up. Where there are now more people engaging with God's word. There are more people that are seeking Him in their own lives. And what I believe very strongly is that when we go to God through His word, He will speak to us, that He will transform us. That when we get in God's word, God's word gets in us. And that shapes us and forms us into people that can love others the same way that God, through Christ, has loved us. And so in a world that is crying out for community, crying out for purpose, crying out for justice, we are being formed into the kind of people that can bring that, that can experience that, invite others into it. And so the idea of more and more people diving into God's word through this resurgence of the Bible, I think is really, really special. And I can't wait to see what it does in people's lives down the road.
— I'd agree with that. I think if more people in God's word is an amazing thing. If you're not more in God's word, I encourage you.
— Come on.
— Download the YouVersion Bible app, It's a hundred percent free. If you are watching this, then you have a way to get access to the YouVersion Bible app, for free. And if not, maybe if you're old school and paper, then, you know, head to your local bookstore, grab a Bible.
— Come on.
— Get down and read. You can not go wrong with reading God's word, at all. You ready for a question from one of our viewers?
— Yes, please.
— Okay. Here we go. This is from Abigail.
— Okay. Hello, Abigail.
— How do you forgive yourself from walking away from God? She has walked away and can't forgive herself. She beats herself up over it, and she's hurt by it emotionally. She's been in darkness for so long. She's just ready to get out. What does she do?
— Yep. I think that's a really, really great question. And I think it's really honest for you to say that, because I think the thing that can be really challenging is, for those who are followers of Jesus, we recognize that we have all been forgiven immensely by God. That when we begin a relationship with Him, he takes our sin and separates it as far as the east is from the west. That while we were still sinners, Christ, Jesus died for us. But here's the problem. Is that even though he makes us new, we oftentimes still have these old thought patterns that tell us, no, no, like we aren't worth forgiving. And so the challenge becomes how do we bring our belief about ourselves in alignment with what God believes about us? And I really love what our senior pastor Craig Groeschel has talked about. It's this idea of having words to live by. It's this series of declarations based on God's truth that we declare, we speak out over ourselves so that eventually, our thoughts will move and become aligned with God's word. And one of the best ways that we can do that is to not just think it, not just read it, but to actually speak it. Recently, in one of our messages as a church, Craig was talking about this idea of the shame that has been put on us, through Christ can be lifted off us, but in order to make that happen, sometimes what we have to do is take God's word. We've got to read it. Then we've got to write it. Then we have to confess it out loud over ourselves until we believe it. So read it, write it, declare it, until eventually you believe it. So my encouragement to you would be, man, take some time to write up some declarations based on God's word, that you can say out loud over yourself until your thoughts become aligned with God's word. And one of the best ways you can do that is by checking out the message from our senior pastor Craig Groeschel, it's called "Words to Live By". You can look up the Bible plan on YouVersion. You can search for it on life.church, the website. There's tons of great places you can find it. Or you can search here on YouTube for that message from Life Church and it's really, really powerful and I know it's been super helpful for me.
— That's good. It is a great message. I like it and that's a great point. Here's the deal. No matter what you're going through, God can get you through but you gotta be intentional about what you're doing. Intentionality, I feel like is always the key kind of like you talked about earlier, you said, Hey, I have to be willing to be used by God. You gotta be intentional about that. We've had a lot of fun today. We've joked around.
— Yeah we have.
— We've asked James some challenging questions, like why do you think the Celtics are going to beat the Nets?
— Come on.
— We've answered your questions as always, if you have questions, let us know, put them in the comments. Also like, subscribe, share, let the world know we're here for you. We'll talk to you later. Peace.
— See you.