All Episodes

November 14, 2024 • 28 mins

Part 2 of 2: Continuing the conversation from our last episode, "Is God Voting for Harris or Trump," we invite our Pastor Dexter Nutall to help us process the results of the election and the emotions many are feeling.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Keith (00:10):
What is up, everybody, and welcome back to the Savedish
podcast, where we talk about beingyoung, Christian, and imperfect.
Although that young part is startingto feel less and less applicable to me.
Maybe Katelyn can be the young oneand I'll be middle aged or something.
I don't know.

Katelyn (00:26):
Old is the term you're looking for.

Keith (00:29):
I'm not old.
I rebuke that.
In the name of Jesus.
But again, I am your co host Keith.

Katelyn (00:37):
Oh, and I'm Katelyn.
My bad y'all.
This new setup is different.

Keith (00:40):
Yes.
And as you may notice weare not in the same room.
I'm traveling this week, so we'redoing it up a bit 2020 COVID style.
But we did want to make sure that wegave you all another great episode.
We hope.
And you also may notice there'sanother guest with us here.
We have our amazing pastor pastorNutall, who you may remember from

(01:00):
previous episodes of Savedish.
But he is here with us today as wewant to talk about the big story, the
thing that's on most people's mind.
And of course that is the election.
We now know, I guess, most of the results.
We know that, you know, DonaldTrump is now president elect.
We know who will likelycontrol the Senate.

(01:23):
House still up in the air, may bedecided by the time you hear this, but
we felt that, just kind of based ona lot of what we're seeing from our
church family, as well as from otherpeople that we know that this was
something that was worth, you know,talking about as soon as possible.
But also we wanted to make surewe had someone who was probably

(01:44):
a bit more equipped to help us tonavigate all of the feelings, all
of the reactions, all the emotions.
And that is why we havePastor Nutall here with us.
Pastor, anything you want to say beforewe kind of jump into everything.

Pastor Nutall (01:59):
I'm just happy to be on the Saved ish Podcast and I
don't know exactly how I fit in orwhere I fit in terms of that opening
conversation about the young and the old.
I'm not on either spectrum.
I'll just say that and then we canjust go ahead and go with that.

Keith (02:14):
Yeah, nobody's old.
I think I'm just less young thanI was when we started this thing.
And then having two kids, I think addslike 10 years to how old you feel.
So I'm somewhere

Pastor Nutall (02:24):
in the middle with me.

Keith (02:27):
Yeah, there we go.
There we go.
But yeah, I, you know, obviouslywe know the results for many at
least in, in my kind of immediateCircles, it was a disappointing one.
But also for some, it was exactlywhat they were hoping for.
I know a lot of people especiallyinvestors are very happy this week.
I think Bitcoin hit 90, 000 today.

(02:49):
And that is something that Idon't know that I ever saw coming.
And so, you know, therethere's a spectrum.
I don't want to act like everybodyfeels the same way about this, but I
think it's safe to say that most peoplespecifically in the black church are
a bit frustrated and disappointed.
And so I guess my first question toyou Pas is, you know, as a leader, as a

(03:11):
shepherd of the flock, you know, how doyou process dealing with times like this
and what is your approach to really kindof providing support that people need?

Pastor Nutall (03:21):
Yeah.
Well, I think with regard tothis particular outcome the two
words that come to mind for meare disappointed and betrayed.
Disappointed in the outcome, yes, butmore than just the outcome disappointed
in the environment that has been createdas a result of even the consideration

(03:50):
of a Donald Trump presidency.
When we look back at 2016, okay,perhaps you didn't take what
it is that was said seriously.
Perhaps it was political rhetoric for you.

(04:12):
I'll give you the benefit of thedoubt, but in 2024 you don't have
that same question about what itis to expect because we've had
the Charlottesville Massacre.
We've had babies in cages.

(04:34):
We've had the debacle of COVID.
We've had a conspired andinspired insurrection.
We've had 30 plus felony convictions.
And here we find ourselves with eightout of 10 evangelical white evangelical

(04:55):
Christians who voted for Donald Trump.
I'm not sure how that can be explainedor justified just on the face of
it, but also betrayed because, youknow, as I said on Sunday, when I,
in the sermon, my sister and I weretaught values that are the same.

(05:19):
And the most important thingthat I was taught by my parents
was to take care of my sister.
And she was going totake care of her brother.
And in the context of the faith, we havethose who call a sister and brother who
took care of their interest and prioritizetheir interest over their values.

(05:42):
That feels like betrayal to me.

Keith (05:46):
Yeah.
I think interest over values andprinciples is something that I also felt
like deeply even kind of leading up tothis thing, you know, I would talk to some
of my people I consider friends and, youknow, close family members, even who may
have been on the other side of the fence.
And they would present their case for why,you know, they were voting a certain way.

(06:09):
And to your point, there were alwaysjust this, like, but at our core,
like there are these principles, thereare these things that I feel like our
entire belief system is built uponand you know, the other candidate, not
that, you know, Kamala was perfect, butthe other candidate just, I felt like
represented so much of the antithesisof those things, you know, honesty you

(06:33):
know, looking out for those who can'tlook out for themselves and respecting
women, which is one that I, you know,I got two sisters as well, and I just,
Anybody who doesn't respect women ordoesn't respect the working individual,
somebody who's actually just trying to,you know, put in their work and, you know,

(06:56):
receive a fair shake for that effort.
It really bothers me andI can't look beyond that.
And I can't think about justwhat may be best for my portfolio
or for you know, personal gain.
And so I struggle with that as well.
Now one thing obviously we cannotdo is neglect to, to hear from.
A black woman, you know, Katelyn, I can'timagine, you know, what this has been for

(07:20):
you, but I also want to make sure thatI thank you and I thank all black women
for showing up as you always have andreally just doing the dang thing because
consistently that's been the story.
But I'll pass it to you.

Katelyn (07:35):
Yeah.
You know, what a day to be a black woman.
Every day is a great day to be a blackwoman, but it was, Interesting to be black
and a woman on the day of the election.
But before I touch on that aspect ofit, I think one thing that is kind of
sticking out to me between what youand Pastor said is like the principle.
It's like, I'm a real like principlesperson and like a situation may not

(07:57):
be that big of a deal, but if theprinciple behind it is detrimental or
like wrong, then I tend to focus on that.
And so I think I just like to say forthe people out there who are like,
Who somebody might be saying, Oh,well, we've lost the election to him
before, or we've lost the electionbefore or whatever side you may be on.
Sometimes like we've been saying in thisepisode, the principle of what this win

(08:20):
for Donald Trump stands for is way biggerthan him actually winning the election.
Okay, cool.
A Republican won.
It's happened before.
It'll probably happen again, but it'sthe principle of fact that enough people
in this country had that mindset tosay, we want him again, despite knowing.
What he is about to bring to the tableor at least going to try which brings me

(08:41):
into my point about being a black womanin America, you know, like seeing the
type of person that he portrays himselfto be because I don't know him personally,
you know, or just like everythingthat he stood for in his platform.
It is very daunting as a young woman.
I am in medical school and I'll begoing to residency or applying for
residency in two and a half years.

(09:02):
And I would have loved to have goneback to the south for residency because
I'm from originally from Louisiana, butunfortunately, because of health care and
just having the rights to my own body.
I don't know if that willbe a feasible thing for me.
So I guess to just kind of backtrackto make it make sense to be kind of
transparent, I had a tumor that they foundthis past May and I had surgery to get

(09:25):
the tumor removed, but under insuranceand paperwork, whatever the procedure
is considered an abortive like surgery.
And so if I was any other student, Inany other state as far as like back home
in Louisiana or Mississippi, Alabama,I would have ran into a lot of walls,
trying to get the procedure done and ifI didn't have the mass removed, then that
would have caused a whole bunch of othercompliment complications down the line.

(09:47):
So it's scary because it's likeThe results directly affect me like
I don't have to, you know, hear afriend talk about it or listen to
an auntie like this is somethingthat's going to affect my life.
And so it brings a different sideof empathy towards the outcome
that may, you know, come to life.
Hopefully not, but you neverknow, you know, but I know
that was really long winded.

(10:10):
I'll pass it back to y'all.

Keith (10:11):
No, I appreciate you sharing that.
And to your point, like, Making it real.
You know, I think there's somany anecdotes and stories that
people hear and some people justfrankly aren't close enough to it.
And I think it reminds me of covid.
You know, I have older family members orfamily members who have comorbidities.

(10:33):
And so.
For me, it just was a bit different.
And so for you to share thatstory, it just makes it very real.
Like you said, in two and a halfyears, your life was probably going to
look one way, moving back down South.
And now everything's changed.
And, you know, that may meantime away from your family.
That may mean, you know, just a lotof things that have to be altered

(10:53):
due to someone who will likelynever be affected by this, you know,
deciding that it's something that.
He knows better than you.
And so thank you for sharing that.
I know that is, you know, a personalstory, but I think it's important
to add color to these things.
Moving back to Pas, you know, youmentioned something earlier specifically

(11:13):
that that white evangelical boat.
And I'm curious how, as a a man ofGod, as a Christian, as a minister who
I'm sure has relationships, you know,with ministers who may be on the other
side of the aisle, you know, I see alot of people on social media talking
about cutting off their family, cuttingoff friends because of this thing.

(11:38):
And like I said, I do havefriends and family who are on
this other side of the aisle.
So I'm curious how you deal with thatas a ministry leader, knowing that
some people you may have potentiallyin the past worked with or collaborated
with, you know, have supportedsomething that that feels so misaligned
with what we believe the word says.

Pastor Nutall (12:00):
Yeah.
So for me, there's a, there'stwo parts of this, right?
There's the practical realityand implication, and then
there's a spiritual element.
On the practical side there is the realitythat each of us has to deal with as a
result of what is and what will come.
But there's also a realityabout who this country is

(12:24):
that I think is illuminated in a glaringway as a result of this election.
There was a lot of conversationand positioning and posturing
about issues in the election.
Whether it was the economy, whetherit was women's health care and health

(12:47):
rights versus you know, right to life.
I maintain that this election wasnot about any of those issues.
It was about a deeper reality.
And to the extent that there are peoplethat try to point to those issues, could
it be, that is because they don't wantto deal with the reality of what really

(13:07):
was at issue in this election, whichwas a commander in chief, whose skin is
kissed by the sun and who wears a skirt.
So that's a reality that I thinknobody wants to address because
then you got to deal with you.
If that's what it is,that's really at issue.
It's easy to pay, place it in a costumeand behind a mask of issues, which is

(13:31):
I, which is, I really think what it iswhen you start talking about what who
actually was elected and the record thatwe talked about a little earlier, that's
the political side on the spiritual side.
I think that there is a challengehere for all of us who are true
people of faith to consider.

(13:52):
What it is that's really mostimportant to us and how serious we
are about what we say that we believe.
You know, there's, thereis the issue of competence.
which is a questionable propositionwhen we consider who was elected, but
even beneath that at a foundationallevel, there's a level of character.
And I don't see either of thoseboxes being close to checked.

(14:16):
And that's so, so, so as a spiritualmatter, and as people who are committed to
community, Because our faith is lived outand expressed and grows in community there
is the question of how serious we wantto be to our faith and our willingness
to hold one another accountable andthe opportunity for us to coalesce

(14:38):
and come together to now give witnessto what the church is really about.
And where the black church is concerned,that's something that we've always done.
So we're built for this, as I said onSunday and that's where the opportunity
lives and lies as far as our way forward.

Keith (14:55):
We're built for this.
So I believe that one thing that,that I've noticed is some pushback
on, you know, people of faith whohave been, you know, online or
behind mics anywhere really saying,you know, God is still God, you know,
we, we believe that God is still incontrol and that we don't need to panic.

(15:16):
We don't need to have fear.
But what I've also seen is a lot ofpeople saying, well, yeah, but what
about those of us who aren't therewho don't believe in God necessarily.
And so I'm curious how we, as, youknow, people of faith can show up
For our brothers and sisters whomay not be as, as firm in that.

(15:36):
And maybe a bit more, I guess,cynical and not even them.
Let me honestly, let me be transparent
this whole time, the voice in myhead, and I don't know if it's because
I'm from the Midwest and I know thecountry a little better than I think
some people in this bubble of DC may,
but I always had thiscynical voice in my head.

(15:59):
And I feel like.
I'm struggling with it becauseas a Christian you think you're
supposed to be hopeful and positive.
And, you know, I guess, justa bit more the light in the
room about what can happen.
And so I guess it long winded versionof how do we show up for people
who are struggling and how do we as
believers deal with that when wehave it, you know, in our own minds.

Pastor Nutall (16:21):
Yeah.
So I think two things canbe true at the same time.
We can believe God and trust inGod and still have questions.
We can be certain about some thingsand not so sure about others.
At the same time.
And so I think that when it comes tofaith in relationship with God, let me use
those terms as opposed to the term faithwhen it comes to relationship with God.

(16:44):
I think it's important that weunderstand that God knows us
better than we know ourselves.
And so is there joy?
Yes.
Is there hope?
Yes.
Is there faith?
Yes.
But are there questions?
Yes.
Are there frustrations?
Yes.
Can there be anger?
Yes.
And I think God has enough space withinhis arms to allow for all of that to be

(17:04):
expressed and for us to still be lovedand to be in relationship with God.
So for me, this season inparticular has been about lament.
Right.
And when we look at scripture, we seea number of prophets who are angry
with God and who express frustrationwith God and who are confused at

(17:25):
what it is that they are seeing andexperiencing, and that's really the.
The whole story of God's peoplein a nutshell, it's cycles.
We started out with God.
We trusted God.
Then something moved as wegot somewhere along the track.
We start to question God.
We moved away from God.
Then we asked for forgiveness fromGod because I'm moving away from God

(17:47):
had implications and consequences.
We asked for God's forgiveness andGod was so gracious and loving and
merciful that he gave us another chance.
And then we went right back upto the top of the chart again.
But guess what?
Then something else happened.
Right.
So I think the willingness to expressand be completely transparent with God,
I'm not talking about the prayers we prayin church that you want people to hear.

(18:10):
I'm talking about the ones that arejust between you and God, and where
you are truly being transparent andyou're letting God know how it is
that you are feeling in a particularmoment in a particular season.
And I think God is, that'swhat draws us to God.
That's what increases our faith andour connection and our closeness
and our intimacy with God.
So for those who are strugglingwith that, understanding that God

(18:32):
is a God who is able to accommodateour lament and our humanity that we
feel in periods and times like this.

Katelyn (18:40):
I think just like also to add on to that.
It reminds me of when Job was goingthrough everything that he was and he
was like, yo, like, what's going on?
Why are you letting this happen to me?
You know, I'm a righteous man.
. And like everybody around him istelling him, curse God and die.
Oh, you must have done somethingfor this to happen to you.
You know?

(19:00):
And like, I couldn't imagine beingJob because it's like, yeah, and
still, he still was steadfastin God and his belief in God.
And even when he asked God, like,hey, why are you letting this happen?
And God, like.
I don't want to say sarcastically,but like with the little rah, I
was like, where were you when Icreated the heavens and earth?
Like, where, like, what were you doing?
Oh, you weren't born?
That's what I thought, you know?

(19:21):
So it's kind of just like havingthat humble checking by God.
But like Pastor was saying, like beingable to freely express, like, What you
have me in right now makes no senseand it makes me feel uncomfortable,
but regardless of what's going onaround me, what the results may be,
what may happen in two, three years,I'm still going to trust that you

(19:42):
have, you know, the plan in your hands.
And we see the end of Job's story andhow blessed he was as a result of it.
So, so yeah, I just wantedto add that in there.

Pastor Nutall (19:51):
We are eternal beings that become focused on approximate reality
because of what it causes us to feel in amoment, but we're not earthly beings that
have an occasional spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings that arehaving an earthly experience.
So that's what our ancestors taught uswhen they were singing those songs right

(20:13):
because they were talking about a lifein a world on the other side of this.
That's what gave them the courageand the confidence and the power and
the perseverance to fight throughwhat it is they had to fight through
to get us to where we are right now.
But guess what?
It's our turn.

Katelyn (20:28):
That's real.

Keith (20:29):
That's powerful.
But it's also a little scary.
Like our time, like we supposed tobe strong and built like they were?
Because I look around.
I don't know if I see it.

Katelyn (20:39):
I don't know if I want to be it.

Pastor Nutall (20:40):
Because that's a different question, right?
But just think about the things in lifethat are so important enough for you
to be willing to sacrifice something.
Right.
For you to go be willing to go throughsomething, Keith, you and I share
the experience of being girl dads.
And there are a lot of things that I willtolerate, but you don't mess with my girls

(21:05):
because I'm going to the mat for that.
And so I simply offer that as an exampleof what is it that is so important
that you're willing to fight for that?
What is so significant that youwill lay it on the line for?
And until I think it was King thatsaid this, until you find something
that you're willing to die for,you have nothing to live for.

Keith (21:27):
That's it.
Yeah, you mess with them girls.
I get real second amendment.
But so I mean, you know, I think youknow, it's been almost a week or a week.
And I guess that as neatly as you couldput it, like, where do we go from here?
What's next?
You know, we can't sit hereand just cry for four years.
We got to tighten up and do something.

Pastor Nutall (21:47):
Yeah.
Well, I think in the firstinstance we mourn and we grieve.

Keith (21:51):
Make space for that.
That's important.

Pastor Nutall (21:54):
It's critically important and it's critically important that we
create it in a framework or a system thatallows us to go to that space as I suspect
that we will have to over the coming days,
to go back to that space, that safe space.
I submit that community needsto be part of that, which is the
reason why church is so criticalnow, perhaps more than ever before.

(22:17):
But that's the first step.
Then I think after we've mournedafter we've grieved and as we go
through the difficulties and thechallenges we decide that we're
going to lean in and press forward.
And believe that God has somethingon the other side of this.
The core, the foundation, theroot of our faith is hope.

(22:41):
If we don't have hope, wedon't have anything else.
And so I choose to lean in and tobelieve and to trust that God does God's
best work in the middle of the dark
creation comes out of darkness, it comesout of nothingness, it comes out of chaos.

(23:02):
And so, that is my hope and that'swhat I am looking to and looking for.
And I'm believing that God is up tosomething even in the middle of this.
Why?
Because God is God andthat's what God does.

Keith (23:17):
That's good.
That's good.
What I heard there was make spacefor the mourned and the grieving
and the kind of processing.
But I also heard don't do italone, you know, find your church
family, find your support system,your personal advisory board
and, you know, make surethat you have that community.

(23:38):
But then, you know, we mobilize and wemobilize in a way that's confident and
that, you know, is rooted in understandingof who God is and who God has always been.
And that this thing.
As bad as it seems, you know, itis, it's not the end and that God
is still going to be God through it.
And so I think that is, is amessage we all need right now.

(24:01):
And I appreciate you for makingtime to share with our audience.
And thank you for joining us.
Katelyn, you got anything to add?

Katelyn (24:13):
I don't think so.
I think everything's been said, but,you know, we're going to be all right.
It's going to be all right.
It's going to be.

Keith (24:19):
Absolutely.
And that's, you know, that's 1 thinglike after, honestly, after the first
24 hours or so, I did kind of feel thatpiece of like, okay, it is, this is
gonna, it may get worse before it getsbetter, but you know, we will be all right
because God is still God and we have oneanother and we are very resilient people.

(24:42):
And the enemy is, enemy doesn'treally stand a chance when it comes
down to it, but thank you all for...
oh, wait, we got something

Pastor Nutall (24:52):
We're built for this.
We're built for this.

Katelyn (24:55):
Fasho.
Fasho, fasho.

Keith (24:58):
That's a fasho right on.
No, but thank you all for joining us, man.
We hope that this has been helpful,you know, as you kind of process
what's happened, but also we hopethat it gave you some hope and
kind of maybe put that battery inyour back in terms of what, what's
going to happen moving forward.
So thank you all for listening.
As always reach out to uswith questions, with comments.

(25:19):
You could follow us at savedishpod.
You could email us at savedish@gmail.com.
And we look forward totalking to you guys next time.
Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.