October 1, 2023 • 20 mins
Episode 1: Ever felt the sting of judgment or the cold shoulder of discrimination within the walls of what should be your place of solace? We know that pain too. Join us as we uncover our personal 'church hurts' - the times when we felt marginalized and unwelcome in our own spiritual homes. We'll discuss how negative encounters can lead people away from church, and more importantly, away from God, while emphasizing the real purpose of a church - a sanctuary, a haven of unconditional love, fellowship, and healing.
Moving forward, we'll dive into the transformative power of grace within the church community. Drawing from our own experiences, we'll unfold how the warm embrace of grace can uplift spirits and mend hearts. Guided by the teachings of the Bible, we'll remind you of the importance of treating one another with compassion and understanding - because everyone is deserving of love and acceptance, irrespective of their background or identity. Don’t miss out on this heartfelt exploration of hurt, healing, acceptance, and grace. Together, let’s embark on a journey towards understanding and healing.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello and welcome to Free Concepts everyone.
I am your host, shaniqua, andwe have our co-host today, dee
Say hello.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello everyone.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So we're going to go ahead and our topic for today
will be church hurts, and we'regoing to begin with prayer and
we're going to have you start usoff with prayer.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Okay, here we go.
Heavenly Father, we come to youthrough your Son, jesus, just
as we are, and we thank you forthis gift and this opportunity
to promote you and to just beable to discuss you and our
experiences, our failures, ourfears and just some
informational information forthose that you intended to hear.
(00:46):
This, lord, we pray that you beused, that we decrease and you
increase in this conversation,and we just pray that you have
your way so that you get theglory and the praise.
Lord, we thank you for theopportunity.
We give you all the glory andall the praise and, in Jesus'
name, we pray.
It acts that declared to create, believe it and receive it.
It is so and so it is.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Amen, amen.
So I wanted to start off bytalking about church hurts as
our first episode, so that wecan unpack that, because I think
a lot of people have straightaway from church and from God
because of the people in thechurch that have turned them
(01:30):
away and discriminated againstthem, and I believe that church
is supposed to be a place ofhealing, a place of love.
Fellowship with like-mindedpeople that are striving to do
the same is heal and bedelivered.
So you want to start with yourfirst experience of where you
(01:57):
either witness a church hurt orexperience it firsthand yourself
.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Mine speaking for me is always on that experience as
being a lesbian and going tochurch, which I am a lesbianist,
A lesbian.
So going to church, in somecases I would hear the term of
preachers saying such things aslike you're going to hell, you
(02:28):
shouldn't be gay going to hell.
Or certain people coming in thechurch dressed as a man, which
are women, and that bothered mebecause I dress almost as a man.
I just always felt like atomboy, so I wear boy clothes.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I don't feel comfortable.
You feel more comfortable.
Yeah, yes exactly so.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Therefore, that's how I dress and I've had, you know,
some pastors say somethingabout that or coming about it,
while I'm in there in the churchdoing the service that I'm in.
So to me, that's offensive yeah.
And it drew me away from thechurch, which I shouldn't have
(03:12):
let.
That drove me away from achurch, but at the same time, I
don't want to be in a churchbecause, to me, I feel like God
is a God of love and I have arelationship with God.
Therefore, he's the only onethat can judge me.
So I don't feel like a pastorshould make anyone feel less
than you know, because I feellike they push away some
precious souls that actuallyneed it.
(03:34):
You're coming to church to befed, and it's just like going to
the doctor.
You go to the doctor to behealed.
So you're coming to church toget feeding and to get fed, but
if you're constantly, you know,being demonized or judged, as
you know, because of who youchoose to love you know what I'm
saying.
I don't feel that's right, butyou know, then again, everybody
(03:57):
have different reasons for thatand I've actually got up in the
middle of the service and walkedout because some things were
said and it made me feeluncomfortable.
I'm not going to sit anywherewhere I'm on wanted.
Exactly so I feel like ifyou're judging me, I feel like
then you don't want me in achurch or you're embarrassed by
me being me.
So, therefore, I'm going tostay away.
(04:18):
So how do?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
you feel?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
about that.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I mean, I totally agree.
I think that when people would,you would hear the whispers and
I used to have.
Now, everybody doesn't haveproper clothes to wear.
Sometimes the church, and Iwould notice the looks and
stairs because all I had at onepoint was, you know, my dress
(04:43):
clothes was dressed skirts thathad splits all the way up the
side, and I would have eitherthe ladies come and put a scarf
over me or, you know, or justkind of give me those stairs and
looks and sometimes I wouldhear the conversations talking
about other members of thechurch and it turned me off.
Honestly, you know, and I justfeel like when you go to church,
(05:08):
you know, this is just mybelief that when you go, you
just, like you said, you go toget fed the word.
If it's going to pierce you, asin the Bible it says, it
appears like a two inch sword.
If it's going to pierce you andtouch home, then it's going to
do that.
You don't have to actuallyjudge, you know, and I think
(05:31):
that's God's job.
I think our job is just to loveeach other where we are in that
season, you know, in our lives,and we just need some
compassion and some empathy whenwe're going through and
generally a lot of times when wejust go to church.
We go to church because we'retrying to get some positivity in
(05:52):
our lives, we're trying to grow, we're trying to heal, we're
trying to get delivered from thepast hurts and traumas and
things that we've experienced.
The last thing we need isbecause we're already judged out
in the world by so many hatefulpeople and mean people that
when we go to church, we want tofeel at home, we want to feel
like this is family, you know,and we're just there to get the
(06:17):
word and, like I said,fellowship with like minded
people.
But I don't know, I just I.
For me, I think a lot of peopleturned away from God and away
from church and they look atpeople and they just, I don't
know, they have the judgy eyesand it turns people away and
(06:39):
people could get so, like yousaid, some real precious souls
that could get that healing, youknow right, right, right.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
And I agree, especially like in this day and
time, with, like, suicides beingso high, and if someone's
coming to you, like we saidbefore earlier, just to
piggyback on that for healingand you're trying to heal and
you've been hurt by, like yousaid, the world, because you go
(07:07):
out to the world and people aregoing to judge you, no matter
what it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, because hurt people, hurt people.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Exactly so.
Therefore, you come in a churchso you can get that healing and
so you can learn about God.
And that's the reason, like yousaid, we go to church, we want
to, we want to grow closer toGod, we want to be, you know, in
in a community as your pagecommunity unity of love.
You know I'm saying so, thankyou.
(07:36):
You already feeling like anoutsider, so you go in a church
to you know to have some likeyou belong somewhere where you
feel comfortable and safe.
And then you know for somebody,like you said, to judge you or
throw throw stabs, that you, youknow I'm saying what you're
going to get that from the worldanyway, I don't believe that
that's, you know, right and fair.
And you know I'm saying, andthis is just like you said, our
(07:59):
experiences and what we've beenthrough, and even me, you know
what, being with it, I wouldrather feel more comfortable in
a church, does you know, justaccepting me as me?
You know what I'm sayingbecause?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Because you never know what God is doing in that
person.
You know we Exactly.
It's his time.
So a lot of us, sometimes wehave maybe arrived to a certain
place in our lives and you mighthave someone else that's
struggling with certain thingsand we've already kind of like,
for example, let me say thislike you can't, you know, drag
(08:34):
someone to church.
I mean as kids, you know, ofcourse our parents and
grandparents did, but when I saywe would come to church, but
will we really get anything outof it?
But it's really a great thingwhen someone wants to come on
their own because they know thatthey need God in their life and
they need that relationship.
And don't get me wrong, youdon't have to go to church in
(08:55):
order to have a relationshipwith God, you know you can have
that personal relationshipyourself.
And I'm not saying you have togo to church, but it would be
nice to go to church and bearound like-minded people,
people that understand thestruggle, that have been through
some things and can kind ofshare those things with you so
that it helps you grow as well,you know.
(09:17):
Absolutely Sharing that wisdomand that knowledge that they've
gained through their ownpersonal situations.
You know their trials andtribulations, as they call it,
that we come in and we want, youknow, just to feel like you
said.
Everybody just wants to feellike they belong somewhere.
And in a safe place to be ableto praise and worship So-.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I just I think that we should all get along and the
world should have a kumbayamoment and allow us to have our
own.
Just be unique and different,you know Right right.
And I said nobody knows whatGod is doing with you in that
moment or that season.
You know, you could be aprostitute you could be a drug
(10:05):
addict, you could be anything.
And then it says come as youare, and it doesn't mean you're
frozen.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I was just for to say that you took the words.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Go ahead, you said it .
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Right, it's.
Come as you are, becausebecause you, yeah, you
absolutely right, cause that'swhat I was thinking in my head
Like it says come as you arebecause he, god, invites you,
wants you to come to him just asyou are, because he's the one
that heals you and he's the onethat deliver you, and just the
pastor is just that, that's justyour church, that you have.
(10:37):
But, if you're letting God useyou, then you would uplift and
motivate people and give peoplegrace, because at the end of the
day, we all fall short, everyday, all day.
So if you're going to be apastor and you're going to be
over people, then you need togive people grace, cause you
can't judge people and I'm notsaying that you can't, you know
say what's in the Bible andwhat's in the Bible is what's in
the Bible.
(10:57):
But at the end of the day, youknow if somebody's coming to you
exactly to uplift or saycertain things.
Like you know, we experiencedbefore in the church together
and they were like if apresident is going to vote for
the marriage to be legal for gayand lesbians, then we don't
want that president, so reallyLike who says that you're in a
(11:20):
sermon.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
You don't support the members either.
But yeah, you're in a sermonand you're in a politics,
exactly so.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Therefore, that means you don't want me in your
church because I'm a lesbian, soI'm just going to go ahead and
leave.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Thank you, yeah, yeah , but anyway, you know, I'm
saying this is ignorant aboutthings, and a sin is a sin is a
sin.
You know.
There's no, there's no greatersin.
And also with the Bible, youknow there's a lot of scrolls
that are missing out of theBible, so we can't really quote,
quote everything that's inthere and we don't know if they,
(11:54):
when they were trying to writeit, that they actually
translated it properly, you know.
So we just take the good fromeverything.
I used to call the Bible basicinstructions before leaving
earth, because it's a guide forus how to treat people, how God
(12:16):
wants us to come together andlove one another and serve one
another.
When I say serve, you know justgiving whether you're giving
money, whether you're givingknowledge.
Yes, whatever it is that you'regiven to one another to help
each other grow and be better orbe the best version of
(12:38):
themselves they can be.
That's what we're here for touplift like well, elevate,
motivate and educate.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Exactly uplift, motivate and educate.
Exactly, and I think that's asyou go to church, that's what
you look forward to, like, asyou said before being a
community, it's somewhere youcan go, so you can feel safe,
because the world right now asit is as we see it, so oh man,
we can.
Yeah, and not only that, justuncertain.
So you want to go somewherewhere you know you feel
(13:09):
comfortable and you have sometype of normalcy, so to speak,
because actually you know whatis really normal you know now
exactly, I know, I know, butit's okay to be weird and unique
and different.
Yeah, yeah because we want,because you think about it.
God made us all different.
Look at us, millions andmillions of us, and we all have
different fingerprints.
(13:29):
We're all different and hedoesn't want us to be the same
because he didn't make us likethat.
So you don't know exactly.
We all have a purpose we'rehere for a reason.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
And that's only for him to know and it's not for
other people to try to be inyour business and try to judge
you and what you've done.
And you know, you know thethings that we have done does
not make us who we are.
Absolutely yeah, exactly so weall have fallen short.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
You're past.
Yes, yes, yeah, your pastdoesn't define you.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Your future, you know you or your future, exactly,
exactly, yeah.
So I'm really glad that we hadthis discussion, absolutely.
Anything else that you wantedto add to church hurts.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Just, just, uh.
Just you know if, if you knowpeople out there that do have
churches or you know, or pastorsor pastoring, just just have
more grace, because it's a lotof people out there that's
hurting and it's so much suicideright now, and just you know
people already.
You know a lot of, you knowself insecurities and hatred is
(14:40):
because of what people will sayor how they're treated.
Just just, uh, just spread love.
Like it just goes to back whenwe were kids, when our parents
used to say, if you don't havenothing good to say, don't say
nothing at all.
Like, if you're not going touplift somebody and you're going
to use your, your power andyour platform to tear somebody
down, then it's best to just notsay anything at all.
(15:00):
You know so just having moregrace, just more grace and and
and and, just everybody, notjust churches of how we treat
people, because there's so manyhurting and broken people out
there and they're just lookingfor someone or or somebody to
understand.
So they're coming to church tojust like we you know, say it
before to get fed or just tohave just be accepted as they
(15:23):
are.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
So exactly that's, that's that's pretty much it.
Yeah, I just um.
I guess I would just say,basically, what you just said is
to encourage someone.
If you, um, have not found achurch home, what you can do is
watch some sermons.
I like to watch Sarah Jakes, tdJakes.
(15:44):
I know you already know that weare.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Sarah Jakes, robert Span, yeah me as well.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, td Jakes, and in the beginning I used to watch
.
Uh, was it Joe Osteen.
Yeah, joe, I haven't watchedthem in a while.
And um, what was the lady?
Joyce Myers?
I used to read her books?
Absolutely so, but you findwhat's best for you and um yeah,
because we can't tell you, like, where to go, but for we can
(16:11):
just say what helped us and whathelped me was still tapping in
or tuning into those sermons, uh, online, um, or maybe I would
listen to you know, somepositivity it doesn't even
actually have to be a pastor,but someone.
That is very motivating and um,what else, um, positive.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
So just don't let that cancel your relationship
with God, Because at the end ofthe day, your relationship with
God, that's your creator, that'syou know that should be
nobody's business.
That's your own personalrelationship.
And then we should um, I justwant to say this If you have
(16:58):
girlfriends, boyfriends, friendsthat you ride or die for, and
they mess up and make mistakesand do all these things and you
end up being back friends or youend up being back together or
whatever, and you don't, youknow, cancel them.
Don't cancel God, that's thethat's the main person, that's
the main spirit.
You don't want to cancel it.
Your creator is to cancel theirrelationship, because we can't
(17:21):
do nothing without him.
And that's what I've learnedthrough my experiences, that I
know that it's his divine timeand it's his purpose for my life
and um, I'm just basicallybeing used as a vessel to be a
blessing to others, you know,and to um try to be the best
(17:41):
version of me I can be.
And that takes, you know, ittakes work to heal and um, but
it you know it wouldn't hurt ifwe could have a place that we
could worship and and praise theLord, you know, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
I totally agree with that.
Don't let anybody push awayfrom God just because the church
feels a certain type of waybecause at the end of the day
the church is not.
God, god is God, everybody,yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
So everybody, those people need help too.
That's why they're there, butthey might not tell you that.
They might think that they havebeen healed from everything,
but we're going to heal andchange and evolve.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
And to our last breath.
Exactly that's what life isabout Evolve and learning and
just like having more grace.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
You're going to make mistakes.
You know you got to makemistakes.
In order to learn, you have tomake mistakes and find yourself.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
So well.
Thank you so much for being ourco-host today, and I think
we'll be on a little bit moreand share our stories and our
experiences so that we can touchother people's lives and
hopefully, we can transform andheal together as a nation.
(19:00):
That would be lovely.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Absolutely, and I thank you for having me.
And to everybody, just stayblessed, be blessed and spread
love and not hate.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Amen to that.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
You're so welcome, so you will be definitely our
regular co-host, and if you'renot available then I guess I'm
going to have to do it myself.
But at the end of the day, Ireally enjoyed your feedback and
your honest opinions aboutthings and then even your
experiences.
So we're going to continue thisand I will have a new topic for
(19:38):
next week.
But thank you guys so much forjoining and listening to us.
Please share.
If you feel like this hastouched you, let us know at Free
Concepts Podcast at gmailcom.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Okay, all right, thank you everyone, all right,
Everyone have a blessed one, andwe will talk to you next week.
Bye.
Hello and welcome to Free Concepts everyone.
I am your host, shaniqua, andwe have our co-host today, dee
Say hello.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hello everyone.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
So we're going to go ahead and our topic for today
will be church hurts, and we'regoing to begin with prayer and
we're going to have you start usoff with prayer.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Okay, here we go.
Heavenly Father, we come to youthrough your Son, jesus, just
as we are, and we thank you forthis gift and this opportunity
to promote you and to just beable to discuss you and our
experiences, our failures, ourfears and just some
informational information forthose that you intended to hear.
(00:46):
This, lord, we pray that you beused, that we decrease and you
increase in this conversation,and we just pray that you have
your way so that you get theglory and the praise.
Lord, we thank you for theopportunity.
We give you all the glory andall the praise and, in Jesus'
name, we pray.
It acts that declared to create, believe it and receive it.
It is so and so it is.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Amen, amen.
So I wanted to start off bytalking about church hurts as
our first episode, so that wecan unpack that, because I think
a lot of people have straightaway from church and from God
because of the people in thechurch that have turned them
(01:30):
away and discriminated againstthem, and I believe that church
is supposed to be a place ofhealing, a place of love.
Fellowship with like-mindedpeople that are striving to do
the same is heal and bedelivered.
So you want to start with yourfirst experience of where you
(01:57):
either witness a church hurt orexperience it firsthand yourself
.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Mine speaking for me is always on that experience as
being a lesbian and going tochurch, which I am a lesbianist,
A lesbian.
So going to church, in somecases I would hear the term of
preachers saying such things aslike you're going to hell, you
(02:28):
shouldn't be gay going to hell.
Or certain people coming in thechurch dressed as a man, which
are women, and that bothered mebecause I dress almost as a man.
I just always felt like atomboy, so I wear boy clothes.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I don't feel comfortable.
You feel more comfortable.
Yeah, yes exactly so.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Therefore, that's how I dress and I've had, you know,
some pastors say somethingabout that or coming about it,
while I'm in there in the churchdoing the service that I'm in.
So to me, that's offensive yeah.
And it drew me away from thechurch, which I shouldn't have
(03:12):
let.
That drove me away from achurch, but at the same time, I
don't want to be in a churchbecause, to me, I feel like God
is a God of love and I have arelationship with God.
Therefore, he's the only onethat can judge me.
So I don't feel like a pastorshould make anyone feel less
than you know, because I feellike they push away some
precious souls that actuallyneed it.
(03:34):
You're coming to church to befed, and it's just like going to
the doctor.
You go to the doctor to behealed.
So you're coming to church toget feeding and to get fed, but
if you're constantly, you know,being demonized or judged, as
you know, because of who youchoose to love you know what I'm
saying.
I don't feel that's right, butyou know, then again, everybody
(03:57):
have different reasons for thatand I've actually got up in the
middle of the service and walkedout because some things were
said and it made me feeluncomfortable.
I'm not going to sit anywherewhere I'm on wanted.
Exactly so I feel like ifyou're judging me, I feel like
then you don't want me in achurch or you're embarrassed by
me being me.
So, therefore, I'm going tostay away.
(04:18):
So how do?
Speaker 1 (04:19):
you feel?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
about that.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I mean, I totally agree.
I think that when people would,you would hear the whispers and
I used to have.
Now, everybody doesn't haveproper clothes to wear.
Sometimes the church, and Iwould notice the looks and
stairs because all I had at onepoint was, you know, my dress
(04:43):
clothes was dressed skirts thathad splits all the way up the
side, and I would have eitherthe ladies come and put a scarf
over me or, you know, or justkind of give me those stairs and
looks and sometimes I wouldhear the conversations talking
about other members of thechurch and it turned me off.
Honestly, you know, and I justfeel like when you go to church,
(05:08):
you know, this is just mybelief that when you go, you
just, like you said, you go toget fed the word.
If it's going to pierce you, asin the Bible it says, it
appears like a two inch sword.
If it's going to pierce you andtouch home, then it's going to
do that.
You don't have to actuallyjudge, you know, and I think
(05:31):
that's God's job.
I think our job is just to loveeach other where we are in that
season, you know, in our lives,and we just need some
compassion and some empathy whenwe're going through and
generally a lot of times when wejust go to church.
We go to church because we'retrying to get some positivity in
(05:52):
our lives, we're trying to grow, we're trying to heal, we're
trying to get delivered from thepast hurts and traumas and
things that we've experienced.
The last thing we need isbecause we're already judged out
in the world by so many hatefulpeople and mean people that
when we go to church, we want tofeel at home, we want to feel
like this is family, you know,and we're just there to get the
(06:17):
word and, like I said,fellowship with like minded
people.
But I don't know, I just I.
For me, I think a lot of peopleturned away from God and away
from church and they look atpeople and they just, I don't
know, they have the judgy eyesand it turns people away and
(06:39):
people could get so, like yousaid, some real precious souls
that could get that healing, youknow right, right, right.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
And I agree, especially like in this day and
time, with, like, suicides beingso high, and if someone's
coming to you, like we saidbefore earlier, just to
piggyback on that for healingand you're trying to heal and
you've been hurt by, like yousaid, the world, because you go
(07:07):
out to the world and people aregoing to judge you, no matter
what it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah, because hurt people, hurt people.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Exactly so.
Therefore, you come in a churchso you can get that healing and
so you can learn about God.
And that's the reason, like yousaid, we go to church, we want
to, we want to grow closer toGod, we want to be, you know, in
in a community as your pagecommunity unity of love.
You know I'm saying so, thankyou.
(07:36):
You already feeling like anoutsider, so you go in a church
to you know to have some likeyou belong somewhere where you
feel comfortable and safe.
And then you know for somebody,like you said, to judge you or
throw throw stabs, that you, youknow I'm saying what you're
going to get that from the worldanyway, I don't believe that
that's, you know, right and fair.
And you know I'm saying, andthis is just like you said, our
(07:59):
experiences and what we've beenthrough, and even me, you know
what, being with it, I wouldrather feel more comfortable in
a church, does you know, justaccepting me as me?
You know what I'm sayingbecause?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Because you never know what God is doing in that
person.
You know we Exactly.
It's his time.
So a lot of us, sometimes wehave maybe arrived to a certain
place in our lives and you mighthave someone else that's
struggling with certain thingsand we've already kind of like,
for example, let me say thislike you can't, you know, drag
(08:34):
someone to church.
I mean as kids, you know, ofcourse our parents and
grandparents did, but when I saywe would come to church, but
will we really get anything outof it?
But it's really a great thingwhen someone wants to come on
their own because they know thatthey need God in their life and
they need that relationship.
And don't get me wrong, youdon't have to go to church in
(08:55):
order to have a relationshipwith God, you know you can have
that personal relationshipyourself.
And I'm not saying you have togo to church, but it would be
nice to go to church and bearound like-minded people,
people that understand thestruggle, that have been through
some things and can kind ofshare those things with you so
that it helps you grow as well,you know.
(09:17):
Absolutely Sharing that wisdomand that knowledge that they've
gained through their ownpersonal situations.
You know their trials andtribulations, as they call it,
that we come in and we want, youknow, just to feel like you
said.
Everybody just wants to feellike they belong somewhere.
And in a safe place to be ableto praise and worship So-.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I just I think that we should all get along and the
world should have a kumbayamoment and allow us to have our
own.
Just be unique and different,you know Right right.
And I said nobody knows whatGod is doing with you in that
moment or that season.
You know, you could be aprostitute you could be a drug
(10:05):
addict, you could be anything.
And then it says come as youare, and it doesn't mean you're
frozen.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
I was just for to say that you took the words.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Go ahead, you said it .
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Right, it's.
Come as you are, becausebecause you, yeah, you
absolutely right, cause that'swhat I was thinking in my head
Like it says come as you arebecause he, god, invites you,
wants you to come to him just asyou are, because he's the one
that heals you and he's the onethat deliver you, and just the
pastor is just that, that's justyour church, that you have.
(10:37):
But, if you're letting God useyou, then you would uplift and
motivate people and give peoplegrace, because at the end of the
day, we all fall short, everyday, all day.
So if you're going to be apastor and you're going to be
over people, then you need togive people grace, cause you
can't judge people and I'm notsaying that you can't, you know
say what's in the Bible andwhat's in the Bible is what's in
the Bible.
(10:57):
But at the end of the day, youknow if somebody's coming to you
exactly to uplift or saycertain things.
Like you know, we experiencedbefore in the church together
and they were like if apresident is going to vote for
the marriage to be legal for gayand lesbians, then we don't
want that president, so reallyLike who says that you're in a
(11:20):
sermon.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
You don't support the members either.
But yeah, you're in a sermonand you're in a politics,
exactly so.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Therefore, that means you don't want me in your
church because I'm a lesbian, soI'm just going to go ahead and
leave.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Thank you, yeah, yeah , but anyway, you know, I'm
saying this is ignorant aboutthings, and a sin is a sin is a
sin.
You know.
There's no, there's no greatersin.
And also with the Bible, youknow there's a lot of scrolls
that are missing out of theBible, so we can't really quote,
quote everything that's inthere and we don't know if they,
(11:54):
when they were trying to writeit, that they actually
translated it properly, you know.
So we just take the good fromeverything.
I used to call the Bible basicinstructions before leaving
earth, because it's a guide forus how to treat people, how God
(12:16):
wants us to come together andlove one another and serve one
another.
When I say serve, you know justgiving whether you're giving
money, whether you're givingknowledge.
Yes, whatever it is that you'regiven to one another to help
each other grow and be better orbe the best version of
(12:38):
themselves they can be.
That's what we're here for touplift like well, elevate,
motivate and educate.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Exactly uplift, motivate and educate.
Exactly, and I think that's asyou go to church, that's what
you look forward to, like, asyou said before being a
community, it's somewhere youcan go, so you can feel safe,
because the world right now asit is as we see it, so oh man,
we can.
Yeah, and not only that, justuncertain.
So you want to go somewherewhere you know you feel
(13:09):
comfortable and you have sometype of normalcy, so to speak,
because actually you know whatis really normal you know now
exactly, I know, I know, butit's okay to be weird and unique
and different.
Yeah, yeah because we want,because you think about it.
God made us all different.
Look at us, millions andmillions of us, and we all have
different fingerprints.
(13:29):
We're all different and hedoesn't want us to be the same
because he didn't make us likethat.
So you don't know exactly.
We all have a purpose we'rehere for a reason.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
And that's only for him to know and it's not for
other people to try to be inyour business and try to judge
you and what you've done.
And you know, you know thethings that we have done does
not make us who we are.
Absolutely yeah, exactly so weall have fallen short.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
You're past.
Yes, yes, yeah, your pastdoesn't define you.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Your future, you know you or your future, exactly,
exactly, yeah.
So I'm really glad that we hadthis discussion, absolutely.
Anything else that you wantedto add to church hurts.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Just, just, uh.
Just you know if, if you knowpeople out there that do have
churches or you know, or pastorsor pastoring, just just have
more grace, because it's a lotof people out there that's
hurting and it's so much suicideright now, and just you know
people already.
You know a lot of, you knowself insecurities and hatred is
(14:40):
because of what people will sayor how they're treated.
Just just, uh, just spread love.
Like it just goes to back whenwe were kids, when our parents
used to say, if you don't havenothing good to say, don't say
nothing at all.
Like, if you're not going touplift somebody and you're going
to use your, your power andyour platform to tear somebody
down, then it's best to just notsay anything at all.
(15:00):
You know so just having moregrace, just more grace and and
and and, just everybody, notjust churches of how we treat
people, because there's so manyhurting and broken people out
there and they're just lookingfor someone or or somebody to
understand.
So they're coming to church tojust like we you know, say it
before to get fed or just tohave just be accepted as they
(15:23):
are.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
So exactly that's, that's that's pretty much it.
Yeah, I just um.
I guess I would just say,basically, what you just said is
to encourage someone.
If you, um, have not found achurch home, what you can do is
watch some sermons.
I like to watch Sarah Jakes, tdJakes.
(15:44):
I know you already know that weare.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Sarah Jakes, robert Span, yeah me as well.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Yeah, td Jakes, and in the beginning I used to watch
.
Uh, was it Joe Osteen.
Yeah, joe, I haven't watchedthem in a while.
And um, what was the lady?
Joyce Myers?
I used to read her books?
Absolutely so, but you findwhat's best for you and um yeah,
because we can't tell you, like, where to go, but for we can
(16:11):
just say what helped us and whathelped me was still tapping in
or tuning into those sermons, uh, online, um, or maybe I would
listen to you know, somepositivity it doesn't even
actually have to be a pastor,but someone.
That is very motivating and um,what else, um, positive.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
So just don't let that cancel your relationship
with God, Because at the end ofthe day, your relationship with
God, that's your creator, that'syou know that should be
nobody's business.
That's your own personalrelationship.
And then we should um, I justwant to say this If you have
(16:58):
girlfriends, boyfriends, friendsthat you ride or die for, and
they mess up and make mistakesand do all these things and you
end up being back friends or youend up being back together or
whatever, and you don't, youknow, cancel them.
Don't cancel God, that's thethat's the main person, that's
the main spirit.
You don't want to cancel it.
Your creator is to cancel theirrelationship, because we can't
(17:21):
do nothing without him.
And that's what I've learnedthrough my experiences, that I
know that it's his divine timeand it's his purpose for my life
and um, I'm just basicallybeing used as a vessel to be a
blessing to others, you know,and to um try to be the best
(17:41):
version of me I can be.
And that takes, you know, ittakes work to heal and um, but
it you know it wouldn't hurt ifwe could have a place that we
could worship and and praise theLord, you know, but yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
I totally agree with that.
Don't let anybody push awayfrom God just because the church
feels a certain type of waybecause at the end of the day
the church is not.
God, god is God, everybody,yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
So everybody, those people need help too.
That's why they're there, butthey might not tell you that.
They might think that they havebeen healed from everything,
but we're going to heal andchange and evolve.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
And to our last breath.
Exactly that's what life isabout Evolve and learning and
just like having more grace.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
You're going to make mistakes.
You know you got to makemistakes.
In order to learn, you have tomake mistakes and find yourself.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
So well.
Thank you so much for being ourco-host today, and I think
we'll be on a little bit moreand share our stories and our
experiences so that we can touchother people's lives and
hopefully, we can transform andheal together as a nation.
(19:00):
That would be lovely.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Absolutely, and I thank you for having me.
And to everybody, just stayblessed, be blessed and spread
love and not hate.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Amen to that.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
You're so welcome, so you will be definitely our
regular co-host, and if you'renot available then I guess I'm
going to have to do it myself.
But at the end of the day, Ireally enjoyed your feedback and
your honest opinions aboutthings and then even your
experiences.
So we're going to continue thisand I will have a new topic for
(19:38):
next week.
But thank you guys so much forjoining and listening to us.
Please share.
If you feel like this hastouched you, let us know at Free
Concepts Podcast at gmailcom.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Okay, all right, thank you everyone, all right,
Everyone have a blessed one, andwe will talk to you next week.
Bye.
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