{"id":284001,"date":"2024-07-23T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T09:38:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T17:13:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T21:13:31","slug":"wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray\/","title":{"rendered":"WWJD in Your Neighborhood: Rechab &#038; Brittany Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Want to be like Jesus in your neighborhood? Rechab and Brittany Gray give practical ideas on unhurried hospitality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to be like Jesus in your neighborhood? Rechab and Brittany Gray give practical ideas on unhurried hospitality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47000,"featured_media":280865,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/traffic.omny.fm\/d\/clips\/cbd16f10-ac60-4f09-b4df-b15400ce35aa\/33aaac7e-3581-4e21-a3df-b154011ba58c\/d59094d2-477b-4f02-b878-b1a8011480d5\/audio.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:31:00","filesize":"28.42M","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"2024-07-23 08:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2821],"tags":[2717],"podcast_series":[],"cwp_profile":[9971],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-284001","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reaching-out","tag-cultural-diversity","cwp_profile-rechab-and-brittany-gray","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/06\/image-scaled.jpg?w=1024","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/284001\/wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/284001\/wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"UgaIbptKGp\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray\/\">WWJD in Your Neighborhood: Rechab &#038; Brittany Gray<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/wwjd-in-your-neighborhood-rechab-brittany-gray\/embed\/#?secret=UgaIbptKGp\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;WWJD in Your Neighborhood: Rechab &#038; Brittany Gray&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"UgaIbptKGp\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/06\/image-scaled.jpg",1024,1024,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Margaret","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/margaret-coylefamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Want to be like Jesus in your neighborhood? Rechab and Brittany Gray give practical ideas on unhurried hospitality.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"<ul>\n<li>Find Rechab on other episodes on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/guest\/rechab-gray\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Catch more of R<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cp5Kd9wsHzV\/\">echab's thoughts on Insta<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out his article on TGC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/article\/grandma-help-better-christian\/\">How My Grandma Can Help You Be a Better Christian<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>This week, for a donation of any size, we'll send you <a href=\"https:\/\/donate.familylife.com\/july-2024\/purposefooled\/?cru_source=FLTD24&amp;cru_medium=Icare&amp;cru_campaign=July2024\">Purposefooled: Why Chasing Your Dreams, Finding Your Calling<\/a>, as our way of saying a huge \"\"Thank you!\"\" for partnering with us toward stronger families around the world.<\/li>\n<li>Find resources from this podcast at <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/radio-resources\/\">shop.familylife.com<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.familylife.com\/product-category\/past-radio-resources\/\">See resources from our past podcasts.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Find more content and resources on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/app\/\">FamilyLife's app<\/a>!<\/li>\n<li>Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303\">Apple Podcast<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm?si=d6dfa8d2415f4750\">Spotify<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/familylife-podcast-network\/\">FamilyLife Podcast Network<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylife.com\/fl2024-07-23.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>FamilyLife Today\u00ae National Radio Version (time edited) Transcript<\/p>\n<p>References to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete.<\/p>\n<p>WWJD in Your Neighborhood?<\/p>\n<p>Guests:Rechab and Brittany Gray<\/p>\n<p>From the series:Unity in Diversity in the Church (Day 2 of 3)<\/p>\n<p>Air date:July 23, 2024<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: We didn\u2019t move here to be church planters. We moved here as missionaries. It\u2019s just a different mindset.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Actually, this isn\u2019t our home. None of this is ours. We\u2019re just missionaries, scattered. 1 Peter [says] \u201celect exiles.\u201d [1 Peter 1:1] We\u2019ve been exiled, chosen by God, to be right where we are, so everything we do is: \u201cLet\u2019s just be missionaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shelby: Welcome to FamilyLife Today, where we want to help you pursue the relationships that matter most. I\u2019m Shelby Abbott, and your hosts are Dave and Ann Wilson. You can find us at FamilyLifeToday.com.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: This is FamilyLife Today!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: We\u2019ve got a couple of passionate people in the studio today.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I wish they\u2019d be more passionate. [Laughter] It\u2019s like they don\u2019t have any passion. We\u2019ll have to stir it up in them today. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Dave: We\u2019ve got so much passion that we overwhelm them. [Laughter] I felt like, yesterday, this wave was coming at us from Rechab and Brittany Gray. They\u2019re back.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Right, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Yesterday was a foundational theology of diversity. If you missed it, go back, because I don\u2019t want to rehash everything; but there was this\u2014if you understand who God is, then you understand what He wants us as His community to be, it\u2019s unity, even though we\u2019re different.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: But you have a passion for hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Which, to me, is part of it.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: That\u2019s what I want to know: what does that look like?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: On the practical end of things\u2014you can speak more to this, even as a mom and as a wife\u2014[is]: our house has had to become that, all the way back to Philly.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: That\u2019s where our marriage started, where we had, what was it? A 900-square-foot townhouse. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Not even; not even. Less than [that]. It was like 850-something.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: That\u2019s bigger than the one we started in\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: \u2014yes. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014in Lincoln, Nebraska.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: But did you open those doors?<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: We did, we did; specifically to our neighbors. We weren\u2019t even trying to invite church friends. It was challenging because, even culturally\u2014that\u2019s interesting to say, culturally\u2014[in] our neighborhood, everyone looked like us, everyone was black, but culturally\u2014we all came from different backgrounds; everyone grew up in different settings and had different expectations and different ideas of what it meant to visit someone\u2019s home.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Oh, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Even within our own community, we had to have an idea of, \u201cOkay, how do we be hospitable within our people group?\u201d ironically.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: What did that look like? Did you just go out into the neighborhood and say, \u201cHey, do you want to come over for dinner?\u201d [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I feel like a lot of it, at that time, started with kids.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes, that\u2019s the easiest avenue in, right?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: It is, it is.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Absolutely, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I think in evangelism, we\u2019ve just got to\u2014not use our kids, but\u2026. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014take advantage of that time in their life.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Oh, absolutely.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Absolutely.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Because they\u2019re so disarming. Even with a wicked heart, you\u2019re going to be a lot less harsh with children, so I think that was a big deal.<\/p>\n<p>Bragging on my wife, I set up an actual\u2014it wasn\u2019t a ten-foot basketball court, but it was metal backboard. This was an 800-square-foot spot. So, we didn\u2019t have a lot of space in our crib, at all. But she let us put an actual basketball court in the crib. It [wasn\u2019t] anything to write home about, but it was\u2014[Laughter]\u2014a little Walmart plastic jump but with a metal rim, like a real jump.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: It would come through, and it would be loud and crazy and not clean; but orderly, though. But there was still a lot going on.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: And somebody\u2014my wife\u2014had to order the chaos. When you have the beauty of a lot, plus order, there\u2019s something inherently hospitable about that that\u2019s very inviting. Because on the a-lot-ness, nobody\u2019s walking on eggshells because they feel like everything has to be perfectly clean and put in the spot. No, it didn\u2019t have to be like that. But at the same time, \u201cHere\u2019s what we\u2019re not going to do: this is the language we\u2019re going to use; we\u2019re not going to use this language. Here\u2019s when we\u2019re going to play. After this, we\u2019re going to pray.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There were just so many things laid out that made you feel like this was a place of comfort\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014and security.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014and security.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014for kids that had none of that.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I\u2019m telling you, this is my passion, too. For Dave and me, when we moved into one of our first homes (we had rented that apartment before, with the Plexiglas), you know that joy and sports and fun are magnets. We decided, as one of our values, too, that our house would be the magnet and the light of the world, as Scripture says, on our street.<\/p>\n<p>What is a magnet? Joy; fun.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It doesn\u2019t matter who you are or where you come from, people want to laugh, and they want to be themselves. So, we decided, \u201cLet\u2019s create a place where all the kids in the neighborhood want to come. We had no money. We were starting a church; we were poor!<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Wow.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: But we saved coins to buy our first trampoline; remember that?<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: And then, some guy ripped down his deck, and Dave used the wood to build this\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014treehouse.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014amazing treehouse.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That\u2019s cool!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: The bad thing is, the tree house was pretty close to the trampoline; so, one day, we came home and our sons were standing on, not the deck of the treehouse, the roof of the treehouse\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014yes, this thing was way, way up.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014ready to launch onto the trampoline, probably 20 feet below.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Anyway, [Laughter] that treehouse and that trampoline brought the neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: There were all kinds of kids and, sometimes, they bugged the heck out of [us and we thought], \u201cCould you go home now?\u201d Hospitality is messy, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Oh, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, it is. I think one of the things, even in this conversation, is [that] you had a treehouse and a trampoline; we had a little 800-square-foot house.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It doesn\u2019t matter!<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: It doesn\u2019t matter what you have; all that matters is you are using what you have.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Exactly.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: It really is that simple.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: And kids don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: No.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: They don\u2019t care.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: At all! How many times [have] you bought your kids a toy, and they end up playing with the box that the toy came in?<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes!<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: They really don\u2019t care. It\u2019s more about\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014but they care about what they feel like when they\u2019re in that home.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Amen.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: You talk about the gospel and hospitality; they go together hand in hand.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I would say, now, she\u2019s more leading that far more here than even at Philly\u2014 with our neighbors here\u2014and is just here to serve.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: What\u2019s your vision behind that? Obviously, you started right when you got married in Philly. Now you\u2019re in Florida, and you\u2019re still doing it. There\u2019s a passion and a vison underneath that. What is it?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I think the simplest way to put it is: we came here even to plant a church. We just kept saying, \u201cWe didn\u2019t move here to be church planters. We moved here as missionaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Oh, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: When you start to think like missionaries, because we\u2019ve both been on missions, it\u2019s just a different mindset.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: You know your time isn\u2019t yours. You know you\u2019re there for the business, for the work.<\/p>\n<p>Us coming in as missionaries, it\u2019s almost like, if we can envision being a 20-, 30-year missionary in the place where we live\u2014that\u2019s what our kids will rehearse; that\u2019s what we\u2019ve rehearsed. Everything we do is: \u201cLet\u2019s be missionaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even when it gets annoying, as a missionary, you\u2019re not thinking like that. But it\u2019s only when it\u2019s your home do you start to get super annoyed by ministry. If we stop thinking like that and think, \u201cActually, this isn\u2019t our home. None of this is ours. We\u2019re just missionaries, scattered. First Peter [says] \u201celect exiles.\u201d We\u2019ve been exiled, chosen by God, to be right where we are.\u201d I feel like that has been the major, major, major thing.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: I want to say this (here\u2019s what I thought): it isn\u2019t just kids. Rechab said something that made me think, \u201cOh, yes, that happens.\u201d Sometimes, I\u2019ve found\u2014Ann isn\u2019t as much as me, I think\u2014when the kids or the neighbors are coming over, and it could even be parents, there\u2019s part of me that\u2019s possessive about the house: the drywall, the paint, the trim\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: [Laughter] \u2014yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014the carpet, the TV, my guitars; you name it. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>I mean, I sound like a possessive idiot\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014materialistic, maybe?<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014materialistic. I think, \u201cYou can\u2019t touch that,\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t want them to break things.\u201d That can be a discouragement to hospitality, as much as anything. I\u2019ll go to their house. I don\u2019t want them all in my house\u2014[Laughter] \u2014because I like nice things. \u201cYou\u2019re scratching my granite countertop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It\u2019s a good thing you married me! [Laughter] Let me tell you: I keep our house clean\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014oh, it\u2019s super clean.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014but I\u2019m telling you, when you go into our basement, there is a huge hole in the drywall. [Laughter] These boys were in the basement playing basketball on one of those mini nerf [goals]. Now, they\u2019re getting a little bigger, so we\u2019ve got 12-year-olds going through the drywall. I would walk down there, and I was so proud of that! I thought, \u201cThese guys are having a blast.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Anyway, have you ever experienced that? Because I want to be hospitable; I want to love my neighbor, but sometimes it\u2019s inconvenient, and I think, \u201cThey\u2019re going to put a stain on my new couch.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: We have literally used the word \u201csurrender.\u201d I feel like that has been [from] day one, that every house we\u2019ve had, we\u2019ve had to surrender, because real rap [seriously], though, it\u2019s happened so early in every house that it\u2019s just like\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014yes!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: It\u2019s like a reminder.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Your first dent in your car, your first time scuffing up your sneaks, it\u2019s like, once it happens [you think], \u201cAlright. I\u2019m cool now.\u201d But until that happens, you\u2019re very, very [uptight], but once it happens [you think], \u201cThis is over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I feel like, in every house\u2014when we were in Philly, it happened very quickly. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: We probably did it ourselves the first time. [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, right. I feel like, in our second house, our kids were at such an age where they were going to mess something up. Now, we\u2019ve got a three- and a four-year-old. [Laughter] When you\u2019ve got that\u2014they\u2019ve already written on my office [wall]; when you\u2019ve got that\u2014it\u2019s almost like there is something about the relief that it brings when it finally gets messed up, that you\u2019re not as anxious anymore, and it\u2019s a reminder, \u201cThis is all the Lord\u2019s anyway, and He wants to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I will say this, especially with our particular needs, to anybody listening: it isn\u2019t sweet, though, especially for a mom and a wife. It isn\u2019t saying, \u201cThis is easy,\u201d to have your home open all the time.<\/p>\n<p>How many kids have come over to our crib, but also, dudes who are always in the house, who I\u2019m discipling? This is going all the way back to Philly. Another dude she has to feed. That\u2019s money. \u201cAnother mouth to feed.\u201d Then, it also messes up the comfort of: \u201cIt\u2019s just us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are all of those things that I feel like Brittany carries in a unique way, that all I can do is shout out the moms by celebrating my own wife. We would not be a hospitable home if it weren\u2019t for her serenity. It\u2019s almost like the serenity came through surrender. A long time ago she resolved, \u201cThis isn\u2019t hers.\u201d So, God has been faithful to use that. I\u2019ve seen so many people blessed by that. Thank you on air for being you and not making it a stressful environment for people. It\u2019s a massive, massive blessing. Thank you.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: That\u2019s a perspective!<\/p>\n<p>Ann: And a gift of hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: That\u2019s like an eternal perspective, big picture. I don\u2019t know if you know the name Patrick Morley, who wrote a book called Man in the Mirror, but I had him do chapel for us, the Detroit Lions, when we came down to Tampa to play the Buccs, because that\u2019s where he lived. I\u2019ll never forget him sharing a story.<\/p>\n<p>He made a lot of money in business. I can\u2019t remember exactly [how much], but in the millions. They had a really nice house. He tells this story about their little boy or girl, at three or four years old, scratching the coffee table (an expensive coffee table), and him sort of losing it. His wife said, \u201cI\u2019m not going to allow us to yell at a billion-dollar kid over a 500-dollar coffee table.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Woo!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: I\u2019ll never forget that story. It\u2019s like [saying], \u201cGet this in perspective. That kid right there is worth\u2014there\u2019s no number.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: That\u2019s good; that\u2019s good.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u201cIt\u2019s our child, and that coffee table can be replaced. Even though it\u2019s a really nice one, and he just put a scratch on it, we are not going to protect this house like it\u2019s a tabernacle. We\u2019re going to let our kids be kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: It\u2019s not that we don\u2019t try to take care of our stuff, but when it becomes an idol, that\u2019s when it\u2019s a different story.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Yes. [During] the discussion we were just having, I was thinking: your neighbors\u2019 kids are that valuable. The whole idea of hospitality isn\u2019t because we want to be nice to our neighbors. It\u2019s because we have a dream that they would know our Jesus.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: That\u2019s why we\u2019re having them in our house, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re allowing craziness to happen. Our vision is bigger. God has planted us somewhere.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: At FamilyLife, we call it \u201cMake an impact on your corner of the world.\u201d Well, that\u2019s your corner.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: So good.<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Your corner is right here. We\u2019ve got a corner.<\/p>\n<p>I can value a house that\u2019s going to be in a garbage dump someday\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014sure, come on!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: \u2014or I can value people and say, \u201cOkay, He\u2019s put us here as a light. Everybody around us is in darkness, and our house is a tool. Let\u2019s treat it like that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Come on!<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That\u2019s so beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I think, too\u2014I find this for Dave and me at this stage\u2014because [with] kids, it was easy to open the doors. We had kids in there constantly, but now we\u2019re older. I find, even here in Florida, people kind of stay to themselves. Have you noticed that?<\/p>\n<p>Rechab and Brittany: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: In Michigan, you have these cold winters. When we\u2019re there, people pull into their garages, and they shut the garage door. You never see them until spring.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: So, for us to have that vision, we have to be intentional and to pray. I think one of that greatest gifts you can give your family is to pray as a family for the people you\u2019re around, for your neighborhood, [so] that your kids would know, \u201cWe\u2019re praying for John.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u201cHe doesn\u2019t know Jesus. We\u2019re praying that he will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab and Brittany: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u201cWe\u2019re praying about how we can love Miss Janet, because she doesn\u2019t have anyone. How can we love her and be a light?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, come on.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: I remember Cody, our son, when we were doing a series at our church\u2014what did he call it?<\/p>\n<p>Dave: We called it \u201cColor of Your Dishes,\u201d and actually presented this as a series to our teaching team. We said, \u201cYou\u2019re calling a series \u2018Color of Your Dishes\u2019?\u201d [Laughter] What is this series about? He looked at us like we were all ancient. We are. We\u2019re all like 30 years older. He said, \u201cDiscipleship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We asked, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said, \u201cIf you disciple someone, they know the color of your dishes.\u201d In other words, they\u2019d better be in your house to know the color of your dishes. That\u2019s what discipleship looks like.<\/p>\n<p>Brittany: That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That\u2019s it!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: [We said], \u201cThat\u2019s a really good series. Let\u2019s do it!\u201d [Laugh]<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: That\u2019s it. Wow!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: But it\u2019s true. If you don\u2019t know the color of people\u2019s dishes, you haven\u2019t gotten that intimate, and God wants us to get close. It\u2019s going to be messy. They\u2019re going to bug you, and you\u2019re going to bug them. Guess what? That\u2019s the Kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Let\u2019s talk about application. We\u2019ve been talking about that the whole time, but let\u2019s give our listeners a little vision of some things they could do, either as families with kids, or families with kids who are older and what that could look like.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I\u2019d say the big things, both for Brittany and myself, are exactly what you said. I never heard the colored dishes, but bringing people into what you are already doing is discipleship. This is so modeled by Jesus. I feel like discipleship gets so complicated, because [we think], \u201cI\u2019ve got to add a new thing to do to my already busy schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When you think about it like that, one, it does feel overwhelming, if you are a busy person; and, two, it actually won\u2019t make the impact that you want it to make, because they\u2019re still not seeing you in your own element.<\/p>\n<p>My thing is, \u201cI\u2019m not about to add something else to my schedule. You\u2019re going to come to the crib. You\u2019re going to see me doing dishes. Sometimes, I\u2019m going to have to leave you at the table, because I have to go put the kids to bed, or I have to go pray over the kids. It\u2019s going to be what it is. [You can] twiddle your thumbs, read your Bible [Laughter] while that\u2019s happening, but even me leaving you is helping you to see something about what it looks like to be a father; that my kids are my priority right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou might have to wait for me and Britt to get done with this conversation. That\u2019s okay [for] you [to] see that. You\u2019re just coming through, and you\u2019re just going to rock.\u201d Especially for when we\u2019re discipling singles, what a gift it is to bring them into a family that functions like that. So, I\u2019d say that\u2019s one thing.<\/p>\n<p>The second thing I will say is that the clock can be the greatest hindrance to deep discipleship.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: When you\u2019re on a 30 minute: \u201cAlright, wrap it up!\u201d We don\u2019t date like that, so we shouldn\u2019t disciple like that. Could you imagine going on a date with somebody, and every 15 minutes\u2014it\u2019s telling you all the signs of, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to be here with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the very same way, we should allow for time to be free. If you need to set aside a larger slot; maybe they\u2019re not going to be there for the full two hours, but you set aside two hours where they\u2019re going to be there. They might only be there for 30 minutes or 45 minutes, but you\u2019re not confined by a 30-minute clock.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: That\u2019s good.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: The reason why that\u2019s important [to me], even as a busy dude who travels a lot, is because that really makes it intentional for me, to make sure I\u2019m not adding things. Two hours can feel daunting if I\u2019ve got to entertain for two hours. But if I\u2019m just being a husband and a father, it isn\u2019t doing anything to me.<\/p>\n<p>I get that from what I call \u201ca theology of reclining\u201d from Jesus. In John 13, Jesus is reclining. Throughout all the meals in the New Testament, Jesus is reclining. I\u2019m glad New Testament translators did not translate that as simply sit, because it matters that He\u2019s reclining.<\/p>\n<p>When you\u2019re reclining, you aren\u2019t going anywhere. It\u2019s like reclining on a couch. You aren\u2019t going anywhere. It is a posture of rest. Most of the time, though, we have the exact opposite posture when it comes to these relationships\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014especially Americans, in our culture.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes!<\/p>\n<p>Dave: Rushing.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Yes, we\u2019re rushing to the next thing,\u2014<\/p>\n<p>Ann: \u2014yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: \u2014the next appointment, and those things now cloud out the one thing He told us to do, which is make disciples. But when you have a theology of just reclining, you relax! We\u2019ve got a statement: \u201cJust calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ann: But don\u2019t say that to your wife! [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: No, only to dudes. I only say that to dudes.<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: Only to dudes: \u201cJust calm down.\u201d Don\u2019t say it to your wife! But just calm down. Let it be what it is, and you\u2019ll see what that does. I love that our Lord Jesus\u2014who should have been busier than Christ, the Son of God?<\/p>\n<p>Ann: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Rechab: I think He had a job to do that was kind of important. Yet He had to time to recline?<\/p>\n<p>That alone should make us question how busy we really are, and how busy we really should be. Nobody had that much of an important job, [more] than Him, and He was able to sit and be with people, with strangers, just chilling out. Can you imagine your Messiah lying down? I think about that, and I think, \u201cWow!\u201d What that must have done for the people around Him: \u201cYou really see me. You want to be with me.\u201d If we could practice the same thing, the theology of reclining: \u201cLet\u2019s chill out. Let\u2019s talk. What\u2019s really going on in your life?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yes, everything is\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChill out. What\u2019s really going on? Let\u2019s talk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, you know [the] kids, man, they\u2019ve got a baseball game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hear you. [Quietly] Now, what\u2019s really going on?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, it takes six of those questions for us to get underneath, underneath, underneath to the point where they say, \u201cAlright. Honestly, I\u2019ve been stressed out because this is around the season that I lost my mother. It\u2019s really scary around this time, because I feel lonely again. Even sitting here, I\u2019m anxious because she was the only one I could confide in like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, we\u2019re getting somewhere. It\u2019s the theology of reclining, and our Lord Jesus practiced it beautifully.<\/p>\n<p>Shelby: As Rechab was talking there a second ago, I thought about how intentionality is so important as you have conversations with your family, your friends, your neighbors, and anyone else in your life, really. Intentionality to keep asking the questions that get to the heart of what people are wrestling with. Go after the roots in your own heart, yes, and in other people\u2019s hearts, as well, and you\u2019ll start to practice the theology of reclining, just the way we heard about.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Shelby Abbott, and you\u2019ve been listening to Dave and Ann Wilson with Rechab and Brittany Gray on FamilyLife Today. It\u2019s been such a blessing to have them on this program, and they\u2019re going to be back again tomorrow. I\u2019m excited about that.<\/p>\n<p>After tomorrow, we get to hear from the Needhams. Jimmy and Kelly Needham are going to be here. Kelly has actually written a book called Purposefooled: Why Chasing Your Dreams, Finding Your Calling, and Reaching for Greatness\u2014get this\u2014Will Never Be Enough. Wow! [That\u2019s] provocative.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re feeling disillusioned by the pressure to live this extraordinary life that people keep talking about and seeking a deeper sense of purpose in everyday moments, this book is going to be a guide for you, and it will also be a balm for you. The insights that Kelly gives in it will be helpful as we push against what the culture is telling you to do all the time.<\/p>\n<p>Again, the book is called Purposefooled by Kelly Needham. We believe in it so much that this book is going to be our gift to you when you give to the ministry of FamilyLife.<\/p>\n<p>You can get your copy right now with any donation that you make. Just go online to FamilyLifeToday.com and click on the \u201cDonate Now\u201d button at the top of the page to give your gift. Or you can give us a call with your donation at 800-358-6329; again, that number is 800-\u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d Or feel free to drop us a donation in the mail if you\u2019d like. Our address is: FamilyLife, 100 Lake Hart Drive, Orlando, Florida 32832.<\/p>\n<p>Now, coming up tomorrow, what\u2019s it looks like to explore faith, marriage, and parenting through the element of crisis. Many of us go through crises that we experience all day, every day. What\u2019s it like to explore marriage and parenting through that? Rechab and Brittany Gray are going to be back, as they navigate their daughter\u2019s illness through courage and prayer. That\u2019s coming up tomorrow. We hope you\u2019ll join us.<\/p>\n<p>On behalf of Dave and Ann Wilson, I\u2019m Shelby Abbott. We will see you back next time for another edition of FamilyLife Today.<\/p>\n<p>FamilyLife Today is a donor-supported production of FamilyLife\u00ae, a Cru\u00ae Ministry.<\/p>\n<p>Helping you pursue the relationships that matter most.<\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider donating today to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright \u00a9 2024 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p>www.FamilyLife<\/p>\n","theme_header_position":"Sticky","post_header_is_sticky":"default","is_header_overlay":"0"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/284001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47000"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284001"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=284001"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=284001"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=284001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}