In The Middle Of It
We’re all living stories that aren’t finished yet, and this podcast picks up right in the middle of some really interesting journeys. Whether it’s navigating adulthood, the Christian life, marriage, a music career, grief, healing, or parenting, this podcast hosts conversations for everyone to find themselves a part of. Tune in every other week to find new episodes full of great conversation, laughter, vulnerability, and more!
In The Middle Of It
Granger Smith (From Platinum Records to Pastoring With Conviction)
In this episode, I sit down with Granger Smith to talk about his shift from a long country music career into pastoring, seminary, and a deeper, more costly faith. We dig into his new book, Poison in the Well, which aims at cultural Christianity and nominal faith that feels normal in the Bible Belt and across the United States. He talks about “dog tag Christianity,” a label you inherit or check off because of family, region, or tradition, not because you trust Christ as your only hope in life and death. He calls the book’s chapters “toxins” and “check engine lights,” warning signs that something is off under the hood even if you still claim the identity. His book is an invitation to examine whether there is spiritual fruit, urgency, and surrender that aligns with the Bible in our lives. I loved this conversation and walked away so inspired to chase Jesus with all of my heart, and I hope you do too!
GET GRANGER SMITH'S NEW BOOK HERE - https://bit.ly/4yn6aOo
Follow Granger Smith:
https://www.instagram.com/grangersmith/
Follow Hannah Kerr:
https://www.instagram.com/inthemiddleofit.pod/
https://www.instagram.com/hannahkerr/
Shop the Trendy Bear collection and use promo code INTHEMIDDLE20 to save 20% on your purchase.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
A Surprising Yes To Seminary
SPEAKER_01I'd said several times people would ask me like, Hey, would now that you're gonna you're heading this direction, would you want to do seminary? And I was always like, No, yeah, I don't think so. I don't feel like that's me. And then one day a friend asked, Hey, you're talking a lot to people, you're pouring into people a lot, you're answering people's questions. Do you think would there be any desire that you would want to be equipped with with a seminary degree? And right when he said that, the Lord said, In me, yes.
Sponsor Message Trendy Bear Apparel
SPEAKER_00This season of In the Middle of It is brought to you in part by Trendy Bear Apparel. Trendy Bear Apparel is a local Nashville clothing company that sells the coziest sweatshirts, crew necks, t-shirts, and more. If you're watching on video, you can see me modeling my very own trendy bear crew neck sweatshirt. Every trendy bear item is hand screened by Papa Bear himself. So you can be sure that your order is made with love. And the best part is I have a discount code for you. Okay, you can use in the middle 20 for 20% off your order. That's in the middle 2-0 for 20% off your order. So go to trendybear.com and use the code in the middle20 for 20% off your order.
Meet Granger Smith And The Book
SPEAKER_00Hey guys, welcome back to In the Middle of It. I'm your host, Hannah Kerr. Granger Smith is a platinum-selling, multi-award-winning country music artist who had an amazing career in country music for over 24 years. He then decided to completely pivot his life and go into ministry full-time. Granger's life has been impacted by deep grief in the loss of his three-year-old son, but also deep faith and true authentic relationship with Jesus. And today he's here to talk all about his brand new book, Poison in the Well. It's going to be amazing, and I'm so excited to talk to him. So please welcome Granger Smith. Granger Smith, thank you so much for being here today. I'm so excited that you're here. So awesome.
SPEAKER_01It's an honor. Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Man, I can't wait to talk about your new book. Um, all the things you have going on, all the things you're in the middle of right now. But to start, we're gonna do a little icebreaker get to know you game called Love It, Hate It, In the Middle of It.
Love It Hate It Quickfire
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00So I'm gonna say five somewhat random things. You tell me if you love it, if you hate it, or if you feel neutral in the middle of it. Okay. Okay, number one, college football.
SPEAKER_04Love it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Do you say gig 'em aggies? What's your what's your your team?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, uh, Texas AM, you're right. Um dad went there, mom grew up in college station. So it's it it um it feels like home.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I love it. Number two, classic country music.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I love it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, who who are some of your influences? Like who did you listen to growing up?
SPEAKER_01First of all, we're we're gonna have to, you and I have to have to define like what is classic now. It's true, right?
SPEAKER_00It has kind of changed over time.
SPEAKER_01Like are the 90s classic now?
SPEAKER_00I don't know. I mean, I guess it's up to you. Is nineties classic? That's what you grew up on. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01I mean, we're it's like 30 plus years now.
SPEAKER_00So wow, that hurts actually a little bit.
SPEAKER_01That's crazy. Yeah, so for sure. Yeah. Um uh George Strait, Mark Chestnut, Tracy Lawrence, Tracy Bird, um, you know, all the all the the 90s country, specifically the Texas, Oklahoma guys were in Georgia who grew up with, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I love it. And you grew up in Texas, right? Yes, yeah, that's awesome. Okay, number three, energy drinks. Love it, hate it in the middle of it.
SPEAKER_01Um, that's an interesting one because if I have one every day, does that mean I have to say love it?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it does.
SPEAKER_01I do have one every day. You have one every day. I have one every day about one o'clock.
SPEAKER_00Wow. It's about time. It's like literally recording. I hope you brought it.
SPEAKER_01I didn't. Um Wow.
SPEAKER_00I honestly I was thinking about just your life and your family and how I'm like, he has to have some type of energy drink that he drinks, or he has to love coffee. I don't know what it is, but there has to be something.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, usually coffee in the morning, energy drink about one. Okay, and then sometimes I'll either eat also have like a hot tea, like an Earl Grey with uh somebody a beverage, maybe. So it's like three, yes, three forms of caffeine.
SPEAKER_00Love that. That's great. Okay, number four, Earl Divbles Jr. Love it, hate it in the middle of the day.
SPEAKER_01I love Earl.
SPEAKER_00You love him.
SPEAKER_01I love Earl.
SPEAKER_00I feel like he's trying to steal your identity. I don't know. There's so many similarities.
SPEAKER_01No, that was a battle we had a long time ago, and he didn't come out on top of that one. Yeah, I I love Earl. Um, the crazy evolution of Earl, um, those crazy stories, what Earl brought us to. There are things there are things in Earl that uh changed me forever.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Anytime someone takes on a uh a personality that starts to be funny or gain traction or be admirable, whatever, whatever it is. Yeah, especially if you have a podcast or a show. So I'm also speaking to you.
SPEAKER_04Yep.
SPEAKER_01You start to become the a caricature of your of your funniest or most dynamic attribute.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And that's just that happens with artists and actors, and you just you be start to become that. And I started to become Earl, yeah, in a lot of ways.
SPEAKER_00Do you feel like you actually did feel like, okay, this is becoming more central to who I am? Like of course.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's a great way to say it. The more I traveled, the more I the more Earl had success, the more the line was blurred between who is Earl and who's me. Maybe we're the same.
SPEAKER_00That's interesting. I mean, yeah, I guess he is a part of you. The true country redneck inside of you is in there, and that's him. Yeah. That's right. That's awesome. Okay, last but not least, writing a research paper. Love it, hate it, or in the middle of it.
SPEAKER_01In the middle of it. In the middle of it.
SPEAKER_00You're doing that right now, aren't you?
SPEAKER_01I
Why Seminary Changed Everything
SPEAKER_01am. I'm writing one on anxiety and depression right now.
SPEAKER_04Oh, wow.
SPEAKER_01But I yeah, I've written so many papers uh over the last four years in seminary.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And that is a crazy thought. Like 10 years ago, would you say one day you'll write a bunch of research papers? Yeah. I would have been like, what are you talking about?
SPEAKER_00You're gonna go back to school, get your master's? I mean, that's awesome. What was kind of the motivation to do that at this point? Like to go back and go to seminary.
SPEAKER_01Without over-spiritualizing it, it truly felt like the Lord just shifted a desire. I had I had said several times, people asked me, like, hey, now that you're gonna you're heading this direction, would you want to do seminary? And I was always like, No, yeah, I don't think so. I don't feel like that's me. And then one day a friend asked, Hey, you're talking a lot to people, you're pouring into people a lot, you're answering people's questions. Do you think would there be any desire that you would want to be equipped with with a seminary degree? And right when he said that, the Lord said, In me, yes. Wow, like my spirit just said yes. Yeah, and I was like, Yeah, I think so. I called a called a uh close friend who was a pastor. We we began research together, and that next day I was applying for school.
SPEAKER_00Wow, that's really cool.
SPEAKER_01It was four years ago.
SPEAKER_00I have always wanted to go to seminary, always thought maybe someday that I would, and it's always scared me because it just feels like such a big undertaking on top of so many other things. But I'm like, Granger's doing it, maybe I should do it someday, you know. I mean, it seems like a lot, but it's so good. It's so good. Are you learning Greek or Hebrew in seminary?
SPEAKER_01Yes, both. Um, and I've put them off until next year. So next year will be, Lord willing, my final year. And I've put off those two languages.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And you know, Amber and I we talk about this all the time. We hear she hears from me all the time, but some days I'm just like, oh, I I am just ready for this class to be over. But I say that also knowing that this is so good for me. Kind of like you said, yeah. It's really good for me to like stick my nose in something theological that I probably wouldn't have really wanted to, yeah, desired to. But it's like, no, you're gonna learn about panic attacks or anxiety, or like that's just happens to be what I'm in right now. But um, or this church father or this leadership attribute. Yeah. Things that I probably wouldn't have just sought myself.
SPEAKER_00That's awesome. Are you on staff at your local church? Do you speak there?
SPEAKER_01I'm one of the pastors at our local church, one of seven. Okay, but I'm not on staff.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Cool. I love that you're getting your seminary degree. That when I read that, I was like, I really respect that. That's really cool. Really cool. Um, okay, so the question of this podcast is what are you in the middle of right now in your life?
Family Transitions And Pastoral Weight
SPEAKER_00It can go any way. You can talk about your new book, which we will for sure, but what are you in the middle of in your life, in your family, in where you are right now in your career?
SPEAKER_01Such a good question. And I I've I'm in the middle of a lot of things. Yeah. I have to choose what I'm in the middle of. I'm certainly seminary, we just went over that. So certainly, certainly, that's been kind of something that's ticking in the background constantly for the last four or so years. Um, I'm always aware, like usually Monday, my assignments are due. So I'm every week for the last many, many weeks, I've been very aware of what's due Monday. Wow. So if I put something off today, it stacks something else up for tomorrow. Um the outside of my family, because my family is in a bit of a transition period, especially today, as we talk, because our youngest Maverick went to preschool yesterday.
SPEAKER_00Oh my goodness. I bet that's crazy. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01My oldest daughter went to high school.
SPEAKER_00Wow.
SPEAKER_01Same day, high school and preschool. That's crazy. And my um middle son, Lincoln, started seventh grade.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01And like tackle football. So everyone's in a new even for mama, Amber at home. I'm sure. This is a very like she's she struggled yesterday. I just was talking to her before we walked in here on text, and like yesterday was a struggle with a lot of tears and a lot of I'm sure.
SPEAKER_00Sending your baby to preschool, that's and he didn't want to go.
SPEAKER_01So there's that. Oh, that's really hard.
SPEAKER_00You almost like you want them to not want to go, but you also want them to be okay. Yeah, it's yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like he was like, you know, mama, you know, didn't want to go. So that's so hard. So um they are I consider them that's the center of my ministry. Yeah. Is those those four humans. And we so as far as family worship and and just living life and and walking alongside Amber and teaching the kids and um knowing where to push and where to pull, yeah. Those that's the center of what I'm in the middle of. Yeah, and that shouldn't change. Only those seasons change, but the middle doesn't change.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_01And then pastoring, um, all of this I'm thinking before before the book. Yeah. Before we even get to the book, pastoring takes up um the next largest chunk of my life. And at our church, uh our pastors are in charge of teaching, praying, and shepherding our caring. And so the since I don't I only preach at that at our church probably four or five times a year, so the praying and caring is always even when I'm traveling like this, yeah, I have a I have to be aware of who needs me, who's going through what, who's overcoming something, who's struggling in the middle of something, who is um rejoicing in something, who is still kind of stuck in stuck in um sorrow right now or grief or guilt or that's a lot of shame.
SPEAKER_00That's a lot to keep in your mind, in your heart. How how do you balance that with even your own family's emotional needs? Like how do you yeah, how do you deal with all of that weight?
SPEAKER_01First, um, I believe the plurality of what we do, there's seven of us. And so there's such we have about um 270 members at our church and seven elders. So we share that burden, and so there's something in that camaraderie of sharing that like I can go in, hey, I'm hard meeting guys, I'm going in with so-and-so about the thing, you know, the thing. Yeah, and they're like praying, brother. What time? Three o'clock, be praying. And I can go into that meeting and just think, I've got six guys praying for me, like I've got six warriors with me right now. So there's that, um, and the and just spreading that out. And then on top of that, I can't I cannot talk about this without saying what an incredible joy it is to shepherd these people that the Lord has has given me. Yeah, and so he's he's given me um these these people and the the position I'm in, this is the greatest office I've ever held of anything I've ever done. I love that. Way outside of outside of my family, but outside of like author and singer and yeah speaker, all those things. The greatest joy is that the Lord would entrust me with uh with souls that he died for, that he loves, that he's patient for, that he nurtures and cares and teaches, and somehow he gets Granger Smith to go and said, These are mine. I'm trusting you, Granger, with these. And you'll give an account, Hebrews 13 says, one day for these. And I I so I feel that I feel the weight of that, and yet I also feel such joy that I feel free in what this is what I was made to do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Oh, that's so amazing. And I love that your church is structured where there are seven of you, because I do feel like it when there's just one senior pastor and he's bearing all the weight, not only is that a difficult place, but that's a dangerous place to be. You said to hold all of that authority, that weight, those burdens. Like, I don't know, I think it's refreshing to hear of a church structure like that where you're all shepherding, praying, leading together. That's really cool.
SPEAKER_01You said it better than I could.
SPEAKER_00Well,
Poison In The Well And Cultural Faith
SPEAKER_00that's awesome. Um, one of the points in your new book, which I'm so excited to read, it's coming to my house in two days. But I'm so excited to read all about it and just it sounds really bold. Like you're saying things that you know are gonna push back on a a lot of really common beliefs, a really a lot of common lies. Um, and you're being bold to to talk about it. And I'm really excited about that. I feel like we need people to be bold, especially in our country where it's easy and hard to be a Christian. I'm just excited for what you're saying in this book. Can you tell us about it? Um and yeah, I'm I'm just excited to hear about it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, thank you for saying it that way because even as you were saying that, I was thinking, I no longer have something to prove. I no longer have a platform to build it. My whole music career was saying the right things in front of the right people. Not that, not that you do it in some kind of manipulative way in the music business, but you're always thinking, like, hey, say the right thing to this guy because if you if he likes you, he's gonna put your song on the radio.
SPEAKER_00Right, right.
SPEAKER_01I've got one of my old radio reps with us. She knows.
SPEAKER_00She's like, I know.
SPEAKER_01Um yeah, and and so you just live in this kind of world where you don't want to say the wrong thing and you don't want to step on anybody's toes, and you want to have good music, and and it starts to erode you. And so now in this in ministry, it could definitely be the same, it could absolutely be the same, but I think I've I'm in a place now where I go, I don't have I just want to be faithful and I just want to ex explain some things that might have been hurtful to me, yeah, harmful to me. And um, I know that they're going to make some people mad. There's gonna be people that go, don't invite that guy on your show because he talks about this that's so important to us. Yeah. And that's just that's something I'm just willing to say. Uh-I'm sorry, brother.
SPEAKER_00But the because you don't answer to that guy, you know. So it's like, well, yeah, sorry if it offends you, that might be the point.
SPEAKER_01So I say that in a way that I'm not trying to offend you. Right. I'm not like, I'm gonna write a book, it's like gonna really like tear people and stir it up for the sake of being really different and cool and hip.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So it's more like, hey, these are 11 things that I was doing or not doing that should have been a check engine light on my dashboard of my truck that would have let me know something's not right under the hood. Yeah. It doesn't, these 11 things, none of them mean that you are or are not a Christian. It's not saying that. It's just saying, hey, if if you're not doing this, yeah, or you are doing this, um, are you are you sure that's a faithful thing? You sure that's what the Bible would say you should be doing?
SPEAKER_00You're coming after cultural Christianity, which is so prevalent. I mean, we right now we're filming in Tennessee, like we are the buckle of the Bible belt. Yep, everybody goes to church on Christmas and Easter. It's just the way that it is. It's so easy to be complacent about faith, to be like, oh yeah, my family's Christian. But I love how in this book you are pushing for authentic faith. Um, I think you even say you have a phrase called dog tag Christianity. Will you explain what that means and kind of what you what you mean by that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's just the casual, the casual idea. Well, I was thinking about World War II when guys would get up and you know in line to get their uniform and they would get their dog tags and it was just a checked box. You know, are you Muslim, Jew, Christian? Check, check one of the three.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And you would make that decision based on who's your family, where are you from? Yeah, um, what's your identity in this, but not not do you trust Christ as your only hope in life and death? It's not right. Certainly not what they they asked the soldier. Yeah, do you crust trust Christ as your only open life? Imagine if they did check here, you know. Um, no, it was just like, hey, we need to know if we need a priest, rabbi, or pastor to do your funeral when you die.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I think that was me for a long time. I think I was the checked box guy. Yeah. I think as I look back on my life, um, I just kind of assumed the faith. I grew up in in a in a faithful home with parents that shared the gospel, and the Bible was always available. And those are wonderful, wonderful things, always in church, wonderful things. But as I left and got got into college and then later went into the music business, no one would have looked at me and said, That guy loves the Lord. That guy, Granger, loves the Lord.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I could have told you, believed in the gospel, but there was no fruit.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And so then I wonder well, the Lord ended up using extreme suffering in my life to wake me up to this. Yeah. Which the Lord uses suffering many times in the Bible and in history for people that are stubborn, like me, especially. But um as I looked back on my life now, I go, I don't I don't think I was saved. How would I tell other people that maybe they're in the same danger I was in?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So the book, the book idea came.
SPEAKER_00And you kind of weave your own story into it. It's not just a self-help book of here's 11 points and here's how you fix it. It's like this is my story too. This is I'm telling you from a place of I've been there. It's not even like coming from a super preachy place, but just a personal, hey, I want you to be better off than I was and to be where I am now, this freedom that I've found. Um, what are some of the things in the book that you could highlight right now if people are wondering, like, okay, what are some of those 11 things?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. The first the first one is probably the most controversial. I said this on a on a podcast the other day with a guy that's actually running for political office and he like said, What?
SPEAKER_00It's like we can't air that.
SPEAKER_01But um the first the first toxin I talked about was I'm an American. Which you could see how that could rile up someone running for office.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But it's and once again, these aren't these aren't things that make you um that show that you're not a believer or something. It's just, hey, this is a setback. Do we realize that being an American and all the blessings that come with it is actually a setback to our faith because it's so easy to assume it, it's so easy to just fall into being comfortable with the gospel. Yeah. And like you said, showing up on Eastern Christmas and feeling confident in your salvation.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But but if we were living in the Middle East in a really oppressive country, and we were just like, I want to, I want to know the Lord, I want to own a Bible, I want to go to a church gathering, I want to gather with a body of believers, yeah, and I could be killed for it. But I'm gonna walk seven miles barefooted, I'm gonna gather, then you can get there and gather, and everyone would look at each other and be like, you know, welcome, you know, welcome, brother or sister to the family of God. You would say, Yes, right, you don't we wouldn't have that here. You wouldn't look at someone on Easter that shows up and go, Oh, you're you're saved, you know, the Lord has saved you, the Lord has done a great work in your heart. Yeah, so um, yeah, I start I start with that that I'm I'm in just as much a danger as anyone else because I live here and I love it here. But we have it, you said it early on in this podcast. You said it's both easy and hard to be a Christian in the US.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's not we're not persecuted for our faith, but it's almost because of that we don't care enough about it. We just live. And I I read a quote one time, I can't remember who it's by, of course, but that the American church is sung to sleep by a satanic lullaby. Like we're just a good idea, and that's really scary, actually. Like to to think of how many people who call themselves Christians don't actually know the goodness of God, the the freedom that Christ offers, or they don't even have the proper view of who God is. Um, you talk about that in your book of how that's the final
Underestimating God And Counting The Cost
SPEAKER_00chapter. Yeah, your your view of God influences. How you live your life. Can you talk about that a little bit?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think that the the biggest and underlying toxin of all in this book is seeing God as smaller than he is. Underestimating him. And that's a word I used often when I thought about my faith as I was looking backwards, I would think, I think I underestimated what our Lord has said. And as you read, as you read the word and he reveals himself more and more to you, and you read things and and you you think, I th I I don't know if I've ever taken this as speaking to me. For instance, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would lose his life, or whoever would save his life would lose it, whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what would it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet forfeits his soul? And you're reading this like, is this me? I think he's talking to me. And if that's the case, then I've underestimated everything else I've ever believed about Christianity. Yeah. Because there's an there's an incredible urgency to it in the Bible. Yeah. And there's an there's a cost to it. Right. This should cost me something. It should this should be sacrificial, whether that's an idol or uh my time, um giving up my my kids' uh travel ball on Sunday to gather, you know, that's a sacrifice. It cost us something.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And to lose that cost is to underestimate God and to underestimate God is to think of him, think of him as smaller than he is.
SPEAKER_00Or even just a part of your life instead of on the throne of your life.
SPEAKER_01Like an add-on to your already busy life.
SPEAKER_00Our life and our priorities and our time say that that's the truth, is that we let God be part of our life, but he's not everything. Um, like we give our time to so many other things more than him. Like, I often feel convicted thinking of like my screen report that comes on Sundays for how long I've been on my phone every week. I'm thinking, like, man, and yet I only open my Bible once the entire week.
SPEAKER_01Like, so let me tell you, you know when that typically Apple makes that pop up?
SPEAKER_00It's 9 a.m. on a Sunday.
SPEAKER_01The service. Yes. Or during some time.
SPEAKER_00It's always right before.
SPEAKER_01It's like in church.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Apple is reminding you that you haven't spent very much time.
SPEAKER_00I know. It gets me every week. I'm like, no.
SPEAKER_01I I disabled mine at some point a few years ago. I was like, honestly, my being in church and this is telling me how much screen time I had during the week.
SPEAKER_00It's so humbling. It really is. It's like, man. But it's good to be aware and to know, like, okay, what is my life saying is the priority for me? Is it God? Is it my phone? Is it social media? Is it my career? Whatever it is. Like, yeah, I feel I feel like it's too easy to not prioritize our faith, not prioritize God, but to say that we do. Um, especially I mean, even like being a public figure where your faith and your ministry is part of your job and your platform. Like, there are so many stories of, you know, pastors who really didn't prioritize the Lord and yet had this ministry, like that is too common, you know. I see it all the time, even just in Christian music. Like, my my job, I see people who they go and they tour every Sunday and they don't go to a local church. They don't pour into congregants, they don't even know the people in their neighborhood, and yet they're preaching all weekend on tour, selling out thousand-seat places, talking about the importance of knowing the Lord and following him, but then not investing in a local church. Like that always it hurts me.
SPEAKER_01That's one of the chapters in this book. Yeah. I think it does. I think it's it's a really one of a few ways to really combat this American Christianity. The nominalism, the being comfortable and being lulled to sleep, is to belong to a healthy local church that knows you and that points everyone to the Lord. Yeah. As we walk alongside each other in life. Um I I yeah, I think I think about what you say, and I just think the any time someone would say, Yeah, I need to, I need to dedicate more time to the Lord. I know I'm doing a lot of the other things, and I just I need to prioritize, like I need to make my main, I need to make it a priority. As you were saying that, I was thinking, I wonder how God feels about that. Because that's what we do. I'm guilty of it, we're all guilty of it. How does God feel about that talk? Because think about it in terms of a lot of times in the Bible, we talk our relationship is like a bride and a groom. So what if what would a what a wife say if the husband was like, I know I just babe, I need to prioritize your time. Like I need to, I need to spend time with you, I need to like organize my life because I got a lot of things going on, really busy. I need to organize, like make you like part of, and she'd be like, No, I just want you to love me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, wow, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because love overflows into the priority. Love, love overflows into making time and scheduling things and and observing our Bibles, and I just want you to love me. I want you to see me for as valuable as I'm telling you that I am to you. That is really good.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's really good. How do you feel like there are some practical
Practical Steps For Real Devotion
SPEAKER_00ways if someone is listening and they're like, okay, I hear you, yes. How do I do this? Like, how do I put this into practice in my life? What would you say to that person?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there's about three or three ways I can answer that. And one, I would say the one that just popped to my head was walk alongside others in this journey because the Christian life is never meant to be had in isolation.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_01So go to another brother or sister and go, I I need I need the Lord. And I'm I have neglected him for too long. I want to know him and cherish him and crave him, but I don't. Yeah. Will you pray for me in this? Because I read Psalm 919 and it says it says the heart position of a person that loves the Lord. And I don't think that's me. I know I'm made for this, but I don't feel this way. Will you will you pray with me and can we walk through the book of Matthew together for the next 28 days and keep each other accountable? So every day I just I text you a little bit, you text me an idea from the book of Matthew. Um that's that's an incredible way to start a journey together.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Hoping also that, as we said earlier, hoping those two people also belong in a church together where you literally walk alongside each other.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's so good. I feel like having accountability and also just community, just people that you love and do life with as part of your walk with Christ, like you spur each other on, like you sharpen each other, you encourage each other.
SPEAKER_01Which is kind of what the Bible tells us. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00It's biblical. But I think the times of my life when I've struggled the most in my relationship with Christ, it's been when I've been trying to do it by myself. And I haven't been in a small group, I haven't been going to church regularly. And the more you give yourself the opportunity to love God, you will love God more. Like I've just seen that over and over. It's like if I can just get in the word, it's never gonna let me down. He's never gonna not show up if I show up. Um, but it's just taking that first step to being like, okay, I'm going to do this today. The more you spend with the Lord, the more you love him, the more you want to spend time with him.
SPEAKER_01Because the more you see him for who he is, the more you see his infinite value by looking to him as he's revealed himself. The Lord would never deny that prayer. Yeah. The sincere prayer of the heart that says, God, I want to know you. Yeah. I want to love you more and more. Yeah. You think he would deny that prayer?
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01No.
SPEAKER_00That's so good. I'm so excited about your book. It's going to be amazing. I already know it. I can't wait till it arrives at my home in two days and I get to read every word of it. But if you're listening to this podcast and it's past September, it's out. So you need to go get Poison in the Well by Granger Smith. Um, you're gonna be blessed and hopefully called to an authentic faith in Jesus. Um, I'm inspired, even just in this conversation. I'm like, okay, yeah, I have I have some things to re-prioritize in my own life.
Middle Moment Superpower And Goodbye
SPEAKER_00Um as a yeah, always as a way to end the podcast, we are going to play a little game called the middle moment. Okay, it's at the end. I don't know. Um, you're gonna spin this wheel, it's gonna land on one topic, and then we're gonna talk about it for like two minutes to end the podcast. All right.
SPEAKER_01I gotta tell you, I gotta tell you one fun fact.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01This building where we are right now, doing this middle moment.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right now, I'm about to do it. Um, I I've probably had about seven albums mixed here. No way. I was trying to think if I can count, but a lot. A lot of my records in my old days are all mixed.
SPEAKER_00This building that we're in complex. This building that we're in has a lot of history. A lot of records have been made here, but that's really cool that you're here doing this.
SPEAKER_01Full circle, right?
SPEAKER_00Talking about your book in the same place where your records were. Who would have thought all those years ago? Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, here we go. Um, just gonna spin it. I'm not even gonna read what the options are.
SPEAKER_00Don't even read, just spin. It's been landing on one for like everybody, so I'm curious what you're gonna get. Oh, it's going.
SPEAKER_01Superpower.
SPEAKER_00Okay. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
SPEAKER_01Superpower. And we're like off the theological trail now.
SPEAKER_00I mean, listen, you can say the spiritual gift that you wished you wish you had. You I mean, whatever. You take it however you want.
SPEAKER_01Let me be like way more um, way more just fun with us. I would say flying.
SPEAKER_00Okay. Like you personally flying, Superman style.
SPEAKER_01Without further thought, yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I could get in the car after this and be like, that was the stupidest answer ever. But like right now, the kid in me goes, I want to be able to fly.
SPEAKER_00That would be pretty cool. Did you ever have dreams as a kid? Like I would always be like, yes, a flying dream. Incredible. Yeah. I feel like at least in Nashville, I mean, I'm sure it's even worse in Texas, but if you could bypass traffic by just getting out of your car and just flying to your destiny.
SPEAKER_01No more airports, no more airplanes.
SPEAKER_00It'd be incredible.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no more driving.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if I would want to fly a long distance on my own.
SPEAKER_01I feel like that's a long way to Paris.
SPEAKER_00It would be it would be uncomfortable.
SPEAKER_01Mission trips would be incredible. Incredibly easy. No more passports.
SPEAKER_00That's right.
SPEAKER_01No more border patrol. Wow.
SPEAKER_00Can you imagine people just flying across the border?
SPEAKER_01Secret church all day long.
SPEAKER_00That's a great answer. I love it. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01You're welcome.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for being here today. And I can't wait for your book. It's gonna be great.
SPEAKER_01Thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
