The Perfect Lens

Everyone experiences change at some point in their life, whether it be big change or small change. Sometimes change is hard to do well and to navigate. The boys are going through a lot of change in the next month or so and it seemed appropriate that we chat about how we can change and keep God at the center of it.

Have you ever thought how far a simple "thank you" can go? It can change the trajectory of your own day or someone else's. Having gratitude is a choice of the heart and it is what God desires of us. We are commanded to be thankful. Having gratitude can change both your heart and attitude at any given time. Coming off Thanksgiving, it is important to remember to have gratitude every single day, even after the holiday!

Every person has a story. Every person that has a relationship with Jesus has a redemption story. Death to life. This week, we hear Mike's story of God bringing him from being a slave to death to being able to spend eternity with him forever!

We are fed constantly with media about identities. We are constantly told to "live your truth" and be happy with it. The fact of the matter is, there is objective truth. God desires your identity in Him, not what the world says you can identity as or with. God created man and woman a specific way to glorify Himself and to bring glory to His Kingdom. He is coming soon, and God wants your identity to be found in Him and who He says you are.

It is a stigma in the Christian sphere that it is hard to "just be friends" with the opposite gender. We are always being bombarded with questions like "Do you like them?!" or "When are you guys gonna go out?!" Is it okay to literally just be friends with the opposite gender? Jesus had friends of the opposite gender. How he treated them should be a representation of how we are supposed to treat them as well. Let's dive in and talk about how treating them should look like in God's eyes!

Every human at some point or another considers what their purpose in life is. Some even wrestle with it and go on a search to find it. Many think it is happiness, the American Dream, money, having a family, leaving a legacy, and so many other things. What do all these things have in common? Leaving you empty, desiring more. God wants us to have more. He wants us to spend eternity with Him. Having an eternal perspective changes our hearts, minds, and gives us a purpose while on this earth. Check out this week's podcast and find out more about God's purpose for everyone's life!

We have our first female guest on the podcast this week: Tal's fiancé, Ava. Hear about their fun story about meeting, dating long distance, and now being engaged. Many people compromise for a mediocre relationship. God wants the best for you and doesn't want you to settle. Pursue Him first and everything else will fall into place. Tal and Ava both speak a little into this week, so hear about God has impacted their relationship!

Believers oftentimes think they are ill-prepared to be discipled or don't know enough to disciple others. Both of these mindsets are wrong. What makes a good disciple or discipler? Let's take a dive into what God has to say about making disciples!

How we view our bodies and ourselves can be a negative thing and can become an idol in our lives. God tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made, being created in his image. This week, the boys talk about body image and how to view ourselves the way God views us.

We live in a world where masturbation is something done by a large majority of the population. The Bible doesn't specifically say that it is wrong or a sin. But does that mean that it isn't? This week, we dive into what the Word says about sexual impurity and if it is possible to glorify God while masturbating.

Both believers and nonbelievers question God and the Bible. Is the Bible even accurate? Surely there must be plenty of contradictory statements or facts from the Bible... Listen to why the Bible is actually the most historically accurate book to ever be written. 66 books, 40 plus authors, over a span of 1500 years and it still is the most accurate. We also welcome Mason Harms this week onto the podcast to help us tackle this intense topic. Mason is a staff-in-training for the Navigators and is also the roommate of Zach and Tal. He is the real deal and an amazing man of God (MOG). Checkout Mason's music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/06zbyTdIFaNmgIsLRMOnyZ?si=awBwiazmRZOseUVZG_-yBQFor more resources, check the links below:https://www.gotquestions.org/https://www.sciencemeetsreligion.org/theology/Bible-archaeology.phphttps://www.newtestamentchristians.com/Bible-study-resources/351-old-testament-prophecies-fulfilled-in-jesus-christ/https://www.bibletimelines.net/articles/is-jesus-really-the-messiahhttp://www.sciencespeaks.net/Prophetic_Accuracy.htmlhttps://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/i-read-the-bible-and-feel-nothing-what-should-i-dohttps://www.amazon.com/Know-What-Believe-Paul-Little/dp/0830834230/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=know+what+you+believe&qid=1617124761&s=books&sr=1-1https://www.amazon.com/Know-Why-Believe-Paul-Little/dp/0830834222/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=know+why+you+believe&qid=1617124824&s=books&sr=1-1https://www.amazon.com/Bite-Size-Bible-Answers-Truth-Little/dp/0736937307https://www.amazon.com/Prophets-Idols-Diggers-Scientific-History/dp/B0007DOW7M

We took a little summer hiatus... but we are back! Most people are leaving summer and entering into a new season of life whether that be school, work, marriage, or anything else. In this episode the boys talk about how to start strong with this season and give some new life updates from the summer! We are so excited to be back with all of you!

What would the world look like if even half the population focused on loving others as themselves? A lot better, that's for sure. Jesus commands us to love as he loved us. This is real love. Unconditional love. This kind of love is impossible to even start to grasp unless we know who God is because God is love. This week we talk about what it takes to love like Jesus loved us, because he performed the single greatest act of love the world has ever seen: dying for our sins on a cross.

Prayer is having a conversation with God. Many people have a wrong perception of prayer, what they are praying for, and who they are praying to. In this week's episode we talk about the importance of prayer, the power of prayer, when to pray, and how to pray. It is important to keep God at the center of our prayers, for God just wants your heart!

We all pass away one day. So where will we end up after? Many people are unsure if they are going to heaven or are even unsure where they are going in general. What if we told you that you can, in fact, know where you are going?  There is one way to know this... listen to this week's episode and find out!

What is the key to great relationships? Vulnerability! Being vulnerable is extremely difficult for our generation. Judgement, what others think, and fake people drown our thoughts and emotions. This week, the boys are missing Michael, so Tal and Zach talk about the importance of vulnerability and why it is so freeing. God desires us to be vulnerable with him first so we can be vulnerable with others!

Our words hold power, whether we are conscious of it or not. They have the ability to build up or tear down. In this episode we talk about how our words affect others and how to use them in a way to glorify God!

Passivity has become more normalized in society today. God calls us to be bold in our everyday lives. This is difficult for many of us, but it also is necessary. In this week's episode we dive into why we aren't bold, what boldness is, and how to implement it in our faith walks and in everyday life!

We have our first guest! In this episode we chat with Drew Frazer, the leader of the Navigators at Montana State University. We unpack what it takes to have a successful summer without falling into or back into old habits and how to succeed in doing so. We hope the Lord and this conversation will encourage you to have your best summer yet!

It has been normalized to build a world and kingdom that is all about "me" when we should be focusing on building God's kingdom. In this episode the boys take a look at why this is harmful  and what it takes to focus less on me and more on He, who is the Creator and Lord of all.

Pornography is a huge issue in our society today. You may be experiencing or have experienced shame and guilt from falling into this, but there is freedom in Christ! In this episode, we dive in and talk about the painful statistics of this topic, our stories, and how you can overcome this addiction through the power of Jesus! 

There is a disconnect in today's society between what religion is and what a relationship looks like with the Lord. Do you know about God? Or do you truly know God? God desires a personal relationship with each one of you, and He gives us the choice to choose it or not. See why we say we aren't "religious" on this week's episode!

We expose ourselves to a lot of things, whether we are watching it, listening to it, or scrolling through it. This includes social media, music, movies we are watching, or anything else. We are constantly feeding ourselves with these things. It is important to take a step back and really think about what we are feeding ourselves and ask God if it is glorifying to him.

We live in a fast-paced society where it is extremely difficult to slow down. Many people try to pack their schedules with anything and everything and have a hard time taking a step back. Jesus went through life slow, so let's take a look at how we can exemplify him in our walk and slow down!

Many Christians today struggle with being lukewarm. We go over what it means to be lukewarm and why it is important to get out of this. Move from lukewarm to doing everything for the glory of God as we are called to do!

This week we talk about what it looks like to actually be content in singleness. How can you be good at being single? How do you know you're ready for a relationship? Find out how to thrive during this season of life.

In this week's episode, we take a deep dive into spiritual numbness and apathy. Where does this numbness originate from? Why do we stay in it? How do we get out of it? Let's see how we can control this season of life and get closer to the Lord.

What's up everyone! It's the boys from The Perfect Lens podcast. We are so excited to start this journey with you guys and hope you feel the Lord working in both your lives and ours. Enjoy!

This week, we tackle loneliness, the importance of Christ-centered community, and how we go about finding that community. Don't forget to text a couple of friends!