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The Resting Place
We are a community of believers coming together to establish a new wineskin of renewal in the Midwest. Come and join us as we adventure into the unknown, with hands open to following the wind of Holy Spirit, and hearts hungry for community and to experience an outpouring of the love of the Father.
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The Resting Place
A Family Talk - Embracing Community and Connection
Have you ever felt the weight of burnout in your spiritual journey and longed for a supportive community to lift you up? In this episode of The Resting Place podcast we unpack the profound impact of intentional community and the art of vulnerable connection. We share our personal experiences of balancing rugged individualism with the need for genuine relationships that offer both accountability and encouragement, ensuring a space where the Spirit thrives. Listen as we explore how cultural values can often hinder openness.
Throughout this episode, we embark on a journey to cultivate a connected, healing community that mirrors the early church's spirit of shared worship. By creating a prayerful culture and emphasizing the significance of sharing meals, we aim to transform our lives and foster mutual connections. You're welcome to come and join our kingdom family as we envision a family united in joy, where the glory of the Lord rests and transformation becomes a shared experience.
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Hi everyone, I'm Ben and I'm Logan and we're the Robins.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Resting Place Podcast. We're going to read a little bit, but I've got some instruction. Before we started, I felt like Holy Spirit gave me some instruction for our group and especially for those that are traveling from from some distance to be here with us. Uh, and I'm gonna, babe, I want to cut this part out and send it to the text group and let let everybody hear it, cause I feel like this is from the Lord for our uh. Then the instruction is this pardon me, if we're not careful, what will happen is the resting place will become you're okay, you're okay. Um, what will happen is the resting place will become life support for the people that are traveling from a distance, as you're connecting, and will come and will receive ministry, and that's amazing. We want that, that is a piece of what we want. But if we don't start to connect relationally, intentionally, relationally, what will happen is you'll burn out. We'll start to see burnout if we don't have the relational piece of connection.
Speaker 1:The reasons one of the reasons we're doing the first weekend podcast is so that I'm going to start constricting the amount of time that I spend teaching in these pod, in these gatherings where we're together. Now there'll be some weekends where I'll teach longer as the Lord, as the Lord moves. Obviously, I'm, uh, completely dependent on Holy Spirit to even be coherent when I teach, but there'll be some when I teach a little bit longer, I'm sure. But I'm going to start purposely constricting the amount of time that I teach One to give room for more time for prayer. I believe that we need to start building our prayer culture and start doing that. So I want to create more space for that. But, secondly, it is important to me that we start to connect relationally and I'm going to start to create space for that a little bit in at the end of, at the end of gathering times. That's the purpose for the third. The third weekend, we're going to share a meal together. I want to start fostering those relationships.
Speaker 1:The reason being is there is a communal side to the life of the spirit that cannot be ignored, and one of the great errors of revival culture that I have been a part of I can't speak to every revival culture, but one of the great errors of revival culture is that we focus so intently on the ministry that we fail in the area of fostering genuine connection. Now, I'm not talking about um, I'm not talking about me creating a like a trap shooting small group and taking all the guys out to go trap, because I enjoy trap shooting, cause I'm a redneck with a beard and I like guns Um, um. But I'm not talking about contrived relational connection. I'm talking about relational connection based on shared. Based on shared or, let me say it this way, based on mutual spiritual connection or shared spiritual connection. And I want to caution everyone who's connecting and driving If you're not careful, what will happen is you'll get burnt out because we don't have enough of the relational piece. Get burnt out because we don't have enough of the relational piece. And it's difficult, especially for I mean especially for anybody driving any amount of distance.
Speaker 1:I'm keenly aware of the difficulty of creating actual connection. How do you do that? And the only answer is it has to be intentional. It has to be intentional. You're not going to accidentally create meaningful connection with people that you see two times a month. You can't accidentally do that.
Speaker 1:And I'm thankful for the degree of the move of the Spirit. We've experienced and we've had some incredible gatherings and I believe the Spirit's going to blow in today. I feel from the Lord that we're going to begin to experience some of the reign of the Spirit, and I'm so thankful for that. But what we'll run into is we'll run into a glass ceiling that we can't break through if we don't have enough mutual connection. Because the early church as a witness, the early church as a witness, understood the importance and I think that was part of the Jewish culture too understood the importance of shared connection in worship, shared connection in worship, shared connection in worship where we're all together with one accord. Well, how are you going to become all together in one place with one accord if you have no connection?
Speaker 2:No, go, go go. It's better when you talk, yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly right. All celebrate, Huge deal. It adds. It adds significance, and what, what happens is in. One of the things that I want to avoid building and will avoid is I don't want to create, is I don't want to create a culture of disjointed pieces that come together and we enjoy the presence of the Lord together and we remain disjointed from one another.
Speaker 2:I see, what you're saying. We're not becoming, not becoming a unit.
Speaker 1:If it's, if, if the resting place and I I said it in the podcast and it challenged Lucy, and Lucy and I are going to have some coffee and talk about it at some point Um, if the resting place is indeed a lifestyle rather than a church, right, if that's what? If the, if the aim of the resting place is a life that becomes the resting place for the Holy Spirit, if that's the aim of this thing, then what we need to become is a is a group of people, through shared connection, who are becoming the resting place through continual transfiguration by the Spirit. So the only way to get there is by continual transfiguration by the Spirit, becoming the resting place of the Lord. The shared mutual connection is going to be and I don't have all the right language for it yet but the shared mutual connection will become very significant, especially for the foundational pieces of the resting place. Right? Yes, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. If you remain disjointed, how does that work? You're both miserable, both miserable. If you remain disjointed, yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's the same thing as marrying our like, in a sense marrying our spirits you know like. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:How can you? You can't, you can't do it, you cannot, it doesn't work. It doesn't work.
Speaker 1:That's one of the real critiques I have of the prophetic movement is the lone ranger style of the prophetic movement and you've got all kinds of people out there that are prophetic and obviously gifted, that'll have dreams and have visions and they'll have no ability to manifest anything of significance in the earth because they have no real connection, they're not joined and because they're not joined, they have no vitality in their words. So the Lord's actually showing them things and it's actually profound, but there's no weight to it and they'll never manifest anything because they're not joined. You got YouTube profits out there, youtube or Instagram profits out there. That'll be out there prophesying and some of the stuff I'm sure is legitimate, but they've got no shared mutual connection and they refuse to submit to a spiritual authority in their life that can judge things and help them come out of the things that are haunting their personal life and what becomes and what, what happens from there is. Their life ends up producing nothing that remains, and that's what this is about.
Speaker 2:This is about building something that remains well, the, the connection, the relational connection and the community that we build together is what is going to really change the culture that we're trying to impact.
Speaker 1:Good church services will not change a culture. Are we attractive?
Speaker 3:Do people want to become part of us? Do people want to become part of us, or are we just?
Speaker 1:going to stay fragmented and watching podcasts all day. It's true, there's a measure of truth to that, and so the challenge is how do you create a cohesive or joined culture when people are coming from a distance? And the only answer I have at the moment is it has to be intentional. It has to. It has to be intentional. Um, yes, we have to. We have to value.
Speaker 2:we have to value it. Mm-hmm, you don't want to do so much.
Speaker 1:Exactly right, yeah, exactly right. And eventually I don't know when, but eventually I'm going to teach from David's time in the wilderness being chased by Saul. Eventually I'll teach from there. David's time in the wilderness being chased by Saul. Eventually I'll teach from there. But where I feel that we are right now, if we're going to use kind of stories and metaphors as kind of a placeholder for where I believe we're at, I believe that we're at the cave of Adullam right now and I believe that's where I believe we are as a family. I believe that we're at that place.
Speaker 1:And the desperate men, the wanted men and the people that are in debt, the Lord is bringing those to be gathered around a culture, bringing those to be gathered around a culture to build something new, because they want change, want change, the desire to change. Yes, yes, yes. And again, guys, good church services are not going to change a culture. That's one of the genius things and I don't know why I'm talking so long about this, but that's one of the genius things about, uh, the Toronto movement, the movements connected to Toronto. One of the genius things about that is they have incredible church services, amazing church services, but they don't just leave the manifestations of the spirit for the church services. We're going into ghettos, we're going into the least, we're going to the least of these. There's the value to stop for the one. There's those different things that begin to be a changing force inside of cultures.
Speaker 1:Um, and I don't I'm not intimately familiar enough with that particular subset of Christian culture. I know I know very glossary things about it, but the things that I do know I have some have some real value for some of those things. Um, and in the days to come, in the days to come from this place, we'll start to see some of those things pop up. Where we'll start to, we'll start to feed families, we'll start to, we'll start to see healing happen in streets or healing happen in Hy-Vee or Walmart or what have you. As we begin to, as we begin to build more relational connection, um, and that's a high value for me, um, but that's the instruction I feel from Lord is if you, if we are not careful, what will happen is this will remain life support, this will remain life support and will remain disjointed and ultimately burnt out.
Speaker 1:Um, um, right, disjointed and burnt out. So many people disjointed and burned out. It's not the listen, it will not be church services that sustain you. It won't be gatherings, it won't be coming together. It has to be fueled by devotional, devotional connection with the Lord and shared, communal connection with one another.
Speaker 1:If it's not fueled by that, guys, what's going to happen is I'll just be very plain, can I just? We're a small group today. I can be very plain. What will happen is y'all will not last and it will. You'll, you'll, y'all won't last and we'll build this with another group, because I'm not going to stop and I'm not saying that I want that to happen.
Speaker 1:Guys, I want to do and I don't mean to sound like I'll toss you aside, that's not how I want that to sound but what I'm telling you what'll happen to you. By experience, for years and y'all know, y'all were there, y'all burned out, not connected. You know all the words to that song and dance. So I want to. I want to challenge yes, that's the word I want to use I want to challenge the family that's being joined. I want you to. I want to do a couple of things. I want to examine what our values are and, honestly, if and again, this is going to sound a way, I don't want it to sound, but I'm talking in a voice that's not harsh right now, so maybe it won't sound as harsh as I think it does.
Speaker 1:Um, if mutual connection is not a value system for you, there are plenty of churches you can go to and experience the presence of Jesus and have no connection to a soul, and you can go, get your religious movement done and do your thing. Go on about your life, and I'll bless you to do it. If that's what really moves your heart, I'll bless you to do it. Go, you'll be happier. And because you'll be happier eventually, you won't cause me problems and we'll all have won. And I'll still love you. I'll still text you, I'll still love you, I'll still give you a hug when I see you. All those things, no ill will. But for the foundational pieces of the resting place, shared mutual connection is going to become very important, and so that's what I have to say about that. That is not what I came to teach about, but maybe that's all I should say today. I don't think so, though I don't think so, I think I should say something about the Holy spirit.
Speaker 2:I don't know, um well, if that's the same as, like your relationship with the Lord cause you get burnt out without the relationship side anyway.
Speaker 1:Yes, you do, yes, you do the same thing. There's let me, oh gosh, there are two pieces that most most this is so off the rails. There are two pieces that most spirit filled Christians are missing Most mutual connection in the body, not surface level connection, intimate connection, where vulnerability is possible. It's david and jonathan taking each other's, taking each other's robes off and exchanging clothes. That sort of connection, um, I think, I think, as we move forward, some of the things for all of us to think about kind of collectively is ways to foster mutual connection, and some of that needs to come from the directive of Logan and I. Some of that, some of that, some Keyword some, I think even just having this conversation like making it more of like a topic of conversation, of like this should be of value to you, yes, and if it's not, then let this be challenging to you, or if it's not, then maybe this isn't.
Speaker 1:It may, yeah, it just may not be the best. It may not be the best fit, because that's what. That's what it may, yeah, it just may not be the best. It may not be the best fit, because that's what. That's what, especially, something that I have prayed for consistently since before Logan and I even came to Iowa, was Lord, send us a group of people that we can build with and, just honestly, we can't build if we don't trust one another. Right and talk and talk, be vulnerable with one another. How are you going to build something, Lou, how are you going to build something with somebody if you don't trust that person? True, what's one of the primary pathways to trust? Vulnerability with one another is one of the primary pathways to trust. Vulnerability with one another is one of the primary pathways to trust.
Speaker 1:That's uncomfortable for people and I understand that's uncomfortable. That is not. One of my preferred modes is just being like the most vulnerable human being with everybody. That I mean. It takes me a little while to to really trust someone, to be vulnerable with them. So I understand those that are slow in being vulnerable and I'm not saying, hey, you got to be sharing all your business. That's not the point of this. The point of this is vulnerability creates a history of trust and vulnerability, first with the Lord, then with your spouse if you have a spouse, and then this is an uncomfortable truth for the American churches you have to have someone, you have to have a spiritual authority in your life. You are vulnerable. With that, you can bring things to.
Speaker 1:I have a man in my life who's been in my life now for almost 15 years, that has the ability to judge things going on in my life, and that is freedom. That's freedom for me. He can tell me no. He can tell me do not do that. He can tell me quit being stupid. He can tell me a lot of things. Primarily, primarily, what he does is encourage me. What keeps people from feeling like they can be vulnerable in a group like this? What keeps that from happening? I think that's instilled in American value, right, like in our culture Rugged individualism, rug, rugged individualism, which there's something to be said for being, um, not codependent on people.
Speaker 1:Right, because codependence is unhealthy. However, it's this interesting tension that you have to hold. You have to, yeah, you have to. You have to hold this tension. You have to hold, you have to walk the tension right, because extreme individualism is going to lead you to being disconnected and on an Island and codependence is going to and I've, I know all the songs, I know all the words to this song and dance too is, if you want to be cause I tried to be codependent on Damon Thompson for years and he would not allow me to be I wouldn't, I wouldn't take a, I would paralyze to make a decision, paralyzed to make any kind of decisions, totally paralyzed because of wrong thinking that I had not, because of anything he said or did, because of wrong thinking and perception that I had when I started to take responsibility and start to say nobody else is going to make this decision.
Speaker 1:So I probably ought to make this decision and if I need to, I can bring it to him. If I feel to bring it, I can bring it to him, I can allow him to judge it. I can do all those things Because not everything do I have to bring to him. I'm glad you said that. I was thinking that maybe just polluted religion or fear of being judged.
Speaker 1:Fear Fear Out of alignment with the way that Abba would judge.
Speaker 3:Sure Not, I mean. I guess it would maybe be a lack of confidence in beloved identity.
Speaker 1:That's part of it. That's part of it. And I would say too we're talking about being vulnerable and holding tension right. We're talking about being vulnerable and like holding tension right. One of the tensions that you have to hold in vulnerability is the ability to know who it's safe to be vulnerable with and who not. Right, Because not everyone is it safe to be vulnerable with. You don't want to share something intimate about your personal world and then have people running their mouths about it. So, um, to that end their mouths about it. So, um, to that end.
Speaker 1:Y'all better not let me hear about that happening inside of the resting place. Hear that as a stern warning. Y'all better not let me hear that kind of thing happening, because that will not end well, because we won't do that here. That is not this culture. That is not who we are. That's not who I am. That's not who she is. You can tell me your deepest, darkest secrets that you're the most ashamed of. First of all, it won't shock me and I won't judge you. And two, no other soul other than that woman will ever hear about it. No one will ever hear about it. Other than that woman will ever hear about it. No one will ever hear about it other than that woman. I'll take it to my grave, you can guarantee it. That's the importance of having spiritual authority in your life.
Speaker 2:It's a place of safety and protection for you. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh, yes, oh, yes, oh, yes oh yes, oh yes.
Speaker 2:So how do you structure the way you just said in a in a positive statement?
Speaker 1:Sure, that was a very, that was a very. Do not do that kind of statement. Uh, I'd say this do not do that kind of statement. Yeah, uh, I'd say this Well, that's how I feel about it is. Do not do that. That's how I feel. That's why I said that, lucy, that's how I feel about it. Um, how would you structure it in a positive way? The positive side of that is don't do that. I would say this, I would say this A positive way is, as a culture, as a culture, we need to be a place of safety and a place of healing, rather than, rather than um Rammer, rather than a rumor mill or a gossip mill or however you want to say that Right, um, one thing I cannot, one thing I cannot. I just can't do it. I can't, I can't abide that kind of culture that talks and runs their mouth and you understand it and trying to be positive in that kind of a statement. We're a place of safety and healing.
Speaker 2:Well, all of this, too, the word that keeps coming to my mind, and I keep trying to figure out how to tie it all in, but I think all of this is unto wholeness.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 1:Personal wholeness and wholeness within the body, creating a space of wholeness. I think that's good, creating a space where people can become whole, and that has to be a place of safety, right? If you don't, if it, if it's not safe, then what are we going to do? Cause Lucy was just talking about um. I can say that, yeah, she was just talking about some folks she sold her car to and inviting them here. Well, they're of another faith. We've got to be a place, we've got to be a culture where it's really cool to bring them in here. It's okay to bring them in here because of shared, shared connection to him and shared connection to one another, where they come in and they don't feel like they're being judged, right, um, and I think that goes back to shared mutual connection. Anyway, I think I've beat that dead horse. Go ahead, gina. No, and I guess tying connection to safety.
Speaker 2:That goes hand in hand as well. You can't feel safe if you're not connected with somebody. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1:You have to build a reputation, build that history. Maybe right Trust is earned.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just build that. You build on a connection. It doesn't just stay where you, it's relational history and that's yeah, relational, thank you, that's not where it takes time and not everybody's willing to commit to the time that it takes to build relational history, and that's why we have to have those shared values.
Speaker 1:Yes, yep, and even in like. So our time together is limited, right? So just again the intentionality of it, lewis, go ahead.
Speaker 3:So maybe I'm not tracking with Lucy's thought here about being vulnerable. I think it's the only way we have to communicate with each other, besides being here. Yeah, when we're here, we want to listen to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:We don't necessarily have time to have discussions. Sure Plus, I want to know what you're thinking. I throw my thoughts out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have aha moments yes, it means something to me.
Speaker 3:It may not mean anything to you, but maybe somebody will agree with that. Sure, I think we're talking about having a shared lifestyle, yep. Well, how do we know what your lifestyle is unless you talk and if I don't have any response from somebody? And there are people that work and text at the time I, they're people that work, you know text at the time, right, I understand that. So if I don't hear from them and I meet them here face to face, what do we have to talk about?
Speaker 3:That's tough, yeah, right Okay so I think that texting should not be used with no restraints.
Speaker 1:Right, I'm not saying that Right, right, right.
Speaker 3:I'm saying that, for my part, I like to encourage people. So I have something that I've seen. I thought, well, this is great for me, but it's kind of selfish if I just keep it to myself, right, right. So that's my motive, and I would encourage anybody who has something encouraging or something, a ha-ha moment or as well as a need, like Lucy said. In other words, those kinds of things create topics for conversation.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I agree, I agree.
Speaker 3:Groundwork for personal contact. Yeah, yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 1:We're building something and we're at the foundational level of building. And what? And we're at the foundational level of building and what is required at the foundational level is more than is what it. What is required, what is required to get joined at the foundational level is what is more is more than what is required when there's a finished product. Level is more than what is required when there's a finished product. It requires more buy-in at the foundation level than it does at the finished product level.
Speaker 1:We all want a finished product. I desperately want a finished product. I desperately want a worship expression. I want a building. I want all of those things I do, I really do. I want a fully mature expression.
Speaker 1:There's growing pains, there's awkwardness, there's anxiety, struggles, not being sure if you're doing the right thing. All of those things are part of the foundational level. And then also having to having to connect to leaders that are like openly saying to you we don't know if every step we're taking is the right step, we don't know. Well, I don't even want to say it that way. We don't know if this is really trial and error and being led by the wind. And we're openly saying we're building something as it's revealed to us and there's no revealed pattern, so it's revealing itself as we go. So there's, there's all of the things that are balled up in that, and it requires some fortitude on those that are joining. It requires some fortitude on your end and saying, hey, we're going to stick this out and I'm not listen, I'm not asking, I'm not saying, I'm not saying hey, y'all, I'm demanding more out of you.
Speaker 1:That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying there's a level of buy-in at the foundational level that is required, that will not be required of those that joined to an already finished product, and part of the reason people are attracted to a, to a finished product, is it requires less of them. Does that make sense, lou? A finished product is it requires less of them. Does that make sense, lou? And we all want the finished product and again in my heart, I want a finished product. Really bad. But I would be robbing from you guys the joy of watching this thing mature if I didn't bring you into some of this and say, hey, this is what this is, it's going to require this, and invite you into that with us. Yes, that's right, that's right. That's what you're doing. You're saying we need this.
Speaker 2:That's right, that's what you're doing. You're saying we need this. Yeah, it's. We're at this place where we have to be doing honest self-examination. Why are we joining to this?
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly right.
Speaker 2:And never. Never sounds too limiting or permanent, but I'm joining this family not with the plans of exiting when I'm not comfortable anymore. Right, right, there's no it's only if the spirit moves, moves us, then that's the only circumstance and y'all listen.
Speaker 1:If that happens, I'll bless you. I will bless you. If that happens, I'll lay hands on you and send you. We'll do that, but don't do this thing where you disconnect the best thing you can do for yourself and for us.
Speaker 2:We'll do that, but don't do this thing where you disconnect. The best thing you can do for yourself and for us is to be honest and communicate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, open communication is so important in good Lord, this has just turned into a family talk today. Good Lord, open communication is so important, but for real, that's what that's what this is going to require. And some of this, too, is how do I say this correctly without just saying it is? Some of this, too, is like the growing of the family will be because this family is healthy, because we're interconnected and because y'all are attractive to join too. It's not. It will not just be that people are going to hear the message coming from me and saying, hey, I want to join myself to that. It'd be like no, I actually really.
Speaker 1:These people have joy in their lives and I'm miserable and depressed. These people have joy. I think I want to be joyful. When I'm with them, something changes in my interior world and I start to get free from things that haunt me. I start to get free from the crippling, paralyzing anxiety that has followed me all my life and that will be the glory that is on y'all. That will be the glory that is on y'all, not necessarily just me.
Speaker 1:We get they get around people from the resting place and sicknesses start to dissolve off of people. The primary things on my life are the presence of hunger and passion for the presence of Jesus and healing, the anointing to see the sick come into the presence of Jesus and become completely made whole, and if the oil come flows from the head down, y'all better expect to start laying hands or even my god, even better getting in the presence of someone who's dealing with a lifelong sickness and they just start to get free from that just by being near you. These are the things that we're headed into. So. So what I'm saying when I'm casting the vision of hey, we've got to become more interconnected. It's for the purpose of this, for the purpose of the glory of the Lord, to start to rest on the family. All right, that leads into what I'm going to say. I'm going to teach for 10 minutes and then we're going to be done. Thank you.