Anchormen Ep34 The Church w Larry and Randy Wright Pt 2

In part two of our conversation with Larry and Randy Wright, we talk about not just the changes of the early church and the way church was 50 years, but we zero in on some of the strengths and weaknesses in today's church.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:09

In our walk with God, we often experience moments when our faith is tested. It's in these times that we truly discover what it means to be anchored in faith. Our faith is like a sturdy ship anchored in the harbor. It keeps us grounded when the waves of life toss us around. When we lean on God in His Word, we find the strength to persevere and trust in His plans. The anchormen remind us weekly that Jesus is our anchor, providing stability and assurance in the midst of uncertainty. Together, let's dive deeper into the powerful words that encourage us, hold fast in the faith in Jesus alone and not rely on our good works to gain righteousness.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

So uh what are weaknesses? Why do you think so many don't attend church on a regular basis?

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yeah, I think uh there's a lot of reasons for that. It's uh a matter of priorities. Uh we have a lot of options now. If you go back years ago, a lot of people were farmers, they uh they had uh more time like that.

SPEAKER_03 1:53

Right, and so okay, well, let's ask you this question. I know the convenience of online services now, which all started because a lot of things happened when COVID came around. It changed a lot of things. There's advantages and disadvantages to having online services now. There's advantages to uh the outreach, right? But there's disadvantages because then you have people, like you said, Larry, people make excuses not to go to church, we'll just watch it at home. And may not be on Sunday either. It might be, well, they'll watch it during the week when they get a chance.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

I think too, what's happened is I know that when I was younger and I played ball, we had all of our games during the week and on Saturday. We never had baseball on Sunday. Never. And I don't know that there were any sports that were played on Sundays and other than professional football. And nowadays it's not uncommon to have all kinds of kids and grandkids involved in travel sports where they play on on Sunday and travel, you know, and play in these tournaments in you know, Louisville, Kentucky or Florida or whatever, and uh, you know, they're gone. And and then they they stopped going to church because of that.

SPEAKER_03 3:13

Is there a a cause for people using that as an excuse to not go to church? What I'm thinking, where my mind is going is Satan's using that to get in into the culture and change the culture, get us away from church. Very well could be, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Well, in general, church attendance is uh is on the decline. Historically, we know that. Uh but uh I think there's just so many options. You know, you think about it. Yeah, remember it used to the business used to be closed on Sunday.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Now you've got businesses over there open 24-7. Yeah. So you can go to CVS or you can go to grocery store, whatever you want. So we've kind of sacrificed the uh sanctity of Sunday as a as a as a day of rest, if you will, or as a as a day with where you don't have all these other options available.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

Well, plus the busyness of everyday life, you got two people having to work now to provide for the family, and that takes all the time, and you don't work just Monday through Friday. We're we're working weekends the same way. Yeah. So and before it used to be when we first started in the mills and stuff, yeah, we had to work a 21-turn schedule, so you were working two out of three, maybe out of the month Sundays, whereas now both parents are working that and they're and like you said, the kids are in their activities, so it makes it really busy, busy hard to it's it's even you know. It's hard to hard to make it a priority. And that's what you have to do.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

Yeah, you're right, you're right, Randy. You have to make it a priority. Uh some families, there are there are some people that still say, I won't work on Sunday. Or they'll get a new job and say, Well, I'll be here six days if you need me here, you know, Monday through Saturday, any day, but I don't want to work on Sunday. There are still people that do that. Um I commend them for it. I really do. I commend them for it. Or they're looking for a job specifically where they're not having to work on Sunday. Uh maybe maybe they don't have small kids going to church anymore, but they like to go to church on Sunday.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

And then they think that they've got to follow the Ten Commandments, and based on what they know, they think that the Sabbath is on Sunday, so they're working during the Sabbath, which is on the Sunday in most people's eyes, when in reality it's Friday night into Saturday, which everybody breaks then. And uh it's just it's it's just a a revolving circle almost of what's going on, you know, and it's like everybody's just trying to do their best. Something that one of my favorite baseball players growing up was uh Carlton Fisk. And uh one of the things that he said has has stuck with me, and and I sort of, I believe, try to live it, and that is dedication has no off-season. Didn't didn't say what, because you can apply it to just about anything. Dedication has no off-season. And and that's what I I really feel our life and our relationship with Christ is.

SPEAKER_03 6:29

We have to be dedicated to our life with him. He dedicated his for us. Do you do you find it difficult, Randy? Going to church? To go to to make Sunday a priority? No. How about you, Larry? Oh no.

SPEAKER_04 6:45

When I was a kid, yeah. You know. So why was it until when you were a kid? How long ago? Well, till I was 50 or so. Let's put it that way. That's maybe 55. So why was it harder for you as a kid? When you were younger. Because you're busy. Everything was a priority other than God. Bottom line, uh we went I went to church as a family maybe once a month or once every two or three months. You know, we weren't that involved in it till I was Boston, actually. You know, that's when I become involved after I was like 50-55 and started becoming a real believer, and now it's a priority. Yeah. You don't even think about it. If you miss and you have to watch it on TV, it's not the same. No, it's not there's there's no God feeling there.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

No being part of the church as uh not part of the church as far as people, not just being in a building.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Community is so vital to church worship. And uh you started one of the questions of talking about is uh what are some of the greatest strengths of the church? Yeah, I think and I think that's it. It's uh community and fellowship. I think so. You you're right, Randy, you can't get that on TV. And so I think that's uh and how we experience that with anchormen. This is a level of fellowship that we have as Christian brothers, so community is extremely important and fellowship.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

It is that's your I think that's one of the biggest strengths of the church is community. I I think that's my feeling. Um, what do you what do you guys feel about the strengths of the church?

SPEAKER_00 8:32

Any others besides the community? I I definitely think it's community, but I also think it's involvement in community. Because if you think about it, you know, if there's a tornado that goes through a town, the very first organization that steps up is the church.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Franklin Brown.

SPEAKER_00 8:54

Yeah, the church steps in right away to help in any way, shape, or form that they can. Then they'll get teams to come up and you know they'll do physical work, they'll do financial work, they'll bring uh food, water, whatever it may be. You know, the Red Cross usually will get there quickly too, but um, you know, I I just think that the church does a really good job in in that area of helping people when they're you know in in need. Right.

SPEAKER_03 9:23

And then people know it too. The people that don't go to church, they all know it. And where do they go when they need help is they go to the church.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Yeah, there's food pantries all throughout the area, they help with homeless shelters. You know, the list goes on and on. The church does do a good thing. I just wish that they would stay local a lot more than going overseas and helping, but you know, as somebody once said, you know, it's it's our job to decide whether or not we want to give to the church, but it's not our responsibility to tell the church what to do with the money. It's God's.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

What do you think uh are the weaknesses of the church? We're talking about the strength. What what do you see as uh something weakness?

SPEAKER_03 10:07

I I think it's a we mentioned it before, watered down message. I think a lot of that is a watered down, that's my opinion. This is my opinion. I'm not basing it on anything but my opinion. I think we don't get enough message and get into the word too much and get into what was the meaning behind this. What what did it have, what is how does it relate to what we're doing in our life? I think we get a watered-down message at church.

SPEAKER_00 10:35

I I also feel personally, Larry, I think the biggest weakness is that they are quick to turn their back on people that have sinned and have done what open sense. Right, well, right, what people will prioritize as bad sins. You know, all that guy's a drunk, oh that one cheated on his wife, oh that one did this, that. I think they they are very quick to turn their back on those people and judge them. You know, there could be a divorce situation as well, where the mate, let's just say the guy cheated on the wife, and the wife's involved at the church, and they'll ask the guy to leave the church and to to go to another church, where, in my opinion, that's the time you need to come alongside that one and show them grace and show the church, hey, this is what how Jesus sees them, this is how we need to see them as well. Let's let's try to help this person out. That's what I to me is the biggest weakness.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

I cheated a little bit. Uh I uh asked uh my 91-year-old retired pastor that question. Okay, and all he said was follow-up. Follow-up. And I also had in my mind to the question discipleship. So that's interesting. That so we have uh particularly in large churches, you have uh new people come in and they kind of get lost in the crowd. And so how would how well are is the church following up with those people who express an interest in it? Right. That was his right follow-up.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

I like that.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Yeah. It's all good. Randy, how about you? Any weaknesses that you can come to mind?

SPEAKER_04 12:15

Um our church tends to push whatever, small group circles, and involvement in that so that they can spread and do uh more involvement in breaking down the biblical passages where I'll say I'm a slacker on that because helping here or there and doing little things and busyness of life, I don't really, other than our group anchormen here, I don't really have a lot of involvement other than helping out with parking lots and doing small things.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

Well, if you go to a Catholic church, all you say a couple hell marriage.

SPEAKER_04 12:56

I don't do that now. I do I help out, but it's not as much as I should, let's put it that way. Well, okay, so why do you think you need you should?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

I was thinking the same thing.

SPEAKER_04 13:07

Why do you why do you think you should do more? Well, you always feel better. You get a you get a I don't know, a nice warm feeling when you're doing something for other people. When you're not doing when you're doing it for the church, not doing it just for one person. You're doing it for everybody. Right. And that that just uh just makes you feel good.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

Does it those opportunities come along in a community as uh other than just the church in the community?

SPEAKER_04 13:38

Yes. Yeah, they they go around different places, Balpoans, mainly this this area, yeah, yeah. And you know, they do cleanups, they do all kinds of little projects.

SPEAKER_03 13:51

And those kind of projects, Randy, we don't need to do that at just at necessarily at church because there's community organizations that do those things.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Well, and I'm I'm gonna step out and say something too, because Satan always wants us to feel bad. That that's his job. And I think about I know that you shared with me that you used to always set up at church, especially when they first started. And so maybe that blessing that God gave you at that juncture in time, he wants other people to be able to experience that, and that's why they're doing that. Because I'm gonna share something right now, and it'll sort of let the cat out of the bag a little bit. Last week, when we had a gentleman in the anchormen, you stepped forward and did something to build us momentum to help out one of our brothers that was in need. And that was you and listening to the Holy Spirit. And don't shrug your shoulders, but I'm I'm I'm doing this to point out to you that just because you're not setting up, you know, we are the church. We are the hands and the feet. John might be the hand, because he's only got one foot, but he he might be the hand. You know, Larry might be a foot, you might be a foot, I might be a hand. We all have been blessed and been given different talents by God to use for his kingdom. And as though you sit in a room and you're quiet at times and you like goofing around about you know how quiet you are and that you're just listening and stuff, the Holy Spirit prompted you last week and you move forward on it. And so I guess what I'm saying to you is don't beat yourself up and don't sell yourself short because God has us all doing something at some time, and the Holy Spirit's speaking to us, and we have the choice to either acknowledge it or not. And you did. Yep. And so that's my two cents.

SPEAKER_03 16:03

And it's true. I mean, we all have gifts, and God wants us to use our gifts. It doesn't have to be in the church, it can be like like Todd said, this is our anchormen. We're all together. We'll be we're being together. So the anchormen that were named by Larry Wright. So, well, gentlemen, thank you. I mean, this has been a great conversation. I just enjoy it a lot, and uh thank you, Larry, for coming in. Taking a little bit extra time with before our anchorman group. Randy, thank you for taking the extra time to come here and uh help us, be with us, and then get engaged. I appreciate that. Todd, as always, thank you. And uh thank you, audience, for listening. Everybody, you have a good afternoon and uh catch up with you next week. Anchor's away. Anchor's away. Thank you for listening to Anchorman Anchored by Grace Podcast. Please share, like, and listen each week right here on our website or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Subscribe to our podcast and never miss a new episode. Reach out to us at anchored by grace at duck.com. Thank you again from John, Bob, and Todd, your anchormen, Anchored by Grace.