Season 3, Episode 3: Just Keep Swimming!
Just Keep Swimming! - Episode Description
Ever wondered how to navigate life’s disappointments with grace and humor? Join Brian and Kayla as they reconvene after a cozy team retreat. As the conversation warms up, they shift gears with to a more reflective space and contemplate the disappointment that, so far, 2024 feels no different than 2023. Feeling stuck seems to be a universal sentiment, but you can find hope in the fact that God never changes and His grace can carry you through.
Then, lighten up as we indulge in a whimsical round of “Would You Rather?” where we debate whether to don Spock ears or Superman capes, and imagine life with bionic enhancements. Prepare for a podcast journey that promises both introspection and laughter, with an inspiring reminder to place your hope in God.
Just Keep Swimming!- Transcript
0:00:00 – Announcer
We go together like peas and carrots! The Peas & Carrots Podcast, sharing life from our piece of the vegetable patch Brian and Kayla Sanders.
0:00:11 – Kayla
Welcome to the peas and carrots podcast. I’m Brian, I’m Kayla, sorry, no, there you go.
0:00:18 – Brian
Good, good to be here, mm-hmm, we took a week off.
0:00:22 – Kayla
We did, we had our entire team in 10 were overworked, mmm. Well, that’s a joke. I don’t say we did have a very full week. Last week our entire PAR team came together to Kind of reset our vision for the year, spend some time together, build community. It was cold, but we’ll talk about that in just a second crank party of one so be. Who are we? We usually watch West Wing Every winter season, and what have we? We hinted at this on another podcast, but what are we still working our way through?
down to the abbey we are. And what’s one of your favorite lines now from Downton?
0:01:09 – Brian
Maggie Smith, who’s in downtown. She’s the senior lady.
0:01:14 – Kayla
She’s the Dowager countess.
0:01:16 – Brian
Who knows what that means she does. I can’t even spell. What is it Dowager who? Can spell that British people don’t know. You can’t.
0:01:25 – Kayla
I Saw you coming a little spicy today, no.
0:01:28 – Brian
I saw yesterday where you, where y’all spell check CHE Q you eat the rest of a spell at CHE CK.
0:01:36 – Kayla
Well, that’s the rest of you. So, anyway, what? What is one of your favorite lines now from she goes weekend what’s a weekend?
0:01:46 – Brian
because she lives in such a high fake world society that there’s every day is the same and that there is no day off because every day she never works. So he’s like well, weekend, what’s a weekend?
0:01:58 – Kayla
So we’re really enjoying that. You love her zing and one-liner.
0:02:03 – Brian
Yeah, so we’ve watched it before.
0:02:06 – Kayla
But I don’t remember any of it.
0:02:08 – Brian
It’s been years since we’ve watched it, so yeah, I think it’s gonna become part of her, and we had just wrapped up West Wing, probably a month ago.
0:02:16 – Kayla
We started it a little early. Yeah, so I have a confession. I’m sorry people.
0:02:22 – Brian
I’m glad the buck’s lost if we’re talking about the NFL, she’s glad that the Tampa Bay buck.
0:02:28 – Kayla
I wasn’t cheering for someone, I was cheering against.
0:02:31 – Brian
Tell us why you’re happy.
0:02:32 – Kayla
The Buccaneers lost because they go against the Saints and and yeah, they took my Saints out, so I’m glad they’re gone.
0:02:41 – Brian
I’m happy they lost as well. Yeah, right now I’m cheering for the Now at the recording of this. The Lions have not played in the championship, correct? But I’m praying and hoping that they win, because I think that would just be a story. That would just be a it would be epic. Yeah, that would be just great.
0:02:58 – Kayla
So let’s talk about last week’s weather. Okay, this week’s weather is being all cute.
0:03:04 – Brian
I want to pause right here. I want to pause. I Am married to a woman who loves the weather. She watches the weather, she checks the weather for okay, hold on.
0:03:17 – Kayla
Just so no, no, no, you went there. I do not watch a YouTube channel by Ryan Hall that you watch where you actually like. Watch him discuss the radar and point to all the different storms. That’s so. I don’t watch the weather as much as you do, but I like to be prepared. I like to know what clothes I should be wearing and Last week, during vision week, over here it was bitterly cold. It felt like minus 11. And why?
0:03:51 – Brian
was your little quip.
0:03:52 – Kayla
I told you the other day this week’s weather’s being all cute. Like it didn’t try to kill us last week, so it’s 64 today, yeah.
0:04:02 – Brian
At home, I think we had to leave cabinets open. Yeah, water going, yeah to run. Some make sure water was running so it wouldn’t freeze the pipes.
0:04:09 – Kayla
We get getting alerts about, you know, and today, it’s going to be 61. 64.
0:04:13 – Brian
- Mm-hmm. Wow, speedo day.
0:04:17 – Kayla
Oh, okay, moving on, we actually went. We’re not going there. We went to see a movie again the other night. We actually went with our whole team to see Wonka.
0:04:33 – Brian
Oh Wonka is a prequel to the original movie with Jean Wilder. I highly encourage you to go see this movie.
0:04:42 – Kayla
Yeah.
0:04:42 – Brian
It is delightful, it is fun and if you love the original, you will love this, because there are so many nods.
0:04:51 – Kayla
Yeah, we may have said this a couple of weeks ago. The thing that I wanted to add to this I wasn’t quite ready to declare this. I think it’s this year’s greatest showman.
Wow, because you know how much I love that movie. I will watch that movie over and over again and I’ve worn the soundtrack out and now I’m wearing out the Wonka soundtrack. I just love everything about it and I will tell you my favorite song and I’ve cried twice just because of the visuals and the music for the moment. So I don’t want to give anything away, but if you go to see Wonka, soak it in when they sing for the moment.
0:05:40 – Brian
It just yeah, okay, confession I did cry the first time that I watched that. We watched the movie and it was at the end of the movie and all of a sudden he says come with me. Oh and he does, uh, and he does pure imagination.
0:05:58 – Kayla
It’s just yeah, it’s all the things. So again, I know we probably did mention that already. Definitely worth another viewing.
0:06:08 – Brian
What if? What if this happens? What if that happens?
0:06:12 – Kayla
Well, okay, let me so. I brought this to you because I’m just going to be honest. God has woken me up three different nights with this on my heart, and so I told you this morning. I’ve really been wrestling with him over this because I just kept saying no, I don’t, I just don’t want to go there. But I’ve been talking with several friends and I’ve been reading some things where it seems like these are the sentiments 2023 can kick rocks. I can’t wait for 2024.
Fast forward to two weeks into 2024 and then, talking with friends, I’m just really disappointed in how this year is starting. I just wanted different. I wanted to change. So there’s this sadness that we couldn’t reset. If that makes any sense, and I’ve even felt it in some ways. But if you’re, 2024 seems very much like 2023, even though you’d hope for something new. I think the first thing I want to say to you is we’ve still got 11 months in this year that God can do amazing things, and maybe he is, and we just don’t see them yet.
But, for example, I have one friend who she has been sick for two weeks, seriously sick For her, it’s not fun. Another friend found out that she has a parent who has cancer. Another friend has just sat with disappointment after disappointment. One is beating herself up because she didn’t hit any of her goals for 2023. And so here she is limping into 2024. What if you are sitting with any of that, if you feel like you just can’t overcome? Last year, or you came charging into this year with this is how it’s going to be, but then God. So we just started talking about this, you and I the what ifs. What if you can’t make sense of it all?
0:08:30 – Brian
I want to say something from like my perspective, as we’ve talked about this, and we’ve talked about it for a few days. I think that one we have to be realistic, that we must change what we can change.
0:08:45 – Kayla
Yeah, mmm.
0:08:47 – Brian
Okay.
0:08:48 – Kayla
Something God said there.
0:08:49 – Brian
And then lean on grace, lean on Jesus, trust him for the stuff that isn’t going to change. Yeah, I had a seminary professor say people don’t change just the pages on the calendar, do, mmm? And his point was is that human nature has been like this since the fall? Yeah, the world’s been like this since Genesis, chapter three, and therefore we have this. It’s a brand new year we have. We’re going to, we’re going to do all this. Well, we can change stuff about ourselves. Yeah, we can try to. But we might set ourselves up for disappointment if we expect different from people. Yeah, we expect different from the world. Does that? Is that making it?
0:09:37 – Kayla
It does, because this is one of the things that you and I talked about. There are people who are beyond our control. There are circumstances that are beyond our control. The things that we can change is what we should focus on and then trust God to help us. You and I have some very intentional goals for our health this year. Well, if we keep eating the same junk that we ate two, three, four years ago, that’s not going to change. If, if I need to feel more rested but I don’t change my sleep habits, I can’t blame anyone else. To the friend who is struggling with, we just didn’t hit any of our financial goals. If you don’t change your spending habits or your saving habits, or nothing’s going to, nothing’s going to. So those are just practical examples that we bring to the table. But but here’s another thing that you and I talked about what if we look beyond the now? And what do I mean by that? What if we stop fixating on the past or believing this air quotes is permanent? Because we do have a hope.
0:10:49 – Brian
We do, we do, I’m teaching James right now in adult Sunday school and I’m just gonna drop this in there. Then I move on. He says count it all, joy when you face various trials, because you know that God is using that to help build your endurance. Now here’s what he’s not saying. He isn’t saying that when people disappoint you or you miss a goal or you get a diagnosis that you should go, yes, I’m happy. Yeah, that’s not what he’s saying. What he’s saying is you can be joyful that God isn’t going to waste your suffering. He isn’t going to waste that disappointment. So was 2023 a disappointment? Yes, yes, because, let me say this, all of us miss the goal.
0:11:42 – Kayla
Oh sure, this is personal to every single one of us.
0:11:46 – Brian
Now know this God is not going to waste that pain in his economy. Therefore, as we come to 2024, and we’ve already had some different struggles in 2024, and different things like that I can have confidence that God is not going to waste that. Yeah, now, I may not like it, I may get upset, I may want to throw a taco, I don’t know.
0:12:14 – Kayla
I wouldn’t throw a taco, I’d eat it.
0:12:16 – Brian
But yeah, so I’m just saying so there’s some hope. Yeah, and also remember this this world is not all there is.
0:12:25 – Kayla
That’s right.
0:12:25 – Brian
Heaven is real.
0:12:27 – Kayla
It’s not lost on me that our church family is grieving the loss of two dear members. Yes, we ran into 2024 out the gate. We lost two very special people.
0:12:40 – Brian
I lost a friend, Jim, and we lost Reba. It was sad.
0:12:44 – Kayla
It’s hard, but there’s hope in knowing that life for them is so much better now and it will be for all of us one day, if we cling to him and our faith is in him. It’s just sometimes, I think we all need the reminder that we can get stuck, and we can get stuck on thinking that, well, this is as good as it’s going to get, or well, I am just a failure and there’s no hope for me. Maybe it’s just a reminder to all of us. There’s still a lot of time for 2024.
But here’s another question I’m going to throw out there what if 2024 isn’t any different from 2023?
0:13:28 – Brian
My answer to be well, then, God is still the same as it was yesterday, today and forever. And the grace that carried you yesterday, well, he will carry you today, but you have the power to change some things that are within your control. And let me say this, and because we have talked about this, we will have a new problem in our lives by like five o’clock today.
0:13:50 – Kayla
I’m just saying Well, aren’t you positive? You’re a ray of sunshine.
0:13:57 – Brian
I’m just that was just good. But so here’s what I’m going to say Even if 2024 looks a lot like 2023, he is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that same grace and that same hope is still there.
0:14:17 – Kayla
You are all excited about this, so we’re bringing back a game, oh, and I actually like have cards this time, so this is going to be fun. This is a game called Would you Rather?
0:14:30 – Brian
What do I have to do here?
0:14:32 – Kayla
Really again with the Godzilla, really.
0:14:40 – Brian
He’s the third.
0:14:41 – Kayla
You just sat him in front of you.
0:14:42 – Brian
He’s the third co-host of our podcast. Oh no, he’s not.
0:14:47 – Kayla
Okay, if that’s how we’re playing, I’m bringing friends. Next week, brace yourself.
0:14:52 – Brian
You’re going to roll the Pumbin’ Tumon up in here.
0:14:54 – Kayla
You hide and watch what’s wrong. He’s nice.
0:14:57 – Brian
Look at him.
0:15:01 – Kayla
You think he sponsored this thing or something. Well, he hasn’t destroyed it yet Anyway to our game. So we’re just going to, we’re going to ask each other some questions and then maybe those who are listening can play this as well. So pick a question off there quickly for us and we have to answer it together.
0:15:23 – Brian
Would you dress for one year like Spock from Star Trek, which includes the ears, or like Superman?
0:15:30 – Kayla
She’s thinking Superman, I get to wear a cape. Oh, wow, okay, I think the ears would bother me a little bit I couldn’t pull off the tights.
0:15:39 – Brian
but there’s that. Oh, he can’t leap a single building in a. You know he can’t leap, oh, go ahead.
0:15:50 – Kayla
Would you rather have to walk around with six large balloons tied to your wrist for a year, or with loud bells on your ankles? Balloons- Balloons.
0:16:02 – Brian
I would do balloons, because the bells would roger them up with all the noise, the rack.
0:16:06 – Kayla
Well, the balloons would eventually lose air, and I’d probably paint my face like a clown and wig people out as I walked around.
0:16:15 – Brian
So Would you. Here’s your, here are your choices.
0:16:19 – Kayla
Okay.
0:16:20 – Brian
Would you put your bare feet into a very moist pair of old bowling shoes or walk barefoot in a gas station bathroom?
0:16:31 – Kayla
What was the first choice?
0:16:33 – Brian
Put your bare feet into a very moist pair of old bowling shoes, or walk barefoot in a gas station bathroom.
0:16:42 – Kayla
Oh, I’d have to risk the bowling shoes.
0:16:44 – Brian
I would too, yeah, cause what.
0:16:46 – Kayla
Yeah, what is that? Would you rather ride in a tight crate for a 13 hour plane flight? A tight, what Crate? Okay. Or with cows in the back of a truck for a two day?
0:17:04 – Brian
road trip. I’d have to go with the cows. I don’t do anything higher. I’m not I can’t.
0:17:11 – Kayla
I think the cows would be fun. They crap everywhere. Oh wow, that took a turn, um, okay.
0:17:18 – Brian
So, okay, here are your choices. Miss Kaylee, you ready? Okay, okay. Would you milk a cow every morning for a week or shear a sheep every morning for a week?
0:17:30 – Kayla
Oh, milk a cow.
0:17:32 – Brian
Really yeah, why.
0:17:36 – Kayla
Cause I love cows.
0:17:37 – Brian
Okay, very good, your next next question for me.
0:17:42 – Kayla
Would you rather not be allowed to wash your hair for a month?
0:17:45 – Brian
I wouldn’t bother me.
0:17:46 – Kayla
Or not be allowed to wash your hands for a month.
0:17:49 – Brian
Hair. I don’t have any hair, so I’m gonna bother me.
0:17:54 – Kayla
See, it didn’t say I couldn’t have dry shampoo.
0:17:57 – Brian
I’m a guy, so let me just say this I’m a guy and so I don’t wash my hands all the time, but you’re a girl and you believe what?
0:18:06 – Kayla
You just admitted to not washing your hands.
0:18:08 – Brian
I’m a guy, so Dirt doesn’t bother me Well apparently I know the answer to this one.
0:18:14 – Kayla
I’m gonna go ahead and ask it Would you rather live in a home without electricity or in a home without running water? Apparently, you don’t need running water.
0:18:23 – Brian
I don’t know.
0:18:24 – Kayla
I need the internet, so well, cleanliness is not next to godliness for you, but internet is.
0:18:32 – Brian
That’s not the Bible, that was by Benjamin Franklin. I’d have to go with electricity, but how am I gonna heat water for tea? All right, here we go. Live the rest of your life in 90 degree weather Wearing and sitting on vinyl, oh, or in 40 degree weather, wearing metal mesh and sitting on aluminum bleachers.
0:18:56 – Kayla
Oh, the 90 degree on vinyl.
0:18:58 – Brian
Yeah, your honey will stick to it. I don’t like to be cold when you get up, and I mean it would just, oh wow.
0:19:12 – Kayla
I’m unfiltered today, I’m just okay. All right, a few more. Would you rather have a bionic eye or a bionic ear?
0:19:23 – Brian
huh, I’m trying to figure out which one would help me best with my, with my?
0:19:30 – Kayla
see, I would choose.
0:19:32 – Brian
I because really my sign of spread.
0:19:34 – Kayla
I would choose. I because I’d rather see than hear what people.
0:19:38 – Brian
I’d rather see actions rather than hear words I’d probably do the eyes so I could read. More books would help me read fast.
0:19:44 – Kayla
Oh, there you go.
0:19:46 – Brian
Would you rather have to carry around the CPR dummy everywhere or wear big clown shoes everywhere?
0:19:56 – Kayla
Which one I’d probably go for. The clown shoes I go with clown shoes.
0:20:00 – Brian
Yeah, I don’t want to People that he came around a dead body. What’s going on around here?
0:20:06 – Kayla
Would you rather be six feet tall and ugly, or three feet tall and beautiful? That just did.
0:20:19 – Brian
You go to Walmart any given day, you’ll see.
0:20:23 – Kayla
Here’s the final question, okay answer that here’s the you have to answer it Six feet tall and ugly, or three feet tall and beautiful?
0:20:30 – Brian
I’m already six feet tall and ugly. So there you go, but I don’t want to be that short cuz. Oh, then you smell stuff.
0:20:38 – Kayla
Okay.
0:20:40 – Brian
Here’s your, out of control. The last one. Would you rather have a paper cut on your tongue or a booger in your nose that you can’t quite reach all day? Oh my gosh look at the first question. Is that a paper cut? Well, I currently have the booger situation, so we’re gonna. So there’s that I’m.
0:20:59 – Kayla
I’m just gonna go ahead Yesterday, so we’re going so you have, so we have that.
0:21:05 – Brian
I’m gonna go. All right, I’m gonna go with the paper cut, okay.
0:21:08 – Kayla
Wow, why that really went off the rails just completely.
0:21:12 – Brian
So there we are.
0:21:13 – Kayla
That’s this edition of, would you rather?
0:21:15 – Brian
there you go. So thanks for listening to peas in carrots podcast and hey, we have a coffee mug and a pack of stickers to send to you, and it’s for the first two people who go to our website if you will click the trivia button and answer this question.
0:21:35 – Kayla
What is? Let’s see, I didn’t think of one beforehand.
0:21:40 – Brian
Would you rather? Would you rather be six feet tall and ugly, or three feet tall and beautiful? What?
0:21:47 – Kayla
would you rather?
0:21:47 – Brian
Okay, there we go we want to ask you that what would you rather so?
0:21:51 – Kayla
when you go to our website peas and carrots podcast, calm, you can answer that question and we will send you a mug and some sticker.
0:22:00 – Brian
Okay, our website is peas and carrots potat. See, Jesus is judging you for our website is peas and carrots podcast, calm, and you just click on the trivia question and you answer this trivia question. Would you rather be Six feet tall and ugly or three feet tall and beautiful? Why’d you point to yourself and you said three feet tall and beautiful?
0:22:23 – Kayla
cuz I’m choosing three feet oh you said six feet for you to say the question.
0:22:27 – Brian
I am offended, I am writing to the podcast tribunal and filing. And who would that be? I don’t know.
0:22:34 – Kayla
I think it’s me, so here we go. Okay we should end search the peas and carrots podcast Wherever you get your podcast, or visit our website at peas and carrots podcast. I’m not imagine you as three feet tall when you go to the website, please don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast.
0:22:52 – Brian
You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Just search for the peas and carrots podcast and we should just go ahead and apologize for this episode.
0:23:01 – Kayla
Well, I didn’t say anything wrong.
0:23:03 – Announcer
Yeah for more about the peas and carrots podcast and to reach out to Brian and Kayla visit peas and carrots podcast. Calm, growing through the challenges we face and finding hope along the way. That’s the Jesus fix it podcast with Jess. Check out Jesusfixit.com or search Jesus fix it wherever you listen to podcasts.