Is Marriage Overrated? Should we go 50/50? Etc.

Hey, this is Tim Pratt Jr. and I want to welcome you to the Student of Life podcast. Listen, we're going to get into so many transferable truths throughout the content of these episodes that I believe God is going to use to help you apply, because he's going to reveal what's already been there the entire time. Enjoy. Hey yo, what's up? So this your host Tim Pratt Jr. and we're going to jump straight into season 7, episode 1. So this is probably going to be a very like short one just to be straight up with you, it's just really to set the tone for you, what's like really coming and what I'm gonna try to get into. And a few things I wanna address just like straight up and where I think, you know, like I said, we're gonna start the first two with some leadership things. I'm gonna switch to like some biblical things but relevant, you know, for this time and just go there as well as, like I say, try to get, I'm hoping to get 2 or 3 interviews in this season and, you know, really just try to have this hopefully wrapped up by, you know, that holiday Christmas break area. So that being said, this is Season 7. I'm happy and I'm excited to really be with you, man. First and foremost, I want to just thank you all for rocking with me. I made a post on social media that just in Season 6 alone, it was almost like 2,800 downloads. So I'm gonna take it. Might not be a lot to you, but I love it, man, because that's people— whether it's a person doing it 3 times or whatever, or a person just downloaded every episode, but at the end of the day, uh, that is a person taking out the time. You right now listening, taking out the time to say, man, I'ma listen to his voice, uh, when it is so much more that you could be doing in this, this busy world. So many more podcasts out there. That you could be listening to. So I thank you, man. I honor you, um, and I promise, uh, that I just— yeah, I'm going to continue to make sure I do my part and just become a, a trusted voice, you know, as I follow Christ, I should say, you know, uh, but following me as I follow Christ. Um, so I, I, I'm hearing your all questions, I'm getting feedback, and I'm just trying to come with biblical worldview answers. Um, and, you know, and when I— and when I say trying, just keep it in context. I don't know everything So some of these questions really challenge me to dig deeper, and I love it. I love it because, man, I just want to do what God called me to do. So I love what I do in the secular marketplace, and I love what I do in the ministry. And I really love it. It's the best of both worlds, you know, being a senior technology leader in the context of, you know, agile delivery, coaching and facilitating, and then, you know, now getting into some consulting work. Leadership consulting and development work on the side. Like I said, this podcast, and then the ministry, the preaching and teaching as an associate executive pastor. I love it. And then, you know, most importantly, man, just my, my, uh, outside of God, of course, my wife and my kids. Um, and so, man, I'm, I'm excited to be with you. Uh, I'm excited, like I said, that you took the time to listen. Uh, so let's just jump straight into it. Um, so this episode, like I said, is just very unique. Uh, I don't even know what I'm going to title this, so it's probably going to come later. Uh, but first and foremost, man, man, let's just take a moment, uh, really truly just pause it and pray for Israel if you haven't. It's a lot going on in there, and man, my heart is just grieved when you look at what some of these families have went through. Some says— some is there, some families is back home that can't do anything. Just to see like what that, that group, man, I don't even want to call their name, but it's just evil. It's pure evil and what they are doing. Uh, so man, I just pray to God that You know, man, somehow, some way, people find peace in a fallen and broken world. But we know what the Bible has said about God's people, and I'm gonna leave it at that because I know it's a lot of contradicting information out there about real Israelites. And just, you know, you have so much of the truth, but it's still a lie. In other words, I just shared a status not too long ago: some of the best lies contain so much truth, but it's still a lie. And so let's just be mindful of that and make sure that we're digging in. And I'm just one that's going to subscribe to the full totality of the word of God. So again, man, if you haven't, pray for them, pray for your nation, pray for your community, pray for your family, pray for you, uh, yourself, man. Just commune with God and remember it's nothing more than just a conversation with God. He already knows your heart, but he wants to hear from you and he wants to share things with you, and that's primarily through getting with you and digging into the word of God. So that being said, uh, one of the things that I had kind of got some feedback on, was kind of like hot topics. And, you know, and I'm gonna kind of touch on a few things in a very general way, um, and we might dig into it deeper because I know we live in a soundbite culture, uh, but one of the reasons I don't do kind of— and I'm not saying like, you know, it might change as I have more capacity, um, but a lot of times, uh, I, I strive to consider and weigh everything that I say according to the word of God. Uh, I strive to be very calculated, and it's times I can go off the cuff uh, through the power of God and just, you know, through studying. And sometimes not even biblical things, it might be a question that's unrelated to anything biblical, uh, but I like to use wisdom and tactfulness, and I like to, like I say, weigh and consider things, uh, but I am grieved some because, uh, the reason why I want to address a few of these things, it'll be like in a very general way, is when I see things like the 50/50 debate, uh, what a man's supposed to do, what a woman's supposed to do, masculinity uh, marriage is just a business, it's just paper. I hate it because, uh, man, we're getting so far from the biblical worldview and what the Bible has said about things. Like, the worldview has infiltrated even when it comes to marriage, defining a marriage. Uh, look, we all was born a certain way. Like, I feel like I was born with things, if I yielded to them, straight up, like Bro, I'd be out here just still probably hoing around, like lusting around, and probably would have been even worse. But through the power of God, through accepting Christ and maturing and standing in his word and, you know, um, putting to death those things and not siding with them, uh, I don't live those— that life. And there's various other things too. And so what I'm saying is we all were born into sin, but we have to make a decision And some of us, you know, we just have to sit up. Some, some people will wrestle with some things for the rest of their life because there's strong urges and strong wants. But, uh, we weren't called to give in to our fleshly desires. So none of us have an excuse. Uh, everything is a choice. Like, no matter what you're saying— yes, I'm talking about the LGBTQ+ whatever community, uh, just as well as you could talk about adulterers or fornicators, uh, manipulators, liars, cheaters. Whatever. Like, I have had my fair share, uh, in things that are unbiblical and was not of God, and I was wrong, and I repented. And my hope and my prayer is that I don't go back and I don't yield to those things. I don't succumb to those urges, uh, or that sinful life that I was living. So that's just the truth. Uh, now again, I am real big on humanity, just like with the Israelites. Regardless of what you believe, those are people. Those are people, man. Like, that's why I can't stand the argument of like, it gets into like the Israelites and just bloodline stuff, man. Humanity, bro. Kids are being beheaded and things like that. This is huge. And we can say, well, what about slavery? And I get that. I feel the same conviction. The same thing that I feel about that is the same thing I feel about this now. It's humanity. And so what I'm saying is that even with people that I disagree with, uh, I don't believe we should hate anybody. I don't believe we should be beating. I don't believe that it should be hate crimes or none of that. Humanity at its simplest form, regardless of what you believe. However, but at the same time, I still maintain a biblical worldview, and I'm going to always side with the Bible even if it proves me to be wrong about how I feel about something. Um, so, um, that's just where I stand. And like I say, with marriage, uh, I don't believe that my wife, uh, is manipulating me or anything like that, you know, when it comes to like, let's say, when you see this 50/50 argument. Uh, but if God has blessed me to provide for my family, um, then what I'm gonna do is say, hey, you know, babe, take care of the house, take care of the kids, and, you know, if you want to work, that's— you just do what you do. Now, some people might not— everybody might not be that unfortunate, and I get it. You know, you have to do what you have to do for your household, but I don't really care what my wife brings to the table is what I'm trying to say. Uh, but that's what works for us, and you know, things could change, and I could— like, I could find— my wife might say, oh man, I'm gonna go do this until my husband do this. But I'm the priest of my home. Like, I steward over my own will and lead my own way. It's not a dictatorship, uh, but I'm just one of those people where I don't care. I don't even think about 50/50. Um, I don't, I don't think about covering everything. Like, I just don't. Like, I just, I live and I strive and I just focus on being the man that God called me to be and doing what the Bible told me to do with providing for my family, and God takes care of the rest. Uh, and so no, marriage is not just a piece of paper. It's not a business. Uh, man, I just think that, like I said, we're so far off as a generation because people just aren't in their Bibles anymore. Uh, people are into all type of doctrines today, uh, and it's just all over the place. And it's kind of like the Corinthians— a little bit of carnality, a little bit of spirituality, and it's a bad recipe. Because, uh, Paul was basically saying, no, no, get that mess up out of the church. Uh, you need to mature in the things of God. You need to get to meat. And that's what we need to get to, uh, as a generation. And that's why we are in the state that we are in, uh, I believe, as a people, uh, and this is just a generation, and it's sad. Um, but like I say, I, I stand in the totality of what God defined marriages, uh, is. Uh, I stand in the context of what, um, let me back up. Yeah, like another thing that grieves me is, uh, kind of just this war, you know, man against women, uh, with these podcasts. And, you know, they started out like, oh man, that's cool, you know, this viewpoint, this viewpoint. And that's just like attack after attack, just from my perspective. Uh, and so now what you're having is you're starting to see this creep into the church, you know, what a woman shouldn't do, what a man— you know, uh, a man wouldn't be this without this. And you just get into all of this just non-essential stuff. Um, and you know, and I can get into— like I say, the scriptures of what Paul said, creation and all of that. I'm not going to get into it in this segment. I think I would need a whole episode to unpack that. Um, but just saying a woman can't get up and preach and teach— now I do subscribe to things about when it comes to like the senior pastoral role, um, but at the end of the day, you know, when I get into things like, well, Mary carried Jesus and she carried the word, she carried God, okay, yes, because God has to obey his word, uh, but Mary also worshiped Jesus. Uh, my mom and dad have never worshiped me. My in-laws, I ain't never— I've never seen them worship my wife. I don't— I love my kids, but I'm not worshiping them. So it's not really a fair argument, uh, but I, I know why people try to go there, because it's a defense when you have men telling women what they shouldn't and can't do. And it goes on to Rahab, and, you know, well, the men that you quote wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Rahab. And it's— and so I get it, like, it's, it's a space needed, but I believe it's, it's men, we need to just be better with championing women, uh, and, and, and, and, you know, helping create spaces for them to lead and hear their voice without being so insecure and like manipulating the scriptures. But at the same time, I believe women have to be very, very careful not to see the scriptures through a, a certain lens if God has ordained and orchestrated, you know, headship in certain ways. And so I'm gonna just leave it at that, you know, that, that's my challenge. Like I said, I'm not going to get into it, and I'm not shying away from it, it's just wisdom. I need more time to unpack that. But I do believe that the Bible has all the answers in its appropriate context. But I will say that in the secular world, I've had a woman boss before and didn't bother me at all. Now, like I said, I get it when you come up to some strong arguments in the biblical side, and I get it. But I also get the point where, like I say, women are having to rise up and say, hey, you know, what is this where you saying I can't do this? And then, you know, truth be told Um, we as men are making it easier, just being honest with you. I mean, like, when you look at just the infidelity and, uh, the scandals and, you know, not showing up, how women can pack out arenas. And shout out to Sarah Jakes Roberts and Jackie Hill Perry. And I'm not saying men don't either, uh, but, uh, what I'm saying is that typically when you look around, like, I was just at a women's conference, uh, with my wife. I went down there that my mother-in-law put on and literally, truly, just about almost standing room only. Uh, but then I've been invited to many men conferences and it's like 5 or 6 men, you know. And truthfully, sometimes the women have dominated at a men's conference. I get it. I'm not saying that that's always the norm because I've been to Promise Keepers and it was a very beautiful thing. Uh, New Life Church Conway again just put on a men's conference, packed, jam-packed. So I, I know it's you know, I want to make sure that I'm contextualizing it. But for the most part, what I see is that often it's a struggle. Um, so those are things that we just have to consider in this proper context. And I just believe God's will is going to be fulfilled. Uh, he's going to use whoever is available. Uh, that's just how I feel. But I also know he's not going to go outside his word as well. Uh, and then the last thing, man, is just like, um kids, man. Um, I believe we as parents, uh, we as guardians or whatever, uh, we got to get back to really getting in our kids' life. Uh, I've been fortunate, man, just to be straight up with you. My dad growing up, man, had opportunities to, you know, really go out and, and take things that would have took him away from his family a lot, would have made a lot of money, but he didn't do it because he wanted to be present in our life. But it still came with sacrifices. Uh, but however, it taught me a lesson. Uh, and I've had similar opportunities, but I refuse to, you know, leave my kids. Now I understand traveling, taking on opportunities in its proper context and stuff. I'm not talking about that, but I'm talking about just totally leaving my, my kids. Um, excuse me. Um, but I'm not doing that. And I think, you know, we also live in like a selfish generation. Too, where yes, you have people to sacrifice for their kids, but you also have people that are— have totally just abandoned their kids. Um, and, uh, what comes with that, you know? And I've been seeing this trend for a long time, uh, and I get things come up and, and so on, but I just believe we have to get back as a generation, man, with just raising our kids. I'm not saying they got to control and dominate our lives, but we have to prioritize. Like, they didn't ask to be here. Uh, and so we were hunching and doing whatever we were doing, just to be real, and they came. They're here, you know, and, um, we have a responsibility to steward over them, steward over them well, uh, and help mature and disciple them. Uh, and so that's another thing that I just— I've kind of been observing just with the totality of things. Like I said, how we can be a very, very selfish generation, um, and we can go say that we're chasing, you know, opportunities, chasing money, uh, but you got to understand, does that kid understand the totality of that? And so like I said, I think that we just have to look at things holistically, uh, and just truly pray and get insight from God, uh, on how to deal with some of these things that are just very, very hot topics, uh, and so on. You know, like even with just teaching about finances in the local church, um, you know, people think that all pastors are about money. You know, uh, people think that a lot of stuff is becoming dictatorships when it's just accountability and transparency. Uh, and then kind of just going back to just like lukewarm Christians, man, that, you know, like, truly just say anything, like live any kind of way, use any kind of language, uh, and there's really no conviction up until, you know, they go to church on a Sunday and possibly a life group or a Bible study, and then it's like right back to just a life of not the fruit, you know, uh, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And so I just think these are all type of things that we just have to consider um, as a generation, man. And as we move into— and just pray and ask God for insight and wisdom there. So that's just kind of my thoughts on kind of like just opening up this first episode. Uh, but like then the next, like I said, we'll get into some leadership, then we'll pivot, and then, you know, we'll just kind of unpack it and fill out this season and see how— see how it goes. So man, I love you all, man. Get ready. Like I said, the first two will be dealing with leadership, uh, but I think all of us can still learn something from it, even if we're a parent or a guardian, teacher, or whatever. I think all of us will be able to take something from it. So I love you all, man. Thank you again for rocking with me, uh, and be blessed. And I really, really hope you enjoy this season 7. Hey, what's up? I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to this Student Life podcast today. If this content has impacted you in any kind of way, please take some time to share it on your social media feeds. And also, if you want to connect with me or just learn more about me, go over to www.timothypratt.org. Once again, thanks.