039 - Showing Up For Ourselves, Showing Up For God (Father Stu)

Even though Mary has to apologize for the sound quality of this episode, we think it’s still worth putting it out into the world. This is a really good conversation, and we couldn’t re-create it with the original power. Obviously we’re still figuring out how to do this thing, and we’re trying to keep it real, so thanks for bearing with us. 

 

Alexis has had a quote on her mind for a while, which came from the 2022 film “Father Stu,” starring Marky Mark Wahlburg (rated “R” for language, although there is a PG-13 version that was re-released in theaters, and will hopefully be available to stream somewhere soon). It’s based on a true story; you can watch it on Netflix here). The quote is, “I ain’t here for the fellowship. I’m here for the worship.” We talk about what worship means in our faith, and why we attend the churches we do. 

 

Mary and Alexis talk about the expectations of church-going, and how we show up. As Ham (Stu’s friend) said: “I think God saw something in you worth saving. But it’s up to you to decide what you’ve got to offer.” We don’t think God wants us to be robots and attend church out of expectation or obligation; He wants us to show up for ourselves–even if we’re in a rocker phase, like Miley Cyrus. When we show up for God as our true selves, we believe that is true worship.

 

In the film, Stu meets a “Barfly,” who looks remarkably like Jesus, and gives Stu some good advice: “Life’s gonna give you a gut full of reasons to be angry, kid. You only need one to be grateful.” 

 

Our Better Betty Challenge for this week is to figure out where and how you may be living in the expectations of others. If you find that the way you are showing up for God is robotic, and you feel you need a change, we invite you to rededicate yourself to worship, not just fellowship. Let us know how it goes by messaging us or by shooting us an email  at thebettyspodcast@gmail.com. If you don’t need a break, good for you! Please follow us on Instagram @thebettyspodcast, on Facebook as The Bettys Podcast, and on Twitter @bettys_podcast. 

 

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Thank you for your support and patience, Bettys and Jacks. We appreciate your putting up with our sound quality issues, fumbling over our words, and all the things. We hope you can liberate your own hearts from the walls of expectations, and decide what showing up for God and showing up for yourself looks like in your life.  We’re so grateful for you. And we love you more.