Putting People First Beats Every Excuse We Make

What if the hours we guard for ourselves are the very hours we owe to the people we love? We dig into the gap between what we claim to value and what our calendars reveal, challenging the easy refuge of “me time” when marriage, parenting, and community call for presence. Through Mark 6, we follow Jesus from crowded shores to quiet prayer, drawing a line between rest that restores and rest that numbs. Five loaves and two fish become a blueprint for service: bring what you have, bless it, and watch it multiply for others.

We build on Psalm 40 to practice patience in an age that rewards outrage. Waiting is not retreat; it is the discipline that keeps courage from burning out. We honor first responders and those who carry burdens in public, then ask what that courage looks like at home: screens down, apologies quick, promises kept. Words matter, too. Proverbs calls godly speech a life-giving fountain, so we measure our talk by whether it heals, steadies, and points to hope.

History adds gravity. John Adams warns that republics rest on private virtue and a passion for the common good. When comfort outranks character, liberty thins. We name the stakes without flinching, then point to a path as old as faith: prayer that quiets the heart, service that chooses people over pastimes, and habits that align love with action. Listen for a clear, practical audit of time and attention, scriptural anchors that reframe rest, and a candid case that freedom at scale begins with fidelity at home.

If this conversation helps you realign your hours with your highest loves, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so others can find the show.

#DailyScripture #JohnAdams #1776

Transcript

Opening, Prayer, And Gratitude

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Proverbs ten eleven. The words of the godly are a life giving fountain. The words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. Elizabeth Medina, December 5th, 2023, Edna, Texas. Sixteen-year-old high school cheerleader was stabbed to death in her home during an attempted burglary by Rafael Gabea Romero, an illegal immigrant from Mexico with an expired visa. Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well wherever y'all are in whatever part of the day you're in. Sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Hopefully, y'all are getting to listen to the podcast with someone else. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it, thank you. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you very much. Very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son, Jesus Christ. Forgive us when we get our priorities out of order, Father.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Forgive us when we treasure things in this world.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Instead of putting our heart and our treasure in heaven with you and your son in eternal life. When we value things more than people. Comfort those who are alone, who are scared, anxious.

SPEAKER_01 2:05

Surround them with your angles. Protect them from evil of any kind. Guide us, Lord, help us to feel your peace. Help us to feel your joy and your calm, spirit.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Help us to trust that you have things well in hand. Even when we can't see it, even when it doesn't feel like it. Be with our military, our law enforcement, firefighters, EMS. Strengthen them. Give them wisdom and courage. Strong faith. Be with their families, keep them safe, bring them home to 'em. Be with our leaders in the pulpit. And in the state, give them wisdom and courage. Help them to rule in fear of you, to lead in fear of you.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Bless our marriages. Repair the ones that are broken, Father. Be with the brokenhearted and draw them close to you.

People Matter More Than Hobbies

SPEAKER_00 3:12

All these things, Father, in your Son's name we pray.

unknown 3:16

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

So a marriage verse for today, instead of that, I just wanted to reiterate something that came across my path today, and that is that people matter. Folks.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

People matter more than anything.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

They matter more than watching sports on TV. People that you're never gonna know that don't know you. Entertainment, movies, songs, social media, phones, working out, hobbies, TV. I saw uh a lady post recently talking about uh she was talking about eating healthy. And she made the comment that people that say that they don't have the time or the money, they're just making excuses. And it's great to eat healthy, folks.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

I'm not knocking that at all, but people are so much more important than any of that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

And when we say that we don't have, for example, if you tell your kids or your spouse that you don't have time for them, and yet when everybody goes to bed, you go and sit on your phone on your iPad in front of the TV for an hour, hour and a half, two hours, three hours. The only person that you're really well, I guess you're lying to quite a few people, but the only one that might believe you is yourself, and deep down you know that's not true too, and and the whole argument, I need me time then don't get married.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

Don't have kids. Don't be involved in your church, your community.

Me Time Versus Meaningful Rest

Feeding The Five Thousand

Alone Time That Truly Restores

Psalm Reflections On Patience

SPEAKER_00 5:34

But if you if you want to be part of the body, if you're gonna get married, if you're gonna have kids, then you don't get to make the lame excuse that oh, I need my me time. Or I don't have the time and the energy to focus on others. Scripture for today, Mark 6, 30 through 56. The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, Let's go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest a while. He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn't even have time to eat. That's another thing, folks, time, rest. We're so busy. We cram our schedule so full that most of the time when we claim that we don't have time, we don't have energy. It's not because we really don't, it's because we've given our time and energy to things that don't matter. So they left the boat for a quiet place where they could be alone. But many people recognized them and saw them leaving. And people from many towns read ahead along the shore, ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Late in the afternoon, his disciples came to him and said, This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so that they can go to nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat. But Jesus said, You feed them. With what? They asked. We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people. How much bread do you have? he asked. Go and find out. They came back and reported, We have five loaves of bread and two fish. Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. A total of five thousand men and their families were fed. Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethesda. While he sent the people home. After telling everyone goodbye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Late that night the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. That's an interesting comment, right, about Jesus going off by himself to pray. You compare that, right, to early commentary about self-care, me time. But how much of our me time is actually spent recharging? You really want to talk about the need for some time alone, okay? When you get that time alone, how much is actually do you focus on resting, praying, fasting, talking to God and Jesus Christ, really calming yourself, centering yourself, being still before God? How often do we do that versus how often do we just sit on a couch in front of the TV or our phone? And really even get more spun up than we already were, more stressed out, right, if we get on social media or we're watching some form of entertainment that gets us stressed out. There's a difference between being alone and doing something that recharges us, and being alone and doing something that just drains us anyway and is really selfish, not productive. Late that night the disciples were in the boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were in serious trouble rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once, Don't be afraid, he said, Take courage, I am here. Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in. After that they crossed the lake and landed at Gennesaret. They brought the boat to shore and climbed out. The people recognized Jesus at once, and they ran throughout the whole area carrying sick people on mounts to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went, in villages, cities, or the countryside, they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed. Psalm forty one through ten. I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry, patience. We're going to come back to patience in the podcast in a little bit. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. O the joys of those who trust the Lord who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand. You don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, Look, I have come, as is written about me in the scriptures, I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart. I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know. I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart. I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. Proverbs ten, eleven and twelve. The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain. The words of the wicked can still violent intentions. Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses. Oof. Of course, I didn't bring the books over before I started recording. Second book in the series, if you get a chance, check it out. And the first book. And if you enjoy them, if you'd leave a review online somewhere, I would greatly appreciate it. And if you feel like you're getting something out of the podcast, uh if you have five or ten dollars a month you can spare, I would appreciate that. And if you can leave a review somewhere online, I would appreciate that as well. Very grateful for all your support and encouragement. March 11th, 2004, Madrid, Spain. Ten coordinated bombings struck four commuter trains during rush hour as they approached Ataca. Ataca station. The explosives were in backpacks, detonated, killing 193 people, injuring over 2,000 others, many with severe shrapnel wounds and lifelong trauma. You forget about the people that didn't die, folks, the ones that were left maimed or mentally unstable after something like this. It's the deadliest Islamic attack in Europe prior to the 2015 Paris attacks. Muslims, again, folks. And if you don't know, you ought to do a little research on what's going on in the United States if you're in America or the UK if you're over there. But uh Muslims are already starting to call in America and cities openly of late for adhering to Sharia law, things like getting rid of dogs because they view them as unclean, uh killing Jews and Christians and non-Muslims. There's no peaceful coexistence there possible, folks, with the left or with Islam. And leftism includes that whole little bucket of ism: socialism, communism, Nazism, fascism, right? These are just examples, and it's it's what's coming if they continue to gain power. George F. Brock, Medal of Honor winner for today, Carpenter's Mate, second class, interim, 1899 to 1910, USS Bennington, U.S. Navy, July 21st, 1905. San Diego Harbor on board the USS Bennington. Serving on board the USS Bennington for extraordinary heroism displayed at the time of the explosion of that vessel at San Diego, California, 21 July, 1905. Accredited to California, not awarded posthumously, born October 18, 1872, Cleveland, Ohio. Died October 12th, 1914, San Rafael, California. Buried San Francisco National Cemetery, WS 129, TAC A. Buried under the name of George F. Rock, because of a coroner's error, San Francisco, California.

unknown 16:33

Huh.

Support, Books, And Community

Madrid Bombings And Cultural Warnings

SPEAKER_00 16:35

George F. Rock. Alright, so we're gonna read a little bit from John Adams today. And this is a letter that he wrote to Mercy Otis Warren, 16 April, 1776. So right in the midst of the Revolutionary War. The form of government which you admire when its principles are pure is admirable indeed. It is productive of everything which is great and excellent among men. But its principles are as easily destroyed as human nature is corrupted. Such a government is only to be supported by pure religion or austere morals. Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics. There must be a positive passion for the public good, the public interest, honor, power, and glory established in the minds of the people, or there can be no republican government nor any real liberty. You notice there the problem for today, right? If you don't have this virtue, these morals, if you don't have this love of country, the love of the values that built the country, which in the United States are the principles of Christ, then you're not really going to have any liberty. And you see that the more people we have that degrade the flag, turn their back on the flag, kneel for the national anthem, et cetera, et cetera, the more people that don't have any love for God and Jesus Christ, who worship impostors, the less liberty we have. And this public passion must be superior to all private passions. Men must be ready, they must pride themselves and be happy to sacrifice their private pleasures, passions, and interests, nay, their private friendships and dearest connections when they stand in competition with the rights of society. Is there in the world a nation which deserves this character? There have been several, but there are no more. They are no more. Our dear Americans perhaps has as much of it as any nation now existing, and New England perhaps has more than the rest of America. But I have seen all along my life such selfishness and littleness even in New England, that I sometimes tremble to think that although we are engaged in the best cause that ever employed the human heart, yet the prospect of success is doubtful, not for one of power or of wisdom, but of virtue. The spirit of commerce, madam, which even insinuates itself into families and influences holy matrimony and thereby corrupts the moral of families, morals of families, as well as the destroys their happiness, it is much to be feared, is incompatible with that purity of heart and greatness of soul which is necessary for a happy republic. The same spirit of commerce is as rampant in New England as in any part of the world. Trade is as well understood and as passionately loved there as anywhere. Even the farmers and tradesmen are addicted to commerce. And it is too true that property is generally the standard of respect there as much as anywhere. While this is the case, there is great danger that a Republican government would be very factitious and turbulent there. Divisions and elections are much to be dreaded. Every man must seriously set himself to root out his passions, prejudices, and attachments, and to get the better of his private interest, the only reputable principle and doctrine must be that all things must give way to the public. This is a very grave and solemn discourse to a lady, true, and I thank God that his providence has made me acquainted with two ladies at least who can bear it. I think, madam, that the union of the colonies will continue and be more formally cemented. But we must move slowly. Patience, patience, patience. I am obliged to invoke thee every morning of my life, every noon, and every evening. It's also a reminder of the Bible verse telling us to pray. Right? Pray in the morning, pray in the evening, pray without ceasing. If we don't have virtue, folks, and so many of our founders talked about virtue in so many different ways, then we don't have a republic, and we can't have liberty. And the only sure foundation for virtue is the Bible, the principles of God and Jesus Christ. Everything is goes back to that. If we want liberty, we've got to have virtue in our people. And if we want virtue in our people, we've got to have the principles of God and Jesus Christ. Not only in our private lives. But also in our public lives. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.