Living Reconciled
Living Reconciled, hosted by Mission Mississippi, is a podcast dedicated to exploring reconciliation and the Gospel that enables us to live it out. Mission Mississippi has been leading the way in racial reconciliation in Mississippi for 31 years. Our model is to bring people together to build relationships across racial lines so they can work together to better their communities. Our mission is to encourage and demonstrate grace in the Body of Christ across racial lines so that communities throughout Mississippi can see practical evidence of the gospel message.
Living Reconciled
EP. 84: Beyond Racial Lines with Pastor Kyle Reno
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What happens when we step out of isolation and into real community? Pastor Kyle Reno shares how authentic relationships—first with his brother and coach, then across racial and cultural lines—transformed his life and ministry.
From the dangers of isolation to the hope of true connection, this episode offers practical wisdom on building intentional friendships that reflect the diverse family of God.
📣 Join us for the Living Reconciled Celebration on September 25 at Mississippi College’s Anderson Hall as we continue exploring what it means to live reconciled in Christ.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Nissan, St. Dominic's Hospital, Atmos Energy, Regions Foundation, Mississippi College, Anderson United Methodist Church, Grace Temple Church, Mississippi State University, Real Christian Foundation, Brown Missionary Baptist Church, Christian Life Church, Ms. Doris Powell, Mr. Robert Ward, and Ms. Ann Winters.
This is Living Reconciled, a podcast dedicated to giving our communities practical evidence of the gospel message by helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured for us by living with grace across racial lines.
Speaker 2:Hey, thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Living Reconciled. I'm your host, Brian Crawford, hanging out with my good friend, Nettie Winters. Dr Nettie Winters, how are you doing today, sir?
Speaker 3:I'm wonderful, I'm great, I'm excited about our guest man. I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 2:So am I, so am I. Before we introduce our guests to our listening audience, we want to give a quick shout out to our sponsors, folks like Nissan, st Dominic's Hospital, atlas Energy, regents Foundation, mississippi College, anderson United Methodist Church, grace Temple Church, mississippi State, real Christian Foundation, brown Missionary Baptist Christian Life Church, doris Howe, robert Moore, ann Winters. All these good folks, thank you so much for everything that you do. It's because of what you do that we're able to do what we do. If you would like to join this list of sponsors and supporters and investors in the work of reconciliation, you can do so really, really easy. Just go to missionmississippiorg Again, missionmississippiorg, get on that list to support this podcast Living Reconciled. Or if you would just like to partner in the work of Mission Mississippi, you can do so there as well.
Speaker 2:We have an incredible guest, a really good guest, and a guest that has become a really good friend, a gentleman by the name of Kyle Reno. Kyle is the pastor of Cross Gates Church in Brandon, mississippi. Kyle is a husband and a father, a ferocious preacher, passionate about the gospel, passionate about Christ and his bride, but also passionate about manhood and seeing brothers come into their own as it relates to God's vision for what a man should be, and I'm sure we'll get a chance to talk a little bit about that as well in this podcast journey. But first presenting to some, introducing to others, kyle Reno, how are you doing?
Speaker 4:brother man. Honored to be hanging out with my friends and I'm enjoying getting to know Brian and Nettie better and love the work that you guys are doing and honestly love what God's doing in the state of Mississippi. So humbled to be here on the podcast and with the listeners today.
Speaker 2:Amen, amen. Fantastic brother. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your story man? You have a scenic route to Brandon Mississippi, yeah. So why don't you take a few minutes, man, and help us navigate that journey?
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, I think one. I would just say I was thinking about this morning in line with this podcast. You know you're just one relationship away from real life change and my story short version of it, I told Brian I had lunch to talk about that some recently. You know I come from a family that put the fun in dysfunction, you know, like a lot of brokenness. And one thing I appreciate about my family is they never faked faith. So I grew up in rural Alabama. So I grew up in rural Alabama. I grew up country poor and I was never in church with my family my whole life. That's true. Even to date I've never been in a worship service with my father and a lot of people were. There was a lot of Christianese and people that were around the things, but I never had that experience as a child and so one. There was a lot of brokenness, but at least my family never faked it, you know, or even acted like it was a part of our life. So it wasn't until my senior year that my younger brother came to Saving Fates and Christ. He went to a camp with some people because he wanted to hang out with some girls, as he'd say. He's eighth grade I was a senior. He called back home and said to my dad on the phone and our family was going through a lot right then my dad was leaving and there was a lot of brokenness in it. He called back home to say he was born again and we didn't have language around that. And then a couple of nights later he called back and told my mom that he had surrendered to preach the gospel. So I'm a senior with an eighth grade brother and he went from nowhere on spiritual zero to saved by Christ, to surrendering to preach and is a pastor even now at 40 something years old. So he came home, came after his senior brother. My dad fled in that season of our life and our relationship, by the way, I want to say, is restored now in awesome ways and God's done so much in him but in that season it was really bad. So he left my brother's barging through the doors sharing the gospel with his older brother and I'd run him out and, man, I was trying to find life in a lot of things relationships, athletics, and then that went to alcohol and drugs and my high school baseball coach, my senior year, sat us down and said, hey, things are going to be different this year because I have surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and so I had my brother. Then I had my superhero coach. That was a pro baseball guy, 10 plus years, and I'm his catcher and he's in many ways he was already fathering me and now I'm watching the gospel change his life. And he came after me, came after me, and so I believe this A lot of us, brian, we talk about manhood For me, when I saw a man on fire for the Lord, it captured me.
Speaker 4:It captured me because I watched transformation, life change. It captured me because I watched transformation, life change. He was a cussing, cooler, breaking coach. You know that's now been changed by Jesus Christ, and so it didn't mean he stopped breaking coolers, it just means he had to repent after he did and and confess his need for Christ still. And so, man, man, it changed me. So by the fall of my freshman year, man, it changed me.
Speaker 4:So by the fall of my freshman year, I'm GA and coaching with them and made a bunch of bad decisions. Man, I walked into a presence of God, saturated worship service with that coach out of love for him, not because I wanted to go to church, because he'd invited me a thousand times and I finally went in and I sat and, man, we know this. It's one thing to be around the language of Christ and people talking about him. It's another thing to be sitting in a room in a moment where God is making himself known and you're seeing people that are alive in Christ. And when I sat under the gospel that fall of my freshman year and heard it and then I saw men that were fully alive, it awakened something in me.
Speaker 4:Seven days I wrestled. My sinfulness came back the next week. I beat that coach to the worship service. He found me on his pew and he thought what are you doing? He literally said what are you doing? I said well, I thought you could come back. So by the end of that service I crumbled, dude at an altar and nobody had to lead me through a prayer. I didn't know none of that stuff anyway, but I just said here's my life. I need your life, jesus. And I was born again. And so the thing that I say and I'll shut up is you're one relationship away from real life change. My brother was impacted, my coach was impacted by Christ, and then they came after me. And then, out of that Sunday when I was born again. That next Thursday, four days later, I was meeting at Shawnee's at 6 am with that coach and a staff member and they started discipling me, brought me a New Living Translation Bible, slid it across the table to me my first.
Speaker 1:Bible.
Speaker 4:And they said let's get in this. And so two years later, bro, I'm more alive than I could have ever imagined and surrendering to ministry, you know, and saying, here it is. And so I sort of started my journey. So I'd say to any of our listeners you know, I hear and I try to encourage people all the time You're that relationship If you're a follower of Christ. You're that relationship for somebody else, for real life change, that Jesus decided that the gospel gets to people, through people, and that we get to be a part of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, talk to us about how you got here, man. Yeah, and here being Mississippi, right, brandon Brandon, where Crossgates Church happens to reside. Yeah, like I said, you're telling us you're an Alabama boy. Yeah, that's right. Somehow you made your way here. Talk to us a little bit about that I did.
Speaker 4:The abbreviated version of that is the pastor for 17 years here preceding me is David Jett, and when I came to Christ in Gardendale, alabama, he was the associate pastor at that church and he was one of the first spiritual fathers that I had in my life. I can close my eyes and picture a scene, because when I came to Christ, there was a group in my age demographic that was catching fire for the Lord and we were hungry and man, we'd go anywhere to hear more, learn more, learn how to live this thing out. And one of those vivid memories I have is David Jett, who's a pastor at Crossgates for 17 years, before me, sitting in a chair in the corner of a living room and a bunch of youngins sitting at his feet, basically, and just asking questions like hey man, how do you really pray? Hey, dude, what's this fasting thing? Like, yeah, explain to me the Old Testament man. Yeah, I need some help, you know. And he just became, in a new covenant way, a rabbi for a lot of us and a spiritual father.
Speaker 4:Fast forward, two years later, two and a half years later, he's hiring me on staff at Gardinale First Baptist to be a college pastor, and so my relationship with him is a big part of why I'm here in Brandon Fast forward. Years later had the privilege. Katie and I my wife planted church Conway, arkansas. 10 plus years see a move of God in central Arkansas turns into multiple churches and we got to ride a great ride. Bought five acres. Brian and Nettie are going to build a house. Give me a plot to bury myself in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, brian, at every intention.
Speaker 4:And then the Lord gave us a word Toward the end of that. We'd been able to appoint four lead pastors at the churches there in central Arkansas. My role had changed to more directional oversight, preaching it to the primary locations. And then Joshua 22, when really, joshua looks at the three tribes that had promised Moses that they would help establish Israel on the other side of the Jordan if Moses would allow them to come back to this side and establish themselves, and Moses said, yeah, if you'll fulfill that and help us establish on the other side of Jordan, you can come back here. Well, joshua 22 is the moment where Joshua says to those tribes hey, you did everything you said you was going to do. I want you to come, I want you to feel the freedom to go back home and to see what God's done on this side of the Jordan, on that side of the Jordan.
Speaker 4:So what I've skipped out here is I had the privilege of serving five years, from 2008 to 13, as David Jett's associate pastor at Crossgates, before we left to go plant a church in Conway, arkansas, and so it never crossed my mind until that moment, in the Word, that God had released us. We'd done everything we were supposed to do in Arkansas and that the Lord was calling us to Mississippi, everything east of the Jordan, everything east of Mississippi. And what the Lord put in my spirit then was to believe for a move of God across the state of Mississippi. That's marked by many things Men, lives being changed by a prayer movement in the state and to just be a help, just be a part, just be a part of what God is wanting to do in the state of Mississippi. So I got that word from the Lord, sat on it, told my wife about it and she said well, if that's the Lord, you know we'll do it, but I don't want you to say anything about it. And then that was in April.
Speaker 4:In July, a few months after that, david Jett calls me, not knowing about that conversation, and says hey, I think I fulfilled my role here. I think that I was. I think his word for him is he felt like he was like King David, he had done the part to war on behalf of this church and that the Lord was going to bring me to be a part of building. And that's been true. So we've been here this next January It'll be three years had a one year transition here where I got to honor a spiritual hero, which was awesome, to honor him and to walk with him. He still serves on our staff as a teaching pastor and ministers to people every day. And then he handed it off to me and, man, we've been watching the Lord do some really cool stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's fantastic man, that's fantastic. You know, kyle man, you have always, ever since I met you, and we've known each other look, man getting close to a year I think now where we've kind of formally been kind of connecting and building. But one of the things that's always struck me about you is that you are a bridger, you know you're a connector, you have the ability to just kind of bring different pieces and voices together. Really curious, man. Is that something that the Lord crafted in you later in life? Is that something that the Lord kind of used your story to, kind of building you and cultivating you? Because you know some of those things are nurturing, bringing salvation. We don't know what God is doing and then we come back 20 years later it's like, oh okay, now I see why God put me in those situations.
Speaker 4:You know how would you speak to that as it relates to what God was doing in your life regarding that, yeah, yeah, I think the Lord doesn't waste one part of our story, right, yeah, yeah, I think the Lord doesn't waste one part of our story, right, yeah, he redeems it, even the bad parts, the broken parts. And so I mentioned, you know, that I grew up, I would say, country poor in Alabama. A part of that and, brian, when you talked about this, you know I went to Johnson Elementary School from kindergarten to sixth grade, where I was one of two white guys in my class, and so all my friends were black men, black young men, and what that did for me, I think, and honestly, as broken as my family was in the different parts of it, I think one of the greatest things God gave me is I lived on the other side of the tracks for a while and what that did with me is made me very comfortable relationally with people that look different than I do and by God's grace, that has served in kingdom ways that I'm very, very grateful for. So I gravitate toward those relationships. You know I want to foster those relationships for the sake of my kids that are growing up different than I did. You know that they would see the kingdom of God as it is presented in Scripture, displayed through the way their dad lives, relationally, you know, through the way that I lead, lord willing, intentionally. So I think part of that is, you know, by God's grace I'm just, I'm comfortable in that space because I grew up, I was foundational years of my life, you know, I got to have those relationships that makes it natural for me to walk into.
Speaker 4:And then the other thing, man. I think that shaped early when I came to know Christ. It was like I came to know Christ and somebody gave me a passport and that's a great compliment to the church I came to know Christ in because they were sending people like crazy and I was young and full of zeal and was all in and I was that guy. So before I'm on ministry they're letting me lead mission trips and I'm like a year and a half in the faith which I'm like man thinking about now is like I would never let anybody do that, you know, ever. But we were living on the edge of mission, so much so that I mean, in those first 10 years of my faith I filled a passport up. I was going everywhere, going anywhere, and what it did is it got me above, honestly, above any contextual part and saw the kingdom as it pertains to every nation, tribe and tongue and it built something in my heart and I hope to see God nurturing the heart of our church in the heart of our city and state that the Lord Jesus has got a big thing going on, a big thing and it transcends all those lines that we build and he's building a family. He's building a family and I just want to be a part of that.
Speaker 4:So I think some of those things, god in his grace, sovereign grace, let me experience young in life. That would help, but then also young in faith. That helped shape mindset. And now, like you saw, I mean we got to lean into. Now we're leaning into moments like with Better man, what we've used before, saying like man. We're going to be very intentional around diversity, very, very intentional in bridging those denominationally, racially, all the stuff we get lost in saying no, no, no, no, no, no. We're going to let mission drive us, mission drive us and we're going to let any of those things distract us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, you know, kyle, people use that word mission a lot and I'm not sure Sometimes it's in context of what it really means biblically as it relates to mission. But you talked about this diversity, you talked about racially denominated, politically otherwise being diverse in the kingdom. This intentionality on your part to cross those lines, to approach those lines, as you say, fit into that kingdom mission as it looks toward the biblical perspective of missions.
Speaker 4:Yeah right, yeah, I think, nettie, and you know y'all live this. I mean, you have strived and been an example of it, so I want to honor you for that and the way that you've done that here and just your reputation for the kingdom. But relationships drive what we do Right, and so I think you can't mean in a lot of times, unfortunately, the church gets lost in mission statements and vision clarity. You know, and, like man, we can put it, we can put it on a website, you know, and we can put it like I don't know any church or many, let's just go even organization that that's worse at salt, probably that doesn't have, you know, some clarity around statements. You know some clarity around statements.
Speaker 4:But the question I have, and what drives me, is going like what ways are we fostering relationships to actually help us fulfill that mission? To actually fulfill that mission, how are we being intentional? For us, a vision statement, a simple vision statement for our church, is helping people find hope. We want to be a church that helps people find hope. Oh, that's great. I mean, you put that on a tag, looks good on a shirt, you know, like all that. But how are we helping our people, our people that are part of this faith family, identify those in their life that need hope, you know, and how are we helping them engage across that in that workspace, school system, family dynamic, build the relationships so that the mission of the kingdom can get to that person to see their life change. So that's on a micro level in light of our church, individual people. We'll take that on a region, jackson Metro. You know, like part of that, that, when we leaned in saying like, hey, we want to see God move in the hearts of men in Jackson Metro area, well, what the Lord put in our heart from the front, from the very beginning, is one one. This is in God's heart. So we ain't got to question that. Like we know that God, god wants men to win and when men, when men win, everything else gets changed.
Speaker 4:But if we want to do that in a way that really impacts the heart of a city region, then I got to build some relationships with pastors that are different than I am I got to go sit down with. I got to go sit down and have lunches, coffees, spend time, you know, and to the point that they know I don't want from you, I want for you, I want for the kingdom, you know, and man, listen, y'all have been around this long enough. You know when someone shows up and they want from you, know, like you know. But what I would pray is, in a kingdom movement to fulfill the mission, is we show up and be like man. We want for the kingdom, we want to experience this together, like I want you to feel the wind of seeing the kingdom advancement in your church and I want to cheerlead that. I want to be.
Speaker 4:I don't want, you know, a statement that the Lord has put in my seared, in my heart, is that I don't want to be known, I do want to be used and I think in our culture today, everybody wants to be used. You know, and I think in our culture today, everybody wants to be known, everybody wants to be known. That's what social media feeds, that frenzy, you know, and we want to be on man's radar, you know, and what God's saying is like no, just be on mine, just be in the center of what I'm doing and bring people along with you, and God will use, will use that. And so I felt like we were seeing, you know, in our region. You know that God is bringing us together around mission, but it takes strong relationship.
Speaker 2:It takes, it takes trust over time. Yeah, you know, kyle man, that there's a. You mentioned how culture is kind of pushing against the current, so to speak, of relationship and kind of, in some ways, warping what it to be deeply known.
Speaker 2:Right, we trade in, we trade in attention, we trade we, we, or we trade in to be deeply known, for attention, for platform you know, for quote unquote influence as it, as it relates to social media influence, right, we trade, we trade in to be deeply known for all of that. In other words, we're trading in relationship and and even as you, and even as you, and even as you, you know, as you're describing what you're encouraging your church towards, the one thing that I'm struck by is the culture runs counter to this. Also, as it relates to pace, right, it's like everybody is in such a rush trying to build their own kingdoms, trying to, you know, build their, you know, build and enhance their portfolios and things of that nature, which obviously nothing wrong with, you know, stewarding that which God has given us, but there is such an insatiable appetite for it, right, and that keeps us moving. At this pace, this breakneck pace, it makes it hard to do the very thing that God is telling us to do, which is to know one another deeply and to be deeply known by others. That leads to this kind of cultivation of relationships across all these different lines.
Speaker 2:You know, what counsel would you give to church members? Because let me go back because some of these relationships, we feel like we are naturally gifted Nettie's naturally gifted to interact with anybody that he walks in a room with right. You're naturally gifted to interact with anybody that you walk in the door with, but there's a lot of people that are in the hustle and bustle that don't feel this natural gifting, and yet God is still calling them to these relationships across lives. What kind of counsel would you give to that?
Speaker 4:group, that specific group, yeah, yeah, I think one is to come to a right biblical belief around our need for relationship. That's not a personality type. I think you're exactly right.
Speaker 4:You know a lot of people think Nettie is a winsome person. You know, I don't get uncomfortable in a room either. You know like I walk in and I can sit at a table with strangers and by the end of the lunch, you know, know them and be comfortable in that conversation, right? Well, not everybody is natural with that and that's OK, right. When you don't, you don't have to fake it or you don't have to try to be somebody else. But to realize is that you need the presence of people and people need your presence, you know. And so what you what? Every person.
Speaker 4:Take a church member we say this here. Some of our language around that is that we want to make sure that every person that's a part of our church finds their group of people each season of life. So we want you, we want to help find your people, and sometimes that might mean that you're the quiet person in the group for a while. That's okay. Just know who your group is, find your people, find your expression of God's family in a contextual way, in a way that you could say, hey, I'm going to lean into that. And here's the truth. Like I always say, friendships don't happen in a microwave, right, like true, genuine friendship. Slow cooking man.
Speaker 2:It's slow cooking. Yeah, it's slow cooking.
Speaker 4:And church leadership books will hate this what I'm about to say, but we know it's true. Just because you get in a life group, a small group, a Sunday school class or whatever kind of way you do your group structure which I value, all of them doesn't mean you're going to form and foster deep, abiding relationships, does not mean that right. No, what I think is it helps set the table. What it does is it gets you around people that you can be intentional beyond that moment. You can be intentional in it. But then beyond it, like be intentional in that moment, like get to know people a little bit better. Man, circle around scripture man, learn how to pray together, share, be intentional in that moment. Like get to know people a little bit better. Man, Circle around scripture man, learn how to pray together, share some things, grow accountable.
Speaker 4:But that relationship that you need most is going to take time and the best way to get that kind of friendship, spiritual friendship, is to be that kind of friend. Yeah, that's the best way. I've often counseled with people that show up and they're saying I need those friendships in my life, which is awesome, glad you acknowledge that. But what they want is just to get that friendship. But what they have to make sure is I'm going to give that kind of friendship. I'm going to give that kind of friendship. I'm going to give that kind of relationship If you'll show up to be that kind of brother, that kind of sister. Here's a promise.
Speaker 1:If you, sow that you'll reap it, that's the principle of the kingdom.
Speaker 4:If you show up to say I'm going to be the friend this person needs right now, I'm going to be that. Even if that's just, I'm going to stand beside them in the storm. I ain't going to say a whole lot, I'm going to pray when it's needed, but I'm going to be present and if you'll give those kind of relationships, you'll be that kind of person. You'll look up I don't care what your personality type is, you'll look up, steadfast over time, up. I don't care what your personality type is, you'll look up, steadfast over time. You'll look up and you'll have those kind of friendships. You know, and we do this in the Christian world we make that, we make it an impossible thing to accomplish because we set some idealistic things like man, if you'll get in here, you'll get that relationship. Well, no, you got to work at it. It's going to take time and you got to be that yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's interesting that you talked about that principle of the kingdom, because Luke 638, given it shall be given unto you. Good measure, pressed out, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap for what the measure you use it. For what the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And people often hear that passage and they're thinking about all sorts of things, they're thinking about finances, they're thinking about money. The context of that passage is relationships. Right, it starts judge not and you won't be judged. Condemn not and you won't be condemned. Forgive and you'll be forgiven. Yeah, and it will, will be given.
Speaker 2:It is a relational concept. That's really at the now. Obviously you can, you know, it's a principle that you probably can expand to other things, but at its root it is relational Giving that which you desire to receive back. And so, like you said, friendships have to be given, and the intentionality, the time spent and even like the ideal of, like you said, there are some people that are naturally gifted to walk in a room and just light it up, right, but I like to think about relationships in terms of relational capacity. In other words, that's like the God-given container that God has given me to do relationships.
Speaker 2:But then there's also relational competency and relational fluency, and I feel like that's discipleship, right. Learning how to be a friend right. So I might be an introvert, but it doesn't mean that I have to be a poor friend and I can be an introvert that learns how to not just be a good friend but learns how to be a good friend to a diversity of people. Right To learn how to cross lives with intentionality and connect, even in my introversion. Right. And so oftentimes I fear that we allow those personality types to push us further and further away from what I feel like is ultimately kingdom mandate, which is to be family right and to be connected in some form or some fashion to the larger body of Christ that he's grafted us into.
Speaker 3:You know, Brian and Kyle, you know God put the DNA of relationships in us from the very beginning, and so there's no question in my mind that when God designed us, he had relationship in mind, First of all with ourselves and with him and with others. The challenge is during the evangelism and the discipleship, which I don't think the church has done a very good job in. But when you're talking about that, how do you capture or cultivate that relational DNA that's in you? I think that's that's the question for me, and I'll let you guys rattle with that she said the answer oh, wise one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right, right, you can share the answer, jesus.
Speaker 3:Jesus is the answer, man you know he is amen you know the little boy sitting in class and the teacher says what is brown and clam trees eat nuts and do all that. And little Johnny says it sounds like a squirrel, but I know the right answer is Jesus. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Well it is, it's the life change you know, nettie. I mean once you've been changed by Christ, you know, and the gospel gets to you. The good news got to me. I'm studying right now and preach Ephesians 2. You know?
Speaker 1:we're walking through.
Speaker 4:Ephesians, and I'm thinking, you know, we all got the same problem. We were dead in our trespasses. Dead in trespasses, it's sins man. We were not adversely affected or just stunned in our sinfulness, you know we sin, because we are sinners, we're broken, you know, and we can't make our way out of that. And what the good news of Christ is is he's come for all people, you know, to make us alive and to make us one, and it continues on, you know, in Ephesians 2, to make us family, to make us family.
Speaker 4:You know, and I think what you said, if you could lift your head enough to see that Jesus is adopting a family that looks like every nation, tribe and tongue, every people group, from every background, and our desire in fulfilling the mission of God is to see the fullest expression of that family here and now, here and now, and to live in that kind of relationship now, which will be true, a picture of what will be true ultimately in heaven forever. But that takes time, it takes intentionality, it takes focus, man, it takes heart change, it takes transform to the renewing of our mind. You know, it takes the cleansing, washing my mind with the water of the word so that I see things the way God sees things, I hear things the way God hears this, I feel what God feels around this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Such a good conversation. I'm often, you know, I'm really really really thinking a lot about how, the many different ways in which the heart is being tugged at, Sometimes we're aware and sometimes we're not aware. Like I mentioned to you, to you guys, that pursuit for more right, the pursuit to be for attention, the platforming, you know, pace of life, phones, you know I've been reading this really really good book that's talking about just how technology in and of itself has been an alienator, whether we understand it or not. You know music, for example.
Speaker 2:Music used to be a communal experience and then, in the late 70s, Sony came up with this game changing device called the Walkman, where now you listen to music in your headphones by yourself. Now you listen to music in your headphones by yourself, and then eventually it went from the Walkman to streaming, where it's like now we don't even have a common album that we listen to together. You got a million different songs over there that you listen to. I got a million different songs over here that I'm listening to, and so when we come together for community, we're not really even comparing notes like we used to, or there used to be like a.
Speaker 2:It went from not having a TV in the home right to having a family TV in the home where we all had the same five channels and we all watched the same shows and we create a community. And then it went from that to now we're all looking at this little tiny stream that has been customized to basically meet my demand, right, and so we don't have it. And so there's an unraveling of community even in that, without us recognizing it, because we don't share as many communal experiences. Even your game system, Kyle. We used to have Nintendo 16-bit and Super Nintendo and all of that, except it wasn't online.
Speaker 2:It was like, hey, this is an embodied experience where you got friends that you bring over and you guys play the game and all that kind of stuff. And so there's so many ways in which we're changing, but we're not adjusting for that change to in the midst of it. Right, welcome the change and say, okay, great, great technological advancements, that's awesome. But how do I preserve connection in this? We're not asking that question, we're just adopting these things. So, okay, great, you know pace of life, we're getting quicker, we're getting faster, you know we're commuting more. Okay, great, got it. Understand, that's changed. That's life.
Speaker 2:But how am I preserving connection in the midst of that change? Because God desires that I remain connected to him and I remain connected to his people, right? So what am I doing to preserve that? And that is what I find to be the challenge of the day, kyle, because I think it's just happening to us. I don't even think we realize that it's happening to us, if that makes sense. But am I just phrasing and thinking that I'm here having a counseling session with my brother now, but talk to me about that.
Speaker 2:I mean, is that something that resonates at all?
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, I mean, I'm looking at future generations and one, I'm raising them, but two, we're trying to reach them, you and me both. Yeah, trying to reach them in our church and our community and in some ways I'm not making a blanket statement, but the deck is stacked against them relationally, you know, like everything is isolating, everything is individualistic. You know, yeah, I mean, that comes from sports, like one of the things I love sports, but that we've lost team in a way, that's that's startling, startling. You know, like I I have a vivid image.
Speaker 4:I helped coach one of my son's little sixth grade football teams and last year, first touchdown of the year, you know, and we score a touchdown. And I watched, we had film of this the guy who scored runs into the corner in the end zone and then the other 10 players all walk away by themselves and no one celebrated that. We just scored a touchdown. Yeah, let me tell you why. And then I watched it was a manifestation of what's true. Because in their mind, he scored not, we scored yeah, and because everything, every stat thing they have is about individual stuff. Every, all, all this it's about you, it's about you and that's what all your preferences, all you're saying like, hey you, that they build whole algorithms on how to capture and keep your attention.
Speaker 4:You know yes yeah, so, yes, so yeah. I mean I think it's. And here's the thing, man, the guy mentored me, david Jett, that preceded me here one of the best statements he ever made. He says the enemy always isolates to assassinate. He always isolates to assassinate If you find yourself alone. If you find yourself alone in life, one no, you're not truly alone.
Speaker 4:One no, no, no, no, no one. Obviously God's there, won't you, but also the enemy's got a plan. He got you out there by yourself because you'll believe a lot of things by yourself. You shouldn't believe You'll do a lot of things. You shouldn't do Like that. Nobody slips and falls in one moment into moral failure. There's a slow, steady isolating like that.
Speaker 4:I was about to say isolation, yeah, isolation, isolation, yeah. You get out there and you're the master of your own soul. Yes, and you don't want that. You don't want that. You need some others in the boat with you that are looking at you and going, hey, brother, we're going the wrong way, your heart's trending toward the wrong things. I feel you might be deceived. I got a group of guys, brian, I meet with Tuesday mornings. You know that are my guys and my caveat is, when I show up there, I'm not Pastor, I'm Kyle, you know, because I need someone in weekly ways that looks at me and go, hey, are you really okay? Like, hey, I'm just, I'm reading you and you, if you, when you really get to know people over time, I can look and go man, I listen to something's wrong.
Speaker 1:Like something's off.
Speaker 4:Something, but you got to show up to get that. Yeah, like you got to show up, you got to be that to get that, and so you got to give. You got to give, so we'll be giving back to you Got to so I would say I encourage any of our listeners if you're alone in this season of life, you're in a dangerous place. You're in a dangerous place. So be brave, be courageous. Maybe you've been burned by those relationships before.
Speaker 4:Well, welcome to the party, Welcome to the human experience you know absolutely man yeah so, but don't give up on it, don't give up on, don't give up on what God intended and designed like. You need it. You need, you desperately need relationships, so go be that yeah yeah, yeah, man.
Speaker 2:I tell people often that join my church, that the Lord has allowed me the privilege to pastor, but I tell people often that you're looking for a perfect church man, just stop the membership process right now, because, because eventually, eventually, at some point in the life of this church, I'm I'm probably going to punch you in the teeth, and it's not going to be because I want it to right. I'm going to say something. I'm going to say something that may be hurtful, but I promise, man, that I'm not setting out to be hurtful.
Speaker 2:I'm not. I'm not waking up today saying, hey, how can I hurt the members of my church? But I'm going to probably say something that you didn't agree with. So I'm probably going to walk by on a day and maybe my posture, my countenance, communicates that I'm not welcoming or I don't want to talk to you.
Speaker 2:There's going to be something where you're like, hey, man, I felt a little hurt by the way pastor approached me today, or by the way he didn't approach me, or he ignored me, or he did. So, he that. And I say that to just set the table, man, Listen, man, I'm human and you're going to be surrounded by humans in this church. Yeah, that's right. And so don't allow, don't let your whole you know ideal of relationships and what God is calling you to hang on whether or not all of us can live and adopt perfect postures toward one another, because that's not how this works, Right and so. And so to your point don't quit. Don't quit on relationships. There are obviously some people that do intentionally set out to hurt people and they wound us greatly when they do. But, man, God has a million other opportunities for us. That's made available. Where people are, they'll be life changing. They'll feed you life if you remain open and available for God to minister to you through relationships.
Speaker 2:I mean, there's a reason why he said that it's not good. It's not good that man's alone. It's not good. We were created, like Nettie said, it's in our DNA to be relatable and connect. So, Kyle, man, it's been an incredible time, man. We could talk to you for hours. I know I could talk to you for hours. I know I could talk to you for hours and give us one thing as you think about, you know just what God is doing in Crossgates as what God is doing in branding, what God is doing in your home, in your life. Give us one thing, man, that's just lighting the spark in you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, here's what's in my spirit. I'll put it that way. I think that something is happening right now that started long before us. I think that men, I'll say again, I think men like Nettie, men like David Jett preceding men like that, I think, men, I'll say again, I think men like Neddy, men like David Jett preceding men like that, I think that there's been prayers that have stacked up in heaven for our country, for our state, that the Lord has heard and that he is moving. And there's a moment that's happening right now that you can miss. You can miss Because, obviously, the enemy loves headlines and so if you go turn down, I don't care what your news choice is.
Speaker 4:The enemy is promoting his garbage on every part of that. But here's the other side. But the Lord Jesus is changing lives right now. There is a move of that. But here's the other side. But the Lord Jesus is changing lives right now. There is a move of God that is percolating, it's moving, and so I would encourage all of us to believe big right now. Believe big, believe big in your church man, believe big in your church man, believe big in your city, believe big on behalf of what God's doing in our nation right now, and I'm talking about what he's doing in the, in the lives of the next generation of followers of Christ, the amount of people that are coming to know Christ. You know, I have the privilege of Sitting on the board for better man and knowing some of the stories that, man, there are right now.
Speaker 4:Right now, there are thousands of groups of men that are meeting across the United States that's just using these resources. Well, that was not so, that was not so years ago. Like, and that's just one, that's just one thing that's happening, man, you go back to, uh, nadine, don't remember the promise keepers kind of uh of days and things that was happening in the lives of men. Like, things are percolating right now. I know I know big civic centers that are getting rented for 26 and 27, you know to for conferences to be held to rally men across denominations, across races, across, to really lift up Jesus and see what it means to be God's man. You know. So I mean, as I know, I know a guy that tracks prayer movements and the amount of different prayer rallies and things, and more of those are happening right now than have happened in years past. And so what I think is I really believe we may be, may be in the beginning waves of a real move of God. A real move of God Now, regardless if that ends up true and being nationally in scope and sequence and all those kind of things, we should believe for right where we are.
Speaker 4:We should believe for it in our churches, in our cities. And my heart is Lord, I pray you. Send it global awakening, national revival awakening. But if not, man, bring it to Mississippi. Bring it to Mississippi, lord, let it be a catalyst for that. And that's not just talk, that's tangible. You could go and see that as things are happening in an uncommon momentum right now. So believe big is what I would encourage folks.
Speaker 2:Amen, amen, let it be, let it be Lord, let it be Amen, amen. Brother, it's been great to have you, man. Thanks so much for joining us. How can people keep up with Kyle, reno and Crossgates Church?
Speaker 4:Yeah, crossgatesorg. I'm not cool so I'm not on any social media. That's not because that's some spiritual statement, it's because I'd get too easily distracted. So I'd say go to Crossgates. You know, you can find things like that from preaching what God's doing in his church. And then I do serve with Better man and so I have stuff that's there If you go to bettermancom that you can find any of those resources as well.
Speaker 2:Fantastic man, fantastic, and we are incredibly grateful for our brother, kyle Reno, joining us on this podcast. Feel free to like, share and subscribe. If you're a social media person, that's for sure. If you're like Kyle, if you're like Kyle and you're not just spread it by word of mouth, this podcast.
Speaker 4:I do podcasts. Now I do podcasts. Good deal, good deal.
Speaker 2:Or you can search on any podcast app and you can find us Living Reconciled. And then also, we want to extend a personal invitation to you. September, the 25th, at Mississippi College, anderson Hall, we are hosting our Living Reconciled celebration. It's going to be a family style banquet, which means that the tables will be a little bigger and there'll be a little bit more food passed around the table, with the goal to establish and create a space for connection and seeing one another.
Speaker 2:Heard on this podcast today, one of the great challenges of our day is that, because of all these things that we talked about technology and pace and pursuits we don't see one another, and so we would like to create a space where that begins, that changes, where we begin to see one another deeply, and so there'll be dialogue, music, there'll be conversations, there'll be great food. It's all around the attempt to create space to see one another. So join us September 25th at Mississippi College, anderson Hall. You can go to missionmississippiorg to register for tickets. We would love to have you join us that evening. Again, it's been great to have our brother, kyle Reno. This is Brian Crawford, nanny Winters, signing off saying God bless, god bless.
Speaker 1:Amen. Thanks for joining Living Reconciled. If you would like more information on how you can be a part of the ongoing work of helping Christians learn how to live in the reconciliation that Jesus has already secured, please visit us online at missionmississippiorg or call us at 601-353-6477. Thanks again for listening.
