Nobody Special

Falcon and the Winter Soldier have been hunting terrorists on Disney Plus. The biggest issue they have faced is the newest Captain America. Captain Fauxmerica? John Walker, the man selected to take up the mantle of cap, wrestles with his own demons, ultimately needing to decide whether he forfeits his soul for the sake of his own name. The Christian’s call is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Many people say this phrase, but do we actually know what it means. On this week’s episode, Danny and Caleb talk about denying ourselves and how we can actually do that as Christians. Check out this Marvel filled episode. Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is go

Fast and the Furious prided itself on the crew being a family. Then they just, in our opinion, made weird movies. Now they are going into space. Okay. Sure. We talk about encouragement and relationships. Christians need to encouragement one another in all of our relationships. Whether it be a mentor, a peer, or a mentee, everyone needs to encourage one another at some point. Just as Paul did in all of his letters to the churches, there is a longing to be with others in the body of Christ and encourage one another according to the Gospel. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also

Danny got a new dog and has to train and discipline the dog. Is this a form of how God treats us? Possibly. Is Danny’s dog coping with being an animal that has to obey commands now? Most likely. Is Danny tired by disciplining a dog at all hours of the morning? Absolutely. Discipline from God’s perspective is not something meant to keep us down, strip us of our divinity or condemn us. It comes from the same place as a Father who loves his children disciplines them out of love. For the Christian, we must willingly accept the love of God that comes in the form of discipline. Furthermore, this differs from condemnation which tells us we are worthless whereas discipline simply seeks to make us more like our Heavenly Father. “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son

Lil Nas X put out a limited edition shoe with demonic themes and overtones, to celebrate the release of his new song and music video where he dances inappropriately on the devil before becoming him. Sigh. That’s a sentence I never thought I would type. So let’s talk about it I guess. Caleb and Danny talk about how the Christian should respond to the increase in cultural darkness that seems to be becoming more and more prominent. Rather than simply just calling a thing sinful and dark, we must be graceful in our approach. And rather than just being silent, we must actually be willing to engage and call out darkness for what it is while seeking to bring people into the light. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ wil

Zack Snyder put out a four hour cut of the Justice League movie as he intended it to be. The world stood by as the superheroes stood up to save the world. Everyone looked to the super powered and the elite to save them from the impending doom of the end of the world. The church, though, functions in a different manner. Each one of us is called to serve the body of Christ, impact the ministry field of our community, and glorify God with every part of our identity and being. We all have been given gifts and and identity for the purpose of God in our every day life and we will never find fulfillment and joy until that purpose is complete. “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, to

A ton happened this past week, additional Dead Sea scrolls were found with ancient manuscripts of biblical texts, Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiered, Caleb admitted to not finishing The Mandalorian. But we take this time to talk about twitter feud between Candace Owens and rapper Cardi B for her performance at the Grammy. Nasty. Then we look at how a Christian can be more discerning with what they put their attention on. We are new creations in Jesus Christ and the old person is dead. Yet, many of us continue to live as if the dead person still has life. For the Christian, a redeemed life should reflect the glory of God and our lives should be changed as we allow God to be Lord and King over all aspects of our life. If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is you

Burger King makes a sexist tweet and the internet loses their mind. We ask the hard questions of “Do people start culinary careers at Burger King?” Then we talk about a question from our listener on whether atheists doing good things is good. Matthew H. writes in with a question whether God views the good deeds of non-believers. While the acts might be good does the heart behind the person doing the actions impact the way God views the good works of man. This multifaceted question actually breaks down two different questions about non-believers doing good things and non-believers being good. “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show th

Dr. Seuss books have been taken down. But is this a Christian's time to frown? Or should we simply not dismay, because Jesus Christ has won the day? We should glorify God wherever we are. We should praise His name in a car. Praise Him near. Praise Him far. We should praise Him all the church and do not let our anger lurch. Yeah, we are talking about censorship this episode and how we should continue to glorify God in whatever avenue we have so that people might know the real and true Lord through our interactions with them. Even if everything is censored, taken down, and Christians are persecuted, we should still praise Him. “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.” (Isaiah 62:1-2, ESV)We want to hear from you! How can you continu

Daft Punk recently broke up as a group although the friendship lives on. For them it was never about their own personality but about calling attention to something greater than themselves. The way we pray should reflect the same glory for something greater, but for us means so much more. Prayer, for the Christian is the act of pouring out of our heart before God. Yet, often times, our temptation is to make it a spectacle by making it about us rather than giving glory of God. While this can be difficult to determine the heart behind a person’s prayer, we must be check our own heart to ensure that we are submitting to God as our King and approaching Him as our Father. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who se

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries recently put out a report detailing the allegations of sexual misconduct, abuse, and impropriety against founder Ravi Zacharias. Caleb and Danny talk about how we respond to this news and how we can decrease so that God might increase.With the news of Christian Pastor and Teacher Ravi Zacharias, Danny and Caleb deal with the the news that someone we looked up to lead an entirely different life than what we originally expected. It seems as though, at some point, the organization became more about protecting the reputation of its founder rather than proclaiming the Gospel. We talk about what it means to allow ourselves to become nothing in order that Christ could become glorified through everything we do. We see this first in the struggle of John the Baptist and supposed competition with Jesus’ ministry. Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jo

Gina Carano has been fired from Disney+ and future projects. Many Christians are looking to cancel Disney+ is response to her needless firing. But does Canceling something to protect Cancel culture work? Based on social media postings, Gina Carano has been targeting by social media campaigns to see her fired and removed from her job. In response, many have sought to retaliate against Disney+ by canceling their subscription. On this week’s episode, we look at a Christian’s response in facing persecution and turning the cheek to those who inconvenience or trouble us.“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” (Matthew

Positivity Youtubers seem to be overly cringe. But they also miss out on the joy of finding God in the sorrow. Join Danny and Caleb as we talk about “just be happy” and finding God in the middle of times that aren’t so positive and being with the family of God. Many people have often said “Just think happy thoughts and it will make your life happy.” Yet, for many people this just doesn’t seem to work. On this episode, we respond to the common idea that positive Youtubers and social media accounts bring of just being positive and life will be better. Jesus promises difficult times when we choose to follow Him, but has also promised that He has already overcome the struggles and trials. Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But

Stocks, according to Danny, operate in mystery and are basically gambling. Danny and Caleb take the recent events with Reddit and Robinhood to talk about how a Christian should best handle their finances. For many people, the pursuits of finances come as a way validate their own sense of worth. Yet, each person who looks to finances for worth and purpose will never actually find what they are seeking to attain. Those can come only from God and the pursuit of financial gain as the end all of human existence will only result in a person wandering from their faith. “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:9-10, ESV)We want to hear from you! What tips have you experienced to be faithful stewards of the finances tha

Caleb may be out but Andrew and Danny are in! We talk about the inauguration without getting political and then how to contextualize the Gospel. The role of the Christian involves proclaiming the Gospel in whatever context we find ourselves in. With the events of the past year, we have a profound opportunity to share the Gospel with the world around us. We should hold fast to the Gospel while also being willing to adapt to the culture around us. “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might

hildren’s and Student’s ministry curriculum, what’s up with that? Is it Gospel based or just moralism? Caleb and Danny take a look at it in this week’s episode of Nobody Special. Children and Student’s ministry curriculum seems to have a bent towards moralism. This idea puts the action before the Gospel, thinking that the immediacy of a person’s action is more pressing than the eternal destiny of the person. This, is problematic to say the least. Danny and Caleb turn to Ephesians 2 to unpack exactly where our salvation stems from and what role our actions place. Ultimately, we should seek to give glory to God for all we do and that we are IN CHRIST as we receive the love of God. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the imm

Whew, we made it! We are in 2021 and its sure to be a better… aaaaaa people are raiding the Capitol building. Here we go people. Caleb and Danny of Nobody Special wanted to come back and have a fun episode talking about all the thing we are looking forward to this year. But nooooo. We have to address why invading the Capitol building and the Christian faith is incompatible. We should love our enemies. This year, we as Christians have the profound ability to be the light of God to the world around us. Since everything seems dark, there is no better time to be the light of the world. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV)Special shout out to Samuel S. and Fakey McFake for writing to us and letting us k

We talk about the Shepherds, the Wise Men, and even the Camels, but do we ever talk about the Dragons? Find out more on this week’s episode of Nobody Special.The boys of Nobody Special talk about the spiritual side of Christmas that often times is skipped over. While the incarnation is incredibly important and shouldn’t be downplayed, the spiritual aspect of Christmas was enough to make the angel burst out into song in response to the coming of God and His glory. Also, we talk about the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984 and Warner Brother movies coming to HBO Max. “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood befor

We have seem many version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Some of them are good and others not so much. We talk about the meaning behind them and then talk about the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Both die and stand before the Lord. The Rich Man, who denied Jesus, wanted to warn his friends and family about the coming wrath. But they already had their warning with Moses and the prophets. The council of scripture pushes us to act today. One life can make a huge difference and huge impact. There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and sa

We all go to Christmas parties this time of year, but should we use these as opportunities to preach? We talk about Paul David Tripp’s recent comments on Christmas parties. Also we talk about the fact that Mario Lopez is playing Colonel Sanders because 2020. Pastor and author Paul David Tripp recently made the statements that you should not use Christmas parties to preach at people. For his video click here or go to https://fb.watch/2hYs4dL6Hk/ While Danny and Caleb fully agree, we wanted to talk about some of the more nuanced points of his statements and where, when, and how we can preach to people. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a go

Advent is a time to look at the first coming of Jesus Christ in eager expectation of the second. At the core of the Gospel is the proclamation that Jesus came to be with us as one of us, so that we might be with Him. As we kick of this Christmas/Advent season, we give props to Justin Bieber for being more open and honest about his faith and public declaration that Jesus loves us. Then we go on to talk about the announcement from the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would become pregnant with child. God took on flesh and choose to be with us as both Fully God and Fully Man and died on the cross for our sins to establish our eternity. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this mig