When something lands--when it makes sense and hits home--we can't just ignore it. Dan makes the case that it's no longer academic! He then asks the hard question: "Why wouldn't I want to do the things God asks me to do?"
Note: Season One gets it's title from this episode. We're commemorating Season One with free Universally Personal stickers. Leave your address in Fan Mail or stop by Studio HQ to get yours!
Till next time, "Be Fit, Stay Sharp, and Listen Closely!"
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University Personal. Welcome back to University Personal. I'm your host, Greg Allen. Today we're bringing you part two of our interview with Dan Sullivan. We pick right back up with Dan, who has a wonderful, lighthearted way of challenging us. He moves us past a simple academic understanding and pushes us to actually put what we learn into practice. He also dives into how we are uniquely empowered to achieve the very things we're called to do. Here's part two with Dan Sullivan.
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Something that lands, my life has to change. Right?
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Universally personal.
SPEAKER_01
What makes me feel the most alive when I get to talk about the Bible? When I get to talk about what I read in the Bible and what crazy things are connected. I spoke at a youth retreat and I was I was working at the ad agency, worked through my lunch, I'd get off work at four, speak for a half hour, 40 minutes, these kids, be all done, wrap it up, come home for the first time, you know, be home. And it was awesome. And then I'd stay up late and preparing for the next day, get up early, go to work, get off work, do it again. And it was awesome. I was like, this is so fun. Like it is so fun. I get to talk about what I read in the Bible and what crazy things are connected. What makes me feel the most alive? I get to talk about what I read in the Bible and what crazy things are connected. Figuring out something or hearing something in commentary and then going and tracking it down and then getting to tell somebody and then they have an insight that I didn't have and it was awesome. I was like, this is so fun. If there's a something that lands, my life has to change. Right? So then it's not academic anymore. If there's a something that lands, you can't be the same. You can't do the same thing like you always did it. You gotta do it different in in light of that. It's not academic anymore. You can't be the same, you gotta do it differently. I get to talk about what I read in the Bible and what crazy things are connected. You can't be the same. You can't do the same thing like you always did it. You gotta do it different in in light of that. It's not academic anymore.
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I asked Dan for his thoughts on what it truly means to live an abundant life and how we can actually step into what we were born to do. As always, his response is soft enough to hear, but direct enough to push us.
SPEAKER_01
Universally personal. And I read John 10 10, you know, Jesus came to give you life to the full, life in abundance. And people like to say that about all their nice car and all their abundance. And I remember thinking, I think life in Jesus and life in abundance is just whatever life is, you just are gonna have a whole lot more of it than if you weren't in Jesus. I think that's happening, that's happening to me now. There's just a lot of life going on. Don't pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men, because then the work you do won't be a miracle, but then your life will be a miracle. Because God made you strong enough to do the things that he called you to do. It's just that fullness of life of, you know, if I'm not gonna back down and I'm not gonna run away, and we're gonna embrace this stuff and go after whatever, whatever opportunity comes to us of. I mean, it doesn't mean I say yes to everything. I said no to a couple significant things in the last three days that would have that might have been really helpful, but but that was you know, it was something that wasn't the right thing to do right now. Don't pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men because then the work you do won't be a miracle, but then your life will be a miracle. Because God made you strong enough to do the things that He called you to do. The whole um Esther, you know, 414, what if for such time as this you were born for this? Like that that's been on my mind lately. What if like this is an opportunity right now? The verse goes on to say, if you if you don't act, you and your family will die, but God will bring salvation in another way. And it's like, what if this thing that this opportunity that I have, this thing that's put before me right now, is an opportunity to participate with God in the salvation of this person or this circumstance or this thing. And if I don't do it, it's not I'm gonna be struck dead, it's I'm just gonna die. And God's gonna do the this thing that he wants to do with somebody else. God made you strong enough to do the things that he called you to do. Why wouldn't I want to do the cool stuff that God is doing when I have a chance to do it?
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A big thanks to Dan for once again sharing his insights with us. And thank all of you who faithfully listen to and hopefully benefit from these universally personal episodes. As our way of saying thanks to our faithful listeners, we're sending out Universally Personal stickers. They're three-inch diameter, die-cut, indestructible stickers commemorating season one entitled It's Not Academic Anymore. These are available at Studio HQ, or you can use the fan mail button to leave me your mailing address. And don't worry, I'm not saving it in a database. I just need a place to send it. Thanks for listening. Until next time, be fit, stay sharp, and listen closely.
