Being a Christian while being in politics w/ Matt Krause (Part 1)
This is part 1 of 2. Rest of the episode next time! Check out our new website: www.resilientchristian.org Nathan Shattuck Counseling Practice: Nathan is a pastoral counselor out of the Atlanta area. Looking for godly counseling? Soul care? At Soul Care Counseling we seek to be more than counselors who happen to be Christians. We facilitate psychological healing and spiritual change through a unified approach of Christian Counseling and Spiritual Direction. We invite you to let us accompany you in a process of emotional healing and spiritual transformation. You can learn more at: http://www.soulcare.net/ If this intrigues you or stirs something in you, email at iinfo@soulcare.net or call at 678.999.3951 for an appointment. Matt Krause Contact: www.mattkrause.com Transcription of Episode (Auto-Generated from Apple): WEBVTT 00:00:05.442 --> 00:00:10.722 Welcome back, everyone, to The Resilient Christian, where we seek to strengthen your soul. 00:00:10.742 --> 00:00:14.462 And people are so weary these days. 00:00:15.102 --> 00:00:25.002 They are anxious, they are burdened and tired, especially around all of the social upheaval and political uncertainty. 00:00:25.022 --> 00:00:33.342 And it's July 9th, and every single day, we are in the heat of politics on the news and in our social media. 00:00:34.042 --> 00:00:43.102 And many believers in Jesus, maybe you're one of them, I know I am, are asking themselves, how can I find Jesus in this season and remain steadfast in my faith? 00:00:43.782 --> 00:00:55.362 So joining me today, and Nathan, our co-host, is Matt Krause, who has ran and been elected to several local offices in his home district of Torrent County, Texas. 00:00:56.082 --> 00:01:07.902 Matt has faced his own share of political challenges head on, and he's drawn from his faith in Jesus and his love of the Scriptures and his family for purpose and meaning and resilience. 00:01:08.622 --> 00:01:10.702 But most importantly, Matt is one of my best friends. 00:01:11.562 --> 00:01:17.662 Matt was my best man in my wedding, and I am a follower of Jesus because of Matt. 00:01:18.302 --> 00:01:22.782 Matt taught me how to pray by praying with me in college. 00:01:23.242 --> 00:01:26.642 He was a teammate of mine in college basketball. 00:01:26.662 --> 00:01:31.002 I should say I was a teammate of his because he was the captain of the team, and I was just a walk-on. 00:01:31.982 --> 00:01:36.082 So, and Matt taught me how to read the Bible. 00:01:36.102 --> 00:01:39.082 He gave me my first lesson in how to read the scriptures. 00:01:39.702 --> 00:01:45.642 So, so much of my own spiritual formation has been because of Matt, and his dad baptized me. 00:01:46.122 --> 00:01:48.722 So, Matt and I have just a rich history. 00:01:49.742 --> 00:01:53.102 I almost gave away his proposal to his beautiful wife, Jenny. 00:01:53.742 --> 00:01:55.822 And one day, we were in San Diego. 00:01:55.842 --> 00:01:56.802 I almost messed that up. 00:01:56.822 --> 00:01:58.862 So, Matt is forgiving as well. 00:01:59.782 --> 00:02:10.502 But I'm really excited to share his life with you, because he's got a lot of wisdom, and he's been in this political sphere for over a decade. 00:02:11.162 --> 00:02:13.342 And so, I'm really grateful to have him on today. 00:02:13.742 --> 00:02:15.962 Matt, thank you for joining us this morning. 00:02:17.342 --> 00:02:17.882 Yeah, man. 00:02:18.002 --> 00:02:18.902 Thanks for having me. 00:02:18.922 --> 00:02:19.782 It's good to see you. 00:02:19.882 --> 00:02:26.522 As you said, I mean, I think we were about as close to college roommates as you could get without actually being in the same room. 00:02:26.562 --> 00:02:29.162 Our dorms were next to each other, but those walls were so thin. 00:02:29.182 --> 00:02:31.462 It was basically like we lived together. 00:02:32.262 --> 00:02:40.402 And just know, I mean, you said some kind of things about me, but the impact you've had on me and my relationship with Christ is just as impactful. 00:02:40.522 --> 00:02:55.922 I hadn't really seen somebody so sincerely and genuinely connect with Christ, want to grow deeper, just sponge mentality of everything that you could in Christ that I'd seen in you those first couple of years in college. 00:02:55.942 --> 00:03:03.442 So that was a beautiful thing for me to see too, and getting to go to the Holy Land with share those experiences was one of the highlights of my life. 00:03:03.462 --> 00:03:07.342 So know I appreciate you just as much, if not more. 00:03:07.562 --> 00:03:09.442 And so thanks for having me on today. 00:03:09.542 --> 00:03:10.782 I'm looking forward to our discussion. 00:03:11.382 --> 00:03:18.622 Back in the day when we, Matt and I didn't want to be roommates, we would have, but we just enjoyed our sleep so much that we said, we'll just room next to each other. 00:03:18.642 --> 00:03:23.102 And so that was not allowed us to sleep, but also be connected as friends. 00:03:23.122 --> 00:03:26.222 So a lot of good, good memories. 00:03:26.662 --> 00:03:28.242 Nate, bro, it's checking with you. 00:03:28.262 --> 00:03:28.862 How are you doing? 00:03:30.882 --> 00:03:31.722 I'm doing all right. 00:03:31.942 --> 00:03:32.722 I'm hanging in there. 00:03:33.802 --> 00:03:40.222 Some physical challenges lately that you and I've talked about, but the Lord is good in the midst of it. 00:03:40.242 --> 00:04:03.482 And I'm actually looking forward to seeing how the growth over the last few years with the Lord affects my ability to be resilient and walk through this physical stuff in a way that honors him more and is more resilient, frankly. 00:04:03.922 --> 00:04:08.982 So I'm actually excited about that part, even though I'm not excited about the pain and discomfort of it. 00:04:09.682 --> 00:04:14.022 Man, there's a lot we could draw from from that, and we should definitely talk more about that. 00:04:14.042 --> 00:04:15.002 Take a little turn there. 00:04:15.642 --> 00:04:16.762 Yeah, hey man, let's talk. 00:04:17.742 --> 00:04:18.422 Wah, wah, wah. 00:04:18.722 --> 00:04:20.302 No, not at all. 00:04:20.442 --> 00:04:39.562 I want to invite Matt in to kind of share with everyone a little bit of what he does and why I feel like his testimony of being a follower of Jesus, a spirit-filled believer in the world of politics and law, why there's a lot of good things to shed on that and resilience. 00:04:39.582 --> 00:04:48.722 So Matt, can you just kind of give everyone a little window into what you do and into the calling, the assignment that Jesus has given to you? 00:04:50.042 --> 00:04:51.322 Yeah, really. 00:04:51.342 --> 00:04:55.422 I think it goes back to you and I at Christian Heritage College together. 00:04:55.442 --> 00:04:57.702 It was pretty much my junior year. 00:04:57.722 --> 00:05:03.302 You know, you and I had started talking about what's next, what's going on, and you were set to go to the ministry. 00:05:03.322 --> 00:05:05.802 And so you headed off to seminary after college. 00:05:06.162 --> 00:05:09.622 I felt like the Lord was calling me into politics even at that time. 00:05:09.642 --> 00:05:12.102 And so I thought, hey, what does every politician have? 00:05:12.122 --> 00:05:13.222 It seemed like a law degree. 00:05:13.242 --> 00:05:15.282 So I thought, OK, I should go to law school. 00:05:15.302 --> 00:05:27.342 So I went to law school at Liberty University in Virginia and had opportunities to work with some constitutional litigation groups and doing, you know, practicing constitutional law. 00:05:27.762 --> 00:05:28.562 And I love that. 00:05:29.202 --> 00:05:33.162 Much my entire legal career has been spent in constitutional law. 00:05:33.522 --> 00:05:36.082 And now I work for a group called First Liberty Institute. 00:05:36.222 --> 00:05:50.662 And many of the listeners may have remembered the Coach Kennedy case from several years ago at the Supreme Court, where the high school coach wanted to kneel at the 50-yard line after games to thank God for the opportunity to coach these kids and be involved in their lives. 00:05:50.682 --> 00:05:52.342 The school district said they couldn't. 00:05:52.422 --> 00:05:56.802 We took that all the way up to the Supreme Court and actually won that case, which was a big decision. 00:05:56.822 --> 00:06:11.122 And so there's been three cases at the Supreme Court in the last two or three years that First Liberty Institute has had defending religious liberty that have kind of opened the doors for public displays of religion on a wide scale we haven't seen in probably about 50 years. 00:06:11.142 --> 00:06:17.042 And so I'm honored that I get to work with First Liberty and in advance religious liberty all across the country. 00:06:17.402 --> 00:06:21.782 And we're the largest organization in the country that's dedicated solely to that purpose. 00:06:21.802 --> 00:06:31.102 And so getting up every day to take on that battle is something that I love and something that I really enjoy along with the political stuff. 00:06:31.122 --> 00:06:36.002 But because of politics, that's why I got into law, and it's just kind of evolved into this constitutional law space. 00:06:37.142 --> 00:06:40.862 Some people would be like, hey, I understand being called to the ministry. 00:06:40.882 --> 00:06:41.842 You're a pastor's kid. 00:06:42.942 --> 00:06:43.642 I can understand. 00:06:43.842 --> 00:06:45.062 I understand the Lord. 00:06:45.102 --> 00:06:53.562 But man, to be called into law and politics, like bring us into how you even heard Jesus. 00:06:53.742 --> 00:06:55.722 Like what stirred in your soul? 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