Spiritual Brotherhood: Divine Guidance and Real-Time Faith

Date: June 9, 2025
Location: Remote phone call
Format: Spiritual discussion and mutual reflection

Executive Summary

A spiritually-focused conversation between Gary Sheng and Tim Dort-Golts exploring divine guidance principles, the nature of prayer and presence, and their developing spiritual brotherhood. The discussion covered God's real-time guidance versus long-term planning, gratitude as fuel for presence, and Tim's continued spiritual development under Gary's mentorship. Both participants expressed deep mutual appreciation and recognized their friendship as divinely orchestrated.

Tim's Personal Updates and Context

Life Transitions and Administrative Tasks

Tim shared updates about significant life changes: Quote: "By the way, some running around quite a bit today. Because my mom's arriving tomorrow evening... I also need to update you that tomorrow I'll be traveling quite a bit... I need to meet my mom, and I need to apply for residence. Permit. Thing."

France Residency Process: "to start the process for France. This month. Quite a lot of admin stuff to do. Right now. Well, changing it, like, while I'm in between school years. The sooner I do this, the better. Already found accommodation in France."

Physical Health and Divine Nudges

Tim reported positive developments in his fitness routine: Quote: "I was supposed to have a rest day. But she was like, you're done to work out. You work out outdoors. And oh, dude, I love this so much more than the gym... I really love those calisthenics. Outdoor gyms."

Divine Timing Recognition: "Sometimes you really gotta keep the rest day... Sometimes I just injured myself. So it's just like you really feel good. And there are circumstances. It might might just be god telling you that today is your new PR. You shouldn't you shouldn't skip."

Divine Guidance Philosophy: Real-Time vs. Planning

God's Present-Moment Direction

Gary articulated his understanding of divine guidance timing: Quote: "You you you either like, if you know what the most important and and and let me be clear. It may not be like may not be like a clear step by step road map... It's not gonna be like that. It's not even gonna be like we talked about this earlier. Not even gonna be you have a whole even a whole week laid out."

Present-Moment Guidance: "God guides you always in the present... People are like, people might be like, oh, god told me to do this ten year plan. It's like, that's probably bullshit."

Reality as Real-Time Video Game

Gary's framework for understanding divine interaction: Quote: "Do you think God is just, like, allowing us to observe what's going to inevitably unfold? Or is he allowing us to shape reality as we speak in in real time... as in, is it a movie that already know you already know how it's gonna end? Or does everyone have the free will to shape it?"

Tim's Response: "Most certainly. The second. Most certainly the second."

Life as Adventure: "Isn't that crazy that we we're in a real time video game? That we get to everyone as many people that wanna be main characters can be main characters."

Planning Futility and Contingencies

Tim's realization about planning limitations: Quote: "Contingencies. So so so so many so many things can so many things can change in a day. Right? Even daily planning is, not It is far from accurate. Like, very far from accurate. Unless we're just lucky... all of the circumstances align. Which is rare."

Meaninglessness of Control: "I mean, why would you so one thing that's on my mind is you you won't need guidance anymore... life life will become boring. You already know the thing. You just kinda become very nihilistic because of that."

Tim's Career Shift Gratitude

Web3 Marketing Alternative Path

Tim reflected on avoiding a limiting career path: Quote: "Did you know I have a head of plan for basically, this year starting from August? I thought I'm gonna be, like, a web three marketer... And by the way, I am more than grateful that I did not follow that path. I'll be so limited right now compared to what I'm doing, like, helping you out."

Gratitude Expression: "So much more interesting. So much better... I'm genuinely grateful to you, by the way. Which I wanna say out loud. I'm very grateful to you for giving me that opportunity."

Man Plans, God Laughs Recognition: "It's very interesting, though. I guess if you could just look back just think about it, there's so many plans that just didn't work."

Communication Strategy for Divine Living

Avoiding Overprescription

Gary's advice on managing expectations with others: Quote: "I think it's important to not be overly prescriptive about, like, hey. This is how it works... This is what's gonna happen. And this is what I'm gonna do This is my plan. Because then you look flaky."

Recommended Response: "What what you should do is just not be overly transparent, honestly, with what you want to do... if someone asks you, oh, what do you wanna do? It's like, I'm still exploring... But here's what I'm doing right now."

Cultural Shift Recognition

Tim's insight about cultural conditioning: Quote: "it's almost like an expectation... Where if you don't say that, you don't got your shit together, but it's like I don't really think that's the case anymore."

Company Building and Divine Principles

Fluid vs. Rigid Organizations

Tim's understanding of god-aligned business structures: Quote: "I think it's almost like where you rely not as much on the strategy So I will say that our I know fluid is the right way to explain it, but, basically, where you got like, one two five, people around you who understand you deeply and who are not rigid."

Agency-Based Teams: "the the companies to build are fluid companies where everybody is basically either very agentic or just just a straight straight up hyper agent. On their own. They understand how the world works. They understand that the plans don't last."

Alpha Scale Example: "this is basically like kinda like alpha scale, but mostly through your example... where it's like oh, this work. Let's do this. Oh, no. We need to redo this brain lift... just very courageous in accepting of change. Of shifts. Implants."

Change as Natural Process

Gary's perspective on organizational adaptation: Quote: "I don't I don't even know if it's courageous. Right? It's just is. Right? It's just part of the process."

Cultural Conditioning About Change: Tim recognized that "change... They became something like, deeply scary. To many people. The reality is accept that. That's how world [works]."

Fear and Divine Security

Complete Security in Divine Guidance

Tim's breakthrough on fear: Quote: "Not at all... And I don't find Yeah. Anything used to find scary now at all... And I'm talking even, like, coming back Russia to see my parents... And I'm like, if there is where you know, god tells me to go, I'll go there."

Universal Choice Recognition: "You always have the fucking chance, bro. Always. It's it's never leaving... Sometimes it's more obvious. Less, but you always have it... God is with you always. All of us."

Prayer vs. Thinking Distinction

Gary's guidance to his friend: Quote: "Yesterday, my my I gave my friend a bunch of thoughts. Right? Downloads. And he was like, I have a lot to think about. I was like, no. You don't. You have a lot to pray about. Have a lot to pray on."

Gratitude as Spiritual Practice

Gratitude as Fuel for Presence

Gary's philosophical insight: Quote: "He rewards presents. He rewards presents to your point. And I feel like like gratitude is, like, is, like, fuel for being present. I want you to about that."

Tim's Analysis: "every time you're grateful, especially if you know the connection that everything everything is from God. There's every note of gratitude is also to God... every time you're grateful, you're just praying. You're just talking with God. You're thanking God."

Autopilot vs. Conscious Living

Gary's observation about unconscious living: Quote: "I think that if you're, like, not grateful, you're you're kinda, like, going on autopilot... You're, like, getting through you're like, Gotta get through the day. Gotta get through the day... You're gonna fundamentally misreading reality."

Tim's Recognition: "It's actually very easy to just live like that. To just be lost constantly... most people that I see around me at least like, on the on the street. Just live their life."

Life as Miracle Perspective

Tim's transformed worldview: Quote: "Life is just a miracle. Isn't it? That's such as a natural conclusion you come to. It's not that, oh, shit. Why did I lose relationships? More like, what what is it that God has going to has going for me that you know, the thing that I thought so important turned out to not... be so important."

Prayer Definition and Practice

Prayer as Divine Communication

Gary's definition: Quote: "I would say it's like it's trying to get your god link uninterrupted signal. Trying to get the the right downloads. Just sure that it's not Lucifer link. Or whatever."

Environmental Influence: "The devil really likes to work in crowded crowded cities."

Prayer as Ongoing Conversation

Tim's evolved understanding: Quote: "you don't need to, like, really be on your knees or put your hands... It's about genuinely listening. Just just about listening, bro. It's about having the conversation, but you don't even need to open your mouth."

This Conversation as Prayer: Gary: "also, I love this discussion. This is one of my favorite ways to pray... Talking to you."

Spiritual Brotherhood and Friendship

Divine Orchestration of Friendship

Mutual recognition of their relationship: Gary: "Grateful for you, bro. You're my best friend." Tim: "I was about to say that I'm grateful for you."

Spiritual Brotherhood as Divine Tool

Tim's understanding of spiritual friendship: Quote: "I think spiritual brotherhood is probably one of the first tools that God is gonna use to put you on the right path... So so many instances where it just gave me advice that didn't make they didn't understand initially. That I didn't know how to implement. But eventually started to make sense."

Gary's Influence on Tim's Faith

Tim's testimony: Quote: "in many ways, you helped me shaped you you helped me shape how I believe... you're basically the person that got me in in in large part, that got me to start praying. And that's basically And it's basically a part of my routine now."

Daily Prayer Integration: "Since today, it's probably gonna be honestly a part of my every moment."

Fear of God vs. Fear of Man

Proper Fear of God

Gary's theological framework: Quote: "Should you fear God? Then why?... Yes. But yes. In the same yes. But in this in kind of a really only in the way that you should fear your father... if you lose your relationship with your father, just gonna have less support. Right? So your choice if you want less support."

Tim's Evolved Understanding: Previously focused on hell avoidance, now understanding fear as relationship preservation and support access.

No Fear of Man

Gary's confidence: Quote: "my job is in any room to say what needs to be said. Do what needs to be done. I have no problem. I have no I have no fear of any man."

Redemption and Comeback Stories

God's Love for Redemption

Gary's encouragement: Quote: "God is always excited about redemption... He's always excited. He and he loves a good comeback story... So many comeback stories. And humans love comeback stories."

Universal Appeal: Recognition that redemption narratives resonate across humanity because they reflect divine character.

Personal Transformation Recognition

Tim's Life Change Testimony

Tim's final reflection: Quote: "I am grateful to God for you, bro. For knowing you, for everything, for everything that's related to Gary Shane... You changed my life... or if I were to rephrase it in a more fundamental way, God changed my life through you. For better."

Specific Gratitude: "And I feel all the more closer to my divine purpose and potential. I feel like I have more tools to get there, thanks to you... My best friend. And I enjoy, like, chatting to you I enjoy working with you."

Mutual Love and Appreciation

Conversation Impact: Tim: "This conversation just made my day beautiful... Love you, man." Gary's Response: "Well, Tim, I love you, bro. Talk to you talk to you soon."

Key Insights and Themes

Real-Time Divine Partnership

The conversation demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of divine guidance as present-moment partnership rather than predetermined destiny, allowing for human agency within divine orchestration.

Gratitude as Spiritual Technology

Both participants recognized gratitude not as occasional thankfulness but as continuous spiritual practice that maintains presence and divine connection.

Spiritual Brotherhood as Divine Tool

Their friendship exemplifies spiritual brotherhood as primary mechanism for divine guidance, with each serving as instrument for the other's spiritual development.

Integration of Faith and Daily Life

The discussion shows mature integration of spiritual principles into practical decisions about career, relationships, and life planning.

Transformation Through Relationship

Tim's testimony reveals the power of authentic spiritual friendship to catalyze profound personal and spiritual transformation.

This conversation represents a deepening of their spiritual partnership, with both participants demonstrating increased maturity in understanding divine guidance, prayer, and the role of spiritual brotherhood in personal development and divine purpose fulfillment.