Ep. 9 - Talkin' with the Guys (Kyle & Robbie - Part 1)

Small Group hosts a special "Guy's Episode" as Lacey and Sabrina are both away, Benjamin and Taylor bring in two of their good friends and special friends to Small Group, Kyle Wright and Robbie Livingston. The men discuss manhood, fatherhood, and being a husband and what it all means to them individually from a spiritual standpoint. Robbie opens up about his experience with his son Tanner and navigating the medical trials as father with the rest of the family. Kyle recalls part of his personal story and his introduction to the rest of the guys, while introducing a special segment from his own podcast, "Leave It At The Table", where each man shares something in which they are grateful. 

Thank you for joining in Small Group, and please feel free to participate with us by sending your thoughts, questions, or ideas by commenting, messaging, or by email (goat.bear.lobster@gmail.com). You can also reach out, and find out more about us, at our website: SmallGroupPodcast.wordpress.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:46

This is Small Group Podcast. I'm Benjamin Maxwell. I'm Taylor Bain. And it is fellas night tonight. Taylor and I are hosting two special guests. One, well, they both need intros because we've talked about them. Now uh we're bringing them in. I'm gonna start Robbie. We keep throwing Robbie Livingston out.

SPEAKER_04 1:09

A legend in his own right. I'm here in the flesh.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Been avoiding it, and here he is sitting at the table. So now we gotta talk about him.

SPEAKER_04 1:17

Yeah. Robbie, for those who may not know Robbie, is a member of our congregation, a a legend, family man, a man who's we're very happy to have at the table tonight, who's a trusted friend and brother in Christ, someone that we love very deeply. He tries really hard.

SPEAKER_06 1:37

And succeeds in many things.

SPEAKER_03 1:39

Thanks for the invite, Ben. I'm glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

No, glad to have you for real though, Robbie. I know I give you a hard time. Wow. I give you a hard time. Wow. I gotta set the I I've never set the record straight. I think a lot of people might think I hate you or something. Anyway, we definitely gotta bring in our next guest, Kyle Wright, who is a big supporter behind the scenes of the show. Tell him. Big testify. Big fan, uh, big friend of small group podcasts, big reason why small group podcasts exist. And no pressure tonight, but the hosts are hosting the host. Oh goodness. Leave it at the table. The host, Kyle Wright.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Thank you guys for having me. Longtime caller, first time listener. So looking forward to being here. By the way, I charge for every time you say at the table. So you did say that earlier, so I'm keeping tabs. Nah, very fortunate to be here. And it getting to talk to you guys, I get to talk to Ben quite a bit. I don't think I've ever I came to your house once, never got invited again. Of course, now I'm blessed to have been invited once. Talk about the Robbie Livingston's house.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

At least you got invited.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

I've been invited once.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

So you've been invited twice, I think. You've been invited once.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

I've never been invited. Not to that.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Different rabbit hole. That's episode two.

SPEAKER_03 3:09

I checked the receipts. We've invited you once.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Not not to your little group session thing.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

And that's why I'm here.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Anyway, I I pulled that.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

But but very excited to be.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

I'm excited to got me fired up.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

Very excited to be here. I appreciate you guys having me. And I did bring my kids, so you may hear some background noise, but I yeah, here. Take my tea. You're good. Really just excited to soak up some knowledge from you guys, and then I'll shut my mouth.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Well, uh, should I disappoint them or one of you guys?

SPEAKER_03 3:39

I'm I'm uneduc I'm the only uneducated one at the table, if you really need to know. I got high school diploma. It's two at the table.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Bracking it up. We'll be retiring by the end of this podcast. Um, so excited to have you guys in real quick, some housekeeping stuff. Small group podcasts continue to be blown away by the reach and and how quickly and and fast the show has taken off. We're so thankful for all you guys supporting us. Panama City Beach, Florida, Panama City, Florida. You guys leading by far in the numbers. Birmingham, Alabama has been up there too, gaining. But I gotta give, I'll keep giving shout-outs to my close family up in Ashburn, Virginia. Don't know who you are, but we love you guys because you are you're giving even our local community a run for its money as far as just loyalty and listening and and and let us know, send us messages. Uh, you'll hear information on that. You'll see in the the details of the podcast. Reach out to us, guys. Let us know who you are, let us know where you're listening. If you have questions, absolutely send those to us. Need prayers, send those to us. Uh whatever you need. Just we we definitely want to connect with all of our small group members. So thank you guys for joining us again tonight. No Lacey tonight. No Sabrina. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 5:07

So we're in dangerous territory then.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Yeah. This may be this might like you said, this may be our last episode, and uh it may be a Taylor, sorry, Sabrina and Lacey uh spinoff show from here on out after we get canceled. But Lacy usually does the the icebreakers. Just some fun questions, kind of get it get us started. Yeah. Get Robbie's brain turned on and and warming up. Anybody else smell thinking? So uh I'll uh I'll kick her. You want to kick it off with icebreaker?

SPEAKER_04 5:43

Sure, yeah. Yeah, so icebreaker questions tonight. We have a few. I think one that that struck me was what is the best thing that you've crossed off of your bucket list?

SPEAKER_05 6:01

Anyone want to take it away, go for it.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Man, that's a tough one. Because I got close to doing the best one. I is I'll say it anyway. So since I was a kid, I I mean I have this bucket list thing where I want to see all my teams play a home game. I'm a Miami Dolphins fan, Miami Heat, Florida State Seminoles, Tampa Bay Lightning, Cincinnati Reds. And I've just always wanted to see every team play a home game, and the biggest one for me is the Reds because I grew up being a Reds fan with my dad. So wanting to see them play a game in Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati with my dad. We took the 12-hour hike up there. We we we bought you know a hotel for one night, tickets to one game, and it rained out. But I got to sit in Great American Ballpark with my dad. So the next best thing. So I would say that's probably the coolest thing right now.

SPEAKER_03 6:52

I would say um I got a to go to Washington, DC with my family last year, and I took my whole family up there for like 10 days, and we just went to all the sites and went through it. It was just cool to see the George Washington stuff and how the country was started and had some neat moments that they're old enough now they'll they'll remember the rest of their life. And I think that's a neat trip that we got to do.

SPEAKER_05 7:19

I've been able to do a lot.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

I I gotta find a list of my phone, just random little things that I've been able to do. But there's those two, like if I think bucket lists, there's those two big ones that are at the top of my list. I got so close to marking off the second one. We uh Lacey and I a lot of them have to do with travel. Lacey top of her list was Athens, Greece, and you know, before we you know got into before kids got showed up, we wanted to, you know, explore, travel and and do all those things while we could. And so Athens, Greece, we went to we went there, we did all that, marked that off her bucket list. And then the next one was gonna be Peru. Machu Picchu's been number two on my list. And so we had it set for 2020 and everything's shut down and I'm still waiting to go to Peru. Like we had it locked in and everything, and uh but anyway, the I can only think of the two I haven't done. I I've I've got a whole laundry list of stuff I've been able to do. But yeah. Still out there. What's you, Taylor?

SPEAKER_03 8:28

I think the question is uh the best thing you've crossed off your list.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

There's so many though. I don't know. I like I said, all I can think of are like the top two that Greece, maybe that you crossed off because you went to you went to Greece. Beijing was a big one.

SPEAKER_03 8:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Sorry. I've never left North America.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

No reason to leave. No, I I for me, I think one of okay, so she's Sabrina's gonna think I'm crazy for saying this, but I think actually, as scared as I am of heights, doing like kind of slightly overcoming a little bit of my fear, doing parasailing on our honeymoon in Hawaii was really spectacular. Like I was definitely very afraid the whole time. I was like, okay, if we fall, like you know, try and go pencil, you'll probably break every bone, but you might survive. Like, you know, I'm like thinking through like what happens if we just crash out here. But being like up in the air over the water, like islands right there with my newlywed wife. Like it was it was a really special moment. That for me was like definitely a bucket list item, like seeing Hawaii. And another one for me was honestly just learning to scuba dive. That was something that like when I was a kid, like I always wanted to like be able to do that. That was learning to dive. It's been like it's I haven't been diving in a long time, but that's one that like I just love scuba diving, and I'm I'm a huge I'm very blessed and a huge fan to have been able to experience that.

SPEAKER_01 10:07

Just one in through Costa Rica's like that. That was yeah, yeah. I I'll go I'll throw out a different one here real quick because this one's real that I just thought of. It's a little different. So this the right way. We'll dig it because this this will lead us into the episode. We're gonna be talking about a number of different things, manly things. Uh though, but one thing and I I guess yeah, it was on my bucket list. It was being able to put my this is gonna sound braggadocious, it's not but being able to give my wife the choice to work or not work when kids got here. And that was something I thought I would never be able to do. Like retirement. I've already set that aside. Like I'll never see retirement. But but the fact that she and it's not, you know, that's is it I just wanted to give her the choice if she wants to continue working, especially when kids have got here or not. And and so just being able to do that has been such a God-given blessing that I know I I thought was gonna be well with outside my reach. But anyway, that's saying I guess maybe set this up for the episode. And this could go anywhere, guys. I'm not gonna keep this on a strict schedule here, but as we kind of settle into spiritual more like man what is yeah, what's a man from a spiritual uh point of view, or spiritual notion? What does it mean to be a man for you in a spiritual sense? It's something that's been coming up a lot lately as far as you know how's how manhood is seen in our current culture, our modern culture, and then how what should our expectations how should we how should we handle ourselves from a spiritual sense? So ever wants to jump into that jump on that grenade.

SPEAKER_03 12:12

So I'm kind of repositioning myself at the uh current state of life that I'm in, and we're kind of just trying to spend money differently, I would say financial fortitude differently, react to we're a couple years in from not watching the news, and so like we don't react to world events like normal people, and just trying to have a little slower. Um our kids don't play travel ball. Um, we do some like competition band stuff for all those band kids out there, but yeah, just living a little bit slower. I think over Christmas break, Toby saw like nine sunrises and eight sunsets. We were duck hunting, but it's kind of that like just get outside and watch the sunrise, and like for a fourteen or fifteen year old boy to be in a boat watching the sunrise as you're dead, I think that's kind of like it's manly in my eyes, but it's kind of like just watching God wake up and you know, see stuff that we can't fathom. So I think I've I've re reconditioned my what manliness is. You know, not a big house, big house, big boat, big nice car, big truck, big truck pulling a big boat, you know, all that. I'm kinda out of that stage of my life.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

It's more spending time than it is focused on the like material things is what I hear you saying.

SPEAKER_03 13:47

Yeah, one of the my newest lines that I'm using is uh the best things in life are free. Have I text that a couple times? Like just the best things in life are free. You know, sitting at a park swinging or blue crabbing, or you know, you're walking around just you know, you get so caught up spending money and time real quick to that point what you're describing without for some reason not saying it.

SPEAKER_01 14:17

This is always something I associate with you intentionality. I just remember early on you you kind of maybe it's just the right time, right place of why I associate it with you, but you were you were harping on being intentional as a man, as a husband, etc. And and but that's what I hear you saying. Everything comes back to being intentional, you know, taking that time to enjoy that time, yeah. Enjoy God's creation like you're talking about, but take that time with your son. Yeah. Give him those moments, intentionally give him those moments.

SPEAKER_03 14:56

It's you know, it's a little close to home, but I get those god bumps you talked about in episode two right now. It's a little close to home, but you know, like I literally took this job that I'm at right now because I can drive Toby to school, and that's what's important to me, like those last conversations I can have in a 15-year-old, and like how to talk him off the ledge and how to like you've had a bad morning, you made a bad decision, stay up late last night, and like try to walk him through. Okay, you got to get out of the truck and you gotta perform at a high level, and so like having those moments, and you know, like this morning, you know, he gets out of the truck and he goes, I love you, Dad, and is like, I want to hear you say, He goes, I want to hear you say it, and it's like, I love you. Like, I was already mad at him a little bit, and he's like, I want to hear you say he's uh he's just going back and forth, and so you know, those moments that I'll never forget, but and now we'll never forget because it's recorded, so you know, it's just those kind of things that you know hopefully he looks back and he he my kids will not be able to say I did not spend time with them. And if they don't turn out, or if they don't, I I I they're gonna be okay, but it's just they cannot say that their dad did not spend time with them. That's not gonna be there's nobody in who can say that.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Basically what you're saying is if they have any problems, it's not your fault.

SPEAKER_03 16:24

No, no, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it's not gonna be because of time. They're gonna have time management issue with their kids, probably, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Kyle.

SPEAKER_00 16:36

Yeah, I kind of uh I'm kind of tying the first two questions here on your paper together a little bit. It's and I don't I don't want to play spoiler, but to for somebody who's a little bit of I get I guess biblically ignorant, there's a little maybe I don't know, teaser for something that may happen one day.

SPEAKER_03 16:55

Somebody sounds like a button. Biblically ignorant.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Man, for me, I I don't know. And and I think that's the biggest problem, and I think that's also something that's giving me a lot of closure, is that I don't know, right? I don't know what that looks like. I I'm still trying to figure this whole thing out. Like I I I listened to Robbie talk about spending time with his son, and I'm like, man, I'm not doing that enough. I'm not doing that enough. But then I also realized like my son is seven. Like spending time with his dad is not his thing right now. Like he it it's these aren't the days that I at least I don't remember anything from when I was seven years old. So I I put a lot of pressure on myself, and some sometimes I think that's good. I I think it's good to do that, but it it it's it could be very problematic as well. But getting my family back into the church, I think, is something that I that would be the role of a man to me, making sure that your family has a strong foundation, whether it be financially, spiritually, all you know, crossing all the boxes, checking all the boxes.

SPEAKER_03 17:57

There's a pretty high percentage of a man-led family church to church, pretty high your divorce rate goes down, and like a lot of stuff goes down. I I want to say it's on like the 85%. If you if your man's leading the family to church, that your divorce rate goes down for sure. If a man is leading the family, yeah, like if yeah, two church are spiritually are right, you know, pushing them that away. It's a good I I have been married for s 17 years and I would like for our church to be known for good marriages and you know, it's just a thing that you a lot of work, a lot of consistent I don't think I'll get I don't think this is bad to bring up, but especially in this area.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

One thing that I was blown away by I didn't even know we hosted a marriage conference thing and they brought up the divorce rate just in in this community alone is was very mind blowing. And so yeah, to be to be that example, that leader what Kyle's talking about for the family, it makes waves in so many other ways, like you're talking about like in the church.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

And and this is and you don't have to know it all. You mean you just gotta show up. Yeah, look at this guy. Yeah, look at me. I've showed up for a long time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

And it's the first time in my life that I don't have to pretend like I do. Yeah. And it it's it's been actually refreshing, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

We uh we just had a quote, or I I had a quote like this. I wish I had it on me, where brought it up a couple episodes ago that that basically you don't have to be a biblical scholar to have that relationship. And in fact, and I can't remember if it's JI JI Packer or John Mark Comer, but they were like that can even be detrimental as far as like you getting so in involved in the details and the the scholarly work of the Bible starts to in a way it can convolute the relationship, which is the most important thing. And and that's something I I have to check myself a lot. I I get so fascinated and interested in concepts in the Bible, and I go down those rabbit holes and I have to check myself, like why am I going down this rabbit hole? Is it to learn more? Is it to grow closer to God, or is it just to know more kind of thing? So all that to say basically is don't beat yourself up. Yeah, don't I and honestly I think you probably know a lot more than you might give yourself credit for at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

And it's a play dumb approach.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

I'd rather surprise people than disappoint them.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

But the intentionality is all the is what's important to go back to you know, Robbie. I know you spend a lot of time in in this kind of field I say field, but in this focus, I know you you're doing a lot as far as trying to help other men, especially and gear you know towards that. What what are some of the things that you've seen in your experience that have been some of the big roadblocks?

SPEAKER_03 21:08

So when so when I identify a person that I'm really trying to lean in and help, and you know, they are listening to stuff I'm saying, and and like I tell them, I like, you know, you don't have to listen, but this is what I would do. And when I I usually don't give my opinion unless you're asked. I've learned that from some old timers that mentor me. Now, some people I do come across the table and be like, hey, this this is what you're doing wrong, and this is what you need to be doing. And it's not always right, and they don't always accept it, but but the guys that are really like I'm a little bit ahead, I've got boys ahead of them. I just say, you know, work on your systems, work on your you know, brushing your teeth, like you know, Kyle's kids, you know, work on brushing your teeth. That's not biblical, that's not that's just Just good hygiene. You know, brush your teeth in the morning. Yeah, building good habits. And you know, and that's that's spending time with them, but that's showing that we to have discipline in your daily routine. And if they have discipline in the daily routines, I think you can really change their perspective of I took my shoes off, I put them on the shelf. Why do I take my shoes off? Because I'm going in the house. Why do I put them on the shelf? Because that's where they belong. You know, that whole just you know, you teach those daily disciplines, and then when you tell your kid we pray every night and we pray before we go to sleep, you don't have to tell them.

SPEAKER_05 22:39

They just know that we pray to, you know. It's kind of a the disciplines are what makes you, I think.

SPEAKER_03 22:49

I've noticed in the long run.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

And it's so much I think it's so pivotal to do to as fathers to instill in your children at that age as early as you can, because it's just someone I mean, I've got a three-year-old, we haven't really gotten we're we're still pee pee in the potty. Yeah. But just from in my experience as someone who's grown up kind of with with very intentional parents who did just that, and I you know, and I I can look at my life now, here I am like 30 something years later down the road, and I still do things out of habit. Good things and I don't have to think about it. One thing that I'm blessed is to have a wife who is just as passionate about having a relationship with God as I am going to church for us is is not something that we have to question. We know where we're going, we know what time to get up, we know where we need to be. We're still late every once in a while, but you know, we get there.

SPEAKER_03 23:45

But uh you know, and you talked about your commute home the other day on one of your episodes, and you know, when you walk in the door, do the same thing. Get on the floor, get on the couch, let her crawl up in your arms, you know, do the same thing every day. And then when they're 15 and they're crawling up in your arms, you're like, why are you you know, I got a six-foot, two ten tennis player, and he's laying on top of me in the bed, giving me a hug, like, love you, Dad, good night. You're like, why are you doing this? This is what we did when he was 40 pounds.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

You probably live for that moment though, don't you?

SPEAKER_03 24:24

Yeah, the the 210, uh six-foot tennis player is kind of aggressive.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

On the court already, Robbie.

SPEAKER_03 24:34

No, but Taylor's seen him on the on the tennis court. He's oh I've lost the Toby. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 24:40

Kids kids got a poor hand on him. He he's he's like if I could brag on on Robbie's kids, both his sons are just just such great kids. They're like really just obviously just have a love for God, love for other people, heart of a servant, and both of them. I'm just I'm like really blessed to know you and know your family, Robbie. And seeing your boys just like do what they do is awesome, man.

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Can I can I add to that a little bit? Because Tanner, I when I I mean, I've known you for not a long time, but since since November, never would have known he's going through some of the things that he is. Or has gone through. Or has gone through, right. And I have to do that. This is not our first rodeo. That's a direct reflection of his dad, though, or his parents really in general. But I mean they learned that strength from you, man. And that I mean that you are the kind of father that I aspire to be. I want my kids to be that powerful. And if they are going through something to not show it like I mean, you don't have to show your struggle. We've been actually dealing with this with one of our coworkers. Like, man, everybody else doesn't have to know what you're going through. Like, you you know, you could talk to people about it. That's not what we're trying to say, but it it's I I love that, and that's a reflection of you, and I wanted to say that to you.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Real quick to your to that point, because that's where my mind was going too, as far as like train them young, because we've seen you and I both have seen, you know, when they get older and they don't have that discipline, how much a struggle that can be. Even when they're trying to set that discipline late, it's you know, it's such it's it becomes more and more difficult. But it's not I'm not I'm just it relatively speaking, it's still important and it's still I there's still disciplines I'm trying to instill that are very difficult. And you know, habits I'm trying to break are very difficult. But I wanted to if you want to talk about Tanner.

SPEAKER_03 26:27

Um you know Taylor's new to the this is he wasn't around last surgery season either, so everybody's like kind of seeing this the first time. I think this is your second surgery been this your second surgery season you've been through, like you've seen our family go through.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Is it just the second? I feel like it's it might be a third, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

It might be a third. How how all is it? This is his this is his fourth surgery. He would have had a 22 centimeter difference, so you can't see this on the podcast, but that's about that much difference. And so we've gained 13 centimeters. If we back up and kind of talking about we're talking about Tanner Livingston, it's Tanner's exciting steps, I think, is on the Facebook.

SPEAKER_04 27:10

Yeah, so your son Tanner, and he he was congenitally born, he was born with uh one leg basically that was a lot shorter than his other one, right?

SPEAKER_03 27:19

Yes, my wife always talks about it because she's a nurse and I'm uneducated, so I just say the femur was not right. Yeah. And so we kind of just gave it to God, and like this is part of our journey, and we didn't we worried a lot in the womb, and when he came out and you know, he was healthy and all the things. We just got on this Paley train and uh we've been on it for 13 years, and we're blessed for Dor Paley, Dr. Paley, and his team of people. My wife and my son are down there in West Palm Beach tonight at the quantum house. Shameless plug for the quantum house. We're big fans. But yeah, Dor Paley, Paley Institute, Quantum House, and uh, you know, this is our good surgery season that we're going into.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

And how often is surgery season? Two years?

SPEAKER_03 28:10

Uh every two years, every I think this is the third year, three years apart this time. You just get on this train and they just tell you when you've got to come down to the OR. He just did eight hours in the OR two weeks ago, or week and a half ago.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

So just the fact that you refer to it as surgery season. You know, this is something that you're conditioned to do and and live with here every few years or so, every couple years, whatever. But the fact that it's just a constant ongoing thing, man.

SPEAKER_03 28:37

Yeah, it used to be like a black cloud, like you we just go into surgery season like it was a cloud coming at us, and now it's kind of like a whitish cloud, it's not so dark. The church rallies behind us, they pour in a lot of uh money support. People come up to Toby and like, hey, if you ever get stranded, call me. And uh we've been one week without Kristen, and he's already already used one favor phone call. Like everybody gets one. Yeah, I I I was I was one. I put it on Adam Brown, and Adam Brown had a meeting he forgot about. And so Toby's like, where and I'm like, I'm at work, and he's made a phone call to one of my faves, Kathy Harrison, and and she was right there to pick him up. And it takes a village, you know, it takes a church, and you know, it takes a family, of course, but it takes you know that's why I go to church, it's because of people like that that influence my kids. And you know, she had probably 10 minutes or 20 minutes before I got there with Toby, but I'm sure she was intentional with the conversations. I'm sure she was uh very, you know, asking Toby the right questions. And you know, Toby wants to be a dentist when he grows up, so he was in the root canal office look around.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Yeah, probably yeah, true story, true story. Seeing you guys, you know, two bachelor, not you know, bachelor and the house is slipping, the house is very slipping slowly. But Toby's gotten to this age now, and it's just seeing you two together, you're more like just buddies hanging out at this point, you know. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

We're having a good time. And Matthew Morgan said it, you know, he knows we're gonna be very intentional with our time, and we're gonna be, you know, he's working a lot now. Like tonight, he worked at uh do play, and I was like, I'm going to do a podcast, and he's like, Yeah, go and uh I'll figure out how to get home. And you know, it's just like he knows what I'm doing, and I know what he's doing, and he's actually going getting on a flounder boat right now and going floundering on my on my boat. So, you know, it's like you just keep grinding and doing the things we love and we'll sleep when one day.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Real quick, before we get away from that, any further plug Tanner's face is Facebook page.

SPEAKER_03 30:56

Yeah, let me look it up to make sure. I think it's Tanner's Exciting Steps. I think so. Just followed the Instagram today. I should know this.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

For any of y'all that are that are interested in and knowing more or even supporting her, helping out, yeah, sending prayers, notes, notes.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

You can donate through Palo Alto, Church of Christ, and you can go on there. They got a drop-down Tanner's steps. Exciting steps. Yeah, Tanner's exciting steps. Yeah, we've mapped most of the journey on there, but a lot of support comes through the church. A lot of people from outside the church donate through the church, but we've set it up to where the church pays for.

SPEAKER_05 31:34

Sorry. Uh oh, Matthew, heard us. Oh, still going.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

Um, yeah, so Tanner's exciting steps. Like I said, you can donate through church, and we uh we we pay medical bills with all that, and like we leave money in there for the next season and next surgery, and uh it's kind of a nice kind of a it's a really nice blessing to for for surgeries.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

Yeah, so that's that's Robbie's son, younger son.

SPEAKER_03 32:02

13. I think he's 13.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

You're not sure of the Facebook page, you're not sure at the surgery, you're not sure at the age. Uh and again, I know I give you a hard time, man. I love you though. And thank you for opening up and and sharing that with us too.

SPEAKER_03 32:17

It's a it's a crazy story. It's definitely I think I made a post the other day. Um, if you've seen some of the stuff that we've seen, you believe some of the stuff we believe. And it's uh that's I mean, the picture speaks for itself. You know, he's standing at the rail and looking at the beach, and he's just it's phenomenal what we've gone through. It's phenomenal how we got here, and it's phenomenal what we're doing. You know, we're we're thriving in a time that most families would not be thriving.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

So you're living an answered prayer. Yes. Answered prayers.

SPEAKER_03 32:47

It's God had provision for us before we knew Tanner, and the provisions were already there, and that's kind of you know, it's like you know, going through the wilderness and the provisions are already there. He just wants you to focus on that daily, that daily grind. Do my lip quiver it's a real thing, bro.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

Yeah, I I wanted to make sure you got your flowers for that while we were here together. And and I obviously Tanner is the one going through it, so obviously that resilience, but that resilience is learned, man. It's observed, and that doesn't come from nothing. That comes from you being intentional as a father and making sure that your family is in the right spot, going all the way back to what I said there a few minutes ago. Like it's full circle, man. Uh, you you just you and Kristen both, you deserve your flowers for that as well.

SPEAKER_03 33:34

I appreciate that. We like I said, I can't do it without my mentors, my God, my Jesus, my Bible. My mentors are you know identifying them early. I highly recommend identify some mentors early, biblical, non-biblical business, the whole nine.

SPEAKER_01 33:49

And it's like you said, or you were alluding to earlier. You're the kind of guy, you're intentional about not just being a father and a husband, but you know, outside the home and and helping other brothers and sisters, and you're very intentional in that way. But just and someone who's not Robbie, like a father like who is intentional in the home, especially somebody being intentional and going through a situation kind of similar to what you're going through, just recognizing God, being intentional about giving thanks to God and praying to God echoes outside beyond that. Because I could see, even if you weren't intentional outside the home, I could see so much benefit coming from the intentionality within the home and how you've trained Taylor. Uh I'm sorry, Taylor. Wow, yeah, how you've been trained. I had some training. Much less Tanner, you know, but uh and Toby.

SPEAKER_03 34:41

I was hoping I'd get the favorite scripture question on the icebreaker, uh, like you've been doing the other episodes because uh I don't I don't do the whole fluffy uh scriptures, I go straight for you know what I'm what sin I'm trying to conquer. You know, the mouth is my my last one that I have to rein in. And so, you know, we got some proverbs that we're going after, you know. What what would it be for you right now? Uh so I do have it memorized, but I'm gonna read it because I don't want to mess it up. I'm gonna mark you in the Bible. So the tongue can bring death or life. Those who love to talk will reap the consequences. Proverbs 18, 21. And that's a that's a good one for me. And like I said, my mouth is the last thing that uh or one of the last things I'm trying to uh check and make sure that I'm speaking wisely and not as much as I need like loudly. A lot of my friends say I'm loud. Do you stay in prayer about that struggle? I do stay in prayer. I wouldn't say I pray about my mouth regularly. Okay. But I do stay in prayer, yes. I'd probably you probably need to pray about that, huh?

SPEAKER_01 35:54

You should. Well, I have noticed too, and I I agree with where where you're going with that though, but I I have noticed too. Like even if I'm just in prayer, if I'm just focused on prayer in general, praying for others, it keeps me away from you know the langu language, whatever it is with the tongue or or other things. It it just it moves you into another positive light, positive direction. Moves you into the light, away from the darkness. So whether you're praying about that specifically, yeah. I think it's still prayer, it's prayer and positive.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

I'll I'll change I'll change one of my prayers to praying for my tongue. Because I I want to speak life and I want to speak truth. Um I want to speak scripture, and I want to be scripturally sound and what I speak to my kids. And I told somebody the other day that's and like like you got little kids, but right now you need to be training yourself in the scripture because I wish I would have known scripture sooner. Like the scripture I know now, I wish I would have put them in Toby earlier. Like I put scripture in Toby, of course, but I wish I would have been putting the scripture I know now. And so it's like not too late to like I told a young a young wife the other night, I told her I said, you know, you one thing you do for your family is start studying your your Bible, know the word, and have the scripture ready to have the di conversations. This is why we believe, because the Bible says this, and we're slow to anger because that's why we don't throw things against the wall, because we live differently. You know, it's just like I wish I would have it goes back to the the the tongue.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

Right? It's like I think I brought this up a couple times. I get into situations where you know people coming to me for advice, asking for advice, people that are in very difficult and and dark situations, and I'll give it to them. That's not enough. They just want to, you know, a lot of times they want to vent, but then it's like the conversation goes on and on, and I've I've repeated myself many times in many ways, and I finally get to a point and and really I get to the point where I should have started, where it's not about what I have to offer, my wisdom. It's about God worked through me, God used my tongue and and delivered your message, whatever it is. But that I think it's e you know, that's where what you're talking about. Learn scripture, yeah, speak through the wisdom.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

Wisdom and know when the person's willing to hear it. Like, you know, if like like the other night we had a situation and somebody's at my house on a Monday night, and they're just talking. Be nice. They're just talking, waiting for that invite. So yeah, so they're just talking, talking, talking, and then my wife's like, Why didn't you say anything about what they're talking about? And I'm like, you know, if it didn't offend me that they were saying it at my table, but it was not right, but it wasn't worth it weren't worth getting an argument in front of all my friends and my small, my small group that we call Monday nights. And we I just let it go, and I've felt like I was taming my tongue because I could have been combative, I could have been, you know, but he was a new guy at the table, he's a new guy at church.

SPEAKER_00 39:09

Oh no, what did I say? What you it wasn't you we have new people every week. Oh, dude, I was starting to connect the dots, and so you know they were just saying something.

SPEAKER_03 39:19

It's just like you know, it's just about like the church and like what how they were raised and stuff and traditions and how they like are clinging to the traditions, like they're clinging to their guns and you know, all this and so all this stuff. And so my wife was like, You're you know, why didn't you say anything? And it's just like, you know, it's just I don't I can't speak to that person in love, so there's no, you know, there's no there's no reason for me to go at it. And not in front of, you know, all my guys I'm trying to pour into.

SPEAKER_01 39:49

We get the speaking from love, and then there's the I was trying to find it. I I don't have it off the top of my head. Paul Paul delivers a message, I think it's the Corinthians, maybe Romans, about you know, they're eating food sacrificed to idols.

SPEAKER_03 40:06

There's controversy going on about you.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

Eating food sacrificed to idols. There's well, there's two there's two different similar situations. There's one where he talks about addressing the issue, and then there's another where he's like, don't bring up needless problems.

SPEAKER_03 40:24

It's not a salvational issue. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

So the fact that you were we were just talking about speaking in scripture, you not speaking is scriptural. Because it's like don't bring up, yeah, try to try to you know pick pick those battles wisely for a lack of a paraphrase it.

SPEAKER_03 40:42

But I want our conversation to bear fruit. So like I want to have fruitful conversations, and recently I've cut out sports and I don't watch any sports anymore. And you know, that's that speaking to people that watch sport, a lot of sports.

SPEAKER_00 40:59

I don't know, dude. I wish I had that in me sometimes.

SPEAKER_03 41:01

You uh you grow into it, you know. You don't just Jesus said, you know, I was a diehard gator fan. I had gator clothes. Well that's why. How many podcasts do you have about the and I just don't, you know, I don't talk about it anymore. I I do follow some of the storylines, like, you know, the Otani stuff is cool, you know. Some of the you know, some of the stories are cool how like they were playing or the other the other night the guy was the kicker coaching kicking, and then he's kicking in the one of the Monday night football games. He kicked a field goal.

SPEAKER_00 41:35

I don't know if that was the other night. Football season's been over for three months.

SPEAKER_03 41:38

I mean last season, I don't know. But it was one of those seasons. Yeah, all-star break. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 41:44

I'm just I I can't think of that. I'm I'm a I'm a sports nut, man, but uh I I do feel myself falling out of love with it.

SPEAKER_01 41:51

Yeah, I I'd like the storylines of the you know, just I was about to say because I I'm kind of surprised you being so involved in the industry, it's you know the sports industry and broadcasting. That's what happened to me. It was like I I was big sports guy, and that's why I I got into the sports information industry, and it's like once you see sausage get made, yeah, it's kind of ruined sausage for you. I mean, I I'll still watch, I haven't given it up cold turkey, like you you're kind of talking about, but because I still get a little like we'll do a March Madness group. I I I've I've I I'm I'm in there. Yeah, you can I didn't do good this year. But like I like the friendly competition. I don't nearly get as worked up as I once did, you know, I'll still rag Auburn until the day I die. And that's not a sports thing.

SPEAKER_03 42:40

I'm not a big fan of Auburn either. I we lost to the they beat us in the swamp one night, and I was there, and it was a long drive home. And yeah, I don't like Auburn either. Tebow's first year. Yeah, that was yeah, Auburn lost that night. We were there and it was field goal. I just why why why see I was in the normal Florida State fancy swamp. Yeah. You gotta know your enemies too.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

I don't know if that's in the Bible or not.

SPEAKER_03 43:13

Roll tide.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

Taylor Bain's here, by the way.

SPEAKER_03 43:16

Hello. How are you on sports? I I brought up Roll Tide the other night, and you got kind of I I did.

SPEAKER_04 43:22

I love the tide. I although you know it's it's been hard to. Love the tide? I do love the tide. Love your neighbor. My little known fact for our church congregation, probably, but my my mother's cousin played for Bear Bryant. Wow. Not only played for him, but like was on the field during the goal line stand against Penn State. Natty, like champed, like played for the Packers.

SPEAKER_03 43:46

You got an elephant tattoo? We don't know.

SPEAKER_04 43:51

His name's Rich Wingo.

SPEAKER_01 43:52

Yeah, he's big and and men. I struggle to come up with names for it. Men's spirituality is what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_04 44:01

Rich Rich is Rich is a very spiritual man. He and his family stay involved in a lot of you know Alabama goings on.

SPEAKER_01 44:08

I think he was men, uh spiritual men classes and and conferences. He's big in that.

SPEAKER_04 44:13

Yeah. Yeah, Rich is an amazing guy. His whole family, that side of the family, great. So I I don't know, all that to say, I kind of was raised in it, brought up in it. I do love the Crimson Tide. That being said, I you know, I really only follow college football. And and and like I don't know. I'm I'm in I'm in a I'm in a season of still of despair and and mourning over the loss of the goat. And you know, I know not to dive too deep into the sports aspect, but I've I've struggled the last few seasons to like follow it as much.

SPEAKER_03 44:47

We watch the games and it's fun, but um Yeah, your wife is a big uh I got a roll tide out of her, she's a Bama fan too.

SPEAKER_04 44:54

I didn't know that and I I brought that up and you but I I for me I I think like sports can be really captivating, especially like those storylines where you see the human spirit and just like the power of teamwork or like overcoming adversity to like really elevate a community out of a bad situation, whatever it may be. One thing that's to tie it in sports in a kind of a spiritual way, one thing that has really been cool the last few years is Night to Shine. I don't know if y'all have heard about this. Yeah, so Tim Tebow, who has a foundation with that he and his wife and his family are all really heavily involved in.

SPEAKER_03 45:34

I think he started before his wife. I want to say that's right.

SPEAKER_04 45:37

Yeah, Demi is involved in that, but but Tim Tebow's Night to Shine has been going on for about a decade. Every year and in the month of February, at this worldwide event, they have churches in Panama City and elsewhere that Highland Park Baptist. Highland Park Baptist Church. If you're in Panama City next year, hosts it in town. I've attended the last couple years and as a volunteer, and it is just an amazing event.

SPEAKER_03 46:04

The organization is it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. I've never been invited to volunteer. I know you've described what it is, real quick.

SPEAKER_04 46:12

So Night to Shine is an event where they have a I would call it like a prom night experience. Yeah, very much so. Red carpet, red carpet, prom night, kind of like celebration of people who are differently abled, whether that's a physical or mental exceptionality, could be anything from people who exist on the autism spectrum, people with a physical ailment, Tanner, people who in Tanner's position, people who, you know, maybe going through just any number of different circumstances that are would be considered exceptional, you know, for their for their health. We call them rare. Yeah. So it's a it's a night to celebrate those people, and it's kind of spiritually focused and driven, obviously being hosted by churches, and this is a global event. I mean, yeah, you know, dozens of countries. On the same night, I'm pretty sure. All on the same night or weekend, basically, in the span of a few days that they do they put on this massive event. Everybody dresses out and they have everything catered and uh dance floor and uh photo booths, and just it's just an incredible experience.

SPEAKER_03 47:19

What did you actually do?

SPEAKER_04 47:20

I didn't I would I I worked as a a buddy. The last two years I was a buddy to to two different individuals, basically just guiding them around the facility. Hey, what do you want to do tonight? Let me go get you a plate of food, let's dance together here. Let me hang out with you and your friends, introduce you to so and so. And and and so it's just a really amazing event. And to tie that into sports, I mean, it's just an example of how someone like Tim Tebow, a strong warrior for God's game, has has used his platform, his fame very intentional in an incredibly intentional way, and that's just one of the ways he's done it, but just to say that sports can be an avenue uh to make an impact in the kingdom of God, and it's just like a really cool way to see that happen. So Night to Shine is an amazing event. Anyone who has a connection to that event is very blessed by it. I'm very confident of that.

SPEAKER_00 48:16

So my aunt is uh 50 years old and she has Down syndrome, and so I've been able to attend a few of those. And and let me tell you what the best thing about Night to Shine is that there is not an ounce of misery in the room. 100% joy. Just the absolute most fun thing you will ever be a part of if you go check something like that out. Or volunteer. You don't have to go to church there, you can just sign up and volunteer. It is a pleasure to be a part of. It is so much, so much fun every time. Because there's no misery. Tracking back to sports, one thing, and I thought this is where you were you were gonna go, but I don't know if you guys have noticed this, but over the last couple of years, there has been a massive uptick in athletes not being afraid to throw their to show their faith.

SPEAKER_03 48:58

Number one draft pick. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:00

It's it's it's awesome, man. It's been crazy to see. There's a rookie right now for the uh was last night.

SPEAKER_01 49:07

You don't keep up with sports, yeah. Yeah, well, yeah, actually, back to that.

SPEAKER_03 49:12

My algorithm is very clean. If he says anything about Jesus or God, it's in there, bro. Very clean algorithm over here.

SPEAKER_00 49:20

My Instagram algorithm, not clean. You gotta change your settings. It's getting it's getting there.

SPEAKER_04 49:25

It's I'm about to I'm about to inundate you with tons of of the purple price clear setup. It's gonna be awesome. Send them. We're gonna have Philip Philip Mitchell reels all up in your feet. It's gonna be awesome.

SPEAKER_03 49:38

You'll be showing you'll be driving across town to the uh 430 Bible study if you keep this up.

SPEAKER_00 49:43

Come on. I told you I'll go during the summer. 430 in the school. But there's a rookie right now for the Cincinnati Reds, his name is Sal Stewart. And of course, I'm a Reds fan, so I gotta go back to it. But every time he's on anything, the first thing he does is glorify God for like five to ten minutes of the interview. And it's it's before he even talks about what he did that night. And I I've just noticed uh like Athletes for Christ, there's a big page on Instagram that is growing, it's growing, it's growing, and it it's been it's been really nice to see.

SPEAKER_05 50:12

Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 50:13

I I I must say, I'm just a loop kind of back loop back around to some of the stuff we were talking about earlier. You know, this conversation's been really interesting for me because I'm I'm the only man at the table who doesn't have a child. So I have no kids at this point. My you know, this kind of came up in a previous episode, but my wife, Sabrina, who is not here tonight and I are hopeful to have kids someday. We are prayerful about that, but right now it's still just the two of us and our our dog. And so it's been interesting, like, you know, sitting at this I'm gonna pay you, I promise. Sitting at this table, we're at the table, royalties coming in. But being at the table and and hearing perspectives on on three from three fathers, you know, it's something that I don't know if I will experience that in my life, but I but I know and I'm very confident and blessed to have examples not only at this table, but also just surrounding me of of great men who have poured so much into their families, into their kids, as I see all of you do. If God blesses us in that way, you know, I pray that I'll be up to the task. I think I think I will be. I just you know I don't know what the plan is, but I am confident that that the the generation that is coming is gonna be a generation that is gonna be filled with really strong men and women and the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_03 51:41

Just get them like we we raise our kids with the Holy Spirit. Like we yeah, we live set apart because we make decisions the Holy Spirit. We don't have a book for raising right 20, 26 kids, and I can't. And so you just you just have a book.

SPEAKER_01 51:56

I got a book for you.

SPEAKER_03 51:58

It's called the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 52:00

I've been hanging out with you all night. My my Robbie came out.

SPEAKER_03 52:03

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I I try to stick to one book, but yeah, they yeah, just raising them with the Holy Spirit, and that's raising them, yeah. You and your wife praying about it and saying, This is what we're gonna do, and this is what we do. And you know, it's not it's not easy, and it's not, you know, it's not for the faint of heart by no means, but you know, you don't do because oh, everybody's reading the unscreen your kids or undo this, don't let your kids put your kids outside two hours a day, or you know, don't you know just because of some book saying it. No, we just do about it. Write about it, and it's what's right for our family. Right, you know, that's kind of interesting. Just make sure they know and they understand.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

I think that's the most important thing. They have to know and understand the two most important trios in the world the father, the son, and the holy spirit, the goat, the bear, and the lobster. If they can know those two things.

SPEAKER_03 52:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 52:57

See what he did there. They're sad. He's getting away. He's getting paid. He's getting paid over this.

SPEAKER_01 53:06

The table money.

SPEAKER_02 53:07

All right.

SPEAKER_03 53:08

Well, we're dropping.

SPEAKER_01 53:09

What do you think goat bear lobster stands for?

SPEAKER_03 53:11

I I I I I'm way ahead of you, but I'm way ahead. Happy Ben and Lacey. Uh GBL.

SPEAKER_01 53:16

Yeah, I'm just kidding. The whole story's on the website.

SPEAKER_03 53:18

It is. I have not read that. I've been to the website. It's a cool story. I almost bought a shirt the other.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

The whole story's on our website. If you ever want to know. Nice. Sometimes ignorance. What's that website? Goatbear.

SPEAKER_04 53:34

Goat.bear.

SPEAKER_01 53:37

That's our web. That's our email. The website's goatbear.wordpress.com.

SPEAKER_00 53:41

I can tell you how to find all of my stuff. Yes. I'm just letting you know. Robbie.

SPEAKER_03 53:45

R-O-B-B-D-O-G-85.

SPEAKER_01 53:47

Robbie Dog85 is the call group podcast.com. You'll find it. And it's in the uh it's in the description of the podcast. By the way, speaking of which, because I got a kick out of this when that's on your show. Uh-uh. Uh speaking of recall, how many podcasts have you uh have you started? And I don't mean this to call you out. No, yeah. You started going through the list of like how many how much content you've got.

SPEAKER_03 54:12

You said six years of podcasting.

SPEAKER_00 54:14

I've been podcasting for six years. I've been in the media industry for seven years. I worked at ESPN for a short time as well. I'll start. No, I'm I'm gonna name these things. So actually, when you when you were going through the icebreakers, that was uh one of the what's the most adventurous thing that you've done was one of the icebreakers that you didn't choose. And I started an LLC, which Goat Bear Lobster is a direct ripoff of. If you if but we're gonna get there in a different thing before I knew you, but it was but um I started a thing called the Right On Podcast Network. So when I left ESPN, I started my own thing. So my last name was Wright, so it was right on. I didn't come up with that name myself, believe it or not. I had help because I'm not smart enough to do that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 54:55

See, I came up with mine on my mind.

SPEAKER_00 54:57

So we had we'll count these. We we had the Right On Sports Podcast, we started a wrestling podcast called the Right On Squared Circle. Right on, right on. We we had fantasy football MD, which was Marcus and Drew, but it was uh they were the doctors of fantasy football, so we just called it fantasy football MD. We had Nerd Culture Undisputed, which was when Marvel was really hot. I love that one. I want to bring that one back in some capacity. We had Cancel Us, which was under our umbrella. We had oh man, there's a couple more. Hold on.

SPEAKER_01 55:34

I've got a bunch of names too.

SPEAKER_00 55:35

We had Terribly Terrific, we had No Purpose, and now we've come to I've I've got the Know It All podcast, which has been running for four seasons. God, I wish that podcast was not as popular as it was. I do not I don't want to do it anymore. But but it's a I I sound like I'm trying to be egotistical, man, but our our podcast is really popular for the Know It All. And it's Florida State Football Podcast. It is I try to keep it clean, but it is not PG rated with the way the last two seasons have gone.

SPEAKER_01 56:07

Um I'm cleaning up my hands.

SPEAKER_03 56:10

Yeah, you're only responsible for yourself and your kids. That's right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 56:14

But my co-host, he's a Jersey boy, so he's he's a Jersey Cuban, so he gets fired up. Um and then of course we've got Leave It at the Table. And I I'm sure I'm missing something somewhere in there.

SPEAKER_01 56:23

Well, Leave It at the Table is picking up, and you guys have just rolled out a bunch of stuff that you're doing there. Yeah, that one seems to be the big sticker.

SPEAKER_00 56:31

I I I really enjoy doing Leave It at the Table. And one thing that one mistake that we made with all those other shows is that I don't know if it was a mistake, but we tried to have a show for everything, right? We had tried to have a football show, we tried to have a we oh, seeing Reds. We I did a baseball podcast for a year. We're at nine. Yeah, we're at nine here. We used to have a podcast.

SPEAKER_03 56:55

Help. Your biggest brand is yourself.

SPEAKER_00 56:59

We wanted to have right on. Yeah, there you go. We wanted to have a show where it was about nothing, but it was about everything. And so that that's what leave it at the table is. I I I I I really love doing it.

SPEAKER_01 57:14

Dude, I I I just got an idea for a new thing we need to start doing. Which you're not even getting into the stuff we've got down the road. Yeah, yeah. But my dream job has always been garbage man, number one, the guy hanging on the back of the truck. Number two, the guy naming fireworks. Have you seen like you go to a fireworks fan? The names of those things. I think we should go into some kind of firework marketing thing, because dude, I could come up with some some firework, Gorilla Panic.

SPEAKER_04 57:46

Robbie and I have already uh Komodo 3000. Robbie and I have talked about how we're gonna be garbage men in heaven. Yes. I just want to be taking out people's trash, dude. If I make it, and I'm I I know like I trust the Lord.

SPEAKER_03 58:00

I want to be on his grandparents' street, dude. I want to be garbage.

SPEAKER_04 58:03

I'll I'll drive. You you we'll take turns, you know. I'll be able to get a gun.

SPEAKER_03 58:08

Did you imagine the lemonade your grandma makes? Yeah, it's gonna be like right there on the trash can.

SPEAKER_01 58:12

They don't need firewood in heaven.

SPEAKER_02 58:14

Yeah. You're talking about plugging firewood. Now I'm about to pay I'm about to drop royalties for real.

SPEAKER_01 58:20

I do sell firewood if uh you need some firewood. He delivered my firewood. I was uh I was deployed in in what was the hurricane in Louisiana?

SPEAKER_00 58:28

Oh boy. Barrel? Ida. Ida, that's it.

SPEAKER_01 58:31

I was deployed at Ida, that was like 2022.

SPEAKER_03 58:35

Wait, wait, we need to go back. We need to go back a little bit on the firewood story.

SPEAKER_01 58:39

I'll just sum yeah, I'll just sum it up like this. He delivered it last year. Three or four years later, yeah, it showed up.

SPEAKER_03 58:46

And it was a preacher conviction.

SPEAKER_01 58:48

Well, yeah, it's so he was like, he's like, he he texts me, you know, hey, I'm bringing it by or whatever, and I I kind of like I don't want him to bring it because I've been holding over set so long, I don't want to give that up.

SPEAKER_03 58:59

Three years, yeah, yeah. And so the preacher was, you know, sometimes you gotta reconcile and go make things right, and that was something I had to go make right. And you shamelessly posted a picture on your Facebook. I had to get the last little bit of a off your ring camera, yeah. And there were some good comments on that photo.

SPEAKER_01 59:20

I sat there at work watching you go back and forth and all that.

SPEAKER_03 59:24

Yeah, and and so there was some there were some random people chiming in there that I didn't know you knew, and so it made you more famous in my eyes. That's amazing. But yeah, it was it was uh yeah, I've I've made that right, and uh that sometimes you gotta reconciliation is uh real real thing. So we're right on firewood.

SPEAKER_00 59:46

Oh yeah, we're right on firewood. There it is. Right on firewood. Here we go. Wind it up. It's a podcast all about different kinds of firewood, spin-up of right on firewood.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:00

You don't even want to go to the ref firewood rabbit hole when my Instagram is heat up with it.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:04

No, that was the worst part, is like I just love giving you a hard time about it. Didn't really it really didn't bother me, but I loved you know, bragging you about it. Yeah, and that was so disappointing when you showed up with it because man, I got nothing now.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:17

I really like the fire, the fire aspect of I like my firewood business and I'll probably do it for a couple more years for sure. But it's just heartwarming when people replace my order, is what you're saying. When people take pictures and they've got a fire built and they're just surrounded, you know, these there's just good conversations happen around fire. It's very manly, you know, it's outdoors usually, or it's warming, you know. It's just it's just a good thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:45

Right on reviews, how do I eat this? Two more. That's eleven, dude. Maybe I do have a problem.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:54

I had a food review, I think once somebody found that out recently. I had a food review on my and I I have an old podcast too that I did for a couple weeks. Uh it was uh bunker TV. It's still a you did that one? I was I was a host, I was a host for like 10 weeks or 10 episodes. And uh that was in the 2023 era.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:17

So you were telling me about a young man uh part of the Patronas family that does something local.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:23

Johnny. John, I think it's Johnny Patronus. He does the sports broadcast, and he is he is good with the mouth. Or the lip or the tongue or whatever the mouth, yeah. The gift of gab, the golden tongue or silver tongue as they say in Rick and Bubba.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:39

I I jumped up on that one a long time ago. Kitchy. Uh or that where you were going with that. Uh the mute. Oh yeah, the silver tongue one.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:51

The silver tongue one, yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:52

And uh pizza and a cup. Pizza and a cup, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:56

It's you Rick and Bubba, Rick and Bubba. But yeah, no, it's kind of fun to watch people go through these podcasts and that I I haven't seen anybody stick it for six years. Or seven years. I haven't stuck it. That's the one.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:11

Uh I really wasn't trying to I no, no, I get a kick out of all the names because they're awesome.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:16

If there's anything I'm good at, it's coming up with names. We we've we've got one that we've kind of been trying to cook up a little bit that it hit a I guess we hit a little snag just time really because work sucks right now and life is busy, but we'll get back on track. But that one I just that name came out of nowhere, and then there was meanings in it. I'll tell you guys about that one off the air. I don't think we're ready to announce that.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:42

Well, as we started talking it out, I love that idea. I want to do it's about that. Because they're not gonna look friendly on the after we quit our jobs, then we'll start that one.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:55

Yeah, it's gonna be a big week for us. Yeah, you'll have plenty, plenty of documentation.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:01

Well, guys, I just want to say real quick again, just thank you one for being here to open it up and and you know, going some places that we don't always get to go to, you know, when we just get to even at church when we see each other just kind of you know cut up and and we don't always get to go very serious. I know we didn't spend a whole lot of time going serious on this episode, but I do want to I I would really love to do another one with you guys and dive a little deeper into some serious stuff, some more serious issues and some stuff, Robbie. You brought up in the past too. Uh you know, the whole sacrificial uh nature of being a man and and aspects like that. But we'll we'll probably do that on another episode. So kind of bringing this one full uh to a close here. Well, let's we'll let's end it how you guys do for your show. How much do you can I plug it one more time? Go ahead, go ahead. I think I got enough. Uh leave it at the table. You guys always every episode you end with gratitude. And I'll I'll let you explain it. But this is this we're gonna do that for this episode as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:11

I uh I I actually I really appreciate you kind of letting me bring that here tonight because that's one thing that I I'm really trying to get better at in life, and that's why we started doing it. I can't take full credit for it. There's a wrestling podcaster, his name is Chris Van Vliet, and every time he has a guest on, he has them named like two, two or three things that they're grateful for. And I just thought about that and I'm like, man, like where I'm at in my life, what I've been through really recently, what I'm like what I'm still going through, like it is as rough as things are, like I'm just so grateful for certain aspects, certain events that have gone down that have kept my head above water. And you know, so many times in life we find ourselves dreading and and just despising the things that we don't have and not being grateful for the things that we do have. So we'll I'll kick this off if you guys want, but we'll go around the table. Just tell me one thing, uh, whether it be a person, an event, or just just a story that's happened to you in recent memory or just overall that you're grateful for. And uh for me right now, and and you know, so I actually said this one on my podcast, Robbie.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:20

Name dropping my name on your podcast?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:22

No, no. I I not yet in the world would he do that? No, they've been dropping my name for you. Trying to get us on a watch list. I can I I am very grateful to have two healthy boys and to not have to deal with anything like that. And I don't mean that I don't mean that in a derogatory way. I I think you know that, but I my youngest is autistic, and that's the quote unquote worst thing we have to deal with. And I am very, very blessed that that that's the thing, man. We've been just that we of course there's Been a couple of scares here and there, hospital trips. Those are gonna happen, I think. But I I'm just very, very grateful to have two healthy boys that that are just a a a shining light in my life.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:15

Recently I've been really uh reflecting on and feeling grateful for time with my grandparents. Yeah, we got to celebrate my grandmother Betty's 90th birthday a few weeks ago. We also recently had Robbie and his son Toby over for dinner at my grandparents' retirement community.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:32

That was really special night. It was you got some great photos. Man, you sent me one of those photos.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:40

So I've been really thankful for them. You know, I I my my wife and I used to live in Colorado and that was a different chapter, different season. But at that point, you know, I was thinking, I don't know, you know, will I have a lot of memories left with them? I know that they're both in their I mean granddad's 94. So I was thinking, you know, I gotta start doing a better job at calling them and getting them on the phone. And turns out we came back home and have gotten essentially to see them every week, weekly dinners, and make a lot more memories with them in this late time in their life. So I've been feeling really grateful for Sid and Betty, my grandparents, and also especially grateful that my wife has gotten that Sabrina's gotten to to get to know them better. I mean, she had heard so many stories about them and and she had met them, obviously, but just the depth of their connection, the way that they've sped in fed into us in a spiritual sense. I mean, I'll be if I make it to their age, it's called Lord eternal eternally grateful. Right. Eternal gratitude. Yeah. If I make it to their age, I'll be thinking about this chapter. And I I'm just really grateful for them.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:47

So it goes quick, man. I I have no grandparents left, and yeah, boy. Same here. It is it I think of like even just sitting here listening to that, I'm like, man, that's been the toughest thing I've gone through recently. Losing my grandpa in 2023. So I haven't shaken that one off. I'm sorry, man. It's enjoy it. I'm really willing to soak it up. Broken record stuff. I'd people say it all the time. You hear it, you just can't I you blow it off, but boy, if I could just go to the range with my grandpa one more time, I'd get I'd give one of my kids for that.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:22

I'd give one of your kids. At least let them get lost.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:25

At least let them get lost in like Walmart for an hour or something. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:29

Well, and the whole Sabrina getting to know that that's such a big thing. I was so grateful when by the time Lacey and I were dating, uh, I was down to one grandfather, and I was so thankful she got to really get to know him and grow close with him and see him kind of open up in ways with her that I've never seen him open up before. It's so special even now after he's gone, and you know, that it doesn't get easier. I'm not I'm not too far ahead of you on that timeline there. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:59

It does help. It does help, like we named Tanner after m uh Ray, one of our grandparents, and uh it does help to, you know, he doesn't know he didn't know Ray, and you know, uh him yelling at us from the front porch and get out the ditch. You know, you're messing up my ditch, da da da you quit playing in the ditch. And like it's a ditch, what are we like we can't play in the ditch, like and then so like he doesn't know all the stories about all that, but he will one day hear those and you know it just kind of lets it live on and you know I'm very fortunate. My brother little girl's name Emma after my Nana. And uh, you know, we do have one girl in the family, and it's Emma, and she will, you know, she was a member of our church and a big part of my life and a big part of my my parents' uh faith journey and how my kids are servants because I'm a servant, because my mom's a servant, because Emma's a servant, and how that's trickled through, you know, that my kids are gonna get opportunities to serve that it's because we're multi-generational servants, you know, that it's kind of interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:10

To that point, too, as far as like you know, those phrases and th stories that and even some that you start to hear when you get older. G B and L is all based around that in my personal experience. The whole name is a legacy thing that comes from those stories. Yeah, and just keeping them alive, those sayings and phrases, a lot of our t-shirts and a lot of our material like our whole slogan for G B L, Don't spoil a good notion came back directly from a story from my grandfather, and and it was in my wedding vows to my wife, don't spoil don't spoil a good notion. Or if that snake bites me, I might die, but it will die. I mean, we uh we there's so many, there's so much gold there that's like I just had to keep it alive, you know, and just keep it going.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:55

Yeah, I think I think I'm grateful for just family, community, you know, being you know, you asked me to be here, and you know, I kind of put you on the back burner because you know, I've got a lot of options, a lot of resources, a lot of free time right now, you know, a lot of invites that I don't normally get. You could have been anywhere in Bay County, anywhere in Bay County. That's too hour instead of slumming it on 30A, you know, slumming it over here on 30A, and uh you offered pizza, you know, it was pepperoni, and so that's what hooked me.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:29

Don't broadcast that. People will be knocking down my door.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:31

So, yeah, no, I just like the community that I've invested a lot of time and energy, you know, like Taylor. I've invested a lot of time and energy. I've had a lot of time with his grandparents, you know. They they mentored, we went through a mentor session and they talked about this guy, and you know, I thought I'd never meet him. And here we are. Here we are, you know, we do life together now and we we serve together, we preach together, we Bible study together, wrangle youth, we podcast together. And so, you know, you just you build community and you know, the fortitude of my community. You you know, you can go anywhere in this town and say my name, and they're like, Oh, he's connected to this guy. And like, how is he connected? They don't know. Like, they there's like, do I does he sell them firewood? Are we at pancake breakfast? Are we at a pancake breakfast? Are we, you know, you don't know a pickleball court? Yeah, you don't know how I'm connected to him, but you know, that that post you made, you know, Michael Scott like chimes in on that. I I don't know how you know Michael Scott, but he chimes in on your in your thing, and I'm like, how does Ben know Michael Scott? And like, why are they you know it's it's just funny.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:43

Wait, you're talking about a real Michael Scott? I was thinking the office. That's what Michael's.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:47

Yeah, that's what that's a no like there's a the pickleball player. That's what I was thinking. The pickleball player. Yeah, the pickleball player, Michael Scott. Tax guy, he's on your he messaged on that phase. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:59

Michael Scott, brother.

unknown 1:13:00

Come on.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:01

He owns shout out to uh the coffee shop. The one right there by Sola? Yeah, he owns Sola.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:07

So one of the people I know, quote unquote, I know through my wife. My wife, she's the people person. The only reason anybody knows me is because of my wife. Gotcha. The only reason anyone ever talks to me is because of my wife. So you have to refer to her. She knows. And I'm sorry if I'm supposed to know.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:27

Gotcha. So yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:28

What's your what's your gratitude piece here?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:31

So I'm gonna put him on the spot. I gotta get this guy over here, Kyle. Kyle, we've been working together, not just in the podcasting stuff, and him helping me out, and going above and beyond to help me out. By the way, I can't say enough about what you're what you've done for the small group and then other projects that I've had that you've been so willing to help.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:48

He's gonna want to be on payroll one day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:51

That's why I do it. I need a name guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:54

1%.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:54

I'm the one percent kind of guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:56

I need affirmations. I need a name guy. You need a name? I got a guy. But uh, but no, it's kind of funny because I I told this is how I tell it the story anyway, as far as how you know Kyle now goes to church with us and how that all started. It's funny how it's connected all around here. Because Robbie over here, I don't know if it was your idea or Austin, Austin's idea to do the 430 men's Bible study on Thursday mornings. I missed this week.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:23

I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:24

It's it's it's not for everybody. He's watching.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:27

I tried, man. I I I stuck it out. You did you did you did great.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:31

You're so you were a legend for a little while. Like, we're like, yeah, we got Ben Maxwell from the beach, like 30A driving in. From 38 driving in, and he's they're like, he must be waking up at like 3 o'clock. And it's like, I don't know, but he's there.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:45

I live literally two minutes from where I work. So I had to wake up at 3 a.m. get ready for work, drive all the way across the 45 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:55

That's 38. I drove in today at 38.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:58

At 3 a.m., it's probably about 30, honestly. It depends on how many lights you hit on 98, because there's there's mornings where you'll hit every single one. But anyway, and then I have to kill enough time before because I don't want to get back to the office too early because it's just it'll burn you out. But anyway, I come in to work one morning after doing that, and and I was just complaining, really. I was just like, Man, I'm so exhausted. It's gonna be a long day. I mean, I and I've been doing this by saying it was just Kyle there, I think. And you know, here I am complaining, and Kyle goes, Really, where do you go to church? It's uh jokingly say, Wow, here we go. He he comes to church with us in spite of me. Like he he really invited himself, and uh like maybe you should start coming back to the 430.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:47

I did not know that. This is a new story. I mean, we always were trying to get Kyle there to begin with. You were just the in-road for getting Kyle to come to the Bible study.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:55

So the thing is, like it was it's on his way to work. It was such a great fit too. I think I think you guys fit in from the very first when you first visited, and and for one, it was just like it was such a I look at it this way like I couldn't even screw it up. There's a reason you're there. I know Matthew says this to guests, and and everybody, you know, when when we come together to worship, like God, God has brought you here for a reason. Let's discover what that reason is and you know, and really look at it that way. And I I I really feel like that's the case with you because I wasn't trying to screw it up, but even if I couldn't have, even if I I feel like I tried, because I you just kind of like I like to tell people you invited yourself and and I think that's great. But but too, it's like how didn't you now like go into church, you know, we're my work life and my church life has always been very separate, not in not on purpose, but I mean I obviously I can do more. I I could have been a lot I could have handled that situation with Kyle a lot better as far as being intentional and inviting him or whatever.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:01

But but now you could have been like not complaining for one. That's scripture, not do everything without complaining. Well, and too, I think that's a pretty known scripture.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:11

Uh then you've been there a couple months, and it's one of those things like, man, I wasted two months where I could have, you know, because it was such a natural fit. But anyway, I now that work life and and church life is blended together, having you there at work, we have starting to reach some other people, you know, and I think some do some good there, having accountability, accountability, yeah. And then having someone at church who understands what the nightmare that we've gone through throughout the week, and uh just having somebody to kind of lean on in multiple ways. And I really uh all that to say very grateful for that.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:49

That's how from somebody that's goes as at church a lot, and I live close to church, so it's kind of nice. But to see y'all both there about boasting. Uh well, you can boast in Jesus, it's perfectly fine. Multiple scriptures to back that up. But uh, but to see y'all both there on Wednesday nights that y'all making time. I think for a little while you didn't go to Wednesday nights, and then yours is like, we're gonna go. I think I think after the Monday night or before the Monday night before you came my house, you were like, We're coming to Wednesday nights, and I was like, Yeah, no, so it was it was around that time, so it was maybe a couple weeks before that. I think it was a week before, and then we you that made you get on the Monday night list, and then you were like, Yeah, we're coming back to well, I'll see you Wednesday night, and you're like, Yeah, we'll be there Wednesday night. And it was that's kind of like the you know, okay, now he's he's buying in.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:39

That's when you know him committed. So it's it's actually like you like you said, Matt says it every Sunday, everything happens for a reason. So started this job that was obviously so far from the goal. So so far from the goal was to find a church home. And and if I quit that job tomorrow, I've got that from it. Well, spoiler alert, by the way. Well, your kid, your kids have got that from it.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:59

Yeah, they've got I can't fire him from church. I can only fire him from you gotta deal with anybody.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:04

You can change churches. That's what I tell people. You can change churches or go to church here with me.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:11

We were at we were hunting for a church at the time, and we we have given up because we went to a few local and some of them we liked, some of them we really didn't, and we were just like, man, maybe it just doesn't exist for us. And we never thought to try out this church here on 231. Palo Alto. Like, why are you Palo Alto on 231?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:30

Number one because of an old tradition of naming after the road your church is on.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:35

Yeah, so it used to I I just found that out from Joe Keller the other night that that it used to be on Palo Avenue. It used to be on Ormond Avenue.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:43

We would be the Ormond Avenue Church of Christ.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:45

Like, I'm not going to some liberal California church or Stanford University Church. Are we kidding? Like Palo Alto. And then there's you know, all the yard guys from the business next door park there. So the parking lot's full at all hours of the day.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:58

We got people praying all day. We I get that question a lot. Like, oh, y'all, y'all have the doors open all the time. No, we just let the guys next door park.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:06

Like, what are they smuggling in that place, man? But yeah, it's it's just one of those places you drive I used to drive by every day, every day, and I was it never crossed my mind, never. And maybe if it would have crossed my mind at the time, it may not have been the spot. But it it's the timing, everything, everything happened for a reason. So I'm grateful for that too. That'll be my on my next appearance.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:28

It's the same way I handle job interviews when I'm interviewing somebody. I I really try to discourage them to see if they stick around, they really want the job. And I that's what I was trying to do.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:37

I was really trying to, but he wanted it, so he's well, our church is uniquely placed, and you know, Pete, there's multiple people because one of the qu I ask a bunch of stupid questions, and so one of the questions I ask is like, How'd you get here? And obviously, he said you didn't tell me that Ben Maxwell was complaining about something stories.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:57

Ben asked me to smell a napkin and I woke up there. Chloroform.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:02

What's it smell like?

SPEAKER_03 1:21:04

And so like our church used to be used to be there was a bar at the location, and I know of two people that used to attend the bar that went to church. Like go to there's one person still alive that goes to church there, but I didn't never know there was a bar there, but we got the land from we bought the land back in the 90s, and there was a bar there, and people went to that bar and now they go to church there. So that's a unique place for some people for sure. And there's some there's some families at church that just like their kids said, let's go to church there, and they just pulled in and you know, we've actually you know it's a it's it's always neat to see how people got there for sure. And I I do think God is working there and moving there and intentionally getting people there in the seat to hear the gospel from her.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:56

We uh we have Lacey and I have an interesting story too, how we ended up there. But I've never been invited to Monday night thing, so you wouldn't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:05

Yeah, yeah. Well, we'll try well, we're taking a little 12-week hiatus.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:09

Maybe we'll get you on the I think I don't know if we brought it up in the show or not. It real quick. So kind of like what you were talking about, Kyle, as far as like Lacey and I, before we got engaged, we wanted to make sure because we're coming from different backgrounds, we wanted to we wanted to agree on a church. If we can lock in a church, we wanted to do that before we got engaged. What year was that? 2016.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:31

Y'all got to town?

SPEAKER_01 1:22:33

Yeah, that's when I got to town. She'd been here. And and so she kind of had a list of churches she wanted to try. She'd already been going to church. This is another blessing because and I'd gone to church with her, and it was just not my there was a lot of things that were just I don't know. We'll we can get on that later, but it was just not real to sum it up, not for me, I kind of think. But so she had a list of churches she's w wanted to try. I had a list of churches I wanted to try. We're out here on the beach for anybody that doesn't know our area. Like you have to go through what I call prime terrace area.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:06

Here's the address. Yeah, area.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:08

Here's the address. Right. But you you have to go through like all of the between us and church, all of the hardcore tourist area. So traffic is terrible all all the time. But anyway, we had gone through so many churches. Like she'd picked one on her list one Sunday, we tried. I picked one from my list one Sunday and try it at work. And I'm getting so far down my list, here we are going down 231 North at this point.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:32

Going back towards Alabama.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:33

We're headed back towards Alabama. And I actually picked a different church that morning, but somehow got the time wrong. And and so I looked at my list. I said, Well, there's another one not far. Let's go try that. That's all she wrote. She was sold on it before I was. Not to say that like I had any really major concerns, but that's how she she coming from you know a different type of background than me, and the fact that she locked in so quickly. You know, Bobby Sullivan. No, Bob Sullivan. Bob Sullivan, yeah. Bob Sullivan, one of the first people we met. One of my mentors. Just want to lock us in.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:11

Oh, gum man, yeah. Mr.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:12

Bob wouldn't let us live.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:16

Because I got the he changed my life. I just heard that's the I just heard the story of Bubble Gum Bob. Like for the first time this past week.

unknown 1:24:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:24:25

He's the he's he's one of my key pillars. I have gardening in his gardening. I was garden gardening in his garden when I was 12 years old. And like crew okra and you know, Miss Ruth has started, you know, coming back to church. You know, now that he's she's put some of that mourning behind her, and it's been nice to see her. It's been a blessing. And uh, I told her the other night that you know I need you here. Yeah, I need you with the flock. And you know, she's uh she's happy to be back, and we the grandkids are happy to see her. And we're uh we haven't seen the banana pudding yet, but she's got that's she's got she's got a competition.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:05

Miss Molly's got some good banana pudding that Miss Ruth is gonna and she taught Lacey a lot of really like I think it was a biscuit recipe or something. Oh, yeah. I'll forever be grateful to that woman for that.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:17

Yeah, we have the we have the banana pudding. We so we collect recipes in their handwriting, like the old lady's handwriting, we collect it on the cards. And so my wife has like a stash of but we have the banana pudding recipe, we can't cook it until she passes.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:33

But and then and last uh the the preacher at the time, Kenny, he oh yeah, Lacey had a connection from him back long time ago back in Luvern. Uh he actually taught like a preschool class that she was in back then. And Lacey's dad is his CPA. So yeah, it was having all those connections. But anyway. And now, you know, and it was just ripple effect after ripple effect. But guys, thanks for uh we could we could just go on and on all night. But uh thank you guys for sticking around for showing up.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:07

Showing up, yeah. Keeping me on, showing up, showing out. That's kind of the the you know, God wants you to pick up the daily manna and you know, eat it and put it back and you know, not store it away. And you know, I'm here showing up, and uh you let your yes be yes and your no be no. That's scripture too. That's uh sermon on the mound.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:26

That's yeah, that's Matthew.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:28

Six, something.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:29

I want to say it is, yeah. Well, the end of Matthew six is when he's he's talking about anxiety, so it must be earlier in the chapter.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:35

Uh five was the Beatitude, so it had to be, it might be seven.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:39

You're the Sermon on the Mount guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:42

I'm kind of a Jesus guy.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:43

Kind of a Jesus guy. Big on Jesus big on Jesus. Yeah. We've had a great time on this podcast, it's been awesome. And again, I just really thankful for all three of you guys. I should say too, we were my my wife, Sabrina and I were talking about Kyle and Rachel coming into church the first Sunday we saw y'all, and just like ever since then, just I mean, Sabrina used the word based to describe you, based for Jesus. Just like just like on point, like from the beginning, you were just like nodding your head to things that Matthew was saying in sermon, and like like this who is this guy? This this like very this like very tall man that that is like sitting over there by Billy Tolson all of a sudden, and it's like, oh, this guy's nodding his head to Matthew, like we gotta meet this guy. And then it was like, Oh, this is the guy Ben has been talking about, and it's just been like such a blessing to have you and your family like come into the flock and just like join our community. We we really love y'all and just excited for what's to come for all of us just continuing to grow in manhood and in relationship with God and just growing together. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:54

So I'll tell you one day, maybe on a future episode, I'll tell you the stories of probably why I was not. And how the how the church like how we how we learned that the church was perfect for us. Because that nodding was not like I wasn't listening to lit like Lincoln Park in my ears or the secret earbud.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:13

I can say that was the probably the first couple times in my life that a that a church like hit that a sermon hit. And I'm like, oh this is this is for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:22

We definitely need to hear that. Yeah, we need to hear that opened up to me a little bit about it. I'm sure there's a lot more.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:27

There's there's so much more. And I I mean his wife got a good story too. It's it's fun, it's fun to watch them join together, raising kids, and you know, you gotta be together on raising kids, and you know, she's got a good story too.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:42

Dude, she's my best friend. I I I don't know if people really get that as often. I think all four of us have that, and I think that's fantastic, and that's rooted through God and through the church, man. But being able to go home to your best friend, and I think having kids actually, it's funny. We we say it gives us a common enemy.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:05

They're not enemies, they're blessings. Unite us, unite the prominence. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:11

Lord, how my enemies have increased. Many are rising up against.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:15

That's Old Testament. That's Psalms. Yeah, dude. That's that's Psalm 3.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:20

Well, we're gonna have to end this episode eventually. So I'm just trying to end it here.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:24

But I would I would just say, I would just say keep showing up and showing out. Like, you know, Ben, all three of y'all. Just keep showing up, and you'll get old like me one day and be in your 40s.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:39

Anyway.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:43

But guys, thank you so much for sticking around and joining being a part of small group. Yeah, we want to connect with all of you guys. We really want to get to know everyone that is uh part of our small group, and we count you who are listening as part of us. So please reach out, especially if there's anything you need, any prayers, you need help with anything, guys. Just let us know. We're if you need to hear. So um all the uh contact information is in the description of the podcast. So uh yeah, just hit us up. And uh again, thank you for joining uh small groups.