Throwback Episode: Celebrating Gratitude and Faith

Ever wondered about the power of unique entrance music or how an emotional prison visit can reshape your perspective on life? In this heartfelt episode of the Almost Brothers Podcast, we introduce Rockin' Rhett Richmond and share our weekend escapades, from family gatherings to preparing for upcoming visits. Listen as we navigate the emotional terrain of visiting a sister in prison, reflecting on the challenging dynamics and the profound impact such experiences have on us. We share the everyday struggles of parenting, celebrating personal milestones like a salvation anniversary, and honoring the memory of 9/11.

Join us as we explore the theme of gratitude and the significance of appreciating the small blessings in our lives. We emphasize the importance of family interactions, moments of relaxation, and expressing gratitude to God, not just in times of need but also in moments of abundance. Through personal stories and biblical illustrations, we draw parallels between our spiritual journeys and the often-overlooked miracles in our daily lives. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on leaning into God's plans and finding joy in life's simple pleasures, as we uncover the hidden blessings that shape our faith and everyday experiences.

Transcript

Leaning In

Speaker 1 0:00

What's the name? Rockin' Robbie something.

Speaker 2 0:04

Rockin' Robbie something.

Speaker 1 0:06

I don't know.

Speaker 2 0:07

Rocking Rhett Richmond.

Speaker 1 0:10

I will never remember that.

Speaker 2 0:12

R-H-E-T-T. You better recognize Rockin' Rhett Richmond.

Speaker 1 0:18

Write that down.

Speaker 2 0:19

In the building. Oh, there's going to be walking music. Of course there will. Yes, absolutely, that's going to be awesome music.

Speaker 1 0:23

Of course there will. Yes, absolutely, that's going to be awesome. Tyler said do Stone Cold, but I'm not doing Stone Cold. You can't take Stone Cold stuff, that's Stone Cold Right, and you're not bald.

Speaker 2 0:34

That's not Rocking Red Richmond. Rocking Red Richmond is his own monster. What's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up, what's up? Everybody, welcome back to a brand new episode of the almost brothers podcast. On today's episode, we're going to be talking about the lean in. No, I don't have any music of the lean with it rock with it oh what do you not know that?

Speaker 2 1:14

song no, yeah, well, I forgot your grandpa, so there's that anyway. Yeah, rich, how's your? Uh, how was your weekend? It was good I know you kind of got to chill out Saturday, right.

Speaker 1 1:25

Yeah, we got to hang out with the kids and just kind of do our thing. We got some stuff coming up at the end of this month so I wanted to make sure I got some time with them.

Speaker 2 1:35

That's what I'm going to try to do this weekend is just kind of hang out with the family and chill out and try to have some good quality time. We did. We did saturday as well. You know we kind of just hung out at the house and, you know, ran around the yard and stuff like that. But I really like to get out of the house with the kids yeah this weekend I'll be going to see my sister.

Speaker 1 1:55

Yeah, to our listeners that don't know, she's in prison currently, so it'll be my first time ever going to a prison.

Speaker 2 2:02

All right, wait, that no that?

Speaker 1 2:05

no, that's not. That's not it right.

Speaker 2 2:06

I'm sorry, that's not funny.

Speaker 1 2:09

I'm just, I'm not a good button.

Speaker 2 2:11

I'm sorry, I'm weird when we talk about stuff like that. Let's say I'm grown up, so I'm sorry, I'm weird around funerals.

Speaker 1 2:19

Funerals make me weird yeah.

Speaker 2 2:21

Yeah Well, that's good. That's a pretty good drive, though, isn't it?

Speaker 1 2:24

Like five hours.

Speaker 2 2:25

Ooh.

Speaker 1 2:26

Ooh yeah, I'm not looking forward to it.

Speaker 2 2:28

But at least you know, at least you get to go and talk to her and see her, and yeah, pray with her. That's the main thing. Didn't she get saved while she was there?

Speaker 1 2:36

That's what my mom says.

Speaker 2 2:37

Nice, yeah, that's awesome. You know, if nothing else comes out of that, that's, you know that's amazing and awesome. So, yeah, that's good. Well, when are you going? Saturday, friday, friday Okay, that's what's up, man, even right after work.

Speaker 1 2:54

How was the Cape trip today Ridiculous? I can't yeah oh yeah, dealing with doctors, dentists, it's just not my department. Yeah, it's tough man. They start asking me questions and I'm like I don't know. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 2 3:11

They always make me feel bad as a dad, just like when's their birthday and I'm like I know the day. Let me think of the year I have to count back Like, okay, all right, he's this old. All right, he's this old. Okay, count back.

Speaker 1 3:22

Get my math going Carry the one Right, yep.

Speaker 2 3:25

And I always at first mix up Lee's day with his day.

Speaker 1 3:31

Yeah.

Speaker 2 3:31

So I always say the fourth, you know for his day and I just mix it up, but anyway.

Speaker 1 3:36

Try doing that with the number of kids.

Speaker 2 3:38

Yeah, that's what I was going to say. I've only got to deal with two right now, I don't even try. Like Lee, she deals with her own stuff. So I only have the two youngest, so I don't even have to. Really, oh, you got to.

Speaker 1 3:50

I don't even bother.

Speaker 2 3:51

You should have just like a Rolodex, just for your kids and their birthdays.

Speaker 1 3:55

I should have a cheat sheet in my wallet at all times.

Speaker 2 3:57

Yep, yes sir, what's your kid's birthday?

Speaker 1 4:17

Like oh one, uh, yes, sir, what's?

Speaker 2 4:18

your kid's birthday like oh one moment, scroll here ye. Here ye.

Speaker 1 4:19

On the third day of the year of our lord, 2023. Yeah, oh, I had a very cool facebook memory today. I thought you was gonna say epiphany for a second, no, eight, no, I had, uh, it popped up seven years ago. Today I got saved. Oh, wow, yeah that's awesome, it's my salvation anniversary today that is cool and my son's birthday.

Speaker 2 4:34

I didn't realize that I got saved on his birthday right, yeah, yeah, I'll text him this month, which I think it's his number. Has he changed numbers?

Speaker 1 4:40

I don't think so okay, I text.

Speaker 2 4:41

I text them this morning. Just happy birthday, and also it is 9-11. So anybody who you're in our thoughts and prayers, anybody affected by that day I know a lot of people.

Speaker 1 4:55

Everybody was affected by that day.

Speaker 2 4:57

It's kind of a tough day for a lot of people, so just remember all those that maybe had loved ones down there.

Speaker 1 5:05

Did you know anybody that was personally affected by that? I do not.

Speaker 2 5:08

No, no, I know, I just know that the family in Boston kind of freaked everybody out a little bit. But no, I didn't know anybody personally like there during that. But I remember where I was at. I was at school. I remember we were in we're in high school.

Speaker 1 5:27

I think it was our freshman year, I believe something like that so I remember, I remember where I was I was living in mcdougall, arkansas and I remember not knowing that it was going to be, because you know you as the as it unfolded, you know it was news throughout the day, so I've just caught like a little bit of it. In the morning I was like, wow, that's crazy. But I didn't realize the impact that that would have on the country because I didn't know the full scale of what had happened. As the day went on, it really started sinking in.

Speaker 2 6:01

The school was pretty much shut down. They had all of us just sitting in the cafeteria cafeteria and they had it on the big TVs and we just sat there all day just watching the news and it was crazy. Yeah, I just thank you to all the first responders and everybody, everybody involved, and just kind of just a crazy day in our in our history, you know. But yeah, today, you know we're going to be talking about leaning in. How are good ways to be able to lean in?

Gratitude and Blessings From God

Speaker 2 6:29

You know the Bible says that as you lean into God, he leans into you, you know. So I just want to kind of talk about that, about leaning into him and how it doesn't look the way that we think a lot of times, leaning into him, you know we think that means, you know, reading our Bible, or of course it means those things, but we think it exclusively means those things reading our Bible, praying, going to church, praise and worship. You know that's it. You know we think that's the only way we could lean in to who he is and and his, his plans for our life.

Speaker 1 6:59

So I just just wanted to talk about man just little things that we can do to lean into God and who he is and the plan he has for our life. Yeah, and what you said, all those things that you said, praying and praising and all that those are important things to walk on our path to kind of better understand what God has for us. But there is so much more to it.

Speaker 2 7:24

Yeah, and it's just. You know I talk Sunday about the little things with your kids, with your family or with your marriage that you do just naturally. You know you spend time with your wife, you hang out with your kids. All of those things I believe are blessings from God just time with your family and little things like that that we so many times overlook. For, uh, you know the big things or the you know the key moments of what we think you know life is. I know, for me, one of the things is is is my kids is just sitting with them or hanging out or playing in the yard? It's like it's like. Many times I find myself just thanking God. Like God, thank you for for such an amazing family Right, and I feel myself leaning into who he is because of what he's blessed me with you know, as opposed of uh, as opposed to just praying or just looking at those things, as that's the way that we lean in Right.

Speaker 1 8:20

And that's, you know, yesterday's sermon that our beloved pastor, mike Simmons, brought to us. It seems to be pretty cool. He's all right. No, but that's what I went to the altar for. Yesterday was just for that gratitude. I didn't ask God for anything, I just wanted to bow down and thank him Because I am. I mean, I am so completely and totally blessed in my life right now, like just with finances and and with my marriages and your marriages marriage is oh okay where my marriage is.

Speaker 2 8:56

Oh, okay, okay okay, wait a second here. Polygamy wait one second.

Speaker 1 9:04

We are not that kind of church where my marriage is currently yeah okay, but yeah, just everything going on in my life right now, I'm just, I'm extremely grateful yeah and I just wanted to bring that to him, and and not asking for anything, right, just just thankfulness, because that is that is what we do.

Speaker 2 9:21

We, we very, very often just come to him when we want something or we need something, or you know we need an answer or we need. You know we need, need, need, and we, we rarely come to him and just say thank you or in our life, just, you know, just walk around just like man, god, like thank you. You know we overlook all of that and and, uh, you know, with with stuff going on at the house and stuff going on at work or stuff going on with the kids or stuff going on in your relationship, you just kind of go through life and you don't think about it until these big things happen, right, you know, until you know. I know my favorite season's coming up Christmas and that's where I find myself, especially on Christmas morning is just sitting there and watching the family interact with each other. I found myself doing that at youth the other night, just sitting back for a second and just seeing everybody acting goofy and playing games and throwing a football around. It's just like man, thank you, god, for these people, that that you've allowed me to be around, that you've allowed to impact my life and hopefully vice versa. You know, just such a blessing to be able to, to be a part of that, you know, and and um, I know another way that that I find myself kind of leaning in to just the peace that God has in the midst of, of craziness, you know, in the midst of life, is just time to be able to sit like I know it sounds weird, but just be able to sit and play video games, you know, or watch a movie or watch a TV show, and I did that today.

Speaker 2 10:50

Just, you know, took a, took a bath. I'm a bath, I'm a bath guy, which I've got a bad back. So another day, no pain. Look at that, dude, it's crazy man. Anyway, it's just, I just sat there and I just got to watch a couple episodes of a show and it's just like man. Thank you God for blessing me with a job that just allows me to have this day, you know, or or you know, um, just the ability to be able to sit there and kind of carve out some time to just chill and relax. You know, cause we don't, we don't look at that as as a blessing from God when it is. You know it could be, you know it could be something as simple as just a day off.

Speaker 1 11:27

Well, there are those people and we know them that hustle six, seven days a week and feel like they can't do anything else. You know, they put themselves in a position to where they don't have time. You know they don't allow God to provide that rest. Yeah, and it is a blessing.

Speaker 2 11:50

Or just being able to have a decent job, to where you don't have to work seven days a week, six days a week or whatever, being able to have that room to have a day off or to have a night off where you can take your wife out to a date, something like that. And even things like that I'm going to try to take, which she'll probably hear it so surprise. I'm going to try to take Jamie out this weekend, because the next couple weekends we're going to be gone out of town. So just to be able to do that, just to be able to carve time or to have the money to be able to do that, is such a blessing in itself, right, that again, we just kind of overlook, you know, and it's good to take a second and lean into God and the things that he's blessed you with in the midst of doing those things.

Speaker 1 12:27

Yeah, we were talking to the youth last night about, you know, tyler and Olivia was talking about having kids or the inability to do so and it made me think I really wish I had said something last night, but you know I have adult children that don't make time for me.

Counting Blessings and Finding Gratitude

Speaker 2 12:47

Adult with air quotes. We'll be right back. Well, hey there. This is Mike from the Almost Brothers podcast. We want to thank you for checking out this episode. I want to ask you has this podcast encouraged you in any way? And you would like to give back? Well, guess what? We have a way that you can do that. Okay, you could do $3, $5, $8, or $10 a month. What this does is this helps financially support the show so we can continue to put out good content and encourage you. So if you would, if you've got time, go down in the show notes and click on that support button. That will take you to the page to where you can give back and help us to continue this thing. Back to the episode.

Speaker 1 13:38

Adult children Drop that right there and anyway, they just, they just don't make time for me. And I just think that, as a father, I understand that a little more when we don't make time for me, and I just think that, as a father, I understand that a little more when we don't make time for God. You know, because he loves us more than we could ever love our kids Right, and we don't make time for him. I can't imagine how much that hurts him.

Speaker 2 14:03

Right, yeah, yeah, that's good. Yeah, yeah, and just kind of over. You know, again we talk about it with our kids, that we do something for them and they kind of just overlook and expect it. How many times do we treat God that way? You know, just like you wake up today and you know everything is going, you know, decent.

Speaker 1 14:31

Your house is there and you've got food in the fridge, you just kind of expect it and you kind of get used to it instead of going. Hey God, thank you for the things that you've blessed me and I did, like what you said yesterday, that that is an American problem. Oh yeah, big time, big time man Just not understanding how good we have it. We are so spoiled in this country it is ridiculous.

Speaker 2 14:41

Especially American Christianity. You know, we, we think, we think. Oh my gosh, I'm just getting persecuted this week because I wasn't able to get my pumpkin spice latte.

Speaker 1 14:55

You went straight for the pumpkin spice.

Speaker 2 14:57

And it's just like no, no, no, you, we don't even understand what true persecution looks like, you know, or waking up not knowing where our next meal is coming from. And we're just so ungrateful and by we I mean me.

Speaker 2 15:11

I am the chief of this where I just get so ungrateful in the focus of the things I don't have, and it just it can so quickly put us off the path and mess up and blur our vision of what God has blessed us with.

Speaker 2 15:28

And it's so amazing If we just sit back or have you ever been around somebody that me and Jamie talk about this all the time, like, say, we'll watch a TV show with a bad, toxic relationship and I'm like, babe, that just makes me so much more grateful for having you. And it shouldn't be just those moments where we say, oh, I'm grateful for having you, right, you know. And it shouldn't be just those moments where we say, oh, I'm grateful for those things, because we overlook them all the time, you know. It shouldn't be the the moments where we have no money, where we look back and go, man, we were so blessed when we blah, blah, you know. So it's like just be grateful for where you're at, it's okay, it's okay. Yes, it always could be better, but it sure could be a lot worse too.

Speaker 1 16:10

Well, that's, you know, with that Facebook memory, with my salvation anniversary today, that you know just and I don't mean just that gift, but because that is the gift, but to just remember, and I'm seven years in now, so it it starts to get foggier the longer. Longer you're in it, right, and you've been in it forever, yeah, yeah. So it starts to get foggy, yeah, right, when you forget what you were like before, right, forget what god brought you out of? No, no, always remember. Well it's?

Speaker 2 16:46

it's like where the friends lowered the man down from the roof right and Jesus said because of their faith, your sins are forgiven. And everybody around, who is this man to forgive sins? And when he understood that they were thinking that he said you know, take up your mat and walk, be healed. Man took up his mat. Once he took up his mat, the people were like oh my gosh, this must be a man of God. This must be a man of God. See, they overlooked the bigger thing for something that they were tangibly looking for that, you can see Right.

Speaker 2 17:25

But they missed the actual bigger thing. It's like you know what's greater? That I can heal this man, or that I can, I can forgive his sins, you know, and that that's what we do. We overlook the really what's in the bigger picture, the more important thing for something else, something bigger, something more tangible, the blessing of, of a check coming in or, you know, all these things, that things that that we, we consider the big things as opposed to just being able to wake up and have a loving relationship and have, you know, loving kids and a good job and a house and food in the friend. It's just like it's crazy how, yeah, how we, how we get so off with that, you know, and we, we forget to just lean into him during those small things absolutely, and we tend to do it, you know, sunday morning.

Speaker 2 18:14

Yeah, all right, god, I'm gonna lean into you this morning. I really I'm here for what you got for me. He's like yeah, but I've got something for you every day, right and that's I do it too you know I'm I'm so bad at it, man monday morning, I forget sunday morning no, it's just like oh my gosh, here we go again.

Speaker 2 18:29

You know, you know I always, always just tell jimmy I would wake up in the morning, sit on the edge of the bed and just be like do I really need to go to work? I don't really, and and I would feel I would feel depressed and down and and mad because I gotta go to work instead of waking up going. You know what god, you've blessed me with being able to do this. I'm able to provide for my family. Thank you, thank you for this job, even though it drives me crazy. Thank you because I could not have it.

Speaker 1 18:58

There are lots of people that don't have jobs. There are lots of people that don't have houses, don't have cars, everything that we take for granted. It reminds me of a cartoon I saw one time. I saw a video. No, I'm going to mess this up completely, but it was a guy.

Speaker 1 19:18

There was a guy driving a car and there was a guy riding a bike watching him and he's like man, I'd love to have that car. And there was a guy watching the guy on the bike who was walking. He's like man, I wish I had that bike. And there was a guy in an apartment that was in a wheelchair watching the guy that was walking, saying I wish I could walk. You know, there's always somebody that's got it worse.

Speaker 2 19:41

Oh yeah, be grateful Doesn't mean you're okay with just being there. You know, of course you want to strive for better and you want to strive for more and you want to work towards growing. But just be grateful for those things Like take a moment, just breathe, look at all that God has blessed you with and be grateful, absolutely, just be grateful. It's so easy, yet so hard.

Speaker 1 20:08

Yeah, yeah, we way overcomplicate that yes. Oh man, we do. Yeah, what are you going to do?

Speaker 2 20:16

Speaking of being grateful, I really do want to wish Tristan a happy birthday.

Speaker 1 20:20

That kid is awesome.

Speaker 2 20:22

Like he really is a blessing.

Speaker 1 20:24

Yeah.

Speaker 2 20:25

And he is goofy and he takes nothing serious, but in the moments where you can get seriousness out of them like it's such a great thing and I really do believe God has such an amazing plan for his life. And Tristan, happy birthday, buddy. We love you.

Speaker 1 20:41

Love you so much. Yeah, we had lunch with him yesterday and you know it's always amazing because he has ADHD, like legitimate ADHD, not quote unquote ADHD, because everybody has it nowadays, but he has real ADHD. So I learned so much. When he's able to open up and express himself Like now he's stopped taking his medicine, his ADHD medicine, he said he's doing to open up and express himself like now he's stopped taking his medicine his ADHD medicine.

Speaker 1 21:05

He said he's, he's doing fine in college, he's able to, you know, to maintain and and he said as long as he can do that he's going to, he's going to stay off the medicine. I said that's great. You know that that you've, and I was anti-medicine when we first started giving him medicine, it was several years ago, yeah, but just the difference that I saw in him and I'm not sure how we got off on this, but stay with me, this is his birthday, Give him a shout out. But he was the first kid that I saw that legitimately needed it, Like to do what he needs to do. He had to have it, yeah.

Speaker 2 21:41

Even something like that. You know he had to have it. Even something like that. He could very easily overlook that as just oh, I outgrew the medicine as opposed to like oh man, this is a blessing to not have to take these chemicals to be able to function throughout the day. So it's a very easy thing to overlook if you're not careful. Tristan, be thankful, man, that's awesome and that's something that you know.

Speaker 1 22:04

It's a hot button issue with a lot of christians is is it okay to take medicine? Yeah you know, I had a youth asked me a couple weeks ago. You know about that. Yeah, I do believe that god granted wisdom to doctors and things of that that nature and he blessed you with a brain in your head yes, use your brain.

Speaker 2 22:24

Yes like you break your leg, don't be like, oh, it's gonna be fine, god's gonna heal my leg go to the doctor right like go to the doctor yeah, now is it okay to be dependent on that stuff? Yeah, that's a whole not and that'd be a good episode to talk about just talk about, you know, the how we've gotten so far as as super spiritual christians that, oh you don't need you know. Hey, you know somebody with a mental, mental health issue? Oh, you don't need that, you just need to pray more.

Speaker 1 22:52

It's like that's no that's not, and I've I've heard of people that and there's a whole, there's a name for like that sect of christianity that don't go to the doctor, right they? If it, if god don't heal them, they die. Right that don't go to the doctor, right they? If it, if god don't heal them, they die right, that's yeah that's the way they look at it and it's just like.

Speaker 2 23:08

That is crazy to me, right yeah, yeah, I don't again that that we'll have episode on that we'll talk about that, you know, and kind of unpack that way of thinking on both sides. Not only do you have, you know, the, the ones that think, oh no, you don't go to the doctor, you don't take any medicine, like God's going to heal, but then you have the other people that are just completely dependent on what I can see and what I can take and what the doctor tells me, as opposed to having faith.

Speaker 1 23:36

Yeah, we got to be careful. We're going to have that episode now, Right right man, you could fall into either one of those categories. But what else you have on your heart, man? Nothing man.

Speaker 2 23:47

I'm just, I'm content ready for men and women's tonight it's gonna be fun we're on episode four. Yes, it's gonna be good chosen.

Speaker 1 23:54

It's such a good show. I'm so excited listeners if you have not seen the chosen check it out not sponsored not sponsored, but it is really good they take theyhmm, mm-hmm. They take creative liberty, but just calm down.

Speaker 2 24:07

Right, let's just breathe a little bit. Take a second man, my goodness, but we love y'all. Thanks for joining us and we will see you in the next one. See you in the next one.

Speaker 1 24:15

We don't see anybody.

Speaker 2 24:16

That's how that goes.

Speaker 3 24:20

Hey guys, hey guys, thanks for hanging out with us today. If you don't have a home church, come see us at Remnant in Malden, missouri. Service times are 10 am and 4 pm on Sunday. And do us a favor, man, go to your podcast platform, give us a like, subscribe and rate us, please, and share, share, share. God bless each and every one of you Later.