Embark on a heartfelt stroll through Bowie, Texas, with your storyteller for today, where the soul of our community beats strong in the stories and laughter shared by Allen Heugatter.
Allen, a jack-of-all-trades from banker to auctioneer and founder of Iron Sharpen's Iron, sits down to regale us with tales that weave through the threads of our town's fabric. His journey from the now-gone schoolhouse in Sunset to the lively auction blocks and his dedication to family and cattle paint a vivid picture of the character that courses through our streets.
In the spirit of brotherhood, we invite you to pull up a chair to our men's Bible study, a sanctuary where openness and confidentiality form the cornerstone. Here, we discover the power of unity, as men from all walks unite to share and grow in their faith. It's where testimonies are sacred, learning is mutual, and prayers are a robust demonstration of our collective strength. Allen shares how this fellowship has not only sharpened the men who participate, like iron upon iron but also fortified the very heart of our community.
As we wrap up, we reflect on the influences that shape our lives and the importance of showcasing God's presence in every corner of Bowie. Together, we ponder the impacts of community involvement and how we can plant seeds of faith that flourish beyond our immediate view. We're inspired by the simple yet profound actions that can transform a community.
Don't forget to reach out and continue the conversation with Aaron Degler, our engaging host, whose insights are too enriching to be confined to just one episode.
Music by: Kim Cantwell
Bowie Mural: Located at Creative Cakes
Connect w/Aaron: www.aarondegler.com
Embark on a heartfelt stroll through Bowie, Texas, with your storyteller for today, where the soul of our community beats strong in the stories and laughter shared by Allen Heugatter.
Allen, a jack-of-all-trades from banker to auctioneer and founder of Iron Sharpen's Iron, sits down to regale us with tales that weave through the threads of our town's fabric. His journey from the now-gone schoolhouse in Sunset to the lively auction blocks and his dedication to family and cattle paint a vivid picture of the character that courses through our streets.
In the spirit of brotherhood, we invite you to pull up a chair to our men's Bible study, a sanctuary where openness and confidentiality form the cornerstone. Here, we discover the power of unity, as men from all walks unite to share and grow in their faith. It's where testimonies are sacred, learning is mutual, and prayers are a robust demonstration of our collective strength. Allen shares how this fellowship has not only sharpened the men who participate, like iron upon iron but also fortified the very heart of our community.
As we wrap up, we reflect on the influences that shape our lives and the importance of showcasing God's presence in every corner of Bowie. Together, we ponder the impacts of community involvement and how we can plant seeds of faith that flourish beyond our immediate view. We're inspired by the simple yet profound actions that can transform a community.
Don't forget to reach out and continue the conversation with Aaron Degler, our engaging host, whose insights are too enriching to be confined to just one episode.
Music by: Kim Cantwell
Bowie Mural: Located at Creative Cakes
Connect w/Aaron: www.aarondegler.com
What happened to my hometown. It seems so different when I look around. It's funny how things have changed since I was young. What I wouldn't give to go way back and take a long look into my past. I remember this town the way that it used to be.
Speaker 2:Welcome to my hometown, our little town on the map and home to the world's largest Jim Bowie Knife. To show you around our beautiful town is our tour guide, erin Degler. Erin has a love for road trips, taking the opportunity to stop along the way in small towns across the US, just like our very own Bowie, texas. We spend a little time with Erin each week as he takes you around Bowie, sharing the value of the small businesses, the organizations, the history and, of course, the people that make up my hometown. After this podcast is over, make sure you give it a like, a share, and please subscribe and review this podcast. I would now like to introduce to you your tour guide for today in my hometown, erin Degler.
Speaker 3:Welcome back to my hometown. Thanks for joining me today. Please welcome my guest today. He's lived in Bowie Most of his life. He's a former banker. He's now self-employed and auctioneer. For the last 37 years he's the founder of Iron Sharpen's Iron. Please welcome my guest today, mr Allen Huguetter.
Speaker 3:Thank you for joining me today, appreciate it. So behind us we have Iron, sharpen's Iron, the logo. It's different than the weights behind us. So we're going to talk about what that means. But first we're going to go back a little bit. I always send out a questionnaire. I ask kind of get an idea of who you are, what you're doing from my hometown and you went to sixth grades of school in sunset, but most of us would think sunset never had a school.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think it was close Somewhere around 74. 1974. So that's how old I am. I'm getting way on back there.
Speaker 3:So where was the?
Speaker 4:school. It was on 1749 when you crossed railroad tracks right there on the right-hand side. And I went there through the sixth grade. Come to Bowie in the seventh grade. Then graduated from Bowie, went ahead and got a little diploma from Bowie High School in 1977. Moved on to Tarleton State University, went to Tarleton State, spent my four years there, got a degree in agribusiness.
Speaker 4:Then out of college went to Out of college come to Bowie, worked a little day working around and local guy called me and asked me if I'd be interested in working at the bank they had opened up here and first national bank went in there. Then by the time I got hired by what it ended up turning out to be my father-in-law, joe Evans.
Speaker 3:Oh, first national. Now for those that aren't familiar with, is now Legend Bank.
Speaker 4:Correct, back in the day as first national, so I stayed in banking for about seven years.
Speaker 3:So what makes your side go out of banking to auctioneering? And Well, I always wanted to buy and sell cattle and handle cattle Myself.
Speaker 4:It's been what I grew up kind of around with my dad. I always wanted to do that. Banking was just a stepping stone. As I've said many times, I learned a lot of things in the bank. It's the greatest apprenticeship for being in business for yourself. I taught you a lot about the legalities and filing of liens and different things like that, so it was great for me that way.
Speaker 3:So then did you go to auctioneering school? No, no.
Speaker 4:We actually, kim and I, moved to Steenville as I was in banking and worked for what was all on these savings at the time. I stayed there for about six years and while we were there, well, I got to hankering to want to try to auctioneer. So I did, and my good friend Larry Ogle coming out here at Bowie, he let me kind of sell a few one week and then again, and over a period of time we kind of got to hang of it as self-taught and been doing that now for over 30 years.
Speaker 3:So little known fact about me. I was going to do that one day, being an auctioneer. So I was 17,. My best friend at the time, dave Spax, he was an auctioneer. He said you should do it. So there's a school in Missouri. I sent all the materials. I sent four. All the materials. I got them. There's only one thing I learned to this day that I can remember. What's that? Betty Barter?
Speaker 4:I never used it.
Speaker 3:But Betty Barter bought some butter. She says butter bitter If I put it in my bitter better, better, better, better. So it's better, betty Barter, butter, butter, better, better.
Speaker 4:That's all. There is, that's all.
Speaker 3:I got. Yeah, there's anything else besides that?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I understand Dave's a good friend of mine. We've hauled them many miles together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's made a great auctioneer.
Speaker 3:So that's my extent, because, you know, can you see me as auctioneering counter? Absolutely I used to help at auctions. I was the concession stand guy. That was my job. So it's kind of funny that I was the concession stand guy. So, and you've been, and how long have you been, kimber, married 40 years, 40 years, 40 years, yep, and I had Fallon, your daughter, on my hometown Right About Kids for Truth, mm-hmm, yeah, and you've been here all those years.
Speaker 4:No, we moved to Kim and I moved to Stephenville after we was married a couple of years. We moved down there and, like I said, I worked for Savings Alone and I quit when we was down there and actually went to Bynan-Selah-Califor living at that time and we moved back to our hometown. And then we had Fallon during this time and then Sawyer, our son. We have two children. Sawyer actually just moved back from Lubbock. He was a paramedic there and he moved back about six months ago and he worked with me and now he's working in some construction work. So we both got him both here, and Fallon has three boys. So we got three grandsons and Sawyer's got a grandson there with. He got married in October and they're expecting a baby girl in August. That's exciting.
Speaker 3:So how does it feel? Because you know, I always think it's important that our kids sometimes move away. I mean, I think as parents, especially in a small community, we want them to stay in our community, we don't want them to go anywhere, but I don't think they can appreciate our community sometimes until they move away. So how does it feel for Sawyer to come back and oh, it's very exciting.
Speaker 4:I was just thinking about the history of our family because Joe and Betty Evans was my wife's parents and they had both been bullion Bellevue and they had moved away for a number of years and moved back. My mom and dad were from this area and they had moved away down to Saginaw for a few years and moved back. Kilman and I have done the same and moved back. Fallon lived a little while in Fort Worth working for Cook's Children's and moved back, and then now Sawyer's moving home and it's home and I guess that's where it is. With anybody, wherever you live, it's home. But there's something about this community that seems to be drawing all of us back. There's a big magnet here that makes us feel like this is truly home and everybody feels good at home.
Speaker 3:And do you see it important? Do you think you value it? Do you think your family values it more as they move away and they come back? Do you think they see it differently when they come?
Speaker 4:back. I think Sawyer could say very much yes to that right now. He's expressed that he is very happy to be home and feels comfortable and I can see the ease in him. And he's on the road doing some work, but that's alright. He's got a place to come home. But he said it's sure good to be home around a familiar environment and my family, which is part of the community also.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it makes a big difference, absolutely, and our community and, as we sit here, iron Sharpen's Iron what exactly? Because we're not talking about the dumbbells behind us. So what exactly is Iron Sharpen's Iron and kind of you know? How did it get started? First we explain what it is, all these questions then how did it get started?
Speaker 4:Well, it is a meeting that we have on Sunday morning for Bible study. It's just for men, no-transcript it. We set in a circle, like I've expressed in the numerous folks the minute come in. We started about six years ago. I'm going to kind of ramble with this but, I, started about six years ago with this. For some reason, God put it on my mind to help get this going. It's His Bible study, it's not mine.
Speaker 3:So how does that? How does that thought? You know, because I think we hear a lot. Well, god spoke to me. God is urging me to do this, but I don't think sometimes we know what that feels like, because some of us we need to knock on the head, we need a frying pan on the head, moment. How does it? How did that transpire with you? How did that that? You know, you said you could say God wanted me to start this.
Speaker 4:It was more that I was looking how I could serve God, and more than Him telling me this is what I need to do or the big voice from the above saying, alan, you need to do this. But it was more like I was looking how I may serve Him and I just kind of thought and I said, well, the Bible study. And then I went through it all and I even thought a little bit about Jeans Bible study over at Nocona that had been there for a number of years and I said, well, we don't want a church service, want a Bible study. And that's what led me to thinking and how we developed it. And it is on Sunday mornings from eight to nine. Try to set it at that time where, if you come at 10 and you want to go to church of your choice, we encourage you to be there and we'll get through in time that you may make your church service that morning. We don't want to interfere with the church services and the families and going and everything, since it's just for men.
Speaker 3:Yeah, go ahead. So. So how do you get that? Start Like you have the idea, like I want to serve, and I want to serve in a men's group and a Bible study, then, then what's the next step?
Speaker 4:I told my dad and brother to be here and they come on you can always count on family Exactly.
Speaker 4:And then I had a couple of other guys joined up and my son-in-law, chase Richie. He offered this facility that we're in here, right on 210 Sander Street here right behind Texaco station, is where we have it every Sunday morning, and he offered it free of charge. We can meet here. I was talking to him about it. He's been involved a little bit all through the time and then it just the word of mouth got out. We don't advertise, we don't do. We just talk to people and invite them to come out and we've had attendance from the three or four or five. That kind of started on a Sunday morning and it's grew to. It was up about 2025 and then COVID come along and we fell back off to about four or five and we skipped a few weeks there during the middle of COVID and trying to stay in touch. But now we've had I think we had 41 one Sunday. It's usually somewhere between around 15 to 25 is our normal attendance.
Speaker 4:There's no membership. We don't call row. You come and go as you like. We don't pass an offering plate. There's no kind of money as far. We don't ask for no donations. You know there's really not much. We do ask you just come and open up and, as I tell them I've told all the guys numerous times I said I'm here because I want to know the truth.
Speaker 4:That's what I'm after, not someone's opinion. I want to know the truth and that's when I'm studying the Bible. We're open to all denominations and in that regards, I'd like to cover a couple of things that we do ask of people the minute come. I repeated every so often If you were planning on coming and we'd like to come and like to invite you to come that we do have a couple of things that we ask of you. One is that you do not talk about denominations pro or con. This is non-denominational. One Sunday I had kind of a little check. I knew where maybe someone like you, where you went to church or whatever, and I counted six different denominations in here that Sunday. I mean we got the Baptist church, christ, the Seventh-day Adventist, we got different ones that come and that's the way we like it.
Speaker 3:And why do you think that's important To not discuss denomination? Well, first off.
Speaker 4:I ain't ever seen the word denomination in the Bible, no more. But I've been trying to study it pretty close and I hadn't found it. You know it's your choice where you go to church. I have no problem. Where you go and worship the Lord, I understand that. But we're not here to bash nobody for where they're attending or what their doctrine is. That's not getting nothing good. You know, if you're following Jesus, that's what he said is follow me. He says nothing about a particular way, except you know, follow Him. So where you go to worship is just fine. But how would it be if we were picking on a certain denomination one Sunday and hammered it and then some of the members went out and said well, we really give that denomination a working over. That wouldn't be very good PR and we want everybody to come and study what the Bible says.
Speaker 4:Which says all are welcome, all are welcome, exactly. And then the second thing that we ask is, aaron, if you start coming to our Bible study and you're there the first week or 10 weeks later and you feel comfortable enough that you want to open up and give a personal testimonial, that that's private, that you felt comfortable in our group to share that with us and only us, if you want it spread around town, your testimonial, you'll do it. If there's something in there that you sure didn't want out, we don't want to be the ones doing it and I've asked the gentleman to please don't spread any kind of. We've had testimonials, so don't ask me about any of them. But no, but we've had that, you know, and it's real open and some guys have felt comfortable enough to share in their testimonials and we've had quite a few guys that had some addictions and different things. That's coming, it's fine. No, that's your past. We just got through talking earlier about a bit about the past, and the future is what's important.
Speaker 4:I've always made this comment. They'll say something about like oh well, and you sure have changed. I say, well, you truly ain't saved unless you've changed. When you're saved, it requires change. I don't live like I should, but it takes change. When you're truly saved, you will change. But anyway, back on the iron sharpens iron and in the process of the way we study the Bible is a lot of weeks.
Speaker 4:I bring the topic of the day. No one preaches, it's a discussion. That's when we're setting a circle where everybody's equal and when anybody can join in on the conversation. We bring a topic. I mean, like I said earlier, there's once saved, always saved is a topic that we've used and it's highly discussed and people give their opinion and we try to bring scripture to back it up and talk about it. That's what I try to. One of my deals is, when I bring a topic, I try to make sure that we have scripture supporting that topic and how it reads. So that's the only two things that we ask of anyone of the tens is they abide by those two items.
Speaker 3:And I think you also mentioned that you have some gentlemen that come, that are very biblically scholarly. They know a lot about the Bible.
Speaker 4:It don't take a whole lot to beat me on that part. I've learned so much in the last five or six years since I've been doing this, and a lot of times I am the one that brings the topic. But yes, there is two or three gentlemen that usually are pretty educated on the Bible and what it says, and then we will dig up that scripture to help support someone's perception of it or what we're trying to get across, and just about everybody there usually chimes in or has chimed in.
Speaker 3:I think that's important because sometimes when men come to a group especially men, I think, more so that can be intimidated because I don't know as much. You know, if I show up I may not know much about the Bible, but I think it's important, like you mentioned, that there's men to learn from and there's also those men can teach. We have to, I believe we have to mentor others, but we also have to be mentored. We have to do both and we have to first of all say I don't know at all. So I'm going to show up and have those discussions Because, just like being consistent with the weights, they're going to make you stronger physically.
Speaker 3:Showing up and learning the Bible and studying the Bible is going to make you stronger spiritually To handle those things in life that you know, as we talked about earlier, when you get older. Exercise is important, but as you go through life and life storms, a spiritual life is important because you're going to come against some things that you got to be pretty strong for and some things that you're going to have to lean on God for quite a bit, and to be able to come to a group and say I don't know at all is a very freeing feeling.
Speaker 4:We've had a lot of them as expressed out. A lot of them. You can feel that expression from them and it is a in our spiritual strength kind of a I'm trying to say a support group. You know, some others maybe were struggling with some addictions or some different things. They go to support groups To build. Our spiritual strength comes from our support group. That's why I feel about it, staying plugged in. That gives me support, it helps make me think, you know, helps to study the scripture that way and gives me strength, not just reading it but also getting to feel. One of the most powerful movements that I've ever felt at this Bible study is when we get and we'll have 15 to 20 men here and we get up and hold hands and pray for someone or put our hands on this individual.
Speaker 4:If we have someone here that's of need, we'll get up and we'll put our hands on them and pray for them and we go around there and the ones that feel comfortable will pray and the ones that don't, that's okay. They might just tap the next one on the shoulder to move on around the circle or squeeze their hand or whatever. To me, when you've got 20 adult men sitting here holding hands which I wasn't what I was raised to do with a man who's totally saying but we're showing brotherly love and our belief in God and the power of prayer and when them 20 men we get make that circle and they have prayed for an individual, that's powerful to me. That showed me something in beliefs of men and our God and what he can do.
Speaker 3:And bringing those men together and having that experience is something that I think a lot of times, probably a lot of men don't get to experience. It's moving.
Speaker 4:It's moved me numerous times when I've lived here and I've had thoughts on that and it's really opened up my heart and eyes and mind and you know there's a brotherhood that's kind of with this or that did you develop with the guys that attend on a regular basis?
Speaker 4:I mean even if one comes in, he's a believer in Christ Great. He's part of our brotherhood. If you don't, we're gonna try to show him and that's brotherhood. And then that's where that strength, together that we have faith in that prayer. We've heard all about the mustard seed, but with that faith that we have, that's moving. You know, we've prayed for some people that's not here. My grandson has a challenge. We've prayed for him.
Speaker 3:The group has done that Very moving and men can come as they are, right, I mean, there's no dress code, there's no come dressed up before you go to church, not, at all.
Speaker 4:Not at all. I mean everybody. Sometimes I come in and I still got the smell of the pins on my boots. I've been out feeding, you know, and some of them come in relaxing their shorts and they're gonna lay around the rest of the day and some guys, some of the guys in the bike club the motorcycle bike club is being in had their jackets on and everything and we loved them being here. You know, it's great.
Speaker 4:They come in dressed that way, it don't matter. I don't remember where Jesus talked about how anybody was really dressed back in his day he might talk about some other things, but he didn't speak about how someone was dressed. I don't believe.
Speaker 3:And then, I'm sure, with so many different backgrounds, the topics, you know, we take scripture sometimes and it means something to us in one way, and then sometimes I think, when we hear somebody else share it from their perspective, it maybe gives us a new perspective. Oh, absolutely Absolutely, and I think that's the way we learn sometimes because we go oh, I never thought about like that.
Speaker 4:You've got to have that open mind when you come into a group like this that you're willing to accept their views and you will find out. As you said, your views might have been a little bit narrowed and this might open it up and put more light on it or give you a broader view of what, what really is, what the Bible is really saying there. And sometimes that's hard for men to do. It's like standing there holding hands. That's not the way we brought up to be men, necessarily. That's really so powerful when men believe that strongly that they'll hold hands and pray like that. That's that's pretty moving. But yes, it does open up your. You got to come with open mind and you should when you're reading the Bible to try to get it.
Speaker 3:You know, sometimes we get a little narrow minded on particular doctrines and I'm not knocking that, it's just a fact, and I agree, and I think, especially as men, and I think probably a lot of wives would agree that sometimes we're narrow minded and not as open minded. And you know, we have one way and this is the way and this is the way we grew up, this is where we're going to do it. So to be open minded, I think, and I think that's a great thing, because I think, as in our times, we're not always so open minded, especially in our religion, it's. You know, maybe I can learn different things, maybe from a different perspective, maybe from somebody that you know their lifestyle. I'm like whoa, I can't even imagine that type of lifestyle. But then they share some of the way they've been touched by the Bible and salvation. It goes, wow. I think it helps us understand a little bit better.
Speaker 4:What comes to my mind is that we are non-denominational and we have the numerous different denominations. Members come, even though they're not talking about their denomination. You can get a feel for it and say, wow, I didn't know that they were thinking in that way, that I think the same way, that maybe a lot of them is not that far in difference, where if you're going to one particular one, sometimes we get a little bit narrower on that, but by the openness they're just seeking God also, they're seeking the relationship with the Lord. That's the main thing.
Speaker 4:That may not be what your question was but that's what we feel here and seeing some guys loosen up on some of their thoughts, and we learn a lot more from fellowship with the others.
Speaker 3:And I think you know, if we talk about denominations, we can understand other denominations sometimes better just by the experience. Like I said, they never talk about the denomination, but you can get a feel for it. But then through that communication, through that conversation, you can understand it better and then, like you said, you do realize hey, we're not that far off. We have the same values, the same goal, the same, we want the same things and sometimes we do let those denominations hold us back from that.
Speaker 4:Exactly. I got a family member or my wife's side. I've got a really close friend of mine that's a different denomination, brought up than I was. I'm trying to be cautious about denomination talks but he was brought totally different denomination, that think, quite a bit different than this other one, and we're both close enough friends that we could ask really detailed questions back and forth. And I said I don't want to be offensive, but I want to know. He said I know everybody thinks that, but we don't think that way or this way, and that's helped me a lot. No one, don't let them walls get stood up in between them. We're all Christians, we're all believing Jesus Christ. Let's go with that forward and don't get caught up in our own little old deal and stay within our little congregation. And that's the way we ought to be. We ought to be out here holding hands and working toward bringing everybody to know Jesus. And this whole US has become less godly.
Speaker 3:And I like what you said how it started. It wasn't a frying pan moment that you go. Oh God's talking to me. It was more in your heart, saying how can I serve, how can I better serve. And I think when we go with an attitude of servitude, it changes what we'll do. We'll hold hands with other guys, We'll pray in a circle, We'll lay hands on another brother. We'll do those things because it is to serve them in a better way. And I think when we go to serve, we lose ourselves and we're there for that other person. And I think when we go out with that heart and the heart of Jesus, I think that changes everything.
Speaker 4:When I was around 40, it's whenever I went and decided to. I kind of looked and I was going there's purpose, I'm on this earth. You know, I'd been brought up in the Baptist church, my mother taking the church, baptized and I was about nine, leaving Jesus Christ and all kind of got off base. But around 40, she in that area was when I was really going why are you here? Why did God put you here? If you believe in God, why did he put you here? And that's when my life slowly started to change and then I started trying to find different ways that maybe I could serve him. And this one here popped up. And this was one of the few things that I get to do.
Speaker 3:And so how did the name come about? Iron Sharpen's Iron.
Speaker 4:Well, you may have to ask some of the guys. I don't even remember really. I think Chase and I kind of come up with that and just from the scripture course, you know, and it just kind of come about, because I really, you know, just thinking, sitting and talking about Jesus to anybody, you can always learn something either side. Even the scholar might say he hit on something that might give me a better light on it. The Bible scholar, he could still take another. Ooh, I didn't look at it from that angle. So I always say that iron sharpens iron. In that regard, especially when that iron was really sharpening, like I said, when you're standing around in a circle and you're praying, that shows you how sharp it's getting with them.
Speaker 3:It really makes a difference in their lives.
Speaker 4:But we all need to be plugged in. Everybody goes to church. That's wonderful. I'm glad that people go to church. I'm not knocking that. But this is just a Bible study. Some guys come here and don't even attend church. One guy goes well, I don't go to church. I said that's okay, you don't have to go to church to make it heaven. It's great that you do go to church and get fellowship with people and you stay plugged in all the time. That's not a requirement. There's only one requirement, right, yeah, that's. The only requirement there is is to truly believe. Not people think they believe, but they got to truly believe.
Speaker 3:And I like it too, that when they come into the group you mentioned, they come in awe from all denominations, all backgrounds, and I think it's so important that and it is what you do every week is you meet them where they are. So many times I think we well, if you'll come to me, you know, if you'll get right and do all the things you need to, then we can have a conversation. But I think it's different. Again, it's going back to that servant attitude. Let me meet you where you're at, wherever you're at in your life, whatever issues you're having, wherever you're at. When we meet people there instead and we can they can walk alongside us Instead of we're down the road trying to pull them, saying come on, come on down. It's hard for them to make the way.
Speaker 4:You ever try to lead a horse to water. You ever try to get him to drink. It's tough, mm-hmm. Same way here we have something and some guys are looking for some ways to maybe share their experience and things of that nature. I mean, I've seen a few tears in our some of our Bible studies. I've seen some emotions come out. That's healthy, but we're pretty relaxed. I mean, we don't get into it or you go, do it this way or that way or this way. We're pretty relaxed in our setting. Like you said, it don't matter what you're wearing, you know, don't matter where you're headed the rest of the day, what church you go to, any of those factors don't matter. Just come in study with us and it will help you grow.
Speaker 3:And that's the key is growing and the way you grow. Just like our kids grow up, our grandkids grow up. They make mistakes, they mess up, they learn. I think we do the same as Christians and we learn a better way. We learn different things we can do in a better path.
Speaker 4:You always heard that you never could win at the game of golf. You never could beat it. You know you never totally, and that's the way it is about studying the Bible. You'll never learn it all. You'll never, because there's only one that was ever perfect and none of us will ever become perfect, so we cannot live it that way. But we all can strive to be better. We all can strive to be more like him.
Speaker 3:And I think that's our daily task is to can we do better? Can we? Is there something that we can do better in by coming to a group, as iron sharpens, iron is a way to I can be better I can absolutely.
Speaker 4:There was some guys it's been here still coming and don't like say, don't attend church. Well, that's just another avenue for our community. Mm-hmm, it's another Good thing to have in our community. I feel like his iron sharpens iron, because we give that opportunity for someone that maybe don't have a church or don't feel comfortable in a church. Mm-hmm, you don't feel comfortable in the church? Come in here, see if you feel comfortable with us. We're sitting around with our old boots on and our hose and our jeans or whatever, and Relaxed and you know, got a cup of coffee. I mean we just got a pot of coffee over here for you. Just come on in. There's relaxed atmosphere and no pressures and you don't come back next week. We're not calling you in. You know trying to get you in here, it's on your own. But it brings that to our community that we have this available.
Speaker 4:We've done a few little outreaches. We've had a couple of programs out at the Out the rodeo grounds are at the Civic Center out there, planned to have some more in the future. It's not to promote this group. This, this conversation we're having, is not to promote the group. We invite you to come if you like, but whatever program we're having, like we're doing the banner deal. I've spoke to you about mm-hmm, but it's all to promote the Lord. If you come to our group, that's great, you know. If you don't, that's all right. We're gonna do a few things to help promote the Lord mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:Little outreach mm-hmm, that's the goal. It and and truly. If Every organization that your religious organization is promote the Lord, and however you do that, I mean, and you, that's important thing about all the different groups is you're gonna reach people that others will not, and I think that's important to give options, because people come in with where they feel comfortable, who they might know, that somebody's in the group and I think it's good for those. Those options, mm-hmm, and, and it's just men. So there's no, no wives, yeah, one hour a week.
Speaker 4:We don't have to hear their opinion.
Speaker 3:You get to share your own opinion, yeah, and? And you say it's been going six years and it's every Sunday morning. Yes, I'm eight to eight to nine and once.
Speaker 4:Well, if it lands on Christmas Day, we'll skip the Sunday, something like that. But just about you know, every Sunday morning started eight and we shut off at nine because we don't want interfere with anybody getting with their family and going to church, mm-hmm, and we don't interfere with that at all. That's when we chose Sunday morning and been lucky. Well, I can't get around on Sunday morning, got to help with the kids. I totally understand that mm-hmm.
Speaker 4:But just like picking a day to have an auction, you ain't gonna satisfy everybody on a certain day or a certain time. So this is what we chose. Mm-hmm, and when we first started thought we'd try that. And any other day of the week there's sports going on in evenings, or school, there's work, there's all those things, and we just chose that to do it early in them. Mm-hmm, once it can make it wonderful.
Speaker 3:And then we hope, then if those that can't, you hope to see him see him some other time.
Speaker 4:Well, you sure, sure, maybe at one of the vents that we help, you know, bring to town and mm-hmm. Like. So we've had a couple, we're playing a couple more and We've got a little drive going on now with her signage going down the highway.
Speaker 3:Did it. And so what? What is that Okay, well?
Speaker 4:The sign there and some of the guys come up with doing something out on the highway. So we're gonna make it real simple that on good Friday we're gonna put up signs on. Our goal was a lot down to 87, but if you put one on 51, great. If you put one on the dirt road, that's great, mm-hmm. If you put up a sign that says Jesus saves or God loves everyone, or you want to put up numerous signs that Describe a whole scripture, that's great.
Speaker 4:It don't matter, mm-hmm, that's up to you, but we're gonna work. We've talked to people in Henrietta and Alvoid and Decatur and we're trying to get as many down to 87, kind of, from which tall falls to Fort Worth mm-hmm.
Speaker 4:You may not be huge this good Friday, but we're gonna put them up Friday morning. You put yours up when you want to. Mm-hmm, you take it down when you want to. We were just hitting a target date. Mm-hmm, good Friday, I'm gonna plan on putting one out there when used to have been a certain bully tractors location. I won't put couple out there, mm-hmm, it's out of the highway and To where good that Friday morning and leave them through the Easter weekend. Mm-hmm, take them down and we'll probably do another drive sometime later in the year.
Speaker 4:But the emphasis was is if there's someone traveling down to 87 between Fort Worth and which tall either direction, and they happen to see numerous signs that could be impressive in their life, mm-hmm, it could make them think. I've even thought about putting up a sign that says where's your sign, but it's to help people think as we're going down the road, and what a day. What if we had a hundred signs up between this deal? Mm-hmm, how impressive would that be to somebody from a different part of the country? Mm-hmm, what if we put a? Someone does a little social media showing the number of signs down the road and they put it on social media and somebody in Alabama Says it's a hey, what a good idea. Mm-hmm, they may take it and run with it. And then we get signs around the country, mm-hmm, I mean, I always think big if you can yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:But it's just to plant the seed. There might be planting the seed for somebody else to do it, mm-hmm, but anyway, it's just that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna put up some signs on good Friday morning, mm-hmm. Like said, whenever you want to put them up, whenever you want to take them down, that's up to you. Do ask it. You respect the highway department. Don't be trying to hang them off the overpasses and, mm-hmm, putting them too close to highway. Get on your private landowners, and there's a lot of them. I'll let you put it up and take it back down and on the fence or something, but try to ask your private landowners.
Speaker 3:So how do they get signs? Do they just make themselves, or what do?
Speaker 4:whatever you choose. Some guys are using some plywood, some of us are going and getting banners made mm-hmm. I'm having a couple of banners made where I can take them down, roll them up, use them again next year if we are this fall, if we Do it, or had a different event, mm-hmm. So it's just kind of a Coordinated that we're like to hit one particular day and our days there, mm-hmm. What you put up for your signage and how you paint it or what you do is all up to you. Mm-hmm. And it's just an idea to try to get the word of God out there. Mm-hmm. Make people. I know, when I drive down the road and I see a sign it brings you to the small on my face that someone's put the time and effort in To express their love for God, mm-hmm and you're right going.
Speaker 3:You never know what one person that's meant for, mm-hmm. Well, you have no way telling that. You know, and, like you said, somebody may take a video of it and it may end up somewhere else, and I think sometimes we don't take that step. To start, you know it's not uniformed. It can be, you know, spray painted, a sign, it can be Poster, it can be a banner, and it's just starting it and then going from there. And just because the spreading the word doesn't have to look pretty.
Speaker 4:Exactly that was my point all along. We don't have to be coordinated from a standpoint. Everybody's got to do it at this way in this time and everybody, the letters got to be the same height. Just get out and spread the word mm-hmm. But somebody could be going down the highway and be going through a troubled time and that might actually trigger something that might get them to open up the Bible. Mm-hmm, that's our point, mm-hmm. You know, and I promise you, if I was driving In a 50 or 100 mile stretch and I seen 50 to 100 signs, I'd say what's God doing right here? Mm-hmm, either these folks are in bad need or he's working already really hard.
Speaker 3:You know, in my daddy I had had an incident one time where I was trying to share the word and I was getting frustrated Because the person where it really wasn't getting and he said well, son, he said sometimes it's your responsibility to plant the seed down the road is gonna be somebody else's responsibility to harvest it. And I've always remembered that, that it doesn't have to be this grandiose. So, from beginning to end, and see the completion, because we don't know how. We don't know, just like when things happen in life, we don't know how they're supposed to work out. No, we just know there's no workout for the purpose of God.
Speaker 4:Give the opportunity and he'll work it out. Mm-hmm, yeah, let's help open up the opportunity and he'll work it out. Mm-hmm, our country has gotten way away from God. It's pretty obvious, mm-hmm, and I thought all of us Christians for letting us do it. Mm-hmm, what are we doing to change it?
Speaker 3:Again, it doesn't have to be this great, organized, grandiose thing. It can be an idea of some signs up and down our little lane of the road that can make a difference, and it has to start somewhere. I think sometimes, as Christians, I don't know how it's going to look, what's going to? People are going to say what's it? You know, we just got started.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, if I may, I shared with you earlier about we had a children's fair, because Montec County's child abuse is one of the highest in the state of Texas per capita and we'd done some things there for a while and then we lost some interest and it's fell off and I feel guilty for letting it fall off. I should have kept it going, but my purpose was we invited every church in the county to participate. We got to where 80 churches in this county and we had about 20 something at one year. And my thought is is you bring the presence and you show the presence of God more and it's scriptural, evil will flee. It will not stay where God is present and to me that's showing up in our whole society. Now the evil's getting to be more powerful because we're getting God is present. Now we got to do is ask him to come in. We've asked him to get out of our schools. What have we had?
Speaker 4:A lot of problems in the schools, shootings and everything else. There's certain areas you can't pray openly and then there's other places that are willing to take on the challenge and say come on and they'll pray. There's very, very, very important events. They will not pray openly. Freedom of religion, okay, but we claim to be a Christian nation. To my knowledge, do we not.
Speaker 4:Yeah Well, it don't show. It'd be hard to see it. I can't see it anymore and I don't know about all these immigrants coming in whether they can see it or not. If that's why they was coming to this country because we're open Christian country that's wonderful. But are we showing it? It's like one time he was a man passed away and I asked the preacher. I said, was he a Christian? He said did he show it? Did he live it? I made myself a promise then that they wouldn't ask that at mine.
Speaker 3:Because we can say our lips can move a lot, but if we're not showing it, if we're not taking action, then that's a problem.
Speaker 3:And that's you know, my hometown and our small business coalition that I've started in our community with our small businesses. I tell them all the time that I want it's kind of like Field of Dreams when he's talking about you know, when James Earl Jones talking about you know, cars will just line up, they'll just hand over the money. They won't know why. They'll just feel different. And that's my hope and vision for our community that people come to our community and they just feel different. And I think that's the way we treat people. I think that's they can feel if the Holy Spirit's here or not, they can come into this community and go something different here. But it can't be different unless, like you said, we start being different, we start changing. To make that happen. It starts with a person in the mirror.
Speaker 4:That's who makes the changes. Mine's slow, I don't always show it like I should, I'll be the first to admit, but it's got to make a change. Do you think someone driving in this town right now knew, see's and feels the presence of God? I don't want you to answer that. I want everybody that listens to this answer that to themselves. Do they feel that if they knew of somebody coming in, just ask them did you feel the presence of God? When you come into this town, do we show it? That's what truly a hometown should be.
Speaker 3:That's a big challenge to our town to our community. Are we? Because then it takes it from well so and so well, he said. Well she, what about us? There's only one person in this world we can control.
Speaker 4:The one in the mirror.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:I use that a lot, if you hadn't done that, but I use the person in the mirror. Start right there and look deep into their eyes, see what you see and ask them to change. I've done it many a times and I fall over here and I ain't a doing right, and I go back and I look and I say, and then of course Kim asked me once a while, but but and I challenge people because I think we don't do that enough I don't think we take personal responsibility enough to realize that we can be the change.
Speaker 3:but to be the change we have to change.
Speaker 4:So you're challenging our community right now to do that. Yeah, amen.
Speaker 3:I think that's great. I just don't believe that and I think that, as I've mentioned before, john Maxwell wrote a book that says change your world, and I have big visions of impacting the world. I read that book and it says change your world, not the world, your world. And I realized when I read that Everybody changed their world, which is our conversation. The people were around. If we, then what does?
Speaker 4:that do. The whole world changes. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:We start in our church. We start in our school.
Speaker 4:We start in your start, in your home, Then you start in your church, your neighborhood, and it will cover the whole city. What does that do? They go throughout the whole county Reminds me of when Bonanza used to start, and that fire would start there and it would burn up the whole map. That's the way it could be. Spark could start right here today.
Speaker 3:Louis.
Speaker 4:Texas.
Speaker 3:But it has to be backed by action. We can say all we want, we want a better community, we want a better self, but if we don't take action? I want to make a difference in men's lives, but if six years ago you said I'd like to do something, I still have the time, I don't know where to have it, then the men that have come in contact in the last six years wouldn't have had that experience, unless you took action. Other men took action to fill in, to bring topics, to teach other men about the Bible, to learn to be open.
Speaker 4:I'm going a good bit on Sunday. Some I'm not a good bit, but somewhat it's okay. My daughter always asks me if ropens more important than going to Bible study and I go. No, but someone can fill in here at Bible study. The way this is set up just bring a topic and it's discussed, and I'll take mine wherever I'm at that day I'll try to talk to someone about the Lord.
Speaker 3:That's my outreach in that, because you meant you also started one at one of the cell barns. Yeah, in.
Speaker 4:Vernon. Every week we do one that Vernon before the sale starts. I'm the auctioneer there, an IS owner, and he said sure, if you can get anybody to come, well, we get from three to 12 or 15, a lot of weeks it's about seven or eight in there. We just sit there and there'll be people walking in and walk by and someone's gonna sit down and listen and you'll get a new one that sits in. Some of the older guys now are starting to come in and listen. It's a start something.
Speaker 4:It says that you cannot get to heaven by works alone. But faith is dead without works. So if you truly have faith in the Lord, you'll be out doing works, you'll be starting things, you'll be doing things in your community. You'll be out reaching if you truly have the faith.
Speaker 3:Because you're not a preacher Me. Yeah you didn't go to seminary you didn't.
Speaker 4:I don't wanna go be a preacher.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you didn't. When you started, you weren't a Bible scholar.
Speaker 4:All you gotta do is talk to people about the Lord. I have opportunity quite often. You do too, no matter where you're at in your community. You can do that, do you think?
Speaker 3:a lot of people say, well, I don't have that opportunity. But do you think the opportunity? As you say, you have the opportunity. More I have the opportunity is because when you look for those opportunities, you start to see them Absolutely.
Speaker 4:And so if you're saying open your eyes, you don't have to look far and it's right there. Some of the conversations when someone's talking, sometimes I can twist them. I used to twist them. Maybe they're on way now. I can twist them this way and turn it and all of a sudden we're talking about Jesus and they didn't even hardly see the twist. But there's people in conversations just like we was talking about our community. What do we do? We're talking about how we could change our community. Same way there they can complain about something. We'll see how you can make a change. Start talking about how God could be involved, bringing God involved in that. But the opportunities are. I see them every day, all day now. They're endless.
Speaker 3:Did you always seem like that? No, because what changed?
Speaker 4:Because I was asking him why did you put me here, what is my purpose? And I said, what is my purpose? Well then I couldn't go into a word about to God to ask him what my purpose was. I didn't know what my purpose was. I mean, oh yeah, you wanna go make money, you wanna work, you wanna do these things? Sure, that's what we have to do to survive in society. But that's not your purpose. Well, my purpose is raise a good family. You can't do that without God. My opinion Right. But the purpose, you just ask and he'll show you. It'll come to you May not be in a bolt of lightning, may not be at your time and his timing's different, but you just kinda ask and then start looking around and start working a little bit and you will find it.
Speaker 4:I've had opportunities to go speak. I've got. I've spoke at four or five different deals. I don't wanna get into it. We got short time here, but for long. I don't wanna be a preacher, but I get opportunity to go meet people, speak to things, bring stuff to our community, things like that. That's what my role is. It's not to be head of a congregation and take care of that. There's preachers. That's great at that, and that's what they're for.
Speaker 3:And I do believe that's important, that we do ask what is our purpose, cause I believe I always have a greater purpose than to work, make money, yes, raise a family. But I still think there's an individual, sole, responsible purpose of each one of us that we don't sometimes. I think we go to the grave whenever we find that purpose we never realize.
Speaker 4:It's warning out. If you'll just let it, there's a inside. Every person feel this kinda I mean, oh, I don't have to do that, I don't wanna do it. And yeah, there really is. If you'll look, you're wanting to be involved in something like this, you're wanting to share with others. I always believe in my business. I'm part salesman. Well, he's the same world as to sell Jesus Christ. Look what he's done. Look what God's done for us.
Speaker 3:It's not like selling a piece of farm equipment that he convinced that you sell the good stuff about the it's full of rust and it's deteriorating. Everything God is not Right, you know it's simple.
Speaker 4:it's easy, but I mean if you believe in something I always said I ain't no salesman you believe in something because if you've eaten at a certain restaurant and you like it, you're telling people about it, so you're selling for them. If you've got a product to your mom, that's a good product. Or here's a good I like this soft drink the best Boy. You ought to try this new drink. You're selling it right. You're promoting it. If you truly believe in Jesus Christ and Lord, you should be telling others about it. That's selling. I'm not trying to use the word selling and God together, but it's promoting and it's all selling is it's promoting.
Speaker 3:And not only telling others about it. But when you do spread that word, they can look at your life and go okay, I can see that and not. Yeah, that's the hope and that it's not telling. And then, because our actions speak a lot louder, and then people look at our lives and go I don't know about that. I mean, if that's what it's about, I don't want any part of that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, main thing, if you'll look at that one in the mirror and not look outside that mirror too much, then people will see your change and it's contagious.
Speaker 3:And I think that's a great point. It's contagious, but it all starts in us first. Absolutely. Thank you, allen, for joining me today and sharing about Iron, sharpen's Iron and the group which is at 210 Sander Street. Those have been around for a long time. It's the old central Baptist building, exactly yes, and it's also right behind Allen's Texaco, so there's a lot of different ways you can find it. Every Sunday morning eight to nine. You don't have to dress any fancy way, you don't have to know the Bible inside and out, you just have to show up Exactly and love to have you and be open-minded and ready to share with others and now we're not sharing, just be a part.
Speaker 4:Just show A gentleman been coming for a long time and he very seldom says anything. And he's a God-loving man. I've known him for years. He walks or walk, but he don't say much. He said I always learned a long time ago that listening is to the talking. I'd learn more. And he said here's this, he'll know who I'm talking about. But he don't say much. Don't have to. There's usually people that will talk the topic. Do you sit right there and not say nothing all day? It's not, and we won't call upon you. When I ask someone if they'd like to open or close for us, I make sure that they're comfortable in praying, or I wouldn't ask them. I don't want nobody to feel uncomfortable.
Speaker 3:I'll share a quick story about praying. In our Sunday school class the teacher asked Kim to pray. My wife Kim and she is that scared her to death. No, I take that back. She, yeah. She said no. She said I'm not praying, she goes make Kim pray. So I started praying. I've prayed before, never had any trouble. I get halfway through the prayer I start crying like a baby, no idea why. No, I mean, I wasn't praying about anything that would be emotional, I just started crying. I couldn't finish the prayer. Nobody stepped up. She had to finish and I just think that's a great testament to she was supposed to pray that day. That's right. And she tried to get around it. That's right. And God said I'm gonna make you pray anyhow, and it's just a great thing.
Speaker 4:That was a great story.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that just shows the power of when he wants you to do something. He may not do it to you, but he'll get to you through somebody else Exactly. So I just think that's great, the power that he has. So, but again, thank you so much for sharing about the men's Bible study and taking your time to share about what led you, and I hope we challenge the community to make the change within themselves. Look the person in the mirror and it starts there and, as you said, it goes out into our family, into our community, into our county, into our state, into the United States. This is our hometown.
Speaker 4:We wanna be proud of it. What better way, thank you, better way Appreciate that.
Speaker 3:You're welcome, thank you. And thank you each of you for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you around my hometown.
Speaker 2:Thank you for listening to today's podcast. If you would like to connect with Aaron, you can do so by going to erandeglercom or find him on social media as Aaron Degler on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Once again, we greatly appreciate you tuning in. If you have enjoyed this show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcast. We greatly appreciate that effort and we will see you around in my hometown.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna speak to you from my memory, Jack. I'm saying you're my winning football JR in the JIO.