The Adventure Episode (feat. Brad Smith)

In this episode of the Created to Be podcast, hosts Bethany, Justin, and Darius welcome a good friend of FCA, Brad Smith, to discuss the topic of adventure.

After sharing some of Brad's incredible stories in a previous episode, the team wanted to dig deeper—not just into the adventures themselves, but into what it really means to live an adventurous life. Along the way, they make sure to fill in a few details that were left out the first time around and share plenty of laughs.

From Brad's unforgettable mission trip mishap at the Canadian border to conversations about career changes, parenting, ministry, and stepping into the unknown, the group explores how curiosity, courage, and faith work together to shape who we become.

Whether you're naturally adventurous or prefer to play it safe, you're in for a fun conversation filled with laughter, practical wisdom, and encouragement to embrace the adventure God has placed right in front of you.

Send us your comments! Either use the comment link above or email mississippistatefca@gmail.com.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

God dealt with me like we have to learn how to live comfortably uncomfortably.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Created To Be Podcast. We're back for another week and we're excited to have a guest with us this week. We might as well count Darius as a guest as well. We got two guests. I'm just kidding. Just messing with Darius. He's had a busy summer. But Darius, you're back.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

I'm back. I'm better than ever.

SPEAKER_02 0:28

That's right. Host, one of our hosts, and then Justin.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

Yo.

SPEAKER_02 0:33

As always, he kind of is obligated to be back.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Married into this.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

I roped him in. Um, of course, I'm Bethany, and we have special guests with us today, Brad Smith. What's up? We're so excited to have Brad today. It's gonna be an adventure.

SPEAKER_03 0:48

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Because we have the most interesting man in the world at the table, and y'all will understand that as we navigate these stories. He will deny it.

SPEAKER_05 0:55

I'm denying it already.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

But every time we throw something out there, he's like, Oh, yeah, I got a story for that. And so I don't know. I'm rolling with it.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Maybe that just means he's old.

SPEAKER_05 1:06

That that is my theory, literally. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

No, but there are things But he doesn't look old.

SPEAKER_05 1:12

He still looks like he's a 40. I'm a volume shooter. I've got a lot of good stories just because I've been around a long time. Volume shooter.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

That's the best though. You can like reach into the vault and just surprise people. We've been surprised by your stories, and we have some questions about some of the stories you gave us permission. We could go ahead and talk about while you weren't at the table when the trust were.

SPEAKER_05 1:31

I mean, that was a little scary.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:34

But but we made it through. You guys were were good.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Were we like semi-accurate? Semi, yes, semi with our interpretation of the things. So we're gonna get straight on all those stories too.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Which reiterates text messages and the value of like context and having to get the whole story. Yeah. We're semi-accurate on a really good text message. Yeah. But there's so much more to it.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

Which which Justin always gives us that remain personal in an impersonal world vibe. I think that was just that note, just the remain personal in an impersonal world. Like like with the text message, we was close, but it's nothing like that directly.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

No, and this is a teachable moment to the listeners who are Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 2:18

Do not rely on text message to be your main form of communication.

SPEAKER_02 2:21

Okay, let me say something about that though. I was reaching out to my monthly supporters and I was like, I'm gonna do the old school, I'm gonna call everybody. I'm gonna try. Yeah, I was like, I'm texting.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

Well, yes, but there is still a need for text messages.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Mainly because I mean, I'm this way, like I it is very hard to have a full-on conversation if I'm not in person. It's very hard with the variety of things, you know, going on. I want to give my full attention to someone. And so I was like, well, maybe the text is more courtesy on my part. I'm just gonna have to, you know. Uh but in my brain, like I, you know, I expect people to interpret a call as more significant than a text.

SPEAKER_03 3:01

But there's there's always layers to things, and I think the more curious we are, the better. You stay curious. Which it's like a Ted Lasso episode right there, I think. Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:09

You said you said that you didn't read the show notes, but curiosity is in my show notes today. So what? I know you're you're getting ahead of us, though. You're getting ahead. Okay. Wow. So one thing that we can go back and semi-correct, I don't know that it's a correction, but Darius wanted to make this distinction several, several episodes ago. Several.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Several.

SPEAKER_02 3:29

Which we're on episode 30, which I'm pretty pumped about. Just side note. I know. Let's go. I know. Um, that you made a comment about how you had a story where someone came up and helped you when there was misunderstanding. And you said that the person spoke not just Spanish, but American, and we gave you a hard time about that. Right, right. And there was a video that I didn't look at the original video, but on the Net Positive podcast, which is hosted by comedian John Christ, they showcase other people's comments and then they comment on it. And there was a man that said, I think it would be the most American thing to do on the 250th anniversary to change our official language from English to American.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

And I immediately felt bad.

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Yeah. I was so glad that you sent me that because as I was telling Bethany, I was not wrong. I was just early. Early.

SPEAKER_02 4:29

We were on to you were on something.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

I was on to something. But see, what happens is being different makes the difference, and most people don't get it with the difference until the crowd jumps in. Yeah, that's true. And I'm and I'm gonna say this. I used to hear this when I was coming up. They said a lie can catch a ride any day, but the truth has to walk. Ooh. So you just give the all the truth need is time. Yeah. So all I needed was time. Time. And it was confirmed.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

Still waiting on that acorn tree to catch.

SPEAKER_00 5:02

I don't think that was gonna catch. I think that was, yeah, I think that we can let that one go. You know, we we we don't make every shot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

You know, we don't make every shot, but the percentages are good.

SPEAKER_03 5:13

High volume shooter.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

Right. He does.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

He does. Um, he don't miss.

SPEAKER_04 5:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:19

So last podcast we talked about, we've talked about the past couple of podcasts about the off season because athletes are coming back, and also just there's a lot of changes coming up in this next year, which we might get into on this episode, maybe um another episode, but we have some changes, and so even in our own family, we're looking at what can we do, how can we change some habits this summer to prepare us for the changes coming in the fall. Um, so it's really been helpful to talk through some of these things. And I know I asked this at the end of the last podcast, I think it was the last episode, anyways. Um, but what would your future self thank you for? And I think Brad, you had a comment on that.

SPEAKER_05 5:58

Well, I mean, you guys had some good ones on, you know, working out and hopefully your knees will still be good when you're as old as me and all that. I I think that's the way you were thinking through that. But no, one of the things that I was thinking as I was listening to that, uh, I think that was podcast before last, actually. Yeah, when I was listening is um one thing that that w w I used to do a lot, we used to do my wife and I would be pray for our boys, obviously. I mean, that's somewhat normal, and I would I would expect to do that, but also praying for whoever their future spouse was. And and even when you've got a you know, like kids y'all's age, you know, when you you've got young kids, um that's something that your future self will thank you for. Um so you know, I would pray constantly. I've got two boys, pray, you know, that whoever she was, wherever she was, that she was growing closer to the Lord that day, you know, that that um that that she was safe that day, that she was, you know, there was something about her from that day that was gonna um help and guide her through her life, and and one day help uh guide my boys and potentially grandkids, you know, uh, you know, through and so um update on that, because that was what I was gonna send you two weeks ago. Yeah, two days ago, my youngest got engaged. So um so we do have some stuff going on in the family right now. So Abby, who I did not know until a year ago, was being prayed for, you know, 15 years ago. Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

And it's an Abbey, even better. It it is an Abbey's. There are a lot of Abbeys. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 7:30

And and in case Miriam's listening, I prayed for Miriam also. They got married two years ago. That's my other son. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

Yeah, that's uh that's definitely thinking like really far in the future.

SPEAKER_05 7:42

Well, that's what I'm I'm that's cool. You know, you you're you're asking what would your future self be? And I'm I'm trying to say that maybe I am your future self. You know, I'm coming to you from from you know the next the next one.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

So what what is the next future self for Brad that you're thinking about?

SPEAKER_05 7:56

You know what I really want to what I need to be doing, and I'm not doing what what my future self would probably be telling me now is um prayer journaling. Yeah, you know, and I mean and and just you know, so so that I can go back and look and go, hey, that is what I prayed for and look at look at this 10 years later that I wasn't thinking about. Yeah. That that's one thing.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

That's cool. Darius, do you have anything on that?

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Well, I just want to say, like, when I think about what I would tell myself when you first brought that up, one of the main things I thought about was uh my young, I feel like my younger self would appreciate my ability to endure. Like just the endurance. Because life presents us with so many different things that we have to go through ups, downs, ins, out, twists, turns. Yeah. But the fact that I just chose to keep enduring, not always knowing how it was gonna turn out, not knowing uh what was going to uh come behind everything that I went through, but just made that decision to endure. And I do believe that endurance is both a performance and a posture. I believe it's something that we do, but also I believe it's connected to a belief system that uh like the scripture says, and we know that all things work together for the good to them that love the Lord and to them who are called according to his purpose. You know, I accept that everything won't be good, but when I look at my life, like sometimes I'm in a place and I'm like, man, I went through this. You know, I made it through that, I conquered this, you know, and so many different things, like inwardly, some stuff uh outwardly, something like some things were circumstantial, but to look back, I think that that's something that my younger self would really appreciate is that that that push to endure and that persevering spirit, you know, that and it and I believe it's twofold. Um, I know it's the hand of God, but I also believe that it's connected to the scripture says if you be willing and obedient, you have to be willing, you have to choose to keep going. And I think about um when I remember me and my wife, we had, I don't know if I shared this, but we had two miscarriages. But I remember the second one, I knew what was coming. Like I, you know how you can kind of tell. I'm looking at her, I can just tell. And uh I remember she stayed home one Wednesday night. I went to Bible class and she stayed home, and I'm just anticipating when this text message is gonna come. And when I get home, uh when I get home, she sh told me like she had another miscarriage. And we was, I remember sitting on my bathroom floor, and literally sometimes what you go through is the strength to go through something else. Yeah. I I looked at her and told her, um, this is not gonna be something that happened to us, but this is gonna be something that happened for us. Like this is this is a comma. And we're gonna, you know, and and I'm just saying to be in a place where I can look back, I feel like that's what my younger self would appreciate.

SPEAKER_02 11:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

You know, just that desire and that push to endure, like that were endurance, is it's a it's a big thing for me, especially in this season. So I think that's one thing that I could look back and say that my younger self would appreciate.

SPEAKER_02 11:18

Yeah, I think in talking about that topic last week, um, it was just, you know, I I don't know, just like snippets of memories were coming back as we were talking of how thankful I am that we didn't quit. Come on. You know, like and it's good to be at a point in your life where you can be thankful for it because you're not necessarily like pressing through because that's what's really tough is when you're going through those things, and there were so many moments that we could have quit and at certain things, and then just to endure and be in that position now to be thankful. But then there's other things, you know, that we're still having to endure. But that motivation of you know what that picture looks like in the future, I mean, it helps for sure. Um, but anyways, yeah, that's awesome. And anything from your future self that you wanted to mention, Justin? Well, we did I did want to mention that we are in a season where we did ask that question not too long ago because Justin is having some changes in the fall. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:19

So apparently I am quitting. You said you weren't quitting. No, you didn't quit.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

No, but here's the thing it well, I just want to make a distinction.

SPEAKER_03 12:25

I was about to jump in on that, but you know Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Make a distinction that's helpful about this question because we have navigated several life decisions where we're kind of at a crossroads where it it's not clear. And so it has helped to ask that question what would 20 years from now, what would I be thankful for that I decided for in this moment? And I know when we had kids, it's might be controversial, but you know, I was deciding between do I want to have a midwife and have home births or do I want to be in the hospital? And that was a decision that I had to ask this question will I be irritated or mad at myself if I make this decision based on other people's opinion, or would I really actually deep down want to do? And so that was one time I remember this distinct question, like distinctively, this question came in, and it was really important for me. But I asked Justin the same question whenever he had a job opportunity come up recently. Like, what do you see yourself doing for the next 20 years, basically? Yeah. Which I feel like that makes us feel like I was thinking a lot lower than that, and I was like the next five, but but you know, you know, anyways, I don't know if you want to share about that.

SPEAKER_03 13:37

Yeah, uh crazy opportunity presented um before me. Um got a call out of the blue from a friend that I haven't talked to in a while. And he's like, dude, I couldn't sleep last night. I was like, Okay, what's going on? And um he was like, There's just uh there's a opportunity I feel like I just I thought of you when it came up, and his good friend um that he works with um is opening up a brunch restaurant here in Starkville. And he's got one in Hattiesburg, he's also got a couple mug shots, he and his brother, um, as well in Hattiesburg and Flowwood, and they're gonna open up a vicious biscuit here in Starkville. And they were looking for somebody that knows Starkville, that is known in Starkville, to kind of run and lead that charge there, and they would be there to help and do all that, but uh kind of looking for a partner and operator. And I was like, uh, okay. And so he kind of told me what the role entails, and then they were like, he called, or when he called that morning, he was like, Hey, they're actually coming up like right now if you want to meet with them. And I'm like, sure. And I didn't have anything on my schedule, so I popped over there and met with the guys, and um, it just felt felt good. It was a good initial visit, and it kind of got me thinking about it a little bit more, and I was like, Well, maybe this is the path I need to take. I've I've been with FCA for 15 years, and um will still remain on staff and still help with baseball and excited about that, but I'm gonna be stepping down from the director role, and um, but it was just going through a process of like, you know, is there another role in FCA that I need to serve in? Um, that I do I need to push myself in leadership within FCA, and so I applied for some of those and it didn't work out, and I'm glad it didn't, because I I don't think I was the right fit for those. But just learned a lot through the process and was kind of wondering, like really just going, okay, I'm I'm pretty comfortable in this current role, and that doesn't help anybody. And I don't have a ton of vision, really vision at all. So that's not helping my staff if I don't have any vision. So um it kind of was clear, and um and I got to a point where I was driving past where the restaurant would be, and I'd be like, mm-hmm I'd hit myself. I'd I just would hate myself for not doing this. So um it was just the right, right thing to do, and so that'll that will shift September, October-ish. Um, I'll step down as director. It's kind of been pushed back a little bit, and the store is gonna open up maybe December, January, November, who knows? Depends on construction. Who knows right now? Construction is all over the place.

SPEAKER_02 15:53

So but I did want to bring that up because that was an important question, but then that has also shifted like what do our habits need to be in our home to prepare for such a big life change? And I know stuff will hit us in the face, but that's why these topics have been very applicable to the Piget family, um, but also obviously to the athletes and coaches. And Justin, some of what you are stepping into, I think will come into like the conversation later too when we talk about adventure. Because adventure doesn't necessarily mean uh going on a trip, but it can be stepping into the uncomfortable and unknown, and so we'll talk more about that. Okay, Darius, is there anything you would like to say about what your life has been like over the past few weeks? I know that you've been part of conferences and youth camps, so I just wanted to give the audience a chance to catch up with you.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Yes, I've been uh you're talking about adventure. I've been on an adventure. Uh we had to um spearhead a church uh convention here in Tupelo or in Tupelo um a few weeks ago, and this convention probably hosts about anywhere from 200 to 400 people. Um and so we was actually, I was actually uh over planning the whole thing, making sure like from the beginning to the end, it was a Thursday through a Saturday. So every outing, every event, making sure that we had stuff for everybody to do, the services, the whole nine. And that was that was a job in itself. And then literally the next week had to uh oversee our church. We took uh our young people to a youth camp in Ohio, um Bowling Green, Ohio. We was actually on Bowling Green State University. And it was nice. I got to meet some of the athletes and stuff there, but it was about um that was from Wednesday to Sunday. And uh just a youth camp, like everything is all uh intense, everything is high energy.

SPEAKER_03 17:54

All gas, no breaks.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Literally, all gas, no breaks. I literally pulled my hamstring, it's still hurting right now.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

That means our one-on-one basketball is gonna be delayed even more.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

It's still hurting right now. Um and so uh I've been trying to get treatment on that. One of the things that happened, we got to uh we we got went to a hotel in Cincinnati. We had 12 rooms. Think about this. Six of the rooms they had to do away with because the air wasn't working. Oh my no. So we had to try to jumble up in six rooms. I stayed in a room with eight boys. Oh no. And when I tell you that in itself let me know how much older I've gotten.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

And how much endurance you have.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

And how much endurance I have. I literally, when I say that was something, um, and so uh, but but we went, had a good time, was able to come back. And so I was telling Beth and I just got my voice back. It's not always 100%, but we're coming in, you know, getting everything back together. So um I that's just the last two weeks. And so we got a lot of things we've been doing all summer. Um, but I'm just kind of glad about just opportunity. I'm glad about serving. You know, this is one of the things that helped me. I have shifted my mindset from this is not something I gotta do, but something I get to do. Yeah, you know, so many people look for purpose, wish they had moments they could be, but I'm able to give, I'm able to invest, um, I'm able to push a generation while I'm pushing myself.

SPEAKER_06 19:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Uh Santana has been with me the whole time, so we're getting experiences for the most part together. So um that it's been a roller coaster, but I'm not I'm not complaining. I'm not complaining.

SPEAKER_03 19:35

Jeez, you're gonna need that perspective to get through a room with eight boys. You can't imagine how much that's smelled in there.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Well, you one of the I'm gonna tell you one of the things, this is how I knew. I'm laying down and all of a sudden I start smelling something, and I don't know if one of them started spraying cologne at like 1:30, 2 o'clock in the morning. I'm like How old are these kids? So the the the youngest was like nine, and the oldest besides me was like 21.

SPEAKER_06 20:00

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

It was like nine to 21. And and then you gotta think. And you only had two beds in there? Well, well, we had so we had two beds and the pullout couch. Well, well, not the pullout couch, the pullout bed at the bottom where you could still lay on the couch at the top. Oh so it was really beneficial for us. I mean, yeah, like almost everybody had almost. But this was the thing. Like when you get boys in that room, this is one thing about boys, they're so competitive. Okay, everything is a competition. So they argued about sports. I literally have my beat headphones on, and I'm like, Lord, if you could just block everything out for two hours. Like just two. I just need two. But you know, it was a great experience. Something I won't I will never forget. That's right. We'll never forget.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

That's awesome. I do think that camps are for the young. Like I just yeah, even when I was young, I struggled with like going to camp and I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

I think Justin would have loved it. They had a thing they had to do called the amazing race. You had to quote the scripture of whatever the camp scripture, after you quote the scripture, it was like eight teams of like it was like 30 people of eight teams, which chaperones and children. The amazing race, you go to from station to station, but it's a time limit. Everybody is competing. And when I tell you with a tight hamstring, trying to run through, listen, I said, you know, they was like, are you coming back next year? I was like, I gotta think about this one. Because the last thing, we had like eight different stations and games, but the very last one for our group was a mile run. And when I tell you trying to get little kids to commit to a list a long way, it it was it was rough.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

Justin did dodgeball last year with the church. Oh, at Abbey's camp.

SPEAKER_03 21:50

Yeah. That was my one job. And he just like smoking kids. Yeah, it was a competition to get points for our team. Yeah, I thought yeah, me and a couple other dads. And they were like, come on, dad. I'm like, oh, I got it.

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Come on.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

I'm 100% confident I will smoke every person here.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

Now you would have loved it because we had to do kickball, volleyball, flag football, basketball. Then they had soccer. Now, one of the things that this is how God blessed me, though, because I was like, I need some advantage. I can't play. I had the number two player in the state of Kentucky in 10th grade on my team. Basketball. There you go. When I say I told him, give us as much cushion, go out. I don't care if you shoot every shot. We just need as much cushion. And he he is he's gonna be one of them. Wow. Them guys. He's he's really good.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

Brad, you surely got a camp story.

SPEAKER_05 22:40

Well, you know, I I've I've got some camp stories, but what I'm thinking about right now and how much energy it takes is so my youngest the one, Grant, who just got uh engaged this week, he is program director um at uh Central Hills Camp in Cosiesco all summer. And so for 10 weeks straight, um he's got about 250 kids a week. Um and he is camp pastor there right now. Uh so he uh, you know, after he got engaged Tuesday, they had a couple days off for the fourth, and uh he is exhausted just from camp being mid middle of the year because he's going back for another you know several more weeks. So I was like, Well, what's your week look like? And he said, Well, I've got to prepare five sermons for the next you know four days or whatever right now. And uh and he's out there on the megaphone leading all the dodgeballs and mile relays and all that kind of stuff, you know. So um, you know, pray pray for uh for him to have a little energy. Much prayer. But you know, it's it's a little easier when you're 22 than when you're whatever age. We're we're not gonna say.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

I also think that maybe some of my camp experiences have been a little bit like my perspectives a little bit different because I was pregnant, some of those camps.

SPEAKER_06 23:51

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

And it's just you know, we were in Black Mountain, North Carolina, literally, you know, the stories where your parents were like, we went up the hill both ways in snow, whatever. Like there was a massive hill that I would have to trek up and down and up and down at that camp. So yeah, I mean, it didn't really make it that much more.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Well, they had a few people literally, and I'm not proud to say this, but because if you're not prepared, like if you don't know where you're going into, you it it'll it'll get you. Pull your hamstring. Yeah, yeah, they look exactly pull your hamstring. They had a uh they had a few people literally laid out. They had to call the ambulance. Yeah, because some people, you gotta think if you haven't been dehydrating, you haven't been doing any physical activity, and you go out there trying to do all of that.

SPEAKER_03 24:35

Yeah, and most people just don't go run a mile. Yeah. And have the capacity just to go run a mile. Yeah. That's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

That's a lot. If you don't do anything, running a mile feels like a deaf city.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

No, running one lap is like, huh? I'll walk it. Yeah. Oh, do this four times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Oh man, we had an amazing race at Mississippi College. I'll have to tell you about it sometime. I won't, I won't bring it. I'm just like, that's a little Bethany's a boss.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

So y'all, so so when I said amazing race, something clicked. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Well, then you were saying running, and I was remembering those kids running around the track. Anyways, all right, so uh we're gonna switch up the stretch topic. I we're I'm gonna merge what I had thought of for our more you know serious convo later, but we're gonna do a little bit more World Cup stretch time today, and it's gonna be about the red cards. Darius, do you know what the red card is? Is that a file? It is, but specifically what happens if somebody gets a red card.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

Is there a free kick or a kick to the goal like to the Yeah, the what are the results of a red card? No, I don't know that. You don't know. And I'm not gonna, you know what I'm learning? I'm not gonna try to give an answer because I realize I show how much I don't know. And it'll become a soundbite. And a soundbite, and you're not gonna laugh at me this this episode. So I do not know. Can somebody please enlighten me?

SPEAKER_05 25:55

Okay, Brad said he was a referee. Yeah, I think interesting thing about me. That's right. Another one. I know, that's what I was saying. I I I used to referee high school and college games, so uh college soccer. So yeah, a red card is a serious foul. So that's one where um you know maybe it's some type of violent conduct type thing. Um, you know, or or it's just the the the major, the biggest fouls that you can commit. You can also get one by accumulating two yellow. Two yellow cards, which is kind of like a warning thing. So almost think like because I know you're a basketball guy. A tick. A tick. Flagrant. A flagrant, and then you know, you got the flagrant ones and flagrant twos, and you know, some of them involve an ejection, right? Right? So a red card, you are ejected, you're you're you're sent off the field, and and the the the even more punishment on this is your team has to play down a man. So now you're playing ten on eleven the rest of that game. If if you get red carded off, your team is is missing somebody and the person that gets thrown out, they're not uh able to play in the next game or sometimes their next two games. So really yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Soccer is that's intense. Now come on, man. That's gonna be cutthroat. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cause it's like you already kicked me off of this game. Okay, let me go and be back for the next game.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

It may actually help Draymond Green, you know. Maybe that was the rule.

SPEAKER_00 27:20

Oh, yeah, that was a rule. He would he would be all of those ticks will be cut halfway in. Well, yeah. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 27:27

Imagine if they were playing four on five in a in a basketball game, how uh how that would go.

SPEAKER_00 27:33

So you know I just I just don't know. So even if they even if they got an extra player on the bench, he can't come in. You can't sub anybody in.

SPEAKER_05 27:41

You're down a man. And if if you get a red card, if if we're on the same team and you get a red card, and then I get a red card later, now we're playing nine on eleven. I mean it can keep going down.

SPEAKER_01 27:50

That is soccer is ruling.

SPEAKER_00 27:53

I mean, what I want to ask, what happened to the guy making the rules for soccer? Yeah, what offended him? Yeah, somebody did something.

SPEAKER_05 28:01

PTSD.

SPEAKER_02 28:03

Um, so I remember, I mean, I feel like the the first sign of ignorance, especially, I know Americans are probably like this, probably the most in the world because it's not like a sport that a ton of people get into. We do with like rec. Like I feel like everybody starts off, you have some soccer exposure as a kid. Because that's like the world spends a whole lot in the world. Like it just we shift it all, you know. But offsides is I feel like the first line of ignorance. Like I have I I I also ref soccer, but not near to the degree that Grad did. I was like third and fourth graders that I was refing. Oh, it was recess. Yeah, wasn't paid. No, this was at a church league, which might have been worse than recessed. Absolutely. Oh man. But there was um a team that what that the the worst teams finally played each other. And at a certain point in the season, they told us you will have to you you can correct for offsides uh initially, and then by week whatever you're gonna start calling it so the kids learn what offsides is. And so I like the two worst teams are playing, and I call offsides, and the coach just went ballistic. And I was younger, I mean I was like 22. So that checks out. Right, right. So I was like, you know, 21, 22, whatever. And I so I was not as mature, and uh thankfully I I I did keep my mouth shut, but I really wanted to look at him and say, Coach, your team has not been in a position to be offsides yet all year, because y'all are one of the worst teams, because you got to get close to the goal, got you, but like they hadn't been in that scenario, so he was so upset, like because he said, Y'all haven't called this all season, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_04 29:48

And I'm like, Yeah, because you haven't been down to score the whole season.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

Makes sense, anyways. But I have been, um, I think red card is the second line of ignorance because even me last year when the girls were playing SEC tournament and one of our girls got a red card, yeah, I was like so offended. I was like, what just happened? So I didn't, and and I don't keep up with soccer that much, but I realized something, you know, more that I didn't know. And then during the World Cup, I didn't realize. I mean, there's so many like little rules. Um, I don't know if you saw the game, Brad, where um who did England play the other day? Harry Kane when oh Mexico. He like they I think they were in the box, maybe. Anyways, but he like they both went for the ball and the Mexico guy hit the hit the ball. Harry Kane kicked up but didn't hit the ball. And was that a red card?

SPEAKER_05 30:39

He kicked the bottom of his foot. It was not a red card, but it was a penalty kick. I mean, because it was in the box. In the box. Right.

SPEAKER_02 30:45

Yeah. I was like, what? This is another rule I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 30:48

It it it caused the guy to lose control of the ball. And and I mean it it was close, but but it was it was a red card. I mean, not a red card, a penalty kick, excuse me.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yeah. So like even learning those types of things as these plays um you know shake out is like the things that happened, certain things in the box. Like I think there was another play where the goalie came out and he failed the case. Because normally you would see it the other way around where like the goalie would be. Yeah, so he hit the feet of the other guy. And then he got a penalty. I was like, what is happening? Yep. So anyway, but you said you've been to a World Cup. I have. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 31:21

I have, but not this current World Cup. So uh back to um Justin's uh announcement of how old I am. But um uh so I I was at the 94 World Cup, which was the last time USA hosted. And where was it? So it was all over it, it was all over the US. The the game I went to was in Dallas at the old Cotton Bowl Stadium. You know, so um so just like then, or just like now, probably the best player in the world or the most popular player in the world is Messi from Argentina, and he's been you know, for the last 10 or 15 years, the most popular name out there, um, and people want to go see him. Well, at that point, Argentina's main player was Diego Maradona. And he is, if you look at any if you ask anybody a soccer historian, he's gonna they're gonna say that's one of the top three players. He was playing in ninety four. He was he was playing in ninety four. That was the end of his career, yes. So eighty-six would have been probably uh around his peak, yeah. Um and and uh when they won the World Cup um in Mexico with with Argentina. But um he was here in '94. We got tickets to go see Argentina play Bulgaria. I went with my family, I mean that my my parents, you know, I I was younger then. But anyway, uh so we go to the game and um the day before the game that we went to, um, Meridana got suspended for illegal drug use. So I mean it was not performance enhancing, but it was uh recreational.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

You didn't bring him those, did you? No, I did not.

SPEAKER_05 32:56

No, no. I don't know if anyone else knows. We haven't told everybody what he does yet. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think that I think that's gotta be thrown in there right now. Go ahead. So when Bethany asked me what I do for a a living, I I I did answer I sell drugs. And uh and and then quickly, quickly, uh so legally, legally, I work for a pharmaceutical company. So anyway, no, these were nothing that Maradona got from me. Thank you though, for that. Uh but anyway, but starting early. So so the best player in the world, and by the way, that ticket was $25. I I just looked at the ticket stub uh recently. That ticket was $25 back then, and this year when Argentina played in Dallas in the first round game, that ticket was $2,500. So a hundredfold increase. But anyway, um, the best player in the world got suspended. I didn't get to see him play. I'm standing there in the crowd in my Argentina jersey, you know, brokenhearted. But anyway, um that was the last World Cup. Did they win? Uh um they did win, but you know, I really no one was paying attention to that, you know. It was just, you know.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

We know uh former FCA leader at Mississippi College, he now is the what's his role in Flowwood, Daniel? Anyways, he took his son Oh, Daniel Lang. Yeah, yes, sorry in Flowwood. Yeah, he's like uh economic developer person.

SPEAKER_03 34:18

Yeah, economic development, new businesses, all that in Flowwood.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

In Flowwood, but he just took his son to the game uh Argentina Egypt. Yeah, they were in Atlanta for that. Wow. How cool was that. That is cool, wow. That was a crazy game. I don't know if you've kept up with any of them, but they were down and the 2-0, yeah, and they came back in the second half and we don't need to open up that can. I know, I'm sorry. Okay, so do you have you've got to have some interesting stories. Did you throw somebody out of a game? Oh certainly. Yeah, I mean, there were a few times.

SPEAKER_05 34:47

There were a few times.

SPEAKER_02 34:48

In Church League, I didn't get cards, so you know I didn't get to throw people out.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

Uh we've we had a few I've You gave them decision cards, Church League.

SPEAKER_05 34:54

Decision uh Hey, hey now. That was pretty good. That was good.

SPEAKER_03 35:01

Red, yellow, display. That's the reason I let you've been saved today. You need to fill this out. That's a track. That's the only reason I let Justin out of the pod. You want to grow comments on the code. You need to grow.

SPEAKER_02 35:11

Okay, throwing people out.

SPEAKER_05 35:12

No, I I I've I've had a couple of those, but not too many. I mean, you know, we but when you do high school and when you do college, you you see some things for sure. Um the um I don't know why they let me referee this one game, and and now I'm I feel like the statute of limitations would be up. So um, but I did the Mississippi State Ole Miss game one time for club men's club soccer. Oh okay. And um, you know, you you you walk into that game aware that stuff could happen, you know, so you know, you you're paying attention.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

But even in soccer, what was that?

SPEAKER_05 35:45

Even in soccer? Oh yeah. Oh yes, definitely, definitely. So um anyway, you know, but I I love doing all that, it was a lot of fun. Uh I kind of transitioned out of that and got into a lot more coaching, um, primarily because I was fed up with a lot of the coaches that I got to talk to, like the ones that you were dealing with, and I was like, somebody needs to be out here with these kids, and it's not these people. So anyway. Should be me. It should be me. And then I probably, you know, would I was probably the one yelling at you at a church elite game one day.

SPEAKER_02 36:16

Right, right. Did you ever get run over? Like I'm always watching these refs and how they're like maneuvering the field. I don't I don't recall that.

SPEAKER_05 36:23

I really don't, but it probably. I I I do know that um, you know, I I one time I remember doing eight games in one day. It was like a youth tournament, you know, in the summer in Meridian. And um, much like my friend Darius, I definitely pulled a hamstring that day. So, you know, I mean it was that was that was one game too many for sure.

SPEAKER_02 36:40

Yeah. Well, I don't know. The the games have been pretty intense. Every time I joke, like the most recent ones, they always cut to the after the show or half well after the show, and Rebecca Lowe, isn't that her name? And she's like Rebecca Lowe, we've witnessed another classic. I can't do my English accent because my family gets mad at me.

SPEAKER_03 37:01

If you say Harry Kane again, you have to say it from a British accent.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

You do it.

SPEAKER_03 37:04

Harry Kane?

SPEAKER_02 37:05

Harry Kane.

SPEAKER_01 37:06

Harry Kane. Harry Kane.

SPEAKER_02 37:08

You sound like you're saying Harry King. Harry Kane.

unknown 37:09

Harry Harry Kane.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

Hey, but you know, I it's hard for me to get with the World Cup because some of times when I'm watching, it just look like they're just running and kicking.

SPEAKER_05 37:20

All right, you gotta come sit with me at the next Mississippi State women's game. That's what I'm gonna have to do. And I will I will I will be your tutor on that. And um uh that that is that is one thing about me. I'm a huge Mississippi State women's soccer fan. Um, I've a lot of the girls on the team know. I will tell them I might not be the biggest fan or the best fan, but I was the original fan. Yeah, nice. Okay. The very first practice, practice Mississippi State women's soccer ever had um 30 years ago. There was one fan sitting on the hill watching that practice, and that was me back in the day.

SPEAKER_03 37:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_05 37:57

And I was taking notes because I was coaching club teams right then, and I was I was watching for for drills to run with with my guys. So you should have like a statue.

SPEAKER_03 38:04

Oh, I don't know. He shoving the statue. The first fan.

SPEAKER_05 38:11

And and and I remember girls from that team that then I saw I saw their daughters here playing and very involved around here. So, you know, you know, that's it's it's been a little while. I mean yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:24

Shout out to the women's team. And also shout out to the guys. I know he's he wasn't at your first practice, but we give y'all a shout out to the club.

SPEAKER_03 38:32

Well, it's a club, you know. Club soccer guys.

SPEAKER_00 38:35

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:36

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

Well doesn't mean they're less important, but I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_02 38:39

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, maybe you'll get to watch some of that and see some of the uh yellow card, hopefully not red card at all.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

Now, I'm gonna say this. I did see that it seemed like everybody was upset with the guy from Team USA.

SPEAKER_02 38:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:52

What did he do?

SPEAKER_03 38:53

He just didn't play very well.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

No, no, no, about the red card.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

Oh, but about Flo getting the red card. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it was uh it was a play on the ball where they both weren't really looking like yeah, they were both just playing the ball, and uh he caught his ankle and rolled it really.

SPEAKER_00 39:10

No, no, no, no, not that one. Uh he was like a was he a goalie or something?

SPEAKER_03 39:14

Oh, the goalkeeper? It was something.

SPEAKER_00 39:16

It was a lot of people's upset because it was like he just Yeah, he he cost us a goal.

SPEAKER_03 39:20

He didn't make a real good decision and missed the kick when you're trying to kick it out, and they just kicked it.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

It was just a bad night. It was a bad night all the way up to the room. So y'all help me with this. World Cup is only once every four years, four years. So how do you think as a teammate you would go about dealing with him if he played that bad and you know this is just well nobody wants to do bad.

SPEAKER_03 39:46

Yeah. You know, and so you know he's gotta be heartbroken from it.

SPEAKER_05 39:49

So in in literally that game, there would be eleven guys that would be looking at each other going, none of us. No.

SPEAKER_03 39:57

They were awful from the opening whistle. Like it was.

SPEAKER_05 40:00

It was just a bad night. Everybody was out.

SPEAKER_02 40:02

Yeah, nobody got in sync or created a spark of any kind, really. I mean, the Tillman goal was cool. It was cool. Like I was like, Can he do it again? I don't know. He did. Um, okay, so since we have Brad with us, we wanted to ask a few questions about his stories that he shared and also let him share a little bit about his life. Um, talk about what makes an adventurous person, because I felt like as we read your comments that I was like, this is a this takes a very like adventurous mind to be like, let's go across the Canada border with all these girls, um, and then get back across. Anyway, so he disagrees with us. I d I do disagree. Just so everybody's clear since you can't see a video. Um, but we'll get into this. But first, you can officially introduce yourself if you would like to, what you do, your connection, FCA, all that jazz.

SPEAKER_05 40:54

So I'm Brad, and um I I Brad Smith, I've I've been in Starkville for most of my life. Um love um more than anything, you know, um well, my family, um hanging out with them, and um but hanging out with college students. And so for the last like 12 years, I've I've that's been really the ministry that that I've looked forward to the most and and and being involved with. So I do that with my church. I'm I'm at First Baptist in Starkville and uh help out with with our our college Bible studies and all that. Um just in the last couple of years, um thank you guys for allowing me to tag along at FCA and just kind of jump in wherever. I don't have an official role, I don't have a title. Um I could be the guy that goes and grabs pins from the other side of the room when we need them, or I can be, you know, somebody that's praying with somebody, you know. And so um uh I don't I I really that's kind of how I I go through a lot of life with college students. I don't have a business card, you know, or anything that's got a title on it. Um but um I want I want to be, you know, just kind of Brad the goodunk. I was gonna say, or him change a tire.

SPEAKER_02 42:08

So Well, you know what? I think that um Madeline Keating in her uh speech at our legacy luncheon, she mentioned just about small groups in FCA and what has been happening there. She was like, in these groups, people have learned to ask, or I don't know if she said learned to ask, but anyways, but the the next question or the second question.

SPEAKER_03 42:28

Oh, the second question. Yeah, and that really stood out to us.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

And as you are um talking about your connection to FCA, I feel like that's the kind of person that you are, like to these kids. Like you're not that you're not, you know, just like, hey, how are you doing? And then move on. Like you're you're aware enough and in tune enough to ask that second question. And so that's one thing that I've enjoyed uh watching. Like I know that you told a story, I think it was when you maybe drove to the college getaway, or maybe there was another time, but you were talking about marriage advice, maybe. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 42:58

With what it was with Mary Ashley, I mean who um that was a great podcast y'all did with her, but uh we were uh since her wedding was was approaching, we were we were just uh we had had some girls that that we did a Bible study with previously, and and uh one of them had said, Hey, can you come up with a bunch of questions for me and my boyfriend to go back and forth on and just talk about things? And so I had like 30 or 40 questions that that we'd put together and and uh and some of them were completely goofy yet important, as you would understand once you've been married, you know. But but but some of them were, you know, hey, these are foundational things. And so uh we we like the whole van, we were driving back and uh asking and answering these questions, whether anybody was dating anyone or not.

SPEAKER_02 43:42

Sure, yeah, and that's whenever you just shared that story, that stayed with me as the type of person that you are, is like you engaged in that time, like that it's a space where y'all could just be riding down the road, they could all be doing whatever they want, but uh I noticed that just in my own observation. So we're super thankful that you get you are a part. And then you mention, okay, so you're married, you have two boys and a daughter-in-law.

SPEAKER_05 44:04

A daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law on the way.

SPEAKER_02 44:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 44:08

And then you sell pharmaceutical drugs. I do. I do. I do. How long have you been doing that? Twenty-nine years. Twenty-nine years, been with the same company that whole time, because I'm not very adventurous. And so I don't I don't I don't move around a lot. Uh you know, but 29 years, same place. Living in the same town. Yeah. Because I'm not very adventurous.

SPEAKER_02 44:26

Yeah, we're about to find out if you're adventurous because we got some uh characteristics here. Were you gonna say something?

SPEAKER_05 44:30

I was just gonna ask him how old were you two boys? So my oldest just turned 26 um last week, and my youngest is 22.

SPEAKER_02 44:40

Gotcha. Man, fun times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:43

Sounds like Brad has a double life, though.

SPEAKER_02 44:45

It does sound like it's what should his other name be. We'll have to check out. Chad and Brad.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

Chad is like look and this is what I'm Veto Veto. Well, this is what I'm trying to figure out because it's like he's so busy, but he's always available. It's like he got two, it's like it's two of him. It's like when you hear all of the things he's been doing, and then he steady shows up, always look refreshed, always refined. I'm like, okay, is there another one that he's not telling us about?

SPEAKER_03 45:20

Oh, the B is silent. It's Rad.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

Rad.

SPEAKER_04 45:23

That's it.

SPEAKER_00 45:24

Brad and Rad. That's it. Because he has, I mean, but I know you a lot of us are listening to the podcast, but Brad is the type of person you wish everybody could meet. Once. Yeah. Because he has. Not twice. No, let me correct it. At least once. At least once. And the reason why, because he's uh he's such a helper, such an encourager, uh, and and it is like willing to do whatever is needed to perform any type of task. I was thinking about when we was at um when we was at college getaway and we did uh we we was having trouble with the sound. We was trying to get things together, and we finally got it together. We ministered, and he, I mean, he's the first person once we come off the uh off the platform to tell us we're doing such a great job. Like, so encouraging. And I'm like, man, this guy is so consistent, you know, and so to be able to have him around as FCA, like I just want to tell you this, bro. Like, you a great guy. Well, Rad, is this Brad or Rad? Whichever one it is, y'all gotta stop. You're a great man, you're doing a great man, you're doing a great job.

SPEAKER_02 46:32

We are being serious. I know that we are I know that we like to have a good time. We like to have a good hang on this podcast, but we really are being sincere. I love hanging out with this group. Yeah, you've missed us. I have. I've missed y'all terribly. I told you that. You missed us. All right, so some traits of an adventurous person. First thing, Justin already said it. Curious. Curious, curiosity. They genuinely want to learn, explore, and experience new things. They ask, what if, instead of why bother? Y'all both. Justin, where do you fall in that?

SPEAKER_03 47:04

I don't think I'm real high on that, unfortunately. Yeah, I'm not an E or you're not quite E or stuff. No, I'm still I'm I'm kind of middle.

SPEAKER_02 47:14

I have a hard time. I'll just admit this on the podcast. I have a hard time when there's absolutely nothing going on and we don't have to be anywhere. This this actually, maybe I'll bring up a recent example. All right, go ahead and throw shade at me. No, I'm not throwing shade. I'm just trying to give an example.

SPEAKER_00 47:30

I see a tree.

SPEAKER_02 47:33

It's growing.

SPEAKER_00 47:34

I see a tree. Oh, there it is. Oh, okay. It's not shade, but we go it's growing. You let us define that, Bethany. You let us define that. Let us hear this and then we'll define.

SPEAKER_03 47:47

Oh my God. Shade is just an example that will lead to shade.

SPEAKER_01 47:53

Hey, that you can you can hide under or that you can get under the cool off. It's biblical.

SPEAKER_02 47:58

Shade's good stuff, it's biblical. Okay. No, so Abby and I were in Nashville, and I had only booked to stay through Friday of this convention she was at. Well, then when we get there, we learn everybody else's dead until Saturday. And of course, she's like, I want to stay. And I'm like, Yeah, I don't know. You know, then I checked with Justin and he had to get Eli to a birthday party. But besides that, there really was not anything else going on. And he was just saying, like, he was like, uh, I don't know. I just want you guys home. And I was like, but what do we need to do? Because that's just I'm I'm not throwing shade. I'm just saying that's our how our brains are different. For me, I'm like, there's literally nothing on the schedule. I'm gonna come home and I'm gonna end up cleaning and cooking and putting up laundry. Like, so that if those things are taxing and important that I need to come home and do, but just to come home when we could be experiencing something else, that's what my brain was saying.

SPEAKER_03 48:52

Well, I need to chime in. I was doing all those things while you were gone. I'm not relying on you to do that. No, no, no. So that's not just like she comes home and that's what you need to do. That's what I would have done just because I'm home. I just missed my wife and my daughter, part of it. And then, and not gonna lie, I was I was a bit tired. Ben was a lot this go round. He's just he's 90 to nothing, and then Eli would help sometimes and not help sometimes. So it was just I was just like another day.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

That's just an example of like this. I feel like if there's open space where there's nothing like has to be absolutely done, I'm like, what if there's a little selfish piece in that for me?

SPEAKER_00 49:28

I was gonna say this. I'm just just said it, but I'm gonna side with him in the aspect of I'm a little bit of both. This is what makes it hard for me to be curious. I like control. See, to be curious, you gotta let go of it. To have that what if, you gotta be like, I'm willing to just ride the wave. See what happens. Yeah, yeah. I'm not, I wanna know what's about to go down. I wanna know, you know, what's gonna. It's that piece of control.

SPEAKER_04 49:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:57

You know, so it's it's sometimes it just depends, but it's hard for me to just be curious because I like that level of control.

SPEAKER_02 50:05

You think comfort plays a piece?

SPEAKER_00 50:06

And that's what I feel like comfort and control is together. You know, I I feel like that's the duty. Yeah, that right. It's like I don't have to be, you know, on edge. I kind of, you know, I'm comfortable, but when you start nudging me a little bit and I don't know what's gonna happen, I almost feel like it's jumping in a sometimes feel like it's jumping in a swimming pool and you can't swim. Yeah. And people are like, no, we're having fun. You're like We're having a blast out here, Derek. Like, just give it a try. Jump off, jump off the diving board from 20 feet in the air and just get on that ATV and and drive when you've never done it. Like, like that's what it feels like.

SPEAKER_02 50:44

So yeah, but okay, so this story of where y'all took you might need to rehash the story because we might have told it wrong about the girls that y'all had on this trip and you went across the border.

SPEAKER_05 50:53

Yeah, which that sounds like a terrible setup to a story, but uh, you know, I mean, so so so years and years, drug guy border.

SPEAKER_01 51:03

Hey, start the story with it was a it was a mission trip. Kids, we were on a mission trip. Listen, it was a mission. It really was a mission. It was a mission a drug dealer going across border lines. It was a mission trip. This was before those days, even.

SPEAKER_05 51:21

Oh my gosh. Um, no, sorry, Brad. Years and years ago, we went on a so you want that story? Uh so uh the years and years ago, um, I was helping chaperone a mission trip with our church um with our youth group. And uh I was young, I mean, like my we were not married yet. Uh we were 22 years old. Um, we were engaged, but we were not married. And um we're traveling out to northern Montana, and so that's where our mission trip was, and we were gonna be there for a week or whatever, and all that was good. So the van I drove cross country, because there were three vans, the van I drove was all high school girls. So there's like a dozen 15-year-old girls driving from here to northern Montana uh over like three days. Wow. And let me tell you that's also a trip you need endurance for. Yeah, exactly. I'm I'm thinking, I don't know if I'd rather be in a in a one hotel room with eight, nine to twenty-one year olds, or um that was an educational experience for me as a 22-year-old dude that did not have any sisters even. Um, and so um we we went across the country um and we get there, we do the mission trip, and then one day we've got an afternoon that's like a free afternoon at a mission trip, and so we said, you know, we're like thirty miles from the Canadian border. Um we could go to Canada. We could, you know, just go across the line.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

What if we went to Canada?

SPEAKER_05 52:48

What if what if what if what if what if? I'm curious, you know? So anyway, we could go to Canada, and and so the whole group decided to go. And so our girls got in the van, we go across into Canada. You did not need a passport um to get into Canada, you know, and and this goes back to the stories I've I've heard uh doc tell them about you know uh in the past about getting in and out of the country. Didn't need didn't need a passport, it's easy to get it out, you know, you know, and so we we go into Canada, we go literally a half a mile across the border within sight of the border station and stop at the the you know welcome center or you know gift shop, and everybody's going in and they're getting some two dollar, five dollar, whatever, you know, souvenir just so we can say we've been to Canada.

SPEAKER_03 53:33

You gotta get that magnet.

SPEAKER_05 53:34

Yeah, it was a ma yeah, magnets, postcards, that kind of stuff. So everybody goes in, we're in there for 30 minutes. All right, everybody, we're loading back up, we're going back across. So we turn around, we come back to the border, and coming back across, you know, you're on the same road, you're just on the other side of the highway going through one of those border stations. And so we get met by the you know uh border, you know, police or whatever there, and they said, Okay, we need to see everybody's passport to to come in. And we were like, We don't we don't have passports, and they said, Well, you've got to have a passport or a birth certificate on each of these because they're under the age of 18, you know. But getting in, like going to the city. They didn't ask us anything. Wow. And so they were like, You gotta have a birth certificate or a passport with each of these, unless they are traveling with their parents. And so my me, 22, my my fiance, 22, sitting up in the front two seats of the van, a dozen 15-year-old girls back behind us. One of the girls leaned forward, Ma, Pa, is there some problem up there? You know, I mean, you know. And and the and and and obviously the guy kind of knew uh because I said, Hey, we just came across here. Yeah, 30 minutes ago. I was like, we stopped. I'm pointing at the at the store. You can see the store from where we're we're we're parked. And I'm like, we stopped right there and got postcards and came back across. And so the girls were you know quickly, you know, uh, mom, dad, any anything wrong up there? And and the guy just kind of he he waved us through. He knew what was going on. Way to be a team player, though. That was quick.

SPEAKER_02 55:08

I mean, so yeah, that was I mean, I feel like a lot of girls would just cry.

SPEAKER_05 55:13

I thought we were about to all live in Canada from now on.

SPEAKER_03 55:15

Sometimes I think border security or airport security just play around with you just to see if they can freaking.

SPEAKER_05 55:22

And it worked at 22 years old.

SPEAKER_00 55:25

I can only imagine. I'd be freaking out. But some of them now you talk about that, but some of them are a little too intense. It's like, yeah, you like, hey, this is a little rough for all of us. Can we just calm down just a tad? Just a tad. But I'm glad you made it back.

SPEAKER_05 55:41

Well, I am too. It would have been uh I wasn't dressed for living in Canada, you know, I mean, for the rest of my life at that point. So, you know, it would have been it would have been it would have been uh an adjustment.

SPEAKER_00 55:52

So I wonder if that happens to somebody for real, how do they get back? But I can only imagine, like that's a you gotta have people mail you your birth certificate, I guess.

SPEAKER_05 56:01

And get a passport or or or whatever, you know. I mean, they're they're you have to go through I've got a guy, I in fact I just met with him like an hour ago before we came in here. Um that I'm we're going on a mission trip, guess what? To Canada in a week and a half. I'm I'm headed back to Canada. Um and one of my college students, his passport hadn't come in yet. And he's stressed about it, and he's got an appointment in New Orleans to try to get them to expedite it because it's been eight weeks and you know he hadn't gotten it in yet. So uh so next Wednesday he's got an appointment, and next Friday he gets on a flight.

SPEAKER_02 56:33

Oh wow. So we had some students go, we couldn't go with them to Barbados, and one of the girls showed up at the airport and didn't have her passport. Yeah, so she did not get to go on the trip. Was that Lauren? Lauren. Oh, Lauren. I know, and then we weren't there because we had, I mean, they were going and we, you know, had set it up, arranged it for them to manage everything themselves. But that was pretty rough. So optimism is another uh you know trait of an adventurous person. They can believe something good can come from trying something new and also confidence in problem solving. I think that's what is more of where the um you were saying like being comfortable or familiar, like you want to be in control. I think that if you can have confidence you can solve any problem, that gives me a little bit more comfort. Like it doesn't necessarily mean nothing crazy is gonna come up, but I trust that I can figure it out, or with someone's help, I can figure it out. And so that gives me a little bit more comfort if I'm in a new setting.

SPEAKER_00 57:30

I think a lot of curious people are confident. Okay. I think a lot of naturally curious people have an inner confidence that the average person doesn't have because you gotta think they're willing to take risk or take steps that most people just aren't willing to take. And a lot of times those people get to have in Mr. Brad's case, experience that the average person don't get to have. So I I'm trying to open up to be a little more curious because the reason why, because I'm the person more often than not, I have to hear about how great of a time you had. Do you like to learn? I do, but I like to learn about things I'm interested in.

SPEAKER_02 58:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:16

If I'm not interested in it, it's like, uh, you know.

SPEAKER_02 58:20

I mean, our son Eli is pretty calculated. Like I feel like he is he's adventurous too, I think, but um, because he likes to go have new experiences. But I feel like I don't know if that's the same thing where it's like he kind of wants to know the what yeah, what's gonna be the case, you know? Yeah. Um, so anyway, um, what about any other stories, Brad, that you have that we don't know of that you're thinking of that curiosity led to an adventure of some kind? Uh uh there's plenty, but I'm I don't I don't know.

SPEAKER_05 58:49

I I I don't know what what can be shared, you know, like whatever you want.

SPEAKER_03 58:53

We can edit it out.

SPEAKER_05 58:54

No, no, no, no, no. No, I I'm I but I just uh you know, I I think going back to where we just were, you know, curiosity I'm big on curiosity. I I really am interested in a lot of different things, and and um and and I think that sometimes drives people around me nuts because you know they get drug along on on my curiosity questions, you know. I mean, yeah. Um, but I'm also one that is uncomfortable with when I don't feel like I have control. So that those kind of offset for me.

SPEAKER_02 59:24

Did you learn that from somebody? A curiosity thing? Was that passed down to you some way?

SPEAKER_05 59:28

Um, you know, yeah, my my parents um are are curious. My dad, like honestly, my dad has way more adventures than and and crazy stories here than than I could I could share. Um but also you know, having some control on things. Um so yeah, I I I that that that's that's a whole separate top topic. But I mean, like, you know, yeah, curiosity and control.

SPEAKER_00 59:52

So see, uh now that I think about it, when you talk about pass down, my so Santana is more curious. She's more open to trying stuff, doing stuff, but when I look at her family structure, they were like that. Yeah, I come more from a family of uh we didn't really do that much. You know, everything was kind of like straight line, you don't really try new things. So it took me to get connected with her to start being open and realizing like, okay, this is okay to be like this. It's okay to, like you said, to look into something, find out, you know. So I've I know being connected to her has really helped me out a lot. Because my family, my immediate family, they wasn't really like it was it was more like uh what you call it, uh do the same thing, not really getting outside of the routine. Yeah, you know, curious people. Okay, we've been doing this. Why are we doing this? Yeah, let's try. Well, what if we did this? You know, I started connecting that with her.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:52

Yeah. Well, I liked this definition that I found. It says adventure sits at the intersection of two things, the curiosity to wonder what's over there, and the bravery to actually go and look. So I think that we're talking about obviously stories and travel and things like this, but just bringing back in Justin's decision to leave something that is comfortable, familiar, and do something that he does not have previous experience in running a restaurant. Um, and what would be your like motivation that you said a few things that I think are good takeaways for anybody listening, just at any stage of your life, is like whenever you feel like maybe you're not being like pushed or challenged or like that you want to learn something new. Like I know I started grad school and thankfully finished. Like it took me like five years, a few years ago, finally got to like graduate. Yeah, but it was, you know, it was really hard for me to take that step because I mean, I was working part-time, we had very young children at the time, and I was like, what am I doing? But then it's like that tension of I'm really curious though, of what is in that for me that I probably need, but then like I don't know if I want to take that step to commit the time. And I know that was a big commitment for both of us, but like what would push you to make this decision? Like, what is you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:10

Yeah, I'm I I don't know. I think that comfort level of doing this for a certain amount of time, and I think I just wanted to learn something new.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:17

Because some people strive for that comfort, like I'm gonna work my whole life to get to a place of comfort and familiarity.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:22

Well, I think when I took a year off from FCA and I worked at Home Depot um for a bit and got into the retail world, I really getting my hands dirty a little bit, serving people, and I saw what a good experience could do to a person when they came in really upset or not having a great day. And and it just kind of like kind of pricked something, I think, in me a little bit of like, huh. And um, and so the hospitality piece and taking care of people and creating a great experience has always kind of been in there. Haven't really had and and then you get to do that within FCA. Like you want to create great experiences for people. Um, encounters with the Lord, you see that growth, that community, and that family. So like that's there, and I've been you know been a part of that for a long time, but this was just a different opportunity. I know I can I can be uh I can lead people, I know um, you know, having a a group of people to pour into that's fun, that's always gonna remain fun. But I think just taking on a whole new challenge of the restaurant um and just creating a great experience in that capacity, it's a different type of ministry. I'll get to float around and talk to a lot more people and uh and get to hear more stories and encourage more people, and I do enjoy that part. I'm very curious about people's stories, and that leads me to being curious about other things. Um and so I don't know, I'm looking forward to that and just being more involved in this community in a different way. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:40

I know that the shift that we made from Mississippi College to UT, I remember saying something like this, and then Brad, I think you had something to comment. The I was like, I wonder if what we've done at Mississippi College for six years will translate and work somewhere else, especially at like a big power five at the time school. And so that would be a curious thing that I was just like, ah God, I just wonder. Like if if we get the opportunity, if they offer us this job, like I really kind of want to know if this will work somewhere else, you know. But some people might be like, Well, it works here, so why would you leave? You know what I'm saying? And I don't know what that is, but I got it. I have been bit by that bug where I'm like, hmm, I wonder.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:22

Um, you were gonna say anything? I I just I think that's awesome uh how you've approached that. And and the verse that that comes to my mind on all types of situations uh always um is Jeremiah 29, 11. You know, and I I'm just I'm thinking through and and that verse is uh for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope in a future. And and it it applies especially with college students. I mean it applies with what you guys are going through right now, but it applies with college students because when you when you're 20 years old and you're like, I don't I don't know what I'm gonna be doing five years from now. I don't know what I'm gonna be doing next year. I don't know w if I'm gonna be at the school, I don't know if I'm gonna be changing my major, I don't know if I'm changing teams, I don't know who I'm marrying, I don't know, you know, all these and man, that is such a a a challenge and uh an anxiety uh prescription for for for so many you know so many of us. And um and just knowing that while we we think we have that that that vision of control, you know, you and I were talking about like, hey, we got the curiosity, but we also want some control. You know, I mean we we we were we were feeling that a minute ago that that's just a perception of control. We don't have control anyway, you know. I mean like the the Lord has our plans in his hands, and so um that makes it a little easier to be curious and to and to step out, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:52

Yeah, and then I was gonna just add to that like um I think it's it's also perspective driven, like when you realize. Like you said, that you don't have control, and you start understanding that every step of my life, whatever I'm doing, God is unfolding something not just to me, but about me.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:12

Um, I was uh it was amazing as I was walking in. Um God just began to deal with me, and I'm thinking about you talking about adventure, we're talking about transitions. Like God just began to deal with me that there's still an element of us we haven't met yet.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:28

That's good.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:29

Yeah, there's still an element of us that has yet to be revealed. And what he was showing me was every new door that he opens, there's a you that you know before you go into it. But then it's like going through the entrance and then going through the exit. When you go through the exit, there's a revelation about yourself that you did not know before you entered.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:50

And so it's like I know you can piggyback off of the Home Depot experience, you can piggyback off the FCA experiences, but this is an experience that's going to introduce Justin to a different version of him that he's yet to experience. That's cool. And so I say that because I was just thinking about um coming around you all. I'll, I'll, I'll admit this now, but when I first came to FCA and I started coming to the huddles, it was uh, it was I almost had like a very hard place of anxiety. Because it was almost like I was feeling like a fish out of water. Because it wasn't what I was accustomed to. Like it was different. You gotta think, I'm used to being around high school to smaller children and then grown people. Like to be around, like yeah, the middle is like so so to be around college students. Um, it was literally um like I was like, man, this is different. I'm not used to this. Like, and so I'm like, Lord, how are you gonna? And I remember the guy speaking to me was like, just breathe. He was like, I brought you to a place to expand you. Comfort keeps us from expanding. Because what happens is we start to look for history in the future. And so it called so what I'm saying is like when you start talking about that element of adventure. I remember like in just thinking about we talking about the Bible says the just shall live by faith. God dealt with me like we have to learn how to live comfortably uncomfortable. Yeah, like we have to embrace a level of un uh uh where where we're not super comfortable because that was the faith is living in the a level of the unknown, but the assurance of God knows what's going on. Right. And so that's why I say uh just thinking about some of those different things. There are there are elements of us we don't know yet that we're being exposed to. And and I'll I'll say this because I was one of the speakers at the camp, and I was terrified because I'm like, I have never spoken to a room this big of so many young people that's like as young as six, seven years old, all the way up. And I'm like, I don't know what to like, and I'm I'm literally terrified, and God really just began to settle my heart, making me think about college getaway, brought me to uh when we went to Bell Haven, and I'm seeing times you spoke, you spoke, like bringing me back, and it's like I was preparing you without you being in the seat. So when your moment came, so I'm saying, in the aspect of all of these different things, I just believe that there's an aspects of us that God wants us to realize He knows how to bring forth the you that you haven't met. Yeah, but you just have to trust the process. Like you said, He knows the plans, He knows the thoughts, things to prosper us, and so that's what gives me great comfort some in in the face of the unknowns.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:47

Yeah, good. I remember a very distinct time where when after we had Abby, I just it was like life, like that was probably the biggest shift in our life. There's been a lot of change, but the biggest thing was like now all of a sudden I'm a mom and having to interact with a child, you like I don't know. I I had an identity crisis of like, I want to be a mom, right? Like, I don't know that I want like it was rough. Um, and I've had to apologize when she was little. I apologized to her several times because it was like I don't know how to do this, but it's my first time doing this, right? Yeah, right, right. I know I'm like, I'm saying that. But that was an example of just like I was not, I might have acted motherly, like to maybe ish to like the college students, but like I was becoming that as I had this relationship with my daughter, and then obviously our sons. And so I am hopeful that I think Ben's getting better versions of us being the youngest, you know. Uh, but that's something that, yeah, I mean, and that's just one area of of my life personally that it's like it unfolds as you journey through that. So as variables change and are added, that happens more, right? That that you're just like being formed right in front of your eyes and being open, being curious, being willing to learn, um, being able to be okay with failing. I mean, not having that fear of failure or judgment is very helpful to be able to stay in that space. Um, okay, we're gonna land the plane here pretty soon, but I wanted to say this comment and then ask one question. So just so y'all can be thinking about it, I want to ask the question what benefit do you think there are to being adventurous? Like, why would that be something of that you might value or embrace? Okay, that's the question. But I'm gonna say this curiosity without bravery is just daydreaming, the trip you research for years and never take. Bravery without curiosity is recklessness, motion for its own sake. Where they meet, where wondering turns into willingness, is where an ordinary day becomes an adventure. So just saying, like, you know, if you're curious, it just is like a dream because you never really go and actually explore it. But if you're brave and you're not really like thinking through the process, you might be a little reckless. So it's kind of the marriage of those two things, curiosity and bravery that makes an adventure. And I think that that can be whether you're going on a trip, changing a job, like circumstances change, you know, um, that anything can be an adventure. I'm even thinking about these athletes that come, you know, we've talked about the challenge of people coming in and out. And as we're having this conversation, I'm like, maybe I need to even think about my position with FCA, like treating this more from like an adventure brain, you know, then I gotta come up with a way that all this ministry plan will work, you know, like in a traditional sense. Because if I have a more adventurous approach, it'll probably be um an easier experience as people transition in and out because that's what they're on. I mean, honestly, I'm very surprised and amazed by the adventure, like just how willing these kids are to get in the portal. Like I know that like there's a lot of opinion, like, oh, they're jumping schools, they're not learning loyalty, all this stuff. But at the same time, I think it takes a ton of bravery to put yourself in that position. And obviously anything can be exploited or treated the wrong way or whatever. But like most of the people I talk to are kind of terrified of having to do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:27

There's a lot of transparency.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:29

Yeah, and so it's not optimal, but the the way that they can go to a new town, find a new apartment, find new people, all that, like it is that is not an easy thing to do. So anyway, just want to mention that.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:41

But wow, that's so good because we talk so much about plans. Right. And making our plans and um executing those plans. And what if we just approach things more from an adventure standpoint?

SPEAKER_02 1:13:52

It's gonna be an adventure.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:53

And that doesn't mean you don't have some sort of plan to kind of guide you a bit, but um, I think we probably need to emphasize adventure a bit more.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:01

Yeah, because I think that it takes me out of my curious part. Yeah. Like I'm just like a miss moments. I gotta I gotta make sure that I got I'm doing X, Y, and Z instead of let me observe, let me be curious about what is happening.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:13

Yeah, you need to cross the border.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:16

Bring a passport.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:18

Okay, so last question, and then I want to ask Brad a little bit about his mission trip coming up. But is like what benefit do you think adventure has if a person embraces that kind of mindset? What does that even be how does that even benefit us? Yeah, as a human being.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:35

It unlocked some stuff. I mean, you don't really know who you are until adventures kind of bring it out. You really don't. Like when you get squeezed a bit, you don't know who other people are.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:46

No, you don't know who other parts are. We were at Mississippi College and we moved to Austin, Texas. Austin, Texas was a very, very hard place for us for a variety of reasons. It was also very beautiful and awesome. But we are not the same people as a result because of the people we met there. And there were things that were we believed and that were like this is what we believe that were tested in going there because we saw we were exposed to a lot of more things, and it forces you to go back to what you have believed and been taught and compare and contrast and like work those things out. But if you only stay in your bubble of what you believe and you never are exposed and have relationships with other people that think different, it doesn't really force you to like analyze those things. Does that make sense? So we are a different, we are we were just shaped a lot in that time. So I think that that goes along with like you don't know who you are or other people really if you just like stay in this place of comfort.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:48

I feel like I have more accurate view of like reality.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:51

Yeah, you're very limited. It's like a person that lives in Mississippi but hasn't been anywhere else. So they think everything all of life and all the world operates like how they operate, right? You know, and um evolution. I feel like you evolve uh because you find out more about yourself, you find out more about other others. There's certain things that I now can look back to say why I'm grateful, why I was willing to do certain things, because if I wasn't, and I'm saying even if I was pushed, like you, like one we went to Mexico, uh, the trip to Mexico, one of the things that we had to, we had a little excursion, but one of the things we had to do was climb up uh a lot of people know I'm scared of heights, but we had to climb up uh like some logs all the way to a high point, and then you have to hold on to the the uh rope and swing down. It was like a time-based, and so everybody knew that they was telling me I was scared, you know, he ain't gonna do it, you know. And I'm seeing people do, and so that kind of pushed me, but then that competitive side, like I realize I'm a competitor, I don't like being played to the left. I think it's the little man syndrome. People think you like it's just and I'm saying, yeah, you know, you know, so it pulled something out of me that um if I wouldn't have done that adventure, I wouldn't have it wouldn't have been exposed to me, neither others. Because I remember after that, my wife was like, like, Babe, I I'm really impressed. I didn't know you had that in you. And I'm like, you know, Hercules comes out of me once in a while. You know, but I've been there. Yeah, yeah, I but I feel like just those that those adventures, it's a it's a way of getting us to grow. Uh we've learned we can survive, we can thrive, you know, and then and then also Justin said it, but I won't just piggyback off of it too, is learning others. Like you learn how to appreciate, like I've grown to learn how to pre appreciate the opinions, the uh the standards of other people, and learning that, okay, it may not be mine, but it doesn't have to deter. Right, you know, or sometimes we can work together. Like you don't have to be, you know, every everybody don't have to be this way. You know, and so those are things that I feel like adventures, you know, have taught us. When we went to Ohio Fother Camp, we had like eight parents that went with us, and some of them were newly uh committed to our ministry. So being able to take that trip, there were things that I got to learn from them that I would have never knew if I didn't have that moment of fellowship. Yeah, and then they are often a lot of those see me as out front on the pulpit. So to ride with me 10 hours on a bus and get to see how I'm handling things, it's like it gave them a greater appreciation because it's like he's not performing. Yeah, this is who he is. But adventure, if you take the adventure away, we don't have those experiences. Yeah, yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_05 1:18:57

I I'll I'll jump in and say, Um, you know, what does adventure give us? You know, I I give two thoughts. One, from a secular point of view, again, I'm the old man in the room. Life is fast. Yeah, you know, I mean, like I I it was yesterday I was a Mississippi State student in my mind, right? You know, it was yesterday. Wow. And and it wasn't, it was 30 years ago, you know. So um, you know, when you're 20, you feel like I've got, you know, all this time. And you and you do, and I hope you do. Right. But from a secular point of view, I would say, you know, choose adventure, do do some things, see some things, go to different places in the world. I'm not telling you to leave Mississippi. That's not it at all. I I live right here, but go see some different things and um and and have some different experiences. Try something new. All right. So from a biblical point of view, I also believe that most of the commands I see biblically are go. You know, and I mean I this is not just a mission trip or saying you gotta move to the other side of the world. I mean, it's go to other people, go to um other things. And you know, sometimes God calls us to sit and and and sit in something for a while, you know. But often he's saying, you know, go and and and see, you know, and do and preach and share. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:20

That's a good point. That's a great point. Any other thoughts on adventure before we wrap up? Brad, I would like to hear about your upcoming adventure. You're going on your trip.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:31

I'm gonna say this before he does the like goes into this. This is the last thing I'm gonna say. Um I plan to say. Um something that has been very, very uh important to me. It's kind of like you saying life moves fast, is to make moments and be intentional on not missing moments. Because I feel like sometimes, especially when you're young, you kind of feel like there will always be another moment. And with some of the things that have happened around us, what I've been seeing, it's like be present and then also be intentional. You know, I was I asked Bethany before me and Santana took the uh our trip to destiny. I was like, how do you make sure that you're focused on just me and her? We be doing so much outside. I want to be, and in that time I learned that you have to make moments. And I feel like adventures give us that opportunity. That way, even if something, God forbid, but even if something did happen, you have something you can rest on. You got a memory that you can kind of hold true to. I got a chance to do X, Y, and Z with this particular person. You know, and so I say that because that's something that is very important to me now, because I used to allow a lot of moments to pass. Like gathering with family, gathering friends. You never take a picture. You never, you know, uh, like, and that's why I I think now I've grown to start always taking picture, capturing moments. Because there'd be times where somebody said, Well, I don't know who such and such is. I've never seen them, you know, or it's just like, okay, hey, hold on. You know, I can show, you know, so I just say that like in in the aspect of being adventurous, and I think we can make adventures.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:22

Like adventures doesn't have to always be something we go to, adventures can be something we create.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:28

You know, and so I just want to kind of share that when you talk about life moving fast, that's something that we have actually experienced here lately. And it's like, no, make moments and make the most of them.

SPEAKER_05 1:22:37

Yeah. And it and right now, this is not a generational comment. This is not saying, hey, this new generation, this is talking about everybody, all of us at this point. We have so much more opportunity to waste time now than we had. You're right. I mean, when we when we were kids, there were times when we were bored and we would go to our parents or to our friends or whatever and say, I'm bored, what can I do? And you know, after 15 minutes, you found something to do. You know, it might have been something you didn't want to do, you might have gotten a chore out of it, but but you'd there'd be something to do. And now, you know, all of us, we have the opportunity to to waste time, doom scroll, you know, Netflix, whatever, and you just look up and you're like, man, five hours just went by.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:20

Yeah. I was just writing this note, and then Brad's gonna tell the story. We keep telling, we keep telling that that tease that's really coming. Um, but COVID, I feel like, really did a number on me and maybe other people as far as getting used to being okay with missing stuff because birthday parties got canceled, sports got canceled. And so I think I think in one way it's good because you know, you have so many things that you can go do. It can be, and we were living in the city at the time, so like it can be a lot to be like we could go do a lot of things today. Um, so it was kind of nice uh from a mom's perspective to be like, we can't go anywhere. We're gonna stay home and I don't have to coordinate nothing. Um, but I think I don't know what you know how all that worked mentally on everyone in the world, but I just think it got easy to be used to like not going to those things. And so I feel like I'm coming into a a season where I'm really challenging myself. So bringing this a little bit full circle, I think my future self would want me to not let things keep me from adventure. Like we took the kids to some baseball games, we didn't plan to postseason with Mississippi State, and that was a lot just because you had to pack so much more and all that. But it's like it it is worth it. We have stories that we came away with. Did they complain? Did we complain? Was it hot? Yes, like all the things. But it's like we did create those memories together that we can go back and talk about. And I don't know. So I think that that's a challenge for me is whenever I'm just kind of like, uh, do I want to do all the work that it's gonna require to do that? Like, yes, I do, like making that choice. So, Brad, we want to hear about your mission trip though.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:03

Well, uh the mission trip that we've got coming up, um, uh just I'd ask for everybody to pray for that it goes well. But um, we're going to Canada, we're working with um at the I'm I'm at First Baptist Church in Startville. We've got a group going. I've got 10 college students going with me, and then my wife and one other um lady that's our age. And so um we're gonna be helping out with a sports camp there that um Canvas Church does in Victoria, Canada. I've been there before. I've been there with Coach Fanning and helped out. She's not going to show this that was a basketball camp. Okay. Um this year was a soccer camp, and so that's why I was chosen to go for that. And I was like, I will be a poor replacement for Coach Fanning on that. But but uh but um uh and as it turns out, actually it's being switched. I just found out in the last couple days. In fact, my team doesn't even know this yet, and I I need to let them know. We're gonna be doing more flag football, it looks like than we're gonna be doing soccer. But we got about 300 kids that we're gonna be helping out with um in in Victoria, Canada. So pray for that. Um looking forward to it. But um that that's what's going on with that. But but I I do I want to do one thing. You didn't you didn't ask me to do this, I'm gonna throw this out here because I feel like you're you're getting close to to hitting the wrap button here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So you you always leave them wanting more. So I I will I will just give you some headline other stories, I think. But but no no explanation. And and the tease on that is you gotta come meet me now. You know, you gotta come up here to FCA, you gotta come to Huddle on Monday nights. You feel free to ask me all these questions. You come meet me with me at at my church, whatever. But four headlines for you.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:46

Okay, give it to them. Give it to us.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:48

With within a within a two-year period, I was shot and had to go to the emergency room. Uh and I still have the the bullet, you know, my at my parents' house, it's in a drawer somewhere. My i it my bullets out in my body. I have so many questions. See, I know. That's why I'm I'm I'm I'm this is the tease. Um within that same two-year period, um I I was a Christian rapper in front of hundreds of people. I I did that for Doc. I know look at him. Wow. So Christian rapper in front of hundreds of people, did a couple of performances there. My dad, I told you interesting stories. My dad was investigated for a potential presidential assassination attempt. What? Completely innocent, but you'll have to ask me the story. Oh wow. And so all those happened within a couple years. And then also when you said COVID, I I was thinking, you know, what did I do during COVID? I went from couch to marathon during COVID. We were we were home for my my company sent sent us home for about eight weeks, and I went from couch to marathon in those eight weeks. So, you know, that that was my I was I was already thinking, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:54

I was already thinking as we were recording and seeing how much you know time was on the clock here. I was like, we're gonna have an adventure part two episode. So yeah, make sure to ask Brad these stories in between.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:06

This is wow. That's also we're bringing him back. He is so full of so much. Well, be careful.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:15

That is so funny. Well, Brad, thank you so much for coming on. I really do hope some person just walks up to you and is like, you gotta tell me about getting shot. Um, and that we hope your mission trip goes well. We're praying for that, and that uh, you know, that you will come back with some awesome stories uh from that and maybe surprise us and shock us all in that as well. But it's been fun. It's been a good hang, Doc. Good to have you back.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:40

Glad to be back, glad to be back.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:42

And we just look forward to whatever conversation comes next week as we keep talking about things like adventure and also the off season as all the athletes start coming back. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening to the Created to Be Podcast. To learn more about Mississippi State FCA, visit www.msufca.org and follow us on Instagram at Hale StateFCA underscore. And check out our new Instagram for podcast content at Created to Be Podcast. If you would like to become a financial partner, visit www.fca.orgslash donate to sew into the work God is doing through FCA at Mississippi State.