Sermons on the Side
Join two friends, Richard and Brad, each week as they explore the hidden messages in life's everyday moments. From personal stories to tales of family and friends, they uncover the unexpected lessons and sermons that God might be revealing. Tune in for heartfelt conversations, laughter, and meaningful insights that remind us that even in the ordinary, there’s always a deeper purpose waiting to be discovered.
Sermons on the Side
75 | My Shield and Great Reward with Special Guest: Mike Gunter
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Episode 75 is a special one - not only because it marks another milestone in the Sermons on the Side journey, but because it features an incredibly encouraging conversation with Mike Gunter.
Mike, his wife Amber, and their three children call the Columbus, Georgia area home. He is the owner of Energy Savers in Columbus, GA, and has faithfully attended and served as a Sunday School teacher at North Highland Church for decades.
From the outside, Mike appeared to be living the American dream. But everything changed when he received a life-altering diagnosis of IgA nephropathy.
What followed was a journey through anxiety, declining kidney function, dialysis, the transplant waiting list, kidney transplant surgery, and even post-surgical complications. Throughout it all, Mike was continually faced with the choice that every believer eventually encounters: Would he run from God into fear, insecurity, and anxiety - or run to God, his hiding place, his Shield, and his Great Reward?
In this powerful episode, Mike shares his story with honesty, humility, and unwavering faith. One of the most moving moments comes as he reflects on Genesis 15 that describes God as our "shield and exceedingly great reward." That truth became an anchor for his soul and provides a perspective that every follower of Christ needs to hear.
Whether you or someone you love has been diagnosed with IgA nephropathy, chronic kidney disease, is navigating dialysis or a transplant, or is simply walking through an unexpected season of suffering, this conversation offers hope, biblical encouragement, and a reminder that Christ is enough.
As a special encouragement, Mike extends a heartfelt invitation to anyone facing kidney disease or a similar medical journey: You're not alone. If connecting with someone who's been there would be an encouragement, he would love to hear from you.
Mikegunter@energysaversair.com
This is one of those conversations that will stay with you long after it ends!
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Welcome to Sermons on the Side. I'm Brad. And I'm Richard. And life can move pretty fast. So we're here to slow down, dig deep, and find the story hidden in everyday moments.
SPEAKER_06With years spent in ministry, friendship, and navigating real life together, we're all about blending humor, honesty, and faith into conversations that meet you right where you are.
SPEAKER_05So whether you're brand new or you're back for more, we are so glad you are here.
SPEAKER_06So relaxed, listen in, and let's discover meaning together.
SPEAKER_05In the ordinary, the messy, and everything in between.
SPEAKER_06Sermons on the side, finding meaning in the everyday.
SPEAKER_01And so we got set up for that. Um my kidney actually came down from New Jersey. So I I call myself Jersey Mike now.
SPEAKER_04And uh we gotta stick with that for a second. We get it, Mike's way, gentlemen.
SPEAKER_08Now I'm hungry for a summer.
SPEAKER_03I was like, I'm gonna pick up a stuff on the way home.
SPEAKER_05That's right, folks. It's another Thursday, it's another episode. We have another special guest. I'm sitting across the table from none other than Mr. Richard Moore.
SPEAKER_06How are you, sir? Doing great. And do you know why I'm doing great? I don't know. I need to know. Because of the affluent special guest.
SPEAKER_05That's right. We are in the presence of one Mr. Mike Gunter.
unknownWoo!
SPEAKER_01What up, y'all?
SPEAKER_05The crowd start, crowd noise.
unknownClap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
SPEAKER_01Man, the energy that y'all have right out of the gate is a real thing.
SPEAKER_05Dude, we were talking normal and we're like just catching up, but whatever. Are you ready to turn the episode on? All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the I heard one deep breath and then it took off. It just left the room. Dude, I must say, and it's the coolest hat I've ever seen. I mean, that's the corduroy, the flat bill, it's the Gatorade throwback logo. There's so much vibes happening to my right and to Richard's left. I'm the hat guy, man.
SPEAKER_06I don't think you can see on this uh on the right side of his captain. The Stranger Things logo.
SPEAKER_04Yes, there's a whole episode about that. We do go check that out, ladies and gentlemen.
SPEAKER_05Anyways, hey, speaking of uh I don't know, we were not speaking of that. Just I was just talking about, you know, yeah, we are. Uh I'm melting. Can anybody else attest? It's so hot outside. Oh 90 plus Africa hot. Yeah, it's enjoying it's brutal. Uh Mike.
SPEAKER_01I'm loving it, man.
SPEAKER_05You're oh and why would you? Yes, this is your Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_01I I don't wish it on anybody, yeah. Uh, but I'm I'm in the HVAC business, so we need something to break down occasionally. I hear you. Um, here and there to keep our people working. I hear you. Um, so it's we're there to help when it when it happens.
SPEAKER_05I said I said it, I did not did not intend for that to be an alley oop, but here we are. I said it's hot and his eyes lit up. He was like, yes, sir, it is. You're so good at this, man. There you go. Well, we'll talk about that in just a second. Indeed. Folks, it's so good to uh thank you so much for joining us. I know it's just the second week of July and that summer is flying by, but we are excited. We're excited to have another guest. We're excited about episode number 75.
SPEAKER_06That feels Did you realize, Mike, that you are episode number 75?
SPEAKER_05I didn't.
SPEAKER_01That's pretty cool.
SPEAKER_05That's a big number.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, milestone.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, there's banners. There's like, you know, there's a there's a lot of people waiting to get on the guest list for this episode. And you you cut from all of them. I'm honored to be here, y'all. Thanks for having me. Well, I listen, man, seriously, uh, I'm I'm excited to get to know a little bit more about your story. I uh the your connection, at least in how you have entered into this room tonight, is by way of Richard. So, Richard, tell us uh how when tell us about Mike.
SPEAKER_06Well, I met Mike uh several years ago. It was actually 2021, I believe. So we're talking four and a half years.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_06And uh, and so we well, did I do the math right? See, I never do that. That's why you don't do it in public. Five and a half, see, I agree with you too, which is a little more that makes it worse.
SPEAKER_05I don't do math unless I have a calculator or an Excel document. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_06And this is when I asked, hey Brad, can we edit that out? And this is when he says, Nope.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_06So I met anyway, it was 2021 when I met Mike, and I was serving as a chaplain at the company that Mike runs. It's Energy Savers HVAC uh company here in Columbus, Georgia. They are your go-to people. You did not ask us to plug it, but uh for real. And I gotta tell you, I don't think I've ever told you this, right? Okay, so I'm I'm the new guy. I don't know anybody. These people are wonderful at energy savers. The culture's really uh healthy and and they're really cool to the new chaplain. Everybody's being nice to me, but I had not yet met Mike. And so I think it might have been my second visit or third visit before I actually cross paths and and got to meet Mike. But on the first time I'm walking through the building, I see his his name, this is Mike Gunter. Okay, he's not in his office, and uh, I think I leave one of my cards on his desk, and then he's got this whiteboard right next to his desk. It's kind of got different numbers and different uh goals or tasks. Okay. Little to-do section, and I glanced up at it, and of course I didn't understand any of it, you know, because it's all about your business and metric.
SPEAKER_05It's basic arithmetic, you know. It was a really difficult thing.
SPEAKER_06It didn't make any sense to me. So it so I'm looking at it and I see on the to-do list, and uh this is my hand got it said text pastor and tell him he's awesome.
SPEAKER_04Oh dude.
SPEAKER_06I got to meet this guy. Oh man, I don't even remember that.
SPEAKER_05I'm telling you, man. We must know. Did you ever text your pastor?
SPEAKER_06He just, you know, he's reminding himself to send an encouraging word to the pastor or one of the pastors at his church. How about that?
SPEAKER_05That's super cool.
SPEAKER_06So, anyway, I said I need to meet this guy. So uh we were able to connect uh during my my visits there, and uh it's just it we we we instantly start getting getting along and having great conversations. And hey, can can I ask, do people was it just me or do people ever tell you you look like Aaron Rodgers?
SPEAKER_01Man, I get there's a gene out there that I share with a lot of people, and uh there's a guy named Adam Rose on Instagram. He wears a blue cardigan. I like that guy.
SPEAKER_06He's hilarious. Comedy stuff is happening.
SPEAKER_01I look like him. Um there used to be a guy on uh ATT commercials that I look like. Uh Aaron Rodgers, Adam Sandler. Uh we wow You know what? And I see it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, every time he says a new name, I'm like, you know what? Let me just tilt my head a little. I see it. You know, I see it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I get that all the time. Um also I was thinking as as you were mentioning when we when we first met, somebody's gonna hear this and give me grief about not being in the office two or three times um before I saw you.
SPEAKER_06He was in another part of the building. That's right. He was in a meeting. He was he was installing HVACs, folks.
SPEAKER_01I do get the Aaron Rodgers thing all the time, though. Um have you ever signed? I'm gonna miss that when he retires. I guess he is retired now, or maybe. I'm not really sure. One more year. One more. Okay. Yep.
SPEAKER_05So your question was I was gonna say, have you ever signed for him? Like a little kid came up to you that didn't sign for me, sir.
SPEAKER_01No, I I did have one guy at first watch one time, uh, Amber and I, my wife, were getting breakfast, and you can tell he was really taken aback because he thought legitimately I was Aaron Rodgers. For real. And uh and so that was as close as I've come to it.
SPEAKER_05Because of course Aaron Rodgers would dine at first watch in Columbus, Georgia. When was this? Probably during the season. Yeah, it probably was the night before a Thursday night game in Baltimore.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_06Oh my goodness. But anyway, uh I've I've loved uh staying connected with Mike and of course we I see pictures and stuff on Facebook from the family. But anyway, really glad that you could be with us here. We we're excited about uh getting to know you a little bit, but also telling your story, especially some of the wild stuff you've been through in the recent years.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Well, and that's what you know when Richard told me, he was like, hey man, I'd love to get Mike on the show and told me just like bullet point style. I would love to just dive straight into this because I think there's a lot of people, myself at the top of the list, that are gonna be blessed by the thing. I thought about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I thought about you. Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, and let me just say, Richard, it's been a pleasure to know you, man. And uh these four and a half or six and a half, wherever we land on the math there. But um corporate chaplains, man, is incredible.
SPEAKER_02Come on.
SPEAKER_01Um, I mean, it it's one of those things sometimes in business you make a change and you're like, how do we survive without this? And a lot of times it's like you you make a change in processes or or you add somebody to a different role, and it just kind of changes everything. And corporate chaplains is that, you know, so it's like, how do you how do you have a good business and not have a corporate chaplain? You know? Um you know, um, it's just an incredible organization. You you were awesome to us in in your time at Energy Savers and uh the illustrious Pastor Johnny now. Johnny E.
SPEAKER_06Johnny Ellison.
SPEAKER_01He uh Chap Valley Church. Yeah, that's right. Shout out to them.
SPEAKER_06That's an awesome church and awesome chaplain.
SPEAKER_01Yes, he's a tremendous guy. Um, so but yes, come on, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_05Well, let's dive straight in if you're good with it, Mike. I want to know a little bit about your growing up years in Columbus, out of Columbus. Where was it? What was your faith journey, your coming to the to know the Lord story?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, cool. Um, so yeah, Mike Gunner. Um I say it like it's got two N's in it, but it's G-U-N-T-E-R. Okay, you know, but I'm born and raised here in Columbus.
SPEAKER_02Okay, there you go.
SPEAKER_0136 years old. So I've been here my whole life, went to college here at Columbus State, so I didn't leave off for college like a lot of people do. Uh, a lot of that had to do with my wife. Um, you know, but um I met her when we were um 10 in the sixth grade. Um I she didn't start dating me, give me a chance until we were in the tenth grade. But um you had to grow that illustrious beard first. I was nowhere close at that point, man. Never thought I'd see one at that point. Um but yeah, so uh I I'll get into, I guess, um more of my my family here, but um but yeah, born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, been married now. This month will be 14 years. We've got three kids. Um we've got uh two boys and a girl, so we spend a lot of time on the baseball field, um, dance recitals, life is busy, but life is good, you know. Um growing up, I've I've gave my life to the Lord when I was a kid. I was one of those who I grew up in church. And uh a lot of times you I think a lot of people think that's probably not the most exciting testimony, but it's it's really a great one to have. Yes, um, and I'm that's no, that's none of my doing. That's uh my mom kept me in church mainly. My dad um was in church early in my life, and then he he kind of fell away. Um, but thankfully my mom and and I had some strong Christian women in my life. My great grandmother. Go ahead. Um, if I could add anybody to the hall of faith, it would be her. Amen. Come on, that's a great you know, um, can't can't change it or uh add to it or take from it, but if if I had a little bit of ink to add, it would be to add her to it. Um and um, you know, so a lot of the men in my life were not involved in church or following after Jesus. Uh and a lot of that's changed now, praise the Lord. But um yeah, my dad gave his life back to the Lord um just in the last six or seven years, and his life's totally changed, and uh, you know, but it's the Lord's been good to me. I uh I teach Sunday school at uh North Highland Church, and I've been doing that for about 12 years now. Seriously. Um yeah, so um somebody allowed me to start teaching adults when I was like 24, um, which I should not have probably been doing. Uh, but a lot of times you go feel the need, right? Whatever the need is, there you go feel it, right? Um, and uh man, it's just been a huge blessing to me to be able to do that. Um it's some of the closest friendships I have is is from that that group of people. Um and we we attend North Highland Church and have for since I was 15. Uh my wife and her family's been going there for since the early 90s.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_01Um so they've all been there over over 30 years. Um and uh just a just a great church, uh great church community. Um so we're we're super plugged in there and involved. So um that's outstanding.
SPEAKER_06So so you guys uh you you and your wife met at school or after?
SPEAKER_01We did. So we met in math class and uh really yeah, this is before it was even algebra or anything, it was just math. No letters had been added yet when we met.
SPEAKER_07They lost me. If they had not lost me before, that's when math lost me. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so we we met way back then, um, and which has kind of been a cool part of our our story. Yeah, um, you know, we've been together longer than we haven't, and I'm 36, you know, so it it I've been blessed to uh, you know, she's she's really the only girl I've ever pursued. Um I hadn't planned to go on this route with in this podcast, but I don't know, the Lord's really had a unique plan for me in that way. Yeah, and that um that she's she's always been the only one, you know. Uh pretty cool.
SPEAKER_06How cool is that? Yeah. Oh there you go. Well, I was wishing uh that uh she could have been with us, but apparently they're on a beach trip. She's down at the beach, man. She'll be joining them shortly. She's loving it, yes. Yeah, I will. But hey, shout out to to Amber.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_06Her awesomeness. That is great. Got to love it, got to love it. So uh one more question before we kind of get into more of the recent uh developments in your life. How was it that you got into the HVAC business?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I'm I'm glad you mentioned that. I was gonna go this route. So, interesting story. When I was 16, I was working for an organization that is no longer video warehouse.
SPEAKER_06And uh did that go the way of Blockbuster?
SPEAKER_01Is that movie gallery, you know, one of them. So um I was working at uh video warehouse when I was 16. And uh they had a uh it's this is a rough part of the story. I ended up getting fired from video warehouse, which is hard to do. Okay, um, you had to you had to put in some believe it or not, some work for that. Um but what had happened was um I was they had a strict no phones policy. They were way before their time on that, by the way. So this was this was an 06. They had it figured out back when it was a bag phone. You can't bring in your whole dagger. Well, and this is where I go on this story is that I never brought my phone in a single time the whole time I worked there. One day I forgot I had a next L. Okay, so I couldn't text anybody, I had nothing to hide. Um the brick in your pocket. It was literally, you know, I couldn't text. I might could call you. I could chirp you if I needed you. Um so the next L chirp.
SPEAKER_03I don't remember that.
SPEAKER_01You know, you don't remember the beep beep. It it's like a walkie-talkie. It felt like you were on the job. I do remember that. It felt like you're on the job site the whole day. We're gonna have to give him 10 seconds.
SPEAKER_05He's plugging his nose.
SPEAKER_06Y'all lost me. Oh man. Gosh, those are some just we're talking about a video story.
SPEAKER_01So, okay, so the church. Yes. So I think my wife, girlfriend at the time, might have called the phone or something. I I can't remember who called. Um, but the phone went off of my pocket and I was like, Oh, I forgot it was in here. And uh, they were like, Hey, it doesn't matter, you gotta go. Sent me home, and I thought, I'll I'll be back, you know, tomorrow. This is uh we didn't have a strong workforce there at the time. And I thought, man, they can't let me go. Uh this place will fall if I leave. And I was partly right on that, by the way.
SPEAKER_05I ain't never seen a video warehouse ever since then, you know.
SPEAKER_01So um yeah, once there's actually a uh CVS there now where that it's actually not too far from here where it was at. Remember it well. The Lord had to deal with me because I was I was prideful in that that that CVS took their spot for a while. Um y'all can cut that out if you need to. Um but um shortly after that, I'm I'm at my so in dealing with all that before I got the final word of whether or not I was still a valued employee there or not, they uh um my father-in-law, not at the time, but would would be at some point, um, he said, Man, we need some help back in our warehouse. Will you consider coming to work there? And uh so he said, What you'd be doing is loading up trucks and getting everything ready for the jobs the next day, like supporting our install crews so they can go out and have if you get everything ready for them, their day it's hard the next day, and they're dealing with all that tough heat that we're discussing right now. Yeah, you know, so we try to make it as easy as we can for those guys to have a good day and not throw them in the wood pile by not being prepared with all the materials and things of that nature. So he put a lot of emphasis on that. So that's how I started there. And um, I I learned pretty quickly, uh, and noticed that Bill had my father-in-law, he's got three daughters. Yeah, and I did not foresee any of them really getting into the attics. And so shortly after being there, I'm like, you know what, this I might need to hang around and uh see if I can make a career here or something like that. And and my my father-in-law and my grandfather-in-law, so this is Bill Bell and Wayne Bell. Um, they are both two of the greatest guys I could have ever asked to learn business from. Um, you know, their vision for the company was that we're gonna go out and do well and we're gonna treat our people well, and we're gonna be a blessing because we've been blessed. Right? So I I kind of came up in this company that did a lot of things in the community that I hadn't seen before, and um tithed to the church from the company, things like that. Um you know, all that, and and I'd heard of people doing that personally, but not commercially, if that's what you want to call it. Um, you know, and so the culture was great. Um and I was just like, man, I need to, I plan to be a fireman, and I just thought I need to I need to hang out here and and uh there's something it didn't have to be HVAC, it could have been something else. But I just love working with the people there, um, especially my my father-in-law and grandfather-in-law. And uh you know, there was one day when Wayne, I was probably about 19 or 20 at the time, and um he pulled me to the side. This has been my my wife's granddad. And he said, uh he said, I want to tell you about a talk I had with Bill earlier. And so I said, Okay, cool. And so he said, I asked Bill what his plan for you was going forward in the next couple years, and he said, Well, I don't know if he and Amber are gonna get married and that sort of thing. And Wayne said, Well, you gotta keep Mike either way, it doesn't matter if they get married or not. And I just kind of thought, All right, I'm I'm locked in.
SPEAKER_02Yes indeed.
SPEAKER_01You know, and uh he was one of those guys that if you got his approval, it you just kind of I think every guy has had probably several men like that in their life where you just you want that person to approve of you, especially you want it to be a godly person. And uh and he was he was that guy, my father-in-law was that guy, and uh, and you know, so I was like 10 foot tall, you know, and I'm like, man, I'll go to die for this company at this point. Um you know, and so I I stayed on and uh installed during my college years some and uh got into sales and then became the general manager. Bill retired, Wayne passed away in in two thousand twenty four. Um, and so uh but We a lot of what we do today and the culture that we have stems from what those two guys did during their time there. And uh I've just kind of been a benefactor from that, you know, and and try to further the cause. But um, but yeah, that's that's kind of how I got started in it for sure.
SPEAKER_05Man, that is that is such an awesome story. I love that, bro. My wife and I, we we just bought a new house we moved into, and the the AC units in the crawl space. I've never owned a house that has crawl space, you know, and I've been in and out of the crawl space and fixing things, you know, this, that, and the other. And every time I go down there, I realize I have no clue what I'm doing down there. And so for people that live in the attics and the crawl spaces and the forgotten parts of homes, man, you guys are just you are the best. The elements, man.
SPEAKER_01The elements can be tough sometimes. I for sure.
SPEAKER_05I can't even imagine. Yeah. So um, okay, so now let's let's transition. Uh, tell us a little bit about this sort of crisis health journey that took place in your life just a couple of months ago. I know a couple years ago, thank you. Yes. Uh I I know very little about it, but I am on pens and needles to learn about it.
SPEAKER_01I've talked about it enough. You may be the only person in Columbus that hadn't heard the story at this point.
SPEAKER_06Not afraid of sharing your story.
SPEAKER_01No, definitely, definitely. Um yeah, so when I was uh 26, uh we had a one-year-old at the time, my oldest boy, and I was just going to set up life insurance. You know, Bill was telling me at the office one day, I think I had life insurance through the company, and he was like, Hey, you need to beef that up some. He's just he's kind of mentoring me on these things, right? And uh trying to be responsible. And yeah, hey, you've got a wife and a kid now. Uh, let's go ahead and get those things done. And um, so he's just kind of schooling me up on that. And I went to a friend of ours to get that all set up. Never imagined in a million years that anything would be flagged as irregular, anything like that. But uh just went and took the routine labs like you normally would. And um Jeff, um a friend of ours who was kind of seeing to that for us, he called me back a few days later and he said, Hey man, you need to go see a doctor potentially. He said, Your creatinine's a little high, which means your kidney function could be down some. He said, It could be something you drank, something you eat. He's like, I see it all the time. Uh kidney levels, liver levels, you know, things of that nature. And you go retest, and a lot of times it's fine. So that's kind of what I thought would happen. And uh, but I went to the doctor, ran some more labs, several labs, and uh she was like, You need to get a biopsy. I'm concerned at your kidney function here. Um, and uh she said, It looks like your kidneys are functioning at about 30 percent. And um, and I'm like, Whoa, you know, I'm taking aback, and I'm like, Well, I haven't felt any differently. I feel great. Um, you know, and uh so I had a biopsy done, and I had what's called uh IgA nephropathy, which is just a buildup of an antibody, it's an autoimmune issue, build up of an antibody in your kidneys that causes them not to filter as well. Um, and over time it it really diminishes the the function of them, right? So um was diagnosed with that, and um so that was really the first time of my life where I I think I'd ever experienced any anxiety. Um you know uh you guys probably seem to be wired a little bit the same way, but I just don't worry about a lot of things, and uh and at that point I don't think I had any reason to. And uh, you know, life has a way of kind of giving you the opportunity though. Right. Yeah, come on. Um, you know, and so you know, immediately from there, once I kind of got the diagnosis, she she kind of gave me the the outlook and said, Well, look, this isn't something that normally kills you. Um, she said, and it can. She said, but I I've a lot of times we're diagnosing much worse things in these biopsies. And she talked to me about dialysis, and a lot of patients that get this end up going on dialysis and kind of what that looks like. And she encouraged me to continue to live an active lifestyle and and basically said there's nothing though that we can do, there's really no treatment for it or anything like that.
SPEAKER_05Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01Um, and so I I go home with that, and um you know, I'm kind of struggling mentally in that, you know, I know where I'm going if I die, but now I'm at this stage of life where Lord, you've given me these responsibilities that my wife, my kid, it would go on to become three kids. And um, you know, I felt like I needed to be here to steward that forward, right? And and I think that's a good, right thing that dads feel, right? And um, and and so I was really struggling with that. I don't really know how to put it, but like, man, my feelings were hurt over the potential of not being there for my wife and my kid or my soon-to-be kids, right? Wow. And I remember one day I was uh taking a run um by the neighborhood uh we were living over by Clubview elementary, and um I was running down the road, and this is one of the few times in in life where I feel like I've always thought about the Holy Spirit being a gentleman, and at this point I felt like he just kind of came into my mind and threw out all the negative thoughts I had, just like just wiped them out. I'd never really felt that before. I was I was jogging and I was praying and I was I was kind of worried, and I felt the Lord tell me, I didn't do this to hurt you, I didn't allow this to happen to hurt you. Like this is gonna be a blessing, you're gonna be a blessing to other people. And and man, I I had to hold on to that for a long time. Um you know, and I still drive by that spot from time to time. And it it made me think about we were uh we were, I may get emotional here.
SPEAKER_07All right, brother.
SPEAKER_01Um we were just going through the in Sunday school, we were talking about the different covenants in the Bible, yeah, and and where a lot of times, you know, Abraham or you know, something like that, he would build an altar at a place where God made a promise to him. Yes, and and when I drive by that spot sometimes, I've driven by there sometimes when I'm I'm just I I was in a rough spot, and I just happened to be driving by there, and it was like a reminder that the Lord said, Hey, don't forget, you know, I I told you, this is what I told you was gonna happen. And uh not that I knew exactly what that was gonna look like, um, but man, it it it's one of those moments where I've been in a Pentecostal church all my life. Um so so I believe in the Lord speaking directly to his people. And uh, but that's I don't claim to hear that every day. And that's one of those moments where I I felt the Lord just come in and it was almost like flip the table over and said, like, listen, like you're allowing these other things to drown out what I'm trying to tell you and what I'm trying to do.
SPEAKER_06And uh I know we all have those things in our life that that try to do that, but um gosh, how how kind of God and and that that he just took over, man, and that that that that that is a sacred spot. Yes, yeah. I I love that.
SPEAKER_05Even how you're just describing that that just visceral reaction, both in the moment, but then also you know, months or years later of driving by that same spot, it's just it's so beautiful, and you're right. It is, it's an altar, it's an altar of God's faithfulness in your life, in your story, that moment.
SPEAKER_06Um are you able to loop back like loop back to that moment, to that promise as things progressed and got got worse and stuff. Oh, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, so uh you want me to kind of continue on with the story from there? So um kind of after the Lord told me that, I just kind of said, all right, well, let's let's go back to living life, right? Uh no sense in worrying about it. And uh and so that's what I did. I'd have to check in with my doctor every six months, do labs. Things were kind of staying where they should stay, right? And then the conversation was, hey, if you stay right here, like you're you're you're fine, right? Uh nothing nothing's going on. Um and so in 2022, probably in the fall of 22, um, in hindsight, probably started a little before that. Um, you know, when I'm looking back at how I was feeling and how I was reacting to things, but um in the fall of 22, I started getting like gout flare-ups, I couldn't sleep. Um, and gout's terrible. Have y'all ever had gout?
SPEAKER_05I haven't, but I had a pastor one up once upon a time that had gout and it was debilitating. Yeah, it's tough.
SPEAKER_01Um it didn't know what was causing that, you know. Um in my mind, even with that diagnosis, I'm like, I'm I'm gonna be fine. Um, you know, and so um so in that fall of 22, I was kind of struggling with some of that, couldn't sleep. Uh and I got into this point where I was kind of vomiting at random times. Um, pretty crazy stuff. And um and my wife said, You need to go get some labs done. Like go see your doctor, get some labs done. And so I did. And they called me on a Saturday. So if they're calling you on a Saturday, it's probably not that uh it's it's the ideal scenario in their mind, right? Um You're shaking your head, Brad. Did you been there, done there?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, them after hours phone calls are no fun.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes. So sobering. Yes, so they called me on a on a Saturday, and I was actually laying on the couch, hadn't slept all night, my legs are swollen from the gout, you know, and whatnot, and they're like, hey, your creatinine, which was at around 1.4, is now 16. Um, and your potassium, which I didn't really know anything about this number, creatinine is a number that they look at to look at your kidney function, okay? Um potassium, it's just something you have in your body, like magnesium and and that sort of thing. But there's a range where you want it to be. Mine was at about a seven, and your your heart can stop when I guess about five.
SPEAKER_02Oh, right?
SPEAKER_01So I didn't know this number, but my wife's a nurse and she she knew this stuff. And uh so she was like, hey, we've got to take you to the ER. And that's what they were calling to tell me anyway. Uh, you need to get in and go get scene to, and uh, and sure enough, so we go go to the uh St. Francis ER, and probably six hours later, they told me, like, you're in end stage renal failure. And you know, anytime you hear end stage, now now I know that there's okay, that doesn't necessarily mean that you're you're dying right now. Um but anytime you kind of hear that phrase, yeah, um, you know, it can kind of take you there.
SPEAKER_08Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01And um, and so my mind's just kind of racing. I don't I don't know what's going on, and uh, and I'm so out of it, you know, it kind of affects your you know, when you have that many, when your body's not filtering the impurities out, sometimes you're not thinking clearly. It does mess with your brain. Yes, it does. So um, so we we kind of get that diagnosis, and uh I end up spending a couple of weeks in the hospital, and um, which seemed like forever at the time. And um so a couple of weeks in there, and they tell me we got to put you in a dialysis port while you're here. We're gonna go ahead and start you on dialysis, which you know, I I didn't know what that was gonna be like for me. Um, and the first time they hooked me up in the hospital was next to another guy who was getting hooked up for the first time. He was going first, I was going second, and he coded right there. Like, he's like the same age as me, the whole thing.
SPEAKER_06Oh my goodness.
SPEAKER_01And uh so the call goes out throughout the hospital. My wife's coworkers heard it and they were like, oh no, I hope that's not Mike, you know. Oh my goodness. And uh, but but I was fine, went through it, and they thankfully this guy was fine as well. Um, but man, it was just a shock, you know. And uh and so they they got me a regular dialysis appointment, and I started to go do that, right? So you're taking it three days a week for about four hours at a time. So it's not ideal if you're having to work and support a family, and it's it's not many opportunities out there that allow you to do that, right? So, but thankfully I I was able to do that. Um so then I started doing I switched from doing that to doing it at home. It's called peritoneal dialysis. So hemodialysis is done at the clinic. Take your blood out, clean it, put it back in you. It takes about four hours, right? Peritoneal you do every night at home. Okay, so you're able to get your days back, but you're hooked up every day to that machine. Um, the downside to that one, that one actually pumps fluid into your stomach, there's a dwelling period, and then it pulls it back out. Okay, it's a different method to try to get some of the impurities out of your body.
SPEAKER_06This is happening every night.
SPEAKER_01This is happening every night. So usually I'd hook up by 10 and I'd I'd get off about six. Um while you sleep. I'd never slept.
SPEAKER_05In theory, you were okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um there's this thing, there's there's something called drain pain with this uh with this process of peritoneal dialysis. So when it when it pumps into your stomach, it sits there for a while and then it has to drain out, right? And when it gets about to the end of that fluid that's in your body, man, it it hurts. And uh so I'd just be sitting there waiting. I know it's about two and a half hours in, and I just can't sleep because I know that's coming, right? And uh so day after day of kind of doing that, and as we'll kind of go on to talk about, I was not on this near uh just a fraction of the time that most people are um on dialysis. Um I mean, there's people that do it for 10, 15, 20 years, and uh it's tough. Um but in in doing that, um, I was only on dialysis, both of those methods for about five months, six months. Most people are on dialysis for eight to ten years waiting on a transplant. Okay, so during this time, my wife was really pushing the ball uphill while I I'm I'm out of it. I'm just trying to survive, right? Oh, you're talking about just in day-to-day function and family and she's doing all of that, but she's also trying to get the ball started on getting a transplant for me.
SPEAKER_06Which is a whole world. That's a different world, man.
SPEAKER_01It is, it is. And uh, if you don't have somebody advocating for you, a lot of times you just don't end up on the list.
SPEAKER_02For real.
SPEAKER_01Um, it takes a while. And um, and so that's what everybody was telling me is like, hey, don't get your hopes up. Like, this is gonna take years and years. And uh, you know, these these women in my life are are type A. They're they got a task to get done, and it's gonna get done.
SPEAKER_06Um, you know, we should probably take a Hebrews, brother. We ain't messing with them ladies right there. I would I would think we should probably pause at this at this point and say, you know, the hero in the story, I think, is Amber here. My word.
SPEAKER_01100%.
SPEAKER_06I've told all-star Hall of Fame level stuff here.
SPEAKER_01I've uh I've told our Sunday school class ever since going through this if you if you know the Lord and you've got a wife that loves you, like, dude, you've got it made. Like, dude. There's not can we highlight that?
SPEAKER_06I want to put bold underlying italics and wow.
SPEAKER_05I'm gonna go home and hug my wife right now. Right, yes.
SPEAKER_01Well, you can relate to that, I'm sure. I sure can. Um I surely can. You know, you you kind of see when the rubber meets the road there, things get ugly, right? And uh somebody somebody's gonna have to carry all the weight at some point.
SPEAKER_05And um when somebody when somebody demonstrates to you quite literally in sickness and in health. Bro, yeah. It is a it is a very powerful thing.
SPEAKER_01It is. It is. Um so so during that time, she's handling everything at home, um, everything with the kids. Um I'm as I'm as present for everything that I can. It still didn't keep me off the baseball field, FY. Come on, man. Let's get our priorities right here.
SPEAKER_05Let's get our priorities. We're still sending kids at home. Yes. All right, on a short fly to lift.
SPEAKER_01My uh my Ron Washington arm was still a hundred percent healthy. Um so man, by the way, just love little league baseball, by the way. Um it's he's on the front end of this.
SPEAKER_05This past spring was my very first time being a coach for the uh the T ball, the ice creamers of Northern Little League. So awesome. Yeah, I'm everything you're saying, I'm like, coach, I'm just five or ten years behind you. You know, just give me a little how to catch up.
SPEAKER_01Man, it it uh soak it all in, man, because it's uh my oldest has got one more fall and spring. And after that, I'm not gonna be his coach anymore, right? And uh and and uh or one of his coaches, and uh, but I've got another, I've got a younger one who he just had his first year seaball. So I'll we may see you at the district tournament at some point. That's it. Um so so during all this time, she is doing everything, and she's also I don't I don't even think I remembered all this happening, but she is really pursuing we got to get the ball rolling on trying to get him evaluated for a transplant. And um and she's getting the word out there about hey, if you want to be evaluated as a candidate for this, and uh Richard, you may remember seeing some of that stuff. I do. Um you know, so she's doing all that stuff, and um and man, I'm super blessed to have a number of people. I don't know the number of people who volunteered to be evaluated to see if they're a candidate, but it's more than I could ever have expected, and I'm sure I won't find out everybody who did it. Um but the guy who got to the finish line first and being evaluated was my father-in-law. Um and so Oh my goodness. This is a guy who and this is because he was pushing it forward, right? He was like, hey, we're gonna be on the beach in a short few months, and I'm I'm gonna have you out there, was kind of something we talked about. Um he passed out giving blood one time, he likes to tell that story, and I'm like, man, this guy's gonna look into try to give me an organ, right? And uh, which is incredible. And um, and his stance on it the whole time had been he's the most humble guy in the world, and he he said, Man, you guys do the same thing for me. And um, and so I got the call in February of 23 that hey, we've got a date set for you. Bill actually called me that day, and he was kind of I could tell he was smiling on the phone. He's like, Hey, have you heard from your coordinator today? Uh that's the person who you're kind of setting all this up with. And I said, No, I haven't. And he he said, All right, well, I think we got a date. We're gonna get this done. And uh he's just What was that like to hear that? I just I was actually in my friend's driveway um at the time. I can't remember what I was picking up, something from their house. And man, I just cried right there with him and his wife. Yep, and uh, I think she was filming me in the car as I'm like crying because she knew what was happening. These are some of our best friends, and uh, you know, and that was just a cool moment. And um, so we got set up for March the 14th, and um, so Bill was not the way this thing works out is as they told Bill, you're not a match for Mike, but there's a program called a paired exchange, where so they like to keep you within about 15 years of each other um for matching purposes. Okay, right, and um, and so Bill's a little bit past that for me. And uh they said, Hey, you're not a great match for Mike, but there's a program called a paired exchange. If you're interested, you can give to somebody on Mike's behalf, and Mike will receive the perfect match back for himself from somebody else who's kind of in a similar scenario, somebody that's looking to give for a family member or something like that.
SPEAKER_06I didn't even know that sort of thing existed.
SPEAKER_01I don't think I did either until that until that point. And um and so Bill's reaction was I don't care where mine goes if Mike gets one, uh, then I'm all for it, right? And uh and so we got set up for that. Um my kidney actually came down from New Jersey. Jersey. So I call myself Jersey Mike now.
SPEAKER_04We got a sip of the mic for a lady. We get a mic's lady. Jersey Maggie.
SPEAKER_08Now I'm hungry for a subject. I was like, I might pick up a sub on the way home.
SPEAKER_07All right. I'm sorry. No, you're good. You're good. That's too good.
SPEAKER_01Um and so my kidney comes from New Jersey. Bill's uh went to a lady in um in Atlanta, and we actually got to meet her, which is really cool. Um I I don't believe she's I I know she's not a believer. And uh so we've prayed since then that the the the bit of Holy Spirit that was in Bill's kidney uh latches on here. And uh, you know, the bit of the temple that left his body went into hers. Uh we're we're praying for that. And uh and and Bill's kept in touch with that family um since then, and uh it's been really cool. And um so, but on March 14th, got my transplant, and I woke up from surgery and they were like, hey, everything went great. And I was like, oh man, this is awesome. Yeah, I was in a lot of pain, but the hope that you're experiencing at that moment far outweighs the pain. Correct. Right? Um you know, so I was in great shape as far as I was concerned. And uh Bill got discharged the next day. So believe it or not, you can give a kidney and they will have you out of there in about 30 hours. Stop it. That's crazy, isn't it? That is you know, and uh they treat something really cool about this that I've learned in this process, and I I'm getting way up on the pedestal of talking about organ donation here. All right, brother. But they treat these donors like kings and queens, man. And they are rightly so uh they are, and um you know, but Bill's out of there in about 30 hours, uh, which is really cool. And then shortly after that, one of the doctors come in, they're taking labs from you all the time. They're really hypersensitive to see, all right, how's this thing taking? Yeah, how's the functionality, all this stuff? And um, so at some point in probably 48 hours after getting the transplant, they're like, hey, you've you've stalled out, like your creatinine's dropped to an from a 16 down to an eight, uh, which is a huge change, but we want to see it get down much lower than that. Um and so they were worried that something wasn't connected properly. Um my body didn't like one of the medications that they had given me, something, but they really didn't know. So they sent me back in for surgery again. Cut me back open, uh you know, all that stuff, which which was not fun. Um but they're they're trying to do right by this gift, right, that somebody has given you, yeah, um, is the whole gist of it. And so they go back in, say, hey, I we don't really know yet, but it looks a little funny. Um, and then they just threw everything but the kitchen sink at it to treat it until they figured out what it was. And and ultimately, it was that my body had reacted toward one of the anti-rejection medications and it I can't remember the name of this uh kind of process that it brings on, but they can treat it with an infusion, and so I had to take these infusions for probably three, four, five months post-transplant to finally get that number down to where they were happy with it. Um, and um it is something that it can be fatal to you, so it can be hard on all of that reaction that I had can be fatal to all of your organs. So, in that moment in those times, there was a lot of that that anxiety crept back in again. Right, right. Of um, and this is kind of where I would say this the the sermon on the side comes in is uh you know, I had thought about um in that moment there, I had wondered, all right, did I go into this too quickly? Um should I just stayed on dialysis? Um I I knew what I had there versus what I'm getting into now. Yeah, and um, and you know, it kind of made me think about uh the Israelites coming out of Egypt, right? Where God's God's delivered them from something, but they were more comfortable with the the the slavery that they knew as opposed to relying on the Lord. Yeah, and uh and during that time, um Amber and I have talked about it endlessly. Um and and she said before, I wouldn't want to go through that again. She said, but there was such a peace that I had during that time, she was like, I kind of long for it, right? You know, it's like wow, um, she's like, I don't want you to have to do that again, but there was something the Lord was doing something special at that time uh with the reliance on him and um and the desperation, the desperation, yeah. And um, and and I think that's what the Lord was was showing us through that, is that you know I I don't know if he thought, hey, Mike's gonna, he's gonna move on pretty quickly to being uh self-dependent again here. Let me let me give him a little reminder, um, you know, as to hey, stay locked in, stay locked in, dependent. You may be upright on your feet today, right? But it still doesn't really change your your outlook of how you should be dependent on on him. Um and and so there were some ups and downs in that, I would say, first year of coming out of transplant. I I had to have another biopsy. Um they uh b Bill actually took me to one of them, you know. Uh Bill keeps coming through in the clutch every time I told him, I said, Man, you've you've given me your daughter, trained me in business and given me an organ, essentially. I said, I I can't cut enough grass to pay you back.
SPEAKER_06Um Christmas morning, he walks in, you're welcome. He doesn't have to give you anything.
SPEAKER_05Exactly, exactly presents. Yeah, nothing empty box with a picture of a kid in the real reminder there.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Um my goodness. But but there were some ups and downs during that year, and uh you're always watching it. Brad, you may, I don't know if you feel kind of this way about what you went through in your own life, but you're always kind of cognizant of like, all right, I gotta keep a check on this, right? And that then there's always this little thing in the back of your mind where you're like, all right, I'm I there's really nothing I can do right here, right? But I'm gonna I'm gonna continue to do everything that I can uh to put myself in the best position and relying on him, right?
SPEAKER_05Well, I bet much like you, you know, I'm I'm I'm still in that every six months surveillance where you go do the labs and you do the follow-ups, and you know, every now and then once you that that time period between the blood's come out of your body and you're waiting to hear back from it, that's the part where it's like, oh man, that kind of anxiety starts creeping in a little bit more. But I think you said it best earlier on in this episode. You said it it's an opportunity. I think you used the word opportunity. Those moments I have found are just opportunities for me to trust the Lord even more, to tap back in to that desperation that Lord, I fully trust you. I have more questions than answers right now. This is clearly not the way that I would want this to go. You know, I didn't think cancer by you know 33 was the way that I wanted to have it, but I trust you with my story more than I trust myself. And uh there was a there was a scripture that we really leaned into during that season, uh Isaiah 42, 16, that says, I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know. I will turn the rough patches before them into smooth ground. These are the things that I will do, declares the Lord. And um and I'm just hearing your story, man, hearing hearing this part of your story, it is it is so powerful and it's so beautiful, and it's such an encouragement to me and to all of us who are listening to say, Hey, it doesn't matter our circumstances, the Lord is calling us A to trust him, but to be to run after him in that desperation, with that trust, with that surrender. Um because man, when we do, when we allow the Holy Spirit to rush in like you did on that run, there's all of a sudden a bunch of little altars that start popping up. All of these little God moments of faithfulness and you know what I'm saying? Like it's just a really, really cool thing.
SPEAKER_01Well, and and at one point we uh so my pastor, who I had that text message, see that's what got me in the door, was that text message I sent him. I thought he was doing a great job. He was like, Hey, I want you to kind of tell your story to the church, and uh and so one Easter Sunday, so I think it was probably Easter of 24.
SPEAKER_06Okay, hey, so so we're not talking about a Sunday night or a Wednesday night.
SPEAKER_05The throwaway Sunday. Coach got him on Super Bowl Sunday, yeah, man.
SPEAKER_01It was awesome. It was awesome. Um so Bill and I kind of pre-filmed a video that would be shown there, and uh and man, it was I had so many people come up to me afterwards and say, Hey, I've got a brother or I've got an aunt or my mom or somebody like that um that's going through this, and I'm gonna send them your video, and it's been such a blessing to see where the Lord's brought you. And and you know, I told somebody, I said, I would just about volunteer at that point. If you'd have told me I would have gotten to be here talking with you guys about this, to have those moments, I would have almost volunteered to do it, right? And you can't see because you're looking in hindsight at oh Lord, that's how you were gonna use this. It's one of those full circle moments, right? Sure. And you just can't see the forest for the trees at the moment. You know, when you're down and out, you know the right thing is the Lord's gonna use this, the Lord's gonna use this. Uh, but it's hard to really grab a hold of that and live it um in that moment. And uh the Lord allowed me to kind of see that and say, look, this is this is what I wanted to use this for was to bless other people. Um and and that's we we went through you kind of mentioned this and it reminded me of it, but when we were going through our our covenant series in in Sunday school recently, um in Genesis 15, I think it's 15.1, when the Lord's I love that it says cutting a covenant with Abraham. Um and we went through how the Lord walked through the pieces um and didn't require Abram to walk through because he was gonna fulfill the covenant. Right. I that has nothing to do with what I'm about to say. I just love that part. Uh God. But um where was I going with this? Um, so Genesis 15, one, where he tells Abram, Abram had just had to go out, go rescue Lot. You know, you had the battle of the kings and and all that, and I'm sure he was pretty unnerved at the time. And the Lord came to him and said, I'm your shield and your exceedingly great reward. Right? And and I think that's the the King James version, but I I think that's when we went through that in Sunday school recently, uh, that really stood out to me because I felt like that was kind of the whole nutshell of what I had gone through. Um, is that the Lord said, Look, I'm I did protect you, I'm going to protect you. I have your best interest. I threw out all those thoughts that you had in your mind to tell you what you really needed to hear, right? And your reward is not your health, it's not whatever you're able to achieve in this life, it's the relationship with him, right? That's your that's your exceedingly great reward. And um and so that kind of that kind of spoke to me um going through that. A lot of times we we joke about this in Sunday school. Thank you, Lord. Um you never put together a lesson in Sunday school, or or I'm sure you guys preaching would be you never put together a lesson for somebody else to hear. That's right. So-and-so needs to hear this. It's normally like I I need to hear this. Um you know, so uh it it spoke directly to what I felt like that it's amazing how that can be applicable today. Scripture is alive and active. Um you know, and uh that really spoke to me, and I thought it spoke to the kind of what we had gone through, and I'm sure you can relate to that uh as well.
SPEAKER_06But um but yeah brother, you have taken you have taken us on a journey, man. This has been so good, and and so we're I suppose we're three plus years since yeah, so I got it in uh it's been been three years now.
SPEAKER_01Um three the three best years of my life. That's the other part. For real. Is come on is I I literally felt like you're I don't know how many days, none of us know how many days we have, but uh my best days have been since that, right? And um I've got to experience so much life, do so many things that even as a young adult or kid, I never thought I'd get to do some of the things I've gotten to do. Um you know, and uh I've got you know, just simple things. I got to take my son to the all-star game in Atlanta on his birthday, you know, which when when you think you don't have time with them and you get to do something like that, you're like, dude, this is the best day of my life. You know, I know or I don't know.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you know, just having my three-year-old connect with a baseball on a T-ball game, you know, that's when you're like, Oh, it's the best day of my life. Yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_07No, but that's beautiful, man. Oh, that's amazing. Brad, is this wild?
SPEAKER_05I am listening if nobody else listens to this episode, I'm listening to it. And um, I just Mike, I just I'm so grateful for for you, for your wife, for your father-in-law, for your story, for your faithfulness, um, and for your willingness to share um with our listeners. Um and so, yeah, I'm just I'm immensely grateful and and and I want to press into that Genesis 15, uh where the Lord is our shield and exceedingly uh our great reward. Um that's a beautiful passage and it's a beautiful way to describe your journey.
SPEAKER_06Indeed, man. This has been so good. And for our sermons on the side listeners, for us to be just to be able to be a part of what you described, which was which is God uh speaking to people through your story. It's it's such a gift. So thank you for being generous with your time and your story.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Thank y'all for having me, man. This has been awesome.
SPEAKER_06Good stuff. Now, you may or may not be aware, depending on how many interview episodes you might have listened to, but we have something special for you. Are you ready? I'm ready. Okay. This is what we call no huddle, and uh it is rapid-fire questions that we ask you, and and you don't have time to think about them.
SPEAKER_02Oh no.
SPEAKER_06That's why it's it's no huddle. We're just running plays here, man. You just you just gotta call it and uh and go for it. Are you ready to do this?
SPEAKER_01This feels like family feud a little bit. Oh, does you want to be a little bit more than a buzzer? He got his handout ready for this. It's awesome.
SPEAKER_06All right, Mike Gunter. What is the worst job you ever had?
SPEAKER_01Video warehouse.
SPEAKER_06As soon as I said that, I said I want to go back to the video warehouse, baby. Oh my goodness. Man, were there were there were they all VHS or were we at DVD when you were working there?
SPEAKER_01I'm trying to think about they were DVDs. Yeah, um, for sure. I think there were, you know, some Andy Griffiths tapes probably back in the next. I love Lucy. I love Lucy, but it was all DVDs. Um yeah, a few video games, probably PlayStation 2 era. Oh wow. That's just golden. But uh all DVDs. So my I don't even know if yeah, my kids know what DVDs are.
SPEAKER_06I didn't I didn't know if you had to do the rewinding of the old V8. Do y'all remember that? From from you get you get they ping you if you didn't rewind it before you. Oh, that's right. That's right. All right, so thank you for answering that question. Uh now, this second question is a Bible character question. Okay, and the only rule for your answer is you actually can't say Jesus. So we like to say it's the only situation in your life where Jesus is not the answer. Is there? I feel wrong. Every time I say that, I feel great. All right. So is there a Bible character that just resonates with you that you connect with more than the others?
SPEAKER_01Jacob.
SPEAKER_06All right, okay, and so what any particular part of Jacob's journey?
SPEAKER_01Oh man, I I just love his story. Come on. Um, in general, um not the beginning.
SPEAKER_02Well, yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_01Maybe the deceitful aspect, but I I love his story of you know, going out, working for Laban, working again for Laban. Yeah, uh, you know, all those things, and and how the Lord kept his promises just like he said he would through throughout all of the bad things that that we do and and and I think is so applicable to all of us. You know, his his plan never fails despite our our own shortcomings.
SPEAKER_06So oh well said, well said. All right, Mike. Uh the world needs to know cat person or dog person?
SPEAKER_01Dog.
SPEAKER_06Boom.
SPEAKER_01100%. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Come on. Yeah. I just I appreciate that. Uh and so how many does that do you speak for yourself or all your family members? Everybody in your house? Are there some that would they they they like cats?
SPEAKER_01So we're huge dog people. Um, we've fostered dogs for paws, things of that nature. My in-laws have done that. Uh there have been, there's one of my wife's sisters, uh, their family has just recently picked up, I think it's two or three cats. I'm sorry, D. So they're on a heater right now. I don't know what that's about. Um when are they gonna come back to church? I I don't know. Okay, you know, they're not they're not following God right now. I do, look, I do. One of the weird things about having a transplant is you can't be around a litter box. And so I pull that card out.
SPEAKER_05I pull that card out in a minute. Everything in our world, if you have an organ transplant, you can't be around a litter box. Yeah, it's a weird is that real?
SPEAKER_01That's a real thing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_08Okay, okay, okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_08No, it's a reason why I can't have one.
SPEAKER_01Oh, good. I do not hate cats. I don't really, I don't really see where that comes from from people, but um, I love dogs. Okay, got to, got to.
SPEAKER_06All right. Well, next question. What's playing on repeat in your house or on your phone?
SPEAKER_01Oh um, two things probably. Um one because I like it, and that's the office. Oh. Um I can well the other would be unfortunately the uh 2025 Ryder Cup. Oh I love golf.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
SPEAKER_01My son and I went to watch that, and we got shellacked by the Europeans. And me and my me and a few of my buddies just got tickets to the 2027 Ryder Cup. Where's that guy? That's in Ireland.
SPEAKER_05Um they already made a determination on tickets.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Well, so I think July 20th, the ballots will end. I had to buy the week pass to guarantee my ticket.
SPEAKER_05Oh, dang.
SPEAKER_01Um I'm in the pool for selections.
SPEAKER_05Are you really? I hope. I mean, I hope I get selected. You can still put in if you haven't. No, no, I'm in.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_05But we haven't me and my buddy haven't found out if we're if we've been selected. Okay, there's no we'll fly across the pond together, man. Come on down.
SPEAKER_01Um so that has been like I'm so pumped up about going over there. Now that's you're over a year away. Okay, and I'm just rekindling the uh frustration from from losing to the Europeans.
SPEAKER_05But any any love for the World Cup right now? You guys a couple of nation themed sporting events, USA.
SPEAKER_01I do I will watch some of the USA soccer if I'm not watching golf or baseball. Um Yes. I'm watching golf, baseball, of course, when college football is on. College football's the king. Yeah, right. Right. And so, but but yeah, I will watch a I love the passion that comes from the World Cup. Oh, for sure.
SPEAKER_05Nothing like it. We're record we're recording this uh before our round of 32 game against Bosnia. Yeah. And so I really hope that we've come back to it.
SPEAKER_01I do love too a lot of the good publicity that America has been getting from all these other countries. Just simple things like everybody loves ranch.
SPEAKER_05I saw an interview with this Russian kid. He was like, What's your favorite thing about? Or it's German. And he was like, What's your favorite thing? Or what are you taking back to Germany with you?
SPEAKER_01And he said, Runch.
SPEAKER_05Right. Yeah, you are.
SPEAKER_01TSA put out a statement saying that they will confiscate ranch if you bring it back.
SPEAKER_05Come on, TSA.
SPEAKER_06Come on. Don't, don't, they're harsh. They gifts to the world. Right? Indeed. Okay, well, Mike, listen, last question. This has to do with your kids. Now, we actually got a little uh we've not met your kids, but you you sent us a video of your son, your oldest child, and uh it was after you had told him that you were gonna be a guest on Sermons on the Side. And uh he he did this little uh impersonation of how he thought you should introduce yourself to the podcast. Um can can we listen to that? Yeah, let's listen to it real quick. All right.
SPEAKER_00Some good water. Boom.
SPEAKER_07Boom. How about that? He was a funny kid, man.
SPEAKER_06But taking a swig of the bottle of water at the end, I just oh my gunner, got three kids. Anyway, good stuff there. All right, so uh, but the final question is about your kids. If you could imagine at some point in the future that your children are being interviewed by somebody, and that interviewer asked them, Tell us about your dad, what would be one thing you'd hope they'd say?
SPEAKER_01Oh man. Um I would say he loved us and he loved Jesus. That's that's really all I want them to take away from me. And uh as a dad, I feel like I fall short on everything all the time, right? Um but but I hope that um that they know that dad loved Jesus, he loved us, and um and did everything he could for us, and and you know, uh yeah, that's probably multiple things. No, but that's beautiful, brother.
SPEAKER_06Beautiful stuff, man. Thank you, brother. Wow, look, this has been such a treat.
SPEAKER_05I mean, truly you don't say anything. First of all, well, we do say something. We say thank you. And thank you good. And folks, if this has impacted you, A, we want to know about it, but B, hey, what if you just paused right now and did two things? Number one, text your pastor. You like that circle back? You like that circle back?
SPEAKER_06See, that's why he's so good.
SPEAKER_05But the second thing is, hey, send this episode to somebody that you know needs some encouragement. Maybe they're walking through a health journey, or maybe they're just in a season where they need to be reminded to be placed into that desperation, that trust, right? To be reminded that that God is our shield and he is also our great reward. So, man, Mike, thank you so much. We appreciate you. Uh, and folks, I hope you have uh your AC turned on high or low. What is it? I'm not sure, but if you have any AC issues, call Energy Savers of Columbus. And we will see you again next week on another episode of Sermons on the Side.
SPEAKER_01Hey, could I I don't know if this is an option, but I just thought about could could we, if there's anybody that listens to it and they want to reach out about organ don't about to to me if I mean more so if like they're going through it, yeah, or if they got somebody they know is going through it and they just want some encouragement. Yes, right? Um I don't know if we can put my email weekend. I don't know, whatever y'all think. Um what's what is the best way for them to contact you? Just put my email out there, it'll be fine.
SPEAKER_05Absolutely can. We'll let this be B-roll. Everybody, y'all hear that?
SPEAKER_07Come on, y'all.
SPEAKER_05So we'll have we'll have Mike's email in the show notes. Yeah, reach out to him, connect with him.
SPEAKER_06Because that that kind of stuff is helpful, right? When you're going through it to be able to talk to someone invaluable.
SPEAKER_05Invaluable. Somebody that's walked it, somebody that's done it, somebody that can tell you, hey, look out for this, make sure you do that. You know, invaluable.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, we'll make it up.
SPEAKER_07Love it. Bro, thank you. This is so fun. What in the world that was awesome?