Rylee Turner: Finding Your Own Faith

Enjoy this episode with Rylee Turner! Rylee shares what it was like growing up in this church, being the youngest of four siblings, the journey of making her faith her own, and what she’s looking forward to in her next season of life. She also shares some of her favorite hymns and reflects on the things that have shaped her faith along the way.

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

 Consider One Another is a podcast focused on each other. 📍 Thank you for tuning in to this podcast that is all about stirring up love and good works in one another.. welcome back to the Consider One Another podcast. I am here with Rylee Turner. Rylee has been so kind to bring me a donut from Sluy's for no other reason than the fact that I just asked her to do it . Rylee, thank you so much for the donut, and thank you for being here. Of course. It worked out great. Rylee, if you could just see the room right now, has expressed, who she is as a person very well by bringing me and Dan donuts, and then also just picking flowers along the way. Very kind. This is Rylee. She is so interesting, so of course it's gonna be awesome sitting down and considering her. Rylee, we are in 2 Timothy chapter 1. I'm gonna read verses one through seven. I'm just gonna read the verse, and then you feel free to share any thoughts that you have. Sound good? Mm-hmm. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, a beloved son. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Well, I was reading this, and it was making me think that, you know, this is snail mail. And I really like sending letters, and Paul does a really, really good job- Mm ... starting this off here. I'm sure this was fun for Timothy to get this letter, and then he starts it off with like, "By the will of God and according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus," like that's a killer way to start a letter. I would never start, you know, like a letter to my sibling in college- You don't start your letters like this? I mean, I sometimes rip off Paul and say like, "Grace and peace" or whatnot, but- Sure ... it wouldn't have come from me. And then it's just really cool to see how much he loves Timothy and his whole family, 'cause it seems like he knows Lois and Eunice really well. Yes. Oh, I love that you call that out. Th- this is why I love talking about scripture with everyone, because everyone thinks about things differently. I would have never thought of that. This would be fun to get in the mail. Just opening up a letter, and then right away, like it's a killer way to start a letter. This is a famous passage, especially verse seven. Mm-hmm. Verse seven we remember well, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Uh, that's, that's quite the opener there. Yeah. And it kind of, I was joking about it, but maybe we should start our letters like that. Mm-hmm. Just give someone some encouragement. Yeah, that verse I've thought about a lot 'cause I think it was Maddie who said that was one of her favorite verses, 'cause it meant a lot to her in college. Hmm. Um, and so she, you know, brought it home, talked about it with us, and so I've thought about it since she was in college, which was a long time ago. So you can edit that out. Yeah, we'll, we'll keep that in somewhere. Yeah, that's, that's one that kinda sticks with people, especially during hard times or stressful times like college. We're reminded, hey, God made me with a spirit of power and of a sound mind. I also like that you call out Paul knowing Timothy's family. He knows his grandmother and his mother at least somehow enough to say, " they had faith. They have faith, and that faith is in you." I want to use this- mindset of the, the grandmother, mother to Timothy- Mm-hmm ... as kind of launching point into something I really wanna talk to you about, and that's about your family and the faith that has preceded you. Uh, we're all big fans of the Turners here. Rylee's my favorite right now, again, just 'cause of the donut. Uh- But but she also brought flowers, uh, for me to give to my wife, so now I'm gonna be a hero for that, too. So Rylee, you're in first place, right now. It's a good day then. It is a good day. But more seriously, the Turner family, is so special to this church, and I've gotten to have all your siblings on the podcast. Yeah. Now we got four out of four. Uh, but I want to know from the youngest specifically. I'm a youngest, but just of two. Mm-hmm. You're the youngest of, of four. And so you've got this family that is well-known, especially siblings, uh, that precede you. Being part of a family with a strong faith is a blessing- For sure ... but I'm sure it also brings expectations. Uh, how did you make your faith your own? A- and how did you develop your own relationship with God? Well, I mean, a lot of it came from just, like, watching them- Hmm ... um, my parents, my, you know, aunt and uncle and my siblings, and seeing what they did because, I mean, that's what we all do is we have role models, and I just got lucky in that they live with me. Okay. So it's a lot easier to see how you might, shape your life. Then it does come with, "Okay, but that's their faith, so how am I going to serve God and do my own thing?" Yes. And that kind of thing. So it was, really helpful. Also a little stressful because I have really high-achieving siblings. So- Okay There's, you know, a little bit of expectations and, um- Mm-hmm ... I'm also competitive in that way, so I have to hold myself back there. It was just really good to have their example, and then I think God is just good in that even if you're basing it off of someone else, he wants a relationship with you. Hmm. So you can still develop your own, by studying and copying others. Yeah, it's definitely both, that I can follow them as they follow Christ, but then also no matter what your last name is or how many siblings you have, God wants a relationship with you. Mm-hmm. You're individual in his eyes. Right. So, so I guess tell me about the age that you started figuring that out, 'cause you've got all these siblings before you who are all older. I'm wondering if maybe it was when they all went off to college or maybe before that. When did you start finding that individual relationship with God? Probably, like you said, as they started going off to college. Hmm. I mean, Maddie left when I was going into seventh grade. Oh, wow. Yeah, sixth or seventh grade. So that was pretty young, but, like, as more of them left, it was a big bummer because all- ... of my playmates were leaving. Yeah. But it was also good 'cause it gave me more time to focus on things that I really enjoyed and spending time with people in the church- Mm-hmm And friends more by myself instead of just a group setting, which is great, but it gave me more time to think, for myself and that kind of thing. Yes, yes. That totally makes sense. So I'm doing the math here. You're sixth or seventh grade when Maddie takes off. W- what about when you became, like, an only child, uh, and Megan takes off? How old would you have been there? Well, that was going into junior year. I would've been around 15, 16. Okay. Yeah, yeah. That totally tracks. So now you've got this individual relationship, with, with God, but then also with this church. Mm-hmm. That's interesting to me 'cause again, the, the Turners, I would guess, are used to being seen as this package deal. Uh, but then there's just Rylee. Mm-hmm. Uh, what was that time like for you? How did you find your own faith when it was just you at 16 years old? Were you already a Christian at that point? Yes, I was already a Christian. Okay. So mostly it was a lot of, like, I mean, everyone kind of adopted me, of course. Yeah. Um, you know, we would, we would joke and stuff about now I'm the favorite 'cause I'm the only one that stayed. So I do enjoy being the favorite sometimes. Then I had to go to college, and that was a bummer. But it was just fun because I would hang out with, like, people like Emily Reeves- Yeah ... and we would have our workout club. Oh. Um, Where, 'cause she started it with Me- when Megan was still here, and we would have, like, a little Bible study, and then do, like, a run or an exercise workout at all the different parks in the area. I love that. And that was, like, the best because Emily's really cool. Oh, yeah. Um- Shout out, Emily. But that made me start thinking and, like, you know, st- you can study by yourself for these little talks, or you can have conversations with people outside your family and that kind of thing, and then we continued that- Mm When it was mostly just us or, and then us and Hanna when she got here oh, that's special. So things like that opened my eyes to what I can do even without my siblings- . and how I can help people with God. Also, getting my license and being able to drive, like, now I had a car, and I was going to OC- For Running Start. So I had a, all this free time that I really had to fill, or I was gonna go crazy. 'Cause my siblings were having their adventure in college. Right, they're gone. So I've gotta have an adventure here. Oh. So filling it with work, and hanging out with people, and making zucchini bread, whatever I could do- to fill my time, pretty much. I love that. Make an adventure here. And for me, I love the question because, it, it'd be easy to wait to get to college to have your own adventure. Mm. See what your siblings are doing, be like, "All right. I'm just gonna hang out and tread water, and then I'll have my fun." You say, "No, they're having an adventure. I'm gonna have an adventure." The workout club. Yeah. With Emily and Hanna. Oh, I love that. I, see, I didn't know about that. So you make your own adventure here, Running Start, with OC, and then, you've got these high-achieving siblings before you. Mm-hmm. And th- that is stressful. I'm, I would imagine that is a stressful thing to deal with, uh, 'cause people know that they do big things, which is why we love the Turners. They are just high-achieving hard workers. But already in high school, you've decided, "I'm gonna do my own thing here. I'm not waiting on them, nor is my faith dependent on them." But then they're all at Florida College, and then you follow suit. You go to Florida College. Yes. And this is not a commercial for FC, but go Falcons, Peck 'Em. Uh, tell us, tell us why, just because we've got high schoolers and people in that age in this congregation, tell us why you chose to go to FC, and how that time, was it three years you were there? Yes. Oh, you just finished three years at Florida College. Mm-hmm. You graduated with your...? Bachelor's in kinesiology. Nice. Okay. With a minor in Biblical studies. Really? But, yeah, that was just for fun. I was taking the classes anyways. Ah, okay. That's more than just fun. That's really important. Okay. Kinesiology major with a minor in Bible. Congratulations, Rylee. Hold your applause for now. That's a big deal. So three years at Florida College, tell us why you chose to go there, and how those three years shaped you and your faith Well, it was really good for me 'cause it was really hard. Obviously, I chose to go to FC 'cause I grew up going to the camp down in Oregon. Mm-hmm. And I loved it every year. It was hard 'cause you were away from home and that kind of thing, but then it was really fun, as well, and they were fun people. So it's, like, hard, but then it felt really good 'cause you did something that you ended up enjoying. Yeah. And it was nice to have FC as, a goal to get to, because applying to college and scholarships and all of that, it was a lot of work. And it is, but I had a, I had a path. I knew what I was doing, so it gave me an ability to just, like, run with it and do the best I could on this one thing. Where I had a lot of friends who kind of floundered because- Hmm ... the world was their oyster. Where are they gonna apply? Who's gonna accept them? I kind of knew that FC was gonna accept me- ... 'cause I had seen my siblings get accepted. Probably. Probably. It's not an easy school to get into, but- .. no, no. That was, i'm just joking. It's, uh, Florida College is a very accepting place of all kinds of- Yes ... grades and backgrounds. They'll work for you. Yes. They'll work for you. There's so much the school offers. They want people to be a part of it. But you do have to do work to get into it. Absolutely, but I like the way you describe the, the kind of floundering that happens if you, you don't know where to go. You could go to New York or Florida or anywhere else. That's a really stressful period of time. Mm-hmm. But you're saying from a young age, you're like, "I wanna go there." Mm-hmm. Florida College. Okay, cool. Awesome. Sorry, keep going. What, what happens next? Well, then I got there, and it was good, but like I said, it was also hard 'cause you're, you know, 3,000 miles from home. Mm-hmm. Obviously, I had my siblings down there, which was a big blessing, but you're still trying to meet people, and you live in a dorm with a new roommate and all of those kind of things. Mm-hmm. So it, I grew a lot, which was awesome, but then it was also a pretty safe place. Like, I knew I was getting taken care of really well. I was learning a lot, which was nice 'cause I just enjoy school. So- ... it ended up being really, really good. That's funny. I've heard o- other siblings say that they really enjoy school. You really enjoy school. Yeah. I think, I think it's something that comes a little naturally for us, so it's just fun to be able to work towards it, and- Yeah I don't know, school is fun. You get to meet cool people and- Mm-hmm ... learn about things together. Yeah. Okay, that's, that's exciting to me. Tell me about some of the cool people you met in Florida because so much of the college, I would like to say, is built around the relationships- Mm-hmm ... and the people. Who are some of the cool people, uh, that you met maybe had an impact on you? Oh, how long do we have- ... on this podcast? Three minutes. Okay. Well, there was s- Oh, I could just start naming all of my good friends who are, you know, my peers and classmates. Mm-hmm. Um, s- I had three roommates, all of them I'm still friends with- Oh, cool which was really awesome. And then I had suitemates and all of that. Mm-hmm. As well as just my professors. I had Mr. Chandler a lot in the beginning- Yes ... like freshman year, and he was really helpful- Mm-hmm ... and just cool w- in anatomy. And then I had Dr. Miles and Mr. Shearer a lot- Mm-hmm ... in my program. Um, we had them for multiple classes, and their families and them are just awesome people. Ah. So not only did I get to learn a lot from them, but I also got to know their families really well. So that was just- Right, not just a professor ... not just a professor, but their whole family, their kids, what they do on the weekends, that kind of thing. So that was really nice. Okay. That is, that's really special. It's cool people who are shaping your education, but then also just your life- Mm-hmm ... who you're having dinner with. Okay, commercial over. Okay. Oh, wait, no, just one more thing. Oh. Commercial resumed. Well, that was at college, but then at church there was also tons of really good people. Mm-hmm. Um, even just Kara and Rebecca, who are Ross's good friends, and then Megan's roommates. Mm-hmm. They're just super awesome and made me feel seen and tons more people at church, and then other churches. Yes. You could, even if you're never there, you could always, meet them even in your last year at FC. Like your in-laws- Yes ... and, good friends that I didn't know super well until I went on a spring break trip with them, and now we're all really close. I'm glad you mentioned the different churches that are there 'cause you can, you can visit other churches or be part of, like, a meetup study that they're having. My father-in-law, John, would've been leading, you just show up, and now John had this cool connection to Bremerton where he'd be like, "did Rylee get there yet?" He was really excited about your road trip back home. So so many cool connections. I'm curious about the church that you chose to be a member of. If you haven't been to Tampa before, there's a great blessing of a tremendous amount of healthy congregations down there. And so you and all your siblings went to the University Church of Christ. Mm-hmm. That's a similar question, so maybe it'll run through the same threads, but you chose to attend the same church as well. Was that something that was intentional, or you just happened to like it for yourself? Again, how did you become your own Turner, with all these Turners at the same place? That is a question I asked myself a lot in freshman year. I didn't actually place membership until sophomore year- Okay ... even though I almost went to university, like, every Sunday after the first couple months that, like, I visited a ton of churches. Mm-hmm. And I ended up liking almost them all for different reasons, which made making a decision on what church to go to really hard, but that is a good problem to have too, because it means that a lot of people are doing good things. You weren't stuck with one by default. Right. Exactly. So- I asked myself that a lot because , Megan and Ross are really well-established here. Maddie used to be real- established here. Like they already know, so, you know, I'm one of the gang again. But then I realized that that was silly. I like hanging out with them, and you are your own person, so you can still serve God no matter, um, who, what family members are there- Right ... and, uh, that turned out true. Like, I still have really good relationships with a lot of people there, not just because I'm a Turner, but because I was there working with them. 'Cause I'm Rylee. Yeah. Yeah. And that's enough, and that's cool to get to worship and be a part of a church with your siblings. Mm-hmm. Doesn't mean you're stuck to them, but you can serve with them or without them. This is a good place you got to be a part of. Yeah, and I got to see them at least, you know, two times a week, even if FC got crazy busy and I didn't have time to come over to their house that week. Yes. It's a good call out there, church on Sundays, Bible class on Wednesdays. Uh, it's very purposeful. Just kinda twice in that week, you're gonna get a chance to say, "Hey, we're both going to the place. Let's get dinner before." Yeah. "Let's get ice cream after." Mm-hmm. Uh, it kinda serves the same way here. No matter what, I know I'm gonna see people, you know, very soon. Say, "I don't know when I'll see you. I'll see you on Wednesday. We'll catch up then." Yes. Whether that's siblings or people from church, it's a blessing to get to know they'll be at the thing. I'll get to see them. Mm-hmm. Oh, that's a blessing, even when life is crazy. Yes. Life gets crazy down there in Florida. Oh, yeah, so many things going on. But then this morning, I gave myself a ton of things to do- ... so maybe we can't blame FC anyways. No, no, no, not blaming FC. Life is crazy wherever. Mm-hmm. Washington or Florida, just cool seeing the similarities 3,500 miles apart, uh, especially when it comes to the work of the church. You wanna be with your church family on Wednesdays and Sundays and be with them, and when life is crazy, that becomes a solace and a, a beautiful routine to go on. Yeah. "I'm gonna get to be with my people. I'll see them then." And the week would be pretty, pretty sad without that. Yeah, yeah, if you're just looking forward to 45 minutes on Sunday- It's not enough time. It just simply is not. And so we were probably here at the building last night till 9:30 or so. It's a blessing to get to be with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and it's a blessing, I'm sure as you're realizing now, to have a church family in Florida that you grew so close to. And then it seems to me like you moved back here, at least for now, and you just picked up right where you left off. Does it feel like that? Does it feel weird being back home? No, not really. Good. Um, it's nice being home and, of course, things have changed, and I have to make different decisions and that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. But, it's really nice to be home with everyone. It's, it is fun when you can feel happy in one place and happy in another. Yes. It makes it hard because then you miss the other place when you're not there. Yes. But it's also, I would rather have it this way. Right. Great problem to have. I'd way rather be missing folks than ever feeling like I gotta get out of here. Get me back to Florida or get me back to Washington. No, no, just two homes. Mm-hmm. Oh, what a blessing. I, I'm kind of transitioning here into what's next for Rylee, uh but on that same line of thought, I wanna talk about, what you're involved in at Florida College. I'm especially interested in your involvement with FCHSA, which if for some reason you don't know what that stands for, it's the Florida College Health Science Association. Mm-hmm. Yes. Okay. You would know that well, didn't you? I would know that one. Well, except that, except I think it changed at some time when I was there. Uh, that's, that's what it stands for, but you tell us what it is. My involvement with FCHSA, I was the vice president, uh, in a former life. Before I started pursuing preaching or other things, I thought I wanted to pursue health sciences. I wanted to get my MHA and pursue, healthcare administration. Okay. That's what I wanted to do. Me and Josh Jones, shout out Josh Jones- we were in this club, and we were trying to, make cool things happen. I should have worn my shirt. Me too. Oh, great. Okay. The, it's a great club. You tell me what it did. Uh, what is FCHSA, and what role did you play in the association? So it pretty much is just a club for all the health majors- Okay ... in health science, on the campus. And, you know, there's the education association, so for all the teachers. This is for health sciences, and really we're a pretty blanket- Mm-hmm ... club. So, you know, psychology, biology, to nursing, kinesiology, business. Okay. So it's pretty big. Anywhere healthcare- Yeah ... healthcare-related, okay, this is your club. And it's largely a professional development, helping you with, interviews or how to apply to different programs or that kind of thing. Now, this past year I was the president of HSA, um- No way, you're the president? Yes. Oh, that's big. Okay. Madam President. That's a big deal. Good for you. It was. It was really cool to get to work with the group of girls that, we had running it. Mm-hmm. And originally I had been planning on being, an officer for one of the more, like, Bible-based clubs- Okay. Yeah, yeah ... on campus, but that didn't work out. But I ended up thinking I learned a lot from- Mm ... working as the HSA president, just how to work with all of the my other officers, how to reach people- Mm ... um how to bring the Bible into your profession and that kind of thing. Like, a lot of people we talked and had brought in would bring how are you a Christian in, you know, a hospital or wherever they worked. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Um, so that was just fun to learn from people that way. Oh, that makes me really happy to hear, because in your classes you're getting all sorts of education, uh, which is really good. Education is good. But then there's a lot that can be missed out in the classroom as far as professional development goes. Mm-hmm. What does this look like? How, how do I actually apply to that? What does it look like being a Christian who's a nurse, who sometimes has to work a 12-hour shift on a Sunday? Like, what, what does that look like in real life? Mm-hmm. So then your, your job then is bringing in- established professionals in the area to, "Hey, come talk to these learners about what this looks like." Exactly. And so would I love another chance 'cause I can see so many ways that we could have done it better? Yes. Yeah. But I think we gave it a good- ... a good running start. It had a rough time the year before. Okay. So I think we got it back up and going, and- Good ... I know that the officers next year will do a great job. So I feel like my mission was complete that way. Yeah. Good. It, being in college is so interesting because you want to do great things, but you're also ... You're doing them for the first time. Yeah. And that's hard. And I remember when, when I was in that club, we were trying to do big things, but it was like right on the tail end of COVID, and so we kinda had to just like not do things, but then we tried to do the things that you're doing. Mm-hmm. And it makes me really happy because I know that makes such a big difference because people just get so locked in on what they think they want to do because maybe they like school, but until you learn about what it actually looks like- How can you know- How can you- ... if you'll enjoy doing it? Yeah. Yeah. So you bringing those opportunities is really helping lots and lots of people, especially you . Yes. And lots of people, too. Okay, so president of FCHSA. Again, that's Florida College Health Science Association. Uh, but now what? So you graduate. Uh, you, you have your time with the club. You help people. You help yourself. You've got your kinesiology major. What, no pressure, what is next for Rylee? What sort of direction do you see life going in next? So I decided to take a gap year. Nice. Because being a president for the first time and still wanting to do well in my classes and everything, last fall I just decided to postpone applying to, graduate schools- Mm-hmm um, for PT, physical therapy. Mm. I decided to postpone for a year because it was gonna be one more thing that was distracting me, and I wanted to do it well, and I wasn't gonna be doing it well. At least I felt like that. So- Something would have to give. Right. If you're gonna do it well, then president of FCHSA goes to the back burner. Right. And also staying involved in all the other clubs I was just a member of, Yeah. Just enjoying Florida College. And just enjoying my friends who were down there. Yeah. So I'm taking a gap year to work, which'll be nice, save up some money, and then apply to PT schools. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna be applying to multiple, so I can't tell you exactly where I'm going. Mm-hmm. But- Oh, so you've reached the flounder stage. There's no- Oh, I have. There's no FC of PT graduate schools. Yeah. So now I'm really feeling for everyone who doesn't have a specific- But it's good to get to do both. Yes. When you're 17, 18, knowing, "Hey, I'm going down here. It's gonna be good," now you're 20, 21, "Okay now the world is my oyster." Yes. Absolutely. I feel a lot more prepared for it this time than I would've at 17. Yes, absolutely. And you'll have some money in your pocket and places to go. And then physical therapy, what's that program like, three years? Roughly. There's some differences, but it's around three years, and then maybe three and a half with, uh, clinical rotations, um, getting involved, you know, actually at a clinic, that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. So it just, it really depends on which one ends up being the one I go to. Okay. Okay. So then that's probably a year from now, like fall '27 you're going somewhere. Probably, yes. Okay. But for now, the gap year, the way you've explained that, so wise. I respect that a lot. And you're working where you can. I think I saw, like, your 2020 vision bag. Oh, yeah. Uncle Mike has you working, I would imagine. So what sort of things are you doing right now? Right now, so yes, I started working for Uncle Mike or 2020 in- when I was 16. I would do it on summers or, like, when I was in Running Start if they needed someone to fill in, I would do it on a random day that I could. Mm-hmm. So then pretty much every summer I end up coming back, and I'm often in the Kingston office- Okay ... these days. How far is that from home? It's, like, 20- ish minutes Oh, great. Okay, not bad at all. No That's nice ... since Poulsbo's pretty easy to get to Kingston. Yeah, yeah. Gotcha. And then the Kingston office, what sort of things you doing? So I'm the technician, so I check people in, and bring them back and take photos and get their acuities and ask them questions about their vision, like what's been happening? Are they getting blurrier? Did their glasses break? Mm. Any of those kind of questions, and then I get to play with all the machines. So I gotta take pictures of retinas and OCT picture, like, scans of the back of the eye. Okay, ugh. And everyone are, is like, "Are you the doctor?" And I'm like, "No, I'm not." Not yet. "I just gotta take the pictures." Oh, my next question was going to be, do you like it? But you just started beaming as you talked about all these things. So yes, you do like it? I do. It's a, it's a love-hate relationship sometimes- Uh-oh ... because it can be stressful. We won't tell uncle mike. Oh, I think he, he's there, too. He knows. Okay. L- yeah, love, hate the stress of just patients and people. But it's also really good because I learn a lot, and I like the people in the office. Like, it's a fun team there. And then I get to learn, about people's gardens or about the really cool work that they do. So there are some fun people that just come through, and I ask them probably too many questions about- ... their daily life rather than their eyeballs. Yes. No, but I, I think people appreciate that. Okay, 'cause I bet you a lot of people are kind of nervous being there. I would be. Mm-hmm. Uh, you just kind of alleviate that with your smile and your joy. I'm sure you do just that. Your joy, yeah. There So that's what you're doing now, and then hopefully a year of that, then you get PT school. What drew you to that type of work? How long have you known you wanted to be a physical therapist? , Is there something that drew you to it specifically? Yes. Now, I didn't pick PT specifically until, like, a year into college. Because I just knew I wanted to go into the medical field. Obviously, I grew up with mom as a physical therapist doing home health, Mostly what I loved is how people, like, here in the church or stuff, would come up and be like, " my knee is really bothering me." And she'd give them this, like, great thing to do. or y- Right in the pews. Yes, exactly. Whoever, whoever knew she was a PT could get help from her, and she was able to help people a lot. Mm-hmm. And so I just liked that, and I knew that that's what came from, like, knowing how the body works and, um, taking care of people every day. Mm-hmm. So I knew that, and then I had to pick a career. And there are a lot of careers that are really cool in the healthcare- Oh, yeah ... field. Oh, yeah. So I played around with a lot, um, talked to Liz about PA, which sounded really cool, but just in the end I realized that I grew up with a mom who was a PT. I've learned a lot about the therapies. Maddie went into OT. So it would be nice to use all of this, like, lifelong knowledge. Mm. Um, not that I know how to be one yet, but just, like, w- what I've learned already- Yeah ... and then apply it to my school and that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. So that's why I've kind of started going that direction, and then I do really like how PTs, you can work with kids. You could be in different settings. You can, it can work with having a family. Mm. So it's just also a nice lifestyle- Yes ... kind of career. And it totally makes sense what we were talking about before, wanting to see what, what does this job actually look like? Mm-hmm. For a lot of people, that means bringing in professionals from the community. Right. But for you, that meant s- looking to your family. Yeah. And you could have seen that happen to your mom in the pews and said, "No, thanks. I don't want I don't wanna be a doctor at church on Wednesday nights." Or you could see it like, "Yeah, I, I do want that. This, I know how that looks, and I know I can do it." So now you're pursuing it. Uh, it totally makes sense, and I'm really excited to look back on this. Whenever I have a friend going into a graduate program like this, it feels forever away. Mm-hmm. And then you look at your watch twice like, "Oh, whoa, Rylee's a physical therapist already." Yeah. I don't know how I graduated FC, let alone- Yeah almost be going into PT school. Yes. It, it goes by quick, so enjoy it, and it seems like you are. Uh, we've reached the, the favorite, favorite stage of the game. That's where we talk about favorites. Tell me, no pressure here, but I know you have a favorite hymn. Tell me about your favorite hymn. So I could have said a lot of songs here, of course, 'cause I enjoy singing, but I chose Come Share the Lord. Nice. Because, and I did get that name right, 'cause- Yeah. Okay. It is- What else would it be called? I don't know, but sometimes I don't pay attention that much to the- Oh ... song names. I just sing them. Yes. And so I just wanted to make sure I actually said that right. Come Share the Lord. Yeah. There's some in the book that have, like, goofy titles. Mm-hmm. We know it by a different title, but then the title will just be the first lyric. Yes, exactly. Like, We Gather Here. Like, no, it's, it's Come Share the Lord. We know what you're talking about. Okay. Perfect. So my favorite, one of my favorites is Come Share the Lord, because we often sing it before the Lord's Supper. Mm-hmm. I think Jonathan Keen leads it a lot here, and I've heard it in other places. Mm-hmm. But- I know Kate really likes it. Yes, Kate does like it. I think that's how Jonathan ends up leading it. Mm-hmm, 'cause it's a really good one, 'cause it focuses your mind before the Lord's Supper. And my mind can wander a lot, 'cause I, am thinking about, you know, maybe good things, but really not where you're supposed to be at that time. Yeah, all over the place. Exactly. Floundering, even. Exactly. So- This song is centering Yeah, it brings you into the moment and helps me, um, think about what Jesus did, and then also how we're all a family doing this together- Yeah ... which is really nice, 'cause that's one of my favorite parts of the church. Yes. So it just brings it all, and then you get to sing about it, so it's great. It's awesome. Yeah, I love the third verse, we get soft, like, "We'll gather soon where angels sing." So you're considering Jesus, considering his body, the people around you, and then you're considering where we're going. Mm-hmm. That's great. I, I love that hymn. That was a great call-out. Someone get on that. Lead, Come Share The Lord. A very good hymn. Uh, what about a favorite verse? Do you have one of those you wanna share? Well, I was thinking about this, and I've never been very good about picking favorites- Oh, I'm sorry ... because... Well, no, that's good. It's just there's so many good ones that they come and go. Mm-hmm. But I, and a lot of my verses that I s- you know, have memorized or I really like or have on jewelry, have been actually mentioned on your podcast. Oh, other people's favorites. Exactly. Other people's- I love that ... favorites. So I was thinking about it, and one that makes me smile whenever I think about it is Luke 10:27. Um, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." Oh, nice. It's when Jesus is talking to, and the lawyer's asking him, testing him. Yeah. What's, what's the best one? Yes. And- What's your favorite? And Jesus said, "You have answered wisely," for that's how he kinda sums up the Old Testament, is, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." Mm-hmm. And then it goes into the Good Samaritan. Yeah. Who is my neighbor? Exactly. So that one, one of the reasons that I have it so well memorized, and I, it makes me smile, is 'cause when Mom and I were teaching Bible class, I think in my senior year of high school, we really focused on this verse. 'Cause we were hoping that the kids would actually memorize a memory verse and keep it stuck. I don't know if they still have it st- We'll have to ask, like, Tristan and Sam Trimble or something. Yeah. But it stuck in my head at least- Okay ... so that was good. You learned, yeah. And we a- we put on a play of the Good Samaritan- Yeah ... or the Good Sam Ariton, 'cause Sam Trimble loved that his name was part of it. Yeah, that's him. That's Sam. Exactly. So we put on a fun little play, and, um, Alex Axtman was in it. Um, a lot of the kids here were in it. That's awesome. And it was really fun, and it helped me memorize it, so you know, the teacher learned something, too. Yeah. Teacher is teaching and learning. And then of course I just like it because it gives you something to think about. Um, you know, this is what God asks us to do. Mm-hmm. Kind of overwhelmed with the amount of rules slash, just how many good things there are that you can do, but this is what it boils down to, and that's something we're c- able to do. Yes. Yeah, yeah. It's a big Bible here. You're thinking, "will, I don't want to talk about my favorites. There's so many. How do I pick one?" And then you get to this one that summarizes all of it hangs from these two commandments. Yeah. So it's a great one to pick. And for the record, when I ask this question, you don't have to, uh, pick a new verse. There's ... I'm not gonna call you out and be like, "Nope, that one's been picked." Uh, but I do appreciate you taking the time, to pick one that maybe hasn't been mentioned before, uh, and the memory you have with it. I remember being a kid and getting to do plays in Bible class. Mm-hmm. The Good Samaritan's a good one for that. I think I did that as well. It, it sticks with you when you learn in this new way. You bring the text out of a book and into, someone's heart, someone's life, and they're gonna remember that. So we'll talk to Alex. I bet you he does remember that. Yeah. That'll be fun. Oh. Th- this was great. Uh, thank you so much for letting us consider you and look into different aspects of your life. I'm gonna really enjoy this next year and having Rylee around. Hopefully, you stick around, but who knows? Maybe you'll go somewhere completely different. Whatever that looks like, you've plugged in here and been such an asset to this group already. We've spent a lot of time together- Mm ... and that's so special to me. Thank you for being part of this church and being part of this. This is special to us, and what you said today is gonna encourage a lot of people. 📍 Yay. I'll trust your- Ah. ... your editing skills and- Okay ... all that good stuff. Perfect. The Bible tells us to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works in each other. So thank you for stirring up love and good works in me just by listening to this episode. .. 📍 Shout out Meredith. Meredith Hammontree. Yeah, she'd actually texted me that she was listening to some of these. Oh, cool. Mm-hmm. Yes. So that was fun. Oh, that's, that's awesome. 📍 📍