They Knew Who I Was… And Loved Me Anyway.

He calls himself a knucklehead, and that’s exactly why his story lands. Adam Overall grew up in Owensboro, pushed limits as a teenager, and then experienced something that still sticks with him decades later: a church that welcomed him back with real love instead of side-eye and distance. That moment becomes the heartbeat of our conversation about second chances, community, and what it means for a town to feel like home. 

We get into what makes Owensboro special, the kind of everyday friendliness where a quick hello turns into a real conversation, and how that same relational culture can shape faith, family, and leadership. Adam shares why he chooses middle school boys as his mission field, how he handles hard questions without dodging them, and why he thinks kids today face pressures earlier than most adults realize. If you care about youth mentorship, Christian parenting, or raising grounded teenagers in a screen-saturated world, you’ll find a lot to sit with here. 

Adam also pulls the curtain back on values-based leadership as the general manager at Owensboro RV. He talks about transparency, refusing to mislead customers, and being the same person at work that he is on Sunday morning. We cover marriage lessons learned the hard way, advice he gives his newly married son, and the legacy he hopes to leave, even while admitting his struggles with grumpiness and impatience. 

If you’re connected to Owensboro, curious about faith in real life, or just want a story that feels honest, listen all the way through. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who believes people can change and communities can help them do it.

https://www.owensbororv.com

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It's been a great episode and I hope you share this with all your Owensboro friends! Thanks for the support and again, if you have questions or guests ideas, send a text!

Transcript

A Knucklehead Finds His Way Back

SPEAKER_00 0:00

One thing that I'll never forget, again, I was a knucklehead. I would push everything to the limit, you know, having a good time, I guess. And when I was a young adult and came back to Third Baptist Church, the love that was poured onto me, even though I knew I was a knucklehead, is really what got me back into church.

What Makes Owensboro Feel Like Home

SPEAKER_02 0:15

That's cool. And that right there, that's Owensboro. And that's the heartbeat of today's episode. This is All Things Owensboro, where we tell the stories that make the city feel like home. Today, you're going to hear from Adam Overall, general manager at Owensboro RV, husband, dad, and a guy who would tell you straight up that he was a knucklehead who found his way back. This one's about community, second chances, and what it really looks like to live out your faith out loud. Let's get into it. We've gotten people on that you've asked for, like Ben Skiattis and Kayo Lewis, and and and Aaron Kaiser. And so we're listening to you, but also I know that there's other people in this town and city that have stories as well. I tell people that we have 110,000 people in the county. That's 110,000 stories that we get to tell the world. And that's just a small snippet of everything. And so thanks for joining us. Thanks for being the bit the Blue Bridge crew. You know, it's a name that I gave you guys, but I hope you guys are attaching to that and being proud of that. I'm not checking in on it. It's just something I thought I'd do. So, anyway, thanks for joining us today on All Things Owensboro. And today I have a special guest. He's the general manager of Owensboro RV. He's also a member at First Baptist. His son worked for me at the rec for, I guess, three, three, four years, and it was really cool to see his growth there. But it's Adam Overall. Adam, thanks for coming on the podcast today.

SPEAKER_00 1:49

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Yeah, no problem, sir. All right, so let's just let's just dive right in. You know, you're born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky. And so how has growing up here in Owensboro shaped who you are today?

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Well, I'd say it is it's foundationally shaped me as as I mean, Owensboro is just a very good town. I mean, I feel like I'm a pretty good person in general, and I would say growing up in Owlsboro, I was probably one of the knuckleheads that ran around Owlsboro. So it was a it was a good place to grow up. There wasn't a lot of crime, there wasn't a lot of bad influence. I mean, when I was in high school, people smoked marijuana, but at that time anyway, there wasn't cocaine or meth or any of that stuff. I mean, it was a it was a pretty tame world and um just everybody got along. I mean, it was a great childhood. My wife jokes, she hated high school, she hated middle school, she's like, I would never go back. And she jokes all the time, she's like, You would go back in a heartbeat, and I don't know that I want to go back to that part of my life necessarily, but I did enjoy it. I had great friends, it was a great community. Um, I did grow up at Third Baptist Church. And one thing that I'll never forget, again, I was a knucklehead. I would push everything to the limit, you know, having a good time, I guess. And when I was a young adult and came back to Third Baptist Church, the love that was poured onto me, even though I knew I was a knucklehead, is really what got me back into church.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

That's cool.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

I mean, I'm telling you, Brad, I was I when I say knucklehead, I just, you know, I was a guy in in the service that was disruptive, and the pastor would look up at the at the youth and say, Hey, y'all stop. You know, that was I was just pushing the envelope a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

So I knew that that I knew that's who I was. I wasn't uh naive to that. But when I came back as a young adult and these older women came to me and older men and hugged me, and oh, we love you and all that. It was just, it was, it was just it was God, man. I mean, I just felt the love of Jesus right there. That in spite of who I was and knew who I was, they loved me anyway. So that's that's my that's how I envision almost broke, even to this day, that it's just a it's a loving, warm community for the most part, and and I love being part of it still.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

Yeah, no, that's awesome. What a story, too, of like coming back and like they're just loving on you, you know. Could he easily have been like, oh, that's that knucklehead, like guarantee it. He needs Jesus, we're just gonna leave him alone, you know. In fact, but they did the reverse and they loved on you, so that's really cool. Yeah. Uh so shout out to Third Baptist on that. Uh, you know, again, you grew up in Owensboro, you kind of mentioned a little bit about them being a loving, warm community. But what makes Owensbro Owensburg? Like, what spe what's special about this community to you that you share with others? You ever notice vacations are supposed to bring your family together, but somehow you end up stressed, tired, and standing in a TSA line questioning everything. What if getting there was actually part of the fun? That's what Owensboro RV is all about. I told my kid we're getting an RV, and they said, Finally, room to argue in motion. Owensboro RV. Stop planning vacations and start living them.

SPEAKER_00 4:38

You know, I think it is that um, you know, most people would consider it kind of the Bible belt of the, you know, I I do feel like we still, for the most part, still have some good southern hospitality. You know, you mentioned my job out at Owensboro RV. You know, I just feel like what's fun about what I do is the people. Okay. Uh we have so many people that come in and they're and they're not, and and again, this is just a cliched label of that northern mentality. They're not, most people are warm and welcome. They want to get to know who you are, they're they inquire about who you are, and they're they're happy to share who they are to you. So you so it's just relationships in Oldsboro. You can walk into a gas station and say hi to somebody, and they're not gonna just say hi, they're gonna say, Oh, hey, uh, I see that you're a Dallas Cowboys fan. Yeah. Tell me about that. You know, it's just it's it's just a community where people you get to know people just walking down the street. And that that's I think t in today's world, it seems to anyway, be kind of an a rarity.

Faith In Work And Youth Mentoring

SPEAKER_02 5:29

Oh, I would agree with that for sure. And I I would say that too. Like I've been here five years, and just how I've been able to just get connected in the community, and like you said, just uh people will will see me with an Apollo hat on, uh, because I'm the care coach there, and all of a sudden they're hey yo, we beat you last week. I'm like, Yeah, yeah, you did. I was like, I don't know who you are, but yeah. But no, it's really cool. They're it they're definitely very friendly. So uh, you know, you're a man of strong faith. You help out with uh middle school Sunday school here at church, and you do a lot of stuff with the youth. And so, you know, how has your faith guided your personal life and leadership journey?

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Well, it's funny because I just told somebody, it may have been in our pastoral search committee the other day, as everyone tries to always, they always say separate politics and religion. And I'm not gonna get on politics. I don't want to uh but I say how can you? If you're a if you're of a faith, like if that is if that's who you are and how you live your life, how can it separate from anything? And so I I joke with Jonathan, our youth minister, all the time that they're gonna fire me in the middle school boys because you know, it at school it's very doc it's very doctrinal. They're they're they're from uh a political level, you know. The I mean I have people who come to work for me in their young 20s that do not know how to count change, but they can tell you what the correct pronoun for somebody is. I just feel like some of that's being missed in schools. So I don't shy away from any hard topic with my middle school boys. Uh I do biblically base, I'm not in there trying to doctrinate the boys, don't get me wrong. But when you know, when we talk about what a man is and what a woman is, I don't skirt that. I don't say any, you know, I don't try to align with society. I say, hey, here's what the Bible says, guy, and it's middle school boys. I'm like, every one of you are a boy. You woke up this morning a boy, you're gonna go to bed tonight a boy. That that's who you are. And so my faith really surrounds who I am in and everything. In the industry that I'm in, in the RB industry, it can be there's no there's no franchise agreements, there's no dealer covenants. So you you it's it's just the way that industry's set up. The car business has all these rules. So you have to abide by rules. I came from the car business, or they'll jerk your franchise. The RB industry is not set up like that, so there's no franchise agreements or anything. So you can you're only as good as who's in charge of that store.

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

There's a lot of deception in the RV industry, the misleading what the sale price is, et cetera, et cetera. But but I'm not gonna do that because that's not who I am. I'm never gonna I feel like God will bless us if we if we walk the line that He's called us to walk. I am far from a perfect man. I'm as imperfect as they come, but I try to my my faith i is in everything that I do as a as a father, as a as a husband, as a manager, as a Sunday school teacher. And I just I feel convicted, and I'm I'm sure I'm wrong, and God will He'll set me straight one day when the time comes. I'm sure I'm wrong sometimes, but I feel very convicted in my faith, and I want it to I want it to live out in every walk of my life, whether that's at work, at church, at home. So it it really is is and and and like I said, I I fail anybody who listens to this that knows me is gonna say, well, I've seen him when he is far from what God would consider a Christian. That's the truth. I'm a sinner, you know, and and I need God's grace. But I try I try to put that in every decision I make in every walk of my life. So I I can't differentiate whether it's political work, Sunday school, and those Sunday school boys ask some hard questions too. If you know Mr. Elliot Dunn, there's times I say, ask your dad. I don't know the answer.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

I've heard that. I've heard that, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

So so I don't always know the answer, but I I don't skirt from anything. I I'll talk to them about drinking and drugs and the the uh influence of the school system as far as their friends, and and I really just try not to sidestep that because uh in the world we live in today, it's all you know, I tell them all the time this the the cell phone that's the best creation the devil ever came up with. I mean it is it it can distract them from everything. Yeah, and and so I don't I don't want to sidestep anything and they'll miss something that yeah is is something hard to talk about.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

No, I think it's good because I think like some people are nervous because they're oh they're middle school kids and they're not gonna understand. Uh but you know, at the same time, it's a very formative level. I mean, I think growing up everything's formative, but you know, especially in that, there's a lot of things going on where there's like, why is this happening? Or what's going on here? Like, I don't understand that. Um so the fact that you don't shy away from that, I think's awesome. Um, because again, like they need that kind of meat. They need somebody who's willing to say, okay, that's a hard question, but let's let's let's look at it and tackle it.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Well, the middle school kids today experience things I can't even fathom. Like it was stuff that in some cases I didn't know about till college. I mean, there are kids in middle school having sex. That blows me away. I mean, I was scared that that if a girl tried to hold my hand in middle school, I was running. I was kicking dirt at her. Like, get away, get away, you know. So, so it is. I don't think it's too early to have and I, you know, they they have to be guided conversations and somewhat sheltered conversations, don't get me wrong, but but I think I think you gotta talk about the stuff that that they they're curious about. And they and they tune in, buddy, and they're listening.

Marriage Lessons And A Hard Season

SPEAKER_02 10:18

Yeah, yeah. Even when you don't think they are, they are. Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. So, all right, well, you know, we just kind of talked to you, talked a little bit about the middle school boys, uh, but you know, you teach them every Sunday, and like you said, you don't shy away from anything. Uh what draws you to that age group and like what lessons do you hope uh to leave with them?

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Well, it sort of circles back to my very first question. Now, everybody always tells me when I tell them I work with middle school boys, they're always like, oh, God bless you, there's gonna be a special place in heaven for you. And I don't feel that way. I love these boys. Like when during COVID, yeah, I love Pastor Paul. I loved our church family, but I missed my boys uh for a couple reasons. One one, I was that knucklehead kid. Like when that kid's in there acting crazy, I was that boy. I feel like, you know, and and people loved on me, like I told you, they loved on me anyway, and uh, it's super important. But but they crack me up. I mean, they are you never know what one of them's gonna say. They're hilarious. And I just I just want to be as real as I can to them. I don't want to side, like I said, sidestep anything hard. And I just I just love them. I mean, I love the kids, and they're good kids, man. I mean, let's be honest, we we have we have great families here at at first Baptist Church. These are good kids. None of them are even they're not unruly. They're just they got some energy. I love every one of them. And I and I miss them when I'm not with them.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

And uh so I guess I I guess the selfish answer is I do it for me.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

I love being with them, and I love big group when we're down there. I love all the high school boys that that I had in middle school. You know, this is the first year and a lot of years that we didn't go to youth camp.

unknown 11:45

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 11:46

And I was sad. I was sad. My wife had to, she's like, listen, Adam, you've got to let these other youth parents step up. Our kids are out of youth, they've been out of youth, you know what I mean? I mean, they've been out of youth. Uh but I I just love these kids. I just love being with them, and uh, and it's it just it's good for my heart. I just I just love it.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

I was gonna say too, like, sometimes it's nice to not have your parent on trips. Yeah. So like, you know, I'm just yeah, like even if it's somebody else, you know, or somebody that you know you respect and you know them, but they're not your parent. Yeah. So I think, you know, I would encourage you maybe go back if you could this year. I think it's cool. They'll appreciate it, I think. You know, you recently, and I say uh well, actually, let's go back a little bit. Uh, you met your love of your life in college on this Vicky, and you guys are are great together. But what do you remember most about those early days together? You know, first get married, how how you know, all that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Well, like I said earlier about being a knucklehead, our when we first met, I'd have to that had to be a a heavily censored conversation because I you know that was my life, you know, my dad died when I was a senior in high school.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

And I had some scholarship money to go to a local college here, and I passed. I took a year off, just you know, just I was I was confused. You know, a 17-year-old boy and your dad dies, you don't who who my dad was a good Christian man. He taught kids in Sunday school, and I had to just kind of sort some things out. But through all of that, no doubt about it that Vicki was ordained to be my wife. No doubt about it. Because in that chaos, when I look back, my life was just sheer chaos. I mean, I was in the middle of a storm, no direction, none. I was I was not walking with God closely at that point. When I met Vicki, it was a college party, not the place that you would want to meet your wife. Anyway, heavily ordained by God, and it just changed my life. You know, she was brought up as a Christian, uh, I was brought up as a Christian. We kind of got back together into that role. And like I said, I had a I had someone call me from from Third Baptist Church out of the blue and ask me if I would help with RAs. That's how desperate they got. I mean, I wasn't even going anymore, but they wanted me to help with RAs. And I said, sure, you know, I'll I love the kids, I'll go back. And that's when I had that experience with everybody just loving on me, and I'm like, man, I'm I'm not a good person. I have been in the gutters for the last three or four years, and you love me anyway, and they just and and it just it broke my heart for God, and and I got back in that. But early on marriage, it's tough, man. You know, no money, you know, no social life, you're working constantly. But but man, I I wouldn't trade a second of it for anything. We we had our hard times, but we made it through it, and our our relationship was always stronger on the other side of it. And uh now, twenty eight years later, we've got two grown kids, one married, and just I'm just super happy with with where my life has turned out.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Yeah, no, that's awesome. And I would agree. Uh we're 13 well, we're almost 13 years in, we're about 12 and a half in, and those first couple years are definitely a stretcher.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

But yeah, you and your wife recently reviewed your vows. I say recently, I guess about two, three years ago, yeah, if I remember correctly. And what's the what did that moment mean to you both, like being able to come back and renew them, especially in front of your kids and and and the rest of the family.

Advice To A Newly Married Son

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah, it was it was pretty special. I surprised her. She didn't know it was it was coming. And uh Evan was still working down here, so we're gonna be able to do it. He was, so I knew about it. We set her up and he he was down here getting stuff ready. But it was really special number one for Paul to be here because we just we r I I really working with the deacons and Paul, I just really thought a lot of Paul, and I'm glad hindsight now with everything that's happened, he was able to be part of that. But it was really special and it just was something I kind of wanted to do. It was our 25-year, which is a pretty big feat in in the world of marriages today, you know, things. So I kind of wanted to make a big deal out of it and celebrate her, and and it was special, and and it and it for me it was probably a little more stressful because I was trying to get everything done behind the scenes, so I probably couldn't didn't enjoy it as quite as much as I I would have liked to, but but it was really neat. It was special and and she appreciated it. And it was and I'm and I was glad to be able to do it here at First Baptist Church.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

Yeah, that's really neat. And so, well, you know, you're you're talking about marriage. Your son just got married, Evan, Delotie, uh a couple weeks ago. And so what kind of advice are you sharing with him as he starts you know, you know, a new journey as as being a married man? Like what are some things that you're giving him?

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Well, as you know, and you you uh managed Evan for a little while, he is a he's an old soul. He is and and he he thinks he's already got it all figured out. So he is he is it's it's it's a challenge to impart advice on him without him feeling like you're telling him what to do. So that has been a new challenge for me, how to communicate with Evan. Him and Lottie, the first thing that they did, which I was super thankful for, is they the it was the timing was perfect. They got married on the 16th, and then I think Wes was doing some new marriage class like that next week.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

Yeah, and they were they were like here. I was I wrote I mean I sat down with him at dinner and I was like, man, that's that's real fast. Like, hey, let's go, we're available. Yeah, you know, why not start now? And I was like, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

Well the biggest advice we gave him, and and and truly it's the only it's the only true advice that I can offer him that that should bring him peace at any level, is we've told him and Lottie both to just make sure God's at the center of everything. If you love God more than your spouse, then you know, Vicky always tells them, she always says, if you're mad at your spo at your spouse for some reason, it's because you're being selfish. She said 100% of the time, if you look at it, if I you know, she'll she'll she's told him she goes, if I'm mad at your dad and I really sort it out, it's because he did something to me. You know, it makes it about me. So if it's about God and not about you, then you're gonna be able to exercise more forgiveness and more more sincere love and things like that. So we've really just asked them to like you you're gonna have problems. The other night they were in there laughing and hugging on each other, you know, all this newlywed stuff, smiling, and they were like, you know, everybody says it's hard. This is great, this is easy. This whether they're living in our in an apartment behind our house, rent-free, you know. I'm like, guys, I'm glad you feel that way. But it's it's gonna get you don't kid yourself, it's gonna get tough when money becomes an issue, kids. That that's gonna get tough. But we always circle back to just make it about God. Put God at the center of everything that you do, and it's still not gonna be easy, yeah. But you but it's good, you're gonna be able to walk through it a lot better if if God's at the center of your relationship. So that's really the biggest wisdom we've imparted on. I also have told them like, don't only follow your financial dreams. So many young people now get a job only because it pays well, and they're miserable. You know, we've what we try to encourage them both to do, you're gonna spend whatever money you make. I've been blessed in a lot of different ways in life, and and I've I've had no money, and we've had a little bit of money, and no matter what you make, you spend it. So I've told them, I said, you've got to live within your means and just do something that you're gonna enjoy, that you don't wake up every morning and just absolutely say, Man, I I do not want to go to work today. Because you're gonna spend the money. So we those really are the probably the two biggest parts of wisdom I've tried to impart because it's like what what Mike Tyson says, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Marriage is gonna punch you in the mouth, I promise. So but if you can if you can make sure that God's at the center of that, you you'll be able to weather the storm way better than than most.

SPEAKER_02 18:28

That's awesome. Well, I'm glad he has uh a golly bear that's in influencing him and being able to share that wisdom uh because not everybody's lucky to have that.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Don't kid yourself. You and a lot of people, Bob Farmer, he had a lot of of good Christian advice and good Christian leaders when he worked here that I think I mean he didn't go to Connect Camp because of me as a counselor.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

I mean he might I might he might have just done that because I got tired of hearing me.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Well, but it was huge from he that was he came back a different person from that experience.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

I would agree with that 100%.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

He was a different person when he came back. So he's had you know, we've tried to help keep guiding him in places where he can have other influences, but you know, it it's what do they say, it takes a a herd to raise a family or whatever. I mean, you know, or a village. A village, yeah. So, you know, all the people that he encountered while he was down here and that loved on him and gave him advice and work. I mean, that just that was huge for us as parents because he was getting a consistent message versus if he had been again circling back to Owensboro, you know, the our community kind of ro rallies around people versus in these worlds where when I was in, you know, growing up in the 80s, everybody said, uh, how can you how can you raise your kids? Madonna's raising them, you know, on M T V or whatever. So, you know, it is important that the the influences they have around them are like-minded, and we we're we were just blessed that he was able to get that job while he was down here and be able to be in that world a little bit. And he also got to see some of the inner city stuff, which was out opening for him too. Yeah, and I think gave him a little bit of heart for those people, but but it but we were blessed that he he had that extra influence while he was down here. I I I mean I'm super thankful he had that experience.

Leading With Integrity In RV Sales

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Yeah, well, I I was sad when he left, so it's good to see him, at least in the uh the marriage class. I'd throw him, I guess, and lunch sometime. Yeah. And you know, so going back into, you know, you talked about we talked earlier about uh your leadership role at Owensboro RV, you being the general manager there. What's your favorite part of leading the team there at Owensboro RV?

SPEAKER_00 20:14

Well, favorite part. I'm I'm at the point in life, quite honestly, where I'm I'm looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm I'm ready, I'm looking for the exit ramp. I've been managing for a long time. And it's it's the challenge, you know.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

Yeah, imagine people for sure.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Well, and now these people don't want to work. And they when, you know, so so it it is a challenge. But I would say uh some of it is I do like the customers that come in. They're friendly, they're hilarious. Uh they cut up. I mean, they're the the RV customer, I joke, because that's who I am. I say they're just a bunch of good old rednecks. I mean, we just have fun. We cut up and and they just they don't take life too seriously, and that's nice. That's refreshing because but I would say too, the the spiritual influence, you know, there's no I don't hide who I am, as I said before. Like I'm I'm I know I fall short, and if somebody calls me on it, they call me on it. But I I don't pretend that I'm not a Christian at work. It's a it's a known fact that I'm a Christian and we we talk about that. I have other Christians that are there. There's a lot of people who aren't, but we have those conversations, and it's it's it's nice to see somebody get some traction, you know, get some traction for their faith. There's a couple right now that are they they recently got married. He works for me, he's a he's a superstar sales guy. And him and his wife are just it's it's exciting to see they're on the they're on the infant side of becoming Christians. Oh, they're gonna be able to do that and and they're growing. They but we we they've been watching the chosen some and I I was gobbling that show up. It was it was very moving for me. And so we would talk about episodes, and as and as you just see, and they'll come in every now and then and ask me questions. And there's a lot of there's a lot of responsibility on that. You know, as somebody, uh a new Christian come in and ask me a question about faith, because I I don't, you know, I I'm not a theologian, but I just tell them what it means to me, and I've got a Bible on my desk, and sometimes we'll sort through that and go through what that means or whatever. But I I do enjoy that part of it, just trying to mentor to people in it more in that fashion. Than the other fashion, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 22:01

Yeah. No, that's really cool. So, well, talking about leadership and whatnot, how do you how do you balance business leadership with staying grounded in your values?

SPEAKER_00 22:10

Well, it's really not very hard for me because I I'm I'm very hard-headed. Anybody that knows me will attest to that. My the owner will he wishes I was not so hard-headed. That that I'm pretty I'm pretty set in my ways. I'm I try to be open-minded also because people say, you know, once you, you know, the Bible speaks to that wisdom. You're supposed to listen to others and seek counsel and advice and things. But I am firm in certain things, like I'm not gonna lie to somebody. I'm just not gonna do it. And that's that's a rarity in the sales world. I mean, that's why salespeople have such a bad reputation. They do, yeah. I'm not gonna willingly or knowingly mislead anybody. I'm not gonna misrepresent anything. So when it comes to values at work, I don't, I don't really, I don't really struggle with that. I I try to really be an open book there. I tell customers sometimes when they're when they're gonna make, look, I might lose this sale because I'm not gonna play a game with you like this other dealer's gonna do. There's some dealers out there that are just known for the games they play. And we'll try to coach them on that. But some people just like, no, I mean, you know, I get it. I'm a salesman just like they think that other guy's a salesman. I I don't, you know, they don't know me. But but no matter what, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna stoop to that. For for a number of reasons. Number one, you know, this is what I loved about Paul Strayan and here I'm I'm chasing squirrels, but you know, Paul was so real, so real. He was the same guy sitting here at the church that if you saw him out in the community. And so and I'm the same way. And Paul used to get a little tickled at me because sometimes I would make some inappropriate jokes and it would embarrass him a little bit. I see his cheek, his cheeks get red like I can't believe you just said that, but he would die laughing because it was funny. You know, so I'm I always know no matter what I'm doing, where I'm at in life, God's watching me, always. And I'm I'm always aware of that. So if at I can't pretend at work to be a different person than I am on Sunday morning because I'm not, I'm not I'm the same guy. So I'm not gonna sit there at work and mislead someone and try to take advantage for financial gain and then come in here on Sunday morning and it contradicts everything of who I'm supposed to be, who Jesus wants me to be. So I don't really struggle too much with that. Uh my value because I'm hard-headed. I'm like, I am who I am, and that's who I'm gonna be, you know, and and um and like I said, I I I don't know. I don't I don't know that that's the right way to be. You know, sometimes I worry that my crass joking and and and things like that could could cause someone to to fall away. I I don't you know, I don't know. I I don't know the answer to those things, but I just if I am who I am, I don't want to pretend to be that a different person whether I'm at church or I'm at work.

Church Invite And Rec Announcement

Legacy Fears And Loving People Well

SPEAKER_02 24:34

Hey, quick pause. I'm Brad Winter, host of All Things Owensboro Podcast. If you're looking for a church that feels like home, we'd love to invite you to First Baptist Church Owensboro. We gather Sundays at 10 30 a.m. right next to the Blue Bridge. Infos in the show notes, and if you reach out, my family will gladly sit with you. Looking for a place to get active, connect with others, and have fun as a family? Then come check out the rec at FBC Owensboro. From open gym and a weight room to upward sports and community events, there's something for everyone. Memberships are super affordable, just$2 a day,$10 a month, or$60 a year. And get this, families, you only pay$120 max for the entire family for the whole year. And if you're a senior, college student, or one of our city heroes, like a teacher, first responder, or healthcare worker, you get a discount too. The rec is more than a gym, it's a place to belong. Yeah, no, that makes sense. Well, talking about just uh the roles you play. So you said Sunday morning, Owens Bro RV. We've already talked about how you know you're a dad. And so how do you how do you play the roles of husband, father, Sunday school teacher, leader at Owens Pro RV? Like, what do you hope people take away from your life's example?

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Man, that's something I struggle with a lot, Brad. I uh, you know, because my dad, when he died, I felt like he left a legacy. You know, I had a I had a my his dad, my my papa overall, was a great man. He left a legacy and when he passed. And so everybody that when they leave this world, they leave some some legacy. And I think about, man, what legacy am I leaving? You know, I tend to be grumpy. I don't know why. I struggle with that. I tell I I I confess that to all my staff. Like, I know, I know Jesus. I should have joy beyond joy. I mean, there should be but I struggle with being grumpy. I struggle with a little bit of road rage. I struggle with some of those things and I and and and I don't like it. I I I don't I just like that about how I am, and I pray about it. But my wife, she wants uh, she when we have grandkids, she wants them to call her Grammy and the kids to call me grumpy. That is not the legacy. That is not the legacy that I want to lead. You know, so I think about that a lot, and I want people to to know that I was loving, that I loved them, you know, and that I would love on anybody. Like it wasn't about status. I mean, I want people to know that I was generous, that I I tried to be helpful when I could be, and and I just want them to know they love Jesus, you know, uh uh above all other things, that I was not a perfect man, but that that I loved Jesus. And I don't know how I'm doing with that, but I I try and I don't shy away from any religious conversations at work. You know, I had a conversation the other day. Uh a guy, his his son was being silly in this showroom, and uh I have some of those little little Jesuses that you give out. And I went out and I went out and gave him a little Jesus. He didn't like it, he was he was mad, he was pouting. But his dad's like, oh, what do you what's that? And I I told him, well, he he went to church in Newburgh and we struck up that conversation. And you know, I just I I love to have those conversations, but I don't I I it's a tough question, man. I just I I don't know that I'm leaving the legacy that I want to leave because I struggle with some with some of that stuff. I mean, I just I do and I hate it. And I pray about it, and right after I pray about it, I'm good. But then when I get back into life, grumpy comes out sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, I'll be praying that you don't pick up grumpy. But but no, I mean that's that is a question, you know, and that's not like to ask all the guests. It's like, you know, I know it's kind of a morbid question in a sense, but like, what's that dash gonna mean, you know, we leave the earth? And I and I think like, yes, you could be gr I mean I don't know to the level of whether you're gonna be called grumpy as a grandparent or not, but you know, at the same time, like the impact you're having on your kids, on your all your employees, I think that's huge. And I think that stuff is gonna be what sticks. I hope you're right. So I I I I think that kind of am. I don't know. I don't think she's not that kind of guy, but I think it will. So well, looking ahead, you know, you know, your son, your son, Evan just got a just got married. Uh, I know, I know Ricky's in college, and she has a current boyfriend, doesn't always mean anything, but has a current boyfriend. But what what's next for you and your family? Like, what if you're like, hey, like this is kind of what we're thinking a couple years on the road, like what are some things you have coming up? Well, what are you thinking about?

SPEAKER_00 29:00

We're ready for grandbabies. So my wife is already pushing Evan and Lottie, you know, yeah, but they got a f they've got a few things to finish up. Yeah, a few things to finish up first. But I don't think Ricky and her boyfriend Zach are probably gonna get married pretty soon. I mean, he's a he's a good boy.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Uh it's a neat story. He he's a new Christian. Okay. Um my daughter gets her head strength from me. She she doesn't veer from who she is. She is she is firm in her foundational faith, and she's not gonna do anything that contradicts that. And and Zach being new in the faith, he he he admires that about her. It's a neat relationship. He's just like, he was adopted, okay. And he's just like, he's like, I love how you are in your faith, Ricky. It makes me want to be a better man. And they're a really, really neat couple. I l I love Zach. Uh he's a good boy. I think I intimidate him a little bit. Uh but that's the father's role. You know, you're gonna have to do it two times two.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Oh man, get the shots out of you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:52

But I really think he's a good, he's a good kid, he respects her, and and I think that's probably in the next couple of years that that'll be coming up. That's good. And um and then from there, it's just I guess it's just gonna be the golden years with Vicky and I, hopefully, if it falls. We may. I mean, the kids miss it, the kids loved it when they were little. Okay. Uh so we went all the time when they were little and they they say something about this. That could be something where we get something, and and especially when there's grandkids and give the parents a break and we take the grandkids camping or something.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

So I'm sure they would appreciate that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:19

We're we're looking forward to that that part of life. You know, we don't I have a tendency to look past today. Okay. And Vicky has to bring me back in. Sometimes, I can't wait to be able to retire. I can't wait to then she's like, babe, you got a a few years left before that happens.

Rapid Fire Favorites And Funny Stories

SPEAKER_02 30:33

I'm still too that too, though, I think. So, well, cool. Well, that was great. We're gonna go into 270 seconds of fame. So that's our rapid fire. All right. I don't record it, it could be more than 270 seconds, but it's just rapid fire answer on the go. Don't think too much about it. Are you ready?

SPEAKER_01 30:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

Okay. So uh what's the and I think you uh I kind of think you answered it. We'll go through it. We'll do it anyway. Uh, what's the best thing about living in Owensboro? The community. The community, okay. Uh, one word that describes Owensboro in your eyes. Friendly. Friendly, okay. What's your favorite Owensboro tradition or event?

SPEAKER_00 31:05

Oh man, that's a tough one. Um not that I'm part of it, but uh we don't go very often, but probably like your Christmas parades and things like that they do downtown.

SPEAKER_02 31:13

Yeah, it's pretty neat, yeah. And there's one coming up quick. So uh what's your favorite memory from college?

SPEAKER_00 31:20

Oh gosh, probably playing soccer.

SPEAKER_02 31:22

Soccer, okay. Did you play who did you play for Prussia? Pressia, okay, cool. I didn't know that you played college soccer. That's cool. Yeah. Well, if we ever do soccer here, I'll I'll I'll reach out to you. Uh what's what's one song that reminds you of your wife?

SPEAKER_00 31:37

It would probably be It's Your Love by Tim McGraw. That was our uh that was our wedding song.

SPEAKER_02 31:41

Okay, all right, neat. Uh, what's one lesson marriage has taught you? Uh forgiveness. Forgiveness, alright. I know you said there's probably many, but uh who said I love you first? Was it you or Vicky?

SPEAKER_00 31:52

It was Vicky.

SPEAKER_02 31:53

Vicki, alright. Uh, what's one piece of advice you're giving your son before well, uh he just got married, so uh we kind of gone over that a little bit. Let's we'll skip that one. Uh what's one word to describe being a dad? Patience. Patience, alright. Uh, what's one word describing being a teacher?

SPEAKER_00 32:10

Um, I I would say uh being real. That's that's important to me, just being real with them.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

Yeah, that's cool. Uh, what is the funniest thing a middle schooler has ever said to you?

SPEAKER_00 32:24

Oh my goodness. Uh there's been a lot. Um the funniest thing a middle schooler has ever said to me. I don't know off the top of my head. There's a lot that because you never know what they're gonna say. They're out of left field. Um I'll tell you, I'll I'll I'll give you a quick little story on that. One of the fun because this this sticks out to me. This is one of the funniest things I've heard. Uh, Kirsten Taylor. That from from here. When she was in third grade, we taught third grade kids. And uh the we had taught the lesson about Stephen being stoned to death. And the next week we asked the kids, does anybody remember about what last week's lesson was about? And Kirsten raised her hand and she goes, Yeah, Stephen got stoned, and she did like a, or no, rocked, excuse me. Steven got rocked, and she did like uh like a rock and roll signal. And I'm like, uh, kinda, that's kind of right, but yeah, Stephen got rocked. So uh she was in third grade and she listens. She listened, it just maybe we didn't get the get all the credit. But that was pretty funny.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

That is cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

All right, uh, what's your favorite Bible verse uh that keeps you grounded? Today, the my favorite one is Romans 10 9. I have a guy at work that struggles with whether he's gonna be saved. He struggles with a sin. He's a believer, but he struggles with a sin. And he'll come in, he's a divorce, he's got uh he's divorced twice and he's young, he's in his 20s, and he always says, Man, I don't I don't know if I'm gonna go to heaven, Adam. I just don't know if I'm gonna make it. And Romans 10 9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe he's raised from the dead, you will be saved. And I repeat it to him all the time. I'm like, Jared, that's his name. That's it. That's that's the foundational, you're going to heaven. So right now, today, I've been hanging on to that verse.

SPEAKER_02 33:56

That's uh I really like that very that's one of my favorite verses too. Um Coffee and Quiet Time. Is that morning or night?

SPEAKER_00 34:03

Um, I don't know that I have that. Okay I'm when I get up in the morning I go. I don't I don't I don't have much downtime. I try to really jump back a day. So I don't know that I have a whole lot of quiet time. I I try to I pray in the morning, I pray at night, um, and I'll read a devotional in the morning a little bit, but it's it's on the fly. It's still again not good, but it's kind of on the fly.

SPEAKER_02 34:22

Yeah, yeah. No, I'm I'm on that kind of style too. Uh what's one thing you've learned from leading a team at Owensboro RV?

SPEAKER_00 34:30

Um, transparency.

SPEAKER_02 34:32

Okay. Well, your leadership style in one word.

SPEAKER_00 34:37

Hmm, I would say um direct.

SPEAKER_02 34:42

Direct, okay. That's okay. Uh people need to be direct. Uh if you could take your RV anywhere in the country, where would you go?

SPEAKER_00 34:49

I really want to go out west. I've never been out uh northwest. Northwest, okay, I've been like to Texas, but I'd like to go out to like to Utah, Colorado. I just didn't see that the the upper Midwest.

SPEAKER_02 34:59

Yeah, that's kind of one of my goals too. I love the we lived in Oakland City for a little bit and we were going to go to Denver, but then COVID hit and shut everything down. So having been out to well, I've been I've been to uh Seattle, but I've been to Spokane, but uh I'd like to be able to go see Oregon and some of the other places too. They're they're pretty out there. Um all right, what's your favorite Kentucky getaway spot?

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Man, is there any? Uh I don't know. I don't know. Laying between the lakes is pretty nice. We used to go camping down there quite a bit. It's it's pretty and it's and it's and it's pretty chill. It's kind of relaxed. I don't like a lot of people. Um I like I like seclusion more so. There you go.

SPEAKER_02 35:33

So that's a pretty good place. So Gatlinbury's probably not on your list.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

It's okay. I don't mind Gatlinbury because you know, after all the chaos, at least you usually go to like a a uh cabin or something that's kind of up away from everybody.

SPEAKER_02 35:44

That's true, yeah. Yeah. I went there one time and it was packed.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:48

Uh what's your uh who's been the biggest influence on your faith journey?

SPEAKER_00 35:52

Man, I've had so many. But I would say probably because of the legacy, my papa overall. Okay. If I could, if I could hand pick a man I would want to be today, it would probably be him or Paul Strayan. Okay. But my papa was at a point in my life, you know, he when my dad died, he was still there. And and just to give you the kind of the kind of man he was, when my dad died, um, he was at home, he had cancer. My my my grandparents were there. When uh I was in bed that morning and I woke up to my grandfather running because he didn't know what to do. He beside himself, he'd lost his son, he was running up and down our hallway and he was shouting, Now I know how God feels it chokes me up. Yeah. Now I know how God feels losing his only son, because my dad was his only son. So immediately in his pain and his sorrow, he went to God. I mean, it was just he just he he's the kind of man I would want to be.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Yeah, that's really cool. Um, that's awesome. Uh, in one sentence, uh, what legacy do you hope to leave?

SPEAKER_00 36:45

I know we kind of talked about that a little bit already, but I I I want to be known as a a person who put God first.

SPEAKER_02 36:50

Okay. And then uh the last thing is is what's your favorite barbecue uh known as roll? Is it mutton, uh burgoo, or um pooled pork?

SPEAKER_00 36:59

Um I'm a mutton guy.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

Okay. I like mutton. I feel like that's been a popular answer to that. I like mutton. I'd I've never had mutton before I came here, uh and it was really good.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

So yeah, I lived in Texas for a year right out of high school when I blew my scholarships at Kentucky Wesley and that's where I was supposed to go. Okay. Uh and they all thought we were like cannibals because in Texas, sheep are their pets. Yeah. And I was like, I'd be like talking about their barbecue. And course I came from Oldsboro. Hey, we're big barbecue, and they're like, You eat sheep? Man, it's like eating a dog here. And I'm like, oh, if you knew how good that dog tasted, you would eat it. You know, but yeah, mutton's good stuff.

Final Challenge And Closing Thanks

SPEAKER_02 37:29

Yeah, no, mutton is good. All right, well, you did really good in 270 seconds. Uh hope Vicky and everybody listen to it and you know, who told her I love you first, maybe she said you did it. I don't know, but you know, you guys can have that discussion later. Uh, you know, one one question that I always like to ask every single person that comes on here, and I and I think it's I think it's one of the best questions, and that is, you know, if you if people are listening to this episode and they got nothing else out of it, what is like one thing you would hope that they take away from, or is there anything like challenging, inspiring, encouraging that you can leave the listeners with?

SPEAKER_00 38:01

Anybody that I would want to leave anything with would be that if you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you find him, seek him out. If you're going through life and you're chasing finances, women, drugs, alcohol, fame, that you you're never gonna you're never gonna be satisfied. You're never gonna be full. When you find Jesus, you will be content and you will you'll live a fulfilled life. Uh I would that that just needs to be shouted from every rooftop across the world to people. I just believe that it can't be said enough.

SPEAKER_02 38:30

Yeah, I know that's awesome. And that's a really awesome way to leave the audience. So, you know, Adam, man, it's been great hearing about kind of like your gr your childhood growing up and kind of where how God's worked in your life and where you're at now. And uh yeah, so I look, I I really think you're gonna leave an awesome legacy. So I hope you believe in that. Uh even if you're even if your grandkids call you Grumpy, it'll be alright. It'd be a good it'd be a good memory of Grumpy. But uh, but yeah, so uh thanks for coming on, Adam. And again, if you're thinking about an RV, that's something that me and my family have been considering for quite a while. Uh just haven't pulled the trigger. But go out to Owensboro RV, you know, even if you just want to meet Adam, go out there and and have a conversation with Adam, get to know him, he's an awesome guy. And thanks for what you do for investing in middle school kids and and even what you do with the youth. And so thanks, Adam, for coming on today.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

I appreciate it. And Brad, I just one thing I can say, and you can cut this if you want to. So many times in our churches and our communities, we have what I would say pastors or ministers who are not truly called. I came from a church with third at the end of its life, they weren't called. And I just want to say our staff here at First Baptist Church, I think what you do, even though it goes unsaid, I've never said it to you, and I and shame on me for it. I think you're doing an outstanding job with what your position is. Your position is community outreach, and you do so much with the schools and the basketball programs and upwards and just I just I think you do a fantastic. I've told a lot of people that, but I've never told you that. Well, thanks. And I think you do an amazing job for what for what your job is. And you're not a preacher. That's not what we call to do. You're called to be in our community. Jonathan, our youth minister. I mean, he is not he's not a preacher. He's not a community guy. He's a youth guy. And he's got ADHD like crazy. But the kids love it because they can relate. I mean, I just I just, especially now with everything that's going on, I just want you guys to know that I think we have an unbelievable staff and that you have been ordained in your position. I think God called you here 100%, and I think that you're doing a great job. And so I don't think people say it enough, but I just wanted to tell you why I was here today. If you got if you want to cut that, you can, but I wanted to tell you what I was thinking about.

SPEAKER_02 40:26

Well, thank you. I appreciate it. All right, man. Well, thanks for coming on today, and I look forward to seeing what other people say about your episode. Thanks for tuning in to All Things Owensboro, where we celebrate the stories, people, and places that make our city special. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves this town as much as you do. Until next time, Owensboro, keep loving local, supporting one another, and making Owensboro a place we're all proud to call home.