Still Enough To See The Treasure

Sometimes the things that mean the most to us… are the things we didn’t recognize at the time.

In this episode of The Weekend Joyride, Mac and Rhoni reflect on growing up in San Saba and how places that once felt ordinary now feel like treasures.

From longtime favorites like Pecan House Grill and Harry's Boots, to stories of vision, legacy, and the independent spirit of the West, they explore how perspective changes over time—and how some people can see value long before anyone else does.

Along the way, the conversation is framed by the spirit of the West you hear in stories like Lonesome Dove—where people move toward something they believe in long before it fully exists.

That idea leads to something deeper: what if that same principle applies to our lives and our faith?

What if the treasure isn’t somewhere out there…
 but has been there all along?

This episode is about slowing down, listening more closely, and learning to see what’s already right in front of you.

Links for this episode:

• Harry’s Department Store - https://harrysboots.com/
• San Saba, Texas - https://visitsansabatexas.com/
• Pecan House Grill - https://pecanhousegrill.com/
• Red Steagall (song) - https://www.redsteagall.com/
• Tierra Linda Ranch - https://tlrhoa.com/cgi-bin/aboutus.pl
• Lookout Mountain West - https://lookoutmountainwest.com/

We’d love to hear from you: hello@weekendjoyride.com

 New episodes weekly. Follow so you don’t miss the next one. 

Email us at hello@weekendjoyride.com

Join us on Facebook!

Transcript

Intro

Mac 0:10

You ever notice how the things that mean the most to you are sometimes the things you didn't even recognize at the time? It's the places and the moments and the people that just felt normal back then. But somewhere along the way, your perspective changes when you realize there was something special there all along. And maybe it's not just about where we've been, maybe it's about what we're still learning to see. This week we're talking about vision and faith and slowing down long enough to recognize the treasure that might already be right in front of you. It's the Weekend Joyride. Welcome!

Red Steagall (song) 1:04

You asked me just how long I'm gonna love you. So I wrote this little song to make you see without using words like always and forever. I can tell you just how long it's gonna be. I'm gonna love you till there's not a cow in Texas. Till they move the Alamo plum out of San Antone...

Mac 1:24

Sometimes the most valuable things in life are the ones we didn't recognize when we had them.

Rhoni 1:30

I like this episode because it's this is Texas and this is us.

Mac 1:34

Still Enough To See The Treasure. I don't know. We're just gonna talk about where we've been, what we've done, how we how we grew up, and the people in our lives, and and the things that changed.

Rhoni 1:45

This is us.

Mac 1:46

Yeah.

Rhoni 1:47

Growing up in San Saba, it never felt impressive. It was just home, my dad's hometown, and therefore where we had roots. It felt normal. And when I say normal, just that the San Saba Square, all the old buildings and stories that I've heard my whole life from my grandparents and my great aunts and uncles. There's the story of the Lost San Saba mine, which people can see in the in the Texas history books. It may or may not exist, it just depends on who you ask. Uh, but there's places like Harry's Department Store. My dad bought his jeans there when he was a kid.

Mac 2:26

And we're still buying jeans there today.

Rhoni 2:29

We are. And then the Dofflemeyer building, just it was an old bank at one time and probably other things.

Mac 2:34

Oh, the Dofflemeyer building. It just dawned on me. You're right. In that store down at the on the bottom floor of the Dofflemeyer building, there is a bank vault door.

Rhoni 2:44

I forgot about that. Right. And nothing growing up, those places weren't glamorous. It's just something you never thought about twice. And there really there wasn't anything that special about it. It was special. It's where I love to spend summers and holidays and actually live there for a very long time. But I didn't see it in the same way that I see it now. And as I've grown up and watched things evolve, something has started to happen. And that is people with vision began to see this old town that's been there forever. They began to see potential in it.

Mac 3:28

They didn't necessarily see the the old. Right. Yeah.

Rhoni 3:32

Those same places have been brought back to life. We had dinner at the Becan House Grill. What a lovely place. That used to be Dooley's and these other my mom had a

Mac 3:42

Dooley's Five & Dime.

Rhoni 3:43

Right. My mom had a beauty salon right around the corner, but all of those things had have been brought back to life. They've been restored, they've been upgraded. And suddenly San Saba is on the map, and it is a place people actually love to stop for.

Mac 3:57

It's funny how you hear that more and more when we tell people that, oh, we're going to San Saba. Oh, San Saba. I love going there.

Rhoni 4:03

Yeah, we're like, what? It's funny because the more that happens, the more I think we're beginning to realize that it was always there. We just didn't see it in with the same eyes. Yeah. Sometimes it does take someone with vision to see what everybody else is overlooking. And I know you've seen that up close with your dad.

Mac 4:27

Yeah. He was a real estate guy and he he saw a way of utilizing land in ways that people hadn't thought of yet. He bought a ranch out in Kerrville and it was uh 3,000 acres, and it was a business deal. It was just a business deal and had a house on it and had an old house way back in the back. And it was it was the Martin Ranch. And it was an interesting place to begin with. But at that time it was mainly just land. Nothing really about it stood out to most people, I guess. But he didn't see it that way. And I saw that a couple of times in in his life. He didn't see it that way. He could already picture what it could be before anything was built, before it was on anybody's radar. And that place eventually became known as Tierra Linda Ranch. And uh something people recognize now. It has its own map in the phone book. It does. That other people hadn't seen yet. And I think that's exactly what we're talking about with describing San Saba, too. Same kind of thing. Nothing new has been added, really. Somebody just saw what was already there.

Rhoni 5:40

Agreed.

Mac 5:41

And I think that's what sometimes separates people from other people. Some people need to see something before they believe in it. I'm probably more like that, you know. But others can believe in things before they ever see it. It's all they have vision.

Rhoni 5:55

Yeah. It is exactly the same thing, same place, but different vision. And what do you think it takes? Outsiders, or it just takes people with vision to see value in something familiar?

Mac 6:07

No, I don't think it has to be an outsider. I think outsiders can come in with quote fresh ideas. Yeah. But I think we know even in, say, San Saba, there are people that have been there forever that that saw something that no one else has seen. We mentioned earlier the the Dofflemeyer building. We mentioned earlier the Pecan House Grill. Harry's Boot store. All that downtown area. Harry's store now is a cool store. I mean, it's like taking up not half a block, but a third of a block anyway. And it's just I love the smell when you walk in Harry's, it's leather and it's clothes and it's like that.

Rhoni 6:46

But you don't remember when it smelled like mothballs. And growing up, it smelled like mothballs, you know, and we all know that. Those who grew up there, it's like, oh yeah, you gotta wash it a few times to get the mothballs out of it. So but but places do have smells, and that just that whole era discussion reminds me of something else that San Saba actually has this quiet connection to, or at least for me, to Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. And here's why Tommy Lee Jones moved to town way back when he claimed it as a home place and bought a ranch there. And I remember that time period. And when Lonesome Dove came out, there were events going on out at his ranch.

Mac 7:39

The Hollywood actor threw parties at home. Right.

Rhoni 7:42

And I don't remember ever seeing Robert Duvall and some of those people in town. Yeah. But we all knew there were things going on out there. My brother actually parked cars for an event that he had for the Lonesome Dove cast. And I can tell you at that time it just felt like something happening. No one ever really got excited about it. It's just like, oh yeah, Tommy Lee's got something going on out there. But again, you don't realize what you're standing in when you're young. And then later, not so much later, I was in college and I had to read Lonesome Dove as a novel for my Southwestern Lit class. Yes. And it quickly became one of my favorites. If you have not read Lonesome Dove and you're a Texan, read it. Um, I started to see things very differently because that book really captures something. It captures that independent spirit of the West. And the more I thought about it and read and contemplated it, the more I realized that it is that same spirit is in that hometown of San Saba. And probably like we carry it right here. It's a Texan thing. Because that book is really about one of the main themes, seeing something before it exists. You've got two aging rangers deciding to drive cattle from Texas to Montana. They don't have any guarantee, they don't have any payoff. They just are mapping out their success.

Mac 9:08

It's like a big uh, I don't know, it's like a big crapshoot to use a term, you know, you're gambling. Yeah.

Rhoni 9:14

And what stands out to me is that they weren't moving towards something that was already built. They were moving towards something they had to believe in first. It's also that self-reliance without any apology. I mean, when you love a place, you don't care if anybody else loves it. You're gonna build there, right? That's right. This is our place.

Mac 9:34

It kind of reminds me of - uh I avoided my high school reunions for a long time. I don't know why. I just didn't feel the need to go. But Rhoni and I went to, I guess it was the, I don't know, it was one here a few years back. And I always felt kind of different in Kerrville in high school because I lived out on a ranch. I didn't live in town. And do you remember Kay Jones? She was Jones then, walked up to us and she said, Yeah, y'all were out there on that ranch. She said, None of us knew what y'all were doing out there, you know? That took me aback because I was we were just having life out there, but it was just different than living in town.

Rhoni 10:13

Yeah, but think about it. Y'all had an airplane hanger.

Mac 10:16

There was an aistrip

Rhoni 10:17

dad was flying in and out of there. There's no telling what they thought.

Mac 10:20

There was development going on. There was. It was just different than than living in town. Yeah. No, but I was I was Kay, if you're listening, that always took me back when you said, Yeah, we didn't know what y'all were doing out there. So it was just life, but it was just different.

Rhoni 10:35

Yeah, and it's like San Saba wasn't lacking anything, it just was overlooked for many, many years. Same as Tierra Linda wasn't obvious, but your dad envisioned something there. So what do you think it is about out west of Austin, let's say, or west of Dallas that draws people in like that?

Mac 10:58

Well, what stands out to me is that we have places in the West, and not to be in the West, but uh just places that didn't look like much at first, but they weren't really empty. They just hadn't been realized yet. The people who built anything out there, they had to believe in something before it looked like anything. And it wasn't nothing, it just hadn't been seen yet. And that brings up a thought about what they call the gateway to West Texas to me is up in the panhandle, which to me should be north, but that's a whole different world. But in the panhandle, can you imagine being in a wagon coming west from the east? All those grassy, long, long vista views, and then all of a sudden you hit Palo Duro Canyon and it's 900 feet down, and you can't even see it from the next hill.

Rhoni 11:48

Yeah.

Mac 11:49

But then all of a sudden it's there, and then people say, Oh, this is really something. It's kind of like that, I think, for people. They see a thing and then they're something. We could really do this. Brings up another thought. My dad, on top of Lookout Mountain, between Kingsland and uh and Marble Falls in the hill country. It's a big hill. Everybody knows Lookout Mountain.

Rhoni 12:12

Right.

Mac 12:12

And he bought the top of Lookout Mountain as a business thing, and they were gonna develop it. And I can remember driving how I used to love coming to town. Of course, I was think I was even living here then, but coming to town and getting in his suburban or truck or whatever he had and driving around this land with him. And I can remember we were on top of Lookout Mountain, and he pulled off the little dirt road and stopped, and he said, Okay, we got out actually and walked about, I don't know, maybe a hundred yards out into the pasture, really. And he looked and he said, Okay, here we go. He said, We can take that tree out and that tree out and that tree out. And don't worry, there were lots of trees. But he said, We take those three trees out and clear this up a little bit over here, and that view of that river is gonna be gorgeous. And sure enough, it was.

Slowing Down to Hear and See

Rhoni 13:07

You've got San Saba, a place we didn't fully see. You have your dad who could always see what others couldn't. I loved that about him. And then you have this whole idea of the West built by people who believe in something before it existed. And so I think the question really is now what if that's how God works in our lives too?

Mac 13:57

Faith. So what if God is always speaking vision to us?

Rhoni 14:02

I think so.

Mac 14:03

Uh and we just miss it because of our everyday life.

Rhoni 14:06

Because we're so busy.

Mac 14:07

Yeah.

Rhoni 14:08

Too busy to recognize it often. That that brings me to what I was reading this morning from a man named Smith Wigglesworth. He's an old, uh, really anointed faith man that really shared a lot of profound truths. And this was a teaching about how to hear better, how to hear God. And he actually suggested that you begin each morning in total stillness. Yeah, he said, before you speak or pray, just sit quietly and calm your spirit. And so much truth in this, especially in our busy day. Silence your thoughts and distractions. And we already know God often speaks first to the still heart. So he was saying that a consistent stillness will tune your spirit to recognize his clear voice. He actually said that do this for ten mornings. Ten mornings.

Mac 15:07

Starting off in stillness.

Rhoni 15:08

Yeah. Yeah. And then he said, speak specific prayers about your situation. And there are scripture references, uh, Philippians 4, 6. He said, instead of vague prayers, just tell God exactly what's on your heart. Tell God exactly where you need guidance. Be direct. Don't try to sound religious, just talk to him like a father.

Mac 15:35

We've heard that from many different places. Yeah.

Rhoni 15:38

And clarity comes when your words match the burden on your heart. And then you invite that divine instruction. It creates a space for God to respond without confusion. I thought that was profound.

Mac 15:53

That is, yeah.

Rhoni 15:54

And then he said, listen immediately after you pray. A reference to that is Habakkuk 2.1. But he said, pause after your prayer and just wait quietly and expect a response. I mean, we serve a loving God who wants to commune with his people. So the spirit is going to speak to you in impressions that are on your heart. You just have this kind of gut feeling, right?

Mac 16:20

Yeah, sure.

Rhoni 16:21

Confirmation, subtle nudges. But listening immediately trains your heart to recognize God's voice apart from your own thoughts. That's where we probably need training.

Mac 16:33

Yeah, that's a key because I know, I know I have prayed and then just okay, that's it. Wrap up the close the attache' case, let's go.

Rhoni 16:40

Yes, but if you will give it some time, some still quiet time, then over time this practice is going to make his voice distinguishable from distractions or listen to this, emotions.

Mac 16:53

All that noise. Yeah.

Rhoni 16:54

It will, you'll hear his voice over the emotion of the moment. And then he said, meditate on scripture related to your situation. We've talked about that. Yeah. Find the promises that relate to your specific situation. And really think about those scriptures throughout the day. Voice them. You know, the Lord gives me the desires of my heart. He said that in Psalm 37:4. He always meets my need. He said that in Philippians 4:19. So recall those scriptures that relate to your situation. But then he also said to keep a notebook, because again, here comes the vision. Habakkuk 2:2. Record your impressions and prompting. So keep a notebook and just write down what am I thinking about after I've had this prayer. And over 10 days, he says that patterns will begin to emerge and the spirit's voice will become unmistakable. So journaling, which is near to my heart, sharpens discernment and it distinguishes divine instruction from personal ideas. And then we know that written reminders always allow you to track progress and then notice, notice what you're thinking. I heard a I heard a writing instructor say something along the lines of, How do I know what I think until I see what I say?

Mac 18:13

That's good. Yeah.

Rhoni 18:14

So so write your impressions down and then respond obediently to every impression. James 1: 22. You act on what you sense God directing you to do. Even if it's small, it could be something so small as today you need to hit the storage shed and take something out. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so just act on those small things because obedience is going to train your spirit to trust God's voice. And delay or doubt is going to cloud clarity. So while faithful action is going to amplify spiritual sensitivity, you want to begin to lean into that. I've also heard one of my faith fathers say, This is going to step on some toes, so I'm sorry. But sarcasm trains your spirit not to believe.

Mac 19:11

So yeah.

Rhoni 19:12

So when you say, Oh great, this just happened.

Mac 19:15

You're telling your spirit. Yeah.

Rhoni 19:17

Yeah, you you're training your spirit to not believe the things that come out of your mouth. So again, respond obediently to every impression and then begin to follow through, even on those little minor promptings, just a little nudge, go this way instead of that way. Train your spirit. Begin to train your spirit. It's almost like I just got the impression of, you know, when you're when you're training a dog, not that I was ever successful at that because I was not. But remember how when we had Buddy and they wanted us to barely pull the leash, barely tap the leash this way. So he would move that way on the slightest nudge, not yank him. We see people on the side of the road fighting with their dogs, and we're like, oh, that dog needs training. But remember how that was the goal that or a horse.

Mac 20:07

Oh, I was just gonna think I was thinking about the the uh a horse can feel that light, yeah, light touch of the rain on his neck. Yes, that's just that nudge.

Rhoni 20:17

It's just that nudge. And listen, patterns in the earth, those are by design. So we need to be doing the same with our spirit. You you get so skilled at listening to God's voice that you will move on the slightest nudge. You hear it, you know it.

Mac 20:38

Yeah.

Rhoni 20:39

That's going to increase your spiritual confidence and your responsiveness. And then reflect each evening on what you heard at the end of the day, just review your notes that you wrote down and consider how the day went. And that kind of reflection is gonna begin to build understanding. But here's the thing, it's also gonna reinforce spiritual discipline. And I know that I need that because I'm in the morning, I've got 15 things I'm thinking about. And I have still not mastered the 15 minutes of of the first 15 that Pastor Ray wanted us to do.

Mac 21:16

Yeah.

Rhoni 21:16

So I'm gonna recommit to that and keep doing it until I get it right. But I think I should layer in this because we actually want to train and reinforce spiritual discipline. Yeah. And so Smith Wigglesworth said over 10 mornings, this process will train you to hear God loudly and unmistakably. And he also said that daily review strengthens your ability to discern timing and instruction. So, really, to wrap that conversation up, the Spirit of God desires to speak clearly. But that clarity is really going to come through stillness and focus and obedience. So So I think following this process without skipping is something that I would encourage all to do. I know I'm gonna try it.

Mac 22:07

Yeah. And it's hard, we admit. I mean, it's hard to do something every day, even if you're trying to train yourself because we're busy, we do stuff, we you know, we got things to do, we got things on our mind.

Rhoni 22:18

But that whole listening after prayer, I mean, do we skip the listening part? Yeah. Yes. And when you write it down, again, those patterns will begin to show up. What am I thinking about every morning? Or what big idea keeps shining through? But then when you reflect, you're gonna look back and you might actually even see some of the things that you've been missing.

Mac 22:39

So this is not about trying to force God to speak.

Rhoni 22:45

No, he's always speaking, he's always trying to get our attention.

Mac 22:49

It's really just about you getting still enough to recognize what God is already saying. If we just sit down and listen.

Rhoni 23:01

Right. So we've gone from our hometowns, and what seemed to be ordinary actually held great treasure. We know now we actually find ourselves wanting to make sure that we have a place in our hometowns to be old in, right? We don't want to leave that. Yeah. Um, so maybe the treasure isn't somewhere else. It's actually where your roots are.

Mac 23:26

Maybe it's already right here in front of you.

Rhoni 23:29

In your own town or your own life, wherever you are, or maybe it's even your next step.

Mac 23:36

And I'm so guilty of not slowing down enough to just to even see it.

Rhoni 23:44

Mm-hmm.

Mac 23:44

So that's good.

Rhoni 23:45

Yeah. The same way we didn't see it growing up doesn't mean it wasn't there. We just have to have new eyes to see it.

Mac 23:54

And a willingness to hear it.

Rhoni 23:56

Getting still, becoming still and quiet, and God will lead us there.

Mac 24:11

So maybe the treasure isn't somewhere out there. Maybe it's been right in front of you the whole time. It just takes a different kind of vision, maybe a little stillness to really see it. And even more than that, just a willingness to slow down and listen. Because sometimes what we've been looking for is already part of our story. Thanks for spending some time with us on this joyride. And if something in this episode connected with you, we'd love to hear from you. You can reach us at hello@weekendjoyride.com, or you can follow our Facebook page. We'd appreciate that too. And tell a friend. And we'll see you next time on the Weekend Joyride.