BYS - In the Studio - The Turf Nerds

It's Revenge of the Nerds, 2026 style, as the BYS studio is invaded by the Turf Nerds.  Evan Lindman and Uncle Greg Durbin raise their shields to discuss bringing their faith to the turf industry.

Join us as we discuss faith, work, turf, prayer, and overseeding.  Get your Nerd on!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Barrier Shield Podcast. I'm your host, Ron Scheffler, and I am super jacked on this episode as it's our first industry experience interview at the studio today, and I've got a couple of nerds with us, and I'm just super excited here to talk to these guys. The turf nerds are in town. And guys, just talk to me a little bit. Introduce yourselves. Evan, Uncle Greg, uh talk to me a little bit about uh you guys are married, uh, children, years of experience in the turf industry. Just give us a little bit of background, if you would.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Super. Ron, thank you. It's an honor to be on the Bear Your Shield podcast. Greg and I are avid listeners. It's good content because it's correct and true and godly content. And uh my name is Evan Lindman. I've been in the lawn and landscaping industry for almost uh about 16 years now. Uh graduated high school in 2010 and wound up getting into lawn care, and it turned into a career. The Lord has blessed us. I got married in 2020. Uh yeah, married in uh August of 2020. Had to think about that for a minute. Oh man, not even been married that long. I have a three-year-old son. I have a daughter that was just born on March 4th, and um it's it's been a great ride. Um the podcast was kind of a thing that was well, we we launched a podcast, Turf Nerds. Everyone knows the Uncle Greg Durbin, but I'll let him speak for that. It was something that was kind of born uh a couple of years ago, back in 2022. My sister-in-law actually um said, Hey, how about because I was kicking around a podcast idea, she said, Hey, how about Turf nerds? And they just stuck. I didn't have any creativity with the podcast name. Greg, what do you think about that?

SPEAKER_03 1:54

I uh I came in after the fact, so I'm just I'm just following your lead. So I'm I'm at this point, I'm a at that point I was a follower, not a leader. So uh, but uh my name's uh Greg Durbin. Uh Evan asked me to actually join uh the Turf nerds uh what probably about 20 episodes in or so, Evan. Is that about right?

SPEAKER_02 2:17

It was episode number uh shoot. Oh man, I have to go back and look, but Greg's been on it for almost two years now. We've done it well over 100 episodes together, and it's been great because Greg and I, Greg's actually my uncle. People don't understand, like they call him Uncle Greg, but like literally little do they realize. Hello, this is Greg. He's actually my uncle. He knew me, well, he he knew me before I was born. So, and you got into the lawn care biz, but you can uh tell that, Greg.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Yeah, but I I um I was in the corporate world, went to uh grew up and uh went off to uh Central Michigan University and uh studied there and uh worked at uh worked at a golf course when I was in college and then um uh so so I learned how to cut while I was working on the uh golf course. I bet you didn't know. Yep, yeah. And I worked on um uh got out of college, worked in corporate life for you know 30-ish years, 35 years, and just found that uh uh after some time had a couple of uh experiences that I wasn't particularly pleased with with regard to management and such. So um found myself out of work and while I was looking for a job, Evan uh Evan was cutting and needed some help while I was looking at I said, okay, I'll just make a few bucks. And after uh I was probably helping you for about a month, Evan, I believe.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

And um uh about month, month and a half-ish. And then uh I'm just sitting there thinking, you know what? I I just don't honestly really feel like going back into the corporate world at this point. I know how to cut. I had had my own business of uh about 10 years prior, so I knew how to run a business and decided, you know what, I could do this. So uh 2019 made the decision. That was in uh October, November 2019, and then uh 2020. I I just started to start my uh the own lawn business. So I'm I'm approaching my seventh year in business here now. So looking uh looking forward to it. It's been it's been fun. Evan and I bounce each other, uh bounce stuff off each other all the time. So it's been really uh really a blessing and and working with my nephew and um uh just uh keeping keeping things in the family.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Yeah, well, what a good nephew, right? And the turf industry has never been the same since. So that's awesome. And and Greg, you're married? Any children?

SPEAKER_03 4:42

Oh, I'm sorry, yeah. I have um uh married my wife Shell. We uh uh married in '93, so we're gonna have our uh 33rd anniversary this year, and then um um, so I'm gonna be moving. Let me see. Uh I'm sorry, I was moving my microphone, so I had to say moving my microphone. So uh, but we've been married, uh, we'll be 33 years this year, and then uh we have three children, and uh uh 28, 24, and 23. And uh been been real excited. Two of them are still in the area here, one of them lives out in Colorado.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

Yeah, well, congrats on that longevity in the marriage. We're we're just one year ahead of you only, so uh we got married in '92. So I love the fact you know that the turf nerd's name kind of came kind of from nowhere and there wasn't a lot of thought to it, like like you said, Evan, but I gotta know the question. Is there a difference between a nerd and a geek, in your opinion?

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Oh man. So Greg and I were actually chatting about this this morning, Greg. We actually looked it up. Uh I think it was the pre-show before our uh show on Turf Sub Radio. A nerd and a geek, and for with like without looking it up, like when I think of someone who's like a nerd, I mean, honestly, I thought they were kind of synonymous. This is a really good question because I didn't want to like prep for just this question. So a nerd and a geek, oh he's a nerd. I I always thought like a nerd is someone who has great expound, like a great uh extensive, um profound knowledge in the type of a field, and then a geek's just kind of like I think geek's like the word for like a dweeb who's who's someone who also knows stuff, but just I I think nerd sounds nicer than geek. I don't know, Greg. What do you think about that?

SPEAKER_03 6:25

Well, I think I think the actual definition nerd is uh someone who's just intellectual, uh studious, um, and then the um a geek is probably something someone who is really excited about he's really geeked up about uh computers or compu uh geeked up about uh baseball. So he's really into something, uh pop culture, games, whatever. So that's I think that's a difference between those. So turf geeks didn't probably sound that great. Um so I think turf nerds probably uh uh probably blended a little bit better.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

Yeah, I don't think turf geeks sounds well. I don't think blank geeks sounds well, you know, fit fit anything in there, and I think I don't think it sounds well. And I and I appreciate that, Evan. Like it I haven't heard the word dweeb since like middle school, you know. It's a long time ago. Dweeby, yeah. Kind of dating me, right?

SPEAKER_03 7:16

Now you're making me wonder what's the defin what are they actually called dweeb? Uh dweeb.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

I don't know. I I always thought dweeb was kind of like a dork or like a dweeb meaning here. Geeky, yeah. The geek guys, when when when I think geek run, I think someone that's got like the pen in his front uh pocket to his uh button up and old school engineering, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Pocket protector, tiny.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Hey guys, Ron's an engineer, so there you go. Maybe he maybe Ron Scheffler over at Bobcat's a dweeb. I I kind of retired my pocket protector, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:45

Are you socially awkward, boring, unfashionable, or timid? That would be the uh definition of a dweeb. So now I used to, when I worked at uh Evan doesn't even remember this, Ron would remember them, Kmart when I was in college. Uh and uh so I used to have the pocket protector. So uh would have about six or eight pens going across in my pocket there, so it was kind of kind of funny.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

I might I might fall into that definition of dweeb if it wasn't from my wife of unfashionable. I think I wore the same, I'd still be wearing the same thing I wore in high school if it wasn't for my wife to straighten me out a little bit. Crying out loud. Speaking of my wife, Evan, um my wife was listening to Charlie Kirk show uh a few months back. Uh well, it's been a little bit longer now. Um and she she Yeah, I was traveling, she called me up, she says, Hey, do you know a landscaper named Evan? I said, I sure do. He's a nerd. And she's like, Yeah. She said, I heard him, I heard him on the uh on the Charlie Kirk podcast show, and I was like, Oh, dang it. So I went back and listened to that one because I had missed it. So yeah, so anyways, uh you're out there and and uh appreciate appreciate the faith and everything and following following TPUSA like that. You know, I which brings kind of like this segue here. Um, you know, we we know each we got to know each other a few years ago at at Equip Expo. Uh we're in the same turf industry and have have similar passions, you know, the more the more that I talk with you guys, the more I find out that we have a lot in common, I think, as as human beings, as men, um in in our work lives and everything. And I really think that's really cool. And I I wholeheartedly believe that the Lord has brought us together. However, that looks like in the future just might be just for now. Um, but I totally agree that people cross our paths for certain reasons. And um I just find your guys' story encouraging. Um, the prayer breakfast that we that we talk about, uh that we've talked about on your show in the past, uh, that's coming up in 2026 in Louisville. Uh it's just exciting stuff that happens um regarding our faith. And I really appreciate the fact that you know, together you you guys have all have a lot of years of marital experience here, a bunch of children, and I know that you guys are trying to do things the the right way. You know, it's one thing when we we talk about our faith inside our four walls of our home and everything like that, and I guess there's some comfortability in that. Um and I do want to I I do want to bring bring back up the show when we talk, but um how we met at the show, but when you guys are out and you're visiting clients, like it's a tough industry. We're in a tough, tough industry, whether it's landscapers, customers, how however you you look at it, it's a tough world out there. How do you guys bring your faith into your workplace? How do the turf nerds bring their faith to their customers, to their clients?

SPEAKER_02 10:59

Well, Greg and I, it's it's it's pretty simple. Uh Greg and I have the gift of Gab, we have no problem talking, which has probably gotten us in trouble here and there, go, because sometimes we can just burn and waste time. But bringing into the faith into our work has been quite I've never really been ashamed just to talk. I mean, as simple as just listening to people, and Greg will be able to tell you too, just listening to uh clients treating their lawns like we would treat them, like our own lawns. And it when you just talk to people, it just opens up the opportunity to just simply say, Hey, I'm praying for you. It's kind of cliche, but then more than that, actually pray for them. And Greg can kind of touch on this though too, and I've gotten more boldness because Greg was encouraging me to actually pray for your clients, not just say that you're praying with them. Stop what you're doing right there. I've shut the mower off with a client before because her husband had died that morning, like literally that morning, he was in his 90s. She came outside, she told me I tried to quote some verses to her from my poor uh memory, and um we just prayed for her there on the spot. And Greg has some clients, Greg, and he'd be able to tell it that I mean they're they're all there too, but but Greg uh Greg and I will spend anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes talking to people, and this gets gives us the opportunity, it's easing into it, and then we just I I guess maybe it's the boldness through the Holy Spirit and knowing his word just to just to share our faith and to give people the true hope that's out there, and it's uh we we try to give them eternal hope.

SPEAKER_03 12:20

Yeah, and I think Evan's Evan's right. Uh we've we're both bold enough to be able to have a discussion with our clients, but what I think happens to us is because of the the diligence in what we do, uh because of the uh detail that we put into our accounts, people look at us differently. And you know, I've I've said this before. The song it was uh Steve Green had the song that you're the only Jesus some may ever see. So that example of making sure that we're uh that we're trimming right, that we're edging properly, we're blowing off stuff, being conscientious, I think opens a door for us to be able to have discussions with our clients. And I've probably, I don't know, half a dozen or so clients that I've had an opportunity to be able to pray with. Uh one one of my clients told me she was going in for uh colonoscopy. She was real nervous about that. So we, you know, because she they they were she was having some issues and they wanted to check out something, and and uh so she was a little bit nervous about that. We're standing right there in the middle of her driveway. I just put my arm around her and said, Let me pray for you. And um, I've had other clients, uh, one who I knew was a believer. I found out one day we were we were talking, he came outside, we were talking, and he's somehow it came up that he was um uh he was diagnosed with some uh um uh skin cancer of some sort. I can't remember what it was, but we were talking and and I just say, let's pray, and I put my hand on his shoulder, and and I, you know, he really appreciated it. And so it's just the opportunity, I think, that we build uh by being conscientious about what we're doing, being um uh uh kind with our clients, because you know, like you said, Ron, this is kind of a kind of a tough industry. We see a lot of guys out there that are are um you know, they're out there smoking a cigarette while they're while they're trimming. And yeah, you know, not that that's necessarily rough, but usually that kind of accompanies some other type of character, um, potentially. And uh, but we this is kind of a rough industry that we see and so by us being the way we are, by being conscientious, by being formally um um interacting with our clients, it gives us the opportunity to to share a little bit more than most people probably would.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Yeah, I think that conscientious word is just you hit the nail right on the head. You know, what makes you different from the other folks that are out there? And being conscientious, you're doing it right. Uh we are told to work as we are doing unto the Lord. And I just feel like, you know, people watch what we do day in, day out. I'm not out in the in the grass uh as much as you guys are, you know, we're in the same industry, but I'm I'm more in the corporate world here now, and it's just uh a similar thing. Whether I'm standing in the grass or uh sharing an office or a computer with somebody, is the conscientiousness that we have to remember who's watching us. And you know who's watching us is practically everybody. You know, you know.

SPEAKER_03 15:28

I remember years ago, I'm sorry, uh sorry to interrupt. I remember in when I was in college, I was probably a year into my uh into my faith, and I remember one of my um one of the friends that was in one of the groups I was at, I was in with uh Fellowship of Christian athletes, and these other friends were with Campus Crusade. We we lived a couple doors down from each other and we got along really well. And anyway, one of the girls was dating uh uh a guy, and she came up to me and she said, I just want you to know, Greg, you you don't realize I forget the guy's name, I'll say Dave. Uh she said, Dave is really watching you. Um, and he's because he wasn't a believer yet. And um she said he sees you walking across campus, always got a smile on your face, talking to everybody, just enjoying yourself. And he's and she said, you know, he's he's watching, he's been seeing how you are, and you've been a great inspiration to him. So, and that's kind of the way I've been since then. Once didn't realize that that was actually happening, but after I found that out, I've tried to I've tried to live up to that. Live up to that smile. How's that?

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Yeah, you know, a smile goes a long way. I I've I my two sons, so I have I have four kids, four adult kids, two sons, two daughters, and both my sons are in the military, and both have a similar story where um they don't they don't swear, and when they were in training, they both had people come up to them and said, What's your s what's your deal? I've never heard a cuss word come out of your mouth, so what's the scoop, right? And that was a a chance to just say, Hey, uh, we're gonna be called to talk about and defend the words that come out of our mouth, right? Everything that comes out we're gonna have to answer for. And they use it as a way of testimony, and and not to say, shame on you, guy, for for swearing or anything, but just this is what I believe and this is why. And it's both have a story too, a follow-up of just how it made people think, you know, which is kind of kind of cool in and of itself. And so there I got again that conscientiousness of it. I I love it. I I feel a theme coming Uncle Craig.

unknown 17:43

You know.

SPEAKER_03 17:44

No, well, now you may now you make me wonder. I gotta be I gotta think about the way that. So but yeah, it's it's important and it's it goes a long way. I had a guy that was helping me out a little bit, and one day he was talking to me, and uh he's he's a pretty rough guy. I mean he's had a he's had a rough life, he's cleaned himself up, but I mean he can't say I don't think he can say a sentence without throwing in the F-word. And um he's just he's just throwing stuff out constantly, and I I don't think honestly there was a sentence that didn't come out with it. And uh one day he looks at me and says, You don't swear, do you? And I don't see the I don't see the need, I don't see the necessity. And uh, but he was he was watching, I didn't realize it, but he was really paying attention. And uh um so again, you you don't know who's watching, but you're the you're the only Jesus somebody ever sees, so that's what I try and do.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Yeah, planting seeds, right, guys. And how cool that we can say planting seeds in our industry. It just dawned on me.

SPEAKER_02 18:50

Kentucky Blue, oh yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Well, both you guys, both you guys chatted about a time that you were successful, right? Praying with praying with a client. Uh first of all, that was super inspiring. Just stopping uh Evan, I think you said you just turn the engine off right then and there. Uh just inspiring to hear those types of stories. Is there a time like or a client that you talked to that maybe you just weren't so successful that just kind of went south on you that you could that you could share where maybe people didn't want to share their faith and and kind of how'd you react?

SPEAKER_02 19:29

I had a client, uh tragic story happened to both of them. I'll leave the details out, but they were Jehovah's Witnesses, and I tried for many years to kind of witness to them, and uh I had burned several hours in time of trying to witness to her rather than him. He was just kind of a weirdo, he was very weird, and uh I I tried with them for a while, some tragic things happened to them.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

Did that make him a dweeb, a nerd, or a geese? He's just being weird.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

He was he was he was he was very he was very weird, and um she was more so seeking the truth than he was, and I actually read a book. Um it was basically a book that kind of debunked a lot of their um this views, the Jehovah's Witnesses, because there was someone who was in uh basically part of the governing body, and they they got out of it there in the 80s, and I read this book, and this guy had all and just we went I I felt like I was never very successful with them, and sometimes I would scare them away, but any like sort of client who I've at least said, Hey, I'm praying for it, no one's ever really like like really rejected, although this Jehovah's Witness uh client, um their friend, I got I had got to know the friend of this client, and I tried to pray with him on the phone once, and he said no. So he's the guy who prints out our shirts and stuff, like turf nerds shirts and things like that. And I tried to pray with him on the phone once over some tragic stuff that happened uh last year, and he said no thanks. So I felt like, oh man, I'm trying to share the the the actual truth in love of Christ to you, and you basically told me to drop that, which that kind of just rattled me there for a bit. But I mean when they're so steeped in something that's so false, you can't blame them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

Yeah, I had a I had a client that um he was going through he was gonna have some surgery uh day after uh next day or day after, I don't recall. And it was interesting because I had just had a conversation with uh uh Evan's dad uh about having the opportunity to share with people. And um while while I was out working and he says, Oh yeah, that's great that you have he says, most people won't turn that down if you get an opportunity to pray uh with them. And uh, you know, especially if they're in the hospital or if they're things are going on, they're they're rarely gonna turn it that rarely gonna turn it down. So I called Joel back a couple days later. This was this was, I think, on a Sunday. We probably had Thanksgiving or or something, some kind of dinner together. And um two days later, I happened to be talking with this client and called uh Called Evans' dad back and said, So I I had this conversation with this guy. And I said, Remember how you said uh, you know, people just won't turn you down if they're going in for surgery or something? And and uh I he says, Oh yeah, yeah, I remember that. And I said, Yep, got my first turn down. And the guy, he just he's in his 80s, and uh I it was funny. I said, Hey, yeah, I know you're going in for surgery. Can I pray for you? He says, Nope. And uh I I said you don't want me to pray for you. And he says, Well, my mom went in for surgery one time, and uh she didn't come back out. Oh boy. I felt, I mean, I didn't know I so I called Joel and I said, Well, I uh and he says, Well, you know, he's he had a reason. So but yeah, yeah, it was it really was a shame, but it it's uh it kind of makes me laugh a little bit because it was just two days prior when we when we had the conversation. And uh, but you know, most people most people are pretty uh um interested in having you pray for them if you get that opportunity. Um I think that's the only time I've been turned down for for prayer like that. So but he's I'm I'm still working on him, still trying to talk to him a little bit, but uh you know we'll see. You know, hopefully, uh hopefully I'll have an opportunity to share with him before uh before he passes, so before he gets too old.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Yeah, maybe a little over seeding's needed there, right? Instead of just planting seeds.

SPEAKER_02 23:36

So aeration too.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

Yeah, I think that's about right. You know, we we met back in 2024 at Quip Expo. Um I think that was the first year that I went to the prayer breakfast at in Louisville there, and you know, it it got me so jacked up the whole week of Louisville. Usually I come home on Friday uh evening and I'm I'm wiped, I'm spent, and um, but that year I went to the prayer breakfast and you know my uh son came along um and it I don't know, it was just energized. It's like the Holy Spirit just gave us the energy for the entire week. And I came back Friday night, I get home late at night, you know, and I'm like blah blah blah blah blah blah blah and tell them and Tracy's probably trying to sleep, you know, and I'm just like, God, this happened, this happened, this happened. You know, and and you guys were you guys were one of the one of my big stories, right? You came in and you you we chatted on the on the Turf Nerds podcast, and you guys interviewed me, and we got to know each other later, and I think you guys came back twice more to the booth just to chat. You know, we talked about faith a couple of times, and I then you guys introduced me to your wives, which I thought was really uh special of you guys to do that, and I was just grateful for to kind of get to know your families a bit. And you know, I that that was really cool to me because um I just felt like man, there are so many more people out there that are brothers or sisters in Christ. So we don't know, and we we won't know on this side of heaven, but I feel like at times like that when we we meet people that are in our industry that are believers, it's almost kind of like um that the movie 300, right, where the Spartans guys they lock their shields together, and together we can help conquer things and move move faith forward in the uh in our industry like that. Do you do you guys feel that way at at all? Or I mean you guys are pretty well connected.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

Greg, what do you think?

SPEAKER_03 25:49

Well, I th well we kept coming back, we were trying to plant seeds, Ron. Uh yeah. What uh type of grass seed, Greg. Yeah. Well, the um what was interesting is I remember I just enjoyed our conversation that we had with you. I just uh I I just um and at that time we didn't know you were a believer.

SPEAKER_02 26:09

Greg can talk, Ron is what he's saying.

SPEAKER_03 26:11

Yeah, but we just didn't really enjoy uh I just really enjoyed meeting you and talking uh talking with you, and somewhere along the line, I think we figured out that we were both uh believers. I we both missed that prayer breakfast that day. Was that Daryl Strawberry that spoke at that? Is that who it was?

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Yeah, it was strawberry, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

It's so bad because we missed it, and then I I hear from Greg, we kept uh popping back to the Bobcat booth. Greg's like, you know, he's a believer. I said, Oh, really? I sat there and I kind of felt ashamed. Like, did we not when we met down and sat down with Ron and did the show at the 2024 show? Greg, were we not like Christ-like enough to run? Now I felt kind of bad.

SPEAKER_01 26:47

Well, I feel like it must have been smoking and cussing or something for Greg not to know, you know.

SPEAKER_03 26:53

You were great, Ron. No, you were you were yeah, you were great. But it was um it was just I really enjoyed the conversation, really enjoyed meeting you, and and um it it was just um it was it was nice time to be able to talk with you. I think it was probably um I oh I also remember you said to me because we went we were by there the next day, and you said, you know, I just gotta say that you guys, you guys he I think you said you were at the prayer breakfast, and then you said, and that you said that that was the best day you've had in how many how many years of going to the expo, that you thought that was probably one of the best days you've ever had there. And you said something about the prayer breakfast, and then you know, having a chance to uh uh do the show with us, and yeah, that was an honor for you to hear you say that. And you said you guys were part of that, just having a just a really great day, and and you had spoken to your wife about that. So um, but but you the the industry because we know Evans met a few guys and I've gotten to know them since, but there's a lot of guys out there that we that we interact with that are believers and and you know we encourage each other. We're in a group chat with a bunch of guys that um that we we encourage each other. One of the guys had shoulder surgery and and uh he was down, so a lot of guys were getting in touch with him, making sure he was okay. He was concerned about whether or not he was gonna be able to get back started back up because I think what November he had the surgery, Evan. And uh Yes. Yeah, and uh he was concerned that he wasn't gonna be able to get back to work for six six months or so, and he's he just did his first job, I think, uh last week, didn't he, Evan?

SPEAKER_02 28:30

Yeah, holy smokes, it's crazy, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 28:31

Yeah, so he's been able to get back it, but it's the guys we have a bunch of guys that are encouraging each other, and uh so we really enjoy that. It's been kind of fun and uh uh very enjoyable to especially know guys in the industry and and uh see what see what we can do to build each other up.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Yeah, you you had said that beautifully, Greg. I think there's a lot of more guys who believe in Christ in the industry than we think. I mean, you'd hope the expo, like they're not tone deaf. I can't still figure out why, and I don't mind saying this. I can't figure out why they don't put the prayer breakfast on the actual equip expo program. I mean, uh I've I've gone rounds with them. There's I I I the the industry, it's at least about 70%. If they're if they're Christian, then they're if they're not Christian, then they're Catholic. So um there's there's guys out there and they believe, and it's it's so encouraging just talking to people, and um, we got into podcasting. So how the podcast worked for the first 16 episodes, I I did it with my buddy Ben, and Ben's awesome, and he was just really just someone to kind of co-host, and we got to know Tony Rudolph. Shout out to Tony at uh Tony's uh lawn care, and through that, through Tony, we got to know Cameron Duncan uh at the lawn care life, Mozouri, and then other guys, Aaron. So we we have this group of seven or eight guys, Ron, and and and uh they're believers, and we we encourage each other on the daily. I mean, Andy Wilson just had so uh shoulder surgery, and he's back out uh out there on the field, and Greg and I were able to uh encourage him though, too. It's good to know there's like-minded people out there who just uh who can take our encouragement and then we can take theirs.

SPEAKER_01 30:02

Yeah, that's fantastic. You know, I'm I'm glad that you guys talked about that because I I know you guys bear the bear your shield, you know, the bear your shield name. It is a long, long story for that that can't really get into today on, but you know, just bearing a shield, you know, protecting those in our community and our industry is a community. It's a it's a big family. And it's crazy, you know, that you go to the equip expo and maybe you haven't seen the a particular person since the last expo, and it's just great to catch up, and it's just like no time has passed, you know, so it's really fun, fun event to go there. The prayer breakfast is awesome. Um, you know, last year was really great too with Mike Singletary. And you know, the one one thing that I I just am realizing too is you know, I was expecting last year to to be as significant, um, as exciting as the previous Equip Expo that we just talked about. And last year on Friday, so like my wife came out and on Friday night, and we spent uh a couple days in Louisville and did some hanging out and things, and and she was like, uh, man, what's the matter? And I'm like, uh nothing. I said, I'd just like to get uh you know, let's just grab some dinner and can we just you know hang out in the hotel and just chill chill out and and just kind of I need to regroup and re-energize. She's like, sure. So we're talking and we're sitting in our hotel room, got the TV on, we're chatting about she's well tell me about the week. Last you know, last year you were such a chatterbox. And I had the same amount of stories, the same amount of things, but it was almost like the pendulum swung differently. It took a little bit more effort. Um for example, I I chatted with one with one guy. Um we have to be careful here, but several years ago he called me and he wasn't working at this vendor anymore, and he called me. He was telling me about this sad situation in his life. He's like, I I don't know why I'm calling you right now, but I just feel like you're someone I can talk to and listen to. Right? That's and we kind of left it at that. Now, fast forward to last year, about 10, 10, 12 years after that phone call, and the guy sits down on one of our buckets, and he just waves to me and he says, Hey, I'm I'm right here. Uh wait, you know, when you're done talking with whoever I was talking to, he goes, I'd love to chat with you. So he came over and we're talking business and a little bit, and he all of a sudden is just vomiting out what happened over the last few years to him. Again, tragic story, tragedy after tragedy, and and I just kind of took that leap of faith, if you will, and I said, you know what? I said, I think I know where where you're at, but I said, I got this, you know, I started this podcast, and maybe, you know, maybe you'll if you want to tune in and just listen to a few things, you'll know, because part of it is talking about protecting others, community, uh, family, and home and individuals and whatnot. But the other part is that I do a sermon series just to to help those who maybe aren't going to walk into the church door anytime soon, right? And again, planting seeds. And I said to him, I said, Maybe you know, here's a sticker with my logo, maybe you'll you'll listen in here and just give the give it a listen. And he just goes, Is this gonna be inspiring to me? And I'm like, I I said, I sure hope so. And he had a smile on his face, you know, then he walked away. But it was that kind of thing that it was like a heavy conversation, and instead of like, oh man, Greg, you're a brother in Christ, oh Evan, you're a brother in Christ. It was more about like people who had tragedy in their lives, illnesses happening, I need prayer. It was man, kind of draining, and that was a huge difference, you know. And I just and my wife's my that's my wife, you know, she's much smarter than me had said, you know, here's the situation, like that took more out of you before where you were you were getting the year before, last year you were giving a lot, and I'm like, oh yeah, you know, like it all made sense after that. Um I'm sure you guys have had some days like that too, where you're just worn out. So thinking thinking a little bit more about like bearing your shield, guys, um for the industry is one thing. You guys have a lot of years uh marriage, um both of you do, and you have children. Um you know, Greg, maybe start with you. You and I are closer in age, and how how will you how will you how have you carried the shield for your kids and now that they're adults, like how do you still carry the shield and protect them?

SPEAKER_03 34:51

Uh prayer. It's it's a lot of prayer for uh for for the kids. Yeah, the um uh you know, we prayed with the kids when they were younger, and just you know, we've you know, they all have something different going on in their lives, and and we've just been really praying for our kids lately, and uh um that's that's I don't want to say that's just about all you can do, but that is what you can do for your kids, because I I don't want to minimize it by saying just and uh but it's it's prayer for the kids and trying to be there to answer questions for them. Um if if you have the opportunity to be able to talk to them, you you you share with them and say, well, how would you know how would God handle? What what do you think God would think about that? And uh I had a circumstance the other day where something came up and I said, you know, you don't you don't do that, you can't do that. That's not the way to do things. And but you know, it's just sometimes people, you know, they just think that that's that's how that's everybody else is doing it. And uh, but you know, I'm trying to set the example um of well, it goes back to uh conscientious example of uh you remember when uh when Mike Singletary was speaking. Remember when they when all of a sudden we needed more chairs in there, Ron? I don't know if Evan saw this or not, you but you probably remember Ron. I think we talked about it. Was yeah, we we needed to bring more chairs in from the other room. And guess who was bringing in chairs from the other room? Was a Hall of Fame Chicago Bear linebacker, Mike Singletary, who's picking up chairs and bringing them back, bringing them into the other room. So so all these other guys at Mo Lawns could have a seat. And uh that I I I just turned around and I happened to see him doing that, and I was going, wow, because I was gonna turn around and go grab some chairs too. But you know, just being the example, that's that's really what we've got to do, is just be examples to our kids and and uh and pray for them. And because they're they're getting it from all sides right now. And you know, uh the issue that we have right now is uh I'll get sort of political. We can't trust the media, and uh because the media's just got yeah, but the media's just got so much information out there that you can't really believe. So, what is everybody going to? Hopefully Turf Nerds podcasts and the uh bear your shield podcast. Um but but they're getting so much, they're getting their information from podcasts right now, and right around the election time, you're thinking, you know, that's why uh Trump went on the shows that he did. He went on um uh Joe Rogan, he went on uh Vaughn, what's his Theo Vaughn, I think. Um he went on a bunch of shows to be on these podcasts because that's where the younger people are getting all their news from, their information from. But right now they're they're getting inundated with all kinds of information right now. They got just so much stuff that they're they're hearing because it's there, it's constant. It's Instagram, it's TikTok, it's everything that they're getting their information from. And the concern right now I have for them is where are they getting their information from and how legitimate is that source? Because can't get it from the media, and now you're starting to even question a lot of stuff that they're seeing on the podcast. So keep praying for the kids right now, guys. If you've got kids, pray hard for them because they're they're getting inundated with all kinds of information. Once it's almost like AI. I looked up something on AI the other day, and um um, or I I Googled something, I got an answer, I don't remember what it was, but then I looked down a little bit further and it was the exact opposite answer of what I had asked. And uh so I'm looking at this going, you know, that's what they're getting right now. So pray for your kids. That's the biggest thing you can do right now.

SPEAKER_01 38:41

Yeah, you know, Greg, I almost needed prayer at the prayer breakfast because speaking of Mike Singletary helping, he had some chairs, and I was like, Mike, let me get it, you know, because I I was I'm on the for those who don't know, I'm on the the prayer breakfast board there, and I felt like Mike should be chilling out and prepping for his talk. And I went to grab the chairs and he said, I got it, you know, and he gave me that linebacker stare at for a moment. I got it right. I peed a little, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 39:08

So it's like that's funny. That's funny. No, but I mean, how impressed were you with that? And I wonder how many guys actually saw that. So yeah, I wonder too.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

Yeah, I wonder too. I know most of the board who was we were all scrambling there in the back saw that, but it that was pretty cool to see that see the help. You know, Evan, you have a three-year-old, and now you got a little baby girl, newborn. Um, how are you going to carry the shield for for your young kids?

SPEAKER_02 39:37

Well, to reiterate, Ron, so what does carrying your shield mean? And you talked about this in your first episode of your podcast. Bearing your field, bearing your shield. Well, I can't even talk. Bearing your shield, protecting those around you, protecting those who can't protect themselves. Clearly, clearly, my three-year-old son and my, I don't know, two and a half week-year-old baby girl can't really protect themselves. And being uh it also means being the pastor of your work, take up your shield and be a mighty man for the Lord. And I guess I can carry my shield for my daughter and my son by A, protecting them, but by B um just imparting God's wisdom and God's truth onto them. It talks about in um God's word, in addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith, which which you can which which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And if I can ex if I can instill um that principle into my children, you know, a trained child up uh in a way they should go, even when they were old, uh even when they get old, uh hopefully they won't depart from it. But I kind of paraphrase that uh verse. Um, it's instilling faith into them, with which faith is a shield, and you want to do it as young as you can um possibly get because the world is going to scream at them. I mean, the uh the lawn care industry screams at us. They want us to hyper focus on riches and wealth and all this stuff. Follow all these creators, and sure, like that's nice to a point, but that doesn't really matter. What really matters is just being able to be there and provide for your family, being a light and a witness to Christ. So back to the main thing. Like how you carry and bear my shield for my uh offspring and my kids is just instilling the faith into them and um physically protecting them and then spiritually uh protecting them too, so they can walk in God's truth and God's ways.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

Yeah, that's awesome. You know, so you said mighty men, and I love that's coming right out of the Old Testament, 2 Samuel, David and his mighty men. I love those, and and it's interesting for those who are like, oh yeah, I can't be a mighty man of God. I'll tell you, you you can't because David had the these groups of this these groups of guys, right? They were they were thieves and they were in debt and they were probably murderers. Like they weren't like these guys looking around like Marvel's Thor, right? They weren't like that. They were some ruffians, if you will. They might have had the cigarette and cigarette on doing the trim work, Greg. I don't know, you know.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

But Greg smokes cigarettes all the time. He's just lying to you.

SPEAKER_01 42:07

But but the reality is, like, there were mighty men, and then there were the three, right? And the three, like one of the guys was El Liesar, who's he fought so hard his it said his sword froze to his hand, right? He couldn't let go of his sword, he was gripping it so much, and another guy took out 800 men in the field, right? The the mighty men were still the mighty men. They just didn't attribute to the same stories and same battles as the three. So when you say mighty men, we can all be the mighty men, right? We might not ad we might not uh get up to like the three status, but we can certainly uh be a mighty man of the Lord. I love that, uh Evan. I'm great so grateful you said that. Um that's one of my favorite sections in the Bible.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Yeah, you had pulled that right out of your first episode. Go on, Greg, sorry.

SPEAKER_03 42:57

No, go ahead, Evan. Finish and then and then I'll interrupt you.

SPEAKER_02 43:00

Oh, that's that's all I I wanted to say, but just to kind of like wax on this more, though, Ron, God is our shield though, too. I mean, Proverbs 35, every word of God is tested. He's a shield to those who take refuge in him. Getting on there into like the literal shields in the battle and in like the Bible, 1 Samuel 17 7, the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of a spear weighted 600 shekels of iron, and his shield carrier also walked with him. This is tough stuff, and you got a great name for the podcast, and burying the shield is so important because I think, honestly, Ron, I think a lot of men and spiritual men who have walked with and who've known me for a long time, they don't bury their shield, they're kind of wimps. So like I've been through like a some some church hurt, and it's just sad to see men who have not carried their shield.

SPEAKER_01 43:48

Yeah, I I've I've been there, done that too with uh you know, seeing some things that that I thought were ma people were mature believers, and and I think we're all in. growth mode. No, we're we're all in growth mode. I don't believe in the mature believer thing anymore. And uh I think we all we were never perfect, right? We're always getting closer to God.

unknown 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:10

I know Greg, you had something you're gonna say.

SPEAKER_03 44:12

Yeah, I was gonna, if I could um just add a little more shield speak to to the conversation. Um just in uh our our church yesterday we were talking about um Psalm three and uh uh read some of the verses here oh Lord how many are my foes because we're you know we that's why we need our shield uh but how O Lord how many are my foes how many rise up against me many are saying of me God will not deliver him but you oh but you are a shield around me O Lord and um my glorious one who lifts up my head but you are a shield around me O Lord and it was it's really interesting because as we're getting ready to do this I was I was listening I going oh this is perfect for tomorrow uh what we're gonna be talking about and bearing your shield and but what he talked about was um the shield absorbs the blows of the enemy and it protects us and surrounds the person from the enemy but that's what we're trying to do is protect um you know like you were saying protect our our families protect our clients you know how many you know Evan I don't know how many lawn clients you have that are 60 or above or 70 or above and those are the clients that we have to protect from you know from other guys that could come in and take advantage of them. I had a 102 year old client one time and uh yeah and she still lived at home by herself and I I knocked on her door introduced myself to her because I picked her up from somebody else and then um a week later I was there doing mowing and something saw something in the lawn went and knocked on her door said you know hey just so you know I saw this blah blah blah and she's talking with me and talking with me. And then at the end of our conversation it was five minutes maybe 10 she goes looks at me and says who are you and it it made me nervous and because I'm thinking you know she has I don't know if you've heard me say this before but she just opened the door and started talking to me and and I'm I'm thinking somebody's got to protect this lady and and scary oh yeah and but the interesting part was I happened to be there that by her house that evening saw a car in her driveway figured it wasn't hers at 102 and um uh didn't think she was driving but I knocked on the door and daughter in law came to the door and I said hey can I show you something out here and she uh she said oh yeah hang on I told her who I was and said let me show you something I got here and she came out and I said look I I don't have anything to show you I just wanted to tell you what happened earlier today and she goes oh wow thank you so much and I said I'm gonna periodically just knock on the door for her and you know because I thought you know I need to help protect her in any way I can as well so protecting our clients protecting our family um just bear that shield to to uh fend off the rocks and the slings and the arrows that are coming their way yeah that's awesome you know um Evan you brought up the the armor of God and it's interesting to me like I was always taught that the only offensive weapon in the armor of God that's in the book of Ephesians for those who aren't familiar with it uh Ephesians 6 10 it starts out with that the word of God is the the only offensive weapon I've heard that time and time again in sermons here in in a sermon you know and and I don't think that's true.

SPEAKER_01 47:37

I think the shield of faith is also you know you you think about you know movies with the shield Captain America right throwing the shield at people and knocking them you that's a weapon a shield as we as we do as a protect as we do use it for defense it's also can be an offensive weapon and and we just have to be on guard with that too from that that perspective um so yeah guys I I really appreciate you guys coming on and talking about faith and um protecting the industry protecting your families um I'll tell you you're my two favorite nerds in the world I'll tell you that right now on and I'll honestly do nice above any closing words what's that I said above Potsy Weber dating me oh that's a that's an old sitcom happy days man oh happy days yeah I know happy days okay I I've seen that I just can't name actresses yeah well it was a heat yeah that whatever okay I should just shut up now I'm just actually now that I think of it now that I think of it she called him Dren because she thought he was the opposite of a nerd and uh but on happy days they used to call people nerds all the time but but so but uh would have been better if you understood it Evan and probably uh I don't know how many percent of your audience would get it get it Ron.

SPEAKER_02 49:04

Well yeah you know uh we can't end on a happy days note uh guys is there any any closing words that uh you guys would like to say to to maybe the the bear your shield and maybe a shout out to your to your own podcast oh you're you're too nice Ron well if you want to listen to the turf nerds us Greg and I we we do have a podcast which morphed into a radio show it uh airs Monday through Friday 7 to 8 a.m on turf sub radio but also on the turf nerds YouTube channel and Ron it's it's been a great privilege to get on here and hopefully lord willing um encourage your listeners to uh keep in step with the spirit and bear bear their shield and it's a it's a task guys I mean we should take up our cross daily to follow Christ and this is not an easy thing to do like hey if you really think about it I mean we should be full steam ahead in and doing this but this is uh we should be able to do tough things and and bear our shield and be bold as men we need to actually act like men and step out there and uh in faith and talk about it not just be about it but like actually talk about it and uh do so in any sort of facet of life you don't have to cut grass guys look at Ron he works a corporate job here that's even probably a little bit more difficult than what Greg and I Greg and I do with like one-on-one clients on the daily Ron's got this big company that he has to try to weave through and I he could I mean it depending on the company he he could get canned if he shares his faith. Not the thing with Bobcat but you know what I mean and so Ron it's just been a great honor to be on yes thanks so much Evan Greg really appreciate you guys and uh folks out there listen thanks so much for listening.

SPEAKER_01 50:42

Godspeed and until next time bear your shield