SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to this code. The code equips men to walk boldly in their faith and finish the rest of life with no regrets. The Word of God's challenge is each of us to run with endurance. In a world full of attractions and challenges, we're here to help you to stay grounded in God's word, live with integrity, and live with meaning and purpose. Come along as your host Jeffron helps to equip you of having real conversations with successful men who will tell their stories of perseverance. Clothed in biblical truth, these powerful stories will give you practical wisdom to show that it's not about how you start, it's how you finish.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Welcome to Finish Strong. Today I'm honored to have Dr. Tim Randall and James Thomas join us. Tim and James are a dynamic duo of orthopedic medicine here in central Louisiana. They just do incredible work for mid-state orthopedic and sports medicine. Outside of work, they both have families. They're heavily involved in Calvary Baptist Church here in Alexandria, and they do mission work in hard-to-reach places around the world, Lightning Paul that we'll talk about. But I wanted them to come in today to talk about that work and that work in very difficult places. So when you hear these guys' stories, you may think these guys have it made, and they're just cruising through life. Well, just like everyone, they have their bumps along the way, but it's not how you start, it's how you finish. And Tim and James definitely have a plan for finishing strong. Welcome to the podcast, guys. James, Tim, thank you for joining me today. Thanks for having me. So, man, since I started this podcast, I'm like, I need these two guys to come on. So so, so blessed to have you here, but more importantly, blessed uh for you to be my friends and to call your friend. And so uh so just excited to hear from you. And I know we're gonna get a lot out of it this today. So so let's get rolling. But uh, so just you know, kind of tell us a little bit about each of yourselves, about your growing up years, you know, how'd you where'd you grow up and kind of what family you grew up in? So, James, jump jump off here, man.

SPEAKER_03 2:01

Tell us a little bit about your so uh I grew up in a small town in southwest Louisiana, Rose Pine, Louisiana. Uh grew up with a very uh good Christian foundation. My mom played the piano at church, dad was a bivocational minister, then started out in youth ministry and did some supply preaching, but he was also a teacher and uh he was the principal at a high school and went to a Rose Pond High School as well throughout the year. So um if the doors were open, James was at church. So not an option, right? Not an option. But but it was great. It it really helped to set that foundation for I guess for where I am now, you know.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yes. And you accept Christ at an early age?

SPEAKER_03 2:39

Yeah, so uh about eleven years old. Yeah, I can remember I can remember it very vividly. You know, we had a Christmas program at First Baptist De Ritter where we went to church called the Living Christmas Tree, which I know we used to have one here at Calvary, but uh I can I can remember sitting in the balcony on the far right side, probably the third row. That's the you know, the pew we claimed, I guess. But yeah, I can remember the singer Luke Garrett was his name, and he was singing uh a song called I Have Seen the Light. And I can remember just God tugging at my heart right there, uh, and led me to go home and ask some questions. And you know, long story short, my after some questions of conversation with my dad led me to the Lord's.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Amazing, amazing. I know they've been praying that for a long time, right? Raising you in the church and all that. So uh so you were just instantly a saint, right? Yeah. By the time you accepted Christ.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

So getting the wrong answer.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Exactly. Uh well, tell him what about yourself? Well, what kind of family did you grow up in? Where did you grow up?

SPEAKER_02 3:36

So yeah, so I'm uh from from a little small town outside of Appaloosis, Louisiana, called Plaisance. And uh so I'm I was raised Baptist and Catholic. My mom's Catholic, my dad's Baptist. So uh when my dad was home, he worked offshore. Uh so when he was home, we would go to Cat Catholic Church from uh nine to ten, and then we would do Baptist church from eleven to two. Uh and uh that was my my whole childhood. So I went through catechism, did my first communion and confirmation uh through the Catholic Church. And then uh when I turned 18, I decided to uh to uh commit my life to Christ and I was baptized Baptist and uh I committed to being Baptist uh from that that point forward. And uh so that's kind of my my my beginnings.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yeah. So what was the catalyst at 18 years old?

SPEAKER_02 4:24

Well, you know, I think we I have a uh uncle, my uncle Greg, Randall, he's a pastor in in Lafayette, but at the time he was he was uh he was thinking that he he wanted to go into ministry. He was a detective, juvenile detective in uh in Lafayette. And uh he was instrumental in helping guide me uh uh in in in my faith and uh and just opening up the the Bible to me because you know uh d my time uh learning uh through Catholicism, I never never really understood the Bible. And I couldn't tell you what the gospel was. And uh it wasn't until I started l listening and paying attention to to what my uncle was telling me and and what the the the preacher was saying in church and reading the Bible that I realized, you know, what what God, what what Jesus actually did, did for for us all. And then I mean it it uh you know after after you come to that realization it it's yeah there's no there's no turning around.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

It came alive for you, right? Right. Um okay, so you both grew up in a Christian family, Christian background, uh you leave, go to college. Uh so talk to us about the medical profession. When did it occur to you to say, hey, I want to go in the medical profession, I want to spend my life doing this, or maybe that was before you left home, but kind of talk to us about that decision.

SPEAKER_03 5:56

So James, what Yeah, I think for me going into college, I really didn't have a plan to go into medicine. Uh my plan was just to play baseball. Uh-huh. So I had the opportunity to play baseball at the next level for a short period of time. But once I graduated from there, you know, I kind of as toward the end of that first undergrad degree, I kind of had a idea that I wanted to get into medicine, but had no idea, kind of a plan, you know. So after years of working in physical therapy as a tech and nurse extern and things like that, you know, I kind of landed in uh I kind of landed in nursing uh through where I graduated first at Louisiana College through an accelerator program, yeah, nursing program. So um, but it wasn't always smooth along the way, you know. I kind of had some struggles through school, just learning how to study and things like that. And yeah. Actually failed a class, had to had to repeat a class, but you know, that's kind of an obstacle that I had going through that whole deal. But uh once I graduated nursing school, worked in nursing for uh in different avenues, you know, uh PACU, so post-surgical and then uh ICU, but you know, kind of critical care areas.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

So yeah, yeah. I'm sure it was like PE that you failed or something, nothing to do with your job now. Yeah, so okay, yeah. We need to make sure that, you know, if you're operating on me, you know, he didn't fail that part of the course, you know. So uh so so so pretty much you did you feel it was a God's calling on your life to do medicine? Or you just say, hey, this is something I want to help people.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

No, I believe it was God's calling. Yeah, you know, just still unsure what avenue that was, but but definitely I feel like it's a call.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Absolutely, absolutely. So what about you, Tim? Is there a bright light that came and said, I want you to be a physician, I want you to be an orthopedic surgeon, or was it?

SPEAKER_02 7:38

Well, I I think it was a sequence of of events. I think uh you can see God in it in every one of them. Uh but when I was uh I was four years old, my grandmother gave me this little toy doctor kit. And uh from that point in my life, I knew I was gonna be a doctor. There was nothing, there was no other job. There's no other there was nothing else. I was gonna be a doctor. And uh somewhere along the way I found the the hardest word that I could pr pronounce, it was anesthesiologist. So I I was gonna be an anesthesiologist from from you know age six until I realized uh what an orthopedic surgeon was. So when I was uh 17, I uh I broke my wrist in August of football season. And I went to this this orthopedic surgeon's office who used to be in Alexandria, Dr. Phil Basilla. And uh he set my wrist and and uh he put me in a cast and I was just looking at how you know he he's he's a strong Christian, uh, and he carries himself really well. And uh how he just how how he practiced. I I loved it. I was like, this guy's so cool. He gets to hang out with all the athletes and be a doctor. I'm like, this is this is what I would have do. Uh so you know, I went through football season with a cast on, and and about, I don't know, eight weeks in, he was he let me play in a splint. And uh so he put me in in this this fancy, you know, split that occupational therapist made, and then I broke my ankle. So your playing days were over? That was it. So that was uh that was uh my junior year, I think. And uh so from that point forward, I was I was uh I was committed to being an orthopedic surgeon. So every step in my life from that point forward was was working towards being an orthopedic surgeon. You know, I went to LSU, initially uh uh uh majored in biology, but quickly realized that uh I was I was geared more to kinesiology. So I got my my degree at LSU in kinesiology. While I was there, I worked as a student at Leg Trainer. Uh I worked at the PMAC. Uh I worked with Dr. Winder, who's an orthopedic surgeon at Baden Ridge Orthopedia Clinic. Uh so I did all these things to kind of get me in that in that arena. Uh when I graduated from LSU, I worked with as a physical therapy tech for a little while before I started med school. And uh, and then you know, for med school, it was all about just making the grades to to be competitive enough to to to do orthopedics. You you have to you have to you have to be competitive to to get in the field.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

And where was your residency? Where'd you do your residency?

SPEAKER_02 10:14

So I did residency at Scott and White in Temple, Texas. Okay, okay uh it's a it's a good, you know, homegrown program. You know, it's a lot of country boys and and families, it's very family-oriented, so it fit fit me really well. Yes. Uh that that residency, uh, the the friends I had in that residency, uh, you know, Casey Lagan, uh uh David Ferguson and uh a few other guys, they uh they taught me how to live uh a dedicated Christian life, I would say. Or they gave me the first impression. So they're they're my age. Uh but one day, uh, you know, me and Frankie were looking for churches and we were going from church to church to church, and uh one day uh they was like, hey, how about y'all just come to our life group? And I was like, Life group? What's a what's a life group? That was a foreign concept to me. And uh then uh so we ended up joining their life group and it was the beginning of of really learning uh just everything, just uh just learning everything about Christ and dedicating you know time to to focus on on him, yeah and uh being around people that were like minded. It was it was the beginning. Uh I had uh Dr. Brindley, who uh was our uh our Sunday school uh teacher at the church we ended up joining. And I mean, so that that time at Scott and White was more than just going there and and getting educated on how to be an orthopedic surgeon. It literally uh was instrumental in just teaching me how to be a a a Christian man and how to how to you know lead yourself and let others lead you. Uh so those guys, you know, Casey's he's my man. And that guy, if it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have went. Uh he doesn't know that. But uh he's uh yeah, those those guys, they they they they're they're tremendous help to to what I am now.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Well we talk a lot about on here and in the men's ministry, as you guys know, is if there's a guy like that that's done something for you, pick up a phone call and write him a letter, say, hey, I just want to let you know where I am today, and I wouldn't be where I am without you. I mean, the the boost that gives to the spirit of a guy that maybe you're you hadn't talked to him in a decade, you know, but it's it it does a lot for him. But just amazing just seeing God's work, his orchestrating everything in your life. You thought you were going there for medicine, yeah. You were going there for discipleship, right? So you little did you know, right? So So James, talk about uh some influences in your life, you know, uh some men in your life that poured into you along the way. That tells about some of those guys.

SPEAKER_03 13:02

There's so many. You know, I could start with my dad. You know, he was just teaching me about Jesus from the from birth, you know, from the get-go, and just being there and playing catch with me and things like that, just showing me, you know, what it meant to work hard and things like that. Yeah, my grandfather, you know, my mom's dad, he we were fortunate enough to grow up next next door to him. So, you know, he was he was very quiet, but he he he he was an example through his actions, you know. So he he was one of those that he he lived a quiet life but worked hard with his hands, you know. Yes. And so uh that and you know, several coaches and teachers I had through high school, uh probably one, probably my uh high school baseball coach, he's still coaching at the same high school I went to. Wow. Uh man, he was he was tough on us, but he uh he taught us what it meant to work hard and not give up, you know, be have the desire to work hard and be dedicated, you know, and determined to finish the job, you know. So and then multiple men throughout church, you know. Uh guys, yeah, I can remember even from when we first uh moved churches, we went to First Baptist Eritter, and I can remember guys teaching the Sunday school back then, it wasn't life crew, but I'll still call it Sunday school. Yeah. Yeah, but uh there's m multiple men that I could just name one after the other that taught us through, you know, through year after year, you know, from fifth grade on.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

So isn't that amazing? I mean, you know, this this is our 14th episode that we've done, and just hearing the influence on guys throughout the years, and and a lot of times it is. It's that coach, it's that Sunday school teacher, it's that life group leader, it's people that are just serving just uh just tirelessly. You know, I mean they're just a year after year after year, they don't get any glory. That's right. Nobody knows who they are for the most part. But you look at the influence on their lives, you're telling me right here that you wouldn't be the men that you are today without the influence of those people that sacrifice their time.

SPEAKER_03 14:50

And they think you're not listening, but things you'll remember stuff years down the road that they may have said and you know, they kind of come back to you, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Exactly. So guys listening, if you're serving in those capacities, which I know people listening on here are, uh don't lose heart. You know, just uh, you know, just these two guys are making a difference around the world that we're getting ready to talk about, not only here in central Louisiana, uh, but never feel like what you're doing is not not important. That's true. Um okay, so let's talk about how your faith integrates with what you do. So we talk a lot about, you know, faith in the workplace. And uh so does that mean just like having a Bible study at work? Is that what that means? Or how do you how do you integrate faith into what you do on a daily basis? Because if we're fully devoted followers of Christ, right, it's gonna ooze out of us anywhere we go. So, and I know both of you are humble men, but talk to us a little bit about how that integrates to what you do on a daily basis.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Well, you know, I I don't think there's a formula, I just think there's a it there's action. Uh if uh you put God first in all things, then God's gonna be first in it, you know. So uh for me, uh you know, I always, you know, try to do my best to be the same person I am, you know, at work, same person I am when I'm hanging out with the boys, same person I am in front of my wife, you know, all around, you know, just want to be that same guy. And uh it's a lot easier to do that when you put God first. Because uh your life is is rooted in something real. You have absolute, absolute truths to to to make decisions off of. So I think when it comes to to work, you know, yeah, every decision you make, if you put God first in it, uh, then the it'll be evident. Um and so uh in practice, you know, how does that look? I think, you know, we we have a a men's group uh with with you know some doctors and and uh uh in in our in our core group. We do that every every Monday morning when when everybody can kind of can can get up and attend. Uh and you know, the other thing that I think it's important to do is, you know, when a patient uh a patient needs needs something different. You know, a lot of times patients come in, you know, needing uh needing uh you know physical care, but uh a lot of time they they more importantly they need spiritual care. So sometimes just asking them like what's going on and uh just listening to them talk and and uh you know uh giving them some spiritual advice or just a prayer. Yeah, you know, I think those are some of the most meaningful times I have uh in a clinic or in a condom patient. And uh and then, you know, I I I made a commitment, I want to say 2018 or 2019, I can't remember, uh, to pray with all my patients before surgery and uh talk about a uh a freeing experience. And and I did that from the coaxing of Jerry Blackman. You know, Jerry Blackman uh as there's I got a lot of Jerry Blackman stories, but you know, Jerry Blackman told me one day in clinic, uh, he was like, Tim, you know, I think you need to pray with your patients. And uh I I've I prayed with patients prior to that, just like randomly, but never uh never made it a point to do it. And uh and when he said it, it's like something convicted me and and it became a thing. And I uh and I prayed with patients. Uh almost every patient since then that I've done surgery on, I've prayed with them. Amazing. Uh and just to give you an example of God's uh his uh his like his you know providence, his provision. Uh one day I was coming in to do surgery on uh on a a patient who was a different ethnic ethnicity, and uh I'm just being vague so we don't give up any. Uh but and he and based on his ethnicity, he probably was of he probably was raised a different religion. He was a very well-known person, and I was like, man, I'm gonna go in and I'm gonna pray with this. I'm I gotta pray with him. And what if he's offended? Or what what if what what if he says no? Like what what what am I gonna do? So I was driving in to work, you know, early in the morning. He was the first first patient. It was like six o'clock, I'm driving in, and I'm just stressing about this, this encounter. And uh, so I you know, we I've stopped at the red light uh before I turn into uh on Prescott and I say a little prayer. I ask God, just God, you know, I I know I'm I'm I'm gonna be obedient. I'm gonna pray with him. Uh, but just be with be with me, be with him, just make this, make this good. And uh so I walk in the hospital, I do my little paperwork, check, check, check. And uh, and I'm at that point, I close the chart and I'm about to say, Can I pray with you? Before I can even get the words out of my mouth, the patient says, Hey doc, you mind if you can pray with me? Wow. Yeah, wow. Yeah. And it was like I was stressed about this whole thing. Yeah, because God's like, shut up and obey. Yeah. Just do it. And uh that's amazing. There's is there are there's so many little examples like that in my life of like God just saying, Yes, uh, I got you.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

Just do what you need to do. What it takes. Do what do what I put in front of you. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Well, I think that speaks to people that are listening today because again, you may be in a restaurant setting, you may be in a work setting, you're like, oh, this is not appropriate. I don't need to pray for this person. I pray with my clients as well. And a little awkward, you know, a little awkward, you don't know where the faith is and those sort of things, but I've never had anybody turn me down for prayer.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

Have you ever had anybody turn you down without I've had one patient say uh, you know, I asked him, he was a younger guy, you know, asked him if you if you mind if I prayed for him. He's like, he's like, nah, you don't have to, man. I don't believe in that stuff. I said, Well, you mind if I just pray for you outside the door? He's like, Yeah, man, you can do it. So I mean I did so I mean, but that's one out of thousands at this point. Yeah, you know, so I think uh it it can happen, but that that seed was planted.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

You never know where that guy may be to that.

SPEAKER_02 21:03

Exactly. It won't, it won't deter, won't won't deter me at this point.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

You know, that's why if you if you come see me, you probably get the prayed for at some point. That is great. Well, I have personal testimony. I'm telling you, I was uh had a little minor circle surgical procedure last week, actually. And uh I was being wheeled into the operating room and you weren't my doctor, I was it was somebody in your clinic, and uh, but I'm nervous anytime I get put under, I'm nervous. I'm I'm nervous and I'm wheeling down, you're looking at the lights up there laying in this stretcher, and I see Tim Randall. And Tim Randall says, I can't miss, I can't miss this opportunity. So he prays over me, and just an overwhelming feast came over me. And so I just I know that's who you are and appreciate that that very, very much. So uh so what about you, James? How do you just on a daily basis, how do you take all this stuff we always talk about and discipleship and growing in our faith? And yeah, you know, do we leave that as a door before we go to work, or how does that integrate with what we I think a lot of times we would like to just to stay in our comfort zone, but you know, God calls us.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

To be uncomfortable. Yeah. And I think it's just to kind of piggyback off what Tim said and not to repeat too much of it, but you know, I think it's slowing down because we, you know, medicine is just such a high pace, you know, and in and what we do is it's a it's large volume and fast pace. And so you're worried about getting to the next patient, you know. They gotta get to the next room. But you know, slowing down and actually listening to people are not. I had an encounter, I didn't share this with you, but I had a lady in Plannett today who uh who kind of she was two weeks after knee replacement and she was really struggling. And I got up to walk out because I was in that mindset, gotta get to the next patient. And she goes, Is Dr. Randall here? And I said, Yes, ma'am. She's like, I need him to come pray with me. And I was like I was like, Well, I can I can pray for I can pray with you too. So anyway, that was that was just an example of an opportunity to, you know, just uh just slow down and you know, yeah, God kicked me in the rear.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_03 22:55

Made me slow down, you know. So wow.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

Well, you you look at the life of Jesus. I mean, he was he was busier than any of us can ever imagine. Yeah, but he was never in a hurry.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

He was busy, but he went in a hurry. You know, you think about the lady who touches the helm of his road, who's he's walking through the crowd. Yeah, you know, you can imagine his disciples probably saying, Jesus, where are you going? We I gotta get through this crowd. And he's like, No, somebody touched my robe. That's right. I'm going back. And so he he was never in a hurry. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

And so what I think too, just to have, you know, it it opens up doors too to have conversations with other staff at the hospitals that we work with. Yeah, you know, because you never know who's listening or who's not, you're not having that conversation directly, but there's multiple people in the room that are overhearing these conversations. You never know who's listening and absolutely what what fire that may spark in in their in their walks.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Yeah, absolutely. So no matter what profession you're in, we can all slow down. I mean, we can slow down at a restaurant to pray over somebody. We can slow down in our workplace, uh, not to mention our families. Yeah, they need a prayer the most. So um, okay, so let's let's kind of transition into just what has been on you guys' hearts the last several years, and that's mission work. Uh I've been fortunate to be on mission trips with both of you guys and uh just seeing you at work and using your profession uh to really kind of get a passion about missions. And so uh so let's let's talk about your your kind of your passion for missions. How did that start for each of you guys? So we'll jump into kind of what you're doing, but how'd that start for you? So starting to do it.

SPEAKER_03 24:20

I think for me, uh it started back at church, you know, growing up in church, you know, you're always there, you're gonna hear about different opportunities to serve and serve and know in different capacities. And, you know, I've always heard about going to Honduras, you know, Honduras was just a common trip for most churches, and uh, you know, going and always had it on my my mind that, you know, I'm gonna do that one day because I thought it was cool, you know, and didn't really think about you know the actual calling that that God calls us to to go and serve people, whether it's in our community or the far-reached places, but it it really started there at church and then kind of bled over into here when we got to Calvary. You know, Calvary has such a uh uh a deep passion for missions and and does really well with serving other areas, so yeah. Yeah, but just just you know, just answering the call really. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:07

Well, I'm gonna I'm gonna tell something a little vulnerable on you so we can edit it out if you don't wanted me to share. It was a uh you know, our first first mission trip together, and I remember you coming back from Honduras and you sitting on that plane and just balling your eyes. I didn't know you saw that. Yeah, I saw that. I saw that. I don't even know if I've already talked to you about that. Yeah. Yeah, I just know that very moved you, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:27

When I got on that plane, I just lost it. Just couldn't help but think about the people that we served and just what I could do what what I could do here that that we did there to serve the people here in Alexandria and Central Louisiana, yeah. But it just, man, it really pulled in my heartstrings and just I don't know, man, really and then seeing you guys, you know, just and you know, you and Doc Gill and John Terrier, guys like that, and there's many others that are just you know, Jerry Blackman just really set the foundation for, you know, kind of catapulting us guys like us to trying to go and serve others.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

Absolutely. Well about you, Tim. What what was that catalyst for you on missions? I mean, because you got you got a lot to do here. I mean you got a big job, you travel around the country speaking at different events about your profession, but why missions?

SPEAKER_02 26:13

Why why why did that I don't know. I think uh I think that I'll I've always had, you know, the the desire to help. And uh and that desire to help is is is is great, but uh even when you help or when I would find myself helping, I would find something lacking in the help. Uh so I I did my first mission trip was uh a trip with a group uh sorry I hit that table. Uh with uh with a group uh out of Utah and uh there's they're a great group. They started uh this orthopedic uh knee replacement, hip and knee replacement mission, the operation uh walk. So they started Operation Walk, OPWAC, uh Dr. Uh uh Aaron Hoffman and Larry Dore. So I went with with Dr. Hoffman to uh OPWALK in 2015, right out of fellowship, and uh it was amazing. So we went to El Salvador and we did all these these total total hips and total knees. Literally, we went to El Salvador. I think we did like 75, 80, 80 joint replacements. It was two surgeons per room. We had three rooms going. Wow. It was it it was amazing. And uh, you know, we would we would finish the surgery and then uh we would all go back to this, you know, one this nice, wonderful hotel room and just just you know, uh, we just party and have fun and wake up early in the morning and we go do it again. And uh and I I think it was great. And and I I did that in 2015 and I was like, oh, that was so cool. Uh then I did it again in 17. And uh and it it was I was like, well, you know, something something's not something's missing. Uh and then I met Jerry Blackman and he had a little knee issue, and I I I I fixed it for him. And uh one day in clinic, he's like, Tim, you need to come to Honduras. I was like, Well, man, I got I got this trip. It was 2019, I think. He's like, Man, I got this trip. I I'm going to uh I'm going to El Salvador this year. It's my it's the odd year. I do El Salvador every odd year. And he's like, no, man, you need it, you need to come to, you need to come. So he hounded me and hounded me until I uh until I I actually went. And I went to Honduras, and I uh I met uh uh that's when I finally got to really know you. And you uh you put you said, Tim, I want you to do a devotional Wednesday night. I was like, gosh, but so I was I was I was ready, I was prepared to do this devotional, and uh it was probably uh I was I was struggling on a trip with purpose because I'm an orthopedic surgeon and I'm on this trip and we're doing just general medicine and you know the kids tear you up because you got they got such bad problems and you can't really help them. And I'm just like, what am I doing? I'm I like I'm out of place. And then uh that dog on Jerry Blackman, you know, he comes down and he's like, Tim, I got I got a patient you need to see. And I I'm like, all right, let's go. So I'm following Jerry and you know, I'm I this you know, did Jerry's knee replacement. So Jerry's like, he's way older than me. And he's climbing up this hill to this this this young girl's uh uh house and he's he's tearing me up and I'm like tired and all I see is his legs. And and you know, he and he he gets up there and uh this poor girl, so she's in a wheelchair, or she's she's she's uh can't walk because her she's got like these deformed arms arms and legs. She was raped like three years prior, and she had a uh like a two or three-year-old kid. And uh so Jerry wanted me to take a look at her to see, you know, if there's something we could do to help her. There wasn't much. Uh, but your your father-in-law was building her a wheelchair uh at the same time. And I I watched Jerry like, you know, explain the gospel to this his young woman and uh she accepted Christ. And I was tired going up that hill, and Jerry did that really good with that knee replacement. So I figured out my purpose in life. It's to keep it's to keep God's servants moving so they can serve. And uh and that that Wednesday night when I had to do, and this kind of brings it all together, when I had to do that that devotional, I just said to myself, I was like, God, I'm just gonna open the Bible and put my finger on on something and that's what I'm gonna teach, which is something you definitely don't want to do. But I did it and I landed on the parable of talents. Just like that. So, you know, be a good steward of what God gives you. Yes. And and the literal talents he's given me, I need to be a good steward of it to keep the kingdom, keep, keep, keep the kingdom moving. Grow grow the kingdom. And Jerry is like the comp the perfect example for it.

SPEAKER_01 31:17

Because that is that guy, he is the most, he, he's the most evangelistic person on earth. He is, he's relentless. See you relentless. I love that purpose is to keep God's servants moving. Yeah, I just love that. I mean that what a clear purpose. Yeah. What a clear purpose that is. That can be applied here. Yep, that can be applied to Nepal, Honduras, anywhere in the world.

SPEAKER_02 31:38

And it's a it's and it's a current, it's my current assignment. And uh I'm I'm I'm I I embrace it and we uh we do it for we do it for Christ.

SPEAKER_01 31:45

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, the the clarity of that vision for both of you guys is is very, very, yeah, very apparent in the way you live your life and the way you give and you give back, and uh just uh can't say enough great things about you guys. So uh okay, so let's talk about Nepal. So you've uh we've all been on mission trips to Nepal, and uh, but you've taken this kind of to a new level here these last couple of years. So so tell us in that vein and kind of where God's led you up to in your life, tell us about that work in Nepal. So what what are you doing? First of all, if you don't know, Nepal is a little country about the size of Tennessee, squeezed between India and China. I didn't know until 10 years ago I went for the first time. I didn't know where Nepal was, uh, but it's just a little skinny country right there between uh mainly Hindu uh religion, a closed country to the gospel. And so it's uh it's not easy to share the gospel in an area, it's not a hard-to-reach place. Uh I'm going there this Friday and it takes about 40 hours to get there, and yeah, 40 hours to get home. Uh so all of us have kind of in the last 10 years jumped in there uh with the folks that are working over there. But but tell us, tell us what what is it about Nepal and kind of tell us about y'all's mission there. So James, jump in there and and tell us about that.

SPEAKER_03 32:59

I think for me, why Nepal is is it's hard to get to, you know. And it's uh I think part of me loves the challenge. Yeah. You know, and uh not that there's not great things we could do here or they're not that not work here in Louisiana, but there's something about Nepal, man. It just And it's the people we like you said, the people we work with over there, just it's hard not to get behind those guys. And yeah, once you hear their stories and the why behind them, but it's not your typical mission trip. Like it's not your going evangelize and knock on doors and you know bring beans and rice or anything like that. You know, it's it's almost like you're you're going to encourage the other people because you can't share, you can't evangelize. So it's really maybe even just uh what we're doing is opening the door for uh for for those guys over there to spread the gospel.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 33:46

Maybe even just being a tool for those guys. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

And y'all are opening the door through replacements and all that, right? So tell us about that, Tim.

SPEAKER_02 33:54

Yeah, I think uh so yeah, so I I did those trips in El Salvador, and I always felt like something was was missing. Uh it was I mean, totally very rewarding. We did good work, excellent work, and we got to work with some of the best surgeons in the world. Um but uh that trip in in Honduras was life-changing. And I was like, okay, I need to marry this life-changing trip where we where God was the focus with with what I do every day, which which is joint replacement. And uh that was the beginning of of of trying to make make this happen. Uh so you know, through the years at Calvary, I at that point I developed a great relationship with Doc Gheo. And uh me and Doc Gill was planning to do our our first Nepal trip, uh, or my first Nepal trip. I was gonna go with him. We were gonna join a team from Kentucky and Tennessee and Georgia, and uh, we were gonna go be the doctors on that team. And uh so we're going together, and then Doc Gill ends up needing it next surgery. So I'm by myself. So I I ended up going to uh to uh Nepal with all these strangers and they end up becoming, you know, uh, you know what happens on these trips, you end up becoming close friends, and uh I end up getting, you know, really, really close with Kevin. And uh that just begins the you know multiple trips from there. Yes. And uh I told Kevin on our second trip down, I was like, look, man, I really think that I want to do joint replacements here in in Nepal. And and Kevin was like, Yeah, whatever. So we go down the next trip and then I'll tell him again, and this time we get B-Note in in on it, and and B Note's like, well, I may have I may have somebody to talk to. And we go down again, and B-Note sets up a visit with uh this local hospital. So it's a Christian hospital that was established in the 1960s to treat leprosy. So leprosy is endemic in Nepal. So they have a a they used to have a really bad problem. Now it's a lot, it's a lot better. So the hospital is not as busy as it used to be. So the orthopedic surgeons they are now are are doing, you know, just general, you know, charity care. So they're fixing fixing fractures and they're they're doing, you know, whatever they can to help the patients. Uh so they were very interested in in doing jaw replacement. So we ended up meeting with the director of uh of the hospital, and he ended up spending time in Louisiana doing his training because, you know, in Carwheel, there's the leprosy center there, so he trained there. So there was a connection there with LSU. Uh so it, you know, it's kind of like God prepared this road for us to walk. Yeah. And uh, and it it it was it uh it's it's just you know, setting all this up, it on the surface, it looks like it was a lot of work, but it really wasn't. It was set up already. It was like literally I just had already do a little paperwork here and there, and and and and it happens. He had designed it, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

And so y'all just did your second, second year of joint replacements. Right. It's our second trip. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:53

Uh the first trip we went, we did seven. We planned to do 10 total joints, but there was, you know, hurdle after hurdle. We ended up doing seven. And uh, you know, at the end of that trip, James was like, Well, you know, sevens seven means biblical completion. I was like, Yeah, you're right. There you go. And then you know, this year we went and we did 12 surgeries, uh, 10 joint replacements, a tibial plateau fracture, and then we took a little cyst off a wrist. So uh we definitely we we we were able to get more production out of the work. Uh, but you know, what's greater than that is uh we're getting to know the the staff at the hospital and the patients. Uh, you know, at this hospital, they do they do like uh devotion every morning. They basically do church every morning, they worship every morning at nine o'clock or eight thirty, and they they sing and they they get in, they I mean it's very moving experience and and they're dedicated, you know. And uh to be able to go and and encourage them, uh to bring them, you know, skills that they don't have access to, uh, experience that they they don't they don't have. Yes, it's a good thing. But then so the patients can see God's grace is is is that's something that Nepali people don't see often. Yes. They don't they they just don't they don't have access to that.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

Yeah. And the Nepal is a fourth world country, it's not even a third world country, and so the need is just endless, I'm sure. So uh and so so what about the patients' reactions, some of their reactions when you're replacing a joint or things like that. Well, tell us about one or two of those that of patients that you worked with over there.

SPEAKER_03 38:28

Yeah, I think the first one that comes to mind is the first lady we did last year was the first lady we did this year. She came back and had her other knee done. Okay. And uh man, she was so grateful. And I I have a picture which I could share of just to her her husband. We're leaving in the van one day, and uh her husband's just standing out there just you know, thinking us, he couldn't think us enough, you know. They're just very grateful. Uh these people barely have food to eat or a shelter, but they're they're still giving you gifts when you leave, you know. So just very, very grateful, very grateful people, you know.

SPEAKER_04 38:59

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:00

And even the staff there too, you know. I'll comment on that. You know, could you imagine somebody from another another country coming up in your place of business and just telling you how to do things? Yes. I mean and kind of kind of intimidate, you know. So they were they were very receptive. And you know, our first trip last year, they were they were kind of closed off at first, and you know, their culture just everybody minds their own business. And and here, you know, we all kind of work as a team and everybody kind of has fun doing it. You know, yeah, we you know, there's times to cut up and times to not. And yeah, but over there is everybody's kind of secluded. But by the end of the week, you know, they were just they were mixed in with us, just kind of oh, that's every one of us. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 39:39

That's great.

SPEAKER_02 39:40

Yeah, I I think and one thing to not discount is the the doctors in Nepal are they're they're outstanding doctors, they're well informed, they're uh, you know, significantly educated. Uh they just and what I do here every day, they're they like the experience uh and the resources to do it. Uh uh if and you know, right now the goal in that current hospital is to transition to getting it to where they can have resources and then uh we can build the the experience over time so they can end up doing the surgeries on their own. Oh yeah, yeah, okay. And and and that and what what that if they can do these surgeries on on their own, what that would would do, that would provide a source of funding for them to to fund the other charity work in in the hospital. Okay, yeah. So that that's kind of the the what we're kind of transitioned to doing there. Yes. Uh and uh we're working with Kevin. Kevin's been huge at making making a lot of that possible. Yes, yeah. Uh, but it the the relationships, I think, you know, in all things, uh, it comes down to the relationships and the relationships we've built uh in Paul from the staff to the doctors to the you know every patient. It's uh I can remember every patient's face, you know. Yeah. Uh it's yes, it's it's what makes it worth it.

SPEAKER_01 41:02

Amazing, amazing. So tell us so so you believe in this so much, you've created your own nonprofit organization to kind of run because this is not cheap to bring teams. Uh how many people on your teams and how much does it cost for a team to go over there and do this?

SPEAKER_02 41:16

So I think uh every team varies depending on on the scope of what we're doing. Uh but uh the the first time we went, I think we went with 10 people. This time we went 13. Uh, I think the most that I would be comfortable going with is about 19 or 20. Uh, but regardless, it's about $3,500 to $4,000 per person uh just to travel there and and take care of the the room and board uh while while staying with the missionary there. Yes. Yeah. So I mean it's it's a lot more expensive than going uh a trip to Honduras or Guatemala. Yeah. Um so that that's the biggest hurdle. Uh we have so many skilled uh people here who who are so interested. Uh, but the the the finance side is is the most uh the most important.

SPEAKER_01 42:02

What about devices? Are you paying for the device or are you getting devices donated?

SPEAKER_02 42:06

So we we're getting all everything donated when it comes to what we're using uh in the hospital. Uh so we have a very gracious company that I use here in America, Total John Orthopedics. Uh for every one joint replacement they do in America, they donate one uh to to charity. So and they do some charity work here in America and they do charity work overseas, yeah, multiple countries. You know, so uh TJO is what we call it for short, short, short, uh, and TJO is an outstanding company. The the the founder uh is Aaron Hoffman who started Operation Walk. Okay. And uh him and Larry Doer. And uh it's a great company. The the implants are uh are you know they're mainstream implants that we can use that we use here, yeah. Uh and then we could do it there uh for uh for our our mission work. Uh the there's a lot of different the hospitals chipped in this year. We we got instruments from from the uh surgery hospital, got instruments from Cabrini, we got instruments from Rapids. Right. Uh we had uh two companies donate uh braces and and irrigation fluid and uh collagen powder for you know to help with healing. I mean, you you name it. We had sutures uh donated, we had the drills and the saws we use that was donated from Stryker. Uh I mean it That's community coming again. Yeah, it's it's it's all the community coming together and making making it happen.

SPEAKER_01 43:39

Absolutely. So how so everybody that's listened to this can't go on a trip like this and they don't have the skills and things like that to go anyway. Uh so how can people help if they want to just jump in there and join you guys, and how can they help?

SPEAKER_02 43:51

So we started the nonprofit Operation Go. Uh so it's Operation G G U X, Operation Go. Uh, and uh it's a 501c3 uh that will help with funding trips, uh orthopedic missions or overseas. And right now our focus is Nepal. Uh so if anyone's interested in in helping, you can uh if you have the skill set, uh you can you can you know let us know. We can you can be a team member uh if we have a spot available. Uh or you can you can help financially through our website. We have a donation uh uh a link uh on the website. The website is uh opgo.org. Opgo.org. Yeah, perfect. Opgo.org. Perfect. And uh and you know, more most importantly, prayer. You know, I think um, you know, during all seasons, because we're we're always working on uh the next trip. Uh so even when when it it seems like there's nothing going on, uh I would certainly appreciate the prayer. Yes, that we can stay focused on mission, yes, and that uh that the uh the the goals are are uh are always godly.

SPEAKER_01 45:04

Yes, yes, yes. Wow. Well you heard that. You heard a way to get involved there through prayer, through financial support, if you can possibly join a team. Uh but just can't can't talk enough about you guys and and your vision for that and what God's doing through your life so that he's glorified, right? We're using all of our skills and everything that we have to glorify him. So uh okay, so as we close up, I usually do the lightning round questions, but I'm gonna skip that today. I just I feel led to really skip that and really just go straight to uh you guys because I know you guys from a discipleship standpoint, not just what we do for a living, but just discipling other men. And I know your passion is discipling other men and helping other men grow in their faith. Uh, we're even all three part of a discipleship organization called Project 200. That that's the mission is to disciple men. Uh so let's talk about discipleship and what that means in the text of finishing strong. Uh, you know, so many guys start out strong and they just flounder off. Life happens, they get busy, they get distracted, uh, and before they know that their life's spiraling out of control. And so uh so just what do you guys do uh to put boundaries in your life? Uh, because there's a target on our back, men. I mean, if we have family, I know y'all y'all both are married and have children, there's a target on our back. And I would venture to say the medical profession is very much a target on you guys back, uh, just uh, you know, throughout the years of uh just you know, it's probably a little bit notorious for guys that don't do what they're supposed to do sometimes. And so, so how do you guys in the medical profession, and you just as men, what what things are you putting in your life to create boundaries around your life, to keep the enemy away and to keep God in the center of your life? So, James, jump in here.

SPEAKER_03 46:56

So I want to sound like a broken record, but it's no different than anything you've heard on your previous podcast, you know, the previous guys that you've had on here. So staying in the word daily, you know, which I'm guilty of not doing that consistent, but you know, staying in the word daily, having a daily quiet time, having accountability. I can't preach enough about accountability. Uh whether it's somebody that you meet with once a week, once a month, you know, whatever it is, somebody who's gonna call you out, you know. And uh I know you listen, I I've been listening a lot to Joby Martin, which I know we did the last quest with Joby Martin, but I know he preaches about having that refrigerator friend. Yeah. Somebody who can walk in your house and go through your refrigerator, you know, and and you're not gonna care. Your wife may care. But but you're not gonna care if they go through your stuff. Yeah, yeah. And just not afraid to punch you in the mouth when you need to, you know, so to speak, you know, when you need to be. So definitely, definitely. Uh just having those guys in your corner.

SPEAKER_01 47:48

Definitely. Yeah, and so many men don't have that. So many men live a life of isolation. Yeah. Say, I don't need that, I got this, I don't need that.

SPEAKER_03 47:55

But you have to be willing to be vulnerable, you know, with that guy too. Exactly. Which is not easy to do as a guy. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 48:01

But you tell him what what do you have in your life?

SPEAKER_02 48:03

Yeah, you know, I was thinking about this just the other day. I was like, man, what do I do? What what hobbies do I have? And I was like, I don't I don't have any more hobbies. You know, I I I I uh I go to work and uh I go do my my my men's Bible study and you know I spend time with the family. Uh so I I think staying focused on kingdom work would probably be the the the answer. Getting you a James Thomas, yeah, you know, get you a Barnabas? Yes. A guy like James Sade is gonna call you out when when when you need to be called out. Yes. Uh I think uh getting a group of guys to consistently uh you know study the word with. I think that's important. Uh no secrets from your wife. Uh, you know, don't have don't have a a different password on your, you know, it's like the stuff that that that would would would s you know uh would grow uncertainty. You don't want any of that around you. Yes. You don't want any uncertainty around you. Like if somebody says, man, I wonder if with some nefarious decision, you don't want somebody saying, Well, I wonder what Dr. Randall would do in this situation. I mean, you should know what Dr. Randall's gonna do in this situation. And uh, and you should know what you're gonna do in in those types of so yeah, I think uh surround yourself with with with people who think who you want to think like, you know, surround yourself with Jeff Drons and Doc Gilles and and uh you know Jerry Blackman's and Shannon Grimmion's and you know, all the all the you know all the people that you want to think like. And uh and eventually you're gonna, you know, you you stay focused on it. You you get there.

SPEAKER_01 49:45

You get there. Wow. Well, and you guys definitely are an example to that. And as we talk often on this podcast, I mean it is, it's the essentials blocking and tackling of faith that just spending time in God's word, the accountability. I love that having a kingdom focus. When you have a kingdom focus, it's it's it's not easy to get distracted if you're focused on the kingdom and his work. Uh it's it's not easy to get veered off you can veered off the side. So you guys are great examples of that. But uh man, just the dynamic duo of Tim and James. Uh, if you need a hip replacement, if you need a joint replacement in Central Louisiana, this is your Batman and Robin, this is this is dynamic duo. But uh, but man, just just love you guys and just love your heart. And I hope that's come through to the listeners here today, which I know it I know it has, of just your heart for people, your heart for serving, your heart for keeping God right in the center of everything. Uh, and that's just rare. It's rare. And so uh we're gonna be praying for you, we're gonna be praying for your work in DePa. If you want to get involved again with their work in DePaul, we'd love to have you jump in there with these guys. But uh, but thank you. Thank you for being here, and thank you for who you are, and thank you for who you are in my life and speaking into my life. And so love you guys. So thank you for being here. Thank you. Thanks for having us, man. Appreciate it. Love y'all. In 2 Timothy 4 7, the Apostle Paul's in prison. He's in facing his impending death, and he says these words as a final reflection on his life and ministry. I fought the good fight, I've finished the race, and I've remained faithful. Needless to say, Paul's life didn't start out strong. Persecuting and killing Christians isn't exactly the blueprint that God has for a man's life, but God had other plans. He said, I want that man. So Paul switched jerseys and made it his life's mission to spread the gospel no matter the circumstances. He made the decision that he would never give up, he would never back down, and he made the decision that he would finish strong. So as you just heard from Tim and James, life's not easy. But if you're a follower of Jesus, God has said the same thing about you. I want that man. So how will you respond to that? The purpose of this podcast has not been and will never be to give you some other to-do list or eap some guilt or shame on you from how you started or where you've been. The purpose of this podcast is to inspire you to action by hearing how godly men like Tim and James don't just make lofty goals, they make commitments. Because commitments are greater than goals. Finish strong is a daily decision that requires a daily commitment. It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

SPEAKER_00 52:36

Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to encourage other men, share this podcast and leave us a review. Finish Strong.