The Tyler Reagan Exchange
The Tyler Reagan Exchange is where real people show up as they are and real conversations take the lead. Through raw, humorous, and unscripted interviews, Tyler sits down with guests from every background to talk about life as it actually is—not how it’s supposed to look.
No filters. No fake depth. Just honest exchanges about purpose, struggle, belief, growth, and the human experience. Whether you agree or disagree, you’ll leave each episode with a new perspective—and probably a few laughs.
The Tyler Reagan Exchange
Episode 10 | Chasten Kota
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Today we talk with our close friend Chasten Kota. We talk about college sports, his time being a cop, and his and Tyler's plans on starting a house church
Uh you said what are we gonna talk about? I really there's a thousand different things we can talk about. I don't think we want to one, I want to talk about the fact that we're planting a house church together. Like that. Right. Um, so yesterday was my last day at a weekend. You're are y'all done at the end of March? Yeah. You talked to him about that? Okay. And then what about Alex and Megan?
SPEAKER_00I think they're probably the same day as us. Okay. The same day. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. We're going uh we're going on a little cousinly trip to the woods uh this weekend. It's a weird way to put that. Not those kind of cousins. No, I'll figure it out this weekend though, because I think that's that's probably what it's gonna be.
SPEAKER_02Um and so then we can start getting into the planning process. Yeah, that's gonna be fun. Yeah, I'm excited. I uh very excited. You me too. You've looked at that, the our new our house, right? I've shown you. So you know, in the living room, it's a living room, dining room, kitchen, and it's just one long stretch. Yeah. My goal is to get the biggest dining room table I can possibly get that stretches like all the way to the living room. Dude, like a like a big one, but so that no, I never want to play nerds with that one. Specifically, yes, I want that exact table actually.
SPEAKER_00Our coach's office at in high school had that. No way, yeah. They all like the big coach's office, they had the Sons of Anarchy logo on the table, custom made, and they all sat around it and like talked over game plan.
SPEAKER_02That's actually really cool. Wonder how much illegal things you did as a team. What? Don't worry about it. Um, so how's how is it being a police officer?
SPEAKER_00Um, it's phenomenal. I'm a I'm a big fan. I would I would highly recommend it.
SPEAKER_02Um so yeah, I want to set up a long table to be able to have people at the t table and eat dinner and stuff like that, but like into the the living room. I've just been looking over all the pictures. I'm like, okay, this is gonna be how this is gonna look like this is how we're gonna have people in to the best of our ability.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um and that sitting around each other was a big focal point for us too, especially like the BAMO stuff. Um what what episode are you on on Baby Now? Not a high one. But you started you started listening, right? Yeah, I got to like episode eight or nine, and then I just kind of like I I used I may I always have, which is funny because I used to have a podcast, but I really struggle listening. So that's crazy. Like I always like I music's my thing. I'm I love listening to music. If I'm in the car, I've got music going. If I'm not in the car, I've got music going. Um, so to switch my music to like talking, yeah, for me, I'm uh I'm the opposite.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Throwing music on is really weird. And I have to listen to music now because that's what Bryson wants in the truck, and it's like I'm just bored out of my mind. But also, he wants to listen to the same thought song a thousand times over. Life is a highway. That's one of them. And then wash by elevation. Those are the two songs he'll and he'll switch, but he'll go, wash, wash, wash, wash, wash. So I'll play that, and then he'll go vroom vroom vroom vroom. Like, now I gotta play Life's a Highway. Great, love it. Love it. But um, Baitima, I'm on episode like 40 now. The last like five episodes, I've just been sitting there going like it's it's it's crazy how reading the old testament just a little bit different, yeah, changes everything about it. Yeah, it's mind-boggling. Like, like I Joshua, I've always struggled with the book of Joshua, right? Um, the way they explain Joshua helps a ton. Yeah, like because it's conquering, right? And it's the sin, like it, it's it's it's killing sin, and it's like, yeah, but those are still people, right? And like it talks about God's patience. You should just keep listening. It's it's worth it. Just make a deposit. We don't need to have an episode about an episode of a podcast that's my, but you should definitely keep listening to it.
SPEAKER_00Playing too, it just takes me a while.
SPEAKER_02How's life without college football?
SPEAKER_00Like post-college football C because I didn't play. No, just without it right now. Yeah, you didn't play it. Yeah, okay. Um, yeah, you didn't play. I I've actually, for the first time in my life, thoroughly enjoying college basketball. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. I'm a fan. Like, I and I'll watch like kind of like how you are with college football, like you have your team, but you watch like all the games that you can. That's how I've been with college basketball. So I'll like whatever game's on, that's what I'm watching. Right. And I keep getting sent to the women's basketball because it doesn't specify on YouTube TV anymore. And I'm like, I watched some of that the other day. I was like, careful. Guess we're watching canceled. You're crazy. I don't care. That there's not a not hot take. That's not a hot take? No. Well, I don't want you to get canceled, but I'm not. Who's gonna cancel me? Um women's basketball? Aside from Caitlin Clark. Nah. Okay. That's fair. To be nice. You're in trouble. I don't care. Um I don't know a woman who watches women's basketball that doesn't play it. Tell me why. I think women's college basketball is fun.
SPEAKER_02The WNBA is dumb.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, okay. I'll grant that.
SPEAKER_02I'll grant that. I think women's college basketball is fun. Well, even my wife, my wife.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I won't watch the WNBA.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. That's mainly like I'll I've watched like Caitlin Clark and I'm like, okay, she's she's the baller. Yeah. But then I'll watch like any other team, and I'm like, and even like my wife says the same thing. She's like, yeah, um, you know. This is boring. Yeah. She's like, this, this is why is this on television right now?
SPEAKER_02But um, so March Madness is coming up. Carolina's gonna make it. Yeah, no, but they always do second round. Yeah, maybe maybe sweet 16. Maybe. Well, with with Hollywood Wilson, I don't think he's coming back. I think if he's supposed to be back for the next game, he might be back. I don't think he's coming back. Oh, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Like I think he'll be playing, but I don't think he'll be the same. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Which is fair. But Seth Trimble stepped up recently.
SPEAKER_02I agree. The thing about have you seen the thing with the kid from Kansas? No, not Kansas. Yeah, no, it is Kansas. They just won't play? No. Yeah. He just won't he won't play basketball. He's the best player in the in NCAA. But he won't, he won't play. He played 18 minutes and subbed himself out. What's his NIL deal? Like, not enough for him? No, he's just, he doesn't, he's like, there's this weird little a lot of it's like he doesn't want to be hurt before the draft. Women fight through cramps all the time. Facts. They're superior, I guess. See, and that's the thing, like, oh, don't get me into the N.I.O. stuff. We don't need to get into that. Um Cali Perry has the best idea. What's his idea? You get one free transfer. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard that. Yeah. If you do it again, you have to sit out. Right. The exception is if your coach gets fired, yeah, you don't go. Yeah. Yeah, you can you can bounce.
SPEAKER_00That makes sense.
SPEAKER_02Or if your coach leaves you, yeah. You can you can leave. Outside of that, you sit out. Because what what's gonna happen is like the off-season like recruiting of other players, no no college in their right mind is going to recruit someone that's gonna have to sit out for them for a year, and they're gonna have to pay them to sit out for a year.
SPEAKER_00And then I I honestly, I was like, I think NIL's what it's become is just terrible. I'm fine with the players getting paid. Right, and I I was too when they were fighting that, but like high school, no. Cut it out, cut it out. Like, I know like this Greensboro, Faison's got his thing going, great player, good for him. You know, can't wait to see him. I'm just saying there is no reason that a high school football player should be getting any sort of NIL, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_02So let me push back a little bit, not because it's phase on, this is just across the board. Are they working jobs or are they playing football or basketball? In high school, yeah, you're you're playing it. Right. And you're trying to be the best in the state, the area, right? That's your job. Yeah, I don't think they should just be getting drop bags, right? I want to be very clear. I don't think they should just be having money thrown at them all the time. But I do think like name and name image and likeness, they should be paid for it.
SPEAKER_00But what high school Grimsley pay it? But that's so like if you you can't really watch high school football on television unless it's like a state championship game. Right. And even then you have to like be live beside where the game can't play.
SPEAKER_02Okay, let's just say look, say there's a local basketball player or football player, right? And um a local business wants to run a commercial and they want to have that person on the commercial. This is uh I know that's like the Faison story.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if that's the I think it was I think because his mom, I think a large reason that it's you feel free to fact check this, but I think a large reason that NIL's in high school like it is is because Faison's mom sued somebody because he did that type of thing with commercials and there was an issue about it. Right. And because of her suing, I think she's right though.
SPEAKER_02I'll grant you that. But this is this is this is happening across the board. That's in a justified reason.
unknownFair.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, if you do a if you're in a commercial, I'll give you a shit. Or something of the nature.
SPEAKER_02Like, hey, where your name's getting used, where these shoes will put your your face in a store or whatever. If you do, if you're if you're doing a job, you should get paid for it. But what happens is she sues, right? Like she did, and it's fine. It was justified. Right. But then what happens because of that lawsuit, a bunch of bull crap starts coming out where people are just getting paid for nothing. Yeah, that's what that's where the problem is. Yeah, uh, and I I agree with that. Right. And that's the that's the problem with the NCAA, it's the problem with high school. What's happened is you've got a couple of laws, it's the same thing as playing like seven, eight years in college now. You have these lawsuits, and they somehow win the lawsuit, and now you just have chaos going on around on everyone. So, what the NCAA needs to do, and or call uh high school sports across the board, you need to say, okay, you can play five years if you red shirt. Yeah. Right? Um, you get one free JUCO year. Whatever it is, just say this is the way it's gonna be. Let me write it, let me have pay this perfect lawyer to write it down perfectly so that we can't get sued for this, and this is the way it's gonna be. Right, right? But because now you've got like uh the the kid, didn't the kid for Ole Miss get another year? He got another year, which is gonna be his eighth. That's wild. And Joey got denied. Yeah. Because it's it was a state judge that did it, and one judge is okay with it, and the other judge wasn't, right? And because it's the it's the government involved and not just the NCA saying these are the rules, yeah. You've got it's not fair. And listen, I don't think either one of them should. I love Joey Aguilar. I think he's the best. He's been on the podcast. I cut his hair, he's awesome. I would have loved to pull for him another year. But like, I'm I'm cool with the decision of him not playing. It was a lot of years in college, right? I think he's gonna be uh really good in the NFL. I don't know if he's gonna be a starter. I hope he is. I hope the absolute best for me is awesome. Yeah, right. But I get why the decision was made. Yeah, right. But if it's gonna be made on him, Chombers needs to have the exact same decision made on it. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00That's the bull crap. It's it's so it's it's kind of how like everything else works in government. So we have this thing called case law, right? Right? So you have like constitutional law, you've got things that are already laid out, but then every incident, like in my job, every incident is also governed by something called case law. Right. So like big one, like Tennessee versus Gardner, like they these case laws, based on the the full story that happened in in this case, you know, Supreme Court decision was reached, and all of a sudden, like it's this is how it's going to be judged. It sets a standard in addition. And if you're gonna have the government involved in these NIL decisions, it needs to be the same way, it needs to level everything, like you were saying.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a level playing field completely. Yeah, I but I don't even know where you restart on that.
SPEAKER_00Delete it all, delete it all and start it all.
SPEAKER_02Delete, yeah.
SPEAKER_00No one's won a national championship. We're starting now. Delete them all.
SPEAKER_02No, Tennessee's got one, and we need to keep one. Yeah, yeah. Might I'm not gonna go that far. Yeah. Um, so are you Carolina across the board now?
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna get pretty, yeah. I don't know because you grew up a state fan. Yeah, so I fake. I'm gonna I'm gonna tell the story now because I'm getting called out on. I mean, so my cousin went to state, right? Before that, like my mom was a Duke fan, but like I, you know. Um my cousin goes to NC State, and then everyone else in the family was like, all right, cool. Well, someone went to state because like no one else in my family goes to college. Right. So I was like, all right, someone went to state, we're state fans now, which was cool, and I enjoyed it. Um, and I went to state games, wore the red and white all the time. It was in fact the only color I used to wear. Yes, I know. Um and then when my wife Charlotte went to Carolina, I hated Carolina more than I ever. Like that was it. Because they took her from me. They took her from me for a little bit. Yeah. Um, yeah. And then, but I would go like sneaking to the student section there. Like, I I had fun reluctantly while she was there. And then when she left, because she only did a semester. Um, it like if I want to go to any sporting game, I can go to any football game, any basketball game. All I have to do is say we're going to the Carolina game. She's like, cool, let's go. If I want to get her to a Panthers game, I've tried three times, I've gotten her zero. So it's so easy to like go enjoy sports and then not feel bad because like she I left her at the house. Right. So like for me, it was just I had more fun there. I can you know enjoy moments with my wife easier. Like I'll just and so one of the reasons I like Tennessee because I I pull for Tennessee too, is the smokey grays. Yeah, I love the smoky gray concept. They tap into the local market, like they they buy into their culture. I love that. Yeah, and I was like, we don't really have anything like that. And I was like, Well, no one else wears Carolina blue. Uh that is its kind of own thing. So I don't wear Carolina blue, exactly. I hate Carolina. That's I used to as well.
SPEAKER_02I love you, but I hate Carolina. I used to as well. I don't think you realized how real I was being over text message when you were trying to destroy your relationship with my wife. I was like, dude, I'm telling you, this is not yeah, let it die a little bit and then talk about it. And she the thing about her is she's not gonna talk junk because she did talk junk, her and Jared got into it. This is like three years ago, and I'm not joking, they didn't talk for six months. Oh, I believe it. And I was like, You were sitting there, I was like, dude, this is giving very similar vibes. Like, this is not good. You need to chill out. I stopped pretty pretty soon.
SPEAKER_01You did talk quick, but you're like, no, it's not that big of a we've been through a lot. And I'm like, bro, it's not. I'm telling you, this is not this is old new playing. She just got out of the fetal position. You need to stop.
SPEAKER_02Because she was, she was in a feet, she was laying in the floor. When your first text came through, I was like, This is gonna be bad.
SPEAKER_00This is gonna be awful. Well, so here's like, and I called it then. I was like, because here's what's gonna happen. Like, we somehow managed that miraculous victory, which means a couple of Duke blew it, that's what happened, and then we're probably Was that a charge? Do you know basketball enough?
SPEAKER_02Was that a charge? It was a no call, right? Yeah, do you think it should have been a call? Charge andor block, either one, something should have been called. I'm not saying you have to say it was a charge. I'm saying something needed to be called.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'll give you, I'll grant that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'll grant that because that's I I go back and watch that. Yeah, because the first time it kind of happened, I was like, well, that need to be something. Yeah, and then I was like, all right, let me let me just go back. And I've watched that replay. That was yeah, I think it was a charge personally, just from a and I'm neutral, right? I'm not I'm a Tennessee fan. I don't I'm not either. I pulled for Duke because of Awny, but like, so just from a basketball, I would say it's that. But I can watch the play and think if they called that a block, I can also understand it. I don't dis I would disagree, but there's enough of a margin of error where it's like it could have been justified as a block.
SPEAKER_00Well, so what what are your thoughts on but then Duke missed two layups after that? So it they did choke it out. But um, so like obviously like there's a lot of talk like NFL is scripted, all these things are scripted. If you look going into that game and they put all the stats up, and North Carolina and Duke had the exact same amount of wins over each other, the exact same appearances and everything, I'm like, all right, so somebody had to win this one and someone else is gonna win the next one. Like, and then from now on, it's just gonna go back and forth. Like, and I'm not saying that like all college basketball is scripted or anything, but I'm like, that's that's a little too. I don't buy these two schools personally. I don't buy into it, no. At all? No, like nothing, no sport is scripted. No, really. What about WWE?
SPEAKER_02It's not a sport. That's an easy answer. It's not a sport.
SPEAKER_00That's fair.
SPEAKER_02Um I believe that specifically now that gambling is is as open market as it is right now, yeah. I think there's a lot of um what's the word? Um there's a I mean, I think there's a lot of stuff that happens because of gambling. I think Vegas is involved more than we know. Yeah. But I don't think there's I don't think there's a script. But I do think there are certain tides that turn based on the stuff.
SPEAKER_00That's that's been going on for a while, because like Super Bowl 50, right? Heartbreak story for me. Oh yeah, big big Panthers fan. Um Super Bowl 50. That is the one thing you've been consistent. You have always been a very hardcore Panthers fan. And the reason it was like kind of easier for me to swap, I'll say, was because I didn't really have a hardcore loyalty to a college team.
SPEAKER_02But you know you can't leave Carolina outright. Yeah, I'm set as much of a hate as you're gonna get from me. That's forever. Okay.
SPEAKER_00I've been getting hated on you for eight years. It's okay. That's fair. Um, but like I remember when when Cam didn't jump on the fumble, right? And there was all these rumors going around, I was like, oh well, the mob was involved and like gambling money and all that. So like I didn't really buy into any of that. No, but that's been an accusation since like day one.
SPEAKER_02Right. I don't think that it's so heavy that a good team couldn't overcome it. Yeah. Like I don't think it's ever gonna, I don't think it's so bad that like a ref is actually going to give a game away. Yeah. But I like if a team's good enough, they're gonna win. Like the Seahawks, there was a lot of money on the Patriots. Yeah. The Seahawks just blew them out of the wire. Did because they were good enough.
SPEAKER_00So you watched some of the Panthers going into the playoffs games with me this season. Yeah, the refs came out for like as far as I know, the first time in NFL history, and the NFL admitted that they didn't call that game fairly. It was different wording, but like I don't think that's ever happened before. And they came out and said, We should have made these calls.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, there that's happened before. I don't know if I I don't know what they said, but there's a lot of times they come out and they're like, We missed this call. Yeah, you just don't hear about it a lot, yeah. But they always have to do some sort of report, yeah. And it's it's it's done by like guys that don't actually ref. It's well, they did ref. They're like they'll review the whole thing and they'll be like, there was this many missed calls, blah, blah, blah.
SPEAKER_01But like, that always happens.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I just thought it was crazy because like I think they should have to do a post-game interview. I think that every ref across all sports should have to do a post-game interview. I agree. I think that would be the coolest thing ever. I think players have to answer college players post-game have to answer for what they do. 18-year-olds have to answer for what they do on a basketball court in a football field. Yeah. But the refs can skimper off and run in and into hiding. And I I think it'd be some of the best interviews on the planet, too.
SPEAKER_00Well, they could they couldn't do it in Neeland because they might get stuff thrown at them and stuff, but you know.
SPEAKER_02Everyone gets stuff thrown at them. I'm I have been in the last I think I've been to a game every year for like the last eight, nine years. But in the last four or five, someone in my group has been thrown up on.
SPEAKER_00You were telling me about that, yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's that's every single year. Did they win the game then? Until this past year. I've I was on a four-year winning streak. This last year was the first year was pretty much year.
SPEAKER_00Who got is it the same person getting thrown up on? A different one.
SPEAKER_02It's different. Every single person. Um one of my brothers' buddies got thrown up on, one of my brothers got thrown up on, my brother's wife's sister got thrown up this past year, thrown up on this past year. So yeah, it's been someone Jared or Daniel, I think, got thrown up on. Daniel got thrown up and then got paid a hundred dollars for it.
SPEAKER_00That's I mean, I if people just want to start throwing up on me and paying me for it, that's I go, yeah, totally fine. I'll just buy new clothes.
SPEAKER_01I was like, dude, you're like, dude, I got a hundred dollars. I was like, yeah, your back has got throw all over it.
SPEAKER_00I can look, you can take a shower, okay?
SPEAKER_02You can't just make a hundred dollars that's one thing I don't understand, and I like I don't I I don't really drink much anymore. Um, but even when I did like getting to I don't understand it. Getting getting to that point is like especially in an event like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and yeah, especially obviously it's in the fall, and I was in the Smoky Mountains, a little cooler. Right. But not some of those games. Okay, so like it was hot. Dude, it gets hot. Yeah, so like you're you're completely impaired, you're sweating, sweating, and then you're throwing up like that's that's not a fine response. That sounds terrible.
SPEAKER_02And I'm not joking. So the way Nealon works, and you'll know because we're gonna go to a game this year. The way Nealon works that before. Well, this year is I have a little bit more fright free time this year.
SPEAKER_03Sure.
SPEAKER_02Would you not agree? We both do. We both have weekends wide open now. I'm so excited, dude. So the way Nealon works is like you there's this, these wide, like as wide as this whole shop. Yeah, these these walkways that walk up and then you turn and you walk up and you turn and you walk up, right? And it's on like four sides, right? Yeah, and I'm not joking. Going into like I've been to uh 12 o'clock kicks, I've been to 3 30 kicks, I've been to 8 30, I've been to all the different kicks. No matter what, you've got these random 58-year-old men in overalls swaying on their way up. I'm like, this is just gonna be bad. I don't understand it. And like it might be an Oxford thing, it might be a Tennessee thing. I think it's more of an SEC thing than a Tennessee thing. Yeah, but um, either way, I'm watching that, I'm like, dude, like I'm here, I want to watch Tennessee play football. I cannot fathom being like not remembering the game and Also, this is the biggest thing. You know how much I paid for tickets last year? Oh, SEC games are more expensive than NFL uh Panthers games. Yeah, last year I paid, I think, $450 a piece. The year before that, when we went to the Alabama game, I paid $780 per ticket. That's actually wild. $780 per ticket. That's what I paid. And we were, we were in the we were in the second level. We didn't even get into the bottom level. And there's no shot that I pay $780 for two a piece. So what is that? Almost $1,600 for two tickets. To forget everything. To not remember any of it, be miserable the whole time, and possibly get kicked out. Yeah. I saw five fights at the last game. That is that's and they were between Tennessee fans. And then I watched a guy get in trouble, watched cops chase him. He slid away from them, right? He was wearing the same hoodie and hat that this other guy was had on. Yeah. And the cops approached that guy and they were like, hey, we need you to walk out. This is like five rows in front of me. I watched the whole thing. He's like, hey, we need you to, we need you to get out. And the guy was, or we need you to come talk to us. And he was like, for what? And they're like, we just need just come talk to us. Yeah. And he was like, I'm not getting up. That's what I'm saying. And the guy, the guy, the guy said, We think that we need to kick you out, but just come talk to us. Like he was being very explanatory. And the guy was like, I'm not getting up. And the guy said, Here's the deal. Either you can come talk to us and we can clear this up and you can come back. Or if you say no again, no matter what, you're getting kicked out. And he goes, I'm not moving. I'm like, bro, you're so stupid. You paid almost $800 for that ticket. Guarantee it. And you said, nah, I'm just kick me out. And this was like second quarter. And you're probably banned for the rest of like you can't come back to Neiland ever. You're right. I'm like, you're stupid. And the guy that actually did something wrong, Scotch free. Yeah. Yeah. That's straight out of Dukes of Hazard, by the way. They call it the flipping switch. Yeah. I was like, dude, there's no way that just there's if a cop comes up to me at a Tennessee game, like, hey, we need to talk to you. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, that's common sense doesn't prevail usually. Yeah. That's true. Um, I will say one thing, like the the demographics at a Carolina game, like you talk about the Tar Hill or Panthers. Tar Hill. Tar Hill. Yeah. So like there's a whole like that quarter zip, like sweater vest culture is like, I guess it's like everywhere now. But you see it so much in the old people at Carolina games. Like everyone comes in dressed like Roy Williams, which they have like the hair to match. Like it's all like it's an older crowd. So like anybody like it's not loud, it's boring. Well, basketball games are loud. Football games are kind of they're not loud at all.
SPEAKER_02Well, y'all suck. But yeah, there's that.
SPEAKER_00But um, yeah, that was like going even from state, because like state's still kind of like the reason they're called the Wolfback is because they were rowdy back in the day, right? Even going from that, and now there's like just quarter zips everywhere, and everyone's just like sitting there enjoying themselves. I'm like, all right.
SPEAKER_02Have you ever been to a wake forest basketball game? No, I don't really want to either, dude. I've been to like four or five. The lamest time that I've ever been anywhere. Yeah. I felt I almost felt I actually I think I fell asleep in the game. That's wild.
SPEAKER_00Very uh very close game there. Exciting.
SPEAKER_02No, maybe it might have been.
SPEAKER_00It was the people around me, dude. It was so boring, dude. Dude, me and uh me and Jacob, Perry, yeah, we went to a state game one time. I think I had like an extra ticket, and like everyone, you know. So me and me and Jacob go up there, and his buddy ends up buying a ticket, and it was an ECU game. And no, I'm sorry, it was Western Carolina game, and all the Western Carolina like frat boys are sitting beside us because like we're all poor, so we're on the guest side. And uh, dude, they were talking the maddest trash. And then like Jacob is a Michigan fan, he's not he don't have a dog in this fight. He doesn't care. But like I'm like, I'm not, I'm not doing that. And Jacob just like stood up, turned around, towered over all of them. This is back before we lost all that weight. Dude, they like him, they didn't speak the rest of the game. Yeah, I wasn't either.
SPEAKER_02I think he looks more intimidating now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Because he's got that chiseled jawline and stuff.
SPEAKER_00Now I'm like, yeah, yeah, I wouldn't mess with that guy. Yeah, facts. But he's a good hugger. We don't need to that um that's a great can we like clip that one just up there?
SPEAKER_01Jacob Perry, good hugger. Good hugger, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I love it. Um, so you've been a police officer in Greensboro for going on to my third year.
SPEAKER_01Third year, third year.
SPEAKER_00Wild, isn't it? It does not feel like you've been doing it that long. No, it doesn't feel like it's me either. And they tell you like everyone, all the retirees are like, it goes by so quick, and then like your eight reports down on patrol, and everyone, you know, everyone's still fighting their spouse, and you're just like, it's not going by quickly, and then like three years have passed, and I'm like, what?
SPEAKER_02I've been I've worked and you're transitioning now into a new yeah. Can we talk about that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we can talk. I mean, it hasn't ever so the the thing This won't come out for two more weeks.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's fine.
SPEAKER_00The thing with the department is like they tell you don't expect anything until you've seen it on paper.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Um, I haven't seen it on paper yet, so I'm a little like, come on.
SPEAKER_02We can cut this if something goes poorly.
SPEAKER_00Well, I already had the meeting with the captain and lieutenant, everybody. So like but yeah, I'm I'm transitioning hopefully really, really soon to the behavioral health response team. And you're excited about that? Very excited. Why are you excited?
SPEAKER_02I mean, obviously schedule's better. Yeah, schedule's better. Um the But this is more your what kind of why you got into it.
SPEAKER_00What's why I got into it? It's um it's the experiences I had growing up that push me in this direction. It's my favorite type of call to run is like IBC stuff. Because the involuntary commitment, sorry. Yeah. Um for the normal people, yeah. For the normal for the normies. For the normies. Um, but it's my favorite type of call because like even in like our police academy, there's a scenario. It's like, all right, you're walking in to serve involuntary commitment paperwork on on this individual, handle it. And everyone tries to like beat around the bush and like, oh, well, you know, we just gotta we gotta talk to you outside, and then it always turned into a fight, right? So I just walked in and I was like, I got paperwork, you gotta go to the hospital with me. And that was that was like the most successful one of the day. And it was like, it's be honest. And it's the only call you can go to where you can just be blunt, right? Because every like most of the other calls we go to, like, we're talking to people, like we're trying to get information, you're trying to avoid having to you know put hands on anybody, right? So no one, like, no one's gonna talk to you unless you're chill. Like, I don't want to be best friends with you know Joe Schmo that's out here beating people up, right? But I have to pretend to be so I can get information from them and make a decision off of that. But like this, you just go, you're blunt. It's it. And I'm not, I don't have a good poker face. You know this about me. So for me, like that's the easiest thing. I don't have to worry about it. You say it as it is, and you don't have to fake anything. Yeah, just be real, be genuine. That's one of my favorite things. Like, I've I've ran calls recently. Um, you know, especially like people that are like considering suicide, just be genuine with them. You know, I can tell them my story. Hey, this is what I've been through, this is this is what like the Lord did in my life, this is this is how I got through these scenarios, and then you know, I still talk to some of these people regularly, right? Which is it's really neat. Yeah, that's cool.
SPEAKER_02Um so I uh I'm excited about you moving in into that what it be called a branch department, yeah. It's uh a team, really. Yeah, um so do you think because like a lot of this is every aspect of your life, but your desire is to share the gospel, right? So I I'm always curious because like I have a lot of interactions with your typical person that speaks Christianese, but you don't really know what they live out, right? And a lot of the um a lot of the response when it comes to sharing the gospel at work is like I can't, I'll get fired. Yeah, right. Which I think a majority of the time I would say is bull crap, yeah. Right? Yeah. Are is that gonna be something that you're gonna have more ability to do now? Is it something you've always had the ability to do? Because I know you have a lot of good stories about being able to talk about the hope of Christ, but so that I'm trying to put this in a very well-word-worded way.
SPEAKER_00Um, I'll say it's something I've always had the ability to do. Okay. Um at the end of the day, like if if you know, obviously if I go to a call and I'm like hitting someone over the head with a Bible, and you know, they they're not about it, and I just keep like if I go out there and and you know, do that, call and complain, you know, so have you. Like, I I but it there's there's in my experience, there's nothing against me going out having a conversation. I'm I'm doing my job as as an officer, I'm doing the report that needs to be done, I'm taking you where you need to go, I'm giving you the resources you need. Also, hey, by the way, um just say no, the reason I'm here is because of this. Right. I've seen no issue with it.
SPEAKER_02Okay. Um and you've sat with some people in some really dark moments in their life, right? Yeah, and you've been able to share the the hope. Yeah, very that you have, yeah. Yeah. Um, I think that's cool. I think this is something I I think there needs to be conversation more about what is and is okay to do at work. Because I I think a lot of people are just like, because most places are like don't bring up religion. Right. Right? Like when I was in barber school, it was like, don't talk about politics and don't talk about religion.
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean, that's that's like the like when I first started working with my like uncle in high school, like my aunt was like, Hey, by the way, don't talk about religion, don't talk about politics, don't talk about the pay. You'll be good the rest of your life. Right. And then like I in that journey, I mean, you were there. I'm like, the only thing we should be talking about is Jesus anyway. So, like, what's the point of that advice? Right.
SPEAKER_02And I think there's freedom, I think, I think there's freedom to do it. Yeah, I think a lot of people just want to avoid it because they want to avoid the confrontation, right? They want to avoid bad things happening, but I think there from a legal perspective, there's way more freedom than most people think they have. Yeah. Um, and like for me, it's easy in the fact that like basically I've I'm not gonna get it's my barb, like my barber chair.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_02You're sitting in my business. If you don't want to be here, then go somewhere else. I don't think that, but it's basically like I have to make a decision. Yeah, do I care more about sharing what I believe in in truth, or do I care more about keeping this client? Right? And so I just have to, it's a very simple decision for me. It's either um risk losing this person um or risk not sharing the gospel, one or the other, right? And obviously, like I want to communicate it best, so I'm not like you said, I'm they're not gonna sit down on and I'll be like, hey, let's talk about Jesus right now. Yeah, like obviously it's within the flow of conversation, like you want to get there the right way, blah, blah, blah. But it's still the decision I have to make. Yeah, right. But I that's easy for me. In like a corporate environment or like a first responder's environment, it's very different. Yeah, and I feel like there's a lot more freedom. Like, like you said, there's freedom to do it where you're at. Right. You just have to be tactical about how you get there. Um, and I think that the same thing probably happens in a corporate environment. You just have to be tactical about how you get there.
SPEAKER_00I'll be like, even like to be honest with you, like Bonnie was telling telling me the other day about how like she re you know read her Bible at work, and you know, though that was someone gave her credit. Yeah, and I'm like, I'm so blessed that I don't have but she still reads her Bible work, right? Right, right. It was one complaint, yeah, yeah. But like I don't have to deal with that. Right. You know, like I can me and one of my supervisors can just like we'll talk Bible. Um, it's it's I love that. Right. Um, you know, the only thing like you know, we have a camera on, and whenever we're talking with people in the public, it's always rolling. Whatever, you know, cool. Let internal affairs hear the gospel. I'm fine with that. Right, it works for me. Yeah, it's more people hearing it. Exactly. You expanded your reach when they audit this later.
SPEAKER_02Um, so uh I want to get into the house church a little bit. We'll probably wrap it up soon because you're gonna be on couch talk a lot, so I want to save a lot of our conversation for that as well. But um, so you one of the things that we talked about that was important before any of us stepped into stepping into the house church thing was we wanted to um pray for a month, pray for a long time. Um, we wanted the blessing of where we were leaving, which we both got. And then um, the big thing I want to hit on was fasting for a second. Yeah, because I it's crazy. And I mean Joey talked about this. Was it yesterday or the day before? Day before yesterday. Yeah. So we've talked about fasting. I've had four other conversations, and every single person, I'm like, you need to go talk to Chastin, because we both experienced a different level of relationship with Christ, yeah, strictly because we're like, we're actually gonna take fasting seriously. Yeah. Um, and so Joey's in the room, and I told him to talk to you about it, and I don't think he's done it yet. No, yeah. So I want to talk, I want to talk about it now because I think that it's important, but um, so before you decided to be a part of this, you love the concept. We've worked together in a lot of different ministry before. Yeah, um, so obviously, like the thought was we should keep doing it, right? But we want the Lord to bless it, right? Right. So um I was like, you should fast. I did, it's great. There's some big things that happened. Talk about your experience with fasting.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I um it's actually funny with the whole story. With um, like me and Charlotte, we're so back and forth on it. And like, I mean, even years ago when you just mentioned it as like a this is our goal one day. Like it wasn't there's a set plan, it wasn't any that was like this is our goal one day. Like four or five years ago. Yeah, like I remember like you know, three years ago on our honeymoon. Three years, that's not right. 24, almost two years ago on our honeymoon. There you go. Um, you know, like we were having this conversation and it kind of like was back and forth. Um, and it was the same thing once, once, you know, there was a set plan. Right. But that's it's exactly when I was like, okay, we see in scripture people fasting for you know several different reasons. One of those reasons is to seek the will of the Lord. It's it's so much easier to hear the Holy Spirit when you are denying your flesh fully. The basic way to do that is food.
SPEAKER_02Right. Um, you're supposed to starve yourself of something you need. Right. Right. You need social media.
SPEAKER_00The weak American fat on the phone. Yeah, you don't need social media. No, you don't need Netflix. I don't have social media really as it is anyway. So, like, you know, whatever. Um, but like stimulus, food, those are the two things for me, because I don't want to distract myself from what I'm trying to do with a television. Right. Um and when I, you know, I'll I'll use a church healer, like when you crucify your flesh and deny it what it wants, the voice of the Lord is so much more clear. It's it's a struggle, like it's it's a difficult thing to do. And I'll be like, I tried it. The first fast I tried, it was I was going for three days. I made it to like two. Um, because at some point I got to just like I couldn't focus on on what I was trying. The the first two days I just sat there and you know, I would pray and read scripture, and I my heart was right in it, got to like almost past the 48-hour mark, and I was like, okay, I'm doing this for the wrong reasons now. This has become a hunger strike, that's not the goal. Yeah, um, but the revelation that I had, the the conviction that I had in that time, um, the focus on worship I had, because I mean I was I was I can't play guitar very well. I have one, I can't play very well, dude. I was just strumming and singing. Like that was the last fast I did. I was just literally like plucking the cord and singing, like and it was just between me and God.
SPEAKER_01Like I'm between you and God, and that's a holy moment, but the things I would do to have that on camera.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well, you might get it one day. I'm actually because of house church, I'm trying to learn guitar. I'm proud of that. That's why, because we're not gonna have any literally just talking about that.
SPEAKER_02I was like, I think it's really cool that Chestman's trying to learn the guitar.
SPEAKER_00Like when so with our what our model is like there's gonna be a house church in my living room, but you and Bonnie aren't gonna be there at some point in the next four years. Me and Charlotte can't sing or play anything. So like someone's gotta do something here. So I'm trying. But like back to the fasting thing. Um, denying the flesh, sitting in your spirit, not your spirit, in the Holy Spirit, um, as we saw Jesus do. Yep. That is when I have felt closest to the Lord, closest to the smallest of sacrifices I can give back for someone who sacrificed it all for me.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Um and it puts you it puts into perspective for you just how much Jesus gave up. Right. Like I can I can hardly make it to two days of this small thing. Right. You know, it's it changes your perspective, and I'll honestly say I'm like I'm a bigger guy, I like eating a lot. I'm a big fan of food. Um going without food is very difficult for me. It's very hard to not focus on, oh, I'm not eating.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00But I can tell night and day that like when I start a fast through the fast, and when I'm done with the fast, like I I feel like you just feel the world coming back into you. And it it's a like you want to just stop eating for you know what I mean? You just want to stay fasting. And then you start passing out, and then you're like, it's not it's not as sustainable, but it is something that I think we as followers of Christ need to make a regular practice. Yeah, we don't do it as as the big church in the world, right? We haven't done it. Right. At least I haven't seen it. I haven't done it. I'll say that.
SPEAKER_02So same. Uh until the last like year, it hasn't been a part of our life at all. Yeah. Um, and I I think, like you said, I do think that the reason the American church is where it's at is because we we have not taken the things that God sees as serious serious. Right. We don't take sin seriously. Nope. Um we're we're told to fast, we don't.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um and when we when we do, we're like, yeah, we're giving up Netflix, we're giving up 2K, we're giving up this, we're giving up that. And it's like, okay, so you're not starving yourself at all. You're just giving up something you want. Right. Right. And so um, I think if if the American church, and I speak to America because that's where I'm at, if the American church decided I'm gonna take the things that God sees as serious, seriously, yeah, then I think we would see revival. I don't think revival is going to happen because we we get more people to come to church. Yeah, I think it's going to be when the church starts taking things seriously that it should.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. Um I'll I'll add a caveat to that too, is when the church is gonna start going out to the people. Right. Because that's what expectation is bring them to church, bring them to church, bring them to church. Our our goal needs to be go to them, go to them, go to them.
SPEAKER_02That's one of the things in the Bema that I think is super cool when it talks about hospitality. In the Old Testament, the whole culture that was established when it came to the um visitor, foreigner, like what whatever the person coming in coming to the area around you was you saw Lot do it and you saw Abram do it several times. Right. Um, they ran to the visitorslash foreigner. Right. They went to them and they said, Welcome to where we're at. Yeah. Um and then they fed them, they they made sure they were closed, they made sure they gave them everything.
SPEAKER_00They give them the best too.
SPEAKER_02Right. It wasn't like give them what we have left over. Like they said the best of the best. Right. And so as a church, now what we see is that culture does not exist. Right. It's you walk into our environment, we may have someone open the door for you and shake your hand and smile and pretend like we like you. And sometimes like you. Um and this isn't a full like rag on the church. I think that a lot of churches are really good at hospitality.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, but it's still only if they get to them. Right.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_02We're not running out to get them. Right. Yeah. And then we haven't equipped the saints well. Yeah. Meaning um we haven't discipled and prepared the church churchgoers to um be the church well.
SPEAKER_00So one of my convictions lately um is even so like I would say that you're very good at discipling. You've got multiple people that you go through scripture with regularly, you talk to regularly, you spend time with regularly, you break food, break food, break bread with regularly. We break the food. Break the food. Um, break bread with regularly. I think you're very good at that. Thank you. One thing that I am, and this is just a personal conviction of mine. Like I took a very small model of discipleship that I've seen. Because in a lot of churches, discipleship is we're gonna read the Bible. That's it. We might do something nice every once in a while for somebody. We're gonna read the Bible together. That's it. At that point, it's just a Bible study. Um, I have kind of adopted that in, you know, until fairly recently to be that's what discipleship really is. Right. And then I've got like, you know, group chats, I'm sending, I'm I'm reading the Bible with multiple people too. But wait, what are we doing? I don't see one of one of these people don't even live in this state. Right. Um, you know, so I'm I'm convicted for myself and in that for church culture that in our discipling or lack thereof, there has to be the rest of it. There has to be the the spending time, there has to be the going out and and showing them how to love strangers. Like I think that's something all of us neglect, to be honest with you.
SPEAKER_02I agree.
SPEAKER_00Um and then it's like there's obviously daily scripture, there's so much more to it that I've missed out on. Right. That I would like to do from moving now on.
SPEAKER_02The the closest example to a biblical disciple is an apprentice. An apprentice is someone that walks alongside someone that knows what they want to accomplish better than them. Right. So, like an apprentice barber would be someone that walks beside a master barber and learns everything that they can about barbering from someone that's done it for a long time. Yeah, right. Um, a blacksmith apprentice would be someone that walks beside a blacksmith and watches and learns. And is there the the book smart where it's like, hey, this is what we're you're supposed to do? Yes, but there's also like this is how I take breaks, this is how I prepare for what's next. Right. And and that's when you when we think disciple, a lot of times we think, like you said, it's a Bible study. Right. Um, we're teaching you the Bible more, we're teaching. The Bible better, which is part of it. And a very important part of it. But there's a lot more that goes into it. Absolutely. So um cool. Well, thanks for coming on. Do the best. I love you a lot. Love you too, buddy.
