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 14 | Behind The Exchange
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With Tyler out of the building, the boys behind the scenes take over for this episode. Joey, Malaki, Caleb and Garrett talk about what's been happening recently for them, their favorite country artists, and open up about their testimonies
Hey, welcome back everyone to the Tyler Reagan Exchange. Uh today's a little bit of a special episode uh because a little certain someone wouldn't show up. Tyler. So, anyways, uh it's me, Joey, we got Malachi, we got Caleb, we got Garrett, and we're all really excited to be here. I'm not so excited to be here anymore.
SPEAKER_01I am, I am.
SPEAKER_05But uh yeah, it's just we're just gonna be sitting here talking and whatnot, so I think it'll be a pretty cool episode. So I'm really excited. So how are y'all been?
SPEAKER_03Fire. Fire. Yeah. If you haven't noticed, if you're not watching the video, I'm still wearing my work stuff. I just got off at like literally eight. Yeah. But I hate my job, bro. Do you really? It sucks.
SPEAKER_05Actually, yes. Well then, what are what are you thinking then? What are you doing? I'm quitting.
SPEAKER_03Really? I'm trying to quit by this April, by the end of April. Yeah. That way I can go play as much golf as I want.
SPEAKER_05Well, what makes you well why do you hate your job so much?
SPEAKER_03Because people are dumb, bro. Really? Yes. Like, I went to a house today and like this dude was paying like 30 not $30 and like 99 cents a month for internet. And I went up to his house and I was like, I get you that for $20. And he was like, I'm good. Like, I'm giving you $500 more speed. Like, it was just dumb.
SPEAKER_05What what was he what what was he already using?
SPEAKER_03He had bright speed. What is it?
SPEAKER_00It's like, I think y'all use it. Yeah. It's just because it's like um the place is like right next to our house and it's like really good there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, it's not like bad internet, but like, and it's really cheap. But I was giving him an offer where we could give it to him cheaper for two years, and he just didn't want it. So I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_05I'm sorry you had such a horrible day.
SPEAKER_03Thank you, Joey. Seeing your face made it better though.
SPEAKER_05You're doing too much.
SPEAKER_00What about you, Cameron? Um, well, I just got off of work too, but um I'm not wearing my work clothes because I wear a taekwondo uniform during my work, so a little bit weird. I'm not blown up in a taekwondo uniform. I love my job, I'm like Malachi. Um I love working with P point Kids. Um ungrateful.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I am ungrateful.
SPEAKER_00I need to be more grateful for it. Well at least you're on. No, but it's it's going good. Um I'm loving work. Yeah. Still busy, but still loving it.
SPEAKER_05You you work in like you're teaching typically like a lot of kids, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I teach kids ages three years old and up, um all the way to adults. I teach adult classes too. Um I teach like Monday to Friday, some Saturdays too. I used to teach mode, discipline, self-control, life skills to work.
SPEAKER_05I um I've worked with kids a couple times. I used to work at a um at a like an after school program, stuff like that. And like, I mean like it was it was chill though. Like I love it. KJ um over here in Summerfield, like it's a it's a great gig. And I I love you know hanging out with all the kids. I was basically like the one that just ran around with them all the time.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03They didn't call me that, but that's basically who I was.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Um, but like I only had to deal with them for like I don't know, maybe like three hours. Yeah so like for you, for you, what is that like doing it full time as like a full-time gig?
SPEAKER_00Well, seven hours? Um it depends, like on the day. Um we don't start classes till about 3 30, and then um depends on the day. Sometimes I'll be working till six, but I go in earlier than that uh to get stuff done beforehand. Um I start teaching classes. We have like classes 30 minutes all the way up to an hour. Um so I teach different classes every week and stuff like that. So it depends on the age. Like we sometimes have it like three to six year olds, and then we'll have like six year olds and up, and then we'll have like adults separate and stuff like that, and then I teach all those things. Yeah, I love it.
SPEAKER_05What about you, Gary? Gary, what about you, Gary?
SPEAKER_04Pretty good, man. I'm just chilling. I'm unemployed. So I'm also I'm still in high school, so yeah, that's very good.
SPEAKER_05I don't know. You just got out of practice, right? How's that going?
SPEAKER_04It's pretty good. Yeah, I feel like I'm getting better.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04I'm really trying to like focus on like lifting and like getting in shape first. Yeah. That's been the offseason. But I am I kinda I'm not employed unemployed, but I am at the same time. I've got my own like camera business, obviously, with this.
SPEAKER_05Hey, quick plug, quick plug, quick plug.
SPEAKER_04Work and I'm about to start a new. I actually did start, I'm starting a wedding photography business. Oh, I saw that first look films. I thought about wedding?
SPEAKER_03I thought you were uh I just thought you were posting. Dang, bro. Don't laugh at the house.
SPEAKER_05You're in the same boat as me. Yeah, I think I'll follow first look films on Instagram. Word, word. Little shameless plug, shameless plug. Well heck yeah, dude. I thought I thought that was um, because I saw you posted that on your story. I thought that was someone else's account, but that's really cool. That's cheap.
SPEAKER_04Obviously, I need to like put something on Instagram like saying this is me, because I've had like three people say that. Well, you can not know.
SPEAKER_03Like you can just throw a little thing on. You know what's crazy though? What? How Garrett still hasn't had his own episode. We need Justice for Garrett. Justice for Garrett, just a Garrett episode.
SPEAKER_05Well, I guess this is technically his episode. Oh yeah, he needs one of Tyler.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's fair. It's crazy that I wasn't even on the team when I had my episode done. Garrett's been here since day one, grinding the hardest, editing the videos.
SPEAKER_05You edit. Well, he he does the visuals, I do the audio. But I feel I feel like I feel like he might have a more difficult.
SPEAKER_03But you're still grinding, and Tyler doesn't pay you any appreciation.
SPEAKER_05Just RIP Garrett. R.I.P. Garrett. Well, he's right here.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah. Yeah. I'm alive today. Resurrected Garrett. What about you, Joe? Yeah, how have you been up to?
SPEAKER_05Um well uh recently, March, March has been a really busy month. I went to uh I went to Charleston, saw my buddy Zach there um for the first time. Yeah, I know I missed that. He's doing good? Yeah, he's doing really good. Um went to Charleston, then I got my wisdom teeth out, and I looked like a friggin' balloon. Like I had I had I had five wisdom teeth.
SPEAKER_02Five?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I had an extra one up here. They thought I had a sixth. Thank God I didn't, in all honesty, bro. Like it felt like it felt like on the left side of my face someone was trying to like push their hand through like the back of my head. Like through like my face. It was terrible. Wait, did we get a mouth review reveal? Anyways. Mouth reveal at a hundred subscribers. Yes. Wait, are we already at a hundred?
SPEAKER_04No, we're at like 56 right now.
SPEAKER_05Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_04We're at like we're almost at 300 on Instagram though.
SPEAKER_05Really?
SPEAKER_03Hey, if you're watching on Instagram, go subscribe to the YouTube. Please, please. We need it.
SPEAKER_05But um, so yeah, that was easily like top five worst experience of my life. But we made it through, thankfully. Praise God. And then uh then I was just in Florida um on a little family vacation. So um it was it was a good time there.
SPEAKER_03Is the water warm?
SPEAKER_05It was cold, it was really cold. It took like, but I mean, like, I got used to it in like a couple. So you're able to swim? Yeah, yeah. I was boogie boarding the whole time. I love boards. Bro, them them waves were wild, dude. Bro, I love boogie boarding.
SPEAKER_03Y'all try to like surf on the boogie board? You like stand on it and then you just never worked out. Yeah, dude, I was hurt.
SPEAKER_05I was I was just trying to like I was just trying to like sit on the boogie board and it would keep like flipping me over, and like you know the little wrist strap that you have on the boogie board? It got wrapped around my leg as these waves were coming at me, so I and it was cutting off like all my circulation, like drowning in the water. So I was like trying to like pull my leg over the friggin' rope as I was like drowning. Oh my gosh. Yeah, no, that that that was very scary, but yeah, but we we made it out. We made it out to tell a tale, so pretty happy about that. Um and I also start barber school tomorrow. So yeah, whenever um yeah, when we post this episode from from today, tomorrow, um, I'll be in school. So quick little plug-in. Winston Salem Barber School, uh, the Greensboro satellite campus specifically. Um but yeah, if y'all want to cut, I can only do bald heads for the first three months. So if you're bald and you want to cut, I got you.
SPEAKER_03I got you. And what's the name of your your your uh your like slogan thing or whatever? Oh, I don't have one yet.
SPEAKER_05Oh I've I've gotten a couple. Um I've gotten uh so my last name is Russum, and so this one guy, one of my managers at Chick-fil-A, yeah, um, he was like, yo, Russum cuts them. And I was like I was like, yo, that kind of works actually. That's low key catchy. I don't know if I'll use it, um, but you know, that's something that I've been told. I don't like I I've been thinking like like Rust cuts or big Rust cuts or something like that, but then like I look up on Instagram and stuff like that, and it's like it's already it's already taken. Yeah, so I'll I'll have to figure something out, but but we'll figure it out at some point. Fire. I'll let you cut my hair, bro. Hey, I appreciate it. Your hair will definitely scare me because it'll scare me. Even even Tyler himself is like, yeah, Malachi's hair is like some of the hardest hair I've ever had to cut. So you might it might have to take a couple years before I get to it.
SPEAKER_03And we'll live, I guess.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry in advance if if your cut sucks. So oh hey, look look who it is.
SPEAKER_00Oh shoot, who is that?
SPEAKER_05That's Darius.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, I knew that. That's how you know he's new here. Pause the episode. No, no, pause. Maybe we can do it. We can do it. Maybe we can walk over here.
SPEAKER_03Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00Oh, we heard the firework.
SPEAKER_05Oh, special special guest, Darius. Darius here, if anyone's interested. Oh, you're good.
SPEAKER_03Oh, you're good. Michael's calling me.
SPEAKER_05He promised to hop on 2K. Do you need us to be out of here by like a very specific time? Oh for that. 12 hour sleep sleep over at Greensboro Barber Company. I'm good. Oh, I'm I'm chilling right now, yeah. Appreciate it. But no, you're good.
SPEAKER_03So I guess we can just chill for right now, I guess. Alright, but until he leaves. Imagine we all got mad at Darius. Get out of here! Dude, get out of here.
SPEAKER_05Dude, you're crashing our episode, bro.
SPEAKER_03Our studio. It's our studio. Get out. We're not open.
SPEAKER_04No, Luke Combs was so freaking good, bro.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. I don't listen to much of Luke Combs.
SPEAKER_04I don't know. It could really be a very important person, like he's got so many bangers. I listened to a podcast with him.
SPEAKER_03He seems really cool though.
SPEAKER_04He's so genuine.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
unknownI really like Luke Combs.
SPEAKER_03The thing is, he has like two kids or whatever, and apparently he lives in like a mobile home or something. Like he doesn't live in a very crazy house. Lou Combs?
SPEAKER_05He lives in a mobile home?
SPEAKER_03Something like that.
unknownIt was crazy.
SPEAKER_05What stadium was it in? Uh Virginia's. Like their basketball?
SPEAKER_04UVA now. UVA. That was their uh football stadium.
SPEAKER_05Are you s how do they have a is it an indoor stadium?
SPEAKER_04That was outdoor.
SPEAKER_05I live in jumbo stuff. Oh, I thought I thought that was a jumbo trot. It's supported by.
SPEAKER_04Oh, okay. It was crazy.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I was like, wait, if it's outdoor, why is there a jumbo truck?
SPEAKER_04Dang. It was so fire. It was six hours long. Holy cow. There were five openers. Ty Myers is one. He was fired. Who? Ty Myers? Oh, uh shoot. He was fire. And there was like three others. Dirk's Bentley was one.
SPEAKER_05Dirk's Bentley was an opener?
SPEAKER_04Yes. He was fired. He performed for like an hour and a half. Luke did two hours straight. He did 28 songs. 28 songs. Two hours straight. You know who I really want to go see?
unknownWho?
SPEAKER_01Eric Church.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04I'm going to see Megan Moroni and Morgan Wallin.
unknownOh yeah.
SPEAKER_04Megan Moroni.
SPEAKER_05Bro, how do you how much are those tickets?
SPEAKER_04I don't know. I'm going for pretty baby. I paid for my Luke Morris. Morgan Wallins. They're like expensive to. Actually, I looked at the prices for the one I'm going to. The cheapest in the house was like 110. Oh, really? It's actually not that bad. That's not bad. For like nosebleeds. What's your favorite Morgan Wallen song?
unknownHard question.
SPEAKER_05I like 98 Braze.
SPEAKER_04I'm not gonna lie though. Smile, I feel like Smile's his best song.
SPEAKER_05I don't know if I've heard Smile.
SPEAKER_04It's just like I feel like it's the most like meaningful song. My favorite song though, I really like your bartender. Like I like the old stuff, but I yeah, his new album is fire.
SPEAKER_05Like he said, he said, um, I saw a post recently, or actually today I saw it. Um, but he said he's about like seven or eight singles through his uh new album that he's gonna drop soon. He says he's probably almost done recording songs. So I saw yeah, I saw that too.
SPEAKER_04That's gonna be a quick like the last time he jumped around. Probably like 25.
SPEAKER_05Probably something like that.
SPEAKER_04But I mean like, no, no, no, with his album. Oh, oh, yeah, yeah. I thought you were talking about with his career. Nah, nah, nah.
SPEAKER_05But like Yeah, he's done. He's done. Over.
SPEAKER_04Last album was like one more thing at a time or something, whatever it was, to uh I'm the problem was like a three-year span. This is gonna be like a one-year span. So like I liked I'm the problem. I'm the problem. I I feel like that's his best album. I don't know, Dangerous was really good.
SPEAKER_05I think I for me hit Dangerous is my favorite album from him.
SPEAKER_04But I'm the problem was really good too.
SPEAKER_05No, it was.
SPEAKER_04I feel like there was like two skips on that song on that album.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Dangerous though, like there's no skips.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, no.
SPEAKER_04But I feel like for one thing at a time, there was like he had like 37 songs on there that like I feel like none of them are skips really on the album. Yeah, like it was inconsistent.
SPEAKER_05His whole album was like on the radio, like there's a lot of people. Yeah, you weren't skipping any of those.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, like a lot of artists can't do that.
SPEAKER_05Seven summers was on that, right?
SPEAKER_03No, seven summers was on day. I love seven summers ago. Oh, okay, Dane. Okay, yeah. I just got into Morgan Wallet.
SPEAKER_05It was seven summers ago.
SPEAKER_03Seven summers ago.
SPEAKER_05I'm sorry, Darius. Shout out, Darius. Shout out, shout out Darius for allowing us to be here and record. He's such a great guy. He's such a cute, handsome man. I need to put my hand. Okay, okay. See you guys. See you. I love that guy. For real. Such a cool guy. He looks like that. We can keep all that from like. He looks like Luke Combs. Luke Combs?
SPEAKER_00Okay, that's what I was thinking.
SPEAKER_05Very Luke Combs-esque.
SPEAKER_00I wonder if we can sing.
SPEAKER_05I want to hear him sing. Yo, someone go someone.
unknownLuke, no.
SPEAKER_05Technically, with what we're gonna post or with what we're gonna edit out, I don't think they actually saw him. So we could we could definitely just bring him back on and be like, yo, guess what we got?
SPEAKER_01Luke Holmes at home.
SPEAKER_00He's like in the background with the shadow, just the beard, and he's like, yeah, Luke Combs, guys. That'd be pretty funny. We have like the most views we've ever gotten.
SPEAKER_04We can keep all that stuff about Morgan Wallen.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, facts.
SPEAKER_03Well, we can talk about that. Alright, let's do it. Because um, I just got into country music probably like a month ago, and I really like uh Hudson Westbrook. Hudson West. I like Morgan Wallen. I like um there's a bunch of people I like to listen to. I just don't know all their names yet because I've just started listening. Yeah. But like, what are like three essential country songs that I gotta have in my back? Country songs? Yeah. Or artists. Songs or artists.
SPEAKER_05Okay, well, okay. Yeah, artists would be a lot easier. Because songs, there's there's so there's so many different genres of country that it would really just depend on, like, you would actually have to listen for a while. Oh but artists, I guess my three favorite right now, I wouldn't quite call them essential, because I hop around from like artists. I I hop around from like um subgenre to subgenre. So even even then it might be hard just to pinpoint three. But the three that I really like listening to right now, um, Zach Bryan, ever since he started throwing music out, um, he's been he's been one of my favorites. Um American Heartbreak and um his self-titled album, Zach Bryan, I think, I think are I think his self-titled album is like a perfect album. I don't think there's for me personally, um Jake's if you wanted to listen to it, Jake's Piano, Long Island, like that's just the name. Jake's Piano Long Long Island. Really good. Really, really good. That's like that's probably my favorite song by him. Um Zach Bryan, uh a guy who came out probably like a year ago. Uh his name's Joshua Sloan, if y'all heard of Joshua Sloan. Do you like him? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because um Brody, Brody really likes him too. Um, he's like, he only he he released his first album a couple months ago um called Thinking Too Much. Um and so if you wanted to get more into like the longing type country music.
SPEAKER_03That's the kind I like though. Like, I feel like country music, it like delivers emotion so much better than other types of music. Yeah, even like normal, like like this is a random throw out, but like John Legend, you would think that he has like a bunch of emotional power in his songs. Yeah, but like I don't really feel when I listen to him. When I listen to like Morgan Wallet or what's that burn song by Zach Bryan? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That's such a good song.
SPEAKER_03But like uh Hudson Westbrook, you can just kind of hear the emotion in it, and you can't really with other songs, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, but no, that's totally fair. That's what I like it for those songs. Yeah, so if you wanted those types of songs, Joshua Sullen is like quite literally like every single one of his songs is either a love song or like a longing song, or a heartbreak. But then, like, you see him, like I've seen clips of him in concert, or just like he'll do he'll go live on TikTok a lot. Yeah. Um, and he's just like the most chill dude. Like actually happy, yeah. He's just like he's just low-key chilled, just making his music and whatnot. Um, so Zach Bryan, Joshua Sloan, and then dude, I don't know. Those are those have really been the two that have been bumping a lot. Um, I guess I guess Morgan Wallen. I guess I mean you already named some Morgan Wallen, Hudson Westbrook, Ella Langley. I don't really listen to her as much. I don't not that I don't like her music. I just she's not really in my playlist.
SPEAKER_04She's more of like a poppy country, I feel like.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Like kind of like Megan Marie is.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03The only female country artist I've ever listened to is uh Carrie Underwood. No. Uh what's her name? Uh Delaney something? Or Laney Wilson? Laney Wilson, yeah. Oh, Laney Wilson, yeah. I'm not crazy about her. The only song I've heard from her though is only goes like King Ford, King George, King James. Y'all know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_05I don't I don't even know what something you're talking about.
SPEAKER_03It's not good in my opinion, but she sounds a lot like Dolly Parton, I feel like.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, I could see that a little bit. Maybe. But what about what about you? What's like your three right now?
SPEAKER_04I mean, honestly, after the Luke Combs concert, Luke Combs is top three.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Morgan Wallen, and then I like Zach Top a lot. I I don't listen to the second cloud, but Zach Top is really good. Yeah. I've been listening to a lot of tree yoke.
unknownI'm not gonna lie.
SPEAKER_05Okay, that's fine.
SPEAKER_04A lot some people are like hit or miss with tree yoke. Like some people don't like them, and that's them, and then others do like them.
SPEAKER_05I've heard I've heard their concerts is just like one big mosh pit. Oh, yeah, that's insane. It's just crazy. Like they're throwing, they're throwing, but people are throwing beer all over the place, people are getting into fights. I don't know if that's accurate. I might be totally wrong.
SPEAKER_04Okay, I feel like the fights aren't accurate, but the beer is definitely there.
SPEAKER_05They've got this one song called Boomtown, and like Yeah, yeah, that's that's you literally just throw beer. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03It's literally the whole point of the song, really. That's crazy.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, because I was surprised that I was surprised that Ethan and um Rachel went because they're like, how are they?
SPEAKER_00Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a Coliseum. Like they're both. I did I did see that the video, like so many people just like threw their beer up, and I was like, holy crap, that's like I've got like 10 people. Yeah, exactly. Like they're both two all posting, and I was like, oh, this person must have seen this person because they were like right next to each other and stuff.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, but like Ethan, Ethan and Rachel are both like 16, like out of like both go to youth group and they're going to G and nothing like there's nothing wrong with them going to a concert. We're like, but just like treaty oak. Tyler Tyler tried to Tyler tried to warn him. They didn't listen.
SPEAKER_04No, they didn't listen. He said he had a great time, though.
SPEAKER_05Okay, yeah. I'll know about Rachel, but like shout out, shout out Ethan and Rachel. I love you guys.
SPEAKER_04What? Never mind.
SPEAKER_03Just Ethan. That's crazy. No, no, no, no, no. We're talking about Ethan here, not Slim City. No, you know.
SPEAKER_05If you know you know, if you know you know Slim City, shout out Ethan. Shout out Slim City. What about Caleb? Do you listen to country music much?
SPEAKER_03Uh like the same alignment. Yeah. Like we both, or at least I did, and then I showed you that one song that you liked, right? Yeah. Um Take Your Time by Hey.
SPEAKER_00That one's really good.
SPEAKER_05Can y'all serenade me right now?
SPEAKER_00You could try. We'll do it after. Get up to the m oh wait, I have a mic right here.
SPEAKER_02Just take your time. Take in my height. Take all that I have. All that you can out on mind. So take your time. Take in my hind.
unknownWoo!
SPEAKER_05Alright, that was beautiful. That was beautiful. And that will be in the podcast, absolutely. We are including that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Now also, um Zach Bryant was pretty good. Yeah. Um I do I used to listen to Luke Combs a lot. Um yeah, pretty much those three. Solid.
SPEAKER_05And Tyler, and Tyler, I don't care that you don't like Zach Bryan. Okay. It's going on the podcast. He used to listen to Zach Bryan. Exactly.
SPEAKER_00And then, bro, literally he said like half of his teaching one time in youth was about Zach Bryan and stuff, and then how it was like he was just talking and talking about Zach Bryan like throughout the whole teaching almost. And then, yeah, it was just like, because we were talking about like um secular music and stuff, and he kept using Zach Bryan as like the example and stuff. He's a hater.
SPEAKER_05I mean, like, and I get I get where he's coming from. Have y'all heard his reasoning behind it? Yeah. Yeah, like and I think it's kind of ballot. And and I get it. Um, but you know, you're able to separate artists from their music.
SPEAKER_03What's his like what's his reasoning? Good.
SPEAKER_05The the whole the whole situation with his his ex.
SPEAKER_03Oh, haven't heard about that either. Well, we don't need to go. We'll save that for another time. Look at it.
SPEAKER_05I like Zach Bryan, okay, and I can do that. Okay. So just appreciate me, please.
SPEAKER_03I like how you're whispering into the microphone.
SPEAKER_05Thanks.
SPEAKER_03You're welcome.
SPEAKER_05But anyways. Um one thing that um is really important to us and we want to try to incorporate into this podcast is um our faith. We are all Christian, we all we are all um Bible-believing Christians, we love Jesus, and um that's something that we want to incorporate more on the podcast. Um, and I think just with all of us here, I think it'd be a great opportunity um to share testimony um or just maybe talk a little bit about how we got into church um stuff like that and what our walks with Christ look like. Um so is there anyone who I'll go.
SPEAKER_03You'll go pretty cool story. I got you. Take the floor, pal. Appreciate it. Um, so did y'all listen to my episode with Tyler?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so y'all remember at the end when I was talking about like the mission trip I was going on? Yeah. So we didn't really get to talk about that. Me and Tyler like we wanted to, because we are or that uh March Madness bracket kind of took over the whole thing. But you know, just quick little backstory. I grew up in church, I've been a Christian like my whole life. Like, yeah, I've always been close to God. But within the ever since I started my job at Spectrum, I've been able to like kind of hear God a lot more clearly or something, I guess. Um, so like what God's calling me to right now is uh like missions work, but specifically towards Muslims. Um, and how it happened is so I was working one day, uh I was driving, it was like 6 30 at night in like December, so it was pitch black outside. Um and I was working and I just found out like like 10 people on my team were like straight up lying and scamming customers. Like it was so bad that they like were a customer would say no, and then they would mail them the equipment anyway, and then they wouldn't return it because they didn't even know they got it. And then if you don't return it within nine days, your account gets soft connected and they auto-bill, like they auto-bill you, so you get charged for it without knowing. Yeah, they were doing that and they were getting sales off of it, even though it was like dishonest. So I got really irritated because I didn't have that much sales that month, and I was like kind of struggling. I was like, God, I'm so mad right now at this job, and I hate it, and I hate it so much, and I don't know why you put me here, all that stuff. But I pray that you would help me stay grateful because like I'm still making good money and I was still getting like commission because we have like this ramp up thing. So I was still making like good money. It wasn't really affecting me, but it was kind of affecting my heart because when I'm working, I want to be honest and you know, kind of do my job. Not like I'm doing it for the money or for the people, but I'm doing it for God. So when I heard that, it kind of hurt me. And I was like, Lord, I pray that you'd help me stay thankful and thank you for giving me the opportunity to work. A lot of people don't have that, and thank you for giving me uh just like the money from the job. But then I was like, Lord, I pray that if you want me to stay here, I'll stay here. If you want me to go to a different job, I'd go to a different job. I just pray that no matter what I do, I say yes to what you want me to do. So I said that prayer. It was a Friday night, that was February 13th. Saturday comes around, nothing really happens, it's pretty chill. And then Sunday, I go to church. I went to Mercy Hill. It was me and uh did you go? Caleb. Yeah, Caleb was there. So I go there, um, and the whole message in the morning was about evangelism, and it was about uh it was about evangelism and how you're supposed to do what God wants you to do before you even say yes, which at the time I didn't realize what it was saying, but it correlated straight into my prayer because I said, Lord, I pray that whatever you want me to do, I would say yes before I even know what you're asking me to do. So that correlated, but I didn't realize it at the time. Um at the end, they played the song Send Me. I forgot who it's by, but y'all know that song?
unknownI think maybe.
SPEAKER_03How does it go again? It's like here I am, Lord, send me. Send me, because I love you. Yeah. But I love you.
SPEAKER_00Essentially, before you even ask, Lord, my answer will be yes.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and before you even ask, Lord, my answer will be yes. Third thing that correlates my prayer in that teaching. But I didn't realize it at all. And I didn't realize that, and then he said a part in the passage where he was talking to a Muslim guy, and he would mention that a lot more uh people who believe in Islam are having dreams and visions of Jesus. Yeah, like the white-haired man. Yeah. So, but I didn't realize that either. Fast forward uh Sunday night, I go to my cousin's birthday party. That was February 15th. I'll probably remember that date forever because it was the craziest experience I've ever had with Jesus. And I'm sitting at the dinner table, and uh I'm just hanging out with my family and my cousins, all that stuff. And my uncle, he's like, hey man, have y'all met Denny? I know you've met Denny, have you? I don't think I've met him. You haven't.
unknownAmazing guy.
SPEAKER_03He's really soft-spoking, really loving. He's like, like, yeah, he's a great guy. But he asks me, and he does evangelism stuff, specifically overseas stuff. So he's been overseas a bunch of times uh to go share the word of God. And uh he asks me, he's like, hey man, uh, I just wanted to let you know we're going on a missions trip to Nashville because they're having this whole holiday for the break of Ramadan, and it's this Kurdistan Kurdish or yeah, Kurdish festival for like Kurdistan. Um which quick recap on Kurdistan, it's uh it's a country that got taken over, but it still has a lot of people, so they all want their country back. Um, but it was a festival. So he asked me that, and my immediate reaction was, I'm not doing that. So I was like, Yeah, I'll think about it, I'll let you know. And then boom, just like that, immediately the song plays in my head, and I was like, Oh my gosh, like I think God wants me to do this. And so I go back inside, I'm like, yo, Denny, I'll definitely go on the missions trip. Just let me know when it is, how much it's gonna cost. Like, I'll be there. And then he's like, okay, cool. So I'm sitting in for the missions trip. I leave, and my brain just starts going. You know how it kind of is like, it's like I couldn't process everything that happened in the moment, but once I kind of stepped aside, I was driving home, I was able to process everything. The crazy part is for one, I prayed the prayer, God answered it through the song, through the teaching Sunday, through Denny asking me. Second crazy part is I had been studying the Muslim faith and Islam three months prior to that, consistently. Like I was I was watching podcasts, videos, YouTube, just about what Islam's like, what the uh contradictions in the Quran is, uh contradictions about Allah as a false God, pretty much, uh, just a bunch of stuff like that. Um my bad, I don't know why I started laughing. I just realized I've been talking for a while. But yeah, yeah, yeah. So I had already been, you know, kind of learning everything that I was gonna need to know for the missions trip. And I was like, dang, that's crazy. And then it brought me back to Sunday, and something that the pastor there, his name's Andrew, he said was, um, the Lord's preparing you before you even know it to do what he's calling you to do. So he's preparing you to share the message that he wants you to share before you even know you're gonna do it. I was like, that's crazy. And he was also like, and he's preparing the people you're gonna talk to to receive your message at the same time. I was like, that's crazy. So like when it all clicked together, I was like, all right, I know for a fact God's telling me that he wants me to go overseas, or not overseas, well, maybe overseas, I don't know. But he wants me to do specifically evangelism towards Muslims, and that's what I got the tattoo for. I might be able to pull this down, but yeah.
unknownThat's cool.
SPEAKER_03But yeah, so don't mean a rant on everyone like that. No, you don't have to be a good thing. But it's a long story, so that's like that's like the thing uh yeah, Jesus wants me to do. So praise God. But yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um, do you think um what's like sort of just a quick question before we move on? Like, what what do you think your idea in the future for like evangelizing to uh people who believe who believe in Islam? Like what what's your sort of plan for that in the future?
SPEAKER_03Okay. So or or do you do you do have one? Yeah, so I don't really have a like strategic plan yet on like what exactly I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to go. All I know is that's what I'm supposed to do. But the hardest thing about doing that is especially with Resurrection Sunday, like realizing that Jesus died for each and every person in the world, and there are people that still don't believe in him, and it like really hurts my heart because it's like dang, Jesus died like the most painful death possible, and he literally got tortured with that whip, and he didn't even look like a human, the Bible says, and he did all of that for every single person. There's people straight up rejecting the existence of God, there's people who know, like people who don't want anything to do with him, and it just like hurts my soul. It's like, I can't believe God's giving you the greatest gift you could ever receive, and you don't want it. And realizing that it's like, okay, God did that because he loves everyone. I don't love everyone the way God loves them, which is hard for evangelism because if I see a random Muslim guy right there, I'm not gonna be like, oh, I need to make sure that this guy knows what Jesus did for him. But so what I'm trying to say here is when I went on that missions trip, God really revealed to me his love for other people. And before I'm able to start kind of going out and doing that comfortably, I need to start trading myself and letting God just overfill me with his love so I can pour it out on others. So I've really been understanding that a lot more, and then we'll just see how it goes. Once I have that love, I'll feel way more naturally inclined to go talk to someone because I love them just as much as God does.
SPEAKER_05But yeah.
SPEAKER_03Go crazy.
SPEAKER_00I love that podcast.
SPEAKER_05Bro, that's so cool. That's so cool. And yeah, uh, I was just listening to um there's a uh there's another podcast I listened to called uh The Live Free Podcast by um oh Josh, uh Pastor Josh Howerton over in Texas. Um and he he talked to like this one guy who had a crazy story. He was from Iran, yeah, and um basically like he has a crazy story about how um his dad, like they used to be sold sort of like culturally Muslim, but like his dad was like part of the military, yeah, and there was a whole revolution that they had, and like his story of like literally him being brought out during an assembly at school after like their country had been thrown over, and um the the leaders had gotten a hold of the school and they brought up three kids whose dads were in the military, and they were gonna make an example out of them and kill them right then and there. But then a guy stepped in the way, he was able to get home, that they were able to flee to Switzerland, I think it was, and then they were able to get home, and how um God is still using people um even though they may not be believers, because uh through the love of of other people, whenever they eventually came over to America, through the love of certain people from their church, um his whole family converted to Christianity, they all became believers. Um, and also the fact that he also mentioned that like the it's right out of like Luke and Revelation of how these people are seeing visions, these young men are seeing visions and dreams of um of a man in white and proclaiming that he is Jesus. Yeah. Um it's crazy. Yeah, it's crazy, dude. It's it's it's awesome to see, and I'm happy that you get to be a part of that too. So that's really cool.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, the main thing that kind of like the main thing that kind of like brought me to that spot is like I've been a Christian my whole life, obviously, and I wasn't gonna switch up on that because I wholeheartedly believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again. Like there's no doubt about that in my life, but I was very interested in like the Islamic culture because they're so ready to kill for, um, and just like they're just like very zealous for their religion. And I was like, wow, Christianity, you don't see much Christians as zealous and as passionate as they are in their religion. So I was like, oh like if I wasn't a Christian, I think I'd be naturally inclined to that one because it's very like die hard. So that's kind of what brought me to that, but then just all the contradictions and stuff, like there's no way. Yeah, you want to help defend against that. Yeah, oh 100%. Because a lot of I'm a pretty like this sounds weird, but like I'm a pretty like guy's guy, yeah, and Islam is like a pretty like violent culture, you know what I mean? So it like it sounds naturally appealing to a guy who likes like stuff like that. So I just it was interesting, and I know that that can be a trap for other people, yeah. So I really want to, you know, kind of just stop all that. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, that's fair. Heck yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um dude, that's awesome. Uh, what about what about you guys?
unknownYou want to go or me?
SPEAKER_00Okay. Um, oh shoot. I was really hoping you would say you'd go. Um anyway, um, so I kind of said this a little bit um in my episode with Tyler, um, just talking about what I did in Peru, because my first missions trip. I mean, I've been a Christian my whole life. Like, I um grew up in church, it was a bigger church, and I used to do a lot with kids and stuff. We did like puppets ministry worship, and um sometimes I would help with like littler kids and stuff like that. And then um we left that church for specific reasons, and my dad felt like we were supposed to do a home church and in doing the home church, it has changed my like I I really didn't think I had a strong relationship with the Lord until I moved to home church because I realized it's not just the building that I'm in, it's the people that are there. Yeah, and us as a people are the church, and just because we're doing it in our living room doesn't mean it's not a church. And it took me a minute to realize that, but then after I realized that, that's when I intentionally started like growing my relationship with the Lord and realizing that it's not just a religion, it's a relationship with him. And so that that's kind of what started it. And after doing that for like a year and a half-ish, um, Denny he asked me to go on a missions trip with him to Peru. And it was with the old church I was with, a few people that I knew there, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Every like day I went, it was just like the Lord showed me something new, and I was there for like two weeks or something like that. And it was it's so hard to describe sometimes just like how many things the Lord showed me while I was there through like the people, through their church and through like what he told me to do there because I mean I kind of explained this in my other episode um about why I got my tattoo and stuff. Just um like I went to do an outreach thing, it was a basketball outreach, and then he told me to um he said, I feel like the Lord is telling you to speak right now. And so then I went and I was like, I was shook up by that, and I was like, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to say. It's kind of like what Malachi said, like the Lord will he already has a plan for you, he already has planned what you're gonna say, because I literally had nothing, nothing prepared. And he was like, I really feel like the Lord is telling you to do this, and I was like, Okay, you know what? I thought about it, prayed about it for a minute, I just felt like the Lord told me, told me to give Vinny a thumbs up. So I did, and then like 30 minutes later, I had to speak, and I I was playing a basketball game, and I was like, I had no idea what I'm gonna talk about. And I was like, I was lost. I was like, okay, you know what? First time ever doing it, like speaking in front of a people that speak Spanish, don't want to speak English, so I had to use an interpreter and stuff, um, or translator, whatever it's called. Um, so then I just jotted down a few notes and everything, it felt like I felt the Holy Spirit just come in and my anxiety and everything just went away. Like all the fear I had going up this step in front of all those people, it just went away, and I could not tell you what I said. Literally, I just spoke for 15 minutes and no idea what I said, and then they got on video, so I watched a little bit of it afterwards. But I mean, the Lord just took over my body and showed me like that He has a plan for me, kind of like Malik I said, He has a plan for me before I even know what He's doing. Yeah, that that was a huge thing for me when I went to Peru. I mean, we went out on outreaches and stuff every night and stuff. We would share the gospel every day, and even just going there and praying for people was a huge part of that. And I went and prayed for this one lady. I just remember me and this other girl, she was the translator for me. Yeah, and we just went and prayed for her. She asked me question after question after question. She was not so funny. Yeah, I'll show that here like I wasn't laughing anyway. Um, anyway, the Lord showed me like um I was just praying for her and stuff, and then she later came to that church that we were with and all that, and it was like a crazy experience. I was like, just from me speaking, the Lord can change someone else's life through me. Yeah, and that was a huge thing. I was like, this lady might come to church now and become a believer, yeah, because I did what the Lord has called me to do, and I feel like that's a huge thing in believers' lives. Like, if we are doing what he's called us to do, then it will be blessed. Yeah, and that's another reason why I got this tattoo and stuff. Um yeah, so that that's probably a huge part of my testimony, is just like what the Lord showed me through going to Peru. And I'm I really hope to go back there again one day because like I want to I want the Lord to show me how many things He showed me then. And now that I have a I feel like my relationship with the Lord is really strong right now, and I want that feeling and the Lord to show me all these things again um and just show me new things, and yeah, so I don't know. I don't know if that made sense. That's awesome. I love that. Shout out Denny, by the way. Yeah, I was about to say, Shout out Denny. We'll try to get him on here one day. I feel like he'd be like, now you'll know what we're what we're talking about and stuff. That that's your that's your uncle, right?
SPEAKER_03Denny's the stuff, yeah.
SPEAKER_05We we should have him on. Denny is cool.
SPEAKER_03We need overseas like so many times.
SPEAKER_05He would have a lot, yeah. He would have a lot of really interesting stuff to talk about with evangelism and stuff like that. Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_00Me and Caleb's story is cool. Bro, that's that's like maybe a third of the percentage like compared to. Him, he's like, yeah, insane. Like, dang, dang. Yeah. I'm I mean, we're going to Spain, and even then, he was like, Oh, perfect. I got these cards for you guys. You guys can hand out there. And I was like, You have those in your like in your pocket. He literally pulled them out of his pocket. He said, Who wants to eat? I was like, Bro, what? Bro's ready to go. I was like, that is crazy.
SPEAKER_03I was at I was at our Easter party on um on Sunday. And I was like leaving, and he just pulls a random book out of nowhere. Like, I think he has a Minecraft inventory, bro. No, I swear, bro. This thing literally spawned out of nowhere. And it's like, it's like the good news for Muslims. And it's like just this book about the whole Quran and contradictions in it. I'm like, thanks, Denny. So he just keeps that stuff on him.
SPEAKER_05I think I think he might be an angel, bro. Like he might, bro. Because scripture does talk about that, how like sometimes you don't even know some people you might be talking to. No, no, we're not heretical. I promise we're not heretical.
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_05You are now. Shoot. He is a Nephilim. He is, bro. Bro, that's crazy. Yeah. What about you, Gary? Do you want me to go first or do you want to go? Okay.
SPEAKER_04Mine's probably gonna be shorter than yours.
SPEAKER_05Take the mic.
SPEAKER_04But really, I haven't been like I feel like a lot of my like evangelism that I do is just like kind of being around unbelievers, because like I'm from Rezo, so there's a lot of like a lot of people my age around there. I obviously play basketball, so I've I try to use the sport and just like being at the Y and having runs with people, like having those opportunities to like make relationships with those kind of people. And I mean like just because I'm I'm homeschool, so I I'm not in school all the time, but I I feel like I'm around them a good amount of the time. So we've I've definitely developed a lot of relationships with people, like my guy Lavoy, guy. He plays football for Readsville. So but just like cool relationships like that, and not even necessarily like being like, oh you need Jesus, like blah blah blah, but just like being being a friend, being like, yo, you want to come to youth, like just being I try to be an example because I don't want to like pressure Jesus onto people a lot of the times because I feel like a lot of people try to do that and it just doesn't end up going the right way. Like they feel offended or feel judged. So I like I really just try to like just be a real friend, always be them for them. Like if they're going through a hard time, you'll call me like I'm good, you need to ride, I got you. Like just stuff like that, like just being trying to be a brother, like show Christ through the love that I'm showing people. But like me personally, like what God's trying to show me is just like be grateful because I like I've been listening to a lot of podcasts and not even like Christians, like just uh just random podcasters that be like, yeah, I'll wake up every day and thank God that he wake me up, and I'm like and I I call myself a believer and I I wake up and I'm like, oh what am I gonna do? Like I don't even think about it, like to thank God that he woke me up. Like I feel like he's I feel like I'm trying to be more intentional with being like thank you Lord for doing this, thank you for waking me up.
SPEAKER_05Like And just just know that you're not the only one because like that's that's something that's something I've been trying to do a lot better at too is like intentionally trying to be grateful for what God gives me.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's like especially like and being in those relationships with the people for like reasonable, like open up about struggles like their home life and stuff, and I'm like, dang, bro, like I gotta good. Like my family, like probably might have a few homes there, but like where these people are growing up at homes where their dad's not even there, like they're living with 20 people in one little house. Like it's like it's like stuff where I don't even like I wouldn't even think about that, yeah. So it's like I'm just trying to be more intentional and be careful for everything that happens. Like I have a very good life and like God does a lot for me every day, so like just trying to be like that.
SPEAKER_05That's fair. I love that. Absolutely. Can I say something about that? Yeah, go for it.
SPEAKER_03Um I just wanna say I think like that approach that you're taking is like honestly the best approach possible for uh leading people to Christ. Like it's so much more impactful when it's someone you know and it's someone who who cares about you, like for your friends or whatever. Like if they know that you're there for them and you care about them, that's so much of a better way to bring someone to Christ than to talk to someone you barely know and try to shove it all down their throat. Pause. I should not have said it like that. You could have I could have kept going, bro. You're good. Now we gotta make that a clip. But no, but like for real though, like because like you got the part down that I need work on, so that's really cool because like I have the knowledge and stuff, but I don't nearly have the relationship stuff like you have. So I think that's huge. And like I feel like I'm not gonna be able to do that. That's definitely like a gift, bro. Like being able to show others the love of God the way you do by making relationships and being there for people who might not even be there for you, that's like huge. That's like 75% of the job to leading people to Christ. But yeah, so that's sick.
SPEAKER_00You make relationships like that. Like through everyone I've seen, like when you just came to youth, like I didn't even know you, and we had like a relationship like the next week, we were like already friends and stuff, and I was like, oh shoot, like this guy was like, I mean, like I'm quiet a lot of the time, but like I feel like I'm never like I hate conflict, so like I'm just kind of like chilling with people, like that's why.
SPEAKER_04I just try to talk to people like to see where they're at. Yeah, because I mean like I'm not afraid to open up about stuff because I feel like if I open up about stuff, like they'll open up about stuff. And I feel like once you make a relationship, like sharing Jesus is a whole lot more genuine. Like you were saying, like talking to somebody for like five minutes and telling them about Jesus, like yeah, you should they know about him now, but like they're like they don't care. Yeah, and then in their head, like oh he don't really care about me, he's just doing it to do it. Like sometimes they might they might think that, or they might take it and be like, oh like that guy is really like loves Jesus and wants to share. But I feel like I feel like especially in my shoes, like with all the camera stuff and all that, like I'm around those people all the time and doing videos, flicks, like all that kind of stuff. And like I feel like just making a relationship is very important.
SPEAKER_05Like yeah, yeah, I agree with that.
SPEAKER_03What about you, Joey?
SPEAKER_05Oh, I'll share, I'll so I'll sort of share how I got into the church, so I'll share my testimony. Um so growing up, so I'm I'm originally from St. Louis, um Where's that? Missouri. It's like like east, like eastern part of St. Louis, like right on the border of Illinois. Um, but so when I used to live in St. Louis, like my parents would take me to church just like as a kid, because I think that's just like sort of like our family just sort of went to church. Um but like whenever I was going, and mind you, like we went to a great church, like shout out the crossing um in Chesterfield, um, really big church, and they have a lot of people who really love Jesus there. Um but when I was when I was going up through the sort of like the youth ministry there, just sort of like the daycare sort of area, um I and mind you, like I'm ADHD, so like it especially as a younger kid, like being unmedicated and stuff like that, like it was sort of hard for me to like even realize what was going on. Like I all I knew is that I was just like following my mom to church, and like now I'm in a room with like a bunch of other people. Like I didn't really understand what was going on. Like when they talked about Jesus, like I it didn't click, it didn't correlate at all. So I was sort of like pseudo brought up in church, but like it it just was never really an important part of my life growing up, and so we moved to uh North Carolina, um, and it's sort of like the same thing. We're trying to find a church and whatnot and go to, and I'm being raised up through that youth program, and it's like, oh cool, like I met I meet some cool people while I'm there, but it's like I still don't really know why I'm there. Um, and it's sort of that same way through middle school. My parents are now I'm going to like the actual congregation of people with like all the adults, and I'm just like I would rather just be at home. Like I got an Xbox, like I can be playing like Madden 15, like I can I could be playing 2K14, 2K16, like I could be doing bro. Such shout out 2K16, bro. Definitely, definitely top three. But um I just like when I was in the church, like I didn't really understand why I was there. Like I didn't I didn't understand the message at all. I wasn't really paying attention to the sermons. I loved the music. The music really um if I did go is typically because of the music. I loved that. But I never really stuck around and I would be in and out, and then for a span couple years, um, I just stopped going to church because I just I just didn't see it as important.
SPEAKER_03Um did you walk away from Jesus as well, or did you just kind of stop going to church?
SPEAKER_05Well, like I didn't I didn't even like at that time I still just thought Christianity was um like bro, like I thought Christianity at the time was just like if you do more good than bad, then you're good. And like as me just being young, like and I feel like I've always tipped like I've always just had an inclination to just be like kind to people. And I don't say that to boast, but that's just like sort of how I tried to make friends. Like I just try to be kind to everyone. Um and so like me I'm still not really understanding it, like I was like, oh well, like I think I'm a good person, so like I'm probably chill. I'll make it, I'll probably make it there one day. Um but and that was just me being a young kid. Um, but fast forward to I'm playing football, uh like soft, freshman sophomore year high school. Um, and I get invited by Chaston to Micah actually to go to uh Awaken back when it was at the hub. Um and I go there for a little bit and then I sort of stopped going again. And mind you, at this time, like me and my buddies, like we start drinking and um we were just getting on no no not Micah, no, no, not Micah and Chaston, no, no, no, just like my my other buddies. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, we we sort of get into the um like we we just start doing a lot of dumb stuff, like we're we're drinking and we're smoking and doing whatnot, and we're just having a good time, but we're just like you know, we're just being 16-year-old kids that, you know, whatever. Um and so like we would go to one of my buddies' houses like every weekend to go and drink and just like hang out, have fun. Um and I get to this point where like I'm sitting there one night, and it's not a thought that I would typically think, but I was sitting there and I was like, what am I doing with my life right now? Like I'm just sitting here in a basement, just like sort of drinking my life away. Like, I'm not really like what and that's all it was, and it was just sort of like a weird thought, and then it just it went away, and then I was just like hanging out with everyone again. Um but then fast forward to the next weekend, we're at my buddy's house again, and we're doing it all over again. And I'm sitting there and I get this snap from this girl, mind you, and I was I was dating, I was dating someone at the time. Um and so I'm and I'm not the one to go through like quick ad and like add a bunch of girls, and I wasn't already talking to a bunch of girls at the time. Um, I don't even know how I was in a relationship at the time, it just sort of happened in all honesty. Um, but I typically don't have a lot of girls on my Snapchat. And so I get this snap from this girl named Bia, B-I-A, and I don't again, I don't go through quick add. I don't go like I wasn't adding random girl snaps from school. Um, I wasn't I don't remember adding her, and I don't remember her adding me. I don't, I I don't know how she had my snap, and I don't know how I had hers, but she sends me a snap, right? And it's a it's a picture, it's like a backdrop of like a field and a fence and a sunset, yeah, right. And I forget if the first one was in Spanish or English, um, but she sends me this backdrop, and on it um has a bunch of Bible verses. It says Jesus loves you, and then it has a bunch of Bible verses from um from uh the gospel narratives. And I'm sitting there right there in that moment, and I feel I sort of like had this like this. I've heard like of all these stories of people having like these encounters with God and whatnot. And I'm sort of like, oh, this is God calling me. Yeah, this is God calling me back to church. Like this is and I was so freaked out in that moment, and because again, like I don't know who she was, I don't know how she got my snap. And so um I immediately or like the next day, I think I um I snapped Tyler because Tyler Tyler was he he was and is like he he was all of our youth pastors, or he was our youth pastor. Um, and so I remember and I remember Tyler being like there was something different about him and Bonnie because like I would grow up in church and like all sure like all the like youth adults um or like the people who are helping out with youth who are running it, were you know they were always pretty cool, but I never really got to know them personally. But I remember how kind and how personal Tyler was, and that really left a lasting impression on me. Um, and so I I texted in on Snapchat the next day. I was like, dude, like I just had this encounter, got like I need to come back. And so we met up for dinner the next day. Um and yeah, I've been in church ever since. And since that moment, like I was just throw this out there. I don't want this to be like a sob story, but like my dad was an alcoholic, and I still love like he it's not like he beat me or anything, like he was he he it was just a struggle that he had. Um, and it's you know, it eventually, you know, he passed away from you know kidney failure and stuff like that. Um, but my dad had an addiction with alcohol, and I remember like I would I would like go into my sister's room to like steal like rum shooters and stuff like that when I was like 17 and I would I would just like drink by myself just because like I couldn't like I would all I could think about all week was like going to my buddy's house to go drinking and since I couldn't do that like I would start stealing drinks out of like the fridge and stuff like that, and like I like I wouldn't shake, but like I would just get like so anxious, that's all I could think about. Um and you were like an alcoholic. I was basically an alcoholic at 17. Yeah, I'm sober. Well, like I'll still drink, but like it's nowhere near like I don't I don't have you were I don't have an like an un like I don't have such an intense craving anymore. Like I like I'm just chill right now. Like there's a whole there's a whole shelf of like bourbon and whiskey over there, and I look at it I'm like I don't care. No, if you were 17 though, if I was 17, I'd probably still in all in a hundred percent honesty, I would steal one of those bottles if I was 17. Like that's how bad it was. I don't I don't care if it's I I wouldn't have cared if it was Darius. I wouldn't have cared even with how cool he is to me, I would have stolen something from there.
SPEAKER_03Um and like Darius the bottle.
SPEAKER_05But no no bottles will be stolen in the production of this episode. But um, so that and um I remember at the time, like I like obviously like I would you know at that time I was smoking, doing weed stuff like that, hitting carts, whatnot. Um, but like there was I was like it was so weird at this time. I was like, dude, I want to try every drug that's like below like meth or heroin. Like I wasn't the goal. Yeah, that was the goal. Like I wanted, like I wanted so obviously I had already smoked, right? Um, and so I wanted to do shrooms, I wanted to do cocaine, I wanted to do LSD, like I wanted to do all these things. Like I wanted to trip, but like, yeah, I want to try every drug that would that wouldn't like immediately be detrimental to my health. Um but like and that that's what I wanted to do. Like I wanted to go to college when I was when I finally graduated um high school. I wanted to go, a lot of my family went to the University of Mizzou. And nothing's bad with with uh there's nothing bad with Mizzou, so that's not what I'm saying. But I wanted to go there and I wanted to go to the frat that one of my cousins went to. And basically, I wanted to go to the SEC school, and I wanted to party it, party it up at a frat, get drunk, get high, do all that stuff. And I I I say this to everyone that I tell this to. I would have ended up either dead in a ditch or broke or just totally like I would have dropped out. I would have been totally ruined. And but before I had the opportunity to do that, that's when God had sort of called me um back to going to church and whatnot. And I met um, I met all of you guys again, and I met Ty and I got plugged back into the youth group, and I'm I've met all these amazing people who genuinely show me the love of Christ, who I believe look at me as if Christ looks at me, um, and just just seeing all this love. And like again, these are desires that I wouldn't not have been able to change on my own because my family has um uh history of like having an addictive personality. Just as I'm going to church and as I'm as I'm learning more about Christ and I'm trying to develop a relationship with them, like these desires start like going away. Like I don't like I didn't want to be a part of it anymore. So I hardcore flipped from wanting to go and live that life at Mizzou to going to abstate and staying away from um and sort of staying away from that SEC crowd, or not necessarily the SEC crowd, but just like not wanting to basically ruin my life with what I wanted to do before. Um and I attribute all of that to the way that crisis has been able to change my heart. Um and so uh what I'll say uh before we cut this episode, um if if you're sort of in that space right now, um where you're thinking of, you know, if you're if you're struggling with any sort of addictions, uh whether it's alcohol, drugs, porn, whatever it might be, um and you're sort of thinking about living that life, um, but you've sort of like you're sort of thinking about, you know, is that really what I want to do? Or maybe if um you've been thinking about giving your life to Christ, maybe going back to church, something like that, um, it's it's possible. There's there's there's redemption and there's healing on the other side of just making that decision to to follow Christ again. Um so if you have that longing um on your heart uh to give your life back to Christ, or you're sort of second guessing, sort of going out and living that life, I I will tell you I'm a living testimony of what it of what the the healing power of the name of Jesus can be over someone's life. So um even if you feel like you don't have anyone, there's a church, there's online services. If if there's some like your parents don't really want to go or something like that, or you just don't have the means to go, there's online services, there's online counseling. Like you can find someone, you can find a a Bible-believing, Jesus loving church or group of people that can help you to get out of that situation. So that's what I'll say to everyone.
SPEAKER_03So maybe there's even church on Roblox. Oh, yeah, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, absolutely. Yes, yes. Yeah, yeah. There is if you if you like Roblox, right? If per perfect. It's free. Roblox is free. All you gotta do is make an account. They got church services on Roblox.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, be careful with what you pick the the I don't know how all the churches are on there.
SPEAKER_05You know, I don't know either.
SPEAKER_03So I don't know if there's like endorsing it, but I don't know if it's your last resort.
SPEAKER_05I don't know if there's like any online public forums for like best churches on Roblox, like rate like tier list.
SPEAKER_00But I mean GPT better. Better yet, just like message us and we'll hook you up with something.
SPEAKER_05We're gonna make next episode rating best Roblox church. Yeah. We attended every single Roblox church, but we didn't want us to do that. But yeah, there's there's what I'll say is all it all it does or all that it is is that it takes a prayer and uh a calling out to Christ for you to find for you to find someone um who can help you out. So I'll just throw that out there.
SPEAKER_03So for sure. Yeah, so well guys, I thought this was a great episode.
SPEAKER_05Bro, this was so far. This is okay. Cut the camera, like cut that out. That was fire. But um, yeah, that was awesome, bro. But um, so thank you guys for watching. Um, and we'll be back next week. So awesome.
