Latest / Stream of Consciousness with Dan: Stories from the Midwest / Friday's w/ Dan #7

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Friday's w/ Dan #7 · Stream of Consciousness with Dan: Stories from the Midwest

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey everyone, welcome back to Fridays with Dan.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: I hope your week's been good, and if you celebrated St.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's Day, I hope you did it with something a little more meaningful than green food coloring.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I always love this time of year because the real story of St.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick is so different from the parades and shamrocks.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't even Irish.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't flashy.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't chase attention.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: He just lived a life of quiet faithfulness, showing up for people, doing the small things well, and trusting that they mattered.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, that idea has been following me around all week.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've had a few moments in sports, in my podcast, and in my own family, that reminded me how powerful the little things can be when they're done with heart.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: So today so today we're going to talk about a freshman who played the game the right way.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Simple inscription that meant more than a sender probably realized, and a moment with my sister that caught me off guard in the best way.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get into it.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: So speaking of St.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's Day, I'm reminded that what most of us do to celebrate has absolutely nothing to do with the actual St.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: The real Patrick wasn't Irish.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't chase fame, he didn't dye rivers green, he didn't even eat corned beef.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: That was invented in New York.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick was a former slave.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: He went back to the very place he was taken from.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Not for revenge, but to serve people.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: He spent his life doing quiet, faithful work that didn't make headlines.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, my St.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's Day celebration this year consisted of watching March Madness, eating pizza rolls, and celebrating my dog Finn's third birthday.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So shout out, Finn.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Happy birthday, buddy.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it honestly feels spiritually accurate.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick did the humble work and I microwaved humble food.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: But even in that, the basketball, the simple meal, the little family moment, I kept thinking about how St.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick's story is really about showing up in the small things, being faithful where you are, doing the work that doesn't always get applause.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that idea ended up weaving through my whole week.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: And speaking of showing up for the small things, I've got to talk about Wichita State for a minute.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because for me, it's not just a team, it's part of my DNA.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: When I was in college, I went to every single home basketball game.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Every one.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Kokarina was basically my second home.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: And when we made that final four run in 2013, we didn't fly.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't book a quick trip.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: We drove from Wichita to Atlanta.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've never made that drive, let me tell you, it's a commitment.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's not a casual fan move.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's a this program is in my bloodstream kind of decision.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: So when I watched our NIT game this week, it wasn't background noise, it meant something.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Our best player was off.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Wyoming had him locked down, and the whole game felt like it needed someone to do the unglamorous work.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And then TJ Williams, a 6'5 guard out of Wichita Heights, checks in and plays the game the way I was taught to play it.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Tough defense, real box outs, fighting for position, 14 rebounds as a guard.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's not luck, that's grit, that's pride, and that's a kid who understands the assignment.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: So he, like I said, he ended up with 17 points and 14 boards in only 18 minutes of play.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's not a stat line, that's a statement.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: The only thing I didn't love was the one for five at the free throw line.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: But honestly, that just made me like him more.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: It reminded me of every teammate I ever had who did all the hard stuff right and then just clanks the freebies.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's human, it's real, and it means he's got room to grow, which is exactly what being a freshman is about.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: But what moved me wasn't about the numbers, it was the pride.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: The way he stepped up when the team needed someone to do the little things.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: The things that don't make highlight reels, but win possessions, win respect, and win games.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: So watching TJ felt like watching the version of basketball I grew up with, the version that teaches you character long before it teaches you scoring.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: And then there was a moment earlier in the week that honestly caught me off guard.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: I got a package in the mail from Dr.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Carolyn Crocker.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: She was one of my recent podcast guests.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: I knew she was sending me her book, and I paid her for the shipping, so I figured it would just show up like any other package.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: But when I opened it, she had signed the front page, and simply it said to Dan, Podcast Host Extraordinaire, Carolyn.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm not gonna lie, that made me tear up a little bit.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because she didn't have to do that.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: She didn't owe me anything.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: She didn't need to go out of her way to write something kind or personal, but she did.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't the word extraordinaire that got me, although let's be honest, that's a pretty cool word to see next to your name.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: It was the gesture, the simplicity, and the sincerity.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because I put a lot of work into my podcast.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hours of prep reading, listening, shaping questions, trying to create a space where people feel safe and respected and heard.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Most of that work is invisible.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody sees it.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody claps for it.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: So when someone like Carolyn, someone who's spoken all over the world, someone who's been interviewed by countless people takes the time to say, Hey, I noticed what you did and it mattered.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: That hits a little bit different.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: It was just this little quiet reminder that faithfulness in the small things doesn't go unnoticed, that showing up with care and intention actually leaves an imprint on people.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: And that sometimes the simplest gestures carry the most weight.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: And so the last thing that really stood out to me this week was something my sister asked me the other night.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: She asked if I would be an usher at her wedding.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm already playing Canon and D when she walks down the aisle with dad, which I'm still a little bit terrified about, as it's a pretty stakes moment.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so that alone is an honor.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: And uh and then she asked me to be an usher too.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And on paper, that might sound like a small thing, like, oh, you're just seating people.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: But it didn't feel small.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: It felt like she was saying, I want you woven into the fabric of this day.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to be a part of the welcome, part of the heartbeat, part of the way people experience this moment in our family.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: And has her big brother, seven years older, practically helped raise her.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: That hit me really hard.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Because you spend your whole life trying to protect your little sister, trying to show up for her, trying to be steady for her.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then one day she turns to you and says, Hey, I trust you with this.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: I want you here, doing this with me.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: It was a quiet, beautiful reminder that the relationships we invest in, the ones we show up for in the small everyday ways, they grow into these moments of deep honor.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: Moments where someone you love looks at you and says, You matter to me.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: I want you close.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that meant more to me than she probably will ever realize.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: So after all of this, the basketball game, the book, my sister, it kept bringing me back to one verse this week.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's simple, it's one of those lines that just sits with you.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to read from Luke chapter 16, verse 10.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Whoever is faithful with little will also be faithful with much.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's been echoing in my mind because none of these moments that moved me this week were big, flashy, headlight moments.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: They were small, quiet, easy to overlook if you're not paying attention.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: A freshman doing the dirty work on the court, a handwritten note in the front of a book, a sister asking her brother to help welcome people on her wedding day.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: None of those things are allowed.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: None of them are glamorous, but they're meaningful.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: They're the kinds of moments where character shows up, where love shows up, where faithfulness shows up.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's what Jesus was getting at, that the way we handle the small things, the unseen things, the everyday things, that's what shapes who we become.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's what prepares us for the bigger things when they inevitably come.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: So this this week was just a reminder that the little things matter more than we think.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: So let us pray.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: God, I thank you for the small moments this week that reminded me what faithfulness really looks like.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the people who showed up with kindness, with trust, with quiet encouragement.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Help us to be the kind of people who honor the little things, the unseen work, the everyday choices, the chances to serve without needing attention.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Teach us to show up with integrity, to love well, and to recognize the gifts you place in front of us, even when they come in simple forms.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: Give us steady hearts, grateful spirits, and the wisdom to see your hand in the ordinary.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you everyone for spending a part of your day with me.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: As always, take care of yourselves, take care of each other, be there for the small things, and I'll see you next time on Fridays with Dan.