Latest / 10:14 Moondust / Episode 1

Transcript

Episode 1 · 10:14 Moondust

• Speaker 1: This is the first initial episode of everything. So work with us. I've I've appeared on other podcasts for like a little bit just to help talk as a guest. I've never hosted my own. Gunny is completely new to technology because he's an old man. Speaker 2: This is definitely episode one. So if you're listening to us right now and you get three minutes into it and say these guys are terrible, please give us at least two more shots. Bear bear with us. Alright, so so I'm Gunny. that name has stuck with me. my name's Frank. She has my human name, but to be honest with you, don't usually go by that. not even at work. I School joined military. We'll talk a little more about kind of our as we go through my episodes, we'll spend a little more time talking about our individual testimonies. but just kind of real short. I I I was saved by his grace when I was a kid, twelve years old, in a little tiny church about half the size of this table. little church. shout out to Ivy Creek Baptist Church. and I got baptized in a creek, not In a creek. yeah, in a creek. In a creek. In a creek. That's where I'm from. I then joined the military, and I'll be honest, kind of stepped away from my faith for a little bit. spent twenty years in Word Corps, hits the big name Gunny. got out top high school for a little while. now I'm I'm training folks in a factory here here close to Aiken, but really w what I've found is that that that all those things pale in comparison to to his love for us. So that's kind of my short L. and now I'm gonna introduce my counterpart who's way smaller than I Speaker 1: That was good looking. No, I'm not I'm not way smarter than you. You got a degree. You were smart enough to start a lot sooner than me. my name is Daft. that's what I've been known as since high school, roughly. mostly N R O T C. that's also what everybody called my granddaddy, including his wife. he my granddad served in the Air Force for twenty one years and he was daft to Speaker 2: Everybody. Speaker 1: So I know, I kind of feel like that's a honorable title. My grandfather was a good man. He was a he was a good godly man too. me, however, not so much. I did five years in the breakwall right after high school. I had I was in a debt program my entire senior year of high school, left on June eighth, went to Paris Island, from South Carolina originally, so it's it was only a two and a half hour drive to get there and then get back home. yeah. Everybody else is on a plane when you graduate. And I got to graduate a day early because there was a hurricane coming that weekend. So that instead of family day we just Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: We're done. Well they just crossed out Fail today, made us do an indoor graduation and was like, Go home and be quiet. Stay out of trouble. Report to your recruiters. That's what I'm And then my recruiter got switched out to a a different duty station. So I had nobody there. Speaker 2: They Speaker 1: I had nobody there to talk to. Like I never had I went to go into office three times, never found Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: a a recruiter to talk to. It was cra it was it was dumb. So I kinda just did what I wanted. I stayed out of trouble, but I did what I wanted. Speaker 2: That the Marine Corps, listen, and we're not gonna we're all this this we're all gonna we're talking about a lot of different matters for why Yes Speaker 1: This is also almost twenty years ago. Speaker 2: and the Marine Corps though is notorious for taking like a twenty one year old sergeant, right? And being like, Congratulations, you are the only recruiter in like the hundred Speaker 1: And so Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: people were like I needed to go to forty different schools in seven counties. People were like, I can't find the record. Yeah. Speaker 2: he's right here somewhere. He's Speaker 1: so I did five years on the Marine Corps, and immediately went into law enforcement, back in my hometown. did seven years at that department and then part of my testimony, is n it it took me thirty something years to realize like God was holding out for me. And there's there's it's one of those things where like you don't you don't realize like how the bricks are being laid and then like when you finally get the chance to look back, then given enough grace and love to be able to look to live long enough to look back and see like man you really did put me here. 'Cause there's there's so many different decisions in there that like were out of my control or like just out of left field stuff. Speaker 2: He is he is always faithful. Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. And I'm I'm thankful for it. everything down to like me winding up at the church that I'm at. And so I am not even a full year into being officially saved and baptized. It was August tenth of last year and twenty twenty five when me and my wife got baptized together. and then earlier this year my son who's over there watching his tablet unfortunately right now. on Palm Sunday he got baptized in our church. Our our little church that has more than almost 200 years of history as Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: being there. So it's it's an old, old, old church. and so I mean there's there there was there's very three very distinct times where I can realize that I can look back and say that Christ has put his major influence and made himself known to me. up to that point. There's many other times that I can look back and see there, but there are three times specifically where I know like one of those I can tell you I specifically heard me crazy. I heard a voice tell me to do something, I followed it and then went with it and it worked out good and I think I might have I think I might have prevented a DUI that night. wow. So and that was that was a fun one. was actually like two or three years ago, not that long ago. So yeah, that's just a sh a short little version of my testimony. So James, our sound guy, is back in the back. did we get to call him Jimmy? Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know if he's gonna say anything though. well we gotta ask his little brother Jimmy. only only Teddy's allowed to do that. But for everybody listening, Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: James is my son. I asked him earlier this week if he wanted to say anything when we introduced him and he kept blushing and shaking his head. He's not even I know. Ask James you want to you can man, you're you're the sound guy, you can turn us all the way. Speaker 1: They gave us the caveman answer. Speaker 2: He's better shaking his head. Listen, I'm gonna I'm gonna sing his phrases for just a minute though. because when first off for about the last year, six months to a year, I've watched him go from being a little kid to meeting a little man, which is pretty impressive. Speaker 1: Yeah, dude. It's yeah, haven't known you for like five or six years. It's saying like this Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm gonna still just a wee little guy. he's still a wee little guy. So we little yeah, when we work out at night, you how much li how much he wi lifts. He goes, he's still a little guy, but he's not he's all right. but when I told him why I was doing this, man, his eyes lit up, right? And he was like he's like, Man, he's like he's like and he starts telling me he's way more computer saved than I am. That's actually why he's here, because yeah. I know how to type in my password on the computer and that's about it. You're right. Yeah, if that's not that I open up my desk and yeah. If you bring it to my house, I can tell you near my desk. But so he's back there running that, so we really appreciate him doing that. I guess before we go any further, we should probably put the main thing as the main thing. and let's start with an opening prayer. Speaker 1: You know Don't mind my hair, I just got a haircut, but I wash after I wash after I get the hair off, man. Speaker 2: I just do so well. So I'm gonna put Daff on the spot if he's willing. because I will tell you that when we first sat down and started talking about this, he put me on the spot and made me say the opening prayer. So I think we're gonna let Daff, if he's if you're ready, man, I think you can pray for us. Speaker 1: Good. Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for life. Thank you for grace to be able to live in a time period where, from our point of view, where we sit on the timeline of things to come and things that have happened, we are past the point of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. We get to live in a time period where we can talk, discuss it. We live in a country that we get to open your word freely. We get to explore, dive deep and grow personal in a relationship with you, regardless of denomination, regardless of things is it the little the little things we get to know you and here with this podcast we wanna know you through all other veterans experiences. So if we're gonna ask for your blessing, your grace, if you would help this podcast just go forward and glorify you, because that's all we want to do, Lord. You are a lamp under our feet, and we just want to be a light that shines and shows people directly to you. I'm I'm just a signpost and you're the lamp hanging underneath it. I'm pointing people to you. so please give us the grace and opportunity to let this grow and expand to glorify you only. And it's in Christ's holy mighty name that we pray. Amen. Speaker 2: So you handle that. Speaker 1: No, not at all. Good for you. I do a lot of improv sweeping. I speak a lot. So Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: speak Speaker 2: quick story and then we'll move on because it's hilarious too. So I had a chaplain that that's kinda kinda part of my testimony, right? Chaplin Turner. he's gonna be with the first people he gets a copy of this by the way. man, Speaker 1: Thank you. Speaker 2: listen. so Chaplin Turner is now living the life in the mountains of Montana. but to tell you how much of an impact he made on me, I actually hey he he has offered to hey we might re record episode two up there. man Speaker 1: Chef and turn and take visitors? visit yet. I need to go up there. Maybe he we just mountain background. But Speaker 2: So he Chap Turner's actually kinda got me back into my faith towards the end of my career. but I would laugh because he would do I mean similar to what I do when I plan new things, right? Like he he made bullets. But then every time he would do like like the opening prayer for like a change of command, you know, or something. I remember thinking like, man, this like standing. It's just one of those people that he almost preaches a sermon every time he prays, which was Speaker 1: Yeah, you get into it. Speaker 2: Man, it was great. I I gotta make my way up there to see him. Speaker 1: You asked me about first guess. I actually do have a legitimate idea for first guess and I'll run it by you. Speaker 2: Later on. Speaker 1: I think you might get along with it if I Speaker 2: Okay. we do gotta put out a couple of disclaimers though to begin with. so first off, last team colleague here he said that I was a that I was educated. That's a stretch, but Speaker 1: Ha ha. Speaker 2: so we're not theologians, we're not pastors. Speaker 1: We are not a Christian apologist, we are not pastors, preachers, deacons. I honestly that rule has been brought up. That's the thing Speaker 2: Yeah, good man. Yeah. Yeah, well Speaker 1: though, I don't know if I d like I'm so new that I don't know if I deserve Speaker 2: Like so you know what we want to do about what we do a whole podcast on that. There's there's a whole yeah whole thing on qualifications for deacons. but really what what we want folks to know is that we're not We're not gonna we're not here that we're we're gonna discuss what what God's word means to us. we're gonna interview veterans and talk a little about their f their faith and and how God has touched them. we'll talk about how God's touched us. but i i i if we mess something up, man, please feel free to send us a message. Speaker 1: Please come in. We know you will. We know people will. Whoever listens to it, if there once you get a hold of a the especially right now in the internet sphere, there's the ability to debate theologies is Speaker 2: That's i I mean that's my personal belief on this, right, is that even though we're all we're all God's children, sometimes when we sit down and we discuss theology and we discuss our different beliefs, even though we're not theologians, right, it it helps us all grow closer to God because at the end of the day we're all digging into this book here, right, into his word, which is which is what gets us Speaker 1: Dude, and when you have people like this is one thing that like you wanna talk about things that jam my block, like I heard I heard the dude I'm I'm not gonna be unapologetic being a pro second amendment. Come on now. Yeah. but you got people we we have people that will argue over Speaker 2: Semantics. Speaker 1: women wearing pants in church. Like my wife likes to wear a dress when we go to church. What I attend a Southern Baptist church, okay? Like our preacher there, Speaker 2: Like I level. Speaker 1: our our p Pastor Bird is freaking awesome. Like, Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: I'm trying to watch my mouth too. So like if a word's I I am sorry. Like that has been my biggest thing is like taming my tongue has been like it's aggravating sometimes, especially in my line of work. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: so but like when you have people arguing over Like whether you a woman could wear pants to a church, but then we have brothers and sisters across the world right this moment that are praying and s having services in a village in a mud hut because that's what they got as a church. They're lucky and Speaker 2: If you're Speaker 1: the because of what's been left of it's been burnt down if and some of their members probably just got killed last week in very horrible manners. Like, but we want to argue about pants here in the Airhouse. Do you know how good you have it to be able to have the argument of pants? Speaker 2: I I'll tell you, man, I I've so I grew up in Speaker 1: James McGlock, man. Speaker 2: excuse me that phrase. So I grew up in one of those little country Baptist churches, right? we were a free will baptist church, which if you know anything about the history of a free will baptist church, basically a long time ago and I don't know the exact dates 'cause I'm not a ironically I do have a history degree, but not in church history. but At one point the Southern Baptist Church kind of there was a bunch of individual churches that were like, you know what, we don't want to be part of a larger organization. Yeah. and up in the mountains of North Carolina, which is where I grew up, they they took the southern off. The words free will because they do whatever the wall. Speaker 1: You sick, you'll you almost got it right up on the edge. It's hard, man. Speaker 2: I mean what I walk. But they but I grew up in a church where the pastor carried a sidearm just in case a snake got in the building. We didn't play with snakes. But it was one of those country mountain churches that right beside a creek and same creek I got baptized at happening. Yeah. So critters in the building. But man my mother to this day, God bless her, will not she won't walk into a church without dressing. That's how she shows her faith and I think that's a good thing, right? But that doesn't mean I mean, like you said, I'm reminded of I'm reminded of some church services at Alphabetube, you know, in Afghanistan and in Speaker 1: Yeah, and you have people of all different denominations there, and like you have a chaplain that might be of a different denomination. Here's the Speaker 2: Yeah. yeah, yeah, Chaplin's home was like. Speaker 1: thing, man. Like do they do they do they stick to the basics of the Nicene Creed? Like that's that's that's what I want to know. You stick Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah. Do you Speaker 1: to the basics of the Nicene Creed from the early church to the church fathers. Speaker 2: Jesus came, he was a perfect man, lived a perfect life, gave himself on the cross for us, and on the third day, Speaker 1: She was Speaker 2: He was resurrected and and paid for all of our sins. Mm-hmm. And and and don't get me wrong, that doesn't that doesn't mean that the that the rest of this doesn't matter. But what it means is that that is like I said earlier, right? It's the main thing's the main thing. Yeah. and man, like I said, I can't count how many church services I've been in where, you know, I was wearing a flat jacket and a helmet and and carriers an M4, correct? Yeah. Like, I mean pretty sure I mean like I said my preacher can put that on for staff. Speaker 1: But at the same time, like so let's take another former co-worker of yours that's a teacher that's a good friend of mine, he is a Catholic, recently recently became Catholic. he was born and raised Lutheran, but recently became Catholic. If he asked me to go to Mass with him, probably not object, just depending on my schedule. But if I go to mass, I'm going to respect what's going on in that church. tell you what I'll lie going, what kind of church am I gonna go to? I'm not gonna go to a C with a Speaker 2: the pictures of a pride stole. Like no no I I Speaker 1: have a place man like Speaker 2: I I think that we've got to and and as we progress through this, I'm sure that we'll we'll talk about those things. I mean they said really what we w I mean Speaker 1: Well I never I was more Speaker 2: Yeah. So as far as you say that, so what I one of the one of the coolest things that I did, this is kinda kinda comical. I'm gonna brag in Campbell University 'cause that's actually where I have a degree from. And a graduation requirement from Campbell University is you have to go to a church service. Sorry. You have to take introduction to Christianity. and the gentleman teaching the class, he told us up front, he's like, Hey guys, we're not here to convert anybody to Christianity, but it's a it's a it's a Baptist school, right? Yes. And we do a lot of church history stuff, right? but what he told us, he was like, man, he's like, he's like, go to a church service. And and if you go to church already, then I challenge you to go to to something other than what you would normally go to, right? so if you're Catholic, go to a go to a Protestant service. If you're a Baptist, go to a you know what I mean? Yeah. and so taught my Speaker 1: Sorry, right. Speaker 2: Italian chaplain. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: We had actually decided that we were going to go to a man, I I didn't have another complete loss of my mind here. Tell me when the Pentecostal. the up in the Pentecostal churches, they're great. Hello. you should have a funeral at Pentecostal church. It's wild. but anyway, so they are Dan, I and I I'm totally forgetting the They're messianic Jews. yeah. So they are Jews, right? Yes. Right. Speaker 1: They hold Jewish tradition, Jewish sets, Jewish dietary laws. Yeah, right. They believed that Christ was the Messiah. They can't they just because that's the culturally Jewish, religiously Christian. So I I that's could be wrong. Please correct me if I'm not I didn't cry. Speaker 2: make it as that I didn't make it in that church because there was some there was some distant at my house. Okay. Speaker 1: Wait. Leave it at that. Speaker 2: but I know not going, but instead what I went to is I went to there's a church in Jacksonville, North Carolina, right outside of Camp Lejeune. it's called River of Life Church and it's one of the Yeah they they Speaker 1: it's like right outside the gate. Speaker 2: No, it's out off of going towards Richlands. It's out off of Western Boulevard. Speaker 1: Okay. Speaker 2: they used to be if you took it, it's been a long time. Western all the way to the very end of it, took a left, but they just built a new building a couple of years ago on the right. But massive church, right? Like I'm talking like Yeah, probably. Okay. Yeah, probably maybe about the same size as Boulevard. But it was it was huge, right? And it was man, they got smoke machines and they got listen, there's something wrong with this by the way, right? Like when I first walked in, I was like, ew, man, I don't know. No, again, I grew up in a church the size of this table, right? Yeah, like you know, and to begin but Speaker 1: about smoke machines, but you go to like a a liturgy at a at a Catholic mass and there's the guy walking they just got the old school smoke machine Speaker 2: So it's funny that he the preacher went out in for me. This pastor one day he was preaching, he talked about smoke machines. Yeah. Yeah, man, he said one Sunday after church, this guy came up to me. He's Yeah, man, he's like he's like, I saw the spirit like like coming up underneath the stage. And he was like, That's the smoke screen, that's the smoke machine, brother. Speaker 1: And it was just funny because Speaker 2: Again, that's not what I grew up with, right? But you know, you talk about trying other services. I'll be honest with you, man. I really enjoyed that church. I enjoyed that and that's kind of what got me back attending regular church services, right? they had a lot of good kids programs, they were biblically sound, they I mean yeah. I'm not a huge fan of the modern worship music, but that's okay. Like that's what some you know. I get my my kids laugh at me. James is back there. He laughs at me because I'll be, you know, on on Sunday mornings, I'm in the kitchen, you know, listening to, you know, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, right? And then You and then he's an old red bag handle books. This with my old fashioned red bag handle. we can talk about that at some point. I I'm bringing it in for one show. It's gonna be great. but yeah, I think it's great to we do those things, right? Yeah. Yeah. So let's talk about Yeah, let's go to ten fourteen Moon Dust. Let's talk about that. Okay. this I'll be out of man, I'm gonna turn this over to I'm gonna let you kinda take the lead on this because this is okay. This is Daft's idea. He's a genius, one. And yeah. Speaker 1: I'm just I'm just a maybe s slightly autistic person with good pattern recognition. Speaker 2: like Speaker 1: But so I we were trying to think of a name for the podcast, like a name and an idea. And me and Gunny are spitballing us back and forth for like a week or two. And I did some I had I had did. Lord, please help me with my English and when I get to that class. Dude. Yeah, that's that Orange Burg education. Speaker 2: Man, there's something in Genesis that talks about this. What Moses and Genesis and Exodus. Moses said Moses said, Hey I have a speech impediment. Yeah, Speaker 1: We can p. Speaker 2: Moses said, I have a speech impediment. I know. And God basically told him to shut up and do what he said. All right, sorry, go ahead. Speaker 1: So I I was doing some praying and trying to find a a a Speaker 2: Good relatable Speaker 1: message like a good thing Speaker 2: Good. Speaker 1: and theme that we could have. And we had talked about the idea for the podcast was to have veterans come on, veterans, law enforcement first responders, come on and be able to share their testimony and just talk about their faith. Period. Like how Christ has helped you, how he helped you through. stuff like through the military, through your service, or how your service has been affected by your faith. So like one little small model that I thought about tossing out was like was faith through service. So like one of the goals you w you we want to see how your faith has applied and affected through your your service individually to you. so Gunny and I had both I did one deployment to Afghanistan. There was not a whole lot to it. It was it was in two thousand ten. And i my deployment was actually relatively easy. There was a lot of aggravation, but relatively easy. and y you know, so like there was some statistics, what is it like only three percent of the actual military from like from the global war on terrorism? Like it's like something like three percent. I might be quoting that wrong. something like three percent have only actually seen fight combat. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: Even some of your engagements weren't like that. Like you've got a lot more experience on that end than I do. but one thing that we all have in common if you've gone to the desert is the moon dust itself. The moond dust, as we know, I s I still have gear in my crate that is that still has moondust on it that we cannot get off. You can hide you can probably pressure wash it off, maybe if you want. Speaker 2: yeah. Speaker 1: Depending on how ingrained in the fabric it gets. Then I don't know if I want to say I was led by the Holy Spirit. It was given to me or what, but like I remember the like it popped into my head when I was thinking about something with the moon dust. And I I was driving and then and it hit me on the not the verse itself, like where it was, so I'm not good at pulling out, but the the s the the story when Christ tells the disciples to go out and he sends out the disciples on that mission. He's sending them out into the mission field, and he said, I'm gonna go ahead and read it from Matt. Come to find out it was from Matthew 1014. and this is my new King James version. We got an ESV translation right here. This is my study Bible. it's an artist series and it's beautiful. I love this Bible. I just wish it was soft. Like, I don't know what the and he Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: has a King James version. the D before thousand, the not after. Speaker 2: Yeah, something like that. Yeah. And and then we actually have a printed version of the NIV, which is the new international version. Speaker 1: I'm gonna read it out of New King James. I kinda like it out of here. it's and Christ says, And whoever will not receive n receive you nor hear you, your house Speaker 2: words. Speaker 1: when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: And then following up and fifteen, he says, Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. And the thing that had came to mind was that like we're gonna be interviewing veterans, is that it is hard to shake off the moond dust on what you have or the things that you carry from your from from whatever is going on in your service. And sometimes it might not be for you to shake off. Sometimes it is going to be part of your testimony. It's gonna be something that might help some somebody else out. It is and in all of it. you're going to glorify Christ. So if and in that, maybe if somebody does if people don't want to hear the words that we have or the testimonies that you have, man, like sometimes you gotta move on. That Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: it sometimes you you're gonna have to move on from it. You're gonna have to move on from those things. And and moving on is not an immediate process. That's one thing that I learned. 'Cause I will tell you, like working in law enforcement for thirteen years now since since I got out, it is in in high traffic, there's no lack of customers from from from my old department to the new one. And I've seen a lot more jacked up stuff here than I did overseas. And I only did one deployment, granted. And Pravity exists everywhere, all throughout humanity. and it just reassures you there that that's part of the like go wanna Speaker 2: So we Speaker 1: be like this is this is gonna be a mission field that we have. So if we're sent out from band, people don't want to hear, we'll we'll Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: try to shake the moon dust off. but sometimes you hold on to a little bit of that moon dust that you've experienced and you keep going. And you still t share your testimony. People are gonna ask you about it and you you you you tell them how you got it. Yeah. And why it sticks to you. And how Christ is helping you through it. that's like I said, I talk a lot, but that's Speaker 2: Man, I I think that leaving it Speaker 1: They Speaker 2: behind can be hard, right? Yeah. not just not just those deployments, but I I mean, what you do in law enforcement, you know, it I appreciate though that we can always find find some solace, in God's word, right? Because you know you Okay, I'm I'm old so I like this. Speaker 1: I don't know if that's the phrase though. I've never heard that before. So Matthew ten fourteen, right? Speaker 2: But you know, so and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when you depart out of that house or city, Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: shake off the dust of your feet. But then he goes on, right? And as Jesus is telling, I mean he's basically he's giving the great commission right now, right? and he's telling them, like, hey, you're gonna go, I'm Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: and for they the councils, you know, in verse seventeen. Speaker 1: shall be brought before God. Speaker 2: And kings for my sake and eighteen eighteen, cause for you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same archive. Speaker 1: Yeah, I take care of this right. Yeah, but all through this listen guys, not gonna be easy. Yeah. It's gonna be hard. Speaker 2: chapter he's telling them like this is when they persecute you in the city into another one right Speaker 1: This flee to Speaker 2: over and over and over he's telling them like it's gonna like do Speaker 1: But he's also telling them not to not to give not quit. And then yes. But there. Right. And fear them not. Speaker 2: Verse twenty eight, right? And fear them not or fear not them which kill the body, not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, right? Which is what is t what that what he's telling us is Speaker 1: Don't be afraid to speak the don't be the guy. Speaker 2: Right? Like ghosts. I and you know and you know, but the very hairs of your head are all numbers. Some of my favorite verses, right? because Jesus has told us here, right? He told his disciples. Yeah, well I know I don't have many. He it it doesn't take you long to count by, but that's okay. that's why I grew up beard to make up for take up for what things Speaker 1: You gonna make you laugh again? Sure. I have not shaved since last Sunday. Speaker 2: I hate you so James, hold on, James, do this for just a second. James has more hair than you do on his Speaker 1: I think Speaker 2: That's great. But yeah, I mean he's he's telling us, right? Like, go. and kind of a funny story. So I just kinda want to give a kind of how this if you're okay with it, we'll talk kind of how this whole thing, at least from my perspective, started and then yeah. So a couple of years ago I so I started listening to a podcast, a couple of different podcasts with folks in the Giuseppe, right? Mm-hmm. and they're good. Speaker 1: For you on this. I was gonna say this is my study Bible, so I wanted to see the the extra note that was laid as well for the for the verse. so it goes in this 1014 saying, shake off the dust from your feet. A symbolic action performed by Jews upon leaving a Gentile region. For the missionaries, it is a sign of judgment on those who are reject rejecting the gospel. and then 15 Talks about it being greater or it will be more bearable on the day of judgment. greater understanding of God's revelation means. Speaker 2: yeah, yeah. I thank our f phone poll out of the way. Speaker 1: I love it. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: my Walmart has those, by the way. not the study bible version, but the regular version. Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's that's cool. yeah, so I I wanted to the Speaker 1: Mm okay. Speaker 2: I I right not the upside I wanted to say. I wanted some kind of podcast with that train. And and I've got a pretty resounding for God. God was like I would take a step forward right on that process. something would happen just push you back. Mm-hmm. And then finally I mean, after probably about six or seven months, I was, man, like, hey, God is really fighting me on this. and then I realized that he fought me because I wanted to do a podcast, right? And so then a few months later, our the the first lady of our church, our pastor's wife, Miss Julie Cannon, who's one of the nicest humans you will ever meet in your life, like Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: Wow. Yes. Speaker 1: So lead as well. Speaker 2: Okay. So she actually comes up to me, which is amazing me. So if you for those of you that don't know, I go to Wilbur Baptist Church, which is a great church here at Aiken. Speaker 1: You could fit Speaker 2: The entire church that I grew up in probably on the stage of no Speaker 1: yeah. Speaker 2: like to include the outside of a door thing, yeah. Speaker 1: We went there for a class with the when they did the I Love You Guys thing for the Speaker 2: Yeah. But I'll tell you, man, it's a huge church. and I'm a bathist. I'll be there so one minute. man, let's I send the bat, the speakers hurt my ears, like I I like sending the back. Pastor's wife of this huge church approaches me and she says, Hey. my god's wife knows what Speaker 1: Bridge. Bridge! Didn't know Rich. Speaker 2: this is pretty cool, right? I say that kind of joke, Lily. Yeah, but that's how I got a big church. It's a small Speaker 1: But he knows people but it's Speaker 2: church at the same time, that makes sense. Well Speaker 1: But the word about Aiken is it's the America's biggest small town. It is wild. Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yeah. Yeah. but anyway, so she comes to me, she says, God is telling me to do something with veterans. I said, you know what? Me too, that I don't know what. Let's go pr you know, like mm. So so we prayed about it on the spot, right? And then I went and kicked around some ideas and one of the ideas that kinda came to me was maybe we should do a Sunday school class or connector class. Can I grip thing is that's just a weird sound so That's all right, I love it, Dad. my study school teacher is great, he's way smarter than I am. even if he is a retired soldier, he's still a brilliant guy. Speaker 1: Where is it that guy from Yeah from Joe from the Joe movie? The night time church and turns it up there anyway. Speaker 2: so I said man maybe we maybe we should do a veterans Sunday school class, right? Listen, I thought God was telling me no about podcast. But like I brought like came in and like as I'm trying to talk to one of the one of the leaders of our church about it, right? I'm like I can't talk like literally, I mean it's like it's there, but I can't I did that day. Speaker 1: I didn't know you spoke in tongues. And it was not the good kind either. Not the edifying one. It was the confusing one. Speaker 2: Was there to translate? Yes. and God was like, No, absolutely not, right? Like as veterans, and and man, I do a lot of veteran stuff outside of this and like like it, you know. Yeah, you do a lot. but but man, I I'll be honest with you, as veterans we have a tendency to to kind of isolate ourselves anyway, right? And I understand why we do. Like, I mean, I'm guilty of it too, right? And we have a tendency to kind of say, hey, we're gonna be radical over here, we're gonna do veteran things, right? and Speaker 1: Hello. Speaker 2: what God told me was there's no room for that in God's house. And I was like, Man, all right, like very well. that's the void, yeah. So we decide absolutely no the the individual Veterans Speaker 1: Yeah. can I can I can I have a a thought as to why? So we were talking Speaker 2: Sure. Speaker 1: about this earlier with the like the the meeting that you were talking about. There's a lot of alpha personalities. Like everybody wants to be the alpha, everybody wants to be the leader of people in in the military, it's kind of what we're trained to you're trained to be the person they like step up and do something. Yeah, Speaker 2: Someone lose your job, yeah. Speaker 1: but when you get a bunch of people clustered in a room full of people that are supposed to humble themselves before Christ Yeah, it's hard to do with with veterans. Yeah. So the most the the the then admitting that you need that, or you're gonna fall under the leadership of somebody who may not be a veteran, but is more biblically sound than you. Speaker 2: So I'll tell you, man, so that's one of the things that's I really appreciate my Sunday school class. and I struggled with it for a while. Like I really did. Because there's some folks in my I mean Speaker 1: people y'all got into Sunday school for this. Our class old paper we have a group of like regular Speaker 2: I even know. Probably. Speaker 1: attendees that come in on Sunday morning. Well six. man. Yeah it's pretty our Speaker 2: Twenty five twenty seven size. my Speaker 1: pastor, me and my wife, another veteran and his and his mom that are in there and then another our deacon couples that kind of take me and a man on Speaker 2: On any given Sunday, we've probably got between eighteen and twenty-six PM. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: But our Sunday school class, so I think the official title is Families in Faith. I don't know, I don't know. I'm usually oblivious to stuff like that. Speaker 1: Again they're be Speaker 2: Yes, but our Sunday school class is made up of honestly our age folks. Speaker 1: Mm-hmm. Speaker 2: bit older but not a whole lot but but pretty much all of us have kids we have well all guys have kids varying ages right I mean we have we had a couple folks that have like like four month olds yeah right and then we have some of our folks have kids that are in college right also though a lot of our folks just because of our age right we're in the the volunteerism age Speaker 1: Yeah. Right. Speaker 2: and so like a lot of our folks teach teach the Sunday school class for the students, right? Or we got a bunch of folks that sing in the choir and do the music and do all those things. So might only be sixteen to you know eighteen to twenty six people in our Sunday school class, but there's forty people from our Sunday school class in the building. Speaker 1: Yeah, but but they might be doing something. They might be doing any Speaker 2: and then like I said, i all of us have young kids, right? So I have children knows that getting them to Sunday school is Speaker 1: Four. Speaker 2: Leave it. Speaker 1: Ha ha. It can be. Speaker 2: But that's okay. Speaker 1: Yeah, even when you have a kid that so like my son, he thoroughly enjoys I'm sound I'm bragging and I don't really mean to, but if you ever like went to him talking about stuff. Yeah yeah. That young man before I even got saved has like God has his hand on him and I don't know why like Speaker 2: Full water. Speaker 1: I'm just here to like steward his like like that's that's that's nothing that got that's how he realized man so that Speaker 2: Today. That's that's it. That's what he's that's what we're supposed to do. Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. And he you want to go Speaker 2: Otherwise I should Speaker 1: God used used him to show me like how I needed to be better. Like that so when we first started like going we first decided when I said last year on Father's Day in twenty twenty five, I said, Hey, we're gonna I said let's go church and we'll go to this church. There's a specific reason why I went to this why we picked this church, fell right in at home immediately. and it It's not saying that I won't go to other churches because we in the meantime, we have gone to other churches different places when we've gone on trips and haven't been there. Yeah. first day of Sunday school, he's like, I don't want to go in. It's too early. Well, blah blah blah. After he's done taught me and gave me lessons with Jesus before this. Yeah. And we didn't even go to church. Speaker 2: But it's not Speaker 1: He goes to a he goes to a daycare that is run by a Baptist church in in in the town close to us. And he He goes there but they don't when he he's been going since he was like three or four. But I mean for what do you what do you other than like the the v the regular teaching the kids stuff. So like one of the big things was we went to take him to see the King Kings movie. Yeah. and in that specifically remember sitting down with him and like he's telling me stuff that's happening in there and like I had no clue about this stuff. I didn't like I knew the basics of Easter and Jesus and Jesus being born and why we saw like Christmas and yeah I knew like the the very basics. Yeah. And my son is telling me you hear people Christian. But I remember sitting in the theater and it came to the scene. Jesus Speaker 2: Game where G Speaker 1: is riding into the into the city into Jerusalem Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: on Passover on the on the the Passover weekend or Passover week. and I I was like, What are they saying? And I just said I just said I didn't think he's like, they're saying I'm saying it to the son of David. I'm like What is that? Like, okay, I gotta figure out what that means and Patricia's telling me like, that mean he's like they're talking about 'cause Jesus is the savior and like they're putting the palm branches down as like a way for him to walk around and I'm like What's a five year old doing telling me this? Like, how do you know that I was I was like, one, I don't like it if it's something like this this is this I get aggravated when people know what I mean? Well I can admit Speaker 2: Dude. Speaker 1: that people know more than me, I'm really dumb. Speaker 2: yeah. Speaker 1: Like Boy, you ain't about to outsmart me about Jesus. Speaker 2: Yeah. that's why James better run the computer right now 'cause I bring it. I'd Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: hunk so much that thing through the window probably. Yeah, yeah. So we No, you're good, man. So we So we we just God said no to the Sunday school thing, right? So man, I'm not gonna lie, man, I was pretty upset. I was like, man, like I know like but I don't know what. Green about it. You know, offer a couple of times and pray, you know, like man, I just I don't know. Speaker 1: Okay. Speaker 2: And then I really appreciate you because 'cause as I've s as I mean we've known each other now for about five years, four years, five years, five years, five years now. And Speaker 1: It was the five. Speaker 2: and I have I've got to watch transition from Speaker 1: Your trade or Speaker 2: Yeah, to to that, right. Speaker 1: You got to see a very angry version of me sometimes. Yes. Speaker 2: And I Speaker 1: but I really appreciate Speaker 2: appreciate you know the as crazy as sounds the reels the teams Speaker 1: B. Speaker 2: and so I get those and then just I mean what you I mean you know the story right like a month ago well a little over a month ago right we're we're taff and I take some back and forth like hey man like like guys tell me to do something I can't figure out what it is. It's a gimmick. Me too, right? And so we're like, hey, let's get together and eat some launch and let's figure this out, right? So we we met and and I'm gonna throw, I'm gonna give a shout out to what's cooking now. It's not been there in a couple weeks in my Speaker 1: yeah. Speaker 2: Go anyway, it's complete completely has nothing to do with the story except for the fact that this is the never really gonna start. But anyway, so we meet and we you know, we we we sit down, we talk and really more because we don't work together anymore. So we spent a little bit of time catching up. And then then we finally got to like, hey, what like let's let's talk about why why God has put us at this restaurant right now to have this conversation. and I'll be honest with you, I mean, it just kinda fell on the plates right now. So I've got a key friend of side of a podcast. And it man, that's a great deal. Like and it just kinda Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: so I really appreciate that. and I I pray every day that that that we're doing I I have no doubt that that this is what God wants us to do. I did at first, but I'll be honest, man, the more I the more I've prayed about it. I told you I sent you a text the other day, right? All these affirmations from folks from my church, folks from from even folks that I work with. It's wild to me. even some folks that I know that that aren't I mean, well let's be honest, they're not Christians, right? They're not. but but I haven't been I'm not afraid to talk about what we're doing, right? Yeah. And so when I talk about that and they're like, Yeah, man, this sounds great and I'm like, you're that up. You know what I mean? And then they're like like, Yeah, but man, I think it's great. It's your this podcast with veterans and you're talking about faith and Yeah. And so I I've got so I think I have no doubt in our mind that that God wants us here. Speaker 1: Yeah. maybe Speaker 2: This particular building from now on. So Speaker 1: We work out, we work out. Speaker 2: we'll work on that. and here towards the end, we're gonna give some we gotta get some shoutouts to some folks that have made this yes this this possible. but really so we sat down and I I typed up a mission statement for us. I did it from the Marine Corps lines. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: listen, I know. so so veterans that are listening, you guys know, right? You get a command Speaker 1: You're you're a gunny man. You're used to doing this five paragraph This is it's Speaker 2: Listen man, I was gonna write down a full order. Speaker 1: funny 'cause like I I am a third award corporal and I say that not in the Marine Corps sense. I have gotten in Speaker 2: Crupper Speaker 1: the Marine Corps, I was a corporal at the last department and I'm a corporal now. Speaker 2: out yeah right yeah listen man I was gonna start do some orientation situation mission execution admin and yeah command and control but so I typed mission statement and it would take a hundred Speaker 1: It's it was like Speaker 2: percent work right it's like we're gonna seek out close with and destroy the NBI and so I hug it on our we've got a drive that we hang stuff on and I hug it on there and I text it out and went hey man so proud of myself hey hey Should stay there. That's so great. Speaker 1: you mean I went here doing the Peter Drift and say Speaker 2: Right. He's like, Is it Yeah man Went in and tweaked it a little Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: bit. So I'm gonna let you kinda kinda talk about our Speaker 1: Totally. Speaker 2: mission statement and how how how we how we ended up with that. Speaker 1: So maybe I do want to give a caveat to too. Like the 1014 Moon Dust thing is a working title still for I'm thinking about just doing Moondust. Like just doing Moondust had a Matthew 14 or 1014 at the bottom as like that's the verse that it is based off of. So that's our basis. The tit we have title, basis, and this is exactly what we're gonna get into as far as like the mission. And the mission statement that we have is to glorify God through fellowship, storytelling, and studying of his word. 1014 Moondust gives veterans, first honors, Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: and their families an opportunity to give their testimony, including their service and their journey in faith. That is the main thing that we want. We want to know about your journey and in faith. we're gonna have some people that we know trying to get to talk to them. We might end up if I can you know not I, but if we can convince some family members of ours or family to come on. I have a really good person that is separate from the other person that if I can get him down here to come. Probably one of the most influential people from the Marine Corps that I had. And if anybody from my other from our units ever sees this, you're gonna know who Hansen is. Speaker 2: You know every unit has a handsome rights. Speaker 1: Yeah, I know. But like our guys our guys know our guys know our hands. He was our dude that like held to his faith the entire time. he was demos and it was it w it really was him being an example for us, even if we were not believers at the time or something, we could always acknowledge that like man, we just want to be better because Hansen was around. Speaker 2: Well, you what? I said every unit has a handsome, maybe not by that name, but every unit has that guy. Yeah. Speaker 1: There's different characteristics they follow every unit too. You always have the guy that can acquire gear. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And sometimes it's a guy that can do it questionably, but then there's also a guy that does it not questionably, but you just like, how in the world did you get this? How did we're in the Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: middle of Afghanistan? How did you get a weapons rank for the store or Where did you get dim white light bulbs Speaker 2: Like well, you know. Speaker 1: to the tent to have a little bit of light at night so I can read a book? Speaker 2: So I had a guy, you talk about you're handsome, right? Man, we had this guy. I'll never forget this young man. I said, I mean I was saved pretty early on, but I should Speaker 1: Estoy Speaker 2: when I was young in the work or man, I I mean I I there's no excuse for it, but just I was not in living way I should have been, right? Yeah. had a guy Speaker 1: Very very grounded zero problem. Yeah, I'm gonna call Hanson would record the only time I saw Hansen use artillery is when he got mad enough to bent an MRAP door fire. Yeah. Like he slammed an the wrap door and it bent the tab things. I was like Hanson's mad mad. Because he was not small either. Hanson would eat peanuts and lift weights and well Speaker 2: I mean yeah, I know Fibonacci 'cause he was like I mean you always talk about this, right? Like I mean, must be real. He'd be behind the barracks drinking beer underage. Listen, we used to is wow. Speaker 1: I wanna should we get it cabied out? Yeah, we are not well if we talk about things that we have done that are part of our past our in our sinful nature, we are not glorifying them. We are not saying that it was okay that we did them. As a matter of fact, it's quite the opposite. We there's a lot of things I am very like repenting and not not I I am ashamed that I did a lot of a lot of dumb stuff that we did do. But it's Looking the having the ability, like I was saying in the in my prayer, having the ability to look back and ha like God giving me grace enough to live to make it past that and through that stuff. One is kinda comical that I was that stupid. That's honestly it's comical. Speaker 2: So I'll tell you though, one of the great things about like we used to it we're talking about the guy who's you know who's really in his faith, right? Like really grounded his faith. and we would, I mean, I'm telling you, man, it's probably every Friday and Saturday night. Somebody would go and somebody would get a cake and we'd park it behind the barracks and we would, you know, drink and cook out, and but but I would say in those situations though, And again, like man, trust me, I've done some did some things that I'm not proud of. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: But in those particular situations, man, we always had we aga Speaker 1: Get it. Speaker 2: you know, my my friend, I mean, he was really grounded in his faith at the time. And what he didn't do, which is what I love about this verse, right? What I love about Matthew ten, fourteen, right? What he didn't do is he did not go in his barracks room and close the door. Lock the door on a Friday night. He didn't do that. He came out, he hung out with us, but he s he led by God's example. Yeah. And here we are. I mean, man, but that was my very first duty section, right? For me, that was almost 30 years ago. I still remember him to this day. Don't laugh at me. I know. look, man. Listen, if the camera didn't pick that up, I just got the biggest like old look ever. Speaker 1: no, so yeah I mean but I look at it, I'm like, man, I could have retired next year if I would have stayed in. So Yeah, but I mean I I I'm thankful for where I'm at now. Like 'cause if it wouldn't have been if it wouldn't have been for that, I don't know if I'd have been there. I don't I don't know if I'd be where I was. That those you never know and I this is one that I come up with on my own. if you could imagine you laying the bricks on your own path. Every now and then you're reaching the you're you're reaching in a wheelbarrow full of bricks, making a pass for you to walk off. So that way it's smooth sailing, right? Speaker 2: Yeah, but they don't really Speaker 1: that then you don't until you look up and acknowledge like how the barrel's getting refilled, every one of those bricks is made of gold. Like once you start looking, eventually those bricks start being made of gold and you never know which ones are the gold ones that are being handed to you from from Christ. Yeah. And you're putting down gold bricks and every one of those on the yellow or the yellow brick road not gold. And the yellow brick road that leads you back home. Speaker 2: And that's right. Speaker 1: And then you look back and then you see the streets paved Speaker 2: You go back and you see these guys and gals and folks that you serve with, you're like, man. Speaker 1: Dude, Hanson came down and so we we came back home one day for for my brother around Memorial Day weekend 'cause that's the time that my brother b both of my brothers 'cause my brothers I got brothers that are sixteen years apart but have same birthday. different dads. Yeah, so supposedly. but one of my brothers returned twenty one And we you know, so we had twenty first birthday party for him at the house. Hansen came down with us and like we still have videos of Speaker 2: yeah. Speaker 1: us just acting absolute acting a fool. And like you wanna talk about like I look at it, I'm like James. Speaker 2: Do any of the Speaker 1: Yeah. I look at it, I like I I really did. I I have really looked at those those things and I'm like like some of the stuff I giggle at and some of it I'm like I was like I was really stupid then. And then there's Hansen He's just laughing and cheering, just making sure we're good and helping take care of us. Like Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: and like so my wife was not one to be in the middle of us drinking too much. Like she didn't care. She just she liked being a mom to pick to a bunch of the Marine. She was that girl that being a mom. She was not afraid to smack a kid with a spoon. grown adult with a spoon. Like she would watch she'd walk around the parties and whop people in the head if they were being dumb. dude, I like like f it's like giving the I I remember getting into almost getting into a fight with one of my soldiers 'cause wouldn't give him we wouldn't or we weren't gonna give him his keys back. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: he told us that before we he's like don't he's like, I might fight you but don't don't let me get him. And I'm glad I didn't. Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. Speaker 1: and he and I thought Speaker 2: Yeah, I think we're gonna do I mean, again Speaker 1: a story. Speaker 2: testimonies. This is not a it it well, we start having guests like you know, the the purpose of this is it this kind of goes to why why is the why why this mission, right? Why are we doing this? there's plenty of veteran podcasts out there. I mean veteran they're they're all over the place. Some of them are really Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: good, some of them not so much, but they're they're out there. and we want to capture veterans, but really the testimony is the fightworthy, right? God what Speaker 1: No. Speaker 2: God has done for them, what what Jesus' blessing was done for them, and what he's done for us. Speaker 1: Thank you. Speaker 2: And honestly, I'm gonna be a hundred percent selfish for just a minute, and and that had a hit on it earlier, is If I can come closer to God by interviewing another veteran who is also close to God, I'm gonna be very rarely in my life do I think selfish do I do things selfishly, but guess what? Speaker 1: It goes into the triangle the the triangle theory for like what you for for like a marriage. If you have God at the center of a marriage, any kind of or if you do it like a relationship, you have you and the other person, but then you put God at the center in the top, center and top, the closer you get to God with that person, the closer you're gonna get to each other. So people sharing their testimonies you use it the same way. You people sharing their testimonies with us, as long as we keep Christ in the center of what we got, then We're all gonna get better. We're all gonna grow closer to him. And that's the goal. And in doing so, we might get some things wrong. We might go off the rails a little bit. But we're gonna be closer and we're gonna be better, and he is still going to be the the one to get all the glory because he deserves it. Speaker 2: Absolutely. That's and that's the key, right? Is that the heat goes to the like Speaker 1: it blows my mind to think about like how the the supreme Speaker 2: The actual Speaker 1: authority of a being to be able to do that across millions Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: and billions of different people throughout time and at the same time like that yeah that's a a very hair yeah Speaker 2: of your head. I it's it's amazing. Speaker 1: it's then it to know you so intricately and then when you start seeing them when you start seeing those things and you start acknowledging it, God's like okay You've acknowledged it, what are you gonna do with it? Speaker 2: yeah. Speaker 1: So this is us acknowledging the role that God has had in all and hopefully bringing on some people who can acknowledge God's role in Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: their life. And what we're gonna do with it is we're gonna glorify him and bring people closer to him. That's our plan. Speaker 2: Yeah, therefore go and make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, right? That's that's the that's the goal, right? That's why we're doing this. Yep. it's not for God, it's not for death. It's terrible as it's house as a father, it's not for James either. Speaker 1: Yeah. It's not to glorify any of those people. It's Speaker 2: glorify God and and give each of us and hopefully each of you Speaker 1: Yep. Speaker 2: and every veteran that we bring and every first responder we bring and it to bring every single one of us closer to God's glory. Speaker 1: there's somebody who has a who who who does not have that personal relationship like we if you're a veteran that is struggling and you think that like there might be an inkling of something that can like it took me thirty six years to acknowledge that that that saying that every person has a a a Christ size hole in their heart it and that's the only thing that's gonna fill it it is a hundred percent true man. And it it I can't tell you how much better my life is. Even in man, I've had some tragedies this past year of doing this stuff. But in that man, I'm gonna get tears on the first one, dude. Like Speaker 2: It is Speaker 1: Even in those hard times. There is a it it is a true peace beyond understanding, like Paul says, that is that is there. My heart is wrecked during some of that stuff. My soul is wrecked. And I'm pretty sure you can feel the same way. Yeah. And Speaker 2: I'm not Speaker 1: it but at the same time, I there is peace and comfort when you seek Christ in those moments and and truly seek Him, seek to know His will. To know what he wants and the way he wants things to work. And you can find peace there. And it does for those that are listening that might think that it might like, man, take a whole year. Take a whole year. Give it a try. Just try to be a good Christian. You don't have to be you don't even have to acknowledge Christ, but try to be a good Christian. And I say that, but like we get the Southern Baptist you can't do anything. Speaker 2: I'm sorry. But Speaker 1: read the word, understand the word, try like seek to learn and know him better. And tell me in a year if your life is not demon not demonically demonstrably Speaker 2: Monstrably better. Monstrably Speaker 1: better. Speaker 2: That's a big work, man. I'm proud of you. Speaker 1: wrote the big word in crowd after I just need us there. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: but tell me that your life is not demonstrably better after that year. Yeah. And then you'll see that there's bricks that are being laid and you'll have you'll have a brotherhood like you like when you're missing a brotherhood in the in when you get out. You'll find that is a brotherhood in Christ for people that truly believe. And you go into that understanding that not all those people are perfect either. They're gonna mess up, they're gonna make mistakes, they're gonna let you down. Don't trust in either one of us to be the one to get you saved. We are going to let you down. Speaker 2: Every time. Well hopefully not every time. Speaker 1: Because I'm dumb and I can't use big words like demonstrably more than once in a sentence. But there's other ways too. Christ won't. Speaker 2: Yeah and Speaker 1: He is faithful to the end, man. Speaker 2: Man, and you said a crisis size hole. This this this goes back to the mood dust, right? How the move dust applies to us as veterans. Right. The cris-sized hole does also. I and I'm guilty of it too, right? As as as veterans, those of us that serve, right, that that w the mission is we do the mission, right? And if the mission requires me to have a s a square hole, then whatever peg I get is what I'm gonna stick in. Right. I mean Speaker 1: Make it fit. Speaker 2: Listen, we gonna make fit. It you ain't gotta make Christ fit. Christ fits on his all. And that's what's that's what's amazing. You stay how do you Speaker 1: How do you feel an endless gap? With an endless Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: being full of grace, compassion, love. Speaker 2: One of my favorite verses, ironically, or one of my favorite parts of the Bible is it's probably it's really simple and I don't know, it's but it's when when Moses asked asked God like who he who should I say has sent me, right? Yeah. And God's answer is, I am. Speaker 1: Is I am that I am. It's the covenant name of God, Yahweh Yahweh. Speaker 2: Yeah, but like that's just like big one getting the alpha and omega. I think Speaker 1: I wonder if there's any tie to that. Like the I am that I am to the it is what it is. I don't know. I don't get some thoughts for Speaker 2: it's hard. Speaker 1: next episode. There might be one that we can try and dive into. Speaker 2: Maybe. Yeah, that's a good one. I think that we've hit everything we wanted to hit today. Yeah. we do have to get some shout outs. so when we get this thing published, you'll see a nifty little nifty little logo. I'm gonna give shout out to a to an army veteran friend of well mine and now Das off 'cause We might yeah. so Carrie Press, she's great. so she's helped us design our logo. originally I was in the way, but then I realized that I had the least artistic human that I know, and so I let Daff and the the today. Yeah, I draw stick figures. So so I'd like to say Kirk, we did give us give a shout out to American Legion twice twenty six and Akin. if you don't recognize it, this is their stage. they have opened up their doors for us and let us let us record here for our first two episodes until we get something a little more A little more stable. Yeah, it's sound Speaker 1: They won't sound like Speaker 2: fruit. If you hear the background noise, we're trying to get rid of it. We know it's there. Speaker 1: It was a nineteen seventies air conditioner unit. Speaker 2: Correct. the cool thing is is the building's older than that. part of this building is dates to is predates nineteen hundreds. So yeah, the front portion portion is from the late eighteen hundreds. So so special thanks to American Post 26 for helping us out with the location. and then I'm gonna talk about the gear or unless you want to talk about the gear. Speaker 1: I don't know much about it, but I I don't know like brands or anything like that. But I can tell you that I think I messed this up now. Okay, got gold showing a swagger thing were fancy. so these w when this idea got brought up to the youth pastor, I'm not sure his name, was it j was it John? Speaker 2: So Josh Moss Josh, he's the family family pastor is the I think I whatever. Speaker 1: And middle went down church here in Aiken, we we the I Gunning goes attends that church. He presented the idea to him and he's like he he basically like helped provide us with a lot of the gear, the sound equipment, the microphone, gave us some pointers and tips and was like, Hey man, y'all can use this and we are so thankful and grateful for that. Like it it goes into a little bit more. You talking about the affirmations of like if this is something that we can try and get off the ground with God's blessing. And so we are we are thankful for Millbrook for what they prom for what they've helped us with. we're thankful for anybody that's willing to listen and sit down and listen to us ramble. and hopefully you can get something out of it. And hopefully what you get is Christ. Speaker 2: Absolutely. man, I think you just hit the closing thoughts on the down was that down ahead? Maybe. Speaker 1: You gotta get your judgment, your judge gamble on there. No, what I do with that. but anyhow, so we'll see you on the next episode. Everybody's gonna listen. Yeah. I think that so let's do l next couple episodes. We'll probably do if I'm not too ahead of the game here, similar full testimony from myself, a similar full testimony from Gurney. And I mean there's gonna be stuff that's left out. some det some details and names might be left out. condensed version for myself and gunny just to help get introduced to us and then we may start trying to have some local veterans that we know come in as guests and also family members if we can talk them into it. I'm pretty sure my wife is not gonna want to get from the family. Speaker 2: Yeah. If you're interested I if you're interested in Speaker 1: Do all the things down below in the areas on the YouTubes and whatever wherever we get these posted, do the comments. Speaker 2: The comments thing and the Speaker 1: tips. Speaker 2: Yeah. I would say I'm gonna let James do that. It's not all in the social media yet, so Speaker 1: No, I mean yeah you get that kid social media we'd be in problem. See Speaker 2: So Speaker 1: y'all the next couple episodes.