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Get a GRIP: When God Takes Your Income to Give You a Purpose · Be the Bison

• Andrew Rauch: Hey John, good morning. Happy Monday to you. Glad that you're with us this morning on Be the Bison podcast. I know we've had an opportunity to meet several weeks ago. I was fascinated by your story, John. So thank you for being here. before we get started, maybe if you don't mind, just a minute or two, a little context introduction. Who are you? What are you up to, and we can start with that. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Well, to be true with what we teach in our workshop, I am a born again son of the most high God. That is my identity. I happen to be a husband of forty seven years, a father of three, grandfather of five. I started a software company back in the late eighties and it is still servicing clients today, though though that's part of the story that we'll get into. Andrew Rauch: All right. Well sounds like a full life and I know just before we kick this off we chatted about you and your wife recently playing a interesting card game and you getting whooped by your wife, is that right? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We don't need to repeat that story, Andrew. She typically I've been I had had the upper hand with her recently, but she came back in a flurry last night and crushed me. So yeah. Thank thank you for Andrew Rauch: Yeah, there you go. But John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: reminding me of that and appreciate that. Andrew Rauch: Hey, you know, part of this is authentic stories and just authentic humility as well, John. So we're good. All right. So John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: That's true. Yes, I appreciate my wife for participating in that humility. Andrew Rauch: Excellent. Good. Well, so John you know, be the bison or the bison is a lovely story about God's creation and how he's created this amazing animal, strong, full of beautiful fur, and they love to go into the storm versus running away from the storm like pretty much every animal else does. So tell us a little time of a storm that you've got into. Give us a little context, a little history. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Probably the biggest one is back in 2015 and 16. The software company at that point was still very successful after close to thirty years at that point. And at the end of twenty fifteen we had our largest loss. It was an employee related problem that I let fester for too long. And going into twenty sixteen, I had the decision to make, either close the doors because of the loss, ca because I couldn't perpetuate that loss again. At the end of 2015, we lost two-thirds of our revenue, our two largest clients in the same time because of this problem. And the only way I could keep the doors open for my employees and to support the rest of my clients, which was a probably about twenty or thirty customers at that point, was to stop taking a paycheck. That's the only way I could make the numbers work is that no monthly compensation for me. And so with that going forward, it was like, all right, I need to replace this income and it's not going to come directly from the business. And I thought, well, I've got so many years of experience in helping people migrate from one software product to another. I know that that's a a a very in-demand service. I'll transition to that and just do that. And so I started doing all kinds of Facebook and Google ads. And I never got a single whiff of a call with about, I don't know, three, five thousand dollars in ads. And so here I am. I'm going, all right, by now we're May of 2016. So five months without a paycheck, no glimmer as to where this is going. And really frustrated with God is like. You know, he's always provided for our family. And out loud I said, I know you're behind this. What do you want? Because I knew that that it should what my approach should have worked. It it made sense. I knew that the company's situation was not a byproduct of my mismanagement or bad decisions and so forth, that it was a problem with this employees issue. So all that didn't make any sense to me and I was very frustrated. And I didn't hear anything from God. It looking back, I imagine it was like, good. I got your attention. Now wait. So Andrew Rauch: Wait. H happens a lot, right? Waiting. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: yeah, and not really good for a person with my personality design. I I am not a very patient individual. I'm more of a that's the goal, let's achieve it, move forward, let's get the work done, that sort of thing. And during that course of that year, I started doing a lot of writing, Christian poetry, short stories, articles. I was reading my Bible, doing devotions, prayer, all that stuff. And about two months later I had a friend over and I was explaining my frustration with God and Richard started laughing at me and he goes, Richard, this is not funny. I'm really I'm really suffering here. He goes, I'm so happy for you. God's got you exactly where he wants you. And it Andrew Rauch: Wise counsel, right? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: well you know, in hindsight it was. At the moment, I wasn't it wasn't well received. And it was about three months later, and another acquaintance came to me and said, Hey John, I I teach people how to interpret psychometric assessments and I I think you'd be great at. Now he didn't have any altruistic intent. he charged a lot of money for this. after nine months at that point of going without a paycheck, it was like, yeah, not interested. Thanks, thanks a lot. went home and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit's like, do it. God, this makes no sense. I don't even know what psychometric assessments are. Why would I get involved in this? Andrew Rauch: Yes. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: This has nothing to do with MRP ERP software, which I've spent at that point 40 years of my life, you know, gaining expertise. And why in the world at 57 now would I want to take on this? This makes no sense. Do it. After God working on you for nine to ten months and he finally tells you to do something, it's like, all right, well, you asked him, what did he want? And so I went and signed up, renegotiated the price, because I am a business person and had my wife and I do it together. And I found out that I had a natural affinity towards it. It made sense. In fact, looking back at it, it's a lot for me, looking at a person's design is a lot like programming. If I wanted to create Andrew to be able to do a certain task, a certain capability, these are the pieces I would put in Andrew. to be able to achieve that. And through the course of that process we create a purpose statement. And that purpose statement ultimately led me to starting the Brushfires Ministry. And that's how it got all started. Andrew Rauch: Beautiful. So So you know, c classic God, right? Hey, you know you're doing really well here for 40 years. kind of thinking of another time in the Bible where there's forty years. maybe not you you so much in the desert, but all of a sudden now you find yourself maybe in the desert and figuring out, okay, which direction Lord you want me to go and crying out and you don't really hear a clear clear voice until somebody sends you a maybe a messenger, right? And it sounds like maybe a couple of your friends kinda saying, Okay, hey, you know, here's something that you you want to do. What so you're you're you're now into this new adventure. so what what's getting you through the storm or what got you through the storm to the to the next season? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Well, I would I would say the very first glimmer of hope. So writing the writing was sort of spontaneous. It was cathartic, these short stories and poems and articles I was writing. And so there was a real closeness with God in writing that. In fact, there's more than one story that I would write where I didn't know how it was going to finish and it was like being poured in me. There's a story that's online now. People can look it up. on YouTube called The Three Guides. And it's literally, I didn't realize as I was writing it, it was a metaphor of exactly what God was doing in my life. It's it's amazing how clear hindsight is, but in when you're in the midst of a struggle or a storm, as you put it, you don't see it. And the three guides is a perfect example of somebody who's just lost in a fog, doesn't know what, where they're going, what's going on. And all of a sudden there is a guide that's been there all this time, but you just needed to get to a place where you would see them and recognize them for what they are and allow them to guide you. that that character is called trust in the in the story. So it's just a matter of just trying to figure out. But once you get that do it, and God's been working on you for nine to ten months, and you're desperate to have a direction and a course of action. at least f for a person of my design, it was like, all right, I don't have an answer. My answers are not working. He's telling you to do this. It doesn't make sense, but that's what faith is all about. Trust him and just do it. And then as you do it, it starts to make sense. Andrew Rauch: So one of the one of the things I'm hearing you say is you know, through the writings, you know, that that carried you forward, interaction and engagement with some some dear friends, you know, that that helped. what what about you know, thinking about our families, right, as being a provider? How how did this work with you and your wife during that storm? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: So I started the software company back in nineteen eighty six, eighty seven, and I left a steady paycheck to do so. There was no guarantee that the software that we were developing was ever going to make it. So my wife had already sort of been through this during that time. That was two years of really being separated from the family. She understood the circumstances. My wife also works with me in the business. She does the accounting. So she saw the numbers. It wasn't as if she was ignorant of it. And she knew the circumstances connected to the situation that we were in. So it wasn't as if, you know, you need to repent and fix this, or it was like, no, she knew exactly everything that was going on from the inside. So when this was happening, it was like she was just there for me as a support, but And when I signed up for this psychometric assessment training, she agreed to take it with me and made time in her schedule to do so. So she's been walking side by side with me throughout this entire process. And when we started the very first workshop in February of 2018, she was there for every class, doing the administrative stuff, helping support that process and has been with me at my side in every one of my speaking engagements and workshops that I've taught since 2018. So one of the greatest gifts, you know, beyond my salvation is my wife. we got married at twenty. I was twenty, she was sixteen and pregnant. So the the odds of us being married forty seven years in this world are astronomical. in fact guys that were in the wedding party were taking side bets as to how long our marriage was going to last, and it was less than a year that they came up with. Andrew Rauch: Wow. And talk about redemption, right? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: God has been extremely good to us. That's why I went in that May of two thousand sixteen when I blurted out, I know you're behind this, what do you want? I didn't get it. He's always provided for you. So he's always said, Okay, this is what I want you to do. And when I was going in that dire in the directions that made the most sense, and I was getting these, you know, brick walls, nothing even happening, it I it it didn't make sense to me. It's like, All right, God, what do you want? What clearly he had other plans. I had no clue as to what those were. I just had to be patient and wait and step out in faith. Andrew Rauch: Yeah, it reminds me a little of my time in Yellowstone or Lamar Valley and you know, seeing the herd of the bison and you know, the storms storm's been brewing or the storm's been going on and you know, it's like they're just patiently waiting, just kinda strolling through the storm. Right. They they know, you know, on the other side, coming through it it's gonna be okay, and then they'll get back to the grass, you know, as the spring comes. It just it just this strong sense of patience and waiting. Which sometimes people with your DNA and my DNA is not easy to do. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Yeah, in fact, it's interesting that the the phrasing that you use in there. So I'm in the process of releasing our third workshop, which is for discipleship. And it's a two book series. I was never an author before started this ministry. That's the very first thing that God did is have me write the curriculum for the design workshop. But I'm working on the discipleship workshop and one of the sections is titled The Storm. And it was earlier this year. my wife's you know, we need to get away. So she finds a Airbnb in the on a local lake near us and our daughter was supposed to join us and we were going to have a nice three or four days just there. And as soon as we get there, the storm hits. we get unpacked, our daughter calls us. my mother-in-law just fell and broke her shoulder. I I you know, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make it. we hang up with that call. Our s youngest son who's got epilepsy, had a seizure, fell while he was at a food kitchen. It was at the ER, same ER, by the way, that the mother in law is at. All this Andrew Rauch: Wow. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: is happening within probably an hour of us getting there at this place. And we're just trying to figure out do we need to go back down to, you know, forget the vacation, what are we going to do? and that finally gets settled. It was like, all right, everybody's okay. our son is being released, the mother-in-law's being released, and all that. It's like, all right, next day we're driving around the lake, and my mother had been in a assisted living situation because of breaking her hip. And I get this call on a Friday afternoon. your mother is being released. the insurance is not going to cover it anymore. you have this option of appealing it, call this random third party, and she might be able. And I'm doing this in the in the car as I'm driving around the lake trying to figure out how to make sure that my mom isn't hitting the bricks or being bankrupted by doctor bills. And I I was not at my best, Andrew. K for a person that likes things to be controlled and likes things to be planned and so forth. I was not rude with the the operator and so forth, but I was just really frustrated. Anyway, get through that weekend and towards the end of that weekend all the things sort of worked out. Okay. Our daughter did come up with her family, had a great time. my mom the peel worked and so she was allowed to stay. All that worked out. And then it was that morning everybody was gone. It was just my wife and I. And I go, God, I'm sorry. I I did not conduct myself with the patience or faith and so forth. And he gave me this acronym called GRIP. When GRIP, when you Andrew Rauch: Rip. Yeah. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: are in the middle of a storm like we were Is your actions, behavior, or words showing God's grace? Is it is your are your actions word and words and and behavior showing or improving the relationship with other people? And it was this acronym that said basically, is it showing grace, is it improving relationship, is it showing intimacy, or are you demonstrating the peace that Christ promises. So when you're in the middle of these storms, how is your behavior? How is your attitude? How is your actions? Are they demonstrating what it is that you should be emulating as a son or daughter of the most high God? So you're is it showing the grace? Is it showing the relationship? Is it improving relationship? Is it improving intimacy, or is it demonstrating peace? And I was like, Nope, failed, failed, failed, failed. Andrew Rauch: Nope. I I I love it. John, I don't know, y you might remember this. You know, you and I are probably similar or close in in in age, but growing up in New York I I remember one of the expressions was get a grip. Do you remember that one? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Yeah, yeah, that's when when he pulled that together and you know, I I connected that with that expression, it was like, All right, well this is going in the book. Andrew Rauch: That's great. Good. So sounds like coming through on the other end of your storm story and couple of stories there is one of the things that I'm hearing is hey, you know, for a message, you know, just the acronym if you people can remember the grip or get a grip. Would would that be accurate? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: yeah, that was that was part of that message of that storm. And really it's As believers, if we are really walking with the Lord and we have that close, intimate relationship, really should we be behaving the way we are behaving? Should I be ste when I got that phone call about my mom being released? Should I have faith in saying, All right, they said we've got this appeal process. God, I trust you that you're going to do this. you know. How do you respond during that moment? And this is really important for business owners because there's a certain type of personality that we all have, which is take control and you know, entrepreneurs are j are of that nature. Take control of the chaos, make it work, you know, and succeed and persevere through this process. But in the midst of that is where the real challenge is. Are you a jerk to your family? Are you being abusive to your employees? are you really being a poor example of a son or daughter of the most high God? And get the whole get a grip thing was very useful in the sense of we need to understand that these things are going to be part of the process. One of the really beautiful insights that writing this book, Why Discipleship Isn't Working, has granted me is that. I was going through Leviticus 26, and it's all the promises of God to the Jewish people if they simply did what he told them to do. He wasn't expecting to be sinless and so forth. And he goes, When you get attacked, I'll be with you, and you'll over, you know, you will whatever. So, what that said is in this life, even when God is providing for you, you are still in a battle, and there are going to be terrible situations that come up. You will get attacked. In the midst of the attack, he is with you. That's the difference. So when that storm was hitting us with my mother in law's or my daughter's mother in law breaking her shoulder, our son having a seizure and falling, and then my mom. It's like in the midst of that, I need to remind myself that God is with me. That should be my first reaction, not out of anger, not out of frustration, but all right, God, you're with me. How do I navigate this? And that's so you get the grip, and the grip is on on the the hem of his robe where you're going, all right, Lord, I trust you. I have no idea where this is going, but I trust you. help me to be a good witness during this process. Andrew Rauch: Yeah, it's a great great word, great way to tie it all back together of you know what's on the other end of the storm and if we get a grip, you know, and be reminded that God's always with us. If he's with us, who can be against us, right, John? So hey, John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Right. No no weapon were formed against us. Andrew Rauch: yeah, so if people want to know a little bit more about your writings or about your work, your ministry, you know, what's the what's the best way they can reach out to you and get in touch? John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: So the discipleship books are still in pre-release. I'm giving our home church editorial oversight over it. but they can be purchased if people contact me directly. The easiest way is for them to go to our website, which is brushfires-digital dot com. That's brushfires-digital dot com. There Andrew Rauch: Okay. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: are 800 numbers there. If they register on the site, they'll get one of our assessments free of charge and four books. we make available for anybody that simply just registers and says, Hey, I'm interested and give us a call. we'll we'll Andrew Rauch: Get in touch. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: get we'll get back to you. Yeah. Andrew Rauch: Awesome. John, great to be with you today on Be the Bison podcast. So if you like John's story about a time that he's gone into the storm, how he got through it and getting a grip on the other side, you can listen to this on many of the podcast platforms, or if you want to go to venture and philanthropy dot com forward slash be the bison or forward slash podcast as well. That'd be a great way to do it. So John, thank you for your time today. Good to be with you. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: Thank you, Andrew, and I hope your audience was blessed by our conversation. Andrew Rauch: Amen to that. All right, John. Thanks again. John 'JR' Rennie - BrushFires: You're welcome.