Life Changes

This is the Truth Network. The heart of every man craves a great adventure, but life doesn't usually feel that way. Jesus speaks of narrow gates and wide roads, but the masculine journey is filled with many twists and turns.

So how do we keep from losing heart while trying to find the good way when life feels more like a losing battle than something worth dying for? Grab your gear and come on a quest with your band of brothers who will serve as the guides in what we call the masculine Journey, the masculine journey starts here now. Welcome to Masculine Journey. We're glad that you're with us this week. I look around the studio and we have seven people here, but it still feels kind of empty.

Yeah, I think because Jim's not here and he takes up like a big section of the room because he's such a tall guy. Yeah, we'll go with that. Oh, that's gonna go with that.

Well, all right. Is my mic on? Unfortunately, I think it is. Yes, I think I can hear you. But anyway, welcome to Masking Journey.

We're gonna be talking about life changes. Right, we all go through them. The one thing that's constant about life is it changes. Right? How many times have you had your mindset on what you're going to be doing in this next month, this next year, this next period of time, and only to have it change for you?

Right? I don't know how many the statistic is anymore, but how many people actually work in the field that they started studying? You know, it's usually not where they end up. You know, occasionally, but we all go through them. And we're talking about today.

When have you? Needed God, which obviously the question is all all changes. You need God in it, but when have you sought Him, and when has He been there for you, right? Either you've either sought Him out and He was there for you, or you can look back and say, "Oh, God's hand was in this," right? And so we're talking about the that topic today.

And so, Danny, I'm going to have you do the first clip.

Okay. You guys are quiet today. It's going to be a tough show. Yeah, radio show when everybody's quiet. Yeah.

Quiet. Yeah. I did one once for the mime. Did you? I feel like I am right now.

I got a group of mine. That's why I was shaking my head because that's what you always say. Yeah. They can't hear you're shaking your head. You look like you're all stuck in a box.

Yeah. Well, my clip is from the show Designated Survivor, which was, I think, a Netflix show. Is what I watched it on. And it's where president and I mean it was a catastrophe, and Kiefer Sutherland I can't remember his name on the show. He ends up being thrust into because he's way down the line of people in succession to be president, and he's thrown into this position.

And so that's the whole premise of the show. And they're trying to put things back together. And I think well, he's supposed to do the eulogy for the president that got killed, and. In this clip, he invites the president's son in before this clip to you know tell stories of his dad or whatever because he's trying to put a eulogy together.

Well, he calls calls him back in to apologize to him, and he shares some stuff with him. And you know because obviously this young man he's not a kid. This young man's life is radically changed because you know his dad just got killed. And so, but what happens in this is that he learns something about his father that he didn't know, and there's some revelation in it. And I'll talk about why I chose it afterwards.

So you can play it. Why am I here? Please have a seat. I feel I owe you an apology. Because I agreed to have you brought over to the West Wing earlier today to tell stories about your father for the eulogy that I was supposed to deliver, it was insensitive, and I am sorry.

But I remembered that I actually have a story for you. Oh, I like the time my dad fired you. No, no. This was when your father took almost an hour out of a cabinet meeting to tell us all about your spring recital at Williams last year. No, I think I think you're mistaken.

Martock, Violin Concerto Number Two, I think. Yeah, but my my father wasn't there. He had a cabin. He was in the back of the room. I think I would know.

He had one secret service detail. He was wearing a baseball cap. He didn't want to take the focus off of you. No, that's just. He went on and on about your craft, your diligence, your work ethic, your talent.

He was so proud. It was nice. And at the end, he gave everyone a program. I asked my assistant Wyatt to go to my old office and bring it here for me. He was there.

Tyler, I think he was always there. I'm sorry he couldn't tell you himself. Do you um? You mind if I? I would be my owner.

It's why I asked you here. Um. Thank you, Mr. President. My pleasure.

Yeah, the um. You know what a revelation that he he thought his father was absent. You know, almost understood it because he was president, but yet he finds out his dad was more present than he than he realized. And you know, I find that in in in this topic, Sam. When when I looked at it, I was like, wow, kind of you know, because it's kind of where we're at right now.

And that you know, I thought about you know, there are many stories where you know. Life was changing, wasn't sure, and wasn't sure God was present. But then, looking back, you know the beauty of being able to look back and remember is you be able to see God's hand and His fingerprints and stuff. Which, when you come to a life change in that experience, that revelation after revelation, that you know, when you come to a place where life is changing, as it is in our lives, it seems at the moment. I'm able to understand that God, you're here.

I might not be able to see you. I might not be able to see what's happening. I don't understand what's happening, and there's tons of unknowns. But I know you're there, and you know because you're right. We need Him all the time.

And the older I get, and the more life changes, the more I realize that you know what, God, I'm. When I get up out of bed, I need you because before I make it to the living room, I'm probably going to mess up. You know, it's just that that prevalent. But you know, with the diagnosis last year and all the stuff that's happened, and you know, being clear, and then all of a sudden numbers start fluctuating, and you know, the anxiety of that. Creeps in and and you know and and then you're looking at things and we're looking at things and going okay what's going to happen next?

But in that I've had to realize that you know what God you're in the midst of this, and you you you said you'd never leave us nor forsake us. That's a promise. Though it feels like you're distant sometimes, because that's me, that's not you. But I have to understand it. That's the truth.

The truth is that He will never leave me nor forsake me, no matter what's happening. And hold on to truth rather than feelings, rather than diagnosis, rather than anything. But to hold on to that, knowing that that's what He said, and you. And even Jesus doubled down and said, "I'll be with you even to the end of the age." So that's my story, and I am sticking to it for now. Thank you, Danny.

You know, I think when you are sitting back there and you are thinking about, okay, what life changes have I been through? A bunch. Really, just think about it. When you first had a child, if you've had children, right? Let's back up from there.

You first get married. I mean that changes a whole lots of things, and sometimes you do them in that order, sometimes you don't, right? But having a kid for the first time, and then having your second kid when you think you already know what you are doing with the first kid, right? And then it just gets more complex the more you have. But you know, then they're dependent on you, and all their different stages t here is changes in them, t here is changes in your dynamic, and then one day they're gone.

And they're out on their own, and you see, hear from them, see them once in a while—that kind of thing. It's changing, or a loved one's here one day and gone the next. You know, this last couple weeks, I really been struggling with missing my brother. It died a few years ago. You know, and every time I hit that point, I go, "Okay, God, I know you're trying to do something here, right?" You know, and it's this constant, or the diagnosis you get, or the diagnosis a loved one gets.

All those kinds of things, a job situation that changes, right? All those things is kind of come in, and it's constant. I think sometimes her life is changing so much we don't often see it for what it is. I definitely agree with you, Sam. But one thing I thought of: it's gotta thank the Lord.

It's not people. Yeah. And God is consistent the whole time, Robert. Do you have something you want to say? You looked like you had something you wanted to say, but I will point it over to Harold.

Harold, now you you have anything you want to say add to this, Harold?

Well, I've seen changes, and in thinking about what kind of changes falls into a couple of different categories. One is career, you know, job. The other is medical. I've experienced several of each of those categories, and you often need help. You know, when when a job change that you don't want comes about, you need God's help to deal with it in a proper way.

Otherwise, you're going to start blaming people and having snotty attitudes. Excuse the use of a of term that. There's worse ones, so that wasn't too bad. That'll that'll play on the radio. That'll be fine.

We'll be right there. Yeah, especially in my case, when when we moved to Columbus, Mississippi. I thought I was where I was going to end up, and be there forever. We bought a couple acres of land outside town that was heavily wooded, and I spent untold hours there cutting trees when I really wasn't prepared for that. And God had to be there because I could tell you some things I did that were so stupid, and that people get maimed or killed all the time.

And I never got injured at all. And it was a situation where I was all by myself. And if if I had gotten injured, there wasn't any help. But we, my sweetheart and I, talked about it many times over about that experience, and I felt like that God was with me that whole time. The driveway was 325 feet long up a pretty steep hill.

And I concreted it. We went back a few years ago. By there, and I was just astounded because it had been nearly fifty years, and not a crack. And I just thought, wow. Pretty good for an amateur.

Absolutely. And. We'll we'll be going back in early November. Brad wants to go this time and see where he spent some of his early years.

Well, thank you, Harold. We'll love to learn more about that. While we're going to break, think about the life changes God's had you in and how He's been with you. What we have at our boot camp is something that makes you stronger and gives you the strength to go on your regular walk with God. It's something that will make you be bigger than you were when you got there.

I listened to Morgan Snyder's book, "Driving to Work," last year, and that was a very profound experience.

So this kind of culminated into it. I'd been invited to it several times, and just it never worked out. And God really had it set up that I came last time.

So coming into this one, I knew. This one went deeper, and I really wanted it. It's a break for me to get outside of things I've got going on, and I just needed a break from it, and needed to reconnect. And it's been absolutely that this process. The covenant, silent, silent prayer.

Those are some of my favorite parts. This is real connection with the Lord. Hear him speak. You can get direction, guidance. Anything you're missing is there.

You always learn something new. It's fun experiencing it with other men. It's fun standing for them and what they're going through. We're all different and unique, but we're all go through the same struggles. And when you hear somebody else went through it too, it kind of gives you an encouragement that hey, you can make it through this, and God's got you, and He's going to hold you up through it, and He's going to carry you to the next level.

Register today at masculinejourney.org. See the funny how life changes. You wake up, ain't nothing the same. Man, life changes. You can't stop it.

Just hop on a train, and you never know what's gonna happen. Welcome back to Masking Journey. That was the the song that I was listening to this last weekend. I was working in my garage. We finally had a really nice weekend to where you wanted to be outside.

You know, North Carolina has some beautiful weather, but sometimes it's few and far between when we get to see some of it. And it had been a very hot, humid summer, and so it was a great weekend. And I was out just peddling around in my garage, listening to music, and this song from Thomas Rhett came on, and I knew it, but I hadn't really thought about it in a while. And as he was singing about the life changes and some of the lyrics, how he had a plan, and then it never worked out. Right, but it always worked out better than what he could ever imagine.

Right in the long run, and so part of the thing that I liked about there is as he sings in on the choruses, we make our plans and we hear God laughing, you know, because God knows there's a scripture that says, right, we make our plans, but God determines the steps. Yeah, you stole my thunder. Oh, I'm sorry. You can say it. Proverbs sixteen nine, I believe.

Oh, what is that now, Andy? What a fun! No, what's that verse? Verse sixteen, nine.

Okay. Well, yes, I still do. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Yeah, I paraphrased it a bit there. You did, but yeah, you nailed it.

I knew what you were talking about. That's true, and we do that. And there's nothing wrong about making plans, right? And that's that's part of what we do. But you should always involve God in those plans.

God likes to call audibles. He does. He does, and and a lot of times we need those audibles, right? Yeah. Well, always we need those audibles.

We just don't see it at the time. Right. Right. So, Robby, you actually have the next clip for this this show. Very fun.

Yes.

So, you know, we do these words of the year. Which we've done for years, and you know it's it's it's amazing to me how you begin a year with a word, and then something happens, and you're like, "How does that apply at all?" Like not, and then as it turns out, when you look back at it, it's unbelievable.

So, in year 2021, my word was delight, and so I was looking forward all sorts of delights, and I began to have. Every kind of health situation seemed like I was falling apart at the seams. You know, I got to where I couldn't even brush my teeth. My hands hurt so bad from inflammation, and my blood sugar was out of control, and my blood pressure was out of control, and all these things were awry. And it became glaringly obvious that I needed to lose weight, amongst other things, and.

So I like pray God show me how to do this. I you know I I not really certain. And so this clip that we're gonna play is from one of the Bourne movies. Like do too the Bourne Identity. It's one of the later ones, but nonetheless in this particular movie.

This man has stepped into it. You know he's into deep weeds, and these people are trying to kill him. And you know, Bourne is actually going to help him, but he has no idea how to live in this environment, right? That he has found himself in, and so he now is going to find himself in a situation where Bourne tells him to pick up his phone, and he gives him very direct instructions on every one of his next moves, like. As you'll hear, one of my favorites that he'll say is "tie your shoes." Like you know, he's in a big, busy train station.

Like these guys are chasing after you. Not the time you would think to tie your shoes. Like you know, but God is so playful that when.

Sometimes you pray to ask for his help. If you listen, you know he will tell you things like this. And so, if you listen to this clip, I think you get the picture that these other people—you'll hear another set of voices that like we got to find him, we got to find him. That's the bad guys. They're trying to get a hold of him, and they're looking at him under surveillance.

And you hear Born's voice telling him to go up the stairs, do this and that. And fortunately for him, he listens. What's going on? Why these people after me? Because you found something.

You have no idea what you're into here. These people will kill you if they have to. We have to move. Answer your phone. You got a visual?

Where are these people? Do exactly as I say. Need you move up to your right. First escalator on the right. Tie your shoe.

Tie your shoe right now. Tie your shoe. Wait. Wait. I'm going to walk by you.

I want you to move along the far wall to your left. In four, three, two, one, stand up. That's it. Cannot afford to lose this guy, people. All right, deadline.

You're on. It's good. Stay on that line. Stay on that line. Oh, the man!

I think he's one of them. Garbage man, negative. Oh God, he's got a gun. Stay on the line. You're on.

He's got a gun. Do not deviate.

Okay, there he is. Not the time to panic, right? When the guy has the gun, this is the time to follow, follow the directions. And so, I still, if I didn't live that year, I wouldn't. Really, hardly fathom it, but you know, I certainly prayed.

God help me with this. I don't know what to do. And that year, the NRB comes every February, as a lot of you know, which is a religious broadcasters convention. I do many, many, many interviews over the weekend. That weekend.

I interviewed three different nutritionists. I don't set up these interviews; they just come, you know, people, you know, organize them for me, and I'm just and I'm like, I've never interviewed a biblical nutritionist in my life. And that year, that God knew I obviously needed to lose weight, I interviewed three of them, and one of them had the seven foods of the Promised Land diet. That was one of her foods, right? And oh man.

Like I, I got that out of Deuteronomy nine. You know that the seven foods were wheat and barley.

Next thing I know, I was just delighting in my diet. I changed my diet completely to these foods of the Promised Land, based on that. And not only was I losing weight, but I was delighting in it. And then I also took up the habit of of walking every single day and. I found that to be just absolutely amazing and and delightful.

And the little story I want to tell you may have heard me tell it before, but it just reminds me of tie your shoes because God is talking to you like the wild goose. The Holy Spirit is giving you like you. This is a direction we're going. And listen, listen, listen, listen.

So, tie your shoes. Tie your shoes.

So I was. In my walks, I I started to be fascinated by little flowers that I would see, and one of the more fascinating ones for me was this thing called an elephant's foot flower, because it had these little leaves that were on the ground that looked like an elephant's foot, and then they threw up a. A stem with this just little bitty flower on it. I just thought it was so neat looking, and every place that I would walk in Bethabara, I'd see these little flowers, and they always just delighted me. And I was just like, God, that is so cool.

So one day I went walking in Davie County, and as I'm in that area, I was looking at the topography, and it was a lot like Bethabara, and so I was like, God. Man, I want to see an elephant's foot plant. You know, show me an elephant's foot foot plant.

So you know, I'm walking, and I walk for like an hour, and I see no elephant's feet. I'm totally bummed, right? I'm heading across the parking lot. All of a sudden, follow that butterfly. It's like tie your shoe.

It was follow that butterfly. Like what? Follow the butterfly. All right, I'll follow the butterfly.

So the butterfly, you know, I'm the butterfly circus. It's floating along. It's floating along, and I'm trying to follow this butterfly, and it goes across the field, across this cute little bridge, right? You had to see this. I'm like, I cross the bridge.

When I get across the bridge, the butterfly lands on one of about ten thousand. Of these elephant feet plant that are all over this this particular meadow. I mean, it was solid elephant foot plant flowers. It was followed the butterfly, and if I hadn't followed the butterfly, like I I would have missed on one of the most glorious delights of that year for me, and it just a complete. Robby, I'm.

I'm with you every second, every every bit of this way, and clearly, you know, within six or seven months of eating the right foods, doing the right things, you know, I don't have the inflammation in my, I can brush my teeth. I don't have the pain in my, in my fingers. My blood sugar got under control. My blood pressure got. I'm out on a third of the medicine I was on back then.

But and again, that was it was a delightful experience because, you know, God gave me the ability to listen. Good. I'm grateful you feel better. I'm really grateful you can brush your teeth. I'm thankful for that as well.

Anyway, no.

So, guys, we've got a few more minutes before this this particular show's over, and then we'll go in the after hours. After that, any other thoughts that you have on this topic? Yes, like to find tennis shoes with a cross on them.

Okay, and I'll tie them.

Well, makes sense. Tie your shoe. Yeah, that's right. I say this often on the air, but my life changed completely when I realized I need to invite God into pretty much everything. You know, and my kids are the ones that got me doing that, mainly because they were growing up and I didn't know how to be a parent to different age kids.

You know, when your first kid hits a teenager, you're like, I have no clue what I'm doing.

Well, with different personalities and you know spirits too. I mean, that's I was you were saying that earlier about the second kid that comes along or whatever. But you can't use what you learned on the first one on the second one. No, it's not cookie cutter, right? It doesn't it doesn't work that way.

And you know, I've never had a child in this situation. I've never had one in this situation, and then that just becomes God. I've never had this. Or I have had it, and I've blown it before in the past. You know what can I do there?

And I'd love to sit here and tell you that I've always listened. But I am listening more than I ever have, and I am getting better at it. You know, I haven't heard "Follow the Butterfly," but I will be listening for that because that would be something. I am not making fun of you, Robby. That would be something I would just kind of tentative to let go.

You know, but that's probably what the problem is. I am letting too many of those things go that I need to just say, "Okay, God, I trust you," even though this doesn't seem to make sense.

So. Andy, I'm just thinking back about Danny's clip and that that whole thing. You guys talked about God being there. We never, you don't see His Father, the President, was there. But it was also that He got great joy out of seeing that, even though the son didn't recognize and understand His presence was there.

He comes back and gives a report. To keep her settled, I don't know, but he gives a report about all that was going on and how proud he was of his son. And I think that's a lot of times, whether we realize it or not, I believe God is there a lot of times, sitting back and looking at our lives because a lot of times we bring a lot of shame on ourselves about how we fail. But God actually is looking on in favor and says He's choosing my way. He may not be doing it perfect, but He's choosing my way, and I am proud of that boy.

Yeah, like Satan, you know. Consider my servant Andy, right? He's an upright little dude. He trances all over the mountains looking for me.

So, God was saying that, or Satan was saying that? No, that's what I was looking to say.

Okay, I got you. God was saying it. We'll ponder that. We'll talk to you next week.