This is the Truth Network. Coming to you from an entrenched barricade deep in the heart of Central North Carolina, Masculine Journey After Hours. A time to go deeper and be more transparent on the topic covered on this week's broadcast. So sit back and join us on this adventure. The Masculine Journey After Hours starts here now.
Welcome to Masculine Journey After Hours and we're here in the barricade with our Christmas lights on and the tree up, but you can't see them because it's an undisclosed location, right? Integrity. Integrity and Jim's random word for the year. We're talking about, we started the first show kind of revisiting the word of the year for this year because some of us weren't here last year because they like to cruise around the world. And I did learn, I can't remember the last time I was first on the first show.
Yeah. I figured out how. You'd just be the last one to... Drag it out to the next week. Drag it out to the next week. And you're lucky Andy didn't show up because y'all two were the ones.
Well, that would have definitely relegated me to this show. So he's probably just going to do his like next year again or something. His presence will be present for presently longer, I guess. So we have been diving into the topic of surviving Christmas, which was a topic that Mr. Dillmore threw out to us, Robby, and now he's not here.
And so we had to pick up the ball and run and we've had a few technical difficulties. Needless to say, it has been an exciting adventure so far, but we're going to pick up with Harold. And Harold, you've got a clip for us and you want to set that up? Well, this is from the movie Die Hard, which I haven't seen in quite a while, but I remember a lot of it. There are a lot of scenes in there that would be kind of hard to forget even if you wanted to. But if you haven't seen it, it's a scene where this policeman is trying to save his, I guess it's an ex-wife, isn't it?
I think so. I think it's his ex-wife. Anyway, there's a bunch of terrorists that have taken over this huge building and they've got a lot of hostages threatening to kill them. One and a bunch of money, and they end up with him fighting against them, sort of one against many.
If you haven't seen it, you might want to play it and I'll tell you why I'm talking about it. All right. It's Christmas Eve in L.A. California. Is Daddy coming home soon? Well, we'll see what Santa and Mommy can do, okay? A New York cop, John McGlane, has come to see his wife.
I missed you. Instead, he's going to have to save her. Sit down. Within this skyscraper high above the city, 12 terrorists have declared war. They're about to be told a lesson in the real use of power.
There is brilliant Because I am interested in the $640 million in your vault. as they are ruthless. But I'm telling you, you're just gonna have to kill me.
Okay. We do it the hard way. Now, the last thing McGlane wants Think, David, think.
is to be a hero. Where's Holly? That sucker!
Where? But he doesn't have a choice. What does he think he's doing? Job.
They have already killed one hostage. This channel is reserved for emergency calls only. Lady, do I sound like I'm wearing a pizza? He's inside? Who is he? Who the hell is that? Who are you, then? You are Floss, Robertson, for a security guard.
Sorry, wrong guess, huh? Would you like to go for double jeopardy? Do you really think you have a chance against our simplistic cowboy? Get the guy out of here, motherfucker.
But you just destroyed ability. And I am in charge of this situation. I got some bad news for you. Come up here that look like you're in charge of Jack.
He is alone, he's tired, and he hasn't seen dipping squat from anybody down here. Yeah, to me, the thing that's going on there is they underestimated the fighting power of a man struggling for the woman he loves. Now, they may be divorced, but it's obvious that he's still in love with her, and he's going to do anything and everything to see that she is okay. And the reason that I love it is because I'm a little bitty guy, but you threaten my sweetheart, and I start turning green and getting huge, if that means anything to some of you cartoon people. I'm a long way from being a hulk, but if you threatened my wife, I would be like McLean.
I would do anything and everything that I could possibly find to do you in and not feel bad at all about it. No, they were fighting just because of donuts. You know, Harold, we talk about it a lot. We use movie clips and stuff like that at boot camp and obviously on the show to make the point. And as you were talking about that clip and as you elaborated on it, that is the gospel story because Jesus did anything to save the woman he loved, the bride of Christ, the church.
And the enemies thought they had him down because they put him in the grave, but oh no, oh no. So when you look at life from that perspective, that was awesome, because yeah, I'm like you. You mess with a little woman, you probably see a side of this jolly old guy that you don't want to see.
I don't get mad very often, but every once in a while. Well, you were talking about surviving Christmas, and I got to thinking, well, to me the best Christmas that I ever had was the one when I asked her, and she said yes. Best Christmas present I ever got. Truly is a gift that keeps on giving, isn't it Harold? Yeah, 60 plus years.
Wow, that's pretty awesome. And when we talk about surviving Christmas, there's such a negative connotation in it, but there is that joy that comes with this season, of seeing folks you hadn't probably seen, maybe not seen all year. It may have been a year, it may have been several years. There are some family members that you could go several years and probably not see them and be okay. We've all got them. And that's kind of the thing. And one of the things that I thought about as I inherited this topic this week, that schedules are crazy sometimes. You've got to be at a Christmas party tonight and something else tomorrow, cousins, sisters, aunts, uncles, brothers having a Christmas party.
You've got to be there tomorrow night and all this kind of stuff. So schedules are one of the things. So this next clip I'm going to play is from A Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey, and he's talking about his schedule.
So I thought about surviving the schedules of Christmas. We can play that clip. One of the reasons I chose that clip was because my son, who's 28, 29, maybe, whatever, Cody, I'll figure it out sooner or later, but he loved this movie growing up. He still loves this movie. As a matter of fact, he memorized this movie.
And he could quote the Grinch and sound just like him. So we were always cheering about the Grinch. And one of the joys of Christmas is being around family. And I get the opportunity to see my son quite often now that we're living back around the Ashboro. But being around family. And being around the schedules of it. One of the contentions in our marriage for a very long time, probably still lingers some now, is navigating the holiday schedules. Because so-and-so is having this and so-and-so is having that. And are we going to go this family or that family and that kind of thing. And that's tough to navigate.
Because you want to see everybody, but there's not enough hours in the day sometimes for the schedules we lay out. And the Grinch was having dinner with himself and he couldn't skip it again. And so that's kind of the thing. But that and a shout-out to my son were with that. And we've laughed about that.
And I also want to do that. We tape this show on Tuesday night, but on Saturday when the radio show goes, the 21st will be mine and Michelle's 22nd anniversary. So we ain't quite to 60, Harold. But you know what, we're a third of the way there, a little over a third of the way there. But it's being around guys like y'all that inspire us to know that there is hope. Because if you encounter Harold and Jan or Susie, they're the same people, by the way.
He doesn't have two wives, so we just want to clarify that. You know they're in love 60 years later. And that's just so cool to see Jim and Carolyn. Because those are the inspirations of things like that. Because those of us who ain't as far down along the journey know that there is hope on that side of things.
And y'all survived all the schedules. I mean, Harold, you were probably at the first Christmas, I'm not sure. One of the wise men maybe, I don't know. He was a wise boy then.
I've always been called a wise guy. One of the things you said kind of had me thinking, fighting for your wife, Harold. Fifty-two years ago, Carolyn was not my wife. But we had decided we were getting married. And this is when we, about very close to the time when we were going to tell our parents. And you talked about fighting for the one you love. Well, I was 18.
I didn't know any better. So I did fight for her with my parents. And I could still hear my mother's laughter when I said, you know, we're getting married this summer. And I didn't really give them much chance to argue with that.
Carol and I, but my parents did ultimately come up with a plan. And they decided to send me to Europe if I'd wait for three more years. And it was tempting.
But just the fact that everyone said, you know, this will never work. Except her parents didn't. But you could tell they weren't real thrilled that I was stealing their daughter. And we were both barely 18 at this point. And it really was probably the hardest I've ever fought for my wife was before she was my wife.
And that was a sad thing to recognize since then. Of course, she does a pretty good job fighting for herself. So there haven't been any folks that were going after her that I saw was a big issue. Occasionally she did. But you really inspired me there, Harold, to be ready to fight for her, what little fight I got left.
Yeah, Michelle can hold her on too. And she's a pretty good shot as well, I learned. When we first got married, I think she said, I don't get real crazy about guns in the house. Well, you can tell by my accent, I believe in guns in the house. But what I didn't realize was when my son came up about 12 or 13, I was going to teach him to shoot. And I still have the.22 rifle that my dad gave me for Christmas on my 13th birthday or 12th, somewhere like that. So me and him were out back shooting.
I was teaching him how to handle a firearm properly, safely, and learn how to shoot. And Michelle comes around the house and goes, it's my turn. Now, I'm perplexed at this point because somebody who didn't want to be around, well, she outshot both of us. I'm going, OK, this puts a whole new perspective on the way I speak to her.
Because she can get me from long range, you know what I mean? But that's cool, the stories that we tell. Maybe dance. Anybody else got, Mike, anything you want to say? Just one thing. It's not along the lines of having a spouse or whatever. But the main topic was getting through the season, getting through the holiday season. For me, the Christmas season, the holiday season period, is my favorite time of year.
And it's not the family side of it. It is the side of, typically you see the best in humanity during the holiday season. You see what humanity is capable of if they would focus on it for the rest of the ten months of the rest of the year. So for me, that's my favorite part about Christmas, is seeing what humanity is capable of. And that helps me not completely give up on society.
Yeah, if you spend much time watching the news, you'll be like, really? But you're right. You do see a side of people that should be all year long.
Because Christmas is every day. I remember that. It really is. And whether it's them just acting it for the season, for the sake of the season order, just the fact that they're capable of that, okay, is what we should all attain to.
You good? Okay. One of the things you said earlier is, in this season, it can be very depressing. And for me, there's been a reasonable amount of loss. My father died on the 3rd of December in the same month that my daughter was married on the 27th.
I hope I got that right. But that would depress me if I didn't know where my father was and if God had not dealt with me in that loss. So, you're going to probably hear your pastor say something about the high suicide rates this time of year. This is not the worst time of year.
If memory serves, it's like March and April. And in the spring, when you think people would start... Tax time. That's a good point.
I hadn't made that connection. But, yeah, that is the higher incidence of suicides. But it is a time where a lot of people are sliding. And, you know, if you see that, cheer them up. Do what Mike said most people are doing, which is true.
You do see a lot of folks happier that don't have to go out shopping. Mike, you reminded me of something. Back in 1994, I had just come out of a treatment center, and I had a lot going on. And I had custody of my daughter, who was six. And some things happened, and her mom kept her longer than she was supposed to.
And back up a few years, her mom had taken her to New York for four and a half years, and I didn't see her. So here I am trying to put my life together, and then all of a sudden it feels like this again. And what happened that Christmas was there was lots of things going on in the recovery scene where I was at. But there were people who come along beside me that I didn't really know. But they loved on me and kept me busy and kept assuring me, God's got this. God's got this.
And sure enough, he did. And I won't ever forget that because I could have very easily sunk into, I mean, I had just come out of a very dark place in November. I mean, very, very dark place. And I was just beginning to see the light, Harold.
I thought maybe I was hoping it wasn't a train coming, but I could see light at the end of the tunnel. And that's just the way that life went. But God puts people in your life, and we were talking about it earlier, God puts people in your life for seasons, not just a Christmas season. And if you're a guy like me who's blessed with all you clowns, you know, I mean, y'all know I love you. There must be clowns. You know, y'all know I love you, and that you're surrounded by people, and there's just, I've taken the stock the last few months of the people who've been in my life and there are in my life, and it is incredible. I figure I probably do not have just one guardian angel, Harold.
I probably have a crew because there's several in the rest home with their nerves shot, you know, because they're keeping up with this guy. But, you know, that's the reality, and that's the Christmas spirit. And I think I'll play one more clip from the movie Christmas Story and probably lighten this up a little bit, but if we can play the Christmas Story clip.
Ah, there it is. The holy grail of Christmas gifts, the Red Rider 200 shot range model air rifle. Ralphie, what would you like for Christmas?
Horrified, I hurt myself, blurted out. I want an official Red Rider carbon action 200 shot range model air rifle. What I want for Christmas is a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.
Wow, that's great. A Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. No, you shoot your eye out. Oh, no, it was the classic mother BB gun block. You'll shoot your eye out. Oh, no. You'll shoot your eye out? My mother must have gotten a Miss Shields.
There could be no other explanation. You'll shoot your eye out. You'll shoot your eye out. No, no, I want an official Red Rider carbon action 200 shot range model air rifle. You'll shoot your eye out, kid. Merry Christmas. Ho, ho, ho.
You know, we've all had our hearts set on something somewhere along the way that we just had to have. A cannon. A cannon.
Did you get it? You had a cannon. Now I'm concerned.
The better question would be do you still have it? I need some more gasoline. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. I remember wanting that Red Rider. That Red Rider BB gun.
Oh, yeah. Boy, you wake up and there it is and it's like wow. You know, we were having a discussion at the house the other day about our greatest Christmas memory or whatever I think. And my dad shocked me to no end one time because I go into Christmas.
I really didn't know what I was getting, I guess. I don't remember anything because my parents were really good to us. And I go in and underneath the Christmas tree is a motorcycle helmet. And it's the same color as my dad's motorcycle. He had a Honda or Yamaha 500, one or the other. And it was gold flake orange. And I thought it was just the coolest thing since sliced bread because he would ride me on that thing.
But I had a helmet that matched the motorcycle. I thought that was a cool gift. And dad said, well, you may want to go out on the porch. I don't want to go out on the porch. It's cold. It's Christmas.
I'm in my pajamas, you know. So I stuck my head out the side door, out on the porch, and there was a minibike painted just like the helmet. That looked just like my dad's motorcycle. And, man, you talk about having some fun. Then I wanted to go get dressed and go get out in the cold because we were going to ride, man.
We were going to ride. But, you know, stuff like that, you know, the Red Rider BB gun, the motorcycles, the minibikes, all that kind of stuff, that's just cool. But one of the reasons I like that is that when I think and I was talking about, you know, the people around us is the gifts that God give you in those people.
Because I believe he puts the right people at the right time with the right gifts. You know, and I was thinking about you guys, and you all elaborate on this in the time we got, is the gift in that that's really, you know, I call you clowns and carry on. And we do carry on tons of shenanigans.
But the idea behind this crowd that he's put together around here is just amazing. You know, we pick on Harold being, you know, older than dirt and that kind of thing. But the sagely wisdom that can't be denied is what's in there. And we give Jim a hard time about those words that none of us know how to pronounce, and we all had to buy dictionaries to hang out with him. But the wisdom in that and the challenge to a guy like me of learning, expanding my vocabulary a little bit and learning something.
And if you get around Jim, you know, I mean, he is a big guy, but one of the biggest loving guys you'll ever meet. I learned a new word today. You did? Yeah, insuperable.
Do I need to Google? Insuperable means you can't stand them. Well, it's impossible to do. It's very insurmountable is the word I've used in that. Oh, now we're getting back in my neighborhood. Thank you.
But insuperable means pretty much the same thing as insurmountable, something that can't be overcome. And you take – And I have no idea why other than the fact that I saw that as a cinnamon – cinnamon? A cinnamon roll. A cinnamon roll. A cinnamon roll. Something else. You take a guy like Grant who's pretty handy.
I mean, Grant – Grant fixed about anything. Because their moms love the cookies. Cookies, yeah. You can bring cookies next week if you want to. Or cinnamon rolls. He can fix cookies.
You implied it would be broken, but that's even better. Okay, Mom, hear that? But when you look at the gift in the round, you know, Robby and the Hebrew and Sam, you know, and the way he, you know, navigates all this stuff. And, you know, Terry and Michael and – but, you know, that's really cool.
It's really cool how God has blessed us. The – we do – we've talked about a boot camp a couple times coming up in – I think it's March – into March. And you can check that out on the web. You can register there.
We hadn't hammered down all the details just yet. You can – you can hear us on any place where you get podcasts. And love on you, family, and Christmas this year. And we'll see you next week. This is the Truth Network.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-12-21 14:07:52 / 2024-12-21 14:17:27 / 10