WEBVTT - George Birge: Trusting God When Nothing Works 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:01.520 Hey, y'all, I'm George Burge. 0:00:01.600 --> 0:00:04.720 You know, I would see people around me move to 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.000 town and have a hit song, songs placed on TV shows, 0:00:08.039 --> 0:00:11.039 or big tour offers, or you know, opportunity to write 0:00:11.080 --> 0:00:13.000 with the biggest writers in town, and I would start 0:00:13.039 --> 0:00:15.240 to question, like, what do I not have that they have. 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:18.560 God provides you with blessings when he feels like you're 0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:20.960 ready to handle them. I think that God was making 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:23.599 sure that I was really sound. I can genuinely say 0:00:23.640 --> 0:00:25.479 like without a foundation of faith, like I wouldn't be 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:25.960 here today. 0:00:26.040 --> 0:00:27.080 And this is the upload. 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:33.920 Well, y'all, I'm excited for this conversation. He's a husband, 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:36.720 he's a father, he is an amazing country artist, and 0:00:36.760 --> 0:00:39.920 I'm just excited to learn more about just a little 0:00:39.920 --> 0:00:41.680 bit of our friend, George Burge. 0:00:41.720 --> 0:00:43.800 Welcome to the upload, Brook, Thank you so much for 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:45.080 having me in. I'm glad to be here. 0:00:45.200 --> 0:00:46.680 I love your voice because I feel like you can 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:48.800 hear him smile like those who are not watching the 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:51.000 video when you when you speak, I feel like I 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:52.600 can just hear joy in your voice. 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:53.479 Life is pretty good. 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:56.000 I don't have a lot to frown about these days, 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:58.120 so I am genuinely happy to be here. 0:00:58.200 --> 0:00:58.640 I love that. 0:00:58.720 --> 0:01:01.240 Well, we always start the converse just kind of learning 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:04.280 about what your faith is like and what faith means 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:05.640 to you as a human being. 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:08.120 I think it's foundation for me. 0:01:09.040 --> 0:01:12.560 We, especially in the music industry, live in a world 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:16.000 where you're judged every day, and there are times of 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.800 like insane prosperity, and then there's times where it's just 0:01:18.840 --> 0:01:21.480 like scarce and you know the people that you thought, 0:01:21.520 --> 0:01:24.120 where friends are fleeting, and you know there's you know, 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:26.560 dry periods where maybe your music's not working or even 0:01:26.600 --> 0:01:28.400 on the come up, you know, it's like you're you're 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:30.560 out there just kind of trying to make something out 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:33.880 of nothing, and without that foundation of like trust that 0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:35.919 God's got you and that you're on the right path 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:39.520 and that you know his timing is perfect, a lot 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:41.840 of times you can start questioning or trying to force things, 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:45.119 and I can genuinely say, like, without a foundation of faith, 0:01:45.120 --> 0:01:46.640 like I wouldn't be here today totally. 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:49.320 And I know that your your story. We're going to 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:51.560 dive more deep into it. But even starting in a 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:54.280 duo and then kind of going along doing your own thing, 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:56.720 that's got to be a big like faith roller coaster 0:01:56.800 --> 0:01:58.720 for you, trying to figure out what you're going to do. 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:02.800 Yeah, So I moved to town in a country duo 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:06.840 called Waterloo Revival. And I had never thought that I 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.400 would play music for a living. I always just did 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:10.160 it out of passion. 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:10.800 I loved it. 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:13.440 And so we had a little band and we were 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:16.200 playing on Sixth Street down in Austin, and I had 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:20.280 a job, and you know, intention of, I bought a house. 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:22.320 My wife and I you know, were building a life together. 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:23.799 And all of a sudden, I got an offer for 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.519 my first record deal to move to Nashville. And so 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.000 that was even that having faith of like maybe this 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:30.560 is what I've called to do, Like I've always wanted 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.840 to play music for a living. I've got my job 0:02:32.880 --> 0:02:34.880 that I was supposed to get, but I'm not that happy. 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:36.840 Like God, I'm gonna trust you. I'm gonna quit my 0:02:36.880 --> 0:02:38.440 job and move to Nashville, and I'm gonna take a 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:39.240 shot on this record deal. 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:39.880 And so that's what we did. 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:42.480 We packed up a U haul, I quit my job, 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:45.160 my wife quit her job, and we moved up to 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:48.640 Nashville and we chased it for a couple of years 0:02:48.720 --> 0:02:51.640 as a couple of probably six years as a duo 0:02:51.720 --> 0:02:54.200 and it just didn't happen. We were putting out songs 0:02:54.240 --> 0:02:55.600 and they would get a little bit of heat and 0:02:55.600 --> 0:02:58.000 then they would kind of, you know, fall off, and 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.440 nothing would happen. We'd go tour and there'd be twenty 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.720 thirty people there. It shows, and you know, I was 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:06.400 grinding and out trying to write songs that would connect 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:07.920 with people. I was trying to figure out, you know, 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.440 why other people around me were having success and I wasn't. 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:14.520 And it was definitely like, you know, a time where 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.600 I kind of question everything, like did I throw away 0:03:18.400 --> 0:03:21.040 a life and a career that I should have been 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:22.640 having to go chase his dream? Did I make the 0:03:22.680 --> 0:03:26.760 wrong decision? You know, I made my wife quit her 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:28.640 job and moved to Nashville. You know, what are we 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:32.600 doing out here? And it was one of those things 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:37.200 that had I not had a her support and be 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.000 just like the trust in like God's timing is perfect, 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:42.360 I probably would have quit. And I did try to 0:03:42.440 --> 0:03:45.600 quit a couple of times, but it ended up working 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:46.600 out like it was supposed to. 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:50.240 Take us through some of those moments of questioning, because 0:03:50.280 --> 0:03:52.720 I feel like we all question day to day, there's 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:54.560 always you know, things that are happening in our lives 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:57.280 where were like, why this doesn't make sense? Yeah, in 0:03:57.320 --> 0:03:59.360 those moments of questioning, what were you feeling? 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:05.840 You know, I think it's really hard to take your 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:08.280 ego out of stuff. And so, you know, I would 0:04:08.320 --> 0:04:12.080 see people around me move to town and have a 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:16.480 hit song, you know, six months later, I would see 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:21.080 people getting looks, you know, either songs placed on TV 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:24.320 shows or big tour offers, or you know, opportunity to 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:26.240 write with the biggest writers in town. And I would 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.800 start to question, like what do I not have that 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:30.920 they have? Or what do I not have that they have? 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:33.880 You know, why am I not getting blessed with these things? 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.160 I'm trying to, you know, pray and live the right 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:38.880 life and and do good, and you know, I just 0:04:39.000 --> 0:04:42.200 it wasn't coming to me. And and so then I 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:44.040 started questioning if that was even what I was supposed 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:47.120 to be doing, making music. And it's one of those 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:53.320 things that, uh, I think that God provides you with 0:04:53.440 --> 0:04:55.560 blessings when he feels like you're ready to handle them. 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:57.880 And now that I'm on the other side of it, 0:04:57.960 --> 0:04:59.840 I think that God was making sure that I was 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:04.480 sound in my marriage, with a relationship with my kids, 0:05:04.480 --> 0:05:07.240 as a father, making sure that I knew how to 0:05:07.279 --> 0:05:10.160 handle like the temptation out on the road, the temptation 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:12.880 of having money and clout and the opportunity to do 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:14.560 whatever you want, but making sure you're on. 0:05:14.520 --> 0:05:15.080 The right path. 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:18.200 And I do feel pretty strongly that had he blessed 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:19.960 me with all those things, like right when I moved 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.200 to town, I did not have the tools in place 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:26.000 to be able to handle that. And so like as 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:30.080 I've started to have success now and grow now, his 0:05:30.160 --> 0:05:32.160 plan and his vision has become a lot more clear 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:34.159 to me, and it's given me even more peace for 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:36.800 like what the future is going to hold, because his 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:40.039 plan has been so perfect so far that I don't 0:05:40.080 --> 0:05:43.800 have to question it. And it's it's nice to kind 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:46.159 of have found peace in that. And it was a 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:47.960 really rocky road to get there. But I think that 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:52.160 you know a lot of times, the trials, the struggles, 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:57.080 you know, the twelve hour drives overnight, the you know, 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.520 ratty hotel rooms that you get bed bugs in, the 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:04.080 nobody's showing up to your shows, the sparse times or 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:06.160 there's no money coming in all of that is just 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:10.600 strengthening you, toughening you for when he does provide. And 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:12.839 that's kind of how I've felt in this last year. 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.839 Yeah, I love what you said about you know, I 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:18.880 try to quit multiple times. Yeah, And you've got to 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:20.680 tell it's hard to take the ego out of it. 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:23.720 And in that look back, and it's like he was 0:06:23.760 --> 0:06:27.919 preparing me, and I wonder if that is the plan 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:31.760 for us to when we're following Jesus and we're also 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:36.960 immersed in temptation, fame, all of these things, but also 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:42.320 the purification of the agenda my why Almost It's like 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:45.360 I wonder if the giving up, It's like that's what 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.279 he was trying to do all along, is getting you 0:06:47.400 --> 0:06:50.479 to give up so that he could step in and 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:52.880 kind of make it happen for you for the credit 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:56.039 being his, not the credit being mine. Is that Do 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:58.560 you feel like there's another way other than that? Do 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:00.840 you feel like that? Because I just hear a lot 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:04.120 of stories that that's the way. That's not like it 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.440 looks different, feels different every time, but like every time, 0:07:06.520 --> 0:07:08.360 that's the way he was just trying to get me 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:08.920 to give up. 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:12.160 It's super interesting to hear you say, and I guess 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:14.560 i'd maybe never put it in that lens. But even 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.280 when I think about my timeline, so you know, I 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.600 had moved to town, I'd gotten my record deal, and 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:21.840 when you get your record deal, you know everything. 0:07:21.600 --> 0:07:23.760 You've seen on TV in the movies, you think, Okay, well. 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:24.960 Now I've made it right, Like now I'm going to 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:27.600 be a millionaire. Now it's like they're gonna be huge. 0:07:27.720 --> 0:07:30.280 And it just wasn't right. That was step one, and 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:33.000 then it kind of fizzled out after that. And so 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:35.960 when I asked out of my deal and when I 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:37.200 thought I was done. 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:39.360 I basically had given up. 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.000 I decided I was going to be a songwriter, and 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:42.480 then I was done with touring and done with the 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:45.800 artist thing. And I talked to my duo partner in 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:47.120 the band and just kind of been like, hey, I 0:07:47.320 --> 0:07:49.880 think I'm done touring. We've given this a fair shot. 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:52.440 It's not working. I'm going to write songs for a 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:56.040 little bit. And it wouldn't six months after that that 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:58.000 I had just kind of let it all go that 0:07:58.080 --> 0:08:00.680 my solo career started working out. I started really focusing 0:08:00.720 --> 0:08:04.480 on songs. I started unapologetically being myself instead of trying 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:06.680 to chase the other people that I saw making it. 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:09.000 Maybe if I sounded more like him, I would make it, 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:11.320 or maybe if I acted more like this person, I 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:12.960 would make it. And all of that kind of went 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.840 away because I had let go, and then I just 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:17.360 dug into myself and I was like, what kind of 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:17.960 songs do I. 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:18.360 Want to write? 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.400 You know, how do I you know, look in the 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:22.680 mirror and write stuff that I'm proud of that means something. 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:25.320 And it was when I started doing that that people 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:27.440 started connecting with my music when I wasn't even trying. 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.120 And that's it. 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:32.440 But I think, like I hear, it's like God doesn't 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:35.120 want you to give up. He just wants I feel 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:37.080 it in my own story, but like God wants you 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:40.559 to give up pretending yes because that's what you're like. Man. 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:43.040 I was trying to like, okay, what works and trying 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.440 to put that imprint on top of who I really was. 0:08:45.480 --> 0:08:48.040 But as soon as I didn't care anymore in the 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:51.280 right way, yes, you know, not in there, I'm going 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:53.400 to show them and screw there like I will show 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:55.679 you know, not not caring in that way, but like 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:58.720 letting go and being like I'm just going to be 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:03.480 me because I've kind of like tried it, it didn't work. 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:07.760 Now I'm free, and so there's the consistency and this 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:10.960 halfway point of like giving up pretending but still being 0:09:11.040 --> 0:09:14.679 faithful to the mission and not conflating those two things. 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:18.679 That's a really beautiful thing, bro to actually. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:21.760 Fancy a mission without pretending. That's exactly right, And that's 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:25.480 that's it's such a hard thing to do because it's 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:29.559 so easy, especially like I said, when when there's ego 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:33.160 involved and when you've got your own intentions involved, it's 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:35.360 so easy to try to force the agenda. It's so 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:38.400 easy to try to say, well, I can see everything, 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:40.280 I can see your plan working for these people, so 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:43.280 I'm just going to do exactly that. When you know 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:46.400 it's it's unique to everybody, and your own challenges and 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:47.360 your own journey are all. 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:49.480 Preparing you for you know, the reward at the end. 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:50.480 Yeah, so good. 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:52.360 And this is so fun because over the weekend I 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:54.920 actually just learned about something called the Iceberg method, and 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:57.240 like everything you're saying is really just kind of like 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:01.280 speaking to that. So it's basically like you see everything 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:03.920 that's happening in public, but you neglect everything that happens 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:08.079 in private and basically in an iceberg, if you're like 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:10.040 visually looking at something, there's like ten percent of an 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:12.840 iceberg above water, right, and then ninety percent is below 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:16.680 the water. So it's you know, you neglect all of 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:19.240 the things that are happening below the water, and everybody 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:21.520 sees this perfect life you're trying to live on Instagram 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:23.720 or like in the world or in your career. Everybody 0:10:23.720 --> 0:10:25.760 thinks you're doing great. But below the water, you're like, 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:30.320 this is hard, this is heavy, and basically like saying like, 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:34.959 don't cut corners, be authentically you. You were talking earlier 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:38.160 about laying a firm foundation, and I think laying that foundation, 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:40.679 God was almost protecting you in all of this, saying 0:10:41.200 --> 0:10:43.480 you think this is where you're supposed to be, you know, 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:47.280 living Waterloo Revival or living you know, this Nashville life. 0:10:47.320 --> 0:10:49.440 But like, I need you to focus on what's below 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:51.840 the water first. So you built the firm foundation. You 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:54.280 worked on your marriage, you had time with your kids 0:10:54.320 --> 0:10:56.360 when they were little, you know what I mean, and 0:10:56.440 --> 0:10:59.160 really building that foundation so that way you're a strong 0:11:00.160 --> 0:11:03.760 it that way, everything above water matches everything below water, 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:04.880 and I. 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:08.800 Really think that when I turned the lens inward was 0:11:08.840 --> 0:11:13.079 when I figured out how to operate on a bigger scale. 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:16.840 You know, once I got that foundation really solidified, that 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:19.800 freed me up to to fearlessly go chase my dream 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:21.920 And because I knew that my wife and I were 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:23.959 rock solid, and I knew that my kids knew who 0:11:23.960 --> 0:11:25.520 their dad was and that we were going to talk 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:27.760 on the phone every night, and that you know, they 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:30.000 wouldn't ever not feel like they had. 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:31.080 A support system from me. 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:34.920 And it's crazy how much that frees you up. And 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:37.640 you know, when we started music, it was crazy for 0:11:37.720 --> 0:11:39.640 me and it was crazy for Kara. And we obviously 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:41.760 had our struggles of like learning how to tour and 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:45.480 learning how to communicate and learning how to chase dreams 0:11:45.520 --> 0:11:49.440 without you know, sacrificing our whole life. And I think 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:52.680 that we were able to make it through that struggle 0:11:52.720 --> 0:11:55.640 and create this super strong foundation where we really trust 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:57.480 each other and we really know how to communicate with 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:00.920 each other, and even just like praying together and like 0:12:00.960 --> 0:12:04.880 being intentional and like unapologetically saying our dreams out loud 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:07.920 has like made us so much closer. And then I 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:11.120 think that even without saying it. We both operate like 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:15.599 chasing that because we've said it out loud together and 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:19.160 that we know that there's a higher power watching over us. 0:12:19.200 --> 0:12:21.719 So all of that foundation helps me go out on 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:23.840 the road and be like, hey, whatever this turns into, 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:25.400 if I have ten more number ones, if I don't 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:28.600 ever have another number one, I have the most important 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.360 thing in the world to me at home, and that 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:33.400 lets me go out there and chase it fearlessly. 0:12:33.480 --> 0:12:36.200 Yeah, let's talk more about that. Ways. 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:39.040 Now, the success is loud, right, the success is happening. 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:42.360 Everything's been thrown at you. Life is awesome. How do 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:44.080 you protect your faith in these moments? 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:44.320 Now? 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:49.280 You know, I have been so well insulated by the 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:54.079 touring team that I've built. We have a super tight 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:59.160 knit family. We pray together before every show. We love 0:12:59.240 --> 0:13:01.120 to kind of hype each other up. My band goes 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:03.520 to Bible study together when they're back in town. And 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:07.160 so it's like, I think we've created this this almost 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.360 like touring family where we support each other on and 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:14.120 off the road, and we know what is required at 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:16.319 home as well. And so you know, there's a lot 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:19.960 of grace for the touring family because of that. And 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:24.040 then when I am home, it's it's just being intentional. 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:24.240 You know. 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:26.199 We we try to go to church on Sundays when 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:30.520 we come back. My boys, I've really encouraged them to, 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:32.360 like before we have dinner tonight. I even my six 0:13:32.480 --> 0:13:33.719 year old to be like, all right, Luke, you want 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:35.120 to you want to lead us some prayer tonight before 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:35.839 we get dinner, and. 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:37.640 It'll be his, you know, little version of a prayer. 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:41.000 But it's like giving them knowing that it's something that 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:44.079 I'm rooted in, but giving them the authority to feel 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:46.320 like they're leading. And so you know, we have a 0:13:46.320 --> 0:13:48.240 different member of the band lead prayer before we go 0:13:48.280 --> 0:13:50.520 on stage every night, and my kids, you know, I 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:51.800 try to be like, all right, buddy, what do you 0:13:51.840 --> 0:13:53.360 want to say? How do you want to talk to God? 0:13:53.760 --> 0:13:59.480 And trying to have everybody involved, have everybody speaking their peace, 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.079 and then just you know, having each other's back when 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:03.440 we're on the road too, because we're all going to 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:05.440 stumble and we're all going to have hard times. But 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:07.079 knowing that you have that safety nut around you is 0:14:07.120 --> 0:14:07.640 pretty awesome. 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:12.120 Yeah, that's amazing, dude. And I heard you say, Earlie, 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:16.199 one thing that stuck out to me, just like knowing 0:14:16.240 --> 0:14:18.960 who to trust and kind of like people that you 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:22.720 thought were your friends. I think that you kind of 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.600 got bumpy or whatever happened. There was falling out through 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:31.000 that process of giving up but then also making it 0:14:31.080 --> 0:14:35.280 and whatever that means and success and fame. What does 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:38.400 that look like? What's what does it look like to 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.720 know who to trust? How do you know who to trust? 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:44.720 How have you wrestled with that? I think support systems 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:46.760 are everything. I'm so glad to hear you have a 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:50.160 great one around your touring. But what was it like 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.680 with just that relational tussle of knowing who to trust 0:14:53.720 --> 0:14:58.080 and motivations and people jumping on the train, on the 0:14:58.160 --> 0:14:59.200 vandwagon all that. 0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:04.600 I think, especially in show business, and especially when you're 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:07.240 new to it and you fee and you are a 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:12.520 bit blinded by the shining lights and everything, it's very 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:16.520 easy to get lost in transactional relationships and believe that 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:21.040 they are real and people are going to be drawn 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:26.440 to people that can help them grow. And so a 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:29.360 lot of times you'll come to town and I had 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:30.000 a little bit of heat. 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:30.880 I had a new record deal. 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:32.720 So all these big songwriters wanted to write with me, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.400 and you know, all these big press publications wanted to, 0:15:35.600 --> 0:15:39.120 you know, have interviews with me, and you start believing that, oh, yeah, 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:40.720 I deserve this, and all these people are lucky to 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:42.520 be my friends, and you know that I'm friends with 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:45.360 all these people. And then you lose your record deal 0:15:45.400 --> 0:15:48.240 and then your song doesn't work, and then you don't 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.840 get return phone calls or you know, and and and 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:52.280 you just kind of fall off the earth, and that 0:15:53.400 --> 0:15:58.120 it'll hit you hard if you genuinely believe like that 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:01.400 is your value and those are your friendship. But there 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.280 are people that still answer the phone when you're not 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.280 on top of the mountain, and that's like your real foundation. 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.080 And I think the second time on the climb, for me, 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.200 it's making sure that I'm aware of that and making 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:16.080 sure I know I nurture the ones that are going 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:18.080 to be there forever. And I mean my wife is 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:19.840 the number one example of that, right Like she was 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:22.760 coming to watch me play shows at the Mellow Mushroom 0:16:22.760 --> 0:16:25.320 when I was playing open mic night on the oh 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.960 you know, on the drag at the University of Texas, 0:16:27.960 --> 0:16:30.120 and she's been there, like she's seen me at my 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:34.000 lowest my most embarrassing attitude guitars when I couldn't sing 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.400 to save my life. But I was still chasing it. 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:39.040 And now she's seen me on the other side of it. 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:41.040 Never once do I question if this all went away, 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:42.760 that she would still be there tomorrow. And I think 0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:46.080 it's like finding value in like knowing that God loves you, 0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:47.880 knowing that you have a foundation in your family, and 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:49.800 knowing that you have friends that. 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.360 Love you for who you are and not what you have. 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:58.080 And it doesn't mean you can't have transactional relationships, like 0:16:58.120 --> 0:16:59.720 you can have people that can help you get where 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:01.320 you're going, and you can help other people get where 0:17:01.320 --> 0:17:05.320 they're going, and it is part of the industry that 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:07.040 we're in, Like you have to have it, you have 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:08.800 to have somebody giving you a hand up. But I 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:12.880 think it's realizing what's real, what's work, and where your 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.399 value lies is not in the transaction, but it's in 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:17.919 who you are as a person, who you are as 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:19.119 a friend. 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:21.640 I just like see the word integrity like all over 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:25.520 you like celebrating and just surrounding yourself with people of 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:29.000 integrity is so important. Actually, have been reading proverbs and 0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:30.880 it's just like you know the weight of your influence 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:34.919 is so important, and I think you making that, you 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:37.200 know the decision to say I need to surround myself 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:38.720 with people who are going to be there when things 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:42.400 go bad. That not even just it as an artist, 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:44.719 people that are watching or listening to this, like in 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:47.600 real life at work, people that you you know, do 0:17:47.720 --> 0:17:51.600 life with, friends that you know are your neighbors. Like 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:55.760 celebrating and surrounding yourself with people of integrity that are 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:57.960 always going to have your back and always know who 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:00.480 you are regardless of this circumstance. 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:01.640 Gosh, that's so important. 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:05.200 It's probably the most important. 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:09.040 And I feel like this year, I was just talking 0:18:09.040 --> 0:18:12.680 to my wife yesterday about this, I have felt God 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:15.520 call me more than probably ever in my life, and 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:18.280 it's like it is from the people that He has 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:20.640 surrounded me with. And I've tried to listen and I've 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:23.840 tried to lean into that. From some of my best 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:27.639 songwriting buddies inviting me to Bible study, to hiring a 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:31.320 couple guys in the band that were had a lot 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:33.439 of the same values as I did and weren't interested 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:35.600 in like chasing girls on the road or getting you know, 0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:38.280 into trouble every night, and then you know, we ended 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:40.560 up starting to hire more and more people like that, 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:42.600 and then the new guys that would come on to 0:18:42.680 --> 0:18:45.000 the crew, they would see the culture of our band, 0:18:45.000 --> 0:18:47.160 and we would have the opportunity to influence these guys 0:18:47.160 --> 0:18:48.959 that are right out of college or just starting their 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:51.280 first touring career, and they're starting to see, hey, you 0:18:51.320 --> 0:18:53.040 don't have to be a scumbag to be on the road, 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:55.439 and hey you can't have a family life and you can, 0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:00.480 you know, Chase, you know, positive things and still have 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:02.119 fun and be on the road and make music and 0:19:02.200 --> 0:19:04.479 have a good time like that that can co exist. 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.439 And I think that for me it's just been leaning 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:11.440 into that influence that God is calling me. I don't 0:19:11.480 --> 0:19:15.520 have to be out like preaching every night and bashing 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:17.720 people over the head with it. And I do think 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:20.159 that it is good to share the word, and I 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:22.240 do try to as best I can. But I think 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:25.200 even if you can just live a life where your 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:29.760 content and where you are just leading by example, and 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:31.280 I think that that's what we try to do, is 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:34.160 just you know, have as many people out there showing 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:37.440 that you can do both. And I've had friends lead 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.200 me by example, go into Bible study every Tuesday morning 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:42.879 on music row and just you know, being unafraid to 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:46.080 pray for each other and being unafraid to be vulnerable 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:49.800 and talk about their problems. That doesn't come naturally to me, 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:52.439 but they've led me by example being a part of that. 0:19:52.520 --> 0:19:55.400 And so now that's like every Tuesday I go fill 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:57.040 my cup and it takes to weight off my shoulders 0:19:57.040 --> 0:19:58.720 being like, hey, these are real friends, and I can 0:19:58.960 --> 0:20:00.960 we all have real problem and we can all pray 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:06.000 for each other. And I think just when you listen 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:08.119 to God and you see the people that He puts 0:20:08.119 --> 0:20:10.000 in your life that are pulling you in the right direction, 0:20:11.160 --> 0:20:13.280 lean into it because He's doing it for a reason. 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:16.880 Yeah, you shall know them by their fruit. Lead by example. 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:21.560 It's like God his love is communicated to people, not 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:25.680 just from the principles from the mountaintop, but like your 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:27.959 life and the integrity a good name is worth more 0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:31.600 than gold. And you can see and I just want 0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:34.080 to affirm, like one hundred percent, Bro, there's like a 0:20:34.160 --> 0:20:38.680 character and a name that you've wrestled with in terms 0:20:38.720 --> 0:20:43.679 of choices, and I'd love to hear like that's not 0:20:43.720 --> 0:20:47.480 an easy for someone who personally, you know, kind of 0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:50.680 knows a little bit of that wrestle. It's intense. I've 0:20:50.680 --> 0:20:53.919 been last year was a very intense wrestle for like 0:20:54.080 --> 0:20:56.040 what are you going to be? And how you know? 0:20:57.000 --> 0:20:58.840 What are you going to choose when no one's watching? 0:20:59.200 --> 0:21:03.080 And I think for for that wrestle to speak like 0:21:03.400 --> 0:21:05.960 you've chosen that over and over again, you've been great 0:21:05.960 --> 0:21:08.520 at it, you'd been not so great at it. But 0:21:08.960 --> 0:21:13.919 the wrestle of the choice too, for integrity in the 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:19.000 private when no one's watching, How do you? How do 0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:21.600 you do it? Yeah? How do you do? Because I 0:21:21.600 --> 0:21:23.240 think so many people like man, I just can't. I 0:21:23.320 --> 0:21:25.359 just keep falling and praise God for his grace and 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:29.560 he keeps picking it up. But like the disciplines of 0:21:29.560 --> 0:21:34.880 of good choices in in the behind the scenes, Yeah, 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:37.480 it's the gold, Like, that's the gold. 0:21:37.600 --> 0:21:39.800 I think that I've found a lot of peace this 0:21:39.880 --> 0:21:46.119 year in accepting that nobody is perfect and you can't 0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.000 be perfect. And God, you know, designed us in his image, 0:21:49.000 --> 0:21:50.399 but he didn't design us to be perfect. 0:21:50.400 --> 0:21:50.520 You know. 0:21:50.560 --> 0:21:52.359 That's why he had to send Jesus down, and that's 0:21:52.400 --> 0:21:54.800 why you know he had to be sacrificed. It's because 0:21:55.640 --> 0:21:58.240 there's nobody that can live perfectly. And I think that 0:21:58.440 --> 0:22:00.960 all he wants is us to be pursued him. And 0:22:01.080 --> 0:22:03.560 if you're actively pursuing him, and if you are wrestling, 0:22:04.240 --> 0:22:06.239 that means you're doing it right. If you've given up 0:22:06.240 --> 0:22:09.160 and you just say, you know, let this in take 0:22:09.200 --> 0:22:11.119 you over and say I'm going to be taken by 0:22:11.160 --> 0:22:13.480 temptation and I'm going to accept it. That's one thing. 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:16.320 We're all going to have temptation. We're all going to stumble. 0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:19.040 But I think that if you wake up every day 0:22:19.119 --> 0:22:22.040 choosing to wrestle it and choosing to try to pursue God, 0:22:23.280 --> 0:22:25.439 you can find peace that you're doing what he's asking. 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:27.119 Yeah. 0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:29.760 I have been having really deep conversations with my husband 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:33.640 recently about just like men of God, and he's been 0:22:35.000 --> 0:22:37.119 i don't know, just like convicted to be a leader 0:22:37.200 --> 0:22:40.080 because he's like, so many of these young men are lost, 0:22:40.560 --> 0:22:43.080 and you talking about bringing these guys right out of 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:45.199 college on the road with you and teaching them like 0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:48.560 what a life can look like when you are a 0:22:48.600 --> 0:22:50.960 man of God. Talk to us about some of those 0:22:51.000 --> 0:22:53.560 like values and things that you're trying to instill into them, 0:22:53.560 --> 0:22:56.400 because what is what is being a man of God 0:22:56.480 --> 0:22:56.679 to you? 0:22:56.760 --> 0:22:58.240 What does that feel like? I mean, you've got two 0:22:58.280 --> 0:22:58.960 boys as well. 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:03.600 Sure, I think the the thing that I struggled with 0:23:03.720 --> 0:23:06.160 most in the beginning was like, who am I to 0:23:06.200 --> 0:23:07.760 tell these guys what to do? Or who am I 0:23:07.800 --> 0:23:09.359 to be a leader? Like I'm not perfect and I 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:11.560 have my flaws, and you know, I struggle every day, 0:23:12.760 --> 0:23:17.080 But I think it's just an effort to you know, 0:23:17.280 --> 0:23:21.359 try to save them from some of the stuff that 0:23:21.400 --> 0:23:23.720 I struggled with and teach them some of the tips 0:23:23.720 --> 0:23:26.679 that I've learned to be able to you know, function 0:23:27.480 --> 0:23:32.080 and live life in a way that's fulfilling. And you know, 0:23:32.760 --> 0:23:35.560 I didn't have a ton of people around me in 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:38.080 the beginning pulling me in a great direction. And so 0:23:38.200 --> 0:23:41.480 once I found those people, I've tried to like understand, 0:23:41.600 --> 0:23:43.760 you know, what they did for me and how they 0:23:43.760 --> 0:23:45.760 pulled me in, and I've tried to do that for 0:23:45.840 --> 0:23:49.280 other people. And so again, it's just like creating a 0:23:49.320 --> 0:23:51.600 culture where it's like we're not preaching or we're not 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:53.080 bashing over the head, or we're not judging you, but 0:23:53.119 --> 0:23:57.240 it's like, hey, you know, we're being vulnerable, we're praying, 0:23:57.280 --> 0:23:59.840 we're going to church, we're being faithful to our spouse. 0:23:59.920 --> 0:24:02.640 Is you know, we still like to have a good 0:24:02.680 --> 0:24:04.439 time and we still like to go out on the 0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:07.200 road and make music and do what we love. And 0:24:07.480 --> 0:24:09.399 you can have both. There's a world where all of 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:11.760 that can exist. And we're not going to bash you 0:24:11.760 --> 0:24:13.320 over the head with it. But like, if you want 0:24:13.320 --> 0:24:17.840 to come join us, come on, yeah, and we'll teach 0:24:17.880 --> 0:24:18.760 you what you know and what we know. 0:24:18.960 --> 0:24:22.840 Proverbs eleven thirty. The one who is wise saves lives. 0:24:23.080 --> 0:24:24.919 I just I love that. I see that all over you, 0:24:25.080 --> 0:24:27.200 just like a man of integrity, a man of God 0:24:27.240 --> 0:24:29.600 who is he's doing his best. You're doing your best, 0:24:29.640 --> 0:24:33.200 You've lived through life, and you're trying to help others 0:24:33.240 --> 0:24:35.280 along the way. I think it's such a special thing, 0:24:35.359 --> 0:24:38.119 and it's such a special special characteristic, especially in this 0:24:38.200 --> 0:24:41.760 industry where people are unfaithful to their wives and people 0:24:41.960 --> 0:24:44.600 you know, fall to all of the temptation that's around 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:47.440 them all of the time. Like you think that walk 0:24:47.480 --> 0:24:49.479 into work every day and like, you know, living a 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:52.399 normal life, like there's temptation there. Get yourself on the 0:24:52.480 --> 0:24:55.200 road where you're in front of thousands of people every night. 0:24:55.600 --> 0:24:57.879 Girls are in the DMS. They don't care that you're married, 0:24:57.920 --> 0:24:59.400 you know what I mean. There's just so many things 0:24:59.440 --> 0:25:02.120 in the industry that I think the weight of that 0:25:02.200 --> 0:25:03.280 can get so heavy. 0:25:03.359 --> 0:25:04.600 But man, you carry it well. 0:25:05.080 --> 0:25:09.639 Thank you for saying that. It's It's interesting. I've heard 0:25:10.400 --> 0:25:17.520 some artists and some famous people before I kind of 0:25:17.560 --> 0:25:20.160 got to a level of some success, talk about how 0:25:20.280 --> 0:25:23.080 it's never enough to fill the hole. You know, you've 0:25:23.080 --> 0:25:25.480 got rock bottom where you have nothing and you're hungry, 0:25:25.480 --> 0:25:27.360 and you always are like, you know, one day when 0:25:27.359 --> 0:25:28.760 I have money, or one day when I have a house, 0:25:28.840 --> 0:25:30.480 or one day I want to have a car, but 0:25:32.119 --> 0:25:35.480 it's never enough. And eventually, when you have everything and 0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:38.800 you can have anything you want at any time and 0:25:38.840 --> 0:25:41.280 it still doesn't scratch the itch, then what do you do? 0:25:41.400 --> 0:25:41.600 You know? 0:25:41.640 --> 0:25:43.879 And that's where a lot of people fall into, you know, 0:25:45.200 --> 0:25:47.960 bad problems. And so I think that it's been really 0:25:48.000 --> 0:25:53.040 important to have the things that you can't buy with money. 0:25:53.080 --> 0:25:57.000 You can't buy with fame, you can't buy in that world. 0:25:57.119 --> 0:26:01.199 It's the family, the friends. Golf has been huge for me. 0:26:01.359 --> 0:26:03.560 It's a game that I can never conquer and you 0:26:03.600 --> 0:26:07.600 know something that always keeps me challenged. And I think 0:26:07.640 --> 0:26:10.639 that's the that what God had to teach me before 0:26:10.680 --> 0:26:13.600 he could give me success was that when you can 0:26:13.640 --> 0:26:16.760 find peace in what is important and what you do have, 0:26:17.520 --> 0:26:20.480 then I can provide you with this bounty and you'll 0:26:20.520 --> 0:26:22.240 be ready to handle it and you will know that 0:26:22.240 --> 0:26:25.720 that is not the end. I'll be all, it's just 0:26:25.760 --> 0:26:26.240 a blessing. 0:26:26.240 --> 0:26:26.680 Our type of it. 0:26:26.880 --> 0:26:29.560 Yeah, And I guess that's coming back to the whole 0:26:29.640 --> 0:26:32.960 like giving up thing. And we're having this conversation last 0:26:33.040 --> 0:26:36.159 night but about billionaires, and it was like, like we 0:26:36.240 --> 0:26:38.000 know too, Like the guy I was playing golf with 0:26:38.640 --> 0:26:41.639 and he's like, they're like the nicest people I've ever met, 0:26:41.680 --> 0:26:44.959 like the best people, like, and they're billionaires. Like and 0:26:45.000 --> 0:26:47.080 he goes, but then I know, like millionaires that are 0:26:47.119 --> 0:26:50.280 the worst people. And it's like it's skips. There's something happens. 0:26:50.280 --> 0:26:53.639 And I said to him something that I that I 0:26:53.760 --> 0:26:56.480 just recognized in this conversation. I think there's a process 0:26:56.800 --> 0:27:00.159 that everyone goes through of like the wrestle of what 0:27:00.320 --> 0:27:02.320 will fill that hole. It's like, oh, a little bit 0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:05.040 of that, and then you go, Okay, there's nothing that 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:08.119 will fill that hole to a point of God's really 0:27:08.160 --> 0:27:10.840 not interested in the stuff, He's not really interested in 0:27:10.880 --> 0:27:13.879 giving me, or that He's really really interested in me 0:27:14.640 --> 0:27:17.679 and getting the real me. And so the process is 0:27:17.720 --> 0:27:20.679 to get the real me, to strip away all the ego, 0:27:21.400 --> 0:27:23.320 the pride that gets in the way, the sin that 0:27:23.440 --> 0:27:27.040 so easily entangles, so that I can see all of 0:27:27.080 --> 0:27:29.600 this for the real thing, like all of the game. 0:27:29.880 --> 0:27:32.280 I can see it for how he sees it. Sure, 0:27:32.400 --> 0:27:34.800 And then I think the billionaires are just the ones 0:27:34.840 --> 0:27:38.000 that have been beat up a lot by the wrong 0:27:38.119 --> 0:27:41.240 thinking and submitted to the process. I'm just stripping away 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:43.280 to then. And it's not about a money thing. But 0:27:43.320 --> 0:27:47.760 we just made the interesting correlation of everyone's got a process. 0:27:48.040 --> 0:27:50.720 It's all the same journey to get to the real you. 0:27:50.960 --> 0:27:54.320 It's an identity thing that the world is trying everything 0:27:54.680 --> 0:28:01.399 to constrict, conflate, pervert, distract who you really are. And ah, 0:28:01.480 --> 0:28:07.240 God really cares, is like, who's the real mack? Let him? 0:28:07.760 --> 0:28:09.480 You know? Eminem said, at first, I guess with a 0:28:09.520 --> 0:28:10.920 real slim shady please stand. 0:28:11.119 --> 0:28:12.240 Yeah, that's true. 0:28:12.600 --> 0:28:15.639 That's a throwback right well, and it gives you so 0:28:15.720 --> 0:28:18.479 much peace and not having to pretend right and just 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:22.960 being able to I don't know, you're not putting on 0:28:23.000 --> 0:28:25.280 a show. You're you get to go be yourself and 0:28:25.320 --> 0:28:27.800 you get to be content and feel that you're enough. 0:28:27.800 --> 0:28:32.639 And that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy, uh, the 0:28:32.720 --> 0:28:35.320 success and enjoy the gifts that God gives you. It's 0:28:35.359 --> 0:28:38.880 it's just taking them for what they are, yeah, and 0:28:38.920 --> 0:28:41.520 then trying to do good and share with them, you know, 0:28:43.240 --> 0:28:46.720 donating time, donating shows, donating to charities, that that kind 0:28:46.760 --> 0:28:51.239 of stuff, and and knowing you know, finding joy in 0:28:51.280 --> 0:28:51.920 that as well. 0:28:52.080 --> 0:28:52.320 Yeah. 0:28:52.400 --> 0:28:54.760 Yeah, man, I just who much has given? 0:28:54.880 --> 0:28:58.120 Much is required and you know kind of talking about 0:28:58.160 --> 0:29:00.440 what you're just saying about giving back and things like that. 0:29:01.240 --> 0:29:03.600 The billionaire mindset too. It's just like if you live 0:29:03.680 --> 0:29:06.040 with your fists clothed, you know, it's just like you're 0:29:06.080 --> 0:29:07.960 you're gonna miss out. But if you just live with 0:29:07.960 --> 0:29:10.680 your hands open and are just like, if I'm blessed, 0:29:10.680 --> 0:29:12.440 you're blessed, you know what I mean. I feel like 0:29:12.480 --> 0:29:16.280 you're even you're rewarded even more because it's you know, 0:29:16.360 --> 0:29:18.600 God wants to give you the desires of your heart, 0:29:18.800 --> 0:29:20.760 but he doesn't want you to be stingy with them. 0:29:21.080 --> 0:29:23.720 He wants you to be generous, and that's what we're 0:29:23.720 --> 0:29:26.440 called to do. Love God, love people, be generous, build 0:29:26.480 --> 0:29:27.480 up the people around us. 0:29:28.000 --> 0:29:28.840 And I don't know, I. 0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:30.680 Just I keep just wanting to like build you up, 0:29:30.800 --> 0:29:32.600 like you're just doing such a great job, and I'm 0:29:32.600 --> 0:29:33.400 just proud to know you. 0:29:33.720 --> 0:29:36.160 I felt that really early in the beginning, was like 0:29:36.240 --> 0:29:38.719 I felt so tight fisted of like I need to 0:29:38.800 --> 0:29:41.640 make it so that I can provide for my family 0:29:41.680 --> 0:29:43.200 and that we never have to worry about money again. 0:29:43.280 --> 0:29:43.440 You know. 0:29:43.480 --> 0:29:45.120 I need to make I need to have these hits 0:29:45.160 --> 0:29:46.560 so that I can buy a house and then I 0:29:46.600 --> 0:29:49.000 can buy a car, and that I can be bulletproof 0:29:49.040 --> 0:29:51.240 to the world and I will have my fortune and 0:29:51.280 --> 0:29:53.040 nobody can take it and I'll be set. And that 0:29:53.200 --> 0:29:55.400 was my mindset in the beginning, and it was it 0:29:55.440 --> 0:29:58.479 was the wrong one. It was when I you know, 0:29:59.160 --> 0:30:03.120 leaned in, try to plan, give to others, you know, 0:30:04.000 --> 0:30:06.760 and when you give, it comes back ten times full. 0:30:06.880 --> 0:30:11.520 It's it's pretty that's freedom. Yeah, Like that attitude is freedom, 0:30:11.560 --> 0:30:14.840 you know, the type fist. It's like, you know, control, 0:30:15.000 --> 0:30:19.080 which is fear based, which is our own prison. And 0:30:19.120 --> 0:30:21.239 we get convinced into it because you know, it does. 0:30:21.560 --> 0:30:24.280 It does in some instances work in the short term. 0:30:24.400 --> 0:30:28.000 But like inside, we're in this prison of fear, and 0:30:28.800 --> 0:30:30.560 that's what I think the difference is. And just here 0:30:30.600 --> 0:30:32.840 and it's like, man, there is a freedom of like 0:30:32.920 --> 0:30:35.959 I don't care in the right way. It's free, you know. 0:30:36.280 --> 0:30:38.640 And I've been shocked in the number of times that 0:30:39.280 --> 0:30:43.000 I've since I've started to try to invest my time 0:30:43.080 --> 0:30:45.200 more and not worry about what other people can do 0:30:45.240 --> 0:30:47.400 for me, how many times I've leaned into somebody or 0:30:47.400 --> 0:30:49.959 try to be there for somebody that I didn't think 0:30:50.040 --> 0:30:52.840 could do anything for me. Where it's come back more 0:30:52.880 --> 0:30:54.800 so than and the relationships that I was chasing, the 0:30:54.840 --> 0:30:58.280 where I thought people could do something for me, And yeah, yeah, 0:30:58.400 --> 0:30:59.000 it's crazy. 0:30:59.160 --> 0:31:01.040 His way, he is a higher than our ways. It's like, 0:31:01.120 --> 0:31:04.520 you know, he knows, like, hey, I'm I care about 0:31:04.560 --> 0:31:07.320 the outcome more than you, but I also really really 0:31:07.360 --> 0:31:09.440 care about the process because the process is important for 0:31:09.440 --> 0:31:13.000 the outcome, and that's the refinement of the real you 0:31:13.120 --> 0:31:16.520 living in that place that's free, not this like you know, 0:31:16.680 --> 0:31:20.320 controlling watching my back, but like the full the big picture, 0:31:20.480 --> 0:31:23.240 because really the big picture's eternity anyway. Yes, it's not 0:31:23.280 --> 0:31:26.000 even like an inheritance for my children's children. The big 0:31:26.040 --> 0:31:29.440 picture is forever, yes, and that's the game he's playing, 0:31:29.560 --> 0:31:32.280 and I'm just playing, like, hey, but what about next week? 0:31:32.720 --> 0:31:33.160 Exactly? 0:31:33.560 --> 0:31:35.400 So dang, yeah, good reminder. 0:31:35.720 --> 0:31:38.000 You mentioned, you know, refinement, and I feel like in 0:31:38.000 --> 0:31:40.160 the beginning of your career you did go through this 0:31:40.200 --> 0:31:42.760 refining process of like your thoughts and how you are 0:31:42.760 --> 0:31:44.840 living your life and like you know, what you thought 0:31:44.840 --> 0:31:46.840 the end goal was and things like that, and really 0:31:46.880 --> 0:31:49.800 just letting go of it at that moment. Right now currently, 0:31:49.920 --> 0:31:52.080 is God refining anything in your life right now that 0:31:52.120 --> 0:31:54.520 you're working on or you're learning, or anything that you'd 0:31:54.560 --> 0:31:55.000 like to share. 0:31:56.200 --> 0:32:01.920 That's a great question. Yes, one hundred percent. You know, 0:32:01.960 --> 0:32:05.080 I was talking about feeling him calling me more this 0:32:05.160 --> 0:32:08.320 year through the people around me, and so I think 0:32:08.360 --> 0:32:15.200 that He is refining me more in being selfless with 0:32:15.240 --> 0:32:18.240 my time and what I'm giving and not being so 0:32:18.480 --> 0:32:23.000 g oriented all the time. I pray almost every day 0:32:23.000 --> 0:32:26.040 of like, God, help me just trust your plan and 0:32:26.200 --> 0:32:28.280 you know, relinquish my own wants and needs. You know, 0:32:28.560 --> 0:32:30.400 this is what I want, but I want it to 0:32:30.440 --> 0:32:33.400 be part of your plan too, and I think that 0:32:33.400 --> 0:32:37.000 that's what he's refining in me right now, and it 0:32:37.080 --> 0:32:42.000 has helped me massively in my my anxiety of being 0:32:42.040 --> 0:32:44.680 able to let go and give it to him. And 0:32:44.760 --> 0:32:48.360 so I work on that through, you know, vocalizing it 0:32:48.400 --> 0:32:53.719 with my friends and and praying every day and just 0:32:53.800 --> 0:32:56.760 trying to really lean into We've started eating dinner as 0:32:56.800 --> 0:32:59.240 a family every night when I'm home at the table, 0:32:59.320 --> 0:33:02.600 which is new for us too, and it's just kind 0:33:02.600 --> 0:33:09.200 of taking in little things, talking about goals, but also 0:33:09.760 --> 0:33:14.440 trusting and giving thanks every day. It's thank you for 0:33:14.480 --> 0:33:16.040 the blessings that are in front of us, and whatever 0:33:16.040 --> 0:33:17.760 blessings you have ahead of us, or trials that you 0:33:17.800 --> 0:33:18.360 have ahead of us. 0:33:18.360 --> 0:33:19.760 We know that you're going to be walking with us. 0:33:20.120 --> 0:33:24.520 And for me, I am such a type a control freak, 0:33:24.720 --> 0:33:27.680 and so for him to kind of be standing those 0:33:27.760 --> 0:33:31.120 edges off of me, I can almost hear that voice 0:33:31.160 --> 0:33:32.760 in my head, and I can feel every time I pray, 0:33:32.880 --> 0:33:35.400 or every time I sit down and find peace with 0:33:35.480 --> 0:33:37.080 my family at the table or go to Bible study, 0:33:37.120 --> 0:33:38.800 I can almost feel that weight just melt off of 0:33:38.880 --> 0:33:41.200 me a little bit of like, hey, I'm not in control, 0:33:41.240 --> 0:33:43.840 so don't pretend to be. And that is kind of 0:33:43.840 --> 0:33:46.000 what he's working on me right now, and it's it's 0:33:46.040 --> 0:33:48.120 going to take a lot of work, but I'm getting closer. 0:33:48.280 --> 0:33:51.000 Yeah, Yeah, the same way in. 0:33:51.000 --> 0:33:53.280 My family especially, I'm just so I just want to 0:33:53.280 --> 0:33:55.760 be in control, like you're doing that wrong, let me 0:33:55.800 --> 0:33:58.000 just do it, or you know this is happening, I 0:33:58.040 --> 0:33:59.920 need to do it myself because you're just gonna you're 0:34:00.080 --> 0:34:01.280 going to mess it up, or you know, you want 0:34:01.280 --> 0:34:03.520 to be in control of who's doing well, where they're going, 0:34:03.560 --> 0:34:05.360 things like that, And that's been something I've been working 0:34:05.400 --> 0:34:08.879 on too, where it's like, you know what, I've got 0:34:08.880 --> 0:34:11.080 to let you do it wrong because I can't do everything. 0:34:11.520 --> 0:34:14.120 You know true, And it's such a hard thing when 0:34:14.160 --> 0:34:16.640 you are that type a mentality where you're you're you're 0:34:16.680 --> 0:34:19.879 just naturally the one who is just outgoing, You're you're 0:34:19.960 --> 0:34:22.560 always ahead of everybody, you want to be everybody's friend, 0:34:22.560 --> 0:34:24.960 you want to you don't want to, you know, disappoint people, 0:34:25.360 --> 0:34:27.080 and you're like, well, if I can just make this, this, 0:34:27.080 --> 0:34:30.200 this and this and this happen, let me just taking 0:34:30.200 --> 0:34:32.680 that step back. Boy is at heart, so when you're 0:34:32.719 --> 0:34:36.120 talking about you know that that refinement of letting go 0:34:36.440 --> 0:34:38.920 and being like God, Jesus take the wheel. 0:34:39.080 --> 0:34:40.560 Yeah, I quit, I quit. 0:34:40.440 --> 0:34:43.080 In the right way. I'm still here, but I quit. Yeah, 0:34:43.200 --> 0:34:43.719 that's like. 0:34:44.400 --> 0:34:49.359 Well, And it's it's finding that middle ground of it's 0:34:49.400 --> 0:34:53.680 not quitting, but it's it's relinquishing control, right, And because 0:34:53.719 --> 0:34:55.440 it doesn't mean I can't hustle, and it doesn't mean 0:34:55.480 --> 0:34:57.279 I can't chase my dreams and it doesn't mean that 0:34:57.320 --> 0:34:59.200 I can't go try to outwork everybody and. 0:34:59.160 --> 0:35:00.480 Be the best at what I do. 0:35:00.840 --> 0:35:04.239 But it's being content with the result, and he's going 0:35:04.239 --> 0:35:05.600 to choose the result, and he's going to tell you 0:35:05.640 --> 0:35:07.840 when it's time. And that I think is the biggest 0:35:07.840 --> 0:35:12.040 thing for me, Like it's helped me find enjoyment in 0:35:12.080 --> 0:35:15.760 the journey. It's helped me find enjoyment in pure songwriting 0:35:15.840 --> 0:35:18.440 and enjoyment and purely just working on my show to 0:35:18.440 --> 0:35:19.759 have it be the best show that I can be 0:35:19.800 --> 0:35:21.680 and working on myself to be the best husband and 0:35:21.680 --> 0:35:25.279 best dat I can be. And whatever the result of 0:35:25.320 --> 0:35:30.080 that is in physical terms, is going to be what 0:35:30.120 --> 0:35:33.239 it is. But that's not my decision to make. So 0:35:35.400 --> 0:35:38.960 that has been what I'm working on, and you know, 0:35:39.080 --> 0:35:41.960 the there was a time where I felt guilty of 0:35:42.040 --> 0:35:44.279 like praying for a number one song, or praying for 0:35:44.320 --> 0:35:46.279 people to show up to my shows, or praying to 0:35:46.400 --> 0:35:49.319 have a tour bus or you know, why would God 0:35:49.360 --> 0:35:51.360 care about that when there's so many problems in the world. 0:35:51.680 --> 0:35:55.520 But it's God's going to give you your vehicle and 0:35:55.680 --> 0:35:57.560 use you in the way that he needs to use you. 0:35:57.600 --> 0:36:00.759 And it's okay to pray for success but also pray 0:36:00.800 --> 0:36:02.759 for the tools to know how to use it. And 0:36:03.160 --> 0:36:04.600 that's kind of what I'm working on right now. 0:36:04.640 --> 0:36:08.200 That's good. Yeah, so good. I needed two of us. 0:36:08.239 --> 0:36:09.520 I'm gonna stop that. 0:36:09.760 --> 0:36:11.960 I was gonna say, though, let's let's go there, because 0:36:12.000 --> 0:36:14.839 I feel like those listening who maybe I have a 0:36:14.960 --> 0:36:17.320 really one of my best friends in the entire world. 0:36:17.440 --> 0:36:21.520 She is the most faithful human being on the planet. 0:36:21.600 --> 0:36:26.000 She is knowledge like, she's knowledgeable, she is close. She's 0:36:26.000 --> 0:36:28.680 got such a heart for God, but she also struggles 0:36:28.880 --> 0:36:31.719 very hard with asking the Lord for the desires of 0:36:31.719 --> 0:36:36.960 her heart. And so we we decided collectively as a 0:36:36.960 --> 0:36:38.480 group of friends that we were going to do the 0:36:38.600 --> 0:36:40.520 esther fast together. She was just like, listen, I've been 0:36:40.560 --> 0:36:43.279 convicted that, you know, I want to ask for what 0:36:43.320 --> 0:36:45.960 I want to ask for. So in the Book of Esther, 0:36:46.040 --> 0:36:49.160 basically Esther she you know, she doesn't eat or drink 0:36:49.160 --> 0:36:51.560 for three days. We did water for three days. But 0:36:51.640 --> 0:36:53.120 she was just like, at the end of this fast, 0:36:53.160 --> 0:36:54.839 we're going to get together and we are going to 0:36:54.920 --> 0:36:57.480 sit in our our robes of gold, and we are 0:36:57.520 --> 0:36:59.440 going to ask God for what we want. She was 0:36:59.480 --> 0:37:01.560 just like, because this is something that I'm struggling with, 0:37:01.600 --> 0:37:05.000 and I want us to do this together. So in 0:37:05.040 --> 0:37:08.160 that sentiment asking the Lord for the desires of your heart, 0:37:08.160 --> 0:37:11.759 for somebody who's listening and wants a tangible way to say, like, 0:37:12.320 --> 0:37:14.640 how do I do that? What prayers are you praying 0:37:14.920 --> 0:37:17.400 to you know? Or what are you telling yourself to 0:37:17.560 --> 0:37:19.320 you know? How do you ask God for the desires 0:37:19.320 --> 0:37:20.880 of your heart without feeling guilty? 0:37:22.320 --> 0:37:23.399 I think that, you know. 0:37:23.800 --> 0:37:25.920 The biggest thing that I always start is, you know, 0:37:26.880 --> 0:37:28.760 if it be your will, you know, if it's something 0:37:28.800 --> 0:37:33.440 that's in your plans. I would love to have a 0:37:33.440 --> 0:37:35.399 great headline tour this year, and I would I would 0:37:35.440 --> 0:37:38.200 love to sell out these shows. And God please also 0:37:38.360 --> 0:37:43.839 grant me the tools to use that success to help 0:37:43.880 --> 0:37:46.600 share your name and help share your message and to 0:37:46.719 --> 0:37:49.480 make to bring me closer to you. God, Please help 0:37:49.520 --> 0:37:51.560 me be somebody that you would be proud of. Help 0:37:51.600 --> 0:37:53.759 me walk in your light, and please help me take 0:37:53.800 --> 0:37:58.240 these blessings and glorify your name, you know, And whether 0:37:58.280 --> 0:38:01.120 that's you know, having our house be the house in 0:38:01.120 --> 0:38:03.120 the neighborhood that's the open door and the kids can 0:38:03.120 --> 0:38:04.920 come over anytime they want, and all their friends can 0:38:04.960 --> 0:38:07.040 come over and they feel safe and they see, you know, 0:38:07.120 --> 0:38:08.960 a mom and dad that love each other, and you know, 0:38:09.000 --> 0:38:12.279 they feel supported, and they can take that out into 0:38:12.320 --> 0:38:15.600 their world, whether it's bringing new people on the band 0:38:15.800 --> 0:38:18.480 into you know, our touring world and giving them a 0:38:18.480 --> 0:38:20.799 place where they feel supported and a place that they 0:38:20.800 --> 0:38:22.560 feel like they can thrive and start a career and 0:38:23.080 --> 0:38:24.080 build their own family. 0:38:24.960 --> 0:38:27.800 It's it's okay to be blessed. 0:38:27.840 --> 0:38:29.640 It's okay to be thankful for the gifts that you have, 0:38:29.719 --> 0:38:31.760 and it's okay to to have your wants and desires. 0:38:31.800 --> 0:38:32.800 It's just part of being human. 0:38:33.480 --> 0:38:36.479 But it's also praying for the tools to you know, God, 0:38:36.520 --> 0:38:38.600 how do I use these blessings that You've given me 0:38:38.719 --> 0:38:39.399 in the best way. 0:38:39.560 --> 0:38:41.600 Yeah, yeah, good God, I don't look at it. I 0:38:41.640 --> 0:38:45.920 got four kids, and my two older boys specifically have 0:38:46.000 --> 0:38:48.040 a lot of wants, and they come to me all 0:38:48.080 --> 0:38:50.719 the time, and I don't look at them when they 0:38:50.760 --> 0:38:52.839 ask me. Sometimes I look at them and go, dude, 0:38:52.840 --> 0:38:54.880 you don't really want that. I know you say you 0:38:54.920 --> 0:38:56.239 want that, but you don't really want that. 0:38:56.400 --> 0:38:56.920 Yeah. 0:38:57.320 --> 0:39:00.000 Other times, I'm doing everything I can. Most of the time, 0:39:00.239 --> 0:39:04.720 I'm doing everything I can as a human average father 0:39:05.120 --> 0:39:08.399 that's full of I'm not God even close to it, 0:39:09.200 --> 0:39:12.200 but I do everything I can to figure out how 0:39:12.200 --> 0:39:14.839 to get my boys what they want, even the things 0:39:14.840 --> 0:39:17.080 when I'm like, ah, it's not even I know it's 0:39:17.080 --> 0:39:18.960 not the best thing for them, but I'm but I 0:39:19.120 --> 0:39:22.360 never ever I'm like, dude, you're an idiot. Stop wanting 0:39:22.360 --> 0:39:24.759 the wrong thing, not one time, even if they keep 0:39:24.800 --> 0:39:27.560 doing it. Yeah, And I just think to myself, Man, 0:39:27.600 --> 0:39:30.400 if me and my human Jesus would say it, you know, 0:39:30.440 --> 0:39:34.560 if it's like if a father of the earthly would 0:39:34.560 --> 0:39:36.840 not give his son a scorpion if he asks for 0:39:36.840 --> 0:39:39.280 a piece of bread, do you think like your father 0:39:39.400 --> 0:39:43.680 in heaven, who is infinitely more kind and perfect and 0:39:43.760 --> 0:39:48.080 loving and one of his names is provider. You think 0:39:48.120 --> 0:39:51.480 he's pissed that you're asking about what you want. He's 0:39:51.520 --> 0:39:55.680 looking at his son or his daughter, gone, how do 0:39:55.760 --> 0:39:58.640 I get this to them? Like, I want to show 0:39:58.680 --> 0:40:00.759 them that I love them so much? His desire, He 0:40:00.920 --> 0:40:04.839 created us for this. How can I communicate that I 0:40:04.920 --> 0:40:08.560 love this son, this daughter so much? And so I 0:40:08.640 --> 0:40:10.840 just I think the enemy is the accuser, and the 0:40:10.960 --> 0:40:15.200 enemy is like, dude, you're you're a jerk for wanting that. Yeah, 0:40:15.200 --> 0:40:16.240 and I think that's shame. 0:40:16.440 --> 0:40:18.440 That's like, why would a father and I want his 0:40:18.560 --> 0:40:19.320 child to be happy? 0:40:19.400 --> 0:40:19.560 You know? 0:40:19.760 --> 0:40:25.080 And it's and I think that you know, it's it's 0:40:25.080 --> 0:40:28.040 exactly that as dad's we want our kids to be happy, 0:40:28.040 --> 0:40:29.400 and we want to give and we want to provide 0:40:29.440 --> 0:40:31.000 to them. And that's just a fraction of the love 0:40:31.040 --> 0:40:33.360 that we're getting from God. So it's like, of course 0:40:33.480 --> 0:40:35.680 he wants to bless us, but he also wants us 0:40:35.800 --> 0:40:38.920 to give us the tools to understand the value of 0:40:38.920 --> 0:40:43.080 the blessings and you know what directionally we need to 0:40:43.120 --> 0:40:44.080 be putting our stock in. 0:40:44.200 --> 0:40:46.040 So yeah, that's I want to know they want to 0:40:46.080 --> 0:40:47.840 go to crack about tonight. Yeah, I don't want to 0:40:47.840 --> 0:40:50.520 whip out that, you know, the pumpkin soup again for 0:40:50.680 --> 0:40:52.360 the freezer. I want to know, I want to go 0:40:52.360 --> 0:40:56.080 to Crack. Do you want to go to Crack? Let's 0:40:56.080 --> 0:40:57.640 go to It's such a good fair, Like what are 0:40:57.640 --> 0:40:58.160 your ages? 0:40:58.520 --> 0:40:59.080 Six and eight? 0:40:59.200 --> 0:41:01.879 Six and eight, nine and six and then the other 0:41:01.920 --> 0:41:05.959 ones that small ones three, I think the small ones, 0:41:05.960 --> 0:41:08.520 but like it's such a good for our ages. It's 0:41:08.600 --> 0:41:11.719 such a good family. It is kind of an expensive 0:41:11.719 --> 0:41:14.480 trip there because the front shop. 0:41:14.320 --> 0:41:16.560 Cracker Barrel, has been pretty good about keeping their prices 0:41:16.600 --> 0:41:18.480 locked in though we on the food. 0:41:18.880 --> 0:41:21.359 It's the retail journey through the through the. 0:41:21.520 --> 0:41:23.360 You can make get through the shopping in the beginning 0:41:23.360 --> 0:41:25.319 without any tears, you know it's gonna be a good Yeah. 0:41:26.920 --> 0:41:29.040 I love that. The only Cracker bare of family families. 0:41:29.080 --> 0:41:31.400 Because my daughter Emma, she calls it roll house. She 0:41:31.440 --> 0:41:32.360 loves Texas roadhouse. 0:41:32.440 --> 0:41:36.040 I'm like getting one in my neighborhood, like half a 0:41:36.080 --> 0:41:36.919 mile down the road. 0:41:37.040 --> 0:41:39.200 So we're rejected for the role house. 0:41:39.640 --> 0:41:41.720 The rose. She's like, can we go to Rollhouse tonight? 0:41:41.760 --> 0:41:44.239 And I'm like, look at you wanting steak? Got that 0:41:44.360 --> 0:41:46.400 like expensive dayste Okay? 0:41:46.960 --> 0:41:50.160 Love it, man, I'm just thinking about these prayers and 0:41:50.200 --> 0:41:52.040 like asking for the desires of your heart. I feel 0:41:52.040 --> 0:41:53.759 like something I've been learning lately too, is kind of 0:41:53.760 --> 0:41:56.040 in the beginning where you were saying that will be done, 0:41:56.120 --> 0:41:58.440 you know what I mean, whatever your will is in 0:41:58.480 --> 0:42:00.600 my prayers. I'm like, this is this is what I'm 0:42:00.640 --> 0:42:02.640 asking for, and this is what I'm believing for. But 0:42:02.840 --> 0:42:06.399 even if it's not what is for me, you're still 0:42:06.400 --> 0:42:10.239 good and learning that recently, like through like a really 0:42:10.239 --> 0:42:13.160 hard time, Like it's just even if this doesn't happen, 0:42:13.280 --> 0:42:16.560 you're still good and clinging to that and knowing that 0:42:17.160 --> 0:42:20.040 it's such a hard concept for people to grasp if 0:42:20.040 --> 0:42:22.760 they're not believers or if they're not you know, fully 0:42:23.640 --> 0:42:26.560 in their walk with Christ. So in those even if 0:42:26.640 --> 0:42:29.880 moments in your life, like say Waterloo Revival for example, 0:42:29.920 --> 0:42:31.680 in the very beginning of your career, you're like, oh, 0:42:31.760 --> 0:42:32.920 this is what I want, this is what I want, 0:42:32.920 --> 0:42:34.680 this is what I want, but it didn't happen for me, 0:42:34.719 --> 0:42:36.520 and you have this time in that moment of this 0:42:36.760 --> 0:42:40.880 even if period before songs go viral on social media 0:42:40.960 --> 0:42:42.920 and then you know, everything starts taking off for you. 0:42:43.560 --> 0:42:46.000 In those moments, what were your prayers. 0:42:45.680 --> 0:42:49.840 Like God, help me find peace in your plan for me. 0:42:50.080 --> 0:42:54.920 That's I always ask for, you know, help me feel 0:42:54.960 --> 0:42:58.960 your presence, help me calm the anxiety, and trust you. 0:42:59.040 --> 0:43:02.640 I'm always asked for him to help me trust him 0:43:02.680 --> 0:43:05.239 because I try to insert myself and I try to 0:43:05.239 --> 0:43:07.000 act like I know better, and I try to move 0:43:07.000 --> 0:43:09.759 in ways that maybe if I would be patient and 0:43:09.800 --> 0:43:12.000 trust him, it would work out. And He's given me 0:43:12.040 --> 0:43:13.919 plenty of examples of that. My first number one song, 0:43:13.960 --> 0:43:17.120 I wrote it, pitched it to Jason al Dean, Jason 0:43:17.120 --> 0:43:19.280 Alden was ready to cut it, take it into the studio, 0:43:19.880 --> 0:43:21.920 and he slowed me down, and I ended up getting 0:43:21.920 --> 0:43:24.479 a record deal and I ended up getting the song back. 0:43:24.560 --> 0:43:26.719 And there was a time where I was like, man, 0:43:27.360 --> 0:43:28.440 you know, I'm going to go put this out and 0:43:28.480 --> 0:43:29.680 it's not going to do anything. And I just took 0:43:29.680 --> 0:43:31.440 it away from the entertainer of the Year, and you 0:43:31.480 --> 0:43:35.359 know what, this is a huge where I literally kind 0:43:35.400 --> 0:43:37.400 of got bummed out and went on to be my 0:43:37.400 --> 0:43:40.040 first number one song broke me as an artist, and 0:43:40.400 --> 0:43:42.400 I wouldn't be here today without it. And that was 0:43:42.760 --> 0:43:45.240 God slowing me down and pointing me in the right direction. 0:43:45.920 --> 0:43:48.040 And I've had multiple cases of that. 0:43:49.440 --> 0:43:51.560 I have a duet about to come out this year 0:43:52.640 --> 0:43:54.920 with the biggest artists that I've ever collaborated with, and 0:43:54.960 --> 0:43:57.040 I wrote it two years ago and it was going 0:43:57.080 --> 0:44:00.960 to go another direction with a different artist, and you know, 0:44:01.120 --> 0:44:03.839 God slowed me down with the artist that I wrote 0:44:03.840 --> 0:44:06.000 it with, and we both agreed that, you know, it 0:44:06.080 --> 0:44:07.880 needed to go this other direction. And now it's going 0:44:07.960 --> 0:44:11.000 to be probably the biggest song that I've ever had 0:44:11.080 --> 0:44:13.680 a feature on. And God, God has a plan. 0:44:13.840 --> 0:44:16.239 So yeah, isn't it awesome? How kind God is? 0:44:16.440 --> 0:44:20.920 Yes, yes, just looking back at moments and just being like, oh, 0:44:21.040 --> 0:44:23.480 that's what you were doing. Yeah, those moments are just 0:44:23.520 --> 0:44:25.080 so priceless in life. 0:44:25.320 --> 0:44:27.600 And He would have let us, He would have let 0:44:27.640 --> 0:44:31.560 you go and make it happen. But that's the invitation. 0:44:31.640 --> 0:44:34.440 The opportunity is like, hey, you can have it now 0:44:35.320 --> 0:44:38.160 and you can force it, or you can slow down 0:44:39.160 --> 0:44:43.200 and listen and hit the bulls eye. And I think accuracy, 0:44:43.280 --> 0:44:47.680 the unprecedented accuracy. You know, I'm hunting that too. Of 0:44:47.840 --> 0:44:49.520 like God, I don't want to just keep like, oh, 0:44:49.600 --> 0:44:51.520 let's just try this, try this. Ten eynes in the fire, 0:44:51.560 --> 0:44:54.279 But like slow down and aim well, and that's what 0:44:54.320 --> 0:44:56.680 I hear in Like, that's so cool to hear that. 0:44:57.120 --> 0:44:58.920 Just yeah, I had this song and then it was 0:44:58.960 --> 0:45:01.200 just like, no, you know what doesn't feel like let 0:45:01.239 --> 0:45:04.400 me just keep that tension a little bit longer and 0:45:04.440 --> 0:45:06.479 then bang it and then it hits the bulls eye 0:45:06.920 --> 0:45:09.600 and then you're like, it's pretty awesome. 0:45:10.080 --> 0:45:10.920 And it's being. 0:45:10.719 --> 0:45:14.120 Able to listen to the pivot without doubting, you know, 0:45:14.280 --> 0:45:15.480 And that was I struggled. 0:45:15.719 --> 0:45:16.399 That's so hard. 0:45:17.160 --> 0:45:19.120 No, this is what I initially set my side on 0:45:19.160 --> 0:45:20.799 and I'm not going to take my eyes off because 0:45:20.840 --> 0:45:22.319 this is a path that I wanted to be on 0:45:22.600 --> 0:45:24.600 and that's the only path I'm going to go down. 0:45:25.080 --> 0:45:30.040 And it's when you let him guide, you take turns, 0:45:30.200 --> 0:45:33.319 listen to him, slow down, and talk to God enough 0:45:33.360 --> 0:45:37.839 to hear him talk back, is when you land where 0:45:37.840 --> 0:45:38.279 you need to be. 0:45:38.640 --> 0:45:41.840 Yeah, I'd love for you to give some just advice 0:45:41.920 --> 0:45:43.799 to anybody that might be watching or listening to the 0:45:43.840 --> 0:45:47.320 podcast that just might feel like they're in a season 0:45:47.440 --> 0:45:50.799 of God. I don't know what to do now. I'm 0:45:50.800 --> 0:45:54.000 not sure where my steps are supposed to go. Help 0:45:54.080 --> 0:45:57.000 me figure out what to do. Those people that are 0:45:57.000 --> 0:46:00.000 in those doubting seasons or those anxious, you know, seasons 0:46:00.080 --> 0:46:02.799 of like what is happening? What is some something that 0:46:02.840 --> 0:46:03.680 you'd speak into them. 0:46:04.680 --> 0:46:09.520 Well, first of all, I would just say patience and 0:46:09.800 --> 0:46:12.520 trust the process, and know that God is good, and 0:46:12.560 --> 0:46:15.200 know that He loves you and does have a plan 0:46:15.280 --> 0:46:18.600 for you. I moved to town ten years before I 0:46:18.640 --> 0:46:22.320 had my first hit ten years and fan and trailer 0:46:22.560 --> 0:46:27.560 of playing Nobody shows of anxiousness of wondering if it's 0:46:27.600 --> 0:46:32.759 ever going to happen. But I really feel very strongly 0:46:33.360 --> 0:46:37.680 that if you talk to God enough, you will hear 0:46:37.760 --> 0:46:39.640 him talk back. And if you ask him for direction, 0:46:39.719 --> 0:46:41.600 if you ask him for comfort, if you ask him 0:46:41.640 --> 0:46:47.200 for peace, which I do almost every day, he will 0:46:47.280 --> 0:46:50.080 eventually start to show you his plans. And then also, 0:46:51.000 --> 0:46:53.680 I think the thing that I was blind to forever 0:46:54.160 --> 0:46:58.920 because I was chasing fame and fortune and famous friends 0:46:58.920 --> 0:47:03.279 and shiny lights is pay attention to the people that 0:47:03.320 --> 0:47:05.520 God is putting in your life for a reason and 0:47:05.600 --> 0:47:09.080 lean into them, because He is everywhere, and you do 0:47:09.160 --> 0:47:10.960 have real friends, and you do have people that will 0:47:10.960 --> 0:47:12.560 help you get closer to God, and that will help 0:47:12.600 --> 0:47:14.680 you understand God more and people that will help you 0:47:14.719 --> 0:47:17.520 in your journey, and all of us, whether we know 0:47:17.560 --> 0:47:19.319 it or not, have people that He has put there 0:47:20.120 --> 0:47:22.960 to be resources and be support for us. Pay attention 0:47:23.160 --> 0:47:23.840 and find them. 0:47:23.920 --> 0:47:25.680 Yeah, it's really good. 0:47:26.239 --> 0:47:28.319 We always like to end the podcast with sort of 0:47:28.400 --> 0:47:30.680 just things in your life right now that maybe you 0:47:30.719 --> 0:47:31.760 and your wife and your family. 0:47:31.800 --> 0:47:33.080 What are you guys praying for right now? 0:47:34.400 --> 0:47:45.200 That's a great question. We are praying for, well, it's 0:47:45.239 --> 0:47:46.160 a pretty long list. 0:47:46.239 --> 0:47:47.600 Is a family because we do it every day. 0:47:47.719 --> 0:47:50.719 I think the biggest thing is we prayed for continued 0:47:50.719 --> 0:47:54.759 closeness as a family. We pray to also be like 0:47:54.800 --> 0:48:00.920 good resources and friends and a light that help shine God. 0:48:00.760 --> 0:48:01.240 In the world. 0:48:02.080 --> 0:48:04.399 We pray for safe travel because we're on the road 0:48:04.440 --> 0:48:07.760 all the time. And then you know, we're always praying 0:48:07.760 --> 0:48:09.480 for peace. This is a wild world and there's a 0:48:09.520 --> 0:48:13.239 lot going on, but just for God to have a 0:48:13.280 --> 0:48:15.360 hand in our life, for his voice to be heard, 0:48:15.400 --> 0:48:17.239 and for him to help guide us. 0:48:17.480 --> 0:48:18.600 Yeah all that all right? 0:48:18.640 --> 0:48:22.040 Well, Holy Spirit's asking you to pray today usually close 0:48:22.080 --> 0:48:24.640 things out, but theirs, like Mark Mark Mark, so. 0:48:25.200 --> 0:48:31.400 Absolutely, God, we just we humble ourselves just right now 0:48:31.440 --> 0:48:36.160 and we just bring to you all of these prayer 0:48:36.160 --> 0:48:42.680 requests goded this the success pointed to you as a lighthouse. 0:48:42.760 --> 0:48:48.200 I just thank you for this incredible family that they 0:48:48.360 --> 0:48:52.279 have been raised up for such a time as this God, 0:48:52.320 --> 0:49:00.600 that you have trusted, You've you have entrusted, literally trusted 0:49:00.640 --> 0:49:05.239 this season to a man and and a family with 0:49:05.640 --> 0:49:08.239 deep integrity and roots in you. I thank you for 0:49:08.280 --> 0:49:10.440 the process. I thank you for the pain, not because 0:49:10.480 --> 0:49:12.600 it makes sense, but because you were near through the 0:49:12.640 --> 0:49:15.319 whole thing, and you were close and you're close now. 0:49:15.320 --> 0:49:18.719 And I just pray, just even over this duet, I 0:49:18.800 --> 0:49:21.880 just feel like God, that there would be a blessing 0:49:22.640 --> 0:49:25.200 God in a grace on it like never before. I 0:49:25.280 --> 0:49:28.919 pray for the safe travel and the touring. I pray 0:49:29.000 --> 0:49:32.600 for you know. I just feel right now as we're praying, 0:49:32.680 --> 0:49:35.719 like God wants to give you like blueprints that are 0:49:35.800 --> 0:49:39.160 like different ways of doing things. Like it's like God 0:49:39.200 --> 0:49:42.920 wants to not in a contrarian way, but it's like 0:49:43.000 --> 0:49:45.080 he wants to give you keys and pathways even for 0:49:45.120 --> 0:49:47.400 the industry of changing it up. And I don't know 0:49:47.440 --> 0:49:50.239 what's in your heart as far as the ideas, but 0:49:50.280 --> 0:49:54.320 that there's supernatural ideas and keys to change up, change 0:49:54.360 --> 0:49:57.440 up the game. And I think you see things that 0:49:57.520 --> 0:50:00.560 other people don't see in terms of the past ways 0:50:00.600 --> 0:50:05.080 to what would lead to health in people's hearts. And 0:50:05.120 --> 0:50:07.840 I really think it's around health and it's around like 0:50:08.000 --> 0:50:11.000 just supernatural key. So God, I just pray for ideas, 0:50:11.040 --> 0:50:13.439 like from heaven. I pray for dreams, God to open 0:50:13.600 --> 0:50:18.800 up fresh ideas. The annoying on his life to build 0:50:19.600 --> 0:50:23.359 and to to architect, Like there's an architect anoying, and 0:50:23.400 --> 0:50:26.040 so I just pray for supernatural ideas. God for a 0:50:26.080 --> 0:50:31.000 blessing for innovation. God, I see it in songs. I 0:50:31.040 --> 0:50:34.040 also see it. Thank you, Lord for your hand on 0:50:34.080 --> 0:50:39.479 his life. Lord, this Daniel annoying God of this consistent Lord, 0:50:39.480 --> 0:50:42.080 you're raising him up. So we just bless his family, 0:50:42.120 --> 0:50:47.680 his children, health and friendship and just great team of 0:50:47.719 --> 0:50:52.480 bless his band around him on the road. In Jesus 0:50:52.640 --> 0:50:54.680 Mighty name, we pray Amen. 0:50:54.719 --> 0:50:56.719 Amen, Thank you, Mike. 0:50:57.239 --> 0:51:00.719 Absolutely sorry I went into a little bit of but 0:51:00.800 --> 0:51:03.080 I do feel, Bro, there's an architect like you kind 0:51:03.080 --> 0:51:05.120 of see the pathways and like God wants to give 0:51:05.160 --> 0:51:08.239 you that like the supernatural whatever. I don't know what 0:51:08.280 --> 0:51:08.680 it looks like. 0:51:09.600 --> 0:51:11.520 I'm trying to learn how to listen. So thank you, 0:51:11.719 --> 0:51:13.560 thank you for saying that broke. 0:51:13.640 --> 0:51:15.160 That was amazing. You guys are awesome.