Leap Year - February 29, 2024

Rhett 0:00

What's up everybody . Welcome to a special edition of Armchair Authentic with Rhett and Justin , a podcast designed to help you fulfill your God assignments through real conversations , real life , real people , all the real stuff , all the authentic stuff , all the vulnerability . Throw it in there , bro . Like we are doing something different today . We're taking a leap , justin . Oh , I see what you did there . Oh , man , it is leap year , baby , let's go Every four years . Every four years , we experienced a longest month in February . Today is February 29th and we just wanted to do something a little bit different today for how special it is .

Justin 0:34

Yeah , and it's really an indicator of what we're going to do as you follow along with us on this journey , because the episodes , it's what they are . A lot of them are pre -recorded . We're able to put a lot of focus behind those , but there's also current events that go on and just really with us an overwhelming sense of thankfulness that we have talked about it and we just need to jump in and not only just say thank you so much for what you have encouraged us with through this episode , but also sharing your stories , and we wanted to not just celebrate , hey , what's been happening , but we want to also have these moments . We can take time and respond to those of you who've reached out to us .

Rhett 1:11

Yeah , absolutely , because when we launched this about a month ago I guess at this point you know , we didn't know what to expect . We were literally , no pun intended , taking a leap , taking a step of faith To try to steward our stories in a way that helped people , and that's really the design of this whole thing . And because , as you mentioned , we pre-recorded these , we really wanted to take that moment to try to jump in and say thank you , because , you know , the last couple episodes were rather just a wonderful deep dive in your story and we're actually getting ready to launch the next Monday episode of an interview you did with me , that's right and so we just wanted to kind of bring some life and laughter and say thank you , thank you , thank you . We love you , we appreciate you and Justin

Shout Out To Several Cities Listening

Rhett 1:52

, all the overwhelming support from places like Las Cruces , new Mexico .

Justin 1:56

Yeah , man , when . I hear a state like that , I'm thinking , wow , that's amazing , you're listening , but also , you know , just want to give a shout out to a few of our cities from .

Rhett 2:03

Fort .

Justin 2:03

Mitchell , alabama , jackson and Gardendale Alabama .

Rhett 2:06

Absolutely , and many people know that we're based out of Birmingham . Most of our life has been here , and so we're thankful for everybody from Alabama , but to see this overwhelming response like Riverside California , I mean Salt Lake City , Utah let's go .

Justin 2:20

How about Wilburham Massachusetts ?

Rhett 2:22

Yeah , newport , richie , florida , come on , sandy Utah . Yeah , syracuse , new York , new York , you gotta say New York , new York , let's go . New York , arlington , texas , washington DC . Talk , I mean let's go .

Justin 2:36

I love that man . That's incredible .

Rhett 2:37

Our capital city .

Justin 2:38

Gastonia , North Carolina .

Rhett 2:40

Broken Arrow , Oklahoma .

Justin 2:43

Woodbridge Virginia . And let's go Eagle , idaho , where you at . And how about this with some of our hockey stories ? A shout out to Minneapolis , minnesota .

Rhett 2:52

Monks Corner , South Carolina .

Justin 2:54

And you know it wouldn't be right if we didn't mention Caldwell , Idaho .

Rhett 2:58

Caldwell , idaho . Let's go , nampa Boise .

Justin 3:00

We gotta give Georgia a shout out there , oh , let's go . And Florida , zephan Hills , one more .

Rhett 3:05

Can I do one more ? Yeah , one more sure .

Justin 3:07

Let's at least give a shout out to Spokane Washington , Spokane Valley .

Rhett 3:11

Yes , spokane Valley , washington , and hey , more than that , 99% of everybody's coming from the US . But you check this out , we got one brother or sister dialing in from India .

Justin 3:22

India , india .

Rhett 3:23

So , hey , if you are our you know listener right now spreading the love of our podcast in India , like I'm just so grateful .

Justin 3:31

Yeah , I could see Armchair Authentic doing something in India . It just doesn't shock me right now . It doesn't .

Rhett 3:37

It does not shock me at all .

Rhett 3:39

So , anyway , all that to say you can . You can hopefully sense our excitement in our joy for the opportunity to try to steward our story in a way to help all those who are currently listening and joining from all these cities , all these states . And we just wanted to say from the bottom of our heart , thank you . We're just two Alabama boys with a love for Jesus and we're just really want to share our stories , and not just our stories

Announcing Our First Guest Interview

Rhett 4:02

. But , justin , I mean we're getting ready Not , I know we're interviewing you , we did that and we're getting ready to interview me , but , like we've mentioned for the past few episodes that may , we're really going to be dialing into guests , you know , leaders , pastors , business owners , entrepreneurs , authors , like a lot of the people that we've kind of come in contact with , relationships with , and can we just kind of give a little drop of where we're headed after the two episodes interview with me .

Justin 4:29

I think , with the names that we're preparing , I think it's okay to go ahead and get started . Okay to go ahead and give the name of our first interview .

Justin 4:35

Okay let's do it , go for it . His name is the one and only Lance Ingram . What's cool about Lance is he , his ministry is warrior united . He has such a heart for men's ministry and helping men overcome just really a lot of the pressures , the addictions issues that , even when we've gone back into some of my interview and where you'll hear Rhett's interview also take us . It's something that men and women are dealing with and he has decided years ago . I mean , he went against all odds and just took it and stormed through and he has done such an amazing job . I can't wait to hear all that he's gonna say .

Rhett 5:13

He's a sharp dude . Yeah , I can't wait either . I mean I did . You know , lance and I go back to like 2010, . You know when I first moved back to Alabama in 2010 to be a part of Highlands and I'll never forget some of the great times we had together leading worship , because not only is he a great author , incredible husband , a father and has a , you know , a very impactful and influential ministry into men's lives and what he's doing , but I just have mad respect for him as a musician because he's an incredible drummer , whether or not he goes into any of the music background of his story , but phenomenal drummer and just some powerful things happen when he's behind a drum . Set Our goal with our conversations .

Justin 5:49

We're gonna take you there if you are being interviewed by Arm Charalthenic . So we're excited to have Lance Ingram .

Rhett 5:55

Some of you may know Lance . You know , I don't know if we'll get any of this out of him . Maybe we will , maybe we won't , but I think it'd be a lot of fun . You know , Dr Lou might make an appearance . I don't know , we'll see .

Justin 6:05

Well , who is Dr Lou Rick ? Give a little context .

Rhett 6:07

You know a little context . Maybe you've heard of this little radio show that's been going for 30 years called Rick and Bubba . Yeah , so Rick and Bubba are really good friends with Lance and Dr Lou is a makes a guest appearance , if you will , on the show from time to time giving some of his favorite Dr Lou Impersonations Impersonations and pics I don't know he might not , he might show up .

Justin 6:28

We're just gonna see what happens .

Rhett 6:29

Well , let it go . So , if anything , you're gonna get some . It's just gonna be a good time , man .

Justin 6:34

Anything we can do to get you stories that can inspire you as you are pursuing to fulfill your God assignment . We're going to try to do what we can to help you .

Rhett 6:44

Absolutely , and his story is inspiring and I know it's gonna make a huge impact and a difference in a lot of people who join in and listen , so it's gonna be great .

Justin 6:52

Yeah , and we want to thank you too , who you know . At the end of our podcast , we're always saying reach out to us , and we just wanted to really acknowledge you . Just take a couple of minutes and do that as well . Here's our hope .

Rhett 7:04

All right , we're sitting in the living room , we're talking .

Rhett 7:06

The reality of getting every single one of you in a room around the table for us to have a conversation obviously that's unrealistic , okay .

Rhett 7:14

But what is realistic is that if you do send in a comment , or you do send in an email and you're asking a question , or or you've got something that is stirring in your mind , in your heart , and you can remain nameless , right . But if there's something you're like , hey , how would y'all , you know , approach this topic , or how would y'all deal with this or that , or what have you seen through these situations in your life ? It could be family , it could be finances , it could be ministry , it could be pastoral , it could be music , whatever it is we want to bring you into , as if you're walking into this living room , into this environment , into these armchairs , having a conversation with us . We want to respond to it . So we want to have not only shout outs to you individually , but we want to be able to answer questions that you have about the real life that you're dealing with . And , rather than being a fly on the wall , we want you to be a fly at the table .

Rhett 8:00

That may sound disgusting , all right , but at the end of the day

Another Taco Bell Story

Rhett 8:03

, we want you in the conversation , and the only way we could have that participation is through your comments , and many of you have done that so far , and a lot of them have been around the topic of food . Okay , so I think it's interesting that a lot of people have been having fun with the Taco Bell stuff .

Justin 8:17

Well , I know , I know we can share some emails in a second , but one that actually happened in person was I did an event in Austin Texas a couple of weeks back and you know we had our Taco Bell story and I love how people have responded to that , because we definitely awoke something inside of you , because we got a lot of Taco Bell love out there . You'll get your Taco Bell . Well , I was in Austin Texas teaching this church staff and after some of their volunteers came to meet me after I spoke get this , the guy who introduced himself to me . He is like on this level of Taco Bell , okay . And he comes up and we just start talking . He hands me his card . It's got Taco Bell on it .

Justin 8:54

I'm thinking this is amazing . And I'm like oh , I love Taco Bell so much . And he said I'm coming to Birmingham , I want to take you to dinner . And then I responded by saying man , I love Taco Bell . I didn't mean to tell him like I want to go to Taco Bell . And he was like well , I'm going to take you to Taco Bell . And in my mind I'm like no , I think let's go to a steakhouse or something . But anyway , it's funny how that happened . Our Taco Bell story , taco Bell showed its face again even after the episode .

Rhett 9:25

Hey , you know , let's go to T Bell . I mean , I don't eat T Bell a lot , but and there's a reason for that , because the more fast food I eat , the more weight I gain . No offense to fast food . It's great , you know switching gears . Can I just be ? Can I be a little selfish in this ?

Justin 9:40

moment .

Rhett 9:40

This is , this is come on , because you're mentioning T Bell and how delicious it is and what a downfall every great , amazing restaurant is in , you know , outside of context . So I'm making a goal and

Weight Loss Goals

Rhett 9:53

here's my goal , and I'm using this in a selfish platform and a selfish way . This is accountability , and this is an accountability tool for me , and so I'm asking you to hold me accountable , and I'm asking our own chair family to hold me accountable . This might come back to bite me .

Justin 10:06

Got you .

Rhett 10:06

It's so here it is . My goal this year is to lose 25 pounds by 25 .

Justin 10:12

Oh man , so you've got this .

Rhett 10:13

So I appreciate that I really do , and not that I'm like overweight , but I'm at a place where I'm like , okay , I'm heavier than I've ever been and my metabolism isn't speeding up at 46 . It's doing the opposite . And so , yeah , we bought some gym equipment , some very like Facebook marketplace type stuff , just to kind of get get us going , so I don't have to spend all the money at the gym . We're taking a step but I'm drinking a lot of water and just trying to get going , so stay out of the chocolate .

Justin 10:42

Not as much , maybe a little .

Rhett 10:44

I mean , I'm still in moderation . You know , I know what do they say . Like you know , weight loss or whatever is 30% exercise , 70% diet or whatever it might be . I can see that , you know , and I hate that , but you know it is what it is . I could work out all day long , but if I'm not eating better .

Rhett 10:59

So anyways , all the references made me think of that and

Baumhowers Wings vs Buffalo Wild Wings

Rhett 11:03

I want you to know that . One big comment I got was hey , rhett , like really bomb hour wings , you're really choosing B dubs over bomb hours ? And the answer is yes , absolutely . I was from one of my buddies and he and his wife who planted a church down in the Orlando area . I'm with your buddies and I'm like , dude , there's not even a bomb hours in Orlando . If there is , I'm sorry I didn't recognize it , but like anyways , so B dubs is where's that ? Let's go , come on , if you're a B dub train , let me , let me know you know , hit it up in the comments . So what ? Yeah , I would really that . I know it's silly , but like I would really love to know Buffalo Wild Wings versus bomb hours . Where are we at with our current ? You know people that are on this journey with us in the family armchair , authentic family . What's your favorite ? What's your favorite ? And let's see , let's see what people do . Anything else we want to chat about before we say goodbye ?

Justin 11:50

today

Email from Diane - Encouraged By Our Vulnerability

Justin 11:51

from the interview that we just did , there was an email from Diane . Yeah , and it was really encouraging . She said you know , just talking about the interview , she said , justin , your story really resonated in my heart . There've been times when I felt I had to be like others to accomplish God's work , rather than being who he created me to be and allowing him to work through me . And the devil is so tricky . She added . From that line , we said thank you for opening yourself up and letting us see that even pastors have struggles . I love the friendship the two of you have and I love your podcast , diane . Thank you so much for that . And that whole interview was all about letting you guys really get a look into me , and you're going to see the same thing coming up from Rhett . We do all go through our struggles , but our goal is to see this and finish strong , not just be a flashing pan that starts it out . So continue to sending your comments , because all glory to Jesus on all this and we want to celebrate with you .

Email from Michael - The Podcast's Very First Email

Rhett 12:53

An email from Michael . Michael , I would just want to say you were the number one first person to ever send us an email at info At armchairauthenticcom . And so , michael , you got to get a shout out man , and so I'm not going to read the whole email , but the gist of it was he was just saying hey , me and my best friend there were very , so pumped to hear your memories , your stories and your perspective from two best friends and brothers in Christ . And here's the specific reason they're excited is because they're trying to navigate their early thirties and just really trying to find their assignments in life from the Lord and make the most of those in every moment . So , michael , thank you for your email . We're grateful that you guys are along for the journey , you and your friend .

Rhett 13:30

Here's the vision . The vision is again very simple we're trying to help you fulfill your God assignment real conversations about real life with real people . We've had people ask us

To Be Or Not To Be? That Is The Video Question

Rhett 13:41

hey , when are you going to do video ? When are you going to put this up ? And I would say this we're working towards that . In fact , we got a camera on us right now and we're testing some of these things . Hey , and we're , and so our hope is that we can continue to serve you in some really cool ways . We are attempting to do this weekly on Mondays , dropping them on Mondays , and that's our hope that we're able to sustain that . And so , depending on the season of life we're in , as , first of all , husbands , fathers , right , and then pastoral leadership that we do within our ministries , we're going to do the best to continue to be able to do that . That is our hope . Some people were wondering

Blooper Wrap Up

Rhett 14:18

All right , guys , I hope you've enjoyed a little bit of different . Take a leap with us . Let's go . I'm all . What are you like ? Laughing ?

Justin 14:25

at me as if I'm trying to come up with you and your . It's better than armchair . Authentic baby . I don't know that's grown up now . I got the t-shirt in the middle on the way .

Rhett 14:34

Oh hey , really , Are you serious ? No , oh man , I was like that would be awesome .

Justin 14:39

Let's do it , that is so authentic baby the armchair .

Rhett 14:43

Take a leap , baby , I'll leap here . Here we go . All right guys , see ya , bye .