Rhett: 0:00

it's the purple stuff, baby, like it comes in a can. Oh gosh, cranberry. Oh, it's amazing like dude you cannot have thanksgiving awful how are we even friends?

Justin: 0:12

sweet potatoes you're an alabama fan, I'm an auburn fan. You hate they came from.

Rhett: 0:16

You hate sweet potatoes I love sweet potatoes you don't like cranberry sauce I love it.

Justin: 0:22

Dude, let me hold on. Evokes the same response it's fruit.

Rhett: 0:27

It's like a fruit, I mean it's fruit right I love cranberry juice that makes no sense. I hate it.

Rhett: 0:48

What is going on? Armchair Authentic Podcast family, it is great to have you back for another episode of the podcast with Rhett and Justin Today. Can I be honest with you? We're having a lot of fun. It's Thanksgiving week and Justin and I are diving into everything. We're thankful for All the festivities, the parades, the traditions, the food. Come on somebody, the food. Yes, you've heard it here. We dive into all of that, into a fun conversation. So we cannot wait to get into that.

Rhett: 1:20

But before we do always want to take a moment and say thank you to every single one of you who have taken the time to rate and review the podcast. Man, it means so much to Justin and I, but more than that, it truly is a great way that we can serve those who aren't on this journey yet. Now, if you're new to the podcast, welcome as a friend and family. We are so great to have you with us. Could I encourage you to go to Instagram or Facebook and follow us on social media? You can find us at both platforms at Armchair Authentic that's Armchair Authentic. You can also follow us over on X at Armchair Auth Pod. That's Armchair Auth A-U-T-H-P-O-D. That's Armchair Auth A-U-T-H-P-O-D. Now one thing I've been encouraging all of us to participate in lately is this If you've been enjoying the podcast, would you do us a huge favor, would you take a moment and pull your phone out, copy the link on your favorite podcast platform and send it to a friend man? That would mean so much to us. Thank you, all right guys.

Rhett: 2:24

Now onto the episode, a conversation all about Thanksgiving. Justin, it is my favorite week out of the entire year. I cannot believe we're finally here. Thanksgiving week. Baby, let's go.

Justin: 2:41

Man, I echo the same sentiment because I'm the same way. This is my favorite week of the year too. I love it.

Rhett: 2:47

The reason it's my favorite, and my wife has really brought me in on this and helped me to understand this, and maybe I would not have recognized this on my own. So I needed the wisdom of the woman of God. But the beautiful thing about Thanksgiving, man, is the fact that you get all the family time. You get all the food, without the pressure of all the holiday gifts. That's true. That's true. You know, christmas is amazing. I mean, I love Christmas, it's family, it's fun, it's food. But then there's that added pressure of, oh, did I get the right gift? Did I get the gift? I mean, like, got football on, let's go. I don't know what teams are like, you know you love, or what you like, or who's doing well or who's not, but at the end of the day, macy's Day Parade, you know, come on, let's go.

Justin: 3:47

I mean my day. First of all, I used to never take the week off. What I do like, my line of work is I'm a pastor and so we're on staff as like an associate pastor, and that was always the slowest week and for years when I was with the music ministry, I would stay there and just I could get so much done because it felt like nobody was there or people would drive through town and they'd stop by the church cafe and I would hang out with them and it was. It seemed good. But one year I told Summer I'm going to start taking the week off and just see what it's like.

Justin: 4:11

Yeah, cause it was hard for me to stop at one point, and years ago I decided that's. I'm going to take the week off, never look back, and so that's such a fun part for me. I'm, I'm, I'm locked in. You know, kids are out, it's your families together. You're getting to do kind of cool stuff and with me one of the things on thanksgiving day I started this a few years ago I wake up and it's usually a beautiful day. Where we live, you know, the temperatures are actually not freezing no, we're like in the 60s, but yeah, mostly at least recently it's been like that.

Justin: 4:45

I'll go get the leaf blower and I will blow all the leaves that have accumulated in my driveway and I'm basically getting the basketball goal ready. Okay, because I know that night family's coming over and we get like the epic basketball game.

Rhett: 4:59

There you go.

Justin: 5:00

And we'll turn on the lights if we play all day and it starts to get dark. But it's like this day. I get into this. Get the house kind of ready just like because you have guests but get the outside ready. I don't know. It's this sense of I'm just grateful. And then I got the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the background, which the kids will walk through, and if it's a certain artist they'll watch it. Yeah.

Rhett: 5:24

Sometimes it's just it's background noise. Can we talk about Thanksgiving day parade for a minute? I mean, I loved the back in the day when it was actually live, Like I don't know if you. You know to those people who aren't musical or thinking through production, lens and everything like the, the production now is that it is all lip sync, Like they pull the float up, they play the music loud through speakers and then the you know everybody is just lip singing and having a party and throwing around la, la, la la, then then they fade it out and then they just kind of have to like all right, the song's over and keep moving.

Rhett: 5:53

Well, back in the day it used to be live and you had no idea what was going to happen and how it was going.

Rhett: 5:57

But you know, what's funny now is we sit around and we laugh. We're like, okay, watch, they're gonna fade the music up. And then they kind of put the mic so close to their mouth, like these artists, to where it looks like they don't, and then they start playing the track and they don't know. When the track's coming in, they're like, oh, all I want for christmas is you, you know. And then they start fading it out.

Justin: 6:15

They're still singing and it's like they're on to the next thing they're quite the little actors because they have to really cheese it up. I mean they really do but my favorite float, if.

Rhett: 6:24

If you're gonna name like I just my favorite one is the sesame street one I don't know why I love that one. That's interesting. Well, tell me about that. I don't know this is from childhood trauma or not, but like I don't know, oscar the grouchy got big the yeah, the big yellow bird. Big bird, the big, the big yellow bird.

Justin: 6:45

What is the name of that big yellow bird?

Rhett: 6:49

the big. I literally I forgot big bird, you know you know all of that and it's still some of the same crew, like I feel like they've had so many, you know, I don't know, maybe work done to where these older people that were like, look, i't know, there's the same people, like they're living forever man, they do live forever, see. I'm more like I was going to say they had plastic surgery done to make them still look like they're in their 20s and 30s still dancing around with it, but no, if I'm not mistaken, like Jimmy Fallon comes out with the Sesame Street crew and stuff.

Rhett: 7:20

They've done a good job bringing in a lot of. Hollywood actors and making it very relevant, like Sesame.

Justin: 7:25

Street. They have had a way to kind of stay relevant yeah they really have. I've just been more of the Charlie Brown, oh, okay.

Rhett: 7:32

I love.

Justin: 7:33

Snoopy all that stuff. That's always fun for me Kermit the Frog.

Rhett: 7:37

I mean, that was one of my favorites.

Justin: 7:39

I love the Muppets.

Rhett: 7:39

Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here.

Justin: 7:41

You always did it good. I always did it worse than you did.

Rhett: 7:45

You did, kermit the Frog, kermit the Frog here. Welcome to Armchair Authentic.

Justin: 7:53

Well, there, little green froggy, there's a one for the money, a two for the show.

Rhett: 7:58

I can't do it right now. You're a lot better than I am. I need to catch up on my Kermit the Frog. It's all in the. You're a lot better than I am. I need to catch up on my Kermit the Frog Bro.

Justin: 8:08

we went to Vegas years ago and I was talking in Elvis impersonation.

Rhett: 8:13

Oh, I bet you they loved it.

Justin: 8:14

Oh, I loved it, man. I just loved it.

Rhett: 8:16

Okay, but the Kermit, the Frog float, it's a good one. The Snoopy's?

Justin: 8:19

a good one.

Rhett: 8:21

You know you're older. When they start bringing floats down, You're like what is this?

Justin: 8:26

I know, yeah, oh, that's pokemon.

Rhett: 8:27

I'm like what, yeah?

Justin: 8:28

well, I know the name, but I've never gotten into it. But yeah, here's something I've never, ever gotten into. But there's a but here. I've never been into spongebob and I know it's like, revolutionary like everybody loves spongebob, but I will say, at the beginning of this year one of my great friends, cj his son, was actually in a musical. Okay, it was spongebob spongebob and so we bought tickets. The bradshaw six showed up and I was blown away at children's theater.

Justin: 8:57

No, it was at um it local, like a local middle school oak mountain okay yeah, where we live and we went to go watch it and I was blown away Like the music was so catchy and I'm like, well, I've always not cared anything about SpongeBob and we went listening to the SpongeBob musical for the next three months. Oh, that's funny, it was our drive on our way to school and our way back home.

Rhett: 9:20

Well, the music is good. I can't speak for the content, but everybody I've ever met that ever kind of grew up on it, you know, swears by. It was so fun so. But the Thanksgiving Day Parade is a lot of fun Generally. The Sesame Street float is my favorite because, if I remember correctly, I feel like that's where Fallon and his team comes out on that float. I could be wrong the float and they'll do things.

Justin: 9:41

But then they'll get interviewed by the network and they just have or they'll have. The president will jump in and do a quick little interview it's just a fun day. It sets up for the day ahead the football, everything that you were just naming, dallas cowboys, yeah nationally.

Rhett: 9:55

They usually play washington. Well, yeah, the commanders. Now the commanders. It's so hard for me, man, like it was the redskins for me. It's so hard for me, man, like it was the Redskins for me, it's so hard for me, to call on the Commanders which?

Justin: 10:04

by the way, a few weeks ago, you know, at the time that this is airing, the Washington Commanders had quite the Hail Mary pass.

Rhett: 10:12

Oh my gosh, With a new quarterback and they beat the Chicago Bears. What's that guy's name? Jefferson Jefferson.

Justin: 10:17

Oh my gosh, oh man Did you see, the Bears player who was like the, he was, he was the the corner the he was covering back left. So obviously everybody's kind of playing back to prevent the game's over, yeah.

Rhett: 10:31

There's no way they're going to help Mary.

Justin: 10:33

They're like their own 30 or 35, and he's taunting. Go watch it If you haven't watched this anybody. If you can see he's taunting the crowd Even as the play starts. He's kind of taunting.

Rhett: 10:47

And he just kind of lollygags he makes his way over to the play.

Justin: 10:51

Oh wow, and he just jumps up. He's the guy who accidentally tipped it into the hands of the commander's player Wow, of all people, of course. Talk about 60 minutes.

Rhett: 11:03

Humility or humiliation, I mean, oh my gosh.

Justin: 11:06

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.

Rhett: 11:08

It was one for.

Justin: 11:09

I mean just to remember, could you?

Rhett: 11:11

imagine the coach coming by and having to say this is the difference between college and NFL. It's like these grown guys are doing what they probably hard to coach.

Justin: 11:18

I would imagine yeah.

Rhett: 11:19

But golly, I mean, if you're not humbled and humiliated in that moment, that's ridiculous, and the media is going to let you hear about it. Oh, are they giving them a hard time?

Justin: 11:27

I miss this If you get a chance later and even when you're listening now you can find it. I mean just kind of the person who tipped the ball, or you could probably type in like mocking the fans you know, and put in the name of the football team.

Justin: 11:42

But it was the Bears player mocking the fans, just kind of pointing at him like we got this, and then he just kind of you have some of the other fans like look, look, like go jump in, and he just kind of halfway around that ball, bounce in that guy's athletic.

Justin: 11:56

I mean he jumped up there, boom, knock the ball, the people. If he wouldn't have gone to even help the play, the guys in place were just knocking it down. But he jumps up there and kind of hits his own teammates, knocks the ball up and it goes into the guys. Oh wow, hands in the end zone. We were watching.

Rhett: 12:13

We watched that on the plane we were flying back, me and a buddy from Helena. Montana, which I'm very grateful to have experience to serve a pastor up there, and so we were watching the game back.

Justin: 12:21

We're like, oh my God we're like trying not to be like crazy on the plane, but that was insane. That was pretty wild, so you had a good time, by the way, in Helena.

Rhett: 12:29

I know we're talking about Thanksgiving, but yeah, no. But yeah, Helena was great. We can talk about that. But you know, I had opportunity with the Relief Pastors, to go up and serve a pastor whose son, honestly, was getting married in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and you know the beauty of Relief Pastors if you don't know what I do. We have a 501c3. It's a nonprofit and we serve pastors across the country and the goal is to help them rest well so they can lead well and sustain life and ministry and be together with their family for moments just like this. So there's a pastor in Helena, Montana, who planted a church in 2017. And the church has grown. It's great, but it's not at the level to where they can really afford somebody to come in and give them a time off, to where they can be with family, and so they were really the position of what are we going to do on a Sunday? I want to be able to be at my son's wedding.

Rhett: 13:18

That's a big deal right, and so the beauty of Relief Pastors is that I have the opportunity to serve a pastor like this at no expense to them.

Justin: 13:28

Yeah, so that's the beautiful part about it.

Rhett: 13:29

It's like there's no like. The pastor doesn't have to pay us to come in. The pastor is not, you know, having to think about it. We come in, we serve them. So it was me and a buddy. Uh, you know, we led worship together and I preach because it's a small family church and in the worship team and everything is family, and so they needed somebody who could do both and we did both and it was a great blessing.

Justin: 13:49

Man. I watched it. It was awesome and I will say it's because of the generosity of a lot, of, a lot of people, a lot of churches, who and I know you're not going to ever do this. But I would say reliefpastorscom, if this even hits you when you hear that you should go log on to that site and he has done such a great job. You've done a great job breaking down every detail. No matter what geographical location somebody is in, you've had somebody go in and map out the country to know exactly the expense. Wherever you might have a tug of your heart might actually be for the Pacific Northwest, it might be for the West, wherever it is. He has a price on that that you could actually take care of a pastor.

Rhett: 14:32

Yeah.

Justin: 14:33

And because of the generosity of so many places, it's allowing you to actually go and serve a pastor like this so he can actually be at his son's wedding. Yeah.

Rhett: 14:43

So one of the things I'm thankful for on Thanksgiving week is the opportunities that God has brought me and allowed me to get to serve other pastors, and so the beautiful thing about this is 100% of everything that's given to the organization goes directly to being able to serve pastors. You know, and the beauty it's it's, it's. I'm so blown away that I get to do this. We've really just started launching this out of a dream and really out of a hurt and kind of at a pain that I was in as leading a church and running at such a fast pace and not having enough money to really where I could bring in guest speakers to give my family a chance. We can get away, create memories, and of course, I didn't have a son getting married. But you know, there's all the variables can be different, but the beautiful thing is we do get to serve people.

Rhett: 15:26

So I know I don't know if it's giving week or whatever that looks like for you If you're praying through an organization, you'd like to give money to ask the Lord and if he speaks to you and you feel like you want to be a part of that, great. If not, no worries, but like, go to reliefpast pastorscom. We didn't even I didn't plan on doing this but go to relief pastorscom and, uh, and, and it would mean so much, not just to me, but it would mean so much to keeping pastors, um, you know, in the field man and getting a chance so they can have a healthy family, um, so healthy. Here's what I say healthy, healthy church, yeah. So we want to keep pastors healthy and a lot of people just don't realize how hard it is for these men and women and their kids, and I love, I think it's, it's.

Justin: 16:08

I mean, this is probably the most appropriate episode to say it, because we are, we're we're thinking about what are we thankful for.

Rhett: 16:14

Yeah.

Justin: 16:15

And I'm so grateful for what you're doing because it's I mean, it's I was watching the service because anytime you go somewhere, if I have the availability, I'm kind of locking in on the link just to hear you and it's always so cool. You're always so honoring to the pastor. I can imagine he's watching it and peeking in wherever he is in Oklahoma and he has to be thinking, wow, rhett, that was so honoring and just so on point with where we're going as a church. He gets to now come back and pick up exactly where he left off before he stepped away. And I think that's what's great, because we don't talk about this much, because you're not one to bring any attention to it, because it kind of defeats the purpose and it's kind of the reason. It's probably hard for you to ask, which I'm glad that you did today, because it's kind of an under you kind of need to be hidden under the radar to do this, because your goal is not to bring anything to yourself.

Justin: 17:11

You are, in essence, a part of that church. The weekend that you're there, you're running their play, you're making sure they feel celebrated and that they're actually being drawn closer to the Lord, and I think that's a beautiful part about relief pastors.

Rhett: 17:24

Well, I appreciate that because it is our heart not to be seen but to be, you know, as weird as this may sound, but to be felt like.

Rhett: 17:31

We really want to go and serve the pastors in a way, and this is what we did.

Rhett: 17:35

Literally every conversation I met, almost like 90% of every person that walked through the door, I showed love and appreciation to them, but I bragged on the pastors because, honestly, the pastors are crushing it.

Rhett: 17:45

They're doing a great job and I'm so proud of them, their investment, their sacrifice, and I'm reminding the people you know, one-on-one in conversation, but then even from the platform, of how grateful that we all are for their pastors to take the step and to make the investment and the sacrifice of their life and their family and their finances and everything that they've given to create a life-giving church, for people to come into a relationship with God and to have community and family, to deal with their past so that they can begin to see the significance of their future and to discover their destiny through their gifts and their passions, so that they can go out and make a difference in the world, man. And so we got a chance to do that and I'm very thankful for that. So you know, as I'm thinking of Thanksgiving week and we're talking about this episode, I'm just, you know, I'm really grateful that the Lord's opened that opportunity. So, yeah, back to the football, though like that that we were watching that on the plane back from Helena.

Justin: 18:35

But not only that, something you said there's like a thousand TVs. Oh my gosh. It's called for us Once again, we know a lot of listeners are around the country in non-college football. We got your attention when we were talking NFL a while ago right, yeah, yeah, yeah but you don't know college football, but it was Saturday. Saturday, you and your travel companion, who came with you on that day, like you guys, are sitting in Buffalo, wild Wings and thousand TVs.

Rhett: 19:06

Yeah. So a thousand TVs. Let me back up, I will get to that. So we wake up Saturday morning and if you're, if you're in the South or the Southeastern, you like college football. I mean like college game day is on the TV. Let's go, we love that. So we go down and we get breakfast at the little free breakfast place at the hotel and nothing's on the TV like news. We're like, uh, we asked the people like, hey, could you put college game day on? They were like, uh, what, I don't know what that is, but sure so would they put it on the TV. And you know there's probably 20 people in this little buffet type breakfast thing. You know, it's your typical. You know egg, sausage, bacon and a tv in the background. So they turn it on and we're like, um, they didn't turn the volume up. We're like, could you turn the volume up for us? That'd be great. And so we're watching it, eating breakfast and nobody's paying attention to it not one person.

Rhett: 19:54

They don't care, yeah I mean why, when you get the mountains and the rockies and the beautiful like it, I don't know, I guess, but we're like I can't believe we're in a culture where people don't watch football and so we're like, all right, well, we'll go to Buffalo Wild Wings and watch the game later.

Justin: 20:06

We're going to hang out with the fans yeah, where the fans are, with a thousand TVs.

Rhett: 20:10

We get there and all the TVs on a Saturday have boxing, have horse racing, have anything and everything but football. They had one game on and it was the Grizz. I asked the lady. I said who is the Grizz? I'm like Montana.

Justin: 20:25

State Of course.

Rhett: 20:27

Oh, of course. Okay, yeah, could you take one TV out of a thousand TVs and at least put the Alabama game on, you know, because they were the only team we were interested in watching at the moment and they were like, well, we can't do that, I'm like what do you mean?

Justin: 20:42

you can't do?

Rhett: 20:43

that I was like nobody's watching these TVs and I'm like, okay, you know, and it's noon, I'm so used to like okay, so anyways, they've eventually found a way to do it. They put it on and nobody's paying attention except for Mark and I. You know we're watching it. I don't know, it's just it's you know. I get it Like every part of the country and the world is different and you know us growing up around football and this culture is a big deal and it's really not a big deal to some places in the country.

Justin: 21:09

It still blows my mind. I was just blown away. We do share the interest of Buffalo Wild Wings, so good, good food, which once again, is a great transition to Thanksgiving, because it's all about the food. And I'll tell you one of the things that I look forward to the most. Okay, summer makes this jalapeno corn. Oh, and as we're even talking about food over here Buffalo wild wings I'm already like I'm tasting it, salivating right now. Oh, it's just so good. It's this cream corn and it's got a kick. It's got jalapeno.

Justin: 21:39

Oh bro, yeah, it's the dish that I mean. People will come by. It was funny. It's like for years even. You know, unfortunately, you go through family, you go through people who have divorces. It's always sad, right, and Thanksgiving can sometimes be a time where they exchange the kids. You know, and our house was kind of the. Our house is the house the family comes to, okay. So there's the meeting points where they swap.

Justin: 22:04

This is your time to have the young, Even the exes, who would no longer be at Thanksgiving. It's like they would come in and be like and Summer would always have like a red solo cup of jalapeno cream corn ready Because they're not going to miss out on the cream corn. Yeah, no.

Rhett: 22:19

I got to get some.

Justin: 22:28

I know I'm just coming through you gotta, it's that good they're working out.

Rhett: 22:30

That's all exchanging the young ones yeah, for their time with the their other parent around. I'm gonna need to get that recipe, man, because I love it that reminds me of.

Justin: 22:35

I remember growing up with rod and shelly yes, and I remember their man, their jalapeno baked beans. But I also remember them.

Rhett: 22:42

I I think they started. They introduced me to the jalapeno cream corn too, okay, and so I've always was like, hey, man, I need to get some of that, and so I need to throw.

Rhett: 22:50

I need to get that to linda you, yeah oh, she would kill that, oh I think she would enjoy that oh yeah, you would be like me and I eat on it for the next three days well, when it comes to thanksgiving, I will tell you this Linda has spoiled me because I know everybody's biased to their own food and everything, but the way Linda makes it is like, listen, I am blessed, I am highly favored, and God just poured out his blessing on me through Linda and her cooking and the whole family is like, hey, is Linda cooking Thanksgiving? Okay, where's that going to be? We're there, so we're doing Thanksgiving at our house this weekend.

Rhett: 23:26

Oh, that's so cool man, and it's because she can throw down.

Justin: 23:29

And she can throw down some good food.

Rhett: 23:30

And I've had a lot of people's Thanksgiving food and I'm not just kissing up to my wife here, but I mean, like the reality is Truth, is truth. Truth is when we planted the church in Idaho and we were there and all the families that were a part of our church, that maybe were transient or lived in Idaho that didn't have family there, they all came over and we made a big meal and it was always amazing and they were always like this is what real food tastes like.

Justin: 23:53

Well, you know what one of the polarizing foods are is dressing.

Rhett: 23:56

Is it dressing or stuffing?

Justin: 23:58

Yeah, I don't know. There's a polarizing topic right there.

Rhett: 24:01

Stuffing is like what you actually put into the turkey and you cook it with a turkey and then you pull it out. Yeah.

Justin: 24:08

Right and just get your hands in there and appliances and yeah, yeah, pull and fried turkey or what's the polarizing it's like? Are you a fried turkey guy or are? You, the turkey guy, I love it all Okay, but I'm picky on dressing. Are you the turkey guy or are you the smoked turkey guy? I love it all Okay, but I'm picky on dressing. Yeah, and I was spoiled because, Summer's mom made the best dressing. Okay, and she's passed, but no one can make it quite like her.

Justin: 24:31

Yeah, but I've tasted something that's good. Yeah, but you know how you go. Sometimes people make it with croutons, some people make it a certain way, and I'm to make fun of any of them. I'll give everyone a fair taste.

Rhett: 24:41

That's like the people that make sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top or without marshmallows on top I'm a non-marshmallow kind of person.

Justin: 24:48

I mean I'll eat it.

Rhett: 24:49

But if you bring it over it's got a ton of marshmallows on. I'm like it's gonna still be good, but I'd much rather have it without marshmallow.

Justin: 24:55

But you said sweet potato and I don't do sweet potato this is polarizing oh, I can't believe you don't do sweet potato. That evokes a throw-up feeling in me.

Rhett: 25:03

Oh, bro, you are messing with some people's minds right now. That is the best. It's dessert.

Justin: 25:08

Something happened at the daycare that I grew up in and we had sweet potatoes there and there is something I equate it to that to this day I cannot touch anything with sweet potatoes. I can't smell it. I'm sorry, man.

Rhett: 25:21

You are missingging me and summer loves it.

Justin: 25:23

And she'll tell you, do not get that close to me, really. You know what I love? Sweet potato pie.

Rhett: 25:31

That makes no sense. That makes no sense. And we have people tuning out right now. They're like I can't follow this podcast.

Justin: 25:38

They're going to have to leave them. You've just offended them. No, because it is, I cannot do. Oh man, pumpkin pie in my head is just amazing pie and I have to make it with coffee, but sweet potatoes seriously, it creates a gag reflex and I would go throw up if you tried to make me eat it.

Rhett: 26:01

So note to self, if you ever invite Justin over. Do not make sweet potato pie, no, please.

Justin: 26:06

Like no, you can make sweet potato pie. What did I just miss? You can't make sweet potatoes. Oh well, is there a difference? I don't know. But in my head there is and I can eat sweet potatoes. I mean sweet potato pie, because it's cold.

Rhett: 26:19

Oh it's the cold or warmth you, because it's cold. Oh it's the cold or warmth, you don't want to eat it when it's warm.

Justin: 26:22

I don't know what I want.

Justin: 26:23

Oh, okay, well, because I never put it together, some people call it sweet potato pie and some people call it sweet potatoes and it's like okay, well, for years I thought I was eating pumpkin pie and someone told me, you know, and I was like I love this pumpkin pie, that eating sweet potato pie, okay, and then someone told me, you know that pie that you love, that you doll up that whipped cream on top of. I said yeah, you're like you know that's not pumpkin pie. So what is it? They said that's sweet potato pie and it didn't ruin it for me. Well, there you go.

Rhett: 26:56

So I love pumpkin pie.

Justin: 26:57

I love sweet potato pie. Okay, I will. But when you say sweet potatoes, I'm trying to let the audience enjoy that with you. Yeah, but when you ask me the polarizing questions with or without marshmallows, I would say just give me the marshmallows.

Rhett: 27:12

Can you just like take the layer of marshmallows off and put? That on my plate, please. You just like? Take the layer of marshmallows off and put that on my plate, please? I would consider that, so I'll tell you I love turkey, as long as it's cooked right. If it's dry, I'm not going to eat it.

Justin: 27:23

Can't do it.

Rhett: 27:23

But I am amazed at how much I love ham these days. I love ham Like I love being Costco. You got to get there, get that ham. I don't know if it's a honey glazed ham or what it is, but my goodness, if turkey and ham is on my plate, I'm going for the ham and you got to have. Oh, my goodness, whoa, it's the, it's the. It's the purple stuff, baby, like it comes in a can. Oh gosh Cranberry. Oh, it's, amazing Like dude you cannot have Thanksgiving. How are we even friends? Sweet potatoes.

Justin: 27:55

You're an Alabama fan, I'm an Auburn fan. You hate sweet potatoes I love sweet potatoes.

Rhett: 28:02

You don't like cranberry sauce.

Justin: 28:04

I love it. It's the same. Evokes the same gag response it's fruit.

Rhett: 28:10

It's like a fruit. I mean, it's fruit right.

Justin: 28:12

I love cranberry juice.

Rhett: 28:14

That makes no sense.

Justin: 28:21

I hate it.

Rhett: 28:22

Keep, though, enjoy your moment of all right, listen, man. We need to take an online poll of cranberry sauce. All right, so listen my first thanksgiving with linda. She made cranberry sauce and and I was like what is like? It looked different. It was on the plate, it was all mashed up, it was like a mound of jello type cranberry and I'm like where's the cranberries?

Rhett: 28:40

she said, well, there it is. I said this is not cranberry sauce and I was like, if I want the one that looks like it's like a cylinder, like it's round, and she was like that's what this is like. No, it's not, she's no. I took it out of the can and I mashed it up. I was was like it was still good, but I was like it's not, it's not the same. So to me it's like you want to pop open the can and just right there onto the table and let it shake and then just cut it into slices. My friend, now we're having Thanksgiving right there with that roll and that butter and that and the turkey, the ham, the dressing, the you know, some of the gravy.

Justin: 29:15

The mashed potatoes? Oh, let's go. Not sweet potatoes? Oh man, I'll eat them both.

Rhett: 29:20

My sweet potatoes, though, man. They're just so good, man, it's like candy on a plate.

Justin: 29:24

That's what Summer raves about them. It might be. One of her favorite foods is brown sugar and the butter. I mean I love that you guys enjoy that, so we're talking.

Rhett: 29:36

Thanksgiving. This is a great episode. I didn't realize how many I was just saying polarizing with dressing and we brought up like five things and I'm like you're right. So what do you eat? You just eat turkey, of any kind. You eat a hot dog. No, no, no, I'm turkey.

Justin: 29:51

I don't like dry turkey, but if you give me gravy I'll eat it. Oh yeah, Turkey ham, I'm with you. I only do hams kind of on like holidays, but I don't want a fatty ham Like you know if half the ham is white fat.

Rhett: 30:03

Forget it Right. That's gross. No fatty hams, can we please have like? I mean, if you're serving ham at your Thanksgiving, could you please cut the fat off?

Justin: 30:13

That's just nasty some people probably love it they just gnaw on it and chew on it and just okay, whatever but then they pull it out and sit on their plate.

Rhett: 30:24

Oh man, it's like that old person that they eat disgusting stuff and you don't want to sit by it.

Justin: 30:30

I don't know what you're talking about you don't know, I grew up in the nursing homes man and yeah, I've seen some stuff, god bless them.

Rhett: 30:37

I know man my family.

Justin: 30:40

Lord Jesus.

Rhett: 30:41

Anyway, that's another topic.

Justin: 30:43

It's family at the family table too. It is man. They got that little something they eat with a smack.

Rhett: 30:49

No, listen man.

Justin: 30:50

We have a rule in our house.

Rhett: 30:51

It's like there's music on. We got fans on whatever we've got to do. We have to have some white noise in the background, because if I'm hearing your fork scrape across your teeth, dude, I'm out, I'm out, I'm like listen. I love you. I know we've been doing a lot of life together, but I can't do this with you right now. This is gross, that's so I just need white noise.

Rhett: 31:10

I need noise. Anybody else out there like that? You just can't. Well, if you're sitting around a table and it's silent and all you can hear is the, I don't even want to do it I know it sounds like a cattle in a trough. Yeah, like watching yeah, like watching young sheldon. They have that scene. You know that two or three times where they're eating dinner and it's so quiet and I'm like this is awkward, it's too much. I just I've got to have white noise, so yeah it's a football game on in the background.

Rhett: 31:35

I I mean something. You got to have a background.

Justin: 31:36

Yeah, we turn on.

Rhett: 31:37

I don't know we'll have like well, no, on that day, bro yeah.

Justin: 31:41

We usually for meals. We love instrumental, like or not even instrumental. But Italian music, Okay, but for Thanksgiving, yeah, oh, it's Christmas music that's already playing, Okay so you're playing, so you're Christmas.

Rhett: 31:57

Christmas begins the week of Thanksgiving. Our family is. Let's do holidays in order. So it's Thanksgiving week and then it's Christmas music the next day.

Justin: 32:01

We set the tree up the next day.

Rhett: 32:03

Okay, so you do your tree after.

Justin: 32:05

After Thanksgiving we set the tree up but we have music. Well, to be honest, we got Christmas music going all year long, but we really have it going that day. And that even brings my next question. Okay, with kids and all that, we've kind of missed out on some of this. We don't know if it exists. As much with online shopping. Is black friday still the thing? Uh, do people still get out? You guys once again the poll do people still get out and do the black friday shopping?

Rhett: 32:31

I think I did that one time with you and summer yeah, you did yeah we? Yeah, we went in. This was a long time ago, yeah, and yeah, that was an experience for, like, all right we are not that type of people. We love it, we can't like we.

Rhett: 32:45

We went, we had a good time, but like walking through the galleria mall, which is a massive, tremendous, ginormous mall in alabama, I mean thousands of people and I'm like yeah, this is not my flow, that's not my jam, you know, but like we had a good time and we we bought a blanket, I think it was like 20 bucks, it was normally 60, which is great, yeah, and we still have it to this day.

Justin: 33:06

See, that was great. We still have the memory, but we are not a black Friday people.

Rhett: 33:15

I'm like, yes, bring me on. Well, I think a lot of people are now.

Justin: 33:18

But in those days I mean for so many years we would show up. We'd wake up at like 3 or 4 am. We would go get us a coffee yeah, you would and we would go to the mall.

Rhett: 33:28

They would turn on the Christmas lights. They did like a big moment where you got the kids choir singing in a band or somebody.

Justin: 33:35

Well, that would be when they were unveiling the Christmas tree.

Rhett: 33:37

But they did do something.

Justin: 33:39

What you're saying. They didn't have kids as much there on those wee hours, but I remember the band. I didn't know them but they were before us, but the Monkees. I remember going there. There was a band called the Monkees. And their lead singer was a guy named Davey Jones.

Rhett: 33:56

We're still busy singing to let everybody down. We're just trying to be friendly. Key change oh yeah, Davy.

Justin: 34:06

Jones, I'm Davy. Hello, davy Jones here. It's so good to see you 60-year-olds. It's the front of the stage.

Rhett: 34:18

Didn't they lip sing. They didn't even play real instruments. That was like the Milli Vanilli Did you know that Now Davey could sing.

Justin: 34:23

I do think that it was a show more than a band but they never.

Rhett: 34:27

I do believe you could None of the musicians really knew how to play an instrument. It was all a facade, a facade. It was a. A facade, a facade.

Justin: 34:37

It was a fastcade, it was a fastcade I've been in the South way too long. It was a fastcade, for sure, a fastcadati.

Rhett: 34:47

If you hang out with me long enough, man, you'll realize that I can't put two words together. Sometimes it was a fastcadie, a fastcadie, fast kitty oh man, what a great, what a great way to start Thanksgiving week with some laughter and some good times, and we hope that you guys have an amazing Thanksgiving week.

Justin: 35:09

This is going to be a great time. We actually have an upcoming episode hopefully coming out, because once a year we started this and we try to sit at a restaurant on the day before Thanksgiving.

Rhett: 35:22

So once a year you and I and a friend try to get. I'm going to clarify this. I don't know if you set that up right. I did so you and me.

Justin: 35:29

I have to think about this. Do I even say this right now?

Rhett: 35:33

Yeah, no, no, no, no no.

Justin: 35:34

Oh yeah, this week. Yeah, the next episode, because it's playing when are we? Yeah, no, no, no, no, no. Oh yeah this week. Yeah, the next episode, because it's playing. Yeah, well, it might not be, it is Absolutely. Is it the next? It's not the next one.

Rhett: 35:43

Well, in an upcoming episode we're going to have, and hope to have, a friend of ours.

Justin: 35:48

There we go.

Rhett: 36:00

That comes in on the Wednesday, great friend, and we're going to catch up. Our hope is to have an episode and to throw a mic into the mix.

Justin: 36:07

Because on the date of this release we'll be having breakfast, our annual breakfast, this Wednesday. Last year Micah couldn't make it, so me and you joined him on FaceTime Me and you did it and we had Micah join us on FaceTime and say I wish you were here.

Rhett: 36:20

Wish you were here. Loser. Now you're here, let's go.

Justin: 36:23

So it's the perfect opportunity to get Micah into the studio.

Rhett: 36:27

Yeah, and to hear his story, man, what a powerful story. Yeah, but hey, before we close this episode out, though, man, I mean it's been good hanging out laughing a lot. But you know, if I'm going to ask you what, what are you most thankful for If we're sitting around the table and you're talking? I know there's hundreds of things, but tell you know, let's end it that way. Yeah, what are you thankful?

Justin: 36:46

for bro. I love my family so much. I mean that would be the first thing that comes to my mind summer. I'm just so, so thankful for my wife. She really is. This can always sound cliche, but she's my best friend. We have such a closeness and I mean it's yeah. I mean I can't even really fully talk about it how long it would take, but I'm so thankful for her. We have such a bond on every connection you could ever imagine. And my four boys just I mean they're, they're wild. They're different in their own ways. There's not one that's alike, and just the journey of being a husband and a dad to them. That has got to be what I'm most thankful for. That's awesome.

Rhett: 37:28

Well, I would have to concur with that man. I mean my wife. She's a rock. She's the most courageous, strong, brave risk taker. She would tell you she's not, but she took a risk on me and said yes. I try to remind her every day. I'm so thankful she said yes to me because I'm a better man today. A lot of people might look at what I'm doing and think that I'm just a great leader, and I'm telling you it's. The reason I'm who I am today is because of an incredible woman who has really just poured so much into me and made me realize just how much I don't know she's really wise?

Rhett: 38:09

No, but I don't mean that in a you know, in a very life giving way Like she is man, she's just amazing and I'm blessed and I'm thankful, and so absolutely my relationship with my wife, 18 years, going on 19. And what a tremendous gift that God gave us in Max, my son. Oh man, I love that kid. He is a man of God. He has a plan and purpose. God has a plan and purpose for that young man's life and I just get to be gifted with this to steward his life from a baby to he's now 16, you know be 17 in a couple months and I'm so grateful.

Rhett: 38:45

I'm grateful to be a dad, I'm grateful to be a husband, I'm grateful for our podcast, I'm grateful for you and our friendship. I mean to think that what 39 years? I mean that's unheard of To think that what 39 years?

Justin: 38:55

Yeah, I mean that's unheard of.

Rhett: 38:55

Yep, I mean, that's really. I'm grateful that God loved us enough to put us together in that apartment complex that was called Twin Gates East Apartments. Yeah, man, and put me in a family with the Bradshaws yeah, man, and that was a gift. And who would have thought here we are 39 years later and we've talked about that.

Justin: 39:17

Yeah, the crazy stuff we've been through that. I am who I am because I've had a friend in you to say some of the stuff. No one will ever have a clue, the thoughts that can hit my mind, but to have a friend that I can say it to, that will not judge me and we've been able to build that for 39 years. It's been its own form of therapy to have a friend that you can say what you want to and jump right back into a topic that has something to do with nothing related to what you just were talking about.

Rhett: 39:48

Well, you know, when we were I was eight, you were seven, and I'm thinking through, like we had our, we were kids at the very core and we even had our moments where we were. It was so funny Back then we didn't have phones to hide around or whatever, or really video games. At that point, I think we'd get in a fight and we'd beat each other up or whatever, hit each other and just be mad and go our separate ways. I'm no longer your friend anymore, or whatever I hate, you and then like We'd come back An hour later.

Rhett: 40:14

We're like this is the most boring life without this guy in my life. I know I hate him and what. We would come back around and go yeah, you want to go throw a football? Sure. I want to go cause trouble, whatever you know, but even so God has a sense of humor to put us together. But I know we've worked really hard and in different seasons of our life it's looked different and we've worked hard at staying close and I'm grateful for that friendship, man.

Justin: 40:36

Yeah, man, same. I'm grateful for this podcast, what we're getting to even tap into and let the audience. You know it's not the end of year podcast We'll talk about more of that later but to let them know just things that are in our heart. I'm very grateful for the listeners. I know you would echo it with you too. I'm very grateful for my life with getting to be a part of Church of the Highlands since the beginning of it in 2001.

Justin: 41:01

I was there 70 people and to be able to see what God has done in that journey and what it's meant just to me and my family and the relationships that I've built with the people there.

Rhett: 41:11

So very grateful for that. Yeah, I'm grateful for the people who believed in the vision that Linda and I had from the Lord to create a life-giving church in Nampa, idaho, grateful for One Life Church and us being a part of stewarding something that was so much bigger than us and creating a foundation. And none of that would have happened without the people coming in and calling us family and friends and investing financially, with prayer and time and talent to make that church, you know, grow and be impactful, not just for the time we were there, but even more impactful as we've left. I'm grateful for the new pastors there and honestly, I have to give a huge shout out to Pastor Clay and Heather Ramirez.

Rhett: 41:50

Man, the Ramirez family, huge part of saving my life and being a part of just restoration that I didn't even know that I needed in pastors because, man, the way they love, the way they encourage, the way their, their kindness, their generosity, their authenticity I mean I told them the other day it's like you truly embody.

Rhett: 42:10

I mean you're not perfect Nobody is but like I've truly experienced what it's like to have pastors in my life, like pastor, pastor, pastor not like leader, ceo, but I mean like somebody who will take the time to sit with you and to talk and to listen. But he's also becoming a new best friend too, like I never thought I would have, like another Justin Bradshaw in my life. But it's amazing how God's unfolding that through Clay Ramirez, the pastors of Believers Church in Twin Falls, and you know, this podcast honestly wouldn't even be possible without me having the opportunity to work and to serve their church and for them to pour into the vision of what God's calling us to in this next season. So, clay and Heather, if you're listening, man, I love you and I'm indebted to you guys for life. Man, I love you.

Justin: 42:50

Thank you and I would also say I'm thankful for vision. I know I can speak on both of us. I'm thankful for vision that we continue and hopefully you're listening too and you can say the same thing that I feel like I continually have God downloading into my spirit and my heart and just kind of, what does this mean? And just I'm thankful for that uncertain road and just the excitement of what you don't know, what you're excited for. I love the or. I'm grateful and I'm thankful for getting to dream and I'm thankful for what. As time goes on, we'll get to see what's unveiled and we get to share more and more stuff, and I think we would say to you as an audience we leave you with that. What are you most thankful for?

Rhett: 43:34

It goes without saying that Justin and I are very thankful for all that God has done for us through his son Jesus.

Rhett: 43:41

And the relationship that we have and the fact that our names are written in the book of life.

Rhett: 43:46

For God so loved the world here's what I'm thankful for, and I know you are too For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. And I am saved, set free, healed. I am made righteous, not because of what I've ever done, but because of what Christ has done for me, in me and through me. And I am so thankful for the salvation, for the forgiveness of my sins, for the mercy and for all, for the love, the joy, the peace, the patience, the goodness, the kindness, all the wonderful things that God has for us in a relationship with Him. Like it blows my mind and I wouldn't be who I am today without all the friends and the family and everybody mentioned. But I would definitely not be where I am today if it was not for the love of a father.

Justin: 44:45

Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly, and we leave you guys with this. Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Rhett: 44:52

I was going to say it together, but we don't have to have a happy.

Justin: 44:56

Thanksgiving All right right hold on and I agree with everything that you just do, you about jesus? Oh yeah, and we leave you with this.

Rhett: 45:07

Have a happy thanksgiving and we said I would say it together. No, it was happy thanksgiving everybody.

Justin: 45:15

Okay, you'll say it after, sure, okay yeah, that's funny man, I agree wholeheartedly try again okay, I agree wholeheartedly. But you just said do you, I do you just said me okay I already got that. I'll keep the one I already have. Um, hey, but we leave you with this. Have a happy thanksgiving. Happy thanksgiving, everybody coming up on the next episode of armchair authentic here's.

Justin: 45:43

Here's some cool little things about health okay first of all, will ferrell almost didn't do the movie. Really, he said this is either going to make me or break me and he took a risk and obviously it played well for him because it's a classic. Yeah, another thing the character who is the store manager oh, yeah, you know that one.

Justin: 46:03

He's like six inch ribbon curls it's impossible okay if you look at his name tag real close, it says wanda. Okay, that's because, oh my gosh, I forgot her last name, wanda Sykes. Yeah, wanda Sykes originally was that character and she backed out at the last minute, oh wow. And to kind of just honor her, he still wore the name tag they had made for her. That's awesome Because she was the original character. So if you ever watch Elf, just notice that it says Wanda.

Rhett: 46:33

I never noticed that.

Justin: 46:38

Interesting Wanda, I never noticed that Interesting yeah Little elf fun fact. We're really looking forward to that episode. But in the meantime, if you enjoyed this episode, would you do something for me? Would you take out your phone, would you copy the link and send it to a friend? We would really appreciate that. Thank you Well, until next time, we hope you have a fantastic week. See you soon.