Rhett: 0:00

God doesn't shout, I mean, he can.

Justin: 0:02

Yeah.

Rhett: 0:02

But oftentimes more than 99% of the time, at least. In 31 years of walking with him, I've realized that he really likes to speak in whispers.

Justin: 0:10

Oh yeah, and something about a whisper you got to be really close to hear it, and there's something about not having excitement, because we do try to create mountaintop experiences in life. You know, when it gets quiet and it's a new year, you get a little lonely. Yeah, all the activities died down and what it really is, you're kind of left with yourself. For the first time in a while. We don't realize it, but we immediately try to medicate with let's watch a movie, let's go eat a good meal.

Rhett: 0:37

I'm going to eat some M&Ms at night. It's like we're trying to fill every gap. Yeah, we're trying to fill every gap, and that's so normal.

Justin: 0:44

This is a moment that, when you feel that sadness, maybe even that rage, that could kick in the sense of utter purposelessness. What would it be like if you allow that moment to fully hit you and don't immediately try to medicate and feel that?

Rhett: 1:15

Welcome back to another episode of the podcast. With your friends Rhett and Justin, right here at Armchair Authentic, it is our hope to steward our stories in a way that serve you, through real conversations about real life with real people. Today, justin and I dive into the topic around a long obedience in the same direction. And just because you can doesn't mean you should. We also talk about the Pied Piper. I know all this and more in today's episode. But before we jump into the conversation always want to take a moment and say thank you so much to our loyal friends who are joining us on a weekly basis. It means so much to us. Now, if you're here for the first time, we want to say welcome, friends. It's so good to have you with us. If you haven't already found us or followed us on social media, could we encourage you to take a moment sometime today, either right now or after the episode, and look us up and follow us. You can follow us on Facebook or Instagram at Armchair Authentic that's at Armchair Authentic. Or you can find us over on X at Armchair Auth Pod. That's Armchair Auth A-U O D. Now I know you're about ready to jump into the conversation, but one more thing I want to encourage you to do, and that is, if you're enjoying this episode, would you do us a huge favor. Could you take a moment to go to your favorite podcast platform, copy that link of this episode and share it with a friend man, that would mean so much to us. Thank you All right, everybody, it's a new conversation on a new episode in the new year.

Rhett: 2:50

We're talking about the Pied Piper, the thought around. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. And how about this? A long obedience in the same direction? What does that even mean? Well, we talk about it right now. You guys ready, here we go. Well, justin, happy new year. Happy new year, rhett. 2025. It's already here, unbelievable. We're actually what in our first full week of 2025.

Justin: 3:19

Yeah, we're moving forward, man.

Rhett: 3:21

A new year always brings one word that everybody is talking about. It's the buzzword for every new year, which is resolutions, resolutions, which. I don't know the statistics, but from what I hear and from what I've read, it might be different here and there, but by the second Friday of the month of January, everybody has typically given up on their resolutions.

Justin: 3:43

Yeah, it's like we talked about a fail day, right, yeah, isn't that what it is? Fail day.

Rhett: 3:47

Well, I'm determined that we don't need a resolution, but we need a revelation.

Justin: 3:52

Ooh, or you could have said a revolution, a revolution. Yeah, I did think that it would have rhymed.

Rhett: 3:58

The artist in you, the artist in me, no, but a revelation of Christ in you. Because the only way you're ever going to have power to either overcome a bad habit or to stick to a new habit is to have something that empowers you beyond yourself. Because you've got to have more than just motivation. You've got to have more than just quote unquote air, quote willpower. You got to have something that is actually a resolute force, helping you, guiding you, leading you. Now, obviously, you've got to make decisions and choices on your own, but, man, for me, I've never been able to do anything in and of my own strength. I've always had to have the strength of Christ in me, you know, to do that. And so I think people fail because they lean too much on themselves.

Justin: 4:43

Yeah, well, and too, you know, when you think of something new, it's the newness of it that people get excited about, but what actually gets you to the finish line is the fact that you're going to have to go through the boring. You're going to have to go through the mundane, everyday, ordinary things, and so that's what makes you get to your goal. And when you end up, the honeymoon phase of the resolution begins to fade as it should. You go ahead and fizzle out, and so that's one of the greatest things that happen are the stuff. That's just a long direction. Eugene Peterson has this book called A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, phenomenal book.

Rhett: 5:22

But it's just consistency, it's longevity, a Long Obedience in the Same Direction, theenomenal book, but it's just consistency, it's longevity, a long obedience in the same direction.

Justin: 5:30

The title alone speaks volumes. Beautiful book, I mean. Talk about beginning your year in that mindset, but it's the idea that you know, even you know not that he's necessarily meaning it in this way, but all these goals that we have. Everything you and I do right now, like when we have our conversations, we have become really an accumulation of daily things that we have done, whether it's good, whether it's bad, choices we've made, the people we've surrounded ourself with, whatever it is we have become because there has been a consistency or effort or trying and failing and getting back up and doing it again. And you're creating church websites. You're creating all this stuff for a church on the other side of the country and if you, you know, you were telling me the other day some stuff you've been doing to get the new year ready for your church or, you know, for the church that you serve, you know in Idaho, and I'm listening to you and I'm thinking that took a long obedience in the same direction.

Justin: 6:29

That's really good when you were telling me that the other day, like you didn't just learn how to do that overnight with a resolution. No, you just had to do it and you've been faithful, but you've stuck to it. Everything that we've done with the weight loss goals, all this stuff, all you're doing is the same thing. Even on the days when it's terrible, you still get out and do it, and I think, ultimately, that's the meaning of the resolution People want to jump back in and really make an impact, and that's really what the resolution is.

Rhett: 7:01

Yeah, and that goes along with inspiration. I mean, there are these moments of inspiration in which I want to put a pin mark in this. I want to talk about Coldplay's new album. I want to talk about this little thing that they did with Dick not Dick Clark with what's his name Dick Van Dyke. Yeah, I want to talk about this thing that they did with Dick Van Dyke here in a minute, so I'm just kind of setting that up for a second.

Rhett: 7:23

But along with inspiration. You know, I think when we attack our resolutions or what I'm saying, we need a revelation, to have something that empowers us through. It is that we do. We feel like when I'm inspired I want to do it, but on the days that I'm not inspired, then I don't want to do it. Yeah, well, of course, because it's humanity Welcome to planet Earth and being human.

Rhett: 7:46

I've never lived on a high or a mountaintop experience, forever, in fact, I think it's interesting. A good friend of mine from Arkansas pointed this out before I actually moved to Idaho, because when I was moving to Idaho, it's beautiful, it's mountainous, it is just unbelievable. It's probably the most beautiful state in the country when it comes to just everything that it offers outside of an ocean because I'm an ocean guy and I miss that right or a huge body of water. It's very inspiring. You're there, it's beautiful, you can see for miles and just the God's creation. You're above the clouds. You're seeing a bald eagle fly by. I mean it's just unbelievable.

Rhett: 8:32

But nobody lives on the mountaintop. Nobody lives on the mountaintop. And what my buddy was saying, he's like man, mountaintops are amazing, but nobody lives there. Life is lived in the valley and nobody wants to live in the valley, but that's where life is. In fact, I lived in a valley, you know, surrounded by these beautiful mountains. So, but when you think of your resolutions, you know, a lot of times we're inspired. We've had that mountaintop experience, you know. We've looked back at the last year, we're looking forward to the new year, we're looking above the clouds, we're thinking, yeah, I can do it. But then we're trekking down the mountain, down into the valley, week two, week three, and it's like, oh, I forgot what that mountaintop was like.

Justin: 9:12

And we have these peaks and valleys but no, I don't know, there's just so much to be said about that Without the mountains. I mean, it's wonderful to get the inspiration. It's like we were having some fun before this. I know you mentioned it a while ago with Cole Play's new album.

Rhett: 9:29

Yeah.

Justin: 9:29

You can turn something on and we can put it in our headphones and be in one mood. Oh, you play it and because we happen to be artists, we're hearing it and it's getting us fired up.

Rhett: 9:41

Oh man, I had tears in my eyes, chills on my arm, so you're like you're, you're like letting us.

Justin: 9:47

you're creating this mountaintop moment just for us to listen to, but once you take the headphones off, now you got to go create in the Valley.

Rhett: 9:55

Yeah, because those songs were created in the Valley. Obviously they might've had a moment of inspiration, but the time it took, you know gritting it out, grinding it out like really writing it in, and you know sharpening the blade, if you will, of the song or the poetry in it, like that's. That's hard work.

Justin: 10:13

Everything that we see there, a mountaintop whether you're, even if you're a, an aspiring entrepreneur or a CEO. You're seeing the commercial of that company and they're standing on the 38th level of the skyscraper with their board staring off out the window, and you look at that as a mountaintop and you think I want that. Well, the commercial and the highlights show that. But what you're not seeing is that guy or that lady working their butt off in the valley to even build the company into what that might be. So it's the pilot that you look at and think I want to be the greatest pilot there is, because you see them on this major business charter or their commercial airline. But what you didn't see is them in the hangar having to get this tiny little plane ready and go get their hours. That were valley hours.

Rhett: 11:06

So if I'm listening to this, I'm thinking well, how in the world do I, how do I get that? Where do I get that discipline? How? Because, yes, I want to make these changes. I want to move forward, whether it's family, finances, spiritually, physically, emotionally, you know, whatever that area is in your life that you're thinking about with 2025.

Rhett: 11:25

So I'm asking you and and there's no magic sauce or secret answer here If you do one, two, three, you got it. But I alluded to the fact that you got to have something that's beyond yourself. But if you think about it at its root, like, what is it that makes the difference in people Like we want that mountaintop? You mentioned the boardroom analogy there. We're thinking about that, but that's what we see. But these people are willing to work in ways when nobody else is looking. So what is it about an individual that's willing to do life in the valley and grind it out when nobody else is looking? And they have that type of discipline. What is it that sets them apart from people that make a goal but don't hit it? But the people that make a goal and hit it.

Justin: 12:08

Well, I remember Henry Cloud saying this one time, and maybe other people have said it too but the only two things that you have is energy and time. That's the only thing that we get. And so what are you going to do with all that time? And so there's going to be the moments that get you going, yes, but what is it that you know that you're going to set your mind to? I mean, think about it. We have a lot of students who are listening. When you set your heart on going to a four-year college, I mean to get your bachelor's or even your master's or whatever. You're getting excited on the mountaintop. I'm going to go get this, but you're about to have to go hammer it away and work your butt off to even get this degree. There's going to be a lot of late nights, a lot of sacrifice.

Justin: 12:53

I think about music, when me and you were writing a lot of music growing up and Michael, we got to interview him. We had to give up a lot of friend time with people because we went back to his house and we had to rehearse and write and practice many times. And though we had a good time, there were also those nights that we would get a little agitated with each other because we were just plugging away and working. And to me it's like anything that I've accomplished and I think you would say the same thing. Anything that I've accomplished it's because there has been that long obedience in the same direction and it hasn't been everything that I would have wanted. I mean, I've aspired to hit whatever A over here is going to be and I'm just moving in this consistent direction. And then, you know, seven years later, I look at what I'm doing and I realize, wow, that really was all this stuff, this accumulation of what I've been doing, this acquired skillset that I've gotten because of the mess ups, the learning how to do it better and building myself up and getting with the right people in my life, all these things moving in the right direction, not giving up when I felt like I should give up or even when I feel like man. Am I missing this?

Justin: 14:12

And it goes back to how you began this whole deal. You have to have the greater power with us. We have to have Christ in us, who at least gives you that sense of peace to proceed, because I've had times where I've thought this is worthless, my emotions are gone towards all this. I don't even feel it anymore. But I know that there's peace to keep going and that's the only thing I'm standing on. Going back to that book, there's a long obedience in the same direction. You just have to keep plugging away and that is going to get you at least in the direction. But you still got to grow. Yeah, you still got to modify, you still got to level up the best that you can and improve yourself. If not, you end up going in the opposite direction. I mean it's like energy and time, as I started this whole phrase out. You've still got to take the energy and time and actually enhance who you are so that you can get to that next level to help take you where you're trying to go.

Rhett: 15:10

That's really good. I might add to that how important it is to keep why you're doing it in the first place in front of you. It's good, it's like to me a mountaintop experience, that inspiration point, that catalyst moment that has led you to go. I'm going to make this decision, or I want to make this decision. I want this outcome to be ABC in my life three months, six months, nine months, a year or five years from now. Like that. Why, moment? Why am I doing this? Keeping that in front of you and being able to clarify that and not just living in your head but writing it down.

Rhett: 15:44

There's something very powerful that happens I know we've mentioned this before when it comes out of your head, from your heart, your head, whatever onto paper and you're seeing it, putting it online on your digital notes, printing it out, putting it on a piece of paper.

Rhett: 15:58

Because when you're traveling down that mountaintop and now you're two, three weeks into January and life has hit you in the face and work is what it is, co-workers are what it is you know you're clocking in, you're clocking out. Whatever your life may be, it's in those moments where you've got to go hold up. I decided on the mountaintop, but I've somehow forgotten. Like you can't forget, it's easy to forget, it's so easy, so you've got to be able to see it, write it, have it in front of you, because you're going to have moments where you're going to be like man. This is hard. I don't know if this is worth it Totally and if you've forgotten why you even made the decision in the first place. Well, of course, you're going to give up, because most people are like I've got great intentions, man. I great intentions man. I want to lose 25 pounds by 25, which was not a new year's resolution, by the way that was a mid year crisis.

Justin: 16:50

There's a goal you said in a very impressive yeah, yeah, yeah.

Rhett: 16:53

I said a very impressive goal. And I told my wife uh, I said I probably should have like lowered the numbers so I'd have felt a little bit more successful in my in my journey before the new year, but it was brilliant.

Rhett: 17:05

But I've kept the why in front of me and it's on my wall calendar. I'm waiting for my 2025 calendar to arrive. Anyway, but keeping the why in front of you, I think, is huge Energy time, why? And just being willing to go, you know what. I've already pre-decided. I've already made the decision a day before that, when I get up in the morning, I'm going to do this, I'm going to walk, I'm going to floss, I'm going to whatever it might be right. And you've already pre-decided, had the pregame inward talk, you've written it down and when you wake up, regardless of how you feel, you've already known. I've made the decision before I went to bed.

Justin: 17:51

I'm going to you feel. You've already known I've made the decision before I went to bed yeah, I'm gonna do this tomorrow at this time or whatever it might be. Yeah well, the why I love how you say that the why will save you from whims, because it's like the whole mindset is I can get on a whim, just like many of you listening right now. I can get inspired in many things. Things I mean, I can go be a business owner over here.

Rhett: 18:07

I can do this, I can go do that I can get a lot of whims and it's not like those are bad.

Justin: 18:12

They might actually be a little bit of ability I've been equipped with, but at the end of the day, you only have so much time and energy and you still have to make that decision and recognize what season and when you're saying a why. I love that, because that really is such a foundation, because there's a lot of whims that I can do. Let's use just for now, let's use music.

Rhett: 18:34

Yeah.

Justin: 18:35

Because that's our language Predominantly. I use my gift of the guitar for 30 plus years now, and this has just been my story. It has been to worship Jesus, yeah, and it has been to lead people into the presence of God and help create a moment for them. That is where I find this sense of his pleasure.

Rhett: 19:02

Yeah.

Justin: 19:08

When I'm playing the guitar and doing that. But I also, as an artist, I enjoy just writing some of these good old songs and they're not bad at all. But I have written a lot of these and maybe they're great for me behind the scenes and I'm developing a craft, but I've never released one of them, never at all. But I can go listen to the latest, whatever, and I can get in a whim. And now I began exerting this energy and if I don't watch out, I can let this whim shift me in this course. And is that bad or is that good? I don't want to really say that right now because everybody has their own approach and if I want to take that it's no longer a whim, if I'm going to go focus on it. But that's why I have to know why did I do this in the first place and for what I do and for what I'm trying to accomplish.

Justin: 19:55

The why for me, musically, is to create these worshipful moments, to help people learn what it is to have a life of engaging in worship, not just music. Yes, music in this case is a platform to help people sing a song or let it get in their spirit, and that's how I can do this but it's because me and you've said this before worship is your lifestyle. It has zero to do with music but as an artist I can use that craft and my why for that guitar is to worship God and I can lead people into that. And when I stay on my focus and on my why, I might have a little fun with that, have a little playground time, but I'm not going to spend too much time. I've always thought of this example. You know we grew up watching the cartoon of you, remember the Pied Piper.

Rhett: 20:51

Is that the guy that would lure people to sleep with his pipe and? Everybody just kind of gets sucked into the vortex.

Justin: 20:57

Yeah, it's like the kids. He comes into the town he starts playing his pipe and their eyes start going crazy and they're like zoning and now they're zombies like cows walking through a field. That's the mindset Behind it. Yeah, and if you really think about it, things in life can be very alluring. It's like a lullaby.

Rhett: 21:14

It lulls you into this trance of like I was going one way, but now I'm kind of going off and I don't know where. I'm aimlessly just walking through the forest.

Justin: 21:24

I don't know how I got here, I just kind of call it, you know when I'm speaking to myself, kind of my self-talk is just hey, watch out Pied Piper, because I'll get into something in life that feels very appealing. And next thing I know I'm going in that direction just because it really kind of it excited me and I realized, man, I'm no different than the cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid. I'm being led out of this village, just like these kids were, by the Pied Piper, and that's where you get back. We've talked about it before. You can take it through that whole maps framework is their motivation.

Rhett: 21:59

That's kind of like that's your center, that's your center.

Justin: 22:02

Always going back to that.

Rhett: 22:04

I wrote something down here. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Justin: 22:08

And.

Rhett: 22:08

I think in. You know we're mid 40s, I'm 47.

Rhett: 22:12

I'm still on the mid side, right, I'm not walking my way over into 50 yet but you know, like you said over time, we've in in in so many different fields and we have, you know, look, we have the ability to do a lot of different things, yeah, musically, creatively, leadership wise, and it's real easy to be able to go. Well, I'll go over here, I'll go over here, I'll do this on that. But back to your point. We only have energy, we only have time and time is. You know? Do we really have time? How much do we have?

Rhett: 22:41

You know, life is fleeting, it's but a vapor, it's a. You know, do we really have time? How much do we have? You know, life is fleeting, it's but a vapor, it's a mist, you know, it's here one moment's, gone the next.

Rhett: 22:47

And I'm more aware of that now than ever before. And so if I'm really thinking about maximizing and stewarding my time, my energy, in a way that honestly produces, then my big question is what is the biggest rock in my life, that I'm called to that, my biggest, why that will make the biggest splash with the time that I have on this planet. In other words, I can do a lot of things, yeah, but just because I can do a lot of things doesn't mean that I can maximize those in a way that really makes the biggest and greatest impact. I think that that that's the thing. Like, we can do a lot of things, but what is the one thing, what are the two things that are actually going to make the greatest impact in my family, in my life, in this world, because we're only given a little bit of time.

Justin: 23:34

With a lot of distraction around that little time.

Rhett: 23:37

Exactly. There are so many distractions that can lullaby us, lead us down a lane that it's not bad, and we can do it.

Rhett: 23:44

But is that really where we should be headed, and I think for me at 47, in fact, when I was ordering my 2025 calendar, I think this is really interesting. They actually provided. I saw this, I was kind of doing a deep dive into their website and they actually have an 80 year calendar and I'm like what in the world? I was, like you, ready for this. The 80-year calendar lives on an 8.5 by 11 piece of paper.

Justin: 24:10

I'm thinking how does that work?

Rhett: 24:11

And so, instead of it being a daily calendar, it's a weekly calendar. In other words, there's these little checkboxes and you get 80 years at a glance and after every week goes by, you mark a checkbox in that week and it's this idea of there's 25 or 26 weeks or no, excuse me 13 and 13 and 13. I don't know how it's divided out.

Justin: 24:32

You'll have to go to the website 13 times four would be 52.

Rhett: 24:34

Yeah, so you see that whole year in boxes, and after the week goes by you're supposed to check that box, and so I think the whole idea of this glance of 80 years is to remind you how much time, lord willing, that you have left. And what are you doing with that time? And so obviously I'm 47, so I'd go through and mark all those boxes up to where I'm at now Granted, if lifespan, you know, hopefully I'll live to 99 to 100 years, like Dick Van Dyke.

Rhett: 25:03

And you know, lord willing, that'd be amazing. And so when I'm looking at that, I'm going, wow, it just puts things into perspective to go man, am I like? What am I like? I want to laser pinpoint in. I want to, like, get laser focused and I don't want to be distracted by things that are good. I want to know that I'm saying no to the good things so I can say yes to the best things.

Justin: 25:27

Yeah, that's the big question, because it's it's the impact that you're making right now and it's turning down all the noise around us, because you are only responsible for the life that you've been, you've been given, and it really does take a contented mindset. It does. You have to not let, as we said a while ago, the Pied Piper kick in, because that whole mentality, it will rob you of what's in front of you. That's where you have people who they don't see the responsibility of their family right in front of them, but then the kids are gone, or your wife or your spouse is now gone and you look and you realize I wasted a bunch of time Because you realize what mattered. So the why, as you said a while ago, it really keeps you tethered to what matters, because what matters doesn't always feel that it matters. Use this as an example. We were joking, if you don't mind me saying this we were joking about the whole Dick Van Dyke video with Coldplay.

Justin: 26:28

Yeah, and you got Chris Martin playing on the piano and your family's watching this thinking like, dude, this guy's amazing, but, rhett, you are an amazing piano player. You're not going to toot your own horn, but you're an amazing piano player.

Rhett: 26:48

And we were just joking how we can just kind of diddle around on the piano and you're doing some amazing stuff, but it's just Rhett, it's just dad, it's just hubby, it's just son-in-law, it's just brother-in-law. You're the norm, you're the norm around this place.

Justin: 27:00

But the beauty is that means that you're very important, but again it feels like you're not important. Yeah, and so the very place that that means so much. You could in the moment realize, man, I want to go. I need to go out there where people can understand how great that I can be. Yeah, and even though we're joking, now, that's what happens every day. Great that I can be. And that, even though we're joking, now that's what happens every day. The business owner goes out to the people who will adore them, because it feels good. It's not a real connection, but it's a pseudo connection to make you feel like, wow, I'm important. And you go chase that, because when you come home you're just good old doodle around the piano guy and we want to be like we're more.

Justin: 27:47

But the why lets you realize oh, they they, I'm just old dad around here because there's no one more important, because if you're not there, the world will implode, and that shows how important you really are. And so, getting back to all these things, the why lets you realize where do you make the greatest impact? And that's why it's just so, cookies on the bottom shelf, that your family is your number one priority, but it's going to be the place that you're not going to get this instant sense of being the ultimate star or the ultimate mountaintop because you live with them in the valley.

Rhett: 28:30

And it's boring in the valley. It's boring, it's mundane. It's not every day, it's the every. That's why nobody grows.

Justin: 28:36

You're waking up, you're raising kids, you're giving baths, you're making food, you're washing dishes yeah, you're're washing dishes.

Rhett: 28:42

Doing the dishes? Yeah, yeah, you're like washing clothes, taking out the trash, cutting the grass, cleaning the house. That's as mundane as it gets.

Justin: 28:49

But we would all agree when you look at what matters, I've never looked at moments like that and thought what a wasted time of investment. I get more back on my ROI when I spend with my family. Oh, 100% it's so easy and, in the same way, a long obedience in the same direction.

Rhett: 29:08

Yep.

Justin: 29:09

When I look at anything that has been accomplished, what I do at Highlands 24 years that I'm moving into in February that's awesome. It's been the mountaintop experience and it's been the valleys Awesome, it's been the mountaintop experience and it's been the valleys. But in those valleys that's the everyday moment of being dedicated, to come dedicated to in the days that the Pied Piper is wanting me to make it more about me. Yeah, I have to kind of level off and remember. Here's my why If not, you do something foolish that might not let you get to be doing what you're doing anymore.

Justin: 29:48

But you look at it over this long obedience in the same direction and I have acquired skills that I'm now getting the investment, the return on investment that was exponential. I couldn't have got it in five years. I might not could have gotten it in 10 years, but in 24 years I might not could have gotten it in 10 years, but in 24 years I'm gaining things right now that are just now starting. But it was all because there were many mundane moments. Wow, that's a lot of M's. There were many mundane moments I had to walk through to even get where I'm at and I think everybody would look at what they're doing. There were many mundane moments you had to walk through to get you where you're at.

Rhett: 30:32

So go ahead and pre-decide to be able to walk through the mundane moments to accomplish it. To accomplish whatever your goal is, whatever your resolution is. Go ahead and pre-decide. You know what? Tomorrow is going to be a mundane day. Nobody could probably see what I'm about to go into. I might wake up tomorrow and not feel like doing anything to try to accomplish whatever I was inspired from yesterday. Yeah, but I'm going to go ahead and pre-decide. I'm going to do that. You know why? Because I know why I'm doing this. Yeah, that's so good, it's right here in front of me and I think, of course, you, in perspective, the biggest thing, the biggest rock. If you're married, it's your wife. If you've got kids, your biggest rock is your wife.

Justin: 31:06

Yeah, and ladies, your spouse. Everything flows from that, your spouse.

Rhett: 31:10

Yeah, yeah, your spouse. Sorry, sorry, you know I speak from the perspective of I'm a dude, so I think that way. But thank you for clarifying. If you're married, it's your spouse. If you have kids, your priority is your spouse. If you're married and have kids, that's right. Oh yeah, you know, if you're not married and have kids, your priority is your kids, right, right. But you know that's a whole nother conversation. You know some people are like, well, man, my kids come first. I'm like, well, there's your problem. Like, if you're married and you have kids and your kids are first, there's some things are out of order. So let's work on that first. Let's get that. Why ready, right, right. So, because everything flows from God spouse, then kids, and then work.

Rhett: 31:50

Your family unit, so your family unit is huge, and so, for me, my big rocks obviously my relationship with God. I want to grow stronger in that. I really want this. I've been really inspired and I was sharing this with a friend yesterday. You know, say what you want about Russell Brand, but the brother has met with Jesus man.

Rhett: 32:10

The guy has been radically just infused with the power of Christ in a, in a revolutionary and revelationary way. And and um, and so I love it. Way, and and um, and so I love it. And it's so inspiring to me because it takes me back to when I gave my life to crisis 16 and how I felt and everything was all new and and so, like he's just, it's just been very refreshing to kind of see at least what he puts online and it's very inspiring. And he's like man I just read this verse and man, it's come alive to me and I've only been a Christian for about a year now and how did I like I'm learning this for the first time and my eyes are open, and it's just this beauty of just this sense of uh, what's the word?

Rhett: 32:51

I'm looking for Innocence, if you will of just like coming to know God and his power and his truth, his character, his nature, his goodness, his mercy, his grace, all the wonderful things. He's like man. I've been trying to fill my life with sex and cocaine and fame and wealth, and I've had all this and I experienced all this and none of it has fulfilled me like Christ has. It's like, oh, man, and it's not a show. You can see even the light in his eyes If you go back and see in the darkness that was in his eyes pre-Christ and now, with Christ, it's like his soul has been cleansed and it's that miracle, right. And so I've been watching this journey and kind of following it, liking some of his stuff and just trying to just encourage him, along with probably a million other people.

Rhett: 33:36

But it's been inspiring to me and so, for me, my walk with the Lord, just being honest, it's man, lord, may I. It's like you know, I never want to forget my first love. It's like I just I want to have this innocence about me, I want to have this faith, I want to have this, this, this, this willingness to continue to learn and to grow and and to get to know God and and more than I've ever known him before. Yes, I've read the verses. I've read through the Bible several times, but like I want to read through it again, like it's the first time I've ever read it. Yeah, man, you know what I'm saying. Like, like I just I don't want to walk through it like, oh well, that's his dad on the piano.

Rhett: 34:13

Right, no, I want to go man, that's dad on the piano, yeah, oh, that, like this is my Father, this is my Heavenly Father and this is what he's done. And, oh, my goodness, I've never seen that before. Like wow, that's you know. And so for me, that's one of my you know moments of like, hey, man, I want to, I don't want to sustain, I don't want to go. Well, I've known that.

Justin: 34:43

I've grown that you know like. No, I'm like I don't know anything, you know, and what I do know is nothing compared to the greatness of our God. And it goes back to when you're saying the whole New Year's resolution. I love the word. It's that New Year's revelation that really is. I mean, that's the fitting word that we talk about today. If you can set your year up on a fresh revelation, I'm with you, rhett. How we've been serving now Jesus, 31 years.

Justin: 35:05

And what if this year could be fresh revelation where just that awe and wonder can come out? That's what will sustain you, even in these mundane times. Because when you have that fresh revelation, that fresh why of why you're doing whatever it is in your life and you started the podcast with this Rhett If you can begin everything with do you have God in your life? You have to have the higher power you can't do it without the Lord.

Justin: 35:34

It can't be done without the Lord. If your revelation, if you can fix your eyes on Christ in all of this, that will at least be that North Star that keeps you on target. When all the excitement will come and go in waves, it's going to come in and come out, but the North Star, there with Jesus, is going to keep you moving. When you have fresh revelation, the thing you also you stay tethered to your why, why are you doing this in the first place? You recognize all your different priorities, your main ones, your family, your friends, all these important your community, your local church. Get in a local church If you're not in a group of believers, get tethered to a group of believers and we'll talk about that more in upcoming episodes.

Justin: 36:16

And then understand what is your wiring, what is God putting in your heart to do? You have a responsibility to take care of the people closest to you. So that might mean you're in a job you don't love. That's okay. That might be your God ordained job because you're taking care and you're creating an amazing return on investment. But also understand your wiring. Begin to understand how you can take your time and your energy, enhance the very person God created you to be, so that you can stay obedient in that same direction, with the goal, knowing it's not going to happen overnight, but after many, many sleeps, after many, many 13-week intervals, equaling times, four, equaling one year. And you keep doing this. Just watch the progress that you're going to make in your life and the consistency that's going to become you all, because you started with a new year's revelation.

Rhett: 37:13

Well said. Thank you for recapping that. I have to bring this back to Coldplay for a second, because I mentioned it earlier in the episode. So you know, we're creatives and we have the ability to be inspired by a lot of different things. But when we hear something, it can take us to a place of inspiration, a mountaintop, to get us either distracted toward well, we could do this I don't know if we should do this or move us to a place of you know, oh man, that was just something we just needed to enjoy, right, to a place of you know, oh man, that was just something we just needed to enjoy, you know, right.

Rhett: 37:43

But if you haven't, I haven't heard the whole thing. So I can't speak for the whole thing and I don't know so where the whole album is. But I'll tell you the first three or four tracks on. The thing is amazing and I just listened to it yesterday for the first time and from the point of play on the first song to about the third or fourth song, I was like, oh my gosh and I.

Justin: 38:02

It was on an adventure, it took me on an adventure.

Rhett: 38:04

And so for me to tell you like today I was like dude, you got to hear this. If you don't heard this, oh my gosh, and you know it. We plus I pray, I don't know why I can't tell. Today I pressed play and then we just sat here and listened and I could see it in your eyes, you could see it mine. I'm just sitting there going man like I'm. I left the first two or three songs going. All right, it's time to just throw everything to the side, start recording in the studio and make some music. You know what I mean.

Rhett: 38:31

Like I'm giving my life, the rest of my life, to this chris martin, you oh man you pod piper no and I'm so grateful for, for he's a worship leader and he doesn't even know it. You know what I mean. Like God has gifted that man to create music and moments to move people in a way, to where there's a response, and of course, we know that the gifting is ultimately used should be used to bring glory and honor to Christ. But I'm just mesmerized by it and I'm literally listening to it, inspired for a lot of things. Yeah, um, it's like a backing track for my other dreams.

Rhett: 39:06

That's right I'm thinking about, but it's also if I'm being real. I was like oh man, I gotta play more music. Yeah, I gotta, I gotta write more. I really should which is inspiring and you should, so that I should, but it doesn't mean it's a catalyst, but it doesn't mean that I need to stop everything that I'm doing and all of a sudden now go all in, because I think that's part of my personality, I think you too.

Rhett: 39:29

I'm an all or nothing kind of guy. It's like if I'm going to do it, I'm going to go all in. If I'm going to play golf, I've got to buy the whole thing, everything.

Justin: 39:37

If I'm going to play tennis.

Rhett: 39:39

I've got to have, and so if I'm going, to write the music.

Rhett: 39:41

Well, I need a $4,000 keyboard and I need a studio and I need all this stuff, right, and it's not true. I mean you can and people do that, and so I think that's back that inspiration moment. We were talking about Coldplay, right, yeah, that was an inspiration moment that got me thinking towards something that I really should probably spend a little bit more time on. That's great, but I think just having that clarity and going into new years, I always feel like there's a pressure coming out of the last year. I don't know if anybody else is this way, but I feel the pressure of man. I've got to have a word for the year. What is God speaking to me for 2025? And I've never been that guy. I've never like oh well, here's the word for the year, and I know some people do that. I'm not knocking that, but that's been different. I almost feel so much pressure that I got to have a word.

Rhett: 40:28

You know, and a lot of pastors and church people do this and I get it and that's great and it has its purpose. But, like I've never been personally, for me, that guy that's been like I know exactly what I'm going to accomplish this year. So it got me thinking, and here's the question that I have and I'm sorry my nose is stopped up so you can probably hear it in my voice with all the stuff that's going around but have you ever had a call it a vision retreat. Call it a two-day getaway with you and Summer to where you're kind of like, hey, it's just you two getting together and you're kind of doing a reset or refresh and you're looking at 2025 and you're thinking to yourself what are the big rocks that we want to accomplish? You know, husband and wife with kids, financially, physical health, mental health, uh, spiritually some of the things that we're dreaming about. Like, do you have a dream retreat, a vision retreat? I don't know what you want to call it Different people call it different things.

Rhett: 41:30

I've never done this. I've heard about it, and it doesn't have to be a two-day weekend, it can be right at your house. But have you ever done it and, if so, has that reaped benefits for you? I've never done it. I done it, and if so, has that reaped benefits for you? Yes, I've never done it. I've always thought about it.

Justin: 41:46

I think it would be great and so I don't know. I just I kind of had that question.

Justin: 41:48

I mean, in january, me, and summer, yes, every year, and with us having four boys, we haven't been able to drift off as much yeah, but we will but we will take a day in january, okay, where we'll still slip away and just have our moment, not out of town, just might slip away to a library or something, okay, and we'll still slip away and just have our moment, not out of town, just might slip away to a library or something.

Rhett: 42:04

Okay.

Justin: 42:05

And we'll talk about what we want to accomplish in the year.

Rhett: 42:08

Do you go into it? Knowing already both of you? You're kind of prepped for it. We have some ideas a little bit. Is this an opening up to each other?

Justin: 42:16

of like hey.

Rhett: 42:17

I've been thinking about this. You've been thinking about this. You kind of hash it out yeah, we'll have some, some thoughts that we brought in together and talk about what we'd like to accomplish.

Justin: 42:25

We talk about each of the boys, what we would like to see in them. Okay, and then every February and I think when I say every guys, I think we're like on our fourth one we wanted to wait till our you know, our youngest at least hit an age where they could sit in the room all day.

Rhett: 42:38

Yeah.

Justin: 42:39

But we do a family retreat every February, and when I say retreat once again, I call it what it's going to become as they get older. But what that looks like is we wake up early and I will already create like a document where it's fun pictures that we accomplished over the years.

Justin: 42:56

That way I can hand each one of the boys and it will show an accomplishment with each one of them, but it will show family pictures, just a reminder of the moments and then we'll sit down and we'll balance it with topics that we want to cover and we'll actually bring some board games or something we want to do to kind of break the ice. So it's not just serious meetings and it's been huge for us because we do take this theme of the year. So two years ago I remember we had this theme called Soundtracks and it was all about the voices, like what you know, as we were talking about Pied Piper what's getting into your mind, and so we will take hey, here's the voice that God says you are, or here is who God says you are.

Justin: 43:39

Here are the competing voices you're going to be hearing, and so we'll go through that. But then we'll talk about what would you guys like to do this year If we were to think off the wall, where would you guys like to go?

Rhett: 43:49

Just anything's possible, kind of like that Anything's possible, like money's not an option. Let's just if you were to do something fun Three years running they've been wanting to go to New York City. Okay, so in.

Justin: 43:58

So at one year we're going to announce that we're going to New York City. But right now our goal and they're excited and we'll really announce it. It's not even an announcement in February, but because Summer got her doctorate, she'll actually go graduate officially to go walk, even though she already has it. We'll go to Arizona and we'll go watch mom do the ceremony Then we'll make it like a seven-day trip to go see some of these places, whether it's Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon Grand Canyon.

Justin: 44:30

We're going to end up seeing a lot of these spaces. That's awesome, but it all starts. Last year, during our family time, we talked about this trip.

Rhett: 44:39

So, on the pictures that you take, is that and that you hand to them, is that something that y'all have talked about in previous family retreats? And you're giving them a picture showing them look, this came to fruition. We were able to do this.

Justin: 44:52

Yep. Or, for example, like my two oldest, I got to personally baptize them. Oh, that's cool. The document, might. The document last year showed a picture of Dax and Kai coming up out of the water. That's cool, I mean, and it reminded them of the commitment they made to Christ.

Rhett: 45:07

And now here's what we're going to do this year to help further that that's really cool, man, and and I, and so thank you for answering that question. I think that's going to help a lot of people. Well, I asked cause I've never done these things. You, well, I ask because I've never done these things, you know, and we've. Where is three of us, you know, myself, linda and Max, and I think, instead of having like a big moment where we've done this, I think we've had these ongoing conversations throughout the year, but I think it would just I want to try it and I was talking to Linda about I was like I just, you know, we're kind of that same dynamic.

Rhett: 45:37

We can't really get away, yeah, you know, like we would want to in this season. So, whatever we do, we're going to have to get creative and be a little bit more local with what we're doing to get away. But anyway, all that to say, I don't know man, I just feel like that would be a very inspiring mountaintop moment, definitely. But, dude, kudos to you guys as parents, setting the course and the direction and in teaching them, really setting some core foundations for them to go. Man, it's important You're really teaching them how to plan and how to dream, but also how to celebrate when things happen.

Rhett: 46:13

And you're speaking life into them and direction and prophesying really into their life too. Well, and to even like celebrate it at the end.

Justin: 46:20

Everything that we do it's you know, it's a kind of a tedious activity. In a certain way, we keep it fun. I mean, summer will fill up a candy jar with each of their names, so it's like it makes it fun. But we end the whole thing after we've done some work and once again, we don't push this. We do it according to where they're at in life, and so one day this will shift where we will go to a resort for a couple of days. Of course, I mean, we might go skiing years from now, who knows? Yeah, but that's the dream and the vision that me and Summer will talk about. But what we will do now is we'll cap the night off. So we might go grab. You know, in Birmingham, alabama, my favorite pizza is Davenport's pizza. We'll go do some Davenport's maybe in the night with Topgolf, so it's some big festive event to end the night, yeah that's cool.

Justin: 47:09

And it's just kind of it puts a stamp on our year. So February we consider, because at Highlands we do 21 days that we're about to step into Matter of fact, as you're hearing this, we just launched it, so we're in a prayer and fasting season and we don't get out a lot during January. So February really feels like the start of getting out and doing stuff. So that's when we have put the family retreat in February.

Rhett: 47:35

So for those who don't know, 21 days of prayer and fasting is just a time that we we take the first part of the year, try to give God our best and eliminate distractions. Uh, you know, so that way we can. It's amazing, when you kind of turn down the volume of the world, how all of a sudden it's like God's been speaking the whole time. I just not been hearing it because everything else has been so loud. God doesn't shout. I mean he can, but oftentimes more than you know.

Justin: 47:59

99% of the time no-transcript to our, at least in our Western society.

Justin: 48:51

This is a moment that, when you feel that, that sadness, maybe even that rage, that could kick in the sense of utter purposelessness, whatever could kick in, I challenge everybody.

Justin: 49:01

Purposelessness, whatever could kick in, I challenge everybody.

Justin: 49:04

What would it be like if you allow that moment to fully hit you, let that wave come in and just fully hit you and don't immediately try to medicate and feel that Live in the sense of emptiness.

Justin: 49:17

That's a great example of what a 21-day of prayer and fasting is. That's a great example of what a 21 day of prayer and fasting is, because when you go without something your body wants and you actually can stand that test of time and not cave to try to medicate yourself, you are actually fighting against some of this stuff that usually will apprehend or try to intercept some of the best things that God actually has for your life. And so when I say 21 days of prayer and fasting, that's also an example where you have a chance to shut out, gratifying yourself and it gives you a moment to live in the quietness and it will blow your mind how you'll sense the presence of God, maybe like you never have before, and he will fill that void with a sense of I'm here, I love you, I've got great plans for you. And you learn to lean on that voice in what might be a very dark moment for you, but it's also a moment of revelation 1 Corinthians 9, verse 24.

Rhett: 50:21

I read this two days ago and it just has stuck out to me and I'm seeing it in a different light than I've ever had before. I've read this a ton of times but for some reason I felt like the Lord was really speaking to me on this and maybe it will encourage some of you, and it kind of goes along with what we're saying today. It's titled the Need for Self-Discipline. Now, this is Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. He used to persecute the church and, on the road to Damascus, to persecute more Christians. Jesus shows up, blinds him in a way to where because you can't fully comprehend or even see all his glory it just would annihilate you.

Rhett: 51:03

It's just enough to go. Hey, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you Lord? Right, Paul says right, and he has this unbelievable revelation of Christ on the road to persecute Christ and the Christians. Right, and so he comes away with this life-changing moment. So this is who Paul, this is who's writing this, All right, and so he comes away with this, with this life changing moment. So this is who Paul, this is who's writing this, All right. And so he's talking about the need for self-discipline, and I think this goes along with 2025 resolutions, new habits and really trying to create a sustainable rhythm in your life.

Rhett: 51:34

To all the runners run Like, of course, everybody that's running a race. They're all running, but only one gets the prize. So run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. So it's like every single one of us who is trying to compete goes into the self-discipline, living in the valley moments of the mundane, already pre-deciding, knowing that what's my why? I want to win this thing, right, I want to win the race and this is what I got to do to get there. So everyone who competes, they go into strict training. Why? Because they do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it referring to those who are followers of Christ. We go into strict training right to get a crown that will last forever.

Rhett: 52:34

So, therefore, I don't run like someone running aimlessly to the Pied Piper that we talked about earlier. I do not fight like a boxer, just beating the air, Like where am I beating? No one is here. I'm just like slinging and hitting nothing every time. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, after I have done what I know God has called me to do, after I have lived my best life, fulfilling what I'm passionate about and what I'm supposed to do, whatever lane I'm supposed to run, After I've done that, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. It's like to me. This is a verse that speaks to me on so many levels, and that is this year for me. I'm not a word guy for the year, but it's like I'm. I've not just 31 years served the Lord, but like I've.

Rhett: 53:26

I'm a guy moving into 2025, who's continually moving forward in strict training to to not forget my why, to realize there's more to this life than this life, and what I want to do, what I want to maximize, what I want to steward, well, everything that I'm going to do, that I am doing, is going to have eternal purpose behind it, and I'm not trying to over-spiritualize things, but everything that I'm going to do in 2025 and moving forward is remembering that I'm passing through this life and as I'm passing through this life, I'm going to do the things that not all the things I can do, but the thing I should be doing right To maximize my moment, my energy, my time for my heavenly reward, to make a difference in other people's lives, and that may be through music, maybe through preaching, maybe through website design, creative relief, pastors, all those different things, right, but I'm just living my life, going. You know what body, you're not calling the shots anymore. So good, you're not calling the shots. That's what I, back in June, july, like no, I'm going to lose 25 pounds by 25. Update I lost 19 pounds. I gained six pounds back in the three weeks or four weeks of December, right, because I wanted to enjoy the holidays. So did I hit my 25 by 25? No, I didn't. But I can rejoice in the fact that you know what. I lost some weight, yes, and I'm going to get back up and I have and I've got my plan.

Rhett: 54:50

I know what I'm doing and this body, you know what, is not calling the shots anymore Physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally like, no, not calling it.

Rhett: 55:00

I know my why, I know my, what I had the inspiration of Jesus Christ, by the power of his Holy Spirit living in me. I'm going to get to know him more and every time I'm living my life in the mundane, it's going to come back to realizing. You know what. I know the goal, I know the prize it's heaven, it's not earth. And everything that I'm going to do this year, yeah, man, everything that I want to do and I'm not perfect, I'm human, I'm going to make my mistakes, but in everything that I want to try to set my mind and my heart, and everything that I do, it's with heaven in mind, with eternity and focus to realize, man, the decisions I make today will impact tomorrow my family, my friends, my finances, my future, my physical health, my mental health, like everything, everything that I'm doing, like it's going to be heavenward, like with a mindset of eternity. And you know what the spot? I guess all that to say, man, I'm going into strict training and I'm going to continue to walk the life in strict training.

Rhett: 55:55

Nobody. That's not a highlight reel. That's not a Instagram.

Justin: 55:58

That's a lot of Valley.

Rhett: 55:59

You know that's a lot of Valley. And it has been for 31 years. It will continue to be. But you know, for the glory and honor of God, I just I've got this, is just. This is a word for me, I guess.

Justin: 56:11

No, this is beautiful and we leave you with this question what do you need to leave in 2024? And what do you need to take with you into 2025 as you step into fresh new year's revelation On the next episode of Armchair Authentic it's called the Power of the Other. We just thought we would throw out what would be the highlight of the book, because I think it would be very helpful to our listeners in the sense of connection, because connectivity, your connection with people, is everything and it's going to determine where you're going.

Justin: 56:46

The only reason we're at 50 is we've had the connection with each other. We've surrounded ourselves with good people that have kept us in this sense of keep going.

Rhett: 56:56

It reminds me of like a boy band that's put together by like a label that says oh, I found a guy over in iowa and I found a guy in oklahoma, and I got a guy in california, got a guy in new york, and they all kind of sing separately, but we think they would look good and so let's let's piece them together in this band, and they only last for so long, because they they've not had any deep, intricate connections in life and that's why they might rise to fame quickly, but they break up really fast over a couple of albums because they were pieced together and it and although it felt organic, it was forced organic and it just didn't last.

Justin: 57:30

We're really looking forward to that episode. Hey, if you enjoyed this conversation, would you pull out your device and text a link to your friend? We would love to have them join us on this journey. Well, until next time. We hope you have a great week.