Rhett: 0:00

So I love Ryan for many reasons but, like the Southern accent dude, it's just we're going to get so many man, bring that boy back and, as Tech said, it's Cowboy Curtis dummy.

Ryan: 0:13

Right then and there I dedicated my life. And then, after the service, you guys came down with Micah. I got to meet the three of y'all, just this group of guys. I told myself I'm not going back to the Southern Baptist Church again, I'm not coming to this church for the girls. I'm going over there because those guys were cool and I love them.

Rhett: 0:42

Welcome back everyone to another conversation with your friends, rhett and Justin, right here at Armchair Authentic, where we're keeping it real with conversations about real life, with real people, stewarding our stories and even our conversations in a way that serve you. And today, can I be honest, man, you're in for a treat. We have a longtime friend of ours joining us on this episode. His name is Ryan Jennings. I tell you what, my friends, we cannot wait to get into this. So, without further ado, our conversation begins right now. All right, justin, I am super stoked. Today we got a good friend of ours. He's not a guest, he's family, he's friends. If you've been listening to this conversation for any length of time, you have heard the name Ryan Jennings. If you haven't, go back and listen. Ryan, it is so good to have you in the Armchair Authentic studio at my house today. Oh man, thank you so much.

Justin: 1:41

Yeah, we've mentioned Ryan quite a few times. Oh man, Thank you so much. Yeah, We've mentioned Ryan quite quite a few times. I mean, yeah, this is cool for me, because I always have my cool for me, because why and here's why you know, Rhett, everybody knows this we're best friends you know 30, 40 years now I think they don't know.

Rhett: 1:59

This is your first time listening that we've known each other 30. We're closing into it's 40 years, I think now, in a few days.

Justin: 2:05

That's crazy. Yeah, maybe at the time of this airing it might be very close. It might be your birthday I don't know when this was released. What are you trying to say?

Rhett: 2:13

we are 47 right now at the same time so you live it up.

Justin: 2:16

We're the same age buddy for a little bit longer. But the cool thing is, yeah, um, rhett, you know, obviously that's going so far back. He was best man at my wedding, but I've never said this on our episode before. But I had a co-best man deal at my wedding. Yeah, you did. And Ryan, it's just so cool because I'm talking to my two guys, come on, rhett was the responsible one that did the best man duties to make sure that the grooms got taken care of.

Rhett: 2:45

Are you selling out our friend right now? Is that what you're doing? Come on, Ryan played his part.

Justin: 2:49

Ryan brought the party. Imagine that, imagine that. But no, it's cool, ryan, to have you in the studio, my two best men in my wedding 25 years ago. It's crazy, dude Can.

Rhett: 3:00

I be very honest and just be truthful. That's all a blur to me. I would not have even remembered that I wasn't either.

Justin: 3:07

I know. No, I wasn't expecting like some moment that we're about to rekindle the flame, I was like what's happening?

Rhett: 3:12

I'm like, oh, we were best men, we were co-best men.

Ryan: 3:15

Wow, yeah, I'm like sure we were.

Rhett: 3:18

Of course we were. That moment was such. It was all about me.

Justin: 3:21

Rhett, you were nonstop that day.

Rhett: 3:23

Yeah, like we like the whole, like our whole family.

Ryan: 3:27

We were all nonstop.

Justin: 3:27

Our whole family, though, would talk Like Rhett when it ended. Rhett was making sure everything was cleaned up. He was making sure. I still remember everybody saying, like Tommy Summer's mom she'd be like well, rhett, help me load. She had this van. Rhett loaded the van of all y'all's presents. I don't know what we'd have done without Rhett.

Rhett: 3:50

You were the one who stayed, and then Ryan, I think, met maybe one of the bridesmaids Easy killer.

Justin: 3:53

Wait, hold on Ryan's like hold on Wait a minute. No, I'm kidding the reason why.

Ryan: 3:59

This is a horrible setup for you. Ryan, I'm not kidding. Welcome to the podcast. We're going to butcher you. It's Roast Ryan hour. I mean, hey, can I just tell you we're co-best men.

Rhett: 4:07

Ryan did nothing, ryan did nothing.

Justin: 4:09

I don't even remember being there, ryan raised the glass and made sure that we were honored at our rehearsal dinner. He got the toast going of our grape juice. I mean, I remember it, it was my wedding.

Ryan: 4:22

You remember everything, though You're like the master of memory. Hey on, you know, june 12th of 1998, it was a you know Wednesday and we were at the park and center point and Ryan had on a purple shirt, like that's, that's just, it's ridiculous, I'm glad.

Rhett: 4:39

I'm not the only one now saying that. It's so ridiculously true. What's cool about Ryan and you've been such a kind kind of? We were talking about this yesterday on the golf course because you and I had a chance that randomly went to play random we can talk about that in a minute.

Rhett: 4:52

But, um, I was sitting there going ryan, I don't even remember like how we even met, because I I know how justin and I met and then we were involved in church. And I'm just so for the story, for our friends on the podcast, because, you know, in my opinion, depending on what you want to do from this moment forward, we'd love to have you back.

Rhett: 5:07

I'm already saying it'd be so fun, yeah because you've just been a part of our story and and, and so this podcast is really designed in a way for us to steward our stories yeah, our relationships, in every connection along the way, in a way that serves people and your story. Like, first of all, this guy's incredible musician hands down oh brother I play. I play keyboard. This brother plays like on a whole nother level.

Justin: 5:30

Yeah, I played this but this brother plays ryan reminds me there's an artist out there named tommy prophet and he produces a lot of people's album producer, really, yes, what a small world.

Ryan: 5:41

Are you being serious? Yeah?

Justin: 5:43

you are. I mean, you're like're like Tommy Prophet to me, and no one understands the greatness of Ryan Jennings Well, so I say I want to just bring into context.

Rhett: 5:51

So not only a good friend, but you're a great musician. We played in bands together, we've worshiped together and done a lot of just fun things, a lot of crazy stories too along the way which maybe we might get into, which is a lot of fun to laugh about.

Rhett: 6:03

Ryan's perspective on our life and our journey is going to be different than what you've heard us say, and that's what I love. It's like reading the Gospels, you know Matthew, mark, luke and John. It's all kind of the same story but it's told from different perspectives. So I'm interested to kind of get into some stories, maybe relive some moments and go oh man, this is what we're doing. So amazing musician, incredible father I mean dude just so proud of you for what you've done in fatherhood and taking care of your son and that's a story in and of itself. We can get into that as a single father right now. Just so proud of you, man, thank you. You're crushing it, thank you, and you've just been so consistent. Your story is your story and I'm really just looking forward honestly, justin and ryan, just to kind of the direction this goes and this is not. This is a to be continued conversation.

Justin: 6:50

You know there's too many stories, too many, so I I don't even know where to start. You were saying I think I remember where you and ryan met. Well, he clarified it for me yesterday yeah, I clarified it.

Rhett: 7:01

What did you clarify? So talk about how you ended up in our lives.

Ryan: 7:04

So yeah, I think I was at just state. I was a just state singer maybe one year before ret came on, and that's a community college community college here yeah and um, it was after our first.

Justin: 7:16

Well, maybe because y'all both graduated in 95, 1995.

Ryan: 7:21

Yeah, it was 95 96 and for all the listeners. I love how y'all always you know For the listeners out there. This is Birmingham Alabama. Yeah, yeah or as Justin says it Birmingham, alabama, alabama, alabama.

Rhett: 7:35

So I love Ryan for many reasons but like the Southern accent dude is just, we're going to get so many compliments Like man, bring that boy back. That is some good stuff boy back, we got like Rick and Bob on.

Justin: 7:46

Like this is like. This is great. Ryan, doesn't hold back, because he sent me a text yesterday. Yeah, and his text said it's Cowboy Curtis dummy.

Rhett: 7:59

In reference to Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse.

Ryan: 8:01

I kept saying Cowboy.

Justin: 8:02

Bob like three times and it's like dang it.

Ryan: 8:04

It's Lawrence.

Justin: 8:05

Fishburne, I mean come on guys.

Rhett: 8:07

Yeah, that's the actor.

Justin: 8:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Morpheus the Matrix, morpheus Cowboy Bob.

Rhett: 8:11

Curtis.

Justin: 8:12

I mean.

Rhett: 8:15

Two first names, anyway. So your accent I love it, man. I mean like so for our friends who live all over the country and even around the world. They're dialing and going. Man, can you let that guy talk for a little?

Ryan: 8:27

bit Exactly. Just read a book or something. For me, we're about to get a dose of it. Anyway, here we go.

Justin: 8:32

I want to hear the story how y'all met.

Ryan: 8:36

I think they call it senior week. It's primarily for high school seniors. They go to the beach and they party, have a good time, and me and a group of my guys were down there. We were having a good time.

Rhett: 8:47

Yeah, yeah, this pre -Jesus no, not pre Jesus, pre-surrender.

Ryan: 8:52

Yeah, pre-surrender yeah.

Rhett: 8:55

So I believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, but as far as the choices you were making, it might be a little questionable.

Ryan: 9:01

Okay so we were down there kind of looking for the honeys, so to speak, I guess. And we ran across three young ladies that were from Birmingham. They invited us to church.

Rhett: 9:15

Oh, say who they are. They're friends of ours. Well, yeah.

Ryan: 9:17

Amy, becca and Joy.

Rhett: 9:18

Yes, yeah, yes. Shout out to Amy, becca and Joy.

Ryan: 9:22

It was crazy because I would live here my whole life.

Rhett: 9:24

Yes, shout out to Amy Beckett and Joy.

Ryan: 9:25

It was crazy because I would live here my whole life I'd never met them before, you know, and we all thought that they were cute. And what did they do? They invited us to church when we got back home. So what are you?

Rhett: 9:32

going to do Somebody that's cute.

Justin: 9:34

Might you go to church? I didn't know that. Yeah, I didn't either.

Ryan: 9:37

It was the community Fourth of July service at New Covenant Fellowship, because, remember, guiding Light would come. Parkway Cathedral and New Covenant. All the choirs would get up and sing.

Rhett: 9:46

And these knuckleheads called 24-7 got up and sang.

Justin: 9:50

All right, Come on. Shout out to Micah.

Ryan: 9:53

No, but it was pretty incredible. I was raised in the Baptist church, I'd taken communion a thousand times and I was a little wayward at the time, but went to the church to find these girls, or whatever, and it was Lester. Pastor Lester, what was his last?

Justin: 10:05

name.

Rhett: 10:06

I don't know.

Justin: 10:06

Oh man You're going to ask me. Oh my gosh, I barely remember Pastor Lester Is it Smith no, sure Lester, just keep going.

Rhett: 10:16

Yeah, pastor Lester. Oh my gosh.

Ryan: 10:29

It was awesome because it was a community-wide worship service in Southern Baptist. I'd never heard Pentecostal music so, and you know the reference to music at the beginning of the podcast.

Ryan: 10:32

Like that was incredible to me to hear Christian music in that, you know, in that light. And so I was sitting there. I was like, oh my goodness, what's going on? I mean I felt the Lord and everything. And then the guy gets up and Lester's like we're going to do communion. And I've heard it a thousand times examine yourself before you take communion. If you do it without asking for forgiveness, you bring judgment on yourself. And I was like man. For the first time in my life I don't feel like I'm worthy of taking communion.

Ryan: 11:00

And it was just an eye-opening experience. And so right then and there, I dedicated my life. I didn't go up to the front, you know the altar, or anything like that, I just said I'm going to get my life right. And then had communion and then after the service, you guys came down with Micah, I got to meet the three of y'all. I went to church for girls, for the wrong thing.

Ryan: 11:21

And then all the music and just this group of guys from parkway christian I was. I told myself. I said I'm not going back to the southern baptist church again, I'm not coming to this church for the girls. I'm going over there because those guys were cool and I love them really.

Justin: 11:38

Well, first of all, shout out then to amy, becca and joy, because it just has the power to get you to go to church.

Ryan: 11:46

That happened to me in 93.

Justin: 11:48

There was a girl, I went to the beach for and. I came back and I was in love with Jesus. Really, I've never heard that.

Rhett: 11:55

I never knew that that's what led to it. I thought you would have been like, oh dude, I remember this here it is, you think.

Ryan: 12:00

Ryan just showed up at Parkway.

Justin: 12:02

No, I would have. I would have said there is something I'll say in a little while, that I thought it was, but it's now.

Rhett: 12:06

I'm aligning how you, yeah ended up where I ended up I was gonna start the story, so keep going. Yeah, well, with that, though, uh, visually speaking. So like the haircuts that are really popular, right? Now that's kids, where it's just a mop on somebody's head. You know what I mean. Like you had the curliest blonde hair and if remember, it was maybe shaved a little bit.

Ryan: 12:23

But you just like boom, it was great, it was curly, I was like dude this, and you were always in your soccer digs man. And I'm sitting here bald and fat today.

Justin: 12:32

Yeah, shut up no Come on man. For the listeners.

Rhett: 12:35

that's not true, Because not that you're a great musician, but you're a phenomenal and and I was just always blown away watching you jump and kick the ball like upside down, flip and like kick it, Amazing, like crazy. I'm like who is this guy? This is nuts. See, that's the first time.

Justin: 12:51

If you take me back to the beginning, I played soccer my whole life and when I began like audit or auditioning, trying out for competitive leagues, I would make this team and there was another team that we would practice across the field from. And Ryan played and it was Hewitt Trustville, the Hewitt Huskies, but it was the club team, like premier and classic.

Justin: 13:13

I mean, I felt like I was watching a professional player out there and it was me playing with my team and Ryan would play with his team. Mine was Pruitt, you were Tharp, and we would scrimmage each other all the time.

Ryan: 13:36

And so I always remember remember they always called him rj you got your butt kicked. And he, you got your butt kicked right, justin's like. I have never played at this level. This is making me better. The reason their team was so good is because they played at a level they played up to their competition. Yes, it's so true.

Justin: 13:48

No, I was going to brag Now. I don't know if I want to brag on him.

Rhett: 13:51

But it's not Ryan's fault, that Red. No, I'm kidding, I mean no, ryan's a phenomenal soccer player Justin you're phenomenal.

Justin: 13:58

When I went from where I was at at Parkway great guys, that was my entourage when I played for this summer league, one time for St Barnabas like I ended up in this Catholic school.

Rhett: 14:10

Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in a while.

Justin: 14:11

It was a Catholic school. I got invited to be a part of this sports festival and I began playing for it and all I remember is I think you guys played for like the Birmingham Stars shooting stars Shooting stars.

Ryan: 14:24

yeah, and it was Coach.

Justin: 14:24

Pruitt coaching and I remember being in Mobile one year and y'all came in first, we came in third, but we never played each other. And I just remember thinking like there's another level of soccer. Oh yeah, and I was really good in my rec league. That's the level I realized.

Rhett: 14:41

I suck. What am I doing when I tried out for that?

Justin: 14:46

level. I remember looking around the field and thinking like I'm around a bunch of people who are a lot better than me and it ended up being the biggest growth year of my life in soccer. And ryan was on this other team. Yeah, and he was fast he was. You have your players who were power players, but you have finesse. Ryan was the kind of guy like he literally could do anything with his body. He would head the ball and it looked so cool coming off.

Ryan: 15:13

Yeah, dude, he got bossy okay, he'd do a backwards, flip, slow motion.

Justin: 15:17

He was very finesse and I was more like like, like power yeah, ryan and I were talking, uh, about yesterday.

Rhett: 15:24

we were catching up on somebody like dude, we got to talk about some of this on the podcast and one of them was like do you remember the pickup games of soccer we used to do? Like, think about it we were talking about, we didn't have phones on us, I think maybe if we were cool, we had a beeper at the day, if you know what dating us but like how in the world did we even find out?

Rhett: 15:40

but we would somehow some way end up. Next thing we know it's like a thursday, wednesday, what, I don't know what day it was. We're out playing pickup games at random soccer, random fields that had nets yeah do you remember those days?

Justin: 15:52

oh yeah all summer I mean it would be all summer long in the heat of the day we weren't, yeah, and we just went after it, yeah, and so I remember ryan in those early days, so I knew of him, but we never really just stopped and talked. We just knew of each other on the field, so he shows up at Parkway due to this reason, he shows up after he told this story about meeting the three girls and goes to New Covenant, surrenders his life to Christ.

Justin: 16:16

You begin coming to Parkway. All I remember is we still didn't connect a lot with you, but it would have been the summer of 96 that we had started these random courthouse prayers where we would go to the courthouse and just pray and it was something that me and a guy named Nathan Bird shout out to.

Justin: 16:35

Nathan Bird, shout out Nate Dog. He came with me and we would just go and we would pray for an hour. It was like 630 to 730. And then, little by little, more people would come. We built that thing. It ended up being 65 people who would come. But I remember in the midst of there, somewhere you showed up on a morning. That's how you remember him showing up, that's my memory.

Justin: 16:58

I remember kind of meeting him early on when he came to church, but it was almost like that was the moment I knew like he's actually in it to be more connected, because you came to that and just I think that's where I remember it, just feeling like people were showing up and you were there and knew you from soccer too.

Rhett: 17:15

But yeah, it was amazing.

Justin: 17:18

I remember him worshiping on the pine straw Like he literally got. He was on the ground face to the ground and just worshiping God. These were like sunrise moments. Yeah, these are really early.

Rhett: 17:28

There's people walking the track. Think about this. Nobody asked us to do this, nope, we just decided somehow, some way you probably spearheaded it, justin, because you're a lot more spiritual than I ever was Like it was like you're all in and I'm like I'm just trying to catch up. I'm like I'm just trying to catch up. He's got his Bible open, digging in highlighting I'm like I don't know whatever. Anyways, we end up going up there, we take your guitars and stuff in a courthouse. Again, nobody told us. We thought why not go to the courthouse? Why the courthouse, I don't know? We think it's an influential place.

Rhett: 18:00

It's where you get your driver's license. We weren't there to minister, to people.

Ryan: 18:03

I think it was because it was so convenient. I think there was a desire for prayer and that personal growth and relationship with the Lord. We all had such a connection with each other. There were guys that were in Pinson, there were guys that were in Chalkville, guys down in Centerpoint. I think that was just a convenient place for us to go.

Justin: 18:22

It was great because we had just gotten back from a beach trip and people were just naturally fired up.

Rhett: 18:28

When you say beach trip, are you talking about a youth retreat? Yes, I should clarify, it was our youth retreat.

Justin: 18:33

So you know you've separated yourself from everything else. So you have just read your Bible, you've been worshiping, you were fired up for the Lord and you come back and it was just something. We kind of kept going and more people would hear about it and it would have our church. We'd have other churches coming. But I do remember that moment watching you worship and people would walk by and it was like you didn't even care. We were just on the ground just worshiping and we would leave there and go grab breakfast or go to somebody's apartment.

Justin: 19:03

Well, this was summertime, for sure.

Rhett: 19:05

So none of us had jobs that early in the morning, but we decided to get up and do all that you're saying and I think I remember it was what you were saying, ryan. We had this there was a hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God in our lives. There was this passion for his presence, and not in a very overly spiritualized way, but in a very real, authentic thing that was filling our lives in a way that was bringing fulfillment where we were trying to find that in other ways, as teenagers normally do. Yeah, we finally felt like not finally felt we knew like this is the source of life, and so for us it was like we want to we what's the word? Cultivate this in a way and keep it alive, and we would use that was back when the word fire was a big thing cultivate the fire fan the flame, you know, keep it going, light the fire, yeah.

Rhett: 19:47

We were like, whatever's happening right now, we don't want to lose, so let's just, while we can make the most of it, and it was a natural thing. Again, I think that just goes back to like what, well, what we were experiencing we?

Justin: 20:00

we were 18, 19 years old. We were just now not recognizing. Sometimes you stay like young boys, but you don't realize you're becoming leaders. Were we that old then? Oh yeah, it was the summer of 96.

Ryan: 20:14

I had just graduated high school.

Rhett: 20:15

You guys were a year into Jeff.

Justin: 20:15

State.

Ryan: 20:15

Okay, all right yeah.

Justin: 20:16

And so wow, but yeah, so we're there and we're beginning to do this. All I remember is it would grow. Usually you know this is a reference more to the past yeah, but anytime like we literally were like the uneducated guys.

Ryan: 20:31

But it was like powerful things were happening. Yeah.

Justin: 20:35

But what I always noticed, it grew to a point that I guess you know the church we were associated with at that time was like let's get some eyes on that.

Rhett: 20:43

Oh, of course we got to come in and bring accountability to this, I mean it's growing. We don't want to let this out of our control. And no shot to the authority as I roll my eyes?

Justin: 20:51

No shot to the authority, but when they came, it literally is like it died down. Yeah it did. And then I remember launching another one at a house, at Jason's house, and we grew up to about a hundred authority steps in. It died yeah.

Rhett: 21:06

Well, I use the word authority loose. Yeah, I listen, we have submission to authority and we recognize the biblical truth of that. But I think there was something to be learned about that type of culture in those moments. Looking back, it's like guys like don't let God do what he does Like you know what I'm saying.

Rhett: 21:20

Like let things go, and I think that's hopefully something we're learning now to let things just go and let us make some mistakes along the way. There needs to be the moments of like hey, let me let me father you, as a good father would not to control this, but to like, empower you and to help you. But I don't know, man, I think it, I don't know, I can't speak.

Ryan: 21:37

You guys, literally just you just finished talking about this in the podcast I listened to yesterday about letting your identity be in that performance or whatever. Yeah, and how wonderful it would have been to have somebody guide you through that.

Rhett: 21:52

Yeah, yeah, it would have been wonderful, but not in a forceful behavior modification type way, but a heart transformation way of going hey, I'm coming alongside you.

Ryan: 22:02

We're not trying to babysit you. We want to coach you in this.

Rhett: 22:05

It's empowerment versus like control. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's a complete different and there's a fine line there. It is you know, but it's interesting you do mention that I've never thought through that perspective, but you're right Like it would grow and then it would get extinguished.

Rhett: 22:18

Because the because it was multicultural, yes, but multi-church, multi-churches also several different churches, and so I can only imagine from the perspective of the pastors who youth are going to this. I'm like, wait a minute, this is kind of getting out of control. We've got our own youth going to something that's not church sanctioned and that church too, whom we may agree or disagree theologically, but it's like guys, just yeah, let the like. You remember the book of acts pretty much a mess, but look how powerful it was. It was so powerful and what I remember.

Justin: 22:46

just. You know, we, in our own right, will communicate we still do to this day but what we had in common, too, is we were worship leaders.

Ryan: 22:54

Yeah.

Justin: 22:55

And along with, you know, throwing the name out again Micah. But I remember we kind of would do this and this was the beautiful part about it. It wasn't like a name. You know, let's say, if I start that, it wasn't like my name, it was all of us and you would have a rotation. Do you remember we rotated every week? Like the worship leader would be like all right, it's Ryan's week.

Ryan: 23:16

It's.

Justin: 23:16

Justin's, it's Micah's, and we had this beautiful rotation going on and you would just worship, we would have a speaker from another church come in or we one of us would end up speaking, but there was such great cultivation of really cutting our teeth on this calling that we were stepping into Really beautiful. So when I look at the positives of that, when we're talking about how we got to know each other with you, ryan, those were some of the deepest, deepest connections for me. Yeah, it's pretty, pretty sweet times.

Ryan: 23:46

Yeah, it's very, very few and far between. You meet someone with that type of connection when you're older in life, and there's a lot of people that didn't even make connections like that when they were out of high school, so it's a very rare thing. I love the fact that the whole entire podcast is, you know, it's connections, relationships. It's just an ongoing theme that I hear in a lot of the episodes and it's amazing to have been a part of something like that from so long ago.

Justin: 24:13

Yeah, well, I remember times being I went through a really dark time. It was just, it wasn't necessarily doing anything, it just felt like the light was out, like just God was as close. I can look back and see what I've learned over the years. He was closer than ever, but my feels were gone.

Justin: 24:32

And, ryan, I remember one night that you started this prayer meeting in your parents' house and it would happen every Tuesday or something and we would have a bunch of guys that would show up and it would be like 20 or 30 people. And I remember I was a little resistant because I was going through something and I just kind of would isolate myself in this season. And I just remember going one night there and we had recently had the loss of a good friend, del Lawson, who had died in a car accident. This is probably 98. Yeah, and, and I'm just, and that was a rough year that was about to hit us too, as Micah shared on his testimony on another episode, with his dad and mom passing away. It was just a dark season. I remember coming to your house, just kind of done Like I just I'm existing only in my faith, and I remember you guys laid hands on me, ryan, and just began praying.

Justin: 25:26

Encouragement, yeah, and I still. You have your little defining moments that are waking you. I still remember being in that little in-between room where the piano was Mm-hmm, and just room where the piano was and just something. I feel chills now saying it, just my brothers wrapping me and just comfort. Y'all sense what I was going through. Um, it's like getting prayed for but you're being hugged at the same time in every appropriate way you can imagine. Yeah, and I'm just feeling this. It just it wells up. It's like that well, literally it wells up. It's like that. Well, literally it wells up within you and the level of love, comfort and encouragement that hit me on that night I mean, I remember the smile coming back to my face.

Justin: 26:07

That was an impactful night for me and it was a breakthrough I experienced at your house and it's those little moments, like you played such a great part in that for me, like when your brother was down, like you lifted my spirit. Thank you for sharing that.

Ryan: 26:21

Do you?

Rhett: 26:22

remember that. Do you remember that moment?

Ryan: 26:23

I remember one night specifically where it was really really powerful at mom and dad's, and that must've been that night.

Justin: 26:31

And I wasn't one to be very vulnerable. Then I had this. You know, as we were talking a while ago, I did have these things. Usually I will start the things and then we grow it, and that started from our bands Anything, I'm usually that entrepreneur who will launch it. With that came some spiritual uppity-ness. I guess you could say I didn't want to come across weak and so I never really I mean even my best friend over here. It was years before I would get certain vulnerabilities coming out, because I almost saw it in the right way, like we didn't know how to communicate. You got to be, strong.

Justin: 27:04

I didn't know how to, I didn't know how to be vulnerable.

Ryan: 27:06

Is it safe to say that you almost maybe put a little more pressure on yourself than than what you should have?

Justin: 27:12

Oh, big time, Ryan, yeah, big time. And because I hadn't had a leader who actually said, like man, guys, I struggle. All I saw on a platform was perfection, at least perceived perfection. So I thought if I would have opened up to you guys, it would have been like oh, he's not the guy we thought.

Rhett: 27:32

That's the end of the ministry, because he struggles with whatever and I did.

Justin: 27:36

I did have a friend one time who I began opening up to and I don't know if it was oversharing or maybe he wasn't ready for it, because he may have thought the same way I did.

Justin: 27:46

I'll never forget sharing this with him. I mean, some of this stuff that I'm going through. We were at Barnes and Noble at the summit in Birmingham, alabama, and we're and we're talking and probably two or three conversations he's learning like, wow, this guy's got issues he's going through, and I remember one day he was like man, you know, I never really thought you were like this, but he said it kind of in a it's like he met a hero and learned that it's not really the hero. He thought I was so over pedestaled but because I kind of enjoyed that it's like, it's like it, it hurt my heart almost like God. I don't want to be seen that I'm weak or deal with this stuff Right, and so I didn't naturally open up to people. So even though I had a breakthrough on that night, I don't know that, even though it was a great breakthrough, I don't know that I knew to go back and be like, hey, ryan thank you.

Justin: 28:40

Thank you. Like you don't realize what I've been going through and that's a yeah. I put a lot on myself and I think that's something we all naturally do, and I'm thankful for the vulnerability that people are really awakening to. Yeah.

Rhett: 28:54

It goes back to kind of like, I think, about the way we were raised. We didn't really see that in the home, so where else could we have learned it? You know, yeah, we'd have anybody teaching us that. But that moment, man, I remember those moments at your house, man, and you said mom and dad's house was that over springville road tyler.

Rhett: 29:11

Tyler loop road in chalkville, chalkville pinson chalk somewhere in there yeah wow and uh the piano, and I'll never forget sitting there. I was mesmerized by just watching you play piano ain't no big deal. I'm like you know, and you never did it in a prideful way. It was just like no big deal and I was like Lord Jesus, if I could just have half that anointing right there. He just naturally had it you inspired me tremendously.

Ryan: 29:39

I didn't just naturally have that. I used to get my butt wet with a belt if I didn't practice 45 minutes a day seriously well that's something you never shared.

Justin: 29:48

I've never heard that. Well, there's some honor of vulnerability.

Ryan: 29:51

Welcome to armchair authentic yeah, little did.

Ryan: 29:55

I know that, mom. We had a timer on the piano and I would reach up there. It was one of those little mechanical timers. You could move it back a little bit with your hand and I didn't want to practice for 45 minutes that day, I didn't want to go outside and shoot hoops or juggle the soccer ball. I'd creep that little sucker back a little bit, five, ten minutes. Then eventually Mom kind of figured out what I was doing and she would set the timer on the piano. Then she would go into the kitchen and set the timer on the oven.

Rhett: 30:24

Two different timers Exactly Did you turn that timer back?

Ryan: 30:29

No, ma'am Dang.

Rhett: 30:33

You know well it turned out, man. I mean, you know there is definitely fruit from that which I'm sure you're grateful for. Now I'm looking at it differently. Hey, friends, just want to take a moment and say, if you are enjoying today's conversation, could you do us a huge favor? Would you take a moment and copy the link from your favorite podcast platform and share it with a friend, email it to a friend? How about air dropping it over to your buddy or your sister right now, man, that would mean so much to us. Thank you, all right guys back to the conversation.

Justin: 31:03

Me and Rev have talked about this on the podcast before. But there was kind of like a couple of years of separation where we just didn't really we didn't talk a lot. There was just some stuff that we were going through in our own way. Me personally I was going through. But one thing I do remember in that season was it wasn't replacement, you know, rhett, no one will place Rhett, but it wasn't replaced. It wasn't like a rebound kind of deal. It was. Our relationship had been growing to a certain level and we began just kind of playing together a little bit, just piano, guitar, and so those are obviously really really special. But one of the things that I remember is one of my first bookings. Like I was ready to relaunch it after our our after 24 seven had disbanded. I kind of had to go through his healing season and then I was ready to launch against something I didn't know what to call it. So it was just like his image ministries or whatever.

Justin: 31:59

And so me and you began to go play. And do you remember this? I got booked for a financial conference in Mobile.

Ryan: 32:05

Yes, I do. I know every word of where you're about to go with this story.

Justin: 32:10

I've never heard this story I'm leaning in and I like to like, when I go do things, I like to have people come with me and I love to like, almost like, contract you in where I'm going to pay you something so that you're getting something out of it too and we're going to have a great time, because we love doing life together. Yeah, so I had already told Ryan, like, hey, you know, I'm going to give you at least this amount, but it will be a percentage of the other amount. If it's more than that, yeah, ryan would have done it for free.

Rhett: 32:41

We were just going, we had our hotel room, we went to this financial conference, and I'm not going to say the name of the financial ministry. Well, do it.

Justin: 32:48

Say it for me and then edit it out. Okay, so we went to this financial conference. They had me in to lead worship. They had me and Ryan in really to lead worship on keys guitar. It was going to be awesome. They put us up in this, you know, like a little hotel. All that. We did probably I don't know four or five sessions, and then we would go sit and just kind of wait for it's our time to come back up and I guess maybe learn a thing or two about finances. I guess.

Ryan: 33:14

I don't know, I could have cared less at that age. Yeah, I that age, I didn't care.

Justin: 33:20

But I was there to do this. We were doing ministry. I thought it was so cool to get to travel. Four hours we drove our car, so now's the time that we're going to leave. Whenever you do bookings, when you're kind of green at it too, I didn't know how to handle those. So there was nothing in writing. There was no signatures.

Rhett: 33:41

Again, you had no one teaching you how to do this. You were figuring it out on your own.

Justin: 33:44

I was figuring out. There's been a lot of failure by figuring out on my own over the years, Me too, and I remember the guys walking us to the car and basically I was like Ryan, you can go ahead and get in, because we're going to handle our business. Now the guy's going to come to me.

Ryan: 33:59

He's going to hand me the check 19-year-old.

Justin: 34:01

Yeah, so I'm talking to him. Hey, it was a really great time. He's like yeah, hey, man, thank you guys. This was amazing. Like man, let's do it again, keeping the convo going. There's nothing being handed to me. Now there's like a handshake. I'm like, oh, okay, he's got the check and he's gonna do a little handshake the holy ghost handshake.

Ryan: 34:21

It's not a check, it's cash.

Justin: 34:22

He's gonna give it to me in the handshake. I remember shaking his hand. Nothing's in there. I'm kind of digging a pinky in there just to try to fill it up. He's right. He's like why are?

Rhett: 34:31

you feeling me weird, like why are your fingers like kind of palming my palm?

Justin: 34:36

why are you not letting go of my hand right now? This is weird. And so we shook hands. Nothing's in the hand, we kind of separate. And I just stand there Looking at him and he says, hey, thanks again, man. I think this financial conference was a success, thank you.

Rhett: 34:50

I hope it was. Where's my finances?

Ryan: 34:52

They weren't good stewards of their finances were they.

Justin: 34:54

And he turned around, he walked off and he turned around, he walked off. I get in the car and Ryan's like everything. Okay, I think I did get vulnerable here because I was like Ryan, they didn't give me a dang thing and I still. Obviously I wanted to honor my word with you. I still paid you. You didn't want it but I did. But all I remember is thinking like I just went a couple hundred in the hole.

Rhett: 35:24

You just learned a valuable lesson.

Justin: 35:24

Like I spent all, all the gas money to get there, yep, all the gas money to get back. I buy. Usually when I take someone with me, I buy every meal on the journey there, every meal on the journey back.

Justin: 35:35

Thankfully it's just 200 back then, when you could eat fast food for like $5 a piece or I would have been majorly in the hole, but 200, that was a lot of money and I just remember thinking, wow, but those are those moments. But I remember that night though we're at the financial conference that completely ripped us off. That was so weird. Anyway, I digress. I do remember us going like at night On the pier.

Ryan: 36:03

Yeah, those are just some. That's where I thought he was going with the story. I had no idea.

Justin: 36:07

I was like yeah, I know exactly where you're going with this story. No, I took the negative. I went to the lesson learned.

Ryan: 36:13

I'm glad that he said I would have done it for free, because I don't even remember anything about that financial part I was like Justin is going to go down this vineyard creation call, sitting on the pier and us having that moment together, but the point that you were going to take it was on that pier.

Justin: 36:28

That's where that release like. I went and did that event because it was like a booking that I didn't force, it just happened, clearly didn't cost me anything, but they were on the winning end of this thing.

Ryan: 36:40

But I do remember being on the pier and it was almost like a healing, just that healing wind and it was almost a release to lunch. It was amazing that we just let it go that fast. What do you mean? The fact that they didn't pay us?

Rhett: 36:54

I don't know. I'm kind of hearing a little bit of issue from Preston. I think he's still got a little bit of animosity there. They ripped me off.

Justin: 37:02

I tried to get back into the character.

Rhett: 37:03

But, you're right, I'm kidding, I mean, it's amazing.

Ryan: 37:07

You pour yourself out for others in an environment, in a ministry moment like that, get disappointed, but I remember that moment because we loved that Creation Call song. Oh yeah, we'd packed up and did you, did you carry your guitar out there on the pier and we just sat there everywhere, the two of us just worshiping, and we just worshiped together awesome, like it was an. It was an amazing moment.

Justin: 37:28

It was that release to launch, like it was almost a release of all right, you can keep doing this, and that was almost like a permission of my spirit I was waiting for. So I guess, if you want to think of the payment, that was a very, very valuable moment that we got by going down there it was. But you were such a part of that moment and it would be. We would go home and keep playing and then at that moment, rhett, we began to kind of not rekindle. We'd always been together but we began actually playing music again together. I remember you went and bought like a very expensive bass guitar?

Rhett: 38:03

Yeah, I don't even remember. Was it red? Is that? When His Image came? It was red, wasn't it? Yeah, his Image Ministry. I don't even remember there really being an invite to that. It was like just a couple of months. We just began jamming, it was natural.

Justin: 38:13

Image Ministries. Actually, we didn't plan the name, but I'll give his name right now, darren Davis, who, fast forward, it would later end up being one of the original guys that Pastor Chris Hodges at Church of the Islands met and he helped really get a lot of the church going. He was a guy who lived in Birmingham Well before any of that, in the late 90s. We would go do these like some of these worship events, and I remember meeting him at this conference one time or this worship night, and so he was like the youth pastor over it. We did our worship thing.

Justin: 38:51

It was me, you, ryan, billy Jack Kirk, and at that time it was just like we would just go under the name Justin Bradshaw. But I didn't want my name out there and I remember telling the guy he was like what's the name that I actually you want me to introduce? I was like listen, we're just, we really were just his image, like it's don't really say my name, and he got up to the stage and he was like well, y'all, hey, please welcome his image band.

Rhett: 39:20

His image band. I did not know that that's how we got our name the Wonders.

Justin: 39:25

Yeah, the Oneeders the.

Rhett: 39:26

Oneeders, that was the Wonders.

Justin: 39:27

Yeah, yeah, that's right, that's right, and that's how his image band came to be, because through that I began getting phone calls when we started getting bookings, but they were booking his image band, so it just kind of stayed his image band until we would later and we got a ton of memories around that for sure man.

Rhett: 39:46

But then obviously college life and different things begin to happen and then would you be willing to share a little bit of your journey to where you are now today? I mean, like dude, I know there's been a lot.

Ryan: 39:57

There's a lot. There's a lot.

Rhett: 39:58

I'm not asking you to go into extreme detail with everything, but I mean, here you are I mentioned earlier, you're a great, you know, single father, raising Gage. Come on man, like incredible young man and so like, what's that experience like? Because I know there's people on the other end of this thing going, hey, life kind of threw me some stuff that I really wasn't expecting, found myself in a situation and you know, but yet those kinds of things have happened to you and you've made choices.

Ryan: 40:25

I don't think there's enough time in a podcast to be able to go down everything but I can try to. I can try to at least hit the high points or low points.

Rhett: 40:34

Well, I think, it would, I think, because I mentioned, I'm trying to set this up because I think people need to understand that there's so much depth to you as a individual. Yeah, but even with the choices that you've decided to make, with ownership and just you know the dad thing, man, because I come from a household with a single dad.

Ryan: 40:52

I'm a single dad.

Rhett: 40:53

Justin comes from a household with a single dad.

Rhett: 40:55

Yeah, and so here you are as a single dad raising a teenager. At this point, at this point, you know kind of going through, you know all the stuff that comes along with that. You know, and I wish I could say it was always rainbows, butterflies and unicorns for me. But you know, I gave my dad a lot of headaches but yet I look at my life and I feel like, you know, although I didn't have what I thought I should have, I wouldn't be who I am today without it and I'm so grateful for that. So so when I see you making the same decisions that my dad made and that Justin's, dad made to just be the dad that you you are.

Rhett: 41:28

You know it's just nobody's perfect. I'm not trying to build you up, put you on a platform, because nobody gets it right all the time, but I'm just really proud of you, man, as a friend.

Ryan: 41:37

Well, thank you.

Rhett: 41:37

And I think it would encourage other people to look at it and hear maybe just a little bit of just kind of, you know, your journey into that and where you are today.

Ryan: 41:45

Now I kind of know where you're wanting me to go with it, so I've got a better idea of where I should start.

Ryan: 41:49

So it was probably about 2015 is when I got custody of my son and it was, I think it was probably February or March. He lived with his grandparents a little while until school was out, because we didn't want to take him out of the school, and then he came to live with me probably May, and I was at Grandview Media Group then as a publisher. We published a lot of hunting magazines nationwide titles, and they had been going through changes, so it was May of 2015 when Gage came to live with me, june 30th of 2015,. They called me in and they laid me off.

Rhett: 42:30

Yeah, man, yeah Right.

Justin: 42:32

You were there, and you were there a long time.

Ryan: 42:34

Oh, buddy, yeah, I've been there a long time.

Justin: 42:36

Yeah.

Ryan: 42:37

And so, um, I had a nice severance. They paid me out on all the commissions for the last issues that I'd sold. So I had a really nice cushion. I'd never had custody of a kid Heck, I never even had anybody that lived with me before really.

Rhett: 42:53

I mean, you and I were roommates for a little bit. Yeah, but outside of that, yeah, yeah.

Ryan: 42:58

And so it was like, man, I've been an every-other-weekend-type father and then all of a sudden, my son is just. He's in the home with me every second. So because of the cushion that I had, I said, look, let's take this summer and not go so hard in trying to fill out applications and find a new job. Let's just take a break and let me spend every day with him. And I think that created that foundation, you know? Um, after that, uh, anybody in print publishing out there. I'm sorry if you're listening to this, but which?

Rhett: 43:33

which, by the way, we we haven't said this your marketing and your business side of and you acumen so high level on what you've done. Thank you. Such a he's always had a ridiculous high level with incredible, incredible businesses. Yes, your marketing genius and creativity and salesmanship. You just have so much high value to bring in the business world yeah.

Ryan: 43:52

Thank you, so yeah but yeah, I saw, you know, I had opportunities to get back into print publishing and I kind of saw the direction of where technology was going. And if there were publishers that weren't making the transition to digital, I was like there's no interest for me because there's no future in it.

Ryan: 44:08

And I was lucky enough to have a friend that owned a digital marketing company here in Birmingham. I went and worked for them for a year. It was a new, young company. They were thriving, but I don't know if there was great leadership there. A clear cut, five, seven year plan where they were going kind of. Some things rubbed me the wrong way and so I left there and I was going to start my own marketing company and I went to the publisher of the Trustful Tribune and I said I've got all these years, you know sales experience. Do you mind if I sell straight commission for you on the side? Well, little did I know that all the business owners, all the business owners, a large portion of business owners in the Trustful area were people that I graduated high school with. So I'm walking into the door of these businesses and I'm like, oh hey, kenley.

Rhett: 44:59

You know these guys?

Ryan: 45:00

Yeah, I'm working at the Tribune. Here's what they're doing and, needless to say, I ended up being the VP of Sales and Marketing at the Tribune.

Rhett: 45:08

I was there seven years.

Ryan: 45:10

I did everything under the sun you can possibly imagine. They never had great reporters, but it was mostly in print or online, yeah, and they had 58,000 followers something like that on Facebook, and a lot of these small businesses didn't really have a good avenue to advertise their business, so I used that as an opportunity to go out and do these interviews with these small-town business owners. I remember seeing it on Facebook.

Rhett: 45:38

Hey, I'm Ryan Jennings. I'm here with the owner of blah blah blah company. You ought to come out. Hey, jim, tell them the special today. Well, we got a $2.99 catfish dinner only. You know, between $6 and whatever $2.99.

Ryan: 45:49

$2.99.

Rhett: 45:51

If you come down and buy right now, look at some pretty dresses over here.

Ryan: 45:54

Look he's like. This is Sister.

Justin: 45:55

Sally over here with Sally's dresses.

Rhett: 45:58

That sure is a pretty dress there. Miss Sally, Did you make that yourself? I don't know. I was like dang I was living in. I don't know where I was at this point in life, but I was like come on, Ryan, you're crushing it. Man. This is Alabama at its best, but it works.

Ryan: 46:10

That was awesome. That was such a blessing. It was probably five months into it and I realized what am I trying to do to build this business? I just need to go sell advertising for the local newspaper and I can make a living off of it.

Rhett: 46:24

Hey guys, red here Just want to take a moment and say thank you to every single one of you who have taken the time to follow us on social media. Now, if today is your first time to join us for an episode man, we want to say welcome friends, it's so good to have you with us. Episode man, we want to say welcome, friends, it's so good to have you with us. Could you take a moment Look us up on Instagram or Facebook. You can find us there at Armchair Authentic, or you can go on over to X. Find us there as well, at Armchair Auth Pod. That's Armchair Auth A-U-T-H-P-O-D. All right, now back to the conversation.

Ryan: 46:57

It was flexible. You know Gage was seven, eight years old, getting off the school bus at three o'clock every afternoon. So there was, you know, it had that flexibility and in that time, while I was at the Tribune, it was laid on my heart. It's funny that y'all brought up soccer at the beginning of the podcast, because that was. I saw an opportunity with how many memories were created from playing soccer. And now that I'm older, wiser, I wanted to be able to give back. Went and got my coaching license and got hired as a coach a competitive soccer coach, oh wow, and that supplemented my income. So I had the flexibility to be home with Gage. I was able to give back with coaching to the sport that I grew up loving and playing, and so it was great. Um, can I pause there for a?

Rhett: 47:44

minute. Sure, I just I don't know if younger people are listening to this you know, I it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that. You have grit, that you have grind and you have the ability to. You're disciplined, you're going to get things done and you'll create something from nothing. Yeah, that says a lot about who you are as an individual and as a leader to. You know, you mentioned here I am, I'm a father now, never had done this before. Figure it out, I'm without a job, but man, you spent time with him, but yet now you're like you're hitting the ground running. You're creating things for people that never even thought you'd think outside the box.

Rhett: 48:14

Yeah, you're always, constantly just making things happen where other people would sit around and go well, I'm just sit around.

Justin: 48:22

I guess life sucks and I'm just going to be a victim the rest of my life.

Rhett: 48:26

What was me. I live on unemployment. No, you're like, by God, get out of my way. I want to go kill something today and bring it home. Yeah, Not only am I a man to take care of me, I've got a son to take care of, and you owned it, baby. And it says a lot about who you are, so I don't want to interrupt your story, but that's what I'm hearing.

Rhett: 48:43

I'm hearing man this is a man who's just stepped out and is like we're just going to see God show up. But I'm going to sit around and just say, well, I'm waiting on God no you're.

Ryan: 48:57

Yeah, in regard to success, he'll meet you halfway. You know, in regard to spiritual life, all you got to do is take one step and he'll come running. That's awesome On the business side of things, like he's going to bless what do we say a lot. You get what you give.

Ryan: 49:15

You reap what you sow, you get what you give. It's good. So anyway, after the Tribune, I was there seven years. It's funny how life comes full circle One of the people that I used to sell to when I was in the publishing business, a buddy of mine named Chase Rolfson Shout out to Chase if he gets a chance to listen to this. He owned an advertising agency in Iowa called Rubline Marketing and he hit me up and said man, I've grown this company and I need somebody to come up here and be an account manager and take care of a lot of these accounts that I've worked so hard to get.

Ryan: 49:50

You're the best account manager I've ever had. You never let me miss an artwork deadline, a print deadline. You had called me ahead of time. Let me know this. You know, this due date is coming up, coming up. I don't want you to miss it. And he's like, what's it going to take to get you engaged up here to iowa? So I told him, you know, would you be willing? And I said, man, the agency life, that's what I've. I would love that because it wouldn't be relying on selling something in order to provide a paycheck. It would be more of taking care of somebody, taking care of a client.

Rhett: 50:22

Yeah.

Ryan: 50:24

And it was negotiating TV contracts, working with social media influencers, doing packaging, trade show booth design, meta ads, google ads, email campaigns. Like when I went up there it quadrupled my professional skillset, like there was a reason behind me going up there, yeah, and I embraced it. And, rhett, you talk a lot about you know my interaction with people and drive and that sort of thing. The people in that town, traer, Iowa they are some of the most salt of the earth people I've ever seen in my entire life. They embraced us, they loved on us, we loved on them. It was an incredible experience.

Ryan: 51:04

And then just so happened, chase, he had a 24-year-old, a 21-year-old and a six-year-old little daughter and I would imagine that he missed a lot of those ballpark moments and things like that when he was trying to form the company. And he's got this cute little blonde, you know, six-year-old daughter yeah, daddy, daddy, daddy. And he had an opportunity to sell the company. He sold the company and the new owners came in. No judgment against them Best of luck to you guys but they had to do what they felt was right for the company. So they cut the top three salaried employees and I happened to be one of them, yeah, so it's, uh, and that happened in almost a year to the date. Man, oh man, it's been a year.

Rhett: 51:51

I can't believe it. You've been through a lot. Then you're obviously another transition you weren't expecting to happen and here you are back in alabama, back in alabama.

Justin: 52:00

You had just bought several jackets and snow boots, got my snow tires on my truck and then yeah, yeah and then, yeah, I get to move back home.

Ryan: 52:10

It's funny. I was sitting there playing golf a couple of days ago and I said, man, I forgot what this humidity felt like it was crazy.

Rhett: 52:15

It's real baby, it's crazy. It wasn't too bad yesterday, no, no, it felt good yesterday. Yeah, it was good.

Ryan: 52:21

But, man, it's interesting to see. I mean just to sit here on this podcast and reflect about what all has happened, you know, and beginning with Justin's conversation about, you know, face down in the pine straw worshiping the Lord. Over the years there's been some in and outs, but one thing that I've maintained I get up every morning and I do a devotional, yeah, every single morning. Some days, a devotional every single morning. Some days it stays with me all day. Some days I forget what I read about and studied on by the time I walk out the door. But that foundation that happened so long ago. And then, just a daily commitment, just an effort.

Rhett: 53:06

It's good man.

Ryan: 53:07

Just a little effort, I can look back and I can go. Man, god's been there through every step and there's been some dark nights, there's been some tears shed, but I couldn't have done it. I couldn't have done it if I didn't have that relationship with Jesus and that daily commitment just to spend a little bit of time with him.

Justin: 53:34

And so, ryan, now that you're back here, tell us just so it can give a shout out to what you're doing now, like what is what does that look like? And I want to. Then we'll hit on some other fun topics, but go ahead and give the shout out and finish that story. Like you, you came back to Birmingham Alabama.

Ryan: 53:48

I came back to Birmingham Alabama came back to Birmingham had a couple of opportunities. Um, it's been a very short time. Yes, it may seem like I'm a job hopper, but I think that was. That was me. That was God testing me to see if I had patience to allow him to work out what I was supposed to be doing. And it was probably March.

Ryan: 54:09

A longtime friend of mine, shane Ray. He's a mortgage broker for 30 years with Hometown Mortgage. He started flipping homes a few years ago and through that process he started putting on a few roofs in the process. He is a godly man. He loves Jesus, full surrender. God has done an incredible, an incredible work in his life and so he knew he wanted to get this roofing company off the ground. So the name of the company is Hometown Roofing and Restorations. We're based out of Leeds, alabama, but we service the greater Birmingham metro area and all of central Alabama, I mean basically from Anniston to Jasper. And it's amazing, man Like you hear these grandiose stories of Christian business owners and I listened to guests that you guys have had on the podcast the guy from Yellowhammer.

Rhett: 55:12

Yeah.

Ryan: 55:13

Jeff Roberts, yeah, some of the other ones, and there's just always been this longing for me to be able to do something. I'm good at help people and then have a team around me that loves Jesus, that loves to serve, and so that's kind of what's happened with hometown. Little backstory. You guys, the way that I know, shane, this is another relationship and community connecting type story networking. My childhood best friend, keith Posey, shout out to Keith, come on. Keith Grew up at his his house, basically spent the night over there. I'm basically ingrained into his family in every facet imaginable.

Rhett: 55:56

When I met him, I realized I really could not sing.

Ryan: 56:00

I was like, holy crap, is this what a real singer sounds like.

Justin: 56:03

Oh yeah, I'm over here going, hey, and he's like and I'm like oh wow, if you could see the camera shot, you would have seen these girls ooh-ing and aah-ing and the camera would have kept going and you would have saw us ooh-ing and aah-ing.

Ryan: 56:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah, keith, amazing vocalist. It's like those lambs that go ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah you know anyways, oh, anyway, that married to Shane, my business partner, our CEO and president at Hometown. So I've known Shane for 30 years and he's watched the growth professionally, spiritually and everything. And he called me and he said hey, man, I want to take this roofing thing to the next level and I need you.

Ryan: 56:49

Yeah, oh, come on man to take this roofing thing to the next level, and I need you, yeah, oh, come on, man. So. So we worked it out and we've got a small group, um, that meets every thursday morning, um, and it's you know it's biblical um, and it's, it's the definition of a, of a men's small group, an iron, sharpened iron.

Ryan: 57:05

No judgment yeah you know, kind of like we said we wish we had somebody like that when we were, you know, younger at going to the park and stuff, yeah. And so we've got that, um, that's awesome. And then we have our Monday morning meeting and every time that we have a meeting, you know there's we. We begin with prayer and the heart really is we. You know we. I told you yesterday on the golf course I hate cliche church terms but God, family first. That is how we operate and it's been really amazing whether it's myself, one of the other partners, curtis Freeman. God's really doing a lot in his life. Curtis will go to a job site and just that spirit of the Lord is on him, and I don't say job site but maybe a sales call.

Rhett: 57:53

You know, a sales call.

Ryan: 57:54

And it might be a little old lady and you know he's just tender hearted. You know we're not trying to scam people. There's that genuine passion to try to help somebody. I call it a serve call.

Rhett: 58:06

Yeah. Whether they do business with us or not.

Ryan: 58:11

And so we got you. You know we got the job and the roof got put on. She was extremely happy and you know this curtis is telling this story in a monday morning meeting and he's telling the story and he goes. She called me this morning and he starts crying and she goes. I just want you to know. I loved working with you and I feel like there's a connection there and I just don't want this to be the last time I hear from you.

Ryan: 58:32

Oh, you know and he he's talking about that in our small group with tears running down his face and saying God is really in this, he's really a part of our company, and what?

Rhett: 58:46

we're doing yeah.

Ryan: 58:47

And it's such a blessing to like so connected, go through all that stuff that I've been through.

Rhett: 58:52

Yeah To prepare you for this moment.

Ryan: 58:54

Zero roofing experience.

Rhett: 58:55

You don't need it. You've got people experience all day long.

Ryan: 58:58

It's just, it's a. It is flat out amazing and you're connecting, yeah, you're connecting.

Justin: 59:05

And then your aspirations are all in this and you're using your gift set.

Rhett: 59:09

Yeah, but had you not gone through all of that you probably wouldn't appreciate kind of where you are.

Ryan: 59:12

Appreciate where it is.

Rhett: 59:13

You might be looking beyond there thinking well, this is just another, you know stepping on the ladder, but it's like wow. I can. This is you can appreciate things in a different way.

Ryan: 59:23

Yeah, Having gone through what you've gone, through and you don't have to be in ministry to be in ministry.

Rhett: 59:27

Come on man, absolutely, it's a beautiful thing, man yeah.

Justin: 59:31

Well, that's what you know, Ryan. You're such a like the connection side.

Justin: 59:37

You know, it's to know Ryan is to love Ryan. I mean because it's you know we've had all these great stories and they're all tied to like the connections that we've had. And you know I can think back how you're just naturally so. You just you've had that cells, not in a weird way, not the yuck way, it's just you're naturally good at it. And I still can remember us driving down the road 459, me and you were big fans of a band called Capeman's Call Some of their old stuff. I mean I still just go to the old stuff and listen to it.

Justin: 1:00:12

But there there was a um, was it 40 acres, I think was the album had this green album cover and at the same time I mean we hadn't been listening to music Me and Ryan are just driving down the road talking and you know how you just hit those lulls where it's just quiet and you're just enjoying the company. I mean it is as if you queued it up at the same time.

Justin: 1:00:32

We went, danny and I spent another late night over pancakes and that's a line from one of their songs and we could not believe it. We erupted in laughter and Ryan, you won't remember this detail I know that this is where I geek out over details but me and you, we were laughing. We were literally on our way to go find a field just to kick the soccer ball together. And we decided that night like we had just really like his image band, like we were just starting to have some bookings and I don't know why. We decided that night we were like let's record an album and we didn't have any money and I don't know if you remember this. We went to my house and I met with my dad.

Ryan: 1:01:15

I was with you. You were in the living room.

Justin: 1:01:17

Really yeah. And I went into the bedroom to talk to my dad.

Rhett: 1:01:21

You got this good old Bill Jennings on you. All of a sudden, you're going to sell your dad on this idea. That's where that story's going. Get a trailer and all to bed. That's where that story's going. Ryan has sold me all the equipment.

Ryan: 1:01:29

This wasn't that one that was the second one that he got me to Uh-oh, uh-oh.

Justin: 1:01:33

This was a very inexpensive compared to our second endeavor. But no, I remember asking Dad like we needed to and we found a guy who was going to record it on the cheap and shout out to Todd.

Ryan: 1:01:45

Oh God, todd Fisher, todd Fisher.

Justin: 1:01:47

Yep, and I remember we needed, we priced out what it would cost to make a CD, get the shrink, wrap, the album, all that stuff, and it was right at like $3,000. And I asked for I remember meeting with dad. I said dad, can we?

Rhett: 1:02:06

That might as well have been $8,000 or $9,000 today.

Justin: 1:02:08

Could I, could I, would you give me $3,000?. Well, justin, that's a lot of money. You put me in a thousand dollars today. Could I, could I, would you give me three thousand dollars. Well, justin it's funny because he always talked like that growing up and he went through a shift. Yeah, he did, and he was like, what do you need it? I said written some songs and we'll get the band we're starting to play. We'd love to record an album. Yeah, and he said, um, okay okay, and that's not.

Ryan: 1:02:32

it's not normal, but he said all right when do you need it?

Justin: 1:02:35

I said, well, we need to go line up the dates, but I'll probably need it in a couple of weeks. And he said, all right, and guys, I know if you're listening, that's just not normal and not everybody has a dad who would do that and we don't come from like money, it was just the father, you know, investing in his son and he had the ability to. But it's neat because I tell that story now I haven't told that one before because I have the guy sitting at the other end of the table who you were such a catalyst for this and I felt the comfort to go ask Wow, and it was probably the seed that I needed later, rep, because me and Ryan would later play in a band called Faith Remain. Those are the leather pants long hair.

Rhett: 1:03:15

That's a whole nother conversation for a whole nother day. Leather pants, other hair another conversation. That wasn't a part of that one.

Justin: 1:03:21

But Ryan got the band fired up for releasing an album. I wasn't even there that day and the day that I get there to practice everybody's. So here's what we're gonna do we're gonna buy a sound system. We're gonna get a trailer we're gonna release an album, we're gonna go on tour, and I loved it that y'all were thinking that way, yeah and I thought come on, let's go, baby, let's go.

Justin: 1:03:43

and then it's funny because we filled out the paperwork at the bank because we were gonna put collateral down and go get a loan from the bank, and I remember when we got to it no one was ready to put anything, except Jeremy Wooden was ready to go with me, but we didn't have enough collateral to get anything. This is like 2002.

Rhett: 1:04:06

I had just moved to Texas, you had just left, we had just changed our name after you had left.

Justin: 1:04:09

We ended up changing our name. We got Steven Fruget to play bass and I remember calling my dad one night I was doing a youth rally at a local camp and I called him. I remember there was no signal on the phone and I called him. I had one bar. I'm like Dad, I got a question for you. Oh boy, he said I got a question for you, oh boy. He said what is it? And I said, would you? We priced it out. It was a little more than three a little more than three, yeah yeah.

Justin: 1:04:37

I said, dad, you got some collateral that you could help me get a loan for $23,000. And he went why do you need this? And I told him it's for the band and this is no shot at the band no but he did say. He was like yes, I'll do it. I said are you serious? He said yeah. I said, dad, you don't know what it means to me that you believe in us as a band. He said I don't believe in the band, I believe in you. He said I believe in you.

Rhett: 1:05:10

He said I believe in you, yeah that's good, amazing brother, and that got us pushed forward and we ended up taking out the loan.

Justin: 1:05:16

We got all the stuff, yeah, and we, you know. We later ended up disbanding and we wanted to make sure we paid the rest of our loan off, which we killed it, by the way, we were playing shows. We would. We would be two years ahead on payments and I'm about to give you a last name as we wrap this up. Okay, because when we ended up disbanding, I was going to sell the rest of the equipment to just go ahead. I was going to give someone a sweet deal. I just wanted to get it for the remaining balance of the bank.

Ryan: 1:05:44

Yeah.

Justin: 1:05:44

Even though we didn't know another payment for two years, yeah, and it would end up up being. I got a call from lester robinson and I sold it to him because he was launching like a ministry that he was going to travel travel with and he bought our trailer, he bought our sound system.

Ryan: 1:06:09

Lester robinson, who we started this talk out with the pastor of the same church that you ended up rededicating your life.

Justin: 1:06:15

Yeah, wow that is crazy, crazy and on that.

Rhett: 1:06:20

We do the time we need to wrap it up, but I do want to give you an opportunity. You know we didn't do this like as a special guest, like hey man, we want you come on here and advertise like we're not doing that now, if you get a seller or somebody calls you. On this we definitely have a conversation okay, sponsored.

Ryan: 1:06:34

So I just want you to know that what's your, what's your owner's name of hometown shane ray.

Rhett: 1:06:38

All right, shane ray, we're gonna be sending you an invoice all right, but you know I'm expecting more from you, shane. Yeah, financial ministry we're gonna have an ongoing conversation. Maybe you have shane back on.

Rhett: 1:06:49

But anyway, I do want you to get for you because we believe in you. Thank you, right, I believe in you. I don't know these guys, but from I mean we believe in you. So definitely I know to uh, to help a brother out man, like how, if somebody is in the Birmingham, greater Birmingham area and there there's a leak in the roof, or maybe there was some some storm damage from hell, or they just don't know who to call, and they've listened to this podcast, or like man, I'm just trying to find somebody I can trust, that has my best interest at heart, and I'm just trying to sell me on something I don't even need. How do they get ahold of you, bro?

Ryan: 1:07:16

Well, first of all, I want them to know that. You know we're here to serve. We'll give you a consult and you don't have to. And if you feel comfortable and if you'd like to hire us, we're there for you. The phone number is 205-984-4777. That's 205-984-4777. You can find us at htrooferscom or find us on social media. Hometown Roofing and Restorations Awesome.

Justin: 1:07:48

Hey, look them up baby, Fantastic time being with you. Buddy, Thanks for having me. Guys Love you so much. Man, Friends around the table, this is a blast.

Rhett: 1:07:54

Hey, and this will not, Lord willing, be the last time we do this.

Justin: 1:07:58

He's too good on the microphone. Yeah, bro.

Rhett: 1:08:00

Yeah, all the crap coming in early this morning.

Justin: 1:08:04

I ain't done this in forever.

Ryan: 1:08:05

You guys make me feel comfortable.

Justin: 1:08:07

He was like I'm going to undersell them and blow them away.

Rhett: 1:08:11

I am a little disappointed, though, because you didn't talk about how good my golf game is.

Justin: 1:08:16

So outside of that I'm just kidding. Well, you got it back because evidently you slammed my soccer playing and Ryan walks out the winner.

Rhett: 1:08:27

We'll talk about that on the next episode. Until then, god bless, we love you guys. Thanks for being with us today. Hey friends, thank you so much for joining us on today's conversation. We cannot wait until our next episode that drops next Monday. So until then, we hope you have a great day, stay safe and we will see you soon, right here with your friends Red and Justin at Armchair. Authentic, thank you.