Rhett: 0:00

Imagine a world where every conversation feels like a genuine connection with authentic people. A place where you truly feel like you belong and where everyone's gathered here at the table. Friends, welcome to Armchair Authentic. Justin, episode 99, man. I am so excited for so many reasons. And it's not because we're closing a chapter, but I almost feel like we're uh something special is happening today because we've got Pastor Scott Ray, the man, the myth, the legend, in my house, recording in the studio with us today. Pastor Scott, it is so good to have you here on Armchair Authentic, bro. Oh, it is my absolute honor to be here.

Justin: 0:43

It's really cool, man. Yeah. We've been we've been dropping his name throughout 99 episodes.

Rhett: 0:49

I literally just told him, I said, I have no expectation that you've listened to any of the episodes at all. Maybe you've listened to one before you drove into the driveway just to get a feel. Yeah. But like you've been a part of almost like 90% of the conversations we had. So funny how that works. You know, directly and indirectly from the influence you've made in our lives. And as Justin and I are wrapping down a season and a of a chapter that is armchair authentic, we're really this whole thing has been a time capsule for us. And we've really been closing this out, thinking about big rocks and people who have m had major influence in our lives spiritually specifically, and who have been a huge part of our story because we and you've been that. And so having you on this episode for us is just a moment to where thinking about my son in this season, but when he has kids and his kids want to know what their granddad was like, but who influenced their granddad to even put him on the trajectory of the love of God that has been hopefully and continues to be the legacy of the Bardin family. And that ties back to your obedience and your faithfulness. And so when I'm recording this in real time, and I know Justin's gonna jump in on this too, the idea and the thought is we're not just speaking to our friends now, we're speaking to our kids and their kids in the future. And so I'm so proud to have you a part of this so that they can hear your voice, your heart, your spirit, your love for God, and all the fun and laughter and and really just the the craziness that's gonna happen. The craziness that has been our life, and and yeah, so I'm really excited. So yeah, that's the context, really, as we start wrapping this thing out.

Justin: 2:25

You know, I'm I know Pastor Scott's like I got by the way, I call him P Scott. If you guys hear this over the airs, it's Pastor Scott. Or PS PS PS, yeah. Um but but very special to me too, as well, because um P Scott is he is a pastor to me and Rhett, and he has been for my goodness, I mean 28, 29 years. Of our 32 years of our 32 years of certain actually, maybe 30 years. It might have been two years into our journey around 94. Was it 94? I think it may have been 94, early 95. When did you arrive at Parkway? I want to say we which we've gotten to you know share about David Berry, who is our original youth pastor. Right. He went and planted a church. I remember we had an interim period. This 15, 16-year-old, we didn't know what was going on. Our youth group literally shrunk to about I don't know, 12. Yeah, 13 or 12. And we brought in these different um people coming in. I'm about to get to something I was gonna say to P Scott, but we just kind of flow with it. Yeah, go flow, flow, flow. I remember we brought in this one guy. This is random. His name was Carlos. Carlos. I don't remember. And we were very much in that season of just heavy spirit-filled, if the pastor doesn't preach, this is me and you talking. It was a good service because God showed up. The pastor of God of God, man. And and it was a guy like Carlos, and he was very much, he felt like Benny Hinn. And he came in and had a service where he's giving everybody words, yeah. And and we thought, oh, maybe he'll be the guy. And it was like, wow, it's like having this. I just remember us thinking that. Well, I don't even remember this. And then we brought in a few other people, yeah. And then Scott Ray comes in. Thank God. Thank God a real authentic human. Scott Ray comes in with a genuine love, no showmanship to it. It was all about authenticity. Yeah. And Pastor Scott, just to even be able to replay that story, um, one of the greatest gifts that I ever got to have was the fact that you and Miss Barbie, your son Noah, your daughter Kelsey, I mean, they were so little at the time. Yeah, they were babies. They were. You coming into Parkway Christian Fellowship, being our pastor, and being there for us in so many ways that we couldn't even do justice with the time. Yeah. But this is a pastor to me and Rhett. And he married me and my wife summer, so 25 years ago of marriage. This is the guy who officiated uh this wedding for us, and and we just, yeah, we just we love you so much. And so we got to give a setup for those listening, and even my boys and my grandkids one day. Yeah. Listen, listen, this is a good one to be listening to. This is peace, God. Welcome, peace, guy.

Scott Ray: 5:30

Well, thank you guys, man. It is absolutely uh when I say an honor, you know, it's funny because you know, you you look back all those years, 93, 94, and um you know, you see the what were teenagers then, and I look now and I see these men of God as friends, not just kids. Of course, I still see them as kids. Yeah.

Rhett: 5:56

Well, we but we might have acted like kids before that we hit record. Yes, there's there's some pre stuff that went on.

Scott Ray: 6:03

I I think we all all three did, but uh, you know, just a few minutes ago, we were just talking about right before we hit record was about the word authentic. Yeah, you know, and you know, I think the um the aspect of if somebody might even be listening here and they're you know, with with youth ministry, I'm I I'll be 60 before long. And um and you look like you're 40. This this guy looks okay, man. I'm telling you.

Rhett: 6:29

And I'm not I'm not like trying to make you feel good, but that's reality.

Justin: 6:33

It's encouraging, it really is.

Rhett: 6:35

That's the favor of God right there. This is the blessing of the Lord.

Scott Ray: 6:38

Yeah, we were joking at uh somebody asked me if I worked out, and I said it's called a job. How do you say so fit? Uh J-O-B. Yeah, it's called walk a lot. It's called a job. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but uh, you know, we we look back and we see um with these guys, you know, where I and I was even just in the last 24 hours just thinking about you guys and thinking about where we've been in relationship together over all these years, you know, whether it was way back then and now uh adulthood and your kids and and y'all are getting really old. Yeah, we are man. Come on. So when you're talking about kids driving and graduating and you know, uh makes me feel old. But uh but the the the essence of where I see you guys is literally, as long as I've known you, you guys have just been authentic. And I was telling them a few minutes ago about how that um just the name that they have uh uh when they titled this uh podcast and part of that was authentic. Yeah. You know, just being real, yeah, armchair, just kind of sitting back, kicking it, and then just that authenticness of um of just being who you are. You know, somebody um asked me, do you remember and you know, what do you think about teenagers? I said, I love, even to this day, love teenagers. Yeah, and and I don't have to understand them. I don't have to understand or even like this culture.

Justin: 8:13

Yeah.

Rhett: 8:14

You know, a lot of things like six seven, you know, I don't know what it is, you know, but we hear a lot of sixty-year-old on the planet, but you know six seven. That's because my be glad you're not 67. Because my grandkids, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 8:31

Yeah, they they crack up every time something. Yeah, but uh it's not about it's not about the age, yeah. It's about just a love for people, you know. And of course, these guys have been pastors in ministry and you know, involved in the church and doing God's work for the kingdom, but there again, it's it's just the authenticness that you know.

Rhett: 8:53

Well, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, and and we're a part of the fruit that is, you know, the Ray family ministry. And because of your authenticity and the way that you've led, you've impacted us you in ways you don't even know that you were impacting us, which I think is so incredible about the kingdom of the Lord. Yeah. Um, but if if I were to describe you and Barbie, it is the word authentic. I mean, you know, your love for God, absolutely. Your love for teenagers and youth, absolutely, but like authentic. And that was what was so drawing to you, is because I never felt like I had to put on around you. I could just be who I am because you guys created environments, not because you're thinking, oh, this would be a great environment to create, but it's just who you are naturally. Yeah, and so from the 12, we ended up with a couple hundred youth, like in no time. Yeah, why? Well, authentic leaders.

Scott Ray: 9:42

You know, it was kind of cool also. Barbie and myself were talking the other day that that our kids literally, y'all helped pastor our young kids, children, yeah, while y'all were still teenagers. That we saw them look to you.

Justin: 10:02

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 10:02

Wow. You know, and now of course, our our our daughter, our son, full-time ministry, yeah, pastor and himself, you know, um our daughter ordained, you know, love loves loves the Lord. Let's go, you know. And so when you guys, yeah, you know, y'all were just doing your thing.

Rhett: 10:24

And as we use hand motions, like when you're like, you know, like we didn't know what we were doing. We're too wild and crazy guys. We just we we just love Jesus and we had Pastor Scott who gave freedom to let us just run. Oh, yeah. Y'all go for it, sure. That sounds amazing. Y'all are crazy, but do it.

Scott Ray: 10:40

And yet the whole time our kids were following y'all, and we love that. Oh, we love that about what what God and there again, guys. You know, it's it's in any part of life. Yeah, you know, okay, God, are you a part of this? What are you doing in the middle of this? Yeah, you know, um, like Barbie's thing was you know, like on Friday night, she'd have the girls over and they would eat cookie dough. Oh, that's a great and they would just, you know, kids would pop up around. And and and I will tell you this, Justin and Rhett, I thought about this. Uh dear friend of ours that you guys literally helped almost raise, and that's Nathan Bird. Oh, come on, AT.

Rhett: 11:24

Oh, man. He'll ever forever.

Scott Ray: 11:27

Because he was much younger than you guys. Oh, yeah. Yeah, you know, very special. And um, I think when he first came into the youth group, he was like 11. He lived in our apartment complex to give context.

Rhett: 11:35

He lived in our apartment complex. Yes.

Justin: 11:38

Before we were surrendered to Christ, yeah, he threw rocks at us over the fence when we played tent tennis. Yeah.

Rhett: 11:44

I'm like, who's this little squirt over here trying to like mess with us? Yeah.

Justin: 11:48

Thought his name was Mason.

Rhett: 11:49

Yeah. Thought that's what I heard someone call him one time. And we kind of threatened him, and then he ran back into his little apartment and ran home to his mommy. Yeah, to his mommy. Yeah. Little punk tin left you know. But but I we we got a pause here though. But yeah, we when our lives got transformed. We came back from a beach trip, surrendered to Christ.

Scott Ray: 12:07

Hey, but evangelism takes a lot of different forms. Yes, that's right. Sometimes, yeah. We came back. Maybe the wrong ministry.

Justin: 12:14

Hey, that's right. We came back different, and and we wanted to see him experience Christ.

Rhett: 12:20

We're like, we knew you threw rocks at us, and this is what we're gonna do. We're gonna drag your butt to church, and you're gonna get some Jesus in here. And we're gonna play football a few times with you in the backyard. We'll have some good football games.

Justin: 12:29

Well, I tell you, context.

Scott Ray: 12:32

Talking about the apartment complex. Oh my god, he's taking back me and Barbie. We we just celebrated in May our 40th wedding anniversary. Congrats. Okay, guys. So goals. Their apartment they're talking about was our very like getting married. That was our first place to live. And these kids kept kicking a ball up against our door, yeah, and they were playing soccer. We lived on the second floor. Yeah. Sorry, but they were 703 buildings. Yeah. Our door was the goal. Yes.

Justin: 13:10

It was on the end.

Scott Ray: 13:11

And to come to find out, it was these cats, man, right here. You were your neighbor.

Rhett: 13:17

Your next, like literally, I know you were 703 J, and I don't know what letter that was. It was the one on the end. Yeah, yeah. But they were right beside each other. Like you, like it's like a 90-degree angle, is your door and Justin's door.

Justin: 13:28

Literally, if you were to look out the window from Pastor Scott's apartment, his front window, yeah, you would have seen the dumpster where me and Rhett met and threw ninjas jars. Yeah, that that that we are connecting. I forgot that little connected dot there, but that's because he was and I always remember thinking like he was the nicest guy. He you would be walking out, we'd be making our way to school, you'd be coming out going to work, and you were always just we was a nice guy who lived at the end. Yeah, and here we are.

Scott Ray: 13:58

Deep down inside of the little brats.

Rhett: 14:00

Yeah, I know you can me up to target so cool. Bobby's like, God, get me out of this apartment.

Justin: 14:05

But yeah, so on the last episode, we talked about the door that Rhett shot with like a water gun. It wasn't that one, it was the opposite end. Yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 14:14

So that's how far this relationship goes back with these two guys.

Justin: 14:19

I mean, when you when you break it down like that, it's you know, and so we're talking now.

Scott Ray: 14:23

Obviously, many years many years went past that. Yeah. Of course, that we got uh we were married in '85. And so reconnected in '93. Yeah. Later part of probably '93.

Justin: 14:37

So you were in the apartment though, around '85, then you just got married. You were in '85. That's about the time we I don't know when we would have got there. Mom and dad got it away.

Rhett: 14:46

I would have been there around 84.

Justin: 14:48

Dad was there. We probably got there around 83, 84, 96, somewhere.

Scott Ray: 14:52

Yeah. And uh Barbie, my wife, she lived there like six months before. Wow. You know, and so, you know, she was there. And then, of course, once we got married, then we started our our our life together in that apartment in Roebuck. Wow. Yeah. Twin gates. Twin gates.

Rhett: 15:09

Yeah, Twin Gates. Springville Road and Huffman where they meet.

Justin: 15:12

We lived on Springville Road. Rhett's apartment was on Huffman Road. Yes.

Rhett: 15:16

1057K Huffman Road, in case anybody wants to go by and see where, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Be careful. Yeah, be very careful. I'm just going to say what it is.

Justin: 15:31

It wasn't what it was then. Yeah.

Scott Ray: 15:32

Yeah. We're not telling you to break the law. You may not want to stop at any. No, I mean that's no stops then. When you say go through, we mean please go through.

Rhett: 15:41

Maybe around 9, 10 a.m. in the morning. Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

Scott Ray: 15:45

Of course, we I grew up I grew up in Robuck. And so you know that was it was a great, great place to live in in you know, in that time. Yeah. But uh so there again, guys. That's that's how far just a little bit more context, you know, for people that are listening, how far it goes back.

Justin: 16:02

And I remember when you became the youth pastor at Parkway, it would have been it was 93 late, so which meant your first the annual beach retreat would have been 1994 that you took us because I remember The Lion King had just come out and it was a rainy day. You talk you took us to go see the Lion King. I remember that. And you also we had already had the place that we've always gone booked, and all I remember is Peacot went to the Blue Horizon, which sorry, Blue Horizon, yeah, Roach Motel. Yeah, which I thought that was kind of normal, Roaches.

Rhett: 16:39

Um, but and we're not talking like your little ones, we're talking like your Floridian ones.

Justin: 16:42

And Peacott and you doing a stay for a week, are we staying at this place? Yeah, thank you for that. And by the summer of 95, he had us at the endless summer, which was so much greater.

Scott Ray: 16:54

So nice. Forgive me, I think you guys were remember the trip to Kansas City?

Justin: 16:59

Oh, yeah.

Scott Ray: 17:00

Okay. I was told I was taking um family members to Kansas City. Yeah, and uh there was a youth conference there. Oh yeah. And uh that was a fun bus ride. I mean, that was a van ride.

Justin: 17:14

Yeah, and uh Pastor's wife.

Scott Ray: 17:18

Yeah, yeah.

Justin: 17:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The pastor's kids and Miren Micah and Jeremy Cherry. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 17:26

Yeah, um the Kansas City girl that was there. Carlton Carlton.

Rhett: 17:31

Carlton, yeah.

Scott Ray: 17:32

Carmen and Carmen Carmen and Melissa, yeah, and um Wow, I think Daniel, Micah, I I can't remember everybody, but I think Cherry was there.

Justin: 17:40

Yeah, I think it was. That was that was a trip in the church van.

Scott Ray: 17:44

Yeah, in the church van.

Justin: 17:46

We got to stop and see on our way the St. Louis arches.

Scott Ray: 17:48

Yeah, oh yeah. So we uh and it was a great trip. I I just remember we had matter of fact, we had just moved, and I think that was late summer. And then um, I think you guys had already had your summer trip, I think, when that happened. And so we we went up there and but but there again, I look back and have thought about that trip many times over the years, yeah. That God just put uh not all the core group, yeah, but just a a good, you know. I got to know you guys and the others that were on that particular trip, kind of not by volunteer, voluntole. You probably yeah, if you've ever been voluntary to do something, you know. So uh yeah.

Rhett: 18:34

I like that voluntary. No, I get that. I've lived that life a long time.

Justin: 18:38

Yeah, we call it uh Highlands, like when we me and John Lars from a work with the worship team, we'd call it uh a recommendatory. So well, this is a recommendation. Can I write that down? Yeah, recommend this is a recommendatory. This is a recommendation.

Rhett: 18:53

I'm recommending, but it's mandatory.

Justin: 18:55

So there you go. I'm just trying to that was the first time, too, that you know, when you're staying, you know, a long time with people, several days, all bunched up in a house. Yeah. Oh, yeah, because we're gonna be at the pastor's house, yeah. Like down in his his basement or something, and P Scott's with me, you and Micah and Jeremy. Yeah. Oh wow. And so we got to sorry, P Scott finally just I mean, he was getting tired. We give him up all night. So we got to finally see that filter kick in. He's like walking through the he doesn't have a smile. What's going on? What's happening? You guys go to sleep. Okay, I do remember.

Rhett: 19:28

I think it was the last you're bringing back. Wow, the vault of my memory is going back to that downstairs, the dark, going to sleep. We're all laying on the floor with sleeping bags. This is not a hotel. Yeah. I'm like, come on, bro. Like, this should have been a hotel for the pastor. Put the kids down here, but give the man a gun. And just drove 15 hours with a van full of teenagers in a hotel room. I think I I remember. I think I would have just got my own hotel room.

Scott Ray: 19:53

Well, I'm about to tell you, I I don't know if you guys remember getting them afforded it. I was so tired. I got up. Took you guys to the to the conference to the youth and went back and went to bed. Good for you. Okay.

Justin: 20:05

Do you remember the like there was a morning? The reason that happened was everybody, at least it was like the last day, and everybody was good to sleep in. Yeah. Except I wanted to go. Yeah. I don't know if you remember that. I remember that, but it makes sense. I woke up, Pastor Scott. I'm like, I really want to go. I think I do remember that.

Rhett: 20:25

Is there a girl there or something?

Justin: 20:27

What was it? There, there, yes. Oh, really? Yes. I don't remember this. You didn't tell me it was. Yeah. Some teenage boy is not going to get up to you. I won't disclose names over the podcast. But I yeah, we talked offline, but but it was somebody I was like, I've got to get there. Okay. Because there was this other guy who they were kind of getting reacquainted as friends. Uh-huh. And now I'm going back.

Rhett: 20:55

And I was like, I just don't I don't remember like that happening, but now I remember.

Justin: 20:59

We had taken a liking to each other. Yeah. And one of our other buddies had actually gotten broken up with by her after she went to this conference and got rekindled the flame of a former guy. And I woke up. I woke up Pastor Scott because they had spent the night with some friends. I knew they were at the conference. And I was like, peace, guy. I gotta get to that conference. He's like, oh man, let's just sleep in this first session. I'm like, really feel that spiritually. I feel like the spirit is just like. Oh, I totally missed it. I really feel spiritually.

Rhett: 21:30

You started gaslighting him before he thought of his thing. You really wouldn't hold me back from experiencing all that God wants from my life.

Justin: 21:37

I'm really wanting to experience his creation a little bit more. All right. He reluctantly, he did it though. He did it for me. He woke up. Y'all stayed asleep. Hey, while we're just jumping into stuff. Yeah, this is how we do it. He took me there. And he went home and fell back to sleep. That was the real reason.

Scott Ray: 21:56

For for those that are listening. Yeah. Always for a girl. We we talked about uh over the years on Wednesday nights and different times, talked really about you know, godly dating, you know, the purpose, you know. Six-inch rule, Bible in between. Six inches. Six inches. That's impossible. And um and I told uh I'll never forget this. We we always tried to come up with something like on Friday nights or something, we go to a game or you know, just come over to the house or do something. And I remember taking I think it was a busload to the galleria. And so I was telling the guys, I said, guys, when you look at a young lady, remember God created her, and you need to praise God for what God created. See that in your heart, what God created. And me and Barbie, so you know, kids scatter. Told everybody to kind of stay in a group. And so the guys are kind of going. We're up on the top floor in the galleria, Birmingham, Alabama, or Hoover, Alabama. It is the largest mall in Alabama. I remember this. And then all of a sudden, we hear a bunch of people clapping and saying, Hallelujah, hallelujah, praise to Jesus. We look over the railing, oh, yeah, down by the food court. There's some girls that walk by these mugs here. Some other guys. Yeah, some other guys. It wasn't us. So they were girls walking by, they have their hands in the air, thanking the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. We're just doing what he's doing in the dust of a rabbit. And so me and Barbie's, we just looked at the other and just kind of shrugged like I guess they were listening. And they went on, the girls walked off, the guys walked off, and and so I have told that story countless.

Rhett: 23:46

And somewhere those ladies were like, Man, I'm giving my heart to Jesus. This is what a man of God is. This is what I'm looking back and I'm affirmed that way. Oh, yeah. Exactly. You know what I'm saying? Nothing wrong with that, was it? That was some good affirmation. The win-win.

Scott Ray: 23:59

So you know, when you think you know, teenagers aren't listening, yeah.

Rhett: 24:03

I'm sure along the line you're like, okay, let me let me kind of give you a balance here that clarify this.

Scott Ray: 24:08

This is inwardly, I don't think I ever said anything. I thought, hey, let's just that's fun. I'll take that over anything. I'll take that over the alternative. Oh, yeah, most, most definitely.

Justin: 24:20

Well, you introduced this just with all your um just with your friends you you had come from and just gotten over the years. We I mean we would have the greatest, um, I mean, beach trips, revival services, yeah, guest speakers. And as great as they were, by the way, which by the way, like even Troton Leading Worship, all these things, yeah, it was powerful. You would just let it go. Yeah. And I mean, we we had no time restraint. Two, three, four hours. It was so powerful.

Scott Ray: 24:50

Yeah, and it was like it would be like a 30-minute service. Yeah, what it felt like.

Justin: 24:55

Well, it felt so short. No one felt like, oh my gosh. It was like we were wanting it, we wanted to stay.

Scott Ray: 25:00

So you're talking about a hundred plus kids in a room. Yeah. And these were like, you know, obviously full-time pastors, evangelists, and they would preach an hour plus message. Oh, yeah. You know, on top of probably an hour and a half of worship before that. Yeah.

Rhett: 25:21

And it's true. And there were a line of parents out in the hall going, Dear God, when's this over? I gotta get my son or daughter to see. Well, that would be Wednesday. Is that Wednesday? That was peace to the Wednesday.

Justin: 25:30

That was even without the guest speaker because peace got on Wednesdays. 250 people packed in the ring. Yeah, only a hundred or so could go to the beach trip.

Rhett: 25:38

That's the beach trip stuff. You're talking about the beach trip. Okay, now my mind's with you. Yes. Yeah, we had freedom.

Justin: 25:43

But still, I'm with you. But the but the the youth ministry is you said that a while ago. The youth ministry flourished 250 people.

Rhett: 25:53

I just want to say something before I forget it. If you're a leader or a youth leader and you're trying to freak out every Sunday about a message or Sunday, whenever your service is Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday, it doesn't matter. And you're like really thinking, like, oh, I gotta get this right, I've got to get this performance part, but the Holy Spirit, stop stressing that because I'm gonna be honest with you. I never remember really a message you've preached, but I always remember how you've made me feel and the spirit of the Lord through you. And and and that's all that matters because we sit here changed today. Yeah, yes, because of the word of God through you for sure. But what I remember more than anything is just again the way you loved us, yeah, and the room and the margin you gave us, which was to allow things to move and flow. You weren't controlling, you were like, Oh, yeah, sure, do that. That sounds great. You know, and empowering us in the creativity and the music and song selection and yeah, and even lighting and smoke machines and all the stuff we've put our hands on and create environments for. So I just want, I don't know, if you're a leader on the other end of this, listening and you're thinking, man, I sure would love to make that kind of difference in somebody's life, just be you, be authentic, be empowering, and stop stressing. Just love people and love them well, man.

Justin: 27:02

Yeah, so well, it's those formative years because you know, with us, you have, you know, just to give some names too, there were so many, so I don't want to leave any out. Right. Great, great guys, Isaac, Jeremy, Corey. You could just keep going, right? Ron Jennings. Yeah, well, and the four that I will name is at that time, too, is we were growing 93, 94, 95, 96, 97. We're we're really developing this music gifting, but we really don't even know. In those days, it was like music directors. You really weren't there, weren't like you didn't think like we do now, like worship go your career can go be a worship leader for a church. It wasn't you just didn't think that way. But we were on the precipice of all this was changing. You had bands like delirious, you had all these bands coming in that it's just it was a fresh thing. And me, Rhett, Micah, yeah, and Ryan Jennings, yeah, you know, who we had on the show before too, but all four of us, we we were trying to really exercise and because you know, in this gifting, we me, Rhett, Micah would go do concerts with 24-7, but to really be able to harness that goal of being an individual worship leader and working on that, yeah. I remember you created a rotation for us. And it would be each week of the month. Yeah. It would be like Justin week one, Rhett week two, you know, Micah week three, Ryan week four. And we learned how to craft development. And and it was development. We were learning how to craft worship sets, but then work with each other and balance that and talk about just cutting your teeth on something for you to give us that opportunity living off of that today.

Scott Ray: 28:44

And I might add the church as a whole gave an atmosphere for this to happen.

Justin: 28:53

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 28:53

Because I don't know if I I may have mentioned, I don't know if y'all remember, but when I first came to Parkway, they looked at me and I knew that this is where I was supposed to be. I knew that I knew that God had called Barbie and myself. Um we were uh had moved from um Enterprise to come back to to to come to Parkway. And they literally told me, We cannot pay you. I said, It doesn't matter. I'll go get a job. This is where God has me. And never never uh matter of fact, they gave me a raise after I think it was a month or so, I can't remember the the time, but it was like I I thought I was gonna have to get a job. But the church in general, yeah, young and old, you know, yeah, they you know, um they're again if somebody's listening and you're a part of a church and you're there's no youth there, or you know, the kids start creating an atmosphere that they're not a bother. Yes. Kids are drawn, like I I used to tell my kids, you don't need another friend, you need a daddy.

Justin: 29:59

Yeah, that's good.

Scott Ray: 30:01

You know, you guys didn't need a friend, you needed a uh a youth pastor.

Justin: 30:05

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 30:06

You know, you had there were plenty of friends around you. You needed a spiritual father. Yeah, yeah. Um and and and of course that's it really be kind of been a big thing for Barbie and myself over the years, but but there again, I just wanted to kind of uh put an emphasis on it was uh uh an overviewing of the church that um you know, uh not everybody had that, you know, they had a certain views. Yeah, you know, we it's like any church. You get two, three people together, gonna have different opinions about certain things, but it's one thing for a pastor to say, yeah, we need to have a dynamic you thing for sure.

Rhett: 30:41

Yeah, right. It's another thing for a pastor to go, no, like this is who we are. Like, I don't want to just have something that is just because every other church has it. Right. But like it's so important to the lifeblood of who we are. And I am grateful for you know, Pastor Randy Williams for at least you know overseeing that and giving you the freedom and even the insight to go, we gotta hire this guy. Even and and and dude, I didn't know that about what you just shared. But that then again, you know, you're not gonna pat yourself on the back and you're not sharing it for that reason, but it does speak to your character and your integrity and hearing the voice of the Lord and being obedient. And again, I'm so grateful, you know. And even my son, even though he doesn't know yet, right? Like, he's grateful because his dad's the way he is, but the way I am is because of your influence in my life for making those kind of decisions and and trusting God in moments where that I don't know very many people that would do that. Like, yeah, I'd love to come. I feel called, but you know, you need to pay up, you know. And it's like yeah, yeah, I get it, but like not very many people do that, man. So that's awesome.

Scott Ray: 31:42

Rod and Shelley Solomon, you know, on the music department. They were the the music ministers there at the at the time, and you know, uh just a it was a great um Sunday morning experience. Of course, way back then we actually had Sunday night also. I don't miss that. A whole different message, a whole different worship set. Yes. And uh but uh but there again, it was an atmosphere that was was fanned, the the flame was fanned uh by the whole congregation. You know, I remember young and old, you know, younger couples and older, you know. Yeah, it's true. So it was a big family dynamic.

Rhett: 32:22

I remember that a lot. Yeah, that the parents of the youth were very involved with the youth in being just available and just like loving and kind, and we're here and let's have a good time.

Justin: 32:32

I can't tell you how many elders would make their way, not necessarily some were elders of the church, but just some of our older people who would make their way to us after service just to strike up conversation and just affirm you. They would affirm the gift in you.

Scott Ray: 32:46

And there again, one other thing, you know, you look typically into a youth ministry, and and I I would hope if if I was a youth pastor right now, it would be the same. But back then, yeah, and now you think of youth leaders as young hip, blue hair, orange hair. Yeah. No, we we had uh this one, if y'all remember Boomba. Oh yeah. When I say she was a grand, she was a great grandmother. Yeah, was probably four or nine with heels in her in her eighties and and nineties. Yes. Uh she was, yes, 70s, 80s, back then.

Rhett: 33:25

So influential and significant. She was a very good thing.

Scott Ray: 33:27

And she was a prayer warrior. So here she is. She's at that age. Well, her two daughters were also youth leaders. Then we had another older the Cherries, Ron and Brenda Cherry. They were youth leaders. And I I I I got to thinking, I don't know at that time if we really had any younger couple quote youth leaders, you know, the adult.

Rhett: 33:52

That's a really good perspective, he's got because you know when you think about that.

Justin: 33:56

You don't usually think about that.

Rhett: 33:58

Right? Our culture would say, oh, well, you need somebody in their early 20s to be reaching a 14, 15, 16-year-old. To relate, to relate and be able to do that, speak their language, six, seven, you know, all the whatever is and stuff. Who cares? But you know, but like it really wasn't what we needed. No. No. What we really needed was some moms and dads who love Jesus and and give us this I I identity of this is what family could look like for us.

Scott Ray: 34:20

Well, sure, because you you guys, y'all were in a dynamic where you had dads, wonderful dads. Yeah, but you didn't have the mother there. Right. And then, you know, whether you uh connected that, but those older ladies at at that time, you know, yeah, absolutely became part of that. They were spiritual moms to us. They were a dynamic that if you probably dissected our youth group at the time, yeah. How many really were in whether they had a mom or dad or a stepdad, or you know, there was something, a dynamic that just needed stability.

Rhett: 34:58

You know that's where scripture says that God puts the lonely in families, that's exactly what it felt like for me. I know we had a brotherhood with ourselves. I'm with you, but we've had that combo. We're literally we're inserted into a family and we were experiencing family dynamics that we weren't. No offense. Dads are great for sure. We can only offer so much, right? But um, I mean, it was the first time I think I've ever felt like I was this is family. Yeah. And that's what drew me in. And I I I would have never framed it that way from that perspective. Um, but having this conversation with you is so good for me, health-wise, because I'm like, man, that was a huge part of it. All those families, all those moms, all those dads. Yeah, I mean, they were planting seeds and watering seeds in our lives of encouragement, affirmation, availability. Even if they were standing on the wall, you know, serving whatever food for us, like there that was that was very impactful.

Scott Ray: 35:51

You had um Hugh and Peggy Massey, yeah, you know, um very successful business people. Yeah. And um remember many times we'd go out to their farm uh up in um Shoal Creek, uh, Asheville Way, way up that direction. Yep. And in the middle of the night play uh Capture the Flat. Oh, that was so fun. You know, and here they they had uh grown kids and um they they just poured yeah not only just love, but uh money, yeah, you know, resources at times, you know, uh their facilities, their home, you know, they would open up that. I don't know how many acres that was, but you know, as a kid, I probably thought it was a hundred.

Rhett: 36:31

But it was a lot of 50 a lot.

Justin: 36:34

I think it went on past what we even went into.

Rhett: 36:36

But imagine just just just imagine, you know, however many, 100 youth or however many we had there. Oh my god. And in spending the night, and of course, guys are over in one place and girls are on the other side, and and then just playing Capture the Flag at night under the moon with a bonfire off in the background, it like places where snakes live, you know. And I'm not even thinking about that anymore. But we're just having so much fun. Well, Hugh at night.

Justin: 37:00

Hugh Massey and Peggy Massey. I remember Hugh took me, Rhett, and Micah to the uh like this clothe the air. Yeah, and he bought us these suits because we were singing a lot. Yes, that I didn't.

Rhett: 37:11

I don't think I ever dry cleaned once.

Justin: 37:13

Yeah, yeah, probably not. Yeah, but it's the first it was like the first suit I had ever had. Well, and me, Rhett, and Micah.

Scott Ray: 37:19

And I remember um Matt, Hugh and Peggy um gave, of course, this was Nanny's. Yeah. And um, I think if I remember right, it was $400. And for those that are listening, uh back then we the staff, pastors, we had to wear suits at every service. Yeah.

Rhett: 37:37

I'm sorry.

Scott Ray: 37:38

Yeah, yes. And um so my my my wife at the time, she said, uh, let's go and really buy you a really good suit. And I bought a Georgia Omani suit for $400. Man, and um hey, hey, hey, you know, uh, and that was a gift that they had they gave to me, yeah, you know, uh as a pastor. You know, there again, wasn't just that, but just you know, uh, if you remember the white bus, the white old St. Clair County school bus that we took and had it painted red and uh uh white and blue parkway. Yeah, but that was not Pete Bus. Oh, he bought he bought one for the church. Remember the white and red one? Yes, we painted it white, kind of a burgundy. Matter of fact, the Massey's employee, the guy that worked for him, is the one who painted all that. Okay, and uh that's the same one that we took down to Brownsville for the Brownsville revival that broke down on the middle of the and we started praying and it cranked up and uh and all the good people of Brownsville literally like helped push the bus to get it going.

Rhett: 38:45

So, Brown, for context, for people that don't have a clue, Brownsville was this massive revival that was taking place in Pensacola, Florida. It started Father's Day of 1995. People all over the world were coming literally just to have a normal Sunday morning service, but like with expectations through the roof of God just doing miracles.

Justin: 39:02

Hundreds of thousands.

Rhett: 39:04

So our pastors were like, hey, let's take the youth down. Maybe I don't know if this was in process or route to Florida for a beach trip. I can't remember that. No, it was separate, it was just separate. But we would go down and imagine, you know, your normal church bus, and we break down in some intersection of probably two or three blocks away from the church, yeah. And you got a whole teenager's full, and then I just will never forget just seeing the sweat from your brow going, you've got to be kidding me. But you guys got out and you pushed the bus and you were the community too started coming in. Everybody came in and I don't know how the prayer went or whatever, but I think we all just started praying, you know, and like you said, I'm like, what?

Justin: 39:41

And guess what? We we arrived there, it was like in the morning because you had to get there in the morning and wait all day to hope that you can get inside the door. Even make it inside the door.

Scott Ray: 39:51

Thousands of people in Pensacola summer heat. Yeah, I believe it is. I'm not talking like a couple of hours, I'm talking about all day. If you weren't there by nine o'clock, you were so far in the back that you may not even get a seat.

Rhett: 40:07

This is before overflow. Like they didn't have TV or online. None of that existed. So well, you're out. Sorry. We can't fit you in through the fire code.

Justin: 40:20

Yeah. And I still have a picture of us in that Brownsville parking lot. That's crazy. I love to see that. Yeah.

Scott Ray: 40:26

It's oh that was so such a part of I just I felt for you guys and you know for the youth group in general, is to um introduce or or kind of get you guys into um what we call a revival, uh move, uh a sovereign move of God. Yeah. You know, there was at a church and they had worship, and you know, it was like a service, but yet there was something very dynamic.

Rhett: 40:55

Whether you're creating an opportunity for us to experience something supernatural that's not happening really anywhere else on the planet at this point, other than here. It could actually, you know, we can get into theology, it could happen anywhere for sure. But like it was just something that got it was just a special outpouring. And whether you agree or disagree, who cares? You know, as a listener, God did something, God did something really I saw, I saw a lot of great things happening.

Justin: 41:18

Yeah, lives were changed. Yeah, hundreds of thousands of people.

Rhett: 41:21

I can't speak for other people, but I can speak for me, and my life was changed, and it was real what I experienced. And that will forever be something that has been a catalyst or part of catalyst moments in my life to build my faith and to build the reality that there is a very supernatural God who really wants to impart and empower and do things way beyond our natural in our life. Yeah. And I'm so thankful for that. In fact, Justin and I have had these conversations on the podcast, but probably more offline of how it's my desire to do the same for my son, to get him in multiple different experiences for sure, um, to experience, you know, God and in in the fullness of God in almost every way that you can, you know, not to live vicariously, but to go, man, this was impactful for me. And I just pray that uh, you know, my son gets these same type of things. Hey friends, if you're enjoying today's conversation, could you do us a huge favor? Would you share the link of this episode with a friend, with a coworker, with a buddy? Uh email it, airdrop it, text it, comment on Facebook, however, you would like to share it. Man, it would mean so much to us to help us get the word out, to have more friends join us in on this journey. Thank you. All right, now back to the conversation.

Justin: 42:37

And the atmosphere, too, that those were special events. But even getting to live at the at home and be able to have a Sunday, yeah, a Wednesday, and those are services. That's not even counting when we just get together to hang. But then you would always have a Friday Bible study that we'd meet at the Hall's house. And and that, and another one of the leaders that you were talking about, older couple, in the sense when we're kids, they would have been older. Yeah. Jimmy and Patsy. But Jimmy and Patsy, they would open up their house. Huge part of our house. They would make brownies and cookies. And I always think I got to be. And then a time would hit and we would run into the living room for worship. One of us would have our guitar. Well, you remember when we would be in the backyard that spring. We named it the well.

Scott Ray: 43:31

The well. I mean, the in this backyard, yeah. Spontaneously, Jimmy would say it would never, yeah, this water would never come up until where they were leading worship. We were out there for a service. When I say a service, for just a get-together Bible study.

Rhett: 43:47

Yeah. Imagine a backyard that's maybe an acre. Yeah, a lot of grass, a lot of trees, you know, trampling off the city. And all we're doing is we don't, we're not sitting on blankets, we're not sitting in chairs, we have our Bible out. You know, there are no phones, there's nothing digital, there's nothing buying for our attention.

Justin: 44:04

It's like a it's like a retreat. It's like a retreat every faster.

Rhett: 44:07

And we're in the grass, and you've got your little microphone connected to your guitar amp.

Justin: 44:10

That's I had a little guitar amp that had a mic input and a guitar input.

Rhett: 44:15

And we had a core chart maybe sitting in front of us and literally two or two songs, maybe three, and yeah, and that was it. And it was all spontaneity and just man, the margin that was created and the opportunities that were created for community is just like oh there's moments I'm like, I don't miss that.

Justin: 44:33

And some of the best times, because when I talked about the brownie earlier, I remember one night, Miss Miss Hall didn't have her best baking night, which who am I to critique? She's making brownies, you know, great. Everybody can mess up on brownies. But one night they were especially hard. Like I bit into that and I was like, dang, a little overcooked.

Scott Ray: 44:53

And and that's why they make hammers. Yeah.

Justin: 44:56

That's right. And and nobody was looking. Yeah. And everybody's on the basketball court, and I was going to chuck it into the woods.

Rhett: 45:03

Wait, you can't say chuck. It's chunk. You've never said chuck.

Justin: 45:06

I tried to do that for you. Don't change it. It's chunk. Skeet to my southern ring. Chunk. All right. So I chunked. Thank you. That brownie. Thank you. And I guess the stickiness of it stuck to my hand so the trajectory didn't go high. It went low. And and I don't know where it went, but I heard I heard uh Miss Humble Brothers, ow, who hit me with that rock. Mr. Brownie.

Scott Ray: 45:31

No, Miss Hubble, that was that was the brownie brothers. So blessed us with.

Justin: 45:35

Did you tell her that though? I can't remember. And she started laughing. But it left it left a little whelp right there, like on her shoulder. I'm so sorry about that. That's hilarious. Yeah. But those are just the experiences that we would have. And what's what's the it just means a lot to me because even having this and rehashing, looking back at the past is even with my sons right now, two of them, three are about to be. You know, this summer I'll have three now in student ministries. Uh, but Dax and Kai, especially, the youth pastor component is awesome because and so important, I should say, because you know, we go to Church of the Highlands and have been there for a long time, since the beginning, right? And probably, I mean, just it it's amazing. Like there's just so many great things about it, but you cannot replace the youth pastor. And we even learned that as a church over time, realizing uh we gotta we need we need to have someone who's actually locked in.

Scott Ray: 46:33

Yeah, yeah.

Justin: 46:34

And and what I can actually testify is, you know, at the time of this, you know, there's a youth pastor there, his name's Jaden. Yeah. And what a guy. Yeah. And I don't even know him a lot, but I see how my sons react. Yeah. Because and I see how he is so intentional with them. Yeah. And their lives are they're having God encounters, and it is, yes, we're a part of a great community at Highlands. Yeah. But there's so much to do with the intentionality of the relationships that they're building with their friends and some of the youth leaders, which are huge. Yeah. But the fact that they have a youth pastor who takes a genuine interest without an agenda of what's the next thing, he is a locked-in, solid dude. Yeah.

Rhett: 47:18

And that that's one of the reasons of many reasons that the Lord, I feel, brought us back to Alabama from Idaho, is that my son, like it wasn't just for me and it wasn't just for Linda. It was literally also my God thinking about my son for him to really because we moved back, and he's a freshman. So freshman, sophomore, junior, now he's a senior. And for him to get to experience that type of community, that type of, you know, one-on-one-ness, of course, with small groups, but with that type of pastor.

Scott Ray: 47:48

Yeah.

Rhett: 47:49

Um, because we were leading a church, and you know what it's like. You planted a church, you've led a church. And while God can move in those situations and scenarios and they're great, you know, oftentimes our own kids as PKs can, you know, not get overlooked. Not that they're we we don't think about them because we do think about them all the time, but sometimes we're like, I I wish I here I can speak for me, even in a church that was growing with where we were in Idaho, um, my son was basically the oldest, you know, and and the experience was we were always creating these. And I was just longing for like how can my son get an opportunity like we had to be able to not yes to give, but to be also poured into and to have a chance to just hang out with people who are older than him, but also younger than him. And so I'm very thankful, just personally, as I speak this out loud. I know my son, if he ever goes back to listen to this whenever, he'll be older. But I want him to understand how thankful I am for the Lord to sovereignly create an opportunity for me to come back home to be obviously to rekindle the relationship with you, Pastor Scott, as well as Justin and others. It's really like, thank you, Jesus. Yeah. But more than that, it's like seeing the bigger picture of God, thank you for like allowing my son to get to experience some youth type moments, to be in an arena with 16,000 students, yeah, and to see that he's not the only one who loves God, but how passionate pursuit of his presence and how it can impact your life. Uh, I'm just so grateful for that.

Justin: 49:11

Well, then even recently, how they got how you were talking about the Massey's property. Yes. They got to go to Shaco and have the same experience where they put literally, Pastor Scott, this was so cool because we'll look back and we say, Man, with phones and all that, you I know it's so great technology, but you just don't get the relational component with people because you're distracted. They actually had it where everybody had to put their phone into like this box. They locked it up and they were gone three days. And it they're on site at Shaco reliving some of the stuff that we did with you. So when our kids get back, what a blessing it was to even be a part of 16,000, but then just to even go be a part of you know, the hundred, let's say, yeah, or separating into small groups where they get to be with like 20 people and get some of that real community and that separation from distractions, just to have their Bible and sit on the grass and journal and read their word and just get to worship without time restraints. Yeah.

Scott Ray: 50:17

It all boils down back to relationship. You know, no matter how big you are, or really even how small you are. Yeah. You know, you can be think you're so big that you can't, or you can even have a mindset that we're too small. That's good. You know, we're not enough. Church size, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gotcha. And um, you know, and and God, there's different seasons and different times for yeah, you know. You guys have walked through season, you were just talking about yeah, you know, starting a church there in Idaho, and you and the ministry, and yeah, all that God has brought you two guys through and still in. Yeah. And and just seeing what God is, there's just different seasons. Yeah. You know, and um, you know, we sat here just reminiscing, and I and my my thought that those ingredients, no matter where the technology takes, you have to have those ingredients still. Yeah, it's like it's like the brownie. Yeah, there's certain things in a brownie you still have to have, no matter what where we are in the world, there are certain things you gotta have in that recipe.

Justin: 51:27

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 51:28

And um, whether it be the Highlands or whether it be some younger couple starting a brand new church somewhere. Yeah, it's a dynamic that has to have that relationship with the what would you say?

Rhett: 51:42

Uh I don't know. I I I want to kind of dive in here a little bit deeper. So I know you're processing life probably a lot differently now than you did in your 40s and your 30s, but even hearing that, like ingredients, yeah, relationships. But what what would be some other ingredients that you see that are vital to, you know, to relationship with God and in in really thriving and flourishing, whether you're a young adult, you know, we got a lot of people that listen to this podcast around the world, and we're very grateful for the friends that just join us. But like there are people who are listening who are like, I hear you, relationships, but like what what else can I add to that to get me to a place where I'm experiencing life?

Scott Ray: 52:20

Well, I think that so many times, guys, what happens is yeah, you know, Israel was not a straight line for 40 years. You know, they had weather, they had um, you know, adversities, they had things, and it wasn't just this straight, perfect line for 40 years in the wilderness. And there's seasons, um, and I really feel like this is from the Lord, but there for somebody who's listening, I I really feel like that that God is speaking that there's this is a season um a time for uh to redefine. So many times we can just get locked in. We go to this church, we've been at this church, we do this, we've been at this job, and I I I I believe that God is saying, okay, I need you to redefine it, may stay the same, yeah, and it may not stay the same, but redefine. And so the Lord uh walking through work today, uh, I felt like the Lord give me, and I literally pulled a piece of um cardboard off of a box and got my pen and wrote it down, and it was to redefine, and it would be a season for reassignment and realignment. And um there again, uh sometimes the Lord will just give me things, and I I have no clue whatsoever who or whatever that is for, but but um you know, the reassignment, you know, there are things that change.

Justin: 53:52

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 53:53

Um it may be an assignment to do Bible study in a different way, a small group in a different way. Yeah. Um what is my assignment? You know, I I I think guys, one of the biggest things that we in the in the church as believers that I think everybody deals with, whether you're a believer or non-believer. Yeah, and it is disappointment. You know, so what is that ingredient is how to deal with disappointment, yeah, whether it be through marriage, whether it be through death, whether it be sickness, whether it be finances, uh mental health, whatever it is, there's just disappointment. Yeah. And what disappointment does is it dislocates us from our appointment. You know, uh when I was a junior in high school playing Briarwood, uh, I broke my left arm, football, football. Yeah, broke it, um, broke it in half, broke the bone completely. And um in the first quarter, and I kept telling my coach, um, man, my arm is asleep. It's like, you know, if you've ever been hit in the elbow like a like a bunny bone.

Justin: 55:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 55:04

And uh he said, You just got hit. And um, all right, you know, I'm just a dumb football player, you know. And uh I was uh uh playing um tight end in my left arm and I was having to catch the football with my right arm, and so the point I'm making is that that arm was there, yeah, but it was dislocated. It was it was broke and it needed to be put back together. It was still connected to me, I could still feel it, I could still see it, yeah. But there was something that had to happen in order for that arm to be back where it needed to be. It was out of alignment in swords because it was broken.

Rhett: 55:48

Yeah. Yes, yeah.

Scott Ray: 55:50

And my assignment can change and will change. You guys, your assignment over the years is as men of God and just husbands, yeah, have changed. The older your kids get, different needs, different wants, and you know, uh, and just in marriage and just life. Yeah. So I I would I would say Juddy that um Justin, excuse me. No, Juddy's great. I like it. So uh it's Pastor Juddy. Pastor Justin.

Justin: 56:19

It was it was the only name I went by for a long time. Yeah. Juddy.

Scott Ray: 56:22

I I called him Justin one time, nobody knew what I was talking about. Who is that? Who is that? Is that a new kid? It went back to Justin. No one knew me, they just knew my name. But uh I that that ingredients, guys, is so important. And just um, those are the three things I really felt like the Lord speak to me. And that may and will be different for whomever's listening. Yeah, you know, because where I am in my life, and that that that is, I think what is so precious about the Holy Spirit is he takes something, he can say something, speak to somebody, yeah, and it'll mean something different.

Justin: 57:01

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 57:01

If you have a hundred people in a room, there's gonna be probably 99 that see different 99 different things. And there might be two people that see it the same. Yeah, and that's that's how awesome the Holy Spirit is. So just redefine where am I? Yeah, what is God's calling on my assignment and alignment? Who are you with?

Justin: 57:25

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 57:27

And so many times we just get in in these ruts of relationships, and I'm I'm not saying they're they're bad, but but there are times that God needs to move you in another location, in another path, yeah, because somebody needs you, and if you're not listening to the Holy Spirit, you'll miss that that alignment um with somebody. Um, you know, we had kids over the years, come and go. And um, you know, we had some, you know, remember the young man Dale that was killed in an automobile accident, you know, very close to us. And um I was telling a story of a young lady that was in our our youth group, Laura, and and her her her father is incarcerated for about 30 years, and um kind of walked through that with her, yeah, uh Barbie and myself, just over the years, you know, just a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear. And um we were at a church helping and did an outreach, and there were like 600 um bags that we were gonna step out and um hand to these businesses and just say, Hey, businesses, we're praying for you. I was reaching for one. Children's pastor came up beside me. I said, Hey buddy, here take this one and I'll take this one. Make a long story short, we come up to this business. This older man comes up to me, lo and behold, it is Laura's dad. I've been released from prison out of 600 bags, the very man that I literally held his daughter crying on my shoulder, in my wife's shoulder.

Justin: 59:14

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 59:17

I'm looking at him, and so God directs.

Justin: 59:21

Yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 59:22

So the sensitivity, guys, of of um I don't think the church is sensitive enough. Yeah, yeah, it has to be something that um I I'm I'm aligning myself with what God with the Holy Spirit is speaking.

Rhett: 59:39

Yeah, and um how would you encourage the church? And and look, we have our thoughts and opinions, and but like how would you encourage the capital C church? Like, not just eight, we're not talking specific churches, but the the church overall, the global, yeah, to be more sensitive. Wow. What would what does that look like?

Scott Ray: 1:00:00

I think it's just being, I don't want to use the word over overuse of it, but I just authentic.

Justin: 1:00:07

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:00:08

Um, because you're going to have people that there are more people. If you you can just get on TikTok, Facebook, any uh X, Twitter, whatever it's called, all the the social medias, and you're just gonna be inundated by people deconstructing. Well, I'll never go to church, I'll never do this, I'll never do this for the kingdom. People that were pastors now or almost atheist.

Justin: 1:00:33

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:00:34

And people simply are just looking for that fresh you say you're a Christian, where is the fruit? Yeah, that's really good. Where is the effect of if you're preaching the gospel of Jesus, then where is the effect of what you're saying? Yeah, yeah. You know, and so and that is from the greeter to the little old lady that doesn't do anything other than just come in and sit and just speak to somebody next to her or the older gentleman. There are people that God is waiting to use, and so many times we get in this tunnel thing of it's about me. Yeah. And so I would encourage people let your life obviously work and stuff, but when you go to church, I have to disappoint you, it's not about you. You have a word inside of you from God, you have a word of encouragement. Somebody we sit up kind of in the balcony at the Church of the Highlands, and um at the end of the service, you know, they'll they'll give this call to receive Christ, and you know, by bow your heads, and and I'm I'm a rebellious one. I'm looking around, I'm searching, I'm just seeing, yeah, and all of a sudden I see um uh just a beautiful couple, and um the young man raises his hand. Guys, I lose it. I'm just I'm behind him, he doesn't even know I'm on the planet. And so weeks go by, and I walk up to him and said, Hey buddy, let me, you don't know me. I sit back behind you guys like every Sunday, and a few weeks ago, you raised your hand. I know I wasn't supposed to be looking, I'm sorry. But of everybody in this this huge auditorium, I saw you, and I don't even know your name. Matter of fact, I know what the back of your head looks like, but I recognize and I said, I don't want to tell you that I've been praying for you and randomly through the week, the Lord will bring you to my heart and I start praying for you. You know, so it's just stuff like that, guys. It's just do life on purpose. Yeah, that's so good. We get so busy, yeah, you know, go to work. It's not about the paycheck, it's about the person that's on your last nerve. Yeah, so good. It's the person that's trying to um really come against you, maybe your neighbor, maybe that person is on on your last nerve at work, yeah, maybe a family member. Do life on purpose for the kingdom, and with um, because you know, love covers a multitude of sin, the word says.

Justin: 1:03:46

Yeah, I've learned so much from you, uh, P Scott, when you're telling these stories, my mind it just goes back to it, some things never change. Yeah. And, you know, I've learned so much of this pastoral care heart. And you don't know it when you're learning a thin, but when you have years to look back, you can see where you get a lot of stuff. It would be like community. We learned a lot from Pastor Rod about getting people in a house and having a party, grilling some steaks. He was doing small groups before small groups was called small groups, you know. Yeah. And but with with you, Pastor Scott, the nights that really only a few of us would know, a lot of people wouldn't know that you and Miss Barbie, you know, and her taking care of the kiddos, it would really have to be you going to if it wasn't at your house going to the hospitals on uh some of the people who just overdosed, made a mistake, did something dumb, and sitting by their bed and making your way to help people uh when they don't even know, they have no clue that Pastor Scott would go to cancer treatments for people, not only his youth, but who were former youth. Yeah. Because people would still have this common denominator, once you've had the impact, you still get the cause. It's it's why you, you know, thank God for our friendship, but it's why you still get the call from me because you will, you just, you're in my mind. Yeah. And but it is, it's something to be said for when you're talking about seeing the back of that guy's head. I'm listening to it with it's just the authority that you walk in because I've learned from you from all these years ago how to not go straight bolting for the door looking for the extraordinary thing. But you always waited on what could have seemingly been the most ordinary person, and you gave them your time and their life was transformed. You saw me. I I want to say this story too. It was a it was a student night. This is probably it's probably 1997. I was dating summer. I'm I'm hitting a new level, even four years of being surrendered to Christ. I can feel that maturity, a little bit of that maturity kicking into another level, but I didn't really know what to do with it. I remember a couple of students. I walked by him, I saw them sitting down in the chair, and I stopped just to just to kind of give some time and say, hey, what's going on? I just felt the stirring of the Holy Spirit to do that. And I began talking to him, and I guess you would say ministering to him, prayed over him, and they went on their way, everything, you know, it was good. Yeah. And I still remember when I finished, you had just finished talking to somebody and you had seen that interaction. And when I filed out of the, you know, the aisle to the middle row, you came to me and you called that out in my life. And it was the first time someone said to me, You are a pastor. And that marked me. I can still remember where I was. I still go back to those moments when you get caught up in the speed of everything, or or even the success that you can kind of buy into your own little press clippings and you get humbled, or you better humble yourself, yeah, and you slow down. And there have been those moments where it's you're on the verge of what am I even doing this for? Because all the feelings are gone. We talked a few episodes back about being numb. Yeah. And I go back to some of these moments. You're one of those memorial moments of those stones that I built when I crossed the Jordan to step into the promised land of my journey in Christ.

Rhett: 1:07:36

Hey, friends, Rhett here. Just want to take a moment to speak to those who may be joining us for the first time. We want to say welcome, friends. However, you found us, we are so glad that you did, and we believe it wasn't by accident. We're so glad that you joined us in on this conversation today. In fact, if you haven't already done so, could we encourage you to follow us on social media? You can find us on Facebook or Instagram at ArmchairAuthentic or over on X at ArmchairOff Pod. That's ArmchairOff A-U-T-H P-O-D. All right. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Now let's get back to our conversation.

Scott Ray: 1:08:16

I don't know if our time is pressed, but it's really not. One of the things that uh Barbie and myself over the years have uh we've I be honest with you, we have struggled with. And that is that we have searched for that spiritual father, that spiritual mother in our life. You know, we've had great people. I had wonderful parents, wonderful, godly parents that um probably learned from them about getting in an atmosphere, you know. Um, and that's a long story to be an episode in itself, but they're they're the ones who who literally taught me um how to be, where to be, to search for that. But uh over the years, we literally we when I say search, it was like almost, you know, like when you guys were young, you're looking for a girl today. Yeah, you know, you were always looking. Yeah, yeah. Look, that's really eyes up. Yeah, and and we we where is that person that's gonna come into our life and we can excuse the phrase, but we can just throw up on them.

Justin: 1:09:26

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:09:27

Yes, yeah, and and they don't think a thing of it. Yes, yes. Safe, safe, safe place, totally safe place.

Rhett: 1:09:34

God's that way with us, yeah. And you know, I I hear you. And uh we're so tracking with you.

Scott Ray: 1:09:40

And we never never found that. Yeah, yeah. Great people around us, yeah, but never stepped into that role that there was really a longing, and I'm 60 years old, still have a longing for that. Yeah, and I just remember just saying, My God, is you know, is there something wrong with us? Is there something wrong with me? And you know, am I too clingy? Yeah, I've had the hey, I've had these conversations, you know, and I just remember this. And I remember the Lord speak to me and Barbie. You're not alone in this. Yeah.

Justin: 1:10:11

Apple once again.

Scott Ray: 1:10:12

The the Lord spoke to me and Barbie at the same time and said, Why don't you be that spiritual father and mother? And I I I my immediate response was I can't because I don't. You know, I I I never had there again, godly parents, love my parents. Um, and there again, I can't even go into the depth of what m they poured into me as a as a as a child, but there's a uh a different dynamic as a parent versus what I'm considering what I'm calling a spiritual father.

Rhett: 1:10:52

It's those people that um I understand. You know, yeah, you don't even have to try to clarify and we we get it. And I'm trying to every other leader that's listening that are pastors, probably they can get it. Yeah, because I would a lot of them are getting what you're saying. I would I tell people this like uh 90% of all the church planters or pastors I've ever met do not have a spiritual father.

Justin: 1:11:13

Well, we have great consultants, yeah, some great coaches with profession and pulling off some tough things.

Rhett: 1:11:21

We have a lot of good brothers, great people, but brothers oftentimes compete with each other, yes, where fathers are called by God to compliment and to help coach and and you know and it's not like I just I needed you know, yeah to me, it was more than just affirmation I was looking for.

Scott Ray: 1:11:39

It was like I just need somebody to kick my rear.

Rhett: 1:11:42

Yeah, exactly. Get back in line, rebuke, correct, yeah, correct in love in love and grace. Yeah, kick me, but have a safe place to be able to go. Look, I'm like I'll speak from my life to speak from a leadership perspective to go, hey, I'm struggling with wanting to look at nudity online, and I feel like I'm the only one jacked up, and I don't want to. My spirit is willing, my flesh is weak, but I don't want to do this. But yet I love God. Am I messed up? And do I have a safe enough place that I can share that with you so that you don't either a fire me or kick me out or or disown me or make me feel as if I'm less than and like you have no idea how you can relate to me. Like, no, you're like a safe place to be able to throw up on. I'm not saying everybody has that issue, but I would say all the 90% of the pastors I've ever met, honestly, they all struggle with something, you know. And I, you know, but but it's a safe place where you can go, look, man, I'm struggling, but I love God and I need some help because like uh, you know, don't give up on me. Yeah. You know, go, dude, I get it. I've been right where you are. My struggle may be different, but here's how I've gotten out of it, and you can too, and you will, you're not alone. Now let's go, you know. Oh, yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:12:49

Let's go take I I'm I've been in my office as a as a as a pastor. Yeah, our church was was growing, was healthy, yeah, and be in my office, literally weeping, crying. Yeah. Because just feeling there again, uh as a as a staff pastor or a lead pastor or just a plumber.

Justin: 1:13:10

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:13:10

I'm an electrician, you know, where wherever I am. And um feeling that place of complete as an adult male Christian with people around me, yeah, and feeling completely alone.

Justin: 1:13:27

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:13:27

Completely, utterly alone. Who do I go to? Who do I go to? Who can I go to? Who can I trust? Who can I? And that's the key. You know, you know, yeah, yeah. Your issue is not the latest gossip.

Rhett: 1:13:40

Right. Yeah. And um and it's not something to hold over my head and to shame me in or to, you know.

Justin: 1:13:46

Yeah, you gotta be able to trust that it won't come back on you.

Rhett: 1:13:48

And not it's very hard on pastors and people don't understand that.

Scott Ray: 1:13:52

Sheep, um, sheep bite.

Rhett: 1:13:54

Yes, yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:13:55

And they don't have uh uh a sheep doesn't have a lot of wisdom. That's the reason why a a rancher will put a dog, a very intelligent dog, yeah, you know, to to guard them and to lead them. And um, I remember somebody years ago came to us and said, I'm just not being fed. And I said, Well, as a shepherd, I don't feed you. Yeah, I lead you. Yeah, you're the one who's supposed to eat. Right. I can just take you to the pasture.

Justin: 1:14:26

Yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:14:27

If you don't eat, that's up to you. That's so good. That's that's your problem. Yes. Yeah. You know, and now if there are things I need to do, then hey, praise God, I am completely open. But just to run up to me and say, hey, I'm just not being fed. Well, you're not eating.

Rhett: 1:14:44

So are you a baby? Do I have to like spoon feed me some gerber? Aren't you like you know, an adult here? And so you know how to open the Bible and read it? You can okay.

Scott Ray: 1:14:54

You know, and and I think just not just not on the Bible. Yeah, I know. And not just on the pastoral side. There's just people that are that are just listening that uh, you know, they they step into the church, you know, it'd be easy at, you know, of any church, small, large, whatever, is just to step in and then um not be engaged, you know. Um like when you go into a get involved in a small group, it's gonna take time to build that trust. And and you need to be, there's a sense of cautiousness that you know, you just don't I'm curious.

Rhett: 1:15:28

So, you know, not having that, and then obviously feeling the emotion that you felt, right? Spiritual file, like a spiritual orphan, you know, and being in that, and then finally hearing the voice of the Lord speak to both of you, as you were saying before I kind of rabbit trailed this other way. No, you're good, you know, was this like, why don't you be that for other people? So what was that like? Did you flip and did the switch flip pretty quickly? And you were like, all right, and then how has that been ever since?

Scott Ray: 1:15:56

Well, you know, obviously, yeah, there again, it wasn't for lack of effort on my part, looking. Right, you know, and you know, I literally would go up to men of God that would call or or or I'd call them and and I would literally say, I I don't I'm looking for this. Are you it? You know, I just would just be honest with them. Yeah. And um and it was quickly that I realized they're not. They're not it. Whether it could be a statement, could be an action or a lack of action, yeah. Um, you know, um it was a gradual somewhat, because there again, it would be like um almost having a broken heart. You don't get over a broken heart overnight, right? You know, something along, especially if you're lonely. Yeah, you know, you're lonely one second, you know. Now can God completely heal that? Sure. Yeah, but he didn't. And so I stopped putting a lot of emphasis on that.

Justin: 1:17:02

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:17:03

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And then I said, you know, being spiritual, well, maybe God, you want to be my spiritual father. Duh. Yeah, right. You know, of course. But I kept telling the Lord, I need somebody in flesh. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Yeah. I I need somebody that I can wake up, yeah, wake them up in the middle of the night, or call them during the day. And um, and so I just we we both just kind of okay. And there was, there was a peace that came over that it was almost like you've looked, you've looked long, you looked hard. Now you take what you want and need and be that. And then I've ultimately found that there was almost greater satisfaction, me being that. Yeah, because I don't, you know, if they were at that degree that I was needing that and wanting that, um, you know, I kind of let them know or let them tell me what where where do you need me in your life? I'll just be blunt with you. Yeah, you need me how deep do you need me to go? Ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep? Yeah. Or are we just gonna jump in this thing together?

Justin: 1:18:21

Yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:18:22

And um then I I I really found that it was more satisfying and gratifying um on a spiritual part, on a fleshly part, that I was able to help somebody.

Justin: 1:18:38

Yeah, yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:18:38

I was able to connect someone on a level that I wanted.

Justin: 1:18:44

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:18:45

And I and I I found that it wasn't necessarily the person that I was needing. Ultimately, now I see that God was going to use a longing for me to fill a void in somebody else's life. So good.

Justin: 1:18:59

He takes that, he takes those pain moments. He allows us to walk through stuff that creates the very longing and desire for you to now realize this is on others, and now I can be that for them. And it and sometimes he's that person may be on their way at some point, and or it just might be for the rest of your life, my grace is sufficient for you.

Scott Ray: 1:19:24

Yeah. Well, and if you don't deal with pain, pain will lead to wondering. Plenty of people that are in pain for whatever reason. And if you don't deal with that pain through the Lord, through the graciousness and mercy of the Holy Spirit, you'll begin to wonder. That's the reason why a lot of people in the church that once were in the church got hurt with a pain, and now they're out of the church and they're wondering.

Justin: 1:19:53

Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:19:54

Because they never dealt with the pain. For me, I felt it was a pain of rejection.

Justin: 1:19:59

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:20:01

And I come to find out that it really wasn't rejection, it was because I probably would have not stepped into where I really needed to be, and and and I don't I haven't arrived yet.

Justin: 1:20:15

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:20:16

But if I was always going to somebody, I wouldn't have time to be that for somebody else, if that makes sense.

Rhett: 1:20:24

Yeah. You know sovereignty at work.

Scott Ray: 1:20:26

Yeah.

Rhett: 1:20:27

And so um it's like thank God. There's a country song in and I could be that's blowing this whole thing up in this moment of just awesomeness. Oh, thanks, Red. I appreciate it. Yeah, yeah. It it but it's a country song. It's like I I thank God for unanswered prayers. Yeah. Yeah. And it's like we pray for things oftentimes, and oftentimes guys like, yeah, I could give that to you, but like I really want to do something through you, and I'm gonna allow this to be what it is, whatever it might be, yeah. So that you can go and be that for somebody else. And I know it doesn't make sense, and I know it's hard to understand, and I know, but like I just need you to trust me because what I'm going to do in you through this perseverance, through this character, through what you're learning, you're gonna be able to be so much more effective to others who haven't had it, much like you. So you can be a blessing on a whole nother level. And I, you know, that's how I choose to see when I hear this story, because I I believe that for myself. Like your story in that I can relate to, even hearing Justin go, oh, we can relate to this, like it's a real thing. Um, and I'm I'm just so so grateful for your authenticity, your vulnerability. And again, this is what this is the joy of just man, learning and growing. And and even though time and distance, you know, with all our lives, even Justin and I, and even you and I and stuff, is you know, with life and different seasons and assignments, there's always just been this common thread of this just authentic relational shepherd connect. And even though we I'll just speak for me, maybe I've never reached out and said, Hey, I really need you to be a spiritual father for me in this moment. You've always been that in my life, whether I've ever said that or not, um, you have. And and so, because there was there were seasons where I was going through hell through the divorce, you know, and other things. And I was like, Where am I going? What am I doing? How am I doing it? You know, and and a lot of confusion in my life. And and I've always been able to pick up the phone and call you. And you've always been so loving, so kind. And what I in another podcast episode, Justin and I talked about shepherds, you know, shepherds, true shepherds smell like sheep. Absolutely. And sheep don't smell that great. Yeah. And so you're a shepherd that actually smells like sheep. Yeah. And that's a that is a grace gifting on your life. That's not just some title or position you've had in the church. Um, whether it's full-time quote ministry of being paid by a church or a nonprofit or being in the marketplace ministry, which you currently are in this season of life, as you mentioned, is a highly skilled, unbelievable electrician. Um, yeah, like you, you are a shepherd and you smell like sheep wherever you go, wherever you go, no matter the title, no matter the position. And I have always been so grateful for that. And even as we've been reminiscing on this conversation, I'm just like, I'm just so grateful just that for your willingness and your obedience, both you and Barbie, yeah, to take the time just to get in the world of sheep because you don't smell like insulation. You don't smell like a green room, is what I'm trying to say. You never have. You've always smelled like the sheep. And if you're not understanding the the parable I'm trying to draw here, basically I'm saying you're willing to get in the life and get in the nitty-gritty and the dirty, if you will, of just the muck and the mire that is real life with people, you know, Laura and all the others, and just being willing to be there and not necessarily trying to have all the answers, but just being available. And that has been so impactful, you know. And no matter like all the major transitions of seasons of loss in my life, you've been there. Yeah, you know, and uh I can't say that about very many people.

Scott Ray: 1:24:02

I remember reading this simple, simple part of the Bible where Mary washed Jesus' feet because they were dirty. He walked, he was real, yeah, he had dirty feet, yeah, which is so good, and she washed it. You know, of course, and then the parable opens up to that. And um, but um all these years we started as friends, and thank God friends turned to family.

Justin: 1:24:38

Amen.

Scott Ray: 1:24:39

So good.

Justin: 1:24:40

You know, I was I was grateful when we we had our men's night not long ago. Yeah, uh, because we're all at the same church. Yeah. And it was so great because we were enjoying some of the great food, some of the desserts together. And it was like old parkway days because everybody left. We're the last in the building. It's me, Rhett, and P Scott and the cleaners.

Rhett: 1:25:01

Well, you left, yeah, and you left and P Scott and I hung out another hour, it felt like in the parking lot.

Justin: 1:25:06

But but but it was really, really cool because even even in that moment getting to connect, yeah, we had a moment where you prayed for us. Oh man. And you know, we me and Rhett reflected on that probably a day later, a couple of days later. Just that was that was special to us. It might seem very normal to you just getting to pray. You know, I don't know how it is for you because you're praying for like to your boys too, but it was very powerful because you spoke into our life. And the affirmation is really nice, but also just you know, taking that risk of giving a word of the Lord, you know, what can feel risky, but at the same time, it feels very just faith-filled.

Rhett: 1:25:49

What I share with Justin about that is, and you you can relate to this in in ministry. I'm using air quotes, of just trying to be a leader to love people well and to serve people and to pray for people. Oftentimes we're the ones praying for everyone. Yeah, but not very many people are praying for us. And I've say when I say praying for us, I know in general people pray for us as leaders, but I mean literally take a moment to lay their hands on you and to pray a prayer of blessing and affirmation, and but just encouragement and life. And in that meant that's what I told Justin. I said it meant the world to me, even that moment, because that's not something we get very often in the world of ministry, not even from leaders I can't, you know, that are leading us oftentimes. Yeah. I'm grateful for the past Russia because I mean that brother prays all the time, but I've never really had it up until this point, you know, and so I don't take that for granted and I don't take it as a grain of salt, I take it as an outpouring of blessing of just what the model of manhood and uh and fatherhood looks like. Yeah. Well, it's definitely gonna change, guys.

Scott Ray: 1:26:57

Uh where we are in this world is scriptural. We're we're we're living in the back of the book. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And so um there've got to be um a redefining. I I felt that I was walking through where I was working today in this large three or four million square foot building, and the Lord just clearly said that things have to be redefined. They're so off. You know, even in ministry, even quote, in the church. Yeah. And I'm not saying throw a bomb in the middle of it and and destroy all the programs and everything. That's not what I'm saying. But I'm just saying that your average believer in Christ must step back and allow the Lord to redefine this moment in time. And I believe that re redefinition is there there again, is gonna go uh an assignment and an alignment. That's really good. And um we gotta wake up, God. Yeah, we're just at that place. We're just at that place that uh w um we are we're we're we're it's so fast. Yeah, I don't think the church realizes and I I at times I don't realize how fast the church is moving. And we're trying to do church like we did in the 90s. Even early 2000s, even the late 2000s. Yeah. Let's just since COVID. You know what I'm saying? In the last five years. Yeah, we don't live in the same world. And people are living their relationship with the Lord in the same way they did. Wow. And it it can't happen.

Rhett: 1:28:52

What I hear you say, sorry to interrupt is authenticity bearing fruit, remaining in him, abiding in him, and then allowing the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which has been a common theme for the last ten episodes for me.

Scott Ray: 1:29:06

Yeah, yeah.

Rhett: 1:29:06

It's love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control, gentleness, let it be evident to all. Not this facade of religion or this facade of Christianity, but this ability to go raw, real, not just for like swinging the pendulum, yeah, not to blow everything up, but just to go, hey, like we have to redefine so that we can realign, you know, to everything, you know. I I totally hear what you're saying. I get the heart behind it. And I do believe that there is a the ones who I think that are doing things well now as collectively as a church are those who are pulling back the layers and just speaking real life talk. Yeah, no more TED Talks. TED Talks are done. Yeah, yeah. It's like, hey, I've been here's my scars, here's some pain that I've gone through. Let me show you how God's healed it and how he can heal you. Well, that's the reason why you're willing to walk this out. Let's go.

Scott Ray: 1:30:00

Gener the this generation is coming in and they're there's they're calling it for what it is. Yeah. You're a phony. Yes, but I don't want anything to do with it. Yeah, yeah. And then all of a sudden you see these churches that are growing with this culture, this younger generation, that um that's what their DNA is that. Their DNA is is I I I need it to be authentic.

Justin: 1:30:28

Yeah.

Scott Ray: 1:30:28

This is all a very authentic generation.

Rhett: 1:30:32

Yeah. I think one thing, if I'm reflecting on what I learned a lot from you in Parkway in those days, was what it truly meant to fear the Lord.

Scott Ray: 1:30:42

Oh, yeah.

Rhett: 1:30:43

Yeah. It was I knew what I was saved from.

Justin: 1:30:49

Right.

Rhett: 1:30:50

Yeah. I knew what you were what I was. But I also had this revelation, of course, through God's word, but through the ability that you guys were willing to speak the truth in love, but with grace, a a um a better representation of the fact that I am a sinner and I need saving. And the only one who can do that is Christ. Right. And and where, you know, oftentimes we can look back at our life and go, I wish things were different, whatever. I'm very grateful that I had this holy reverence and awe and respect, the sovereignty of who God is, and not afraid of God, but understanding that He is both filled with love, compassion, slow to anger, rich in love, but also there is a wrath side. And we have the choice of whether or not we want to live in that grace which has been provided through Christ Jesus, right? So we don't have to, just like Noah was safe from the flood, you know, Lot and all them, like uh they were Sodom and Gomorrah, you know, like they were able to be rescued from that. Right. God is providing us the same rescue, doesn't want us to experience his wrath. He put his wrath on Christ so that we didn't have to experience it, which is blows my mind, right? And so, like I had that teaching, I had that understanding. And so that fueled my faith. That fueled my ability to go, God, you are holy and I am not.

Scott Ray: 1:32:15

Yeah.

Rhett: 1:32:15

And I have to have you, not for fire insurance, but Lord, I just I want to live in your grace, I want to live in your love, I want to experience your presence because you are holy. You are like this all in reverence of his presence wasn't a flippant type homeboy Jesus kind of moment. So it was literally a, okay, God is who he says he is, and he's sovereign, he's holy, and I'm not, and I I want to be in this relationship with him. And I, you know, I'm not playing around with this. You know what I'm saying? And it has fueled everything because the word of God teaches us, right? The beginning of wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord. Yeah. And that's what I'm so grateful for. And I think what I'm hearing, and maybe this is just, you know, dialogue for me personally, but getting back to the fear and reverence and the all, true all of the holiness, sovereignty, and majestic, you know, yeah.

Justin: 1:33:09

When his presence comes into the room, like it never, it we never it I'm trying to think of the right way to say it. Yeah. With your leadership leading us, yeah, it didn't become common. Yes. It was in reverence to the, you know, there's a you know, a funny story. You know, I think back on when we would do our youth stuff, but at the same time, Pastor Scott, he would have some churches reach out to him to go speak there. And, you know, he had his Peter, James, and John that he'd take with him. You know, so we we would go, we'd we'd go with him on some, and it was so funny because you literally, and I know I'm kind of, you know, I know we gotta wrap, but at the same time, this is fun because it's episode 99.

Rhett: 1:33:54

This is the initial edition. It really is gonna live on forever. But Pastor Scott, he took pause it and come back. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Justin: 1:34:01

Pause, go to the bathroom, come to the bathroom, come back. Yeah, okay, here we go. And we're back. So he was speaking, but you really allowed us to get to be a part of some of these ministry moments where you would stop and and be sensitive to the spirit, and you would you would really feel something and want to pray for somebody. And it's really cool. You would call us up and send us to go pray while you would then continue. And it was such a beautiful picture. I mean, even talking about it now, yeah, it's beautiful. And but what was funny is we would just stick so close to you. And if you can envision Pastor Scott, he's walking the stage. We're kind of in the round on this particular night. I remember that hundreds, hundreds of youth in this in this auditorium. They're all pressing up against the stage, like at the altar kind of area. We had an amazing ministry time, music's going behind us. He's walking to someone and he gives a word, and then we'll go pray. Yeah. He moves on to someone, but then we're back. If you pictured like three or four guys as close as you can be, walking behind him, and he would head a certain direction, and right as we would head to the people, he would feel something, and it's like, no, it wasn't them, it's somebody else. He would take off the other way, and we're like bumping into each other. Like pinball. It was pinball. We'd run into Pastor Scott.

Rhett: 1:35:20

He kind of had he kind of put his hands on us if I remember going, hey guys, it's okay. You can give me some space. He did. He knew we were trying to be so locked in.

Scott Ray: 1:35:29

It was kind of like the spiritual three stooges. Yeah, it really was. A little much, a little much. But the disciples give me some name.

Justin: 1:35:37

The discoples. Yeah, yeah. Do you remember that? That particular night. So funny.

Scott Ray: 1:35:42

You know, because I spoke at that uh a conference over this was in Atlanta. Yeah. And if I remember right, we spoke, and um, something happened to the speaker, and there was a um youth group that their schedule got messed up or something, and they were not planning on being at this conference the next night. And there was some, I found out later a lot of things going on, and they um the the leaders were really contending for some kids that were in this group on this trip. And God used that night with you guys praying over the youth group that randomly, I think they were from Kentucky, if I remember, and they just randomly showed up at this conference and what God did in that that that that evening, you know. So that's so cool. Yeah, it it was majestic, a holy moment, but yet it was so funny. It was because I would I would turn the point. I would literally turn around and they would have their head down with their their hand out like they're you know on our back or on your back on the on the back, and I wouldn't be standing there praying fervently, too. Up fervently, yeah. I I don't know what that person needed, but they're good, they didn't get every everything, and I'd be over, you know, 20 feet somewhere else, and we'd look up we'd run over but at the same time, what was so funny with P Scott is there were moments where he would say some things and it didn't come out quite right.

Justin: 1:37:25

And I remember the time you were telling the story. Oh, yes. It was just like like you know, our journey is like we we are in our in this it we're in our boats, and you gotta be careful because when you're in your boat, you know, water could get in, you know, there could be cracks, holes, whatever. And so he begins to pray, and he's like, All right, everybody, just lift your hands, you know. So everybody's praying. He's like, Lord, he's like, and pray this, Lord.

Scott Ray: 1:37:50

This is a church full of people, a church full of people, and a little context here. Yeah, the youth group at the time all sat in this one section. So you'd have 50, 75 teenagers maybe in this one section of the church.

Justin: 1:38:05

And go ahead. Yeah, and he said, Lord, y'all repeat this with me, reveal to us our cracks. Okay, if you can just imagine. Now, older people might be all right, but they actually weren't either they're laughing.

Scott Ray: 1:38:19

The teenagers, the teenagers were not okay. Oh no, they were turning around and saying, Hey, can you see mine? I can't, do you know? I don't know if I want to pray that for you. There's so much laughing going on there. If you ever lost a crowd, you lost them. I mean, no, but I can tell you how to do that. I mean, there's some that I can't say because they know they turned into another rating. Yeah, there's there's some things that uh yeah, you know, you want to say that was a God moment. That probably wouldn't. Oh but it's still the beautiful memories.

Rhett: 1:38:56

Oh, the and and to this day, that's what makes it real.

Scott Ray: 1:38:59

To this day, these guys bring this up.

Justin: 1:39:01

Okay, do we get to say this? Because this wasn't uh P Scott, but we would have I don't know if we've ever mentioned this, but it's funny. So it at Parkway would we would do this Easter drama. Yeah, and it was very elaborate. Pastor Rod, he was all in with whatever he did.

Rhett: 1:39:16

So he built, if you were to picture this giant picture frame, yeah, it's probably what 50 feet high and like it was massive, 50 feet wide. It's like massive.

Scott Ray: 1:39:26

It was a human rendition of the Last Supper that you see on pictures all the time. Yeah, where they're all sitting on one side of the street.

Rhett: 1:39:32

So imagine a theater in the theater is framed with a big frame of the last supper picture in all the disciples. It's like a living kind of moment, right? The disciples have the conversations in between, and it kind of pauses, and you're getting the perspective of each disciple of what might be going through their minds at the moment that Jesus is talking about.

Justin: 1:39:50

It would be freeze frame.

Rhett: 1:39:51

Yeah, freeze frame.

Justin: 1:39:54

They would come alive, and the spotlight would come on them. Yeah. Everybody else is in the background. In black light. Is it me, Lord? Is it I? Is it I? There was a I mean, we we gotta go through it. There was a guy named Herman. Oh shit. I mean, he was older, but he was like the theater man. Like you he he ate it. He was total thesbian. He was like, and he talked like that.

Rhett: 1:40:20

That's no joke. That's exactly what his voice sounded like.

Justin: 1:40:23

He played Judas. He's like, the trill. He's five foot tall. Everybody was talking about the trill. So you have that, but then you had milked that moment.

Rhett: 1:40:34

Oh, it's all about it. What was his name?

Justin: 1:40:37

Oh, what was his name? He played uh Thaddeus.

Rhett: 1:40:39

Oh, I know you're talking about it. Cedric? Cedric. Cedric, yeah.

Justin: 1:40:42

Spotlight on Cedric. Yeah. And it's his turn. And he was like, and the Lord, I remember he commanded us, feed my sheeps. He added the S. He always added the S. Feed my sheep. He was an S Adam. Yeah. And then and then you could see all the disciples who were in black light only, so you can't even see us. All of a sudden, we begin to smile, and you see all these teeth.

Scott Ray: 1:41:09

The wave of teeth. Let me tell you. If you can't laugh about doing church, oh man, you're not doing church right. No, you're not.

Rhett: 1:41:18

And then Keith Shafford, oh good. Oh, Keith. And we got a shout out to Keith because he goes to church with us. Yeah, we see him as greeter. Yeah. James the Lesser. Yeah.

Justin: 1:41:25

So we were on our way to Lee University to audition and all that stuff.

Rhett: 1:41:32

Yeah, but these are like this is the South. So everybody's got a strong accent too. Yeah.

Justin: 1:41:37

Is it I law? Is it I'm not? Yeah, Harrod. Yeah. Harrod's like Billy Beard, and he's like, is it I? No, his blood cannot be on my hands. I am innocent of the blood of this just man. I do declare this real life. So Keith, Keith, once again, he's very proper and had that actor vibe to him, too. He was all in for whatever role he would play. And no one caught it when he did it, but later we're listening to the recording. But what he ended up saying, he's he has this line where he says, I remember the time, and he would talk like that. I remember the time we asked the Lord a very personal question. It was when uh James and John were going to ask the Lord Jesus if they could each sit at his side.

Rhett: 1:42:29

But he didn't say it that slowly.

Justin: 1:42:32

Those words, yes. Be careful in words that can get tongue-tied, because if you say each sit real fast, just be careful there. Because he said I remember the time I asked the Lord a very personal question. We asked the Lord Jesus if we could eat at his side. And the Lord replied, Do you realize what you're doing? We cannot keep it together. Some of the best, some of the best memories. We were always disciples up there by the past disciples.

Scott Ray: 1:43:10

And we uh ordered uh Jesus as uh Stan Kirkland was playing Jesus at the time, yeah, and um oh god, they they ordered this theatrical scars. Oh my god, and um look like he had pieces of bacon on the back. I remember that. Yeah, and um, so as they were lifting him up at the ascension at the end, that's so funny. He kept spinning, yeah. And the wire we had to put a wire on his toe or something. It was it was fishing line. Well, he was spinning so radically that you put pressure on the fishing line, and it literally cut his big toe. Yeah.

Rhett: 1:43:51

So Jesus is smoke is coming from the ceiling, creating this like moment, and he's going up into glory.

Scott Ray: 1:43:56

So blood is blood is coming off of Jesus' big toe because of the fishing line to keep him from spinning. We're all saying, hallelujah.

Justin: 1:44:05

But do you also remember when he's going up and there was like some tension that got loose on the wire? Oh, yeah, and it went down on the cable and the cable. Jesus getting lifted up with his hands out, and that cable slipped, and his arms were like he was scared to death being lifted up into the heavens. Yeah, Jesus drops five feet. He's got all hands in with like his two little arms stuck in. Jesus T-Rex is on the big raptor soon enough and tell us bleeding and bacon, the sacrifice.

Scott Ray: 1:44:48

Literally, I remember I remember the scars because they were you you glued them on, and and like his wife and I think my wife and some other ladies, you know, were in the back and make up. And I remember that that I think it was the same night. I I my scene was over, and I or I was in the back and I looked back, and a bunch of the Roman soldiers were back there eating pizza for dominoes until the world's congression in this in this room, you know.

Justin: 1:45:17

So uh they they have something a place that we love to go, Nashville. I know you and this Barbie do too, but yeah, in uh Franklin, Tennessee. Yeah, it it really uh the time of this recording, it probably just happened this weekend where they have a Dickens Christmas, and it's where everybody in Franklin, Tennessee in the square dresses up like a Dickens character. Okay, and people they play the part. You got the horse and carriage, you you park your car. I mean, you would y'all y'all would love it. It's it's really cool. Yeah, and you make your way into like the local church, and there's a kid's choir. It's very idealistic. That's cool. Except people will not go without their Starbucks. Dickens character or not, they are in full garb with a Starbucks cup, and you got all these like people walking around with their Starbucks cup and their Dickens outfit. So it's just when you get into this uh role play, it's funny to see something that sticks out. Like the Roman guards are eating pizza, uh Dickens characters are drinking Starbucks.

Scott Ray: 1:46:15

Well, I'm sure if we were able to, yeah, whomever's listening to this. Yeah, we probably lost them like 20 minutes away. We would know that they everybody has this church drama, yeah, uh cantata type 90s, especially. Yes. Uh fun, funny, funny, funny stuff. And for its for its time, yeah, it was really a big deal.

Rhett: 1:46:39

Well, we had no online, no digital. Like this was a big deal. You went to watch theater stuff in church.

Scott Ray: 1:46:44

If if you weren't there, you missed it. Yes.

Justin: 1:46:46

And what you remember though, it isn't even putting it on, it was the hangout time that we would have. Oh, yeah. Spending hours together. Like that is the church. Yeah, we would spend weeks. We'd spend three or four months prepping for this thing. Yeah. And it was a time to be together. Yeah. I mean, that's it's like it's the memories that come in our mind. And so that's why I feel like even getting to have this podcast, we've just gotten to really dive back into some memories that they have marked us. And and you have been such a pivotal role in our life.

Scott Ray: 1:47:17

You know we haven't the serious and the mainly funny things that have have have happened. Uh there's so much. Uh that we we've talked about, you know, offline and and uh, but uh guys, I want to just tell you thank you that you you guys um are amazing men. And I honor you guys. Um this is 99, and uh next one that you hear after this one will be 100 of um two men's hearts, their lives together, their walk, their struggles, their hurts, their pains, their laughter, their joy, uh their kids, their wives, um, their ministry, everything, everything about them you you've heard in the last uh a hundred um episodes. And um so uh we don't know where the Lord's gonna be taking these two guys, but uh wherever that is, I know that God will will bless and thank you for allowing me to be 99. And uh but if um in the in the years maybe this will motivate uh and encourage somebody, somebody's to carry what you guys have started and to start their own podcast and to talk about what God is doing. And um, because that's really where so many people to be in minister to, just what you guys have done. I want to just honor your commitment to the hundred episodes of this podcast, and um and really just pouring your heart out of uh vulnerability, humility, love, grace, and mercy. And uh I want to tell you guys both that I love you deeply. Me and me and Barbie um we we would not be the people that we are if it had not been for you guys and other people that we've talked about. Thank you.

Justin: 1:49:11

Love you so much. Peace God. Love you guys, thank you for that. And thank you guys for you tuning in and listening to this episode. We hope it blessed you as much as it blessed us getting a sit in this room with Pastor Scott Ray. And we're thankful for you. We hope everybody listening has a wonderful uh end of the year, wonderful Christmas, and we look forward to talking to you next Monday for what will be our year ender and the closing of a chapter. The closing of a chapter of Armchair Authentic. Thanks so much.

Rhett: 1:49:47

Hey friends, thank you so much for joining us on today's conversation. We're really looking forward to next week's. But until then, we hope you have a great week. Stay safe. We wish God's blessing on all of you, and we look forward to seeing you right here next Monday on Arm Chair Authentic.