459 - A Story About Finding Purpose Through Community and Faith w/ Tim Abbott

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Written By Logan Lewis

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Logan Lewis (00:01.006)

Hello everybody. Welcome back to another edition of your morning drive. I am your host with the most Logan Lewis coming to you from the fireworks studio in Marietta, Georgia. We're super happy to have you here. A big shout out to our friends at fireworks for hosting us today. They offer a creative coworking space dedicated to uplifting and supporting the local community. If you work at home, if you're an entrepreneur, if you're retired, if you're

self-employed, if you work from home full-time, whatever the case may be. If you're tired of working at home, if you're tired of your spouse, your dog, your kids, your neighbors, if you just need a change of scenery, you can try this space for free. They will give you a free day pass. If you come to the space, tell them Logan from the podcast sent you the hook you up with a day pass that you can try the space, meet the other members, enjoy the amenities, enjoy the staff for free of nothing to lose. So go ahead.

Come meet them in person, check out the space for yourself. Tell them Logan sent you, you get the day pass for free. Or if you book them online, you can use the code DRIVE at the checkout page and they'll hook you up with that day pass as well. Before we dive in, please, wherever you're at right now, YouTube, Spotify, Apple, make sure you hit that subscribe button, that follow button, whatever the case is, so that you can guarantee that new episodes are delivered to your phone every Wednesday without

missing a beat so that you're all in on all the episodes and you don't want to miss them especially not this one. Of course you can follow along on social media, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, all of those fun places. You can listen in and follow along for clips, sponsor information, behind the scenes stuff, information about me, everything in between.

We do it here on the social media as everything is at your morning drive. Thanks for tuning in everybody. Let's go ahead and dive right in. My guest today is a seasoned leader with over three decades of experience in several, several in something in a few different places. Something a former US Navy journalist.

Logan Lewis (02:25.121)

He blends communication expertise with a passion for community service, investing his time in outreach and leadership through local ministries, shelters, and civic programs. Please welcome my new friend, Tim Abbott. Thanks Logan. And the crowd goes wild. Yeah. I'm not sure over what yet, so we'll see. Hey, I'll chime in. What's, what is the name of the coworking space? Fireworks.

Man, I'll chime in on fireworks like walking through there. Like it's a wow experience. It is so well done. Like I mean, I don't even know these people, but like I agree with you. If people are looking for like, it's a good vibe. Like I just first time in there, like I could work here. I could get stuff done here and in a good vibe and enjoyable. Like it was a good place.

They've got something for everyone. know, got those little phone booths. So if you need to take a private conversation. kitchen that I want in my house. know, great event space. Yeah. Like a common area over there with the couches and the glass windows. And yeah. So anyways, I like, I agree with you. Like, what a cool space. They're a great space. They're a great partner of the show. They've supported me for the last year and a half or so. Yeah. And so I've, I've

love shouting them out. Of course it comes with its perks at times, but you know, I, I, I don't like to, uh, talk about products and things that I don't enjoy myself personally. So I hope that people will know by now that you mean you don't want to be a hypocrite. I don't really want to be, and you know, as I, as I've grown up, I've found myself a hypocrite sometimes, especially about the stuff that, you know, I yelled at my parents for, be like, I would never do that as an adult.

I worry about the people that say they're not a hypocrite. I'm like, ah, come on now. Let's be authentic. There's something. You mean you've never contradicted yourself? Yeah. Hey, if we talked for an hour or so, I'd probably catch myself somewhere along the line. So for the listeners that like to do that, they're like, got them. You know, so just just to evoke me. But that was a that was a nice intro. I never know what to do with those things. So.

Logan Lewis (04:45.043)

Well, thank you. Nice intro and, and, and you're a delight to me too. I mean, you're easy to talk to, you know, so we, we had our, I don't know, it was an impromptu unplanned brief, meeting or at Southern Cove and like, you were just like, easy to talk to. Like, I know why you do this. People probably like telling you their stories and you like listening. Yeah. Thanks, Tim. I, that's definitely something I.

strived to do. grew up moving around a lot, so I constantly had to reintroduce myself, make new friends. So I mean, I wasn't in the military. My dad did. Because that's the first question most people ask is, Oh, you're a military? Nope. No commercial construction. My father works for a company that's built some pretty iconic landmarks over Atlanta, but also across the country as well. Apple's headquarters out in California, they built

Mercedes-Benz stadium, world of Coke, a bunch of Atlanta landmarks that people driving through the city have definitely seen a bunch of data centers for, you know, insert tech company here, Facebook, Google, Apple. So they've, they've done a lot of work. so that made us travel a lot growing up. May had to make new friends every two or three years, which sucked at the time, but in hindsight, it's gotten to me this place where I can.

walk into a room and make friends with at least one person. Yeah. You just happened to be that guy. You were with your wife. I was. Yeah. And she, she's learning how to adjust to me because she, you know, grew up in one place and never moved until she moved to Georgia. She grew up in Nashville. and so she is always like, whenever we enter a room, she's a little overwhelmed and I'm just like, right, be right back. And I'm just like,

pinballing. Did we talk about that? Maybe. Did we? Because it's amazing how we marry people. My wife's the same way. Yeah. You know, very, very good upbringing, very conservative, solid parents. And like you and I are the same. Like if we go into a room, like, you know, we're just going to figure it out, you know, and if we don't, we'll just we'll bring the room with us.

Logan Lewis (07:08.203)

You know, in Lisa, my wife, she's like, how do know these people? I'm like, I don't. Yeah. But we will, you know, and that doesn't necessarily bring her energy and joy. It's not that she dislikes people, your story just hit me like that. How we, how we marry or some kind of, gravitate to people who are going to anchor us in a different way. And we lift them up in a different way. And once that marriage,

learns like I'll celebrate you, you celebrate me and we learn how to do this together, not against each other. Like man, that's just a fascinating life and you don't get there immediately. I don't know what your experience is. I've been married 27 years this November, but we got there, but it wasn't immediate and it wasn't always easy.

I can't, I can't say I've been married for 27 years because I am 27 years old. Oh my God. Just kidding. I'm kidding. saw an opportunity for a joke and I took it. I was going to believe you. I'm 29. That is amazing. Yeah. I feel older. I feel older. about that. Nah. You know, I think if you do life well, um, you know, that's a big statement. So what's well.

But if you do it well enough where you're constantly building into your authentic self and learning and taking risk and getting hurt, but then coming back, then getting older, like it's not bad because I'm going to steal a line from a Marvel movie. Okay. The end is part of the journey. This is true. Tony Stark, you know, said that. And so no reason to fight the end, but

getting older to me has been freeing and feels good and feels right. Yeah, I actually look forward to the next year or the year after that and let's see what it has. Life feels slower, which I like. I didn't think I would. Yeah, I like to think that a lot of people don't think that they would because a lot of people associate getting older with

Logan Lewis (09:20.521)

Oh, you're getting closer to, you know, the end. And, uh, you know, I have found myself even just in the, in my late twenties now, really looking forward to my thirties. Cause I hear the thirties are the new twenties and that people really find themselves, they kind of discover who they might be in their twenties. And in their thirties, they kind of know who they are and they get to build off of that. That's I've heard at least from other fellow 30 year olds.

who my wife is now a member of the club as of yesterday. congratulations. old. Old woman. gets worse from here. You keep talking like that. You might not be able to go home after this airs. Right. You might have to sleep on your couch too. But that's just the burden you're going to have to bear because you're the one that's here with me. That's right. Yes, I'll take the look. 30 for me was The Awakening. So everything that you read

there didn't even start until I was 30. Really? of what I've been doing, I'm 60 now, none of what I've been doing the last 30 years was ever a desire, a dream, ever thought of. It was just, it was an awakening. Here's how I describe myself.

in 1995. You know, was, I was financially bankrupt. mean, just, just bankrupt, had nothing to show, no money in the bank, nothing. I was spiritually bankrupt. I had no belief in anything, didn't care about anything, didn't think any of it mattered. I was emotionally bankrupt.

I didn't have a lot of friends. I was pretty much mad at people. had two divorces. I had a son that I wasn't getting to see. Cause when you do stupid stuff, have, we have rules and laws, stuff like that. And I was mentally just bankrupt. I, I, had nothing. was just there and,

Logan Lewis (11:44.488)

1995 by 1996 I was worn out and I decided I decided to it's kind of a it's an irreverent thing to say but it's the truth I thought well maybe I'll try on God does God like does any of that story really really you know real you know I believe you know Jesus and the birth and Christmas and all that but I thought you know what

My life sucks. I angry. I hated people, had no money, nothing to show my time in the Navy. Yeah. And you know, and it was one of these things where people, you know, I'm not the only one. I came to realize I was the common denominator, right? Like I was the one. You're the problem. And I walked into East side Baptist church in Marietta, Georgia on a Sunday night in September of 1996. And,

And literally just the thought, I'll just try you God. I don't know. Are you real? I'll just try. Like nothing else is working. You know, so this part can't hurt either, you know, or I didn't think it could. I walked in there. This is just how messed up. I saw a blonde-headed woman in her back to me. She's sitting in the pew, right-hand side, I remember it. And I thought, oh my gosh, there are...

pretty women in church just like in Buckhead. I was like, I'm going to get her. So carnal in line. So I went and sat on right next to her. Could not wait for the preacher to shut up so I could start asking her out. I don't even know what he was talking about. She had nothing to do with me, nothing to do with me. I wanted her to go the ice cream social with me. I could care less about a church ice cream social unless they were.

serving bourbon, you know, but I wanted her to like me and go and so that was a no, no, no. And she said, if you ever want to see me again, just come back to Sunday school. And I thought that was stupid. Little kids go to Sunday school. That's what I knew of Sunday school. Little kids go to Sunday school. But I spent that entire week like just thinking of her like nothing was satisfying me. Nothing like I just like.

Logan Lewis (14:08.219)

just thinking of her. So I decided to go back, Logan, and, here I am, the November of this year, 27 years of marriage to her. That's the girl. That's the good. Holy hell. And if you put Lisa in a separate room, like on the cop shows, she would tell you the same story, but she would make me sound worse because I was because I into that church and said, I was here to find God, I found.

Pretty woman. Let me get a pretty woman. Just carnal in mind and carnal with mine and stuff. What a love story. Yeah. And it took a while. It took a while. She's a wise and strong woman. She made me go to counseling before she would date me. Probably wise. man. It was another turning point when she did that. Like, I okay.

I mean, I was really attracted to her to do all this instead of just... You must have been like in your head, like this is the woman for me. Well, you know, yeah, she was showing me something that women hadn't shown me, but it wasn't so much about that. think I know now that God was getting my heart ready for different if I would open my heart, that he was getting my heart ready for different.

to live life differently, to these things that we'll talk about, to do these things that I'm doing. I'm nobody's child genius. And she knew what she didn't want. She knew what she did want. And that first counseling session was horrible. He talked to her, then he brought me in and talked to me. He comes back out in the lobby, and just her and I is at the end of the day. And he looked at her and he said, I wouldn't date him.

In front of you, he said that in front of me. Wow. And then my heart broke. I knew he was right. He told her, he goes, he's got so much, so much he's he has to unpack. And if he'll let me, I'll help them, but I wouldn't date them. And then my heart broke because for the first time in my life, I was beginning to realize that I was broken, but worse, I didn't know what to do.

Logan Lewis (16:27.174)

I was unhappy. I had nothing to show as I just told you a woman that I'm attracted to like wise enough now back then I thought maybe she just a little loony, you know, making me go to counseling. And so, you know, I, I, I said, I'll come back and do therapy with you. And he said something to me in therapy and I'll end the story here that, that began to change my life, you know, cause

Dwell into your past. How did you get here? Blah, blah. What do you think? Feeling. All that. But he said this to me. Do you want the legacy that God intends for you? Or do you want the legacy of the past? And man, just a champion rose in my heart. Just write that statement alone that I could create a legacy. Like that there was something out there that I could go create. Something I could go do that

God had something for me and I still really couldn't describe God again. I wouldn't say I had a strong relationship with them, but I knew I didn't want the past. And when that man said, or do you want to, you want to create the legacy of your future? And I was like, yeah, that and just champion rose up and the journey went on. Wow. All right. Was that, was that way off where you were going?

You answered the question before I even asked it. But wow, I mean, what a powerful... So this woman, your wife, Lisa, right? Lisa? Yeah, Lisa, yeah. Had she not been there in that church on that day, on that night, where would you be? Yeah. Do you think about that sometimes? You know, I really don't because...

I really don't just because I feel I believe that it was the intention of God. Yeah, it was the for me the universe for me to like, you know, show show up there that night with her there. I believe it was intentional. So I don't I've never spent any time on like, no, what if she wasn't there?

Logan Lewis (18:50.532)

you know, with that, because that really began to lead me right into like, so what's a relationship with God? What does Jesus Christ really mean in our life? And when I say that, like my life, and this is like what we're talking about took years, but stop being so transactional and become transformational. And like everything I do now, I mean, I want it to be transformational.

You know, that doesn't mean everything has to be big on a stage or some sad story or some joyful celebration, but relationships like transformation, like even if they're brief, that we've shared something meaningful, and even if it's a laugh or a joke or a celebration at a concert, but we're enjoying life and like it's a gift, you know, to enjoy it. Or if we run into heartache.

And we have to walk through that together. I mean, there's transformation in that too. We learn from our pain, our mistakes, and we learn from walking in pain with other people. It's transformational. you know, I mean, I don't want to overplay it. I'm a human being. I sat down at night and watch at least one hour of stupid TV, you know, something that's not transformational, you know, that's you know, sci-fi like.

But it just began to help me not to see life as so transactional. Yeah, you might be losing this moment, Tim, because you did stupid stuff. You made bad choices. And it really kind of feels like you're losing. hey, you did stupid stuff. You made bad choices. But God's not going to define you on your worst day. No more that he's going to define you on your best day. He just loves you. Why don't you take the next step forward in the pain and the joy?

whatever it might be and just let them lead. And that's what just began to happen. Just over the years, I just try to keep doing that. Everything I'm doing that you read and we'll get to talk about. didn't create the opportunity. God did. And I saw it and I walked through it. True. Wow. True. It's amazing, Tim. I love hearing stories like this because it, cause I often think about the what ifs. Maybe I explore it too much, but you know,

Logan Lewis (21:11.422)

think about not even because I wish a certain thing had happened, but as I'm just because I know that like, you know, growing up, I was obsessed with history. I history class, because I loved thinking about the fact that if X person was not born, had their parents not fornicated and Abraham Lincoln, would we have had a president that abolished slavery at the time that they did, you know,

One little ripple could affect the entire trajectory of history. So thinking about the fact that you walked into that church, saw that woman sitting there and you could have said, you know what? I'm here to turn over a new leaf. I'm here for God. You could have just walked right past her, Tim. I can't help but obsess over that. The fact that you decided to sit

Same with me and my wife. We met over COVID. We on a dating app because no one was going out anywhere. And I was scrolling through my messages on this dating app and I just picked her and just thought, I'll send her a message. And then here we are married three years later. And it's like, had I picked anybody else in that list, I could be sitting there with them right now. Yeah. Yeah. And she felt the same way.

Like anybody else on that list? And like when you guys got together as like I stretched the truth a little bit on a few of my fun facts about me. Yeah, I have to make it seem like I was less this thing and more that thing. Yeah. And she maybe wouldn't have given me the time of day. I told the truth. So she likes to make the joke that the beginning of our relationship was built on lies. Well,

Well, you understand this concept, maybe this will help her understand this concept for gregarious people like you and I is, we never let the truth get in the way of a good story. So, so, you know, I don't know if it was a lie more than it was a, is it the proper use of a slight embellishment because the story needed help?

Logan Lewis (23:28.68)

Lately, Catherine has been doing this thing where when I'm retelling a story to somebody, she likes to say that part didn't happen. and I'll say, okay, she'll be like, you know, use you said that in that interstate pile up, there was 15 cars, there was only five. but I wanted

A response that only 15 cars would have gotten versus five. Does she do that like in a public setting or what you're doing? Yeah, man. Can that cause a fight? Oh, could it? Oh, my gosh. Sometimes I'll be like, all right, cares whether it was five cars or 15 people die. I know. Well, if it's even worse, like if you've had a story together, you and Catherine or Lisa and I, and I'm telling the story, know, and Lisa's over here and she's like,

That's not and I'm like, I'm telling the story. She's like, but that's not like it did happen. remember she's like, here's what makes it worse. A few weeks later, something will happen. I'm like, yeah, I think you're right. That part maybe was, maybe I of made that up. So sometimes I do it on purpose. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes my imagination is just running with it. Yeah. She likes to do the thing where she's like, that all happened except for that.

detail that he stretched. like, it. Listen, listen, you hit a, I'm not a nerd about anything. I don't think, but I have a little bit of a nerd thing when it comes to like you, you said the what if. so I like to watch like, I just like stupid TV shows that really can't help you in life. So when you said that, like, have you ever watched the umbrella Academy? I have watched the umbrella. love it. So when you said the what if that whole series on is

What if let's go back here? Let's go there. Gosh, I guess it's been out long enough. I won't give you the ending if you haven't seen it. I haven't haven't seen it. But it's a great ending because it's always dealing with the what if they're always trying to go here, change this, move this, this timeline, you know, one of those type shows, you know, where they're jumping all around. So you hit that when you said the what is I just never, you know, I refer to myself as a simpleton.

Logan Lewis (25:44.927)

I don't think I'm necessarily one of the deep thinkers in life. So I don't do a lot of what if stuff. I'm more of a dreamer. So if you've ever done Enneagram. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm a seven and enthusiastic visionary. I get excited about new things. And the old things that were old were just there. I'm glad Lincoln was there.

Like whatever president we have, that was fine. Doesn't, you know, I don't spend a lot of time. I spend a great amount of time on how might we do this? How might we envision this? If we were going to draw up this happy path, what would that look like? Who do we need? What needs to be involved? Who are we impacting? How are we helping? Will it be transformational when we get done and we just got to do these transactions until we get there? I spent a ton of time on.

that. And it sounds like, well, first of all, before I even say that point, you and I are, I knew from that day, Tim, that when we were met at Southern Cove, that I had to get you in here to talk to you mainly because I wanted to feel validated because I, you and I are the same. We are, we think that in a way that we're talking because, you know, I'll, I'll do the same thing. I, and

Judging from what you've said about Lisa so far I'm gonna assume that she's the one in your relationship that pulls you back down and grounds you because I do that too I'll get home from these you know when I'm spending these long afternoons in the car some days during the week I'll get home and I'll be like man I was thinking about this thing and what if I took the podcast and did that with it or did this and she'll be like that sounds cool But have you thought about this and I'll be like, yeah

She's the realist and I am the dreamer as well. I think we need those. We can make false gods, if you will, too much of our identity. What we do, what we desire, how we make our paycheck, how we have fun. We can kind of make those and having people in our life.

Logan Lewis (28:05.056)

married or not married, having people in our life, you and I, that do that, that say, you know, sounds like you're chasing something. Are you unhappy with what's going on right now? Like you're trying to fix something. Like, I don't know, have you thought this through? So it really grounds me, but it's a two way street. you, you, Catherine's your wife? Yeah.

you probably lift her up in ways where she maybe she talks her way out of taking a next step. And so Lisa can talk her way out of taking the next step or something. And I'll be like, no, like I can see you doing that. I could see you taking that step. And so we, we, we work on it with each other and you know, we were talking about marriage because we're married, but it works in friendship and friendship groups too.

You know, don't want to hang out with a bunch of people are like, ah, you'll never make it. That's a stupid idea. You know, you need some people around you to say, sounds good. Let's talk about some of the details. Like sounds like you got the end figured out. Can we talk about how we get there? You know, we need those friends. it's a buddy that will ask me, I've come to him a couple of times with ideas and he'll be like, where's that going to go? And I'll be like, ah, you're right. don't know. I'm a little big on, um, uh,

If you want to do something, create a vision and a mission around it to help guide you. You may have to change it, you know, as it morphs. like, if you're going to like, what's the vision, you know, if you got really big, what's the vision for your life? What's the mission for your life? And it acts as an anchor, you know, and it's not overly complicated. Some people have, you know, love, laugh and live, you know, type thing. Okay. If that's what you're doing, at least you know, that's how you want to live your life. So.

I kind of started to solve probably places you didn't want to. I really can't talk about my life and don't talk about my life without God and Lisa. And I know that might seem weird and she's certainly not a God and I don't put her on a pedestal, she's fallible, but it literally just changed me. How can I not just kind of be who I am? Listen, I spent...

Logan Lewis (30:22.191)

I spent most of my life there, no religion, no belief in Christ, no faith. So when people don't believe it, I get it. Like, yeah, either you don't want to go down the journey or you went down the journey and decided it's not for you. And I always just say, I'm open to talk about it, right? It's not a, I'm right, you're wrong. Let's just talk. Yeah. And I mean, that's the best way to tackle it. You know, I struggled a lot growing up with

with religion, mainly because I grew up in the Catholic church. you know, church as a Catholic person is not fun. I'll put it that way. It's not like, you know, I've been to now me and my wife will go to a North Star church in Kennesaw. I know, know. With Mike Lynch and all those good people over there. But in North Star, like a lot of modern day, you know,

Christian churches, they're not, they're more, I guess I'd say modern. You know, there's not a guy walking in. There's not a guy walking in holding the Bible, like this down the aisle. Nobody's humming around him as a kid. thought the Catholic church was a cult. Yeah. a kid. they a non-denominational? Yeah. They say, as long as you love Jesus, come here and worship with us. Well, and we'll have you. And I like that because

church to me growing up was this hour, sometimes hour and a half if it was Easter or Christmas or you know, whatever. And it was just so painfully boring. And as a kid, I resented it. And my parents were like, no, you've got to go to church. You have no choice. You have to go to church. So it, I built up a resentment towards it for the longest time. But when I started going to, when I started dating Catherine, she said, church is really important to me. My faith is really important to me. And I said,

That's great. I'd love to go to church with you." And she was like, I've been thinking about trying this church North Star. And one of our mutual friends had been going there for years and he said, man, you should come. You'd like it. For those who, people go there all the time that grew up in one religion, but wanted to believe, but didn't know what to believe in. They help you, their whole slogan is like, they help everybody find their way home. And...

Logan Lewis (32:44.411)

And yeah, we found a good home there. Yeah, it's a good, it's a good spot, but I struggled a lot with religion for a long time and I would say, well, how do you, how can I sit here and believe in this thing that I can't see that I can't touch or smell or even, I know there, you know, I've learned over the years that God makes himself known in different ways rather than physical. I, know, it's,

It's one of those things I struggled with for long time. Well, it's amazing. first of all, listen, listen, I don't know that Father Kevin will ever listen to this, but just in case he does. I, one of the things I get to do now from time to time is support my friend, Greg Free. He does funeral home consulting. Like he's just one of these guys. We knew we were talking about calling, vision, mission.

He just knows that he's been in the funeral business his entire career and he's so good at it. Well, he calls me from time to time to assist, because you need people there, hospitality, guide, the family, and you want people there that care, that they're going through something. So today I got to be with him for a family that was mourning the loss of a loved one.

at St. Francis in Cartersville and I met Father Kevin. Incredible. Really? So I don't have, like you, I went to a Baptist church when I was an elementary kid. Okay. And you have your memories of the Catholic Church. I have my memories of an overweight white guy with a shirt, his neck bulging out and

His face red, you know, yelling about, you know, hell. And that's my memory of it. And I got turned off, you know, so when I got old enough to rebel with my grandmother and sweet as she was, but I'm just like, I ain't doing this anymore, you know, like, cause I don't get it type thing. And I think churches, not all of them, but I think churches are like Father Kevin today was like, he was amazing.

Logan Lewis (35:03.036)

Like I didn't know what to expect. So I'm not a church historian. I don't have bad things to say about the Presbyterian, the Baptist, the Catholics. I don't know. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I leave it there. No matter where I am, I just leave it there. know, I know who he is. He knows who I am. I know his promises. I know his love. I know his forgiveness, his mercy. So I don't, but I didn't know what to expect.

in the Catholic Church today. there was a lot of them. Boy, they have words for it. I'll mess up. Well, again, I'm not even going to try it, but they just have things that they do. They're very traditional and stuff and stuff. But let me tell you, let me tell you, since we were talking with that Father Kevin, like you would want him to preach your going home service. He was caring, loving, animated.

At times spoke right to the heart to those family and friends and I was like, this is like, you know, cause I, I like you, I didn't know what to expect. So I just tell people when I invite them, I go to Crosspoint City Church, but I tell them when I invite them, I'm not really inviting you just come and be a Crosspoint Cityite, whatever it is. Like that means nothing. The walls of Crosspoint will fall. The pastors of Crosspoint.

will cease to exist, right? All of that stuff will go away. It'll all go away. I'm inviting you to experience God, and I hope that's what happens. What's been jumping out at me to say is that the walls will fall, the priests, the pastors will cease to exist. Those are all finite, but God is infinite. Yeah. And I'll tell friends and people I'm encouraging,

to explore God, have a relationship with God. I can't make you, that's on your own. Like, hey, if you can't experience them here, go find a place where you can. Like, my feelings aren't hurt. Like, I want the best for you. And if you decide that's not for you, like, how hypocritical, speaking of hypocritical, how hypocritical does a Christian have to be to say, I don't really care what happens to you? Like, if I truly believe that the...

Logan Lewis (37:23.608)

Balance or or or the end of heaven and hell is true If I truly believe that and I believe that what jesus says is true I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the father except me What kind of jerk do I have to be? To look at you and say I could care less man. I don't care what you do go pound sand You don't want to believe in god get out I mean, that's hatred right there. Love is i'm just going to share my life with you. I can't make anything and you know and

I hope you go out and explore them. Then we get to sit down and have a conversation one day. That's the love. Saying this, let go is personal. It's real. anyways, I think that was my long disclaimer all the way back to the beginning of this is I don't really know how to talk about life without, and it's not that I'm perfect. Lord have mercy. I like to say I'm a dressed up train wreck held together by the grace of God. you if you got it. More on the train wreck here. I'm curious.

But actually before we dive into that I want to tell you about a question that you had asked before we recording Yeah, but I want to tell you about my friends at good days. Okay, can I tell you about that? Yeah, that's what this is guys guys good days classic cocktails They're a partner of the show They've been a partner of the show about as long as our friends at fireworks If not, maybe a little longer good days are a classic cocktail brand created in this ready

to drink convenient format to meet the need for a quality premixed cocktail on any occasion. You can try their cocktails at Southern Cove, which is right down the street from Tim and I in Cartersville. Great bar, great people, great family run it. Good Days is sold in there now. Or you can go to their website and check out where they are sold near you. They're a local Georgia company born in Marietta, Georgia.

So they're, you know, they strive to create a cocktail that tasted good while drinking. Not too flavorful, not too licorice, something right there in the middle. And they found it with Good Days. This can I'm holding is the gin and juice flavor. They've also got a, it's a gimlet, but they've also got a whiskey sour flavor, a vodka cranberry and a vodka lime. Let me see that. Yeah, take it. Gin and juice. Well, hey, let's say how like we,

Logan Lewis (39:49.784)

So listen, I saw that there and I thought you were having a beer and I was getting ready to get a little upset. Like you weren't offering me a beer. like, I'm not above a good drink. Gin and juice just sounds like a fun time. This is great. I didn't know. So I'm well, I'm glad they got you as a spokesman there. So good days. Gin and juice, the long boat. That's cool.

Yeah, they're a good company. They're good folks. I'm close with the owners and they just, again, they just want to make a drink that tastes good to drink. You don't feel super bloated after drinking it. All the ingredients are natural and clean. They're just good people and a good product. Is this the part where we turn to the camera and say, drink responsibly? Is that the part where there's a part? Tim, you took their words right out of my mouth.

course drink responsibly and of course you have to be 21 to purchase Good Days. But if you are 21 or up, go to their website, drinkgooddays.com, see where they're sold near you and start riding the wave. Have some good days and some even better nights. Can we give our buddy, well, our buddies

Jason and Buddy Frederick a hard time for a moment. We can. We can. You could get that at Southern Cove as long as you don't try to go after six o'clock Monday through Thursday. And so we're both friends with Jason. We love him. We're both friends with Buddy. We love him. And I don't know about you. I give him a hard time all the time. I'm like, hey, Lisa and I were downtown. was, we were, we were.

You know, going to have a good drink, but you're closed at six 30 and we'll even take a picture every now and then in front of their store. Just give them a hard time. But he's a, he's a family man, but he's a family man. So, so I get it. Yeah. You know, funny, I'm pretty sure, Tim, that the reason I decided to sit down next to you at the bar that day at Southern Cove is because you were giving Jason a hard time about the hours. I I sat down next to you saying,

Logan Lewis (42:07.128)

Oh my God, until that time, I didn't know they closed at six. Because I was just meeting Jason that night for the first time as well. And I thought, why do you close at six, man? So I sat down next to you because I was like, oh, this guy's giving him a hard time. But I can tell that it's all in good fun. Well, it's in good fun. So I tell people the things that I do. Hey, just follow me on Facebook. I'm not a really big social media person as far as

think my Instagram account is linked. I tried to do some night in the box on TikTok. It's kind of hard for me, but here's my point. tell people, follow me on Facebook. It's, know, I only do three things, faith, family, and community. However, going back to Jason, then I'll say the only real scandal I kind of slip into is my clowning around with Jason. can get a little, you know, it's like two fifth grade boys making fun of each other.

and stuff and even my little wife at times she's like, my gosh, your ladies are like fifth graders. So I always have to end, follow me on Facebook, it's fine. Night in the Box, my personal Facebook page, Faith, Family and Community is what I post about. But if you see me getting a conversation with Jason Frederick, like, I'm slipping, I'm in a slippery slope into it.

into some humor that I got to watch. Well, that's I think what attracted me to you guys at first too, is that I saw that here's I was like, okay, here's some validation. These guys are both reasonably well over my age. And they're doing this. And I do this with my friends now. I always say your best buddies, if you can't rip them a new one, they rip you a new one back.

You're not real friends. Yeah, I saw you two doing it and I said, huh? I looked at my wife and I was like look at these two guys there, you know, and they're whatever age and they're giving each other crap Why can't I give my buddies crap? I was like look at that Boys are the same whether they're 15 or 50. Yeah boys have that same mind of like I'm gonna give my best buddies

Logan Lewis (44:18.763)

Well, crap, we are kindred in heart. I've always said that if I believed in reincarnation, he and I were brothers in the past, but we're brothers now and I'm the older brother and and it's and it really is kind of true family between us. It's weird. We never like it just kind of happened. We didn't plan it. We didn't do a blood oath or anything like that. You mean to say you didn't cut your palms and shake on it?

No, just, our sense of humor's the things we care about, family values and stuff. And then to your point, it just became fun that we got to say some things to each other, you know, that were, make people look twice, a little sideways. Can you say that to him? You know, stuff like that. But it's fun. And I think you need to have friends like that. And you know,

All jokes aside, hey Jason, if and when you hear this, because I'm sure you will, because you're a supportive friend of the end of your buddy Tim. My only goal is to have a better podcast than him. Out of everybody you've done, I don't even need to know who it is. If you had the president himself in here, I wouldn't even try to be, I just want a better podcast, more listeners, more viewers than Jason Frederick. I'll do everything I can to.

to push that. You know what, Tim, I will now that you mentioned that I will intentionally track the performance of your two episodes so we can compare. Yeah, because I'm curious on whose will do better. You know, Jason, I got to I learned so much about him that I had no idea. Talent so much. The way that they started Southern Cove is such a beautiful story. Yeah.

about how they just were trying to make things work and they were, you know, buying those pallets and selling them like that. He told you the straw story, right? my gosh. Well, and then, know, I got, can you be envious in a good way? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I know like, you you shouldn't like covet, want your house and all this stuff, but I was like him and his dad, buddy.

Logan Lewis (46:32.598)

Like, so, you know, in my backstory, maybe yours too, there's no dad to brag about. You know, there's only hurt and pain and I'm learning to forgive, you know, but then seeing him and like, they just have a cool story and they did it together as father and son. Like most of the time, like when you're family business, I've seen some, like, oh, maybe it's best that you didn't do that. But they...

They support each other. They, they work out the hard stuff together and that's just a beautiful picture of family right there. is, man. I completely agree. Well, I'm sorry to hear that you're, you're, you're, it's part of the story. was part of the healing. it was, it was just part of my story and it was part of the healing, that I, I needed to go through, of, know, of just having an absentee dad. mean,

You know, you know, he, I played football from seventh grade to 12th grade and he lived like directly behind. was a middle school and then the high school never came to one game. Not one. I don't want to pry into your business too much. your parents separated? Oh yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I give a, um, a talk a couple of times a year, you know, either about your authentic self or creating your masterpiece.

And that's part of my story of, you know, my mom and dad just being a mess. You know, my first memory of my mom is laying in a pool of vomit, right? Michigan city, Indiana, and a bathroom. it would be years into my teenage years before, you know, I learned she had tried to commit suicide or split up between her and my father. And my sister and I would go on to live with my grandparents.

Um, and my mom survived that and she would come with my grandparents, but my father just was never around. Just one of those, you know, just that, that brokenness and my grandparents were doing the best they could, but, um, you know, it was rough on them, you know, having a daughter who was home sometimes not home for days on end. had, you know, drug, alcohol issues, narcotics issues. Um,

Logan Lewis (48:54.053)

And you know, then me and my sister and my sister and I didn't grow up very well together. Even I was, I mean, I was a turd, man. I mean, I would tell people I didn't have a sister. I was embarrassed, you know, by her. wanted to be cool. Who knows what are you okay today? Man, I got to tell you. So we are best friends. I love that. Yeah, I, my sister, like what an angel, what an angel. She was so gentle with me.

She became a Christian before me. And she was so gentle with me in our conversations. She knew, like I literally hated my mom. You did? Yeah. I mean, it feels so bad to say that, but it's just true. I just hated who she was, how she was. I hate to hear that man that makes my heart hurt. Yeah. Yeah. Well, no one should hate their mom. Right. Well, my sister, but my sister.

was a gentle, is a gentle, loving patient. my gosh, patient. So she helped my mom to sobriety. Wow. Helped her get her finances in order, shared the love of God with her. And she was, my sister was gentle with me and asked me one time, like, can I bring mom to see you? And I never liked that visit.

and never welcomed it, never wanted it. But my sister and I had begun talking and opening up to each other about our past and, you know, all that stuff. And she never would push me, never would push me. Just a great listener, just like, wish I was more like her. But I said yes, and she brought my mom and I knew she had been working with our mom on like everything I said, sobriety, getting her finances together. And my mom was in

She was just very intelligent, just had a lot of demons. She brought her and man, it was the best. My mom and I sat on the front porch of our home out in little, you Harley, Georgia. And we literally cried with each other for about three hours, forgiving each other, telling each other, we're sorry, telling each other that we wish it wasn't that way, but we can make it better now.

Logan Lewis (51:12.638)

just loving on each other and that forgiveness, seeing her break over her motherhood. And then I broke because I wasn't a very good son either. Even when I had an opportunity to make a better choice to be a son, I didn't. I didn't, that was on me. That wasn't on her. I was a grown adult. That was on me. We just wept and wept. it wasn't, but a few years after that, my mom passed. She had some health issues.

All joy, all joy. Like she knew the Lord. I knew the Lord. We knew each other. My sister helped us heal. My sister and I are like best friends now. She lives in Northern Indiana. We don't get to see each other very often, but like we're just, we're just there. She's just, yeah. So, so it all went well. Yeah. And with my dad, I didn't, I didn't do that with my dad. I wish I would have. He's no longer with us. He died.

And, I had a hard heart towards him. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't, I would have gone, it wouldn't have been lovey dovey. Let's like, keep it real. All right. Sure. He wasn't, it wasn't a great guy. it wouldn't have been, but I could have been a, an honorable son. So if you think about honorable, the word honor is honest. I could have been an honorable son and I could have sat down with him. I could express my pain, my hurt, my sorrow.

I mean, like anger, you know, I could have expressed all that, like, because that's honorable, it's honest. That's honoring your father and telling you the truth. And I could have given him an opportunity if he, you know, I needed to forgive him because I needed to let myself go. Forgiveness wasn't for him, it was for me. So anyways, I didn't do that. And I remember after he died, and we were talking earlier about like God being real and giving you real experiences.

And I remember, I remember in a moment of quietness that I just felt God impress upon me.

Logan Lewis (53:17.49)

Don't ever withhold grace. I never withheld it from you. So grace is God's provision in our life and we don't deserve it. We don't deserve the love of God and the forgiveness of God. But he says, I'm going to do it anyways. I'm going to send Jesus to the cross. He's going to bleed. He's going to take the worst pain that humanity will ever know about. And he's going to do that because you can't take it.

You can't forgive yourself of anything, You can't take it. So I'm going to give you all that grace even though you don't deserve it because I love you. And I remember that changed me in a big way when I just felt God say, don't withhold grace from people even when they're messy and they hurt you because I never withheld it from you and you're messy and you hurt me. It's like, wow. So it really helps me now when I'm in tough situations because let's face it, we all don't like each other.

We all don't love each other. We do have pains and hurts. We're different, different political views or biblical views or whatever. And it doesn't mean you can't stand up for what you believe and say what you want. That's part of the beauty of the United States. The first amendment should always be there for all of us. But it did impress upon me like, Hey, you can judge them or you can love them. You can do both. You can, you can judge somebody.

But the Bible says I've only commanded you to do one, love them. I didn't command you to judge them. You can do it to love them. So that moment, just reflecting on my dad, I could have been more graceful and sat down. so I'm not perfect, but I try to practice that more now in relationships that I have that, you know, they might need a little more grace because I promise you there are people in my life.

that give me grace. Because I can be a handful, a thousand, thousand. So, yeah, so thanks for asking about it. Thanks for showing. I appreciate you showing the empathy there, but it's all good. Remember when we were talking earlier, like all those journeys of hurt and pain and sorrow and things that happen, like when you give them to God, He'll take and do something with them for you. He just cares that much.

Logan Lewis (55:42.001)

Yeah, he just cares that much and it's hard. And so, you know, some people struggle more than others with it. So we give them grace, you know, don't try to, you know, just walk with them. That's the best thing you can do. Sure. Sure. So Tim, tell me about some of these organizations you do. I mean, you said you're not a social media guy, but Tim, every time I throw open Facebook, you're there at the top. You're sharing something from this organization.

support these people go follow these people. You're like a you're somebody that I've kind of started to slowly but surely kind of evolve into and that's someone with the title of like their community connector. Yeah, you you from the outside looking at you know, I told you this when I met you initially, but I was like, okay, we're gonna do this podcast together. And I don't want to learn anything about you until then. Yeah.

but I've just noticed that being friends with you online, the kind of stuff that you're into, I'm like, Tim and I are very similar in that it looks like from the outside looking in that you care about your friends winning, but you also care about like putting this friend with this friend who might not have ever met together to see the magic that they can create together. Yeah, what a gift we can give people. It's so fun. It is, it's a blast.

I'm like, hey, I can't help with that. But I think I know somebody that you'll want to serve because other people have done that for me. Right. I'm giving back. I'm giving back. The community stuff really didn't start until 2016. Lisa and I were in our family. going to a small church, Church of the Vine in Dallas, Georgia.

I got ordained there because I thought I was going to go into full-time ministry, vocational ministry full-time. But that wasn't the path. In 2016, some things happened at the church and I had opportunity. to be honest, I'm like, I'm not ever going to seminary. That looks boring.

Logan Lewis (57:56.271)

There was another guy at that church that he was an ordained pastor. had great ministries and I just knew he should be there and he should lead that church. And I told him that and he belly laughed and said, three weeks ago, my wife and I were praying about it. And we felt like that was what God was saying. And we were just waiting for you. Can you imagine?

So Lisa and I, we were already living in Bartow County and we came to Bartow County and that was, know, I felt like God was saying, go be a minister in Bartow County. Go be a community minister in Bartow County and do anything I give you to do, even if you don't get paid for it. Whatever you're asked to do to pour into that community, just go do it. So I didn't even know where to start. Like what the heck does that mean?

Right. Like one thing I try to talk about with a lot of people is like, because a lot of the people I talk to have these cool, unique stories where they're, they are a part of this or they don't start that. But I'm just sitting here wondering at that time, at that point, when you decided to start going and being this community minister, where's your income or is Lisa working in this? Give you the ability to be able to go out and explore.

Yeah, so absolutely so not only was was she working on what's your teacher? Yeah, she is a teacher. Yes Sure, she's nearing the end of her her career So at the time so I spent some to come here because she's in the middle of back to school Yeah, yeah, so she's probably going to bed at seven o'clock like my wife is she's my wife's also a yeah, they get tired. Yeah

She's in fifth grade. Okay, my second. Yeah, so she's been in elementary and yeah, it wears her. So I'm going to guess you're like me and I'm like you. We probably have a good maybe 10 to 15 hours a day of people time if we had to. Yeah. Right. And our wives have probably a good six, seven maybe at the max. Yeah. So it's a Saturday. Neither of our wives are at work and we're at social events and it's like birthday party. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know.

Logan Lewis (01:00:07.915)

whatever social event networking by the second event my wife's like I'm ready to go home and I'm like we've got another half a day still I literally have Lisa say to me like true story you got 30 minutes to say goodbye to people and I'm leaving like I will leave you know so many people you fun to ride home you know mr mr community guy

They'll give you a ride home. but no. So my career career wise, I got out of the Navy and floundered quite a bit. Thank you for your service, by the way. Yeah. well, you're welcome. Like, yes, I think that you're welcome. Five years. Awesome. Five years. It was I would I would do it all again and I'd be better at it. That's such a knucklehead. But

I really floundered when I got out the Navy. Again, I didn't have any direction in life. um, you know, thought life should be, I was in Pensacola, Florida. I thought life should be the three B's beers, beaches, and bikinis, you know? And that is not, it's not, it's a, you know, it was a fun mindset, but it, but it doesn't have a great ending. Okay. Yeah.

Exactly. So I floundered quite a bit, but one of the things I began to learn about myself is I love people and I love hospitality. Right. So I went to work at Red Lobster and I was waiting tables, love waiting tables. You'd be a good server. I love it today. I could keep up. part of it did you love so much? Just connecting with the customers? Yeah. So it was so much fun connecting.

Learning how to read the tables, learning how to work all the tables at once, knowing where the kitchen was. I would know if the server next to me was dying.

Logan Lewis (01:02:06.51)

and I would pick up their table to get extra money to be like, man, you're dying. Let me help you out. You know, and then sometimes just trying to be a nice guy. I would help them out just to get through. Love connecting with the people, reading them, seeing their stories, if their family, if there's a couple, whatever, whatever they're doing. I I love that. I had so many wait jobs. Like I just kept taking, you know, TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, Red Lobster.

of lot of little community restaurants. I just loved it. Well, I ended up going into management with Red Lobster. And so I spent several years in management with them. again, knucklehead stuff. And either I was going to go or get fired, right? Because I had done some knucklehead things. But you know, within this, every

I look back now, every knucklehead thing I did, I see God's hand was on me then. I didn't know it then. I would have told you you were nuts. Like, you smoking the same stuff I'm smoking? Is that why you're saying that? But like, seriously, those were the things I was doing. That was blowing up my life. Any recreational drug I could find and stuff like that. So when I left Red Lobster, I was in Naples, Florida.

I ended up going out to Marriott, Marco Island. They have a resort out there. Loved it. I'm like, I'm glad. All of there's this huge hotel with all these people. I couldn't get enough. It was so much fun. And went in and did some supervisory things with them. so spent seven years with Marriott. Wow. And then I...

I had a one year job at town center mall when they were owned by Simon malls as the marketing manager and they had mall perks. First of all, okay. That job taught me how much I really hate retail. Like I do not like to shop and people would yell at me about a store not being open. And I'm like, ah, they don't work for me. I don't

Logan Lewis (01:04:25.165)

But that led to Kaiser Permanente, he asked about my career. So when all this was going on, I was with Kaiser Permanente for 23 years. That came to an end in November of 2023. so when I'm going through all these things I'm telling you about, in 2016, I knew I was gonna get discretionary time in my wife because I was now working for our California offices.

And so they just opened later. And so I had a, I had literally had a prayer and said, God, how can I get involved in this community? And then a friend of mine offered Leadership Barto. So I got into Leadership Barto and that launched me into everything you see me doing now. Like that, I met people, like-minded people, community leaders, love community, wanted to dig in deeper, wanted to, and.

I started realizing, you're going to use this and I'm going to get to go, you know, so started helping out the Red Door food pantry. And so I have this leadership principle that you don't know until you start showing up. So if you're thinking about it, be brave enough to start showing up. And if it doesn't work out, walk away. Right. If you don't show up, you don't even get a chance to play. So whatever it is you want to do.

I don't care if you want to own a trash service, start showing up, whether they pay you or not. Get to know the people that work there, get to know how they run the business, take a job there. I wanted to do community give back. So I just started showing up at the Red Door food pantry, still a thriving nonprofit. don't, when I say I don't support them, I just moved on to other nonprofits. There's nothing wrong, but that just started opening up. I just started doing that. And then in

Logan Lewis (01:06:17.664)

2018, the leader of the Good Neighbor Homeless Shelter, Jessica Mitchum, we were on a committee together in the chamber, and she called me and said, hey, would you like to help me raise money? And I said, I've never raised any money. I said, how? And she goes, well, you could do this thing we call Dancing with the Stars. And I thought, well, man, that's gonna be a nightmare, but it sounds fun. I'll do fun. So I said, Jess, I'd never raised any money before.

and it was the start of night in the box. Everybody does cocktail parties. They raffle off bourbon. They hold really cool brunches. I didn't want to do any of that. And I thought, well, if I'm going to help the good neighbor shelter who's helping homeless people, I don't know a dang thing about homeless people. You know what I knew? I thought they were lazy.

I thought like they just wanted to be moochies in life. Like you're just out here doing drugs and you're just out here getting drunk and you're just out here begging. And so I thought, well, I'm going to say yes to help the shelter. I better get to know the people that they're helping. So I had, I invited, get this like I'm a new guy here. This, invited 10 nonprofit leaders to come meet with me. Um, and five showed up. I was so happy.

And baseball, that's batting 500. I'm going to the Hall of Fame, baby. Five showed up and I said, okay, I got to raise money. I don't know how to raise money, never raise money. I said, I think I'm going to go live in the woods with homeless people for a week. And I'm just going to film and take notes and tell the story and ask people to donate money because I'm given a sacrifice to go learn this. I remember Doug Bullisle.

He's he looked at me, big old guy, huge guy, big burly beard. You don't want to do that. I said, why? He goes, that ain't safe. So Doug is a minister and he had been ministering. He's the current executive director of the Good Neighbor Home Shelter. Beautiful brother. And I said, well, how can I be somewhat genuine and represent them if I'm going to raise money for them? And he goes, you want to do night in the box? I said, I do. What is it? And he called a friend.

Logan Lewis (01:08:35.026)

of his in Denver who was doing something very similar in the city center of Denver that they would sleep outside publicly in order to raise awareness about the needs of homelessness. How does it even happen? Like, why should we care, you know, about the people that are there? Like, and how did they, are they really just all screwed up or are there other things? And so I went out and slept.

on that street corner for the first time in January 2019. I started learning about how homelessness happens. This is what you have to hang on to. And I'm working on turning Night in the Box into a larger talking platform about vulnerable communities. And this is what you have to hang on to. And you have to answer this question. Are suffering people worth fighting for? Yeah. So if you say yes,

then what is your next step in compassion and generosity? Just go figure that out and where are you going to live out? Because the true shift is in society isn't more government, right? That's not the true shift. It's not more money. That's not the real shift, right? It's not just growth. That's not the real shift. The true shift in society is

generosity and compassion. That's why Bartow County is so strong. That place is different, don't you think? It is. And I think, and you could go around and you could prove it, it's a faith-led, business-led community where people are giving, they're sacrificing of their time, their money and their energy to try to help vulnerable communities. So.

Night in the Box, January 2019, I raised almost $6,000, first time ever doing it. It was 21 degrees that night. Good Lord. I spent time talking about homelessness, how it happens, if you like what I'm doing, just like, I'm not fake, I have a home, I have a wife, I have a job, I have a warm bed, but I'm trying to give a voice to people who don't have one. Right, you're not listening to them.

Logan Lewis (01:10:50.142)

Will you listen to me? If I do this, will you listen to me? And then will you make a decision on whether you can help with your time, energy, and money and raise money for the Good Neighbor Shelter? So I'm getting ready to do it the 15th time next month. The time before, I've been working in foster care now. Just helped Cartersville, just led Cartersville to be established as a foster-friendly city. They're the third city in the state of Georgia.

to have a state designation from Georgia Kids Belong as a foster friendly city. So much fun, so worthy, vulnerable community, families that fall apart so much that the state's gonna come take your kids. That's a crisis. And if you don't believe it, just ask that child who doesn't understand, even though they're living in something that's not good for them, they don't understand why'd you just take my family away? That's hard stuff and we need good

solid families love the Lord, love the community, love these kids that will step in the gap while their parents go work on something. That's hard to do, but we need. So I'm working on how can I take Night in the Box into just a larger conversation about vulnerable communities, help me with this true shift in society. I'm not trying to change the world.

But I do believe together we're changing Bartow County and it's getting stronger. And if somebody wants to steal everything I'm doing, I stole something somebody was doing in Denver, never met the dude. You wanna steal it, you wanna take it to another state, another city, I'd be right there to help you if that's your passion. But God led me into all of that stuff. Those are just opportunities that open, the foster care.

the good neighbor homeless shelter, the compassion center. You one of the reasons I go to Crosspoint is because they say it all the time. Suffering people are worth fighting for. And so we better be a church that acts like that. With our money, our time and our energy. And have you been to the compassion center? I have not been. Man, come. Let's you and I just, I don't know what your schedule is. Let's like just go and I'll show you what it's all about. I'd love to. I mean, they're helping people off the street, get in home. Now those people have to take the next step, right?

Logan Lewis (01:13:08.487)

I can't force you, but they're giving them the opportunity to take the next step. Right? They're helping them. They're helping them find how can they get healthcare? They got a mobile medical bus there, you know, so they're helping them do that. They're helping them find how can I get a bank account? How can I get a job? And they're helping them do it. I love it. It's crazy. Where is the Compassion Center? It's right over off Old Mill Road, right next to Crosspoint. So the Compassion Center is its own nonprofit.

but it's a startup of Crosspoint. Crosspoint's not gonna let it fail. Sure. Right? It's its own organization on paper legally, but it was started from... Every nonprofit needs seed money. Every nonprofit needs a financial backer and it's living. So one of the reasons I go to Crosspoint is because I see them in action. Yeah. You know, so man, got it. We got it. We got like...

40 people go into Hay State Prison this Friday to lead revival. Wow. In Hay State Prison. Hay State Prison is a level five prison, which I believe is just the next level down from the top level six. like almost three years ago, the leaders of Crosspoint said, we don't know how, but we're going to go to that prison and we're not going to do prison ministry. We're going to put a ministry in the prison.

Wow. And we hired a pastor who was on a life sentence and it got commuted. You can go watch his story. It's on, it's online. They did a video on them. It got commuted and he had given his life to Christ and he was just going to do ministry in the prison the rest of his life because he had a life sentence. He gave his life to Christ and through a series of events, it got commuted and now he's leading that ministry to that prison to see men.

Reformed and changed that they think life has given up on them and you would know why they blew it up But they're they're giving them hope like you're not Jesus not done with you the end of this life doesn't have to be the end of your life So it's crazy. So that's one reason why I go and I tell people if crosspoints not for you I get I'm not I'm not pushing crosspoint I go find where you can experience God go live out something bigger than you because I mean honestly everything I do is bigger than me

Logan Lewis (01:15:30.631)

Right? Like all that stuff is like, don't know. I'm trying to get more families to do foster care. I don't know how it's going to work. Yeah. But so, but so all the, all those things, 2016 getting asked to do something, saying yes, starting to show up, gaining an empathy for a vulnerable community. Because if it happened to me, that's what I would want you to do for me. Show up.

For me, even if I don't know you, I'll never see you. Like maybe I need a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance. And you learn that some of these folks are homeless because mom put everything she had in the car with the kids so she wouldn't get beat one more night. learn that this guy that blew up his life had a dad that blew him up in the most heinous of ways. And he didn't know any different.

And so now he's at the shelter. Now he's at the compassion shelter and we're doing transformation, not just, mean, we're going to do the transactional stuff. We're to do your laundry. We're going to help you find housing if we can. we're going to feed you. we're going to let you get a shower and feel like a human, get some clean clothes on you, but we're going to do, we're going to, we're going to sit down and just talk. And the only way to build trust is to talk, talk again, talk again.

look for opportunity. think we can help with this love. And you, you got to take steps too, right? You got to take steps too. So all that stuff is honestly, I feel like I'm just living out who I was created to be. And when that season ends, God will let me know. Like I don't, and I don't know when it will, or my wife says, how many times are you going to go out in that box? I was, I was only going to go once, but it got so in my heart.

And it's so daunting for me to go. Like it feels, it feels like I feel stupid when I go like that. It's like Satan working in my head. Nobody cares. You look stupid. Nobody's going to change. Nobody's going to get involved. You're not going to help anything. You just look like an old guy sitting out on the street corner for 24 hours, whether it rains.

Logan Lewis (01:17:55.59)

You know, whether it's a hundred and six degree heat index, whether it's 21 degrees, you're just stupid. Every time I take a step of faith and go out there, there's a new story. There's a new story. I has having a really tough moment one time out there and I just felt this was one these Lord things again. I mean, I'm saying, God, this is stupid, isn't it? Like I ain't going to change anything because we all want grandeur, right? You want success. want success. And I have an idea.

And one time I thought, I'll get a hundred people to sleep on the street corners, right? I don't think that was a good idea, but you know, it was at the time I had it, you know, but I remember sitting there in the loneliness of it thinking, this is stupid. But then I felt like the Lord brought a story to mind in the Bible. And I felt him impress upon me. If you're going to be obedient, if I told you to go across the world for one person,

He would do it. So you're out here. Maybe it won't be grand the way you think it, but you're obedient and you care and you're telling people you care. You're asking them to care. You're inviting them into something and you and I get to spend time together. It's worth it. Wow. I love all of that, Tim. That's so good. It's really inspiring to be honest, especially to hear from like where you, where you came from.

and the journey that you walked through to get to here where you're now just giving back. It's just really powerful stuff. Can I tell you about another friend of mine? Yeah, man. I want listen. We just talked about being all for each other. I want you to be like, do your thing and do it. I'll you, know.

Tim, you and I have both been to these networking events. We've been to these golf tournaments. We've gone to all of these things and they always give you a little bag and it's got some, you know, a pen with someone's logo on it or a golf. What Swag bags? What is the acronym stand for? Swag? you tell it and I'll look it up. remember someone telling me actually pretty recently what swag stands for. It's something to deal with merchandise. Regardless. You got a swag bag.

Logan Lewis (01:20:14.309)

There's a lot of people that need to level up their swag bags. There's a lot of companies out there. You see them. They've got bad shirts, know, old hats and they need to level up their swag game, Tim. Okay. So I know somebody that can do that. your, your brand deserves better than boring swag. Not in the box. Do you have swag, Tim?

I don't, but it's funny you mentioned that. I've been thinking about what do night in the box hats look like. have some ideas. Yeah. So you, you've got a guy. I've got a guy. I'll tell you and everybody else about branded and devoted designs. They're a local family, local company based out of the great city of you, Harley, Georgia. No way. Run this.

business branded and devoted designs. No way. They make custom hats, shirts, tumblers, mugs. They can put your logo on anything. They've made coasters for me. They've made shirts for me. They've made notebooks, coasters. I said coasters already, but I'm emphasizing the coasters people. They've made some good stuff for me. And you know what? If you look them up, if you go to the website, branded and devoted designs.com, if you connect with them on social media,

or however you connect with them. If you mentioned that you got their information from Logan, from your morning drive, they'll give you 10 % off your order. How about that? And they're in you Harley, Georgia. You know, live in New Okay. That's crazy. And I had to come all the way to Marietta to find that out. Look at God. know, every piece of merch that I have sold of your morning drive,

has come from branded and devoted designs. They've been a partner of the podcast also for over a year, year and a half, two years at this point. And we are excited to have them on board as a sponsor. again, contact them, go to their TikTok. They're posting daily on their, their Instagram, their Facebook. If you need stuff to level up your swag game, contact branded and devoted designs, Dave Davis. He's a great guy, great family, and would love to see some.

Logan Lewis (01:22:32.865)

some upgraded swag out there. So spread the word, your friends. is so cool. Tell them Logan sent you 10 % off. That is so cool. The fact that we're in the hometown and now I have to look him up. He's probably right down the street from you. It's not a 5.7 square miles. You know, he's probably down the street from you. He's a guy. He works at a great local credit union out there for his full time job. on the side, he's grinding and

providing businesses with cool swag. he, uh, him and his wife do it and they've made countless things for me, tumblers, water bottles. I mean, they've, they, and they do it with quality. mean that coffee mug right there, actually that one that's engraved with your morning drive, they laser engraved that. That is so cool. And you know, what's even better about that, Tim, is you get to take that coffee cup with you. That is your gift. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Seriously. Every, every guest gets a gift. Do you have like a 10 that you're going to sign it?

I'm expecting big things out of you. you know, in five years, I'll be like, listen, listen, that dude's got a million followers and I signed my coffee cup. I didn't help him get there, but I did beat Jason Frederick's podcast. Yeah, you got to sign up before I go. I don't have a sharpie with me. All Well, we live in, we live near each other. week, we'll get a drink and I'll sign a mug. like that. That'd be good. Good.

So Tim, there comes a point in every conversation I have with all my guests where I ask them a collection of questions that could be rapid fire. But they just kind of get to know you as Tim. We just got to know you, your past, your journey, where you're going, what you're doing with Night in a Box and all these other organizations. But I want to know who you are at home. Who is Tim? So are you ready for these questions, Tim?

Well, don't. Yeah. mean, they're very easy questions. I had the thought of like, well, you got two choices. You can just walk out at this point, Tim. Or like, that would be like, well, hey, this podcast ended because Tim really didn't want to talk about who he is at home. he didn't want to tell me what his favorite movie of all time is. And that's when he left out. And that's the first question. Questions like that. movie of all time. gosh. mighty.

Logan Lewis (01:24:53.052)

all time. if I could only watch one more movie, boy, I'm going to tell you the movie that comes to mind. There's, there's two that come to mind the most. Both to me. All right. last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day-Lewis. Yeah, great. So you remember me telling you my story, like the passion that you see now wasn't always there.

And I remember watching Lassen Mohicans and watching, I didn't know who Daniel Day Lewis was at the time. You know, I just watching this movie. He had so much passion in his role, so much passion. Like when his, it either his wife or his girlfriend and they were going to take her away. And, and like he's screaming through this water fountain, stay alive, stay, I will find you. And I think I just got hooked into that passion. Like I want to, I want to have.

passion like that. Right. You know, so yeah, last little Higgins. I think that movie stands to test the time. I'm not sure, but yeah, that comes to mind. And then, the other movie, it's a different type of passion, but it was passion was, Casablanca. good. Yeah. Very good. Right. Right. Like just choice felt things aren't right. Things are messy. Like it shouldn't be happening this way.

but let's just bring our hearts and let's see what happens. So yeah, those would be the two. Very good. There's much better movies, by the way. Much better movies, but those two come to mind immediately. What was your first job ever? The first time you collected a paycheck. yeah, that's easy. So I was born and raised on a small farm in northern Indiana. my uncle owned the farm setting.

you know, 700 acres out there. He farmed, think at one time, I can't remember how many more than that. So he had his house and I live with my grandparents. They had their house. It's a hundred year old farmhouse and you were expected to work and I got paid for it. Started off, I think like six 50 an hour type thing. And then like first paycheck, W2 paycheck was the Navy.

Logan Lewis (01:27:11.489)

So I graduated in May of 1982 and I was in the Navy in August of 1982. um, so my first job ever was just working. I hated the farm by the way. Do you know why? Cause that's hard work. It wasn't so much the hard work. It was lonely. It was lonely. Very. There's hours upon hours of working in the shed on your own.

changing oil, changing out blades on a disc, vacuuming out. You're the kid, you got the grunt work. You're vacuuming out tractors that have dust in it. You're sweeping machine sheds. didn't know why. I thought I hated it because of the work, but I didn't mind sweating. I I bailed hay every summer and the barn was 120 degrees. Guess who they put in the barn?

the youngest of the people there. have no seniority. Get your butt up there, you know? those hay bales are 70 pounds, I barely weighed 70 pounds. But it was lonely. It was lonely. I hate loneliness as a killer. And that's what home was people, people that are vulnerable. It was one of the biggest lessons. When I crawl in that box around midnight, one o'clock in the morning,

I don't hate it because it's cold or hot or I don't have a cushion. You know, I got my sleeping bag and a pillow. I hate it because it's lonely and it helped me gain empathy for people going through mental health, tough times, feeling like nobody loves them anymore, that they've done so much wrong that everybody's forgotten about them. So I learned that I hated the farm because I was lonely. Wow.

That's deep, but yeah, it sense. All right. I answered your question. Yes. Navy was my first W2. First W2. I'm going to ask you some more questions Tim, but before that I'm going to tell you about one last friend of the podcast. That friend is called Hammerhead Creations Tim. Interested in hearing more? Yeah, I kind of like, you know, it's a unique name. Very unique. Hammerhead Creations is here to help you elevate your business or brand online.

Logan Lewis (01:29:37.163)

Branded and devoted designs, they help you in the physical space. Hammerhead helps you in the digital, including social media management, website design, newsletter writing, all of those fun things that every company seems to have nowadays. Hammerhead does it. They ensure that your business reaches the right audience. Whether it's a side hustle or your full-time job, their expert team is ready to help you grow plus,

If you're into podcasting like I am, this is why we work so well together. Hammerhead offers full support for in-house shows as well as external podcast creation from concept to production. They'll help you bring the ideas to life if you visit their website, hammerheadcreations.com. Discover how they can take your business or podcast to the next level and then you too can swim with the big sharks. You know what I like that you're doing? You've...

You've done a great job developing trusted partnerships, whether it's Hammerhead and Branded and Design or... Good days, yeah. Yeah, that's pretty good, right? Because people do business with people they trust, so they trust you. Yeah, I like to think so. And the relationship with Hammerhead Creations is a really unique one because they're easy people to get along with because Hammerhead Creations team is me. am Hammerhead. I love it. So you trust yourself. I trust myself.

You know, I have to advertise the marketing business on the, on the show because is so cool. yeah. that's always a fun. That is so cool. That is so cool. All right. Well, hammerhead came from, you got bit by a hammerhead shark or what? Actually, this calf here, you can't see cause my, no, I'm just kidding. okay. I was getting ready to say shark story. We talked about this, but we both, we, talked about this at the bar, but we both said that,

We usually, as long as we trust the person, I'll believe anything they tell me. Oh. And we talked about how we could be gullible at times. And your wife rolled her eyes. And so my wife rolled her eyes. And said, oh my goodness, Logan falls for everything. yeah, funny enough, we hired this new guy at my full-time job this week. And he introduced himself today to us and was telling us about him. And I just started making up this story. He was like, Logan, how long you been here? What do you do?

Logan Lewis (01:31:58.014)

And so I just started making up this story and just started going and going. And one of my coworkers rudely was like, none of it's true. And I was like, Oh man, I was just going to keep going. And so I take that. I believe everything, but I also love to tell a good fake story here and there, but hammering creations. Yeah. You know, my biggest fear in the world is sharks terrified of them and less so terrified of sharks, but

terrified of being put in a scenario with a shark. Because one of us is coming out alive and it's probably not me. So terrified of them and I, maybe six months ago or so I had a guest on and I told them about Hammerhead and they said, you know what you should do is you should raise money for charity and your money should go towards you or the method to raise the money should be say, hey, I'm gonna go cage dive.

with some hammerhead sharks and raise money and debt and you know, pay, use some of the money to of course get me to wherever the heck in the world I gotta go to, you know, to get with the hammerhead sharks, but also take the rest of the money and donate it to a nonprofit that you're passionate about. And I was like, you know what, I'd do that.

Yeah, would do that. Yeah. The only way I'm getting in a shark cage is if I think I can help somebody else because they ain't going to help me. You know what I mean? So I like that. want to try to connect real bad, real bad, Tim. So I'm really trying to stretch the network here. OK. But I'm really trying to see if I can get with somebody at the Georgia Aquarium and so that I can get in there. Do you know who knows somebody at the Georgia Aquarium? No. Jason. Really? Val.

his former employee. Val used to work for him? Yeah, she used to work with the blonde girl. Yeah, the blonde girl. She was when, you know, we did a boat race for the Good Neighbor homeless shelter two years in a row. They don't do the bed race, bed race. Sorry. And Jason and Buddy were kind of the sponsors of our team. And Val dressed up like a pirate. And like she had the best because we did we did, you know, ship face pub.

Logan Lewis (01:34:12.35)

and raise money for the good neighbor shelter actually and we won two trophies like they're in next time you go into southern copa see the trophies but going back to you he he knows vows she's been working at the aquarium now for probably seven years wow yeah i will yeah on jason there you go man like if i did this one if it took us an hour and however long to get here to get you connected to go get in a shark tank

my life may be just people. you're listening to this, whatever month you're listening to this and you go on social media and you see that I got into a shark tank, it's likely because of what Tim just said just now. So take that and roll with it. But Tim, more questions for you. Let's go. You get, well, do you know what it means to have a walkout song? Well, I imagine the same thing as a walk-in song is a

One you're walking in and one you're walking out. sure. So yeah, walk in song. What would yours be? Yeah. So my, if to enter the ring, Tim, yeah. Yeah. What songs playing? Yeah. I, so I've, I've just been hooked on this song ever since it came out. Apparently millions of people have been hooked on it. And that's a jelly roll and Brandon Lake hard fought. Hallelujah. Yes. Very good. Cause we have, you know,

One of my favorite questions to ask people to get them to open up and have a real conversation is like what's one of the biggest misconceptions people have about you? You know, one of them they have about me is I'm always happy, always joyful, everything's always okay. It's not. Tim, they say the same crap about me. I know. it's because it's because gregarious people, we have a little trouble showing

Like we don't, we don't, we don't ever really want to show up and not be okay. So we, we, do this, we were the fake us is doing just fine. So that song has meant a lot to me and I think millions of people looking at it. Have you ever heard it? I have. Absolutely. I love them because I'll go back to something I said earlier. God does not define us on our worst day.

Logan Lewis (01:36:30.876)

or our best day. And jelly roll was an example of that. Like if I'm killing it today, God, you love me more. Don't you? Yeah. I'm your best son ever. And then the next day I say something insensitive to my wife or, um, you know, I, um, um, I've got a struggle, you know, going on about this or that, or I'm not getting along with my, my kids or whatever it might be.

And I'm like, yeah, God, man, you like, I'm not a good guy. You don't like me today. You know, like I shouldn't have done that. Right. I shouldn't have spent money on that. I shouldn't have had this thought or I shouldn't have coveted this or whatever it is. So that song like reminds me like God's not giving up on you. Never. So don't give up. Even if it's a hard fought, hallelujah. Bring your heart, bring your heart, walk through hell.

if that's what it feels like you're going through, but you keep walking and you give a hard fought hallelujah, cause God's not giving up on you. So that's my walkout. That would be my walkout song. And I don't know if we talk in a year, if it's still the same, but that's where I am. I was listening to that before I came in here. I love that. I was listening to that before I just reminding me of who I am and who he is. So on the same vein of music, Tim, you get to organize yourself a music festival. Who are your three headliners?

Oof, all right, well. Alive or dead. Okay, all right. gosh, you know what? That is so interesting. Well, I think we're bringing back Fleetwood Mac and their heyday. I'm not gonna be very original here with this. not a big, I do love music.

I think we've got to bring back Journey in their heyday with Steve Perry. I'm just going to end with the third where I ended there. I'm just throwing jelly roll up on that stage and just telling him to do what he does. know? And so I do love country music too, but like the first things, I just gave you the first things that came to my mind. Like, I don't know any red-blooded American guy that hasn't had a crush on Stevie Nicks somewhere. Come on.

Logan Lewis (01:38:49.349)

Come on, you know, so yeah, I would just put that together. think a lot of people would come to those three, don't you? I would. And if nothing else, it's just me and you rocking it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what, Mixi, this is kind of funny. It's like, well, Tim, you've been talking about your walk with Christ and all this stuff. You didn't even throw one Christian band in there. like, you know, like my favorite Christian band is Third Day. You know, but you were just thinking about a music festival. Sure, sure.

Just thinking about popularity, Just thinking like iconic groups. Journey and sleep with Matt. Give me a break. And then you throw in some modern flair with Jelly Roll. That's something for everyone. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Great answer. On a day that you're not working in any capacity, you're not working for any organization, you're just an off day. How do you take care of yourself?

How do you recharge? Yeah, man, you're not ready for this. I'm not getting out of here. You're not getting out of here. That's fine. I've been on a journey since November of 2023. And that's when my time with Kaiser came to an end. And it rocked me. And it made me really think about my identity and what am I afraid of and why is why why do I care? So when I've been learning this.

Here's what I do when I've been learning. In that month, I felt like the Lord was giving me this word. You know, people do word of the year and stuff, and the word was intimacy. And I began to think, and it broke my heart, I don't know if I know what intimacy with God is. I know what activity with God is. I believe his promises.

I'm saved by grace and faith alone. I don't ever have to do anything. He still loves me, still promises me I'll be with him. But I know activity with God. Intimacy requires some things that I wasn't doing. So now I've been practicing these four S's. Surrender.

Logan Lewis (01:41:09.7)

What do I need to surrender my life? What am I holding on to tightly to that doesn't even really belong to me? Silence. I just told you I don't like loneliness. I don't like silence. Not good with it. Not good. Like even in the kitchen, bedroom, Lexus all over. I mean, sometimes it's just instrumental music, but just have it on or it's news I don't even really care about.

I don't watch news on TV, but I'll put it in the... Yeah, in the background. Solitude. I get used to the solitude. Which is ironic considering that you don't love silence. Yeah, it is. But it's finding that balance. Yeah, it's been hard. And then simplicity. Quit making things complicated.

weight on God. You don't have to orchestrate everything. You don't have to push. Um, cause that's the way I normally do it. Like if you, if I have an idea and you say no to me, that's all right. I'll go find another dude. I got a lot of energy. And if that dude doesn't like it or don't see the vision, that's all right. I'll go back to you and try to convince you again. I got a lot of energy. And if I say no again, then he'll just go to Southern talk to Jason. Yeah. So that

I'm working, I'm a work in progress on intimacy with God in those four areas of simplicity, solitude, surrender, and silence. And I've been reading a few books on that and learning how to just sit. And some people love that. They don't have to work at it. I have to make myself just sit. My wife and I went on a silent retreat, just her and I.

just her and I and the plan was all day would just be like silence, no TV, no music. We could talk to each other if we wanted, but we would do just silence. We would nap if we wanted to nap. She loves, she's very artistic. She can draw murals on all these walls. My son gave me a book at Christmas to write down, ask all these questions you're asking, tell me about.

Logan Lewis (01:43:33.305)

Tell me about it. almost got my dad that same book. It's great. I haven't finished yet, but I knew it's over. But we just did it. Then at night we would just cook a meal together and maybe watch a movie. But we just did three days of just that lingering.

Logan Lewis (01:43:50.387)

She wasn't so sure about it at first. She said it sounded kind of weird. New age, man. We just lingered with each other and we grew closer. God began to teach me about intimacy. sat by a fire down by the river for three hours by myself. So he took my Bible and never even read it. Wow. Just sat there with yourself. Just sat there listening to that and just saying, talk to me.

and the fire or don't or don't yeah, i'm just gonna set here It's hard and it's hard when you come back home You don't have that but so if I and i'm trying to make it a practice I wish I could tell you i'm good. I'm trying to make it a like I don't sabbath well, you know, even for four hours a week I don't sabbath well and i'm trying to to enter into that kind of rest

of my mind, my soul, my spirit, and just do it. But it's a work. So you asked me, that's what I would do. I feel like, hey, if I could give you a gift, would it be? I just need to take a day. And I'm not excited about it, to be honest with you. But once I get into doing it.

Breathe. Just be intimate with God. Just be intimate with the things that matter with you. Linger. Linger with my wife. Linger. Just be in the same room. No plan. Don't talk about like how much we need, don't need, how much more we want. We don't need any more. Just linger. Watch your draw. Watch your paint. You go read. Take a nap on couch. You never do that during the midday. And it was good. It was good.

That's awesome. I love that. I'm learning. I'm a couple more, Tim. What is your biggest fear? Hmm. You know, I was on another podcast and, they asked me that same question and I blew it. I don't think I gave, I don't think I gave a great answer.

Logan Lewis (01:46:09.363)

I don't want to live in a world without encouragement.

Logan Lewis (01:46:16.716)

you know, like I was sharing with you, even if you don't believe like I believe, it still doesn't mean that you might not encourage me in something and I encourage you in something and if we can't, then we just need to get out of each other's way. I just don't want to live in that world if there was a fear. When I say I'm not afraid of dying, meaning that I just have faith that I know where I'm going, but to have to live without encouragement.

That would be tough. Jeremiah was a prophet, if you read it, it's really sad. He never had one convert. Nobody would listen to him. The only encouragement he had was obedience to God. That's tough, and I would do it if I had to, but I don't want to. I want to encourage others, and I need to be encouraged by others. Actually, I think if you go to my Facebook, it says,

What kind of encouragement do you need today? What kind of encouragement do I need today? It does say that. Yeah. It does say that. I just don't want to live with not false encouragement, but just genuine. Just genuine. Like I have people in my life. If it's not my best day, I can tell them. I can tell them and they can't fix it, but I can tell them. And I think we all need that. We do. That's why I fight for these.

vulnerable communities. need it too. They need, they need to tell somebody. And when you build trust, they'll tell you it was all my fault. It was all my fault. Tim, what is a quote or advice you've ever or that you've been given that you kind of stick with that you love that you live by if, if, if, if anyone? Yeah. gosh, I know.

I know I'll say something and then I'll drive away and think, gosh, should have. Yep. Yeah. You'll text me later and say, man, I want to change my answer. Well, one that I usually give, I've already given you and I don't know if it's a quote, it's a model or a mantra is suffering. People are worth fighting for because I like to think that about, I like to think I'm worth fighting for if I'm not doing well someday. So,

Logan Lewis (01:48:37.814)

you know, I always use this Winston Churchill quote, cause it helps level set my mind. Pick battles. I'm going to mess it up. Pick bell, pick battles, small enough to win and big enough to matter. In other words, so it just level sets. Like, do I really want to climb that hill? Sure. You know, is it just my enthusiasm? that's getting.

getting me there. So it just helps level set my mind and calms me down. Very good. Very good. And then lastly, Tim, what is your main pusher? What is your main motivator? What is your morning drive? Yeah. It's, mean, I know it sounds so piffy for a Christian to say God, but

Yeah, it's just the answer. You know, every morning it's a devotional. It's a cup of coffee. It's setting. If I get up early enough, it's setting down 30 minutes before Lisa gets up and gets ready for work. If not, it's 15 minutes. you know, knowing who you are, you know, like, why do I even care? Like that is a huge question. Like, why do I

even care. And so I don't even know. Here's what's hard. Sometimes I don't even know how to find the right words to say it and explain it. Except for I feel like I was given opportunity to get involved with others and be part of something bigger and give back in a way that I'm designed. You give back in a way you're designed and we'll just go do it together.

And I just really believe that God loves me enough. Like that's enough. That's all I need. Now whether I'm happy or not will be irrelevant, but I know that His love is real. And if I'm able to get up and go today, I'm to love my wife. I'm going to love my kids. I'm going to love my neighbor if I run into you that day. I'm going to do something. Or maybe it's a day I receive, but that's my motivator.

Logan Lewis (01:50:58.985)

Just to get in there, hang in there, don't give up, hard fought hallelujah some days, but you don't give up. So I don't really feel like I have good answers on those, Logan. That question and some other questions, speakers are usually a lot more articulate about those things, but it's just a hard emotion that I have. No, all your answers are good and they all tie into each other too.

Like your fears or your quotes or your even your music with with the jelly rolls. mean, it all just kind of fades in together. Yeah. Which let me say something. Let me say something cringy, crazy that people will think is cringy. So it would be really easy probably for you to put words in your mouth. Like what's your motivator? Like, well, I love my wife. You know, my, you know, like

Man, be a provider, a provider, be, and I should be a provider, a lover, a friend, a protector. I should be all those things. Absolutely. But she can't be the motivator. That's too much to put on her. one person. And then what happens? You'll get let down. I can't, well, I can't provide one breath for her for another day.

She can't provide one breath for me for another day. I don't know. I'm not a doomsday person, but it's a fact. I don't know that I have tomorrow, neither do you. So I put things in the center of my life that can't be taken away. You can't take God away. You can't take kindness away. What you and I have been doing is called transparency and vulnerability. Transparency, we're honest with each other.

We're just being transparent, just telling our stories. Vulnerability, I've given you things about my life that if you wanted to be a jerk, you could hurt me with. That's vulnerability. When you're willing to give people things in your life that they could hurt you with by making fun of you, gossiping about you, maybe use it against me when I run for elected office again about, hey, did you hear him say he used to have a little smoke?

Logan Lewis (01:53:18.716)

Right? You want to vote for that guy? So that's difference between, but you put those things in your life, integrity. Am I the same person alone that I am with you, with Lisa, with the community? Only God and I know. But put integrity in the center of your life. No one can take that away. I can't, I love Lisa. I love my community, but none of them are promised.

tomorrow and I don't dwell on that every morning, but you asked me what my motivator is. I put things in my life. Can I live this out today? Let me tell you, if I have a day that I can't live it out, I'm better off to call that friend to look at my wife and say, I think I got to stay home today. I can't be my best. I'm, whatever this is, is really shaking me. Maybe I'm having a crisis of faith.

My gosh, if you read the Bible, John the Baptist had a crisis in faith. He knew exactly who Jesus Christ was. He got put in jail. And then when the disciples came to see him, he goes, would you go back there and ask him if he's really Jesus? Because you know they're getting ready to kill me. And Jesus could stop this. So who knows if I'm having a crisis of faith that day? I'd probably better stay at home. Not going to be good for me and not going to be good for you. Because those things in the center of my life, they mean something.

That makes sense. It makes perfect sense. I say it's cringy because you know, you don't want your wife to say no. What? It's true, but she did say she understands that she knows I'm a better lover, protector and provider for her because I focus on the things that help our relationship. Sure, sure. Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. That was a lot, man. You're probably going to edit the heck out. No, dude. my gosh. This guy took me down.

like rabbit holes. I won't lie to you, Tim. This is, know, I love all of my guests. I think of all of them so highly, but you know, every once in a while I record an episode with somebody and I get in the car and I call my wife and tell her I'm on my way home and I say, you know what, before I hang up, let me just say that tonight is the reason why I do what I do. Like every once in a while I just have a conversation with someone that just flows so well effortless.

Logan Lewis (01:55:41.954)

effortlessly. I didn't even look at the bullet points that I had because it was just natural. And I just said, you know what, son of a gun, sometimes you just have a conversation with someone that just fuels your fire. And this has been one of those Tim. So thank you for that. Well, you're an easy guy to talk to and hey man, if you ever get a topic, like you want to make it topical, like, Tim, we're just going to be topical. We're not going to chase 10 different, you know, rabbit holes. like, like,

You're not an expert in this. I'm not, but let's chop it up a little bit. Like, you know, Hey, let's, you know, let's do it. But, um, um, uh, can I do something that you might cut out of this? Sure. And you might, can I just pray for us before we go? Of course. Can I do that? Like, you, and I, I respect your platform, your audience. And if that's just, were just sitting here talking about this and like what you just said about driving home, I don't know. I just felt like, like, I won't make it long, but would you, would

Before you do that. Yeah, no, no, I don't want to offend you. I just felt like that. You would even ask. Yeah, of course. Go ahead, Tim, and tell the people how to find you, how to get in touch with you. What kind of things you want to promote? You know, I said that this might be a couple of months out. So your next night in the box might have all or asked, but tell the people how to find you online. Yeah. So if I have a couple of friends that make fun of me because I'll post my

you know, whether church stuff or face up. So I feel like you have to be accountable. So if I'm gonna post about, hey, come to Crosspoint or Jesus this or get involved with this, I'll end it with I'm easy to find. Like I am, I'm easy to find. So Facebook is my main mode of like social.

whatever it is these kids are social platform communication, you know, you know, it's it's it's it's where so I have, you know, three Facebook, but you're only interested in my personal one my night in the box. Facebook, my third one is the little Councilman. Well, it's not little because I represent people but it's I have a city council page that I don't really post a lot on. So I think that's the easiest way to find me.

Logan Lewis (01:58:01.624)

if like you just wanted to know more. But, I always say I'm easy to find because if I'm encouraging you to do something, I shouldn't just be a keyboard warrior. I should be available to you. Like if you want to reach out on messenger and say, I don't know about all this stuff or like I'm really going through it. Where would I go get help? Or, you know, maybe just want to have a cup of coffee because you're like, I want to explore my thoughts. Then we'll do that. So was that all to that question? Like where to find me and

I tell you what I'm really focused on now. One of the things I'm doing is foster care because of my career changes and stuff. I'm with Mountaintop Foster Home and Mountaintop Foster Care. And I'm really working on how not just for that child placement agency, but for all of Bartow County, how can we get more homes? We only have about 40 homes, I believe, give or take.

But at any given time, we can have 70 to 100 children. So that means they're leaving the county and that really stresses it out. So like whenever people listen to this, got to, you you want to know more about foster care, how to get involved. You know, and it's not just always taking kids in your home. Sometimes it's your business can do a give back on the foster friendly app. You may just give a 10 % discount to foster families.

what an encouragement that is. Sure. Right. So it could be that you could be a part of a care community. You don't have kids in your home, but that family does. And so, you know what? You might do their laundry once a month or you just might be a friend and go sit with them. Whatever. There's something that you can do. So those are the things I'm doing now. You can find me there or, you know, or, you know, come downtown to home in a coffee shop or something. Sure. Yeah. Sure.

Guys, I'll make sure that I throw the link to Tim's Facebook in the link or in the description of the episode so that you can find him if you are interested in any or all of the things that we talked about. Tim, before we pray and get out of here, thank you for this. you. You were vulnerable and transparent. Yeah, you were too though. And you blew my socks off, man. I'm lucky to know you. Well, you're great.

Logan Lewis (02:00:16.688)

this. I mean, I literally came in here like I had someplace I was supposed to be to pick something up at seven. My wife's gonna be like I said, it'll be an hour. Like in and out like it's quick talk and but you're really good. Like easy to talk to eye to eye contact. You love the folks that are supporting you. You're really curious. Have you ever read the book Super Communicators? I haven't.

Read it. Okay. So you do something naturally called, it's called communication loop where when somebody says something, you follow it and it begins to open up the conversation. Charles Doohig is the author super communicator, super communicators. Yeah. He's great. Charles Doohig is you can, he has all kinds of, he's, he's big speaker and everything. Yeah. I will look at my, you'll love it. Cause you do a lot of it naturally. so you're good.

So I encourage people to come on. I encourage more sponsors for you. Like we could do. I appreciate your time. I wasn't in and out. It was a great time. Just over the just over the two hour mark. Look at that. Look at us. All right. And let's let's does anybody ever listen to a two hour podcast? Do you? I listen to you're here. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Let's do it. Hey, I just want to take a moment with my friend Logan Ward and just we've been

I've been talking about you and just acknowledging you in my life and, you know, Logan, just his endeavors with this podcast, allowing people to have a platform to talk about their life. So can I just pray blessings? Like I don't have any power of my own, but again, I just pray blessings on him and Catherine's life for their desires, the things that they want to do as a married couple, the things they want to do in their careers, the influence that they want to have and are having.

Just want to ask you for your blessing on their life. And I just want to be grateful. Like I just want to walk away in appreciation for this time that Logan and I got to spend together. mean, it'd be hard to say that we're not friends after this. So I just want to thank you for that. And I always pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. God, thank you for that too. That was incredible. Guys, make sure to again, scroll down, find Tim online, support the things he's doing.

Logan Lewis (02:02:43.341)

Thank you for, I'm blown away by the prayer. I'm off script. Thank you to fireworks for hosting us. Shout out to good days, branded and devoted designs, camera head creations for making your morning drive possible. I appreciate each and every one of you for tuning in. Thank you for being here and we'll see you guys next time.

Logan Lewis https://www.hammerheadcreations.com
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