Paul’s Playbook: Encouragement, Follow-Through, And Hope From 1 Thessalonians

A Roman city. A fragile new church. A leader who refuses to rule by force. We unpack 1 Thessalonians to reveal a leadership pattern that still works: care deeply, speak clearly, and follow up relentlessly. Paul’s time in Thessalonica was brief and turbulent, yet he built a bond strong enough to last across distance and danger. That didn’t happen by chance. He shared his life, not just his message, and he equipped others—like Timothy—to strengthen and encourage when he couldn’t be there in person.

We explore what that means for modern teams. If your default style is top-down, you’re not doomed—you just need to know when to flex. Autocratic calls have a place for safety and speed, but people thrive when leaders put dignity first. Translate your values into specific behaviors, put dates on decisions, and schedule check-ins you keep. Follow-up is not micromanagement; it’s how you show the work and the worker both matter. We share simple practices you can use this week: ask for input, set clear outcomes, and create a rhythm that catches slippage early without shame.

Hope is the thread that ties it together. The early believers expected swift resolution and met delay instead. Paul doesn’t sugarcoat it. He trains a posture: rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances. That isn’t denial—it’s how leaders sustain courage when goals slip, contracts fall through, or timelines shift. Add one more picture to your toolkit: back into the tight lot so you can drive out straight. Start each day positioned to move forward—focused, relational, and ready to act. If this conversation sharpens your leadership, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a quick review to tell us what landed.

Transcript

Tempo: 120.0

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Oh now yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Ready, Freddy. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Hey, Dr. P. Hey, Tim.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

How you doing, brother?

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Brother? Oh my gosh. We are hanging in there middle of March.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Yes, my break.

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Spring breaking.

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Spring break is like around the corner for some, already here for others.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Weather's getting fantastic here in Texas.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

Not too bad. Not too bad. Shabby.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Really good. Yeah. Freezes over until like Thanksgiving. So just enjoy the weather.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Get outside and have, you know, get some vitamin D. Episode number 112.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

112.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

Yeah. So thank you for joining us. Yeah again. And for those of you who are here for the very first time, thank you. Uh, this is the Biblical Leadership Show. I'm Dr. Dean Posey. With me here in the studio is Tim Lansford. And um start to say Dr. Tim Lansford.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

I'm like, what? No. No. Dr. I'm used to introducing you. So I was like, no, wait a second. I'm not sure. Anyway. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

Let me give you a little summary of what uh we're about over the last uh two and a half years. Um we have been going through the Bible. Uh we started about a year and a half ago um and talking about each book and the leadership principles in each book. So if you want to start uh at the beginning, go back to um the episode that was in August of 2024. Um we started with Genesis. Now we're today, we're in First Thessalonians in the New Testament. And um, so the the structure is pretty much the same. We talk about the Bible, we talk about some leadership principles that you can apply to your life literally today, and then we throw in a bunch of dad jokes.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

A bunch of dad jokes. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

So let's just start out with one of those. So, you know, over the weekend I pitched a sitcom about airplanes to NBC. They just said they weren't gonna pick it up because they had a bad pilot. Oh my. Oh now, my kids, I remember in Boy Scouts years ago, this joke, I don't even know. I must have heard it a hundred, hundred times. Right. Okay, but it's worth saying. I don't think I've ever shared it on the podcast. So, where did the king keep his army? Do not know where in his sleevy.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Oh boy. Yeah, I don't know if I can give that one to you. You aren't gonna tell my uh marathon joke that I told you to say, right? No, you tell. No, no, no. I gave him a good lame one, and I'm like, here you go, here's a good lame one. Gotta have some lame ones in this. Yeah, we got to, definitely. Most of them are, but you know, that's all right.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

That's it. That's our show. We can do what we want.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

So what are we talking about today? We are talking about First Thessalonians, and um yeah, so it's a small short book, but it's very, very important for lots of reasons. Um, and let's just put some historical context in this.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

So um most scholars believe that Jesus died somewhere between 27 and 30 or so AD. Okay. Don't know exactly how long it was after that time before um Paul became a Christian. Okay, he was Saul, he became Paul. He was uh a very devout um Jewish scholar, uh, grew up Pharisee, knew the Bible backwards and forwards. We see in the book of Acts, chapter nine, that he went to uh he was going to Damascus to arrest some of the Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem. He had a conversion experience, he became a Christian. Um and the we don't know the exact time, but sometime later, and we can guess, you know, uh in the 40s or so, um, he was um commissioned by the church to st to go around that part of the world and uh and preach the gospel. And on his journeys, he um started churches with the people that became Christians. So in the book of Acts, if you're not familiar with that, that's really the story of probably 20 or 30 years of the early church. And and so Paul was like the main character person in in the in that last part of that book, really beginning with about chapter nine and then really chapter twelve onward, um, his missionary journeys. Um and and so in the book of Acts, chapter 16, we see that he was in the the city of Philippi and he was in jail, um, miraculously got released from that. Uh, the jailer became a Christian, so did his whole family. He left that city and then went to the city of Thessalonica. Now, um, Thessalonica was uh an important city, a Roman city back then. Um he wasn't there very long. Okay. It would be normal because Paul was a rabbi, he was a teacher, to go into the Jewish synagogue and and teach, read the scripture, preach, you know. Um but and when he did that, what we see in the book of Acts, chapter 17, is that some people believed this would be uh pretty much what happened all the time. Some people believed that Jesus was and is the Messiah, and some people didn't. And so the people that um believed that uh he would take them and start a small church. Um and the people that didn't believe that would begin to harass him, call all kinds of issues, get him out of town, beat him up, you know, whatever. Kind of really throw a fit about it. So there in Thessalonica, he has this small group of of Christ followers that believed in his the message. Uh there were some issues, he left town, but he was there for a short time. But later, um many scholars believe that because of the communication he had received, that he wrote the first Thessalonians, this letter to them was his very first letter that we have a record of. Now he could have written other letters that we just don't have, but most scholars believe that uh 1 Thessalonians was the very first one that he wrote that we still have uh in our possession today.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

And and we talked about the letters. I mean, they were being delivered by snail mail, right? By foot mail.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Footmail, right? Yeah, no Pony Express. Now, and sometimes we talked about this before uh we started today in our prep, that sometimes today, just because of technology, we have a hard time thinking about 2,000 years ago when they didn't have their, you know, their smartphones, they didn't have phones, they didn't have automobiles, they had foot traffic. That was it. Now, uh you know, we read in the book of Acts that sometimes uh Paul and his companions would go by ship from one place to another, but most of the time they walked. And they walked hundreds and thousands of miles. So when you had someone from uh a city of Thessalonica come to you and deliver a message about the church, and then Paul would take the time to write it or have a he would dictate, and a scribe would write it and then deliver it back to the church, it could be months and months and months, uh just depending on how long it was between where Paul was and where the church was. And so when Paul was hearing this uh some concerns that he had about the um church there uh and what they were the issues that they were going through, um we see here a very, very pastoral letter of concern. And and uh and so it just made me think about the the people that come into our lives. You know, some people come into our lives, um, and they're not there very long, but they make a huge impact on our being, on our character, on our priorities, our something. Um, other people we've known for a long, long time, and they really don't, we might know them, they might be an acquaintance, but they don't really have a significant impact on our life. Well, the people from Thessalonica had a huge impact on Paul, that he basically loved them as brothers and sisters. I mean, he was very, very dear to them, close to them emotionally, even though he was and spiritually, even though he wasn't close to them geographically. And so when he heard that they were having concerns, he wrote this letter, and we can see the passion and compassion in the letter that he wrote when he was when he was pouring out his heart to the people and encouraging them. Um we have to think that, okay, you have Thessalonica, it's a Roman colony, the Roman system of government was very uh coercive and uh uh autocratic, you know, very, very top-down. You do these, right? Yeah, very much so. Um very authoritarian, very autocratic. Um, and some of you uh out there are familiar with that because you might have grown up in a family like that. Yeah, or you have a boss that's that way. Um and and that doesn't necessarily kind of work for you, okay? For some people it works, but a lot of people it doesn't.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Yeah, and that's the key, you know. Some people it does work, and then you know, sometimes there's a balance needed, and sometimes democracy, you know, you need something like that, you know, in place. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 11:08

And so Paul is coming around from a different type of leadership, very uh gentle, relational, servant leadership, almost like uh modeling maternal and paternal care for these people, um, because he really cared about the people. Um and and so I I think just from a leadership standpoint, um we we have to ask the question, and we've talked about this a lot. Do we just care about the company or do we care about the people? You know, and if we care about the company and the people we just see are avenues by which the company can make a profit or whatever, um the people know that. They they know they're being used, they know that you know they're basically not valued as much as the profit. Um and so um the question is how do you know you're doing that, or how do you um turn that around and make a shift if that's exactly what uh you it's your style. And as it's for some people, that's their style, very autocratic, this is how they want it. Um and it works in some situations, it doesn't work in some situations. So um my my thinking is if it's your style, if you're very autocratic, then it's important that you know that and know when to use that and when not to use it, when to be autocratic and when to be um very pastoral or very relational. I usually tell my staff, I want to hear your opinion. I I really want to hear your input. Um, but on some decisions I have 51% of the vote. Yeah, because I was a senior guy. It was, you know, Buck stopped with me. And so um I if I was the one that making the decision about something, then I if it was a bad decision, I wanted the blame to be on me, not on them. And and so, but other things I said, you know, let's let's talk about this. Oh, yeah, you have a great idea, let's go with that one. And so it's a different leadership style for a different time. And uh Paul was very pastoral. Um, and it just comes across in the whole letter. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Right. Yeah, and and you know, he had such a bond with the people, you know, and I thought that was one of the things that really stood out to me. And and, you know, to to get that bond over a short time, um, you know, I think back of the bosses, and I I asked this in a lot of my seminars, think back of the bosses that made such a strong impact on you, um, you know, and and model yourself after those, and then think back of all the bosses that you really hated, right? That you didn't want to, and think about all the qualities that really turned you off on those people, and and then make sure you don't repeat those, and then that'll help you in your leadership journey quite a bit.

SPEAKER_00 14:02

Yeah, and so I'm thinking about, you know, if you grew up, uh I was in Boy Scouts uh from the time I was 11. We didn't have Cub Scouts where I was, so we had uh Y and CH.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Cub Scouts and Weeblos, Cub Scouts and Weeblos here.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

So yeah, but if you think back on a scout leader or a coach, you know, um I had some I only played football one year because I just didn't like it. I was a tennis player. But they the you go back to think about those those people that were your scout leaders or your or your sports coaches or whatever, and you can remember the ones that really cared about you as a person and wanted you to be better. Now, sometimes their instruction had to be a little like, no, this is how you have to do it. Right. If you're gonna tie a bolon knot or a double bowling knot, this is how you have to do it. Okay, if you want a square knot, this is how you have to do it. Um, and so there's sometimes when that authoritarian is important, but I still remember they very much cared for me as a person and wanted me to learn, progress. Why? So that when I got to a certain age, I could teach the younger scouts, you know. And uh, and I still remember like Mr. Cook, he was a scout master for years, and he just you could just tell he cared about his boys. He just cared about them, and it showed. And so as a leader, the question is do you care about your people? Do you really, really care about your people?

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Yeah, you made me think of Coach Perch, you know, as one of the people we had growing up, and he taught you how to shake hands. He said that was the number one thing you need to know is be able to shake somebody's hands. I I think I might even mention him on the show for, but I mean they estimate he probably taught a hundred thousand kids over his course of his years, you know, and how to shake hands. And that's one of the things that I'm very big. I I teach my kids now how to properly shake hands with people when you meet them.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

So yeah, and look in their eye and shake their hand. And I I I know that there's there's this guy at our church who um is a rancher, okay? And man, when you shake his head, he is you better be ready because that guy, I mean, he doesn't, I mean, he just it's so solid, right? You know, and you're thinking, wow, this guy is he's very intentional, and he comes up and he looks you right in the eye, shakes your hand, and he's very, very focused. And but he is one of the nicest, gentlest guys. But when it comes to shaking hands, it's all business, you know. And I bet he's done a lot of business just shaking hands over the years, and you know, it's like, yeah, that that yeah, I can tell when I shake his hand, it's gonna be a good, solid handshake. So, yeah. So let's get back to uh first Thessalonians. So so the it's um it's only four chapters long, it's a short book. Um, but the um he's really encouraging the people because they think they live in a Roman environment. Um, we see from this city and from other places that okay, you have a few people that believed what you said about Christ, that he was the Messiah. You have other people, the Romans and some Jews, that didn't believe. So they started causing controversy. Eventually, you know, Paul and his companions had to leave the city. Um, but he was really focusing on the truth um and the values of a Christian life. And I I you have a note down here that I just think is powerful about values that don't turn into action are just merely decorations. I think, wow, that is really good, Tim.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

So it's like, yes, and I know we've talked a lot about mission and your values of your, you know, but it's so important, right? It's so important. And and so if you have values on the wall, but you're just not living them out, you have a mission statement and you're not living it out. Um, if you can't look back, I know it's March, but if you look back over the last 15 months um from you know January of 2025, and you haven't lived out your mission statement, is it a decoration or or is it not? You know, so I think that's really how have you progressed in living out your mission? You know, whatever that may be.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

Yeah, I was just texting with a client this morning. He wants to get together. He says he's behind on his goal setting. So he's he has to get there. He did some beginning of the year, but uh he needs to go through it again and revamp and reorganize. So we're getting that on the schedule this morning.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

So I think that's really, really good. And so, you know, at the beginning of chapter one, he's just encouraging them. Paul was such an encourager.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

He was.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

I mean, my goodness. I don't know how he was because we don't really have a whole lot of records um of that uh prior to him becoming a Christian. Um but one of the things that happened when he became a Christ follower, he was just an amazing encourager. And and so it just makes me think uh as far as the leadership principle, that is one of our responsibilities as leaders is to encourage our people, you know. So sometimes we have to encourage them to stay in their lane, right? Right, yeah. But but um it's it's just so uplifting to be around people that are encouraging you instead of criticizing you all the time. I mean, it's like eventually you don't want to be around those people. It's like you don't want to come to work, right?

SPEAKER_01 19:49

You know, you have to have a combination, you know. You can't be, you know, rah-rah all the time, but at the same time, you you can't just lead in every time you see one of your employees, then you're dishing out negative, right? Because they're gonna try to avoid you going down the hallway, right? Because they don't know what's you know gonna come out of your mouth when they walk by you. So it's gotta be a combination of positives and and uh negatives to make you get better, right?

SPEAKER_00 20:12

Yeah. So today I just uh just uh normally on when we uh before I come to the studio, I go to swim practice, right? Right. And um and so in a couple weeks we'll have my coach on here as a guest, which I'm very excited about. Very excited, Dave. Yeah, very excited about that. Um but today um he was already in the parking lot. I try to get there about 15 to 20 minutes early just to warm up before swim lesson and class. And so he's his car is in the parking lot, and he has backed up his car into the in into the parking space. And so it's uh at the university, very small parking lot that we can park in. And so I was trying to find a spot, I find a spot, and I thought, I'm gonna back in too because it's so small, then it'll be easy to get out, right? Right. And so I back up and parking and he goes, and we're getting out of the car, we're going to the pool. He goes, Do you always back up into your parking spike? And I said, No, not not always. I said, Most of the time I just drive in straight. And he says, I always back up. He said, I always back up. And he said, It's just what I do. And I said, Well, why? He said, Because I always like to start out going forward. And I thought, Wow, that's pretty cool. That is really good. Yeah, and I'm thinking, you know what a great leadership principle. We're always trying to move, let's move forward. Let's don't go backwards. That's great.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

I never heard that before. Let's move forward. And I'm all about that.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

I just like, yes. And I think that's what Paul is saying. Hey, it's tough. You're re you're having some opposition, okay? But he knew the best way to move his people forward was to encourage them. Yeah. To encourage them. Them and to just to say, hey, I know it's tough, but I'm going to encourage you. Um and uh you've got to be about pleasing God, not pleasing people. And and I just thought that was really, really good.

SPEAKER_01 22:14

And that's exactly right, you know, please God, not the people. And I I know that he gets into that in chapter two, and he really starts doing that and and talking about um that leadership blueprint, you know, and and different things you can do to sort of nurture and challenge your people. And it's it's pretty exciting.

SPEAKER_00 22:32

So yeah, and so speaking of chapter two, in chapter two, verse eight, it talks about Paul's talking about they shared not only the gospel, but their own lives. And it's like, wow, what what a great statement that you know Paul wasn't just there uh trying to get to know the people, he shared his own journey with them. And and so it makes me think that the more we share life together, uh, the more people are willing to buy in to not just the mission, the vision, but to you, and and you see yourself as a we, not just me or you. I mean, it's more of a team effort, not just an individual effort. And I thought that was really, really good.

SPEAKER_01 23:20

Yeah, no, it's a great statement.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

Yeah, really good. And and so, you know, we get to chapter three.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Um, right? Yeah. Now we start getting into Timothy. Yay! Yes, we do. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:38

So Paul sends Timothy to what is it to strengthen and encourage them.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

You know, and and so uh whatever Paul was doing, if he could have gone there personally, he would have done it, but he couldn't. So he sent someone who would do exactly what Paul would do. Strengthen and encourage them. Yeah. In person.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

You know, and and that's what he did. And as as he was a great leader, right? He he followed up with people. He didn't just make assumptions and and uh he he sent Timothy to follow up with him and and to check in and go, how's it going? Because I mean he had to flee eventually. So he doesn't know if if everything's just done, if any of his friends are still there or what. Or, you know, so he has to go there. He could have just kept moving on and spreading, but I mean he made a point to uh send Timothy to go back and check on her base.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

So yeah, and I think what you just said just kind of slipped through, but I think it's a great leadership principle, and that is great leaders follow up.

SPEAKER_03 24:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:38

Okay. Um and and so the question would be uh how much do you follow up on your people? You give them something to do, do you follow up on a weekly basis, a monthly basis, quarterly basis? Um, and like I've said before, I was not doing well uh in my early ministry doing evaluations or follow-up. I just gave somebody something to do that asked me, what am I supposed to do? And I'd tell them, and I just expected them to do it. I didn't think about, I needed to follow up and check on them. And and that didn't always turn out well. Okay. And it's not that you want to be autocratic about it, but you want to make sure that what you're doing and how you want it done is done properly. And so checking up on people, some people with my staff, I met with every week and other people I'd meet once a month, you know, one-on-one. And and so whatever works for you, but don't just think that you're gonna give somebody an assignment or a do a report and and don't follow up on it. I mean, that that's doesn't always work well. Right. So when you give somebody something to do, give them a deadline. Give them a say, okay, let's check back in two weeks from today at two o'clock, put it on your calendar. And I I'd like to have this done by that time. And if you need help between now and then, if you need a question, come in my office, we'll talk about it, and and so you can move forward.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

Right.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:07

Yeah. And I think that's uh what people need. They want that that follow-up, and and you know, one of the things that he sort of, you know, really goes through is uh it it gives them that that comfort level, right? Where it's he cares a little bit about us and and uh you know that goes a long way of just offering uh to come in anytime, you know, and to make sure that you have that open door policy. So many people say they have an open door policy, but they're unapproachable.

SPEAKER_00 26:33

So yes, exactly right. Because they're so busy, quote, that they don't really have time for their people, and it gets around. Um and so we come to chapter four, um, and and he's he's just trying to finish up his letter. Um, but hit one of the things he really does really well in in his letters um is give people hope, you know, hope for the future. Um we'll talk about this next week when we talk about 2 Thessalonians, but one of the big issues of the early church in the first century was when was Jesus coming back? I mean, it was a big teaching of Jesus that he was going to come back, and one of the big disappointments, and we won't get into it now, but it is a big disappointment in the early first century, was that people expected Jesus come back in their lifetime, and he didn't. Um and people have been praying for that for 2,000 years, and but the the question is, it wasn't. It was a huge disappointment. So how do this a little spoiler, how do you as a leader deal with disappointment when you're not when you don't meet your goals, when you don't meet your quota, when something happens and it's a huge disappointment, how as a leader do you deal with that? And we're gonna talk about that next week because that's a huge part of Second Thessalonians.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Yeah, because you know it's for you being a good leader and not and not creating a culture where they they they look at that negative, you know, you you bring them up out of the ashes and show them that hope.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

So yeah. So Paul was so good at that. Um, because he was also dealing, he was hoping that Jesus would come back. He didn't, and so he was walking with them through that. But there are some things that he shared that I think can be helpful for us. Uh, because if you run a business, which a lot of you do that are listening to us, uh, all kinds of businesses, um, you're going to deal with disappointment. It could be a deadline you missed, it could be a contract that um that fell through, it could be one of your major customers uh goes with a competitor. Um, it could be a lot of different things. And if you don't know how to deal with disappointment and work with your people through that, then it's just gonna make matters worse. So we'll deal with that next week. And uh, but Paul was really, really good giving a foundation of hope. Um, and not just saying, well, it'll be fine, you know, not just being Pollyanish about it. Right. So yeah. Yeah. All right. So we're we're gonna, you know, um uh we're gonna um stop now. I did make a mistake earlier in the show. I said First Thessalonians has four chapters. It actually has five.

SPEAKER_03 29:28

It does have five.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

It does have five. That's my mistake. Um and so he's just, you know, in chapter five, he's just kind of summarizing um the the uh some things and uh and just yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

One of the the things that I'll I'll jump in there is the favorite leadership line in in the whole load letter that he wrote was different people require different leadership. And I thought that was the strongest thing I took out of that.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

Yeah. Uh chapter five, verse 14. And that's so true. Um and he's just even then, he's just encouraging his people. Um and uh and just like most of his letters, he lays a foundation, theological foundation at the beginning, and then at the end of the letter, he gives some very how do you apply this practically to your everyday lives? So in chapter five, a lot of practical stuff, encouraging the people. Some people were thinking that Jesus was coming back, so they didn't have to work, they don't have to do anything. Right. And and they said, No, that's not that's not really right. You know, you need to, you need to be working, you need to be praying, you need to give thanks. I think one of the most amazing um passages is 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, uh verse 16, 17, 18. I'm just gonna read that uh and then we will uh close out today. But this is what he says rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. He didn't say give thanks for all circumstances, he says give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Um and um and and so I just think that is a powerful statement. Um and it just kind of gives a summary of I think Paul's character, his leadership style, um and we can see that's how he lived, because even uh in the chapter 16 of the book of Acts, when he's in prison, um in a basically a underground prison in Philippi, he and Silas are just singing. You know, he's rejoicing in all circumstances, not necessarily for, but because he had that kind of attitude and spirit, um it really opened the doors to uh you know advance the mission of of the gospel. So it's good. It was good. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I like it. I like it. So that's that's transition to some dad jokes.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

We're just gonna cut off no dad jokes, we just we have to do dad jokes. Yeah, we have to imagine that.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Yeah, we have to. Okay, here's the thing. If your great grandmother saw you making mashed potatoes out of a box, I bet she would turn over in her gravy. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 32:32

You know, I haven't installed the gong.

SPEAKER_00 32:35

Okay, got to do that. You need to. Okay, so the other night we were out to dinner with some friends.

SPEAKER_03 32:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:41

I wore my noise canceling headphones to dinner. You know, I thought my wife would be so mad, but I I didn't hear any complaints.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

Yeah. Um, so you know, it's it's really we don't really have any more, hopefully, no more freezes here in Texas. You know, about this time of March, the the last freeze is over. Um but I you know, I do enjoy cold weather, but only to a certain degree. Okay, so what do you call a cow that had a baby?

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Um, let's see.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

What do you call a cow that had a baby?

unknown 33:30

Uh I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Decaffeinated. All right, I like it. So I I had you know, I had back surgery two times back in 1988. I had uh an injury in my back, uh, actually because I was unloading a truck full of pumpkins by hand. That's a true story. And uh hurt my back when I was in graduate school and seminary, um, and uh had it was in traction. Ten years later, I actually had surgery uh for it. Um and so I really have to sleep on a hard mattress. Now that's not a that's not a joke. That's just literally true. And some hotels we stay in, the mattress is so soft I actually sleep on the floor. But I have a friend that would only sleep on a pile of old magazines. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Why is the friend only sleep on the Because he had a lot of back issues? Oh, I could probably hook you up there. I got a lot of magazine magazines in this this office here.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

Oh say what's the difference between a hippo and a zippo?

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Hippo and a zippo. One's lighter.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

Yeah, one's really heavy and the other's a little lighter. Very good. Okay, we got it. That's that's awesome. That's really good. You know, some people really like floors.

SPEAKER_01 35:03

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:04

But I'm uh more of a sailing fan.

SPEAKER_01 35:10

All right, one more.

SPEAKER_00 35:11

One more.

SPEAKER_01 35:12

What's brown and sticky? Brown and sticky.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

Sticky brown stuff.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

A stick. All right, one more from your massive one over there.

SPEAKER_00 35:27

Okay. Um why did the rabbit eat the engagement ring?

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Why did the rabbit eat the engagement ring? I do not know.

SPEAKER_00 35:40

Because it was 24 carats.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Got really full on that, right? Yeah. All righty. All right, we better stop. We better. All right, thank you for joining us today. Uh gonna come back next week and uh continue on with some letters, I do believe, right?

SPEAKER_00 35:58

Second Thessalonians. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

And other than that, everybody have a great day. And I'm gonna let Dr. Posey take us out with the official. Hey, thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

Make it a great day.