#187 Do Not Fear Society

listening wherever you're coming from. And I want to tell you a little update on Bernie, who was our guest last episode, who was saying he was going to go run this crazy thirty mile altering, crazy man running thing. He lived, He survived. Everything's good, He's doing great, and he finished that was his goal. So I had some people in a meet and greet say, hey, whatever happened with Bernie? Is he okay? Yeah, he did great, And so I'm here to report all good on the Bernie front.

And what I do here on this podcast is I answer your questions and you email me Granger Smith Podcast at gmail dot com, and we walk through these like we're just sitting in the cab of a truck and you have a question. You say, hey, man, can I run something by you? I got a question for you, and we talk it out in the podcast form allows me to talk slowly and think through it and answer like I would if you were sitting with me as

a friend. Now. The key is I don't have notes in front of me, or books or quotes, and in fact, I haven't even read these questions, so this is the first time I hear the question as I react to them as you hear them. Okay. Also been talking the last few weeks about possibly taking this podcast on the road, doing a live recording of the podcast in your city. So comment below. If this is a platform that you can comment on like YouTube, comment or go to my

social media. If it's not a platform you comment on and go to my latest post on any of the social media and just say, hey, man, I would love for you to take the podcast to my city, take a tour, and then we could have a live audience as we record. We could answer questions from the live audience in real time, and then have a meet and greet and talk to everyone afterward, and then maybe go over some stuff in person with you live in your city. What I need to know from you, guys is what

city and what venue. I have no idea. I've been doing music for twenty four years touring, and I don't know what it looks like to do a podcast tour. So you got a venue idea, or at least just a city that'll give us a good plan. Or we could look at a map of the US and go, all right, we need to hit these cities because they're within driving distance of these towns, these regions. Okay, so live podcast tour. I think that'd be really cool. And then leading up to that will be the book, my

first book, Like a River, coming out August first. I'm so excited for that. I'm starting to read the audiobook. Actually today, I'm going to start recording that so you can get that and the copy of the book, and that'll be just a great conversation starter to a lot of these questions that we have writer on this podcast. Enough about me, let's flip the mirror over to you, pull out the email here, and I'm going to go

randomly and see what we find you guys. Ready, first question that pops up here says subdecline, how do I communicate the want of attention? Hey, Grander, been a fan of you and your podcast for a few months now. I've been listening to them every night before bed. I'd like to stay anonymous. My question to you is this, how do I tell my girlfriend that the amount of attention she gives me isn't what I'm used to compared

to the past and what I prefer. I feel like I'm the one making the effort to ask her about her and how she's feeling, and overall, I feel like I'm committing seventy five percent of this relationship effort. Everything is fine in person, but I just don't know how to bring up this conversation without the fear of upsetting her or killing the mood. You've helped me give my life to Christ and to trust his process day by day,

and I am forever thankful. Thank you, God blessed. Okay Anonymous, thank you for the email, brother, and let's walk through this. You are feeling it. You're giving everything you have to this relationship. Seventy five percent is what you say to this relationship. You're getting hardly anything back. And what you mean by that is you want someone to ask you about your day and to pour into you and ask you how you're feeling and talk. Oh buddy, oh buddy,

I'm hesitant to tell you that. Okay, let me reiterate what this podcast is. Okay, this is not therapy, this is not counseling. This is not a psychologist or a psychiatrist. I am telling you. I'm gonna tell you things to all these questions, as a friend would say, Okay, so there's the difference. I'm not a psychologist. I'm a friend

of yours. That's two different answers. Okay, a psychologist is going to go deep into these feelings and the reason she's not giving them, and maybe the underlying ways for you to be able to and on and on. But as a friend, I'm gonna say this, brother, I don't think this is the right girl for you, and I think it's the wrong girl. I think the problem is this is the wrong girl for you. You could probably

force this to work. You could probably you know, do the square peg in the round hole for a while. But some girls and some guys are just not talkers. They're not people that ask about other people's feelings. And they don't. It's just not something it's not in their wheelhouse, right, It's just not something they do. It's not something they get home from work and they go to dinner and they just cannot wait to hear all about your day.

But the good news is some girls are and so I believe, I know that there are girls out there that would be compatible with you in this but it feels like this one's not. Now Whise it's so difficult. Why do I say, I hesitate to say, because you probably love her, and you probably have a connection, and you're in deep on this relationship, and that makes it tough.

It makes it tough, man. But when you're sitting here saying I feel like I'm the one always making the effort to ask her about her day and how she's feeling, and overall, I feel like I'm committing seven five percent of this relationship's effort. I think when you say it that way, you're saying, I wish this leopard didn't have spots. And my old drummer Mike used to always tell me a leopard is always gonna have spots. You can't get rid of them. And it's so true, and it's just

not a bad thing for her. I'm not saying she's a bad girl. I'm just saying she's a leopard with spots and you can't try to wipe them off. That's just who she is, and you're you're asking for things that it's very difficult. If you were married, listen to this, if you're married for ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, I would say, Okay, let's work through this. Let's work

through this. Let's try to find a way that you're compatible with her personality in this way that you guys stay together and you become close friends and lovers and spouses. But that's not your story. This is just your girlfriend. I don't mean to minimize it by saying just your girlfriend. I know you love her, or you wouldn't have emailed me, But I'm saying there's a way out now, And I'm saying you if you'd go down this path, which you can and you might, You're you're you're looking at a

tough road. It's not gonna get easier. You might have some seasons you go through where she's a little bit better at asking you about your feelings, but then she's going to go back to her leopard spots, because that's just who she is, that's her DNA. She's she's gonna end up great with a guy that doesn't need to talk about his feelings or his day. She's going to be more compatible with that guy. Okay, I know this is not the advice she wanted. It's probably not what

you wanted to hear. But as a friend and not a psychiatrist and not a marriage counselor because you're not married, I say, I think it's I think this is the wrong girl for you. Next question, subject Cline says interesting says dying while intoxicated. Hey, grangel, my question is if you are born again, If you are a born again Christian but happen to drink alcohol to the point that you're intoxicated, and then something happens and you die, will you go to heaven? By the way, love the podcast

and your music and your YouTube channels. Keep out the good work. Evelyn from California. Evelyn, thank you for emailing and the answer to your question simple. The answer is yes, you will go to heaven. Next question, I'm just kidding. What if I did the next No, let me explain the answers. Yes, but let me explain it's yes because you qualified it with one thing. If you are a born again Christian, regardless of the middle part that you write,

take it all out. Doesn't matter what you say after that. When you die will you go to heaven? The answers yes, no matter this is crazy, no, no matter what you put in the middle. If you were born again, you will go to heaven. You're regenerated, you're new creature, You're alive in Christ. Here's the catch. When you're a new creature, when your new creation, when you are reborn, born again, born anew, when you are alive, you're dead to your old self. You're dead to your old self and now

alive a new creature in Christ. You are. You used to be a caterpillar, now you're a butterfly. When that happens to you, a lot of these things start falling off, start shedding off. So the chance of you getting it's so intoxicated to the point of death. Then you start saying, were you born again? Maybe you weren't born again? Right, because if you're a new creature, and it is possible, because it's not about what you do. It's never about

what you do that gets you to heaven. It's not about what you do right, it's about what has been done for you through Christ. That's the story of Christianity. That's what separates it from every other religion. It's not about how good you are, How clean your plate is, how washed, how whitewashed you are, perfect, and how clean you how clean your hands are, how clean your conscious is, how little you sin. It's never been. That's never been the qualifier for heaven. It never has been. Has nothing

to do with what you do. It has to do with what has been done for you. And when something's been done, as in Christ dying on the cross as a replacement of your sins, as a substitute for your sins, so that you are forgiven, and you repent and you're reborn through that, and you turn away from your old life. You turn away from your sins, and you believe, and you accept Jesus as your lord and savior. Maybe I shouldn't Eve say I don't even like that word accept.

You know I don't. That's just an old That's like an old Billy Graham saying I don't even like that word accept. When you believe and surrender, I like that word a lot better. You surrender to Jesus as your lord, you're born again. And those two things are two parallel lines that intersect only in Heaven. Those two things your responsibility to respond and believe and Jesus ransoming you as an adopted son. All that has nothing to do with

you getting intoxicated. But the thing is that as a reflection, as a response to the new creature that you are, you're gonna start hating this idea of being intoxicated. You're gonna start hating the old sin. It's not gonna go completely away, but you're gonna hate it and you're gonna be wrestling with it and you're gonna be fighting against it. That's what a new creature does in Christ. That's that's

a really good sign that you're reborn. Is if you start hating the old things that you used to do, and even when you still do them, and you will occasionally, you still go back into that old life, that old sin, and you repeat some things that you used to do, and when you do it, you hate it, and so you wrestle and you fight against it in that constant battle. That that is a good sign. That is that's a

good sign that you're battling you're killing sin. Right. So it's a very complicated way of saying, yes, you go to heaven if you die intoxicated. Yeah, I was hit another one. Oh I loved I love doing these guys, I really do sub decline In the next one says demonic attacks in spiritual warfare and grand your My name is James some twenty one from Michigan. Long time listening to the podcast. It has helped me through so many

hard times. God bless you. I have recently gotten more serious about my relationship with Christ and have been battling against lust and alcohol. Along with this, I believe that I have been under attack from the devil. I've had nights where I wake up with figures at the foot of my bed, nightmares, constant anxiety, and just recently I picked up my phone to watch a video and I

received in the middle of the night. And when I picked up my phone and I put it to my ear, and I heard sell your soul, followed by hissing and screaming, and I felt dozens of hands grabbing me and pulling me downward. I cried out to Jesus and I felt him pull me back up. Praise Him for that. But now I'm always scared to sleep, for I know that I most likely will be attacked again. What can I do?

God Bless James? All right, my brother, let's discuss let's talk about this, me and you driving down the truck, you know, driving down the road in the truck, wind is down, and this is what you bring up to me, and I sad. I'm gonna Start's start with the basics. Let's say first, let's look at what happened, considering that you're being sincere about all of this. Right there at the end, it says you cried out to Jesus and

he pulled you back up. Good, right, okay, good. That's a great acknowledgment, and that's a great understanding of what happened. You got your answer, right. You don't need me to tell you that you got your answer. And here's the bad part next line. But now I'm always scared to go to sleep, for I know it may most likely be I may likely be attacked again. What can I do? You see how you just a circular argument? You just did. This is what you said. Let me repeat just so

everyone that listens to this podcast knows. When I read these emails so many times, I see the answer to your question in your own email, in your own words, And I don't have to do anything but take this mirror and turn it back to you. So you see yourself. Let me repeat these lines. All this stuff happened to you, these hands pulling you downward. Right, you say this. I cried out to Jesus and he pulled me back up. But now I'm scared and I don't know what can

I do. You just answered, what can you do? Cry out to Jesus. That's what you did, and it worked. Here's a psychology behind it. I told you I'm not a psychiatrist, but let me give you Let me change that. Let me give you the theology behind that. Jesus is victorious, God Lord of host is victorious. He is victorious over all satanic activity, all demonic activity. He wins in the end. We have the book and we could read the last chapter and we know he wins. Stay on the winning side.

When you know you're on the winning side, when you trust in Christ, when you cry out to him like that, then you don't have to worry about going to sleep, because you're sleeping with the General of the army. He has got you. He's not only the general of the army, but he is the victor of the war. And you already know it. He won the war. So you're sleeping with him now. When you go to bed, you don't worry about this. I wouldn't worry. I would not worry

after reading your story, I wouldn't worry. But what can you do in the meantime?

this word that I'm talking about is the Bible. You take that word and you open it up and you go, I'm going to Matthew one victorious today. I'm victorious over all demonic activity in my life. Why because I've got I've got the general, I've got the victor. And here it is, here's his word, living, breathing, alive. This word is Christ John One. It says in the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the

word was God. When you read that word, when you feast on it, you are literally feasting on the Lord. So you take that book and you take Matthew one one or any other place you want to start. Maybe John, we just said that. Start there, Start John one. You open that up and you go, Lord, I'm reading your victorious word. Pour this word all over me. Let me taste the sweetness of it, Let me feast on it. Let me eat it up, because it is my life sweeter than honey. I love this word. And if you

don't totally believe that, make that your prayer. God. Let me see. Let me hunger for this, Let me taste that. The Lord is good. And when you start tasting and you start feasting, and you get rid of all that other fast food that's just filling you up with junk, so that you're not as hungry for the Word, the living, breathing, abiding word. When you feast on that in that way, you ain't got to worry about going to sleep. Brother, you're sleeping with the general of the army. Well, let's

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dot com. It's super simple. I check these and they go to a special folder Grangersmith Podcast at gmail dot com, and I go through these and you could talk about any subject you want to. Okay, we're gonna read them randomly without me haveing ever seen them before. Okay, first one, let's see subject line is question for podcast about giving. Hey, grangerd, thanks for all you do. Have a question about financial giving and would love your perspective from someone who is

well off. My husband and I are very fortunate to have good jobs. We are Christians who work very hard and try to be generous with our money, with still having enough left to save and provide for our family.

Hope this doesn't sound like boasting. I'm just trying to give some context I've been reading in the Bible about Jesus stating it is harder for the rich to make it to Heaven than the poor because they give out their extra So I am wondering what is your take on this and recommendation to those who want to make sure that they're on the right path with giving and helping others financially. I love the direction of your life and can't wait to see your farewell tour in Fowlerville,

Michigan this summer. Emily. Hey, Emily thank you for the email, thoughtful email you have here. And you know, this is one of these questions that I get sometimes when sometimes I read it and I think, just the thought, just the thought that just the fact that you're reading into this, you're digging into the subject like this, gives me an indication that you're going to be okay because you're processing

this kind of stuff. Because if you're not processing it, if you're not thinking about it, if you're not always listen here it is, if you're not always trying to bounce your lifestyle off of the Bible and make sure that it's coming right back to you, making sure that everything you're doing is biblical in every biblical way, and then wrestling with it and wondering and hoping and praying and digging back into the Word again and then reflecting it back on your life and going, I don't know

about this. This is weird right here, because sometimes we get sanctified in certain areas that other people don't. That is so important to understand, y'all. What do I mean by that? It means it means that you could be doing something that is not a sin to someone else, but it becomes a sin to you, because it becomes a form of idolatry, that it's not an idology, it's

not an idol to someone else. Here's my point. I noticed a few years ago that I was starting to care a little bit too much for college football in a way that it was affecting my Saturday morning wake up on Saturday morning, and I would get a little anxious, like my heart would start beating. I start watching college game Day and start thinking about the Aggies and thinking about whoever they had, and then they would play, and that would go two different directions for the rest of

the day. Either one direction I'm like on cloud nine and super happy, or I would be really mad or sad or upset or frustrated or mildly I'm gonna use this word lightly depressed. But I realized that my emotions were being affected by the Aggies in a way that it was dictating happiness and sadness. And as I started wrestling with that, I realized, I'm being sanctified in a

way that I need to drop this idol. I need to get away from college football until I could until I have learned to manage it in a in a responsible way. And I remember my tour manager Chris was like he was hearing me talk about that, and he was like, wait, worry. So you tell me college football is a sin. You tell me watching the Longhorns is a sin. And I'm like, no, no, I'm not. And that's what I mean that some things can become idols for certain people, to become a sin and not for others.

So as you feel with your question, with your with your finances and your giving, and you're reading the word, and you're you're you're attending church and you're you're plugged into your community, and you're you're living with your palms up, hands open, no closed fist, and you say, God, it is all yours. Everything I have is yours. Let me be the steward of it. Let me be able to pour into others with the gifts that you've given me and anything I have, every penny, every every piece of

food on my plate is from you. So let me steward that. Don't let me hold back anything, don't let me be selfish, don't let anything be from self intentions. Right, So, if you're living that way, then that's when you could better see the sanctification. As things start coming off and you go. You know what, I feel weird about getting those shoes. I feel weird about getting a new car like that doesn't feel right. I feel strange about taking

this family vacation this year. None of the things I just said, getting shoes, getting a car, taking a vacation, none of those are sin. But it could be for you if you're living and breathing in the word and you're feasting on it and you realize, oh, the Lord is sanctifying me here. The Lord's sanctifying me on this jewelry that I've been shopping for on Amazon that I don't need. I'm not telling you not to get jewelry. I'm saying, listen, listen to how you specifically are being sanctified.

That's a general answer to begin the conversation that I think it's a great question you're asking and that you're asking it. But what I want to go to next in your question is I want to make sure that you are plugged in to a good local church, a church that's not too big, a church, that there's enough pastors in your church, even if it's just one, to be able to shepherd the flock personally and appropriately and responsibly. So if you have two thousand members in your church.

I hope you don't, but if you do, you're gonna need about two hundred and fifty pastors or more right, not really, not really, I'm exaggerating, but you need to have enough pastors and elders or whatever your church is run by that could responsibly lead the flock. These shepherds need to be You don't. I'm just rambling all you don't want too many sheep for the one shepherd that he can't be able to tend to the flock in

the personal needs. So I want you to be plugged into a church like that, Emily, so that you could walk through this question with your elders or your pastor

or other church members. So you could say, Pastor, we we just you know, my husband just got a bonus at work and we are kind of deliberating on what to do with this with this bonus, the pastor looks at it from an outside perspective with a biblical foundation, so that you aren't being self deceived with your own money, so that you avoid this situation of hoarding our feeling prideful or feeling greed as you hoard in money, and at the same time that you're not irresponsible and giving

it all out, so then you have you have nothing to pay the bills next month with. You could make that same mistake and be homeless as well. Bible does not call us to be homeless. So I think a pastor leading you through this stuff helps you to stay out of it is. You're not stuck in the vacuum. So he could say, I would take twenty percent, put it here, ten percent, put it here, take a couple hundred dollars, and you guys go enjoy a nice steak dinner so you could relax away from the kids a

little bit. He might say something like that. In a situation that you might have felt guilty to take that steak dinner, the pastor says, I feel like you'd be good stewards to yourselves by going out and enjoying a nice meal away from the kids. I think that's a great idea to have someone else be able to pour into you that way, and that's what a pastor is

supposed to do. So it's so important to be plugged into a body of believers around you, and you could say, hey, everybody, we're trying to be the best stewards of the wealth that God has blessed us with. How do we do this? It's really interesting that someone at that very moment might say, I've got a cousin that's going on a mission trip in Uganda and they're needing some funding, and you go there it is the Lord's now put that on my heart.

How much money do you need? He needs forty seven hundred dollars, and you go, okay, I'm living open handed, open palmed. Here's a check for forty seven hundred dollars. It's really interesting how the Lord works through those that that kind of faithfulness. It's a good question. Sorry for the long answer, but thanks for asking it. Next question subject cliente says hil excuse me, homeschool or public school.

Subdecline says homeschool or public school. My husband and I are becoming increasingly more concerned with the state of our public schools. We are God fearing people. The indoctrination of our children is real and it's happening. I feel like the Lord has placed homeschooling on my heart. The homeschooling world is evolving and growing. My husband has asked God to reveal his will to us in this regard what

are your thoughts? Colby from Alabama? Thanks Colby, I appreciate you listening and writing in shout out to beautiful Alabama. And let's walk through your question here. What I want to make sure Colby. I want to make sure that in Kobe's a girl, I want to make sure you're not living in fear of man or society. Okay, So

I want to make that distinction. I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're saying, as long as when you say we're God fearing people, the indoctrination of our children is real, as long as you don't mean we believe in God and we believe that we believe that we are now fearful that man is going to change our kids and turn them away from God. So there's a there's a there that you have to live partly

by saying God is sovereign, God is providential. He has put us in this community, he has he has the whole world in his hands, like the song says, and and the indoctrination doesn't happen to my kids because I'm bringing them up in the Lord. And so instead of helicoptering, instead of protecting them from the world, you are preparing them for the world. How you deal with that is up to you and your own household. You have to play. You have to understand the dynamics of your family and

your kids. I don't know that. You have to understand the dynamic of your your local public school. You have to understand the dynamic of your wife and you and your excuse me, your husband, and your ability to be teachers in your own home and to be stewards of the curriculum that you're that you need to teach. So these are things that you have to wrestle with that. There's too many questions that I don't know from one

message here. As long as you know that the end goal is not protecting from the world, but preparing for it. Whatever gets that done, how do you prepare them from the world, That's really important because I just can't say broadly, oh, yeah, you're right, everyone should homeschool. Can't say that because I think in a lot of situations public school is going to be the best bet to prepare them for the world.

And a lot of people don't have the means for homeschooling, or they don't have the money or the space or the ability because they also work full time jobs. So that's just you can't. I can't say it to everyone. Okay, that being said, the next part of your question is, my husband has asked God to reveal his will to us. Well, his will is revealed through the renewal of our minds.

We know that the Bible, it's very clear that to understand God's will for us happens through the renewal of our minds as we study God's word, as we fellowship with other brothers and sisters, as we are under sound teaching from our local pastor that has prepared a message every week from us and then continues to walk as the shepherd for us throughout the week. This is I give you this advice, and I live this advice myself as well. Okay, all everything I'm saying, I'm living myself.

So this is not something I'm putting on you. I need to follow this myself as well. But we understand that God and his will for us revealed doesn't happen, can But it doesn't happen through a dream revelation or a wild writing in the sky. Okay, it happens through long, long games of slow, patient reading and studying and serving and self denying, and as that happens every day, our minds are renewed, and then we could we could have

a better sense for what He needs for us. Part of it, you could say, right here through this podcast, God uses human agency to enact his will and to speak to us. So part of it could be what you're hearing right now through this podcast. But I think the most important thing to take away is there is no right or wrong answer. Do not be afraid of society. We raised children up in this society for times like this. We need good kids to be raised in this society,

and we shouldn't shy away from it. We should build them up up from our own homes and send them out prepared with armor on. They go out into the world, and we don't care what the world brings. Nothing in the world surprises us, nothing catches us off off guard because we have prepared them, we have armed them. So go out because you're made for a time like this, right. That's that's how we view our children going into the world, instead of.

literal when I said weapons. You know what I mean. It's a great question, and I hope I was faithful in walking through that with you. Next question, here got another one coming up. Oh man, that's so funny. Ironically, the next question, subject client says, what is God's purpose for me? A grand dr. I'm sixteen years old, I'm finishing my junior year in high school. I don't know what I want to do. After I graduate high school.

I don't really have interest in college at this point, and I don't have something specifically that I would love to do as a career. I want to fulfill God's purpose for me in life. Do you have any advice on how to find what God has for me to do in this life? Is there anything wrong with working at a non career business instead of getting a career at college or going to further schooling. Thank you for doing this podcast. It's so enjoyable and encouraging to listen to.

I love your music too. Yee Okay, And you don't say Joel is your name? You don't say anonymous. I'm gonna say Joel, thanks for emailing sixteen years old. I love it when sixteen year old listens to this podcast. I'm extremely encouraged by that. So it feeling is mutual. Joel. Let me talk about this a little bit. The first thing, those of you all that have heard this a long time, you'll know that I'm probably gonna lead with this. First things. First,

be sixteen. You're worrying about adult problems, and I don't want you to worry. I want you to think about them, but I don't want you to worry about them. I don't want you to stress over them. Because you're sixteen. It's cool to have a plan. It's cool to say, yeah, I'm kind of thinking about this and this and this. But as soon as you start saying I'm really worried about this, there's a problem. Because you're sixteen, and really the most important thing you could do right now is

get good grades. And that's so cliche to say, but getting good grades prepares you for all of the above, prepares you for all of the answers. Every scenario is well equipped when you have good grades going through high school. Okay, you're finishing your junior year, so these are things that you know. As you get to be a senior, it becomes more and more important. So get good grades and then I'm gonna kind of touch on the God's purpose

that don't get hung up on that. We get hung up on this God's purpose thing, or as in the last email, said God's will, trying to discern God's will for me, trying to find out my purpose. You know what you're purposes, Joel. Your purpose is at the end of the Book of Matthew, go forth making disciples of all nations. Teaching them to obey. That's your purpose. It's all as believers. If you are a Christian, that's your purpose, going into all nations preaching the Word, teaching them to

be disciples and to obey Jesus. That's what it is. That's your purpose, and there's many ways of accomplishing that through all kinds of different jobs and vocations. Next, I'm going to say this so that you don't get hung up on that God's purpose thing. Don't do that. Don't get hung up on as if God is going to speak to you through the clouds and giving you a big announcement that you're doing this Now, it's a slow thing. You're slowly churning that, butter buddy. I just said that,

didn't I. You're slowly churning that, butter buddy. So don't be looking for big revelation, be looking for small steps. They're in the right direction. The next thing I want to say is the end of your email says should I. Basically you're saying should I go to college or go straight into a business, or should I pursue further schooling. I want to say it this way. If you get to that crossroads at the end of your senior year and you still have the same question should I go

into work or should I go into school? If you still are there and nothing's clear to you yet, which it might not be, It's okay, I didn't have a clear picture when I was your age at all. When I was sixteen, I was an idiot. So if you still have that question at that point, it's always better to equip with as many tools as you possibly can

before you go out into the world. And a tool comes from learning some kind of trade or further schooling for a some kind of degree, So you're either padding your resume with a degree or you're gaining another tool for your belt through a tech, some kind of tech. That's just the that's just the better way to do it. Always, instead of going, okay, I'm at a crossroads, which way should I go? The way that you should always go if you're there and you still don't know, is equip

equip yourself with tools. Now, you could do that while you're still working. You want to still work and either go to night's school or work, or go to school in the day and work nights. But equip yourself with some kind of trade will just just matter so much down the road, it will matter to you in ways that you can't possibly understand. Personal example, I went to I went to Texas A and M. And I left after two years to go write songs for EMI Publishing

in Nashville. But then I was at a crossroads about twenty two years old, thinking I want to go play music. All I want to do is play music. That's all I want to do. It's all I cared about. It's all I thought about was playing music, touring with a band,

and I was romanticized about that. But I knew probably the best move is to finish that degree that I started at Texas A and M. So I went back to college station, lived with my uncle, slept on his couch, uncle Johnny, and worked at different places and worked for him in construction, worked as a painter, worked as a lawn guy, and hosted some open mic nights. As I was playing music and was able to finish up school and I got a history degree because I loved history.

But I didn't know how much that was going to mean to me until literally twenty years later. I was called out of music and into industry, and guess what I was able to go into seminary and pursue a graduate degree on top of the bachelor's degree. I got to Texas A and M. And if I hadn't done that when I was twenty two, if I hadn't thought about going back, then I would be in a different situation where I wouldn't be able to go seek that

master's degree in seminary. And so my point is it's better now to equip when you don't have a lot of responsibility and a bunch of kids running around and a wife and bills to pay, it's better to go grab as many things as you are interested in. And that could just be a general studies degree at at a junior college or some kind of tech school. If

you're into something that's techie, do that. I've heard Dave Ramsey say, You're like a caveman in a cave, and you want to gather as many tools in your cave as you can sol when you go out of the cave to make your kill, which is in business or life or career, you want to have the right tools to make the kill. And so your tools are something you could get right now. Joel, don't forget the first part of this question. Just be sixteen. Don't dig too deep,

just make plans responsibly, but also enjoy being sixteen. That's all we got today, guys, love y'all so much, See you next Monday. Thanks for joining me on the Granger Smith Podcast. I appreciate all of you guys. You could help me out by rating this podcast on iTunes. If you're on YouTube, subscribe to this channel. Hit that little like button and the notification spell so that you never miss anytime I upload a video. If you have a question for me that you would like me to answer,

email Grangersmith Podcast at gmail dot com. Yi