The Truth About "How We Are Really Doing"

Ever wondered how we're really doing behind the scenes? In our latest late-night living room session, we open up with nothing but raw honesty, answering a heartfelt question from one of our Instagram followers: "How are you guys?" From the exhilarating highs of hitting podcast milestones and launching brand-new merch, to the tough realities of transitioning to self-employment, we dive into the joys and challenges we're currently navigating. This episode is all about maintaining balance and intentionally nurturing our own "grass" amidst the chaos of life. We’re dressed down, relaxed, and ready to give you a genuine update on where we are right now.

For the past three years, we've called Orange County, California, home—a journey filled with both blessings and challenges. We candidly discuss the financial strain of private schooling for our kids, Jordan and Brooklyn, and the emotional toll of living away from family. Our conversation ranges from the importance of fostering deep, sometimes tough conversations within our community, to the unwavering support we get from our church family. We also touch on sensitive issues like pornography within Christian marriages and share experiences that have cemented our faith in Christ. Join us as we encourage you to share your stories, strengthen your faith, and partner with us on this incredible journey.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Life Update
• 8:55 Finding Family Away From Home
• 19:08 Believe in Christ, Partner Up

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

What's up, let's Dig crew. We are here. It is a late night session and we got people that are asking questions, so we decided let's take it all down. Let's do it after the kids go to bed and let's just let y'all in on this intimate conversation. So if you're ready, let's dig.

Speaker 2: 0:19

We're not really digging, though, are we?

Speaker 1: 0:20

We're not really digging but we just got to say it because it's part of the branding we're just relaxing, chilling, sweat, pains. I got I don't have shoes on, I have socks. I'm right this is the first one. What that you've not had shoes on? No, it's the third one what other episode did you not wear shoes on?

Speaker 2: 0:39

there was a few like from the beginning. I literally remember them that's so weird, guys.

Speaker 1: 0:45

Usually I have no shoes on. I don't think I've worn shoes. I think I wore shoes in like one or two episodes, but you always have shoes on.

Speaker 2: 0:52

Yeah, because it's just part of the look, it's part of the fit. As you guys can tell, this is, this is, uh, our evening voice, or a bedtime voice.

Speaker 1: 1:06

I said it too. I said, well, I have to put on my I'm awake voice, but it's not there. I've had a long day anyways.

Speaker 2: 1:11

So we, we are, um, um, so we just put out a poll on, I guess, a questionnaire or something like that, right On Instagram. Um, just telling everybody ask us some questions, just some things that you guys have been thinking as you've been listening to the episodes and anything that's been, just, you know, in your thoughts, and we've had some people ask us some questions and so our next few episodes on this we're going to really answer the question. So, if you guys do have any thoughts, maybe questions, some things that you guys want us to even talk about, right Again, you guys already know we're not experts. We're just letting you guys in on our conversations here in our living room right here. Um, normally we don't do them this this late of the day, but, um, it's a saturday night.

Speaker 1: 1:54

What time is it? Right now?

Speaker 2: 1:54

it's like 9, 30, 10 o'clock okay, it's not that late, but it's it's. It's later, it's late for us, it's late for us, it's late for us. So somebody asked us a really good question um Instagram and they said how are you guys? And I thought that was really cool.

Speaker 1: 2:10

I actually didn't think about it because that is such a generic question that I kind of read over and skipped it. And then we were talking about the questions that did come in and you said that you were like I just thought that was really cool and I was like, oh yeah, come in. And you said that you were like I just thought that was really cool and I was like, oh yeah, like when you know who it comes from and when you know that that person actually genuinely means it and it's not just like how are you? Like it was an actual question of like hey, how are you guys?

Speaker 1: 2:35

yeah then we talked about it. We're like oh, that actually deserves an episode, a chat specifically of how are we?

Speaker 2: 2:42

yeah, well, and the funny thing is that says a lot about you and it's a lot about me on how we respond to the how are you guys, because by nature I don't ask people how they're doing unless I really want to know the like, the answer to it, meaning, like most people, just that's just what you say. Hey, what's up, man, how are you man? Like people just say it and I get it like what's up, bro, you good, how's it going? Like I do it too, but like when I read it, I didn't read it. I didn't read it like how are you guys right? I read it like how are you guys right, and that was just like I felt like intentionality man that's.

Speaker 2: 3:15

That's really cool, because it's so easy for us to just get just caught up and I know you guys see us here on YouTube, you guys see on Instagram TikTok, things like that and it's so easy to just think that everybody is good and everyone's just living a dream. And yeah, we are living the dream, right. But you know I say this all the time like the grass is not greener, just on the other side, all the time, the grass is greener wherever it's watered, yeah, and so we work hard to water our grass on our side of the fence.

Speaker 2: 3:40

And you know, we've learned, like Paul says in the Bible, we've learned to live with much and we've learned to live in overflow. And right now I feel like we're kind of like in between seasons, Like to answer that question of how are we?

Speaker 1: 3:58

Man we are in a I feel like for me, I feel like we're in a crazy season, so we've started this in January, so we've been doing this for about eight months of like the relaunch of let's dig.

Speaker 1: 4:08

We have just over 30 episodes and a thousand subscribers, which I think is super cool. We launched merch for the first time, which is a big deal, um, and you put so much work into that. Um, I love what we came up with and we have more coming. So in the fall, watch out, it's coming like more drops for that. Um. So this has been, and I feel like we found a good groove for this. Um, I felt like we've we've found how to chat with each other, how to find what our people want to listen to and hear from us. But, aside from the podcast, I've been working for myself for the last three months three months being self-employed and I feel like it's a journey y'all. So I feel like I'm in a season of very wonky, very upside down.

Speaker 2: 5:02

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:03

Very, but I literally sat in. I'm gonna be honest, y'all. It was in my bathroom because I was hiding from the kids. I sat in my bathroom the other day and I reminded myself that this was the dream that me working for myself, me having complete control of my schedule, me being able to work for me and not having an employer tell me when I show up and when I work. I was like man, it has felt like a tornado, I'm not going to lie. But, man, this, this was the dream, and so it is. Any of those seasons, whenever they start or whenever they end. That is, the hardest part of the season is when it's beginning and when it's ending, and so I do feel like we are in the beginning of a new season for us and our family, and it's a little bit of a tornado.

Speaker 1: 5:53

Yeah, maybe you wouldn't describe it that way, but my viewpoint is it's a little tornado.

Speaker 2: 5:57

Yeah, sorry, I'm yawning right now. You're not boring, it's not just like tired, it's bedtime, bro, it? No, you're not boring, it's not, I'm just like tired, it's bedtime, bro, but like for me, I I just yeah, I don't, I don't think, I don't feel like we're in a beginning of a new season. I I still think we're kind of in between um and again, like it's we could be saying the same thing, just how we describe it, based off of our bandwidth, in our capacity, you know, for me and that something clearly changed with me, but not so much with you, like you know.

Speaker 1: 6:29

I'm saying like my work stuff, it was a. It is verbatimly a new season for my career, right? So I get how it may not seem that way for you.

Speaker 2: 6:39

Yeah yeah, I, just I, for some reason I feel like there's about to be more heavy lifting coming for us and like I think, like we were kind of like in preseason like I say preseason like okay, there's been some shifts some rotation some changes movement, like finances moved around the kids schedule, like Brooklyn is getting ready to go into pre-K, Pre-K on Monday guys.

Speaker 2: 7:09

Jordan just started fifth grade, so his schedule changed with school. Like even for me, like I just just just went through, more promotion, just even serving at the church, plugging more just, you know, in pastoral roles and things like that and preaching more, you know. And then, like I'm not traveling as much as I used to be, but I'm in the process of picking up more production work, Right.

Speaker 2: 7:37

And so it's just like I feel like, yeah, I will say for me, man, I and like I go through these seasons like where I'm like I get this burst of like so much energy and I'm pumped, I'm hype, and like where, man, I'm waking up 5 am, like so, during the springtime, 5 am.

Speaker 1: 7:55

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 7:56

You guys remember, man, I was talking about this in like several episodes ago. I'm like yeah, man, I'm part of the 5 am club. Man, I see, 5 am maybe like once or twice, maybe once a week right now.

Speaker 1: 8:07

Listen, summer kills, it for you every year, every single time.

Speaker 2: 8:11

And so what I'm saying is like, for those that's been watching these episodes or been listening, you know, on Apple and Spotify, things like that, for the last several months, you know, you've heard me say like, yeah, wake up at 5 am. It's been so hard to wake up at 5 am right now, like there's so much going on and so I don't know. Man, like you know, if someone were like who's asking us right now, how are you guys Like I'm good, you know, but like I'd hate to be like, oh, I'm great, we're great, like, but I know that, like we're exactly where we're supposed to be, absolutely I know we're doing exactly what we should be doing. If I, if I, were to snap my fingers right now and just undo everything and start all over again, I'd be exactly where I am right now doing what I'm doing. We live in Southern California. For those who don't know, we live in Orange County, california. We've been here for the last, I'd say, three years now.

Speaker 1: 9:05

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:06

Yeah, we've been here, yeah, for three years in in in Orange County. We came a year after the pandemic, um, or whoever, who, who, who knows how long the pandemic ended. People say, well, what's your reference point? That's so true, cause some of y'all pandemic happened for three years. For us, we never subscribed, we never, we, never, we never participated, literally never participate, never part, never. We never participated, literally never participate, never part. That's a whole nother story for a whole nother day.

Speaker 2: 9:34

We never, but anyways, I'm like, yeah, man, there's just a lot of movement like jordan right now. Being in public school, man, it's so expensive he's not in public school. Oh wait, private school you mean private, I'm sorry people like public school is so expensive, like, but it's not, it's not being in like private private school.

Speaker 1: 9:48

You mean private school. I'm sorry People are like public school is so expensive. I'm like, but it's not. It's not at all.

Speaker 2: 9:49

Him being in like private school is so expensive and Brooklyn's going to have to probably go next year, yep. So I'm like yo. We're going to have to move a lot of finances around to figure that out. It's been a blessing man.

Speaker 1: 10:08

It's been a huge blessing to hear from so many people, the conversations we've had, some of the topics that we've talked about. We've had friends say I've never heard any Christian couples talk about pornography or anything like those some of those sex topics that we talked about in marriage and, um, they were like I've never heard church couples talk about that, and so that's been really cool. Um, we've had people get the question cards that we used in one of the episodes and they've been using that in their relationship, which I think is beyond cool. Um, which I think is beyond cool. Just so much feedback and really just creating space for more conversations, and that is truly our heart behind this channel is that you would just be inspired to have deeper conversations and grow those relationships that are around you that matter to you, and so for us to say how are you?

Speaker 1: 11:08

It is a real question, it is genuine, we are good, we are tired tired right now we are tired, um, but honestly, that is the weight that comes when the Lord is using you and when the Lord is blessing you, and so we carry the weight very strongly, though of of we never want to be the couple that's just like we're good, great, blessed, and I have a favorite Amen Praise the Lord Jesus. Like we're not those people, like we are good, we are grateful, we are tired.

Speaker 2: 11:40

Tired.

Speaker 1: 11:42

And we are trusting the Lord for certain things in our life right now.

Speaker 2: 11:46

Yeah, there's some things that we're trusting God on. When it comes to miracles, you know we believe in miracles. Um, jesus said it too. He said miracles will accompany um and follow those who believe in him, and so all kinds of miracles. And so we're in a place right now where we're just believing God, you know, to restore some things. We're believing God to come in hot on some topics and some things Clarity we're always praying for supernatural strength. Right now, like you know what I mean, like we're always there, you know, even at the church, like you know we've been, you know, taking on so much You've been leading worship more than you've ever in years Probably ever actually.

Speaker 1: 12:28

Actually, that's probably true worship more than you've ever in years, probably ever actually, you know.

Speaker 2: 12:30

You know, for me I've been kind of doing all the above, when you know, leading worship, um, preaching, um, I'm on, you know I have all the audio like a lot of stuff and then also raising up young leaders. So you know, pastoring young people like that, that's big too because that takes a lot of time and effort. You know, every day I have three to five phone calls of just people that I'm just talking with, just walking with. You know, in those situations like that. But it's been an interesting season, I would say honestly, the biggest thing that's a challenge for us right now is like not having like family, family.

Speaker 1: 13:03

Bruh. Okay, I'm going to tell them the story about last Sunday. Last Sunday we were checking our kids out of class after service and walking out to the lobby and I may get emotional because I'm tired. Well, I don't need to be tired of emotional, but it's fine.

Speaker 1: 13:20

So we're walking out and a family that we are close with at the church, one of the older ladies she's not older, older, but she's an auntie um, one of the older ladies she's not older, older, but she's an auntie and she came up to Jordan, our 10 year old, and she said come here, baby.

Speaker 1: 13:36

She said let me see what I have in my purse for you. And she literally just pulled out $20 and gave it to my son and and then she walked over and gave a $5 to Brooklyn. And it's not about the money, but I got emotional because I was like thank you for loving my babies and being family to us that we don't have here. And it was such a small thing. But it was like so on point of the auntie at church that just goes and hands you money after church, and it was so on brand. But that is a family that has become very close to us and we love them and they have taken us in for holidays and stuff like that. But it meant so much to me to just have people around us that love our kids like family, and so you're right, not having our family around has been super hard in this season.

Speaker 2: 14:32

Yeah, it's challenging too, man, because especially for us who you know, we've we've been around and we've moved around quite a bit because of ministry and building teams. You know, god has put that calling on my life since I was a teenager and so I've had the honor to just build so many departments and things like that and raise up next generation leaders. I've been doing it since I was 16. So I'm 36 now, so 20 years, 20 years, and then obviously right after high school, I went into it full time, you know, but because of that, like you move around, Right after college, of that like you move around right after college.

Speaker 2: 15:14

Uh well, high school went into college, but even in college I was doing it and then interning and apprentice like I was right, yeah, so, as I'm saying so, even while going to baba college, I was still paid internship. Okay, yeah, paid internship right after high school. Um, so we moved around a lot and so I think, like not having family has been the biggest challenge. That's the one thing, you know. The cool thing is we have a lot. Even the history is a little bit different, right? You know, like when my sisters, my brothers and things like that are around like there's just, there's just a lot of you know unspoken things that are just, you know that brings comfort.

Speaker 1: 16:01

Yeah, like when your brother he travels a lot and so we don't get to see him a lot, but whenever he gets here, like or he just shows up one Sunday, like it brings so much joy to my heart and he's not my blood brother, but he's my brother and it it genuinely just makes my heart so happy and then he'll play with the kids and he has lunch with us and he hangs out with us the whole day and like it is just the slightest like um, I don't like peace is the only way I can describe it of like just a little piece of family to be. And you're right, a lot of it is the history and all you've been through and the times that you guys got on each other's nerves but that you know like your family, no matter what.

Speaker 2: 16:47

And.

Speaker 1: 16:47

I will say, even the people that feel like family that are not. God has literally placed them in our life and that is because we pray for them Whenever we've had to go through moves. I was actually talking to a lady today at a wedding. I was working this morning and she was about to move from Illinois to Texas with a one-year-old and a two-year-old and I was like Ooh, good luck.

Speaker 1: 17:11

It's crazy because you are leaving your whole community, and so it is always a prayer of ours when we move somewhere. Like God, send us people that will feel like family, send us people that will, you know, be close to us and support us and be that community, and so I am so grateful God has sent those people and has sent us family or friends that feel like family is a blessing.

Speaker 2: 17:37

Facts. So that's how we're doing. I will say, just to close on my end, why I'm so excited about this season that we're entering to, and 2025, looking forward to it. We already way past the halfway mark of 2024. Um, god's doing some really cool things. Man, god's been putting some stuff in my heart that can't share with you guys yet. You guys will hear about it soon, but there's some things that I want to launch in 2025. Um, but you know why I'm so excited just to be here is because, like um, I know we're in God's will it's for um, if I were to sum up that question of like, how are you guys doing?

Speaker 2: 18:16

I can say I'm in God's will and because we're in God's will, like we get to sleep at night. We have peace. That's the greatest thing. There's no regret, there's no questions to ask about man. Should we be here? Should we have? Should I have taken that cost Cause I get job offers.

Speaker 2: 18:34

We get things like that, like should I have considered that? Should we have entertained that thought? Are we living in the right place? Should we move? Are the kids in the right school? And I'm like we get to sleep at night knowing that all the answers have been fulfilled and we're in God's will.

Speaker 1: 18:49

That's how that's, and we're in God's will.

Speaker 2: 18:51

That's how. That's how we're doing. Yeah, that's true. So, um, you guys already know about the merch. We've been talking about the merch. You guys already know it's the new life collection. It's the T and it's the hat.

Speaker 2: 18:58

Um, it's second Corinthians, chapter five versus 17. It's really cool. Um, it's for those who believe and belong to Christ. You know, we know that at the old life is gone and the new life has begun. So you guys already know, if you haven't already, we want to encourage you guys, like partner up with us. Man, get that merge, get that t-shirt, get that hat.

Speaker 2: 19:16

Tell somebody your story. It's for believers. If you do not believe in Christ, I want to encourage you to accept them as your savior. You have nothing to lose, just everything to gain. Like you know, I was talking to someone the other day and there's this one person that was just like what if, believing in Christ, God, all that stuff didn't exist? What if it wasn't real? I said I still lived a good life and I believed in something that was greater than myself, and you know what I mean. And so to me, like I do, I do know he exists. I do know God is the creator, because we've seen him move. Yeah, We've seen him do so many different things. We are sitting here, standing here holding these expensive mics and living where we're living right now, Just because God provides and he takes care of his people. So, love you guys. Man, let's keep digging.

Speaker 1: 20:10

Let's keep digging. So if you are loving these conversations or you have more questions that you want us to talk about in this series, comment below, like, subscribe. And we love y'all. Just keep digging, digging your relationships, because they all get better when our relationship with others, ourself and God get better. We love y'all.