Chris Grainger
Host
00:03
Welcome to The Lion Within Us, a podcast serving Christian men who were hungry to be the leaders God intends you to be. I’m your host, chris Granger. Let’s jump in. All right, guys, meet time. I guess meet is the right word for this episode, because we are going to have us a very special guest with us today. But before we get there, let’s look at our scripture.
00:21
Okay, so we’re going to start off with our scripture of the week. It’s in the book of Romans, chapter 8, verse 17. It says now, if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Don’t miss that part, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Guys, i really love that verse. Go back and check out the spiritual kickoff. I’ve spent a lot, so I’m trying to unpack that. I want to let you see how you are, wherever you’re at in your journey, a co-heir with Christ. So today I’m excited, fellas we got Parker Amos, who is actually the general manager at Buck commander. He is joining us today, so looking forward for you guys to be able to hear this one.
01:03
This is a fun one, guys, but no doubt this was a fun one. So he was born and raised in Auburn, alabama. He went to Auburn University and he relocated to West Monroe in 20 of 20 now 2022 and Parker and I we actually met then on the plane when I was headed to Louisiana, headed to to meet to meet Al and the duck guys there on the under Shane podcast. So I got a chance to meet Al Field and Miss Kay and Si and Jace the whole crew and we met on the plane and it was very cool. And Parker, he’s a he’s a avid hunter and fisherman. His granddaddy introduced that to him at a young age and he just has a passion for the outdoors. And his story of how he was raised in the church and then how he fell off and how people pulled him back, the right. He had the right man that pulled him back so powerful and now he’s you know he is running a business operation at Buck commander and why the buck man out there doing their thing. He’s just. He is just an amazing guy, fellas.
02:07
I thought his story was something that we wanted to share on the line with Dennis, so hopefully you guys gonna enjoy this one. I really did. And again, parker, he’s out of West Monroe. Now he lives with his wife, freddie. I you want to see him go start glowing. You get him talking about his wife. I mean, it’s that dude, it’s just it was really awesome to see how he spoke so, just so positive about his marriage and the strength that they have together as husband and wife and we’re just gonna pray that God does got great things for them and their marriage as they move forward. But those, i’m telling you gonna enjoy this one. Sit back, enjoy this conversation with Parker. So, parker, welcome to the line with Dennis. How you doing today, man?
Parker Amos
Guest
02:51
man doing great. Thanks so much for having me excited to be here now.
Chris Grainger
Host
02:54
I’m excited to have you here, man. I feel like we can’t even get started without telling the listeners out there how we met inside with the listeners so many. You want to kind of unpack that for a second absolutely so.
Parker Amos
Guest
03:07
Me and my buddy, christian. We we obviously live here in West Monroe, louisiana, and we have flown to Atlanta for the weekend for one of our buddies weddings to quick 24-hour trip. Well, we’re getting on the plane to fly back to Monroe and I sit down and happen to sit next to Chris and we start talking and find out he’s coming to West Monroe to be on the Understanding Podcast. So I work for Buck Commander, so I know the family and very familiar with the podcast. So it’s just really cool how our God crossed our paths and what are the odds right that we sat next to each other on the plane it was pretty cool it was cool man.
Chris Grainger
Host
03:48
I remember too, when you first sat down you were asking the story is if you could change seats, cuz you wanted to sit next to Christians.
Parker Amos
Guest
03:54
I’m glad she said no, that’s right, that’s right this was cool by me.
Chris Grainger
Host
04:00
I, when you pulled your Bible out, i’m like, yeah, alright, i’m sitting next to a good dude here. So it was. It was a just man, one of those God moments, for sure, and I’m just excited to have you here. And you know, you were very gracious to me. I shared it on another episode of how gracious you were to show me around the, the, the, the, the commander and Buck Commander headquarters there, and that was just awesome to see what you guys got going on. So, man, i’m anxious for to share your story and maybe, before you get into that, give us a little fun fact about you or something. Parker, maybe something not many people know about you. I know that, again, it’s going here okay, interesting fact.
Parker Amos
Guest
04:38
I’ll start with this. Most people I don’t think you know this, but most people that know me know that I do sing and lead, worship and join music but, on top of that, actually auditioned for the voice in 2017 it was a pretty crazy story at the time had a snapchat and there was a little function where you could send in a quick video of yourself into the voice and they would potentially feature it on the show. I was a freshman in college at the time. I said, okay, one, i don’t just send in a 30 second video. So I did it, didn’t think twice about it. Six months later, i get an email from a producer at the voice saying hey, we received your video. We love what you sent. We’d love for you to come try out for the show.
05:21
Well, i thought it was a scam because they were like if you, if you’re interested in signing up for the show, they wanted my name, address, social security number, you know my parents names, anyone else kind of info to verify who I was. So I thought it was a scam. But come to find out it was actually legit, ended up flying out to Dallas and auditioning in this recording studio, and so I made a little bit of a way but unfortunately never made it on the show. But it was still a super cool experience and, yeah, not many people know that, but it was super cool that was awesome, man, so I’m not gonna make you sing for us today, but, man, that’s awesome yeah, it was a lot of fun heck yeah, i did not get the spiritual gift of singing man, so that’s, that’s.
Chris Grainger
Host
06:06
God didn’t give me that one, so I’m glad you got it. That’s awesome, buddy. So now, enjoy it well, man, i’m packing a little bit of force about your journey. We love to just hear you guys testimonies. It’s always fun for our listeners just to hear the testimony of others and you know how God moved in your life. So I mean, start back as far as you want, just kind of unpack as to where you’re at now yeah, absolutely feel free to interrupt me, point to ask me some questions.
Parker Amos
Guest
06:33
But I’m originally born and raised in Auburn, alabama, which is where my family was from as well. I grew up in an awesome family. Both of my parents were also raised in church and so you know, i couldn’t really tell you the first time I heard about Jesus, just because it was just always a part of our lives, and every time the doors open at church, from before I could talk or walk, we were there, and so that was kind of that very enriched in our family, and so I’m great, very grateful for that. It’s done a lot to shape the I am today, and so when I was seven years old, prayed a prayer to accept Christ and was baptized there. So, and from there I stayed pretty active in the church. You know I was an RA rather than bastards, from my bad to sprints out there you don’t know who that is and continue to get pretty plugged in.
07:23
But I must say you know, understood what the gospel was. I understood who Christ was. I feel like as much as I could. But you know, really I feel like it was. It was merely just an outward thing, it was very legalistic, it was very I just gotta obey this and I gotta do that, and it was really my. I didn’t feel like I truly had a heart change. I just wanted other people to perceive me as godly. I wanted to have that outwardly actions, but I didn’t really care too much about truly being a godly person, it just was just about acting godly.
07:58
And so as I got on in junior high, in high school, i told myself, well, i’m gonna continue to be the godly guy, but I can hang out with whoever I want to the guys that are drinking, you know, the wrong girls, things like that and this is not gonna affect me. You know, i’m good, i’m strong enough to stand on my own. Well, ultimately, you know it, my foundation was revealed that it really wasn’t. Christ, as you know, went through some hard breakups and again continue. Let those outward influences affect me like friends. And so I kind of kind of hit rock bottom after pretty hard break, break up, got into drinking, got into hooking up with girls and things like that. And I looked up and I didn’t recognize myself. But luckily I had a couple of my best friends at the time their families were helping start a new church in Auburn or we lived and they just invited me to come one Sunday night. I was just 50 or so people, you know, just some families and a pastor, and and once I started going there, about a month or so in, i feel like I truly had a moment with God where I truly understood the forgiveness that Jesus offers through his, through his sacrifice, through his resurrection, and truly understood the gospel. It went from just all that head knowledge that I had, all those scriptures that I could quote, but it actually went into my heart, right. Actually, that relationship with God started where it wasn’t just a religion, you know, it was an actual relationship with God, just like it says in John 17 this is eternal life. That they know, you, you know it’s not just about ascribing to a set of rules, it’s about truly knowing God. And so that was a big shift for me. It was pretty hard, it really was a hit to my pride because for that, for 17 years of my life, that time I thought that, you know, i was saved. I thought I was, i was on the right path, but I realized that I really wasn’t. It was funny. I was thinking about it.
09:54
Yesterday, after church, the pastor preached on John 3 and about the story of Nicodemus. And, yeah, obviously familiar with the story, you’ve got someone who couldn’t be more righteous, right and the eyes of men, and Nicodemus right. He was a spiritual leader at the time, he knew all the right words to say, he knew all the things, but he truly wasn’t born again, and that’s what God Jesus ultimately helped him. Try to realize is that, hey, you can, you can do all the right things, you can say all the right things, but that’s not enough. You can never be good enough to get to me. It’s about being born again, and so obviously I’m not saying I was as righteous as Nicodemus by any means, but it was a similar journey for me where, yeah, it went from hey, i knew everything, i could say everything, i was truly born again from God, and so then again, that was a big shift for me.
10:44
I had to leave a lot of things behind in my life that were hard, like friends.
10:49
Friends were, you know, the biggest influence I had. My passion at the time told me that, hey, if you tell me your five best friends are, and I’ll tell you where your future’s headed and you know it’s kind of a common thing to say, but that was a truly something I had to consider and because of having people like my pastor to come around me, they really helped me make that shift. That was hard. So just encouraging anyone else listening that, hey, you know I can’t be one of the hardest things to do once you decide to follow Christ to say I’m gonna leave behind people that maybe even own your whole life but you’re really close friends to, to go, hey, we can’t. I can’t be super close to you. We can’t hang out every night or every day. There’s gonna be friends, but at a certain extent, if it’s gonna continue to bring you down, yeah, you get into a place where you can actually encourage them. It’s not, it’s not gonna be fruitful. So, anyways, that was a big shift for me.
Chris Grainger
Host
11:42
Well, you know.
Parker Amos
Guest
11:42
I’ll say man.
Chris Grainger
Host
11:43
It’s like one of those things they’re either gonna pull you closer to God or pull you, pull you further away from God more, or the two. You know you have to be so careful on that. I’m curious too, man, before you go much further Me. You grew up in a Christian home. You know sound like you had a drug problem. You know when the doors are open they drug you to the church, right. That was the only drug problem.
Parker Amos
Guest
12:01
Yeah, right, i mean.
Chris Grainger
Host
12:02
So that’s a problem to have and you had obviously a lot of good influences around you. Yet still, you know you went through a couple breakups and then how quickly and easily We can, you know, kind of go down our own path and want to do it that way. Just curious, man, do you see? because I see that that’s like a very common story with a lot of guys that I talked with. You know, we get saved, but we don’t have those guys That are really that iron-staffling, iron type guys that are checking us and trying to, hey, you know, quit going down that way. You know, and it sounds like you were I’m not trying to put words in mouth Was that kind of the case, or did you have those guys? you just weren’t listening to them.
Parker Amos
Guest
12:43
Yeah, i would say I feel like I had, you know, my core group of close friends. You know I pause of influence and, but like I had people in church, you know, youth group leaders or mentors and things like that, i did have those people telling me the right things and wanting to guide me. So I think, on one hand, i wasn’t listening, but then again I wasn’t. I Wasn’t willing to get vulnerable and honest about where I really was. You know, I just wanted to put up the mask in the facade and it was just my pride that said though I’m good, i’m okay, i’m not struggling, i’m fine. That was my biggest. That was my biggest thing.
13:24
As I look back, people that do have a similar story to me that you know, grew up in church and all this know the right things to say I feel like that’s almost a harder spot To be in, because you think you’re good, versus someone who’s just Lived in the world, don’t know anything about God, you know something like that. It might be a little easier for them to realize their need for Christ. You know, it almost can be a harder place to be in. So, again, i would say that it was really just my pride and my unwillingness to be honest and real and vulnerable about Where I was really at and where were there like the relationships with those, some of those leaders you were talking.
Chris Grainger
Host
13:59
I’m just I’m sorry I was hard to pull at this a little bit. I’m trying to understand Did those people that were speaking into your life, that were obviously trying to help you, did they have a real relationship with you? Do they know Parker, like the real Parker, or was that kind of surface level type of you know I, you know these people there, acquaintances, because there’s one thing that just I call me, like you, 3 am Buddies. that’s the guys who you call and you know they’re gonna pick up at 3 o’clock in the morning, they’re gonna be there on your way and sometimes it’s as in the church, we kind of had those Sunday buddies, you know, or Wednesday night, or we’re going to you trip, we’ll have what will connect, but outside of those church events We’re really not. We’re really not close. I mean, were those guys like the 3 am Guys or were they more of that surface level?
Parker Amos
Guest
14:49
Yeah, they were definitely more surface level. You know, we’d see each other at church and that wasn’t. It wasn’t. It wasn’t really the people I was, i was doing life with. But I can’t, you know, to one extent I Just I hate to to blame them totally for that because, again, i could have been more, like I was saying, i could have been more honest and open About where I was. That you know, right. That’s another thing. It’s like people can ask you how you doing? you say I’m doing good, okay, great, good to see you. That’s right. They could have pressed more, but then I could have been more honest, right? So yeah, you know.
Chris Grainger
Host
15:21
No doubt. I mean, anytime I hear like blessed and highly favored, i’m like, yes, i’m really going on with that guy, right, that’s a flag for me, man. I’m like, all right, kevin was really happening there, bro. So I mean, but it’s common, dude, we see this all time within church where it’s just like we just be high five, we fist bump, we whatever, but we never really want to open up, like you said that you said the key work a couple times be vulnerable, be real. We don’t want to do that sometimes with people and and I totally get it, that’s why I think Jesus really points us to that relationship. You want that relationship so much and I’m just thankful You mentioned there was a couple of you buddies who did pick you up and point you back in the direction. So it’s sound like those guys were really, you know, pretty influential for you.
Parker Amos
Guest
16:05
Absolutely. And and just to hit on that vulnerability, because that really was the ship, you know, i think that growing up, one of my biggest things again, just because I was grew, i grew up in church, my family was super involved I just I felt this pressure that I always had to be perfect. Now I feel like I couldn’t really be vulnerable. You know, even in my home It was like alright, everybody’s good. We never talked about what was wrong and about the struggles. It was just you have to be good all the time And just anytime you’re sad, angry, struggling, you, just you just press that down. You know so for me it’s starting about middle school.
16:41
I got introduced to pornography And that pretty quickly became a pretty serious problem, was addicted pretty quickly. But you know, i would, i would, i had that super buried in, i shared it. You know, a few times people maybe knew through things like that, but I would just share it, maybe better for a week or a month, right, and then it would just come back. You know it was truly an addiction, you know so. But again, once I got laid on in life, got better friends and people are like, hey, you actually, i won’t ever forget it, i was. It seemed so simple, yeah, but I was at Chick-fil-A Look up my buddies, couple of my pastors and at this time, and I went to start going to New Church. It has asked me to go to breakfast And one morning we’re all just sitting there kind of going through the word and one on just stop, said alright, i want everybody to go around, share the one thing that you don’t want to share What’s really? what’s really going on? What do you hide? Everybody share And it just it was a simple moment, was a simple question. You know what, in some Powerful worship moment out of a youth group or a Sunday morning out what? in this big moment, it was just somebody going, hey, what’s really going on, where you really, at That, opened a door for a serious life change and so that’ll go. Hey, guys, i’ve been addicted to pornography. I guess it was, you know, six or seven years at the time.
18:02
Right, and once I truly opened up about that and have people point me to the truth of the gospel and and Daily, weekly, checking in on me, make me be vulnerable, putting thing, you know, protective browsers, make them practical steps to freedom Was really a big shift to that, but you got to have people in your life that not only check on you But make a safe space to where you can really you can really say what’s going on. You can’t, you like my life’s hard. I’m stressed, i’m anxious, you know, whatever, no, like what’s. What are you stressed about? What are you anxious about really creating that safe place for you? Because we have that in the father. He is the safest place. But we need those brothers and sisters, just like James five. We confess our sins to each other and we pray for each other, will be healed. I mean, that’s a practical Step, that’s real and I’ve seen it happen in my life so many times, and so when I actually started walking in that, i Saw a lot of freedom.
Chris Grainger
Host
18:58
Amen. Hey guys, we’ll take a quick break. We’ll be right back. Are you enjoying the weekly spiritual kickoff? if so, we are now offering a way to participate in our live Daily spiritual kickoffs that happen Monday through Friday in our community. This is your chance to chat with me directly and other members of our community, to dive into scripture and to leave with practical Ways to simplify and apply God’s word to your daily walk. And here’s the best part You get all of this for just five dollars a month. So, for what most people pay for breakfast meal, you can join us on this journey of spiritual growth and leadership, which will always lead you full.
19:40
Our community is dedicated to supporting each other and pushing forward in our faith. Come join me in the lion’s den and become the leader God intends you to be. Sign up now at the lion within that us and let’s start this journey together. Remember, it’s only five dollars a month for this amazing opportunity. So visit the lion within that us so you don’t miss out. So, parker, i gotta pull it this a little bit, man, because this is something.
20:09
I’ve actually had some really good opportunities to interview some. Some guys have made a big impact So far. It’s helping me and with pornography. And one of them was Fred Stoker is very recent. He wrote every man’s battle. That’s one of. You know.
20:26
Go to Christian books When it comes to dealing with pornography and it’s just running rampant in the church. It’s almost like a church doesn’t know what to do about it, right, man? And now it’s. Even the stats are showing that it’s impacting women even more than men. I’m the numbers going, because the way the porn industry works And I’m actually interviewing someone from that industry, you know they’re coming on the show to talk about they were, they were actually in that industry and they left. They found Christ and But the way it works, man, they, they’re catering to that female crowd and it’s very interesting to see how it works.
20:58
So now I’m not just in our church, do we have this like 80 something guys who have, you know, either looked at or look at porn on a regular basis? But it’s, it’s affecting the women too. And you said middle school, man, i got two middle schoolers right now to live my house. The realities it’s out there, man, i mean it. It’s like you can’t. If you hand your kids an open smartphone with no protection, you might as well just hand them a loaded pistol, i mean it’s that, yeah, that dangerous.
21:26
So I mean, how are you accessing that type of stuff at that early age man? Was it through smart devices and things like that?
Parker Amos
Guest
21:33
Yeah, i got a. I was given an iPad. You know they just came out time the first iPad that came out, and I had it, obviously for music and games and movies or whatever. But yeah, that’s where I found it And there was no protection or anything. I can’t they blame my parents for that. It definitely wasn’t as talked about then, especially how you can restrict it, but that’s how I got into it and I was always had older friends as well growing up, and so that was also an influence. You know it’s a middle school, they were in junior high, they’d already been looking at it, so they would show it to me and, right, it’s created that curiosity.
Chris Grainger
Host
22:09
Yeah, it’s just very common man, so I’m so happy that you were able to. It sounds like that one question. I wrote it down. That’s a powerful one. I’m when you said my discipleship group is One thing you didn’t want to share. Sometimes it just takes that willingness as a leader just to be able to say stuff like that and actually Just open up that door, and sometimes you have to go first. Right It goes. Guys don’t want your first, and I think that’s off to you for for stepping in that opportunity, because it sounds like that was where a significant moment for your life of change happened.
Parker Amos
Guest
22:41
Yep, absolutely, and, and I will say I think it was about I can remember the timeline correctly It was about eight or nine months After. That moment Was the last time I looked at pornography, even still to this date. So praise God for that. It’s only because of him, but, yeah, just to encourage people. You know it’s, once you make that confession, when you step out into the light really for the first time, it’s kind of the beginning of the journey, right, it’s not. So, i confess time. Good, you know, let’s move on. Right, you know it’s. It really takes that accountability. It’s.
23:20
It’s like that was years and years of my life.
23:22
At that time my brain had been so formed by that I was truly chained to it and so it really it would get better, right, i would go a month or two out looking at it, or a couple weeks, you know, it definitely wasn’t every day still during that time, right, as I continue to learn What it was truly doing to me, how it was cropped my mind and my heart and the effects on it. I believe it’s second Corinthians for sex on my doubt, i’ll get to the verse later But where it says all other sins a person commits outside one’s body. But whoever sends sexually sins against their own body literally says that sexual sin has a different impact on us Than other sins. So, really understanding What it was doing to me and what it was costing me, not only now but to my future family, my future marriage, those things I, when you understand the cost it helped me go. Okay, this is not worth it. This is the enemy’s been lying to me and I’ve got to see it for what it is.
Chris Grainger
Host
24:27
I’m just thankful that you saw it, man, because there’s so many guys out there that think that there’s no escape from it, right? And one thing Fred and I talked about at length was so much at times.
24:36
it’s not sexually driven, it may start off as a sexual driver, like because you were a young adolescent and I’m sure it was pretty. You know that was just a trail you wanted to go down, but most of the time now the stats showed the guys that get sucked into that it’s stress, it’s another driver, it’s not sexually related, you know. Maybe it’s financial burdens or things that are going on with work or things that’s just going on with your health or whatever it is, and it’s a way to gain control. And once you start connecting dots the way, man, this is not really a sexual desire. This is a way I’m responding to something else in my life. Man, you can really, you know. But I also appreciate how you said. It’s not cold turkey, it’s like you can just lay this stuff down. Sometimes there’s a process you have to work through, but that accountability, man, it’s so important. So I just appreciate you sharing that, bro, because that’s real right there.
Parker Amos
Guest
25:28
Yeah, now I hope it encourages somebody Like I said. You know, because I felt the same way that you just said, like hey, there’s no way out, like I’m addicted. I got literally remember there would be nights where I’m like man, i don’t want to do this. I would. A practical step I would take is like it would use. It happened for me at night And so I was like, okay, i’m going to start reading my Bible at night. You know, just let’s, let’s try this Something, a common tip that someone told me you know know your triggers, know when that’s going to happen, know when you’re tempted to do it and try to replace it with something else.
26:01
Don’t try to be alone during that time. You know, like, right, be, be progressive in action. And there would be times where I would read my Bible at night and it’d be great. And then a couple of minutes and then bam, i would still fall into it. You know, even though I was just trying, i was like man. It’s full of hopeless and you feel so chained to it. But the more you let the reality of the gospel come in, that we’re no longer slaves to sin anymore, it doesn’t have control over us, you can truly walk in that freedom. So I think it’s just continually having to walk into that and surrender in every day that can really help you get free.
Chris Grainger
Host
26:35
Right, we’re in that whole process of sanctification, man. I mean just constantly, day after day, just growing close to him. I think that far I didn’t know that you were going to bring this up and say I’m learning with the listeners now. But I mean, but this, this is, this is real guys. I mean, you gotta, you’ve heard how Parker dealt with this and we’ve had other guests share very similar stories.
26:55
But I think, too, having that accountability, like we have a couple of guys within our community right now, within our line within this community, but that I’m their accountability partner And I just I give them encouragement because the biggest thing is like, look bro, you brought this in the light. Finally, this is not in the dark now, and that’s are we going to fix this overnight? No, we’re not going to fix it overnight, but you, you exposed it to the light And if it’s out there, you’ll be able to work through it And I, you know I’ll be able to have accountability for you and things like that. But man, it’s just so encouraging because so many guys out there feel like that’s, they’re defined by that right, this, i, i watch porno and that’s what I do, and I’m like no, that does not have. You don’t have to be defined by that. You don’t crisis when it gets to define you. Yep.
Parker Amos
Guest
27:41
Absolutely.
Chris Grainger
Host
27:43
Well, man, walk us a little further. So you, you overcame the pornography And then you said you went to Auburn, by the way, how does that work? And you worked with the duck guys for big LSU fans. You know Auburn guys, yeah.
Parker Amos
Guest
27:58
No, it’s been fun for sure. I went to Auburn the grip of huge Auburn family, you know, living in Auburn, alabama, and stuff in the community Didn’t apply to any other school. It was always a die hard Auburn fan And so went there, had a tremendous time Again, we’ve already hit it, touched on a little bit, but just had a really great community of guys that were around me and that really led to me having a great college experience. I didn’t praise God, Didn’t, you know, bought into the drinking scene and my girlfriend anything like that, just because I did have that good community and college.
28:33
So, as that college I met one of my best friends, christian Huff. We stayed friends through college and we ended up getting married about the same time. He ended up marrying marrying Sadie Robertson, willie’s daughter, and so that’s kind of how we got connected to the Robertson family and ended up working for a buck commander. But it’s what’s funny is my wife. actually she got offered a job from Sadie first. Like I said, once we got married around the same time, we became close friends with them and Sadie’s ministry, liv Original. They reached girls all over the world and they really needed a counselor to be able to walk through some really hard stuff with all the girls that they reached, and they wanted to have someone who was actually trained to handle that. And so my wife was in grad school at the time at Auburn to be a mental health counselor, and so she reached out to her and said, hey, we’d love to have you as a part of the team.
29:28
We prayed about it. It took me a little longer to come around. I thought I was going to die in Auburn. I loved it and never wanted to leave it And my family was there and everything Tremendous church. But God had other plans and man am I thankful. So we decided to make the move here to here. But we still had a couple months. We actually moved and in that time Willie reached out to me. He had a job opening with buck commander, and so it all, just Lord. The Lord really just worked it all out in his perfect way and his perfect timing. So we moved here in May of last year’s has been a little over here now and we’re loving it.
Chris Grainger
Host
30:07
That is so awesome, man. I mean, how far is Auburn from West Monroe?
Parker Amos
Guest
30:13
It’s about a six and a half hour drive, so it’s a little further than just you know scooting over there. But yeah, it’s not. it’s not awful.
Chris Grainger
Host
30:22
Okay, but you do got a plan that you’re not just going to have, you’re going to have to hop over here after church one day, right?
Parker Amos
Guest
30:27
No, no, yeah.
Chris Grainger
Host
30:27
Not at all. Well, that’s awesome, and so I mean that’s so. I didn’t realize that’s how you met, where you met Christian at two. So, starting, the dots are starting to come together. And, man, let’s, let’s take a quick break because I want to dig into when Willie gave you a call. We’ll be right back, guys. Are you ready to unlock your true potential? Introducing 30 days to unleash the lion with them, a revolutionary series that will transform you into the leader God intends you to be. And just 30 days. You’ll embark on a journey of self discovery and growth.
31:02
This free resource offers a series of messages, each packed with proven methods to simplify and apply God’s word to your life. Inside this series, you’ll find practical strategies to unleash your leadership potential. You need to learn how to harness the power of God’s wisdom and apply it to your everyday decisions, discover how to lead with integrity, inspire others and make a lasting impact. But this just isn’t another series. It’s a transformative experience that will help you find your purpose, ignite your passion and unleash the lion within. So visit the lion withinus forward, slash, unleash. To claim your free copy of this series. Don’t wait any longer. Visit the lion withinus forward, slash, unleash and become the leader God intends you to be. So, parker, you get that phone call from Willie and talking about an opportunity. But, commander, what was that moment like? Walk us through that.
Parker Amos
Guest
32:06
Yeah. So it was super cool. It started with Christian. He called me and said, hey, look, i know you’re looking at moving here and Willie has a job opening. You know, would you be willing to talk to him? I was like, yeah, i mean, of course, why not? I was working for my dad at the time. He has his own business and I was doing sales And I was traveling a ton all over the Southeast, northeast, midwest and really everywhere. So I was like, well, i can just keep doing that And my nose got an airport. I’ll just keep traveling and I’m good. But I was like, hey, i’ll certainly be open to it.
32:39
So when Willie called me, he was actually originally looking to hire an assistant, his assistant, johnny D. A lot of people know he’d worked with him for 10 years. They’re actually family. But he decided to go work for his family’s business and needed somebody else, and so we talked. We really got along, had some depth, with some similarities in our stories, but unfortunately at the time it was still going to be that time. It was going to be about eight or nine months before we could actually move to Monroe. So it was like, look, i want to hire you, but I can’t go that long without an assistant. So if anything else he’s like, i’ll keep my eyes open. If we have another opening I’ll call you, but I just promote the office. I don’t think it’s a good move. I said absolutely Not, as if we don’t get it, no problem.
33:23
So that was in like October, and then January 1st I get an email saying hey, i need a new general manager for Buc commander. Great job, lots of fun. Let me know if you’re interested. I was like, wow, that sounds super great. I love hunting, grew up hunting and that sounds like a much better fit for me. And so we kind of emailed back and forth. It took a month or so before we could get on the phone.
33:48
He’s super busy And we talked about it and yet just worked out, worked out really great. So it’s crazy, since then my job’s changed a lot. I came in doing that and certainly he’s mentored me a lot, helped me grow a lot, and I actually did spend some time being his assistant also in addition to managing Buc commander. He needed that for a few months and just travel everywhere with him and kept his schedule. It was super crazy, super fun, learned a lot of stuff. But it’s transitioning now back to just doing Buc commander, which is great. It was just too much to kind of do both those responsibilities at once and doing both the well. So yeah, loving Buc commander, we’re ready for the hunting season. It’s coming up quick.
Chris Grainger
Host
34:33
It is man, so tell us out there, for the guys that are listening about Buc commander. maybe not everybody’s familiar with it. So what do you guys do? What’s the ultimate goal with the mission behind it And what your day to day there?
Parker Amos
Guest
34:45
Yeah, quick backstory. Buc commander was founded by Willie Robertson in 2006. He had taken over as CEO of Duc commander just a few years prior to that from his family And so he loved deer hunting. He does it now way more than duck hunting. He would don’t know that, but he wanted to start something, that he wanted to start his own thing, even though he’s doing duck commander at the same time. So they grabbed a couple of his friends and started Buc commander, this outdoor hunting brand, and really since then the majority of what Buc commander has been as a hunting show.
35:20
So we were on the outdoor channel for over 10 years. We do sell some products really it’s just merch and then a couple of grunt calls. We’ve worked a lot of companies over the year for different licensing partners. We’ve had other products such as crossbows and things like that. That’s really been the bulk of what our company is just a show And we’ve got a lot of other exciting things in the work right now. But for me as general manager, day to day, just keeping up with our books and keeping up with our finances I work with all of our sponsors, partners, licensing deals, just trying to grow the business and make sure we obviously make money, keep all the partners happy. The other people that are a part of Buc commander as the show, the main personalities, if you will is Luke Bryan, jason Aldean, tom Bo Martin, adam LaRoch, ryan Langerhans, tyler Far and obviously Willie Roberts, and all those guys are actually owners in the business, but they’re the main personalities of Buc commander. Now their families and friends also are involved, but that’s definitely the core of who we are. So we travel with them around the country as they hunt and do other fun stuff.
36:24
But what makes this different as far as a hunting show goes is most hunting shows are super serious all the time, which you know isn’t a bad thing, but really really wanted to bring the entertainment side to it. You know the fun of deer camp. You know it’s not just about killing the big deer, right, it’s a lot of. You have just as much fun hanging out with your buddies in camp, cutting up, you know, messing with each other, pranks, all that fun stuff. So we really wanted to bring that to life where there’s someone in Buc commander deer camp that you can relate to in your deer camp, right, you’ve got somebody like Willie who sleeps in but then still gets lucky and kills the biggest deer, or somebody like Tom Bo who shoots everything they see. You’ve got people, maybe like Jason, who don’t come to camp all the time because they’re super busy at work, you know. So we just try to make it super relatable compared to some of the other hunting shows. So that’s just kind of the gist.
Chris Grainger
Host
37:13
That’s really cool man, and I know I saw on the I was doing a lot of research just trying to get ready for you know conversation. Like you guys are doing a lot with land management too, which is awesome because you’re taking that step of helping others out there. So if you want to unpack any of that, i’d love to hear you know what that looks like now.
Parker Amos
Guest
37:32
Yeah, yeah, we’re super excited to launch that. It’s a. It’s not even actually officially launched, but video coming out this summer to really push that. But you know, we basically want to take all the knowledge and expertise we’ve learned and from managing deer on our properties and provide that for all of our listeners and followers. So we’ve got DJ Stakely. He’s worked at the E3 Ranch in Southeast Kansas, which Adam LaRoche owns. He lives there and he’s managed that for three or four years and he’s really taken it to the next level. Year in, year out, they’re killing 200-inch deer there And it’s really, really impressive.
38:09
And so we want to be able to go okay, say, chris, you’ve got a couple hundred acres in North Carolina, but a minimum. We can come in and we can do some consulting for you. So we come to your property right around, find out what your goals are. You want to shoot more deer, bigger deer, want to hold more ducks in your property, so on and so forth. We can write you a plan that tells you exactly how to get to that point And even further. We can actually come in and do that work for you So we can plant food plots, we can create more habitat, put up blinds, you know, do some feeding for you, so we can really be a turnkey solution, not only improve your land and your property, but get you everything you need. Also, if you want to do it yourself, as far as equipment and blinds or tree stands, anything like that, so reach out to us if you’re interested.
Chris Grainger
Host
39:01
Yeah, I mean I watched a video about burn management in one of y’all’s videos. That was really cool, man. Just stuff I never thought of or learned, You know. It was very educational. But also I can see how it can help so many people out there who want to do their part And not just, you know, take down the big buck, but help, do what they can to help grow them, you know, and take that to the next level. So hats off to you. I’ll be praying that that goes well for you guys.
Parker Amos
Guest
39:27
Thank you. Yeah, we’re really excited. You know, the main two people that we feel like, two type of people that we thought we can help, is the person that just doesn’t know a lot. Right, maybe they didn’t have a dad who got them into hunting or grew up doing it And they really want to do it. They just don’t have the education. We want to come in and help you do that. Or, if you’re just super busy you’re a grinder at work and you just don’t have the time to spend every other weekend at your property burning and cutting and clearing and hanging and planting you want to be able to come in and help you too, where you can roll into your camp and deer season and be good to go. So, yeah, the end goal is certainly helping people and just taking what we’ve learned and help other people have similar experiences.
Chris Grainger
Host
40:08
Oh man, i’m curious. You got some big personalities that you’ve listed there as the Buckman. I was doing my research on those guys too, and what is it like working with them? I mean, i gotta know, man, when you guys have a, do you have more meetings, do you guys get together, and what does that look like? I can only imagine the fun that goes down in those meetings.
Parker Amos
Guest
40:27
Yeah, so because of who they are, everybody’s super busy, obviously, so we don’t get together as a full crew all the time. I worked here a little over a year and we’ve only done that once. It was about a month or so ago in Nashville at Luke’s house. We had to do an interview and some photos. We were able to have a meeting and get together. But, yeah, it’s certainly a fun time. There’s never a dull moment. Because of their schedule, some are obviously a lot more involved than others Because they have the time to be. So, yeah, it’s been super fun, but I certainly talk to some of them more than others. But I guess what they got me here for they don’t have all day, every day. I think about Buckman.
Chris Grainger
Host
41:06
Right. I mean, what is it like, though, man? I mean, you’ve been at Buckman or Lube a year. That first meeting where you’re there with Luke, brian, jason, nadine and Willie, i mean you have this moment of like wow, i’m really here with these guys. I mean, what does that?
Parker Amos
Guest
41:19
work.
Chris Grainger
Host
41:20
I feel like for you.
Parker Amos
Guest
41:21
Absolutely, man. It was super surreal, especially, you know, following those guys. My whole life always loved country music and always loved, you know, their music and things like that. So it was certainly surreal. You know, the 16 year old me would have been flipping out and not playing it cool by any means, but you know I had to play it cool and treat those guys just like anybody else. I know that’s what they wanted. So that was certainly my goal just love them and serve them. But yeah, it was certainly surreal.
Chris Grainger
Host
41:48
Well, i was reading a couple of their profiles and I thought it was awesome that so many of those guys had had some mention of faith element or Christ element or Jesus element. I mean I’m curious when you guys get together or for Buck Commander in general, is that you know? where does that? obviously we know where it’s at. We’re duck commander with field and the things that he said in place, but I’m assuming all those things kind of correlated with Buck Commander. but how does the faith element you know come into the business as well?
Parker Amos
Guest
42:17
Yeah, no, absolutely So. Willie is. You know, he’s the CEO of Buck Commander as well. He founded it. He certainly sets the tone, He sets the pace of the company And he just just like duck commander right, Faith, family ducks.
42:29
You know, faith, family bucks, It really does translate. It’s definitely a spiritual atmosphere. I mean, we we baptized somebody into your camp, you know, this past year, So that’s kind of lets you in on it. It’s certainly something that comes up. Everybody has a good time when I’m hanging out.
42:47
But I was able to go to camp just a few times this past year, a little bit to film, a little bit just to hang out and hunt, And I think pretty much every time faith was coming up. You know, these guys are actually checking in on each other and making sure everybody’s doing all right, making sure everybody’s seeking God, And so it’s been super encouraging to me, you know, because I’m super young, obviously, and most of these guys could be my dad or these molecular or something you know as far as age goes. So it’s super cool to see them and tell they lead their families, tell they lead their businesses and just look to encourage each other. Well, you know their camps easy to show up, hang out and never really get deep, you know, never really checking on each other. These guys do do that, So it’s been very encouraging to see.
Chris Grainger
Host
43:27
Man, you got hats off to what you guys are doing And he also mentioned, before we start recording, another camp that was very Christ centered. I want to give you an opportunity to talk about that because it sounds like something that was a wonderful thing that a lot of our guys listening may be interested in and supporting in the future.
Parker Amos
Guest
43:44
Man it’s. It’s an awesome thing. It gets me fired up. So there’s a camp here outside of West Monroe. It’s called Camp Chioka. It was founded by Chi Yoka Christian Youth Camp.
43:56
Luke’s Tamsport So Corey Willie’s wife, her grandfather founded the camp back in the 60s, so it’s been in their family a long time And it’s a pretty traditional Christian summer camp. You come in for a week and they teach you a lot about the word, which also play plenty of games and you have fun and things like that. But they let butt commander and not come in a little bit, but come in for the week and we put on what we call sportsman’s camp. So the totally different schedule, totally different routine, but we’re teaching these kids all about hunting, fishing in the outdoors. We teach you you know how they learn this week how to cast, you know what lures to use.
44:35
We went and shot some guns, even some suppressed weapons, with them, teaching them how to aim, teaching them how to shoot. All the little techniques, a lot of archery. These are just the basics of archery. A lot of people brought their own bows and we have a 3D archery course through the woods. Taught them how to age deer, we taught them how to track deer, and then this goes on on how to build a fire if you’re just out in the wild and you need to know how to do that. So we just teach them anything, everything we can, but it’s still certainly Christ focused.
45:03
We started and ended every day with the reading of the words and devotional time, even had some worship there in the evenings for the kids, and so it’s really cool. We honestly used the hunting and the fishing aspect and usually Willie and Phil and Jason Sy they all come at some point and speak and hang out with the kids. So we honestly use that just to draw people in. There’s an attraction thing, but we really just want to get the gospel to them, and so it’s been a lot of fun. We were to baptize a couple of kids, and so it’s just really a highlight of what we do, and the off season is just getting to give back and share with these kids a little bit of something we learned along the way. It’s only about hunting, but about life.
Chris Grainger
Host
45:46
And that sounds incredible. So what’s the age for these kids? Is this elementary school?
Parker Amos
Guest
45:51
So it’s ages 13 to 18.
Chris Grainger
Host
45:53
That’s a middle school, okay, middle and high school Okay. Man, that’s awesome. So yeah yeah, it’s awesome. It’s a week long camp.
Parker Amos
Guest
46:02
It’s a week long camp. You get in on Sunday evening and you leave Saturday morning, so it’ll be usually the last week of June. So it’ll be about that time next year. So we’ve got kids in that age frame. It’s certainly a blast.
Chris Grainger
Host
46:16
But we’ll find a link. I’m sure there’s a website or something that we can get. Oh yeah, all right, we’ll put that link in the show notes free list there So you can check that out and go from there. So, hey, we’re going to take our last break of the day, guys, and we’ll be right back. We have a resource that allows you to test how strong of a Christian leader you are. We designed a short quiz so you can see for yourself how prepared you are for the battle. Don’t worry, it’s multiple choice and it’s a lot of fun. So, to access this free resource, visit the lionwithinus slash quiz That’s the lionwithinus slash quiz and see if you are ready to unleash the lion with in.
47:05
So, man, i wanted to kind of I had some some fun questions here at the end For as far as we kind of get wrapped up towards the end. But I’m curious for you any memorable hunting or outdoor adventure stories that maybe taught you some lessons that you would like to share. I mean, i know you’re an outdoors guy and you probably got some fun stories. Man, anything you’d like to share on our list? I know that picture you sent me and that’s going to be in our podcast artwork Got a beautiful puck on it, man. So just just I know so many of us connect to God. We’re in nature, man. Anything you’d like to share that stands out.
Parker Amos
Guest
47:44
Yeah, Maybe it’s a lesson I’ve learned, certainly through the outdoors is. You know, first of all, my grandfather was really the one who got me into the outdoors and into hunting. They lived just a few minutes down the road from us in Auburn and my dad didn’t really hunt but he did, And so I spent a lot of time with them growing up And so he really got me into it and it was. It was cool because, you know, we were going to fish and going hunting. It wasn’t just about the kill or the harvest, you know. It was really about let’s enjoy God’s creation, And not only that.
48:19
He took very intentional times teach me things about life through hunting, you know, And so I really appreciated that, And so I would just say, you know, it’s easy now, especially with social media and stuff you just want to make it all about the kill, You want to make it all about the harvest or so much more than that. Could look back on my life And more than I really remember a hunt with my grandfather. Obviously, he’s still here with us, But when I think about it, I think more about the life, of lessons that he taught me, And so I just want to encourage you guys out there. You know, it’s just such a. You may think you’re just taking your son or your nephew or a friend of yours hunting, but you really can use that to make a lasting impact on people. Yeah, man.
Chris Grainger
Host
48:59
I mean so much more than just the hunt man. It’s about the whole adventure, you know, from start to finish. And just, i got so many buddies. I got a really good friend, tyler. I know he listened to the show sometimes but he’s got four young ins and it’s just he’s always in the woods And I mean it just feel like I’ve learned so much just by watching him and how he’s with his sons and his daughters And man, it’s just something to be said about a father who takes the time to teach his son or daughter about hunting and connecting with God and nature. Man, i just, you know, i’m so glad you brought that up Absolutely Well, all man, well, how about this? Well, how about before we get to our lightning round, do you have something with? I’m trying to get a funny story or something when you’re with those guys from Buckman or something. He’d been on a couple of camps with them, any funny stories that pop up that you remember with them on any of those camps that you’d like to share with us today.
Parker Amos
Guest
49:59
Well, let me see, i think it’s just kind of funny. So the first time that I went on with the crew was in November of this past year. We went to South Texas. It was me, willie Langy and Tombo And people were hunting with us in partners of ours that make our. We have some wild game seasonings and they’re really good And they have a bunch of land down in South Texas, and so they actually invited me to come along and It was the 101, the first evening we hunted and I saw a nice button at the deer I was after came in.
50:36
The next morning It was barely even daylight, yet The buck I was after came in and just shot him, smoked him. It was awesome. It was the deer in the picture that I sent you. That’ll be over this. And so what’s funny is we get back to camp and nobody else had killed anything yet And anyways, it really was giving me a super hard time.
50:59
We got the intern out here killing stuff. You’re not even letting us kill anything. What the heck’s going on. And what made it even funnier is that evening they put me back out here like hey, there’s a really old eight point over here, it’s just go kill him Okay. So I went out there and got in the stand and, sure enough, just like they said, he came out and I shot him. So I get back to camp and I’ve killed two deer before Pretty much anybody else has killed one. So they didn’t like to let me live that one down. Like you’re supposed to be at the office, you’re supposed to be out here hunting and we hadn’t even killed anything. So they’re not going to let me live that one down.
51:39
But, anyways, it was a fun time.
Chris Grainger
Host
51:41
That’s right, man. You never know, man, when you go hunting, how it’s going to land. That’s the same way with fishing, right? I mean, there’s just the way it works, buddy. So I’ve really enjoyed this. We like to do something with our all our guests. We call it feeding time. It’s just a lightning round of quick fire questions for you. It’s kind of how we try to wrap up the line with us. So you will in the play man, we’ll jump right in. Cool, Awesome, Awesome. So, man, what’s give us your favorite hobby outside of hunting? Do you have a hobby that you enjoy doing?
Parker Amos
Guest
52:10
I love hunting. It’s my favorite but I like to work out and like to exercise. I love some weights. It’s always fun.
Chris Grainger
Host
52:19
Are you doing that workout with Christian from time to time?
Parker Amos
Guest
52:23
We don’t work out time together. Actually, before this, we’re both at the gym and we didn’t work out together, but we are both there. But he’s, he’s. He showed me the plan that I’m following.
Chris Grainger
Host
52:32
Okay, very cool, very cool. I’m sure it’s not an easy one. It’s not, it’s not.
Parker Amos
Guest
52:38
All right.
Chris Grainger
Host
52:39
So after those workouts, man, when you’re busting it, what’s what’s a go to meal, What’s your go to food?
Parker Amos
Guest
52:46
Man, i loved to come home. My wife she’s an amazing cook. She was cooking me like some steak and potatoes and like a salad, just something classic. But I love steak and I can eat it every day. But I love to hit when I get home.
Chris Grainger
Host
53:00
Nothing wrong about that man. Nothing wrong with that for sure. So when you think about just kind of more of a spiritual question, but when you think about God in general, what’s your favorite thing about it?
Parker Amos
Guest
53:11
That’s tough, i mean it’s hard not to say forgiveness, man forgiving, because he is so, so forgiving, honestly you’ve got. He forgives us for all our sin. There’s that moment where he saves us with his forgiveness. But it man, it’s daily. We need that forgiveness And I think if we stay close to them and remind ourselves of that man, it’s just life changing.
Chris Grainger
Host
53:35
It really is. Now. That’s flipping 180. What’s your least favorite thing about Satan?
Parker Amos
Guest
53:42
Man, he’s smart man. he knows exactly how to attack. He knows your weaknesses, he knows your bands. He knows how to distract you and gets you off course He does. unfortunately, it’s not an aimless attack. He’s not just throwing things to see what’s to see. He knows, he sees what your weaknesses are.
Chris Grainger
Host
53:59
unfortunately, Yeah, yeah, it’s very, it’s very targeted, that’s for sure. Yeah, so I mean, how about, when you think about over the last 12 months? you’ve had a lot of change, you’ve spent too much time doing over the last year. If you would go back and kind of evaluate the last year again, we’re trying to help leaders grow, so leaders always evaluate What. do you spend too much time doing last year?
Parker Amos
Guest
54:21
Man I would say, just being on my phone. Sure, i mean, it’s just a lot lately. I mean I’ve had to, i’m about to have shrimped on anymore, just like I’ve got time limits on all my social media, you know. so it’s like 30 or so minutes a day total across all social media. It’s tough because I need it for my job. It’s a big part of what we do is content creation and stuff.
54:42
So, I have to be on it, so it’s hard. But I just being on my phone you know where that’s when I’m at home just scrolling, being on my phone too much and I could be having more attention on time. You know my wife, or even if it’s at work, just taking too many five or 10 minute breaks the other day to look at my phone. You know it’s just, it’s so distracting, like you don’t realize it in the moment, but you’re just your mind’s so full because you’re constantly feeding it with just dumb stuff and you go to try to sit down and process things or pray. You’re just your mind’s so cluttered because you’re just feeling stuff It doesn’t matter. So I say it’s definitely something that I’ve let distract me Amen to that, buddy.
Chris Grainger
Host
55:23
I think there’s a lot of guys, including me, struggle with that one. So you think about, you know, moving forward, maybe a recent habit or something that you want to create, any new habits that you want that you would recommend to guys, or something that you’ve enjoyed getting started or looking forward to starting.
Parker Amos
Guest
55:40
I would say it’s helped me lately It’s been at work, but it certainly can apply across, you know, all areas. It’s just I mean just trying to be more organized. You know I have not decided to do this. You know, just so many things always constantly pop it up I need to do, but I just I’ve got I’ve got like an app or website I can use that organizes all the things that I have to do, and so it’s not.
56:02
I’m not letting just the urgent things tell me what to do. I’m actually able to prioritize, okay, what’s important today. I got to make sure it gets done, and so I’m just letting what’s popping up during the day And then suddenly it’s important might get slipped down because you’re just constantly just you’re responding to things instead of being proactive, and so actually having a system and an app that can, for me, if I just write everything down on this notebook over here, it’s just going to get lost, because I fill up four sheets a day right now and everything I’m thinking, so yeah, starting my day, i’m going on, this is everything I need to do today. So I got to you know I but I was someone get 100 emails every day, stuff that’s coming in that’s going to happen but just prioritizing that and that it’s trying to get more organized at work. But that helps me. Just having to happen. A spot that kind of monitors that for me.
Chris Grainger
Host
56:50
I mean, i’m just curious. You don’t have to just tell us what is. What app are you using? because we’re always looking for resources to give our guys the things to check out. I mean, i know there’s things like Asana There’s different ones out there for management of time, because I just hear intentionality right here when I heard you say that man you’re super intentional about your time, and I think that’s something that so many of us leaders need to think about. So just curious which one that you’re trying out right now?
Parker Amos
Guest
57:18
Yeah, it’s called todoistcom. Okay, So I almost like to do the list which is todoist, todoistcom. Yeah, i can. Just, you can have, you can prioritize things like it’s like priority one, two, three, four, yeah, and you can put do dates on it, like all right, i need to do this by today or by next month or whatever. Very cool. So, yeah, it’s just helping me be more organized.
Chris Grainger
Host
57:43
That’s awesome, man, that’s awesome For our last question, for the lightning round of awkward.
Parker Amos
Guest
57:47
what’s one thing you hope the guys remember from our conversation today One thing, man I didn’t say this directly but I think you know. if you just think about my story, think about all the things that I’ve said, something that lately I really try to emphasize anyone I get the chance to talk to is that. and living for Jesus is better, right, simply put. you know we have a lot of different options of things we can live for, right. We can live for work, money or even good things like our family. The world is going to offer us plenty of things that we can live for, but if you lay all the things you can live for out there, you compare them. I mean, nothing compares to living for Jesus.
58:32
It’s so much more fulfilling, so much more freedom is found in that, because I’ve tried living for myself, i’ve tried living for all these other things And it’s just going to lead to emptiness. Only Christ fulfills. So I would just say living for Jesus is better. So it’s. in the day to day and the struggles it’s really easy to lose sight of that in the grand of life. The more you can remind yourself, the better. At least it has been for me.
Chris Grainger
Host
58:59
Amen to that brother, Amen Well, Parker, where do you want guys to go? I’m sure a lot of them want to find out more about Buck Commander and maybe even connect with you directly. So any places you’d like to point them.
Parker Amos
Guest
59:12
Yeah, obviously, buckcommandercom. Actually just redid our website about a week ago, so plenty of cool things to check out there. Happy to answer any questions or connect with any of you guys. My email is just parker. At buckcommandercom You put out the show notes, whatever you want to do. But, yeah, happy to talk to anybody that has any questions, or always love an opportunity to connect with you guys and encourage anybody I can.
Chris Grainger
Host
59:34
Amen, man, we’ll definitely make sure that stuff is synced up for you listeners out there. So, parker, anything else you’d like to share today on the line with Dennis?
Parker Amos
Guest
59:42
Man. thanks so much for having me. Chris has been awesome. Love what you guys are doing Just to empower men to be the men that God’s called them to be. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Chris Grainger
Host
59:50
Amen, brother, that’s what it’s all about. I’ve enjoyed this one. The next time I get to go to Louisiana, we’re gonna have to connect again. Man looking forward to it. Absolutely All right, buddy, you have a good day. Yes, sir.
Parker Amos
Guest
01:00:03
Say it.
Chris Grainger
Host
01:00:06
Every man needs to have a bunch of it is written in their life. When the attacks come, you better be ready To help you get started. I want to give you a free guide to get 10 scriptures that will have you ready to fight like a lion. Along with the guide, there are a series of messages designed to come alongside you during your mission of committing these verses to memory. So get started by visiting the lionwithinus That’s the lionwithinus and unlock your free guide to fight like a lion.
01:00:43
All right now, guys and I told you it was gonna be a fun one. I did, it was not disappointing. I know that you really enjoyed that one, so hopefully you go back and listen to it. Take some notes For me. It just shows you what happens when you’re obedient and you listen and you’re vulnerable. So I mean, when he dealt with that issue of pornography, he could have very much just kept going down that rabbit trail and trying to hide, trying to keep things in the dark, but instead he chose to expose it to the light. When he exposed it to the light, he took the power away from the evil one. That’s what he did, guys. No magic formula. He took the power away from the evil one When he exposed that issue to the light, and look what God has done in his life since. He talked about being free from sexual morality and having sexual purity, and what that’s doing for his life now, walking with Christ, leading Buck Commander, having a chance to hang out with the Buck Man. I mean, guys, it goes to show you, when you align and you are obedient to the Holy Spirit, what he’ll do for you. So I want you to think about this question, man, i thought we talked about on our spiritual kickoff this week how does your identity as a child of God shape you? Because it really should make a big impact on who you are, because you need to ultimately remember who’s you are. Guys. That’s what it’s all about.
01:02:05
So, if you enjoyed this one, go check out the show notes for sure. Connect with the Buck Commander, go get some of their resources or swag, check out their videos. They get a lot of fun resources out there, particularly for you outdoor guys. I think this would be one that you want to enjoy and that you’ll be able to enjoy a lot of their content, rather. So go check that out. I will make sure we try to get some links out there for you guys to see that. I know, if you get on their YouTube channel, you’ll just next thing you’ll know you’ll spend yourself hours there, just because they had so much good content, okay, so if you know of an avid outdoorsman, this would be a good one to share, guys, Maybe he’s not a believer.
01:02:42
Hey, use this story of running Buck Commander to share the gospel. That’s what it’s about. You know what And you just let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting. So share that out. Maybe, if you’re part of a hunting group or if you go to some hunting camps, share this episode out, Get it out there, send the YouTube out, send the podcast out whatever the guys prefer to listen or watch, and this could be a great way that you open an opportunity to share the gospel with others. Okay, leave us a rating and review. That helps, for sure. And then go to the lionwithanus. That’s another great way that you can share stuff out with Christian men and just men in general. We have some really good things that can help guys And I think if you guys were just intentional about being a little more proactive, well, go out there and, hey, check this out.
01:03:29
Check out this 30 Days to Unleash the Lion Withan. Check out this free resource around SWAT analysis. If you wanna help improve your business, you know, check out this free chapter on personal finance to be a better steward. You start using some of the resources that we’re building and we’re trying to put that there for you guys. It will make a difference, all right.
01:03:51
So come back on Friday for our Fun Friday episode. We’re gonna have a lot of fun with that. We’re gonna share a lot of tips, we’re gonna share some insights, we’re gonna share some books, we’re gonna give you some bad jokes all that fun stuff. So, guys, thank you again. There’s so many other podcasts you can listen to out there, but you guys tune in and to the lionwithanus each and every week.
01:04:07
We’re committed to just being obedient to what the Holy Spirit’s called us to do and that is giving you content to help you grow to be the leader that God intends you to be. And if you’re enjoying this and you wanna take it to the next level, i would just encourage you to check out our community, all our resources. There maybe be a sponsor or donor to the lionwithanus. We would love your support of the show, the things that we’re doing to try to serve others. So you know a small amount every month that does a big way to helping us continue to do what we feel like God has called us to do and help you grow. So the lionwithanus is where you can get all those resources. All right, guys, get after it. Come on back on Friday. We’ll have a lot of fun on our fun Friday, as we always do. So stay strong, stay committed, get in the word, read that Romans 8 this week, and remember to keep unleashing the lionwithan. Thank you.