Transcript
Steven J. Neuner: Hey guys, welcome back to Unstuck and Alive, where we like to get together around the proverbial fire pit and have great conversations with people that you just need to know that whose stories just need to be told.
Steven J. Neuner: And today we've got a really special friend who has had maybe the disprivilege of knowing me since we were about 15 years old.
Todd Pinkston: you
Steven J. Neuner: but really, really a spiritual giant and hero in my life. And so I'm really excited to introduce my friend. We called him Nod Narp Eel. He also has gone by aliases known as Lumpy, but he is known Brandon Lee professionally.
Steven J. Neuner: He's also the founder of a really cool nonprofit. going let him tell you about that. He's a wonderful husband to a beautiful bride, Cassie, married way out of his league, and he's got three beautiful daughters to prove it.
Steven J. Neuner: And so Brandon, welcome to Unstuck and Alive.
blee: Thank you.
Todd Pinkston: Come on.
blee: Thanks for having me. It's pleasure just to be here. and That's a humbling intro. i appreciate it.
Steven J. Neuner: Well,
blee: Yeah, the the nonprofit I run is a youth service nonprofit. There's a lot to talk lot to say about that. Tip of the iceberg, though, is we look to serve the local youth in our area through the vehicle of BMX bicycles.
blee: So we grew up riding bikes, and we forged a lot of friendships and learned a lot of practical skills along the way, sometimes how to how to bandage up wounds and how to get each other to the hospital without our parents knowing.
blee: But...
Todd Pinkston: Good skill to have.
blee: but just There's just a lot there. And so there's deep waters in in BMX and I've had my foot in that since since Steve and I were teenagers. So I see a lot of but of benefit, a lot of life in that. A lot of kids need a little bit of guidance and just some help along the way. And, you know, we experienced that growing up. So looking to give that back to the community.
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah. Well, if you would, I'd love it just for the sake of where all the many directions this conversation go. I'd love if you would just share some of your story and just some of the things that have have have shaped you that maybe when people meet Brandon Lee with with a long, cool, long hair and a cool trucker cap or whatever, don't don't know about you.
blee: I mean, it just depends on how far back you want to go. You start from the beginning gives
Steven J. Neuner: Ones that shape the most. Let's go from the ones that shape, let's hit the highlights of the most impactful.
blee: Sure. so born in 1976 to Jean and Barbara Lee, in Redwood city, California, growing up in Texas, that's not something you really want to divulge to too many people that you were born in California or that you spent any time there.
Todd Pinkston: you.
blee: So interesting story there too. They, they met working at the commercial airlines. They both worked for United in the sixties into the seventies.
blee: so I have an older brother, uh, two and a half years older. His name's John. And, through the course of events, my father passed away when I was 16 months old.
Todd Pinkston: Mm-hmm.
blee: So born in 76, father passed away in 78. My mom had a sister, older sister who lived in Dallas. And so, course, of events we moved from Redwood City, San Francisco area, to Dallas in 78. I grew up there for...
blee: about five or six years before we moved to Plano, Texas. And started public school in Plano, third grade. And third grade's where you know him, Steven, Todd Kowalewski, I met him and in third grade and he was passing out flyers for the BMX track.
blee: And that was something that just piqued my interest and I was really excited about it. So we went and checked it out and I was hooked like immediately.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: just people riding bikes and jumping and getting air and doing all the things. And so, you know, two, two things that impacted my life, but the BMX was the one that impacted me in a significant way to where I understood it mostly because my father passed away so young. I didn't know what I didn't know. And so, you know, i wrestle with different, different aspects of that, you know, throughout my life. But,
blee: Grew up in Plano and we ended up moving to Allen before my junior year. And so my mom bought a house that was like a hundred years old and we were going to fix it up.
blee: So you can understand a lot about me just knowing that about my mom. Like she's just has an idea to do something and she just goes and does it, you know, maybe not all the way thought out, but still a good idea. Like that's,
blee: That's a lot of who I am. So I graduated from Allen High School. We didn't know what to do about college. So I ended up going to a one year Bible college in Estes Park, Colorado.
blee: You know, not not the worst place to spend a year. So I was in the SS park for a year. the Bible college is one of those times where he could just, uh, shore up my faith, make it my own, make sure it wasn't something I just inherited from my family.
blee: and,
blee: I'll back up a little bit just to say when I was baptized, baptized in like second grade, which was important, but still one of those things I don't remember so much.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
blee: The year after high school and at Ravencrest in Colorado was more poignant where it was something that was my own and I was able to understand it and live it out a little bit more.
blee: And I came home from Colorado and told my mom I wanted to move to California to make surfboards. So, you know, just lots of random randomness in my life.
blee: but it's just part of being a creative and artistic kind of guy. So moved to California. actually, came home from Colorado that, that summer, summer of 96 and told my mom was going to move to California to make surfboards.
blee: She thought I was crazy, but she believed me cause I started selling all my stuff and going to the pawn shop and getting rid of stuff to make money. so ended up in California did end up learning how to make surfboards.
blee: There's a season of my life where I walked away from God probably 98, so 98 to 2000, well, probably 99 to 2001.
Steven J. Neuner: Say more about that, Brandon.
blee: Growing up in the church, gone to Bible college, you know walking away from the Lord didn't seem like that was on my to-do list.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: But you know just got disenchanted with some people in the church, and you know that's what happens. like it's not It's not the message so much, it's the people that are immediately around you that just irritate you or do things that you don't like and you're just like, fine, and screw it I'm just gonna leave. And I was just circumstantially, I was in a spot where that was that was what was gonna happen. So I walked away from church, stopped going, gonna live my own life.
blee: And so the next three years were, you know, whatever I wanted to do, I did it. And, you know, that's a, you know, i think that's freedom, but there's a lot of pain associated with that pain that I wouldn't have walked through otherwise.
blee: But experientially, like pain is, you know, pain is a forge that makes some good stuff on the other end, but like going through it, man. I had, uh,
blee: I had a couple health issues that came through those times, a constricted hernia that like almost put me down that had an emergency surgery for. And the next year i was living in Lake Tahoe with a girlfriend and, you know, I was doing snowmaking at the ski resort and we were, you know, riding snowmobiles up and down the mountain at 1130 at night.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: And, and I got off on the wrong trail coming down. thought I was on a green. Didn't know the trails well enough. I ended up on a blue. That made this big sweeping turn to the right that I couldn't slow down for.
blee: Last thing I thought of, you know, the last thing on my mind was to jump off. So I stayed on and hit a snow fence at 30 miles an hour, you know, broke my hand, broke a bunch of ribs, shattered my spleen.
blee: You know, lucky that there was a snow cat there that was, we were helping us work that night because they had to come get me, take me down, call the ambulance, basically emergency surgery to remove my spleen.
blee: So, I mean, there's a couple of things you just like laying in the hospital You know, we were making snow, train waiting for the snow to come. And sure enough, as I'm sitting in the hospital, snow starts stacking. Like we had a couple of storms come through. And was like, no, I'm laid up and I can't go ride because the choices I made. So I heard voice of God say, hey, man, you done yet?
blee: So it's just like, well, I think I'm done. So, you know, it's, it's not an immediate turnaround. That's clean. You got to clean, got to live through the messy circumstances and, you know, consequences.
Steven J. Neuner: yeah
blee: So, you know, it was couple of years before I was back on a even plane where like, I even could trust the people around me, you know?
Steven J. Neuner: and
blee: yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: bre Brandon, before we before we talk about the out, okay, I just want to go just a layer deeper and I appreciate your authenticity and generosity here. So backstory, i was not a believer when Brandon and I met. We were teenagers, okay?
Steven J. Neuner: I was... but Starting my path of being actually so like I was already far away from God going super far away from God was my pathway after actually Brandon and I stopped hanging out.
Steven J. Neuner: But I remember when I became a Christ follower and I experienced the Holy Spirit, I often started having these memories of my past. that were being transformed. And one of the memories that often came up was of Brandon.
Steven J. Neuner: And so i I didn't know, but as a a new Christ follower, a baby baby believer in my 20s, I would look back and I would say, man I wonder if Brandon was a believer. There was just something different about him.
Steven J. Neuner: I knew it even as a kid. i was almost unconscious to it. but the But the way that Brandon showed up, the way that like he was comfortable in his own skin, he was God-finite for lack a matter of word, like around us.
Steven J. Neuner: There was just something about him that when we reconnected in our 20s, or well, much later, so when I became a believer in my 20s, I wondered, man, he must be a Christ follower. And then fast forward when we actually reconnected during COVID,
Steven J. Neuner: first question I asked him out of my mouth when we reconnected was, are you, were you a believer? And he's like, yes. So to hear like truly one of the people that I would say was seed watered to push me towards Jesus, walk away from Christ.
Steven J. Neuner: I would love to hear just a little bit for anyone listening. like, what would be like, if you, what were the signal, what were the signs that you were about to push away?
Todd Pinkston: Good question.
blee: I don't know. Like there's a part of me that thinks that that season just had to happen. Like, like, would I go back and do it again? No. Would I change it? I mean, it's, it's painful, but it's, you know, it's part of who I am.
blee: It's, you know, it's like Peter's denial of Christ. Like, would he have become the, preacher and the man of God that he was, if he hadn't have denied Christ, like that, that pivotal moment in his life, like changed everything.
Steven J. Neuner: Probably not.
blee: And it was super painful, right? Just like how much doubt and fear and just like remorse did he have to have for that? It's like, I don't know. Sometimes I think we just got to find the bottom, you know, and sometimes the bottom's deeper than for others. And, you know, like, sure. I want to avoid pain, but Some things you can't learn without going through pain.
Todd Pinkston: Brandon, if you look back, you know you said it wasn't so much the message.
blee: So I don't know. I mean, there is a,
Todd Pinkston: It was the people that you know kind of turned you off and, and and you know, fine, I'll go i'll go somewhere else. But still, there's something internally that's unsatisfied with what you're getting from from the church, from from from your faith.
Steven J. Neuner: Thank you.
Todd Pinkston: What do you feel like that was? And then, you know, when you had that moment laying there and God said, are you done yet? Like, what do you think when you came back, how were you looking at that different?
blee: Can you repeat the last bit you cut out just a little bit?
Todd Pinkston: Yeah. So what was unsatisfied? And then when God said, are you done yet? And you and you kind of turn back, you come home, you had a prodigal, you know, coming home to the father.
Todd Pinkston: What how were you looking at that different? How was your perspective different at the end of, you know, a season of of rebellion?
blee: Sure. and I think I was just selfish to to be like unsatisfied. like The teaching was good. you know There was good fellowship. There was good people.
blee: I was just unsatisfied like and I was just selfish.
Steven J. Neuner: That's why I was the stuff I wanted to, that wasn't necessarily the same thing.
blee: like I wanted to do things my way. It wasn't necessarily that I
Steven J. Neuner: I don't know if I'm trying to see it in the other two.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
blee: there was never a time through that season where I didn't know the truth.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't know if I was like, I don't know if I had to go.
blee: Like the Holy spirit never left me. Like I just was trying my best to silence his voice as much as I could, like just to try and do things with the way I wanted to do it.
Steven J. Neuner: I'm just supporting my friends as second test for myself.
blee: You know? I think there was just a long, long seasons growing up where I was just a more, for more or less just a rule follower. And there was never a time where I just,
blee: carte blanche just went out and did whatever I wanted to do and I think just there wasn't, it was more circumstantial where everything is just lined up to where I was in a season where I was willing to do that. Like, I don't know.
blee: And it wasn't even, It was conscious, but not conscious, if that makes sense. Where if you would have asked me, like, what are you doing?
Steven J. Neuner: I just remember, if you're ready to and make sure that, like, just to know what I was like, it was the, like, I was just like, you I think the other day, like, just like, where was in the ceiling, I think, like, like, that was very amazing what it was.
blee: Like, I don't know, just living my life. It wasn't that I was like, I'm consciously walking away from God. I didn't, I didn't come to that until it was later where I was able to say, like, I walked away from God. Like that was obviously what it was.
blee: And then.
Steven J. Neuner: And I was like, think, like, something that I just got in the name of the house, like, this is the,
blee: I think like Solomon, like he just got to the end of it all. it's like, this is all vanity. Like it's all pointless. It's all worthless. Like the striving after the wind, all these things that you you're searching for, for happiness or for just fulfillment. Like it doesn't work because it's designed not to work.
blee: Like the design of it all necessitates that you not only acknowledge the designer, but acknowledge that you've got a design in yourself.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: Like we each have gifts and skill sets that are meant to be used in a certain way. And if you're using them the proper way, you'll never find satisfaction. I think there's a, there's just a, an understanding of that through the process to where,
Steven J. Neuner: and going to see the exhibition that I'm going to send it to the library in any way I can read it because I'm going to it.
blee: I was able to see experientially that I wasn't satisfied and and nor would I ever be because I wasn't using my skills or talents or anything that God given me in the way i was supposed to using it.
Steven J. Neuner: I see a lot of the terrorists are really going to be able to get them to get away. It's supposed to be that it's something that's on the side.
blee: And so therefore I was unsatisfied. Not only that, it was just self-destructive, right?
Steven J. Neuner: That's what I'm going to do.
blee: So laying in that bed, like, what am I doing? Like, not only do I not have any joy in my life, like, I don't even trust the people around me, you know, relationship problems where it's like you just, I don't, I don't trust anybody right now.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't know if you should probably be around. don't know if you're trying to see anybody right now.
blee: I'm laying in a bed. have my nearest family is like thousands of miles away.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't know if you have any family.
blee: Like I could die tonight and nobody would even know for three days.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't know if anybody's going to help the treatment.
blee: You know, they wouldn't even know who to contact.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't know if anybody's going to have any family.
Todd Pinkston: That's good. Thanks for sharing. So it's it's almost that idea of like the myth you felt like you were believing 98 was there's there's something over there.
Todd Pinkston: Like there's something <unk> something else that's out there that I haven't experienced better than what I have.
Steven J. Neuner: I experienced those things
Todd Pinkston: And what you feel like you realized in 2001 was Like it's right here. it's It's the connection with with God. It's a relationship with my heavenly father.
blee: yeah, the value, like the value is in that relationship, right? I was searching for value in other things.
Steven J. Neuner: right
blee: and it wasn't until I experienced those things through, i realized like the marketing material for those things is just a bunch of crap.
Steven J. Neuner: like
Steven J. Neuner: but
blee: Like, you know, like you read those, those glossy handouts about like, Hey, and go to this vacation spot.
Steven J. Neuner: and
blee: It's the best. Like, it's the same thing. Like,
Steven J. Neuner: yeah i just heard that that I just heard this quote actually. i don't know what the amount was, but it's insane. But you know what the number one ad expenditure in the world is?
blee: Mailers.
Steven J. Neuner: and Well, what what product is out marketed the heaviest of all the other products in the world?
blee: Hmm.
Todd Pinkston: I
Steven J. Neuner: You have
blee: Skincare products.
Todd Pinkston: would have said makeup.
Steven J. Neuner: a guess?
blee: Death or debt.
Todd Pinkston: Huh.
Steven J. Neuner: yeah Debt.
Todd Pinkston: Death.
Steven J. Neuner: Debt. Debt.
blee: Okay.
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah.
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: Hmm.
Steven J. Neuner: The banks, credit cards, like, yeah.
Todd Pinkston: Well, that's it's cheating because you can just get everything else with it, you know? Hmm. Hmm.
Steven J. Neuner: It's pretty wild.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: So because what happens when you're in debt, like you become in a way, you can become imprisoned, right?
blee: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: So i just thought the irony of what you were just saying is like all those other things, but whether fueled by debt or not, can become a form of a prison.
blee: he
blee: Yeah. Cause I mean, there's so much baggage that comes along with that. Like that trails after once you've gone through that, now you have all this, you know, regret and remorse over like certain things, depending on like how far you've fallen.
blee: And like now you' you've, you've made a turn, maybe turn to the Lord, but you still got to deal with all the stuff that's coming along with it.
Todd Pinkston: Mm-hmm.
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah. So let's let's talk about that. as you're kind of moving, you're moving into this new phase of your walk.
blee: Like after that or now,
Steven J. Neuner: hang Yeah. Well, kind of, I mean, just catch us up.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't think we know that we've moved in Texas and I'm a little bit better.
blee: So my family had moved away from Texas in all different directions. My brother moved to Arizona before I moved to California.
Steven J. Neuner: I don't think that's going to help them.
blee: And then I moved to California and then my mom, not to be undone said, screw you guys, I'm going to move to Alaska.
Steven J. Neuner: but so it's
blee: So she So she moved to Alaska and I think, uh, 98, 99.
Steven J. Neuner: that yeah
blee: And so when I was going through all this in, and Tahoe, I called her and told her and she's like, do you want me to come down there?
Steven J. Neuner: and so
Steven J. Neuner: time like tor like come down there and say
blee: I was like, I don't think that's going to help at all.
Steven J. Neuner: think that's good help
blee: So once I got out of the hospital and started recovery, uh, I think the next, that was, that was December of 2001.
Steven J. Neuner: so the I was disabled for 10 hours.
blee: So I, I'm not going to try and figure out the time.
Steven J. Neuner: So I was trying to figure out the time to get to a second.
blee: So it's just going to take too much time, but ended up with, uh, moving up to Alaska with my mom and my brother for three months, just to kind of clear my head and figure things out.
Steven J. Neuner: But I was going to Alaska with my mom running for three months just to get clear head. figure that
blee: My mom was doing a couple of jobs. She was doing, sorry, old man brain,
blee: She was a janitor at her church, so i was helping her with that. And nothing's more humbling than vacuuming a congregation's floor every every Monday. It's like, those places are huge, man.
blee: So left there, me and my brother figured we were going to do something with our lives because my brother was living with my mom and he wasn't doing anything. so we ended up deciding to go to Denver automotive and diesel college to learn about auto mechanics.
blee: So we ended up there.
blee: And we were there. I was only there for like three months before I realized like this isn't going to work financially. So my brother stayed. I moved back to San Diego and slept on friends' couches for a while before I could get my feet underneath me.
blee: And then
blee: started working, working on cars. And did that for about seven years. So 2000, well,
blee: well a total of seven years. 2005 is when I met my wife, Cassie. And we dated for you know a couple of years and got married in 2007.
blee: And then we started a family, didn't want to raise our kids in California. So we moved to Texas in 2015. We
blee: found a house, bought a house, bought first house, this house that we're living in, uh, it's on the market. And we found a church and been at the same church for 10 years.
blee: and, and a lot of that, coming back to the Lord happened. mean, his timing's perfect, but it happened one after another, all these things kind of falling into place, before I met my wife and, you know, over this, this whole, whole storyline too, there's, you know, there's the, I spoke earlier about the undercurrent of like losing my dad when I was young.
Todd Pinkston: Okay.
blee: But something that that I didn't touch on that I'll circle back on that's been critical to understanding too.
blee: That's from from youth to, you know, before I met my wife, since we're going that part of the story now, this is is a critical part for this.
blee: But when I was in third, fourth grade, I was introduced to pornography. And so that changed my life in a way that not positive, but it introduced a whole nother layer of complexity growing up that was just a distraction and something that, you know, would, you know, introduce doubts and and pull me away from trusting God in certain ways.
Todd Pinkston: you
blee: And that, you know, it was a strong pull and wrecked a good portion of my life you know in different areas and it wasn't until i got back to san diego from alaska and was like lord i'm just done with this like i've tried to quit this many times and it's just wrecking me was like lord just take this i'm i'm so done with this and wasn't that i said a prayer in a special way you know so many times we look for the magic bullet for like well if i i if i didn't get an answer to my prayer i must not have said it right
blee: You know, so sometimes it's like I put it put the onus on me of like, well, I need to pray more or I need to pray a certain way or whatever. But it's like because I prayed that prayer you know tons of times.
blee: But the Lord finally took it away from me. Praise God that he gave me victory over that. And it was probably five to six months after that. when I met my wife. so lots of timing involved with just God's plan. And, I make the joke, even though it's pretty true, like, I'm probably told Steven this, but Todd, do you remember that TV show get smart back in the day?
Todd Pinkston: Negative.
blee: No. Well, it's an old kind of spy spoof comedy TV show where there's this guy like the opening credits. He pulls up to this building and he gets out. He walks into the front door and then the opening credits is him just like walking down this hallway, not breaking stride at all. Right.
blee: Pace after pace. And there's all these doors in front of him. Well, they open like different ways to, you know, it's like right as he's getting to the door, it opens and he walks through it without breaking stride and it closes right behind him. Right.
blee: And he walks through, I don't know four, maybe six doors. And just like this feels like my life. Like I'm walking and I see this door in front of me and it's closed and I believe the Lord wants me to go that way and it doesn't make any sense.
Todd Pinkston: Hmm.
blee: So I keep walking and sure enough, like right before i'm going to run into the door, it opens and I walk right through and it closes right behind me. So it's like, there's so many examples of just like threading the needle in my life. And it's like, what?
blee: Like, there's no way I could control any of this. Like I couldn't even set it up right to where I could walk through this door, you know, or I've been like trying to like get over this thing, you know, for 15 years and finally like the door opens and I walked through it and like can have victory on the other side of it.
blee: So, and that continues to this day, like just meeting Steven when I did or reconnecting, you know, tried to meet before, I think it was almost a year before. i don't even remember how we got into contact, whether I found his email through LinkedIn or something, and just like randomly reaching out to people.
blee: But like I get laid off and then he needs help. So like now I'm working with Steven, you know, and you know, in a vineyard as a believer, working in a vineyard as a believer is quite the thing. so everybody should experience that to some degree.
blee: But so finally catching up, like we're in Texas now, it's 2015. We have a church, we have a house. You know, that season was crazy. Talk about walking through doors that just barely like open right in time.
blee: You know, the the things they say are like the most stressful in life are starting a new job, moving, having a baby and buying a house.
blee: Like those are four of the most stressful things you experience as an adult.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: Well, we did all four of those in the span of six months.
blee: My wife was like seven months pregnant when we moved out of state for a different job and we bought a house. Like it's just so stressful.
blee: So that's a lot of where we are. You know, went on way forward trip two years in a row. So I haven't been for the last two years.
blee: I've developed adult asthma. so there's been a couple of years where I like, and the months before trip was scheduled, I'm like waking up at three in the morning, can't, can't breathe. And it's like, I can't, I can't do this at altitude. Like that's not gonna, it's not gonna be good for anyone. So, uh, I missed the last couple.
blee: I was talking to Steven the other day. I'd like to try and get on trail again this year. Cause the asthma was kind of leveled out, but it's been a really good experience.
Steven J. Neuner: She's on the Vineyard tra plant then your Training Plan.
Todd Pinkston: scout.
blee: Yeah. Right.
Steven J. Neuner: Plan.
blee: Yeah. Do you got those farm hand muscles, man? It's like a farmer workout for like a year and a half.
Steven J. Neuner: We recently...
blee: Don't let the hair fool you.
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah, we recently had these young guys. We had a whole bit bunch of wine show up and we we got some extra help. These young guys come in and it was Brandon schooled everybody. He was just freaking throwing cases of wine.
Steven J. Neuner: These guys were so worn out so fast. Super grateful for the help. It was just funny because it was like they were all jacked and like perfect, but you know, 27 year old bodies.
blee: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: And here's Brandon just sorry, dude. Old man strength. Just like kicking everybody's butt.
blee: That's right.
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah.
blee: Yeah. Those ranchers, man, they're gnarly.
Todd Pinkston: Absolutely. Hey, Brandon, so you one of the things you talked about back in that back in that early 2000 season was, you know, realizing life is found. And you made the statement like using my gifts.
Todd Pinkston: How have you found what you're gifted in and what does it look like to put those to use?
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah, good question.
blee: Sure. That's good question. So in high school, I went was part of a youth group and realized that I love just kids. like Not like kit like the kids in the youth group, right?
blee: Like I was a kid. like i'm just As an adult, that sounds different, right? But you know I still feel like I'm 24 at heart and i'm like almost 50. fifty So you know language is different. But I always wanted to be a part of like a youth group, like serving or, you know, just having that sense of community.
blee: So finding the giftings of like care and encouragement for like peers and people around me, like I believe I have the gift of encouragement and i I love to understand not just people, but like where they're coming from.
blee: And a lot of the experience life experience I have is in so many different areas that it makes who the task. It's not even a task cause I enjoy it.
blee: The task of understanding people and relating to them. Like that's, where I find joy. And I think the joy is there because it's part of my gifting.
blee: So fast forward, like being a father, like that's a huge deal for me because of my, my, you know, my upbringing. So, you know, being a father now, our oldest is 15. It's like, it's, it's crazy to think that it's been that long. Right.
blee: But being present, right. you know, taking the time to listen to the to my kids and and understand where they're coming from and encourage them. know, sometimes there's discipline involved, but like even in that there's there's moments of like, hey, I understand where you're coming from, but this is this is the the direction we need to go or this is the change that needs to be made.
blee: And in the nonprofit, like there's just... you know we don't We don't advertise this as part of the nonprofit, but like fatherlessness is everywhere, man. There's so much of it.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
blee: and there's just
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
blee: It's as simple as kids that may even have a dad in the home that's just... you know maybe and not even through any like malice, he's working 80 hours a week. And as he's got exhausted and just doesn't have time for himself to be on the right page, let alone like pour into his kids the way he'd love to.
blee: And, and even with that, like he may be fatherless. So like you've got these multiple generations of kids, whether they're eight years old or 48 years old that have no idea what it's like to have a father that cares about them or loves them or any, you know,
blee: anyone that's like asking them questions or caring about them or pouring into them. So, the giftings like is where I'm at now is I'm able to not only give back, but I have a, uh,
blee: Steven and I talked about this the other day, an inventory of experience and work related experience that I can draw from and, you know, pour into other people now. And so like the giftings is, is more evident and there's more opportunity to use those giftings now.
Todd Pinkston: yeah How have you learned how to be a dad coming out of a home that didn't have a dad? And you haven't just learned how to be a dad. I mean, it sounds like you're, you take pride and in how your father and your, your girls, you are, you know, the nonprofit is a lot about investing in these kids. Like what is, what does it look like if there's, if there's a guy out there that's you know, 40 years old and and looks around and realize my dad fell into that category you were just talking about.
Todd Pinkston: Like he either physically wasn't there, he died, divorced, you know, wasn't around or just he he was not present when he was present.
blee: Mm-hmm.
blee: Mm-hmm.
Todd Pinkston: What does it look like for a guy to to realize that and become a dad, like redeem what was lost, change the next generation?
blee: Mm-hmm.
blee: I think the excuse me there's just always been a strong desire to understand like what that relationship looks like. So strong that like I just became student of observationally of like Other families, like I'm the, I'm the youngest of our cousin group. I have four or including my brother, four older column siblings.
blee: I have three older cousins. They're probably 10 or 12 years older than my brother and I. so I,
blee: not in Not in a mean way, but I enjoyed learning from other people's mistakes. Like, I'm not doing that, you know. So if anything could save me like pain and turmoil and give me some time back, like i was all for it, you know, which is ironic, you know, given the season of turning my back on the Lord.
blee: But. I think just being a student of what I would want that to look like. You know, we grew up in the late eighties, early nineties. And, you know, i don't know if you ever went to Grandy's, there was this restaurant called Grandy's and they had Norman, they had Norman Rockwell posters all over the place.
Todd Pinkston: oh yeah
Steven J. Neuner: Ha ha ha.
blee: And so I was just like, you know, in my mind, i was like, I'm living the white picket fence dream here. You know, just Grandy's on Sunday, just delusional, you know, like I just painted this picture of what I wanted do.
blee: a father to look like and just kind of became that right
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
blee: well and and i mean not to not to discount any of the life experience along the way but like god has shaped me into that like that was my desire but it's like again not of any of my own doing
Todd Pinkston: That's good. And I think about that statement you made or that that you said it, that God said to you at the at the end of a season of rebellion, like just that picture of a patient father.
Todd Pinkston: Like, man, are you done yet?
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: Like, I'm not going anywhere. Are you done yet? I will be here whenever you're ready to come back because life is not found somewhere else. It's found right here with me. You know, that picture the prodigal son for me, i just love it.
Todd Pinkston: And that statement that that is made in Luke 15, I think it's 17, where it says, and he came to his senses. Like he realized, and what he realized was not, I'm out of money.
blee: Mm-hmm.
Todd Pinkston: He realized my dad is over there and I'm over here. Like,
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: presence of the the one that I want to be with is not with me and I'm going home.
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: And so just that picture of like, man, in your mind, that's who God is.
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: Even though you you started running after something else, the father was patient.
blee: yeah
Todd Pinkston: The father was present. The father was there. And when you realize that, like it just changes everything because then you see yourself as that son that's worth it. And although you didn't have an earthly father, you had a heavenly father.
blee: yeah
Todd Pinkston: And man, now you get to be a representation of that to your kids, to all these other kids that are riding BMX bikes and you're pouring into. That's awesome. I just think that's super encouraging for people that listen that, man, it doesn't, you can spend your whole life bitter.
Todd Pinkston: Like you could have been bitter your whole life that your dad died when you were 18 months old. But that wasn't it.
blee: Sure.
Todd Pinkston: You know, it was that God wanted to use that as a part of your story to redeem and then for you to pass that along. So would you share more about kind of what you're doing with the nonprofit, that the BMX bikes, like how you're taking a passion and that you grew up with and pouring out?
Steven J. Neuner: Thank you.
Todd Pinkston: And are your girls a part of it? Is it just is it guys in the neighborhood? Like just tell tell more about kind of how you got that set up and and how you're pouring into these kids.
blee: sure So the, The idea is to have a vehicle to cultivate community, give a place, a safe place for kids to learn like new skills on, on the bike and off the bike and then prepare them for their future.
blee: Like whether they decide to go to college or, you know, there's a lot of kids that don't fit into that mold of like, I want to go to college. So what are those, what's available for those kids? There's not a whole lot. So like, you know, vote tech schools or skills unions or that sort of thing. Like those are very specific, but there's not a place where they can go learn a little bit about everything. Right.
blee: so in a nutshell, that's kind of the umbrella. I will say though, you, you mentioned asking about my girls. So before I started the nonprofit, I started a small family, base family business.
blee: And that is meant to be the test bed for the nonprofit. So being a father at home and and teaching my girls certain skills and that sort of thing and community and how how families interact and and that sort of thing.
blee: is what I'm doing in both businesses, right? So the family business is meant to be this nonprofit idea, but for my girls and our family as a sense of like ownership. And then if they want to do entrepreneurial type stuff, it's an entity that they can use to then, you know, sell their wares or advertise or have a business already established that if they have a I don't know, as easy as like if they wanted to crochet some stuff and sell it at farmer's market, you know, there's already an entity set up where they can have a booth and a logo and this thing that they can just go ahead and do that.
Todd Pinkston: the
blee: So the nonprofit, it has multiple avenues of of reaching different people. So there's definitely the, the kids in the east side of McKinney community, there's, it's, it's not impoverished, right? But it's not affluent, right?
blee: It's just a bunch of working class people that, you know, may not have the means that other people have.
Steven J. Neuner: Thank you.
blee: And there's a lot of kids, there's a lot of single parents, there's a lot of just dysfunction in that neighborhood. there's no way for the kids to get to the skate park, right? There's no skate parks over there. There's nowhere to ride. You've just got a bunch of kids that if they're on bikes, they're just running through the streets like madman, right?
blee: All hours of the night. There's lots of unsupervised you know kids. It's almost like a Gen X rebirth over there. But the idea is to pour specifically into that neighborhood because it's just me doing most of this, right? There's not a, I don't have a fleet of volunteers.
blee: I don't have a bunch of resources. So everything that I do is very specific to make the most impact on a few people, right? There's like more impact, less people.
blee: So I find bikes on marketplace, good quality BMX bikes that are used. I refurbish them. I buy them through the nonprofit and then I give them to the kids for free.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: And so there's a guy in Eastside who has a great story. His name is Jason Hernandez. Not a whole lot of time to go into that now, but he's doing a lot of good in the community as well.
blee: And so he has a like a corner store with like fresh fruits and vegetables and just kind of like a meeting place for the community. And so he's He's graciously allowed me to basically have a partnership with him.
blee: So on Thursdays, i will go over to his place and I'll bring a bunch of tools and the kids, when they get out of school, they'll come by and if they need help with their bikes.
blee: then I help them out for your charge needed to need a tire, need a new bike. just build relationship with those guys and though guys and girls just to know that I'm there. I'll be there every Thursday. If you need help with your bike to show up, they' like I'll help you as much as I can. If I can, if I don't have it this week, I'll bring it next week. Just show it.
blee: so that, That idea of the community is like reaching local kids in that area to do the most good with what I can. Now, those kids don't know anything about BMX. Like they're getting introduced to it.
blee: Well, there's a greater group of kids, youth, adults in the Metroplex that ride BMX already. And they travel to the skate parks all around. Well, I ride with them too because I still like to ride.
blee: Steven likes to ride. We haven't just haven't gone out in a while. So I'll meet with them at the skate park. and just just be a part of the homies hanging out. like Just encourage them, like love on them.
blee: Just be one of the guys there. like Same thing, if they blow up two midsession you know a lot of times it's like, well, I guess I'll pick up a tube at the shop tomorrow. Well, I got one in the car. like Here.
blee: like like Just here, have it. Keep going. so you know Just a sense of like looking out for each other. There's a strong sense of community in in the BMX culture anyways, is like looking out after everybody and just like being cool.
blee: So there's, you know, concentric circles. There's the kids that I work with trying to get them involved in community and like using BMX to kind of tie them together. Because when you give a group of kids bikes,
blee: They're like, let's go ride some bikes. You know, now they've got friends to go ride with. And it's not just like, oh, I've got this bike. I'm just going to ride around the neighborhood. It's like, they've all got bikes. So I'm trying to build that to where they can just run with it. I don't have to be there to do that. Right.
blee: And then long term, the goal, the dream is to build a indoor outdoor bike park. So like a skate park, but like on steroids, like a much bigger facility.
blee: So think of like multiple acres, like maybe seven or nine acres. You have jumps in the woods and then something inside to where when it's too hot or too cold, Texas climate is pretty brutal for you know outdoor activities that we can have space to ride. Everybody has space to ride and that it's not a barrier people.
blee: activity and like have a nominal fee, like two bucks to show up. Like I'm trying to take all the burden off the table because BMXers are broke. There's no money in BMX yet. There's so much good in it, but we're trying to do the most with what we can.
blee: but in that facility as well, like, building community, having potlucks, having the the parents come in and be a part of what we're doing, like single dads or or guys that are just, you know, fatherless and adult men that need help.
Steven J. Neuner: So I'm going to go through the.
blee: You know, there needs to be a place for them to like a day of the week where we we're building ramps, like just come show up and hang out. Like you don't even have to do anything. You know, maybe there's no kids there that day because there's some guys, you know, they can't, can't, you know, maybe they've got a record and they can't,
blee: be around kids. i don't know. There's, there's, there's hurting people everywhere. Like trying to find a space for everyone to like come and be known and loved on and give them something to do, especially men, give them something to do, like build ramps for kids. Like, I don't know anybody that wouldn't want to do that.
blee: So there's, there's a lot to it. Like there's tip of the iceberg. I mean, we could talk for four hours about this stuff and I wouldn't, you know, I wouldn't shut up. But like, that's why my heart and passion is to to build something that is a place for kids to go, place for community to be made.
blee: you know It's not about me, it's about having a place that exists. It's like, it's almost like cheers, you know, like minus alcohol.
blee: It's like where everybody knows your name, like just show up and come hang out. and Like, let's just do this. You know, there's just so many burdened, like barriers, like you can't, can't get insurance or like all this stuff. Let's, let's just figure it out.
Todd Pinkston: That's awesome.
Steven J. Neuner: i think, you know, on in this podcast, we talk a lot about purpose. And I think a lot of times the idea can be even when, Brandon, you're talking like there there can be people's minds can run with.
Steven J. Neuner: the the the vision that you're talking about. and And we tend to have these grand visions. And one of things that I really, really love is that when we reconnected and I like, I caught the vision, but not the full vision, but just like that the the tip of the iceberg. i'm like, this is amazing.
Steven J. Neuner: We could blow this a out, right? And Brandon's like like, he had the wisdom and discernment to be like, no, like that's not that's not it, right? And it's like it was all like humbling, because that's what I do. It's like, yeah, we're going to grow this thing.
Steven J. Neuner: And Brandon's like, the The impact.
blee: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: and And it made me go back to when we were kids. You made an impact on me, Brandon, at 15 years old that carried forward. When I became a Christ follower in my mid-20s, I thought about you Rent free, you were in my mind.
Steven J. Neuner: but You know,
blee: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: And it was in that little interaction. We think we've got to have this really huge purpose, but it's actually you just showing up and like changing a tube for a bike for a kid that needs an inner tube change.
Steven J. Neuner: How much of a difference that can make in someone's life?
blee: yeah
Steven J. Neuner: Because that you multiple times in my life, your quiet voice has been the voice that's really, really the one I needed.
blee: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: That's unlocked the next thing that I needed to figure out. So...
blee: That's huge. Thanks, man. I appreciate that.
Todd Pinkston: and To add on to that, Brandon, the like Way Forward started out of a a community that's just like what you're talking about.
blee: Yeah, because I
Todd Pinkston: Like John Marshall, he's been on the podcast. I mean, super dear friend. He, you know, yeah, it was about lifting weights, but the dude just created community. He just created a place where people could be known, where they could be comfortable.
Todd Pinkston: It was routine. and Out of that, it's like deep bonds happen, and then who knows? and I just think, man, as we talk about purpose, so many times we think purpose, just like you you know in the late 90s, you're like, it's got to be over there. like It's got to be somewhere else. there's It's a place, and and the reality is it's right here.
Todd Pinkston: It's in a relationship.
blee: yeah
Todd Pinkston: It's using your gifts. The simplicity of that, and I think so many I mean, sorry, Nooner. So many entrepreneurs like us, it's like, yeah, we hear an idea and we just think about, man, how can we add on to it?
Todd Pinkston: And it's like, I think there's just beauty in the simplicity of, I've got a bike tire, let me give you a bike tire.
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: I'm going to show up and help you use your bike.
blee: Yeah.
Todd Pinkston: I'm going to buy a bike, I'm going to make it you know workable and I'm going to give it to you. And it's like, man, that's that makes so much bigger of an impact on that one kid. He feels seen, he feels loved, he feels cared for.
Todd Pinkston: And then who knows?
blee: yeah
Todd Pinkston: It's like, man, may your tribe increase. Like kudos to you and your faithfulness and that you're using in your gifts. And you know you have something that so many people long for. It's like purpose in the daily moment. And they they think it's somewhere else. And it's like, and you're just grabbing it right there. And so in a lot of ways, look I look across and I see a man that you know that i that that I've got some jealousy of like, man, I wish I could just have some simplicity like that and and not get overwhelmed by you know, the grandiose of things and just enjoy the moment. So that's awesome. Thanks for sharing that story.
blee: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And it's, you know, i still get overwhelmed about stuff. I don't think that, that aspect, that, that cycle of life continues, you know, even in the simple times, like there's still things that we obsess over become overwhelming, but you know, you're right.
blee: Where, where is it? It's not a place it's in a person. And that person is Jesus Christ.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: Well, Brandon, if I could, i I would love just that where you're at and what Todd and I are admiring and really celebrating this moment and the John Marshalls of the world.
Steven J. Neuner: It doesn't come without some sacrifice. So would you mind just sharing some of the things that you've had to give up in regards to to to stay in in the zone that I've seen you walk through?
Todd Pinkston: It's good.
blee: well, it's interesting. Like the, the first things that come to mind, i don't know if they were like given up or if the Lord's just removed them and not remove them in like a malice type way. Like it's like, okay, well we're done with that.
blee: The next season, the next lesson has to be learned without that. Right. So that gets removed where like my, my approach to understanding that sort of thing has changed a lot where like, I don't freak out as much.
blee: It takes, it takes longer for me to freak out, which, which should be descriptive of the season I'm in right now, because, you know, I got laid off from my corporate IT job that I was a part of for, you know, almost 10 years that we moved here for, that was, you know,
blee: Lucrative in that it paid for everything and, you know life for the most part financially was, you know trouble free. And we're what, you know, close to two years, two years in on that.
blee: So it's not so much that that was difficult right away, but the longer it, you know, I think I heard from a preacher recently, it's not, it's not under the sharpest,
blee: problems. We have faith problems. It's done under the longest duration of problems. You know, it's the long haul that causes us issues. So, so long, long way around for that. But the, we're almost two years in. So i was unemployed for six months and then Nooner and I found that it was, it was the right, it was the right time for me to go back to work.
blee: So I started working for Steven in June of June of 24.
Steven J. Neuner: with.
blee: So, you know, a year and a half in and, you know, all the things money is all gone. You know, there's, you know, whatever there was for retirement, you know, not by any means like a retirement savvy guy. Like there might've been enough in that our retirement accounts to like maybe buy a car.
blee: So there's no, I mean, it's a retirement account, but there's not retirement money in there. But like, that's, it's all just been liquidated. Like everything's gone. You know, I'm back to, I'm back to a very day to day lifestyle, which I don't, which I believe is on purpose, you know,
blee: how do you, how do you become more dependent on God is when you can't depend on anything else. So, you know, I think in, in our nation, our culture, like, you know, fiscal independence is is a big, you know, for lack of a better word, a big idol.
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: Like it gives us assurances that we can like do things. And so, you know, when we are, when I'm assured I can do something, then I just believe in myself and move on rather than like, well,
blee: I woke up today. God must have something for me. I don't how know how it's going to work out, but he got me through yesterday. So Lord, help me today. Help me be in the moment. Help me to be faithful with what's in front of me.
blee: Like I started every day with that now. It's like I didn't do that. 15 years ago. it was just like, I'll wake up, do what I want. Because I was able to.
blee: So I hope this is answering your question.
Steven J. Neuner: Yeah.
blee: There's just a lot more day-to-day dependence on, like it's not a like it can't be about me because i don't have anything left. Everything that Brandon has is you know, on my person.
blee: So, you know, we're at a place we wrestled with, uh, you know, what's the next move for us for a long time. Like we've got into this house and, you know, built a workshop and I have tons of tools and have always wanted a place to work on stuff and have tools. And so now I finally have all that and,
blee: Now we're at a place where we're selling our house. It was like, well, what's what that all about? It's like, I don' have no idea. you know So like what's next for us? I don't know. people like We're moving.
blee: We have to. like there's There's no way around it unless God shows up and is like, here, I don't want you to move. Just stay where you're at. i mean it's going to have At this point, it's going to have to be like an Abraham and Isaac sort of deal. It's like,
blee: if he wants us to stay then he's going to have to make it happen because there's there's no visible way that i can see that's happening you know what's next i have no idea so i mean i don't I don't say that asking for anything. Like I wanted nothing more than for people to pray because I want what this to be the season of life.
blee: And, you know, it's probably probably not the smartest move. Well, worldly worldly-wise, definitely not the smartest move. But its I have these things you call dangerous prayers, and dangerous prayers are the ones you're pretty sure that God's going to answer.
blee: ask God, hey, like, and i ask a hey like you That's kind of casual, but make make this make this happen to where when it works out, there's no doubt in anybody's mind that you made it happen, not me.
blee: Not because somebody came and was like, hey, I got this job offer for you. So, you know, oh, Brandon finally got a job. And so now everything's better. He can pay for everything. like I don't, I want it to be to where, you know, even my unbelieving BMX friends are like, dude, what, what happened?
blee: And maybe that'd be an open door for them to hear about the gospel, and you know,
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
blee: Like part of my role, I believe, is to just be a soil tender. Like you can't you can't make things grow all and the Spirit can do that. But you can prep the soil, right? You can build the fire and then the Spirit can light it. But all I have to say, I don't know where we're at.
blee: You know, as an almost 50-year-old male with a family and a mortgage, like it's kind of scary to say like you don't know what's next, but that's where we're at.
Steven J. Neuner: And I appreciate you sharing that.
Todd Pinkston: It's great.
Steven J. Neuner: And I just, I didn't, I didn't, know, there was certainly no expectation to go there for me, but my, my, I'm glad you shared it though.
Steven J. Neuner: I mean, cause to see literally, I get to see you walk daily. Right. And I get, I see,
blee: Mm-hmm.
Steven J. Neuner: I see a piece that surpasses all understanding. And I've wondered the number of times where someone is walking really close with Jesus and because my perspective of their lack of success caused me to encourage them in actually a way that did not that would rob them of their peace.
Steven J. Neuner: and so so that you know and And conversely, it made me wonder, are there any times that when something was removed that wasn't the way I wanted it to go, like that I misunderstood what was happening?
Todd Pinkston: Thank you.
Steven J. Neuner: So like you just I just appreciate you sharing that because i think that there's... some really, really hard to understand truth in there that I've seen you walk out in a way that's just been a witness.
Steven J. Neuner: And so I'm grateful that you you're sharing it in this format. So.
blee: yeah you're welcome it's you know it's part of the you know stories that need to be told like
blee: it's the the nitty-gritty of life like it's the stuff that nobody talks about because it's you know nobody wants to feel like they can't do it themselves like I'm life's too short man i have the ego for that anymore it's like if if I can't if I can't make it work then that's how it is like I'm not going to stress out I mean I stress out as much as the next guy it's like
Todd Pinkston: Let's go.
blee: At the worst, like, you know, worst case for us was like to sell the house.
Todd Pinkston: Hmm.
blee: But now, but then the Lord was like, we'll explore that further. Like push that all the way out. So i was like, right, well, I started thinking about it. was like, well, so what?
blee: You know, so what we have to sell our house.
blee: We're going to be homeless. So who cares? Like it doesn't change anything. We're still a family. Like God still has a plan, but that doesn't, you know, we're not just going to starve and die. Like it just doesn't work that way. Like things at the very base level just work out because that's just how it is.
blee: So I don't know.
Todd Pinkston: Your vulnerability is refreshing. It's like a like a drug we need that we don't know we need.
Steven J. Neuner: Mm-hmm.
blee: Hmm.
Todd Pinkston: And when you're around somebody that's it's vulnerable, it's like, it's just refreshing. It's life. There's life in it. So I appreciate it, brother. thanks for Thanks for sharing. Thanks for being honest.
blee: Yeah, that's where I live, I guess.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
Steven J. Neuner: Well, Brandon, if you would, i mean, i would love for you to just share where more people can find where people can find you learn more about BMX local, what you guys are up to there.
blee: Sure. part of the, so I have Instagram and I have just Instagram. There's no Facebook. There's no part of that. And that's intentional. Part of that is so, you know, kids aren't on their phone. Kids are on their bikes. Like I don't want any more distractions. Like I don't want reasons for people to be on their phones. so So there's Instagram and that's kind of like a personal slash nonprofit.
blee: Instagram is pretty much all about BMX bikes. And that's at lumpy BMX local. But probably the place for anyone that's interested to see where we're at or what we're doing is the website.
blee: So that's bmxlocal.org. it's It's meant to be a place for parents and for people that are new to BMX or just want to see what we're about.
blee: It's a place for them to get a feel for not just what we're doing information wise, but kind of an aesthetic of like, you know, BMX is not this polished thing.
blee: Like it's a community of, of just people that love to ride bikes. You know, that takes all kinds of people from different walks of life. So, the website is the most important.
Steven J. Neuner: What?
blee: You can find all my information there to contact me further email address. I think even my phone number's on there. We have a Candid profile. We're on North Texas Giving Day.
blee: We're registered 501c3 nonprofit. Got copies of a background check if you need that sort of stuff.
blee: So had to do that recently for volunteering for the ISD mentoring. So I'm going do
blee: But yeah, just check it out.
Steven J. Neuner: but
blee: Go support your local BMXer. Go find out what it's about. You know, a lot of people have seen BMX at trick shows, whether it's at a high school or at the state fair or, you know, anywhere, X Games.
blee: And I'm sure a lot of people are like, that's awesome. But they never draw a line to like, that could be a part of their life. Like, it's more like going to a museum and then trying to figure out that you can draw when you get home.
blee: Like, Anybody can do it. There's, you know, you don't have to sign up and join a league like football. It's like, go get a bicycle and go ride. Like people just gravitate to you. If you're on a bicycle, it's crazy how many people you just find on a bicycle, you know, and everybody loves bikes.
blee: Like I haven't met one adult male that didn't like bikes. Just go ride
Steven J. Neuner: It's our first, one of our first sources of freedom.
blee: Yeah, exactly. You know, and Todd, you mentioned about like the impact you have over one person, just like being able to give them a tube. Like the greatest joy has been, and I don't usually film stuff like that.
blee: My wife is a photographer and she's really good at it. So I just don't do that. But like, When we give bikes away, I've made it a point to to video it because it is so impactful.
blee: Like it almost makes me cry thinking about it.
Todd Pinkston: Yeah.
blee: Like you got these kids that are just hardened because their life at home just, you know, isn't great. You know, day to day, they're just struggling. But give them a bike. that works that is like a legit bike and they're just that hard exterior just like phase they're just like the word thank you comes off their lips like i don't even know if i've ever heard that kid say thank you or a nice thing to anyone else in my life but like to to have them turn to me and say thank you like it's crazy man just makes so much difference like why don't we why wouldn't we want to do that
Todd Pinkston: Boston.
Steven J. Neuner: Love it, Brian. Love you, brother.
blee: Love you too, man.
Steven J. Neuner: Thank you so much.
blee: Yeah. Thank you guys for doing this. Like this is this is a deal. Like you guys, I know, I know about y'all's book from conversations with Steven. Like what a wonderful thing to take on the task of, you know, freeing people and getting them to live the way God intended. Like what, what a blessing that's going to be. And so I'm stuck to be, you know, in some small way, a part of it and appreciate it.
Todd Pinkston: Well, you're doing it, man.
Steven J. Neuner: You're doing it.
Todd Pinkston: Thanks for sharing your story with us. Thanks for sharing your story with the world. Look forward to seeing you this summer on trail. Hey, get that asthma out here.
blee: Yeah, it'll be a good time.
Todd Pinkston: time to get back on the mountain.
blee: I know it's killing me, man.
Todd Pinkston: Let's go.
blee: right.
Steven J. Neuner: Love you.
Todd Pinkston: right, man. Appreciate it. All right, you too.
blee: Yep. Have good one.
