Young America
The United States of America was established by God-fearing people and biblical principles. Unfortunately, the modern generations do not believe that God is necessary to guide their lives or their nation. How has this come about? In large part, it is because Christians have lost their zeal for Christ and have separated their spiritual lives from their secular lives. America is in dire need of unity. Unless America experiences revival and Christians start to act Christ-like, America—the last bastion of hope and freedom—will perish. Jacob and Joe are on a mission to revive America and to encourage their generation to stand up for Christ. Join them on this adventure to let Christ's light shine through them in a dark America and to reach their generation for Christ!
Young America
Shared Laughter and Wisdom Among Friends: An Interview with Jacob Litke
Life's most profound lessons often sprout from the unlikeliest of places, such as the heart-to-heart exchanges we share among friends. Jacob Litke joins me as we peel back the veneer of daily life, revealing the cherished memories and life lessons that have sculpted our journey. We traverse the bumps of our past failures and uncover the silver linings that have forged our present selves, all while maintaining a playful banter that keeps the heavy topics at bay.
As we wend through the corridors of influence and life reflections, the air turns festive with discussions of Christmas and Easter, before shifting to the practicality of job experiences and the wisdom we'd impart to our younger selves. The episode takes a heartfelt turn as we edge toward the remarkable individuals who've left indelible imprints on us.
Rounding off the conversation, we muse over the hypothetical scenarios of newfound wealth, and our shared dreams of bolstering faith-based endeavors, all while threading through the themes of faith, perseverance, and integrity. We're not just talking about personal growth here—we're living it, and as we cast our hopeful gazes toward the future, we invite you to join us. So, if you're intrigued by the prospect of deep dives into life's complexities with a friend, our episode is a must-listen. Join us on Young America for an exchange that's as enlightening as it is entertaining.
faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of the enemy are deceitful. I would rather have a friend who, even though it's going to hurt me and it's going to hurt them, and you know, I would rather have someone who was willing to be faithful to me and tell me what I need to hear than have someone who's going to go around beating around the bush. Just let me live life the way I think it should be lived and not be people helping me to serve the Lord.
Speaker 2:Welcome back young America. This is young America. I was going to say it was shadow man, but it's not shadow man.
Speaker 1:No, it's definitely young America, not this time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so welcome back. As you may be able to tell, I have new equipment and it is awesome. I am loving it. New mic, new stand, new headphones, new headphones and new oh, it came with a stand too recordy thingy well, I mean yeah yeah yeah anyways, yeah, so it's really cool. Yeah, I know it costs a pretty penny, but it's totally worth it yeah, yeah, enough about that, but so today we're going to be doing an interview, and Jacob Licky is the wonderful interviewee.
Speaker 1:Yours truly.
Speaker 2:Or should I say Yours truly. Oh boy.
Speaker 1:We're going to have a lot of fun on this episode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I mean it's a little different episode. I got some questions written down for Jacob so we are going to get into it. They're going to be a little. I mean they're going to be fun questions. There's a pretty wide variety honestly. Yeah, so yeah, it's going to be, exciting, so I guess we're gonna get into it. So question number one um, what do people misunderstand about you the most?
Speaker 1:um, you know, I was thinking about this one earlier and the answer is I don't really know. I mean because I was going to ask you what you think, because to me I'm a very upfront person, like you know, if I'm having a bad day or a good day, you can just tell.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean well, so I don't. I think people you come across as I don't know proud, maybe, if that makes sense, but in reality you're like one of the most humble guys I've ever known and you just have this air of like, okay, this is what we're gonna do and we're gonna get it done and this is how it's gonna work. And yeah, it's not necessarily a sense of pride, it's just we need to get this done and this is how we're gonna do it. Yeah, it's determination.
Speaker 1:I mean, some of it is, I think. But at the same time it's kind of my cop-out, because it used to be that I had no confidence at all and then I came to the ranch and it was like everyone had confidence. So I just kind of I don't know. I picked it up, I guess, and so now it's like all right people. Here's the plan.
Speaker 1:And also to some people I come across kind of well. Like you know, jason will always tell me that he feels like he can tell me stuff because I can't beat him up. You know what I mean? I think a lot of I don't know how many people have felt that way, but there have been several people that I've known in my lifetime, which has been short, but who have told me things that you know they wouldn't tell anybody else or they feel like they can talk to me, which is just interesting, because it seems like you know the people that I want to talk to me don't, and the people that I mean I want everybody to talk to me. That's fine. If I can listen and be a help, then great, but it's just sort of kind of funny. It's like whatever. If I can be a blessing, then great.
Speaker 2:If not, I'll try to shut up, all right.
Speaker 1:Question number two is what is your favorite childhood memory? Yikes, I don't.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's so many things and it's so hard to remember everything all at once yeah, that's very I mean, one of the things I remember most is when I was seven I got this giant lego castle for christmas and we were moving that year and I really wanted to build it but we were about to move. So Mom was like, no, you can't build it. So I was super pumped and I finally did, and that's what got me started on Legos for a very, very long time. So that's a good memory. You know there's lots of other things too. You know Butchering chickens or apple picking, or you know butchering chickens or apple picking. Or you know singing in concerts. Concerts are the bomb. Tell you what? Anyways, cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's very difficult to remember your childhood. I don't know for what reason, but it's just like it disappears.
Speaker 1:I always wonder if, like, I'll remember more stuff, or at least things more clearly, certain things more clearly, when I'm older.
Speaker 2:I don't know, that's probably not true, but I think it'll come back when you have kids yourself, because you'll look at it.
Speaker 1:That makes sense, oh, man, I remember doing that what in the?
Speaker 1:world so I don't know how that works, but I mean I thought of one of when I was in high school. One of the favorite things I've done was I got to be a cowboy at the ranch and that was a big part of my life and my ego. For a long time was hats and boots and chaps and all kinds of stuff. So yeah, that was that was a blast that hard work, but I learned a lot from it, so it was good for me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, yeah. So question number three is what is your biggest failure and what did you learn from that experience?
Speaker 1:It's a big question. This is a hard question too, because it's like it really is. I don't, because when I look back at life, I mean there's things that didn't end up happening or maybe didn't go the way I thought, but there was never an absolute, abject like failure, like dude, you screwed up and you're going to pay now, you know. I mean there's been things that haven't felt good, maybe, or things that you know I thought were going to happen, that weren't Like. I remember back when I was goodness how old was I? I was probably somewhere between 13 and 15. I was asked to sing a solo with the Greenville Chorale which I know that doesn't mean anything really to anybody, but you know that would have been my second time and then I was also asked to be in this play. But then you know just the way things worked out and the way politics worked in the way, uh, you know, just played out and my voice changed and everything that didn't end up happening and that kind of it did not end up happening. Yeah, it did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know it went from here down to here. Yeah, it did.
Speaker 1:I couldn't sing soprano anymore, at least. So.
Speaker 2:I can still sing second soprano though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but so anyways, I mean, that was just something that wasn't a failure.
Speaker 1:It was just like now wasn't the time. You know that wasn't what needed to be done right then. So that's one of the things where you say, all right, God, that's what you wanted, so we'll go on to the next thing, and we hit those stages multiple times in life, and so you're just going to have to make sure and I know, see and I say you, I mean me I'm going to have to make sure that I have the right attitude about things.
Speaker 1:Which is you know granted, it's hard to do and I mess up. I mess up daily, even to this day, and I wish that wasn't true, but the fact of the matter is God is good and he knows what he's doing. So let him work his plan and you follow it.
Speaker 2:That's your job.
Speaker 1:If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be Serving the Lord with? Every bone in my body that sums it up yeah, and I would say too this is my challenge to others is I want to be with people who want to serve the Lord with every bone in their body too. So if you want to come, let's go. If not, I know where I'm going, so let's get it done.
Speaker 2:What is the best compliment that you've ever gotten?
Speaker 1:That's a weird one, but yeah Well, when I read context, joe sent these questions to me earlier and I didn't think a whole lot about them. I mean, I looked at them but I haven't like studied them out, so I knew that was coming eventually. There's actually two and they kind of happened back to back. One was and you'll probably find this interesting but that I had a good sense of humor, which no one had ever told me that before. So I was like, well, you're the only one who ever told me that.
Speaker 1:So I don't know if that's true or not, but we'll go with it, and then the second one was somebody told me that I had a good personality, so that meant a lot to me. That was nice. I don't know if I do or not, but the audience can be the judge from what they've seen yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, what is the best insult that?
Speaker 1:you've gotten um either. Well, the first thing that came to my mind was that comment that we got on facebook on that reel.
Speaker 2:Remember that but I refuse to say that out loud on the podcast. So if you're, curious.
Speaker 1:go look at our reels and search it out and you'll see it was pretty entertaining.
Speaker 2:actually, I thought it was funny, or if you know us personally, you can ask us that too yeah. You could also just look it up, because that would be awkward. Yeah, anyways, moving on Right, how would your parents describe what you do?
Speaker 1:Like okay. So here's my question with that, just to clarify, Describe what I do like in life, or like with the podcast, or with school, or Everything, anything. Everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean what I? The best way I can think to answer that question is that my parents know that I want to do right and they support me in what I do. And you know they don't like I, cause I just talking to mom on our we went on a walk cause I had to walk out my frustrations, you know, and sometimes you just got to go on a walk but, um, I asked mom about that. So I was got to go on a walk, but, um, I asked mom about that. So I was like you know, what do I? What do you think like, what do you? What do I say here?
Speaker 1:And she's like well, you know me and your dad don't understand necessarily everything that goes into the podcast and they don't get how it all works or how it all work out. But she also knows that I've got a brain and that I'm serving the Lord as best I can and that, and that they're going to support me in following the Lord. So that's, you know they? My mom always has told me that as long as I'm doing what God wants me to do, I can do whatever I put my mind to, which is true.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So that's kind of my parents' philosophy about me is from what I, you know, know and understand is that they support me and they're behind me. And it sounds kind of cliche, but you know they love me and they believe in me and they're going to be there every step of the way, which is awesome because I need them. You know they've seen you ever think about that. Your parents have seen so much more life than you have and have so much more perspective. And, of course, you know no one knows everything. Only God knows everything. But they know a lot more than I do. So you know, it's nice to be able to ask questions and then to be able to lovingly say you know what they've learned too. Appreciate your parents and those who are older and around you. You know, learn from the people in your church and learn from your parents and your grandparents, because they may not understand all the technologies that you know you and I do, but they've seen a lot more life and people haven't changed, so take their advice.
Speaker 2:What is a funny story your family tells about you that you would like to share?
Speaker 1:There's not a whole lot of funny story. The main thing that comes to mind is when I was little, I used to try to flush my socks down the toilet, but I don't think that's really unusual. I don't know, that is very unusual you're like two or three and you're just like, oh it's a sock, oh it's a toilet. You know, he just I should go round and round and mom had to rescue a lot of socks forget about the socks being lost in the washer.
Speaker 2:We all know where they are down the toilet, because jacob like man.
Speaker 1:Why is the drain plugged up like uh, that is very interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's funny goodness. Why have I not known? This glad I entertain you oh yeah, it was very entertaining. Oh, my goodness, that's awesome. So now, if I have a sock missing, I'm just gonna blame it on you yeah, yeah, like oh, jacob showed up in the middle of the night what's your best or your favorite holiday movie I mean there's a lot of good ones well, I guess, first of all, what's your for your best hope. Goodness, english is hard.
Speaker 1:What's your favorite holiday?
Speaker 2:The best holiday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man, I mean. I know it's classic and cliche and everything but Christmas is definitely pretty high up on the list.
Speaker 1:I would say Thanksgiving after that and then Easter Easter is pretty high. I mean that's like the best day for a Christian in in the whole wide world because jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin. But I would say for positive, definitely christmas, because that's concert season. Uh, for the choir and concerts are awesome. There are a lot of work, but they're awesome and beautiful and you know the whole house is lit up and it's cozy.
Speaker 2:I can testify yeah.
Speaker 1:We made you help put it up. Yeah, I don't know, it's just a good time of year, yeah. There's a lot of pressure, but it's also kind of relaxing at the same time. So it's a good time, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:What has been your favorite job? Also kind of relaxing at the same time. So it's a good time, mm-hmm. Um, what has been your favorite job?
Speaker 1:Um, I would say I mean I've had a lot of good jobs, for sure, but probably the best job is working with my dad doing trim carpentry when I not when I'm not doing school which right now I do school a lot but yeah, I mean, you know, it's just, it's nice to be able to and you know you get that quality time with your dad that you may not always get, you know, because you're at home and he's working, but then you get to go work together and eventually what's been the coolest part recently is I'm actually finally getting to the point where I can know what I'm talking about a little bit and be able to sort of, in a sense, perform, not perform, but do well and go fast and get the job done right and be at his level in a sense.
Speaker 1:Now, I haven't lived as long as he's been doing this, so I don't know jack squat hardly, but I know a lot more than I used to and it's just fun to be able to be on the same level and to have that sort of connection of you know we can show up to a job and get it done and know we can depend on each other in that way. So that's been the best part probably, but I've had a lot of good jobs. You learn things from all of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's very true. What has been your least favorite job?
Speaker 1:Well, there was. I've worked at a couple different ranches, but one of them and it wasn't it's not, it hasn't. None of my jobs have ever been like the work was bad, you know, like the work itself and it's not that the people were bad case the way the autonomy and the authority structure was set up, it was just really confusing and unclear, at least to me, yeah, and so that was just kind of frustrating. But really I've never had a bad job. To be honest, all my jobs I've always been pretty solid. Some of them I like better than others.
Speaker 1:But you have to consider even the job that I would consider the work I liked the least washing dishes. I had a good time washing dishes and there was a whole bunch of other guys to be nuts with while we were washing dishes, so it was a good time, you know, it was definitely a growing experience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, if you could go back and give your 18 year old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Speaker 1:Well, I would tell him a lot of things, but goodness, now I have to sum up all the thoughts in my brain into one thing there's a lot rolling around.
Speaker 2:It doesn't have to be one necessarily I can have two.
Speaker 1:I mean, the first thing I would say is don't be stupid.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, that's kind of a given Right.
Speaker 1:Right, but at the same time it's like if and if and you know I've said this before, I don't know if I said on the podcast or not, I can't remember, and I know we've talked about it before.
Speaker 1:it's like if you could go back and knowing what you know now, even with just two more years added on you know I'm 20 now I mean, that's only two years since I was 18 but the amount of things that I've learned and I'm in the process of learning now. If I could go back and tell all that to that stupid idiot, imagine where we could be today.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and you know that's not necessarily, that's not really. God has you right where he wants you learning the things he wants you to learn when he wants you to learn them, not before you know. So it's okay. But you know one thing I would say to sum up everything that I think is to be sober minded.
Speaker 1:When I was 18, freshman year of college, I kind of went into it with the oh, this is my time to experiment this. You know, I'm going to have fun, this will be great, which is fine. It's fine to have fun and it's fine to live life. But there are things now that I kind of wish, like you know, it would have been smarter if I hadn't have done that or hadn't, you know, thought that, you know, you just have to be wise, really, and if I had the maturity which I don't have, a lot of maturity, but I have more than I used to and if I had the maturity I have now, back then things you know, it would just be different, that's all. So you know to people if you're younger than us I know, we're not much older than you probably but have wisdom, be mature and use your brain. You don't have to experiment with everything the world throws at you.
Speaker 2:It's not wise to experiment with what the world has for that fact of the matter. What are the three, or who are the three, most important individuals that had the most influence in your life?
Speaker 1:That is a really hard question, to be honest. I mean, there's a lot of people who've had a lot of influence on my life. For sure, I'd say obviously number one, my parents. They have a lot of influence on my life. It's nice because I can talk to them about the stuff that I think and I feel and they'll listen to me and not tear me down. Sometimes I get this with. There are certain people well, that would be an over-generalization but sometimes there are people that I've met who have the sort of I'm better than you attitude or you're dumb and'm you're dumb and stupid, and why are you thinking that? That's ridiculous? Why would you ever think that? And my parents are in no way like that. They're my parents, obviously, and they guide me in the right direction, but they also listen to me and sympathize, sympathize with me, you know, and try to understand where I'm coming from, and that's a big blessing to have parents who care and listen. I mean, that's kind of one group, I guess.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Trying to think people who've had it. I mean, there's a lot of people who've had major impact on my life recently Um, I would say probably the next and this may be as far as I can get, but is my friends. You know, you and Jason, and just you know I have a lot of. Well, I don't have a lot of friends, but I got enough enough to influence me in the right direction and friends who are willing to say what needs to be said, to help me go the right way, and that is super important.
Speaker 1:You know, proverbs says the wounds of a faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of the enemy are deceitful. The wounds of a friend, but the kisses of the enemy are deceitful. I would rather have a friend who, even though it's going to hurt me and it's going to hurt them, and I would rather have someone who was willing to be faithful to me and tell me what I need to hear than have someone who's going to go around beating around the bush. Just let me live life the way I think it should be lived and not be people helping me to serve the Lord. So I appreciate having friends who are willing to stand by me and do what's right.
Speaker 1:And you know, you and Jason we're doing all this media stuff together. We're building businesses together and that means a lot to me and that is a lot of my life goes into that at this point, you know, and so that's had a big influence on me and it's it's encouraging to have guys that I can work with and it's encouraging to have guys who are my friends, who can listen to me and I can listen to them, who are my friends, who can listen to me and I can listen to them. And I know that if I called them at three in the morning or they called me, their phones might be on vibrate, so they may not hear it, but they'll be calling me as soon as they get up and be grabbing the shovel and the gun.
Speaker 2:That's about right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's what I would say. I mean, those are the main, and there's a lot of other people who have influenced me here and there and whatever in my life, but I would say those are the two main ones. I know that's not three, but that's what I got.
Speaker 2:That's fine. If you could have coffee black coffee, of course with any historical figure, who would it be?
Speaker 1:The first person that comes to my head would be George Washington. He's a very interesting character. I mean, like everything that I feel like I'm learning right now about humility and leadership, probably some other things that I can't think of off the top of my head, like he is the classic American example from my understanding. So I think that would be really cool just to be able to have coffee and not talk about like I wouldn't want to talk about. Oh, you've done this and you've done that and you're so cool.
Speaker 1:I want to know, you know, this is what I think and what I'm learning. Can you give me, you know, your advice, your take on it? That would be really cool. And then other people. I mean the only other person that came to my mind when I first read the question was Joseph Pulitzer. Well, that's just because I've studied him for a while and he's very intriguing. He's not a very nice guy to be around and I'm not sure I would want to be influenced by him, but just, uh, to meet that kind of a character would be interesting, I guess, if that makes sense yeah, if you randomly got 10 million dollars, what would you spend it on?
Speaker 2:I mean it a college, for that matter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, see, there's a difference between what I would do with a mill and 10 mil, you know.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, go for it, 10 million.
Speaker 1:So if it was 10 mil, first I would pay off the house and make sure my parents live well, have things that they've never had before. Then, after that, I would probably give 2 mil to my church, because we're trying to build a church and I want a pretty church if at all possible. So I'll do what it takes. You know, and you know, we're never going to have the money to build a cathedral, but I like to me, I don't know, I just think if I had the money I would build a beautiful church. That's what I'm trying to say.
Speaker 1:And so let's say that's probably three mil. So then another two mil would go to the Bill Rice Ranch because they need it in a lot of ways. The next two mil would go to the Academy of Arts in Logos Theater, because I know you don't know who they are but they need it, for you know just, there's a lot of ministries that have a lot of needs, you know, and if I have the money to give it, then by George, let's give it away. I don't need it. Let's see where am I at? That's what 7 mil. So another 2 million would be to the TW Quarter Circle Ranch because they need to buy their own property and have nice quality stuff for their ministry. And then the other million I don't know I'd probably at this point in my life pour it into Shadowband and the other projects that we're working on, because that's what's going to bring the next million to put into whatever else needs to be done.
Speaker 2:This is an interesting one. If you had to write a book by tomorrow, what would you write it on?
Speaker 1:Man. There's so many things. It would definitely be about some of the things that I've been learning about recently. Probably, I think the best the thing that could sum up all the things I've been learning is learning to follow Jesus, no matter what, and not even if you don't. You can't see the path and you can barely see the step. All you need to know is how to take it, and you need to learn how to wait, because waiting is following. It's just. You're just going a little slower than you felt like you were earlier. That's all you know. That doesn't's all. It doesn't change anything. It doesn't change the fact that you need to know to do what you know to be right now, and whatever the consequences later doesn't matter. God works everything for good and he's going to lead you where you need to go. So follow him, trust him and have faith and be humble about it and go from there.
Speaker 2:That's what I would write a book about. Sounds like a solid book. I'd read it.
Speaker 1:I wish there was a book out there like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, there you go.
Speaker 1:Maybe there is, I don't know.
Speaker 2:You could be the. Author.
Speaker 1:In my spare time. You're right what?
Speaker 2:is your biggest pet peeve? You could be the author In my spare time, right? What is your biggest pet peeve?
Speaker 1:Goodness, that's hard. I mean, probably the thing that's been driving me nuts the most is myself recently. But Uh Well, one thing and this may sound prideful, but it's just the truth is people who say one thing but do the opposite. If you're going to tell me that you're going to serve God, but you don't act like it, then that makes you a liar, and that's just true, and that's just true. If you tell me that you're going to stick by me or stick by someone or do something and you don't keep your word, then what does that say about you?
Speaker 1:I want to make sure, and really all these things are just things that I want to make sure that I do in my own life. You know, it's not. I can't hold this against anybody. No one's ever done it to me. You know, it's just one of those things that, like, every now and then I see it in other people and that does bug me.
Speaker 1:But the fact is you can't change other people. You can just change you. So deal with you and leave the rest up to God. So deal with you and leave the rest up to God. But you know, for me I want to make sure that if I tell you, joe, that I'm going to do something, then I want to make sure I do it, and if I fail to do it, I want you to be like hey, you said you were going to do this and you didn't do it. You know, if I say I want to serve God, but then I turn around and it's obvious that I'm not serving God and I'm doing what I want instead of what he wants, then I want someone to point out and say hey, you're not doing. What you're supposed to do and that's the whole goal of life is to serve God and keep your word. So that's probably my pet peeve is people who don't keep their word.
Speaker 2:And then the last question is what do you think the world will be like in five years?
Speaker 1:Yikes, see that question. There's so many variables that could go into it. I mean we could have in five years, we could have World War III, we could have revival and turn the whole world around, or we could just still be slowly deteriorating. So the options are limitless and I know what I prefer. I prefer to have worldwide revival, but I don't know that. I can pray for it and I can do my best to serve god, but that's all I can do.
Speaker 2:The rest is in his hands and as long as I'm following him and serving him to the best of my ability, that's all that matters we've, uh, been doing some brainstorming and thinking as far as young america goes, and we've been thinking, um, about starting to do people historical people and, um, they may not even have to be historical necessarily, but basically just focusing on certain people and the characteristics that they had or they should have had or you know, just whatever it was, and yeah, learning from their life yeah, kind of almost like a history type thing, but I don't know better, more applicable, yeah, yeah, so that's what we've been thinking about and I think that's what we're gonna go.
Speaker 2:You know, the know, the path that we're going to go down. So, yeah, I think that's about got it.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, thanks for listening. Be sure to check the video out on YouTube.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, we appreciate all of your support and, you know, just keep spreading the word about the podcast. We want to see it grow and hopefully we will. We want to see it grow and hopefully we will. We're going to try to do our best to make improvements and make clips and all that stuff, all the stuff that goes into it, but we want to see this grow and we want to see people learn from this. So, anyways, thanks for watching and we'll see you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to Young America. So, anyways, thanks for watching and we'll see you.
