Nice To Meet You, Ralph Govea
When I was a bartender one of the things I enjoyed the most was meeting new people and hearing their stories. Not every person fell into the "Nice to meet you!" category because bars can be a magnet for obnoxious people, but many did.
With my new business, I get the opportunity to meet new people all the time, whether it's a new client, their customers, or a homeowner selling their house. Some photographers insist that the homeowners not be present during the shoot because of distractions but I don't mind. I've kind of been a people person most of my life so if they want to hang around and chat, let me play with their dog, move things from room to room to help stage the place, then I welcome the company (most of the time).
One family I had the pleasure to meet back in 2019 was during a lifestyle staged video shoot of their home for sale in Lakeway. Some of you may remember the video of the pool party, kids playing, dad grilling, and music jamming. We had a good time with that one! I was hanging out with Ralph during the shoot getting to know him better. He's a pastor, musician, grill master, and a former alcoholic and drug addict. All things that I can personally relate to. As I was packing up to leave we sat outside and talked for what felt like an hour about life, our pasts, our presents, and our futures. We talked about Jesus. We talked about the mercy and grace He gave us that we don't deserve, we didn't earn it, and we never will.
Last year during the pandemic shutdowns Ralph restarted his manvswld podcast on Spotify. This morning I listened to his most recent podcast on mercy. We don't always remember to have mercy and show grace in the heat of the moment. I'm guilty of it. You're guilty of it. We all fall short of the glory but it's never too late for mercy and grace. I know there are people in my life who deserve better from me and this message was a great reminder.
Click below to listen.
About Ralph Govea - "A dude from SoCal too punk rock for pastoral ministry here to serve up 80's movie quotes in conversation of Jesus, church, and culture."
Ralph and his family definitely fall into the "Nice to meet you!" category and because of him I will randomly make blog posts here (don't hold your breath for regularity) about the people it's been nice to meet.
GO In Grace.
