Service in Action: Real Stories from the Field (Plus We Address Your Feedback)

Where to Watch/Listen

Episode live on Monday :)

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Key Takeaways

• Service opportunities often come disguised as messy, uncomfortable work that teaches patience and new skills
• Helping others while getting compensated can still be genuine service when it meets real needs
• Service reveals both your strengths and weaknesses, providing opportunities for growth in unexpected areas
• The fulfillment from serving others creates energy that self-focused activities can't match
• Sometimes you need to be the one receiving service - that's part of the human experience too

Tilghman's House Renovation Adventure

Tilghman kicks off with a perfect example of service in action. His construction-worker neighbor asked for help with a house renovation in Hutchinson, Kansas - and what they found was chaos incarnate.

"We walked in and it was just like dust and just debris all over the place, right? It looked like one of those rooms where people go in and take their anger out and just like sledgehammer everything down."

The challenges came immediately: no working shop vacuum, no electricity, and enough dust to make them "blow black stuff out of my nose like the whole day after." But here's where the service mindset made all the difference.

Instead of complaining or backing out, Tilghman and his wife "just put on some music and we started sweeping and everything." The result? His neighbor's response: "Dang, that looks amazing... the house looked great. Like I was able to put the windows in. There was nothing in my way. I appreciate you guys so much."

The Compensation Question

Tilghman addresses an important nuance: can paid work still be service? His insight is crucial: "People look at service like, oh, you got to do it for free. But sometimes when you're doing service for somebody as busy as my neighbor, while yes, we'll get compensated for it, it's still an act of service because he's so busy, he probably wouldn't even had the chance to clean that place up by himself."

This reframes service from a purely financial transaction to meeting genuine human need. When someone is overwhelmed and you have the capacity to help - whether paid or unpaid - the heart of service remains intact.

The Patience Training Session

One of Tilghman's biggest takeaways was unexpected: "My biggest thing is just like patience with myself, patience with others around me... I was looking at it like, man, that was a good patience training session, if you will."

Service becomes a laboratory for character development. Working in difficult conditions, with broken equipment, under time pressure - these aren't obstacles to avoid but opportunities to develop resilience, patience, and problem-solving skills.

The result? "We went away with like, our hearts were full in a way, like our spirits were full... It's like eating a very nutritious meal, we just felt so uplifted."

Chris's Chainsaw Humbling

Chris's tree-cutting story provides a perfect counterpoint - showing how service reveals weaknesses as much as strengths. Despite years of chainsaw experience, his confidence led to overreach: "Me all confident I go and sharpen the chain did it wrong."

But rather than ruining the experience, this became part of the value: "It revealed where I was weak. It taught me to be patient... Because it's like, okay, I can't rage at this saw. This is okay. This is fine."

The partnership element emerged naturally - what started as Chris helping his friend became mutual support: "We both had to run to the hardware store... he had a chainsaw that was messed up. And I told him the problem with that."

The payoff extended beyond the task: "We talked about some theological stuff, stuff that we're going through. And, man, like, yeah, I came away just... full. Like, wow, like that was such a good time."

The Receiving Season

Migc provides important perspective for those in seasons where they need to receive rather than give: "I feel like I've been taking in a lot of service from people these past few months, and I ain't been able to give much back."

Chris and Tilghman's response is grace-filled: "We all have those times where we need to be the one receiving... that's part of the human experience too."

This recognition prevents service from becoming a performance or competition. Sometimes your role is to receive gracefully, allowing others the blessing of serving.

Reader Mail: The David Goggins Controversy

The guys tackle criticism of their previous episode about motivation versus discipline. A listener wrote: "If you need motivation to go to the gym, I don't know what to tell you. Some things should just be a habit... And dragging Goggins name through this just for the views? Lazy. Fix your podcast topics."

Chris's response shows maturity and self-awareness: "In all fairness to this guy who left this comment, like, it's kind of a fair point. Like, yeah, it's kind of for the views. And I mean, that's kind of the way it is on YouTube. Like you kind of play to the algorithm. So I get it. Note taken."

But he clarifies their actual point: "There's a difference between [watching motivational videos] and actually learning how this person lived and then applying what they lived because I bet if you live as David Goggins lives, you'll begin to look like he looks."

The Team Approach to Life

Chris concludes with wisdom about sustainable motivation: "That's why we try to do life as a team. Because I'll be honest, I'm not motivated every day to do what I gotta do. And it takes encouragement from people who love me and see me and want better for me to help lift me up."

This connects back to service - we serve others partly because we all need support, encouragement, and practical help at different times.

The Compound Benefits

Both men's stories illustrate how service creates multiple simultaneous benefits:

Skill Development: Tilghman learned about house renovation; Chris practiced chainsaw maintenance under pressure

Relationship Building: Deeper friendships formed through shared work and conversation

Character Formation: Patience, problem-solving, and humility developed through challenges

Energy Creation: Both felt "energized" and "full" despite physical exhaustion

Future Reciprocity: Relationships built through service create ongoing mutual support

Your Action Step

Following last week's episode, look for one concrete service opportunity this week. It might be:

• Helping a neighbor with a project
• Offering your skills to someone who needs them
• Volunteering for something slightly outside your comfort zone
• Simply being available when someone asks for help

Remember Tilghman's framework: "You can't go into service with like a half hearted mind, but you're always going to come out of it pretty well satisfied."

And if you're in a season of receiving rather than giving, that's okay too. Receive gracefully and know that your time to serve will come.

The Beautiful Cycle

Service creates a beautiful cycle: you help others, you learn new skills, you build relationships, you gain energy and fulfillment, which motivates you to serve more. As Tilghman concluded: "I want to do this more often. I want to find ways to serve and I want to be able to help people with their project that they have going on."

The goal isn't to become a people-pleaser or let others take advantage. It's to recognize that serving others, done wisely and with healthy boundaries, serves you too - creating the kind of men, relationships, and communities we all want to be part of.