Are You Ready? Because the Opportunity is Huge with Guest Rick Rigsby

"Are you so filled with God’s power that you’re shaping culture, or is culture shaping you?” That is the question international speaker and author Rick Rigsby posed to 5,000 men at the 2022 Men’s Ignite event. On today’s edition of Family Talk, Rigsby challenges men to rise up, be authentic in their Christian faith, and stand firm in their communities “for such a time as this.” Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

About Today's Guest: Dr. Rick Rigsby
Dr. Rick Rigsby is a best-selling author, evangelist, public speaker, and the president and CEO of Rick Rigsby Communications. He previously spent two decades as a college professor at Texas A&M University, where he also served as character coach and chaplain for the Aggies football team. Dr. Rigsby’s audiences include Fortune 500 companies, service organizations, universities and schools, Christian platforms, and professional sports organizations, including the NFL and the PGA. Some of Rick’s speeches have gone viral on the internet, reaching millions of viewers with encouragement across the globe. A former award-winning journalist, Dr. Rigsby is a regular contributor on national television and radio programs. He and his family reside in Texas.

Resources Mentioned:
"Lessons from a Third Grade Dropout: How the Timeless Wisdom of One Man Can Impact an Entire Generation" book by Dr. Rick Rigsby
http://RickRigsby.com
2022 Best of Broadcast CD Collection - https://give.cornerstone.cc/FamilyTalk+Shop/item/2022-broadcast-collection

For more information and to connect with all resources mentioned – http://drjamesdobson.org/broadcast/2022-01-06

Family Talk Station Finder – https://www.drjamesdobson.org/radio-stations

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Listen to Family Talk on Alexa: http://www.drjamesdobson.org/alexammencement speech at the California Maritime Academy. Rick told the graduates his message was simple: “To whom much is given, much is required.” He explained, “It's not about making a nice impression. It's about making an impact. It’s about doing your best. I learned how to make an impact from the wisest person I ever met in my life. The wisest person I've ever met in my life, who taught me to combine knowledge and wisdom to make an impact, was my father, a third grade dropout.
Rick explained that his father left school in the third grade to help out on the family farm. In the midst of Jim Crowism, he taught himself how to read and write. “My father decided he was going to stand and be a man. Not a black man, but a man. He literally challenged himself to be the best that he could all the days of his life.” Rick said that even though he has four degrees, and his brother is a judge, their father was the smartest one in their family. He often quoted Michelangelo who said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” And it was their mother who would quote Henry Ford who said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” Rick noted, “You see, it takes knowledge and wisdom combined to grow your influence so that you will make an impact.”

Rick further shared several of the wise lessons, His father cited Jonathan Swift, an English cleric and essayist, who said, “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” Another fatherly piece of wisdom: “You'd rather be an hour early, than a minute late.” Even though it only took 15 minutes for Rick’s father to get to work as a cook at California Maritime Academy, he left at 3:45 am every workday for 30 years for a shift that began at 5:00am. When Rick’s mother asked him why he left so early, he said, “Maybe one of my boys will catch me in the act of excellence.” Rick quoted Aristotle, [interpreted by Will Durant], who said, “You are what you repeatedly do. He said, “My daddy, a third-grade dropout, a cook, was modeling excellence for his boys, combining academic knowledge and old school wisdom. That’s what makes an impact.”
Another lesson Rick learned from his father: “Be kind to people. Kind deeds are never lost.” He cited George Washington Carver who said, “When common people do common things in uncommon ways, they command the attention of the world.” Rick explained that his father also emphasized the importance of servanthood. His father told him, “Make sure your servant’s towel is bigger than your ego. Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity. Pride is the burden of a foolish person. You will never be a great shipmate, you will never be a great executive, you'll never be a great teammate if it's all about you. Make sure that your servant’s towel is always big.” He cited UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden whose team earned 10 NCAA championships during his 12 years of coaching. Despite being the coach of a successful basketball team, during the week, Coach Wooden would grab a broom from the closet and sweep his own gym floor. Rick said, “If you want to make an impact, find your broom. Every day of your life, you find your broom. You grow your influence that way. That way you're attracting people so that you can impact them.”

said, “Son, if you're going to do a job, do it right. Good enough isn't good enough. If it can be better, better isn't good enough if it can be best.”

Rick then shared the wisdom he learned before and after his wife, Trina, passed away from breast cancer. When he and their two sons walked up to her casket, when he felt like he couldn’t go on and was completely lost, his father said three words that changed his life: “Son, just stand!” Rick told the graduating cadets: “You keep standing no matter how rough the sea. You keep standing. And I'm
not talking about just water. You keep standing. No matter what, you don't give up.”

He concluded his speech with a final story about his wife, Trina before her passing. Surrounded by pillows in their living room, their youngest son, Andrew, asked her to fold a shirt for him. Trina said, “Andrew, Mama is not always gonna be there to help you.” Rick explained, “She was saying goodbye. I was so moved that I waited for Andrew to leave, and I walked over.” In her last words to Rick, she told him, “It doesn't matter to me any longer how long I live. What matters to me most is how I live!” Directly addressing the graduates, Rick said “How you do anything is how you do everything. Look in those unlikeliest places for wisdom. Enhance your life everyday, seeking that wisdom and asking yourself every night, ‘How am I living?’”