4:13 Podcast: Can I Take Joy Seriously? With Tim Hawkins

Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, 4:13ers, this is Jennifer, and I just need to ask you something. Can I please hear from you? You guys have gotten to hear from me for so many years on The 4:13, but I wanna hear from you. I need to hear your heart. I wanna know what you care about. And here's how we're gonna do it...

I have got a survey waiting for you. It is on your Show Notes. Whatever podcast platform you are listening on right now, you can find your Show Notes and there will be a link to a survey. It'll take you three to five minutes, and it'll just help me know what's in your heart, what's in your head, what your thoughts are, what your hopes for, what you enjoy, because really we want to make the 4:13 Podcast exactly what meets your needs.

So go to your podcast player. You can always find, though, Show Notes at 413podcast.com, and let me hear your voice as you click on that survey and take five minutes to share with me. Now here's the podcast.

Tim Hawkins: It could be a little intimidating, but people were so nice. I think that other comics that are pros are -- they respect you for trying and they know that you're -- they're going to do whatever they can to help. And it's only when you get better than they are, then that's when they start hating you and treating you -- that's when they stop laughing at you, is when you know --

Jennifer Rothschild: You're like, ooh, I've made it.

Tim Hawkins: If you're in a club and you're -- and then the comedians are laughing in the back, you know you're bad. But when they're not laughing, that's when you know you've made it.

Group of Women: Episode 413! (Cheering)

Jennifer Rothschild: It's here, Episode 413 of the 413podcast.com, and, oh, this is a special episode. And I'm so glad you're here, because I just had to have one of my favorite people with us. Tim Hawkins. Yes. You know Tim. He is a hilarious comedian, and he puts together just such keen observation, along with the most hilarious and clever song parodies. And he keeps it all clean and smart. I tell you, I laugh so hard at his shows.

But guess what? You get the behind-the-scenes Tim. He is still just as keen, just as clever, and just as funny. But you know what? You get to see into Tim Hawkins' heart today. And Tim and I, we even talked some C.S. Lewis. Because, as C.S. Lewis wrote, "Joy is the serious business of heaven."

So, our friends, let's get serious about joy today on Episode 413.

KC Wright: Welcome to the 4:13 Podcast, where practical encouragement and biblical wisdom set you up to live the "I Can" life, because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

Now welcome your host, Jennifer Rothschild.

Jennifer Rothschild: Hey, our friends, Episode 413.

KC Wright: What?

Jennifer Rothschild: That was KC Wright, my Seeing Eye Guy.

KC Wright: Oh, my goodness.

Jennifer Rothschild: We've been shoved in the closet for seven years together.

KC Wright: (Singing) Under the stairs.

Jennifer Rothschild: (Singing) Under the stairs doing The 4:13. And here's the thing. It has been a wonderful experience --

KC Wright: Yes.

Jennifer Rothschild: And things are about to change around here. You're still going to be part of the podcast, it's still going to be the same great content, but it will be a new look and a new sound. And so for the next month we're going to send you over to Spotify to listen to some of the best episodes of the 4:13 Podcast, because I've curated playlists for you. Okay?

So you're going to get to listen to playlists on whatever you need. Fresh starts, like, what to say when you talk to yourself and how to start new habits. Or perhaps it's relationships, whether it's with adult kids or marriage or just a difficult forgiveness situation.

Or perhaps you need to listen to some mental health episodes for the month of August to just kind of help you get your mental health in better condition, because I've got episodes on depression and anxiety and hope and -- such good stuff.

But you know what my favorite playlist is that I created?

KC Wright: What?

Jennifer Rothschild: Audio pictures.

KC Wright: Oh, yes.

Jennifer Rothschild: I have curated all my favorite audio pictures that is unique to the 4:13 Podcast and to what we do around here. I take you on all my favorite trips, to England, to Italy, to the Badlands, camping with my family. It's so fun.

KC Wright: So even if you have a staycation this year --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

KC Wright: -- you can mentally travel the world --

Jennifer Rothschild: You can.

KC Wright: -- via Spotify.

Jennifer Rothschild: You can.

Okay. So even if you don't typically listen to The 4:13 on Spotify, there is a free version. You just pop over there. And here's why. Because for the month of August, we're doing a refresh around here, and so we will not have any brand-new live episodes until the first of September.

But because you are following the podcast -- remember? -- that means you have hit "follow," so you'll be notified when the podcast is dropping and you'll be the first to know what the new look, the new sound, maybe even a new name.

KC Wright: Ooh.

Jennifer Rothschild: Ooh. There's a lot. So make sure you have filled out that survey if you did not. I've invited you to do that the last couple of weeks, and I'm inviting you one more time. On your Show Notes where you're listening, you will see there is a link to a survey. It'll take you three to five minutes for you to fill it out. And KC and I really want to hear from you. You've heard from us for seven years. We need to hear from you.

KC Wright: It's time for you to speak up.

Jennifer Rothschild: We need to hear your heart. Okay?

KC Wright: We do.

Jennifer Rothschild: We do.

Now, I waited for this 413 episode to have Tim Hawkins. He's one of my favorite people.

KC Wright: Yes.

Jennifer Rothschild: But KC told me something right before we started that I said, "Oh, you got to just share this before Tim Hawkins." Because, my people --

KC Wright: Oh, my goodness.

Jennifer Rothschild: -- he was on ChatGPT.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. Now, can I just set it up for you?

KC Wright: You set it up.

Jennifer Rothschild: I'm setting it up. Okay.

KC Wright: Go ahead.

Jennifer Rothschild: So he'd had a -- you know, he's a pastor. He had one of those days, right? He had been doing food pantry, he was dealing with some stuff around the church like getting trees taken down. And, you know, he's also trying to prepare messages, et cetera. His worship leader texts and says, "Hey, can you give me an idea of what the message is?" Well, he's in a mood.

And so instead of him telling her what the message is, he goes to ChatGPT and he says, "Give me some of the most hilarious, weirdest sermon titles you can think of," so he could send them to his worship leader.

All right, KC, share with us what our artificial intelligent comedian came up with for the best sermon titles for the weirdest, most hilarious sermons ever.

KC Wright: Oh, my goodness. Here's one. "The Devil Made Me Do It, Said Nobody Accountable Ever." "Jesus Took the Wheel, But You're Still Speeding." "How To Miss God's Will in Ten Easy Steps." Ooh. "Your Miracle Is Not in the Refrigerator." "When God Says 'Go' and You Say 'Hold On.'" "The Church of The Perpetually Offended."

Jennifer Rothschild: Ooh.

KC Wright: Uh-huh. "Faith, Feelings, and Facebook Arguments."

Jennifer Rothschild: Ooh.

KC Wright: "The Prodigal Son and Other Terrible Financial Decisions." "Quit Rebuking the Devil and Set an Alarm Clock." This was one of my favorites. "Your Flesh is a Terrible Life Coach.

Jennifer Rothschild: Ooh, that's true.

KC Wright: Which out of all of them, that could really be a great sermon.

Jennifer Rothschild: Actually true.

KC Wright: "The Problem Isn't the Devil, It's Your Notifications." "How to Be Spirit-Led Without Being Weird." And then here's the last one. "Did Not Our Hearts Burn Within Us, Or Was That Taco Bell?"

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. Good job, ChatGPT. That's hilarious.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: And what would be really funny is to come up with worship songs for each of those.

Okay. Anyway, I'm sure our next guest -- last guest of The 4:13 -- and by the way, as I say "last" -- any time I say the word "last," people, that does not mean we're done. Does not mean we're done. It just means we're refreshing and we're about to transition to a new name, new look, new sound. So in honor of the last 4:13 as we know it, let's hear from the funniest guy I know, Tim Hawkins.

All right. KC and I already talked about just how excited we are to have Tim Hawkins, because he is -- and I'm now speaking to you, Tim. You are one of our very favorites. So I'm grateful you're with us. Before we even get into all the comedy you're doing, I want to know this. Tim Hawkins growing up, were you funny as a kid? Like, I have a grandchild who thinks he is hilarious, and sometimes he is.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: So I want to know, were you one of those kids who actually was funny or thought you were funny or -- give us a feel for that.

Tim Hawkins: Oh, man, I -- well, being a redheaded -- what was the -- what'd they used to call me? Opie Taylor, you know.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Tim Hawkins: It's like, didn't really have looks to fall back on, I had to rely on other things to get attention. So I don't know, I guess I was just a big fan of the culture. I love music and movies and TV and all that kind of stuff, and I did a lot of, like, impressions and things like that. So that would be kind of, oh, he's the voice guy, or he's this -- you know --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: -- kind of that. Yeah, I would just -- I would learn to use being funny to kind of break the ice, and kind of that was my identity. And I enjoyed it too. It wasn't like I was trying -- I don't know. I just really enjoyed it. We had a very fun family, and we had then -- and I thought American culture was very entertaining. I fell in love with it.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Well, and it was -- so what you're saying, it's just a natural outgrowth of your DNA. It's just how you were wired. It wasn't an effort.

Tim Hawkins: I guess so.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: Hey, and, Jennifer, you know, I'm -- when I say this, I'm not lying. I'm not -- I'm not the funniest person in my family. I mean --

Jennifer Rothschild: Who is?

Tim Hawkins: -- I just write it down. Everybody. Oh, my gosh.

Jennifer Rothschild: I do agree.

Tim Hawkins: Heather's hilarious. It's just they have their own style and they -- and we laugh a lot and -- so I'm not very vocal at home. I have to be entertained too.

Jennifer Rothschild: You and I have had a chance to be together when you weren't on stage, and that's one of the things I liked about you. It's not like you're always on, the person you're on stage.

Tim Hawkins: Right.

Jennifer Rothschild: You're still the authentic person on stage that you are off stage. But, yeah, you're quiet, you listen. In fact, that's something I want to talk to you about in a minute. Because you're an observer. Okay? I can tell you are an observer. So I want to go there in a sec.

But before we do -- so you grew up, you're a funny kid, just because it's how you're wired. But I'm curious, then, when did, like, you go, oh, wait a minute, like, I might be good at this and I might try this professionally? Like, do you remember, like, when you made that transition, what your first official gig was and, like, what it was like? I'm just curious, because everybody has to have a, quote/unquote, start.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. I think there's two. Because, I mean, I started in -- you got the comedy club scene and then you have the church scene. So I remember my friend Stacy Mears calls me up, she goes, "Hey, Tim, can you be funny for five minutes at our youth group in my boyfriend's basement?"

And I'm like, "Sure I can." And I hung up the phone and I'm like, "I don't have anything to say. I have no material." So I was like, "All right." So that was kind of the -- somebody just asked me, you know.

And then the comedy club thing was that they had these open mic nights where you can do three to five minutes for anybody who wants to go -- calls in early enough and gets their name on a list.

Jennifer Rothschild: Mm-hmm.

Tim Hawkins: So I don't -- you know, it was -- I knew I wanted to do it, but there was no manual for it, there's no, like, school -- right? --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Right, right.

Tim Hawkins: -- that kind of leads you and walks you through. So you just kind of have to figure out on your own. That's one of the beauties of it, you know --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: -- just finding, okay, where does this -- where can you do it. And actually you can do comedy anywhere there's a group of people that are willing to, you know, listen to what you have to say, so...

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Well, and I wonder what that was like for you, because you're around -- in that setting, I would think, with comedy clubs, you are around comedians who are far more experienced than you. And were you intimidated at all? Or, like, how did you manage the, ooh, that didn't go over well, the sense of failure?

Or, I mean, did it -- or were you just super resilient, like, okay, no big there. Good, I'm getting there?

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: How was that for you?

Tim Hawkins: Well, that was when -- it kind of proved to me this is where -- probably a good path, because when I would fail at it, I still wanted to do it. There's no -- there was no thought in my mind that I was going to quit. It's like, okay, what do I need to change to make this better? Because I know -- after you get that first laugh, you're done. You're chasing that feeling for the rest of your life. So you're kind of stuck.

So that's what -- and that's what I tell young people, like, that's usually a good kind of a sign for you to know this is what you should be doing, is when you fail but you still -- there's never a question of quitting. And that's not true with everything that I've tried. Especially sales and all this other stuff, I'd fail and I'd want to quit.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: I just didn't -- it wasn't in me. So it could be a little intimidating, but people were so nice. I think that other comics that are pros are -- they respect you for trying and they know that they're going to do whatever they can to help. And it's only when you get better than they are, then that's when they start hating you and treating you -- that's when they stop laughing at you, is when you know --

Jennifer Rothschild: You're like, ooh, I've made it.

Tim Hawkins: If you're in a club and the comedians are laughing in the back, you know you're bad. But when they're not laughing, that's when you know you've made it.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay, that's awesome. That's awesome. But what a great life principle too, that we think that we're only supposed to succeed at things we're good at and that the affirmation is success.

But what you're saying here is pay attention. When you fail and you want to do it again and you want to keep trying and learning, that is likely an affirmation that you're in the right path.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. It's powerful.

Jennifer Rothschild: I love that, Tim.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah, that's powerful.

Jennifer Rothschild: I love that.

Okay, bro. So I have heard you say in the past that your comedy is not about being witty, but about connecting emotionally with your audience. So explain that and tell us how that, like, shapes your writing, what you choose to do in your stand-up.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. Well, when I first started out, I tried to write what I thought was funny. And then I would notice that -- as in the show, I would talk about just stuff about, like, Mom or Dad or things that she actually used to say, people laughed harder. And I realized that the goal is to relate to your audience. That's when the biggest laughs come.

It doesn't have to be, like you said, witty, or you're not -- it's not a magic trick. It's something that you're just sharing your experience and other people will laugh. Like me and you will talk about a time we had. You know, okay, me and you and Phil and Heather went out to dinner and this was said and done.

And it's not -- it's just that we remember it together. There's a strength and connection in those shared experiences. And people laugh a lot of times not only 'cause they relate, because they're -- they laugh out of a sense of relief. It's like, oh, I'm not alone here.

Jennifer Rothschild: Right.

Tim Hawkins: I'm not the only one who does this, right? I'm not -- right, I'm not the only one who says this phrase or had a mom that did this or a dad that said that.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: And I think that as a speaker, performer, whatever, there are people that go to the next level as far as connecting with their audiences. There are a lot of comedians out there that are good joke writers, but at the end you don't really feel like you know who they are. Because they just tell good jokes --

Jennifer Rothschild: Right, right.

Tim Hawkins: -- but you're like, okay, I don't feel like this is -- I know you any better or -- you know, you're great, I just can't -- there wasn't that level of connection there.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, and you as the audience don't feel known.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: And I think that is the intangible that I experience, like, when I get to listen to you, is because I feel like, oh, yeah, he gets me.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Because we're all the same. I mean -- in fact, one of my principles in writing and speaking is to never forget that your audience is always going read and listen autobiographically. Essentially -- we don't mean for it to be, but it's about us.

Like, I'm the audience, it's about me. And so I want to learn about what you're saying or experience what you're giving me, but it's really because I get it. I want to be seen, I want to be known. I think that's just human nature.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: So, yeah, the more universal -- I mean, the more specific you are with your life and your funny observations, I think the more universal it is.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah, absolutely. And I'm kind of lazy. I don't really do topical humor, like, you know, do new -- you know, jokes about the news, because the next week it's not going to be relevant anymore.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, true.

Tim Hawkins: So I think that, yeah, I'm trying to hit on the human experience as a whole as much as possible. And, yeah, there are some jokes and bits I can't do anymore because they're just not -- you know, you don't do as many COVID jokes --

Jennifer Rothschild: No. They timed out.

Tim Hawkins: -- now as you used to. Right, they kind of timed out. I mean, you can still reference it because it was such a huge thing, but -- yeah, yeah. But the human experience and marriage and things like that, that's stuff that'll last forever.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, never grows old.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: All right. So now here you are, you do have something new that's streaming available. And we're going to tell everybody specifically and have links, by the way, where they can stream. But I know it's Amazon Prime, et cetera. Okay. It's called Fist Bump.

Tim Hawkins: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Rothschild: All right. That -- I can't even imagine where it came from, so I don't want you to disclose too much if you don't want to. But what's the point of Fist Bump?

Tim Hawkins: No, it's just -- you know, I usually get titles from -- I'll look over the show and say, okay, what's kind of a funny -- like, a bit that has a line in it that might sound like a good title? And Fist Bump just comes out of that.

Coming out of COVID, just saying it's nice to see faces and shake hands again, and just saying that the guys who wouldn't shake your hand during COVID, they would just fist bump you like they were saving the planet. And I'm like, yeah, so COVID can't get around the back of the knuckles? I mean, it's just playing on that ridiculous, you know, pseudoscientific thinking that everybody was tossing around like they were geniuses.

And then I do -- one of the lines was I just did the regular bump, like I'm bumping them with my booty. Like, it's just -- it's just ridiculous. So, yeah, that's where Fist Bump comes from.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. I love it. I love it. And, yeah, there is a great sense of relief and humor now that we look back and we're on this side of COVID. I'm grateful.

Okay. And so I mentioned earlier that I think you are an observer. So even though I can't see, I can detect in you, in the quietness, I can tell you are soaking it in and observing.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. So because I think you're constantly studying life and people, I'm curious, then, how you decide which moments that you can turn into comedy. And, like, let's also talk about that, like, with your family. You know, are they cool with it always?

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. Yeah, well, they're cool -- well, not only -- I think with my family -- like, there's no courtesy laughter with your family. So when you make them laugh, it's earned. You did a good thing.

But I don't -- in the old days, I used to sit down and try to grind out, once again, what I thought was funny. Now I just live my life and just -- I have my radar up. Like, if me and you will be talking about something and the concept or something will be said, I'm like, okay, that's funny, that concept or that premise is funny.

So I do less writing now, but I use more of it on stage, if that makes sense. Before I look at my old notebooks and, you know, 99% of it is just unusable. Just not even close. Just embarrassing. But that's the thing. You have to fight through the cringe, they say.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, yeah.

Tim Hawkins: You fight through the cringe. And I'm glad I didn't quit. Because then you start finding your own voice and then -- like, now I feel -- when I do shows now, I think they're better than they've ever been. And not because -- and I'm not grinding and trying to prove myself. It's like, I think this is good. And I'm not here for me. I'm here for the one person who really needs this, you know --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: -- and not trying to break this guy in the front with his arms crossed who's been frowning the whole time. Hey, dude, I have no control. I'm here to serve and to give laughs and not get them. And then that makes it a lot more fun. If you're using your art for something else, then it's gonna -- you're gonna get real unhappy real quick.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Well, it's just --

Tim Hawkins: It's, like, stick to what you love.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, amen. Okay, that's a good word. Well, I used to tell my boys, selfish people aren't happy people.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: And bottom line is if it's all about you and you're trying to get laughs rather than give laughs, you're right --

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: -- unhappy. It's unsatisfying. Self cannot satisfy self.

Tim Hawkins: Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: All right, Tim. So speaking of your shows now -- and I might -- I do agree -- comedy is one of my things. I love it. And so I don't want to make you feel awkward, but you are absolutely one of my favorites. And that's not just because I like you. Like, I just love your skill and your craft.

And so one of the things you do that I love, and you're known for, is parodying songs. And so you play keys, you play guitar. And you do sing well, dude. So talk to me about that.

Tim Hawkins: Thank you.

Jennifer Rothschild: I love that you parody songs. I want to know if you grew up musical, if you had lessons, et cetera. And then what is it about a song that you might hear, a popular song that you think, oh, that'd be funny?

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. Well, yeah, there you go. I mean, that's -- a lot of songs that I do parody are just excuses to perform them because I like them.

Jennifer Rothschild: You like music, yeah.

Tim Hawkins: I just -- I like it. So I think that when you're doing a parody, it has to have some payoff. It's not just, oh, it sounds like something else. I want it to have a point and to have a punchline. And if I write a parody and the second verse isn't as good as the first, then I'll drop it and I'll just make it shorter.

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, okay.

Tim Hawkins: But now -- I don't know. Music is -- that inspires me more than anything, more than even comedy does. It's always -- I love the energy. I think it's -- I hired my son Levi. He's my producer now, and we're actually -- I'm finishing up a record of songs that we're going to release in a couple of months probably.

Jennifer Rothschild: Sweet.

Tim Hawkins: And that's got some -- it's got a couple of -- I wrote a song for Heather, I wrote a song for my granddaughter, I wrote some -- there's some funny songs on there, some instrumental songs. So it's going to be just stuff I've wanted to do for a long time, so...

Jennifer Rothschild: I love that.

Tim Hawkins: Isn't that fun?

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, way to go. Yeah. Way to go. I love that. And I love Heather, and I'm so glad you've written a song for her.

Tim Hawkins: Oh, yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: She is really your secret sauce.

Tim Hawkins: She is. It does take a team, and it does -- you know, you've got Phil, I've got Heather. It is -- I don't know -- it wouldn't be possible without them.

Jennifer Rothschild: No.

Tim Hawkins: I mean, I could do comedy, but come home to absolutely nothing and -- just shambles and chaos. She keeps it all together, and it's -- my gosh, it's fun to grow something with other people. And sometimes we got to fall, and it's good to know there's people we can fall back on and that love us.

Jennifer Rothschild: Amen.

Tim Hawkins: Tell us the truth.

Jennifer Rothschild: And then you enjoy the fruit of your labor together. And may it be sweet fruit the rest of y'all's days.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: All right, let's -- topics that you've dealt with. Okay. And parodies. Like, you've dealt with fast food, you've dealt with fishing. Okay, hilarious. But I'm curious, are there any topics that you would just be like, no, I'm never gonna touch that in a song? I wanna know.

Tim Hawkins: Well, there you go. I don't get into a bunch of, like, church dogmatic theological stuff. I'll touch on the quirky things that church people do. A lot of hand sanitizer --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: -- stuff around the church or the way we raise our hands when we're in worship or whatever. That's fair game. I don't get into that. I don't like any kind of body imaging, body shaming stuff. If it's me, that's fine. I can shame my own body all I want. But I don't like getting into kind of, like, obese jokes or anything like that. I don't think that's --

Jennifer Rothschild: Not cool, yeah.

Tim Hawkins: It's just not cool.

Jennifer Rothschild: No, no.

Tim Hawkins: To me, yeah, it's just not. So -- and I don't -- and then political stuff, I'll jump in and jump out. I'll make little comments here and there, but that's just not my forte.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, yeah.

Tim Hawkins: My forte is Chick-fil-A and -- right? -- and yoga pants and all that.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. Amen.

Tim Hawkins: You know, if they -- people know where to go if they want to get the deeper stuff.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, I love it. And what it does, Tim, too, it's all unifying. And that's -- there's no othering, there's no divisiveness, and I love that. I think that's why the Lord has just blessed, I mean, besides just your skill.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: But you said the word "deep," so I want to go deep for a second. Okay?

Tim Hawkins: Sure.

Jennifer Rothschild: Because I am a C.S. Lewis geek. And one of my favorite quotes, he says, "Joy is the serious business of heaven." Okay. So you bring joy and laughter and release. And I'm curious what you think the spiritual impact of that is and how it might help us live heaven now.

Tim Hawkins: Well, I think -- and C.S. Lewis talks about that in one of his books. He talks about that he saw a biscuit tin or something --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes, he did.

Tim Hawkins: -- and it took him to a place, I think -- and it took him to a place where just for a moment that -- it was a sense of melancholy or a -- just this sense of joy. And he calls it longing.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

Tim Hawkins: And I think that I have those things -- and I get chills just talking right now -- where I will -- something will hit me, a smell or a sight or a sound or something, that will take me to a place that I don't even know if I've been before, but I'm -- it recognizes it, and it takes me -- and almost it feels like a slice of heaven. It feels like God is -- he's revealing just a piece, a shadow of what heaven is like, and then it's gone.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes. Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: So too many people, I think, have given this idea that God is just the justice side of God and the dark side, or whatever you want to call it, the mean side or the one who keeps -- who has rules.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, yeah.

Tim Hawkins: And then, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard," just the things he has planned for -- that means something. It's true, and we can't grasp it.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: How good he is and how wonderful and how much joy he brings.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

Tim Hawkins: So -- and to be a part of that, like -- even, like, when I do these shows and stuff, I mean, there's people going through stuff that I'll never know. I hear some stories about people, well, I had this and that and I listened to your -- or we would just watch your YouTube stuff and all that. I can't grasp that. I feel like I don't have the gratitude enough to be grateful for that enough --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: -- how special that is coming out of a place where I'm in my early 30s and I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life. And I'm on my third kid and I'm getting fired from jobs because I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. And then he -- you know? And then he brings on this thing that, okay, you do this. This is what I want you to do.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Wow. I love it, Tim. Well, I do think walking in your calling is bringing a little heaven to earth, you know. And it just so happens that you traffic in the business of joy.

And by the way, yeah, you're right, that biscuit tin picture of C.S. Lewis' longing, it does -- that beautiful ache that is almost never satisfied, which makes you long for it more, you know, I mean, that's -- when I sit and laugh and just have the abandonment of being able to laugh.

You are, I believe, bringing that little bit of heaven to earth, that glimpse of just the beauty of all of it and what it'll be like forever. Yeah, abandonment. Abandonment. I love it.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Okay. Wow. Okay. Well, I'm going to ask you two more questions.

This one -- don't want to put you on the spot, but when you mention that Scripture, you know, about no eye has seen, I'm curious, is there any anchor passage for you that your whole life -- and this is not Tim the comedian, this is Tim the human, the Christ follower. Is there any anchor passage that just has always been one that you've gone to or sustained you or been meaningful to you?

Tim Hawkins: Well, you know, I had the old joke that I wrote the wrong verse. Psalm 34:8 is, "Taste and see that the Lord is good. Happy are those who take refuge in him." But I put the wrong verse and it was horrible.

Jennifer Rothschild: What was it?

Tim Hawkins: It was Psalm 38:7.

Jennifer Rothschild: What did it say?

Tim Hawkins: "I have a painful disease in my loins."

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, gosh.

Tim Hawkins: So that's -- I don't -- that was a bad memory.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, I'd say.

Tim Hawkins: That's the opposite of longing.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yes.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. Yeah, but that was it for a long time.

And then Heather and I have kind of -- it's Philemon. It talks about refreshing the saints, refreshing of the soul of the saints. That's been one that's been kind of our filter just as a family to -- we're here.

I think God has equipped us to refresh people, to host parties, to have people over, to let them live with us if they need a place to stay, whatever. And that's where we both are. Heather's made such a beautiful home, and I just work as hard as I can to make -- you know, to kind of give her the free rein to do what she needs to do and to make things, you know, welcoming and -- you know?

And I think it makes a difference. And we're not perfect parents at all, but we're talking the other day, like, how did our kids turn out so good?

Jennifer Rothschild: Thank you, Lord.

Tim Hawkins: And I don't -- and I think it's -- I think one of the reasons is that we did not get freaked out by results. We just said -- we just tried to be as real as possible, love them as much as we could, and not freak out if they had doubts or if they had -- you know, if they were getting tattoos or -- you know.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah. Right, right.

Tim Hawkins: We love you no matter what and we're here to help you figure this life out. And we don't have all the answers. That is -- we're here to partner with you to figure this stuff out --

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah.

Tim Hawkins: -- when you get to be an adult. And, you know, it's -- they love the Lord, and we're thankful.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, and I can attest they really have all turned out just beautifully, either because of or in spite of you. Either one, doesn't matter.

Tim Hawkins: Right, right.

Jennifer Rothschild: The Lord is good, right? The Lord is good.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Well, I always tell Phil, we do not take credit for our kids' success and we do not take responsibility for when they choose to blow it. We just don't. The outcomes are not the point. It's the daily and the love and the -- yeah, humility.

Tim Hawkins: Yeah. It's the long haul, yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: It is the long haul. Okay. Well, speaking of the long haul, this one's come to an end, so we're gonna hit our last question here, Tim.

All right. I know everybody listening clearly is not an aspiring comedian. All right? But you are a comedian. And all of us, I believe, have the responsibility to live out our calling well, whatever it is -- okay? -- and to communicate clearly for the sake of just living out our faith well in front of people.

So what kind of advice would you give to -- let's say it's an aspiring comedian or just somebody walking in their calling, and they're wanting to build their career, whatever their lane is, but they don't want to sacrifice -- in this world there's a lot of pressure, and they don't want to sacrifice their voice or their virtues or their values. What advice would you give them?

Tim Hawkins: I would say just be that same person that makes your friends laugh and your family laugh in the living room. You don't have to be something else. Once again, people laugh harder if they can relate to what you're talking about. So as much as you can talk about, much as you can land on truth, how you really feel about things, how you really see things, that's going to take you a lot farther than any kind of bad language or whatever.

People want to connect. And the more you connect, the more successful you're going to be. And live your life, make notes, and tell strangers. There you go.

Jennifer Rothschild: All right. No matter what you do, our friends, you be the same person on and off stage. Because think about it, you have a stage, I have a stage. We all have a stage. It's that place in life where we do our thing or hang with our people.

Whatever it is that we do, we need to land on truth, like Tim said, because people want to connect. And the more that you connect with truth, the more successful you're going to be at whatever it is you do. I just really thought that that advice, like, it applies to all of us, no matter what it is that we do.

KC Wright: 100% agree. And I think we would all benefit from writing down our everything, as Tim said. Live your life, take notes, and tell strangers. You know, that could be on a tombstone.

Jennifer Rothschild: Yeah, it really could be.

KC Wright: Those are really good words to live by.

We will have a transcript of this entire conversation on the Show Notes. Plus, we will connect you to his latest special. It's called Fist Bump. So you and your people can watch it and laugh out loud together. Show Notes are at 413podcast.com/413 --

Jennifer Rothschild: 413.

KC Wright: -- or on whatever podcast player you're listening to. It's the 4:13 Podcast on The 4:13. Oh, my goodness, what's going on in the Matrix?

And now I'm going to say our cheesy ending --

Jennifer Rothschild: Cheesy ending.

KC Wright: -- the cheesy ending we never ever change, for the very last time. Remember, whatever you face, however you feel, you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. I can.

Jennifer Rothschild: I can.

Jennifer and KC: And you can!

Jennifer Rothschild: We did it, KC!

KC Wright: We did it!

Jennifer Rothschild: Episode 413. High five.

KC Wright: Fist bump.

Jennifer Rothschild: Fist bump. Yeah.

All right. Go to Spotify for the month of August. Stay tuned. Make sure you follow the podcast.

KC Wright: Yeah.

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, it's gonna be so good when we come back live in September.

KC Wright: Everyone's getting Botox. It's a facelift. You get a facelift, you get a facelift. That's biblical. He's coming back for a church without spot and wrinkle --

Jennifer Rothschild: Oh, dude, that was --

KC Wright: -- so there you go.