Get in Touch with Dan by Texting Now
What if the moment you feared most became the doorway to a life you actually want? John Stewart Hill takes us from a performance-driven faith and a string of personal losses to a 2 a.m. heart attack that forced a choice: go or stay. He chose to stay—and built a movement that protects homeowners and elevates honest tradespeople through The Good Contractors List, where every job is backed by a $25,000 guarantee.
We dig into the origin story that started with a yellow legal pad and zero safety net, and the counterintuitive bet that standing between homeowners and contractors could reduce fear, prevent disputes, and restore trust. John explains how rigorous vetting, FBI-grade verification tools, and proactive follow-up transformed a risky idea into a reliable, scalable system that has backed billions in work. He also shares what most people miss about contractor horror stories, why third-party mediation changes outcomes, and how integrity over optics wins in the long run.
The conversation goes deeper than business. John talks about grace over performance, the voice that told him purpose was waiting if he stayed, and the 2022 heart transplant that connected him to a donor family he now honors with every day he’s given. We unpack how faith guides his decisions, why he still refuses to leave God out of the story, and the surprising way he’s helping people find local house churches through a free online directory. Along the way, you’ll hear a turbo-boost first car tale, a tense border detainment on the way to Niagara Falls, and the simple life advice he uses to stay grounded: live in the present, trust deeply, and serve others.
If you want a practical blueprint for building trust, leading with purpose, and making hard promises you’re proud to keep, this ride is for you.
You can find The Good Contractors List at https://www.thegoodcontractorslist.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host Dan, and each weekwe'll embark on a new adventure,
discovering memory and lifelessons of our incredible
guests.
From everyday travelers tothrill seekers and everyone in
between, this podcast is yourfront road seat to inspiring
stories of passion, resilience,and the pursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:30):
I am confident you're going toenjoy today's episode.
My guest is John Hill.
John is the founder of theGoodContractorslist.com.
It's a place where homeownerscan find good contractors, and
John's company backs the jobwith a$25,000 guarantee.
They've been in business for 14years.
(00:51):
But the interesting thing aboutJohn's story is he once asked
God just to take him from thisplanet.
But God had a totally differentplan for John's life, and John
has been living a life onpurpose ever since.
Again, I believe you're going toenjoy this episode, and be sure
to stick around for John'sadvice at the end.
(01:12):
Welcome to the show, John.
Very good to be here.
Thanks, Dan.
Thank you for the opportunity totalk to you.
We don't know each other, butwe're going to after this uh
little virtual road trip we'reon.
So take a couple minutes andjust tell my listeners who is
John Hill?
SPEAKER_00 (01:28):
Oh well, that's kind of a loaded question.
Um, but yeah, you know, I I feellike I'm a guy that that has
gotten a second chance to dosomething good.
I'm a man of purpose now.
Um I used to be the guy thatthat uh would look at his past
and and be disappointed and lookat his future and not really see
anything bright.
(01:48):
And today I'm the guy that uh amhappy to be here present.
I know that I have purpose inevery minute of my day, and I
live my life um with gratitude.
So that's that's who I am rightnow.
SPEAKER_01 (02:01):
That's great.
And we'll get to the details ina moment.
This is Day on the Road Trip GuyJohn, and first question out of
the gate is always tell me aboutyour first car or a funny car
story.
SPEAKER_00 (02:13):
Well, I was raised in a pretty low-income family.
My mom babyset for a living, andmy dad worked at a gas station
for$3 an hour.
So I really didn't have a lot offunds to buy a great car, and
um, so I ended up selling a lambthat I was raising for FFA, and
(02:33):
I made enough money to buy uh areal awesome junk.
It was it was it was it was 1969Chevy Nova green.
It was the ugliest thing youever saw.
And what what what I loved aboutit is that yeah, I mean the
engine had so many miles on it,it was so ready to break down
(02:55):
when I first bought it.
That I used to do this thingwith my friends in the car and I
go, turbo boost, and then Iwould hit the gas, and it would
take like three or four secondsbefore it actually realized I'd
pushed the gas pedal, and thenit would just go.
So uh that it's a great memory,though.
It was a it was a fun first car.
It was it was automatic and uhand it did have turbo boost.
(03:18):
I just had to slam my foot onthe gas really fast and hesitate
and rock.
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
Now, the interesting thing is if you had that car
today, it'd probably be worth alittle bit.
SPEAKER_00 (03:28):
It might be.
I mean, it it wasn't worth muchback then, though.
SPEAKER_01 (03:32):
Yeah, that's good.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
Tell me about an epic road tripor just a road trip that just
stands out in your mind.
Do you have one of those?
SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
Well, really, I I I I do.
And and I had it didn't takelong to figure it out.
A few years ago, I went on aministry trip uh where we were
doing an all-night uh worshipsession, and then we were out in
Buffalo, New York, and wedecided we wanted to go see
Niagara Falls.
So I'd never been to Canada.
Um, we're in a car full ofpeople, there's like three or
(04:02):
four or five of us in there.
I can't remember how manyexactly.
Um, and we start to go uh acrossthe border at Canada, and like
we don't have to have passports.
He goes, Oh no, as long as youhave the new Texas driver's
license, you can get you can uhget across.
Well, it was bad information.
And we get up to the gate, andthen they they say, Okay, we
(04:24):
need to detain you.
And they they literally, becausewe didn't have none of us had
passports, we all showed ourTexas IDs and and they looked at
us like we were stupid.
Stupid Americans, get over hereinto Canada, and they put that
so that we had to pull off onthe side of the road, um, down
by the police station.
They came and took all of ourIDs, disappeared, and uh we were
(04:47):
we were pretty scared.
We were like, I don't even knowhow we're gonna get out of here.
And so they they actually calledit detaining us, and I was like,
Oh no, we're we're gonna be putin jail or something.
So we sat there for so we satthere for a minute, and it it
was probably about a good hour,they just let us sit there.
And uh they finally came backout, handed us all of our
driver's license, and I said,and and he goes, Okay, you're
(05:08):
free to go.
And I'm like, So how do we getback out of here?
And uh and they they were like,Well, you don't want to see
Niagara Falls?
Yeah, I'm like, Well, I thoughtyou said we could.
And he's like, No, we used yourIDs to to do background checks
on y'all.
So we ended up getting to go seeNiagara Falls, but we were all
just sitting there shaking,like, what's gonna happen?
We need to call our families andtell them we're detained in
(05:29):
Canada.
SPEAKER_01 (05:30):
Yeah, come and get us.
Yeah.
Fun story.
Thank you.
Yeah, we had a uh we had a briefconversation, and you were
telling me about uh a time inyour life when you'd just kind
of given up, is I guess is thebest way to put it, maybe.
Yeah, take me there.
SPEAKER_00 (05:48):
I was I was raised in a in a Pentecostal church.
I don't know if you know toomuch about uh the Pentecostal um
denomination, but it it's verystrict.
And uh so part of that is that Ireally never felt like I could
live up to the potential ofbeing what I was supposed to be.
(06:10):
I could never be perfect.
The way I understood it, it wasblack and white to me.
If I get to heaven and there's amark on my book, it's sorry, see
you later, you're going theother place, you know.
And so and so when by the time Igot to be a teenager and and
started realizing that, youknow, I I knew the Bible.
I was listening to this, I waslistening to those sermons.
(06:32):
And if I even think somethingbad, it's just as bad as
committing adultery.
And you know, so I had all thesethings going through my mind.
And so I lived a life kind ofbased on performance.
I always looked at that the pastand going, oh my gosh, you know,
I'm the worst Christian, I'm abad example, I'm never gonna
(06:53):
make it to heaven.
By the time I was 42, I'd beendivorced three times.
I uh never really had a careerthat I was able to pull
together.
You know, I worked odd jobs andand uh worked in sales, uh
selling yellow pages at thetime.
I was selling coupons um intoyou know those envelopes that
(07:14):
that they send the coupons.
And so I was selling those andjust feeling like an absolute
loser, you know.
Uh I wouldn't know if I was aChristian anymore.
Um, I basically was homeless andand had moved in with my
girlfriend.
And so for two months uh in thebeginning of 2011, I just I
(07:35):
prayed that God would take meoff this planet.
I was like, you know, I don'twant to be, I don't want to
commit suicide.
You know, that's that's astraight ticket there, but God,
I don't want to be here anymore.
And I prayed that that he wouldtake me.
And um, and so at that place,February 4th of 2011, um, I
(07:58):
actually ended up having a heartattack.
It it was unexpected.
I thought I was in pretty decentshape.
And so I was taken to thehospital, and in this whole
process, I felt like God said,Well, John, do you want to stay
or do you want to go?
And he gave me that choice.
But there was part of me that Icould hear, you know, we don't
(08:20):
hear audible voices most of thetime.
I mean, I mean, I guess it'spossible, but it was such a
strong voice inside that itdidn't seem to be coming from me
at all.
And it was a it was, and this iswhat I kept hearing over and
over in my head.
If you decide to stay, I'll bewith you and I'll give you a
purpose.
And there at my lowest, I hadthat opportunity to repent and
(08:44):
and have a clean record.
You know, I was like, I'm aboutto die.
If I choose to die right now,I'll die with a clean record.
But I really felt like he wantedme to stay, so I made I made a
deal with him.
And I said, okay, God, I'll stayif that's all right with you.
And uh, but I don't want to bethe same guy that I've been.
I want to I want to beremembered for doing something
(09:08):
good.
I want to live every day, notjust be alive.
And I want to touch as manylives as I can the rest of the
time that I'm on this planet.
And and even louder than thevoice that was saying, I'll be
with you, I heard so be it.
It was it rang in my ears.
And this is during a big freeze,so it took an hour for the
(09:29):
cardiologist to get in.
This is two o'clock in themorning.
SPEAKER_01 (09:32):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
Um, so nobody was expecting me to live.
And he came in, I had a 100%blockage in one artery, uh, 95%
blockage in the other artery.
And he's like, I don't even knowif I can fix this.
But I uh he said, I may have tocrack you open.
I don't I don't know what to do.
And he goes, I'm gonna trystents first.
And so he he went up there, putin stents, and it actually
(09:55):
worked.
And so blood returned to mybody.
My heart was tragically likescarred, you know, critically
scarred.
Uh they had to put in apacemaker defibrillator to keep
me alive because it was 40 to 50percent heart damage.
But that's what I walked out ofthe hospital with all those
things behind me, with one thingin mind: God's gonna be with me,
(10:18):
even though I've not lived aperfect life.
I know he's here, and he sayshe'll give me a purpose.
So I believe him.
And so ever since then, I'velived my life knowing every day
that I could go and I'd be happyas as old uh as I could be.
But if I'm here, I'm still herefor a purpose.
SPEAKER_01 (10:38):
He talked about performance and and rules and um
Do you think a lot of peoplethat grew up in the church they
heard that and maybe that'shampered their their faith walk.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:55):
Well, I think so, because um, you know, grace is
so amazing.
Like, you know, I mean amazinggrace, but but it is, I mean,
it's it he doesn't look at ourperformance.
Our righteousness is solelydependent on who lives in us,
(11:19):
right?
So so I don't have to worryabout if I make a mistake now
that now I have to wallow in itor I have to give up or any of
those things.
I already know that I've beenmade righteous because Christ
lives in me and I have faith inhim.
Um, and the Bible clearly saysthat we have been crucified with
(11:40):
Christ.
We no longer live, but it'sChrist who lives in us, and we
live by faith in him who lovedus and gave his life for us.
In that, I put all my faith.
So, good, bad, ugly, it doesn'tmatter.
I'm righteous because of who Ihave faith in, and because he is
the one who is my righteousness.
(12:02):
So yeah, it's a different line.
SPEAKER_01 (12:05):
Yes, very different.
Well, we'll uh we'll switchgears a little bit.
Thank you for that.
You started, you're the founder,and I believe ambassador is
what's listed on your website ofthe good contractors list.
Did I get that?
Yes, sir.
That's right.
That was intriguing when I sawthat and how you've built that,
where did the idea come from?
(12:27):
Just take us on that wholejourney.
SPEAKER_00 (12:29):
So, you know, after the hospital, I came back, not
knowing what it was I was gonnado.
I was selling coupons, neverowned a business, didn't have
any money, didn't have anyexperience, didn't have
education, like everything uhthat you would expect from
someone who's going to start andand have a successful business,
(12:49):
you'd have to have all thosethings, right?
But I didn't.
All I knew is that I had apurpose.
And so while I was workingselling these coupons, uh I was
talking with a plumber that thatsaid, you know what, I I can't
really afford to do this wholeprogram by myself, but I have an
electrician and a roofer that Itrust with all I have.
And I would I would be willingto share an ad with them.
(13:14):
And so all I can say is it itwas like God downloaded the plan
into my mind.
Like I saw it.
I was like, well, and it reallyjust started out because I was
trying to sell a coupon.
I was like, well, what if webuilt a website where you're the
only plumber, you're the only,you know, and and we could we
(13:34):
could make a group of goodcontractors that all trust each
other, and then y'all can go intogether and buy ads.
Every day after that, I justkept getting more and more
downloads that this is what I'msupposed to do.
And I'm like, I've never beenchosen for management.
What do you mean I'm gonna goout and start a company?
I don't know what I'm doing.
(13:55):
I don't have any money, youknow, and but I knew it was God,
and I said, you know what?
I'm gonna do it.
And so I went to my boss.
I was an outside cell sellingcoupons, and I had the
opportunity to test it out tosee if I could sell this while I
was getting paid uh by thisother company.
But I was like, that's not theright thing to do.
(14:16):
It that's not integrity.
I went in and I quit my job.
We had no money in the bank, nosavings.
I had one more paycheck comingto me, and I walked out with a
yellow legal pad and a pen andwent and started talking to
contractors and started sharingwith them the download God had
given me, this way that I couldseparate the good guys from the
(14:39):
bad guys.
And what was even funnier is Isaid, and we're gonna guarantee
your work.
Like we're gonna put a guaranteeon your work that uh that if you
don't do what you're supposed todo, then then I'm gonna have to
pay.
And I'm like, I don't even knowwhere this money's gonna come
from because I don't have any.
You know, but this is the visionI'm that I've been given.
(15:00):
And you know, it's like all Ican say is it had God's favor on
it from day one.
People saw it.
There's nobody in in the nationthat has ever tried to guarantee
a contractor's work and actuallystand between a homeowner and a
contractor.
It's like, yeah, it's I've I hadso many people saying that's the
(15:22):
dumbest business plan I've everheard.
You can you're limited on whoyou can bring in and you're
putting yourself at risk onevery job they do.
That's ridiculous.
I said, Well, that's what Godtold me, so I'm gonna go do it,
you know?
And so I didn't listen to allthe smart people, you know.
I went out there and startedtalking to contractors, and they
got on board with me.
And this is in 2011.
(15:43):
We actually started the goodcontractors list on 111111.
Wow.
So we just had our 14th year, wehad our fourth annual 10-year
dinner, and so we have peoplewho I walked in with a notepad
that are still with me todayhere in the DFW area.
And uh, and God has just blessedit, and we are now going
(16:06):
national, which um just blows mymind.
And and what is so excitingabout being able to be on
podcasts like this is that nowanywhere in the United States,
uh, we can start building safecontractor communities like we
have here in DFW.
So I'm really excited about it.
SPEAKER_01 (16:22):
Maybe you those first uh those first guys that
signed on with you and you hadthis uh guarantee, did you tell
them, hey, try to make sure youdo a great job?
Of course, I don't have anymoney.
SPEAKER_00 (16:33):
Right.
Exactly.
Well, that's the whole point.
And you know, uh after 14 yearsof being between a homeowner and
contractors, I'm finding thatthere's a lot more good
contractors out there uh than weknow.
And a lot of guys that getlabeled bad um are not bad
contractors.
And what really happens is thatbecause there's so many horrible
(16:55):
horror stories out there,homeowners go into any kind of
contracting uh job feeling like,oh I got, I hope I don't end up
being one of those horrorstories.
I hope I'm not made a fool of,you know, and and that's really
people uh don't want to be thatperson that fell for it.
Right.
And so what I've been able to dois see that with a with a third
(17:19):
party in between a homeowner andcontractor, just us being there
and being because we getinvolved.
Like if there's a problem, weget involved.
And matter of fact, we've backedover five billion dollars worth
of work to date.
Yeah, so it's been it's beenquite a ride.
99 plus percent of issues thatescalate into really bad things
(17:41):
are you it are fixed by therebeing someone else there that
the homeowner can count on.
And with us guaranteeing everyjob with a$25,000 guarantee, it
really takes a lot of stress offthe homeowner.
Okay, well, if you're stillwilling to let those guys work
here, you know, yeah, some lifehappened, you know, and that's
usually what happens is nobody'sperfect, and uh there's not a
(18:03):
perfect contractor out there.
Um, but but there's a lot ofhonest guys that have integrity
that will make sure that the jobgets done right.
And that's and that's who I'mlooking for, the guy that just
will do the right thing everysingle time.
And there's a lot of goodcontractors out there.
That's who we that's who weback.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:23):
I assume you have a pretty thorough vetting process
then.
SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
Yes, uh, yes, sir.
Yeah, I I did get burnt onceearly in the in the game because
they had someone else pose asthe owner of the company.
Um, and the actual owner waskind of a well, he was a thief.
Nothing nothing better to saythan that.
Um, and so we invest now and wewe pay$2,800 a month for FBI
(18:49):
level software that we know whoowns this company, we know where
they worked before, we know whothey're associated with, who
their friends are.
I mean, it's like it's crazy howmuch information is in that kind
of software, but we make surethat these are the guys who are
on the up and up.
They didn't shut down a businessto start a new one and say, I've
been in business for 15 years,you know.
(19:11):
So, yes, we've gotten reallygood at the process, but the
follow-up is just as important.
So we call every homeowner back.
If they've called through oursystem, we we have a tracking
number and and we call everyhomeowner back to make sure they
were taken care of.
And it's just been a greatsystem.
But I think what reallyseparated it more than anything
is that the contractors got it.
(19:32):
I mean, they understood thatthey were being separated into a
a group of other goodcontractors and they felt safe.
And so, you know, when being thevoice of truth between
homeowners and contractors,there's been times that I've had
this that I've stepped in andother contractors we've stepped
in, saw that the job was great,and that it was the homeowner
(19:52):
trying to work over thecontractor.
Unfortunately, there's just asmany, if not more, unscrupulous
homeowners.
Well, I mean, just sure, youknow, just per capita, you know,
than there are contractors.
And so um, it's nice being thatperson in the middle.
And as soon as both sides seewhere the truth is, the
(20:13):
contractor gets paid, or theyend up fixing whatever the issue
was, and we move on.
SPEAKER_01 (20:20):
Thanks for sharing that.
I was really anxious to hearabout your business model, and
we wish you all success as youmove across the country.
Yeah, thank you.
Yeah, it's uh it's gonna bereally neat.
You've mentioned your faith afew times.
You grew up in church and it'sbeen a part of your life.
How does that play out today inthe business or just in your
(20:42):
personal life?
SPEAKER_00 (20:42):
Everything I've done from day one has literally been
by what I felt led in my heartto do.
You know, in the last year wewe've we brought on real
business people because I I Inever considered myself a
business person.
I actually, I actually even wonan award one time for
entrepreneur of excellence uh inthe Fort Worth Business
(21:03):
Magazine.
I didn't I didn't submit myselffor it.
Somebody did, and and they sawwhat I was doing and said, this
is so I won an award to be anentrepreneur.
And on the way home, I was like,babe, I'm an entrepreneur.
Like I never even, I was justlike, I'm just doing what God
wants me to do, you know.
And so I didn't even, it neverdawned on me, it like just never
hit me that I'm an entrepreneur.
(21:24):
Faith has been the only thingI've been able to lean on.
I don't have businessexperience.
All the decisions I made wasbased on what vision he gave me.
And so that's why we have theonly resource in America that
that has all the contractorsbacked by$25,000 guarantee.
Because it no businessman wouldhave ever tried to do that.
(21:46):
But now I've got business peoplein and they're laughing.
You know, they're like, John,you've got to change your
contracts.
He goes, You don't have anythinglegally binding in these
contracts.
I'm like, Well, I know I I typedthem up on Word 15 years ago.
So it's funny because when whenyou see that I that we've
managed to be successful for 14years, and and real people real
(22:07):
business people come in here andgo, How did this happen?
And I'm like, it has to be Godbecause I I can't take credit
for any of it.
And that's and that's why I justlike I I can't even get on one
of these podcasts and and leaveGod out of it.
I wish I could, I wish I wasthat smart, you know.
I really wish I could say, Oh,well, you know, after 20 years
(22:29):
of doing all the you know thebusiness stuff and and working
my way to the top of the ladder,I started my own company.
No, I was at the bottom of theladder, about as far as you can
go with no experience.
So, no, I trust God.
SPEAKER_01 (22:43):
Good.
Thank you for sharing that.
Anything fun on your uh lifeto-do list?
I used to say bucket list, andpeople would be like, I don't
have a bucket list.
So anything fun you want to justdo sometime with you or you?
SPEAKER_00 (22:56):
I I think this is fun.
You know, I I I've always wantedto um, you know, like I said, I
wanted to live, I wanted to beremembered for doing something
good, live every day, and touchas many lives as possible.
And every opportunity that I getto inspire someone, encourage
someone, because gosh, I've beenat the bottom.
I know what it feels like, and Iknow that God can change your
life.
(23:16):
And so every opportunity that Iget to do that, so right now I'm
having the most fun I think I'vehad in I don't know when, being
able to be on programs likeyours and and getting to uh and
just maybe there's somebodylistening that needed to hear
this.
And so I I think this is thefunnest thing I could do.
Good.
SPEAKER_01 (23:33):
Well, I'm certainly glad uh we linked up.
I said early on we didn't knoweach other, but we've had a
couple conversations and they'vejust been fun.
They've uh kind of made my day,and this is I think this is
going to be a really good one toput out there for people.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Imagine you could take a roadtrip today with anyone, living
or deceased, who would it be?
Where would you go?
(23:55):
What would you talk about?
SPEAKER_00 (23:57):
Oh man, you I mean, the the the easy answer is to
say Jesus, right?
It's like like I I you tell mewhat I'm supposed to do for the
rest of my life, you know, thatwould be a great road trip.
Thinking about this, I had aheart transplant in 2022.
SPEAKER_01 (24:13):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (24:14):
And um it was a uh I met the family.
I would take I would bring himand take him to go see his
parents.
That's what I would do.
Because I when I went and metthem, I knew that they would
rather be hugging their son, youknow, but they loved me and they
embraced me, and they're justwonderful people.
(24:36):
I would love to be able to dothat.
I I would love to have theconversation and tell him, hey,
look, this is what I'm doingwith your heart.
You know, this we're touchingthe world.
His and his and and funny, it'sit's really cool.
Uh, another another God thing istheir last name is Wackel.
It's W-A-C-H-A-L.
And uh, I looked it up, andthat's Bohemian for watchman.
(25:00):
And the young man's first namewas Christian.
So so I quite literally have theheart of a Christian watchman.
And so it it further solidifiedthat I am here for a purpose.
You know, his death is tragic.
(25:20):
He was young, he was 28 yearsold.
Okay.
And uh but he didn't, but hedidn't die in vain.
You know, his heart is poweringme, and I get to do every day,
get to go out and do somethingthat will honor him.
And I truly believe this thatevery person that I do touch
that ends up in heaven will beaccredited to him.
(25:42):
That's just the way I feel aboutit.
SPEAKER_01 (25:44):
Wow.
Yeah, yeah.
You probably might not be here.
SPEAKER_00 (25:48):
I may not be here.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:50):
So you got a you got a pretty young heart.
So uh God might keep you arounda long time there, my friend.
SPEAKER_00 (25:56):
He might.
I I'm I'm here until my purposeis fulfilled.
That's just how I look at it.
Yeah, it could be today.
SPEAKER_01 (26:03):
Thanks for sharing that.
So we're we're nearing the endof our virtual road trip, but
leave my listeners with someadvice.
Call it life advice if you want.
You're obviously living on apurpose.
What would you tell other peoplehow to how to do the same thing
you've managed to do?
You're not a business guy,you've said that, yeah, but
(26:23):
you're living a life on purpose.
Yeah.
What would you tell people?
SPEAKER_00 (26:29):
There was one time I was laying in my bedroom, and uh
this was way this is before weever made it or anything, and we
were kind of living in the hood,and I I was looking around at
the walls, and I thought, if Ican't be happy in this space,
and it was just pretty normalroom, then I'm not gonna be
(26:52):
happy anywhere.
And you know, these are thingsthat God taught me along the way
is if I can give any advice,stop looking at your past and
and where you failed and how youmessed up, God is ready to
forgive you for all of that.
And stop looking into yourfuture and trying to decide is
(27:13):
this gonna be good, is it gonnabe bad?
The best place for anyone, andand I I can speak from
experience, is to put your faithin God.
Also completely resign your willto let Him lead you to where He
wants to take you.
(27:33):
I'm not here for me.
I didn't survive that heartattack for me.
I'm here for a purpose, and thatpurpose is other people.
So I can choose right now, inthis moment, to be alive and
grateful, or I can spend all myday long thinking, oh man, I
(27:54):
really messed up back there.
I'll never get over thatdivorce, I'll never get over
that.
I'll always be seen as this.
I'm gonna be, you know, and thenlook in the future and go, I'll
never be anything.
And we we self-talk that.
So live in the now, trust inGod, and believe for good.
SPEAKER_01 (28:13):
Great advice, John.
Thank you.
So before we leave, how dopeople find you?
They find the good contractorslist.
I think you have another littleendeavor too.
I read it on your your profilethere.
Something about home church.
So if you want to speak to thattoo.
SPEAKER_00 (28:31):
Sure.
Um, well, uh, I look at the goodcontractors list.
It's not it's not a business.
I well, it is a business, but II look at it as a movement, and
it really requires the work ofeveryone.
We need homeowners that knowgood contractors that deserve to
be recognized, that will referthem, and and we can start
(28:52):
building safe contractorcommunities anywhere in the
nation.
So if you're a homeowner and youdon't trust contractors and you
may just know one that youtrust, we start with them.
Refer those contractors and letus help you start your safe
contractor community.
If you're a contractor listeningto this and you're like, that's
exactly the kind of community Iwant to be a part of, then go to
(29:14):
the it's calledthegoodcontractorslist.com.
Um, homeowners can hit the refera contractor button, and
contractors can hit the become agood contractor button, and uh
it'll give all the details ofwhat we're looking for.
We can't we can't just takeanybody.
So, you know, you have to have asteady business.
And then about the house churchthing, uh, and I don't want to
(29:37):
go too much into detail, it'snot too long, but in 2019, much
like the directory I've builtwith with the good contractors
list, God started talking to meabout building a website for
house churches.
And I and I was like, this is2019.
I was like, why would anybodywant to go to a house church
when they there's all thesegreat churches on every corner?
(30:00):
And then a few months later, theworld shut down, and every
church just about, I mean, therewere still ones that fought, but
nearly every church in the worldshut their doors.
And I was like, okay, if this isa sign for what may to be to
come, then I'll do it.
Not really knowing much aboutthe whole thought, I built a
(30:24):
website called find ahousechurch.com.
SPEAKER_01 (30:27):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (30:27):
People can go there, it's free.
You can list your, you know,your house church.
It won't give your address.
It actually will just kind oflike the good contractors list,
they'll go on there and look fora house church and it'll say
this one's six miles, this one's3.1 miles, and then you can read
more about it.
It's kind of like a social mediaplatform almost.
(30:48):
So that's what that is.
And so really people just takeit in their own hands to share
the gospel in their homes.
SPEAKER_01 (30:54):
Cool.
Yeah.
Well, good.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
And again, I I can't thank youenough for coming on this uh
virtual road trip.
SPEAKER_00 (31:04):
Well, thanks for taking me down the road with
you.
SPEAKER_01 (31:06):
Thank you for tuning in to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your
own, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring, and keep having
(31:30):
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels.
And remember, you can find me onthe internet at
dantherroadtripguy.com.
Welcome to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I'm your host Dan, and each weekwe'll embark on a new adventure,
discovering memory and lifelessons of our incredible
guests.
From everyday travelers tothrill seekers and everyone in
between, this podcast is yourfront road seat to inspiring
stories of passion, resilience,and the pursuit of happiness.
So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
(00:30):
I am confident you're going toenjoy today's episode.
My guest is John Hill.
John is the founder of theGoodContractorslist.com.
It's a place where homeownerscan find good contractors, and
John's company backs the jobwith a$25,000 guarantee.
They've been in business for 14years.
(00:51):
But the interesting thing aboutJohn's story is he once asked
God just to take him from thisplanet.
But God had a totally differentplan for John's life, and John
has been living a life onpurpose ever since.
Again, I believe you're going toenjoy this episode, and be sure
to stick around for John'sadvice at the end.
(01:12):
Welcome to the show, John.
Very good to be here.
Thanks, Dan.
Thank you for the opportunity totalk to you.
We don't know each other, butwe're going to after this uh
little virtual road trip we'reon.
So take a couple minutes andjust tell my listeners who is
John Hill?
SPEAKER_00 (01:28):
Oh well, that's kind of a loaded question.
Um, but yeah, you know, I I feellike I'm a guy that that has
gotten a second chance to dosomething good.
I'm a man of purpose now.
Um I used to be the guy thatthat uh would look at his past
and and be disappointed and lookat his future and not really see
anything bright.
(01:48):
And today I'm the guy that uh amhappy to be here present.
I know that I have purpose inevery minute of my day, and I
live my life um with gratitude.
So that's that's who I am rightnow.
SPEAKER_01 (02:01):
That's great.
And we'll get to the details ina moment.
This is Day on the Road Trip GuyJohn, and first question out of
the gate is always tell me aboutyour first car or a funny car
story.
SPEAKER_00 (02:13):
Well, I was raised in a pretty low-income family.
My mom babyset for a living, andmy dad worked at a gas station
for$3 an hour.
So I really didn't have a lot offunds to buy a great car, and
um, so I ended up selling a lambthat I was raising for FFA, and
(02:33):
I made enough money to buy uh areal awesome junk.
It was it was it was it was 1969Chevy Nova green.
It was the ugliest thing youever saw.
And what what what I loved aboutit is that yeah, I mean the
engine had so many miles on it,it was so ready to break down
(02:55):
when I first bought it.
That I used to do this thingwith my friends in the car and I
go, turbo boost, and then Iwould hit the gas, and it would
take like three or four secondsbefore it actually realized I'd
pushed the gas pedal, and thenit would just go.
So uh that it's a great memory,though.
It was a it was a fun first car.
It was it was automatic and uhand it did have turbo boost.
(03:18):
I just had to slam my foot onthe gas really fast and hesitate
and rock.
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
Now, the interesting thing is if you had that car
today, it'd probably be worth alittle bit.
SPEAKER_00 (03:28):
It might be.
I mean, it it wasn't worth muchback then, though.
SPEAKER_01 (03:32):
Yeah, that's good.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
Tell me about an epic road tripor just a road trip that just
stands out in your mind.
Do you have one of those?
SPEAKER_00 (03:42):
Well, really, I I I I do.
And and I had it didn't takelong to figure it out.
A few years ago, I went on aministry trip uh where we were
doing an all-night uh worshipsession, and then we were out in
Buffalo, New York, and wedecided we wanted to go see
Niagara Falls.
So I'd never been to Canada.
Um, we're in a car full ofpeople, there's like three or
(04:02):
four or five of us in there.
I can't remember how manyexactly.
Um, and we start to go uh acrossthe border at Canada, and like
we don't have to have passports.
He goes, Oh no, as long as youhave the new Texas driver's
license, you can get you can uhget across.
Well, it was bad information.
And we get up to the gate, andthen they they say, Okay, we
(04:24):
need to detain you.
And they they literally, becausewe didn't have none of us had
passports, we all showed ourTexas IDs and and they looked at
us like we were stupid.
Stupid Americans, get over hereinto Canada, and they put that
so that we had to pull off onthe side of the road, um, down
by the police station.
They came and took all of ourIDs, disappeared, and uh we were
(04:47):
we were pretty scared.
We were like, I don't even knowhow we're gonna get out of here.
And so they they actually calledit detaining us, and I was like,
Oh no, we're we're gonna be putin jail or something.
So we sat there for so we satthere for a minute, and it it
was probably about a good hour,they just let us sit there.
And uh they finally came backout, handed us all of our
driver's license, and I said,and and he goes, Okay, you're
(05:08):
free to go.
And I'm like, So how do we getback out of here?
And uh and they they were like,Well, you don't want to see
Niagara Falls?
Yeah, I'm like, Well, I thoughtyou said we could.
And he's like, No, we used yourIDs to to do background checks
on y'all.
So we ended up getting to go seeNiagara Falls, but we were all
just sitting there shaking,like, what's gonna happen?
We need to call our families andtell them we're detained in
(05:29):
Canada.
SPEAKER_01 (05:30):
Yeah, come and get us.
Yeah.
Fun story.
Thank you.
Yeah, we had a uh we had a briefconversation, and you were
telling me about uh a time inyour life when you'd just kind
of given up, is I guess is thebest way to put it, maybe.
Yeah, take me there.
SPEAKER_00 (05:48):
I was I was raised in a in a Pentecostal church.
I don't know if you know toomuch about uh the Pentecostal um
denomination, but it it's verystrict.
And uh so part of that is that Ireally never felt like I could
live up to the potential ofbeing what I was supposed to be.
(06:10):
I could never be perfect.
The way I understood it, it wasblack and white to me.
If I get to heaven and there's amark on my book, it's sorry, see
you later, you're going theother place, you know.
And so and so when by the time Igot to be a teenager and and
started realizing that, youknow, I I knew the Bible.
I was listening to this, I waslistening to those sermons.
(06:32):
And if I even think somethingbad, it's just as bad as
committing adultery.
And you know, so I had all thesethings going through my mind.
And so I lived a life kind ofbased on performance.
I always looked at that the pastand going, oh my gosh, you know,
I'm the worst Christian, I'm abad example, I'm never gonna
(06:53):
make it to heaven.
By the time I was 42, I'd beendivorced three times.
I uh never really had a careerthat I was able to pull
together.
You know, I worked odd jobs andand uh worked in sales, uh
selling yellow pages at thetime.
I was selling coupons um intoyou know those envelopes that
(07:14):
that they send the coupons.
And so I was selling those andjust feeling like an absolute
loser, you know.
Uh I wouldn't know if I was aChristian anymore.
Um, I basically was homeless andand had moved in with my
girlfriend.
And so for two months uh in thebeginning of 2011, I just I
(07:35):
prayed that God would take meoff this planet.
I was like, you know, I don'twant to be, I don't want to
commit suicide.
You know, that's that's astraight ticket there, but God,
I don't want to be here anymore.
And I prayed that that he wouldtake me.
And um, and so at that place,February 4th of 2011, um, I
(07:58):
actually ended up having a heartattack.
It it was unexpected.
I thought I was in pretty decentshape.
And so I was taken to thehospital, and in this whole
process, I felt like God said,Well, John, do you want to stay
or do you want to go?
And he gave me that choice.
But there was part of me that Icould hear, you know, we don't
(08:20):
hear audible voices most of thetime.
I mean, I mean, I guess it'spossible, but it was such a
strong voice inside that itdidn't seem to be coming from me
at all.
And it was a it was, and this iswhat I kept hearing over and
over in my head.
If you decide to stay, I'll bewith you and I'll give you a
purpose.
And there at my lowest, I hadthat opportunity to repent and
(08:44):
and have a clean record.
You know, I was like, I'm aboutto die.
If I choose to die right now,I'll die with a clean record.
But I really felt like he wantedme to stay, so I made I made a
deal with him.
And I said, okay, God, I'll stayif that's all right with you.
And uh, but I don't want to bethe same guy that I've been.
I want to I want to beremembered for doing something
(09:08):
good.
I want to live every day, notjust be alive.
And I want to touch as manylives as I can the rest of the
time that I'm on this planet.
And and even louder than thevoice that was saying, I'll be
with you, I heard so be it.
It was it rang in my ears.
And this is during a big freeze,so it took an hour for the
(09:29):
cardiologist to get in.
This is two o'clock in themorning.
SPEAKER_01 (09:32):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (09:32):
Um, so nobody was expecting me to live.
And he came in, I had a 100%blockage in one artery, uh, 95%
blockage in the other artery.
And he's like, I don't even knowif I can fix this.
But I uh he said, I may have tocrack you open.
I don't I don't know what to do.
And he goes, I'm gonna trystents first.
And so he he went up there, putin stents, and it actually
(09:55):
worked.
And so blood returned to mybody.
My heart was tragically likescarred, you know, critically
scarred.
Uh they had to put in apacemaker defibrillator to keep
me alive because it was 40 to 50percent heart damage.
But that's what I walked out ofthe hospital with all those
things behind me, with one thingin mind: God's gonna be with me,
(10:18):
even though I've not lived aperfect life.
I know he's here, and he sayshe'll give me a purpose.
So I believe him.
And so ever since then, I'velived my life knowing every day
that I could go and I'd be happyas as old uh as I could be.
But if I'm here, I'm still herefor a purpose.
SPEAKER_01 (10:38):
He talked about performance and and rules and um
Do you think a lot of peoplethat grew up in the church they
heard that and maybe that'shampered their their faith walk.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:55):
Well, I think so, because um, you know, grace is
so amazing.
Like, you know, I mean amazinggrace, but but it is, I mean,
it's it he doesn't look at ourperformance.
Our righteousness is solelydependent on who lives in us,
(11:19):
right?
So so I don't have to worryabout if I make a mistake now
that now I have to wallow in itor I have to give up or any of
those things.
I already know that I've beenmade righteous because Christ
lives in me and I have faith inhim.
Um, and the Bible clearly saysthat we have been crucified with
(11:40):
Christ.
We no longer live, but it'sChrist who lives in us, and we
live by faith in him who lovedus and gave his life for us.
In that, I put all my faith.
So, good, bad, ugly, it doesn'tmatter.
I'm righteous because of who Ihave faith in, and because he is
the one who is my righteousness.
(12:02):
So yeah, it's a different line.
SPEAKER_01 (12:05):
Yes, very different.
Well, we'll uh we'll switchgears a little bit.
Thank you for that.
You started, you're the founder,and I believe ambassador is
what's listed on your website ofthe good contractors list.
Did I get that?
Yes, sir.
That's right.
That was intriguing when I sawthat and how you've built that,
where did the idea come from?
(12:27):
Just take us on that wholejourney.
SPEAKER_00 (12:29):
So, you know, after the hospital, I came back, not
knowing what it was I was gonnado.
I was selling coupons, neverowned a business, didn't have
any money, didn't have anyexperience, didn't have
education, like everything uhthat you would expect from
someone who's going to start andand have a successful business,
(12:49):
you'd have to have all thosethings, right?
But I didn't.
All I knew is that I had apurpose.
And so while I was workingselling these coupons, uh I was
talking with a plumber that thatsaid, you know what, I I can't
really afford to do this wholeprogram by myself, but I have an
electrician and a roofer that Itrust with all I have.
And I would I would be willingto share an ad with them.
(13:14):
And so all I can say is it itwas like God downloaded the plan
into my mind.
Like I saw it.
I was like, well, and it reallyjust started out because I was
trying to sell a coupon.
I was like, well, what if webuilt a website where you're the
only plumber, you're the only,you know, and and we could we
(13:34):
could make a group of goodcontractors that all trust each
other, and then y'all can go intogether and buy ads.
Every day after that, I justkept getting more and more
downloads that this is what I'msupposed to do.
And I'm like, I've never beenchosen for management.
What do you mean I'm gonna goout and start a company?
I don't know what I'm doing.
(13:55):
I don't have any money, youknow, and but I knew it was God,
and I said, you know what?
I'm gonna do it.
And so I went to my boss.
I was an outside cell sellingcoupons, and I had the
opportunity to test it out tosee if I could sell this while I
was getting paid uh by thisother company.
But I was like, that's not theright thing to do.
(14:16):
It that's not integrity.
I went in and I quit my job.
We had no money in the bank, nosavings.
I had one more paycheck comingto me, and I walked out with a
yellow legal pad and a pen andwent and started talking to
contractors and started sharingwith them the download God had
given me, this way that I couldseparate the good guys from the
(14:39):
bad guys.
And what was even funnier is Isaid, and we're gonna guarantee
your work.
Like we're gonna put a guaranteeon your work that uh that if you
don't do what you're supposed todo, then then I'm gonna have to
pay.
And I'm like, I don't even knowwhere this money's gonna come
from because I don't have any.
You know, but this is the visionI'm that I've been given.
(15:00):
And you know, it's like all Ican say is it had God's favor on
it from day one.
People saw it.
There's nobody in in the nationthat has ever tried to guarantee
a contractor's work and actuallystand between a homeowner and a
contractor.
It's like, yeah, it's I've I hadso many people saying that's the
(15:22):
dumbest business plan I've everheard.
You can you're limited on whoyou can bring in and you're
putting yourself at risk onevery job they do.
That's ridiculous.
I said, Well, that's what Godtold me, so I'm gonna go do it,
you know?
And so I didn't listen to allthe smart people, you know.
I went out there and startedtalking to contractors, and they
got on board with me.
And this is in 2011.
(15:43):
We actually started the goodcontractors list on 111111.
Wow.
So we just had our 14th year, wehad our fourth annual 10-year
dinner, and so we have peoplewho I walked in with a notepad
that are still with me todayhere in the DFW area.
And uh, and God has just blessedit, and we are now going
(16:06):
national, which um just blows mymind.
And and what is so excitingabout being able to be on
podcasts like this is that nowanywhere in the United States,
uh, we can start building safecontractor communities like we
have here in DFW.
So I'm really excited about it.
SPEAKER_01 (16:22):
Maybe you those first uh those first guys that
signed on with you and you hadthis uh guarantee, did you tell
them, hey, try to make sure youdo a great job?
Of course, I don't have anymoney.
SPEAKER_00 (16:33):
Right.
Exactly.
Well, that's the whole point.
And you know, uh after 14 yearsof being between a homeowner and
contractors, I'm finding thatthere's a lot more good
contractors out there uh than weknow.
And a lot of guys that getlabeled bad um are not bad
contractors.
And what really happens is thatbecause there's so many horrible
(16:55):
horror stories out there,homeowners go into any kind of
contracting uh job feeling like,oh I got, I hope I don't end up
being one of those horrorstories.
I hope I'm not made a fool of,you know, and and that's really
people uh don't want to be thatperson that fell for it.
Right.
And so what I've been able to dois see that with a with a third
(17:19):
party in between a homeowner andcontractor, just us being there
and being because we getinvolved.
Like if there's a problem, weget involved.
And matter of fact, we've backedover five billion dollars worth
of work to date.
Yeah, so it's been it's beenquite a ride.
99 plus percent of issues thatescalate into really bad things
(17:41):
are you it are fixed by therebeing someone else there that
the homeowner can count on.
And with us guaranteeing everyjob with a$25,000 guarantee, it
really takes a lot of stress offthe homeowner.
Okay, well, if you're stillwilling to let those guys work
here, you know, yeah, some lifehappened, you know, and that's
usually what happens is nobody'sperfect, and uh there's not a
(18:03):
perfect contractor out there.
Um, but but there's a lot ofhonest guys that have integrity
that will make sure that the jobgets done right.
And that's and that's who I'mlooking for, the guy that just
will do the right thing everysingle time.
And there's a lot of goodcontractors out there.
That's who we that's who weback.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (18:23):
I assume you have a pretty thorough vetting process
then.
SPEAKER_00 (18:27):
Yes, uh, yes, sir.
Yeah, I I did get burnt onceearly in the in the game because
they had someone else pose asthe owner of the company.
Um, and the actual owner waskind of a well, he was a thief.
Nothing nothing better to saythan that.
Um, and so we invest now and wewe pay$2,800 a month for FBI
(18:49):
level software that we know whoowns this company, we know where
they worked before, we know whothey're associated with, who
their friends are.
I mean, it's like it's crazy howmuch information is in that kind
of software, but we make surethat these are the guys who are
on the up and up.
They didn't shut down a businessto start a new one and say, I've
been in business for 15 years,you know.
(19:11):
So, yes, we've gotten reallygood at the process, but the
follow-up is just as important.
So we call every homeowner back.
If they've called through oursystem, we we have a tracking
number and and we call everyhomeowner back to make sure they
were taken care of.
And it's just been a greatsystem.
But I think what reallyseparated it more than anything
is that the contractors got it.
(19:32):
I mean, they understood thatthey were being separated into a
a group of other goodcontractors and they felt safe.
And so, you know, when being thevoice of truth between
homeowners and contractors,there's been times that I've had
this that I've stepped in andother contractors we've stepped
in, saw that the job was great,and that it was the homeowner
(19:52):
trying to work over thecontractor.
Unfortunately, there's just asmany, if not more, unscrupulous
homeowners.
Well, I mean, just sure, youknow, just per capita, you know,
than there are contractors.
And so um, it's nice being thatperson in the middle.
And as soon as both sides seewhere the truth is, the
(20:13):
contractor gets paid, or theyend up fixing whatever the issue
was, and we move on.
SPEAKER_01 (20:20):
Thanks for sharing that.
I was really anxious to hearabout your business model, and
we wish you all success as youmove across the country.
Yeah, thank you.
Yeah, it's uh it's gonna bereally neat.
You've mentioned your faith afew times.
You grew up in church and it'sbeen a part of your life.
How does that play out today inthe business or just in your
(20:42):
personal life?
SPEAKER_00 (20:42):
Everything I've done from day one has literally been
by what I felt led in my heartto do.
You know, in the last year wewe've we brought on real
business people because I I Inever considered myself a
business person.
I actually, I actually even wonan award one time for
entrepreneur of excellence uh inthe Fort Worth Business
(21:03):
Magazine.
I didn't I didn't submit myselffor it.
Somebody did, and and they sawwhat I was doing and said, this
is so I won an award to be anentrepreneur.
And on the way home, I was like,babe, I'm an entrepreneur.
Like I never even, I was justlike, I'm just doing what God
wants me to do, you know.
And so I didn't even, it neverdawned on me, it like just never
hit me that I'm an entrepreneur.
(21:24):
Faith has been the only thingI've been able to lean on.
I don't have businessexperience.
All the decisions I made wasbased on what vision he gave me.
And so that's why we have theonly resource in America that
that has all the contractorsbacked by$25,000 guarantee.
Because it no businessman wouldhave ever tried to do that.
(21:46):
But now I've got business peoplein and they're laughing.
You know, they're like, John,you've got to change your
contracts.
He goes, You don't have anythinglegally binding in these
contracts.
I'm like, Well, I know I I typedthem up on Word 15 years ago.
So it's funny because when whenyou see that I that we've
managed to be successful for 14years, and and real people real
(22:07):
business people come in here andgo, How did this happen?
And I'm like, it has to be Godbecause I I can't take credit
for any of it.
And that's and that's why I justlike I I can't even get on one
of these podcasts and and leaveGod out of it.
I wish I could, I wish I wasthat smart, you know.
I really wish I could say, Oh,well, you know, after 20 years
(22:29):
of doing all the you know thebusiness stuff and and working
my way to the top of the ladder,I started my own company.
No, I was at the bottom of theladder, about as far as you can
go with no experience.
So, no, I trust God.
SPEAKER_01 (22:43):
Good.
Thank you for sharing that.
Anything fun on your uh lifeto-do list?
I used to say bucket list, andpeople would be like, I don't
have a bucket list.
So anything fun you want to justdo sometime with you or you?
SPEAKER_00 (22:56):
I I think this is fun.
You know, I I I've always wantedto um, you know, like I said, I
wanted to live, I wanted to beremembered for doing something
good, live every day, and touchas many lives as possible.
And every opportunity that I getto inspire someone, encourage
someone, because gosh, I've beenat the bottom.
I know what it feels like, and Iknow that God can change your
life.
(23:16):
And so every opportunity that Iget to do that, so right now I'm
having the most fun I think I'vehad in I don't know when, being
able to be on programs likeyours and and getting to uh and
just maybe there's somebodylistening that needed to hear
this.
And so I I think this is thefunnest thing I could do.
Good.
SPEAKER_01 (23:33):
Well, I'm certainly glad uh we linked up.
I said early on we didn't knoweach other, but we've had a
couple conversations and they'vejust been fun.
They've uh kind of made my day,and this is I think this is
going to be a really good one toput out there for people.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Imagine you could take a roadtrip today with anyone, living
or deceased, who would it be?
Where would you go?
(23:55):
What would you talk about?
SPEAKER_00 (23:57):
Oh man, you I mean, the the the easy answer is to
say Jesus, right?
It's like like I I you tell mewhat I'm supposed to do for the
rest of my life, you know, thatwould be a great road trip.
Thinking about this, I had aheart transplant in 2022.
SPEAKER_01 (24:13):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (24:14):
And um it was a uh I met the family.
I would take I would bring himand take him to go see his
parents.
That's what I would do.
Because I when I went and metthem, I knew that they would
rather be hugging their son, youknow, but they loved me and they
embraced me, and they're justwonderful people.
(24:36):
I would love to be able to dothat.
I I would love to have theconversation and tell him, hey,
look, this is what I'm doingwith your heart.
You know, this we're touchingthe world.
His and his and and funny, it'sit's really cool.
Uh, another another God thing istheir last name is Wackel.
It's W-A-C-H-A-L.
And uh, I looked it up, andthat's Bohemian for watchman.
(25:00):
And the young man's first namewas Christian.
So so I quite literally have theheart of a Christian watchman.
And so it it further solidifiedthat I am here for a purpose.
You know, his death is tragic.
(25:20):
He was young, he was 28 yearsold.
Okay.
And uh but he didn't, but hedidn't die in vain.
You know, his heart is poweringme, and I get to do every day,
get to go out and do somethingthat will honor him.
And I truly believe this thatevery person that I do touch
that ends up in heaven will beaccredited to him.
(25:42):
That's just the way I feel aboutit.
SPEAKER_01 (25:44):
Wow.
Yeah, yeah.
You probably might not be here.
SPEAKER_00 (25:48):
I may not be here.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (25:50):
So you got a you got a pretty young heart.
So uh God might keep you arounda long time there, my friend.
SPEAKER_00 (25:56):
He might.
I I'm I'm here until my purposeis fulfilled.
That's just how I look at it.
Yeah, it could be today.
SPEAKER_01 (26:03):
Thanks for sharing that.
So we're we're nearing the endof our virtual road trip, but
leave my listeners with someadvice.
Call it life advice if you want.
You're obviously living on apurpose.
What would you tell other peoplehow to how to do the same thing
you've managed to do?
You're not a business guy,you've said that, yeah, but
(26:23):
you're living a life on purpose.
Yeah.
What would you tell people?
SPEAKER_00 (26:29):
There was one time I was laying in my bedroom, and uh
this was way this is before weever made it or anything, and we
were kind of living in the hood,and I I was looking around at
the walls, and I thought, if Ican't be happy in this space,
and it was just pretty normalroom, then I'm not gonna be
(26:52):
happy anywhere.
And you know, these are thingsthat God taught me along the way
is if I can give any advice,stop looking at your past and
and where you failed and how youmessed up, God is ready to
forgive you for all of that.
And stop looking into yourfuture and trying to decide is
(27:13):
this gonna be good, is it gonnabe bad?
The best place for anyone, andand I I can speak from
experience, is to put your faithin God.
Also completely resign your willto let Him lead you to where He
wants to take you.
(27:33):
I'm not here for me.
I didn't survive that heartattack for me.
I'm here for a purpose, and thatpurpose is other people.
So I can choose right now, inthis moment, to be alive and
grateful, or I can spend all myday long thinking, oh man, I
(27:54):
really messed up back there.
I'll never get over thatdivorce, I'll never get over
that.
I'll always be seen as this.
I'm gonna be, you know, and thenlook in the future and go, I'll
never be anything.
And we we self-talk that.
So live in the now, trust inGod, and believe for good.
SPEAKER_01 (28:13):
Great advice, John.
Thank you.
So before we leave, how dopeople find you?
They find the good contractorslist.
I think you have another littleendeavor too.
I read it on your your profilethere.
Something about home church.
So if you want to speak to thattoo.
SPEAKER_00 (28:31):
Sure.
Um, well, uh, I look at the goodcontractors list.
It's not it's not a business.
I well, it is a business, but II look at it as a movement, and
it really requires the work ofeveryone.
We need homeowners that knowgood contractors that deserve to
be recognized, that will referthem, and and we can start
(28:52):
building safe contractorcommunities anywhere in the
nation.
So if you're a homeowner and youdon't trust contractors and you
may just know one that youtrust, we start with them.
Refer those contractors and letus help you start your safe
contractor community.
If you're a contractor listeningto this and you're like, that's
exactly the kind of community Iwant to be a part of, then go to
(29:14):
the it's calledthegoodcontractorslist.com.
Um, homeowners can hit the refera contractor button, and
contractors can hit the become agood contractor button, and uh
it'll give all the details ofwhat we're looking for.
We can't we can't just takeanybody.
So, you know, you have to have asteady business.
And then about the house churchthing, uh, and I don't want to
(29:37):
go too much into detail, it'snot too long, but in 2019, much
like the directory I've builtwith with the good contractors
list, God started talking to meabout building a website for
house churches.
And I and I was like, this is2019.
I was like, why would anybodywant to go to a house church
when they there's all thesegreat churches on every corner?
(30:00):
And then a few months later, theworld shut down, and every
church just about, I mean, therewere still ones that fought, but
nearly every church in the worldshut their doors.
And I was like, okay, if this isa sign for what may to be to
come, then I'll do it.
Not really knowing much aboutthe whole thought, I built a
(30:24):
website called find ahousechurch.com.
SPEAKER_01 (30:27):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (30:27):
People can go there, it's free.
You can list your, you know,your house church.
It won't give your address.
It actually will just kind oflike the good contractors list,
they'll go on there and look fora house church and it'll say
this one's six miles, this one's3.1 miles, and then you can read
more about it.
It's kind of like a social mediaplatform almost.
(30:48):
So that's what that is.
And so really people just takeit in their own hands to share
the gospel in their homes.
SPEAKER_01 (30:54):
Cool.
Yeah.
Well, good.
Well, thank you for sharingthat.
And again, I I can't thank youenough for coming on this uh
virtual road trip.
SPEAKER_00 (31:04):
Well, thanks for taking me down the road with
you.
SPEAKER_01 (31:06):
Thank you for tuning in to Dan the Road Trip Guy.
I hope you enjoyed our journeytoday and the stories that were
shared.
If you have any thoughts orquestions or stories of your
own, I'd love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out to meanytime.
Don't forget to share thispodcast with your friends and
family and help us to spread thejoy of road trips and great
conversations.
Until next time, keep driving,keep exploring, and keep having
(31:30):
those amazing conversations.
Safe travels.
And remember, you can find me onthe internet at
dantherroadtripguy.com.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.