The Power Of Love

Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. You guys this might be the most viewed podcast we've ever done because of the importance and relevance of what it is to not only love God but love one another. We're going to sit down with Barry and Karen McGuire so get ready it's going to be precious. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. Today if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us that's like saying amen or yes then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. We have a very special edition of our podcast together. The Jack Hibbs podcast is going to expand today for good reason. I have with us two very dear friends, two lovers of God, two lovers of one another and they've got a story to tell. Barry and Karen McGuire of the McGuire auto product industry that's what they're known. They're known by that logo by that name but what a lot of people don't know is the amazing world that pre-existed before the world exists today as they are iconic in the auto world but not only the auto world but in the Christian world and you need to meet them. So, Barry and Karen it's really great to have you with us and this is a special time because I just believe that this is unrehearsed but I think the direction we're going to go right now with this podcast will probably get a zillion hits and views because it should because I'm going to I'm going to go away from what we would normally talk about and I want to ask you both tell us how did you where did you meet when did you first cast eyes upon one another. Let me just quickly say I have to tell people this is our testimony. They hear me speak but Karen can get it here and speak and so we had the same stories because it our life we've experienced it. We did live it together. Together. I mean just from zero we had nothing. We had nothing. We had a little company doing $600,000 a year. I was buffing cars and a couple of people that's I mean that's a lot but that's a little one. But it was a six-year-old business my grandfather started that two years old at that time and the whole business of buffing cars and body shops and filthy dirty body shops somebody said and that was what it was and so we're a tiny little family business and she literally gave me five dollars a week to live on for several years now and I'd have money left over at the end of the week. Okay before we get to that though because I want to know where did you where did you meet that's cool that's amazing. Yeah okay well I'm a cougar okay what does that mean I'm nine months older than him. I see. I see. Okay we met at Pasadena College which was a few years ago. Yeah it's down for a little bit Nazarene University but the time was Pasadena College and so we met there. We met there and it was the night before he started his freshman year and I was a big upper classman a sophomore. Yeah that was he can tell you what I had on. Oh yeah that was that was a moment. Sixteen plus years later. That was 1960. 1960. So 64 years ago coming up in the September but six years or six three and a half years but yeah I could tell you where we were I could I could tell what you wore. I went to I didn't have to go to to college I was going to never found a business this way I looked at it. Thank God I did but I said I need to go I just want to get it a wife. Way better than that you told my freshman year started I was done. I could have just quit. I didn't know when I finished four years and we became student body president all that but she drugged me through all my classes right. Yeah but you're the brains aren't you the brain. She's the brain. Yeah that's right. You got your accounting and math and all your skills. Yeah she's one business. She got one B in college. One B. She only got one B. She took all these classes. She worked 40 hours a week. Payed her own way. Got one B. But for general motors and it but it made more money than him. Yeah did you know. Yes but let me tell you that's one thing we're getting really good. One thing we had in common that we both have the distinction of getting one B in college. I didn't get any A's but I got a B. I think it was a C that I got. She helped me through college, pulled me through and she has all the strengths I don't have. She is so organized and she's every penny and I just you know let's go and build something and I see the big picture and I want to go and I tell her I like to make money and I like to spend money and she takes care of everything. She keeps you safe to be able to do that. So you're so so people don't have the wrong idea because people we have a tendency to do this as humans. Oh what does Barry and Karen know about suffering? They they had they had the silver spoon the golden spoon. Oh yeah. What do they know? And that's not that's not the case and in fact you guys it's pretty amazing because the Lord has blessed you tremendously but if you were reduced tomorrow to pork and beans you know how to do that. But we're ready. Exactly. Our joy is nice and I feel the same stuff. This seems to all going to go away. Yeah yeah. And it may well. It can go away soon. So so can you share after you're I mean I know we have to condense this timewise but so you fell in love in the school and you were married and you did this family business you were given a five dollar allowance but eventually things began to to come together. Not for a long time. Not for a long time. Yeah I mean seriously it was not like we had a year of suffering. First off the business was started by my grandfather in 1981 then there was three brothers continued on. The oldest one of those brothers passed away so my dad and I owned half the company and his half brother and his two sons had half the company. Probably was they weren't Christians. They they didn't ever wax the car. They couldn't read a balance sheet. They didn't trust anybody with a tie and they couldn't understand what I was doing. I wanted to go retail. They wanted to go retail. So they fought me. I mean hard for 30 years. Really for you. To keep the business small. To keep they didn't want that you know they just they didn't want to go. They were making more money than they ever thought they'd make but they hated me so much and so every board meeting was a trial and we had outside board members and because they might always win board votes by by one vote. I just sneak sneak by. Well we're just right on the edge all the time and and very close to to bankruptcy many times and then you know we would they're in charge of all production that's what they did and they would hold up shipping the big order to the big chain that was doing a promotion that next weekend. Deliberately. Deliberately it was their business but I mean the things that so the the trials we had in business and and fighting through all that of course we had no money we had no stature and how do we break into the business and that's just trusting God and you know what we always throw a beautiful car. Oh yeah well you would have to because it's your common car. It was a company car yes but the difference I just say right quick the difference was we we we were serving giving sacrificial all that yeah with no joy we knew that we were missing joy and so we prayed together about God we want joy how do we get joy and doing everything long story short but through through an amazing guy stepping our life we we had more joy than we'd ever seen he was getting it from sharing his faith and we'd never put together sharing faith and having joy and you and I've talked a lot about it it's the same it's the two sides the same coin having faith and sharing faith once we started on that path it just opened up everything and so then we knew our businesses are pulpit not our business not our God and so we started using the business so as I grew the business was making those sales calls to get it turned down it didn't bother me so you rather than focusing on business success your vision both of you it was let's use this company for the glory of God absolutely absolutely so many people need to hear that today well so when I got turned down I got turned down a lot of you say I had to sort of nose because of all the doors I mean no I know I knew us nobody knew we're low and I'm a punk kid from California and you know the retailers across United States and most of them Jewish they had no regard for me whatsoever oh well don't forget we started doing all of these trade shows we did housewares trade shows vote trade show national hardware show national boat show all these shows and and she was and and yes he was an introvert all right no yes I've never been introverts so we would have these little 10 foot booths at these huge trade shows you know and we would go in at night and even set the booth up ourselves we didn't have way to have we didn't yeah so I would go out into the aisle and I was looking for the always looking for these red badges because they were the buyers and so I would I would she got to them I did she had a whole warned up now they're happy then I then I would they would come to do and Barry would sell them we were are we going these big receptions and we're in front of network you know and I hid behind Karen I literally hid behind Karen that's hard to do because she's about to watch she was taller than she was stuff the conversation but what she got it going all right then I blew the jump and say I were husband yeah but seriously we went through that but every time I had a door closed I loved doing those people I loved them no matter what yeah no matter what and I would say I understand I'm gonna earn your respect I'm gonna be back you would tell them that I would tell them I love it I haven't gotten there yet understand you help me I said what do I need to do you tell me so watch me so they all began loving on me and brooding for me but I didn't deserve it to be in their shells I would have been a failure and then that would have been a good for anybody so they taught me so at the national convention the big trade magazine had a dinner and they asked me to come we didn't want to go we're dead tired because we didn't lose that lever booth for anything bathroom we had to be there because we might lose a connection yeah so we went through that night they said we have we have all these words now this award this is our vendor of the year award and all of all of you have voted who are vendor of the year is and and this year it's very McGuire from McGuire's car wax what we're not selling one of them we weren't a vendor we were a vendor we're not selling we were not we're not one of them were our customers and they voted me vendor of the year because they let me wow and they wanted me and they wanted me to come and they wanted to buy the problem but you just got to do some things before we dare put you on her shelves so that was when you start doing that you say if I live for you and I'm my folks I'm getting everybody into heaven then it's going to happen I don't know when but it's going to happen what what kind of story in the world says you get the award that's crazy that's crazy you know what we wrinkle effect to that down to college students they go to Christian college they've learned all this they've probably all their lives now they're going to go out and get a job they forget everything and if they're hyperventling about you're going to get to get everything or whatever stop it yeah go in there and be be folks and you want to lead that people but move that person closer to Jesus yeah if they turn you down it doesn't matter because God has the place he will make it happen stop trusting yourself trust God your job is to move them closer to Jesus it changes everything once you take your your folks office what you got to do and say I'm going to use this opportunity to lead people to Jesus and you know what it makes them love you I mean you can't get people back when you tell them you know God loves you so and you're manifesting that stuff that to them meanwhile God's got a whole plan and I'll say now we end up being the number one selling car wax yeah you know but it's over period years and happened overnight but in the meantime we had all kinds of huge problems we lost our daughter when she was four year and years old that's right I talked about a tragedy I was dying in the hospital and the doctors gave up on me we didn't know I never thought you were going to know she need we were fine I never come all the United States giving their respects you know it personal I was trusted God she said I even kept my 10 what what you're that's what new perpetual will help you with yeah so what you was that now it's 2010 yeah yeah and we had a joint venture partner my my family sold out to a joint joint venture company and and and that's true and and they tried to throw me out of my business and and never lost my joy and God took care of that so easily when he would walk oh my god break it you know this yeah no you go girl I'm sorry I should not have done that huh no but when he would go to work in the morning we kind of had a balcony up above the front door and I would hold him script scripture as he's going out the door wow oh yeah very wait I got the script for you today which would stay with you all day and it came down from above as though God was speaking I care about you this blessing but she's a fair warrior Bible study leader at all which she just always there and the critical times our life we just talked our our way through them and then committed to the Lord we said God we're trusting you we're not trying to but also also the people that God has brought into our lives over our time together has been incredible people that we have I know one of one of the most important people in my life was Gwen Wilkerson who was David Wilkerson's wife who was crossing the switchblade I just learned so much from her on what a godly Christian woman does it was incredible their best friends are 40 years who were best friends 40 years how did how did that happen God just brought he God if God knows you're hungry he'll bring people into your life that will mentor you know that's true that's true it's amazing what it is I we look back now we say you can't get to where we are now from where we were you can't know and it's not because we're good it's not because we're smart we know that but we have it for yourself that's classy that's right I think I'm smart yeah I was smart I got here for what that's your move but but the fact of that is we've run to every vans isn't class we've run to every everywhere we can go every personal special speaker taking notes are entire six years living we've signed we've we've chased after God we have he knows our hearts he's been our he's been number one all the way through when you do that man he just he just enriches you and he gives you more than you ever expect and you're understanding and knowledge and closest and intimacy with God and so well we just talk about the other night we have no fear we have no anger we have no worry we have no bad days we have bad days but they're good days because the bad days God's up to something yeah well I've seen so many things that have come our way you know after so many years you realize God is there and and so now when things hit I'll say okay Satan get the behind me you know and how he he'll try to bring it back to remember it's again and again and I'll just say you know I trust God and I've just given this to God and I just tell God I just can't wait to see how you're gonna work this one out yeah the one time I was low head of care and we had a daughter who was often getting inside things and and distressing us and I wasn't worried but she was and and and this went on for a period of time your mom she's a mom yeah and she's trying to fix her that's right and one day she came into me she says okay I give up I gave her to the Lord yeah I just delivered well you know within two weeks I won't go in the search amazing story within two weeks that whole situation cleared it wasn't about the daughter who was the the while was here it was me it's time to get hold of her heart totally yeah and and he had most of her heart but there's just one thing the mother and the daughter trying to have Isaac thing on the hilltop yeah right right you have to give up and then there's the victory people who don't know the Lord they they don't understand that we could be speaking Chinese they don't get it are they don't understand where you know Jesus says if you want to find your life lose it well what kind of a silly comment is that but he says if you hang on to your life you're gonna lose it in the end what could that ridiculous the joy the joy in life is actually us possessing nothing it's him possessing everything that can't be true but to the world that doesn't know Christ they think we're nuts and I used to think people were crazy until you come to Christ and he begins to move and work in your life I love it you said a moment ago you guys about the bad days we the bad days my bad day is when I don't wake up soon enough to realize that the bad day can be a really good thing right because well what you just said the temptation is there to be whatever it is even grumpy and again I just read in a book recently about spiritual warfare and I thought it was fantastic whoever the author was said that when when they have a bad thought temper or temptation that they immediately stop and say Satan this is from you no and every time yeah every time and I remind you Satan that without you I wouldn't be having this attack and this attack my father knows about he you can't do anything to me without my father knowing about it perfect and so because of that you have to leave yeah and it was just so practical it was so so conversational we had an individual who was attacking us for years destroying my crime destroying a reputation on social media still there today and did everything he could with three they have like three viewers three followers well I don't know but well no it hit it hit the news it was on KFI radio here locally it was on in the LA Times it was it was it was getting traction and he made me look like an absolute Jesus lunatic fool but one thing the register in Orange County would not print it no they were very good they were they were they were in their backyard they would not print that that was that was quite amazing but in result was we came down to a crisis and it was horrible what he was about to do it was that day without going into details and we labored with it all night long each of us in our own way praying and crying and we sat in bed that morning and we said there's there's there's no scripture that allows us to do this we have to turn the other chief we have to go the extra mile I mean the scripture is very clear we're both we have no choice so in those moments and we had a number of them through our lives we prayed out loud to God and we say God we trust you we forgive him and we love him and once you love us love him through us we want to love him wow you know what that did they didn't anger not just for him but for our entire lives we had no angry you were set free we said thank God for him this is a key because God set us free from anger because of him that's right and then what happened to him how can you love me after all a crap yes yeah yeah said that several times to me where did this person you never never never once never tax him in all that yeah we we just we've used to do that and you know what now I'm mentoring him and he's a Christian he's solid and and I think what if I had said anything but I never never one word I said to him never once you know haven't we botched up this thing about forgiveness we think yeah we think uh when we were instructed tight we read we're told you need to forgive them um why would I do that I would never do that I don't want them to have the satisfaction of knowing we've completely botched it up well you're the only thing well exactly but people don't realize that they think never will I'm going to forgive them you have no idea that God gave you the ability to forgive somebody to set yourself free because until you do forgive them they they own they own you they own you they're going to be bitter and everything they do it's going to stab you again and again over and over again he said he went on doing stuff and we laughed we laughed when he was trying to hurt us still because that went on four years and we laughed and we said he can't hurt us anymore there's no way he can't hurt our power I mean what a power this is this is this is where Christianity becomes real in your life where it's not just a you know I'm on my way to heaven and we accepted Jesus Christ it's fine a lot of people are there but if you want to have peace that past understanding you want to have joy every day you want to know God's answering your prayers you want to know God's direction you want to live in that sweet spot with God just live for him yeah for him share him that's the number one thing we're called to do share him when we share him God speaking through you have interview God it all works it's amazing it's all one it's not disparate type pieces it's all this is living for Jesus you know letting him shine through us and love people through us it's really special hey 60 years of marriage can you believe this she hung in there with for 60 years 60 and a half and we getting there almost 61 just moving so I'm going to do with the time remaining I'm going to do like a shotgun around real quick just like real quick answer okay where where's your first kiss three months I went without a kiss three months because he was slow yeah you know we went three months yeah so should I move on to the next question but it was a different time okay it was 1960 but I guess these were crazy it was well it was for some but for us there was you know I have to think about it but seriously there was such respect and it's it's no by you know imagine that if you don't go to bed the first night something's really wrong but but I didn't kiss her it was three months before it was the first time finally takers to the dorm room I kissed her for the first time we're three months in it's amazing first first apartment or back in those days first apartment was it apartment yeah yeah yeah yeah stairway third floor carried all the furniture up the stairway yeah I had a guy chase me chase me one time when I was coming home from work and I remember running it was not the safest place it was in Pasadena it was yeah but yeah first vacation Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii with my my parents paid for it that's even better place and so we went the marling we went but we we it was awesome and so the Royal Hawaiian Hotel that's you know that's our place I don't know if we ever go there again but we've been there 60 times we we love the Royal Hawaii just the music just the whole thing huh yeah we went to Duke see the night for dinner and they're playing the whole thing yeah first first car now this is a big question because your car that's your world but first car I think somebody said it was it was a company car at first but well yeah but the first car first my first car is 57 Chevy 57 Chevy is it a two-door or four-door black bill or hard top hard top two two two or two door it's wider hard top black no no no all black we're black car people all black oh yeah and two door two it's a bell air so it's two door coupe with you know without a post you know it's in our garage I'm just gonna ask you do you have it so we uh we we dated that and it's a very special car for us to go around in today oh my gosh that is incredible it is um what should I ask you before we wrap this up what should I what should I ask you uh what do you want people to know that they're not going to know any other way I ask us what happened what's happened to our love is our love is strong now as it was very what's happened to your love after all these years that's a great question hey hey we laugh it's awesome it gets better and better and better and better when you were in the Lord uh I have all kinds of issues in my life with me she has all kinds of you know but she's very forgiving you know I mean yeah I mean I'm a type of you know it's just like but she's been very patient with the he rewarded me but uh after 60 years guess what he bought me I think I know but I'm not sure go ahead a red corvette zero six yeah what does it call it a zero six a zero six yeah that's kind of high for former it's bad but uh and you drive it don't you I do but you know what I did I hear for I thought yeah here's right it was for a 60 effect and she always wanted a corvette but I looked that I gave her a nice gift when we when we've all turned 80 when she turned 80 but you can't you're gonna turn 80 that's not by choice I mean you're gonna turn 80 right you this this is 60 years this is 60 years of putting up with me and all my ideas and and always want to go you know I just like just go let's go and she goes and and she never has said no this is what's amazing she's never said no she's never said I'm too tired she's never said um I too old to do this none of those we get up regularly at 4.30 in the morning in the dark to catch playing she's awake before me and she's smiling we love our life together we live our life together it's just it's so much but is that because we're good no it's because what the close you get to God the close you get to each other to where you're just you're just it's just God if you don't have God to say your relationship you're missing the best part because it just takes it it makes it like I wake everywhere I just can't believe this guy was still married to me and we're gonna face this day together and and every day has challenges yeah but um and when they're bad we just say if she says okay what do you have to know God yeah how you gonna work this without I just can't I just can't what's amazing Lisa and I uh we'll look at your schedule we're trying to figure out time to be together the four of us and uh I've got Lisa we have a pretty crazy schedule honestly insane but let's no no yet well it's for us it's insane but when we look at your calendar I honestly we do not know how you guys do it and I and I'm not making this up what it's not unusual for them to say well uh we're in California on Monday we're in did we'll be in Detroit Wednesday we'll be in Miami on Friday we're in all of these are shows and events for the company and all of these things that are going on and yet you guys not only maintain friendships with people I want to just say to the world that one of the greatest joys that we've enjoyed having you guys in our lives is the quality of people the type of people that you have surrounded yourselves with I don't like the words surrounded yourselves I think your type of of nucleus who you guys are has drawn a certain type of people to you guys that love God their mission they're on purpose like you guys are every day they're unmission their on purpose and they love God and so the people that you have around you are not only drawing from you you guys are not only going 100 miles an hour plus but they're drawing from your example I mean look we celebrated with you guys recently your 60th wedding anniversary and that room was packed with people who were saying when I grew up I want to be like them well that is an epic that is a God honoring thing that is so rare today our our goal is is first love Christians you know he said to the church you've left your first love you've left you've departed me I know you're honoring me you know good teaching for bad all this but you you you've something else is capturing you we have lots of Christians and we go out to eat and we'll bring up God and then me to go to another subject immediately so in our stage in life and we don't know what the future is going to hold things get really tough I don't want our friends turning us in well as I can trust you know so we just like we we hang out with people who are first love Christians you talk about God and they they're talking about time or the sermon they're excited about they got it and talk about you a ton of our pastures we'll get together and we'll find out what what Dave's doing in Vegas coming up on the stadium but then you find out what Dave is doing regarding this or what what maybe Dr. David is doing regarding the other on church on Sunday we have these great conversations about your message yeah you know well that's exciting and it's just we're all growing still from your message over lunch and and that's not always the case with Christians they're often they want to talk about the ball game or something so people will take pictures where you guys move into a restaurant on Sundays and take it over oh yeah and no and people are people the place gets real quiet because your your table is big and loud all about God and the manager and the way you're saying no no I'm still I'm still working he's still preaching but I hear people are saying oh my goodness you know and it's so precious because it's like this this the storm that rolls into town of glory and it's just awesome but and we don't like to leave yeah it's like with that that kind of connection with people first love Christians you you never want to leave there's no such thing as a quick and then we got to run nobody wants to leave I think that's this Holy Spirit I think if it's I've never seen anything like it but it's but it is being first love Christian look for first love Christians so if you want to hang out with people who really love on you and be there for you excited about what goes on this crazy road we don't know what it is we need to be surrounded right now yep first love Christian so you guys that first love Christian begins with knowing the gospel and that is that for God's soul of the world that he gave his only begotten only glorified one and only by the way it that word means that there's no other savior savior coming that God gave his only begotten son that who's so ever that's you that's us would believe in him that word belief is to pull up and put rest upon it's like what we're doing with this chair these chairs right now we're sitting on these chairs the Lord wants you to set your life upon him rest in him yeah and you will not perish he says this is the word of God he says you will not perish but have everlasting in life and so bearing care and have been faithful to do that and we just wanted to take a quick time to honor that so that you guys might know a little bit about them you can find out more by going to ignite your life you can get a hold of their book and find out more they're also available for viewing at their real life network you can download that app free on your device and look at all of their programming that's available about sharing your faith keeping a Christ centered and a Christ-focused life so as always you guys our jingle is what we mean it's time for us to live out that's what the world needs to see right they need to see us living our life outside the walls of the church it's time for us to live out what we believe in it's time for real life and bearing care and thank you for being with us love you guys so much you're so blessed by you we are blessed this jack hips podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported will you consider partnering with us through a special gift go to jackhibs.com to learn more and stay connected