The Real Ron and Hope | Ron + Hope: Unfiltered

Hello everybody, it's Ron and Hope Carpenter. We are so glad that you are here today. Ron's tired. Him's tired. He just had to preach, pre-tape.

I don't know what pre-taping is.

It's okay. But he's tired. He's got red eyes. But we're glad you're here. And we're glad to be here today.

No, in a couple of weeks, we got a family vacation. And so I have to double up. We had— number one, we got a lot of things, and this is our choice, we're glad to do it. But don't make it any easier. The fact that you choose it, we got a lot of different things going to a lot of different people. We got all of our social media stuff, we've got our podcast, we've got TV, we've got social media platforms, we've got Redemption Online, and we got two campuses.

And Inner Circle.

And Inner Circle, and RF, and Connect Sons. And we try to keep our messages synchronized as much as possible. Not that all of them's hearing the same thing, but our audiences are. And whenever we— number one, just getting all that done every week is a load. It's a workload. But whenever you're going to go out of town in a couple of weeks, you've got to double everything up.

I just want to know if they like our room. We're in a new room. Let us know if you like this setting.

My water look weird.

Yeah, because that's got aminos in it.

No, no, it's electrolytes.

Electrolytes, yeah.

I'm not eating sugar.

Right.

So I gotta have some type of form of energy, right?

That's right.

I am. Are my eyes red for real?

Little bit.

That don't come from preaching. What's that from?

Tired.

Is that 'cause you woke me up at 5?

No, the sun did. No, it was you. The sun comes up so early.

Yeah, I heard you snoring.

And it comes in our bedroom.

I heard you snoring.

And it wakes me up.

Where we live on the West Coast, The view is just beyond anything.

It's beautiful.

It's postcardish, 'cause we live on the back of a mountain, but the sun literally rises right in the back of our house. And I mean, buddy, in our bedroom, it's like Jesus coming out of the tomb.

Seriously, it's like, whoa!

And we've got blinds and we've tinted things. It's still bright. But it's just a direct hit. But the moon is there at night, Gorgeous. So anyway, we wanted to have some fun with you guys today. We've been extremely serious, and I believe that our last podcast was one of our best ones. I enjoyed that.

Yeah, it was great. Great podcast.

I enjoyed that. But we looked at each other today and we was like, "How can we—" You know, we know what our numbers are, but we have a lot of people stop us and say, "I watch your podcast." Oh, everywhere.

Everywhere.

I have more people do that than say they listen to your sermons. It's crazy. You would think our podcast numbers would reflect that. They're good, but it seems like when we go out, everybody says, "I watch your podcast." That's right. So knowing that that audience— Thank you. Absolutely. And that audience is ever-evolving and growing. We just want to take a minute in a comical way and maybe let you get to know us a little bit more. We didn't want to be serious. And this podcast was never really done to be serious. It was done to kind of be off the hook. Off the hip, so to speak. But anyway, we have a game that we play. Hope, is this a well-known game?

Yes.

We play it with our grandkids, and we have had the most tear-down belly laughs with our grandkids. We play Would You Rather. I play that in straight face.

Would You Rather, yeah.

Straight face. So, Would You Rather, and when we can—

But, Ron—

Am I the king?

Now listen, yes.

Am I the king? I can't do it on here.

Ron, you come up with some terrible—

Scenarios. Would you rather for these kids.

These kids!

I put them in a dilemma.

Yes.

You can see the look on their face. They're like, "Oh, Mammon, no!" So I can do it. I won't be that bad here. But these are actually designed so you get a little insight into who we are, how we think, and what it is that goes on behind the scenes, because every day is not in front of a microphone. Every day is not ministry. But pick some good ones. Now look, you get to ask them to me, but then I get to ask some of them back to you.

Ron, would you rather have a spouse that chews loudly or spits when they talk?

I think I'd have to deal with the chewing.

I already have to deal with chewing.

What? I chew softly.

You said what? No, you do not.

I'm like a chewer. I'm like a stealth chewer.

Oh, I know you are.

I'm stealth. Nobody even knows I'm chewing.

No, you are loud.

No.

And smacks.

No.

Yes, you do. I have to tell you everywhere we go.

I've never heard anybody ever say that about me.

Close your mouth.

I've never heard anybody say that. My mama never told me that.

They wouldn't. But I do. My mama never told me that. So you, you think you would choose the chewing as well?

If every time you're talking to me, you're blowing my face up with spit, I don't believe I could take that. I don't believe I could. That'd be a massive turn-off. Ready? Which would you rather?

Well, I have to say the chewing because that's what I have. You don't have no chewing. Okay, go ahead. Ron, would you rather have your partner Have bad breath or body odor? Bad breath or body odor?

I have to go body odor. I don't like bad breath. That's why I brush my teeth so many times a day.

Let me think.

I'm always brushing my teeth. I'm always flossing.

It would have to be body odor, probably. I don't know. I don't know.

No, I can't take bad breath.

I don't know, body odor is so pungent though sometimes. Like people can walk—

But I can spray you.

But listen, how they walk, when we're sitting in a plane and somebody gets on a plane, you can smell 'em before they get here.

Especially when they've been on a plane 20 hours.

You can smell their breath before they get, but you can smell that body odor.

Yeah, but if it was you and I was gonna kiss you, I'd rather you have body odor than your bad breath. So it depends on who it is. A person at large, probably the bad breath. If it was you, probably the body odor, because I can spray something on you.

Okay. All right, Ron, would you rather share your toothbrush with me or have to wear their underwear? No.

If I can't tell you how many times I grab my—

I'll wear your underwear.

I can't tell you how many times I grab my toothbrush and it's wet.

Yep. I just grab whichever one I grabbed first? Baby— really? Why not grab yours? I just grabbed the one that's there. Don't want you to grab mine. But you kiss me! That's not the same.

I don't clean your teeth.

You do with your mouth when you're done.

No, no, I don't.

When you tryna kiss me or little bit of bubble gum. Mm-hmm.

Not rubbing my gums on it. Oh yeah, baby. Tuna salad out your teeth. She does, she uses my toothbrush. What was the other one?

Or wear their underwear.

You do that too?

I do.

So she'll take a shower at night and go in there and get my t-shirt and get my, I wear the—

Long leg.

The leg brief things. And she comes walking out in the leg briefs and then my t-shirt.

Oh, but that's so awkward.

And got 5 drawers of pajamas.

But, Ron, the guys, Cotton briefs are so comfy. Oh my God, I stretch them.

Okay, you stretch them out. And they don't fit me no more after you wear them.

You know what I mean? Okay, Ron.

People in here coughing listening to that. People in here helping.

Would you rather your parents arrange your marriage, or you marry your most recent ex? You have to marry your ex, or your parents arrange your marriage.

Hmm. Well, the only person my mom and dad ever liked was you. So they did pretty good.

They did.

And I said, I mean, and if any of my other ones are listening, they didn't like dislike you. But the only—

Yeah, they did.

The night after I took you to meet my parents, you remember what my momma— my momma just told me this about 3 months ago. I never knew this. I'm 57, I never knew this. My momma said, "The night I brought Daddy, we took Mom out for her birthday, and I took you to meet them. And Momma told me when we got back in the car, your Daddy said he's gonna marry her." Aww. Okay? Based on their track record, I'll let my mama and daddy arrange it.

Okay.

What about you? Your mom and daddy did not arrange me.

Ooh. Yeah. But—

And I saw some of your dates.

Either one of those would not be good.

I saw some of the dates.

Those would not be good.

Well, you gotta answer it. I have to answer it. You can't bypass it. Your most recent ex or let Sandy and Judy do it for you. Well, that would have been your most recent ex because that's the one they wanted you to marry.

Yeah, it would have.

Okay, you need to let me ask some. This is all one-sided. This ain't fair. I've had a long day.

Let's see. Would you rather be a kid or a grandparent during the holidays? It's so magical for kids. And when you're a grandparent, you're so tired and you're broke.

Probably be a kid. Yeah, probably a kid. Because there was something about being a kid at Christmas that was unbelievable. We need to take care of our sponsors right quick.

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I was reading them. It's all about Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Keeps going.

You have to scroll. I got one for you.

Okay.

Would you rather get to marry one of your exes or have to date me for the rest of your life, but you can't marry me?

I'd date you the rest of my life.

What about you? All right. I think you know that one. I'd date you and be abstinent.

You would? I know you would. Yes, I'd like to. Okay, Ron, would you rather be left behind during a hike in the Amazon jungle or in the water while scuba diving?

Amazon jungle.

Absolutely.

Yeah, I don't want to be left in the depths of the sea.

All right, Ron, would you rather plan every single detail of a trip ahead of time or play it totally by ear?

Plan every single detail of a trip. You know, I don't like surprises.

I like my trips like—

I don't like surprises. That's why I always make you tell me, don't I?

Would you rather miss a flight or lose your luggage?

I've done both and they both suck.

All right. Which one?

Honestly, probably miss a flight.

Me too.

Miss a flight. The luggage thing is hard to retrieve.

Losing your luggage is a hassle, especially if you're overseas.

Yeah.

Or you're going to a special event.

Where did we go and mine never came?

Uh-uh.

Never did come.

Hungry.

Hungry, and where were you and yours never came?

Greece. But I sure did bank on that one.

You did. I had to take you shopping.

You did. I love it. Ooh, Ron, would you rather jump out of a plane?

No.

With a parachute.

Mm-mm.

Or dive into a cage with sharks?

Good Lord. One is a risk, the other's certain death.

Right.

I'd rather take the risk.

Neither.

I'd jump out of a plane.

All right, Ron, Coke or Pepsi? Coke. Hamburgers or hot dogs? Depends.

What's that mean? Who makes the hot dogs? Hot dogs are grotesque, and I've been to where they make them.

Yes, let's, let's don't talk about it. Because that's gross.

So probably hamburger.

A hamburger? Okay. Let's see here. Ooh, this is a good one for you. Would you rather have perfect weather for a road trip or no traffic? Because I have been on some road trips with Ronald Wayne. He don't like either. He sure don't like it.

I'd rather have perfect weather. I'd rather have perfect weather.

With traffic.

With traffic than bad weather without it. I don't want bad weather at all. Yeah, but you hate traffic. But I hate bad weather worse.

Okay, that's good. I wouldn't have picked that.

Would you rather have a permanent burger in your nose or a mustache that won't go away? A burger. Permanent booger in your nose or a mustache that will not go away. A permanent booger. That's a dilemma.

Or a mustache.

That's a dilemma. A mustache that will not be shaved.

Oh, Jesus.

A booger you cannot pick.

I'd have to have the booger probably. I'd just have a booger nose. Ah.

That's where I start getting into the kids is when I start—

Do another one. Do some more.

You got to let— you ask somebody, they'll have to hit me as I go.

Okay. Would you rather hop everywhere or skip everywhere?

You're getting silly. I'd rather skip. I don't want to hop anywhere.

I can see you hopping around the church. In the airport. Oh my God. Oh, let's see here, Ron. Would you rather smell like feet or smell like eggs? I'm tickled. Feet or eggs?

My feet don't smell.

No, they don't. Mine don't either.

So I'd rather smell like feet.

Okay.

I don't smell like eggs.

Oh. Would you rather sleep for a whole year, or not sleep at all for a year?

Not sleep at all, so I wouldn't miss nothing. Okay, let me ask you this question. Tuck my leg up under me here. What is something— this is not would you rather, this is, this is actually serious, because we came here saying let's, let's let them learn some things they didn't know. What is something about you that everybody would be surprised? They would never guess.

Mm.

From what they see on camera, what they know about you with me on stage, and every place where they have had any access to you, they would never think blank. That's a good question.

It is. Let's see here. Probably that I like to be alone sometimes.

Yeah, that is true. Not much, but you like to.

It is.

You like both. Like to be in the middle of everything.

I do, but I have— recharging is usually quiet and alone.

Yeah, that is true. To me, something you said, I don't know if I believe it, but you said it. Well, you said that I'm an introvert. I don't think any of them would ever believe that about you.

Are that—

what'd you call me? An extroverted introvert? What does that mean?

That means—

You was acting all smart when you said it, like it— like you knew something. I looked at you like extroverted introvert.

To people, you seem like an extrovert, but truthfully, you're an introvert. You can only take short amounts of people overload, and then you're ready to go. You don't want to go to the whole party. You want to go for 20 minutes.

No, I've already told you what time we're leaving before we get there.

Yes, before we get there.

Mm-hmm. I do. I think my thing is I do like to be in the midst of people, but I like to— okay, I'm done. What I don't like is to have to push past my capacity. And that's when you tell me I'm being rude.

You're rude.

And I sure don't wanna be rude to anybody, so when I feel myself, when I've reached my limit, that's when I'll tap you on the table and say, "All right, I'm ready to go." But you'll tap me back and say, "You're being rude." I'm like— Yes, you are. I'm like, "No, I'm not being rude, I'm exhausted." You know when it hits me the hardest?

After you preach?

Yeah, a lot of people don't realize when you go to a conference to preach, Okay, let's say you've been flying, you left the house at 6 that morning, you get somewhere at 3:30 or 4, they pick you up, rush you to the hotel, you freshen up, maybe shower if you got that long.

Oh yeah.

You're going over your notes, you're prepping, and they bring you there and there's a certain group that you're gonna meet in this room and sometimes— You gotta meet all the preachers. Sometimes there's social media stuff to do and sometimes I've had them where they come and they wanna do a podcast before the day, and then you go out and you got 2 or 3 hours 'cause it's always a type of revival revival service, and then you come back and they're having like a pastors' gathering, and I get to that point where I'm looking at you and I'm like, baby, I'm done. And most of the time, you're gracious and merciful and you find a way to get me an exit strategy. So if you're ever in one of those rooms and I'm actually—

I'm ready to go so you can go.

Yeah, so if you ever see me in one of them rooms and we're bowing out, I've probably, I'm like, okay.

He's given me the signal.

Yeah, I've talked all I can talk, I've said all I can say, So, if that is an extroverted introvert, then I am that. But you seem like you have this endless capacity for the crowd, and I don't.

I can, while I'm in it. While I'm in it, I can go the distance. I can do what I need to do. But then there will be a day, I'm like, "Okay, this day—" You want a pillow.

You want a pillow.

"I don't want to be around you, her, him, them. I want to be alone." Mm-hmm.

I don't think you've ever told me you don't wanna be around me 'cause you usually want somebody serving you. No, I am.

You want somebody doing stuff for you. Let's see. Ron, had you rather be 11 feet tall or 4 feet tall?

11.

'Cause you know why.

I'd rather be 11 feet tall. Mm-hmm.

Why?

I don't know, I just— I think I'd rather look down than look up. Your neck would hurt all the time if you was looking up to everybody. Let's do something else about you.

Okay, something else about me.

Okay.

Let's go.

What—

Doo doo doo doo.

What season of your life would you say that was some of my best days?

These? This is the season?

Your teenage, your young married, your kids are young, the kids are in school, empty nest, grandparenting. Which one of the seasons of life where you say, "I enjoy who I am and where I am more than any other time"?

Right now.

Really? You can say that?

Mm-hmm.

Yep. And most people can't say that right now is the greatest day of their life. That's a good thing.

I'd say right now.

Thank you that you can say that. Why?

I feel like—

The internal or external?

Both. I'd say that internally, I mean, I feel like you can go through any season if you are right, okay with you, and you're right with God. And I feel like I am in the best season personally, healthy-wise, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, than I've ever been in my life. And I love our life. I love coast to coast. I love two campuses. I love the season we're in.

We love the family.

I love our kids being married.

We get extreme family time every month.

I love our grandkids. I just feel blessed.

Okay. Ask me a question. Not would you rather.

Okay.

What's something everybody will be surprised— let me ask you, what's something everybody be surprised about about me?

We already said that. What? Introverted, extrovert.

Okay. That was the question that I asked. Okay.

All right, Ron, let me ask you a question. Okay. If there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would it be? My belly.

Did y'all hear my belly growl? If there's one thing I could change about myself.

Mm-hmm.

Right now, not about—

Yeah, just period. Right now.

My nose.

Your nose. For what reason?

All my kids got it.

I like it.

It's big.

You don't want a man with a little tiny nose.

My nose is big.

No.

Here come my kids. All of them got my nose.

I like your nose. Are you serious? It would be your nose?

No. I think If there's something about me I could change right now, it probably wouldn't be, I wouldn't be the vanity of something physical. I think it'd probably be something internal, a habit that I would want to break, something that I—

The chewing habit?

No, I wish my, I really do. I wish my sleep was more normalized, whatever that is, 'cause in some way and on some level, I'm better than I've ever been, but there's been some level of struggle—

Mm-hmm, always.

That has come—

With your sleep.

With me having a great night's sleep. There's just been some level—

So y'all pray for Pastor.

Of struggle.

Y'all pray for him for his sleep.

Years ago, I was hospitalized, literally put in the hospital, for insomnia. Not high blood pressure, I was put in there for insomnia. And I don't know why. And it plagued my dad. Now, I do want to tell everybody, I can lay down and go to sleep now. But there was a day they were trying to put me on all kind of pills and all kind of medicine.

And you did have to go on some for a while.

And I mean to tell you, it violated everything in me, 'cause I knew Jesus is my peace, Jesus is my rest, and there was something in me just rose up about that, violently, and I wanted to fight it. But the reality was, I was in a battle where I would go days, days, with little to no rest at all, and then it would affect me.

Yeah.

Man, I couldn't focus, I couldn't think, I couldn't study. I'd be in meetings, bouncing off my head, and it wasn't that I wasn't tired, Remember? You couldn't shut your brain off. Yes, I said I couldn't sleep. I was exhausted, but the drowsy feeling, that wonderful feeling where you can just conk out, it would never come. And so—

You wanna sleep like me.

I would love, you sleep a good bit, I don't know, I mean, what I think, lay down and go to sleep and get 7, 8 hours of sleep and get up. And it'd be just like that because my nights are not normally like that. And I don't know why. I don't know why. But that is something that I would change. So by now, there's a prayer request. That's right. For me. That's right.

What would you say? Would you change? What would I change?

It's a good question. And we'll end with this.

Okay. It's one thing I would change about me. Hmm.

You like you, you don't wanna change nothing, do you? Like you?

No, I have devoted myself to a life of becoming better. And I feel like that I'm okay with that, that I know I can't conquer every single thing, that we're all a work in progress, and I'm okay with that. So I take that pressure off me. But I am always working on something. But if there's something I could change— hmm. Hmm, hmm, hmm. Probably that I had the disciplines to eat better. And work out.

What about meanie days? Would you remove meanie days?

I am really good about meanie days. I'm way better than I used to be about meanie days.

Why do girls get meanie days?

It's called hormones. We didn't ask for this. God gave it to us.

And we just— and y'all just get to be mean.

No, we don't want to. It's like something rises up in us. Fangs and fur, like something takes over.

Sounds like an excuse a little bit to me.

Does it?

Yeah.

Well, I'm better at it. But you asked me what I'd change, and mine would be that I wish I had started a lifestyle of working out earlier than to start it now when I'm older and it hurts so bad and I'm not in the habit of it.

I'm trying to help you. With those things, haven't I? Haven't I been a good husband and tried to help you?

You have.

I bought things.

Yep.

Remember that Christmas I bought you a belly thing?

A what?

That Christmas I bought you that ab thing.

Yeah, and I was mad. I was pissed. Like, who gives your wife an ab roller?

I gave her an ab roller and a bun buster.

An ab roller? Gave her an ab roller. From Christmas? That's like bringing me a mixer or something for Christmas. No.

I bought you a blue mixer one year too.

I asked for that.

You asked for that. It's a blue mixer.

Don't buy me no ab roller for Christmas. No, that did not play out well.

So what can you learn from Hope? Start working out early. Early. And don't eat fried flounder every day.

Oh God, it's so good.

That's what you got to understand.

So good.

Let's shut these folks down and give them that. They've seen— they've had enough insight into our life today, I think.

So go get you a game, get you, um, Would You Rather. You can download it.

You really do. You have some great family time with these things. We really do. We have fun. After the food and everything's over, I'll usually start it. I'll just say, like Zayden, I always get Zayden. Zayden, he's our oldest grandson, would you rather, and man, I'll give him a dilemma.

You'll say, "Zayden, would you rather have one big, big toe or your ears were right beside your eyes?" I mean, just crazy stuff.

Yeah, and he just— And everybody dies laughing. And the person sitting there in the valley of decision trying to figure it out. It's funny. It really is. Go ahead, baby.

We're glad you were here. Ron and Hope Carpenter. Let us know what you think about our new little getup in here. If you like this or you like the other way. We love you. We'll see you next time. God bless.