Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 483 | Willie Robertson Steals the Show & Jesus Doesn’t Live Inside Your Church Building

Episode Date: May 23, 2022

Phil is joined in the studio by three of his sons to discuss their ministries, and Willie tells a hilarious story of when he cast a large shadow on a stage where a man was attempting to speak to an audience ... and what he did next. Al explains that Phil never would have walked into a church building had a Christian not ventured outside the church walls to find him. Willie asks what God's ambassadors are doing if we cannot interact with the world and instead hide behind the structures we confuse for the church. Phil encourages those who speak about Jesus to the world to be patient and reminds them that the power is in the message they speak and not in their own strength. And Willie tells about a girl he encouraged to speak on Jesus and share the fruit that came from her desire to know God. Watch the Unashamed overtime show, only on BlazeTV: https://BlazeTV.com/Unashamed - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? All right, so we're excited today. I don't know. It was the last time we had you on the podcast, Willey. It's been a minute. It has been. Somebody said the last time you were here, you never said anything. Yeah, well, with this group of people, it's hard to get a word in edgewise. Well, we're going to make sure you get plenty of words in today with it.

By the way, Dan, so Willie is freshly minted. 50 years old. Are you 50? Yeah. I'm 50. 50. So your three sons at the table are now all over 50 years old. How does that make you feel today?

Old. Dher. Older. Dher. I'm glad you, though, your 50s is relatively a short period of time because if I'm lucky, I'll just be passing from the 70s. early 80s, y'all will be in your 60s. I will be for sure.

It'll take Willie a decade. Why do we have to have this conversation every other week about? Because when you get old, that's the kind of stuff you start talking about. Before we started rolling, we were talking about digestion issues and everything else. There has been a change at 50 in just the way bodily functions occur. Oh, yeah. There's more surprises. Does that get better, Dad, when you hit the 70?

Just a little thought that I've noticed. You want to, going into your 60s, you want to try to stay as thin as you can. You don't want to get globy. I don't know what the world's wrong with me because I've got up this morning. If you're belly, if you can't tell where you're taking a leak, if you can't see where that's going, you need to slack off. off and get the bellies. If you can't see where it's going, you may have other problems.

Oh, your feet, I'll let you know where it's going. Well, I apologize. Your feet, I will say I'm a young 50, I guess, because my feet are not in the equation of which is good. When I urinate, yeah. So it was funny because, speaking of weight, so we had Willie's roast for his 50th, Corey planned a roast. and some of our friends from around the country

and I got to roast at you as well but weight was the big it was funny because Willie's you know he's gotten thinner I've gotten bigger but still your old friends were trying it was almost like it was a retro we were going to go back

you know because they kept so much weight you know it's only one didn't say anything about your weight was me because I couldn't be a hypocrite but they even roasted me while they were roasted Willie about being fat but that was a lot of fun did you like it

I never got to do that was the fun Funest thing ever. So Corey was trying to keep it a secret. And I didn't know about the ride. I found out most of the other details. And then she said, we're doing a roast, which I'm so glad she told me. And so then I could be prepared. And I have, I mean, I laugh so hard.

It's actually way, I'd way rather somebody roast me than say anything positive. I'd rather just be the roast, which I love roast. And so it was hilarious. And then so the whole time I was writing roasting material on the fly. I had some pre-done material. But I think the funniest line I got was when I got up and said, I want to thank Phil and K for being here. Right. Realize they weren't here.

I said, they're not out of town. They're just at their house. Well. And then James wasn't there. And I'm like, literally if he just walked at his door, he could hear what I'm saying. And then I realized most of my family is not even there for my 50th birthday. They're in West Monroe, but they weren't there, which was... The question came up, y'all may be able to answer it, but the question came up.

They said, how can a family structure roast each other without anybody? Most people won't even try that. They're not at a level where they will roast someone. It hurts people's feelings. What level is? all do that, you do that with ease. With ease. So how does that work?

Because, you know, the America's families are looking and say, man, I wouldn't, I wouldn't put up with being roasted. But with us, it's all a big life. You know, Ms. Case, the dao rear. She said, you know, I got diarrhea. I can't go to the roast. I'm like, because, you know, if you're in that predicament, I'm like, yeah, you better stay away from the roast.

Well, and it was funny because Willie had done a bunch of, he had a, lot of really funny mom jokes, which you just did them anyway once you got into it, because she wasn't even there. She wasn't there anyway. What you established? She wasn't there. Then I can roast you even more when you're not there. I don't even feel bad about it.

I'm not even looking at you. And so then, yeah, then you got Jay's too. But yeah, I mean, Will and I both loved it because that's- What's the key to the family structure that can roast each other and no one is mad? That was the question I've heard about 10, 15 times. I think it's because, I mean, I don't, we can speak to it with it. I think it's because when it comes to each other, we're pretty much unoffendable. I mean, we just kind of grew up that way, I guess.

I mean, I don't know. I mean, it was just with the utopian. Well, I think a major part of it is not taking yourself too seriously, which a lot of people I find take themselves way too seriously. So, yeah, I think growing up the way we did, we just learned early on how to make fun of things, especially even when it's us, you know, to deal. with the pain, so you just had to laugh about it. That's right. But there was a funny, you know, I think Kay's funny. You know, she's super funny and always was.

And so, yeah, you just kind of get better and better at that. And yeah, you just kind of develop that out. But I think it's just not. Dad would get tired of it. Remember when he would get tired of us joking? He'd say, all right, Saturday Night Live is over. Yeah, Saturday Night Live's over. It wasn't the, it was the noise level.

Yeah, you know, it was a small house again. So, which makes it funnier, right? I mean, that's what, you know, that was kind of like Doug Nogynastia. It's what makes it funny is that, you know, when you're, if you're getting in trouble, that's, and then it really makes something. Yeah, it's like, don't laugh. Don't laugh. Then I can't stop. Right.

Well, and I thought about it when we were at the, at the roast, I thought, you know, you and I, we've all worked together different, you know, stages of our lives for church or Duck Commander. And we used to do what you and I were doing to each other and to your friends and our friends. and our friends, we would do that to other people. And so we were tag team people. And I mean, it just, and everybody would, it would just turn into the biggest laugh right you ever had. I mean, when you got out into the real world, I remember thinking, I was just kidding. And these people are crying.

They're getting their feelings heard. Like when I was at school. It doesn't always work. Well, yeah, it doesn't work with people outside of your family. That's what I realized. So I kind of quit doing it. I mean, you know, I still, I still, I spoke a couple of weeks ago at this event at 9 in the morning. And I went down right before and they're doing a, it's an hour lecture on logistics and moving, like that was in the business.

And I'm just listening to that thing. So I just immediately changed my first opening. I got up in front of this crowd. It was their business. and I said, well, I've called my wife and I said, I no longer need any kind of sleeping aid. I recorded the thing I just heard. That is the most boring thing. And they just laugh.

And it was their business and their thing. So you got to kind of find a way to poke fun at it because it was boring. So if you just call it out, you know, yeah, it's just a different way to look at it. and you can just laugh and then move on. That way, if someone else makes fun, you're like, hey, man. I tried it one time when they, I spoke at the casino. Uh-oh.

Or a group of Housebuilders. This is a famous podcast. Yeah, and they had a rap band behind me. I mean, really rappers. And the whiskey was flowing. And they asked me to speak. And I just got up. But once I started getting into Jesus,

I've never seen a place get so quiet in all my born days. And empty out so quick. It was the party pooper of the century. That was the greatest party pooper I've ever seen right there. I don't know. It was for a business that was one of the, like. I was so hurt. He was doing spokeswork for the day.

I was so hurt when they never called me back to speak again. They didn't know what that I was going to do, but they should have known. I always think about when I go speak, like Doug Dynasty was a funny show. Yeah. And so if I'm there, I want to, you know, I can be funny. And so, which is, you know, kind of difficult. So, yeah, I find all kind of ways to, one of my favorites was I was going up, I was fixing to go speak and there was a projector with the sign. While I'm in the backstage, I see the projector.

So the guy's up introducing me. And then all of a sudden I just come up like a shadow falcon, like rising. And it's me, but he doesn't know that I'm behind him over the entire screen. And then I just start moving. And everybody's laughing and he's doing the intro thinking like, man, I'm killing this intro. And I'm behind him like a bird. And I got so tickled. I didn't know what everybody was seeing.

The other thing that really I had to really, man, you talk about ton it down, I spoke at the, let me get this right, the National Erectors Conference. There's a group who build towers. And so when it's erectors, anything that had to do with that word, I got them and just strategically made these jokes, which I'm sure they've probably heard before. But then I got tickled and then everybody laughed. See, I just try to find some humor wherever it is that I'm at. Well, and you have to because I think that was the underlying success. And I have to give you credit for that, Will, because, you know, when the show first, the idea first came up, you know, we're all having a serious side.

Obviously, we, you know, we lead people to Christ. But, I mean, the show was supposed to be fun, and it was. And it's really what built the platform for us to do what we do now on the serious side. So I think without a fun show, we would have never gotten the opportunities that we've done, you know, and all been able to do since then. Well, and laughter's important. I mean, look at, you know, look at where we're at now, the state. of, you know, even comedy and late night shows. I mean, no one can laugh anymore.

It's just so serious. And so, and I think we need that laugh. We need to be able to laugh. I can't tell you how many people I run into speaking. They're like, oh, I just wish y'all's show would come back on, you know, just like, because I haven't, I don't laugh anymore. Just what you just said, I hear it. We're coming. I tell her.

I said, well, look, there's a new one coming out. Willie, can I say that he came? Yeah, I guess so. I think you're on the teaser, so. You make a surprise appearance. Yeah. Willie came and joined us for a few days of fun. An homage.

Because I tell you, what's real comedy is a treasure hunting. Man, there's nothing funny than that. I mean, just walking around. Beep, peep, peep, peep, peep, beep. This is what he did. People are going to think, oh, did they make this up? Willie laughed the whole time. Oh, rather, he just laughed and laughed and laughed.

When they just walk around with these things, like, oh, I love it. Nothing says national television more than that, doesn't well. If you can't make in front of that, wow. They actually said I was in one of those meetings. They're like, well, where's the comedy going to come out? I was like, we're walking around in a field looking for lost treasure. They're like, nobody loud. It's comedy gold, man.

That's funny. Literally. No, it was, I thought the episode I saw was really funny. So I was going to ask you, Will. So do you remember? do you remember because we just dad and I just went over and visited this the movie set which I know Corey has been have you been as involved in that as she has it because I know she was like a big part of the what movie set we're talking about we're talking about dad and mom they ever finished

and us yeah and us right right yeah it's called the blind they rap production I think last week they just rap production I have been very involved but not as hands on mostly because Corey so involved and and I'm hearing a lot of A lot of the conversations. I did go over to set. And when everyone came over, they came to our house. And they came over. I think that's the first time Phil met the guy playing him and came at who was playing her.

And yeah, it's really cool. And John Shepard, my grandson, plays me, too, which is really surreal. Somebody told me that Johnny played Alton. Johnny played Alton. Which was cool, which is his, Corey's grandpa, so her dad. My father-in-law played her grandfather. And so, yeah, it was just a... So the people playing you, it was like a kid, like when we were...

Yeah, well, he was little. It's John Shepard. Who played me? There's an actor that plays you. Some kid, I don't know. Well, has this lucky day? Yeah, he... Yeah, I saw the kid and said Jason.

Yeah. And then there's a little owl. He's a little... There's a young owl. And then Phil has several people. Three different actors. Because he's got, it's over time. and so yeah what a surreal because you really you know as you get older you forget you know even

what things look like and then the cuts i've seen of the movie it's just amazed like you're back yeah it's like 1968 yeah it's like crazy how it was very incredible how it brings it back in this movie coming out do we know that i don't know i don't think there's been to release probably in the spring of next year yeah that's yeah it'll take a lot of editing so all the principal photography is shot and yeah it's their story i think it's going to be hard it's you know i tear it up just watching like two minutes of it you're getting so emotional in your old age you just wait to you why you wait to this one it's it's not duck dynasty it's not you know it's just it's just a hard it's a it's a tough story and uh and i'm actually working on a book so the

timing was just crazy because i go through and i'm talking about uh some of those time. So it'll be, it was interesting writing, for me writing about, and my book's about preaching the gospel, shocker, which I was listening to you earlier. And when I walked it, it was like, we're doing the same exact thing. Like, but I haven't been here. We haven't talked about. We haven't been, we haven't seen you on a while. And so it's amazing, the mission that you're on. And then, and then I hear this. I'm like, oh, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Let's take a Great. So, because we talk about, you're one of our other churches in town, one of our sister

churches, is what I call her. You're working there. Tell our audience what kind of what you do. I mean, you're like, you're a volunteer, but we're all working for free now. Well, I was. I didn't want to make it sound like you. Those churches paying you to do that. That is true.

Yeah. I'm putting in. I'm not taking out. Exactly. That's where we are to do. Yeah. Well, actually, I was just in Washington. DC a couple of days ago at the Bible Museum. I was with the Green family, which was again, I'm just

blown away about how many people are out there. I think sometimes we're getting these little bubbles and you forget, man. There's great thought. Yeah, I was in that Bible museum. I actually was able to speak there. And I talked about that Bible museum being like, I said, it felt like it was like John the Baptist, you know, it was like in this city where you just don't think about godly things coming out of Washington, D.C. And here's this beautiful building that's, you know, that's just all Bible and what they've done. And so amazing. It's so amazing, right.

It's done so well. Unbelievable. Unbelievable what they've done and just, you know, how they do that. So, but yeah, I was just there. And I told them, you know, and the idea was warfare. And I said, I would consider myself a, you know, kind of like a Navy Seal gospel assassin. in a good way. In a good way.

Yeah. You know, because I think, I think if when you think of yourself, it's how you think of yourself, and then you will say, hey, that's where I want to be. And then you'll try to achieve, you know, where that's at. And so, but it's the idea of getting the gospel out. How do we get that gospel out? That's the book I'm working on right now because of some of the things that we're doing. Because it, you know, the way the gospel gets out and Phil's story that it's amazing.

it in my book, I really highlight Bill Smith, you know, the guy who actually went there. Who has a major role in the movie, by the way. It's great. But just to think, you know, I'm just writing this out, and I was thinking about what it took even to go there and pull that off. As you guys were talking about country club churches, but it's a different idea. And I'm not even talking about the church, like what happens on the Sunday morning. I'm talking about getting the gospel out there and what that. And then I talk about how Phil, that legacy that was passed on, you know, the older I get,

what will I pass on? And what I want to make sure my kids have, and I want to make sure that they have the gospel, they see it lived out, and they see the excitement of spreading that out. And so one of the things locally, which is important, you know, they kind of talk about, you know, like all politics is local, you know. And so really it's when you get down to what you're doing day and day out, I know we all go speak and do things all over the country and all over the world. But, you know, that day and day out. And one thing I wanted to do was was put together an intentional ministry with evangelism. And so I was

sitting a couple of years ago in a speech by Lee Stroble. I didn't even know who Lee Struggle was. He wrote Case for Christ. And at the time, I had no idea. The speech was called evangelism. And I thought, well, I'm into that. And so it was at a conference. I spoke there as well. And I sat there. And later I talked to Lee and he said, I didn't think you were paying attention because you had your head down. I was taking notes. But he said, go back to your church, your local church, and just ask who's in charge of evangelism, like as a ministry. And he said, just watch the response you get. And usually you'll get a guy going, well, I guess the pastor.

And so very few churches have a specific, you know, thing. And we have ministries on youth, college, on marriage, on, you know. Family. Family. I mean, all these different things. But specifically, when Jesus left said, make sure you go to this, a specific ministry. We usually don't have anything organized or intentional.

And generally, there's some people in a congregation, like everywhere, that are the ones who go out and do that. And by evangelism, you mean sharing Jesus with people. Just proclaiming the gospel. You know, just proclaiming the gospel. And especially that initial, you know, sitting down. How they surrendered to Jesus. Yeah.

So I went to my. group and because I was new to this place. I didn't know. I thought maybe they have something. And so I went to some of the pastors. I said, hey, who's in charge of evangelism? I got the same look. You know, it's like, well, um, uh, the thing is.

So here's what's funny. It's a classic church. This reminds me how a pastor. So about too much later, I get a call and they said, Willa, are you, I hear you're excited about evangelism. I said, I am. They said, you want to start the ministry. So they had talked about it.

And so, yeah, we need something like that. And you're the one that opened you out. You're in charge. I said, I got it. And so. That's my classic move. I've been doing that on my whole life. Now, it's been very interesting.

It's not like I'm evangelistic, but then teaching others how to do that has been just, you know, it's been this whole new world. You know, how would that look? Where do you start? We had no books. We had no curriculum. And so I called Lee and we taught through things because he's working on stuff in Colorado. there's actually a degree in evangelism. And so there's a lot of people working on on how to get this. And, and so we cranked it up. So I went to the pastors. I said, look, I was a little

like the way things happen. You go to a church building, you sit there, you sing songs. You most do. I don't know, Phil does sometimes and sometimes they don't. But, uh, Phil said nobody can sing. Hey, anybody got a song? Crank it up. up. No song? Fine. I'll preach. Then you have a message. And then so where we go, there's a like a response. It's like, hey, if anybody wants to, you know, do a response. And so people are like raising their hands. And then, you know, and I was just, I went to the pastor's, I said, look, I bet some people raised a hand want to make a life change. And they're out in the lobby. And then they're said,

hey, we're going to go eat lunch. You know, let's go to Captain D's, you know. And so. That's a good assessment. We've talked about that a lot. Do they know what, like, there's nothing else in life that you get into. When I want to buy a vehicle, I don't stick a hand up going, hey, I'm good. You know, we'll bring it right over to you. Yeah, bring that right over to you. You know, when I get electricity at my house, there's a long thing.

Try buying a house and see what that's like or all these things. Even the commitment, like to Corey, there was this, you know, like make sure. Are you sure? And I think Luke 14 covers that for sure with Jesus saying, hey, make sure of what you're. getting in on of counting the cost us. There's any way we could, you know, where we could have an opportunity. So I commandeered a room. And so our church had a program called next steps, which a lot church do, which is the next steps and, you know, what's your spiritual gifts, small groups, kind of what the church is about. Connecting community, right. So our group, we started, we called

our room the first step. So if you had any questions about maybe if you raised your hand, if you didn't, if you bounced in there and just like, I have no idea. Because I find that people, with evangelism, one of their main things they do, which is not bad. It's just, I just don't think it's the best, is they invite someone to the very thing that they're doing and they're hoping that they'll sit there and go like, you get it? But I'm convinced it would be like saying, man, my insurance guy says, Will, you've got to come to this big insurance conference. And I get there and they're yaw on about insurance and rates and quotes. And I'm saying they're going, what are y'all talking about? Yeah. I don't know my idea. Yeah. And if you've very

ever sat there, this next time you sit there, think about the language that's used. And if you're not in on it, you have no idea what, what we're talking about. It's all inward. It's the redemptive work of the spirit that's living in. Yeah, it's like, what in the world? And so if you pick up, you know, like if you just go in there and hear some sermon, because it's not, probably it feels it is, but most traditional churches, it's not just the gospel every week. You know, they're talking about giving or they're talking about serving or whatever it is. Some book. some book or something that of Old Testament. And so we have this room and it's it's the funnest room in the place. And so people walk in there and the people at the front, if they come up and say,

I've got questions, they just send them down to us. And so we started training. Now this is shock you at this congregation. There was close to 2,500, 3,000 members. It's a big place. I went to the, some of the pastors. I said, who are the evangelist in this church? Like who's fired up on sharing their faith because where we're where where you guys are like I knew I know that they're four or five people I know who they are and so they said well let me think you know how many names I got one one I got one I got one name that's kind of embarrassing it's very embarrassing and and that guy was in his 70s is in his 70s and he passes out these tracks yeah to people no track and they were like well that's the guy that but it's something and it's not that people weren't

thinking about it's just that nobody was really known to go out and share that they really had this mentality is that most of it happens on sunday morning that's where it all happens that's where the growth is they do have some retreats and stuff where you do see some some transformation but you know this this idea of going out there and getting after it well since i had one name i said we can definitely improve on this yeah you know for sure hello hang on let's take a little break well so now we've got scores of people who have trained, I get them up in front of the group. Because you're gone a lot too, and they actually... Well, our group has, now we have two rooms.

So, because what happened was we had the room where people would come in, they'd want to, you know, learn how to do a Bible study with someone. Well, we had a lot of people that were coming in to learn how to do that. And when you're sitting there watching, it's even better. Well, then we had so many people who got a little uncomfortable for, you know, I'd have one guy in there trying to, you know, he's getting a Bible study. I've got 12 people sitting there looking at almost look like an intervention. So we split it.

Now we have the discipleship wing of that, which is actually training, which Jace came over and did that. And I do that as well as well as some others. And then we just keep that room. Sometimes people are in there. It's after every service. And sometimes they show up. Sometimes they don't. And somebody's work in that room.

The person in that room has been, you know, has been trained to kind of know where that is. And it's really exciting now. we just got people that every Sunday and we got these group texts like, hey, we had, I think, two baptized just this week that came out. Somebody came in that room. And so I've got, and I've got a whole system for that. And I've written all that out. It will be in this book as well on how we're doing that.

And we're kind of just, we're learning as we go. Some things worked. And I was sitting there thinking about when you were describing it, Will, because, you know, there are a lot of people that listen to this podcast. So obviously, and most of you are probably engaged in a church. somewhere and you may have been feeling that same passion so what a great thing what a great thing to go to your church you're at and ask the same question you ask you a thrust your thrust is we we know what happens on sunday morning when we all get together and how it's all structured but you're

basically training them on who are you and what are you about on monday and tuesday and wednesday and Thursday and Friday and Saturday before we report back in here. You're showing them the lifestyle that's involved in all this. As far as being the, you know, we've been talking about, you know, we are ambassadors. You know, an ambassador, you know, he doesn't have a one day a week deal where Sunday morning he goes to an ambassador represents the one who sent him 24-7.

Yep. Well, here's the deal, Phil. That's the power of it. Let me just blow your mind for a second. We're all sitting here talking about the gospel, getting the gospel out. Mainly because of Phil and Kay and where that started. Right. Okay.

Phil was not going to ever go into a building at the spot he was in in life. He wasn't going to go in a room. Right. Somebody going to have to go to him. So the idea is we're trying to. training people there, this little Sunday morning thing, it's just one piece, but it's so small. It's really what happens on Thursday night, Friday night, who are you sitting by on an airplane? Who are you going to have to go get? When I said Navy still, that was what that was for.

Because who can, who has the wherewithal to be able to go into a bar and actually talk to someone, and that's exactly what happened. Well, if that doesn't happen, let me just tell you, no, this is here. Right. Like, everything looks completely different. So what I'm trying to get people to do, it's not trying to stop what you're doing. It's not that angle. It's not like, oh, you've got it. It's what can open up by somebody else. When you share this and you watch their life just be transformed and then their children,

their spouse and then people that come under the people they work with when you see that, then it's just like, how can we get this out even more? And it is amazing to me that somehow through church stuff, you know, all these years later, the majority of churches do not have anything intentionally focused on sharing their faith. How do you do that? Which, by the way, then you see a culture begin to collapse. We were talking about this in the last podcast. That's exactly what happened.

Because you're not reaching the world for Jesus, you know. But I think when we were kids and, you know, mom and dad, when people would come down, I remember you famously saying, I'm assuming they're lost if they're down here. I mean, I think you meant logistically, but spiritually. And so y'all would always share with them. So, you know, we got a, I got a taste of it there. But to me, you know, we did that when I first got married. You know, when I was in high school, just because it was so hard living Christian life in high school.

And I've shared that story many times on podcast. But, you know, I shared Jesus with this prank caller who, I don't know this prank call. They called and didn't say anything. The first person I shared with was someone who was on the other line of the phone who never said a word. I just, I said, this is perfect. I want to share something with you. So I got into it. But the longer it went on, I thought, well, what else could I have talked about where they would just sit here and listen?

And so then I'll put them to the test and say, call back tomorrow night. And I'll get some more material because that's all I got. I wasn't a 16 years old. They called back the next night. And I, and it just said. But they never spoke to you. They never said anything. There was one whimper of a cry at the end.

end of night too. Because by this time, I'd turned into a full-blown preacher because they weren't saying anything. And I was like, you know, what's your problem? I mean, you can do this. And they had the capability

Yeah, to hang up at any time. And eventually they did hang up, but it was quite a few hours. That reminds me. What we was talking about, people who came through, I've had a substantial number. that have shown up.

And what they say is, do you remember me? And I'm like, I said, well, I said, you know, your face kind of looks familiar. He said, when I was 18 years old, I'm right now, I'm 43. But when I was 18 or 17 or whatever, I came by your house about some duck calls or whatever, and you preached the gospel to me, and I was kind of offended by it. You know, and I left thinking, you know, that old coot, he said, but I didn't, forget what I heard. I'm here to tell you that I've embraced Jesus.

I've come because of the gospel. So everyone that does that, never forgot it. It makes you think, you say, sometimes you think, you know, that old guy didn't seem like he was too fired up. Yeah.

20 years later, he did get fired up, but it was basically he went back to that day. So they come by for something real simple. Thank you. Well, that's what I was going to say. Hang on, Jess.

Let's take a break. When I got to high school, I shared Jesus with all my friends. Well, none of them responded until later. It's like when I graduated, they all started calling in through the years. But what I was going to say, so that was where I learned. But I think just reading the Gospels over and over, I realized that kind of what Willie's talking about is Jesus, his whole ministry and lifestyle while he was on the earth

was just filled with daily conversations. Some were religious people, some with not. religious people but it was these daily conversations so now i mean i've shifted shifted i mean i go out and share jesus to big crowds all the time and basically give what i gave the the discipleship class because i'm trying to share jesus with people who i'm thinking have never considered him so there's a little bit of things to get their attention and questions ask those questions you know for all humans how'd you get here what are you doing here and how are you leaving i mean those are good, interesting questions to just human beings in general and have a conversation. But in the

last few years, predominantly most of the conversations I have are in the grocery store or Walgreens. Because if you look for the opportunities, it's amazing how there just always seems to be an opportunity to get into a spiritual conversation. I mean, and next thing you know, it's full-blown sharing Jesus without a Bible. But it's just... Well, that's what we, So we train in different ways. Well, I'll have somebody get up with their Bible, and they'll start going through it. Then I'll just get up and I'll grab their Bible. And I'll say, finish it out without the Bible.

That's a good idea. It's amazing to look on their face because they, I'm like, because that's the way life is. It's never the same. It's never, I preach the gospel tons of times without a Bible. It just has the, you know, like Book of Eli, like it's all here. Yeah. And it just comes out. That is a good movie.

And so Jesus said, so we look at like. like what's interesting like Zekees, what happened. Jesus invited himself over to his house. So he was proactive, went over there. By the way, that was the tale. Jesus let you know right there what he was here. I came to seek and save what was lost. That's what I'm doing here. And then we see this guy transform his life and we see, we see life change. And there, when, but it can happen in different ways. I think what's happened is in the church, we, we, one, we just asked the wrong questions. So the main question we ask people is what? Do you go to church? Or do you go to church? Yeah. Now, I don't know if we're hoping the answer's no. And then we're like, oh, good. This is actually an impossibility. It doesn't

make sense from the start that you don't go to some church. But how many of us ask people, do you go to church? Well, then if the answer is yes, what do we say? Oh, that's awesome. But then there's an assumption that they're totally where they are with the Lord. You know many people I've asked where they go to church and they say, yeah, and you know what they say the church I go to? And then I go, that's weird. I've never seen you there. It's happened to me many times. And then they go, yeah, it's been a while, you know, it has been a while since I'm actually, it's a terrible question to ask. So, and so, but we do got to ask questions. Think about the eunuch. Think about the Ethiopian. So the Holy Spirit tells Philip, go to this thing. When, when he goes to the chariot, the dude is, he had just loved

worship and now he's reading the book of Isaiah. Well, in my book, guys, that's a fired up believer. Yeah. You just left church and now you're stop like reading your Bible. I'm like, boy, that cat's fired up. Had it been me, I may would have thought, I guess the holy spirit missed on this one. Like, my bad, you know, it must have been a different chariot. But then he asked him a question, do you understand what you're reading? And right there he says, how can I, unless someone explains it to me? And then back, so there's a lot of people. I think sitting at church buildings, they have no idea why they're even there. So they're for the wrong reasons or they're there because it's a, you know, and it's,

it's not bad that you're sitting there, but they have no idea what it is. Then he preached him the good news. Well, it says that verse, it says from that verse, he taught him about that very birth. Yeah, he started right there. To your point, he recognized the opportunity in that moment to say, here's some good news about Jesus. There's a net. said who's Isaiah talking about? Himself or someone else?

That's a good question. Isaiah 53. Here's another thing we're trying on. That's why he got to know the word. What if Philip would have said, oh, shoot, Isaiah. I mean, what is he talking about there? And so he started right there and did it. I noticed that.

Who's that guy that Martin runs around with every of the duck hunts with him? Clay McConnell. Clay. Clay, great brother. And I just met him on an airplane one time. we were seated side by side coming back to Monroe from somewhere. And I started asking this question and that, you know, he was about to read the life and all that.

And I started sharing with him, Jesus, telling him by Jesus and all that. He was listening about halfway through it. He said, let me remind you of something. He said, I just got out of the Methodist Seminary. He said, I just graduated. I'm thoroughly, you know, taught. Burst. I said, well, great.

I said, well, this right up your house. So I just went on with the golf I told about about about a decade later 10 years ago was by it. I looked out in the audience one time and it was on a Wednesday night and I saw him sitting there. I thought

so I went over and said hey man how's it going? He said I hadn't seen you since an airplane ride and he came back the next time. We'll have to about three or four days he said here I am with all these scriptures you know coming out of the seminary he said

I missed it, Phil. He said, I missed it. So I baptized him. Now he's as good, a faithful brother, you ever want. But it was about our 10th. What I'm saying is we have to be patient. The power is in the message. So once we have that from our lips into their ears, let God work with them.

And I've seen a lot of them, you know, like him. But a great brother, he just, you know, just called him at the right time, whatever, you know. God loves him. I know that. Actually, I just had lunch with Clay. We were out at Camp Chioca. And so camp is a special place. That's where I met my wife. That's where my wife's parents met.

It's actually where I worked before I came to work for Duck Commander was at this church camp. And John Luke's out there now. My son's out there working there. And also, let's take our last break. Also, the camp was first started by Corey's grandfather. Yes. In the late 60s.

And now it's 2022, and then his great-grandson is running things out there. Well, if that went to a hype, I never even thought was possible. 60 years. I mean, it actually, they sold it. It got away from it at one time. It's had an interesting history, but it's amazing. I left. I was mowing.

I was mowing the fields. That was my job. I used to live out there. I lived there. John Lucas. Was that in order to woo your wife, you later on, who was a Howard? That's another story. No, that's it.

No, that's it. You know, there's actually work. There's not many stories the yard man ends up married to the boss that owns the field. I was the yard guy. But I was mowing that field and I thought, I was trying to raise money for the camp. And that's where I had the thought. I think I've got to leave this place to help this place. I'm going to have to leave it because I think I can actually go do some things to help, you know.

But I won't be able to stay. I can't stay here. Bigger than just taking care of it physically. And that's when I came down, you know, came down here. Actually in my book that I'm writing, I made this connection too. What's amazing is when that field conversion and Bill Smith, Alton was the one who started the church who hired Bill. It's amazing.

What I did like, and then the way all these things crashed into each other later. And Alton's the reason that Jason and I went to school. Now the young people that are converted out there, but how many would you say? I mean, hundreds, thousands. Oh, thousands. Well, it's, yeah, because now almost every weekend, there's a different You can't put a number on it because it's really not only are you converting people bringing them to Jesus, but then they go all over the world. And so you don't know what, how that's part.

They become missionaries and everything. Tell them about the sportsman's camp. Yeah, I want to bring this up about our sportsman's camp. So one thing we wanted to do out there was just dedicate a week to actually where we teach kids, 12 to 18 year old kids, boys and girls, just about the outdoors and something we all, the way we grew up and what we learned. we actually are having a sportsman scam. This year it's June 26th through July 2nd. It is so fun. There's still some spots open.

Who's the big guns you're bringing in to draw these people? Everybody. Well, I'm not, I mean, we're all going to be there. You'll be there. They'll be there. I'll set you up to say me. Uncle Syll will be there. We're just kidding.

We're doing dogs. We're doing. It's because you got to sell big gun. I mean, yeah, it's our whole family. We kind of all put this on. And so we go out and literally. teach things that are second nature to us, but it's so fun watching these kids. And you go to the Camp Chilca website to get the...

Go to Camp Choka, yeah, yeah, C-H-R-O-C-A. Yeah, like my idea, I've done it up on the screen. I've done it for a few years, but, you know, and I'll do a duck call seminar because a lot of them want to know how do you blow a duck call and honey and it, but, you know, we share Jesus. Well, it's just saying like everything else we do, there were, there's spiritual component. It's another great way to get Jesus in there. We can share, you know, our faith with these kids.

and teach them right there. So it's just another way to do that. We have summer camp, you know, that's a Christian camp. Well, my transition from the Duck Call seminar to Jesus is all say, who invented duck hunting? Of course, they're all just, you know, like, who did invent duck hunting? I was like, God did. Genesis is not.

I go through that Genesis. And I mean, the look on their faces is, but it's a good transition. And I think it's appealing to that age group because there's a question they've never thought about. And then all of a sudden they read this in the Bible that they had no idea was in the Bible because it kind of goes through why we eat what we eat. And I just think when you're looking for real practical ways to get people's attention for Jesus, especially have an outdoors thing, talk about something they love duck hunting, ask them how it got started. then they're like, oh, that's in the Bible. Well, if that's true, and if Jesus is true, I mean, the next thing you know, they're like, well, why not? Yeah.

I mean, I think it's clever. I used to see Dad do it for years on his speeches, but he used Acts 10. Same thing. He'd be duck haul, blowing the duck haws and everybody's loving it. And he was like, a large sheet comes down out of heaven like a movie screen. And then he goes right into the... And guess what are birds of the air? Here's your ducks.

Oh, yeah. Phil was a little more, he had the more intensity. He used the riff about people saying, well, I can't believe you're eating a duck. He used that as his motivation. He's like, hey, arise, kill, and eat. We got orders from headquarters. Yeah, orders from headquarters, Jack. So that was always just the same type approach, yeah.

But, yeah, that's what we've been doing. This program has been great. Jason's come over. I'll tell you about Shelly. We had this lady, Shelly. She came in, and if no one came in to sit and actually, you know, to have a Bible study, I would just teach. And so, and she would just come in, she would just take notes. I don't know who she was.

And she'd take notes, take notes. And so about three or four weeks went by, and I said, Shelly, could you ever see yourself getting up and teaching something like this, walking people through? And she was like, no, no. I'm just taking notes. I ain't that person. But I do want to learn. And so I said, well, I tell you what, I don't want you just to stay there. I want you to be able to, where you can get up and actually walk somebody through this.

Easter Sunday, one year ago and a few weeks ago, last year. I was going back over. I was doing something over with you guys. They were honoring Corey's grandma. So I couldn't be there after one of the services. And we had like four on Easter. And I thought, well, probably nobody's going to come into the class anyway. You know, it's Easter.

Everybody's dressed up. they're not thinking about, although they should be thinking of it. That should be the day. Like, that should be the biggest day. Exactly. It's crazy to me. So I had to be away, and I said, so I said, Shelly, I'm not going to be here for the second.

Can you just, can you post up in here? Because I was having trouble finding people because everybody had Easter plans. And she said, when I initially told her, she said, I thought I was going to throw up. I thought I was going to have to just go literally throw up. That's how nervous I was. And then so I, and she said she would do it. And so I go over, I'm coming back up to the building. I'm coming back for the third service.

And I see the past, he's dragging my little rolling baptistry around. He's dragging it out there. He's got the water hose in it. I said, if somebody gets baptized? He goes, yep, that guy and his son. I said, did they go to our class? He said, they went to your class. And I walked in.

And she was just bawling. I said, did you walk him through? She walked that dude and his son on Easter Sunday, walked them through the gospel. Both of them got baptized that day. And ever since that happened, you want to talk about it on fire. She has been so critical in this ministry,

especially for women. So because, you know, if I have women come in, I just give them over to her, and say, Shelly, welcome.

But just her confidence, well, something she never thought she'd be able to do and she got that confidence. She knows the word, you know, she's,

I'm telling evangelism, it makes you get in the word because you have to study because just like we were talking about the eunuch if somebody throws a scripture out of it or some crazy idea that they it's just amazing what people brought you know grew up thinking like i thought you had somebody told me their day i thought i had to walk down and you know officially at a building i said no that's no that's in the bible and so you you've you got to know the word it keeps your life right because you you know you're talking to

people constantly and it's just it's amazing and that's one but she's every week now and so that's what we're doing just training and hopefully you know we'll have three or four hundred people uh that will be intentional and typically if you're at 10 percent that's kind of normal but i'd like to see it if you got hundreds of people out looking for opportunities trying to share their faith there's no telling what would happen that's right i mean it's not this just one pastor keep back going there will keep it going well and i want to encourage again the audience is right out of time um to to to have this same thought in your community because god's planted it us in places to share and to grow the kingdom.

And so we can do this. I mean, everything you're describing, look, I know you've got the tools for it because you listen to this podcast. And so we're all ambassadors. We're just asking you to do that. And it's your identity. We have the ministry of reconciliation. Yep, which we just talked about.

God reconciled men. That's our job. So, and the beauty of it, Will, is we get to do this together. We're ragged looking ambassadors, but hey. we get to you know between the duck car room podcast what sadie's doing christian's doing what we're doing i mean we're reaching a lot of people you know in in this format which is really awesome all right you know how you know when a podcast has gone well when it seemed like it we just started and we're out of time so uh we do have a little bit of

overtime because i've got like three other things on here i have that i need to ask willie about that we didn't have time to get into so we'll do that on overtime remember if you want to crossover. That's blazedtv.com slash unashamed. And we'll get a little more time with my little brother, Willie. Thanks for listening to The Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell to get notified about new episodes.

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