Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 666 | Willie Pokes Holes in Jase's Iffy Stories & John Luke Robertson's 'Unashamed' Debut!

Episode Date: April 16, 2023

Willie has some doubts about Jase’s childhood memories. Al has discovered why the Robertsons are so hung up on food, cooking, and eating. John Luke gives the skinny on the summer camps he and Willie operate, as well as their upcoming book project. Did anyone notice the number of this episode? Tune in to the Overtime segment on BlazeTV to hear what the guys have to say about this demonic number! https://blazetv.com/unashamed "The Blind" hits theaters this fall. Get updates, trailers, behind-the-scenes moments, and special opportunities here: https://theblindmovie.com — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? All right. Welcome back to Unashamed. We're super excited today. We have double Robertsons. Well, we have Quad Robertson. That's right. I got to think about this. This is super exciting. I think for the first time ever, we have oldest sons with their dads on the set of Unashamed. I think it's a first. Wow, that is. I don't know. I'm normally not here. I didn't know that. We got Willie. We got John Lute. We got me, we got dad. We got the professor, is what Willie calls back. That's Willie called me. Yeah. What's the glasses?

Is that why you called me that? Yeah, something. When you're in front of a bookshelf. Yeah. So three generations, three generations are here. That's exactly right, Dad. The legacy lives on. Man.

It's pretty exciting. So we're missing, Jace, and Willie, we put you in his chair. Yeah, I ask him what advice would he give me? And he said, see how long you can talk without. taking a breath, so I think his record's 38 minutes, so I'm going to see if I can. The first time I was a guest on this podcast, I literally did not comment until minute 48, which made me think, why am I here? Like, you just call me down here to sit in a chair and listen.

So I didn't know if it was like, if it was for me, like it was some. Well, maybe that's why his T-shirt. it if you read him on the front. What is that? I could be wrong. I could be wrong. Yeah. But Jay says, the dad says on the back and says, I'm probably not.

But if he was, but if he ever got wrong, he was not leaving you the position to maybe get him on the right track. No. Well, good. I've got a lot to get off my chest. Now I can actually have time to get it off my chest. John Luke, welcome to Donof-Shane. It's good to have you on here. Pull that mic a little closer to it.

because we do want to hear what you have to say today. So yeah, Jace's, so number one complaint on Unashame, from Unashamed Nation is that Jason talks too much. Are you shocked by that way? I learned that as soon as I could start hearing voices. I knew one of them was talking a lot and it was Jace for sure. I wish I could, if I could magically not burden our cracked staff of Unashamed, I would love to take clips with, especially the ones that in my mind I could take and just show them to you about our childhood.

The stories he tells, because maybe I just wasn't aware, like, because so much of it, I don't even believe it's true. But he's so passionate when he tells him, like, it's like, well, I guess there must be a nugget. I'm sitting here his dad thinking, where in the world he'd come up with that? That was going on? I mean, I know I'm the same way. I'm like, what? I mean, he tells us about mom ruining Christmas and just all these stories are just like, I just can't even.

I mean, I hate to say, but it's like none of those are true. I know they're not. It's like we're watching the making of Uncle Siah maybe. Like, this is like the prequel to Cy. Like, this is how it started. He just starts making up stuff. And oh, there's oftentimes, I'm like, Jay, that's not how that happens. Well, I mean, I listen and I think, what?

Because he's told us about, he was just telling a story recently about mom telling him there was no, there was, first there was no Santa. And then that Christmas was canceled. You know, and so he's telling all this stuff. And he was devastated. And he's no, and I'm laughing the whole time because I'm just, it just tickles me to the no end that this would even happen, which I know it didn't. But then it makes me laugh because he's just so serious about it. Every year, there is proof. there is a Christmas tree coming in that living room.

It's coming in that. Well, she loves Christmas. I'm like, I don't even believe it. But I know it's not true because mom probably believed in Santa, even after she had us. She probably never knew. She never got the cable that it wasn't true. Then he said, and all I wanted this year was all this Miami Dolphin stuff.

And I was like, Miami Dolphins. I was like, I don't ever remember you liking the Miami Dolphins. Do you ever remember going through a Miami Dolphin? Actually, I've got to take, there was a year when, but actually I thought I got the Miami Dolphers. But there was, I remember there was Dallas Cowboy stuff and Miami Dolphin. I'm sure it was some sort of slows out clearance that, hey, you know, Santa got, you know, good deal on some stuff. And Howard Brothers. But I do remember a Miami Dolph.

He told that that was the year that she was trying to make it up because she has canceled. Christmas. I mean, it was all, it was very twisted the whole story about it. But then I, so then he made me feel guilty because then Missy was like, well, why was out laughing the whole time? There's nothing funny about that, about ruining the time. Which is funny. It was funny. That made me laugh more because she said, why did Althe it was funny? Your Christmas would be ruined and I was like, well, I don't know. It was just funny the way you were telling the story. Because it's not true. Well, right, that was exactly because I was like, you know. Mom never canceled. Christmas. No, that's what I said. Oh, my. But so I'm glad I got some backup on that. I was hoping to get that. Well, there was some Miami Dolphin gear. I can't remember who got it. Well, that's what I'm saying. Somebody did get it. I feel like there's always a nugget of truth in these stories. It's like with Sa. You explained it perfectly. There's a nugget of truth in these stories. Sometimes the nugget is small.

It's very small. That's exactly right. And speaking of that, since we got Zach on here, So one time, so I want you to speak to this, Willie, because here's another one. So one time we're talking about it. It was on a Christmas episode. So we're telling like, so I was like, you know, let's tell a little bit of our, they wanted us to tell some Christmas stories. And so we're talking about, you know, Christmas memories. And so Zach, I was like, Zach, what about you? And he said, well, you know, we would have like our Christmas time here.

It was great. And he would tell like some warm dasher tales of Christmas in Florida. And he said we would come over to visit the Robertsons. And then he told the harrowing tales. of being mistreated, you know, barely getting out alive without some kind of life. He just painted these hard to blame him. He's blaming his weight gain, everything on me from his... Easy.

Really, those who live in glass houses, my friend. Come on, Professor. Let's hear all your woes of mistreatment from the mean old Robertson crew. I'll tell you this. It started with a game called Blind Man's Bluff. And all I remember was a... It wasn't pillows like you promised. It was jeans in a pillowcase twisted up like a, like a, I don't know, some kind of medieval weapon that you would.

The rule was it had to be in a pillowcase. Whatever went in there. It could have been a pillow. Could have been some denim. Maybe a couple of coat cans, you know. We were trying to teach you guys who were really soft city kids how to survive. And I think we did that. You're still here.

We're bullies. Y'all were bullies. I spent 12 years in your armpit. I just, I have, I have flashbacks of that. It was a, it was a little ritual. Hey, we made you tough. Look at you now. I'm up in your armpit.

Look how tough you are now. So there you go. Thank you. It was so, it took such an ugly turn because it was like, it was like a supposed to be a fun old family Christmas. Then it turned into tails of bullying. And it just, I don't know. It took the turn.

He finally found a word. I was like, oh, maybe that's what it was. But I've heard stories of your children. Hey, they're tough kids too, so come on now. Well, I knew that it all paid off because yesterday, four days ago, somebody said, well, these boys of yours are coming down there at the podcast, and Dad should be there, you know, and Willie, his boy, Jay, I mean, I'll, we'll be talking it over, you know.

And y'all, the order was, like it way back, you know, they need a, you know, find us a op. So we'll feed on the opalusus cat, the king, you know, as far as eating goes. So I pulled this net up yesterday, you know, used to took one man, now it takes two. But the current was real strong. I said, I'll know there's a God if there's the right size opulucer's cat. The river's up real high. The river's up hard to catch them like that. The river's so, but we finally got the thing up and I looked down in there.

And there's a blue and there's another little blue. but then there's an op about an eight to nine pounder. I said, my goodness, I said, there is a God in heaven because they ordered the Apollusus cat and we're sitting on it. So I got it. What Troopy told, Al said we're doing a podcast and he mentioned the Apollusus. He mentioned Mac was going to be here and I was like, man, that Opelisus cat, that's where, in fact, I had a meeting.

I just brought everybody in the meeting down here. And I said, we've got to do this podcast. We've got, you know, John Luke, this is a moment, you know, this is father's son. I looked at that up when it was all skinned out and dressed and had him cut up to the right pieces, I looked at it. It's a big, he and the other blue. I mean, that's about an eight, nine pounder there, too, so it was a lot of fish here. We're looking at a lot of fish.

I looked at that. I looked around, you know, nobody's there. The woman's traveling. I walked in there and put me about six pieces out just to see a fair. everything was rocking. Testing. Testing. You want to talk about good. You all are into that. John Luke's going to love that blue cat. He's going to love eating that.

You've got to work your way up. You've got to work your way up to the op status. Grandkids, they get what's left. So I know my brother well enough to know what gets him out to the podcast, that's for sure. But that ops waiting on us as soon as we get done with this, whatever. How many people this morning are sitting here talking about Jesus' family

structure and they eat opollususus catfish fried fresh out of the river caught yesterday morning just sitting there cut up ready to go how many people are celebrating with that i will i will bet you we're the only ones probably so probably so well if the ops wait and uh thanks guys i hope you enjoyed the podcast uh that's all we got for today just a couple of witty stories and uh welcome to the shortened version of unashashashen no when you say i get the blue cat that's something that i've always thought on our mom's side on my mom side on your wife's side of the family

it's always youngest kids eat first and then you go up but with the Robertsons it's always oldest down to the youngest so when you're different strategy yeah right yeah so when you're at the bottom of the toebolt like I am right now you better believe I am so what are you doing your family

John Lake what side did you choose for your own family are you going with the Robertson way of life or the Howard way of life no I'm going with the Robertson way of life I'm the oldest now. I can't squish now. But sometimes with that side of the family's cooking, I don't mind letting everybody go out.

In fact, if they run out, it's okay. I'll go get something else. It's okay. It's like the food tasters of the old mother. I'm just watching them how they react. What we're going to do with this part of him? Going to the kids. Go to the kids,

Ellie. Sometimes just let them go back again. Just go, just keep hammering it. The second and thirds. So Willie is the... We're not going to be able to eat all the... A 10-pound ops got a lot of meat on it. You know, we can try.

No, no, we're going to... We're going to be telling us stories about today. This is all boneless, boneless catfish. You got to keep in mind the last time I ate with Willie was at Liberty at a restaurant up there. We were up there doing a screening for the movie. And Willie said, let me order the appetizers. which meant two appetizers per person. And then he ordered, he ordered two entrees.

He literally, he ordered two entrees. So he ate, he ate two appetizers and two full entrees himself. So I think you'll be good. I got a problem. I got a problem. I was a just in case. I wasn't sure about that person. I got a problem and I fixed a deal with it right now.

But I've been saving up for this one. This one will be epic. There was no breakfast concern. There was no waste of calories. The ops run in May, but this year we caught one on the first week in April. I said, it's a good sign. We were kind of taking a shot because I knew we were early, but we had this, and we got some folks coming next week, so I asked dad about it.

But it's funny because I had a plan B. You know, I had a beef tenderloin waiting in the wings just in case. You know, it's pretty funny when beef tenderloin is just now. The lawn these days are about $150. Well, that's what I'm saying, when that's your plan B, you know, you're doing pretty well, but, you know, the ops of one thing, the one thing that you can't, no. You just can't go get it. You can't buy it. Oh, that's right.

I mean, you know what I'm saying? That's right. From our childhood, when you get that certain op. And so, yeah, that's the thing that'll get me off here. For all of our listeners out there in computer land, very few of them, you can bet. Very, very few in all the other states there are. But down in Louisiana, Apollosus catfish,

as far as flavor, the small ones. If it goes over 10, 10, 15 pounds, nope, too big. Too big. We want the smaller ones. A little fatty, yeah. Yep, they're the best one.

This size we had, that one I looked down at yesterday, I said, unbelievable. You mentioned about the movie project that you guys are working on at Liberty since we had Willie Ome, because I know you saw the movie. Well,

I wanted to talk a little bit about your perspective of the movie. What you thought about it. I know you've seen like a rough cut of it, but none of us have seen it. So I just... Oh, yeah, okay. So I'm curious about just... Because you and Corey are working on the movie project with Zach. So we...

Zach's kind of given his perspective of it, but I was kind of wondering what you be... So you actually do you actually believe it will work. Yeah, what do your thoughts on? I'm curious. As far as... Well, yeah, I mean... As far as people want to see it. Yeah, I think so.

I mean, I think it worked and it's there and whether or not how many people watch it. I'm not sure. You know, sometimes you just do things and say, this is for the kingdom. This is going to be good. And, you know, whether or not it hits marks, you know, wherever that goes. But I think it's very powerful. Yeah, I got pulled into a little bit of the movie and the movie making part of it. So you have to look and think about a general audience.

And, you know, it was a little rough. And then so we're just trying to make it to where, you know, how do you tell this story? Because even from you guys, from you and mom and others that were around, you get different, I mean, speaking of Jason, different perceptions of what happened and what needs to be told. And how much you can fit into, you know, a little of an hour movie. You know, it's just a lot to tell. And so, but I think it's very powerful. And, you know, most I don't remember everything I'm watching.

I'm hearing stories. I will say John Shepard's son, we should have brought him. We should have had another generation, three generations. Run around. John Shepard played me in the movie, which was kind of cool. So it's fun watching your grandson play you in the movie. And he did great. I mean, I feel like that's how I would have acted it, too.

Do you feel like he captured the essence? I really do. Yeah, the hair was on point. Yeah, he had super curly wavy hair because that's how I remembered you it, too. We will give you a little, this is a little sneak peek, but the only lines that I slash my grandson had, what did he say at the table? Was it asking for the Diet Coke? Yeah. I thought there was a Titi man or something.

Oh, he did say Titi man, yeah. So you hear this little faint Titi man. Like Titi man. Is that what you call him? Yeah, well, yeah. That was a reference, and so we got cracked up on that. Did you train him to suck the two middle fingers? No, he hadn't gotten to that stage yet.

The two finger. You remember trying to break Willie of sucking the two middle fingers, Dad, because he did that? How did we ever break that up? He finally just stopped. He went to school. He went to school. Yeah, dad would put hot sauce on there and lacquer. Yeah.

Polyearoth. Safe methods that are in all parenting books. Still didn't work. I figured out how to rinse them off and still get them in there. Pretty much when I started school, and that was frowned upon by the other kids And so I stopped. I mean, literally, he had the teeth impression on these things because he was warping his front teeth because he sucked him for so long. It was probably some kind of a cry for hell.

And the stuttering problem and not the other problem. Bad wedding. I did the same thing. I sucked my thumb and wet the bad time. Yeah, y'all saw the early years of leading into the building the duck calls when we were. We were surviving off of fish either caught or you starve the death. So it was... Yeah, food was a big issue growing up.

That's why we get so excited about fish now. Yeah, Professor, yeah. You wonder why I ordered three meals at a... I told me. We didn't have anything. Oh, Dan was doing me yesterday for the heavy lifting, you know, and he's in the boat, you know. And he said, I can't believe. How many of these did you have that y'all were running?

I said about a hundred of these nets. He said, unbelievable how y'all... pulled up that many nets. I did it in stages. I'd run 30, sell the fish. Next day, I'd run the 30 more, different ones, let the other ones fish. So I had it figured out where I would, every time I ran the nets, that was some I had not run yet from the week before.

That's the way we did it. But it was a workhouse. I mean a workhouse. No wonder I got a, my old back, it was a big rough now. We're rattling around out there with one hook net. Remember the days of a hundred hoot now? I said, how in the world did I run a hundred of these things? I like how Phil references Dan now as the heavy lifter.

So I'm wondering if I should like be forward thinking and have me just a heavy lifter all the time. I'm like, hey, hey, heavy lifter. Everybody needs a heavy lifter. I don't want to end up blowing my back out. No, this is exactly what you need to. Mine is called the granddaughter's boyfriend. Joey, over here. I've got the sons and the son-in-laws, which are, especially one of them.

Christian is a heavy lifter. He does it just for funnies. Yeah. He just lifts heavy things all the time. So Jay was talking about Christian the other day, and he said he just needs to, like, go getting competitions for a lift. I didn't know when you got about 75, 80, crowd and 80, and you look at your kids, you know. And we have a big feed at there, maybe Willie's house. So I'm sitting there watching the grandkids, great grandkids.

And I'm looking at them. I said, which one is that? Which one is this one? I'm like, we joke every time. So every time there's a feed at Willie's house. So everybody that, like, because we're usually involved in like, you know, bringing aside or something. Willie's a really good cook.

And so now Stone works for Willie. So he usually does a big meat or two. So there's a factor because one of our old buddies is a chef. And so with Willie, you know whatever, there'll be a number. It doesn't matter. RSVP, whatever. There's a number. If they tell you a number, then you have to take that number and go half again and add to

because it's going to be that much more minimum. And sometimes you may have to even double. And so you have to factor that in or you're not going to have enough food. Yeah, y'all just put one on. We just did it. This was a season church eating group like I've never seen. Like they showed up, like I showed up today for the op. They showed up for it.

And I mean, this is like, ready to eat. Maybe if the golden corral just said everything's free, you know, that's where they show up. And I've got a pot this big around, this tall, and there can be nuts. I mean, it's completely full. You could baptize somebody in this. And I'm like, that's a little overdo it. Like Zach says I ordered an appetite, like, oh, Willie's overdone it. And at the end, I just heard the ladles hitting the bottom.

just trying to get every and I was like, good night they ate it all. And it was such a thick chowder that like you could only eat like you could only eat a small dish of it and you were full because it was so much of it. There's like 10 pounds of meat.

No, that's the difference. I'm out there smoking sausage. I'm throwing this just just consumed. And you wonder why more people don't celebrate with grub. That's, you know it's when they're, when they come from out of town,

and they're getting like, one, there's just a little thing. When you can see their plate, you're like, yeah, they're not from around here. And then you get that local church group

and it's like double it, triple it. Yeah, the outer towners right. They're trying to like, okay, let's just get part of our plate full, you know,

and these people are just like double hand and paper plate. They're just bending, you know. They're setting them down, coming back again, you know, just hitting.

I cheat and I put the small, balls. I was like, oh, this will get... They just get two balls. Oh, they just, you know, they walk out with five of them. It was impressive. They ate everything we had. It was. I told Willie, I mean, and it fed everybody, but it was like, there was no going back because that first time through, it cleaned it out. They said 70, and there was at least 120.

120. It was the time and a half, and so it's a running joke because, like, if Chef Chris comes up, and they factor it, and so they'll provide enough, they get enough extra. to know that you got to go, you've got to go a half again. But what happens is it's known that the food is going to be great. And so that's part of it too. You know you're going to eat well. Well, and I made a big mistake.

So I'm not eating bread right now. And so literally when I made this oatmeal, I didn't put any bread out. Because I was thinking I'm not, which we desperately needed bread. You did a filler. Just filler. I don't have any bread out. There's a reason why when Jesus did the, you know, miracle, bread was a part of, because he had to get some filler in there with those fish.

And they were probably giving water to, you know, just, you know, did the bread and water, let it swell up a little bit. That was my bad. I learned a lesson. It is interesting, Al, that now we'll go and then feed two, three, four, or five. No, not the one there's. There's about four of us. I think this is it.

We'll see, you know. You never know. Oh, no. They'll be, Tony and Phyllis will drift down. There's always a few extra. That's what I'm saying. You got to even down here, you got a factor. They'll be a few extra.

But the food is a big part of it. In fact, Lisa says now it's funny because we all have our little quibbles that y'all were talking about Willie at the restaurant. So we go someplace because we travel a lot. If we go someplace and be there a few days, like I have to go to the store right off the bat. Like, I'm going to go the grocery store. Lisa knows that.

She doesn't, I go. because I'd rather go to the store of myself. And I got to stock up. You know, it's just, but it's because we grew up, you know, we ate meals, but like, we ate everything and I was always just a little more hungry. So now it's like, I want to make sure we got food in the refrigerator, food in the pantry. And so it's just, and Lisa says that. It's like, like, there's like a, once we get that done, then there's like a comfort level that's there.

And so I think it just goes back to that. It's like we never had, you know, mom would have. always have stuff there. Now she has like pantries full of food, but it wasn't like that. We were young because you just didn't have the money to do that. So she had food when you had the money from the selling of stuff to then have the stuff. And then she brought it home, we ate it. Quickly. We ate it until it was going to. Y'all never knew the food I had in my closet at all right. Did you have a little stash? Oh, I had twingies out of all this stuff. When I started making money. You confiscated it?

Well, no, I was making... He was making... You bought your own food. Yeah, I bought my own and hid it back there just for my own comfort. But we just did the same thing. We went snow skiing with our family, and there was probably 22 of us. And first stop... You know, Willie ran away from home about all...

Every other week. 15, 20, 30, 40 times. He had run... Where is Willie? He said, well, he got him a little thing built up some trees up in there, some boarded up, little old house back up in there. I was making them a spot. That's about the time dinner time came, you know, or supper, you know, here you come.

Again, crying for help. How long would you stay gone, Willie? Would you ever do ever? No, no. Just to, I was trying to get noticed. It apparently wasn't working. The good thing was, all of our areas, like different areas around the property, were always nice and clean because Willie was, he would clean the areas up, you know,

to, like, set it up for his little stuff. stay it stays yeah i moved into a lot of different places it did um those were clean for a while so you you mentioned about the your entrepreneurial businesses which we've talked a lot about you know appearances and all that and podcasts but it is interesting because there was that spirit and i've always said that all the brothers sort of had a different connection to to different parts of dad and i always thought that Willie had that the most with sort of that way of entrepreneurism, which is why, you know, you've done so well running businesses and doing what you do. And John, Luke, you have some of that. You've got some businesses. So I want you to tell a little bit

about what you're doing with your coffee businesses and kind of what you got going on with all that. And a little bit about, I want to talk about camp today too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There's kind of two main things right now is coffee shop and Rustin, which is an awesome, super fun to do. And we do coffee, we roast and so that's you know whole kinds of business right there and that has been great taught me so much about business and now kind of starting to work with dad more it's kind of starting to uh yeah we got some new back uh john look has found his way as a writer and so i'm working on this book uh about great yeah about preaching the gospel and so i hired john luke and he has been organizing and uh putting all the trying to put the thoughts together and so

yeah, it's been fun working together there. And we've actually put him on other projects with the production company that he's writing stuff. And so, yeah, it's kind of fun to use his creativeness in that way as well. And so because he's such a mixture, John looks a mixture of Corey and I in the same way. And Corey's a reader. John Luke is, them two go toe to tone. How many books did you read last year?

Last year, 58. 58 books. Wow. That's 56 more than I read. Yeah. And not the little ones, you know. Not like. Not the pamphlets.

I read 52 pamphlets myself, John. I read some tracks. But Jalach's a reader, and so he's just, he's got a weird way of thinking about things. And just him being from another generation as well. And growing up more with, you know, phones and computers and all that stuff. And so it's so interesting to hear that perspective of doing that. You know, y'all were young. there were no

little black boxes I don't know about when did y'all start using these daily computers has been within the last 20 years yeah yeah but yeah before that you know yeah somewhere in my 20s I remember so do you like when you read do you read

digitally or do you read actual books both more digitally and that's how I can read so fast because with the Kindle you just click the next one and you just go yeah I actually read Kindle as well. Yeah. And if you have the audio, you can like listen in the car and then you're back and forth and you go back and forth.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is, you're right. You can consume a lot more. So, Dad, we've got exciting news. So apparently for a limited time, your book uncanceled is available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99. Whoa. I mean, that's cheap. That's a bargain now.

That's a bargain. So we're talking about digital reading, John Luke, if you want to get it on Kindle, 299, uncanceled. So I've got like a hour, like 30 minutes there or 30 minutes back. So that's like, that's a lot of books. So I'm digital free. Yeah. It's worked within the family system.

The digital world is. Well, and like he said, you can. I don't know whether it's good or bad. It's both, I guess. Well, in his case is great because you consume a lot more material. You can listen to more. You can, you know, podcasts. That's why at least people listen to a lot of podcasts.

Yesterday we had a discussion on, what was the, AI, AI. AI. Yeah. Yeah. Which is a big deal now. You know, we talked about the pros and cons of it. I just said, you just go with the Bible. You'd be all right.

Shocker, dad was not a big fan of AI. It was surprising twist that that... Well, that word, that word, what was the ASTAM? Artificial. Oh, yeah, artificial. I said, well, there you go. That was... John Luke, AI's out.

Out. Solve that on the... Yeah, unashamed. podcast that wasn't a fan yeah it's out but it was like yeah go ahead no I was gonna say but that and then so working with dad on that and then Camp Chioca which is uh been our long time family project so how many you come that comes through there during the summertime at camp chayoka how many are I have about 1,200 kids yeah yeah come through your 5 to 17 year olds that's a good thing and a few years ago we we started the sportsman's camp out there and so we do that every year and so we teach hunting skills and

fishing and that's been really fun too, seeing kids come out and getting ready. Yeah, it's almost, you believe it's almost summer. It's so much there. So what's, where can people go to find out about coming to camp? Oh, Campi-C-O-C-O-C-C-Ga. Yeah. It's C-H-Y-O-C-C-C-O-C-C-C-C-O-C-C-C-C-C. Right.

First two layers of Christian youth camp. My parents met there. I wouldn't be here without Camp Chioca. That's where my parents met. Well, why, you know, wow. And then, Zach, your mom took me to camp. When I was nine years old, 1974, she drove up. We were still, this was before dad was a Christian, and she got me at the bar, at the place from the movie, and took me to camp that one summer.

And, you know, just because she was working out there that year. And so, you know, I have early memories of camp, too. That's where, so John Luke is fourth generation from the Howard family. his his great grandfather started camp choka back in the late 60s so it's a long tradition you know in their family it's uh it's pretty cool like there's a scene in the movie where his granddad i guess great grandfather but your granddad plays your great grandfather who hired k whatever so the the story it's all intertwined and mac who was on the last podcast married your granddad's sister.

So it's all interrelated, but just to think about the kingdom outflow of just that whole time period. And a lot of that revolved around Camp Chioca. A lot of it did. And they were successful at business, which, and then that's where Kay got the job when she came to West Monroe, uh, is she worked for them. So who would have thought? And that's where Corey and I met at this same church camp. So that's where we met.

And then that was my first job, uh, coming out of college. Actually, still in college. That's where I was working. Up until I came down to work for Duck Commander, that's where I worked. So John Luke had grown up there, run around the whole place, and just fell in love with it as well. Yeah. It's so important to get kids just outside. And that's like a summer camp is, I mean, especially now, sometimes that's the only time the kids are outside doing things more than a couple hours of the day.

I tried to teach the young bucks mainly, you know, the art of duck calling for just to show them, you know, what all different. sounds we're chasing you know and so they're enlighten them you know to participate in a good clean sport well and they do what all you got do archery what other stuff at the at the sports and stuff we do all we do yeah everything hunting yeah all things archery and they're kids that come from all over the country yeah all over yes forever boys and girls yeah come out and yeah it's been really fun just seeing them like john luke said getting getting out of the rooms off the computers off cell phones and just getting out and learning stuff and walking through the woods and fishing. I'm telling you, this time goes on.

People just aren't doing it. We have a like every day is a different animal. So we have like fishing, turkey, ducks, deer are the four kind of main ones. Well, and another thing that you guys have been instrumental in doing, which I wanted you all to speak to a little bit, was that the camp, you guys have put a lot into, because obviously this place has been out there for 60 years now. And so under y'all, mainly your family, but also other people that you've gotten to contribute and, you know, replace and, you know, restore a lot of the camp out there and rebuild a lot of new stuff is that there's a lot of really new great spiritual stuff that's happening out there with spiritual retreats and, you know, stuff like that. And so, I mean, it's really revitalized. I feel like our whole community because of what's going on. And so we're having a lot of churches that are coming together doing spiritual retreats.

Our church is a part of that, which you guys. are doing your church will and others are participating in that. And I'm seeing just a great revival on spiritual renewal. And Camp is a big part of that because it's hosting a lot of those events, you know, that we're people doing that. Yeah. Corey's grandfather, Alton, Howard, who built it initially, you know, God had blessed their business. And this was one of the things he did. And it was pretty small, you know, kind of catered, you know, pretty much to a church. And there were some rentals. And then when I worked there, was trying to get out in the community more. And what happened was just over time, it was hard to get, especially adults to come out.

There's no air conditioning. And we were all used to it. But it's hot. It's Louisiana in the summer. Yeah, it's really hot. And so, and I were able to bring a lot of people together, totally redo the gym. Now it's air condition. You can open it up and have a giant place for worship, some of the cabins air condition.

And we noticed then the adults started coming out and using it more because it was more. because it was more practical for adults. And I still love going out there all the time. I just go out there. And it brings back memories of, you know, when I moved back home and that was my first job. And that's what I had to do from all my kids growing up out there and just somewhere to work and, you know, build stuff that other people can use that lives will get changed. It's not just brick and more. It's lives are getting changed at this place.

So it's for sure what we always say is holy ground. You know, it's a place where things can happen. Yeah, you talk about the. revitalizing our area, and I think that's the most important thing that Cam Shuka does, it's a neutral ground for any church, any people to come out with kids and adults. Because, I mean, churches come together from all different, you know, whether they worship or differently, all these different things, they can meet each other, see what each other are doing, learn from each other. And then, even if you're not a Christian or you're not a part of a church,

it's, well, I like to do archery, I like to just be outside, I like to work on something. you know, it brings together just all kinds of different people to one space. And, you know, for us using it as a ministry and a place that, okay, we can come here, we can show people love, we can teach them about God and creation and everything. Yeah. Now, and that's what we talk about along this podcast is trying to talk about kingdom building, you know, and I think Camp has done that in a powerful way. And you kind of can avoid then the traditional traps you get into sometimes would just make it

it church related, and you make it kingdom related. And that helps everybody. And so I love that. This has been so good. But in that, you help churches because you make everybody stronger. Right. And when we have those retreat Sundays now where other churches will come in, it's so uplifting, you know, for everybody. And they've been out there at camp and they've had this great experience on a weekend. And so even the people that didn't participate there still get that energy, you know, that comes from all those changed lives. So it's just, it's just great kingdom building and stuff, which I love it. And to see. And to see. that carry on. So, but John Luke, you went to, I mean, that's what you went to school. That's what

you got your degree in, right? At Liberty is how to do stuff like that, right? That's what you learned. How to run a summer camp. Yep. That was my whole degree. Right. Which was a good thing. Yeah, which is awesome. Camp outdoor adventure leadership, which is really all just leadership, all how to run the team, how to get people to come together and work on one specific project in a cry-centered way, you know, because there's a lot of different ways to do that. And that, it's interesting, you know, whether it's Camp Chioca with the counselors there, whether it's a duck commander or at a railway, the coffee shop, it's people are just people, you know, you lead them the same way, you love them the same way, you serve them in some way, they come together over the

same things, it's cool to see. Yeah, and you bring this, you bring the kingdom work in with the vocation, and I thought Phil is always great at that, is you're not defined by your vocation, it's not the duck cause, not Douglassie, it's that faith, where that faith just, just is constantly, you know, merging in with that. And so you can use that in different ways. And this year for us is a big year for our family because we've got so many projects going that are work, but they're also kingdom-minded.

We've got the movie obviously coming out that we're excited about in September. How old are you, John Luke? 27. 27. That's right. When I started traveling around, it was 28, I was traveling around, you know, and just demonstrating duck calls how to get ducking.

and the decoys and all that. But then I thought one day I had a big crowd there. I said, I think, let me try something here. And I put my duck calls up. I said, well, that concludes the duck hunting. I said, now let's talk about these matters. So I brought my Bible out.

You know, it's like you shout over their head, you know, boom. I'm scared. So I preached the first gospel sermon on top of the duck call demonstration just to see what would happen. I remember well. I was amazed that five different. preachers of various denominations walked up there after that and said, would you come down here and do that here?

Well, today, y'all, you younger books, Willie, he's out there speaking to this group. You speak to the group. You're doing the same thing, you know. And that was about the same age that I came down to work for Duck Commander. Yep. It was about that late 20s. Training reached way down in there, you know, and now that's what we're known for because that's what we are. But, you know, it just struck me.

I didn't realize it was the same age that when you came to Christ, which is kind of the culmination of the movie, so you created, or God created in you, this compound mentality right over here a mile away with Granny and Paul. Yep. And them living in one house and us and the other one and starting the business. And now 50 years later, we're all into compound. up the road. We all live right there in proximity. We're all in business together. We're doing ministry together.

And now you're doing it. Three generations removed from you. And the line of people, if you could see the line now, if you just did it by cars and vehicles that come down there to where there are no more roads here on the river, there's been a constant stream of them for 50 years. There's no telling how many we've baptized in the river, you know. A lot of them, you know, they said, any alligators out there? I said, yeah, we got most of them. You'll be all right. Well, I got to tell you about this other project that Corey and I are working on.

It's called His Story, The Musical, and it's going to launch in May, mid-May in Dallas or Grandscape area. And it is, now Phil's going to love this. It's a Broadway musical about the life of Jesus. It was the craziest story. It was written by a 17-year-old girl, and Corey and I became aware of it, jumped into it, and so we're helping produce this. But we bought a tent, and the whole thing is going to be in a tent. But I'm talking about an air-conditioned, nice tent, but it looks like the carnival tent.

But it's giant. So we're putting it up now, and so we're getting excited. We were trying to have about Easter, but we couldn't quite make that. But, yeah, it's going to be this Broadway. play that's going to play out, it's going to run, you know, every week multiple times. And it's just a different way of showing the gospel. And it was actually when I was writing this book about how to share the gospel and listening to y'all talking Mac earlier, there were so many points that y'all are saying, that's in the book. That's in the book. That's in the book.

I could see y'all talking over there. Yeah, I kept looking around and going, I can't believe that they're saying the one with the way. I mean, all those stories are in there. But then I was writing out. I kind of hit this block for a couple of weeks. And the chapter was actually on the gospel. And I would start writing. And then I was, ah, it sounds too preacher. Yeah, it sounds too religious. And I was trying to get it down to like I was just telling somebody. And that's when I was exposed to this musical about Jesus. And it was almost like I heard something said, there's different ways to get the gospel out. It's not just the, you know, the traditional way. There's what, there's other people that

can act and sing and get the gospel out. And so, man, we put this thing together fast. And it's going to be a huge project. And yeah, I can't wait to opening night. And so it's happening right now. And so now I'm back and forth into Dallas in that area. So if you're in the Dallas area, check out His Story, the Musical. Tickets are on sale. Is there like a website or where can people? Well, it's History of the Musical. Yeah, you can find it there. Sadly, I don't have all the exacts. But I know if you if you type that. Story the Musical.com. His story

The Musical.com. And you can get tickets right there on the website. Yeah, and the girl who wrote it was a missionary. A 17-year-old girl. A 17-year-old. Never written anything.

Never written musicals, music. Amazing. She saw Hamilton, and she said she heard a voice say, and won't you write something about Jesus that people can learn more about that and sat down and wrote the whole thing. It's unbelievable.

It's great. The story of just how it all. all came together. And even how I was reached out to, it's just incredible to be involved with it. And so Corey and I jumped in. We've got a lot of friends on board and funded the whole thing. And just I think it could be a really powerful thing, especially where we're out in the country where it looks to me like people are just starving. You know, the things we see at the college campuses and, you know, the Jesus Revolution movie. It's like people are hungry for that, for something opposite than what they're seeing in the world. Yeah, I want to ask you about that way. I wanted to get your take because how much time.

of course we got a little bit of overtime but it is it seems like it feels like that there is this thirst and hunger and even in culturally you know for for something spiritual for something more and you're even though i mean obviously there's this you know somebody mentioned that there's this kind of the romans five idea that you know they're what while sin is seems to be increased there's so much bad that grace seems to be rising to the occasion because you see the success of Jesus Revolution some of the other things and we were mentioned on the last podcast that I saw that Gibson is about to come out next year with a sequel to the passion you know which I know he's been working on which I'm sure will be amazing if it's anything like that other way out

it is with in lieu of what will it just said working with that group it is a spiritual fix not a governmental one. Oh, I agree. No doubt about it. So, so what do you, how do you see that, that's kind of going, I mean, do you, do you, do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do we need to do more of? How do people react to that? What do you, what do you, what do you, I get the sense that God's on the move, because I think you may would think, oh, well, well, now it must have, you know, because of the success or something, that's maybe why, but many of these projects, the stuff we're talking about and all these projects happened years ago. Right. And it's, it's odd that they're, you know, it's coming out when the, like, the thing that

happened that the colleges would just, wasn't planned. It just happened. They were random. And so you could, you could feel this because, I mean, there's certainly darkness. We can all see it and feel this darkness. And so, but the light, you know, the light is going to come through. And so, and I think that maybe some more traditional methods, you know, is not, you know, through church or whatever, you know, they feel like, I feel like there needs to be. something more than just trying to show up Sunday morning, you know, and sit there. You know, it's like they're, they want to be more active. Inorganic.

Right. Because if you look at the, the book of acts, it's active, you know, it's not. Well, because I felt like the college campus is especially in John, like you're a lot closer to the age group than we all are. But the alternative to kind of what's been out there, especially like the woke stuff, it just always seems so angry and negative. It's just not very appealing if I were a young person. I mean, I know that's a lot of.

people are swept up into that. But this seems so much more pleasant. I mean, watching these people worshiping and, I mean, just watching just the, I'm just watching it like everybody else. And I mean, I don't know if I were a young person, I would be drawn to that. I mean, it's more than the other. You know what I'm saying? It just, maybe it's, maybe it's that. I don't know. You know what I get the sense. I feel. May can speak to this even, but I here's what I kind of feel. It's like at some point, everybody was fighting the system. But what happens when you become the system. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then you're, you're trying to find something to fight against, but it's like, you are the system. You're in now. All the things that you

were, which may be godliness or the church or, you know, government, you know, stuff that we used to, you were fighting what you thought was kind of good and you were kind of on that edge. But it's odd to me when the system becomes that. And then you watch these people look around, what, who exactly are they fighting? Because the, you know, in many ways, the governments are doing exactly what you know what you want them to do and so now that's what i that's what i'm it's to be something you know what i'm saying totally different yeah yeah yeah edgy now goes the other way you know yeah mark mark sarah said if you want to be disruptive be a non-anxious presence he said that's that's that's what's disruptive now it's just

to be a non-anxious present you know not presence and not it's not the outrage culture and i mean i've been i bought into it myself you know but it is exhausting i mean my gosh it's like surely there's something more beautific that we can be called to you. I think people are more attracted to beauty. And there's a time to call out stuff. I'm not saying there's not. But I mean, I feel like we got enough of that. Like we got, we got a lot of profits right now on social media. And it's just exhausting. You know what I mean? I think it's, I think that's why these stories and what we're doing is so appealing, uh, and life giving because it's, it's telling the story. It's telling stories that, that are

telling the story of Jesus and, and, and, and, and, and, and purpose and, and meaning and all of that, you know. It's much more... It's powerful. Well, I have a line and the question's still there. After it all, the smoke clears, who has the best story? I like our story. Well, and I do want to get this line in now that because this book I'm writing is it talks about how we need to be talking about the good news. And I think a lot of Christians have fallen in this little slot of they're just going to be the bears of bad news.

And they're just constantly telling you how bad the world is. And at some point I'm going, I get it. where's the hope? Where's the good news? Do you have anything good rather than just saying this world's going to hell in a handbasket? That may be true,

but where's the good news? Where's the hope? I want to hear a little bit more about your book in overtime. So if you want to follow us over for a few more minutes, blazedtv.com slash unashamed to hear from Willie and John Luke.

Without Jace here, we're hearing so much more from it. So we'll do that in our overtime, save it, follow us over. 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

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