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Kyle Thompson
All right, welcome to everybody. Listen to this right now. I'm Kyle Thompson, the host of Undaunted Life of Man's podcast. And that guy over there, that's Joby Martin, the senior pastor of Church of 1122. Now, this is our normal digs in terms of when you and I talk, because you and I have done some stuff with your podcast feed. You obviously come on my podcast feed once a month. But we're doing this episode today because we got a special announcement. We've been sitting on this idea, and we've been sitting on this project for most of 2024. But, guys, if you're listening to this on time, this is coming out the very, very end of 20 have an announcement for the very beginning of 2025, and that is that we were launching a podcast, right? So Joby Martin and I, we are launching a brand new podcast called the Daily Blade. And so we'll get into kind of the specifics of what that's going to look like and kind of where the name came from. But, Joby, let me just tee you up to talk about it from the beginning, because I'm pretty sure I was trying to figure out, like, how this idea even came about. But it's kind of like the last three or four ideas that you and I have had, we just start kicking around ideas randomly, either, like, if we're hanging out in person or via text message, and then one of us says, yeah, we just got to do that. So can you, like, remember where exactly this idea started?
Joby Martin
Well, some of the conversations that we've had, we both have obviously have a heart to disciple men, regardless of how we phrase it, whether we equip men to push back darkness or we help men deepen their relationship with Jesus, and that is always rooted in God's word. And I know on. On your podcast, you know, it's often topical, and you are. Whether it's interviewing the latest author or talking about the latest political events, it's always comes back to having a biblical worldview. And then every single week of my life, I open the Bible and just teach the Bible. And so what men need. I think the. I think the conversation began to get some traction when I was doing the Stand Firm series, the spiritual warfare series in the fall. And, you know, it talks very specifically about the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, and that we have been equipped to fight off the enemy and his evil schemes. And so I think. And you think what men need is men need to know the word. And I also Think God has put men in this world, on this planet like me and you, to help all the other men in this world better know his Word. And so that's essentially all we are going to do, is help people sharpen the sword of the spirit that they are memorizing, that they are learning, and they're studying in very, very small bite sized segments, especially in the lives of busy men. Because if you're really standing up and acting like a man, then you got a lot of people to take care of, you got a lot on your plate and I get all that. And I'm not trying to diminish the importance of spending time with the Lord, but this is a supplement to that. You could pop this on and in five to seven minutes you're going to hear the word, you're going to hear the word explained, you're going to hear the word applied. And I don't know about you, but there's never been like one quiet time or one Bible study that I've done necessarily that changed everything because I did a nine hour study on Romans chapter three. But what has helped me is just those small deposits over a long period of time begin to have that cumulative effect that I've just constantly tried to ingest the word of God. And so that's what we're going to be offering.
Kyle Thompson
Well, and so you're. I try to describe your ministry to guys and so I describe the size of your church and I describe your, your style and kind of your all shucksy southern draw and all that kind of stuff. But everything you do is kind of through the lens of manhood. And I really don't like using the, the phraseology of men's ministry anymore because every time I say that people, people hear what I'm not saying, what I don't mean, which is, oh, you mean guys sitting around in a circle like talking about their feelings and all that. It's like, well that happens. But I'm talking about a lot of other stuff. And so that's why I've started talking about man friendly churches and different things like that. But the truth is, is that a lot of men are, well, meaning that they, they, they want to exercise and they want to take their wife and each of their kids out on very special dates. They want to do these rites of passage, they want to do all that stuff, but they can't ever get any momentum going. And so that's the thing with the daily blade. I mean we're talking, you know, three, three to seven minutes, ish. Is what, what each day is going to be. And if you listen to it at two times speed like I do, you're just going to burn right through it. But what you and I have kind of talked about over these last few months is like, okay, we want to leave guys with, if you like the Greg Cocal ism, we want to put rocks in guys shoes. And so because we're going to be taking it back to the scripture. So sort of the spirit, the daily blade. Get it, get it, guys. That's what it's called. But we want to be able to give guys things that they chew on. Right. That aren't just like, ah, here's some life lessons with a few little verses sprinkled over it. And what you and I kind of realized because I think we, we started talking, I was, because I asked you, I was like, hey, are there any like daily devotional guided prayer things that you do? And what we both kind of came up with is a lot of people have tried to do that for men. But the way it ends up sounding is it's, it's overproduced. There's, there's. You could tell it's transcribed. There's music playing in the background and it's supposed to be ambient noise, but it just kind of, it's like almost like putting you in this like trance state. And it's like that's not where guys are. Like if you're on your way to the job site or if you're on the way to, to the, you know, to work and it's not really the greatest situation, or if it's your drive home and you got a bunch of responsibilities once that garage door opens. We want these guys to be getting stuff that's coming from a masculine perspective, not made by dudes and hoping men will just kind of deal with the rest. You know what I mean?
Joby Martin
Yeah. And I wouldn't even use what we're going to do. I wouldn't use the phrase devotional. Yeah, I don't even know what that means, but I get it. It's a lot of heart and a lot of feeling and a lot of thought. That's not what we're doing. The way I'm. I haven't even told you this. The way I'm thinking about this is I'm obviously, you know this. I'm a raging Georgia Bulldog fan and one of my favorite things to do is listen to a Kirby smart halftime speech. And Kirby has obviously not read Ephesians 4. Let no unwholesome communication Proceed out of your mouth. But what he does, if you listen to his speeches, as he speaks life into those dudes, he paints a very clear target on the wall. He encourages them to go do it. That's kind of what he is. So imagine anybody that's going to tune in, whether it's me or you. It's like, we are in the locker room. We got a very short amount of time. We've got a job to be done. We've got an enemy on the other side of the field. And here's our marching orders. This is what God's word said. So when I preach, it's different, man. Cause I preach for almost an hour. So there's an introduction, there's illustrations, there's often a lot of humor. And, you know, I want everybody to kind of, kind of suck them in. I'm assuming when you click play on your phone that you're in, you want to hear what we're going to do. And so there's really none of that. It's very much in God's locker room. This is the halftime speech for you to march into your day, into your week, into what God has called you to. And it's all just going to be rooted in what does God's word say? So what does that mean now? What am I supposed to do about it? That's it.
Kyle Thompson
Well, and ultimately, I guess the other thing that you and I had as a goal is we wanted to meet guys where they're at. And guys are doing the audio thing because there are some great ministries and great groups out there that'll send out an email every day we're here, some devotional material. And for some of you guys, you love that. And so if that's working for you, man, by all means, keep doing that. But we know the, the data and the statistics and obviously you got people on your neck of the woods that are looking at metrics and what if we do this and what if we tweak that? And it's all gospel related, gospel center stuff. But for us it's like, okay, guys are listening to podcasts and audiobooks. It'd be cool if they had, for lack of a better phrase, you know, devotional content. Content that like kind of takes them back practically to the scripture. But like we just saw, there's a dearth of, of that type of content for the guys that are into you and me. Because there is a Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson type of a guy, right? Because like, if you're listening to my show because you know you and I've talked about this a lot. A lot of times people come up to you at your church. It's because they heard you here because of me. And like, I'm doing a bunch, I did a bunch of interviews for Dominion, some other programs that we've got going on, and it's like, it's working back and forth and like, I introduce guys to you and they're like, where's this guy been? You'll introduce guys to me. And it's like, where's this guy been? But there's kind of that type of a guy that the Christian bookstores are not looking to get after that. The Christian radio stations are not putting on music that speaks to or sings to a guy like, like that. And that's really what we're trying to do with this. And, and the thing is, is because we're doing it out of an abundance of our authenticity, not like, hey, we're trying to be this ideal version of what a masculine machismo man is. And so we're doing, you know, a daily short form podcast that's to that type of a vein. But at the, at the same time, those guys that maybe walk into a lot of churches in America and, and don't feel comfortable, they feel out of place. They've never been. The guy at the men's ministry event that was the first one to pipe up. Those are the, a lot of the guys that we're going after. But at the same time, this is going to be consumed by men of all stripes and persuasions. A lot of ladies are going to be listening to this as well with their husbands or brothers or dads in, in the car. So we're, we're not making it for everybody, but it's going to be applicable across the board. At least that's the way I'm looking at it.
Joby Martin
Also, Kyle, I would just say this to everybody listening, man. We don't have to do this.
Kyle Thompson
Like, we don't have time for this, neither one of us.
Joby Martin
Yeah, right. Yeah. But the reason that we're doing this is because we have been commanded to make disciples that make disciples that make disciples.
Kyle Thompson
Yep.
Joby Martin
And, and so, I mean, we haven't thought about this at all from like a consumer standpoint. Like, is there a market and who are we trying? There's none of that. It's just, how can we go wrong if we put our hearts into just trying to open up God's word and make it available to anybody who wants to listen? You know, it's very Similar to the way the Deepen podcast started. People are like, why are you doing that? I was like, because I want to help people deepen their relationship with Jesus. They're like, well, what if a lot of people don't listen? I don't care. I like talking about the Bible.
Kyle Thompson
Yeah, what about if people do listen?
Joby Martin
Yeah, yeah, but what, yeah, what if, what if 10 or 12 do that? It's totally worth my time. So anyway, we're not. Yeah, this is not some kind of flash in the pan thing. The heart, my heart's desire is just that people will engage with God's word. You can trust what the prophet Isaiah says, that God's word will never return void. It will always accomplish what God intends it to accomplish. And so we believe God will be glorified, men will be encouraged. You are right. There will be a lot of very, very, very smart women that are listening in to men's conversations that they may be able to love their husbands and sons and brothers better.
Kyle Thompson
So, yeah, Joby, that's one of the best compliments I get because I get these emails maybe a few times a month or DMs, it'll be from a lady. Listene my show and I mean, my audience is 90, 95% male. Right. So fairly aggro over here. But these ladies will be like, they will start out their email with, I know I'm not supposed to be listening to your show, but so it's almost like the best kept secret. And I'm, I always correct it. I'm like, no, no, you can listen. I just don't have you in mind when I'm creating the content. But you're exactly right. These ladies are like, okay, what would my husband want to listen to? And they know their husband pretty darn well, you know, inside and out. And they hear your preaching or they hear how I approach a lot of cultural topics or political topics or even forging table discussion. Go, hey, those guys kind of sound like my husband and his buddies. But they, they're always talking about football or cars or something like that. They're not ever talking about the Bible. I wonder if it's because they've never seen it modeled before. And that's, that was the whole reason behind the forging table. Selfishly, I wanted to dig into the scripture more myself and I just wanted to model. Well, hey, what would it look like if people with no Bible or theology degree sat around a table and made mistakes, but ultimately just dug into the scripture and came together and talked about it? And so this is almost like a downstream of what you've done with Deepen and what I've done with the forging table.
Joby Martin
Yeah. And I think. I think it'll be very shareable.
Kyle Thompson
Right.
Joby Martin
Like, you know, if you've heard one two weeks ago and you've got a friend walking through loss or whatever, then this person will be able to just be like, hey, let me just. It's five minutes, man. Five minutes on loss or five minutes on pain or five minutes on fear. You know, I think it'll be very shareable also. This is something I've shared with you, and it made you cry a little bit, which I love that we. We didn't have in mind at all. But, you know, there's a bunch of single moms out there, like Chloe here in Jacksonville.
Kyle Thompson
Yeah.
Joby Martin
And she's. She puts on the foraging table and she puts on Deepen when her and her son are riding around as. Just so she can have a man's voice in the life of her boy. And so I think also there could be a lot of mamas on the way to school with their sons in the car, and they could. They could get the daily blade every single morning.
Kyle Thompson
And that's what we're shooting for. And, guys, this is not just. Just to the people listening to this right now and all the different platforms, this isn't a. Like, hey, we're going to try this for a few weeks to see how it goes. This is just something that Joby and I are going to do now. It's kind of the same thing I told the forging table guys, because we were like, ah, you know, let's figure out if that. That's going to be a good thing for my cadence. And before we even recorded the first episode, which I think was Galatians one, I was like, no, we're just going to do this now. This is just what we do now. This is just part of our normal rhythm. If we stop doing everything else, this is something that will continue. And so for us, we want it to be imminently shareable. And this is going to be the easiest thing in the world for you guys, because this is going to be coming out Monday through Friday every single week. We'll give you all a break on Saturday and Sunday. But how the normal cadence will go is it'll be Joby on one week Monday through Friday, and then me Monday through Friday, the next week, and then you and then me. There might be a couple of times where you or I double up based on the content that we're going into and, and, and, and, and we can't give you all any names, but let's just say we got a list of some pretty cool people that are already excited about potentially jumping in on this. So we're going to prove the concept, we're going to do it ourselves, we're going to do the legwork, but we've got some pretty high profile dudes that are already ready to jump in on this and create 25 minutes worth of content to go out to a wide audience. And to echo something that you said earlier, because there's always the questions, right? Because you know, you have an incredibly successful church. It's growing into be being one of the biggest churches in America. And it's still got very, very solid, deep theological roots, which is incredibly rare. We have the number one podcast for Christian men in the world. And so you might be thinking, okay, what's the angle? What's the thing here? And I can just tell y'all right from the beginning because this is episode one. Because if we delete this because we end up going a different direction, there will always be a gap in the numbering of our show. We are not getting sponsors for this show. You will never hear an ad on this show. This show is literally free and will be free forever. And we're doing everything that we got to do on our end, money wise to make sure it goes up on Spotify and Apple because it's going to be audio only. So, guys, no YouTube, no rumble, but we're going to do everything we can to make sure it's got a website that's got SEO that's driving it to try to get it in the ears of even more people. And all that is at a cost to your ministry and my ministry in terms of time. But again, as we've said, the benefit, the cost benefit ratio is so high. If guys are actually going to take this and apply it.
Joby Martin
Yeah, man. We're just called to make disciples. That's it. That's all we want to do. And we trust that what needs to happen in the life of. Honestly, almost every man I know is they need to be better equipped in the scriptures. And again, there's a lot of men. This is just a supplement. Be involved in the church. You need to be in a Bible preaching church. You should be taking notes when your pastor is preaching.
Kyle Thompson
Amen.
Joby Martin
This is not going to be John Piper desiring God verse by verse. That those things are incredible. That's way more like classroom oriented, you know, this is not going to Be like a Tim Keller kind of devotional. That's way more kind of ethereal, philosophical. It's not going to be necessarily like a John MacArthur take. That's way more, I would say, theological, I think. Locker room, man. This is what the Bible says. That's what it means. It's what you got to do. Let's go. And I'm encouraged by it. I mean, I get to spend a lot of time in the Word by the grace of God. The people here at 11:22 pay my. Pay me every two weeks to just sit in the woods, write sermons and preach. So much. I love so much. But this is great, man. I've been very encouraged to even look at it, like, to take a passage of Scripture, which I would normally preach for 55 minutes on.
Kyle Thompson
Yep.
Joby Martin
And say, all right, man, five minutes. What does this say? Just to the guy driving to work today or dropping his kids off at school. And so I'm very excited. And I can sense the Lord in it already, because how could he not be in it? I mean, Jesus says, abide in me. I'll abide in you. And I feel like the disciples are kind of look at him sideways because they're like, what do you mean? And then he follows us up. Abide in my Word, and I will abide in you. And so that's what we're going to be doing. We're just going to be, like, leaning into his Word. It'd be great.
Kyle Thompson
Yep, that's what we're going to be doing. And I just got to tell you guys, I get excited just looking at our shared note, because, you know, you'll. You'll put some ideas down. I'll put some ideas down. And we kind of see the cadence of. Okay, this is where you're going. This is where you're going to focus, because we're not necessarily flowing. Okay, I'm going to go off of what Joby just said last week. We're kind of doing our own thing. So you guys, if you start at episode. I don't know when you're hearing this, if you're starting at episode 45 or at episode 4, you can hop in whenever you want. But again, guys, it's going to be on Apple podcasts and on Spotify, and the very first episode is being released on January 1st of 2025. So all of you New Year, New Me people, all you, you big podcast people, go ahead and hit the subscribe button or the addition button or on whatever audio platform you're listening to this and here's the last thing that I'll say. And, Joby, I'll let you have the last word. Do not keep this a secret. Guys have this weird thing where we'll find, like, a band or a random, you know, tool or some jiu jitsu move. And for whatever reason, we think there's only so many pieces of the pie, so we can't just share all the stuff that we think is awesome. This is the easiest thing in the world. All these apps, they need people listening to it, right? So they make sharing it via text message, email, carrier pigeon. They make it all super duper easy. So if you found this, if you're, you know, in my audience, or if you're a church of 1122 or something like that, or if you're just a random person that found it because Apple podcast told you you might like it, share this around with the guys that you think will consume it. That's my last word on it. Joby, what do you got?
Joby Martin
Two words. One, here's what's good, too. If. If I. If. If I'm not on one day and it's a dud, it's only five minutes, man. You'll be fine. Try again tomorrow. Secondly, and very seriously, you have an enemy, and the only thing he wants to do is kill, steal, and destroy. And the primary weapon, the primary weapon to take ground against him is the sword of the spirit. And so one of the best things you could do for your country, your community, your family, your church, your own salvation, the salvation of your children for your marriage is to sharpen that blade every single day and be ready to fight. We're here to help.
Kyle Thompson
Let's go.
The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
Episode: Introducing 'The Daily Blade' // Daily Spiritual Growth for Christian Men
Release Date: December 19, 2024
In the debut episode of The Daily Blade, hosts Kyle Thompson of Undaunted.Life and Joby Martin, Senior Pastor of Church of Eleven22, unveil their collaborative new venture aimed at fostering daily spiritual growth among Christian men. The duo leverages their extensive experience in ministry and podcasting to introduce a resource tailored specifically for the modern, busy man seeking to deepen his relationship with God.
The concept for The Daily Blade emerged organically from Kyle and Joby's ongoing conversations about discipling and equipping men. Reflecting on their shared passion, Joby Martin explains, “We both have a heart to disciple men… it is always rooted in God's word” (01:13). This mutual commitment led them to recognize a gap in the existing devotional resources tailored for men, particularly those that are concise and scripture-focused.
The Daily Blade is designed to be a supplemental tool for men to engage with the Bible in a practical and accessible manner. Joby emphasizes the importance of consistent, incremental engagement with scripture: “There’s never been like one quiet time or one Bible study that changed everything… it’s those small deposits over a long period of time” (03:29). The primary objective is to equip men with the “sword of the spirit” – the Word of God – enabling them to effectively counteract spiritual challenges in their daily lives.
Each episode of The Daily Blade spans approximately three to seven minutes, making it ideal for men with hectic schedules. Kyle articulates the format succinctly: “If you listen to it at two times speed like I do, you're just going to burn right through it” (05:35). The content is structured to include:
Joby compares the episodes to a halftime speech, drawing inspiration from his admiration for Kirby Smart’s motivational talks: “We are in the locker room… this is our marching orders” (07:16). This approach ensures that each segment is direct, impactful, and actionable without the frills often found in traditional devotionals.
While the primary focus is on Christian men, The Daily Blade is crafted to resonate with a broad audience, including women who support the spiritual growth of the men in their lives. Kyle highlights the need for content that mirrors men’s everyday conversations and challenges: “We want these guys to be getting stuff that's coming from a masculine perspective” (05:35). This makes the podcast not only a tool for personal growth but also a resource for families seeking to integrate faith into their daily routines.
Committed to accessibility and authenticity, The Daily Blade will be available exclusively on major podcast platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The hosts ensure that the content remains ad-free and free forever, stating, “You will never hear an ad on this show. This show is literally free and will be free forever” (14:16). The release schedule is meticulously planned, with Joby and Kyle alternating weeks in delivering episodes, ensuring a consistent and reliable stream of content.
Moreover, Joby and Kyle are actively soliciting contributions from guest speakers to enrich the podcast’s offerings: “We got a list of some pretty cool people that are already excited about potentially jumping in” (14:10). This collaborative effort aims to diversify perspectives while maintaining the podcast’s foundational commitment to Scripture.
At the heart of The Daily Blade lies a clear mission: making disciples who make disciples. Joby underscores this missionary zeal, stating, “We have been commanded to make disciples that make disciples that make disciples” (09:28). This aligns with their broader ministry goals, focusing not on consumer metrics but on the intrinsic value of Scripture in transforming lives.
They draw confidence from biblical assurances, with Joby referencing Isaiah’s prophecy: “God's word will never return void. It will always accomplish what God intends it to accomplish” (10:11). This faith-driven approach ensures that the podcast remains steadfast in its purpose, regardless of external validation.
Both hosts emphasize the importance of community and shared growth, urging listeners to disseminate the podcast widely: “Do not keep this a secret… make sharing it via text message, email, carrier pigeon… all super easy” (17:08). By fostering a culture of sharing, they aim to extend the podcast’s reach, allowing more men to benefit from its servings of daily spiritual nourishment.
In closing, Joby reinforces the podcast’s foundational message: men are called to be warriors in their spiritual journey, equipped with the Word of God. He passionately declares, “The primary weapon… is the sword of the spirit” (18:36). The Daily Blade stands as a beacon for Christian men seeking to navigate the complexities of modern life with faith and conviction, providing them with daily doses of scriptural insight and practical application.
Listeners are encouraged to subscribe starting January 1, 2025, and to integrate The Daily Blade into their daily routines as a steadfast companion in their spiritual walk.
Notable Quotes:
Kyle Thompson [00:00]: “Joby Martin and I, we are launching a brand new podcast called the Daily Blade.”
Joby Martin [01:13]: “We both have a heart to disciple men… it is always rooted in God's word.”
Kyle Thompson [05:35]: “We want these guys to be getting stuff that's coming from a masculine perspective.”
Joby Martin [07:16]: “This is the halftime speech for you to march into your day, into your week… rooted in what does God's word say?”
Kyle Thompson [09:23]: “What if we tweak that… Content that takes them back practically to the scripture.”
Joby Martin [10:49]: “You can trust what the prophet Isaiah says, that God's word will never return void.”
Kyle Thompson [12:54]: “This is the easiest thing in the world for you guys, because this is going to be coming out Monday through Friday.”
Joby Martin [18:36]: “The primary weapon… is the sword of the spirit. And so one of the best things you could do… is to sharpen that blade every single day.”
The Daily Blade promises to be a transformative resource, marrying theological depth with practical application, tailored specifically for the Christian man’s everyday challenges. As Kyle and Joby embark on this new ministry endeavor, they invite listeners to join them in sharpening their spiritual swords and standing firm in their faith.