Ep 1075 | Sadie Robertson’s Team Turns Pain Into Praise & Miss Kay Pays the Price for Phil’s Sock Hunts

Summary

Unashamed with the Robertson Family – Episode 1075 Summary

Introduction and Camouflage Conversations (00:31 – 04:25)

In this episode of Unashamed with the Robertson Family, hosts Phil Robertson, Jase Robertson, and Zach Dasher dive into a nostalgic discussion about their upbringing and family traditions. The conversation kicks off with Zach’s declaration, “I am unashamed” (00:31), setting the tone for an open and heartfelt dialogue about their Christian faith and family values.

Phil shares an anecdote about being invited to a pregnancy center event in Nebraska, where he recalls the tradition of wearing camouflage attire during events (00:33). This leads to a humorous exchange about Zach’s extensive camo wardrobe, highlighting the family's outdoorsy lifestyle. Zach humorously remarks, “I have 90 of my wardrobe in camo” (01:53), while Willie Robertson chimes in about Zach’s camo shoes and slippers, adding a light-hearted touch to the conversation.

The discussion transitions to fond memories of their father, Phil, hunting squirrels and the meticulous process of cleaning and preparing them for meals. Zach recounts, “He would spend countless hours hunting squirrels, cleaning them, and then cooking them” (03:03). These stories not only emphasize the family's connection to nature and self-sufficiency but also underscore the value of hard work and dedication.

Promoting Camp Chioka and Family Events (07:08 – 11:02)

Zach takes the lead in promoting an upcoming event at Camp Chioka on May 3rd. He enthusiastically describes the day’s activities, including live fishing, duck call demonstrations, axe throwing, and an archery competition, stating, “At Camp Chioka, Saturday, May 3rd, they’re having a sportsman’s day” (07:08). The event is positioned as a family-friendly gathering aimed at fostering community and faith through various outdoor activities.

Willie adds a personal touch by reminiscing about how the Robertson family’s involvement has transformed Camp Chioka over the years. He mentions, “We’ve been able to do a lot of outdoor stuff, which is really, really cool” (09:35), highlighting the positive impact of their participation in the camp’s development.

Brave Books Collaboration and Faith-Based Parenting (11:35 – 15:05)

The conversation shifts to the significance of faith-based parenting and the resources that support it. Phil introduces Brave Books, a monthly subscription service that provides parents with books teaching biblical values such as courage, forgiveness, and standing firm in faith. He emphasizes, “Brave Books helps families stay grounded, and that’s why we love them” (12:08).

The Robertson family shares their personal connection to Brave Books, mentioning titles like Missy’s “Because You’re My Family” and Jeff and Jessica’s “Dear Valor”, which explores adoption. Phil encourages listeners to subscribe using the code unashamed to receive these books for free, reinforcing the podcast’s commitment to supporting strong, faith-centered families.

Introducing the Next Generation: Jase and Reeves Robertson (13:23 – 15:03)

The episode warmly welcomes special guests Jase and Reeves Robertson, the next generation of the family ministry. Willie praises their contributions, stating, “I’m super proud of both of you guys” (13:56), and highlights their involvement in Lo Worship, Sadie Robertson’s music ministry. Jase shares his journey, explaining how attending American Idol clarified his path towards worship music, despite initial ambitions in mainstream entertainment.

Reeves discusses his transformative experience at Camp Chioka, where he overcame personal struggles with drugs and alcohol to lead worship and contribute to the camp’s renovation efforts. He reflects, “The Lord was calling me to something bigger than I ever thought” (16:17), illustrating the profound impact of faith and community on his life.

ELlo Worship and the Power of Authentic Worship (15:06 – 44:16)

Jase and Reeves delve into the mission and vision of Lo Worship, emphasizing authentic and heartfelt worship music rooted in biblical truth. Jase describes their approach as a “refining process” that focuses on drawing people closer to Christ through songs inspired by the Psalms. He notes, “It really does move you through a journey of anxiety to peace only through Jesus” (30:05), highlighting the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of their music.

Reeves echoes this sentiment, sharing how their experiences, including Reeves’ tenure as duck shepherd, have shaped their songwriting. He mentions collaborating with Jason Ingram, a renowned songwriter, to enhance their lyrical depth: “My prayer is that I would just somehow be in touch with a new way to say what we’re trying to say” (54:32).

The hosts discuss the importance of creating worship music that resonates with listeners' real-life struggles and brings a sense of peace and presence of the Lord. Willie ties their mission to Ignatius’s concept of indifference, encouraging them to focus on serving God regardless of the scale of their impact: “Whether you’re the next Johnny Cash or you’re just some guy playing down at the general store, there are no little people in His kingdom” (45:47).

Inspiring Stories and Living a Faith-Focused Life (44:16 – 55:37)

Phil reflects on the courage of persecuted Christians, introducing Todd Nettleton’s book, “When Faith Is Forbidden”, which chronicles stories of believers risking everything for their faith. He emphasizes the relevance of these stories today, stating, “Not just from the past, these things are going on today” (46:11).

The conversation deepens as the Robertson family members share personal insights on maintaining faith amidst challenges. Jase speaks about embracing a quiet, community-focused life over seeking fame: “These days, my mission is just to live a quiet life” (51:48). Reeves adds that God has reshaped his desires, encouraging a focus on serving others and expressing faith through music rather than personal acclaim.

Phil ties these reflections back to biblical teachings, citing Job 1:20-21 to illustrate worship during life's lowest moments: “When Job gets on the worst day of his life... he fell to the ground in worship” (35:30). This reinforces the episode’s overarching theme of unwavering faith and authentic worship regardless of circumstances.

Final Reflections and Encouraging Words (55:37 – End)

As the episode wraps up, Willie offers heartfelt praise for Jase and Reeves, expressing pride in their dedication and the impact of their ministry. He encourages listeners to embrace their unique roles in God's kingdom, regardless of size or recognition. Phil concludes by highlighting the endless inspiration drawn from the Bible, ensuring that their content remains rich and ever-relevant: “We never run out of content. That’s our Bible” (49:16).

The episode closes with a reminder to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube, ensuring that listeners stay connected and continue to receive uplifting content.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Zach Dasher (00:31): “I am unashamed.”
• Phil Robertson (03:03): “He would spend countless hours hunting squirrels, cleaning them, and then cooking them.”
• Jase Robertson (07:08): “At Camp Chioka, Saturday, May 3rd, they’re having a sportsman’s day.”
• Phil Robertson (12:08): “Brave Books helps families stay grounded, and that’s why we love them.”
• Jase Robertson (30:05): “It really does move you through a journey of anxiety to peace only through Jesus.”
• Willie Robertson (45:47): “Whether you’re the next Johnny Cash or you’re just some guy playing down at the general store, there are no little people in His kingdom.”
• Jase Robertson (51:48): “These days, my mission is just to live a quiet life.”
• Phil Robertson (35:30): “When Job gets on the worst day of his life... he fell to the ground in worship.”

Timestamp References:

• <a name="timestamp00:31"></a>00:31
• <a name="timestamp00:33"></a>00:33
• <a name="timestamp01:53"></a>01:53
• <a name="timestamp03:03"></a>03:03
• <a name="timestamp07:08"></a>07:08
• <a name="timestamp09:35"></a>09:35
• <a name="timestamp12:08"></a>12:08
• <a name="timestamp13:56"></a>13:56
• <a name="timestamp16:17"></a>16:17
• <a name="timestamp30:05"></a>30:05
• <a name="timestamp45:47"></a>45:47
• <a name="timestamp51:48"></a>51:48
• <a name="timestamp35:30"></a>35:30
• <a name="timestamp49:16"></a>49:16

Transcript

[Phil Robertson]

The Ego Power plus savings event is on at lows right now. Get a Free Select EGO 56 volt battery with purchase of a select trimmer, blower or mower kit. That's a $299 value. Plus, shop today for new and exclusive items you need for your lawn. So get ready for spring with the latest in innovation From Ego, the 1 rated brand in cordless outdoor power only at Lowe's. We help you save.

[Jase Robertson]

Offer valid through 416.

[Phil Robertson]

Selection varies by location while supplies last.

[Zach Dasher]

I am unashamed.

[Phil Robertson]

What about you? So welcome back to Unashamed. I was mentioning that I was on a previous podcast. I was in Nebraska earlier this week, and it was interesting because we were. They had sent a note. You know, there's people that kind of handle us going places. And so she sent me a note from the organizer of the event. She said that they were wearing all of their board members, and because this is a pregnancy center and all of our board members and the staff of this little, small place was wearing camo for the event. And. And so she didn't say anything about us. But instantly when I received that, yeah, I thought, well, why would they tell me that? Are they wanting us to wear camo? Because in the early days, we were doing events, I would always wear a camo to the events because it was. There were a lot of sportsman's banquets and things like that. So it was kind of my, you know, modus operandi, but I haven't done that recently because these are usually banquets. And so we just kind of dress in our normal clothes. So I sent a note back, finally connected with the person. I said, do you want us to wear camo? Because, you know, we can wear. And she said, oh, that's up to y'all. But, yeah, that would be great.

[Zach Dasher]

What's the difference in me and you? I don't ask. I just.

[Willie Robertson]

That's all you wear nine.

[Zach Dasher]

Well, 90 of my wardrobe is Cam.

[Willie Robertson]

Well, you got camo shoes, like slippers. Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

You miss y'all.

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

He got kicked his foot up. He looked like.

[Zach Dasher]

You see that, Maddie?

[Willie Robertson]

They say George on the bottom, so whatever.

[Zach Dasher]

Well, I want to tell you that my son, that was a gift, actually gave me these for Christmas. You know what's fascinating?

[Willie Robertson]

What?

[Zach Dasher]

They're waterproof.

[Willie Robertson]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Zach Dasher]

You live in Louisiana and you have shoes, so you think they're old. They're slippers.

[Phil Robertson]

Only in Louisiana do you need waterproof slippers.

[Willie Robertson]

I mean, think about that. But. But if you walk in Any depth of water. And those shoes. There's that. You're. They're going to tip your. Like you tip your waiters. They'll tip the shoes.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. But it's like a pro. You got.

[Zach Dasher]

I'm going to go jump in the lake with them.

[Willie Robertson]

I'm just right.

[Phil Robertson]

You walk through a yard in Louisiana, if it's a recent rain, it's going to go up three or four inches.

[Zach Dasher]

Oh, I'm taking the garbage. Guess what? I don't have to take my slippers off. And the reason I call them slippers.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

Is because when you squirrel hunt, you have to slip. Be quiet.

[Phil Robertson]

Which is why dad hunted in socks.

[Zach Dasher]

And he passed that on to me. The problem is there's a thorn issue.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

That, remember, he would spend.

[Phil Robertson]

He was Countless hours. He would come in from a squirrel hunt, and he was very successful. This is back in the day when we were living off the squirrels.

[Willie Robertson]

This is when he was the squirrel.

[Zach Dasher]

That was a pattern. He would shoot the squirrels, clean the squirrels. Okay. Before she started preparing to cook the squirrels or he would cook them also. There was a thorn removal.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. And mom would have this bright light, and she would be there with a couple of needles because she would. Usually it would take a couple. Because she would literally dull a needle on his feet because it was like he had these pads on the bottom. And she would pick thorns out of his feet. How many times did we see that, Des? I mean, it was.

[Zach Dasher]

I'd say 100.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. I would do. It was amazing.

[Willie Robertson]

Did y'all like the squirrel, by the way? I like to eat them.

[Phil Robertson]

Love squirrel.

[Zach Dasher]

Is that a joke? What have you not eaten?

[Willie Robertson]

I don't know. A big fan of it. I mean, I have.

[Zach Dasher]

I would put that at the top of all rodents.

[Willie Robertson]

Did you eat squirrel brains?

[Zach Dasher]

No, but my mom. Mom did, but we didn't eat them because there's not really a whole lot there.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

But she seems to think that it contributed to.

[Willie Robertson]

You put it up there in the top to contribute to the what?

[Phil Robertson]

The.

[Willie Robertson]

The.

[Zach Dasher]

He put it at the top of the rodent family.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Phil Robertson]

But it.

[Zach Dasher]

The chasm is great. There's like, they're squirrel. And then there's everything else.

[Phil Robertson]

It's always when it comes to game or really even he put it.

[Willie Robertson]

He didn't put at the top of the game. Wild game at the top of the rodent category.

[Phil Robertson]

But my. I was about to say when it comes to rodents is. Same with game. It's all about what they're eating. The reason you don't eat rats is they're eating garbage and stuff like that. Squirrels eat nuts and you know, they're eating good stuff.

[Willie Robertson]

You don't.

[Zach Dasher]

They're actually really good.

[Willie Robertson]

Don't eat bear either. Bear's not good.

[Phil Robertson]

No, because they eat out of trash can.

[Zach Dasher]

Why would I want to eat a bear?

[Willie Robertson]

I went to a wild game feast one night and they had. They were serving black bear and I was like, I can't. I mean, I know what they eat.

[Phil Robertson]

Because you see them in your chat.

[Zach Dasher]

You'Ve given us a good reminder on why we have so much friction. I would basically, after this four minute conversation, classify you as a yuppie.

[Willie Robertson]

Because I don't eat bear?

[Phil Robertson]

Because he's wearing an orange hat?

[Zach Dasher]

No, just because you're like, do you eat squirrel? I mean, what kind of. When you say something like that, I mean, reminds me of this conversation Jesus was having.

[Willie Robertson]

I mean, I'll eat him. I'm persecuted. It's just not my. I mean, it's not in my.

[Zach Dasher]

You're asking the wrong questions. Do you eat squirrel? That I didn't even.

[Willie Robertson]

I should ask you, how do you prepare your squirrel?

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah, I mean, I would say my favorite is they'll brown them. They'll cut them into four pieces, brown them, then put them in the oven for an hour. Put whatever they put in there. I don't know how you know. And then they make a gravy out of the dribblings and you eat it all.

[Phil Robertson]

You just kind of pan fry them to sear them and then you put them in your onions and your gravy and. But it's funny because they're like a lot of game. The legs are really the only meat.

[Zach Dasher]

But you also have squirrel and dumplings, which is my favorite way to eat dumplings.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. So mom would boil them and then take the. Take the water off the boil like you would a chicken to do the.

[Willie Robertson]

Like a dark meat. Kind of like a dark meat.

[Phil Robertson]

So it's funny, one time we went to New York to do a show and I think it was Wendy Williams used to be a person that had television show. And so mom and dad and maybe some others were going to be on her show and well, she wanted squirrel. So they had sent word ahead from mom to cook and bring squirrel. Well, she did, but she just pan fried some and then. But you're going all the way to New York. So it was like two days before we actually got in the studio. And so it obviously wasn't going to be the best. It'd be if you serve it. But she wanted to try it. But she took it and she bit down right on the shoulder of that squirrel that had been made like two days earlier. And she kind of was crunching around trying to eat it. It was so funny because it was. There was some meat on there, but she went right for the bone on that shoulder.

[Zach Dasher]

Well, if you don't know the anatomy, it's like we eat a chicken leg but we know there's a bone in there. But when you're eating a squirrel and you've never eaten squirrel, you're like, oh, what is this?

[Willie Robertson]

It's called.

[Phil Robertson]

So the experience wasn't very good for it. I thought, yeah, but when you're trying to eat a bone.

[Willie Robertson]

But it made great tv.

[Phil Robertson]

It was good.

[Willie Robertson]

It made good tv.

[Zach Dasher]

So look, we're famous for being outdoors people and I have a. I have a really exciting thing that I'm involved in with my brother Willie. And I'm going to give you a plug because this, what I'm fixed to tell you about it will sell out. So I'm giving our unashamed.

[Willie Robertson]

They're getting the preview. So the unashamed audience is getting early.

[Phil Robertson]

Early bird special to come.

[Zach Dasher]

Well, I'm just saying we don't know.

[Willie Robertson]

We can't guarantee it's early bird. I don't even.

[Phil Robertson]

Well, that's true. I don't know what it's.

[Zach Dasher]

Now look, on May 3, which is a Saturday at Camp Chioka, which was.

[Willie Robertson]

My parents met there.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Phil Robertson]

Willie and Corey met there.

[Zach Dasher]

They did. They fell in love.

[Phil Robertson]

They fell in love.

[Zach Dasher]

I saw my wife there before she was my wife and thought, ooh. So at Camp Chioka, which the Chioca stands for Christian Youth Camp. I recently just learned this after all those years. I thought it was a native American name. Yeah, but if you take the two letters, the first two letters, you understand. Camp cheese. H, Y, O. Youth camp. C A Camp Chioka.

[Phil Robertson]

In that cute church youth camp.

[Zach Dasher]

So at camp Chioka, Saturday, May 3rd, they're having a sportsman's day. I will be speaking and look what's going to happen. It's a whole day. Family fun, live fishing, duck call, demonstrations, a barbecue, competition, jumpers. I'm not sure what that is.

[Willie Robertson]

Those are the things that kids jump around in. They're like the blow up things.

[Phil Robertson]

I thought that was just like people jumping around.

[Zach Dasher]

Petting zoo. Look. Axe throwing.

[Willie Robertson]

Okay.

[Phil Robertson]

Ooh. Which makes people jump.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

It's open to all ages. There's an archery competition. There's also a silent Auction with amazing stuff. So I think it's $15 for adults. The kids get in free.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

And it will sell out. But I wanted to invite you. Camp is kind of a special place for all of us.

[Phil Robertson]

But it's 90 acres about 15 miles from where we're sitting.

[Zach Dasher]

In the wilderness.

[Phil Robertson]

In the wilderness. But it's. There have been so many lives transformed on this 90 acres because so many years, through the years we've done camp out there. I was a spiritual director there for 10 years. My era was in the, in the 90s and everybody's kind of spent different time working there. But now because of our family's influence and doing, we get to do a lot of this outdoor stuff, which is really, really cool. We didn't have that before. This has been a fairly new thing the last few years to actually get in the woods and teach people about archery and fishing and all.

[Willie Robertson]

You barbecue some squirrels and so this. Figure it out. I might show up and do my burgers. If a barbecue. I'll do barbecue burgers with imitation cheese and we can.

[Zach Dasher]

You may win.

[Willie Robertson]

Let's see what happens.

[Zach Dasher]

So there's competition. You're in the woods. You'll get first rate instruction of the wild. So even if you're a yuppie like Zach or you're just a redneck and want to have some fun, it's open to everyone. But once it sells out, it'll be gone. So it's May 3rd, Saturday camp to Yoka. Go to camp Tioka.

[Willie Robertson]

How do you spell it?

[Zach Dasher]

So you got Camp Camp C H, C H Y O C a dot org Yoka.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

And you can, I guess you can register there. But. So that's my pit. Yeah, I'm, I'm promoting that today.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

So in various ways. So y'all come out. It'll be fun.

[Phil Robertson]

All right, so I know you got some more to do with that. So we're going to take a break and we're going to bring in some special guests. Very special, very special.

[Zach Dasher]

Bring in the bullpen.

[Phil Robertson]

So it's summertime, which means there's a lot more time with our kids, our grandkids. Jay's little man comes around. How important is it to have something to read to your children, your grandchildren or your God Children.

[Zach Dasher]

Our family. I'm hearing that famous song, we are family in the background. That's what happens when we get together.

[Phil Robertson]

And that's why we love Brave books, Jase, Because Brave books help parents raise strong families. Each month, Brave sends out a new book that teaches lessons like courage, forgiveness, or standing firm in your faith. And we know that biblical values and biblical stories are the best ones. And, Jase, you literally are a part of the Brave family because Missy wrote because you're my family about unconditional love, which is fantastic.

[Zach Dasher]

Here it is. Because you're my family.

[Phil Robertson]

Jeff and Jessica also wrote one called Dear Valor, which is an awesome story about adoption. They've been on the podcast that talk about it, which we love. So we're all in on. Brave Books is a big part of our family as well. When you subscribe, you not only get a new book each month, but you'll also get access to Brave plus, which is their new streaming platform packed with safe, uplifting shows like Strawberry Shortcake, Bob the Builder, and Iggy and Mr. Kirk with Kirk Cameron. So the world is trying to confuse and distract. Brave Books helps families stay grounded, and that's why we love them. Here's what you do. Head to bravebooks.com unashamed. Use the code unashamed to get Missy's book because you're my family. And Jeff and Jessica's book, Dear Valor, for free. Can't beat this deal. That's bravebooks.com unashamed. Raise them with truth. Raise them brave. All right, so welcome back. We. We traded Jayce. He's had to go do some. Some promotional work. We traded him for much younger.

[Willie Robertson]

Oh, yeah, the next gen. My daughter. My daughter Layla is here in the house.

[Phil Robertson]

Layla's here. Layla. What's your last name now?

[Jase Robertson]

Skinner. But I did keep Dasher, so I have four names.

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, really?

[Jase Robertson]

Layla, Beth, Dasher, Skinner.

[Willie Robertson]

Okay.

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, wow. Yeah. Forget the. You're going with four.

[Willie Robertson]

And then we got my. I. I say you're like a son to me. I'm like a pro.

[Phil Robertson]

Was it be a protege?

[Willie Robertson]

So this guy was in the college ministry that we. He was part of our college, obviously friend of the family. And now these two together are part of lo worship, which is why we're in town, by the way.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, we.

[Willie Robertson]

We. We're in town because y'all did your first live album with Sadie last night.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

Which was awesome, by the way.

[Phil Robertson]

And by the way, I literally watch these two from the womb, as they say, grow up into amazing people that love the Lord. Now they're both married, which I. I want to ask about that, too, later. But fantastic example of what happens when you have community, when you have faith, leading your family, when you teach these things going forward. And as Zach said, we were able to even do that with reason. You become a College student here, working at Camp Chioka. All the different ways we've had into your life. So just two great examples of what we talk about on the podcast all the time. It's important. If you don't have that going on in your own family, you don't have community. You don't have the idea of building a legacy through your children and grandchildren. You have to start now. Somebody's got to start being the one that says we're going to change that culture and we're going to do that. And these two people are examples of that, so.

[Willie Robertson]

Well, welcome.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, thanks for having me.

[Reeves Robertson]

Thanks for having us.

[Jase Robertson]

Excited to be here.

[Willie Robertson]

I want to. So I know about Ella worship, because obviously you guys are in it. We've been watching from the beginning. But tell the audience who may not know what you guys are doing with Sadie. I think it's pretty amazing because whenever.

[Phil Robertson]

I heard ello, I thought laugh out loud because that's what we do all the time. That your dad.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, it's. It's an age old debate of whether it's Ello. A lot of people say low as well. I like low because it reminds me of like, lo and behold, you know, lowly worship. I just think gentle and lowly. Yes, gentle and lowly. But it stands for live original, which is obviously Sadie's ministry. And yeah, she used to be on the road a lot and would kind of bring in these outside bands and then would always just kind of. She always had a heart for having a team that was like, aligned with her vision and honestly, just like a part of her family and a part of what was going on here in the community. And so then she reached out to Reeves and. Yeah, you probably can take it from there.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah, I jumped on. I was working at camp and leading worship there and like taking care of the grounds.

[Phil Robertson]

And you kind of oversaw the whole. You lived out there, Willie. Yeah, you were. You were Willie 2.0.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

You are the maintenance guy that took the. Willie never. He never did the job. Right. And then they brought in this guy to turn it all around. Yeah, you did a great job.

[Reeves Robertson]

Not quite. Yeah, yeah. It's like a really crazy story, but at that point I was working at camp and started leading worship and yeah, I just. I had a degree in construction, didn't really want to do that and saw the door open for me to stay here and work at camp. And I had just come out of, like the roughest patch of my life. Just struggled really bad drugs and alcohol at LSU and at like my Lowest just really, like, the end of my rope just had a moment of clarity and switched over to Ulm, like, halfway through college. And so that kind of led me to the Lord. And I didn't know any, like, singing being a part of my life. Like, music was in my family, and I played piano growing up, and I moved back, kind of picked up guitar and just messed around with it and had some of y'all just really pour into me and push me to get out of my comfort zone and try it out and just jumped in. So, yeah, it ended up bringing me to where I was at camp and taking care of the grounds and leading worship for the summer camps and really trying to take camp to this next level where we had all these rentals and we had renovated the whole space, which I got to use some of my construction stuff. Just partnering with Willie on that and my contractors during COVID The whole shutdown and everything. But, yeah, I just ended up walking through this crazy season where I learned that the Lord was calling me to something bigger than I ever thought. And it was like, I really. It's crazy. I love talking about it and remembering because there were so many hard parts of, like, working at camp. And that might sound crazy, because it sounds like such a fun. But, like, it was really hard. Like, just as I started doing these crazy things, Leading worship and, like, understanding the gravity of what I was being called to do, I was going to. Doing these awesome stuff. This awesome stuff, and then coming back to camp and, like, I'm cleaning toilets.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah.

[Reeves Robertson]

And at the time, I had one of the, like, craziest, like, studying the word. I was reading through David, and, like, he was taking care of his sheep and then going and playing for the king. And that's really, like. I started resonating with that. I was like, so what I really wanted, like, everything to be rushed. I wanted it to all blow up, and I wanted, like, to go and lead a bunch of people in worship. And I started having these crazy, like, visions about, like, just mass groups of people just coming to the Lord and crazy stuff. Even, like, what we did last night. Like, I've just had dreams and visions about it. And so then I had this huge tension, and I just tell, like, a quick story. It's crazy. Some people, like, gave these ducks to camp.

[Willie Robertson]

Like, real ducks.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah. And they. And they, like, clip their wings, and.

[Willie Robertson]

They couldn't fly away.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

And then.

[Reeves Robertson]

But of course, they're like, all right, somebody gave us ducks. So now it's my job to take care of these Ducks. So I'm feeding the ducks every day.

[Willie Robertson]

And the duck commander gave you the job to be the duck keeper.

[Phil Robertson]

Wow.

[Reeves Robertson]

So I.

[Willie Robertson]

So much irony in that, right?

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, exactly. Can't kill them.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah, don't kill them. Take care of them.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah. So I'm like feeding these ducks. And they started, like, I would walk down there and I would. Any noise I made, anything, like, they knew my voice. I'm serious.

[Phil Robertson]

And they'd call a duck shepherd running.

[Willie Robertson]

You're a duck shepherd.

[Phil Robertson]

Wow.

[Reeves Robertson]

They come running. I trusted you to be fed. They knew I was coming to feed them. And like, I'm reading about and I understand the context, like, shepherds back in the day, like, sheep knew their voice. And I say that story because it's just so weird. Like, it was just so strange and in this tension of like, what am. Like, what does this mean? And like, I feel like we're still finding that out. And last night was like, crazy. Like, the Lord just keeps showing up and doing this amazing stuff. And every day I'm just like, honored that I get to be a part of what the Lord's doing. And I know you probably feel the same way, but I like that too.

[Phil Robertson]

That to continue David analogy, I never thought about it like that. But also even you were talking about having a period where you were, you know, away from what you learned early to then be in your own lifestyle and how that led you to nowhere, which is a lot like David when he went on like a three year run, you know, where he was looking for the flesh, you know, that led him into the whole Bathsheba situation. He comes back and he writes Psalm 51, which Lisa and I call affectionately call Truth Vomit. Now, it's my favorite song because it's just like, here it is. I mean, it just. It comes out and you feel better after you let it go because you held all that in. And so only then can you see the clarity of how God would have you shepherding ducks or whatever to get you ready for what he wants you to do. And you look back through the Bible and it happened over and over and over again. It was like Moses who was ready to lead. And man, he was young, he's strong, he knows all the military stuff. And then guys like, no, you're going to need 40 years for getting how.

[Willie Robertson]

To speak in the wilderness.

[Phil Robertson]

In the wilderness, taking care of some sheep. And then I can use you.

[Zach Dasher]

This is great news. You have a sponsor who is zeroed in on the problem with trees. When they are growing, they do it really Slowly. So if you could only have a company that could have fast growing trees.

[Willie Robertson]

That company is here. Jace fast growing trees.com fast growing trees is actually the biggest online nursery in the US with thousands of different plants and over 2 million happy customers. I've purchased the Leland cypress, which are border trees for my yard. Al, what did you pick again?

[Phil Robertson]

Well, I'm down here on the Gulf coast, so I like a coastal vibe. So Lisa and I got a palm tree and also some fruit trees that are doing amazing bass.

[Willie Robertson]

Growing Trees offers a wide variety of plants, including fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, all kind of shrubs, all tailored to your climate and your space with an easy online ordering process and quick delivery straight to your door. Plus, with their alive and thrive guarantee and expert support, your plants will arrive healthy and you'll receive guidance on choosing the right plants and learn how to properly care for them. If you'd like to do your own research, their resource center is full of tips and advice from their plant experts to help you learn more about your yard's needs so that you know what will thrive in your area and with your particular yard conditions. So check out their zone finder to see what growing zone you're in. I'm in zone number seven. So this spring they'll have the best deals for your yard, up to half off selected plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get 15% off their first purchase when using the code unashamed at checkout. That's an additional 15 off@fast growingtrees.com using the code unashamed at checkout fast growingtrees.com code unashamed now's the perfect time to plant use unashamed to save the day. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply.

[Jase Robertson]

I don't know who said this recently, but they were like, I think it was Brandon, pastor of our church back in Black Mountain. He said, you know, you're having all these dreams to, like, go overseas and be a part of this mission, work and, you know, do these, like, awesome things for the kingdom. But, like, you're not even making your bed.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah, you want to change the world, but hey, why don't you start with yeah?

[Jase Robertson]

And I think, like, that's the story of honestly, our team is like. Like when I, when Sadie called me to be a part of the team, I was literally in high school. I remember I was standing at my locker. I was, like, about to go to math class. I was 18 years old. I knew nothing. I just knew that I loved to worship God. And I loved music, and I had prayed that it would be, like, something that I really could have a career in, but didn't know how God was gonna make that happen. But I also knew that deep down, like, I just felt that he was gonna honor that desire in some capacity. And I think I was the same way. Like, I remember getting that call and thinking, like, this is it. Like, we're gonna. It's gonna blow up. We're gonna start, you know, and it is such a process. It's a refining process. And it's slow, and it's good that way. Like, I mean, we've. We've. We. From when we first started, like, the songs we were writing to now, like, the difference is just, like, crazy. And it's been slow and it's been good, and it's been constantly, like, learning how to. Because honestly, like, I remember getting that call. I was a senior and I was like, well, that's it. Not gonna go to college. That's it. I don't need to go to college. And then it's like, no, girl, you gotta go to class.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah. It reminds me of. It's actually a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, who. I don't agree with his philosophy, but this is a really brilliant quote that Eugene Peterson later picked up and wrote a book titled this that. Long Obedience in the same direction. I think I got that right. Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Which I think when you think about worship, I mean that or transformation of the heart. I mean, it takes. It's a lifetime. But I love the last night you guys sang a song which hasn't been released yet. So I guess we can talk about it, but I don't be able to hear it yet. When does this album come out?

[Reeves Robertson]

Probably close to conference, which is in September.

[Jase Robertson]

That's what I'm thinking, like, end of the summer, maybe.

[Willie Robertson]

But last night. But last night was. It was the first time that you guys have recorded a live out, so it was like a big production. We have. I don't know how many people fit at the Hub, but it was packed.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, praise God for that too.

[Willie Robertson]

It was packed.

[Jase Robertson]

You're praying for that.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah. You had all the cameras and everything. So it'll be out on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, anywhere. You guys do have music out, which you got a lot of great songs. Well, let me say this too. When re. When you said. When Reeves said that we spoke in it, I did not speak into you about music. I had no clue when I was your college pastor that you had this gifting. So you talk about.

[Phil Robertson]

Nor did I, who've known him his whole life. And so we were beginning the early process. Process of doing an instrumental service at our church. And at this time, you know, I was still there. I still was working there. And I come in, and literally, you know, they're playing and someone is singing, but I'm. I'm kind of off to the side. And there's these. There's these poles in our fellowship center that kind of block your view from certain positions. And so you were blocked. And so I was listening. I thought, man, this guy's pretty good. But I couldn't see. I didn't know who it was. And finally, I peeked around the pole to see who it was, and it was Reeves. And I was like. Like, I was stunned. I was like, reely.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah. I was shocked, too, because when I heard you were doing.

[Phil Robertson]

And you were great. I mean, like, God was.

[Willie Robertson]

Well, I thought. I thought. Well, Sadie, do. I mean, like, that's. I mean, if you're gonna do it, do it right. Don't get some local. Local guy.

[Phil Robertson]

Don't get some Duck shepherd from camp.

[Willie Robertson]

Duck shepherd from. Yeah, but anyways, and I heard Duck Shepherd. The Duck Shepherd.

[Jase Robertson]

That would be a good. Like, something.

[Phil Robertson]

That's got to be something in the future. I planted a seed.

[Willie Robertson]

Are you on social media, by the way? You don't. Do you not.

[Reeves Robertson]

I don't have any.

[Willie Robertson]

He has no social media. Against the grain, which is hilarious to me because he' like that young guy, like. But he's anti social media, so. But if you do get on Instagram, that's your. That's your handle. The Duck Shepherd. That'll be your hand. Okay.

[Phil Robertson]

Born right here on the other side.

[Willie Robertson]

Someone's gonna grab that.

[Jase Robertson]

You should just tell Lydia to change her handle to the Duck Shepherd's wife.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

Well, I wanted to say last night, though, the songs were a whole lot about, like, the first. I love the flow of the evening because it was a lot of songs about our relationship to Christ, meaning how he loves us, which is part of the story. Right. I mean, I know a lot of times we get, like, worship leaders get flacked for singing songs that aren't all exhausting, that are more. But there are a lot of psalms that are about how God responds to us. But I love how you ended it because you ended it with a response back to God. I'd love to hear kind of what y'all are thinking. When did y'all intentionally put the evening together in that capacity?

[Jase Robertson]

I mean, honestly, like, these Songs, it was God just, like, placing them exactly where they were supposed to be. There's a lot of refining. We've been writing these for, what, two years?

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah. Some of them even longer.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah. I mean, yes, some of those songs, I guess, have been in years and years and years. But we wrote that last song just a few weeks ago, and we wrote it like. We were like, we need a song. Just, like, high praise, into the night type of thing, because it's called Songs for the Anxious Heart. We're taking a lot of our scripture from the Psalms because, like, the key. The key of the whole. It is a concept album. So it really does move you through a journey of, like, anxiety to peace only through Jesus, and he's the only answer. And, yeah, Reeves can probably speak into that a lot, too.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Reeves Robertson]

I mean. Yeah, that's. I think you're right on. I think we ended up, like, over the past couple years, we just found ourselves riding from these places of really hard seasons that we were all going through. And so then there were a couple of songs that just really stuck out. And somebody that's been, like, mentoring us on the writing side of things was like, y'all. Y'all have a lot of pieces to a really cool concept that I think people need today. Just like this, you know, title track for the album is Song for the Anxious Heart. So we had. We looked up and we had all these songs from these really, like, deep, like, places of pain and struggle. And. And so, I mean, I was immediately, like, that's. I feel like that's so needed, and we need, like, this edge of just being real on in music and, yes, in the worship space. But, like, maybe it's not always.

[Phil Robertson]

You.

[Reeves Robertson]

Know, just a song for church. Like, I just see a huge need for, like, whenever I'm struggling with anxiety or pain or any of these things. Like, when I have a song that somebody else has written that can help me through that and just bring me, like, this level of peace, and I can just. Yes, sing to the Lord, but also just, like, be sung over and, like, just play a song and just breathe and know, like, be still and know that I am God. Like, that's really helpful for me. And. Yeah, so we just, like, went with it, and, like, all these pieces started coming together, and then we got to write with this amazing guy, Jason Ingram, and he said something that, like, really, I felt like it was like the, like, cherry on top of the whole thing, and he was just like, man, I think everybody's ears are so tired, and I Was like that's how I feel. Like the worship wash in the worship. Yeah, in the worship space. Like I just feel like there's so much striving right now for this crazy huge like production. We see it in churches and like this like chase for fame and like I just feel like I'm exhausted. Like yeah, just listening to some of the stuff, like hearing these things that are coming out. Like we just, it just feels like the cyclical. Like we're just like everything's just in your face and it's just. I just want some peace. Like I need peace. Like I need to feel the presence of the Lord.

[Willie Robertson]

And yeah, one author said it best. He said to be disruptive is actually to be quiet, to be a non anxious presence. And I think that's like so true for our time that people do get exhausted. You get exhausted with the, you know, with. I think that's a generation too coming out of social media. Like you're looking and everything is big, big, big, big, big, big. But.

[Phil Robertson]

Well and I also think sometimes just from a person who knows nothing about being able to plan or you know, do worship like you guys do it. But as a recipient, I guess you would say and participant at the same time I think about that like you said, everything is about trying to somehow when you think about praise is that everybody's always in the best mood at all possible times. And it does my favorite text in the Bible about worship and it's not, you know, people have talked about it before but it's my favorite is in job one.

[Zach Dasher]

Zach, when I see you, I think that guy, he is a pure talker.

[Willie Robertson]

There you go. Well, actually I gotta warn you, don't get sucked into the scam that the big wireless companies do. They do this whole free phone game, but it always comes with a lot of fine print, like requiring you to sign up for four additional lines plus activation fees. Plus plus plus plus plus and at the end of the day, you've end up paying for the free phone three times over. But there's a better way. Our friends at Pure Talk, sponsor of this podcast, and my wireless company have a much better offer. With a qualifying plan of just $35 a month, you can get a brand new Samsung Galaxy A26 for free. This phone has virtually indestructible gorilla glass and it captures beautiful wide angle photos with your next generation camera lenses. All you need to do is switch to Pure Talk. For just $35 a month, you get unlimited talk, text and 15 gigs of data with mobile hotspot all on America's most dependable 5G network. I made the switch. I'm telling you, it is super easy. I love these guys at PureTalk as well because they truly believe in helping veterans. They're raising money to provide scholarship to support veterans learning trades after active duty, helping to also eliminate veteran debt. And they're raising money to end veteran suicide, which is something we want to be a part of. So here's what you do. Go to puretalk.comunashamed to make the switch again. That's puretalk.comunashamed to claim your free Samsung Galaxy with qualifying plan when you switch to PureTalk Wireless by Americans for Americans.

[Phil Robertson]

When Job gets on the worst day of his life, when he lost everything, all possessions, everything he knew at that point, and including his children, it says in verse 20, he fell to the ground in worship and said, and here was his song. Naked I came from my mother's womb Naked I will depart the Lord gave and the Lord is taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. And I think about the reason why this always spoke so much to me is that, you know, we tend to think of worship and praise only on the best days of our life. And even if we're not there, we try to kind of fake it to get there. But what about the worst days? I mean, are you still able to recognize who God is and still give him praise? And that's always stuck in my mind that no matter how I gather with people or even if I'm just on my own, you know, I do some of my best praising on airplanes, you know, when I'm just. I got my noise cancellation to cut everything out and I feel like I'm a few miles closer to, you know, leaving the planet. And I just have some moments, you know, just that's. I mean, because in those moments is when sometimes you make those connections. So I love that, what you're saying.

[Willie Robertson]

Because you're right, it's defined. I love how Paul defines worship. He broadens the definition.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

You know, off of your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship.

[Phil Robertson]

That's right.

[Willie Robertson]

It's not limited to Sunday morning, to the Sunday morning of the song, which, you know, I think that's what's cool, too. Like, the songs don't have to fit into a box. I think that's one of the. We've talked about this a lot. The secular sacred divide that we're going to put it into this one category. These are the only songs you sing for the kingdom or for Christ. But, man, there are a lot of different ways to express through your art, the beauty of Christ.

[Phil Robertson]

So I had a question for you. I want to ask you because of what you guys have already said about your experiences for ELO and worship. You had a strange opportunity this last year by getting an opportunity, you and Max, to go on American Idol, which. Which in our culture, you know. And I don't know how long American Idol's been on television, but it's been at least a decade.

[Willie Robertson]

I mean, y'all saw alive.

[Jase Robertson]

No, it was. It started the year before I was born.

[Phil Robertson]

Wow. So two decades. Yeah, so. And it has produced a lot of really famous singers now that were, you know, people that have been on the show. Not necessarily one just were on it.

[Willie Robertson]

It.

[Phil Robertson]

So I'd love to know, because we didn't talk a lot about it because your dad couldn't talk much about it when you guys were doing it. So I'm curious now, as the experiences you're having on the worship side and what. Where God has taken you here lately. How would you compare that experience of doing that? What was your mindset going in? I don't know. I'm just. I'm curious.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah. I mean, I think that it's so crazy how even in a year, your heart can change so much to, like, in your desires. Honestly, because I felt like I went into that having this desire to, like, obviously make it far and then maybe, like, release my own stuff after and dot, dot, dot, whatever that looks like. And I remember going in thinking, like. Like, this is it. Like, same thing with, like, this is my. This is what's gonna. It's the nail in the coffin for me. I'm gonna be able to quit school and do this whole time. And it wasn't that we made it through, like, three rounds, and then we're cut. And honestly, like, it was God's blessing and provision that that happened that way. Honestly, even from, like, just, like, a contractual side of things, like, just being able to be out then and terminating that because they have a contract with that show and getting to really focus on Ella worship full time. So I think rather than a disappointing experience, it was a clarifying experience for me. Like, I'm not supposed to be in that world, and at the end of the day, it's a TV show, so there's gonna be things that are narrated in scripts, whatever. But, yeah, it was a clarifying experience. I remember leaving and flying home, and two weeks later, I got married. Like, it was, like, so quick. And then, like, that next Sunday, I was leading worship at church, and I was just like, man, this is like. Or the Sunday after I got married, when I got home from my honeymoon and started leading worship at church. And then things started picking up with Ella worship, and I was just like, man, this is like. Like, this is where my heart is, is, like, for the church. And I will say that God is always moving. He is moving everywhere. So I remember, like, being in Hollywood and being on the show, and there were, like, so many worship moments that broke out that the production team would have to come and be like, guys, you want to, like, quiet down. Like, this is too much, like, just because people just praising God.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah, like, contestants, they want to know.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, like, every day, just, like, worship, worship, worship breaks out. And they said this happens every year. And it's because I think that, like, when you get that many musicians together, like, the believers come together. And I saw people, like, deeply touched by that. I saw, like, to this day, people I know whose lives were changed just from, like, getting to experience worship. American Idol also honors Christians really well. They honor the people that sing worship music. So that's really cool about that show. So that was really cool. It was encouraging to me. But at the end of the day, I really think that anything that I believe that anything that is worthwhile is gonna take hard work. And it's not an overnight thing, and it's a process like we were talking about earlier. Ella, worship has been a process, and I think that it was a great experience. But I'm so grateful how it turned out. I'm so grateful I didn't make it further than I did so that I am free to do the things that I'm doing now. And, yeah, like, my heart just. I don't know. There's something even just in the past, like, two months, I'm just like, man, I agree with Reese. Like, I just. I want to go back to what it's all about. And, like, that is. It is all about him, you know? And it looks different because, like, I always go back to the psalms. I got an opportunity to do this, like, residency summer thing where we were. We were studying the psalms, like, deep dive into the psalms and writing songs from the psalms, and it's so beautiful.

[Willie Robertson]

With our friends Shane and Shane at the worship initiative.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, yeah. Shout out. Shane and Shane. They're amazing.

[Willie Robertson]

Shameless plug.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. Shane squared.

[Willie Robertson]

Shameless. A shameless plug.

[Jase Robertson]

Well, I remember, like, okay, full transparency. I remember, like, for a season, not wanting to do Christian music at all. Because in my mind I was like, ah, that's boring. Like, there's these rules that you have to, like, follow and you have to like. And almost like it was like, creatively limiting, if that makes any sense. And I just. I don't know why that was. I don't know if that's because I've grown up in the church. I don't know. And then God started giving me, like, more language for who he is and for his glory and more language for his goodness. And I started reading, like, I did that deep dive into the psalms. I'm like, man, there is so much beauty here. Like, this is the furthest thing from boring. This is. This is stunning. Like, the language. And I mean, there's like Psalm 51, Psalm of Repentance, like, songs for the repentant heart. There are songs for the anxious heart. In the Psalms, there are songs for the people that, like, have been deeply wronged and want justice. Like, and those are kind of hard to read because it's like, God, would you, like, smash my enemies against a rock?

[Reeves Robertson]

I love others.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah, I got a list of people.

[Jase Robertson]

I've seen those.

[Reeves Robertson]

Mr.

[Phil Robertson]

Cynical speaks again.

[Jase Robertson]

Those are called imprecatory psalms. That's what we call those. I haven't heard a lot of songs that come out of those.

[Willie Robertson]

But that's the next. That's the next genre you guys gotta write. Yeah. Songs of justice. Smash my enemies, crumble them beneath. Yeah, that's.

[Jase Robertson]

No, but the, the psalms are so full. The Bible is so full. It's a never ending well of beauty and of truth. And I'm just like, this is where I want to draw my inspiration from for the rest of my life. Even if it's not, like, directly. I'm singing like a very explicit Christian. This is the well. And so American Idol was clarifying to me that this is where I need to be. I love worship music. I love writing songs for the church. I love writing songs for believers. I love writing songs for non believers that pull their heart towards him. But at the end of the day, it's all about drawing near to him. And so, yeah, glad I did it. Probably won't ever do it again. Definitely won't ever do it again.

[Phil Robertson]

But it's almost like God needed you to take a look and take a peek, because you might have always wondered otherwise what the other side would have been like.

[Jase Robertson]

I think so too.

[Willie Robertson]

You go into a situation. I told the kids, when you go into that situation, and I try to live my Life this way. Not that I do it perfect, but I do try to live my life with something called the Ignatius indifference. And what Ignatius would say is, you kind of hold these two options in your hand and one option is, then if this works, it's going to blow up and be huge. It's going to be awesome to have that platform. Did you give me a. What'd you give me there?

[Phil Robertson]

Crickets.

[Willie Robertson]

Crickets. Well, just because Ignatius, he was.

[Phil Robertson]

You got to explain. If you hear crickets, that means you got to explain what you.

[Willie Robertson]

So he said, yeah, that's.

[Phil Robertson]

We do this quite often when Zach is on the podcast.

[Willie Robertson]

But this, but this actually does help.

[Phil Robertson]

Me though, because your mom said, do I hear crickets? She didn't know.

[Willie Robertson]

I didn't hear.

[Jase Robertson]

I was like, can you get me one of those?

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, your mom deserves one. So yes, you will get one.

[Willie Robertson]

But what, what the indifference is, is that if this works, whatever you're doing, and it blows up and the thing your dream blows up into this big, awesome experience. Great. That's awesome. What a platform that you're going to be able to have if it doesn't work and you stay small and local, whatever that is, man, thank God I don't have to go do all with that. That's going to require a ton of work. So either way, God has people where He In God's kingdom. Francis Schaeffer wrote a book called this. There are no little People.

[Jase Robertson]

That's right.

[Willie Robertson]

So whether you're the next Johnny Cash or you're just some guy playing down at the general store and ministering to people, I mean, there's no little people in his kingdom. There really isn'.

[Phil Robertson]

One of the most important things that inspires us is the courage of other people who undergo persecution for their faith.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah, I mean, this book, When Faith is Forbidden, really echoes a famous verse in the Bible that says that people didn't love their lives so much as to shrink back from death in the name of Jesus and their testimony of him. And it's really inspiring because it makes Jesus resurrection real, you know, and it's.

[Phil Robertson]

Not just, you know, from the past. The things we read about in the Bible in the first and second century, I mean, these things are going on today. And so Todd Nettleton, who is the voice of the Martyrs radio host, he wrote the book that you have there, when faith is forbidden. 40 days on the front lines with persecuted Christians. And it was basically just a 20 year journey of him going into about 20 restricted nations. In those nations, he was finding amazing People that had stood on the principle of their faith, even when it cost them everything, some their lives, some their freedom, and everybody, it cost them something. And so it's a great way to be inspired, to be encouraged. Each stop on the journey gives you a challenge to reflect in your own life and exactly see where your faith is as God continues to work through you. So we don't want you to miss an opportunity to be inspired by these remarkable stories. Request your free copy of When Faith Is forbidden by calling 844-463-4059. That's 844-463-4059, or you can visit vom.orgunashamed. that's vom.orgunashamed.

[Willie Robertson]

And I. And that was something I had to come to grips with too, because I. I thought if I'm not doing the big thing, then I'm not doing the thing that God wants me to do. The problem is that whatever position you're in in terms of whatever success looks like, whatever influence you think that you should have or would have, that would make you feel fulfilled if you had that amount of influence, guess what? All that happens is your comparison level goes up. There's always going to be a bigger dog. There's always going to be a bigger ministry. There's always going to be a more successful guy. There's always going to be someone who's richer. And even if you're the richest guy in the world, like Elon Musk, all it takes is one drop of your company stock. And now you're not that guy anymore. So you're trying to hold onto. It's just not. You can't put your hope in those things. And living in that peace, I think is.

[Phil Robertson]

Well, you mentioned, I love the word used. It's the wellspring. The words of the Bible, the words of God are Holy Spirit, carried along over thousands of years. They still impact. And so what I love about it is, to your point, is that that's the wellspring for any bit of inspiration. You guys happen to have a gift and a talent in singing and music. For me, it's speaking, you know, So, I mean, I look at the Bible the same way for speaking. I would never run out of something to say because there's so much more than I could ever say.

[Willie Robertson]

That's our podcast. That's our Bible. We never run out of content.

[Phil Robertson]

Well, when they first approached us, dad, initially about, you know, Zach and I had a product company and they were like, we won't, Phil. We want you to do a podcast. And they were, like, thinking about content. And immediately I said, well, we need to do the Bible, because we'll never run out of content. And I remember a conversation I had with a preacher one time, and he said, well, it must be nice to be in a church where your family is in leadership and, you know, you've always got job security. And I thought, what? What does that mean? Yeah. I didn't know what he was talking about. And he said, well, I mean, I can never be in a place more than about five years because I run out of sermons.

[Jase Robertson]

Wow.

[Phil Robertson]

And I thought, well, you've got the wrong inspiration, because I'm never going to run out of service. It doesn't matter whether I'm at a place. I have family or not. Like, it is a wellspring of life change, and the beauty of it is you change. I mean, you two guys have been married in the last few years. Was that a big change? I mean, everything you do in life.

[Willie Robertson]

They'Re not married to each other.

[Phil Robertson]

But not to each other.

[Willie Robertson]

Married to separate people. I want folks to be able to hear because y'all have done a lot of music already, so this isn't like. I mean, although I said. I kind of made it sound like this is a new thing y'all are doing, but y'all have been. Y'all have a Spotify, Apple.

[Jase Robertson]

We got it all.

[Willie Robertson]

It's Lo Worship.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Phil Robertson]

And then YouTube.

[Willie Robertson]

Do you have a YouTube channel? Yeah.

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

Lo Worship.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

So we'll put. We'll put links in the show notes, and then when you guys act, do the actual launch, we'll have you back on, because I really think our family, the unashamed family, will love of your ministry. Probably a lot of people already know about what you guys are doing or listening to your. To what you guys are putting out, but I'm proud of both of you. Honestly. It's like, to me, last night, I was, like, tearing up looking at my daughter up there singing so beautifully. And then you thinking about that, I felt a little guilty that I didn't have the pastoral oversight to see your gifting. So I repent, Reeves. But, you know, I love you. You are one of my favorite people in the world. I love your entire family. And I am super proud of both of you guys. And you are. You are doing the what. What God's called you to. So praise him.

[Jase Robertson]

Thank you. We love you.

[Willie Robertson]

Thank you.

[Phil Robertson]

So. So tell us this in the last couple of minutes. What? What? Where do you feel like? What. What's the thing God has taught you most recently that you're using now to do this music and do everything else. Where. Where's God got you in the moment.

[Jase Robertson]

I love what you said about no little people, because this is, like, this whole point, there's a verse and I can't remember where, and that's awful. But it talks about the mission is to basically lead a quiet life. Like, that is the mission.

[Phil Robertson]

First Thessalonians 4.

[Jase Robertson]

That's right. We were in a riot a few weeks ago. This guy we were writing with, like, he's written a bunch of number one hits. Like, he's the guy in songwriting. And that was what he said. He said, yeah. These days, my mission is just to live a quiet life. Like, schedule is easy. I don't pack my days out, spend time with my family. I'm a part of my local church, very plugged in. And so for me, that's what I feel like God is teaching me, is just, slow down. Be in your community. Do not strive where the striving is. That is not where I'm having you. What I have for you is rest. And so whether this goes to the thousands or just our community, it's beautiful either way. And so. So I'm just trying to kind of live in that. I feel like God's given me so much peace about, like, those two hands. Like, either way, like, I like. Awesome. So, yeah.

[Phil Robertson]

What about you, Reed?

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah, I resonate with a lot of what you were talking about earlier. Just, like, I think the big thing that I've learned is that I've just seen how the Lord's just changed my desires. And you kind of talked about that with going on American Idol and experiencing that. And it's like this thing you thought and this whole path you saw, it's like you knew exactly what was going to happen. You had all these expectations, and then the Lord really just, like, prunes a lot of that out. And, like, at the start of the journey and up until where we're at now and seeing whatever the Lord has before us, like, I just. I definitely feel like the Lord's just pruned a lot of that out. Like, at the beginning, there's. You know, we're just, like, we're all just so obsessed with ourselves. And so, like, at the beginning, you know, it's just like, oh, this is gonna be great. Like, I can go after all my dreams and. And whatever. And, like, little by little, like, the Lord has just shown me that it's just not all about me. And like, my prayer for the last, like, couple years, as I've experienced the Lord just. Just pulling stuff back is, like, it's not all about, like, the big lights and everything and, like, the striving. And my prayer, like, all I could ask is that I would be used in a way, and I would be so in tune with the Holy Spirit in a way that, like, what we write is just putting new, fresh words to what people are experiencing and, like, helping people draw near to the Lord and, like, just, like, bringing new word. Like, my prayer is that I would just somehow be in touch with a new way to say what we're trying to say and, like, new words to what we're going through and, like, new.

[Willie Robertson]

Words to a timeless truth of who he is. Yeah, that's what I hear. I think that's so good. And when you said everything you guys were talking about, you know, the song that popped in my head was the Matt Redmond song. I'm coming back to the heart of worship. What it's all about you. When the music fades and all is stripped away and I simply come and I love that story about that song, you guys. We all know Matt, what a great guy he is. And that song was written out of an overproduction in the church. In their church. And their pastor's like, done. We're not doing that for a while. And the first song, they stripped everything down. And the first song they came back out with, they had sat in a season. I don't know the full. Like, I'm probably getting the details all wrong here, but the gist is right. They sat in a season of an aposture of who is God? Who is this? This king of glory that we serve? And we're coming. Let's go back to the heart of what worship is that?

[Reeves Robertson]

Yeah.

[Willie Robertson]

Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. And the first song that came out of that was when the music fades and all is stripped away.

[Reeves Robertson]

So I think they quit doing worship for a while, too.

[Willie Robertson]

Yeah. Powerful.

[Phil Robertson]

Well, thank you. And that's what we're so excited about, you guys. You're the next gen, and we're super proud of everything you're doing. Doing. So thank you for coming on Unashamed. Keep doing what you're doing. Awesome. See you next time. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by leaving a rating and review on Apple podcast. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube. And be sure to click the little bell and choose all notifications to watch every episode.