Ep 1100 | Phil Robertson Believed in the Broken—Now They Carry His Gospel Torch

Summary

Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Episode 1100: Phil Robertson Believed in the Broken—Now They Carry His Gospel Torch

Release Date: May 29, 2025

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Introduction

In this landmark 1,100th episode of "Unashamed with the Robertson Family," hosts Phil and Jase Robertson, alongside guest Zach Dasher, delve deep into the transformative journey of Phil Robertson. Celebrating Phil's enduring legacy, the episode underscores how his unwavering belief in the broken has inspired a new generation to carry the Gospel torch forward.

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Personal Journeys and Transformation

Zach Dasher opens the conversation by sharing his personal journey of faith, returning to his roots at White Street Road Church in 1995 through Camp Chewy. He reflects on his own struggles with insecurity and brokenness, highlighting the pivotal role Phil played in his spiritual renewal.

"I was an insecure little boy projecting like I was a man, but I wasn't. Being around you guys was transformative."
— Zach Dasher [01:10]

Jase Robertson recounts his tumultuous upbringing in an abusive home, detailing the profound impact of his father's alcoholism and abuse. At the age of 14, after his mother shot his father in self-defense, Jase found himself grappling with questions of right and wrong, ultimately leading him to seek a higher purpose beyond his troubled past.

"I knew I hated that life so bad, but I didn't know what else to do."
— Jase Robertson [12:33]

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Phil Robertson’s Influence and Ministry

Phil Robertson shares his own story of rebellion and addiction in the early 1970s. Despite a troubled past marked by drug use and destructive behavior, Phil's encounter with divine clarity—triggered by his daughter's heartfelt plea—led to his spiritual awakening and commitment to change.

"That moment God gave me this gift of clarity and the clear thinking that I had right then."
— Jase Robertson [28:01]

Mary Owen, Phil's wife, narrates the emotional breakthrough when Phil decided to turn his life around. Their unity in seeking help and embracing faith became a cornerstone for their ministry and personal lives.

"It was a miracle. All these people, hundreds of people came down and grabbed us and hugged us and were crying."
— Mary Owen [37:27]

Phil's dedication to ministry is further exemplified through his role in developing Celebrate Recovery, a global ministry aimed at helping individuals overcome addiction and brokenness through faith.

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The Role of the Church in Healing and Confession

The episode highlights a pivotal moment at White Street Road Church, where a public confession by an elder ignited a wave of transparency and healing within the community. This act set the foundation for a culture of openness and support, allowing individuals to seek help without fear of judgment.

"James 5 says, Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed. And you guys embodied that."
— Zach Dasher [38:25]

Phil Robertson emphasizes the church’s commitment to accepting and supporting those who confess their struggles, reinforcing the message that no one is beyond redemption.

"Nothing matters. Anything you're struggling with, and nobody's going to throw a rock or stone anytime."
— Jase Robertson [38:56]

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Legacy and the DNA of the Ministry

The conversation seamlessly weaves through generations, showcasing how Phil and Jase’s mentorship has influenced Zach’s ministry work. Zach draws parallels between the revival at White Street Road and the current revival happening in White Mountain, North Carolina, attributing it to God's sovereignty and the foundational DNA established by Phil and his peers.

"It was like a moment in hunting history right there."
— Phil Robertson [05:29]

Zach Dasher reflects on the intertwined stories of faith, mentorship, and unwavering belief that have sustained the ministry's growth and impact.

"This is the DNA of the kingdom. This is what we've been a part of."
— Zach Dasher [55:36]

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Personal Relationships and Shared Faith

Mary Owen shares the heartfelt story of her and Phil’s enduring marriage, highlighting their mutual support and faith-driven partnership. Their shared experiences and commitment to each other serve as a testament to enduring love grounded in spiritual belief.

"We had our first kiss in front of LPNL, that stoplight. And we've been together ever since."
— Mary Owen [25:02]

Phil adds depth to their relationship, illustrating his transformation from a rebellious youth to a devoted family man and spiritual leader.

"It's funny because that's how you marry me. I'll be this way till the day I die. That's just who I am."
— Phil Robertson [27:16]

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Phil’s Personal Transformation and Leadership in Ministry

Phil Robertson candidly shares his decade-long battle with addiction, his eventual surrender to faith, and the profound support he received from his church community. His honesty and vulnerability not only transformed his own life but also set a powerful example for others struggling with similar issues.

"She went to church that morning. Our kids were, I think, 4 and 7... I heard every word she said. And he did."
— Jase Robertson [30:02]

Phil highlights the significant role of mentorship and community support in overcoming personal demons, emphasizing the importance of genuine relationships in spiritual growth.

"Everybody still talks about that, about how that changed the DNA of our church."
— Jase Robertson [32:05]

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The Gospel Work and Its Impact

The episode delves into the mechanics of evangelism within the ministry, describing how Phil and Jase learned to share the Gospel effectively. Their persistence in gospel studies, despite initial setbacks, eventually led to impactful conversions and the establishment of a robust evangelical framework within the church.

"From that moment on, we went on, I would stop my work. He would give me a call, gotta study, gotta study."
— Phil Robertson [43:28]

Phil Robertson recounts the challenges and triumphs of spreading the Gospel, illustrating the deep commitment required to lead others to faith.

"We went on 1 run, 23 gospel studies, and no response. It was the 24 mark that changed everything."
— Jase Robertson [45:08]

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The Ongoing Revival and Future Directions

As the episode draws to a close, Zach Dasher reflects on the ongoing revival in White Mountain, North Carolina, attributing its success to the foundational work laid by Phil Robertson and his peers. The episode underscores the enduring legacy of transparency, confession, and unwavering faith that continues to inspire and transform lives.

"We're waiting on the second coming, but the Bible, Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against the kingdom of God."
— Zach Dasher [53:29]

Phil concludes by highlighting the global impact of their ministry, emphasizing the continued growth and support provided through initiatives like Celebrate Recovery.

"I am the global director of Celebrate Recovery. We're making the manifold wisdom of God known to the rulers and the authorities that are sitting in the heavenly realms."
— Phil Robertson [52:28]

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Conclusion

Episode 1100 of "Unashamed with the Robertson Family" serves as a powerful testament to Phil Robertson's enduring influence and the transformative power of faith. Through heartfelt personal stories, candid reflections, and inspirational dialogues, the episode encapsulates the essence of resilience, community, and unwavering belief that defines the Robertsons' ministry. As they celebrate Phil's legacy, they also illuminate the path forward for thousands seeking redemption and spiritual renewal.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "I was an insecure little boy projecting like I was a man, but I wasn't. Being around you guys was transformative."
  — Zach Dasher [01:10]

• "I know, Jase. One of the things I love about our church is that it's real people serving a real God and the transparency of all of it."
  — Jase Robertson [38:56]

• "This is the DNA of the kingdom. This is what we've been a part of."
  — Zach Dasher [55:36]

• "I'm the global director of Celebrate Recovery. We're making the manifold wisdom of God known to the rulers and the authorities that are sitting in the heavenly realms."
  — Phil Robertson [52:28]

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This episode not only honors Phil Robertson’s profound impact but also serves as an inspiring blueprint for living an unashamed, faith-driven life dedicated to uplifting others and spreading the Gospel.

Transcript

[Jase Robertson]

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[Phil Robertson]

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[Jase Robertson]

I am unashamed.

[Phil Robertson]

What about you?

[Zach Dasher]

Welcome back to the Unashamed podcast.

[Jase Robertson]

I was wondering which one it was.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

So if you're listening, I had to rephrase it because I got mixed up there for a second. But, yeah, Al and Jace are still not back with us yet, but they'll be back in the next episode. And so in the meantime, we brought in some dear friends. Mac, you've been on before.

[Phil Robertson]

Yep.

[Zach Dasher]

You brought your beautiful bride Mary with you. Mac and Mary Owen, mentors of mine, mentors in the faith of me and Jill. Mary, good to have you here as well.

[Mary Owen]

Thank you. I'm glad to be here. I feel like I'm on holy ground being back here. And to celebrate Phil's life, it's. It's a beautiful thing to get to be here all together with our family.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. I love what you said, being back here. Of course, we're living in Colorado now, and everybody back here is talking about how hot it is. I said, well, it snowed at our house a foot and a half last week.

[Zach Dasher]

They're at 9,000ft elevated, right?

[Phil Robertson]

9,000Ft. And Phil would look at me and say, owens, why would anybody want to live there?

[Jase Robertson]

That's what I was thinking.

[Zach Dasher]

And we have Paul Stevens, too, one of my other favorite guys in the world. Mentors. Both of y' all are former elders of mine, so I sat under your eldership and leadership for many, many years. So, Paul, welcome to the podcast.

[Jase Robertson]

Thank you, bud. We're glad to be here.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah. So here's what we're going to do today. We're still in the week of you Know, just talking about Phil's life, what he meant to all of us. And so one of the things I want to do today have you guys on, because y' all were kind of in the thick of it with Phil when the. I mean, at the peak of, I would say, his ministry, you guys were in the trenches.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[Zach Dasher]

So you're in for a treat. I'm telling you both. All these stories intertwined. So we're going to talk a little bit. I want to hear both of Yalls, all Yalls stories today and really thinking about my own life. And I came into the church at White street Road in 1996. 1995, actually, summer after 95, through Camp Chewy. My parents obviously went to seminary there, and there's a whole lot of roots here. But I came back, and that started, for me a trajectory in my life that, I'm telling you, I was an insecure little boy projecting like I was a man, but I wasn't. And y' all may say it took a little longer to get out of that. I don't know. But being around you guys was. And being around Phil and just the DNA of the ministry at White Street Road was. I would say that I came into a renewal movement, a revival that was happening. So I want to talk about that if you. If you guys are cool with that.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Zach Dasher]

So, also, I thought it was interesting when we started, you guys were taking out your hearing aids, too.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, well, that says a lot right there. Hey, no, really, for me, it's like if you sit next to. I sit right next to Phil and the duck blind. Yeah. You know, because I was the Biscuit man, so he was closest to the biscuit, to the food, you know? But if you're sitting there, that means there's somebody on the other side of you. And usually that was some idiot that was shooting, and it was always in my ears. And so I. You know, back then, nobody wore hearing protection, and so that's why none of us can hear anymore, all those shotguns.

[Jase Robertson]

So Phil end up going to my hearing aid doctor and getting this one hearing aid. He wouldn't get two of them.

[Phil Robertson]

He just get one.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, he just needed it for one.

[Zach Dasher]

Well, y' all both are talking about hearing aids and whistling, and I say that I just thought that was funny because y' all were my elders, and now you're pulling out your hearing aids, you know, but. But we will blame Phil because you were one of the original Duck men, right? You were in the original Duckman videos. I remember there was an infamous scene of y' all spitting tobacco.

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, that's right. And I, by the way, won that contest. If you don't believe it, go back on YouTube. You'll see that I won. Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, so you had a spitting contest?

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, it was. Yeah, it's like, famous.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, that's funny, because I did, too, when we were. When I was running around with him. He worked for the. For the park department or whatever it was, and we was riding around, and we had a spitting contest.

[Zach Dasher]

Who won?

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, I did. I beat him back. But the thing about it was, he said, well, I'm more of an accuracy guy.

[Phil Robertson]

That's right. So, no, look, he's sitting there on the video, actually, and he has a shotgun shell that's already, you know, opened up, and he's, like, spitting in the shotgun shell. Accuracy.

[Jase Robertson]

So he was an accuracy guy. He wasn't a distant guy. Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

Well, then they did this deal where they. They did the slow motion. So now you had the tobacco. I mean, it was absolutely disgusting, but it was. If we would have had Facebook at the time, it would have went viral, but it was like a moment. It was really a moment in hunting history right there.

[Phil Robertson]

Well. And Mary would say, please don't ever use that as your claim to fame. You know, that. You won that contest, Mary, you didn't.

[Zach Dasher]

Like that, did you know?

[Mary Owen]

I couldn't even look at it. It was so gross.

[Zach Dasher]

I love it. Well, okay, so here's how. Here's what I want to. I want to do, because I was at an event recently, and I've sat under Yalls teaching and leadership, like, really in my. Most of my formative years of coming into my own faith. So I've heard a lot of these stories before, but sometimes you hear them in a new way. And so I went to a. I guess it was a men's retreat in Searcy, Arkansas, and you were there. I hadn't seen you. And it was good. It was ho. It was amazing. And you told your story, and I'd heard it before, but, man, something was not something. Someone was moving in the room that they. And your story is so vulnerable. It's so raw, so powerful, and it kind of definitely intersects with Phil. And I could feel just in the room that, like. Like, it. God started to move. And after you told your story, I mean, it, like, change started to be broken. I mean, confession started to happen. Healing started. It was pretty powerful.

[Jase Robertson]

That that was. It gives me chills just thinking about how that happened when all that happened when I finished and how these men responded to that. And it was some other leaders in other churches, too. There were some elders that were there that actually, if you remember, the guy that stood up was an elder and started talking. Oh, yeah. It changed everything in our whole church. Matter of fact, I saw later on where he was baptizing people and all that. Wow.

[Zach Dasher]

Because he had confessed something in that moment in front of probably 100 men or 80 men.

[Jase Robertson]

And he was the elder of the.

[Zach Dasher]

Church and he was in the 70s. He said, I hadn't told anyone this, and something happened to me last eight years old. I've never talked about it until I even told my wife. Said, but I'm going to tell you all something. And he confessed something that happened to him.

[Phil Robertson]

When you said that. That should be a red flag for anybody when somebody said the most holy words that I've ever heard is, I've never told anyone this because you're fixing to embark on part of their journey that you may be a catalyst to help them overcome that. And so, yeah, that's powerful words right there.

[Zach Dasher]

So there was something that happened at White's Ferry Road, at our church, that what I have witnessed when we were all together was a movement of God that, like, we have all seen so many people come to Christ from the most broken places that you can ever imagine. And I think a lot of that started somewhat with your granddad, who was in the movie the Blind. Your dad. Sorry, your dad was in the movie the Blind. Alton Howard, your brother played Alton Howard in the movie who gave Kay the job. So all of our stories intertwined here. So Phil comes to faith, I think, in 19. What was it?

[Jase Robertson]

I think 74.

[Zach Dasher]

74. Ish. So he's two years out he goes. I think he teaches school at Ouachita Christian High School.

[Jase Robertson]

First year of the Head Hat. High school.

[Zach Dasher]

You're a student.

[Jase Robertson]

Yep.

[Zach Dasher]

So you. So what happens from there?

[Jase Robertson]

Okay, so. Well, long story short, I got. They asked me to leave West Monroe. They didn't want me there anymore. They kicked me out. Nobody else.

[Phil Robertson]

I've been asked to leave places before, too.

[Jase Robertson]

It wasn't. I mean, you know, I'm like, well, I'm a good guy. Why would you want me not be here anymore? But anyway, long story short, then the football coach. I could play ball. And actually, I was on the podcast before, and I did this with Phil and them, but so I could play ball. And they asked me to come over and start a football program with them, and I did. And that's Where I met Phil was on the football field for the first time. So you're a coach? Yeah, he was a coach. Yeah, he was actually a coach and a teacher.

[Phil Robertson]

Without a beard?

[Jase Robertson]

Without a beard. Without a beard, yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

So you meet. What's Phil like in this moment? I guess he's a few years older than you.

[Jase Robertson]

Well, yeah, I think he's ended up being 12, 13 years older than I am. But, I mean, he's young guy. Yeah, he's young.

[Zach Dasher]

So you. What. What are you thinking? Is. Are you thinking this guy's cool or what are you.

[Jase Robertson]

Well, I mean, I didn't really know what to think other than he looked like a good athlete, you know, And I thought, well, okay, this guy may know what he's talking about. And. But he was a backs and ends coach, and I was a lineman, so. But anyway, so he and I started talking to one another, and we realized that we had a lot more in common than we thought, because, you know, we didn't know what to expect, because I came in from a brokenness, from a broken home, and living in sin and doing the drinking and drugging and all the things. Living with a girl at 16, doing all these things that you shouldn't be doing, but yet looking for something bigger than me and not knowing where it was. And then he and I got to talking about our background, and it was like, okay, yeah. So we started relating to that.

[Zach Dasher]

All right, so here's what I got here. This is IQ Sense Chef. Iq. Here's what they look like. These are thermometers. Jill, you got to benefit from these recently, right?

[Mary Owen]

Yes. He's obsessed with these.

[Zach Dasher]

These are awesome.

[Mary Owen]

They're amazing.

[Zach Dasher]

They're a wireless thermometer that you can use if you like to cook and smoke meats, which I do. So I've been using. I've already. I've just got mine in about two weeks ago, and I think I already use them about 10 times. They're amazing, because what drives me nuts about cooking meats, whether it's steak or chicken, whatever it is, if you use a standard thermometer, they all typically have, like, these cords on them. Then you got find a place to put the base and all that stuff. It's a nightmare.

[Mary Owen]

We lose all the parts.

[Zach Dasher]

Lose all the parts, and I can never find it. These are so simple. You just stick the thermometer into me. It's a wireless thermometer. You can put your base by your. By your grill and then walk away. I have it tied to my iPhone, and it cooks it to the exact temperature that I want it to be cooked at. And so I cook my steaks to about 125, and I bring them off and let them rest for a few minutes. And all I do, I stick the. I stick the thermometer in, I walk away, I get the alert on my phone, I walk out, I pull the steaks off, and they cooked to the perfect temperature. I've never used a meat thermometer. So amazing. I love Chef iq. I mean, Chef IQ is the. It's total. It's a total game changer for the way that I'm going to grill moving forward. This is the world's smartest, simple to use wireless cooking sensor. And the best news that they just announced a flash sale, and you need to jump on this now. Summer grilling season is here, and Chef IQ sense makes you a grill master. And during their flash sale, you get 15% off. So here's what you need to do. Visit chefiq.com and use promo code unashamed. Again, that's chefiq.com promo code unashamed. These are the best meet thermometers on the planet, guaranteed. Your background is pretty brutal.

[Jase Robertson]

It's brutal.

[Zach Dasher]

And when that tell. Tell the audience a little bit about, like, where were you at? Like, when did your kind of journey. Because mom and D, you grew up in an abusive home.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah. Okay, so my dad was a great man. He really was. But he had a drinking problem. He was alcoholic. And that turned into really bad because he started drinking a fifth a day, that kind of thing, and became abusive. You never knew. I mean, we're talking about. I'm on how far you want me to go in this, but, I mean, he would get mad. He tried to kill my mom several times. Shot holes through the front door with a shotgun trying to shoot her as her and her cousin ran off. And we had holes in the back door from a pistol. There was all kinds of things like that. I've seen him shoot a man in the front yard. These are things that we just. It seemed to be not an everyday occurrence, but enough. It happened enough times to. To anyway, it was abusive. And then toward the end there, he started turning on me and my sister because we were the only ones left. My younger sister. He started, you know, hitting us and things like that. But it was really. It was really bad. I mean, it was. And so when you. When you come out of something like that, you start trying to figure out what life's all about, because you don't know really what the difference is between right and wrong. To be honest with you, you're trying to figure these things out, what life's really about. And I knew I hated that life so bad. I mean, I hated it so much. But I didn't know what else to do. All I knew was to drink and drug and have sex and do all these things at such a young age. I mean, I'd already lived a whole life. Most, more than most men have at that time. So at 14, I thought I was a man because my dad said when he died I'd be a man. Well, he died at 14. My mom shot him and killed him while he slept because. And they end up ruling it self defense because they knew who he was. But so he was shot and killed. And then from then on out, I felt like I was a man because he said I would be. I'm 14, but I'm living the life of a man. And really, I mean, I was working at horse ranches. I was working around and doing what I could, going to school and like I said, just not having any direction at all ended up getting me kicked out of school.

[Zach Dasher]

How old, so how old were you when your. When your mom shot your dad?

[Jase Robertson]

14.

[Zach Dasher]

You're 14?

[Jase Robertson]

I'm 14.

[Zach Dasher]

And then you get kicked out of school?

[Jase Robertson]

I got kicked out of school probably when I was 15, 16.

[Zach Dasher]

And then you go and you meet.

[Jase Robertson]

I meet with Wayne Spruill, who was the head coach at West Monroe Junior High. We called it junior high then, it was middle school now. But anyway, so he was the head coach and he was going to go start a new football program in high school called Washtar Christian. And he came to our home and asked if I would like to be a part of that and come play football. And actually they would give me half tuition and get me a summer job. And actually I work working with the police department. Yeah, well, that's where I met William Guyton, by the way. He was another man.

[Phil Robertson]

You're bringing up a lot of names. I know Wayne's pro. I know William Guyton. We go back a long way, Paul.

[Zach Dasher]

We really look, they were starting Washtaw Christian at this moment, right?

[Jase Robertson]

Correct.

[Zach Dasher]

Which your dad was involved in that, right?

[Mary Owen]

Yes, yes, he was. And watch, all Christians started at the church, isn't that correct?

[Jase Robertson]

The first high school was at White's Ferry Road. Yes, but to be honest with you, I think they never told me who sponsored me for half my tuition. But I think it was your dad.

[Zach Dasher]

It probably was.

[Jase Robertson]

I really do. I always thought it was him. Nobody said. But I knew he had contributed a bunch to it. And I felt like that it was your dad that helped paid for half of my schooling. And I had a summer job to pay for the other half, which.

[Mary Owen]

He saw potential in you. He's like, man, we gotta.

[Jase Robertson]

We gotta get that boy, you know? I don't know what they saw. Cause I didn't see it.

[Phil Robertson]

It was pretty cool because when you're doing that, you're going to school and I'm working construction. I'm actually digging the footings for Ouachita Christian School. That was the hottest summer of my life.

[Jase Robertson]

Well, I appreciate that, man.

[Phil Robertson]

No problem.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah, you got to thank you for that. Look at your work. Paid off there.

[Jase Robertson]

I appreciate. Yeah, yeah. But anyway, so it took me to this Whites Ferry Road church where the first high school was, and they were trying to start the football program. We actually practiced football out at Foresight Park.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah. Because we didn't have anywhere else to go. So that was. And that's where I met Phil, the head coach.

[Zach Dasher]

Was he the head coach?

[Jase Robertson]

No, Phil was the backs and ends coach.

[Zach Dasher]

Okay.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah. Wayne Spruill was the head coach. And we had other guys out there like Larry Cuberth and some other guys out there that was coaches and stuff like that. But so like I said, Phil and I hit it off pretty good. Probably more than rest of them because I had the background that.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

And I. I don't know what Phil was thinking. I don't know what he was doing.

[Phil Robertson]

None of us knew what. That's okay.

[Jase Robertson]

That's true. But one, he. I don't know why he took up with me. Yeah, hang on a minute.

[Zach Dasher]

No, hang on.

[Jase Robertson]

I don't know why. I talked to Kay the other day, in case Kay looked at me. She said, you know, Bill sure did love you. And I said, well, I loved him more than he'll ever know. And I don't know how many times I thanked him for taking up with me and just seeing something in me. Because what school teacher takes a kid and just brings him along? And I'm end up staying at his house more than I did my own house at this time. And we were. He was teaching me a lot. It took him to believe it or not. It took him two weeks to share.

[Zach Dasher]

The gospel with me, which is kind of crazy. That was that. But he's only been a Christian, what, two years?

[Jase Robertson]

Maybe two years. A year and a half. Two years. Something like that. So he was telling me about Jesus as we was driving down the road.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

And what's funny is one of the things that he did, we went by a bar that my daddy went to, and I actually had been in that bar as a kid, little kid. My dad would take me to these bars and set me up at the bar, and I drink Coke and peanuts, you know.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

And while he's down there drinking. And so we passed a bar one day, and he goes, see that bar over there? And I said, oh, yeah. He said, you know him. I don't know about them old boys. He said, they might not make it. And I said, well, if the same guys in there, I know they don't. And I'm like, okay. So I said, yeah, I know that bar. So we kept talking. He kept explaining to me about the gospel and what Jesus did, about the death, burial, and resurrection. And then one day during fifth period, I think I was actually supposed to be in another class, but they was outside, and so I snuck out, and I was over there, and I went out there to talk to him. And I could take you to the very spot where he said, okay, here's what you do. And then he laid it out. You believe this. You confess Jesus as Lord, You've repented of your sins, and. And you're baptized. He said, son, it's up to you now. Whatever you want to do. And he turned around and walked off. And I went. He got about from here to Magna. I said, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I said, come back. Let's go. I said, let's go right now. He said, all right, let's go. So we walked over into the church, and that's where he baptized me right there during fifth period at ocs.

[Zach Dasher]

And I think. Were you the first person I was that Phil baptized?

[Jase Robertson]

First one, yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

I mean, the last podcast we had. Sigh. On. Which y' all just left si's podcast.

[Phil Robertson]

Right.

[Zach Dasher]

Everything okay, by the way?

[Phil Robertson]

A little frazzled, but.

[Zach Dasher]

No, that's high octane.

[Mary Owen]

He was on fire.

[Zach Dasher]

He's on fire. But what's interesting is Cy had brought up that my mom had said, y' all have heard this story. All y' all have heard it. That told Bill Smith, who was all of our elder and mentor, if you can lead Phil to Christ, he'll lead thousands. And it turned out she was right. And you were the first one.

[Jase Robertson]

First one.

[Zach Dasher]

You were the first one.

[Jase Robertson]

So I tell you, I knew enough heathens. And all I knew was I knew Mark 16, 15, 16, you know, go into the world and preach the gospel and baptize them, and if they don't they'll be condemned. That's the way I said it, too.

[Phil Robertson]

Something about handling snakes in that North Carolina.

[Zach Dasher]

It happens up in North Carolina. It was actually added to a later transcript of the Bible. Another discussion.

[Jase Robertson]

So anyway, so that's about all I knew. But I would go around telling everybody that, and they were like I said, but I know a guy that can tell you the rest of the story. And so I was dragging these people to him. And I don't know how many people we end up baptizing out of that deal. Just me. Until one day, about two years into this, you know, I'm at his house one Sunday afternoon, and of course, it's two o' clock, you know what Phil's fixing to do? It was nap time. So this kid was coming up from Alexandria, and he walks by, goes, Stephen, sharing the golf of that boy. And I'm like, well, wait a minute. So he walks off and just goes in there, goes to bed or go, takes his nap. And I'm like, okay. And then so I started and. But I hadn't looked back since. So I've been. I've been telling people about Jesus ever since.

[Zach Dasher]

And now you baptized quite a few.

[Jase Robertson]

People.

[Zach Dasher]

Quite a few people to Christ yourself.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, a bunch. I don't. I don't know how many of them. Never kept up with it.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah. Well, it's just something that's kind of my deal.

[Zach Dasher]

That's part of the DNA. And then so. 70. 19. 74.

[Jase Robertson]

76.

[Zach Dasher]

76. 76. So then you're. You guys, you're pouring footers at OCS, right? But you're probably doing a few other things too, right?

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

Are y' all dating at this point?

[Mary Owen]

What?

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, we were married at that point.

[Mary Owen]

Yeah. 74 is when.

[Phil Robertson]

76.

[Mary Owen]

But we met in. When did we meet?

[Phil Robertson]

We were married in 76, Mary.

[Mary Owen]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Phil Robertson]

Okay.

[Mary Owen]

That's right. That's right.

[Zach Dasher]

Jace, when's the last time you bought a house? Oh, it's been years. Years, Al, what about yourself? It's been months for me, Zach. Well, I've lived in you.

[Phil Robertson]

You're.

[Zach Dasher]

You're like me. You buy them a little. A little more consistent basis. So here's the deal. I want to tell you, though, that if you're going to make a big decision, like a big money decision, like. Like buying a house or getting a mortgage or anything like that, you have to find someone that has the right information and guidance, and it needs to be from somebody that you trust, somebody that has your same values and Hopefully Christian principles that guide you. I want to tell you about our friends Andrew and Todd. These guys are amazing with. With Andrew and Todd, it's not just about a transaction. They really do care and these guys bring honesty, knowledge and 40 years of experience to the table to find the right solution for you and your family for those big money decisions. Andrew and Todd, they have the answers that you need for clarity, financial peace of mind. Plus you're going to really love working with them. If it's time for you to get your financial house in order to or make like a big real estate decision, maybe it's getting a mortgage or pay off high interest credit cards, lower your monthly mortgage payments. Call Andrew Del Rey and Todd of Akian at Sierra Pacific Mortgage. I love working with these guys again because they really do share our way of life. I met these guys at a worship event and just really hit it off with them and their family. We all worship the Lord together and it was just such a beautiful experience. I'm going to be working with you guys in the future when I make a big decision. I hope you will too. Call Andrew Del Rey and Todd a vacian, the guys I trust and they can help you to call Triple 8 Triple 8 1172. That's Triple 8 Triple 81172 or visit andrewandtodd.com that's andrewandtod.com let's go back to the earth to the earth. Let's go back to the 70s. I've seen a picture of y' all, by the way. Y' all were like, you and your brother. And you guys are like, oh gee man, y' all had that big.

[Jase Robertson]

It would just go like this as they walk.

[Mary Owen]

When I saw him the first time at our high school, he had just moved there. I'm looking down. I was sitting out in the hallway because I got in trouble for talking in class. American history class. I'm sitting out there, all of a sudden I see this cool looking guy walking down the hallway and his hair was doing like this as he walked.

[Zach Dasher]

If that was your listening, the hair's bouncing. It was like a beach ball in the head bouncing.

[Mary Owen]

He walked by and he said, hey, you know, that was our first meeting while I was in that hallway.

[Jase Robertson]

And then.

[Mary Owen]

Go ahead.

[Phil Robertson]

No, no, go ahead.

[Mary Owen]

I was just going to say. Then I got very interested in him. And so we were. I didn't see him again until Camp Chioka. He went to camp and I went and on the last night of camp he wanted to ask me out. This is what I Heard from one of my friends and he said, I want to ask her out, but will you ask her out for me? And so they came and asked me. I said, well, he's got to ask me himself. And so. So he came and asked me. And we went on our first date. Went with some other Starla. Oh yeah, she was there too.

[Phil Robertson]

In the back of your dad's brown station wagon.

[Mary Owen]

Yes, yes. We had our first kiss in front of LPNL, that stoplight. And we've been together ever since. 47 years now.

[Zach Dasher]

It's just 100% bliss. Right. But.

[Phil Robertson]

Oh yeah, no problems at all.

[Mary Owen]

So actually would be 50 years if you counted our dating too, that we've been together. Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

So tell a little bit about your early journey because I think it'll. This all intersects, by the way. This is like that movie Crash or like there's all these different things, but they all intersect in the air. But talk about Yalls early story.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, so our early story was I was rebellious to say the least. And you know, I saw. This is what I saw in Christianity. I'm not saying that that's what it was, but I saw a system that was in place that no one could ever live up to.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah, that's.

[Phil Robertson]

And so I thought, why in the world would I want to be a part of this if failure is the end result Anyway. And so I started doing. It was a, you know, early 70s. I was doing all kinds of drugs and stuff. You know, my mission was to try them all. And that's what I did. And by, you know, I. I still can't believe her dad even let me come over to their house. You know, if. If I would have been her dad, I would have got a hitman or something. Get this kid out of here. Yeah, but he didn't. He saw something in me the cool fast forward way, just a little bit of snippet was that the last 10 years of his life, we served as elders together in the church. And that was probably one of the.

[Zach Dasher]

That's full circle moment.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, yeah. And so. But anyway, my life was full of just bad decisions. We got married because Mary got pregnant and didn't realize that all it took was one time to do the deal and she did. And so we got married. Her dad officiated the service. And so from that point on, for the next 10 years, I lived a very rebellious life doing any kind of drug I could do. I was shooting up all the time and all that stuff. Something I'm definitely not proud of, but I am proud of the fact that Jesus would take the biggest risk ever on me and trust me and.

[Mary Owen]

Tell about that day.

[Phil Robertson]

Still can't believe it.

[Mary Owen]

A wall.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, we were. Mary had already turned her life back over to Jesus. She said several years earlier that she was going to quit all the partying and stuff. I said, well, go ahead. Not me, because this is how you marry me. I'll be this way till the day I die. That's just who I am. And she went to church that morning. Our kids were, I think, 4 and 7. Our youngest daughter, Callie, came and stood beside the bed and looked at her mom, and she was looking at me, but talking to her mom and said, how come Daddy doesn't do anything with us anymore? How come he doesn't go to church? And I pretended to be asleep, but I heard every word she said. And it was that moment God gave me this gift of clarity and the clear thinking that I had right then. That moment of sane thinking was that I was killing everybody that I claimed to love. So they left for church that morning.

[Mary Owen]

Can I. Yeah. Okay. So I was at church when I left. I just thought, I'm hanging on by a fingernail. I don't know if I can hang on any longer.

[Phil Robertson]

Because you thought I was insane.

[Mary Owen]

Yes. Yes.

[Phil Robertson]

There's a mental illness in the family. He's insane, too.

[Mary Owen]

Yes. And I just don't know how much more I can take it. And that Sunday, the song, the last song was. It is well With My Soul.

[Phil Robertson]

And what was the sermon that morning?

[Mary Owen]

The sermon was on, you know, confess. You know, if you're holding anything in, let somebody know. And I thought, I'm not telling anybody what we're going through because they'll think that we're really messed up. I got to put on the perfect little face and us all dress up for church like everybody else does at church. And so I couldn't tell nobody. So whenever I left, I just thought as I was driving back across the lake, I was like, God, I can't do this anymore. And I didn't know that Mac had hit a wall when we left.

[Phil Robertson]

And the girls were in the backseat singing.

[Mary Owen]

Oh, they were singing church songs in the backseat, you know, And I'm just boohooing, crying, can't even see the road. And I get home, and he's sitting in his recliner. I'd never seen him cry. And he was tough, because real men don't cry, right? He was tough, man. He knew how to be mean, but he didn't know how to cry. And so I go in there, he's sitting in his recliner. He has this manila legal size pad, two pages written out. And I'm looking at him thinking, what in the world's wrong with him? What's happened? And he said, I gotta tell you some things, Mary. I gotta tell you what I've been doing. And I want to turn my life over to God. And I was so. It was just like a relief because I thought, we can do this. If he's going to be honest and tell me what he's up to, I don't care what he tells me, we can get past this, you know? And so he did. He started telling it off to him. I just sat on the floor beside him while he was sitting in his recliner. And he spoke. He read the letter to me and burned all his paraphernalia and drugs and everything. And so he said, okay, I'm turning my life around. And I said, well, we got to talk to somebody. We can't do this by ourselves. And he said, well, who are we going to call? I said, we're going to call Ray. That was our pastor then. He was old country preacher. He was such a wonderful man of God.

[Phil Robertson]

He was an old country preacher that loved broken people.

[Mary Owen]

He did.

[Phil Robertson]

And that was the coolest thing ever, because he came over that day because I was like, okay, I guess I'll talk to Ray. What I didn't know he'd been coming to my shop for years, and he would get me to build stuff for him, and it was stuff he didn't even need. I mean, he just gave me. He was building a relationship because he saw something in me that was worthwhile, while others saw worth less. And so he came over that day and said, look, you don't have to confess before the whole church, but if you do, you might help somebody else. I'm thinking I might help somebody else. I'm the one that needs help right now, you know? So anyway, we went to church that night.

[Zach Dasher]

I want to ask a question, Paul, real quick, because you're at the church.

[Jase Robertson]

I am.

[Zach Dasher]

At this moment. I am before this moment, yeah. Was that. I mean, was that. Was the church a place where you kind of.

[Jase Robertson]

Well, I think it was, but we didn't know was. No, I don't think it was.

[Zach Dasher]

The heart was there, but it was like what's about to happen is a.

[Jase Robertson]

Shocking moment because I'm watching Ma every Sunday because I always love Mac Mary.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

And their family. And I'm seeing him over, coming down off of Highs. He's nodding his head, he's trying to do his best.

[Phil Robertson]

Or shooting up in the church bathroom.

[Jase Robertson]

Well, either that or yeah, because he had the overalls on and all that.

[Phil Robertson]

Nobody overalls at church every Sunday.

[Jase Robertson]

Every Sunday. And so when he, yeah, when he went forward that Sunday night, it. I don't know if how much he knows this, but we, Everybody still talks about that, about how that changed the DNA of our church and there's a reason why we're our celebrate recovery church now is because he led the way.

[Zach Dasher]

Because you constantly. Because that's what happened. Right. Ray says go down front, which that's the term we use at our church altar call.

[Jase Robertson]

They say, we love you and we want to help you, but we don't know what to do with you. I mean, we're going to do something, but we don't know what it is.

[Phil Robertson]

That's exactly what they said. They said, said you're our first drug addict. We don't know what to do with you, but we want you to keep coming back. And that's what I heard. But there's a little lady there that came up to me that night. She goes, I think you need to go to aa. And I said, is that like a car club? She said, no, that's triple A. You need all. It's anonymous. That was. True story.

[Zach Dasher]

True story. You go down front though, and the way the church, the way the our church would have the altar call, you go down front, you kind of tell the preacher, hey, here's what I'm dealing with. And the preacher would say, hey, Matt comes down front. He would tell the church and it was kind of like a prayer. But this moment was a little different than probably normal, right?

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. Because normally when somebody came down front, I remember I had to come down front years earlier when I was a teenager and Bill, his father in law, one of our mentors, took my response and he said, well, he said his priorities are out of line, but I think he just liked to sin. Okay, I'm not coming. That's hilarious. Oh, I had a resentment for him. I had a resentment towards him for years later. Had to go back and make amends. Part of my recovery journey.

[Zach Dasher]

All right, here's the quiz. Do you guys know what size most prized possession is? His teacup. He's got a stuff. He's got a stuffed beaver. No, I believe that's pretty good actually. But I think it's probably his is American allegiance flag, which is a, a US Flag made in the United States of America. And the reason why I'm telling you about this is because my wireless company, which is Pure Talk, it's a veteran led company, they believe that every man, woman who has faithfully served this country, which would include our uncle Sigh, deserves to proudly fly an American flag that was actually made in America. And that's why Pure Talk is on a mission to give an allegiance flag, the highest quality American flag to 1000 US statuers just in time for flag day and the U S Army birthdays coming up. Also, we have fourth of July coming up. So you guys can help support this great cause by just switching your cell phone service to Pure Talk this month. And a portion of every sale will go toward providing these high quality flags to deserving veterans. With plans of just 25amonth for unlimited talk, text and plenty of data, you can enjoy America's most dependable 5G network while cutting your cell phone bill and a half. So not only are we helping veterans here, we're also saving you money. The average family saves over a thousand dollars a year. I'm a Pure Talk customer. I made the switch and I'm telling you two things. One, the coverage is second to none and two, switching is easy. You can switch in as little as 10 minutes. All you gotta do is go to PureTalk.comUnashamed to switch hassle free in as little as 10 minutes. Again, that's PureTalk.comUnashamed to support veterans and switch to America's wireless company, Pure Talk.

[Phil Robertson]

And I told him how much I didn't like him. He said, oh, I knew that. But he.

[Zach Dasher]

Bill, if you're listening, Bill is your father in law who is the one who my mom brought into the bar.

[Jase Robertson]

This is the car crash you were talking about.

[Zach Dasher]

It all comes together.

[Mary Owen]

And I was so afraid when he was going to go forward that night because I remembered when he got beat up, you know, for going forward and stuff the other time. And so I'm thinking they're going to kick us out of the church, you know, we're fixing to be gone from here, you know. And I have, you know, really messed up my whole family. I've disrespected them and you know, we're just going to be the black sheep.

[Zach Dasher]

You're just under shame.

[Mary Owen]

Yes. But you know what I heard? I heard my mama's voice because she said this verse so many times. Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous Right hand. So we got up and walked up front, not knowing what was fixing to happen. But it was like a miracle. All these people, hundreds of people came down and grabbed us and hugged us and was crying.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, a lot of tears.

[Mary Owen]

It was so beautiful. But me being one of them, it felt like freedom. We didn't have to keep a secret anymore. We had freedom. And if somebody was going to talk about it, well, everybody already knew it anyway.

[Zach Dasher]

You detonated your own time bomb. As Al would say. You just detonated your own time bomb. But that moment, honestly, like, when I think about the history of the church that we all were, you're still an elder there. And I served there for years, not as an elder, but served in ministry there for years. You were an elder there? My dad was an elder. Bill was an elder. That DNA. There was a moment, something happened in that moment of the confession. James 5 says, Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed. And you guys embodied that. And that became a reoccurring theme. You walk down the aisle, you confess. And how many times have you seen the church just go up and surround all the time.

[Jase Robertson]

One of the things that I love about our church is that it's real people serving a real God and the transparency of all of it. And I think it started then, the transparency, the freedom of going, you know, I'm struggling, I'm hurting. I've been messing up. I've committed adultery. I've. Whatever it is. I'm on drugs, I'm on whatever. It don't matter. Nobody's there to throw a rock or stone anytime. Yeah, I mean, it's welcome. Come on down. We're going to work through this. We'll do whatever we got to do.

[Phil Robertson]

And nobody, huh? Any sin.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, yeah. Oh, it don't matter. Anything you're struggling with, and nobody's going to respond alone. Even if we don't know them, somebody's going to go down there and sit with them, rally around them, pray over them, love on them. And it's still that way today.

[Phil Robertson]

That's right.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, absolutely.

[Zach Dasher]

It's a safe place, you guys. Then from there, y' all connect up with Phil and K. And y' all started house church together, right?

[Phil Robertson]

Right. Yeah, that was a pretty interesting story, actually. I. I went to treatment. That's where they said, you know, I need to get. Mary said, this guy wants to talk to you at this treatment center. And I said, I'm not crazy. I said, you know, but if you want me to go, I'll talk to him. He won't want me to stay. You'll see. Well, he did want me to stay. And so I told him, I said, I guess I'll stay, but I gotta go home and I gotta get my stuff.

[Mary Owen]

And I said, that's okay. Your stuff's in the trunk. I was ready. He wasn't coming back.

[Zach Dasher]

You got a friend?

[Jase Robertson]

Wife, man, he wasn't coming back home.

[Phil Robertson]

I couldn't even leave the door, man. She said, no, we'll bring it in. You just stay right back here. And so it was supposed to be a 30 day treatment center. And at 19 days, they said, we can't do anything more for you because of Whitespay Road. The next Sunday, I'm in this treatment center. Ray Melton gets up there. The Sunday before, by the way, was the first time anybody actually said what somebody was sinning for. And Ray said, mike's doing drugs.

[Zach Dasher]

Oh, they never said that before. See, that's funny, because I thought so because that's all I ever saw at the church.

[Phil Robertson]

It was never.

[Zach Dasher]

And sometimes Phil took the responses at church and you were like.

[Jase Robertson]

I know.

[Phil Robertson]

What I'm talking about. We're not going to tell that story, are we?

[Jase Robertson]

Okay, yeah. We can't tell that story.

[Phil Robertson]

You'll be bleeping me out.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah, I'll just say this if you're listening. Phil would take responses at the church. And certain confessions need a little nuance when they're relayed back to the church. And Phil was unfiltered and giving it back to the church. So, yes, I think y' all may have elders. Y' all may have collectively decided, Phil, you don't get to do their responses.

[Phil Robertson]

Anymore on that Sunday. And there'll probably be plenty of Facebook posts about, I mean, comments. What was the response? We're not going to say it.

[Jase Robertson]

That's okay.

[Phil Robertson]

But on that Sunday, of course, her dad's sitting down front and I'm taking responses, but I'm looking at her dad and he's just like. He started holding his chest and I'm like, oh, he's going to die right now. And after that Sunday, the next elders meeting, all the elders, the older elders got up the field and said, look, you're going to be taking responses in the back of the auditorium. That was the last time he got to get up on the mic for response time.

[Zach Dasher]

Oh, I so wish we could tell that story, but we can't. We just can't. But just know this, that Phil had said things from the pulpit that would shock even what, you know, Of Phil would still shock you. But we sat with him, but he.

[Jase Robertson]

Was the only one that could do it and get away with it.

[Phil Robertson]

He couldn't get away with it. Right, right, right, right.

[Zach Dasher]

I don't know where we were at. We got derailed with that.

[Phil Robertson]

But he did get banished to the back. But anyway, so I'm in this treatment center. I've been in there a week now. On the next Sunday morning, Ray gets up and said, hey, we're gonna send everybody Mac a card this Sunday. Everybody just get a card out and write something to Mac. And look, I got over 700 cards that next day in that treatment center, and I still have them to this day. I have them in an envelope at home. All those cards all those years ago of a church family that loved somebody that was as broken as you can get. And that was one of the most amazing things in my life. That's why the treatment center finally said, At 19 days, you got what you need. You got your people, and I got my people. And so I come back to church the next Sunday, and I see Phil there. I didn't know him. I like duck hunting. He liked duck hunting. I didn't use his duck calls. I used Jensen duck calls and old duck calls. He still. From the early days. He's like, I can't believe you. Those are the sorriest calls ever.

[Jase Robertson]

They was easy to blow.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. Yeah, they were. They were. And by the way, in the 40 years that I knew Phil, he never called me Mac one time. He always called me Owens. Owens.

[Mary Owen]

And I was Ms. Owens.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Mary Owen]

Sister Owens.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah. And no matter all the time we spent together, it was still that. But anyway, so I went up to him and I heard he'd been sharing the gospel with the. And I'm like, I think I need to know how to do that.

[Zach Dasher]

Starting with this guy.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, starting with this guy. And so I went up. Took two weeks to do it. He didn't wait that long. But I went up to him, I said, hey, I heard you share the gospel with people. I think I need to learn how to do that. He said, yeah, I'll get back with you. He just walks off. That's. So two weeks go by, and he doesn't give me a call. I called him up and I said, hey, I thought this was like some kind of brotherhood or something. Are you ashamed of me because you have not given me a call? He said, hey, Owens, I'll get back with you. He's bomb. And look, he said, he looked over at Kay and he Said, that was that Owens cat. He said, I think he's serious. And look, from that moment on, we went on, I would stop my work. He would give me a call, gotta study, gotta study. We would go on more. We went on more Bible studies together. I became his scribe. In other words, he would share the gospel, but he never would give people verses. So I said, I'm gonna start writing them down. And so everything he'd share, I'd write it down and then give it to the person as they left there. And so that's how I learned to share the gospel, was just by writing down what he had been sharing with people. And I'll never forget that. We went on 1 run, 23 gospel studies, and no response. It was a response, all right. But it was like, we don't want none of that. I'm like, good night, son. What are we gonna do? And he's like, the next one's coming. And he kept going. Finally on number 24, this old sinner that used to play football with him at Tech. We find him somewhere, and he says, no, I want in on this. And Phil looked at me, said, 24.

[Mary Owen]

Y' all shared the gospel day and night, like, every day of the week. And so at one point, Kay and I said, we got to get them out. They just can't. They're going to burn themselves out. They have got to do something different.

[Phil Robertson]

It was high octane.

[Mary Owen]

It was. And so we said, let's. They got to go to a movie. Well, Phil's never been to a movie in his life, and now there's a movie about him, you know, but he would not go. And we said, this is going to be called get out of Yourself Night.

[Phil Robertson]

And so they approached us with this. And I want you to tell that story, because I still thank God today for good, godly women who have questionable taste in men.

[Zach Dasher]

Yes, yes. We can all hang on that. Yeah, we all got one of those.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, right. Yeah.

[Mary Owen]

So. So we get them to go to the movie one night away. And we'd have so much fun, you know, because we would laugh and talk and go eat good food and go to a movie, and it was just a blast. But it was the most them out like that for a long time.

[Phil Robertson]

It was the most uncomfortable thing that me and Phil could have ever done.

[Mary Owen]

We have good memories now.

[Phil Robertson]

We love it.

[Mary Owen]

Yeah, I love. Remember going with Kay, like, to Sam's to get all y' all snacks for the hunting days. And we would get. Let's see, it was oatmeal cream pies, chocolate covered cherries. And let's see. There was one of them. What was that other one?

[Phil Robertson]

Honey buns.

[Mary Owen]

Honey buns, that's right.

[Zach Dasher]

I like the duck blind almost.

[Mary Owen]

We would buy cases of all that for y' all for the duck blind.

[Zach Dasher]

Jill. Cozy Earth. What do you know about them?

[Mary Owen]

Love them? Absolutely. I love every single thing. Their sheets, their pajamas. I want to try one of everything.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah. It's amazing. Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

We've.

[Zach Dasher]

We've refitted our bed with Cozy Earth sheets. They have the softest, most breathable bedding and pajamas that you've ever worn. In fact, me and Al have the same exact pajama pants. I'm gonna see if we wear them tonight together. That's very sweet. When we do that. It is weird. They even got bamboo sheets that are an absolute game changer. I think that's what we have, is the bamboo sheets. And you'll sleep like a rock because Cozy Earth keeps you cool when it's hot. I don't know how it does this, but warm when it's chilly. It's weird how it works, but it works. The best part is that you can try Cozy Earth, risk feet for 100 nights and if you don't love them, you can send them right back and get your money back. And their bedding is made from fabric that won't peel. It's got a 10 year guarantee on it. Missy has. Has Cozy Earth pajamas. We have Cozy Earth pajamas. And she's. Al has. We are a Cozy Earth family, so don't put it off. Take care of yourself so that you can take care of what matters most, which is your family. Visit cozyearth.com unashamed or use our code unashamed for 40% off sheets, towels, and more. And if you get a post purchase survey, let them know that you heard about Cozy Earth right here on the Unashamed podcast. That's cozyearth.com unashamed or use our code unashamed for 40% off. Sleep better with Cozy Earth. It's crazy. As you guys are saying this, I'm thinking about, okay, this is, this is kind of the cool crash moment, like God's sovereignty. You know, I think about Acts 17, that God has determined the exact times and places that all men should live so that they would seek him out, perhaps finding that he's not far from each one of us. The story is interesting because my mom, before you were married to your wife, my mom goes to Bill Smith, your future father in law, and says, you need to go Talk to my brother, because he needs to hear about Jesus, and he'll listen to you. And eventually he did, and he becomes a Christian, who then leads you to Christ, who, by the way, then you marry the pastor's daughter who led. And you were the first person that he led to Christ, which your dad was the one who was partnered with his father in law and starting the church that we're all a part of. And then now you're coming back in through the back door. Right. And now you're learning to share the gospel by sitting with Phil and being first. You would describe it that you became a gospel presenter in your own right. Right. And then now my mom's son, me, enters in a broken guy, just an insecure kid, back into this same system. And then literally, if you say, name your spiritual heroes, you two are in that mix. Phil's in there for sure. You guys are in there. Bill's in there. You guys taught me and Jill how to do what we're doing. Now. We're in North Carolina, and the embers of the revival that started at White Street Road when you went down front with your wife to confess your sin. Now we're in the middle of a revival in White Mountain, North Carolina. I mean, it's like God's sovereignty and the kingdom of God is on fire.

[Mary Owen]

Thanks, God.

[Jase Robertson]

Awesome.

[Phil Robertson]

Alive and active.

[Zach Dasher]

I love it.

[Phil Robertson]

Wow. You know, I love that because, you know, the Bill Smith, too, who was the one that governed Phil, became our mentor. And even, like I said while ago, I had to go make amends to him because I had this major resentment against him. And then he became one of the men. You know, he was a hard man. I mean, I would hate to say a little bit pharasitical. But then he softened, and he became one of the most genuine Christians I've ever met in my life.

[Zach Dasher]

He repented for that publicly, which was like, again, going back to the confession thing. I mean, Bill, he was a hard man, but, like, he was a truth seeker.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, he was baked 100%. 100%. And when. I love the fact that there was a guy at our church one Sunday, this is how after we'd had recovery meetings going in the church and everything. And Jason Jenkins, he comes to church this one Sunday morning, and he come up to me afterwards, and he said. And Bill was there, too. He said there was a group of people who were, like, visually worshiping this morning. Who are those people? And Bill Smith, he said, oh, those are the drug addicts and alcoholics. He said once they Got here, they taught the rest of us how to be honest.

[Jase Robertson]

And that's true.

[Zach Dasher]

What did you call it? Visually worshiping.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, they were visually worshiping, gyrating.

[Jase Robertson]

That's true. It is. Because I can sit over and look at them and watch them and start tears running down my face because of the honesty and the true worship.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah. And as. Because as that unfolds, you end up. You guys end up starting the Celebrate Recovery at our church.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah, right.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

Which was kind of like. At the time there was like, we kind of had a. You had a ministry called Overcomers. Overcomers, which you had a few guys. It was, you know, we'd like, oh, that's Max Little. You know, think he does. And then. Well, then it became like, yeah, they.

[Phil Robertson]

Like, this Friday night, they'll have probably 500 people there.

[Zach Dasher]

Oh, it's crazy.

[Jase Robertson]

It's the largest in the country outside of Santa Barbara.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah.

[Jase Robertson]

Yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

And now you're elder at that church, overseeing part of that ministry that you started at the church. And you guys now have gone on to do. You're in Colorado, but you're. You're leading. Helping lead the global Celebrate Recovery ministry. Is that right? Am I saying that? What's your. Like, what do you guys do there?

[Phil Robertson]

I am the global director of Celebrate Recovery. And what that means is that, you know, people say, what does that title mean? I said, first of all, I'm not real big on titles, but it means I was more messed up than anybody else. But your dad, I love it. Your dad's in this picture, too. He's at our celebrated recovery one night. And, you know, he did a video. He had got a guy coming from Texas, did a video of Bill, Phil, myself. And it was just about how the progression of the sharing the gospel goes.

[Zach Dasher]

And how, like, the generations of it.

[Phil Robertson]

Generations. And this dude, he's a ex baseball player or whatever. He's huge, man. He's. He's in our celebrated recovery that night. Because, Gordon, your dad said, hey, you want to go to CR tonight? He said, what is cr? He said, oh, you got to come by. So he goes in there and they're worshiping that night. And I look visually worshiping. Visually worshiping. And I look back and this guy, big old dude sitting down and just bawling. And your dad looks over him, he says, everything okay? He said, yeah. He said, what's going on? He said, I'd never seen people worship like this. And your dad said, nobody told him they couldn't.

[Jase Robertson]

That's exactly right.

[Phil Robertson]

Oh, I know. Right. That's one of them.

[Zach Dasher]

They don't work.

[Phil Robertson]

I'll use that.

[Mary Owen]

That.

[Zach Dasher]

It's so good. I was thinking that this verse came to mind because normally we have a Bible study on here, but I think this is, like, so good to hear. I really want our audience to hear about the DNA that really Phil embodied and was a huge part of it.

[Jase Robertson]

Oh, yeah.

[Zach Dasher]

And Phil is certainly a main character in his own right. I said that on our podcast. He said, yeah, Phil was a main character and I was a sidekick. But truthfully is that Jesus is the main character and that we're all his sidekicks and we're all part of this kingdom thing that we talk about on this podcast all the time. That the kingdom of God is here. The kingdom of God is now. Yes, we were waiting on the full fruition of it. Yes, we're waiting on the second coming, but the Bible, Jesus said that the gates of hell will not prevail against the kingdom of God. The kingdom is an offensive thing that will storm through the gates of hell. And I think about the ministries that we're all a part of now that the Holy Spirit's allowed us just to be in. I mean, when I went to that thing with you, like I'm telling you, it was to see the men in that room confess the things that had. It was so raw and so real, and it was. And I had just White Tree Road DNA all over it. It had the DNA of you, you guys, all over it. It had Phil's DNA, all my mom. It was like. So for me, it was more than just seeing, healing and happening. I was like, this is our DNA. This is the DNA of the kingdom. This is what we've been a part of. And I wanted to read this to y' all as encouragement. One of my favorite verses in the Bible. Now, this is about, like, the role of the church. And because a lot of times we think about the role of the church and what we're called to, like, witness to the world around us, you know? But listen, it's more than that. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says. He says that this is Ephesians 3:10, that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers in the authorities, in the heavenly places. And I think about that, like, the role, what we've been able to be a part of is making the manifold wisdom known not just to the world, to the rulers and the authorities that are sitting in the heavenly realms. You want to talk about a calling as the church that is a Calling.

[Jase Robertson]

The commentary says that we are a theater of God's work. We're on stage. We are a theater of God's work.

[Zach Dasher]

Cosmic stage.

[Jase Robertson]

Y.

[Zach Dasher]

It's a cosmic stage that we are in. That's very good.

[Phil Robertson]

Well, he says in Ephesians 6 there, too, that he says, you know, that our battle is not against flesh, but against the heavenly beings that are just right outside of our view. You know, so there's a battle going on right here. But because of this and us sharing God's power to change lives in the heavenly realms, they're like, oh, well, one.

[Zach Dasher]

Of the benefits of sitting under someone's pastoral leadership is that you remember things that they have said over the years and they stick with you. And you said something. I don't know where you said it, but I know you said was, I think, at a funeral, and I can't remember whose funeral it was, but you mentioned Hebrews 12:1. You know what I'm about to say?

[Phil Robertson]

No, I do. I know exactly.

[Zach Dasher]

I want you to share that, because now, Phil, in this, he's got. He's got. I know you probably aren't going to write that name down in your Bible, but already written. You already did it.

[Phil Robertson]

Yeah, matter of fact, I wrote it down and. Well, years ago. I love that verse because it says, you know, therefore, you're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. And because of that, you need to get rid of the sin that so easily entangles you and throw that off so that you can run the race that has been set before you. And so years ago, one of my heroes, actually, Darren Allison, died. And I was just looking at that verse, and I said, he's in that great cloud of witnesses now. I'm writing his name down in here. And so from that day forward, every time somebody died that was prominent in my life, I would write their name down. And so, actually, Alan, Lisa texted me the other night and said, would you send us a picture of Hebrews 12? And I knew what they meant, and so I did. And I have. There was a. It's really cool because there was one place left in my Bible that was Phil's place. I didn't know it, but it was right above that part that said, you're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. And so in big, bold letters, I just wrote feel. And then I put an arrow out beside it. It. And at the top of the page, my friend and brother. And so. So, yeah, he's in Hebrews 12. Now, if you. If you never thought about that. I would encourage you. When somebody passes on in your life that has meant something to you in the faith, go to Hebrews 12 and just put their name in the margin.

[Zach Dasher]

Yeah, I don't know. I don't think I can add anything to what you just said. So we're going to end with that.

[Phil Robertson]

Okay.

[Zach Dasher]

So I love you guys. Thank y' all for coming on.

[Jase Robertson]

Thank you.

[Zach Dasher]

Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by leaving a rating.

[Phil Robertson]

And review on Apple Podcasts.

[Zach Dasher]

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.