Ep 1188 | Jase & John Crist Swap Proposal Fails & Hard-Won Marriage Advice

Summary

Podcast Summary: Unashamed with the Robertson Family

Ep 1188 | Jase & John Crist Swap Proposal Fails & Hard-Won Marriage Advice
Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Robertson Family (John, Zach, Chris)
Guest: John Crist (comedian)
Special Theme: Christian faith, marriage advice, comedy in Christian life, sharing personal stories of faith and family.

---

Episode Overview

In this lively and humorous episode, the Robertsons—joined by comedian John Crist—discuss the intersections of faith, humor, and marriage. The group swaps stories about awkward proposals, “bombed” jokes, church culture quirks, and the complexities of marital compatibility. The conversation features memorable comedic moments, candid marriage advice, and reflections on how laughter serves as a glue for family and community, especially among Christians.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Comedy & Faith: Walking the Line

• John Crist reflects on Christian comedy
  • The challenge of being a "Christian comedian" versus simply a "comedian who is Christian".
  • "I try to be holding a mirror up to us rather than pointing a finger." (06:19, John Crist)
• Discusses how jokes on organized religion, denominations, or Christian culture can create both laughter and offense, depending on the listener’s background.
  • "If Chris Rock does a joke about race...you laugh, but if it's done right, you lay your head on the pillow at night and go, yeah, we probably shouldn't be treating different skin colors..." (05:44, John Crist)
• The group reflects on experiences where family and church upbringing made certain topics, like sex or bodily humor, taboo in Christian households.
  • "We can watch somebody's head get cut off...but if there's any kind of kissing...my mom would slap me in the face." (04:49, John)

Timestamps:

• [02:49] – John shares why he and his wife watched John Crist’s standup before bed
• [05:26] – Is John Crist "Christian enough"? Wife’s reactions
• [08:32] – Using humor to expose church division over trivial things

---

2. The Role of Humor in Healing & Community

• Comedy as a "pressure valve," especially after cultural events like COVID-19:
  • "Comedy is a super important art form for...a pressure valve." (09:16, Chris)
  • Surge in popularity for standup comedians post-COVID, as audiences sought truth and catharsis.
  • "We all were going...the world was kind of upside down, and everybody just had to be like they didn't want to get fired...so we just tuned into these podcasts where people were saying it." (10:28, John Crist)

Timestamps:

• [09:40] – Shift in comedy venues and audience demand after 2018-2020
• [13:01] – During lockdowns, people secretly watched and enjoyed taboo comedy

---

3. Tough Rooms & Proposal Fails: Swapping Stories

• Both Jase/John and John Crist share stories of jokes bombing in unexpected places.

  • Jase’s conservative environmentalist crowd didn’t laugh at a Fauci-BS mask joke.
    • "Nothing. I mean, not even a single, like, total crickets." (20:22, Zach)
  • John Crist reflects on the benefit of "home crowd" versus cold corporate/church audiences.
  • The importance of reading the room and adjusting humor accordingly.

• Notable Quotes:

  • "I got the benefit of the doubt because I'm on the poster. Everybody's coming to see me...I couldn't do it in Y’alls position" (21:30, John Crist)
  • "I have spoken before in front of audiences where I'm pretty sure I was the only sober person there..." (22:09, John)

Timestamps:

• [19:17] – Zach's failed Fauci joke
• [25:37] – Phil “ending” a party abruptly with a gospel message

---

4. Marriage Advice: Hard-Won and Humorous

• Jase shares his experience with compatibility tests and finding "only Jesus" in common with his wife.
  • "The only thing we had in common was Jesus." (36:54, John)
• John Crist asks for and receives advice on entering marriage as a comedian.
  • "She tells the story how you ‘choose your battles’...I choose them all." (32:16, John Crist)
• Robertson wisdom: Emphasize laughter, openness, and a willingness to forgive.
  • "If they're not laughing, I don't know if you can make it." (56:54, John Crist)
  • "You never have more opportunity to forgive than in a marriage." (57:27, Zach)
• The “three-day rule:” Disagreements often take three days to work through, paralleling the resurrection story.

Timestamps:

• [32:07] – John Crist shares first conflicts and corrective habits
• [33:34] – Jase’s failed compatibility test story
• [38:35] – Advice about opposites attracting (“I don’t really believe that anymore...”)
• [40:44] – How to respond when your wife cries for “no reason”
• [41:07] – Never stop making her laugh; prioritize your own bride over “the bride of Christ” (the church)

---

5. Proposal Fails & Setting Expectations

• John Crist shares how he went "all out" for the proposal—boat, symphony—possibly playing his hand too soon.
  • Now faces the financial reality of wedding planning at 41.
    • "I think I played my hand too early...when you're 41...you might be on the hook for paying for some of this wedding." (51:08, John Crist)
• Jase counterpoints with his “low bar” dirt-in-a-potted-plant ring proposal.
  • "She started crying, not tears of joy...because I put her ring in a potted plant." (52:16, John)
• Shared takeaway: Setting expectations matters!

Timestamps:

• [51:08] – John Crist’s extravagant proposal
• [52:16] – Jase Robertson’s dirt proposal, “low bar” theory

---

6. Laughter, Repentance, and Endurance in Marriage

• Laughter as a "red flag" when not present in a marriage.
• Chris emphasizes the necessity of a “spirit of repentance”—couples must honestly confess and forgive.
  • "The one thing that was constant was a spirit of repentance. Just confession, open...that opens up the way to a life of forgiveness..." (57:11, Chris)
• Long marriages involve recurring struggle, growth, and the “glue” of humor and forgiveness.

Timestamps:

• [56:54] – “If they’re not laughing, I don’t know if you can make it.”
• [57:27] – Forgiveness is most needed in marriage

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have to take the risk to be funny.” — John Crist (13:19)
• “There’s no amount of material that you can research or study up on or no amount of premarital counseling that prepares you for what’s fixing to happen to you.” — John (39:45)
• “Never stop making her laugh.” — Zach, to John Crist (41:06)
• “You want to discover something awesome on the planet? Get married, have kids. It’s awesome. But the struggle part of it all is kind of what galvanizes the relationship.” — John (46:04)
• “If they’re not laughing, I don’t know if you can make it.” — John Crist (56:54)
• “You never have more opportunity to forgive than in a marriage.” — Zach (57:27)

---

Segment Timestamps: Quick Reference

• [02:49] – John watches Crist’s standup with his wife; reactions
• [05:26] – What makes “Christian comedy?” audience perception
• [08:32] – Humor exposing church divisions
• [09:40] – Post-pandemic comedy boom and cultural catharsis
• [13:01] – Secretly enjoying comedy during lockdowns
• [19:17] – Zach’s failed Fauci joke story
• [25:37] – Phil shuts down a party with gospel
• [32:07] – John Crist’s fiancé’s mixed idioms, marriage quirks
• [36:54] – Compatibility tests: "only Jesus" in common
• [38:35] – On opposites attracting, practical marriage advice
• [41:07] – Advice: laughter as relational glue
• [51:08] – John Crist’s proposal expectations
• [52:16] – Jase’s “dirt” proposal
• [56:54] – Laughter is a must in marriage
• [57:11] – Importance of confession and forgiveness

---

Final Takeaways

• **Faith and humor are not mutually exclusive—**laughter is both biblical and essential for Christian life and marriage.
• **Marriage is a mix of humorous mishaps, hard-won advice, and grace—**no compatibility test can prepare you for the lifelong partnership it becomes.
• Keep laughing, keep forgiving, and keep sharing real life together.
• Don’t set the proposal bar too high—or too low!

---

Tone & Language:
The episode is lighthearted, deeply personal, and faith-centered, mixing comedic anecdotes with practical wisdom. The banter is playful, genuine, occasionally self-deprecating, and always anchored in the Robertsons’ unashamed Christian worldview.

Transcript

[John]

I am unashamed. What about you?

[Zach]

Welcome back to Unashamed. We're still in Nashville, Zach. Yeah, we are.

[Chris]

And I just got called a liar. But that's another topic for another day.

[John]

Zach just told our special guest, which, look, I guess we. You need to be a.

[Zach]

You're like a contributor after. After three times, right?

[Chris]

Unpaid contributor.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. Zero pay. Yeah. But people do come up to me all the time at our meet and greets and say that they know me from this pot.

[Zach]

Really?

[Guest Comedian]

That is a true story. That is a.

[John]

It's hard for me to follow you because I don't know when it's.

[Chris]

We don't know when it's real.

[Guest Comedian]

I'm dead serious. Yeah.

[Zach]

John, Chris, welcome back to Unashamed. We loved having you the first time you were on. I know I've told it the last time we were here, but we told it a minute ago. My. One of my all time favorite moments on the podcast is when you. You were on the very first time and you're like doing your thing. You're telling some funny stories and dad's constantly looking up verses the whole time you're speaking. And after about the third time, he didn't say a verse. At about the third time, you're like, why. Why does he keep looking versus every time you. Every time I speak. And we laugh. But dad didn't. He just kept looking.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Chris]

Phil didn't get it.

[Zach]

Nothing.

[Guest Comedian]

He goes just. He goes to the thou shalt not section.

[John]

He goes, well, since my dad's gone to be with the Lord, I felt like I was just being transparent because I said the first time you came on our podcast, when we walked out, you are not in our presence. My dad looked at me. He actually. I gave you the tame version while ago. He actually said, where do they get these clowns?

[Guest Comedian]

I'll say that's what I am. Yeah, I'll take.

[John]

Well, I think that was his joke. It's like, was he a Christian comedian?

[Chris]

That's an oxymoron.

[John]

What are you talking about?

[Guest Comedian]

Where do they get these clowns?

[Zach]

How could you be a comedian?

[Guest Comedian]

That's on the Patreon. After the. You guys should do a review of the guest after the guest leaves.

[John]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

But then you came back.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

And so somebody invited him back. It must have done well.

[Zach]

They did well.

[Chris]

You're just. I mean, you're a book. You're not a Christian. You're just. You're a Christian who is a comedian.

[John]

I was going to say, I have one story to contribute and now that you said that, I have to tell you, look, I did something. Now we're talking now in the spirit of what you do, I did something last night as maybe a pre illustration for this conversation. So we had a very long day yesterday. We did three podcasts and I had a dinner date with my wife and her friend and her husband. So I didn't even get home till late. And I was tired and she was tired. And I said, do you mind if we listen to this Christian comedian? I think we. Because we've had long days. And she said, sure. So we're in our bed.

[Zach]

So were you saying that as a. Let me just get your mindset as a way to just unwind it in the day with some comical. Or like you were doing research for the podcast?

[Guest Comedian]

She.

[John]

No, no, she had no idea he was coming on her podcast or even who this was she was listening to. And so I found. I didn't know if I could find something online, but I did.

[Zach]

There's a few things special you did in.

[John]

In Georgia. And I was stunned. It had been released just a few months ago and there was like three and a half million views. And I thought, oh, my goodness, this guy's having a moment.

[Zach]

This clown's pretty good.

[John]

Having a moment. Now, look. So my wife, like, leans over like she's going to sleep. And so I start playing. It was a 50 minute routine that you did. Well, she started laughing. And at first, you know, I wasn't laughing just because I was thinking, like, where you were getting the jokes. I thought, this is kind of sad, just what you're making fun of. It's kind of. It made me think of like organized religion. I thought, you know, he's right. I was thinking more like, people are laughing because this is kind of.

[Zach]

And it's true, it's kind of funny.

[John]

Humor, you know, but she kept laughing and she kept laughing way more than I did. And so after we get done, you.

[Guest Comedian]

Watch the whole thing.

[John]

The whole thing. You watch the whole thing. And. And I did chuckle. He actually brought up a little bit about, you know, and. Because you were. You were getting the audience involved a lot, which I thought was very, you know, you have a knack for that. But when you said that about sex, very little audience response.

[Chris]

They didn't laugh at that.

[John]

Well, it worked for his. Yeah, his what? He was fixed to come out because he's like, well, how come when we say that. And I don't want to give away all your material, but it was really.

[Guest Comedian]

Funny because I know what you're talking about?

[John]

Yeah. We had a similar childhood. It's like we can watch somebody's head get cut off.

[Guest Comedian]

But what about.

[John]

If there's any kind of kissing? Yeah.

[Zach]

No.

[John]

It's like my mom would slap me in the face. I'm like 9 years old. Don't you watch this? I'm like, will you put it on?

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. And we just watched Braveheart. A guy was being beheaded.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

And that was no problem.

[Zach]

Right, Exactly.

[John]

So here's where I wanted to get to since Zach said that. So at the end, I said, what do you think? And she said, that guy was funny and clean. She said, but he's not a Christian comedian. And I was like, oh, no, he really is. We're having him on the podcast. She thought, well, he's not a Christian.

[Guest Comedian]

After the whole thing.

[John]

Yeah. She's like, he's not a Christian comedian. And I was like, well, why don't you think he's a Christian comedian? She's like, we had all that about the neighborhood gossip and all, and he never really clarified that. I said, I think that was the joke.

[Guest Comedian]

That's the highest compliment.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Or that. Or that it was. That it was funny. And because it really. You. You kind of like, if Chris Rock does a joke about race.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

You laugh, but if it's done right, you lay your head on the pillow at night and goes, yeah, we probably shouldn't be treating different skin colors if it's done right.

[John]

Right.

[Guest Comedian]

Right. Yeah.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[John]

I thought it was fascinating. That was her response, like, legitimately. She thought, oh, he's not a. They would never have him.

[Guest Comedian]

You know.

[Chris]

Boundaries.

[Zach]

A little bit.

[Guest Comedian]

I try. Well, I think people I used to. At the beginning would be like. If I'd made a joke about. It's all the inside things about Christian. Christian culture. I try to be holding a mirror up to us.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Rather than pointing a finger.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

So. Because when I started my career, everybody's like, is this guy a Christian or not? Yeah. Everybody wanted. It was obsessed. Because they were like, if he is, this is hilarious.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

If he's not.

[John]

And I'm mad, I'm.

[Guest Comedian]

This is wildly offensive.

[John]

That is. You're walking a dangerous.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, well, I'll come back on here every quarter and you guys tell me if I'm doing it right or not.

[Zach]

Falling off the cliff.

[John]

Well, it's so funny. The hardest she laughed was. And it. You told a joke for one person in the audience because you were doing this bit about, like, how we hop around to different denominations, which is Why I said it wasn't funny because I thought this is kind of sad. That's what people do, get offended and they go down the road. I mean, there's literally. We're in a town where there is a church on every street, every major street corner and. But you asked, one woman said that she, she was a member of the Church of Christ. Well, that's where my wife was raised in. And you said, how's it feel being this close to the stage? My wife laughed so hard. Well, the audience didn't really laugh.

[Guest Comedian]

No, no.

[John]

But to people she was like. Cuz my dad used to do a bit that. And he wasn't a Christian comedian. But it was funny because the first time at the church where they were at, which is the same church, they had women get up in front of.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay.

[John]

And he's like, oh, everybody's upset because the women have moved 30ft and turned around. Turned around and oh, is that a microphone? Are they fixing?

[Guest Comedian]

Not on the stage. They weren't on the stage.

[John]

They started on the front row, but then they. The evolution process moved 30ft. But my dad used to make fun of it and it really, I think, really help the church laugh at themselves and say, what do we. They move 30ft and turned around and sang. You know, I mean, what do we.

[Guest Comedian]

That's the goal. That would be the goal, yeah. To be like. Like Tim Hawkins has a great bit about raising your hands in church. He's like, you can do the carry the tv, the change my light bulb, the windshield wiper. And people would be like, that's wildly sacrilegious that you're making fun of how people would express their love for God. And he goes, no. And if the joke is done right, it'd be like, I'm trying to say it doesn't matter.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

You can do it the way different everybody's doing. And it doesn't. We shouldn't be separating ourselves based on how every church does it different. This, this, this. And you're like, these are the silly things about religion that separate us all that it's really. We're all here for the same reason.

[Chris]

I mean, I think the comedy is like this super important art form for like, it's a pressure valve that you can.

[Guest Comedian]

If.

[Chris]

If it's not like we coming out of woke. You know, the woke thing, that, that you couldn't tell jokes anymore. And then Chappelle did his Netflix special, which was outrageous, but it was like a momentous. It was like. But it was a moment in culture. Where it was like, wait, you can't say that anymore. And he. But he's saying it.

[Zach]

Yeah. And. And then.

[Guest Comedian]

I can't believe he's saying this.

[John]

Well, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

That said for years.

[John]

Well, the.

[Guest Comedian]

The. I was telling this last night at the comedy club when I was down in Huntsville. You know, a comedy club, if you ever been into one, there's 200 people. That was the biggest venue for a comedian in town prior to, like, 20, 18, 19. Yeah, you get. Maybe blue collar would go to the theater, but now you got comics doing theaters. Nate Bargazzi's doing arenas. Shane Gillis is doing stadiums. And it all changed in 20, 18, 19, 20, when you were like, you have to stand six feet apart in an airport, but then you're gonna all get on this plane. And we all were going, yeah. And nobody could say anything, right? No. So everybody was like, the world was kind of upside down, and everybody just had to be like, they didn't want to get fired from their jobs or lose their status or be canceled or whatever. So the world was so upside down, and nobody was allowed to say what everyone was thinking. We all had to be like. So we just tuned into these podcasts where people were saying it.

[Chris]

So one of the most difficult things about being a communicator is that when you say something that somebody doesn't agree with, and boom, you're canceled, you're turned off. Well, one of the reasons why our country works the way it works is because we have rights guaranteed to us by the First Amendment, which is our freedom of speech. And this is a value that Pure Talk holds dearly. It's my wireless provider. They allow us to speak openly and and transparently on this show. They're a great sponsor that honestly enables us to do what we do. PeerTalk also supports our veteran community, which is extremely important to us. These are the guys that fought hard to secure our rights and so that we can keep our rights. So if you get a heart for veterans, I want to encourage you to switch your wireless provider to PureTalk. But don't just switch because of that. Also switch because you will get the same coverage that you get with the big eyes. It's the same exact 5G network, extremely reliable, secure. And the plan started just 25 bucks a month, so you'll save a ton of money as well. And Peer Talk really does believe in creating American jobs and supporting small business. So if you are a small business owner, you can save even more while enjoying white glove service. And switching is easy. I switch in as little as 10 minutes. You know, PureTalk really does have a heart for veterans, America, and freedom. So go to PureTalk.com Unashamed to switch to my wireless company, Pure Talk, right now. You'll save an additional 50% off your first month. Again, that's pure talk.com unashamed to make the switch today. Don't you think that comedy, though, was kind of like the first step into it? I felt like, yeah, Chappelle and. And Vaughn.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, Theo.

[Chris]

Theo.

[Guest Comedian]

Vaughn Rogan. A little.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Guys that were kind of like, this is. And they were like, put up. You know, people were getting arrested for paddleboarding or, like, you know, they were like, stuff that. We were all watching this, like, what? But nobody could. You were like, oh, you want to kill your grandpa? And you're like, wait, wait, wait, wait. And nobody could, like, say. And we just had to be like, remember in the grocery store, we had to go this way, down the aisle. Yeah. Arrows. And we were all doing it.

[Zach]

We're looking for the circles, you know?

[John]

Well, because there were people in those aisles that if you didn't do it.

[Zach]

It'S, oh, the Karens, you know?

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

I mean, what are we. What are we doing here?

[Chris]

So we're in our closet watching these comedy shows, secretly laughing, and everybody's.

[Guest Comedian]

Yes, everybody was kind of doing it in secret. And I think maybe something that probably got us through it was comics being like, all right, this is nuts. But. And then all the people go, yeah, thank you.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

I was thinking it. I didn't real. I was just like, this is wild. But nobody could really.

[Chris]

But you got to take the risk to be funny. So it's like you're putting yourself out there because this could land and be highly offensive, make everybody upset.

[Guest Comedian]

And that's what. That's why I always find myself defending comics, because I go, well, you, you, you. We can't bat a thousand, right? You want us to push, push, push. And then somebody pushes too far, and you're like, get rid of them. I'm like, that's not how it worked. Yeah. This joke was probably insensitive, or you probably heard in an hour if you watched it. There was probably one or two that were like, yeah, well, I didn't like with the neighbors.

[John]

She was like, I mean, he never really clarified. She literally made that argument. Yeah, because you were talking about something.

[Guest Comedian]

The neighborhood app.

[John]

We weren't really famil. Familiar with. There's. Because I was like, there's a neighborhood app?

[Zach]

Oh, there's one in our neighborhood.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

And People are about it all the time. I was like, this is.

[Chris]

I don't know what the neighbor.

[Guest Comedian]

It's like a Facebook group of your neighborhood or like, we have it.

[Zach]

We have it in Lakewood Gardens.

[John]

His built was really funny because he.

[Zach]

Oh, I've laughed so many times. Things that are set on there.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Zach]

Someone said. So one of our. And she's a dear friend of ours, but she said somebody had damaged the. The. The sign going into our neighborhood. Some kids or something. Somebody ran into it, and some bricks were on the thing. She said, somebody's got to do something, and no one's taking responsibility for this. As if it was like a terrorist attack. Who's going to take responsibility?

[John]

Well, he was really going to the edge because then he was using multiple ways to. To have different handles and, like, representing both sides.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, I said I had.

[John]

And then it got political. He was like, I got one guy's Trump saying o the wall, and then the other guy's like, no, just to stir the pot. Oh, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

I didn't really resolve it, but I told my wife.

[John]

I was like, but I think you're missing the point. I was like, he's making. I explained the joke. I was like, you know what's sad is there's people in church buildings who are participating. Like, they're going home thinking, I'm not going to watch football. I'm fixed to see what's going on.

[Guest Comedian]

People say that to me in the airport all the time. I've been on my app. I've been stirring it up.

[John]

I said, babe, it's a sad reality. You have to laugh. And maybe somebody will say, you know, maybe I should not do that.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, well, that's. That's what you would hope that the joke would kind of, oh, this is. It should have a point if it's done well.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

And you might. You go, yeah, yeah. I can't believe we, you know, treat this person this way. Or, I can't believe. Yeah, we. We as Christians, all divided because you're like, we're. We're not. Our pastor decided he's not wearing a tie anymore, and we started our own church. You're like, all right. Well, we. We have every. We have one on every block now. Because everybody goes, well, you guys wearing sandals? We don't wear sandals at ours. We're out of here. And you're like, all right, well, this is not really the point.

[John]

Well, I think you should do a bit. I've done a bit, and I'm not.

[Zach]

A comedian about Jason's accidentally funny.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

Well, the only funny way this. And I don't know if it's still going on today, but I noticed that like, some pastors, they all started dressing this thing like. Like they were fixed to take off to space, like high top.

[Guest Comedian]

The skinny jeans.

[John]

To events. And they're like. They introduced me to the pastor and like half his head is shaved and they got the boots and I'm like, yeah. Is this a thing?

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Zach]

The worship leader, the pastor or the small group. Everybody has the same look.

[Chris]

You've had that before.

[Guest Comedian]

We covered. I think so.

[John]

Because it needs to be done. And one of my speeches at an event, I attempted a comedy bit, which now I'm not going to do anymore because nobody laughed. And then after it was over there, like, do you really have a problem with the way I'm dressed? Because I said, look, do I look like a preacher? And then because I usually say, you know, because of the beard. And I was like, you know, I don't have half my head shaved. I don't have the high top tennis shoes and the tight leather jacket or what. I said that nobody laughed because the guy that introduced me wasn't like that. So I was like trying to use him as an icebreaker.

[Guest Comedian]

But your joke was. It doesn't really matter. That was the ultimate joke was. But if you missed the angle of it, then, yeah, you should be like, I'm the. I'm the. On the first. I'm John the Baptist. Well, first preach.

[Zach]

Do you like the, the Johnny Carson thing? If, like, if something bombs, do you then just make something about it bombing or.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, you have to.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Because there's no way to. The comedy is different in a way. Like music. You can practice it in your closet in the studio until it's good, then bring it out. We just have to do it in front of everybody. I made a joke last night at the show. I go, it didn't work. And I go, all right. Well, I was like, how long into heaven for you to not. Would you not see a buddy that you start to get worried? You know, like when you get there, your family's there and your grandparents, you're like, have you seen Chuck from the office? You're like, I don't know. How long into heaven until you're like, I don't know if he's up here.

[John]

Probably say not long.

[Guest Comedian]

You think not long?

[John]

I mean, yes.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. But that is like a very in acquaintance, you know what I'm saying? He's not going to be at Your welcome party.

[John]

Yeah, exactly.

[Guest Comedian]

You're like, dude, it's been a month up here, and I haven't seen him a month.

[John]

I would say he's probably not here. We're.

[Chris]

We're actually concerned that we didn't get raptured yesterday. So we.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, yeah, that was yesterday.

[Zach]

Well, we thought, when we were here, we thought, what if everybody else did? We just. We're still sitting here. We missed the whole thing. So I was gonna ask you this. So I told this years ago on the podcast because, like, sometimes I'll use humor. My bits are kind of time tested. You know, I have stuff that goes with them. It's about the family. They almost work every time. But sometimes, you know, when you're going to speak someplace different, you come up with something kind of that just happens in the moment. Like. Like I would if I was on my way to preach somewhere and I had something happen. So sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Because, like you said, it's off the cuff. I was speaking at a conservative environmental group, which there's not many, but this.

[Guest Comedian]

One'S like an oxymoron.

[Zach]

Exactly. And it's in D.C. everybody in there is under. Everybody's young.

[Guest Comedian]

Okay.

[Zach]

And so they're. They're about the cause. We're conservatives, but we care about the environment. And they wanted. They asked me to come to speak about our conservation.

[John]

Yeah, I would have come to that.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[John]

I have conservative environmental tendencies.

[Zach]

Exactly. Well, that's what I said. Outdoors, we have our property. So I was. I was excited about it. So anyway, so in the airport, when we land Fauci, now this is back right after Covid, too. Fauci comes by, and he's got these little four bodyguards around him. And I just happened to see Fauci in the airport. I thought, well, that's. That's got. I got to use that. How can I use that? So. So it has nothing to do with the conference. So I get up and I thought this was going to be funny. And I said.

[Guest Comedian]

I said, divisive topic.

[Zach]

Yeah, I mean, that's what happened. I said, so I saw Anthony Fauci in the airport, because they're probably not knowing whether I really did, but I really did see it. I said, but he wasn't wearing a mask, you know? And I said, I guess that makes sense, though, because masks don't keep out bs. Yeah, that was my joke.

[Guest Comedian]

That's a good joke.

[Zach]

I thought it was pretty good. Nothing. I mean, not even a single, like, total.

[Chris]

Did you address the.

[John]

The Flop well.

[Zach]

So I said, oh, I guess we got some Anthony Fountain. And that got a couple of chuckles. And then I just went into my thing. I thought they were not. They were not even.

[Chris]

The rest of the time you got to benefit. They're coming to one of your shows. They're coming to life.

[Guest Comedian]

They already know and they weren't expecting that.

[Zach]

I realized I caught them.

[John]

Maybe because you're pastor and you used a reference. Well, even though you use the initial. I'm thinking that might have been if I would have.

[Zach]

But it wasn't a Christian organization. But even if you're right, if they had laughed, I already had my follow up. I was like, now. I meant Barbara Streisand. That would have been my follow up for the bs. But since they didn't leave, since they didn't laugh, I just.

[John]

Well, that would have been a funnier joke.

[Zach]

Well, I probably would.

[John]

I would have laughed at that.

[Zach]

That's a Rush limbo.

[Guest Comedian]

So he wasn't wearing a mask, but he was wearing devil horns or something like that. I could see the horns.

[Zach]

But apparently they were not. They were not there. I mean, whatever. I don't know. Maybe it was too Tucson.

[John]

I just gave it up. I.

[Guest Comedian]

Don't be funny. Well, mine, I got a. I got the benefit of the doubt because I'm on the. I'm on the poster. Everybody's coming to see me.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

If you. If they're. That's like, I couldn't do it in Yalls position.

[Zach]

Right.

[Guest Comedian]

Because everybody's new. Yeah, everybody's. Even if I go to West Monroe or Portland, it's the same people in the crowd.

[Zach]

Right, Right.

[Guest Comedian]

That all kind of know. They're like, we love Jesus. That being said, our parents didn't drink alcohol.

[Chris]

Never.

[Guest Comedian]

But we still watch Netflix. But we still want to make sure our kids don't swear. It's this. Yeah, I kind of know who's in there.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

If you guys are just getting booked at random.

[Zach]

Oh, it could be anything.

[Guest Comedian]

That sounds terrifying.

[John]

I've said this many times. I have spoken before in front of audiences where I'm pretty sure I was the only sober person there. I was telling a story last night at dinner. I was like, when I got up to speak, they wouldn't even pay attention. Everybody was just hammered. So I just went Phil style and held my Bible up and it did get quiet. And I kind of gave a Jesus presentation that felt awkward, you know, for them and me. But then, then I felt like now that you know where I stand, I'll Tell you some jokes over there. And I did. And I think, you know, they all clapped. I'm not sure it was a smattering.

[Zach]

So we're in a moment in our culture where lies spread quickly and truth feels costly. But for Linda, the cost of silence could have meant the end of her baby's life. When Linda learned she was pregnant, she knew abortion was wrong. But fear almost consumed her and led her to a very dark place. She didn't know where to turn. Then God led her to a preborn network clinic. There she was met with prayer, compassion, and the truth that pierced through her fear. Linda chose life for her baby. Preborn shines truth into the heart of mothers deciding between life and death for their baby. J, you and I have always been huge supporters of life and kind of from different ends of the perspective. Lisa and I do a lot of work on the abortion side of things. You and Missy are great advocates for kind of the back end about providing help for people once babies are here.

[John]

I mean, these are little humans when you think about things like human rights. And these are. These are human, human beings.

[Zach]

Absolutely. And that's the great truth of this whole thing. And that's why truth matters now more than ever. Because when a mother hears it, lives are saved. Just $28 provides that truth through a free ultrasound. This is your chance to make a difference that echoes into eternity. Will you answer the call, Pick up your phone, dial £250 and say, Baby, that's £250, baby. Or you can donate [e-mail] unashamed. That's preborn.com unashamed. Do it now because life matters.

[Guest Comedian]

We need some kind of, some kind of objective rating system for these shows. You're like, sometimes it's good. It's a 5.6. What was it, seven point?

[Zach]

Well, we did, we did a thing. Dad and I got to come to one. Inside were spokes, people for a company. And so they invited them to speak at their corporate thing. It was just part of them. And they were making a lot of money to be the spokesperson. And so they invited. But I thought to myself, I hope they know what they're getting. So we go in the bands playing, everybody's drinking. There's a bar back there. And it's just happened. You know, dad gets up, he just starts, boom, right into John the baby. He's going to. The music dies down, the laughing stops, the dancing stops. Beer goes under the table, under the table. And there people are just slack jaw. They're like, who is this person, and that's this guy. And so after it was over, dad goes off and said, I'm out of here, you know, and there's a kind of a little bit of applause. And dad looked at me and he said, boy, into that party.

[John]

Yeah, I had a. I mean, he.

[Zach]

Was almost proud, you know, don't ask me back.

[John]

There's one joke that I got from my dad that I use every speech that always has laughter, except for one time. I'll share that. But. And it. My dad was very clever about taking something complex and making it real simple.

[Zach]

And a way to turn a phrase.

[John]

And he would bring up that we're all like, the problems of humanity. And he. Of course, it's right after just a withering barrage of how much sin is a problem. And my dad really hammered that, where it, like, it made people really uncomfortable and they're looking at their life. Well, then he gets to death and he's like, you're all going to die. And. And he's like, oh, I know what you're thinking. Some of you have rationalized in your mind that it. You're in denial. And he's like, you say, I eat right and I work out. And he's like, you'll die healthy. And everybody laughs. So everybody laughs at that. Invited to speak at a. Which I didn't know it till I got there.

[Guest Comedian]

Who's booking y'? All?

[John]

I don't know how this happened. This was a few years ago, but I show up at a hospital and I thought, are we going in this hospital? And she's like, oh, yeah, it's it. This is the hospital staff. And I was like, is this a Christian hospital? And she said, no. I was like, why would they want me to speak at just a hospital? And so now I'm clicking on the way in the door thinking I'm going to give the same message.

[Zach]

You're like, the last person.

[John]

This is a true story. I'll never share this.

[Zach]

I've never heard this.

[John]

So I thought, I have one joke that I know will work.

[Zach]

Die healthy.

[John]

The diet healthy at the hospital. So I. I started it by saying, I have some breaking news. There's been a divine development in the health care world, and I want to share this with you. And I said, I got to set it up first. So I told that joke. I was like, we're all, you know, going to die. And. And then I went the denial and I said the joke. No one laughed. Not one. When I said not one person. And then I revealed my Development. I was like, there is something that's happened on this planet that's the greatest health care ever. And it's called the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And I thought some people would applaud.

[Zach]

This is nothing.

[John]

Nothing. I said, okay, have you ever been duck hunting? And I thought, there was my speech. There was my. And I thought it would be kind of funny, and they would think, oh, you know, there. God.

[Zach]

And you put it in there, John.

[John]

I went through the gospel little presentation.

[Zach]

That's the problem with our approach to humor. You see, trying to do.

[John]

And I thought. I tried to be funny and. And like, to get. I wanted to share Jesus to these people, and I did. But I thought, I don't. I don't think that went well. But it made me.

[Guest Comedian]

I don't think it went well. No, that's a. I. I don't know how you do it. I don't know how you. If you look at. If you watch. If you watch any. If you watch Joel Osteen, which comes on after the news, he starts with the joke. Yeah, he starts every service with a joke. And I remember when we did winter jam in 2019, it was. It was all a bunch of Christian artists. Then I was up. I did 12. And then Kerry Jobe and Cody Carnes were after me. And we were talking at the beginning, like, I don't know how this is gonna work. She came to me, like, probably 15, two months into the tour, she goes, I gotta be honest with you, it is such a privilege to lead worship after you've done comedy. I go, I'm just saying these dumb jokes about all this kind of stuff and denominations. And she goes, well, everybody comes into that arena from all these different churches, and you have brought them all together. You have broken down all the barriers that your Church of Christ, you're different from Presbyterian. And then you have. We've all. Laughter is very communal. You hear something funny, you want to, you know, the guy next to you.

[Zach]

All these come together. I mean, like, yeah, then you're more.

[Guest Comedian]

Open and you're more vulnerable. You've all laughed together. And she said, man, it was just so the spirit could just move in there so easily because everybody was loosened up. And I go, I never thought about it like that.

[Zach]

But it's exactly. You just described exactly what I do. What I used to do with Dad, I would do a little opening, 10 minute. The little bits that I do that are funny about the family. Because like you said, everybody came there because they love the family. So I would do funny Stuff about.

[Guest Comedian]

About the family.

[Zach]

Exactly. Then I would bring dad up because I knew he was going to be none of that.

[Guest Comedian]

He's just straight. But it.

[Zach]

It relaxes him. So when Lisa and I speak, I do the exact same thing. We may be at a pregnancy center. And, like, her stuff is heavy.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Zach]

I mean, heavy. And so I get up and do my thing. Ten minutes. Everybody's laughing. We've let the guard down.

[Guest Comedian]

It's like, oh, we all came in here.

[Zach]

And then she just gets up and does her thing. It does it like. I feel like it doubles the impact of what it.

[John]

And you.

[Guest Comedian]

And you become receptive to that person. If that's right. You laugh, you kind of trust them or build a little bit of rapport with them maybe. Yeah. Sometimes we do it like a. If you have a joke about. I go, like, I joke about my niece and nephews being bad kids. And I go, we got to start hitting these kids. And if I say it, I got. When I say it right out the gate, it never gets a laugh. I go, I got to move this later.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

40 minutes into the show. When they know me that I love my family, they trust you. So you can't go in hard like that with something too early. I gotta just move that back in the show and maybe move something a little bit more surface level, more easy get to know you humor, then get into this.

[Chris]

So what are you going to do now, though? Because now you're. You got big news. You're engaged.

[Guest Comedian]

You're getting married.

[Zach]

Oh, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

What do you mean, what am I going to do now? I have the most material of all time.

[Chris]

She knows what. She knows the rules, right?

[Zach]

Are you getting married for the material? Tell the truth. This podcast, this is the unashamed.

[Guest Comedian]

This is where it comes out.

[John]

I need to get married.

[Zach]

I need a wife, and I need kids to keep the tr.

[Guest Comedian]

I got one YouTube special. I got. At least I have some kids. Yeah. I'm out of material.

[John]

That's the next phase.

[Chris]

Ain't no business like show business, right?

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, yeah.

[John]

So you sat down and you choreographed how your material would evolve.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

So you bring the wife on.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. The strategic move. Well, I should have done that probably 15 years ago if I was doing it for that.

[Zach]

Yeah, yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

She said the other day, she goes, she tells the story how you'd like. Choose your battles, you know? Choose your battles. And you go, well, you didn't tell me how many I could choose. I choose them all. You want to correct them? And she goes, I forgot my lunch I forgot my lunch and I'm at work, and now it's going to be a nightmare. I just. I totally bit myself in the foot. I go, be yourself. I don't think he's saying that right. I go, do you mean shot yourself in the foot? She's like, why do you always do this? You always have to correct me. She goes, you always have the perfect word to correct me. What are you, like, an encyclopedia? And I was like, whoa. I think you meant dictionary.

[John]

I don't think I've ever heard.

[Zach]

I got hit in the middle of the night.

[Guest Comedian]

Or she just say. She goes, you know what I meant. I go, yeah, I should have let it go, but I just.

[John]

I am a comedian. I couldn't have let that go.

[Chris]

You're gonna have to be careful with that.

[Zach]

That. Does she think you're funny? That's my question.

[Guest Comedian]

But she doesn't want to. She not the public. So she's like, I can't listen to your podcast. It's too much.

[John]

Missy won't listen. You gotta remember. That's why I think I can help, because. So have you had premarital counseling?

[Guest Comedian]

Yes.

[John]

All right. How did y' all do the little compatibility test?

[Guest Comedian]

Huh? I think so.

[John]

How did that. What? There's a rating system that comes. Are y' all compatible to live together?

[Guest Comedian]

Let's see. I believe we are, yes.

[John]

Well, me and my wife took the compatibility test. The guy where me and Al went to Bible school, one of our mentors, he was my premarital counselor. And he's a guy who, like. He's just, like, the happiest guy in the room.

[Zach]

And he's a football coach before he.

[John]

Became a guy, became a Christian. So he was. He pulled me off to the side. He's like, I got the results of your compatibility test, and if you're pulling.

[Zach]

Him off to the side, I don't know already.

[John]

I was a little nervous because I was outside. Yeah. And I said, well, how did we do? And he said, how's your prayer life? And look, I did not get the job. He made a joke.

[Guest Comedian]

He's making a joke.

[John]

Yeah, he was, but he was basically saying he was soft.

[Zach]

You're not compatible.

[John]

He didn't want to say that because he thought, we live in a free country. We're free to choose. And he just didn't know how to say it.

[Zach]

I bet out of all the premaritals he had ever done, you were probably the first one that came back that way.

[John]

I mean, I said, so after I didn't get the joke. Week later I see him and I said, so you're basically saying that whatever test we did, that we should not get married, that we're not compatible. And he said, you got it. Well, are you formally giving me this advice as my premarital counsel, or is.

[Guest Comedian]

This just what the numbers say?

[John]

Yeah, that's a true story. Whatever I thought, I think you need a new test.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's bad advice.

[John]

I mean, that was the advice. Now that I've been married 35 years, I have been married 35 years. So we've proven that wrong.

[Chris]

Everybody knows that the American healthcare system is a train wreck. There's over 100 million people who are drowning in medical debt and even more don't have any health insurance at all because traditional health insurance costs way too much. It's way too confusing to navigate. And most of the time it feels like you're fighting the system instead of getting the actual help you need. But believers have developed a better way. It's called Christian Healthcare Ministries and it's half the cost. Al and Jace, you guys love to rib me about being smart with my money, but CHM is the kind of savings I'll happily stand behind. CHM is a ministry first where believers all across the country pitching every month to share the burdens of each other's medical bills. It's not just about getting your medical bills paid, though. There's spiritual encouragement lifting you up as well. Since it's not traditional insurance, there's a lot more space for you guys to choose your doctors, the hospital, hospitals that you want, that you trust without the middleman deciding for you. In fact, members have already shared more than $12 billion in medical bills together. So for me, it's a no brainer. I can save cash and stop feeding money into a broken system that doesn't work well.

[Zach]

Zach, you know, Lisa and I have been really blessed by health cost sharing. It was a huge blessing for us when we went through Lisa's cancer. And not just the money side of it, but also just the community side of having people praying for you and being a part of a community like that. So it's been a great blessing for us.

[Chris]

So I'm a member and I wanted, you know, I wanted to be a part of something I believe in. I love, I love the fact that these guys are faith based. So ditch your traditional health insurance and join CHM today by visiting chministries.org unashamed. That's chministries.org unashamEd chministries.org unashaMed. What's your advice you got to give, John?

[John]

Well, I'm just. That's what I was going to say. It's been combustible. There wasn't. There was an element to that that was true. And I used to say this now until she came on the podcast and proved me wrong. Because I said, we have quotes. Because I said, as if it can be proved wrong. The only thing we had in common was Jesus. And I thought it was a moving point. I'm like, that's enough. I've told crowds that she volunteered to come on the podcast without my knowledge and wrote a list of 10 things we had in common besides that. But they were stuff like, we like chips and salsa. You know, I'm like, you had to.

[Guest Comedian]

Strain in times of desperation. Chips and salsa's not holding you together.

[Zach]

Yeah, that's the bond, really.

[John]

Well, two through four were our kids. I'm like, okay, that's almost a given.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

I'm like, you're kind of straining. To my point. I didn't. She thought the list was impressive. I said, not really.

[Guest Comedian]

To me, who's more difficult, you say you or her?

[John]

So I think it does come back to she.

[Zach]

I think the marriage advice is going this way.

[John]

I don't think.

[Chris]

Give him some marriage advice.

[John]

I like outdoors. She likes indoors. It's like every. Where we go.

[Zach]

It's almost like you're incompatible.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[John]

She likes a plan. I have zero. It's just that it is. That is the way we are. But it'll work out.

[Zach]

But you've heard the whole axiom about opposites attract.

[John]

I mean, sometimes I don't really believe that anymore.

[Zach]

Although you're living proof of it. Yeah, I get it.

[John]

I mean, I. There's a. There's a part of me as long and I. This would be my advice. There is a part of me that is learning. Sometimes it's taken mostly the three day period. And now I realize why Jesus stayed dead three days. Because these disagreements that we have had happened in the last 35 years, it's kind of a three day process to get through it. And I'm like, it's a three day death. But we always come back together. That's a good word. And it's wonderful. But it's a lot of that in our relationship. It's a lot of the three day burial. And then we come back. I'm like, as long as we come back, we're 35 years in. So you need to remember that when you're on like, day two of the not speaking.

[Guest Comedian]

I like, keep God.

[Zach]

Yeah, go to bed.

[Chris]

We'll go. When you get angry, just go to bed.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, all right.

[Chris]

Go to bed.

[Guest Comedian]

That's the opposite.

[John]

You might give the devil. Go to her point about getting bit in the foot.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, yeah, getting. Maybe that's a callback.

[Chris]

Yeah, that's called back.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[John]

Nice.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

Yeah.

[Zach]

That's when I preach. That's why I said the difference in Judas and Peter is one way to three days. Days until he came back. The other one didn't.

[John]

So I would say the number one advice is that there's no amount of material that you can research or study up on or no amount of premarital counseling that is prepared you for what's fixing to happen to you.

[Guest Comedian]

That's what everybody says. That's what everybody.

[John]

Everybody said that.

[Guest Comedian]

Or they said, like, hey, what? Like, this is going to be unbelievable, but it's also going to be.

[John]

Oh, no, impossible. That. That. That's a lot. There was, I think, the first month after we were married, which my dad had given me this advice. He's like, one day you're going to look up and she's going to be crying for no reason. And so after the first week, I thought my dad didn't know what he was talking about, but it was a month, and I woke up, and she's over there crying. And I was like, what's that? And I remembered the words of my dad. I was like, oh, man. He was prophetic. And so when I gave the. Don't do this. Don't say, why are you crying? Just figure it out. Don't. Don't ask that.

[Zach]

My favorite response. I said this recently on podcasts. I'm so sorry, babe. And. And I am, but I can't. Anything else. So, like, when she's in some place of difficulty, then unless she wants me to say more, I'm just like, man, I'm so sorry. The other night, she's stuck in the airport, and I know she can't get home. I'm here. I'm like, man, I'm sorry, but. And I was.

[Guest Comedian]

And you are, so.

[Zach]

Yeah, I am, but. But that's all she really needed to hear.

[Chris]

But I'll try to fix it.

[Zach]

I can't fix it. All right, so here's my advice. My advice, because you're a comedian, is that because, like, my favorite thing in the world is when I make Lisa laugh and I do this. Like, you do this for your living. I sort of do, too. And so I love but you kind of feel like you're on for that group, and so then you kind of want to turn off because it makes sense you've been doing that. But, man, the laughter of the people that care about. If you can say funny things, like, I'll say things that get her laughing. There's nothing better than that. So never stop making her laugh. And you'll be able to do it. I know you will. But sometimes we forget that I spent a lot of early life, like, so focused on the church, the bride of Christ. I mean, I love the church, and I loved what I was doing, but my own bride was left out for a few years, you know, And I just. I feel like that was a mistake I made younger. I was so committed to the craft.

[John]

I made a similar mistake. Yeah. I was doing good.

[Guest Comedian]

Career. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[John]

But you're a team. I was kind of kidding about the first advice, my real advice, because now that we're moving around in a circle. Kumbaya.

[Zach]

Funny anymore.

[Guest Comedian]

When he's formal jokes. That's when you hurt yourself on stage. You just do regular.

[Zach]

That's it. That's it.

[Chris]

Do you wait, it gets a little more serious. Are you like, I gotta break this with some kind of joke?

[Guest Comedian]

I don't mind. I. Jo, I'm here to listen.

[John]

No, I like your vein now that I. It took me three podcasts for you to kind of grow. I was kind of with watching an.

[Guest Comedian]

Hour of my other.

[Zach]

Yeah, well, then he saw your act.

[John]

Well, your act was actually. I was impressed. I was like, you're very surprisingly. If I could. Let me translate.

[Chris]

That's a raving endorsement.

[John]

When I met you, I thought, okay.

[Zach]

How'S this where they get these clowns?

[Chris]

This is all raving endorsements.

[Zach]

One of Sadie's friends.

[John]

Well, I just didn't know what your jokes would be, but I think where we connect, where I connected with you is it bothers me, like. And this is a conversation I would. Dallas Jenkins. And it really, really has nothing to do with what we're talking about. But we had a similar conversation because I was like. We had. We came out with a show that about our family. Well, it was a comedy. Not. But it wasn't like a plan comedy. It. People watch it because it's funny. It's not a religious show. We pray at the end. But it's basically us living our life.

[Zach]

Which we have a lot of laughter doing crazy stuff.

[John]

And I'm like, we're made in the image of God, and people don't have a Problem Watching our show and laughing. They'll watch the chosen. And what organically happens when you're watching people, Funny things happen. That kind of not even were the purpose of it. Because God made us to be funny. That's where this came from. But people will call him and say, how dare you be funny on a religious show? And I'm like, so let me get that. I remember telling him this. I thought, so they can watch our show and laugh, but you can't watch the chosen and laugh. I was like, I think there's a problem in there.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

Somewhere.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. Where is the.

[Zach]

Which kind of works into your world. Yeah.

[John]

Yeah. But I'm like, I used to do this that my wife just could not stand when I did because I did this on stage. I was like, look, there's. I know there's people in the audience that when someone breaks wind and you won't laugh. I was like, I'm married to a woman who is like that. That because she was raised in a virus about.

[Guest Comedian]

That's not funny.

[Zach]

Okay.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah, yeah.

[Zach]

I'm not.

[Guest Comedian]

And I'm respectful.

[John]

I was like, you're not living in the image of God. He created the marriage.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Chris]

There's your marital advice.

[Guest Comedian]

She doesn't laugh. You're not living in the image of Christ.

[John]

That's what I did. And I was like, because that's funny and you've repressed that laughter. Laughter's good for the soul.

[Zach]

We were doing a yoga class at church one time years ago, and all of a sudden where everybody gets in a tight pose and all of a sudden it's like. And so nobody's does anything. And so like, it was like several beats go by. And I was. And so I just couldn't help it. I was like, are we not going to address what just happened? Somebody just did that. And then everybody just loosened up. Oh, busted out laughing. But nobody ever.

[John]

Well, I'm saying if God created the body and he put this sound in there with a double down with the smell. You're telling me you're going to go through life and not enjoy a few.

[Zach]

But that'd be too much body humor.

[Guest Comedian]

Right?

[John]

I mean, especially the older you get. Now I got over 50, I reach down to pick up something, it happens without my knowledge.

[Chris]

Really is the funniest joke of all time. Because how many times have you heard it and how many times have you laughed? You still laugh. You wouldn't laugh at the same joke, but that's one that you laugh at.

[Zach]

And then your dad added the joke to it. Your voice has changed, but your breast still the same.

[John]

So. But what?

[Guest Comedian]

You don't think that's funny? If you don't think that's funny.

[John]

I chased a rabbit. I was going to say the best advice I ever got was about five years ago.

[Zach]

This is the rambling most.

[John]

I was reading Ephesians 5 and you know, every. And you ought to do a whole bit about that, you know, because everybody's like, stay in your lane. You know about the marital roles. And I'm like, God created this awesome thing called marriage. And you can just pick up the pieces throughout the entire Bible, starting in Genesis 2, where something beautiful does occur, but it's filled with struggles and we're created differently. And it's just affirmation that what people are now calling common sense was actually written in the first two chapters of the Bible. It's like, this is not breaking news. You want to discover something awesome on the planet? Get married, have kids. It's awesome. But the struggle part of it all is kind of what galvanizes the relationship. I mean, I used to think, where are we going to get to a point where we're like, oh, okay, we, we've made. I'm like, no, it's. It's the whole process because it's ever evolving and changing too.

[Guest Comedian]

There's nowhere to get to.

[John]

Yeah, it's not the destination. This. And somebody said you both get to live like Jesus in your role as a male and a female. And I read that Ephesians 5. I was like, I never really made that connection. I mean, this blanket is absolutely stunning.

[Chris]

He's got the bubble cuddle. That is a incredible blanket. I have one from our friends at Cozy Earth.

[John]

I mean, look, they. You call it the bubble cuddle. I call it living. This takes me back to the old West. I feel like I need to get on a buffalo and ride up through Yellowstone. Say I'm warm.

[Chris]

Oh, it's incredible. Well, they all Cozy Earth also has bamboo sheets that are incredible that we use as well. And they're temperature regulating sheets that are guaranteed to give you a comfortable night's sleep. They naturally wick away heat and moisture. I literally sleep several degrees cooler, which is a total game changer on the sleep game. You can even try cozy air sheets, risk free for 100 nights. If you don't love them, send them back. But trust me, you're not going to want to send them back. Oh, by the way, these are guaranteed for 10 years. Once you fill them, you will want them to last for an entire decade. We all use Cozy Earth sheets. We all have Cozy Earth pajamas. They're absolutely incredible.

[John]

You're not going to send them back. You may fight them over them, but I will say this in all honesty, this is the greatest blanket that I have ever put on my body. I mean, it is fantastic. You will laugh at the car.

[Chris]

I cover up with it every single night. And you can have that same blanket. Just head over to cozyearth.com use our code unashamed. You get 20% off. And if you get a post purchase survey, please make sure you let them know you heard about Cozy Earth right here on the Unashamed podcast. That's cozyearth.com code unashamed for up to 20% off. Because home isn't just where you live. It's how you feel. Let's go home with Cozy Earth.

[John]

But just that one thought in my mind, I'm like, because you think, oh, the guy's in charge. But it's like, yeah, you love your wife, so you'll lay down your life. And I'm like, oh, well, wait a minute now. Laying down my life.

[Guest Comedian]

It's a big ask.

[John]

Well, yeah. So I think you kind of find your role in that through Jesus, which is a better way, I think, to just start reading that passage. Especially with all the baggage that we bring from our religious.

[Zach]

The older we get, too, the more opportunities we have to laugh at each other. Because Lisa and I were on a trip, we got driving home, and we're both getting to where we can't hear that well. And she said, do you have the hotel address? Because we were about to pull into a place to go. That was her question. What I heard was, do I have diverticulitis? Which I thought was such an odd time to even ask that question. Where did that come from? And I looked at her, and she's looking at me like, why are you looking at me so strange? I said, do I have diverticulitis? And she bust that laugh. And she's like, why would you think I would ask you that? I said, I don't know. It's so strange. I don't think I do. And she said, do you have the hotel?

[Guest Comedian]

But also, do you?

[Chris]

Yeah. But now that we brought it back.

[Zach]

I said, well, I did get a colon scope two months ago.

[John]

The fact that you even know that word is disturbing to me.

[Zach]

Oh, I've heard it. I have pre diverticulitis.

[Chris]

So when. So when have y' all set a wedding date and all that?

[Guest Comedian]

Are you not Yet.

[John]

Okay.

[Guest Comedian]

You think we're. Am I gonna announce it on the Unashamed podcast?

[Zach]

We're trying to get a scoop. Anything we can get.

[John]

We may have another. Yeah, we may have an intervention here. Because look, what seems to be the hold up here once you make it a week ago.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

Congratulations. Okay, I think we need to nail that day.

[Guest Comedian]

We're trying to figure out which. Which city to do it in. My city. City or her.

[Chris]

What's. What are the two cities?

[Guest Comedian]

Bentonville, Arkansas, or Nashville.

[Chris]

Oh, wow.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. Well, Ben's nice, but the problem with I. So I thought this is where I might have messed up. I thought the. The proposal was my. This is my Super Bowl.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

I'm gonna go all out. I got a boat. I got the symphony. I got the. And then I think I played my hand too early because I thought. And I think when you're 41 1, I think he might be on the hook for paying for some of this wedding.

[John]

Oh.

[Guest Comedian]

As I found out.

[John]

Really? You should have consulted with us.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[Zach]

You went through this.

[John]

Yeah, I went.

[Chris]

I thought.

[Guest Comedian]

I. I was like, this is going.

[Chris]

To be the big.

[Guest Comedian]

The proposal is going to be. The wedding's hers. Yeah, this is mine. And now you're paying for it.

[Chris]

You pay for something, you got to.

[Guest Comedian]

Dial it back in, and it's got to be the. I was like, if this was the proposal, what's the wedding?

[Chris]

Well, you've always wanted to set the.

[Zach]

Bar way too high.

[John]

Oh, look, I went the opposite direction by accident. I said it so lucky that when I proposed, she cried, not tears of joy. I put her ring in dirt in a potted plant. And for Christmas, I gave her the potted plant. And I said, dig through the dirt because she's a yuppie perch. She doesn't like getting her hands dirty. Because I was kind of saying, if she won't dig in that dirt, I'm calling this whole thing off.

[Zach]

So you're giving her a metaphor.

[John]

She's under the dirt.

[Chris]

Dirt.

[John]

It was in the dirt. The ring was in the dirt.

[Chris]

Here's my advice.

[Zach]

Now do you understand why they're not compatible?

[Guest Comedian]

The youth master was right.

[John]

She was looking at me, like, frustratedly, and she started digging. And then she saw the ring, started crying. I thought, oh, this went great.

[Zach]

She got my metaphor.

[John]

She's like, why would you make me do that? And I said, you passed the test. Will you marry me? There was a long pause, and she said, yes, but in kind of a frustratingly way.

[Guest Comedian]

I thought this was going to be Different. When I was a child, I imagined this day going.

[Zach]

You just imagine digging in the dirt.

[John]

It seemed to make sense in my mind. I was a bit immature.

[Zach]

But look, that's how we got married.

[John]

We told that story somewhere in an interview.

[Zach]

Not on this podcast.

[John]

Well, I did it with her, which was another mistake. She's still angry about it. But what I learned. Here's what I learned. So cool. Even though she still.

[Zach]

I think this whole podcast don't what.

[John]

Not to do, she realized that was so long a low bar that I think it actually helped me in a weird way.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

Where she's like, he's come a long way.

[Guest Comedian]

Then you get dinner reservations, and they're like, this guy will do anything. Yeah, that's a good way. Yeah.

[John]

That's a true story.

[Guest Comedian]

Set the bar low.

[Zach]

You did set a high bar. Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

I've rented out the symphony. Oh, yeah.

[John]

See, I would have. I would have said, go somewhere in between the pot and the dirt.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

And the symphony.

[Guest Comedian]

Maybe at the park. Put out a charcuterie board at the park.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

That could have been. That's bridging, like, one fiddle. Yeah.

[Chris]

All these engagements have things. It's. It's a thing now.

[Zach]

Oh, it's a huge thing now. It's like, because of social media mostly.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah.

[John]

You know, I think you're better off letting her decide where. Because that way you. When. If it. When it gets. It's rough and it's gonna happen, you can go back and say, remember that time. I'll let you have your way there.

[Chris]

You know, but you probably need to seed it with, like. I've always wanted a small, intimate wedding.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, yeah.

[Chris]

You start dripping.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. See that in. Yeah, that's like, kind of when I go on the road to do, like, on the. Working on the weekends, I'm like, baby, it is so tough out here. I'm sacrificing for this family, for a future family. But we're, like, out there living the dream. Yeah. Guys, be quiet. I'm struggling for the Lord out here.

[Zach]

Will she travel with you and all that when you.

[Guest Comedian]

She does sometimes.

[John]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

I say, I got a show. And actually she wanted to come to West Monroe to see Sadie, but she. Sometimes I. I was in Paducah last Saturday, and she was pretty busy to not come out to Paducah, but I go to, you know, New York or la. She's like, I'm free.

[John]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Going to West Palm Beach. West Palm Beach. She's, like, actually checked. I'm free that weekend. What about Fort Wayne.

[Zach]

Because no offense. Glad West Monroe got up on the.

[Guest Comedian]

They got notched up. Yeah.

[John]

I think. I think our. Our. Your future wife and wife could be friends because she does the same thing.

[Guest Comedian]

Let me go. Well, now, Now, Tim Hawkins used to say they would ask him in the meet and greet, is your wife okay with you traveling this much? And I'd ask you guys this. He says, I'm home Monday to Friday. You don't understand. Come Friday, my wife is like, you got it. Oh, I think you guys relate to that.

[John]

The longer you get married, that becomes thing we need.

[Chris]

But it depends on how old your kids are. Oh, I got a four year old. So Jill's this. I mean, anytime. It.

[John]

It. It's.

[Guest Comedian]

You're not leaving.

[John]

No, but you can't say it. It's just assumed. So, like, I'm an empty national. Sort of. But so like, oh, I'm going to Nashville for three days. And it's like, oh, okay, well, I'll miss you. But really, you're both thinking we needed a break. You don't say it.

[Guest Comedian]

You don't say it. Data.

[John]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

What about. Can I get like a. Maybe like all four of us getting on a group chat. If I'm dealing with something, I just.

[Zach]

You just.

[Guest Comedian]

I put it in there and you guys tell me what to do.

[John]

You can handle the truth.

[Chris]

I'm gonna give you.

[Zach]

Jack Nicholson over here says you can't handle the truth. John, Chris, I think I'm ready.

[Chris]

All right.

[Guest Comedian]

I think I'm. This is my third. My third visit.

[Zach]

Third visit. And again, it's been a classic because we're 50 minutes here. We're out of time. But, man, I needed a good laugh today.

[John]

No, I'm excited. I think you needed some. Some help.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, you did? Yeah, I think I do. Yeah.

[John]

The wife is defined as a helper in Genesis, so that was a nice way to say you're.

[Guest Comedian]

Yeah. So I want you to book me.

[Zach]

On this and I want you to tell her that was the best thing you did, getting that redneck wisdom into your life.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, man.

[John]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

Well, I think that any couple that. That is not to. To what y' all said. If it. You're. They're not laughing.

[Zach]

Yeah.

[Guest Comedian]

I don't know if you can make it. I don't know.

[John]

That's a red flag.

[Guest Comedian]

Even if it's like a fart or like. Or something serious, like, I'm.

[Chris]

You gotta laugh. I'll. I'll give you. Before we go, too. This is serious. Is. Is because my family. You guys Know my family, we're kind of like functional dysfunction, if that makes sense.

[John]

You've embraced the.

[Chris]

I've embraced that. But I was raised that way. And the one thing that was constant was a spirit of repentance. Just confession, open. Like, I think that's the. You kind of mentioned that with that three day period.

[John]

Yeah.

[Chris]

You're gonna hit issues, but I think you always come back to, you know, we're gonna, we're gonna deal with it. I think that's like.

[Zach]

Because that, that opens the way to a life of forgiveness, which you never have more opportunity to forgive than in.

[John]

A marriage, which later on you will then laugh about something funny, staring at a wall, saying, it's over.

[Guest Comedian]

We got in that. We got into something a couple days ago and it was. I go, oh, you know what's different about this? We're not. There's no leaving. Yeah. We got to figure it out. Like in a small way, I'm not married yet.

[Zach]

But I go, we already made a commitment.

[Guest Comedian]

Like, I. Not. I didn't. Nothing I think that we ever went through that made me want. But you go, that was. You were trying to see if that person was a mate for you. So if they. And you go, oh, we're. This is different because we gotta.

[Zach]

We're all in.

[Guest Comedian]

No matter what.

[John]

We're. We're figuring this out mantra that will never end. We're not leaving.

[Zach]

All right, so next time we have you on John, we'll get a. Hopefully if it happens between now and then, we'll get a follow up and we'll see where.

[Guest Comedian]

Oh, yeah, I'll write some, try out our new stuff. There you go.

[Zach]

It's always a pleasure.

[Guest Comedian]

Honor to be here.

[Zach]

Thank you, bud. 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.