In this episode of the H3X Podcast, Dave Miller reflects on how an old FFA motto — “Learning to do, Doing to learn, Earning to live, Living to serve” — unexpectedly provides a framework for disciple-making and leadership development. Drawing from a recent marketplace ministry discussion, he explores the tension between training and learning, execution and essence, and how the “radical middle” bridges both worlds. Through stories of mentorship, engineering, and ministry, Dave illustrates how maturity and wisdom grow through action, reflection, and grace. Listeners will walk away with renewed clarity on how to integrate faith, work, and mission through a mindset of abundance rather than scarcity.

Referenced Concepts and Tools:

• FFA Motto: Learning to do, Doing to learn, Earning to live, Living to serve
• The “Radical Middle”: Balancing training with learning, execution with essence
• “Bucket and Drip” training approach — content download followed by long-term application
• “Practices and Principles” framework for disciple-making
• Marketplace ministry tensions: mechanics vs. maturity
• Abundance mindset vs. scarcity mindset in leadership development
• Real-life illustrations: engineering mentorship, disciple training, and multi-city collaboration

Takeaways:

• The harvest field is the great equalizer — practice reveals what training can’t.
• Wisdom is earned through the doing — grace fills the gaps.
• Unity grows when the mission focuses outward, not on competing paradigms.

Duncan's journey isn’t just about following Jesus: it’s about being fathered, mentored, and learning how to pour life into others. In this episode, he shares the raw, real challenges of stepping into spiritual family, learning to disciple, and multiplying what he’s been given.

Hear how love, patience, and mentorship transformed a young follower into someone raising up the next generation of disciples. This is a story about legacy, growth, and the unseen work of shaping lives that last beyond a single lifetime.

Mudd and Rib Podcast: Listen Now on Apple Podcasts

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Visit covomultipliers.com for upcoming training, immersions, and resources. 4 Fields Training November 7-9 - SIGN UP NOW.

What if the call to mission isn’t somewhere out there...but right where you stand? In this episode, Mark and Dave sit down with Houston leaders Guy Caskey and Kristen Funderburg, who once dreamed of going overseas but discovered that obedience started in her own backyard—and eventually led her into Texas prisons. Hear how saying “yes” to God in small, ordinary steps opened doors to extraordinary church planting movements behind bars.

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Visit covomultipliers.com for upcoming training, immersions, and resources. 4 Fields Training November 7-9 - SIGN UP NOW.

We did an immersion—so was the juice worth the squeeze? In this episode, Mark and Dave debrief what really happened at the UPNA Conference and the first Covo Multipliers Immersion in Oklahoma City. You’ll hear what clicked for everyday covocational marketplace leaders, the lessons from failure and success, and why immersion may be the missing piece for breakthrough.

Does immersion actually work to pass along vision and ownership?...here’s our honest take.

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Visit covomultipliers.com for upcoming training, immersions, and resources. 4 Fields Training November 7-9 - SIGN UP NOW.

What if grace is more than pardon—and actually the power that fuels multiplication? In this episode, Justus, a young professional leader in Oklahoma City, unpacks 2 Timothy 2:1–7 and shows how grace strengthens believers like fuel in an engine. Through vivid stories, soldier-athlete-farmer analogies, and real-life failures (like running out of gas on I-40), he reveals how God multiplies small acts of obedience into something far greater. You’ll walk away encouraged to push the pedal of faith and watch God fill the gap with His strength.

Show NotesIn this episode we cover:

• Grace as more than forgiveness—grace as strength.
• How the soldier, athlete, and farmer shape our understanding of endurance.
• Why multiplication requires grace, not just effort.
• Dallas Willard’s insight: Grace is opposed to earning, not effort.
• Personal stories that make the theology tangible (like running out of gas).
• A new original song inspired by this lesson: Burnin’ Grace in Worn Out Boots.

When Jesus stepped into the synagogue at Capernaum, everything the Pharisees thought was stable was suddenly disrupted. In this episode, we explore the clash between positional authority and spiritual authority, and how Jesus’ response reframes leadership for His disciples and for us. You’ll discover why Jesus silenced demons who proclaimed Him as Messiah, how His authority flowed from relationship rather than position, and why power always serves mission—not platform.

This conversation will help you rethink leadership in a way that frees you from striving for influence and instead positions you to walk in Kingdom authority.

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Visit MuddyBootsLeader.com for Mark’s writings mentioned in this episode

Many leaders inherit thriving churches, movements, or teams—but quietly carry the crushing weight of “keeping it all going.”

In this episode, Dave and Mark unpack how spiritual fatherhood frees emerging leaders from simply managing legacy and empowers them to rediscover the first principles that birthed the work in the first place. They explore how Jesus modeled this through essence and execution, how anti-fragility is forged in the muddy realities of doing the work, and why success without first principles always collapses under its own weight.

If you’ve ever felt pressure to sustain momentum without knowing how it was built, this conversation will give you language, hope, and a clear path forward.

Visit MuddyBootsLeader.com for Mark’s writings mentioned in this episode

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Prepare for an Immersion Experience During UPNA Conference: Details for the conference here - https://www.unreachedpeoples2025.com/

Feeling worn down in the grind of discipleship, church, work, or family life? In this episode, Dave and Mark get brutally honest about what it takes to keep going when fatigue, setbacks, and discouragement hit hard. They unpack Jesus’ parable of the soils in Mark 4 and show how resiliency is forged through the very trials that threaten to choke out our faith.

If you’ve ever wondered how to stay faithful for the long haul and actually see fruit multiply, this conversation will hit home.

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Prepare for an Immersion Experience During UPNA Conference: Details for the conference here - https://www.unreachedpeoples2025.com/

Most disciple-making efforts stall out not because of lack of passion, but because leaders hit invisible barriers: confidence, competence, or both. In this episode of the H3X Podcast, Mark and Dave unpack why the model + assist phases of the training cycle are the key to overcoming those barriers and turning stuck moments into breakthrough growth. Rather than another polished workshop or theory-heavy training, you’ll hear how real-life immersion—seeing it done and practicing with support—translates vision into action.

Whether you’re launching a hub, equipping your team, or trying to take the next step personally, this conversation will show you how model + assist can move you forward with clarity, courage, and a plan you can actually use.


Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Prepare for an Immersion Experience During UPNA Conference: Details for the conference here - https://www.unreachedpeoples2025.com/

Discipleship isn’t just about passing on skills—it’s about discerning the art of when to lean in and when to step back. In this episode of the H3X Podcast, Dave and Mark unpack how Jesus modeled both high invitation and high challenge in his relationships, and how that shapes the way we develop leaders today.

You’ll hear stories of what it looks like to disciple leaders over multiple years, and why knowing when to stay close and when to step back is critical for multiplying disciples. By the end, you’ll walk away with practical insights on how to cultivate ownership and maturity in those you’re discipling.

Covo Multipliers:

• Join the Signal Group: To connect with others living the co-vocational lifestyle, share wins/challenges, and get early access to event updates: https://forms.gle/TWB6kGRQWdpgbvFu8
• Prepare for an Immersion Experience During UPNA Conference: Details for the conference here - https://www.unreachedpeoples2025.com/