Loving Your Neighbor: A Mark 12 Ministries Podcast

“Where We’ve Been + What Grace Village Really Is”

Season 2 begins with a long-awaited update from Perry. After months of community questions, shifting schedules, and the Grace Village Project gaining attention in the news, Perry sits down to explain where he’s been — and why he was sleeping outside the night before recording this episode.

In this conversation, Perry breaks down the heart behind Grace Village:
 • why it matters,
 • who it serves,
 • and what makes it different from traditional shelter systems.

Grace Village is designed to support individuals in Mark 12’s existing programs (Pathway Home and Operation Restore) by giving them stability, dignity, and a place to rebuild with both grace and accountability. Perry shares what daily life looks like without a facility — participants rotating through host churches, waking up at 5 AM, carrying all their belongings, working full-time jobs, and then setting up somewhere new each night.

If you’ve been wondering “What is Grace Village?” or how Mark 12 is actively loving their neighbors in crisis, this episode is the behind-the-scenes look you’ve been waiting for.

In Episode 2, Maggie and Perry dive into the world of holiday giving — the good, the complicated, and the meaningful. Together, they unpack what makes a charity trustworthy, how to ensure your money is truly helping people, and why sometimes the most impactful giving happens locally, not through the biggest national organizations.

Drawing from years of hands-on outreach, they share practical tips and real stories that help listeners understand where their generosity can create the most immediate change. Perry highlights the “small wins” — simple, tangible actions anyone can take to love their neighbor well during the holiday season.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Where should I give? Who can I help? What actually works?” — this episode will guide you toward giving with purpose, clarity, and compassion.

In light of Charlie Kirk’s recent passing, this conversation isn’t about debate or politics — it’s about faith, legacy, obedience, and how tragedy causes us to pause and examine our own walk with God.

Charlie wasn’t a martyr or a saint. He was a business owner, a believer, and a man who lived out what he professed. His life — and his death — have stirred something in many Christians, especially those who were raised hearing that one day we might have to die for what we believe.

This episode invites listeners to reflect, pray, process, and consider:

What kind of legacy will you leave? And what does obedience look like in the life you’ve been given — as a parent, leader, worker, business owner, missionary, or friend?

In this episode, Maggie and Pastor Perry dive into what it means to “go outside the camp” and love as Christ loved. They explore the tension of living in the “already, not yet” of faith, the significance of Christ’s sacrifice, and how these truths shape our call to love and serve others. Through scripture and practical examples, they encourage listeners to see all people as made in God’s image and to seek out ways to reflect Christ’s love—especially toward those often overlooked or marginalized. This conversation is an invitation to deeper compassion and a faith that moves beyond words into action.

Key Takeaways:

• We are all created in God’s image and welcomed into His family through Christ.
• Our peace and security come from Christ, not worldly constructs.
• We are called to love others, not control their salvation.
• Living in the “already not yet” is part of our faith journey.
• Loving others can be as simple as a kind word, a prayer, or a selfless gesture.

In this extended episode, Perry and Maggie dive deep into some of the most difficult and taboo cultural topics in society today. From immigrants and migrant workers to women who have had or assisted with abortions and the LGBTQ+ community, these issues have often been challenging to address within the church. Perry and Maggie begin the conversation, discussing what it truly means to show practical love and where to start. 

This longer episode offers a real, unfiltered dialogue on how we can love without judgment, embracing the messy, uncomfortable parts of life with grace and compassion. 

In this vulnerable episode of Loving Your Neighbor, Maggie and Perry open up about real moments in ministry where loving others didn’t come easy. They share honest stories of discomfort, resistance, and the internal tension that comes when you’re called to love someone you wouldn’t naturally choose.

But they also explore the truth that brings freedom: we’re not responsible for producing that kind of love on our own. God doesn’t expect perfection—He asks for obedience. And through His grace, He empowers us to love in ways that reflect His heart, not just our capacity.

This episode is a reminder that Christian love is radical, countercultural, and often uncomfortable—but it’s not something we do alone. If you’ve ever struggled to love someone because of their past, their choices, or just your own pride, this conversation will meet you there—with honesty and hope.

In this episode of Loving Your Neighbor: A Mark 12 Ministries Podcast, Maggie and Perry dig deep into what it really means to love—not by our standards, but by God’s. We explore the different Greek words for love and how Scripture defines it far beyond feelings or preferences.

This episode challenges us to ask: Who is the “one another” we’re actually called to love?

It’s not just the person next door. Not just your family. It’s the person you wouldn’t choose to love—the one who thinks, looks, or lives differently than you. Through honest self-reflection and biblical insight, this conversation calls us to recognize our weaknesses and lean into God's strength—so His love, not ours, can flow through us.

In this powerful episode of the Mark 12 Ministries Podcast, we discuss HOW to really love the marginalized—not with pity or performance, but with purpose and presence.

We walk through:

• An introduction to who the marginalized are and why it matters
• Christ’s ministry as a model for compassion
• How to listen to and engage with those often overlooked
• Practical steps for everyday advocacy and community support
• Using technology to build bridges
• Encouraging faithful political and civic engagement
• And how prayer and collective action shape real change

Jesus said, “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.”
This episode is a call to humility, action, and hope.

🎧 Tune in now and be inspired to love with deeper intention.

In the final episode of our 3-part series, host Maggie Bennett and Mark 12 Ministries founder Perry Cooke explore the less obvious sides of marginalization.

This conversation expands beyond poverty to include immigrants, Romani communities, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and people from both inner-city neighborhoods and rural towns across Kentucky.

Together, they unpack:

• Why being marginalized isn’t always about financial need
• The impact of cultural and generational misunderstandings
• Stories that challenge assumptions and stereotypes
• How the Church can respond with empathy, humility, and presence

This episode reminds us that true compassion begins with listening, learning, and loving without conditions.

🎙️ Episode 3: Who Are the Marginalized? (Part II)Welcome back to Loving Our Neighbor, a podcast by Mark 12 Ministries where we reimagine serving the vulnerable through the teachings of Jesus Christ.

In part two of this heartfelt and reflective series, host Maggie Bennett continues the conversation with M12 founder Perry Cooke, focusing on what it means to minister one person at a time—and to love the whole person, not just their immediate needs.

In this episode, they explore:

• The importance of seeing individuals as whole people—mind, body, and spirit
• Real stories from Perry’s experiences in the field
• A powerful moment when the line between those serving and those being served became beautifully blurred
• What survival mode looks like and how many people are just learning how to live beyond it
• How we can walk with others out of survival and into stability, healing, and hope

This episode reminds us that true ministry starts with compassion, dignity, and the willingness to enter into someone’s story.

🎧 Tune in now as we continue this transformative 3-part series on loving our neighbor with intention and Christ-like empathy.