Jackie and Cynthia survived one of the most devastating floods in recent memory. When Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, their home was destroyed, and they were swept away in raging floodwaters with only a mattress and their little dog, Romeo, keeping them alive.

For three days they waited in the wreckage, praying for rescue and wondering if they would ever make it home.

What happened next changed their lives forever.

In this powerful conversation, Jackie and Cynthia share their incredible survival story, the kindness of strangers who stepped in to help, and how losing everything ultimately led them to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

This is a story of faith, perseverance, and hope in the middle of unimaginable loss.

Help Jackie & Cynthia Purchase a New Home After Hurricane Helene

In Mark 15:1–20, Jesus stands before Pilate, accused, mocked, and handed over. Pilate knows what’s happening, but still caves because he wishes to satisfy the crowd. In this episode, Zach, Jill, and Brandon discuss Barabbas going free, Jesus being mocked, and how envy and people-pleasing build rival kingdoms that always end in death. Mark 15 is a chasm where the “kingdom collision” becomes unavoidable, and how it's a picture of how the Kingdom wins: not through force, but through cruciform love.

In Mark 14:66–72, Peter denies Jesus three times, not in front of a king or a soldier, but in front of a servant girl. The denials escalate, the fear takes over, and when the rooster crows, Peter collapses and weeps bitterly. In this episode, Zach, Jill, and Brandon break down why Peter’s denial exposes how fragile human willpower really is, and why the hope isn’t Peter’s resolve, it’s Jesus quietly obeying the Father all the way to the cross.

In Mark 14:53–65, Zach, Jill and Brandon break down when Jesus stood before the high priest and the full council. Witnesses can’t keep their stories straight. They twist His words about the temple. And Jesus stays silent, until this question: "Are You The Christ?" Jesus answers, “I am.” And then He ties together the deepest threads of Scripture, Daniel 7’s Son of Man, Psalm 110’s “right hand of Power,” and the reality of who He truly is. 

Right after the Lord’s Supper and Gethsemane, the betrayal happens and it’s bigger than most people imagine. In Mark 14:43–52, Judas arrives with a crowd carrying swords and clubs. His “sign” isn’t a weapon, it’s a kiss. Peter responds as the kingdoms of this world do: he draws his sword. And then, when things get real, everyone runs. In this episode, Zach and Jill unpack how both betrayals: Judas’ cynical kiss and Peter’s zealous violence, miss the way of the Kingdom. In the end, Christ is the only one left standing, and He walks the road to the cross alone. Not because the plan failed, but because this is how salvation is accomplished.

Max and Annabel are in town, and it’s wedding week!

In this conversation, Zach and Jill sit down with them to talk about what it actually feels like to step into a lifelong covenant at 19 and 20, why modern culture discourages marriage, and why they believe covenant is still one of the most beautiful, grounding gifts God gave humanity. It’s funny, honest, and deeply hopeful: especially for young couples trying to build something real in a culture that keeps people perpetually “uncommitted.”

A break from the usual, Zach and Jill sit down with two of their longtime mentors and friends, Mac and Mary Owens (Global Directors of Celebrate Recovery).

It’s a raw, powerful conversation about the cost of secrecy, the freedom of confession, and how God can take the darkest parts of a story and turn them into the DNA of a movement that blesses generations. If you’re stuck in the shame cycle, hiding, or convinced you’re too far gone, this episode is a reminder that the gospel runs straight toward the broken, and healing begins when you step into the light.

Today Zach & Jill visit one of the most human, and most holy, moments in the Gospel of Mark.

In Mark 14:26–42, Jesus leaves the table, returns to the Mount of Olives, and enters Gethsemane. He tells the disciples they will all fall away. Peter insists he never will. And then Jesus does the unthinkable: He falls to the ground and prays for the cup to pass, while choosing the Father’s will anyway.

Brandon’s back, just in time for one of the most important meals in Scripture where Jesus sits down with the disciples for Passover. Zach, Jill, and Brandon discuss why meals are everywhere in the Bible (from Eden to Exodus to the King’s table), and why communion isn’t just a “symbol” or a routine, it’s a weekly entrance into the story that forms our loves, confronts our pride, and binds us to one another as the body of Christ.

Mark 14 opens with a dark cloud: the leaders are plotting in secret, Judas is looking for an opportunity, and Jesus is days away from the cross. But right in the middle of it, a woman walks into a dinner and does something that looks reckless—an act that ends up becoming one of the most prophetic in the entire Gospel. In this episode, Zach and Jill walk through Mark 14 and show why this isn’t just “sentimental devotion.” Mary pours out what amounts to a year’s wages—likely a family heirloom, possibly their security—and Jesus calls it beautiful because it’s preparing Him for burial.