Wild Obedience Man

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 22

Title: Cold Toes, Old Temptations, and a Sloppy Kind of Sanctification

Description:

It’s 6:15 AM on June 2nd. I’m barefoot in my dad’s thong sandals, walking through wet, freezing grass behind my parents’ house—half awake, totally unfiltered, and fully in need of God.

This episode started as nothing. I didn’t plan it. I hit record. And then the Holy Spirit did what He does—He pulled a confession out of me I didn’t expect.

In this one, I share:

• Why I took an edible this week after 10 months sober in Africa
• What that decision did to my marriage, my conscience, and my calling
• The brutal sermon from Psalm 38 that hit like a ton of bricks
• My battle with CRUMB not being “ready” yet
• Why I walk into cold air and cold grass to wake my spirit up
• The difference between hiding sin and being free
• And a raw prayer at the end asking God to burn every fig leaf in my life

I didn’t want to share this. I really didn’t. But if I’m gonna ask men to live in the light, I’ve got to keep dragging my own junk into it too.

If this thing ever works—if CRUMB ever becomes what I believe it’s called to be—I need the receipts to show it was never me.

Just a son in sandals, freezing, confessing, and trying to walk it out.

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Trudging through wet grass in flip-flops, hitting record with no plan

01:30 – Begging God for strength to finally launch CRUMB

03:00 – Cold walking as a wake-up ritual

04:30 – Recap of Sunday’s sermon on Psalm 38 and the crushing weight of conviction

06:45 – Why we need a wrathful God as much as a loving one

07:50 – “Phyto-photo-dermatitis” and fig leaves on your no-no parts

09:10 – The power of confession to unlock freedom

10:30 – My confession: I took an edible this week

12:00 – Old habits, marital fallout, and the guilt that followed

13:45 – Why I don’t want edibles anymore—and what they used to give me

15:00 – The truth: I’m not perfect. I’m still battling.

16:20 – “If this ever works, it’ll be because God built it from my weakness”

17:40 – A prayer from the sidewalk, for the broken, the addicted, the ashamed, and the sons on the edge of light

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

• Psalm 38 – “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear…”
• 1 John 1:5–9 – “If we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.”
• Genesis 3:7 – The fig leaves of shame and hiding
• Romans 5:8 – “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
• Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…”

🧠 Core Takeaway:

You don’t need to be perfect to lead.

But you do need to be honest.

Confession isn’t weakness—it’s how you take back territory the enemy once owned.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #22 — sandals soaked, sin exposed, spirit surrendered. May every fig leaf be burned. May every man walk free.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 21

Title: Split Churches, Sleds Up a Mountain, and a Sabbath That Won’t Sit Still

Description:

It’s Sunday morning. I’m driving through Cincinnati from my parents’ house to Love City Church—alone, a little anxious, and carrying more than just the steering wheel.

This episode feels like a tangle of open threads:

Old churches. New systems.

Family tensions. Crumb delays.

And the exhausting war between build now vs wait until it’s ready.

I talk through:

• The tension of attending a church you used to belong to… but now feel weird walking into
• The complicated mix of Catholic roots, Protestant exploration, and being caught in-between
• My honest frustration about trying to launch CRUMB the right way when everyone wants it fast
• The guilt I feel for pausing things like the Daily Crumb podcast and the Crutherhood
• Why I don’t believe in “just start small” if the backend isn’t holy and excellent
• A word on ADHD, Sabbath rest, family golf, and baby snuggles
• And a gentle confession: it’s hard to slow down when your soul only knows speed

This episode is raw, rambling, honest. Not polished. Not tidy.

But sometimes the mess is the confession.

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Driving to Love City Church with an emotional fog

01:15 – Splitting time between Love City and Catholic roots: “It’s complicated”

03:10 – Feeling weird without Crystal, carrying kids’ routines and family expectations

04:30 – Launch pressure: Why CRUMB still doesn’t have wings

06:45 – “You wouldn’t launch a half-working iPhone…”

08:20 – Why I’ve paused posting in the Brotherhood and what I’m building behind the scenes

10:15 – The battle between conviction, perfection, and outside advice

12:00 – Sabbath rest vs. ADHD restlessness: skipping meds, slowing down

14:10 – Playing golf with my dad: nostalgia, resistance, and intentional family time

15:40 – Watching my daughter Olive fall in love with baby Hallie

16:30 – A final reminder: this isn’t the launch—it’s the labor before birth

📖 Scriptures Referenced or Implied:

• Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything…”
• Hebrews 4:9–11 – “There remains a Sabbath-rest for the people of God…”
• Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit your work to the Lord…”
• Psalm 127:1 – “Unless the Lord builds the house…”
• Isaiah 30:15 – “In returning and rest you shall be saved…”

🧠 Core Takeaway:

“You can’t launch a movement while hiding from your own tension. But you also can’t fake a launch when the wings aren’t built yet.”

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #21 — where church feels distant, launch feels stuck, and Sabbath becomes a test of trust. Let’s walk anyway.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 20

Title: Snails, Skyline, and the Shift Into Build Mode

Description:

It’s 4:57am. I’m laid out on my parents’ living room couch, the verse of the day still fresh on my phone:

Yesterday was a gift.

A deep joy.

A shift from brainstorming to building.

A long hike in the rain.

An interview that went well.

And a reminder, via a little bowl of Skyline chili, that even the best days still carry weakness.

In this episode, I talk through:

• Why yesterday felt like the most clarified Crumb day so far
• The Mercy Ships docuseries interview and what I sensed God doing through it
• A rainy walk through the woods with my kids (and a God-timed snail lesson)
• Screwing up my Skyline order and the fallout of ignoring my food intolerance
• Seeing my sister and brother-in-law become parents—and what it stirred in me
• A clear spiritual transition: from Crumb creation → Crumb deployment

This isn’t just a memory log. It’s a spiritual checkpoint.

One of those rare days where you can feel Heaven turning a page in real time.

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Psalm 105 (MSG) and a couch-based confessional

01:05 – Yesterday = clarity + joy + forward motion

02:30 – Interview with Julie & Vanessa from Angel Studios / Mercy Ships

04:20 – Rainy hike with grandma, the kids, and a trail of snails

06:10 – Snails = God’s reminder to slow down and see the moment

07:15 – Messing up the Skyline order and paying the beef-price

08:30 – Visiting baby Halle, and that weird déjà vu of old seasons

10:10 – “Did we really survive that?” — early parenthood flashbacks

11:45 – Realizing God equips you only for the season you’re in

13:20 – Crumb update: the creative phase is over—build mode begins

15:05 – A closing prayer for focus, obedience, and full system ignition

📖 Scriptures Referenced or Implied:

• Psalm 105 (MSG) – “For God is sheer beauty…”
• Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “There is a time for everything…”
• Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work…”
• John 15:5 – “Apart from me, you can do nothing.”
• Isaiah 26:3 – “You keep him in perfect peace…”

🧠 Core Takeaway:

“There comes a point where vision must give way to motion. Yesterday was the handoff. Now it’s time to build.”

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #20 — where snails slow us down, babies take us back, and the Kingdom gears finally shift from idea to action.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 19

Title: Trees Got Bigger. So Did My Trust.

Description:

It’s 5:52am. I’m on my parents’ back porch, legs wrapped in a blanket like some old lady, watching the rain hit the trees I grew up with—now towering over me like time itself.

This one’s about trust.

Not the shiny kind.

The kind that gets tested in real meetings, real nerves, real dreams you didn’t plan for.

In this confessional, I unpack:

• A potential interview with Angel Studios (and why I’m shockingly okay either way)
• The bizarre beauty of surrendering outcomes
• Why “being seen” is never the point—but being used by God is
• And a raw, early morning prayer giving it all back to Him

This isn’t a “look at me” episode.

It’s a “Lord, You know me” episode.

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Wrapped in a blanket, rain falling, watching childhood trees grown tall

01:05 – Why today matters: a 30-min interview with Angel Studios + Mercy Ships

03:10 – Stay-at-home dad? Kush crisis? I don’t know what they’re looking for

04:20 – “Being cast” was never on the dream board—but God keeps surprising me

06:30 – Why I’m recording this now: to mark the trust before the outcome

08:15 – Parable of the pearl: I sold everything. I keep selling everything.

09:50 – Shoutout to my wife for yesterday’s grace—she’s the real star

10:35 – Morning prayer of surrender for doors to open or shut, as He wills

📖 Scriptures Referenced or Implied:

• Matthew 13:44–46 – Parables of the treasure and pearl of great price
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My power is made perfect in weakness.”
• James 4:15 – “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
• Proverbs 3:5–6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”

🧠 Core Takeaway:

“God’s not asking for my résumé. He’s asking for my trust. And today, I’m giving it to Him again.”

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #19 — recorded in the rain, released in faith, surrendered before the story gets written.

Title: Lied to My Wife, Told the Truth to God

Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2025

Location: Backyard chaos, morning mayhem with kids and conviction

Description:

Zach records with his hands full and his heart cracked open.

Between chasing kids, dodging dogs, and managing meltdowns, he drops a real-time confession:

He lied to his wife.

And the weight of unrepented sin crushed him until he couldn’t bear it anymore.

💥 Confession: Two days ago, Zach told a lie.

💥 Reckoning: Today, he told the truth—and watched his wife forgive him.

💥 Testimony: There is no ministry without integrity. And even when it hurts, Jesus is still worth the exposure.

Key Scriptures:

• Proverbs 28:13 – “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
• You can't carry lies into the light and expect peace.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
• Zach’s only tattoo. The anchor verse behind every confession he makes. Weakness isn't disqualification—it's the invitation.
• James 5:16 – “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
• Healing doesn’t come through hiding. It comes through honest, brutal vulnerability.
• John 8:32 – “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
• Even if it wounds first—truth always walks you back into freedom.

Takeaway Question:

What’s the one lie you’re still carrying that’s keeping you from peace?

Closing Line:

Title: Barefoot in Suburbia, Broken in Spirit

Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Location: Delhi, Ohio — 4:55am walk near Zach’s childhood home

Description:

This one’s a triple-layered soul excavation.

Three confessions. One aching heart. No filter. No polish. Just Zach and God in the suburbs where it all began.

💥 Confession 1: I don’t know how to slow down. I say I trust God’s timing, but I keep sprinting like it’s all on me.

💥 Confession 2: I’m judging the neighborhood I grew up in—and resenting the life I chose because it doesn’t look “stable.”

💥 Confession 3: I’m scared to succeed. Scared that if CRUMB actually works, it’ll mean God really hasn’t forgotten me... and I don’t know if I can handle that kind of blessing.

Key Scriptures:

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
• God’s timing isn’t slow. It’s sovereign.
• Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things…”
• Even the heart of a missionary can secretly judge, envy, and resent. Zach brings it to the light.
• Romans 2:11 – “For God shows no partiality.”
• Whether in a hut or a cul-de-sac, grace is grace. No suburb is outside the reach of God’s mercy.
• 2 Corinthians 4:7 – “But we have this treasure in jars of clay…”
• Zach confesses he’s terrified God might actually pour out too much treasure into a fragile jar.
• But this is the gospel: God chooses the weak to display His strength.

Takeaway Question:

What if your greatest fear isn’t failure… but favor?

Closing Line:

Title: Barefoot in Delhi: We Made It Home

Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Location: Delhi Township, Ohio

Description:

Fresh off the plane, barefoot on gravel, voice note rolling.

This is what post-obedience feels like.

You’ll hear:

• My 5:30am barefoot prayer walk across from my childhood home
• Reflections on the 36-hour journey from Sierra Leone to Cincinnati
• Why authenticity will outlast AI (and why voice notes win)
• Family rituals, sibling unity, and Frank Clan faith formation
• The tear-filled reunion at CVG—right where I proposed to Krystal
• A declaration that CRUMB will rise—but only on God’s timing

Themes:

→ Legacy and generational healing

→ Daily movement as worship

→ Tech, testimony, and the irreplaceable value of voice

→ Building slow, strong, Spirit-led

Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional 16. The gravel hurts, but we’re home.

Toodles McNoodles.

Title: 36 Hours of Obedience: From Sierra Leone to Cincinnati

Date: May 23–25, 2025

Location: Freetown → Ghana → Washington, D.C. → Cincinnati

Description:

This isn’t a podcast. It’s a war journal.

No script. No polish. Just real-time obedience on three hours of sleep and three kids under five.

You’ll hear:

• Our 2:30am wake-up call
• Boat rides, bus rides, and airport chaos
• Kids puking, playing, worshipping, and rock-paper-scissoring
• Raw reflections mid-Atlantic, with Olive asleep on my lap
• 36 hours of travel with zero meltdown (until we hit the gummy worms)
• The exact moment our kids ran into their grandparents’ arms—right where Krystal and I got engaged

Themes:

→ Why following Jesus doesn’t always look spiritual

→ The beauty of slow obedience under pressure

→ Legacy, family, and the long road home

→ And why sometimes the loudest testimony… is showing up tired but faithful

Closing Line:

We made it. Not because we were strong—but because He carried us. This is what Kingdom obedience looks like in real life. Welcome to the Confessional.

Title: Risking It for the Hug: A Live Shipboard Devotional

Date: May 22, 2025

Location: Starboard Lounge, Global Mercy, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Description:

Today’s episode is a live devotional I gave to the Hospitality and Housekeeping teams on Mercy Ships—right before we pack up and fly back to the U.S.

This wasn’t recorded in my usual 5AM prayer booth. It was done in real time, with real crew, real laughter, and real praise.

The message?

Don’t miss Heaven’s timing. Risk love—especially when it might not be returned.

It’s all about my 3-year-old son, Noah, giving a crew member (John) a hug on our last day aboard—after 9 months of silence.

• Romans 5:6 – At just the right time…
• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – He has made everything beautiful in its time.
• 1 Corinthians 13:7 – Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

• 00:30 – Intro from the staff team & a few jokes about my kids’ volume levels
• 03:00 – The story of John, Noah, and the hug that took 9 months to bloom
• 06:30 – A devotional reflection: what does it mean to risk love with no guarantee?
• 08:15 – Scripture trifecta + spiritual application
• 09:20 – My challenge: Are you living like John? Willing to love anyway?
• 11:00 – A prayer over the team & our journey
• 14:00 – Housekeeping tradition finale: PRAISE GOD!

Don’t wait for the perfect script. Don’t protect your pride.

Risk the hug. Risk the high five. Risk being Jesus to someone today.

Bonus:

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience and ends with a beautiful Mercy Ships prayer and housekeeping celebration moment. You’ll feel like you were there.

Title: Risking It for the Beauty of God's Will

Date: May 22, 2025

Location: Deck 8, Global Mercy Ship, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Description:

Today’s confessional hits different. It’s not about strategy, theology, or cultural critique. It’s about a hug. A small, sacred moment between my 3-year-old son and a Mercy Ships crew member named John—9 months in the making.

This episode explores:

• What it means to risk love anyway
• How God's perfect timing often looks like delay… until it's not
• Why obedience in small moments can unlock eternal beauty
• And a father’s blessing to his son—preserved in real time

I also preview a devotional I’m giving today called “Risking It for the Beauty of God’s Will.” Spoiler: it started with orange juice and ended with tears.

• 00:30 – John’s 9-month pursuit of my kids’ affection
• 02:10 – The final breakfast moment that unlocked it all
• 03:45 – The slow-motion hug that melted months of persistence into joy
• 05:00 – Why love always carries risk—but the reward is divine timing
• 06:20 – A reflection for anyone afraid of rejection or disappointment
• 08:00 – A father’s audio letter to his son, Noah, about shared breakfast moments, legacy, and love
• 10:00 – Wrap up and blessing

John risked it daily. Noah responded at the exact time God appointed. One faithful act of love. One obedient whisper. One hug that mattered more than words can explain.

• Romans 5:6 – “At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”
• 1 Corinthians 13:7 – “Love bears all things… hopes all things, endures all things.”
• Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Topic: Risking It for the Beauty of God’s Will

Key Question: Are you willing to risk it—moment by moment—to love anyway, even when it might not be received?

Today, risk something gentle. Risk asking. Risk hugging. Risk initiating the thing you’ve been scared to do. God’s timing is worth it.

Closing Blessing: