What was I want? I want to understand the thinking between, you know, what made you go? What was it inside of you that said, I've got to do something or else? What was that? And then at the same time, do you think some of that persistence, some of that determination is internally driven there? carried over into your career in the Navy and then also into your what you now do for others.

So just that easy 75 part question.

That's what we're doing.

Exactly.

So, so I. There's a period in everyone's life where they really gain awareness.

It's a well-known thing from the time that you're born.

Sometime when you're a toddler, sometime between three and six, you gain awareness, self-awareness.

in having customer success, veteran success, whether it's in books or whether it's a shine foundation or whether it's in your nonprofit architect, what do you think is the main element that they get when they are working with somebody like yourself?

Talk to us about what that's all about.

Well, I was just minding my business in Southern Baptist Convention, got a phone call from Jeff Poore on the Jeff Poore Show.

I stepped out for an interview.

He asked me about the Pride Month flags flying on the light poles in Mobile.

I didn't really know what he was talking about, but I said, Jeff, here's what I do know, is that Mobile isn't San Francisco.

The reason why is because We're a faith-oriented, family-oriented community across the board.

And I thought we had handled this in 2023, but there was a little something up there.

It's unbelievable.

Uh, talk a little bit about that.

Yeah, 24 hours is really quick.

Um, I think there's a moment for some self-reflection here.

We had 30 days of Pride Month flags, indoctrination flags, uh, banners.

We had 24 hours of calling for protecting our kids.

I'm gla- I'm glad that the policy's gone because we should not have, you know, this kind of ex- um, you know, progressive, um, targeting of, you know, gender ideology on tax- taxpayer money.

And, um...

Does that bother you at all that the city was so reactive to this, but never reactive to the LGBTQ stuff?

Uh, talk a little bit about that.

Yeah, 24 hours, really quick.

Um, I think there's a moment for some self-reflection here.

We had 30 days of Pride Month flags, indoctrination flags, uh, banners.

We had 24 hours of calling for protecting our kids.

I'm gla- I'm glad that the policy's gone because we should not have, you know, this kind of ex- um, you know, progressive, um, targeting of, you know, gender ideology on tax- taxpayer money.

And, um, so it is what it is.

Does that bother you at all that the city was so reactive to this but never reactive to the LGBTQ stuff?

Give me your first memory of, "Man, I had a really good practice." At what point in fa- in spring ball was that, and what do you remember about that practice?

I think it was practice three or, yeah, day three.

Um, I always won the one-on-ones.

Like, every day I barely lost in the one-on-ones.

So then we're going...

I think it might've been raining or something, so we had to go in the indoor.

Uh, I had a go ball.

So why don't you give people a, a glimpse into how instrumental she's hel- she's been in your growth.

But what about him makes him be a guy that you're able to connect with?

Um, he's a, a, a funny guy.

Um, he definitely helps us with a lot on the field.

Uh, you can tell he's definitely locked in with football.

He's always talking about different receivers in the NFL and their releases, their route running, and we're always getting extra work in.

So Coach Simon's definitely a great receiver coach.

And yeah, I can't wait for this season.

So what about Coach Hagans?

what I think is a very dangerous direction in some places, because people are just looking for answers, and this is what they're coming up with.

Well, I agree.

I also, you know, whenever I'm talking about things, I'd like to talk about it from a Christian worldview, from a Christian perspective, biblical perspective.

And I just want to say that socialism and communism is incompatible with the Christian worldview.

The Bible tells us, thou shalt not covet anything.

And so when we reappropriate earnings from people like the DSA advocates, like the Democratic Socialists of America advocate, it is your communist.

This is an anti-Christ spirit.

but this like you said these people the revolutionary the radicals and they don't just they don't just take a win or two they want to change the entire system

what I think is a very dangerous direction in some places, because people are just looking for answers, and this is what they're coming up with.

Well, I agree.

I also, you know, whenever I'm talking about things, I'd like to talk about it from a Christian worldview, from a Christian perspective, biblical perspective.

And I just want to say that socialism and communism is incompatible with the Christian worldview.

The Bible tells us, thou shalt not covet anything.

And so when we reappropriate earnings from people like the DSA advocates, like the Democratic Socialists of America advocate, it is your communist.

This is an anti-Christ spirit.

but this like you said these people the revolutionary the radicals and they don't just they don't just take a win or two they want to change the entire system

You've gone viral on Facebook and YouTube for some of the things that you said from the pulpit, but kind of tell us what inspired you to really get involved in politics, and why is that important to you as a pastor?

Well, see, Eric, I really didn't get involved in politics.

I'm just pastoring my church.

I wanted to preach.

I want to baptize people, visit folks in the hospital, be with them on their high moments and their low moments, and just walk out this Christian life as a pastor or shepherd.

But what I found out is if pastors and Christians, the people in general, don't get involved in politics, politics will get involved with them.

And so that's what happened for me.

They're not going to touch that, but you're just not scared to do so.

But what does this mean for them seeing the capabilities of what we are able to do at Podion?

Yeah.

I think, you know, the way that a lot of, um, new platforms launch, there's always a lot of excitement about it.

I saw it with Snap, I saw it with Facebook, probably showing my age.

Um, and then what happens is those publishers and, uh, platforms go off really fast, add lots of clients, and then they learn along the way, and sometimes they churn through those clients.

There's a lot of, uh, learnings and, um, pivoting and redirection of those efforts, and then things start to stabilize over a little while.

And I feel that's where the-- that's the stage that we're at with, um, TikTok Shop.

Do you think brands are moving- ... quick enough, or is, does this seem to be like an internal structure that's getting in the way of launching into social commerce?

Um, I, I know the reason because there's a ton of great stuff and it's all kind of correlated there in that area, but, uh, just to give people out there in the audience who are listening or watching, uh, some information about that.

Yeah, absolutely.

So when you go out in whatever industry that you're in, right, Parade Deck has something for you.

It's not just people talking about the military space.

It's veterans talking about whatever topic they're talking about.

There's veterans that talk about business, that talk about health and exercise, that talk about faith and religion, that talk about all sorts of topics, not just veteran specific, not just military retirement, not just PTSD and mental health, not just what the VA does.

Right.

YouTube is the number two search engine in the world.

Pastor Johnson says he knew he had to make every word count.

So Lord, on this point I pause and especially pray for the protection of the children of Mobile who are inundated and targeted by harmful agendas on social media from peers at times in our schools, at times in our public libraries, and at times in our city parks.

What does that mean?

First of all, it sounds nice.

But what you're saying is we approve of grown men, six foot four linebackers in dresses going into a bathroom with five-year-old little girls in there.

And I just want to say this.

I hope everybody hears this.

If a man goes into a bathroom after one of my daughters, there's going to be two men in the bathroom in just a minute.

I guess that's kind of more of a resume enhancer, if you ask me.

Yeah, no, I mean, I think that's great.

You know, I think that says a lot.

You know, they've gone after me in a couple posts, and, you know, I was glad to get into one of them and say, you know, thank you for the prolific honor.

of not being endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

That was really wonderful.

I was very much glad for that.

They're not doing it for the stated purpose of Visit Mobile, which is to raise awareness and bring in more tourists to the city.

I guess that's kind of more of a resume enhancer, if you ask me.

Yeah, no, I mean, I think that's great.

You know, I think that says a lot.

You know, they've gone after me in a couple posts, and, you know, I was glad to get into one of them and say, you know, thank you for the prolific honor.

of not being endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

That was really wonderful.

I was very much glad for that.

They're not doing it for the stated purpose of Visit Mobile, which is to raise awareness and bring in more tourists to the city.

What, what do we got to do here?

Well, Jeff, let's just kind of figure out where we are.

You know, um, This last Easter in the United States, we celebrated Jesus.

A couple Easter's before that, it was National Day of Transgender Awareness Day, something like that.

We have come a long ways from that nonsense.

And I noticed that 65% of Fortune 5 countries have canceled their pride celebrations.

America is not down with it.

Right.

What, what do we got to do here?

Well, Jeff, let's just kind of figure out where we are.

You know, um, this last Eastern United States, we celebrated Jesus, a couple Easter's before that it was, uh, national day of transgender awareness day, something like that.

We have, we have come a long ways from that nonsense.

And, um, I noticed that 65% of Fortune 5 countries have canceled their pride celebrations.

America is not down with it.

It doesn't, it does not work.

Like all these messages that can come out of that when you intertwine government with something like this that the people, and I think in the city, overwhelmingly reject.

It's too easy to get a generation away and forget what it really took so we can enjoy and celebrate the goodness and grace of God in our country.

You know, I've been really blessed to pastor some gold star moms and to see, you know, not in many numbers or many headstones or many news stories, but to see the personal loss of a mom and of a father having lost a child.

And I'm humbled because the challenges that I face daily, that you face daily, that America faces daily, pales in comparison to the loss of a family member in battle.

And that sacrifice just wasn't to just protect their home or protect their family or advance their life.

It was to protect our nation.

And I hope that we always do a good job of honoring our country.

We live in the best country on the planet.

Some closing thoughts.

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Now what, what if I did this? I've, I kinda thought a little bit about this one, but, um, i- if it's about a week or two before the season even starts, and you don't put your traps out and you just do like dirt hole sets or you get a portable pocket and you put bait inside it, and you see that-...

uh, coyotes or fox or a raccoon are coming up and getting your bait, and then when it comes trapping season, you put your traps down, do you think that they'll be not as skittish to come up and get, get the bait?

Put a little bit in the bottom of your bed and a little bit over the top.

Okay.

Now, what about, especially in water trapping, if you, you have a 330 and an otter or beaver comes by and, and you trap him? Uh, I've, I forgot where I heard this, but I, I heard that not to take the animal out if the trap is frozen to the fur.

It would rip the fur off.

Yeah.

But what I did is I reached out to local agents.

When...

And you gotta just find out who advertises the most.

You can kind of go on Zillow and find out who's buying most of the leads in those small towns, and then I just kind of interview those agents.

And of course I have MLS access.

I'm a licensed realtor, so I can pull that data too.

Mm-hmm.

And

so that was really the first time that I really kind of stood.

But the Lord helped me walk through that.

And what ended up happening is some of the very people that were involved in that ended up coming to Christ a few years later.

Now a lifelong friend of mine who was the county manager for the whole county, he ended up coming and sitting on the second row of our church, crying throughout the whole service.

He's a part of my life.

So that sort of thing happened.

So talk a little bit about the mighty Peter.

I think this is very intentional.

You know, one, I think that's why every parent that has children, that loves the Lord and loves family and stands with conservative values ought to be looking at Liberty University.

It's a faithful partner.

That's the kind of place you'd want your kids to get a great education, which you would, it's great academics, and meet friends and maybe even a spouse.

So many things happen.

during that time, but it's such an incredible place.

And whenever you see a church or an institution, just be clear.

But talk to us about the heart of this message and what you're trying to get people to embrace.

Can you bring some clarity to us about what's going on?

You know, I think when I see Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, those kinds of voices, these are voices that we've loved and enjoyed.

And so actually what it feels like is they're turning in on the historic victory from President Trump and the base that put him in office.

So when I see this issue, and what's happening with a lot of it is a direct attack on evangelicals over just what you said, replacement theology, saying that Israel has been uprooted and Gentile Christians have replaced them.

This is clearly not what Scripture says.

We're grafted in.

God still favors and has chosen Israel.

Can you address that?