Hey! It's The Luskos

Pastor Shawn and Jill Johnson from Red Rocks Church are back for their fourth appearance, and things get real fast — from the legendary canoe trip where Shawn sat on a dead mouse for four hours, to the honest, hard-won wisdom they've collected after nearly three decades of marriage. Levi and Jennie swap notes with the Johnsons on keeping it flirty, surviving hard seasons, knowing when comfort tips into neglect, and the "final draft" language that changed how Shawn and Jill communicate. Plus: Red Rocks Church's sold-out 20th anniversary service at Red Rocks Amphitheater, a son DJing his second-ever gig on that same stage, and Jill's surprisingly sweet trick for reconnecting with why she fell in love in the first place.

Connect with us on social!

Shawn: @shawnjohnsonrrc

Jill: @Jilljohnson03

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Order Kiss The Fire: https://bit.ly/49C6bUF

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Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe

Time Stamps:

00:00:00– The canoe trip that tested their friendship (and Sean's packing skills)

00:09:21 – Kiss the Fire update: what happens when a vulnerable book meets the world

00:14:11 – Austin the DJ opens Red Rocks Amphitheater (his second gig ever)

00:22:39 – The marriage conversation: humility, longevity & what 27 years teaches you

00:38:24 – The "I feel most loved when..." exercise from their counselor

00:50:15 – "Is this your final draft?" — the language that changed how they communicate

Jennie Lusko is the guest — on her own podcast — to celebrate the release of her new devotional Fresh Mercies Every Day, a 40-day book drawn from decades of her personal journals (yes, she has over 100 of them, all laid out chronologically on the floor). Levi, Jennie, and their firstborn daughter Alivia dig into the writing process, Jennie's lifelong journaling habit that started at age eight, and what it actually looks like to receive God's mercy instead of just trying to earn it. Plus: Jennie's most-prayed prayers, her quiet time hacks, and the Jurassic Park speech Levi somehow turns into a tribute to his wife.

Connect with us on social!

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Fresh Mercies Everyday: https://bit.ly/4dPREWB

Passion + TAYA + Luskos on Tour: https://bit.ly/4fS5Lxa

Get the 5 Gallon Bucket: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Get the Lusketeer Sticker: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe

Time Stamps:

00:02:27 – Levi confesses he secretly read the book before Jennie gave it to him

00:07:38 – Alivia's Japan mission trip

00:10:56 – The story behind Fresh Mercies Every Day

00:17:06 – Over 100 journals laid out across the floor

00:30:16 – How do you stop trying to earn mercy and just receive it?

00:36:33 – Jennie's quiet time ingredients (and the timer trick)

Women's minister, author, and Texas-born-and-proud Tasha Calvert joins Jennie for one of those conversations that just makes you exhale. Tasha gets honest about going through the motions for years — church attendance, all the programs, filling in every blank — while still missing the real thing, and how God used a crisis in her marriage to finally get through to her. They also talk about her new book Set Apart for More, why holiness has basically disappeared from our vocabulary, and why surrendering control is actually the most freeing thing you can do.

Connect with us on social!

Tasha: @tistashcalvert

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Get Tasha's book Set Apart for More: https://bit.ly/4tXFtgw

Visit Tasha's website: https://bit.ly/42UsW2v

Get the 5 Gallon Bucket: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Get the Lusketeer Sticker: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe

Timestamps

00:02:00 – Santa Fe, New Mexico, and why every American city is starting to look the same

00:05:18 – Meeting her Houston husband at church — and the Baylor vs. A&M rivalry that almost doomed them

00:08:26 – The hard season: lawsuits, depression, and a sister's wake-up call about marriage

00:12:28 – When God said "shut up" — and how silence saved her marriage

00:34:58 – Why holiness has vanished from our vocabulary (and Tasha's mission to bring it back)

00:46:04 – Tasha closes in prayer for the listener who's exhausted and ready to let go

Licensed counselor and author Debra Fileta is back for her third appearance, and this one hits different — she's here to talk about the skill we're all convinced we already have. Levi and Jennie dig into Debra's new book People Skills, unpacking why our tech-saturated world is quietly eroding our ability to connect, why most of us privately think this book is for someone else (spoiler: it isn't), and how communication styles — passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive — show up in something as simple as a wrong order at a restaurant. Plus: Debra shares the moment God changed her perspective on public speaking anxiety, Jennie confesses she's a chameleon in social situations, and Levi admits cocktail parties are somehow scarier than 10,000-person crowds.

Connect with us on social!

Debra: @debrafileta

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Get Debra's book People Skills: https://bit.ly/4fco6Vl

Get the 5 Gallon Bucket: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Get the Lusketeer Sticker: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe

Time Stamps:

00:07:46 – Introducing People Skills — and Jennie's very tabbed-up copy

00:08:26 – Why we're losing the art of real human interaction

00:18:44 – The room full of strangers exercise: how do YOU show up?

00:25:45 – Stop focusing on what they give you, focus on what you can give

00:49:10 – Passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, assertive

Zach Windahl — author of The Bible Simplified — joins Levi and Jennie for a conversation about why so many believers still feel lost in scripture, what finally clicks when you see the whole Bible as one connected story, and the wild COVID wedding that required a cross-state drive with two hours to spare just to get a marriage license. They dig into making the Old Testament less intimidating, how 66 books become one story that changes everything, Bible memorization, and raising kids who love God's word. Plus: the chocolate chip cookie recipe Zach promised to share.

Connect with us on social!

Zach: @zachwindahl

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Check out Zach's book The Bible Simplified: https://bit.ly/3PX79Um

Check out the Bible Simplified Study Guide: https://bit.ly/3NZs2O3

Zach's famous chocolate chip cookie recipe: https://bit.ly/4cii8k2

Spend "a Year In the Gospels" with us:

Get the 5 Gallon Bucket:https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Get the Lusketeer Sticker: https://bit.ly/sdl4sHY

Subscribe for more exclusive content: https://levilusko.com/hitl-subscribe

Time Stamps:

00:13:57 – Introducing The Bible Simplified

00:20:19 – Why you can't really understand the New Testament without the Old

00:25:07 – Theology for normal people

00:35:42 – If you could condense the entire Bible to a tweet...

00:38:57 – Zach's favorite book of the Bible and the Jewishness of Jesus

00:45:48 – Bible memorization, handwriting the whole NT, and honey on slates