Hey! It's The Luskos

Jon Erwin — the filmmaker behind Young Washington, House of David, and Jesus Revolution — joins Levi and Jennie to talk about why he spent a decade obsessed with George Washington before ever picking up a camera. They get into how Washington's worst failures actually forged his leadership, the real bullet holes that shaped his faith, and why Jon cast Andy Serkis (yes, Gollum himself) for the film. Plus: the wild, lifeguard-overwhelming baptism story behind Jesus Revolution and what's coming next from Wonder Project.

Connect with us on social!

Jon: @jonerwinofficial

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Get tickets to see Young Washington: https://bit.ly/4vIbH0M

Stream House of David on Amazon Prime Video: https://bit.ly/4oO1PA5

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Time Stamps

00:00 - Welcome Jon Erwin

02:33 – America's 250th and why this is "an experiment worth believing in"

05:37 – The leadership lesson hiding in young Washington's biggest mistakes

16:02 – Making war feel real without losing the family audience

22:56 – The "divine hand of providence" — Washington's faith, bullet holes, and Cincinnatus

31:13 – Inside Wonder Project's new short-form Bible series, starting with Moses

46:44 – The three unexplainable moments and the mass baptisms behind House of David

He's the son of pastor Stephen Furtick, but Graham built something all his own — a Sunday-night Bible study with four friends that grew into "the living room," a movement so big the cops got called on it. Fresh off graduation, Graham joins Levi and Jennie to talk about walking away from a wrestling scholarship, the "pocket praiser" principle that changed how he worships, and bombing his very first sermon.

Connect with us on social!

Graham: @graham.furtick

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Apply to Fresh Life Leadership College Today: https://Freshlife.church/leadership-college

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:

00:00 - Welcome Graham Furtick

00:48 – Why the Glacier hike nearly broke him (and what kept him climbing)

05:19 – How a fizzling middle school Bible study became "the living room"

11:06 – The night 110 teenagers nearly broke through Graham's ceiling

17:35 – Walking away from a wrestling scholarship for an answered prayer

32:05 – The "pocket praiser" lesson that changed how he leads worship

41:28 – His first sermon was a disaster — here's how he found his voice

From Cliffe getting pies thrown at him on a college quad while three-year-old Stuart clung to his leg, to preaching in Boston's red-light district as a seminary student, this episode is equal parts hilarious, theologically sharp, and genuinely moving. Father-son duo Cliffe and Stuart Knechtle — open-air apologists, church planters, and co-authors of Demolishing Doubt — join Levi and Jennie for one of the most wide-ranging conversations the podcast has ever had. Plus: the hardest question Cliffe still gets a flutter about, why miracles aren't actually defying nature, and the reason Stuart's eight-year-old already has Romans 8 memorized.

Connect with us on social!

Cliffe + Stuart: @Stuart_Knechtle

Levi: @levilusko

Jennie: @jennielusko

Fresh Life Church: @freshlife

[Links]

Order Demolishing Doubt: https://bit.ly/4x4R8Nc

Watch Cliffe's Passion Sermon: https://bit.ly/3PJcbnX

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:

00:00:00 – Meet Cliffe + Stuart Knechtle

00:05:12 – How a 14-person Bible study above a bar became a church

00:10:06 – Why memorizing scripture isn't obsolete — it's a lifeline

00:15:58 – Miracles don't defy nature — they restore it

00:29:47 – Preaching in Boston's red-light district (the seminary years)

00:43:49 – The hardest questions: suffering, doubt, and where God came from

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

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

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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)