The RELEVANT Podcast

Sondae and Jesus Image’s Jessica Koulianos

The RELEVANT Podcast

Show Notes

This week — after the crew discusses summer vacations, cruise classes and the Jersey Shore — we talk to Jessica Koulianos, co-founder of Jesus Image, about what it actually looks like to go deeper with God instead of just consuming more church content. In RELEVANT Buzz, Team USA has turned the World Cup into a faith story, and we get into Steven Spielberg's new film ‘Disclosure Day’ and the surprising amount of room it gives to faith. In RELEVANT Recommends, we talk to Christian R&B artist Sondae, whose new album is a must-listen. In Slices, scientists are trying to find Noah’s Ark, and a pastor preached for 96 hours straight to chase a Guinness World Record. Then your feedback closes it out with the things everyone loves that you just don't get: matcha that tastes like grass, smash burgers, Hey Dudes and yes, we get distracted by your unusual usernames. Highlights: 00:00 — Intro: Alaska cruises, classes and Jesse's classy Jersey Shore vacation 14:03 — RELEVANT Buzz: Team USA's faith goes viral at the World Cup 21:55 — ‘Disclosure Day’ and what aliens would do to Christian belief 30:31 — RELEVANT Recommends: Sondae on his vulnerable new album 'Boy' 36:23 — RELEVANT Conversation: Jessica Koulianos on real intimacy with Jesus 50:33 — Slices: Drilling for Noah's Ark near Mount Ararat 55:29 — The pastor who preached for 96 hours 59:02 — Your Feedback: Things everyone loves that you just don't get 1:07:14 — Outro

More from The RELEVANT Podcast

Oct 23, 2026

Former Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz and his wife Laura stayed together, and now they've written the book on it, 'Overcoming Infidelity.' We talk about the small warning signs, when leaving is actually the right call, what they've told their kids and what Carl says to the skeptics calling this a comeback tour. Plus, Cameron is back from NYC, where Greta Gerwig previewed 'Narnia: The Magician's Nephew.’ He went in skeptical and tells us what he saw and heard. In Slices, Jesse makes the case for 'You Can See Everything,' the three-hour Elizabeth Holmes movie everyone is talking about and nobody is spoiling (we won't either). Derek tells us why Hulvey canceled his Amsterdam show, and Marty asks the crew to name their favorite sin, which turns into a real conversation about Philip Anthony Mitchell and what comes after the celebrity pastor era. Then Marty's Life Hacks closes it out with a tip so wholesome we're pretty sure city hall is paying him. Highlights: 01:41 — Cameron's report from Greta Gerwig's Narnia preview event 06:44 — The Aslan question 10:06 — Derek's case against the Meryl Streep casting 17:14 — How 'Stairway to Heaven' ended up in Narnia 24:03 — Slices: The Elizabeth Holmes movie nobody is spoiling 34:59 — Hulvey cancels a sold-out show over what was on the venue walls 37:28 — Marty asks the crew to name their favorite sin 37:46 — Philip Anthony Mitchell gets honest on The Breakfast Club 40:29 — What comes after the celebrity pastor era? 48:18 — Derek makes room for pastors in Jordans 49:05 — Carl and Laura Lentz on 'Overcoming Infidelity' 52:12 — Carl on the secrets that come before the big one 54:13 — Laura on when leaving is the right call 56:08 — What they've told their kids (and the phone call Carl didn't see coming) 1:01:39 — Carl's answer for the skeptics 1:06:47 — Marty's Life Hacks: Wait, the library has 3D printers?

Oct 15, 2026

Jamie MacDonald, fresh off winning New Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards, joins us as her new deluxe album arrives this week. We talk about what it’s like to be the biggest thing in CCM right now, reliving her testimony on stage every night and the Alaska fudge shop that can’t stop playing her record. In RELEVANT Buzz, Instagram admits it’s been recommending Creed’s ‘Higher’ more than it should, and we think the algorithm might be trying to heal America. Drill rapper Fivio Foreign gets honest about the hardest part of his walk with Jesus, and Pope Leo says algorithms lack “the spark of humanity,” which has us asking where all the song bridges went. Plus, Marty’s new co-working space comes with an indoor mini golf course, and his family’s Halloween costume plan leaves the rest of us in a cold sweat. Then One Has to Go closes it out: Pastor Appreciation Month downsized to a week, one severed head too many and a turkey leg that turns grown men into cavemen. Highlights: 01:09 — Marty’s co-working space comes with a mini golf course 08:37 — RELEVANT Buzz: Instagram can’t stop recommending Creed’s ‘Higher’ 10:26 — Jesse’s theory: The algorithm wants us back at Creed’s 2001 Thanksgiving halftime show 15:56 — Derek’s plan for the first Christian rap Super Bowl halftime 17:25 — Fivio Foreign goes from drill to praising Jesus (and gets honest about what’s hardest) 21:21 — Derek’s case for Fonzworth Bentley as hip-hop’s unsung hero 23:42 — Is AI art always a little cringe? Pope Leo weighs in 25:13 — Derek wants bridges and vamps back 29:21 — The architect who felt “God pushing my pencil” 32:53 — Jamie MacDonald on the long road to becoming Christian music’s biggest new name 35:37 — Why ‘Left It in the River’ hit so hard 38:29 — Playing the Ryman a mile from where she was born 40:21 — Is the pop culture Halloween costume dead? 41:07 — Marty’s family Halloween plan 45:37 — One Has to Go 47:05 — Derek on the Black church’s honor culture 50:39 — Derek has seen enough severed heads 52:26 — Seven-year-old Cameron explains street economics to his mom 54:34 — Where do the full-size candy bar houses actually live?

Oct 6, 2026

Irish folk trio Kingfishr joins us right as everyone's playlist turns to fall vibes. We talk about how they went from a self-described rip-off band to leaning all the way into traditional Irish music, the old farmhouse with walls thick enough to start a band in and what's giving them hope right now. In Slices, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan says plainly that Jesus is his Lord and Savior and that he doesn't care what it costs him. Derek brings a new study about the surprising group of married couples that are having the best intimacy, and Jesse checks into sleep tourism, where people are paying huge amounts for a hotel room whose main attraction is being unconscious. We also debut Marty’s Life Hack of the Week, and we bring back our annual Mascot Bracket Challenge! Highlights: 00:52 — Diddy's prison perks and the only sneakers you can buy behind bars 04:47 — Derek's coffee-shop intervention for Cameron 06:02 — Marty's Life Hack of the Week: The accidental text on purpose 09:27 — Jesse, a leaking car and the cul-de-sac group text 10:37 — Derek explains who this will not work on 14:25 — Therapists, please diagnose Marty in the comments 15:33 — The steakhouse butter hack 18:50 — Slices: People are paying $1,700 a night just to sleep 23:53 — Aaron Rodgers and the darkness retreat 24:57 — Who's having the most sex? Derek has a study 27:01 — Wait, who paid for this survey? 29:06 — Are Billy Corgan and Bill Burr half-brothers? 31:50 — Billy Corgan calls Jesus his Lord and Savior 36:24 — Why our parents banned Smashing Pumpkins 37:45 — Kingfishr on trad Irish roots, the farmhouse and what's giving them hope 43:10 — The annual Mascot Bracket Challenge 45:36 — The spiritual round: Demon Deacon vs. Sun Devil 48:09 — We don't think about kangaroos enough 56:38 — The Final Four

Sep 29, 2026

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac joins us as NBA teams kick off training camp this week. We talk about what happens when Christians put an athlete on a pedestal, the upcoming NBA season — his 10th — and how his faith-based athletic brand UNITUS has evolved over the last few years. In Slices, Jesse found the 26-cent coin that just sold for $17,000 and has a retirement plan for whoever works at the Mint. Derek brings the new study showing Gen Z and millennials are drinking less (while Gen X picks up the slack). And Marty explains why Gen Z is buying CDs again without owning a CD player (K-pop, mostly). Also, Marty keeps his raw denim in the freezer, started collecting Ralph Lauren stamps and is starting to worry about what California is doing to him. Derek has questions. Plus Jesse is going to a silent disco, Cameron debunks the Christopher Nolan Darth Vader rumor and we relitigate the time Derek wore a Rodman jersey in Cameron's courtside seats. Question of the Week: What's your creative, unexpected Halloween costume idea for 2026? Drop it in the comments and we'll read the best ones next week. Highlights: 00:30 — Marty's "life hack" that is just backing up your phone 02:55 — Derek's NBA 2K theory of why people don't take responsibility 04:39 — Marty keeps his $400 jeans in the freezer and Derek has questions 10:44 — Why we're running the whole Jonathan Isaac conversation uncut 15:26 — Cameron apologizes to a Magic coach in a Vegas casino 17:09 — Derek wore a Rodman jersey in Cameron's courtside seats 18:28 — Does Cameron need a signature courtside look? 21:44 — Slices: A 26-cent coin sold for $17,000 and Jesse has a plan for the Mint 24:58 — Marty bought a Ralph Lauren stamp collection and is worried about himself 30:54 — Jesse is going to a silent disco 34:43 — Gen Z and millennials are drinking less. Gen X is drinking a lot more 42:20 — The Christopher Nolan Darth Vader movie is not real 44:11 — CD sales are up 59% and half the buyers don't own a CD player 48:16 — Question of the Week: Halloween costume ideas for 2026 49:34 — Jonathan Isaac on year 10, faith under the spotlight and UNITUS

Sep 22, 2026

This week, the crew gets philosophical fast. Jesse makes the case that cornhole can cure the loneliness epidemic, Derek wants to bring back boredom and we figure out how doing nothing on a flight became an achievement. Derek also plays his new single 'Lift Me Up' and explains why he built it on the old synths instead of the easy way. In RELEVANT Buzz, Greta Gerwig cast Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan in the upcoming Narnia movie, and the comments did what the comments do. Jesse defends it, Derek explains it with potato salad and a text from someone who's actually seen the movie changes the conversation. Then Christian Bale opens a village so foster siblings don't get split up, which makes him the real Batman. Elevation Worship and Chandler Moore's 'God I'm Just Grateful' just did something a worship song hasn't done since 'Oceans.' And Jesse brings a CDC report that says most of us are exhausted, which turns into Bob Goff quitting something every Thursday and why no one ever preaches "pray for less." Then a new game, Take Sides, closes it out: Chick-fil-A vs. Raising Cane's, window vs. aisle, Waffle House as a life stage and Derek's very strong feelings about hot tubs. Highlights: 01:28 — Jesse's plan to cure loneliness with cornhole 07:54 — Derek deleted social media. Bring back boredom 10:33 — Raw dogging a flight and the David Puddy origin story 17:22 — Derek's new single 'Lift Me Up' and curating Apple Music's Elevate playlist 24:09 — RELEVANT Buzz: The CDC says 3 in 4 Americans are exhausted (guess who's most tired) 29:35 — Bob Goff quits something every Thursday 32:15 — Why nobody preaches "pray for less" 34:14 — Warren Buffett hands Berkshire to his son 35:00 — The real Batman: Christian Bale's foster village opens 38:32 — Meryl Streep as Aslan? The Narnia fight 42:04 — Derek's potato salad theory of Narnia 48:34 — A text from inside the movie 50:51 — Elevation Worship & Chandler Moore crack the Hot 100 53:01 — Take Sides: Chick-fil-A vs. Raising Cane's, hot tub vs. pool

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