In this week's Brief: We look at the failed Iran negotiations, Trump's naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump's controversial posts attacking the Pope and posting an AI image of himself as Jesus, and why our true guiding light is neither a president nor a Pope—it's Jesus. Plus Rory McIlroy won his second Masters in row!
Then we sit down with Zach Huffaker, a mission control flight controller at NASA's Johnson Space Center who helped lead the crew safety team for the Artemis II mission that just returned from orbiting the moon! Zach gives us an insider's look at what it's actually like to sit at the console responsible for keeping astronauts alive hundreds of thousands of miles from Earth and tells us what’s next for the Artemis program and future space exploration. And of course we asked his thoughts on if the original moon landings were faked. He also shares how faith sustains him under immense pressure and why looking at Earth from space deepens his awe of God's creation.
Topics
- (0:00) Introduction
- (2:22) Iran talks and blockade
- (6:01) Trump versus the pope
- (7:34) AI Jesus image backlash
- (12:38) Spiritual perspective reset
- (13:45) Masters weekend recap
- (16:01) NBA playoffs tune in
- (17:02) Meet NASA’s Zach Huffaker
- (22:57) Stress and faith in control
- (25:37) Why space exploration matters
- (28:47) Artemis program goals
- (31:22) Boots 2028 plan
- (35:59) Faith from orbit
- (41:01) Moon landing conspiracies
- (51:39) Best space movies
- (55:16) Final reflections and farewell
Resources
Articles on this week’s top headlines:
About Zach Huffaker
Zach serves as an Emergency, Environmental, and Consumables Manager (EECOM) flight controller for NASA’s Artemis program at Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control Center, where he also led the EECOM team for Artemis II. Previously, he supported the International Space Station in a similar role, holding several technical leadership positions before transitioning fully to Artemis in 2025.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from John Brown University and an MBA from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. Zach and his wife of nearly eight years have three young children and are active members of OneLife Church in Webster, Texas, where they host a community group in their home.
About Conner Jones
Conner Jones is the Director of Performance Marketing at Denison Ministries and Co-Hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. He graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 2019 with a degree in Business Management. Conner passionately follows politics, sports, pop-culture, entertainment, and current events. He enjoys fishing, movie-going, and traveling the world with his wife and son.
About Micah Tomasella
Micah Tomasella is the Director of Advancement at Denison Ministries and co-hosts Denison Forum's "Culture Brief" podcast. A graduate of Dallas Baptist University, Micah is married to Emily, and together they are the proud parents of two daughters. With an extensive background in nonprofit work, finance, and real estate, Micah also brings experience from his years in pastoral church ministry.
About Denison Forum
Denison Forum exists to thoughtfully engage the issues of the day from a biblical perspective through The Daily Article email newsletter and podcast, the Faith & Clarity podcast, as well as many books and additional resources.
