Marked for Life
Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood. He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his...
Sun, September 08, 2024
The "Real" Afterword
Dalton Mills , narrator of Marked for Life, also shares the same hometown of Middlesboro, KY, with Cody and the Coots family. In this episode, he offers a "crater's-eye" view of the unique town, sharing his perspective on the serpent handlers and how actually they are perceived by the people of east Kentucky. Want to hear more about this subject? We have a podcast called Alabama Astronaut at alabamaastronaut.com detailing the recording session that Cody described in Episode 30 of Marked for Life, "The Ballad of Ol' Lemonhead." Thanks for listening!
Sun, August 25, 2024
32. "On Them that Believe"
Cody mounts a defense for the people of the faith. While sinning copiously, he noticed many of the faithful remaining steadfast and pure, particularly one man from Alabama who lived his faith to perfection: he watched no TV, he "doctored" for nothing, and was clean shaven. He didn't have Facebook, too. Some, however, Cody reports, revered believers who performed all the signs, were actually full of the devil all along. "Not everything that shines is gold," he says.
Sun, August 18, 2024
31. "Mr. Weatherman"
Cody returns after two years to compose a final chapter of this memoir, Marked for Life . "I thought writing this book would be like therapy," he said. "But then, I got my eyes off God."
Sun, August 11, 2024
30. "The Five Signs of Mark 16"
Cody explains his beliefs, and how they are properly demonstrated. (At one time, he "learned" how to do them, manufacturing miracles. But this way, Cody says, the Signs are accomplished to edify God...) Cassy is pregnant. But Cody, though excited, gets a bad feeling one Thursday when she goes to the doctor for a checkup...
Sun, August 04, 2024
29. "The Ballad of 'ol Lemonhead"
A stranger, an artist and ex-fundamentalist preacher from Alabama, is interested in Cody's Signs-following songs. He reaches out. "These have never been documented before," the stranger says. "Would you and Cassy mind singing a few into my handheld recorder?" A relationship begins. It leads to a Nashville-produced album of Cody and Cassy, called the "Coots Duo." (For more, the Alabama Astronaut Podcast features Abe Partridge, Ferrill Gibbs, and characters from Marked for Life in a music-related setting.)
Sun, July 28, 2024
28. "Monkey Wrench"
Cody tires of life in Middlesboro. He tells Cassy, "Let's move in with your folks in Berea." So they do. Freshly settled, a snake attacks Cody in the snake room out back. Meanwhile, a global pandemic threatens the region. It begins stretching out to every holler in east Kentucky.
Sun, July 21, 2024
27. "Exorcism in Bell County"
Cody rages outside the church, and it's all Shelton's fault he can never be saved! Afterward, Cody and his friends caravan. They pray for him at his house. Somebody speaks in tongues; another lays hands on Cody's shoulder. Another picks up the family bible from where it lay on the floor, there blocking "Nina" from entering the den. "Miracles," writes Cody, "happened that night."
Sun, July 14, 2024
25 – 26. "Rage Mode"
Out-of-work Cody Coots is barely scraping by. Now, he turns to the one trade he knows best: snake trading in the great state of Kentucky, USA. He also tries ridding the household of Nina by making a deal with the devil. "I want some of what you've got, Devil," says Cody. Of course, such a deal always comes with a price. One season of torment ensues until a voice says, "Cody, you and Cassy will go to Church Saturday, and Cassy will give her heart back to God."
Sun, July 07, 2024
24. "Nina Returns"
Cassy moves in with Cody, only to find an unexpected houseguest: "Nina." Together, the newly minted duo drives the streets of Middlesboro escaping Nina, staying out until daybreak, staying far away from home for as long as they can. Meanwhile, Nina gets worse day by day...
Sun, June 30, 2024
23. "You Can Be Free"
Cody is determined to do what is best for him regardless of what some people might say, like his bosses. He spends the week at Cassy's house. "Try to salvage your marriage, Cody," they tell him, but it's easier said than done. He can't stop dreaming about Cassy in his life. Reflecting on his past mistakes, Cody then shares a vision of how one can free oneself.
Sun, June 16, 2024
23. "I'll Be Right Over"
Cody's home life is such a mess, he gives himself a haircut – it's something he does when at his wits' end. His wife walks in on him and he declares his time is over with the church – his allegiance to Christianity is done. And that's when the fighting really starts. It's Thanksgiving Day. The kids see everything.
Sun, June 09, 2024
22. "Return to the House of Horror"
Cody takes a vacation from work, and decides to revisit the House of Horror. As he strolls through the devastation of his former home, he also strolls down memory lane. Though ghosts inhabit this place, Cody attempts to make peace with them all.
Sun, June 02, 2024
21. "My Only Sister"
Cody gets word that his mother Linda Coots is looking for his sister, Trina. "For some reason," she explains, "Trina is not answering her phone." Meanwhile, Cody continues to express feelings toward Cassy. He asks her to drop everything and come be with him. "I have done so much to disappoint my family," Cassy explains, standing in the church parking lot. Cody calls Andrew for advice.
Sun, May 26, 2024
19-20. "I Am Nina"
Cody's sinning reaches a fever pitch. Snakebitten in the snake room while feeding a rattler, he's visited by members of the church who congregate by his bedside to pray faithfully. Then, in walks a girl named Cassy. When Cody sees her, he thinks, "Lord? If I'm dying from a snakebite, it's ok if she's the last thing I see before waking up in hell!" Marked for Life is on Apple , Spotify , and our podcast Homepage .
Sun, May 19, 2024
18. "You Can't Be Saved."
Cody has words with Pap and leaves the church – again. This time, out of spite, he takes the church instruments with him. "Let's see if they can run the church with just one guitar!" he growls, leaving. "I was an evil, spiteful man back in those days." Cody is gone again, then back again, in and out of church. That is, until a new member named David walks through the church doors...
Sun, May 12, 2024
17. "Top of the World"
Cody outsmarts a prostitute on a Middlesboro mountainside. Pimps can set traps, stealing everything from unwitting "Johns." But Cody will not be robbed, beaten or killed. He knows the land too well. Most importantly, on Top of the World , he will not be discovered by the people he loves most.
Sun, May 05, 2024
16. "You Need Medicine."
Cody goes to the doctor, and after showing her his set of brass knuckles, she gives a troubling diagnosis. Does it slow Cody down? Also, he encounters a sneaky "street walker," who leaves him no options. What does he tell his wife? Also...the voices in Cody's head grow louder.
Sun, April 28, 2024
15. "Highway to Hell with a Snake Named Axl"
The Signs-following faith considers any "backslider" a "sinnerman." As Cody rages against his church, the terms easily apply. Cody said it best at the beginning of the series. "I was told since childhood," he explained, "'Cody? You should give 110% to serving God! And, don’t be a hypocrite! 'But, if you do choose to serve the devil, then you should give him just as much effort!' "Well, that’s exactly what I did," he said. His trip to Greensboro is a perfect example of a sinnerman "backsliding" with abandon. Why curb any part of an appetite when one bite of the apple is as damning as eating it down to the core. So, in this episode, Cody tries to eat the whole tree.
Sun, April 21, 2024
14. (Part 2.) "Another Stranger's Kindness"
Cody is life-flighted to the intensive care unit of the University of Tennessee Hospital. When the doctors wake him, his feel pain so excruciating, Cody welcomes the relief of death. "This hurts so bad!!!" he scribbles on paper. "PLEASE DOPE ME UP 'TILL I PASS OUT!!" Then, a stranger – a kind nurse – shows Cody and his wife a great kindness... The very next Sunday, Cody's back in church. Will he keep his faith this time? Will he return to the backsliding life? Will he ever handle a serpent again?
Sun, April 14, 2024
14. "Strange Flesh"
The reckoning comes. This time, it's all captured on camera by a multimedia company from London. It was why Cody kept away from snakes for months on end, fasting, and attempting to purify himself. When tragedy strikes, Big Cody Wynn jumps in. Cody now faces a choice: to live or to die.
Sun, March 31, 2024
13. "The Thunder Shuffle"
Cody arrives with the caravan, but in the church parking lot, two fellows with "bad reputations" await. Cody, urged by the congregation to run off the "hypocrites," knows he is definitely lead pastor of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name now, and there's no doubt about it. It begins a season of battling church issues (marital and relationship problems primarily) until the point he can take it no more. Cody decides to get away, down to South Carolina. This initiates a string of trips to snake shows where snake trading is "wide open." "I wish I could change so much of what happened down there," he laments in this episode. "But unfortunately, I cannot."
Sun, March 24, 2024
12. "Preacher and the Outlaw"
The wake continues. "Outlaw," a notorious local drug boss, arrives at the funeral home to pay his respects to Jamie Coots, the Signs-following preacher who died from a snake bite. Meanwhile, worshippers press Cody. Can they bring snakes inside the parlor? Cody realizes he is now the church leader. They also ask about bringing torches inside for worship. Does Cody allow snakes inside the building – breaking his father's promise to Bill, the Coroner?
Sun, March 17, 2024
11. (Part 2) "Thank you, Middlesboro."
The story of a snakebite that unites Middlesboro continues. Cody and his buddies tend to Jamie Coots, the beloved preacher bitten by one of a gob of rattlesnakes he held in a Middlesboro, Kentucky worship service. "My face is on fire," the preacher said, slumping to the floor of the church restroom. Cody knows the trouble his father is in.
Sun, March 10, 2024
11. "The Day My Life Changed"
Cody's life changes forever on a cold day in February. Tragedy strikes the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church, and Cody knows he must take charge. But does he know how?
Sun, March 03, 2024
10. "Cody Goes to Court"
Cody and his dad Jamie are laid off from work, but they spend quality time together traveling the country and hunting snakes. One "National T.V. Program" is more than willing to fit the bill, only if the two will travel to warmer climes to hunt snakes for a film crew. In Tennessee, a series of cops pull the Coots' over, all under the guise of illegal window tint. Cody knows this has nothing to do with tint. It has everything to do with the Coots family serpent boxes, which are all filled with rattlesnakes, riding in the back seat.
Sun, February 25, 2024
9. "I Got Busted"
One night, up to no good, Cody starts Messaging people on Facebook. It's a risk, but it's a good thrill. Soon, his wife bursts into the room. His heart skips a beat. "What have you been doing in here, Cody??" she yells. "Who were you Messaging online?!" Cody, ashamed, blocks the computer screen, but realizes it's futile. His wife is laser focused. The other woman on Facebook must have notified her. Needless to say, the two go "straight to fighting."
Sun, February 18, 2024
8. Part II: "Marry...Or Burn"
Cody's down-spiraling. “There I was,” he says, “18 years old and a blaster in the coal mines.” Jamie demands he stop sleeping around, or else, get married. He subjects Cody to a verse from First Corinthians: “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows ," it reads, "It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn .” Stop fornicating, Cody is told, or excommunication from the family church is looming. There is a third option: cruising the streets of Middlesboro in search of streetwalkers to douse the burning.
Sun, February 11, 2024
8. "Andrew's Ordeal Continues"
Andrew and Cody emerge from the snake room. Andrew's arm desperately needs attention. With every step, he deteriorates. Cody knows rattlesnake bites are nothing to play with. He also knows his friend is in for a long, hard ride. When Jamie walks downstairs to find Andrew suffering in the La-Z-Boy, he says, "Oh, Andrew. Are you scared, Son?" "Yes sir." "Well, then," the man says, "we should already be at the hospital by now."
Sun, February 04, 2024
7. "Andrew Got Bit"
A rattlesnake slithers in the woods, and by divine help, Jamie knows right where to find it. He pulls it from some weeds. God says to take it to the house, but not to the snake room. Jamie obeys. This is the story of an emerging friendship between two prominent, Signs-following preachers: Cody Coots, and his friend, Andrew Hamblin.
Sun, January 28, 2024
6. "Run to the Altar!"
Cody is haunted by his secret sins, so he runs to the altar to pray. His father sees this and kneels by his side, taking his son's hand. Together they call upon The Lord for salvation. Cody knows he must change his ways. He must stop cussing. He must stop listening to country music. And, he must give up rock n' roll forever. He will even shave his "bad attitude" mohawk. Most importantly, he must stop sleeping around. "Pap" begs Cody to go to college, but Cody will follow in his father's footsteps, leading him ever toward the Kentucky coal mines.
Sun, January 21, 2024
5. "Nothing Left To Lose"
Cody Coots' childhood is in shambles, so he pursues a relationship with his father: the world-famous serpent handling preacher Jamie Coots. Jamie starred in what Cody calls, "a national TV program that I won't mention out of legal concerns." Together, they watch WWE every weekend. It's what they have in common. They pull for the great underdog, Chris Benoit, who's a man disrespected by the system. Cody sees himself in the wrester, with a real-life horror story of his own. Cody then receives a call from his sister, Trina, whose car is stuck in a ditch. For some reason, it's outside the House of Horror.
Sun, January 14, 2024
4. "Coots vs. The Public School System"
The Bible passage " The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man " from Deuteronomy means another life change for Cody. This child of the serpent-handling faith continues to suffer from the reverberations of a horrid abuse case... and now, this. A real-life monster, behind bars, means Cody can now tune into his father's shepherding style. Jamie Coots is the beloved preacher from Middlesboro who leads the family church. Cody will pursue a friendship with his father.
Sun, January 07, 2024
3. "We Can't Testify"
A trial is scheduled for Cody’s abuser. However, believers across the faith are concerned about Cody testifying. The reason? One day at church, long ago, when Cody was 8, something unbelievable happened. It's something only Cody's church knows. Now, if it comes out at trial, they all know Cody and Trina will be whisked away from their parents.
Sun, December 31, 2023
1 – 2. "The House of Horror"
After a fatal rattlesnake bite at his apartment in Middlesboro, Kentucky, Cody and his family move to a new place on South 45th Street. This is a house that changes Cody forever, and not for the better. In this account, he refers to the house as The House of Horror . A special introductory episode, it features chapters 1 & 2.
Thu, December 21, 2023
Foreword
Cody Coots is a fourth-generation "Signs Follower." His childhood was anything but normal. At age 6, he started handling fake serpents with his sister Trina, using leather belts as props. Such was life in East Kentucky, in a congregation of believers proclaiming themselves as the truest followers of the "Old Time Religion." Cody tried his best to have a normal childhood. He rode his bike, practiced drums on the pots and pans in the kitchen, and even watched WWE Wrestling with his father Jamie – one of the most famous serpent-handling preachers of all time. After an unspeakable act of evil left Cody devastated at 8 years old, he turned his wrath upon his parents, his church, his God, and even himself.
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