In this episode, we explore why fulfilled desires so often fail to satisfy. Recorded in September 2025—before the current football season now in the playoffs, the conversation weaves together stories from the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl mindset and Stephen’s long search for a Lazuli Bunting to ask a deeper question: what happens when the thing you want finally arrives and still isn’t enough? Drawing from Christian theology, Buddhism, Daoism, and everyday life, we reflect on desire, attachment, joy, and the difference between pleasure and presence—ultimately suggesting that meaning may be found not in reaching a destination, but in learning how to play, pay attention, and remain open to what comes next.

Host Recommendations

• Stephen: Go birding, The Tao Te Ching as translated by Stephen Mitchell
• Josh: The Residence on Netflix, Tour De Pharmacy film
• Emily: Combine two favorite foods into one (spaghetti tacos or pan toast), touch grass, sweaters

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Credits:

• Theme Song: In Full Color by Louie Zong on Spotify and Bandcamp
• Artwork: Yarn and Ravel by Dixie Lee Henning @dixieleedraws
• Produced by Stephen Henning, Josh Lieuallen, and Emily Rettinghouse
• Editing/Audio Engineering by Stephen Henning
• Certified Organic benediction by Reverend Emily Rettinghouse, MDiv