This week, we sit down with our good friend Robert Cunningham—pastor, writer, speaker, and founder of Christ for Kentucky. We kick things off with a crucial parenting debate: can YouTube piano tutorials replace traditional music lessons? Then, Robert gets honest about making a massive career pivot away from a comfortable pastorship with four kids and zero financial safety net to launch his own ministry. We also dig into his incredible work erasing $250 million in medical debt for Kentucky families, why future generations might judge our smartphone habits like lead paint, and how we can approach complex cultural debates around faith and identity with disarming humility. It’s a funny, honest, and thought-provoking conversation on raising boys, trusting God, and navigating major life transitions. Grab your favorite cup of coffee and join us in Dadville!

Visit Christ for Kentucky: https://www.christforky.org/

All Things Dave: https://www.davebarnes.com/

All Things Jon: http://jonmcl.com

Topics

00:00 – Welcome to Dadville & The Great Piano Lesson Debate

03:45 – Introducing Robert Cunningham

07:30 – Navigating the Career Pivot Without a Safety Net

18:15 – Reimagining Wealth Stewardship & Kingdom Investment

26:00 – Erasing \$250 Million in Medical Debt for Kentucky Families

36:30 – Public Strategy, Age Verification, and Protecting Kids from Tech Addiction

46:15 – Moving Beyond Online Echo Chambers

53:00 – The Beauty of Christian Ethics & Theology of the Body

1:01:30 – Deconstructing the Modern Identity Fallacy

1:18:00 – Grace, Complexity, and Wholehearted Discipleship

1:30:00 – Wrapping Up in Dadville

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We’re catching up on the back-to-school flow and having some honest, vulnerable talks about our 40s. We laugh about the exact ways we are becoming our dads, from driving like grandmas to stockpiling ten of everything in the garage. We also reflect on what we’d tell our younger 25-year-old selves (hint: relax!) and why we need to stop focusing so much on the worries "just out of frame".

Finally, we draft our ultimate Dadville Hall of Fame, sharing our favorite dad gear like sleep machines, Nike Cortez shoes, and our family-favorite card game, Play Nine. Grab a spoonful of peanut butter and join us!

Since we spent so much time laughing about our inherited traits, would you like to create a personalized "Are You Becoming Your Dad?" quiz to see how your own habits stack up against our slow driving, lawn maintenance standards, and medicine cabinet stockpiles?

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Today, we sat down with entrepreneur and author Jordan Raynor, and honestly, we had so much fun reminiscing about Jordan's freshman year at Florida State that we practically skipped our own intro. Once we got past the twenty years of nostalgia, Jordan totally reframed how we look at our daily grind.

We talked about why our Monday-through-Friday work has intrinsic value to God—meaning Dave's songwriting and Jon's upcoming Christmas shows are deeply sacred, not just secular. Jordan shared incredible, practical advice for staying present with our kids, like holding "stop-doing" meetings and converting our smartphones into temporary landlines. Our absolute favorite takeaway? The liberating truth that we can peacefully leave "unfinished symphonies" behind in this life because eternity is filled with purposeful, joyful work.

So grab a seat in Dadville—you won't want to miss this episode!

Visit Jordan Raynor: https://www.jordanraynor.com

All Things Dave: https://www.davebarnes.com

All Things Jon: https://www.jonmcl.com

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SEEDS: Download the free SEEDS app and take one small step today: plant your first seed and see what God can grow.

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Welcome back to Dadville! Today, we’re sitting down with our incredibly learned friend, Ian Morgan Cron. We usually try to keep things light and funny, but Ian brought some serious "strings on the bridge" energy to this one. As an author, psychotherapist, former priest, and Dove Award-winning songwriter, he’s basically a vocational tossed salad.

We dive deep into his complicated childhood with an alcoholic father, how we all inevitably screw up our kids, and why we need to let everyone—and ourselves—out of the penalty box. Jon got to geek out over being a fellow Enneagram Four, and Dave sat up a little straighter to show off his youthful "vigor". Truly, Ian reminded us that we’re just growing up alongside our kids, and that at the end of the day, we're in good hands. Enjoy this episode with the lovely man of permission himself!

Visit Ian Morgan Cron: https://ianmorgancron.com

Join us: http://dadville.substack.com

All Things Dave: https://www.davebarnes.com

All Things Jon: https://www.jonmcl.com

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We’ve officially lost control of the microphones. Welcome to a special episode of Dadville—or as our daughters Zanna and Liv have rebranded it, Kidville. We thought we were the consummate podcasters, but the girls immediately put us in the hot seat to expose our deepest, most embarrassing secrets.

We're talking about Dave pre-unwrapping a pocketful of Jolly Ranchers during church hymns so they don’t crackle, and our classic grocery store panic calls because we can't find the basil. Nothing was safe—from Ringo Starr’s lack of outfit "curb appeal" to the time Ireland's Starbucks cold foam tasted exactly like cardboard. They even recap Liv's legendary Shake Shack sprint in Chicago and grill us on our favorite child.

Please listen to this chaotic takeover, buy their upcoming merchandise, and cast Zanna in a movie because she's officially "nice and famous"!

All Things Dave: https://www.davebarnes.com

All Things Jon: https://www.jonmcl.com

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In this episode, the fellas welcome financial expert Rachel Cruze to discuss the intersection of money, mindset, and family. As the daughter of Dave Ramsey, Cruze shares insights on growing up with a "money guy" and how she has carved her own path through best-selling books and speaking.

Rachel talks about how money is less about math and more about behaviour, focusing on intentional parenting through "commissions" rather than allowances and the "half-car rule". The trio delves into the struggle of navigating social media pressure and defining a family’s financial "baseline" in a world of "infinity pools". Cruze also provides tactical advice for marriages, urging couples to align on shared goals and use budgeting to find permission to spend. This deep dive offers a roadmap for families to build a legacy of contentment and financial peace.

Follow Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/rachelcruze

Join us: http://dadville.substack.com

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In this episode, the fellas sit down with Charlie Worsham, the CMA’s reigning Musician of the Year and a true "multihyphenate" talent. Charlie shares his incredible trajectory, from winning national banjo titles at age 12 to playing in the bands of legends like Vince Gill. He dives deep into his "13-year-old self rule," a mental practice that helps him maintain gratitude for his career, even on the hardest days.

The trio then chats about the "hard shift" of returning home from the road and the intentional ways he is showing up for his children through heartfelt journaling and obsessive financial planning. Whether discussing his new independent record, Once Upon a Second Time Around, or the sociology of corporate gigs, Charlie offers a masterclass in humility, resilience, and the pursuit of a meaningful musical community.

Visit Charlie Worsham: https://www.charlieworsham.com

Join us: http://dadville.substack.com

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In this episode, the fellas interview Tyler Staton, lead pastor of Bridgetown Church and author of Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools. Tyler shares his journey from a middle-school prayer revival in Nashville to navigating faith in New York and Portland. He offers a profound look at contemplative prayer, which he defines as sitting "naked and unashamed" before God to settle the inner "snow globe" of surface-level wants.

Moving into fatherhood, Tyler details his hands-on discipleship with his three sons, including a 10% pastry "dad tax" and using jelly beans to encourage emotional honesty. The episode highlights Tyler’s pursuit of being a more "interruptible" and playful father, revealing how daily Nerf wars became his most formative spiritual practice of the year. Balancing humor with depth, they also discuss the "Angel of Light" temptation to do good things for the wrong reasons.

Join us: ⁠http://dadville.substack.com⁠

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Musician Eric Hutchinson makes history on Dadville by doing the impossible: arriving early. From the massive independent success of his album Sounds Like This to the "soul-crushing" reality of playing early college gigs next to loud smoothie machines, Hutchinson joins Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin for a deep dive into a career built outside the typical "big machine" path.

Now a New York City dad, Eric discusses the "vast amount of humanity" found in raising his daughter, Zelda—navigating everything from sophisticated Monday night jazz shows to encounters with subway crack smokers. It is a candid conversation about the importance of modeling passion for your kids, the creative challenge of making music that stays fresh after twenty years, and the bittersweet reality of the fatherhood musical: "Long Days, Short Years."

All Things Eric Hutchinson: https://www.erichutchinson.com/

Join us: http://dadville.substack.com

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://betterhelp.com/dadville⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode of Dadville, the fellas dive into the chaos of summer parenting. Jon shares the "play-by-play" heartbreak of his daughter’s first sleep away camp experience, and Dave recounts a childhood "life of crime" involving a camp nurse and a missing stitch.

But it’s not all jokes—the guys get vulnerable about aging in the music industry. They discuss what success meant at 30 versus what it means now at 48, the "Blue Button" hypothetical involving Harry Styles, and how to find contentment without losing your ambition. Plus, a hilarious recap of their "glamping" trip in Yellowstone where temperatures dropped to the 40s in a tent.

Connect with Dave & John:

John McLaughlin: johnmcl.com

Dave Barnes: davebarnesmusic.com

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp: Our listeners get 10% off their first month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://betterhelp.com/dadville⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Quince - Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://quince.com/dadville⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order!

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