What happens when a brilliant legal career collides with a hidden addiction and a fear of failure that won’t let go? Our guest, former attorney and longtime pastor James W. Smith, takes us inside the spiral from weekend poker to a desperate bank robbery—and the surprising path back through accountability, faith, and service. It’s a raw, human story that moves from a dye pack exploding in a getaway car to quiet hours in a mental health ward where a new life began to take shape.

We talk about the difference between image and integrity, and how the decision to plead guilty became a turning point rather than an ending. James shares how humility was forged bagging groceries and pumping gas after release, how seminary first closed the door and then opened it, and how a historic church embraced his leadership for over three decades. He also explains his 11 years as an approved Continuing Legal Education sponsor teaching ethics, mental health, and substance use to attorneys across North Carolina—proof that credibility can be rebuilt when character leads.

James’s books—Deal By Me: Golden Opportunity Blown and Deal By Me, Second Edition: A Self-Evaluation—trace the rise, fall, and rebuild with uncommon honesty. His most striking insight: the engine under his worst decisions wasn’t a lifelong compulsion, but a deep fear of failure that pushed him to “fix” the unfixable. From practical counsel on staying focused and staying ethical to a moving tribute to a mother’s tough love, this conversation offers hard-won wisdom for anyone wrestling with addiction, shame, or a second act that feels out of reach.

If this story resonates, share it with a friend, follow the show, and leave a review. Your support helps more people find real accounts of redemption, resilience, and the everyday choices that change a life.

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What if the most exhausting part of your faith wasn’t doubt, but the checklist you thought God required? We sit down with author and mentor Desiree Taylor to explore how progressive hearing loss, social hurdles, and a lifetime in church led her from rule-keeping to a relationship marked by grace, courage, and advocacy. Desiree opens up about growing up deaf, navigating school with hearing aids and later cochlear implants, and how lip-reading sharpened her attention to people’s hearts. She also shares the emotional weight of genetics, the ache of passing hearing loss to a child, and the honest “why me?” questions that became her doorway to deeper trust.

The conversation moves into the gap many feel between religion and a living encounter with God. Desiree describes years of shame and perfectionism, the pressure to perform spiritually, and the moment she finally brought her grief to God and discovered a gentler truth. From there, Scripture came alive, identity took root, and the lie of “I’m always failing” lost its power. We tie those insights to church life today, naming practical ways communities can include people with disabilities—clear communication, intentional eye contact, planned accessibility—and why culture change means more than a one-time fix.

Desiree’s new book, Created to Relate: Living Beyond Religion, blends memoir and reflection with questions that help readers examine what they believe about God, themselves, and others. She talks about the long writing journey, the choice to mentor young adults, and the vision behind her website that features disability stories and resources. Whether you’re navigating hearing loss, advocating for inclusion, or longing for faith that feels personal and free, you’ll find honest guidance and grounded hope. If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

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Start with a prophecy almost everyone agrees is important but few claim to understand: Daniel 9. Now imagine testing it with modern calendars, archaeological finds, and arithmetic simple enough for a pocket calculator. That’s the journey we take with chemist and author James Brown, who argues that Daniel’s timeline doesn’t just gesture at a vague era; it targets key dates in the life of Jesus and links to milestones in recent history with day-level precision.

We walk through James’s personal shift from cultural apathy to evidence-driven faith, sparked by fatherhood and a Bible study that refused to leave Daniel 9 in the fog. He explains how earlier giants like Newton and Anderson got close but lacked twentieth-century data and calendrical corrections. Then the conversation broadens: Ezekiel 4’s cryptic count suddenly slots into place, Jeremiah’s seventy years connect to Daniel’s captivity marker, and two modern events—Israel’s statehood in 1948 and Jerusalem’s 1967 reunification—emerge as verifiable waypoints in the same framework.

Along the way, we revisit the surprises archaeology has delivered, from the Hittites to Belshazzar, and we follow the trail to the Great Isaiah Scroll, carbon-dated to about 125 BC and preserving Isaiah 52:13–53:12 with striking clarity. James contends these threads knit together three objective proofs: God exists, Jesus is the promised Messiah, and Scripture carries reliable prophecy and fulfillment. No advanced math, no shifting rules—just one consistent method, audited and reproducible.

If you’ve wanted more than slogans—if you’ve wanted reasons you can check—this conversation lays out the timelines, sources, and safeguards. Listen, take notes, and test it for yourself. If it holds, share the episode with someone who loves data as much as they love big questions. And if it challenges you, leave a review with the toughest counterpoint you can raise—we’ll keep the conversation going. Subscribe for more evidence-based deep dives and thoughtful interviews.

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If you’ve ever wondered why faith can feel like a tug-of-war inside your own chest, you’re not broken—you’re normal. We sit with Brad Church, retired business analyst and author of The Stranger’s Conflict, to explore the daily battle between the flesh and the Spirit, and why grace is power for change rather than a pass for old habits. This is a grounded, Scripture-rich conversation that takes shame off the table and replaces it with practical hope.

We trace a clear arc through Romans 6–8: the real struggle Paul confesses, the honest gap between desire and action, and the liberating promise of no condemnation in Christ. Brad shares candid stories of slow deliverance, the guilt that stalks repeated failure, and the moment-by-moment choices that invited the Holy Spirit to shift his patterns. We talk about the image of God—body, soul, and spirit—as a framework for understanding why the Spirit pulls us toward life while the flesh clings to old comfort, and how worship, Scripture, and community rewire our loves over time.

You’ll hear how Paul’s journey from law to grace offers a path beyond legalism and self-reliance, and why surrender is not passivity but aligned action. Expect practical takeaways: how to feed your spiritual life, how to handle discouragement without hiding, and how to replace self-condemnation with honest prayer and steady habits. If you’re hungry for a faith that meets you in the mess and moves you toward freedom, this conversation will help you breathe again.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a quick rating or review so others can find it.

Want to be a guest on Dorsey Ross Show? Send Dorsey Ross a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1615423845838x127949785844303500

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If your days feel like swimming against a current you didn’t choose, you’re not imagining it. Researcher and communication coach Dr. Craig Mattson joins us to map the hidden “rip tides” of digital life—why tools that promised efficiency now burn our attention, how inboxes became group chats in disguise, and what it actually takes to protect focus without disconnecting from your team or your values.

We trace Craig’s path from small-town roots and radio work into scholarship on modern work culture, then dig into practical fixes that are humane and realistic. We look at email through Cal Newport’s “hyperactive hive mind,” share ritual-level tactics to reduce chaos, and talk about Oliver Burkeman’s reminder that constraints aren’t flaws—they’re the shape of a life. Craig brings a surprising companion to the conversation: the wisdom books of Job and Ecclesiastes. Awe, finitude, and the acceptance that most work won’t be immortalized can lighten the pressure to make every task meaningful—and still point us toward daily joy, craft, and integrity.

We also explore two slippery topics many teams miss: using AI as scaffolding (not a substitute for voice and judgment) and the power of indirect communication—those signals around the words that matter most for people with less organizational sway. If you’ve wondered whether to quit a job that feels hollow, we offer a grounded way to test redesign vs. exit, name harm clearly, and move with patience instead of panic. By the end, you’ll have a clearer map for navigating overwhelm: fewer threads, cleaner decisions, kinder culture, and a practice of waiting that makes room for better choices. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what’s one change you’ll try this week?

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What happens when we surrender our finances to God? Author and ministry leader Heather Day reveals transformative insights about breaking free from financial bondage through spiritual alignment.

Heather brings over 20 years of experience working with Christian ministries to this conversation, sharing how her personal journey through financial struggles led to profound spiritual revelations. Drawing from her book "Money and Spirit: Surrendering Our Finances to the Holy Spirit," she reveals how a parking lot prayer during a financial crisis became a turning point that completely changed her relationship with money.

The discussion goes beyond typical financial advice, exploring why Christians often struggle with money despite their faith. Heather unpacks how we frequently use money as a substitute for love, control, peace, and comfort—all things God intended to provide. She challenges the church's tendency to avoid financial discussions despite Jesus frequently addressing money matters, pointing out how this silence keeps many believers trapped in unnecessary financial bondage.

Through powerful personal stories—from her battle with postpartum depression to witnessing her parents' unwavering faith during serious health challenges—Heather demonstrates how authenticity breaks down barriers and creates space for genuine ministry. She emphasizes that financial freedom isn't about wealth accumulation but finding peace regardless of circumstances by recognizing God's ownership of everything.

Whether you're drowning in debt, struggling with unhealthy financial habits, or simply seeking a more spiritually aligned approach to money, Heather's insights offer a refreshing perspective that combines practical wisdom with spiritual depth. Discover how surrendering your finances to the Holy Spirit can transform not just your bank account, but your entire approach to life, bringing the fruits of love, joy, peace, and self-control into your financial journey.

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Nathaniel Arnold's powerful testimony takes us on a journey through America's troubled racial history through the eyes of a young boy growing up in segregated Mobile, Alabama. Born into the tumultuous civil rights era of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Arnold's formative years were shaped by witnessing Governor Wallace's infamous "segregation forever" stance, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and the daily indignities of systematic racism.

The profound dissonance between the loving God portrayed in the Bible and the harsh realities of racial hatred led seven-year-old Arnold to ask a question that would take a lifetime to answer: "Why did you make me a Negro?" His search for understanding propelled him toward deep study of both American history and biblical prophecy, ultimately leading to a surprising perspective that frames racial conflict within a cosmic battle between good and evil.

Arnold challenges listeners to reconsider widely accepted myths about America's founding, revealing that many founding fathers were deists rather than Christians, and that the promise of democracy was initially denied to Black Americans, Native Americans, and women. Most provocatively, he interprets America as the "land beast" described in Revelation 13, suggesting that both America's founding and its eventual fate are prophesied in scripture.

Rather than offering false hope for societal-level racial reconciliation, Arnold advocates for individual transformation through deeper spiritual connection. "There are only two sides in this conflict," he explains, "Christ and Satan." This perspective reframes racial justice as part of a larger spiritual awakening. His books "My Story, His Glory" and "Decoding Daniel Revelation and America's Destiny" present his research and biblical interpretations in accessible ways for those seeking truth in confusing times.

Connect with Nathaniel's work through his website www.hisglory.publishing.com or find his books on Amazon to continue exploring these powerful themes of faith, race, and prophecy.

Nathaniel Arnolds link for his book, and more information about him.  

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nathaniel-X-Arnold/author/B0BQZ76GX4?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

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What happens when you finally dig up the talents you've buried? CJ Moneyway-Lonkin takes us on a profound journey from structure to spiritual awakening in this soul-stirring conversation about resilience, purpose, and faith.

From his early years in a two-parent household with strong religious foundations to his transformative time in Detroit, CJ shares how isolation became the very thing that allowed him to hear God's voice clearly. "Sometimes you have to get isolated in order to hear the voice of God," he reflects, describing how what seemed like a simple career move became the catalyst for discovering his true self and spiritual gifts.

The conversation takes a powerful turn when CJ unpacks the biblical parable of talents, challenging listeners to reconsider their own buried potential. "We refuse to build on what God has already sent us with," he observes, "because if we multiply the talent that we already have, then God will multiply that more." His insights on perseverance through adversity offer wisdom for anyone facing life's trials or feeling lost in their purpose.

Now hosting a podcast ranked in the top 2.5% globally with over 200 episodes produced in less than two years, CJ credits consistency and passion as his guiding principles. His upcoming book "Faith Through Trials" explores how faith is planted, tested, and strengthened through life's challenges—insights born from his own spiritual journey. Whether describing prophetic moments before 9/11 or lessons learned from fascinating guests like an 87-year-old bodybuilder who built six companies after arriving in Canada with just $47, CJ's storytelling captivates and inspires.

Ready to unearth your own buried talents? Listen now and discover why CJ believes "we were all born with a seed of greatness" waiting to be cultivated through faith and perseverance.

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