We just can’t get enough of the Apocrypha, right now, so this week we’re diving into the Book of Tobit! This is a very strange story that none of us had ever heard of, but there’s a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from it. We’ll be covering practical topics such as the medicinal and spiritual properties of aquatic offal, strange women and how to avoid them, the dangers of avian excrement, cadaver handling, and… alms? Yes, alms. There is so much to glean from this fascinating story! Someday when you’ve pieced your career, marriage, familial relationships, and finances back together utilizing the eternal principals of Tobit, remember ol’ Sam, Casey, and Jeremiah, and leave us a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Go with grace, brethren.

P.S. Drop what you’re doing and listen to “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU,” the latest release from our friends in MIGHTY! Follow them on Instagram and Twitter (@mightytheband)

This week we’re joined by comedy duo Casey Grim and Adam McLaughlin, who cohost the A Couple of N3rds podcast! This conversation was one of the funniest we’ve ever had on this show, and it goes in every direction. Topics of discussion include hallmarks of a grandma house, scootering under the influence, teenage caloric intake journals, and a Catholic buyer’s guide to feline indulgences. We did a lot of giggling, and you will, too! Follow Adam and Casey on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook (@acoupleofn3rds), stream their show on all podcast platforms, and if you’re in the Buffalo area, check out www.acoupleofn3rds.com for live shows near you!

This week we’re jumping back into the Apocrypha with The Apocalypse of Peter! Apparently this is one of the books that came the closest to being included in the Protestant Bible that we all know and love, and it centers around Peter’s visions of Heaven and Hell. You’re not going to believe this, but the vaaast majority of the book is dedicated to cataloguing elaborate tortures for specific sins, as well as a few sentences about the glorious paradise that is Heaven. And for anyone who feels like women don’t get enough screen time in the canonical Bible, you’ll be happy to know that much of The Apocalypse of Peter centers around the ladies! Enjoy this fun little devotional, but be ye warned: they that refuseth to rate, review, and share this show shalt surely be doomed to snag their ball sacks and/or labia in their pants zippers for all eternity… And all God’s people said “Amen.”

This week we’re joined by a very funny comedian, Luke Severeid! Luke grew up in the Pacific Northwest interest in heavy music eventually pulled him away from Christianity. Luke has pursued comedy for over a decade, and we absolutely love his work! Follow him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube (@lukesevereid), and check out his upcoming live dates in Washington and Oregon!

Jeremiah is BACK, and we’re diving into one of the 14 bonus books of the Bible known as the Apocrypha! If you’re not familiar with the Apocrypha, it’s a series of stories set between the Old and New Testaments that were originally part of the Septuagint. Over the course of centuries, several sects of Christianity stopped recognizing them as “divinely inspired,” and eventually cut them altogether. Catholics, on the other hand, canonized them. Today’s story really boils down to a deleted scene from the story of Daniel, and it’s a fun little addition to the traditional narrative. I hope you like dragons, because Daniel’s gonna be draggin’ his balls across Bel’s idolatrous face!

This week we’re joined by my old friend, Mikel Faulk! I’ve wanted to have Mike on since we started the show because 1) he’s one of the best guys I know, 2) he was one of the first Christians I got to know that wasn’t beholden to denominational dogma, and 3) he’s a man that has experienced tragedy and hardship that would have broken a lot of people, but he’s weathered those storms and come out the other side a great person. We talk about the less-than-charming, real-life version of Never Been Kissed, Mike meeting the love of his life as a teenager, marriage, and the tragic loss of his wife, finding comfort in friends, music, and faith, and a loss of a very different kind… Over the past decade, many of us have ourselves, or had loved ones tumble into conspiracy theory rabbit holes, but in this case, it ripped a family apart. It’s a wild story, and one that’s all too familiar to many people. So stay off the dark web, and enjoy this week’s episode with Mikel Faulk!

This week we’re joined by pastor and musician Joe Musten, member of several great bands including Beloved, Advent, and The Almost! Joe in the south attending an Assembly of God church – the very same church where he’s now a pastor. We talk about friends and music, fundamental spiritual experiences, and what being a pastor is all about. Joe is such a nice dude, and we had a great time talking to him! Follow Joe on Instagram (@joemusten), and enjoy the show!

This week we’re talking about the adulterous Alex Jones of apostolic Christian infamy, Greg Locke. If you’re not familiar with Ol’ Greg, he’s the pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, TN. It’s a fairly small church that Locke has whittled down into a core group of followers that have stuck by his side in spite of his public affair and subsequent marriage to his administrative assistant and ex-wife’s best friend, his frequent, literal witch hunts within the congregation (oh yeah, he believes in witches and warlocks), and his shameless self-promotion as he ascends through the ranks of Evangelical internet firebrands. Greg has garnered national attention over the years for his angry, ugly, and outright insane sermons, but in the past few months, he’s made a few public statements that seem out of character. He recently issued an apology (if you want to call it that) for his “meanness,” and deleted most of his sermons and vlogs that have attracted so much attention to him. In addition, he recently released a documentary called “Come Out in Jesus Name,” which follows himself and a group of pastors as they cast demons out of other Christians. Everything involving this guy is nuts, and we had to talk about him!

This week we’re joined by our new friend Jason Parr who spent 3 years inside a strange and insular group of counterculture Evangelicals known as Deliverance Bible Church (interview starts at 31:00 minutes). At the center of this unconventional church is a pastor by the name of Cleetus Adrian, a charismatic egomaniac who fancies himself some sort of prophet. If it sounds like I’m slinging mud right from the get-go, don’t take my word for it. Check out the links below for an article about about the church, as well as a bizarre video of Cleetus “rescinding the blessings of DBC” from his enemies. This is the first time Jason has spoken publicly about his experience at Deliverance Bible Church, and it’s no small thing to share the details of such a negative and formative experience. We really appreciate his willingness to talk to us and you, and we hope you enjoy the episode!

The Punk Rock Church That Could Be a Cult

"Deliverance Bible Church cursing people in the name of Jesus RAW"

This week we’re studying one of the wonderful Christian books I bought for fifty cents at a thrift store or yard sale “10 Challenges of a Worldchanger” by Ron Luce. Ron was the founder and president of Teen Mania, a now-defunct multiheaded hydra of a ministry that went under in 2015 after declaring bankruptcy. They had several different divisions, but one of them was Acquire the Fire - an event near and dear to many of our hearts. Ron’s a bit of a nut, and this book has some pretty ridiculous advice for young kids. It was a lot of fun to pick apart, and we hope you enjoy the conversation!