Reaching For Real Life with Sean Azzaro

FCA, Faith, and Football: Mike Blanc on Case Keenum’s Testimony and Living for More Than the Game

Meet Mike Blanc, Executive Vice President of Pro and Elite Sports for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, who recounts choosing Auburn after encountering FCA, winning a national championship, and later playing for the Steelers. Blanc discusses keeping perspective beyond performance, Case Keenum’s consistent preparation and genuine faith, the importance of veteran mentorship for young players like Caleb Williams, and how FCA is adapting through leagues, broader sports outreach, and resources. fca.org.

00:00 Show Intro and Banter

00:57 Bears Packers Breakdown

02:27 Series Follow the Leader

04:38 Church for Real Life Rebrand

05:25 Why Real Life Name

06:07 Meet FCA Leader Mike Blanc

07:56 Mike Blanc FCA Journey

10:23 Faith Beyond Performance

12:39 Case Keenum Spotlight

22:06 FCA Adapting Today

25:38 How to Connect with FCA

26:40 Post Interview Takeaways

28:25 Final Wrap and Invite

Sean Azzaro hosts Reaching for Real Life remotely while caring for his wife, Lauri, and reflecting on role reversal, selfishness, and the call to lay down one’s agenda in service, drawing on John 15:13 and the idea of spouses “out-serving” each other and learning love languages.

He and Baron discuss the joy and humility of both giving and receiving care, especially as people age and face caregiving for spouses or parents.

The conversation shifts to how social media reactions often become the story without facts, illustrated by memes about Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ injury, and warns about trusting anonymous online voices.

They then discuss AI as a valuable research tool with limitations, emphasizing attribution, double-checking sources, and practical sermon use as idea prompts rather than plagiarism.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

02:35 Caretaker Role Reversal

04:20 Crucifying the Flesh

06:50 Outserve Your Spouse

08:14 Beauty of Receiving Help

10:09 Bears Game Caretaking

11:30 Quarterback Injury Talk

12:26 Social Media Reaction Culture

14:14 Social Media Misinformation

15:20 Accountability and Sources

16:13 Rumors and Ken Paxton

18:00 AI Hype and Caution

19:15 AI for Bible Research

24:19 Avoiding Plagiarism in Sermons

25:55 Originality and Attribution

27:08 Marriage Series and Wrap-Up

Sean Azzaro speaks about C.S. Lewis, the Inklings, and The Chronicles of Narnia, then the conversation shifts to Netflix’s upcoming IMAX film of The Magician’s Nephew (February 2027) directed by Greta Gerwig, with concern over Meryl Streep voicing Aslan while still calling the character “he,” discussing faith, audience reaction, and keeping Christ central.

00:00 Show Cold Open

00:26 Granddaughter Volleyball Talk

01:31 Sunday Series Update

02:24 Midweek Discipleship Night

03:50 C S Lewis Love

06:35 Narnia Gospel Themes

07:57 Audiobook Sleep Hack

09:34 Narnia Returns 2027

10:40 Aslan Casting Debate

12:07 Aslan Voice Casting Debate

13:25 Faith Symbolism and Audience Backlash

15:25 Other Casting and The Shack Parallel

17:12 Progressive Agenda vs Artistic Choice

17:43 Gerwig Background and Respecting Classics

18:43 Turning Controversy into Gospel Talk

20:57 What C S Lewis Might Say

23:47 Seeing the Film Without Supporting It

24:40 Christian Response

Sean Azzaro and Baron chat about rising holiday stress and family estrangement, often fueled by bad counseling that labels disagreement as “toxic.” Sean emphasizes Romans’ call to pursue peace as far as possible, encourages honest conversations, and warns that cutting people off over politics, church hurt, or preferences leads to isolation.

He distinguishes forgiving someone (a one-sided release of debt) from restoring trust (a two-sided process) and urges keeping communication doors open while setting appropriate boundaries. They address navigating conflict between a spouse and extended family, and honoring parents while making adult decisions.

00:00 Show Intro Banter

00:36 Office Art Tour

02:11 Weekend Sports Recap

04:17 Fall Weather Holiday Rush

04:57 Holiday Anxiety Estrangement

06:34 Boundaries Versus Cutoffs

07:43 Politics Church Hurt

10:58 Reconciliation Forgiveness

12:35 Handling Pushback Leaving

14:06 Blessing People Out

14:42 Forgiveness Versus Trust

16:11 Releasing the Debt

18:09 Spouse Versus Sibling

20:53 When to Let Go

22:17 Honoring Parents' Boundaries

23:53 Is It Biblical Oil

24:50 Healing Simple Faith

27:42 Final Encouragement

After briefly talking NFL opening weekend, Tony Romo owning mistakes to the Lord, and athletes “sowing seeds” but also bring reproach when failures become public, the episode reflects on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, cultural memory, patriotism, forgiveness versus trust, and learning to see God at work amid tragedy. They close with an “Is That Biblical?” segment on judging, success, and altar calls.

00:00 Cold Open Banter

00:24 Family Worship Team

01:48 Critiquing Your Kids

03:25 Follow the Leader Series

04:40 NFL Sunday Plans

05:20 Tony Romo Faith Talk

06:42 Athletes Sharing Jesus

09:03 Spurs Bible Stories

10:33 Remembering 9/11

11:19 Ideological Odd Couple

11:51 Unity After 9/11

12:09 Time Distance Generations

13:00 Blame America Debate

14:03 Biblical Remembering

15:22 Vigilance And Faith

17:09 Forgive Not Trust

18:38 Have We Healed

20:12 Is That Biblical Game

20:37 Christians And Judging

21:29 Success And Prosperity

22:44 Altar Calls And Baptism

23:59 Final Takeaways

Sean Azzaro and Baron discuss River City Community Church’s Vision Sunday after months of prayer and reflection on possible fatigue and drifting toward program orientation, drawing on Acts 2 and Ralph Moore’s disciple-making model to refocus on Spirit-led relational discipleship rooted in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer.

They then address cultural and political outrage, distinguishing righteous indignation from fear-driven anger, separating faith from patriotism, remembering people are not the enemy, and urging Christians to speak truth in love, resist clickbait rage, avoid needless estrangement, and weep for the culture more than scream at it.

00:00 Meet Sean Azzaro

01:49 Vision Sunday Reset

02:48 Ralph Moore Influence

04:33 Acts 2 Blueprint

08:32 Groups Are Ministry

09:19 Men Women Ministry

10:37 Different Not Programs

11:52 Church Events Invite

12:31 Family Discipleship Night

13:14 Pastors Masters Golf

14:59 Anger In Culture

17:03 Faith Versus Patriotism

18:21 Bold Without Fighting

21:03 Clicks Versus Christ

21:27 Love Enemies Practice

23:25 Cutoff Rage Culture

25:07 When People Feel Attacked

26:48 Weep Over Culture

27:39 Final Encouragement Outro

Sean opens the show with an update on Vision Sunday and new “A Church for Real Life” branding, a Wednesday Family Discipleship Night, expanded Awana, and youth ministry. Sean shares updates about River City Believers’ Academy, including growth and head of schools Jennifer Conant’s leadership, and they mention their studio “audience” (Sean’s wife’s dog, Winnie). They grieve the reported passing of Dolly Parton, noting her genuineness, charity, and gospel-oriented music.

The conversation then turns to controversy around men in women’s sports, citing Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White’s WNBA draft statements and Kanter Freedom being removed for wearing a “Woman… adult human female” shirt. Sean outlines a Christian response: submit to God’s order, speak truth in love, and focus on sharing the gospel for heart change. That's the bottom line.

00:00 Cold Open Banter

00:49 Vision Sunday Tease

01:58 Family Discipleship Nights

02:37 School Update and Studio Dog

03:24 Remembering Dolly Parton

05:07 WNBA T-Shirt Controversy

07:09 Defining Womanhood Debate

11:16 Culture Shift and Feminism Roots

14:13 God's Created Order

15:38 How Christians Respond

16:16 Surrender Before Speaking

17:34 Truth In Love Defined

19:18 Pronouns And Language

20:57 Avoiding Conflict Zones

23:03 Heart Change Through Gospel

26:43 Church Invitation And Vision

27:33 Final Prayer Reminder

Pastor Sean Azzaro interviews actor, director, and Fellowship for Performing Arts founder Max McLean, known for his stage work bringing C.S. Lewis to life and for recording the NIV Listener’s Bible (along with ESV and King James). McLean shares how The Screwtape Letters stage adaptation began nearly 20 years ago, why Lewis’s “morally inverted universe” offers unique insight into spiritual warfare, and how the character Toadpipe helped make the show theatrical.

They discuss The Most Reluctant Convert, a docudrama drawn from Surprised by Joy about Lewis’s conversion, Lewis’s lasting relevance, and McLean’s mission to integrate faith and theater.

Screwtape comes to San Antonio’s Tobin Center August 30 at 3:00 PM,

00:00 Show Intro and Tease

01:26 Discovering C.S. Lewis

02:58 Screwtape Tobin Details

04:15 Interview Begins Max McLean

04:23 Recording the Audio Bible

05:28 Why Adapt Screwtape

07:34 Staging and Toadpipe

09:43 Lewis Wit and Temptation

11:33 Most Reluctant Convert

13:00 Why Lewis Still Matters

16:23 Fellowship for Performing Arts

18:12 Screwtape Film Plans

19:10 Post Interview Reactions

20:35 Humor Quote and Truth

21:33 Church Invite and Wrap

22:38 Final Thanks and Goodbye

Sean Azzaro welcomes Melanie Shankle and her daughter, author Caroline Shankle, to discuss Caroline’s book, "The Lion and the Bear: A 100-Day Devotional for Teen Girls." Caroline shares how she discovered a love for writing in college, how a difficult breakup coincided with a pivotal publisher Zoom call, and how she felt God leading her to accept a book contract at age 20. She describes the devotional as an honest, big-sister voice for girls facing issues like mean girls, sports injuries, and heartbreak, and talks about the challenge of writing 100 entries and adapting to public speaking despite a fear of it. Melanie reflects on seeing God’s multi-generational plans and encourages mining life experiences for ministry. Caroline’s speaking requests can be made at carolineshankle.com.

00:00 Show Intro Banter

00:36 Book Gift Talk

01:15 Meet The Guests

03:17 Caroline Writing Origin

05:44 Melanie Sees The Calling

07:09 First Contract Breakup

12:15 Writing Is Hard

13:30 Mentoring And Mining Stories

15:34 Devotional Overview

16:41 Public Speaking Nerves

19:04 Generational Ministry Joy

20:47 Wrap Up And How To Book

22:05 Final Blessing Outro

Devoted: Spirit-Filled Rhythms, Sabbath, and a Rule of Life | River City Community Church

Sean Azzaro and Baron invite listeners to River City Community Church and describe a current Acts 2 series, “Devoted,” emphasizing that the early believers’ priorities changed because they were filled with the Holy Spirit, not merely disciplined, and calling out a lethargic, over-busy approach to faith.

Sean then introduces Clay Burkholder, who has moved from youth pastor to minister of adult discipleship, with Jaden Wall stepping into youth and young adults. Clay shares how Bible knowledge without transformation led him toward spiritual formation. He explains a flexible “rule of life” as a trellis for growth, highlighting practices like prayer, Scripture, Sabbath, and fasting, and urges people to examine existing habits.

00:00 Welcome and Intro

00:51 Acts 2 Devoted Series

02:23 Spirit Filled Real Life

03:39 Church Times and Invitation

04:26 Staff Updates and New Role

05:48 Meet Clay Burkholder

06:40 Passion for Formation

09:11 Monastery Retreat Lessons

13:15 Rule of Life Trellis

17:21 Practices Sabbath and Fasting

23:10 Quiet the Flesh Tune Spirit

25:14 Wrap Up and Next Steps

29:10 Final Invitation and Goodbye