If you’ve ever felt the tension between “real life” and “spiritual life,” you know what I mean.

There’s the theology. The big ideas. The books. The podcasts. The Sunday conversations.

And then there’s:

• The broken washing machine
• The endless emails
• The job that feels either exhausting or meaningless
• The day that gets hijacked by something you didn’t plan

How are those two worlds supposed to connect?

In this episode, Nathan Rittenhouse from the Thinking Out Loud podcast joins us for a conversation about what it actually looks like to live out your faith in ordinary, physical, daily life — not just in theory, but in reality.

• Why Christianity was built for the mud — not just the lecture hall

• The danger of separating “spiritual” life from physical reality

• The difference between the weariness of work and the weariness of worry

• Why money becomes our default scoreboard

• The hidden pride and quiet bitterness in both blue-collar and white-collar work

• Why being human means refusing to become a machine

• How community creates the safety net that makes courage possible

• Why “well done, good and faithful servant” doesn’t include your salary

• What it means to put your head on the pillow with a clear conscience

Maybe you’re listening and thinking:

“I’m just trying to get through the week. I’m not over-spiritualizing my job. I just need to survive.”

Fair.

But here are two things to consider:

First, whether you realize it or not, you’re already living according to a scoreboard. The question isn’t whether you measure your life — it’s which metric you’re using.

Second, there is a kind of daily faithfulness that leads to something deeper than productivity: what Nathan described as a “grin on your soul.” Not naïve optimism. Not denial. But a settled joy that comes from knowing you showed up in obedience — even if the day didn’t go according to plan.

That kind of joy doesn’t come from control.

It comes from trust.

If you want to be part of a community that takes formation seriously — that values real responsibility, real relationships, and faith that works on Tuesday afternoon — we’d love for you to explore what we’re building at beunbound.us.

Thanks for thinking with us.

As always,

Be Unbound.

If you’ve been paying attention to headlines lately — whether political scandals, abuse of power stories, financial corruption, or sexual sin in ministry — you know the pattern. Leaders rise. Influence grows. Power increases. And then, sometimes suddenly, everything collapses.

Why does this keep happening?

We don’t think it’s because Christianity “doesn’t work.” And we don’t think it’s because leadership is inherently evil. Trent Emmack joins us for a discussion as we wrestle with this tough reality: We are still sinful people. And power multiplies whatever is already there.

What We Talk About

• Why Christians shouldn’t be surprised that leaders fall
• How rapid rises to influence often create spiritual vulnerability
• Why “sin makes you stupid” — and shortens your time horizon
• Why leaders must consciously place themselves under authority
• The role of accountability, objectivity, and wise counselors
• Why systems matter — even if they aren’t foolproof
• The difference between leadership and personal value
• How cultural narratives about power quietly fuel arrogance
• Sabbath, rest, and the link between burnout and moral collapse

It’s easy to think, “If we just had more power, we could fix everything.” But power doesn’t sanctify you. It amplifies you. The real issue isn’t influence. It’s formation. And formation happens slowly — through accountability, repentance, rest, community, and daily obedience long before anyone is watching.

Maybe you’re listening and thinking, “I’m not a CEO, pastor, or politician. What does this have to do with me?”

Two things:

First, you may be someday. Character is built long before influence arrives.

Second, even if you never hold a visible leadership position, you will almost certainly be close to someone who does. Being the friend who asks hard questions, the spouse who notices patterns, the board member who insists on accountability, or the church member who speaks truth gently but firmly — that’s not glamorous work. But it might be the difference between faithfulness and collapse for someone else.

If you want to be part of a community that takes formation seriously — that values accountability, relationships, and meaningful responsibility — we’d love for you to explore what we’re building at beunbound.us.

We just returned from Ridgeline, and the wrap-up video will be live soon on the Be Unbound YouTube channel. It was an incredible reminder that real leadership is forged in community, responsibility, and shared mission — not spotlight and applause.

Thanks for thinking with us. As always, Be Unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

It takes millions of people, endless infrastructure, and staggering coordination to create something as ordinary as a laptop. And yet all it takes is a careless move and less than a second to destroy it. Creation is slow, difficult, and fragile. Destruction is fast, easy, and tempting.

So today, we ask an uncomfortable question: Is the work you’re doing an act of creation or an act of destruction?

Young adults are so often told that meaningful work must be glamorous, set-apart, or visibly heroic, but that idea misses how God actually works in the world. As Christians, we often misunderstand what “kingdom work” actually looks like.

In our conversation today, we talk seriously about the idea that any genuine act of creation pushes back against evil, no matter how small or unseen it may be.

Our conversation covers...

• Why creation is hard and destruction is easy
• The hidden moral weight of everyday work
• “Tell truth, celebrate beauty, expose evil”—and why that applies far beyond ministry
• Why we idolize visible, glamorous kingdom work
• How ordinary jobs quietly hold civilization together
• How to think about working for imperfect (or broken) organizations
• Why no institution gets this right all the time—including Christian ones
• When to change from within, and when to walk away
• Why discomfort might be a sign of moral awareness, not failure

If you’re made in the image of God, you’re made to create. If this conversation resonates, you’ll feel it woven throughout Ridgeline, Ascend, and everything we do at Unbound. You can find out more about Unbound here: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

For an embarrassingly long time, one of us (Jonathan) believed that the solution to feeling overwhelmed was simple: just get a completely free day. No schedule. No obligations. Nothing planned. Surely that would feel restful, right?

Except it didn’t.

In this conversation, we unpack why those long-imagined “free days” so often leave us dissatisfied, and why a little bit of discipline often leads to far more joy, meaning, and memorable experiences than total freedom ever does.

Since it’s January and everyone is talking about habits, routines, and New Year’s resolutions, we decided to slow the conversation down and go deeper. Instead of just asking what habits should we build?, we ask the more important question: why do habits matter at all?

What We Talk About

• Why totally unstructured “free days” often feel like wasted days
• The false belief that habits restrict freedom
• How routines actually make adventure possible
• Why the mundane parts of life matter more than we think
• How contrast helps us appreciate both work and rest
• Productivity, purpose, and why humans are wired to work
• The importance of connecting habits to why, not just willpower
• How discipline creates stories, not boredom

If you’re looking for a healthy disruption to your routine—and a lot of meaningful contrast—we’d love for you to explore what we do at Unbound. From our high school programs to Ascend and experiences like Ridgeline, we create environments that stretch habits, build resilience, and invite people into a more purposeful way of living.

Thanks for listening, thanks for thinking with us, and as always—Be Unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

This episode started the way some of our favorite conversations do: by accident.

Right before we hit record, David made a bold claim: everyone should be a runner. We hadn’t talked it through, we hadn’t outlined it, and we hadn’t even agreed on it. So naturally, we decided to hit record and see where the conversation went.

We talk about why physical discomfort matters, why distance running in particular teaches patience and mental endurance, and how doing hard things on purpose shapes the way we handle everything else. From goal-setting and planning to community, habit-building, and resisting temptation, this conversation connects physical training to Christian formation in a surprisingly direct way.

You don’t have to love running to get something out of this episode. But you might finish it thinking differently about comfort, discipline, and the kind of person you’re becoming.

What We Talk About

• David’s bold claim that everyone should be a runner
• The difference between short, intense effort and long, patient endurance
• Why distance running is as much mental as it is physical
• Goal-setting, failure, and learning how to adjust when plans break
• How physical discomfort trains resilience for everyday life
• Why modern life has eliminated most natural “resistance training”
• The surprising connection between physical training and resisting temptation
• The danger of comparison—and why the only real competition is with yourself
• Training not to win races, but to be ready for life

Whether it’s running, lifting, hiking, cold mornings, disciplined routines, or something else entirely—find a way to regularly do something that’s hard, inconvenient, and requires you to tell yourself, “Do it anyway.”

Thanks for starting this new year with us. We’re grateful you’re here, grateful for this community, and excited about what this season holds.

As always, be unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

Welcome to 2026! This episode is special for us—not just because it’s our first episode of the new year, but because we get to kick things off with a conversation we’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

We’re joined by Andrew Pudewa, and if you’ve ever heard him teach, you know that when Andrew starts talking about education, language, and the human mind, you lean in. This conversation ranges widely from AI and education, to reading and writing, to entertainment, creativity, and what it actually means to live a full human life in a hyper-digital age.

Along the way, we wrestle with questions like:

• What happens to the soul when entertainment replaces creation?
• Why does reading a book change the way we think in ways videos never do?
• How does writing force clarity in a world that rewards speed and shortcuts?
• Why using AI as a counselor or companion should deeply concern us
• And what it looks like to be deliberate rather than reactive in how we use technology

This isn’t an anti-technology episode. We’re not calling for retreat or nostalgia. We are calling for discernment. We believe AI, like every powerful tool before it, will do both good and harm—and Christians shouldn’t be surprised by that. The real question is whether we’ll choose to stay fully human in the middle of it.

If you’re a parent, educator, student, or simply someone trying to think clearly in a noisy world, this episode will challenge you, encourage you, and probably make you reconsider how you spend your time and attention.

We’re grateful to start the year with this conversation, grateful for Andrew, and grateful for you for listening with us.

Welcome to 2026. As always, Be Unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

As we wrap up 2025 and head into the new year, we're sharing one of our most talked-about conversations from the past year. Because if anything, it feels even more relevant now than when we first recorded it.

In this episode, we dig into a growing crisis in higher education: students who are increasingly disengaged, underprepared, and incentivized to outsource their thinking to AI. We talk through a sobering article by a longtime philosophy professor describing today’s “average” college classroom, alongside reporting that shows just how widespread AI cheating has become, even at Ivy League schools.

But this isn’t just a rant about “kids these days.” What we’re really wrestling with here is the deeper issue: when education becomes purely transactional, curiosity dies, integrity erodes, and students are trained to become assistants to machines rather than thoughtful, creative humans. We contrast that reality with what we see every day in environments built around purpose, community, and meaningful learning—and why those alternatives matter more than ever.

We also zoom out to ask some bigger questions:

What does this mean for the future of work?

What kind of people are we forming when convenience replaces character?

And how do we choose a better path for ourselves and for the next generation?

There are some troubling trends happening around us, but there's always hope. There are better ways forward, and we believe choosing them has never mattered more.

Thanks for listening with us this year. We’re incredibly grateful for this community and excited for what’s ahead in 2026. Until then, be unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

Since this episode is airing on Christmas Eve, we’re doing what we hope you’re doing too—slowing down, stepping away from the usual rhythm, and spending time with family. While we take a short break from recording, we wanted to bring back one of the most downloaded and most talked-about conversations from the past year.

This episode started, quite honestly, because Jonathan heard the word “adulting” one too many times. What followed was a wide-ranging, honest, and surprisingly deep conversation between the two of us and our friend Trent Emmack about responsibility, purpose, young adulthood, and why our culture seems so confused about what it actually means to become an adult.

We talk about...

• Why the word “adulting” drives us crazy (and what it reveals culturally)
• How college became an extended holding pattern instead of a launch point
• The difference between experiences and purpose
• Why chasing “fun” without meaning leads to emptiness
• The real gap behind “I don’t know how to be an adult”
• Education systems vs. real-world preparation
• Why purpose (telos) matters more than specific life skills
• The Christian vision of purpose beyond occupation or career
• Why responsibility—given early and often—is the key to maturity
• How resilience is built slowly, not magically overnight
• Why this work matters for families, churches, and civilization itself

This is one of those conversations that keeps coming back up as we talk with each other, parents we talk with, and the young adults who are trying to find their footing. The topics we talk about in this episode haven’t gone away, and if anything, they’ve become more important.

Whether you’re a parent, a mentor, a pastor, a young adult, or just someone who cares about the future, this episode gets to the heart of what’s actually broken—and what we can realistically do about it.

And if you happen to be listening on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, we hope you’re surrounded by people you love and moments that matter. Thank you for walking with us through another year of conversations, questions, and challenges that really matter. We’re grateful for you, grateful for this community, and excited about what’s ahead.

Merry Christmas, and as always, Be Unbound!

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

This week, as the Christmas season is here and we take a short break to be with family and friends, we wanted to bring you one of our favorite and most meaningful conversations from the Be Unbound archive. This episode features bestselling author and speaker Andy Andrews—someone whose thinking has deeply shaped both of us and the way we approach teaching at Unbound.

Andy joined us earlier this year to talk about something that sounds simple but is surprisingly challenging: how we think. He shares his remarkable story—from living under a pier after losing his parents, to becoming “The Professional Noticer”—and explains why the greatest threat to reaching our potential isn’t what we don’t know, but what we’re absolutely sure we do know.

What We Talk About

• Why certainty can actually shut down growth
• The difference between truth and “what’s working right now”
• Andy’s journey from homelessness to bestselling author
• Why biographies changed the trajectory of his life
• How questions lead to better thinking—and better living
• Writing as discipline, not inspiration
• Letting go of “my best plan” in favor of God’s will
• Why contentment and ambition aren’t opposites
• Andy’s vision behind Wisdom Harbor and building a better culture
• How beauty, excellence, and storytelling shape formation across generations

Why We’re Replaying This Episode

This conversation continues to shape how we think, teach, and lead. Andy has been a quiet mentor to us for years, and every time we revisit this episode, we’re reminded to slow down, think more deeply, and stay curious, especially in a world that rewards fast answers.

If you’ve heard this episode before, we hope it meets you in a new way this season. If this is your first time hearing Andy, we’re really glad you’re meeting him here.

• Andy Andrews — andyandrews.com
• Wisdom Harbor — wisdomharbor.com

Learn more about Unbound at https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill

In this episode, we sit down together to process a pretty startling headline: teens forming romantic relationships with AI. But instead of letting the shock factor drive the conversation, we dig into the deeper question—what does it look like to live as awake, intentional Christians in a world shaped by both technological opportunity and human brokenness?

As we talk, the discussion moves from AI to hunting rifles, from the nature of culture to the roots of Christian realism. We share why so many people operate subconsciously, why believers are called to look reality full in the face, and how the gospel invites us not just to resist broken culture but to create something better.

Along the way, we explore:

• Why new technology almost always gets used more for sin than for good
• How we can help young people avoid loneliness and unhealthy digital intimacy
• The long Christian tradition of “choosing not to participate” in destructive cultural patterns
• What firearms, hunting, and craftsmanship teach us about using the world’s tools redemptively
• How strong Christian community makes destructive behaviors look absurd—not appealing
• And yes… even the unexpected connection to a classic hymn

If you’re thinking about AI, parenting, discipleship, or simply trying to follow Jesus in a complicated world, this conversation is one we think you’ll find grounding, clarifying, and encouraging.

And because you're dying to hear the song mentioned at the end of the show, here's a link to enjoy the rock version of A Mighty Fortress is Our God.

01:39 AI and Its Impact on Relationships

05:20 Christian Realism and Technology

11:17 Practical Advice for Young Christians

28:11 The Role of Community and Church

32:39 Concluding Thoughts and Hymn Reflection

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill