I've been trying to look for more interesting interview topics, and this week I think I've got something quite a bit different from the usual. I interview Michael, host of The Bible Says What?! This podcast is a very confrontational podcast that is an attempt to use the Bible to show the "absurdity" of Christianity.

The primary topic that Michael wanted to talk about was the Scandal. More specifically, however, he wanted to understand how free will played into what happened, and how God could be a Good God in light of what happened. Although my answers aren't perfect, I do think I challenge him in some potent ways.

I invite you to listen, comment, and send feedback. I'm sure I said many things wrong on this one, and I did not know any details about what questions were coming. Let me know what you think!

You can find the Bible Says What?! podcast here.

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This is the worst time of American Catholicism to date. It's now harder than ever to be Catholic and stand tall amidst the recent barrage of scandals. With such terrible, public, and shameful sin from the very top leadership of the Church, what are we to do?

In this episode I try to give 5 practical and helpful things that each and every Catholic should do right now. We can do the most good when we start by looking at ourselves - and there is plenty to do for each of us. Don't be overwhelmed by the anger and hatred out there. Stick to the Truth, and Truth will guide us.

You can read the shownotes here.

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This episode was initially aired on Between The Lines show. I wanted to share our discussion with Catholic Commute listeners as well!

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This is a mini-episode based upon a thought given by Fr. Lauer in his podcast. I take it an expand upon it.

It's well documented that when a group of people (A) oppress, attack, or mistreat another group of people (B), that A starts to hate B. I discuss this with some examples.

What's scary is that right now our country (A) is killing off unborn babies (B) by mass. What are the psychological group effects of this? What can we do about it?

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I'm currently reading Jordan Peterson's book "12 Rules for Life," and today's episode is some discussion about Rule 1, "Stand up straight with your shoulders back." I think this is a fantastic rule, and there are a lot of ways we should take it to heart.

In this episode, I discuss 5 particular aspects that I believe us Catholic Men need to start standing up straight for. We have a lot of things right, but our actions don't make it look that way. Our highest calling is to follow Christ and show is light to the world, but we cannot do that effectively when we wimp out about our message. Christ most certainly stood tall when he announced his message.

You can read the show notes here!

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Dr. Jordan Peterson is sweeping the modern social media channels with popularity for good reason. He brings a fantastic viewpoint to the modern discussion that is both challenging and uplifting. I think many of us will learn a lot by listening to him. In a recently aired debate, Dr. Peterson took an opposing role on the topic of Political Correctness.

In this episode I brief introduce the debate, but then really zoom into my proposal. One of the biggest challenges in modern political conversations is the confusion of Moderate and Radical ideas. Michelle Goldberg presents the idea that "violence" separates these two, but that rubric is insufficient.

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Many of us have this ideal vision of a perfect fishing trip with a child, but if we try to go, we get an emotional train wreck. Fishing is supposed to be peaceful - but not with children. What do we do?

In this episode I try to break open my tips and tricks for how to have a successful fishing episode with your children. I don't discuss a single lure or bait - instead I want you to create an intentional environment. You can have success from the shore or in a boat; it's the people, expectations, and attitudes that matter.

If you want to read the show notes, click here.

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Spanking is a highly debated discipline strategy these days. Many people in particular are quite opposed to spanking, and there is some data to suggest they may be right. The biggest problem is that it's almost impossible to have an open honest discussion because the issue is so heated. To top it all off, Pope Francis recently waded into the discussion and has provoked even more heated responses.

In this episode I break out four different aspects of spanking:

1. What is spanking, and how does it compare to other types of discipline?
2. What can a spouse do to reduce the amount of (or avoid entirely) spanking?
3. What are some reasons why some people think spanking is OK?
4. What are some things that you should NOT do when spanking?

My hope with this episode is to really create some open honest gentle-worded discussion about this topic. A lot of parents are struggling with this, and we all need the help!

If you'd like to be part of the discussion, please send me an email at [email protected]

Read the shownotes here!

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Words matter, because our words a crystalization of our thoughts. The words and ideas we choose to embrace define who we become. Are we to be people who value life and things that are active, lively, and life-focused? Or instead are we to be people who drift in the current of things that are dead and dying. Our culture is dying in many ways. Do you want to float along with it?

In this episode I discuss 5 practical ways that every Christian, every Catholic can really choose to embrace being a people of Life. Life involves risk, involves pain. It's not easy, but the alternative is worse! Choose life, become active and fight for what is living. It's the only good way to live.

Either get busy living, or get busy dying!

You can read the show notes here

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Life before death is a set of words that can have a lot of meaning. In addition to a way to live, it also can indicate what we should do in the current political climate. The basic truths of words often times point to themselves, they are "self evident." This phrase hopefully is such.

In this episode I really focus on how to approach those people who don't share Pro Life values. My goal is not to try to persuade you to be Pro Life. Most listeners are already, and for those who aren't let me know - I'll direct you to some great resources. Instead, I hope that I can give you some help to spread this message.

If you want to read the shownotes, you can find them at this link!

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