The gap of no football on TV is closing as the Hall of Fame Game was last night. Carmen got us all caught up on the action. But Dave is still counting down the days for college football. 

Bill tried to give us an American Culture Quiz from The Wall Street Journal but there seems to be a gap in their thinking between culture and history, so Carmen gave us her own quiz as well. 

There are those that don't mind plant milk and there are those who don't get it. The gap between them is closing as more Americans move away from using plant-based milks. 

Staying in the beverage category, Carmen is trying to close the gap between those who like matcha and those who don't, as she is now on the train. 

As school is starting up again, Bill has a reminder for us to leave a gap between our cars and stopped school buses. 

And that gap we call summer break seems to be getting shorter and shorter with these earlier start dates for school. 

No word yet on whether or not Jules oldest daughter will be taking a gap year after graduation. She needs to get through her Senior Year first and Jules is struggling with that idea. 

Bill wanted to know if Suzie had any gaps in her education and he used a big word to ask. But Jules had a doozy of a story to share about that gap. 

If you went to a book club hosted by Jules, would you mind if she picked the book? And if she did the audio version as well? 

00:32 Football back on TV 

03:55 College Football Countdown 

07:17 WSJ American Culture Quiz 

13:01 Carmen's Culture Quiz 

15:33 Americans giving up on plant milks 

21:06 Matcha 

24:05 Back To School - don't pass the stopped bus 

28:46 Earlier Start Dates 

32:25 Jules - Suzie going into Senior Year 

34:39 Jules - Be Present rather than look forward 

39:18 Jules - Suzie's lacunae 

43:49 Jules - Book Club 

47:43 Bill's BIG Word

While on vacation, Dave lost his hat. To overcome that challenge, he ordered a new one and is anticipating the arrival of it today. 

Candice had to overcome quite the challenge after her e-bike accident. She shared her story yesterday on the Fox affiliate in Tampa as well as advocating for wearing a bike helmet. 

Carmen felt challenged to start up her Bible Study group. Now she's trying to figure out which Bible Study to do. 

Bill was still trying to overcome his challenge with Carmen and Dave after bypassing their offices with chocolate. As he shared some chocolate with them, he talked about calorie cutting and exercise. It got us thinking about our past fitness challenges. 

Dave overcame the challenge of having his house invaded by all the kids and grandkids. But now he's gearing up for round 2 as his youngest son and family are coming back for some dental work. 

Blessing Offor's song "Believe" is a song to help us overcome our doubts of God. 

Mahjongg can be a challenging game. But for some summer campers, they overcame the challenge and have a new favorite game. It could be because it's trendy to take up some "grandma hobbies" these days. 

00:32 Dave's lost hat and new order 

04:28 Candice on Fox 13 yesterday 

07:27 Women's Bible Study Ideas 

14:19 texts and having a study 

17:18 Chocolate and calories 

21:57 Our past fitness challenges 

27:10 The Invasion Part 2 

30:28 "Believe" in your love again 

33:17 Mahjongg summer camps 

38:00 Grandma hobbies/ Mahjongg giveaway coming soon 

40:20 Bill's BIG Word

Today's show was a bit troublesome. Carmen is over the rain lately. And that could have something to do with her family vacation in Utah where they got caught in a hailstorm while out on a hike. We brought Haley in to share that story. And while they explored Utah, they truly became hikers, especially with the purchase of new hiking sneakers. But it didn't take long until they stepped in a mud puddle in those new shoes. 

Dave's trouble came when his kids and grandkids left at the end of their vacation and he had no more coffee in the house. 

Carmen tried to help Dave and Bill out with a gift idea for herself. 

But she had an issue with Bill that was more important to deal with as he stepped in it after bringing chocolate to the station but bypassing her office. Although, Carmen was put in her place by one of our newest coworkers over a similar situation. 

When you are stepping into the valley, a song from Chandler Moore, "God, I'm Just Grateful" can be an anthem like it has been for Dave. 

We almost stepped in it with you as we got towards the end of the show and almost forgot it was Wednesday which means the Midweek Praise Break. This week's songs include Mighty Name of Jesus by Hope Darst, 1000 Names by Phil Wickham, and Goodness of God by CeCe Winans. 

00:32 Carmen complains about the rain 

02:43 Dodging rain on vacation 

05:35 Haley in next 

06:07 Haley on the hailstorm 

13:52 Haley - We're Hikers Now 

17:39 Haley - New shoes in mud puddle 

20:52 Coffee Situation at Dave's house 

24:52 Dutch Bros T-Shirt 

28:08 Carmen has an issue with Bill to discuss 

29:15 Bill in trouble over chocolate 

34:24 Bill's explanation 

38:15 text responses 

38:36 Leslie calls Carmen out over Dates 

41:46 Walking THROUGH the Valley 

45:21 Midweek Praise Break - Mighty Name of Jesus (Hope Darst)/ 1000 Names (Phil Wickham)/ Goodness of God (CeCe)

47:35 Midweek Praise Break recap 

49:25 Bill's BIG Word 

When Carmen normally brings up Wordle, it's to ask about words she's not familiar with. She changed it up on us this time and wanted to talk about her streak while Bill would rather discuss subcutaneous fat. 

Dave had to change the Wordle chat group up when his son and daughter-in-law learned there was a text thread that they weren't in. 

As Carmen came to work this morning, she was happy to talk to God in her prayers about changing a prayer after one was answered. 

Bill wanted to talk about the newest version of Spiderman as it is breaking box office records. After catching Carmen up, the conversation turned to all the discussions people are having about loneliness as it is spotlighted in the film. 

And a new study tells us it is really important to change digital conversations to face-to-face. 

When Carmen would talk about hiking in the past, it was more of a nature walk. Until now.. After a vacation in Utah and the purchase of some sneakers meant for the trails, she is thinking she's more of a hiker but she needs to get the lingo down now. 

When Dave's grandkids were in town, he heard one song in particular as one of his granddaughters requested it on repeat. She even drew a picture of it. (Nevermind the fact that we changed the lyrics she was referencing to a different song!) 

With Bill having to change up his routine this week in anticipation of Jury Duty, he wanted to talk about the importance of this civic duty. Carmen recently watched the grand jury trial for the gunman who assassinated Charlie Kirk and she also caught some of the conversation  that Alisa Childers had on her podcast with Frank Turek who was with Charlie on that fateful day. 

The next show you catch some of your favorite actors from The Chosen on will be a change of scenery for sure as some of them join Bear Grylls on The Chosen In The Wild. 

With roughly 48 hours to go before kickoff, Carmen can't wait to change the conversation to the gridiron. 

00:32 Wordle streak and subcutaneous fat 

02:55 Dave's Wordle group 

05:41 Changing your prayer because of an answer 

09:00 Going through hard to good 

14:15 Spiderman conversations 

18:42 Face-to-Face interactions 

22:21 Carmen's hiking shoes 

30:03 Other hiking gear 

34:36 Emmie's drawing of MercyMe's Oh Death 

39:19 1 Corinthians 15 and Goodbye Yesterday 

41:53 Jury Duty 

46:59 Frank Turek on Alisa Childers podcast 

53:12 The Chosen In The Wild 

57:20 Football 48 hours away 

1:01:32 Bill's BIG Word

Dave, Bill and Carmen are back from vacation and catching us all up on their adventures. 

00:32 Good to be back 

02:26 Texts 

04:51 The Invasion In Studio 

09:39 Dave connects with an old friend

14:26 Project Hail Mary - A "Christian" Film 

19:57 Quarterback Season 3 on Netflix 

23:16 Payton's Wedding 

27:27 Abbey changes a tire 

31:01 Dave's cousin's crocheted baby outfit for Anne Hathaway 

34:37 Great Wolf Lodge Deal 

37:34 Visiting Emilie's gravesite with grandkids 

40:29 Albion Basin in Utah 

44:23 Schools starting 

47:26 Ice Cream 

51:16 Bill's BIG Word

Carmen wanted more people to take notice of a story that Dave shared about the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, so they had Hitch pull the audio so they could share it again. 

Carmen mentioned some money saving hacks last week and was able to verify those hacks for us and that got us talking about online shopping and what we notice. 

A lot of people have noticed a viral video of man gettling flipped by a bison at Yellowstone. And Carmen shared another viral clip with us from Peter Kreeft in an interview asking him for advice for newly married and those considering marriage. 

When you apply for a job these days, you should take heed as many employers may notice some red (or green) flags on your social media accounts. 

Another hilarious video that many have noticed is a sketch from John Crist involving Chris Tomlin.

If you tune in next week, you'll notice a very different version of the show as Dave and Carmen will be on vacation and Bill will be riding solo (mostly). 

00:32 Carmen asks Dave for story 

03:04 Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

07:49 Carmen verifies her hacks 

11:40 Online Shopping 

14:09 Bison Flip video 

16:39 Peter Kreeft marriage clip 

20:37 Digital background checks 

24:53 Dave's old band pics 

27:58 Nick Saban Alabama Socks Dream 

31:04 John Crist/ Chris Tomlin Instagram post 

36:58 Vacation lament 

39:14 Vacation plans 

42:06 Bill's BIG Word

It felt a little like summer school on The Morning Cruise today. Dave is back from a quick trip to Boston where he took in some of the historical sites. 

In an effort to plan for her trip to Utah, Carmen learned that it is monsoon season in Utah. 

Bill thinks he is going to make some meals that he found thanks to Amazon Alexa, but (using a word we learned on yesterday's show), we all think he's a bit 'delulu'. 

We also recently learned that the US House passed a measure to stop changing the time. But now it heads to the Senate floor where it may stop. 

Dave is a bit tired already as the invasion of his home has begun with the first wave of kids and grandkids arriving late last night. 

Bill gave us the rundown on the World Cup Final which will see Spain taking on Argentina. 

Carmen learned what some of the words she has had in her word games mean. 

Dave gave us some history on the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

We learned that both the body and the heart keep the score. And Dave, talked about his scars of grief. 

Carmen wants to learn and read more. She recently found out about Blinkist, but is still on the fence about it. 

00:32 Dave's Boston Trip 

05:02 Park City Weather - Monsoon Season 

08:24 texts 

09:18 Bill's delulu meal plan 

12:56 House vote on no more time changes 

16:38 Invasion has begun 

20:10 World Cup Final set 

23:09 Carmen's BIGGER Words 

26:45 Midnight Ride of Paul Revere 

32:57 Body AND Heart Keep the Score 

38:19 Using Our Scars 

42:27 Blinkist 

46:11 More on Blinkist 

48:25 Bill's BIG Word

Dave is out today exploring all that the city of Boston has to offer while attending industry meetings. In his place, Carmen's youngest daughter, Abbey, joined Bill and Carmen. We explored her new passion for Mahjong, had a look at some generational slang terms. talked about her vantage point on dating and faith and chatted about the family plans for travelling in Utah for vacation.

00:32 Dave in Boston 

03:26 Midweek Praise Break - I Know A Name (Brandon Lake)/ Trust In God (Elevation Worship)/ Christ Be Magnified (Cody Carnes)

05:18 Midweek Praise Break recap 

06:46 Abbey's Mahjongg Side Hustle 

11:33 Generations Quiz 

15:20 Dating today 

20:39 More on Dating 

25:46 Faith 

33:16 Vacationing with Carmen and Family 

Dave highlighted a new product that included Reece's Pieces and a chocolate cookie. And Bill wanted to turn our attention to Mini Cokes and Olli Pops. 

Carmen spotlighted a post on Instagram answering the question, "Can you reverse gray hair?". 

We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel leading to our vacations. 

Bill wanted to shine a light on aging and dying and it led to a few laughs and more about older generations relying on parents for financial assistance. 

Bill then turned our attention to the story of Nate Saint. 

And then we wanted to shine the light on Lighthouse Arab World, an organization in Lebanon bringing the Gospel message to the people there through a number of means including Be Light FM, a radio station that we've been influencing without knowing it. We were joined by Bryan Kowal, Zach Dabboor and Imed Dabboor as the talked about the work they do and Imed also shared his testimony with us. 

00:32 Reece's Pieces Cookie 

04:10 Mini Cokes and Olli Pops 

07:01 Reversing Gray Hair 

12:05 Vacations 

15:39 Aging and Dying 

19:19 Financial Independence 

23:59 Jim Elliott and Nate Saint 

28:04 Nate Saint Pilot Story 

30:35 Lighthouse Arab World - influence of The JOY FM 

36:38 Lighthouse Arab World - Imed Dabbour

41:16 Lighthouse Arab World - connection to The Chosen 

45:16 Lighthouse Arab World - Imed's testimony 

It's a Monday and Bill had us diving in with both feet to tell us something good and now we're wondering if Carmen can actually sing

Hitch is back from a family vacation in Hawaii. He celebrated his parents 50th anniversary and his son, niece and nephew getting to all 50 states! One of the highlights was diving into the Pacific Ocean and swimming with sharks. But it brought up an old memory of the time he tried to film with a Go Pro. 

When Carmen dives into something, she usually does it with both feet. She's still swimming in football reruns waiting for the next season to start. 

The algorithm takes a deep dive into what your online preferences are. But once you start to realize that it is feeding you to you as Louie Giglio puts it, it changes your perspective. 

Dave loves a good illustration to help him dive into the message, like the bowls illustration that Louie used once. 

Dave dove into his memories recently and found a few photos that had him getting excited for the upcoming invasion of kids and grandkids. 

Be careful when diving into waters in Florida, there could be a gator lurking below the surface. 

Carmen saw something online that suggested that the world has lost its color. She did a deeper dive and we had a deeper conversation because of it. 

We're excited to dive into a conversation that we had with the folks from Lighthouse Arab World recently on tomorrow's show. 

00:32 Something good - Can Carmen sing? 

03:17 Something good

06:44 Hitch back from Hawaii 

11:36 Hitch's Go Pro Story 

15:35 Carmen's Football rerun 

20:55 texts on football 

23:36 Louie Giglio - Heart algorithm 

28:04 Louie's bowls illustration 

30:19 Memories before the invasion 

34:54 Gator encounters in Florida 

37:52 The World has lost its color

44:09 Lighthouse Arab World tomorrow 

45:58 Bill's BIG Word