Kory finds out he's an introvert from Alicia. It's an epiphany for their marriage. It turns out we all might know ourselves as well as we think we do. Thankfully God does.

Bishop Michael Izen joins the guys for a very special live recording of the Storydram Podcast.  The guys recorded in front of the Youth Ministers and Faith Formation staff in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. 

Have you seen someone do something so out of the ordinary that you made up a reason for it? Chris starts the conversation with a story about watching a guy wash his hands in the soda fountain at a big box store. 

Bishop Izen shares a time he had a parishioner complain and by reaching out he grew a friendship. The guys talk about how addressing a problem head on is the better way. Bishop Izen reminds us that even if things don’t work out, we still respond in charity and truth because of who we are not because we’re looking for a tidy outcome. 

Chris savors the joy of opening a new box of 64 crayons at the start of the school year and suggests that opening brand new crayons is an aspect of heaven. 

Kory tells a story about a time he drove over 30 minutes just to get Nelson’s ice cream. Insanity. The guys reflect on how true freedom requires growing in knowledge of the truth and choosing of what is true.

Clearly Kory records without Chris’s knowledge and the guys compare base tracks of classic songs like Under Pressure and Ice Ice baby. Chris admits he doesn’t get modern rap. 

Chris goes on to apologize to Iowa for claiming it is the most boring state to drive through. On a recent trip with the fam, he encountered a terrible storm which reminded him of a time that his windshield wipers didn’t seem to  work in the middle of a storm on the highway while passing a truck also in Iowa. The guys reflect on the importance of knowing thy self. 

Liz Kostelc, Chris’s delightful wife, joins the guys and shares the modern burden of choosing between way too many varieties of a Cheese-It’s and hot sauces.

Like the newlywed game Liz quizzes Chris on which variety he would have gotten. It’s marital tension like we’ve never had before on the show. 

Then Liz tells a story from their 5th anniversary trip to Napa. Liz was pregnant with their second child making Napa more about the natural beauty and less about the fruit of the vine. That was until Liz was offered something to drink from a seemingly helpful older woman.  Listen to this episode for a reflection on expectations and joy.

The guys welcome guest Murray Wolf on The Storydram this week. 

Chris asks the all important question, “What state is the most boring to drive through?” And two sons of North Dakota  try and defend their homeland. 

Murray tells us about a time, as a child, he figured out his dad wasn’t telling the truth. The guys try to figure out if it is ever wrong to not tell the truth.

Chris confesses that the filter between his brain and his mouth gets pretty thin when he is tired. Kory agrees.

How do you know someone competes in triathlons? They’ll tell you. But seriously, Kory shares his experience of trying his first triathlon. The guys are reminded that consistency beats intensity most of the time and there is nothing like a good coach in the spiritual life as well. 

Also, sharks can out swim you, but you can out run a shark, so when it comes to triathlons against sharks I guess it all comes down to the bike. 

An episode unlike any other. Chris just got back from the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis and couldn’t stop taking about it. As you can imagine he had too many stories to tell just one. Kory and Chris hold a great Catholic conversation about what happened and what might be the outcome of this pivotal event. 

The guys talk youth sports and Kory finds out that Chris is entering his prime, his t-ball, coach pitch, coaching prime.

Chris reflects on the power and call of making sacrifices for others for the sake of their joy and this being a catalyst to a deeper union with God, “If we love somebody we should love them enough to make sure that their relationship with God is more important than their relationship with us.”

Kory and Chris unpack the hugely controversial topic of carbonated water.

Kory recalls a painful memory of saving his daughter from an oyster bed which is more scary, and bloody, than it sounds. The guys discuss obedience, love, sacrifice, and what it looks like practically to avoid those near occasions of sin.