For the last 40 years or so Miles Galla-Rini has been a believer. But he wasn't always committed to a walk in Christ. In this one-on-one conversation he recounts his various struggles with drugs and despair and purposelessness, and then how Jesus Christ turned his life around. But it wasn't a one-time deliverance, a once-and-done crisis event. Following Jesus, for Miles, was and is a daily commitment. Today he runs his roofing company in So Cal and uses it as an avenue for missional engagement. Oh, and we also talk about spiritual gifts and their operations. Come and think with us about a personal pursuit of Jesus.

Augustine wisely argued that pride is the root of all sin. That's a solid interpretation of biblical teaching but is that all there is to be said on the matter? Obviously not. It is not wrong to exercise one's gifts—or agency or abilities—to the good of one's family, neighbors, or society. So we need to be theologically aware about pride but recognize that a lack of ambition is detrimental for who and what a person is. Here's another angle: why is government so consistently inefficient? Because there is a lack of personal ownership in what gets done; if no one is finally responsible it sows indifference through the system. What the system could use is a dose of personal pride, pride in one's efforts. Still more, when Jesus said, "take up your cross and follow me" did he mean we should kill the self? Is that the Christian goal, dead selves? Again, let's be more accurate, careful, and flexible. Mark recounts pride of homeownership. Ed recounts having spoken about self-esteem at a college women's dorm floor meeting. Come, think and laugh with us about pride and the Christian worldview.

What is Eastern Orthodoxy? How does it compare to Western Christianity? Do the Orthodox follow the Pope? In this requested episode (thank you, Hannah!) I describe distinctives of the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity. When did the West and East split? Why did they split? Can Orthodox priests marry? Are Orthodox patriarchs and bishops allowed to marry? How do the Orthodox want a congregant to feel during a Liturgy (service)? What is the purpose and effect of icons? What do the Orthodox teach about the process of becoming like Christ? As we ask and answer these questions I am also asking listeners to wonder, what is the baseline of being a Christian? Is it social service and/or social justice? Is that baseline doctrine and having a uniform and tidy theological system? Is that baseline that one fervently studies the Bible? Come think with me about being a Christian, in general, and what Eastern Orthodoxy is, in specific.

Across a Christian's daily life different agents—God, the devil, and human flesh—play a role in what we do, or don't do; and those three definitely play a significant role in how we process our own misery. Mark and I discuss how daily, even little and constant, decisions shape our souls and define our character. In that process of becoming it is easy to blame the devil for misery or chaos, but as often as not we have made a whole trail of decisions that move us into situations that are uncomfortable. As examples Mark and I discuss: eating donuts, the nothingness of the Minneapolis Catholic-school murderer, and the recent "give me that baseball!" Karen-acting-out public embarrassment. What does it mean to live by the Spirit? Is the presence of God our reward for holy living or the source of our holy living? We explore all kinds of daily examples of pursuing Christ. Oh, and. . . the Bible is far more sophisticated than other world religions when it comes to understanding the causes of misery and suffering. How is that so? Come think and laugh with us!

The effects of Charlie Kirk's public murder continue to emerge. What are the patterns we—my friend Mark and I—are recognizing that follow in the wake of Kirk's assassination? Was the murderous shooter just a lone nut? Is society's Overton Window closing? Why is the Left inciting such violence? And then here's one for you: when should you move to another town or state? Is it a lack of trust in God to pick up and move? (Why did Ed's ancestors move out of Eastern Europe?) How does false piety get in the way of wisdom about staying or leaving a given place? At bare minimum we are seeing a public hatred of authority and an intentional Balkanization of America (and the church) taking place. Will Charlie Kirk's murder cause the frog to leap out of the boiling kettle? Come think and laugh with me and Mark!

The Scriptures are full of admonitions both to fight for the Lord and his ways and to rest in the Lord. But what does that look like in everyday life? When to fight? When to rest? And even worse for everyday-Sunday believers, what to do when a syrypy-goo is poured thick over all that?! We talk through everyday realities between the poles of fighting and resting, then we also ask what it means to fight (or whether to fight) for the health of culture and sign. On the one hand we're called to be gracious (which gets corrupted to mean "we must be nice!"). On the other hand we're called to be faithful. What did seizing the problem mean for Mark as a mailman? What did seizing the problem mean for Ed as a professor? What did Dietrich Bonhoeffer have to say about what it means to be a Christian in the midst of a fracasso? Come think and laugh with us!

Like me, you have seen and heard the folks who are either celebrating or giving a pass to Charlie Kirk's assassination. That celebration's been pretty obvious. More subtle are the attempts to cause moral confusion. And that confusion comes specifically through both moral equivocation and the drawing of false moral equivalencies. What do those two means look like? I give examples. How do some pastors and churches fall in with equivocation and false equivalences? Why do they do that? I also mention how one Southern California university has been dealing with the Charlie Kirk murder and what it says about their values. We are now in a season of profound separation and crystallization. Is that good or bad? What do I do with the calls for unity that are now beginning to sound? Come and think with me in this formative and historic season.