Episodes

  • Hot Or Cold: Faith, Marriage, And Resolve
    Nov 25 2025

    We trace a path from everyday gratitude to urgent conviction, moving from Song of Solomon’s picture of devoted marriage to Revelation’s warning against lukewarm faith and Washington’s call to national humility. We connect small daily steps to bold public courage and close with a prayerful charge.

    • simple habits that build daily faith
    • Song of Solomon and guarding the vineyard of marriage
    • Revelation’s open doors and the danger of lukewarmness
    • applying urgency to marriage and personal devotion
    • courage under fire through Orville E. Bloch’s story
    • Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation and public virtue
    • a call to return to God with action, not words
    • support for families, churches, and local service

    If you're looking for a family-friendly middle-grade read, check out Countryside. If you enjoy the first or second book in the series, and you can leave a review, I'd be very grateful for that. And if you have three or four or five dollars a month that you can spare to support the podcast, if you feel like you're getting something out of it, I would be very grateful for that.


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    24 mins
  • When A Nation Forgets God, What Follows
    Nov 24 2025

    What did the last twenty-four hours say about your soul—and about our country? We start with a simple time audit that exposes what we truly value, then we follow the thread into a bigger, tougher conversation: why “peaceful coexistence” with militant ideologies keeps failing when there’s no strong internal condemnation of their worst acts. The logic is painfully human—if betrayal is tolerated in the dating phase, why expect fidelity in the marriage?

    We anchor the talk in Scripture that is both tender and bracing. Song of Solomon honors covenant love and the beauty of fidelity, a needed counterpoint to a culture that treats intimacy like currency. Then Revelation speaks with urgency to people who look alive but are drifting toward death: wake up, strengthen what remains, return to what you first believed. The Psalms hold out mercy for those who call; Proverbs warns how pampering and anger hollow out character. Together, these passages insist that renewal isn’t a strategy but repentance—personal and national.

    History gives the images we need for courage. A Medal of Honor story shows a leader standing under fire to rally his line. Woodrow Wilson’s Thanksgiving proclamation and later remarks on the Bible push us beyond material success to moral clarity, gratitude, and dependence on God. Laws and systems matter, but without a change of heart they become empty machines. If moderation means refusing to draw a bright line against evil, it’s just a quiet road to the same place. We call listeners to name what must be condemned, to choose Scripture over slogans, and to rebuild public life on righteousness and truth.

    If this conversation challenges or strengthens you, share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. Tell us: what will you change about how you spend your time this week?

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    26 mins
  • Storm Clouds, Sacred Duties, And The Courage To Turn Back
    Nov 22 2025

    What if your life had a visible “heavenly balance” and every choice raised or lowered it? We start with a blunt audit of the last 24 hours—time spent on social media, sports, and idle talk—against time invested in God, marriage, children, and true neighbor love. From there, we move through Scripture with a clear aim: recover first love and let actions carry our words. Colossians offers a family order built on mutual honor and restraint. Revelation 2 commends endurance and discernment yet warns how devotion can cool even in a faithful community. Proverbs insists that talk without action is empty and that pausing to think before speaking can change outcomes at home and in public life.

    We also look to history for perspective. A terse Medal of Honor citation for Captain George Newman Bliss hints at costly courage: stepping forward without orders, paying in wounds, and enduring captivity. Then Woodrow Wilson’s 1917 Thanksgiving proclamation speaks from wartime, calling for gratitude, unity, and practical economy under God. The language of darkness returns here, not to frighten but to focus us. Storm clouds gather in every age, and the response is the same: repent, give thanks, serve, and stand together under the one true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    Across it all runs a simple test for modern life: where do your minutes go? If love is real, it will show up on your calendar and in your tone. Trade a slice of scrolling for Scripture and a real conversation. Choose first works again—prayer, truth, service—and watch affection deepen rather than fade. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review so others can find it. Your next hour can build what lasts.

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    22 mins
  • Screens Or Souls
    Nov 21 2025

    What did your last twenty-four hours say about your priorities? We start there and move into a deeper call: trade the endless pull of screens for the slow, steady work of loving people well. From the bank-account logic of daily deposits in marriage to the courage it takes to invest attention where it matters most, we map a path toward homes that thrive and communities that hold together.

    We ground the conversation in scripture. Genesis 2 reminds us that marriage is a one-flesh covenant that deserves more effort after the vows than before. Revelation 1 lifts our eyes to the risen Christ whose presence quiets fear and resets our loyalties. Psalm 128 reframes blessing as fruitful work, a flourishing spouse, and children gathered at the table—ordinary scenes that carry eternal weight. Along the way, a brief Medal of Honor story distills courage into a single act, and a 1775 proclamation from Concord models a nation choosing fasting, humility, and prayer while still preparing wisely.

    The through line is simple and demanding: prepare, but place your confidence in God. Build resilient ties across churches, families, and local services. Reclaim hours from devices and reinvest them in conversation, prayer, and service. If you’re ready to re-center your days around faith, marriage, and community, this conversation offers both conviction and practical steps.

    If this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. Your support helps more families trade distraction for discipleship and turn good intentions into daily habits.

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    23 mins
  • Defending The Faith, Strengthening The Home
    Nov 20 2025

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    What would your last 24 hours say about your faith? We open with a hard look at how time choices reveal our real priorities, then move into the everyday courage it takes to order a life around Christ, not convenience. From marriage duties in 1 Corinthians 7 to Jude’s charge to contend for the faith with mercy and clarity, we trace how private devotion and public witness meet in the places that matter most—home, church, and community.

    Scripture stitches the throughline: Psalm 127 calls us to build homes God’s way and rest from anxious toil; Proverbs reminds us that discipline grows wisdom and peace. Along the way, we honor Second Lieutenant Bleckley’s WWI sacrifice, a living picture of love that risks comfort for the good of others. That story sets up a conversation about the heroes we celebrate, the idols we ignore, and how gratitude sharpens our moral memory. President Grover Cleveland’s 1895 Thanksgiving proclamation gives language for national humility and dependence that still speaks today.

    We close with William Bradford’s account of Pastor John Robinson’s counsel: follow any leader only as far as they follow Christ, ready to receive more light from God’s Word. Duty is ours; results are God’s. If you’re hungry for a practical reset—on time, marriage, courage, and conviction—this is your map back to what lasts. Listen, share with a friend who needs a nudge toward hope, and leave a review to help others find the show. Your thoughts matter: what priority will you change this week? Subscribe for more conversations that put first things first.

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    25 mins
  • Why Our Heroes Deserve Thanks And Our Homes Need Scripture
    Nov 19 2025

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    Start with a simple act: say thank you. From there, we trace a path that moves from quiet gratitude to courageous action—honoring veterans who carry both visible and hidden wounds, and lifting up the families who shoulder the burden with them. We talk candidly about how our culture prizes celebrity trivia while often overlooking the men and women who protected the space for our games, songs, and routines, and why redirecting admiration can change the character of a community.

    We open Scripture to find a blueprint for home life that actually holds in a storm. 1 Peter 3 challenges husbands and wives to live with honor, gentleness, and understanding—habits that make peace more than a feeling. Jude confronts a different danger: smooth words and empty authority that divide churches and households. By contending for the faith, praying in the Spirit, and showing mercy with discernment, we build depth that endures. These themes echo through Psalm 127 and Proverbs 29, where we see that houses stand when God builds them, children thrive with loving discipline, and work without worship wears the soul thin.

    To ground these ideas, we share the story of Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant David Bruce Bleak, a combat medic whose courage and selfless resolve saved lives under fire. We also revisit Ulysses S. Grant’s 1869 Thanksgiving proclamation, a national reminder that prosperity without gratitude hardens the heart, while humble thanks renews strength and solidarity. We close in prayer and extend simple ways to support the show and pass along faith-filled stories to the next generation.

    If this conversation strengthens your resolve to thank a veteran, love your spouse with honor, or rebuild your home around Scripture, share it with a friend. Subscribe, leave a rating or review, and tell us: what practice of gratitude are you starting this week?

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    24 mins
  • How Daily Choices Shape Faith, Family, And A Nation
    Nov 18 2025

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    We press into the hard question of evidence for our faith, then apply Scripture to marriage, leadership, and national repentance with readings from Ephesians 5, 3 John, Psalms, and Proverbs. Historic Thanksgiving proclamations sharpen the call to gratitude and confession today.

    • examining daily priorities that reveal the heart
    • Ephesians 5 on love, respect, and one flesh
    • testing marriage advice against Scripture
    • leadership defined by service and example
    • actions over claims as a measure of truth
    • face-to-face connection over screens in homes
    • support for faithful teachers and ministries
    • historic calls to national thanksgiving and repentance
    • naming cultural idols and consequences
    • practical steps for families to realign under God

    If you are looking for a family-friendly middle-grade read, check out Countryside. If you enjoy it, please leave a review. If you feel like you have three or four or five dollars a month that you can donate, there’s a web page on the Buzz Sprout website where you can do that.

    Support the show

    The American Soul Podcast

    https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

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    21 mins
  • When Truth Meets Comfort: Which Do You Choose?
    Nov 17 2025

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    What did your last twenty-four hours say about your priorities? We take an unflinching look at how time, habits, and attention reveal the loves that lead our lives, then recalibrate around Scripture, prayer, and practical steps that restore what matters most.

    We start with honor in marriage through Hebrews 13:4—why covenant is sacred, how purity protects trust, and how aiming for holiness gives real shape to daily choices. From there, we explore growth with a Lewis-inspired lens: measure progress by starting points, steward blessings with courage, and turn talent into service. Then we open 2 John to fuse love with truth—walking in obedience, resisting false teaching that denies Christ’s incarnation, and refusing to sponsor deception with our platforms or our praise. Love that endures refuses flattery and clings to truth, even when it costs.

    Presence becomes the pivot. Joy deepens face to face, not device to device. We talk about putting down screens, listening well, and doing shared work that knits families and friendships back together. History sharpens the moment as we read Lincoln’s 1864 Thanksgiving proclamation—a call to gratitude, humility “in the dust,” and hope during national trial. That posture still fits today: repent clearly, thank God boldly, and resolve to live as people who belong to Christ—come peace or storm.

    If this conversation helps you refocus your next twenty-four hours—on your marriage, your family, and the truth you live—share it with a friend, subscribe for future episodes, and leave a quick review. Your support helps more listeners find their footing in faith and practice.

    Support the show

    The American Soul Podcast

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    20 mins