Give And Take

My guest is David Norling. He is a California native, an evangelical refugee, and has a deep interest in spirituality, spiritual direction, and human flourishing. We spend time talking about his own spiritual biography and journey. We also talk narrative therapy and spiritual direction. Special Guest: David Norling .

My guest is Mike McHargue. His newest book is You're a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass) (https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Miracle-Pain-Ass-Understanding/dp/1984823248). Why is there such a gap between what you want to do and what you actually do? The host of Ask Science Mike explains why our desires and our real lives are so wildly different—and what you can do to close the gap, in this his newest book. For thousands of years, scientists, philosophers, and self-help gurus have wrestled with one of the basic conundrums of human life: Why do we do the things we do? Or, rather, why do we so often not do the things we want to do? As a podcast host whose voice goes out to millions each month, Mike McHargue gets countless emails from people seeking to understand their own misbehavior—why we binge on Netflix when we know taking a walk outside would be better for us, or why we argue politics on Facebook when our real friends live just down the street. Everyone wants to be a good person, but few of us, twenty years into t

My guest is Todd Drezner. His newest film is The Campaign of Miner Bo (https://www.minerbofilm.com). It’s probably safe to say that Bo Copley never expected to run for U.S. Senate. A lifelong resident of Mingo County, West Virginia, Copley worked in the coal industry for 11 years until he was laid off on September 18, 2015. In May of 2016, Copley was invited to join a roundtable discussion with Hillary Clinton, who was campaigning in West Virginia before the state’s presidential primary. Copley, his voice breaking, showed Clinton a picture of his three children and challenged her assertion that she was a friend to coal miners. Copley’s raw emotion broke through the usual campaign chatter, and throughout the campaign, he was a regular on cable news. Copley tried to take advantage of his surprise political celebrity by running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018. But without money, experience, or a traditional campaign infrastructure, he quickly discovered that being a politician is harder th

My guest is Richard Kreitner. His new book is Break It Up: Secession, Division, and the Secret History of America's Imperfect Union. The novel and fiery thesis of Break It Up is simple: The United States has never lived up to its name—and never will. The disunionist impulse may have found its greatest expression in the Civil War, but as Break It Up shows, the seduction of secession wasn’t limited to the South or the nineteenth century. It was there at our founding and has never gone away. With a scholar’s command and a journalist’s curiosity, Richard Kreitner takes readers on a revolutionary journey through American history, revealing the power and persistence of disunion movements in every era and region. Each New England town after Plymouth was a secession from another; the thirteen colonies viewed their Union as a means to the end of securing independence, not an end in itself; George Washington feared separatism west of the Alleghenies; Aaron Burr schemed to set up a new empire; John Quincy Adams brought

My guest is David Shields. He's the author of numerous books including Nobody Hates Trump More Than Trump: An Intervention (https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Hates-Trump-More-Than/dp/1945796995). It can be read in a variety of ways: as a psychological investigation of Trump, as a philosophical meditation on the relationship between language and power, as a satirical compilation of the “collected wit and wisdom of Donald Trump,” and above all as a dagger into the rhetoric of American political discourse—a dissection of the politesse that gave rise to and sustains Trump. The book’s central thesis is that we have met the enemy and he is us. Who else but David Shields would make such an argument, let alone pull it off with such intelligence, brio, and wit, not to mention leaked off-air transcripts from Fox News? David returns to the show to revisit his book in light of the Corona pandemic. Special Guest: David Shields.

My guest is David Gessner. His newest book is Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness (https://www.amazon.com/Leave-As-Theodore-Roosevelts-Wilderness/dp/1982105046). “Leave it as it is,” Theodore Roosevelt announced while viewing the Grand Canyon for the first time. “The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.” Roosevelt’s rallying cry signaled the beginning of an environmental fight that still wages today. To reconnect with the American wilderness and with the president who courageously protected it, acclaimed nature writer and New York Times bestselling author David Gessner embarks on a great American road trip guided by Roosevelt’s crusading environmental legacy. Gessner travels to the Dakota badlands where Roosevelt awakened as a naturalist; to Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon where Roosevelt escaped during the grind of his reelection tour; and finally, to Bears Ears, Utah, a monument proposed by Native Tribes that is embroiled in a national co

My guest is Alice Vaughn. She's the co-host of Two Girls One Mic: The Porncast (https://www.twogirlsonemic.com//). They review the holes and plot holes of your favorite porn. She also founded Offensive Crayons, a wildly successful company... https://www.offensivecrayons.com. We talk porn, politics, psychology and the pandemic's effect on the porn industry and the wider culture. Special Guest: Alice Vaughn .

My guest is Christian Miller. Have you ever wondered if you're a good person? Have you asked how you good be a better one? Do your moral failings bug you? Christian Miller has spent his whole life studying these questions. He's a moral philosopher and the author of The Character Gap (https://www.amazon.com/Character-Gap-Good-Philosophy-Action/dp/0190264225). If you are thinking about what it means to live the good life than this is the episode for you.

My guest is Marcus Rempel. He's the author of Life At The End Of Us Vs Them (https://www.amazon.com/Life-End-Us-Versus-Them/dp/152551024X). critics of both Christianity and culture. The end of us versus them can deteriorate into the chaos of each against each or it can open outward into freely chosen communion. It is an expectant - and apocalyptic - time. How does one live in this strange, endtime world? As a wanderer in the odd, cross-culture country Girard and Illich have mapped, the author arrives at a surprising new place in relation to those who are his other: women, queer folk, refugees, Muslims, atheists, and Indigenous people. In this collection of essays, he blinks, looks around, and makes some field notes. Special Guest: Marcus Rempel .

My guests are Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke. Their new book is Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk (https://www.amazon.com/Grandstanding-Use-Abuse-Moral-Talk/dp/0190900156). We are all guilty of it. We call people terrible names in conversation or online. We vilify those with whom we disagree, and make bolder claims than we could defend. We want to be seen as taking the moral high ground not just to make a point, or move a debate forward, but to look a certain way--incensed, or compassionate, or committed to a cause. We exaggerate. In other words, we grandstand. Nowhere is this more evident than in public discourse today, and especially as it plays out across the internet. To philosophers Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke, who have written extensively about moral grandstanding, such one-upmanship is not just annoying, but dangerous. As politics gets more and more polarized, people on both sides of the spectrum move further and further apart when they let grandstanding get in the way of engaging one

My guest is Scott Shay. Scott's second book, In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism (https://www.amazon.com/Good-Faith-Questioning-Religion-Atheism/dp/1682617920), has been recognized as one of the best books of 2018 by Mosaic Authors and earned a finalist award from National Jewish Books. Scott gives talks around the country and is interviewed on TV, radio, and podcasts many times throughout the year. Special Guest: Scott Shay.

My guest is Bradley Klein. He's a political scientist turned renowned sports writer and golf consultant. We talk about a piece he recently wrote about the future of sports in the age of Corona. You can read Brad's piece here: https://kleincoronadiary.com/2020/06/20/arena/. Special Guest: Bradley S. Klein .

My guest is Laura Briggs. Her new book is Taking Children: A History of American Terror (https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Children-History-American-Terror/dp/0520343670). In these unprecedented times, one thing remains true--those who wish to enact racist and discriminatory practices will find a way to do so, often taking advantage of crises to make horrific changes more swiftly. As Laura Briggs shows in TAKING CHILDREN, America has a long history of using racist policies to disband and explicitly harm families of color. From forcing Native American children into schools built to pacify them, to the current administration's use of child separation as a deterrent to immigrate here -- separating children from their families has been a tool used by the government for centuries. Laura Briggs urges readers not to turn a blind eye, but rise to the occasion to fight to change it. Special Guest: Laura Briggs.

My guest is Marlena Graves. Her newest book is The Way Down Is Up (https://www.amazon.com/Way-Up-Down-Becoming-Forgetting/dp/0830846743). "Now, with God's help, I shall become myself." These words from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard resonate deeply with Marlena Graves, a Puerto Rican writer, professor, and activist. In these pages she describes the process of emptying herself that allows her to move upward toward God and become the true self that God calls her to. Drawing on the rich traditions of Eastern and Western Christian saints, she shares stories and insights that have enlivened her transformation. For Marlena, formation and justice always intertwine on the path to a balanced life of both action and contemplation. If you long for more of God, this book offers a time-honored path to deeper life. Special Guest: Marlena Graves.

My guest is Zena Hitz. She's the author of The Intellectual Life (https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Thought-Hidden-Pleasures-Intellectual/dp/0691178712). In an overloaded, superficial, technological world, in which almost everything and everybody is judged by its usefulness, where can we turn for escape, lasting pleasure, contemplation, or connection to others? While many forms of leisure meet these needs, Zena Hitz writes, few experiences are so fulfilling as the inner life, whether that of a bookworm, an amateur astronomer, a birdwatcher, or someone who takes a deep interest in one of countless other subjects. Drawing on inspiring examples, from Socrates and Augustine to Malcolm X and Elena Ferrante, and from films to Hitz’s own experiences as someone who walked away from elite university life in search of greater fulfillment, Lost in Thought (https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Thought-Hidden-Pleasures-Intellectual/dp/0691178712) is a passionate and timely reminder that a rich life is a life rich in thought. Today, when

My guest is Satish Gaire. Satish has also started many companies to help businesses. This includes DirectPay, WooAgents, myDentalWebsite, BookSmartr and many more. Satish’s mission is to help humanity by spreading the knowledge that he has gained from his many years of doing internet marketing and running his own business. He wants to help others to achieve the same level of success. His ultimate goal is to put a smile on your face, through his podcasts, videos, speeches and courses. Special Guest: Satish Gaire.

My guest is Jennifer Michelle Greenberg. She's the author of Not Forsaken (https://www.amazon.com/Not-Forsaken-Jennifer-Michelle-Greenberg/dp/1784984388/). Jenn Greenberg was abused by her church-going father. Yet she is still a Christian. In this courageous, compelling book, she reflects on how God brought life and hope in the darkest of situations. Jenn shows how the gospel enables survivors to navigate issues of guilt, forgiveness, love, and value. And she challenges church leaders to protect the vulnerable among their congregations. Not Forsaken (https://www.amazon.com/Not-Forsaken-Jennifer-Michelle-Greenberg/dp/1784984388/) is not an easy read. But, perhaps today more than ever, it is a must-read. Special Guest: Jennifer Michelle Greenberg .

My guest is Jordan Al-Zu’Bi. He's an economist who focuses on the health insurance industry. We talk about the health insurance industry and how the pandemic will impact it. Special Guest: Jordan Al-Zu’Bi.

My guests are Bradley S. Klein and David Shields. Klein has played golf with Trump, written about him as a sports journalist and consulted on his golf courses. David Shields has written one of the most provocative and revealing books about Trump, Nobody Hates Trump More Than Trump. If you're looking for an interesting Trump conversation in the midst of Corona, this is it. Special Guests: Bradley S. Klein and David Shields.

My guest is Yaron Weitzman. He's the author of Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports. (https://www.amazon.com/Tanking-Top-Philadelphia-Audacious-Professional/dp/1538749726) When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre. Enter Sam Hinkie -- a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game. In Hinkie's view, the best way to reach first was to embrace becoming the worst -- to sacrifice wins in the present in order to capture championships in the future. And to those dubious, Hinkie had a response: Trust The Process, and the results will follow. The plan, dubbed "The Process," seems to have worked. More than six years after handing Hin