Inspired Human Podcast

Welcome to the Inspired Human Podcast!Today we’ve got the one and only Dr. Andrew Root. Andy is a friend. He’s a prolific author. If you have never read his Ministry in the Secular Age book series, you have to stop what you’re doing right now and start reading. Most recently, Andy wrote a book with his wife, Kara, called Pilgrimage into Letting Go: Helping Parents and Pastors Embrace the Uncontrollable. No surprise, but it is WONDERFUL. We talk about this book, and his other somewhat new-ish book called Evangelism in an Age of Despair: Hope beyond the Failed Promise of Happiness. In the book, Andy charts how we in the modern west have become “happiness hunters,” and how as happiness hunters we are mostly becoming sad. We live as sad people, in many cases, living in sad times. Christians, he rightfully points out, can and should console these sad people and in turn invite people to Jesus in the life of the Church.Nick published a book review for the Military Chaplaincy Review in February 2026 on Andy’s book Evangelism in an Age of Despair. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Inspired Human Podcast, Season 4, episode 2.Welcome Frank Shirvinski! Frank and Nick are co-authoring a book for Purpose Press with an expected publication date of late 2026 or early 2027. Frank is quite literally a jack of all trades (who has mastered them all). He is a full time aerospace engineer, Christian minister, and co-founder of Purpose Press with his daughter Abigail. Purpose Press is a platform for faith-centered books and study resources designed to help readers deepen their relationship with God and engage Scripture more meaningfully. They chase purpose not profits. Drawing on decades of experience in both technical and theological fields, Frank has authored a range of titles published, including Before the Day Ends, The Trail, and the Toward the Horizon Bible study guides. He blends biblical insight with practical application for individuals and small groups. His work spans children’s stories that point young readers to spiritual truths as well as devotional and study guides that invite believers of all ages to explore faith with confidence and curiosity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Thanks for reading Inspired Human Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it.Welcome to Season 4 of the Inspired Human Podcast.This season is all about interviews with Christian thinkers and Christian pastors.We welcome Dr. Hans Boersma!Why did we interview him?* We respect him. He’s a wonderful priest and pastor and a brilliant scholar.* His books on the Beatific Vision and his writings about Scripture have deeply impacted us!Dr. Boersma is an Anglican theologian and priest who holds the Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and previously taught at Regent College in Vancouver. He is a leading voice in contemporary sacramental theology and patristic studies, engaging theological traditions from East and West to enrich Christian thought and practice. His influential works include Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition, which explores classical Christian understandings of the vision of God; Scripture as Real Presence: Sacramental Exegesis in the Early Church, a study of patristic biblical interpretation; and Sacramental Preaching: Sermons on the Hidden Presence of Christ, which offers a theological approach to preaching informed by tradition. His scholarship has shaped discussions on theological interpretation, ecclesiology, and the recovery of pre-modern theological insights for the church today. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Friends! This is it. The final episode of Season 3. Let's call it an Epilogue, but it's really a conclusion with a ton of "what do we do now" kind of stuff. It's a wrap-up, so in many ways, it could have made a great intro episode as well. Whether this is the first episode you've heard, or the final one of the season... enjoy!/////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 8: "Parenting in the You Do You Era."This episode is our attempt at re-focusing parenting on raising disciples of Jesus.To that end, we draw from parenting "fails" that stem from the junk values of the YDYE, and ultimately encourage Christian parents to help their children see themselves in God's story. Helping our kids see themselves in God's story allows us to help them "figure out who they are and what they want" in light of their identity as a child of God./////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 7: "Love and Marriage in the You Do You Era."When relationships are simply an additional tool for you to be "your best self" or to find who you are...then you know you're living in the You do You Era. Today we chat about how love, and marriage itself, has been influenced by the junk values of the YDYE. But, we don't just whine and complain. We also turn to the New Testament, especially Paul's theology of submission, in order to beckon Christians back to a cross-centered foundation for our most intimate relationships. /////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 6: "Technology is Forming You and Failing to Transform You."Your phone is not a tool. It is not neutral.Your phone is a cash-cow device designed to get you to pick it up, use it, never put it down, and in the process, make other people lots and lots of money.Friends, we are being formed by an algorithm, created by neuroscientists and computer programmers in California, on full display across all major social media platforms. Our eyes and our minds get pulled into video after video, feed upon feed, all based on what other people perceive we want to look at or consume.We are being formed...or perhaps, de-formed.The You Do You Era is marked by rampant use of electronic devices: Phones, tablets, computers, watches, and more. Our behaviors have become daily liturgies. Rather than organizing ourselves around time in service to God-in-the-world, most everything we do is orchestrated around or deeply influenced by inputs from our smart devices. In this episode, we pull heavily from James K.A. Smith and Andy Crouch (The Tech Wise Family). We unashamedly encourage you to be weird, to adopt odd practices and thick boundaries around technology. Why? Because you and your kids are being formed by these practices....or, perhaps, de-formed! The question to consider is "What image am I being formed into?" /////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 5: "Depression thrives on the You Do You Era's narrative."Humans have never had more access to self help media and mental health drugs than right now. And yet, depression and anxiety are the hallmark pathologies of the You Do You Era. All the statistics show the same thing: We're more depressed, more anxious, and less happy, even though we have more creature comforts than ever in human history. Why is this?Obviously, the answer is very complicated....more complicated than what we could cover in this episode.But here's the deal: Modern society makes us ill. Many people are anxious and depressed not because there is something wrong with them, but because something is wrong with the water (culture) that we are swimming in. It's polluted. It points you inward and then leaves you all alone.Research shows that religious faith, connected to a healthy Church, is a buffer, a HUGE buffer, against depressive disorders. Why? Because a healthy Church offers a counter narrative to the You Do You Era. You belong to God (See Alan Noble's You Are Not Your Own); You are a baptized child of God; God is the center, not you; these Church folk love you and you are accountable to them; you are not the king /queen of your life. And this counter narrative will change your habits, and your habits may lead you to God./////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 4: "The World has Lost its Enchantment."Key to the You Do You Era's self-focused ideas for what it means to be a human is this: The world is disenchanted; everything has a natural explanation; God is cool and all, but he can't be involved in the world and in our lives because it sounds dumb to say it out loud. How do we talk about God in light of scientific discoveries? Did God heal my loved one from cancer, or was it the oncologist? How should I think about words like "sacred" and "spiritual"?Why does my church gather in a multi purpose room instead of a sanctuary?My friends, even Christians struggle with this topic. And that's OK, because we are swimming in the same You Do You Era cultural waters as everyone else!We'll give you the spoiler alert up front on this episode: The world is enchanted. God is active. God works to achieve God's good, right, and just purposes for the world through human beings. God animates you and draws close to you through ordinary things: Bread and wine (communion), water (baptism), the prayers of the Church, acts of loving kindness, fasting, feasting, and (yes, this one is important) even through pain and trials of life. Sometimes, we can explain these things. Other times, we cannot. Either way, the world is enchanted and God is present. /////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 3: "How the Concept of Faith has been Distorted and Makes us More Selfish."Friends! Faith is a private matter, and God just wants you to do what feels good, be the best version of yourself, and be a good dude, as long as you aren't hurting anyone. Right? These are the claims about FAITH that the You Do You Era preaches. And these claims are shallow, unfulfilling, erase the need for a Messiah like Jesus, and it leads only to more self-centered living.But there is a better way! To be fully human is to be like Christ. Why? Because Christ was the fullest, most whole/complete/perfect human to ever have lived. So, to be more human, is to be more like Christ...not to follow ourselves, but to put our minds on things above, to die the first death (to ourselves) so we might be made alive in Christ (Colossians 3)./////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Season 3, episode 2: "Seeing Yourself in God's Story...not the other way around."Friends: To be fully human is to be authentic to yourself and your inner voice above all others...That's the mantra of the You Do You Era. But, this way of being human overpromises (that you'll be happy and whole!), and it under delivers (we end up unfulfilled).One way we attempt to break free from the You Do You Era's hold on our lives is by seeing ourselves as characters in God's story of redemption, not the other way around.We often see God as a key member of our story. This is not strong enough in the You Do You Era. It still keeps me at the center of the world: My vision, my thoughts, my goals, my feelings, my identity. We need a stronger vision for being a whole and complete human, one that helps us to see ourselves as key players in God's story (not our story), empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring about God's good, right, and just purposes for the world./////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Following Jesus in the You Do You Era.Season 3 is here!Be true to yourself...Follow your heart...Be authentic to yourself...Live your best life...You are the captain of your fate...Chart your own path...Walk your own way...Live your life for yourself...Friends- Welcome to the You Do You Era: Where listening to your own voice above all others, and expressing yourself in whatever way you want (as long as it doesn't hurt anybody and is authentic) is the most vital way of being human.But this weight - of choosing our own path and being given so much individual independence to curate my identity - is too much for us to bear./////////Throughout this season, we want to remove the cultural scales from our eyes using insight from:Alan Noble (You are Not your Own)Andrew Root (Ministry in the Secular Age series)Alan Ehrenberg (Diagnosing the History of Depression in the Contemporary Age) Charles Taylor (A Secular Age)Andy Crouch (The Tech-Wise Family)Leonard Sax (The Collapse of Parenting)All of Jean Twenge's (SDSU) recent interviews / articles / and her booksJames K.A. Smith's books and articlesN.T. Wright (The Day the Revolution Began among others)Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue) The New and Old Testaments... plus other works that we sprinkle throughout. [The views presented are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Nick and Dairus team up to talk about "When Things in Life Just Don't Work out." - When you move the chess pieces of your life the right way, but you still don't get the job or assignment or position.- When you marry the right person and have a great family, but you still find yourself lonely and tired and wondering if life is supposed to feel this way.- When you find out that the ancient church had a way of describing this phase of your identity-formation: The Desert Way. In the desert, when comfort and assumptions are stripped away, God opens our eyes. To what, exactly? Good question. Perhaps, in the desert moments of our lives, we learn to see God. Or, perhaps, we learn to see the world for what it is (broken) and are invited to join God in renewing it and restoring it through the love of God... starting with ourselves. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Welcome to Dr. Matthew Sleeth!Dr. Sleeth:- Former ER physician and Chief of Medical Staff.- Resigned to teach about faith and health.- His uncle wrote a book with J.R.R. Tolkein!!- His first religion was the American Dream.- Then, after embracing Christian faith, he and his family sold their huge house and moved to a place the same size as their old garage and started a new life.Dairus talks to him about Sabbath and Suicide and 9/11 and health and faith. I know…it's a lot.... But let’s do it! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Dairus sits down with John Garland, pastor in San Antonio, TX.John has spent his entire career in ministry serving in places with extreme poverty and suffering, notably along the southern border.They talk about:- Suffering as a pit.- The Gospel as a path.- Using the Psalms in your prayers.- The difference between trauma management and stress management. - Why and how Christianity has transformed instruments of trauma in redemptive ways. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Hello friends! Nick sits down with senior chaplain for U.S. Special Operations Command, Dave Bowlus.He and I reflect on the low points and high points of his ministry over the last 20 years, and chat about how families might “keep the wheels on the bus” in the midst of military life. As a reminder: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of the DoD or its components. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Dairus sits down with 3x CrossFit Games athlete, former Army Officer, former West Point collegiate wrestler, and all-round INCREDIBLE human being, Chandler Smith.We chat about set backs...how they surprise us, and how an active reflective practice combined with a trustworthy circle of like-minded friends is the pathway through the pain.Did we mention how much we love Chandler Smith yet? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Welcome Mike Sanders, former Strength and Conditioning coach at the University of Denver, and current Human Performance Coach for U.S. Special Operations Forces. Mike's an OG. He's been around. I absolutely love his wisdom, probably even more than his feats of strength.We chat about human potential, that feeling we get after accomplishing something great and assuming it was going to do more than it promised, and why vocation and identity are a dangerous marriage. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

“Behind every act of valor, there is love.” Dairus talks with award winning documentary producer Justin Roberts. While serving in Afghanistan as an Army Chaplain in the 101st Airborne Division’s “NO SLACK” battalion, Justin armed his Soldiers with Go Pro cameras. He wanted to capture their experiences.But the war was far more intense than he imagined it would be.And their experiences needed to be shared and processed and seen.The result: An award winning film called No Greater Love. No Greater Love layers real war footage with interviews with Soldiers and Gold Star Family Members. Roberts’ battalion, NO SLACK, came home with over 200 Purple Hearts. “The only way that you can really come back from war is with love. And it has to come from friends, it has to come from family members, neighbors, and the people you were fighting for, and it has to come from each other. That is the only way we can fully come home.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

We are talking all things Parenting and Self Awareness.Madeleine is a multiple #1 international best selling author, a TedX speaker, and the founder of Fast Results Now Training and Coaching Solutions. She has over 30 years experience in the areas of parenting and life solutions strategies.We discuss:- Why parenting starts with actually knowing what you want.- Why joy can be elusive for parents with young kids.- Why routine is great for families and how routine starts with self-awareness. She was highly successful in business…then she became a parent. And it was HARD. In her words:“I was a mess! We were always late to school. I was always nagging my kids. But one day I decided I needed to change. I took what made me successful in business, and applied it to my home. And the rest is history.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Longtime friend, Duke Th.D candidate, Purple Heart recipient, author, and fellow chaplain Adam Tietje is here.Adam served for ten years as an active duty army chaplain, in 3rd Special Forces Group, 101st Airborne, and as a Hospital Chaplain in the DC area. He's now at Duke pursuing a Th.D. Stuff we explore:- Why is it that in the first few hundred years of Christian literature, no author is endorsing or encouraging Christians to join the military?- What the heck is civil religion?- How do we care for loved ones who have trained for, or gone to, war?- Why is trying to Zoom with a house full of kids and pets so hard? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

“I gave my life to God in Mogadishu.”From basic training to Airborne School, from Ranger School to the Ranger Regiment, and then… to Mogadishu, Somalia: That’s how Brian McCroskey’s military career started.He was a young enlisted Ranger in the battle of Mogadishu, where he earned the Purple Heart. He was forced to medically separate from the military as a result of those wounds, but eventually returned as an Infantry officer. As an officer, he served in the 82nd Airborne Division, the Ranger Regiment, and as a Ranger Instructor at 6th Ranger Training Battalion in Florida.But that’s just the backdrop to the story. The real story, the one happening in him and to him all along the way, is how Brian drew close to Christ and never let go. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Dairus sits down with our friend Tim Spayd!Tim shares his experiences as a young Ranger with JTF 1-79, Operation Eagle Claw, Charlie Beckwith (founder of Delta), touring and playing with the band Foreigner (“I wanna know what love is!”), how he became a Christian, and living with Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). Tim is in the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. He continues to support chapel services and ranger patrols at 6th Ranger Training Battalion in Florida. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Christianity, in its best form and most mature traditions, teaches you how to die-in-life, how to see, and how to come alive.Death, sight, and life.In the ancient traditions, these experiences are called the Desert, the Mountain, and the Cloud.Let's talk about how to see, and "continuous partial attention," and water! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Dairus Barnes sits down with his friend and former colleague, CSM(R) Chris Fields. Chris served 30 years in the Army as an Infantryman, and is now a licensed counselor who works in full time ministry at a local church in Clarksville, TN. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Two friends interview each other. It feels like a bro session (it is), but instead of lifting weights and yelling “light weight baby!!” we’re discussing the things that have formed and shaped us:School. Kids. Family. Military life. Books. Pain. Jesus.Happy New Year, friends! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Are you literally waiting for 2020 to be over? Do you find yourself hoping for 2021 to bring something new? We are all in a season... a very long season, of waiting, wanting, and hoping. Listen and discover the grandest story .. the story that helps make sense of your own story, and of your waiting, wanting, and hoping. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Let's talk about March 4, 2002, merely six months after 9/11/01: The day Nate Self led a platoon of Rangers in a 15 hour battle on the top of a 10,000 ft. mountaintop in Afghanistan called Takur Ghar. From that battle, two people would ultimately earn the Medal of Honor, multiple would earn awards for Valor, Nate Self would earn the Silver Star, and 7 Americans would lose their lives.Nate reflects on the battle, his painful struggles after the leaving the military, God's incredible love, and how it took him and I ten years to have a face-to-face conversation. Oh, and he quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Nate is also the author of Two Wars: One Hero's Fight on Two Fronts, published in 2008. Want to dig in deeper? Watch this History Channel episode where Nate is interviewed and the battle is discussed in more detail. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

God sides with humanity against all who oppose it. All the dark powers and principalities. Against all inhumanity. God chose Mary; she consented. And God becomes human. A silent child who would have perished if Mary and Joseph did not care for him, feed him, and nurture him. God became human. God is human, forever, sitting at the right hand of the Father as one of us.We have the immensely articulate and insightful Father Kenneth Tanner on this episode. We chat about why we need to tap into the ancient voices of our faith (9:01), the impact of losing his dad in Vietnam (2:10), and why it’s infinitely more complicated than “everything happens for a reason" (24:20).More by Ken Tanner:https://sojo.net/biography/kenneth-tannerhttps://medium.com/@kennethtanner@kennethtanner This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

We are so, so thrilled that these last few episodes have been meaningful for you. I love hearing your stories, and how you are interacting with these topics. Keep the emails and messages coming! And please continue to let us know how to pray for you.This episode gets real personal for Dr. Rita Brock (see her bio here). She shares about her father, a 29-year Army veteran who served in Normandy (WWII) as a medic and later a Prisoner of War. He stayed in the Army and continued to serve for close to 30 years, including two tours in Vietnam. After his second Vietnam tour, he came home drastically changed (13:59--). You will absolutely love her insight and wisdom related to forgiving her dad, and forgiving herself.We also talk about ritual, action, why being cleansed from combat or trauma isn't the right idea, and why you can't just think your way to your inner self or to God. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Welcome the esteemed Dr. Rita Brock! She's the Founding Director of the Soul Repair Center at Brite Divinity School, the current Senior VP and Director of the Shay Moral Injury Center at Volunteers of America, and author of many books and articles on the topic of Moral Injury and soul care. - Why is our language for suffering in the western world is so limited?- Is our spirituality too thin to handle combat and trauma?- Why is 2020 a dumpster fire of a year?We talk a bit about combat, but it's not just about war. It's about how we need to increase our repository of knowledge for how to walk through grief, suffering, war, and the crazy ups and downs of life. Episode 2 will drop in another week-ish. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Part 2 with Tom and Jen Satterly: This conversation was absolutely incredible. Absolutely. Inspiring.We explore:- False Warrior culture;- Tom's death-in-life;- Jen: "When I became friends with some of the other Operators, every single one of them also talked about suicidal ideations";- Moral injury;- Why God lives even in the far country;- And, as always, we repeatedly misuse the English language. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

Meet Tom and Jen Satterly!- All Secure Foundation: https://www.allsecuremission.com- Retired Command Sergeant Major.- 20 years as a Delta Operator. - Fought in the battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down). - Fought in the longest sustained firefight since Vietnam. - He was a part of the mission to capture Saddam Hussein in 2003.After retiring in 2010, he fell into depression, substance abuse, and nearly committed suicide in 2013.In this episode:How does Tom reflect on the Battle of Mogadishu now, 27 years to the month later?Why does combat reveal so much about ourselves and the world?How does sustained combat "form" you?Why has COVID brought all of us (including Tom Hardy!) down to the same level? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com

We're coming off of an incredible weekend of speaking and discussions. In this episode we discuss important questions: Who am I? What grounds me? Why is the fire alarm going off at 2AM? Is it actually raining?Along the way, we explore the Tyranny of the Urgent, the two great paths of transformation (i.e. the paths of suffering and love), the book Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me, why it is important to enjoy the journey, and why all great religion is about seeing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit inspiredhuman.substack.com