🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 47

Title: I don't think I can do this anymore

Description:

It's a Saturday morning, around 8:19, and I'm leaving Luckman's Coffee after a failed first attempt at recording this. I’m just speaking from the heart now. I woke up and went down the rabbit hole of Twitter—headlines, clips, trending videos. It left me feeling sick, and I realized I'm trading true wisdom for noise. Today’s episode is me processing that in real time. No notes, no polish. Just confession.

I talk about:

• How checking Twitter first thing wrecked my spirit
• The soap opera nature of online “news”
• Social media algorithms as modern false prophets
• The danger of rationalizing daily doomscrolling
• How desensitization is normalizing evil
• My conviction to reject this cycle in order to follow Jesus more closely

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Leaving Luckman's with coffee and deleting the first recording

01:10 – Why I felt sick after 30 minutes on Twitter

03:45 – “The world is a soap opera… interrupted by the worst of the worst”

05:32 – The algorithm knows what tickles your ears

08:00 – Confessing a decade of rationalizing “staying informed”

10:55 – PTSD from headlines and the availability cascade

13:30 – “We’ve normalized evil by consuming it”

15:20 – Rejecting the distortion—even if it’s a pipe dream

17:40 – This is me, processing in real time

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

2 Timothy 4:3 – "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine... to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

🧠 Core Takeaway:

I’ve been justifying my feed consumption for years, but no matter the source, it’s warping my soul and pulling me away from the truth of Jesus.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #47 — I’m trading the algorithm’s lies for real truth, even if it costs me my “awareness.”

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 46

Title: If we just lived the Sermon on the Mount

Description:

It’s Friday morning, June 27th. I’m sitting in a parking lot outside Luckman's Coffee after reading through Matthew 5–7 on my Bible app. No script. Just heart. I reflect on Jesus’ teachings, the tension of living them out, and how this whole thing—CRUMB, this confessional, even my parenting—is built on trying to do what He says. The sermon on the mount exposes me, invites me, and gives me a blueprint to follow.

I talk about:

• How Jesus lived what He preached, unlike the Pharisees
• Wrestling with lust, hypocrisy, and obedience in daily life
• The real cost of building your life on Jesus vs the world
• Why CRUMB exists as a personal anchor for obedience
• The danger of justification cloaked in “American morality”
• Wanting to leave a legacy for my kids rooted in the gospel
• How God changed me when I had nothing left but crumbs

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Parking lot Bible app scroll leads to Matthew 5

04:41 – Jesus’ authority vs the empty show of religion

10:15 – The hidden cost of American justifications

18:12 – “Are we actually doing what Jesus says?”

23:45 – My slow trust was built crumb by crumb

27:50 – Lust, sunglasses, and Charleston confessions

34:00 – "If we all lived this, the world would change"

39:16 – I'm doing this even if I never make a dime

47:10 – Legacy, kids, and trusting God’s provision

53:35 – This is the only thing that ever worked for me

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

Matthew 5:7 – “You’re blessed when you care...”

Matthew 5–7 – The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:24 – “You cannot serve both God and money”

Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord...’”

Ecclesiastes – Enjoy your food and drink; it’s God’s gift

Romans 11:17 (alluded) – Grafted into His family

John 15 (implied) – Remaining in the vine

Luke 6:45 (implied) – What the heart is full of

🧠 Core Takeaway:

If we actually lived the Sermon on the Mount, almost everything we complain about in this world would go away. But doing what Jesus says—daily, visibly, quietly—is the real test.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #46 — I’m just a little lonely boy in a parking lot with a Bible app, saying yes to Jesus one crumb at a time.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 45b

Title: Update: The Ripple Effect of Our Work in Sierra Leone

Link to check out the work we are doing: https://gofundme.com/savefreetown

Description:

As I wrap up today’s episode, I wanted to share an incredible update from my call with Said yesterday. We’ve been working on the Safe Freetown initiative to fight the Kush epidemic, and the ripple effects are already visible. Four people from a recent university event have reached out for treatment at the Kissy Treatment Center. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress. Even more exciting, Said and I have been brainstorming ways to provide jobs for these young men post-rehabilitation, and we’re considering starting a bakery. This episode is a celebration of the small but significant wins we’re seeing in real-time.

I talk about:

• The ripple effect from a recent community event
• The first few people reaching out for rehab post-event
• The idea of starting a bakery to employ young men recovering from addiction
• How your donations are making a difference in the lives of these young men
• The faith and obedience it takes to stay the course

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction and reflections on a conversation with Said

01:30 – Update: Four university students have reached out for help with addiction

03:00 – Exploring the idea of a bakery to help employ young men post-recovery

04:00 – The symbolic power of providing bread and water to the village

05:30 – Update on funding and GoFundMe progress

06:30 – The importance of staying faithful and trusting God through the process

🧠 Core Takeaway:

Small acts of obedience can create ripple effects that lead to lasting change. We’re seeing the fruit of our labors, and all glory goes to God.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #45b — From prayer to progress, God is showing up in ways that only He can.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 45

Title: I’m just going at the pace of life right now

Description:

It’s June 26 and I’m recording this from my parents-in-law’s office in Cincinnati. It’s 95 degrees, humid, and I’m about to jump in the pool with my son before heading to Washington Park to meet Jason and Sarah from Mercy Ships. This episode is just a check-in. I reflect on the tension between wanting to launch everything and realizing that life’s pace right now demands something slower, something more faithful. My wife and I are finally on the same page, which changes everything.

I talk about:

• Uploading all the recent Charleston and Cincinnati episodes
• Meeting Jason and Sarah from Mercy Ships at Washington Park
• Trying to live and launch Crumb slowly and faithfully
• The comedy of my attempted full launch two weeks ago
• Sharing parenting duties and managing time realistically
• A mysterious call from a 304 number
• Praying that this project brings anyone who touches it closer to Christ

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Recording from the in-laws’ office before pool time

02:00 – Reflections on Crumb’s “failed” launch attempt two weeks ago

03:45 – Reality of being a full-time dad while visiting family

05:15 – Wife’s support changing the launch pressure

06:50 – Honoring vacation with digital rest and daily obedience

08:30 – Google Voice mystery call and open invitation to connect

09:30 – Upcoming family presentation on 10 months in Africa

🧠 Core Takeaway:

I’m walking by faith, not sight—and learning not to force what God hasn’t timed.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #45 — If this ever proves anything, let it prove I trusted God more than the grind.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 44f

Title: Nothing Makes Sense Out Here

Description:

It’s 10:23 p.m. on June 26th, just getting back from another homeless outreach night with the Love City crew. We went from the emergency shelter in Northern Kentucky to multiple camps near the Bengals stadium—Lynn Street, Gest Street, under bridges, makeshift bike shops, and fire-scorched tents. I met Cliff, who OD’d and came back to life, sold everything, and walked from Michigan to Cincinnati quoting scripture. I sat in the dirt next to him listening like he was a preacher. Tonight was chaotic, beautiful, heavy, and sacred.

I talk about:

• Meeting Cliff, who died and came back—then walked hundreds of miles
• Revisiting William, who jumped off a garage and survived again
• Sitting in a camp that smelled like urine while someone quoted Scripture
• Hearing “I Can Only Imagine” sung under a bridge—then hearing the same man cuss out loud
• Families living together homeless under the radar for years
• Why nothing makes sense out here—and why I keep showing up
• God’s presence in the madness, and how He meets me more than I meet others

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Back in the car, decompressing after outreach

01:45 – Cliff’s story: overdose, resurrection, scripture, and a dirt-floor sermon

03:40 – The paradox: gospel in one breath, blasphemy in the next

05:10 – William’s update and the weight of guilt, drugs, and fatherhood

07:15 – The streets don’t make sense: brilliance, brokenness, and everything between

10:00 – Why I go: not to be a savior, but because Jesus compels me

12:00 – “What you did for the least of these, you did for Me"

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

• Matthew 25:35–40 – “Whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for Me”

🧠 Core Takeaway:

Jesus meets you in the camps, in the chaos, and in the dirt—often more than you meet Him in comfort.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #44f — I show up to serve, but every time, God ends up serving me more.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 44e

Title: You Just Never Know What They’ve Seen

Description:

It’s my third week in a row doing homeless outreach, and today I met William—who jumped off a four-story parking garage twice while on drugs and survived. We prayed together, and I’m hoping to help him get into the Salvation Army house in Norwood next week. I also ran into Kevin again, who’s now told me he’s seen 27 people die in front of him. This is a short one, but I needed to document it—to remind all of us what people out here are carrying.

I talk about:

• William’s story of jumping off a garage twice and surviving
• Our prayer together and plans for him to enter rehab
• Running into Kevin again and hearing more of his trauma
• The horrific things these men have seen—suicide, murder, addiction
• Why homeless ministry is unpredictable and essential
• A reminder that you just never know what someone’s been through

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Homeless outreach: week three, and today was heavy

00:40 – William’s survival story and prayer for a future

01:25 – Kevin’s story: 27 deaths, friends lost to suicide and violence

02:15 – “You see why they’re on drugs. You see why they’re broken.”

03:00 – Compassion for the overlooked and wounded on the streets

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

(None quoted or referenced)

🧠 Core Takeaway:

You have no idea what people—especially the homeless—have seen. Show compassion.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #44e — You just never know what they’ve been through out here, man.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 44d

Title: We See You, Working Man

Description:

This one’s short and from the heart. I was listening to “Working Man” by Larry Fleet, and it took me back to a moment a year and a half ago when my sister gave me that song’s lyrics in a frame—and I broke down in the car. I share what I was going through then: the exhaustion, the early mornings, the secret addiction, and the crushing pressure of providing. If you’re carrying more than you think you can bear, this one’s for you.

I talk about:

• Crying over the lyrics to “Working Man” when I needed it most
• The pressure of 4 a.m. mornings, three kids, and a high-stakes job
• Secretly coping with stress through weed edibles while undiagnosed with ADHD
• Why I keep that framed lyric as a reminder of how far God’s brought me
• A word of encouragement to men grinding in silence
• Why your effort isn’t in vain, even when it feels invisible

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – “I don’t know who needs to hear this…”

00:40 – Larry Fleet’s lyrics hit me hard in the passenger seat

02:15 – Hidden addiction, undiagnosed ADHD, and nonstop pressure

04:00 – “You’re not alone. You’re seen. And it does get better.”

05:10 – A call to keep going—and go listen to the song “Working Man”

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

(None quoted or referenced)

🧠 Core Takeaway:

Even if no one sees what you’re carrying—God does. And it’s not in vain.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #44d — If you’re worn to the bone and still showing up, we see you.

🎙️ Crumb Confessional — Episode 44c

Title: The Beauty We Just Heard Solved Everything

Description:

It’s 12:54 p.m. on June 21st. Krystal and I are walking the grounds of Magnolia Plantation, right after the gospel concert you’ll hear in the next episode. This short reflection captures what we were feeling in real time—how art, suffering, history, and beauty collided into something holy. Krystal joins me for a rare recorded moment, and what she shares about spiritual longing and beauty hit me deep.

I talk about:

• The moment the gospel singer mentioned Sierra Leone right after we did
• Crying for 40 minutes straight during the concert
• Why this moment reminded me of how much fighting we carry
• Krystal’s reflection on creativity, beauty, and spiritual longing
• The undeniable witness of enslaved people singing to God
• How music from suffering still preaches the gospel

💡 Highlights & Timestamps:

00:00 – Recording in the woods, post-concert, raw and unscripted

00:35 – The Sierra Leone connection that made the moment feel sacred

01:20 – “Why are we fighting again?” – tears and healing through harmony

02:10 – Krystal: “The answer to all suffering is beauty, creativity, and connection to God”

03:00 – A short, simple close to a moment we’ll never forget

📖 Scriptures Referenced:

(None quoted directly, but themes echo deep biblical truths)

🧠 Core Takeaway:

When voices cry out from the soil of suffering and still sing to God, it proves His presence.

🙏 Closing Line:

Crumb Confessional #44c — What we just heard solved all of it: the ache, the need, the war inside.