Welcome back to Echoes Unfiltered. Real talk. Raw faith. Stay unfiltered.

In this episode, I sit down with Matt Thornton, who spent years serving as a police officer in Illinois before a simple encounter changed everything. That moment became a turning point, leading him to start My Father’s Business — a ministry reaching at-risk youth and changing lives every week.

Matt shares his journey from the pressures of policing, to crisis, to Christ, and how obedience to Jesus can have a generational effect.

📖 You can read more of Matt’s story in his book Cop in Crisis to Cop in Christ.

🎙️ Echoes Unfiltered – Real Talk. Raw Faith. Stay Unfiltered.

Suicide is stealing too many lives — veterans, police officers, first responders, and everyday sons and daughters. The numbers are heavy, but the truth is stronger: hope is real, and your life is worth living.

In this Echo Short, Sam speaks bluntly about Jesus, the lies of despair, and a simple 3–2–1 Hope Plan to encourage yourself and reach someone else before it’s too late.

🔹 Straight talk on suicide and faith
🔹 Encouragement for anyone fighting unseen battles
🔹 A challenge to echo hope into someone’s darkness
🔹 Special guest Thornton joins us this Saturday to continue this vital conversation

👉 Please subscribe, like, and share this with someone who needs encouragement today.
👉 Want to dig deeper into Sam’s story? Check out his book Echoes From the Sandbox — available now on Amazon.

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, Sam sits down with fellow veteran Reinke, who served in the same platoon during their deployment to Ramadi. Reinke shares reflections from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the challenges of training Afghan troops and how those experiences shaped his view of leadership, brotherhood, and resilience.

Together they explore the differences between the two wars, the importance of trust in combat, and what life has looked like after service. This candid conversation sheds light on the shared struggles and lessons carried home from deployment.

“Follow Echoes Unfiltered for more real conversations on faith, freedom, and finding purpose beyond the uniform.”

It’s October 1st—a new month, a new season, and a new reminder that God’s mercies are fresh every single morning. In this Echo Short, Sam Stratton challenges you to let go of old shame, embrace healing from trauma, and step boldly into who God has called you to be.

You’re not the victim anymore. You’re the survivor. You’re the testimony.

🔹 Please subscribe, like, and share this with someone who needs encouragement today.
🔹 Want to dig deeper into Sam’s journey? Grab his book Echoes From the Sandbox, available now on Amazon.

Real talk, raw faith, stay unfiltered. God bless.

This is the hardest and most important episode I’ve ever recorded. For over 40 years I carried the weight of childhood abuse in silence. It shaped me, distorted how I saw love, and left me living with shame. But today, I can finally say: I am free.

In this raw, unedited conversation, I share my story — from an innocent childhood, through the confusion and pain of abuse, to the years of hiding, and finally to the freedom I’ve found in Jesus.

If you’ve ever carried secrets like these, hear me clearly: you are not alone. There is healing. There is hope. And there is freedom.

Real talk. Raw faith. Stay unfiltered.

BONUS Midweek encouragement to remind you that no matter what you’re carrying — fear, shame, regret, or silence — you are not alone.

God sees you, He cares for you, and He never meant for you to carry the weight by yourself. Don’t let the enemy isolate you. Lean on Jesus, lean on the people He’s placed in your life, and hold on to hope.

This Saturday, I’ll be releasing the hardest and most personal episode I’ve ever recorded: Breaking the Silence: My Story of Abuse and Freedom. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s full of hope.

Real talk. Raw faith. Stay unfiltered.

In this episode of Echoes Unfiltered, Sam sits down with his brother from Ramadi, Justen Riley. Together they revisit the buildup to Iraq, life inside the squad, and the moments that shaped them both on and off the battlefield. Riley opens up about the day Corporal Shannon was killed while he was in the RG, sharing raw memories of loss, resilience, and the bond that never breaks.

Real stories. Real healing. Real brotherhood.

If you’d like to dig deeper into Iraq and hear more of these stories, check out Sam Stratton’s book Echoes from the Sandbox — available now on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and deluxe color editions:

https://a.co/d/1wWlj4o

We all wear masks — at work, at home, even with God. Masks of strength, of “I’m fine,” of silence. But the truth is, the mask won’t heal you. It just keeps you stuck in cycles of guilt and isolation.

In this Echo Short, I share what it looked like in my own life when pornography and secrecy became that mask — and how dropping it brought freedom, healing, and connection.

If you’ve been hiding behind your own mask, there’s hope. Freedom is possible. And it starts with honesty, prayer, and one safe step into the light.

📖 Grab my book Echoes from the Sandbox on Amazon → https://a.co/d/dtZM9Ig
✍️ Signed copy → Venmo @Sam-Stratton-5

Echo Shorts drop every Wednesday. Full conversations every Saturday.

Real Talk. Raw Faith. Stay Unfiltered.