For this special Fourth of July episode of High Questions, Sober Answers, I take a moment to celebrate America's 250th birthday. Anniversaries give us an opportunity to pause, reflect, and appreciate the generations that came before us, the freedoms we enjoy today, and the responsibility we share in shaping the future.

Whether your reflections are centered on history, family, service, or simply gratitude, I hope this Independence Day offers a chance to appreciate how far we've come while remembering that every generation contributes a new chapter to the American story.

Happy 250th Birthday, America—and Happy Fourth of July!

In the first episode of a new series, I begin exploring the life of young George Washington by going back to the historical record. Over the years, stories have been told about Washington surviving battle under extraordinary circumstances and receiving a remarkable prophecy from a Native American chief. But what evidence actually exists, and what do the original sources say?

Rather than relying on retellings, this series follows the documents themselves. In this episode, I begin examining the historical record surrounding Washington's early military experiences and the accounts that have shaped these enduring stories.

Primary sources discussed in this episode:

• George Washington's letter to John Augustine:
Founders Online – Letter to John Augustine Washington (18 July 1755)

• Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington (full text):
Internet Archive – Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington

In this episode of High Questions, Sober Answers, I again step away from the big questions and simply talk about someone who has shaped my life more than anyone else—my dad.

This isn't a story about perfect parenting. It's a collection of memories, lessons, sacrifices, and moments that have stayed with me over the years. I wanted to put them all in one place, not because there was a special occasion, but because sometimes the people we love deserve to hear what they've meant to us while we still have the chance to tell them.

This episode is my way of saying thank you—to a father who has been there through every stage of my life and whose love, guidance, and example continue to shape the person I'm becoming.

In this episode of High Questions, Sober Answers, I take a break from the bigger philosophical questions and tell a few stories about one of the more unpredictable parts of adult life—bad bosses. Looking back, some of these experiences are unbelievable, some are completely inappropriate, and somehow... many of them are actually funny now.

From awkward encounters to moments that crossed professional boundaries, I share stories that remind me just how strange the workplace can be. While the experiences themselves weren't always humorous at the time, enough years have passed that I can finally laugh at them—and hopefully you'll laugh with me.

In this episode of The Problem With Death, I share my experience with loss and how different it was from everything I thought grief was supposed to look like. No one could have prepared me for it because there was no way to know it was coming, no way to predict how I would respond, and no roadmap for what followed.

In this episode, I reflect on the difference between what we're told to expect and what we actually experience when someone we love is gone. This isn't a guide to grief or an attempt to explain it. It's simply an honest conversation about loss, the uncertainty that comes with it, and how sometimes the hardest part is discovering that your own reaction is unlike anything you imagined.

In the final episode of The Problem With the Supernatural, I talk about the gods of culture, the challenge of navigating a world where faith and culture often pull in different directions, and why discernment matters now more than ever.

I also share how loss has shaped my faith, why the gospel remains at the center of my life, and what my relationship with Christ has taught me through seasons of uncertainty. As with every series, I don't end with all the answers—but I do leave with a clearer understanding of what anchors me as I move on to the next question.

In the first episode of The Problem With the Supernatural, I share a personal supernatural experience and talk about why these kinds of stories can be so difficult to navigate. Some experiences stay with us because they challenge the way we understand the world around us, and the older I get, the more I realize that the experience itself is often only the beginning of the story.

In this episode, I share what happened, discuss a few stories that have shaped the way I think about the supernatural, and explore the importance of wisdom and discernment when trying to make sense of experiences that don't fit neatly into our everyday understanding of reality.

In the final episode of The Problem With Being Young, I share a few final stories and reflect on the lessons that emerged throughout this series. Looking back, many of the situations I found myself in seemed normal at the time. What I didn't realize was how much risk can hide behind ordinary decisions, familiar people, and situations that initially appear harmless.

This episode concludes with a story that changed the way I look at several experiences from my younger years and reinforced one of the central themes of this series: being young isn't dangerous because young people are careless. It's dangerous because experience often arrives after the moment when it would have been most useful. If these situations happened to me, they can happen to other people too. My hope is that these stories encourage listeners to trust their instincts, establish boundaries, ask questions, recognize risks, AND PRAY OFTEN before they become consequences. I hope these stories are helpful. They weren't easy for me to share.