Freedom is one of the most misunderstood words in the Christian life, and Galatians 5 refuses to let us redefine it. We open with Paul’s sharp claim that Christ sets us free for freedom, then we draw a hard line between the gospel of Jesus Christ and any message that sneaks in faith plus works. Salvation is by faith in Christ alone, but that same grace never turns into a hall pass for sin. Real freedom means sin no longer owns you, and one day it will not even be present.

From there we sit with Paul’s list of the works of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, jealousy, rage, envy, drunkenness, and more. We talk about what the warning actually means, not that there’s a random unforgivable sin, but that a life surrendered to the flesh contradicts the claim that Jesus is Lord. There’s a difference between a believer who battles sin and a person who makes peace with it. You can’t say, “I do whatever I want,” and still call Christ your King.

We also press into the danger of treating sin like a pet you can tame. The gospel takes sin so seriously that Jesus goes to the cross to pay for it, fully and finally. With John Owen’s words ringing in our ears, we ask the practical question: what do you need to put away today? If there’s any work of the flesh out of alignment with the gospel, bring it to the cross and put it to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a five-star rating and review so more men get equipped for the fight.

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Are you living like every day counts in your life or are you passively surviving the ups and downs of life? Check out David Pollack’s latest book, Every Day Counts: Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.

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Identity can feel like a moving target. One day you feel confident, the next day a comment, a look, or a rough moment in the mirror rewrites the whole story. We get honest about why that happens and why building self-worth on other people’s opinions or our own shifting emotions turns life into a roller coaster.

We walk through a more durable path: letting God define who we are. That single change answers the deeper question underneath anxiety, comparison, and people-pleasing: whose voice has the right to name you? We talk through what it means to live as a “saint who sins,” and why your design is not an accident you need to explain away, but purpose you can step into with confidence and humility.

We anchor it all in Scripture that speaks directly to Christian identity and spiritual security: Romans 8:17 on being heirs with Christ, Ephesians 2:10 on being God’s workmanship created for good works, Colossians 3:12 on being chosen and dearly loved, and 1 John 3:1 on the fact that we are children of God. If you’ve been stuck in self-doubt, approval-chasing, or shame-driven self-talk, this is a short listen with a clear reset.

Subscribe for more, share this with a man who needs steadier ground, and leave a five-star rating and review so more men can get equipped for the fight.

Support the show

Want to connect? Email communication@coe22.com

Are you living like every day counts in your life or are you passively surviving the ups and downs of life? Check out David Pollack’s latest book, Every Day Counts: Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.

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Prayer can feel powerful one day and painfully flat the next, especially when it turns into a rushed list of requests. We talk honestly about that transactional pattern and what changes when we build real rhythms that help us connect with God and actually listen. The aim is simple: create space for stillness so prayer becomes a relationship, not a spiritual drive-through.

We share a practical morning prayer habit built around carving out a consistent, nonnegotiable block of time and using an easy framework called the Three R’s: Reflect, Repent, and Repurpose. Reflect pulls God into what happened yesterday through gratitude. Repent names where we fell short and asks God to reshape our hearts. Repurpose invites God into today’s schedule, relationships, and conversations, asking for the right words and the kind of wisdom Scripture promises to give. If prayer has felt boring, repetitive, or hard to sustain, this structure adds clarity without turning it into a script.

We also ground the conversation in key Bible verses about prayer and peace, including Philippians 4:6-7 on trading anxiety for God’s guarding peace, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 on praying continually with gratitude, Mark 11:24 on faith when we ask, and Hebrews 4:16 on bold access to the throne of grace. If you want a stronger Christian prayer life, a steadier daily spiritual rhythm, and a calmer mind in the middle of real responsibilities, press play. Then subscribe, share the podcast with a friend, and leave a five-star rating and review so more men can get equipped for the fight.

Support the show

Want to connect? Email communication@coe22.com

Are you living like every day counts in your life or are you passively surviving the ups and downs of life? Check out David Pollack’s latest book, Every Day Counts: Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.

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Sports gambling is no longer something “other people” do. It’s in your phone, in your feeds, and increasingly in the lives of teenagers and young men who are still learning impulse control, money habits, and identity. We dig into why sports betting has become one of the fastest-growing addictions in America and why that growth is not just a personal issue but a family and discipleship issue too.

I also share a real decision point: a chance to make serious money by taking a gambling site as a primary podcast sponsor. The first reaction is the one most of us recognize, trying to justify it as harmless or “not that big of a deal.” From there, we walk through a better path: bringing trusted friends into the conversation and testing the opportunity through a biblical lens rather than through profit, comfort, or comparison to worse sins.

Even though the Bible never gives a single verse that says “do not gamble,” it speaks clearly about the heart drivers that often sit underneath gambling addiction and sports betting culture: greed, coveting, the desire for more, and the illusion of quick provision. We look at Luke 12:15, Exodus 20:17, Philippians 2:3–4, and Hebrews 13:5 to talk about Christian stewardship, contentment, and what it means to love your neighbor when your win requires someone else’s loss. If you’ve been wondering how to build convictions in gray areas, this will give you a framework you can actually use.

If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a five-star rating and review so we can equip more men for the fight.

Support the show

Want to connect? Email communication@coe22.com

Are you living like every day counts in your life or are you passively surviving the ups and downs of life? Check out David Pollack’s latest book, Every Day Counts: Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.

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Some Bible verses sit quietly on the page until life hits hard enough to make them speak. David Pollack shares a personal, honest reflection on Mark 15:21, the moment Simon of Cyrene is forced to carry Jesus’ cross, and why that single sentence took on new meaning during his wife’s battle with brain cancer. If you’ve ever felt crushed by a burden you didn’t choose, this conversation names that reality without flinching.

We talk about what it’s like to carry a cross you didn’t earn, don’t deserve, and don’t want, and how faith looks when the nights get long and the pressure is repetitive. David highlights a detail many people miss: Simon is identified as the father of Alexander and Rufus, a reminder that our kids are watching how we suffer. What we live teaches louder than what we say, and resilience is often formed in the quiet, day-to-day choices of love, patience, and dependence on God.

We also get practical about showing up for others. When someone is in a life-changing crisis, “What can I do?” can be hard to answer, so we challenge you to stop asking and start doing: meals, groceries, cleaning, time, presence. This episode is for anyone searching for Christian encouragement, biblical perspective on suffering, and real-world ways to help a hurting family. If it strengthens you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a five-star rating and review so more men get equipped for the fight.

Support the show

Want to connect? Email communication@coe22.com

Are you living like every day counts in your life or are you passively surviving the ups and downs of life? Check out David Pollack’s latest book, Every Day Counts: Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.

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The Bible gets dismissed as “someone’s truth” all the time, but what if you treated it like a serious historical claim and a daily guide for real life? Guest host David Pollock steps in to share his story of growing up without faith, opening a Bible with honest questions, and discovering that Scripture can be examined, trusted, and lived. We dig into a simple comparison that reframes everything: you trust history books about presidents and nations, so what changes when you realize the Bible is also a record of events, written across many authors and generations, with a consistent message pointing to Jesus.

Then we get painfully practical. David talks about the trap of checking the box with Bible reading, knocking it out in the morning, and walking away unchanged. We unpack the difference between reading for information and reading for transformation, using key passages like 2 Timothy 3:16–17 and Psalm 119 to show why the Word of God is meant to train, correct, and light your path in the middle of real pressure.

Finally, one overlooked line in the David and Goliath account hits with fresh weight when you’re a parent. Saul’s question about David’s father becomes a challenge about legacy: who raises a giant killer, and what does it look like to raise kids who carry God’s Word in their hearts and speak it with courage? If this encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a five star rating and review so more men get equipped for the fight.

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We name the daily fight between the flesh and the Spirit and why sheer willpower cannot change what we want. We lay out a simple path to real spiritual growth by feeding the Spirit through habits and community that reshape desire.\n\n• Galatians 5 and the conflict between flesh and Spirit\n• Mortification and vivification as the pattern for change\n• Abiding in Christ from John 15 and the role of pruning\n• Why saying no to sin is not enough without stirred affections\n• Three essentials for walking by the Spirit: God’s Word, God’s presence, God’s people\n• Sermons and Bible study and trusting the Holy Spirit as the true teacher\n• Prayer as a consistent first response and worship as a corporate practice\n• Brotherhood, fellowship, and serving others as a safeguard against isolation\n• The “two dogs” story and the principle of feeding what you want to grow\n\nBefore you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review.

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We dig into Paul’s call to freedom and why maturity means refusing to use our rights as fuel for the flesh. We challenge how we handle conscience issues and how we treat other believers online so our love stays louder than our opinions.
• Christian freedom as a gift meant for service
• Maturity as asking whether freedom feeds the flesh
• Matters of conscience and different convictions
• Choosing to build others up with our words
• Drinking, self-control and refusing to harm a brother
• Love your neighbor as yourself as the core ethic
• Online biting and devouring as self-destruction
• Unity in Christ without demanding uniformity
• Identifying wolves while protecting wounded sheep
Before you go, if you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review.

Support the show

Want to connect? Email communication@coe22.com