The U.S. hockey team wins gold, but the celebration sparked bigger questions. Esau, Malcolm, and Mike discuss if America become the bully to the rest of the world? Also, Ben Sasse's public reflections on his terminal cancer diagnosis bring a different kind of clarity about faith, family, and what actually matters when time runs short. Then, with the passing of Jesse Jackson, we consider how to remember leaders who shaped history by honoring real progress without pretending perfection.

0:00 - Theme Song

2:10 - Parking Spot

5:36 - Canada Vs US Hockey

9:07 - Did David Become Goliath?

17:21 - Ben Sass and Facing Mortality

21:10 - Sponsor - Nazarene Theological Seminary - Looking for a program grounded in black theology? Check out the Doctor of Ministry in Black Leadership and Ministry at https://nts.edu/podcast

22:24 - Sponsor - With & For: Psychology and Spirituality for Thriving Podcast. Check it out now! https://pod.link/1712333330

25:44 - What's Worth Our Time?

35:42 - Jesse Jackson

50:34 - End Credits

Ash Wednesday forces us to acknowledge that some day we will die. For some, that truth is abstract. For others, it is painfully personal. Esau and Mike are joined by Hannah Miller King, author of Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness, to talk about what happens to faith when prayers for healing go unanswered. After losing her father to cancer as a teenager, Hannah began wrestling with a question many believers quietly carry: What does hope look like when God doesn't do what you asked? They explore the difference between a "transaction of goods" gospel and the communion of persons, the role of the Lord's Supper in shaping Christian imagination, and how Lent invites us to hold suffering and resurrection together. Also, can Hannah and Esau convince Mike to become anglican?

0:00 - Theme Song

1:19 - Making Mike Anglican

7:21 - King's New Book on Ash Wednesday

14:40 - The Book's Thesis

18:10 - Grief

26:07 - Community and Grief

39:22 - End Credits

Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness by Hannah Miller King: https://amzn.to/4aHAvgh

A video shared by Donald Trump depicting Barack and Michelle Obama with a racist trope sparked outrage, swift defenses, and eventually, quiet deletion. Esau, Malcolm, and Mike explore the long history of dehumanizing imagery, the theological weight of the image of God, and why the refusal to repent may matter more than the original post. Then the conversation turns to rhetoric at the National Prayer Breakfast and the danger of blending national power with the language of the gospel. What does it mean to follow a crucified king in an age that prizes dominance?

0:00 - Theme Song

2:00 - Can You Beat Middle Schoolers at Basketball?

6:56 - Trump's Racist Obama Video

24:23 - Sponsor - With & For: Psychology and Spirituality for Thriving Podcast. Check it out now! https://pod.link/1712333330

25:26 - The Military and Religion

35:27 - What's Part of the Gospel?

46:00 - End Credits