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What happens when success, hustle, and constant work stop bringing fulfillment? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I talk with marketing strategist and entrepreneur Carlos Hidalgo about business growth, faith, burnout, and the hidden cost of hustle culture. Carlos shares his journey from corporate marketing leader to founder of Digital Exhaust, along with lessons from his book The UnAmerican Dream about work addiction, burnout, and redefining success. Their conversation explores why growth does not need to be complicated, why storytelling builds trust in business, and why boundaries matter more than work life balance. Carlos also opens up about faith, failure, relationships, and the power of honest conversations. You will hear practical insights on leadership, personal growth, community, and building a life that is both successful and meaningful. Highlights: ·  06:04 – Carlos explains how his faith became a personal relationship. ·  17:32 – Why he left corporate work to start his own business. ·  25:40 – His approach to making business growth simple. ·  30:17 – How hustle culture often leads to burnout. ·  42:29 – Why boundaries matter more than work life balance. ·  54:33 – Why real community helps solve loneliness. Top of Form Bottom of Form About the Guest: Carlos Hidalgo is the co-founder and CEO of Digital Exhaust, a growth partner that helps clients make growth simple. Carlos serves his clients as an advisor, consultant, and teacher to ensure they have meaningful engagement with their customers at every stage of the journey and are able to mature and create sustainable growth. Carlos has 30 years of experience working with organizations of all sizes as an advisor, consultant, innovator, and growth expert. He is widely recognized for his expertise in demand generation, marketing, sales, and customer experience and for coaching executives in the areas of leadership and managing change. In addition to his work with his clients, Carlos has won numerous marketing awards and been named to several prestigious industry lists as a marketing leader. Carlos is also the author of Driving Demand, which is ranked as a top 5 marketing book of all time by Book Authority, and The UnAmerican Dream, which was released in 2019. In addition to books, Carlos is a well-known international keynote and TEDx speaker. You can follow Carlos on LinkedIn or on Twitter @cahidalgo Ways to connect with Scott**:** LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosahidalgo/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CHidalgoJr Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cahidalgo_ Twitter/X: https://x.com/cahidalgo About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Well, hi and welcome once again to an episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, our guest is Carlos Hidalgo. Carlos has many facets about him. He's a speaker. He deals with growth and growth management and with his company. He tries to make growth simple for the people who are his clients. I'm interested in learning about that, but he does other things as well. He is also involved with his wife and marriage counseling, which is a little bit different than the one I think I find a lot of people to do. So I think we got lots to talk about. So, Carlos, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're here. Carlos Hidalgo  01:59 Thank you for having me. Michael, it's an absolute pleasure. Well, let's Michael Hingson  02:03 start with the early Carlos, why don't you tell us about you growing up and all that sort of thing, and where you came from, where you're headed, or whatever. Carlos Hidalgo  02:14 Sure, I was born one of six children. I was the youngest for about four years, and then my my parents had two more. So I am smack dab in the middle of middle six siblings. Was born in New Jersey, but call where I'm at now home, which is a little town in the Adirondack Mountains. And the reason I call it home, I started coming to camp here when I was five years old. Fell in love with the area, and then my father, in 1983 moved us up here when I was 12, and fell more in love with it. And that lasted for four years. And then my junior of high school, or right after my sophomore year, was told, Hey, we're we're moving I was 16, I was pretty pissed off at the prospect of leaving a place I loved, so I had engineered a plan to stay through my junior and senior high school, which in my mind, made perfect sense in my parents' mind, and for reasons now I understand, because I'm a parent, did not make so much sense, but I came back as often as I could, and then my wife and I moved here back full time in 2021 we also lived here in the 90s for two years, had our first son here so but grew up really charmed childhood was my dad was in advertising, so we got tickets to Great sporting events. We had horses that I took care of, along with some of my siblings, developed a love of the outdoors, which I still hold, which is one of the many benefits of living up here again. And so, yeah, pretty, pretty much, early childhood was, you know, be outside as much as I can run around school work wasn't my strong suit, but I muddled through and I Michael Hingson  04:04 made it. Where in New Jersey were you born? Carlos Hidalgo  04:07 Was born in a little town called Randolph in northern jersey. Spent most of our time in a place called blairis town. Their claim to fame as a prep school called Blair Academy, which I believe is still there. And then, I believe it was the original Friday the 13th was filmed. Part of it was filmed in Blairstown. Yeah, yeah. So I'm dating myself just a little bit. Michael Hingson  04:32 Well, we lived in Westfield for six years, so kind of know, New Jersey, but yeah, while we were back there, my wife always wanted to move back to California. She's a native. I was born in Chicago. She wouldn't let me call myself a native, even though we moved to California when I was five. But yeah, it's okay. Carlos Hidalgo  04:50 Sure, yeah, people get a little touchy about the term native or local and how it's defined, right? Michael Hingson  04:55 Oh, yeah, it varies all around the country, but there's. Nothing. You can't say anything bad about Chicago. They have Garrett Popcorn there. If you've never had it, next time we go through O'Hare Airport, you should get some Garrett Popcorn. Carlos Hidalgo  05:09 Okay, I will do that absolutely. Michael Hingson  05:12 Take a memo. Get Garrett Popcorn. It's it's really good stuff. Well, so what did you do for college? Or did you? Carlos Hidalgo  05:21 Yeah, I went to my first year, I went to a school called Word of Life Bible Institute. So it's a one year intensive program, study of the Bible actually here, not far from, literally eight miles down the road here, from where I live now. And at that point, it was really just an excuse to get back to the Adirondacks for a year, but I learned a whole lot. Met some incredible people, some of who I'm still very, very close with today. And then from there, I transferred to Cedarville University in Ohio. At the time I went there, we were about 2500 students. I think today they're closer to 7500 but I met my wife there, which was that, in and of itself, the three years of tuition that I paid as I transferred in, but study Business Communication, again, I wasn't a great student. What I realized is, if it was the things that I really loved to participate in, it was awesome. I had a really great time studying communication and language and how we speak. I was two years on the debate team, which was such a great education in and of itself. But everything else I didn't really love. I just the general ed stuff. I kind of thought, well, if I can skate by and, you know, get that, get the passing the credits. So that's really how I want about it. And the reality is, the way things are taught today, I'm a very visual and hands on learner, and so to sit in a classroom and try to take notes and go through theory and things like that just makes my brain hurt a little bit. So I but I but I finished. I got the degree and made some great friendships in the process. Michael Hingson  07:04 Well and clearly, based on what you did for your first year, you have a Christian orientation, or definitely a god orientation as well. Carlos Hidalgo  07:15 Yeah, that's that's really my operating system. Michael, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I base my life on it. I spend time in it each and every day. And so what's interesting in that regard is, yes, I went to the Bible Institute. So while I had a lot of head knowledge about the Bible and God and Jesus and all these things, it's really been in the last 10 years that I would say I had a deep, meaningful relationship with them, and that came as from a lot of experience in my life, a lot of dark, dark moments in my life that were self induced, unfortunately. But really, what it's done for me is it's just radicalized who I am, changed my heart. And so it's gone from a having a head knowledge of it to a real experience and an engagement with Christ through His Word and through prayer. Michael Hingson  08:11 Yeah, head knowledge is is a fine thing as far as it goes, but there's nothing like personally experience coming closer to whatever it is, including dealing with believing in God and really recognizing what what God brings. And my last book that I wrote that was published last year, called Live like a guide dog, true stories from a blind man and his dogs about being brave, overcoming adversity and moving forward in faith very much deals with with a lot of that, the whole concept of the value and the power of personal knowledge, as opposed to just head knowledge. I talk about the World Trade Center a lot in that book, specifically in terms of what I learned and how I developed a mindset to be able to control fear, rather than letting it be the thing that overwhelmed me or overwhelms anyone and and I've had a couple people on this podcast who talk about it, and they say the same sort of thing that you did. It's not about knowledge that you sort of intellectually know. It's what you really know. So people, for example, in evacuating the World Trade Center, would look at signs, and they would follow those and a lot of people were able to do that, but that's still not knowing that is really relying on something else that you may or may not really have access to. So True Knowledge is the only way to go Carlos Hidalgo  09:38 100% and I find that I gather that through experience, yeah. And so the example I use is, if you ask me about my wife, you know, do you know Suzanne? I would say, Oh, yeah. You know, blonde hair, blue eyes, about five, five. Funny, smart. I could tell you all the different facts, but there's a big difference when you sit and you get to experience being with her, seeing. Her, how she interacts with people, how she treats others, all of those things. Take that knowledge and actually make an experience an experience, yeah. And so that's been the difference for me, as it regard, in my relationship with Jesus Christ, yeah, well, Michael Hingson  10:14 and Suzanne, so that's good. Carlos Hidalgo  10:17 Well, so absolutely, 31 years and we're still going. There you go. Michael Hingson  10:21 Well, keep going. That's that's cool. That's great to have that kind of a relationship. It's all too often we don't see a lot of that in marriage, and just people get married without knowing and that leads to all sorts of potential challenges. So it's good to really get to know someone Carlos Hidalgo  10:41 absolutely, yeah, I'm still, still learning, still studying her and learning all I can, after 31 Michael Hingson  10:46 years, and she is too Yes, she is. Carlos Hidalgo  10:49 She does a phenomenal job. Michael Hingson  10:52 So what did you do after college? Carlos Hidalgo  10:56 After college, I actually moved back up here, where I'm at now. Worked for two years for Word of Life, the same group that ran the Bible Institute. So then, actually, unbeknownst to me, i My heart was really at that point, I wanted to go into law enforcement. My father in law was an FBI agent for 30 years. I'd always been intrigued by law enforcement, so I thought going into and getting a job for a few years, cutting my teeth while I filled out a resume. So started working in the office of donor development or advancement, and that was the first time I really started to get any exposure to anything formal, marketing wise. In the meantime, applied to the FBI, never went anywhere. Ended up applying again, never went anywhere at that point. Then we moved to we left here after two years of marriage and having one child. We moved to Michigan for a brief time, and then we went back to down to from Michigan. We went to Dallas, where we lived for 13 years, and I worked while I was still trying to get into law enforcement. I kept getting marketing jobs and companies. So eventually I gave up the dream of law enforcement and just followed what's unfolding and had a pretty good career in two software companies as a director of marketing to cut my teeth and learn what global business was all about do a lot of travel, which helped me career wise wasn't so great home wise or parent wise when you're away from your kids, but it's been my career for 30 plus years. I've had a heck of a career doing it and very grateful for it, but I still still get intrigued at the whole concept of law enforcement, but I'm afraid I'm a little too old at this point to start down that path. Michael Hingson  12:47 How come you kept not getting anywhere with it? Carlos Hidalgo  12:51 Well, I did get to a point where the FBI I took a test when we lived in Dallas, and just they called after said I had scored well, which made me chuckle, thinking back to my college days of test taking, but and then they said, Hey, do you speak Spanish, which I do not, despite my name, which is very Spanish, Carlo. And they said, Okay, well, we'll keep your we'll keep your application on file. Let you know if anything changes. And that was the last I heard. So at that point, I just thought, okay, I can keep pushing this and trying. But again, as things started to unfold in the software world, the jobs that I had took care of my family. They provided well for us. They gave me opportunities to learn new things, try new things, opportunity to, like I said, international business, which I never done before. So at that point, I just thought, you know, I'm kind of seven, eight years into this thing. What does this look like going forward? And then are we going to have to just hit reset in all facets of our lives, financially, where our kids are settled, for me to go into law enforcement. So I abandoned it, and I'm okay with that. I think it would have been a phenomenal career. I would have loved it, like I said. I'm still intrigued by it, I still have great respect for it, but it just wasn't in the cards for me, and I'm okay with that. I think sometimes the way we grow is through the death of a dream. Michael Hingson  14:21 Yeah, I know I've always been intrigued by law and law enforcement, and I know that they're never going to hire me, and now they won't, right, but, but they wouldn't hire me, but I took, actually, some courses in college dealing with police and other things like that, because I was, and still am fascinated by it, and I have a great respect for the law. And I I admire good lawyers who are knowledgeable, who really are in it to deal with the law. And you can tell those from the typical ambulance type chaser who manipulates, but, but. I really appreciate the law. I in my life have had the opportunity to be involved with some efforts of the National Federation of the Blind, where we've gone several times to Washington to meet with congressional types. And so I've met some interesting people, met Ted Kennedy, met Tip O'Neill when he was still speaker, Senator Saugus from Massachusetts and others, and found and through them, got to meet some people who were truly committed to what they were doing. They weren't in it for the power. They were in it to try to really help the country and help their individual constituencies in their states and so on. It's a lot of fun. Carlos Hidalgo  15:47 Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure it was, I that's quite a roster of people you've been able to engage with, and I'm sure, no doubt, influence well. Michael Hingson  15:57 And we were there to talk about legislation that we needed. But I'll never forget first time we went in and we met Paul Tsongas. We talked about what we wanted to talk about, and he said, Well, it's the end of the day. What are you guys doing now? And we said, well, we're just going to go back to the hotel. And he said, You got a few minutes talk to you about Massachusetts. Well, we ended up staying for two hours. It was a lot of fun. Carlos Hidalgo  16:19 Wow, yeah, that is a lot of fun. I had an opportunity a number of years ago to do a tour of the West Wing, which was just phenomenal. So when you get, when you get those opportunities, I don't care what side of the aisle you may sit on or are partial to, the answer is yes, take it, because you learn a whole lot, and it's it gives you a whole new appreciation for our country. Michael Hingson  16:40 Well, 20 years ago, I was invited to come back and meet George W Bush because a congressman I had met was fascinated by my story and the story of my guide dog, Roselle, and he arranged for us to meet George W and we went back. It was supposed to be a brief, like two minute just photo op. This ended up being like a 15 minute conversation, and then it was a lot of fun. And I hope that we inspired him some, and we made a difference. And, you know, that's always a good thing. Carlos Hidalgo  17:13 Yeah, at the end of the day, right there people just like us. They are, I think the and I've heard that a lot about George W is his investment in people where he knew his you know, everybody in the staff that he knew their names, he knew about their families. So it doesn't surprise me that a two minute Meet and Greet was extended a little bit. Michael Hingson  17:34 We kept the Italian Prime Minister waiting while we finished our conversation, as it turns out, that's fine, Carlos Hidalgo  17:42 but it was good. There you go. There's your there, there's your the two truth and the lie icebreaker that they have. You do sometimes. There's, you can work that in, Michael Hingson  17:49 I could work that in, yeah, that would be, yeah, I should do that. Well, it was, but it was, it was, it was very enjoyable to be able to do that. Well. So now, so when did you start your own company? That's been a little while, at least. Carlos Hidalgo  18:04 Yeah, I started my first company that I started, I co founded with my brother. In 2005 I was working at the software company, and I just, I started to just have an edge of, you know, I should start something. I don't know what that looks like. And I remember one time just talking to my wife, and I said, I don't want to be 7580 years old. And think, what if, yeah, and my wife is very practical. And she said, Okay, so go for it, and if it doesn't work, just go get another job. And when she broke it down like that, I just thought, wow. Okay, she, I think she believes in me more than I do. So in 2005 I left the software company and we started a agency. And really, at that point for me, the Yes, I wanted to start my own company and see if I could do it. But the the big driving factor was my at that point, I we had four children, so we have four, and they were all pretty small, and I was traveling all over the country, and I didn't want to miss their childhood. And I remember coming home from trips and hearing conversations or seeing things that that I wasn't a part of, and I thought this, this isn't right. I need to be here. I need to be home. So I went to the software company, asked them what they thought they became my first client, and I did that for from 2005 to just early 2017 when I resigned my position as CEO there just to get my life back and kind of hit the reset button again, but this time, I meant it, so I left, and they're still going. But that was my first foray into entrepreneurship, and I just kept doing it since I started another consultancy, and now this is my third one, and also been part of about two to three other companies that. We launched, but never made it. So I enjoy the whole process. I love it, but, yeah, it's, I don't know. I mean, I will never say never, but the idea of not working for myself seems rather foreign to me. Michael Hingson  20:16 So the first company you had for 12 years, what did that do? Carlos Hidalgo  20:21 We were a mark. Marketing Yeah, we were a marketing services company. So we worked with business to business companies to help them in their demand generation, acquiring new customers and also customer growth. So that's really where a lot of my career has been sent, centered right, helping companies design them strategies, everything from content to technology to developing personas and putting together strategies on how to reach them when they're looking for something to buy that that client offers. Michael Hingson  20:52 Okay, well, that makes sense and certainly a worthy thing to do. So, when did you form your current company, digital exhaust, which is a very clever name, you'll have to tell me about that. Carlos Hidalgo  21:04 Oh yeah, there's a little bit of a story behind that. So I was working in 2022 early 2022 I had an offer to go be the Chief Revenue Officer of another agency, which I my wife and I talked about it, we prayed about it, and I had a really, really close friend of mine who was their chief strategy officer at the time, so the ability to work with him, stay in the industry and work with some really good clients, I jumped at, so I took that role over that role lasted eight months. I won't get into all those details of why? Never, never, really did get a clear answer. The answer I was given, not exactly. The numbers didn't the number. I'll just say the numbers proved otherwise. All that said that came to an end in 2023 I believe. Yeah, yeah, 2023 and so February, 23 so at that point, I was like, Okay, well, what do I do? I can try to go get a job, which I did. Nobody was really interested in, you know, early 50s, guy coming in. So, you know, did the interview thing. And then I just thought, Well, why don't, why don't I just bet on myself again and go for it. So at that point, the my friend who was the chief strategy officer, he had also left, so he and I started talking and thought, why don't we just do this together? You know, services he loves to implement, I love to sell. Let's just see if we can make a run at this. So here we are now. It'll be four years in or three years, I guess, in February or April of 26 and we're still alive to talk about it. And so that's how it came to be. It was really just, I've done this before. There's no security, no more security. I believe in working for somebody else than working for yourself. So bet on yourself and put out your shingle and see what you can make happen. Michael Hingson  23:06 Where did the name digital exhaust come from? That's a clever name. Carlos Hidalgo  23:10 Oh, thank you. We were, we were batting around so many different names, and we just had a thing, I think we had a running Google Sheet, like, let's just throw names up there. And then I was listening to a recording of a vendor that we had done work with in our early days, and he was talking about how you can track the digital movements of someone. And he said, You know, so basically, you know, they're leaving behind their digital exhaust. And he used the term twice. So I called my then partner, Tracy, and I said, Hey, what do you think about the name digital exhaust as a company? And he was like, Oh, I love it. So I said, Well, before we that, we have to call Dan and see if he would be okay. So I did some looking, you know, the whole trademark search, and when I told our partner about it. He said, Oh my word, I love it. He said, Never, never even thought that that could be a name, but if you guys want it, go for it. So we took it and it is, it's, it's, we think it's pretty unique, and it also describes a lot of what we do with customer data to get an understanding of how do you engage with them, where are they, and how are they going to interact with you and your brand? How so well. Again, he was right. I can look at your digital footprint or your digital behavior. I can see what sites you've visited, what web pages you visited, how much time you spend on a product piece, how much content you engage so I can look at all of that behind the scenes. Start to score that if you're an account that I want to go after, or if I'm a lead based sale, that gives me a lot of intelligence on what you're interested in. And then there's ways to kind of, from a insight perspective, determine where you are in that journey, whether it's your four. First time as a purchase, you're a current customer and you're interested in purchasing something else. So it gives us a lot of insight into that, so that I can message you or I also know when should sales place a phone call to you and start that conversation. So that's why we use the term digital exhaust, because, again, it's a lot of what we do and how we use our customer data. Michael Hingson  25:20 Several years ago, I watched a 60 Minutes program, gosh, I don't know it's actually a number of years ago. And one of the segments there was a guy who was on he was a private detective, and what he said was, I can tell more about you than most anyone else can simply by looking at your trash. And in fact, I can't remember if it was Mike Wallace or not. Who was the interviewer, but they went on investigated some trash cans and and this guy could just tell you so much about your entire life just by looking at what was in the trash can. It was really pretty amazing and and I don't mean that in any way as a negative thing, but it's very clever that people have that insight. So I appreciate what you're saying about digital exhaust. It makes perfect sense. Carlos Hidalgo  26:17 Well, good. I'm glad it does. It means we've hit the mark. I'm not I will say this. I'm not going to go through my customers trash, but I am not surprised that if you did how much you could learn about somebody, 100% but Michael Hingson  26:30 you do look at their their digital footprint and so again, and it makes perfect sense that you can learn so much that can help you, help them grow. Yes, absolutely gives incredible insight. You talk about making growth simple, tell me more about what that means. Carlos Hidalgo  26:51 Yeah, you know, I've been in the space a long time, and that really came a couple years ago. We started seeing different models that would come up different frameworks that would come out from different vendors. Started talking, you know, I talked to a lot of chief marketing officers in my role, and over and over, what we saw was just complexity of taking terms that everybody would know and applying a new term or creating a new term to replace the old term, because you wanted to stay edgy. And I finally had a CMO who said to me, this is all so complex. Is there any any organization out there, or any way to just make this simple? And I thought, Gee, I kind of been thinking the same thing, because I see all these talking heads out there on LinkedIn and at these conferences showing these overly complex, overly engineered models, and I'm like, You got to be a PhD to implement that thing. And again, I'm also a pretty simple guy. I don't think growth needs to be all that hard if you know your customer, what they need, when they need it, and why it's important to them. I'm going to be able to sell you quite a bit. I'm also going to be able to be a better marketing, better partner to you, because I'll be the first one to be able to tell you you don't need that, or you need that, but you shouldn't get it from us, and here's why. And so we just started saying, You know what? Let's create with our models. And we have models and we have frameworks, but we want them to be kind of what Apple is, right, really innovative, where you can use it. You don't necessarily have to have someone to guide you through it. And so let's just make it as simple as possible for our clients to grow their companies without these over engineered models, which mostly a lot of them are created to sell stuff. And while we want to sell stuff more, so we want to help customers be better at what they do. And so that's why we say is we want to help you make growth simple, cut through the clutter, get to what matters and move forward. Michael Hingson  28:58 Yeah, which makes a lot of sense. By by any standard, how do you find storytelling comes into what you do and how you interact with customers? Carlos Hidalgo  29:11 Yeah, it's really important in the beginning, right in the beginning stages. Anytime I'm engaging with you, if I'm a consumer and you're a brand, I want to your brand should tell a story about who you are, the value that the customer gets when they're going to interact with you, they're going to use your product, what you stand for. Can they trust you? Trust is huge. Right now. We live in a trust economy. I want to know that if you say something, I can you're going to stand behind it. So all of those things are come through in terms of story. Now, what I've always said is I think that story is important. But when it comes to now, especially in the world I live in business to business, once I get into maybe I want to purchase something for you or purchase your product. Now I. Moves from a story to a dialog because I started, I start need, needing to know, what are you interested in? What are your challenges? What are your needs, what are your pain points? And as you're telling me that I can respond more in a conversation, I can still use parts of the story, but now it's a two way dialog, even in a digital world. So if I can create that, that's fantastic, then you become my customer. And now I still want to keep telling you stories. I want to tell you a story about why you can trust us. I tell you a story about how I interact with you. I tell you a story about how I deliver service and how I help you onboard. So all that bleeds into what we call, you know, what I call the big customer experience, from brand engagement to what I'm buying to now that I become a customer, all of those are experiential factors that we have to consider. Michael Hingson  30:49 Well, yeah, and I think that storytelling is a very significant part of selling and sales, because it's part of what really helps create the trust, because people can see through it, if you're just blowing smoke or playing games. Carlos Hidalgo  31:05 Yes, they can absolutely. And you only get one shot if that's what you're gonna do only, yeah, once I realized that forget it, I'm not coming back, that brand loyalty is away real quick. Michael Hingson  31:16 Yeah. So do you encounter in the interactions that you have with people with a lot of burnout or who are going that way. Carlos Hidalgo  31:25 Oh yeah. It's, it's something that I went through in 2016 it's, it's a, I mean, the World Health Organization, whatever you think about them, they definitely have listed it as a illness or as a condition. So it's something that I've seen. It's something that I've written against quite a bit. I don't think we need to get there, but I also think it is part of the consequence, or the outcome of when we make work center of our universe, and we make work our God, when that's going to happen then, yeah, you're going to experience burnout. And I think burnout comes in different flavors, but I see a lot of people who are going through it, trying to work through it, trudge through it. I heard the term the other day, manage burnout. I don't know why you would want to manage burnout. I think you need to take steps to avoid burnout, to avoid it. Michael Hingson  32:17 Yeah, why is it so many people face it, and are experiencing burnout is because they just deal with work, they don't relax, or what. Carlos Hidalgo  32:27 Well, I think there's a lot, lot in that. I've done a lot of study, and that was the topic of some of the topic of my book that I released in 2019 the UN American dream is, I think we, especially in our Western culture, we have adopted this idea that the busier I am, the more important, the more valuable I am, and so and the reality is, none of us are well wired to go, go, go, go, go. Rest is actually a gift from the Lord. And you know, I think very few of us. But you know, think about the last time you talked to anybody. How are you? Oh, I'm so busy. We love to be busy. We love to have jam packed calendars, because it makes us feel good. The other part of it is when you think about workaholism, you know, that is an addiction. And the only time in my experience, we engage with or become addicted to something, it's when we're trying to avoid something else. And so think our workaholism, which leads to burnout, is right up there with our rising rates of anxiety, of depression, of loneliness, because we have bought a false narrative that if we go, go go, we jam pack our calendars, we work like and work like crazy until we hit some imaginary number or we can call it quits. That's what life is all about. And I just sit there and you know, my number one question to people who are running that race is, how's it working for you? You don't seem really happy right now, you don't seem fulfilled, and you're living on the promise of some day and some days, not a day in the week, right? Michael Hingson  34:03 I People ask me, How are you all the time? And my response is something actually that I borrowed from somebody else. I just say, I'm lovely. Yeah, I get lots of reactions from that. It's kind of cute, but it's great. You know, I I agree with you, there is a there's a need and a time, and it's appropriate to not work all the time. Yes, we we don't ever take time even just to sit and think about what we did today. We don't take time at the end of the day to go in our own brains. How did this work out? How did that work out? Why didn't this work? Why did this work? What could I do to make it better and then listen for answers? It's like praying. So many people, when they pray to God, they pray to Jesus and so on. They spend all their time praying and saying what they want, never realizing God all. And he knows that, yeah, when are you going to start listening for answers and really listening? And that's, that's the challenge that I see so often people don't listen, and the answers are always there. They're in their inner the the inner voice that they can hear if they but practice well. Carlos Hidalgo  35:17 And I think to part of that is you need to be still, right? And we see that in scripture where we're told be still and know that I am God, if I mean there, there. We have so much noise and so much input with our phones and constant, you know, interaction and constant noise. We don't give ourselves the ability to sit and think and process, to just to be still. And that is something that I would say, really, for me, over the last decade, has come into focus of I enjoy my downtime. I enjoy the silence that I it's one of the reasons when I run, I don't run with headphones. In my own little world, in my head, praying, thinking about things. There are times I'll drive in the car without the radio on, just in silence, and I tell people, then they look at me like, I have three heads. Yeah, I'm like, oh, it's I am so much better for it, because I'm no longer living life reactively. I'm able to live life in a way that brings me a lot of peace, a lot of joy, a lot of happiness. And when I work, I work really, really hard, but it's definitely not the center of my universe. Michael Hingson  36:27 I know people think I'm crazy, but I can go days without looking well, not days. I'll go a day. I do it volitionally, but I can go quite a while without looking at text messages, and when I do, their message is there sometimes, but I know that I could actually go for a considerable length of time without needing to carry my phone around. Now, the only reason I do carry it around, I mean, clearly some phone calls can come in and so on, but I use other tools on it that you have access to in other ways. So I use it for those things. But the bottom line is, is that I don't need to have this phone with me to stay in touch with people all the time. So if I carry my phone more often than not, I will be in a hotel room listening to something on the phone and, sure, relaxing, rather than all the other things that one could do with it well. Carlos Hidalgo  37:25 And the number of people that I talked to and research shows this that, you know, the last I saw was over 60% it's the first thing people do when they wake up is they reach over and look at their phone and I say, sit there and say, What is so important that you can't even wait 15 minutes from the time your eyes open. But we've become addicted. We've come addicted to the noise, to the constant, go, go, go. And then, you know, we have a friend of ours last year was just, I'm so busy. I'm so busy. Told my wife, over the next three months, I only have this one day I can do lunch. And then you start realizing, like, Well, really, that's, that's how you want to live your life over the next 90 days, you only have one day. Now, I didn't believe it when I heard that. I don't think they were trying to make excuse, and I don't think lying. I think in their heads, they really had this belief of, oh, I can. I've only got one day out of the next 90, but we've weed ourselves into believing that this is how we should be living life. Yeah, and it's not how I want to live life. I'll work hard, I'll put everything I've got into my clients and my business and things like that, but I don't want to be that strapped. I was that strapped one time, time wise and work wise, and it made me absolutely miserable. Mm, hmm. Michael Hingson  38:45 I know when I wake up in the morning I do reach for my phone right at the beginning. One of the very first things that I do is reach for it to see what the temperature is outside, to see what the temperature is your house, to see whether I want to turn the heater on, you know, but I don't look at messages. I don't need to do that. I'll do it eventually, but, you know, I So, as I say, I use it for other tools, but I use the phone, because that's the tool that's available to me that gives me that information, and it'll help me decide, do I want to turn the heater on, or do I want to turn the air conditioner off? And that's what I do. And then I put the phone down, and I start visiting with the dog and the cat, and we have conversations which is, which is kind of fun, Carlos Hidalgo  39:29 but yeah, you get to enjoy life. Michael Hingson  39:32 I remember, remember the old technology town? Now it's old Blackberry. Oh yeah, the black and Research In Motion. There was one night when Research In Motion lost communications with all of the blackberries, and every BlackBerry went dead, I think, for about 12 hours. But I heard that even during the time when that occurred, people committed suicide because they had no way to look at their blackberries. And. Get information. And I always thought you're that dependent, that you can't cope for a while, especially at night without that information. Carlos Hidalgo  40:09 Come on. Yeah, it's staggering. The number of, again, over 50% of people said that they would be panicked if they want an app without their phones and so and again, I used to, I used to live that way. So I understand it to a degree, but, well, I understand it. Yeah, I also tell people you don't have to live that way, because people i The people I know who live that way, don't seem very content or fulfilled, right, right? Which is really the issue, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely, because we only go, we only get one shot at this life, and I want to make the most of it. Michael Hingson  40:43 Make growth simple. Carlos Hidalgo  40:46 That's right, personal, personal and business wise, right? Michael Hingson  40:49 Personal and business wise. So what is hustle culture? Carlos Hidalgo  40:54 Well, hustle culture has been promoted by a lot of folks, a whole lot more well known that I am, you know, where Kevin O'Leary for Shark Tank, Shark Tank talks about, you got to be willing to work eight days a week, you know, and give everything you've got, you know. Gary Vaynerchuk talks about, you know, go, go, go, go. And, you know, we just see it out there of this, you've got to be willing to go above and beyond. If you want to have success, if you want to make this money, you've got to just make sure you're willing to hustle at all costs, which to me, there's a place for that. As I said, when I'm working I hustle. I work hard. I get in a zone. I kind of block everything out and and there are some weeks where we require over and above it. You know, 16 or a week is is not something that has never been done. But the difference is, there's a couple of differences. Is I'm going to work hard because that's what I'm told to do. In Scripture, it says that with everything you do, do it with all your might and do it to the glory of glory of the Lord. So I'm going to do that. Plus work was one of the first things that God ever created. He told Adam in the garden, I want you to work now, what we also see is that it was cursed when man sinned, and it was part of the curse in the garden. But I do believe work is noble. I believe it's valuable, I believe it has so many things that can teach us. So I'm working. I'm hustling hard when I'm working, but this idea that I need to give everything I have to my business so that I'm successful. Well, what about our relationships? What about our own our last word, too, right? Our own physical health? What about my marriage? All of these things that require work yet, you know, you got a guy like Grant Cardone talking about 95 hour work weeks. That's insanity. Yeah, at what point, you know, so to me, I really believe, and I've had some people who've argued with me over this. If you want to know what the object of your affection is, show me where you're spending the most time and attention. And it's not time or attention, time and attention, right? I cannot. I cannot be, quote, unquote, working, but I can be with my wife, but my brain is working. My brain is thinking about my work, thinking about my business, thinking about my career. So what good is it to her if I'm there or not? Yeah, I'm not investing in that relationship, and that is just as much work as anything else. And I would I would say the rewards are better and the gratification that much deeper. So can work life balance actually be attained? I don't believe in work life balance. I believe in boundaries, and maybe I'm splitting hairs, but when I see that, over 70% of people say that work life balance is unachievable. It tells me it doesn't exist. It's also the only place in our lives where we talk we try to separate work from life. Nobody talks about finance life, business, kids life, business, marriage life, business. But we talk about work life balance. Now I understand we spend a lot of time at work in our modern day culture, but if I can decide that I'm going to put boundaries around the things that matter most to me, so like work, like my relationships, like my physical, mental and emotional health, my spiritual health, and that's how I've started to live life. Is instead of trying to balance everything, I'm going to set boundaries. So what does that look like? Well, the first thing I do in the morning is not check the phone. I get up, I pray. I have coffee with my wife. Sometimes we have really deep conversations. Sometimes we look just let the caffeine kick in and let it wake up, and then we set time in prayer. So every day, pretty much between 815 and 830 I'm at my desk ready to work, but I've put a boundary around that morning time, which allows me to start the time with with my Bible and with my wife from 830 To about 1230 I'm locked in. I am working. There's a boundary around there's a boundary. And then about 1230 to one, about two o'clock, that's my workout. Either go to the gym or I go for a run, come home, make my protein stuff, and then I'm back working again. And so and then when I'm done work, between 530 and six, I shut it down. Work is over, and now it's my personal life again, and whatever that looks like, and some of that is seasonal, because of where I live, in the summer, it'll get stay light till 930 and the winter, it gets dark by 430 there's quite a disparity. But because I have those boundaries, I know that I'm able to bring the best of myself to each of those areas of my life, and that is far easier than balance. And when one of those boundaries needs to move, I get to have a conversation. Hey, I've got a call tonight overseas. Or do we have anything? Are we good if I take this call at 730 at night? So I take the call at 730 at night, but I have that discussion, and it's it takes more effort to move a boundary, takes very little effort to get knocked off balance. Michael Hingson  46:05 Yeah, and I think that makes perfect sense. I know for me, when Karen was here, we we enjoyed breakfast and we enjoyed dinner, and I think there's a lot of value in that. Now, I was always the earlier riser, but partly because I worked for companies that kind of required that. That is to say I worked, for example, when I lived in the east for California companies. So I ended up being there later. But when I worked in the West, calling the east, I had to be in work by six, because that's what I needed to do. But we agreed on that, and I hear exactly what you're saying. The fact of the matter is that you've got to really make some decisions, but if you're in a relationship, then you both have to agree and make the decisions together, which is what really should happen 100% Carlos Hidalgo  46:58 and those boundaries will change. I mean my boundaries now that I'm an empty nester, you know, had I lived this way 15 years ago, would have looked far different because I still had children at home. And so the boundaries can shift and change. But to your point, you have to talk about that. And what I have come to believe is that if I'm making those decisions in regards to my business, my job, my career, and I'm not having the conversation with my significant other, then I'm not I'm not sacrificing anything. I'm just selfish. And yet, what we see is, Oh, you got to sacrifice for your business. I've said to couples before, if you and your wife believe and want to say, hey, we want to go build this thing and we want to go sell it so we know the next five years we're hardly going to see each other, and we're both on board with that, and this is what we want. Go in peace. I think you're nuts, but Go in peace, but still, you made the decision together. That's right, and that's the difference. And I find that a lot of people do not do that, and I also think it adds to the stress and the loneliness and the anxiety and the depression is because we're chasing something that is so fleeting, and no matter what Empire we may build professionally, we can't take it with us, right? Michael Hingson  48:13 And that's something that I wish more people would truly realize. It would make for a much happier world. Carlos Hidalgo  48:21 It would. But the unfortunate part is, until the pain and consequence of how you're living outweighs the fear of change, most likely you're never going to do anything different, right? 48:31 So tell me, Carlos Hidalgo  48:32 oh, go ahead. No. Oh, okay, tell me about the Michael Hingson  48:36 title of the book, the UN American Dream. Where did that come from? And why did you name the book that, why was that the title? And so on, Carlos Hidalgo  48:42 yeah, and so in 2016 is when I informed the company that I had started with my brother 11 years earlier that I was stepping down. Didn't really know what that looked like. I literally just one day, through the help of a friend and God's good grace, decided that it was time for me to go. And so the way they wanted to handle it in end of the year, and I think this was like end of October ish, when I made that decision, they said, You know what, let's not announce anything. We don't want our clients to get spooked in q4 so let's wait until the turn of the the new year. So that was into 2017 so I made a post, and I published it in February, 2017 about why I was leaving the company, some of the things that I was learning along the way. And what surprised me was the phone calls and emails I got from colleagues who said, Hey, I just read your post. Can we talk? I'm kind of thinking about the same thing. I'm miserable. And it was one email in particular that still stands out, where he said, I'm miserable. I started to think like, wow, okay, this, this is not just me. My circumstances were different. But this seems to be a problem, so I started to just do some research on our obsession with work, the number of hours we work, this idea of balance and hustle culture. Really immersed myself in it, and I thought this isn't what Truslow Adams meant when he coined the term the American dream. We're killing ourselves for what like, for What's the objective here to just add another zero to my bank account. So as I started to do that research, I saw myself and a lot of that same story, and the mistakes I made and how I was, you know, I had put my business first all the things that we've talked about. And I thought, Man, this is really quite un American, really, because we say we're the land of the free and the home of the brave, but we're not free if we're slaves to our company or our jobs or our careers. So I thought, You know what? I think what we're doing to ourselves is un American, and we're chasing the UN American dream, and that's how I came up with the title, Michael Hingson  51:05 who have been some of your greatest influencers? Carlos Hidalgo  51:09 Wow, I have had a lot. Obviously, my parents have been huge influences in my life. My mom is a fierce prayer warrior, and so I fervently believe I would not be where I'm at today if it wasn't for her and her faithfulness and that and my dad is it has been in marketing and sales and advertising. So learned a lot from him, just in life, and then also in business. There's a gentleman who lives up the street who is kind of like a second dad to me, it's an interesting relationship, because his son is also my best friend, but gentleman by the name of Keith Vander wheel who is salt of the earth, wise, just a wise, wise man has loved me, has when needed, given me a swift kick in the rear end, and just really helped keep keep me focused, and been one of these guys that I can go to, and it's a little about almost 20 years older than I am, so he's one that has seen more and done more. So I'm thankful for that. And then I am very fortunate to have about three or four very, very dear, dear friends, close friends, I mentioned one, Keith's son, who spur me on to greater things, encourage me when necessary, rebuke me and help me. And then I would say, more than anything, my wife, I learned stuff from her each and every day, her steadfastness, Her Grace, her strength of character, she is absolutely the strongest person I know, and has been the biggest influence in my life. Michael Hingson  52:45 I when I was in college, did radio, and I've always liked comedy. I've always liked trying to be a little bit flip and so on, yep. But I will tell you that my wife constantly amazed me. She was pretty much a lot more straight faced and straight laced than i But when she came out with a zinger, it came out of left field, and you never saw coming. She was amazing. Clearly, she observed me a whole lot more than I thought she did, right? Carlos Hidalgo  53:18 And what a gift that is to have. My wife and I were just, we went out for brunch today, with it being the holiday, and I just, I told her, I said, I just love how much we laugh. Yeah, what a gift that is to have in your marriage. We're just laughing together and laughing at each other in a way that's not demeaning, but appreciates our differences. And you know, we can tease each other and enjoy it and know it comes from a place of love, yeah. Michael Hingson  53:42 How do we deal with the epidemic of loneliness in our lives and in our world? Carlos Hidalgo  53:48 Wow, that's a great question. It's first of all, I think it's heartbreaking. I see this especially with men. And statistics would show that that men especially struggle with loneliness. I think number one is we have to come to the realization we were not meant to live in isolation. We are communal beings. God created us to live in community, and we need to step into that. And part of that is letting your guard down and being vulnerable and letting people know where you struggle. Now I'm not talking about wearing your heart on your sleeve and walking right every stranger and spilling, but those closest of relationships, and I can say, you know, for me, when I isolated, that's when I became the worst form of myself and went to places I never thought I would go. And so I think loneliness, first of all, get off social media and your phone, because that's not a connection. No, your friends, all of your 1000s of friends on Facebook, are not true friends. They're people, you know, but they're not people that are going to walk with you through some of the hardest times of your lives, and so find those. Group, find that community, whether it's your church, whether it's a small group that you take part in, whether it's people at your work, but really start to invest in those relationships and bring as much to it as you're expecting them to. And for me, it became just with those closest relationships. I'm an open book. I'm not going to BS. I'm going to talk about what's on my heart, what I'm struggling with, what my victories are, what my low points are. And for me, that starts with my spouse. As I mentioned, I've got three other men in my life that are around my age that I can confide in, be open with, and it's the most freeing, wonderful thing, and it's their relationships that I cherish, and I think that's how we end this cycle of loneliness. But I think a lot of people have been duped. Well, I'm on I've got a bunch of friends online, yeah, you know, put the phone down, get off your social media platform and go be human and interact with other people. Michael Hingson  56:01 It gets back to the same thing we talked about earlier. There's a whole big difference between head knowledge and really knowing. And the friends who are truly your friends are people who you know and who know you and that you can truly be honest with and who will be honest with you. And that is not something that you get from all those Facebook friends. Otherwise, you're being awfully silly, right? Carlos Hidalgo  56:23 And I also think we have to get out of this idea in our culture that if I don't affirm you, I somehow don't like you anymore, this idea that tolerance and love are the same thing. Some of my closest friends have been some of the ones that have come to me and said, Hey, here's what we've observed, and we're sure you don't like that about you, and you know this needs to change. And I love that. I love that I friends who will call my stuff and a wife who will say to me, this isn't the best you like what's going on here? I need that in my life, because if all I want to do is have people pat me on the back and affirm me. I'm going to get entitled pretty quick. Yeah, and that doesn't help at all. Right? How do we bring civil discourse to our society? We're in an environment and in a world where we just don't appreciate or have conversations anymore. How do we deal with that? Well, I think a couple of things. First of all, I think we have to get back to an appreciation for and a respect for human life and humanity in general. Michael, I'm sure if you and I spent a few hours together, we would eventually land on a topic that we don't just that we don't agree on. I can be okay with that, and because if I'm open to say, Hey, Michael is a human being. He's smart. He's overcome incredible odds in his life, and maybe if I listen, I can learn something. Doesn't mean I'm going to come to your side of the the position, but I can at least learn something. But I think systematically, over decades, we've been denigrating the the value of human life. I mean, how many millions of babies have we aborted in this country? You know, your your own story, your parents were told, hey, just put him in a home. He's not going to amount to anything because of his blindness. That's insanity, you know. So today, instead of civil discourse, if I don't like you, I berate you online, I make something up about you, or I kill you. And right so and to tell you how far we've gone, not only does that happen, but then we're gonna have people who celebrate in the murder of whether it's an insurance CEO or a Charlie Kirk, or anybody, and I just sit there and say, Okay, we've we've gotten so far right civil discourse. And so I think number one is just a respect and a value for human life, which we have a lot of work to do there. And then number two, again, back to what I said, this idea that if I disagree with you, I somehow don't love you anymore. And the example I use is this idea of, well, you need we need more tolerance and affirmation. There was a time Michael where my behavior within our marriage just was unacceptable. I mean, I was cheating on my wife, and once she found out she still loved me, but she couldn't tolerate the behavior for reasons that I think I need to explain. So at that point, you say, All right, well, how do those two things work together? If I had kept doing what I was doing, I know for 100% she would have loved me till the day she died, but she died, but she wouldn't have been able to stay with me, because you can't tolerate that behavior. She's supposed to affirm that. And so this idea that because I quote, unquote, love you, I affirm you, I actually make the case that if I love you, I'm going to help you be the best form of yourself, which sometimes means disagreeing with you and pointing things out in your life. That are unhealthy, that's fair. So I think we have to get back to that place of we can have disagreement, still have respect for each other. We can disagree vehemently and still do it respectfully, right? And then at the end of the day, I can respect your position because of who you are as a person, and that you know, giving you the benefit of the doubt. This is a well thought out position. And so, okay, great. We agree to disagree. We can still be friends, yeah? Michael Hingson  1:00:27 And we might learn something, or at least be put on a path where we think about it, and we may discover that, oh, that person's right, correct, yeah, which is Carlos Hidalgo  1:00:36 cool, yeah, and it's not that hard. And again, no, do your do your homework. Know what the real issues are, and stop reading headlines on social media. Michael Hingson  1:00:46 Yeah, really, get away from that. What else should we know about you? Carlos Hidalgo  1:00:50 Well, I'm the father of four amazing kids spread all over the country, ages 30 to 20. He'll be 24 in 10 days, and then an amazing daughter in law, soon to be daughter in law, my second son is engaged, gets married next year. I love the outdoors, anything outside. And I would say, if I want your audience to remember anything, it's that what Jesus Christ has done in my life has been nothing short of amazing. And like I said at the beginning, this is my operating system, and it's who I am and my reason for being in each and every day. And I sit here and I just am in awe of the life I get to live. So I'm very, very thankful and very, very humbled by it all. Michael Hingson  1:01:36 If people want to reach out to you and maybe explore working with your company, using your company to help them. How do they do that? Carlos Hidalgo  1:01:43 Yeah, you can email me at Carlos at Digital exhaust.co it's not.com so make sure it.co's or I won't get it. So you can shoot me an email visit our website, which is digital exhaust.co or looked me up on LinkedIn, just Carlos adalgo, H, I, D, A, L, G, O, right. That is correct. Yeah. I appreciate you getting the name right on the introduction. So thank you for that. I worked at it well. Michael Hingson  1:02:12 I want to thank you for being here. This has been wonderful. And as I tell people all the time, if I'm not learning at least as much as anybody else on this podcast, and I'm not doing my job well, which means I do need to listen and think about it. And I appreciate all the insights that you gave us today, and I appreciate all of you being here and being with Carlos and me. Love to get your thoughts. Please reach out to Carlos. Please email me at Michael H i, at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, but most of all, wherever you're listening or watching the pod podcast, please give us a five star review and a rating. We love that. We love your your input, please. Of course, I want it always to be positive, but I'll take whatever you send because we we value that. And for all of you and Carlos, you as well, if you know anyone else who ought to be a guest on the podcast. We'd love it if you'd let us know we're always looking to meet more people to help show that we're all more unstoppable than we think we are. And with that, I want to thank you again, Carlos, for being here. This has been absolutely fun. Carlos Hidalgo  1:03:13 Michael, thank you so much. I've really enjoyed it. Michael Hingson  1:03:20 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m

News broke yesterday of a hostage release deal combined with an Israel/Hamas cease-fire to take place in 3 phases. Israel National News was reporting that Hamas was making new demands while Israel's Prime Minister accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the Gaza cease-fire agreement in a bid to extort last minute concessions. He reportedly demanded that all details be finalized before taking a vote of the security cabinet.To present the latest news on this very fluid situation was Rick DeYoung. Rick is co-host of Prophecy Today, CEO of Shofar Communications, a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute. Rick is also the son of Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Sr.Rick communicated that the hostage deal appears to be in the final stages. It's going before the Israeli cabinet tomorrow to be approved. So at this point there is excitement in the air with the hope that there's an end in sight and possibly a return to normalcy.Rick indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had to "walk the line" between the pressure to make a deal and bring the hostages home while also balancing security and deterrence for Israel's overall population. That last point is a concern due to the large number of terrorists Israel would have to release under any deal. Keep in mind, as Rick also noted, Israel has been trying to end Hamas because Israel feels it no longer can be secure if Hamas is in control. So a deal could allow Hamas to retain some power.Overall, Rick believes the time is right for a deal, particularly with President-elect Trump about to take the reins in the U.S., as he's shown that he's a supporter of Israel.

News broke yesterday of a hostage release deal combined with an Israel/Hamas cease-fire to take place in 3 phases. Israel National News was reporting that Hamas was making new demands while Israel's Prime Minister accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the Gaza cease-fire agreement in a bid to extort last minute concessions. He reportedly demanded that all details be finalized before taking a vote of the security cabinet.To present the latest news on this very fluid situation was Rick DeYoung. Rick is co-host of Prophecy Today, CEO of Shofar Communications, a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute. Rick is also the son of Dr. Jimmy DeYoung Sr.Rick communicated that the hostage deal appears to be in the final stages. It's going before the Israeli cabinet tomorrow to be approved. So at this point there is excitement in the air with the hope that there's an end in sight and possibly a return to normalcy.Rick indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had to "walk the line" between the pressure to make a deal and bring the hostages home while also balancing security and deterrence for Israel's overall population. That last point is a concern due to the large number of terrorists Israel would have to release under any deal. Keep in mind, as Rick also noted, Israel has been trying to end Hamas because Israel feels it no longer can be secure if Hamas is in control. So a deal could allow Hamas to retain some power.Overall, Rick believes the time is right for a deal, particularly with President-elect Trump about to take the reins in the U.S., as he's shown that he's a supporter of Israel.

Roar teaches at the Word of Life Bible Institute and other Bible schools worldwide. He's also an author, podcaster on Israel-related topics, and part of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

Roar teaches at the Word of Life Bible Institute and other Bible schools worldwide. He's also an author, podcaster on Israel-related topics, and part of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

You will hear about one of the most influential modern day theologians, Dr. Charles Ryrie. Dr. Paul Weaver, who served as academic dean of Word of Life Bible Institute in New York and Hungary and is now teaching in the Bible Exposition department at Dallas Theological Seminary wrote a book called Charles C. Ryrie: The Man, His Ministry, and His Method. You will hear interesting insights about Dr. Ryrie and his contributions and relevance to theology and social issues. Charlie and Dr. Weaver also discuss Dr. Ryrie's contribution to the Lordship Salvation debate. You will find a deep appreciation for one of our greatest theologians. Dr. Paul Weaver's podcast is Bible and Theology Matters and he also has videos about archeological facts that affirm the veracity of the Bible called Faith Affirming Facts.

Jadon Fowler is now a teacher and film director from Grand Rapids Michigan. After spending eight years in Mortgage Finance and Real Estate area, Jadon decided to pursue his life passion of film making. He then started and now owns a film academy for kids called the Children's Theater Company.  Jadon previously attended Word of Life Bible Institute where his passion for God was really strengthened. He is also the proud father of two sons. In this podcast, Jadon tells the story of his life that includes a very dark time about seven years ago when he came very close to ending it all. He overdosed drugs and alcohol that resulted in him being in a coma that appeared to be fatal. BUT GOD! God answered the fervent prayers of his loved ones and many others and He literally brought Jadon back from what the medical community was sure would be certain death. In fact, after only a few months of therapy, Jadon came back to being virtually normal!  He now loves leading, teaching and encouraging many young people in the area of theater and film. For more about his current work, go to https://fusionfilmacademy.org/

Jadon Fowler is now a teacher and film director from Grand Rapids Michigan. After spending eight years in Mortgage Finance and Real Estate area, Jadon decided to pursue his life passion of film making. He then started and now owns a film academy for kids called the Children's Theater Company. Jadon previously attended Word of Life Bible Institute where his passion for God was really strengthened. He is also the proud father of two sons. In this podcast, Jadon tells the story of his life that includes a very dark time about seven years ago when he came very close to ending it all. He overdosed drugs and alcohol that resulted in him being in a coma that appeared to be fatal. BUT GOD! God answered the fervent prayers of his loved ones and many others and He literally brought Jadon back from what the medical community was sure would be certain death. In fact, after only a few months of therapy, Jadon came back to being virtually normal! He now loves leading, teaching and encouraging many young people in the area of theater and film. For more about his current work, go to https://fusionfilmacademy.org/

Brian Tanedo shares with us how foundational an undergraduate program like the Word of Life Bible Institute can be! Join us on campus and learn more at wol.is/visit Find all things Stacking Chairs at https://linktr.ee/StackingChairsPod

On today's podcast, Leslie will be joined by Brian Tanedo to explore an after-high school option that you may have heard about but have not been really sure what it is. Gap Year programs may be a great fit for your teenager, and we are excited to have an expert on the subject here with us today as we explore what Gap Year Programs are and how they can benefit your students.   Meet The Guest:Brian Tanedo has worked for more than 10 years in college admissions and recruitment, both at Word of Life Bible Institute and Cedarville University. He is currently serving as the Dean of Enrollment for Word of Life for their New York and Florida campuses. Podcast Sponsor: Word of Life Bible Institute is a fully accredited, collegiate-level program for high school graduates offering intensive Bible study and ministry training designed to help students deepen their faith and discover God's plan for their lives. With campuses in the mountains of New York, the beaches of west coast Florida, and eight international sites, there's a campus for everyone. Visit teachthemdiligently.net/wol to learn more and schedule a personal visit. Topics Covered In This Episode:What is a gap year program What does the research show about young people leaving the faith or their faith become inconsequential to them and how can parents combat that? What will your child gain from participating in a Gap Year program? 

We're going to be exploring an after-high school option that you may have heard about but have not been really sure what it is. Gap Year programs may be a great fit for your teenager, and I'm excited to have an expert on the subject here with us today as we explore what Gap Year Programs are and how they can benefit your students.   MEET THE GUEST: Brian Tanedo has worked for more than 10 years in college admissions and recruitment, both at Word of Life Bible Institute and Cedarville University. He is currently serving as the Dean of Enrollment for Word of Life for their New York and Florida campuses.  PODCAST SPONSOR: Word of Life Bible Institute is a fully accredited, collegiate-level program for high school graduates offering intensive Bible study and ministry training designed to help students deepen their faith and discover God's plan for their lives. With campuses in the mountains of New York, the beaches of west coast Florida, and eight international sites, there's a campus for everyone. Visit teachthemdiligently.net/wol to learn more and schedule a personal visit.  TOPICS COVERED IN THIS EPISODE: What is a gap year program  What does the research show about young people leaving the faith or their faith become inconsequential to them and how can parents combat that?  What will your child gain from participating in a Gap Year program?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Today, Leslie Nunnery is joined by Abbie Halberstadt of M is for Mama. They will be talking about how God grows us, even in the midst of hard situations. They will also discuss the current dark and combative culture, and how that can impact our families. Meet the Guest:Abbie is a happy wife, homeschooling mama to 10, bestselling author of M is for Mama and the upcoming Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad. She's fitness instructor and reigning family Nertz champion. She loves encouraging fellow moms to dig deep into the daily struggles of motherhood to discover that "hard is not the same thing as bad." She, her husband, Shaun, and their kids live in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Podcast Sponsor: Word of Life Student Fusion is a two week missions trip for people ages 14-22. This is an opportunity to learn how to raise support for missions and experience what God is doing in a culture and language different than your own. You will have the opportunity to use and develop ministry skills such as music, drama, sports, and many others for the spread of the gospel and to get a vision for how to best live your life in obedience to the Great Commission. High school Juniors and Seniors also have the opportunity to earn a scholarship to Word of Life Bible Institute for participating in one of these trips. Come join one of our Student Fusion teams and get ready to make lifelong friends while serving God around the world! Visit missions.wol.org for more information.Additional Resources:Find Abbie on Instagram @m.is.for.mamaFind our more about Abbie's books M is for Mama and her upcoming release Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad HERESubscribe to the M is for Mama Podcast HERE

In this episode, Greg sits down with author, speaker, and Executive VP of Int'l and Youth Ministries at Word of Life Fellowship, Kris Stout. They discuss lessons learned in international ministry and the need to focus on mobilizing youth. Greg and Kris also speak with ministry partner, Jon Burdette, to follow up on the discussion.   About The Greg Stier Youth Ministry Podcast: Being a youth pastor can be a massive challenge on top of everything a youth leader must do today to help their youth ministry. Greg Stier has over thirty years of youth ministry experience and is here to help you with your youth group. The Greg Stier Youth Ministry Podcast is all about helping youth leaders by using biblical analysis, stories from his own life, profiling leaders in youth ministry, and bringing in other experts in the Christian world. This is the perfect resource to learn how to be a youth leader with new episodes dropped on the last Tuesday of every month.   About Greg: Greg Stier is a champion for unleashing this generation with the Gospel. As the founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries, he is driven to help the Church activate Christian teenagers to reach their friends. In the last 30 years, Greg has trained millions of youth leaders and students on how to relationally engage their world with the Good News of Jesus. A much sought-after speaker, Greg is a former pastor, church planter, youth leader, as well as author of numerous books. https://connect.dare2share.org/podcast​ Follow Greg Stier on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greg.stier/​ Follow Greg Stier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregstier​ Follow Greg Stier on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregstier/​   About Dare 2 Share: Teenagers desperately need the hope of Christ and their peers are the best possible messengers of that hope. Imagine what could happen in our communities if every teen, everywhere, heard the Gospel from a friend. That's why Dare 2 Share comes alongside the Church to help equip teens to share their faith and youth leaders to build youth ministries that advance the Gospel. For nearly 30 years, Dare 2 Share has been a leader in evangelism training resources and events, helping youth leaders overcome the challenges of building a thriving youth ministry that advances the Gospel and consistently reaches teenagers with the message of Jesus Christ.   About Kris Stout: Kris Stout graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute, after attending both the New York and Argentina campuses. He and his wife Debbie began the Word of Life ministry in France in 1999, where they served for over 10 years before being asked to return to the United States to serve in the home office. Kris now serves as Executive Vice President of International and Local Church Ministries. In this role, he oversees more than 1,500 missionaries in 80 countries. Married for 24 years, Kris and Debbie have four children: Natalia, Mickaël, Luc, and Lyric. They currently reside in Hudson, Florida.   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krisstout    

"The world has changed. The cost to follow Jesus is going up. Are you prepared to pay?" Though written in the 1st Century, the letter to the Hebrews recorded in the New Testament has much to say to us in the 21st Century about persevering in the cause of Christ.Tom Sims is a graduate of the World of Life Bible Institute and has served various churches as youth pastor and teacher. He is the author of the newly published Unpuzzling Hebrews: A New Translation and Commentary. He has been married to his wife Janine since 2008, and the Lord has blessed them with two daughters.Recommended ResourceSermon Audio: Share your sermons online with Sermon Audio. Join a library of 2.3 million sermons from theologically conservative churches and other ministries from around the world. Embed your audio on  your site, submit your sermons to podcast directories like iTunes, and list your church on the Local Church Finder.Resources Mentionedunpuzzlinghebrews.comDavid M. Allen. “Deuteronomy and Exhortation in Hebrews: A Study in Narrative Re-Presentation." Mohr Siebeck, 2008.Dwight Pryor, Center for Judaic-Christian Studies.William Lane's two volume commentary on Hebrews in the Word Biblical Commentary series.Edward William Fudge, Hebrews: Ancient Encouragement for Believers Today, Leafwood Publishers, 2009.Madison N. Pierce, Divine Discourse in the Epistle to the Hebrews: The Recontextualization of Spoken Quotations of Scripture, Cambridge University Press, 2020.Matthew W. Bates, The Birth of the Trinity: Jesus, God, and Spirit in the New Testament and Early Christian Interpretations of the Old Testament,  Oxford University Press, 2016.Jason A. Whitlark, Resisting Empire: Rethinking the Purpose of the Letter to “the Hebrews.”, T&T Clark, 2016.Michael Wade Martin and Jason A. Whitlark, Inventing Hebrews: Design and Purpose in Ancient Rhetoric. Cambridge University Press, 2018.John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, Crossway Books, 2003.

In his 2007 book, "Opening Up Titus," David Campbell helpfully introduces this third pastoral epistle. Frank Houghton's well-known hymn Facing a task unfinished challenges us with the needs of those who are as yet unreached with the gospel: "with none to heed their crying / for life, and love, and light, / unnumbered souls are dying, / and pass into the night."But it is not just our missionary and evangelistic task that is unfinished. There is also the task that faces each Christian church to put its own house in order. There are needs, responsibilities, and shortcomings, threats to its safety, opportunities to serve the Lord and minister to its members, which each congregation unendingly faces.The letter to Titus reminds us that there is nothing new about this. There were things ‘unfinished' in the first century Cretan church where Titus served and as we read through the letter we discover what they were. They have a familiar ring to them. They are the very things that need to be addressed in our churches today.But there is so much more to the letter than a mere list of things that needed to be tackled. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul explains why they are to be tackled and how they are to be tackled and by whom. In doing so he gives inspired guidance for churches in all ages as each faces its own unfinished task. And to help us better understand all of this we welcome back to the podcast Jonathan Ward. Jonathan serves as the Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at the Owen Sound Campus of the Word of Life Bible Institute right here in Ontario. He is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute, Baptist Bible Seminary, and holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary.

Welcome to an exciting episode of Grace Bond Ministries! I (Jonathan) have wrestled with the ideas of God having soverign power and humans having true, libertarian free will. On this podcast, I have invited a new colleague, Trent Blake, who is a firm molinist to explain what Molinism is, how it compares to other major views like Calvinism, Arminianism and Open Theism, explaining some scriptures that seem to easily support Molinism and others that are a challenge to Molinism. Molinism is mainly focused on the theological theory of the middle knowledge of God, which is basically that God has full knowledge of what could happen, what would happen and what will happen. If God simply has foreknowledge of these three ideas, then it is possible that human beings could have true libertarian free will. We also discussed Molinism in a practical sense, discussing did God use free will and somehow Jesus's prophecies all come true? Does Molinism help us answer the problem of evil (if God is all knowing, loving and powerful, then why does he allow evil to exist?)? Are we predestined to be believers or nonbelievers, or do we have the free will choice to believe in Jesus for our salvation? Do people die when God determines them to die, or do our free will choices affect how long we live? There are many other topics covered in this podcast, and if you are struggling with understanding how God in His Soverign power works, you definitely will want to listen into this podcast! It is a very deep discussion, but it is a very important discussion. It just may make you rethink how you think about God and His world! It may also get you to rethink the faith if you have rejected Christianity because of the viewpoints of others! If you have any other questions, comments or would like to be on the podcast, email me at gracebondministries@gmail.com ! God bless! Trent Blake is the editor-in-chief of Baseline Christianity (baselinechristianity.com). He seeks to help Christians deepen their love for God and in doing so, equip them to replicate that love to others. Trent is a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute and is currently taking online courses with Moody Bible Institute for pastoral ministry. He has also written for TheRebelution.com and has been featured in the bestselling Christian young adult book Do Hard Things​.​

Born and raised in Taiwan, Zoe Yu grew a deep disdain for Christians and thought the stories in the Bible were mere fairytales. But in her desire to learn English, Zoe signed up for a one-year Bible college. Coming in as a rebel-rouser, Zoe actually learned the truth of the Bible and was encountered by loving Christians. A desperate plea to God was the first prayer she ever prayed. It was miraculously answered with a new heart to embrace the truth of Jesus and a new life for Him. Zoe is a video intern with OneWay Young Adults. Today's show is brought to you by OneWay Young Adults, including Andrew Neal as host, Kate Sperry as producer, Erin Foster with the sendoff, and the episode features interns behind-the-scenes. OneWay Interns:https://www.owm.org/activatehttps://www.owm.org/internOneWay Young Adults on InstagramOther helpful links:Liberty University Film SchoolChristian Mental Health Help for TeensWord of Life Bible Institute, KoreaSYME English Training, TaiwanFollow One80 Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Ask ten Christians which book of the Bible is their favourite, which book has been the most impactful in their lives, and which book has provided the most clarity as to their position in Christ and the power they have with which to follow him and it's likely that more than one will answer, “Ephesians.” “By common consent, the Letter to the Ephesians ranks very high in the devotional and theological literature of the Christian Church. It has been called ‘the Queen of the Epistles'—and rightly so. Many would hold that it is indeed the highest reach of New Testament thought. When the great Scottish Protestant reformer John Knox was very near to death, the book that was most often read to him was John Calvin's Sermons on the Letter to the Ephesians. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge said of Ephesians that it was ‘the divinest composition'. He went on: ‘It embraces first, those doctrines peculiar to Christianity, and, then, those precepts common with it in natural religion.' Ephesians clearly has a unique place in the Pauline correspondence” (Barclay, The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, 71). To help us explore this phenomenal section of holy writ we welcome back to the podcast Dr. Daniel Goepfrich. Dr. Goepfrich is the teaching pastor at Oak Tree Community Church in South Bend, Indiana. He also teaches Bible, theology, and biblical languages at Calvary University, Tyndale Theological Seminary, and the Word of Life Bible Institute. In addition to this he is the author of several books and the founder of Theology is for Everyone Ministries.

The book of Acts grants readers a unique and fascinating glimpse into the world of the early church. We peer through the corridors of two millennia and see the still vivid foundations of our own faith. Beginning in Jerusalem, Acts shows us the road we believers have traveled to arrive at our present state. All that we, the contemporary church, are today, we owe to the pioneers to whom its author, Luke, introduces us. Luke continues to perform an estimable service for contemporary believers by unveiling the historical, social, cultural, political and religious milieu of the first three decades of church history (Steven Ger, The Book of Acts: Witnesses to the World, 1.). Dr. Daniel Goepfrich has joined the program to help us think through this user-important transitional book of the biblical record. Dr. Goepfrich is the teaching pastor at Oak Tree Community Church in South Bend, Indiana. He also teaches Bible, theology, and biblical languages at Calvary University, Tyndale Theological Seminary, and the Word of Life Bible Institute. In addition to this he is the author of several books and the founder of Theology is for Everyone Ministries.

Episode 18 of The Hitstreak, a podcast where we talk about anything and everything!  This week we talk with Erik Bledsoe about the power of being vision led, mission driven, the importance of a team, and leading yourself and others.  Let us know in the comments what YOU want to hear about next!  About our Guest:  Erik Bledsoe is a multi-award winning artist, songwriter, speaker, and outdoorsman. A graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute and Belmont University, he's spent over two decades as a touring professional in the Christian music industry, with multiple Top 40 appearances. He served as a worship leader and teaching pastor and helped to launch four new churches.   Erik is a sought after worship leader, conference speaker, and ministry consultant specializing in vision/mission alignment and team building. He's currently the President of Take the Hill Ministries; a Christian non-profit dedicated to training college students and young adults in faith and leadership. Bledsoe and his wife Betsy have been married for 16 years and live in Nashville, TN with their two children, Henry and Adelaide.  Follow and contact: Youtube: ErikBledsoe Facebook: ErikBledsoeMusic Instagram: RealTakeTheHill LinkedIn: ErikBledsoeTV Erik@takethehill.tv www.TaketheHill.tv

"Almost three thousand years ago, the ancient Assyrians began to flex their muscles. For the greater part of the period from the end of the tenth century to the seventh century BC, this dynamic military power dominated the ancient Near East. At its height the Assyrians could lay claim to an empire that stretched across Asia Minor, from Egypt in the west, to the border between Iran and India in the east, and from Russia in the north, to Arabia in the south. "At the heart of this mighty empire in its latter days lay Nineveh, encircled by massive walls and many watchtowers, guarding majestic palaces, temples and gardens. It was vast, impregnable and seemingly indestructible. "Yet the rapid collapse of mighty Nineveh is one of the great mysteries of history. So, how could Nineveh, in particular, and Assyria, in general, vanish in such a spectacular fashion? The prophet Nahum leaves us in no doubt: God was against them, but he was with his people" (Clive Anderson, Opening up Nahum, 8). To help us better understand this often neglected section of Scripture we welcome to the podcast Filipe Santos. Filipe is a missionary who has been serving at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil since 2019, prior to which he and his family were stationed in South Korea and, before that, in Hungary. At his current post in Brazil, Filipe holds the position of Dean of the Graduate School and as a professor of Bible and Theology.

How better to introduce a conversation on the book of Jonah than by quoting one of the best theologians and commentators on the subject. "Jonah is one of the most well-known biblical stories. ... It is precisely because we know the story so well that we must work even harder when reading it, otherwise our over-familiarization can dull our senses to the beautiful narration and theological complexities within the story. For example, it is easy to consider the story to be over after chapter three, simply ignoring the final chapter. But it is that last chapter which addresses the theological puzzle that is key to interpreting and understanding the book of Jonah. It is in the last chapter where we fully comprehend that Jonah knew great theological truths but tried to limit those truths. It is in the last chapter where the reader must wrestle with their own theology and their own desires to put limits on the God of their theology" (Hoyt, 335). Today, we welcome back to the podcast, László Kádár. Laci serves as staff Bible teacher and evangelist at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary. He's a gifted preacher and teacher and diligent student of God's word and, because of that, he's a great candidate to help us think through this well-known but oft-misunderstood and mis-applied book of the Bible.

Speaking of the timelessness of the book of Amos, one author writes this: "Injustice permeates our world, yet as Christians we often turn a blind eye to the suffering of others for 'more important' work like praying, preaching, and teaching. But the book of Amos reminds us that those works, while unquestionably central to a believer's life, ring hollow when we don't love and serve others in our own lives. Do you find yourself falling into that trap at times—prioritizing prayer over service?" These are probing questions for any thoughtful believer to consider. And to help us think through the book that prompts such reflection, we're joined by Dr. Stephen Bramer. Dr. Bramer is the chair of the Bible Exposition department at Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas and adjunct professor at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary, Briercrest Seminary in Saskatchewan, and Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Jordan. So, really, he's all over the world! He also serves as teaching pastor at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Dr. Bramer also has a bit more of a connection with us at Oakridge Bible Chapel in that he grew up here in Oakville attending a small assembly in the community.

First impressions of the book of Joel may be akin to "same song, different verse," as it includes familiar themes of disobedience and discipline, retribution and restoration. One pastor summarizes the book this way: "Using what was at that time the well-known locust plague in Judah, Joel capitalized on a recent tragedy to dispense the Lord's message of judgment and the hope of repentance. In referring to the terrible locust plague, Joel was able to speak into the lives of his listeners and imprint the message of judgment into their minds, like a brand sears the flesh of an animal." Didn't Isaiah already talk about this? Jeremiah said something similar, didn't he? What about Hosea? Oh, right, andEzekiel! Do we really need another prophet reiterating the same warnings and promises and sending Bible readers into fits of scriptural deja vu? Well, before we allow our eyes to glaze over and apathy to dull our interest, we should be reminded that there is a necessary uniqueness to Joel that other facets of inspired Scripture lack. And to help us understand just what that is we welcome back to the podcast Jonathan Ward. Jonathan serves as the Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at the Owen Sound Campus of the Word of Life Bible Institute right here in Ontario. He is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute, Baptist Bible Seminary, and holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary.

The biblical books of First and Second Samuel are, so say it simply, action-packed. And, within the repeated ups and downs of the inspired narrative are some of the most well-known, oft-quoted, and dearly-beloved stories: Hannah's miraculous pregnancy (1 Samuel 1), the tragic reign of king Saul (1 Samuel 10–31), the anointing of Jesse's youngest son (1 Samuel 16), David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17), David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18), David's enthronement (2 Samuel 2), the unification of the kingdom (2 Samuel 5), God's covenant with David (2 Samuel 7), David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), David's mighty men (2 Samuel 23), and the degradation of the kingdom (2 Samuel 13–22). It is an absolutely epic ride with much to teach us about God, his world, and his people. With so much scriptural ground to cover we needed to find a guest to guide us well and we found just that. Jonathan Ward serves as the Associate Professor of Bible and Theology at the Owen Sound Campus of the Word of Life Bible Institute right here in Ontario. He is a graduate of New Brunswick Bible Institute, Baptist Bible Seminary, and holds a Master of Divinity from Luther Rice Seminary.

Three down, sixty-three to go! As we continue our trek through the Bible we now come nearer the close of the Pentateuch and to the book of Numbers. The book is titled thus because it contains many, well, numbers—statistics, population counts, tribal and priestly figures, and other such data. But, as you're about to hear and maybe already know, there's so much more going on in this section of the Scriptures than counting! Today we're joined by Dr. Stephen Bramer. Dr. Bramer is the chair of the Bible Exposition department at Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas and adjunct professor at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary, Briercrest Seminary in Saskatchewan, and Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Jordan. So, really, he's all over the world! He also serves as teaching pastor at Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. Dr. Bramer also has a bit more of a connection with us at Oakridge Bible Chapel in that he grew up here in Oakville attending a small assembly in the community.

Ministry presentation and sermon by Eric Ickes, missionary to Word of Life Bible Institute in the Philippines.

Waterbrook Mission Staff Member Joshua Bramer visits to continue our series "Epic True Stories from the Old Testament" with the story of Adam and Eve from Genesis 2. Josh is a Bible Teacher with Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary. 

In today’s podcast, we will continue our two-part series entitled Theology Matters. We will be listening in on a seminar presented to the staff and faculty of the Word of Life Bible Institute entitled Getting the Gospel Right.

Nate Claiborne and Jonathan Duckett continue a mini-series on the objectives and aims of NewCity's Student Community (NCSC).  In this episode, they give some of their background as staff members leading NCSC. Both Nate and Jonathan graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute before completing their undergrad at Liberty University. Nate continued on with his studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 2011 with a Master of Theology (Th.M). Duckett is graduating later this month from Reformed Theological Seminary with his Master of Divinity (M.Div) and continue his studies this summer as he starts the MAC Program (Master of Arts in Counseling).Both Nate and Duckett have an extensive background in teaching and youth ministry and bring these spiritual gifts and talents into the ministry of NewCity Orlando to Middle and High School students.

As Oakridge prepares to move back into our Sunday study of Matthew's gospel, Josiah recruits some outside help to re-set the stage. John Oglesby is a student and faculty member at Calvary University and executive vice president of Vyrsity under Agathon Educational Group. He also serves as a guest lecturer at the Word of Life Bible Institute where he teaches a variety of biblical books, including the first gospel account. The conversation that follows will aid in reacquainting us with this particular and unique book of the Bible, warn us of some potential hazards to avoid in our exploration, and highlight some important and exciting themes we shouldn't miss.

GUESTAutumn Millett: After experiencing a difficult childhood characterized by homelessness, poverty, abuse, and involvement with the foster care system, Autumn Millett was adopted into her forever family at the age of 17. It was there that she found her identity in a personal relationship with Christ. She is now a graduate of Word of Life Bible Institute and Stetson University and is married to her sweetheart, Corey.Chris Johnson joined Lifeline in March 2020 and serves as the National Director of Church Partnerships. He previously served as a pastor for 24 years and as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Governor's Office of Faith and Community Based Initiatives. Chris has also served as a consultant and has been a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences, churches, and community gatherings, sharing his family's story and challenging others to answer the gospel call to care for vulnerable children and families. He was born and raised in metro Atlanta, GA and currently lives in Birmingham. Chris attended Regent University and studied Educational Leadership and also Trinity Baptist College, where he studied Church Ministries. He has an amazing wife named Alicia and they have 10 children (3 biological and 7 adopted from foster care). They have also served as foster parents to more than 40 children. Watch Autumn's 60 Minute Interview. Learn more about her story. RESOURCES As you settle into this Thanksgiving break, you may want to make good use of our Resources Page. We have hundreds of helpful articles, activity ideas, and other materials there. Topics covered include: adoption, attachment, siblings, medical needs, children's behavioral challenges, birth parents, how to address grief and trauma, and more. Visit www.lifelinechild.org/resources or see our show notes for more details.Interested in learning more about adoption? For those seeking to adopt, we have recently produced a free eBook to help you financially prepare for the journey. Filled with tips, resources, contact information for grant organizations, and more. HOSTHerbie Newell is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children's Services and its ministry arms. LIFELINE CHILDREN'S SERVICESThe mission of Lifeline Children's Services is to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children. Our vision is for vulnerable children and their communities to be transformed by the gospel and to make disciples. 

Year of the Wolf by Steven Venton In a terrifying turn of events, man has become the hunted, rather than the hunter... Jonathan Wilkes has worked for the Pentagon as a computer analyst for ten years and has achieved what society calls "success". Now he is on his way home, back to his roots, to reconcile with his parents. He is planning a surprise reunion when something goes very wrong. He comes face-to-face with a different and deadly reality: one to which he must find a solution. He meets and teams up with several others who join him in a race against time to solve the mystery that could endanger the safety of millions of people who vacation in the Adirondack Mountains and over three hundred thousand residents. Rampaging wolf packs have overpopulated the Adirondacks and some powerful people are involved! The reader finds himself in the middle of an action-packed plot, with people being hunted by wolves, a network of criminals working together, and a prize worth billions of dollars! The reader will find main characters involved in a rescue operation, venturing the halls of the New York State legislature, and being pursued by murderous thugs in a terrifying high-speed car chase. Year of the Wolf is a tale of human greed, unspeakable cruelty, and great valor in the face of danger. It even has an unforgettable double ending. But this book has a dual purpose: to entertain, but also to show the reader something beyond the natural: Someone Who is sovereign over all, Someone Who cares, Someone Who is willing to meet the reader at his or her point of need. May this book do more than entertain. May it effect a profound change for the better in the lives of all who read these pages. About The Author I was born in 1955,late summer, and grew up in a small town in the Adirondacks.I have one brother and two sisters, and I am the only one of the four siblings to have been born in a year the New York Yankees did NOT win the World Series. The Brooklyn Dodgers won in 1955, beating the Yankees. I enjoyed fishing, swimming, running, card games, board games (There were no computer games when I was growing up.), and tennis. When I was 12, I went to the Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, NY, and it was there that I made the most important decision of my life. I received the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. And I have never ever regretted that decision. I graduated from high school in 1973, went to Nyack College for two years, went to Word of Life Bible Institute, and then went to Citadel Bible College in Ozark, Arkansas. I have a BA degree in two majors: Bible, and Pastoral Studies. I never became a pastor, but I have been involved in a local church for many years, involved in teaching, evangelism, and being on the church board. I had some bad things happen to me, and my response was to write a couple of novels, one of which is published. I really felt the emotions of the characters in the novel, probably due to the bad times I had just been through. My desire is to reach people with the good news that no matter where you are in life, God is available to all who call on Him in sincerity and truth. http://stevenventon.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Year-Wolf-Steve-Venton/dp/1951670043/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1600447064&sr=8-1 http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/stevventon.mp3

Today we are excited to have Karen Earls with us to talk about our identity in Christ. Karen is a local who has worked at Word of Life Bible Institute and has experience as a Biblical counsellor to women. We had such an encouraging truth-filled conversation with her about who we are in Christ and how that motivates us in gospel-spreading work! Scripture:Psalm 51:5Romans 3:231 John 1:8Romans 5:8Ephesians 1 & 2Ezekiel 37Ephesians 2:1-5Resources:Word of Life Bible Institute in Owen Sound, Ontario, CanadaThe Complete Green Letters  by Miles StanfordWe created a free "Who I Am in Christ" printable that you can download here.Quotes:"God really wants us to have that certainty and security only in Him." -- Karen"Position is who we are in God's sight." -- Michelle"We don't always feel righteous and holy, but the truth is that God sees us that way." -- Karen"Being His child is enough." -- Karen"Remembering that who Christ says I am is where I find my value." -- Karen"He not only gives us salvation, but He gives us the tools we need to believe what's true and live free as His children." -- Karen"When we turn our eyes to him and we just behold who He is, we slowly become practically more actually like him." -- Michelle"Recognizing who I am in Christ propels me with gratitude to want to live for Him and not for myself." -- KarenConnect with Karen:Facebook | Support their ministrySubscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | or on our Episodes page Follow us on Instagram | FacebookShare with others, leave a review Connect with us at compel@ethnos.ca

This fall we are taking some time to zoom out and talk about the “why” behind missions. What motivates us to spread the Gospel story? Last week we talked about how the love of Christ compels us to action. If you missed that episode, I encourage you to go back and listen. It’s a foundational episode for this series. This week we are talking with Lindsay Campbell from Word of Life Bible Institute about purpose. What did God save us for? What is God’s purpose? And, subsequently, what is our purpose?Scripture:John 17:32 Corinthians 5:14-17Jeremiah 21 Timothy 6:7Luke 19:10Resources:Word of Life Bible Institute in Owen Sound, Ontario, CanadaA Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God's Love by Milton VincentGoodSeed websiteBy This Name by John Cross, also available at Amazon | Ethnos CanadaThe Lamb by John Cross, also available at Amazon | Ethnos CanadaFieldnotes: Stories of the Gospel Transforming LivesWomen of the Word by Jen WilkinQuotes:"The only safe obsession is God. He is the only one we are allowed to fully pursue, fully worship, and get crazy about and it's not going to harm us. " -- Michelle"We need to be praying about the Lord bringing unbelievers into our lives." -- Lindsay "Where ever you are at, remember that knowing Christ is one of your main purposes.""We're not just on mission when we are overseas, but we can be on mission in our communities and God is at work." -- Lindsay Connect with Lindsay:Instagram | Facebook | Support her ministrySubscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | or on our Episodes page Follow us on Instagram | FacebookShare with others, leave a review Connect with us at compel@ethnos.ca

This week Amy and Mike continue their discussion with Sergio Cariello, illustrator of The Action Bible and Michelle Baird from Cook Publishing. Arriving this September, and updated version of The Action Bible will feature 25 new Bible stories and 23 expanded stories – all illustrated by Marvel and DC Comics artist Sergio Cariello. The Action Bible family of products has more than 85 million units in print worldwide since it launched in 2010. The original The Action Bible has sold more than 2.3 million copies and has spent more than 515 weeks on the ECPA Top 50 bestseller list. It is available in 27 languages globally, with 10-15 additional language translations to be completed in 2020. Sergio Cariello studied at the Word of Life Bible Institute (in Brazil and New York) as well as the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning (New York). He drew superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics and served as an instructor at the Kubert School. Sergio has spent more than a decade bringing the Bible to life for children and adults around the world. “It’s been the privilege of my life to combine my faith and art in The Action Bible. I loved to study the Bible before I began drawing The Action Bible, so these illustrations are the result of a continuous walk with Christ,” explains Sergio Cariello. “Drawing Captain America or Batman is fantastic, but drawing Jesus is different because I know the Holy Spirit is touching readers’ hearts through my drawings.” See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

This week Amy and Mike catch up with Sergio Cariello, illustrator of The Action Bible and Michelle Baird from Cook Publishing. Arriving this September, and updated version of The Action Bible will feature 25 new Bible stories and 23 expanded stories – all illustrated by Marvel and DC Comics artist Sergio Cariello. The Action Bible family of products has more than 85 million units in print worldwide since it launched in 2010. The original The Action Bible has sold more than 2.3 million copies and has spent more than 515 weeks on the ECPA Top 50 bestseller list. It is available in 27 languages globally, with 10-15 additional language translations to be completed in 2020. Sergio Cariello studied at the Word of Life Bible Institute (in Brazil and New York) as well as the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning (New York). He drew superheroes for Marvel and DC Comics and served as an instructor at the Kubert School. Sergio has spent more than a decade bringing the Bible to life for children and adults around the world. “It’s been the privilege of my life to combine my faith and art in The Action Bible. I loved to study the Bible before I began drawing The Action Bible, so these illustrations are the result of a continuous walk with Christ,” explains Sergio Cariello. “Drawing Captain America or Batman is fantastic, but drawing Jesus is different because I know the Holy Spirit is touching readers’ hearts through my drawings.” See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

It's been suggested that if Canadians want to know their cultural future they need only look to Europe as what is happening there with eventually and inevitably happen here. Today on the podcast, Josiah chats with someone on the other side of the Atlantic—Dr. (almost!) László Kádár, staff Bible teacher and evangelist at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary. Together they discuss European Christianity, similarities and differences to the Americas, and what believers in Canada can learn from believers overseas.

In this second of a two-part podcast series, Joe Schenke and Brian Baker answer practical questions posed by Word of Life Bible Institute students about counseling young people.

In this first of a two-part podcast series, Joe Schenke and Brian Baker answer practical questions posed by Word of Life Bible Institute students about counseling young people.

In today's episode, I have a special guest joining me! Diego is a student here at the Word of Life Bible Institute. I have just gotten to know Diego and I realized how much I wanted to get him on the podcast. Diego has an amazing story of God's faithfulness and how God answers our prayers even in ways we can't comprehend. Diego's story is just one of many here at Word of Life Hungary. My hope is that I can share more of these stories with you all! This episode once again reminds all of us that God is faithful and you can trust Him!

Dr. Nicolas Ellen provides insights into the place for and value of Biblical Counseling. He also provides encouragement to and resources for married couples. Joshua Ely, Dean of Students of the Word of Life Bible Institute is the guest host.

Pastor Ryan hosts a panel discussion about ministry, featuring the Word of Life Revive Band. They are a ministry team from Word of Life Bible Institute who travel full time using music as a platform to share the gospel and teach the Word.

Do YOU think everyone is aware of their soul? How much time do you spend thinking about it? Maybe, it can feel abstract and even a bit eery. Intuitively, I suspect you know you are much more than just your physical body. The body is super essential, BUT what is your SOUL anyway? Today we are going to talk about; what a SOUL is, and if it's possible to SET??? Let me give you a little background: I was born and raised in Brazil. My parents were excellent; they worked for a non-profit. Continually, I observed how they invested in the lives of young people through youth camps, teaching, and mentoring. I was 12 years old, when my dad was speaking at a campfire, that night, God spoke to my heart, and I knew I wanted to invest my life in others, just like them. I studied for one year at the Word of Life Bible Institute in NY. Once I graduated from Liberty University as a Human Ecology major, [this is a glorified Home Economics major

In this episode Jonathan sits down with Eric Messer, the Executive Dean of Student and Guest Experiences. Eric and Jonathan cover topics such as student experiences and scholarship work programs to campus updates such as our athletic programs, academic programs, health and security components and the master plan for the Word of Life Bible Institute property. If you have been considering the Word of Life Bible Institute as your next step in your educational journey, then this podcast gives you much insight as to what's happening currently and what's coming soon.

Where students go to college is a big deal. Today on the podcast, Brian is joined by Tom Phillips, Campus Pastor at the Word of Life Bible Institute to talk about the role a Christian College can play in the lives of our students.

If you have worked with students for more than a minute, you have dealt with the results of anxiety and depression. Students everywhere are struggling with it and many times with no help. Brian sits down with Karen Smith (a repeat guest from Episode 17), the Dean of women at the Word of Life Bible Institute and she gives us some practical steps as to how we can help students in these areas of struggle. Link to all of the podcast bellow. WOL.is/podcasts

If you have worked with students for more than a minute, you have dealt with the results of anxiety and depression. Students everywhere are struggling with it and many times with no help. Brian sits down with Karen Smith (a repeat guest from Episode 17), the Dean of women at the Word of Life Bible Institute and she gives us some practical steps as to how we can help students in these areas of struggle.

Dr. Ray Pritchard, founder and president of Keep Believing Ministries, author of more than 30 books, and adjunct professor of the Word of Life Bible Institute preaches an inspiring message entitled, “Look Who's Coming to Dinner.”

Second year student at the Word of Life Bible Institute, Michaela Yoder, spent her childhood in fear as she lived with her father who verbally and emotionally abused both her and her mother. This story is one of hurt, frustration, confusion but ends in a joy that can only come from the Lord. This is the life story of Michaela Yoder!

This week we sat down with Kerrie Barone, a 2nd year student at the Word of Life Bible Institute, who struggled with self worth, depression and the want to live. This is a heartfelt podcast as some things lay at rest in her life, other struggles still exist. If we're honest, don't we all have struggles that we contend with on a normal basis? Listen in as you hear the powerful story of Kerrie Barone and her transformation from darkness to light!

On today's show, Tim welcomes Word of Life Bible Institute President, Roger Peace, on the show to discuss his mission, journey with the Lord and Christianity, and interactions with collegiate-aged people and how religion is transferred over generations. Then, Tim has several giveaways, mainly Sara Groves's album All Right Here, and plays audio clips from his interview with Sara last week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this podcast we sit down with Word of Life Bible Institute freshman student, Anton'e Williamson. Listen in as you hear the radical change that took place in his life after surrendering his everything to the Lord.

In this podcast we sit down with Word of Life Bible Institute sophomore student, Luke Paige. Filled with tragedy, pain, and addiction, Luke's life was spinning out of control. Listen in as you hear the radical change that took place in his life after surrendering his everything to the Lord.

Dr. Ray Pritchard, founder and president of Keep Believing Ministries, author of more than 30 books, and adjunct professor of the Word of Life Bible Institute preaches an inspiring message entitled, “Look Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

In this first of the Learn the Word Podcast summer format, we listen to a message preached by H.B. Charles at Word of Life Bible Institute’s Founder Conference. The theme of the conference was “Better Together.”

For those who minister to teen girls, it is vitally important that we create environments where they feel free to open up and talk. Today on the podcast, Brian is joined by Amy Speck to talk about this and also how to help them see the truth in their lives. Amy is the Dean of Women at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Canada and a Certified Counselor who ministers daily to teen girls.

Four professors of the Word of Life Bible Institute discuss the uniqueness of Scripture, answering the question, what makes the Christian Bible unique from all other religious writings?

In this first of a two-part round-table conversation, four professors of the Word of Life Bible Institute discuss the uniqueness of Christianity, answering the question, what makes Christianity unique from all other world religions?

This week on the podcast we listen to a different podcast that Word of Life offers. This one is hosted by Paul Weaver the Academic Dean of the Word of Life Bible Institute. Here is the description for the episode. Dr. Doug Bookman, Professor of New Testament Studies at Shepherd's Theological Seminary, joins us to discuss the last week of Jesus Christ's life. In this first part, of a two-part series, Dr. Bookman provides an overview of the events of the passion week of Christ and describes political enemies who became allies in order to attempt to discredit and ultimately crucify Jesus Christ. This is the link that you can use to listen to more of the Learn the Word Podcast as well as part two of this podcast. learn.wol.org/podcast

Dr. Davis, Distinguished Professor of the Word of Life Bible Institute joins us in the studio to discuss the topic of Apologetics. What is apologetics? What are the best arguments for Christianity? How does apologetics help evangelize unbelievers and strengthen the faith of believers? In this week's podcast, Dr. Davis will answer these questions and many more.

It's not easy to stay relevant in youth ministry as we grow older. This week on the Multiply! Podcast, Brian is joined by an expert on this topic. Tom Phillips has over 40 years of youth ministry experience, from local church ministry to camp ministry to his current role as Campus Pastor at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York.  Tom has a heart for students and is an incredible communicator of the Word! Tune in as he identifies some of the changes in youth ministry that have taken place over the last 40+ years. 

Jacob wasn't raised in a Christian home, but even as a kid, he had plenty of questions about God. When his baseball coach took time to invest in his life and invited him to church, those questions were slowly answered. Join Jonathan and Brice as they hear story after story of the unique, meaningful (and sometimes hilarious) ways that God has shown up in Jacob's life. In this episode, Jacob shares how impactful a biblical education has been in his life and his family. For more information about Word of Life Bible Institute, you can call 1.800.331.9673 or visit wordoflife.edu.

Fear, Anxiety, Forgiveness, People Pleasing, Pornography; these are just some of the common issues teenage girls are facing today. How can we help them? Our guest this week on the Multiply! Podcast is Karen Smith. Karen serves as the Dean of Women at the Word of Life Bible Institute, where she invests a large amount of time counseling female students as they deal with many of these same issues. On today's episode, she offers valuable insight for helping young women face these issues from a biblical standpoint and experience victory.

Luis Ortiz grew up in the projects on the streets of New York city. Even though he ran into drugs, gangs, and felt stuck in the streets the love of God broke through. Through the godly influence of the love of the church, Luis came to know Jesus as his Savior. As he got into boxing in a competitive way and had success it was his goal to use the sport to spread the Gospel to those he fought in the ring. Today Luis is at the Word of Life Bible Institute getting a solid foundation of Biblical truth and seeking God's will for his next steps.

Don't underestimate the power of good friends to either point you towards or away from, God. In this week's episode, we hear the testimony of Jenny Freebern. She is an Admissions Counselor at the Word of Life Bible Institute and she talks about dealing with a Father overtaken by alcoholism, running from God to pursue a relationship, and how God eventually brought her back to himself. 

Would you put your dream on hold if God asked you to? Brady did. On this week's episode, we interview Brady Novak who goes by Brady James as a hip-hop artist. He's a first-year student at the Word of Life Bible Institue but just a year ago he was pursuing a music career as a hip-hop artist ready to sign a deal with a record label. Through God's conviction and the counsel of parents and friends Brady decided to put his music career on hold to spend time studying God's word at the Word of Life Bible Institute. Discover why Brady decided to put his dream on hold and what studying God's word at the Bible Institute has taught him about life and music.

Today Crossroads Ministries was visited by special guest Justin Cousins and the Word of Life Bible Institute.

Today Crossroads Ministries was visited by special guest Justin Cousins and the Word of Life Bible Institute.

This week we hear from Pastor JD Greear of the Summit Church. He was the keynote speaker at Missions Conference 2017 this year at the Word of Life Bible Institute last week. In this episode he challenges us with a powerful truth; we are all called to missions. It's not a question of if, but rather where. JD Greear challenges you and me to use the profession that God has given us in a strategic place for the Gospel. Are you ready to be used by God in missions?

Michelle Mendoza speaks with security expert Robert Caltabiano about the U.S.'s response to Russia's cyber attacks. John and Kathy turn to Editor of Gospel Coalition Gavin Ortlund to discuss the problem of evil. Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom joins Darryl Wood to talk about the latest with Planned Parenthood. Matt Sharp of the Alliance Defending Freedom speaks with Don Kroah about gender identity. Gary Ingersoll of the Word of Life Bible Institute joins Bill Bunkley to discuss Abraham Lincoln's humility. Gilbert Hovsepian shares his story of suffering for Christ in Iran and the persecution of his father on the Frank Sontag Show.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chelsea Muir is a 2nd year student at the Word of Life Bible Institute who has lived a life different than the average person. To see her now you would've never guessed what she has been delivered from. Listen to Chelsea's passionate life changing story that will be sure to leave you inspired and motivated to step up and out for Jesus!

Sergio Cariello is a Brazilian - American Comic Book Illustrator who has worked for major corporations such as Marvel, DC and Disney drawing all the characters we have come to love. More than these great accomplishments, Sergio spent years illustrating the Bible which was released in 2010 called, "The Action Bible." Sergio is a graduate of the Word of Life Bible Institute and has graciously sat down with us today to share his life story. 

Dave James is co-founder and executive director of the Alliance for Biblical Integrity. Dave served with Word of Life Fellowship for 21 years, including 16 years as founding director of the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary. He continues to teach and preach in many venues including in Word of Life Bible Institutes around the world.

Dave James is co-founder and executive director of the Alliance for Biblical Integrity. Dave served with Word of Life Fellowship for 21 years, including 16 years as founding director of the Word of Life Bible Institute in Hungary. He continues to teach and preach in many venues including in Word of Life Bible Institutes around the world.

Guest Mark Strout from Word of Life Bible Institute.