Most Christians would say prayer is the most important thing they do. Most of us also do it the least. This episode is about closing that gap.

I sat down with my best friend, Pastor Stanton Moore, for an honest conversation about prayer — what it actually is, what we get wrong about it, and how to start if you never have or stopped a long time ago.

Stanton's take is simpler than you'd expect: prayer doesn't begin with talking. It begins with listening. And a lot of us are praying to a God we don't really understand — he puts it bluntly: too many believers picture God as an angry dad with two billion kids grabbing at his coattails. We live in the front yard when Jesus is inviting us into the living room.

We get practical: how to actually build a prayer life when you're starting from zero (hint: not an hour a day — he'll tell you why that's setting yourself up to fail), what Stanton's own routine looks like on an ordinary Tuesday, whether the method matters, and what to do with the complaining, the dry seasons, and the prayers that sound nothing like a pastor's.

Then we go where most prayer conversations don't. Stanton shares the hardest season of his own life — and what he learned about God's goodness through a prayer that wasn't answered the way he begged for it. We talk about God's sovereignty, praying wrong, why God is patient with what Stanton calls our "immature sincerity," and why praying with your spouse and your kids might be the most powerful thing you do in your home.

And his one-sentence answer to "if you could only tell people one thing about prayer" is worth the whole episode.

If you've never really prayed, or you stopped a long time ago — this one's for you. Start tonight. Ten minutes. He's been waiting on the porch.

Everybody knows they should exercise and eat right. Almost nobody does it consistently. This episode is about closing that gap.

I sat down with Blue Norman — my personal trainer, my friend, and a man whose story starts with loading his whole life into a Camry at 18 and driving sixteen hours from Oklahoma to Valdosta because he'd fallen in love with CrossFit and believed the Lord had His hand in it.

Blue coaches people every day, which means he has a front-row seat to what actually separates the people who transform from the people who quit. His answer is simpler than you'd think — and it has almost nothing to do with motivation.

We get practical fast. The three things that drive almost all of your results (protein, steps, and working out — that's it). Why hitting your protein matters more than counting calories. What "training to failure" actually means for a normal person, and why 45 focused minutes beats 90 lazy ones. The biggest nutrition myth he busts over and over. And what a realistic week looks like for somebody with a job, kids, and a life — not an athlete.

Then we go deeper: fitness as stewardship. Your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit — so how are you taking care of it? Blue's honest about what he sees, and about why this isn't about vanity or being the fittest person in the room. It's about being able to serve your family, your calling, and the Lord with the body you've been given.

And we talk about something I've noticed about Blue for years — people tell him things. Clients open up way past sets and reps. What he's learned from being that guy might be the best part of the episode: even the experts need somebody. His coach tells him the exact same things he tells his clients — and he can't hear it any other way. Because we weren't made to do it alone.

Blue is actively taking new clients — nutrition, training, or both, all online. Find him on Instagram @blue_norman22. His info is in the show notes.

Stay on the journey.

Most people never do therapy. But honestly? Most people would probably benefit from taking better care of their mental health.

This month I sat down with Susan Bradshaw of EnSpire Counseling & Wellness — a faith-based counselor with nearly 30 years in the field, and someone I've worked with personally. We had an honest, easygoing conversation about why so few people ever walk through the door, and what they might be missing by staying away.

I open up a little about my own story and why I've leaned on counseling in certain seasons. And we get into the stuff most people wonder but never ask: the difference between a therapist, a psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Why "taking care of your mental health" doesn't always mean structured therapy — sometimes it's a friend, a group, a coach, or time with God. How to actually find the right fit, and what to do if you've had a bad experience before.

Susan also teaches. She walks through the practical stuff — self-care, retraining negative thought patterns ("stinking thinking"), the research on how prayer can rewire your brain, and the trauma work she does through EMDR and BLAST. And because she counsels from a Christian perspective, we talk about how faith and mental health fit together, and why going to a counselor doesn't mean you've stopped trusting God.

The heart of it: God didn't design us to carry everything on our own. Whether it's a therapist, a group, or a good friend — everybody needs someone to talk to.

If you've ever thought about it but never pulled the trigger, this one's for you.