In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle a difficult but necessary topic: pornography and its overwhelming impact—especially among young men in the Christian community.

Drawing from personal experience, pastoral conversations, and biblical truth, they move beyond simply stating that pornography is wrong and instead focus on what it actually takes to pursue freedom.

They address the realities of addiction, the role of shame and isolation, and the practical and spiritual disciplines required to break the cycle. Most importantly, they point listeners back to the core truth of the Gospel: your sin is real—but so is your forgiveness, and your identity is not defined by your struggle.

1. Pornography is far more widespread and accessible than ever before

2. Most young men already know it’s wrong—but feel trapped anyway

3. The real question isn’t “Is this bad?” but “How do we actually fight it?”

4. Shame and isolation are primary tools that keep the addiction alive

5. Freedom is possible—but it requires intentional, ongoing effort

We hope this episode is helpful and encouraging to you, dear listener.

Please reach out if you need us:

jonathan@beunbound.us

david.rethemeyer@beunbound.us

As always,

Be Unbound

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Tamma Phillips

In this episode, Jonathan and David revisit David’s recent marathon. What initially looks like a missed goal becomes a powerful conversation about failure, growth, and redefining success.

David set out to complete his first marathon in 4 hours and 20 minutes. He finished in 5 hours and 15 minutes.

By the numbers, that’s a failure.

But is it really?

Through honest reflection, they unpack what actually happened—from unexpected heat and physical setbacks to gaps in training—and why falling short didn’t mean falling apart.

Instead, it revealed something deeper:

Failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s often the path to it.

They explore the idea that:

• Failure is the price we pay for meaningful experience
• Goals can succeed and fail at the same time
• Growth requires pushing beyond what you’re guaranteed to achieve

The conversation expands beyond running into broader life lessons—career, education, relationships, and faith—challenging the cultural myth that success should be linear and predictable.

For anyone wrestling with disappointment, unmet expectations, or the fear of failure, this episode offers a refreshing perspective:

You’re not behind—you’re learning.

If you’re trying something hard, whether it’s a marathon, a career move, or a life decision, don’t expect a perfect outcome.

Expect to learn.

Because the people who grow the most aren’t the ones who avoid failure…

They’re the ones who use it.

As always,

Be Unbound

There’s a moment most people recognize, even if they don’t talk about it.

You look at everything in front of you—the responsibilities, the expectations, the people depending on you—and your first honest thought is:

“I don’t have the energy for this.”

Not later. Not after rest. Right now.

In this episode, Jonathan and David sit down with Abby Halberstam to explore what it looks like to live faithfully in that exact space—not after the struggle is resolved, but in the middle of it.

As a mother of ten, Abby brings a perspective shaped by constant demand, limited capacity, and the daily choice to keep moving forward anyway. One of the most compelling ideas she shares is a complete reframing of how we think about energy and motivation.

Instead of waiting until you feel ready, she argues that movement itself is often what creates the strength you need.

“You don’t have energy. You make energy.”

But this isn’t just about productivity or mindset. At its core, this conversation is about dependence—what happens when you stop pretending you’re enough on your own and start operating from a place of faith instead.

Because the deeper truth isn’t that you suddenly become capable.

It’s that you move forward anyway, trusting that your weakness isn’t the end of the story.

“I don’t have what it takes—but God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness.”

This episode is a grounded and honest look at responsibility, faith, and perseverance—not as abstract ideals, but as daily practices lived out in the middle of real life.

Thanks for listening.

And as always,

Be Unbound.

In last week's episode we talked about the gap between what we say we value and how we actually live—and how isolation often keeps that gap hidden.

This week’s episode moves one step further.

It’s not just that community helps close that gap—it’s often the only place where it becomes visible in the first place.

We’re not designed to navigate life alone.

We need people who:

• Ask honest questions
• Notice when something’s off
• Encourage us when we’re discouraged
• Challenge us when we’re drifting

Not just content. Not just ideas.

Real relationships.

Because the gap between knowing what’s right and actually living it is usually closed in community—not in isolation.

At Unbound, community isn’t an add-on—it’s central.

Whether it’s through programs, shared work, or experiences like Ridgeline, the goal isn’t just information. It’s formation.

That happens when people:

• Live and work alongside each other
• Take on real responsibility together
• Build trust over time

It’s in those environments that people are known, challenged, and shaped in ways that don’t happen alone.

If this resonates, the next step doesn’t have to be complicated.

Start with one conversation.

One intentional relationship.

One step toward being known.

And as always,

Be Unbound.

Faith.

Family.

Purpose.

Integrity.

But if you look at something more revealing, like their calendars, their spending, their habits, or the people they spend the most time with, you might get a different picture.

In this episode, Jonathan and David sit down with Jeff Pinkleton to talk about something that’s both incredibly common and rarely discussed openly: the internal struggles many men carry and the isolation that often comes with them.

Jeff has spent years working in men’s ministry, walking alongside men who are trying to navigate discouragement, responsibility, faith, and relationships. And one of the biggest patterns he’s seen is this: many men are trying to live the Christian life alone.

This conversation explores why that happens, why it’s dangerous, and what it looks like for men to actually support, disciple, and challenge one another in a meaningful way.

__________________________________________________

Thanks for listening.

And as always,

Be Unbound.

But what if many of those decisions are actually being driven by ideas you’ve never consciously examined?

In this episode, Jonathan and David pick up on themes from last week’s conversation and explore one of the most powerful hidden forces shaping our lives: the invisible assumptions behind how we measure success.

Why do so many life decisions revolve around career, income, and opportunity? Why does the question “What do you want to do with your life?” almost always get answered with a job title?

The problem isn’t that work or money matter. They obviously do. The problem is when economic success quietly becomes the default metric that determines where we live, how we make decisions, and what we believe a “good life” looks like.

Instead of chasing the wrong scoreboard, Jonathan and David explore a different approach: consciously examining the ideas that drive your decisions—and learning to structure your life around priorities rather than metrics.

• Why nearly every life plan defaults to an economic answer
• The hidden ideas that quietly shape our decisions
• How metrics can become distractions instead of tools
• Why success is often measured by the wrong scoreboard
• The difference between tools and ultimate goals
• Why priorities are more helpful than formulas
• How family, faith, and calling interact when making life decisions
• Why two faithful Christians may make completely different choices
• The danger of assuming your life path should be everyone else's
• How understanding priorities creates humility and clarity

One of the key ideas in the conversation is that metrics are not inherently bad.

Numbers can be helpful tools. They can help us track progress, stay disciplined, and make practical decisions.

The problem happens when the tool becomes the goal.

When that happens, we stop pursuing the deeper purpose and start optimizing the measurement instead.

A spreadsheet meant to track spiritual discipline can slowly turn into a scoreboard for holiness.

A career meant to support your family can quietly become the primary measure of your worth.

The metric was supposed to serve the mission—but instead it replaces it.

So if life isn’t meant to be driven by metrics, what should guide our decisions?

Jonathan suggests a helpful framework: priorities.

Rather than asking:

What will make me the most successful?

You might ask:

• What has God called me to prioritize?
• What responsibilities has He placed directly in front of me?
• What order should those responsibilities take?

For example, many Christians would broadly agree on priorities like:

1. Faithfulness to Christ
2. Care for family
3. Commitment to community and church
4. Faithfulness in vocation

But how those priorities play out can look very different depending on the person, the family, and the life stage.

Two people may both prioritize family—and still make opposite decisions about a job move.

And that doesn’t necessarily mean one of them is wrong.

The deeper challenge here is awareness.

Many people go through life reacting to circumstances or following cultural expectations without ever questioning the ideas behind their choices.

But living intentionally means slowing down long enough to ask:

What assumptions are shaping my decisions?

Once those ideas become visible, you can begin evaluating them—testing them against Scripture, wisdom, and calling.

And from there, you can begin making decisions with clarity rather than defaulting to the culture’s definitions of success.

If you’re interested in conversations like this—where faith, vocation, responsibility, and real life intersect—we’d love for you to explore what we’re building at Be Unbound. Through programs, experiences like Ridgeline, and the broader Unbound community, we’re working to help people live thoughtful, responsible, mission-driven lives.

Thanks for listening.

Thanks for thinking with us.

And as always,

Be Unbound.

If you’ve ever felt the tension between “real life” and “spiritual life,” you know what I mean.

There’s the theology. The big ideas. The books. The podcasts. The Sunday conversations.

And then there’s:

• The broken washing machine
• The endless emails
• The job that feels either exhausting or meaningless
• The day that gets hijacked by something you didn’t plan

How are those two worlds supposed to connect?

In this episode, Nathan Rittenhouse from the Thinking Out Loud podcast joins us for a conversation about what it actually looks like to live out your faith in ordinary, physical, daily life — not just in theory, but in reality.

• Why Christianity was built for the mud — not just the lecture hall

• The danger of separating “spiritual” life from physical reality

• The difference between the weariness of work and the weariness of worry

• Why money becomes our default scoreboard

• The hidden pride and quiet bitterness in both blue-collar and white-collar work

• Why being human means refusing to become a machine

• How community creates the safety net that makes courage possible

• Why “well done, good and faithful servant” doesn’t include your salary

• What it means to put your head on the pillow with a clear conscience

Maybe you’re listening and thinking:

“I’m just trying to get through the week. I’m not over-spiritualizing my job. I just need to survive.”

Fair.

But here are two things to consider:

First, whether you realize it or not, you’re already living according to a scoreboard. The question isn’t whether you measure your life — it’s which metric you’re using.

Second, there is a kind of daily faithfulness that leads to something deeper than productivity: what Nathan described as a “grin on your soul.” Not naïve optimism. Not denial. But a settled joy that comes from knowing you showed up in obedience — even if the day didn’t go according to plan.

That kind of joy doesn’t come from control.

It comes from trust.

If you want to be part of a community that takes formation seriously — that values real responsibility, real relationships, and faith that works on Tuesday afternoon — we’d love for you to explore what we’re building at beunbound.us.

Thanks for thinking with us.

As always,

Be Unbound.

If you’ve been paying attention to headlines lately — whether political scandals, abuse of power stories, financial corruption, or sexual sin in ministry — you know the pattern. Leaders rise. Influence grows. Power increases. And then, sometimes suddenly, everything collapses.

Why does this keep happening?

We don’t think it’s because Christianity “doesn’t work.” And we don’t think it’s because leadership is inherently evil. Trent Emmack joins us for a discussion as we wrestle with this tough reality: We are still sinful people. And power multiplies whatever is already there.

What We Talk About

• Why Christians shouldn’t be surprised that leaders fall
• How rapid rises to influence often create spiritual vulnerability
• Why “sin makes you stupid” — and shortens your time horizon
• Why leaders must consciously place themselves under authority
• The role of accountability, objectivity, and wise counselors
• Why systems matter — even if they aren’t foolproof
• The difference between leadership and personal value
• How cultural narratives about power quietly fuel arrogance
• Sabbath, rest, and the link between burnout and moral collapse

It’s easy to think, “If we just had more power, we could fix everything.” But power doesn’t sanctify you. It amplifies you. The real issue isn’t influence. It’s formation. And formation happens slowly — through accountability, repentance, rest, community, and daily obedience long before anyone is watching.

Maybe you’re listening and thinking, “I’m not a CEO, pastor, or politician. What does this have to do with me?”

Two things:

First, you may be someday. Character is built long before influence arrives.

Second, even if you never hold a visible leadership position, you will almost certainly be close to someone who does. Being the friend who asks hard questions, the spouse who notices patterns, the board member who insists on accountability, or the church member who speaks truth gently but firmly — that’s not glamorous work. But it might be the difference between faithfulness and collapse for someone else.

If you want to be part of a community that takes formation seriously — that values accountability, relationships, and meaningful responsibility — we’d love for you to explore what we’re building at beunbound.us.

We just returned from Ridgeline, and the wrap-up video will be live soon on the Be Unbound YouTube channel. It was an incredible reminder that real leadership is forged in community, responsibility, and shared mission — not spotlight and applause.

Thanks for thinking with us. As always, Be Unbound.

Learn more about Unbound: https://beunbound.us/

Hosts: Jonathan Brush, David Rethemeyer

Producer: Kyle Hill