Manhood Restored

Bonus Convo: Diagnosing Dad Behavior A Father's Day special & bonus episode (suggested by Ben, believe it or not)!  A big shout out to dads:  thank you for all you do to keep society sane by keeping your families ordered in ways only a father can!   To show our appreciation, Ben and Chad strike up an entertaining conversation about what constitutes "dad behavior".  Taking turns...

Episode 92 - In a headline-happy culture that's fraught with daily doses of polarizing sensation, it can be a real challenge to stay sane.  Most of the content within those headlines involve matters outside of our immediate control.  That, in turn, stokes the fires of the mania that is social media, which is perhaps a symptom of the hysterical headlining.  How are we to properly respond this...

Episode 91 - Deacon Ralph Poyo is the founder of New Evangelization Ministries (NEM), an outreach to parish priests and their staff, helping equip them to lead their flocks to a live-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.  Drawing from over 40 years in ministry, Deacon Ralph leads retreats and conferences across the country, often speaking on the topic of pornography addiction.  He was ordained...

Episode 90 -  In today's "influencer age", podcast personalities and pundits abound.  Some of them reach meteoric status with followers in the millions.  Their voices and opinions, therefore, have a great influence.  As consumers of these kinds influencers, it can be difficult to take in their content with a critical ear.  That fact becomes all the more salient when Christians are l...

Episode 89 - Popular conservative commentator Dennis Prager recently made headlines for taking a surprisingly lax position on pornography.  Those comments set off a firestorm among many of his Christian fans.  While Prager cited his Jewish faith for his slightly different views on porn, the rationale used for those views might very well reflect that of many in the culture--even conservative Christ...

Episode 88 - Guest hosts, Kory Fletcher and Matt Driggs A long-overdue return to the four-mic format known as the MAN TALK!  Taking a broad, open-ended question to the table for a lively discussion, your two podcast hosts welcome two guest co-hosts.  Will the four men be able to handle this meandering, oft-maligned topic in such a way as to be taken seriously in their conclusions?  (Email us at mi...

Episode 87 -  There has been a resurgence of interest in homesteading in certain segments of America.  Younger generations turn away from a tech-saturated lifestyle; urbanites migrate to the rural countryside for simplicity and fresh air.  Whatever the reason, the popularity of homesteading in our modern context isn't because it's convenient or immediately practical.  No, it would seem t...

Episode 86 –  Released in February of 2023 (USA), “The Integrity of Joseph Chambers” is a movie that dredges the depths of what it means to be a man.  Joseph, haunted by an insecurity about his manliness, is driven to risk everything he loves to erase that insecurity.  When things go from irresponsible to irrevocable, Joseph’s real test of manliness begins. Chad, projector and popcorn in-hand, has...

Episode 85 - Chris Conley is an author, speaker, and coach.  He currently writes two motivational editorial columns for the Kenton Times and the Bellefontaine Examiner.  In 2021, he published "The Eight Facets of Life", a book chock-full of practical wisdom on topics important to living life well.  He and his wife of over 40 years have two children and four grandchildren. Chad leads as t...

Episode 84 -  We have some fun in this show of light-hearted insights - not necessarily manly insights, just quirky insights from two men; not necessarily insightful complaining, just insightful complaints; and not necessarily angry insights, just personally peevish insights.  It does, however, necessarily give insights into the weirdness of these co-hosts!    Ben cracks up with the tiniest annoya...

Episode 83 - Almost everything we as a society argue for and argue against depends upon a foundational principle:  that there is such a thing as Objective Truth.  It's a first step before which all other steps depend.  While that principle, for the most part, still carries the day with subjects that pertain to the observable realm (science), when it comes to applying the principle to religiou...

Episode 82 - Dr. Christopher Stroud is a board-certified OB/GYN at the Fertility & Midwifery Care Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which he and his wife started in 2014.  He is trained in a highly specialized, natural form of fertility care called Creighton Model Fertility/NaPro Technology.  Dr. Stroud runs the Holy Family Birth Center in Fort Wayne, which uses an integrated physician-nurse midw...

Episode 81 - In an age of high slit dresses, low cut tops, and leggings, making an effort toward modesty might simply seem impractical.  Depending on where you look, though, it could be that it's not even a consideration--maybe even in Christian, conservative circles.  What that means for a man and his conscience is one thing.  But what that means for a father raising a daughter?  Well... goo...

Episode 80 - Many, if not most, of the greatest artists of all time were men.  Yet it could be argued that the average man today has distanced himself from much of what could be traditionally called "the arts."  Whether it's making it or appreciating it, things like poetry and painting, crafts and classical music, aren't likely at the top of the list for the manliest activities...

Episode 79 - Aaron Kuhn (back by popular demand) is our first return guest on the podcast! Joining us to take a deep dive on the topic of marriage, he has been working in the field for over 20 years as a licensed mental health and addiction therapist.  He currently provides counseling, including marriage and family, at Counseling & Consulting Services in Celina, Ohio.  Aaron brings years of cl...

We were privileged to attend the 2023 Northwest Men's Conference (formerly known as the Fort Loramie Men's Conference) in St Henry, Ohio, on Saturday, March 4th.  It was such an inspiring event, seeing over 200 men gathered for an all-day conference to grow in their faith.    We sat down with Bob Paulus--who's been on the conference planning committee since its earliest days--to tal...

Episode 78 - Andrew Tate is an internet sensation whose celebrity status was raised to a new level in 2022, a year that counted him the "most Googled" name.  Tate was a kickboxing champion in the 2010's, but after a short stint on a British reality TV show, quickly became known for his controversial commentary and "ultra-masculine" persona.  That combination of controversy...

Episode 77 -  Life-long commitments like marriage and being a Christian are sources of our life’s greatest meaning and joy. Yet they also come with their fair share of difficulty (understatement?).  Life choices of that import, carried forward over time, invariably encounter challenges.  Figuring out, therefore, how to persevere in the face of those challenges is paramount. Chad takes the lead in...

Episode 76 - Michael Foster is the senior pastor at East River Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He is the co-author of "It's Good to Be a Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity", which was published by Cannon Press in 2022.  He and his wife, Emily, live with their seven children on a small farm in Batavia, Ohio.  Chad crushes open this episode so as to ingest all that's green and he...

Episode 75 -  For a populace who loves itself some competition, don't we still find ourselves strangely averse to failure?  The era of participation trophies (is that still a thing?) and 'no child left behind' would indicate we're more willing to work around failing than we are to face it head on.  Yet it is often the case the most successful among us are those who have, in fac...

Episode 74 - Strength in a man has the potential to destroy, and to construct.  To oppress, and to liberate.  To kill, and to protect.  A key determiner in the employment of that strength is whether or not its placed at the service of a good and worthy end.  It is also in submitting his strength that a man becomes most effective.  And submission requires one "dangerous" virtue:  humility...

Episode 73 -  Isaac Randall is a 19-year-old computer engineering major at Purdue University Fort Wayne.  Born and raised in Celina, Ohio, Isaac has lived a life that's been met with tragedy and great hardship.  Yet his courage in the face of those challenges is truly inspiring.  His harrowing story serves as a powerful testimony to importance of having faith in the midst of trials. Ben warms...

Episode 72 - Life is a balancing act.  Yet many of us find ourselves banking hard from one extreme to another:  some live life on cruise control, others with the pedal to the metal.  One approach leads to boredom, the other to burnout.  Ironically, it could be argued that both cases are in some sense "wasting" life.  Ben, upon a full audit of his life's time, calls forth the cake an...

Episode 71 Death is coming for us all... someday.  Reminders of that reality aren't hard to miss.  Think of physical limitations brought on by aging; of losing a loved one; of threats of illness or accidents.  In the end, there is no forgetting that we are mortal.  And yet trying to forget death (or more accurately, avoiding at all costs the very idea of it) is what most of us tend to prefer....

Episode 70 Fresh off a record month, we are rapidly approaching 10,000 downloads (in less than half the time it took us to get to 5,000!).  To celebrate and show our gratitude to you, dear listener, we bring you a good-hearted, truth-seeking debate.  One that highlights some of our underlying differences as a Protestant and a Catholic: a debate on Baptism.  It’s a topic that Ben even says has beco...