The Be Unbound Podcast

A three-year-old prayed for a car. Her dad quietly prayed she would stop. Then the phone rang. In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle a deceptively simple question: what does prayer do? They share stories from their own prayer lives, from a World Series prayer over the Cardinals to a child's faith that put her father to shame, and they ask what prayer is doing in us as well as for us. The...

Your coworker may be difficult. They're still made in the image of God. What do you do when you can't just walk away? In this episode, Jonathan and David share stories from their first jobs, from a pizza shop to an auto parts store, and ask how Christians should deal with difficult coworkers. The answer starts with a foundation that doesn't depend on whether anyone else shares your bel...

Why do some of our most meaningful experiences come from the things we would never have chosen for ourselves? In this episode, Jonathan and David explore the uncomfortable truth that hardship may be essential to a rich and meaningful life. From exhausting physical challenges to seasons of suffering we never asked for, they consider how effort, endurance, and difficulty shape us in ways that comfor...

The camera can issue the ticket. But who gets to ask whether it was right? And is it ever okay for a Christian to cut one down? In this episode, Jonathan and David take on one of the most talked-about surveillance technologies in the news: Flock cameras. These AI-powered cameras can read license plates, identify faces, and even issue tickets automatically, with no officer ever reviewing the footag...

AI can turn a three-hour task into thirty seconds. It can also raise questions that are much bigger than productivity. In this episode, Jonathan and David wrestle with the strange tension surrounding artificial intelligence: the technology is extraordinarily powerful, genuinely useful, and increasingly capable; and yet the people building it are warning us about the dangers of letting it develop f...

Are we winning or losing? In this episode, Jonathan and David reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and use it as a starting point for a much bigger question: are we winning or losing? As they look at the changes that have happened over the past 25 years, they wrestle with the reality that progress and loss can exist at the same time. Some things have clearly improved, while other things have de...

What if failure isn't something you need to avoid at all costs? In this episode, Jonathan and David explore what it really means to say that “failure is an option.” In a culture where failure can feel like the end of the road, they argue that failure is often necessary for growth, learning, and meaningful progress. Trying something new means you may not get it right—and if we're unwilling...

What does courage actually look like? In this episode, Jonathan and David explore what courage looks like in everyday life and argue that courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the willingness to do what is right despite fear, discomfort, doubt, laziness, or uncertainty. Courage is accepting responsibility for what God has placed in front of you, even when you know it will cost you someth...

Responsibility is one of those words that seems simple until you actually stop to consider what it means. We often think of responsibility as doing your job, owning your mistakes, taking care of your possessions, or accepting the consequences of your actions. But responsibility goes much deeper than simply making sure you do what you're supposed to do. At its heart, responsibility means being...

Is taking a Sabbath really necessary? In a culture that increasingly treats rest as something we do when we have time—or as a chance to escape our responsibilities—the idea of setting aside an entire day to rest can feel almost impossible. Even Christians can easily reduce the Sabbath to simply going to church, taking things a little easier, or avoiding burnout. But Scripture presents something mu...

Death is one of the few certainties every person will face, yet it's also one of the subjects our culture works hardest to avoid. We spend enormous amounts of time trying to extend life, preserve youth, and push thoughts of death out of our minds. But what if avoiding death also means missing one of life's greatest teachers? In this episode, Jonathan and David explore the question, "Ho...

Who are you? It's a deceptively simple question, but our culture increasingly encourages us to answer it by choosing an identity for ourselves. We can define ourselves by our interests, careers, political beliefs, communities, sexual orientation, accomplishments, or even our ideas about who we think we should be. But what happens when those ideas become so closely tied to our identity that cha...

What are you focused on? It's a simple question, but the answer reveals a lot about how we measure success. In this episode, Jonathan and David explore the difference between the things that are easy to measure and the things that actually matter. From grades and test scores to salaries, job titles, and professional achievements, many of the metrics our culture celebrates are visible, quantifi...

Can you actually live at peace in a world that never seems to slow down? In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle one of the most universal questions of modern life: Is it possible to live with genuine peace and less stress? Rather than defining peace as the absence of conflict, uncertainty, or difficulty, they challenge listeners to consider a much deeper, biblical understanding of what peace r...

What does it actually mean to "touch grass?" In this episode, Jonathan and David take a phrase that's often used as an internet joke and turn it into a serious conversation about one of the defining challenges of modern life: how do we remain grounded in reality when so much of our lives are lived through screens? While technology has created incredible opportunities, they argue that i...

As Independence Day approaches, Jonathan and David tackle a thoughtful question: As Christians, should we celebrate our country? At first glance, the answer seems complicated. Scripture reminds believers that their ultimate citizenship is in the Kingdom of God, not in any earthly nation. So where does patriotism fit into a Christian worldview? In this episode, Jonathan and David explore the differ...

In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle a question that feels increasingly urgent: Why should we have hope? After a season of speaking at conventions around the country, Jonathan noticed something surprising. Again and again, people told him that his message felt hopeful. Not because he was ignoring problems, but because he was speaking about them in a way that left room for redemption. That re...

How do you pursue excellence without becoming trapped by perfectionism? It’s a question that comes up for almost anyone who cares deeply about doing good work, growing in their skills, or honoring God with their efforts. In this episode, Jonathan and David explore the often-confused line between excellence and perfectionism—and why confusing the two can lead to frustration, insecurity, and paralys...

How do you know if you're actually prepared for what's next? In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle that anxiety head-on and offer a surprising answer: You don't know if you're prepared—because you don't know what's coming. Rather than chasing complete certainty, they argue that true preparation has less to do with mastering every possible scenario and more to do with d...

In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle a question that many young people quietly wrestle with: How specialized do you need to be to succeed? In a world dominated by social media, highlight reels, and stories of elite performers, it’s easy to believe that success belongs only to people who discovered their calling at age four and devoted every waking hour to mastering a single skill. Jonathan a...

In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle a question submitted by a listener that quickly opens into a much bigger conversation: Is a career supposed to look like a ladder—or more like a jungle gym? For generations, work was often viewed as a straightforward climb: pick a path, move upward, and build stability over time. But in today’s world of rapid technological change, shifting industries, AI,...

In this episode, Jonathan and David tackle a question almost everyone wrestles with: Is balance actually possible? Rather than offering quick tips or life hacks, they challenge the assumption itself—arguing that what most people call “balance” is often unrealistic and unhelpful. Life doesn’t operate in perfect equilibrium. Instead, it moves through seasons—times where certain responsibilities requ...

In this episode, Jonathan and David reflect on a powerful theme coming out of Capstone: what it really means to be made in the image of God—and why that truth is foundational to everything. Jonathan unpacks how this single idea shapes identity, relationships, purpose, and even how we respond to frustration, conflict, and evil in the world. Rather than treating it as abstract theology, the conversa...

In this episode, Jonathan and David sit down with speaker and author Todd Wilson for a deeply practical and refreshing conversation about family, priorities, and what it really means to spend your life well. With decades of experience speaking to parents and raising a large family of his own, Todd brings a perspective that cuts through noise and ambition with a simple but powerful reminder: You ca...

In this Q&A episode, Jonathan and David tackle a wide range of listener questions—from how to trust God when your plans change, to staying motivated, building discipline, and leading others well. They challenge the common idea of “balance,” arguing that life is often seasonal and requires full commitment rather than perfect equilibrium. Instead of clinging tightly to personal plans, they encou...