Grub & Grace

In part 2 of our Star Wars trilogy, we dive deep into the dark heart of Star Wars, using The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Chris Kempshall as our guide. Drawing sharp parallels between the fictional Empire and real-world history, we explore how Star Wars mirrors the rise of authoritarian regimes, propaganda, militarism, and the slow erosion of democracy. We break down the inner workings...

In Part 1 of our Star Wars trilogy, we journey to a galaxy far, far away to explore the deeply political roots of the beloved saga. From the fall of the Republic to the rise of the Empire, Star Wars has always been more than just lightsabers and space battles—it’s a reflection of real-world power struggles, corruption, and resistance. We unpack the allegories behind the Jedi, the dangers of author...

In this flavorful episode, we dig into the delicious history of food in video games—how pixelated meals became cultural icons and why they’ve always mattered more than just health points. From power-up mushrooms to pixel-perfect potions, we explore how food shapes storytelling and gameplay. We also dive into the deeper meaning of symbols in art and games, unpacking how visual language communicates...

Gather ‘round the campfire for an episode that flickers with heat, smoke, and truth. In this special fireside edition, we share true stories of people who were labeled criminals. The individuals presented in these stories were thrust in the situations they found themselves in, and they responded in kind. We explore how the lines between legality and morality blur when the law serves power over peo...

In this episode, we dive into the murky waters where religion and government collide, exploring how faith is being co-opted for political power. We examine the unsettling rise of religious rhetoric in policymaking and what it means for democracy. From there, we tackle cognitive dissonance—how people hold conflicting beliefs and why it’s so hard to break out of that mental tug-of-war. We also talk...

In this episode, we take a wild ride through old college stories that are equal parts nostalgic and mildly incriminating. Then we shift gears to unpack the rise of Christian nationalism—what it is, why it matters, and how it’s showing up in culture and politics. We also break down the controversial He Gets Us ads: sincere outreach or slick PR campaign? You decide. And finally, don’t miss our tongu...

Joe Smith joins us this week as we discuss a whole slew of topics ranging from the passing of Pope Francis, racism, eugenics, deportations and nonviolent resistance. Find a comfy seat and stay for this conversation as we dig into these topics. You can find Joe Smith: Instagram @therealjoe.smith Tik Tok @therealjoesmith Threads Facebook Also check out his spouse's t-shirt business The Slippery Slop...

Shift happens. But what do we do when life gets messy? How do we proceed when our foundations are shaken? Sometimes a shift in perception can make a world of difference. The way we tell our stories can be a powerful tool in how we perceive our reality. Let's be the change!

This is a bit of a unique episode as it is a snippet of a crossover episode with the Systematic Geekology podcast. They kindly invited me over to discuss Star Wars and the politics therein, as well as digging into the second season of Andor. If you like what you hear in this episode, be sure to check out Systematic Geekology wherever podcasts are found. Spotify Instagram @systematicgeekology Faceb...

Søren Kierkegaard once posed this scenario: “In a theatre it happened that a fire started off stage. The clown came out to tell the audience. They thought it was a joke and applauded. He told them again, and they became still more hilarious. This is the way, I suppose, that the world will be destroyed-amid the universal hilarity of wits and wags who think it is all a joke.” Life is good at produci...

In this new series called Bite Sized, I will be giving you more short form content that will be more easily digestible than my longer hour-plus long conversations with guests. This episode explores those who made large contributions through the ordinary, everyday. Individuals who, despite the compounding impact they had for generations to come, were so easily forgotten amongst the noise of the wor...

As we learned in the first episode, the history of Easter as we know it today is a bit more complicated and nuanced than what we learned in church. If you haven’t listened to, I encourage you to give that a listen first. Today we will be talking about the life and death of Jesus and how his dream of justice applies to the world today.

Easter, a celebration and remembrance through the death of Jesus Christ…or more commonly eulogized as a lesson about the immortality of the soul and the promise of eternal life someday in heaven. That is, at least, my experience of a common message I would hear growing up in the church. This first episode will be very heavy on history and mythologies, and if you stay tuned to tomorrow’s episode, t...

Today we will be talk Taoism, and more specifically Christian-Taoism, with my guest Joshua Noel. Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy and religious tradition. But how do Christianity and Taoism crossroad and do they work with each other without getting in the way of their core principles? Joshua and I get into it and discuss this question along with many others. Joshua is a licensed minister, a...

Today we talk with our guest Zach Kidder about the struggle to find truth in a world where misinformation and disinformation run rampant. All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating on Apple podcast and leave us a shining review. Also be sure to like and follow us on social media on Facebook , Instagram , and X . grubandgrace.com

This episode we dive into what it means to be a servant leader and the qualities that people who exhibit servant leadership usually have with my guest Brandon Forman. Brandon is a library professional who has been working in the libraries for 20 years and has a masters in library and information science. The term "servant leadership" was coined by Robert Greenleaf, a twentieth-century researcher w...

Today we talk the latest Marvel film Captain America: Brave New World with my guest Will Rose. With everything going on in our socio-political atmosphere here in America, as well as the rest of the world, we both viewed Brave New World in a different light than just your typical superhero flick. Whether it be racism, global tensions, an unhinged president, the treatment of military veterans, or mi...

Part 2 of our conversation with Sarah about the question, "Is Christian Nationalism bad for society?" as we dig deeper in the good, the bad, and the ugly. A big thanks to Ryan Canty's book Deweaponize for some of the info in this episode. All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating on Apple podcast and leave us a shining review. Also be sure to...

The Question: Is christian nationalism good for society? My guest Sarah and I attempt to tackle this question as we look at what history shows, what the Bible says, and the morality that guides our decisions. All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating on Apple podcast and leave us a shining review. Also be sure to like and follow us on social...

Movies and pop culture intersects with artificial intelligence in so many ways that it's difficult to keep up with it all. My guest Daniel Thompson and I dig into the topic of artificial intelligence and how it's tied to life as we know it. Instagram: @nerdydan1 TikTok: @nerdydan Youtube: @nerdydan1 All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating o...

Ryan Canty joins me to deweaponize the Bible and show you that there is a larger story behind the words regularly used to demonize and dehumanize marginalized peoples from behind the pulpit. Ryan is promoting his book called "Deweaponize" which is out now. It is a very accessible read for anyone interested in learning more about the topics discussed in our episode. Get it for yourself or as a gift...

Happy Holidays to you from Grub & Grace. We hope you have a blessed time with family and friends as you celebrate. See you all in a few weeks. All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating on Apple podcast and leave us a shining review. Also be sure to like and follow us on social media on Facebook , Instagram , and X . grubandgrace.com

Have you ever wondered if we will eat food in heaven? How about if we poop in heaven? Dan Lee and I have a discussion going over why we think this may or may not be the case. Grab your favorite food or drink and cozy up on that shiny throne while we jump right in. All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating on Apple podcast and leave us a shini...

I invited Mike Maeshiro to have a conversation about creating safe spaces for those who hold trauma from religious institutions and churches. I learned a lot through this conversation as we talked about mourning with those who mourn (Romans 12:15), being slow to speaking and quick to listening, as well as what it looks like to put in the hard work of creating a safe space for those grieving or mou...

Welcome to Grub & Grace, where life doesn’t get feta than this. I am Mark Flower and we will be getting foolish and greedy for riches in Luke chapter 12 with Ryan Chun. So, let’s dig in. All ideas and viewpoints presented should be taken as opinion. Be sure to give us a 5-star rating on Apple podcast and leave us a shining review. Also be sure to like and follow us on social media on Facebook...