Manhood Restored

Episode 115 - Coach Joe Kennedy took an 8-year court battle over the First Amendment all the way to the Supreme Court...and won!  He was an assistant varsity football coach for Bremerton High School in Washington state.  He'd made a commitment to God that he was going to give thanks at the end of each game, but that was met with disapproval from his school district.  The defense of his rights...

Episode 114 - When it comes to unpopular Catholic moral teachings , this one ranks right up there!  Whether you're a Catholic or a non-Catholic Christian, the Church's stance is an equal opportunity offender.  Or perhaps, more accurately put, it's a controversial stance that's considered equally out-of-touch and irrelevant (and, therefore, is mostly ignored).  All that means fo...

 Episode 113 -  The attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th, 2023 has set off a maelstrom of political turmoil on the global stage.  From the intense outrage over the disturbing details of the terrorist's actions to the strange show of support for them from elitists in academia and media, it's deep, murky waters for an average person to wade through.  Despite that fact, what's clea...

Episode 112 - Deacon Marty Brown has been a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for 13 years.  He currently serves the St Isidore the Farmer Family of Parishes and is the Facilities Manager at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St Mary's, Ohio.  Prior to becoming a deacon, Marty worked in various fields - construction, welding, mechanics, groundskeeping, firefighting, as well as be...

Episode 111 - All throughout life, we find ourselves making a multitude of decisions.  Some are small and insignificant; others are major, the kinds that are like crossroads.  When we are in the midst of making those big decisions (Should I change my job?  Should I marry this girl?  Should we move our family to a new town?), discerning the right Choice can be downright difficult. Ben puts the magn...

BONUS episode - Chad & Ben take turns RANTING about Issues 1 and 2 on the Ohio Ballot this November 7th, 2023.  (Share this episode around with friends and family!) Chad rants on Issue 1 (up through minute 10:52), specifically calling out Catholics.  What did the Archbishop of Cincinnati do on Respect Life Sunday, what was his promulgation on Issue 1, and what does that mean for the conscience...

Episode 110 - The gloves come off (!) in this doozy of a debate episode.  If you thought our debate on baptism (episode 70) was juicy, then here's one that'll surely keep your attention to the end!  It's the ever-ancient, ever-new battle between Protestants and Catholics, hashed out by friends, Ben and Chad:  are we, or are we not, saved by faith alone?  (Spoiler alert: they're...

Episode 109 - Steven Arms is the co-author of "Milestone to Manhood", a book about the Rite of Passage tradition his family created for a whole generation of boys who were coming of age as young men.  In the book, he talks about his own Rite of Passage weekend and reflects on how it shaped him into the man he is today.  He then shares how fathers can organize Rite of Passage events for t...

Episode 108 - With its many and far-reaching tentacles, it's no longer a matter of if the Giant "Woke-topus" finds you, it's a matter of when .  It's coming for your kids in the subtle themes of the latest Disney movie, and during the not-so-subtle drag queen story hour at the local library; it's lingering between the big game during every commercial break, and soon (...

Episode 107 - Imagine leftists trying to make a documentary of their own by this episode's same title, like some kind of clever rebuttal to Matt Walsh's wildly successful "What is a Woman?".  And, instead of interviewing extremist liberals, they interviewed average, everyday Americans.  One wonders with delight how that might play out?  Hint:  if it went anything like this epis...

Episode 106 - Andrew Peel is the owner of the Rock Solid Performance Gym.  He's competed in fitness events such as CrossFit, Ironman triathlons, obstacle course races, and bodybuilding.  He is also a 1st Phorm Sponsored Trainer and has been involved in personal training for athletes, as well as online for adults trying to make a major lifestyle change.    Andrew's online coaching busines...

Episode 105 - While many men need the reminder to curb their enthusiasm for constant productivity in their middle-aged years (see Episode #72, "The Semi-Retired Man"), perhaps there are still other men who need the reminder to maintain that enthusiasm into their advanced years.  For men "with their best years behind them", the struggle might be accurately described as one betwe...

In Chad's favorite fashion, he strikes up a BONUS! conversation with Ben about the recent phenomenon that is Oliver Anthony, singer/songwriter of the top hit "Rich Men North of Richmond." Chad updates Ben on a recent interview Oliver Anthony gave to Joe Rogan (Chad, knowing Ben doesn't approve of his penchant for listening to the Rogan podcast!).  The two have a brief, general...

Episode 104 –  The connection between the natural world and the supernatural world, between matter and spirit, is one of great mystery.  Some might contend that physical matter is a hindrance to spiritual growth, while others find their spiritual lives enhanced by the natural world.  One thing is for sure:  the interplay between the two is consequential and definitely worth exploration. Chad’s at...

Episode 103 -  Yet another installment of men sitting around tables talking - another edition of the MAN TALK, that is!  Where we break out all four mikes over a long-form conversation of consequence.  The topic on tap: theology.  How will these four conversationalists conclude on the question being considered?  They each give their final answers by the episode's end!  (And what say you on th...

Episode 102 - Picture, if you will, the sights and sounds of a County Fair.  It's a scene of pure sensual wonderment with its neon rides, its flashy food booths, its throngs of people at big concerts and competitions.  With so much excitement in the air, it's surely a fun place to be.  But it can also serve as a scaled-down study of how the pleasures of the world can make us manic for mo...

Episode 101 -  We live in dark times.  An odd remaking of the Dark Ages, because the light of Western Civilization is again under threat of being extinguished.  Preserving that light for the future is an effort worth undertaking.  It's also one undertaken successfully once before, by the most unassuming group of people - Catholic monks.  Might we do well to imitate their model... in our homes...

Episode 100 -  When menfolk get together in celebration, the revelry and carousing that ensues can, to some (to many?), be obnoxious and offensive.  Why oh why, some might ask, must it be so?  Shouldn't it not be so?  What is it about certain stereotypical manly behavior--like stereotypical manly appearances (see 'Fords and Facial Hair', Episode 1) --that can be so off-putting from...

Episode 99 - Being a Man of Action isn't as easy as it sounds.  Sure, men may recognize a righteous cause when they see one; and, from time to time, men may feel the flame of mission stirred up within them; they might even, in a flash of inspiration, step out and send a shot across the bow.  But then any number of obstacles--distraction, fear, doubt--inevitably follow.  As a result, too many...

Episode 98 -  The word 'religion' carries a curiously negative connotation in our modern lexicon.  The term is more often used for the purposes of criticism, as it conjures associations with anti-individualism, historical oppression, and hypocrisy.  Religion might as well mean backward and ignorant.  To be labeled as 'religious', then, would conceivably be the worst personal de...

Episode 97 -  Ben Hartings is an owner/partner at Trinity Financial Advisors in Columbus, Ohio.  He was raised on a poultry farm, played division one football at Miami University (OH), and received his MBA from the University of Dayton.  Ben is a two-time cancer survivor and the author of two books on dealing with loss and grief.  He is involved in various Catholic ministries and outreach boards,...

Episode 96 - There's nothing like a song to take you back to a moment in time.  Music has that kind of power because it comes alongside of us to punctuate the feelings of those moments, ministering to us in lyrics and melody.  That's especially true of the most meaningful moments - those of love, joy, and grief.  Still more, in the hands of God, that power of song can seem almost sacrame...

Episode 95 -  What... are we questioning the whole premise of the podcast now?  And after nearly 100 episodes?  What gives?  Chad leads this tunneling expedition of an episode, searching out the assumptions underfoot, as Ben co-hosts and points his shinny head (lamp) toward the depths of Chad's cavernous quest.  The two confront the Big Question head-on and layout their (inevitably) affirmati...

Episode 94 - Mark Harrington is the Founder and President of "Created Equal", a pro-life education and outreach organization based in Columbus, Ohio.  He travels to universities across the nation training and inspiring young leaders in cutting-edge tactics in the pro-life movement.  Mark also served for more than a decade as the Executive Director of the Midwest office of the Center for...

Episode 93 - 2-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic, recently reached the top of the basketball world after leading his Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA Championship.  An unlikely success story if there ever was one, Jokic's rise to greatness is one worth taking notice of.  As told in a recent ESPN article written by Ramona Shelborne, his is a tale of tapping into one's fullest potential through enc...