The Be Unbound Podcast

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...

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...

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 actua...

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 Abbie Halberstadt to explore what it looks like to live faith...

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...

If you ask most Christian men what they value most, the answers usually sound familiar: 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...

Most people think they’re making thoughtful, intentional decisions about their lives. 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 succes...

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...

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 lea...

It takes millions of people, endless infrastructure, and staggering coordination to create something as ordinary as a laptop. And yet all it takes is a careless move and less than a second to destroy it. Creation is slow, difficult, and fragile. Destruction is fast, easy, and tempting. So today, we ask an uncomfortable question: Is the work you’re doing an act of creation or an act of destruction?...

For an embarrassingly long time, one of us (Jonathan) believed that the solution to feeling overwhelmed was simple: just get a completely free day. No schedule. No obligations. Nothing planned. Surely that would feel restful, right? Except it didn’t. In this conversation, we unpack why those long-imagined “free days” so often leave us dissatisfied, and why a little bit of discipline often leads to...

This episode started the way some of our favorite conversations do: by accident. Right before we hit record, David made a bold claim: everyone should be a runner. We hadn’t talked it through, we hadn’t outlined it, and we hadn’t even agreed on it. So naturally, we decided to hit record and see where the conversation went. We talk about why physical discomfort matters, why distance running in parti...

Welcome to 2026! This episode is special for us—not just because it’s our first episode of the new year, but because we get to kick things off with a conversation we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. We’re joined by Andrew Pudewa, and if you’ve ever heard him teach, you know that when Andrew starts talking about education, language, and the human mind, you lean in. This conversation rang...

As we wrap up 2025 and head into the new year, we're sharing one of our most talked-about conversations from the past year. Because if anything, it feels even more relevant now than when we first recorded it. In this episode, we dig into a growing crisis in higher education: students who are increasingly disengaged, underprepared, and incentivized to outsource their thinking to AI. We talk thr...

Since this episode is airing on Christmas Eve, we’re doing what we hope you’re doing too—slowing down, stepping away from the usual rhythm, and spending time with family. While we take a short break from recording, we wanted to bring back one of the most downloaded and most talked-about conversations from the past year. This episode started, quite honestly, because Jonathan heard the word “adultin...