The Storydram

Chris and Kory kick off Independence Day with fireworks, family traditions, and a festive cocktail before an unexpected encounter takes the conversation in a deeper direction. After a bat invades Kory's century-old home, a dramatic rescue ends with a hawk swooping in for its next meal. What begins as a funny family story becomes a reflection on fear, mortality, and the Christian practice of  m...

A routine trip to the gym takes an unexpected turn when Kory finds himself caught in the middle of a heated locker-room confrontation over a missing Star Wars towel. As tempers flare and accusations fly, a simple conflict becomes an opportunity to reflect on mercy, justice, and the surprising way God loves every person involved—even when they're at odds with each other. Along the way, the guys...

What do a Cardinals game, a missing wallet, and a stranger's integrity have in common? More than you'd think. Chris shares the story of losing his wallet at Target Field and how the experience revealed a powerful spiritual truth: we rarely lose the most important things in life on purpose. Faith, patience, trust, and love are usually lost one small decision at a time.

In this Storydram throwback, Ryan O'Hara shares one of the funniest stories in podcast history—a hotel elevator encounter with a group of vampire role-players—and one of the most moving. Ryan reflects on growing up with a father who suffered from early-onset Alzheimer's, the wounds and maturity that came from it, and how God has brought healing, identity, and hope through the years.

We're digging into the Story Dram archives for this special throwback episode. Chris shares the unforgettable story of the day his young daughter accidentally boarded the wrong school bus and seemingly disappeared for a terrifying half hour. What follows is a powerful reflection on what it means to be lost, how God relentlessly searches for His children, and the joy of being found again. A timeles...

What do toothpicks, deodorant, and prayer have in common? More than you might think. The guys begin with a surprisingly passionate discussion about toothpicks before Chris shares a story about borrowing his wife's deodorant and unexpectedly being reminded of her presence throughout the day. That simple experience becomes a powerful reflection on prayer, the Eucharist, and the small reminders G...

Hacky sack is back—and somehow that leads the guys into a deeper conversation about friendship, virtue, and the people who shape who we become. From baseball stories to Aristotle to youth ministry memories, this episode is all about the gift of good friends and becoming one for others.

In this episode: why Costco is dangerous, deodorant struggles, Block Blast theology, shepherds vs. wolves! After celebrating Leo’s First Communion on Good Shepherd Sunday, the guys reflect on the mysterious ways God works through ordinary moments, meaningful coincidences, and unexpected patterns. From fatherhood and gift-giving to the fierce love of the Good Shepherd, this episode is about learnin...

Chris shares the surprisingly spiritual experience of walking into a bank to withdraw cash before a family vacation — and realizing he felt completely out of place. That awkward moment sparks a deeper conversation about imposter syndrome, hospitality, why time seems to speed up and slow down, and what it feels like to walk into a Catholic Mass for the very first time. What might it look like if th...

A simple lunch outing turns into an unforgettable moment when Chris takes a hard fall—literally—walking into a sushi restaurant. What starts as a hilarious (and slightly embarrassing) story quickly opens into something deeper: the reality of falling in the spiritual life. In this episode, the guysy reflect on failure, sin, and the mercy of God. Why is it so easy to stay on our feet physically, but...

What starts as a late-night Easter Vigil run to McDonald’s turns into something much deeper: a conversation about readiness, calling, and the unexpected ways God invites us into His work. The guys share stories from the Triduum—from cheeseburgers and melting ice cream to a powerful Holy Thursday moment where Kory catches a falling 91-year-old woman during the washing of the feet. What unfolds is m...

The guys start with wild fun facts—but things take a turn when Chris shares a story from a jungle night hike in Costa Rica… where he came face-to-face with one of the deadliest snakes in the world. What begins as a vacation story becomes something deeper: a reflection on unseen danger, spiritual awareness, and the reality that we often don’t realize how close we are to harm—physically and spiritua...

Happy Easter! In this episode of Story dram, Chris and Kory kick things off with Easter candy rankings and a surprisingly meaningful Holy Week idea—praying and sacrificing for someone far from God. But the heart of the episode comes through a real-life story: Kory’s recent knee surgery and the unexpected spiritual shift that followed. What if the hard parts of life aren’t interruptions… but the po...

Holy Week is here—and while most of us know Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, what about Spy Wednesday? In this episode, the guys reflect on betrayal, friendship, and one honest email that transformed a simple tradition into something holy. What in your life needs to be said? And who’s bold enough to say it?

Chris accidentally becomes an evangelist… for Ulysses S. Grant after diving deep into a 48-hour biography—and his staff pays the price. From 19th-century emails to unexpected insights about storytelling, Chris and Kory explore how what we consume shapes what comes out of us. But the conversation turns when a simple story about a locked car reveals something deeper: ignorance doesn’t actually chang...

Chris and Kory talk about the skills they abandoned when they were younger—and how easy talent can sometimes keep us from growing. Kory shares a childhood story about crashing his brother’s brand-new RC airplane and the surprising moment of healing that came years later. The conversation turns to regret, the story of the rich young man, and why the things we  don’t  do might haunt us more than the...

What happens when a toddler turns a training toilet seat into a crown… and then gets it stuck around his neck? Chris shares the unforgettable story of his son Leo, a toilet seat, and the moment that required a hacksaw to fix the problem. What started as a hilarious parenting story turned into a powerful lesson about trust—especially the kind of trust we’re invited to have with God. Sometimes we wa...

After debating overtime hockey and Olympic glory, a family road trip to Wisconsin Dells takes a turn when a flashing dashboard light threatens to derail everything. What follows is a dark country road, a mysterious mechanic, and an unexpected offer of radical generosity. In this episode, the guys explore what happens when self-reliance fails, trust feels risky, and God shows up through the most un...

A simple bus ride turned into every parent’s worst nightmare. When Chris’s seven-year-old daughter was accidentally put on the wrong school bus, what followed was 30 minutes of fear, confusion, and one terrifying question:  Will we ever see her again? In this episode of Storydram we explore what it really means to be lost — and why being found is always worth celebrating. From panic to reunion (an...

What do facial hair trends, poisonous frogs in Mexico, clogged toilets full of goldfish, and an unexpected indoor fireball have in common? Apparently… youth ministry. In this episode of  Storydram , Chris and Kory sit down with Eric Duffy to swap unforgettable (and occasionally alarming) stories from years of ministry—stories that  felt  like failures in the moment but became moments of grace, gro...

What do woodworking, canoe-building, youth ministry, and teaching science all have in common? According to Eric Duffy—more than you’d think. In this episode of  Storydram , Eric Duffy joins Chris and Kory to reflect on craftsmanship, vocation, and the kind of faith that’s built slowly, patiently, and with a lot of trust. Did we mention that Eric had a front row seat to Chris' earliest youth mi...

Have you ever failed to recognize someone you  know —simply because you weren’t expecting to see them there? In this episode of  StoryDram Chris and Kory start with songs stuck in their heads and an awkward restaurant encounter… and end up reflecting on one of the most mysterious moments in the Gospels: why the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus after the Resurrection. A funny, thoughtful conversati...

Kory fails at car repair, rips his pants at church, and ends up teaching baptism prep in a server robe. Somehow, God still shows up. In this episode, The guys talk about strengths, weakness, vulnerability, and why faith often breaks through  after things fall apart. A hilarious and honest story about embarrassment, baptism, and learning to let God work through what isn’t perfect.

This episode starts innocently enough: a heated debate about coziness, slippers, and why Americans seem allergic to being comfortable. But somewhere between a youth ministry lockout, a late-night dance-off, and a moment of unchecked confidence, everything goes wrong. What happens when a youth minister tries to hype up a crowd… and suddenly wakes up on the floor surrounded by teenagers asking if he...

Christmas is over and Ordinary Time has begun—but what if the ordinary is where life’s deepest meaning is found? Chris and Kory reflect on favorite Christmas movies, discovering  It’s a Wonderful Life  for the first time, and how a costly mistake at the gas pump became a lesson in gratitude. This episode explores how good stories help us see what truly matters especially when things go wrong.