The Pulpit and Porch

Most people don’t have a clarity problem. They have a courage problem. In this episode of The Pulpit & Porch , we tackle a hard truth: You’re probably not stuck… you’re avoiding something. The conversation you don’t want to have. The decision you’ve been delaying. The step you know you need to take. Instead, we scroll. We overthink. We “prepare.” We stay busy just enough to feel productive… bu...

Some people are impressive because of what they’ve done. Others are compelling because of who they are. Robert Jones is both. He’s a PhD archaeologist. A professor. A business owner who runs veterinary clinics. A black belt in Hapkido. An author. And now… a candidate for the United States Senate. But this episode isn’t about politics. It’s about something deeper. It’s about curiosity, and what hap...

Most people don’t build their lives. They drift into them. Career. Relationships. Money. Reputation. From the outside, it can all look solid. But what happens when pressure hits? In this episode, we break down the architecture of a meaningful life, not as separate pieces, but as connected, load-bearing walls: • Career — a tool, not an identity • Relationships — the support system that stabilizes e...

In Part Two of our conversation on phones and distraction, we move from awareness to action. If your phone is shaping you, how do you take your attention back? In this episode, we talk about: • Practical ways to reduce digital distraction • Why discipline beats motivation • How to rebuild depth in a distracted world • Creating rhythms that protect focus • The role of silence and boredom • How to l...

Most of us don’t have a time problem. We have an attention problem. In Part One of this conversation, we begin unpacking the unseen formation happening every time we reach for our phones. We scroll when we’re bored. We scroll when we’re stressed. We scroll when we don’t want to think. But what is that doing to us? In this episode, we talk about: • Why attention is your most valuable resource • How...

If people depend on you… This episode is for you. In this conversation with Jamin Rathbun, we talk about the hidden weight carried by high-capacity people, leaders, parents, business owners, coaches, pastors, and the “steady ones” everyone else relies on. Why do the most responsible people often have no one responsible for them? We unpack: The pressure of being the reliable one Why strong people q...

There are moments in life that change everything. In this episode of The Pulpit & Porch, we sit down with Jennifer Schoondyk from Karis Heart Foundation to talk about loss, faith, and what it looks like to move forward when your world has been shaken. Jennifer shares the story behind Karis Heart Foundation and how tragedy became a calling. This is not just a conversation about grief, it’s abou...

This week, we’re back with our annual Super Bowl follow-up, the one episode everyone seems to want to talk about the next day, whether they watched the game or not. We’ll unpack: The game itself - not just the score, but what it reveals about how connected we get to sports and story. The commercials - the mini cultural sermons that tell us a lot about what brands think will move us, shape us, and...

This week didn’t go according to plan. A foot of snow. Roads shut down. Driveway blocked. Guest canceled. Momentum paused. And it got us thinking… What happens when life slams on the brakes and you don’t get a vote? In this episode, we talk about forced pauses, the ones we didn’t schedule and wouldn’t have chosen. The moments when plans stall, control slips, and we’re left sitting still whether we...

Most people don’t fail because they’re unqualified. They fail because they never start. In this episode of  The Pulpit & Porch Podcast , we sit down with Dylan Shelton to talk about the courage it takes to take the first step, especially when you don’t feel ready, equipped, or certain about the outcome. We talk about: Why waiting for “perfect timing” is usually just fear in disguise What actua...

This week on  The Pulpit & Porch , we sit down with Brett Catrett, a business owner, husband, and dad who lives his life on mission, even when the road takes unexpected turns. What started as an RV adventure and homeschooling journey turned into a surprising calling to East Tennessee. Then came business struggles, a difficult move back to Florida, and eventually… a return to the very place God...

In Part 1, we talked about how not every moment becomes a story, but in Part 2, we go deeper. This episode is all about the truth beneath the event. The part we usually skip. The part that makes us uncomfortable. The part that actually changes us. Tony unpacks how real stories aren’t built on what happened, but on what was revealed about ourselves, our faith, and the way God shapes us through ever...

Most of us think the story is the event. The trip. The moment. The experience. But what if the real story isn’t what happened … It’s what it revealed ? In Part One of this conversation, Robert puts Tony in the hot seat to talk about why some stories stick with us, and others fade fast. They unpack the difference between an account and a story, explore what Tony calls the “colonel of truth,” and wr...

As the new year begins and the noise quiets, we do something that feels both rare and necessary: we pause. In this episode of The Pulpit & Porch, we take a look back with gratitude. Not a highlight reel. Not a victory lap. Just an honest reflection on what this year gave us, what it took from us, and what it taught us along the way. We talk about the moments worth celebrating, the lessons we d...

Christmas is technically over… but the feelings aren’t. The decorations are still up. The house is quieter. And we’re left in that strange space between what was and what’s next. In this porch conversation, we go back to the Christmas TV specials many of us grew up with, not for nostalgia, but for meaning. Charlie Brown. The Grinch. Rudolph. Why do these stories still resonate after the gifts are...

This week, it’s just Tony on the porch. No co-host, no script, just a heart-to-heart about the season we all feel differently each year. With Christmas just two days away, the pressure, the exhaustion, the “shoulds,” and even the grief can feel heavier than the holiday cards promise. In this solo episode, we pull back the curtain on the myth of the “perfect Christmas” and explore what the first Ch...

This week on The Pulpit & Porch , Tony and Robert do something a little different… and a whole lot of fun. We’re talking Christmas movies, the ones we grew up on, the ones we quote all year long, and the ones that somehow manage to preach a better sermon than half the stuff we’ve heard on Sunday mornings. The guys reveal their official Top 10 Christmas Movies of All Time (and yes, we’re sure y...

Christmas isn’t a mood. It’s not a memory. And it’s definitely not just a moment. It’s a miracle. In this final episode of our Advent mini-series, we light the Love candle and gather around the Christ candle, the center of the wreath and the center of our faith. We talk about what it really means to live a life shaped by God’s love, and why the birth of Jesus wasn’t sentimental… it was sacrificial...

Advent is more than a countdown to Christmas; it’s an invitation to slow down, look up, and lean into what really matters. In Part Two of our Advent mini-series, we’re talking about two words we all crave this time of year… peace and joy. But if we’re honest, December often delivers stress, exhaustion, and noise instead. So what does it look like to experience  real  peace in a chaotic season? And...

Christmas can feel chaotic, rushed, and full of pressure, but Advent offers a different way. In Part One of our Advent series on The Pulpit & Porch Podcast, Tony and Robert explore what Advent really is, why it matters, and how it can anchor your family in the middle of the holiday whirlwind. We talk about the history and theology of Advent, the two horizons of waiting for Christ, and how this...

Grab a seat on the porch and pour a glass of sweet tea. In this episode, Tony and Robert sit down for a front-porch conversation about the things we wish we had learned earlier in life, leadership, faith, and family. From the lessons that came the hard way, to the truths that finally clicked years later, to the wisdom we’re still learning in real time, this is an open, reflective, and surprisingly...

Baseball isn’t just a game, it’s life in nine innings. In this episode, Tony (the proud Dodgers fanatic) and Robert (the loyal Braves man) step up to the mic to talk about the 2025 World Series, the greatest Game 7 in recent memory, and how baseball mirrors the beauty and struggle of life itself. From perseverance and momentum swings to heartbreak and jubilation, this conversation is about more th...

We’ve been called “grumpy old men”… and honestly, they’re not wrong. This week, Tony and Robert swap reading glasses for microphones and dive into the hilarious (and slightly painful) signs that we might be getting old, from groaning when we stand up to getting way too excited about new appliances. But it’s not all jokes, we also talk about what aging has taught us about purpose, peace, and learni...

We all carry stories inside our heads, beliefs about who we are, what we can do, and what God can do through us. Some of these stories empower us… others hold us back. In this episode, Tony and Robert explore the internal narratives that shape our lives, how to spot the ones that are holding us back, and practical ways to rewrite them in light of God’s truth. If you’ve ever thought,  “I’m not enou...

They say, “It’s the hope that kills you.” But Ted Lasso, and maybe the Gospel, would disagree. This week on The Pulpit & Porch, Robert finally gets his wish: Tony watched Ted Lasso. And not only did he love it, he found a sermon hiding inside a soccer (or football) match. From the locker room to the living room, we’re unpacking what hope really means, why it’s so hard to hold onto, how it shap...