Escaping Moral Adventure
43 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 4 ratingsBy almost any measure, the world is "better" today than ever. We have reduced poverty and the child mortality rate while increasing literacy and education. Yet mental health issues are drastically rising, happiness is in decline and marriage is becoming less common. We will discuss a potential cause, the concept of Moral Adventure. Moral Adventure leads to inaction, the shedding of responsibility, the refusal to make commitments and in the end, aimlessness. We will discuss some of the traps of Moral Adventure and how to escape through the concept of Spontaneous Obedience.
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Episodes
40. Halloween And Christianity: It’s Complicated
October 12, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutes - 55.9 MBHave you ever wondered about how you should celebrate Halloween? Should you completely skip the holiday, or should it be a free for all? We have been unsure how to navigate Halloween with our kiddos for some time now, so we decided it was time to figure out what to do with this holiday! After doing quite a bit of research and using what we know to be true in scripture, we developed some simple guardrails to help navigate Halloween and activities associated with it. We hope this episode is as...
39. Podcast Update: Season 2 Is Coming!
September 20, 2021 09:00 - 1 minute - 2.86 MBSomething new is coming. We’re transitioning into Season 2 of Escaping Moral Adventure, and we’re excited! In the coming weeks, we’ll tell you more about what’s in store for this new season. Between now and the launch of the new season, we will still release new content, just not on a weekly basis. As we’re preparing for Season 2, this is a great time to get caught up on Season 1 (all 38 episodes)!
38. Thinking Differently About Suffering
September 14, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutes - 54.9 MBIn today’s episode, we look at four individuals in the Bible who experienced suffering. As we examine their experiences, we find that sometimes there is a ‘clear’ reason for the suffering, but oftentimes there is not. It’s likely all of us can relate to that! Thankfully, scripture encourages us in our suffering, and we know that. As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we can (and should) think differently about our suffering. We know that our suffering is not in vain, that God has a ...
37. You Messed Up, Now What?
September 07, 2021 09:00 - 21 minutes - 40.8 MBNow what? After you’ve made a mistake in life, what do you do next? Today, we discuss three ways people typically handle mess ups. Do you find someone or something to blame, try to justify your mistake, or do you own it? One of these choices can make you a better friend, family member, or even coworker, and the other two choices will cause you to lose integrity. We used the following website to help us gather information for this episode: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/integrity We...
36. Don't Judge Others?
August 31, 2021 09:00 - 16 minutes - 30.1 MBIn this week’s episode, we discuss whether or not we are to judge others. On the surface, it seems the Bible may contradict itself on this matter of judging others. However, after digging in a bit further we find a much deeper and consistent idea of what the Bible teaches about judging. We *should* discern/judge right from wrong. We should *not* judge the person - that is God’s job and his alone. We used the following resources in this episode. Please take the time to read these articles to...
35. Building Better Friendships
August 24, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 44 MBHaving great friends is key for your physical, mental, and spiritual health, but building great friendships can seem daunting. Today we discuss the benefits and characteristics of great friendships and some practical ways to cultivate strong friendships in your own life. We referenced the following articles and scripture during today’s episode: The data and studies behind the benefits of friendships: https://www.livescience.com/53315-how-friendships-are-good-for-your-health.html John 15:...
34. How To Live The #Blessed Life
August 17, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutes - 50.4 MBA quick search on social media for #blessed, will pull up more than 6 million posts. #blessed posts oftentimes don pictures and stories of grand achievements, encouraging health news, and dangerous situations being escaped without injury. But what happens when the achievements are lost, the health news is discouraging (and unwanted), or the dangerous situation isn’t escaped without injury? Does #blessed still apply? Today we compare and contrast the common definition of ‘blessed’ with the d...
33. Marriage | Become One
August 10, 2021 09:00 - 19 minutes - 37.2 MBThis week we add another episode to our marriage series with a discussion about the idea of ‘becoming one’ in marriage. We share scripture that speaks to the importance of this concept and list a few ways to ‘become one’ with your spouse. Check out our other episodes on marriage here: Episode 9. Marriage | Choose Love Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/9-marriage-choose-love/id1544635214?i=1000510300787 YouTube: https://youtu.be/nKIZEwefYLg Episode 15. Marriage | Pick...
32. Simplifying Parenting
August 03, 2021 09:00 - 25 minutes - 46.6 MBParenting is a responsibility that is difficult while also being incredibly rewarding. Today we attempt to simplify the task of parenting by introducing and discussing six truths about parenting. This discussion is aimed at giving a practical way to become a parent that is aligned to truth, taking the complexity out of the task of being a great parent. We referenced the following podcast episodes during today’s conversation: Episode 18. On Mission In Motherhood With Jen Rowlen [Part 1] Ap...
31. Grace Is Free And Costly
July 27, 2021 09:00 - 24 minutes - 45.3 MBGrace is a free gift from God, which is an incredible truth about Christianity—there is nothing we can do to earn it. What we oftentimes fail to realize, though, is that accepting this free gift of grace costs us something…our life. In today’s episode, we discuss the difference between cheap grace and costly grace as introduced by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship. We find that cheap grace is grace without discipleship. We look to scripture to discover what it means to actuall...
30. Where Is Your Treasure?
July 20, 2021 09:00 - 27 minutes - 50.6 MBWe’re all storing up treasure somewhere. Are you storing up treasure on earth where moth and dust destroy it? Or are you storing up eternal treasure in heaven? In today’s episode we define ‘treasure’ and reference William MacDonald’s book True Discipleship as we have a conversation about this idea of storing up treasures. It’s important to evaluate where our treasure is because that is also where we’ll find our heart. During today’s conversation, we mentioned the episodes we recorded with ...
29. Leading With Authority
July 13, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 44 MBWhether you’re a mom or a manager or anything in between, leadership is key. You need to know how to get others to help you accomplish goals. In this episode, we discuss what leadership really is, the best way to lead, and how to build influence with other people. We reference James C. Hunter's excellent book “The Servant” and we discuss his ideas of the two ways to lead, one of which is far superior. We also explore how building relationships and meeting needs is key for becoming a real le...
28. Guard Your Heart
July 06, 2021 09:00 - 12 minutes - 23.4 MBIn today’s episode, Fallon chats about guarding our hearts, specifically 1) what it means, 2) why it’s important, and 3) ways to do it. She also encourages us to take an inventory of what we are allowing into our minds and make the necessary changes to fill our minds with the Truth, which is God’s Word. Below are the resources mentioned in today’s episode: PointTaken Podcast with Tom Hufty https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pointtaken/id1435731584 The Alisa Childers Podcast https://www...
27. The Good News
June 29, 2021 09:00 - 25 minutes - 48.4 MBToday’s episode is all about The Good News….The Good News of the Gospel! We share The Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ and his plan of salvation – during the first half of the episode. In the last half of the episode, we reflect on our own lives with Christ and give encouragement to those who may be seeking Christ. If you’re on the fence about accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it’s time to get off the fence. Accepting Jesus as Lord of your life will be the best decision you eve...
26. Getting To Know God
June 22, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutes - 55 MBOn today’s episode we introduce the idea of 'Getting to Know God' and the impact this has on our life. We discuss why it is important and some practical ways to get to know God including reading the bible, prayer, and service. In the show we referenced a few of our other podcast episodes with related content. The first was the concept of being obedient, and despite whether we want to be or not, we are obedient to something. 5. You're Obedient To Something https://podcasts.apple.com/us/po...
25. Beyond Forgiveness: Reconciliation
June 15, 2021 09:00 - 8 minutes - 16.7 MBToday on the podcast Mark takes us beyond forgiveness, into reconciliation. While forgiveness is something one person can do on their own, reconciliation requires the one who forgives to desire reconciliation and the one who was forgiven to act. This perfectly mirrors how Christ freely forgave us through is actions on the cross, yet to receive reconciliation, we must accept this forgiveness by believing in Him, repenting of our sins, and therefore being reconciled to him. Forgiveness Intro...
24. Becoming A Part Of The Church Body With Ryan Quinley
June 08, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutes - 54.1 MBIn today’s episode, Mark sits down with Ryan Quinley, a missionary in the Dominican Republic focused on church planting and theological training, to discuss individualism. While individualism is associated with many virtues, Mark and Ryan discuss how it may be taken too far. Ryan lays out some common examples of how individualism impacts our ideas about worship, the Lord’s supper and even salvation and some practical ways for us to think differently about being part of the body of Christ. T...
23. Three Truths About Forgiveness [Part 2]
June 01, 2021 09:00 - 15 minutes - 29.3 MBThis week we finish up our series on forgiveness by going into more detail on the last of three truths about forgiveness: Forgiveness is freeing. We review a whole host of research showing the benefits of forgiveness, and dive into what scripture has to say on the topic as well. In a nutshell…it’s much better to forgive than to hold a grudge! If you missed the Intro and/or Part 1 on forgiveness, be sure to go back and check those out! We used the following resources to compile information ...
22. Three Truths About Forgiveness [Part 1]
May 25, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 43.4 MBLast week, we briefly introduced three truths about forgiveness. This week, we share some definitions of forgiveness and go into a bit more detail about the first two truths: 1) Forgiveness is required and 2) Forgiveness is not dependent upon another person’s apology. We also chat a bit about the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. We used the following resources to gather information for this episode: 1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forgive 2. https://greater...
21. Logo Update and Truths About Forgiveness [Intro]
May 18, 2021 09:00 - 13 minutes - 25.2 MBIn this week's episode, we update you on our new logo (so exciting!). We also introduce the challenging topic of forgiveness, sharing three truths about it. This episode just scratches the surface on the topic, we'll go deeper into forgiveness soon.
20. Marriage | Cool Your Tongue
May 11, 2021 09:00 - 20 minutes - 38.9 MBThis week we add another episode to our marriage series with a discussion about the importance of the words we speak (or don’t speak). We outlined the impact words have for building our marriage or tearing it down, as well as some simple, practical guidelines for language in your marriage. We also referenced our earlier podcast on responding vs. reacting, which you can find here: 8. Choosing To Be Respose-Able Anchor: https://anchor.fm/moraladventure/episodes/8--Choosing-To-Be-Response-Ab...
19. On Mission In Motherhood With Jen Rowlen [Part 2]
May 04, 2021 09:00 - 31 minutes - 58.2 MBIn today’s episode, we share part 2 of a two-part series where Fallon sits down with her good friend, Jen Rowlen, to chat about being on mission in motherhood and what that looks like practically. We also discuss what to do with parenting failures and the shame and guilt often felt by parents, and the hope there is in Jesus being the perfect parent. If you missed part 1, be sure to check it out! We mention the following resources during today’s episode: 1. How Great is Our God: 100 Inde...
18. On Mission In Motherhood With Jen Rowlen [Part 1]
April 27, 2021 09:00 - 20 minutes - 39.1 MBIn today’s episode, we share part 1 of a two-part series where Fallon sits down with her good friend, Jen Rowlen, to chat about being on mission in motherhood (and parenthood in general), what it means, and why it’s important. We reference the following website during the conversation: https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-discipleship.html
17. Missions With The Quinleys
April 20, 2021 09:00 - 32 minutes - 61.1 MBIn this week’s episode, we sit down for a conversation with missionaries Ryan and Cayla Quinley just days before they head to the Dominican Republic. We discuss what drew them to mission work, the importance of it, and some of the challenges they faced. We are so grateful to have met this couple. You can follow along and/or support the Quinleys in the following ways: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuinleysDR Instagram: Website: http://quinleysdr.com
16. Pray Like You Mean It
April 13, 2021 09:00 - 25 minutes - 47.6 MBA few episodes ago, we chatted with Pastor Mike Plummer about training for godliness. One of the ways to do that is through the spiritual discipline of prayer. Prayer is our topic of discussion in this episode. We share some tips for how to pray and give some encouragement as well. During our chat, we referenced our Training For Godliness episodes. You can find those here: Episode 11. Training for Godliness With Pastor Mike Plummer [Part 1] Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spot...
15. Marriage | Pick Your Battles
April 06, 2021 09:00 - 35 minutes - 65 MBToday’s episode is part of our marriage series. We discuss the idea of ‘picking your battles’ in marriage, including some tips for how to navigate conflict well and some behaviors to avoid during conflict. We referenced the following episodes during out chat today: Marriage |Choose Love: YouTube link: https://youtu.be/IgBvO6oI3K8 Choosing To Be Response-Able: YouTube link: https://youtu.be/0SaWtly_89U
14. A Hitchhiker, Jesus, & Becoming A Doer Of The Word With Marion Sparks [Part 2]
March 30, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 42.9 MBThis week we are bringing you part 2 of our two-part series on being doers of the Word. James tells us that we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, otherwise we are just deceiving ourselves. Joining us for this topic is someone near and dear to our hearts – Mark’s dad, Marion Sparks. His love for Jesus and the joy he has because of Jesus is so evident as you hear him recount the story of his first encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ (listen to part 1 for this!) and how he ca...
13. A Hitchhiker, Jesus, & Becoming A Doer Of The Word With Marion Sparks [Part 1]
March 23, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 43.3 MBThis week we are bringing you part 1 of our two-part series on being doers of the Word. James tells us that we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, otherwise we are just deceiving ourselves. Joining us for this topic is someone near and dear to our hearts – Mark’s dad, Marion Sparks. His love for Jesus and the joy he has because of Jesus is so evident as you hear him recount the story of his first encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how he came to be a doer of the word. ...
13. A Hitchhiker, Jesus, & Becoming A Doer Of The Word With Marion Sparks
March 23, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 43.3 MBThis week we are bringing you part 1 of our two-part series on being doers of the Word. James tells us that we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, otherwise we are just deceiving ourselves. Joining us for this topic is someone near and dear to our hearts – Mark’s dad, Marion Sparks. His love for Jesus and the joy he has because of Jesus is so evident as you hear him recount the story of his first encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how he came to be a doer of the word. ...
12. Training For Godliness With Pastor Mike Plummer [Part 2]
March 16, 2021 09:00 - 15 minutes - 28.6 MBOur conversation with Pastor Mike Plummer about training for godliness continues today as we examine 1 Timothy 4:6-10. Today's episode picks up in verse 8. Be sure to check out part one (link below) to hear the beginning of the conversation! Training For Godliness [Part 1]: · Anchor: https://anchor.fm/moraladventure/episodes/11--Training-For-Godliness-With-Pastor-Mike-Plummer-Part-1-es2148 · Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/11-training-for-godliness-with-pastor-mike-p...
11. Training For Godliness With Pastor Mike Plummer [Part 1]
March 09, 2021 10:00 - 25 minutes - 46.5 MBWe have a special guest on today’s episode, Pastor Mike Plummer. Mike is the pastor at Fillmore Baptist Church in Fillmore, IL. As we’ve visited Mike’s church over the years, we’ve become big fans of his passion for and focus on biblical teaching. Today, Mike paints a great picture for us as he explains some parallels between physical training and training for godliness. Physical training requires us to sweat, and training for godliness is no different. It will take some “spiritual sweat.” ...
10. Tools To Thrive: Fasting
March 02, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 55.5 MBOn your journey to get unstuck and live a more intentional life (i.e., escape moral adventure), it's important to be equipped with the proper tools. Today, we'll discuss one of those tools: Fasting. We’ll chat about what we can learn from the Bible about this topic, some purposes for fasting, as well as a few tips. Below are resources we used to gather information for this episode: 1. The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Earley 2. https://www.christiani...
9. Marriage | Choose Love
February 23, 2021 10:00 - 21 minutes - 39 MBOftentimes, when we hear the word 'love', we think of it as a feeling or emotion. However, when God calls us to love others, he’s calling us to love them with agape love – a love that is an act of the will and unconditional. Not a 'warm and fuzzy' kind of love. Today, we chat about agape love and its role in marriage. During the episode, we refer to the following resources: 1) You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis Chan 2) Gotquestions.org 3) The 5 Love Languages b...
8. Choosing To Be Response-Able
February 16, 2021 10:00 - 40 minutes - 74 MBHave you ever felt bad about how you reacted to something? Something happens that is stressful or unpleasant, you get upset or angry, and you say or do something you wish you hadn’t? In today’s episode, we discuss the difference between reacting and responding, as well as the importance of taking responsibility for your actions and choosing to be response-able. During our chat, we refer to our ‘principles’. For more information on establishing foundational life principles, check out our tw...
7. Becoming Unshakeable: 7 Foundational Principles For Life [Part 2]
February 09, 2021 10:00 - 32 minutes - 59.3 MBThis week’s episode is part 2 of our two-part series in which we discuss the importance of having a set of strong, unchanging foundational principles that are used to guide and direct your life. We share and discuss our principles and encourage you to establish your own as well. We mention the “new command” and what it means to “love.” We chat a bit more about this concept in the “How to Love your Neighbor” episode which you can find here: Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | ...
6. Becoming Unshakeable: 7 Foundational Principles For Life [Part 1]
February 02, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutes - 37.7 MBBecome unshakeable no matter the circumstance. This week’s episode is part one of a two-part series in which we discuss the importance of having a set of strong, unchanging foundational principles that are used to guide and direct your life. We share and discuss our principles and encourage you to establish your own as well. During our discussion, we referred to a previous episode in which we mentioned taking an inventory of your time. You can find that full episode, “Signs You’re Stuck In...
5. You're Obedient To Something
January 26, 2021 08:00 - 21 minutes - 39.3 MBThe thought of being obedient can make us cringe. “Wouldn’t it be better to not be obedient to anything?” Unfortunately, whether we want to be or not, we’re all obedient to something or someone. We can be obedient to our emotions, mood, work, spouse, self, etc. without even realizing it. In this episode, we discuss things we may unintentionally become obedient to, as well as a better approach - to become obedient to a set of principles. This takes intentionality. During the episode we refer...
4. Signs You're Stuck In Moral Adventure
January 19, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutes - 45.9 MBMoral Adventure is the posing of questions, criticisms, difficulties, or rationalizations resulting in the avoidance of taking right action. Being stuck in moral adventure is more common than you may think, but what might that even look like? In this episode, we give a few specific examples of how you might be stuck and possible ways out. You can find our “How to Love Your Neighbor” episode, which we mentioned in today’s show, on the following platforms. Just simply click a link below. Anc...
3. Revealing Our Focus Words To Escape New Year's Resolutions
January 12, 2021 08:00 - 18 minutes - 35.3 MBMany people give up on their New Year’s resolutions after just a month. So, instead of making a New Year’s resolution, we choose a focus word for the year. In this episode, we share our focus words and discuss how we plan to integrate these words into our daily lives. We hope this will help give you some ideas for how to possibly integrate your own word into your daily life as well. We referenced two books during the episode: 1) "Gospel Fluency" by Jeff Vanderstelt 2) "Storyworthy" b...
2. How To Love Your Neighbor
January 05, 2021 08:00 - 40 minutes - 74 MBIn this episode we discuss what it means to love your neighbor. Can you love someone without liking them and is love a feeling? We know loving our neighbor is important because Jesus commands us to do it. But what does ‘love’ even mean? And how can we practically love our neighbor? We'll discuss the definition of love, as well as four principles we believe are necessary to follow in order to love your neighbor well. During our chat, we referenced the book “The Servant” by James Hunter...
2. How to Love your Neighbor
January 05, 2021 08:00 - 40 minutes - 74 MBIn this episode we discuss what it means to love your neighbor. Can you love someone without liking them and is love a feeling? We know loving our neighbor is important because Jesus commands us to do it. But what does ‘love’ even mean? And how can we practically love our neighbor? We'll discuss the definition of love, as well as four principles we believe are necessary to follow in order to love your neighbor well. During our chat, we referenced the book “The Servant” by James Hunter...
1. Escaping New Year's Resolutions
December 28, 2020 02:05 - 18 minutes - 17 MBThe new year represents a great time to start something new, stop a bad habit or just make a change in general. However, the most common approach, a New Year's resolution, typically fails. We'll discuss an alternative to New Year's resolutions aimed at providing the motivation to act without the likely failure and disappointment that comes from failing to keep a new year's resolution. In this episode, we reference a book called "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. You can find more abo...
0. What is Moral Adventure, How to Escape and What to Expect
December 13, 2020 01:03 - 5 minutes - 4.82 MBMoral Adventure leads to inaction or worse, aimlessness. In the coming months we'll discuss why it is so dangerous, why so many fall into it and how to escape through Spontaneous Obedience. In this introduction, we'll define Moral Adventure and discuss how to escape through Spontaneous Obedience.