In this Faith and Friction episode, Mack and Rev. Man explain the “hard right edge” of a stock chart—the unknown

beyond the last candle—and use it as a metaphor for life, faith, and living in the present moment. They describe

markets as driven by human fear and greed, and argue that studying history and trends, whether in investing,

relationships, church life, or personal story, reveals patterns that enable course correction. They emphasize

stepping back as a dispassionate observer, responding rather than reacting, setting expectations around risk and

volatility, and following a plan instead of emotion. They connect resilience, EQ, IQ, and spiritual intelligence to

managing stress and uncertainty, rejecting “God will just make it happen” thinking while framing God’s plan as

supporting people in working their plan, leading to greater peace and contentment despite not knowing the next

“candle.”

In this podcast episode, The Rev joins remotely from California as the group discusses how people of faith should

approach what they describe as Christian propaganda surrounding President Donald Trump, cautioning that

ignoring it can be a dangerous “sleight of hand” meant to distract and push boundaries. They share examples like a

meme portraying Trump with Jesus-like imagery, attacks involving the Pope, and Paula White Kane’s Easter

comments comparing Jesus’ suffering to Trump’s experiences—remarks they say show poor discernment and

contradict Christian values of humility and being “known by our fruits.” They highlight four common reactions:

alignment and justification, moral-faith dissonance, disenchanted believers leaving the church, and hostile

overreactions that hurt credibility. They also revisit Trump’s past Easter statement criticizing political opponents and

emphasize the importance of accountability, speaking out, and weighing rhetoric against one’s faith and moral

compass.

In this Faith and Friction episode, Mac and The Rev open with Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” quote to frame

a discussion on choosing risk, failure, and growth over safety and sideline living. They argue that trying to eliminate

friction produces “frictionless mediocrity,” stagnation, fragility, and even a kind of living death, while leaning into

tension can be energizing, creative, and consciousness-building. Using examples from parenting, school grades,

sports participation trophies, and college experiences, they criticize coddling that avoids discomfort and prevents

kids and adults from earning outcomes, developing courage, and learning conflict skills. They connect friction to

growth in IQ, EQ, and spiritual intelligence (SQ), urging authentic communication, healthy challenge to faith,

persistence through failure and setting intentions that embrace discomfort as a path to becoming more fully alive.

Become rising Phoenix!