Axis Conversations

Gen Z musician Gracie Abrams releases an album-long apology to her mom, TikTok influencers are promoting injectable weight loss peptides, and what parents should know about Kylie Jenner's new collaboration with Meta smartglasses. Slang of the Week: Quiet on the Creek In Other News: According to the Wall Street Journal, the popularity of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is convincing many students to finally read the epic poem that many English teachers couldn't coax them into reading. A wild raccoon in Seattle with a deformed spine has been dubbed "Jimothy," and has become an i...

Jay Stringer is a licensed therapist, researcher, and speaker who helps people uncover and reshape the story beneath self-sabotage, disconnection, and shame. He is the award-winning author of Unwanted and lives in New York City with his wife Heather, and their two children. We'll be talking today primarily about his new book Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow.  🎧 Listen / Follow / Connect → Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. → Check out the podcast now on our YouTube Channel! → Get your question on Ask Axi...

Three Big Conversations: Argentina is back in the World Cup final - 05:25 MLB's All-Star competitions had some hiccups - 12:14 Everyone online is auditioning for their Netflix documentary debut. - 22:53 Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter - Where'd All the Tweens Go? - 0:31 In Other News: - 33:54 A parasite that causes extreme digestive upset is maybe the meme of the week (alongside Netflix documentaries). It certainly doesn't help that it's possibly connected to Taco Bell. Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is out in theaters this weekend. We'll write more about it next week, bu...

Argentina is back in the World Cup final, the MLB's All-Star competitions had some hiccups, and everyone online is auditioning for their Netflix documentary debut. Resource of the Week: The Conversation Starter - Where'd All the Tweens Go? In Other News: A parasite that causes extreme digestive upset is maybe the meme of the week (alongside Netflix documentaries). It certainly doesn't help that it's possibly connected to Taco Bell. Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey is out in theaters this weekend. We'll write more about it next week, but for now, the R-rated take o...

"We have been having some difficult and sometimes awkward conversations with our 17 yo old son about sax and masturbation. Along those lines, we've become intensely aware of the quantity of movies and shows with any kind of kissing, romantic or sex scenes. How do you draw boundaries and live in our sex saturated culture? Don't ever watch anything? Get filters and Vid Angel? Fast forward scenes? Just watch whatever and talk a lot? And how does that work when the dialogue seems one-sided? This feels so hard and confusing as a Christian, where do we go from here?"...

→ The podcast has a new YouTube Channel! @axisconversationspodcast Three Big Conversations: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married in a garden in The Garden - 08:04 So-called "butter moms" are setting the vibe for a deep-fried summer - 19:00 New data from CIY and Barna gives us insight into how Christian teens are using AI. - 32:20 Slang of the Week: "NPC" - 00:56 In Other News:- 48:00 The round of 16 is officially wrapped in the 2026 World Cup, with all three host countries (Canada, Mexico, and the US) failing to continue. Another notable casualty is Portug...

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married in a garden in The Garden, so-called "butter moms" are setting the vibe for a deep-fried summer, and new data from CIY and Barna gives us insight into how Christian teens are using AI. Slang of the Week: "NPC" In Other News: The round of 16 is officially wrapped in the 2026 World Cup, with all three host countries (Canada, Mexico, and the US) failing to continue. Another notable casualty is Portugal, with global superstar Cristiano Ronaldo saying goodbye to World Cup competition. Building on the trend of ho...

Rob Stennett is a graduate of UCLA film school, filmmaker, novelist, and content creator. His work has been recognized with ADDYs for writing and directing. He won the Denver Film Race for best writing, and a SILVER TELLY at the Telly Awards for a feature documentary he wrote and directed. He's created story and video content for brands, churches, and nonprofits all over the world including National Geographic, Compassion International, One Chapel, New Life Church, DISH Network, MLB, Formula 1, and the Discovery Channel, and is also the Owner & Lead Creative of Storyize, and the co-host of the podcast Meaning...

Three Big Conversations: The "prediction market" site Polymarket is paying influencers to film themselves pretending to win money - 12:36 Instagram Plus lets users see how many times others rewatched their stories - 24:28 Gen Z faves Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan speak out on fans' bad bathroom habits - 32:36 Song of the Week: "Earrings" by Malcolm Todd - 01:54 → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: - 46:10 Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are renting out Madison Square Garden this Fourth of July weekend. While they might be reliving the Knicks' miraculous NBA F...

The "prediction market" site Polymarket is paying influencers to film themselves pretending to win money, Instagram Plus lets users see how many times others rewatched their stories, and Gen Z faves Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan speak out on fans' bad bathroom habits. Song of the Week: "Earrings" by Malcolm Todd → Click here to read the lyrics In Other News: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are renting out Madison Square Garden this Fourth of July weekend. While they might be reliving the Knicks' miraculous NBA Finals victory, it's more likely to be...

"As dads, how do we stay consistent as disciplers and spiritual taste-makers for our sons when life is chaotic — job transitions, legal battles, financial pressure? My boys are at three completely different stages, one of them neurodivergent, and I want to be shaping their hearts and minds toward Christ even when I'm running on empty. What does faithful fatherhood look like in the trenches?" - Jason → Click here for Russ's Book: He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself → Click here to see Russ's op-ed with Fox News 🎧...

Three Big Conversations: More and more Gen Zers embrace singleness - 06:56 Toy Story 5 pits the classic cast of toys against modern technology - 20:32 World Cup tourists go viral for loving the United States - 35:05 Slang of the Week: "Mogging" (language) - 00:53 In Other News: - 46:22 Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to the Miami Heat in the biggest NBA trade since Luka Dončić and the Lakers. The deal sends the two- time MVP from Milwaukee to Miami, a change that significantly shifts the league's balance of power. A24, the studio behind Backrooms, is partne...

More and more Gen Zers embrace singleness, Toy Story 5 pits the classic cast of toys against modern technology, and World Cup tourists go viral for loving the United States. Slang of the Week: "Mogging" (language) In Other News: Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to the Miami Heat in the biggest NBA trade since Luka Dončić and the Lakers. The deal sends the two- time MVP from Milwaukee to Miami, a change that significantly shifts the league's balance of power. A24, the studio behind Backrooms, is partnering with Google DeepMind in a research partner...

→ Help us improve our podcast! Click here to fill out this three-minute survey. Russ Ewell is the Executive Minister of the Bay Area Christian Church and author of "He's Not Who You Think He Is," exploring faith at the edge of modern life. He's also the founder of Deep Spirituality, E-Life, Digital Scribbler, and Hope Technology Group—initiatives addressing spiritual formation, inclusive technologies, and life-span inclusion. With over four decades of leadership experience he helps people discover biblical Christianity that is intellectually serious, emotionally grounding, and transformative. Earlier this year he wrote an op-ed for Fox News abou...

Three Big Conversations: Olivia Rodrigo's new album soars to the top of the charts - 08:52 More dads seem to be opting way into fatherhood - 19:14 Disclosure Day raises important questions about faith - 40:42 Song of the Week: I Knew It, I Knew You - Taylor Swift - 02:16 → Click here to read the lyrics. In Other News: - 48:50 The United Kingdom has introduced a law to ban social media access for children under 16 in early 2027, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and X. "Overstimulated" has become the most used "therapy speak" (paywall) term a...

Olivia Rodrigo's new album soars to the top of the charts, more dads seem to be opting way into fatherhood, and Disclosure Day raises important questions about faith. Song of the Week: I Knew It, I Knew You - Taylor Swift → Click here to read the lyrics. In Other News: The United Kingdom has introduced a law to ban social media access for children under 16 in early 2027, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and X. "Overstimulated" has become the most used "therapy speak" (paywall) term among Gen Z (ages 13-24), often used...

→ Help us improve our podcast! Click here to fill out this three-minute survey. "My husband and I are expecting our first child next week, so he will be a first-time dad. But he never knew his own father, so he'll be learning how to be a dad without any sort of first-hand example. How can he navigate being a dad when he never had one?" - Erin After 20 years in the corporate world (with IBM, Pepsi and Goldman Sachs), Roland Warren spent 11 years as president of the National Fatherhood Initiative before joining Care Net in 2012 as...

→ Help us improve our podcast! Click here to fill out this three-minute survey. Three Big Conversations: Social media companies are being sued for engaging students during school hours - 04:14 Gen Z is more comfortable disclosing their personal finances than any other generation - 17:28 Why a chip being inserted into our brains might be the least of our problems - 26:38 Resource of the Week - The Sermon on the Mount Experience - 02:02 In Other News: - 37:54 The 2026 World Cup, hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, kicked off this Thursday in Mexico...

→ Help us improve our podcast! Click here to fill out this three-minute survey. Social media companies are being sued for engaging students during school hours, Gen Z is more comfortable disclosing their personal finances than any other generation, and why a chip being inserted into our brains might be the least of our problems. Resource of the Week - The Sermon on the Mount Experience In Other News: The 2026 World Cup, hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, kicked off this Thursday in Mexico City. If it matches 2022's viewing numbe...

→ Help us improve our podcast! Click here to fill out this three-minute survey. After 20 years in the corporate world (with IBM, Pepsi and Goldman Sachs), Roland spent 11 years as president of the National Fatherhood Initiative before joining Care Net in 2012 as president and CEO. A graduate of Princeton University and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, Roland is an inspirational servant leader with a heart for Christ and a mind for business. As part of our lead up to Father's Day this month, we'll be talking with Roland primarily about the difference a dad...