- 2 days ago
CTP (S3EDecSpecial2) Facing Darkness, Finding Purpose
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond
We explore how to face darkness without getting stuck in it and how purpose rooted in faith can turn pain into forward motion. Humor breaks the tension while we draw a firm line between helping and enabling and point to resources that support real change.
• framing anger, sorrow, and grief as normal emotions
• shifting from dwelling on the past to building tomorrow
• defining purpose as serving God and serving people
• drawing boundaries that prevent enablement and support accountability
• distinguishing self-interest from selfishness in a faith context
• using humor and honesty to keep hope practical
• where to find tools, guides, and ministries that help
http://CoupleONukes.com https://tinyurl.com/SubscribeToCTP
Exploring more of the fascinating intersection of Activism, Community Engagement, Faith / Religion, Human Nature, Politics, Social Issues, and beyond
We explore how to face darkness without getting stuck in it and how purpose rooted in faith can turn pain into forward motion. Humor breaks the tension while we draw a firm line between helping and enabling and point to resources that support real change.
• framing anger, sorrow, and grief as normal emotions
• shifting from dwelling on the past to building tomorrow
• defining purpose as serving God and serving people
• drawing boundaries that prevent enablement and support accountability
• distinguishing self-interest from selfishness in a faith context
• using humor and honesty to keep hope practical
• where to find tools, guides, and ministries that help
http://CoupleONukes.com https://tinyurl.com/SubscribeToCTP
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello, welcome to another episode of Perstitutionalist Podcast.
00:06I am your host, Joseph M. Leonard.
00:10That's L-E-N-A-R-D, it's the French, it's not, it's Leonard without an O.
00:17Thank you for tuning in, as Graham Norton used to say, on his show.
00:24Let's get on with the show!
00:25Warning, this episode contains some audio and or video glitches.
00:35It is not your equipment.
00:39Hello, everyone.
00:43Welcome to another Perstitutionalist Podcast.
00:49This, I have a guest, Mr. Whiskey.
00:54This is going to be a rather weird and odd introduction.
00:59In fact, my guest, Mr. Whiskey, isn't even joined yet, making this even more strange.
01:06So he's not even going to hear this introduction, because it is indeed going to be rather strange.
01:14I want to mention the book of Kennedy, Project Carpe Diem, and why do I want to do that, and what does that have to do with the guest, right?
01:25Why I'm recording this ahead, and we'll go right into the discussion with him.
01:31But, full disclosure, behind the scenes, recording today with my guest, Tuesday, December the 1st, coming upon 1 in the afternoon now.
01:47Later today on social media, I intend to post across my social media platforms to promote the Book of Kennedy Project Carpe Diem.
02:00The Phil Collins song, Take a Look at Me Now, right?
02:06Empty space, and reminds me of your face.
02:11Reflection, and sorrow, and pain, and agony, and looking back.
02:19All right?
02:19This didn't land up being the cover of the Book of Kennedy, but remind me of your face, right?
02:27Sorrow, and sadness, well, in CTP3, is it?
02:34Let me hurry, hurry, hurry, rush, rush, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
02:40No, no, it's CTP4, I guess.
02:45My chapter on anger.
02:50A natural, normal human emotion.
02:55Jesus never told us it's a sin to be angry, right?
03:01The sin of hubris, but anger, sorrow, sadness, normal emotions, we feel them from time to time.
03:11And it's okay to hurt, but the path is the past.
03:18What are we doing looking and moving forward, which is the Book of Kennedy Project Carpe Diem about.
03:28What are we doing tomorrow?
03:32How are we moving forward?
03:34And Mr. Whiskey's pod match profile says, all I needed to see about him to want to have him on, help people face the darkest parts of their lives and walk out of them with purpose.
03:51What is our purpose forward?
03:57Are we dwelling?
03:59Are we going to endlessly dwell on the hurt and the pain and past?
04:08Or Bruce Springsteen?
04:12Springsteen, I call him, right?
04:14Not a big fan, but his Glory Days song.
04:18In fact, in my How to Write a Book and Get It Published in Tips and Techniques, I talk about character development.
04:26And have your character engaged in sports, past, present, or future.
04:35It makes them relatable.
04:37All of us, well, most people engaged in a sport, at least in their youth, and they have a Glory Days story.
04:47Right past, but future.
04:51Looking forward.
04:53Trying to be positive.
04:56Trying to find silver linings.
04:59Remembering fondness of past, if we can, or the hurt, the sorrow, the pain, like the Phil Collins' Take a Look at Me song, Now song.
05:13But what about tomorrow?
05:16Trying to move forward.
05:18Trying to bring positivity into our own and others' lives.
05:25Positivity.
05:27Right?
05:29Mr. Whiskey.
05:30And I won't joke, right?
05:32Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
05:35Right?
05:36WTF.
05:37Sometimes we have those days that we're not so positive.
05:43But as a whole, are we trying to move on and move forward and be positive and so good into the world?
05:56Plant seeds of positivity into the world.
06:02Make this fallen planet a better place.
06:06All right.
06:06Anyway, I've rambled now too much.
06:10Mr. Whiskey should be joining us here any second.
06:14So, I don't want to drag out this intro too long.
06:17But that's why Mr. Whiskey is here.
06:23Help people face the darkest parts of their lives and walk out of them with purpose.
06:29And that purpose needs to be positive.
06:34No matter how down we may feel now, making it positive.
06:40At least hopeful.
06:42In prayer.
06:43Hopeful.
06:45Can we make this world, a fallen world, a better place?
06:50All right.
06:51I've dragged this out again.
06:53I said it was going to be a weird intro.
06:55And in fact, if Mr. Whiskey...
06:58I can't talk.
06:59My mouth is dry.
07:00I'm going to pull a Marco Rubio here.
07:04Mr. Whiskey may look back on this episode and behind the scenes video or hear it across the 25 plus audio platforms.
07:15And he'd say, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
07:19I missed all that because I'm pre-recording that ahead.
07:25And hopefully he won't be upset by the intro.
07:29Let's get on with the show, as Graham Norton used to say.
07:35Full disclosure, actually.
07:39It's only 10 to 1 now.
07:41He's expected to join in 10 minutes.
07:44So, there's going to be a 10-minute void here I'll be editing out.
07:49Full disclosure.
07:51You know me, right?
07:52I didn't mean to, but plug another book, right?
07:56Podcasting Quick Start Guy.
07:58You're getting some behind-the-scenes look at podcasting.
08:03I'll be editing out from this point to when Mr. Whiskey actually joins.
08:14Oh, hey!
08:19Good thing I wandered back.
08:23You did get in early.
08:25How are you?
08:26Yes, sir.
08:27Well, I always show up about 10 minutes early.
08:30But, um...
08:30As promised, here is Mr. Whiskey.
08:34And apologies, Zoom, we're getting a bit of a delay here today.
08:41Don't know why I'll do my best to edit out the pauses between, but there is a delay going back and forth between us here.
08:51But your bio, as I had already previously explained to the audience, said,
08:56help people face the darkest parts of their lives and walk out of them with purpose.
09:03And as I led into the show, we're all human.
09:07We all have down and negative times.
09:10But what about tomorrow, right?
09:14Trying to make tomorrow and the next day and the day after better and more positive for ourselves and others.
09:22But before we get to that, let's do the proverbial, where were you born and raised?
09:28Where are you now?
09:29Where have you been?
09:30Significant places in between.
09:33For sure.
09:34First of all, thank you so much for having me.
09:36It's always a grateful opportunity to be able to guest on someone's show and share what I have to say.
09:43And hopefully people find it very insightful.
09:45I was born and raised in New Jersey until shortly after I turned 18.
09:51Just a few days later, I was out for boot camp.
09:54Ended up stationed in Goose Creek, South Carolina for two years.
09:59And then I was stationed in the Norfolk, Newport News area of Virginia for a year after that.
10:06For anyone who is not familiar with that area, it is a terrible place.
10:10It is very dangerous, very just full of crime and scams.
10:15A lot of sailor and soldier casualties there.
10:18It's also about seven military bases almost.
10:22They're terrible.
10:23Because everyone from every state has their own driving rules in their head.
10:27And on top of that, you've got lots of merged lanes into a single tunnel or bridge.
10:34So that was terrible.
10:36And then I ended up moving to Savannah, Georgia after that.
10:38And I've been there to this day.
10:41So it's been going on three years come this May that I've been living in Savannah, Georgia.
10:48Interesting.
10:49You said a couple things.
10:50Insightful.
10:53My audience knows I can't pass on wordplay and lame puns, right?
10:58Hopefully it's insightful in an I-N-S-I-G-H-T way, not an I-N-C-I-T-E that they get all angry, upset, and go burn something down.
11:12We want positive incitement, right?
11:15Hopefully they are I-N-C-I-T-E-N-D, incited to go out and spread love and harmony, right?
11:27And the other thing you said with my OCD brain, Savannah, Georgia, oh, great.
11:33Now the rest of today, December 1st, Tuesday that we're recording, I'm going to have, oh, Savannah, won't you cry for me tune in my head.
11:43So, yeah, help people face the darkest parts of their lives and walk out of them with purpose in your PodMatch bio.
11:55All I needed to see, I got to have this guy on.
12:00Doing that how?
12:02Sharing what?
12:03Trying to move towards what?
12:05Indeed, you know, Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life book, of course, comes to mind.
12:11And there was a movie with Kate Mara.
12:14You know, I'm not a part of Rick Warren's church.
12:17I'm not trying to promote that book.
12:19But that book played a part in a Kate Mara movie called Captive.
12:24And, indeed, you don't have to be a fan of Rick Warren to want to embrace the concept of purpose.
12:35And hopefully a positive purpose.
12:38Yes?
12:38So, you talk about purpose.
12:42And for me, we have our purpose given to us.
12:45It's in the end of the book of Ecclesiastes.
12:47The wise teacher, often accredited as King Solomon, but referred to as the wise teacher, says,
12:52This is the conclusion of the matter.
12:54And I'm paraphrasing here.
12:55But he says, after living several cycles under the sun, seeing everything under the sun, both good and bad, doing all the great pleasures of life and also being a godly man at one point.
13:05His conclusion is this.
13:07To serve and worship God.
13:09There is no other purpose.
13:10And so, that is at the forefront of my purpose.
13:14And then I have people second.
13:16Because helping people, serving people, is serving God.
13:19As Jesus Christ said, anything you do for these people, you have done also for me.
13:23Right?
13:24That's different from indulging in this fallen world.
13:28From being of this fallen world, of conforming to the pattern of it.
13:31There is a renewing of your mind.
13:33And there is, and I really learned this as well, in addiction recovery.
13:38There is enablement.
13:39Right?
13:40A lot of addictions are fueled by people enabling it because of this sense of false purpose to help that person's emotions, to take care of them.
13:49But there comes a point where there is accountability and boundaries set.
13:55And that doesn't mean you're not serving your purpose.
13:56And it actually means you're serving it to a greater degree.
13:59And people often mistake accountability with judgment.
14:03And that's a whole conversation on its own in our world and media right now.
14:06But for me, that purpose is to serve and glorify God.
14:10And the Bible breaks down how we do that and how we should do that.
14:13And I believe it's two parts.
14:16Here's what you do in your private life as a believer.
14:19Your relationship with God.
14:20And here's what you do for His people, His children.
14:24And what you do among them and with them is reflective of that purpose of serving God.
14:29And so helping people to navigate this fallen world, to repent of their sins, and to have the knowledge they need to make right choices is super important to me.
14:39But oftentimes, it's hard to reach people to serve God when they are in the midst of hardship and struggles.
14:46That is what kills their faith or any potential for them to listen to the Word.
14:52And so you have to help get people out of their situation first to be able to preach to them.
14:57But on the other hand, sometimes their situation is what God's using to get someone to bring the Word into their life.
15:04And so it all works together, interconnectedly.
15:07But again, all leading back to that serving God and serving others.
15:12Amen.
15:13And a couple things.
15:16One, to what you said, to your point, serving God.
15:21Ultimately, in the long run, this world, as well as, even more importantly, the next eternity, serving God, we are serving our own best interests, as well as others at the same time, too.
15:40So, because there's a lot of people who think, well, you people of faith are foolish, you have no self-interest, that's not true.
15:54You have no free will, that's not true.
16:00God gave us free will.
16:02And part of our free will is to want to serve God, at the same time, helps fulfill and give us, as well as others, a very meaningful life.
16:16And, oh, I forgot the second thing.
16:20Oh, the other thing, I was going to joke.
16:23This is not an AI spoof.
16:25This is part of kind of the whole problem issue with Zoom delay today.
16:32I assure you, Mr. Whiskey is a real person, right?
16:36He's not an AI fake.
16:39This is not an AI gimmick here, right?
16:43Please explain to the people you're a real person.
16:47Yes, Mr. Whiskey?
16:48It's interesting, because on my side of the internet, you are lagging, and you are, like, just a blur of pixels.
17:00And so, I'm very curious what your recording end will be like.
17:04And I probably should have hit record on my end so we could have merged the two videos.
17:08But it is what it is.
17:10You know, technology doesn't always play.
17:13And often I find that when it is a faith-based episode or gathering or something faith-based, that is when technology acts up the most.
17:21And we know why.
17:22It's because the wicked principalities of the airways, the devil, the enemy, always does what he can in the most annoying ways, like lagging Zoom, to hinder conversations that would oppose him.
17:35So, I am really improving.
17:40I'll take my shirt off right now.
17:41That's scary.
17:46That's important, right?
17:48We need to keep a sense of humor about things.
17:52And also, I'm putting on my tinfoil hat figuratively, not literally.
17:58Also, this show deals in politics, biblical community, free will, charity versus worldly communism, theft, redistribution, force at the barrel of a gun.
18:14No, we are to want to be our brother's keeper.
18:17Free will, charity.
18:19So, the figurative tinfoil hat, the NSA is out to get us again, right?
18:30Well, I've got a tinfoil hat on underneath my cowboy hat.
18:34That's what it's hiding.
18:35If I lift it up, it's a big old piece of tinfoil.
18:38Okay, well, now the joking and kidding aside, you know, but again, need to keep a sense of humor and, hey, let's make fun in light of the Zoom lag here.
18:52And again, in post, most won't even notice it.
18:55But I'll kind of cut out the lags between you and me.
19:02But back to purpose.
19:05And I mentioned it, right?
19:08God gives us free will.
19:10We are free.
19:12And a whole lot of people, sadly, do choose their free will to be negative Nellies.
19:20In my, the book of Kennedy, Project Carpe Diem, I coined the hashtag decades ago, but I've finally introduced the term in that book, mass holes, right?
19:35The masses of asses.
19:37They're always negative.
19:39They're miserable people, and they want others to be miserable.
19:43They choose their free will to sow pain and discord and sometimes outright evil in the world.
19:52So we have a choice, and you and I, and we are here to try to encourage others to choose positivity and good
20:04and try to make this fallen world a little less painful to get through on our way through to self, final salvation and eternity in heaven.
20:17Hopefully, everyone watching the show will be there with us.
20:21Yes?
20:22That is the plan.
20:24And, you know, I think people, we talk about self-interest, which I think is interesting because I don't,
20:31I've never once felt like being a believer meant you had no self-interest.
20:35If anything, worshiping God and serving God is not for God.
20:40He doesn't need us to worship him.
20:42He is a perfect being.
20:43He has the Bible command us to worship him and to give us this guideline to follow for our own age of celebrities and social media is so sickening and dangerous and poisonous.
21:00But when you have God as what you're pursuing, when you have the morality and righteousness of the Bible in alignment with your purpose,
21:10it almost is self-serving because you are following down a path that will ultimately benefit you.
21:16If our goal is to get into heaven, then that is a self-interest to a degree.
21:23But there's a difference between self-interest and selfish self-serving.
21:27And so I think it's very interesting.
21:28I haven't heard that before, but you mentioned it and I didn't want to address that.
21:32You know, purpose is, it, serving others is serving ourselves in a way, but that's not the goal.
21:40Most believers would say, if I could send a hundred people to heaven and not myself, then so be it.
21:45You know, that is what that mindset is.
21:48You know, it's always about taking care of one another.
21:51And I think serving others in self-interest being complete opposites are not true at all.
22:00I hate to do this, but I fear the way Zoom is acting today, a complete collapse.
22:09And I don't want to lose this.
22:11We've only had a short time together.
22:13But I think we've packed up 10 pounds of serious into a five-pound bag of shortness.
22:23You know what I mean?
22:24So I do want to wrap it up and save this so we don't lose it.
22:29It will be shorter, but it will be, I hope, very impactful and insightful in the I-N-S-I-G-H-T way, as well as a positive I-N-C-I-T-E-ful way.
22:45Where can people find you?
22:47Now, we found each other via Podmatch, but do you have a website where people can look you up and interact with you and whatnot?
22:57Or do you have a book on Amazon?
23:00My website is coupleonukes.com.
23:04That's C-O-U-P-L-E-O-N-U-K-E-S.
23:11Coupleonukes.com has all of my contact links, but it also has every show I've ever been on
23:16and every person who's ever been on my show with all of their resources from books to courses to guides to products.
23:23It is a plethora and treasure trove of resources.
23:26If you're here because of the interest in faith, I also have my online ministry there where I have my solo sermons,
23:34as well as faith-based guests who have been on my show from preachers to conversion stories to just scriptural knowledge and study.
23:42There's plenty on there about health, fitness, finances, mentorship, leadership.
23:46The whole idea is that you go there and you find something that you can use to improve your life or the life of others around you,
23:52including women's health with domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and men's health with men's retreats and male sexual assault awareness.
24:00So it has just a whole ton of resources, again, for free books, courses, guides, episodes, and I highly encourage you all to check it out.
24:09And if it's not for you, remember, know too much and pass along too much information to one another,
24:17as long as it is in alignment with that, which is morally righteous.
24:20Yeah, you mentioned, I'm not sure how this is.
24:25From my side, the recording is looking pretty good.
24:28You've had a few freezes and stutters, but I think the quality will be good enough for everyone to understand, I hope.
24:37And when I'm done here, I will quickly edit up the video and send you a link and allow you to provide the video as a behind-the-scenes sneak peek before this ever airs on my side of things.
24:54And I will end with a joke like I did the other day.
24:59Like you said, you have a ministry, M-I-N-I-S-T-R-Y, right?
25:05It's got many in it.
25:06Well, my apologies, you only have a mini-stree, I have a large-stree.
25:14Ba-dum-bum.
25:16Thank you, Mr. Whiskey, for joining today.
25:20Take care.
25:20God bless.
25:21Like and subscribe to the Constitutionalist Politics Podcast and share episodes.
25:29We need your help.
25:31Thank you for having tuned into another Constitutionalist Podcast show.
25:38I really appreciate that you stopped by.
25:42Again, please like, share, subscribe.
25:45We need you to help spread the Constitutionalist Movement.
25:50Thank you again.
25:52Take care.
25:53God bless.
25:55Love you all.
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