We got to sit down with Shawn Bolz and Bob Hasson for an incredible conversation on combining faith and work.  Shawn & Bob encourage anyone and everyone that hearing God’s voice is not just for those in traditional ministry; and that there are Kingdom marketplace ventures waiting to be birthed through those who would lean into what God is saying.

Check out their new book  - Wired to Hear: Connecting God’s Voice to Your Life, Influence, and Career.

S3e29 - Wired to Hear with Shawn Bolz and Bob Hasson

We’re back! Kicking off Season 4 at Strong Towers, we are psyched to be back in the studio again. We are looking forward to an incredible slate of topics, including our 100th episode! Welcome back to the journey of building up and becoming strong.

S4e1 - We're Back

We haven't done a faith-focused episode in a while, but when the topic of the Great Commission came around recently it was too good to pass up.  So join Tom, Mike, and Jon as we try to put into practice the call to follow, become a disciple, and invite others into the journey.

S4e5 - The Great Commission

Season 4 at Strong Towers has been all about the things that are stretching us this year; physical challenges, youth sports, faith, and the ongoing commitment to improvement. Along the way, we've found some literary gems that have proven incredibly beneficial. So please pull up a chair as we swap titles of books that are shaping (or reshaping) our world.

S4e6 - Readathon

Burned out?  Worn out?  Just plain tired?  Plenty of that going around these days, but is there something deeper at work?  And since that to-do list isn't going anywhere, what do we do?  Pull up a chair and join the Strong Towers crew as we wade into the deeper waters of being "worn out."

S4e7 - Worn out

Goats. Jiu-jitsu. Drywall. Need we say more?  Check out this week's episode as Mike and Jon make sense of the craziness of learning.

S4e8 - What Are You Learning

Happy holidays from all of us at Strong Towers!  With Thanksgiving only recently in the rearview and all the wonder of Christmas just ahead, we're settling in for some of our favorite holiday festivities, traditions, and food.  Pull up a chair and share in the nostalgia of the Strong Towers holiday episode.

S4e9 - The Holiday Episode

It's a bit late, but we wanted to take a last lap through 2021 before officially bidding it adieu.  Some great moments that deserve a second look.  Some significant challenges that still need to be processed.  And a rather poignant conclusion -- we're not who we used to be.  Join us as we kick off 2022 with a bang!

S4e10 - 2021 Year-in-Review

At Strong Towers, we spent our holiday season much like everyone else.  Some food, some family...and a back-to-basics overhaul of our entire platform!  The start of a new year is always a great time to take stock of where you've been and where you're going, so come join us as we recap how we got to this point and where our vision for the future of Strong Towers may take us.

S4e11 - Mission & Vision

We're continuing to discuss the recent work Jon, Mike and Tom have done to solidify the mission and vision of the Strong Towers platform.  Our first two core passions deserve a little explanation, so join us as we break down our fascination with faith and adventure.

S4e12 - Mission & Vision: Faith & Adventure

We're continuing with the peek behind the Strong Towers curtain on the topic of Mission and Vision.  In our last episode, we touched on prioritizing Faith and Adventure in our growth and development.  Today, we dig into Brotherhood and what we mean when we say it's central to who we are, what we do, and where we're going.

S4e13 - Mission & Vision: Brotherhood

In our final episode on Mission and Vision, we've definitely saved the best for last! The greatest adventure you will ever undertake is the discovery and restoration of who you are. And when you begin to uncover it, you will also discover a deep need in the world that you are uniquely designed and positioned to fill.  Welcome to the rest of your life!

S4e14 - Mission & Vision - Identity and Purpose

After wrapping up our series on Mission and Vision, we thought we'd take a light-hearted lap around the "someday" projects -- those things we'd love to get to if time and money weren't an issue.  So join Tom, Mike, and Jon for a little wishful thinking, a little creativity, a whole lot of joy.

S4e15 - Someday Projects

The signs of spring are all around, and that's usually a wonderful invitation to get outdoors.  But maybe we need outdoors more than we realize. Maybe the invitation is not just to get outside, but to connect with reality.  Join Tom and Jon as they get pumped for spring, but even more so, share the restoration they find in the realness of nature.

S4E16 - The Outdoors

In their later years, 98% of men say, "I wish I had worked less." Will you be one of those men if your current story does not change? Join Tom and Jon for an in-process conversation on rediscovering play in the midst of work.

S4e17 Work & Play

How do you become wise?  And once you do, how do you dispense that wisdom in ways that transform rather than bludgeon?  Join Mike, Tom, and Jon as Mike shares the story of being on the receiving end of some powerful grandfatherly wisdom...and then learning how to pass it on to his own children.

S4e18 - The Broken Cup

Thanks to Alan Arnold, we've spent the last year wrestling with a revised and renewed sense of the significance of creativity. It matters... so much more than we expected, and in ways, we hadn't anticipated. Join Tom and Jon as they share the challenges and revelations of embracing a life of being creative.

S4e19 - Creativity

What is your experience of daily intimacy, friendship, and reliance with God? Not Intellectually. Not philosophically. But as practically and tangibly as you can. What does it currently feel like to walk with God? And where do you feel like you're holding back? Join Tom, Mike, and Jon for an honest and open-hearted check-in on the thing we so often say matters most, but is often so challenging to cultivate.

S4E20 - Walking With God

"Actions reveal belief 100% of the time." - Dallas Willard.  What would a slow, thoughtful reflection on the actions of the last week reveal about the way you see yourself?  Do you know who you are at a core level?  There's a good chance we're going to talk about the topic of identity in a way you weren't expecting...which is all the more reason to pull up a chair and join the conversation with Tom, Mike, and Jon. You'll be glad you did!

S4e21 - Identity

It finally happened -- the WHISKEY episode!  If you've been listening for a while, you'll know our podcast tagline: "all topics - from brotherhood and faith to culture and whiskey."  And in 2+ seasons we've talked about all of those things...except whiskey!  So at long last, it gives us great pleasure to bring you the last piece of the puzzle...the missing link in the chain...the 4th horseman...Whiskey.  And since we don't know much about whiskey, this is going to be a really interesting episode!

S4e22 - The Whiskey Episode

How are you doing?  No, seriously...how are you actually doing?  Can you put words to it beyond the usual -- fine, tired, okay, etc.  How aware are you of your inner world?  And how do you handle it when your inner world suddenly feels a lot more public?  Join Mike, Tom, and Jon for a much-needed conversation on the way we navigate our heart and our feelings and the profound good that comes when we learn to enter that space more regularly and confidently.

S4e23 - Emotion

Summer is here!  And with that comes our annual break in the action at Strong Towers.  Thanks for hanging with us through Season 4 -- the vision casting and the life challenges and everything in between.  As we step into summer, we find ourselves in real need of both rest and restoration and summer is always a great time to seek and savor it.  So enjoy your summer, friends, and we'll see you back in the fall for another Strong Towers podcast.

S4e24 - Summer Break

Inaugural Strong Towers podcast.  Get to know Tom Edwards, Mike Lara, and Jon Ackerman as we begin the adventure of chasing after the masculine soul.

Strong Towers

S1 E0 - Chasing The Dream - Part I

We're wrapping up Part 3 of our Work vs "Work" series with special guest Erik Schlener of Root and Marrow Farm. Erik has an atypical job in 2019 and has some profound insights to share through his experiences of pursuing his passions through work.

S1 E7 - Work vs "Work" - Pt 3

In this opening episode on Challenge, Mike, Tom, and Jon recap their experiences competing in a Ragnar race this past fall and the various ways in which the event tested, hardened, and shaped them.

S1 E13 - Challenge: A Ragnar Recap

In a slight departure from our usual format, we're proud to offer an excerpt from a recent conference at Christian Fellowship Church in which Jon Ackerman, his wife, Brooke, and Todd Bramblett (our guest on Spiritual Challenge) dive deeper into the topic of how we can challenge ourselves to be more aware of the reality that God is constantly with us and constantly communicating his truth and love to us.  We hope you enjoy!

S1 E16 - Challenge: Spiritual - Practicing the Presence

Join Tom, Mike, and Jon as they take a look back at where they've come from and the challenges of pushing on.

S1 E19 - Challenge: Land Nav & Dead Reckoning

We've been re-launching some of the earliest Strong Towers episodes over the last few weeks and this time around Jon's story is making a comeback.  You'll get to enjoy the beginning of the home adventure story as well as some reminders of things still in process.  Thanks for sticking with us!

S1 E26 - Jon's Story

We're excited to bring you the first in a two-part conversation with our friend, Kyle Hoffman.  Kyle's a great man, husband, father, businessman, mentor...and fisherman!...and we're truly grateful that he was willing to share his story as we confront the specter that drives so many men to both great heights and deep darkness: FEAR.  You do not want to miss this!

S2E5 - Fear Pt 1 w/ Kyle Hoffman

We hope you caught the footage for Mike & Zach's 24-hour quarantined 30 mile race.  This wee, we wanted to go behind the scenes and have a conversation about the path that led them to and thru this adventure of mind and body.  How do you push yourself past your limits?  Take a listen.

S2E30 - Becoming Ultra

Strong Towers was born in late 2018 with a simple vision: Build up. Become strong.

​Become good fathers, husbands, friends, colleagues, leaders, and followers.  Become strong.  More importantly, become capable.  Become aware of and responsive to the thing within us that says, "there must be more...there has to be."
 
This begins with a commitment to journey into the frontier within each of us...to the unfinished places that are aching for understanding, restoration, and significance.

We welcome you to join us on this journey of discovery.

Strong Towers

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