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The grace our cruel culture can’t understand

A friend of mine, Tessa, spent her teenage years aboard a 71-foot sailing yacht with her family, a vessel that demanded real seamanship. Long before GPS, her father read the stars, charts, and maps with the precision of a seasoned navigator, steady with a sextant and calm in a storm.

Life aboard that yacht was demanding but wonderful. The family and small crew sailed from port to port, creating memories that lasted a lifetime. Her father handled the galley as confidently as the sails. Every meal bore his touch in equal parts skill, joy, and flair.

‘Stay. I’ll teach you.’ Those words are the melody of mercy and the quiet assurance that keep weary caregivers from giving up.

After many months, he decided to bring another hand on board to help with the sailing and cooking. While docked in the south of France, Tessa met a young man living alone on a boat in dry dock. He was surviving on oatmeal and sharing it with a cat. Something about him stirred her compassion, and when she learned he had sailing experience, she introduced him to her father.

Seeing potential, the captain asked a simple question.

“Can you cook?”

“Sure, I can cook,” the young man replied.

To find out, the captain assigned him a meal for the family: pork chops, potatoes, and vegetables. When the food was served, everyone quickly realized the truth. The meal was so bad that they threw it overboard.

The family and crew sat silently, watching to see what the captain would do. He had every right to send the young man away — throw him overboard like the meal. But he did not.

He smiled. “Stay,” he said. “I’ll teach you.”

And he did.

That moment changed the young man’s life. From then on, he learned from the master day after day in the ship’s galley. When his time with the family ended, he carried a letter of recommendation that earned him a position in a fine restaurant. Years later, he managed a marina, bought one, and built a good life — all because one man refused to throw him overboard.

I already knew Tessa’s father, so hearing that story from her carried special meaning. I could picture the scene, the tension in that little galley, the expectant faces, the quiet pause before the verdict. But what the captain did was more than kindness; it was redemption. He saw failure, yet chose to restore and teach.

What a great picture of the gospel.

Christ finds us floundering in our own sin. We may bluff our way on board, convinced we can handle life. But when the Master steps into view, our self-made confidence collapses.

And here is the wonder: the Redeemer does not leave us in shame. He saves us, then teaches us.

That order matters. Salvation first, sanctification after. We are not accepted because we can learn; we are taught because we’ve been accepted.

That is grace. And it’s also the heart of many caregivers’ journeys.

Most caregivers never planned this voyage. Some of us bluff our way on board, thinking we’ve got this figured out. Others climb aboard unaware of how poor our skills really are. But it doesn’t take long to find out — we come up short.

We think we can “cook” until the storm hits, a diagnosis, a disability, an accident, and we realize we’re in over our heads. The meals we serve, our best efforts, often come out burned and bitter.

But Christ, the steady Captain, doesn’t throw us overboard. He teaches us, patiently and personally, in the galley of daily struggle.

C.S. Lewis once observed that God is not content to leave us as we are; He is shaping us into something far better than we imagined. That shaping often happens in the quiet, ordinary places where so many caregivers live.

Some of His lessons come softly: how to sit in silence beside a hospital bed, how to pray when words run dry, how to rest even when sleep won’t come. Others are harder, such as learning to forgive those who don’t understand or to accept help when pride tells us to refuse.

Over time, we learn, not because we are gifted, but because He is faithful.

Every caregiver I know can point to moments when someone showed them that same mercy: a nurse who stayed late to explain a procedure, a pastor who listened instead of lectured, a spouse who forgave a sharp word. Each of them reflected the Redeemer’s voice: “Stay. I’ll teach you.”

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Photo by Fritz/ClassicStock/Getty Images

Tessa’s father not only knew his way around his ship’s galley; he knew his way around any kitchen. His name is Graham Kerr, and the world knew him as “The Galloping Gourmet.”

But this story isn’t about fame or food. It’s about redemption that becomes instruction — grace that saves, then sanctifies.

Christ does that with us. He is not merely a teacher or navigator; He is the One who walks on water and calms the seas. He doesn’t choose us for our skill; He redeems us for His glory. And He doesn’t give up when we burn the meal.

For family caregivers, that’s good news. We don’t have to be perfect; we only have to stay aboard.

“Stay. I’ll teach you.”

Those words are the melody of mercy and the quiet assurance that keep weary caregivers from giving up. Under the Master’s hand, even our failures serve His purpose.

​Sailing yacht, Cook, Acceptance, Gospel, Christ, Opinion & analysis 

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How Joe Rogan stumbled into defending Christianity — and exposed atheist nonsense

Joe Rogan is undoubtedly the most popular podcaster in the world, hosting intriguing and expansive conversations about topics ranging from politics to sports — and everything in between. Rogan’s influence over the culture cannot be overstated.

That’s why his recent comments about Jesus, the Bible, and church are so notable.

‘I’m sticking with Jesus on that one. Jesus makes more sense. People have come back to life.’

Before this year, many had long assumed Rogan was a firm agnostic based on various on-air proclamations and statements. But 2025 seemed to signify what can only be described as a spiritual shift in the host’s life.

Specifically, Rogan’s recent statements about Christianity aren’t merely pointed and effective; they actively dismantle and challenge some of the most absurd atheist arguments against the Christian faith, with Rogan’s responses to Jesus, the Big Bang, and other related issues raising eyebrows.

Intrigue over his spiritual journey kicked into high gear in May when Christian apologist Wesley Huff, who appeared on “The Joe Rogan Experience” in January, revealed that Rogan had started attending church on a “consistent” basis.

Not long after this stunning news, Rogan delivered remarks that went mega-viral when he openly bolstered belief in Jesus’ resurrection and casted doubt on the Big Bang theory.

“It’s funny, because people will be incredulous about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but yet they’re convinced that the entire universe was smaller than the head of a pin and for no reason that anybody’s adequately explained to me — that makes sense — instantaneously became everything? OK,” Rogan told fellow podcaster Cody Tucker, noting that the Big Bang isn’t as credible as some believe.

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Rogan quoted late ethnobotanist Terence McKenna, who reportedly once made notable comments about the debate over faith and science — comments with which Rogan agreed. Ultimately, when juxtaposing Christ’s story with science’s claims about creation, the podcast host said there’s a clear winner.

“That’s McKenna’s great line … the difference between science and religion is that science only asks you for one miracle … the Big Bang,” Rogan said.

“I’m sticking with Jesus on that one. Jesus makes more sense. People have come back to life.”

These comments were just the beginning, though, because Rogan again dove into similar issues on another recent episode of his show. In fact, he addressed his church attendance and said he sees incredible benefits from being present inside houses of worship.

“It’s a bunch of people that are going to try to make their lives better. They’re trying to be a better person,” Rogan said.

“I mean, for me — at least the place that I go to — they read and analyze passages in the Bible. I’m really interested in what these people were trying to say, because I don’t think it’s nothing.”

It’s this latter quote that’s most notable, because Rogan was speaking to the essential issues of the Christian faith — the questions core to the debate over biblical truth. Is scripture real or filled with fables? Are the stories we read in the Bible rooted in eternal truth — or are they mere allegories and fictitious sentiments?

While Rogan said “atheists and secular people” will go out of their way to dismiss the Bible, the mega-popular podcaster offered a checkmate of sorts, asserting that there’s more happening in the pages of the New and Old Testaments than these critics are willing to recognize.

“I hear that among self-professed intelligent people, like, ‘It’s a fairy tale.’ I don’t know that’s true. I think there’s more to it,” he said. “I think it’s history, but I think it’s a confusing history. It’s a confusing history because it was a long time ago, and it’s people telling things in an oral tradition and writing things down in a language that you don’t understand, in the context of a culture that you don’t understand.”

And he wasn’t done there. Rogan went on to herald Christianity as the “most fascinating” of all religions, noting that Jesus’ life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection are all hallmarks that differentiate the faith.

“Christianity in particular is the most fascinating to me, because there’s this one person that everybody agrees existed that, somehow or another, had the best plan for how human beings should interact with each other and behave,” he said.

“He didn’t even protest,” Rogan said. “[He] died on the cross, supposedly for our sins. It’s a fascinating story. What does it represent, though? That’s the real thing. What was that? What happened? Who was Jesus Christ, if it was a human being? What was that? That’s wild.”

RELATED: Is Joe Rogan’s podcast becoming a platform for Christian truth?

Ponder the fact that the most popular podcaster on Earth is seeking, asking important questions — and offering compelling arguments to push back on so much of the atheistic nonsense that has dominated our discourse.

From the media to Hollywood, we have endured decades of ludicrous absurdity, with many folks forcing down our throats secular humanism and anti-Christian folly. And now an unlikely hero — a podcaster not previously known for faith chops — has emerged and is taking the world along for his personal journey.

My only hope is that we all start to pray for Rogan’s faith, life, and spiritual growth. His platform is massive, and his foray into the Christian faith — if it persists — could be key to helping further shift young people and older generations to move closer to the Lord.

​Joe rogan, Jesus, God, Bible, Christianity, Joe rogan podcast, Faith