The Podcast
Real Talk for Men Who Are Done With Pretending
The Savage Path Podcast — Wrestling with the Inner Man
Every week, David L. Savage brings raw, unfiltered conversations about faith, leadership, fatherhood, and what it actually takes to be a man of character in today's world. No fluff. No performance. Just truth.
Recent Episodes
Find the episode that speaks to where you are right now.
Love Your Enemies
<p>Loving your enemies sounds simple until you’re face to face with betrayal, disrespect, or the kind of hurt that doesn’t go away. We sit with Luke 6:32–36 and ask the uncomfortable question it raises for every Christian man: am I really living by the mercy I claim to have received, or am I still letting my flesh call the shots when I feel wronged? If you’ve ever thought, “I can’t love that person again,” this conversation is for you. <br><br>I’m joined by Dr. Aaron Thomas, senior pastor and longtime friend, to unpack what grace looks like when it’s not theoretical. We talk about why the gospel flips the world’s logic from “change then you’ll be loved” to “you’re loved, and that love changes you,” anchored in Romans 5:8. Aaron even uses a surprising Beauty and the Beast analogy to show how love can meet someone in their worst condition and still be the beginning of transformation, without pretending sin is no big deal. <br><br>Then we get painfully practical. We dig into how to separate a person from their behavior, how to look past surface anger to the wounds underneath, and why losing your “first love” for Christ often shows up as coldness toward people. Aaron shares a raw personal story about wrestling with unforgiveness after a devastating family tragedy, and how God used remembrance, repentance, and time to move his heart from revenge toward mercy. <br><br>You’ll leave with clear takeaways and weekly action steps: pause before reacting, pray for a difficult person for seven days, do one undeserved act of kindness, guard your tongue, and spend ten more minutes with God each day. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more men can find honest conversations about forgiveness, spiritual warfare, and learning to love like Jesus.</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome To The Inner Fight</li> <li>0:37</li> <li>Luke 6 And A Hard Command</li> <li>2:06</li> <li>Why Loving Enemies Matters</li> <li>3:51</li> <li>Beauty And The Beast As Grace</li> <li>7:10</li> <li>Look Past Behavior To Pain</li> <li>15:27</li> <li>Abide Deeper Stay In First Love</li> <li>16:09</li> <li>A Real Test Of Forgiveness</li> <li>21:43</li> <li>Three Truths And Weekly Practices</li> <li>30:49</li> <li>Final Charge And Closing Prayer</li> <li>34:07</li> <li>How To Connect And Next Time</li> </ul> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
Discipling In An Age Of Deceit
<p>Truth doesn’t usually get rejected because it’s obviously false. It gets rejected because it gets repackaged, renamed, and blended with just enough Bible language to feel familiar. That’s the tension we sit with here, especially as we mark America’s founding ideals while admitting how many of us have grown intellectually lazy, outsourcing conviction to feeds, algorithms, and talking heads.<br><br>We’re joined by Mark “Moose” Bright, director of the Relational Discipleship Network (RDN), to talk about discipling in the age of deceit. Moose lays out RDN’s core claim: you cannot divorce the methods of Jesus from the teachings of Jesus and expect the results of Jesus. We dig into what relational discipleship looks like in practice, why pastors must know the audience they’re speaking to, and how “presumption” becomes poison when culture no longer shares Christian assumptions.<br><br>Then we take the hard turn toward discernment: false teachers, incomplete pictures of Jesus, and the hidden appeal of any worldview that removes personal responsibility. We talk about Marxism’s oppressor-oppressed framing, why repentance is non-negotiable for salvation, and how America’s ideas of rights and self-government only hold together when conscience and moral formation stay strong. We also get practical about cognitive dissonance, limbic fight-or-flight, and how to have conversations that actually lower defenses instead of building walls.<br><br>If you want a clearer biblical worldview, stronger spiritual warfare habits, and a discipleship model that produces resilient men and families, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.</p> <p>You can learn more about the Relational Discipleship Network by visiting their website at www.rdn.org</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome And The Inner Fight</li> <li>0:40</li> <li>Founding History Meets Modern Deceit</li> <li>1:51</li> <li>Meet Moose And RDN’s Mission</li> <li>4:02</li> <li>Why Culture Changes How We Hear</li> <li>11:23</li> <li>Marxism And The War On Repentance</li> <li>17:00</li> <li>Rights Self-Government And Greed</li> <li>23:28</li> <li>Hermeneutics False Teachers And Truth</li> <li>26:02</li> <li>Cognitive Dissonance And Limbic Defense</li> <li>29:15</li> <li>Where To Find RDN Resources</li> <li>30:39</li> <li>Self-Awareness Mentors And Next Steps</li> <li>32:39</li> <li>Closing Prayer</li> <li>33:09</li> <li>Outro And How To Reach Us</li> </ul> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
How To Move Through Painful Transitions With God
<p>Betrayal, disaster, career loss, family crisis, the slow grind of grief, they all create the same gut-level question: why, and what do I do with this pain now? I sit down with Tony Stoltzfus, a veteran Christian coach and author who has spent decades helping leaders navigate painful transitions, to talk about why “try harder” and pure self-discipline often fail when the real struggle is happening in the emotional brain.<br><br>We dig into how Jesus uses stories and questions to reach the parts of us that logic can’t reach, including a powerful retelling of Judas through an honor-shame culture lens that makes the betrayal feel painfully human. From there we move into the heart of Christian inner healing: unmet desires. Tony explains how longings like peace, belonging, security, and significance drive behavior, and how sin is often an attempt to fill emptiness. When those desires get handed to circumstances, money, control, or people, we get stuck. When they get handed to Jesus first, real change becomes possible.<br><br>You’ll also hear a practical tool we try live on the mic: “praying your desire” using the Questions for Jesus method, plus insights from Job, valley seasons, and what Tony’s work on heaven suggests about a future where evil is no longer even an option. If you want Christian coaching insights, emotional health, and faith-based tools for healing after betrayal, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s in a hard season, and leave a review with the one desire you’re ready to bring to Jesus first.</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome To The Fight Within</li> <li>0:33</li> <li>Why Painful Transitions Shake Us</li> <li>1:53</li> <li>Retiring From The Need For Significance</li> <li>3:12</li> <li>Reading Scripture With The Emotional Brain</li> <li>5:42</li> <li>Judas And The Power Of Shame</li> <li>13:43</li> <li>Desires That Drive Behavior And Sin</li> <li>18:28</li> <li>Betrayal Healing And Shared Destinies</li> <li>26:54</li> <li>Praying Your Desire With Jesus</li> <li>39:07</li> <li>Job, The Fire, And Valley Seasons</li> <li>46:51</li> <li>Heaven Where Evil Ends</li> <li>51:41</li> <li>Tools, Free Books, And Closing Prayer</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://www.likeahumanbeing.com/">https://www.likeahumanbeing.com/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Questions-Jesus-Conversational-Deepest-Desires/dp/1492177350/ref=sr_1_1">https://www.amazon.com/Questions-Jesus-Conversational-Deepest-Desires/dp/1492177350/ref=sr_1_1</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.heavenexperience.net/">https://www.heavenexperience.net/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TonyStoltzfus">https://www.youtube.com/@TonyStoltzfus</a></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
How Roger Williams Shaped America’s Freedom Of Religion
<p>“Separation of church and state” gets thrown around like a trump card, but most of us have never been shown where that idea actually comes from, what the First Amendment really says, and why the founders cared so much about protecting religious liberty. We’re heading into a major national anniversary, so we slow down and do something rare: we trace the history instead of repeating the slogan. <br><br>We talk with documentary filmmaker Andrew Linn, whose film Church and State: Roger Williams and the Founding of Freedom of Religion spotlights a name many Americans have never heard, even though his ideas helped shape the future of freedom of religion in the United States. We walk back into 1600s England and Europe, where government-backed churches fuel cycles of persecution, then watch the same coercion reappear in the New England colonies. That backdrop makes Roger Williams’ “liberty of conscience” stand out as more than a theory, it becomes a working model in Rhode Island for people who just want to worship without the state enforcing religious uniformity. <br><br>From there we tackle today’s friction points: whether faith belongs in the public square, how to think about leaders praying publicly, and how Jefferson’s Danbury Baptists letter produced the famous “wall of separation” phrase without rewriting the Constitution. We also get practical about civic engagement, local politics, and speaking up with courage while relying on the Holy Spirit. If you care about constitutional history, religious freedom, and the real meaning of the First Amendment, this conversation is for you. <br><br>Subscribe for more, share this with someone who still thinks the phrase is in the Constitution, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of “separation of church and state” do you think most Americans misunderstand?</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome And The Inner Fight</li> <li>0:38</li> <li>Why First Amendment Origins Matter</li> <li>2:26</li> <li>What Separation Of Church Means</li> <li>4:50</li> <li>Europe’s Persecution And Puritan Flight</li> <li>8:20</li> <li>Roger Williams And Rhode Island Liberty</li> <li>12:56</li> <li>Faith In The Public Square</li> <li>17:33</li> <li>Jefferson’s Letter And The Wall Myth</li> <li>20:11</li> <li>Filmmaking For Truth And Unsung Heroes</li> <li>24:55</li> <li>How Christians Engage Without Fear</li> <li>27:47</li> <li>Books To Go Deeper And Prayer</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://churchandstatedoc.com/">https://churchandstatedoc.com/</a></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
From Workaholic To Redeemed Father
<p>He chased success hard enough to build a global career and still ended up empty. Mitch Guinn joins us to tell the truth about what it looked like to spend years hunting for acceptance in all the wrong places: performance, sex, alcohol, and the constant need to be seen as “a man.” The cost was real: three marriages, five daughters growing up with an often absent father, and a level of guilt that nearly ended his life.<br><br>We walk through the roots of that pattern, including an absent dad, the craving for affirmation, and the way workaholism can masquerade as responsibility while starving your family of presence. Mitch shares the moment he first heard the gospel clearly, why it reshaped his understanding of worth, and how change can be both immediate in the heart and painfully slow in daily habits.<br><br>The conversation also goes where many Christian podcasts avoid: what do you do when your past echoes into your children’s choices, and you cannot fix what they decide? We talk about loving adult kids with clear boundaries, resisting constant arguments, and staying faithful to your “part” while trusting God with what you cannot control. Mitch explains the discipleship model that grounded him, the one Jesus laid out in his stories, plus the simple practice he credits with keeping him alive and growing for decades: opening the Bible daily, establishing direct contact and a living relationship with the God who created you, and maintaining communication with the source of all power.</p> <p><br>If you are carrying a prodigal past, feeling disqualified, or trying to rebuild after divorce, addiction, or failure, this is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with the line that challenged you most.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
A Dad’s Rite Of Passage
<p>A kid doesn’t need a perfect dad, but they do need a present one, and the window to shape a heart doesn’t stay soft forever. Father’s Day sets the tone with a simple poem, “The Sculptor,” and it lands like a warning and a gift: the impressions we leave on our sons and daughters tend to last. If you’ve ever looked at middle school years and thought, I don’t have the tools for this, you’re not alone.<br><br>We sit down with Matt Hanson, president of the National Rite of Passage Council, to talk about Aion Path, a three-year Christian rite of passage built for 12 to 14 year olds and the fathers who walk beside them. We get into why male discipleship is struggling, why outsourcing faith formation has not worked, and why the solution is often simpler than we think: warm conversations, shared time, and a clear structure that makes leadership doable. Matt explains how Aion Path starts with “30 conversations” (five to ten minutes a day), how kids choose “30 skills” they want to learn, and why an overnight adventure can become a turning point when your child gets real ownership.<br><br>We also unpack the power of tangible milestones like challenge coins, the role of a pastor as a “shepherd,” and how three trusted “guides” (financial, vocational, spiritual) create the intergenerational relationships that help faith stick. If you want a practical framework for raising resilient teenage boys and teenage girls, strengthening father-child connection, and building lifelong Christian faith at home, this conversation gives you a clear next step. </p> <p>Subscribe, share this with a dad who needs a playbook, and leave a review with the one rite of passage you wish you’d had growing up.</p> <p>Go to www.aionpath.com to learn more</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome And The Inner Fight</li> <li>0:33</li> <li>The Sculptor And A Father's Weight</li> <li>3:16</li> <li>The Hunger For Rites Of Passage</li> <li>6:31</li> <li>Year One Building Real Connection</li> <li>18:14</li> <li>Coins Skills And Trusted Guides</li> <li>27:30</li> <li>Letting Your Kid Lead The Journey</li> <li>32:00</li> <li>Year Two Faith Foundations And Year Three</li> <li>35:41</li> <li>How To Find Aion Path And Closing Prayer</li> </ul> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
What If Dad Really Is Destiny
<p>A lot of men carry a quiet ache they can’t quite name, then spend decades trying to outrun it with work, wins, and willpower. On this Father’s Day, we sit with that ache head-on: the father wound, the craving for approval, and the lifelong impact of a dad who is physically present but emotionally absent. We don’t treat it like a psychology trend or a sentimental story. We treat it like spiritual warfare in the heart, because what happens with dad often shows up everywhere else. <br><br>My guest, Buddy Griffin, is known around the world for his music and his leadership, but he tells a deeply personal story about growing up with a hard father who never hugged him, never affirmed him, and never said the words he needed. A moment from Robert Lewis’ Better Man teaching forces Buddy to face one brutal question: will he someday stand at a casket with everything still unresolved? That question leads to action and to an awkward first visit in a retirement center where Buddy asks directly for love and a hug and keeps coming back until the dam finally breaks. <br><br>We also talk about what to do when your father is already gone, how forgiveness can start with honesty, and why reconciliation changes not only a man’s peace but his parenting, marriage, and drive. If you’ve ever felt fueled by pressure but starved for approval, this conversation offers a clear path forward. <br><br>Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review. What’s one conversation you know you’ve been putting off?</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome To The Inner Fight</li> <li>0:35</li> <li>Father’s Day And Why Dads Matter</li> <li>3:00</li> <li>Growing Up Without Warmth At Home</li> <li>4:43</li> <li>The Photo That Forced The Question</li> <li>8:45</li> <li>Asking For Love And A Hug</li> <li>12:58</li> <li>Final Words In The ICU</li> <li>16:12</li> <li>Taking Other Men To The Grave</li> <li>20:55</li> <li>Forgiveness, Action, And Closing Poem</li> </ul> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
When A DNA Test Changes Everything
<p>A single email during COVID turned into a paternity test, a flight to an empty LAX, and a face-to-face meeting with a 46-year-old son Rick Wertz never knew existed. That’s the kind of story that sounds impossible until you hear the details, and it opens a bigger question many men carry quietly: what do you do with the father-wound, the love deficit, and the years you can’t get back?<br><br>We sit down with Rick, the founder of Faithful Fathering, to trace the path from a childhood marked by violence, alcoholism, and untreated wartime trauma to a life rebuilt through faith, Scripture, and intentional fatherhood. He shares the moment he realized his work and travel had made him a stranger in his own home, and how that wake-up call pushed him toward accountability, spiritual discipline, and a mission to equip churches to encourage dads rather than only critique them.<br><br>Then the “COVID curveballs” hit: first, discovering and blessing an adult son who had been searching for decades, and second, learning through DNA results that he also had a half-brother and that long-held family secrets were revealed. We talk adoption reunion, genetic mirroring, forgiveness, boundaries for kids and parents in a world of social media and pornography, and why knowing the Heavenly Father changes how we handle every part of the story.<br><br>If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more men can find it.</p> <p>Here is a link to Rick's website to learn more:</p> <p>https://faithfulfathering.org/</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome To Wrestling The Inner Man</li> <li>0:34</li> <li>Valentine’s Day And The Love Deficit</li> <li>1:33</li> <li>A Childhood Shaped By Violence</li> <li>4:31</li> <li>Chasing Approval Through Work</li> <li>6:52</li> <li>Faithful Fathering And A Biblical Worldview</li> <li>9:48</li> <li>The DNA Email That Introduced A Son</li> <li>14:43</li> <li>A Second Curveball And A Half-Brother</li> <li>20:11</li> <li>Boundaries, Redemption, And Real Fathering</li> <li>22:46</li> <li>Final Counsel And Closing Prayer</li> </ul> <p><br></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
The Forgotten Grief Of Fathers
<p>A lot of men can describe the exact second they heard the words “I’m pregnant” and what happened next, their mind racing through fear, responsibility, and what kind of man they’re going to be. But almost nobody asks the next question out loud: what happens to the father when an abortion happens, and he’s told to stay quiet? That silence can turn into years of shame, drifting, and numbness, even for men who look fine on the outside. <br><br>We sit down with Greg Mayo, award-winning author of Almost Daddy: The Forgotten Story, to talk about men’s abortion grief, post-abortion trauma, and why the cultural conversation leaves fathers without language or support. Greg shares his own story of abortion loss, how unresolved pain can show up as addiction and escapism, and the moment he finally broke isolation by telling the truth in a church small group. We also dig into the surprising statistics, including the “one in five men” reality, and why so few men seek help from clergy or church leaders. <br><br>Greg explains why he chose to write a novel instead of a memoir, and how story can disarm politics long enough for real empathy and spiritual healing to begin. We close with practical next steps, a challenge to raise the sails toward healing, and a call for men to lead, serve, and step into the fight with courage and compassion. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs words for what he’s carried, and leave a review so more men can find a path forward.</p> <p>You can visit his website to learn more at:</p> <p>https://gregmayoauthor.com/</p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome To The Inner Fight</li> <li>0:36</li> <li>The Shock Of An Unexpected Pregnancy</li> <li>2:06</li> <li>Greg Mayo And Almost Daddy</li> <li>4:59</li> <li>Why Men’s Abortion Stories Stay Hidden</li> <li>8:48</li> <li>Greg’s Story Of Loss And Hardening</li> <li>14:15</li> <li>Why Fiction Can Tell The Truth</li> <li>19:12</li> <li>The Numbers And The Church Silence</li> <li>24:37</li> <li>Helping Men Name The Wound</li> <li>27:39</li> <li>How To Reach Greg And Start Healing</li> <li>30:03</li> <li>Get In The Fight As Men</li> <li>32:03</li> <li>Closing Prayer And Sendoff</li> </ul> <p><br></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
Breaking The Debt Cycle With Behavioral Stewardship
<p>Debt is not just math, it’s pressure, identity, fear, and the quiet belief that you’re failing the people you love. We start with a hard look at how easy credit, emotional spending, and constant comparison normalize borrowing, then we bring it back to a biblical lens where debt can become bondage and limit the freedom God intends for us. If Proverbs 22:7 has ever felt uncomfortably real, you’re not alone.</p> <p>My guest, Scott Mater of the Inspired Stewardship Podcast, gets brutally honest about what financial bondage did to his mind, his marriage, and his faith. He shares the moment he realized he felt “worth more dead than alive,” and how a simple shift from hiding to communicating helped him and his wife fight their way out. </p> <p>Over 2 years and 11 months, they paid off $78,852.52 while living on a tight income, then turned that painful journey into a mission to coach other Christian men and couples toward freedom.</p> <p>We also dig into practical tools for long-term change: the difference between career and vocation, why calling is something you uncover over time, and how the DISC personality framework can improve communication and leadership at home and at work. Scott lays out a clear framework for growth and an iterative process that makes goals and budgets actually work: plan, execute, then review, reflect, revise, and repeat. </p> <p>The key takeaway is simple and tough: you don’t change by willpower alone, you change when you find the why behind the what.</p> <p>Subscribe for more conversations that train up better men, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the “why” you want to fight for next? </p> <p>Learn more about Scott at www.inspiredstewardship.com/innerman</p> <p><br></p> <p><b>Chapter Markers</b></p> <ul> <li>0:00</li> <li>Welcome To The Ring</li> <li>0:35</li> <li>Taxes And A Nation In Debt</li> <li>2:47</li> <li>Biblical Caution About Borrowing</li> <li>4:55</li> <li>When Debt Turns Into Despair</li> <li>8:46</li> <li>The Conversation That Changed Everything</li> <li>12:39</li> <li>Calling Is Bigger Than A Job</li> <li>19:11</li> <li>DISC For Clearer Communication</li> <li>30:08</li> <li>A Framework For Living Your Calling</li> <li>36:54</li> <li>Plan Execute Then Review And Revise</li> <li>39:57</li> <li>Find The Why That Fuels Change</li> <li>42:43</li> <li>Resources Coaching And Closing Prayer</li> </ul> <p><br></p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a></p> <p>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.</p>
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