Impactus podcast

Opioids are claiming the lives of thousands of Canadians from all walks of life. With more than 44,000 opioid-related deaths [https://canadasafetycouncil.org/opioid-related-poisonings-an-issue-of-national-concern/#:~:text=Between%20January%202016%20and%20December,with%2065%25%20reported%20as%20accidental.] since 2016, the overdose crisis is one of the most severe public health crises Canada has ever faced, and men are much more likely to be affected by addiction than women. There is hardly a day that passes when we do not hear of the fentanyl issue in geopolitical, provincial, and local conversations. But what should the response be from the Church, and how can we, as Christian men, be part of the solution? And what can you do if addictions have trapped someone you love? In this podcast, Dean sits down with a leading Canadian Christian Addiction Medicine Physician who has both a medical and theological perspective on why there is hope for the Canadian opioid crisis. Dr. Meera Grover [https://meeragrover.ca/] is a medical doctor with the highest level of training in addiction medicine available to physicians in Canada. She began her work in addictions as a theology student at Regent College. Her work in Vancouver’s notorious downtown east side brought her face-to-face with the ethical questions around safe injection sites. She is a frontline worker with intimate knowledge of the issue who has personally wrestled with the dilemma. Her recent book Why I Help People Take Drugs [https://amzn.to/41Fd4jk] is designed to help people better understand the complexity of stories that each person with addiction brings to the table and to see ways that God works among people with addiction. Join Dean and Dr. Grover for a fascinating and in-depth conversation about a very challenging topic, and find the hope Jesus is bringing to the opioid crisis! As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commission from qualifying purchases on Amazon.ca. Learn more [https://www.impactus.org/privacy-policy/]. Copyright © 2025 Impactus. All rights reserved. https://impactus.org/ [https://impactus.org/] Check Our Resources for Men: https://impactus.org/resources/ [https://impactus.org/resources/] Follow us on Social Media: * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/impactusmen/] * Instagram [https://instagram.com/impactusmen/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactusmen/] * Twitter [https://twitter.com/impactusmen] * This Is Me TV [https://www.youtube.com/user/ThisIsMeTVShow]

Despite the rise of people identifying as "non-religious" in Canada and the growing trends of secularism in our post-Christian culture, there is good news on the horizon. Alpha Canada released a 2024 report [https://alphacanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ALPHA-IMPACT-REPORT-2024.pdf] that indicated signs of hope and opportunity. It revealed: * Post-pandemic, church leaders in Canada are perceiving an inexplicable spiritual openness and curiosity in our communities. * This “spiritual openness” includes lapsed Christians, or those with no faith, becoming more spiritually curious in the past three years, receptive to the message that Jesus saves, and displaying a “higher likelihood” that they would actually come to church. * Church leaders across Canada are prioritizing sharing the Gospel with an increased clarity and commitment to the Great Commission. Our own annual Spiritual Health of Men [https://www.impactus.org/mens-ministry/3-trends-in-the-spiritual-health-of-men/] survey, sent to several thousand men connected with our ministry, consistently shows that sharing their faith is an ongoing challenge for men, but also an amazing opportunity for the church to lean in, and where men and men’s ministries can play an important part. In this month’s podcast, we will talk about these important matters! Join us as we chat with Jason Persaud, the National Director of Church Experience for Alpha Canada [https://alphacanada.org/]. Jason and Dean discuss the ongoing challenges of evangelism for men and the great reason for hope in these exciting days as God opens doors for the Gospel to be shared in our communities! Website: https://impactus.org/ [https://impactus.org/] Check Our Resources for Men: https://impactus.org/resources/ [https://impactus.org/resources/] Follow us on Social Media *  Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/impactusmen/] *  Instagram [https://instagram.com/impactusmen/] *  LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactusmen/] *  Twitter [https://twitter.com/impactusmen] *  This Is Me TV [https://www.youtube.com/user/ThisIsMeTVShow]

Former England superstar football captain David Beckham recalls being sent off [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWsEuczNj48] the field in the 1998 World Cup Finals: “It was probably the longest walk in my life…looking back, I’m not sure what thoughts were going through my mind: it was a swirl of fear, guilt, anger, worry, and confusion. “My head was spinning…I walked into the dressing room. The rules stated that I had to stay in there for the remainder of the match. England lost. We were out of the World Cup. “When the England players came back into the dressing room, no one breathed a word to me. There was almost complete silence. I could feel my stomach tightening even more. I gulped, breathed in, and gulped again. I was in a packed changing room, but I had never felt so lonely in my life. I was isolated and afraid...I was trapped in my own sense of guilt and anxiety.” Men often think we are wired to be tough, strong, “just deal with it” guys, but the reality is that many of us struggle with deep concerns, fears, and anxieties. We often suffer alone, isolated and lonely. But we don’t have to deal with this on our own. Today, we’ll examine the starting point for handling anxiety. Our guest today is Jonny Ardavanis. He is the lead pastor of Stonebridge Bible Church [https://stonebridgebible.org/] and the founder and president of Dial In Ministries [https://dialinministries.org/], a ministry that provides biblical resourcing for the next generation. He is passionate about people coming to know and love Jesus Christ as they pursue a deeper understanding of His Word. Jonny lives in Franklin, TN, with his wife and two daughters. Jonny has recently written a book called Consider the Lillies: Finding Perfect Peace in the Character of God [https://amzn.to/3WuDaUe]. This is no gardening book; rather, it points us to an antidote to fear and anxiety in the unshakable and timeless character of God. He shares from his personal struggles with anxiety, explores how guys navigate anxiety and fear, references the many men in Scripture who grapple with these same things, and most importantly, why knowing God’s character as Lord and Father is so important to helping us navigate anxiety, worry, and fear. Join us for an amazing conversation!  ---------------------------------------------- Website: https://impactus.org/ [https://impactus.org/]  ---------------------------------------------- Follow us on Social Media Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/impactusmen/] Instagram [https://instagram.com/impactusmen/] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactusmen/] Twitter [https://twitter.com/impactusmen] This Is Me TV [https://www.youtube.com/user/ThisIsMeTVShow]

When you hear the word “warrior,” what comes to mind? Maybe the movie Gladiator [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172495/]? The WWF’s Ultimate Warrior [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ultimate_Warrior]? The latest UFC [https://www.ufc.com/] champion? Now, when you hear the word “disciple,” what do you think of? Something very different? Maybe something incompatible with the first word? But what if these two terms could fit together? Our guest on this episode believes the words “warrior disciple” go hand in hand for the man following Christ, and, in fact, can be a catalyst for seeing men’s lives transformed by the Gospel. Scott Roberts is a dynamic Christian leader and writer. He is the author of the men’s ministry book Warrior Disciple [https://amzn.to/4fX3heh]. Scott is passionate about empowering men to live boldly and fearlessly for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is also a devotional [https://www.impactus.org/daily-devotional/men-who-honor-parents/] and article writer for Impactus. As a church elder, teacher, and men’s ministry leader, Scott is dedicated to helping men grow in their faith and embrace their calling as disciples of Christ, and he’s developed a great new resource to do just that. In this podcast, Dean and Scott talk about: * What a “warrior disciple” is and why the term is so important * The new men’s discipleship book Warrior Disciple [https://amzn.to/4fX3heh] and how it can be a crucial and intentional tool for ministry to men * How men can stand guard against the forces of the enemy and the world * Ways to engage men in the church to step up into their God-given roles * How Scripture informs a man’s spiritual journey * The role that discipline plays in a man’s faith, marriage/singleness, fatherhood, career, and church life * How love, strength, and courage work together in the life of a man * Advice for pastors and men’s ministry leaders on how to build an intentional model of discipleship for their men Thanks for joining Dean and Scott for this important conversation! https://www.impactus.org/podcast/becoming-a-warrior-disciple/ [https://www.impactus.org/?p=44404&preview=true]

Some of you may be old enough to remember the sitcom Eight is Enough [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075500/], about a family with eight children trying to get by. Well, for our guest in this podcast, it’s not eight, but ten! Today, we’re going to speak with Jason Weening, a dad of ten who has dedicated his life to fatherhood and helping other dads along the way. Jason and his wife, Alli, have been married for 20 years. He speaks to parents, encouraging them to be intentional in their “most important organization”: their family! After spending 15 years in the business world, he moved into a ministry role at his local church. Their adventure-loving family recently returned from living in the Dominican Republic for 6 months. In 2024, he released an adventure book for kids, Danger in the Jungle [https://amzn.to/4hVcCEJ]. He co-hosts the Helping Men Thrive [https://www.wehelpmen.com/] podcast and supervises the care of hens, ducks, cows, and vegetables on their small hobby farm. You can find him on his website, Helping Dads [https://www.heydads.ca/blank-1]. In this fascinating conversation, we talk about things like: * What being the father of ten kids is like! * How fatherhood shapes our views and experiences of leadership * Jason’s book from his Riders of the Lost Reptiles series, and how the writing relates to boldness and adventure * How we can teach our sons and daughters the importance of resilience and facing life’s challenges head-on * Learning to manage the many distractions of life and how to bring them under control, finding God’s peace in a frantic world * The challenges and importance of creating lasting memories and connections in our families and how to do it * The meaning of the term “your most important organization” and why it’s so important Join us for this very interesting conversation with a great dad! ---------------------------------------------- Website: https://impactus.org/ [https://impactus.org/] Check Our Resources for Men: https://impactus.org/resources/ [https://impactus.org/resources/] ---------------------------------------------- Follow us on Social Media * Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/impactusmen/] * Instagram [https://instagram.com/impactusmen/] * LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactusmen/] * Twitter [https://twitter.com/impactusmen] * This Is Me TV [https://www.youtube.com/user/ThisIsMeTVShow] As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commission from qualifying purchases on Amazon.ca. Learn more [https://www.impactus.org/privacy-policy/].