March or Die

"If you can't control your mind, when you get to the end of this, you will not be the same person." - Dr. Scott Peterson's father-in-law, a physician, told him that on the day he started chemo. Scott would later survive stage 3 colorectal cancer AND a stroke that hit him at 30,000 feet on a Delta flight to Atlanta and learn that real Christian resilience is built BEFORE the crisis hits, not during it. In this episode of The March or Die Show, host Jeremy Stalnecker sits down with Dr. Scott A. Peterson, pastor at St. Luke's Methodist (Oklahoma City), former chaplain, former VP of Development at One World Health, and author of Choose Your Best, to break down his 4-Stage Resilience Model: Mindset, Intentional Actions, Community, and Discipline. Scott shares the moment a blood clot in his carotid artery shut his body down on the exit row of a Delta flight, the three warnings his physician father-in-law gave him before chemo, the prayer that radically changed his life in a San Diego bedroom at age 40, and why most Christians get resilience wrong by leaning on "thoughts and prayers" instead of pre-deciding who they'll be when the crisis comes. If you're a Christian man trying to build real mental toughness, not motivational fluff, but the kind that holds up when your body is failing, this conversation will change how you train your mind. GUEST RESOURCES Book: *Choose Your Best* by Dr. Scott A. Peterson (with Paul Rothwell, M.D.) - available on Amazon Website: https://drscottapeterson.com Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

A thousand times a year, someone sits across the table from Jeremy Stalnecker and says: "I've tried everything. If this doesn't work, I'm not going to make it." How is a gentle and lowly Jesus the answer to that? Dane Ortlund, pastor of Naperville Presbyterian and author of the runaway evangelical bestseller Gentle and Lowly, sits down with Jeremy to break down the Jesus most Christian men have never been taught. The Jesus who, as Spurgeon noted, only once told us what was in his own heart. The Jesus whose default is mercy and whose anger always requires provocation. The Jesus with nail-scarred arms who, according to 1 Corinthians 12, feels your trauma more acutely than you do. This is one of the most theologically rich conversations on the channel - anchored in Matthew 11:28-30, with stops in Hebrews 1, John 14, Exodus 34, and 1 Corinthians 12. If you've ever pictured Jesus as a watered-down, decaffeinated, domesticated version of God, this conversation will reset that picture. RESOURCES MENTIONED • Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers (Crossway): https://www.crossway.org/books/gentle-and-lowly-tpb/ • Thomas Goodwin, The Heart of Christ in Heaven for Sinners on Earth - the 400-year-old book that wrecked Dane • Dane Ortlund, Edwards on the Christian Life (Crossway) CONNECT WITH DANE • Website: https://www.daneortlund.com • Naperville Presbyterian Church: https://www.naperpres.org • X (formerly Twitter): @daneortlund KEY VERSES • Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden" • Hebrews 1:3 - Jesus, the exact representation of God • John 14:9 - "If you've seen me, you have seen the Father" • Exodus 34:6 - "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger" • 1 Corinthians 12 - We are the body of Christ Subscribe for more interviews, biblical breakdowns, and conversations with men who've been there: https://www.youtube.com/@MarchOrDieShow?sub_confirmation=1 Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Ryan Ackerman did three combat tours with 1st Battalion 5th Marines, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the first push into Fallujah in 2004, and a return to Ramadi. Then he came home. "It was a roller coaster ride without a seatbelt." In this conversation, Ryan tells Jeremy Stalnecker, his brother from the same battalion, what it took to come back from absolute rock bottom. The lying to himself. The running. The career on paper that was hiding everything underneath. And the moment he finally stopped. This is a conversation about what every man avoids until he can't anymore: the truth about who he is when the uniform comes off, the title fades, or the season of life ends. And why the only way back is through. LEARN MORE First Battalion 5th Marines Association: www.firstbattalionfifthmarinesassociation.org Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

"I would have died without them." - Sean Kennard Sean Kennard has been the strong guy his whole life, professional MMA fighter, SWAT Officer, "the most dangerous man in the room." Then a serious illness flipped the script in the past six months, and the man who'd spent 36 years being the one who carried other people's mats found himself on the mat needing his community to carry him. In this conversation with Pastor Eriek Hulseman of Church Project, Sean opens up about being on the receiving end of the brotherhood he used to provide and Hulseman, who oversees 60+ house churches and has spent 15 years building decentralized Christian community, lays out why men who try to do life alone don't make it. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: • Why "lone-wolf Christianity" fails every man eventually, and the biblical pattern from Genesis to Acts • The "roof breakers" story (Mark 2 / Luke 5) and why it's the model for masculine friendship • Eric's gut-punch question to Sean: "Were you the mat-carrying guy because you didn't want to be ON the mat?" • Why proximity matters more than depth and why you can't be a real friend from 35 minutes away • Marks of healthy Christian community what real biblical brotherhood looks like in practice • The decline of manhood in the modern church and how the house-church model recovers it • The three eras of a man's life (and why your 60s, 70s, and 80s might be your best decades) • Practical first steps: how to find (or build) a house church in any city FEATURED: Pastor Eriek Hulseman, Church Project, Texas. 15-year house church pastor, oversees 60+ house churches, 23-year marriage to Laura, four kids. Find Church Project: https://www.churchproject.org Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What happens when the uniform comes off and the identity you built underneath it goes with it? Marine Scout Sniper Dagan Van Oosten sat down with Jeremy Stalnecker, his platoon commander from the 2003 push into Iraq, and opened up about the moment a counselor asked him a question that hit "like a bolt of lightning" "If you died tomorrow, what would your tombstone say?" In this episode of The March or Die Show, Dagan walks through his journey as a Marine sniper in 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, three-plus years instructing at Quantico Sniper School, 14 years in federal contracting, training the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, and the painful realization that the institution he'd given everything to was never going to love him back the way he loved it. He gets honest about the marriage he almost wrecked chasing the mission, the brother-in-law (Justice Bartelt) the family lost in Afghanistan, the fear of leaving the uniform behind, and what it took to reset his identity around three words: husband, father, friend. Whether you're an active-duty service member, a first responder, a veteran in transition, or anyone whose job has become their identity, this conversation will give you a roadmap for the chapter after the chapter you can't imagine ending. Connect with Dagan Van Oosten: Nomadic Research: https://nomadicresearch.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/@daganvanoosten Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

"When you can't give clear, concise communication, sometimes it's on purpose. It's because I don't want to be held accountable for what I say." - Justin Atherton Bestselling author and retired law enforcement veteran Justin Atherton returns to the March or Die Show to make the case that politeness is one of the most dangerous habits in modern leadership. Drawing on 20 years as a detective, SWAT trainer, and training lieutenant, and the statement-analysis training he used in interrogations. Justin walks Sean Kennard through the WAVE method from his book *How to Get to the Damn Point*: a framework for stripping the hedges, equivocations, and stop-action verbs out of your communication so the people who depend on you can actually trust your word. The conversation gets pointed: why "I'll try to be faithful" lands the way it does with a spouse, why your team can hear when you're protecting yourself instead of leading them, and the daughter story (and the seven-hour command staff meeting) that finally pushed Justin to write the book. Justin Atherton is a 20-year law enforcement veteran, detective, SWAT operator, and training lieutenant, turned leadership communication consultant, public speaker, and TED talk presenter. His book "How to Get to the Damn Point" is a #1 bestseller on Amazon. Justin's Links: Get Justin's book: How To Get To The Damn Point: https://a.co/d/0aFvrvx7 Justin's site: https://justinwatherton.com Follow Justin: https://www.instagram.com/justinwatherton If this episode hits home, hit the like button, drop a comment with the phrase you're going to stop saying this week, and subscribe so you don't miss the next one. Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The world feels more chaotic than ever, wars, political division, broken communities, and an endless firehose of social media noise. So how do you lead your family, your team, or your community without drowning in that anxiety yourself? In this episode of March or Die, Jeremy Stalnecker walks through a biblical framework for leading well during times of global anxiety. Whether you're a parent, a business owner, a pastor, or simply someone others look to for direction, this episode gives you practical, grounded principles you can apply today. What you'll learn in this episode: Why the chaos you feel isn't actually "unprecedented" and why that truth matters The single anchor that keeps leaders steady when everything else shifts How to build a "non-anxious presence" your family and team can feel What to consume (and what to cut out) to protect your peace Why leading small in light of the big is the most important thing you can do right now Key Scripture referenced: Matthew 24:6, Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Thessalonians 4:11, John 16:33 If this episode encourages you, share it with a leader in your life who needs to hear it. NEW March or Die website: https://marchordie.com Join the Men of Action community (men's content, leadership lessons, weekly Bible study): find it at https://marchordie.com/men-of-action Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Can you be a Christian and kill the enemy in combat? Black Hawk Down Army Ranger Jeff Struecker has been asked this question a lot and in this episode of March or Die, he gives his answer to Jeremy Jeff Struecker survived the 18-hour Battle of Mogadishu, outnumbered 100 to 1 with no air support, no armor, and no way out. He was 100% certain he would die that night. But instead of fear, he had supernatural peace. When the battle was over, hardened Rangers were waiting to ask him about Jesus. Jeff went from elite Army Ranger and special operations operator to military chaplain, and now serves as a senior pastor. In this conversation, we unpack his faith journey that started at 13, the battle that changed everything, the Christ-and-combat question he's answered thousands of times, and what it looks like to march when everything in you wants to quit. CONNECT WITH JEFF STRUECKER:https://jeffstruecker.com "A Warrior's Soul" free mini-series: https://jeffstrueckerministries.com/the-warrior-s-soul Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Every man is one choice away from stupid. Jim Ramos, bestselling author and host of the #1 Christian men's podcast Men in the Arena, sits down with Jeremy Stalnecker to talk about the guardrails every man needs to protect his marriage, why Gen Z men are filling churches in record numbers, and what it looks like when Christian leaders fall. Jim shares a story about the time the Holy Spirit quoted John Wayne to him in the middle of a counseling session and the lesson that came out of it changed the way he approaches every relationship in his life. He also reveals what's happening on college football fields across the country: 90 athletes praying in the end zone before games, teammates baptizing each other on the 15-yard line, and a generation of young men who are hungry for something real. Jim's new book "Guardrails: 10 Boundaries for an Unbreakable Marriage" releases April 7. https://a.co/d/082Q1M7V The March or Die Show gives you the perspectives and principles you need to march when it would be easier to stay where you are and die. Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Spiritual warfare is real and the armor of God is how you fight back. Most people see the battles in their life — marriage, finances, health, addiction — but they never recognize the spiritual battle behind it all. In this episode of the March or Die Podcast, host Sean Kennard sits down with Pastor Dave Edwards to explain what the Bible says about spiritual warfare, why your suffering is NOT coming from God, and how to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6) to fight the enemy you can't see. Dave Edwards has spent 25+ years as a traveling Bible teacher, authored 35 books, and now leads Church Project as a pastor. Together, Sean and Dave break down the spiritual warfare scriptures — Ephesians 6, Matthew 12, Daniel 10, and the book of Job — to reveal how the kingdom of light is at war with the kingdom of darkness, and your role in the spiritual battle. If you've been praying and wondering why God allows suffering, this episode will change the way you pray, fight, and believe. Whether you're a first responder, veteran, or believer going through a spiritual attack — this conversation will shift your perspective from fighting FOR victory to fighting FROM victory. 🔥 IN THIS EPISODE: - What does the Bible say about spiritual warfare? It's real, not metaphorical - Why does God allow suffering? He doesn't. Jesus came to oppose it - Is this spiritual warfare or just my own bad decisions? How to tell the difference - The armor of God explained Ephesians 6 broken down piece by piece - How to pray spiritual warfare prayers with authority (not "if it be your will") - Spiritual attack: How the kingdom of darkness is organized against you - Jesus vs. the enemy 4 rounds (Desert → Ministry → Cross → Resurrection) - The book of Job explained what it ACTUALLY means (and what it doesn't) - Daniel 10:13 Why your prayers aren't answered immediately - The power of community, brotherhood, and deliverance prayer - Fighting FROM victory, not FOR victory 📖 KEY SCRIPTURES: - Ephesians 6:12-18 (Armor of God / Spiritual Warfare) - Matthew 12:25-29 (Kingdom of Light vs. Kingdom of Darkness) - Daniel 10:13 (Why Prayers Get Delayed) - Colossians 2:15 (Jesus Defeated the Enemy on the Cross) - 1 John 3:8 (Jesus Came to Destroy the Works of the Devil) Hit Subscribe, share this episode with your community, and drop a comment on what landed hardest for you. Want more reinforcement? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Forward Edge, to go beyond the podcast and dig deeper into these topics and more: https://marchordie.substack.com! Join us daily for encouragement and biblical truth with the Mighty Oaks Daily Devotional, you can sign up for reminders: https://mightyoaksprograms.org/daily-devotional or text JOIN to (832) 333-8794 Follow March or Die: https://instagram.com/MarchOrDie https://Facebook.com/MarchOrDieShow https://TikTok.com/March_or_Die Follow Jeremy: https://instagram.com/jeremystalnecker https://jeremystalnecker.com Follow Sean: https://instagram.com/seantopgunkennard https://youtube.com/@SeanTopGunKennard Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.