There are many stories in the bible of reluctant people who resist their assignment like Moses and Jonah for example. And many of us today still struggle with our own assignment, but God always seems to have His way with us in the end doesn’t He?My guest today is Dr. James Torkildson, a Clinical Psychologist and seasoned Behavioral Health Professional with a cultural voice that is rooted in Scripture with decades of clinical and spiritual leadership. Dr. Torkildson (known by many as “Dr. T”) has a career that spans over 40 years serving in behavioral health and faith-based organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology &amp; Counseling. In this episode we discuss his reluctance to accept His assignment from God, to write a book and become a stronger voice for Christian values in a profession where taking strong positions on faith is frowned upon.Upon retirement he received a more urgent &quot;wake up call&quot; on his birthday in the early morning hours and immediately sat down to begin writing his book titled &quot;Awaken:  Exposing The Web of Deception Threatening Our Faith, Family and Freedom.&quot;  Today his obedience is being rewarded with the joy one only finds when walking in the true purpose God has given him.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new">Send us Fan Mail</a>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

<description>&lt;p&gt;There are many stories in the bible of reluctant people who resist their assignment like Moses and Jonah for example. And many of us today still struggle with our own assignment, but God always seems to have His way with us in the end doesn’t He?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My guest today is Dr. James Torkildson, a Clinical Psychologist and seasoned Behavioral Health Professional with a cultural voice that is rooted in Scripture with decades of clinical and spiritual leadership. Dr. Torkildson (known by many as “Dr. T”) has a career that spans over 40 years serving in behavioral health and faith-based organizations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology &amp;amp; Counseling. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode we discuss his reluctance to accept His assignment from God, to write a book and become a stronger voice for Christian values in a profession where taking strong positions on faith is frowned upon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Upon retirement he received a more urgent &amp;quot;wake up call&amp;quot; on his birthday in the early morning hours and immediately sat down to begin writing his book titled &amp;quot;Awaken:  Exposing The Web of Deception Threatening Our Faith, Family and Freedom.&amp;quot;  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today his obedience is being rewarded with the joy one only finds when walking in the true purpose God has given him.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/2143545/fan_mail/new"&gt;Send us Fan Mail&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

There are many stories in the bible of reluctant people who resist their assignment like Moses and Jonah for example. And many of us today still struggle with our own assignment, but God always seems to have His way with us in the end doesn’t He? My guest today is Dr. James Torkildson, a Clinical Psychologist and seasoned Behavioral Health Professional with a cultural voice that is rooted in Scripture with decades of clinical and spiritual leadership. Dr. Torkildson (known by many as “Dr. T”)...

Wrestling with the Inner Man

Wrestling with God's Assignment

Servant leadership is a popular term today to talk about, and Christ himself demonstrated it by washing the disciples’ feet.  As Christians we should be using our spiritual gifts in volunteer service to advance His kingdom here on earth.But have you ever heard of Newton&apos;s first law of motion, or the law of inertia? It states that an object at rest remains at rest. And the longer an organization has been around the more it resists change. In this show we will be examining the Catholic Church as an example, rich in tradition and ritual which anchors many to people to their faith in an ever-changing world. As an institution it relies heavily on volunteers who work for free and we are often reminded as volunteers to submit to authority.My guest today is Dr. Kevin Cummings, a retired dentist after 40 years in private practice and from 1988 until 2012, he was the team dentist for the Kansas City Chiefs. Today he is a  Catholic Church Deacon in the Kansas City area leading a new Order he helped establish called Deacons of Hope which Provides dignified housing and support for moms in need.He wrestled with institutional inertia for several years before finally succeeding in creating a new Order in the Catholic Church which helps unwed and homeless mothers have an alternative to Planned Parenthood.The Holy Spirit nudges us all, sometimes for decades until we at last act on the purpose he has given us and helps us achieve God&apos;s will through His power through us!A very encouraging episode!<a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms">Send a text</a>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Servant leadership is a popular term today to talk about, and Christ himself demonstrated it by washing the disciples’ feet.  As Christians we should be using our spiritual gifts in volunteer service to advance His kingdom here on earth.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But have you ever heard of Newton&amp;apos;s first law of motion, or the law of inertia? It states that an object at rest remains at rest. And the longer an organization has been around the more it resists change. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this show we will be examining the Catholic Church as an example, rich in tradition and ritual which anchors many to people to their faith in an ever-changing world. As an institution it relies heavily on volunteers who work for free and we are often reminded as volunteers to submit to authority.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;My guest today is Dr. Kevin Cummings, a retired dentist after 40 years in private practice and from 1988 until 2012, he was the team dentist for the Kansas City Chiefs. Today he is a  Catholic Church Deacon in the Kansas City area leading a new Order he helped establish called Deacons of Hope which Provides dignified housing and support for moms in need.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He wrestled with institutional inertia for several years before finally succeeding in creating a new Order in the Catholic Church which helps unwed and homeless mothers have an alternative to Planned Parenthood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Holy Spirit nudges us all, sometimes for decades until we at last act on the purpose he has given us and helps us achieve God&amp;apos;s will through His power through us!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;A very encouraging episode!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms"&gt;Send a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Servant leadership is a popular term today to talk about, and Christ himself demonstrated it by washing the disciples’ feet.  As Christians we should be using our spiritual gifts in volunteer service to advance His kingdom here on earth. But have you ever heard of Newton's first law of motion, or the law of inertia? It states that an object at rest remains at rest. And the longer an organization has been around the more it resists change.  In this show we will be examining the Catho...

Wrestling with Institutional Inertia

My guest in this episode is Bruce Wawrzyniak. Bruce has had a lengthy career in sports including ten years working for a National Hockey League team, three years as VP/Public Relations at the League office for the National Lacrosse League and then worked for ten-and-a-half years in the Olympic Movement. Today, Bruce is a Publicist / PR Professional, Podcaster, Author, Speaker, Blogger and specializes in Sports &amp; Entertainment with a radio show called Catholic Sports Radio and a podcast called Now Hear This Entertainment.Our wrestling match topic is the pursuit of a &quot;winning edge&quot; in Olympic sports. It often creates immense pressure to seek advantages that go beyond training and natural talent, sometimes leading athletes and teams to cross the line from legal innovation into unethical, or illegal, practices. In the high-stakes environment of the Olympics, where centuries of effort can be decided by a fraction of a second, the temptation to gain an edge is constant. This temptation manifests in several ways:<ul><li>Doping and Chemical Enhancement: Athletes may be tempted by performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to improve strength, stamina, or recovery, despite strict testing by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).</li><li>Technological and Equipment Manipulation: Teams often push the boundaries of regulations with &quot;sartorial&quot; or equipment changes. Examples include modifying Judo gis to be stiffer or shorter, using baby oil to evade measurements, or developing advanced, low-drag swimsuits.</li><li>&quot;Gamesmanship&quot; and Mental Tactics: Athletes may use psychological tactics, such as breaking an opponent&apos;s rhythm, faking injury, or creating artificial delays to alter momentum.</li><li>Bending the Rules: In some cases, athletes look for gray areas in the rulebook, attempting to &quot;bend&quot; rules without technically &quot;breaking&quot; them to get an advantage. </li></ul>Bruce and I discuss these challenges for not only the individual athlete but the team and even the nation they represent in some of the more famous examples where ESPN has even dedicated a 30 of 30 episode to them.We cover Ben Johnson the sprinter from Canada in 1988, Marion Jones the U.S. track athlete who lost five Olympic medals for steroid use in 2010, and even the Spanish national basketball team in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.We also discuss NFL issues like &quot;deflategate&quot; with Tom Brady and the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.You can check out Bruce&apos;s show at www.catholicsportsradio.net   <a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms">Send a text</a>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

<description>&lt;p&gt;My guest in this episode is Bruce Wawrzyniak. Bruce has had a lengthy career in sports including ten years working for a National Hockey League team, three years as VP/Public Relations at the League office for the National Lacrosse League and then worked for ten-and-a-half years in the Olympic Movement. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, Bruce is a Publicist / PR Professional, Podcaster, Author, Speaker, Blogger and specializes in Sports &amp;amp; Entertainment with a radio show called Catholic Sports Radio and a podcast called Now Hear This Entertainment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our wrestling match topic is the pursuit of a &amp;quot;winning edge&amp;quot; in Olympic sports. It often creates immense pressure to seek advantages that go beyond training and natural talent, sometimes leading athletes and teams to cross the line from legal innovation into unethical, or illegal, practices. In the high-stakes environment of the Olympics, where centuries of effort can be decided by a fraction of a second, the temptation to gain an edge is constant. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This temptation manifests in several ways:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Doping and Chemical Enhancement:&lt;/b&gt; Athletes may be tempted by performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to improve strength, stamina, or recovery, despite strict testing by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Technological and Equipment Manipulation:&lt;/b&gt; Teams often push the boundaries of regulations with &amp;quot;sartorial&amp;quot; or equipment changes. Examples include modifying Judo gis to be stiffer or shorter, using baby oil to evade measurements, or developing advanced, low-drag swimsuits.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;quot;Gamesmanship&amp;quot; and Mental Tactics:&lt;/b&gt; Athletes may use psychological tactics, such as breaking an opponent&amp;apos;s rhythm, faking injury, or creating artificial delays to alter momentum.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Bending the Rules:&lt;/b&gt; In some cases, athletes look for gray areas in the rulebook, attempting to &amp;quot;bend&amp;quot; rules without technically &amp;quot;breaking&amp;quot; them to get an advantage. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Bruce and I discuss these challenges for not only the individual athlete but the team and even the nation they represent in some of the more famous examples where ESPN has even dedicated a 30 of 30 episode to them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We cover Ben Johnson the sprinter from Canada in 1988, Marion Jones the U.S. track athlete who lost five Olympic medals for steroid use in 2010, and even the Spanish national basketball team in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We also discuss NFL issues like &amp;quot;deflategate&amp;quot; with Tom Brady and the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You can check out Bruce&amp;apos;s show at www.catholicsportsradio.net&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms"&gt;Send a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

My guest in this episode is Bruce Wawrzyniak. Bruce has had a lengthy career in sports including ten years working for a National Hockey League team, three years as VP/Public Relations at the League office for the National Lacrosse League and then worked for ten-and-a-half years in the Olympic Movement.  Today, Bruce is a Publicist / PR Professional, Podcaster, Author, Speaker, Blogger and specializes in Sports &amp; Entertainment with a radio show called Catholic Sports Radio and a podc...

Wrestling with the Olympic Spirit

It’s early February and we are right smack in the middle of Championship Football Season! College is decided and its Seattle vs New England in the upcoming Super BowlCongrats to Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers on their undefeated season of 16-0 and the school’s first football national championship.  The game had some print dedicated afterwards to the officiating and no calls on some seemingly cheap shots on IU QB Fernando Mendoza.We don’t ever think much about the “officials” in our lives do we?They make sure the rules are followed and strictly enforced and their best day is when we never notice them.Have you ever thought about what is required to become a major college or NFL official?Certainly, all of us have seen multitudes of sideline shots with a head coach mouthing foul words and stalking the poor official whose job it is to be the side judge and stand right in front of each team’s bench the entire game.You know what it takes???Galatians 5:22 calls it fruit of the spirit – and self-control is in extremely short supply these days!Today my guest is a man with a tremendous resume of officiating experience from Texas High School through Division 1 College, NFL, and even a booth replay official.  There’s nothing like hearing some stories from a guy who was on the field with the players and in the booth with the announcers so strap in for a great ride.Tommy Moore welcome to Wrestling with the Inner Man! <a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms">Send a text</a>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

<description>&lt;p&gt;It’s early February and we are right smack in the middle of Championship Football Season! College is decided and its Seattle vs New England in the upcoming Super Bowl&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Congrats to Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers on their undefeated season of 16-0 and the school’s first football national championship.  The game had some print dedicated afterwards to the officiating and no calls on some seemingly cheap shots on IU QB Fernando Mendoza.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We don’t ever think much about the “officials” in our lives do we?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;They make sure the rules are followed and strictly enforced and their best day is when we never notice them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have you ever thought about what is required to become a major college or NFL official?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Certainly, all of us have seen multitudes of sideline shots with a head coach mouthing foul words and stalking the poor official whose job it is to be the side judge and stand right in front of each team’s bench the entire game.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You know what it takes???&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Galatians 5:22 calls it fruit of the spirit – and &lt;b&gt;self-control&lt;/b&gt; is in extremely short supply these days!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today my guest is a man with a tremendous resume of officiating experience from Texas High School through Division 1 College, NFL, and even a booth replay official.  There’s nothing like hearing some stories from a guy who was on the field with the players and in the booth with the announcers so strap in for a great ride.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Tommy Moore welcome to Wrestling with the Inner Man! &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms"&gt;Send a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

It’s early February and we are right smack in the middle of Championship Football Season! College is decided and its Seattle vs New England in the upcoming Super Bowl Congrats to Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers on their undefeated season of 16-0 and the school’s first football national championship.  The game had some print dedicated afterwards to the officiating and no calls on some seemingly cheap shots on IU QB Fernando Mendoza. We don’t ever think much about the “officials” in...

The Super Bowl of Self Control

Wrestlers, I don&apos;t often do solo episodes but sometimes I have more that I want to express as my personal view and this episode is one of those times.The stock market darling for all of 2025 was Nvidia and all things related to AI holdings.  For the first two weeks of this year I have consumed content related to AI that stirred my inner man and made me more aware of the wrestling match I am experiencing over it.This episode connects the dots through each of these stories:·      ChatGPT commercials aimed at young men·      Physical AI in large machines or mining of our health records·      Peggy Noonan’s theory on America losing its melody·      Russian disinformation and denial to sew division within the U.S.·      AI bias skewing outcomes and creating environmental harmThe question put to all of us is: &quot;Are we fully examining the potential unintended consequences of rushing headlong into the AI world?&quot;It seems like it&apos;s becoming our new idol and at the end of this episode I cover two stories from history as cautionary tales.  No matter what your opinion is about AI this episode might be a great one to investigate so that you can step back and see the forest not just  the trees and consider your own personal philosophy about this tsunami heading right for all of us.You also might want to head back to a previous episode I did with Dr Wallace Henley on his book titled &quot;Who Will Rule The Coming &apos;Gods&apos;?: The Looming Spiritual Crisis Of Artificial Intelligence&quot; That episode is titled &quot;The Moral Hazard of AI&quot; <a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms">Send a text</a>Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.

<description>&lt;p&gt;Wrestlers, I don&amp;apos;t often do solo episodes but sometimes I have more that I want to express as my personal view and this episode is one of those times.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The stock market darling for all of 2025 was Nvidia and all things related to AI holdings.  For the first two weeks of this year I have consumed content related to AI that stirred my inner man and made me more aware of the wrestling match I am experiencing over it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode connects the dots through each of these stories:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;·      ChatGPT commercials aimed at young men&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;·      Physical AI in large machines or mining of our health records&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;·      Peggy Noonan’s theory on America losing its melody&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;·      Russian disinformation and denial to sew division within the U.S.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;·      AI bias skewing outcomes and creating environmental harm&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The question put to all of us is: &amp;quot;Are we fully examining the potential unintended consequences of rushing headlong into the AI world?&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It seems like it&amp;apos;s becoming our new idol and at the end of this episode I cover two stories from history as cautionary tales.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No matter what your opinion is about AI this episode might be a great one to investigate so that you can step back and see the forest not just  the trees and consider your own personal philosophy about this tsunami heading right for all of us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You also might want to head back to a previous episode I did with Dr Wallace Henley on his book titled &amp;quot;Who Will Rule The Coming &amp;apos;Gods&amp;apos;?: The Looming Spiritual Crisis Of Artificial Intelligence&amp;quot; That episode is titled &amp;quot;The Moral Hazard of AI&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2143545/open_sms"&gt;Send a text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Visit www.thesavagepath.com for more on David, his book The Savage Path: A Memoir of Modern Masculinity, and the Savage Path Ministries Corp.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Wrestlers, I don't often do solo episodes but sometimes I have more that I want to express as my personal view and this episode is one of those times. The stock market darling for all of 2025 was Nvidia and all things related to AI holdings.  For the first two weeks of this year I have consumed content related to AI that stirred my inner man and made me more aware of the wrestling match I am experiencing over it. This episode connects the dots through each of these stories: ·  &nbsp...

Wrestling with the Idolatry of AI

Welcome to the podcast of “Wrestling With The Inner Man” with Author / Speaker David Savage. David has a passion for Men’s Ministry and Biblical Truth to help build Better Men for our society.&nbsp; The show title is derived from the first fight we each face every day, the fight with our flesh.&nbsp; Do we listen to our selfish sinful nature or to our spiritual and divine nature guided by the Holy Spirit?&nbsp; Contact David at <a href="mailto:dsavage5@me.com">wrestlingwiththeinnerman@gmail.com </a>or go to <a href="https://www.thesavagepath.com/">https://www.thesavagepath.com/</a>. &nbsp;

Wrestling with the Inner Man

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