Rebuilding A Nation Starts With Family And God

Start with the home and everything else starts to make sense. That’s the heartbeat of this conversation—why children are gifts, why marriage is worth celebrating, and why people matter more than any résumé line. We share a candid look at the cultural script that paints kids as limits and freedom as escape, and we answer with a counter-story of joy, duty, and the long arc of legacy.

We move from the poetry of Song of Songs to the power of Matthew’s account of feeding the four thousand, drawing out a practical thread: gratitude and obedience turn scarcity into sufficiency. Along the way, we unpack Jesus’s warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, exploring how subtle distortions can swell into dangerous doctrines. Psalm 20 and Proverbs 4 give us a daily rule of life—guard your heart, fix your eyes, speak cleanly, and boast only in the Lord—offering a path through noise, outrage, and distraction.

Service and courage come alive in the Medal of Honor story of Willis Winter Bradley Jr., a reminder that real love runs toward danger to protect others. Then we zoom out to a civics lesson with stakes: America was built as a constitutional republic, not a pure democracy. We thread founder quotes and modern unrest to show why ordered liberty protects rights better than unfettered majorities. The throughline is simple: when faith sits at the center, families flourish; when families flourish, communities hold; and when communities hold, a nation stands.

If this resonates, share it with a friend, subscribe for more faith-and-history deep dives, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Your support—listening, sharing, or a short note—helps us keep building something true together.

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Transcript

Welcome And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well. Wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you were in, sure to appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others, tell others about it. Thank you. Very grateful for your uh for you sharing it. And for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Very, very, very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son, Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace, and your forgiveness. Thank you for the time to record this podcast. Thank you for the people that listen to it and share it.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Please be with them. Be with their families. Guide them and bless them. Surround them with your angels. Protect them from evil of any kind. Be with our farmers and our ranchers, our fishers, our lumberjacks, foresters, all those in between who provide us food to eat. Be with those who keep our infrastructure running. Roads, electricity, water, etc. Be with our families. Guide them and bless them. Be with our educators. And the schools, public and private, charter, at home, mothers and fathers working so diligently. Give them wisdom and courage, strong faith. Help us to lead our children back to you, Father, to lead our nation back to you.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Be with our leaders, President, Vice President, Admirals, Generals, Senators, Representatives. Be with the leaders in those nations around the world where people are listening. Be with our military and our law enforcement, help us to encourage them, to support them, to be there for their families, their wives, their daughters, their sons.

Have A Bunch Of Kids

SPEAKER_00 2:43

And God, my words here, Father, please. Your son's name we ask and pray. Amen. Have a bunch of kids, folks. Have a bunch of kids. If you're able, if God blesses you with that ability. You know, he tells us to be fruitful and multiply.

SPEAKER_01 3:14

And Psalm 127, he tells us children are a gift from the Lord, a reward from him. Like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame. Your job isn't going to bring you joy at the end of your life, folks. It might bring you satisfaction.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

You might be grateful for a job well done. Your hobbies aren't.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

It's not that good can't come from those things, folks. Don't misunderstand me. There's a lot of people that do a lot of good with their jobs and with their hobbies, even.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

But people are what matter.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

This is true whether you can have kids or whether you can't. So if you can't for some reason, that doesn't mean that you can't invest in people, that you can't pour yourself into people.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Parents matter. Children matter. Our spouse matters. But we have for decades bought into the lie, pushed primarily by the left and feminism, doing the devil's handiwork.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

That children are a burden, a restriction, that they take joy away from our lives. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It's not necessarily the easiest road, always, by any means. There are problems that often come attached. But that's true in every aspect of our lives, folks. No matter how much you love a job, how much you love a hobby, how much you love whatever it is that the world has put in front of you, money, there's problems that come along with those things.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

I can't encourage you enough. Have a bunch of kids. I've never met anyone that regretted having more.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a skilled craftsman. Your navel is perfectly formed like a goblet filled with mixed wine. Between your thighs lies a mound of wheat bordered with lilies. Your breasts are like two fawns, twin gazelle, twin fawns of gazelle. Your neck is as beautiful as an ivory tower. Your eyes are like the sparkling pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bathrobon. Your nose is as fine as the Tower of Lebanon overlooking Damascus. Your head is as majestic as Mount Carmel, and the sheen of your hair radiates royalty. The king is held captive by its tresses. Oh, how beautiful you are, how pleasing my love, how full of delights. You are slender like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters of fruit. I said I will climb the palm tree and take hold of its fruit. May your breasts be like grape clusters, and the fragrance of your breath like apples. May your kisses be as exciting as the best wine. Young woman Yes, wine that goes down smoothly for my lover, flowing gently over lips and teeth. I am my lovers, and he claims me as his own. Come, my love, let us go out to the fields and spend the night among the wildflowers. Let us get up early and go to the vineyards to see if the grape vines have budded, if the blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love. There the mandrakes give off their fragrance, and the finest fruits are at our door, new delights as well as old, which I have saved for you, my lover.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Scripture for today go back into Matthew Chapter fifteen again, yeah, starting with verse twenty nine through sixteen, verse twelve.

Psalms And Proverbs For Strength

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn't speak and many others. They laid them before Jesus and he healed them all. The crowd was amazed. Those who hadn't been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again, and they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don't want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way. The disciples replied, Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd? Jesus asked, How much bread do you have? They replied, Seven loaves and a few small fish. So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples who distributed the food to the crowd. They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food. There were four thousand men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children. Then Jesus sent the people home, and he got into a boat and crossed over to the region of Agatha. One day the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied, You know the saying, red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow. Red sky in the morning means foul weather all day. You know how interpret how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don't know how to interpret the signs of the times. Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then Jesus left them and went away. Later after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. Watch out, Jesus warned them. Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, You have so little faith. Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don't you understand even yet? Don't you remember the five thousand I fed with five loaves, or the baskets of leftovers you picked up, or the four thousand I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can't you understand that I'm not talking about bread? So again I say, Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then at last they understood that he wasn't speaking about the yeast and bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. May He send you help from His sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem. May He remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. May He grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory, and raise a victory banner in the name of our Lord. May the Lord answer all your prayers. Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed King. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power. Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm. Give victory to our King, O Lord, answer our cry for help. Proverbs forty verses twenty through twenty seven. My child, pay attention to what I say, listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them in healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk. Stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked.

Medal Of Honor: Willis W. Bradley Jr.

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Keep your feet from following evil. Medal of Honor for today is Willis Winter Bradley Jr.

Democracy Versus A Republic

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Commander, highest rank captain, World War I, USS Pittsburgh, US Navy july twenty third, nineteen seventy. USS Pittsburgh at sea nineteen seventeen, sorry. For extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving on the USS Pittsburgh at the time of an accidental explosion of ammunition on that vessel. On twenty third, july nineteen seventeen, some saluting cartridge cases were being reloaded in the after casement. Through an accident, an explosion occurred. Commander Bradley, then lieutenant, who was about to enter the casement, was blown back by the explosion and rendered momentarily unconscious. But while still dazed, crawled into the casement to extinguish burning materials in dangerous proximity to a considerable amount of powder, thus preventing further explosions. Accredited to North Dakota, not awarded posthumously, presented may first, nineteen twenty eight at the White House by President Calvin Coolidge, born june twenty eighth, eighteen eighty four, Ransomville, Niagara County, New York, died august twenty seventh, nineteen fifty four, Santa Barbara, California, buried Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Zero Tac two nine two five, San Diego, California, United States. Willis Winter Bradley Jr. Interesting that it's accredited to North Dakota, but he wasn't born there or and didn't die there. So you hear a lot of talk these days about us being a democracy. We've talked about on the podcast before. We are not a democracy. We were never intended to be a democracy, and our founders rightly feared democracy. And so I wanted to read a few quotes. Fisher Ames, who was author of the or framer of the Bill of Rights, and specifically authored, worded the establishment clause in the First Amendment.

SPEAKER_00 15:53

A democracy is a volcano which conceals the fiery materials of its own destruction. Thomas Jefferson. A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine Benjamin Franklin. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. Alexander Hamilton.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

We are a Republican government.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Real liberty is never found in despotism or in the extremes of democracy. James Madison out of the Federalist number ten from seventeen eighty seven.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

From this view on the subject it may be concluded that a pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole. A communication and concert result from the form of government itself, and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party or an obnoxious individual. Hence it is that such democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention, have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property, and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths. Theoretic politicians who have patronized this species of government have erroneously supposed that by reducing mankind to a perfect equality in their political rights, they would at the same time be perfectly equalized and assimilated in their possessions, their opinions, and their passions.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

Think about these quotes, and we may come back to this subject again soon. But think about what's going on up in Minnesota currently. Think about the chaos, the violence, the turbulence. Think about the lack of safety and security for individuals, for their property, for their person. Think about the riots following the George Floyd incident. There's any number historically of examples you could use, folks, but democracy leads to chaos, to pain, to suffering, to the loss of rights and liberty.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

And our founders knew this. They talked about it. This is just a few quotes. And they rightfully feared democracy. They didn't set us up as a democracy. It's in the Constitution. They set us up, they guaranteed us a Republican form of government.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

And you see this here in this in this last little bit of this paragraph from Madison the mistake of thinking if we give

SPEAKER_01 20:00

Everybody a vote, right?

SPEAKER_00 20:03

It's the whole equality argument. It doesn't make everybody equal.

Faith At The Center And Closing

SPEAKER_01 20:12

It just doesn't work out, folks. And particularly not today, where we have so many people that contribute so little to the republic, financially or otherwise, are far more consumptive or parasitic than they are producers. And yet they get the same exact vote with the people who are giving back to the nation. You go back to Psalm, I think we read a little of it, 127, and it talks about unless God is watching the walls, unless He's the one taking care of us, the centuries are in vain, folks. At the end of the day, nothing matters if we don't put God and Jesus Christ back at the center of our nation, of our republic. If you are looking for a family-friendly middle grade fantasy along the lines of Narnia or Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Hobbit, that hopefully has the principles of Christ woven into it quite a bit more than most of the offerings today. If you would check out the Countryside series, and if you enjoy it, if you would leave a review for the first or the second book, I would be very grateful for that. And if you feel like you're getting something out of the podcast, more often than not, marriage versus daily scripture, Medal of Honor citations, our history and heritage, turning us back to God and Jesus Christ. If you have five or$10 a month that you can spare for the podcast, I would be very grateful for that. There's links at the bottom of the show notes for both of these where you can go and purchase the book or set up that monthly donation. And if you would rather listen to the podcast on YouTube or you know somebody that does or wants to, uh we we post the podcast now on YouTube as well. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the stay our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever.

unknown 23:01

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

God bless y'all. God bless your families, God bless your marriages if you're married, God bless your nation wherever you are around the world. Speaking of, I meant to say this earlier. I think if I saw the statistics right, that last year the podcast was listened to in 129 different countries, which is pretty cool. So thank you all wherever you are listening. God bless your nation and God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.