The Plunge with Derek Holser

"He moves in the dry chaff among the dust and slats of sunlight with a constrained truculence. Saxon and Celtic bloods. A child of God much like yourself perhaps."       Today's episode is a singular one, for a singular writer. This is a conversation about Cormac McCarthy, and his novel Child of God. This novel explores the uttermost depravity of humanity, and wrestles with the idea that "perhaps" Lester Ballard is a child of God like me...       Joining me for this conversation is the incomparable Joel J. Miller, of Miller's Book Review. http://millersbookreview.com/       Joel J. Miller is a former publishing executive with a twenty-year career in writing and editorial. Today he serves as chief content officer of Full Focus https://fullfocus.co/ and he publishes Miller's Book Review, a popular Substack celebrating literary culture.        He is the author of several books, including The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future (forthcoming, November 2025). His writing has appeared in Reason, the Washington Post, American Spectator, and National Review. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, kids, dogs, and more books than space.        Pre-Order Joel's latest book here: https://tinyurl.com/yushvpfk     __________ 📲 Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Today's episode flips the script. Turns the tables. I recently sat down with David Bates, host of Pints with Jack, a popular YouTube channel featuring C.S. Lewis and all things Inklings.        We chatted about why I started the Plunge and how I came to explore Owen Barfield.        I hope you'll enjoy this guest episode, and subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@PintsWithJack       ⸻ 📲 Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Welcome to Episode Seven in The Human Series: Season One. Today's guest is Bethany Dearborn Hiser.       Bethany currently works as the Director of Soul Care for Northwest Family Life, a network of therapists trained to work with survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma. As a bilingual social worker, chaplain, and pastoral advocate, Bethany has worked in a variety of ministry and social service settings with people affected by addiction, sexual exploitation, incarceration, and immigration.        After experiencing her own burnout, she has become passionate about being a sort of midwife alongside other helping professionals, as they navigate secondary trauma, move toward groundedness, and uncover their belovedness. She is a Spiritual Director and the author of From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for Wounded Healers. https://www.amazon.com/Burned-Out-Beloved-Wounded-Healers/dp/0830847952       Bethany, her husband Kenny and their two young daughters, are just moving back to the Skagit Valley in NW Washington, after a few years in San Diego.       Bethany writes here: https://bethanydearbornhiser.substack.com     She offers online Soul Care Groups and Spiritual Direction for helping professionals. More info here: https://www.bethanydearbornhiser.com         ----- Connect with Derek Holser 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y   ⸻

Welcome to Episode Six of The Human Series. Today's conversation features Justin Bryeans, a dear friend and a kindred spirit.     Justin Bryeans is a southern boy at home in the great Pacific Northwest. He spends his days as a pastor and spiritual director, and is graced by the long haul companionship of his wife Hannah (married 29 years) and the joy of bearing witness to his four children as they continue to become themselves - Ethan, Noah, Tait, and Lucy.     Among other things, Justin and I discuss the endlessness of Jesus, the nature of hospitality, and the virtue of learning to be still.      ⸻ 📲 Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Welcome to Episode Five of The Human Series. I continue my conversation with Dr. Donald A. Lichi entitled: "The Soul of Psychology, 2."     Dr. Don is a licensed psychologist in Ohio and is Vice President Emeritus of Emerge Counseling Ministries where he served for over 30 years. Dr. Don is a frequent speaker at both sacred and secular conferences and seminars across the country.      He is a seasoned clinician with years of rich experience in counseling and consulting pastors and leaders. He directs the ministers' enrichment team at Emerge, which is a group of pastor-focused clinicians developing soul care treatments for pastors and their families. He is also the co-author of Broken Windows of the Soul:   https://tinyurl.com/53wvjnpt       Dr. Don's special focus is faith-based counseling, mental health, life skills, overcoming porn addiction, and marriage enrichment.  https://emerge.org/     Dr. Don has taught at universities and seminaries for a number of years and he was on the teaching faculty of Heart-to-Heart Communications and served 12 years on the pastoral ministry team of the Akron Chinese Christian Church.      His ministry has taken him to Australia, Singapore, India, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Ecuador...quite literally all over the world.      Not only that, but he is a veteran of the Air Force where he served from 1970-77.  Dr. Don is married to Marcy, his wife of 50 years. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.          ⸻ 📲 Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y    

Welcome to Episode Four of The Human Series. I'm joined by Dr. Donald A. Lichi for "The Soul of Psychology, 1."     Dr. Don is a licensed psychologist in Ohio and is Vice President Emeritus of Emerge Counseling Ministries where he served for over 30 years. Dr. Don is a frequent speaker at both sacred and secular conferences and seminars across the country.      He is a seasoned clinician with years of rich experience in counseling and consulting pastors and leaders. He directs the ministers' enrichment team at Emerge, which is a group of pastor-focused clinicians developing soul care treatments for pastors and their families. He is also the co-author of Broken Windows of the Soul:   https://tinyurl.com/53wvjnpt       Dr. Don's special focus is faith-based counseling, mental health, life skills, overcoming porn addiction, and marriage enrichment.  https://emerge.org/     Dr. Don has taught at universities and seminaries for a number of years and he was on the teaching faculty of Heart-to-Heart Communications and served 12 years on the pastoral ministry team of the Akron Chinese Christian Church.      His ministry has taken him to Australia, Singapore, India, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Ecuador...quite literally all over the world.      Not only that, but he is a veteran of the Air Force where he served from 1970-77.  Dr. Don is married to Marcy, his wife of 50 years. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren.          ⸻ 📲 Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y    

Welcome to Episode Three of The Human Series: Radical Acceptance.     Today's guest is Dr. Heather Huckett, a psychotherapist with a PhD in Clinical Sexology, a Licensed Couple and Family Therapist, and an AASECT-certified Sex Therapist.      Dr. Huckett specializes in addressing sexual health within the context of identity, relationships, and individual well-being. As co-owner of Kaiun Wellness on Bainbridge Island, she provides integrated care that supports mental, emotional, and sexual wellness. Dr. Huckett's approach centers on whole-person wellness, emphasizing the complexity and richness of the human experience in both personal and relational contexts.      https://www.heatherhuckett.com/         📲 Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y  

Welcome to Episode Two of The Human Series: Lifespan Integration and Restoration.       Today's guest is Sarah Kardelen (she/her), a licensed mental health counselor and founder of Tapestry Therapy. She is passionate about individual and collective liberation, and desires that people experience safety and healing so that they can come to their authentic selves and experience life-giving relationships.      https://www.tapestry-therapy.com       Sarah provides therapy, advocacy and consultation in English and Turkish. She works with teen and adult survivors of complex trauma, specializing in domestic violence, relational issues, childhood trauma, intergenerational trauma, anxiety and depression.        She is certified in Lifespan Integration Therapy and is currently the director of the NWFL Lifespan Integration Initiative. She is also a certified victim advocate and has been the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program Manager of NWFL.    https://northwestfamilylife.org   https://northwestfamilylife.org/sarah-kardelen/           📲 Connect with Derek Holser:   🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser   📱 TikTok:   / derekholser     📸 Instagram:   / theplungewithderekholser     📘 Facebook:   / derekholser     📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to Episode One of The Human Series: Formation, Identity, Intimacy, and Sexuality.        Today's guest is Margaret Fay, a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor based in St. Louis, Missouri, with a practice rooted in the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Since 2014, she has guided adolescents and adults through anxiety, trauma, and life transitions using approaches like Internal Family Systems, EMDR, and Polyvagal-informed therapy.    Her work invites clients to explore deep self-awareness, healing, and meaning - often at the intersection of psychology and spirituality. Outside of her practice, Margaret finds joy in time with her family, the beauty of the natural world, and the quiet comfort of simple rituals, like a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She joins me today to reflect on inner transformation and the spiritual dimensions of emotional healing.    To learn more about Margaret: https://www.stl-ccc.org/margaret-fay-mac-plpc         Connect with Derek Holser: 🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser 📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser 📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to the final episode in our series George MacDonald for Every Generation.     Joining me today is Stephanie Staples, a Nashville based singer-songwriter. Stephanie has spent over half of her life writing, recording and sharing her songs all over the world.      She has recorded ten full-length records and multiple EP's. Stephanie's studio albums tell part of her story but it is in her live performances that she truly shines, captivating audiences and fostering a reflective and prayerful atmosphere. She pours the full depth of her life experiences into her music and never shys away from the suffering and dark times but always reflects a light that persists through it all.     Stephanie's music can be found everywhere. Check out the links below to listen!   Https://www.stephaniestaples.com   Https://www.youtube.com/@stephaniestaplesmusic       Connect with Derek Holser: Twitter/X: https://X.com/derekholser TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser   New Book! Lightglider Origins - Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y