If you’ve ever felt the weight of ambition—your own or others’—and wondered why efforts that seem good end up fracturing relationships, breeding anxiety or leaving you empty, this episode offers a clear, faith-rooted perspective. We explore how selfish ambition is driving spiritual and social decay, and how a different kind of ambition—rooted in humility, love, purpose and God’s vision—can rebuild what’s broken.

In this edition of Deep Reads, Darryl Howell reads the article “What’s Going on with Our World? (Part I)” from Deep Spirituality, written by Russ Ewell.

Whether you’re spiritually curious, disillusioned by religion, or simply seeking a truer, healthier way of living, this episode stakes new ground—a place where ambition isn’t the problem but the form of ambition is.

Tune in, press play, and let’s together ask: What kind of ambition is shaping our lives—and what could be different if we chose a better one?

What’s Going on with Our World? (Part I): Selfish ambition is breaking us. But here’s what we can do about it. → https://deepspirituality.com/whats-going-on-with-our-world-part-i/

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

00:35 - What’s Going on with Our World?

02:55 - The paradox of progress

09:47 - Observation

16:25 - Hypothesis

29:18 - To be continued…

30:22 - Reply or reach out

If you've ever felt like your spiritual life is compartmentalized (church on Sunday, work Monday-Friday, “real life” elsewhere), this episode invites you to reimagine how the spiritual and the physical can align. We dive into how God designed the world to explain Himself—through nature, science, relationships, and even everyday moments.

In this edition of Deep Reads, Darryl Howell reads the article “The Spiritual Chemistry of Everything” from Deep Spirituality, written by Russ Ewell.

Whether you’re curious about faith, feeling disconnected, or simply ready for a fresh way of seeing God in the world, this episode is for you. Press play and let the lab of your life begin: open your notebook, lean in, and let’s discover what it means to live fully integrated, alive to the spiritual chemistry of everything.

Read along with the full article "The spiritual chemistry of everything" → https://deepspirituality.com/spiritual-chemistry-of-everything/

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

06:16 - The Workshop

14:47 - Weekly Experiment

19:15 - Field Notes

Do you ever feel like you've failed so hard your world came crashing down? We've all been there.

Join host Russ Ewell and guests Josh Turner and Gary Ruelas as they unpack a powerful story of catastrophic failure that led to an even more profound destiny. We’re talking about more than just bouncing back—we're talking about the difference between a life guided by your plan versus a life guided by God's. Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about fear, failure, and your future.

Don't let one bad moment define your entire life's purpose! Listen now and discover the beautiful path God has waiting for you, even if it's not the one you expected.

Scriptures:

Proverbs 24:15-16 ESV

Acts 17:26 NRSV

John 14:6 NIV

Psalm 71:17 NIV

1 John 3:20 NLT

Acts 10:3-4 ERV

Ephesians 3:17-18 NASB

Hebrews 12:1-2 TPT

Psalm 46:1-2 NLT

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:29 Welcome to the show

02:30 Josh's greatest failure

07:39 What if failure sends you in a different direction?

10:56 What failure reveals about our priorities with God

15:15 God guides us to our destiny through the failures

24:05 Ad break - The Chemistry Lab

25:22 The physics of being born on third base

34:50 How spirituality shows up in every part of our life

43:38 We have access to the spiritual power to overcome our fears

52:56 Ad break - Quick Quiet Times

54:01 Why labeling is causing Gen Z problems

01:04:31 The fearful difficulty of sharing our emotions

01:08:25 Fear is a sign that we can reach out to ask for help

01:17:46 Learning to have a conversation toward love

01:26:08 Meet the internal needs to conquer our fear

In this conversation, you’ll hear how a family navigated love, parenting, and special needs with resilience and courage. You'll also learn how being built different is exactly what makes life meaningful. Watch now and discover how you too can live with faith that overcomes.

Julia's books:

1. My Name is Tommie: My Story of Hydrocephalus → https://www.amazon.com/My-Name-Tommie-Story-Hydrocephalus/dp/1643002686

2. My Name Is Malia My Story of Growing Up with a Brother With Special Needs → https://www.amazon.com/Malia-Story-Growing-Brother-Special/dp/1638145423

Julia's socials:

1. Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/gresselmurray/

2. Website → https://sites.google.com/view/julia-gressel-murray/home

Quick Quiet Times → https://deepspirituality.com/quick-quiet-times/

E-Life (inclusion as a lifestyle) → e-life.org

E-Sports (inclusive sports) → e-sports.org

Scriptures:

• Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV
• 1 John 5:4-5 NRSV
• Proverbs 20:24 TPT
• Hebrews 11:1 NASB95
• Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
• Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
• Psalm 37:1 ERV
• Psalm 37:4-8 ERV

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:18 Built different

05:24 The Murrays

10:31 Closer to your destiny

13:27 God met us unaware

17:04 We are not in control of our lives

19:26 Quick quiet times

20:03 Instant family of six

22:04 Where did faith grab you and bring you through?

27:47 Inclusion is bringing people together

32:49 God build us up through our life experiences

34:21 Friendship carries the faith for us

40:45 The Chemistry Lab

41:27 The struggle with comparison

49:39 Gratitude is the life God has in mind for you

51:58 E-Life and inclusive communities

56:10 Julia's books and teaching our children

01:02:03 God will build us different as we delight in him

Emotional intelligence can influence. Spiritual intelligence transforms. Jesus was the catalyst for both.

Written by Russ Ewell. Narrated by Darryl Howell.

Read the article: https://deepspirituality.com/are-you-a-people-scientist/

Join The Chemistry Lab: https://deepspirituality.com/the-chemistry-lab

⏳ 10 minutes with God can change your whole day.

That’s why we’re launching Quick Quiet Times — short Bible studies designed to make connecting with God simple, practical, and powerful.

✨ First one drops this Monday: Gratitude Over Grumbling.

📲 check it out at → https://deepspirituality.com/quick-quiet-times/

What if failure wasn’t the end—but the beginning of something greater?

In this episode of the Deep Spirituality Podcast, Russ sits down with Dr. Gary Ruelas and Dr. Josh Turner to explore why failure is essential to growth in science, spirituality, and everyday life.

You’ll hear stories about experiments gone wrong, the hidden lessons of parenting, and why resilience matters more than perfection. Discover how early schooling wires us to fear mistakes, why embracing vulnerability can unlock deeper relationships, and how redefining success can free us from the endless chase for achievement.

Whether you’re a student, parent, or professional, this conversation will help you see failure in a whole new light—as a tool for discovery, strength, and even joy.

👉 Don’t just listen—take the first step toward embracing your own “sacred art of not giving up.” Subscribe now, share this episode, and start practicing the kind of resilience that transforms both faith and life.

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“Getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

— Steve Jobs

Scriptures:

• 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT
• 1 Peter 1:7 ERV
• Deuteronomy 8:2 NIV
• James 1:2 NIV

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction

01:46 - Steve Jobs grew through failure

05:09 - How school shapes our view of failure

09:22 - How science teaches you to fail

14:11 - Failure is a part of failure

18:32 - Teaching resilience to young people

22:43 - How social media causes us to view our failures

27:17 - How to embrace failure as an experiment

37:19 - How we can let go of the fear of failure

41:23 - Join us on the journey

****

#FailForward

#EmbraceFailure

#ResilientLiving

#LearnFromFailure

In this episode, we explore how vulnerability might be the key to unlocking deeper relationships, inner peace, and even spiritual growth.

Through personal stories and insights from science, psychology, and the Bible, our host, Russ Ewell, along with his guests, Dr. David Traver and Dr. Gary Ruelas, discuss how embracing our emotional limits can actually lead to strength. You’ll hear how letting go of control can relieve anxiety, how spiritual honesty can fuel personal growth, and why vulnerability might just be the most courageous thing we can do.

Listen now and rediscover the strength in surrender.

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Scriptures:

• 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 TPT
• Luke 18:16 NLT
• Mark 14:36 GW
• John 15:1-2 NIV
• Ecclesiastes 11:2,5-6 NLT
• John 8:31-32 NIV
• Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
• 1 Timothy 1:16 NIrV
• 1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
• James 5:16 NIV
• Psalm 42:1,11 NIV
• Psalm 90:14 NIV
• John 14:6 NLT
• Hebrews 12:2 NIV
• John 18:38 NLT
• John 17:17 NIV
• Mark 10:21 NIV
• Psalm 139:11-12 NIV

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

02:12 Podcast direction & topic

04:07 Scripture & the big question

05:32 Gary — Vulnerability & spiritual union

07:45 Mind, self & presence

09:11 No‑mind (mushin) & the vine metaphor

12:25 Dave — Autonomy, anxiety & belonging

19:10 Contact vs true connection

21:07 Healing requires vulnerability

23:17 Biological drive to connect & love

26:07 DSM, labels & disconnection

29:41 Integrating psychology, psychiatry & faith

33:13 Facing hard truths for freedom

35:37 Courage, control & showing up

39:03 Surrender, God‑first approach to healing

48:39 Vulnerability, sin & church relevance

54:07 Health costs of suppression

56:28 Letting go — East/West perspectives

63:02 Parenting, boundaries & connection

65:25 Control vs vulnerability (Brené Brown)

73:59 Soul‑to‑soul connection (Oprah quote)

82:16 Jesus’ prayer for unity & closing reflections

93:24 Outro & final scripture