Mike Schmitz podcasts and interviews

Good things like sports, work, or hobbies can quietly become rivals for our hearts, and a simple test can reveal them.

Nov 6, 2026 21:45 17 min read 1 views

Fallen soldiers carrying idol tokens lead to an old Christian practice: praying for the dead and the idea of purgatory.

Nov 5, 2026 25:05 20 min read 13 views

A Maccabean army defeats a far larger force, and Wisdom explains why God corrects us little by little.

Nov 4, 2026 22:23 17 min read 13 views

Two battles from 2 Maccabees and a riddle in Wisdom 10 show how courage can rest on trust in God rather than anger.

Nov 3, 2026 20:29 16 min read 9 views

Antiochus dies after a vow to God, and Wisdom of Solomon describes divine wisdom as a feminine gift that shapes the soul.

Nov 2, 2026 20:07 15 min read 10 views

A small band of fighters faces a far larger army in 2 Maccabees, and the story shows how trust in God shapes courage.

Nov 1, 2026 20:37 16 min read 35 views

Seven brothers and their mother refuse to break God's law under torture, sustained by hope that death is not the end.

Oct 31, 2026 23:49 19 min read 28 views

Eleazar refuses to fake eating forbidden meat under persecution, and the Book of Wisdom says God did not create death.

Oct 30, 2026 22:44 18 min read 29 views

Antiochus plunders the Jerusalem Temple, and Proverbs warns against taking pleasure in a fallen enemy's ruin.

Oct 29, 2026 19:26 15 min read 31 views

Bribery for the high priesthood and a push toward Greek customs in Jerusalem set the stage for the Maccabean revolt.

Oct 28, 2026 23:18 18 min read 24 views

A plot against a temple treasury meets a miraculous vision, and a conversion story shows God acting in ordinary days.

Oct 27, 2026 26:43 22 min read 29 views

Jeremiah sealed the Ark of the Covenant inside a hidden cave, and its disappearance shaped the people of God.

Oct 26, 2026 22:17 17 min read 26 views