In this episode, Buck sits down with Dr. Mark Faries, professor at Texas A&M and researcher in behavior change, to explore one of the most frustrating realities of modern life:

Why do we know what's healthy… and still fail to do it?

Dr. Faries breaks down the science behind human behavior—why people change, why they don't, and why most attempts at improving health fall apart over time. The conversation moves beyond surface-level advice and into the deeper issue of self-regulation failure—the internal battle between what we know and what we actually do.

But this isn't just a conversation about health science.

Drawing from his own journey into Orthodoxy, Dr. Faries connects modern research with the wisdom of the Church Fathers, showing how ancient teachings on the passions—especially gluttony—line up strikingly well with what we now understand about behavior, habit formation, and even gut health.

From more from Dr Mark, go here: http://markfaries.com/

Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address!

Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow

Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com

Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com

Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

What happens when faith is reduced to a feeling?

In this episode, I sit down with Fr. Justin Havens, a missionary priest serving at St. Joseph the Hesychast Serbian Orthodox Church, to talk about one of the most important spiritual questions of our time:

Is truth something you feel… or something you encounter?

Drawing from years of missionary work in Utah—one of the most spiritually unique regions in America—we unpack the contrast between subjective religious experience and objective truth in Christ, and why so many people today are starving for something deeper.

This is a conversation about:
• the limits of emotional spirituality
• the reality of the ascetical life
• and why Orthodoxy is quietly exploding in places no one expected

Sponsor:

Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com
Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order!
Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast!
Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA
Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE

Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address!

Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow

Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com

Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com

Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!

In this episode, I'm joined by Fr. John Whiteford to explore one of the most misunderstood books in all of Scripture: the Book of Revelation.

For many modern Christians, Revelation is treated as a roadmap of future geopolitical events—something to decode through headlines, wars, and speculation. But in the Orthodox Christian tradition, Revelation is something far deeper: a vision of heavenly worship.

We begin by breaking down the true meaning of the Divine Liturgy—not as a symbolic gathering or a teaching session, but as real participation in the worship of heaven itself.

From there, Fr. John explains how the imagery of Revelation—altars, incense, angels, hymns, and the Lamb—directly corresponds to what the Church has preserved in her liturgical life for centuries.

This conversation reframes Revelation entirely: not as a prediction chart, but as an unveiling of the eternal reality that the Church enters into every time the Liturgy is celebrated.

We also address how modern misreadings of Revelation—especially those rooted in recent theological innovations—have led many Christians to interpret global events, particularly in relation to Israel, through a distorted and often dangerous lens.

Ultimately, this episode is about recovering a right understanding of worship, Scripture, and the Kingdom of God—and seeing the Divine Liturgy for what it truly is: heaven on earth.

Fr. John Whiteford is an Orthodox priest serving in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR). He is the rector of St. Jonah Orthodox Church in Spring, Texas, and has been a longtime teacher, writer, and defender of the Orthodox Christian faith.

He is widely known for his work in apologetics, particularly in explaining Orthodox theology in contrast to modern Protestant innovations. Fr. John has written extensively on Scripture, Church history, and liturgical theology, and is especially respected for his clear, direct approach to difficult theological topics.

Through his writing and teaching, he has helped many people rediscover the depth and continuity of the historic Christian tradition.

Find more from Fr John here: https://saintjonah.org

And here: https://frjohnwhiteford.substack.com

And here: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com

Sponsor:

Podsworth App: https://podsworth.com
Code: BUCK50 for HALF off your first order!
Clean up your recordings, sound like a pro, and support the Counterflow Podcast!
Full Ad Read BEFORE processing: https://youtu.be/F4ljjtR5QfA
Full Ad Read AFTER processing: https://youtu.be/J6trRTgmpwE

Get the new Counterflow T-shirt before it sells out! Visit https://www.counterflowpodcast.com/store or send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address!

Donate to the show here: https://www.patreon.com/counterflow

Visit my website: https://www.counterflowpodcast.com

Audio Production by Podsworth Media: https://www.podsworth.com

Leave us a review and rating on Apple Podcasts! Thanks!