Julie and Sean discuss Julie’s new gig… and Sean and Dennis dealing with tragedy. Dennis knows happiness is a serious problem and he is living it. Why is D+J different than other shows? Take nothing for granted, be yourself, and appreciate the good times while they are happening. When you are living right God opens the universe to you. Have grace, protect the dignity of others, and don’t fear being wrong… you can change your mind. Link to Sean’s GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/071d8b69 Music: S...
Jan 26, 2025•56 min
Julie and Sean discuss their experience with the Southern California fires. Sean lost his home in the Eaton Canyon fire, and Julie lost her childhood neighborhood in the Pacific Palisades fire… and nearly her parents’ home. Many people are in a terrible situation… it will take a long time to recover from the loss. J+S share takeaways and lessons learned from the devastation. Link to Sean’s GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/071d8b69 Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Publis...
Jan 19, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Due to the California wildfires, we were unable to record an episode this week. Please enjoy this best of episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 12, 2025•1 hr 24 min
Julie and Sean discuss many topics including: 2024 was an eventful year; goals to get away more in 2025 - camping and traveling; being still in silence; true crime documentaries; being bold and reaching out to pursue opportunities; the easily embarrassed cannot learn; the desire to be “liked”; life is relentless; seeking fame; the differences between what women and men pay attention to; dogs; random questions; banana bread – with or without chocolate chips; the advent of the internet and its eff...
Jan 05, 2025•1 hr
Julie shares a classic D+J episode where they examine the similarities and differences of Christianity and Judaism. There is a symbiotic relationship… and a necessity for both. Judaism is particular to a people and a land… and Christianity is universal, meaning not particular to any land or race. Judaism needs the universality of Christianity… and Christianity needs to be rooted in Judaism. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Publishing 100% Richard Friedman Writers 100% A...
Dec 29, 2024•1 hr 26 min
As Christmas and Hannukah approach… all thoughts and prayers continue for Dennis’ recovery. Julie and Sean discuss many topics including: teaching kids about Santa, Christmas memories, and lost “shared experience” in the United States. Do you have a New Year’s resolution? Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Publishing 100% Richard Friedman Writers 100% ASCAP (PRO) IPI128741568 RichardFriedmanMusic.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr
Julie brings in Sean “Triple G” McConnell to discuss faith and the Christmas season. How do you balance religious tradition with new customs? All thoughts and prayers continue for Dennis’ recuperation. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Publishing 100% Richard Friedman Writers 100% ASCAP (PRO) IPI128741568 RichardFriedmanMusic.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 15, 2024•57 min
Julie shares some classic D+J moments: being sad is acceptable but being offended is not. Don’t sweat the small stuff because the power of instant rage is staggering; Dennis believes the baby boomer generation brought in the decline of the United States… the greatest generation didn’t pass on the things that made them great; they also discuss the rape of language; character uber alles and the Left think that they are superior people. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Pub...
Dec 08, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Julie sits down with Sean “Triple G” McConnell to share your thoughts and prayers for Dennis. They play some clips from an address that Dennis made in 1987: Dennis Prager – Why I Am a Jew, Why Be Jewish, the Intellectual Case for Judaism. They also share some of the behind-the-scenes things that make Dennis the special force he is. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Publishing 100% Richard Friedman Writers 100% ASCAP (PRO) IPI128741568 RichardFriedmanMusic.com See omnystu...
Dec 01, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Julie shares some classic D+J moments: first they discuss Julie’s senior speech at Harvard. She spoke about condemning anti-Americanism. Leftism reduces America to its ugliest moments. We must stand up and fight, as President Reagan said: "If not us, who? If not now, when?"; second, they discuss Christians and slavery - confronting reality; and finally, we have macro-ized feelings - discomfort in life is a feature not a bug - one of the great ambitions one can have… is to be easy in other people...
Nov 24, 2024•58 min
Julie talks about Dennis’ situation and shares some choice cuts from past Dennis and Julie’s: how Judaism and Christianity complement each other; aphorisms, which are a huge part of Dennis’ life; and having the courage to be wrong. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Friedman Music Publishing 100% Richard Friedman Writers 100% ASCAP (PRO) IPI128741568 RichardFriedmanMusic.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 17, 2024•57 min
Dennis and Julie react to Trump’s big victory… aside from being happy, Dennis’ overwhelming feeling was relief, and Julie felt optimistic about the future of the country. The 2024 election was an indictment of the Left and the legacy media. Praise God for Elon Musk purchasing Twitter. What is this disdain that people on the Left have for people on the Right? Other topics include: Abortion; Totalitarianism; Truth; The greatness and brilliance of the personalities at the Daily Wire; Adam Carolla; ...
Nov 10, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Dennis and Julie appreciating happiness. What are the happiest years of your life? Do you think that your presence in other people’s lives makes them happier? Few people realize that they are in the happiest time of their life when it is occurring. Dennis philosophizes: “If you’re happy and you know it… clap your hands.” At what age do you think about the past more than the future? Dennis talks about being in Rush’s shadow for much of his radio career. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Dennis and Julie breakdown special treatment: extra time for tests, pre-boarding, and service animals. Compassion in the micro leads to cruelty in the macro. Dignity prevents Dennis and Julie from taking advantage of these special accommodations. They expose the self-esteem movement… high self-esteem is great if it is morally rooted. You must earn your self-esteem, or it is worthless. Other topics include: shame; pride in being real; and cheating. Music: Straight to the Point c 2022 Richard Frie...
Oct 27, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Dennis and Julie discuss being a character… looks can be deceiving. Dennis’ nature is to play… but his friendship with Allen keeps him accountable and therefore more productive. Dennis decided at a young age, after watching the Diary of Anne Frank, to channel his emotions into action. Dennis’ “sanity preserver” is his belief in an afterlife. How can you function without a belief in God? How does thinking about death change as you age? Do you have any regrets? Dennis recalls some experiences from...
Oct 20, 2024•1 hr 14 min
Dennis and Julie tackle: can a thought be a sin; lust versus having an affair; Dennis talks about his “Christian envy” when was growing up… “guilt over thought” snapped him out of it; Julie talks about her curiosity/flirtation with Judaism… it’s powerful to have a religion centered on referring to God rather than Jesus; people have done evil with “good thoughts,” and conversely good things have come from “bad thoughts”; intentions versus actions; capitalism versus communism; can one “do good” wi...
Oct 13, 2024•1 hr 23 min
Dennis and Julie discuss one of the benefits of having people in your life… it can help you to understand yourself. Asking interesting questions of people can help them to understand themselves. Are women more aware than men… what are the differences in the way the sexes pay attention. Dennis shares his love of street photography. Julie references a takeaway from: I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris - Glynnis MacNicol… don’t let the blows of your childhood h...
Oct 06, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Dennis and Julie dedicate this episode to prayer. Does prayer play a role in your life? What does prayer mean, and how does prayer in Judaism differ from Christianity? Define what it means to have a “relationship” with God? What does God want you to do? Do you talk to God? Does God talk to you? Is God difficult to love? Do you listen to God? They discuss the difference between praying for others versus praying for yourself. Are you “close” to God? Do you love God? Is obedience to God more import...
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Dennis and Julie ask did you have trepidation on your wedding day? The famous are rarely significant, and the significant are rarely famous. Is fame significant? Is fame a uniquely American pursuit? Let’s say you do get into a good college… then what?! You need an “inner” life to be happy, the “outer” stuff won’t get you there. Once you get what you want, it may not be what you thought it would be. What role does God play as the engineer of your life? Other topics include: vehicular misadventure...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Divorce, Dignity, and Demons Dennis and Julie start with the decline of “Mrs.” Topics include: affinity groups; changing last names upon marriage or divorce; it is not the divorce that damages children… it is what happens after the divorce that damages children; how the parents treat each other matters; dignity matters… spreading dignity is contagious; everyone needs to develop “shock absorbers,” or else they’ll be crushed by life; people have demons; a painless life is not possible; Leo Tolstoy...
Sep 15, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Dennis and Julie analyze the power of the aural and the visual. Is it inauthentic to have a bookshelf full of books that you haven’t read? Social media has bred an increase in posturing, posing, and homogenization in humanity. What does it mean to be an individual? Is being authentic and being an individual synonymous? Where does individuality end and “being a nut” begin? Other topics include: Exacerbated Posturing; The Uniform of Nonconformity; Know Thyself; Wherever you go, there you are; Clot...
Sep 08, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Dennis and Julie ponder whether it’s harder to come out as gay or as conservative in 2024. Conservatives are mischaracterized as racist and homophobic… but there is great diversity on the Right side of the aisle. Do you know the origin of Dennis and Julie’s unlikely and unique friendship? Conservatives are mischaracterized as simple-minded religious zealots… but the Right is more intellectually formidable than the Left. Other topics include: Jonathan Haidt’s study – conservatives know liberals b...
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 27 min
Dennis and Julie discuss smoking, micro versus macro topics, and what motivates people to have affairs? Is being shallow required in certain situations in life? “Being informed is a moral obligation,” - Aaron Prager. Should we judge people… if so, when and whom? Are you a decent and moral person in the micro and the macro? Other topics include: universalism vs relativism; generation values/morals… like sending thank you notes; gradations of sin; private versus public speech – humans beings are p...
Aug 25, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Dennis and Julie begin with the topic of… not being full of yourself, and the rise of self-obsession and arrogance in society. What affect does being raised with a disabled or deceased sibling have on a one’s ego? “1. And yet I am convinced that man will never give up true suffering- that is, destruction and chaos. Why, suffering is the sole root of consciousness. 2. Suffering is part and parcel of extensive intelligence and a feeling heart. 3. To love is to suffer and there can be no love other...
Aug 18, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Dennis and Julie discuss appreciating the United States from abroad. They review the news events of the past month – the Trump shooting, Biden stepping down, and Kamala being anointed. How would the media have acted if the assassination attempt had been on President Biden? What would have happened if the assassination attempt had been successful? Julie speculates if it was a deep state conspiracy. Julie was attending Eva Vlaardingerbroek’s wedding when the assassination attempt occurred. If you ...
Aug 11, 2024•1 hr 19 min
We apologize for missing this week... thank you for being a listener. We'll have a new episode next Sunday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 04, 2024•2 min
Dennis and Julie lament that technology is deadening the human experience. This tech revolution is unprecedented… and its effects on the younger generations have yet to be determined. Relations between people have shifted from person to person… to screen to screen. Relations between the sexes have become marred. Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” We have become dependent on our cell phones, and there are generational d...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 12 min
Dennis is in Los Angeles and Julie is still in Europe. Dennis shares a bit about his trip to the Artic circle, and the differences between Greenland and Iceland. Wherever you are is the center of the world. People should not think that life is more meaningful if they live in an important or popular place. People in Nashville know more about New York than New Yorkers know about Nashville. We are made to have a meaningful life no matter where we are. Did you know the word catholic means the whole,...
Jul 21, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Dennis is back from Greenland and Julie is in Italy as they discuss the benefits of travel. Travelling broadens your perspective on what a privilege it is to live in the United States. It also makes you realize the general ignorance of Americans, especially when it pertains to communism in eastern Europe. Americans don’t understand communism …like citizens of communist countries don’t understand freedom. Americans have an international reputation of being ignorant, and while the ignorance of com...
Jul 14, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Dennis and Julie share that without perspective happiness is impossible. Being a good person requires perspective. Life is not a bowl of cherries. Inspired by Abigail Schrier’s book Bad Therapy they discuss the gradations of therapy. Without perspective you can’t be grateful… without being grateful you can’t be happy. They explore the connection between happiness and being good. Awareness of evil and knowledge of suffering provides perspective, which oddly enough, can lead to happiness. Are you ...
Jul 07, 2024•1 hr 24 min
