Apr 15, 2026
In this episode, I chat with Fr. John Valadez—Orthodox priest
and the man behind Death to the World—to talk about what it
actually means to die to the world in a culture that’s built to
keep you comfortable, entertained, and constantly distracted.
We get into why modern life makes it almost impossible to be
still, why silence feels threatening to people, and how we’ve
replaced transformation with validation without even realizing
it.
But the conversation really centers around what he’s building
right now—
A retreat center.
A real place. On real land. Set apart.
A place where you step out of the noise, put the phone down,
and actually have to face yourself… and God.
We talk about why that kind of place is necessary right now,
what happens to a person when the distractions are stripped away,
and why most people have never actually experienced silence long
enough for anything real to happen.
It’s about building something real in a world that
isn’t.
And what it actually costs to live a serious spiritual
life.
For more on Fr John, go here: https://www.sttimothy.net/
And for Death to the World, go here: https://deathtotheworld.com/
For more information on the retreat center, go
here: https://youtu.be/lJejv9xL5hU?feature=shared
And here: https://www.meetingofthelord.com/
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