Pastor Rob Pacienza: Faith, Family, and the Soul of America
Release Date: 04/29/2026
The Price of Your Freedom: Why This Midterm Election Is a Fight for Faith Itself
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this solo reflection, Carl looks back on a Sunday spent at church, and on the freedom he and his neighbors in South Florida, Christian and Jewish alike, still have to worship openly. That freedom, he argues, is what is actually on the ballot this November, even though the conversation in most living rooms is about the price of gas. Carl argues the Communist Party's presence on this year's midterm ballot deserves far more attention than it is getting, and walks through what communism has meant everywhere it has taken hold: the USSR under Stalin, Mao's China, and the millions killed or...
info_outline
Why This Midterm Election Can Change Everything
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this episode, Carl reflects on Labor Day weekend and what it represents: the everyday Americans, laborers, tradespeople, and small business owners, whose work built the country's roads, skyscrapers, and economy. He points out that small businesses collectively employ more Americans than big corporations do, and that nearly 40 percent of the country is invested in the stock market through 401ks and personal investment accounts. To Carl, that broad participation in the American economy is proof that capitalism, not socialism, is what has given ordinary people a path to build something of...
info_outline
Jeffrey N. Weiss, M.D.: The Four-Cent Test That Could Catch Alzheimer's Decades Early
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this episode, Carl sits down with Dr. Jeffrey N. Weiss, former Chief of Retinal Surgery at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, faculty at Harvard Medical School, and a visiting scientist at MIT. Dr. Weiss entered college at 16 and medical school at 19 on full scholarships, earned an electrical engineering degree magna cum laude while still in medical school, and graduated medical school summa cum laude at 23. He has authored more than 100 publications, holds more than 20 patents, and has spent more than two decades pursuing a promise he made to his mother. The centerpiece of the...
info_outline
Dr. Yuval Bibi: Treat Your Skin Like the Miracle It Is
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this episode, Carl sits down with his own dermatologist, Dr. Yuval Bibi, MD, PhD, a board-certified dermatologist trained in Boston who spent 16 years in clinical practice in California before opening his own practice in Coral Springs, South Florida. Carl has known Dr. Bibi personally for about a year and a half, and the conversation reflects that ease: a doctor who treats skin not as something to fight, but as, in his words, "a divine miracle." Dr. Bibi explains his holistic, evidence-based approach to dermatology: while he still performs biopsies and conventional treatments when medically...
info_outline
Confronting the Return of Communism & Antisemitism in the US
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this episode, Carl reflects on a summer that showed America at its best, and warns about a current running beneath it. Fresh off the 250th anniversary of the United States and a World Cup that drew hundreds of thousands of visitors, Carl shares what he's been hearing and why it's pushed him to speak out. Visitors from Europe and beyond left saying America was nothing like the country described in their home press. But alongside that pride, Carl points to a darker undercurrent: rising antisemitism and growing sympathy for communism among younger Americans, which he traces to decades of...
info_outline
Celebrating 250 Years of America's Legacy: Heroes, Innovators, and Cultural Icons (E136 Replay)
Along the Way Life's Journey
As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, Carl takes listeners on a bold, unforgettable journey through the people, ideas, and moments that shaped the United States. For the sake of brevity, this special episode traces only a sample of America’s heroes, innovators, and cultural icons. From the Enlightenment ideals that inspired the Founding Fathers—Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin—to the defining leadership of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the episode explores how liberty, courage, and conviction forged a nation. Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War, and the...
info_outline
Ignacio Berroa: The Path I Chose – A Grammy-Winning Drummer's Path to Freedom
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this episode, Carl interviews legendary Cuban-born jazz drummer Ignacio Berroa who spent over a decade alongside the great Dizzy Gillespie and has performed with icons like McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Clark Terry, and Jaco Pastorius. Born into a distinguished Cuban musical family, Ignacio fell in love with jazz at age 11 after his father brought home a Glenn Miller Orchestra record, and he never let go of the dream, even when the regime he lived under made loving American music a punishable offense. Ignacio opens up about what life was really like inside Castro's Cuba: the state surveillance,...
info_outline
Pastor Rob Pacienza: Faith, Family, and the Soul of America
Along the Way Life's Journey
In this episode, Carl interviews , Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and a leading voice for faith and cultural renewal in America. From a lost teenager who walked into Coral Ridge through a neighbor's invitation, to becoming the third senior pastor in the historic pulpit once held by his mentor Dr. D. James Kennedy, Pastor Rob's story is one of grace, calling, and conviction. Pastor Rob opens up about the moment that reshaped his ministry forever: the loss of his three-year-old daughter Lily to an immune disorder seven years ago. He shares how grief either pushes you into...
info_outline
“No Kings” Protests: What They Reveal About America’s Moral Foundation
Along the Way Life's Journey
What happens when a nation loses its moral foundation? In this episode, I reflect on the first day of spring and Palm Sunday, when millions gathered to celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, ironically, while “No Kings” protests unfolded across the United States and the United Kingdom. I share my perspective on the messaging behind these demonstrations and what I believe they reveal about growing division, political tension, voter ID debates, and legislation like the Save America Act. I shine a light on media bias, social turmoil, and institutions many feel are failing, and why I believe...
info_outline
Rick Langnas: A Story of Strength, Faith, and the Fight of His Life
Along the Way Life's Journey
One life. One leap of faith. One battle that changed everything. In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Carl sits down with entrepreneur, musician, and fighter Rick Langnas, a man who built a thriving company from the ground up, lived the American dream, and now faces the fight of his life with stage four cancer. From a childhood marked by instability, attending 13 schools in 12 years, Rick learned early how to adapt, fight, and persevere. Those lessons carried him into a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, where he eventually took a leap of faith, left a secure position,...
info_outlineIn this episode, Carl interviews Pastor Rob Pacienza, Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and a leading voice for faith and cultural renewal in America. From a lost teenager who walked into Coral Ridge through a neighbor's invitation, to becoming the third senior pastor in the historic pulpit once held by his mentor Dr. D. James Kennedy, Pastor Rob's story is one of grace, calling, and conviction.
Pastor Rob opens up about the moment that reshaped his ministry forever: the loss of his three-year-old daughter Lily to an immune disorder seven years ago. He shares how grief either pushes you into despair or propels you to make every moment count, and how God used that valley to transform his preaching, deepen his empathy, and ignite a fire in the belly to lead boldly in this cultural moment.
The conversation moves from the personal to the prophetic as Carl and Pastor Rob discuss the Great Awakening of the 1730s, the Black Robe Regiment, the urgent need for Christians to vote and engage, and the three myths about America's founding that have eroded our national soul. With the 250th anniversary of the United States approaching, Pastor Rob unveils the Celebrate America initiative, his role as co-chair of the National Day of Prayer on May 7th, and a vision to reclaim what made America great in the first place.
🎙️ In this episode:
➡️ From Lost Teenager to Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge
➡️ Losing Lily: Grief, Grace, and a Father's Faith
➡️ The Black Robe Regiment, Then and Now
➡️ Three Myths About America's Christian Founding
➡️ Why the Church Must Lead in This Cultural Moment
➡️ Celebrate America and the 250th Anniversary
Connect with Pastor:
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church
Connect with Carl:
Produced by: Social Chameleon