The Plunge with Derek Holser

Welcome to Episode Four of Tolkien's Greatest Characters.
 
 
 
This week's episode is an insightful presentation of The Sea Bell, or Frodo's Dreame, the poem by J.R.R. Tolkien. 
 
 
 
Today's guest is Bret van den Brink. Bret is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, where he also earned his MA. He earned his BA, with Honors, at Trinity Western, Vancouver. Bret is a poet & lover of poetry from Spenser to Stevens. 
 
 
 
To learn more and read some of Bret's writings: https://linktr.ee/bretv
 
 
 
Follow Bret on X: https://x.com/BretVDB
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
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📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
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Welcome to Episode Three of Tolkien's Greatest Characters. 
 
 
 
This week's episode is a lively conversation about Bilbo Baggins, the meaning and nature of place, and the opportunity for everyone to determine where their story ends. We touch on the Shire, the Ring, and Bilbo's journey There and Back Again!
 
 
 
Today's guest is Thalia Toha. Thalia is an architectural historian, geographer, and preservationist. She believes that everyone should be able to choose how their story ends, regardless of where they're placed in life. Her interest in studying hidden ways in which places impact people's story arcs led her from Princeton University to restoring 15,000 square foot town halls, to advising the development of food halls, to serving as a geography exhibit designer in Lafayette Museum. 
 
 
 
Thalia's insights have been featured on Architectural Digest, SELF magazine, and Homes & Gardens. When she's not busy with her interdisciplinary work, you can find her writing about the philosophy of places on:
 
 
https://storyarks.substack.com/about
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
 

Welcome to Episode Two of Tolkien's Greatest Characters. This week's episode is an inspiring discussion of Frodo Baggins, the humble hobbit thrust into a quest for the ages. 
 
 
 
Joining me is Dr. Andrew Snyder, a professor of philosophy and theology, author of the forthcoming book Divine Honour in the Lord of the Rings, host of the Mythic Mind Podcast, and leader of the Mythic Mind Fellowship, a Christian humanitites-based community.
 
 
 
Andrew enjoys discussing the wisdom found in stories from ancient myths to contemporary pop culture. He resides in Williamsburg, VA, with his wife and three children. 
 
 
 
https://www.youtube.com/@andrewnsnyderhttps://mythicmind.substack.com
📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Welcome to Episode One of our mega-series entitled Tolkien's Greatest Characters. Each week for the next sixteen weeks, we will host a conversation exploring the virtues, flaws, symbolism, and story development advanced by a unique character from the J.R.R. Tolkien Universe.
 
 
 
This week's episode is a lively conversation about The Narrator. Is the voice of the storyteller of The Lord of the Rings the voice of Tolkien? How does the Narrator advance the story, reveal aspects of Tolkien's worldview, and more. 
 
 
 
Dr. Sørina Higgins is an editor, author, English teacher, and writing consultant. Her scholarly interests inclue British & Irish modernism and magic, religion & literature, the Inklings, and Arthuriana. Dr. Higgins is currently writing a series of lectures on the Inklings for one of The Great Courses from The Teaching Company. 
 
 
Sørina has received a Clyde S. Kilby Research Grant from the Marion E. Wade Center for her forthcoming book The Oddest Inkling: An Introduction to Charles Williams, due out in 2026 from Apocryphile Press. She previously wrte and recorded C.S. Lewis: Writer, Scholar, Seeker, an Audible Original from The Teaching Company, and edited an academic essay collection entitled The Inklings and King Arthur. She is also the author of the blog The Oddest Inkling, devoted to the study of Charles Williams' works.
 
 
 
https://theoddestinkling.wordpress.com
 
 
https://wyrdhoard.com
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
 

"He moves in the dry chaff among the dust and slats of sunlight with a constrained truculence. Saxon and Celtic bloods. A child of God much like yourself perhaps."
 
 
 
Today's episode is a singular one, for a singular writer. This is a conversation about Cormac McCarthy, and his novel Child of God. This novel explores the uttermost depravity of humanity, and wrestles with the idea that "perhaps" Lester Ballard is a child of God like me...
 
 
 
Joining me for this conversation is the incomparable Joel J. Miller, of Miller's Book Review. http://millersbookreview.com/
 
 
 
Joel J. Miller is a former publishing executive with a twenty-year career in writing and editorial. Today he serves as chief content officer of Full Focus https://fullfocus.co/
and he publishes Miller's Book Review, a popular Substack celebrating literary culture. 
 
 
 
He is the author of several books, including The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future (forthcoming, November 2025). His writing has appeared in Reason, the Washington Post, American Spectator, and National Review. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, kids, dogs, and more books than space. 
 
 
 
Pre-Order Joel's latest book here:
https://tinyurl.com/yushvpfk
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y

Today's episode flips the script. Turns the tables. I recently sat down with David Bates, host of Pints with Jack, a popular YouTube channel featuring C.S. Lewis and all things Inklings. 
 
 
 
We chatted about why I started the Plunge and how I came to explore Owen Barfield. 
 
 
 
I hope you'll enjoy this guest episode, and subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/@PintsWithJack
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
 

Welcome to Episode Seven in The Human Series: Season One. Today's guest is Bethany Dearborn Hiser.
 
 
 
Bethany currently works as the Director of Soul Care for Northwest Family Life, a network of therapists trained to work with survivors of domestic violence and sexual trauma. As a bilingual social worker, chaplain, and pastoral advocate, Bethany has worked in a variety of ministry and social service settings with people affected by addiction, sexual exploitation, incarceration, and immigration. 
 
 
 
After experiencing her own burnout, she has become passionate about being a sort of midwife alongside other helping professionals, as they navigate secondary trauma, move toward groundedness, and uncover their belovedness. She is a Spiritual Director and the author of From Burned Out to Beloved: Soul Care for Wounded Healers.
https://www.amazon.com/Burned-Out-Beloved-Wounded-Healers/dp/0830847952
 
 
 
Bethany, her husband Kenny and their two young daughters, are just moving back to the Skagit Valley in NW Washington, after a few years in San Diego.
 
 
 
Bethany writes here: https://bethanydearbornhiser.substack.com
 
 
She offers online Soul Care Groups and Spiritual Direction for helping professionals. More info here:
https://www.bethanydearbornhiser.com
 
 
 
 
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Connect with Derek Holser
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
 
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Welcome to Episode Six of The Human Series. Today's conversation features Justin Bryeans, a dear friend and a kindred spirit.
 
 
Justin Bryeans is a southern boy at home in the great Pacific Northwest. He spends his days as a pastor and spiritual director, and is graced by the long haul companionship of his wife Hannah (married 29 years) and the joy of bearing witness to his four children as they continue to become themselves - Ethan, Noah, Tait, and Lucy.
 
 
Among other things, Justin and I discuss the endlessness of Jesus, the nature of hospitality, and the virtue of learning to be still. 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
 

Welcome to Episode Five of The Human Series. I continue my conversation with Dr. Donald A. Lichi entitled: "The Soul of Psychology, 2."
 
 
Dr. Don is a licensed psychologist in Ohio and is Vice President Emeritus of Emerge Counseling Ministries where he served for over 30 years. Dr. Don is a frequent speaker at both sacred and secular conferences and seminars across the country. 
 
 
He is a seasoned clinician with years of rich experience in counseling and consulting pastors and leaders. He directs the ministers' enrichment team at Emerge, which is a group of pastor-focused clinicians developing soul care treatments for pastors and their families. He is also the co-author of Broken Windows of the Soul:
 
https://tinyurl.com/53wvjnpt
 
 
 
Dr. Don's special focus is faith-based counseling, mental health, life skills, overcoming porn addiction, and marriage enrichment. 
https://emerge.org/
 
 
Dr. Don has taught at universities and seminaries for a number of years and he was on the teaching faculty of Heart-to-Heart Communications and served 12 years on the pastoral ministry team of the Akron Chinese Christian Church. 
 
 
His ministry has taken him to Australia, Singapore, India, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Ecuador...quite literally all over the world. 
 
 
Not only that, but he is a veteran of the Air Force where he served from 1970-77.  Dr. Don is married to Marcy, his wife of 50 years. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren. 
 
 
 
 
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📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y
 
 

Welcome to Episode Four of The Human Series. I'm joined by Dr. Donald A. Lichi for "The Soul of Psychology, 1."
 
 
Dr. Don is a licensed psychologist in Ohio and is Vice President Emeritus of Emerge Counseling Ministries where he served for over 30 years. Dr. Don is a frequent speaker at both sacred and secular conferences and seminars across the country. 
 
 
He is a seasoned clinician with years of rich experience in counseling and consulting pastors and leaders. He directs the ministers' enrichment team at Emerge, which is a group of pastor-focused clinicians developing soul care treatments for pastors and their families. He is also the co-author of Broken Windows of the Soul:
 
https://tinyurl.com/53wvjnpt
 
 
 
Dr. Don's special focus is faith-based counseling, mental health, life skills, overcoming porn addiction, and marriage enrichment. 
https://emerge.org/
 
 
Dr. Don has taught at universities and seminaries for a number of years and he was on the teaching faculty of Heart-to-Heart Communications and served 12 years on the pastoral ministry team of the Akron Chinese Christian Church. 
 
 
His ministry has taken him to Australia, Singapore, India, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Ecuador...quite literally all over the world. 
 
 
Not only that, but he is a veteran of the Air Force where he served from 1970-77.  Dr. Don is married to Marcy, his wife of 50 years. They have three adult children and eight grandchildren. 
 
 
 
 
⸻
📲 Connect with Derek Holser:
🐦 Twitter / X: https://X.com/derekholser
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@derekholser
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theplungewithderekholser/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derekholser
📚 New Book! Lightgliders ➡ Grab it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/bDvRc0Y