The Mark Casto Program

Mark Casto
  • 4.9 (37)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Mark Casto Program is a top Christian podcast for leaders, entrepreneurs, and thinkers who want more than surface-level faith or hustle culture noise. This show delivers wisdom-driven conversations on business, culture, leadership, money, creativity, and influence—through a Kingdom lens, without churchy language. Each week, Mark Casto brings solo teachings, cultural commentary, and long-form conversations designed to help faith-driven leaders gain clarity, build influence, and create sustainable impact in the real world. This podcast is for builders—those shaping culture, stewarding ideas, and creating value that lasts.

  1. 18H AGO

    We Are Christian First, Everything Else Second

    Send a text Outrage is loud, but clarity changes people. We open with a hard look at a dehumanizing image of Barack and Michelle Obama that traveled through channels of power, then move past the news cycle to ask a deeper question: what is forming our instincts? When Christians minimize cruelty because it helps their side, something fundamental has slipped out of order—and that disorder isn’t primarily political. It’s spiritual. Across this conversation, we trace how dehumanization works, why it never stays “just a joke,” and how silence slowly tutors the church into defending what once grieved us. We talk about media habits that shape reflexes, the difference between discernment and numbness, and why “Christians first, then Americans” is not a slogan but a needed reordering of loves. We name Christian nationalism as a spiritual disorder that fuses faith to national identity, making cruelty feel excusable if it promises a win. Then we turn to the way of Jesus: refusing domination, protecting dignity, and aligning means with ends so our public witness matches our message. You’ll walk away with five practical moves for a Christ-shaped response: don’t laugh at cruelty, critique your own side, slow down false urgency, guard dignity while you disagree, and choose witness over winning. Along the way, we draw from history, the early church, and the Beatitudes to show that restraint is not surrender—it’s strength grounded in identity. If you’ve felt torn between silence and outrage, or weary of faith being used as a weapon, this is a path back to calm conviction and credible hope. If this conversation helps you see more clearly, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review so others can find it. Your voice helps build a different kind of public square—one that tells the truth without losing our soul. Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    58 min

  2. FEB 4

    Reclaiming A Pastor’s Pace Of Peace

    Send a text What if the guilt you feel for wanting rest, joy, and time with your family isn’t spiritual failure, but a warning light on the dashboard of your soul? We tackle the quiet story many pastors live: being praised for depletion, rewarded for availability, and shamed for limits. From unexamined theology to grind culture leadership models, we trace how “sacrifice” can morph into spiritualized neglect—and how that drift leaves wreckage in marriages, kids, bodies, and communities. We shift the frame by looking at Jesus, not as a mascot for hustle, but as a model for pace. He withdrew. He said no. He disappointed crowds. He walked everywhere at the speed of conversation and interruption—and while He walked, the kingdom came. We explore what it means to choose direction from communion rather than demand, to protect our interior life, and to trust that fruit grows at human speed. You’ll hear why hurry shortens patience, flattens discernment, and turns presence into performance, and how a peaceful shepherd sets the emotional temperature for a healthier church. From there, we offer a grounded blueprint: lead from union, not toward it. Let prayer become communion, rest become trust, and limits become wisdom. Reorder your calendar around presence with God, your spouse, your children, and your people. Create sustainable provision without fear by stewarding your wisdom and choosing fewer, deeper commitments. Start small and honest: one brave no, protected margins, slower breathing, and a rediscovered center of gravity in love. If your calling has been costing everything entrusted to you, it’s time to change the pace, not abandon the call. If this resonates, follow the show, share this with a pastor who needs it, and leave a review to help more shepherds find a livable way forward. Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    26 min

  3. JAN 30

    Quiet Crisis In The Pulpit

    Send a text In the inaugural episode of The Shepherd’s Tent, Mark Casto announces the new name and direction of the podcast and shares the personal journey that shaped it. From growing up as a preacher’s kid, to leading thriving ministries while quietly unraveling inside, to walking through loss, rebuilding, and rediscovering the gospel—this episode sets the foundation for a podcast created to serve pastors navigating one of the most challenging seasons in modern church history. This is not a leadership podcast built on hype or hustle. It’s a space for shepherds to slow down, find clarity, and learn how to lead from wholeness. Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    29 min

  4. 11/09/2025

    Recovering Christian Hope From Fear-Based Prophecy

    Send a text Headlines keep screaming apocalypse, and Christian feeds keep decoding earthquakes, elections, and eclipses like secret messages. We’ve been taught to panic, to chase timelines, and to call it discernment. We take that on directly—naming how fear-based prophecy rose from Darby’s system to Schofield’s margins, ballooned through The Late Great Planet Earth and Left Behind, and left generations fluent in Antichrist theories but thin on resurrection hope. We tell a better story—the older, sturdier one. The Apostles’ Creed centers our hope in the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come. Paul’s language in 1 Thessalonians 4 evokes a royal procession, not a secret evacuation. Revelation means unveiling, not doom; its climax is heaven descending, not believers disappearing. When our eschatology shifts from escape to renewal, fear gives way to faithfulness, and speculation turns into stewardship. We explore how that reframe fuels mission in the real world—work, art, entrepreneurship, and family—because new creation starts now. We also get practical and pastoral. Algorithms reward anxiety, but wisdom refuses to monetize fear. Neuroscience explains why panic feels addictive. Scripture gives us a test for true insight: peaceable, pure, open to reason, full of mercy. We put Jesus’ 70 AD warnings back in context, show how credibility returns through repentance and accountability, and offer five simple practices to rebuild trust: tell the truth, repent publicly, model calm, submit to community, and return to the resurrection. The result is a prophetic culture that carries poise over panic, clarity over clickbait, and a hope strong enough to build with. If this conversation helps you trade countdown clocks for courageous patience, share it with someone who’s weary of fear. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: how are you choosing resurrection hope where panic once ruled? Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    1h 1m

  5. 11/05/2025

    Rebuilding Credibility In An Age Of Conspiracy

    Send a text Headlines shout, feeds reward fear, and somehow suspicion started masquerading as discernment. We take a hard look at how conspiracy culture seduces with promises of belonging and secret insight while silently draining credibility, isolating communities, and hijacking the church’s public witness. Anchored in Isaiah 8, Proverbs 14, James 3, and Philippians 4, we explore how to move from panic to peace, from exposure obsession to truth embodied, and from clickability to credibility. We unpack the fruit test that separates heaven’s wisdom from counterfeit “insight,” and we revisit recent cycles of rumor—pandemic myths, election prophecies, and viral dates that failed—to show why humility and verification matter more than ever. Trust is the currency of authority, and clarity is the craft that mints it. You’ll hear practical ways to build a sound mind in an age of noise: slow your reactions, vet sources, measure fruit, and say “I don’t know” when you don’t. Instead of feeding outrage loops, we champion a non-anxious presence that models peace under pressure and speaks with grace, reason, and mercy. Hope is not denial; it is dominion. From Jeremiah’s counsel to exiles to the quiet excellence of Daniel and Joseph, we chart a path for creators, pastors, and entrepreneurs to become wise builders—people who solve real problems, design sane spaces, and restore trust one conversation at a time. If you’re ready to trade suspicion for discernment and become credible again, this conversation will hand you language, posture, and practice for the road ahead. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs freedom from the outrage cycle, and leave a review to help others find it. Your calm voice may be the bridge that truth walks across. Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    46 min

  6. 10/29/2025

    Christ Or Caesar

    Send a text What if God truly looks like Jesus—and nothing unlike Him? We follow that daring claim to its consequences for justice, power, and public life, challenging a culture discipled by outrage and a church tempted to trade the cross for the sword. From early church witness to modern culture wars, we uncover how a Christ-shaped vision dismantles coercion and reclaims love as the most disruptive force on earth. We walk through the hot-button issues without the partisan fog. Abortion becomes a call to protect unborn life and uphold women’s dignity with real support, not slogans. The death penalty collides with the crucified Lord who forgives His executioners, pushing us toward restoration rather than revenge. War, often wrapped in patriotic language, is exposed as tragedy that the church cannot bless if we’re serious about the Sermon on the Mount. Along the way we revisit Revelation’s searing symbols—the beast of empire and the whore of compromised religion—to reveal how faith loses its voice when it rides on state power. This conversation lands where discipleship gets costly: repent of mixed allegiances, resist the algorithm’s discipling and applause for sanctified contempt, and recenter life on the Lamb who already reigns. We reflect on a national moment of grief that showcased both enemy-forgiving mercy and enemy-hating bravado from the same stage, and we ask what it means to multiply “little Christs” instead of culture warriors. If the church is the bride, not empire’s mascot, then our future is clear—embody a peacemaking, generous, resilient community that looks like Jesus in public. If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave a review. Tell us: where do you see empire trying to wear a halo, and how can we help one another live a clearer Christ? Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    51 min

  7. 09/25/2025

    Desert Fathers: America's Hidden Path to Cultural Renewal

    Send a text What if we've been approaching cultural transformation all wrong? While Billy Graham's crusades reached over 215 million people and saw 2.2 million decisions for Christ, America is projected to become majority non-Christian by 2070. This startling disconnect reveals a profound truth: decisions without discipleship don't last. The stadium model of Christianity—emotional experiences, massive gatherings, celebrity preachers—creates powerful moments but rarely sustains transformation. As Graham himself admitted, "My greatest regret is that we have not done enough to follow up and disciple those who come forward." We've filled coliseums with converts but failed to form communities of practice where faith takes root. Enter the Desert Fathers—third and fourth-century believers who fled into the wilderness not to escape life but to find it in its purest form. These weren't men chasing stadiums; they were emptying themselves before God. Anthony the Great didn't need a crowd, yet thousands followed him because they witnessed a depth that Rome's cathedrals couldn't produce. In their hiddenness, they birthed movements that outlasted empires. Today's cultural moment demands this ancient wisdom. With church attendance at historic lows and trust eroded by leadership scandals, we don't need more influencers—we need fathers. Not those obsessed with platforms, but those committed to presence. Not performers, but practitioners who model what they teach. Not those who create viral moments, but those who build sustainable communities where formation happens day by day. The new generation of Desert Fathers will resist platform addiction, live with radical authenticity, build communities of intentional formation, embrace the long path of obedience, and see wealth as a tool for kingdom impact rather than personal status. They understand that a tree grows slowly but bears fruit for generations, while weeds spring up quickly only to die just as fast. Ready to become part of this counter-cultural movement? Subscribe, share this episode, and join us in putting wisdom back into the mainstream as we raise up messengers who won't sell out or burn out, but will carry presence into a generation starving for substance. Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    52 min

  8. 09/22/2025

    Screen Time Disciples: Who's Really Shaping Your Worldview?

    Send a text The digital revolution has created a profound battle for our minds, with every scroll, swipe, and notification shaping not just what we think, but how we think. In this deeply personal episode, Mark Casto unveils his journey from receiving prophetic words about media ministry as a teenager to the divine redirection that followed a devastating church fire—all leading to his current calling to build Long Path Studios. Mark draws a crucial distinction between influencers and messengers in today's noisy digital landscape. While influencers chase trends and engagement metrics, messengers carry assignments and stand on truth regardless of popularity. This difference becomes vital as we navigate a culture where our children are being discipled more by social media than by teachers or parents, where politics has become tribal identity, and where AI threatens to accelerate content without wisdom. What makes this moment so critical is its unprecedented pace of change. What once took centuries now happens in decades, decades compress into years, and our silence in this environment isn't neutral—it creates vacuums filled by less wise voices. Mark challenges listeners to consider the cost of withholding their God-given wisdom, emphasizing that movements throughout history began with messengers who had clarity, conviction, and consistency. The episode culminates with Mark announcing his new Wise Messenger 12-week cohort launching October 1st, designed to equip those carrying wisdom, stories, or messages to impact lives through digital platforms. For a generation drowning in information while starving for wisdom, this invitation couldn't be more timely: "Don't just be a consumer of content, be a creator of wisdom. Don't just scroll the feed, fill the feed with substance that matters." Ready to step forward as a wise messenger? DM Mark with "cohort" on social media to learn more about this transformative opportunity to multiply your voice for kingdom impact. Support the show Links & Resources: Join my free community “Longpath Creator Academy” www.skool.com/wise-builders Support the podcast & help fund Longpath Studios → markcasto.co/donate Join my weekly email for mindset and business insights → markcasto.co

    1h 9m
See All (45)

4.9
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

The Mark Casto Program is a top Christian podcast for leaders, entrepreneurs, and thinkers who want more than surface-level faith or hustle culture noise. This show delivers wisdom-driven conversations on business, culture, leadership, money, creativity, and influence—through a Kingdom lens, without churchy language. Each week, Mark Casto brings solo teachings, cultural commentary, and long-form conversations designed to help faith-driven leaders gain clarity, build influence, and create sustainable impact in the real world. This podcast is for builders—those shaping culture, stewarding ideas, and creating value that lasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Casto
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Mark Casto Program
  • Show Website
    The Mark Casto Program

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