What are you still defending? /// FOLLOW x UP

Episode 009: What are you still defending?In this episode of the FOLLOW x UP podcast, Steve Carter and Eric Parks explore the prayer of confession—not as shame, performance, or merely admitting what someone already knows, but as a courageous act of vulnerability before God and others.Together, they unpack why confession is one of the least practiced spiritual muscles in many Christian communities, especially in a culture shaped by image management, self-protection, and curated versions of ourselves. Steve reframes confession as going first into the unknown—bringing what is hidden into the light and trusting that God, and trusted community, can hold it with us.The conversation moves through the difference between defending our intent and owning our impact, the role of examination in prayer, and why true confession creates a pathway from rupture to repair. Steve also shares a personal leadership story about words that unintentionally hurt someone on his team, and what it required to own the impact, seek repair, and receive grace.This episode is an invitation to stop hiding, stop managing, and begin practicing the kind of honest confession that leads to healing, integration, and deeper trust.Meet your hosts, Eric Parks and Steve CarterEric ParksEric is an Executive Pastor at Plum Creek Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, who cares deeply about helping people rehearse the way of Jesus in everyday life—and holds firm as a Denver Broncos fan, no matter how often Steve brings up the Bears.Steve CarterSteve is the Lead Pastor at Christ Church in Oak Brook, Illinois, offering a thoughtful and honest voice to the deeper work of formation and calling—and remains a devoted Chicago Bears fan, even with Eric representing Broncos country.Explore all of FollowWe’re all following something—habits, expectations, ambition—but Jesus offers a different way. A way marked by love, presence, trust, and a life that actually leads somewhere good. Not perfectly, but increasingly, we begin to shape our lives around his.We believe that if Jesus is right—about God, about life, about the soul—then is only makes sense to rearrange your life around what he says is true.Follow isn’t a program to complete or a path to master, but a way of life centered on Jesus. A way of living that takes shape over time through a steady rearrangement of our lives—our priorities, our rhythms, and the things we trust most.LinksFollow: https://www.followtheway.church/Plum...