What Is Bitcoin?

This is Andy Thomas from the Masculine Journey Podcast where we discover what it means to be a wholehearted man. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network.

This is the Truth Network. When I say the word Bitcoin, what comes to mind? What about cryptocurrency? What about the blockchain? Is it the signs of the times?

Is it the mark of the beast? Well, I'm glad I'm sitting on the back porch of my friend's house, Chris Brady, who is a major New York Times bestselling author. He's one of the key leaders in awesome kingdom-minded business called Life Leadership, Rascal Radio. There's a lot of brands associated with you, Chris Brady, but you've written a lot of books, you've helped a lot of people, you've helped mentor me in business, and I'm so glad to have you on. And you are about one of the only people I know brave enough to stick your toe in the waters of cryptocurrency.

What are you thinking, my friend? Well, it's a long story how I got to the point of even being interested in it. I should have probably taken a deeper dive sooner than I did, but I'm a hard money guy, so I'm a private investor as well as some of the other professional things you mentioned. And I became a value investor where you actually analyze the fundamentals of a company, you try to project forward cash flows and then calculate backwards against the discount rate, figure out what you think the cash flows are going to be for a company over time, and then you invest over the long term.

You don't diversify very much, you have a few holdings and you go in heavy. But to do that, you need a sound money, you need a yardstick you can measure with that doesn't keep moving. The US dollar is not a solid yardstick, it changes all the time.

It gets longer and longer and longer or shorter and shorter depending on which way you want to take the analogy, but the US dollar is being inflated precipitously. And that drove me to gold, so I became a gold bug and started investing in gold as a way to freeze the fruit of my labor and not have it corrupted by money printing. But then the next extension of that then is when you realize this invention of Bitcoin is decentralized money, it's the separation of money and state. And it has a pre-programmed preset finite amount that will ever be, so it's monetary policy unlike the monetary policy of the US dollar which just keeps cranking out more and more all the time.

Its monetary policy is preset which means that nobody can mess with it, nobody can flate it, you can't suck the value out of it and it's a safe store of value. That's how I came to Bitcoin. Unbelievable. Now everyone's listening to this interview, this conversation really right here on the back porch with with I should say on the back porch with Uncle Chris. Everyone knows you need a friend like Chris Brady who understands the financial stuff and can help you along.

He also loves Jesus and he's been a great friend and mentor. Now I'm holding in my hand a book he wrote to help people, especially people that aren't so financially savvy like myself, understand this stuff. And the title of this brand new book is The Bitcoin Bride. And Oren Woodward says by this, your awesome business partner, the best book for learning about Bitcoin period.

That's pretty good coming from another New York Times bestselling author, major entrepreneur Oren Woodward. This is The Bitcoin Bride A Rascal Money Story. So tell us this, you know I started reading this book, it's a page turner because you're taking us into a practically engaged couples life.

But there's a lot on the line because they may not end up getting married if certain things don't happen. I don't want to steal it but tell us a little bit about what led to this book Chris, The Bitcoin Bride. Well I wrote the book to fill a need that I couldn't seem to fill any other way. And I'll go back and quote if you remember the old rock and roll group KISS that was big when I was a kid growing up.

I heard them interviewed one time and one of them said we simply became the band we couldn't seem to find to watch in concert. And that's kind of what this book is. I wrote this book because people find out I'm a Bitcoiner and they ask me questions, we have great conversations about it.

And then as I walk away I feel like they need some follow up. They'll always say well where can I learn more? And there are some excellent books out there about Bitcoin, there certainly are. And I'm indebted to all of them, I've read a bunch of them and learned a lot myself. But they're all expository serious business or finance books and many many people will not ever really seriously approach one of those books, pick it up and read it. Let's face it, lots of people don't read at all, much less a serious business book. So I wanted to do something that would fit the kind of people I've been talking to that basically say to me well yeah I've heard a lot about Bitcoin but I don't think I know enough about it.

Or they have some predisposed notion about Bitcoin that's incorrect based on not enough information. So I thought what I need is something that's kind of fun. It should be fun. Bitcoin is fun. And so I wanted something that was fun, approachable, easy.

And I thought I know what I'll do. I'll write a fictional story that hopefully will have enough hooks and interest that people care enough about the characters that they want to turn the page and find out more. But build it into the story that the reader learns about Bitcoin. Not just not the details of how it works or anything necessarily on its own, although we do get to that. But to begin with the why. What problem does it come to solve?

And just let me give you the thumbnail sketch on that one. Bitcoin is an insurance policy against government spending. People say well what do you think Chris? Is the price of Bitcoin going to go up? Is it going to hit a hundred thousand dollars coin? And they ask me all these questions.

I don't know. Nobody can predict the future. But I can tell you with almost dead certainty that the U.S. government will continue to spend money and to overspend money. And when they do that it means they cause inflation which robs from everybody blindly. So I'm sorry, which robs from everybody invisibly. So this book was written to explain that beginning with the why.

What problem did Bitcoin come to solve? And then it dives into how does it accomplish the solution to that problem. And it follows on a fun little story of as you said a young man who's trying to propose to the love of his life. And her father is this Italian preacher in Italy.

He's an evangelical minister in Italy. And he's a pretty tough nut to crack. Wow. And you know it's fascinating because it's not just a journey into learning stuff about Bitcoin that I've already learned and learning about fiat currencies and how all these governments collapse. And you lose everything. Whereas if you had this cryptocurrency there's assurance against the crooked banks and things like that of these governments and all that kind of financial terrorism whatnot. But just the education I'm learning not just about Bitcoin Chris from your book but also about Italy and the beautiful Italian countryside and the culinary delights of Italy and all these things. And here's the question on the back of the book that takes you into the novel.

What would you do if you had to explain Bitcoin or lose the love of your life? So this is like a romance slash little literally travel guide culinary experience just a just a real refreshing look novel. But at the same time you're learning all about something that everyone's talking about. But there's also you mentioned Italian preacher. You're putting the gospel in here. I'm encouraged there's a spiritual underlining here because you have a heart to see people find the Lord.

Because what is the profit of man if he gains all the Bitcoin in the world and loses his own soul right? Amen. Yeah I try to do this in all my writings and all my talks I give everywhere. What I find is in the public sector atheists and people with false religious beliefs or error come to the table and they bring their entire worldview with them. And they do it unashamedly and unabashedly. And then many times it seems as if Christians go to play in those same areas and they leave their Christianity out on the doorstep and they don't bring it in. And I'll read books where the atheism or the disbelief or the rebellion against God is put across as the most natural normal intelligent thing in the world. But yet Christians don't write the real truth that way into what they write.

So in this book yes it's a bit of a Trojan horse where I'm trying to shuttle in an example of what a real Christian young man looks like when he's trying to marry the woman of his dreams of what a Christian itinerant evangelical minister looks like when he's doing real ministry in the world. And it's just woven through the story as though it's the most obvious wonderful truthful thing in the world. Because why?

Because it is. You even weave in the family dog who I just met a little bit ago coming into your house. It may be based on a dog that I know very well. I tell you what so really fascinating as Marcus gets to know the enchanting Italian countryside culture and cuisine he'll have to balance bitcoin explanations with romance in this whimsical book number one New York Times best seller best selling author Chris Brady shows that fun and finances can go together like Marinara and mozzarella. I'm telling you and this is true and I'm midway through and I'm enjoying every bit of it and I'm learning a lot about bitcoin so we're not gonna steal the thunder and tell anyone the ending but tell them how they can get the book The Bitcoin Bride A Rascal Money Story by Chris Brady. Author Chris Brady tell us how our listeners can get this book they need to read it right away and they'll not only enjoy a good read but learn a lot about this this you know fast growing financial area of bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Yeah they can go to chrisbrady.com that's my website has everything about me there but of course they can go to amazon and get it there too and anywhere books are sold. Okay The Bitcoin Bride a really cool cover art you told me a little bit about that now that all came together really neat really great writing and you love Italy so anything you can do to set it around Italy you've been there and you've got another book about Italy tell everyone all your books are at chrisbrady.com but mention Plug Italy real quick. Yeah that book was really because I came up by writing business books leadership books financial books and so that book was a memoir and it was really a love letter to Italy and I love the Italian people I love the history there we took a family vacation there and took a whole month sabbatical one time which is a luxury I never before had and have never since done it's been 11 years since we lived that experience I wrote that book about but the book is called A Month of Italy Rediscovering the Art of Vacation and it was it was a fun fun book. Wow that's so cool so you'll learn more about Italy than you may know now by reading The Bitcoin Bride as well chrisbrady.com or where all fine books are sold thank you Chris for sharing the gospel through this book and for educating a lot of people on what the bitcoin is all about and we'll have to do a follow-up a little later on too because I got a whole bunch more questions. Sounds great Stu thank you. This is the Truth Network.