Please take the time it would require to listen to a typical episode of All Things to hear one of these voices:
Brenda Salter McNeil on Racial Justice
Lisa Sharon Harper on The Very Good Gospel
Dr. Montague William's Pentecost Sermon (sermon begins at 9:55)
What if our desire for beauty, longing for justice, hunger for spirituality, and need for connecting in deep relationships are not just "the way things are" but echoes of God's voice?
Resources:
You can find his book, Simply Christian, that we discuss in the episode, here.
Original Score by Wilson Ryland
What is marketing and branding? Is it true that everyone has a brand, and everyone is a marketer? When does marketing become coercive and dishonest?
What should we know, and what can we do, to better sort through the marketing that targets us, and how can we be more honest and intentional with the messages we send?
With Greg Saunders, marketer for www.downloadyouthministry.com
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Mark Bunnel's story of how he learned to incorporate monastic habits to find a deeper existence by aligning his faith and his work.
Original Score by Wilson Ryland
A fitness and nutrition coach helps us see how physical fitness can flow into spiritual discipline.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Trisha Banya is a lawyer from Uganda, navigating a life issues we all face, from a unique and enlightening perspective. Particularly, she offers valuable insights on expectations, family, and rest/silence.
Original score by Brother (James Bishop), incorporating the cultural rhythms of the tribe that lives in the region where Trisha grew up. (Instagram: @musicbybrother, new single "Wake Up" available on Spotify and streaming platforms)
Can be productive and efficient without sacrificing creativity? Instead of shifting back and forth between hyper-productivity to the exclusion of all else (health, relationships) and struggling to find the motivation to accomplish anything, is there some insight and habit that can help us bring them together?
Dr. Bill Gaultiere, Psychologist and founder of Soul Shepherding Ministries says there is.
Resources:
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
How can monks, nuns, and ancient monastic practices can help us connect our spirituality and our time management? Listen in as Shema's directors Wil and Julius explore the history of monasticism and what it has to offer us today. If you're interested in learning more about how we attempt to embrace monastic wisdom and practices in our ministry as Shema Center for Christian Formation, visit our website below.
Resources:
You can find St. Benedict’s “Rule” here.
In the middle of the darkness and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, a reflection on a key text Christians have used to proclaim Resurrection.
Doctor Sleep (2019) provides meditation on the themes of redemption and purgation. Through the main characters, we learn if we numb our fears we end up feeding them and becoming part of the problem, but facing and suffering evil with faith and hope leads to purgation and redemption and deep connection with life itself.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
The 1959 camp horror classic starring Vincent Price provides material for a fun episode with a serious and timely topic: how fear and isolation can lead us to turn on each other and miss the real threats shaping events.
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.
There could not be a more timely topic: the horror that can result from our failure to achieve togetherness and connection in difficulty and trauma.
Engaging the film Midsommar (2019) leads us to the question: In a dangerous world, can we make and sustain community without God? Without doing violence to one another?
Original Score by Wilson Ryland
How is the COVID 19 outbreak effecting the unsheltered/homeless and most vulnerable? How are some Christians reacting in hope and faith? What can you do?
Count Dracula is an Anti-Christ: One who lives and draws others into an undead life that draws its strength by feeding on others. Such an existence might be powerful and enduring, but it’s not real life. We follow Francis Ford Coppola’s 1991 film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel to see how Count Dracula might help unmask evil and an undead imposter form of existence for which too many settle.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Unpolished, but an episode that couldn't be left undone.
How do we respond with faith, not fear?
How do we properly direct our faith in times like this?
Film 1: Halloween (1978). Michael Myers is an icon, which means he embodies something that massive groups of people resonate with on a primal level. So what of our fears does Michael Myers expose? And how can we stare him in face with confidence and hope?
Film 2: Martyrs (2008). A Martyr is a witness. If a group labels someone a martyr, it means that group believes the martyr tells the truth. How can our own suffering teach us truth, and what is the right way to approach the suffering of others?
(Wil wants to make clear he does not recommend anyone actually watch this second movie)
We marked the E sticker on this episode not because any swear words are used, but because we talk directly about some traumatic experiences that may not be appropriate for every listening situation, or for younger listeners.
Original Score by Wilson Ryland
All Things? Yes, even the dark and terrible. This week we launch into a Lent series looking at what horror, God, and traditional Christian practices like Lent, and Halloween (All Hallows Eve) have to do with each other.
We see how horror might play a role in helping us become more honest, brave, and hopeful - which is a tricky combination to pull off!
Why we marked the E sticker: we talk directly about some traumatic experiences.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Take Aways:
It does not good to act like the horrors of our world, or the fears in our souls, do not exist. They must be honored and dealt with.
Fiction (in literature, or film, etc) can be a great way to name and deal with very real fears, which helps us engage the world as it is with greater honesty, courage, and hope.
We pick the mind of a designer committed to making more humane things to help us understand what is going on with our devices and better evaluate how we use them.
Then we explore how Aristotle, and Christian teaching on training in virtue through intentional habits and fasting can help us navigate our current technological challenges.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr. and Wilson Ryland
Resources:
Shannon Vallor’s work on Technology and the Virtues
Here is Cal Newport’s book, “Digital Minimalism.”
Take Aways:
Be encouraged: there are designers who know we have a problem with our technology, and are doing their best to make things better.
Fasting is never just about denying something, it’s about making room for something that matters more. A digital fast can help us clarify what we really need and where might be a good place to find it.
It can help us better engage if we can learn to discern the how our regular habits of technology use are connected with 1) what these habits are really about at the core/essence, and 2) where they will lead if we continue in these habits over time. This is the basic structure of Virtue Ethics, an ancient philosophy with much practical wisdom to offer our contemporary world.
Ever pick up your phone just to check the time, lose 30 minutes or even hours, and feel like your brain has been hacked? Have you felt a connection between your constant connectivity and increased anxiety and sleeplessness?
We’re mad, but at what or whom? This week we explore how our psychology is being used against us as developers design for addiction. We name and clarify the problem to help you engage our technological world in more humane ways.
Original Score by Wilson Ryland.
Resources:
Here is Cal Newport’s book, “Digital Minimalism.”
Jean Twenge’s Atlantic article on smart phone usage and mental health.
The Center for Humane Technology.
Take Aways:
You’re not mad for no reason - many of our current apps and technologies were intentionally designed for addiction, and are invading spaces and conversations we consider private.
Things are not hopeless, though: developing personal virtues and habits can help us resist.
Compassion fatigue: If you care about people, and are paying attention, you've probably had it (or do).
Kristi Gaultiere (Psy.D.; LPC4 and MFT29887 in CA, and co-founder of Soul Shepherding) helps us understand what is going on when we know we should care, but just can't anymore. And how we can move from caring in the abstract to actually engaging the really people and issues around us.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Soul Shepherding’s website.
Take Aways:
Carrying other people’s pain can be painful.
Empathy requires a certain kind of faith and personal boundaries.
Ever feel confused or stupid when looking at fine art in a gallery? Us too. Ever feel that way when looking at street art? Didn’t think so.
This week, we talk to Charlie Lyons-Pardue about his love for street art and how it can help notice and pay deeper attention to the sacred wherever you find it, from Cathedrals to catacombs to the street.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here is the Instagram of Channin Fulton, the artist mentioned early on.
Here is the faculty page, and here is the amazon author page, of G. James Daichendt, Ed.D, scholar of street art Charlie mentions and interacts with.
Here is some stuff on Banksy that includes the piece discussed in the last part of the episode.
Duchamp’s Urinal Piece (he wrote “R. Mutt 1917”)
Acts Reference: The passage that says in God we “live, move, and have our being.”
Take Aways:
Street art meets you where you are and helps you notice things that exist just to exist. Noticing things that exist just to exist teaches us to recognize what is good, true, and beautiful.
Beauty is crucial in engaging and knowing God.
Medieval cathedrals are beautiful, but people captivated by God have (and will) always make art and spaces of beauty.
We talk current apps and cultural habits that get us locked in a story of scarcity and feeling like there is never enough. Then, for all the talk of our technological progress being "unprecedented," we explore ways we have navigated past technological revolutions. All to see how we can discern if we are just good at efficiently building excitement and funding good projects and initiatives, or genuinely shaping generous people.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr. & Wilson Ryland
Resources:
Here is a little bit on Marshall McLuhan, the philosopher who dug into issues surrounding modern media.
Here is a good translation of “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis.
Here is the sociological study of the benefits of generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson.
Take Aways:
There is a difference between funding projects efficiently and actually making generous people.
For all the talk of our current technological revolution being “unprecedented,” there are past precedents from which we can draw wisdom.
The best way we know to overcome feeling like there is never enough is to engage in regular practices of generosity.
What is meaningful work, and what is it like in this world to search for it? And what does it take to be able to find a dream job?
Ever engage in work you know is good, but struggle because you feel no connection/find no meaning/receive no reward? How often do we miss meaningful work because it is not what we expect it to be? Samantha Herrera, millennial extraordinaire, joins us to explore all this.
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here is the prayer book by Scott Erickson and Justin McRoberts that Sam mentions.
Take Aways:
Really good work does things to our inner being. And this usually involves times of trial and discomfort.
This is a reciprocal relationship: we must do inner work to become the kinds of people who can do and enjoy really meaningful work.
Technology is reshaping our world; how is it shaping our faith and our souls, how we think and what we value? What should the relationship between tech and the church be like?
We talk technology’s effects on people still engaging in religion, on our experience of community, and Bible interpretation and teaching.
Finally, we explore how faith can open our minds and hearts in a way technology cannot.
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here is Ellul’s book that traces the rise of our technocratic mindset, and outlines the distinction between technique and specific technologies.
Here is a method that has come from our more technique oriented mindset that has been applied to Biblical interpretation.
Take Aways:
The goodness of tech is not just a matter of how we use it, or what we use it for; technique and technologies also implicitly serve something. So:
These forces (our intended use, ways) and tech’s orientation must be taken into account when we judge them, how we use them, and what they are doing to us and our world.
A profound shift took place when technique ceased being a means for a specific good in certain context to a means of serving efficiency itself.
Ever care so deeply about getting things right, that everything starts to go wrong?
James Bishop (aka Music by Brother) joins us again to talk about the effects of perfectionism on his craft and spirituality, and what is offered to us in the moments we cannot live up to expectations.
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr., remixed by Wilson Ryland.
Resources:
Here is where you can find Jame’s Spait’s, which our guest produced.
Here is where you can find James’ (Music by Brother’s) music.
Take Aways:
Jesus failed people. So we probably will too. Might need a way to make peace with it.
Ever struggle with a disconnect between how you act and what you believe, or what you want to believe? Then let's talk about what your habits can tell you about what you really believe, deep down, and how this year you can make a truly transformative resolution.
Prompts from the Episode:
Name one habit. Any habit.
Write or discuss it in a purely descriptive way - don't analyze it. This will help move stuff from your lizard brain where your habits and instincts and unconscious beliefs are held, to the part of your brain that can rationally analyze stuff.
Then think or talk about what that habit carries in the way of your beliefs. Unpack the question: what does this show about what I believe?
Now, what do you want to believe? What is truer? What would make you more into the you you know you want to be? Who you were made to be?
Now, if you did believe that, how would that you act? And what is one area you can consistently act that way? When are you most tempted to spiral off into different actions?
Now summarize: What is your cue? How do you want to act more truthfully? What is a simple and healthy way you can reward yourself?
Why do gifts, recognition, or physical touch sometimes leave us feeling scared, empty, or sad? Odd, but true, isn't it? These things are meant to carry love, so why and how do they break down?
This episode we talk with Trevor Olson, PsyD, about the difficulties we encounter in giving and receiving love.
Original score by Wilson Ryland (all on guitar - you'll have to listen to the episode to understand why that matters)
Resources:
Here is a book on love languages.
Take Aways:
Love always gets at the core of our being, and sometimes it brings other things with it.
We talk the kinds of limits that bring freedom, and how the rituals and liturgies of the Christian faith can foster perseverance, help make us into the kinds of people who absorb violence - you know, like Jesus - and discern between healthy change and progress and cancerous mutations. Chris Nafis (from episode 15) returns.
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here is the Wendell Berry book with the essay on poetry and marriage.
Take Aways:
Sometimes a lack of choice brings freedom - for you and others.
It takes discernment to note if a change is genuinely an innovation, of a cancerous mutation.
Our guest this week has been part of an international news story, but still has no platform or “name” of his own, and that seems very Christian. We talk about why that is.
As we do, we explore some differences between mediated perception and reality and some of the real-life challenges that come with being the Church.
With Chris Nafis.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here Chris’ church: Living Water.
Here is the Voices of our City choir.
You ever had your grit and willpower turn on you? Been confused by circumstances where “just don’t quit” turned out to be bad advice?
Core values are celebrated in many fields, but without a larger framework they can disintegrate into powerful tools for self-deception and coercion that help you achieve personal success, but at great cost to others.
This episode we discuss baseline, core, and aspirational values and how they help us understand the gap between who we are and who we want to be, and invite us to tangibly live into grace and peace and healthy competition.
Original score by Wilson Ryland.
Resources:
Here is “One in Christ” the book Wil contributed a chapter to, in which he first began exploring the story of his Grandfather and his name.
Here is the Patrick Lincioni book, “The Advantage,” that inspired a lot of the talk of baseline, core, and aspirational values.
Take Aways:
It can help to become aware of the difference between what is actually driving you (true core values) and who you want to be but simply are not yet (aspirational values).
The gap between what you currently value and who you currently are, and what you want to value and who you want to be is you path for growth.
Our core values, habits, and commitments need a story and goal larger than ourselves to keep us from turning on ourselves and others.
The better we know our stories, the better commitments we make, and the better commitments we make, the better story we’re telling.
So, when things are tough, do you know which parts of yourself you can trust, and which you can ignore? When it’s for better or worse, and you get the worst, can you commit without settling for the worst?
This week, we dig into a difficult story and tools for self-knowledge like the enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and StrengthsFinder, to look past easy either/or scenarios for creative ways forward, and to help you name and enact healthy boundaries as you move through those difficult situations.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here is a place you can take an initial enneagram assessment.
Take Aways:
There are larger stories that will shape us, our key role is determining how they will shape us.
Self knowledge is tricky, but growth here can help us choose well when things are hard.
In the most difficult situations:
committing is not necessarily an all-or-nothing thing.
you need a network of support.
When was the last time you struggled with a choice that paralyzed you because of the commitment it involved?
When it gets hard, how do you know when to clamp down no matter what, and when to let go?
What makes all this so scary?
We all find ways to avoid decisions and commitments, but the right commitments help shape not only your identity, but the lives of people around you. So how can we name and deal with our avoidance tactics and draw from key stories to make good commitments?
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Take Aways:
Avoiding big decisions and responsibilities stunts our development in making key commitments.
Commitments are not just scary (thought they are), but good ones greatly enrich our lives and shape who we are.
Commitments also make us aware of where we are genuinely vulnerable.
When you face the anxiety that comes when you need to develop a new skill or push yourself further than you've gone before, where do you start? When inspiration and confidence abandon you, where do you turn to move forward?
This week, we draw from what Monks and Nuns know to talk structures and habits that can help you build courage to overcome fear and failure and develop old skills and habits into new abilities.
And, of course, how all this provides glimpses into the deep structures of reality.
Original score by Wilson Ryland.
Resources:
Here is the book “Steal Like an Artist” that Brian referenced.
Here is the book on the idea of “Acedia” which Wil referenced.
Take Aways:
Healthy habits and structure (especially when fueled by faith, hope, and love) help us:
find the courage to try new things
develop the ability to learn new skills
develop our tastes and instincts, which in turn help us make decisions in uncertainty
share with vulnerability
experience the story of Christ’s death and resurrection in concrete situations
and so they help us to come more alive
Do you tend to make things to satisfy an inner desire (inner loop) or for others (outer loop)?
What’s the difference between a designer and an artist?
Can these be integrated?
What structures and practices can help you find your voice and place in The Story?
What's the connection between this and having something to say about God?
All this in a larger conversation with voices from Shema San Diego - Julius Obregon Jr., Samantha Sheila Herrera, and Brian Rinker.
Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.
Resources:
Here is a place you can take an initial enneagram assessment.
Here is a helpful introduction and guide to the practice of lectio divina.
Take Aways:
Knowing and worshipping the Source of all Beauty - when it is connected to daily life and habits - helps make people who can make beautiful things.
In a time of shouting (you know what we’re talking about, culturally) integrating healthy faith and a creative process can help make you into the kind of person with something to say that is also worth listening to.
Creating for an inner loop is giving voice to your own inner vision. Designing for an outer loop is giving voice to another person’s needs or desires.
A healthy process for creating/producing includes a) learning/intake b) output/production c) reflection/evaluation d) rest.
James hears music in sticks, leaves, and thunderstorms.
Debbie funnels love into ink on paper.
You make spreadsheets, dinner tables, conversation, or strategic plans.
Whatever it is, we all shape the world around us into new creations. Why?
And how can we do it with greater wisdom, love, and beauty?
(Original music by Brother used by permission).
Resources:
Stream James’ music Here.
See (and perhaps purchase) some of Debbie’s work Here.
If you are interested in Hegel’s take on creativity and art, dive in (at your own peril) Here.
Take Aways:
Your creativity is a chance to help the world see and appreciate something beautiful and good they may not see otherwise.
Listening to your creative impulses, and then doing the work to do something with them, is part of hearing God, journeying into your redemption, and becoming more like Christ.
We each have different insights, perspectives and talents, but when we all hear and create together, it leads us (and the world) to something much grander and more inspiring than just each person making up and expressing their own “private” truth.
Most of us are told we are special and what we do is going to make a difference. So why do so many end up feeling like a replaceable machine part doing meaningless work and wanting to quit? What can we do about it? And what do organic bananas, the structures and cultures of our work environments, and worship have to do with all this?
Resources:
Here is the Simon Sinek video we talk about.
Here are some of his books.
Take Aways:
Giving to something larger/outside ourselves is just part of what it is to really be human.
While just being part of being human, contributing is harder than we think. In the podcast we explore some contemporary reasons why this is so.
Worship is about what directs our love and energy, and this shapes what we give (or don’t) to the world.
You don't just want to be good at something, you actually want to contribute to something good that is larger than you. But why is it that sometimes the skills we have worked the hardest at developing backfire when injected into real world projects and relationships? What are some of the key inner (the need to please people, be seen as important, etc.) and outer blocks (lack of direction, fearful environment, etc) we will face in making contributions?
Becoming someone who makes other things and people better requires inner awareness and work. This week Wil and Brian begin to explore what it takes to contribute and not just enforce our own will on people and projects.
Resources:
Again, Here is a nice book by Angela Duckworth on the important role Grit plays in shaping our talents and learning.
Take Aways:
If we create fear and defensiveness in those around us, often our talents backfire when we try to accomplish things together.
Our personal, inner work is necessary if we want to contribute to greater things outside ourselves.
How identifying with Christ in concrete endeavors can make you into the kind of person who can help others transcend their fears and come together to create things of beauty and hope.
Ever sleep for 8 hours and wake up more tired than you were when you went to bed? What is the difference between sleep and rest? Are rest and work enemies, or do they flow in and out of each other? If the border between them is open, what does that mean?
This week we talk with Ken Baugh about the kind of rest that accomplishes something that more striving never can, and brings greater life on the other side of our limits.
Resources:
Here is the book on Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel that Wil mentions in the episode.
Take Aways:
Rest is more than sleep, it is a holistic way of approaching all of life.
Rest helps us make peace with our limits, and so transcend them, instead of violating our limits and so burning out.
Working at the pace that fits how God created us leads to a good tiredness that fuels peace and hope for all other areas of life.
This week we explore how childhood dreams and the stories we regularly join contribute to talent and grit, and how these require deeper virtues of hope and love. With Brian Rinker, master lego builder and design student.
Resources:
Here is a nice book by Angela Duckworth on the important role Grit plays in shaping our talents and learning.
Here is a classic book on learning to pay attention to your life in ways that will help you discover your vocation.
Take Aways:
The things we learn to love in childhood will shape our ability (and inability) to persevere when things get tough.
Grit and talent are great, but will ultimately fail if they are not undergirded by hope and love.
You may have incredible kicks and a massive following, but even the biggest "influencers" will face things no human has power over. This week Wil talks with Bill Hull about the journey from cheap highs to a genuinely elevated soul.
Resources:
Take Aways:
A lot of something - money, influence, unending Youtube content - is not the same thing as true transcendence.
False transcendence will backfire on us.
Little shifts to connect with God in ordinary things makes a world of difference.
How do you breathe underwater? What do spearfishing and free diving (and weightlifting) have to teach us about prayer and ultimate reality?
Just what is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Why would Christians say it matters for everything? Do we really mean everything? How and why is this true? What sorts of reactions does is draw from people and why? We share a fresh (and ancient!) take that brings a full-bodied hope and transformation.
What will you get out of listening to this podcast? What can you expect? Who are we and why do we care? Plus music.
Take Aways:
This podcast is intentionally set at a slower pace. Trust us, you’re welcome.
Faith is always tough, but especially difficult today. We know. Instead of ejecting, we’d like to suggest going deeper, and show you why it’s worth it.