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65 | Study Poetry. Really
We'll be honest and say that this episode made a least 1/2 of the And Sons team a little queasy, insofar as it looked like we'd have to buy typewriters and write outside in Oxfords, no socks. This episode is about wonder, and beauty. The case study is poetry. How do you deepen you capacity for beauty? What regular practices increase a person's sensitivity? How long should it take. We've brought Luke back on to talk about all of it. Only we asked him to leave his black beret at home.
Love & War – Part 2
Opposites really do attract. In this session, John and Stasi share how marriage is a perfect storm ... and a perfect opportunity for your transformation.
64 | The Seminarian Question
You remember Jesse Barkalow - the longtime painter, line cook, and world's most prolific reader. Well, he's been at seminary. Usually, that makes us concerned for a person's well being. But Jesse has a rare disposition, and the opportunity seems to be improving his life with God. We wanted to know why. So in this episode, we're asking a key question: what's the basic question of theology/the human heart? As a matter of course, we also dive into the method that promotes union with God, as well as the paradoxes of seeing/blindness reconciled in the person of Jesus.
Love & War – Part 1
In this first of of a six-part series, John and Stasi reveal why marriage is opposed and how to fight for each other rather than against each other.
63 | Wendell Moss: Race, Masculinity, and Courage
This is one of those episodes that will leave you wanting more. And maybe there is a part 2 in store for the future. Wendell Moss is a counselor based in Seattle, WA, who specializes in trauma and narrative. The cultural narratives of masculinity and race and trauma are (perhaps not surprisingly) similar and require similar acts of courage and curiosity to enter into. The books Moss recommends at the end are: Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson), White Awake (Daniel Hill), Roadmap to Reconciliation (Brenda Salter McNeil).
What's Going On? – Part 2
In this series conclusion, John, Morgan, and Allen discuss how and why God is accelerating the maturation process in the lives of his sons and daughters.
62 | Keys to Relating
If we could sit our younger selves down from five or 10 years ago, we would have a few suggestions to share about how to better navigate the realm of friendships and relationships. People are never a blank slate. Jesus is always up to something, and we can partner with him or try to figure it out by ourselves. Are we really after redemption, or do we just want gratification through our friends? There is always something deeper at play.
What's Going On? – Part 1
In hard seasons, it can feel like either we're blowing it or God is holding out on us. We long for relief but what we most need is God's interpretation of our situation.
61 | No Wasted Time
If And Sons had an FAQ, one question would top the list: What do I do with what feels like Wasted Time? In this episode, we try to reframe the issue, describing wasted time in terms of the desert, the Hebrew name of which just means “God Speaks.” And, because this is And Sons, there’s plenty of distinction-making between our ability to waste time and God’s ability to redeem time, the development of a calling vs the aggregation of achievement, and a comfortable job vs and apprenticeship. It’s all real time over here, so if you haven’t heard what Blaine actually did in Grad School, or how Sam structures his life in young kid years, buckle your seatbelt.
Unpacking the Daily Prayer
John and Allen discuss the origin of the Daily Prayer – as well as the purpose of each paragraph within it.
60 | The Meanings(s) of Life (and Time, Economy, Community)
It’s not a secret Blaine likes words. Maybe it’s the history with rhetoric. Maybe it’s the writing genes. But still, there it is: words are a repository of human experience. Words reveal the world. They are almost completely unique in their ability to transmit diverse experiences. In this episode, we let Blaine pick a few of his favorites, explain how language works, then explore key concepts relating to time, economy, and community. There’s enough in one word to change your worldview, but today, we’ve got six. Maybe seven. Or eight.
Union with God – Part 2
In the second half of the series, John Eldredge reveals what "total union of being" looks like and how it transforms every aspect of our lives.
59 | Mako Fujimura: Art, "Seeing," and the Creative Wastefulness of God
Makoto Fujimura is an internationally-renowned artist, writer, and visionary. His work addresses the tension between trauma and creativity, culture creation, and the extravagant wastefulness of God (among a whole host of other themes). We’ve waited a long time for this conversation, chomping at the bit to ask Mako how, exactly, an artist “sees,” what that vision does for the world, and how somebody goes about developing it. Plus, Mako has some pretty unique insights on the way creativity relates to trauma inside the story of God. It’s a mind-blowing episode, is what we’re saying, and although the audio we captured turned out a little shaky, Mako’s eloquence more than makes up for it.
Union with God – Part 1
The epicenter of the Christian life is oneness with God. In this two-part series, John Eldredge explores how to overcome what gets in the way as we cultivate a deep and growing union with God.
58 | The Danger of the Self-Arranging Life
What can look like, and feel like, soul care may sometimes not be that at all. Too many stories end in broken pieces when fueled by the phrase "No one is looking out for me, I am on my own in finding life". We need to care for our joy and our hearts, but the self-arranging life is a trap that doesn't offer what it seems.
The World – Part 6
John, Morgan, and Sam conclude the series with tangible ways to keep our hearts alive in this world of convenience, distractions, and self-focus.