For What It's Worth

Shawn and James turn from logical fallacies to biblical misconceptions and misinterpretations. Before looking at specific passages, they lay some groundwork: what is exegesis, what is hermeneutics, and why do those concepts matter for ordinary Bible readers? They talk about the distance between us and the world of Scripture—different languages, cultures, and ways of thinking—and how that affects t...

After nearly ten months of silence, James and Shawn are back behind the mics to catch up and look ahead. In this candid episode, we talk about what pulled us away from the podcast (spoiler: life got full), how things have changed, and why we’re returning now. From new babies and internet upgrades to ministry transitions and unfinished book drafts, this episode is equal parts reflection, laughter,...

Shawn and James talk about their guilty pleasures. They also discuss what place pleasure and recreation should play in the life of a believer. We don't have all the answers, but we do have a lot of questions. Are difficult and unpleasant things more holy? What is the balance between being practical and engaging in pleasurable activities. How can we enjoy our lives while also serving the Lord?...

James and Shawn talk about their journey from KJV into other translations. What was it that led us to try another translation for the first time? What versions have we read? Do we have a favorite translation? We talk about these and other questions. What has your Bible translation journey been? Do you prefer one translation over another? We'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to take...

James and Shawn enjoy discussing the value of beautifying our places of worship—or not. What are your thoughts? Do you think there is benefit for beautiful church buildings? What about the need or benefit of dressing ourselves up for church? We'd love to hear from you. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingoverlife.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Wikipedia - Liturgy Wikipedia - Low Church Wik...

James and Shawn talk about James' passion for refrigeration. Refrigerators are quite amazing pieces of technology that many of us take for granted. Well, no longer! James will help you understand just how grateful you should be. What is your favorite piece of modern technology? Are you as amazed by refrigeration as James is? Let us know. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lo...

Shawn and James discuss one of your ideas: What's the difference between gardening in the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere? While James is headed into spring and enjoying all the blooming forsythia, Shawn is headed toward winter and the dry season. Do you enjoy gardening? What are some of your success stories—or your failures! Send us an email. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  W...

James and Shawn discuss the pros and cons of man going to Mars, both from a secular and a spiritual perspective. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingoverlife.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Shawn gives James another Wikipedia article. We discuss all sorts of common misconceptions. Are microwaves dangerous? How long is the memory span of a goldfish, actually? Did Albert Einstein fail mathematics? Do we use more or less than 10% of our brain? What is the color of blood in the human body? These and more misconceptions are debunked! What is your favorite—or most hated!—misconception? Sen...

James reveals to Shawn that he is actually a conspiracy theorist who was once abducted by extraterrestrials. What is your take on UFOs or UAPs? Have you ever seen one? What is your explanation? Send us an email! Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingoverlife.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Invisible Things Blog⁠⁠

Shawn and James imagine what it would be like to talk with figures from the past. If you could ask anyone a question from the past, who would it be, and what would be the question? We couldn't follow our own rules, but we had fun imagining what it could be like. We'd love to hear who you would talk to, or if you would rather spend a week with them as a mute. Send us an email! Email: lookin...

Shawn gets an impromptu interview about odd foods from James. Have you tried all the foods we mentioned? We're curious if you would consider yourself adventurous or safe in your food choice. What is the most exotic thing you've tried? Send us an email! Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠⁠⁠lookingoverlife.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Invisible Things Blog⁠⁠

Shawn and James go on an imaginary adventure, dreaming about where they may want to live someday. Some like seasons, some like temperate zones. Some like snow, some hate it. Some love mountains, others look for the coast. Where would you like to live if there were no constraints? Why aren't you there now? We'd be curious to hear about your dreams and your realities. Send us an email! Email...

James and Shawn get caught up on life. Where have we been? And why haven't you heard from us? Well, we've been busy. Join us for a chat about the latest in our lives. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠lookingoverlife.com Invisible Things Blog Juan David, a blog

Shawn and James talk phones and computers and the apps we use. Why do we hate WhatsApp but love Telegram? What do we use to do our writing or to organize the podcast (assuming we are organized)? That's what we discuss in this episode. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠⁠lookingoverlife.com Messaging and Communication Telegram Spark Teams Google Phone Google Messages Whatsapp Producti...

James and Shawn talk about different forms of radioactivity. From Marie Curie's discoveries to Australia's losing a radioactive device, we traveled through all the various sorts of radioactivity. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com  Website:  ⁠lookingoverlife.com Lost radioactive device in Australia Wikipedia - William Rôntgen Wikipedia - Marie Curie Wikipedia - Henri Becquerel YouTube - How...

Shawn and James discuss Habit 6 from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In this episode, we discuss what "synergy" is and why we want it. How can you synergize in both positive and negative situations? How can you have a Win-Win mindset, and how might that change your life? We'd like to hear from you. No, we'd like SYNERGIZE with you! Send us an email about your ideas on synergy...

Shawn gets an update on James's pretzel experiment. The moral of the story: Be careful using caustic substance for food! Do you have a good pretzel recipe? Send it our way. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com Website: lookingoverlife.com

James listens to Shawn talk about the current situation in Peru. Political violence, a home birth, the near-death of his wife, being blocked from returning home by angry mobs—Shawn has had quite the few weeks. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com Website: lookingoverlife.com

Shawn and James discuss how wireless communication works. It's really incredible to consider how electronic pulses and light and so on is shot around the world to arrive nearly instantaneously at its destination. A huge amount of data is sent every second, and we hardly think about it. Can you catch any mistakes in what James explained to Shawn? Do you have anything to add? Send us an email! Email...

James and Shawn discuss Habit 5 from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. We talked about how to listen empathically, or maybe empathetically. We weren't totally sure. How do you listen so that they other person feels heard, understood, and cared about yet without always agreeing with everything they say? Do you have any stories about what has worked for you when it comes to under...

Christopher Slabaugh talks to us about his diverse experience in his many jobs in his short life. Apologies for the audio, there was a lot of movement on the table where the mic was held, and that got picked up on the recording. We hope you can enjoy it regardless. What has been your most exciting or a unique job experience? Write us and tell us about it. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com Website:...

Shawn and James have one of their most annoying episodes—then why are we laughing so much? We enjoyed learning to know each other a bit better by sharing some of our pet peeves. Do you have a pet peeve? We'd like to hear what it is. Please send us an email! Maybe we can read some of them out on the podcast. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com Website: lookingoverlife.com

James and Shawn talk about dreams in this episode. Do you like to share your dreams? We all have at least one friend who seemingly can't get started with their day without first telling someone about what they dreamed last night. We discuss whether or not everyone dreams, if dreams mean anything, and whether or not God speaks through dreams. Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com Website: lookingoverlif...

Shawn and James talk about Shawn's very odd way of traveling. Shawn struggles with getting from here to there without getting lost—even when he's at home! So, we have a lot of fun laughing at how things turned out for him in his family's trip from Cusco to Lima and back again, though by different routes! Do you ever get lost? Tell us about some of your travel experiences. Send us an email! Email:...