Clemenz With a ”Z” Podcast

How many of us spend all our time and energy looking for the one answer to fix it all?  I know I get caught up in that so much.  I had this realization after reading Matthew 7:7-8 HCSB that its not about the answer but the search for the answer that changes us, impacts us, where we learn the most.  Its not the answer in the parenting book that makes us a better parent but the caring enough to be t...

What is up everyone!  New episode up for the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the "Clemenz With a "Z" Podcast".  I was able to speak with former member of the International Churches of Christ Diane about her story of being a member and leaving the church.  Diane's story spans almost 45 years, 5 states/ministries,  marriage/divorce, and she was the first person I was able to talk to about life i...

What's up everyone!  New episode up in the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the Clemenz With a "Z" Podcast.  I was able to speak with former member Chelsea about her life growing up in the ICOC.  We were able to speak about all things growing up in this church and what it was like leaving.  We spoke a good bit about the one place for us that was a bright spot in this mess and that was the summe...

What is up everyone!  I got a bonus episode here for you all.  Former member of the ICOC and previous guest Kesia reached out to me saying that she had more she would like to share specifically, the way we were indoctrinated with no sense of agency in our lives, public shaming of sin, pattern of narcissistic leaders, and how even after the letter went out not much changed in our church.  I was gla...

What is up everyone!  I got a new DADTALK and it’s a great one.  I was able to sit down with my father in law, yes my father in law to have a great discussion on being a dad and becoming a grand dad.  We were also able to do a deep dive conversation in the benefits of Meditation; its benefits, how he uses it in his daily life, and how it inspired him to want to be called "Ompa" instead of granddad...

What's up everyone!  New episode up in the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the Clemenz With a "Z" Podcast.  I was able to speak with former member TJ about his life in the ICOC.  We talked about being a member in college and getting baptized, his life in the church and the struggle it became, his desire to "Do things Right", being a minster in the church, and his eventual leaving the church. ...

What is up everyone!  I have a new episode for you in the "We Were In a Cult" series here on the Clemenz With a "Z" podcast.  I was able to sit with former member of the ICOC and author of the book "A Jumble of Crumpled Papers" and podcaster Austin Noll to talk about his life in and out of the ICOC.  We talked about growing up in the church and the troubles he faced regarding our church's purity c...

What is up everyone?  I know it has been a few weeks but this is my message for the week of March 25th.  I talk about the "Triumphal Entry" where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  I discuss the significance of this particular event and how it has helped me in my understanding of Jesus and his mission.   Scriptures used: Matthew 21:1-11 Luke 19:41-44 John 12:13 Zechariah 9:9 I had help from t...

What is up everyone!  New episode up in the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the Clemenz with a "Z" podcast.  This episode is a big one for me and its because it is my first international episode.  I was able to speak with former member of the International Churches of Christ Kesia who was a part of our church in Denmark.  Kesia shared her story of growing up in the church and how even though s...

What's up everyone.  New episode up and its a DADTALK.  I was able to have conversation with rad dad Dan Ellis.   Dan is a Reiki Practitioner and Yoga Teacher in Atlanta, GA who specializes in integrative wellness for empathic individuals. He co-hosts the podcast, Call of Your Soul which expounds on how sensitive and intuitive people can find his or her calling. He resides in Decatur, GA with his...

What is up everyone!  New episode out for the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the Clemenz With a "Z" Podcast.  I was able to speak with former member of the International Churches of Christ Kristin.  Our conversation touched on growing up in this church, the strong desire to please parents and authority figures, the shame and guilt that comes with growing up in purity culture, the overall pres...

Hello Everyone!  New episode alert for the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the Balanced Male Podcast.  I was able to speak with former member of the !COC Steph about her life in the church and leaving the church.  She did not stay in the church long after high school so the meat of the talk focused on what is was like being a kid/teen in the church.  We touched on dating, purity culture,  what...

This is not as much of an episode as it is a giant thank you!  I am amazed that it's been 5 years, 78 total episodes which include 31 DADTALKS, 12 "We Were In a Cult?" episodes and 45 episodes of my life and experiences.  I'm grateful for all of your love and support.   Here's to 5 more years!  

What's up everyone!  I got another episode to share of the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the Balanced Male Podcast.  I was able to speak to a former member Jon.  We talked all things ICOC and his life in and out of the church.  We discussed what it was like coming out in high school, his struggles being a gay man in the church, race relations and what church was like during COVID times. We a...

This is the communion message for this week.  I use the passage Luke 15:25-32 as the text.  I focus on how hard it was for the older brother to be ok for the younger son's forgiveness in the story of the prodigal son and how tough it is for us to forgive. I also reference a comic by David Hayward titled "All Sheep Matter" as well as the outcry from the "He Gets Us" commercial to reinforce what I a...

What's up everyone!  I am pumped to share another segment of "We were In a Cult?" here on podcast.  This is actually the 10th segment in the series which is awesome to think about.  In this episode I spoke with former member of the ICOC Karen.  We talked about her life before the church, being introduced to the church as a teen, and what is was like to date someone in the church when it was "off l...

Hey everyone.  This week's message is  focused on the definition of the word "Sonder" and how this word has transformed how I see strangers in my everyday life in a very profound way.  

What's up everyone?!  Today's episode is another segment of the "We were in a cult?" series here on the Balanced Male Podcast.  I was able to speak with a former member of the ICOC Stephanie.  We talked about her life in the church and out of the church but more importantly, she shared the abuse she dealt with most of her life by the hands of a member of the church.  She currently has a case filed...

What is up everyone!  In this episode of "We Were In a Cult?" I got to talk with former member of the ICOC Phil.  We talked about what it was like being met in college, life in the church and the struggles of him trying so hard to fit into this system.  We discussed the struggles in this system and how it took him to multiple states before realizing this was not going to be the place for him and a...

Hey everyone!  for this week's message I continued in Luke 15 using the first 2 parables:  The Lost Sheep and the Lost coins.  I speak of the power of the metaphors Jesus used in these parables as well as the power of the message:  You are seen, you are loved, you are heard, you matter and you hold significance to a god who is not passive but will seek you out.  Peace to all of you. 

What is up everyone!  This episode is another segment in the "We Were In a Cult?" series here on the balanced male podcast.  This one was a doozy for sure!   I was able to speak with former member Erin who is also the founder of the first Instagram meme page dedicated to life in the ICOC: "Didyouhaveyourqt".  In our 3 hour conversation we talked about why she started the meme page, growing up with...

What’s up everyone! Today’s episode was just a little bit of Tuesday inspiration on parenthood, and how much we have the power to break cycles and patterns and parenting that I’ve been handed down to us with regards to boys and men and our emotional health or lack of emotional health. I think that it’s important for us as dad‘s to look at how we can strengthen our emotional health so that we can s...

In this week's communion message I used the parable of the prodigal son:  Luke 15:11-32, as well as the song "Please Come Home" by Dustin Kensrue. You can hear the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mfyuAd-Lk0  

Communion message for this week focuses again on Matthew 11:28-30.  

What is up everyone?!  In this DADTALK i had on Chris.  Chris is not only a rad dad of two young girls, he is also a brother of a former DADTALK guest Andrew.  The talk was such a smooth and easy conversation and 2 hours just flew by.  We not only discussed fatherhood, we stressed the need for fathers and men to pursue the things in life that spark their own joy, and the need for fathers to also f...