Contemplating Life with Chris Young

This is part two of the story of Thanksgiving week 2025, when I tried to give my sister Carol time off to visit family in Texas. Things did not go well. Links of Interest Greenwood Healthcare Center: https://communicarehealth.com/location/greenwood-healthcare-center/ For more episodes: https://contemplating-life.com/ Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/contemplatinglife Where to listen...

In this latest installment of my ongoing series about my struggles to find a safe and comfortable place to live, I tell a harrowing tale of Thanksgiving week, 2025. I made arrangements so my sister Carol could go to Texas to visit family. I had a solid plan for who would take care of me while she was gone. Then everything for part. This is part one of a two-part story. Links of Interest Greenwood...

In this episode, I chronicle a yearlong search for a suitable skilled nursing facility. This is part five of my continuing series recounting my efforts to maintain my benefits and live in a safe, comfortable environment.  Links of Interest Wellbrooke of Avon: https://trilogyhs.com/senior-living/in/indianapolis/wellbrooke-of-avon/ Yes Symphonic live DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Symphonic-Live-Blu-ra...

In this special episode, I present an essay about my feelings about leaving the home I’ve lived in since I was three years old. Normally, a podcast like this would include lots of nostalgic photos of my home and neighborhood. Unfortunately, I don’t have time or energy to create the kind of video masterpiece I would normally create for such an episode. This time, it’s just me talking. Here is my no...

In this episode, I fast-forward through events after my dad died in February 2019 up until July 2025, after I made the decision to actively pursue placement in a skilled nursing facility. It includes a video of a speech I gave at my 70th birthday. This is part four of my continuing series recounting my efforts to maintain my benefits and live in a safe, comfortable environment.  Links of Interest...

In this episode, I cover the events surrounding my dad’s funeral. The episode includes the audio of the eulogy I gave. I highly recommend you watch the YouTube version, as it includes a slideshow of photos of my dad to accompany the eulogy. This is part three of my continuing series recounting my efforts to maintain my benefits and live in a safe, comfortable environment.  Links of Interest Steven...

In this next chapter in my ongoing series recounting my efforts to live in a safe, comfortable environment, it is finally time to talk about my dad’s death. To put it in context, we take a deep dive into his life and go down some side routes, talking about my family in general. These times were also complicated because my sister Carol was battling throat cancer. This is a very long episode, but th...

In this episode, I continue my series by recounting my efforts to maintain my Medicare and Medicaid benefits and live in a safe, comfortable environment. Links of Interest Special Needs Trust: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_needs_trust Employer Identification Number (EIN): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employer_Identification_Number Central Indiana Council on Aging (CICOA): https://cicoa.or...

In this episode, I am beginning a series that could possibly be the last of this podcast. It might not be. But it’s a series I need to get finished in case this is the last. Unless I pull off a minor logistical miracle sometime in the foreseeable future, I will be leaving the house that I have lived in since I was a few weeks shy of my fourth birthday. I will be moving into a skilled nursing facil...

In this episode, we review the last four films in this year’s survey of the Oscar-nominated Best Pictures. We will recap all of the winners versus my picks. Links of Interest “What Dreams May Come” (Act III, Scene I) “Hamlet”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Dreams_May_Come “Train Dreams” (2025 film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_Dreams_(film) “Marty Supreme” (2025 film): https://en.wiki...

In this episode, we continue our look at Oscar-nominated films. In this episode, I explore four films so bizarre that they left me asking, “What the hell was that?” Links of Interest SNL sketch from 1979 “What the hell is that?” on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU_Gd623HJo “The Secret Agent” (2025): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Agent_(2025_film) “One Battle After Another” (2...

Contemplating Life – Episode 110 – “The Cost of Revenge” In this episode, I recount a harrowing experience with a health scare last week and an incident that angered me so much that I indulged the darkest parts of my personality to plot a revenge that I never intended to deliver, but simply crafted to give me peace of mind. What that plot told me about myself was quite revealing. Trigger Warning:...

In this episode, we continue our look at Oscar-nominated films. We will discuss three nominated films and a bonus film about men who have devoted their lives to show business. As they age, they look back at the sacrifices they had to make to fulfill their dreams. Links of Interest “Song Sung Blue” (2025): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Sung_Blue_(2025_film) “Song Sung Blue” (2008 documentary)...

It’s time for my annual review of the 10 Best Picture Oscar-nominated films. In this episode, we review three nominated horror films: Frankenstein, Weapons, and Sinners. I’m not going to be able to finish all of these reviews by the March 15 Oscar ceremony, but even if I can’t get them recorded, I will write the scripts and post them on the podcast website and on Patreon. Post comments and tell me...

In this episode, I combine my exploration of religion and entertainment as I discuss recurring religious themes in literature, movies, and television. I also explore ways in which authors can portray people of faith in a positive light. This material is based on a lecture I gave in my writing seminar under our mentor, award-winning science fiction author David Gerrold. Links of Interest for this e...

In my last episode, I confessed that I had misidentified which translation of the Bible I was using. In this episode, I take a deep dive into various translations to figure out how I got confused about which version I was using. Links of Interest for this episode Handout materials for this lesson: https://www.patreon.com/posts/notes-for-106-in-149707860 Dating the Bible on Wikipedia: https://en.wi...

This is the fourth and final part of my very brief overview of the Old Testament. We continue with our look at Old Testament prophets and how to connect their stories to our present-day experiences. Links of Interest for this episode Handout materials for this lesson: https://www.patreon.com/file?h=143872709&m=566923521 New American Bible at the Vatican website: https://www.vatican.va/archive/...

This is the third part of my very brief overview of the Old Testament. Recall that we said last time that the New Testament refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as “The law and the prophets.” In this episode, we examine the role of a prophet. This is an attempt to make the Old Testament applicable to our everyday lives. Links of Interest for this episode Handout materials for this lesson: https://www.p...

In this episode, I continue a multi-part series based on my 30 years of teaching the Catholic faith in my local parish’s inquiry program. This is the second part of my very brief overview of the Old Testament. We examine the differences between Catholic and Protestant versions of the Old Testament and the reasons behind those differences. We also discuss the role of a covenant ratified through sac...

After taking a break from his podcast and throwing in a couple of one-off episodes, I continue a multi-part series based on my 30 years of teaching the Catholic faith in my local parish’s inquiry program. In this episode, we begin our brief overview of the Old Testament. Links of Interest for this episode Handout materials for this lesson: https://www.patreon.com/posts/handout-material-143872709?u...

In this episode, we look at the recent controversies surrounding the Indiana University student paper, the Indiana Daily Student, which was forced to shut down its print edition in favor of the online version. Then we take a broader look at the shift from print to digital media.  Links of Interest for this episode Indiana Daily Student online edition: https://www.idsnews.com/ Indiana Daily Student...

In this episode, I bemoan the lack of new or innovative content on broadcast TV based on the offerings of this new fall season. We also take a statistical look at the recent Emmy awards and notice that the few broadcast and basic cable shows nominated did not earn any wins. AppleTV+ and other streaming services dominated the landscape. Although all of my podcasts are listenable, this one includes...

While proofreading my previous episode, I realized the theological point I was making was also a commentary on the political divisiveness we find in our country today. Here are my thoughts regarding ways that the teachings of St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians delivered a poignant message that is applicable to our secular society today. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate t...

In this episode, I depart from my original plans to continue turning my old Scripture lessons into podcast episodes. I’ve been going through old audiocassettes and downloading them to my computer, and I found some long-lost lectures that were key to my faith journey as a foundation of the lessons taught in the Catholic Church for 30 years. I hope to return to presenting more of those lessons and u...

This episode is the final installment in a four-part series on Catholic Tradition. When I used to teach this lesson, it included a tour of the church. While I can’t do that with you physically, I want to try to cover the same material with you. We'll discuss in more detail what you can expect to find in a Catholic Church, including an overview of the items the priest uses during Mass, as well...