Not Alone: Conversations on Faith and Wellbeing

The day of this episode dropping is election day. Elections are a vital part of our civic engagement, but they can also be stressful, and even bring out the worst of ourselves. So how do we safeguard our hearts and minds, love and respect our neighbors, and still be involved with our elections?

This episode is all about labels; and no, we’re not talking about the nutritional facts on food products (but we will get into food several times this episode). What we are talking about are the categories we assign to people and ourselves. We’ll go into what it looks to like break down labels of other people, how to parse out our own identity despite labels we’ve received, how to recalibrate labe...

Do you ever feel like you’re the only one who’s lonely? Do you ever find yourself wanting more depth and meaning in your relationships? Well, today’s topic is loneliness, and those feelings might be common than you think. We’ll talk about the prevalence of loneliness in our society, the way it manifests in different life stages, what practical steps we can take to address loneliness, and how God’s...

September is Suicide Awareness Prevention Month, and we wanted to use this month as an opportunity to introduce this topic to our show. This episode is heavier than our normal conversations, but we hope you will find encouragement in the stories we share. If you need immediate help or know someone who is in an emergency situation, we recommend calling the Suicide Prevention Hotline. That number to...

Individuation (in·di·vid·u·a·tion) is the word used to describe when a person is differentiating themselves from their prior groups of association. In other words, it’s when a person decides to start deciding who they want to be. From people, to a person; soup to nuts…. is this making sense? We probably butchered this description but we guarantee you’ll understand what we’re talking about once you...

To be honest, we’re getting tired of talking about COVID-19, but our reluctance to do so hasn’t changed reality. Also, as the situation continues to evolve, it feels as if the finish line continues to run away from us. This week, we’ll be talking about what it’s like to see the goalposts move in this context but also how unmet expectations present themselves in our lives in the long run. Evan shar...

Where did all these months go? If you’re like us, you probably thought we’d be out of the woods with COVID-19. Now that we’re in August, fatigue over the pandemic seems to be ramping up but also we are facing hard decisions about how our education systems should manage themselves going forward. Michael gets vulnerable discussing his own experiences during this time, Evan shares his frustrations ov...

Have you struggled with finding your personal limits? Or do you find you ever find yourself dealing with over-commitment? Well we hope you find today’s episode is for you. We’ll discuss the difference between respecting your capacity vs. being “lazy,” some intriguing discussion on the concept of sabbath, Lindsay shares about how the pandemic has affected her own personal threshold, and as always,...

We’re back, and we’re talking about compassion. The word means “to suffer together,” something a lot of people are being forced to learn in this time of pandemics and large-scale protesting. Lindsay introduces the concept of self-compassion; being able to understand our own individual sufferings and giving ourselves grace. Other interesting topics: can Christians glean wisdom and practices from ot...

We’re taking a pause from our normal programming to talk about racism; more specifically, what can we as individuals do to help make a better future for people of all ethnic backgrounds? Joining the show today is Dominique Johnson, a pastor and entrepreneur, to give us his insights as a person of color and his thoughts on how the church can help bridge the divide.

This week, we’ll be starting a discussion on anxiety; how to identify it, how to start a conversation with someone you might think be experiencing it, and how to be present for someone without trying to fix all their problems. We’ll also take a look at Philippians 4 and what it means to not be anxious from a theological perspective, plus Michael will divulge the real reason why vocational minister...

In this abbreviated episode, we’ll be introducing the topic of depression to our show. What is the difference between it and being sad? What are common triggers? Also, if you’re in ministry, how do you model your struggles with depression from the pulpit that is healthy and not just word-vomiting?

This week, we want to honor and congratulate our graduating high school seniors by bringing one on to our show! Elijah Shoaf and his mother, Kim, become our first guests on the pod as they discuss what it’s been like to finish high school during the pandemic, having a graduation ceremony from home, and what it’s been like to look ahead to the next season of life.

Tired of hearing other people explain why bad things happen? Are you feeling your own sense of control failing you as you deal with your grief? So are we. In this episode, we’ll talk about where that sense of control comes from, some theological discussion on why bad things happen, and the appropriate ways to comfort those that are suffering. Michael also talks about his current side gig selling i...

How do we cope with the existential disappointment of a pandemic which has flipped life upside down for all of us? This week, we begin a conversation on the experience of having expectations fall short of reality, and when they leave us feeling disappointed with God. Michael shares a personal moment from his own life where he dealt with these questions, Lindsay continues to expand our emotional in...

How do we teach college-aged people to seek help when the only model for mental health they’ve received is that adults just have it all together? Join us as we discuss how to draw the line between healthy modeling and “dumping” our emotions on others. Also covered in this episode are some observations our hosts have about the feelings wheel, how to expand our emotional vocabulary, and how the feel...

We are kicking off the podcast! Today we introduce ourselves, talk about how a worldwide pandemic might actually be the most important time to talk about mental health issues, and how to become aware of our emotional health. We'll also answer important questions such as, "when is the right time to get a dog?" (hint: it always is).