Upstream with Jim and Jon

We made it to episode 60! Thanks as always for listening. This episode we talk about personal responsibility: how it seems to be disappearing from our culture; how a life without responsibility can feel meaningless; and how finding meaning, through responsibility, might be the key to happiness and a sense of fulfillment. Enjoy!

Multiple passages of scripture provide the same message: that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Jon had a question this week on how far, exactly, this extends. If you find yourself at piece with the world does that mean something is wrong? Should you go picking fights with the world just to feel some resistance? And what of struggles you experience between yourself and the church? We d...

As the nation has come to another grinding halt in the last few weeks during protests in respect to the murder of George Floyd, we figured it was pertinent to have a conversation, or in this case, 6 small conversations, on race relations in America. We also touch on related issues like the power of speech and the Frustrated Majority. Please note: we are very aware that, as two white men in a prima...

On the topic of Evergreen's new Oikochurch program, we talked this week about how, relationally, a small intimate group can have a far bigger effect on the lives of its members than that of a larger group. We also discuss how this principal, going big by going small, relates to other areas of life, and how everybody needs at least one "2 a.m. friend." As always, thanks so much for listening, and s...

Happy Memorial Day! We hope you all are having great three day weekends and are so grateful for your listening patronage. Jim and Sue had an interesting conversation on their own that Jon had his own take on, which led to this conversation on how our contemporary culture seems to decide what is right and what is wrong. We compare that with some cases of Biblical morality, including a few times whe...

We get personal this week on our own non-stop fighting of our sin natures, and talk about if there is a better way to go about righteousness than trying really hard to be better and hating yourself when you fail. If being born again is really as powerful and dramatic as it sounds, why do men and women of faith still fight temptation all the way to the grave? Tune in and find out (Note: yes, we hav...

Well, there it is. This week we talk about gun ownership, not through the lens of gun control legislation or our political positions on them, but on our personal convictions (or lack thereof) on gun ownership as disciples. Would Paul have owned guns? Would Jesus? Does preparing for the worst mean you lack faith/doubt the sovereignty of God? We walk through our own personal values and questions her...

Welcome to the first episode of year two of Upstream! Thank you so much for your continued support, we are so grateful for our listeners. This week we have another COVID-19 discussion, this time on the many ethical questions it has brought to the front of public discussion. Among them; should older Americans risk their lives for the sake of the economy? Hope you all are safe and, again, thank you.

This week marks one whole year of Upstream episodes! We could not be more grateful for those who give us their time and tune in every week, and a special shout out to our Upstream Team who support us on Patreon. We celebrate this occasion by looking back at how we started, what our goals were and where we are now, and then look toward the future of the podcast with some of our goals going forward....

This week we look as best we can into the future, when the shutdowns are eased and people are back to sharing all kind of space with all kinds of people. We look at possible changes ranging from the more dramatic to the more mundane, with a particular focus on how this culture shift might affect our professional world and its status quo. Thanks so much for listening as always, and catch us next we...

Are the commands that Jesus gave to the Apostles exactly the same He would give to every Christian, or are there different levels of expectations for those who are not in vocational ministry? We talk about that this week in our first remotely-recorded episode! Thanks for listening.

We review a study and advice from a professional with credentials for above our own this week on what exactly happens to our minds, both chemically and otherwise, during a time of mass crisis like we all find ourselves in. As well as breaking down why exactly we react the ways we do to pressure, we go over ways to use that information, and this extra time on your hands, to your advantage. As alway...

This week, Jon had a sort of "aha" during Jim's sermon on Sunday. You don't have to attend church for very long before you hear about God's plan and the ways it may run contrary to your own, but often we talk about this in regard to aspirations, career goals or life purpose. But the realization was that this extends to really all manner of things, including prayers during life or death scenarios....

While many Washingtonians have already been staying home for the good of themselves and their countrymen, there may be a long road of self-isolation still ahead of us. To help you stay sane and healthy, we both wrote a list of ways you can stave off boredom, and even use this time as an opportunity to help people! We had a lot of fun, thank you all for listening.

We bring you this early episode of Upstream to encourage peace during a week of panic that shows no signs of slowing down. The figures and public opinion surrounding this novel coronavirus change so rapidly that we are delivering this to you very soon after we recorded, and if you listen to it next week please give us grace in regard to information that may be out of date by then. Between those wh...

Some hot, fresh statistics have recently been released, showing again the decline of Church attendance in America. This time, however, it has shown an increase in personal faith engagement (prayer, Bible reading), which complicates things. So again we look at the future of the American Church, why these stats are the way they are, and what other forms Church-going may take in the coming years. Tha...

Jon has a question this week on Philippians 2:12 where Paul tell us to "work out (our) salvation with fear and trembling." Salvation is normally associated with joy and grace, so this wordage caught him off guard. We talk through it this week, and through the general concepts of what it is to fear God, and what responsibility you have in regards to your own salvation. Thanks for listening!

The New Testament seems to acknowledge only one kind of Christian, one who is totally bought in and on fire for God. This seems contrary to how ministry seems today, where there can be many kids of Christ followers (i.e. the new convert, the cooled-off Christian, the stuck one, etc.). So we break down a list this week of the differences between a casual, cultural Christian, and a bonafide New Test...

We break down another list this week, this time on lies people believe about work and their careers. Jim provides an employer perspective, focused on how to provide the healthiest and most productive environment for your team, and Jon the employee, focused on how to enjoy your time at work the most and the realities of a work-life balance (or if that is one of the lies)!

This week's topic is an especially squirrely one. We talk about research that indicates that a person is basically already who they are going to be from a very young age, with many predispositions set before birth, and what this says about us and our interactions with God. How free-will enters into the equation, and what being 'born again' really means in a practical sense. We had a great time rec...

This week we use one of the smaller miracles of Jesus as a case study to understand the relationship between what we believe and how we view the world, and how challenging it can be to believe against our unbelief that God is still working in supernatural ways all the time. Thanks for listening, we made it to 40!

This week we talk about the idea that happiness is a choice, and how one might go about choosing it. We break down a famous list of qualities of happy Christ followers, and the possibility that happiness isn't a goal, so much as it is a byproduct of a healthy and God-honoring lifestyle.

This week we are graced with our second guest ever (and the first non-Ladd) Alex Cloninger! Jim interviews him and Jon about their predictions and aspirations for their careers, and those of other Gen. Z's, and offers his own life experience and advice. Alex hosts his own podcast, which you can find on Instagram @chatthepodcast. Thanks for listening!

Oh boy. What can be said about this one. This week we finally talk about Trump in regards to the recent drama surrounding a Christianity Today article on him, which was probably inevitable, and for how much we dreaded it we think it turned out very well. Thank you for listening to one drop of in sea of editorials about the current political state of the U.S. Also, Jim was wrong and this is the 37t...

This week we talk about the romantic, pensive, and often disappointing time of New Years, and the marked decrease in people practicing resolutions. We share our thoughts on the holiday, on the passage of time, and on the right way to do resolutions without burning out or failing yourself. Overall, we have a good time. Thanks for listening!