And Sons

What do two decades of friendship look like? How is it even possible these days, with travel, life changes, and the difficulties of keeping in touch with friends? Alex Burton and Morgan Snyder join Blaine and Sam in the studio to talk about male friendship, what works, what hurts, and some practical reorientations on how we should be thinking about ourselves and building a close group around us.

In Part 2, Padre joins Sam and Blaine to finish their conversation on social and personal agreements that are killing millennials, and what is possible by breaking them.

"I fear the worst has happened. You are losing heart, may have already lost it altogether." This weeks conversation with Padre centers around one of the articles written in the Winter '18 issue of And Sons, which we hope conveys the posture of love that it was offered from, rather than some assumed condemnation. As Padre writes: "I believe this loss of heart, now sweeping an entire generation, is deeply linked to some core beliefs that have crept in. I call them “agreements” because they are ideas which have secured a deep agreement in your heart without you really stopping to consider the implications. We all breathe a cultural air; the assumptions we absorb are the very things that seem to us to need no explanation. Which is good news, actually, because it means you can fight your way out; you can get your hope and your heart back."

We needed something lighter this week, so we thought we'd practice the act of conversation. How to ask good questions and where we go with the answers can separate a bland interaction from a profound one.

Michael Cusick is a counselor, lecturer, and the founder of Restoring the Soul, a ministry addressing sexual addiction through deep, whole-hearted restoration. His work (including two books) centers on a pair of pressing questions: what, exactly, is our sexuality for, and what does sexual wholeness look like? Safe to say we got more than we bargained for - from a definition of sexuality rooted in the Imago Dei and the creative capacity of human beings to a short list of what not to do with sexual addiction, this conversation completely reframes sexuality and offers some direction for the guy looking to be an alive, whole-hearted man whose sexuality directs him into deep union with God.

It's a simple concept, that when we experience seasons or days or hours that make us uncomfortable or are filled with pain of some kind we have two choices: we can run and medicate, or we can press in and grow. Easier said than done. Where are you taking your pain these days?

This week: a sneak peek into the young men's session at the February 2018 Boot Camp in Colorado. It's the And Sons message all in one place: naming things about our world and experience, offering some counsel on the day to day, and inviting you to come journey with us.

We go a little deep this week, into the roots of why we are the way we are as a social media society, what philosophies got us there, and how our world is effecting us. Inspired by Matthew Crawford's book, "The World Beyond Your Head," Sam and Blaine dive into how we understand ourselves, how we experience the world around us, and how technology has grown and changed for the worse. Hold on to your seat belts.

John Eldredge, also known as "Padre" around the And Sons world, joins Sam and Blaine as they begin the conversation around masculine spirituality. Why are so many men struggling with the typical "church experience"? Does there seem to be more women than men in most faith settings? Why is that? Finding God in the things you love, in adventure and in battle, are some of the ways to step into a fuller spiritual experience.

It's the phone call, the text, the "mayday" from a friend or family member that changes everything. You jump in the car to meet them, or sit down to talk on the phone and wonder, "What do I do now? What do I offer?" Dan Allender is back on the podcast to offer some simple counsel on how to engage those in your world who have recently experienced trauma of some kind, and how we can learn to walk alongside them.

This episode is not an advertisement. Money and budgeting are usually more complicated than issues of dollars and cents, there's often shame and personal growth right in the middle. In our conversation with Jesse Mecham, founder of YNAB, we get to explore what motivates someone to think about budgeting, and what Mecham would want to change about the way people think about money. While there are lots of budgeting programs, styles, and apps out there it's probably best if you stick to the one you've committed to, and if you haven't committed to one, maybe it's time to think about why.

There are many things that we need in life, Maslow's Hierarchy and all that, but some things stand out on their own. Initiation is one of the big ones. It's something that probably most of us haven't experienced in our life, either in the small and specific or in the sweeping narrative of our stories. Morgan Snyder, of Ransomed Heart and Become Good Soil, takes us in to the ways that it is needed and offered.

The And Sons season has come to a close, we'll see you on January 2nd, 2018!

After the triathlon nerd-out episode, we realized nobody's story of adventure and exercise begins at the starting line. For most of us, stepping out into adventure means working through sometimes decades-long stories of opposition. We asked Luke to come in and share his story of longtime injury, eventual achievement, and overcoming shame. Enjoy a conversation on starting places, breaking agreements, and entering into an embodied life.

There’s an old line in Tozer we’ve come to appreciate a great deal. It’s this: “God is speaking. He is, by His nature, continuously articulate. He fills the world with His speaking voice.” But the layers in and through which He is speaking aren't always obvious on first glance. Mandy Nelson and Scott Morin have spent their lives teaching and learning more about these layers and the implications for our lives. To find our more about Nelson and Morin you can go here: http://www.empoweringranch.com