And Sons

In the past year, our world has been shaken in almost every conceivable manner. We have been shaken as well—with chaos coming agains our dreams, hopes, and hearts in uniquely personal ways. In this conversation, Allen Arnold—Wild at Heart team member and author of the new book Chaos Can't—reveals where chaos comes from and why our usual responses to it fall short. Discover how not to let chaos in as well as God's invitation to fill the empty, void places in your world—and within you—with light, hope, beauty, and order.

Whether written, visual, oral, or music, stories serve as mini periscopes that reveal the world around us—and within us. The best movies, novels, and television shows are more like smelling salts than sermons, awakening us to the truer version of who we are...and more importantly, who we can be. Discover both the helpful and harmful ways stories shape us...and why that matters far more than most realize.

This week, we head to Hollywood. It's where a lot of stories are brought to life. And where actor, director, and author Nathan Clarkson spends his days. He takes us behind the scenes to discuss the wild world of movies, what it means to be a good man in the midst of it, and how, as an actor, he could more easily lose himself in roles once he found his true identity. God created us with great intentionality. Because of that, we can pursue our creative desires with intention. Doing so makes for the best story of all—the one we were created to live.

We all love a good story. But rarely do we see our lives as a story. In this episode from 2017, Sam and Blaine discuss the DNA of creativity and story with Allen Arnold from the Wild at Heart team. Allen is an author and—in his former life—the publisher of more than 500 novels. Along the way, he's discovered what makes a really good story...and how we can enter into our own story with more passion and purpose once we begin to see it as a journey of discovery.

We wrap our Soul Care series with a look at what we usually try to hide—the state of our soul. Trying to figure out how our soul is doing can feel like an incredibly complicated process. Until you realize the answer is revealed through the story of your life. It's a restoration project that begins with reflection. To get you stated, Sam and Blaine share ways they are pursuing their stories...and souls.

How well do you know yourself? Odds are...not very well if you don't regularly tend to the inner needs of your heart and soul. This pursuit begins with you...but doesn't end there. Because you'll never know anyone else's heart better than you know your own—or treat their hearts with more care than you treat yours. In this podcast that originally aired in 2017, Sam and Blain serve up several unexpected ways to grow in self-knowledge through the lost art of soul care.

We live at a time where everyone strives to be seen, celebrated, and productive. Yet what if being hidden in a world where everyone else fights to be noticed is actually...a gift? Sara Hagerty, the author of Unseen, joins Sam and Blaine to discuss her journey from burn-out to being fully present—and what shifted when she finally slowed down to focus on the unnoticed areas of her life.

Your soul takes plenty of hits each day—and it doesn't just get better on its own. Time alone never heals those kind of wounds. Nor does it automatically happen through outdoor adventures or relaxing with friends. Soul care isn't hard—but it does take intention. In this first of four podcasts on the topic (originally episode 78), Sam and Blaine share some basic practices for slowing down, seeking stillness and restoring one's soul.

We rarely give ourselves permission to go any speed but fast. It feels impossible to downshift to a slower rhythm. Not now. Not with so many expectations. So we push on...only to wonder why we have so little to offer those around us and why our heart feels so numb. In this disruptive yet hopeful podcast, Sam and Blaine show what it looks like to hit pause, create space to breathe, and choose a rhythm that refuels the soul.

In this final serving of our Summer Series, Wild at Heart staffer Jamie Goudie throws you back to Episode 44. This one features an interview with Michael Cusick—counselor, lecturer, and founder of Restoring the Soul, a ministry addressing sexual addiction through deep, whole-hearted restoration. He reframes where our addictions come from and how the unexpected antidote to sexual addictions isn't more shame...but more love.

In this fifth installment of the AndSons Summer Series, Bart Hansen serves up his favorite past episode - #86 with Wookie Jones telling stories about adventure, passion, and risk. Besides having a really cool name, Wookie owns a coffee shop, collects cool motorcycles, is wildly creative, and gets paid to do what he loves by freelancing. By nature, risk is, well, risky—but you can't expect to gain a return on no risk. Wookie doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but he has discovered that a life of less regret requires more risk.

How would you feel if your high-tech smartphone was suddenly just a...phone? No apps. No Siri. No touch screen anything. Just a device to call people. Is your eye starting to twitch at the thought of it? In this installment of the AndSons summer series, Allen from the Wild at Heart team reveals his favorite past AndSons podcast. It's Episode 137 - originally titled No Smartphones for a Month. In an effort to fight the creeping, medicating, overextended presence of our smartphones, several on the team exchanged their smartphones for low-tech flip phones for thirty long days. The results tested our patience, revealed our over-dependence on the devices, and flipped our expectations going forward. It's a disruptive, freeing conversation about the ways we use our smartphones...and the ways our smartphones use us.

The focus turns to dating in this third installment of the And Sons Summer Series. Michelle Patterson from the Wild at Heart team chose Episode 85 as her favorite past And Sons podcast. In it, Sam, Blaine, and Luke share stories from their experiences in dating from high school to college to, eventually, marriage. You won't find any pat answers or formulas here - just stories offered to help you interpret the challenges and joys of dating, love, and marriage in fresh ways.

It's summer...and that means outdoor adventure, lots of ice cream, and the And Sons Summer Series. This week, Stacey Burton from the Wild at Heart team shares her favorite past And Sons podcast. Episode 58 - originally titled The Danger of the Self-Arranging Life - is a look at what happens when we believe it's up to make life work. We need to care for our joy and our hearts, but the self-arranging life isn't soul care. It's a trap that can lead to isolation, obsession, and striving.

Welcome to the AndSons Summer Series. To mix things up (and to give them some vacation time), Sam and Blaine invited six of the Wild at Heart team to select and introduce their favorite past AndSons podcasts. First up to bat is Jon Dale - and he chose episode 73 featuring Dr. Randy James from True Life Medicine in Colorado. Dr. James redefines what being well - and what being sick - really means. In the process, he reveals how our culture and Western medicine have confused us about the best ways to care for our bodies - and why true wellness always involves the mind, soul, and body.