Do you miss Buzzfeed quizzes? We kind of do. We actually took one at the beginning of this episode to determine which jobs we had if we were all Ken's in Barbieland. We like discovering our personalities, even if that means having someone (or something) prescribe it for us. We get into what personality really means in this episode, how our identities interplay with our personal inclinations, and why Michael's accent changes every time he takes a trip.
In this installment, we're going to be talking about the topic of identity. We've touched on it before, specifically as it relates to individuation during early life development, but we're to going to continue that conversation and explore identity in adulthood. All three of us get open and honest about a recent identity shift that occurred within our church denomination, Lindsay talks about what her own individuation process has looked like in life, and Michael talks about what it's like to juggle several seemingly paradoxical identifiers at once.
Grief is a topic we've addressed several times before this podcast, but unfortunately it's something all three of us have experienced in our lives recently. Michael and Evan get real about some family losses they've each suffered recently, plus Lindsay talks about a recent change that happened in her career. These moments are tough to walk through, but talking about the pain (and recognizing it) is essential to our own wellbeing. This one's kinda long too, so grab a coffee and settle in!
This week, we piggyback off of our last episode and dive deeper into the subject of success. We'll talk about how the world defines success, grappling with those conventional metrics working in ministry (including when organizations seemingly fail to meet those benchmarks), and how God's presence can often defy how we determine success. Also, we learn to no one's surprise that Lindsay was basically a perfect child when she was growing up.
We're back! To kick off this new season of the podcast, we will each take our turns describing how we're crushing it out there... just kidding. That would make for terrible listening. What we will talk about, though, is how we define success in life, how conventional metrics of success might not always equal overall wellness, and how we can set personal goals in a healthy way. Evan talks about his dreams of being on the Antique Road Show, Michael talks about career changes he's made (plus a fellow television star he met), and Lindsay talks about what it's like to talk to clients about success (as well as her lack of success in getting Michael and Evan into long-distance running).
Helloooooooooooo..... we hope this podcast preview finds you well. It's been a busy 2023 for us but we're finally back and have already begun recording new episodes! Keep an eye out next week as we begin season 5 of Not Alone!
Now, looking solely at the title of this episode, one might deduce that Michael McCord grew up extremely wealthy; so wealthy he even had an Englishman in livery to answer his home phone for him. But like any good clickbait story, the truth is buried under the headline (and usually has a boring explanation you have to click 8 links to find). Despite living in the information age, finding the truth can be a daunting task, and one we don't often have the time to do. So how do we deal with information, misinformation and disinformation? In this episode, Lindsay Geist will explain the difference between those three concepts, Michael will talk about an interesting accent his sibling took on (which ties into the butler story), and Evan DeYoung shares his wisdom as someone who grew up a digital native.
When you hear the word tradition, what comes to mind? If you're like Lindsay, you might think of a certain musical about a Jewish patriarch adapting to fast-paced times. Or maybe you're like Michael, and think of a ratty old sofa that was hard to throw out because of the memories attached to it. Traditions are a huge part of our family lives and spiritual practices. Why is tradition so important? How do we determine what things we must hold onto, what things we let go of, and what things we decide to change? This week, we'll share some of the traditions from our own lives and unpack the wisdom we've learned from them, and look for the spirit behind the traditions we hold.
We're trying out a new podcasting format his week; instead of us spilling our guts out for you, we're going to send out 55 minutes of total silence so you can dish out your deepest darkest secrets. Just pretend like we're listening (we're totally not)....
Just kidding! If you started listening to the podcast before reading the description like a normal person does you would know this is a farce. Confession is an interesting tradition of Christian living, one which most of us are uncomfortable practicing. But just as Biblically-practiced confession can draw us closer to God, honesty with other people creates intimacy; and getting to that level of honesty might require a greater capacity for forgiveness.
We're sad Lindsay couldn't be a part of this conversation this week, but Michael and Evan were able to have a great and thoughtful conversation, even though there wasn't a professional present to keep things in check.
We hope you like surprises... if you don't, though, that's okay. We're not sure how we feel about them either.
A surprise is defined as something that's unexpected or mis-expected (more on that word later). The total subversion of expectation can be a rich, rewarding thing, such as a surprise party or a surprise gift. They can also be big-time stress inducers as well; like medical procedures or life expenses. And there are the things in life that don't always make the best surprises (like puppies or children) no matter how good and wonderful they might be.
In this episode, Lindsay shares some research that's actually been done on surprises, and Michaels shares some of the good and bad surprises that have happened over his life.
When was the last time you did something just for fun? Like threw a frisbee, played a board game, or even assemble a LEGO set? Play is not always seen as an essential need for adults (and sometimes it's looked down upon), but there's a lot of evidence to suggest it's a lifelong necessity. Michael, Evan and Lindsay will go through some of the anecdotal evidence from their own lives but they'll discuss some research that's been done by some really smart people, like Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (we'll get into how to pronounce that).
"When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me"
These of course are the lyrics of the classic Toy Story theme song written by Randy Newman. We often think of friendships being able to last through time and survive long distances, but the reality is our friendships change over the course of our lives. In this episode, Michael, Lindsay, and Evan discuss what this has meant in their own lives, how making friends looks different in adulthood, and the practical ways we can maintain our friendships despite how busy life may get.
Summer is traditionally the vacation season; we push the pause button on our daily routines to go somewhere and kick our feet up. But how we experience summer changes over the course of our lives. Summer can be beach time, it can also be time for home projects, or even moving to a new home altogether. Perhaps you can look back on your own previous summer seasons and see the times of rest and the times of stress. In this episode, we’ll get anecdotal and talk about how that has played out in our own lives. Lindsay had a Summer of Yes, Michael moved to Nashville, Evan got introspective, and we all found out how much we missed podcasting!
Purpose is both a deep and broad concept. It’s a universal human desire, and it’s a big focal point for a lot of Christians in particular. And while purpose can be powerful and inspiring, it can also be challenging to navigate life around. So how do we balance health and purpose in our lives? How can theology shape our understanding of what purpose really is? And how do we apply our concepts of purpose around our decision making processes?
Even though the pandemic has waned and normal life has resumed to a large degree, some of its broader effects can still be observed; particularly within the job market. In what has been called the “Great Resignation,” many companies have reported staffing shortages, and the workforce seems less eager to return to old form. In this episode, we’re going to take a closer look at this phenomenon, why it seems like people don’t want to work anymore, what Christians in America think about vocation in general and what we can actually learn from the teachings of Jesus.
Michael, Evan, and Lindsay will tackle this subject in its broader form, but they'll also talk about the personal decisions we all face around our forms of employment, when it's right to leave a job, or when it's time to start a new one.
Bonus Material:
The United Methodist General Conference has been postponed (again) until 2024, but there's a lot to digest between now and then. It's a topic we've miraculous avoided in the almost-two years we've been podcasting (wait, has it nearly been two years???) but we decided to go ahead and talk about it now. If you're not familiar with what's been going on, the United Methodist Church has been in a fractured state for the last several years on the issue of LGBTQ+ marriage and ordination, and a divorce within congregation seems inevitable. Michael, Lindsay, and Evan will get into the weeds of this issue, explore the tangential effects it has had on the emotional wellbeing of people within Methodism, and talk about what a more united future might look like.
This episode, we'll pick up where we left off two weeks ago with the second half of our conversation on forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness can be tricky... even though it's good to seek forgiveness, it can sometimes be heard as, "let's forget this happened and just move on." So how do we know when to let others have their space when we've hurt them? What are the differences between "big" and "small" forgiveness? And how do we practice forgiveness in healthy community?
Forgiveness is a word we hear often in church. If you go to a liturgical church, you might even say "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" every Sunday. But why forgiveness easy to talk about but hard to conceptualize? This week, we'll start the first part of a two-part conversation about this topic. Join us as we discuss the actual meaning of forgiveness, what it means to forgive others (and ourselves), and how it relates to our spiritual lives as well as our interpersonal connections.
At some point in every person’s life, there will be moments that are so heavy you just can’t “keep calm and carry on,” as the old saying goes. Whether it's stress, grief, or depression, we eventually have to find ways to cope. And there are lots of different coping mechanisms that people employ, including some that might actually be doing more harm to us on top of whatever it is we’re experiencing. So… how do we form healthy and productive coping habits?
Setting goals can be tricky. Following through on them is even harder. Sometimes it’s good to have a little accountability from others, but where is the line between helpfulness and judgment? This week, we explore the concept of accountability, how it works in the context of discipleship, how the concept can be misused and abused, and what it looks like to practice healthy transparency in work, family and relationships.