My friend, Oliver, was visiting this week in Michigan and we started talking about family. We are both in pursuit of work-life balance, if there is such a thing, and it got us thinking about how we spend our time on what matters most. For both of us that is our families. 

Listen in as we talk about family in the 21st century and parenting practices. Oliver is one of the most creative high school teachers I've ever met! He's been awarded countless teacher of the year awards and he's a sought-after educator. Learn how he's taken his creativity for life and applied it to his family. 

Melissa is the author and creator of A Bible & A Girl, a faith-based social media network. Her ministry is primarily focused on sharing the gospel online. She resides in Florida with her husband Braxton and their two cats Oliver & Olivia.

In this episode, I get to talk with Melissa, about her social media ministry with all of its challenges and opportunities and what led Melissa into this avenue of outreach. She connects her ministry with her testimony and explains why it's essential to have a Biblical perspective of God. A clear message from this episode is what we believe about God definitely has an impact on our life.

Be sure to check her out on Instagram at @unmistakablymelissa for daily inspiration and clarity on Bible topics. You can also find her on YouTube by searching A Bible & A Girl. For more information about Melissa and her ministry, you can visit https://www.thebiblegirl.com/. 

Without knowing it many of us go through life unaware of our day-to-day experiences. Many call this mental absent-mindedness "auto-pilot". Socrates would probably refer to this as the unexamined life. Too much happens to us at any given moment which makes it difficult to be mindful of all that we're experiencing. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Jon Daniel to talk about the importance of mindfulness. 

He shares his own story of when he was kicked out of his undergraduate program with a GPA of 0.8 and recently went back to that same school and graduated with a 4.0 to receive a master's degree in clinical mental health! His story is inspiring as it challenges us to be mindful of the negative thought patterns we form and what we can do to retrain our minds to think positively. 

Each of our life journeys as individuals is unique. Meaning no two experiences are the same. However, can we find similarities across our stories that can help point us in the right direction? Pastor Eddie Turner and I discuss this as we talk about core issues surrounding masculinity. This conversation is applicable to all since Eddie is able to clarify certain "steps" we should all take in order to become our best selves. As you listen ask yourself who's helping to mentor and shape you into your best self. 

Instagram: @kingeclipse
Sermons: https://www.youtube.com/c/GlendaleAZSDAChurch/featured

Niq Ruud grew up amongst the vistas of the Pacific Northwest, hooking him on alpine climbing, surfing, and storytelling. Since earning an undergraduate degree in religion, graduating from seminary, and working as a pastor, he is presently a postgraduate at The University of Edinburgh keenly interested in the human perception of God. You can connect with him at niqruud.com and @niqruud on Instagram. 

I get to talk to him about his newly released book, "Only Love: How Everything Was, Is, and Will Be". In it, he talks about how he lied saying he couldn’t smell for nearly a decade. He lived in his car during college to afford tuition. He got lost in a blizzard during his first mountaineering trip then learned to ski a few months later while climbing Mount Rainier. He saved his little sister from a kidnapper by leaping from a plum tree with a Nerf toy while they were children. And it is with wit and a scholar’s touch that he uses these and many other stories to wrestle with the question: What if the deity you grew up learning about in church doesn’t exist?

For while the God of the Christian tradition is often said to be good, that same God doesn’t seem to shy away from endorsing genocide, homophobia, racism, sexism, or eternal damnation; leading many persons of faith to justify violence and oppressive behaviors for thousands of years. But in this book, Ruud works readers into the supposition that God desires none of those things. And, on the contrary, with a theology that pushes the boundaries of God much larger than we might ever imagine, he argues that the only god who can truly be good is a God of other-centered, self-sacrificial love. The implications as to what a God of only love means, for everything, are vast—because everything changes when we see God as nothing more and nothing less than love.

Aileen Martinez is a chicana artist based in Phoenix, Arizona. Her color drawings center around places in the valley and pay homage to the city of Phoenix. She also works making commissions of people's homes and places that they find special and dear.

Aileen has a bachelor's degree in Art Therapy and believes in the power of using art as an expressive and creative outlet to bring joy and healing in life. She lives in Arizona and enjoys traveling, thrifting, and eating at local restaurants.

We all have something we dream about doing whether it be a passion we want to pursue or the hobbies we'd like to turn into our job. In this episode, we discuss the perspectives that she feels have contributed to her success and she offers advice on what we can do too when it comes to following our dreams. 

Aileen's Website: https://lookseedraw.com/

Dan Smith is the former Specialist for Creative Evangelism at the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Riverside, California, and was previously Senior Pastor at the La Sierra University Church for over 14 years.

He grew up in Thailand, the son of missionary parents which gave him a passion for mission. His experience has led him to active involvement in many countries including Ghana, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.

In this episode, he shares the many life lessons he has learned in the mission field and how they have shaped him. One of the biggest things he taught me was the importance of keeping your passion alive. Make sure to check his podcast "What Do You Think" on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzBgExX5HWH0mtagXTD2FMw/videos

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-do-you-think/id1534496247

Self-awareness has been a game-changer for my spiritual growth recently. Rich Villodas said it best in his book, The Deeply Formed Life, " You can't know God if you don't know yourself and you can't know yourself if you don't know God". Self-awareness, I would say, is a spiritual discipline that can better position us to live the life God wants for us. Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living". Authors suggest that Paul agreed with some of Socrates's ideas and even used them to reason with greek unbelievers. He knew what we need to know which is just existing with no higher purpose can be detrimental to our inner lives. 

Dr. Geof Tio is a well-respected clinician. He has been involved in clinical supervision, teaching clinical chaplains and clinical pastoral supervisors in New York, New Jersey, Arizona, and other states since 2002. He has also coached, trained, and mentored clergy, businessman, and lay leaders to become more successful leaders in ministry and/or the marketplace. Geof is a great friend of mine and I'm happy that we got to talk. He shares his self-awareness journey and why it is so important for you and me.