Episodes

How about you? Do you struggle with taking compliments or admitting that in some areas you are accomplished? Are you afraid people with think you prideful if you claim some level of expertise or learned experience? Do you feel safer andmaybe even a better human being if you kind of play small? Listen to the lively conversation these questions generated for the Exploracast team.

Are we who we have always been and always will be or is it possible for a person to change in a deep and fundamental way? This is more than just the growth of experience or learning. This is the sort of change that almost feels as if itrestructures us at a base level. Be it in times of tragedy, times of triumph, or moments of awe and unimaginable experience, who we are before and after is noticeably different. Sounds like a good discussion starter!

What is something that you used to believe as a younger person or even a child that you no longer believe? Or is it possible that someone might hold exactly the same views then as now, even decades later? Would that be a good orpotentially bad thing? This thought-provoking question was submitted by Ken Bailey. Listen in on the ensuing conversation!

What do you think about the question of whether people are born more fundamentally good or inherently bad? Do we as human beings tend instinctively toward the light or naturally fall prey to carnal and selfish natures? Larry brought thesequestions to the gang which produced this very lively conversation!

We were probably all raised with some ideas of what the cultural identity is for the United States. Are we the land of the rugged individual lifting him or herself up by the bootstraps? Are we the land of the tired and poor who have been provided a golden chance of opportunity? Are we gunslinging cowboys or oven-baked steel workers? Are we the land of religious freedom to worship (or not) as we please? Are we a uniquely Christian nation? Maybe the biggest question is whether there is room for al...

Michael Jordan is an elite basketball player. Meryl Streep, an elite actor. Luciano Pavoratti is in a class alone among the elite of his art. But there are also other supposed elites among us whether they themselves say so or are considered so byothers. Is it money, education, skill, class, heritage, tastes, possessions, or associations that form the elites? Who decides who is and who's not an elite? The Exploracast team takes on this very nuanced and highly relevant topic.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to eliminate racial discrimination in voting. Recent changes in the act have made it harder to prove discrimination and narrowed redistricting protections. Proponents claim that these changes help the cause of eliminating racial discrimination but one must ask, what group do these changes actually hurt/limit? As you might expect, the Exploracast team has some thoughts!

As long as we have been around, humans have vigorously sought ways of defining themselves as different than and better than other human groups. One of the very oldest but still deeply rampant ways we do this is through the ideologies of racism. In fact, we had to actually build the construct of differing races just to support our need for superiority even though we are much more like than unlike people withdiffering phenotypes. Listen in as the Exploracast team vents their own anger, frustration...

As long as I can remember, there has been a movement in our country and world to grant actual equal rights to women, and in more than just name. Most agree some headway has been made but it seems there remain "glass ceiling" barriers that are keeping the movement from crossing the finish line. The Exploracast team invites Rachel Childress to reflect on her experiences as a woman persistently standing for real equality in both the sacred and secular worlds, as well as some of the surprising and n...

There's no question that a lot is made of how people look. The massive fashion, cosmetic, and entertainment industries thrive on creating acceptable norms. There are assumptions and even judgements based on factors of body type and image. Sometimes the problems are with those making judgements and sometimes the problems are based on incorrect ways we actually see ourselves. Join theExploracast team as they delve into this complex issue.

What happens when a fundamentally good concept gets subverted and pushed well past the borders within which it best functions? What happens when this new conceptbecomes an actual threat to the original one? Welcome to our discussion on patriotism pushed too far into becoming jingoism. What is that, you might ask? Listen in as the Exploracast team begins to unpack this growing anddangerous trend.

In our second "ism" discussion, the Exploracast team takes on the concept of hedonism. The debate got energized as we struggled to make space for seeking pleasure as a reasonable human pursuit but standing strong against those whose pleasure pursuits come at a great expense to others and themoral fiber of society.

As the director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative at Good Faith Media, Reverend Doctor Starlette Thomas is passionate! Listen as she talks with the Exploracast team not only about her deep belief but also her willingness to live out those beliefs. Her words are a challenge for the churchto no longer use race as any sort of separating or defining construct and then to move that unified body outside the walls to take on our culture of division, hatred, and violence.

Stealing from the famous Ruth Bader Ginsberg quote, we consider another way of discriminating against one another. This time it's about ageism and how easily we can slip into making negative and even pejorative assumptions about others based on how old or how young they are. We even talk about how easily we can also use the same negative thought processes against ourselves.

In this episode we discuss an organization that solelyfocuses on helping non-profit organizations raise the monies they need and how to build stable and sustaining financial infrastructures. Welcome our guest, Todd Heifner, as he talks about the mission of Hope Manifest. But as we discuss this important work, Todd also offers a great word of encouragement to genuinely live in hope and reminding us that the hardest of times historically has brought out the best in many people.

We can all remember important lessons that we learned when we were younger. There are also those things we reflect on that we wish we had learned sooner but for our stubbornness or youthful pride. Then there are those lessons we learnedconceptually but have a history of struggling to live up to. The team explores these ideas in their own lives and with those they are close to..

What were you taught about anger? Certainly lots of bad things have happened when people are angry. A so-called crime of passion is usually a very poor choice that happens in the heat of anger. But is it the anger that's the culprit or something else? Fact is, no one is able to avoid being angry and we all must learn how to manage and express our anger in ways that are not harmful to others or ourselves. In fact, it can be quite the opposite of harmful. Expressing anger appropriately can be very...

We've spent a lot of time on Exploracast talking about the growing need for better communication and understanding between people, especially if we are to productively face the challenges of our time. As we've discussed this need, we also encounter so many challenges to making it happen. One seems to be the idea that everyone has their own "truth". What do people mean when they use the phrase "my truth"? Are they trying to convey actual facts, share their experience, or stonewall against other i...

It is a long-held idea with many groups and cultures that there are places in this world of power. Often, these are the places we go when we need to make a better connection with that deeper part of life but also places of renewal and heightened self-awareness. Are these places powerful inherently or are they assigned the moniker because we need them or both? Either way, we ask where are your power places and do you need to make a visit?

Everybody is talking about AI and many of these conversations are laced with fear and uncertainty. For today's podcast, the Exploracast team is joined by Dr. Mike McCullough as they begin talking through not only the fears but also some of the enormous positive possibilities that AI may bring. Where do you stand on AI?

The Camino de Santigo, also known as The Way of St. James, dates back to the 10th century and has been long considered one of the most important pilgrimages in Christendom.Exploracast is pleased to welcome our guest, Scott Wojahn, who completed one of the routes earlier this year. Listen to histhoughtful reflection on what was found on this pilgrimage and in many ways, what he continues to discover these months later.

Oxford Languages defines lamentation as "The passionate expression of grief or sorrow, weeping". In this episode, we have a passionate (maybe even a bit heated!) discussion about how to fully express "grief or sorrow" without falling prey to the urge to throw in the towel and give up trying to change what's bothering us if it is, in fact, changeable.

It's easy to get overwhelmed at how things are in the world right now. That makes it understandable and, in some ways, reasonable to feel like checking out and avoiding all the mess. We get it. In this episode, the Exploracast teamsteps back for a moment to offer a more general but also personal view to how we, as caring citizens like you, experience this difficult time.

There are many old narratives on what it means to be a "real man". We all know the long lists of what real men do and don't do, express and can't express. feel and shouldn't feel. The question is whether this so-called "toxic masculinity" is ultimately healthy and good for the person who approaches life this way or the people with whom they are closelyassociated.