All Things

Ever struggle with a disconnect between how you act and what you believe, or what you want to believe? Then let's talk about what your habits can tell you about what you really believe, deep down, and how this year you can make a truly transformative resolution. 

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Prompts from the episode:

Name one habit. Any habit.

Write or discuss it in a purely descriptive way - don't analyze it. This will help move stuff from your lizard brain where your habits and instincts and unconscious beliefs are held, to the part of your brain that can rationally analyze stuff. 

Then think or talk about what that habit carries in the way of your beliefs. Unpack the question: what does this show about what I believe?

Now, what do you want to believe? What is truer? What would make you more into the you you know you want to be? Who you were made to be? 

Now, if you did believe that, how would that you act? And what is one area you can consistently act that way? When are you most tempted to spiral off into different actions? 

Now summarize: What is your cue? How do you want to act more truthfully? What is a simple and healthy way you can reward yourself? 

 

Why do gifts, recognition, or physical touch sometimes leave us feeling scared, empty, or sad? Odd, but true, isn't it? These things are meant to carry love, so why and how do they break down? 

This episode we talk with Trevor Olson, PsyD, about the difficulties we encounter in giving and receiving love. 

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Original score by Wilson Ryland (all on guitar - you'll have to listen to the episode to understand why that matters) 

We talk the kinds of limits that bring freedom, and how the rituals and liturgies of the Christian faith can foster perseverance, help make us into the kinds of people who absorb violence - you know, like Jesus - and discern between healthy change and progress and cancerous mutations. Chris Nafis (from episode 15) returns. 

www.shemasd.org
Original score by Julius Obregon Jr.

Our guest this week has been part of an international news story, but still has no platform or “name” of his own, and that seems very Christian. We talk about why that is.

As we do, we explore some differences between mediated perception and reality, the difficulty in finding allies in the world, and some of the real-life challenges that come with being the Church together with those who do not have homes. Finally, we talk how in all this Christ will lead us to high moments and carry us into, and through, the lowest moments.

With Chris Nafis.

www.shemasd.org

Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.

You ever had your grit and willpower turn on you? Been confused by circumstances where “just don’t quit” turned out to be bad advice?

Core values are celebrated in many fields, but without a larger framework they can disintegrate into powerful tools for self-deception and coercion that help you achieve personal success, but at great cost to others.

It can help to become aware of the difference between what is actually driving you (true core values) and who you want to be but simply are not yet (aspirational values).

This episode we discuss baseline, core, and aspirational values and how they help us understand the gap between who we are and who we want to be, and invite us to tangibly live into grace and peace and healthy competition.

Original Score by Wilson Ryland

www.shemasd.org

The better we know our stories, the better commitments we make, and the better commitments we make, the better story we’re telling.

So, when things are tough, do you know which parts of yourself you can trust, and which you can ignore? When it’s for better or worse, and you get the worst, can you commit without settling for the worst?

This week, we dig into a difficult story and tools for self-knowledge like the enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and StrengthsFinder, to look past easy either/or scenarios for creative ways forward, and to help you name and enact healthy boundaries as you move through those difficult situations. 

Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.

www.shemasd.org

When was the last time you struggled with a choice that paralyzed you because of the commitment it involved?

When it gets hard, how do you know when to clamp down no matter what, and when to let go?

What makes all this so scary?

We all find ways to avoid decisions and commitments, but the right commitments help shape not only your identity, but the lives of people around you. So how can we name and deal with our avoidance tactics and draw from key stories to make good commitments? 

Original Score by Julius Obregon Jr.

www.shemasd.org

When you face the anxiety that comes when you need to develop a new skill or push yourself further than you've gone before, where do you start? When inspiration and confidence abandon you, where do you turn to move forward?

We draw from what Monks and Nuns know to talk structures and habits that can help you build courage to overcome fear and failure and develop old skills and habits into new abilities.

And, of course, how all this provides glimpses into the deep structures of reality. www.shemasd.o

Do you tend to make things to satisfy an inner desire (inner loop) or for others (outer loop)? 

What’s the difference between a designer and an artist?

Can these be integrated?

What structures and practices can help you find your voice and place in The Story?

What's the connection between this and having something to say about God?

All this in a larger conversation with voices from Shema San Diego - Julius Obregon Jr., Samantha Sheila Herrera, and Brian Rinker. 

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What is going on when we say something "means" something? What deep things do people who love to perform and those who love to stay out of the spotlight have in common? We explore these questions and more with James (Music by Brother) - who hears music in sticks, leaves, and thunderstorms - and Debbie Bishop - who funnels love into ink on paper.

Whatever it is, we all shape the world around us into new creations. Why?

And how can we do it with greater wisdom, love, and beauty?

www.shemasd.org