And Sons

What do you do in seasons where the things that once brought great joy no longer seem possible? The desire is still there, but the time or perhaps the money isn't. Through the doorway of sailing and yeah, even squirrels, Sam and Blaine offer a message of serious hope. Don't ever stop pursuing what brings you joy. Even when the epic seems out of reach, there are small things you can do to turn your daydreams of the past into fuel for the future reality you desire.

Show Notes: Find the four-part Wild at Heart Envy podcast series here: https://wildatheart.org/rhplay/series/podcast/envy

Certain songs have the ability to move you like nothing else, bringing you right back to key moments in life. Sometimes you choose the songs; sometimes they choose you. Either way, music's a potent mix of melody, memory, and emotion. Maybe that's why ancient epics often weren't poems or stories...but songs. In this conversation about music, Sam and Blaine share songs from the soundtracks of their lives while inviting you to remember the songs from various seasons of your own life.

Show Notes: Check out the Spotify playlist with all the music featured in this podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4e4LITa7cYpxweFQx5QeuF?si=efbaa7cccf19471b

In this recent AndSons livestream, Sam and Blaine explore the high cost of ignoring our hearts. Yes, the heart is messy and complicated, but it's also the epicenter of our emotions, desires, motives, and experiences. When we become untethered from it and mask our feelings, we open the door to shame, despair, and anger. For those willing and brave enough, there is a way back to wholeheartedness. Here are some simple practices for becoming a student of the heart.

Our souls grow weary from the relentless pace of life filled with non-stop demands for more of us than we have to give. In these times it's hard to remember our treasured times with Jesus...much less how to be captivated by him. Stasi Eldredge joins Sam and Blaine with a much-needed reminder that God is in our longings. She tenderly shows how grief can intermingle with intimacy. Ways to let our hearts surface in God's care. And how important it is for us to remember who we are, who God is, and the truer story that he's telling through the messiness and beauty of our lives.

Show Notes

Listen to the first episode of Stasi Eldredge's new Captivated podcast series here: https://wildatheart.org/rhplay/podcast/captivated/encountering-jesus

If you struggle with anxiety, you're not alone. More than 40 million adults struggle with anxiety. It's the most common mental illness in America. But we don't really talk about it, probably because it creates a sense of shame or makes us feel like a failure. Luke Eldredge joins Sam for a conversation to address what's really going on and offer some practical things that help when anxiety hits.

In this foundational episode, Sam and Blaine are joined by trauma therapist and bestselling author Dan Allender for this candid conversation about depression and suicide. As an entry into this weighty topic, Sam shares his personal story of wrestling with depression during high school and college—and how that tied to his deep desire to be an advocate for the underdog. Just as in Sam's story, God seeks to restore what's been broken or stolen in all our lives. That hard but hopeful process begins with discovering how to name, understand, and seek help for the shame, anger, despair, depression, or even agreements with death that come against us.

A listener recently wrote in asking for a conversation on breaks-up. He was going through a difficult season after the end of a relationship and thought this topic was one most guys could benefit from. We agree. Some of you have been broken up with. Others are in an unhealthy relationship that you need to end. But even if you're single and not currently dating or you're in a marriage you're fully committed to—there's greater healing available from understanding how past relationships have wounded and shaped you. So wherever you are in your story, here it is...the break-up podcast.

Show Note: The poem Blaine referenced is "Horses at Midnight Without a Moon" by Jack Gilbert. You can search and read it in full online.

We tend to measure success by what we get from God. We think our resiliency would improve if we only had what we most wanted. But the only thing that can ever truly satisfy the soul is being with God. In the second half of this series, Sam and Blaine discuss the value and the limitations of discipline and hard work, the power of partnering with Jesus in the things that overwhelm us, and an imaginative prayer exercise to experience Jesus in the moments we feel most alone and on our own.

When life requires more of us, we tend to buckle down, work hard, and get things done. But discipline alone can never create the mature, transformed man that God is after. Nor can the other extreme—a life of no discipline and resignation. Whether we shut down our hearts or numb it, we miss the very moments where we could experience more of God. What if the invitation is to enter the hard times with him...to be fathered in essential lessons and strategies we could never make happen in our own strength? In the first half of this series, Sam and Blaine reveal how the gospel forever alters the story of hard work and resilience.

What are the boundaries of your life and kingdom...and how do you protect them in a world that puts no limits on its right to overrule your time, words, and decisions? In this "back to basics" conversation, Sam and Blaine remind us that we have been given a self by God and, because of that, have the fundamental right for our will to be done in our domain and kingdom. Discover the importance and limitations of boundaries, how enforcing boundaries is an act of self-care, and ways to offer healthy respect for the boundaries of others.