And Sons

Kicking off Season Two, Bo Zivcak joins Sam and Blaine via the workings of technology from Slovakia, wherein he tells his story of growing up behind the Iron Curtain and his journey after its fall. Secret priests, Church partnership with laymen, and radical life shifts are but a taste of the wild story of Zivcak. Yet, despite the radical shift in politics and world events, his story is more about the heart and relationship with the Holy Spirit than anything on the surface.

Bringing the season to a close, Padre joins Sam and Blaine to talk about the mission of the podcast, what episodes they loved, and where we go from here. The And Sons Podcast will return with Season Two on June 6.

With Luke in town, the three brothers talk about the experience of life in the wake of college and all of the spoken and unspoken expectations of what it will be like. It's rare that our visions of the future pan out no matter what the season, but the transition from modern education to the modern job market and economy can feel more like a belly flop than a graceful dive. How we interpret this dichotomy and how we respond are crucial, not only for our work, but for our hearts as well.

This week, Blaine and Sam sat down with Jeff Vanderstelt, a longtime apostle/teacher/church-equipper. We know that for many young men, it’s a big and often tricky jump from living a life with Jesus to living life in a community with Jesus. Fortunately, there are folks like Jeff, whose insights on community, mission, and church offer a pretty darn good framework to begin operating with another level of intentionality and vision in your relationships, community, and your city.

In this conversation, Blaine and Sam nerd out on the history of Postmodern ideas, which like people or places have very specific stories that help inform where they came from and what they really are. From a solar eclipse to the demolition of a St. Louis neighborhood, Blaine explains five events in our past that helped shaped our understanding of our current world. Which is all to say: it's time And Sons unpacked just what we mean when we say "Postmodernism."

Ever heard that the same convictions that help you handle scarcity also help you handle plenty? Turns out it’s true. In this episode, we sat down with two men on our team, Bart Hansen and Jon Dale (who have at times led companies and at other times lacked two nickels to rub together) to ask a simple question: what do you wish you had known about money as a young man? From living simply to taking risks to choosing when not to lead, this conversation is full of gems for every man.

Sam Jolman is a councilor who in the last issue of And Sons Magazine explained that men need romance, not just sex. That was worth following up on, and in this conversation, Sam and Blaine dove in to hear about Jolman’s story with romance, the development of his masculine soul, and the need to understand sexuality as a capacity dependent on a man’s maturity. Men do need romance, but the ability to be a romantic and handle a relationship is developed over time, as a man chooses to engage his own heart and story, ask questions, and grow his relational capacity in his life with God.

Sam and Blaine challenge each other to make three choices this week that will effect change in their worlds. It's easy to want to change big things, or to get crippled by the pressure to do something dramatic, but to effect lasting change we need to understand our "circle of influence" and strategically make choices that will impact the things that we can control. If we do that, over time our circles of influence will grow to include things we never dreamed of.

These days getting married in your 20's is considered strange, with plenty of social and financial reasons to hold off. Whether you're one of the folks to take the leap, you're dating someone and wondering, or you're single and thinking about the road ahead, this conversation is for you. Sam and Blaine explore their experience in young marriages, with only a few years under the belt, it's amazing what has already surfaced.

Craig DeMartino is a record-holding adaptive rock climber with a powerful story. In this interview, we dive into his journey through trauma and suffering and ultimately back into doing what he loves. DeMartino offers thoughts on navigating pain, being a father, and the impact of choice on our lives.