Bear Comes Clean

Forgive our two-and-a-half month hiatus. It was unplanned and we'll do our best to get back on our biweekly release schedule. But we're back!

On this episode, we discuss children's shows that may or may not be for children, unexpected great experiences, and relationship dealbreakers and attractive traits. Confidence is in, jealousy and insecurity are out. Jennifer doesn't need to share all of her favorite activities, Bear loves to experience live music with the person he loves the most.

We unlock childhood core memories about family trips, birthday lobster, and Dairy Queen. Bill Knapp's was for the seniors, but Olive Garden is somehow worse.

This week on the old podcast, the dog interrupts the recording. Again. Jennifer and Bear talk about 1995, why group chats are a special kind of Hell, The Amazing Digital Circus, and Wallace & Gromit. Bear might move to Italy and renounce his U.S. citizenship and Jennifer is dreading flying during the current TSA mess. Topics also include our favorite airports, Bear's first marriage, and reminiscing about our twenties. Also, Jason Bateman can do no wrong.

We'll be back next week with Melissa to talk about faith in Episode 4.5. Don't want to hear all that God talk? Come back in two weeks for Episode 5 with Jennifer. Thanks for listening!

It's a half episode. Brace yourselves. It's the "Godcast." Today, Melissa and Bear talk about what it means to allow God to work through you and what it means to listen to the Holy Ghost. Additionally, Bear talks even more about the missionaries and Melissa keeps finding herself exactly where she needs to be exactly when she needs to be there.

We'll be back next week with Jennifer. Thanks for listening!

We're finally back! Jennifer rejoins the podcast just in time for a war with Iran. The discussion dips into Christianity this week. Not as heavily as our half episodes with Melissa, but we dissect how Christian nationalists can call themselves "Christians" with a straight face. We also dip back into the topics of hypnosis and shifting beliefs based on new information.

If you're a conservative, you're probably not going to like this episode. Granted, you're probably not going to like this podcast at all! We'll be back next week with Melissa and again in two weeks with Jennifer. Enjoy the episode!

It's been a month since our last full episode, but we're still here. Here's a quick three minute update on what's been going on. See you soon!

We missed last week. Jennifer and Bear were both sick. That's OK. We're back with a truly unprecedented three-quarter episode this week. And Bear's not alone. Melissa joins us for an in-depth (2-1/2 hour!) conversation about faith. If you're disinterested in Christianity or faith in general, skip this one. If you're a practicing Christian or even just curious about how faith shapes the life of those who have it, this one might be for you!

Bear and Jennifer will be back next week with Episode 3. Who knows what we'll talk about? Who ever knows?

On this half episode of Bear Comes Clean, we have two topics and a quick story. Bear discusses a young friend who is going through a tough time, then we get into the history and current status of the band rain42. And we kick things off with a little ditty that I jokingly referred to on social media as "How a clogged shower drain strengthened my faith."

We'll see you all next week with our next full episode with Jennifer. Via con dios.

This week, Bear and Jennifer show some love for Madonna, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, the Lilith Fair artists, and Dolly Parton. And if Dolly has any skeletons in her closet, we don't want to know about them.

Seeing Neil Diamond live changed Bear's life, Wayne Newton once kissed his wife, and Stevie Nicks can do no wrong. And everyone should listen to Holly Humberstone.

Jennifer has mixed emotions on how much information we have available to us in 2026 and Bear is still traumatized by microfiche. Yes, microfiche. Perhaps we slept on The Jeffersons and The Real Housewives shows are addicting. We'll be back in two weeks. We hope we see you then!

Things get a bit more serious this week. It's a half episode, so no Jennifer. We've talked a lot about why I came back to Christianity, but glossed right over why I walked away from faith thirty years ago. Spoiler alert: it had a lot to do with the "Christian" right.

I get into my initial departure from Christianity, how that decision was reinforced with the arrival of the MAGA movement, and how I reconcile that now. And perhaps more deeply than intended, I talk about the importance of missionaries in my life and the unintelligent conservative right's reaction to it.

We'll be back next week with Episode 2, hopefully with Jennifer, provided the stars align.

Welcome back to Bear Comes Clean. Season 2 has arrived and Jennifer is here to stay. On this episode, we compare raising a child in Queens, New York with Northwest Ohio, take a deep dive into a variety of faiths, and discuss Bear's love for LDS missionaries.

Also, Bear is ready to start a crime ring at a senior living facility, Ricky Gervais is a great guy who loves cats, and it's OK to change frequencies. Plus, Jennifer does not believe the world is ending. Bear does.

We'll be back for Episode 2 soon!