Better on the Inside

Seth Kaplan Part 1

Segment 1

What’s up, y’all? I’m so pumped to be back. This week we have a real humdinger of an episode, talking about something that you might not think about, but affects you every single day: place. 

Our guest today is Seth Kaplan, who wrote the book Fragile Neighborhoods. He’s an expert on fragile states but took his knowledge and expertise that is usually applied to volatile nations and examined the social decay in modern America. 

Place is a concept we think about a lot on some level and NEVER on another. Like, we consider where we are and where we want to go pretty often. Probably on a daily basis. But we rarely consider how our environments: homes, workplaces, schools, parks, common spaces and churches, shape our relationships. Whether we know it or not, we are profoundly impacted by the design of where we live, work, eat, shop, and worship. And that design has changed dramatically over the last few decades… whether it’s good for us or not.

Listen to Seth talk about this.

Segment 2

I really enjoyed talking to my dude, Seth. We joked around that we practically recorded an entire podcast before I hit record. I definitely want to talk to him again.

In his book, Seth spends a lot of time talking about the difference between place-based community and network-based community. He’ll define it well in this segment, but it’s important to note that network-based community is VERY new and has been enabled by technology. Up until very recently, all humans have been dramatically limited by our place. Our ancestors lived almost their entire lives in a bubble of a few miles. Think about that! Even our grandparents were constrained by where they happened to be born. But, that’s not the world our kids live in now. And that matters. How? Listen to Seth.

Segment 3

I love the concept of THICK and THIN relationships. That’s really good terminology for us to adopt that I think could bring more clarity to how we define community. I know that it’s MUCH easier to have a lot of THIN relationships than even just a few THICK ones. That’s something to think about this week.

Part 2 drops next week, where Seth and I dive deeper into the role churches and places of worship can play in healthy community. 

In the meantime, pick up his book Fragile Neighborhoods by Seth Kaplan wherever books are sold. Love y’all and I’ll see you next week!

Find Traci ⁠on her website⁠ and subscribe to her to her newsletter. You can also follow her on ⁠Twitter⁠ or ⁠Instagram⁠.

Summary

In this conversation, Traci and Jon discuss the busyness of modern life and the need to simplify. They explore the importance of embracing different traditions and perspectives, even those from outside the church. They also discuss overcoming negative experiences with church and finding what works for each individual. They emphasize the importance of respecting different church traditions and appreciating different ways of experiencing Jesus. Finally, they share their joy in routine and the fall season.

Takeaways

Find Traci on her website and subscribe to her to her newsletter. You can also follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

Summary

In this conversation, Traci and Jon discuss the busyness of modern life and the need to simplify. They explore the importance of embracing different traditions and perspectives, even those from outside the church. They also discuss overcoming negative experiences with church and finding what works for each individual. They emphasize the importance of respecting different church traditions and appreciating different ways of experiencing Jesus. Finally, they share their joy in routine and the fall season.

Takeaways

In this episode, host Jon Pyle discusses the purpose of the podcast and the shift back to its original focus on soul care. He highlights the importance of soul care in the digital age and the need for transformation from the inside out. Jon emphasizes that churches should be spiritual places and calls for a shift from behavior modification to true transformation. He explores the impact of the church industrial complex and the value of the soul. Jon invites listeners to join him on a journey of becoming better on the inside and caring for their souls.

Takeaways

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Purpose of the Podcast

03:02 The Church Industrial Complex and Soul Care

07:19 Transformation from the Inside Out

10:32 Soul Care and Becoming Better on the Inside

14:23 The Journey of Transformation

17:00 The Church's Lack of Love

19:21 The Impact of the Digital Age on Souls

21:48 The Value of the Soul and the Need for Soul Care

25:38 Taking Responsibility for Healing and Growth

28:01 Gratitude for the Community and Future Plans

As a Pastor who suffers from significant depression and anxiety, I NEEDED to preach a different kind of sermon about Philippians 4:6-8. So, I preached the sermon I always wanted to hear. I hope this message is helpful for you too!

Continue this conversation on our Substack (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beyondsunday.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and our Facebook Group (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

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In honor of this spooky season, Dr. Laura Robinson and I sit down and unpack what is often considered the scariest movie of all time... THE EXORCIST. It is Dr. Robinson's favorite scary movie, and you can tell immediately because her passion for it shows in this episode. The Exorcist is definitely one of my Horror Mount Rushmore picks and what I believe to be THE BEST CHRISTIAN MOVIE OF ALL TIME! (hot take alert)

This movie didn't just change horror movies, it changed movies and had a profound impact on society at large. We talk about key themes, great scenes, Priests as heroes, how gross and disgusting the special FX are, the novel, William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist: Believer, and how it even influenced the Satanic Panic of the 80's. While the goal may have been to scare the hell out of people, Blatty & Director William Friedkin may just have scared the hell into us.

Follow her on Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/LauraRbnsn⁠

Subscribe to her ⁠Substack⁠, where she's posting great stuff including a deep dive on Operation Underground Railroad: ⁠https://laurarbnsn.substack.com/⁠

Continue this conversation on our Substack (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beyondsunday.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and our Facebook Group (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

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Rey De Armas is an incredible dude who left vocational ministry to pursue a completely different kind of ministry and find a sense of purpose. Rediscovering a passion from his Pre-Med days to help people through medicine, Rey totally shifted the course of his life and is investing directly in the common good of his community. You love to see it!

Continue this conversation on our Substack (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beyondsunday.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and our Facebook Group (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

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Dr. Laura Robinson is an absolute pop culture and theological genius. I've been trying to get her on the podcast for a LONG TIME and we finally made it happen. (We recorded this episode in April, so things have changed since then.) Hopefully we'll get a chance to deep dive a movie soon.

In this episode, we journey through a number of movies, books and TV shows (House of the Dragon, Redeeming Love, Black Snake Moan and more) and how these stories tell us about God and ourselves. Laura's brain moves a million miles an hour and we both get super excited, so we move quickly through a number of subjects with tons of references and analogies. Buckle up!

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraRbnsn

Subscribe to her Substack, where she's posting great stuff including a deep dive on Operation Underground Railroad: https://laurarbnsn.substack.com/

Continue this conversation on our Substack (⁠⁠⁠⁠https://beyondsunday.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠) and our Facebook Group (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

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Kyle Burkholder is not an easy person to talk to if you like to be comfortable. He's very affable and kind but he will always challenge you to prioritize growth, health and contentment over the status quo. Our conversation touches on a variety of subjects but most importantly, what church actually looks like Beyond Sunday. Kyle's focus is HYPER LOCAL, which he defines in this episode, and he talks about what that reality looks like in his Ohio church. Honestly, I think we can all embrace this relationally-driven mentality.

Check out his Substack here: https://kylejburkholder.substack.com/

Continue this conversation on our Substack (⁠⁠⁠https://beyondsunday.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠) and our Facebook Group (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

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Imagine yourself floating down the Frio River. It's a warm day but not nuclear hot like this summer has been. The water is cool, your tube is comfortable and your cooler is full (with Topo Chico or other beverages of choice). And 2 of your friends are philosophizing about suffering, art and a host of other topics... that's what this conversation with Nathan Perrin feels like.

Nathan and I dig in around his spiritual journey and ending up as an Anabaptist-Quaker Pastor. We talking about the amazing healing powers of art, movies and writing to speak to our suffering and reflect on our pain. Nathan is also a fiction writer and a great storyteller, so I really delighted in this thoughtful and redemptive conversation.

All of Nathan's Links: https://allmylinks.com/nperrin-writer#

Nathan's Website: https://www.nathanperrinwriter.com/

Continue this conversation on our Substack (⁠⁠https://beyondsunday.substack.com/⁠⁠) and our Facebook Group (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/betterontheinside⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Please rate and leave a 5-star review on the Podcast app of your choice!