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Some conversations begin with a whisper… and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in the strange world of fringe theories, spiritual puzzles, and the awkward silence that follows when you bring them up at dinner. In this episode, we lean into the art of talking about the unseen without losing your spouse, your friends, or your social standing. Cohost Jen Parks joins us to break down how to communicate the blurry stuff with wisdom, patience, humor, and a whole lot of relational finesse. We get into cognitive dissonance, defensiveness, spiritual warfare, and why you can’t fire-hose your way into someone’s worldview. From coffee-pot analogies to puzzle-piece theology, this conversation is packed with practical tools for anyone trying to introduce fringe topics to the people they love. It’s part communication workshop, part spiritual formation, and part, “Please don’t think I’m crazy.”

OHH- and there's a "new guy" (cohost) you get to meet in this one!

Timestamps:
00:00:51 Setting up today’s topic: fringe talk without scaring people
00:02:10 Jen shares what inspired this episode
00:03:15 Persuasion, winsome speech, and Proverbs 25:11
00:04:50 Fear, pride, and defensiveness in conversations
00:05:36 Cognitive dissonance explained
00:07:20 Intent behind questions and how Jesus handled it
00:09:45 Asking the Holy Spirit for the right words
00:10:22 Evangelism through questions
00:11:45 You’re the coffee pot principle
00:12:43 Trajectory and small shifts over time
00:13:50 Insider language and jargon problems
00:15:05 Relationship before explanation
00:17:16 Percolator analogy and slow spiritual conversations
00:18:50 Bigfoot, breadcrumbs, and worldview expansion
00:19:38 Why fringe topics matter to spiritual formation
00:22:00 Friendship before being “right”
00:24:18 Women's approach: you can influence, not control
00:26:45 Husbands as protectors and guardrails
00:28:55 Band of Brothers: “salute the rank, not the man”
00:31:33 Asking questions and listening well
00:33:47 Fire-hosing vs slow growth
00:36:07 Early experiences listening to fringe podcasts
00:38:25 The “all knowledge” paper and circle analogy
00:40:41 Using secondhand listening at home
00:42:52 Growth, discernment, and humility
00:45:17 Requesting reciprocal respect
00:47:42 Don’t make it hard for someone to change their mind
00:49:36 Conspiracy pitfalls and being honest about “I don’t know”
00:52:03 Collecting puzzle pieces and lifelong learning
00:54:28 The glory of kings to search a matter out
00:55:43 Closing encouragement and future episode topics

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