Looking Over Life

James and Shawn talk about feeling middle-aged. The conversation covers the excitement over a new stove range to grumpiness over the way Gen-Z disregards punctuation and the meanings of words. It's been a hot minute since we've been able to talk, and we literally knocked our heads against the wall until we were through.

We also looked at an email question from listener Sonya about fasting. We'll be reading the book God's Chosen Fast in preparation for a future episode. Please join us.

What's your take on changing language and punctuation usage? Do you use periods in your texts? Let us know in an email!

Email: [email protected]

Zvezda Russian module leak

Russian anti-satellite missile test draws condemnation from space companies and countries | Space

How many satellites orbit Earth? | Live Science

Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem | Space

Octothorpe / Hashtag / Pound sign / Number sign

Emoticon - Wikipedia

Emoji - Wikipedia

“No More Periods When Texting. Period.” - NYT article

“Young People Don’t Trust Anyone Who Uses This Punctuation Mark” - NYP article

“Does This Punctuation Make Me Sound Angry?” - Everyday Research article

“Writing, Technology, and Teens” - Pew Research article

The Lost Generation (contemporaries of Gertrude Stein)

Interrobang - Wikipedia

Word Matters - Podcast by Merriam-Webster editors

Emojipedia

God’s Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis

Shawn and James talk about why they have so many things to do. We discuss our thoughts on productivity and how that can lead to overwhelm. We also talk about feelings of overwhelm and how we deal with them.

Stay for the end because we answer a listener's question on how older single people should view tithing. We'd like to hear your thoughts on that, so please let us know.

If you have a question we could discuss on the podcast, please send us an email.

Email: [email protected]

James and Shawn talk with John R. Perfect about conspiracy theories. 

What are they anyway? What makes them so prevalent or easy to swallow? We talked about whether or not a particular person may be more susceptible to believing conspiracy theories and what we can do to avoid falling into that trap ourselves.

What do you think about conspiracy theories? Are there any particular ones in your community that seem especially strong? Why do you think that is? Send us and email with your thoughts. We'd be glad to hear from you.

Email: [email protected]

Choice Books

The Bearded Onion

James Webb Space Telescope

James E. Webb - Wikipedia

Edwin Hubble - Wikipedia

Conspiracy theory - Wikipedia

Jesse Walker's 5 types of conspiracy theories - Wikipedia

Worldview - Wikipedia

Mental model - Wikipedia

Flowchart - Wikipedia

Illusory Truth Effect - Wikipedia

The Onion - satirical news site

The Onion - satire on moon landing debunked

The Babylon Bee - satirical news site

Proportionality Bias - Wikipedia

Cognitive Bias - Wikipedia

Critical Thinking Skills - Wikipedia

Correlation vs. Causality - Wikipedia

Tyler Vigen - Spurious Correlations

Edward Snowden - Wikipedia

How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cut

Hanlon's Razor: Relax, Not Everything is Out to Get You

Shawn and James talk about friendship. This is an Episode Out of Time, meaning that it was recorded out the flow of episodes you've been listening to. When was it pulled together? When was it recorded? When was it edited? No one knows....

We start off the episode reviewing our Digital Declutter from earlier this year before moving into a discussion on what it means to be a friend and how to go about finding friends. Do you know how many hours to make someone your best friend? Listen to find out.

It would be great to hear from you about your friendships. Do you have a best friend? If so, how did you become best friends? Please share your friend-making tips and tricks. James really needs your help!

Email: [email protected]

LOL Episode 1: 2020 Yearly Themes

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

"How many hours does it take to make a friend?" study by Dr. Jeffrey A. Hall

Dunbar's number - Wikipedia

"Can you have more than 150 friends?" NYT article

"Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health" Mayo Clinic article

"Why friendships are so important for health and wellbeing" Everyday Health article

Shawn and James talk about James's book and the trip it took to get there. We talk about long-distance biking and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. James did that biking trail with a friend―all 2,500 miles of it from Canada to Mexico!

We also answer a listener email about tithing with our time instead of our money. We have another question coming up about how single people tithe differently from married people. What do you think?

Send us an email with your thoughts or any other feedback you may have.

And don't forget to share the podcast!

Email: [email protected]

Gas duster - Wikipedia

Bitterants

Odorant (Ethyl mercaptan)

Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise (nih.gov)

When You Hit the Wall: Bonking vs. Fatigue vs. Cramping 

Great Divide Route

The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice―Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O'Brady

If you're interested in James's book, we'll be letting you know when it's available for sale later. You can also email the podcast to request to be put on a waiting list.

James and Shawn welcome Andrew Crider back to the podcast.

We discuss leadership. What is it? Who does it? Is it even necessary? These and many other questions are contemplated.

We also do a lightning round of leadership qualities we think every leader ought to have. Which ones did we miss, or do you think there is one that is more critical than another? Please let us know!

Website: lookingoverlife.com

What causes the seasons?

What causes the phases of the moon?

Looking Over Life Patreon

Javan Bender "Leading With a Servant Heart"

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

The Way of the Shepherd by Kevin Lehman

The Birth Order Book by Kevin Lehman

Christian Light Publications

The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel

The Effective Manager by Mark Horstman

Good Leaders Ask Great Questions by John C. Maxwell

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

Reset by David Murray

Sneak peek For What It's Worth episode!

Shawn and James are glad to have Andrew Crider back on the podcast. This is actually the episode we recorded for our Patron-only podcast For What It's Worth, but we decided to let you all have access to it this time. 

In this episode, we talk about what it means to be in the center of God's will—or if that is even a possibility. What do you think? Please send us your feedback. You can reach us at our email or on our website.

Please share the podcast with a friend. We like seeing more downloads, which means we have more listeners.

Email: [email protected]

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

James and Shawn talk about their Bible reading. We look at the various methods we've used over the years for reading the Bible and talk about why we choose to read it in the first place.

We also discuss our favorite translations and formats, including reading-format versus study-format Bibles.

How do you go about your Bible reading? Do you have a favorite translation? Let us know!

Website: lookingoverlife.com

Patreon - For What It's Worth episodes

The boiling point of water at various altitudes

Imperial units

Can you survive in space without a spacesuit?

The Armstrong Limit

2021 Yearly Themes episode

YouVersion Bible app 

Organization of the books of the bible

NIV One Year Bible

Types of Bible translations

Why We Read episode

Social Media episode

Reading on paper versus on screens

Learning differences on paper versus on screens

Paper versus screens - Scientific America

Why Bible Typography Matters

Reader's Bibles

James's reader's Bible

Pilcrow (paragraph symbol)

NIV 

NLT

NVI

How long does it take to read the Bible?

Shawn and James talk about money matters, specifically about giving. Why is it that churches often struggle to pay for the various programs of the church? What is tithing, and should we be giving a certain amount?

We talk about giving in various seasons of life and how that could look. It is fascinating to do the math and see just how much a little giving grows when everyone contributes.

We are happy to announce our new Patron-only podcast "For What It's Worth." This is a way for you to help support the podcast and make it easier for us to put out more episodes in the future.

As always, we want to hear from you. Thanks for your ideas and encouragement and corrections. Send us an email!

Website: lookingoverlife.com

Patreon Page for Looking Over Life

The Perseverance Rover

Number of US taxpayers

Median Annual Income in the United States

Average Debt in the United States

Wikipedia - Consumer Debt

Kingdom Focused Finances by Gary Miller

Dave Ramsey's 7 Basic Steps

LOL 7: Thoughts on Higher Education with Josh Nisley - Part 1

LOL 8: Thoughts on Higher Education with Josh Nisley - Part 2

Cost of launching small rockets

Jeff Bezos' yacht

James and Shawn talk about technological developments from the beginning of time up through the near future. In this episode, we go all over the place, looking at amazing technologies that range from the humble garden hoe to flying cars! 

You may hear some background noise, but that's because we were able to record together, in-person for the first time. We were pretty excited for the opportunity, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.

If you have any thoughts about modern technology or the history that brought us here, please send us an email.

Website: lookingoverlife.com

Cork heat shield

Ablative heat shield

Domestication of maize

Domestication of the Cavendish banana

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Wikipedia - The Green Revolution

Wikipedia - Guano

Wikipedia - Guano Islands Act

Environmental cost of electric cars versus gasoline-powered cars

Electric airplanes