Another life update because big things are changing in Seth's life. Spoiler alert, he's gotten a job as a lead pastor and shares his story. Our hope is that this behind the scenes look at getting a ministry position will be helpful to some of you!

Kyle Big Boi Relph is back! This time we talk about why the Christmas season isn't all it's cracked up to be in the church. Maybe this is actually just a therapy session for the three of us, but we figured we'd bring you along anyway!

Top 5 Draft Results:

Kyle

Seth

Philip

The conflict in the Middle East that we are witnessing is horrendous and devastating. In this situation, and other situations like it, how are Christians supposed to respond? While we are not experts, that is the question that we are processing in this special release episode.

Articles referenced:

Esau McCaulley | "The Theological Truth we Must Press During War" | NY Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/opinion/war-faith-theology.html?mwgrp=c-mbar&unlocked_article_code=1.F00.hPvm.QYA7fend1f-9&smid=url-share

Heinrich Arnold | "Perspective: How Should Christians Respond to Hamas Attack on Israel?" | Deseret News

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2023/10/13/23915072/how-should-christians-respond-hamas-attack-on-israel#:~:text=First%2C%20the%20New%20Testament%20calls,we%20must%20pray%20for%20peace.

We had Seth's wife Katie on the podcast to talk about her experience with purity culture. Seth, Katie, and Philip all grew up in the same religious denomination which had a high emphasis on purity culture. Unfortunately, if you know about purity culture then you know that it has a tendency to put all the emphasis on women and men are considered the victims. Philip and Seth believe there is a better way forward for the church and it begins with hearing stories of real people who have been hurt by this way of treating people, specifically women.

Video mentioned by Katie with disclaimer:

https://youtu.be/vG9o9m0LsbI?si=OrjkFecbqfSAdCd9

I think it’s fair to include a disclaimer that it’s from 1946 and talks about societal standards of the time in there as well. Particularly because of the theme of the podcast. 😅

Top 5:

Seth

Philip:

Katie:

Anxiety Sucks. Depression sucks. Like seriously, they're terrible.

The sad reality of life is that many of us deal with mental health issues on a regular basis, and as leaders, we need to acknowledge that. In this episode, Philip and Seth talk about their experiences dealing with their mental health struggles, and how Jesus meets us where we are and loves us. Struggling with mental health does not make you weak.

A Helpful Resource:

The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero.

What if how we think about the end of the world impacts everything about how we live right now? Seth and Philip break down the implications properly thinking about the end times for the sake of loving our neighbor here and now. Also, the most psychotic thing Seth's ever done!

Amy Kenny article: https://hopeheals.com/articles-archive/my-body-is-not-a-prayer-request

Tim Keller sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wDcxg85qhc&t=5s

Books:

My Body is Not A Prayer Request by Amy Kenny

Revelation for the Rest of Us by Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett

If the Church is the hope of the world, why are so many people leaving? The reality is that when humans get involved, life gets messy, yet Jesus still calls us to change the world. Looking at the data, Seth and Philip look at why people are leaving the Church, what the Church can do to try to combat this, and what it means to love people like Jesus called us to. Referenced articles:

Pastors Quitting Ministry

Millennial Church Attendance

Flourishing People

American's Reasons for Leaving Church

Okay, yeah, we said we were back once already. This time is real. We wanted to come back and let you know why we thought we were back once before and we really weren't. In this episode you'll hear where we've been, a highlight of our time away, advice from Philip on becoming a eunuch, and so much more!

Music in this episode:

All Stars - Patrick Patrikios

Dorian - Andrew Langdon

Season 1 is in the books! We want to give you a life update to let you know what's going on in our lives and what to expect in the future.

This episode is sponsored in part by Audible

Free Audible Trial at: audibletrial.com/madealive

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Email us: [email protected]

We aim to bring transparency to leadership to help enable the next generation of leaders to thrive.

Music used in this episode:

Intro/Outro:

Dorian by Andrew Langdon

Transitions:

Species by Diamond Ortiz

Long Life by Text Me Records / Bobby Renz

Complicate Ya by Otis McDonald

Mission Start by The Brothers Records