No Seriously, How Do I Do This?

Andy had a good thing going. He was pre-med at a prestigious school, he was playing college football, and doing well at all of it. But the day came when he came face-to-face with the hidden opponents he was up against all along: anxiety and depression. As an athlete, Andy had to work to find help. The support wasn’t readily available. Having found his way to a healthier place, Andy now helps lead The Hidden Opponent- an organization that seeks to help student athletes around the country get the mental health support they need. Join us this week for insight into how you can help prepare your children to stand up to their own hidden opponent.

As a species, humans love stories. We cling to the ones that make us feel something, and we use them to help explain our world and circumstances. But what happens when the stories we have inherited are bad? Are there things you believe about yourself or others that don’t line up with God’s Word? How do these narratives affect our parenting? Singer-songwriter Matt Maher joins me this week to discuss what it looks like to confront and overcome the lies we believe.

There are few topics more difficult to talk about openly in the Church than addiction. There is a belief that Christians don’t suffer, shouldn’t struggle, and are not burdened by such things. Jack Larkin shares his journey of finding Christ through his addiction, and offers hope for others on the journey, and some practical tips on how parents can be a safe place for their children as they face temptation themselves.

If you have listened to No Seriously for any amount of time, you're likely familiar with our recurring guest Dr. Melissa Mork. She's brilliant, hilarious, and loves Jesus. Well, Dr. Mork has a podcast and we are taking this week to introduce you to it. "Mental Health with Dr. Melissa Mork" seeks to destigmatize mental health and to offer the hope of Christ in the midst of it. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Today it’s not just celebrities who are living life in public, at risk of unwelcome advice or unwarranted criticism. Social media invites comparison and conflict, as much as it invites connection and community. So how do we live and parent boldly for Jesus in this sphere? Matthew West has seen the good and bad of social media play out in his life and career and joins us once again to pull back the curtain and share honestly out of his own experience and wisdom.

In this day and age we are both more and less connected than ever. There are so many potential distractions vying for dominance in our lives and showing up for our kids in the moment is getting harder and harder. On this week’s episode Chris Cleveland, of Stars Go Dim, shares his experience with missing out, striving for presence, and the fruit he has seen from his efforts.

There are seasons in life where I look around and notice that those I love are struggling more than usual with feelings of shame and guilt over their identity as parents. There are seasons when I feel that way as well. This is one of those messages that I keep going back to so I can be reminded that the first step toward being an example of Christ's grace to others is to learn to show grace to ourselves. There is no guest on this episode. I am excited to share my heart with you and my own journey of messy brokenness.

In this episode we took the show on the road. While working in Orlando, FL recently, I invited the band MercyMe to an impromptu recording session in my hotel room. With barely enough room for everyone to fit, we laughed and shared freely about what it's like to parent kids that are grown, and how we can manage the fear that comes with worrying that we didn't do enough.

The world is grieving today. We have been grieving since we first heard about the horrific shooting at Robb Elementary School yesterday. Dr. Mork returns to the podcast to sit with us in the pain and help us process. We do not seek to offer platitudes or to tie things up with a bow. We seek to offer you tools you can employ in talking with your children and sitting with your own hurt, as we all ask, "No seriously, how do I do this?"

Whether it’s your role as parent, spouse, employee, pastor, or soldier, any time we cling to something outward as our identity, we will struggle. Tony was a soldier who had found purpose in his work, and crisis when he returned home. He then found his identity in his ministry, and that too caused chaos. Join us as Tony shares all that he has gleaned from his journey of missteps and makeups, of successes and failures, on his way to finding his true identity and thus saving his marriage.