In our final installment for Season 1, the team reflects on what we've accomplished thus far—and discusses in which movie and which character we'd each choose to be.

Behind-the-scenes Photos from Season 1

If you've ever wondered what we see while we're listening, laughing and talking about walking, here are some photos of our humble beginnings.

Daniel's view via Skype of our second recording environment: the "Junk Room" studio.

The team's view of Daniel's antics.

Amanda's studio selfie

Jane prefers the blue mic cable.

Mike is usually buried in gear, and probably laughs more while podcasting than at other times. So it's probably going to be therapeutic for him to proceed with Season 2.

Mike sometimes also shows enthusiasm.

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Sheperd, courtesy Soundstripe.

Everyone deals with tension in relationships—some times, all out conflict. There are ways of moving through these times that help us grow personally, heal relationships, and honor God. Daniel talks with some of his colleagues in the world of Christian peacemaking to introduce us to some of the key ideas and suggest some next steps for our learning.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://academy.rw360.org/

https://pm.training/

http://www.iccpeace.com/

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Sheperd, courtesy of Soundstripe.

Two tragedies in Kent's life—one in childhood, and one at age forty—have shaped him forever, and in some ways, 'dominated' his life. He has wrestled with regret and his own responsibility in these events, and through it has grown in compassion toward others who struggle in life.

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Sheperd, "Autumn Stillness" by Triads, "First Steps" by Be Still The Earth, "Singularity, Pt.2" by Arving, all courtesy of Soundstripe.

Brad's anxiety has been crippling at times: from terrifying religious doubt to dreading that his daughter might be diagnosed with autism. Brad also reflects on the neuroscience of his feeling either isolated from or connected with his community along the way.

Links

The neuroscience book that Brad mentioned in his story was How God Changes Your Brain, by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman.

Music: Mountain Drive by Sea Sheperd, Breathe Pt. 1 by TituS, Singularity Pt. 2 by Arving, For You by Matt Wigton, Make it Ours by Jonathan Roye, Boxcars by Brique a Brac, all courtesy of Soundstripe.

Growing up, Bryan had wanted his father to be his friend. But too often Dad was emotionally absent, even if he was physically present.

By middle school, porn was already a deep addiction, and secrecy with it. If anyone found out, Bryan believed, he would be rejected. Yet he prized the approval and acceptance of others, so he remained in isolation and shame. He drove his secret even deeper when he began to experience same-sex attraction.

Moving off to college, Bryan began to experience healthy spiritual transformation in a new community. He learned to tell his story—and his secrets—and found genuine acceptance. Back home, Bryan’s father was diagnosed with an illness that would be fatal. In the midst of such a crucial time of personal development for Bryan, exploring questions of identity and the shaping influence his father had been on him, the timing of his father’s illness and death was especially painful.

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Shepherd, "Remember to Stay Together" by Triads, "Take a Walk With Me" by Lowercase Noises, "The Slow Train" by Finn's Fandango, all courtesy of Soundstripe.

We learn about Amanda's vocational journey into founding an anti-trafficking organization, what it has been like to connect in new church community after leaving a church with deep community, and something about being "swept up into Best Buy culture".

Also, who says women can't be fighter pilots?

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Shepherd, courtesy of Soundstripe

Cancer was a dreadful enemy, but Erin had been taught to never let your weakness be seen. She wrestled with God through cancer and a hurricane (yes, an actual hurricane). What is courage? Letting people see your weakness, or presenting yourself as not weak?

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Sheperd, "Unseen" by Lowercase Noises, "What Remains" by Autumn Everywhere, "Breath, Pt. 1" by TituS, all courtesy of Soundstripe.

It's Mike's turn to answer some questions in our Meet the Team bonus series. Mike talks about his faith journey, how he's been influenced to be concerned about church culture, why he loves living in Seattle with his family, and what kind of restaurant he'd own (hint: he doesn't really know how to cook).

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Shepherd, courtesy of Soundstripe.

Mike interviews Joel Engle, lead preaching pastor at ChangePoint in Anchorage, Alaska, over dinner. Hear why Joel is so personally invested in this ministry and what impact it is having on his church.

Links

- ChangePoint https://changepointalaska.com/

- The rest of the dinner conversation in our member library, free when you login as a member:

http://bit.ly/2rENvQq

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Sheperd, courtesy of Soundstripe.

How do you know when an everyday desire goes from good to sinful? Jake's story reminds us about how some desires "creep up" on us, as discontentment leads to fantasy—even if the object of the fantasy seems to be something as wholesome as church planting.

This episode is a perfect companion to the chapter in the Redemption book called: Demanding Manna—The Subtle Significance of Everyday Desires.

Links

* The Slippery Slope of Idolatry (mentioned by Daniel)

* "Peace, Be Still": Learning Psalm 131 by Heart (article by David Powlison, mentioned by Jake and Mike)

Music credits: "Mountain Drive" by Sea Sheperd, "Unseen" by Lowercase Noises, "Remember to Stay Together" by Triads, "To realize" by Triads, "Dovely" by Adrian Walther, all courtesy of Soundstripe.