The Shock Absorber

Tim, Fi and Joel are here to discuss video games and what the difference is between escapism and rest. Where do video games and other forms of escapism fit into the ordered, disordered and unordered parts of the world? And are we bypassing God's intended order for our productivity and contribution to the world?

00:00 - Intro
01:04 - CULTURAL ARTEFACT: Twitch Jesus and streamers
13:43 - If we need to escape, something is wrong
27:10 - "The definition of failure is to succeed at something that doesn't matter"
39:03 - Order, disorder and unordered
52:28 - Bypassing God's order

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Twitch Jesus
Twitch.tv
Jimmy Broadbent
iRacing
The Artful Dodger

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

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Stu, Tim and Joel are back together to discuss individualism, progress for progress' sake and how it affects mission and discipleship.

Why do we shy away from costly discipleship? Why are we reticent to do hard things when we know it's the only way to grow? Are we becoming less reliant on each other as we become more reliant on technology?

Some of the answers lie in a willingness to open our lives and serve each other. Some answers lie in a possibly diminished the scope of discipleship and mission at church, and how can we do more about it.

00:00 - Intro
01:56 - Progress for the sake of progress
17:48 - Discipleship assumptions around age
25:13 - Has church become like the movies?
40:36 - What does costly discipleship mean?
55:17 - The scope of discipleship and mission at church
1:02:00 How do we encourage people to open their lives more?

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Catholic Group Defrocks AI Priest After It Gave Strange Answers
Boston Dynamics Unveils Fully Electric Atlas Humanoid Robot
Using Apple Vision Pro: What It’s Actually Like!
Tesla’s Optimus - Gen 2

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

Stu is back from writing leave and joins Fi and in continuing the discussion on discipleship. They re-iterate that the most important thing is a personal relationship with God, but then move on to discuss how that relationship can be expressed individually and corporately.

There are formal and informal ways of doing it, and perhaps some have been lost because either mission and discipleship can be found missing at church these days. They go on to discuss the practicalities of that and how we can encourage Christians to be outward looking rather than inward looking.

00:00 - Intro
01:15 - CULTURAL ARTEFACTS: Radio Birdman & Imola 1994
17:33 - Express individually then corporately
33:01 - Formal and informal as we await heaven
44:40 - Missing discipleship AND mission
50:11 - Inward looking vs. outward looking

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Radio Birdman
And Colossally That's History
1994 San Marino Grand Prix
Sussanna Wesley's Prayer Apron
Chip Lunch feat. Courtney

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

Tim and Joel continue the discussion on discipleship and how our approach has been clouded by the rise of individualism and how personal habits more often than not trump corporate habits. Such a current worldview leads to an assumption that discipleship is only an individual pursuit , but conversely, we are also designed by God to be corporate Christians.

00:00 - Intro
01:26 - The Third Space Studio
14:07 - CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
25:22 - Literacy lost or the rise of individualism?
43:57 - Corporate discipleship is as important as individual
56:58 - Discipleship must be hard
1:04:41 - Individual and corporate discipleship together

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Cal Newport
Modern Wisdom
Kung Fu Panda 4
The Secret Race, by Tyler Hamilton
Biblical Literacy in a Postliterate Age, by Brad East
Double Literacy Loss, by Brad East
Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, by Carl Trueman
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind, by Tom Holland

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

Fi drops into the Shock Absorber to continue the discussion with Joel and Tim on discipleship and growth. They talk about how there is something wrong if we aren't growing as Christians and that is healthy to have the expectation of continual growth. They also discuss that it is essential to be in community to grow because we are made for and need each other.

00:00 - Intro and CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
18:54 - There's something wrong if you're not growing
29:37 - There must be an expectation of growth
35:54 - How do you know if you are growing?
47:34-  Commitment is key to growth
59:42 - Being in community is required, not optional

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Alex Rider series
Alex Rider on Amazon Prime
Johan Cruyff
Pep Guardiola
Rinus Michels
Positionism
Relationism
Bayern's Loss is Germany's Game, by Katja Hoyer
Don Bradman's batting technique
Germany revamp youth football with 2vs2, four goals, no keepers - and no counting score

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

Tim and Joel re-convene to discuss the much talked about topic in Christian circles: discipleship. What is it? Do we grow beyond the initial growth? Has the post-industrial world mechanised and intellectualised it so much that we are allowing it to be what God intends it to be?

They talk about how discipleship can be spiritual growth in community and know that in his complexity God shows us the way...

00:00 - Intro and CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
19:23 - What even is discipleship?
32:57 - How do you know you're discipling?
39:44 - Pushing beyond the initial stages of Christian growth
1:06:25 - Individual spiritual growth in community
1:18:10 - God is BOTH

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Skillet
A World Without Email, by Cal Newport
Slow Productivity, by Cal Newport
Calendly
Basecamp
Hey
Crisis in Discipleship with Carey Nieuwhof and John Mark Comer
Ryan Holiday
John Mark Comer
Mastery, by Robert Greene
The Critical Journey, by Janet Hagberg & Robert Guelich
Robert Goulet

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

This week we bring you an episode from Soul Revival Church's other podcast - Chip Lunch. Our most recent guest was Craig Pring, who is part of the leadership team at Miranda Congregational Church.

Hear about how God has worked through Craig's life and also his perspective on why Miranda Congregational Church looked to establish a relationship with Soul Revival and what ultimately lead to MCC voting to become part of Soul Revival.

This week we bring you the latest episode from Soul Revival Church's other podcast - Chip Lunch. This week's guest is Craig Pring, who is on the leadership team of Miranda Congregational church. Hear about how Craig became a Christian and what God has done in his life, as well as the continually growing friendship with Soul Revival and what ultimately lead to the decision of Miranda Congregational's members to become part of Soul Revival Church.

Following the book launch of Australian Evangelical Perspectives on Youth Ministry, Joel, Tim and Joey discuss a more wholistic approach to teaching young people about sin. We don't do good actions to please God, but because our identity is in Christ and how children can gain solidarity as Christians in secular environment.

They then re-visit a previous episode on sleep and ministry thanks to a great email from Erich and discuss sleep chronotypes and further strategies of taking care of the body.

00:00 - Intro and CULTURAL ARTEFACTS
15:44 - Australian Evangelical Perspectives on Youth Ministry + Children's Ministry
24:40 - How do we teach young people about sin?
39:47 - Re-visiting sleep, busyness and ministry
52:53 - Question from Erich and helpful strategies

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, by Matthew Perry
The Nineties: A Book, by Chuck Klosterman
Who Shot Mr. Burns?
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, by Arthur Brooks
The Gentlemen
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch
Layer Cake
The Pastor's Heart: Theologically rethinking youth ministry
Australian Evangelical Perspectives on Youth Ministry: Identity, Church, Culture, and Discipleship
Youthworks House Conference
THE SHOCK ABSORBER: Are You Sleepwalking Through Ministry
Sleep Chronotypes

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here

Tim returns to the podcast to initially chat about his upcoming trip to Chicago but also to discuss how art and even entertainment has been subsumed by a distracted and addicted culture. Which leads to the question: Do Christians first need to critique culture in order to create it? And how have changes in culture impacted children and decisions we now make as parents...

00:00 - Intro & Tim's impending trip to Chicago
15:45 - CULTURAL ARTEFACT: The State of Culture in 2024
38:00 - Philosophy-Art-Music-Culture-Theology
41:03 - Do we first need to critique culture to create it?
49:03 - Not all technological change is progress
59:12 - Kids, Safety-ism & social contagion

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE

Children's Spirituality Summit
TEDS
State of the Culture, 2024, by Ted Gioia
Nerdrotic 
The Critical Drinker
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Greg Laurie
The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt Substack
Snow White and the Evil Queen
The Super Mario Bros. Movie

CONTACT US

Shock Absorber Email: [email protected]
Shock Absorber Website: shockabsorber.com.au
Soul Revival Shop: soulrevival.shop

Check out what else Soul Revival is up to here