A theory I love to believe is that being made in the "image of God" has less to do with physical appearance, and more so with the ability to create. Creativity feels essential to the human experience and necessary for the health of the soul. So I invited a close friend and fellow creative, Ivan Gonzalez, to explore aspects of creativity and how they permeate the human experience. From good to bad to ugly, we cover everything from the Garden of Eden to nazi propaganda. 

Episode Notes:

Exodus 31:1-11 | Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

Music - Show Out by Theevs

I've been thinking a lot about this concept called technical debt. It's when developers and software engineers create code that isn't ideal and may have problems but is a short-term solution to hit a deadline or push a release. The more I think about it the more I find parallels to how our souls operate in our day to day. This episode is an exploration of what "Soul Debt" is, how we can understand it, and what are the ramifications for unpacking our past to help define our future. 

Technical Debt - Building on a foundation of code that is messy, not perfect, and potentially broken.
Soul Debt - Building on a foundation of decisions that are messy, not perfect, and potentially painful.

Example of Soul Debt:

• Genesis 12:10–20 - Abram tells the Egyptians that Sarai is his sister.
• Genesis 26:1-26:11 - Isaac tells the Philippines that Rebekah is his sister.
• 1 Samuel 13:8-14 - Saul doesn’t wait for Samuel.
• Luke 22:54-62 - Peter denies Jesus three times.
• Acts 8:1-2 Saul persecutes the church
• Numbers 20:11 - Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it.
• 2 Samuel - David sleeps with Bathsheba and then kills her husband Uriah.
• Adam & Eve have to live with a dead son.
• Jacob robs Esau’s blessings and spends his life on the run
• Solomon dies a horrible person 

We often believe we will fix our past but the next season of life comes our way and ends up getting buried deeper.

If we don't heal from our past we will simply become more of who we already are, we cannot just change. Habits, routines, and memories are powerful forces to push up against.

Soul debt isn't just spiritual, philosophical, or ideological... it is tangible, physical, and weighty.

Soul debt requires us to slow down, break into our past, and begin to understand how our past has impacted our present and will impact our future.

The application of this goes beyond the episode, but I can see community, mentorship, patience, boldness, grace, and so much more being an intricate part of the process of removing soul debt to free our souls up for the future.

Music - Come a Little Closer by Lance Conrad

This is a short episode for you. I wanted to explore what it means for us to pursue great things over good things. I often find that good things are easy to come by, and most of our days are spent pursuing such things, but great things take time, sacrifice, diligence, discipline, and focus. It's a good reminder to pull back, evaluate our day-to-day, and choose to pursue great things.

Music - Chillicon Valley by Samurai Royal