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

I'm stoked for this episode. It's a long one, but a good one. I wanted to unpack the idea of power and how it interacts with the human soul, both from the perspective of those in power and those impacted by power. This episode tackles how we perceive power, how power draws the soul, the impact of power, the restraint of power, and ultimately how to handle the responsibility of power. It's a wild ride, a few soap box moments, and even some unfiltered passion, but hopefully it sparks a conversation so desperately needed in our community.

Episode Notes:

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely" - Lord Acton, 1887

1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (https://exhibits.stanford.edu/spe)

• Lead by Dr. Philip Zimbardo
• Only lasted 6 days
• Shut down due to “guards” abusing the “prisoners”

Power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals and heightens.

“Power doesn’t always corrupt, power always reveals. When you have enough power to do what you always wanted to do, then you see what the guy always wanted to do.” - Robert Caro, Pulitzer Winner, speaking about Lyndon B. Johnson. 

“Any man can withstand adversity; if you want to test his character, give him power.” - Abraham Lincoln

“All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted.” - Frank Herbert in Chapterhouse: Dune

Leaders are chosen by charisma, often times at the expense of character.

Five Forms of Power - French and Raven, 1959

• Legitimate
• Reward
• Expert
• Referent
• Coercive

A form of power that is often hidden - Emergency.

How do you handle power? Give it away.

Jesus was an excellent example of having immense power and yet serving in humility and grace.

A genius with a thousand followers will have significantly less impact versus a strong team - Jim Collins in Good to Great

Music - Free Spirited Future by Lance Conrad & Above the Clouds by Kagen

How does our soul experience community and what role does community play in our day to day? It often feels as though community comes and goes, perhaps in cycles, putting us in a position to yet again go out and seek new relationships. The cycle of community can become tiresome, frustrating, and challenging. What does it look like to root ourselves in a local community? What are the benefits of becoming vulnerable to those around us and diving deep to connect at a soul level?

Episode Notes:

Diverse community can pull you together, instead of divide.

We often are driven to those who are just like us, while not a bad thing, doesn't give us the opportunity to be challenged, to face disagreement, or to compromise in a communal setting. 

Community is often broken up into two camps:
1. Those who we mutually pursue and deepen for longer than a season
2. Those who we develop a meaningful relationship with for just a season

It is ok to let relationships go.

It is ok to give yourself grace in pursuing community.

Recognize that your soul deeply needs local community. 

When community breaks away or falls apart, continue to seek it, don't settle for subpair relationships that will only remain surface level, drive deep and look for those who will go with you.   

Music - Shine by Kagen

Music is a fundamental part of the human experience. Some of our deepest memories involve music. We often use music to entertain, ponder, grieve, and rejoice, for weddings, funerals, events, etc. How does our soul truly interact with music? Why does our soul need it? What role does worship play in connecting with God? 

Episode Notes:

Jon Bellion - https://open.spotify.com/artist/50JJSqHUf2RQ9xsHs0KMHg?si=Cz-bRgbHQe-JtPlKpyBKwQ
Isle Vista Worship - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6SPi7yJRY3SAhwhUlFFsNB?si=ySZbWK7MQe2X_pVGD3CSxQ  
Bethel Music - https://open.spotify.com/artist/26T4yOaOoFJvUvxR87Y9HO?si=dVOXKQ00Rrebc4EiLPldzg
Kings Kaleidoscope - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6P9fFbQ875B2bnmdiYwN9A?si=6ajWKMcLQZOHAG8BhZITwQ

Music invites the soul to connect on a level the soul needs to grow.
Music extends the soul's ability to express deep emotions like grief, joy, anxiety, suffering, delight, etc.

Worship positions the soul to connect with God.
Worship extends the soul's ability to express deep emotions like grief, joy, anxiety, suffering, delight, etc.

Corporate worship deepens unity with each other.

Ephesians 5:19 (NIV) - “Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord...” 

Colossians 3:16 (NIV) - “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Psalm 150:1-6 (NIV) -
“Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.”

Music - Break of Dawn by Captain Qubz
 

How the soul perceives wealth can alter the course of our life. It’s a powerful resource that is often pursued at face value without asking deeper questions about wealth's influence on the soul.

Episode Notes:

1 Timothy 6:17-18 (NIV) - “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

We know that wealth itself is not sinful. Wealth is not offensive to God because He often blessed His servants with wealth when they pleased Him (Deuteronomy 28:1–8). Abraham (Genesis 13:2), Jacob (Genesis 30:43), and King Solomon (1 Kings 10:23) are examples of wealthy men in the Bible who were used by God in mighty ways.

The Rich Young Man - Matthew 19:16-22 (NIV) 

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Music - Ocean Breath by Sunny Fruit 

The past can be a difficult place to ponder. Full of regret, bitterness, and locked-up pain... the soul can wrestle with unpacking the past. But there is something profound about those who face their history, recognize the brutal facts, and are able to uncover wisdom for the future. It's a discipline, no doubt, but the healing to the soul may be worth the cost.

Episode Notes:

We can gain valuable insight into our future if we are willing to wrestle with our past.

Three places our souls benefit from remembering where you came from:

1. We gain wisdom from our past mistakes and regrets that inform our future decisions
2. We recognize grace and blessing when we won't have in the moment
3. We remember that God is intimately involved in our life and that his wisdom and understanding is what should ultimately guide the soul

Deuteronomy 6:12 (NIV) - be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Deuteronomy 32:7 (NIV) - Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.

The previous generation has many stories to pass down, how can we be receptive to their wisdom and understanding?

Music - Pink Desert by Samurai Royal