OCA's Road Noise: Recent Episodes
Oklahoma Christian Academy
Jay and Will bring the Eagles an insider's look at topics of faith, education, and culture that matter to our school and to young families across our community. Next time you're on the road to school and someone suggests "just listening to road noise," you know where to go.
On this extra special episode, we talk about imagination, love, and bravely influencing our world for good, as the students take the mic to interview New York Times Bestselling author, creator, and all-around wonderful human, Brad Montague!
This week, Jay and Will are talking about prayer. What is it? Who's it for? How do you do it and why? For answers to these questions, we explore ancient conversations with God from Numbers, Proverbs, Psalms, Daniel, and more. And we learn that God's big enough for all our head and heart stuff... and He's ready to listen.
Enjoy the road!
It's Bible study time. In this episode, Jay asks Will to consider James 1:26-27 and just what it means to practice "pure religion." This one's about our Kingdom Calling at the most fundamental level, and we hope it helps focus and energize you today. Enjoy the road!
It's fall break! Are you ready? If you're quietly concerned that your off hours will slip through your fingers and you'll come back just as tired as you left, then this one is for you. On this episode, Jay and Will get prepped for vacation by adjusting their psychological perception of break time, and by exploring Saundra Dalton-Smith's "Seven Types of Rest." Enjoy the road!
Is your child "done" before the school day even starts? Do they come home tired? Grumpy? Anxious? We get it and we've been there. In this episode, Jay and Will talk about back-to-school stress. From exploring micro-stressors throughout the school day, to identifying signs of stress in our homes, to journeying with our kids through it all--we hope today's conversation encourages you and equips you for one of your family's healthiest semesters yet. Enjoy the road!
In this long overdue episode, Jay and Will talk about Christ's call to become like children and ask the question, "How do we learn to act more like kids in all the right ways?"
He is risen! Join Will for a quick story from Brad Montague on how we might view life and (on blessed weekends like this one) the world-changing resurrection of our Savior with childlike eyes of wonder.
Enjoy the road!
Jay and Will discuss several recent statistics and reports that speak to the state of our kids in 2023. Headlining these reports is the topic of mental health. Globally, our children are more persistently sad, anxious, and stressed than we have seen in recent memory. As invested grownups, how are we supposed to respond to these trends? How do we help our kids shape a healthier outlook and a healthier world? Warning: emotionally heavy topics discussed.
Enjoy the road!
Sometimes really honest students ask, "Does all our time have to be Bible time?" No one studies scripture 24/7, right? Surely our lives include more than reading and praying and church service--don't they? This week, Jay and Will tackle the idea of what they do every day that's "not the Bible." Spoiler Alert: No, they don't read scripture all day. Yes, they still talk about the Bible a lot in this episode.
Enjoy the road!
On this episode, Jay surprises Will with a quick discussion on "power." Do we have it? What should we do with it? Is there possibly enough to go around? As always, Christ offers us answers that flip our cultural expectations upside-down.
Enjoy the road.
In this episode, Will and the entire Mack family cram into the podcasting booth to talk about the Macks' month-long fast from technology. From growing art projects, to surprising insights into under-seen relational norms, to a shocking request from Jay's boys to fast from more--we think this is a great real-world example for your spiritual toolkit in a chaotic world.
Enjoy the road!
In this short episode, Jay and Will offer a quick introduction to the season of Lent and the purpose of fasting. How might refraining from food (or from other desires) draw us closer to Jesus or give us greater clarity of purpose in our lives? It's an ancient concept that might not make sense... until you try it.
Enjoy the road.
This week, Jay and Will go from Nintendo, to Monday morning quarterbacking, to being "busybodies" in Church, all to answer the question: are we living life or just watching it?
Enjoy the road.
This week, Jay and Will continue their discussion on apathy by diving into the concept of divine work. Jay tries to convince Will to read Garden City by John Mark Comer and asks some important questions: Are we supposed to work to live? Or live to work? And what are the end-goals of our work, anyway?
Enjoy the road.
As we mourn a profound loss as a campus family, Jay and Will are postponing their typical conversation until next week. Tune in for a very brief reflection from Will on grief and God's steadfast love. God is bigger, stronger, and more resilient than we can ever hope to be--and He's right here with us. Always.
Love you, Eagles.
This week, Jay and Will consider the tools and techniques at our disposal to respond to the mix of apathy factors talked about last week. Everything from how we schedule ourselves, to how we listen to others, to how we set goals in "doomscrolling" the news--there should be little tidbits for everyone in this one. Here's to new energy and action, Eagles!
Enjoy the road.
Are we less inspired than we used to be? Have we made descriptors like "meh" or "blah"normal or even cool? Why? This week, Jay and Will discuss Uche Anizor's latest book, Overcoming Apathy, and begin a multi-part series on how we respond to apathy as Christian families with good work to do in our world.
Enjoy the road!
It's just two days until Christmas Eve, and there's a wondrous mystery in the winter air. This week Jay and Will reflect on why this season is so special and consider how we might use it to share the love of Christ with our neighbors.
Enjoy the road and Merry Christmas!
Heaven, Eden, ghosts, and more--this week Jay and Will attempt (unsuccessfully at times) to answer deep questions from OCA's third graders. Listen in and gain confidence in entertaining your kids' curiosity and in sometimes saying "I don't know."
Enjoy the road!
This week, Jay and Will are getting into the holiday spirit and thinking about ritual, ceremony, and liturgy. What are the daily ceremonies--the habitual programs large and small--that are shaping us? And how do we curate the regular liturgies we follow as parents and model for our kids?
Enjoy the road!
In this short episode, Jay has Will unscripted talking about the importance of alignment in what we say and what we do as parents. If we want our children to put their faith in action daily, then so much of their development depends on us and the example we set for authentic effort on our Christian journey.
Enjoy the quick listen and, as always, enjoy the road!
Shipwrecks, Skittles, and praying like children--in this episode, Jay and Will consider the question: Does gratitude matter to our faith and to our God? They also count their blessings, big and small and odd, too.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the road!
In this special extended episode, Jay and Will talk with author and C.S. Lewis scholar, Dr. Tim Willard. What is beauty? What does the concept of divine "truth" even mean? What can parents do to raise curious, virtuous, and whole children? And what's all that have to do with pelicans? Tune in to find out!
Do Jay and Will ever disagree? It's time to find out, as Will goes solo to tell you about some obscure Bible characters named Bezalel and Oholiab, the history of modern technology, what to expect from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and why he thinks Jesus would use a smartphone.
On this week's episode, Jay and Will answer your hard-hitting questions. Everything from waffle vs. pancake preferences, to how to grow a full beard, to our favorite Bible stories and our challenges with faith is on the table. We hope you enjoy listening in on what makes us tick!
In this episode, Jay and Will talk about the teardown (our temptation to make others fall to lift ourselves up) and how demeaning language and gossip undermine God's image in our life stories. There's no latin this time--we promise!
In this episode, Jay and Will talk about how God made you and made them in His divine image. The Bible says as much in Genesis 1 and God's people have echoed that idea throughout history ever since. But what does being "God's image" even mean? And why would your school administrators care? Listen to find out.
We're several episodes in, but that doesn't mean we're even close to "perfect" in the booth. Go ahead. Listen and laugh at us. That joy you feel at our silly mistakes--that really is beautiful.
This week, Jay and Will talk about visiting author Timothy Willard and his work The Beauty Chasers. How do we make space for "beauty" in our daily lives? What is beautiful? How does beauty offer us a window into the divine? And how will we chase beauty on our breaks (yay, Fall Break!) to find renewal? It sounds deep and it is, but stay with us! It's worth it.
In 2022, we doubled down on a "no smartphones" policy in our classrooms. If you're wondering why, this episode's for you. There's more to it socially, physically, and spiritually than just being "strict and boring" school administrators. (At least, we hope we're not boring!) Listen in to find out more.
Hear some of the funniest bits Will and Jay left on the cutting room floor from Episode 1!
Join Will and Jay for the first episode of Road Noise! On this episode, we're exploring the intersection of social media and mental health. How is social media impacting our students' sense of self and sense of worthiness in God's Kingdom? How should parents respond? Why doesn't Jay know that OCA has a Facebook account? All this and more is just one click away.
Enjoy the road, Eagles.