Looking Over Life: Recent Episodes
James Goering and Shawn D Schmidt
James and Shawn are two friends who like to talk about life. Science, grammar, parenting, spirituality--they're likely to discuss it.
We now have a Patreon page: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Shawn and James talk about the bad things that happen in the world. We look at questions like, "How can a good God let bad things happen?"
We discuss whether or not God is responsible for the bad things that happen in our lives. Did God cause your loved one to die? Did He direct in those events? What about when your child spilled his breakfast cereal? Did God direct in those events?
How does God's sovereignty work? What have you seen in your experience? Why do bad things happen? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things blog
- The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
- Why Bad Things Happen by Michael Martin
- Wikipedia - 1931 China floods
- Wikipedia - 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
- Wikipedia - Hurricane Katrina
- Wikipedia - List of natural disasters by death toll
James and Shawn consider a recent loss and what it means to grieve. We also look at some tough questions, like, "How can a good God allow bad things to happen?"
We're sure that your life has been touched by loss. We'd like to hear from you. How did you—or are you—dealing with that loss? How do you reconcile a good God and bad things? Send us an email.
We also discuss the idea of preparing for our own eulogy. How will people be able to say nice things about us at our funeral? What are we doing to make it easy for them to do so?
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things blog
- Unique death rituals around the world
- Christian Light
- Keith Crider obituary
- LOL: Episode 10: Community or Society?
- Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy
- Full Focus: Creating a Life Plan
Shawn and James go over their yearly themes—together in a van!
We reviewed the themes for 2023 (Year of Appetite and Year of Key Actions) and looked at our themes for 2024 (Year of Devotion and Year of Family).
If you use a yearly theme, we'd like to hear about it. How do you make it work for you? What have you learned? Send us an email!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Shawn and James talk about crossing the milestone of 10,000 listens on the podcast. They also talk about the future of the podcast and give a sneak peek at the topic of a future episode. Shawn is heading to the States with family in tow while James and his wife recently added another son to their family.
Both of us have big dreams for what we hope to accomplish in 2024. Will we be successful, or will our dreams fall apart like a sagging snowman on a 70-degree day in March?
Thanks to everyone who has listened so far and has shared the podcast with friends and family. If you enjoy the podcast, the best thing you can do is to let more people know about it.
Links
- Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church
- Faith Builders Educational Programs
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Shawn and James talk about whether Christians should be willingly ignorant about some things in the news and how the tsunami of information from the Internet is affecting us.
How much are we responsible to know about what is happening in the world? What global issues should Christians feel compelled to address? What does Jesus call us to? How much information consumption is too much?
We talk about these questions as well as a few others related to consuming news and dealing with information overload.
We'd love to hear if you have any thoughts on these topics. Please send us an email.
Invisible Things blog post: Light and High Beauty
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
James and Shawn try to figure out what modern idolatry looks like. Do you have a temple in your town that holds the idol that all your neighbors worship? Who is the patron saint of your community? Of your culture? Or maybe there really aren't idols in our modern, enlightened world.
We'd like to hear from you. What do you think about modern idolatry? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things Blog
Modern Idolatry - Invisible Things Blog
Shawn and James are back to put to rest the debate for or against a Creator.
Did you know that Cristians believe in the Big Bang Theory? What can you answer someone who tells you there is no way to prove God's existence through science? How can we talk about the Anthropic Principle in the Walmart aisle?
These and more questions are pondered in our episode that is rapidly becoming a series.
What are your thoughts? Send us your feedback.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things Blog
- Wikipedia - The Anthropic Principle
- Why Creation Makes Sense - Invisible Things Blog
- Scientists look for space dust on cathedrals
- How far is the earth from the sun?
James and Shawn finally get to this long-awaited topic! And Shawn learns just how dangerous it is to use the phrase "only a theory" with James!
Is there truly a conflict between science and religion? Or is that just an idea that should be de-bunked? Well, we certainly try to show another point of view on the topic.
We really want to hear from you. Do you agree with what we shared? Did we change your views? Did we get some things wrong? Send us an email!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things Blog
Do Science and Faith Conflict? - Invisible Things Blog
- “God’s Undertaker” John C. Lennox
- The Soul of Science Nancy R. Pearcey and Charles B. Thaxton
- When Science Meets Religion Ian Barbour
Shawn and James enjoy recording a podcast in person in Peru!
This time we talked about how we keep our devotional lives alive. What even is devotion? How do we cultivate a genuinely close relationship to God? What happens when we fall off the wagon?
If you have any ways that you keep you private times with God vibrant, please send us an email with your tips.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things Blog
Juan David, a blog
James and Shawn share another FWIW episode with the LOL audience. We look at the seventh and final habit of the book and close out what was a rather long book review.
In this habit, we discuss how important it is to take care of oneself before being able to do the important things in life. We looked at the four categories Covey gives of Physical, Mental, Social/Emotional, and Spiritual care.
How do you find balance in taking care of yourself, considering these categories? Do you have any specific advice or tips? Please send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things Blog
Juan David, a blog
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- “On Slow Productivity and the Anti-Busyness Revolution” by Cal Newport
- Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts—Becoming the Person You Want to Be Marshall Goldsmith
- H.I. #3: Four Light Bulbs - Hello Internet Podcast
Shawn and James have another Q&A conversation. We talk about how James isn't really a science person after all and why Shawn decided to move to Peru. James also teaches us how to make and Indian dish.
Please be sure to share this episode with a friend. It really helps us out.
And if you have any questions for us, send us an email!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Invisible Things Blog
Juan David, a blog
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Pathia
James and Shawn talk about death and separation and the feelings that go with it. James recently experienced a loss in his family and was pondering thoughts of death and life, so we decided to take some time to talk about it together.
We hope this conversation can be meaningful to you, as well. If you have any thoughts you could share with us, please send us an email. We'd love to hear from you.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
"Would We Truly Long for Heaven" by Elizabeth Drudge
"A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Shawn and James talk about artificial intelligence. We spend a good bit of time focusing on ChatGPT and its potential effects on society and the church. Will we become even more lazy and dumb as a society now that we have yet another crutch to lean on?
We also had a bit of fun having the bot write some short stories based on our prompts.
Have you been using a chatbot like this? What do you think of it? Maybe you have some stories or other pieces to share with us. Send us an email!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- Open AI’s Chat GPT
- Microsoft’s AI Search Engine
- The Turing Test
- NYT Article - Profesor Incorporates Chat GPT into Curriculum
- YouTube - Matt Whitman - Which sermon is his?
- Implanting Forgetfulness in Our Souls
ChatGPT's response to James's question:
The detrimental impacts of AI on education include:
- Decreased human interaction: As AI-powered technologies take over tasks traditionally performed by teachers, such as grading and providing feedback, there is a risk that students will have less interaction with human teachers. This could lead to a decrease in socialization and the development of interpersonal skills.
- Reinforcement of biases: AI algorithms are only as good as the data they are trained on, and there is a risk that they may reinforce biases and inequalities in the educational system. For example, an AI algorithm that is trained on historical data may perpetuate racial or gender biases.
- Job displacement: AI-powered technologies can replace jobs that are currently done by humans, such as grading papers and providing feedback. This could lead to job losses and a reduction in the number of human teachers in the educational system.
- Dependence on technology: Relying too heavily on AI-powered technologies can lead to a dependence on technology that may be detrimental if the technology fails or is unavailable. This could lead to disruptions in the learning process.
- Ethical concerns: There are ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI in education, such as privacy, security, and data ownership. For example, AI algorithms may collect large amounts of data on students, which could be used for purposes other than education.
James and Shawn look on the bright side. We flip the coin and talk about what excites us for the future.
Shawn again took a more narrow, personal view of the future and got choked up thinking about it. James was again more focused on the broad view of society and the church and where trends may take us. Did you know there are good and hopeful things coming out of Millennials?!
We'd love to hear what makes you optimistic for the future. Do you see something on the horizon that buoys your spirits? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Shawn and James pretend to be grumpy old men. We talk about some of the things we see in the future that give us concern.
James focused mainly on big-picture societal issues that make him worried about the future of the church, the country, and the world. Shawn was more focused on his circumstances as they relate to the church and community in Peru and what the next five to ten years may bring.
What are the things that worry you about the future? What would you say are the top three things you're pessimistic about? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- YouTube - Humans Need Not Apply by CGP Gray
- Tech Crunch - All US Flights Grounded
- Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper
James and Shawn have a Q&A for themselves with questions intended to stump each other.
This was a fun episode for us to do, and we may do it again, but we would like your help. Do you have a question or several that you would like to hear talked about? Please send us an email!
And don't forget to answer the bonus question.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- Do poor people act poor because they are poor, or are they poor because they act poor?
- What causes the Northern lights?
- Why did the Incas have so much gold?
- What disease has nearly a 100% death once symptoms appear?
- Why do we dislike hearing our voice in recordings?
- What is the best book you've read in the past year?
- When the Lord returns, the Bible says every eye will see Him. Does that prove that the earth is flat?
- What do you think is the most influential thing a Christian can do to revive their spiritual life?
- What is the difference between baking soda and laundry washing soda?
- What is the hardest job you've ever had? Or most difficult job?
Bonus Question:
- What do you think is the biggest issue facing the conservative Anabaptist churches today?
Shawn and James talk about their plan for better Bible reading. We discuss what we've tried over the years and what we've found works for us. James brought a number of downloadable resources for easy Bible plans while Shawn tried to humblebrag without seeming to.
What is your plan for Bible reading this year? Do you have a favorite or most effective method? Please let us know. Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
There are some simple things you can do in the upcoming new year to read your Bible more consistently.
- Choose a Bible reading plan that works for you. (See links to recommendations below)
- Set a specific time and place to read every day.
- Set aside at least 10-15 minutes, preferably earlier in the morning.
- Limit distractions by putting your phone on Do Not Disturb or leaving it at a charging station.
- Have your reading area tidy and organized, with your Bible and Bible reading plan ready to go for the next morning.
- Rinse and repeat for 365 days!
Bible Reading Plans* Less-demanding Plans
One Chapter a day, Three Years through the Bible
Through the Bible in Two Years
* Read the Whole Bible in a Year
M’Cheyne Reading Plan
Five Days a Week Reading Plan
Book at a Time Reading Plan
* Specialized and Customizable Plans
Chronological Plan
Theme Days Reading Plan
Bible Plan Generator Website
Other links One Year Bibles on Christianbook.com * YouVersion Bible * My Utmost for His Highest* by Oswald Chambers
James and Shawn go over their yearly themes. We do a quick review of our themes for 2022 before we dig into what we want 2023 to look like.
If you have a yearly theme, please let us know what you'll be doing. We would love to hear from you and gain some inspiration from your story.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Ink & Volt Yearly Planning Tool
YouTube - Cal Newport - Four Life Buckets
The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Reset by David Murray
Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Early
Shawn and James wrestle with the difference between needs and wants—Black Friday and Christmas aren't helping here.
We ask for your input. How do you define these terms in practical ways? What are your applications or values? Did James make the right choice to buy that home wifi thingy? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Artemis mission - NASA
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper
James and Shawn welcome Christopher Slabaugh to the podcast. The subject was ostensibly to talk about history, which we did! But we may have taken a few different bunny trails along the way, such as discussing how best to prepare for the apocalypse.
Do you like history? What is your favorite time period? If you had to leave this time period for another, which would you choose? Let us know by sending us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- Wikipedia - Luddites
- YouTube - Antikythera Mechanism
- Wikipedia - Egyptian Pyramids
- Wikipedia - Malta’s Hypogeum
- Wikipedia - The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
- Wikipedia - Machu Picchu
- Wikipedia - The Inka Empire
- Wikipedia - Stonehenge
- Wikipedia - Aztec Architecture
- Wikipedia - The Printing Press
- Wikipedia - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- Wikipedia - The Library of Alexandria
Shawn and James discuss the idea of living churches, comparing to the church of Sardis found in the Book of Revelation. Of course, James had to make a science lesson out of it! So, we drew parallels between the definition of physical life that biologists use and the definition of spiritual life that the Bible uses.
We wrapped it up with an answer from Shawn: You—on your own!—can infuse life into your church. Are you up to the task?
We're looking forward to your feedback. What did we miss or get wrong? What is your experience? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- DART mission
- DART impact video
- Chelyabinsk meteorite
- Scott Manley video about DART mission
- Tunguska event
- Church Planting Movements by David Garrison
James and Shawn do a bit of crossover work by bringing some of their FWIW content to the LOL podcast. We look at the fourth habit "Think Win/Win" from Stephen Covey's popular 7 Habits book, giving everyone a peek at what we talk about in the FWIW podcast for our Patrons.
What is your relationship paradigm? How can you make your interactions at work, at church, at home Win/Win scenarios? Is that even possible? We talk about some of what has worked for us as we look at Covey's direction.
Do you have any stories about how you made a Lose situation a Win/Win? We'd love to hear about it. Send us an email.
If you'd like to hear the previous chapters of this discussion or the continuation of the series, join us on Patreon.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
The Love Dare by Alex Kendrick
Shawn and James talk about Cal Newport's method for organizing life using four buckets. You all know that James is a fan of Cal Newport's, so it is no surprise that James schools Shawn on this method for thinking about life and self-improvement.
We discuss Cal's classic four of Craft, Community, Contemplation, and Constitution as well as some ideas of our own. It's a simple way of looking at the various categories of life and giving each one focus for a time to improve who you are.
Do you have a system for self-improvement or planning? Maybe you use Cal Newport's method or a version of your own. We'd love to hear about it. Please send us an email.
Also, you'll find James's foray into Not-Space-Science interesting: Biomimicry.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- Biomimicry article by interestingengineering.com
- Cal Newport’s blog post about the four buckets
- Youtube version of Cal answering questions about the four buckets
James and Shawn talk about gratefulness and how to instill the value into our children. We talk some about the book by Kristen Welch, Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, but we mostly just share our thoughts and experiences on what we've learned or are learning about gratefulness.
We're certainly grateful for our listeners and your feedback. Please send us an email with ideas for James's science corner or with any feedback about the topic of gratefulness.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- Apollo and Artemis
- Artemis missions
- Cost of the Apollo missions
- Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch
Shawn and James talk about the glorious James Webb telescope! Well, we mostly talk about the pictures that James Webb has been sending back.
James—our James—has been very excited to talk about these photos. Shawn mostly stays quiet with his mouth hanging agape, but we do try describe our visual experience in this audio medium. Check out the links below to get a look at what we were enjoying.
Do you have a favorite James Webb photo? James would be delighted for you to share it with him and tell him a bit about what it means to you, and Shawn will agree that it is pretty. Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
JWST Orbit
Legrange Points and Orbits
First Images from the James Webb Space Telescope | NASA
How JWST’s Images Compare to Hubble’s
JWST’s Image of Southern Ring Nebula
Hubble’s Image of Southern Ring Nebula
JWST’s Image of Carina Nebula
Hubble’s Image of Carina Nebula
JWST’s Image of Stephan’s Quintet
Hubble’s Image of Stephan’s Quintet
JWST’s Image of SMACS 0723
James and Shawn welcome guest Naoma Lee to talk with them about life as a single.
It was a fun conversation going over the difficulties and the perks of being a single person. Naoma gave us some tips for how married folks can related to their single friends, and she even gave some suggestions for messages preachers should and should not preach!
Let us know what you think of the conversation. If you're a single, what has your experience been like? Do you have any tips or resources you could suggest? Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Single and Satisfied by Nancy Wilson
Singled Out for Him by Nancy Demoss Woglemuth
Penn Valley Singles Seminar - Next Week! July 22-24
Shawn and James beg for listener support before talking about why we find it so difficult to change. We discuss the idea of whether or not we are naturally good or if there is actually need to change, and if so, how we go about changing ourselves.
There's a good bit of philosophical talk, but we try to give some practical tips that you can put to practice on yourself.
How do you find self-work or self-improvement? Do you have any life hacks you can share with us? Please send us an email.
And if you would like to support the podcast, look us up on Patreon or recommend the podcast to a new listener. Thanks so much for your support!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
James and Shawn talk about writing... on a podcast. Is that weird?
James tried correcting Shawn about the butterfly effect, but Shawn rose to the challenge and proved he knows things!
We both enjoy writing and writing-adjacent things, so it was fun to have a conversation about the topic. We discussed why we write and why we think we need more contemporary writers. We went over some of our techniques for getting writing done and give you all some tips for making your writing a bit better.
We shared some favorite books on good writing with each other and gave you a request to send us some of yours. We're looking forward to your suggestions! Send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Butterfly Effect
7 Laws of Teaching by Milton Gregory
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Good Prose by Tracey Kidder and Richard Todd
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Essays of E. B. White
The Best-Loved Short Stories of Jesse Stuart
How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die by David Crystal
Wikipedia - David Crystal (see the bibliography)
James and Shawn are back again, this time to talk about having babies!
As James mentions in the episode, we know this can be a tricky topic to navigate, but we hope you find the conversation interesting. We're sure that you may hold different views than we do, so we'd be glad to hear from you. Send us an email with any feedback or critiques.
In this episode, we look a bit at the Quiverfull movement as it is active in the States and try to compare that with the heart God has for children. Some questions we ask are, "How big should a family be? Is God okay with us not having children or having very small families? What are children for?" We aim to put a bit of nuance into a conversation that can be somewhat polarizing at times.
Share this episode with a friend and get their thoughts on it, too. We look forward to your responses.
To hear the Patron episode where we first discussed this topic, visit our Patreon page.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Ship of Theseus
Wikipedia - The Quiverfull Movement
Pew Research - Growing Share of Adults Who Plan to Never Have Children
Shawn and James welcome another James to the podcast. James Shank joins us to talk about fasting—at last!
We look at an old email from a listener and talk together about what fasting is or should be. We also discuss some of our own experiences with fasting and what we have learned along the way.
Thank you for your patience with us while we took a bit of a break. We're trying to gear back up and get back on schedule, hopefully. Our Patrons have been enjoying occasional episodes along the way, but we haven't had the time for a full LOL episode. We're excited to get back to it.
We're glad we had a listener email to prompt this episode. If you would like to hear your idea discussed, you can also send us an email for us to consider.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
God's Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis
James and Shawn go on a bit of a ramble. We talk about the scale of everything and what orders of magnitude are before giving an update of our yearly themes. Shawn "lost" his phone, but a chivalrous lady in a corn field gave it back to him—it's a wild story. We then give everyone a heads up on our schedule over the next several months so that you can know what to expect.
If you don't want to miss out on hearing from us, you can always sign up to get the FWIW episodes for Patrons. And don't forget to let us know what you're doing for a yearly theme or goal. Please send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Orders of magnitude
Observable universe
Light travel time from the Sun to Neptune
Distance to closest star
Planck length
God’s Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis
Shawn and James talk about how institutions can get in the way of the gospel of Jesus. We discuss how all the trappings of the church as an institution can actually hinder the gospel and keep people away from coming to Jesus. How different are modern church institutions from the Pharisees Jesus condemned? Why is the church on the decline? Why is religion dying in the west?
If you have any answers to our many questions or any feedback about our discussion, please send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Questions and Answers - How much of an atom is empty space? (jlab.org)
White Dwarfs Facts, Information and Photos | National Geographic
NASA - Neutron Stars
James Webb Space Telescope, the biggest ever built, fully unfolds giant mirror to gaze at the cosmos | Space
JWST Launched Inside an Ariane 5 rocket
All hail the Ariane 5 rocket, which doubled the Webb telescope’s lifetime | Ars Technica
Church Planting Movements by David Garrison
You Are Special by Max Lucado
James and Shawn go over their yearly themes. We first look back at how we did with our themes from 2021 before discussing our new themes and goals for the year ahead.
If you have a yearly theme, please let us know what you'll be doing. We would love to hear from you and gain some more inspiration.
Yearly Planning – Ink+Volt (inkandvolt.com)
Weekly Marriage Check-in
The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni
Deep Work by Cal Newport
James and Shawn talk about feeling middle-aged. The conversation covers the excitement over a new stove range to grumpiness over the way Gen-Z disregards punctuation and the meanings of words. It's been a hot minute since we've been able to talk, and we literally knocked our heads against the wall until we were through.
We also looked at an email question from listener Sonya about fasting. We'll be reading the book God's Chosen Fast in preparation for a future episode. Please join us.
What's your take on changing language and punctuation usage? Do you use periods in your texts? Let us know in an email!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Zvezda Russian module leak
Russian anti-satellite missile test draws condemnation from space companies and countries | Space
How many satellites orbit Earth? | Live Science
Kessler Syndrome and the space debris problem | Space
Octothorpe / Hashtag / Pound sign / Number sign
Emoticon - Wikipedia
Emoji - Wikipedia
“No More Periods When Texting. Period.” - NYT article
“Young People Don’t Trust Anyone Who Uses This Punctuation Mark” - NYP article
“Does This Punctuation Make Me Sound Angry?” - Everyday Research article
“Writing, Technology, and Teens” - Pew Research article
The Lost Generation (contemporaries of Gertrude Stein)
Interrobang - Wikipedia
Word Matters - Podcast by Merriam-Webster editors
Emojipedia
God’s Chosen Fast by Arthur Wallis
Shawn and James talk about why they have so many things to do. We discuss our thoughts on productivity and how that can lead to overwhelm. We also talk about feelings of overwhelm and how we deal with them.
Stay for the end because we answer a listener's question on how older single people should view tithing. We'd like to hear your thoughts on that, so please let us know.
If you have a question we could discuss on the podcast, please send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
- 🌍 Which Planet is the Closest? - YouTube
- average distance from earth to mercury vs average distance from venus to earth - Wolfram|Alpha (wolframalpha.com)
- Mercury (planet) - Wikipedia
- Mars - Wikipedia
- Mars Helicopter (before it went to Mars) - YouTube
- Venus - Wikipedia
- Soviet missions to Venus
- How Cold Is Space? | What's the Temperature in Space? (popularmechanics.com)
- Inverse-square law - Wikipedia
- Introduction to Heat Transfer: How Does Heat Transfer? (thoughtco.com)
- What Is Mylar? (thoughtco.com)
- Todoist task manager
- OneNote
- Telegram Messenger
- Obsidian
- Medical News Today - Brain Fog Due to Covid
- Kingdom-focused Finances for the Family
James and Shawn talk with John R. Perfect about conspiracy theories.
What are they anyway? What makes them so prevalent or easy to swallow? We talked about whether or not a particular person may be more susceptible to believing conspiracy theories and what we can do to avoid falling into that trap ourselves.
What do you think about conspiracy theories? Are there any particular ones in your community that seem especially strong? Why do you think that is? Send us and email with your thoughts. We'd be glad to hear from you.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Choice Books
The Bearded Onion
James Webb Space Telescope
James E. Webb - Wikipedia
Edwin Hubble - Wikipedia
Conspiracy theory - Wikipedia
Jesse Walker's 5 types of conspiracy theories - Wikipedia
Worldview - Wikipedia
Mental model - Wikipedia
Flowchart - Wikipedia
Illusory Truth Effect - Wikipedia
The Onion - satirical news site
The Onion - satire on moon landing debunked
(Read the onion with care—if at all—recognizing its satire and irreverence.)
The Babylon Bee - satirical news site
Proportionality Bias - Wikipedia
Cognitive Bias - Wikipedia
Critical Thinking Skills - Wikipedia
Correlation vs. Causality - Wikipedia
Tyler Vigen - Spurious Correlations
Edward Snowden - Wikipedia
How to Use Occam’s Razor Without Getting Cut
Hanlon's Razor: Relax, Not Everything is Out to Get You
Shawn and James talk about friendship. This is an Episode Out of Time, meaning that it was recorded out the flow of episodes you've been listening to. When was it pulled together? When was it recorded? When was it edited? No one knows....
We start off the episode reviewing our Digital Declutter from earlier this year before moving into a discussion on what it means to be a friend and how to go about finding friends. Do you know how many hours to make someone your best friend? Listen to find out.
It would be great to hear from you about your friendships. Do you have a best friend? If so, how did you become best friends? Please share your friend-making tips and tricks. James really needs your help!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
FWIW: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
LOL Episode 1: 2020 Yearly Themes
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
"How many hours does it take to make a friend?" study by Dr. Jeffrey A. Hall
Dunbar's number - Wikipedia
"Can you have more than 150 friends?" NYT article
"Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health" Mayo Clinic article
"Why friendships are so important for health and wellbeing" Everyday Health article
Shawn and James talk about James's book and the trip it took to get there. We talk about long-distance biking and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. James did that biking trail with a friend―all 2,500 miles of it from Canada to Mexico!
We also answer a listener email about tithing with our time instead of our money. We have another question coming up about how single people tithe differently from married people. What do you think?
Send us an email with your thoughts or any other feedback you may have.
And don't forget to share the podcast!
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
FWIW: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
Gas duster - Wikipedia
Bitterants
Odorant (Ethyl mercaptan)
Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise (nih.gov)
When You Hit the Wall: Bonking vs. Fatigue vs. Cramping
Great Divide Route
The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice―Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O'Brady
If you're interested in James's book, we'll be letting you know when it's available for sale later. You can also email the podcast to request to be put on a waiting list.
James and Shawn welcome Andrew Crider back to the podcast.
We discuss leadership. What is it? Who does it? Is it even necessary? These and many other questions are contemplated.
We also do a lightning round of leadership qualities we think every leader ought to have. Which ones did we miss, or do you think there is one that is more critical than another? Please let us know!
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Patreon: patreon.com/lookingoverlife
What causes the seasons?
What causes the phases of the moon?
Looking Over Life Patreon
Javan Bender "Leading With a Servant Heart"
Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
The Way of the Shepherd by Kevin Lehman
The Birth Order Book by Kevin Lehman
Christian Light Publications
The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel
The Effective Manager by Mark Horstman
Good Leaders Ask Great Questions by John C. Maxwell
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Reset by David Murray
Sneak peek For What It's Worth episode!
Shawn and James are glad to have Andrew Crider back on the podcast. This is actually the episode we recorded for our Patron-only podcast For What It's Worth, but we decided to let you all have access to it this time.
In this episode, we talk about what it means to be in the center of God's will—or if that is even a possibility. What do you think? Please send us your feedback. You can reach us at our email or on our website.
Please share the podcast with a friend. We like seeing more downloads, which means we have more listeners.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Patreon: For What It's Worth
Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung
James and Shawn talk about their Bible reading. We look at the various methods we've used over the years for reading the Bible and talk about why we choose to read it in the first place.
We also discuss our favorite translations and formats, including reading-format versus study-format Bibles.
How do you go about your Bible reading? Do you have a favorite translation? Let us know!
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Patreon - For What It's Worth episodes
The boiling point of water at various altitudes
Imperial units
Can you survive in space without a spacesuit?
The Armstrong Limit
2021 Yearly Themes episode
YouVersion Bible app
Organization of the books of the bible
NIV One Year Bible
Types of Bible translations
Why We Read episode
Social Media episode
Reading on paper versus on screens
Learning differences on paper versus on screens
Paper versus screens - Scientific America
Why Bible Typography Matters
Reader's Bibles
James's reader's Bible
Pilcrow (paragraph symbol)
NIV
NLT
NVI
How long does it take to read the Bible?
Shawn and James talk about money matters, specifically about giving. Why is it that churches often struggle to pay for the various programs of the church? What is tithing, and should we be giving a certain amount?
We talk about giving in various seasons of life and how that could look. It is fascinating to do the math and see just how much a little giving grows when everyone contributes.
We are happy to announce our new Patron-only podcast "For What It's Worth." This is a way for you to help support the podcast and make it easier for us to put out more episodes in the future.
As always, we want to hear from you. Thanks for your ideas and encouragement and corrections. Send us an email!
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Patreon Page for Looking Over Life
The Perseverance Rover
Number of US taxpayers
Median Annual Income in the United States
Average Debt in the United States
Wikipedia - Consumer Debt
Kingdom Focused Finances by Gary Miller
Dave Ramsey's 7 Basic Steps
LOL 7: Thoughts on Higher Education with Josh Nisley - Part 1
LOL 8: Thoughts on Higher Education with Josh Nisley - Part 2
Cost of launching small rockets
Jeff Bezos' yacht
James and Shawn talk about technological developments from the beginning of time up through the near future. In this episode, we go all over the place, looking at amazing technologies that range from the humble garden hoe to flying cars!
You may hear some background noise, but that's because we were able to record together, in-person for the first time. We were pretty excited for the opportunity, and we hope you enjoy the conversation.
If you have any thoughts about modern technology or the history that brought us here, please send us an email.
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Cork heat shield
Ablative heat shield
Domestication of maize
Domestication of the Cavendish banana
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Wikipedia - The Green Revolution
Wikipedia - Guano
Wikipedia - Guano Islands Act
Environmental cost of electric cars versus gasoline-powered cars
Electric airplanes
Shawn apologizes for the upload delay and offers and explanation.
We hope to return to normal episode uploads soon.
Website: lookingoverlife.com
You can still reach us at our email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Shawn and James finish their review of the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. In this episode, we look at the second section of the book in which Cal presents practices to fill time gained through the digital declutter.
We discuss effective leisure activities—including long showers—and how we've been applying some of the practices in the book. James is replacing ceiling fans he forged in his own backyard, Shawn is still waiting for his baby to arrive (Spoiler alert: She came after we recorded.), and all the dogs in Peru conspire to bark at the same time as we record.
We're looking forward to hearing how your digital declutter is going. Please send us an email!
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
"The Anabaptist Vision" by Harold Bender
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
James and Shawn work through the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.
In this episode, we look at the first section of this book and discuss the principles behind digital minimalism. We both committed to going through the digital declutter ourselves for a month. We talk about the things we’re giving up and why.
Perhaps you would like to join us by going through the steps of the declutter yourself. If you go through the digital declutter, please send us an email and let us know how it went for you.
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Feedly—a blog and website aggregator
Pocket—a read it later service
Screen Time on iPhone and iPad
Google Digital Wellbeing
Digital Minimalism 101
Shawn and James talk about what community means to them and what it might mean to God.
Shawn pronounces German words poorly from the inside of a fish tank while James keeps the conversation on track as we consider what Christian Community is or should be. We discuss ways to improve our community—though we’re sort of scared to actually try them.
What does community mean to you? How is your community doing community? Let us know!
Website: lookingoverlife.com
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok—James and Shawn tackle social media.
This topic is a minefield in the current digital landscape, but we wanted to talk about how it is affecting us as individuals, as communities, and as a society.
Is social media good or bad? How does God feel about social media? Can I use it as a tool?
We want to hear from you. Do you use social media? Your answer is probably yes, because data shows the majority of the world is on social media now! So, the question may be, how do you use it? Please send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Tristan Harris Ted Talk
Dunbar's Number
Pew Research on Smartphone Statistics
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
The Church of Facebook by Jesse Rice
Surviving the Tech Tsunami by Gary Miller
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
This is part two of the conversation with Josh Nisley from Faith Builders.
In this episode, we go further into the pros and cons of higher education for Christians and consider how we can serve God with our minds.
We'd like to hear from you. Please send us your feedback or suggestions or even your education story.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Culture Making by Andy Crouch
Karen Swallow Prior
Quote by Steven Brubaker
Faith Builders Educational Programs
James and Shawn welcome another guest to the pod. Josh Nisley is a lover of education and has a lot to say about it.
We delve into the risks and rewards of higher education and consider our perspective of the Conservative Anabaptist point of view regarding education beyond grade school.
This is a two-part podcast, so you’ll be seeing the conclusion released in Episode 8. As always, we’d like to hear from you. If you have feedback or if you would like to share your own education story with us, please send us an email.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Article citing Andrew Carnegie's quote on higher education
Pew Research study on "Does more education equal less religion?"
Pew Research study on "The decline of religion in the US."
Shawn and James talk about having Covid and enjoying food and missing the sense of taste and smell.
Warning: You may not want to listen to this episode on an empty stomach! You might end up feeling hungry.
From steaks to soups and a lot in between, James and Shawn go over some of their favorite dishes. Also, James teaches Shawn what a hotdog bun is.
Please send us some recipes to try! And if you have a friend who eats food, go ahead and share the episode with them.
Email: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Cook's Country Magazine
All Recipes website
Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits
German Torte
One recipe of hot milk cake divided into three nine-inch layers
Icing
Scald 2 cup of milk
Set scalded milk aside
Mix together:
¼ cup milk
2 eggs
3 tbsp cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
Whip together to make a batter
Add to scalded milk and cook until thick
Cool to room temperature
Beat one cup of cold butter as well as you can.
Slowly add pudding while still beating. Beat until fluffy.
Chill butter-pudding mixture.
Toasted Oatmeal
3 tbsp butter
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup sugar
Toast in heavy skillet, stirring often. Do not burn!
Cool
Assembly
Mix together ¼ cup apricot jam and ¼ cup orange marmalade
Layer jam and pudding between each cake layer
Cover top and sides of cake with remaining icing.
Surface of icing should be rough to help toasted oatmeal adhere.
Coat the sides and top of cake with toasted oatmeal
James and Shawn enjoy having a guest on the podcast. They talk with Andrew Crider about what it's like to be a missionary to a foreign country.
Have you ever eaten intestine soup or chicken head soup? How about a plateful of honey? And what does that have to do with being a missionary? What is a missionary, anyway?
James quizzes Andrew and Shawn on their experiences in Guatemala and Peru. From hauling firewood up a ravine by strapping it to your forehead, to going for a swim with a cow at night, the hosts share stories and discuss ideals about mission life.
We'd like to hear from you. What did you think of having a guest on the podcast? Do you have any topics for us to discuss?
Email us: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Shawn's blog
Christian Aid Ministries
Mennonite Air Missions
Christian Light
Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier
Church Planting Movements by David Garrison
Did it rain before the flood? What sort of apple did Eve give Adam? How many wise men visited the manger where Jesus was born? And what color eyes did Jesus have?
James and Shawn go deep—maybe too deep—into some common misconceptions from Bible stories. Where do these misconceptions come from, and how do they permeate our culture?
Do you know of any more misconceptions? Send us an email and let us know about them!
Email us: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Was the Eye of the Needle a Gate?
A Camel Through What?
The Washington Post: How Did Jesus Become So White?
Wikipedia: The Race and Appearance of Jesus
The Second Most Important Book You Will Ever Read: A Personal Challenge to Read the Bible by Dan Patrick
Shawn and James discuss differences in personalities. Are you sanguine or choleric? Black bile or phlegm? Introvert or extrovert?
A good bit of the discussion looks at the Myers-Briggs personality theory. Share the episode with one of your friends and take the tests together. You might find out things about each other you never knew before!
Email us: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Reading People by Anne Bogel
The Highly Sensitive Person Test
16 Personalities
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher
James and Shawn talk about their reading habits and personal reading trends. They also look at the current climate of reading in society.
Also, Shawn tried to teach James how to say a word, and James attempted to explain the difference between power and energy—Shawn still doesn't get it. Note from James: Hoe moe GEEN ee us is a correct pronunciation. See Merriam-Webster's homogeneous and homogenous.
Email us: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Goodreads
Socrates' argument against writing
Medical Daily article on attention span
Pew Research article on percentage of people who don't read
Pew Research article on percentage of people who listen to audio books
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains
James's Suggestions:
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Shawn's Suggestions:
Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes
Anne of Green Gables Series by L. M. Montgomery
In which James and Shawn try their hands at being podcasters.
The topic is yearly themes and how they differ from New Year's resolutions. What is a yearly theme? How do you make one? What makes for a successful year?
Email us: lookingoverlife@gmail.com
Yearly Planning Tool
Atomic Habits
Do you have a yearly theme? Email us about it. Side note: If it sounds like we've never talked to each other before, that's because we were nervous to meet you. Episode 2 gets better.