Talk On The Way: Recent Episodes
Talk On The Way
Conversations on the journey of faith, life and being better humans.We hope you find this space engaging, challenging, and honest. We are glad to have you with us as we navigate through faith, life, and our shared humanity.
Hosted by friends Ward and Sergei, Talk On The Way hopes to honestly discuss what living faith on opposite coasts of the USA is like. Featured guests will join to continue discussions ranging from faith to politics and everything in between. The goal is for these honest conversations to help us all become better humans.
Back at it after a month off in this episode, Ward has a fun conversation about the future of the internet and artificial intelligence with good friends Jed Payne and Kenon Koffkey of the Church And Other Drugs podcast.
Unlike the usual discussions about faith and life, this episode explores the world of AI, which is already heavily influencing our lives. While there are many benefits to AI there are concerns and fears about what the future holds. Jed and Kenon are much more knowledgeable about AI than Ward, so in this conversation, he takes the opportunity to ask them all his questions and voice his concerns.
Will we end up with a life of leisure or a world straight out of Terminator? What about faith and church in a robot future? Who knows? For now, we hope you enjoy this off-the-cuff chat about our new neighbor, Artificial Intelligence."
Check out Jed's Podcast and art!Church & Other Drugs
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Welcome to the conversation, friends! In this episode, Ward is joined by his good friend and now Episcopal priest, Father Caleb Jones, to discuss the current season of Lent for many in the Christian community. Throughout the conversation, Ward and Caleb share their personal history with the Lenten season, making it a much more church and Christian-focused episode for TOTW.As a relatively new practice for Caleb, he provides insight into what it's like to not only live out Lent in a community but also to be a priest and lead others through it. The discussion covers various topics related to the history of Lent, feast days, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and much more. While the conversation is light-hearted at times, thanks to some funny moments shared by both, Caleb also reminds us of the significance of remembering that we are dust and to dust we will return.
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Welcome everyone! The first episode of 2024 starts a new chapter for TOTW as Ward is now the sole host (check the update for info on that). This is a conversion on grief and may cause listeners to recall past grief or experience unrecognized grief. Please be mindful of this while listening and take care of yourself. In this episode, Ward speaks with guest Stacy Knapp on her work as a grief companion and all that entails. Grief impacts so many of us throughout life, and far too often it is ignored. Just recognizing that a time of grieving is necessary can be incredibly healing. This is why Stacy and Ward cover a lot about the topic in this free-flowing yet serious conversation. Stacy shares how she came to this type of work and the services she provides, as well as ways she hopes to expand this work by equipping others. They discuss various types of grief people experience, and why many are ignored outside of physical death. Ward shares some of his own experiences and how conversation with someone like Stacy has helped him acknowledge moments of grief he had not recognized. They also talk about how our culture, including church culture, does a poor job of supporting and understanding each other in grief. Throughout the conversation, Stacy educates and empowers on how to walk together through the grieving process and why grief work is important.
For more about Stacy and the work she provides: www.welcominggrief.com
Also, find Stacy on
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This is not a new episode, but what we have here is a short update of what to expect for the upcoming season. It is a new year and with that comes new things, such as changes to the podcast. Now you are in the know!
We look forward to what 2024 has in store on the journey.
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We are doing things a little differently with this episode. Both guys have had a very busy summer so in this episode they check in with each other, a catch-up episode one could say. Sergei shares about his recent trip to Indonesia, and how it opened his eyes to the Western elitist attitude, amongst other things. They also give reactions to news topics such as a store owner killed over a Pride flag and the recent Trump charges. In this discussion, Sergei and Ward process all these things through the lens of being better humans, and theorize what the future may hold politically for America. We hope you enjoy and connect with the conversation.
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Today's episode is a special one for the month of June. June is Pride month, and both Sergei and Ward wanted to honor it by giving someone from the LGBTQ community an invite to join the ongoing conversation, and more importantly, share their story. The guest for this episode is Dresden Hasala, a good friend of Ward's and someone he admires. To know Dresden is to know someone very intelligent, hard-working, and compassionate. In this conversation they take us through a journey of faith, deconstruction, love lost and found, gender, and more. Through it all, Sergei and Ward do their best to ask questions and likely stumble with humility as they discuss LGBTQ in today's culture. It is a trip and we are so thankful for Dresden's vulnerability and honesty! Some of the points shared here may cause pushback to some listeners, but we hope all will listen with an open mind and hand. We all deserve love and equal rights. If you are someone, or know someone who disagrees maybe this episode will help in moving along that journey.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is important to Sergei and Ward and is becoming a more common topic in everyday life. That is a good thing, right? Breaking the stigma that keeps mental health taboo is good? The answer is yes, but it is much more involved than most people realize. That is why our hosts have invited Liz Breier to the pod for this much-needed conversation. Liz is a friend of Ward's from the Bad Christian Club and has worked in the mental health field for quite some time. She also has a personal journey with mental health, trauma, and the church that she shares with honesty and humility. In this episode, we touch on many aspects of mental health: breaking stigmas, the impact of trauma, how the church has historically handled it, resources available, the courage in seeking help, and much more. The hope is you enjoy and learn from the powerful conversation that impacts us all. You are not alone!
Resources mentioned in the episode
National Alliance on Mental Health
BetterHelp
Psychology Today
The Body Keeps the Score
The Deepest Well
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John Mark McMillan has a song from his album Mercury & Lightning called "No Country" which speaks to feeling like one does not belong anywhere. It is in reference to this idea of not having a place to belong that Sergei and Ward invite us into a conversation that for them is ongoing. Being "too progressive for conservatives and too conservative for progressives" is a common, and often looked down upon cliche for many in faith communities today. While both Sergei and Ward acknowledge there is some good reason for the negativity towards it, this does not stop it from being a very common place on the journey of faith for many individuals. It is also where they both find themselves in life currently so they have decided to talk about it. This is a discussion of trying to talk through the feelings and frustrations of being alone and not accepted. Both Sergei and Ward admit they do not have answers for this, but want to acknowledge how common it is for many to feel this way. They also hope that by having a very honest and humble conversation it helps others know they are not alone, as well as remind everyone that we may all be on similar journeys, but we have different timetables. Ultimately, whether you are currently looking for your place, or have found it, we hope all of us remember to approach each other with grace making room for where each of us are currently instead of looking down on those that are "not there yet".
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The topic of revival has been a hot one in recent weeks, especially for the christian media and talking heads of faith culture. The reason for this is because of a recent revival taking place at Asbury University. Even the likes of Tucker Carlson jumped in the media hype machine to talk about it. Everyone and their granny seem to have an opinion on if this revival is real, and what it means. For Sergei and Ward, they are not wanting to judge if the Asbury Revival is a true revival, but they want to discuss the idea of revival in general. What is "revival"? Why is everyone talking about this? Can we know if a revival is of God or man? This and more gets discussed as both Sergei and Ward share their thoughts and personal experiences of revival. Get ready because passion gets hot on this one!
Here is the Nadia Bolz-Weber blog post mentioned in the episode. https://thecorners.substack.com/p/on-longing-and-the-asbury-revival
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Hello 2023 and welcome to the second season of TALK ON THE WAY! In this first episode of the new year both Sergei and Ward get pretty introspective as they give honest reflection of what they both went through in 2022. They also get vulnerable about how they hope to improve on things, ahem communication ahem, in the new year. There is also some discussion on lessons learned, and a bit of hope found in them. Along with this look back, the guys also take all this information and reflection with them as they turn the focus to the future. Personal plans and hopes, as well as the hopes for the podcast in season 2 are put out there into the universe with fingers crossed for an outcome of making better versions of us all. We hope you enjoy the honest conversation, and maybe you can relate and or learn something from what is shared.
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In today's world a lot of life is lived online, and sometimes we say or share things that can be "controversial". Often we do not know it at the time, but if being honest there are occasions when we know exactly what we are doing. This is called "stirring the pot". Recently, Sergei shared a post on his personal facebook from new mystic thinker John Crowder. He admits to doing this while knowing it would stir things up. Was he right to do so? Should we actively stir the pot on social media? Both Ward and Sergei really get into all this, as well as how faith adds to this still relatively new online world we are all learning to navigate. Join in and see if you agree with what they have to say about living out an honest life both on and offline.
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What does it mean when the church talks about "God's Call" or His "will" for you? Recently, some changes in life have led Ward to think about how "God's Call" has changed over the years. While he still has faith God has certain plans for him, he also admits that there are things he was told and or thought were "God's Will" that never happened. In this episode, Ward brings these thoughts to Sergei for a discussion on how the American Church often presents "God's Call", and how it can lead to hurt and confusion when it does not happen as planned. Does it mean their is disobedience? Could it be that God changes His mind? Maybe He does not have plans for us? Is it that those who do not believe in a will of God are actually right? All of this and more gets touched on as the guys discuss what has changed for them when they think about what "God's Call" means. Sergei even touches on other theological ways of thinking about the subject. Ultimately, no matter where you are currently with "God's Call" we hope this episode shows that to question or be confused is common, and hopefully it can help some of you move past any hurt or confusion from "God's Call" not coming to fruition.
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The recent SCOTUS ruling to make abortion a state decision has caused quite a stir in our country. Sergei and Ward have thoughts as well, but more so they want to know how to best talk about this as two men who want to support women. In this episode the guys talk and rant a bit on what they think and feel about the recent ruling. Both share what has changed about their personal stances on abortion and why. Abortion, faith, history and rights all are up for grabs in this one. Throughout the conversation the hope is that what is said is based in what Sergei and Ward have learned from the women in their lives. More than ever women need to be heard and learned from.
Bonus: Link to Sergei's first time preaching in 5 years 6/19/22.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/luke-15-the-welcoming-god/id1468207749?i=1000569213582
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WE HAVE A GUEST! This episode is one about the journey of faith, and how that journey can take us to new and unexpected places. Our first guest, Caleb Jones joins us to discuss how a born and bred Southern Baptist ends up finding himself in a more liturgical practice, an Episcopal Parish to be exact. Caleb's story is one many American church goers, and also former church goers can relate too. It is one of faith, dissonance, and learning how to deal with change when the voices and the communities we follow start being less like Christ. Enjoy this conversation as the three of us learn from each other, and just maybe find some hope in the Christian church.
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Sergei recently watched the new documentary "Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed" and wants to talk about it. Ward has not seen it, but can always talk.
All jokes aside, this episode is pretty serious conversation about abuse in the church, and the fall out that it brings. Admitting to not have all the answers, both Sergei and Ward share their knowledge, and also some personal experience with the pain of church leaders not being the example they are meant to be. Sadly, both expect this is just the 1st of many conversations on this topic, but by discussing such things honestly they are hopeful that some healing and understanding can be found.
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Easter... for christians that word is a big deal. In the American evangelical church it has been referred to as the "church Super Bowl" in both a good and bad light. In this conversation, Sergie and Ward discuss what Easter was like growing up for them, and what their feelings are on it now. Both share about what they were taught, or not taught over the years about this important Christian holiday. Ward specifically shares about his decision to adopt the practice of Lent, and also vents to Sergei about his frustrations with how he feels the evangelical church has taken Good Friday and turned it into a consumer driven event. Ultimately, both land on the idea that Christianity is pretty weird.
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In this episode, Sergei gets vulnerable discussing what is happening with Russia and Ukraine. When he was young, Sergei‘s parents brought their family from the former USSR to America. Being a refugee gives him a unique perspective in the discussion of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as what it is like being a Russian living in the U.S. We hope this honest conversation gives insight into what is happening and gives us all a mindset of grace.
Talk On The Way stands with Ukraine.
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Welcome to an ongoing conversation had by friends Sergei and Ward. Despite being on opposite coasts of the USA we find ourselves often discussing matters of life, society, and faith. Now we have decided to create this podcast of these conversations as we strive to live a life of being better humans. In the future there will guests to join the conversation, but for now we hope you enjoy this debut as an introduction to us and our journey. Come join us as we talk on the way.
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