InkleDeux Podcast: Recent Episodes
InkleDeux
The Inklings used to meet at a pub and have meaningful conversations. Such conversations lead to the conversion of C.S. Lewis from his conversations with J.R.R. Tolkien. Our goal is to be the second iteration of that. We share craft beverages and have meaningful conversations. What is a meaningful conversation? Well, our opinion is that a truly meaningful conversation leads us to Christ.
We support these conversations by both consuming and selling fresh roasted coffee. If you would like to support our mission, please visit our shop at InkleDeux.com
As AJ prepares to enter into dad life, he and Brandon say a fond farewell to the podcast that did a lot for them, even if it never did what they thought it would. Thanks for listening. Keep the meaningful conversations happening!
This week, Brandon brings his questions and concerns about the good, the bad, and the meh of investing our mental energies and abilities into unreal fantasies to AJ.
This week, Brandon shares some new thoughts on Exodus with AJ. What if we read the Exodus, and maybe the rest of the Bible as well, as being about God's people, Israel and the Church, instead of from the lens of the "main characters" like Moses?
This week, AJ comes to Brandon looking for some words of wisdom about being a dad. AJ is a month or so away from becoming a new father to twin girls, so he'll take the advice and guidance he can get.
This week, AJ shares with Brandon some thoughts from rereading the story of David and Saul in the Old Testament. What does David's refusal to take vengeance on Saul teach us about justice and trust in the Lord?
This week, Brandon brings the idea of meditation to discuss with AJ. What is the relationship between meditation and humility? How does Christian meditation differ from some other forms?
This week, Brandon shares some information from a book he's been listening to. It talks a lot about the idea of reward and habit, but he wants to talk to AJ about what that approach to understanding the self leaves out. What is a more whole, Christian understanding of the self?
This week, AJ and Brandon build out from the idea of ought into obligations. So often, we think of obligations as limitations and restrictions. Is it possible, though, that our obligations could actually serve to make us more free?
This week, Brandon and AJ dive a little more deeply into the question of what we "ought" to do. Do our choices matter? Are they free or fated? How are we supposed to choose?
This week, Brandon and AJ continue talking about how our understanding of the nature of creation shapes the nature of our calling, using the Lord of the Rings as a framework and setting.
This week, Brandon and AJ discuss the role of God(Iluvatar) in Tolkien's Middle Earth, specifically in creation and the daily lives of the characters. What can we learn, reflect on, or incorporate into our own lives, world, and relationship with the Almighty? Is creation a completed work already that we are watching play out? Or is it an ongoing process?
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about some of the bleakness of the news cycles. The world doesn't seem to be getting better, and the Bible doesn't always seem to think that it will. So, how do we, as Christians, process this broken world with hope?
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss St. Paul's willingness to keep preaching the truth even after being told by the Holy Spirit and numerous prophets that it would result in his imprisonment and death. What does it take to embrace that level of acceptance of God's will?
This week, AJ wants to hear from Brandon about his own experience and thoughts when it comes to his girls' educations. What are the pluses and minuses when it comes to public and private school?
This week, Brandon follows up with AJ on the pros and cons of working where you worship. It's critical that those leading others in faith never stop growing and developing their own.
This week, Brandon mentions the idea of everyday Christians adopting monastic, and specifically Benedictine, approaches to life, and AJ talks about the relationship between the monastic, contemplative life and the active, evangelistic life.
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about the concept of family as an idol. The conversation quickly branches into a discussion of how we lead children when they realize we aren't perfect.
Continuing with the book on the Rule of St. Benedict, Brandon and AJ discuss the nature and importance of sacrifice and asceticism for the modern Christian.
This week, Brandon talks to AJ about a book he's been listening to that encourages us to adopt some practices from the Rule of St. Benedict for monastic life into our modern, secular lives.
This week, AJ returns from a month long road trip and he and Brandon discuss some observations from his time on the road.
Brandon and Walther continue their conversation on culture and how different it is between countries and communities.
We have an abbreviated podcast this week because Brandon forgot to hit the record button, so he and Walther only had 20 minutes left to continue discussing the culture change when he became a citizen.
In the shadow of the riots in California, Walther and I discuss his journey of becoming a citizen.
Brandon and Walther segue from their conversation last week into one on Plan For Life. If we want to grow in holiness, we have to do it intentionally.
AJ is on sabbatical, so Brandon is joined by, friend of the podcast, Walther. They discuss devotions, what they are and how they can help us in our faith journey.
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about the curse of getting what you ask for. Why does it seem like we rarely get what we want from God? And even more so, when we do, it goes wrong?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the idea of applying Biblical texts to our own lives after Brandon came across the line, "Goliath is not your anxiety." How can we apply Biblical lessons to our lives without co-opting them?
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss the difficulties of living as a Resurrection people. Why does it seem to get harder to remember that life triumphs over death the further past Easter we get?
This week, Brandon asks AJ about what seems to be a recurring pattern in salvation, where God reveals Himself and also opens the eyes of those who receive His revelation. Why doesn't God open everyone's eyes? And how is it that people are able to encounter the Truth and still turn away from it?
Building off the conversation about Pontius, Brandon and AJ take a look at St. Peter's call out of the crowd at Pentecost for putting Christ to death by lawless men.
This Easter, Brandon talks to AJ about reflecting a bit on the interactions between Jesus, Pontius Pilate, and the Chief Priest. What do the earthly leaders reveal about themselves in their interactions with the Christ?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the ways Brandon has felt the world around him shape him as they try and identify some ways to be in the world without being of the world.
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss beauty as a path to God. Why does it seem to be used so sparingly? How can it be used well?
In this week's episode, Brandon and AJ continue looking at what CS Lewis says about different ways people consume art. How do we make sure to let the art do its work.
This week, Brandon brings some questions from a CS Lewis book on criticism to the pod. He and AJ discuss the difference between using art and being impacted on it and the dangers of using your passions.
This week, AJ and Brandon take their conversations about the pope and synods into a more personal conversation about how we are called to lead in our daily lives.
This week, Brandon asks AJ about the Synod on Synodality and what those crazy Germans were getting up to. It's not breaking news, but it's a relevant discussion with the advantage of avoiding hot takes.
This week, Brandon asks AJ some follow ups on papal elections. How much of the election of a pope is about human, political machinations? How much is divine guidance by the Holy Spirit? How can we tell?
This week, AJ brings up Pope Francis' current health situation and talks with Brandon about the Pope's broader role in Christianity. Even if you aren't Catholic, the Papacy remains influential.
In this week's episode, Brandon approaches AJ about his idea that our messaging on Christ is the source of a lot of people's confusions about Him. Specifically, that people overemphasizing Christ's humanity or divinity are a big part of the problem.
This week, Brandon wants to talk about the Jesus commercial in the Super Bowl. Does it make sense to take such a broad strokes approach to evangelization? Is it evangelization at all? Is that a good use of $8 million? What is the actual message they are spreading? Do any of these questions even matter?
Wrapping up their look at examples of priests, prophets, and kings in the Lord of the Rings, AJ and Brandon compare the rule of Aragorn and Denethor, steward of Gondor. They also crystalize some of the patterns between all three offices and think about what that means for their own lives.
This week, AJ and Brandon continue looking at Middle Earth and Christ's three offices being depicted. This time, it's with a look at the priesthood as seen in Gollum and Frodo (and Sam).
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon discuss Tolkien's depictions of good wizards and bad as a parallel to the messianic office of the prophet. What do Gandalf and Saruman show us about the right and wrong ways to live the prophetic call?
This week, Brandon and AJ resume their conversation about Tolkien's Middle Earth. What starts as a conversation about how change in perfection must be a loss becomes a conversation about how we experience our fall and God's salvation of us as ongoing stories rather than single historical events.
This week, Brandon and AJ spend their time comparing the modern trust in progress and development with Tolkien's own skepticism and doubt about development in time.
After their week off for Christmas, Brandon and AJ talk about the magi and what they can teach us about wisdom outside of the Covenant.
As Christmas draws ever nearer, Brandon shares his frustrations and misgivings about adult gift exchanges and AJ wants to broaden the definition of what a gift is. We talk Red One, love languages, projecting preferences, all in the name Christmas!
This week, Brandon and AJ spend some time looking ahead. What are they hoping to see happen in the coming year? What books and travel? What opportunities for growth will they hopefully seize?
This week, Brandon comes to AJ wanting to talk through balancing going all in versus risk management. Rather than decision making, they end up focusing on confidence and trust.
This week on Brandon's Therapist Chair, he and AJ talk about the impact of framing on our experience and the way we look at a situation actually impacts how we experience it.
This week, AJ returns a married man and he and Brandon talk about what the Prophet Amos teaches us about passing judgments.
AJ took the week off after his wedding, so Brandon sits down with Walther Cantu, friend of the podcast, to discuss the role of we play in forming the home.
This week, AJ and Brandon build on last week's talk about justice and pharaoh by looking at God's mercy with Israel in the desert.
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about God's justice as displayed in the 10 plagues and how often we force God's escalation by refusing His gentler corrections.
This week, AJ and Brandon continue their discussions about how marriage mirrors our relationship with Christ by taking a look at the family and what it means for us to join to something new.
As they continue talking about marriage and relationship, both human and divine, Brandon and AJ talk about the importance and difficulty in being vulnerable and establishing intimacy.
This week, AJ and Brandon continue talking about Christ's modeling of marriage, this time focusing on the idea of commitment and why it's not a 50/50 relationship.
In this week's episode, AJ's students and his own approaching wedding have him asking Brandon, the marriage veteran, for his insights into marriage and being the bride of Christ.
As Brandon moves his reading into Hebrews, he came across a statement about the unbelief of the Israelites with Moses. This week, he and AJ discuss how it's possible that those who saw the ten plagues could fail to believe in the God who sent them.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about what it means to do their lives with God. How do we cooperate with God when He doesn't need our help?
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss how to play the game they began talking about last week. If all God wants from is our presence, why are there things we must do?
This week, Brandon brings up God saying, through the prophet Isaiah, that He has to save us Himself. Brandon and AJ spend this episode talking about why that is and what that means for us as collaborators.
Building on last week's conversation, AJ and Brandon talk about how and why Christians can avoid becoming overly insular in their practice of the faith.
This week, Brandon brings an observation from his reading of Isaiah to discuss with AJ. Isaiah makes it clear that the Messiah will be for all people, and yet the Jewish people aren't known for evangelizing. Why is that?
This week, Brandon brings a couple examples of celebrities who found their way to Christ after experiences with psychedelic drugs. He and AJ discuss why this pattern seems to be developing and, obviously, why it isn't a recommended path to conversion.
Brandon and AJ go back a couple weeks to their discussion about the nature of Christ to focus on whether Christ has really experienced all that we have. How does our sinfulness and His sinlessness intersect?
This week, Brandon and AJ discuss their discomfort with being celebrated and honored and where that comes from. Is it really humility? Spoiler alert: No, it isn't.
In this week's episode, Brandon is inspired by his reading of St. Athanasius to look at one of the questions posed to about the possibility of change in Christ as opposed to the change(fall) of Satan. He and AJ spend some time comparing the three natures of God, angels, and humans to see why this question is important and see how the question affects our own relationships with God.
In this week's episode, as AJ prepares to move again, Brandon is curious about the impacts AJ has noticed in his moves and how living in different places could broaden his daughters' experiences.
This week, Brandon follows up with AJ about some of AJ's difficulties with St. Paul and others. How can we acknowledge not being drawn to, or even disagreeing with, certain Saints without dismissing them?
This week, Brandon asks why it is so hard to keep commitments to ourselves than it is to keep the ones we make to others. This definitely applies to prayer, but so many other things as well.
With Brandon out of commission, AJ does a little thinking out loud about how he sometimes struggles to incorporate the teachings of the Saints into his own life.
AJ and Brandon build on last week's discussion about the soul's location by diving a little bit deeper into what the soul is. What do we mean by animating principle?
This week, Brandon brings his daughter's question about where the soul is and things quickly balloon out to a broader conversation about the human person and body-soul unity.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the idea of general revelation. What is it? How much does it actually tell us about God? Once we have specific revelation, is there any reason to think about the general revelation anymore?
This week, AJ and Brandon take a look at the relationship between faith and logic, especially in some of the apparent paradoxes, like the Trinity and the dual natures of Christ. Does faith require us to be illogical?
This week, AJ and Brandon look at how confusion and identity work in the scriptures. Why do those who don't identify as God's end in confusion?
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon get back to their discussion of freedom and agency. How do we balance seeking God's guidance and our own need to make use of the reason, will, and intellect God gave us? Is there anything in between dependence and independence?
I finish my two part lecture on historical theology at Copper Hills Church. It was an amazing experience that I hope won't be my last. I want to get better at this.
This is the recording of Brandon's lecture at his Church. We reviewed his outlines over the last couple of weeks and now we get to hear what he delivered.
Please note there were some technical issues:
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The mic kept rubbing on his shirt, so there is some noise
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The mic died before the end
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The mic couldn't pick up the comments from the crowd
AJ and Brandon continue to look at Brandon's theology lessons. Last week was about theology as a spiritual discipline, but this week, it's a look at why theology is important, and looking at how theology can be practiced in our daily lives. How and why does historical context keep coming up in this discussion? Why is there so much talk about our assumptions and presuppositions?
This week, the guys walk through Brandon's outline for the class he's going to teach at his church. It's an invitation to practice theology as a spiritual discipline.
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon take a closer look at Jesus as the New Adam. Jesus Not only undoes the damage from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, but offers to elevate all of humanity to a truly perfect paradise in Heaven.
With Easter right around the corner, AJ and Brandon touch base and look back at their Lenten practices and try to look forward to what they'll carry with them past Easter.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about directing their work towards God. Our work should bring glory to God, but how do we make that happen?
This week, AJ and Brandon take a look at the book of Jonah to see another example of the way a disordered view of things gets us away from God and how God offers us opportunities to come back.
This week, AJ and Brandon finish their discussion of Christ's temptations in the desert by looking at Satan's offer of worldly power in exchange for Christ's worship.
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss Satan's attempt to get Jesus to cast himself down from the Temple. Why would that have even been tempting?
This week, AJ and Brandon take a closer look at the temptations of Christ in the desert, starting with the temptation to change stones to bread.
This week, Brandon and AJ want to talk through the balance between individual, contemplative faith experiences and the communal, shared faith experiences.
In this week's episode, Brandon fights on through illness to join AJ in a discussion about Lenten practices and the importance of the fast, prayer, and almsgiving.
Building on Brandon's blog post about liminal experiences, he and AJ have a discussion about risks of spiritual binging and purging through the idea of Fat Tuesday and Lent. How do we properly fast and feast?
This week, AJ talks to Brandon about his first paper from his masters degree program. What is the point of a creed? Does it matter what you believe? Isn't just what you do that matters?
This week, Brandon brings a conversation about Maslow and two different types of fear to the table, then he and AJ try to make sense of the idea and its limitations in the Christian life.
This week, AJ and Brandon wrap up their look at the permanence of salvation. How do we reconcile the confidence that none who belong to Christ will be lost with St. Paul saying to work out our salvation with fear and trembling?
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon talk through recapitulation. What does it mean to take Christ as our head? And why doesn't it seem to stick when we do?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about sanctification. When a person is set apart, dedicated to God, why doesn't it always stick? Why isn't everything different about them?
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about what it means to be adopted into the family of God. What is different about our status as coheirs compared to Christ?
On this week's episode, Brandon hits AJ with a real puzzler. If we have actually had an encounter with Christ, where is the change? It should change everything, but sometimes it seems like nothing is different. Why is that?
AJ and Brandon sit down with Marc Riddle, a local professional in manufacturing. He is an elder at his church (Dessert Springs CC) and was recommend by Robbie Lashua, who was on our Highlights last year. Marc is a really interesting guy with a rich faith. We hope his story helps support you in your journey.
After a brief chat about Thanksgiving, AJ and Brandon dive into the topic of sins of omission. What are they? Why do they matter? How do we avoid them and avoid being scrupulous about them?
Brandon sits down with the Executive Director of his church (Copper Hills) to talk about his journey from big business to church management. It is super interesting story, so if you missed part 1, be sure to go back and listen.
Brandon sits down with the Executive Director of his church (Copper Hills) to talk about his journey from big business to church management. It is super interesting story, so be sure to tune in for part 2 coming next week.
This week, Brandon brings some questions about creation ex nihilo, the idea that God created out of nothing. It's a fun look at one of the unique aspects of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and then AJ talks about the dangers of zooming in too much on Bible verses.
Brandon sits down with Krista, a professor of marketing, to discuss how her faith has impacted her career. Krista has worked with major brands and loves teaching. We highly recommend her for your marketing needs.
Connect with Krista on Instagram: @kristafabrick
This week, Brandon and AJ share their frustration with the way nuns are often portrayed in media. Is it possible to maintain a respect and reverence for the sacred while still allowing freedom of speech?
We sit down with Anthony and discuss the role of faith and sports in his life. We discuss the impact of having a child and walking in faith over fear. He recently started a youtube show called Wellness Check with David Wolfwood (see episode from 8/30 and 9/6). He also stepped into entrepreneurship, so be on the look out for his brand.
If you missed part 1, be sure to go back and listen
Check out his YouTube show Wellness Check
We sit down with Anthony and discuss the role of faith and sports in his life. We discuss the impact of having a child and walking in faith over fear. He recently started a youtube show called Wellness Check with David Wolfwood (see episode from 8/30 and 9/6). He also stepped into entrepreneurship, so be on the look out for his brand.
Be on the look out for part 2 next week
Check out his YouTube channel Wellness Check
This week, Brandon and AJ try to understand the dual nature of Christ by looking at our own dual natures. Sometimes, we make things more complicated than they need to be.
We sit down with 2nd grade teacher Jocelyn to discuss how her faith has played a role in her life and how it impacts how she approaches her job as a teacher in a public school. It was fun to have two teachers (AJ and Jocelyn) together discussing this topic.
If you missed part 1, be sure to go back and listen
We sit down with 2nd grade teacher Jocelyn to discuss how her faith has played a role in her life and how it impacts how she approaches her job as a teacher in a public school. It was fun to have two teachers (AJ and Jocelyn) together discussing this topic.
Be sure to catch part 2 next week
Back to work! After a couple of Highlights episodes, AJ and Brandon get back into their conversation about Baptism and transubstantiation. Where is the need for baptism found? Where are its effects? What actually changes?
Brandon sits down to speak with the GM of his daughter's jiujitsu gym. David has an amazing story and an amazing heart. If you are looking for a gym or a bartender, I highly recommend him.
If you missed part 1, be sure to go back and listen
Instagram: @davidwolfwood
Check out his YouTube channel Wellness Check
Brandon sits down to speak with the GM of his daughter's jiujitsu gym. David has an amazing story and an amazing heart. If you are looking for a gym or a bartender, I highly recommend him.
Come back next week for part 2 of this conversation
Find him on Instagram: @davidwolfwood
Check out his YouTube channel Wellness Check
You know how you think you know where a conversation will go until you actually have it? Well, here, Brandon thought we were going to talk about transubstantiation and baptism. Guess again!
This week, Brandon talks to AJ about a conversation with someone about Baptism and its origin. Can Baptism be traced to the Garden? If not, where do we find its start?
As they bring a close to his book's topics, Brandon wants to get practical about the idea of temptation. What is temptation? How does it work? How do we distinguish between a spiritual attack and our own fallen state?
This week, Brandon brings an example of a bishop referencing the idea of people losing their baptism through soothsaying and other similar practices. What is a Sacrament? What are they for? And can they actually be lost?
In this week's episode, Brandon and AJ discuss the relationship between good and evil. Do they both need one another? Is it really true that evil is necessary for us to recognize what is good? If not, why does God allow evil?
Continuing to work through Brandon's book on witchcraft, he and AJ talk about the origins and justifications for persecution and our desire for control.
Brandon has picked up one of his old text books on the history of witchcraft. From there, he and AJ have a discussion about the shifting way the Church has viewed the devil over the centuries and try to understand the bigger picture.
In the Gospels, Christ lays out some strong statements about those who would follow Him. Specifically, about loving Him above all else and taking up our cross. It's not a long list, so why is it so hard to live up to?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the importance of knowing the history of the faith. We have 2000 years of Christ's followers learning how His teachings interact with human realities, so why try to reinvent the wheel with every generation?
This week, Brandon brings to AJ the news of Andrew Tate's recent conversion from Christianity to Islam. He converted largely because he felt that Jesus gets mocked too often with no real consequence. How true is that assessment? And why does it happen?
In John's letter, he says that those who don't love don't know God. This week, AJ and Brandon discuss whether the opposite is also true. How do we reconcile what John says and the examples of atheists who certainly seem loving to us.
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon talk about Heaven. Is it possible to lose it once we're there? And if not, can we really say we're free there?
Before Brandon and his girls headed off for the long weekend, he and AJ have a discussion about patience and the value of being still, even if it wasn't our preference. Because things can never be that simple, they then continue with a discussion about the importance of being patient and waiting for the right moment without becoming idle and sedentary.
What is the difference between testimony and worship? Well, AJ and Brandon try to get to the bottom of it and understand the proper role for each in our journey to Christ.
Having listened to some of the debates in Peoria about bathrooms and school curriculum, Brandon brings his frustration with the way science is becoming political so that he and AJ can wrestle with it together.
In their Bibles, Brandon has been reading through the Minor Prophets and AJ has been reading the Historical Books. As they've been reading, they both noticed that sin always leads to separation and holiness always leads to the people being gathered together. Why is that? And how do we interpret that in our own experiences of isolation and friendship?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the idea of idolatry and what it would mean to serve Mammon, which we tend to translate as money. How is it possible to "serve" money? How do we avoid it, even as we try to build a business?
This week, AJ and Brandon are joined by Walther, because, if you're going to discuss friendship, you need to have a friend to discuss it with. Making friends isn't always easy, but it's definitely important.
AJ had something of a revelation this weekend listening to the Gospel about St. Thomas and his doubts about Christ's resurrection, so he and Brandon talk about the struggle with doubt and St. Thomas' incredible response once he realized the truth.
Happy Easter! AJ and Brandon jump into a conversation about stewardship. Sports, capitalism, and culture all play a part in helping us come to grips with what it is and what we need to be doing.
This week, as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter, AJ and Brandon talk about the tendency to view Christ's work as restoring us to Eden and just how short that sells what Jesus accomplished.
Continuing their look at CS Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms, AJ and Brandon discuss the Psalmist sense of the after life and God's ongoing revelation through the Bible about what Heaven and Hell really are.
This week, Brandon starts us off talking about a hard conversation with an anxious 8 year old. It's all well and good talking about the faith, but how do you explain death, heaven, and hell to a kid without causing trauma or losing the reality?
This week, AJ and Brandon continue looking at CS Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms. This time, the focus is on the way the psalmist not only welcomes, but actively calls on God as his judge. Where does this confidence come from and where has it gone?
Brandon is back! This week, he and AJ talk about CS Lewis' observation that the most heated and difficult faith conversations tend to come not from faithful believers nor staunch atheists, but semi-believers. What is a semi-believer and why would those conversations be so much more difficult?
This week AJ and Bran...Wait, that's not Brandon! Instead, AJ is joined by Walther Cantu from Barbatus podcast and his Peregrino Newsletter/Blog. Walther and AJ talk about his journey in life and faith to this point. Make sure to find Walther on some future pods with us and by signing up for Peregrino at:
https://walthercantu.substack.com/
Wrapping up their discussion of the Silmarillion, AJ and Brandon talk about our roles as subcreators and the lessons and parallels for us found in the works of Tolkien.
As they continue looking at the Silmarilion, AJ and Brandon look at the relationship between good things and jealousy and greed that they seem to bring with them. Are the good things to blame? How do we appreciate what's good without being consumed by them?
As they continue to discuss Tolkien's Silmarillion, AJ and Brandon hone in specifically about the creation myth and the unique, central role of creation myths in the context of fairy tales as they discussed last week.
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon begin geeking out about JRR Tolkien's Silmarillion, specifically in its relation to fairy tales and mythology. The mingling of tragedy, hope, and valor offered by these types of story are so necessary for us all.
AJ and Brandon wrap up their conversations about heresy by trying to figure out why, other than the occasional Twitter fight, they don't really hear about heresy in the modern context.
Continuing the discussion about heresies, AJ and Brandon move into a look at some of the mistaken teachings about just who Jesus Christ really was. The idea of Christ being both God and man caused as much confusion as the Trinity being three persons and one God.
AJ and Brandon continue talking about heretics, this time taking a look at some of the early attempts to rationalize the Trinity. It's true that our understanding of the Trinity is largely thanks to the conversations that the heretics began, but their heresies are also an important reminder about the dangers of trying to force God to fit inside our minds.
AJ and Brandon are talking about heretics, and they're being weirdly complimentary. How can heretics be helpful for the development of the faith?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the gnostic gospels, the various works that are written about Jesus, but aren't part of the Sacred Scriptures. Where did they come from? Why are they called gnostic? Should we read them?
This week, AJ and Brandon start a discussion about the Bible. It's such an important part of faith that sometimes, we run the risk of taking it for granted. Today, they take a brief look at the differences between the Protestant and Catholic versions of the Bible.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about how we think God sees us and how that impacts our attempts to follow Him. It's one thing to know that God loves us, but it's a whole nother thing to really internalize and live that.
This week, Brandon drags himself from the depths of illness to talk with AJ. They start with a conversation about Brandon's entry into Tolkien's Silmarillion. After that, they find that they keep coming back to the Valar and Melkor when discussing their own struggles with selfishness and answering God's calling.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about one of the main obstacles to carrying out our mission, the fear that it won't work, and what that failure may mean for us.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about one of the things that gets in the way of answering our call, our limiting beliefs. What are the things that hold us back from really going all in to following where God wants us to be?
This week, AJ takes a turn talking through his journey to his call in teaching. The journey isn't complete, but every part of it matters.
This week, AJ and Brandon keep talking about the idea of mission, but this time they wrestle with our selfishness in the mission. How do we make sure we are doing what we can for the sake of the Kingdom of God instead of out of our selfish motives?
This week, AJ and Brandon keep talking about the idea of mission, but this time they wrestle with our selfishness in the mission. How do we make sure we are doing what we can for the sake of the Kingdom of God instead of out of our selfish motives?
In this week's Highlight interview, AJ is joined by Taylor Schroll from Forte Catholic to talk about his journey into ministry and the things he's learned since. Make sure to give it a listen and give him a follow on all the socials with @TaylorSchroll to get more of what he has to offer.
Continuing their discussions about mission and leadership, this week AJ and Brandon are talking about the role of leaders in finding and answering our own calls. Does it matter if we have their support? Does it even matter if they know?
Continuing their discussions about mission and leadership, this week AJ and Brandon are talking about the role of leaders in finding and answering our own calls. Does it matter if we have their support? Does it even matter if they know?
In this week's Highlight interview, Brandon sits down with Christopher Priebe, founder of Cultivate Coffee as well as a pastor, about how he has come to fulfill the mission he always knew he had in serving Christ. Make sure to give this a listen, because Christopher has a lot of incredible insights to share.
In this week's Highlight interview, Brandon sits down with Christopher Priebe, founder of Cultivate Coffee as well as a pastor, about how he has come to fulfill the mission he always knew he had in serving Christ. Make sure to give this a listen, because Christopher has a lot of incredible insights to share.
Finally free of technology problems, AJ and Brandon discuss the very real risks of bad leadership, especially in religious and spiritual contexts. How do we find the balance between humble submission and the responsibility of reason?
On this week's Highlight interview, Brandon sits down with Amber Hunter to discuss her journey through loss to music to help lead others to God and how she has come to offer her music as her "tears and prayers." Make sure to give her a follow on Instagram at @soul_confetti and listen to her on Spotify HERE.
Isn't technology grand? Since AJ couldn't get connected, Brandon flew solo and talked about finding and answering the calling. It's often a bit of a winding path, but there is still progress.
Isn't technology grand? Since AJ couldn't get connected, Brandon flew solo and talked about finding and answering the calling. It's often a bit of a winding path, but there is still progress.
In this week's interview, Brandon is joined by David Bates, who co-hosts the weekly podcast Pints With Jack, discussing the works of C.S. Lewis, the Christian apologist and author of The Chronicles of Narnia in addition to running the website RestlessPilgrim.net, to discuss his journey to this mission field.
In this week's interview, Brandon is joined by David Bates, who co-hosts the weekly podcast Pints With Jack, discussing the works of C.S. Lewis, the Christian apologist and author of The Chronicles of Narnia in addition to running the website RestlessPilgrim.net, to discuss his journey to this mission field.
This time, it's AJ's turn to bounce something he's been wrestling with off of Brandon. Starting with the German bishops, bouncing into the Book of Numbers, and eventually talking about their own experiences of authority, it was a bit of a wild ride.
This season of Highlights, we're talking to people about how they've found their calling. Brandon starts it off by sitting down with friend of the pod Robby Lashua to take another dive into his faith journey and learn from his experiences in walking with the Lord.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the importance of approaching the children in their lives with both justice and mercy. Obviously, we need both, but which one do we tend to start from?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the importance of word choice and what gets lost when we accept some of the modern "synonyms."
With the benefit of AJ spending most of the day in the chapel, he and Brandon dive in deeper on the relationship between commitment and love by looking at the example of God's relationship with His people through the Biblical covenants.
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss some of the difficulties with acknowledging how we love. So many other people and things try to tell us what how we have to feel and what it should look like, but should that matter?
AJ and Brandon finally reunite to record a new podcast. They chat about AJ's experience in the United Kingdom and the importance of both having a destination in mind, but also making sure to enjoy the journey as you're getting there.
Concluding our look back at the four loves, we finish with the highest, purest love there is: agape, the self-sacrificing love of Christ.
This week, we revisit the love of family, with its central importance to the health of the human community.
This week, we revisit the passionate love of eros and try to get past some of the stereotypes and assumptions that surround it.
With AJ out of the country for the month, we wanted to revisit our mini-series on the Four Loves. To start with, we take a look at the natural love of friendship and community.
This week, AJ and Brandon take a closer look at the yoke of Christ. How do we learn from Him the difference between our labors and burdens? How can we be meek and humble of heart?
With Brandon back from a vacation and AJ starting his, we turn our attention to a discussion about the importance and dignity of work, as well as the key to finding a balance in our rest so we avoid idleness.
Continuing their conversations about Brandon's vacation, AJ and Brandon discuss the difficulty of maintaining discipline in prayer while traveling. Like all things, it tends to be a question of balance between scheduled and spontaneous time in the presence of God.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk a little about Brandon's trip to New York. Having been struck by the beauty and permanence of what he saw in New York, they try to figure out why beauty seems to be getting more difficult to find, and why it's so important for us to find it.
AJ and Brandon discuss the concept of manifestation. How dependent is reality on our view and approach to it? Obviously, our attitude matters, but how much so?
This week, AJ and Brandon spend some time talking about some of the ways we see ourselves impacted by our modern disconnection from the natural world. Hopefully, you find yourself listening to this on your way out to a lake or a campsite!
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss the uniqueness of humanity in creation. We are intelligent, but we're also animals. How do we reconcile these truths of who and what we are?
This week, AJ and Brandon return to a conversation on prophesy. Are there still prophets today? If so, how do we figure out which ones are real and which ones aren't?
This week, AJ and Brandon go back to St. Athanasius to see his challenge to the Greeks. Just as the Jewish people lost their priests, prophets, and kings, he points out that the Greeks have lost their magic and idols.
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss St. Athanasius' statement to the Jewish people that, since Christ, there has been no new priest, prophet, or king in Israel. Does this mean that there are no more even today? And what does it mean for us if we don't have those titles? Can we have the mission without the title?
Moving on from Lent, AJ and Brandon take some time to reflect on their Lenten journeys and their celebration of the risen Christ in this Easter season. Eventually, though, it becomes a conversation between them about the need for community, but also the way God gives us glimpses of consolation even in the midst of our desolation.
In their last conversation about the Saints, AJ and Brandon take a look at the example of holy friendship set out by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. It's an important reminder for all of us that, while our call to holiness is unique, it isn't in isolation. We are made to support and receive support from one another.
As they continue looking at the examples of the Saints, AJ and Brandon take a look at a couple of the heavy hitters in terms of the development of Christian theology, Ss. Augustine and Aquinas. While their origins and backgrounds were very different, their goals, commitment, and hunger for the Lord were very much the same. While they made major strides in the understanding of God and creation, the work remains to us as we continue their legacies!
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss Brandon's patron, St. Athanasius and look to his example of humble leadership and loyal dedication both to his people and to his God. Next week, we'll be back with more Saintly examples. If there are any you think we should hit, let us know!
Continuing their discussion of Saints, this week AJ and Brandon discuss AJ's patron Saint, St. Joseph. They talk about the nature of our relationships with Saints as well as the example of St. Joseph's quiet, humble holiness.
On this week's conversation about a Saint, AJ and Brandon talk about St. John. There is a lot of focus on the unique perspective that comes from the only non-synoptic Gospel and the advantage of time in St. John's perspectives.
This week, AJ and Brandon return to discussing some influential Saints by focusing on St. Peter, the Rock, and talking about how he compares to St. Paul and the source of their love and admiration for him.
Since it's Lent, AJ and Brandon have a quick check in on each other leading into the season. How do we make the transition from penance as punishment to healing and drawing closer to God?
Having spent the past few weeks looking at St. Paul's treatment of Spiritual Gifts, this time, AJ and Brandon take a look at the Apostle to the Gentiles himself. He's not always the easiest to understand, but he is prolific and profound.
Thanks to AJ's stupid computer, he finds himself recording another solo episode. This time, it's a look at the Spiritual Gift of Leadership and its role in the Church.
This week, AJ and Brandon finish their conversations about the Gifts by taking a look at the gifts that tend to give them the hardest time, the mystical gifts. Make sure to hit us up with your questions and which gifts you want us to do a deep dive on in the blog next!
This week, AJ and Brandon continue their look at the Gifts of the Holy Spirit by looking at the ones that lend themselves to leadership and governance. Keep listening as we continue the conversation, and join us in the blog posts for a closer look at specific gifts.
AJ and Brandon start a mini-series looking at the role of the Holy Spirit and some of the Gifts it gives to the faithful. Make sure to give it a listen, and keep an eye on the blog posts for more in depth looks at specific gifts.
This week, AJ is flying solo to process a little bit about the power and importance of making a retreat to refocus our lives on God and His call for us.
This week, AJ and Brandon dive into the idea of discernment. How do we identify God's will? What are some of the pitfalls that get in our way? Make sure to give it a listen and reach out with your own experiences of discernment!
With this week's return to our series of InkleDeux interviews, AJ is joined by Ed Oliver from The Caffeine Fix. He shares how his faith has grown and developed throughout a career in media and now in his work highlighting the coolest coffee spots in Phoenix. Ed has a ton to offer, so make sure to give this one a listen and a share. Also, check out his ongoing work via social media by looking for @caffeinefixphx.
A brief thank you and greeting as the year comes to a close. Normal episodes resume next week. God bless!
It's Brandon's turn to share his faith journey. In keeping with the themes from our Highlights, Brandon shows that there's nothing "ordinary" about anyone's journey. We all have something worth sharing, we just need to find our voice.
This week's Highlight interview is between Brandon and David Giarrizzo, who was kind enough to let us host his first ever pod appearance. He shares his experience as a husband, father, realtor, and man of faith. Check out his story about how he got to this point and make sure to follow him on all Instagram @davidjgiarrizzo and Twitter @davidgiarrizzo.
This week, we start to give ourselves the Highlights treatment, sharing the story of our conversions. This week, it's AJ's turn to tell how he found himself here. It's interesting how much we don't realize we don't know, even about people we're close to.
In our continuing Highlights series, discussing our different paths to Christ, Brandon is joined by best selling author and radio host, Lain Ehmann. To benefit from the wisdom gained in her journey, make sure to give her a like and follow @lain.ehmann on Instagram.
With it being Thanksgiving time, what better conversation could we have then to talk about the importance of gratitude? Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and remember that being grateful is a key part of keeping the gift.
In this week's Highlight interview, AJ is joined by Brandon from Praise N Que to discuss resilience in the face of struggle, the importance of finding support, and development of a relationship with Christ. Make sure to find him on the socials @praisenque for food and faith!
On this week's InkleDeux pod, AJ and Brandon talk about one of the things that most of our Highlights interviews have in common, namely that other people helped lead them to the faith. Mentorship is so important, but it doesn't seem to happen often. Why not?
Marc Lucas served as a pastor for 15 years and is now the host of a local radio show, . He shares his amazing story with Brandon as they enjoy a beer at State 48 Lager House. If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to listen to Marcs show. We recommend you start with "Episode 106 - Debate Without Hate." wink
This week, AJ and Brandon wrap up their conversations about the nature of salvation by taking a look at the idea of predestination. How do we reconcile the power of God with our own free will when thinking about our ultimate end?
In this week's Highlight, we are blessed to spend some time talking to Micah Coate of Salvation and Stuff. Micah shares his journey to the faith and apologetics. It's an awesome conversation, and you should definitely find him @mrmicahcoate on Instagram and Facebook as well as giving the Salvation and Stuff Podcast a listen!
This week, AJ and Brandon take a deeper look at the question of sin and culpability. If it's impossible to sin with knowing, can those who don't know Christ sin? Also, wouldn't it be simpler and safer to stay ignorant, that way you could never sin? We try to clear up these and some other confusions in this week's episode.
On this week's Highlight, Brandon is joined by Carlyle from Journey Church to discuss his faith journey and share the wisdom of his experience. It is an incredible journey and Carlyle generously invites us to share in it. Check them out on all social media @journeychurchaz for more information!
This week, AJ and Brandon continue looking at the idea of salvation, this time comparing the Old Testament characters who were blameless with the St. Paul's statement all are sinners and in need of salvation. It is a real blast from the past to our Taco Tuesday origins and one we're sure you'll want to join us for.
In this week's Highlight, AJ is joined by Tyler from the Christ, Culture, and Coffee Podcast. Tyler is part of the dynamic duo at CCC dedicated to providing apologetics and defenses of the faith. Make sure check out the work he and Robby are doing by following them on Instagram and YouTube @christculturecoffee to see the work they're doing!
On this week's episode, AJ and Brandon have a conversation about the only question that ultimately matters, the question of salvation. This is certainly too big of a conversation to fit in one episode, but this time we're focusing on the importance of cooperation between us and Christ to be saved.
As we launch our 4th series of Highlights interviews, we begin by having Brandon sit down at Well Coffee with Alison Furno to discuss how she came to faith. Make sure to follow her at her or on Instagram @alisonkayfurno to catch so much more of what she has to say!
As we bring a close to our summer at the movies, AJ and Brandon turn to our other patron Inkling, JRR Tolkien, and Peter Jackson's film adaptation. While there isn't one Christ figure in Tolkien's work, we take a look at three people who embody Christ's offices as priest, prophet, and king.
As we prepare to wrap up our Christianity in Film series, AJ and Brandon tap into their patrons and namesakes from the Inklings by looking at the film adaptation of CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. While it's a bit on the nose, this allegory does an excellent job of examining many core principles of the Christian faith.
As they continue their look at Christian themes in popular movies, this week AJ keeps Brandon company on a deep dive into one of their favorite movies ever, The Dark Knight, for a look at vigilantism and justice, the importance of knowing your limits, and more.
This week's look at Christian themes in film involves AJ and Brandon celebrating their nerdiness by going back to the original Star Wars movie, Episode IV:A New Hope. It's right in the title, we have hope, we have destiny, and we have a shared frustration about people trying to equate God and the force.
As they continue looking at Christian themes in movies, AJ and Brandon take a suggestion from Instagram and discuss Signs. Signs does a really good job of bringing the ideas of providence and grief to the forefront, especially in the context of family life.
As AJ and Brandon continue looking at Christian themes in film, they are joined by Taylor Schroll of Forte Catholic to take a look at Captain America: Civil War and the themes of culpability and our own tendency to fight amongst ourselves in the faith. You can find Taylor on social media, @taylorschroll and @ForteCatholic. Make sure to listen to Forte Catholic wherever you get your podcasts and at .
This week, AJ and Brandon take a look at the Denzel Washington action movie, Man on Fire, to examine how Christian themes appear in the movie and how Christians can encounter questions about faith and morality in the film.
Wrapping up their conversations about Critical Race Theory, this week AJ and Brandon talk about the application of CRT in the K-12 classrooms. How should the system change? How should teachers adapt? As always, let us know where we missed the boat or where we nailed it!
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon continue discussing the tenets of critical race theory, this time with an emphasis on the importance of allowing people to speak to their own experiences. As always, let us know what we missed and what helped expand your own understanding.
This week, AJ and Brandon keep discussing the first tenet of Critical Race Theory which says that the category of race is not a scientific or natural category, but instead a social construct. We talk about what this means and why it matters.
This week, Brandon and AJ discuss the idea of Critical Race Theory, especially how it effects schools and teaching. While we aren't experts, we will be taking the time to discuss the key tenets of the philosophy in the coming weeks.
On this week's InkleDeux pod, AJ and Brandon talk about AJ's move into teaching high school, especially looking at the relationship between our faith and reason and how to show they work together to the students.
After wrapping up our look at the 7 deadly sins, this week, AJ and Brandon take a break to just nerd out on the two Marvel TV shows, WandaVision and Falcon and Winter Soldier, and lean into their nerdiness.
This week, AJ and Brandon wrap up their look at the seven deadly sins with the OG sin, pride. Pride is an inflated sense of self where we see ourselves as better than others, and eventually becomes an attempt to take the Judgment Seat for ourselves instead of God.
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon fight through technical problems and the return of playoff basketball to continue on with their look at the seven deadly sins with the sin of lust. What separates lust and love? How is beauty the solution?
This week, AJ and Brandon keep moving through the 7 deadly sins with Envy. We talk about the difference between envy and jealousy, the roots of envy, and how to try and avoid falling into the sin in the first place. Make sure to give it a listen and hit us with what you want us to take a closer look at!
Continuing through the 7 deadly sins, this time AJ and Brandon are looking at the sin of greed. Greed is still a matter of desire, not totally different from gluttony. How do we avoid an over attachment to things? Why do we so often tie up our value and worth in the possession of things?
Everyone gets angry, even Jesus. What is it that separates a righteous, holy anger from the deadly sin of wrath? How do we move past our desire for vengeance to offering forgiveness? And why is it so important for us to forgive?
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss the sin of gluttony. It's important to remember that the things in this world will never be able to fully satisfy us, they are means an end, and if we lose sight of that, we'll just chase those temporary tastes of joy and never get the real thing.
I am constantly told that I need to "grind." To me, that sounds like doing something so repetitive that it wears me down. I don't want to grind, but I do want to work hard. I want to see my vision and drive towards it. I want to learn those lessons. I want to grow into the person who will achieve that goal. To be that person, I have to work hard.
This week, AJ and Brandon begin taking a look at the 7 Deadly Sins, starting with one that AJ is very familiar with, sloth. Sloth isn't always about not doing things, but gets more to the question of not doing what needs to be done.
After so much time talking about getting ready for Easter, you know AJ and Brandon had to take some time to welcome Easter and discuss how to live it out. This week, we talk about the idea of dying to sin and living in Christ and the importance of giving ourselves the grace to continue improving instead of demanding perfection immediately.
On a special Holy Thursday episode, AJ and Brandon are joined by Gustavo, Ivan, and Walther from the Barbatus Catholic Podcast to discuss the Triduum celebrations and how pass the faith on to the next generation. Make sure to check them out on social media and on their own pod!
Hard to believe though it is, Easter is two Sundays from today! To try and keep it from sneaking up on us, we talked our way through how this Lent has been treating us. How have our attempts at prayer, fasting, and almsgiving been going? A little hit and miss, honestly. How about yours?
This week, AJ and Brandon have a (slightly late) celebration of 100 episodes of podcasting before diving in on the proud Christian tradition of baptizing pagan symbols, using the Easter Bunny as a prime example. Why have Christians, going all the way back to St. Paul, been so willing to use non-Christian symbols?
On this week's episode, AJ and Brandon complete their look at the Lenten practices. Having already looked at prayer and fasting, this week they look at almsgiving. When we recognize that everything we have is the generous gift of God, we'll have a natural desire to share those blessings with others. How do we incorporate that with our other Lenten practices? How do we develop that gratitude and desire to give in the the children in our lives? Listen and let us know what you think!
AJ and Brandon keep walking that Lenten journey! After looking at prayer last week, this week it's time to take a look at fasting. Fasting is more than just giving up candy, it's about getting the obstacles out of the way from us and God.
This week, AJ and Brandon thought they were going to be discussing prayer, but like good conversation often does, they were pulled in a different direction and talked about the importance of community and the difficult question of whether our churches have failed us(or if we've failed them) during this pandemic.
AJ and Brandon needed a break, so they decided to just give in to the Nerd Side and bring out a bracket ranking the heroes and villains from the Star Wars movies. Taking it easy, naturally, meant we ran long, because of course it did, but we have no doubt that a lot of you will be willing and able to tell us just how horribly wrong we are!
AJ and Brandon get reflective about who they are, who the podcast is for, and why it matters. Our principles will define our culture, and if we don't want to be passengers, just watching the direction the world goes, then we all need to get into the conversation. We need the every-man to join the conversation.
As we wrap up our look at the Cardinal Virtues, AJ and Brandon talk about Fortitude as the proving point for all virtues. Courage isn't actually about being fearless, but being able to recognize your fears and keep them from dominating your life. We, like St. Peter, have to be willing to get out of the boat, even if it only gets us a couple steps further.
This week, AJ and Brandon look at the virtue of Temperance. How do we know how of something is a moderate amount? How do we keep our priorities right? How do we record a podcast when our internet connection is so spotty that we keep losing each other's audio mid conversation? The answers to these questions and more on this week's InkleDeux Podcast!
This week, AJ and Brandon continue their conversations about the virtues with Prudence. Specifically, we use the conversation around the freedom of speech and social media censorship to discuss prudent use of speech and authority.
This week, AJ and Brandon move from the theological virtues into the cardinal virtues, starting with justice. We talk about the relationship between justice and freedom, how the just consequences make our freedom more real, and how we give ourselves and others what we are due.
This week, AJ and Brandon wrap up their conversations about goals(we promise!) by laying out there much more consolidated goals for this new year. It's important to know what we're aiming for if we're going to have any real chance of getting there, after all.
As 2020 comes to a merciful close, AJ and Brandon take a look back at the goals we set in January and check in on how we did. Remember, not meeting a goal isn't the same as failing. Celebrate your progress and then reevaluate. Have a safe and blessed start to your new year!
As we get ready for a different Christmas than we've ever had before, AJ and Brandon discuss the importance of remembering what Christmas is really about. While many of our holiday traditions will either be smaller or skipped entirely this year, let's take a moment to focus on the eternal joy of the season.
This week, AJ and Brandon wrap up their conversations about faith by going in a different direction. Instead of talking about faith and reason, what about faith and imagination? Warning to parents of young children, if you don't want them hearing about, ehem, modern seasonal myths, you won't want them listening to this episode with you.
On this week's Highlight interview, AJ is joined by Copper and Cotton Chef Tamara Stanger. She shares her journey, talks about the importance of local and sustainable food, and most importantly, not letting your circumstances decide your life. Make sure to follow her on social media @tamara_stanger and make sure you get some great food from @cottonandcopperaz
This week, AJ and Brandon continue talking about faith, this time with a special emphasis on the importance of faith being something we grow and develop. Faith is something we have to practice if we want to actually have it impact our lives.
In this week's Highlights interview, AJ is joined by Chelsea Sutton to discuss lessons learned from her life and sharing some incredible insights into the importance of looking at problems from multiple directions. Make sure to follow her business, @consultment, and personal @cimforgiven, on Instagram and Twitter!
In this episode, AJ and Brandon continue on with the theological virtues, now moving on to the virtue of Faith. Between the difficulty with defining the word, to understanding its relationship with the other two virtues of Hope and Love, and even how do we encourage the development of Faith in the next generation.
This week, AJ is joined by a long time friend and brother, Mike Ubaldini. Mike has battled a lot of darkness and struggles born out perfectionism and confusing failing for being a failure, but has kept working his way towards improvement. He has so much incredible wisdom to share, we know you'll want to find him at the RFP podcast, Ultra Dads podcast, and on all social media @MUbal4.
AJ and Brandon dive in on the question of legalizing marijuana in Arizona. It's actually a tough question for the guys, since marijuana is in some ways similar to alcohol, but also very different. How do you enforce marijuana laws? What impact would legal weed have on kids? These questions and others dominate the conversation.
Alright folks, I hope you are ready for this one, because AJ is straight gospel preaching here today. Discipleship is at the core of our Christian experience. I'd even say it's at a more basic level of our human experience. Christian discipleship is a cycle of being called, sitting at the feet of the master, being sent out. We go through this cycle many times in our life and it is part of our growth, part of the process of sanctification.
This week, we continue talking about hope, specifically AJ gets some of his gripes with the gospel of prosperity. Our hopes shouldn't be limited to this world, or else we'll be closing ourselves off to the greatest gifts that God has in store for us.
On this Highlights episode, AJ is joined by Robby from Christ, Culture, and Coffee podcast. Robby shares his faith journey and the importance of community in building a foundation strong enough for the attacks the world throws at it. Make sure to check out Robby on the
Why do so many Christians feel the need to attach their hope to politicians or parties? We need to remind ourselves that our primary identity and loyalty lay with Christ, and we need to try and educate the children in our lives that, while politics certainly matter, placing our hope in any human or human institution is a sure path to disappointment.
On this week's Highlight, Justin from BlueShoesFitness.com talks to AJ about his path to working in personal fitness. There is so much to unpack from him, whether we're talking about resilience, fitness, balancing work and family, or directing everything to building up the Kingdom of God. If you are looking to get in shape and want a brother and coach to help you get there, make sure you check him out on www.blueshoesfitness.com
In the Gospel of John, we're told that we are supposed to hate our life in this world. How do we reconcile that with love of neighbor and gratitude for the gift of creation? How do we teach the children in our lives to be grateful for things without being too attached to the things themselves?
This week's Highlight is with Kimhak from . Kimhak moved from the kitchen to the roaster and talks about the importance of drive, being open minded, and finding a community that will help you grow. Get your premium coffee fix from them at paircupworks.com and give them a follow on Instagram and Facebook, @pair.cupworks.
Since we were recording on Labor Day, what could be better than talking about the dignity of work? So often, we think of work as something to be endured, but how can we help the kids in our life to recognize the value of the work they do?
As we kick off our third round of Highlights, we start things up right by sitting down with the guys from . At InkleDeux, we aim for meaningful conversation and delicious beverages, and these guys fit that perfectly. Working with the local brewing scene, Blue Pint Society is trying to put an end to testicular cancer. Make sure to check them out, and don't forget to sign up for Digital Beer School on September 19! Find more information at their and on all social media @bluepintsociety
As we wrap up our look at the Four Loves, Brandon and AJ close it out with the highest love, agape. This divine love is selfless and unconditional, and also serves as the purifier for the corruptions of the three natural loves. But, with agape being a divine love, how do we try to live it? And how can we teach kids about it?
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about Storge, commonly treated as family love, but better understood as familiar love. How do we understand the tension between this love as being driven by both need and gift?
As we continue looking at CS Lewis' 4 Loves, this week Brandon starts by admitting he isn't really looking forward to talking about Eros, probably the most consistently abused of the four. Whether we're comfortable talking about it with our kids or not, we can't really afford to let the world be their first source of information about it.
Following our talk last week about viewing our relationship with God as friendship, AJ and Brandon start looking at the virtue of love using CS Lewis' Four Loves as the starting point. This week, it's friendship, of philia.
Brandon shares his discomfort with hearing God described simply as a friend to his daughter, leading he and AJ to discuss the pros and cons of some of the images of God we use, and specifically how to approach teaching children about how to have a healthy relationship with God.
It seems like we only ever talk about justice in terms of punishment, retribution, and repayment. This week, AJ and Brandon talk about the bigger sense of justice as something for correction and even reward, using the example of how God, in His justice, guides and educates His people.
Recognize that God is calling you. He isn't concerned with your past mistakes. He isn't concerned with your insecurities and shortcomings. God is calling. How are you going to respond?
Brandon kicks things off with a state of the union address that launches us into a conversation about productivity, leisure, and the danger of living your life through a screen during quarantine.
We finish our thoughts on overcoming fear in this episode of Arise And Go. Regardless of whether or not it is positive or negative, Vision is the only way to overcome fear. We must take the time to get very clear on our vision, as that is the source of courage, which is the energy needed to take the first step. Taking the first step is how you build up micro-victories. Micro-victories builds confidence, which kills fear. I hope this has provided you some value. If so, please share this on your social media. We can be found on all of them at @inkledeux.
This week, AJ and Brandon take some time to reflect on lessons they've learned from their dads and talk about how we can try to pass those same lessons on to the next generation.
AJ and Brandon talk about the grand reopening and trying to figure out when we ought to start participating in it. This becomes a bigger conversation on knowing when to act and when to wait.
Brandon shares a story of an online interaction around the Black Lives Matter movement, and then he and AJ talk about what we can say and do in times like these to try and bring good out of the madness.
In the midst of the protests after the murder of George Floyd, AJ and Brandon try to figure out how we, as a teacher and as a parent, talk to kids about the difficulties of racism. It's not an easy conversation, and these aren't easy times, but it's an important one to have.
The follow up to our last AAG podcast. This is continues on the topic of fear. We talked about what fear was last time. This time we dig into how to overcome it. There is no easy solution, no trick, or hack to overcome fear. It is a lot of small steps and hard work. You have it inside of you to do it. So, take your first step and arise and go.
This week, AJ and Brandon continue their discussion about communicating love, especially to children. This time, the focus is on the importance of emphasizing the positive and encouraging others. Our words mean something, and especially to children who are so quick to internalize what trusted adults say about them.
This week, AJ and Brandon talk about AJ's interactions with a few different types of parents during the chaos of distance learning before getting into a discussion about the approaches and how they reflect the parents' love for their children.
This week, AJ and Brandon spend this week celebrating May the Fourth, and then looking at the importance of knowing who you are and your calling before you focus on the busy work. How are you going to make sure the actions you take are bringing you closer to where you are supposed to be?
We are mixing it up on you a little bit this time. Brandon has been toying with some creative podcast formats (because we can't get him to leave a good thing alone), and this seemed like a good opportunity to try it out. This message wasn't intended as a response to our current pandemic, but very much applies. Fear has become the backdrop of everything these days. It has truly permeated everything. We cannot succumb to fear. We need to rise up and overcome it. There is so much light in all of us, we just need to turn out into the world. We hope you enjoy this short, inspirational style podcast. We have three of these that we will be sharing. Please let us know your thoughts, if you like it, if it helped you, or if it's not really your thing. That's okay too.
People are protesting to reopen the economy. Other people are protesting the fact that people are protesting to reopen the economy. AJ and Brandon try to get everyone to take a step back and keep the conversation civil and rational. Join us in the conversation at our page.
It's Easter! Christ is risen! After the "Lentiest Lent that ever Lented," Christ is risen, and our hope is fulfilled! What does hope mean? How do we hold on to our hope? These questions, plus an important final note from last week's Hero Bracket, on this week's InkleDeux podcast.
AJ and Brandon finish their nerd out(for now) and crown a champion of the Heroes Bracket. Was Brandon finally able to vindicate the DC universe from AJ's endless slander? Did either of the 1 seeds make a real run? Find out this week on....InkleDeux Podcasts!
Sometimes a distraction is what you really need. We definitely need one right now, so we decided to spend the next couple episodes giving super heroes a very fair, totally objective, bracket to determine who is the very best. Here, we lay out our criteria and go through the first round match ups, and next week we'll crown our champ.
AJ and Brandon, despite their hopes and dreams, bite the bullet and talk about Coronavirus again, hopefully for the last time. This week, we're mostly focused on the shortsighted selfishness of the people who refuse to follow the advice and directives about how to get this all under control. Hit us with your thoughts on or our .
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about the rapid changes in the spread of the Coronavirus with a special focus on how the various churches are responding to it, as well as discussing how people of faith are called to respond.
In the third and final installment of our live podcast series on meaningful conversation with Kelly Fitzsimmons Burton. This time, we talk about two of the philosophical approaches that define what conversation is allowed in the public square, secularism and pluralism, and their weaknesses. Make sure to keep following Kelly at retphi.com and keep the conversation going with us on .
This week, AJ and Brandon discuss an article AJ saw discussing possible school closures due to the Corona virus, not suggesting they should close, but instead asking at what point would it make sense to close them. This leads to a discussion of what is the difference between being governed by fear or being reasonable and cautious.
This week, we get pretty heavy. Brandon shares the terrible story of what happened to a foster child his parents took care of, and both AJ and Brandon discuss the difficulty of investing in children, especially the ones who are in the worst situations. Ultimately, it's a question of whether the effort is worth it or not. We come to what we believe is an obvious answer, but far from an easy one.
Kelly joins us for a second live event and a discussion about the relationship between freedom and rules. This go around, we really got into some audience participation. Unfortunately, not all of it got picked up on the mics, but hopefully we restated them well enough to avoid confusion. Give us a listen, let us know what you think of the role of rules in freedom on Facebook, and hopefully join us next month for the final of the three part series!
Today, AJ and Brandon lay out their goals and plans for InkleDeux in 2020. We're looking for you all to help us keep accountable to the things we said we were going to do, so don't hesitate to call us out on if we're slacking off!
AJ and Brandon are both bouncing back from last week's craziness to talk about the influence music has, especially on kids. We talk about the impact of image on the message, and especially in Christian music. Make sure to let us know what we got right or wrong on , and follow us on all social media, @InkleDeux.
Tonight starts off like a normal episode, but pretty quickly, Brandon had to leave to get his wife some medical attention. Long story short, she's ok, but they had to make sure. In Brandon's absence, AJ tries to look at the lessons from the tragic helicopter accident this past weekend which claimed 9 lives, including Kobe Bryant. Join us on Facebook and share how you cope with loss and what death can teach us about life.
This is our first ever live podcast! Woo-hoo! Obviously, you aren't hearing it live, but next time you still can! and AJ had a great discussion about what makes a meaningful conversation, and a little bit of conversation about what we can really know. Hopefully, we'll see you at on February 7th for our ! Make sure to share the conversation, and hit us on with your thoughts about what we got right and what we got wrong!
This week, Brandon and AJ take a look at some of the advice found in a parenting book Brandon's been reading and try to figure out how to balance the need to correct the behavior of children without losing sight of the fact that all of us are battling our fallen nature as well.
Make sure to find us on Facebook and hit us with your thoughts and experiences in childhood and parenting!
This week, Brandon shares his sadness and hurt over the current split and schism happening in the Methodist community. Together, he and AJ talk about why these divisions happen, why it hurts so much when it happens, and how we can try to minimize them.
Also, stick around all the way to the end to catch an update about a live podcast coming up this Friday!
This week, AJ and Brandon come back to talk about their Christmases and the challenge of good gift giving before giving a couple of goals for the New Year.
Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
This week, for the first time in a few weeks, Brandon and AJ are back on the weekly recording schedule. Since the year is winding down, we took a look at the goals we set and posted for ourselves at the beginning of the year and decided to check and see how we'd done. We'll be taking next week off for Christmas, so we hope you and yours all have an incredible and blessed holiday!
Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
This week, Brandon is joined by Legind Studios, a faith based media studio out of Avondale, AZ. Duane and Antoinette share their story and their passion with us for a great conversation!
Find them on all your social media apps @dnafilmworks and make sure to check out the projects they're working on!
Today, Brandon and AJ are joined by Jake Stanley from Man Fully Alive Ministries. Jake shares the experiences which led to he and his friends to form MFA ministries and the importance of an intentional community for men. Follow them and share them with the men in your life! This is a tremendous community of men working the difficulties of life together. Find them on social media @mfaministries and make sure to listen to Man Fully Alive Conversations wherever you get your podcast fix.
This week's Highlight, Brandon sits down with Kevin at Well Coffee for an awesome chat about his life, his mission, and his work with Well Coffee. After pumping Brandon full of caffeine, Kevin shares his journey through near homelessness, working in restaurants, and eventually to Arizona, in a small, community coffee shop. They serve a great cup of coffee, and even better conversation!
Check them out online at wellcoffeehouse.com and on Twitter and Instagram, @wellcoffeehouse
Brandon and AJ spend some time discussing Kanye West's recent, and very public, conversion. How are we supposed to react to a celebrity conversion? What are the actual impacts? How do we balance our hope and optimism for a new brother in Christ with our concerns about how some Christian celebrities have represented us badly in the past?
This week in our Highlights, Brandon sits down with his former philosophy professor, Kelly Fitzsimmons-Burton. Brandon stepped up and did the interview, anxious to impress his former teacher. Check out the links below!
https://www.paradisevalley.edu/students/honors/kelly-fitzsimmons-burton
Grab her book at: https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Fitzsimmons-Burton/e/B07L54V3M7%Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share
And visit her blog at: https://retphi.com/about/
For the first time in nearly a month, Brandon and AJ recorded a new podcast! Having launched their pop-up coffee shop(every Saturday from 8-Noon at Throne Brewing at 67th Ave and Bell), both of them are still very much processing how it went and how they prepared for it. It turns into a conversation about the tension between being content or grateful for what we have, and still wanting to strive for more and greater.
Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
This week's episode of Highlights, AJ is joined by his friend, Ryan Ayala. Ryan is the campus minister at St. Mary's Catholic High School in Phoenix, as well as a theology teacher. In addition, Ryan is a husband, father, and Catholic with a ton of insight. We'd especially encourage any fathers or parents of teens to listen to some of the lessons he's learned in his time in ministry. If you want more wisdom from Ryan, make sure to check him out on Twitter: @ryanayala_
Brandon and AJ finish filling out the bracket and come to crown the Ultimate Disney Princess. Then, Brandon is joined by a genuine Disney expert, Brooklyn, to explain how we messed up and got it wrong.
Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
On this episode of Highlights, AJ is joined by Ashley Reynolds to discuss her experience as a victim of sextortion and her incredible drive and work to help make sure other women don't experience the same things she did. This was certainly a very difficult experience, but rather than being overwhelmed by it, Ashley has stepped up in a big way to try and educate others to avoid the traps she fell into.
This podcast addresses sensitive topics, and you may not want to listen with young children.
With Brandon and his family getting ready to head to Walt Disney World in Florida, he and AJ decide to take a crack at making a definitive ranking of the Disney princesses. Since it was a serious conversation, we wound up having to stretch it to 2 parts.
Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
In this Highlight, AJ is joined by Marquisse, an incredible person with a mission to match. Marquisse is part of Kill Today's Giant, an organization dedicated to ending human trafficking and the sex trade here in the States. Listen and educate yourself about the reality, and then get in touch with KTG, on social media and become part of the solution!
Find them @killtodaysgiant on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
AJ found himself flying solo today after some technical difficulties. Taking a look at the current events with Antonio Brown as a starting point, AJ shares his frustrations with celebrity culture and hero worship, and it's dangers.
Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
This week in our Highlights series, AJ spent some time with Emily, the founder/owner/manager for Sweetz Brew in Gilbert, AZ. She shared a ton of great insight about what it's been like for her to chase down her passions, building from a literal home business where customers would come into her home to an incredible brick and mortar shop, the first cold brew coffee shop in the state.
Follow on social media @sweetzbrew, and visit the shop for delicious local cold brew, beer, wine, and spirits.
So, there was some kind of mishap in our first attempt at publishing this, but let's give it another shot:
Let’s get a little morbid! This week, Brandon and AJ talk about our culture’s seeming obsession with death while still being scared to discuss our own mortality.
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Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
For our second episode in this season of Highlights, we were joined by Joey Szolowicz at North Mountain Brewing. Joey is a man of drive and passion, and he graciously agreed to talk to us about how he found his balance with work and family, his passion for health and fitness, and some of the exciting stuff coming in the future for his clients. Make sure to find Joey at @joeyszolowicz on Intstagram and all your social media! Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
The boys got rolling tonight! After a quick chat about AJ drinking a beer that was a delicious assault on his senses, Brandon talks about his trip to a WNBA game and how cool it was for his daughter to see girls tearing it up. Finally, they started talking about trying to balance the business and community sides of what InkleDeux is all about. Remember to like, follow, and share us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Listen and subscribe at:
To launch our second season of Highlights, we sat down with Pastor Tim Wright from Community of Grace Lutheran Church at Cabin Coffee in Peoria. Pastor Tim shared a lot of great insight on living our faith, the importance of examples of faith in the family, and education. Pastor Tim shared insights both from faith and neuroscience about the boy crisis in our schools and communities.
Please visit Pastor Tim's website at: www.wonderofparenting.com Remember to like, follow, and share on all social media!
In light of the recent tragedies in El Paso and Dayton, AJ and Brandon practice disagreeing respectfully(most of the time) about gun control standards. It's not like we have the answers, but we did a pretty good job of asking the questions. Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Listen and subscribe at:
Brandon read an article about the 20 Ways You Offend Your Children. This made him think about the big push in our culture to idolize the individual, the self-made person who relies on nobody else. How do we recognize and respect the individual without relying on blind rebellion and isolation?
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
When you're struggling with a situation, and you go to someone helping for a little practical advice and know how, how frustrating is it when they hit you with, "Just trust in God"? We try to get past that frustration and look at how this "advice" can actually be employed in our lives.
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This week, Brandon and AJ use AJ's squandered summer break as a launching point to look at what the difference between leisure(a good thing) and laziness(a bad thing).
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This week, Brandon and AJ reflect on the parable of the Good Samaritan and what it teaches us about how we are called to participate in and shape our communities. We're all aware that we need to help others, but what holds us back from actually doing it?
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
A couple weeks ago, we mentioned St. Thomas Aquinas' 5 Proofs for the Existence of God. This week, we take a deeper look at all 5 of these proofs and examine how they provide a rational basis for our faith in the Creator.
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
Last week, we looked at the Value of Life, which isn't really a political issue, but is certainly a politicized issue. This week, we broaden out the conversation a bit as we talk about the relationship between our faith and politics as a whole, trying to figure out how we should and shouldn't let our faith influence our votes.
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Listen and subscribe at: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
This week, a news story out of the UK caught our attention. After a court ordered a woman to terminate her pregnancy against her will, Brandon and AJ talk about Brandon's experience with the miscarriage of his son, the value of every life, and interaction of faith and politics, or policy, for people of faith.
This week, Brandon and AJ do a (semi)speed run through multiple topics. After a discussion of how we spent the Father's Day weekend, we hit Brandon's lingering frustration with the bank bailout, our joint surprise at Keanu's surging internet popularity, and the value of strong father figures.
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Last week, we talked about the problems that come from treating relationship and religion as ideas that are opposed to each other. This week, we continue the discussion looking at the value and importance of formal religion itself. We look at the historical origins of Christianity as a formal religion, ask why it matters that people believe the same thing, and talk about some of the risks and solutions that come with religion.
Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Today, we dive into a topic that kind of gets us both feeling fired up, namely the idea that religion and relationship are in some way opposed to each other. We've had conversations with a lot of people who bristle at the idea of needing to belong to a religion and all the things that come with that, instead wanting to emphasize the idea that what we really need is a relationship with God. We spend this episode looking at how the two ideas are actually complementary and not exclusionary.
With Brandon on vacation with his family for the Memorial Day weekend, AJ took a turn recording on his own. AJ took some time to reflect on the idea of discernment, what it is and how it works and then gave editing a try for the first time.
Brandon was recently provided some feedback to help handle the pressure of starting a business. The advice was to meditate for 10-20 minutes morning and night. Brandon told this story on Instagram and received a request for caution from a social media friend. This lead to a larger discussion on the value different religions, such as Buddhism or Hinduism, can offer each other. The discussion is around this topic of incorporating elements, such as meditation into the Christian walk.
California recently updated their sexual education curriculum and we wanted to discuss it. The reason it is note worthy is the age at which it begins teaching (kindergarten) and the inclusion of LGBTQ. This is an interesting topic that probably boils down to more of a question between Parent and State. This topic does cross over into thoughts around gender identity and thoughts around transgender as well. As is our new norm, everything is politicized, so we cannot discuss these topics without understanding acknowledging where politics play a role. This is a loaded topic and would love to hear your thoughts, so hit us up on Twitter and lets discuss. We didn't do a beverage this week. Instead, since we are still hung over from Endgame, we decided to discuss what we are currently watching. Here's the least surprising thing you'll read all week: they're pretty nerdy. Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
We only talk about important topics here at InkleDeux, and Avengers: Endgame is one of the most important pop-culture events in a very long time. The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) has ingrained itself into our culture over the last 10 years and 20+ movies. This is the biggest thing to happen to movies both in scope and box office. If your looking for an artistic film review, this is not it. If you want to get nerdy, please jump in, there's always room for more.
The topic of privilege is one we hit a while back . This topic came to the forefront again due to an incident in the NBA where a fan was saying racist comments to Russell Westbrook, who reacted...strongly. This lead to a piece being written by another NBA play, Kyle Korver. In his piece titled , he discusses his experience with racism and privilege as a white player in the NBA. The key take away that we dig into is the classification of Guilty vs Responsible. So we ask the question, who is guilty of this? And where do the responsibilities lie? We are not attempting to resolve the issue, but we do share our experience and process how we are effected by these topics. We offer some life lessons that are very in line with what we are trying to achieve, a middle ground where people can engage in debate without hate. The beverages we discuss were from , which we recorded at over the weekend. This place has excellent beer and we highly recommend you check them out. Please remember to share this on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Amidst our greatest celebration day, there was an attack in Sri Lanka that targeted Christians. We aren't here to be analysts and we aren't shooting for CNN, but this effects us deeply. We knew that we couldn't focus on how great and cheery our Easter was without acknowledging the travesty of these attacks. We don't dig into the details much, but discuss our initial responses to it. Part of this conversation is us discussing a current event, some of it is us working through how we exist in our modern world.
The episode I've been telling you about for 3 weeks is finally here, and there are some gems in this one. We dig into the concept of unity. We believe that unity does not mean uniformity. It is establishing the relationship on common ground and building towards those higher, more complex conversations. This is framed around religion, primarily Catholic and Protestant, but it can really be applied to any realm: friendship, being a manger, being a spouse...being a human, really.
Today's topic is around the paper Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. It is a follow up to a post I made back in on National Women's Day. I chose not to celebrate that day because of how it was being celebrated. I speak a bit more about power dynamics and how we should handle them. It is my response to how I believe we operate in the world today.
This podcast is just Brandon. He digs into his past experiences in religion to bring out why he believes religion is important and should not be removed from the social psyche. He hits religion, college, politics, political correctness and a slew of other thing that will probably make someone crazy.
Brandon remembers to discuss a beverage but forgot to pull a life lesson. So, if there is something you got out of this, please share with us.
We continue to dig into our Catholic and Protestant comparisons, this time around salvation and justification. There are a lot of misconceptions on both sides here. The reality for both is in the middle, having and exercising faith.
Our life lessons are both around the importance of talking with people, empathizing with their position, and responding to message and not your bias. If you like the show, please share it.
We're talking some serious trash today (I'm not apologize for that pun). For our topic we discuss how California has mandated organics recycling. I think we would mostly agree that Environmentalism is noble at heart, but is it being done the right way? Most of all is it right for the state to mandate this? I think there are good points on both sides. Let us know your thoughts on the topic. For our beverages we discuss a few drinks we had and wax poetic over the first love of beer lovers...Guinness. It was the first beer that made us realize that it could actually taste good. Our fun fact of the week is about what percentage of beer (and coffee) is water. We wrap up with some solid life lessons on budgeting and reflecting on what is actually important to you.
This is a continuation of our previous conversation Christian Validity. We can't talk about the differences in Christianity without discussing the Pope. His position is one of the major differences. We talk about how his authority works, what our relationship with that authority is, and get some real life examples using some of the current scandals we've been faced with. For our beverages, we discuss a few beers we've had, give an update on our cold brew coffee, and drop some beer knowledge on you.
The Brewbecue is so much more than smoked meat. They are a B-corp that leans into their charity work. The ownership team are all super laid back folks, but also incredibly insightful. They utterly destroy stereo types. The Brewbecue team are hard working craftsmen (and woman) who are thoughtful and intentional about what they do. We need so much more of this in Az.
We finally did it. We wandered into dangerous territory. That's okay with us, because we debate without hate. We know this is a topic that is very heated. It seems people only have strong feelings about the President, so we tame the conversation a bit by focusing on some of the precedents he is setting. Two in particular. We discuss what it means for someone who is not a career politician to become president, as well as the use of declaring a State of Emergency for the border wall. We did change our set up a bit. Instead of having a beverage on the show (since we record late on Monday nights), we discuss our craft beverage experience over the weekend. Also, we hit our goal on this one! This podcast is only 36 minutes long, with music. It was hard, but I think the show really benefited from tightening it up. So, for those of you who listen, but haven't stayed up with us because the shows were too long. This is a good one to jump back on board with. Give it a listen. Please share your thoughts with us. AJ will be tweeting thoughts on it through the week. I will be on Instagram. For most of you, though, Facebook is the place. If you want to get both me and AJ, then reply to the InkleDeux post, otherwise your comments will just be seen by the person who shared it. Still good to get the conversation started though.
Today, we move the conversation over to Alison Furno. We follow her path through home schooling and college and into her becoming an entrepreneur. We discuss body image in social media and where she gets her confidence. We wrap up the conversation with discussing women and body image in social media with both Alison and Krista and get their interesting takes on the subject. I'm very thankful they were so open to discussing these topics.
After discussing the craft beverages and giving a few important announcements, we jump into the topic. Brandon poses the question that since Protestants and Eastern Orthodox haven't gone away, like the early heresies, are they then valid and equal? This is a large topic and we tried to keep it a semi-surface level. The reason being, these topics are not stand alone. They touch many different principles that we cannot satisfy all of them and then circle back to the main topic.
Alison joined her former marketing teacher, Krista to start Creating You Online. We have been on board and trying to support their efforts as much as possible. I asked these two amazing women to join me on the podcast, which they were both gracious enough to agree to. We discuss their paths into marketing and social media influence. Part 1 will be the interview with Krista. Part 2 will be the interview with Allison as well as the wrap up.
This is a nice short podcast, as stated in the show, we ran out of hosting space. We didn't have much, but I still wanted to get something out there for everyone. Confidence comes from consistency, right? Plus, we've been meaning to discuss our 2019 goals for a while and this was a perfect opportunity. I hope my voice didn't put you to sleep. I would like to reiterate that we truly want your feedback on all of this. Post it in the comments, reply on social media, send us an email, whatever is most comfortable for you. The only way we can make a show you really enjoy, is by telling us what you like and dislike, or by what you ask us to talk about.
We discovered Michael's work through Instagram, most notably by his bottle openers. One of my favorite things about Michael's page is that his business his him, and not some fake front. He shares the things he cares about and talks about his family. We discuss his first love of skateboarding and how a car accident with his friends lead him to do a fund raiser, making corn hole boards, and discovered his love for word work. He now combines his two loves by using reclaimed skateboards in many of his designs.
Brandon recently heard 3 celebrities discuss how they grew up in the Catholic Church but do not credit the church for their sense of morality. Our culture has progressed down a patch of minimalism that results in a Church giving people check boxes rather than truth. We have to dig past the surface and get to what is good and meaningful.
There is a lot to jump on in this podcast and I would invite you to throw it all at us. The whole point of this is debate without hate.
We became aware of Jesse's art through craft beer. His style is very unique and easy to identify due to his color selection, lines, and characterizations. Jesse is very self-aware of what he does as an artist and a person. There is a lot to pull from this interview on how to interact with art, the role of an artist in a community, how art can be used for healing, as well as some good information on how to succeed as an artist entrepreneur.
Mental health is important and not always something you can just shake off with a beer or Netflix binge. It requires courage, vulnerability, strong relationships, and sometimes the help of a professional.
Brandon shares a troubling story about someone he worked with which begins the in depth discussion, mostly from the male perspective, on dealing with the pressures of life. Please share so we can help bring mental health to the forefront of 2019.
We had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Tanya from Mamma Toledo's The Pie Hole. She shared her deeper experiences and how overcoming those shaped her as a business owner. In the podcast we discuss how she came to start her business, how she stays in love with baking after so many years, and what it's like hiring family members (a lesson we listened to intently). I must say we did buy pie after speaking with her. We recommend that all of you go buy pie.
Today's podcast is another skype session. We are working through the audio to try and get it sounding better each time. The conversation starts off with a couple of decent beers (AJ: Shiner Bock; B: Deschutes Black Butte Porter) and we jump into it. Marvel released trailers for Avengers: Endgame and a new Ms. Marvel, so we had to discuss. These are both movies that we are looking forward to. Along side this, we discuss the social reaction to these gigantic summer movies and the impact it has on other movies. Brandon discusses his experience in the Creating You Story Challenge and how telling stories each day helps slow time down and will hopefully start some good conversations. The main topic today is around goal setting. We are coming up on 2019 and InkleDeux is working on setting the years goals. Mixed into the company goals are AJ's and Brandon's personal goals, which quite possibly could be the only time that B has made someone blush. (For those of you familiar with the 2 of us, you will know that Brandon has a very low threshold for embarrassment. It's weird for the tables to be turned here.) Keep an eye out for the blog post where we will post our 2019 goals so you all can hold us accountable to our commitments. Additionally, we will be reviewing the podcast and developing it further. If you have any thoughts or feedback, please share so we can incorporate it into our 2019 plan. Lastly, please share this on Facebook and Twitter. We want to get as many people as possible joining the conversation.
This week's Highlight is an old friend of Brandon's. They go way back. Aaron's journey is similar to Siddhartha (except for the whole becoming Buddha thing). He starts in a higher place, financially and spiritually, then sheds it all because it wasn't adding up for him. He then went on a journey to discover what did answer his questions. He shares with us the lessons he learned as he rediscovered himself. Aaron is now sharing his life motto of "BeLove" with his clients as a real estate agent.
I know this post is a little late to the game. We recorded when it was much more on everyone's mind. Now that everyone wants to be done thinking about it, here we are, asking you to listen to more. I don't feel bad about it though. This isn't "political" like picking between CNN and Fox News. We discuss politics in general and some of the outcomes. AJ discusses voting from a religious disposition. Brandon shares his sense of fatalism and his fear that Arizona will become California, but AJ talks him off that ledge and manages to be the voice of reason. This episode feels kind of obligatory. You all need to get to know us and even though everyone tells you not to talk religion or politics around new people, this is the best way to get to know them. I want to let you know that we are not going to be a political podcast. Our focus is having great conversations over delicious beverages. Sometimes the best conversation at the time reaches into politics (I mean, what doesn't these days), and we won't shy away from it, but it isn't our focus. I apologize for the lack of craft beverage. We will have to figure out how to work that back in for our Skype episodes. If you have any thoughts on the podcast or have a favorite episode, please let us know. We are going to be brainstorming the direction we take the podcast for 2019 over the next month and your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Eric is the host of Tap That AZ Podcast. I found his podcast a while ago when I was looking to learn about beer. What I found was a so much more. The stories these brewers have is remarkable. Eric allows the Brewer to tell their story their way. His genuine approach has resulted in an excellent network of people. I have been to multiple breweries who know him by name (not that I've name dropped or anything...more than...twice). It's no wonder he became the adopted son of the craft beer community.
AJ leads this conversation off with a rant on how early Christmas is starting. The talk turns to a plea to stop the hustle and bustle of the commercialized version of Christmas we currently celebrate and move towards a time of internal preparation and introspection. We should be focusing on Christ joining mankind as well as family and other important relationships.
Welcome to the first of our Highlights mini-series.
Our first creator is Aaron Schofield, head honcho of Luana's Coffee Yard. I reached out to Aaron because of his Instagram. There is so much character and creativity in his little mobile coffee unit. He was very gracious to meet with us.
I hope you enjoy the interview with Aaron and pull some applicable lessons from his experience. Please follow him on the socials and if you see is teal-blue cart, be sure to stop in and say hi (also buy coffee).
We start out drinking a coffee that I roasted. We are continuing to work on getting our coffee up to a level where we are confident in offering it with the InkleDeux brand. We are hoping that will be around the beginning of the year, so keep an eye out for that. Our topic is a continuation from , where we discussed representation. The conversation was heading towards the concept of white privilege, but we cut it off because we were already at an hour. We decided that this is an important enough topic that we should pick up on the next podcast, so here you go. I'm not going to put a disclaimer or anything here. I'm sure there are silly people out there who think that because we are white, we are not allowed an opinion on this topic. That is asinine. I will say that this isn't a scholarly dissertation, or a formal debate. We are two people having a conversation on a topic that matters. So, you will notice that we start in one place and end somewhere else. This is a journey, especially for me (Brandon). I had some revelations in here that I am still processing. I think this is a topic we will revisit down the road because there are pieces that we didn't discuss fully or missed all together. I encourage you to offer your insight on Facebook and Twitter, and please share this with your friends. There are a lot of people who have a lot of thoughts on this and we want to hear them.
AJ digs into the books he's been reading. Being the more scholarly of the two of us, he has been mostly into classics. I, on the other hand, listen to audio books. As for movies, I finally watched Black Panther. The movie represented women and African-Americans really well. This discussion leads to our hope for Captain Marvel, and the conversation turned towards the concept of privilege, but we were already an hour in and figured we shouldn't open that can of worms until the next podcast.
I began looking for someone to bring onto the show. I came across an Instagram page for Cold Brew Podcast. This guy looked like he really knew what he was doing; but most of all, it looked like he was having fun. I reached out via IG and Greg was interested right away. After a few suggestions, we landed on Dubina Brewing Co to meet and record. The 2 beers they had are discussed in the podcast. This guy really knows his beer. I would recommend his podcast.
Not to long ago, AJ and I sat discussing social media, and to no ones surprise we both quickly acknowledged our lack of...skill, maybe? I don't know. We just aren't that good at it, to be honest. Around that time I spoke to some other people who discussed business opportunities with me and all I could think about was how much they would benefit from a good social media presence. So, I thought to myself, I need help with social media, other people need help with social media...why not find a way to help us all with social media. One individual I follow on Instagram, Alison Kay Furno (). She is currently up to 20k followers. I enjoy her posts and she is obviously having some success, so I reached out and asked if she would be willing to spend some time with us. She was very gracious and meet up with us at . The brewery was great and spoke to me ahead of time and was also very willing to let us take some space for a meet up. We got there and got all set up. We only had us two and one more show up. At first I was discouraged but we ended up getting some really good quality time with Alison. It basically turned into a 1.1 consultation for us and Nico (the other guy who joined). It was really good to have someone look at our stuff and say, "that's good...that is not good...THAT is really not good." Sometimes you just need someone to look at your stuff and give you a third person perspective to help you figure it out. At the end, we recorded a short podcast. We talked to both Alison and Nico (info posted below) and shot some silly questions at them just for giggles. It was a good time and we had some great beer as well. Listen in for some fun conversations and we review 4 of the beers. Alison Kay Furno Nico DeBruyn IG: IG:
We start off by enjoying a very fruit forward blood orange IPA from Latitude 33. .
Our conversation is a question that I asked AJ a few years ago when I was reading through the Catholic Catechism. By the end of the 6th council the Christian world had confirmed that Christ was both fully man and fully God. Therefore, he had both a human nature and divine nature. How does that work?
We joke about how bad Brandon is at introductions and public speaking. The beverage is a craft beer, a vanilla porter from a brewery in Tucson, Arizona. We discuss charity in business and if it can be true charity or if it's just marketing, and if it matters. We also discuss some charitable efforts we would like to implement and how to ensure it is actual charity. Do you work for business that does charity? Does it effect your work experience? Please let us know on the blog or socials.
We start off the podcast by AJ grossing me out, but transition nicely into a delicious coffee.
We touch on capital punishment no longer being an acceptable solution. Then jumo into Catholic Cardinal McCarrick and former GOTG director James Gunn. Two different situations that provide an interesting compare and contrast. I got to probe AJ's experience in seminary for an insiders opinion.
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Our craft beverage is a double black IPA from Mother Road Brewing in Flagstaff, Az. In this episode we dig into the age old debate of which major franchise is better, Marvel or DC.
The craft beverage is another Mother Road beer. This time it's a Kolsch.
We get a little deeper here as we discuss who we were and how we based our decisions in some of the major junctions of our lives.
In this episode we give a little background information on how we came up with the company name and the inspiration for the podcast. We also ask some basic "get to know you questions" to help all of you get to know us a little better.