Man in Many Roles Podcast

I decided to ask for the perspective of younger folks in my spiritual community, and Emma Fetherman was glad to oblige.  She is in her college years, and I was appreciative of several nuggets of wisdom she offered.  This conversation proved to me that great things (and great conversations) happen when we show up for younger people with open ears and real questions.  Listen in! 

Matt is a follower of Jesus for over 36 years now, and has been married for over 25.  He works with campus students and youth, and has a lot to say about how relational God is, and how that should affect the way we teach folks about God, and how we ourselves should relate well to God.  Listen in for ideas and inspiration in your personal life, parenting, and bible studies with others. 

This April riff may become a series.  Why should we stop, rest, or sabbath? Whatever you might call it or know it to be, I have found it is one of the most rewarding and (currently) difficult habits to form.  "Easy everywhere" technology as described by Andy Crouch actually runs huge interference on the practice of stopping.  We need lots of motivation to overcome what is coming against our rest.

Today's episode is all about 10 reasons I think you should stop and seriously consider stopping what you are doing for 24 hours a week.  I hope you find it helpful. Let's get our rest on!

Consider some of the resources I mention in this episode...

A spring riff on why we need counseling at times in our life based on a very helpful quote my wife and I were talking about recently: "We go to counseling to understand issues and wounds so that we can repent and forgive" Mark Priday, Counselor. 

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In this second part of two, Women's History Month continues on the podcast.  We get the pleasure of witnessing a courageous woman sharing her vulnerable story of life as a woman, Christian, Mom, and Widow.  Pat Lin Hachiya is a sister in Christ, a friend, a public servant who's worked over 20 years in Los Angeles County and who has followed Jesus for more than 30 years.  She is a precious soul, who is sharing her story of losing her husband Scott 7 years ago, what it was like to lose her husband, Scott, and how she is striving to live well now.  In this second part, she speaks about life as a widow in a spiritual community who is still growing and learning how to support one another in loss. This episode wraps Women's History Month, 2022.  Thanks for listening!  Look back at earlier episodes for more learning from the lives and stories of women. In this episode, Pat refers to the book, The Best Yes, By Lysa TerKeurst. 

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In this first part of two, Women's History Month continues on the podcast.  We get the pleasure of witnessing a courageous woman sharing her vulnerable story of life as a woman, Christian, Mom, and Widow.  Pat Lin Hachiya is a sister in Christ, a friend, a public servant who's worked over 20 years in Los Angeles County and who has followed Jesus for more than 30 years.  She is a precious soul, who is sharing her story of losing her husband Scott 7 years ago, what it was like to lose her husband, Scott, and how she is striving to live well now.  In this first part, she speaks about life as a Chinese-American woman, a Christian, and as a widow. Pat refers to the book, Getting to the Other Side of Grief 

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Here’s part two of a conversation I really enjoyed with Wendi Gorelik. She is a great friend and sister in Christ.  She is devoted to making the world a more equitable place, and she loves teaching.  She keeps Women's History Month 2022 going with a deep dive into her roles as a woman, mom, wife, and teacher in higher education. Be sure to tune in to the previous episode to hear part one of this powerful conversation. 

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Wendi Gorelik is a great friend and sister in Christ.  She is devoted to making the world a more equitable place, and she loves teaching.  She keeps Women's History Month 2022 going with a deep dive into her roles as a woman, mom, wife, and teacher in higher education.

I'm splitting this episode into two parts so we can take it all in... there is much to consider here.

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"It's through the pain and challenges that we've been able to find joy and healing."   Mirna Cervantes is simply a beautiful soul who works tirelessly as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Los Angeles.  She is also a mom, a professional, and a devoted follower of Jesus. Mirna is a great friend and the top recommendation of for Women's History Month 2022.  She and her husband have kept doing the hard work of counseling and looking at their wounds.  She is finding that each season of pain and "heart work" sets us up for the next challenge, and deeply grounds us in God, friends, and truth. 

This conversation with Eric Golden, facilitator and Social-Emotional coach, was a gem.  He is a black man, a father, and a professional facilitator, among his many roles.  He shares so many compelling ideas about respecting our children as we raise them, control, boundaries, and how to do the hard work of deconstructing stories and roles we were born into.  I hope you value this podcast as much as I enjoyed recording it... whew!

This episode wraps up Black History Month 2022.

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Black History Month 2022 continues with Traecy Iftodi.  She is a bright soul, an educator I respect and have worked with, and a sister in Christ. She was eager and gracious to share her story of returning to work in the aftermath of divorce, and reflections on how to support our loved ones and colleagues who might be experiencing divorce.  She unpacks a lot in this episode as she drops multiple "nuggets" of wisdom are along the way.

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BHM 2022 Kicks off with Tino Seya. He is an old friend with a young, vivacious heart--for God and for life, and for others.  Listen in as he riffs on balance, the state of things in the USA, his uniqueness, and the concept of embracing whatever might be going on as we walk with God. 

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Dimitri has been a source of great joy in my life as I have woken up to how my brothers and sisters of color feel as they move through an unfair world.  We served on the Denver Diversity Exploration Team for a couple of years, where we began enjoying fellowship in which we can discuss nearly anything.  Dimitri set this time up, though, to interview me... about being hearing impaired and how that has affected my life.  I so enjoyed "flipping the script" and letting her lead for an episode.  We realized how wonderful it is when we express mutual curiosity.  Listen in! 

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Jeff Shockley is a husband and a dad in a blended family.  He is a follower of Jesus, and a good friend. He works to love his daughters well, and from loving his youngest (and her friends), a lovely book emerged!  Listen to the story behind his new book, Creator of Heaven and Earth which grew out of discussing honest questions with his teenage daughter.

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So long, 2021, Happy 2022!  As we move into 2022 it's my pleasure to share my conversation with Saara Haapenen with you.  She greets hundreds of folks every morning with her Move at Work Challenge, in the form of a 5-7 minute video that gets you moving, practicing mindfulness, and simply taking time to take care of yourself.  I enjoy her content, offered as part of my job's wellness efforts.  I was thrilled she agreed to come on the podcast to share more about how she lives well, the power of asking WHY, and some of the challenges she overcame as a high-caliber diver.  This is a great goal setting or New Year listen!

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Joe Hose is a Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Follower of Jesus, Leader of Professional Learning with the Federal Government, and Leader/Founder of the Colorado Skateboard Society.  He entered education in 2010 following the 2008 housing crash, and found himself in prison... as an educator. After working day to day in a prison, he got to move to Colorado in 2015 to work in "secondary law enforcement" and that's where he and I connected over many early coffees about all things coaching and learning. He covers a lot of ground in his story and offers a great deal of vulnerability.  He's a fellow coach, professional learning nerd, and a man who knows his life purpose (he actually carried his life purpose, written, in his pocket during a recent long tough stretch at work).  His story is compelling and I hope you are as "stoked" to receive it as I was.

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Season 10 (and Year 2!) of Man in Many Roles Podcast kicks off with a beautiful interview with my longtime friend and brother in Christ, Tim Priestley.  He is candid and clear about how he makes sense of his roles, and how our roles deepen our spirituality as we pick up and lay down roles.  He shares vulnerably about his divorce after 18 years of marriage and how he had to stop going to "Hope Island" habitually in order to grow.

Tim mentions a couple of resources and books that help him:

Based on the feedback I've been getting and self-reflection, in this episode, I riff on the beliefs, attitudes, and habits of doing things right versus doing the right things.. oof... This work takes courage, and I'm not there yet, but I am glad to have you join me on this one as I try to share personally and preach to myself.  I believe there is plenty in this episode to grow in and think about.

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I decided to riff on the role of son/ daughter/ child; a role that is at times a source of great pride and gratitude, and at other times, makes me feel accused of dereliction of duty.  When you think about it, there are many more podcasts about how to be a dad than how to be a son.  Why is that?  Well, hopefully, this episode stimulates your thinking, heart, and actions toward all that is good, true and beautiful about being a son, daughter, or child of God.   

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What does this episode's title stir in you?  I wasn't initially excited to riff on this topic, but as I thought and prayed about it, this seemed more and more worthy of consideration:  What is the mud on your windshield?  What is messing up your vision, hope, and/or desire for the future? How do you clear the mud to see your vision more clearly?  Listen, enjoy, subscribe, and share... That's what this podcast is about!

Life presented a great lesson for us all in my home recently as I worked with my son to help him understand how to apologize.  Then I realized there was something in the experience for all of us.  I hope you find the episode as stimulating and helpful as I did when I was writing about it.  I think Jesus' teaching on how to apologize, love and walk with an offender is amazing.

Here are the scriptures I refer to in this episode:

Hey, time to tune in again!  I took a couple of weeks off and so glad you are back with me.  Life presented a great lesson for us all in my home recently as I worked with my son to help him understand how to apologize.  Then I realized there was something in the experience for all of us.  I hope you find the episode as stimulating and helpful as I did when I was writing about it.  I think Jesus' teaching on how to apologize, love and walk with an offender is amazing.

Here are the scriptures I refer to in this episode:

My son Ian and I riff for a few minutes live from father son campout, an annual tradition for the past 11 years. Ian drops some serious knowledge about presence and patience. 

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This is the 40th Episode of the Man in Many Roles Podcast!  Thank you for tuning in. This week, for some reason, I felt compelled to complete this sentence: Talk is cheap, but... Well, this summer riff is what resulted.  I hope that this brief riff inspired a bit more thoughtfulness in you and me about what and how and to whom we are communicating. 

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As June, Fathers' Day month, and the Auntie/Uncle Project continues, I asked my dad to share what he's learned in his seven decades on this earth. He reflects on how his commitment to providing drove him to a stroke in his 40s, what he sees as important now, and offers several nuggets about living well along the way. 

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Aunt Sue was the first of the aunties and uncles I asked to record with me. I sent a communication to all my fraternal and maternal aunts for a series of May podcasts in celebration of Mother's Day. Auntie Sue responded to the invitation to share some of her life experiences and wisdom because she loves me, even though she wasn't entirely sure what I was up to.  I'm very glad she did because now we all benefit, and this recording will remain for years!  She is a self, sister, widow, mother, and grandmother in many roles.  Listen in for wisdom and how to lead your family and relationships well. 

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Today's very special mother's day episode features none other than my mom, Clare Lovett.  I got my gift of gab, humor, desire for solutions, and curiosity from her, and thoroughly considering everything from her best advice to my sons, her grandsons, all the way to what heaven might be like.  She shares just weeks from her 50th wedding anniversary. This episode kicks off The Auntie/Uncle Project, in which I sought and collected stories and wisdom from my parents and their siblings, along with my parents' aunts and uncles who were willing to offer experience and wisdom to any who would listen. 

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