Back at it after a month off in this episode, Ward has a fun conversation about the future of the internet and artificial intelligence with good friends Jed Payne and Kenon Koffkey of the Church And Other Drugs podcast.

Unlike the usual discussions about faith and life, this episode explores the world of AI, which is already heavily influencing our lives. While there are many benefits to AI there are concerns and fears about what the future holds. Jed and Kenon are much more knowledgeable about AI than Ward, so in this conversation, he takes the opportunity to ask them all his questions and voice his concerns.

Will we end up with a life of leisure or a world straight out of Terminator? What about faith and church in a robot future? Who knows? For now, we hope you enjoy this off-the-cuff chat about our new neighbor, Artificial Intelligence."

Check out Jed's Podcast and art! ⁠Church & Other Drugs⁠

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Welcome to the conversation, friends! In this episode, Ward is joined by his good friend and now Episcopal priest, Father Caleb Jones, to discuss the current season of Lent for many in the Christian community. Throughout the conversation, Ward and Caleb share their personal history with the Lenten season, making it a much more church and Christian-focused episode for TOTW. As a relatively new practice for Caleb, he provides insight into what it's like to not only live out Lent in a community but also to be a priest and lead others through it. The discussion covers various topics related to the history of Lent, feast days, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and much more. While the conversation is light-hearted at times, thanks to some funny moments shared by both, Caleb also reminds us of the significance of remembering that we are dust and to dust we will return.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mirror Coffee Roasters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Coffee company of the Kutrovski brothers

Welcome everyone! The first episode of 2024 starts a new chapter for TOTW as Ward is now the sole host (check the update for info on that). This is a conversion on grief and may cause listeners to recall past grief or experience unrecognized grief. Please be mindful of this while listening and take care of yourself. In this episode, Ward speaks with guest Stacy Knapp on her work as a grief companion and all that entails. Grief impacts so many of us throughout life, and far too often it is ignored. Just recognizing that a time of grieving is necessary can be incredibly healing. This is why Stacy and Ward cover a lot about the topic in this free-flowing yet serious conversation. Stacy shares how she came to this type of work and the services she provides, as well as ways she hopes to expand this work by equipping others. They discuss various types of grief people experience, and why many are ignored outside of physical death. Ward shares some of his own experiences and how conversation with someone like Stacy has helped him acknowledge moments of grief he had not recognized. They also talk about how our culture, including church culture, does a poor job of supporting and understanding each other in grief. Throughout the conversation, Stacy educates and empowers on how to walk together through the grieving process and why grief work is important.

For more about Stacy and the work she provides: www.welcominggrief.com

Also, find Stacy on

Instagram

Facebook

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⁠⁠⁠⁠Mirror Coffee Roasters⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Coffee company of the Kutrovski brothers

This is not a new episode, but what we have here is a short update of what to expect for the upcoming season. It is a new year and with that comes new things, such as changes to the podcast. Now you are in the know!

We look forward to what 2024 has in store on the journey.

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⁠⁠⁠Mirror Coffee Roasters⁠⁠⁠ - Coffee company of the Kutrovski brothers

We are doing things a little differently with this episode. Both guys have had a very busy summer so in this episode they check in with each other, a catch-up episode one could say. Sergei shares about his recent trip to Indonesia, and how it opened his eyes to the Western elitist attitude, amongst other things. They also give reactions to news topics such as a store owner killed over a Pride flag and the recent Trump charges. In this discussion, Sergei and Ward process all these things through the lens of being better humans, and theorize what the future may hold politically for America. We hope you enjoy and connect with the conversation.

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Today's episode is a special one for the month of June. June is Pride month, and both Sergei and Ward wanted to honor it by giving someone from the LGBTQ community an invite to join the ongoing conversation, and more importantly, share their story. The guest for this episode is Dresden Hasala, a good friend of Ward's and someone he admires. To know Dresden is to know someone very intelligent, hard-working, and compassionate. In this conversation they take us through a journey of faith, deconstruction, love lost and found, gender, and more. Through it all, Sergei and Ward do their best to ask questions and likely stumble with humility as they discuss LGBTQ in today's culture. It is a trip and we are so thankful for Dresden's vulnerability and honesty! Some of the points shared here may cause pushback to some listeners, but we hope all will listen with an open mind and hand. We all deserve love and equal rights. If you are someone, or know someone who disagrees maybe this episode will help in moving along that journey.

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is important to Sergei and Ward and is becoming a more common topic in everyday life. That is a good thing, right? Breaking the stigma that keeps mental health taboo is good? The answer is yes, but it is much more involved than most people realize. That is why our hosts have invited Liz Breier to the pod for this much-needed conversation. Liz is a friend of Ward's from the Bad Christian Club and has worked in the mental health field for quite some time. She also has a personal journey with mental health, trauma, and the church that she shares with honesty and humility. In this episode, we touch on many aspects of mental health: breaking stigmas, the impact of trauma, how the church has historically handled it, resources available, the courage in seeking help, and much more. The hope is you enjoy and learn from the powerful conversation that impacts us all. You are not alone!

Resources mentioned in the episode

National Alliance on Mental Health

⁠BetterHelp⁠

⁠Psychology Today⁠

The Body Keeps the Score

The Deepest Well

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John Mark McMillan has a song from his album Mercury & Lightning called "No Country" which speaks to feeling like one does not belong anywhere. It is in reference to this idea of not having a place to belong that Sergei and Ward invite us into a conversation that for them is ongoing. Being "too progressive for conservatives and too conservative for progressives" is a common, and often looked down upon cliche for many in faith communities today. While both Sergei and Ward acknowledge there is some good reason for the negativity towards it, this does not stop it from being a very common place on the journey of faith for many individuals. It is also where they both find themselves in life currently so they have decided to talk about it. This is a discussion of trying to talk through the feelings and frustrations of being alone and not accepted. Both Sergei and Ward admit they do not have answers for this, but want to acknowledge how common it is for many to feel this way. They also hope that by having a very honest and humble conversation it helps others know they are not alone, as well as remind everyone that we may all be on similar journeys, but we have different timetables. Ultimately, whether you are currently looking for your place, or have found it, we hope all of us remember to approach each other with grace making room for where each of us are currently instead of looking down on those that are "not there yet".

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