Big Fish, Little Pod

Is God personal or impersonal? Is God a dynamic, specific person that we can form a relationship with or is God more of a universal power that permeates all things? Different spiritual traditions present God in different forms with different characteristics and even different pastimes. Is one of these traditions right? Do they contradict each other? Can we believe in more than one without seeming hypocritical ourselves?

How are we supposed to lean into the Bible when it seems full of ancient stories that don't always translate easily to modern ears. How is the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac supposed to speak to our day to day life as spiritual seekers in 2020? Is there any way to find meaning in a story we can't relate to?

When something in our life goes wrong, feels off, causes a disturbance, we often find ourselves reaching for our spiritual practice. This is great news - except why did it take a disruption to serve as the catalyst? Why does the inspiration for growth come when something has gone wrong? Why don't we feel as motivated to engage in our practice when things are going smoothly?

Reflecting on the unlikely friendship between Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, Bob and Amy discuss our current culture of divisiveness in this country. How do you foster friendship with someone whose beliefs offend you? Does offering a hand in friendship somehow condone their behavior? Aren't we, as spiritually-minded people, supposed to offer friendship even to our enemies?

As we grow older, many of us go through a deconstruction of our childhood faith. Do I still believe? Does this practice make sense in my current life? As we navigate this process, there is a temptation to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Yet, just because some practices and beliefs don't work for you doesn't mean you have to forfeit the ones that do. Spirituality is not all or nothing. "People have been crafting their faith since the very beginning and you have always had permission to do the same."

Sometimes, after decades of struggling, we wake up one morning and the issue that has been tormenting us is suddenly gone. How does that happen? Is it a miracle? A paradigm shift? Our life will forever be split into two parts: before and after this one life-altering day. Bob describes a day like that, brought on by a simple prayer from a friend.

What is sin? Is it an archaic social construct used as a tool to control the masses? Can it be reframed as a set of guardrails that can actually help guide us towards our goals? Is it even worth talking about? This week, reluctantly, Bob talks about his ideas of sin.

Do the stories we learned in Sunday School have any relevance in our lives today? Filled with clearly defined heroes and villains, these Bible stories seem to reflect childish cartoons more than the messy, nuanced challenges of real life. Is this the fault of the stories themselves, the teachers, or our own interpretation? Bob and Amy discuss how easy it is to lose faith in our childhood religion when the answers it offers no longer seem relevant.

Sometimes it feels like the only thing we can see at the end of our path is a dead-end. But what if that same roadblock looks like a shortcut to someone else? This week, Amy shares a simple story that gave her big insights.

Why do we find it easy to appreciate diversity in nature, but uncomfortable to embrace diversity in people?  When we picture ourselves in the Good Samaritan parable, it's usually as the Samaritan, overcoming bias in order to help someone in need. Yet, many of us are now being confronted by the truth that we have watched our black brothers and sisters suffer as we walked by on the other side of the road. How do we embrace this new and uncomfortable understanding about ourselves and our society?

Today's episode is a bit different than normal: it's an imperfect, unedited conversation about the murder of George Floyd. As we talked today, Amy and I definitely didn't have all the answers, but we shared our thoughts and challenged each other's perspectives. We hope that while clearly imperfect, our conversation shows how important it is to not remain silent. If you listen, we encourage you to listen through to the end.

What some of us thought was going to be a quarantine sprint has turned into a quarantine marathon. Without access to our usual self-care routines and stress-relievers, tensions are running high and we're beginning to tire out. Rather than becoming frustrated with ourselves and critical of others, this is the perfect opportunity for a little grace. Grace for the situation, grace for those around us, and most importantly grace for ourselves.

So many of us walk around feeling as if we don't belong, like we're the exception, like we're the impostor. This is especially prevalent in spiritual circles where people are afraid of being shamed for not toeing the line. So what happens when we pull back the curtain and see that we're actually one of many who feel this exact same way? Amy and Bob discuss how that has been for them over these past few weeks.

This week Bob and Amy welcome another guest to Big Fish, Little Pod: Rebecca Green! Becca was living and working in Colorado when Covid-19 hit, causing her to change jobs from a substitute teacher to a caregiver at an assisted living facility that is experiencing a Coronavirus outbreak. Becca shares that experience as well as her inspiring journey of faith.

In times of stress, we often have strong knee-jerk reactions to things that hurt or upset us. But if instead we stop, take a breath, and respond from a place of right-mindedness, we can remain neutral and usually create a better result. Amy and Bob discuss how this seems simple in principle, but can be challenging in practice.

We were so happy to welcome Neil Slader, a longtime family friend, to the podcast this week! Neil shares his spiritual journey with us, going from a fourth generation New England Baptist to a spiritual seeker connecting in his own way.

Many spiritual traditions emphasize the importance of inner strength and balance, but is it really possible to create a feeling of ease during life's most stressful moments? Bob and Amy discuss how searching for moments of calm could help us through this challenging time.

As we settle into this strange new reality, we are experiencing the painful challenges alongside the relieving moments of connection. As a new shelter-in-place habit of Amy's reminds us, it's always darkest before the dawn. As we move into what may be the darkest weeks of this pandemic, we hope to remind each other that the dawn will eventually come, even when we can't yet see the light. 

This week, Bob and Amy welcome their first guest ever: Andrew Hollis! Bob's son Andrew shares the evolution of spirituality in his own life and where it has lead him to today.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, many of us now find ourselves home from school and work, self-isolating and social distancing. We can use this time to spiral into fear, lounge on the couch in our sweats, or bicker with our isolation crew. Or, as Bob proposes, we can see this time as a sabbath: a chance to refresh, reflect, and renew as we take advantage of this opportunity to grow creatively and spiritually.