Sandbox Cooperative Podcast

It seems one of the most challenging things we could do is to give up good things. To even take the time to know which things are best sometimes feels like yet another thing to do. In the middle of the world rushing past us, we continue to grapple with the questions of ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What am I here for?’ yet with less and less space to discover our answers. In this episode, we explore the ideas of presence, and slowing down, in order to be a bit more available to who we are and what we do at our best.

Sometimes we can feel limited in our church communities – like certain things might not be ‘appropriate’ to ask or think. But the reality is that at our best we get the chance to ask questions, share stories, and learn from each other. We believe we are created to be curious, and to encounter new ideas, new concepts, new insights and understandings. In this episode, Peter Rollins joins us to talk about parables, his book The Divine Magician, and some of the new ideas he is exploring in his work. Peter is a provocative writer, philosopher, storyteller and public speaker who has gained an international reputation for overturning traditional notions of religion and challenging us to consider different ways of thinking about our world and faith.

News of the presidential race is everywhere. And in the midst of this national conversation, faith continues to play an important role – everything between the way a candidate’s faith might subtly influence their political perspective, to candidates who wear it on their sleeve to a point that seems insincere or dishonest. In this episode, Tim Penny joins us to talk a bit about the intersection of religion and politics. Tim served in the Minnesota State Senate from 1976-1982, and served 6 terms in the US House of Representatives from 1982-1994. He currently serves as the President and CEO of Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation where key interests include early childhood and entrepreneur development. Tim is also a senior fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.

There are plenty of things that make us angry, even outraged. Some of the things that make us feel this way are important and others we should just let pass by, but somehow our reaction is often reversed. What does it take for us to channel this outrage better? How do we begin to set a different tone? Watch Stephen Colbert interview Bill O’Reilley on The Late Show, February 9, 2016. Further reading: Why Am I So Angry? from WebMD The Psychology of Outrage in the Political World from Psychology Today Parker Molloy’s 5 things the media does to manufacture outrage at Medium.com 7 Ways to Engage Your Customer’s Reptilian Brain at NeuroScienceMarketing.com

In November we welcomed Heatherlyn and Jason to the Sandbox stage. While they were here we talked with them about pursuing dreams, challenging current cultural narratives, and the idea of sacred economics and the gift economy. Heatherlyn also shares some of her music with us in this episode. For more about Heatherlyn and Jason visit heatherlynmusic.com Further reading: ‘Sacred Economics’ by Charles Eisenstein

What if we actually started at the beginning of the story? Sometimes the church seems to be saying the things that seem exactly opposite of the way that Jesus lived and the things he taught, and opposite of what many Christians seem to intuitively understand about who God is. It seems like somewhere we’ve maybe gotten the story a bit backwards.

As we begin 2016, the new year is full of promise and possibility. The new year brings a new chance, a new opportunity, a fresh start and a new life – so much so that the idea of the ‘Baby New Year’ represents this season. Often as the year progresses, the ‘baby’ grows up, the resolutions fade to the background, and all the good intentions and impulses and goals slowly disappear. But for now we sit at the beginning of something new. What will it take to make the change you need?

Insiders, outsiders. Who is us? Who is them? In the news today, the separation is often along the lines of Muslims and Christians, Americans and Syrians. We define who’s in and who’s out based on arbitrary, subjective criteria, often based on fear. But all of these are false dichotomies. There is no them – only us. Today’s Guest: Scott Hicks, laywer and pastor from Lebanon, OH. Read his original Facebook post here, or reblogged here. This great infographic with the information from Mr. Hicks’ initial Facebook post. The White House has also detailed the screening process for refugee entry into the United States. Opening Quote: from Rachel Held Evans. Read it here. Featured photo via Arbeitsbesuch Mazedonien

What’s the reality of someone who has dealt with an addiction of their own? What about someone who is in recovery? And, maybe to dispel some of the rumors that continue to exist about addiction – what is actually going on physiologically that causes someone to suffer from an addiction? In today’s episode we’ll ask some of those questions. We’ll also discuss the importance of community in dealing with such a difficult disease.

Sometimes you hear a story that just needs to be shared – and when we interviewed Paul Phillips, we knew his was one of those stories. Paul works with Hope Positive Africa, an intentional community and residential ministry dedicated to demonstrating the love of Jesus daily, in a very tangible way, to the poor and oppressed – in part working with women who are HIV positive. Find out more at HopePositiveAfrica.com. Until recently, Paul was also a student at The Hatchery LA. Hatchery LA provides an innovative, residential learning program for individuals who want to become social transformation entrepreneurs and invest in a local community for multiple years by launching a sustainable “Common Cause Community.” Check out what they’re up to at HatcheryLA.com.

If somebody asked you, “What are you afraid of?” What would you say? What if somebody asked you, “What makes you laugh?” What would it be like to live a little more in the laughter than fear in our lives?

In some ways our sense of identity is tied to our cultural heritage, maybe our ethnicity. It can be what country we’re from, or what types of food we prefer or what music we listen to. To understand our own identity, maybe we can start by asking, ‘What is my identity? And how does my identity influence my life and experiences?’ Today’s Guests: Steve Netniss, author of the new book Potential: The Assyrian Quest for Identity, @snetniss Isai Contreras, El Paso, TX, @iCon3ras

On September 27, 2015 Sandbox Cooperative hosted Mike McHargue. This podcast episode contains the Q&A portion of the evening event. More about Science Mike at mikemchargue.com, theliturgists.com, @mikemchargue.

On September 27, 2015 Sandbox Cooperative hosted Mike McHargue. This podcast episode contains Mike’s presentation during the evening event. Mike, affectionately known as “Science Mike,” is a speaker, writer, technology executive, self-ascribed nerd, and co-founder of The Liturgists with Michael Gungor. He travels the country helping believers and non-believers understand and know God in an age of incredible scientific insight. When Mike isn’t on the road, he lives in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife Jenny, two daughters, and one motorcycle. More about Science Mike at mikemchargue.com, theliturgists.com, @mikemchargue.

Rest. What is it? Why is it important, why rest? Why should we NOT wait until we’re dead? What would it look like to really have time protected for rest and renewal? Today’s Guest: John G. Park, M.D. at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Music Links: BB King – The Thrill is Gone Son House – Death Letter The Civil Wars – Billie Jean John Coltrane – A Love Supreme

Each moment of exchanging words and ideas with someone has two parts. In the first part, you express an idea about something. But in order to really communicate, you need a second part. Translation. How can we get around the things that leave us lost in translation? How can we really listen? Today’s Guest: Natasha Bertsch from Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Article Links: NASA: The Golden Record June, INC. Fight-or-flight and Information Eva Green interview

Is it possible to be present in a life where every moment is documented in pictures, video, texts, tweets and posts? Does this impact the way we perceive reality, or see our lives? What about the lives of those we love, or the events of our world? More and more it seems that life is filtered through a digital screen. What would it mean to attempt to live an unfiltered life?

We live in a world of soup kitchens and eating contests. We have a food problem. It’s not that there isn’t enough, but there’s certainly a problem in how people get the food they need. What would it look like if we took steps to make sure everyone had enough to eat? Today’s Guests: Bishop Steve Delzer of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA Jennifer Woodford, Executive Director at Channel One Regional Food Bank, Rochester, MN

It’s an incredibly unique privilege that we can ask questions like: What are you made to do? What gifts do you have? What is your personality? What makes your life meaningful? In this episode of the Sandbox Podcast we explore a bit about going after what it is you’re made to do. Today’s References: Shane Hipps on Stirring Soup with a Flute Story of the Fisherman at BecomingMinimalist.com

Today’s topic is the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. This incredibly awful event has sparked a national conversation about why these things happen and how to begin to actually heal the wound of our racial divide. Our guest is Paul Van Auken, Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, who wrote an article about his experience in Charleston at the time of the shooting. Article links: Cape Fear: Sharks in the Ocean and the Pew by Paul Van Auken and How to Actually Fight for Racial Reconciliation by Christena Cleveland