Being Known Podcast

Repairing relationships is sacred work—but it isn't always easy and straightforward. This episode delves into the nuanced process of navigating ruptures that may not resolve. With an emphasis on discernment, the conversation addresses how to identify what is truly wanted in a relationship, when to risk re-engagement, and when to honor the wisdom of stepping back. It explores how cultural tendencies toward polarization and disconnection can interfere with genuine repair and highlights the significance of setting healthy, even painful, limits as a means of protecting integrity and fostering personal growth.   The episode also touches on the insidious role shame can play in keeping people stuck and disconnected. It calls listeners to consider the deeper work of awareness—of self, systems, and others—and points to the role that healthy, connected communities can play in offering hope and healing, even when full reconciliation isn't possible.   Episode Links and References Connections Conference 2025 (Belonging to Become) - Save $50 with code KNOWN50 when you register by June 30, 2025    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

In this powerful episode of our Rupture and Repair series, we explore how resilience is formed—not by avoiding conflict or stress—but through our intentional engagement with rupture and our commitment to healing. Moreover, what if the work of repairing relational ruptures is not just for now—but actually preparing us for the kind of life we'll live in the new heaven and new earth?   We consider how repair, though often difficult and humbling, is a sacred act that reshapes us—personally, relationally, and spiritually. Drawing from biblical imagination, clinical wisdom, and interpersonal neurobiology, we look at how returning to one another with truth and care builds the kind of resilience that can carry us through suffering and into deeper connection. Whether you're navigating conflict in your closest relationships or reflecting on the brokenness of the world, this conversation invites you to see repair as a courageous, hopeful practice that forms us for wholeness.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

What does it really mean to forgive “seventy times seven”? It's a command that sounds both beautiful and impossible—until we begin to understand what forgiveness actually is.    Forgiveness isn't a moment—it's a movement of the heart over time. Forgiveness often feels like giving something to the person who hurt us—but what if it's actually something we do to set ourselves free? In this episode, we unpack the liberating nature of forgiveness: how it can release us from the cycle of resentment, even when the offender hasn't apologized or changed. With insights from Scripture, therapy, and neuroscience, we'll explore the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, the myths of “just getting over it,” and the internal shifts that make healing possible. Forgiveness isn't about pretending the hurt didn't happen—it's about choosing to live untangled from its power. Through a story of personal forgiveness and repair, we'll see how letting go can be the beginning of becoming whole again.   Episode Links and References Everett Worthington - REACH Forgiveness Everett Worthington - Forgiving and Reconciling: Bridges to Wholeness and Hope  . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

What happens when the fabric of our shared life begins to unravel — not just politically or culturally, but spiritually and relationally? In this episode, we explore the quiet violence of our age: the kind that doesn't wield weapons but erodes connection through shame, contempt, and indifference. From echo chambers to avoidance, we examine how disconnection shapes our communities, our faith, and even our inner lives. Drawing from both Scripture and neuroscience, we unpack the psychological comfort of sameness — and how it ultimately deepens our fear and fragmentation. We reflect on how Jesus calls us into a radically different way of being: one rooted in reconciliation, presence, and courageous vulnerability. This isn't a conversation about agreement. It's about relationship. Not about tolerance, but about intimacy — the kind that invites us to engage across divides with humility and curiosity.   Through honest stories, biblical insight, and compassionate reflection, we consider what it means to show up — truly show up — with those who see the world differently. And we name the cost of that kind of presence: the risk, the grief, the courage it takes to hold tension and move toward fracture lines rather than away from them.   If you're longing for connection but feeling the ache of division, this episode is an invitation — to pick up a needle and thread, to mend what's been torn, and to begin again with a risky conversation, a porch sit, and the commitment to see the person in front of you as more than just the opinion they hold.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

We often shy away from conversations about race, caste, and power because of discomfort or fear of making mistakes—but this episode is an invitation to get in the game. Join us as we step into the complex and often unseen world of caste systems--which are more than race alone--as they manifest within American culture, exploring how deeply entrenched social structures and inherited hierarchies shape our interactions, identities, and sense of belonging.   Building on themes from our previous conversation about church wounding, we draw from poignant personal experience, historical context, and biblical reflection to invite listeners into a posture of curiosity and compassion. Rather than offering easy solutions, this conversation encourages each of us to examine where we are in the social power gradient and what it means to steward that position with intentionality and humility. It's the beginning of the slow, sacred work of repair—relationally and structurally—so we can become the kind of people, and the kind of community, who create beauty and goodness together.     Episode Links and References Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents - Isabel Wilkerson Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair - Duke Kwon and Gregory Thompson Be the Bridge: Pursuing God's Heart for Racial Reconciliation - Latasha Morrison    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

In this episode, we trace the journey of repair from the biblical story of Eden to the present-day church. We begin by looking at the rupture in Eden, the first human failure, which sets the stage for the entire narrative of repair in the Bible. The church, we argue, serves as the modern-day extension of God's original plan for renewal, where heaven and earth collide, and where God's work of restoration continues. Yet, this place of healing is also where significant ruptures can occur, often leaving members hurt and disillusioned.   The conversation highlights the delicate balance between idealism and realism when it comes to the church's role in repairing relational fractures. The church, like any human system, is not immune to dysfunction, but it is also the place where God's mission of restoration is most powerfully present. We discuss how leaders in the church must navigate the complexities of repair, creating spaces of safety and vulnerability while also confronting their own wounds. This episode offers listeners a deeper understanding of how spiritual growth and relational healing are inextricably linked, both for individuals and the community as a whole.     * * * Episode Links and References When Narcissism Comes to Church - Chuck DeGroat When the Church Harms People - Diane Langberg Redeeming Power: Understanding Power and Abuse in the Church - Diane Langberg Matthew 18:15-17 John 16:33   Artistic Offerings to Reflect On The Incredulity of Saint Thomas - painting by Caravaggio St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) by Johann Sebastian Bach  . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

What does it mean to be human in a world where disconnection is not only common, but often woven into the very systems we live in? This episode opens the first of two episodes on rupture and repair in community, drawing deeply from Christian theology, neuroscience, and lived pastoral experience.   Grounded in the biblical assertion that we are made in the image of a communal God, the conversation reframes human identity as inherently relational—our sense of self does not exist in isolation but is shaped through connection with others. Through the lens of Genesis and the teachings of Jesus, brokenness is not treated as an individual shortcoming but as a shared human condition, one that requires collective healing and compassionate presence.   As the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that rupture—whether it shows up as conflict, trauma, or disconnection—is rarely contained to one moment or one relationship. Instead, it reverberates across families, institutions, and even digital spaces, often echoing through generations. With vivid stories from clinical settings and systemic reflections on cultural and organizational life, the conversation exposes how unresolved pain becomes embedded in the structures around us.   The episode also introduces a powerful theological and scientific counterpoint: healing, like trauma, is not confined. Drawing on the idea of "quantum relationality," the discussion explores how repair—when undertaken with intention, humility, and community—can ripple outward to transform entire environments. Whether in a parent-child bond, a broken workplace culture, or a fragmented congregation, the episode illustrates how repair work, especially when modeled on the loving, non-anxious presence of the Trinity, has the potential to restore what was lost. This episode sets the stage for episode 12, which will dive deeper into the Church's unique role in this sacred, systemic work of repair.   Episode Links and References When Narcissism Comes to Church - Chuck DeGroat It Didn't Start with You - Mark Wolynn Mindset: The New Science of Personal Transformation - Dan Siegel    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

This week is part 2 of our series on Timing, Tempo, and Time where we step into the nuanced terrain of what it actually takes to begin the work of repair. Whether we're the ones who caused harm, were impacted by it, or are caught in a mutual fracture, repair requires initiative—and initiative often requires courage.   We explore how clarity about our role, our responsibility, and our relational context shapes how we move first (or why we hesitate to). But repair isn't just about the decision to start—it's also about the pace we keep. Some fractures can begin mending in a single moment; others need months of faithful return.   This episode invites us to consider the rhythm of healing, the emotional resistance that can surface, and why repair is not a performance to rush but a process to honor. When we learn to initiate repair at a sustainable tempo, we become people who actively resist disintegration—and participate in the restoration of what's been broken.   Episode Links and References Genesis 3:15 – The first mention of God's promise to repair rupture. The Soul of Shame - Curt Thompson, MD The Wounded Heart - Dan Allender The Body Keeps the Score - Bessel van der Kolk After the Affair - Janis Spring    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

In this episode, Curt and Pepper dive deep into the crucial first steps of becoming effective repairers in times of relational rupture. We begin with Genesis 3:15 and explore how we can anticipate, prepare, and engage in repair work before the storm hits. It's not about reacting to conflict—it's about preparing in advance to become proactive, mindful, and compassionate repairers of relationships. Through this reflective practice, we explore the timing, tempo, and deep awareness required to anticipate future ruptures with empathy and intention. This preemptive work is necessary to avoid reactive responses and instead cultivate intentional repair.   In the first of this two-part series, the team shares insights into how spiritual practices, like meditation and prayer, can center us before a rupture occurs. They focus on the importance of anticipating moments of tension, embracing vulnerability, and reflecting on how our internal and external worlds influence our approach to conflict. With both empathy and practical tools for co-regulation, they guide us on how we can actively prepare to heal relational ruptures when they inevitably arise. Tune in and take the first step toward mastering the art of preemptive repair.   * * * Episode Links and References Genesis 3:15 – The first mention of God's promise to repair rupture. Deuteronomy – Mention of trust in God rather than in kings, horses, or chariots. Matthew 5:9 – "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Philippians 4:6-7 – Encouragement to meditate on things that are good, true, and beautiful.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Healing is not just about what happens to us, but also about how we choose to communicate our experiences, both to ourselves and to others. The stories we tell ourselves—about past pain, trauma, or failures—are powerful, and they shape our reality. But have you ever considered how the way we communicate these stories to ourselves can affect our ability to heal? When we rely on certain mediums, like self-talk or journaling, the way we present the message to ourselves can either block or facilitate healing. By shifting our internal communication methods, we can alter the message and, consequently, the way we process our emotions and experiences.   In this episode, we explore the profound connection between the medium of communication and personal healing. Whether it's through art, writing, meditation, or conversations with loved ones, the medium we use can impact how we perceive and internalize the messages we're telling ourselves. How do we shift our narrative from one of pain and defeat to one of empowerment and resilience? By considering the ways different mediums influence the healing process, we can find new tools to transform the messages that hold us back. Tune in as we discuss how changing the medium can help rewrite the message of healing in our lives.   * * * Episode Links and References Exodus 24, 31-34 Deuteronomy 9:9–19 Psalm 106:19–23    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Toxic ruptures don't just happen in a single moment of conflict—they are built over time through miscommunication, emotional wounds, and the silent grip of shame. Whether it's an argument that lingers long after words have been spoken, a past hurt that keeps replaying in our minds, or a pattern of avoidance that slowly erodes trust, these ruptures are reinforced by both our interactions and our inner world.   In this episode, we dive deep into how toxic ruptures are created, not just between people, but within our own brains. We'll explore the neuroscience behind why conflict feels overwhelming, how our nervous system's response can make repair more difficult, and why shame keeps us stuck in cycles of blame, avoidance, or emotional withdrawal. You'll learn how unprocessed shame distorts our perception of others, fuels resentment, and makes us more likely to repeat the same destructive patterns in relationships.   Most importantly, we'll uncover practical strategies to stop toxic ruptures before they spiral out of control. From rewiring our emotional responses and breaking free from rumination to approaching difficult conversations with presence and repair, this episode will help you shift from unconscious creation to intentional healing. If you've ever felt trapped in recurring conflict or emotional disconnection, this is your guide to understanding the deeper layers of toxic ruptures—and finally learning how to heal them.   * * * Episode Links and References Psalm 41:9 The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson, MD Alan Schore Dan Siegel - Flipping Your Lid    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Saying "no" can feel uncomfortable, but it is a crucial part of growth, both for ourselves and in our relationships. In this episode, we explore the concept of limit-setting ruptures—those moments where boundaries create tension, discomfort, and even distance, but ultimately lead to maturity and deeper connection. Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and biblical narratives, we discuss how setting limits helps shape our character, why it's necessary for personal and spiritual development, and how it teaches us emotional regulation. Whether you're a parent setting boundaries for your child, someone navigating addiction recovery, or simply trying to manage your daily commitments, this episode will provide insights into how embracing limits can lead to greater freedom and fulfillment.   We discuss how the brain undergoes "pruning" to refine skills, how children develop emotional regulation through parental boundaries, and how even Jesus modeled the power of necessary separations. We'll also tackle the emotional impact of limit-setting, from the pain of telling a parent they can no longer drive to the discomfort of quitting unhealthy behaviors. If you want to learn how to set limits in a way that fosters growth, self-control, and deeper relationships, this episode is for you.   Episode Links and References Genesis (Adam and Eve) – The concept of rupture and repair is tied to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, their immaturity, the test they faced, and the consequences of their choices (Genesis 2–3). Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:6-7) – God telling Cain, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” This is presented as a test and a moment of rupture. Numbers 34 – God defining the boundaries of Israel, in contrast to empires that constantly expand their borders. John 16 – Jesus telling His disciples, "I must go," explaining that His departure is necessary for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Interpersonal neurobiology – While not a scripture, this scientific concept is tied to biblical themes of growth, pruning, and discipline (which could be linked to passages like John 15:2, “Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful”).    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.     

Human connection is at the core of our well-being, but what happens in our brains when we bond, experience conflict, or work to repair a relationship? In this episode, Curt and Pepper unpack the fascinating neuroscience behind our need for connection, explaining how our brains are wired for relationships and why moments of rupture—whether small misunderstandings or significant emotional breaks—can feel so distressing.   By exploring the science of attachment, listeners will learn how early childhood experiences shape our ability to trust, communicate, and reconnect after conflict. Dr. Thompson dives into how relationships influence brain development, how unresolved ruptures can lead to long-term emotional patterns, and why the process of repair is essential for strengthening bonds. Whether in romantic relationships, friendships, or family dynamics, understanding this rhythm of disconnection and reconnection can help us navigate conflict with greater confidence, foster deeper emotional intimacy, and build lasting resilience.   Episode Links and References The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel Genesis 3 (discussing God walking in the Garden of Eden).    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Growth is often born from disruption, and in this episode, we explore how ruptures—whether in relationships, routines, or neural pathways—create opportunities for expansion and integration. We examine the physiological parallels of growth, from bone density to neuroplasticity, and dive deep into the critical role of repair in relationships.   Drawing on longitudinal studies of shy children and the biblical perspective on stress, we illustrate how intentional engagement and attunement pave the way for personal and communal transformation. Curt and Pepper offer person examples to illustrate how the stress of transition, from toddler tantrums to adolescent resistance, can be a gateway to deeper resilience and connection.   Episode Links and References      . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.       

Trauma is more than a single event—it is the accumulation of unrepaired ruptures that we carry in our bodies and souls. In this episode, we explore how these ruptures—whether from minor conflicts or deeply wounding experiences—shape our lives and relationships.   Drawing from biblical stories and contemporary examples, we discuss the ways our unresolved pain influences our decisions, interactions, and sense of self. From the silent grief of barrenness in the lives of the matriarchs to modern challenges like road rage and smartphone dependency, we examine the pervasive impact of ruptures.   With thoughtful insights, we point to the hope of repair and the courage it takes to face the cost of healing. This week, Curt and Pepper invite you to reflect on your own journey and consider how God's redemptive work transforms even the most broken parts of our stories.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.       

In this episode of The Being Known Podcast, Curt Thompson, MD and Pepper Sweeney explore the increasing societal fragility and its impact on our ability to repair relational ruptures. They discuss how diminished resilience and imagination hinder our capacity to connect, drawing insights from biblical narratives and interpersonal neurobiology.   This conversation addresses the challenges posed by social divisions, the concept of "othering," and the importance of community in fostering healing and restoration.   They invite you, the listener, to reflect on your own experiences of rupture and repair, considering the role of faith and community in navigating these challenges.   Episode Links and References John 16:33 1 Peter 5:10    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.       

In this powerful live episode of the Being Known Podcast, Dr. Curt Thompson, Amy Cella, and Pepper Sweeney dive into the theme of "rupture and repair." This entire season we are exploring how brokenness impacts our relationships, imagination, and sense of self. Through stories, neuroscience, and biblical reflections, we'll discuss how repairing even small ruptures can lead to greater resilience, beauty, and connection. Join the conversation on naming our longings, addressing unresolved pain, and embracing the transformative work of healing in community. This episode kicks off a season dedicated to helping us imagine—and incarnate—a future of hope and wholeness.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are looking at season 9 - The Deepest Place. If you pick up a book on suffering, you might hope it will tell you how you can learn to suffer less, or even not at all. That's not what we're doing here. Instead, we will discover that before we even get to suffering, we must, as Christians, begin long before that, just as Paul does in Romans 5. Who knew that to talk about suffering, it is first really important for us to get a handle on how our attachment to Jesus—through our attachment to the members of his Body and the Spirit?   In this episode you are invited to imagine how Paul's words of faith and justification reflect our real-life attachment processes, and how that lays the foundation for our forming hope in the presence of suffering.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Romans 5 Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 8 - In the Path of Oncoming Beauty. There's nothing quite like an encounter with beauty to remind us that we are temporal—and, temporary—creatures. Who hasn't wanted the gorgeous sunset to just go on and on and on? Who has listened to Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, and not desired it to go on indefinitely?   Beauty is like that. It transports us into states of timelessness that remind us that we were made, not for this world—but for the world that is coming.   Join us as we look back at this last episode season 8 and be reminded of what it means that God has placed eternity in our hearts, and that putting ourselves in the path of oncoming beauty is the beginning of the time for which there will be no end.     . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Nature in your own community... Get outside. Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 7 - Confessional Communities. We have shared a great deal about confessional communities over the last several seasons on Being Known Podcast. We thought we would take this opportunity to dive in and take a closer look at their purpose and how they operate. Although the best way to discover these things is to actually participate in a confessional community, however, we  hope this season gets you a little closer to what it means—and what it takes—to be part of one.   . . . . Episode Links and References Genesis 1-2 Luke 24: The Road to Emmaus John 20: Thomas's encounter with Jesus Artistic offering - Carravaggio: Thomas The Center for Being Known New Story Behavioral Health Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 6 - The Beauty of Wisdom. We often assume that wisdom is to be equated with knowing things. And indeed, knowing things is important. But only to the degree that it enables us to create beauty and goodness in the world, not least that of flourishing relationships.   Our challenge is that so often we are interested in acquiring knowledge because we are more concerned with being right than we are about being loving.   The horizontal domain of integration—that of the relationship between the right and left hemispheres of the brain—is the setting in which we learn that wisdom is so much more than knowing: it's about being known. In this episode, Curt and Pepper will connect with their right and left brains—and with you—as we continue on this marvelous journey of becoming people of wisdom.   . . . . . Episode Links and References Ecclesiastes 3 The Time Jumpers Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 5 - The Soul of Shame. It's not enough to know what shame IS. We also have to know how and where it works. Our problem with shame is not just a sensation in which we feel bad. It's about all the ways that it hijacks our mind, relationships, and mostly, the story in which we believe we're living. Join us as we open up the hood and begin to look at the engine of this thing we call shame. You may be surprised to find that it's so much more than a feeling.   Episode Links and References The Soul of Shame by Curt Thompson, MD Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 4 - Trauma. Despite our fierce commitment to individualism, trauma is far more likely to follow the way the mind has actually been made, rather than the way we have for the last several hundred years tried to pretend that it works. We would like to think that the trauma that we experience or perpetrate will only have effects on us or the ones upon whom we inflict it.   But that would not be true to the way the brain works. As we will discover, what happens in one generation doesn't necessarily stay in that generation. Rather, it can have the tendency to travel down ancestral lines, leaving others to pay the price for events that occurred long before they were even born.   Join Pepper and Curt as we discover the steam that the train of trauma can gather over the course of generations—and what we can begin to do to stop it in its tracks.   Links and References It Didn't Start with You by Mark Wolynn Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!   Scripture References Numbers 14:18    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 3 - The Soul of Desire. It takes very little to see that if longing and beauty go hand in hand, then trauma and shame are more than willing to make sure that none of that ever lasts, and in some cases makes sure no handshake ever happens. For truly, as sure as we are people of desire, we are people of grief. From our brains to the rest of our bodies, from our inner lives to our relational realities, our grief so fills our minds that we hardly notice that so much of life's work consists of managing our grief, looking for trouble so we can head it off before it finds us. Given the brokenness and pain that seem so ubiquitous, no wonder we mostly see ourselves as problems to solve rather than beauty waiting to be revealed. Join Pepper and Curt as we unflinchingly name our grief—without forgetting that we were made for so much more.   Episode Links and References The Soul of Desire by Curt Thompson, MD Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   This week we are focusing on season 2 - The Domains of the Brain. Storytellers. That's what we are, and we can't get away from it. But just how truly do we tell them? It turns out that, just as important as the story you tell, is how you tell it. And that makes all the difference. Join us as we explore the narrative domain of integration, and discover the interpersonal neurobiology of attachment. We can assure you: After you've listened in, you'll have quite a story to tell.   Episode Links and References Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, MD Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to season 10 of Being Known Podcast. This season we are taking a look back at where we have come over the last couple of years, to determine where we are headed in the future, and as a way to continue bringing you the best content for how to live a life being fully known.   Each week we are spotlighting one episode from a previous season (the best of the best, so to speak). This is just a sample of what that entire season was all about. We hope you have, or will, take the time to listen to all the episodes again.   Let's start at the very beginning. Join host Pepper Sweeney and psychiatrist Curt Thompson as, together, we awaken to the journey of being fully known.   Episode Links and References Anatomy of the Soul by Curt Thompson, MD Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   Today we are addressing your questions about suffering and the formation of hope. We hope you have enjoyed this season.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   We started this season on suffering with what necessarily must precede it if hope is what we want. And now that we are near the season's conclusion, we find ourselves where we started.   Come hang out with us to discover how what we first thought would only be painful—our suffering—ultimately, because of Jesus and the way our brains and relationships are made to operate, leads to the joy that enables us to fearless encounter our suffering wherever it will emerge in our lives over the course of them. We can't wait for you to be with us, and join us in all that God has in store.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   Hope is one thing. Durable hope—that's something different altogether. What is hope, after all? Is it something that merely happens to fall in our laps? Something that we can only hope to have?   The world of interpersonal neurobiology has some things to say about hope that are, well, very, very hopeful. And at the same time, shed light on where Paul is going, as he has come all the way from suffering, through perseverance and character to bring us to where we are.   Join the conversation this week as we walk together into the hope that is more than just a word. More than what we merely hope we will have. And we're far more than hopeful that you will agree with us when you do.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   We deeply long to be persons of character; we would much rather not, however, have to persevere through suffering to get there. But it turns out that that is exactly how character is formed. Moreover, the formation of character is the necessary prerequisite for hope that lasts, not the flimsy kind that so much or our lives are used to. And therein lies the good news. The resilience of character, something that others see in us but that we often do not see in ourselves, brings us ever closer to the hope we long to form and maintain.   Listen in to these two characters (Pepper and Curt, that is. Well, maybe just Pepper) as we learn what we can do to develop the character that we so long to have.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   Who hasn't felt like giving up when the going got, not only tough, but tough for a really long time. We love the idea of what perseverance can ultimately lead to; we would often rather arrive at what we want without having to persevere. Because to be sure: perseverance is not easy. But as we have said on this podcast before, the brain can do a lot of really hard things for a long time, as long as it doesn't have to do it by itself.   Tune in to hear Pepper persevere in having to be in conversation with Curt yet one more time, and discover again what it means to SNAG the brain while we form durable hope in the process.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-25, 2024 Use code KNOWN to save $25 off conference registration!    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   Finally, we're here. We've reached the topic that this series is about. It's just that, now that we've arrived, we don't want to be here. Nobody wants to suffer. We want less of it, or none of it at all, not just some tired old story of how to grin and bear it.   The good news is that, there are some things we can learn about suffering from what we know of the brain and relationships, things that, once we are aware of them, begin to shed even brighter light on the hope that we are durably forming on our journey through this part of Paul's letter.   This week we talk about why we suffer, and how we can begin to reframe it in our first steps toward suffering differently.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope S2E6: What's Your Story - episode on the narrative domain S2E9: It's Only a Matter of Time - episode on the temporal domain Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-26, 2024 (save the date for more information coming soon)    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   Who would ever imagine that glory and suffering would have anything to do with each other? As it turns out, a great deal. So much so, in fact, that when we consider a particular aspect of God's glory (one that we rarely do), we see how, when we take it seriously, it utterly transforms and prepares us for the suffering we will inevitably encounter. But we can't encounter it alone. It requires community.   This week you are invited to draw close to God's glory, even as we draw close to our suffering.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-26, 2024 (save the date for more information coming soon) Bonus conversation on GLORY with the Being Known Podcast team.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   For Jesus followers, as we approach the topic of suffering, we can't bypass the body. Fortunately, neither does Paul in Romans 5, or what we know from neuroscience. For indeed, the more we pay attention to how the body works, the more the texts of scripture make sense in our world, a world which has somehow over many centuries found a way to separate the body from the spirit in ways that they simply are not.   Come along this week as we learn how “grace in which we now stand” is no mere metaphor—and shapes our response to suffering in ways we might never imagine.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-26, 2024 (save the date for more information coming soon)    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   Although the bible doesn't begin with violence, it gets there pretty quickly, beginning with a snake, then a brother killing his brother, and on and on it goes. And as it turns out, as much as we are at war in so many ways with so many others, we are more at war with God than anyone, and more at war with him than we know. Not that he's at war with us. We just think he is.   It's no surprise, then, to discover that our suffering is grounded more than we are aware of in the parts of us that still believe, like Adam before us, that God is out to kill us.  This week we address the necessary task of identifying the parts of us that still believe we are at war with God—so that in making peace, we can begin to change the story we tell about our suffering.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Thoughts and Feelings into Your Greatest Allies by Kimberly June Miller and Alison Cook Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-26, 2024 (save the date for more information coming soon)    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   If you pick up a book on suffering, you might hope it will tell you how you can learn to suffer less, or even not at all. That's not what we're doing here. Instead, we will discover that before we even get to suffering, we must, as Christians, begin long before that, just as Paul does in Romans 5. Who knew that to talk about suffering, it is first really important for us to get a handle on how our attachment to Jesus—through our attachment to the members of his Body and the Spirit?   In this episode you are invited to imagine how Paul's words of faith and justification reflect our real-life attachment processes, and how that lays the foundation for our forming hope in the presence of suffering.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-26, 2024 (save the date for more information coming soon)    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to Being Known Podcast. This season we are discussing Curt's latest book, The Deepest Place as we carefully cover each chapter to deepen your understanding of suffering and the formation of hope.   To be human is to suffer. To be transformed does not deliver us from it. In fact, a great deal of what we do in life is dedicated to avoiding so much of the suffering that inhabits our stories. I only want to read a book that tells me how I can suffer less, or even not at all. But that's not how life works.   This week we begin to explore The Deepest Place, using Romans 5:1-5 and what we are learning from interpersonal neurobiology, and discover how the gospel helps us form durable hope, not by being fully delivered  from suffering, but in and because of its very presence.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Connections Conference 2024 - Oct. 24-26, 2024 (save the date for more information coming soon)    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

There's nothing quite like an encounter with beauty to remind us that we are temporal—and, temporary—creatures. Who hasn't wanted the gorgeous sunset to just go on and on and on? Who has listened to Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, and not desired it to go on indefinitely?   Beauty is like that. It transports us into states of timelessness that remind us that we were made, not for this world—but for the world that is coming.   Join us for the last episode of this season that will remind us of what it means that God has placed eternity in our hearts, and that putting ourselves in the path of oncoming beauty is the beginning of the time for which there will be no end.     . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Nature in your own community... Get outside.   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Beauty is not just something that sits there and waits for our reaction. It is something that, should we allow ourselves to be open to it, actively draws our attention not only to it, but draws us to draw others' attention to it as well. In this way, beauty's purpose serves to engage us with each other—so that we can create and curate even more beauty.   Join us as we discover how beauty reveals the inescapable reality that we were made for connection, and that beauty is one of God's most powerful means of showing us that this is true.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Van Gogh Irises Artistic Offering for next week: Nature in your community... get outside!   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

So much of what shapes our perceived distress or joy in life is related to how we transition from one state of mind to another. Our willingness to place ourselves in the path of oncoming beauty does many things, not least slowing our pace in life, such that we become much more aware of when and how we are making a transition from one to another state of mind.   This slowing of our pace makes it possible for us to be aware of so much more that is going on in that very transition—and respond to it in the ways we want to, even if those states are distressing.   Listen in as Pepper and Curt explore how our willingness to practice encountering beauty can help us regulate our affect, and so strengthen our transitions from one state of mind to another—and thereby see the potential for the creation of beauty in situations that would otherwise leave us unable to do so.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Meditation Breathing Exercise Artistic Offering for next week: Van Gogh Irises   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

During Curt and Pepper's recent trip to El Salvador, they each found themselves surprised by beauty in various ways. Surprise can lead to any number of emotional reactions, depending on what, exactly, it is that surprises us. When it is beauty that is doing the surprising, we are opened to joy, goodness and even greater beauty than we would expect out of life.   Join Pepper and Curt as they explore surprising stories of beauty, and along the way introduce you to Shaun Groves, a pastor and Compassion International ambassador, whose compelling story of his own surprise with beauty has had him involved with the ministry since 2005.       . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Pepper Sweeney's Driftwood Beach photos Artistic Offering for next week: Meditation Breath Exercise   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Like no other creatures, humans are storytellers. Moreover, our stories all have a beginning, a middle and an end. And the way we tell stories has to do with the end in mind.   So, think of it: the stories we tell about our lives—not least the parts that we hate the most—will be governed by where the story is ultimately going. Despite the carnage that we see all around us, the God of the bible is intent upon telling a story of beauty. He does not intend to have us waiting until the very end for that beauty to find us. He intends for us to experience it now, if only in the hints of what are the harbingers of the deep weight of beauty that is coming.   Join Curt and Pepper as we discover how beauty is shaping who we are becoming as storytellers, as well as the stories we tell.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Dave Wilcox: "How Did You Find Me Here?" Artistic Offering for next week: Pepper Sweeney's Driftwood Beach photos   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Pepper and Curt had the privilege of spending five days in El Salvador as part of a Compassion International team of visitors. Join us as we share about the extraordinarily durable beauty that is emerging in some of the hardest stories we could imagine—and how all of this is pointing to the emerging kingdom of God.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Gustav Holst; "Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity" Artistic Offering for next week: Dave Wilcox: "How Did You Find Me Here?"   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

It is easy to be amazed, even astonished in the presence of beauty. But it is just as easy to forget it, given how easily distracted we are by so many things. If it is true that what we pay attention to, we remember; and what we remember becomes our anticipated future, then we don't just recall beauty for the sake of itself, we do so in order to shape the futures of our lives that we anticipate. And this is as much true for the parts of our stories that are traumatized as those for which we have fond memories.   Listen in as Pepper and Curt wade into how committing beauty to memory doesn't just remind us of a past we love; it transforms our past traumas into futures we would otherwise find hard to imagine.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Shawshank Redemption movie Artistic Offering for next week: Gustav Holst; "Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity"   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Once we sense beauty, we begin to tell a story about it. We make sense of it. We pay attention to it. We sometimes analyze it. But beauty often reveals things about us. In sensing things, we become aware of feelings and memories that before we were unaware of. In this way, we are enabled to tell our stories more truly. And all of this employs the horizontal domain of integration—the relationship between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Listen in as Curt and Pepper explore how the differences between our right and our left enable beauty to assist us in making better sense of our lives.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Take Five by Dave Brubeck Artistic Offering for next week: Shawshank Redemption movie   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

First, we sense. And then we make sense of what we sense. Beauty is not first something we think about. It is first something we behold with our senses. And our senses necessarily involve our bodies. For indeed, even when we imagine beauty in our mind, we use our brains to do so. This follows the sequence of creation in Genesis 2 when God first formed a body, and then breathed life into it.   Join Pepper and Curt as they explore the role of the body in encountering beauty, and how paying attention to the vertical domain of integration leads to greater awareness of beauty in our world, and in ourselves.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright Artistic Offering for next week: Take Five by Dave Brubeck   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

In the path of oncoming beauty. Given that we are wired to pay attention to danger for the sake of protection, purposefully attuning to beauty can at times feel risky. But when we make it our intended purpose to create space for beauty, we find ourselves seeing any number of things that we didn't before. Some of those things include our wounds that we have covered for longer than we know. But that only gives us the chance to imagine the emergence of beauty from parts of our lives that heretofore we could only imagine carnage.   Listen in as Curt and Pepper explore what it means to awaken, become alert and attuned to beauty, and how that can chart a course for a new direction of renewal in our lives.   . . . . Episode Links and References Artistic Offering discussed today: Ansel Adams art Artistic Offering for next week: architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright Connections Conference 2023, hosted by Center for Being Known   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

In the path of oncoming beauty. Sure, we have talked about this notion over many seasons of The Being Known Podcast. But of what practical value is it? How does it speak to our longings, our grief or the renewal of our relationships, communities and institutions? Is it merely an intellectual exercise, divorced from making a difference in my real life? Join Pepper and Curt as they answer with a resounding, “No!” Instead, journey with them into the deeper recesses of what it means, exactly, to place yourself in the path of oncoming beauty, and discover how God's resounding “Yes!” to beauty begins where we can't see it, and ends with the new creation that is surely coming.    . . . . Episode Links and References Roger Scruton book: Beauty Artistic Offering discussed today:  Poem "As Kingfishers Catch Fire" by Gerard Manley Hopkins Artistic Offering for next week: Ansel Adams art Connections Conference 2023, hosted by Center for Being Known   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this Being Known Podcast season, we invite you to join us in sponsoring a child with Compassion International. Just $43 a month provides a sponsored child with all their basic needs and the hope for a brighter future.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversation.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.   

Thank you for joining us this season to learn about confessional communities. In this final season episode, Curt, Pepper and Amy answer listener questions to draw you closer to finding and creating your own community.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Center for Being Known New Story Behavioral Health Connections Conference 2023 - Register today for this incredible Oct. 27 event on the theme of Emergence. PLUS, access to the Being Known Podcast LIVE on Thursday, Oct. 26 The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope (pre-order now, available August 29, 2023)   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this season of Being Known Podcast you can support Compassion International with a one time gift of $50 and you'll feed a family of five for a month. We are all part of a global community and hope you will consider giving.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 7 of Being Known Podcast were we are continually looking at what it means to be truly known. This season we are exploring confessional communities.   How do we end anything well—and especially those experiences that have become so significant in our growth? Moreover, how do we say goodbye well in a culture that gives us very few resources in knowing how to do that? Pepper and Curt explore how bringing a confessional community to close—either for an individual who is leaving, or for the entire group that is coming to an end—is itself an opportunity for greater growth and integration as we practice for the heaven and earth that is coming.   . . . . Episode Links and References The Center for Being Known New Story Behavioral Health Bang! by AJR   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this season of Being Known Podcast you can support Compassion International with a one time gift of $50 and you'll feed a family of five for a month. We are all part of a global community and hope you will consider giving.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way. 

Welcome to season 7 of Being Known Podcast were we are continually looking at what it means to be truly known. This season we are exploring confessional communities.   This week we are continuing the conversation we started last week to "love doing the work"   Over the course of time that a confessional community gathers, many things will be learned, including the process of growing in your awareness of what the process is actually doing to provide the opportunity for growth that you are experiencing.  Pepper and Curt talk about that process of what happens in a confessional community that actually fosters the integration and wholeness that we so long to experience, and the beauty and goodness that we so long to become.   . . . . Episode Links and References SIFT-B - Sense, Imagine, Feel, Think, Behave The Center for Being Known New Story Behavioral Health Artistic Offering - Mark Rothko, No. 61   . . . . . Special Thanks for our Season Sponsor - Compassion International The world is currently facing a devastating global food crisis caused from numerous variables: the war in Ukraine, fertilizer shortages, effects of COVID-19, and extreme weather, just to name a few. Couple any of these with the fact that food prices are climbing, and hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable children intensify.   During this season of Being Known Podcast you can support Compassion International with a one time gift of $50 and you'll feed a family of five for a month. We are all part of a global community and hope you will consider giving.    . . . . . Stay connected: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter YouTube (Unedited videos of each episode AND the Post Show Conversations.) Please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode and we always welcome your reviews on Apple Podcasts.  Sign up to access the Being Known Podcast applications, the weekly exercises that connect what you are learning to your life in a practical way.