CouplesTheraPod

In this episode we discuss the fever pitch point of the border crisis where the policy of family separation at the border crossed a line we thought might not exist. We don't try to solve this issue but attempt to find some of the lights this issue exposed and what they say about us as a nation. CouplesTheraPod.com CouplesTheraPod@gmail.com @CouplesTheraPod

We're BAAAAAACK! Comeback Season is upon us, and the TheraPod is back. This season we want to take events weighing on the world, shake them up, and see what's there. This first episode deals with the collective mourning of fallen celebrities, particularly to suicide, and how the various conversations that come out of these third-party events may give us sneak peaks into ourselves, our values, our beliefs, and our culture. So give it a listen. What did we miss/overlook? Where can the conversation go from here? @couplestherapod couplestherapod@gmail.com

This episode is part follow up to Lent Episode 10 (prayer) and part follow up to Lent Episode 9 (culture wars.) Also I say, in the episode that we are moving "a week from tomorrow," but I waited a week to release this, so we are moving TOMORROW!!! So this might be the last one we can get in before Lent ends. So if that is the case, thank you so much for flowing through this with us! The podcast will continue but the subject matter will branch back out to include more than just religion and spirituality (though my guess is we keep coming back here.) We appreciate every click and listen. We really do. Deanna was out of town all last week when this was recorded, so it is just a Will episode. As a result, I took the opportunity to make somewhat of a crossover episode with my “you’re not listening to this” podcast. I let some issues surrounding prayer off my chest that I didn’t think were helpful in our last episode. Next, I transition into some thoughts on how Religion and the Divine are not the same thing. I walk you through the beginning of the story of the Woman at the Well to uncover what I believe to be right there on the surface: a deep philosophical and metaphysical debate about religion being a starting point to Truth, not the ultimate destination. This may seem obvious, but from my perspective, it is incredibly easy to substitute the divine experience for the comforts of following “right religion” without really noticing. In the context of the Woman at the Well, I believe we, all of us, frequently begin worshipping our wells instead of the Water. This one is a little more dense than others because I had the opportunity to flesh it out before recording. But don’t let that deter you. If you’re here for Dee (which why wouldn’t you be) come back next episode. If you’re here for a long monologue about how you treat the woman at the well determines how you read her story, then you’re weird, but you’re my people! Dig in. Couplestherapod.com

This episode deals with prayer. How we pray. Why we pray. How that has changed over the years as our faiths have deepened and widened. Also, we are sneaking up on the end of Lent, so this is one of the last episodes will have in this series. Deanna is out of town for the next 5 days and we are moving 4 days after that. So....this may be the last episode with Deanna in it. Hopefully we will sneak a couple more in. Enjoy! @couplestherapod Couplestherapod.com

In this episode we talk about the various effects culture has on biblical interpretation today and biblical compilation in the past. We hit on ways the bible has been used for misogyny, genocide, and slavery, not because of what is necessarily written in scripture, but in how the worlds around the reader interpret those scriptures. Of course this is sprinkled with game show theme songs, and sound clips from Beyonce, Tupac, and Kanye West (good Kanye not new Kanye)...cause you know, that makes sense. Dig in! CouplesTheraPod.com

This episode is just us talking about the differences in our "home" church experiences. Black church and white church. Big churches and small churches. What motivations and cultural truths are hidden in the music? This one was fun to make, but admittedly takes a hard left turn toward the end. These things happen. hahaha! p.s. thanks Gary Owen for inspiring this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC8Kwkxk-BI couplestherapod.com

In this episode of the Lent series, Dee leads the way into a discussion about Grace. Truth be told, Dee had to lead the discussion because Will's concepts and feelings surrounding Grace are ... complicated. We spend most of this episode bouncing metaphors around for better understandings of Grace. Maybe you have some ideas? Hit us up, at CouplesTheraPod.com where the email link will allow you to be anonymous if you want ; ) @CouplesTheraPod

This episode presents the question of what is religion, and what good is it? @couplestherapod Couplestherapod@gmail.com

We're back. We recalibrated and are back to the essence of what we were going for. We set out to present questions, not answers, and that's what happened here. Take a listen. We discuss how the Gospel is simple but religious life is so complex - not from a doctrinal standpoint or a heady theological one, but how complex things have gotten in our own actual pasts. The "theme" of the episode comes courtesy of a quote from the Bruxy Cavey book: Reunion “'A minute to learn, a lifetime to master' could also describe the good news of Jesus. There is a simplicity to the gospel, so that even (and especially) a child can comprehend it. There is also a depth and infinite richness to the gospel, which means that we can all spend the rest of our lives learning, discussing, and applying its truths."

This episode concludes the first week of our Lent Season. In just a few short episodes, Dee and I fumbled across all kinds of things we find terribly interesting. But listen, everyday was silly, so we will continue but maybe just 2 or 3 week, cool? thanks! @couplestherapod Couplestherapod@gmail.com

This episode deals with the doctrine of Total Depravity in the Calvinistic sense when meditating on the penitent motivation of the Lent Season (with the additional argument that Total Depravity isn't really separable from the rest of Calvinism.) Total Depravity became useful to justify predestination, yet while the doctrine of predestination has lost favor, Total Depravity remains. To crudely summarize it: at its core, regardless of how you have been introduced to Total Depravity, the doctrine states that God hates the very essence of His creation, and knew He would before He created it. It teaches that you just by being alive are worthless. But the "worth" of something is what someone will pay for it. If we believe that Jesus was the Christ and Savior and that He "paid it all" for us, that he'd drop everything to find the one lost sheep, the one lost coin, or to patiently await the return of the prodigal son, how dare we believe we are worthless? Jesus routinely pointed out mankind's view of value as completely disconnected from His view of worth. WE wouldn't leave 99 sheep to save 1. WE wouldn't search all day for a penny and then throw a party worth everything we have to celebrate finding it. To US the value and the worth don't match. Part of the Good News is that we are wrong. Where we see no value, God saw all the worth in the world. For a much better communicators feelings on the subject, check this blog out by Rachel Held Evans: https://rachelheldevans.com/blog/lent-calvin

Episode 2 of this series is Thursday February 15, 2018 and explores the tradition of lent a little more, before we begin to focus on themes next week. This episode considers the numerous Lent traditions, both canonized and cultural, to ask "where these traditions come from?," "what do they mean?," "what was there purpose?", and "how can I apply that to me life, right now?" We also found this episode to be inspired by Philippians 3:10-11: "I want to know Christ - Yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." Enjoy. Like. Subscribe. Share. Join the Conversation, and tune back in tomorrow. @CouplesTheraPod CouplesTheraPod@Gmail.com

The Couples Therapy Podcast invites you to join us for the next month and a half or so as Deanna and I will sit and record a new episode for each day of Lent this year. This idea spawned from this interesting crossroads where I, raised a fundamentalist/Seventh-Day Adventist never got into Lent in my youth and Deanna, who was raised Methodist, has great love and warmth from Lent in her youth. However, when we each looked into what the internet says Lent is and is for, we couldn’t help but both disagree with swaths of what we found. What we agreed on is that Lent is about “going into the wilderness” like Jesus in Matthew 4 or Jacob wrestling with God in the wilderness in Genesis 32. When Jesus resurfaced the Bible suggests he immediately began His selfless ministry of spreading the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 4:17). Jacob emerged from the wilderness with a new name, Isreal, which means one that struggled with the divine, and went on to start the 12 tribes. Neither of these Biblical characters emerged from the wilderness simply penitent, but completely re-made and re-newed. Yes, Lent can be about identifying your personal struggles in life, vices, and “recurring sins” and seeking repentance as is often stated and done. However, it seems the point should perhaps be less about absolution of our sins (though inclusive) and more about the dissolution of the self… or so we propose. So, come along as we dig into various topics over the next 40 or so days ranging from Reconciliation, Grace, and Hope, to the condition of the Heart and Love, and finally how to make this ancient story and liturgy relevant to our daily lives in 2018, whether you are a “believer” or not. We will leave as much specific doctrine and dogma at the door as we venture into the wilderness, as this is intended to be for everyone. Join the discussion @couplestherapod and couplestherapod@gmail.com

This episode is brought to you by our daughter, Kaitlyn. She's sick today and being taken care of by Doctor Dad (not a doctor.) So of course she and I recorded a podcast about Yoga, Princesses, and of course Witches that turn into "Mommies" (Mummies). Kick back and enjoy a little insight into our youngest! @couplestherapod Couplestherapod@gmail.com dont forget to like, share, and review us on iTunes or wherever you digest your podcasts. Until next time... We love ya, even if we don't know ya.

How does a quick quote from Ram Dass turn into a discussion of the vastness of the universe, human perfection vs divine perfection, political action, and a hot new mixtape? Only the CouplesTheraPod can make it make sense. Join Dee as she tries to reign in Will's skepticism and partypooperness about cliche quotes that can mean anything and the existential fallout that ensues. This episode comes after much delay by Will and Dee trying purposely not to get religious or political and ultimately failing and doing both at the same time. (We don't pick sides, so you're safe listening...mostly.) Dig in, hear us out, tell us we're wrong, whatever. @couplestherapod, couplestherapod@gmail.com

In this episode we explore what we expected in marriage versus what we found in it as we reflect back on our ten years of union. We drop in the story of how we came together in the first place, so this turns out to be a really quick snapshot of "Will & Dee." We tried to keep the cheese level as low as possible. Haha! "Marriage is not a destination, it's a constant decision." Thank you for listening, subscribing, following etc., and if you have some fun relationship stories along these lines, let us know about them @CouplesTheraPod or CouplesTheraPod@gmail.com! Maybe we will share your story on the next episode! If you haven't subscribed yet on itunes or wherever you digest podcast content, please do, and maybe give us a quick rating or review as well. Thank you all!

So, we thought about recording a podcast about society and values, but then we glanced over at the clock and realized we were way too tired for that. Instead: We broke out the Table Topics boxes and ran through a few questions before going to bed. It's always a good time seeing how those closest to you answer things off the top of their heads and where the conversations can go from there... until you start getting delirious and singing Sir-Mix-a-Lot songs. What would your answers be? Enjoy! @couplestherapod couplestherapod@gmail.com ThisIsWillJames.com

In this episode we discuss the difference between being old and feeling grown, how we choose to define ourselves, virtual reality, and boy bands. You know, typical stuff. Dive in!

In this episode of the podcast we talk about how much Will needs a vacation, esports scholarships, awkward family moments, and a little dab of neurotheology...cause why not?! Listen, subscribe, share or don't. It's cool. @willdeejam willanddee@gmail.com ThisIsWillJames.com @ThisIsWillJames

First Episode of the Couples Therapy Podcast with Will and Dee. A couple with a couple kids trying to sneak a couple minutes to entertain you a couple times a month. In this episode we talk about alternate universes, bad dates, first memories, superhero parents, hip hop and more. Just silliness. Enjoy! @WillDeeJam ThisIsWillJames.com #couplestherapypod