Podcasts about This Is My Story

What if you got everything you ever wanted and it still wasn't enough? In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally kicks off our annual This Is My Story summer series with the fascinating story of King Solomon.Solomon's story is fascinating because most of us expect cautionary tales from the "bad guys" but Solomon isn't a villain. He was a hero - the son of David, builder of the first Temple in Jerusalem. and writer scripture who God appeared to personally. He was the wisest and richest man who ever lived. Yet despite all of that, Solomon drifted from the Lord at the end of his life.Anybody can have a good beginning but your faithfulness is revealed through your ending.Are you spending your life pursuing things that can't satisfy, or are you spending your life pursuing the only One who can?

Composer Conner Savoca talks about his path from the earliest music lessons to scoring recent episodes like “This Is My Story.” Conner honors the legacy of Odyssey’s music while adding his own voice. Plus: a preview of the upcoming episode “Accountability, Please”

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Aaron Graham, lead pastor of The District Church, a diverse and growing congregation in the heart of Washington, D.C. Founded in 2010 just a few miles from the White House, the church has become known for its global diversity—with people from more than 80 nations represented—and its commitment to living out the gospel for the good of the city. Are you noticing both spiritual curiosity and spiritual drift among people in your community? Wondering how to disciple people faithfully in a culture that increasingly pushes back against historic Christian orthodoxy? In this conversation, Aaron shares insights from his ministry context in D.C. and his new book Unshakable Faith: How to Stand Firm in a Culture of Lies, offering practical ways churches can respond to cultural pressure while forming resilient disciples from the next generation. A generation leaning in—and drifting away. // Aaron observes a striking tension among young adults today: some are pursuing faith with new seriousness, while others are quietly drifting away. Cities like Washington, D.C., attract highly educated young professionals who want to make a difference in the world through public service. Many are motivated by compassion and a desire to serve others, but they also face cultural pressures that can slowly reshape their beliefs. In Aaron's experience, this environment creates both incredible opportunities for ministry and real challenges in maintaining historic Christian faith. Some people are exploring spiritual questions deeply, while others disengage from church entirely through gradual spiritual drift. Understanding doubt, deconstruction, and denial. // Aaron encourages church leaders to distinguish between three different spiritual responses: doubt, deconstruction, and denial. Doubt is a natural part of faith—it involves uncertainty and questions that can ultimately strengthen belief when handled within a supportive community. Deconstruction, however, goes further by dismantling previously held beliefs. While some deconstruction may be necessary—especially when people have experienced unhealthy theology or spiritual abuse—it becomes dangerous when it happens in isolation without reconstructing a healthier biblical foundation. Denial is the final stage, where a person actively rejects core Christian beliefs. Recognizing these distinctions helps pastors respond with wisdom and compassion rather than assuming everyone wrestling with faith is in the same place. Creating space for honest questions. // One practical way The District Church engages doubt is through a summer series called “This Is My Story.” During this series, church members share short testimonies about their biggest spiritual questions and how God met them through those struggles and doubts. These stories normalize honest questions while showing that faith can deepen through wrestling with difficult issues. Instead of centering doubt itself, the church highlights the journey from questioning to deeper trust in God. This approach has been especially meaningful for newcomers, helping them see that the church is a place where people can wrestle honestly with faith while still moving toward spiritual maturity. Resisting the pull of cultural lies. // Aaron's book identifies several cultural narratives that quietly reshape Christian belief. One example is what he calls the “selective Christian”—someone who edits Scripture to match personal preferences or cultural expectations. When believers accept only the parts of the Bible that feel comfortable, the authority of Scripture slowly erodes. Over time, this selective approach strips the gospel of its transformative power. Aaron emphasizes that discipleship must include serious engagement with the whole Bible, even the passages that challenge modern assumptions. Returning to deep Bible engagement. // One of the most effective ways Aaron addresses cultural pressure is by encouraging consistent Bible engagement within the church. Through reading plans, group discussions, and teaching that emphasizes submission to Scripture rather than simply learning about it, believers begin to develop a more holistic faith. Interestingly, Aaron notes that people who deeply engage Scripture often become both more morally conservative and more socially liberal with deeper compassion toward others. Instead of fitting into political categories, they develop a kingdom perspective shaped by the teachings of Jesus. Holding together justice and biblical conviction. // Throughout his ministry, Aaron has worked extensively in justice initiatives, advocating for the poor and vulnerable. However, he has also seen many leaders abandon historic Christian beliefs while pursuing social justice causes. This experience convinced him that justice and biblical orthodoxy must remain connected. True justice flows naturally from a high view of Scripture and the lordship of Christ. When churches separate the two, they risk losing both their theological foundation and their long-term spiritual influence. To learn more about Aaron Graham's book Unshakable Faith: How to Stand Firm in a Culture of Lies, visit aarongrahamdc.com, where you can find resources, curriculum, and links to purchase the book. Plus, check out District Church at districtchurch.org. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super excited that you have decided to tune in today. I know you got a lot going on this week and the fact that you would turn us on is just incredible. So we want to honor you for that. Thanks for doing that. Rich Birch — Today, we’re going to talk about some stuff that I know is applicable to all of us. It It’s the kind of conversation that we’re we’re wrestling with in all of our churches. And we also have a repeat guest, which you know does not happen that often at unSeminary. And you know when we have repeat guests, it means I really want you to hear them and hear what they have to say out. Rich Birch — Today we’re honored to have Aaron Graham with us. He is the lead pastor of of District Church. It was founded in 2010 in Washington, D.C. It’s a Christ-centered, culture-defining church. for transplants and natives. The church was born from a dream about what it would look like for a church to be, or to seek the peace of the city and to exist for the sake of Christ and for the good of the city.Rich Birch — So we’re really excited to have Aaron with us today. Aaron, welcome back to the podcast after a couple of years, but glad to you glad you decided to come back on. Appreciate that.Aaron Graham — Thanks, Rich, for having me and love what you guys are doing and how you’re practically helping church leaders like myself address problems we’re facing in our organizations and culture cultural contexts. Rich Birch — Kind of you to say that. Give us a bit of the District story for folks that, you know, my mom listens to every episode, but not everyone listens to every episode. But kind of to give us a bit of the District story and and talk a little bit about how you intersect with all of that.Aaron Graham — Yeah, we launched 15 years ago right in the heart of DC. We meet two miles north of the White House, and made up of mostly young adults becoming more intergenerational. But one of the things we’ve become known for is just our diversity. So there’s over 80 nations represented in the church. Last night at the newcomers dinner, there were 14 nations represented… Rich Birch — Wow.Aaron Graham — …and so just in that small little dinner. So that’s a real privilege we have of of doing that. We’re a church of life groups and just love what we’re doing right here in the heart of DC.Rich Birch — So good. I once heard a leader say that, you know, DC is full of young leaders, young people like, and, you know, the the whole thing that, you know, the main business will call it in DC is all run on the back of, you know, 20s and 30s who are making a huge difference. What have you noticed with reaching that? And I know, i know you’re, you’re, you’re, like you said there, you’re becoming a more diverse church and, you know, age-wise in all different ways. But let’s let’s kind of focus in on that kind of 20-somethings, 30-somethings. What have you been noticing with folks in that generation as it comes to faith and their relationship with Jesus and, you know, all of their kind of spiritual side? What’s what are some of the observations you’re seeing?Aaron Graham — Yeah, well, I think a lot of young adults are leaning into their faith more than ever. There’s a revival in so many ways happening among young people, but there’s also a lot of retreating and people drifting in their faith. And so we kind of find ourselves with people either leaning in like never before or leaning out like never before. And in a context like D.C., people move to D.C. to change the world. I mean, this is where you come.Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — This is a city of public service. And so these are the Ivy League, educated top of their class. They move here. They land that that job at the U.S. Capitol working for a member of Congress or the White House or an agency whatever, an advocacy advocacy firm. Aaron Graham — And so what happens is it’s very highly educated people here. And highly educated people I’ve noticed have a deep care for those who are suffering. And they want to make a difference. That’s like what public service is all about. Rich Birch — Right. Aaron Graham — Like I want to help serve people. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — And like the government is supposed to exist to serve people. And so just that kind of love for neighbor. I want to help people out. And so D.C. is like a very politically progressive, highly educated city. And there’s a lot to draw upon with that because people are making a lot of sacrifices. But it does come with some problems, mainly people drifting from biblical orthodoxy, the historic Christian faith that has been handed down to us.Rich Birch — Yeah, I, so I’m Canadian for folks that are listening in and don’t know that I lived in the States for a bunch of years. We lived in New Jersey. And I remember the first time I visited D.C. as a Canadian, I felt patriotic for America. I was like, man, this place is unbelievable. Aaron Graham — Yeah. Yeah. Rich Birch — I’m like, you know, and obviously I was just there as a tourist and actually we’re visiting some friends and we got the tour of the Capitol, one of these like behind the scenes, let me put you behind the velvet rope. And I was like, this place is unreal. Like what a, what a place to serve and… Aaron Graham — Yeah. Rich Birch — …it has that kind of feeling of, you know, while people are are coming to change the world really in a positive way. I’d love to kind of focus in on this as you talk about people that are leaning, you know, leaning back, leaning away, drifting from their faith, drifting from orthodoxy. You know, we’ve we’ve heard a lot about even the kind of deconstructing movement and that, you know, there’s, it is an interesting time we live in, spiritually, because these are like two realities that are kind of happening at the same time, people leaning in and leaning back.Rich Birch — What are some of those common assumptions that you’ve noticed for people who are leaning back from, from, like you say, an Orthodox Christian faith?Aaron Graham — Yeah, absolutely. I think one is just, we’ve we’ve heard this, but just church hurt. I think scandals and hypocrisy in the church among leaders is kind of at least at an all time high of what we’re hearing about right now. And so because we’re so tapped into the news and online, I think most people are very aware, if they haven’t had a bad experience, they know somebody who has been been hurt by a religious leader or by you know a church leader. And it’s sort of like, you know we always hear the bad examples, right? Aaron Graham — Like all the planes that arrive safely every day, you never hear about. But when when the one plane has some mechanical issues or has has a rough landing, you hear about it. And I think there’s so many just faithful pastors and church leaders out there that are doing awesome work. But unfortunately, we’re hearing about the, the, the bad apples. And there’s been a lot of them that have been reported on. So I think that influences people saying, do I really want to be a part of this? If it’s an option, do I? You know, so church hurt’s one of them. Aaron Graham — I think theological differences. I mean, this is the age of the church split and human sexuality is like front and center of that. Rich Birch — Right. Aaron Graham — But politics increasing these, these last few years or what side are you on and how do you interpret? So, so I think, political, theological differences. And then I think just like complacency, like just straight up spiritual drift. It’s not doctrine doctrinal. It’s not scandal. It’s just like, you know what? Like, it’s just easier not to go to church. Aaron Graham — It’s sort of the folks that left during COVID. It’s like, oh I’m going to watch online and then I’m not going to return to church. It’s just like that spiritual drift. So those are some themes I’m seeing, you know, right here in DC. And I’ve seen as a pattern and talking to other church leaders.Rich Birch — Yeah, that I’d love to kind of narrow in a little bit there on this tension between spiritual drift, like it’s the, you know, I’d rather watch football or whatever, you know, complacency. And then actually folks that are wrestling, honestly, that are asking questions and are are struggling. What have you seen? How how do you discern that how how does that? How does that work itself out? What have you learned about the difference between people who are in these kind of two categories?Aaron Graham — Yeah, I talk a lot about the difference between doubt, deconstruction, and denial. And I think it’s helpful to have these kind of three categories because it’s easy to just put everybody in the same category when they’re not dealing with the same thing.Aaron Graham — And so to doubt is to lack confidence, to be unsure about something. And that’s like part of what it means to be human, to have questions.Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — Like we want to have churches where like youth and young adults can ask honest questions about human suffering and about questions they have theologically like that. You want people to be curious and it says in the book of Jude that we need to be merciful to those who doubt.Aaron Graham — And so we see that modeled in Jesus. But he ultimately calls us beyond our doubt. Like he doesn He doesn’t call us to like center our doubt. He calls us to walk by faith, not by doubt. And so we have to create space for that. But you know if a church is like, you know its mission statement is to just welcome doubters and then you center that, that’s actually not a very forward…Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — …facing thing. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — And so, so, so we need to create space for doubt. And sometimes people, that’s just what they’re having. They’re are just having questions. Aaron Graham — I think deconstruction is a step beyond doubt and deconstruction is like when you are in the process of dismantling your beliefs. And sometimes there’s some beliefs that need to be dismantled because there’s like, you grew up in a church that had like really messed up theology. Rich Birch — Right. Yeah. Aaron Graham — Like you grew up in a cult or something. Rich Birch — Yeah. Aaron Graham — And you’re like, I’ve got to deconstruct this. Or like I experienced spiritual manipulation and I thought this is what it meant to honor a leader. Or I experienced abuse in some way. And so you have to kind of deconstruct that. The problem is a lot of people are deconstructing outside of the context of community or biblical community. And so they’re doing so in isolation and the enemy loves that. Like the enemy loves to isolate us. Aaron Graham — And so if you’re going to deconstruct something unhealthy, you have to reconstruct. And the problem is there’s been a lot of deconstruction without reconstructing. So so there’s doubt, there’s deconstruction, and then unhealthy deconstruction can lead to denial, right? This is Judas, right? This is like, I will not go with you. Rich Birch — rightAaron Graham — Like and so denial is like, is more active, where doubt is more passive, denial can be ah more more active. And I think it’s very dangerous. This is Jude saying, snatch them from the fire. You know, this is life or death type of thing. So.Rich Birch — Can we focus in a bit on the doubt piece for a second? What does that look like for you as a leader? Like, what are some practical ways that we can offer space for people who are, who do have legit doubts? And, you know, I get that there’s this tension of like, we don’t want to create just like, let’s all get around and talk about what we don’t know. But like, how how can we do that? Or how are you doing that at District? What’s that look like for you guys?Aaron Graham — We do a series every summer called This Is My Story, where I don’t preach for two weeks and we hear 10-minute testimonies from people in our church. So three 10-minute testimonies each week, and we select people in our church and then we coach them around how to prepare for it. And they share a question, their biggest question, their biggest doubt, their biggest struggle and how they’ve moved through that and how it’s actually enabled them to deepen their faith and not to deconstruct their faith.Aaron Graham — So it’s testimony time, but it’s structured around how they’ve moved through doubt. Because I think our biggest questions, for me as a child, it was why do kids die of preventable causes? Like it shapes so much of your calling if you process it in a healthy way. And so, yeah, so this is my story. And that’s just been really helpful. It gives the pastor a break. Rich Birch — Right. Aaron Graham — Sometimes I’m doing it when I’m on vacation. Rich Birch — Yeah. Aaron Graham — So allows me to step out, but it also allows leaders. And so what it does in terms of formation in the congregation is we’re actually moving the date this year to be when most newcomers come at the end of August. Rich Birch — That’s cool.Aaron Graham — Because it’s been so popular with newcomers. Cause they’re like, Oh, I see myself in this church. Like, Oh, you have questions too. I have questions. But once again, it’s not like I’m centering that doubt or that question at the end of the day. So, so that’s, that’s one thing practically, you know, we’ve done.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. I love that. And, you know, there there was a time in the generation before me where, yeah, it was like, you don’t acknowledge any of that, right? It’s like, you don’t, you can’t ask any of those questions. Cause that, that is it’s like, just asking the question is going to, it’s like something bad is going to happen. I worked for a long time for a lead pastor that did open forum Q and A after every single message. So every single message you would say, Hey, like, is there anything, have any questions about anything I said or left unsaid? And similarly, it, it created a culture where, people kept you honest as a preacher. I hated it when I spoke. I was like, gosh, because you know, like any question? Aaron Graham — Totally.Rich Birch — But it did create a culture where like, hey, it’s okay to ask, right? It’s okay to to explore for sure.Aaron Graham — Yeah, that’s great.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s interesting.Aaron Graham — I love it.Rich Birch — So getting back to this whole idea, you know, doubt, discernment, denial, at some point, you know, you’ve started to see some patterns in the culture around us, some recurring themes that you’ve seen. And actually you package these into a book that I want to make sure people, I actually think it’d be a really helpful tool for folks. But and so no, I’m not just trying to sell books, but I do think it’s a helpful thing. Help us talk through, so tell us about the book and how is it set up? What is the framework for it?Aaron Graham — Yeah, so the new book’s called Unshakable Faith: How to Stand Firm in a Culture of Lies. And for me, it really came about from trying to see this pattern of so many people slowly drifting from their faith and saying, how do we prevent this as pastors?Aaron Graham — Like, the if we don’t disciple our people, the world gladly will. And in some ways, they’re doing the world’s doing a better job…Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — …of discipling our people. And so what are these like subtle lies that people are believing that is causing people to, you know, not lean into their faith. And I’ve just seen it like in the urban center here, I’ve just seen so many well-intentioned, highly educated, sometimes often sincere people just drift.Aaron Graham — And so they’re no longer going to church. They’re not raising their kids in the faith. And so, yeah, I’ve just seen it over and over. And so I wrote this book in response to that. And honestly, in so many ways, it’s a critique of what I what I call progressive Christianity. And I mean that theologically, not politically. But it’s it’s when someone reinterprets Scripture, the historic teachings of Scripture, to make it more comfortable or palatable to the current culture.Aaron Graham — It’s it’s like emphasizing relevance over faithfulness. And so what I’ve seen so often over and over is that oh, this isn’t just a conversation around human sexuality or progressive Christianity. Progressive Christianity is becoming a layover to post-Christianity for so many people. And so I just began to say, okay, is this new thing? Oh, it’s actually not new. It’s not in the last like 20 years.Aaron Graham — This has been happening for like 500 years since the enlightenment where you know progressive Christians, or however they’re labeled, end up denying the miraculous. And then denying at the core the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is like the very core of our faith. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — I was like, this isn’t just a conversation around human sexuality, which is where it started with the newcomer. This is, you know, or with the leader, even in the church, this is about something much more deep.Aaron Graham — And so that’s when I just began to pray in this and and just say, what are the patterns that I’m seeing? What are these lies that people are often like well-meaning, but believing? And how is that compromising our ability to call people to faith, but also help make disciples. So.Rich Birch — Is there, I think, friends, I had a chance to sneak peek at this book and I think it could be a great resource for many of our churches. It could be a great kind of small group discussion, a great leadership book. I think it could be a fantastic thing for us to do with our leadership team together wrestling through these these issues. so We’re not going to be able to cover all of it, but what would you say maybe one of these pernicious subtle lies that you see is prevailing? It it’s it it pops up all the time. Help us unpack one of those.Aaron Graham — Yeah, sure. So one of them I talk about is the selective Christian, the person who edits scripture to fit preferences rather than engaging in the whole word of God. And you know, Jim Wallace, who is a well-known social justice advocate in the 70s, when he was at Trinity Evangelical Seminary, got together with some friends, and they went through the Bible and they cut up every reference in the Bible to the poor, or to the widow, the orphan. And there’s like 2000 verses in the Bible about about that. And he would go around and he’d hold up a Bible and he’d say, this is the Bible we have in in America. It’s a Bible full of holes because we’ve neglected the call to justice and the call to care for the poor.Aaron Graham — Well, I’m seeing that same thing happen in this next generation around some other core doctrine, around human depravity, around human sexuality, around gender and marriage and these other things that we don’t want to talk about. But what’s really at stake in so many ways is the authority of Scripture. And so we pick and choose what parts we want to believe. And then we strip the gospel of its saving power because we’ve only chosen to believe the parts that are the most acceptable to us and our friends in this cultural moment. That’s just a really dangerous way to not be formed in our faith.Rich Birch — Yeah. And, you know, I think we’ve, you can see that in how, you know, we handle scripture. I think one of the dangers that we face as preachers, we did a study where we looked at common passages that people were using over a couple years in churches. And we found that, you know, it’s not surprising, right? People come back to like the same passages time and time again, because I think we are trying to, even if it’s not if it’s not a like a willful decision, we just kind of drift in that direction of like, hey, well, I’m just not going to talk about that because I just am not sure what to say. Rich Birch — How how do you fight this in yourself, in the church around you? Because you know you are a winsome leader. You’re a church full of grace. You’re trying to actually interact with the culture. You’re not running for the hills. You’re not like, you know, putting your head in the sand kind of thing. How, how do you, how does not being a selective Christian work itself out in, in your world?Aaron Graham — Yeah, so one of the things I’m trying to really emphasize in our church is like Bible engagement. It seems like so 101, but it’s like, guys, we got to read our Bibles. Rich Birch — Yeah, no, absolutely. Aaron Graham — And so it’s like you know Bible in a year kind of plans, getting as many groups together. I lead a group on on Bible in a year, and it’s like, let’s read the whole Bible and let’s like struggle with these passages and talking about it and like, let’s see the power of the word of God.Aaron Graham — And so, you know, there’s a lot of research that shows that people who engage with the Bible have like measurable differences in their life. And one of the things is that when you actually engage in not in reading the Bible, but actually submitting yourself to it, you become both more liberal and conservative. Because you you you become more morally conservative and you become more socially liberal, like in caring for the needs of others. And so you just break out of these categories.Aaron Graham — And for somebody like you in Canada, that’s not in the US, like, it’s kind of crazy how we get polarized in the U.S. over certain things that that global Christians don’t get as as polarized on in some ways.Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — And so I think that’s one of the things that I’ve seen a lot of fruit in is like, hey, we’re going to be at a church that’s about the word of God. We’re going to teach the word of God. We’re going to sit under its authority even when it’s uncomfortable.Aaron Graham — And I find even in very progressive cities like D.C., people hunger for biblical teaching.Even if they they don’t agree with it all, they’ll come listen to it because they’re looking for something that’s different than what they’re hearing everywhere else where it’s like affirm, affirm, affirm everything. It’s like, I wanna be called to something higher, something that’s bigger than me, that’s more historic than me. So as it relates to being a selective Christian, I think just simple Bible engagement and really putting effort in that has is has borne a lot of fruit.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. I know my lead pastor has been saying the same thing for the last few years. And I would I would echo this. I think this has been, this is a very unique season where I think in general, the culture is leaning in and asking the question, what is it about this? And, you know, Jeff, my lead pastor makes the joke. He’s like this, you see this rippling it all in all parts of culture. There’s you know one of the outcomes of the fact that things are so kind of changing all the time, we’re we’re obsessed with the you know the latest trend or whatever, is people want things that have been true for a long time. They’re and it’s why are people putting chickens in their backyards? And what is it with all the sourdough? Like, why does that stuff, why is that resonating? Rich Birch — There’s a connection to this so, you know, similar kind of cultural issue that we’re saying here with scripture, where it’s like, I’m intrigued by the Bible. I want to learn about that because that’s it something we’ve been telling each other these stories for thousands of years. And how does that apply to our lives? Let’s not miss that moment, church leaders, and not actually give them what they’re what they’re looking for. So yeah, that’s that’s interesting.Aaron Graham — Absolutely. I think the devil really overplayed his hand as it relates to secular culture. Meaning, secular culture meaning it’s defined itself in opposition to the church with a message of the more personal freedom you have, the more autonomy you have, the more the happier you’ll be. And Gen Z is waking up and being like…Rich Birch — That’s not true. Yeah.Aaron Graham — …no, this is not fulfilling. I want something more historic and rooted. And that’s, I think, one of the things that’s leading a lot of people to come into the church right now in this generation. They’re just saying, I’m hungry for God. And I don’t think that just having more freedom and flexibility is the answer.Aaron Graham — It’s like so somebody just gave their life to Jesus on Sunday, came to the newcomer’s dinner last night, and he’s like, what do I need to do next? And and you know and I gave it to him hard. I was like, it’s not just about praying a prayer. You prayed that, praise the Lord, and you’re going to baptized and you’re doing a Rooted group and all this. But it’s like, what in your life, in your relationships in your work, like you need to cut some things off, like repentance, like change directions. And he’s like, yeah, like, tell me more. You know, he’s like leaning in.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah.Aaron Graham — Like, I think people want to be led, like in love, but they want to be led. Rich Birch — Yeah.Aaron Graham — It’s not just like choose your own adventure.Rich Birch — Yeah.Aaron Graham — That’s not helping this generation.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so true. I would echo that. You know, it does feel like we’ve come to the end of secular humanism. And and I remember a time when I first started ministry, I was like, well, it sure seems that that’s working. Aaron Graham — Yeah. Rich Birch — Like, it’s just so dominant, but it feels like there’s this collective like, well, that didn’t work. So. Rich Birch — What was that what’s another lie that we, again, we’re not gonna able to get to all of them. So don’t worry, friends. And we, you know, you’re gonna have to read the book. But what’s another one that that has bubbled up that’s been, you know particularly intriguing as you’ve interacted with people around it?Aaron Graham — Yeah, um there’s there’s so many different ones, but I think um one of them is the divisive influencer. This is the seventh lie, so I’ll kind of take it to the the end of the book here. But the divisive influencer is really growing right now. It’s somebody who kind of mirrors cancel culture instead of practicing radical forgiveness and grace. Aaron Graham — And so we see a lot of political polarization right now. We feel it in our families. We feel it in our churches where it’s like you’re coming for a holiday meal and it’s like, it’s this tension underneath. We feel it in life groups and it’s like, how do we navigate this? And so that’s that’s one of the ones that, you know, being in DC the political…Rich Birch — Yeah, it was gonna that was going to be my follow-up. I’m like, wait a second. Isn’t that the bread and butter of the people you work with?Aaron Graham — Yes. And honestly, people, when they come to church, even in DC, they don’t want to like enter into an echo chamber. They want to be formed. They want to go upstream. They want to hear the word of the Lord.Aaron Graham — And so I think that one of the things as it relates to this, like cancel culture and like the solution to that obviously is like Jesus, it’s like, love your enemies, forgive those who persecute you. Like actually when you lean into relationships with people who are different, like that’s that’s how you you grow.Aaron Graham — And so whenever we’re dealing with an issue, like whatever, some issues in the news, and it’s like, oh, what should should we what should we include in our prayer? Do we need to talk about that in the sermon? And you know you’re getting pressure from certain people to do that. One of the things I’ve realized is that if we haven’t gone upstream as church leaders, and taught our congregation the biblical call around poverty or abortion or immigration or whatever, then when it pops up in the news, we get very reactive and people interpret that through their political lens. They’ve already made their mind up.Aaron Graham — And so some pastors are playing on this and you can kind of grow your church, like you’ll lose 10%, but grow 40% because you kind of lean into that predictable division.Rich Birch — Yep.Aaron Graham — But I think that one of the the calls of of Jesus is like, how do we we go upstream so you can form people to say, hey, we have to engage in poverty. We have to… But like two Christians can agree on addressing something like abortion, poverty, you know justice, and disagree which policy solution will be the best. And so we should have that kind of diversity our church.Aaron Graham — That’s what’s made our nation great is having that level of diversity. And I think we need to model that out in the church, not just our racial and ethnic diversity but I think our political diversity is increasingly important and it’s not to say that each side is like morally equivalent on each issue. I think some parties are way better on certain issues than others. But I think we have to really lean into this forgiveness and not lean into this radical divisive influencer even though that kind of posture may be rewarded online. And this next generation is, I think a high percentage of them want to be influencers online. So there’s ah a great temptation to kind of lean into that. But it’s like, what does Jesus teach us around that?Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s so good. Yeah, I think you’re calling out of something that we you know definitely see. And there’s ah even ah ah this kind of return of particularly young men back to church. There’s some of that that I’m not sure is is actually positive where it’s it’s leaning towards. It’s a it is a very politically charged kind of faith that to me doesn’t read Jesus. It or it’s a it’s just one aspect maybe of of of Jesus. So that’s interesting you’re calling that out for sure.Rich Birch — Off-roading a little bit on a similar topic, one of the things I find fascinating about you, about the church, about District, is that there was like this false dichotomy that’s set up in a lot of churches. It’s like, hey, you can either be a church that is has a high value on scripture, which you clearly do. Or you can be a church that is engaged in issues of development and justice in the world around you. You can’t do both of those. You can’t actually make a difference in the community around you, be cared, be care about the poor care about those things and also have a high view of scripture. I’m not saying that’s true. I’m saying there seems to be this popular notion out there. Your church seems to be doing both, trying to do both. Am I reading that correctly? Help me understand how, how you see those interacting with each other.Aaron Graham — Yeah, I’ve always been known the last 20 years in ministry as the justice guy, the one calling the church to engage in justice. And then I looked up around and saw so many of my justice friends had deconstructed their faith, were no longer pastoring churches, and their kids weren’t following Jesus. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — And I was like, something’s wrong. Because it’s like, oh, we’re trying to like care for the poor, but now we’ve lost our faith in the process. And the kids that we’re raising, we have no message for them other than just be tolerant and inclusive Christians. Like tolerant being tolerant and inclusive and loving is a great value. Jesus is the most loving person, but he called people to repentance and he called people to the to to the Father.Aaron Graham — And so I think that that’s always just been a a big value of ours is like the authority of scripture and the Lordship of Christ. And I think that leads to justice. Like, um and so I think it’s just being willing to stand alone. I’ve lost a lot of friendships over this. Not not just friendships. Not like I don’t talk to somebody, but just like colleagues in ministry, because there’s like theologically, like you just believe something that’s different. Like you’ve stepped outside of biblical orthodoxy.Aaron Graham — So I think we have to be, be willing to to stand alone. And i think we’re on the winning side. I think Jesus and justice, I think both those things go together. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — So I don’t think we’re crazy, but it is hard to hold them together when the political narratives are so forming and deceptive. And so it’s hard. It’s hard for me. I got a lot of flack for my theological positions in this city. but I think, you know, we got to be willing to stand alone.Rich Birch — Yeah. Very cool. Well, I want to, I think this could be a great book, as you were writing it. What were kind of what were you picturing your kind of ideal situation where it would land? Obviously you want lots of people to read it, but to me, I saw it. I was like the, when I, the sneak peek I looked into, I was like, man, this could be a great, I think a really good discussion starter in a leadership team. Are there other environments you think, Hey man, this could be really a great place to, you know, to use this resource.Aaron Graham — Yeah, the the the main person I’m writing to, and I hope a lot of people read it, but the main person is like a 23-year-old that graduates from college that has at least a nominal Christian faith. They have the intention to join a church when they move to the city and land their first job, but they are totally at risk of abandoning their faith unless they make some very clear decisions and are a part of a church that has made some really clear decisions around, we’re not going to believe these lies. We’re going to call them out, and we’re going intentionally disciple you away from being discipled by secular culture and disciple you around the Word of God. Aaron Graham — That’s my hope. You know If anybody that’s deconstructed comes back to faith, praise the Lord. Hallelujah.Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s amazing.Aaron Graham — But I’m actually trying to do a prevention so that all the people who are coming to faith right now in this revival, that it falls on good ground. Because we have such a discipleship culture in our churches that is able to name and discern, first, and then name these lies and to help this next generation stand firm in the gospel. And so that’s that’s the subtitle of the the book is how to stand firm in a culture of lies.Aaron Graham — And for so long, we were trained in the church as church leaders to evangelize people who were like spiritually kind of curious and open, like kind of the seeker sensitive movement. That’s how like international, but I grew up as a missionary kid. So it’s like, we were trained to like share the gospel with people who like just needed to hear that there’s one God and that he loves you and that you can have a relationship with him.Aaron Graham — But now we’re trying to evangelize a post-Christian culture, which you know a lot about in Canada. And we’re learning more about here in in North America. And that culture actually is not just like ambivalent towards Christianity. It’s actually anti-Christian faith. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — They’re trying to evangelize us. And so if we just try to take the same approach where we’re just loving and let me give them a hug, see if they hug back, they’re actually winning. Rich Birch — Right.Aaron Graham — And so so so it’s like, how do we… how do we have a plan to say, you know what, we’re going to love the world. We’re going in the world, but not of the world. But it’s it’s like it’s a whole different, I can use that word on on this, ah the word here on this church leaders podcast. It’s a whole different missiology around how to engage in mission.Aaron Graham — And so, yeah, so I’m hoping that we reach the 20-something and I’m hoping that people talk about this. We wrote this and we have a small group video curriculum coming out as well, because we really want pastors who say, I want this culture in my church to be able to have people do it in groups, discuss it… Rich Birch — That’s great. Aaron Graham — …and be able to make these commitments before it becomes an even greater problem in our churches.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. That’s a really vivid picture of, like you say, the 23 year old who’s moving to the city, um you know, who has some faith, but is is maybe at risk, I think is ah is ah is a vivid picture for all of us. And I would share, you didn’t actually say it this way, but I would share some concern with the swell towards faith. I don’t, who am I? Like the, obviously it’s an amazing thing that’s going on. Lots of people are taking steps toward Jesus. I’m not going to be the guy that’s like, that’s bad.Rich Birch — But I would say I’m concerned that we are a good steward of this moment, that it’s like, man, I have been waiting my entire ministry career for this to happen.Aaron Graham — Yeah.Rich Birch — And now, gosh, let’s not drop the ball. And I think your book could be a part of helping us think through and helping leaders and individuals think through this. So the name of the book is Unshakable Faith. And again, you said that: How to stand firm in a culture of lies. Where can people, look at that? There’s a shot of it. There’s got a beautiful front on. It’s very hip. I’m assuming we can get it at Amazon. Are there other places we should go to get copies of this?Aaron Graham — Everywhere books are sold so um if you go to aarongrahamDC.com—just my name aarongrahamDC (double meaning for District Church and DC of the the city of DC) aarongrahamDC.com —and then you’ll see the links to all the retailers on there, including Amazon, but all the different retailers Christianbook, Books-a-million, Barnes and Noble, all that. And so, yeah, you can you can grab a copy there, and we’d love to hear from you as well. You you can have a place where you can contact me on there.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s great. Perfect. We’ll put links to all of that in the show notes. And friends, like I say, if you’re a long-term listener, you know, we don’t actually typically have a lot of authors on, but I wanted to have Aaron on because I do think this is particularly poignant for us, I think, in in today’s culture. And I think it could be a thing that could really help your team, help, you know, people at your church, I think could be ah a really great resource for that. Rich Birch — As we wrap up today’s episode, any kind of final words you’d have for a church leader that’s wrestling in, that’s wrestling with these issues today is, is maybe feeling some of this tension around, you know, feeling compromised at the door kind of thing. Help us, help us as we wrap up today.Aaron Graham — Yeah, well, first off, just thanks for having me on and having me back, you know, as a repeat guest. That’s awesome. I love what you’re doing. Like I said, I learned so much from you. Some practical stuff is so great to hear all the different speakers that come on and and leaders. Aaron Graham — But yeah, no, I think the the the message that I want leaders church leaders to hear is that if you don’t run to this problem around what’s happening in our culture and how it’s affecting discipleship, this problem will get worse. And, and I think that one of the the challenges for me being in the belly of the beast in the heart of DC, I’m not just like DC, like, so I’m like in the heart with all these national leaders, very educated people, is that it’s sort of like a signal, kind of like downtown New York city is as well. It’s like a signal of where culture is going.Aaron Graham — And so if, if you don’t lean towards this conversation and learn, this problem will only grow in your church. And so while it might be uncomfortable for some of you based on, like if you’re like me and you’re wired as like a harmony person, like I don’t want to have disagreements on my staff or with my board or in my family conversation, like it will only get bigger and worse. So lean in and and take advantage of of resources from people who are writing about this, who have thought about it. And don’t be alone in this. Don’t try to be isolated in this conversation because there’s a lot of people who, even though you might feel alone where you’re pastoring or where you’re leading, there’s a lot of people who feel the same way you are. And so, so get connected in, in with them. So, so that’s, that’s what I’d say.Rich Birch — That’s great. Thanks so much, Aaron. Give us that website again where we want to send people to if they want to connect more directly with you or with the church.Aaron Graham — Yeah, just aarongrahamDC.com. And that’ll also link to our church website, districtchurch.org. And we’d love to have people visit us when you’re in DC, because like you said, DC is a fun city.Rich Birch — Love it. It is a fun city.Aaron Graham — It’s one of the best cities to 250th anniversary of DC. Lots of celebrations happening this year. Rich Birch — Yes, that’s true. Aaron Graham — So come in and see us. Rich Birch — It’ll be a big year. That’s great. Thanks so much. Appreciate being here today, sir. And we’ll have you back on sometime soon. Thanks for coming.Aaron Graham — Awesome. Thanks, Rich.

Craig is joined by Liam Corbett from This Is My Story to look ahead to Monday's [insert overused superlative here] game against Rangers. The look at how Hearts could approach the game before looking at some individual players. Does Harry Mile come straight back in for Stephen Kingsley if he is fit and does Sabah Kerjota start? #heartsfc #heartofmidlothian #hmfc #scottishpremiership #spfl #scottishfootball #football //////////////////////////////////////////////////// Subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications

This Is My Story is a collection of real-life testimonies from people in our church family whose lives have been transformed by the gospel. Each message highlights how God meets individuals in unique circumstances—bringing hope, redemption, and lasting change through Jesus. These stories aren't just inspiring—they remind us that God is still at work today. As you listen, you'll see the power of the gospel on display and be encouraged to reflect on your own story and how God is writing it.

In this final message of the This Is My Story series, we're reminded that every testimony ultimately points to one unshakable truth: God really loves us. From 1 John 4, this sermon highlights the realness of God's love—its origin, its sacrifice, and its power to transform every story it touches.

What do you do with a past you can't outrun? In Part IV of This Is My Story, we step into the life of Saul of Tarsus — a man who was passionate, convinced, and completely wrong. His story isn't just ancient history. It's a mirror.From Acts 7 to Acts 9, we trace how God doesn't disqualify the most unlikely people — He redirects them. Saul didn't just get a second chance. He got a whole new story. And so can you.In this message, we look at what happens when a real encounter with Jesus doesn't just adjust your life — it overturns it. We'll sit with 1 Timothy 1:15-16, where Paul calls himself the chief of sinners, not out of shame, but out of awe. Because grace doesn't improve a life. It rewrites it.You don't graduate from grace. You grow deeper in it.

Liam Corbett of This Is My Story joins Craig to talk about where Saturday's result leaves the title race. They discuss how solid Hearts have been defensively and the boost that Lawrence Shankland return gives the team. The also discuss the right side of Oisin McEntee and Jordi Altena and why the Old Firm will continue to drop points this season. #heartsfc #heartofmidlothian #hmfc #scottishpremiership #spfl #scottishfootball #football Subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications

Craig is joined by Liam Corbett of This Is My Story to preview Hearts v Dundee this weekend. They discuss the team news for the Scottish Premiership league leaders and ask whether Heart of Midlothian are cut enough slack from the injuries they've had recently. They also look at the fallout from last weekend's defeat to Kilmarnock and how supporters can play a part in the title run-in. #heartsfc #heartofmidlothian #hmfc #scottishpremiership #spfl #scottishfootball #football Subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications

Episode Summary: This week's episode features a special message by Becky Davidson recorded live at By the Brook in 2019 titled “This Is My Story.” In this powerful and personal talk, listeners are invited to reflect on the stories they carry — the ones they tell themselves, the ones others have spoken over them, and the narratives they've come to believe. Some of these stories are beautifully true. Others, however, are incomplete or simply untrue. Every person has a story — the stranger in the hallway, the cashier at the grocery store, the mother across the waiting room. Yet it's easy to mistake a single moment for the whole narrative. What's visible today is only a page, a paragraph — not the entire story. This message explores where personal narratives come from and how both internal thoughts and external voices shape identity. It gently challenges listeners to reconsider the assumptions they've accepted and to recognize that their lives are part of something far greater. At its heart, this episode points to the Bigger Story — one written by God — that brings meaning, redemption, and hope to every chapter. Practical, everyday tools are shared to help listeners ground themselves in truth, remember who they are, and live with confidence in the Author who holds it all together. To purchase your ticket to By The Brooke - A Weekend Experience For Special-Needs Moms follow this link - https://www.risingaboveministries.org/bythebrook To learn more about Rising Above's Retreat Experiences, such as “This is My Story”, visit risingaboveministries.org  

Week two of “This Is My Story” turns the spotlight from grace to mercy—not just what God does, but who He is. From Psalm 103, we're reminded that God withholds what we deserve, removes our sin “as far as the east is from the west,” and calls us to respond while His mercy is still drawing us in.

We're launching a new series, “This Is My Story,” focused on the grace God has shown us through Jesus—and why every believer has a story worth sharing. From Romans 5, we see how God's saving grace brings peace with Him, gives us access to His presence, secures our salvation, and fills us with unshakable hope. If you've experienced that grace, this message will challenge you not only to remember your story—but to tell it.

This Is My Story… and It Could Be Yours TooWelcome to a podcast that isn't just about success—it's about transformation, resilience, and redefining your life on your own terms. This is the story of Anita, a woman who traded the boardroom for bold entrepreneurship, the 9-to-5 for freedom, and burnout for purpose. And now, she's here to help you do the same.Anita started working at just 16 years old, learning the ropes in fast food joints, retail stores, and front-line service roles. As she matured, so did her career aspirations. With fierce determination and a hunger for more, she pursued higher education and earned her MBA, opening the door to new opportunities. Soon after, she secured a role at a globally recognized Fortune 50 company—an achievement many dream of but few reach. There, she steadily climbed the corporate ladder, building a 6-figure career and positioning herself for an executive-level future.But behind the accolades and accomplishments, something was missing. For 13 years, Anita thrived professionally but paid a personal price: 60–80-hour workweeks, relentless pressure, capped income potential, and the sinking realization that she was living someone else's definition of success. The breaking point came with a painful and life-altering divorce—an emotional low that forced Anita to reassess everything. It was during this period of pain and reflection that she stumbled upon LegalShield, a service that not only resonated with her values but opened her eyes to a new possibility: entrepreneurship.What began as a side hustle became something more—a spark that ignited a fire. For four years, Anita kept one foot in the corporate world and one foot in her side business. She had the comfort of a paycheck, the predictability of routine, and the fear of walking away from it all. But deep down, she knew she was meant for more. The pivotal question came one day: If others can succeed as entrepreneurs, why can't I?With that, Anita took the leap. She transitioned full-time into entrepreneurship—not because it was easy, but because it was right. She wanted to reclaim her time, be present for her children, and finally create a life that aligned with her values, dreams, and potential. And while the road wasn't without challenges, Anita persisted. She didn't just build a business—she built a movement.Since stepping into the entrepreneurial arena, Anita has built a 6-figure business, trained and mentored over 50,000 individuals, and become a recognized leader in her industry. Her story is more than one of personal success—it's a blueprint for others looking to break free from the constraints of traditional employment and design a life of purpose, autonomy, and financial freedom.This podcast is Anita's next chapter—and your invitation.Each episode brings you real, raw, and relevant conversations about entrepreneurship, mindset, overcoming adversity, and practical strategies to help you launch, grow, or pivot your own business journey. Whether you're still in a 9-to-5 and dreaming of more, already in business and looking for your next breakthrough, or somewhere in between, Anita is here to guide you every step of the way.Expect honest stories, expert interviews, actionable advice, and a whole lot of inspiration. No fluff. No hype. Just real talk from someone who's been there—and is committed to helping you get here.This is not just a podcast. This is a mission. A community. A call to action.Anita's vision is simple but powerful: to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur not just possible—but seamless, strategic, and deeply empowering.So if you're ready to take ownership of your time, income, and future... if you're done with burnout and ready for breakthrough... if you're looking for a guide who understands the journey because she's walked it herself—you've found your place.Welcome to the show. Welcome to your next chapter. Welcome to the story you get to write—starting now.

This Is My Story is a collection of real-life testimonies from people in our church family whose lives have been transformed by the gospel. Each message highlights how God meets individuals in unique circumstances—bringing hope, redemption, and lasting change through Jesus. These stories aren't just inspiring—they remind us that God is still at work today. As you listen, you'll see the power of the gospel on display and be encouraged to reflect on your own story and how God is writing it.

Join us tonight! Brenda Webb's lesson is "This Is My Story, What Is Your Story?"

2. THIS IS MY STORY or MY TESTIMONY BRIEF SUMMARY On the first FAITH episode, Coach Crystal is joined by her cousin Ning who grew up in the Christian faith and is now on her fitness journey. This timely equation captures what it's like to incorporate faith into fitness. On this episode, Coach Crystal unpacks her testimony and the journey it took for her to fuse faith into her fitness journey. BOOK YOUR DISCOVERY CALLReady to Take the Next Step? Book a Discovery Call with Me! If you're tired of feeling stuck and frustrated with your weight loss journey, I'm here to help. Booking a discovery call with me is your chance to explore a personalized plan that fits your unique lifestyle. Together, we'll uncover the obstacles holding you back, create a strategy to break free from the weight loss cycle, and set you up for lasting transformation. No pressure, just a clear path forward. Let's take the first step toward the healthier, more confident version of you! https://shorturl.at/DVDhu IN THIS EPISODECoach Crystal shares her testimony TRY ME!The 3 Secrets to Creating a Sustainable Lifestyle, Permanently Drop Menopause Weight and Stay Fit Over 40 (Without obsessing over the scale, relying on motivation, or quitting when you don't see results fast enough!) https://fitbeyond40.r3volvelife.com/3secretsRESOURCESJoin our FREE Community Free healthy recipes, 4 minute fat burning workouts, meal planning tips, motivation and so much more! https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitbeyond40forwomen FOLLOW AND SUBSCRIBEYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@fitbeyond.40Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coachcrystalm/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitbeyond40forwomen PODCASTListen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1gfjpTU5nf9AfIDPK6r2FN?si=4ffc4e276e484dccListen on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-get-crystallized-show-mindset-coaching-functional/id1601053817 

There's something strange happening.  Scary Story by Saturdead Check out more of the author's work here u/Saturdead   Cover Art from Maksym Harahulin                Original YouTube link: I'm Investigating a Disturbing Case. This Is My Story.   Original post: As death smacks her lips : r/nosleep   Merch: lighthousehorror.shop For more stories like this one, check out my YouTube channel: Lighthouse Horror | YouTube  Patreon: Lighthouse Horror | Patreon Music: Lucas King - YouTube Myuu - YouTube  Incompetech Darren Curtis Music - YouTube  Thank you for listening to this scary story! If you enjoyed this new creepypasta story, please check out some of my other horror stories. We'll be uploading new episodes every week, featuring ghost stories, haunted encounters, mysteries, true stories, creepypasta, and anything supernatural and paranormal. Don't miss out on the thrill and suspense that await you in each episode!

Stephanie has been a huge part of Hope City since it was planted in 2011, and is currently on staff as the office administrator. Her story includes unexpected circumstances, loneliness, and the peace of God in the midst of it all. As you listen to her story, you may find yourself recognizing the power of God through relationships and community.For more on Stephanie's story, listen to our Sunday message from our series This Is My Story at https://hopecitypdx.com/messages/this-is-my-story/part-3.

Madi leads the Student Ministry at Hope City. Listen in as she shares the ways that God has worked in and through her life in the most unexpected circumstances, and the most unexpected ways. As you listen to her story, you'll be challenged to look at the ways God has shown up unexpectedly in your own story. His great and mighty power is not extinguished by our circumstances, but is often highlighted through them.For more on Madi's story, listen to our Sunday message from our series This Is My Story at https://hopecitypdx.com/messages/this-is-my-story/part-2.

Russ Isom is the Care Pastor at Hope City, and has been serving in Milwaukie as a pastor for 50 years now! As you listen to his story, you'll hear how God works through imperfect people, to accomplish His perfect will. While we celebrate the faithfulness of Russ and his wife Judy, we recognize that God is the one who is truly faithful!For more on Russ's story, listen to our Sunday message from our series This Is My Story at https://hopecitypdx.com/messages/this-is-my-story/part-1.

School is out for summer and AG has some exciting notes to share! As always, this is not medical advice : ) THIS IS MY STORY! Thanks for coming to class see you back in August!  Links mentioned in this episode: ARMRA CODE ANNAGRACE https://tryarmra.com/products/armra?discount=annagrace&utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=evergreen JOIN SUPERHUMAN: Get 14 days free: I linked my favorites here activations.com/2024 and get over 60% off your membership! AG's Energetic Protection Courses + Free Shower Prayer! https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com/ How To Read The Akashic Records Course:  https://anna-grace-newell.mykajabi.com/offers/PfVmbYFN/checkout TAKE AG'S INTUITION ACTIVATION:SOUL NOURISHMENT COURSE CODE: AGUHUOLIDAYS FOR 50% OFF https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com/l/intuition-activation ENERGETIC PROTECTION WITH ALCOHOL: https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com/l/intentionaldrinking?layout=profile SUPERHUMAN CODE AG for 6 weeks free: https://sign-up.superhuman.app/ag-membership USE: AGUNIVERSITY for 25% ALL CYMBIOTIKA PRODUCTS :)  https://cymbiotika.com/collections/all-products-collection AG's BOOK CLUB: https://amzn.to/3JxyOEE AGU's Course ~ How to Read Angel Cards: AG teaches you how she connects with her oracle deck to pull cards for readings!  https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com/l/angelcards AG's Energetic Protection Courses: https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com AG's free grounding meditation: https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com/l/groundingmeditation?layout=profile —----- AG's newsletter for more info on readings OR submit a question for her to answer LIVE on the podcast: https://www.annagracenewell.com/newsletter What is AGU? After launching an energy work practice rooted in the Akashic Records, AG uncovered so much information that she needs the world to hear! It's her duty and personal mission to help people get in touch with their intuition and energetic gifts, and ultimately become the brightest and boldest version of themselves! This is your official acceptance letter: WELCOME TO AG UNIVERSITY! AG's Energetic Protection Courses: https://aguniversitypod.gumroad.com/ AG's Book Club: https://www.amazon.com/shop/annagracenewell/list/WD6VUBYE1HFC?ref_=aipsflist_aipsfannagracenewell  Sign up for the newsletter if you are interested in doing a reading with Anna Grace, or learning more about her energy work practice. Sessions will ONLY become available here - her booking link will never be shared on any other platforms: https://www.annagracenewell.com/newsletter If you aren't already - you can connect with AG on Instagram and TikTok: @annagracenewell on all platforms! XO

In this episode we dive deep into the emotional and inspiring journey of a mother and daughter who turned their personal challenges into a powerful narrative. Our guest, Maryam Myika Day, shared her intimate experiences of facing and overcoming adversity, and how these struggles led her and her young daughter to co-author their book, "This Is My Story" as a summer project. Listen as Maryam reflects on the therapeutic aspects of writing together, the unique challenges they faced in the self-publishing process, and how their story has touched the lives of readers, fostering a sense of community and connection. This episode not only explores the transformative power of shared storytelling but also offers valuable insights into nurturing creativity and resilience through expression. Whether you're a budding author, someone who has faced personal trials, or simply a lover of inspiring stories, this episode promises to move and motivate you to embrace the power of your own narrative. Join us as we uncover the lessons learned and the profound impact of turning life's challenges into a legacy of strength and hope. Support this mother-daughter team by ordering their book This Is My Story on Amazon.  Follow their author journey at thisismystorybyayodele.com and on Instagram at @thisismystorybyayodele and @maryammyikaday About Press Publish Podcast:  Subscribe on Substack for more episodes, posts and author spotlights! Instagram: @presspublishpodcast  Pinterest: @presspublishpodcast Erin Galloway, Author of “Spilled Confetti: 101 Lessons to Simplify Self-Publishing”  “Spilled Confetti” is available now on Amazon!  In each Press Publish episode, host Erin Galloway will be your catalyst to explore habits that will help you finally press publish with consistency & connect with an audience waiting to read what you have to say. As the founder of Habitize Publishing & a self-published author, Erin learned to lead with empathy from her M.S. in Human Development & Family Science at The Ohio State University, built up her grit as an innovator at Johns Hopkins University, but it's parenthood that revealed how habits are a daily practice in bravery & boundaries.

In the first sermon of the "This Is My Story" series, titled "How To Have A Repentant Heart," Pastor Mike Santiago delves into the profound encounter of Jesus on the cross with two criminals, highlighting the pivotal choice each one makes in their final moments. Drawing from Luke 23:32, 39-43, the narrative unfolds with one criminal scoffing at Jesus, challenging Him to prove His messiahship by saving them all, while the other rebukes his counterpart, acknowledging their just punishment and Jesus's innocence. The stark contrast between the rebellious and repentant hearts becomes evident as the first criminal questions and demands signs, exhibiting self-serving motives, whereas the repentant one fears God, confesses his sin, acknowledges Jesus's righteousness, and humbly seeks grace. Pastor Mike underscores the urgency of choosing a repentant heart, emphasizing that where one spends eternity hinges on their response to Jesus. The sermon resonates with the eternal promise of being with Christ in paradise, challenging listeners to trust Him today rather than putting off a decision for tomorrow. The message concludes with a powerful reminder to give glory to the man on the middle cross, the Messiah, the Son of the living God, urging a continual focus on the cross to avoid despair or arrogance. Subscribe to the latest sermons. To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: https://givetofocus.com

This Is My Story #3 - SHARE Your Story by City|U Lubbock

This Is My Story #2 - On Mission by City|U Lubbock

"This Is My Story" Part 1 - Pastor Craig Field - Oct. 8. 2023 by Promise of Life Church

"This Is My Story" Part 2 - Pastor Craig Field - Oct. 15. 2023 by Promise of Life Church

"This Is My Story" Part 3 - Pastor Craig Field - Oct. 22. 2023 by Promise of Life Church

Our podcast today is from our Seventy Palms November gather. The theme for season 6 is, This Is My Story, and today Pastor Annaleah Seebach shares from her journey. We hope you enjoy??

What does a full life look like? Good question, right?   Here's a hint: It's more than a bucket list of locations and luxuries. We're talking about soul-level joy, the kind of fullness that satisfies and answers our biggest questions.   We wrap up our series, “This Is My Story,” with a story from a couple who resemble many of you. They're asking, “What does a full life look like?” And we'll find the answer by exploring these three questions.   First time listening to our podcast? We'd like to get to know you!    Head over to: http://bit.ly/connectcardccc.   Connect with us!   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capecodchurch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capecodchurch/  Website: http://capecodchurch.com Connect Card: https://bit.ly/connectcardccc  

Some stories are sad. In fact, every story will have sad chapters.   How do we live through the sad chapters? Can we even live fully for a week in sad seasons? The goodness of God can call us like a mirage—shiny and welcoming but always on the horizon.   As we continue our series, “This Is My Story,” we hear a story with some sadness and even more hopefulness. We'll also look at Jesus' surprising words that point us toward discovering God's goodness, and it's no mirage!   First time listening to our podcast? We'd like to get to know you!    Head over to: http://bit.ly/connectcardccc.   Connect with us!   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capecodchurch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capecodchurch/  Website: http://capecodchurch.com Connect Card: https://bit.ly/connectcardccc  

Today's podcast is from our Seventy Palms October gathering. As we are in season 6 with the theme, This Is My Story. Today we hear from Tammy as she shares her story on comparison. We hope you enjoy!!

Here's the truth: You want to be a part of a good story.    We want our story to be a good one and to have a good ending. We can endure a bit of bumpiness as long as we feel the journey is worthwhile. It's how we were made.   There is one story that helps make sense of our story. That story sets us free from the pressure of performing, the confusion of many directions, and the exhaustion of control.   As we continue our series, “This Is My Story,” we look at the ONE story...and how it becomes your story.   First time listening to our podcast? We'd like to get to know you!    Head over to: http://bit.ly/connectcardccc.   Connect with us!   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capecodchurch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capecodchurch/  Website: http://capecodchurch.com Connect Card: https://bit.ly/connectcardccc  

I like to be alone…sometimes. But loneliness is crushing.   It's not surprising that the best part of our stories involves people we love and who love us. It's also unsurprising that our most painful stories involve people, rejection, and loneliness.   As we continue our series, “This Is My Story,” we look at the story of someone finding family, and we explore four ways to be family.   First time listening to our podcast? We'd like to get to know you!    Head over to: http://bit.ly/connectcardccc.   Connect with us!   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capecodchurch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capecodchurch/  Website: http://capecodchurch.com Connect Card: https://bit.ly/connectcardccc  

We all want to be part of a story — a good story.   That sense where our lives have purpose and a destination. Of course, your life story doesn't come with a table of contents, neatly arranged and predictable. If it did, I bet there are some chapters you would have skipped, maybe even the one you're in right now.   As we start a new series, “This Is My Story,” we share with you yet another set of stories from the Story Project. Together, we will watch stories of real people, stories of struggle, faith, hope and finding a full life.   First time listening to our podcast? We'd like to get to know you!    Head over to: http://bit.ly/connectcardccc.   Connect with us!   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capecodchurch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capecodchurch/  Website: http://capecodchurch.com Connect Card: https://bit.ly/connectcardccc  

This week Sarah talks with Sonny Smith about the creative process and what he has learned about sustaining inspiration for his music over multiple decades and many style changes. About Sonny Smith Sonny Smith (born 1972) is an American musician, playwright and multimedia artist from San Francisco.[1] He has released fourteen albums since 2000, largely with group Sonny & The Sunsets.. His work has variously encompassed blues, folk, pop and rock elements. AllMusic noted that his 2002 album, This Is My Story, This Is My Song, lifted him from obscurity to cult status.[1] Smith is a songwriter in the tradition of Ray Davies whose songs are often populated by characters with an emphasis on outcasts, weirdos, freaks, death, love and atypical transformation. They sometimes recall the 1950s era doo wop of The Falcons combined with the direct sincerity and positive spirit of Modern Lovers' Jonathan Richman, the kitchen sink wisdom of Michael Hurley and the absurdity of The Hairy Who? art collective, as well as the dark confessional humor of cartoonists like Robert Crumb. Show Notes RSVP for The Side Woo x ICA SF event on Sunday November 5th, 3-5pm. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-side-woo-x-ica-sf-what-gets-in-the-way-of-inspiration-tickets-729930229967?aff=oddtdtcreator Artist Page on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/189npwiCoBxlFNEDfiOtqu?si=KSrcJlFiQeiOAo65bcuriQ Pitchfork Review of A New Day With Possibilities https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/sonny-and-the-sunsets-new-day-with-new-possibilities/ About The Side Woo Host & Creator: Sarah Thibault Sound & content editing: Sarah Thibault Studio and equipment provided by The Space Program Intro and outro music: LewisP-Audio found on Audio Jungle The Side Woo is a podcast created through The Side Woo Collective. To learn more go to thesidewoo.com For questions, comments, press, or sponsorships you can email thesidewoo@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thesidewoo/message

Chris Newbold:  Hello friends. Welcome to the Path to Well-Being In Law podcast, an initiative of the Institute for Well-Being In Law. I'm your co-host Chris Newbold. I'm always thrilled and to be with my co-host, Bree Buchanan. Bree, how are you doing?  Bree Buchanan:  Doing great, Chris. How are you?  Chris Newbold:  Good, good. As our listeners know, I just want to reset this. Every time we do a podcast, I think we're welcoming new listeners in to the wellbeing movement. And Bree, one of our passions is to continue to introduce thought leaders doing meaningful work in the wellbeing space within the legal profession and in the process build and nurture a national network of wellbeing advocates intent on creating a culture shift in the profession. And I think we are super excited about our guests today because the ability for us, I've always thought that the secret sauce of creating a culture shift in this profession is the ability to engage in storytelling and the realities of what people's lives have been like in law and to give people platforms to tell their story.  And we are really thrilled to be welcoming Julian Sarafian to the podcast, a noted social media influencer who is really a champion for mental health based upon his own personal story and what appeared to be just a straight direct success track in law. And so Bree, why don't I hand it off to you to introduce Julian, and we're really excited about where the conversation's going to take us today.  Bree Buchanan:  Absolutely. And I think Julian and his ability to do the storytelling and pull people in, and another thing I'm excited about, Julian, having you today is somebody that is of a younger generation than us because that's critical. One of the things I often say is that the legal profession will change. It will, because as the younger generations come up to positions of power, I truly believe they're not going to tolerate basically the working conditions that predominate through the legal profession right now. So it's inevitable. But I would say Julian is somebody who is accelerating that change to his work. So I'm going to give you a quick introduction of him and then we'll get to meeting Julian really quickly here. And I also will say, Julian, that you have such a humble bio. I am really impressed with that. So I try to refrain from pumping it up, but there's a lot of humility here and I see that as a great sign for somebody.  So Julian Sarafian is a lawyer and content creator, but owe so much more. That was my editorial. His law firm For Creators by Creators PC is the premier law firm focused on representing content creators and social media influencers. As a content creator himself, Julian produces videos and blog posts related to the legal profession, law and mental health on TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram where, drum roll here, his cumulative following is nearly 350,000. He's given multiple TEDx talks, the cost of success that he did dove into what originally made him viral, his mental health story as a high achiever who faced mental health challenges along the way, culminating in him quitting his job in Big Law during the COVID pandemic. And there's a story there. He has written and published op-ed pieces in the American Lawyer, Law360, Business Insider, Bloomberg Law, and CNBC. And his advocacy for mental health has been covered by the New York Times and Bloomberg Law. So Julian, welcome. We are so delighted that you're here with us today.  Julian Sarafian:  Thank you Bree and Chris for the very warm introduction, and I'm very happy to be here, excited to talk about these really important issues with you guys.  Bree Buchanan:  One of the things I really appreciate so much and looking at, thank you for giving me this excuse to spend a lot of time on TikTok, by the way.  Julian Sarafian:  Oh man. I don't know if I'll say you're welcome to that one.  Bree Buchanan:  But it's been, you really are such clearly a spokesperson for what I find is so important, which is humanizing the practice of law, realizing that we are human beings with basic needs and honoring that. And so tell us a little bit about why you're so passionate for this work, because it really does come through. You've been doing this work for a good number of years and are so consistent, never let up the throttle on this. So tell us your story.    Julian Sarafian:  Yeah, yeah, very happy to. And I'll give the shortened rundown version of the mental health story that you alluded to earlier, and this is the thing that brought me into social media. I've always been the stereotype and archetype of "success in academic world." Valedictorian in high school, UC, Berkeley in three years, worked at the White House when I was there, onto law school at Harvard, and now I'm in Big Law at 24 years old, making the $225,000 salary, including bonus at the time. But it wasn't all starry-eyed and fun and games on the inside. When I was studying for the LSAT, I had panic attacks. There were periods of extreme loneliness and isolation in college. I had a nausea and breathing disorder for most of my twenties. That was stress and anxiety induced, but I didn't know that at the time.  And throughout this entire period, the world is telling me, you're doing fricking awesome. You are getting the best grades, you're going to the best schools. You're getting the best job opportunities. You're a winner, Julian. This is exactly what you should be doing. Everything you're doing is right. Even though on the inside there was a lot of turmoil and my life in many ways could have been a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling. This culminated in the pandemic when I think I'm not alone as a lawyer or even as a professional when I say that it was a very tumultuous and rough period on the mental health front. Personally, I was stuck in the same room week after week after week after week. And Big Law at the time was only getting busier ironically, I think clients wanted a way to feel powerful and in control, and an easy way to do that was to boss around their Big Law associates and their attorneys that they have on staff.  So work accelerated. My mental health and the habits that I had built to this point in my mid-twenties were not sustainable, to put it mildly. That resulted in burnout. It resulted in anxiety developing and taking over more and more of my life, basically making me feel like I couldn't enjoy or even sit and relax something as simple as a TV show or a movie. And that eventually led to mild depression and feeling like everything was turning gray. I didn't feel like I had purpose anymore, and I felt completely helpless, no matter what I did to try to fix this it wasn't working, working out wasn't going to work, watching TV wasn't going to help, playing video games that didn't cure this. So I took the step of accepting, you know what? I have no idea what I'm doing here. I'm going to go and check myself with the mental health services with my then medical provider, Kaiser, and see what they say.  I get handed the diagnosis of severe anxiety and mild depression at the time, and it was definitely a wake-up call. Okay, this is a lot more serious than I realized. This is going to take a lot more effort, energy, and time to heal from and learn to manage than I originally thought. And so that led ultimately to me investing time in therapy, in journaling and meditation and all of these fundamentals that I encourage everybody out there to practice regardless of how they feel their mental health is, because I think it's just a good balance, especially in our day and age of being constantly overstimulated, speaking of TikTok, Bree, that's what that app is. And eventually it came to a point where I felt like I was gaining a lot more out of my time spent advocating and working on my mental health than I was doing the Big Law associate corporate job at my old firm, Wilson Sonsini, which was frankly earning me a big paycheck and looking good on a resume, but I didn't find the work intrinsically gratifying or fulfilling.  And certainly the culture was not one, in my opinion, that was steeped in innovation, pushing the envelope or prioritizing wellbeing. And that's not to say that Wilson specifically was bad, if anything, I think my old firm is excellent in that regard, but it's an industry-wide phenomenon, which I'm sure we're going to talk about in this conversation. So I ended up quitting that job outright, not knowing what I was going to do next, posted my mental health story, which I just described to you on LinkedIn, out of the blue and on a whim, no real impetus or motivation behind it other than if this helps one person, then great. Because I went through this and I think it's important for people to know that, and ended up going viral. I get thousands of messages supporting me, telling me that it made a huge impact on people's lives, and I see that there's clearly value here.  And I ran with that momentum. I went onto every social media platform that I could think of. I wrote articles about mental health, and I continued telling my story everywhere that I could, which led me ultimately to TikTok of all places, which at the time in 2021 for a millennial like me was, isn't that the dancing app for people in Gen Z? But it's very much more than that. And it's been the engine of growth for thousands of creators. And now being a creator, myself and attorney for creators, we can talk about that angle of its importance and relevance. But to make the answer short, Bree, I think the thing that led me to social media was the importance of advocating for mental health because I thought that it was important for other people out there who may be going through similar things that I went through to know that they're not alone, number one. And to know number two, that there is a path out of it and that there is a sense of community out there for them that welcomes them.  Now, that said, when it comes to humanizing the legal profession, it's been an unfortunate reality in my own platform building that talking about mental health for 60 seconds versus talking about a Big Law firm for 30 seconds, the first video is going to get 5,000 views, the second one's going to get 50,000 views. And this was something that I realized and faced very early on in my creation career, a constant tension between what people actually want to hear and in my opinion, what is more relevant and pertinent and important and purposeful. And so I don't mind, and I have no issue unpacking the legal profession for folks outside of it who don't have easy access to a lawyer that they know. Our profession is very buttoned up, it's very guarded. And I think because of its extreme importance in how we function as a society, it's really important that people understand the basics of how it works and what it means. So anyway, long-winded answer, but happy to continue. Go from there.  Chris Newbold:  Yeah. When we think about going to law school, when we think about what practicing law is going to be like, when we think about success, when we think about all those things, I think I continue to remain convinced, and we've talked about it on this podcast before, that there's this notion of an expectations gap as to what you think it's going to be versus what it is. And then the natural realities that once that sets in, you made a very bold move to depart and to leave. I think a lot of folks in your situation stay cross their fingers, turn to self coping mechanisms and other things that just then start to couch them.  When we think about wellbeing, when Bree and I do, we try to think about it in a holistic, how do we set people up for professional success? And then just that reality that oftentimes more often than not, there's just a lot of people in our profession that when you ask them whether they're professionally satisfied, the answer is no. Yet they stay and endure. And I don't want to say they suffer, but they suffer and oftentimes they suffer in silence. Is that fair based upon your followers and what you're seeing from your community?  Julian Sarafian:  Yes, it's exactly correct. And it's what I saw in the industry in Big Law when I was there. And I think again, at my old firm, I was at one of the better places that was more human. It was a West Coast based law firm. I worked with the most relaxed, relatively speaking, and most humane partners. And yet I could still see in so many of these partners' eyes and the way that they carry themselves, the inherent unhappiness and not being able to spend more time with their family, or in my associate colleagues feeling like they were trapped and not knowing what to do or feeling powerless to make a change.  And it's no surprise if I say I think that lawyers tend to be risk averse people. And I think that combination of being so risk averse with the system that we're going to discuss but has a lot of things pushing against folks' wellbeing, especially in Big Law, it creates a perpetual cycle of folks feeling trapped, feeling powerless, feeling hopeless, and like you said, turning to self coping mechanisms a lot of the time looking like substance abuse disorder, which is rampant in the profession, certainly binge-drinking and these days, I think increasingly marijuana use and even opioids.  Chris Newbold:  Yeah. Julian, your story again, it feels like your first viral video was your three minute, This Is Me, This Is Who I Am, This Is My Story, launched or struck a nerve with a community that has built into a following, and I'm just very interested in how that occurred, and how you embraced that and how your followers have reacted to not just your story, but now your position as the champion for mental health.  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah, I think social media to some degree is a formula. So when I first started it was experimenting with having fun while trying to advocate for mental health. Let me do a skit that roasts Harvard kids for avoiding saying Harvard when they're asked, because it's fun. Why not? It's so different than what I was doing in my old job. It was refreshing. But then let me do a trend and talk about three signs that you might have anxiety, see how that goes. But I saw over time that something that really sticks on the app is raw authenticity and being vulnerable and showing up in front of the camera as a human being as you are and just saying your piece, whatever that is. Clearly I knew what that was for me at the time, and I still do. It's not like it's changed a whole lot.  It's showing people that outside the sheen of everything that they look at and think is the greatest and the perfection and what they aspire to be, that it could be much darker on the other side. And it's something that many people refuse or don't ever talk to because their pride gets in the way or they're afraid that people will judge them or things of that nature. So you're right. When I initially posted my mental health story, that was the first thing that went viral. It got me up to, I think 12,000 followers let's say, but I didn't stop there. I continued that narrative and that discussion of tearing down what you think success is people and what it actually can look like on the other side. And I continued telling my mental health story in different ways, wearing a suit in one video, embellishing certain parts and focusing on other elements of grief, for example, or the pressure of going to law school and the videos continue to go viral time after time after time again.  Obviously it was a lot to adjust to at first suddenly having hundreds of thousands of followers, none of whom I know. These are people that chose to hit the button on the internet. I couldn't tell you the first thing about them for the most part, other than that they're an incredibly supportive group of folks, and many of them relate to what I was talking about in one way or the other, be it because they're a high achiever or they've struggled with schizophrenia or they have a family member that they've lost to suicide. I think all of them felt connected to what I said in some capacity, and that drew them to me initially. And in the long run, they've been only supportive and kind both to each other and to me as the leader and creator of the community.   Bree Buchanan:  That's really so impressive. And I'm not surprised, I guess I'm a believer in the goodness of people. And when you create a community around that, we do see that. And I'm just wondering what kinds of strategies you've used around your mental health and just in life and being your very best that you've shared with them that seemed to resonate.  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah. Honestly, this part of the discussion I think is a lot more boring than some people would prefer because a lot of it is the basics. It's 10 minutes of meditating every day. It's going to therapy and accepting that you don't have the answers, and that's okay. It's reading books about mental health to educate yourself and gain perspective. It's journaling when you feel overwhelmed. And probably the most important, especially for high achievers who struggle with chronic overwork is learning how to set adequate boundaries. Because certainly for myself, being a chronic workaholic my whole life, you build habits of consistently and continually multitasking for one. And on top of that, when you're always working, you don't really need to set boundaries because you're always working. That's the default. When you're not working, okay, you're not working for those X number of hours per day.  But the problem with building those habits and lack of boundaries is that it bleeds into everything else in your life, your personal relationships, the way that you manage things outside of work, even basic things like exercise and dieting and eating well. And if you don't set those boundaries in the long run, that's how things become really dangerous when you don't feel inspired or fulfilled by your work, which a lot of lawyers, as we've discussed don't, and that makes these mental health conditions and the misery exponentially worse. So I think if I had to summarize it in one sentence, what's resonated the most with my community is remembering to take things slower and that that's okay.  Bree Buchanan:  Great. Wonderful.  Chris Newbold:  Julian, is there anything that you've learned from your audience, from your followers that you've found either interesting or insightful as you continue to see their stories come back to you?  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah. For me, the biggest thing is that there are always more people than you realize out there that are struggling that you'll never know. So many people message and comment about being in similar situations where they feel isolated and alone, that no one understands what they're going through, that everybody thinks that they're one thing, but on the inside they feel a certain way. And for me, that's just a constant reminder of the trope that you hear when you're young, that you should never judge a book by its cover because you have doctors and high power lawyers, partners in law firms that reach out to me, Am Law 50 firms who tell me in a similar vein that everybody thinks one thing of them, but they don't think the same way and they don't feel the same way to a point that it's very concerning for them.  Bree Buchanan:  Imposter syndrome at the highest levels.  Julian Sarafian:  Some of that certainly yes, definitely. And also a mismatch of I think their internal sense of worth and what they want versus the external validators that they're receiving, which are very easy to define themselves by. What I mean is being a partner of a Am Law 50 firm as an example, it's going to be hard for somebody not to be impressed by that. And they're going to get respect from everybody around them. They're going to get praise, they're going to get a ton of money, they're going to get power and influence. All of those things are external validators telling them, this is good. This is what you want. This is positive. We like this. But on the inside, that's probably not what they really want in some cases. And no number of external validators can change that and will alter that feeling. They have to take action to find something else that better resonates with them.  Bree Buchanan:  Yeah, big disconnect.  Chris Newbold:  Julian, one of the interesting things, I think, a couple weeks ago I spoke in front of the National Conference of Bar Presidents on the future of wellbeing, and one of my observations was that one of the things that has me optimistic about where things are going is a couple things. One, that society's talking about mental health more, just more engagingly everywhere in all facets of life. That's good that more people are telling their stories, more people are hitting the pause button saying, I have an issue. I need a space to be able to talk and clear that before I reengage. That's healthy.  And then the other part that I think is, Bree mentioned earlier is there's a generational shift that's clearly in play right now in society and in particular the legal profession. You got the baby boomer generation that's reaching that retirement age, although retirement sometimes doesn't come traditionally for most lawyers. And I'm curious about just some of your perceptions on the incoming generation of lawyers that we're going to entrust the legal system too, and as it relates to wellbeing, some different opinions frankly about what they're hoping to have as an experience as a lawyer or in law or sitting on the bench or whatever they ultimately pursue. I just think that there's some things that are in play that are very different than historically have been the norm.  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah, I think that's exactly right. Our generation and certainly the younger generation realizes that the world moves really fast. And in our day and age, especially with social media, you can become an entrepreneur from your bedroom with a camera in a month making six figures a year just like that if you know what you're doing and if you create valuable content. And that's just one example of the way that innovation in our current day and age leads to economic opportunity and prosperity. All of this means when they work really hard, when we work tremendously hard to get into the best law schools, to get the best grades, to get the best Big Law summer associateships and full-time jobs, when we get there, there is some expectation, some, that the firms are going to be high caliber, are going to be innovative, are going to be pushing the envelope, are going to represent that level of thinking, analytical mindset and hustle that got us to that associate position.  That's certainly what I expected, and it was something that I was disappointed to find when I got there that as you mentioned earlier in our conversation, our profession is very slow to change and it's very resistant to change. And because of that, there is, I think, a shock factor that hits people in their twenties. We're talking about the younger generation of attorneys when they get there as a first year associate and they realize we're doing things operationally that we could have improved on 20 years ago, the culture seems to be stuck in the mid 2000s. Why are we still using email when we could use project management software like Asana, for example, that's more efficient? And I think the folks that get impatient and try to change it from within, myself as one of them, eventually self-select themselves out of that industry because of this frustration, because we're devoting the vast majority of our living waking hours to this employer.  And clearly it's a transaction, we get money in return, but when we put in all of our energy and purpose and time into this institution, we want it to match similar values to the ones that we have. And when they're too slow or they're too dismissive of what the younger generation thinks, because that's just not the way we did things last year, that's just not the way we do things, period. It doesn't encourage buy-in or build morale amongst the younger associates and the younger generations of lawyers. And what will probably result in the longterm is an increase in folks flocking to the areas of the legal profession that are more open to innovation and more open to new ways and lines of thinking and more focused on wellbeing. For one example, being a solo practitioner like myself, I never expected to be a solo practitioner when I quit my job in Big Law. And yet here I am in large part because I enjoy legal work, just not on the terms that Big Law was offering.  And being a solo practitioner, obviously you can run your own schedule, but it's not just being a solo practitioner, it's going in-house at progressive companies. It's starting a smaller firm with multiple associates at the same time. And I think that self-selection is important, but it's also important to note that when we're talking about Big Law specifically, I don't see it changing much in the long-term or even the midterm because I think the people that stay in it, even from my generation and the younger generations, I think are ones that are more or less okay with what the culture offers and what that lifestyle is like. And so though there will be movement on the edges, more benefits for folks to get therapists, maybe a mental health day here and there, maybe a reduction in the billable hour requirements, I think it's going to be really, really slow and too little, too late for a lot of people who value the things that I've been discussing earlier, innovation and open-mindedness, et cetera, et cetera.  Chris Newbold:  So the sense there is that they would look to make sure that people knew what they were getting into and find that group of folks that are willing to do that.  Julian Sarafian:  Yes, that's right. And the people who are not willing to do it will self-select themselves out, like myself and many colleagues at my level, good friends of mine who were like-minded all left the industry too.  Bree Buchanan:  And many women, for example, are leaving or self-selecting out too, because it's just not, what they get in return is not worth what they're asked to give up basically.   Julian Sarafian:  Yes. A 100%.  Bree Buchanan:  It's a huge issue right now. I'll just say we having a high level discussion and about these things and the image that's popping into my mind, Julian, is one of your TikToks where talking about the inefficiencies and old school style of law firms where you're going on about having to go through and insert Oxford commas-  Chris Newbold:  Oh, yes.   Bree Buchanan:  ... a thousand pages or something. That was just such a great little demonstrative piece there. I love that.  Julian Sarafian:  Oh yeah. And among many other stories, one of the moments I had before quitting that made me really realize I had other things I wanted to do was spending 45 minutes copy and pasting entries from an Excel document into a Word document and billing a client, whatever it was, 750 an hour for it. And that was the task. That was what I was expected to be doing. That was good job, Julian. And in the same period of time I realized I could write an article about getting into law school and probably help some underprivileged kid out there reframe their expectations. What am I doing? Copy and pasting for a big paycheck. Yeah.  Chris Newbold:  Well, Bree, should we take a quick break? And I think this is a good time, obviously so this podcast is being sponsored by ALPS Malpractice Insurance. Obviously that's my employer, so I'll be a little favorable to that. And it's interesting that one of the things that we see at ALPS is, again, a large number of folks coming into the solo space and the small firm space looking for something different, looking for something that has the type of balance that they're seeking. So it reflects, Julian, a little bit of your own personal journey of just that reality of maybe there's a different pathway for me and maybe it is in an area that has a little bit more flexibility and balance. And so I think that's interesting. So let's take a quick break and we'll be right back.  Okay. We're back with Julian Sarafian and who's just got a really compelling personal story and has leveraged that story into becoming a champion for mental health, particularly through social media channels. Julian, I think it's fair to say that one of the things that's resonated in your ability to attract a following has been, one, your authenticity, and two, your willingness to be a truth teller when it comes to the realities of the legal profession. Tell us again, just your perspective on both where the profession is today, what some of your inclinations are about where it's heading. And I know you probably to be more likely an optimist than a pessimist, but just tell us what you see on the horizon as you think about this particular issue and the intersection of our ability as lawyers to deliver in a high functioning legal system.  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah. Well, I think you're right, Chris, that I am an optimist and just since I quit my role in Big Law and started speaking out, I can't count the number of stories of similar folks that have come forward on and off social media talking about similar issues, the lack of purpose, feeling like there was other things in life calling them, realizing that being locked into this bubble of working as a mid-size law firm or Big Law attorney or even solo practitioner just wasn't for them, and they wanted to explore other things. On top of that, social media has accelerated the ability for culture to be built and normalized in not just the legal profession, but everywhere. And what that does has, and what it will continue to do is shed a light on, first of all toxicity. And one example I think that's prominent as of late is the Barbara Rainin scandal where folks had sent racist and sexist emails around and the internet went wild over it. And I don't know what these folks are doing now, but certainly I can promise you they're not well-liked in the public sphere.  Things like that for me speak to the power that every individual has in our system to use their voice to both inspire other people and call out toxic or unreasonable expectations or habits that folks in the profession put on them, which in the long term I think will lead to mental health and wellbeing and being more reasonable with our expectations on ourselves, being cool and being normal and being the default setting. And those are the things that we need to make happen if we want these old ideologies to fall by the wayside. And I think it will happen and it already is happening. It's just going to take time for that culture shift to actually impact institutional policy and the structural incentives, for example, the billable hour that I think are holding the profession back irrespective of the culture, but I am optimistic and I think it's only going to get better from where we are now, and it's already gotten a lot better in my perspective in the last few years since the pandemic and coming out of it.  Bree Buchanan:  Yeah, I'm glad you said those two words, billable hour and the third rail of the legal profession here, and since you invoked it, I was going to ask you about it anyway, but what about that and any other barriers you see that are just endemic to life in Big Law, but the billable hours, something that people say, if we could just change that-  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah. Well, I think the problem is in the American culture of work, the goal is to be number one at all times and make infinite money, period. Legitimately that's the goal. There's never a target, okay, for any business or firm, certainly the most competitive amongst us. It's make as much as possible. And when you tie your revenue to the number of hours that you work, which is what the billable hour is, this is the result that we get. When you mix that with the American culture of work, it's chronic overwork, it's continually billing all the time because you want to make more money for your boss, or the partner wants to make more money for themselves, or you want to look really good for your senior associate because you want to go up for partner eventually, and you know that that will help. All of it comes down to money, and the reason that it comes down to money is because it's being tied to the hours that we work.  On top of that, there are psychological damages that come with the billable hour structure. When I was in Big Law, I remember thinking every day, okay, I could either get lunch with a friend for 30 minutes or bill half an hour. I'm going to probably bill half an hour most of those times because every moment that you weren't working felt like an opportunity cost to be getting more work done and hitting that target for your bonus, or again, looking better for your bosses. You mentioned things that firms or the industry can do to push back or help restructure itself to avoid some of these problems. For the life of me, I can't tell you why firms don't do this, but this is partially why I left the industry. It would be the easiest thing in the world to just create different segments of salary and bonus structure based on how many hours you bill.  This is basic math. I'm talking fourth grade math. Okay. If you bill 1500 hours, you get paid a 150. If you get 1700, you get paid a 170. You hit 1950, you get paid 200. And magically suddenly, I think firms will find, okay, if we make less money from this person, that's fine because we also pay them less. The try hards are going to continue to try hard because that's what they want to do and they want to make more money, but there won't be an inherent pressure on every single associate to fall in line and work their tail off. There also won't be an intra competitive mindset amongst associates to out bill each other or a stigma, oh, you didn't hit the bonus, you're screwed. That's a big no-no, you're not going to rise up the partner now, and you're probably not even well liked. You'd get rid of all of that.  Instead, you'd have a more healthy system of people who, okay, they want to work a little bit less hard, they'll make less money for it, and that's okay. Before I quit my job in Big Law, I actually went part-time at Wilson, and part-time in Big Law is literally that, it's a pro rata percentage of hours that you take on is the percentage of the salary full-time that you receive. I don't see any reason why that sort of structure cannot be institutionalized broadly, not just in Big Law, but in Midlaw and small-law too. And I think that that would just give people a lot more autonomy and feel a lot more in control of their own destiny, which can help alleviate a lot of these pressures.  Bree Buchanan:  Yeah. And the consulting that I do with Big Law, I see a real issue around the billable hour, and it's not just it in and of itself, it's the lack of transparency around what the law firms really want. And so like you said, the default is that you just keep working. When you're not really clear what's expected of you, then you always, always just work.  Julian Sarafian:  Pretty much.  Bree Buchanan:  Yeah.  Julian Sarafian:  Well, and honestly, I don't know if the firms even know what they want to be blunt. The partners are moving around half the time to other firms because they're getting offered more money, and the partners themselves are overworked.  Bree Buchanan:  Absolutely.  Julian Sarafian:  If the leadership team is overworked and can't spend inadequate amount of time thinking and processing what the community, broadly speaking, needs, we shouldn't be surprised that things are getting lost in the shuffle.  Chris Newbold:  And Julian, is that a business model reality or is it just a lack of an awareness to one, talk about what the employee's objectives are versus what the firm's objectives are and to make sure that those are in part aligned?  Julian Sarafian:  Yeah, go on.   Chris Newbold:  Well, I was just going to say is it... Because it still seems like we're lacking the conversation as to what the collective ambitions are, and again, there's an employer and an employee, and so there is a power dynamic there, but that doesn't necessarily mean that both objectives can't be met if there's transparency and communication on the front end.  Julian Sarafian:  That's exactly right. Big Law and many law firms, not just Big Law, will tout themselves on annual growth rates of 10%. Okay, let's go to the other side of the economic spectrum of technology companies or startups where 10% means that your stock is going to nose dive because that's a joke, 10% for some of the smartest, you're telling me the smartest, most ambitious, hardworking lawyers all in the same bucket and under the same umbrella, you can only grow 10% a year? What are you guys doing? But they tout themselves and they're proud of that because as a collective that is, let's just do what we did last year. That's the norm. It's a short-term model of thinking, in part because I think partners are looking at their own paychecks, they're compensated based on the performance of the firm that year. They're not going to see the value in generating long-term revenue 10 years from now because they're looking one year ahead.  So to your point, I think the cost of training a new associate is something to the tune of $200,000. By the time an associate is a mid-level in Big Law as an example, that is the most profitable time for the law firm, when nearly 80 to 90% of their worked hours and billed hours is pure profit. When these firms don't curate themselves or open themselves up to what the younger generation, junior associates have been asking for basic things, more strict boundaries on weekends, maybe a more flexible dinner reimbursement policy, all of these collective things that lead them out the door before they reach that mid-level stage, the firm loses hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential revenue. I'm just one example of the type of person that I didn't dislike the practice of law. I do a very similar practice now on my own.  I would've stayed if certain conditions were being met, if I felt that the culture were more cohesive, that associates were taken care of, that there was a long-term vision that included me in it, rather than what felt like a very short-term model in between distractions meant to, Bree, to your point, shield leadership from being truly transparent with the younger ranks. So I think in the long run, it's something that technology companies figured out a long time ago, that happier employees are more productive employees, more productive employees generate more value for the business, but the legal profession hasn't really cared to adopt that, and so I think it's pretty obvious that it would be financially beneficial to them in the long run. But that requires long-term thinking. And I question if these firms-  Bree Buchanan:  That's right. That's right.  Julian Sarafian:  ... I question if these firms really have that or care about it, because truthfully, the people leading them are folks that are looking at their annual paycheck every year, and some of them, dare I say, have no real loyalty to the institution of the firm because when another firm comes along next year and offers them three million more for their book of business, they jump.  Bree Buchanan:  Yeah. Yeah, I was about to just comment on that. Absolutely.  Chris Newbold:  Well, good. Julian, I guess the last thing that I just wanted to explore is, again, thinking about creating a culture shift in our profession. It could take decades, it could take, there needs to be education awareness. We know that that's probably at its peak right now relative to historical norms, a lot more folks doing, it's hard to not go to a state bar annual meeting in your jurisdiction and not hear something or see something about wellness. That's good. That doesn't necessarily amount to a culture shift, but it's definitely a precursor to most social movements that there needs to be an education awareness, understanding and appreciation that there's a problem and that we can all be part of the solution. So there's that element of it.  I have to think that some of the work that you do on social media has the potential to be an accelerator of that culture shift, because again, you're providing platforms for people to come forward, tell stories, share experiences, and the more that we normalize those experiences, the more that we can appreciate that it's okay to come forward and share those experiences because that will serve as a catalyst to change. As you think about the future, how do you think about that and how do we try to do this more quickly than await decades if we're really serious about achieving a mission of putting wellbeing as a core centerpiece of professional success?  Julian Sarafian:  Well, first of all, I think what you guys are doing with your work in providing a platform like this podcast and opening up a space for these conversations, that's incredibly important. Working directly in the space, creating content about it, starting the conversations with employers or colleagues or friends, all of that is crucial. But in the longterm, I think the power of the internet and what social media provides is, and this is changing, but right now I still believe this is true. If you post a piece of content, you're entering the 1% of the folks on social media who are creators, whereas 99% of people on the internet are consumers. And so my platform and what I've built with advocating for mental health, breaking down barriers in the legal profession, in some ways, I hate to say it, but it's not that special. When I talk about Big Law firms and what people talk about and what Cravath feels like on the inside, these are things that everybody in my law school talked about openly and knew about, but they just never cared to put that on social media or talk about it openly.  And I understand that there's a lot of apprehension with putting yourself out there on the internet and with social media. The Internet's written in ink. You can't take back what you say, and it will potentiall chase you around forever, and you have haters who are going to potentially disagree with you and attack your character or how you look, et cetera, et cetera. But at the same time, you can be part of that process and inspire who knows how many people with a simple post, even reminding your own network about the importance of mental health and wellbeing. It doesn't need to be a tell all mental health, raw vulnerability story like I did. It could just be an insight that somebody learned talking to a colleague about how Big Law wasn't always cracked up to be, or I'm a lawyer and I thought I'd love the work, but it turns out it's really draining.  The more conversations and the more courage that we can have to bring these things to light, I think the more encouraged and inspired other people will be to do the same and to actually accept where they are at, which in the long run will lead to the important thing, which is action, putting pressure on employers, signing onto petitions, attending wellbeing conferences, supporting creators who talk about these issues, writing and creating content about wellness in the legal profession and its importance, or just crafting and being part of leadership initiatives in state bar associations, for example, to help the process move forward. So I think something that everybody can do at a baseline is talk about the issues. And if they're feeling courageous enough post about it digitally, even if it's something they've never done before.  Bree Buchanan:  Lots of tales of courage here. It takes a lot of... Yeah. Especially-  Julian Sarafian:  The internet right now is not a fun place.  Bree Buchanan:  Yeah. Yeah.  Julian Sarafian:  Let's be clear, in 10, 15 years, I think it will be, and I think LinkedIn is the safest platform right now, but when you normalize anonymity and the ability of people to say things behind masks, which is what TikTok and Twitter and Reddit are all pretty much normalized, have normalized, it could be ruthless on top of the harass of effects. If you talk about something controversial and have people harass your home and send police to your door and all that, it's not a great system we have right now, and our 9,000 year old Congress folk have yet to regulate it adequately. So I'm not holding my breath on that one, at least right now.  Bree Buchanan:  Absolutely.  Chris Newbold:  Well, awesome. Julian, thank you for joining us on the podcast.  Bree Buchanan:  Thank you so much.  Chris Newbold:  We certainly want to continue to build bridges with you and between I Will and other influencers like you. Again, I think it's a critical component to what we're working to do, to be inclusive of the strategies and the techniques that have really proven to be so successful for you and your aspirations to do your part, and sharing your own personal story and sharing that authentically with your followers. And again, so many of them are coming forward with reciprocally and sharing their stories back. That's the type of, I think, interaction that does lend itself toward culture shift. And we're very thankful for the work that you're doing.  Bree Buchanan:  Absolutely. Thank you, Julian, for your work and your courage.  Julian Sarafian:  You're very welcome guys, and the feeling is very mutual.  Chris Newbold:  All right, so we'll be back in a couple of weeks. Bree and I are exploring some variations in doing some different things with the podcast, introducing some different segments and so forth. Again, storytelling a big part of what we want to be able to aspire to do. Start making some predictions, start focusing on some of the research that's coming out in the wellbeing and law space. There's just a lot of opportunity for us to be able to, as Julian said, get more content out there into the public domain and be initiators of dialogue in this important area. So we hope that you'll tune in for that. So signing off, be well out there, friends. Thank you.  Bree Buchanan:  Take care.   

This Is My StoryYour stories of encountering God.

Once you've read the Bible long enough, you'll find that one key verse or passage seems to keep coming to the forefront. It fits in your spiritual journey like a hand in glove and has an amazing personal impact in your life. It's your "go-to" passage. It describes what you want God to do in you and through you. In this new series, This Is My Story, four different communications from The Valley Church will share the message they believe God wants them to share with others. Don't miss this very personal series and what God wants to teach all of us through the eyes of these teachers and leaders. Join us for service every Sunday at 9:15am or 11:00am (EST). If you received Christ through this message, text TODAY to 937-358-6565. We would love to hear how Jesus is changing your life! Tell us your story by emailing mystory@thevalley.church! If you are feeling the like you need to be baptized or you know you're ready for this next incredible step, you can text BAPTISM to 937-358-6565. If you need prayer, text PRAYER to 937-358-6565. If you would like to support The Valley Church financially, you can give via our Valley Church app or online through our website: www.thevalley.church.

Ben Bland The post This Is My Story first appeared on Christ Tabernacle.

Rev. Bo Kilgore The post This Is My Story first appeared on Christ Tabernacle.

This weekend is not only Father's Day, but the final Sunday of our ‘This Is My Story' series. We'll turn to Judges 6 and look at Caleb, a man who followed God wholeheartedly and lived a long and faithful life.

This weekend is not only Father's Day, but the final Sunday of our ‘This Is My Story' series. We'll turn to Judges 6 and look at Caleb, a man who followed God wholeheartedly and lived a long and faithful life.

In the series finale of "This Is My Story" we're hearing from some of the amazing women in our lives. We'll hear stories of how they have grown to trust God in ways that shape them... while also hearing some of the quirkiness of life.

Today, as we continue our This Is My Story series, we're looking at the most important person in the history of Christianity other than Jesus, the Apostle Paul. What made him go from enemy of Christ to devoted follower, the man who wrote nearly half of the books of the New Testament? And what can we learn from that transformation?

In episode 5 of "This Is My Story", we're hearing from Elliott. His story is one of wrestling with belief, how Christians actually pushed him away from following Jesus, and how being open to a journey in your life can lead you to unexpectedly amazing places.

Today we kick off our new sermon series, This Is My Story.  For the next nine weeks we will be looking at some amazing stories in the Bible—stories that have the power to inspire and transform us. From the faith of Abraham to the courage of Esther, the Bible is full of examples of people who faced incredible challenges. Yet, as we study these biblical characters, we hope you will be encouraged and strengthened to face your own challenges without fear, knowing with God's help anything is possible.

This Is My Story

May 25, 2022 | Reunion 2022 "This Is My Story" Meet Princeton Seminary faculty members and hear their stories. To view the reunion website, visit https://https://reunion.ptsem.edu/.

Today we started a new mini series entitled "This Is My Story". Over the next few weeks we will get to hear testimonies from men in our congregation. Today, Phillip taught us the difference between a Biography and a Testimony and how the only way to fully put on the "New Self" is through SURRENDER!