The Belfast Podcast

"At least she wasn't the living embodiment of my damned ideology"|Reading from Rule 9|BP Episode 14

In Dr. Jordan Peterson's book, "12 Rules for Life," there is a rule that has stuck with me while reading. Rule 9: "Assume the Person you are Talking to Might Know Something you don't." It is a powerful rule, and one I think we all can learn from, especially in these trying times in the U.S. and around the world.

He begins the chapter with a meditation on what it means to give someone advice, and how advice is usually not helpful, longterm at least. The section on advice ends with a resounding statement on what it looks like to leave someone the "embodiment of your damned ideology," giving them a one-sided story to wisk away their problems, or says they are no problems at all, without going through the challenging process of facilitating discovery on what they actually are and how they can be fixed, not ideologically, but individually.

I'd encourage anyone who finds this attractive to read the chapter and the rest of his book for that matter. Dr. Peterson is a modern-day prophet. One who seems to see underneath current circumstances.

I haven't stopped thinking about that ending phrase ever since I read it weeks ago. I don't want to leave anyone the living embodiment of my damned ideology, no matter the ideology. I want to give honest thoughts as I try to follow Jesus, partner with Him in building the Kingdom, and help people think about things differently, not ideologically.

Introduction: 0:00-6:42

 

Chapter Section Reading: 6:42-21:07

 

Closing Thoughts: 21:07-43:00

Being Jewish and Believing In Jesus (A conversation with Peter Greenspan.) (BP episode 13)

I sat down with a great friend of mine, Peter Greenspan. We talked about him growing up in Brooklyn, being ethnically Jewish, becoming a doctor, becoming an orthodox Jew, wrestling with Jesus, and then accepts Him as Messiah. 

How did we grow up praying? (A conversation with Matt Dean.) (BP episode 12)

What was your example of prayer growing up? How did this affect how you pray now? Is there a "proper" way to pray? What did Jesus say about prayer? What are some things you can do to get started praying again? 

 

Matt Dean and I address all of these questions in this episode on prayer! We begin with a discussion of how we grew up praying (0:00-21:45). From there we move on to how prayer for us has changed over the years (22:00-40:35) and how having a "partner" in prayer can be a very beneficial thing. To end the episode we discussed the importance of the layout given to us on the Lord's prayer and Dallas Willard's invaluable words about it (40:35-1:03:30). 

How did we grow up with the Bible? (BP episode 11)

How did you grow up hearing about the Bible, if you heard about it at all? What was your frame of reference for the Scriptures? Do you think it is appropriate to wrestle with the text, or is it, "the Bible says it, that settles it" mentality? And finally, what do we mean when we say the Bible is inspired? all of this is discussed in this episode of the Belfast Podcast. But first, a brief talk about current social and political events in the first half of 2020, because it's been that long between episodes!

0:00-31:00 Dimitry and I start off with a short discussion of current social events in the U.S. since our last recording. 

31:00-45:00 We talk about our growing up experiences with the Bible. 

45:00-1:06:00 We go back and forth about recent challenges we have had in reading the scriptures as well as what it means to say the Bible is "inspired". 

How will COVID Affect the Church? (BP episode 10)

COVID has caused many things in the world. There have sadly been many bad things as repercussions of the virus. It also seems as though there have been significant pauses for many people in the United States; this has caused changes in business churches. At-home church has become the norm for many people, but what is the effect of this going to be moving forward? How is the church going to change, even when things "go back to normal?" Also, what are the things this is exposing about what the western church is lacking?

Time codes:

Introduction and Weekly Obsession: 0:00-15:50

Recap of COVID: 15:53-26:06

How will it affect the church?:26:06-1:20:00

How do we deal with being homeschooled, changing schools, changing majors, and moving on from a perceived future? (a conversation with David Bippis) (BP episode 9)

In the last transplant episode, I talk with my friend David about being homeschooled, changing schools, how he moved from what he thought he was going to be doing, his plans for the business, and my own transition into my current major and why I decided to go fully online.

How do we deal with losing faith, porn, and finding community? (A conversation with Luke Ford) (BP episode 8)

In the second transplant episode, my good friend Luke Ford and I discuss several topics as they relate to his story. We discuss his parent's divorce, our mutual struggles with porn, how Ford lost faith and found it later, and then grew in the community of Icthus. 

How did we react to Christian college and boarding school? (A conversation with Luke Vaughn) (BP episode 7)

In this transplant episode of the Belfast Podcast, I take an episode from a podcast I was trying to make while living in Springfield called, "How to Survive College." My old friend Luke Vaughn and I discuss growing up, him going to a Christian college and me going to a Christian boarding school, how these things affected us, and how we got to know each other through Icthus in Springfield. 

Where do we place our faith? (BP episode 6)

This is a talk I (Luke) gave at Icthus, the student ministry I was involved in when I went to MSU when I was down there a few weeks ago. I spoke about our restoration and where it is found. This is content I have been wrestling with for a long time, and I hope this message is able to provide freedom to those who listen as it has for me. 

How do we integrate eastern thought into our Christianity? (BP episode 5) (ft. an early COVID-19 conversation and C.S. Lewis)

In this episode of the Belfast Podcast, Luke sits down with his good buddy Matt Dean to discuss the importance of the eastern mindset in Christianity, its history, and why we must not lose it, especially for those of us in the west. They compare and contrast it with western thought, contrasting facts with truths and each culture's concern with both.

 

Before all of that, the gentlemen have an early discussion on the COVID-19 virus, and of course, Luke must bring in C.S. Lewis.

 

Hopefully, this conversation stirs your curiosity for eastern thought, especially if it is something you have not overthought about. If this conversation does that for you, The BEMA Podcast with Mary Solomon would be an excellent place to start. The BEMA Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...