Meaningful Conversations With Delicious Beverages
This week, Brandon and AJ talk about some of the bleakness of the news cycles. The world doesn't seem to be getting better, and the Bible doesn't always seem to think that it will. So, how do we, as Christians, process this broken world with hope?
The most wonderful time of the year. That's what we call this, right? As we approach Christmas, the birth of Christ, we become more generous, less self centered, and all that good stuff.
In this week's episode, AJ and Brandon begin geeking out about JRR Tolkien's Silmarillion, specifically in its relation to fairy tales and mythology. The mingling of tragedy, hope, and valor offered by these types of story are so necessary for us all.
Think back to the original Christmas, the coming of the Messiah. The people went through times of trust, times of doubt, times of joy, and times of sadness. Through it all, those who endured had to do so with tremendous faith and patience, trusting in the goodness of their God.
I love Tolkien's discussion of death because of the brilliant subtlety of his approach, where death is both described as the gift and doom of humanity.
I wanted to take a moment to talk about politics outside of their normal season. Maybe, if we aren't in the midst of an election, we can be a bit more dispassionate and just have a chat. Unfortunately, politics have instead chosen to steal a page from the Christmas playbook and take over all year, every year. The question becomes simple, if not easy, one for us as people of faith. Who truly rules?
This week, AJ and Brandon continue talking about faith, this time with a special emphasis on the importance of faith being something we grow and develop. Faith is something we have to practice if we want to actually have it impact our lives.