Roaming 20s

Sierra shares her experience moving to the South from Iowa and what it was like to build new friendships in a new place. She reflects on the challenges of starting over, the importance of showing up, and the lessons she's learned along the way. Lastly she discusses how she's learned to ask deeper questions of faith/culture and navigated through higher education.

JC shares his experience with fraternity life in college, working in campus ministry, the challenges and rewards of distance dating, and the lessons he's learned through seasons of uncertainty and growth. He reflects on the importance of community and how growth often happens in the messy middle rather than after everything is figured out.

Jess shares what she’s learned as a therapist helping people navigate the challenges of their 20s — relationships, big life transitions, anxiety, depression, and feeling stuck. We walk through common situations and patterns she sees, along with the ways she helps people better understand themselves and move forward.

Tori shares about her transition into the real world from the bubble of college. We discuss what it looked like for her to grow in faith through the transition, building a meaningful community at her church, and pursuing a summer sabbatical in Europe that gave her fresh perspective on life and God. Tori also shares lessons on balancing work, friendships, and adventure in her 20s.

Ransom shares his story of living in Nashville working in country music. How he's discovered balance in his work and separating his identify from his job. We discuss his transition back to Atlanta, navigating early dating, and the importance of having supportive friends on the journey.

The 20s are a season of forming identity -- in faith, relationships, and work. Sidney shares what she learned during her time at Wesley (campus ministry), the transition of moving to Atlanta to start her career, finding community, and navigating dating in her 20s. It’s an honest conversation about transitions, relationships, and being patient as life comes together.

Family edition! Grace (my sister-in-law) shares her journey through higher education. She shares her passion for science and the rigor of getting a PhD in infectious diseases. How it's has shaped her character, how she's navigated relationships amongst the challenge, and what she's learned about herself along the way.

Vinny shares his thoughts and stories on professional gambling, intentional friendships, and handling success and failure. We discuss friendships, dating, faith, and navigating risk in life's decisions.Vinny is very open, vulnerable, and has lots of great thoughts. Truly, a great episode!

Dave shares thoughts and stories on how to be a good friend to someone who is hurting and working through grief. He shares stories and wisdom on how to walk with people through difficult times.We discuss questions such as "How can I be a good friend to someone who is hurting? What should I say or not say? How do I avoid trying to fix or solve their problem? And where is God in all of this?"Books mentioned:Supercommunicators by Charles DuhiggThe Wounded Healer by Henri NouwenChanges That Heal by Henry CloudTelling a Better Story by Joshua Chatraw Other episodes with Dave:6 | Stories From A Chaplain11 | Discerning Seasons & Decisions Quote Alex reads from book Changes that Heal:The church is split on how to deal with these hurting people. Those on one side of the issue say that people who struggle emotionally are “in sin.” They “don’t have enough faith,” “are not obedient,” or “don’t spend enough time in the Word.” These people tend to blame the hurting person for his or her pain. The answers Christians on this side of the argument tend to give sound a lot like the ones Job received from his friends. “God is trying to teach you something.” “Look at the blessings you still enjoy.” “God is testing you.” “Give thanks in spite of your circumstances.” The speeches of Job’s three friends contain elements of truth, but do not often help the person in pain. A despairing person should have kindness from his friend, said Job, “so that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 NASB). Job recognized, as only a person in pain can do, that simple answers not only fail to relieve pain, they can literally drive a person further away from God. The hurting person who takes this sort of advice to heart often has two problems instead of one: the pain she originally had, plus the guilt over not being able to apply the answers she was given.

Jacob shares his stories and thoughts on dating, early marriage, parenting, and early career.

Chet and I talk through mission statements -- Their purpose, how to craft them, and how they've been helpful for us. Resources mentioned:Chet's last podcast episode (episode 4)Building a Discipleship Culture by Mike Breen bookYounique Discipleship Course

My friend Alex opens up about the road blocks, struggles, and victories he faced throughout his 20s. From taking care of his mom while she fought breast cancer, letting go of a job and the youth ministry he loved, and now settling down into a new community in Atlanta with his wife. Alex speaks openly about following God's voice into the unknown and seeing God's faithfulness in it, while still naming the struggle these seasons.

Paul shares his story of transformation over the past two years -- The role community had in this transformation, as well as the process of forgiving his father. Mentioned in the episode:Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy DeMoss Narnia Eustice Dragon Movie Clip - YouTube

Ethan shares the story of his father's death, how it's shaped him, and what he's learned through processing his grief. We talk through how to process grief, wrestle with God, and how grief can positively shape us if we allow it to.While this episode is heavy, we mix in a lot of humor along the way. We had a lot of fun recording this… Enjoy!

Sam talks through his story of the last 5 years. He starts out with his salvation story and then dives into how God lead him through a time of healing and restoring his past. And how our friendship was a catalyst for this.God often uses relationships to bring restoration… This is a great story of God doing this.

Brady shares his story from the past 5 years navigating his early career. His path has been anything but conventional… Starting out at an insurance startup, then working for a PE firm in Kenya, and now in law school at Duke.Brady has a really fascinating story and has a neat perspective on work and career. I think you'll find his story inspiring.

Tristan talks through his story of choosing a vocation coming out of school. He shares his story of deciding to work in a sales job instead of vocational ministry and what led him to that decision. He talks through his experience of settling into a life and career, while still being heavily involved in ministry.Picture of Alex at Local Roots

It can be easy to try to rush into a feeling of settledness during the 20s… My friend Cole talks about his journey the past several years - Discovering his faith, career, navigating dating, and marrying his wife. Cole reflects on his journey in this episode. At the end, Cole's wife, Sarah, shares her thoughts on her journey of dating, marriage, and settling into life… It's worth staying on to the end for!

What does it look like to invite God into our day to day work? How does being a Christian impact how I view work? What does work-life balance look like in a demanding industry? What do you when you have bigger dreams outside of your current job? Kyle and I talk through the start of his career at Honda. He shares his perspective on work and how he invites God into it. He shares practical guidance how he handles himself as a believer in his job. And his thoughts on Japanese work culture. Along with lots of other topics.   Resources mentioned: Entreleadership podcast Ramsey Network podcasts Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller Good to Great by Jim Collins Patrick Lencioni books Patrick Lencioni podcast Seth Godin books Donald Miller books Other helpful resources: Tim Mackie Theology of Work sermon Exploring the Marketplace with Eric Knopf podcast Answering the Call for Holy Work podcast   Other episodes Kyle has been on: 1 | The Story of a Friendship 2 | Marriage Is Not the Destination

In Part 2 of this mini series, I interview Nikki, Kyle's wife. I ask Nikki a similar set of questions I asked Kyle in Part 1… I would encourage you to listen to Part 1 first, as it will give more context for what Nikki and I talk about in this episode. Nikki is very open and authentic in this episode, talking through the early years of marriage, her experience as a young mom, balancing career and motherhood, and opening up around the passing of her brother and the struggles and doubts this brought into her faith. This was truly one of my favorite episodes I've gotten to record so far… And I hope you enjoy it as well! Dating Marriage Dog House Kid… It's That Easy, Right? (Part 1)

Lots of big decisions are made in our 20s… Figuring out where to live, who to marry, and how to balance career aspirations. In the middle of these big decisions, it's easy to compare our lives and relationships to others and think "Everyone else has it easier, right?" When we rarely see all the ups and downs most people go through to get to where they are in life. I interview my friend Kyle on his life the past 5 years and how he's faced these challenges. We talk through the story of his dating relationship with his now wife and key decisions they've made as they settle into family life -- Deciding where to live, the luxury of having family nearby, balancing career aspirations with family life, and parenting their new baby boy (and dog!). Cafella's logo

In this episode I interview a friend that spent two years of his 20s living and working in a monastery. John shares some lessons he learned during his time living and working with the monks and other wise insights on the decade of the 20s.Four main questions John mentions:​What do I believe?​Who I am?​What am I to do?​Who am I to do it with?Apologies for the audio quality being a bit off… Still figuring out the best way to record episodes online.

Life is full of decisions, especially in the decade of our 20s… Should I take this job or go to grad school? Should I marry this person or not? Should I move or stay put?   While we're making these decisions, often we ask God to show us what to do, but He rarely seems to give us a direct answer.   In this episode I interview my friend Dave on decisions he's made and how he counsels younger folks in making decisions. Most importantly, how to discern which direction God is leading us in… His answer may surprise you.   Prayer of Teilhard de Chardin "Patient Trust"   Reality SF podcast talking through Patient Trust   First episode with Dave (ep 6)   Another helpful podcast - How You Tell When God Is Calling You

I interview Britton on the story of being called to plant Church at the Oaks. We dive into his salvation story, his early years in ministry, fundraising, and ultimately how each step was God preparing him for what was ahead.  We talk in depth about what God's calling looked like for Britton and his family, how to stay reminded of this calling when you're in the middle of the mission and it's hard, and some lessons he's learned along the way. If you are considering working in ministry, being part of a church plant, or wrestling with what God is calling you into next… I think this episode will be helpful for you!  Church at The Oaks website Past episodes mentioned in this podcast (interview with Dave): 6 | Stories From A Chaplain

Lots of us want to be parents someday, however the day to-day of parenthood can be hard to imagine, let alone prepare for.  In this episode I interview Austin on his experience being the parent to newborn twins… What impact has this had on his relationship with God? In his marriage, ministry, and career? How have him and his wife one about the logistics of early parenthood? Whether you are single and wanting to be a parent someday, or dating/married and talking through the decision of having children (and how many)… I think this episode will be helpful in giving a realistic view of parenthood.

In this open and raw episode Cameron shares her story of processing her anger and hurt towards God after a dating relationship falls apart. And how God met her in it and healed her in a beautiful way.  She also shares a few "Kingdom Lessons" she learned from her dad around generosity, money, hospitality, and God's faithfulness. As well as inspiring and encouraging stories around these topics growing up. Show Notes Kingdom Lessons on God's Economy: It's just money, God can make more. In your biggest time of need… Give. Faith first… Give in your faith and not just in your surplus. Be willing to do for others what you're going to ask God to do for you. Books mentioned in this episode ⁠Trusting God by Jerry Bridges⁠ ⁠Sit Walk Stand by Watchman Nee⁠   Resources on "The Wall" or "The Dark Night of The Soul"* ⁠The Dark Night of the Soul by Gerald May⁠ - book ⁠The Critical Journey by Hagberg & Guelich⁠ - book ⁠Matt Chandler on Hitting The Wall⁠ - podcast ⁠John Mark Comer & Matt Chandler Discuss The Wall⁠ - podcast ⁠Explanation of The Dark Night of the Soul⁠ - podcast   *These concepts of the Wall and the DNOTS are extra-biblical… These are resources I've found to be helpful in my own journey. But note - they are not a substitute for Scripture.

What do you do when doors are closing and you're not sure what your path forward is? What do you do when you get your dream job offer but feel God is leading you in another direction? How do you move forward?In this episode I interview my friend Max who has dealt with each of these questions over the past few years. And who's life is way different (and better) than he ever would have expected.

What does a hospice chaplain talk about with someone who is in their last moments on this earth? What questions do people often have as they are coming near the end? And how do you engage with them? Surprisingly, the questions they're asking are often the same questions we're all asking... Is God real? Does my faith hold any real weight? If so, where was He in my life? In this episode I interview a friend of mine that sits with people in these questions each day. I think you'll gain real wisdom and perspective from my friend Dave.

Kelly shares her story of transitioning from Athens into Atlanta. She opens up around what has been fun, challenging, and all that she's learned in this transition. We talk about work, school, community, church, dating, and much more in this episode... Including Kelly's dream of living on a commune in Colorado! If you are in the middle of a transition from school into work, or are curious what the Atlanta lifestyle looks like for a mid-twenty, I think you'll find this episode helpful.

Chet gives an overview of his journey of finding work that is engaging and fulfilling for him. Chet is open and honest about his successes and failures, and how both these successes and failures have been big teachers for him as he attempts to discover his vocation and calling. We have a lot a fun in this episode and I think you will too! Videos/books mentioned in the episode: Czechoslovakian movie Chet mentions Book - The Coddling of The American Mind Commencement Address by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

My friend Rachel shares her story about growing up in the church and what it's looked like to grow into her own person and her own faith. Rachel had a season of stepping away from her faith. She is very open and vulnerable in this episode around the reasons for this, as well as her journey back home. Rachel is very open and authentic in this episode, which I think you'll appreciate as the listener.

Welcome to the Roaming 20s podcast! Listen for a short introduction for the purpose of the podcast. Please respond in the Q&A any topics/guests you'd like to hear on the show.