Episodes

  • Grieve, Breathe, Receive with Steve Carter

    Grieve, Breathe, Receive with Steve Carter
    May 12 2024
    “Did you have integrity today?” That’s the question that Steve Carter, author, podcaster, and former lead teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, pictured his son asking him when allegations of sexual harassment against Bill Hybels emerged. Carter realized he couldn’t go “play church.” He had to take the allegations seriously and act with integrity, which, for him, looked like resigning. On this episode of Being Human, Cuss and Carter discuss what it looks like to have integrity when mentors and institutions fail us. They talk about the heartbreak of losing beloved communities, navigating relationships when people feel betrayed, and how difficult it is to see broken systems when inside them. Carter shares how he has dealt with the weight of being misunderstood, the way some of his highest values were wielded against him, and what it was like to deal with public loss and accusation as an Enneagram Three. He and Cuss talk about the power of the resurrection and the two Greek words that became an anchor for Carter. And they discuss what propelled Carter to write Grieve, Breathe, Receive—a stunning memoir on grief and healing that recounts Carter leaving Willow Creek Church, entering a wilderness season, and enduring loss upon loss upon loss, from income and reputation to precious family members and more. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Luke: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching by Fred B. Craddock Steve Carter Craft & Character with Steve Carter Grieve, Breathe, Receive: Finding a Faith Strong Enough to Hold Us by Steve Carter The Thing Beneath the Thing: What's Hidden Inside (and What God Helps Us Do About It) by Steve Carter Willow Creek Community Church “Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs” “Cadet Prayer” Annie F. Downs Ira Glass Camino De Santiago “What Is a Verbatim?” Compassion International “Welcoming Practice” The Worst James Harden Flops “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Playfulness, Earnestness, and Worship

    Playfulness, Earnestness, and Worship
    May 5 2024
    A systems theorist walks into an organization and orders playfulness and earnestness. This isn’t just a silly take on a joke format—it’s a tested method of determining whether or not teams have what it takes to go the distance. As host Steve Cuss explains on this episode of Being Human, too much seriousness on a team tends to lead to rigidity, but playful teams tend to be able to handle ambiguity and challenges. Could the same be true for worship? Sometimes we get too earnest and everything gets rigid. In this episode Steve looks at the power of playfulness in your people, how ot notice when things are getting too earnest and stuck and the relationship between playfulness and worship. Steve also teaches us how to use a Life Giving List to help us relax into God’s presence. You can download a life giving list template here. Tune in for an episode that invites us to treasure our faith through playful presence with God. Click here to pre order Steve’s new book. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Bowen family systems theory Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton “Letter XLVI” by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God by Steve Cuss Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin Friedman “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    31 mins
  • Non-Anxious Presence with Alan Fadling

    Non-Anxious Presence with Alan Fadling
    Apr 28 2024
    “Jesus cares for our troubles, but they don’t worry him.” So says Alan Fadling, who joins host Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. Fadling is an author and the leader of Unhurried Living, a non-profit that trains people to rest deeper, live fuller and lead better. His latest book, The Non-Anxious Life, draws from spiritual formation and touches on systems theory, as well. Cuss and Fadling discuss the ways that anxiety is not just a personal dynamic, but an organizational one. They consider what Dallas Willard had to say about anxiety and peace, how anxiety communicates that God is not there for us, and what it may look like to remember that Jesus is present with us. They talk about the differences in believing that “I am anxiety” and “I have anxiety.” And they consider how anxiety influences leadership, our sense of connection with Jesus, and our engagement with culture. Tune in for an episode that sheds light on the way of peace. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Alan Fadling The Non-Anxious Life: Experiencing the Peace of God's Presence by Alan Fadling Unhurried Living George Doebler Bowen family systems theory Edwin H. Friedman Dallas Willard Viktor Frankl “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    36 mins
  • 'Listen, Listen, Speak' with Jay Kim

    'Listen, Listen, Speak' with Jay Kim
    Apr 21 2024
    If you struggle to keep your thoughts to yourself in the internet age, you’re not alone. On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss admits that he struggles with a core belief that sounds something like the world needs my opinion. What are Christians to do in an era when there’s nonstop opportunity to reply, comment, and react? On this episode, Cuss welcomes someone he looks up to in this regard: Jay Kim, lead pastor of WestGate Church in San Jose, California and author of several books, including his latest, Listen, Listen, Speak. Kim and Cuss consider the implications of God as infinite and humans as finite and the immensity of eternity. They talk about Kim’s emphasis on listening, formative moments in his faith, and how he believes social media is shaping people. Their conversation covers spiritual practices that can help us remain rooted in a tumultuous era and points to the characteristics of God reflected in creatures and creation. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Jay Kim WestGate Church Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim Listen, Listen, Speak: Hearing God and Being Heard in a Noisy World by Jay Y. Kim Gravity Interstellar Neil Postman Hate Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another by Matt Taibbi The Art Institute of Chicago Nighthawks by Edward Hopper The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis Bo Burnham: Inside “The Ignatian Examen” The Lord’s Prayer Andy Crouch Joshua Tree “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    44 mins
  • The Chaplain Who Taught Steve Systems Theory: George Doebler

    The Chaplain Who Taught Steve Systems Theory: George Doebler
    Apr 14 2024
    So much of our experience is shaped by what gets passed down to us. Whether it's trauma, wisdom, or a signature hair color, traits and knowledge travel from generation to generation. On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss welcomes George Dobeler, the chaplain who first passed down the concept of family systems theory to Cuss. Doebler and Cuss talk about Doebler's learning from Murray Bowen, who founded the theory. They discuss the importance of understanding one’s family system when it comes to diffusing anxiety. Doebler and Cuss provide real-life examples of systems theory helping people become less reactive and more in touch with God, themselves, and others. Their conversation covers chaplaincy, trauma recovery, and how theology shapes our responses to anxiety. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Bowen family systems theory George Doebler Murray Bowen Harry Stack Sullivan Edwin H. Friedman Genogram Friedman’s Fables by Edwin H. Friedman A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Edwin H. Friedman “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Putting Beauty into the World with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth

    Putting Beauty into the World with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth
    Apr 7 2024
    Some of the most beautiful art in existence was born of great trauma and pain. Think of Vincent Van Gogh, for example, or the Psalms written from a hiding place. On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss welcomes two artists who both know great tragedy and have produced remarkable creative work: Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth. The married couple recently published a book, Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt, and they join Cuss for a discussion of grief, art, and hospitality. Their conversation touches some of the couple’s lowest valleys and highest mountains. They talk about Art House America, which they founded in 1991, and how music and writing have been their companions in times of joy and sorrow. Tune in for a vulnerable and rich discussion of marriage, self-reflection, and the hope of Christ in all things. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Vincent Van Gogh on Doctor Who Charlie Peacock Andi Ashworth Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt by Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth Art House America Greenbelt Festival Scotty Smith Francis and Edith Schaeffer My Father’s Crown by Charlie Peacock Luci Shaw Paranassus Books Music & Meaning with Charlie Peacock “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    Not Yet Known
  • Faith in the Workplace with Jeff Haanen

    Faith in the Workplace with Jeff Haanen
    Mar 31 2024
    The workplace can be a setting where people see their worth and have it honored by others. It can also be a hub of discouragement, aimlessness, and a lack of encouragement. On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Jeff Haanen, author of Working from the Inside Out. Haanen, who is the founder of the Denver Faith and Work Institute, sheds light on how inner work can shape outer work and what it looks like to live out Christianity in jobs and careers. He provides listeners with a starting point for thinking theologically about their work and gives pastors some tips for helping their congregants feel seen in their work lives. Cuss and Haanen talk about dignifying all types of honest work, the value of physical labor, and what it looks like to work unto the Lord when career and passion don’t align. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Denver Institute for Faith and Work Working from the Inside Out: A Brief Guide to Inner Work That Transforms Our Outer World by Jeff Haanen The Center for Faith and Work Lesslie Newbigin Charlotte Institute for Faith & Work Nashville Institute for Faith and Work Made to Flourish “God of the Second Shift” Treatment Technology Babette’s Feast “Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry Theme song by Dan Phelps Original Music by Andy Gullahorn Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Amy Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    31 mins