We kick off a new summer ConvoCast series exploring the diverse sexual identifications within our YOB community. We start with Matt who identifies as gay and Christian, but not those two identities together. He tells of his journey from "SSA" to gay and how he recently experienced feelings for a girl for the first time in his life. He shares about going to a source outside the Church to learn whether his sexual identification is as rigid as it seems.
We conclude our 7-values series by exploring our other "ship" of discipleship! How do we define this spiritual term? Is discipleship meant only for our own growth, or is our discipleship also for the people around us? How organized or structured must discipleship of believers look? And how have we felt disqualified from discipling others in their walks with Jesus because of our sexuality?
Once upon a time, Your Other Brothers held to the value of brotherhood! But we've since shifted this value to one of kinship. Why the change? What does kinship evoke, both for this life and the next, and how do we build or "practice" this value of kinship? When have we felt that sense of belonging outside our blood family, and when have we felt the opposite with our sexuality and masculinity, as strangers and aliens?
How do we walk with integrity as Side B people? Must it include a wide-scale coming out, an authenticity of the external matching our internal selves? Which experiences have defined our convictions and courage to follow Jesus as we’re doing? Join Tom, Aaron, and Will for this discussion on YOB’s fifth value, including the origin stories of incorporating more Jesus into our content as well as determining our symbol for integrity: cairns on a path!
Vulnerability is uncomfortable, even scary, so why do we value it so highly in our community? Sharing our story, including our sexuality, may have once felt like the most daunting or impossible task. And yet what would have been the cost to our lives had we not been vulnerable? What if we had stayed silent, closeted, cut off from such a significant aspect of ourselves with ourselves, God, and other people? Indeed, what if vulnerability that feels like weakness is actually strength – especially when practiced in a community?
Adam returns to discuss another of his (and Tom's) greatest loves: Survivor! We share our origin stories with this beloved reality show that's been airing since 2000. We spend the bulk of the episode pondering why Survivor has attracted a strong LGBTQ following over the years. Why do queer people love the show, and why do queer contestants generally do well on the show? Is survival in the game connected to survival outside the game? To close the episode, Tom and Adam share their favorite players from the first couple episodes of the currently airing season, Survivor 44! We also wonder whether our beloved show will ever feature a Side B queer contestant?
Joy and sorrow share a tenuous connection. We explore the presence of joy in our YOB community and why it wasn’t one of our original values. We bask in the joy of retreats past and explore the joy to be found in our lives and sexualities, looking to Jesus’ example as he took the cup from his Father, following the joy set before him. Join Tom, Ryan, and Will for their first joyful episode together!
Tom responds to Marshall's latest YOB blog about his straight male friends who have endured beyond their marriages to women. Marshall shares about the feelings he recently fielded watching housemate James get married, as well as catching up with old friend Ben who has a child now. Marshall also dishes about his friendship with another married housemate. Ultimately, how does Marshall stay upbeat about friendships once those wedding vows are exchanged?
Tom's other brother (and yours), Andy Zuniga, returns to preview this year's Super Bowl – featuring his beloved Philadelphia Eagles! And also the Kansas City Chiefs. Andy gives you his top storylines for the football-illiterate to look out for in this year's big game, including the first-ever matchup of BROTHERS. He also gives you advice how to support your straight friend if his team loses. We discuss the most attractive players in this year's matchup, the YOBBERS's thoughts on Rihanna for the halftime show, and the celebrities pulling for each team! As if you needed any help deciding who to root for...
YOB's second value of humility follows on the heels of hope: a lowly acorn under a star in the night sky. A place of patience and constant surrender as we wait and trust for a greater story beyond anything we could write for ourselves. Join Tom, Ben, and Will for a discussion of what humility is and what humility isn't; of pride, shame, self-deprecation, and more competing terms. Plus, we callback our last episode differentiating hope vs. expectation.