My mom didn't start saying she loved me until she became a Christian in the early 80's. Now she says it almost every day, and I feel like she's doing it to make up for all those lost years. As far as I'm concerned, those "I love you's" are empty because she's been saying it to the straight Michael she's always preferred instead of the Michael actually in front of her. And because of that, I've learned to tolerate her acknowledged denial of my life.
Tom welcomes back his younger brother, Andy, for a little Super Bowl 101 for our potentially football-illiterate audience! If you are going to any Super Bowl parties for the socializing, food, commercials, halftime show, or essentially everything but the actual game, Andy gives you a few stories to look out for to keep your interest. The brothers predict the winner and vastly disagree on who you should be cheering for. They also discuss the magic of Valentine’s Day, and where Tom would have gone to college in an alternate universe (definitely not Georgia).
We follow up on one of our most downloaded episodes of all-time with a sequel of sorts! After learning Jacob's coming out story to his big brother Nate, we invite Tom's younger brother Andy onto the show to learn Tom's coming out story with his own brother. Did Andy ever suspect anything about Tom's sexuality? How can straight brothers best support their gay brothers? And what does Andy think about his big brother doing this whole YOB thing? Join Tom and Jacob, along with their brothers Andy and Nate, for a brotherly deep-dive like no other. We also have some football talk, because straight guys.
October is LGBT History Month, and October 11th is National Coming Out Day. What better time than now to share some of our coming out stories? Join Tom, Ryan, and Jacob for a discussion on their coming out journeys, including how we first came out to ourselves, to God, and ultimately to others. We also give some coming out advice to those who are selectively out or still in the closet altogether.
What if kindness as a fruit of the Spirit simply meant your unconscious approach to others – and even to yourself – was to help instead of judge? What if kindness manifested itself in the simple idea that when you see someone in need or hurting or broken, you desire to care for them before you desire to know how it happened?
We're talking about "the talk"! You know, "The Birds and the Bees" (whatever that even means). Join Tom, Ryan, and Jacob for a trip down memory lane as we recount our memories (or lacks thereof) involving the sex talk with our parents, along with sex education at our schools. How many folks do, in fact, actually receive the sex talk as a kid? Our very scientific poll results from our secret YOBBERS group may surprise you. We also zoom out for a broader view of sex: how did our family upbringing and culture surrounding sex affect our thoughts and feelings on sex today? And what do we think of God's creating of sex?
I just have a longing to be accepted, seen as a man among men. To feel like one of the guys. Yes, I've experienced those feelings with fellow "Side B" friends, but sometimes it only feels like one side of the coin.
Tom welcomes back his younger brother Andy for a follow-up conversation on dating a girl during this coronavirus pandemic, the movies "Mid90s" and "WALL-E," and a slightly awkward birthday meal over Zoom. It’s a totally normal conversation between two brothers.
Tom welcomes his little brother, Andy, to talk about his favorite brotherhood movies, pandemic impacts on his girlfriend and other relationships, as well as a recounting of a recent family trip to New Orleans just as coronavirus was infiltrating the city.
We've written over 300 blogs here at YOB since 2015, and we gathered four of our site's authors to discuss our favorite ones – recorded in front of a couple dozen people, no less. That's right, it's our first-ever LIVE recorded podcast with a digital audience! We invited our Patreon supporters on Facebook to watch and participate in the discussion with comments and questions for this episode's cast: Tom, Ryan, Dean, and Matt. Each of us reads our personal favorite blog for the cast and YOBBERS to discuss. We also mention our blogs that have garnered the most views these last four years, and Tom and Matt share lots of fun-loving "big brother" moments together.