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.
Tom welcomes our first woman to the ConvoCast – an in-studio guest, no less! We’ve been talking with Erin for almost a year now about the prospect of starting a Your Other Sisters community. Today we finally introduce her to our listening audience as we reference her recent blog on YOB’s impact on her life! We also give a shout-out to Matt as the only other fellow indigenous person on this podcast, learn about a significant difference between masculinity and femininity, and discover why Charlotte is SO great.
We kick off a new year and a new era of YOB with an examination of YOB’s seven values! Starting with HOPE. Tom is joined by Ryan and Aaron to discuss the highs of hope and the lows of despair across the arenas of our masculinity, sexuality, and faith. Where has hoping in something or someone failed us? Where have we felt hope creep into entitlement? As sexual minorities where do we put our hope on this side of eternity?
Our holiday hiatus ends, and the new year begins with returning guest and community member, Adam! Adam joins Tom to talk about staying positive in this Side B life as we learn more of his story. We explore our top strengths from Strengths Finder and recount some of our favorite retreat moments this past fall. Adam also shares what he's excited for in 2023, including Second Christmas!