Lucas and Jeff discuss several questions around the topic of free will. First, does free will actually exist? Does belief in God actually negate the existence of free will or does a belief in God require free will? What about predestination? In the end, does it really matter if free will exists if we all live as though it is reality?

Meet Mike. Mike and his wife, Jan, have been part of the Grace UMC community for about 3 years. They serve the community in a variety of ways including leading our efforts with the organization, Helping Hands, here in Wilson County. Mike spent time in the newspaper business and loves to write. You can read some of his stuff here: https://www.a-country-for-old-men.com/

David is a member of the community and he is also the person who gave Jeff the book, One Thought Scares Me, by Richard Dreyfuss. If you haven't listened to episode 4 you probably want to go back and start there. In this episode Lucas, Jeff, and David begin by discussing Dreyfuss' book but the conversation touches on several other topics as well.

In this episode Jeff introduces a book about Civics written by Richard Dreyfuss called, One Thought Scares Me. The book was given to Jeff by his friend David Devine and the plan is to have David on a follow up episode to discuss the book further. In the meantime, Jeff gives a brief overview of the book and reads from Chapter 17 which is directly relevant to the purpose of Living on Common Ground. You can learn more about what Richard is doing by going to his website: https://www.thedreyfussinitiative.org/

In this episode Lucas and Jeff resume a discussion which began in a small group at Jeff's house a couple of weeks earlier. The groups was discussion Richard Rohr's book, Universal Christ. Lucas made the argument that God cannot be a god if God does not exist prior to and apart from all other existence. Jeff didn't agree with this conclusion. The debate continues.

This week Lucas and Jeff visit with Gil Pollard. Gil was born in Louisiana and as a young boy moved back and forth to eastern Texas. Graduating from high school in 1962, Gil found himself immersed in all the 60’s had to offer. A wanderer at heart, his story takes us from east Texas, to Virginia, California, South Korea, Alaska, Hawaii, New York, back to Houston and finally lands in Nashville, Tennessee.

With this episode Lucas and Jeff begin “season two.” This season they talk with members of their community who share their stories, life experiences, and insights they have gathered through a variety of experiences. These conversations give us a glimpse into the community Lucas and Jeff have been referring to from time to time. First up is Larry Ward who has been at Grace UMC for 13 years. He was born and raised in Alabama, moved all over the country, and now lives here in Mount Juliet, Tennessee with his wife, Kay. We know you will enjoy getting to hear some of his story.

A discussion which meanders through topics such as Rome, Ancient Greece, World War II, The novels “1984” and “A Brave New World,” the Rise and Communism, Spanish and Portuguese Conquistadors, culminates in a claim that the United States is the modern equivalent of an empire. While Lucas and Jeff disagree about some of the details, they seem to both agree we live in and are citizens of the greatest empire the world has ever seen. The question is, what responsibilities do we have as citizens of this great country?

Lucas and Jeff explore the impact our words (and actions) have on our relationships. Lucas suggests Wounding is only possible when the hurt comes from persons you consider to be part of your group. If we continue to try and isolate ourselves from potential hurt we will continue to shrink our group. The ultimate conclusion becomes isolation which is not healthy and does not provide a long term solution. And while it may be true that Wounding can only happen when the hurt comes from persons in our group, there are still consequences for the things we say and do which go beyond our self identified community.

Lucas and Jeff discuss the current debate regarding the United States' southern border. The politicizing of the issue has clouded the reality. Both Republicans and Democrat politicians appear to be willing to use the border as a political weapon against their opponent while not offering any realistic solutions or address real issues. Fear wins the day. While Lucas has some suggestions and Jeff has questions, they can both agree there is a real issue.

In this episode Lucas and Jeff are joined by Krysta who is a licensed therapist whose specialty is PTSD and Trauma. Together they exlucasandjeff@livingoncommonground.complore the role the church has in being a place for people to process and recover from trauma as well as the role the church plays in creating trauma and spiritual wounding. If you yourself have experienced spiritual wounding and would like to talk further you can email lucasandjeff@livingoncommonground.com and they will get you connected.

Lucas and Jeff begin by talking briefly about trauma and the church but quickly move into a discussion about the role church plays in determining morality. Is it the role of the church to be the self appointed (or divinely appointed) morality police? Why does the Church feel it is their responsibility, or right, to determine what is morally acceptable when it comes to human sexuality?

Picking up where they left off last episode, Lucas and Jeff discuss the differences between Education and Indoctrination and how they relate to exploration. This conversation, as always, leads to questions such as: What does this look like practically? What role does it play in the Church? What is the Church?

Lucas and Jeff pick up where they left off last week by launching into a conversation about religion. Lucas shares how his personal journey took him from his evangelical roots to atheism. Jeff explores the idea that religion is the defining narrative providing meaning and direction to our lives.

Picking up the discussion where they left off last episode, Lucas clarifies his question regarding LGBTQ+ rights and Jeff attempts to answer the question as best he can. The conversation leads to an exploration into the role the government should have in the individual lives of its citizens and ends with the question: "What is religion?”

Beginning with a question about "The Left" and "The Right" and then considering different models of government and economic systems, Lucas and Jeff discuss the relationship between a person's religion and their politics.

This week Jeff introduces an old interview with his grandfather, Elmer Fransen. Elmer was born in 1919. He was a young boy during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. It is important for us to take time to consider our own history if we want to have a better understanding of who we are today.

We don't all see or experience the world the same way. This can either lead to conflict or opportunities for personal growth. If we are willing to take the time to be curious rather than quick to judge we may experience empathy and gain a friend.

In their book, The Fourth Turning, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe look back five hundred years and uncover a distinct pattern: Modern history moves in cycles. The forth cycle is "Crisis" resulting in rebirth. But is the crisis avoidable or destiny? And what, if anything, can we do about it?

Lucas and Jeff discuss the problems which arise when we only know other persons by the labels we give them or even the labels they use to describe themselves. These labels which are often intended to identify affinity more often lead to division.