Have you ever gone days without needing to ask anyone for help?
Groceries arrive at your door. Coffee is ordered ahead. Work, worship, and errands can all happen without a single face-to-face conversation. Life runs efficiently, but often at the cost of shared life.

What if a fuller life comes not from convenience, but from shared life with others?

Tanner Smith and Chase Rashad Stancle examine the value of self-sufficiency and how it shapes our neighborhoods, churches, and relationships. They talk about proximity, hospitality, and why growth often comes through inconvenience, disagreement, and showing up in person. Along the way, they offer practices that help rebuild everyday connection, starting right where we live.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How convenience can replace interdependence

• Why presence matters more than efficiency

• One concrete practice to try with your neighbors

Show Notes:

• Genesis 2:18 — "It is not good for humans to be alone"

• Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition by Christine Pohl

• You Are What You Love by James K.A. Smith

• Lessons from Mister Rogers, an article on The Latest by Heidi De Jonge, a Colossian Forum trainer

• The extra pie practice: Make or buy more dessert than you need, then use it as a low-pressure reason to knock on a neighbor's door. The goal is to create a brief, human moment that opens the door to connection.

• Pie recipes from Sarah: Chocolate Cream Pie and Lemonade Pie

If you're interested in learning more about The Colossian Forum, visit our website colossianforum.org, and follow us on social media @colossianforum.

Have you ever opened your phone "just for a minute" and ended up angry at strangers on the internet? So many of us pick up our phones to relax, but instead feel restless, stressed, and less present to the people right in front of us.

What if your online life could actually become a place to practice hope and love?

In this episode of our Beholding series, Tanner Smith, Chase Rashad Stancle, and Sarah Johnson talk about how phones and social media shape our brains, our bodies, and our relationships — and how small, practical practices can help us stay human, grounded, and open to God, even while we scroll.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why doomscrolling creates "micro-stress cycles" in your body

• Honest stories of losing and finding hope in online spaces

• Simple ways to set boundaries and bring your real self back into the room

Show Notes:

• An article by Amy Julia Becker on engaging faithfully in online conversations (featured on The Colossian Forum's blog, The Latest)

• The Colossian Forum "Prayer of the Week" — follow us on Instagram for regular prayers @colossianforum

• The Social Dilemma documentary (recommended pre-phone viewing for teens)

• Practice of tracking daily screen time in a paper planner

• Ideas for analog hobbies: reading, coloring, puzzles, tying flies for fishing, walking outside

If you're interested in learning more about The Colossian Forum, visit our website colossianforum.org, and follow us on social media @colossianforum.

Have you ever felt a friendship grow tense or distant and weren't sure why?
In a world marked by polarization and quick assumptions, even strong friendships can feel fragile. A single comment, a post, or a difference in perspective can suddenly amplify the distance between us.

But what if the gap you feel isn't the end of the relationship — just an invitation to truly see each other again?

In this episode, Tanner, Chase, and Sarah explore why division makes friendships harder to navigate, why we sometimes turn friends into "categories," and how small acts of curiosity can soften what feels strained.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why polarized culture makes friendship feel more fragile

• What's really happening when a friend starts to feel like a stranger

• Simple practices for reconnecting with curiosity and humility

Show Notes:

• Curiosity prompt: "How did you come to see it that way?"

• Philippians 4:7

• Practice: Everyday Carry (EDC) Questions

When a friendship feels tense or distant, try carrying an "Everyday Carry" question — one simple prompt you can use to stay curious instead of reactive. Just like you keep your keys or phone on hand, keep a question ready that helps you slow down and listen. Something like "How did you come to see it that way?", "What shaped the way you think about this?", or "What feels most important to you here?" These kinds of questions invite real stories instead of assumptions and create a little more space for connection when a moment feels tender or difficult.

If you're interested in learning more about The Colossian Forum, visit our website colossianforum.org, and follow us on social media @colossianforum.