Being Human with Steve Cuss

Latest Episodes:

Playfulness, Earnestness, and Worship May 05, 2024

Show notes

A systems theorist walks into an organization and orders playfulness and earnestness.

This isn’t just a silly take on a joke format—it’s a tested method of determining whether or not teams have what it takes to go the distance. As host Steve Cuss explains on this episode of Being Human, too much seriousness on a team tends to lead to rigidity, but playful teams tend to be able to handle ambiguity and challenges.

Could the same be true for worship?

Sometimes we get too earnest and everything gets rigid. In this episode Steve looks at the power of playfulness in your people, how ot notice when things are getting too earnest and stuck and the relationship between playfulness and worship. Steve also teaches us how to use a Life Giving List to help us relax into God’s presence. You can download a life giving list template here.

Tune in for an episode that invites us to treasure our faith through playful presence with God.

Click here to pre order Steve’s new book.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Bowen family systems theory
Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
“Letter XLVI” by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God by Steve Cuss
Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin Friedman

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Non-Anxious Presence with Alan Fadling Apr 28, 2024

Show notes

“Jesus cares for our troubles, but they don’t worry him.”

So says Alan Fadling, who joins host Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. Fadling is an author and the leader of Unhurried Living, a non-profit that trains people to rest deeper, live fuller and lead better. His latest book, The Non-Anxious Life, draws from spiritual formation and touches on systems theory, as well.

Cuss and Fadling discuss the ways that anxiety is not just a personal dynamic, but an organizational one. They consider what Dallas Willard had to say about anxiety and peace, how anxiety communicates that God is not there for us, and what it may look like to remember that Jesus is present with us. They talk about the differences in believing that “I am anxiety” and “I have anxiety.” And they consider how anxiety influences leadership, our sense of connection with Jesus, and our engagement with culture.

Tune in for an episode that sheds light on the way of peace.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'Listen, Listen, Speak' with Jay Kim Apr 21, 2024

Show notes

If you struggle to keep your thoughts to yourself in the internet age, you’re not alone. On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss admits that he struggles with a core belief that sounds something like the world needs my opinion. What are Christians to do in an era when there’s nonstop opportunity to reply, comment, and react?

On this episode, Cuss welcomes someone he looks up to in this regard: Jay Kim, lead pastor of WestGate Church in San Jose, California and author of several books, including his latest, Listen, Listen, Speak. Kim and Cuss consider the implications of God as infinite and humans as finite and the immensity of eternity. They talk about Kim’s emphasis on listening, formative moments in his faith, and how he believes social media is shaping people. Their conversation covers spiritual practices that can help us remain rooted in a tumultuous era and points to the characteristics of God reflected in creatures and creation.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Jay Kim
WestGate Church
Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age
Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age by Jay Y. Kim
Listen, Listen, Speak: Hearing God and Being Heard in a Noisy World by Jay Y. Kim
Gravity
Interstellar
Neil Postman
Hate Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another by Matt Taibbi
The Art Institute of Chicago
Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
Bo Burnham: Inside
“The Ignatian Examen”
The Lord’s Prayer
Andy Crouch
Joshua Tree

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Chaplain Who Taught Steve Systems Theory: George Doebler Apr 14, 2024

Show notes

So much of our experience is shaped by what gets passed down to us. Whether it's trauma, wisdom, or a signature hair color, traits and knowledge travel from generation to generation.

On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss welcomes George Dobeler, the chaplain who first passed down the concept of family systems theory to Cuss. Doebler and Cuss talk about Doebler's learning from Murray Bowen, who founded the theory. They discuss the importance of understanding one’s family system when it comes to diffusing anxiety. Doebler and Cuss provide real-life examples of systems theory helping people become less reactive and more in touch with God, themselves, and others.

Their conversation covers chaplaincy, trauma recovery, and how theology shapes our responses to anxiety.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Bowen family systems theory
George Doebler
Murray Bowen
Harry Stack Sullivan
Edwin H. Friedman
Genogram
Friedman’s Fables by Edwin H. Friedman
A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix by Edwin H. Friedman

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Putting Beauty into the World with Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth Apr 07, 2024

Show notes

Some of the most beautiful art in existence was born of great trauma and pain. Think of Vincent Van Gogh, for example, or the Psalms written from a hiding place.

On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss welcomes two artists who both know great tragedy and have produced remarkable creative work: Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth. The married couple recently published a book, Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt, and they join Cuss for a discussion of grief, art, and hospitality. Their conversation touches some of the couple’s lowest valleys and highest mountains. They talk about Art House America, which they founded in 1991, and how music and writing have been their companions in times of joy and sorrow.

Tune in for a vulnerable and rich discussion of marriage, self-reflection, and the hope of Christ in all things.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Vincent Van Gogh on Doctor Who
Charlie Peacock
Andi Ashworth
Why Everything That Doesn't Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt by Charlie Peacock and Andi Ashworth
Art House America
Greenbelt Festival
Scotty Smith
Francis and Edith Schaeffer
My Father’s Crown by Charlie Peacock
Luci Shaw
Paranassus Books
Music & Meaning with Charlie Peacock

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Faith in the Workplace with Jeff Haanen Mar 31, 2024

Show notes

The workplace can be a setting where people see their worth and have it honored by others. It can also be a hub of discouragement, aimlessness, and a lack of encouragement.

On this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss welcomes Jeff Haanen, author of Working from the Inside Out. Haanen, who is the founder of the Denver Faith and Work Institute, sheds light on how inner work can shape outer work and what it looks like to live out Christianity in jobs and careers. He provides listeners with a starting point for thinking theologically about their work and gives pastors some tips for helping their congregants feel seen in their work lives.

Cuss and Haanen talk about dignifying all types of honest work, the value of physical labor, and what it looks like to work unto the Lord when career and passion don’t align.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Therapist and the Song Writer with Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn Mar 24, 2024

Show notes

Music is one of the host Steve Cuss’ favorite ways to relax into God’s presence. On this episode he welcomes two artists who help him do just that—Andy Gullahorn and Jill Phillips. A married couple in Nashville, Tennessee, both Andy and Jill are singer-songwriters. Jill also practices as a therapist and Andy has a unique healing ministry.

The three discuss the power of songs and how the music industry has changed over time. They talk about what it means to pursue “a long obedience in the same direction,” as the late Eugene Peterson put it, and how to pursue work that is faithful and meaningful. They share practices they’d like to see uprooted in the church, as well as those they hope to see implemented. Finally, they share the experiences that generate reactivity in them and how they try to respond with gentleness and godliness.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Andy Gullahorn
Jill Phillips
Lyle Lovett
Albert Borghman
“My City of Ruins” by Bruce Springsteen
“The Brave One” by Andy Gullahorn
“Grand Canyon” by Andy Gullahorn
Justin Timberlake & Chris Stapleton, Country Music Awards, 2015
Steven Curtis Chapman
Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society by Eugene Peterson
The Pastor: A Memoirby Eugene Peterson
Brad Jersak
Celebrate Recovery
“Died: Thomas McKenzie, Defender and Definer of Anglicanism” by Daniel Silliman

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Brain and Faith with Geoff Holsclaw Mar 17, 2024

Show notes

"In Christ, God has come near and has walked with us. The transformation that is other than us has actually come near so that we could be changed and transformed.”

So says pastor and author Geoff Holsclaw as he joins host Steve Cuss on this episode of Being Human. Holsclaw, who cohosts the Embodied Faith podcast and runs Western Seminary’s doctor of ministry program in spiritual formation and relational neuroscience, is deeply interested in how people grow, transform, and connect to God.

On this episode, Holsclaw and Cuss talk about attachment theory, philosophy, and theology. They discuss liturgical practices that shape people and communities and consider how physical bodies relate to one another in spiritual spaces. Their conversation includes Holsclaw’s participation in the Vineyard Movement, what it looks like to combine the charismatic and liturgical, and what drew Holsclaw to brain science.

Tune in for an episode that incorporates all parts of what it means to be human, from the spiritual and emotional to the mental and physical.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Geoff Holsclaw
Vineyard USA
Augustine
Hegel
Doctor of ministry program at Western Seminary: Spiritual formation and relational neuroscience
Does God Really Like Me?: Discovering the God Who Wants to Be With Us by Cyd Holsclaw and Geoff Holsclaw
Embodied Faith podcast
Richard Foster
Dallas Willard
Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups by Richard Foster
Attachment theory
The Enneagram
The Change Monster: The Human Forces that Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Changeby Jeanie Daniel Duck

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Empathy and Remembering with Esau McCaulley Mar 10, 2024

Show notes

Presence has a profound impact on our lives. So does its opposite—absence.

On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cross welcomes author, professor, and public theologian Esau McCaulley. McCaulley’s book Reading While Black is dedicated to his father, which may lead people to believe that they had a close relationship. But, McCaulley says that dedication was his way of declaring, “I forgive you.”

During their conversation, Cross and McCaulley talk about how the absence of paternal love can shape a child. They discuss how McCaulley’s childhood affects his parenting, the role of humor in processing trauma, and the power of memory. They talk about racism, shame, and the roots of dehumanization. And they consider the presence of God’s love and redemption.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Esau McCaulley
Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hopeby Esau McCaulley
How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South by Esau McCaulley
The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary by Esau McCaulley
Horatio Alger
Marvin Williams
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller
Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense by N.T. Wright
The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper

Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens

Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry

Theme song by Dan Phelps

Original Music by Andy Gullahorn

Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris

Graphic Design: Amy Jones

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Enneagram, Anxiety, and What We Live For Mar 03, 2024

Show notes

Today on Being Human, it’s all about the Enneagram.

Steve Cuss welcomes back his friend and colleague Jimmy Carnes for a discussion about the nine types and how they reflect the character of God. Carnes explains the holy idea of each Enneagram type—also known as the nine faces of God—and the ways that we are all striving for one aspect of God to be true.

Carnes and Cuss discuss the nuances of their types and others. They consider how the Enneagram system can help people identify where they lose connection with God, themselves, and others. And they discuss navigating grief and anxiety as complex humans who are loved by God.

Resources mentioned in this episode include: