The Overthinkers

How Do We Know Our Calling? (With Dr. William Klein)

How do we know our calling in life? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes talk to Biblical scholar Dr. William Klein on the history of the word "calling" and how we might be all--religious and non-religious alike--using the word wrong.Links to resources mentioned:
Calling Definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calling
 
More definitions of “calling”: https://www.christianitytoday.com/partners/nav-press/what-is-calling/
 
Forbes 20 Ways to Find Your Calling: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2012/06/26/20-ways-to-find-your-calling/
 
Desire for calling: https://www.letu.edu/alumni/identify-your-calling.html
 
Oprah “Are You Listening to Your Life?”: https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/what-are-you-meant-to-be-doing-find-your-calling
 
“It’s Never Too Late to Find Your Calling”: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-at-any-age/202401/its-never-too-late-to-find-your-calling
 
Desiring God - How to Discern God’s Call: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-do-i-know-gods-calling-for-my-life
Relevant Magazine - “Is This My Calling or Just Something I Enjoy?”: https://relevantmagazine.com/life5/how-to-know-if-your-calling-is-really-from-god/
 
Academic perspectives on calling: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00187267221095759#bibr24-00187267221095759
 
Blesses
 
Hero of a Thousand Faces (Book)
Hero on a Mission (Book)
Sound of Hope (Movie)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Movie)
The Shock of Faith (Article)
Curses
 
Don’t Waste Your Life (Book)
The Hill (Movie)
Wish (Movie)
The Call (Book)WebsitesOverthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.worldNathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.meJoseph Holmes: josepholmesstudios.comWill Klein: https://denverseminary.edu/directory/klein-phd-william/

Should We Read the Classics? (With Faith Moore)

Many of us find it hard to read classic literature. But is there value in it worth pushing through anyway? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson welcome author and podcast host of "Storytime for Grownups" Faith Moore to discuss how she grew to love great old books.
Educators find decline in reading classic literature in 70s: https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/29/archives/decline-in-reading-of-the-classics-in-public-schools-causes-concern.html
 
Decline in reading from 1982 to 2002: https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/RaRExec_0.pdf
 
Literature Humanities Professors find fewer read classics in 2020s: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/11/the-elite-college-students-who-cant-read-books/679945/
 
Why teachers should assign more contemporary books: https://bookriot.com/assign-more-contemporary-books/
 
Why we focus too much on classics: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jul/13/stop-pushing-the-same-classic-books-on-children-and-trust-modern-writing
Blesses:
 
Penguin Classic 
Picture of Dorian Gr
Anxious People
Great Expectations
David Copperfield
Jane Eyre (2006 TV Miniseries)
Curses:
 
Wuthering Heights
We Have Always Lived in a Castle
The Divine Comedy
The Madwoman in the AtticWebsites:Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.comNathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.meJoseph Holmes: josepholmesstudios.comFaith Moore: faithkmoore.com

How Do You Raise a Unique Child? (With Sally Clarkson)

How do you raise children to value their uniqueness while also growing in maturity? Sally Clarkson returns to the show to discuss with Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson the new book by Sally and Nathan: "Uniquely You"
Discrimination against left-handed people: https://www.press.jhu.edu/newsroom/stuttering-and-retraining-left-handed-children-mid-century-us#:~:text=By%20the%20second%20decade%20of%20the%20twentieth,retraining%20left%2Dhanders%20had%20negative%20consequences%2C%20especially%20stuttering.&text=Terman%20(1877%2D1956)%20concluded%20that%20a%20third%20to,attempts%20to%20transform%20left%2Dhanded%20children%20into%20right%2Dhanders.
Howard Gardener's Multiple Intelligences: https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/gardners-theory-of-multiple-intelligences.shtml
Mental illness vs neurodiversity debate: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/mental-disorder-or-neurodiversity"Gentle Parenting" creates unhappy children: https://ifstudies.org/blog/do-your-political-beliefs-affect-your-parenting-Blesses:
Finding Forrester (Movie)A Wrinkle in Time (Book)
Anne of Green Gables (Book)
 
Curses:
A Wrinkle in Time (Movie)
Anti-Family Trends in Pixar Films (Movie)
Websites:Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.meJoseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.comSally Clarkson: sallyclarkson.com
 
Buy "Uniquely You" today: https://www.amazon.com/Uniquely-You-Exploring-Extraordinarily-Distinctive/dp/0802432786/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FLcU4czIiBsDVW0-BpzfHq3dMhqKT9xdOS7adg1hFrVBwKbNFU303KovJtg_yaYhaHXp8OeXQ9FovH4JL_HdY8IkLJ5kIUGRiHccIXp0L3rMwN3ZroPoO7r0AhYIMfM2DsIz3LIU7UsJejV-zAC-nWCV4nSEE7tPq2oenPkJ9DWVwl6P364nvIjha3VvZCPK0oHEtGjRNtFQJh2Zi-KVcG_j2-xi2rLbGfYC-FDg_jU.Pi6PI6MI84yTG4gWtYRCTE_TobJhNqyCjBhcSXIE0Xs&dib_tag=se&keywords=uniquely+you&qid=1736131771&sr=8-1
 

How Do We Follow Through on Our Goals?

In the first Overthinkers episode of the new season, Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss how to follow through on our goals. Studies show that most people who set goals in the new year don't follow through on them. How do you become the exception? Well, there's studies on that too! Joseph and Nathan go through some of the best strategies on the internet--and their own experience--to help set us all off on the right foot in the new year.Podcast Sources:
Only 8 percent of adults achieve their goals: https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/how-high-school-students-can-set-and-accomplish-their-goals/#:~:text=But%20a%20recent%20survey%20by,the%20best%20versions%20of%20ourselves.
 
Only 6.5 percent of adults were still trying for their goals after 6 months: https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/new-study-shows-only-6-of-people-achieve-their-goals-and-reveals-their-secret-formula-1032687000
 
Less than half of Americans were very satisfied with their lives: https://www.newsweek.com/americans-are-less-satisfied-their-lives-1868560
 
Arthur Brooks on healthy vs unhealthy goal setting: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/03/how-follow-your-dreams-and-get-happier/618384/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGz3wBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdBtSJE1sCkpBIWT2jx47PxvsuteMDLMii2pVMQWWr1GLvABLiQ2q_y3uw_aem_BL6ZVahAoLk4Im8SvCoB1A
 
Rising rates of depression: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/our-changing-culture/201510/are-mental-health-issues-the-rise
Blesses and Curses:
BlessSubliminal - BookTransformers One - Movie
 
Curse
 
The Law of Attraction - Book
Reagan - MovieBlink Twice - Movie
Websites:Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.meJoseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com

How Do You Get Through Going Home for the Holidays?

Lots of people are stressed out by being with family for the holidays. Some are even planning not to spend holidays with their family. But is that a good idea? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes give their tips on having a positive trip home for the holidays.Links to outside references: 
15 million long-distance travelers oer Christmas in 2023: https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/millions-americans-expected-to-travel-christmas-new-years-day-aaa/
 
How to survive going home for the holidays: https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-to-survive-going-home-for-the-holidays/
 
https://medium.com/youalberta/how-to-survive-home-for-the-holidays-99daba2e6e9f
 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/empowerment-solutions/202212/home-for-the-holidays-how-not-to-get-triggered 
 
Blesses:ElfThe Best Christmas Pageant EverCurses:The Family StoneFour ChristmasesNational Lampoon's Christmas VacationA Christmas Story

What Do We Really Want? (With Strahan Coleman)

Everyone has deep desires. But what is our deepest desire? And how do we deal with the problem of satisfying that desire. Writer, award-winning folk musician, and spiritual director Strahan Coleman joins Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson to dive into what we want and how we can have it today.Links to resources discussed in the episode:
Basics of Budhism: https://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm
The Stoics: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/
 
Augustine and Desire: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/an-analysis-of-one-of-the-greatest-sentences-ever-written/
Charlotte Fox's 12 Universal Desires:
https://healthforlifegr.com/examining-the-deepest-human-desires-charlotte-fox-weber/#:~:text=In%20her%20book%2C%20Charlotte%20Fox,have%20what%20we%20shouldn't.
8 Things People Desire But Can't Attain:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2016/05/24/the-top-8-things-people-desperately-desire-but-cant-seem-to-attain/
 
BlessesBook - Georgia Douglas Johnson PoetryBook - The Religious SenseMovie - Deadpool and WolverineBook - Surprised By Joseph HolmesMovie - The Book of ClarenceTV Shows - Agatha All AlongThinker - Teresa of AvilaThinker - St. John of the CrossBook - The Cloud of UnknowingTV Show - BridgertonCursesMovie - Saturday NightMovie - Joker: Folie à DeuxGood Cafes that serve terrible coffee
Overthinkers Team Contact and Websites:The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com
Strahan Coleman Links and Websites:Thirsting: Quenching Our Soul's Deepest Desire: https://www.amazon.com/Thirsting-Quenching-Souls-Deepest-Desire/dp/0830785205Beholding Prayer Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beholding-prayer/id1669562572Commoners Communion: https://www.commonerscommunion.com/about

Why are Spiritual Rhythms Important? (With Douglas McKelvey)

Are spiritual rhythms important in everyday life? Not just on Sundays? Joseph Holmes discusses with author and artist Douglas McKelvy his series "Every Moment Holy" about how to bring the sacred into ordinary life. Referenced Links:
Barna Study - How liturgical are today’s American Christians? https://www.barna.com/research/liturgical-todays-christians/ 
 
Liturgy as an idol: https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/liturgy-word-god-enough/
 
Liturgy detached from theology: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2022/07/church-liturgy-trends-history-tradition-theology-popular/
 
Church makes you give more to charity: https://religionunplugged.com/news/2023/12/12/are-religious-areas-more-charitable
 
Frequent church attendance means better mental health: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/frequent-churchgoers-better-mental-health/BlessesBook - Desiring the KingdomMovie - WildcatAnime - BarakamonBook - The Book of Common Prayer/The Daily OfficeBook - Everything Sad is UntrueCursesBook - Living in WonderBook - The Daily Stoic
Overthinkers Team Contact and Websites:The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.comDouglas McKelvey and Every Moment Holy linksInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/quothdouglas/?hl=enEvery Moment Holy Website: https://www.everymomentholy.com/about-the-series

Are All Politicians Corrupt?

Americans' number one fear is corrupt politicians. Why is that? And is that valid? We discuss fear of the government and propose solutions. 
Links to Further Resources
 
Chapman University study of Americans’ greatest fears: https://www.chapman.edu/wilkinson/research-centers/babbie-center/survey-american-fears.aspx 
 
Summary of implications for new US rankings in global corruption: https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/28/report-transparency-international-corruption-worst-decade-united-states/
Christopher Bader interview on Chapman University study: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/science/sociology-fear-uncertainty.html
 
Liberty of the Ancients vs the Moderns speech: https://fee.org/resources/the-liberty-of-ancients-compared-with-that-of-moderns/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsoe5BhDiARIsAOXVoUvAN9dp6i3daV7OFgzeY5hfEwHv9JPJETxoenffgIjunKHUPd1SGBUaAj3NEALw_wcB
 
Federalist 51 - James Madison’s justification for our system of government in men’s natures: https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-51-60
 
Blesses:
 
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Death of Stalin
Hamilton
Trial of the Chicago 7
 
Curses
 
The West Wing
Civil War
Don’t Look Up
Megalopolis
 
Overthinkers Team Contact and Websites:The Overthinkers: theoverthinkersjournal.world
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com
 
 

Is Deconstruction a Good Thing? (With Scot McKnight and Tommy Preson Phillips)

Many Christians are worried about the phenomenon of "deconstruction". But what is "deconstruction" and is it something we should fear or embrace? Author and scholar Scot McKnight and musician and pastor Tommy Preson Phillips join to discuss their new book on deconstruction "The Invisible Jesus: A Book About Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ"References and Resources:
 
Deconstruction Definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deconstruction
 
What Does Deconstruction Mean? https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-does-deconstruction-even-mean
 
How many people deconstruct? https://www.barna.com/trends/ex-christians-deconstructing/
 
Why We Should Not Redeem Deconstruction https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/redeem-reconstruction/
 
Five Reasons Young People are Deconstructing Their Faith: https://careynieuwhof.com/five-real-reasons-young-people-are-deconstructing-their-faith/
 
Deconstruction encounters from Pastors: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2022/07/deconstruction-faith-pastors-church-lifeway-survey/
 
Rise in family estrangement: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/01/why-parents-and-kids-get-estranged/617612/
 
Rise of “everyone’s toxic”: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/09/toxic-person-tiktok-internet-slang-meaning/670599/
 
Millennials true religion: customizable beliefs, observation by Dr. Jean Twenge, author of Generations: https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/ad-fontes/generations-by-jean-m-twenge-review-and-reflections/
 
Blesses
 
WIldcat
The Great Dechurching
Mrs. Davis
 
Curses
 
First Reformed
Silence
Bonhoeffer (film)
 
Contact and Websites:
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com
Scot McKnight: https://scotmcknight.substack.com/
Tommy Preson Phillips: http://presonphillips.com/

Should We Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils?

Do we have a moral obligation to vote for the lesser of two evils? Do we have a moral obligation not to? Joseph Holmes and Nathan Clarkson discuss in the lead up to the American presidential  Election.
 
St. Francis advises voting for lesser of two evils, and why: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/pope-francis-kamala-harris-donald-trump-rcna171092
 
History of American “Lesser of Two Evils” debates: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/lesser-of-two-evils-history-voting/
 
Reasons to not vote lesser of two evils:
 
https://www.cato.org/commentary/why-voting-lesser-two-evils-waste-vote
 
https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2023/08/karty-the-lesser-of-two-evils-argument-needs-to-die
 
Americans disatisfied with choices: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/americans-dismayed-by-biden-trump-2024-rematch-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2024-01-25/
 
Federalist 51 - Why lesser of two evils thinking is built into American government:
 
https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-04-02-0199#:~:text=If%20men%20were%20angels%2C%20no,on%20government%20would%20be%20necessary.
 
Blesses:
 
The Righteous Mind
Eye in the Sky
Lincoln
13 Days
 
Curses:X/Twitter/Threads
God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust
Conclave
 
Contact and Websites:
Nathan Clarkson: nathanclarkson.me
Joseph Holmes: josephholmesstudios.com