This energizing conversation between a baby boomer and a Gen Zer who is being unapologetically himself is going to make you think, and you’ll be excited about exploring all the things that will be bouncing in your head after this conversation.
In this episode:
Making a book with the word “economics” in it interesting
What “Value Economics” actually means
The issue of identity
Why it’s insulting to think America is so bad right now
The death of the spirit
The fallout from being laid off as an air traffic controller in 1981 and how his family held it together
Defining our values
The importance of examining the difficult things
What shaped him
DC Comics
Why he moved to Austin, TX from Ohio
Why he’s not on Twitter
Why he dedicated his book to those who tell the truth
Why he’s having a hard time dating
How values should supersede politics
Quotations:
“We don’t really have a “fatal flaw” with our generation. And so without that, we turn the war against ourselves. And we see that we really don’t have an identity as an individual person and as a culture anymore because our previous identities were all focused on something else that was flawed but still an identity. And now we’re just in this kind of sea of nothingness.” ~Sam LaCrosse
“We have to treat people as people, and individual values are the way we should look at individual people.” ~Sam LaCrosse
“We’re so scared of taking stances, we take no stances.” ~Sam LaCrosse
“The more you value something, the more you will sacrifice to get that something, the less you value something, the less you will sacrifice to get that something.” ~Sam LaCrosse
“I have a rule that I will never punch someone in the face as hard as I will punch myself in the face.” ~Sam LaCrosse
“When you do adopt a firm set of values, you’re going to polarize people, and you’re not going to, you cannot be all things to all.” ~Sam LaCrosse
Guest’s Bio:
According to Sam, Sam LaCrosse is a nobody. He hasn’t done anything amazing. He is not extraordinary or impressive. He doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry. He’s just an ordinary guy from Cleveland, Ohio, who now lives an ordinary life in Austin, Texas. But if you want to check him out, he’s the author of “Value Economics: The Study of Identity, writes blogs on dontreadthisblog.com, and hosts Don’t Listen to This Podcast. Sam is the CEO and founder of Don’t Do This, LLC, a company that makes no money. He is also a board member of Thrive Living Corporation and an ambassador for RallyCap Sports.
Get ready, science lovers! (and even non-science lovers) This episode is about to blow your mind. Dr. Thomas Sheahen joined Gary to talk about the relativity of time, how science always points to God, and much more!
In this episode:
Consciousness, the higher functions of mankind
Our view of time vs God’s view of time
The comprehension of total time
False gods
How religion and science can both be right
The possible existence of UFOs & aliens
How the moon affects us
There’s a great intelligence behind “coincidences”
Constraints humans impose upon God
Possible realities of different versions of Hell
Quantum Mechanics
Quotations:
“The appearance or the publicity surrounding the idea that scientists or atheists is really mistaken and very misleading. Everyone who really looks carefully into science at a very high level. Finds that the upper reaches of research and so forth are pointing again and again and again to the fact that God created science; he invented it, he thought it up, and it is his accomplishment that we, as scientists, are studying.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“An awful lot of science is very similar in that we think we’ve accomplished something wonderful, and we have made real accomplishments–look at medical science, for example; it has been wonderful, but we do appreciate what a huge gulf there is between what we can do and what God has already done in creating nature.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“Any scientific theory is always subject to revision. There’s no such thing as final when you’re talking about science.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“Human beings are indeed capable of consciousness, understanding, thought of will, and of love. And to direct that love back to God is the intention of creation.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“What I’m preaching here with this book to everyone is to be humble. Be appreciative of the fact that God is smarter than us. And he is better than us, and he can do things that we can’t even comprehend.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“Time is the falsest god of all.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“When they think that God is limited in time, when God is subordinate to time, then they have placed a false God before God, which is forbidden by the commandments.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“All the people who insist on six-day creationism, they don’t understand relativity. They’ve got no concept of time dilation or different timeframes. And it’s a real shame that that very brilliant idea has escaped the attention of so many people.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“I think our space exploration is going to be done with robots for many, many years to come.
“I have to, again, underline my own limitations that I see things through the eyes of a person from the 20th and 21st century. And that’s limited.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“There’s a big difference between my science and the science of the future.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“Accept your human limitations. Don’t try to tell God what to do because we’re on a much lower plane of intelligence than God is.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“There is a real Hell, and we need to think at a higher level in order to learn about it because we’re not getting there by just ordinary human imagination.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
”I encourage you to keep exploring and keep thinking and keep dreaming up new ideas yourself.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
“Why are we here? What is life all about and so forth? You will not find the answer by thinking at an ordinary human level. You’ve gotta think at a higher level; you gotta reach your thinking in the direction of God in order to understand what it’s all about. But in every case, science is gonna point us toward God. And that’s really, really important.” ~Dr. Thomas Sheahen
Guest’s Bio:
Dr. Thomas P. Sheahen is vice president of the Science and Environment Policy Project (SEPP), Director of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology (ITEST), and president/CEO of Western Technology, Inc., an independent consulting firm specializing in energy technology issues with business implications,
From 2005 – 2009, Dr. Sheahen served as a Senior Analyst in the Systems Integration Office of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. From 1993 – 2002 he was a senior scientist in the Energy Systems Group for Science Applications International Corporation, where he led a team of evaluators in selecting renewable energy projects for support by NREL. He previously held positions with Argonne National Laboratory, Energy Research Advisory Board to the Department of Energy, SRI International (Stanford Research Institute), Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, National Bureau of Standards, and Bell Telephone Laboratories.
Dr. Sheahen is the author of Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity (Plenum Press: 1994). His research papers have appeared in many peer-reviewed scientific journals, including Physical Review, Applied Optics, Journal of Technology Transfer, Reviews of Modern Physics, Energy the International Journal, Strategic Planning, and Energy Management, and The Science Teacher.
Dr. Sheahen has co-authored numerous reports on topics including rocket re-entry instrumentation (Bell Labs), industrial instrumentation and analysis of measurement economics (Industrial Nucleonics), research program plans (National Bureau of Standards), industrial energy conservation (Office of Technology Assessment), national energy policy planning (DOE), and renewable energy technology (SAIC).
Dr. Sheahen holds B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Grab some tissues for this episode! Brian Moran and Gary Scott Thomas went way off course from what they had planned on talking about, and the result was spectacular.
In This Episode:
The illusion of security
How Gary has double first cousins
How coming from a big family helps you cut through the BS
Forgiveness
Being courageous in faith
Viktor Frankl’s The Meaning of Life
The lens of gratitude
Practicing gratitude
Running the NY City Marathon
His upcoming book My 5 Conversations with God
The importance of paying attention
Thriving after bankruptcy
How mental health is like trying to explain a TV to a caveman
Helping his son with his mental health battles
How the mountaintop and valley moments are all part of our purpose
Taping into your courage
His advice for parents who are helping their child through a mental health struggle
The importance of no electronics days
Not always offering advice to your children
The gift his daughter reluctantly gave him
“Buddy Days”
The thing that made Gary cry
Writing down what you’re worried about and seeing if it actually happened
Treating everyone with love
How a homeless person affected Brian
An amazing Hindu proverb
The one thing Brian wants people to take away from this episode
Quotations:
“The meaning of my life is not my job.” ~Brian Moran
“The meaning of your life can change over time.” ~Brian Moran
“When you are grateful for everything in your life, from the clothes you wear to your physical faculties and mental faculties, and just every single day, the food you eat, the family you have, even the obstacles that are in front of you and the fact that you have the ability to get around them–when you are grateful for all of that everything just looks beautiful.” ~Brian Moran
“It’s [faith] like a special power.” ~Brian Moran
“I’m not as anxious or stressed because I’m grateful for every day.” ~Brian Moran
“You have two options. You either move ahead, or you die.” ~Brian Moran
“Be comfortable getting out of your comfort zone.” ~Brian Moran
“Get into a zone where time stands still.” ~Brian Moran
“Get them [kids] off their phones…point out the small miracles to them.” ~Brian Moran
“Have days where you say this is a no electronics day
Be mindful of things they [your kids] don’t tell you.” ~Brian Moran
“What do you think the meaning of your life is today?” ~Brian Moran
“We’re only guaranteed today. We can only live in the present moment.” ~Brian Moran
We all have a limited amount of time…if you are waiting for something to happen, make it happen today.” ~Brian Moran
Guest’s Bio:
Brian is the founder and CEO of Small Business Edge, a global community platform for business owners and entrepreneurs to find answers to their most pressing questions and obstacles that keep them up at night.
Brian’s goal with Small Business Edge is to measurably increase the success rate of small businesses both in the United States and around the world!
Before launching Small Business Edge, he spent 20+ years helping America’s entrepreneurs realize their dreams. Prior to starting his 3rd company in 2012, he was the Executive Director of Sales Development at the Wall Street Journal overseeing the financial and small business markets across the WSJ franchise.
From 2002-2010, he ran Veracle Media & Moran Media Group–both content companies utilized various media channels to help entrepreneurs manage & grow their companies. Prior to launching these two companies, he was the Associate Publisher at Inc. Magazine, a Publisher and Associate Publisher at Entrepreneur Media, and held management positions at Success Magazine and Medical Economics Magazine.
His specialties include all areas, divisions, and channels within the small to midsize business market.
If you need some encouragement, this episode will do it! Have you heard Walker Hayes’ song “Craig?” This is THAT Craig! This story is just so good. Craig shares about the first time he met Walker, how they became friends, and about the book they just wrote together. This episode will definitely lift you up.
Also in this episode:
The first time he realized Walker was a talented artist
What he thought the first time he heard the song
Tearing down the fence between their houses
How Walker encouraged him
How God answered Craig’s questions about his purpose
The time he failed as a minister
How he got into ministry
Why Gary has so much Alabama gear
Writing a book with Walker Hayes
Quotations:
“It’s really remarkable what the Lord’ done.” ~Craig Allen Cooper
“The smile of God was on both our families.” ~Craig Allen Cooper
“Dude, mark my words. You [Walker Hayes] will pack stadiums.” ~Craig Allen Cooper
“Jesus is alive and is working today.” ~Craig Allen Cooper
“God’s a refuge for us.” ~Craig Allen Cooper
“God is in charge.” ~Craig Allen Cooper
Bio:
I’ll share a little bit about me (and I’d love to hear more about you!). I’m a Bible teacher, author, and speaker based in the greater Nashville, TN area.
Basically, I’m the guy next door. I live an incredibly ordinary life, but I’ve seen God do some extraordinary, remarkable things — things that can only be attributed to Him.
I love meeting new people and hearing everyone’s unique stories, and I have a deep passion for encouraging others — who doesn’t need more encouragement in this broken world?
I believe every person on this planet has divinely attributed value, worth, and dignity as individuals created in the image of God, and that means that you are so valuable in God’s sight. I also believe every single person in the world has been uniquely gifted by God. Each one of us has particular gifts, strengths, and abilities that are intended to make the world a better place, and that’s how God designed it. So, I love focusing on, highlighting, and celebrating other people’s strengths. Let me encourage you! You may not see it right now, but there is SO MUCH to celebrate in you (because ultimately it came from Him).
You matter. Your life matters.
You can — and do! — make a huge difference in the world around you.
