Keep Calm — Practicing Curiosity

In this episode, Lou Huesmann builds on what Ken shared with us last time about addressing our shame, this time examining the story of the prodigal son and what his shame does to his relationship with his father and how he sees his father. Lou asks where the son ever got the idea that his father would treat him like a hired hand or that he would give him what he deserved, like the proverbial Santa who knows if we've been "bad or good." Rather, he explains, the son's sin and shame altered how he saw his father and his relationship with him. But the way he saw his father is not who the Father is. He does not change, and our sin does not change his attitude about us – nor does our repentance change his mind. God never changes his mind about us. Love is who he is, and in Christ he has already embraced us with grace and mercy.This episode was recorded on November 6th, 2026.

In this episode Ken talks about naming, facing, and addressing our shame as another way we can love ourselves well.Shame is that voice in our head that tells us we are not enough and that we have to prove ourselves. Too many of us have spent much of our lives in bondage to our shame. Ken shares a personal story about how shame showed up for him recently and spends a little time talking about how we can respond to, address, and release our shame.This episode was recorded on October 30th, 2026.

Last week Ken spoke of his belief that we cannot fully join God on mission until we learn to love ourselves well, and that one way we love ourselves well is through growing in self-differentiation. This week he spoke of another way we can learn to love ourselves better, which is by practicing Sabbath as a way of life. He unpacks how the concept of Sabbath goes so much deeper than what many of us were taught about it growing up, and how countercultural practicing Sabbath rest is, as it goes against so many of the dominant messages of our culture. Practicing Sabbath is a reminder that we are free and that God has provided everything we need. We have enough and there will be enough, we've done enough, and we are enough...so we can rest. It is also out of Sabbath rest that we grow in our capacity to love God and our neighbor well, as we love ourselves. This episode was recorded on October 23, 2026.

In this episode, Ken states that he believes we cannot fully join God on mission until we learn to love ourselves well. We are called to love our neighbors the way we love ourselves, and he notes that it's almost impossible to love my neighbor well if I don't love myself well. One way that we learn to love ourselves well (he will unpack others in the coming weeks) is as we grow in our own self-differentiation. "I am convinced, " he says, "that the more I can "own" my own life — the more I can take responsibility for my own life — the better I'll love myself." Self-differentiation is about taking responsibility to thoughtfully live my life based on a set of guiding principles; it is not about comparing my life to others or expecting others to live their life my way. Listen for more about what a self-differentiated life looks like and how it relates to loving ourselves and others well.This episode was recorded on October 15th, 2026.

In this episode Ken begins a series on what it means to join God on mission in the world, which is the endgame of Faithwalking. We believe restoring all creation to wholeness is God's intention. In answer to the question, "What does it look like to be missional people?" Ken reads Isaiah 58, and he shares the special place this passage has in Faithwalking's history. Ken states that he believe Isaiah 58 is an accurate depiction of what God really cares about. Ken invites his listeners to discern God's invitation in the places and among the people in their lives and to align their lives with the character of God, which requires ongoing growth in emotional maturity.This episode was recorded on October 9th, 2026.

In this episode, Ken wraps up his series on polarization and the question of how we manage our anxiety so as not to be polarizers. He points out that Jesus was regularly invited to polarize and consistently resisted. "When we make enemies of fellow human beings," Ken states, "we are out of alignment with Jesus's way." He invites his listeners to reflect on the story of the Good Samaritan — and in light of that story, on the political situation in the US — and ask ourselves, "Am I a loving neighbor to those with whom I disagree?"This episode was recorded on October 2nd, 2026.

In this episode Ken reminds his listeners of the importance of learning to be patient with ourselves as we go through the process of growing in emotional maturity. It's in the practice — slowly but surely — that we grow in emotional maturity day by day. We have to keep pushing forward with that practice. Ken then shares a personal story of a situation in which he recognized his own anxiety and then worked through the internal process to manage it, to help remind us how we can practice managing our own anxiety in the moment.This episode was recorded on September 25th, 2026.

In this episode, Ken continues unpacking the six characteristics of a "safe person" and how we can become a safer presence for others. This week he focuses on the competency of curiosity. To be a safe person, we must stay curious. Developing curiosity about other people means approaching every conversation with a genuine desire to learn rather than to judge or to perform. Curiosity is a habit that can be built — in fact, it can become a way of life. We can build this habit with some simple practices Ken shares with his listeners.This episode was recorded on September 18th, 2026.

In this episode, Ken continues the conversation about becoming a safe person by discussing how to avoid relational triangles — or manage our anxiety when we find ourselves in one. Once again the tremendously insightful work of Ronald Richardson (this time in Couples in Conflict) helps frame the discussion. Ken unpacks for listeners what a triangle is, how to recognize when we are triangling or find ourselves in a triangle, and what being neutral looks like. Then he shares three practical ways we can avoid triangles in the first place or manage our anxiety when we discover ... whoops! ... we're already in one.This episode was recorded on September 11th, 2026.

Last week Ken told the group that to be a safe person we have to become less anxious. So in this episode Ken asks the group to share practices that help them become less anxious. Then he builds on these by providing practical guidance of his own — practices he has learned really help someone grow in their ability to be a less anxious presence. He divides these recommendations into three categories — prep work, awareness work, and self-regulation work — and shares this essential wisdom with the group and his listeners.This episode was recorded on September 4th, 2026.