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Following the cursory examination of the father effect, Rewell and Levi connect to their emotional past.  Feelings of loneliness and abandonment are explored and how they impacted their significant relationships. The brother-bonding effect is detailed beginning in childhood and the correlation to one’s love language. Rewell discloses a contention with lust and we theorize how one’s past effects one’s future.  We use Rewell’s role as a parent as a platform to delve into parenting and commication between parent and child.

Our discussions start off where we left off last time.  Rewell and Levi explore the effects of an absent father, figuratively speaking.  Larry compares and contrasts his own experience.  Jason shares his observations of the guys experiences. [Original Recording #8]

Rewell starts the dialogue off by describing some of the demands raising his toddler son brings about.  In particular the effect parenting has had on Rewell’s energy levels.  This takes us to briefly cover introversion and extroversion. We explore what the philosophy of parental engagement and activity might be expressing.  Rewell details his parental philosophy. [Original Recording #8]

Our proverbial icebreaker art activity of creating a pictorial representation of the past, present and future self continues. We continue with our present pictures, resuming following Larry’s picture, Jason describes his present.  We complete this activity by expounding on the future pictures we are striving for ourselves.

With printed paper, colored pencils and crayons strewn out on the dinner table, we begin with a proverbial icebreaker art activity.  Draw a pictorial representation of your past, present and future self. While drawing we touch on topics including ripeness and a past topic regarding external enhancement. We expound on our illustrations of the past and its significance. Larry closes out this episode describing what his present looks like.  The continuation of “This Is Me: Super Saiyan“ to be concluded with Ep 53.

What is the purpose of a car? Jason shares a realization that a brand new car is a poor financial investment.  How was the desire for new material goods triggered within?  Reflection provides a platform for recognition and understanding. Larry's narrative is a contrast to this idea, when returning home unemployed, without any job prospects from global missionary work.  However, during this time he expressed satisfaction with his side work. Is one's position or job title the significance of the person or is it his or her prevailing constitution and disposition.  Larry's story tells of opportunities, leadership roles resulting from character.  [Original Recording #5]

Rewell cites the account in which Jacob was betrothed to the sister of his supposedly bride-to-be as a parallel with his own life.  Rewell particularly identifies with Jacob and the flow of consequences due to his actions.  This was the impetus for deep, self-reflections. Rewell details a small business enterprise he and his brother pursue almost a decade and half ago.  Levi recalls the origins that provoked their shoe ventures.  Strange events follow their business ventures, leading Rewell to now identify with Jacob's experiences.   From [Original Recording #5]

Jason details interview with mixed martial artist Georges St. Pierre's view on the changing landscape of sports competition.  What used to be the platform for human performance is now the stage for super human exploits.  However, this is not only a recent phenomenon, a long sordid history can at least be traced back to the 1988 Olympics.   The shocking revelation: superhuman performances are not limited to the sports arena, rather the sports world is a microcosm of the social structure.  To achieve high levels of success, requires assistance, enhancement.  Some of the most renown names have disclosed the use of extraneous assistance.  Thus the notion that hard work, determination, and focus is all you need to achieve and sustain the highest echelons is a facade, there is a cost. _____ Audio provided through YouTube.  CNN Business Segment, "Can LSD make you a billionaire?"  By Cullen Daly and Erika Fink {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz9yZFtRJjk} Permission request from CNN pending _____ [Original recording #6]

Rewell begins by sharing what has been on his mind the last few days.  Provoked by a change in his schedule,  increased availability and spare time, he has thought about how to occupy himself.  Rewell shares his idea of pursuing coding.  This provides the platform for delving into the dynamic of passion. Jason shares how Long Time No Talk came about.  However, passion is not the most significant piece.  Just as important, even more so, is the motivation: the why.  Rewell describes other activities to occupy his time with. {Recording #6}

Levi starts the conversation off wondering how we spend our leisure time.  Larry and Jason list their interests including sports, movies, and games, particularly poker for Jason.  (Though not at a casino, rather a home game with friends) Jason describes expanding his leisure interests into audiobooks and how a continuous reading of the Bible has provided the opportunity to dive into other classic literature texts and fiction.  Without a familiarity of old English, Jason would be restricted to only modern language and writing.   A connection between leisure preferences and the formation of habits are detailed.  Habits are developed due to the fulfillment of deeper desires.  How can one identify the deep seeded desires?  How can one establish desires intently?  Rewell talks about his approach to his leisure time.  We end on the importance of reflection.   "The unexamined life is not worth living.

There are certain things that Levi needs to have as a foundation before he can study the content. Without this initial understanding, his studies will not be as meaningful and significant and instead have the feel of information and facts. Levi uses his studies of the book of James to illustrate the importance of discovering the historical context occurring at the time of the writing. We briefly discuss the context of first century A.D. Particularly what was occurring within Jerusalem and the Diaspora. We move onto questions that Levi and Rewell had and the importance of searching for answers rather than being given. Larry delves into how questions frequently are not seeking direct responses, rather are indicative of deeper layers and notion which may be yet to be uncovered by the individual him or herself. Larry refers to the woman at the well to illustrate this point clearer.

It’s one thing about having a passion for something, it’s another to share a passion with others. Jason shares how he envisioned and hoped for Dinner Talk before it took form.  In particular, the cohesiveness, openness, and shared enjoyment of deep conversations. Levi opens up about the guilt he feels when he sees spends his time and laying PS4.  He wonders about this, whether his feelings are warranted or not.  Jason relates to his experiences and Larry shares his newly preoccupation with Clash Royale. The tendency to feel forced and obligated to participate in spiritual activities out of guilt becomes a primary motivator is detailed. Levi details the importance of creating a conducive environment for study, focus and thought. We end this conversation with what enhances our personal studies.

The Series: Scratching the Garden's Surface will resume at a later date as we will be resuming our regularly scheduled programming ) We continue to work on piecing together the real world ramifications of our topic.   One of our observations is the role knowledge plays with social engagement. Knowledge has become a measurement to differentiate oneself from the crowd. We delve into how our knowledge of God is inserted into the spectrum paradigm. Levi brings us back to social engagement and we detail its structure facilitating banter rather than active listening. We end on the notion that small groups should not be primarily about the get together, rather it should be a provocation outside of the hang out.

Levi kicks off our dialogue working to wrap his mind around our past discussions. Was the eating of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil the activator of resulting effects? In Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28, a framework is provided which we replicate and apply into the Genesis 3 account. The knowledge of good and evil was not a singular event, activated by a single bite.  Rather knowledge of good and evil is a process, one that began prior to the eating of the fruit. Knowledge is a quantifiable concept, one that is measurable with the form of a spectrum. This leads us to the significance and prevalence of the spectrum form and its reverberating impact.

Levi raises a previous topic yet to be discussed, the misinterpretation of disobedience.  Before we can arrive to a point of clarity, a deeper understanding must first be established. As a prelude to a future subject, we detail the notion of circular reasoning, in which the end point is also the beginning. You end where you begin.  The Disobedience-Death correlation is described.

Continuing from our last talk, we begin with the serpent’s claim and the tendency to identify it as temptation.  By assigning an evaluation, we miss the intention, which is the dispersal of information.  Therefore we can better grasp that knowledge was not derived through the eating of the fruit, rather the tree not to be eaten was a catalyst for delving into deeper truth and matters.

We start out by expounding on the original picture of creation. The tendency to focus on the secondary segment of the picture is highlighted. The notion that the serpent’s intention was to deceive and tempt is in actuality an evaluation, an appraisal, and result in important pieces missing. So then before an evaluation is determined, what was the intention of the serpent.  In other words, what is the purpose of the temptation? This is the impetus for the use of the metaphor,  putting the cart before the horse. What was the antecedent of the temptation? Was the intent to create an alternative picture countering the original picture?

If tangibly represented, the picture of the beginning would be depicted by a single form, a single model. However, an alternate picture came into existence establishing two forms.  Next we explore whether the cause of this second form was a singular or plural event. We delve into probable causes supporting a plural form. The culmination of our exploration leads us to examine if disobedience of God’s is the sole prominent event. We end on the notion of antecedents.

Rewell kicks off discussion sharing his self-reflections provoked by our recent conversation. He comes to the realization thechoices he made in the past and the actions he engaged in were done more automatically rather than deliberately. He ends his reflections with ”why.” Before we continue on the path of our series, we take a moment to step back and better understand the picture provided in Eden.  Though it could come across as redundant or overly exhaustive, however, our tendency is to skip ahead while allowing our presumptions to color our ideas. Together we work to illustrate the account as a method to peel away deep presumptions. The picture we arrive at is a before and after.

Our conversations begin with exploring possible causes for not believing in God.  One such cause is that God is a myth, which we proceed to delve into the notion of myths and mythology. Perhaps the notion is of myth can be traced all the way back to the garden of Eden and the philosophies espoused at the event.  Then man expounded on “myth” with stories having an affect on perceptions of God. Next I preview a forthcoming discussion of what occurred at the eating of the fruit. Why did this event result in a litany of negative effects. The common notion identified for the triggering effect is disobedience. We explore perceptions branching from this notion and why.