The One Degree Podcast is officially one year old! To celebrate our one-year anniversary, we’re doing a Q&A! We asked what questions you have on Instagram, and you guys delivered! Let’s jump in (popcorn style)…

1. What is the best thing you’ve learned over the last year of One Degree?

Nathaniel:

Practice what you preach. It can be so easy to say the right thing, but to neglect doing it. It’s kind of humbling because, obviously we are not perfect and fall short. But, we genuinely aspire to practice what we preach. We have people to hold us accountable and we hold each other accountable.

It comes back to your motivations. Are they to glorify yourself or are they to glorify the Lord? Because if they are genuinely to glorify the Lord you are going to seek to implement them yourself, and you are going to be willing to be called out when you are not.

I would also say: when you have a conviction, act on it. Even if it flies in the face of “normal” business practices.  

Xan:

Focus on serving despite numbers. In the world of social media, podcasting, anything business, or content creation, it’s so tempting to check stats and let them mean more than just a number. It’s easy to think: “Oh, people loved this episode!” or “People are getting bored of us.” But, we shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing for numbers. It’s not about us or our pride- it’s about serving others.

It’s a slippery slope into a lot of pride and dependence on ourselves instead of God.  We’ve worked to fight this temptation, even though it’s tough. And there’s so much more joy and freedom in truly just serving people and trusting that God will provide for us. 

2. Have you struggled to find topics for your episodes?

Nathaniel:

Honestly, not really. We have a Google doc with a whole bunch of potential episode topics. Also, if we are in a dry spell, we ask people what they would like to hear.

Our goal in the podcast is to:

1. Glorify the Lord
2. Serve the listener
3. Aim to speak the truth in love.  

I think the harder part is that we truly do view it as a weighty burden to speak from scripture and to talk about many of the topics that we address. While we certainly do have light-hearted episodes, talking about issues like sex, giving, and discipleship are weighty matters. And we want to make sure that we approach them with humility, but also speak the truth in a loving way.

Xan: Yeah, honestly a shortage of ideas isn’t ever an issue. It’s more, “Wow I really wanna prep more before trying to tackle that one.” It’s so important and worth the hard work.

3. Favorite date night meal?

Nathaniel:

IDC. It could be KFC, pizza, salad, or brussel sprouts for all I care. Just getting a date night with Xan is special. Although, I will say there is an amazing bar/grill about 20 minutes from our house that has amazing burgers. It’s right on the lake and just has a cool vibe. I really like that. 

Xan:

Yeah, tbh date nights are pretty rare so don’t even care where they are. I’m never team “spend money on restaurants” really. I’d rather eat a home-cooked meal.

4. Turkey or ham for Thanksgiving?

Xan:

Ham for sure. Specifically, honey-baked ham. I don’t care much for turkey… 

Nathaniel:

Why not both? I prefer ham, but to not have turkey at Thanksgiving is borderline blasphemous. Give me the ham, the turkey, the lamb, the mashed potatoes, the asparagus, the fruit, the rolls, the green bean casserole, and the pie…. Give me it all! Am I right? 

5. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid?

Nathaniel:

This is gonna sound ridiculous, but when I was young, we had these masks that looks like sports balls (footballs, basketballs, soccer balls, etc…). Honestly, it was less like a mask and more like a mascot head (you put it on like a helmet). So, I would just throw on this mask thing, wear a sports shirt, and go as a basketball or something. 

Xan:

My favorite would have to be when I went as a girl in a bathtub. I wore a round plastic tub, had a full nude-colored outfit on, balloons attached to me, a rubber ducky, shower cap, etc… It was a WHOLE thing. Check social media for the pics!

6. What do your daily devotions look like?

Nathaniel:

Right now I’m going through a Bible in a year plan since I haven’t done that in a while. My goal is to wake up before the kids, pray, read scripture, and do the accompanied reading. But the ideal does not always happen, so my goal is to always read before I go to sleep. I’m not perfect for sure, but that’s my goal. 

Xan:

I’ve been doing the Theologian Haus studies. We’ve done deep-dive studies in Esther and James and I’ve been doing them alongside all of the members!

7. What led you to do a podcast?

Nathaniel:

Xan said it would be fun. JK…

We felt a desire to move back to Wisconsin to pursue foster care and have our own business. It was a long process and we consulted a lot of mentors. The podcast was part of that plan! We work well together and thought it would be a lot of fun!

8. Advice on balancing parenthood while working from home?

Nathaniel:

The biggest thing is to not view your kids as a burden/obstacle. When you do that you are more prone to get angry at them, view them negatively, and prioritize work over your kids. Try to have a schedule and stick with it (there are certain times I work, play with my kids, etc…). Give them activities to do while you work- independent play is a good thing! Remember that your primary responsibility is to parent your kids, your secondary responsibility is your work. If this isn’t how your responsibilities are ordered, something needs to change.

Xan:

Yeah, remember: it’s God first, then family, then work. It’s hard if you’re an achiever or just love your work. But it comes down to trusting that God will continue to provide, even if you prioritize your family that He’s called you to serve and steward well (obviously within reason).

9. What got you guys started in theology?

Nathaniel:

I felt called to ministry and I strongly believe that any call to ministry should be accompanied by a call to be equipped. When I first became a Christian, I had a hunger for reading my Bible. But I didn’t know where to start. So, seminary really grew my passion for theology even more. 

Xan:

I’ve always loved learning. I thought about seminary countless times throughout college – I still get emails from a few different ones that I started applications for/inquired about. Ultimately, I didn’t end up going that route (although it’s still my dream to get my MDiv). But I’ve loved learning alongside Nathaniel while he’s been in seminary. I learn the most from just reading a ton of books.

One Degree Shift

The One Degree Podcast is a year old! If there is something that you have wanted to do, but have doubts about it, faithfully pray about going for it! Seek counsel over it. But, don’t make decisions to do/not do something because of fear.

Want to Stay a Little Longer?

• Listen to these other episodes on things we’re loving right now, our first Q&A, and why theology matters.
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