It’s Kinda Like That…
Have you ever had someone just completely drop you?
You start talking to someone. You gain momentum. Things are going well. Their name is at the top of your text message thread. Your streaks together are going strong. Things only seem to go up from there.
And then all of a sudden, they drop off the face of the planet. They go dark. You can’t reach them. They don’t reach out to you. It’s like they are lost in a black hole and you never hear from them again.
And after spending laundry loads of time getting over them, which you had to do because of the exhaustion of your family, friends, counselor, and maybe even God’s ear expressed every time their name came out of your mouth, then one day they mysteriously walked back into your life.
No warning. No heads up.
They showed up again.
And for those of you who have experienced this, you know that’s not even the worse part. You know what’s coming.
The worst part is they act like nothing ever happened. Like all that time was just a snap of a finger and now they are back into your life.
Well, if we are completely honest, that is what we did at the Onto Somethin’ Podcast as well. We’ve been on a hiatus for a while (19 weeks but who’s counting?), but here is what makes us different from all the others out there who fall off the face of the earth.
We are not going to pretend like it happened. Can I get an “amen.” The reality is it did happen, but some great things have happened since we dropped off the planet. And that’s the whole point of this episode.
We want to talk about where we went and where we are going with the Onto Somethin’ Podcast now that we are back on the wire. And ultimately, I think it’s going to be some fun news for anyone who is wanting to listen.
Where Did We Go?
Let’s start with the most obvious question, “Where did we go?”
The short story is what happened to you, happened to us as well.
A global pandemic. (If you haven’t heard about it, go give it a Google. People are really upset about it)
I, Zane, am a local pastor by day, and podcaster by night (kinda like batman, but way less epic) which means when the world was disrupted by the pandemic, I needed to disrupt a lot of my outside rhythms to stay present, attentive, and concentrated to the work I’ve committed to amongst my community.
It’s been a hard season, as I’m aware many of you have experienced as well, but for the life of Onto Somethin’ it wasn’t time wasted. It gave a window of time for feedback, reflection, and a couple of new decisions. The best part about today is that I want to give you a preview of where this podcast is going in 2021.
Where Are We Going?
Two main adjustments are happening at the Onto Somethin’ Podcast.
The first one is a “how” adjustment.
One of my coworkers and I are working on this belief that everyone’s working posture fits into one of the five “W’s” we were all taught in the good ol’ days of kindergarten. Who? What? When? Where? And Why?
Whenever there is work to be done, we all have a natural instinct to react with one of these “W’s”.
I’m unapologetically a “what” person.
How we roll out, implement, timeline, and execute something is how my brain works. It matters to me.
How we layout Onto Somethin’ matters, and last year it wasn’t extremely clear how it all worked, but this adjustment is going to help bring some clarity.
Of course, the podcast will still be the same. The podcast is the main way to engage us and also let us know how you’re feeling about the idea as a whole.
In addition to the podcast though, starting in 2021 we will be also releasing a blog that will contain the digital transcript to the show for all Zane-a-loges. This decision is for those of you who really take in information better by reading than hearing. It will also provide you a place to be able to reference and lift quotes for those of you who teach, lead devos, or write yourself.
All you simply have to do is go to www.ontosomethin.com and you have the ability to sign up to receive emails of the transcripts every time a new episode/blog releases.
Finally, speaking of emails, the Onto Somethin’ Podcast email will transition to being a platform wide email. All that means is that you will get updates holistically about the Onto Somethin’ Podcast through this medium. This is the best way to stay up-to-date on all things Onto Somethin’ related. (If you’re not already on this email list, you can go to our Insta bio and enter your email address).
Now let’s talk about the second adjustment…
This adjustment is the “what” when it comes to the content of the Onto Somethin’ Podcast.
The core desire of this project isn’t changing. It’s here to stay. We believe every day is a chance to discover something new in your life. Our confession about the world is that it is dripping with possibility, potential, and opportunities.
We want to help you find this statement to be true. Doing this requires we remove some of the most common roadblocks when walking through this world. In essence, we’re like your curling partner. If you’ve never seen Olympic Curling, it’s basically a group of people trying to move a stone down a lane of ice to land in the perfect spot. You’re the beautiful stone (look at you). We are the sweepers. Our job is to help move you down the lane and remove all the stuff that can slow you down.
Why be sweepers? Easy. We believe that if you slide into the right spot in life, you’re going to open up possibilities, potential, and opportunities for others.
So, what is going to be talked about on the Onto Somethin’ Podcast?
Many things, but all within three lanes. These three lanes, all interconnected, are what can help you glide down the path towards figuring out what you are “onto” in the world and then what to do when you discover it.
Let’s walk you through each of the lanes.
The first lane is what we call, “God Thing.” We believe you are onto something with God. The reality is we are like fish swimming in an ocean who don’t even know we are swimming in water. In an effort to try to explain important moments, we’ve mixed up some of our language that has made the reality of God confusing. Sometimes you will hear people say, “God showed up” but this isn’t the actual reality we are working with in life. The reality is that God is always present, we are the ones who show up or start to see in a way we didn’t see before.
One of our hopes is to talk about the things of God that help what seems invisible become visible.
The second lane is what we call, “Their Thing.” We believe you are onto something with the people around you. People make or break life. It’s just reality. Tell me your best moment or worst moment in your life, and it’s probably safe to say it involved people. The ultimate reality is that we are making and breaking simultaneously in life. This lane is all about how to navigate what we are making or breaking with people in our most precious relationships. As a side note, there will be a lot of discussion about relationships, dating, and marriage because it’s one of the main mediums I’ve experienced this making and breaking.
The third, and final lane, is what we call, “Your Thing.” The whole premise of this podcast is that we believe every day you are onto something in your life. If you continue listening to this podcast, it’s safe to assume you are creating, building, ushering, performing, or leading something in life. “Your something” is that something more in life. I’ve noticed people can feel when they are onto something in life, but they can’t necessarily always remove what is slowing them down when it comes to “their thing.” This lane of the podcast will focus on a lot of soft skills, transitions, and perspective shifts that could help you come closer to your thing in life.
If these three things get our attention, I think we will find the exciting, comforting, and vein-flowing feeling of saying the words, “I think I’m onto something.”
You Are Onto Something
As we come to a close, I want to leave you with a quote a friend shared with me last week that is oh so relevant to this podcast and upcoming year. These words are from the writer Walker Percy who said, “To be aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.”
To not be aware is to live a life of despair. To be aware of how much possibility is in front of you is to truly live in a state of anticipation.
What we want you to know is whether you hopped, bounced, drug, or rolled yourself out of bed today, the reality is still true for you. You are onto something. You’re just steps away from self discovery and awareness. You’re inches from discovering something new with someone. And you’re close to visibly seeing The One who seems so invisible to you right now.
It’s okay if you don’t feel it right now. That’s the point of this podcast.
Because even when you don’t see it, we will remind you that you are Onto Somethin’.