Persuasion 215 | Sustainable Living


Some days life cruises along the course of your well-laid plans and everything runs like clockwork. Other days—most days, perhaps?—life takes a detour off the beaten path and you get lost in the wilderness and stuck in the muck. Life works great, except when it doesn’t, which is more often than not. So what can we do in response? Do we bother making plans when they are likely to get turned inside out anyhow? Do we let chaos reign and become accustomed to the wild ride of life?

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson continue their series called Finding Common Ground. Each episode considers a different aspect of natural revelation and how the world around us gives us the common ground we seek—and desperately need—with our fellow humans. Despite the rifts we feel with others ideologically, there is still much we have in common. By turning our eyes to creation and its rhythms, we find commonality in our shared human experience.

One thing we all share is the sense of life taking a left turn into the wilds, leaving us scrambling to find our footing once again. These detours are frustrating, but they offer us an opportunity to consider if our previous course was actually sustainable. Sometimes when our plans fall apart, it’s just life and we need to regroup and continue. Other times, it’s a chance for us to develop a new route that’s more sustainable for us, our families, and society as a whole. What lessons about sustainability can we glean from the recent COVID detour? How do we know when it’s time to regroup and move ahead or it’s time to shift gears and take a new path? Is our current pace of life and life pursuits sustainable for ourselves and the world Listen in for dialogue on questions like these as we find common ground together. Then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook.


This episode of Persuasion is sponsored in part by LifeWay’s Christian Standard Bible, a translation that presents the truth of God’s Word with accuracy and clarity. The CSB equips today’s readers for lifelong discipleship with hundreds of designs to choose from at CSBible.com.


Your Hosts

Erin Straza: Web / Twitter
Hannah Anderson: Web / Twitter

Persuasion 215 Resources & Links

“The pandemic is an opportunity to reconsider what makes a good life,” The Guardian

“The Virus Is a Reminder of Something Lost Long Ago,” The Atlantic

Did you enjoy this episode of Persuasion? Give the entire series a listen!

Persuasion 209 | Finding Common Ground

Persuasion 210 | Dust to Dust

Persuasion 211 | Universal Language, with James Beitler and Richard Gibson

Persuasion 212 | Garden Variety, with Sarah Pabody

Persuasion 213 | Survival Instinct

Persuasion 214 | Interlude

Theme music by Maiden Name. Produced by Jonathan Clauson.


Sponsorship Details

This episode of Persuasion is sponsored in part by LifeWay’s Christian Standard Bible. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode of Persuasion, please email us for available packages and rates.


Episode Transcript

This transcript has been edited to enhance readability.

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