Challenge Accepted!

Where we compete in a Story School-inspired contest.

Episode 150 – Remember When…

Sometimes we look back at the stories that shaped us, at the memories of characters and fictional worlds that left their impression upon us. We can remember with fondness what we learned and experienced. Sometimes the memories are bittersweet, with the taste of loss mixed in. In this, our final episode of Derailed Trains of…

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Episode 149 – In the Middle of It All

Everyone knows famous first lines from classic novels. Everyone has their favorite endings to a long-running series. But people don’t share their favorite “middle scenes” near as often. The middle can be messy. It can be slow or rushed or just plain confusing. That’s why hosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden decide to analyze what…

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Episode 144 – This is the Filler Episode

Nearly every long-running series has at least a few episodes that seem to be “killing time.” Sometimes they are unique one-off stories. Sometimes they are humorous character studies. And sometimes they are just plain weird. How are we to react to these filler episodes? To dig into this question, hosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden…

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Side Track 14 – Double Geek Jeopardy!

During Episode 140, guests Eric Anderson and Dallas Mora, joined by host Nick Hayden, competed in an epic showdown of geek-themed Jeopardy! However, that episode ran long, so only the first round made the final cut. The second round is now here for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

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Episode 140 – Reaching Geek Culture

Table top games. Cosplay. Anime. Superheros. Star Wars. Conventions. These are a few of a geek’s favorite things. Those who love these things love to share them with others. Together, they make up geek culture. But behind these shared interests and hobbies are individuals who need the love and hope of Jesus Christ. In this…

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Episode 136 – The Heart of a True Believer

The Christmas season means Christmas movies, and one constant of Christmas movies is the need to believe. You must have faith in the Christmas spirit, or belief in Santa Claus, or even trust in the promises of God. Each of these are labelled belief or faith, and yet they can make for very different stories….

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Episode 133 – A Time and a Place for Every Story

Hosts Timothy Deal and Nick Hayden tackle the importance of a story’s historical and cultural context…and Internet quizzes about which story came first.

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Episode 129 – Hurdles to “Higher” Art

Everyone has at least one–a piece of art that they keep meaning to experience someday. You know, things like War and Peace or The Rules of the Game or Der Ring des Nibelungen. But it’s long and maybe it’s boring and you don’t like weird foreign names and, I mean, you could just watch Friends…

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Episode 124 – Like the Lilies of the Field

Every story, whether long or short, written or visual, occupies a space of time–and then it’s over. Gone. Unless, of course, you can read or watch it again. Still, there is a transience to stories, a space they occupy in our lives that ends and can never

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Episode 123 – How (Not) to Jump a Shark

We’ve all been there. We’re watching season 17 of our favorite show or book 26 of our favorite series and suddenly wonder–Wait, what? What just happened? Whether it’s something too insane or too dumb or too out-of-character or simply too much, “this isn’

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