Axis Conversations

At the end of every year, we take a few weeks to reset and reflect on everything that happened in culture over the past twelve months. We share our reflections with you in the form of our Top 20 Annual Countdown. This week, you'll receive 20-11; next week, you'll get the top ten. Listen as Evan, CJ, and Irene discuss their top picks! Moving 10 up and moving 10 down - 0:41 Ranking 20-11 - 27:55 Here is the Top 20-11: 20. Hailey and Justin Bieber drama 19. The LA Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani winning the World Series 18. The rise of smartphone bans in schools 17. Forrest Frank breaking his back16. The fall of Sydney Sweeney15. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle14. Labubu Dolls13. Adolescence12. The Coldplay concert cheating scandal 11. Season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty Double your impact with End of Year Giving! Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for dollar until the end of 2025! Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.    

"Our oldest is a 14 year old boy so we're still newbies to parenting teens. Our 8th grader teen seems, in mom and dad's opinion, overly concerned with materialism (things like shoes and iphone model etc). We've heard that this is pretty typical for middle school boys; do teen boys tend to become less materialistic after middle school/once they're in high school? We try to talk with him about materialism not being a healthy priority but it doesn't seem to be sinking in yet." -  Sarah Scientific Paper --> Growing up in a Material World: Age Differences in Materialism Scientific Paper --> Effects of Materialism on Adolescents' Book Reference --> The Emotional Lives of Teenagers by Dr. Lisa Damour Axis Resource --> A Parent's Guide to Teen Identity   This podcast is entirely Q&A based! Send in your questions to [email protected]. Double your impact with End of Year Giving! Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for dollar until the end of 2025! And for more resources, go to axis.org.  

 Three Big Conversations: TikTok's most-used sound in 2025 was a 63-year-old love song - 8:40  Netflix and Paramount are in a bidding war for Warner Bros. - 22:38 Hollywood might be having a "God moment." - 35:52 Song of the Week: "Santa Tell Me" - by Ariana Grande - 1:02 Click here for the lyrics. In Other News: - 52:20 Taylor Swift will officially conclude her Eras era today, releasing a six-episode docuseries about her record-setting tour as well as "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show," both streaming on Disney+. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York took several big steps toward resolving 1,300 sex abuse claims against clergy. Australia's blanket ban of social media for all users under 16 took effect on Wednesday. Pop-folk artist Noah Kahan is dropping hints about his next album, and considering the popularity of his 2022 release Stick Season, it could be one of the biggest releases of 2026. Pantone named "Cloud Dancer"—a shade of natural white—as its color for 2026, stating that the shade represents "a calming influence in a frenetic society." Double your impact with End of Year Giving! Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for dollar until the end of 2025! Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.

TikTok's most-used sound in 2025 was a 63-year-old love song, Netflix and Paramount are in a bidding war for Warner Bros., and Hollywood might be having a "God moment."  Song of the Week: "Santa Tell Me" - by Ariana Grande Click here for the lyrics. In Other News: Taylor Swift will officially conclude her Eras era today, releasing a six-episode docuseries about her record-setting tour as well as "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show," both streaming on Disney+. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York took several big steps toward resolving 1,300 sex abuse claims against clergy. Australia's blanket ban of social media for all users under 16 took effect on Wednesday. Pop-folk artist Noah Kahan is dropping hints about his next album, and considering the popularity of his 2022 release Stick Season, it could be one of the biggest releases of 2026. Pantone named "Cloud Dancer"—a shade of natural white—as its color for 2026, stating that the shade represents "a calming influence in a frenetic society." Double your impact with End of Year Giving! Every dollar you give will be mathched dollar for dollar until the end of 2025! Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.  

Justin Whitmel Earley is the creator of The Common Rule, a program of habits designed to form us in the love of God and neighbor. He is also a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Richmond, Virginia. Justin and his wife, Lauren, have four sons.  Click here for The Common Rule Youth Edition: Growing Your Faith in a Distracted World. Become a monthly donor today, join the Table. Get your question on Ask Axis! Send in your questions to [email protected]. Click to join our Advent for the Record Listening Experience! For more Axis resources, go to axis.org.