A Jew and A Gentile walk into a Bar . . . Mitzvah » Podcast

In episode 148, the intrepid trio, now podcasting from two countries, welcomes Mason Mennenga (he/him/his) an aspiring theologian, accomplished podcaster, YouTuber, and the Internet’s youth pastor. He received his Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in 2020 and a Master of Arts in Theology at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in 2022. He enjoys conversation over a drink, being a music snob, stand-up comedy, and long walks in the valley of the shadow of death, which is why he didn’t mind stopping by our podcast for a chat. He is the host of two podcasts, A People’s Theology and The BlackSheep Podcast. We talk about the evangelical-to-exvangelical-to-podcaster pipeline. To skip our opening mishigas start listening at the 22:14 mark. Click this link from our Podbean site to give this episode a listen.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the intrepid trio brings you episode 147 discusses three articles associated with mental health. First, the national mental health crisis plaguing colleges is stretching disability support offices, where more students are registering psychological disorders to receive classroom accommodations. Second, Staring at an image of yourself on Zoom has serious consequences for mental health – especially for women. Third, psychologists are starting to talk publicly about their own mental illnesses – and patients can benefit. The trio also does a mental health check-in with one another. To skip our opening mishigas start listening at the 16:38 mark. Know that you will miss some great non-context hashtags and cigar banter.

Episode 146 finds the intrepid trio welcoming Shannon Gonyou, a practicing attorney, author, and convert to Judaism. She shares about her faith journey featured in her upcoming book, Since Siani: A Convert’s Path to Judaism. (Be a mensch and click the link and preorder the book.)

A bit more on Shannon… Raised in a heavily Catholic suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Shannon grew up focusing on two things: how to do enough good deeds to get into heaven and how to stay pure enough to escape hell. In college, she followed many of her peers into an Evangelical church known for guitars, drums, religious-based shame, and the idea that without Jesus she was nothing. But when she encountered Judaism on that same campus, a spark ignited within her and refused to be put out. Judaism felt obvious, familiar. After a falling out with her biological mother and two miscarriages, she found the courage to send the most important email of her life: she asked the local Jews by Choice program to accept her as a student. Honest and unflinching, Shannon’s story of coming home to Judaism encourages everyone–Christian, atheist, Jewish, and anything in between–to search relentlessly for the place where they belong.

To skip our opening mishigas start at the 17:43 mark.

Need we say more?!?

Oh, apparently, we do. We couldn’t wait for Episode 150, so J. Dana Trent joins the podcast to discuss her latest book, Vermillion: A Memoir of Regret, Redemption, and Repair in Fly-over Country, based on her exceptional podcast, Breaking Good. Her podcast is powerful. (Also, check out her other podcast, Array of Faith.) And the rumor is the book is published by a random penguin! We strongly suggest that in the meantime you read all books by J. Dana Trent. To skip our opening mishigas, start at the 7:48 mark, though you’ll miss some high-quality JDT banter.