Circle Stories

It was such a blessing to me to be able to talk to Louis Parrish and publish this episode on his 90th birthday.

1942 Studebaker

"1942 Studebaker Champion Custom Club Sedan" by aldenjewell is licensed under CC BY 2.0

For more information on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship see https://cbf.net/

TEN LESSONS FOR A POST-PANDEMIC WORLD, BY FAREED ZAKARIA https://fareedzakaria.com/

The writings of Kahlil Gibran https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kahlil-gibran

LOVE WINS, BY ROB BELL https://robbell.com/love-wins/

A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY: TEN QUESTIONS THAT ARE TRANSFORMING THE FAITH https://brianmclaren.net/books-by-brian-mclaren/#name

THE MYTH OF A CHRISTIAN NATION, BU GREGORY A BOYD https://reknew.org/book/myth-of-a-christian-nation-how-the-quest-for-political-power/

Hildegard of Bingen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen

ORIGINAL BLESSING, BY MATTHEW FOX https://www.matthewfox.org/donation-store/original-blessing-a-primer-in-creation-spirituality

I had fun doing this and I want to thank all the participants for helping me out.

The expletive bleep was used under attribution license and can be found at https://freesound.org/s/264862/

Ok. So I had a little fun with the intro this episode. And it's possible I went a little fan boy on him as well. It's my podcast.

If you don't know Gareth, to say he is a movie/film buff is to say the sun is hot. It's true, but in no way captures the essence. Gareth's movie knowledge is extensive and his passion unparalleled in any of my circles. Founder and organizer of film festivals, critic, reviewer, and commentator, Gareth brings his own experience to his love of movies.

We discuss the power and impact of stories and eventually get into movies and movies as vessels for a story. I am going to try and list all of the movies we talked about but there's a chance I may have missed one or two.

Gareth on Stories:

1.) Is it true. And if not. Is there a truer way I can tell this story.

2.) Am I telling it in the most helpful way.

"The key question is: does the story promote life."

"You're a co-creator, with the divine, of the story of what's gonna happen next."

MOVIES

Bullet Proof Heart https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletproof_Heart_(film)

Kramer vs. Kramer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kramer_vs._Kramer

Vertigo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_(film)

Silence of the Lambs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_(film)

Big Hero 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hero_6_(film)

Blindspotting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindspotting

Avengers: End Game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers:_Endgame

Two Lane Blacktop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Lane_Blacktop

Limbo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(1999_film)

Smoke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_(film)

The Fisher King https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fisher_King

The Killing Fields https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Fields_(film)

Brian Ammons introduced me to Reid and then I saw her from time-to-time at Circle of Mercy. I wish I was as cognizant and well spoken of real issues as she is at her age. We talked COVID-19, her activism surrounding racism, and her background as a high schooler in Kenya.

I forgot to start with a check in. My bad.

Also check out Reid's blog at http://shatteredsunsunblog.wordpress.com

The song on the break is David LaMotte's Home By Now

Check out all of David's work and activities at www.davidlamotte.com

I talked to Jen Folkers about COVID and her work as an ESL instructor for Buncombe County schools. The episode title is not a complete thought and you'll have to listen to see what Jen says about it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel

Sound effects used under Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 international. The sound effects have not been modified or changed in any way. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Record scratch

https://freesound.org/people/luffy/sounds/3536/

Marc Mullinax and I talked COVID and higher education for a bit but then we dive into Tolkien. The Tolkien writings as comparable to our sacred texts. Think about that for a minute. Marc and I discuss that and the power of imaginative fiction (nee fantasy) stories . "All religion is imagination" says the Professor. I love it.

Find Marc on social media at: https://www.instagram.com/marcmullinax/

We also talked about:

http://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/

https://tolkienprofessor.com/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpanH1YqxZ4C_R_BT-2NeSI74UBvEo62Z

The title of the episode says it all for me. And its something I am trying to live into as well. I encourage you to get your story out. If you don't, how can we hear it.

I had to look this up because marc kept mentioning it, so I'll leave this here just in case anyone else needs a refresher:

allegory

noun

al·​le·​go·​ry | \ ˈa-lə-ˌgȯr-ē  \plural allegories

Definition of allegory

1: the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence a writer known for his use of allegory also: an instance (as in a story or painting) of such expression. The poem is an allegory of love and jealousy.2: a symbolic representation

Liz and Elizabeth Music

search @lizandelizabeth on Facebook and Instagram

https://www.lihttps://www.lizandelizabeth.com/zandelizabeth.com/

Ok. To be fair, Brian and I don't answer the question proposed in the title, but we make some headway. I thought I knew Brian pretty well, but I learned so much while we were talking. Did you know he taught Junior High? Well, ok, maybe you did. But did you know he holds a Masters in Special Ed in addition to his MDiv? Aha - got ya... you knew that too? I didn't. Well maybe y'all do know Brian better than I do. We didn't talk about hardly any of that. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The song we heard in this episode from David Lamotte was called Hope. Find David's complete catalog and all the other peace, light and life giving stuff he is doing at http://www.davidlamotte.com

I wanted to address something I said about 5 minutes into the discussion. I said "the George Floyd thing." Now, I edited out the extended period of silence and me stammering around trying to find the appropriate word(s) for the issues and actions surrounding the death of George Floyd and everything that has happened since. "Thing" is what I came up with and the conversation continued. As inarticulate and inadequate as labeling the incredible movement started by his death and subsequent events a "thing" is, I still struggle with what to call it.

It is larger than his death - decades larger, centuries larger, everyday larger. Its more than Black Lives Matter, White Supremacy, white privilege, white guilt, white fragility. Its oppression, repression, violence, hatred, inequality, inequity, racism, Its a lot of, well, things. I am not trying to minimize the movement - just the opposite. I'm trying not to pigeon hole it or reduce it any way. Its too big and way too important for that.

What do you call it? Anti-racism covers a lot. And I have a lot of work to do.

It was my pleasure to speak with Jane Wilson, recent graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics - go Unicorns - and a part of my Circle of Mercy circle. We talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her school, family, and social life. And should you want to know what her favorite Thai dish is, and why wouldn't you, she shares that as well. Thanks Jennifer for interrupting us right in the middle of a very deep discussion on the multi-layered controversies surrounding Episodes VII, VIII, and IX of the Star Wars saga to take her Thai order.

She was a great conversationalist and a gracious guest. I forgot to hit record on the first part of our conversation so I made her repeat stuff. This might have thrown others off their game, but not Jane.

It was a pleasure talking with Dr. Beth Buys for this episode. Beth is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist and the Department Director at MAHEC. I have complete confidence that OB/GYN residents coming out of her program will go on to be top notch practitioners.

If you're critique after listening is that I talked too much, then you'd be right. But I just couldn't help myself. I promise my guests a conversational experience and that's what we had - a conversation.

The stuff before the break is pretty sciencey, but after the break we talk about how her family is doing and find hope and humor in the COVID-19 era.

Kelsey and I discuss the changes she has had to make in her work during the quarantine and the possible positives that may come out of it. We also talk about family interactions and how she and Jordan are coping creatively while staying home and staying safe. I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I enjoyed talking with her.