Farming God

Smoke Signals at https://farminggod.org/

Poet Mirabai Starr, emergent post-pastor Rick Diamond, Christian Shaman Iris Bolton, professor and social activist Joerg and RoseMarie Rieger, Sunday morning dance church, and a visit to Christian China.

Episodes in order of appearance:

• Meditation Part 1 and 2
• Beyond Activism
• Christian Shaman Iris Bolton
• Alternative Worship post-pastor
• Dance Church
• Christian China and the end of times

‘Lumberjacking’ in the Kettle Moraine, eating steak sandwiches, and swimming east, where no humans live.

An intersection with Anthony- Hiking, camping, thinking along the Ice Age Trail, raising awareness for veteran suicide, in the Kettle moraine of eastern Wisconsin.

Newsletter at https://farminggod.org/

To learn more about Farm Church, Green Gate Farms, or the community living Shannon references, go to 'Farm Church and Feminine Spirituality' on farminggod.org .

For the first time Farming god is doing a show loosely related to farming. I had the privilege of speaking with Brin Bon and Shannon Preston (@PrestonCottage) in the historical hayloft of Green Gate farms. Brin and Shannon are female priests.  Instead of shying away from big questions, they approach them in a refreshingly practical way.

We discuss:

• Becoming priests in the Episcopal church
• The daily activities of a priest
• Are they worried about millennial's disinterest in organized religion?
• Is Sunday the problem with Church?
• Finding God through commitment in people and places.
• Farm Church
• Feminine spirituality
• How will the church transform to meet the needs of a divided community?
• "There will be a time that we need to trust the god we believe in."

For an artistic rendition of Green Gate Farms, check out Welcome to Season II

I am not a communist; but Scott Gee is. When I meet people for the first time I like to ask an annoyingly open ended question, “What is your thing?”. Scott was quick to respond with the most intriguing answer I have ever heard, “Oh, I’m a communist”.

In this conversation we discuss:

• Church without spirituality
• Experiences from occupy wall street
• Getting punched by Nazis
• Disputes within communism

And I propose the common objections to communism like:

• Communism hasn’t worked
• Rulers are innately corrupt
• Humans are fundamentally greedy
• What about free-speech?

Whether or not I agree with the ideals of communism, it's refreshing to experience a discussion beyond the duality of American politics. See the video of Robert F. Kennedy’s speech and sign up for the farming god newsletter at FarmingGod.org

Make sure to stay tuned for the conclusion. Curtesy of Edward Murrow: March 9, 1954 CBS News

Michael Sandel teaches one of the most attended courses in Harvard history, He’s the author of books like 'Justice: What is the right thing to do' and ‘What Money Can’t Buy’. Sandel outlines the unlikely consequences of the marketization of civic spaces.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Imagine if- as the first mass multi-cultural democratic republic the world has ever seen- we, in the most privileged nation the world- could support our public spaces.

If you go to this episode on farminggod.org. I’ve posted a video of one of sandal’s lectures at Harvard. 

Michael J Sandel book, Justice: What’s the right thing to do http://amzn.to/2rnwl8N

Some of these ideas of neighborly politeness vaguely come from Slavo Zizek. I’ve also included this video on farminggod.org

Maybe instead of driving to a high end fitness center, try out a community center near you. You just might like it.

A special thanks to Dan and Kell for speaking with me.

Tom Fenwick-Smith started his career in the film industry as an Assistant Director for film and television, working on over 30 feature films, 60 commercials and countless music videos. Tom is now the creative director at REWIND, a London based creative agency that specializes in virtuality reality.

We discuss the future of virtual reality and the role it could have in spiritual development. But of course, technology comes with consequences. As Tom says, VR has the potential to cause PTSD and has the power to take it away. It’s up to us as individuals to decide how we want to use it.

We crossed paths at the Ginger Man bar during the SXSW conference and the following conversation is what ensued.

Connect with Tom @tomfenwicksmith

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter everyone is talking about at https://farminggod.org/

The progressive christian arena it scattered with the term, deconstruction. It’s often tossed around without any context. Just about every blogger, podcaster, or influencer speaking about “progressive Christianity” is using the term. For more on “deconstruction” in a theological context, I wrote an article and linked to a helpful video here on Farminggod.org .

Having grown up in a rigid Christian setting in Oklahoma, Kayt Johnson (@KaytJohnson) entered the non profit world to pursue her calling. After a 2 year fast and a variety of missionary work, her Christian conviction became less certain. Kayt is now involved in a host of creative ventures. Possibly more valuable than her creative ability is her willingness to engage tough questions. And that is where this interview begins.

I crossed a shin deep river in west Texas and found myself in Mexico. This is the Mexican American border. See pictures of Boquillas, the Rio Grande, and my van by clicking here. 

I recently left my job to work on the Farming god podcast and farminggod.org full time. I have to admit, it’s a ridiculous leap. But it’s a risk that today’s guest is very familiar with.

Too often spirituality gets quarantined in a small corner of our life, reserved for only specific moments.  What if this wasn’t the case and our daily work could be an adventure in itself?  Today I’m speaking with someone who embodies exactly this. Jasmin Rhia is a leader in America’s creative revolution. She runs the website, “I’d rather be rich not famous (https://idratherberichnotfamous.com)," dedicated to providing motivated individuals with tools to monetize their greatest passions. After speaking with her at South by Southwest, it’s obvious that the richness she discusses extends far beyond monetary wealth. Unedited, I turned on the recorder and let it roll. From the frontlines of the freelance lifestyle, Jasmine Rhia.

We discuss:

• What are we talking about when we talk about spirituality.
• Transition from 9-5. To independent projects.
• Set schedule to setting your own.
• Jasmine’s 62 side hustles
• 21st century gig economy. How it’s different from our parents generation.
• Listening to advice
• Getting comfortable with the same group of friends vs. spontaneity.
• Challenges that come with freelancing.
• Finding a balance and staying grounded
• The inherent privilege that we (especially me) are benefactors of. (I think Jasmine was a little soft on my white privilege but we’ll come back to this later)

Learn more about Jasmin at https://idratherberichnotfamous.com and on Twitter @Jasminrhia

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Music is by Tabah https://www.tabahsound.com/