Find the Good News with Oran Parker

I can’t really pinpoint where I was first exposed to Heather Boston’s artwork, but what I do remember is stopping each time to look at her creative works. The art itself gave me much to think about, but it was Heather’s reflections and revelations shared through her art that really gave me pause, so I reached out to see if she’d come and visit me on Find the Good News. Just like her artwork, there are layers and layers that unfold in Heather. Within minutes we were diving off a cliff into the divine territory, discussing angels, visions, gifts, dimensions, time, healing, and love. I want to be simple and clear; Heather is fearlessly operating over the border in a spiritual territory that I believe many hearts are called to, but few fully answer. If I’m being honest, I have one foot in and one foot out, and I admire human beings like Heather that go to the edge, leap off, then fly. There is something very special happening with Heather, something unique being shared through her works of art, which are really works of heart. There are questions, answers, messages, and timeless truths crying out to be heard from the paint. I invite you to settle in and listen to this visit with Heather with an open mind and heart. She reminds me that what we think is going on in the day-to-day hustle isn’t all that there is, and that there are unseen loving forces dancing about this world, and they often revealed in the awakened human heart. Any day you get to soak in the falloff light from a heart like this, a heart like Heather’s is a good day indeed.

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

FOR MORE INFO ON HEATHER BOSTON >> www.facebook.com/heather.kuhnstimpa

In this episode of Find the Good News, I have a long visit with Southwest Louisiana musician-and-artist Ben Von Duke. This was a good encounter for me. I really didn’t know Ben before this visit. I’d only experienced his music through his band, The Von Dukes, and I had seen his artwork on display at a variety of local events. Without knowing the man, I’d unknowingly built up my own version of what he would be like. That composite I’d fabricated of Ben could not have been more wrong. This man behind the art and music is as peaceful and gentle an individual as I’d ever met. There was no pretension here. I felt that Ben was authentic, honest, and kind. This encounter with Ben was good for me because it helped breakthrough the programming in my mind—a programming I suspect many of us have—that subconsciously classifies and draws sketches of people based on limited information. There’s no doubt that I talk a lot more than Ben, but in allowing me to pick at his brain I feel that I was able to scratch through the surface and get to the depth, not just to the depths of Ben Von Duke, but also through the surface of my own limited understanding. As hard as I work, I still have a mind that leans toward judgment. Whether he knows it or not, Ben helped me wrestle through those old impulses. By the end of our conversation, I felt like a better version of myself. By showing me his honest mind and heart, perhaps Ben helped me find a little more of my own goodness. 

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

FOR MORE INFO ON BEN VON DUKE >> www.facebook.com/ben.vonduke

Have you ever had a conversation where you were almost 100% true to who you really are? I recently had one on Find the Good News with Rosie Pryor, otherwise known by her blogging handle, Stone Sober Mom. Rosie embodies precisely what I feel we need more of in this world; beings who are willing to show their inner wounds on the outside. Through her site, and in this visit, she candidly reveals the details of her past substance abuse, alcohol addiction, eating disorder struggles, as well as the trips and traps associated with body image and worthiness. By being so fearlessly revealing she creates an environment of acceptance in her presence. Because she has suffered—and is willing to share that suffering with others—she forms a space of safety and healing. Rosie and I go exploring in this conversation; not to exciting destinations or foreign land, but into the thorny pathways, caves, and hidey-holes of the inner-self. For me, a few walls came tumbling down after our conversation. I felt a keen awareness of the false-self many times as we talked, and quickly shut that voice down. I woke up the day after our visit with a slightly better sense of who I am, some inner housekeeping I still need to do, and the sneaking feeling that I’d been sitting at that table with one of the bodhisattvas of compassion. Not only did Rosie show me the good in her; she helped me look at myself in the mirror, and for the first time in a very long time, I saw a good man looking back.

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

FOR MORE INFO ON ROSIE PRYOR >> www.StoneSoberMom.com

In visiting with Charla Blake on Find the Good News I was keenly aware that I was sitting across the table from someone with a lifetime of skills and experiences. Charla has a sharp mind, a strong will, a good heart, and a vocal honesty that I really can appreciate. Project Build A Future—Charla’s current endeavor—helps revitalize and build neighborhoods one home-and-family at a time, with a vision of building healthy communities in the process. Getting to know Charla was what I expected; she is a thoughtful and caring person. It was her depth that was really refreshing; she said things that I will not forget, and more than likely call on again. Her experiences have shaped and placed her in the right role at the right time, and that’s good news for people in our area.

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

FOR MORE INFO ON CHARLA BLAKE AND PROJECT BUILD A FUTURE >> www.ProjectBuildAFuture.org

Meeting the creative people behind local art is something I look forward to on Find the Good News. In this episode, I visit with graphic artist Daneisha Harger. She has a special knack for delivering vintage vibes and colorful local icons. Daneisha knows what kind of art she likes, and that's the kind of art she creates. She believes in knowing her tools and using them well. Daneisha's not hard to find. If there's a local event serving up creative vendors, she's there to do her part. She loves what she does, and loves sharing her talents with others even more. Daneisha and other artists like her are making Southwest Louisiana a really good place to call home.

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

FOR MORE INFO ON DANEISHA HARGER >> www.PixelandInkCreative.com

Jody Taylor has been working behind the scenes to bring live music and art experiences to Southwest Louisiana for over 20 years. I asked him to share some of his heart on this episode of Find the Good News. Jody traces his inspiration for organizing creative events directly to the summer of 1995. That's when local youth collective Pourquoi Pas changed the music scene in Lake Charles before a scene existed. I could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice; Jody is still chasing the magic of that summer. He's held onto that passion and uses it to make the past present by bringing us some pretty damn good events.

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

In this episode of Find the Good News, I had the chance to catch up with Becky Girola, the Director of ABC Crisis Pregnancy Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Becky has a positivity and energy that hits you right in the heart. She shares her inner spirit and faith without reserve. It's easy to see how her call to non-judgment and love have placed her in the right position to serve young girls and women that face the fear and uncertainty that an unplanned pregnancy can bring. Becky and ABC offer something that is just as valuable as their resources and services. They provide companionship, kindness, compassion, and hope. For a young woman in crisis that can be the good news they need to hear.

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THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

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FOR INFORMATION ABOUT ABC CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER >> www.ABCPRC.com

In this episode of Find the Good News, I have a long discussion with Tony Bourque, the pastor at Waters Edge Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He took me into territory that I did not expect from a bible-belt pastor, especially when our conversation wandered into the cosmic nature of Christ. He shared his own vulnerabilities and an unapologetic love for all of God's children. We cover a lot of ground in this episode and one thing was crystal clear by the end; Tony has a good heart. He cares about people, especially those that may have been disenfranchised, disregarded, cast out, those shunned by society and, sadly, shunned by many other churches. Tony and I discuss that not only is loving the other a good thing, it's a deeply Christian thing. It seems that's what Tony Bourque and the community at Waters Edge is doing—loving people as they are—and I think that's pretty good news.

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FIND THE GOOD NEWS IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT TONY BOURQUE AND WATERS EDGE >> www.watersedgegathering.com

One of the blessings I receive from producing Find the Good News is in visiting with someone I've never met before and seeing their passion for service to others. This motivating episode with Owen Clanton—principal at F.K. White Middle School—started as soon as he walked in the studio door. He's a deep thinker, an infectious leader, and it's clear that he cares about bettering the lives of his faculty and students. We meander into some interesting places. In getting to know Owen it affirms again that there are good people out there changing the world 50 cents at a time.

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FIND THE GOOD NEWS IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

LEARN MORE ABOUT OWEN CLANTON >> www.facebook.com/owen.clanton

Find the Good News is rewarding because I get to visit with people I truly admire. This particular episode is a treat because I finally get to do that with talented muralist, Ronnie Collins. What I discovered is something that I already suspected; Ronnie is a genuinely nice person. The friendliness and kindness that he presents is authentic in every way. To me, Ronnie a true renaissance man. He paints, writes, sings, and plays original music, he teaches, and his beautiful murals adorn walls and rooms all over the world. He's one of the good guys, and it makes me happy to know he's in the world.  

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FIND THE GOOD NEWS IS SPONSORED BY PARKER BRAND CREATIVE SERVICES >> www.ParkerBrandUp.com

LEARN MORE ABOUT RONNIE COLLINS >> www.facebook.com/ronnie.collins.75