Brayden Drevlow has been all over the world to bring music to faraway places. A concert pianist and adventure traveler from Thief River Falls, Minnesota, he’s known for “putting the X in extreme,” through “chasing adventure, pushing the comfort zone, and never allowing dreams to go unpursued,” as conveyed on his website. What drives his adventurous spirit? What has he learned along the way? And as one who has played before audiences all over the world in all kinds of conditions, what can he reveal about our question of the day: “Is music necessary for survival?” 

SHOW NOTES:

• SPECIAL EVENT: Brayden will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, at the AAHS Performing Arts Center in Alexandria, Minnesota. Tickets available through Cherry Street Books, CentralLakesSymphony.org (adults, $20; students, $5).

• Brayden’s website: https://www.braydendrevlow.com/

• Brayden’s welcome: https://youtu.be/SDxoytJaNFg

• Update from Turkey: https://youtu.be/UuZZ1bwJBiY

• Update from Ukraine: https://youtu.be/n16D42ZW7tM

Tim Mosser works for the Diocese of Fargo in education and formation, serving also as the Respect Life Officer director. He’s a husband and father, composer and musician, speaker and radio host, and currently in formation to become a deacon. Above all, this multi-faceted man is a child of God.

Today, Tim will expound on a discussion we started a couple of weeks ago, using Pope John Paul II’s teaching on human life, Theology of the Body, as a building block to discuss whether reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization and surrogacy are moral.

SHOW NOTES: 

• First episode with Tim Mosser: https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/does-the-church-hate-sex

• St. John Paul VI Institute for NaPro Technology, founded by Dr. Thomas W. Hilgers: https://saintpaulvi.com/

• “Our babies have barcodes” (see video within the article): https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/our-babies-have-barcodes-the-moral-problems-with-ivf-and-surrogacy/

• Another “Our babies have barcodes” video reference (begins at 7:38): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfoHOhlV70M

• https://timmosser.com/

Ramona Trevino, campaign outreach director for 40 Days for Life national, resides in the Dallas, Texas, area with her family. The border crisis, currently at the forefront of our nation’s collective consciousness, cannot help but touch her, a Mexican American, personally. Through her strongly pro-life lens and heritage, Ramona is well-poised to offer a valuable and fairly unique perspective on this topic. Is supporting illegal immigration pro-life? Ramona will help us ponder that question today.

Show notes: 

• Earlier episode introducing Ramona: https://www.inforum.com/lifestyle/is-the-churchs-stance-on-birth-control-out-of-touch

Tim Mosser works for the Diocese of Fargo in education and formation, serving also as the Respect Life Officer director. He’s a husband and father, composer and musician, speaker and radio host, and currently in formation to become a deacon. Above all, this multi-faceted man is a child of God.

In this episode, Tim will share the blueprint God has given us for human flourishing, including in the realm of sexuality, leading us to the answer of whether the Church actually hates sex as much as the world sometimes believes it does.

SHOW NOTES: 

• https://timmosser.com/

• Pope Paul VI’s teaching on human life, Humane Vitae: https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html

Mike Little, executive director for Jail Chaplains ministry in Fargo, North Dakota, since March 2023, has said his heart has been transformed by working with the incarcerated, noting that we’re all bound by strongholds that need the healing touch of Jesus. He further affirms that we can learn much about God’s love through being close to those who’ve experienced brokenness in key relationships at some point in their lives, as many incarcerated have.

In this episode, Mike will share more about this ministry and how it has made him more tender toward those who have wandered from God, and why they are just as dear to our Lord as anyone.

SHOW NOTES:

• https://www.inforum.com/opinion/columns/trading-in-the-box-of-addiction-for-christs-love

• https://www.jailchaplains.com/

Colleen Scariano believes in the body-soul connection and that our lives work better when the two are in alignment. This belief formed the base of the ministry she co-founded, SoulCore, a global, integrated health ministry that integrates prayer with core strengthening, stretching, and functional movements to nourish body and soul and encourage deeper reflection on the virtues. Grounded in monotheism, SoulCore employs Christian meditation and encourages “filling” the mind and soul with the life, virtues, and Word of Christ.

In today’s episode, we’ll talk to Colleen about how SoulCore started and learn about her faith journey, including how some of the wounds in her life have been some of the greatest catalysts for God’s healing work. 

SHOW NOTES: 

• https://soulcore.com

This week’s guest, Todd Charette, came to me through Facebook. First, I noticed his funny, and often endearing, posts, which brought daily refreshment rather than conflict. As the algorithms had their way, I saw more of these posts, and eventually, we got into an actual conversation.

I learned that Todd Charette had a neurodivergent brain around the time our family had discovered neurodiversity within our gene pool. Because I was doing a deep dive on the topic, I viewed Todd’s real-life experiences regarding this challenge—or “superpower”—with a heightened sense of curiosity.I wanted to learn more so I could better understand those I love who had been confronting an ADD or ADHD diagnosis in particular. Because neurodiversity can be a challenging diagnosis with many misunderstandings in the general culture, I knew Todd’s vantage point would be helpful to others. Most of all, I’m interested in hearing how he uses this gift to advance the kingdom of God in his own life, and how he imagines the Father gazing upon him as his beloved child.

SHOW NOTES: 

• “Flame of Faith church bestowed Streams of Justice Award for work with neurodiverse” article by Roxane Salonen (The Forum newspaper)

• “Driven by Love: Mothers on a Mission Ensure the Neurodiverse Are Counted Among Christ’s Flock” article by Roxane Salonen (National Catholic Register)

• “It’s time for the church to make room for neurodivergent people” article featuring Fr. Matthew Schneider

• Autistic Catholics online support group

• Todd Charette’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070431997264 and Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/tcc1212/

• Raymond Arroyo’s interview on Thomas Edison’s life of brilliant neurodivergence

Shortly after the election in November, a meme began floating around social media: “To think that God ordained a filthy-minded, adulterous, wealthy man with evil in his heart to preside over a nation challenges my self-righteous understanding. But He did, and that sinful man by grace gave us the Psalms. #KingDavid.” Not surprisingly, the reaction was divided. But truth resides at the heart of these words. To misunderstand that politicians are human and flawed is to misunderstand human nature itself.

John Trandem, a lifelong Fargoan who has been involved in North Dakota politics as a Republican, along with being a business owner, husband, father, and committed Lutheran, understands the limits of our humanity, including when it crosses over into such spheres as politics. John will offer his thoughts today on the flawed state of humanity, and whether Donald Trump, whom he's met on several occasions, is too flawed to lead our country through its current troubles. 

In December 2021, Rob Port of the “Plain Talk” podcast invited Devlyn Brooks, a Lutheran pastor and fellow journalist, and I on his show to talk about religion. An avowed non-believer, Rob wanted to hear our thoughts about the reported declines in religious adherents, and Pastor Brooks and I gave it our best shot. That show ended up being the most popular of the year among “Plain Talk” listeners. It also renewed my thoughts about possibly starting a podcast myself.

When I launched “Matters of Soul Importance” in January 2024, Pastor Brooks was my first guest, sharing whether Jesus and journalism can co-exist. That episode prompted a desire to get our original trio back together, around Christmas time again, to dive into who Jesus is to each of us. I’m pleased it worked to have this discourse regarding this important, albeit controversial, figure from three different perspectives.

SHOW NOTES:

• Plain Talk, Episode #273 (Dec. 2021): Is America’s Religious Decline Good or Bad? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KO0mX0VTHxU1J1VaCuo3j

• Roxane’s “Living Faith” Forum column that followed: https://www.inforum.com/opinion/columns/salonen-does-faith-mean-loss-of-freedom

• Pastor Brooks’ website: Findingfaithin.com

• Churches United for the Homeless website: https://www.churches-united.org/

Kerri Bishop was pregnant with her fifth child when she found herself in an unimagined, unwanted situation: tasting the bitterness of divorce. For a moment or two, Kerri turned her feelings of abandonment against her faith, until she realized that God and the Church weren’t to blame. God was her savior and her faith, the anchor she would need to move through the next year's whole.

Kerri’s journey through divorce and to the other side has given her a heart for others who have been abandoned and are tempted to give up on, or never even seek, God, accompanying them through the challenges of finding their purpose in this world, and often, their place in the pews, despite the challenges that will inevitably come.

SHOW NOTES: 

• Kerri’s website: https://www.singlemomsmiling.com/

• Kerri’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/single-mom-smiling-mindset-strategies-for-single-moms/id1745819514

• Life coaching through Kerri: https://www.singlemomsmiling.com/contact/coaching/