Ordinary Celebrity

After a two-year hiatus, this episode introduces you to a miniature artist, or rather an artist who draws miniatures. Blake Gore lives in southwest Virginia and is an Ole Miss alum. At age 37, Blake completely changed his career track as the result of a Twitter challenge.

Episode links:

• blakegore.com
• WSLS NBC 10 Roanoke Interview 
• Virginia Living Interview 
• NBC 6 South Florida Interview 
• Strathmore Art Interview
• ARTish Plunge Interview 
• Vanderbilt Business School Podcast Interview 

This episode features a well-loved member of the Texas Country music scene. Mike Graham has been song-writing and performing since the mid 1990s. His debut album was released in 1999.

Mike took a hiatus from the music scene for almost a decade, but he returned in 2020 with a seven-song EP Sunset/Sunrise. The self-explanatory first track is titled Good to be Back.

Mike's next album is due out in the spring/summer of 2024 and as of this podcast has a working title of Can't Fix the World.

Links:

This episode features George Schroder. Schroeder was a sports journalist for over 30 years, working for newspapers and in broad and podcasting. After being caught up in a round of layoffs at USA Today, he charted a career change which led him to a church in Colorado. This is his story.

Notes & Links:

This episode features Dr. Terrence Ferguson and Dr. Vernard Hodges, veterinarians at Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital in Georgia. Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Hodges have been healing, helping and serving families and animals since 1999. In 2020, they were added to the lineup of National Geographic shows and which are available on Disney+. In this episode, the vets answer questions about dealing with celebrity, pivoting between patients and families on full days, maneuvering around their clinic with cameras and even Georgia (and Alabama) college football! 

Notes/Links:

This episode features author and artist Elle Luna. Elle published an article on Medium.com in 2014. After she hit "publish," she went to a birthday dinner with her father. She left her phone at home. Little did she that things blew up. In the next few months, her article, "The Crossroads of Should and Must" was shared over 5 million times on Twitter and read over 250,000 on Medium.com. It became a best-selling book in 2015. In this episode, we talk about "instant celebrity" and how it impacts a person and what she has done with her influence since. 

Notes & Links:

This episode features a collegiate ministry guru. David James served as the director of Arkansas Baptist Collegiate Ministries for over 30 years. His life and ministry spanned two centuries of college students, and his leadership style has been lauded by those who served with and under him. Listen and learn what observations David has about culture, college, and the mission of the church to reach the next generation!

Show Notes:

This episode features Dr. Jamie Sanchez, a faculty member of Biola University in California. She is the Program Director of the PhD in Intercultural Studies in the Graduate Department and is currently has research involved in Critical Refugee Studies.  

Jamie is a dynamic thinker, leader and practitioner of Christian discipleship. You'll hear some of her thoughts on the pros and cons of individual and group discipleship. We also discussed the refugee crisis around the world and examined ways that the church can respond with help and grace. 

Bonus: her take on Top Gun: Maverick and Jeff's hope to meet Tom Cruise.

Show Links:

This episode features Emily Kraines, a single mother of two, who became a follower of Jesus Christ in college and soon after that met the man she would marry. You'll learn about Emily and Peter's dating life, the powerful example they set, and how a subsequent military training exercise took Peter's life and what lessons Emily has learned throughout.  

Show Notes: 

Ryan Metz is a senior at Virginia Tech. He's majoring in mechanical engineering, and he's a pitcher for the Hokies baseball team. Listen in as he shares the insights and challenges he faces as a Christian student-athlete. Ryan also finds time for his own podcast - The Christian Athlete Paradox.

LINKS:

Jeremy Woodall is the Baptist campus minister at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. This is his fifth year in serving in his university hometown. This past fall as a way to make a difference during the pandemic, Jeremy hiked 223 miles on the Ouachita Trail, from Oklahoma to Arkansas, to raise money for children's homes and foster care. This is part of his story. Tune in and learn about the hike, doing ministry in a pandemic and who his celebrity crushes are.

LINKS:

If you would like to donate to Hiking for Homes, you can mail in a check to Arkansas Baptist Convention, RE: Hiking for Homes, 10 Remington Dr., Little Rock, AR 72204.