Six Ways From Sunday

We've just celebrated Easter, tulips are breaking through the soil as snow banks quickly melt (again), and our faith communities are returning (again) to in-person events. As we collectively re-examine what it means to be in community, to engage with our congregations, to meet the evolving needs of individuals, it's clear that "getting back to normal" is never going to take us where we want to be. To make good on our theme and our goal, to "Spring Back To Life", we need to dig a little deeper, set some really clear intentions, and look a little harder for those glimmering signs of new life.

Tara Shannon's childhood nickname "Bear" took on a whole new identity when 3 years ago she began drawing rabbits and bears and her sketches turned into powerful and tender moments of conversation and reflection between the two illustrated characters. "Rabbit and Bear" became her outlet for years and years of thoughts, anxiety, depression, grief, magic and wonder. And one day, to Tara's surprise, one of her sketches went viral on social media, leading to the growth of an entire community of Rabbit & Bear readers and fans.

In this episode Tara shares with incredible vulnerability her journey through loss, grief, anxiety and depression, her fight with cancer and her quest to connect with her own past and her family's heritage. We discuss who Rabbit and Bear are in Tara's life, and how these two brave and curious creatures came to share their wisdom with the world through the pages of her books, "Rabbit & Bear Make A Wish" and "Rabbit & Bear Return With The Light".

My friend Ben Campbell is a tough person to write a bio for, so even deciding how to describe this podcast episode and our invigorating conversation is challenging. I first met Ben through a video project where we did some winter filming at his family's ranch near Black Diamond, in the Alberta foothills. While his parents spoiled us with their warm and friendly hospitality I remember spotting a photo on the wall of Ben with the famous actor, Sam Elliott. The story of Ben's years as a child actor suddenly made his comfort in front of the camera make complete sense! In the years since then I have enjoyed staying connected with Ben, filming at his farm numerous times, attending agricultural events and conferences together, and sharing a hunger for learning not only about things like sustainable land management and soil health but also many of the mysteries and unanswerable questions that we explored in this podcast episode. What feeds our souls and gives our lives purpose? How do we explain the cycle of life and existence to our children? We also talked about Ben's career path from civil engineering into cattle ranching, the personal growth and life tools that have helped him balance work and family life, and the legacy that he wants to leave behind for his three sons and for the future of the planet.

Ben is well known in the Canadian agricultural community, has been featured in business magazines and documentary films (including Guardians of the Grasslands, produced by Sarah Wray and Ben Wilson), and is now the subject of an indie film by Mainspring Media soon to be hitting the film festival circuit, titled "Grazed Right".

Pandemic restrictions are lifting again and the heaviness of two years of pandemic living is starting to feel like it could begin to lift. Spring is right around the corner and the Earth is beginning to stir with the promise of new life. And, this week we marked the beginning of the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday. We're also getting back to in-person programming at Bashaw United Church, with some really great things planned for Lent, for Holy Week and for the coming spring and summer. Today, Robin and Ben kick off the 5th season of the Six Ways From Sunday podcast with a conversation about what it means to "Spring Back To Life" in the context of the long 24 month wilderness journey we've been on, and in the context of observing Lent.

Ernest wears a lot of hats (insert bald joke here lol), but like all of us, he's not defined by his career or various roles in life. In this episode we talk a lot about purpose and what creates a meaningful life, we talk about some of Ernest's spiritual journey, passions and entrepreneurial projects, and we unpacked his recent experience at a meditation retreat that had a dramatic impact on his life.

Heather Buelow has been the owner of Dancer's Edge Studio for 19 years. Like many business owners she is no stranger to change, but nothing compares to the wild ride she's been on these last two years where she's had to pivot, pivot, and pivot again. The pandemic has been especially challenging for kids activities, and there were many moments when it looked like dance classes, competitions and recitals were just not going to be possible. But if there's one thing Heather has learned from the world of dance that applies to running a business, it's that you can always find a way if you're willing to pick yourself up after a fall, believe in yourself, and pivot! Heather and her staff have impacted the lives of hundreds and hundreds of children and youth who have come through the DES studios in Blackfalds and Lacombe, teaching them by example that if you get knocked down you can always choose to get back up, lean on your people for strength and advice, learn from the hard experiences, and dream big enough to bring the impossible into reality. In this conversation we talk about Heather's journey as a studio owner, how she's navigated some pretty massive changes in her life recently, and also what it's been like for Miss Heather to watch so many young dancers grow up in the studio, their "second home".

Robin shares a lot of stories with our community of faith. Not only through his weekly blog posts and weekly Sunday morning sermons, but also in the form of children's plays and even books that he's written and self published. I know, right? We're pretty lucky!

Well, for the last 3 months Robin has been "on sabbatical", meaning that he's been working probably even harder than before but has taken some time, intention and focus to dive into some creative projects. Yes, more epic stories for all of us to benefit from, enjoy and engage with. But like a lot of the stories that Robin is so good at sharing, these are not "his stories". They're familiar stories, often from the life of Jesus and his disciples, with a new perspective to look at them from and some creative packaging that helps us to come to the story as a child - with curiosity, openness and vulnerability.

On this episode of the podcast, Robin shares what his 3 month sabbatical was like and a little bit about some of the new stories that he'll be sharing with us soon. We also discuss what it means to engage with stories that are not ours to tell, but are so important to hear. Right now there are a lot of those stories that all of us could really benefit from listening to.

Kyle Simmers graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts with a Bachelor of Design in illustration, and has been building a colourful portfolio of mural art over the last several years with their brother Derek Simmers, including 4 new projects right here in their hometown of Bashaw, Alberta. These are projects of epic proportions, from restoring a 40ft wide mural on the side of the Bashaw Curling Arena, originally painted in 1987 by David More, to creating a nostalgic 1950's "Johnny's Service Station" Texaco shop front on Bashaw's Main Street. And to cap off this busy summer, Kyle recently painted a glowing mural of neon angel wings on the front wall of the Bashaw United Church, where we recorded this conversation! Kyle talks about their journey as an artist, through the ups and downs of publishing a graphic novel series "Pass Me By" and the challenges and rewards of collaborating with Derek on massive mural projects. Most of all, we talked about how these experiences have shaped who Kyle is, and also how Kyle's growth is shaping and evolving their artistic expression and way of being in the world.

Carrie is one of those people in our community who make you realize that having "a church family" is about so much more than who you see sitting in the pews on a Sunday morning or who's involved in the committees, meetings, fundraisers or lay leadership. She's the perfect example of "BEING the church" and putting the words of the Bashaw United Church's vision statement into practice - "Living God's Love. Sharing God's Love."

Carrie grew up in a Pentecostal church in Saskatchewan, and a lot of her preconceived ideas about religion and church were very different from what she experienced here in Bashaw when she started to get more and more involved in this community and church family. In this conversation we had a lot of fun exploring how Carrie's deep faith roots have stuck with her throughout her years of exploring her own life paths and spiritual journey, and how her personal relationship with God has been part of shaping who she is today.