The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast

For this episode of The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host Shane Vander Hart speaks with Martin Amos, a Republican candidate competing in a four-way primary in Iowa House District 84.

Amos, Trevor Lynn (interview), Sheila Matheney (interview), and Joe Mitchell are competing for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat candidate Jason Moats for a seat that is open upon the retirement of State Representative David Heaton (R-Mount Pleasant).

Amos is a small business owner from Mount Pleasant. A fifth-generation Iowan born in Chariton in 1961, Amos’ family moved to Mount Pleasant in 1966 and attended Mt. Pleasant Community Schools, graduating in 1980. As a Christ-follower he has strived to live out his faith including participating in mission work. He has been married to his wife, Nancy, for over 35 years. They have one adult daughter, Janeane, and a grandson, Dominick.

Amos attended Iowa State University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management in 1984. He worked a number of positions while in the restaurant business including that of kitchen manager, bakery manager, associate manager, manager-trainer, and corporate troubleshooter. He moved into wholesale food distribution he continued to move up the ranks He started as a salesman, who took the worst route in the state and built it into the best. He then became a district sales manager over eastern Iowa, then sales manager of all of Iowa, and was finally sent to Minnesota to lead the entire sales and distribution teams. He started his own business in 2012 which allowed him to move back to Mount Pleasant. He now delivers the very product he sold, nationwide. In addition, he consults and invests, to help small businesses get started.

Listen to the podcast:

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The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. to promote life, religious freedom, local control over education, authentic economic progress for working Americans, and a return to constitutional principles, such as federalism. Want to help American Principles Project?

For this episode of the Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host Shane Vander Hart talked to Trevor Lynn who is a candidate in the four-way Republican primary in Iowa House District 84. Lynn, Martin Amos (interview), Sheila Matheney (interview), and Joe Mitchell are competing for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat candidate Jason Moats for a seat that is open upon the retirement of State Representative David Heaton (R-Mount Pleasant).

Lynn is a young candidate. He graduated from WACO High School in Wayland, Iowa in 2015 and attends Iowa State University. Lynn grew up and worked in the district starting his first job at Pizza Ranch in Washington just four days after his 16th birthday. He has worked his way through high school and college including work in the public and the private sector that includes his father’s business, Lynn Painting, serving as a Page in the Iowa House of Representatives in 2015, and as a Legislative Clerk in the Iowa Senate.  He was appointed to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council in 2015 by former Governor Terry Branstad. In 2016, Lynn was elected to the Washington County Central Republican Committee and became Secretary in January 2017.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. to promote life, religious freedom, local control over education, authentic economic progress for working Americans, and a return to constitutional principles, such as federalism. Want to help American Principles Project? Visit their website today. Sign up for e-mail updates, send a small (or large) donation their way, help them out. They are a great group.

Also, be sure to check out Travis Risvold of Modern Woodmen of America. Call Travis at 515-883-0029. He can help you find the life insurance YOU need.

For this bonus episode of the Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, Brad Price, a Republican candidate in Iowa Senate District 1, wanted to clear the air with our host Shane Vander Hart about his position on life.

Price is one of three candidates vying for the Republican nomination to challenge State Senator David Johnson (I-Ocheydan).

Vander Hart and Price discussed the life issue briefly during the original interview (see transcript here). Price’s comments on life were the source of a question he was asked during a forum a couple of days ago with all of the Republican candidates in the district.

Price reached out to Caffeinated Thoughts so he could clarify his position and unequivocally state that he is pro-life, that he would have voted for the heartbeat bill (both the House and Senate versions), that the law doesn’t go far enough, and he would support defunding Planned Parenthood.

You can listen to that conversation, the relevant excerpt from the original interview, and some remarks from Shane as he concluded this bonus episode of the Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. to promote life, religious freedom, local control over education, authentic economic progress for working Americans, and a return to constitutional principles, such as federalism. Want to help American Principles Project? Visit their website today. Sign up for e-mail updates, send a small (or large) donation their way, help them out. They are a great group.

Also, be sure to check out Travis Risvold of Modern Woodmen of America. Call Travis at 515-883-0029.

For this episode of The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host Shane Vander Hart has a conversation with Sarah Abdouch who is a Republican running in Iowa House District 15 in Pottawattamie County.

Sarah Abdouch is running in a three-way primary contest against LeAnn Hughes and Mark Hunter to see who will win the Republican nomination to take on incumbent State Representative Charlie McConkey (D-Council Bluffs). Caffeinated Thoughts has extended an invitation to Hughes and Hunter to interview.

Below is her bio from her campaign website:

Abdouch is a 27-year-old Iowa native. Born in Adel in the early 90’s, Sarah’s family moved to Council Bluffs in 2003 for the business opportunities the area provided, and this is where she has taken root.

Homeschooled to graduation, Sarah attended Iowa Western Community College from 2007-2009, transferring after that to Wheaton College in Illinois, where she attained her Bachelor’s in English and Literature. After graduation, she returned to the area and was employed with an IT company, where she currently works today.

Sarah’s interest in politics began in 2012, after the loss of Gov. Romney to then-President Obama. Concerned primarily about the burgeoning debt and the encroachment of regulatory agencies into the authority of the states and the rights of individuals, she signed up as the volunteer State Director for the bi-partisan group, the Convention of States Project. Since then, Sarah has also been an active member of the Republican Central Committee of Pottawattamie County, and has volunteered her time with various candidates’ campaigns.

Outside of politics, Sarah was married in 2017, and she and her husband both enjoy hunting, fishing, and walking their Shepherd/Lab mix dog. Sarah also writes fiction in her spare time, and leads a writing group in Omaha.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. to promote life, religious freedom, local control over education, authentic economic progress for working Americans, and a return to constitutional principles, such as federalism. Want to help American Principles Project? Visit their website today. Sign up for e-mail updates,

On this episode of The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host Shane Vander Hart talks to Paul Dzubinski, the Director of Innovation at Frontier Ventures, about how he got into missions, what he does at Frontier Ventures, and some of the innovative ways they are working to reach the unreached.

Dzubinski’s organization is part of the Alliance for the Unreached that promotes the International Day of the Unreached planned for Pentecost Sunday, May 20, 2018.

The Alliance also includes organizations like Missio Nexus, Bibles For The World, Reach Beyond, Operation Mobilization, Partners International, InChrist Communications, Missio Nexus, Mission Network News, World Mission, Reach Beyond, Joshua Project, William Carey University, and ZimZam Global. They are calling on calling on churches, ministry organizations, radio and television stations and individual believers to be the voice of advocacy for people who have yet to hear the gospel.

Their event marking the day to be held at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, CO will be live streamed from 7:00p – 8:30p (CDT) on Sunday at the International Day of the Unreached Facebook page.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C.

For this episode of The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host Shane Vander Hart talks to Jon Van Wyk. Van Wyk is a candidate running for the Republican nomination in Iowa House District 28 that is an open seat upon the retirement of State Representative Greg Heartsill (R-Chariton). It is a two-way contested primary. Van Wyk is running against Jon Thorup who was also invited to come on the podcast but declined due to his schedule (if that changes we will attempt to have him on before the June 5th primary).

Van Wyk grew up in rural Marion County between Pella and Oskaloosa. He graduated from Oskaloosa High School and later earned a Bachelors in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration from Iowa State University. Van Wyk served as an infantryman in the Marine Corps Reserve and has worked in both the public and private sectors over the years. He currently co-owns a family winery in Sully.

He met his wife Svetlana in Chariton back in 1997 while she was a foreign exchange student from Russia. She returned to the United States to attend Grandview College in Des Moines, and later graduated from Iowa State. Van Wyk and Svetlana planted permanent roots next to the family winery in 2014. They have been married for 20 years and have three children. The Van Wyk family have attended Christ’s Church at Fox Creek in Waukee for the past ten years. They also were missionaries in Mexico, The Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. to promote life, religious freedom, local control over education, authentic economic progress for working Americans, and a return to constitutional principles, such as federalism. Want to help American Principles Project? Visit their website today. Sign up for e-mail updates, send a small (or large) donation their way, help them out. They are a great group.

Also, be sure to check out Travis Risvold of Modern Woodmen of America. Call Travis at 515-883-0029. He can help you find the life insurance YOU need.

For this episode of the Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host, Shane Vander Hart, had the opportunity to talk with Jeff Janssen, a Republican candidate in Iowa House District 26, last week we spoke with the other candidate, Rebel Snodgrass, who is running in that contested Republican primary (listen here). The winner of that primary will challenge State Representative Scott Ourth (D-Ackworth).

Jeff Janssen is an attorney, who is a founding partner at Janssen Law, PLC in Des Moines, IA. He is also a regional director for Safe Families for Children of Iowa, a non-profit that provides safe homes for children in an effort to prevent child abuse, trauma, and the oversight of DHS. He is also on the Board of Directors of Families United Action Network (FUAN).

Janssen and his wife, Sarah, and their seven children live in Carlisle, IA. They have been active members of Walnut Creek Church since 2009 and have participated in various international mission trips as well as missions within our state and community. Jeff was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1987 and been a resident of central Iowa ever since.

Janssen received his undergraduate education at Drake University, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Accounting and Entrepreneurial Management and a concentration in Law and Business. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from the Drake University Law School with concentrations in Business Law, Legislative Practice, and Public Service.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast can only exist due to the generosity of our sponsors.

This show is sponsored in part by American Principles Project, a conservative political think tank in Washington, D.C. American Principles Project believes that human dignity should be at the heart of public policy. They work in all 50 states and in Washington, D.C. to promote life, religious freedom, local control over education, authentic economic progress for working Americans, and a return to constitutional principles, such as federalism. Want to help American Principles Project? Visit their website today. Sign up for e-mail updates, send a small (or large) donation their way, help them out. They are a great group.

Also, be sure to check out Travis Risvold of Modern Woodmen of America. Call Travis at 515-883-0029.

On this episode of The Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, our host Shane Vander Hart talked with the third and final Republican candidate running in the contested Iowa Senate District 1 Republican Primary, Jesse Wolfe.  The first candidate, Zach Whiting, joined the podcast on April 10th. Brad Price was the second candidate to join us for the podcast on April 24th. So we are happy to have all of the candidates on the podcast prior to the June 5th primary.

Wolfe owns a manufacturing firm in Emmetsburg, Iowa. He also serves as the chairman of the Palo Alto Republican Central Committee and 4th Congressional District Executive Committee. He has lived outside of Emmetsburg with his wife of 32 years, Janice. Jesse and Janice have raised four children in Palo Alto County.

From Wolfe’s website:

I am an American by the grace of God and an Iowan by my own good choice. I am proud to say that our children are reflections of the Iowa values I believe in so strongly.  We have been blessed in that our children have learned the Iowa work ethic and mirror the conservative values of our Republican Party.  Our two sons are doctors, one of our daughters is a nurse, and our youngest child, another daughter, will graduate from Iowa State with a double major in accounting and finance next May.  Thanks to the wonderful traditional values they have learned while growing up in Iowa, along with the great educations they have received in Iowa schools, they all have very bright futures ahead of them.

Let me tell you about my own beliefs and values.  I am a rock solid Conservative.  I am pro life and believe that life begins at conception.  I also strongly support the second amendment, because our right to keep and bear arms is essential.  I believe that the U.S. Constitution was written so that everyone could understand and that it still applies to all of us today.  I believe that our Country was founded on Judeo-Christian values, and my faith in God is a very important part of my life. I believe that everyone who comes here and applies him or herself can be anything they want to be.  This is because we have the rare and wonderful opportunity of being free people.

Vander Hart asked Wolfe about why he decided to run to serve Iowa Senate District 1, his qualifications and experience, where he stands on life, education, taxes, spending, and religious liberty.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spotify.

On today’s episode of the Caffeinated Thoughts Podcast, Shane Vander Hart takes a look at the contested Republican primary in Iowa House District 26 between Rebel Snodgrass and Jeff Janssen who are trying to win the Republican nomination on June 5 to challenge State Representative Scott Ourth (D-Ackworth). Shane has invited both men to the podcast, and he interviewed Snodgrass on Wednesday afternoon about his campaign. (Update: Listen to our interview with Jeff Janssen here.)

Snodgrass is a small business owner from Indianola who ran unsuccessfully against Ourth in 2016. He is currently the chairman of the Warren County Republican Party, a role he took on after the 2016 election.

Here’s the bio from his website:

Rebel Snodgrass is an Iowa entrepreneur, with multiple successful businesses centered around construction. His business model is simple: Deliver on your promises. Recognized as a master tradesman in the field, Iowans know Rebel as a man of his word, through his business commercials and through conversations at customers’ kitchen tables. As an ardent patriot, Rebel firmly believes in the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. His is known for his dedication, common sense and business acumen, all incredibly valuable skills to bring to the Iowa legislature.

His Midwestern upbringing has resulted in a man with strong work ethic, with a strong sense of accountability and responsibility to his family and his community. He has served as a Board Director for 15 years for a national charity, formed in memory of his brother, Kody Hellyer Snodgrass, and devotes his time, resources and energy to their mission of saving lives. In addition, his passions include humane treatment of animals, partnering with his wife in rescuing abandoned cats and dogs, and working to preclude the practice of inhumane puppy mills. As a descendant of Scottish ancestors, Rebel is proud to be an active member of the Warren Masonic Lodge, Knights of the Templar, Friendly Bee Keepers of Iowa and other associations.

Through his business associations, Rebel has been featured on GreatDay, CW Iowa Live, Your Home in Iowa as well as other local television shows, news programs, local and national magazines such as Welcome Home, ProSales, as well as numerous radio programs.

Rebel Snodgrass is his own man. He says what he means, and means what he says. And he is someone you can trust to represent you fairly, and fully.

Listen to the podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Blubrry, Google Play Music, Stitcher, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Podbean, or Spot...

Hey this is Shane Vander Hart.

I wanted to make a special announcement about the future of Caffeinated Thoughts Radio. We have had the great privilege of being on local Christian radio for the last three-and-a-half years. It has been a great opportunity, and we’ve had a lot of fun. This week I decided to take Caffeinated Thoughts Radio off the air. This is effective immediately, I apologize for the abruptness of this move, but I felt it was best to pull the trigger rather than go a week or two more.

The primary driver for this decision is that, at this time, it does not make good fiscal sense for us to continue. This fiscal year was stretching us financially. If you are not aware the model for Christian talk radio is unlike other formats. To be on Christian radio you have to “pay to play.” Rates went up this year, but sponsorship, unfortunately, did not. That isn’t to say we have not had generous sponsors, we have.

I would like to thank Myers and Associates, American Principles Project, Iowa Right to Life, Travis Risvold with Modern Woodmen of America, and Crosswalk Counseling for their generous support. Without their support, the last three-and-a-half years would not have been possible.

I would also like to thank Chris Rohloff, the station manager of 99.3fm The Truth who took a chance with us and gave us an opportunity to have a radio show. I’m also grateful for the encouragement and coaching he gave us along the way. I’m also extremely thankful for Ron Carlson who produced our show. He literally kept the wheels on the bus. He took care of the technical aspects of putting the show together so I didn’t have to. I’m going to miss spending Friday mornings with him in the studio.

I’m also thankful for my co-host Brian Myers, someone once called us the “Click and Clack of Christian talk radio” and I think the description is apt. Brian had to roll back his involvement the last couple of months and I can tell you it wasn’t as fun to do the show without him. I’m so appreciative of the time and effort he put forward making the show happen.

I’m also thankful for our listeners. I’m not sure how many there are, but I do hear from you from time to time which is a lot of fun. Thanks for making us a part of your weekly routine.

I’m also thankful for my family for their patience and sacrifice as I pursued this show. Needless to say, this was never a paying gig and spending four to five hours a week making the show happen is no small thing. Without their support, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.

Most of all, I’m thankful to God for His provision, His traveling mercies traveling to the studio in Boone and then Des Moines when we moved there, for the people he allowed me to meet along the way, and for His wisdom and guidance as we considered show topics. My hope is that this effort was pleasing to Him and that some were ministered to in the process.

What’s next?

We may be going off the air, but Caffeinated Thoughts Radio is not going away for good. I will be taking a brief hiatus and then we’ll reboot this as a podcast. I’m still considering the format, length, and frequency so stay tuned. If you have subscribed to the radio show’s podcast already just keep your subscription, we’ll be using the same channels (and may be adding Podbean as well.