The Story that Writes Us Podcast: Recent Episodes
Custer Road UMC
A podcast about story telling, knowing that there is always a story that writes us. From Custer Road United Methodist Church.
Episode 14 John Zenor is the Associated Press sports writer who covers sports in the state of Alabama. Some clips of John were used in Episode 10 of this podcast, but John and I talked about so much more. I decided to do a stand-alone episode with John, where we hear about how a sports writer works hard to find and tell stories, how he became a writer, the role his faith plays in his work, and about the powerful influence of a mentor.
Episode 13 "To become a better performer means to become a better person." This is a guiding principle that was repeated throughout my interview with DeAnna Stone, who is a director with North Texas Performing Arts, a Dallas-area youth theater organization. DeAnna's philosophy for theater, and the seamless way she integrates the values of her faith with theater, is something we can all learn from, whether we are active in the arts or not.
It's football season! And for those of us who are fans, we're not just watching the score. We're following story lines, lines that are etched deep. Where does this come from? Why do we care so much? And what does this have to say about God? A panel of experts include a super fan, a sports writer, a university athletics director, and a pastor/author. Be sure to share this one with your sports loving friends in particular!
John Ed Mathison's book Life Lessons - Learned from Sports, can be purchased here.
David Housel's book, From the Backbooth at Chappy's: Stories of the South: Football, Politics, Religion, and More , can be purchased through Amazon.
You can read John Zenor's most recent article here.
Season 2, Episode 1 Reports don't look good. Young people are fleeing organized religion and faith in droves. Church attendance post-Covid has not recovered. The "Rise of the Nones" - people who check "none" on forms asking for their religious affiliation - is a real thing. So when I heard one of our church staff bragging on some of our young adults at the church, I wanted to find out where this was coming from. In this podcast, I interviewed three college students and asked them about their faith journeys thus far. They were articulate, engaging, and full of faith, in the most real and encouraging way. I know you'll enjoy listening.
Ready to launch! Click the player to hear the introduction! On Thursday, April 28, 2022 you can hear the first episode. And you can join in a Zoom call on May 3 at 7pm to discuss the first episode. Go to the home page to register to get a Zoom link, and join in the conversation.