Hey Mom, Everythings Alright

Holiday Gift #2. BOURBON AND CIGARS!!!!!!!! Here is another episode we recorded back in July 2019 but never published. As talked about in "Bourbon and Cigars 'It's Been 98 Days' Parts 1 and 2," Brandon had recently gone through major life upheaval and was seeking to answer "What now?" This episode was recorded right before an unplanned 6 month hiatus, but its sooooo gooooood!!!!! And now you get to listen to it!! We brought Gabe Jones, the local "Supreme Leader of Everything to do with Christian Music (Contemporary and Worship)," back to the studio to discuss Christian music. Christian Music: Does it suck, or not? If you were raised on Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and/or a part of the mainstream worship movement, you don't want to miss this episode. Plus, this episode is full of impromptu breaking out in some favorite CCM/worship songs! Enjoy.   Gabe has his own podcast (which is amazing!!!) called Decent Christian Talk. "A blog and commentary on music. Written for fans by fans." Give it a listen! ht

Holiday Gift #1!!! We haven't released an episode in about 6 months. Well...here is a podcast episode recorded back in July 2019 and never published. As talked about in "Bourbon and Cigars 'It's Been 98 Days' Parts 1 and 2," Brandon had recently gone through major life upheaval and was seeking to answer "What now?" This episode was recorded right before an unplanned 6 month hiatus. However, it is so good and we have been wanting to release it for some time now. This is an interview with Gabe Jones about his faith journey. Gabe and Brandon became friends at an early age and attended the same church for many years. Though their faith journeys are similar, there are many differences, and in this episode we hear about Gabe's journey and where he is today with faith, spirituality and religion. Gabe has his own podcast (which is amazing!!!) called Decent Christian Talk. "A blog and commentary on music. Written for fans by fans." Give it a listen! https://decentchristiantalk.com  

Here is Part 2 of "It's been 98 days." Brandon and Jeremy talk about what has transpired during the last 98 days. As much as we wish, our lives are not a straight line. Life is better described as circles that overlap. And sometimes we find ourselves circling around for a long time. Life is filled with ups and downs, emotional roller coasters, change, great memories, stress, pain, joy, laughter, etc. As Brandon has gone through a bunch of life change, he seeks to answer, "What now?" Enjoy!

It's been 98 days since our last episode. What????? Brandon and Jeremy talk about what has transpired during the last 98 days. Let's just say a bunch of life change. This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Enjoy!

Episode 28 (aka Season 2 Episode 4) In this episode, I interview Dr. James Nolan, professor of Sociology at WVU. Jim made a quick appearance in Episode 24, Special Edition: Human Rights Ordinance (Fairmont, WV). We continue our conversation on faith and humanity of the other. Jim shares some of his original work: Temple of Truth, Apostate's Creed, and a poem titled, "I don't want to die believing a lie." Enjoy!

Episode 27 (aka Season 2 Episode 3) Welcome to a Special Edition episode of HMEA. As many may already know, the United Methodist Church just wrapped up their Special General Conference in St. Louis, MO on human sexuality. Unfortunately, the Tradition Plan was passed which means the Church is taking a stronger stance against homosexuality, LGBT+ clergy, and clergy who wish to perform same sex weddings. Jeremy and I give a brief overview of what transpired over the weekend, and then share our thoughts and concerns regarding the 2019 UMC Special General Conference.

Episode 26 (aka Season 2 Episode 2) Welcome to Part 3, and the final installment, of Bourbon and Cigars: The Deep Dive: "Is the Bible infallible or inerrant?" Our initial conversation on this topic lasted close to 2 and a half hours. This is the last part of that conversation. In this episode, we conclude by answering the question proposed by Jeremy, "Why has the Bible, not being inerrant or infallible, helped your faith?" If you haven't listened to Parts 1 and 2 yet, make sure you do. This series has included conversation regarding: the timeline of when the teaching of infallibility and inerrancy became a teaching within the Church, the canonization of Scripture, looking at the Bible chronologically rather than canonically, truth found outside of the Bible, interpreting the Bible through the lenses of community, tradition, Scripture, experience, science, and the teachings of Jesus, and avoiding individualistic interpretations. Enjoy!

Episode 25. And we're back!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome to a new year and a new season. I am joined by Jeremy as we briefly discuss our hiatus and what we've been doing. (Side note: forgot to mention a family vacation and sickness that ate up 3 weeks.) Also, we look ahead to a new season of podcasts.  And yes Jeremy, Part 3 of Bourbon and Cigars: The Deep Dive "Is the Bible infallible or inerrant?" will be released soon. This is a short episode. A "teaser" if you will! Enjoy!

Episode 24. Welcome to this special 2 hour edition of Hey Mom Everything's Alright! On Election Night, November 6, 2018, the residents of the City of Fairmont voted to pass the Human Rights Ordinance. 58% to 42% (3,384 votes for and 2,465 against). This episode is the celebration about the passing of the Human Rights Ordinance in Fairmont, WV. The Human Rights Ordinance has been mentioned in this podcast multiple times because it was a pivotal shift in my life and faith. In this episode I sat down and interviewed Council Member Marianne Moran, Rikki Butler, Rev. Val Gittings, Rev. Jim Norton, Dani Devito, Joby and Julie Chadwell, Rev. Larry Buckland, Dr. Jim Nolan, Council Member Ron Straight, Cynthia Straight, and Council Member Incumbent Donna Blood. Of everyone interviewed I ask three questions: How were you involved in the Human Rights Ordinance?, What motivated you to be involved?, What are your thoughts/how do you feel that the HRC passed? Enjoy!

Episode 23. Welcome to Part 2 of The Deep Dive: "Is the Bible infallible or inerrant?" This is another installment of Bourbon and Cigars. Our initial conversation on this topic lasted close to 2 and a half hours. This is the second segment taken from that conversation. In this episode, we talk about the canonization of Scripture, looking at the Bible chronologically rather than canonically, truth found outside of the Bible, interpreting the Bible through the lenses of community, tradition, Scripture, experience, science, and the teachings of Jesus, and avoiding individualistic interpretations. We introduce a new question: "Why has the Bible, not being inerrant or infallible, helped your faith?" Part 3 coming soon...Enjoy! .  

Episode 22. Welcome to another installment of Bourbon and Cigars! Jeremy and I launch The Deep Dive on biblical infallibility and inerrancy. During this series, we seek to answer the question, "Is the Bible infallible or inerrant?" This is Part 1. In this episode, we breakdown the timeline of when the teaching of infallibility and inerrancy became a teaching within the Church. Our initial conversation lasted close to 2 and a half hours so there will be many parts to this Deep Dive. Make sure to check back when the following episodes are released. Enjoy!

Episode 21. Everyone welcome Renee LaRue Batten to the "Hey Mom" studio!!!!! Yes, if you're thinking, "wait...that's Jeremy's last name," then you are correct. Renee and Jeremy are married. At the recording of this episode (another one from the vault), Renee and Jeremy were a few months away from their wedding day. In this episode, Renee shares her faith journey and where it has brought her to today. Not growing up in the church, Renee talks about the decision to start attending church when she was younger. She shares the story of the closing of a church plant she was a part of and how it affected her faith. She also shares great insights into the themes such as: resurrection, forgiveness, and grace.  This is another good one. Enjoy!  

Episode 20. Everyone, please welcome Jim Norton to the Hey Mom podcast!!!!! In this episode, I get the priviledge of introducing you, the Hey Mom podcast audience, to Jim. He has become a mentor of mine over the past year, and has become an integral part of my life. Just about every week, Jim and I go to breakfast and chat about our lives, theology, faith, social issues, and just everything else there is to talk about. This is just a "taste" (see what I did there!) of what our conversations look like. At our normal breakfast spot with our waiter, coffee, silverware, breakfast, background music, and chatter from other diner guests, I interviewed Jim Norton about life, faith, and thelogy. Enjoy! ***Disclaimer: I have had this episode recorded for quite some time now. Unfortuantely my mic picked up a bunch of background noise and Jim is hard to hear in some spots: from the background music playing to the waiter and waitress having a conversation behind us. But, this episode is just too good to discard or try a

Episode 19. Guess what happened on Saturday night, September 29th, at the Carnegie Lecture Hall in Pittsburgh, PA?????? Rob Bell was in town for his Holy Shift Tour with special guest Pete Rollins! In this episode Jeremy, Dusty (a newcomer to the Hey Mom podcast), and Brandon sit down and talk about their experience. Each share the first time they became aware of Rob Bell's work, why they think he is such a polarizing figure within relgion and Christianity, and their reflections from the Holy Shift Tour. Enjoy! ***Disclaimer: Jeremy, Dusty, and Brandon are all huge Rob Bell fans. There is still disagreement for who is his number 1 fan!   https://robbell.com/ https://peterollins.com

Episode 18. Everyone welcome Rob Linger!!!!!! Rob is a phenomenal guy and has an amazing perspective on life and faith. Rob and Brandon first met when cycling...yes, wearing spandex! And then spent alot of time at the "coffee shop" at Church B.  In this episode we get to hear about Rob's upbringing, faith journey, his time in the Marines, a story about Katrina, thoughts and prayers vs. actions, doing good only if you fear a mean God, and how one finds purpose in life. This is a good one. Enjoy!

And we're back!!!! Jeremy and Brandon start the podcast off by honoring the life of their beloved high school music teacher, Mr. Bunner. A walk down memory lane so to speak. After that, J & B spend time on many ramblings dealing with life and faith. Oh, and Brandon spills beer (not bourbon) all over his laptop. Good times.   Enjoy Episode 17! (And remember, if you have questions, comments, concerns or would like to be on an episode to share your faith journey, send an email to heymomeverythingsalright@gmail.com)

In this episode, Brandon shares a recent experience where life and faith were at their most truest and deepest forms. Training for a triathlon, Brandon became aware of some emotions, feelings, and thoughts that were lying dormant in his life. While most of the podcast episodes have camped in the faith realm, Brandon describes some changes in his personal life that are taking place as he rebuilds his life. But as you will hear, faith and life are so interconnected that you cannot fully experience one while depriving the other. Enjoy!   "Pursue what's in your heart, and the universe will conspire to support you." -Rich Roll 

Everyone, please welcome Rev. Val Gittings to the podcast!!! Val is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Fairmont, West Virginia. I mentioned, in a previous episode, three people I saw speak in support of our LGBT brothers and sisters at a local council meeting regarding the Human Rights Commission. These three people, not affiliated in anyway, were shining lights admist a sea of "Bible-believing"/hate-filled Christians. Somehow, these three were able to reconcile their faith and support of LGBT. It was beautiful. I made a vow that night to get to know these three people and learn from them. Val is one of the those three people who spoke in support of our LGBT brothers and sisters, and the last person, out of the three, I got a chance to meet and get to know. Val is a gem! Our conversation meant the world to me. In this episode we discuss the Human Rights Commission, her and First Baptist's journey since the council meeting, homosexuality, love, and so much more. Enjoy!

When the conversation with Bill Barnes concluded, the mic continued to record. We spent another 40 minutes riffing on one topic...community. Bill mentioned this in Part 2 and what he had to share needed more time to process and discuss. What followed was a beautiful moment in time of vulnerablity talking about community and the role it plays in our lives.  

This is Part 2 of the conversation with Bill Barnes. We continue the conversation about Bill's faith journey and Faith and Science. We discuss homosexuality, loving your neighbor, original sin, the end goal, and many other ideas. Enjoy! The books mentioned in this episode are: -"Torn" by Justin Lee -"Bitten By A Camel" by Kent Dobson