Exactly 30 years ago tonight (from the time of this posting) I was the victim of an armed robbery, staring down the barrel of a gun. I know a bit about courage, not because I demonstrated such resolve in the face of fear, but because I didn't. Nothing about that experience changed or solidified my perspective on gun control or gun violence. It did bring other changes, though, like maturity in facing my fears.

Different Drummer: Joni Mitchell

Behind the song: "A Case Of You"

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [1:05:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (Loading)

As a genre, "thriller" is different from horror or other suspense films, but that distinction is in grave danger of being lost forever.  Before the most common forms of scary cinema became slashers or demonic possession, when serial killer movies were crime-dramas rather than gorefests, the thriller was the TV equivalent of the midnight movie.  Now, with Halloween approaching, you are more likely to see Friday The Umpteenth than any of the classics starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, or Vincent Price.  Film fans have lost more than we realize.

Different Drummer: Jakob Rehlinger

Arachnidisc's videos including Moonwood and Babel

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [00:55:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (Loading)

Ritual can be a part of authentic worship, but if that's all there is then it is almost certainly false.  My faith has consistently affirmed the conviction that God is "present" within worship, not as a judgmental taskmaster but as a loving, creative force.  Genuine worship changes over time, even from week to week.  Rather than being regimented, if it is truly God-focused then it will reflect the Lord's mysterious ways.  Anything less than a journey into this heart of wonder may be "religious" but it certainly isn't spiritual.

Different Drummer: Rick Moyer

Take Him With You

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [00:49:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (Loading)

While I'm playing music on my MP3 player, it is almost always set to shuffle.  I believe in variety and unexpected combinations, and radio stations have not provided that at any time in my memory.  When you hear "your station for variety" or other taglines, it never refers to a combination of rock, country, jazz, classical, spoken word, and other genre.  Why not?  A format with that challenging combination might never lead the market, but a program like that might prove to be the second choice for a very large set of listeners.

Different Drummer: Francis Picabia

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [57:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (Loading)

6) America could not provide adoptive homes for more than a million children per year over limitless successive years.  7) After agreeing to pay a clinic several hundred dollars, a woman does not need an extra day of waiting to decide if she is doing the right thing.  8 ) Most Americans do not know the names and telephone numbers of more than 30,000 women, and certainly none can name that many new acquaintances for each calendar year.  9) If doctors never study or practice the abortion procedure, then an emergency abortion to save the life or health of a pregnant woman is less likely to be safe and free from complications.  10) If a person threatens the life or welfare of a man's wife, most of us would understand the man's decision to kill this assailant -- even if we wouldn't take that same action ourselves for moral reasons.

Different Drummer: Aristotle

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [52:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (Loading)

We miss huge opportunities to make meaningful connections with people and ideas when we separate science from daily living. Even culturally, we often fail to recognize the implications and possibilities that certain scientific theories present to us. With the laws of motion, for example, something more profound than physics is described in Isaac Newton's work.

Different Drummer: Salvador Dali

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [26:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (Loading)