Inappropriate Conversations

I was not a man when I first encountered "men's magazines" and I obtained beer and alcohol long before the legal drinking age, now or then.  Were these mistakes, or just typical parts of growing up?  The answers have a lot to do with age and perspective.  As a parent, I have worked to provide a different experience for my children.  On the other hand, it's possible that a childhood without any "mistakes" is the biggest mistake of all. Different Drummer: The Residents

A complete system of commerce must include a final destination point for "clearance" that serves both the needs of industry and the bottom-feeder (plecostomus). I do not use that term as an insult because it describes me quite well as a loyal customer of used record stores and bookstores. Some of my most beloved rock bands and musicians were first discovered in the dollar bins or cutout racks. It is good that others' cast-offs have found a happy home. Without such a method of filtering out the unwanted production, any retail system is incomplete or under-developed. Different Drummer: Mark E. Smith

The concept "heart" describes the deepest, most personally "real" part of ourselves.  A great many people have never revealed this Self to anyone, not even a spouse or other family member.  At the same time, any hope another person has for truly knowing you depends entirely on getting to "the heart of the matter" within that relationship.  This is one of the great truths that Jesus came to share, and it rests at the core of what Christians mean by "having a relationship" with God. Different Drummer: Frederick Buechner

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

People choosing to take ownership of their reproduction and sexuality is not a problem society needs to solve.  From the political rhetoric leading up to the 2012 presidential election in the United States, you might think "birth control" is the only topic Americans are debating.  While addressing the issue without the use of profanity, I am speaking frankly and aggressively.  Even the scripture I cite includes two killings (fatal smiting is the appropriate description) and sexual misconduct.  Also, sound quality was a challenge in places. Different Drummer: Laurie Anderson Reformed Whores performing "I'm A Slut!"

I have spoken about World Storytelling Day before, years ago.  This year will be very different, though.  With the theme of "Trees" I'm releasing this podcast virtually unedited.  I've added the theme and Different Drummer music, and that's pretty much it.  If you'll pardon the slight pun, the recording of this story will have to stand on its own. Different Drummer: Imani Coppola Imani Coppola performing "I'm A Tree"

Many people are beginning to believe that Christianity and the electoral process are incompatible because the obvious examples from the religious right fall into fundamentalism and fail to be true to either religion or politics.  For guidelines as simple and Biblical as "love your enemies" and "the kingdom of God is not of this earth," you would think that the politicians who most aggressively identify themselves as Christians must have sold their souls for votes.  Worse, I wonder how much of the dubious Christianity we hear being preached from the political pulpit will actually drive voters away from both the polls and the church. Different Drummer: Gautama