A Small Good Thing

My friend Greg Emilio joins me once again to talk about movies. This time though we remember three movies that stood out for each of us during the last decade, from 2010 to the end of 2019, just a few days ago. My three selections are what you would call mainline, Hollywood type movies that use conventional storytelling techniques, while Greg’s picks offer a nice contrast as he reviews three beautiful films that tell their stories in more poetic mode. MUSIC LINKS: // “Little Idea” by Scott Holmes https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/Inspiring__Upbeat_Music/Scott_Holmes_-_Little_Idea // “The Mighty Rio Grande” by This Will Destroy You. Everywhere on the internet.

John Bucher is a strategist, communicator, and cultural mythologist based out of Hollywood, California. Last week (Dec 8.2019) he wrote a piece for the Joseph Campbell Foundation, called “Reawakening Wonder.” Since it’s Christmas, I thought I’d talk to him about wonder, and about mythology, and what those things have to do with each other. John is the author of six books, has worked with companies including HBO, DC Comics, The History Channel, A24 Films, and served as a consultant and writer for numerous film, television, and Virtual Reality projects. He has spoken around the world about using the power of story to reframe how individuals, organizations, cultures, and nations are viewed. LINKS: ARTICLE : “Reawaking Wonder,” by John Bucher. https://www.jcf.org/mythblast-reawakening-wonder/ ++ JOHN BUCHER at tellingabetterstory.com Follow him on Twitter @johnkbucher ++ MUSIC: Saint-Saëns - The Carnival of the Animals - VII. Aquarium, can be found everywhere on the internet. ++ O Little Town of Bethlehem. Kevin MacLeod. https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100307 ++ WRITE ME: asmallgoodthing.org

Independent journalist Paul Rowan Brian wrote a short article in the journal First Things last year entitled “Muslims in American Politics.” (Link below). In it, Brian claims that due to anti-Muslim rhetoric pervasive in the Republican party and among conservative Evangelical Christians as well, American Muslims “have no choice” but to align themselves politically with the liberal left, even though many of the left’s platform values – “gay marriage, abortion, drug legalization and infringements on the rights of religious organizations and individuals,” for example – are at odds with Islamic teaching. This tension, says Brian, puts Muslims in America “in a precarious position – caught in a dilemma between a false friend and an open opponent. Islam, at heart,” says Brian, “aligns with neither right nor left in an American political context. It is unique and comprehensive, based on a specific view of the human being, rights, and the purpose of life informed by God rather than men. Only the future will tell to what extent American Muslims define a place for themselves in American political culture.” In this episode I talk to a former student of mine, a young, devout, seminary-educated Muslim. I wanted to find out if his own experience in the Muslim communities he is part of rang true to Brian’s claims. I would tell you his name, but I won’t. He seeks a career in a sensitive field and because of the flammable nature of social media today, we agreed it would be best to keep his identity vague. But this I will tell you: it was a most refreshing and enlightening conversation for me, and I hope will be for you, too. LINKS: Muslims in American Politics: https://www.firstthings.com/article/2018/11/muslims-in-american-politics // MUSIC: Sami Yusuf - Asma Allah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhwdEtO5fJE&feature=youtu.be // Maula Ya Salli Wa Sallim (with English Subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g57bvG59ZtI&feature=youtu.be // WRITE ME: stevezelt@gmail.com

“The Pilgrims valued people more than prosperity, and let themselves be taken advantage of – at times, and in moderation – as if caring for individuals was necessary for their physical or spiritual survival. That's definitely a Christian perspective, but it's also an economic claim about the value of individuals and a healthy community. If we could exchange money for good friends, stable families, and a clean conscience, would we?” This is one of the insights from Dr. Liam Corley, professor of Early & 19th Century American Literature at Cal Poly Pomona, on what we can learn from the Pilgrim’s story today. LINKS: // MUSIC: Mark Isham. “Coalwood” and “Dreams of Boys.” Soundtrack from October Sky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXKvtcUAJ3I // CONTACT: asmallgoodthing.org

Roma, is the extraordinary movie made by Mexican filmmaker and Academy Award winner, Alfonso Cuarón. It came out last November in 2018. But you can watch it now any time, or many times, on Netflix streaming. To help me talk about it I called my friend Greg Emilio in Atlanta. He was with me on Episode 107 where we talked about Patterson, another remarkable movie. LINKS: // MUSIC from the official Roma trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BS27ngZtxg // For more episodes you can go to: asmallgoodthing.org

ROMA, is the extraordinary movie made by Mexican filmmaker and Academy Award winner, Alfonso Cuarón. It came out last November in 2018. But you can watch it now any time, or many times, on Netflix streaming. To help me talk about it I called my friend Greg Emilio (soon to be Dr. Emilio) in Atlanta. He was with me on Episode 107 where we talked about Patterson, another remarkable movie. LINKS: // MUSIC from the official Roma trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BS27ngZtxg // For more episodes you can go to: asmallgoodthing.org

This episode is a kind of continuation or further exploration of an earlier episode I did called, Praying to Andres Dubus, Episode 114. There, I talked about the plausibility of praying to the saints, people who are dead but not dead. My friend and one of my former guests, Donna Burns, wrote me a nice little email after that saying that she would like to talk to me more about that some day, and so, I’ve invited her back, this time to be my interviewer and conversation partner. Donna is perfect for the job because she is a Protestant Christian, so she can be suspicious of anything that sounds too Catholic. Yet she definitely is NOT anti-Catholic and also shows an intellectual openness to different ideas than her own tradition. LINKS: // MUSIC: “Clear Progress” by Scott Holmes. https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes // I mentioned Dallas Willard a couple of times. Dr. Willard was the chair of the Philosophy Department at USC. You can find his books wherever books are sold.

The book of Ecclesiastes is not only one of the most beautiful books in the Bible, it is one of the most beautiful pieces of literature in the whole world. And within its beauty resides something new and mysterious, a “newer” wisdom about life and God, as you will hear from my friend, Dr. William “Billy” Marsh. He holds degrees in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Theology, and Philosophy of Religion from the University of Chicago. Website: asmallgoodthing.org

This episode continues the conversation I began in the last episode with microbiologist, Douglas Axe. LINKS: // Douglas Axe. Undeniable https://www.amazon.com/Undeniable-Biology-Confirms-Intuition-Designed/dp/0062349597/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TO64O110FVRJ&keywords=undeniable+douglas+axe&qid=1564676151&s=gateway&sprefix=undeniable+dou%2Caps%2C264&sr=8-1 // David Gelernter https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/giving-up-darwin/ // Journey Inside the Cell. A 3 ½ minute video that graphically shows exactly how proteins work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fiJupfbSpg&app=desktop // MUSIC: “Wires Don’t Cry.” Ayato & Kecap Tuyul http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ayato__Kecap_Tuyul/The_Shaman_Wont_Come_Back/4_Wires_dont_cry

David Gelernter recently wrote an essay in Claremont Review of Books entitled “ Giving Up Darwin: A fond farewell to a brilliant and beautiful theory.” Gelernter is professor of computer science at Yale University, chief scientist at Mirror Worlds Technologies, and a member of the National Council of the Arts. He is also the latest of a small, but growing, number of scientists and intellectuals who are now studying the evidence for themselves and finding that the case for evolutionary biology as presented by the mainstream, “scientific” establishment is, in fact, mistaken. One of the scientists that Gelernter refers to in his essay is molecular biologist, Douglas Axe. He is a “distinguished biologist with a five-star breeding,” according to Gelernter, “a graduate student at Caltech, [who] then joined the Centre for Protein Engineering at Cambridge.” Dr. Axe is my guest for the next two episodes of A Small Good Thing. LINKS: // MUSIC: “Wires Don’t Cry.” Ayato & Kecap Tuyul http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ayato__Kecap_Tuyul/The_Shaman_Wont_Come_Back/4_Wires_dont_cry ;// David Gelernter https://www.claremont.org/crb/article/giving-up-darwin/ ;// Douglas Axe. Undeniable https://www.amazon.com/Undeniable-Biology-Confirms-Intuition-Designed/dp/0062349597/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TO64O110FVRJ&keywords=undeniable+douglas+axe&qid=1564676151&s=gateway&sprefix=undeniable+dou%2Caps%2C264&sr=8-1

Meredith Anne Miller’s official bio says that she is “a pastor, speaker and writer with a deep love for the local church and its potential to impact and transform communities. Together with her husband Curtis, they have returned home to Southern California in 2019 to start a church that follows Jesus into the world, together.” While all of that is true, it obscures a lively and complex personality. Meredith offers a clear, compelling and challenging rationale for the necessity of a different form of church. She aspires to listen carefully both to the world and to God. Among other things, she speaks of “dialoging across difference, pursuing justice, and elevating the voices of people who have been marginalized in church spaces.” You may disagree with her on points, but I don’t think you will be able to easily dismiss her. She is fresh, transparent and articulate. She’s educated and fair minded, yet at ease with her own thoughts. Normally, I do some editing in my conversations with people to keep the episode at a manageable length, but in this case I left most of our talk together intact. LINKS: Music // “Every Voice” by Jimmy Fontanez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqt-Gj0iRNw ; “Just Like That” by Proviant Audio http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Proviant_Audio/Welcome_Wilderness/Just_Like_That // Find Meredith Miller on Instagram or contact her at meredithannemiller@gmail.com // Find Pomona Valley Church at pomonavalleychurch.org and @pomonavalleychuch on Instagram. // The other churches that Meredith mentioned are: High Rock - https://www.highrockarlington.org/highrock-network Sunday Supper Church - https://www.sundaysupperchurch.com/ Open Circle - https://opencirclecommunity.org/ // You can always contact and find out more about me https://www.asmallgoodthing.org/

Dr. “Hud” McWilliams has been a practicing clinical psychologist for over forty years and has counseled thousands of people. He is also a practicing Christian, and he frequently speaks at churches and conferences around the world about how faith and psychology intersect. Since it was Father’s Day last week, I thought I’d talk to Hud about the changes he’s seen in the counseling room about fatherhood and what it means to be a father, and then, inevitably, what it means to be a man nowadays. I also ask him his opinion about why men are attending weekly church services less and less. At the end we talk about the book he published this past year called Discipline of Disturbance. LINKS: // MUSIC: Vibe Ace by Kevin MacLeod: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/ // BOOK: Discipline of Disturbance: https://hudmcwilliams.com/shop/ // VIDEO: “Stuff Dads Never Say” by Motion Worship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmzXNf3emrQ // ABOUT STEVE: https://www.asmallgoodthing.org/

Praying to Andre Dubus (who is dead but not dead) Steve explains about praying to people who are dead but not dead, like Andes Dubus, and why they might help us. He examines Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah, two other people who were dead but not dead, and what we might learn from that. BOOKS: You can find "Andres Dubus: Selected Stories," "Meditations From a Movable Chair," and Dubus' other works on all the popular internet bookseller sites. //MUSIC: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Aaron_Ximm/Handpans_and_the_Hang/Aaron_Ximm_-_08_-_Angela_Climbs_a_Boulder_at_Horn_Creek__the_Sun_Sets__the_Bat_Flies_By // Veni Sancti Spiritus by Mike Ginese: http://www.michaelginese.com/ // BIBLICAL REFERENCES: Exodus 3:6; Matthew 22: 23-33; James 1:17; Luke 11:9-13 // ABOUT ME: asmallgoodthing.org

In this episode I talk with Margaret “Margie” Whalen about Children’s Literature, focusing on the books by Robert McCloskey. The program incidentally also became an homage to Maine, the spiritual and physical home of both McCloskey and Ms. Whalen. But my overarching goal was to appeal to those of you who are moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas. I want to say why reading to children and grandchildren is one of the single most important things you can do to not only position them for a better life, but one of the most important things you can to for the world. All the data show that there links between low literacy levels and virtually every social issue that plagues our culture. Consider: 75% of state prison inmates did not complete high school, or can be classified as low literate. People at the lowest literacy levels have a higher rate of unemployment, and earn lower wages than the national average. It’s estimated that low literacy costs the U.S. at least $225 billion each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment. 43% of adults with the lowest literacy rates live in poverty, and 70% of adult welfare recipients have low literacy levels. According to the American Journal for Public Health in excess of $230 billion a year in health care costs is linked to low adult literacy. Yes, you may say, but these facts have to do with adults. What do they have to do with children? Simple: children grow up into adults. Children whose parents have low literacy skills have a 72% chance of functioning at the lowest reading levels themselves. So then, reading to children and then making sure they stay on track in learning to read has a positive influence on virtually every important social issue today – gender, race, crime, justice, drugs, suicide. “When people learn how to read, write, do basic math, . . . they have the power to lift themselves out of poverty, to lower health care costs, to find and keep sustainable employment, which promotes healthy families, and to ultimately change their lives for the better.” https://www.proliteracy.org/Adult-Literacy-Facts LINKS: // MUSIC: “Nautilis.” Chris Haugen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTqlpkJax_o&list=OLAK5uy_mkZiUSquaQujlL45dtvz1mjw13_GiFZTo // Salts and Water, A Podcast Series. https://experiencemaritimemaine.org/salts-water-podcast-series/?fbclid=IwAR2agAxH3juvzHZL_a1NMYBFDIJRzVEfa78KHruBq4tNoo3UaQrrciDfmLM // Scottish Grandma reads The Wonky Donkey to her baby grandchild. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yskf94MYM1I

Luke Schelhaas is the co-executive producer and a writer for the hit television series, Outlander. We talked about how he got his start writing for television, and then about how he and the other writers he collaborates with work to find the best way to tell the story they have to tell, from concept to a finished script. If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while you’ll know that I’m interested in artists, especially writers, and the creative process. You will also know that I am interested in people of faith, particularly those who work in fields or places that might sometimes seem oppositional to faith and God, places like. . . well, Hollywood. Luke Schelhaas is such a person and so, naturally, I was curious to know what his experience has been as a believer writing on television series that sometimes include sex and violence. LINKS: •// Official Outlander website: https://www.starz.com/series/outlander/episodes •// “The Deep Heart’s Core,” script by Luke Schelhaas, Outlander Season 4, Episode 10: https://www.outlandercommunity.com/insideoutlander/410/ MUSIC: •Skye Boat Song by Clan Stewart Pipe Band http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Clan_Stewart_Pipe_Band/Songs_For_The_Dawn_Of_Peace/02_-_Skye_Boat_Song_-and-_Scots_Wha_Hae_Wi_Wallace_Bled_Scotland •Yonder Hill and Dale by Aaron Kenny https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVAggfwI4hnkA2WO6-xC06Q •The Sky Boat Song featuring Kathryn Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zQoQ1ckFxI CONTACT: asmallgoodthing.org

In this episode I talk about writing – NOT the kind of writing you were made to do in high school or college, or writing for business, or “creative” writing – but rather the kind of writing that you do just for yourself -- personal or private writing. Many studies show that this kind of writing might be particularly helpful if you’re in the middle of a life crisis. In order to draw you in a little bit, I begin by telling two true stories of people in stressful situations, and how writing entered into their picture. Then I talk to Dr. Hud McWilliams, a longtime psychologist and counselor, about why he will sometimes request that a client of his spend time writing a little everyday. Finally, I talk with Tom Allbaugh, who graciously shares how writing about his son’s suicide a year and a half ago helps him. LINKS: // Dr. Hud McWilliams: https://www.hudmcwilliams.com/what-we-do/ // Dr. Tom Allbaugh: https://thomasallbugh.blogspot.com/ //Research on writing: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327582ijpr1501_2 //Also of interest re writing: https://player.fm/series/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast/11-dr-james-w-pennebaker //See Episodes #103 with Larry Enriquez on helping people through extreme grief, and Episode #107 with Greg Emilio // The River Heron Review: www.riverheronreview.com // MUSIC: “Porches and Universes” by Puddle of Infinity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgHjUIhb6D4

I ask all of my guests that I’ve had on the show since July what podcasts they listen to and would recommend to us. By the end of the show you almost certainly will have heard about a podcast you might try out in the coming new year. Featuring Dr. Liam Corley, Larry Enriquez, Dr. Alison Baker, Andrew Cochran, Greg Emilio and Donna Burns. // MUSIC by E’s Jammy Jam: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKCo4y0JbV2a7azDkmbIlyYtWzQdaDwiM // Free Music Archives: http://freemusicarchive.org/ // PODCASTS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW Combat & Classics and LibriVox (Liam Corley) The Eric Metaxas Show (Larry Enriquez) Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (Alison Baker) Very Bad Wizards (Andrew Cochran) The New Yorker Fiction Podcast (Greg Emilio) Clear + Vivid with Alan Alda (Donna Burns) The Great Books /National Review (Steve Zelt) // CONTACT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT STEVE ZELT : asmallgoodthing.org

The Christian season of Advent has begun and it is fitting therefore to consider Mary. The image we have of her in our popular imagination, though, is often a sentimental characterization. In this episode my guest, Donna Burns, returns. I recommend you learn more about her in the episode previous to this. In this program we talk about Mary as she appears in the biblical texts. Between the two of us we came up with nine observations that many people perhaps have not thought about. For example, the fact that Mary was a woman of color, ethnically and religiously marginalized, who became a refugee seeking asylum from violence in her country. At one point Donna refers to the Magnificat. In case you’ve forgotten, the Magnificat is the song that Mary sings. Here it is: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. The quote from C. S. Lewis comes from his book, Christian Reflections, in the chapter on the Psalms. Cover Art: African American artist, Henry Ossawa Tanner painted The Annunciation soon after returning to Paris from a trip to Egypt and Palestine in 1897. To my way of thinking, it is one of the most powerful images of a transcendent moment ever created, and though painted over a hundred years ago, strikingly modern. The closing song is entitled Svatba by Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares. You can learn more about me at asmallgoodthing.org

After she married at twenty, Donna worked for many years with several international Christian relief agencies. But when her daughter entered her teenage years, she retooled, went back to school, and began teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) as an adjunct professor at one of the largest community colleges in California. She became the Director of the ESL program at that college, and then eventually the Dean of Continuing Education, a department that served about 30,000 people a year, mostly immigrants. She's retired now and lives in Illinois to be close to her grandkids. Along the way Donna has taken a deeper interest in women’s and justice issues. Though not as traumatic as some, she’s had her own MeToo moments. She switched from the Republican to the Independent to the Democratic party. And through it all, she has acted in the light of her Christian convictions. SHOW NOTES: /MUSIC: * Lobo Loco: “Morning Train” http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/ * Daniel Birch: “Brushed Bells Leaving Home” http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Daniel_Birch/ * Blue Dot Sessions: “Cupcake Marshall” http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/ /RESOURCES RECOMMENDED (Donna Burns): * The Junia Project - https://juniaproject.com/ * Christians for Biblical Equality - https://www.cbeinternational.org/ * The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper /CONTACT: stevezelt@gmail.com /WEBSITE: asmallgoodthing.org

YOU CAN SUPPORT THE PODCAST by going here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-small-good-thing/id1429237747?mt=2 and giving it either a One Star OR Five Star rating – which, naturally, I prefer. Also, if you’re really on a roll, why not leave a short comment or review in the comment box there? In this episode I talk with Greg Emilio about the movie Paterson, starring Adam Driver and written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Greg is a poet whose work has appeared in many publications. This conversation began as a movie review, but it slowly and wonderfully became an extended and inspirational meditation on the importance for all of us to be faithful to the vocation and place we feel we are called. LINK TO: “Saying Grace in a Time of Drought” by Gregory Emilio: http://www.lettersjournal.com/gregory-emilio/ CONTACT: stevezelt@gmail.com MUSIC: The Garden State by Audiobinger