Holy Cannoli

Tony dissects and RELATES to Jonathon Larson of Tick...Tick...Boom!

Make sure you listen to episodes 56 and 59 before you listen to this one so you are all caught up as Tony talks about his thoughts on the Bible. 

Tony is back. 

Tony shares a message with his church, THE QUEST in Novato California. 

Is the Bible all divinely inspired by God or is it human interpretation. 

Tony + Wendy COMMUNE on the present issues. 

It's midnight and Wendy wanted to record an episode, a podcast on pastoral confessions. Uh.... Why not? What could go wrong?

Well, Tony could talk about his BUTT CHEEKS (again) and could offend people with his opinions on SPEAKING IN TONGUES,. So there's that. 

Oh, well. It's real, opinionated and the stories of just one pastor. But he still loves Jesus, the Bible and the church (no matter what anyone says!). 

We can't speak for everyone's experience but hope in some way you can relate... and laugh. 

Anyone have any church stories that you want to share? Looking for all sorts of topics: Money, relationships, Sunday School, sermons, awkward interactions. If that's you...give us an email podcast@bravemaker.com

Never forget God loves you. He...She does! (And we know that might offend someone, but...just think about it. 

And please subscribe, rate us and share with a friend. 

Let's do this.  Tony starts off a new series of conversations, or CONFESSIONS: sharing real issues, anecdotes, doubts, questions and frustrations about being a pastor.

Submit your ideas, questions, and stories. 

Nifty Fifty. 

Tony talks about his teeth, broken systems and why we need to keep seeking JUSTICE. 

Are we willing to sacrifice what we might lose? 

Message by Tony Gapastione from Trinity Presbyterian Church in San Carlos. June 30th, 2019.

It's been a wild week to think about. 

This one is all me. Solo. (Tony).

I just saw AVENGERS End Game last night. No spoilers here but I did have my own personal encounter with someone who seemed to be my personal Thanos for thirty minutes. Why did I let a jerk get the best of me? How can I learn to let go of the toxicity spewed out by others? 

These words that came from the cross, from a humble man being murdered. 

"Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

Life Changing. 

Villainizing people is easy but not letting them affect you is not. 

But even villains are complex humans with fears and pains. And most times it's not about you. 

--Tony

Questions we hate to ask--but--What needs to end? or die? Who needs to be fired? 

Dr. Henry Cloud's book NECESSARY ENDINGS inspired this 10 minute podcast reflection by Tony. 

@tonygapastione

We normally put out our episodes on Monday but since our friend Matt is in town for the Friday 2/22/19 BraveMaker event we recorded a conversation on creating art, church (of course) and culture. 

http://mattnightingale.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mattnightingale/

Enjoy!

After a week of being at Sundance for a week, Tony's feeling a bit nostalgic and reflective around what it means to be a leader (and maybe a bit introspective on the last nine months).  

From the snowy mountains of Park City, Utah, home of the Sundance Film Festival comes the story of  Lamonte White. Knowing he had been adopted from six months old, Lamonte was curious to learn more about this biological family in his adult life.

So he filed some official paperwork with the State of New Jersey where he lived. He quickly found himself in a new story discovering a whole family that was closer than he ever could have imagined. 

Something very similar was in a recent documentary called: Three Identical Strangers. (Lamonte was adopted from the SAME agency)  https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/three-identical-strangers-most-watched-200947933.html

Family is a sacred and strange thing but this story reminds us that DNA is not the only thing that ties us together, but it does help define us.

Follow Lamonte, AKA Monty on IG

https://www.instagram.com/montyshots/

Take a look at his company 

https://kumbregear.com/

He was a PAID pastor, now... he's not paid anymore. He's STILL a pastor (at large) and figuring things out about what it means to be a person of faith and a part of the church (or not), like us all. He's got a lot to say and it's fun. Artist, friend, co-owner of our turtle, CHIP in college. 

Meet my friend from college Dave Diller. 

https://www.instagram.com/davidcdiller/

Dan is a pastor, teacher and community leader in Minneapolis Minnesota. Dan seeks to affirm and include the LGBTQ+ community in his congregation despite pressure and threats that he could lose ministry credentials, his reputation and maybe even the church in which he leads. Take a listen with an open mind and heart. 

Links to give you more background on Dan.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-collison-47b0087/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=e2yCPBcARy8

http://mf4i.org/rev-dan-collison-suspended/

BraveMaker LGBTQ+ film, music and live podcast event

https://bravemakerfeb2019.eventbrite.com

Our last conversation of the year is with a pastor, church leader and a theologian who loves the scriptures. The way he thinks about following Jesus will challenge, inspire and potentially rattle you. Take a risk and listen to Kevin Neuner of Palo Alto's Spark Church and see how you might also live the sacred and strange way of living by values instead of belief statements. 

https://www.facebook.com/kevin.neuner

https://www.spark.church/

Sunday March 10th, 2019 event:

https://www.spark.church/sexualityscripturesoul