Inquisitive Pontification

Ruth Moen is my great aunt. We sat down at our family cabin on Fish Lake in northern Wisconsin to talk about how wonderful it is to have such an incredible gift as a family cabin and the story of how it came to be and her father's part in it. 

This is a recording of the purchase of our family cabin over 60 years ago. At the gathering, multiple family members share stories and reminisce about fond memories that happened at the cabin or other family histories. This is part one of a hopefully multiple-part series exploring my family's incredible family cabin and its many stories. Enjoy.

In this episode, I talk with an old friend of mine. Her name is Zaundia, she and I met in Duluth Minnesota years ago at a church called The Vineyard. Today she shares a story of a cult that she was able to escape from in California. This religious cult is called I'SOT (In Search of Truth). I wasn't aware of the name of the cult to begin with, as you see. But after some digging during a break on this episode, I was able to find out some more information.  Below are some links with more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27SOT https://www.isotsurvivors.info

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin made national news because of the terrible tragedy after Lilly was murdered by her relative. I asked Michael Houle, a pastor for the Vineyard Church in Chippewa Falls, to talk to me about how a community can heal from such a tragedy and what we, as Christians, should be doing and what we should not be doing.  This episode was recorded before the more recent tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. I plan on addressing it in a future episode, but the bottom line is that we need to do more than thoughts and prayers. 

Travis and I talk about his experience on the cruise he went on that had multiple Star Trek actors, including George Takei and other actors he met. We also discuss a few other movies like Coda, Jo Jo Rabbit, The Lost City and Moon Knight and, of course, the slap. 

Amanda and I discuss her experience with the Duluth Bible Church. A church in Duluth Minnesota that she says is a cult. We discuss her problems with it, why she says it's a cult, and the differences between unhealthy churches that are cults, or have cult-like characteristics and healthy churches and what makes them healthy. We also discuss gender, sex, orientation, race, politics and film. (so yeah, pretty much one of the best conversations ever :)

Travis and I discuss three new movies we both watched. Dune, Matrix and Spiderman. We also discuss Whoopi Goldberg's recent controversial statements and how that might effect our view of her character in the next Picard season. 

Travis and I catch up on what we've been watching, what we're excited for in series and movies, and try to stay on topic talking about Ten Rings...sometimes we suceed. 

Travis is an old collage friend of mine who shares a love of Star Trek and is also a cosplayer. He and I discuss the hope of Star Trek, specifically the end of racism, sexism, economic disparities, etc...among all the shows and movies. We also talk a lot about Deep Space Nine (because it's both our favorite series). Some of the details that we discuss when it comes to what actor or character did what, when and why might be wrong, so, take the "facts" with a grain of salt I guess. 

Lori Pepper, an ELCA Lutheran Pastor, and I talk about faith, religion, the church, seminary, her experience becoming a female pastor and how she navigated her past experiences with more conservative churches. We also discuss the Lutheran ELCA church  changes with women and LGBTQ people becoming pastors. We even talk about the big question, why do bad things happen? We also discuss a position paper, I believe this might the paper she was referring to: Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust

Libby is a friend of mine who lives in Minneapolis and a teacher there. We discuss her experience with the George Floyd protests, Black Lives Matter, and how she responds to it as a teacher in a school district with students who are predominantly people of color. We also discuss church experience and the election, and what she is reading and watching during the pandemic. 

Jonathan Miller served as Dean of Men in MPLS and Center Director in Duluth for Minnesota Teen Challenge for 10 years. He graduated Fuller Seminary with a Masters in Divinity. He currently co-Pastors a small church, The Vine, in Midtown Sacramento.    The books/ authors I mentioned and their notable books: J. Phillip Newell (Christ of the Celts)/ Richard Rohr (The Universal Christ)/ Justo Gonzalez (Santa Biblia)/ Howard Thurman (Jesus of the Disinherited)/ Terry Wardle/ Karl Batth/ Jurgen Moltmann/ Sarah Coakley/ Catherine Doherty. For a little fun Nadia Bolz-Webber.

Daniel Plys (an old friend from Duluth) is longboarding the entire length of the Missippi to spread awareness and fight childhood hunger. This was a passion of his father's before he died of cancer and is now something he himself is fighting for as well. Take a listen.  https://kbjr6.com/2020/09/04/duluth-man-to-longboard-down-the-mississippi-river-for-a-good-cause/ https://www.2500forhunger.com/ https://www.facebook.com/projectjoynorthland

Here is the heartwarming story of how I lost my parent's dog on the very first day I was supposed to dog sit for a week...and several hours later my neighbor called me and told me they saw her.  Jake and I also discuss what is giving us hope and how we like Eau Claire, Wisconsin. 

This episode was recorded a few weeks ago, before the events in Minneapolis and the murder of Goerge Floyd by a police officer. I plan on recording a podcast that directly addresses this with a longer, thoughtful episode. However, in my interview with Megan, she shares some of her thoughts and feelings about race in the United States, and specifically who she has experienced things in Chicago and Wisconsin. She explains that as a descendant of an African American, it is very real to her when black people are mistreated. I hope you enjoy this episode.  Megan Corse IMDb page Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

This is part 2 of a 2 part episode where I talk with my friend Matt Kendziera. We continue our discussion about God, politics, faith, church, and community.  Matt's "Jesus Never Ran" podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts 

This is part 1 of a 2 part episode where I talk with my friend Matt Kendziera who has been involved with the evangelical church for years as a ministry leader and a pastor. We discuss what he likes about the evangelical church, what he doesn't like, and what we can learn from all of that.  Matt's "Jesus Never Ran" podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts  Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

In this episode, I interview a bartender I met while Ubering. I've driven her to and from her work and other bars and home several times. Each time I met her I got to hear more and more of a very odd story she shared with me. Listening discretion advised.  Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

In 2015 Brian Williams recanted his story about his experience as a journalist in Iraq during the war and was eventually demoted because of the scandal. After seeing how some portrayed the story and attacked Williams, Allen Kelly, a friend of mine, decided to come forward and tell his side of the story. I wanted to talk to Allen and ask him why he felt it necessary to come forward and what his experience was like.  Malcolm Gladwell: Free Brian Wiliams Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

In this episode, I talk with a new friend of mine that I met during an Uber ride. I had the honor of praying for her after she let me know that she had been assaulted. We don't talk details, but we do discuss adult topics like rape, strip clubs, and what happens in them. Listen discretion advised.  Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

Laura and I were friends in Duluth, Mn. She moved out to L.A. and is now a makup artist on titles like Gaurdians of the Galaxy, Primal Rage, and Into the Dark. We talk about what it's like working on the practical effects in the industry, what her favorite projects are, and how she's holding up now that all movie and tv productions are shut down during the Covid 19 shut down.  Laura Lieffring's IMDb -Primal Rage -3022 (Netflix) -Into the Dark (Hulu) Laura's Website: http://lauralieffring.com/ Laura's Instagram: @lauralieffringmakeup Patrick Magee: @mageefx Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

My uncle Matt and I talk about how life is different now that the virus hit the world. We talk about how Japan's government differs from the US government in their response, and how our culture differs as well.   Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

This is my first interview episode, there will be more to come. Recorded this in person a few weeks before the virus hit. We talk about how my grandmother met my grandfather, how our family cabin started, and how she almost died as a child...but was saved because of goats milk.  Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

In this episode, I express my raw feelings about our current president. About some of the worst things he's done and said, with quotes, dates and sources. I do quote the President himself, so, it may not be appropriate for some.  Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky

This isn't episodes 1. This is the introduction to my podcast, Inquisitive Pontification.  Which is an exploration of my understandings of different topics like Politics, Religion, Faith, Policy, film, television, popular culture, my crazy Uber rides (I'm a driver) and the people I meet, etc... And, hopefully, along the way, I'll be challenged on my ideas and paradigms of how I view the world and perhaps I'll grow. Maybe, just maybe, you'll want to grow with me too.  In this Preview, I talk about some of the ideas that I'd like to discuss.  Original Music by Anastasia Vishnevsky