Church Drunk

As far as long and winding roads go, Church Drunk's path has been much windier and perhaps even quite a bit longer than we ever could have anticipated. As we transition out of Eastertide and into another long, summery stretch of Ordinary Time, we're going to be taking a bit of a step back to do some evaluating of where this road is headed. We're not quite sure where all this musing will lead us, but we know that the story of Easter and resurrection and rebirth means that the story will always keep unfolding, even if you have no idea what the next chapter is going to look like. So pull up a chair, pour yourself an old favorite, and join Dizzy & Ges for a look back at five years of Church Drunk, and maybe help us to take a peek at what's around the bend. This is Episode 103 - Resurrection!

Happy Holy Week! (But not too happy.) As we enter this most solemn (and joyful?) week of celebration (and remembrance), we Church Drunkards cannot help but notice that the whole progression from Palm Sunday to Easter Vigil seems a bit confused (and awesome) in a way that says, "God is dead...but don't worry about it." It's like religious whiplash. And speaking of left turns, we gotta talk about Judas, you guys. We know that he told you your fish would die and the next day: dead! But the black sheep of the original 12 might just merit more than a passing Spy Wednesday reference. So grab something that tastes of betrayal, and join Dizzy & Ges for some Holy Week hijinks on Episode 102 - We Don't Talk About Judas!

So we can all agree that Lent is waaaaaaaay tooooooo looooonnnnng, correct? I mean, 40 days is a symbolic number, and it's great and all, but what if Lent was, you know, shorter? Like, roughly 38 days and 8 hours shorter. In a post-apocalyptic world where Lent lasts only 40 hours instead of 40 days, Dizzy & Ges have got you covered with a little Lenty boot camp. So grab a cold glass of something penitential (it exists - you just gotta want it!) and join us for Episode 101 - Pounding a 40!

You know that feeling where you start a thing, and then you blink an eye and all of the sudden you're doing that same thing...but 5 years, 100 podcast episodes, and several worlds away from where you started? Yeah, us too. Anywho, it's Lent, and Dizzy & Ges are still stumbling their way forward with the help of lukewarm drinks, boring temperate fruits, and This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley. So raise a

For our last dip in the double digits, we decided to cast off lenten austerity measures and get a little crazy. And by crazy we mean tipsy. And by tipsy we mean it's time for Drunk Lives of the Saints! It's a Church Drunk tradition, so grab something slightly toxic, and join Dizzy & Ges for a very special Episode 99 - The Drunk Lives of St. Josaphat's Anchoress!

Well, the bad news is that we missed Ash Wednesday...and the first Friday of Lent...and then the second Friday of Lent, also. But the good news is that Lent is friggin' loooooooong, and there's always a chance to jump in with rosary beads blazin' and some fish & chips in the fryer. As our dear, sainted mothers always said, "Better late than never, and better never show up without a drink to share." So join Dizzy & Ges for a look at the (shorter than planned) road ahead for Lent 2022 as we jump into Episode 98 - Arriving Fashionably Lent!

himney with care. It's that time of year when the long, dark days of winter settle into our bones and there's nothing but a hot toddy and the faint glimmer of spring on the horizon to keep us warm. Well, that and perhaps a lovely new episode of Church Drunk to warm your ears and tickle your soul! Join Dizzy & Ges for a look back at Advent & Christmastide, and a look ahead to the new year in Episode 97 - Our Long Christmas Hangover!

It's love week for all those Advent aficionados out there, and if Three Dog Night were onto anything, then it should all be coming down in three-part harmony as the last few windows of the Advent calendar are opened. So find some time in the midst of that wassailing and last-minute shopping to contemplate the things that you truly love, and if what you love is Jesus, booze, and classic Christmas movies and shows (in more-or-less that order), then join Dizzy & Ges for Episode 96 - Just an Old Fashioned Love Song!

Here at Church Drunk, we've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts. And if the devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack (ouch!)...but the devil being a personified construct of the evil we all bear within ourselves, we feel it necessary to ask what the tack represents. On second thought, don't answer that. Instead, grab a cocktail named after your favorite Saint (we're partial to St. Manhattan, but let's face it, most Saints are a bit more Old Fashioned), and join Dizzy & Ges as we continue our Advent odyssey with Episode 95 - Joy Ahoy!

Advent is, if nothing else, a season of hope. We hope that Santa brings us what we want for Christmas. We hope that Uncle Tony breaks out a bottle of the good stuff on Christmas Eve and then loses the cap. We hope that Aunt Millie has lost the recipe to her infamous tuna and jell-o casserole (spoiler alert: she hasn't). And there's something about a child savior in there, as well. This year, we can all hope that life can get back to something resembling normal sometime soon (and a guilt-free normal at that). In the spirit of good hope, join Dizzy & Ges for a cup of cheer a wander through the many things we wish we could do, hope to someday do, and can't wait to get back to in the land of Christmas traditions in Episode 94 - The Advent Bucket List!

A wise, rich, playboy-turned-superhero once said (and we're paraphrasing here), sometimes the hero we need is not the one that we want. Well, for Dizzy & Ges an 18-month (and counting!) pandemic-induced break from regular church services might have been the hero we needed, but not the one we wanted. Or maybe it was not the one we wanted or the one we needed, and we still hate it and everything is awful. Or maybe Batman metaphors can really take us so far in life. In any event, we haven't been to church in a while, and we haven't been to ol' podcasting booth in a while either, but it's Advent and stars are shining over newborn babes and vaccines are flowing like eggnog and maybe, just maybe, we can get through all this together...again. So pull up a chair and pour yourself something toasty and join us for Episode 93 - The Dark Knight of the Soul!

Those of us who are of the Catholic persuasion know a good game of "two steps forward, one step back" when we see one...and we also know a good game of "3,000 steps backwards and not a single bit of forward momentum to be seen anywhere this side of Calvary" when we see one. The question for today's church is, which game are we playing? Delve in this this, and other of life's great mysteries with Dizzy & Ges as we tackle a round of Good Pope Bad Pope on Episode 92 - A Tale of Two Clergies!

Awards season is officially here. And Lent...well, it feels like Lent really never left us over the course of this last year or so. And since nothing says "Church Drunk" like taking two good things and ruining them both, we've decided to combine the pomp and circumstance of red carpets and gold envelopes with the sackcloth austerity of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Grab a glass of something bubbly and join Dizzy & Ges to determine which of our favorite things are the most Lentiest. Ladies and gentlemen...The Lentys!

So, usually it takes a few weeks to really get into the slog of Lent. By about Week 5, you can almost guarantee that Dizzy will be moaning about how long Lent is, and Ges will be (either intentionally or unintentionally) breaking all the rules. It's kind of an annual tradition. But with Lent 2021, tradition has been thrown to the wolves. We're not even two weeks in, and it feels like all bets are off. Did Lent even start? Does anyone care if we eat fish on Fridays? Is this the desert, or did we just install a sandbox in our own backyard just to keep our toddler from tearing apart the house? For answers to these and other of life's big questions, pull up a chair (and a cock-up!) and join us for Episode 90 - Land of P-Lenty!

And so it begins. 40 more days of Lent. The road ahead is fraught with fasting, strewn with solitude, and tumultuous with terrors that go bump in the night. And in the midst of a global pandemic, we here at Church Drunk are left to contemplate...what's left to give up? If you're stuck in the burlap pit of Ash Wednesday, and don't quite know how to get your Lenten engine started this year, take heart. Dizzy & Ges are here to help you get in the mood with Episode 88 - Such An Ash Hole!

Well, Epiphany sure got weird in a hurry. We sure don't recall the magi bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and CHAOS, but then again nobody could reasonably expect 2020 to let go of its icy grip on our lives without a fight. We'll get through it together with patience, perseverance, and copious amounts of libations. With that thought in mind, grab a drink, mount your camel, and join Dizzy & Ges for Episode 87 - In the Bleak Midwinter.

Advent week 4 is for lovers...or at least for love. Then again, isn't that the point of this whole spiritual journey/Christian outlook/long walk on Planet Earth is all about? Plus, aren't we all supposed to be staying the hell away from each other right now? Isn't that, like, the opposite of love...or is it? It's all so very confusing. Have no fear, Dizzy & Ges are here to coach you through it. Grab a lovin' spoonful (or a shot glass, or a tumbler, or a whole dang jug) of something to warm the cockles of your heart and join us for Episode 86 - Love in the Time of COVID.

2020: Year of Joy! Right? Well, maybe not quite. However, that gives us all the more reason to reflect on the year that was through the lens of this third week of Advent, where joy is the name of the game. So grab a cup of happy juice and come get gaudete with Dizzy & Ges as we light the pink candle (IT'S ROSE!) and find some space in our hearts for a modicum of mirth in Episode 85 - Re: Joice!

It's peace week in Advent Land, and there couldn't be a better time for it! While "peace" might not be the first word that comes to mind when we think of the utter chaos of 2020, this may well serve as an important reminder that this is our annual opportunity to open up a bit of space for the Prince of Peace in our hearts. So grab a cup of something that helps you to relax, breathe deeply, and perhaps even chortle a "ho ho ho" so that you can join Dizzy & Ges for the celebration of St. Nicholas Day and Episode 84 - Whirled Peas!

It's Advent 2020, and Christmas cheer has exploded onto the scene. Everywhere you look Bing Crosby seems to be puking red and green glitter onto everyone's front lawn earlier and louder than ever before. Obviously we need a bit of joy in our lives, and an inflatable snowman riding a reindeer into a candy cane castle is certainly preferable to the cardboard cut-outs of Depression and Isolation that might offer more accurate season's greetings this year. But wait! No, seriously...wait. Dizzy & Ges are here to remind you that in the midst of all this pre-joy, the real theme of the first week of Advent is HOPE. And that's a good one for 2020! So pour yourself a cup of something cheerful (but save the good stuff for later), and join us for Episode 83 - Hope vs. Nope

Last time Dizzy & Ges settled in to have a bit of a pod, the COVID pandemic was still fresh and new and going by the handle of "coronavirus." Then, we nestled down for a long summer's nap, and before we knew it the long slog of Ordinary Time was drawing to a close! So now it's time (well, very much past time, in fact) to dust off the old microphone and get back to work. As Advent approaches, join us in raising a glass to give thanks and look back at the long and winding road that brought us to the dark and strange and hopefully hopeful mystery that will be Advent 2020. It's Episode 82 - What Just Happened?

As Lent draws to a close, we still find ourselves mired in a desert of a different stripe. It's times like these when "eyes on the cross" really isn't that bad of a motto, so it would seem that Good Friday arrived just in time! And while the cross provides a powerful visual reminder of the whole "death and resurrection" bit of Christianity (you know, that old chestnut), here are Church Drunk we are aggressively self-professed word nerds. So sometimes we don't just keep our eyes on the cross, we keep our ears there, too! So grab a cup of bitterness and join Dizzy & Ges for a Triduum reflection on the words of Jesus on Holy Thursday and Good Friday that echo through the ages!

Did you already listen to this year's Stations of the Cross Playlist? If not, go check it out! If you already did, and you just can't get enough of those 14 little nuggets of suffery goodness, then Dizzy & Ges are here to help. Join us for a deep dive on each station chock full of prayers and booze and quotes from our favorite poets and saints. These ain't your grandma's Stations of the Cross (unless your grandma is awesome...we all know some of those!), so belly up to the bar at the Golgotha Public House, and jump into Episode 80 - Wandering the Way of the Cross!

As Lent is made even longer through the magic of social distancing, we're all looking for ways to keep the ol' spiritual wheels turning. Actually, we're looking for ways to keep the most basic, fundamental social, personal, and emotional wheels turning. So the spiritual wheels might be gathering dust at this point. Still, Dizzy & Ges are here to help. For some practical tips, Pope hope, and general drunken banter, join us for Episode 79 - Prayer by Proxy!

When you hang with Dizzy & Ges, Lent kind of lasts all year and St. Patrick's Day lasts, like, at least a month. And somewhere in that hazy morass of saintly goodness, we inevitably arrive at a Church Drunk original (sort of): Drunk Lives of the Saints! So pour yourself a pint of something lovely and join us for our not-so-soberish telling of the tales of St. Columba and St. Ailbhe on Episode 78 - Drunk Lives of the Picts!

Lent is a long journey down a lonesome road in a windswept desert where we encounter nobody but the devil himself...and literally billions of other spiritual sojourners who have set out on the same lonesome road. It's almost like the most powerful thing uniting us is our isolation. Hmmm, might we be able to take these lessons learned in Lent and apply them to a much more pressing type of social distancing that is sweeping the globe? Grab a drink (remember: alcohol is a natural sterilizing agent) and join Dizzy & Ges to find out on Episode 77 - Let's Be Alone Together!

How's your Lent going? Are you smitten with suffering? Reeling with repentance? Have you become a fabulous faster? We here at Church Drunk are, well, struggling. (But isn't that what it's all about?) Luckily, we've called in for back-up! We don't often have guest appearances on the podcast, but when we do it's a party! So please grab a glass of something tasty and join Dizzy & Ges AND guest star Corny on Episode 76 - Corny Is the New Cool! 

It's that time of year again - sackcloth and ashes and fasting, oh my! Here at Church Drunk we have a special affinity for Ash Wednesday, since it marks the very unofficial anniversary of our very unofficial podcast. Oh, and the whole bit about 40 days in the desert and spiritual house cleaning and whatnot. That's all good, too! As we jump back into Lent, grab a beverage of your choice (something monastic might work well), and join Dizzy & Ges for Episode 75 - A Swift Kick in the Ash!

Here at Church Drunk, we love cocktails (just calling it like we see it), the baby Jesus (especially during this time of year), and good books, and music that inspires, and a great movie on a rainy day, and so much else. But when the calendar creeps into the 20's of December, we also know that it's all about the food. Well, I mean, of course it's all about the baby Jesus...and the food! So grab a snack (and a refreshing beverage of your choice) and join us as we wrap up Advent with suggestions about "something to nosh" on Episode 74 - Gluttony!

Nothing says "Advent" like a crackling fire, the warm glow of a well-lit tree (or, you know, a very large Advent wreath), Bing Crosby crooning on the radio (or, you know, bluetooth speaker or whatever), the smell of Christmas cookies wafting through the air...and the perfect book in your hands. Well, all that plus, like, the baby Jesus, the prophecies of Isaiah, being surrounded by loved ones, novenas, antiphons, and whatnot. Okay, so Advent can get busy. But the perfect book can be your moment of zen at the end of a full day of Adventing. So join Dizzy & Ges for an exploration of all things holiday book nerdish on Episode 73 - The Stupidest Angels!

It's week 2 of Advent, and we're moving from last week's "something to hear" to a new list of "something to watch." So put your favorite Christmas movie on in the background, pour yourself a cup o' nog, and join Dizzy & Ges for a bit of back-and-forth about the spiritual merits of Home Alone 1 vs. Home Alone 2 (and other holiday classics) in Episode 72 - The Advent Watch List!

'Tis the season to be Advent...ish. Adventy? Adventist? Wait, no. That can't be right. Unless you actually are an Adventist, in which case you're always in season. And this has gotten awkward. But hey, after taking almost all of Ordinary Time off, can you blame us for being a bit rusty here at Church Drunk? In any event, we're back, and it is officially one of our very favorite seasons. So pour yourself something joyful, and join Dizzy & Ges to ring in the start of Catholic New Year with Episode 71 of our little podcast: Advent Drinking Songs!

After a loooooooong summer hiatus, Dizzy & Ges are back in action with another episode of the Church Drunk podcast. Were they planning a whole new format for the podcast, or were they just being lazy? As with so many things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle! Drop in for a drink, a quick chat about summer highlights, and a look ahead to the future of Church Drunk. Welcome back, and cheers!

Well, Lent has done gone and Lented, and Triduum has, uh, Triduumed. The Easter eggs have all been hunted, and though Eastertide rolls on, it's time for Dizzy & Ges to bring the current season of Church Drunk podcasts to a close. So pour something paradoxical and join them in a revisit of their Lenty reading homework - Sr. Joan Chittister's Between the Darkness and the Daylight. Because unless one confronts life's contradictions, one will always contradict life's confrontations! 

Ever wonder why Easter is called Easter? Or why Christmas magically ended up on December 25th? Or why Cinco de Mayo has just as many dedicated celebrants in Madison, Wisconsin as it does in Mexico City? (Actually, there's probably more in Madison.) Well, Dizzy & Ges are here to get you sorted out, and throw a few Church Drunk wrinkles into the Big Blender of Cultural Misappropriation! 

The long, dark days of Lent are over, and it's time to celebrate! And in Catholic Churchy circles, celebration means Sacraments. Join Dizzy & Ges (and Baby Ges!) at the intersection of Confirmation Lane and First Communion Way. We'll hang out, brown bag it on the corner, watch the traffic go by...and never get our mass card punched!

Good Friday? How about GREAT Friday! Well, I mean, except for that whole Jesus dying on a cross thing. That part of this particular Friday was...unfortunate. Nonetheless, this dark Friday of Triduum is not without hope, as the joy of the empty tomb is just around the corner. Soak a sponge in some wine and join Dizzy & Ges for a deep dive on the time-honored tradition of the Easter Vigil, the Catholic Church's biggest and best (and longest) Liturgy of the year!

Do you love Jesus? Well, you got a big week coming up! Do you love Game of Thrones? Well, your Palm Sunday might be all about John Snow & Co. Do you love Jesus AND Game of Thrones? Well, Dizzy & Ges are here to sing you a very special song of ice and fire and palms and crosses and cocktails!

Do you ever get that feeling where you feel crummy about feeling great? Or you feel great about feeling crummy? Or you feel like the only way to feel better is to walk through a dark and sinister valley of crumminess? Well, welcome to Lent! Dizzy & Ges are here to help you sort through that huge pile of glorious Lenten suck with Episode 64 - Between the Darkness & the Drinkies!

It's a Royal Rumble of Confession vs. Penance vs. Reconciliation as Church Drunk tackles the one Sacrament that has second-graders across the country (and some grown-ass adults!) quaking in their boots. Examine your conscience, pour yourself a tall one, and buckle in for Episode 63 - Confession Confusion!

It's the greenest day of the year, and Church Drunk is here to celebrate with you. Pour a Guinness (or Smithwick's - we're not here to judge), press play on your Dropkick Murphys playlist (or The Chieftains - we love them both!), and join us in a celebration of all things Irish and Catholic!

With Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday come and gone, we all know it's that time of year again - Lent! Dizzy & Ges are ready to jump into 40-ish days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, but not without the requisite of bellyaching and a fair amount of boozy special sauce to grease those ever-repentant wheels. Join us, and jump into Church Drunk Episode 61 - Lentishness!

King cakes are baking, beads are flying, and drinks are being tippled into every little sinner on Bourbon Street (well...even more so than usual), so it must be Fat Tuesday! Here at Church Drunk, we feel right at home on a quasi-religious holiday instituted specifically for drinking and gluttony, so join Dizzy & Ges for a very special bonus episode to close out Season 6 and/or kick off Season 7 of Church Drunk, and laissez les bon temps rouler!

Dizzy & Ges have been waiting with bated breath for the start of the Vatican summit addressing the scandal of abuse across the church. Well, the event has arrived, and it is...exciting? Disappointing? Hopeful? Shameful? E) All of the above? Depends on who you ask, most likely. But one way or another, wheels are turning (albeit at the typical Mother Churchy pace of a stubborn donkey pulling a tank through the mud into a stiff headwind). So join Church Drunk as we stew in hopeful frustration and muse about Scandal and Summit!

Have you ever had that "St. Sebastian" feeling where you've been pierced with enough arrows to make you look like a beatific porcupine, but you're not quite dead yet? Ever had your eyes (or other bits) put on a platter for the world to ogle (metaphorically speaking, of course)? Well then, this very special episode of Church Drunk is for you. Time to pour one out for the martyrs, y'all! 

Watch out! Dizzy & Ges are about the get theological up in here with a deep dive into the sweet, filthy mystery of the incarnation. Because once the tree has come down and the twinkling lights are off of the garage, what we're all left with is a tiny, little God-child who needs to grow up and save the world. So pour a glass and raise it to Mary & Joseph as Church Drunk tackles God-in-the-Flesh!

The presents are open, the ball has dropped, and discarded trees are slowly but surely making their way to the curb, but we here at Church Drunk will keep the party going for all 12 days of Christmas! Join Dizzy & Ges as we look ahead to the Feast of the Magi by discussing our own modern-day wise men (and women!) and what they would bring to the Baby Jesus birthday party. 

It's officially the shortest week of Advent and arguably the greatest week of the whole year! Before opening your presents and sit down to your Christmas turkey/goose/ham/prime rib/tofu (don't want to leave out our vegetarian brethren!), join Dizzy & Ges for a tipsy look back at our Advent journey, and raise a glass to the hope that Christmas brings! 

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of holiday chaos, it can be a challenge to keep your eyes on the prize. But December the 25th is coming, and Dizzy & Ges are here to light your way to a truly joyful Christmas as we continue our Advent Examen. Pour yourself a cup of cheer and join us as we keep our O (it's not as dirty as you think!).

Church Drunk's big ol' Ignatian Advent Examen adventure continues as Dizzy & Ges step out of the darkness and into the light. Join us as we wait in joyful, inebriated hope...and also discuss magical Advent calendars!

Well, here we are once again. As we head into the short days and long nights of winter, a new liturgical year dawns with the arrival of Advent. And while there is hope and joy (and egg nog...soooo much egg nog!) just on the horizon, we here at Church Drunk know that you've got to walk through the darkness to get to the light at the end of the tunnel. So  pour yourself something opaque and join Dizzy & Ges for a bit of seasonal darkness as we continue our Advent Examen!