Making Our Way

"A date that will live in infamy"? 12/7/1941."The Lone Gunman"? 11/22/1963."The Second Plane"? 9/11/2001.Jan, Rob, Dee, and Jim explore the meaning of the second plane and its impact on their lives, and reflect on various responses, religious and secular, to that horrific day.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

In this season finale, Jan, Rob, Dee, & Jim offer a few parting words, that is, a few words about parting from the church of their ancestors and of their upbringing.Not a departure so much as a provoked  adventure. Let's call it an invitation to continue making their way.Watch this space.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Years in the making, we finally have Jennifer Hoosier as our guest. Her varied life has taken her from her student days at the University of Florida, to teaching in the public schools, to working at The Salvation Army's Florida headquarters, to teaching in China, to an appearance on Jeopardy, and to Kennesaw State University administration.Recorded May the Fourth, so there might be a Star Wars quiz along the way.Join us in delightful conversation in this, our season's penultimate episode.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Troubling trends in communities of faith, as those who claim no religious affiliation, known on surveys as Nones, now rate as the largest "denomination" in the U.S.What do you look for in a faith community? Or is that not an issue?Join the conversation with Jan, Rob, Dee, & Jim, currently at their favorite café.(Still trying to remember how "Groundhog Day" got in this one.)Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jan & Rob, Dee & Jim check their depth perception of history, and take a U.S. Citizenship test. 95.7% of all immigrants seeking naturalization citizenship pass this test. That number for natural-born citizens? Somewhat less. Would you pass? Did our panelists pass? Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jim goes rogue.Here's a Cheyne Reaction to the "God Bless The USA Bible," removing outdated or offensive statues from the public square,  saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and the rise of Christian Nationalism.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Pop Quiz! Jan & Rob and Dee & Jim match  their views against the general public (or at least against a Family Feud test audience)  against each other, discover how well they know their way around the world they've traveled, and even venture into the cosmos.Plus, Jim offers a Cheyne Reaction to the slightly speculative side of eclipse mania.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

And now, the final installment of our series on Tanzania, where Jan & Rob are joined by Sandy & Russell Dobney to discuss the sights and sounds, cultures and controversies of their African adventure through O.A.T. (Overseas Adventure Travel) with their excellent tour guide is Eki.Today, we visit a public school, talk about the controversial practice of female genital mutilation, learn about the public's attitude towards albinism, and enjoy the group's final reflections on their once-in-a-lifetime experience.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jan & Rob, with our guests Sandy and Russell, recount their time with the Maasai in Tanzania - the people, their culture, their singing, and, as Russell would learn first hand, their unique building materials.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jan & Rob return -  Sandy & Russ in tow - with captivating accounts of their Tanzanian Tour. Encounters with The Big Five: Elephant, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Rhinoceros, and Leopard. Encounters with the roughest roads outside of Detroit. And one encounter with the Tanzanian health care system.Not to be missed: Russ's description of The Ugly Five.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Our true life "When A Stranger Calls" story, with a twist. So terrifying, Jan didn't even remember it happening.Plus, Dee's brush with greatness when she literally brushed Princess Diana.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

As a follow-up to "A Reasonable Faith" (Season1, Episode 13), we present further reflections from Jan, Rob, Dee, and Jim on their journey of faith from their earliest memories of religious education to today. A lot has changed, naturally. What have they kept along the way?Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

This is our take on reaction videos. What are we reacting to today? The Flat Earth.Really?Really.Who knows? Maybe they have some good ideas.Maybe.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Robert Schumann's "Träumerei," from Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), frames a heart-wrenching story of courage, resiliency, and luck, and of the continuing witness of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jan & Rob preview their upcoming journey with Sandy & Russell Dobney to Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and crater, and Serengeti National Park -  a trip made possible through a legacy from Rob & Sandy's mother Kathy.They promise to return, when, in a future episode, we'll compare expectations with experiences.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Nietzsche: God is dead.Freud: God is dad.What is our view about God? It's been a few years since Sunday School, and our views on spiritual matters have - what? - morphed, drifted, transformed? Would our younger selves even recognize us today?We take a moment to assess our spiritual journeys. How on earth did we end up here?There are questions, a few answers, and more questions.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

The Gang of 8 makes a surprise return visit for some more reflections on the esoteric world of British Brass Bands, especially those within The Salvation Army. Those in the  know will know this leads us inevitably to stories about, and music of, Eric Ball. Along the way: Erik Leidzen, Derek Smith, Leslie Condon, and more.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Our guests this week, Faith & Ian Anderson, and Joan & Campbell Robinson, represent the excellent  brass band tradition for which The Salvation Army is justly famous.Plus, Joan Robinson reveals a remarkable connection to the very beginnings of William Booth's Army.Also, the Grammys? The Emmys? The Oscars? Forget 'em. This is the coveted Barry Tone Award. The envelope, please...Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

How old is the earth? What shape is it? Was there ever a worldwide flood? Simple questions for some. For others? Points of friction - and contention - between faith and science.Mattea concludes her visit with an overview of her life as a geologist, and how (and why) she uses laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. (Hope I pronounced that correctly.)Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Age meets youth as Mattea McRae takes us on a fun-filled tour of her nascent career in geology, from exploring the emerald mines of Colombia to searching for gold in the Kerr-Addison Project of Ontario. Isn't this how Indiana Jones got started?The discussion lays a foundation for our developing look at the relationship between emergent thinking and inherited faith.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

We conclude our series on books with a look at some less stellar experiences we've had with reading: The Hollow Earth? The Protocols? Others?Plus, a preview of our next episode as we begin a conversation on the possible intersection of faith and reason.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

For this well-known poem, I thought I would scratch out a few piano notes as accompaniment. Apologies for the narration; Dame Judi Dench was unavailable.For all who celebrate, Merry Christmas.-JimThanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Isaac Asimov, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Harper Lee headline part 2 of our exploration of virtual worlds through literature.Plus, Jim shares the finer points of French Press coffee, with an emergency exit to a Keurig machine in dire circumstances.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

"A First Time For Everything" (Dan Santat), "The Shipping News" (Annie Proulx), and "Archie Meedees and The Great Flood" (Rob McMahon) headline Chapter 1 of our Exploring Books series. Plus, if you think you're not getting enough sugar in your diet, put Rob's Peanut Butter candy recipe on your plate.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jan & Rob, Jim & Dee, and some of our listeners share traditions of Advent and Christmas - some rare, some a bit unnerving, all inviting. Plus, Jan reveals the secret for a can't miss for Cranberry Pie.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Jim & Dee explore some less familiar songs of the season from Dee's album "Nativity," then Jim attempts a Gordon Ramsay recipe (clean version).Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Who once inhabited this land we now occupy? What is winter like north of the Arctic Circle? What's the secret family recipe for Mom's supreme meatloaf? (Hint: Remove egg shells for company.) Plus, listener comments, some fact checking, and a little bit more.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.

Let's meet our guides: Jan, Rob, Dee, and Jim, with a quick perspective on 2 stories from the 60s, the States we've visited, and a once in a lifetime visit to the Galapagos Islands. Plus, one killer Christmas cookie recipe.Thanks for listening. Share with your friends. Find this and more at cheynemusic.com/podcast.