Podcasts about invisible children

Episode 91 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh, FSPA talks with Michael Poffenberger about activism, contemplation, interiority, right relationships and the true self, vulnerability and control, transformation, wholeness, and much more. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe:  Email | RSS | More A transcript of the show is available. "Transformation happens not because of our force of will to change ourselves. It happens because of our capacity to witness ourselves with honesty in prayer and then be healed by God." -Michael Poffenberger Michael Poffenberger ABOUT THE GUEST Michael Poffenberger holds the tension of the and. As the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC)'s executive director since 2014, Michael sees CAC as uniquely positioned to support inner work for those seeking to build a more just and humane world. A graduate of Notre Dame, Michael served previously as the executive director of Resolve, where he worked alongside religious and civil society leaders to build peace and aid war-affected communities in Central and East Africa, and co-founded the Crisis Tracker. He believes that transforming consciousness can solve many of today's challenges, and seeking that truth in his own life led him to the work of CAC. Michael lives this mission beyond CAC as the board chair for Invisible Children, in supporting movements for peace and collective liberation, and as a dad to his daughter Madeleine. In his contemplative practice, he asks himself, “What can the world look like when love is awakened?” That's the vision he holds for all touched by CAC— that love is both who we are and where we are going. MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.  Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans. Email us at messyjesusbusiness@gmail.com BE SOCIAL: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Get Magic Mind's “24-hour bundle” for 45% off using my link! https://www.magicmind.com/LAINEJAN Last week, I started telling you the story of eight-year-old Raylee Browning, who died in the home of her father, his girlfriend, and the woman's sister after years of unthinkable abuse. Raylee's death was infuriatingly preventable if only CPS and the family court judge hadn't ignored countless abuse complaints from Raylee's mom and school staff.In this episode, we'll go over the results of Raylee's autopsy and the shocking number of medications she was prescribed. I'll talk about how and why Marty Browning Jr., Julie Titchenell, and Sherie Titchenell put just Raylee, one of four kids in the home, through years of abuse and neglect. I'll go through the shocking statements one of Julie's children made to a counselor, cementing the three adults' criminal charges. Finally, I'll also discuss proposed legislation that would protect many homeschooled kids from abuse and why, almost four years after its proposal, it still hasn't been passed by the West Virginia State Senate.This is part two of the harrowing story of Raylee Browning.Links discussed in this episode:The Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE): https://responsiblehomeschooling.org Homeschooling's Invisible Children summary of 2024 findings: https://www.hsinvisiblechildren.org/findings/ Photos related to today's episode can be viewed on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpod You can also follow the podcast on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sufferthelittlechildrenpodTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@STLCpodMy Linktree is available here: https://linktr.ee/stlcpod Visit the podcast's web page at https://www.sufferthelittlechildrenpod.com. By supporting me on Patreon, you'll also access rewards, including a shout-out by name on the podcast and exclusive rewards. Visit www.patreon.com/STLCpod. You can also support the podcast on www.Ko-Fi.com/STLCpod. Join my Supporters' Club: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children--4232884/support This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.Music for this episode is licensed from https://audiojungle.net. Subscribe to Suffer the Little Children:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/id1499010711Google Podcasts: https://playmusic.app.goo.gl/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&isi=691797987&ius=googleplaymusic&apn=com.google.android.music&link=https://play.google.com/music/m/I5mx3lacxpdkhssmk2n22csf32u?t%3DSuffer_the_Little_Children%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/show/suffer-the-little-children Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/suffer-the-little-children/PC:61848?part=PC:61848&corr=podcast_organic_external_site&TID=Brand:POC:PC61848:podcast_organic_external_siteSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0w98Tpd3710BZ0u036T1KEiHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/77891101/ ...or on your favorite podcast listening platform.

Show Notes  On today's show we chat Ben Keesey, the Development and Partnerships Director for Richard Rohr's Center of Action and Contemplation. Before joining the CAC, Ben was CEO of a charity called Invisible Children, a remarkable organization whose mission was to save the lives of children in Africa who were being abducted, turned into child soldiers or sex slaves. The numbers are shocking… we are talking about more than 30,000 children in Uganda, the Congo, and Sudan. A few statistics regarding Invisible Children: §  Raised $50 MM. §  Created a video proclaiming their cause against a war lord that was viewed by 100 million people in six days. §  Built six schools. §  From DC, the got a law passed that was signed by President Barack Obama for protection of African children. Today we will talk about Ben's work, his personal transformation, and his impact today at the Center for Action and Contemplation. LINKS Please enjoy and be deeply moved by the following two videos.  Kony 2012- this is the documentary film (29 mins) that went to 100M views in less than a week. It shares the culmination of eight years of our efforts and campaigns. Kony 2012 Part 2- this is the follow-up film that Ben directed/narrated one month later that went deeper and responded to some of the backlash. (19 mins)  

In 2011, Joe Stillwell was involved in two ‘close encounters' which he describes as the most magnificent moments of his life. In 2022 he published a book detailing those events, titled “Into the Blue/ Of Wanderers, Invisible Children, and Astral Voyagers”. He can be seen on YouTube by searching ‘Breaking the Silence' and viewing his four- part series, produced by Steve Neil. He can be heard on ‘The Alien UFO' podcast, hosted by Simon Bown, broadcasted from the U.K., in a July 1, 2024 interview. #closeencounters#aliencontact #extraterrestrial #contactee #alien #spaceship #spacecraft #aliens #interdimensionalbeing #abductee --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mayra-rath/support

On today's episode, we discuss the ways our faith has changed as we've grown in discipleship and justice work. Our spiritual practices, as well as our relationships with church, God, and the non-Christian world have all transformed over time, sometimes in surprising ways that would have made us uncomfortable in our earlier years as followers of Jesus. It's a personal and instructive conversation on how to grow up with Jesus that we know will be helpful for a lot of people. Plus, after that conversation we get into the war in Sudan and why it's an important topic for us to learn about and engage with.Mentioned in the episode:-            The episode of the Movement Memos podcast about the war in Sudan-            The link to donate to the Sudan Solidarity Collective via PayPalCredits-            Follow KTF Press on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Subscribe to get our bonus episodes and other benefits at KTFPress.com.-        Follow host Jonathan Walton on Facebook Instagram, and Threads.-        Follow host Sy Hoekstra on Mastodon.-        Our theme song is “Citizens” by Jon Guerra – listen to the whole song on Spotify.-        Our podcast art is by Robyn Burgess – follow her and see her other work on Instagram.-        Editing by Multitude Productions-        Transcripts by Joyce Ambale and Sy Hoekstra.-        Production by Sy Hoekstra and our incredible subscribersTranscript[An acoustic guitar softly plays six notes in a major scale, the first three ascending and the last three descending, with a keyboard pad playing the tonic in the background. Both fade out as Jonathan Walton says “This is a KTF Press podcast.”]Jonathan Walton: I'm trying to live in the reality that God actually loves me and he actually loves other people, and that's just true. And to live in that quote- unquote, belovedness is really, really, really difficult in a extractivist, culturally colonized, post-plantation, capitalistic society.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: It's really, really hard when every single thing that I was raised to do goes against, just receiving anything.[The song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra fades in. Lyrics: “I need to know there is justice/ That it will roll in abundance/ And that you're building a city/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home.” The song fades out.]Sy Hoekstra: Welcome to Shake the Dust, seeking Jesus, confronting injustice. I'm Sy Hoekstra.Jonathan Walton: And I'm Jonathan Walton.Sy Hoekstra: This week we have a great conversation. There's no guest this week, it's just Jonathan and I. And we are actually going to be talking about something that we originally were gonna talk to Lisa about in the last episode, but we ran out of time [laughter]. And we thought it would be, actually it was worth taking the time to talk about this in a full episode format. And the topic is basically this, as people grow not just normally in their faith, but also in the kind of work that we're doing, resisting the idols of America and confronting injustice and that sort of thing in their faith, your personal spiritual life tends to change [laughter], to put it mildly. And we wanted to talk about that.It's something that we don't necessarily hear a lot of people talking about as much and I think it's something that people are kind of concerned about. Like it's in the back of people's heads when they start to dive into these justice issues. It's something that I think conservative Christianity has put in the back of your heads [laughs], like your personal walk with Jesus, or your something like that is going to falter if you stray down this road. And so we wanna talk about how things have changed with us, and be as open and honest about that as possible, with our spiritual practices, with our relationship with God, with our relationship with church and kind of the world outside.And then we're gonna get into our segment Which Tab Is Still Open, where we dive a little bit deeper into one of the recommendations from our newsletter. This week, we will be talking about a really fascinating and informative podcast on the war that is currently happening in Sudan that has been going on for about a year and a half. If you don't know a lot about that war, or if you just want some more insight into what's going on there, please stay tuned for that. It'll be an interesting conversation, for sure. So we're going to get into all of that in a minute. I think this is gonna be a really fruitful and helpful conversation for a lot of people. Before we jump in though, Jonathan,Jonathan Walton: Hey friends, remember to go to KTFPress.com and become a paid subscriber to support this show and everything we do at KTF Press. We're creating media that centers personal and informed discussions on faith, politics and culture and help you seek Jesus and confront injustice, that's so desperately needed today. We're resisting the idols of the American church by elevating marginalized voices and taking the entirety of Jesus' gospel more seriously than those who might narrow it to sin and salvation or some other small, little box. Jesus' gospel is bigger than that. The two of us have a lot of experience [laughs] doing this in community and individually.We've been friends for a good long time, and so I hope that you can come to us and trust us for good conversation, dialogue and prayerful, deliberate action. So become a paid subscriber, and get all the bonus episodes to this show, access to our monthly subscriber Zoom chats. You can comment on posts and a lot more. So again, go to KTFPress.com, join us and become a paid subscriber. And if you really wanna double down, become a founding member. Thanks, y'all.Sy Hoekstra: You get a free book if you're a founding member. So that's…Jonathan Walton: You do get a free book.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Because we publish books too. I guess we didn't… we have to tell people that.Jonathan Walton: That's true.Sy Hoekstra: If you're listening, if this is your first episode, you didn't know that. We've published a couple of books.Jonathan Walton: [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Alright Jonathan, let's dive in. Let's talk about, as you have grown over the past however many years since you've been doing this kind of work, which for you is what now, 15? No, almost 15.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: More than 15. It's more than 15 years.Jonathan Walton: It's more than 15. It'd probably be like… I was trying to reflect on this. I think I seriously stepped into this stuff in 2005 when I wrote that first poem about child soldiers and sex trafficking victims and was like, “I wanna do this, because Jesus loves me, and Jesus loves all people.” And so yeah, almost 20 years.Sy Hoekstra: Was that “Decisions?” Is that the poem?Jonathan Walton: I think it was actually “Invisible Children.” That poem.Sy Hoekstra: Okay. Literally because of the documentary Invisible Children.Jonathan Walton: Yes. That was the first advocacy poem that I wrote.Sy Hoekstra: So since then, how have your individual spiritual practices changed your scripture reading, that sort of thing? The kind of thing that at one point we might have called our quiet time, or our daily whatever. Where are you at?Jonathan Walton: [laughs] Absolutely. So I do not have daily quiet times. How do I explain this? When the Psalms say, “write the words of God on your hearts that you might not sin against him,” I think with all of us, it's kind of like building a habit. So I read a lot of scripture when I was a kid. I read a lot of scripture when I was a college student. And I think it was because I literally needed flesh and bones on just the air of my faith. And I think literally sitting there and listening to sermons for hours as I go about my day in my room and not study in college, or me and my brother would do [laughs] these weird things because we lived in the South and had nothing to do on this 30-acre farm, is we memorized the entire Charlton Heston film, The Ten Commandments.So me and my brother literally memorized the entire six hour epic that is The Ten Commandments. And so I just had this desire, and I think habit of just like memorizing and learning about God because the context that you're in. And so I think that there was a season in my life where sitting in the word of God was just a regular practice. And now I would say, just to overtake scripture, scripture is for me a process of recall and reflection. Like I have to give a talk next week on racism and racial reconciliation and justice. And if you had said to me, “Jonathan, what passage are you gonna speak from?” Like, because I've studied Genesis 1, because I've studied Isaiah 61, because I've studied Isaiah 58, because I've leaned into John 4, because I'm leaning in to Luke 4, I can grab from any of these places because it's almost like riding a bike in that way. I don't have to ride a bike every day to know how to ride a bike.And so I think if you're sitting there thinking to yourself, “I don't do a daily quiet time,” I don't know that you are negatively impacted. I know that you may be shaped differently, but we don't lose God, just like we don't lose the knowledge of something in that way. So I think Scripture for me has become more of a remembering and reflective process, rather than an active like, “Oh man, I need to know more.” And I think if we do scripture prayer, so let's talk about prayer, liturgy has taken on a more significant part of my life.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: Partially because I've stepped out of the, “let's prioritize this as better” box. So when I grew up in the South, I was like, oh, I go to a Black southern Baptist church, not a Southern Baptist Church. Let's be clear about that.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Spontaneous worship was quote- unquote, the best in my mind. Then I come to InterVarsity and more quote- unquote, evangelical spaces, and then it's like, well, popcorn prayer. Every single person goes individually and we all listen and try not to fall asleep.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: And then I go to another place and it's like the quote- unquote, warrior prayer. Like this lion's war prayer. Everybody's praying at once. And that was amazing.Sy Hoekstra: Charismatic.Jonathan Walton: Yeah. And it was amazing, but overwhelming. And I would go to these places and say, oh, one is better than the other, when in reality, these are just expressions of God's faithfulness to different parts of his body. And so I think the season I'm in now, I've leaned into the prayer without ceasing, where it's like I am in conversation with God. I can be in prayer just going about my every day, similar to scripture with the riding the bike thing. These are things that I've marinated in, and so I'm riding the bike all day. I might get on the bike in the morning, I might not, but God is an active part of my day. And so I think the last thing just about church and preaching. This is hard [laughter].And some people might get upset with this, but church has taken, the institution; going to, sitting in. That's probably the last thing that I'm still processing. My children don't want to go to church some days, and I have a high value for that. And I have to ask myself, why do I have that high of a value? And Maia asked me, because she was crying, she didn't wanna go to church. She said, “Why do you wanna go?” And I told her, I said, “Maia, sometimes I have a really hard week, and I go to hang out with other believers because they encourage me that God is faithful and I can make it through.” And I said, “Some weeks are good for me, and then I go to church, and someone may be having a poor week, and then I'm able to encourage them to make it through and center ourselves on Jesus.”And I said, “In that way…” I didn't say this this way, but we bear one another's burdens with love. We are able to come alongside each other. And she didn't get it, and that's fine, she's eight.Sy Hoekstra: [laughter].Jonathan Walton: But I recognize that that's actually what I'm looking for when I go to church. And so if that's what I'm looking for, how can I have that in other spaces that my family also feels closer to God as well, so that we can grow together in that way? So I've stopped expecting the pastor to serve me a platter of spiritual goodies every week. [laughter] I've stop expecting this community in some way to be the buffet from which I gather my spiritual authority and intimacy with God. And that didn't used to be the case. It was like, “I got to go to church or I'm wrong. I got to be in the building, or something's messed up with my faith. I might be falling away.” And that's just not true, because I don't forget how to ride a bike. Like it's just not a thing.So, yeah, I would say those big three things of prayer, scripture and going to church have changed. And later we could talk about justice stuff, but those things around just our relationship with God have changed for me.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. It's funny you said the thing that was a big deal to you, the second one was about like the spontaneous worship is the best, or this kind of prayer is the best or whatever. And that it's just so cultural and stuff because I never had any of those.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: I was like it's whatever. Nobody taught me that one… maybe somebody tried to, but it never got really inculcated in me that one kind of prayer or something was better than the other. But the daily scripture reading thing was so… Like you saying, “I don't read scripture every day,” there's still some little part of me that feels like, “Ooh, should he say that?” [laughter]Jonathan Walton: Right. Right, right, right.Sy Hoekstra: And it really just depends on where you grow up. Because a funny thing, like part of the scripture thing for me is, at some point I realized, I was like, “Hey, wait a minute [laughs], for the overwhelming majority of Christians who have ever lived, they A, could not read…”Jonathan Walton: [laughter] Right.Sy Hoekstra: “…and B, did not have access to the printed word.” The only time they were getting scripture was at mass on Sunday. And it's just one of those things where it's an enormous privilege, and we should, I'm not saying take it for granted, but it's something that has not only been not necessary for discipleship, but literally impossible for [laughter] most Christians who have ever lived. It's just an enormous privilege that we treat like a necessity or we treat like an imperative. And the distinction between those two things can be subtle, but it's real. They're not the same thing [laughter].Jonathan Walton: True.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, so for me, I've talked about this in one of the bonus episodes we did, but I'll make a slightly different point about it, which is, I used to, like you sort of alluded to, I used to come at daily scripture reading and prayer and everything from a place of deep anxiety. Constantly trying to stay up on whatever I had decided was the requirement for the day, and then falling behind and becoming anxious about it, and just getting on this treadmill of trying to catch up and then being anxious again. And a funny thing happened when I got into, as we were talking about on our recent subscriber call, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality [laughs] and learned about that anxiety and where it was coming from, and tried to change my relationship to it, and it decreased a lot, I realized when the anxiety went away I started to feel like my love for or even just my care for God, was going away.Jonathan Walton: Huh.Sy Hoekstra: Like if I wasn't anxious that I was reading scripture every day, it's kind of like what I just said, like there's still some part of me that feels like ugh [laughter]. If I wasn't anxious, then I didn't love God, which is kind of dark.Jonathan Walton: It is. Yes.Sy Hoekstra: You know what I mean? It's like putting yourself in a sort of abusive relationship with God and saying, “If you don't keep up with me, then I'm gonna punish you in some way,” or something negative is gonna happen. It was never entirely clear what negative thing was gonna happen to me.Jonathan Walton: Just a threat. Just a threat.Sy Hoekstra: That something was bad. I was gonna backslide in some way. So, yeah, but the amount of time, like on a daily basis, that I spend praying or reading scripture has also decreased, and then anxiety went away. And then I had to get used to the anxiety not being there and being like, “Hey, that's okay. This is actually a reflection of the fact that I now on a much more embodied level, understand that God loves and accepts me.” [laughter] That's a good thing.Jonathan Walton: That is a great thing. Yes, for sure.Sy Hoekstra: Another big thing for me was, this is my change with regard to scripture, is letting the Bible be what the Bible says that it is, as opposed to what the spiritual authorities in my life told me that it was supposed to be. And so that's things like, I had a really interesting experience where I went through this thing called the Academy of Christian Thought. There was this three-year read-through-the-Bible program. It was run by this scholar named Ron Choong, a Malaysian guy who's really incredible. But one of the things he talked about was the idea that every word of the Bible is literally true. And he would go through it and he would say, “Okay, so there are these stories that Jesus tells, that when he tells them, like the parables.Like say, The Good Samaritan or whatever. We understand that Jesus is telling a story here, and whether or not the story itself is true doesn't matter. He's making a point.” It's a sermon illustration, effectively. And Jesus never claims that the stories are true. We're all fine with that. We're not saying if the guy didn't actually get beat up on the road to Jericho, then the Bible's integrity is in question. And he was like, “Okay, so how about the book of Jonah?” He's like, Take the whole thing with the fish and the spending three days in the belly of a fish, which seems scientifically impossible, and then you get… like without dying, whatever. It could be a miracle. But does the Bible ever actually say, does the book of Jonah ever actually say, “The following is a true story?” The answer is, no, it doesn't [laughter].And can you still learn all the same lessons about faith and everything from the book of Jonah if it's not true, like the parable of The Good Samaritan or any other parables Jesus tells? Yes, you can.Jonathan Walton: Right. Right, right.Sy Hoekstra: So does it really matter [laughs] whether the story in the book of Jonah is true? No, it does not. It affects nothing [laughter]. And by acknowledging that, you're just letting the Bible be what it is, which is, it's here's a story. It just told you a story, and whether or not it was true or not is not a point that the Bible makes, and therefore is not a point that matters.Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs] And so there were a lot of just simple things like that. He was like, The book of Revelation, you do not have to have a perfect understanding of what every twist and turn in that bizarre apocalyptic dream meant. You don't. You don't you don't have to have it. Because the Bible never tells you that you had to have it [laughter]. It just says, “Here's a dream from John,” and then it tells you a bunch of stuff that happened [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. It's true.Sy Hoekstra: And so it's like there was a lot of that that I thought was extremely helpful and allowed me to then use my mind. And then people would come back with the verse in 2 Timothy, “All scripture is God breathed,” and et cetera, et cetera. And [laughs] Ron would just be like, “That was literally written at a time when the New Testament was not canonized, and half of it was not even written yet.” [laughs] So it's like, what scripture is God breathed, you know what I mean? [laughter And also, does God breathed or trustworthy for instruction, does that mean the book of Jonah's literally true? No. [laughter] Like letting the Bible be what the Bible is was important to me, and understanding…We talked in that episode with Mako Nagasawa about how sometimes translations of the Bible differ from each other in significant ways, and we picked which one we followed, and that's just a reality [laughs]. And you can still have a very high view of the authority of Scripture, it can still guide your life, it can still be an authority, it can be all those things, and you can acknowledge realities, and your faith doesn't fall apart. That was a big one for me [laughs]. A lot of that also has to do with letting go of the need to have everything under control in a perfect little box.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Which is a very… was just a real White way of thinking about it to be frank [laughs]. We must have our systematic theology, and everything must be clear and tied up neatly. So the last thing for me, I think, is just knowing that the way that God speaks to people changes over time. And so like I know there are ways that I could be going back and trying to find the things about my early faith that were really exciting and new and gave me these big spiritual highs, and a lot of those things just don't happen anymore. And I see that as I get older, there are so many people I know like that. And there are so many, there's such a range of reactions to that from people who are like, some people are totally comfortable with the fact that God changes how he talks to people over time.And that even happens in the Bible. People hear from God in different ways, in new ways. And there are some people who are like, can lose their faith over that. They can panic, and it's like, “I'm not hearing God the way that I heard got at one point,” and I guess the possibility of change is not there [laughs]. And so it's like, if I'm not getting that same experience, then something has gone terribly wrong or whatever, and I need to get back there. I would just really encourage people to drop that way of thinking [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yes, absolutely.Sy Hoekstra: It is okay if your relationship with God changes, the way that you communicate with God changes.Jonathan Walton: There's nothing healthy about a plant that stays the same size over year's time.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, exactly.Jonathan Walton: Man.Sy Hoekstra: Alright, Jonathan, you talked about this one a little bit already, but I wanted to talk about our relationships with churches and the institutions of churches. Did you have more to say on that, or was…?Jonathan Walton: Well, yeah. I think something that is intriguing to me, and I dabble in thread and Facebook debates sometimes just to ask questions.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: And just as an example, and friends, I again, in the just modeling the growth and change and willingness to ponder in a way that doesn't shake my salvation, I'm gonna try to model that. And so a question that came up for me yesterday while I was on threads, there's a man named Eugene Kim, who I've just followed for a little while.Sy Hoekstra: He's a pastor, right?Jonathan Walton: He was a pastor, and he is a pastor now, but they just launched this thing called the Wild Fig organization. And so essentially, they're trying to decentralize the church and say, there are lots of people who follow Jesus and wanna organize in ways that are transformative and help for them in their walks with God. And we just need to figure out a different way of credentialing people than getting folks organized around this man who we believe is God named Jesus.” And there's another thing like this out in Seattle called Dinner Church, where a church sold their building, and they have 25 dinner churches where people come to church to have dinner, and they just eat and talk about God, almost like they did in Acts. Whoopitty.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: And so that's what they're doing, and they're actually putting pastors in these house churches just to be present at these dinner churches. And so there are people who would say, “No, we cannot do that.” Like, I remember sitting down with a pastor in New York City who was just like, “Jonathan, I don't think that you should do campus ministry, because it should be done in the church.” And I was like, “Oh, well, I think this meeting is over.”Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: “And I hope you pay for this food.” But all that to say it's like, that was one conversation. Another conversation was like, “If you do that, what about the traditions of the church?” All of these things. And I'm like, I hear you on the tradition, but why are we choosing to model some things from Acts and then saying other things we can't do anymore? Seems like the Great Commission commissioned all people to baptize. Seems like the Great Commission commissioned all people to… like 2 Corinthians and the model about how to take communion. I don't see where that says I can't do that at home, because they were done in homes. So all of this. Some people say that's great, some people say you can't do that.But when I was specifically looking at the Wild Fig network yesterday in this threads conversation, someone said, “You're doing a heretical thing, you're breaking off. And if you wanna join anything, just go back to the Catholic Church, because that is where it all began.” And I thought to myself, and this is a genuine question, and I haven't seen his response yet, but I said, “Did Jesus come to build the Catholic Church?” There may be, very well be an argument for that that I'm not aware of because I'm not Catholic. Right?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, there definitely is [laughs].Jonathan Walton: There definitely is [laughter]. And so I am wondering what that means, as someone downstream of colonization, abuse, violence and oppression, coupled with the Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, and every other Western faith, political faction that decided to join themselves on the colonialist project, I wonder if Jesus came to build the Catholic Church. And there's 1500 years of arguing about that and making that case to be true. At the same time, I'm like, 1 Corinthians one, when Paul is writing to the church at Corinth, he says, “Some might be for Paul, some might be for Cephas, which is Peter. Some might be for Apollos, but the reality is, we all need to be for Jesus.”So if this person is making an argument against pastor Eugene Kim, I'm like, “Why are you saying he can't go do that? What's the goal?” Because if Eugene goes and baptizes a thousand people, and all these people come to faith and it's an amazing thing, what is the loss for the kingdom? You know what I mean?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Well, so here's the loss. I still don't think this is correct, but the loss from the Catholic perspective is you only can experience the fullness of the revelation of the Spirit of God within the Catholic Church. That is where it happens, and it happens nowhere else, and it cannot happen anywhere else.Jonathan Walton: Now see, okay, this is where I would push back ridiculously hard.Sy Hoekstra: I mean, me too, but yeah [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah, and using Peter, Peter in Acts chapter 10 has a very specific way that he thinks the Spirit of God is being revealed. And God blows that wide open first with a vision for him. The sheet comes down, look at this three times, three times, three times. Then the same thing for Cornelius. And so if we try to limit the spirit or movement of God, we will fail. So why do that [laughs]? There's so many points in scripture where God is breaking through in ways that we cannot fathom or recognize.Sy Hoekstra: Amen to that.Jonathan Walton: And so, I think the thing about the church, I'm like, it's evolving for me, not in the Darwin way, but just like a development. Because to be like, “Oh, evolution,” because we have these wrong conflations in our brain. But my faith is evolving, but I'm not moving farther away from Jesus, and that includes the church. Because similar to you, I would say I am closer to Jesus than I was when I was 17 years old… 16 when I got thrown across the parking lot on a motorcycle, or 19 years old when Ashley told me to follow… Ashley Byrd, me and Sy's staff worker for InterVarsity, invited me to follow Jesus. I'm still close, I'm closer to Jesus than I was then, and I've been a part of very different churches and all those things.So my relationship with God is predicated on my adoption into the capital “C” Church, not the specific church on my block in my neighborhood, or where I gather with folks. And so I'm grateful that the rapture catches all of us and not just insert your denomination here.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. So for me, I am less engaged than I used to be, but that's because what I used to do was let Christian community and Christian programming activity take up the vast majority of my free time, because I thought we had something to prove as a community. You know what I mean? Like, I thought you had to be, it's a little bit vague what I thought I think, or a little bit blurry to me now. But it was something along the lines of, some interpretation of the idea that we're the hands and feet of Jesus, or we are here to testify to him and his goodness as a community. That meant that you had to be super involved in your community. You had to be something to prove the worthiness of God, basically.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Which is completely the opposite of what I now think, which is that no matter what your community is, the fact that God loves you is the proof of the worthiness of God [laughter].Jonathan Walton: Amen.Sy Hoekstra: You don't have to prove nothing. Similar to my quiet times and everything, it took a lot of the pressure off of my need to be involved in religious activity, and therefore it decreased, but not in like a I'm leaving the church way, just in what I think is a healthy way [laughs]. I am now very suspicious if I go to a church and the consistent thing that they are telling people to do in terms of discipleship is just get more involved in that church's programming. As opposed to being something in their neighborhood, or trying to turn outwards in some significant way. That, to me, is a big ol' red flag. I'm constantly now thinking about what is reasonable to expect of a church, versus what I would have want a church to ideally be.I think this happens to everyone as they grow up a little bit, is you start to see the inner workings of a church and how just very ordinary and sometimes petty and gross, it can be.Jonathan Walton: [laughter] Ordinary, petty and gross.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. It's just another fallen institution [laughs]. And people have all their own little individual problems, and some of those problems are big and some of them are small. And it's just not that different than any other organization. And that is disappointing if you think it's supposed to be this shining beacon on a hill, which is actually a metaphor for the kingdom of God, and not your individual neighborhood's church [laughter].Jonathan Walton: Yes, yes, yes.Sy Hoekstra: Scripturally speaking. I think about that balance more, like what can I reasonably expect versus what would I ideally want this institution to be? And from what I've talked to, like Christians who are much older than me, that never changes. That's the mature way to go about [laughter] looking at a church. You just, you have to do it that way, and not just think of the church as this thing that needs to be something that is like this shining example to the entire world of how to do or be something. And this is especially true in a context where we have the idols of empire built in. I have to go to my church in New York City in 2024 and I have to recognize this is a culture that is filled with greed and self-interest.And so odds are, this church is also going to be filled with greed and self-interest. So what can I reasonably expect from this church [laughter]? That's part of it. And again, it's just reality. It's sad. It's a thing that I had to work through emotionally. But it is also a reality that you have to come to terms with.Jonathan Walton: Amen.Sy Hoekstra: I'm much more ready to walk out of a church when I hear nonsense than I used to be [laughter].Jonathan Walton: I'm just willing to go. Thanks.Sy Hoekstra: Which I don't necessarily… that doesn't even mean like leave the community and turn my back on everyone. I just mean if I hear some nonsense from the pastor, I can go home, and that's okay [laughter]. And I've done that a few times. I had this one pastor a while back who just got on a streak. I don't know what happened, man, but it was this one month where at maybe two or three of the sermons he just said some stuff that was super ableist. I don't know what happened. He never even talked about people with disabilities before, and all of a sudden it's like, got to bring disabled people up all the time. You got to say really nonsense, insensitive, ridiculous stuff.And there was one time I just left. I was like, “I'm gonna go to the bathroom.” And then I came out of the bathroom and I was like, “Actually, I'm not going back in there.”Jonathan Walton: [laughter] Right. Yes.Sy Hoekstra: I just remember looking at the door back into the service and the door to leave the building, and the choice could not have been clearer [laughter]. It was like a hundred percent of me wants to go this way, zero percent of me wants to go that way.Jonathan Walton: Brunch with Jesus. I'm gonna leave now. Yeah, that makes sense.Sy Hoekstra: Alright, Jonathan. Last question. How have things changed between you and the rest of the world [laughs]? The people outside of the church? How are you thinking differently? I'm sure there's a lot to say here, but…Jonathan Walton: Lord have mercy. Okay, so I can be friends with non-Christians…Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Not every woman in the world, their primary relationship to me is I shouldn't sleep with them.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, I see.Jonathan Walton: So either this woman is my wife or a temptation. Like that…Sy Hoekstra: Oh, I got you.Jonathan Walton: This is a human being made in the image of God that I am incomplete without on this side of heaven [laughs]. Like God desires shalom between me and her or them. It's a group. Also, it's very possible to be generous to people, and if it doesn't go against my taxes, it's still a great thing to give to. Friends, there's so much crap in that, and I wanted to say the other word.Sy Hoekstra: Churches make a big deal out of that your gift here will be tax deductible or whatever [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: And institutional giving or whatever, and you're just like, “No, actually, I can tithe to the guy on the corner who needs a sandwich.”Jonathan Walton: Yes, absolutely. I also think that, along with the every, I can be friends with non-Christians, and this is still actually hard for me, is I can learn from people that don't believe in Jesus the same way I do.Sy Hoekstra: Is it hard for you? Because I think sometimes, like we were talking about Valarie Kaur the other day, the seek prophet who says amazing things and you were…Jonathan Walton: Yes, yes, yes. So here's what I mean by that. And I think my wife is the one who challenges me on this.Sy Hoekstra: Okay.Jonathan Walton: It's very different to learn from someone online and through their books, but she said, “Jonathan, when you have relationships with people, intimate relationships with them,” she said, “It doesn't register for me as you're talking with them, Jonathan, that you want to learn from them.” And I'll also be really honest, my pastor told me this. When I first met him, he invited one of his friends over, and we wanted to have this conversation. And I asked him, I said, “What was that like for you?” And he said, “Well, it seemed like you were not interested in getting to know us. You just wanted to know what we thought about these things.” And that to me, is something that I'm like, oh.I believed, past tense, and I'm still working through that, I think my relationship with God is based upon my utility to people around me, and if I'm not useful, then I'm not valuable. And if I believe it about myself, I'm gonna reflect that outwards.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: And so, something that bothers me that I'm still working through is, how can I be in relationships with people and learn from them, and not require them to change or grow in some way or become or believe like me, those things would probably be the biggest, but that last one is probably… I mean, all of those I'm still working through, but that last one is the most potent right now as I try to make friends and be in community with people. What about you? Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, the friends with non-Christians thing is funny to me. The specific thing for me is that I'm not trying to, it's similar, I'm not trying to convert and change everybody. There was a while when I was young kind of late teens or early 20s, where I literally thought just every interaction I had with a non-Christian had to be toward the end of making them a Christian at some point.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: And I now realize that ensuring the salvation of anyone, including myself, not my job [laughs]. No one ever said that was my job in the Bible, at least. And my job is to talk about the truth, like talk about what has happened in my life, but that's all I got to do. Just talk about it [laughs]. I got to testify to the truth, and that does not mean that I need any individual person ever changes as a result [laughter]. That is not part of my job. I want people to know Jesus, but that's different than thinking that everything I do must be toward some end of like, honestly kind of manipulating people into [laughs] that, which is the constant evangelical tendency, hell being the biggest manipulator. “Do this or you will be tortured forever,” and framing it that way.We're constantly framing things in terms of manipulating people to just be one of us. I don't do that anymore. Thank goodness [laughs]. And stuff like that that makes me, I look back and I'm always like, I don't think that anything I was involved in actually meets the definition of a cult. But there was some cult-y aspects of it, for sure [laughs]. There was some stuff in there that was [laughs]9 weird in terms of how you related to other people. I'm much less suspicious to the rest of the world. I don't think the rest of the world, kind of like you said about women, just anybody in general, isn't trying to tempt me out of something or send me down a wrong road, which then allows me to enjoy, not just learning from people like you said, but also just beauty and joy in places that I couldn't, I wasn't allowed to find it before.A result of all that is people are no longer projects to me. This is all very similar to what you said, actually. So I think those are my main ones. And I said the last thing was the last question, but I actually did have one more question written down here. Do you wanna [laughter] go through that one too, or no?Jonathan Walton: I mean, I think we've talked about this a lot where it's like, your last question being, how has my relationship and view of God changed?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: And what I would say is… and you said this way back in the podcast already. I'm trying to live in the reality that God actually loves me and he actually loves other people, and that's just true. And that can be my posture bent orientation to the world at all times. And to live in that quote- unquote, belovedness is really, really, really difficult in a extractivist, culturally colonized, post-plantation, capitalistic society.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs].Jonathan Walton: It's really, really hard when every single thing that I was raised to do goes against just receiving anything.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: [laughs] I mean, that's why the grace of God is confounding. But all that to say, I think I'm trying to live in that. And I think teaching my children that has taught me that more than anything.Sy Hoekstra: Early on in my faith, one of the seeds that I think God planted really early on was, and I've talked about this before. I had a lot of trouble with the idea of hell when I was considering following Jesus. And the way that that got resolved for me was to stop, I stopped asking questions about the unfairness of the idea of hell, because I came to trust Jesus as a person and say, “Whatever thing is going on there with these problems, with the unfairness of hell that I have, Jesus did something to himself. God did something to himself in the form of the cross that was also extremely unfair [laughs], actively harmed himself in order to get us to trust him.” You know what I mean?Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Actively harmed himself, is maybe a weird way to put it. Like, lived in such solidarity with us as humans, and especially as oppressed and vulnerable humans, that he died and had some terrible spiritual fate that people characterize in different ways, depending on what denomination you're from or whatever, happened to him [laughs]. And that then makes me trust him and ask questions about, why would God do this to God's self?Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Why would God do this to himself, as opposed to, why would God do this to us? And I decided to follow and trust Jesus before I really had answers, or had passed through all the different theologies of hell or any of that stuff. And so the seed there is talking about truth and talking about faith as trust in a person, and not as belief in specific doctrines or trust in specific doctrines. And I've leaned way into that. That's the thing that has grown over time and has replaced a lot of the anxiety and trust that I was putting in other things that were either of my own effort, or what other people told me I had to believe or whatever, is trust in God the being, like the spiritual entity with which I have actually interacted and I know and I love.And that part of my faith has just grown, I think, exponentially, and has allowed me to be okay with things I don't understand. And I have long term things that I don't understand, that I do not have answers to that make me uncomfortable. And still be okay with that [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yes, because it's about a relationship, not perfect understanding at all times.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: And if you trust God, you don't have to understand all things, just like we trust people, even though we don't understand every single thing about them.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, which is different than trusting God as a replacement for understanding [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yeah. So let's get into our segment Which Tab Is Still Open, where we dive a little deeper into one of the recommendations from our newsletters. And remember, you can get our newsletter for free just by going to KTFPress.com, and signing up for our mailing list. You'll get recommendations on articles, podcasts and other media from both of us on things that will help you in your political education and discipleship. Plus you'll get reflections to keep you grounded and hopeful as we engage in this challenging work together, news about what's going on with KTF and a lot more. So go get that free subscription, and if you want to, you should become a paid subscriber at KTFPress.com.So this week, Sy, we're gonna be talking about the war in Sudan. Can you summarize the main points for us?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, sure. And I know there are some people who know nothing about this war, so I will give kind of all the basics here. Basically, Sudan has been at war for about a year and a half, since April of 2023. And it's between two state-armed factions, one is the regular military, and the other is kind of a paramilitary force that was set up at one point that were supposed to kind of integrate into each other, and instead they were fighting over power. But what they had done previously together was to suppress the popular uprising that began in 2018 and it was to oust the longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir, and it had started as these organizations called neighborhood resistance committees all over the country.It's a little bit tough to document how many of them there are, but they're these highly localized, very fluid groups that don't have a single leader who are doing all kinds of political organizing at a local level all around the country, coordinating with each other incredibly well, and also providing mutual aid and humanitarian aid as this war goes on. They basically organized these sit ins where they had, I mean, I don't remember the numbers, a ton of people in Khartoum trying to get rid of, Khartoum is the capital, trying to get rid of al-Bashir, and they successfully did it. And then they had a whole plan to transition to an actually civilian-led democratic government, but they were sort of beaten back by military and this other paramilitary group in a coup in 2021.So there was an attempt for a couple of years to really transition Sudan to a democracy government accountable to the people, and it did not work because of this counter revolutionary coup. And so the resource that I had was this podcast from Truthout that's called Movement Memos, and they were talking to two members of the Sudanese diaspora in Canada who, one of the main points they were trying to make was that this is a counter revolutionary war. A lot of the media will portray it as a civil war, and really it is forces fighting over who gets power after basically pushing people down. Racism is a big part of the context of this too, because a lot of the elites, the military and the paramilitary elites, and everybody who's in charge of the country are Arabic. Like ethnically or racially Arabic. And a lot of the people from the South and from the resistance committees who are part of the revolutionary groups are Black.So I think a lot of the reason that we haven't talked about this is the US is not directly involved. There are things that the US does that create some problems, like the sanctions that we still have on Sudan. But the reason everyone needs to care about this is, first of all, about fifteen or sixteen thousand people have died, which is not on the same scale of death as Palestine exactly or whatever, not to minimize those deaths or anything, but they have created the largest displacement crisis anywhere in the world. There are more than eight million people who have been displaced by this war. There's famine and starvation happening. Surrounding countries are refusing refugees. In some cases, Egypt has been doing this for some time.The guests of the podcast are really saying that these neighborhood committees are the people who need outside support the most, because there's, a lot of the NGOs and everybody have fled. So amidst this humanitarian crisis, these people on the ground doing this mutual aid are the only people keeping people alive. And they actually gave a link, which I will provide, to an organization called the Sudan Solidarity Committee I believe. I can't remember the last word. Sudan Solidarity something, where you can just donate money directly to these resistance committees. They're getting it to them via PayPal, and people are just dispersing it as needed. And it's direct giving. It's nothing paternalistic.You're just giving them money, and they're doing with it what they need. And apparently a lot of the Sudanese diaspora is trying to support this group, but they can't do it on their own, and a lot of them are struggling with their own, all the financial issues that come around immigrating to other parts of the world. So yeah, we'll have the link for that in the show notes. Jonathan, that's a lot of information I just gave. I just kind of wanna know what it is that you think about this whole situation, your reaction to it, anything about the podcast that you thought was interesting.Jonathan Walton: So one thing that's really important to me is history. And fortunately, whether we're talking about Gaza, whether we're talking about Haiti, whether we're talking about Hawaii, whether we're talking about any of these places, really anywhere that colonization has touched, there's a history.Sy Hoekstra: Yes. They get into that in the podcast too.Jonathan Walton: They do. They get into it in the podcast, because history, we need to understand how we got here to be able to make something different. And what I thought was normal and revolutionary is what the scholars who are participating and being interviewed and things like that, have done with their education. So the folks they're interviewing got their education here in the West with a mind for liberation of their own people, but not their own people, understanding how this racially assigned group downstream of colonialism called Black is basically undergirding the entire economy in the world for the last 350 years. We have to engage with that as a reality, that Africa as a continent can hold the United States, China, Russia and Europe in it with room to spare. The second largest rainforest in the world is in the Congo.We've got these huge, massive amounts of resources in Africa, not just but also including its people who have been enslaved in various ways by various groups for the last 400 years. So it's helpful just that background that was provided, and then how that trickles down into then conflict in Sudan.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. Can I just note one interesting fact that they've mentioned?Jonathan Walton: Absolutely.Sy Hoekstra: That I don't think we think about a lot, is when the colonial government left Sudan, they just vacated 800 government administrative positions or something. I can't remember what the exact number was. It was hundreds. They just vacated them. They did nothing to transition them. They didn't find people to fill them. They just left them empty [laughs]. And what do you think is gonna happen when you just create a massive power vacuum like that, with no transitional plan? You get a dictator, shocking. You know what I mean [laughs]? You get a dictator doing the exact same thing that the colonialist government that came before it did, which was effectively be a dictator.Jonathan Walton: Absolutely. Because whoever had access to power post the colony is the people that colonizers empowered the majority of the time. Those educated folks, those are the people with power and resources. And so what do they do? We do what's been taught to us because we're hundreds of years removed from our own ways of leadership, our own matrilineal, patrilineal, or communal ways of governing and dividing ourselves and working together. And so all we have is the master's tools, as Audre Lorde would say. And so I think that connection to history, the connection to globalized blackness, and then just the ridiculous amount of coordination that I think, in the United States and in more resource places gets minimized, but in order, and this is where I might, “Oh, Jonathan, you're a Marxist,” and da da da.But let's lean on the reality that something Ta-Nehisi Coates said, and something will come up in the newsletter is, the way that we organize ourselves and the way that we exist together in the world is not inherent. We need to have nations that do X, Y and Z. That's a young system. Sharing is as old as we are, and so could we as followers of Jesus, as people who want to see beauty, love, justice and all these things flow in the world, just connect with our neighbors in ways that are transformative and helpful to say, “You are going through something, let me leverage my creative capacity and imagination to create ways that you can get what you need?” And I shared a video on Instagram today of a young woman named Taylor was sharing from North Carolina.She said, “If we can precision bomb people in a building a world away, we can precision guide food to people who need it.” We can do that. And so what I am empowered by, Munther Isaac said this similarly with what's happening in Gaza, when you are forced to be creative, that is where Jesus is, and that's where we can learn. And I think followers of Jesus like me in Bayside, I'm like, “Oh it's so hard for me to buy nothing and figure out this free thing and do this and do that.” And it's because I could just go to Target. I could just order on Amazon, but we don't have to do that. And I was emboldened and encouraged and empowered by the creativity, because I wonder what would happen if we learned from these people.Instead of creating a new way to do things when there's a crisis, we could actually create new ways to do things before the world is just destitute. And so I'm praying for the folks of Sudan. I wanna share [laughs] the ways to give. I'll probably sign up to give myself and then just would God move in us the way he has moved in them to mutually help and care for one another amid such destitution.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. One of the things that the guests said about the neighborhood resistance committees, that I thought was really interesting was, they were like, these committees are running services. Like they're providing food. In a couple cases, they actually took over abandoned hospitals and reopened them, found doctors and staffed them and get supplies there, whatever. They are running the country in a way that these paramilitary organizations are not. And they are out there actively proving we don't need these people [laughs]. We don't need these people, we can run the garment ourselves[laughs]. We can run the country ourselves. We have the energy to do it. We need the resources to do it. We could do so much more if there wasn't so much violence and displacement and poverty and famine.But yeah, that kind of imagination, that kind of, you're right. That kind of necessity has created in them just an incredible capacity to share and to love each other, frankly. And I also hope that we learn from that. But at the same time, that's why they've seen so much violence and repression, is because they are threatening the power structure. And not only that, but when they were doing the sit ins a few years ago, and they ousted Al-Bashir, there were other countries starting to look to them for similar resistance. There are people in, like they mentioned specifically in the podcast, there're people in Lebanon looking at Hezbollah and going, “Could we do something about this?” [laughs]People in other countries are actually looking to these Sudanese organizations. And so the ruling power structures have to shut that down. And it means that there are other countries involved in helping them shut it down. So it's like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and Egypt and other countries that are not interested in seeing revolutions like this [laughs] are involved, are providing weapons, are doing all kinds of things and just interfering in a regional way, in the way that we as the US are used to doing globally all the time.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: This particular conflict, the US doesn't see as being as closely aligned with its interests as say, defending Israel, or now empowering Israel to go invade other countries.Jonathan Walton: Yes [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Which is what has just started as we are recording this. I'm sure we'll have more to say about that.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: So go listen to this podcast. Go read more about this conflict in the media. The reason we wanted to bring it up is, I didn't wanna become the thing I'm critiquing and not talk about Sudan just because it doesn't affect the US. But man, the media is not talking about Sudan when we should be. So please go listen to this podcast. The link will be in the show notes, please just go learn more. Give if you can. They're asking for 10 Canadian dollars a month, which is like 7.50 US [laughs]. So please, if you have some money to spare, there are people in desperate need of it who are doing very good things with it. Alright, I'm gonna wrap us up there. Thank you so much for listening today. Jonathan, thank you for a great conversation, as always.Jonathan Walton: Absolutely.Sy Hoekstra: Our theme song is “Citizens” by Jon Guerra. Our podcast art is by Robyn Burgess. Transcripts by Joyce Ambale. Editing by Multitude Productions. And the producers of this show are the lovely paid subscribers. Again, please consider becoming a paid subscriber at KTFPress.com, get all the bonus episodes of this show, join our monthly Zoom calls, comment on our blog, on our Substack, and more. Thank you so much for listening, and we will see you in a couple of weeks for what I think will be the… yeah, will be the last show that we do before the election. So we'll be talking more about some current affairs then, and doing a great interview. So we will see you in two weeks.Jonathan Walton: Stay blessed y'all.[The song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra fades in. Lyrics: “I need to know there is justice/ That it will roll in abundance/ And that you're building a city/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home.” The song fades out.] Jonathan Walton: That was the first advo—like [sound of something repeatedly hitting the mic hard]whoa, hit the mic [laughter]. My first quote- unquote, advocacy poem that I wrote, for sure.Sy Hoekstra: But can you say that again, just without laughing or hitting the mic [laughs]?Jonathan Walton: Yeah, and slapping the mic? Yeah. This is a public episode. 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Barry and Abigail discuss Infinity on High by Fall Out Boy and sample Karma Hoptra IPA, Professor Pickles Sour Ale, Dark Waters Sour, and Parlay Baltic Porter from Coastal Karma Brewing in Lake Park, Florida. Special thanks to Charles Chase for sitting down with us to discuss the history of the brewery! Check out the setlist of the Fall Out Boy concert that Abigail attended in Jacksonville, Florida! Abigail briefly described Fall Out Boy's involvement in Invisible Children, Inc.'s KONY 2012 movement via their music video for I'm Like a Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You). She learned this weird detail from Ashley Norton's The Insanity of KONY 2012. Barry entered Don't You Know Who I Think I Am? into the Abigail Hummel School of Speaking Smartly About Music with a comparison to Come Out and Play by The Offspring. Up next… Cloud Eleven by Cloud Eleven (watch Barry's iconic video that utilizes the opening track) Jingles are by our friend Pete Coe. Visit Anosmia Awareness for more information on Barry's condition. Follow Barry or Abigail on Untappd to see what we're drinking when we're not on mic! Leave us a rating or a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Facebook | Instagram | X | YouTube | Website | Email us | Virtual Jukebox

In Spring 2012, no one could stop talking about Joseph Kony. A viral video put out by the organization Invisible Children tried to mobilize people to action, but the eventual fallout became more legendary. In this episode, we discuss that famous video & it's lasting impact on how people engage with online activism now. You can find Fat Guy, Jacked Guy on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can find Stef on the web ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & Brendan ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!!! There's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠extra content for Patreon supporters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, as well as opportunities to interact with us in other ways besides listening to the podcast. We appreciate any & all help you can provide, & we hope to keep this going for a long, long time. Thank you in advance for your support and love! You are our brothers!

Meet Bryan. He's a community builder, marketer and movement builder

Jason Russell is a film director who helped start the organization Invisible Children in 2004. One of Invisible Children's primary focuses is on bringing awareness and an end to the abuse and abduction of children in Central Africa. He was Las key to creating the (controversial) film Kony 2012 focused on bringing to light the horrendous crimes of Ugandan rebel leader, Joseph Kony. Kony 2012 gained rapid notoriety and in 2013 was called the most viral video ever. As Kony 2012 gained attention, Jason Russell, its director, experienced what was called a “brief reactive psychosis” and a naked Russell was detained by San Diego police walking and yelling naked in the street.Since then, Russell has recovered and is back serving with Invisible Children and supporting work in Central Africa focused on local programs there. One of his worst and most well known moments, doesn't appear to be who he really was. Thankfully, there were people in his life who knew that and walked with him through this challenging time. We need people in our lives helping navigate the hard times as well. We will see that from Paul's example with Timothy from 2 Timothy as we begin Mentored Pt 2. 

A short documentary that arguably changed the media landscape forever, KONY 2012 became a viral international sensation due in part to its evangelical tone, inspiring everyday people to gain a quasi-religious awareness of the “original sin” of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony who could be defeated through the power of collective consciousness.  It's no surprise that the mastermind behind the KONY 2012 documentary, Jason Russell (founder of Invisible Children) is a devout Christian who grew up in a family dedicated to Christian ministry through youth theater, although Russell intentionally chose not to broadcast his religious views in order to make the KONY 2012 movement palatable to as broad of an audience as possible. Still, the documentary, which at the time of its release was a media phenomenon and the most “liked” video ever on YouTube, shows strong evidence of Christian influence. The video argues that the belief of a group of people creates a tangible psychic force with the ability to affect world events, and it promotes the hypothetical arrest of Joseph Kony as a cathartic cleansing event that will lead to global harmony. KONY 2012 even contains a Millerite rapture-esque ritual in its “Cover the Night” happening, meant to take place on April 20, 2012, when the anti-Kony faithful would blanket their entire city in Kony propaganda overnight so that sleepers folk would awaken the next day to a completely new world of full Awareness. Unfortunately, the evil Joseph Kony was not arrested and is still at large to this day, but Jason Russell's movement left a noticeable impact on society at the very least by creating an internet video with full cultural penetration, something that is basically impossible to do nowadays in the ever-expanding universe of social media. The larger-than-life success of KONY 2012 also impacted Jason Russell's life when he suffered a public mental breakdown weeks after the video's release and was arrested for stripping naked and ranting on a public street, an event that was captured on video by phone cameras and disseminated through the same internet channels that Russell had used to spread his gospel in the first place. Many humans throughout history who encountered the divine dealt with issues that we now recognize with contemporary scientific framing as possibly being “manic episodes”; Joan of Arc is just one example. It's possible that Jason Russell's public struggles are simply another piece of evidence that KONY 2012 is the work of a modern-day prophet. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http://boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http://patreon.com/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http://twitch.tv/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/boysbiblestudy

New York Times bestselling author Jedidiah Jenkins sits down with Joel Madden on this week's episode of Artist Friendly. Jenkins is an LA-based writer who launched his career at the nonprofit Invisible Children and, in the ensuing years, has transformed into a bestselling author. He's released several books, including To Shake the Sleeping Self and Like Streams to the Ocean. His latest, Mother, Nature, is a gripping memoir that documents a mother-son bond, where they retrace a 5,000-mile route that his mother first traveled as part of the Walk Across America book trilogy. Jenkins also serves as the executive editor of Wilderness magazine, and his work has appeared in publications like The Paris Review and Playboy. Listen to their conversation on Artist Friendly wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also watch the episode over at Veeps.  ------- Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason and Brett talk to Jedediah Jenkins (Mother, Nature) about topics ranging from starter words on Wordle to the best time to eat donuts,  about complicated parent relationships, the nuances of LTRs, and everything in between. Jedidiah Jenkins is the New York Times bestselling author of To Shake the Sleeping Self and Like Streams to the Ocean. A graduate of USC and Pepperdine University School of Law, Jenkins began his professional career with the nonprofit Invisible Children, where he helped orchestrate multinational campaigns to end the use of child soldiers in central Africa. His parents, Peter and Barbara Jenkins, are the authors of the bestselling A Walk Across America series. He is the executive editor of Wilderness magazine. Jenkins's work has appeared in The Paris Review and Playboy, and he has been covered by National Geographic.**BOOKS!** Check out the list of books discussed on each episode on our Bookshop page:https://bookshop.org/shop/gaysreading | By purchasing books through this Bookshop link, you can support both Gays Reading and an independent bookstore of your choice!Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content! Purchase your Gays Reading podcast Merch! Follow us on Instagram @gaysreading | @bretts.book.stack | @jasonblitmanWhat are you reading? Send us an email or a voice memo at gaysreading@gmail.com

With divorce rates rising among people who are over 50, many of today's children of divorce are adults themselves- often with families of their own. Divorcing couples often assume their grown-up kids are "just fine." But these "invisible children of divorce" are impacted just as profoundly as their younger counterparts, often in surprising and painful ways. Kate is joined by psychologist Lisa Herrick, PhD, who shares important tips for older divorcing parents and their adult children.

In the last episode of this series of Unexpected Turns, host Laura Wilcox talks with Sarah, who became dangerously ill during a stopover visit in Barcelona, Spain, after spending a summer in Uganda. As she reflects on her experiences leading up to her illness in Barcelona, Sarah shares how originally her ministry with Invisible Children had taken her to Uganda years earlier. After this repeat visit to the country of Uganda, Sarah enjoyed the city of Barcelona while avoiding dealing with God about her deep sadness in leaving Uganda and her friend there---an avoidance pattern she associates with her Enneagram personality type.Sarah shares how a lifelong struggle against fear is confronted head on when she experiences a life-threatening illness in a city where she knows no one. Reflecting on her story, Sarah sees how God used details of her circumstances to show His mercy and love. Even though she had been avoiding him in Barcelona, she knew God never left her side during her days of illness and recovery. What amazing stories are waiting to be shared in your women's church community or small group? Schedule a Sacred Story Retreat and find out! 

Anything but First World Problems There's nothing good to watch on TV. I can't decide what to order from the extensive menu at this restaurant. I have too many clothes and not enough closet space. The barista at my coffee shop spelled my name wrong on my cup. My phone is too big to fit comfortably in my pocket. Oh no… My phone battery is dying, and I forgot my charger. I can't find my favourite flavour of sparkling water at the grocery store. Do these problems seem familiar to you? These are first-world problems, and I'm just as guilty of having them: I've been frustrated when my phone was dying, and I'd forgotten my power bank at an Ed Sheeran concert in Atlanta. And you've heard me complain about Starbucks getting my name wrong on an overcharged cup of tall Americano. In this episode, we're going to be dealing with other problems, like: “Should we give our 13-year-old baby girl away to be married to an older man, or should we keep her here and risk that she will be abducted and turned into a sex slave.” That's the kinda stuff we'll be dealing with in this episode, as Susan Laker will tell her life story. WARNING It's also a story that will be hard to listen to. It's heartbreaking, and with so many graphic details, that will not be suitable for children. At the same time, I feel this might be the most important episode of The Radio Vagabond that I've done up until now.  My name is Palle Bo. Welcome back to the third and final part of my miniseries from the Acholi Quarter in Kampala, Uganda. INTRO I hope you have had a chance to listen to the first two episodes from The Acholi Quarter in Uganda, where Susan Laker, a small but mighty woman in her late 30s, took us around. She's the co-founder and leader of 22STARS Foundation's work here, always helping children and families in need with a big smile. But let me tell you, her journey wasn't always a straight path. This tale is a wild one, full of crazy twists and turns. It could be a movie, maybe something like The Color Purple, set in Uganda. CHILD BRIDE Her parent gave her away to be married when she was just a child. She was angry at her parents when this happened and didn't understand why.  “I was 13 years old when I was force into early marriage by my parents.” Most of us would say that there is nothing that would justify that. But her parents had a good reason. “By that time, I didn't know the reason. I was just mad but later on, you realize they did that to protect me from being abducted from the LRA Rebels.” LRA REBELS The LRA Rebels, or “The Lord's Resistance Army,” was a rebel group operated in Uganda and other Central African countries, started by Joseph Kony in 1987. The LRA would typically attack villages at night, using guns, machetes, and other weapons. They would kill or maim those who resisted, burn down homes, and loot property. They would then abduct children. They used to abduct children, even babies, from their mothers and were forced to march long distances to LRA bases deep in the bush. And were then subjected to brutal initiation rituals, during which they were beaten, sometimes with their peers, and forced to kill other children or adults. The abducted children were then trained as soldiers and used to attack civilians, other rebel groups, and government forces, using guns, sticks, and pangas – large, heavy, machete-like knives. The LRA's tactics of abducting children were particularly savage and brutal. The children were forced to serve as soldiers, porters, and sex slaves. The group often targeted vulnerable communities, including schools and churches, and used violence and intimidation to abduct children. And then, the children were subjected to intense physical and psychological abuse. They used violent initiation ceremonies to break the children's spirits and force them to commit atrocities. The children were often forced to kill or maim their own families or fellow abductees to break their spirits and brainwash them into cutting ties to their former lives. The LRA also used brutal methods of discipline to maintain control over the children. This included beatings, torture, and even execution. Susan gave me examples of how brutal the methods were: “They cut off your lips, they cut off your private parts – like the breasts. If not, they put the padlock. They tie your lips, and then some are beaten to death. Some they chop of their neck. They were killed. Those who tried to escape, they were stoned to death.” In addition to their role as soldiers, the girls among the abducted children were often forced into sexual slavery and forced marriages. “Some of them ended up giving birth and some of them ended up dying giving birth because they were so young. Some of them died because they were mistreated. Also, there was no in facility to take care of a pregnant woman, so some of them got sick and died because there was no medication.” The children were also used as human shields in battles, which put their lives at even greater risk. JOSEPH KONY In 2012, a video campaign called "Kony 2012" from the organization Invisible Children went viral, bringing international attention to the LRA's atrocities and Kony's role in them. The campaign and its creator, Jason Russell, set out to make Kony famous, and they definitely succeeded in that. Joseph Kony was born in 1961 in a village in northern Uganda. He grew up in a Catholic household and was initially drawn to religion but dropped out of school and joined the rebel group led by a distant relative, Alice Lakwena. She had claimed to have received messages from the Holy Spirit and was leading a rebellion against the Ugandan government. When Lakwena's rebellion failed, Kony formed his own group, the LRA, in 1987. And like Alice Lakwena, he also claimed to have a hotline to God. He said that he was a spiritual medium and that his commands came directly from the spiritual world and were not to be questioned. Kony was known for his mysticism and claimed to have supernatural powers, including the ability to turn bullets into water and to communicate with spirits. He was also notorious for his brutality and didn't just have his brainwashed followers do all of the dirty work. He's believed to have personally participated in many of the LRA's atrocities. So, he was a self-appointed messiah and said his government was based on the Ten Commandments. But then he went on to break every one of them.  In 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Kony and four of his top lieutenants for crimes against humanity and war crimes. However, he's managed to hide, and still to this day – almost 20 years later, Kony's whereabouts are unknown. Although the LRA's activities have declined significantly in recent years, the group remains active and has been responsible for sporadic attacks and abductions that continue to be reported in the region. The LRA's use of children for soldiers, waiters, and sex slaves has devastated the children who were abducted and their families. Many of the children who escaped or were rescued suffered from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.  SUSAN'S PARENTS' CHOICE Enough about the LRA and its creepy leader, Joseph Kony. I just wanted you to get a little bit of perspective on what Susan's parents were trying to save her from when they gave her away for early marriage at the age of just 13.  It's just so hard to fathom. What a choice for parents to make. “Should we keep our child here with the risk that the brutal LRA Rebels will take her and turn her into a sex slave – or maybe cut off her lips and private parts? Or stone her to death… And maybe brainwash her and she will come back here and kill us in our sleep. Or should we give her away to be married to that older soldier, who will probably do what he likes and most likely get her pregnant soon, but then might also be able to keep her alive…?” I have no idea if this was what Susan's parents were thinking at the time. We can only speculate because this is so far away from anything most of us have even thought about having to consider. Think about that before you get frustrated that there's too much to choose from on a menu at a restaurant or that you have too many clothes and not enough closet space. SUSAN'S SON I met her son, Derek, just before I sat down with Susan to hear her story. And we're not talking about a little boy. No, he's a grown man. Taller than me and very handsome. I know that Susan only is in her late 30s, so I'm very surprised to find out that she could have a son in his mid 20's.  “I ended up giving birth to my son at the age of 13 – the boy you just saw. And at the age of 14, I had a miscarriage, because it was so soon, and I was so young. And then at the age of 15, I gave birth to my second daughter, who is now 22.” Let that sink in: At 13, she was sent off to marry an older man and had a baby within a year. Straight away, at the age of 14, she got pregnant again but had a miscarriage. And straight away again, she got pregnant for the third time and had her second child at 15, basically when she was a child herself.  I don't know much about the father of her kids. Maybe he was a good man who felt it was his right because she was his wife, and he protected her. I don't know more about him than what Susan just told me here. I was just about to ask her about that when she told me that he suddenly – and unexpectedly got sick and died.  “Then their father mysteriously fell sick for one week and passed on. I didn't even know he was sick. I didn't know what he suffered off anything.” There she was, at 16, a widow with two children. So, she went home to her parents, who forced her to marry another soldier – for her safety.  And shortly after that, she had another baby. Three children and two husbands – still as a teenager. THE SECOND HUSBAND DIES TOO Susan's new husband was sent to Somalia as a soldier and never returned. She never heard from him again, and Susan was getting increasingly frustrated and unable to feed herself and her children. Not only was Susan frustrated and hungry. She was also suffering with her health and getting more and more weak. Then in the middle of all this, they were kicked out of the house they were in. As things got increasingly hopeless, Susan's sisters came to her aid. They helped her get on a bus here to Kampala. Susan barely made it to Kampala alive. She was unconscious when the bus arrived at Kampala with her and her three small children. Immediately she was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with HIV, cancer, and tuberculosis. AFFORDING MEDICATION When Susan Laker defied all odds and she was able to fight herself back to consciousness and life for her children, she was just 23. She had a ten-year-old boy and two girls nine and four.  She managed to stay alive but was now faced with another problem. The children didn't go to school, and Susan herself couldn't read, write, or speak English. That meant that she couldn't get a job making decent money to feed herself – and now also afford the expensive medicine for her tuberculosis, cancer, and HIV. KIDS WORKING AT THE QUARRY She was too weak to work, so she had no option but to have her children work for her. A ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a five-year-old crushing stones in the stone quarry from early in the morning every day. As you heard in the latest episode, this is hard work and poorly paid.  On some days, the 10-year-old boy, Derek, was able to crush enough stones to make 1000 Ugandan Shillings, the 8-year-old girl, Peace, could 500 shillings, and the little 5-year-old girl around 200 shillings. That's 1700 shillings and not even half a dollar – 41 Euro cents and 48 American cents for a long day of hard work from early morning. FIGHTING DEADLY DISEASES ON AN EMPTY STOMACH Susan was on strong medication when all of this was happening, and that's not something you should take on an empty stomach. So, the doctors gave her some food and milk to have before the medicine. And that helped. After nine months she was tuberculosis-free and ready for chemotherapy to fight off her Stage 2 cancer. Another nine months later, she was declared cancer-free too. She also got treated with medicine to keep the HIV virus suppressed, and after five years on medication, her CD4 counts showed that the virus was not detected anymore. Of course, she still takes her HIV medicine every day, but she is fully recovered from all three deadly diseases. And at this point, we've almost come full circle from where we started in the first episode. This was around the time when Susan met Stella for the first time in 2008. Stella helped Susan, who went back to school and learned to read and write – and speak English with Stella when she came back a few years later. Together they founded 22STARS paper jewellery business and the 22STARS Foundation. SUPORT 22STARS With a lot of willpower and a bit of luck meeting the Dutch/German woman Stella Romana when she did, she managed to turn life around for herself and her children. And together, they continue to do the same for many more people in the community. Again, go to Foundation22Stars.org to see the different ways of supporting. If you want to get involved with the good work 22STARS Foundation is doing, helping families in Uganda, go to www.foundation22stars.org, and see what you can do. You can sponsor a child, or support emergency needs by simply making a donation to one of the different programs such as nutrition, microloans, computer lessons, music classes, or medicine. I've linked to all of this in the note section of your podcast app and on theradiovagabond.com. Thank you to Susan Laker for sharing her inspiring story. My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

Anything but First World Problems ·       There's nothing good to watch on TV. ·       I can't decide what to order from the extensive menu at this restaurant. ·       I have too many clothes and not enough closet space. ·       The barista at my coffee shop spelled my name wrong on my cup. ·       My phone is too big to fit comfortably in my pocket. ·       Oh no… My phone battery is dying, and I forgot my charger. ·       I can't find my favourite flavour of sparkling water at the grocery store. Do these problems seem familiar to you? These are first-world problems, and I'm just as guilty of having them: I've been frustrated when my phone was dying, and I'd forgotten my power bank at an Ed Sheeran concert in Atlanta. And you've heard me complain about Starbucks getting my name wrong on an overcharged cup of tall Americano. In this episode, we're going to be dealing with other problems, like:  “Should we give our 13-year-old baby girl away to be married to an older man, or should we keep her here and risk that she will be abducted and turned into a sex slave.” That's the kinda stuff we'll be dealing with in this episode, as Susan Laker will tell her life story.  WARNING It's also a story that will be hard to listen to. It's heartbreaking, and with so many graphic details, that will not be suitable for children. At the same time, I feel this might be the most important episode of The Radio Vagabond that I've done up until now.  My name is Palle Bo. Welcome back to the third and final part of my miniseries from the Acholi Quarter in Kampala, Uganda.  INTRO I hope you have had a chance to listen to the first two episodes from The Acholi Quarter in Uganda, where Susan Laker, a small but mighty woman in her late 30s, took us around. She's the co-founder and leader of 22STARS Foundation's work here, always helping children and families in need with a big smile. But let me tell you, her journey wasn't always a straight path. This tale is a wild one, full of crazy twists and turns. It could be a movie, maybe something like The Color Purple, set in Uganda.  CHILD BRIDE Her parent gave her away to be married when she was just a child. She was angry at her parents when this happened and didn't understand why.  “I was 13 years old when I was force into early marriage by my parents.”  Most of us would say that there is nothing that would justify that. But her parents had a good reason.  “By that time, I didn't know the reason. I was just mad but later on, you realize they did that to protect me from being abducted from the LRA Rebels.” LRA REBELS The LRA Rebels, or “The Lord's Resistance Army,” was a rebel group operated in Uganda and other Central African countries, started by Joseph Kony in 1987. The LRA would typically attack villages at night, using guns, machetes, and other weapons. They would kill or maim those who resisted, burn down homes, and loot property. They would then abduct children. They used to abduct children, even babies, from their mothers and were forced to march long distances to LRA bases deep in the bush. And were then subjected to brutal initiation rituals, during which they were beaten, sometimes with their peers, and forced to kill other children or adults. The abducted children were then trained as soldiers and used to attack civilians, other rebel groups, and government forces, using guns, sticks, and pangas – large, heavy, machete-like knives. The LRA's tactics of abducting children were particularly savage and brutal. The children were forced to serve as soldiers, porters, and sex slaves.  The group often targeted vulnerable communities, including schools and churches, and used violence and intimidation to abduct children. And then, the children were subjected to intense physical and psychological abuse.  They used violent initiation ceremonies to break the children's spirits and force them to commit atrocities. The children were often forced to kill or maim their own families or fellow abductees to break their spirits and brainwash them into cutting ties to their former lives. The LRA also used brutal methods of discipline to maintain control over the children. This included beatings, torture, and even execution.  Susan gave me examples of how brutal the methods were:  “They cut off your lips, they cut off your private parts – like the breasts. If not, they put the padlock. They tie your lips, and then some are beaten to death. Some they chop of their neck. They were killed. Those who tried to escape, they were stoned to death.” In addition to their role as soldiers, the girls among the abducted children were often forced into sexual slavery and forced marriages.  “Some of them ended up giving birth and some of them ended up dying giving birth because they were so young. Some of them died because they were mistreated. Also, there was no in facility to take care of a pregnant woman, so some of them got sick and died because there was no medication.” The children were also used as human shields in battles, which put their lives at even greater risk.  JOSEPH KONY In 2012, a video campaign called "Kony 2012" from the organization Invisible Children went viral, bringing international attention to the LRA's atrocities and Kony's role in them. The campaign and its creator, Jason Russell, set out to make Kony famous, and they definitely succeeded in that. Joseph Kony was born in 1961 in a village in northern Uganda. He grew up in a Catholic household and was initially drawn to religion but dropped out of school and joined the rebel group led by a distant relative, Alice Lakwena. She had claimed to have received messages from the Holy Spirit and was leading a rebellion against the Ugandan government. When Lakwena's rebellion failed, Kony formed his own group, the LRA, in 1987. And like Alice Lakwena, he also claimed to have a hotline to God. He said that he was a spiritual medium and that his commands came directly from the spiritual world and were not to be questioned.  Kony was known for his mysticism and claimed to have supernatural powers, including the ability to turn bullets into water and to communicate with spirits. He was also notorious for his brutality and didn't just have his brainwashed followers do all of the dirty work. He's believed to have personally participated in many of the LRA's atrocities. So, he was a self-appointed messiah and said his government was based on the Ten Commandments. But then he went on to break every one of them.  In 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Kony and four of his top lieutenants for crimes against humanity and war crimes. However, he's managed to hide, and still to this day – almost 20 years later, Kony's whereabouts are unknown.  Although the LRA's activities have declined significantly recently, the group remains active. It has been responsible for sporadic attacks and abductions that continue to be reported in the region. The LRA's use of children for soldiers, waiters, and sex slaves has devastated the abducted children and their families. Many of the children who escaped or were rescued suffered from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.  SUSAN'S PARENTS' CHOICE Enough about the LRA and its creepy leader, Joseph Kony. I just wanted you to get a little bit of perspective on what Susan's parents were trying to save her from when they gave her away for early marriage at the age of just 13.  It's just so hard to fathom. What a choice for parents to make.  “Should we keep our child here with the risk that the brutal LRA Rebels will take her and turn her into a sex slave – or maybe cut off her lips and private parts? Or stone her to death… And maybe brainwash her and she will come back here and kill us in our sleep. Or should we give her away to be married to that older soldier, who will probably do what he likes and most likely get her pregnant soon but then might also be able to keep her alive…?” I have no idea if this was what Susan's parents were thinking at the time. We can only speculate because this is so far away from anything most of us have even thought about having to consider.  Think about that before you get frustrated that there's too much to choose from on a menu at a restaurant or that you have too many clothes and not enough closet space. SUSAN'S SON I met her son, Derek, just before I sat down with Susan to hear her story. And we're not talking about a little boy. No, he's a grown man. Taller than me and very handsome. I know that Susan only is in her late 30s, so I'm very surprised to find out that she could have a son in his mid 20's.  “I ended up giving birth to my son at the age of 13 – the boy you just saw. And at the age of 14, I had a miscarriage, because it was so soon, and I was so young. And then at the age of 15, I gave birth to my second daughter, who is now 22.” Let that sink in: At 13, she was sent off to marry an older man and had a baby within a year. Straight away, at the age of 14, she got pregnant again but had a miscarriage. And straight away again, she got pregnant for the third time and had her second child at 15, basically when she was a child herself.  I don't know much about the father of her kids. Maybe he was a good man who felt it was his right because she was his wife, and he protected her. I don't know more about him than what Susan just told me here. I was just about to ask her about that when she told me that he suddenly – and unexpectedly got sick and died.  “Then their father mysteriously fell sick for one week and passed on. I didn't even know he was sick. I didn't know what he suffered off anything.” There she was, at 16, a widow with two children. So, she went home to her parents, who forced her to marry another soldier – for her safety.  And shortly after that, she had another baby. Three children and two husbands – still as a teenager.  THE SECOND HUSBAND DIES TOO Susan's new husband was sent to Somalia as a soldier and never returned. She never heard from him again, and Susan was getting increasingly frustrated and unable to feed herself and her children.  Not only was Susan frustrated and hungry. She was also suffering with her health and getting more and more weak. Then in the middle of all this, they were kicked out of the house they were in.  As things got increasingly hopeless, Susan's sisters came to her aid. They helped her get on a bus here to Kampala. Susan barely made it to Kampala alive. She was unconscious when the bus arrived in Kampala with her and her three small children. Immediately she was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with HIV, cancer, and tuberculosis. AFFORDING MEDICATION When Susan Laker defied all odds and she was able to fight herself back to consciousness and life for her children, she was just 23. She had a ten-year-old boy and two girls nine and four.  She managed to stay alive but was now faced with another problem. The children didn't go to school, and Susan herself couldn't read, write, or speak English. That meant that she couldn't get a job making decent money to feed herself – and now also afford the expensive medicine for her tuberculosis, cancer, and HIV.  KIDS WORKING AT THE QUARRY She was too weak to work, so she had no option but to have her children work for her. A ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a five-year-old crushing stones in the stone quarry from early in the morning every day. As you heard in the latest episode, this is hard work and poorly paid.  On some days, the 10-year-old boy, Derek, crushed enough stones to make 1000 Ugandan Shillings, the 8-year-old girl, Peace, could 500 shillings, and the little 5-year-old girl, around 200 shillings.  That's 1700 shillings and not even half a dollar – 41 Euro cents and 48 American cents for a long day of hard work from early morning.  FIGHTING DEADLY DISEASES ON AN EMPTY STOMACH Susan was on strong medication when all of this was happening, which you should not take on an empty stomach. So, the doctors gave her some food and milk before the medicine. And that helped. After nine months, she was tuberculosis-free and ready for chemotherapy to fight off her Stage 2 cancer. Another nine months later, she was declared cancer-free too.  She also got treated with medicine to keep the HIV virus suppressed, and after five years on medication, her CD4 counts showed that the virus was not detected anymore.  Of course, she still takes her HIV medicine every day, but she is fully recovered from all three deadly diseases. And at this point, we've almost come full circle from where we started in the first episode. This was around the time when Susan met Stella for the first time in 2008.  Stella helped Susan, who went back to school and learned to read and write – and speak English with Stella when she came back a few years later. Together they founded 22STARS paper jewellery business and the 22STARS Foundation. SUPORT 22STARS With a lot of willpower and a bit of luck meeting the Dutch/German woman Stella Romana when she did, she managed to turn life around for herself and her children. And together, they continue to do the same for many more people in the community.  Again, go to Foundation22Stars.org to see the different ways of supporting.  If you want to get involved with the good work 22STARS Foundation is doing, helping families in Uganda, go to www.foundation22stars.org, and see what you can do. You can sponsor a child or support emergency needs by simply donating to one of the different programs, such as nutrition, microloans, computer lessons, music classes, or medicine. I've linked to all this in the note section of your podcast app and theradiovagabond.com.  Thank you to Susan Laker for sharing her inspiring story.  My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

Content warning: sexual abuseIn this episode, God-lover Kyle chats with Angella d'Avignon – a writer and studio manager, currently writing a book about ghost towns. We talk about her evangelical upbringing and family history. Her great-grandfather, Paul Hutchens, is the author of The Sugar Creek Gang children's book series. Her grandfather was a radio pastor and buddies with Billy Graham. And her mom helped found a popular after-school arts program in 1981, Christian Youth Theater.Topics include:Itinerant EvangelicalismSugar Creek Gang seriesTent Revival CircuitReligious Trauma SyndromePurity ring ceremoniesInvisible ChildrenChristian Community TheaterChristian brandingChristian mediaLeaving evangelicalism Listen to full episodes at patreon.com/ineedgod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Javan. He's on a mission to help nonprofits achieve the same level of impact and recognition as major brands. While working as an art director, he found himself pulled toward mission-focused work where his skills could make an even bigger difference. This led him to work with Invisible Children, an org gained worldwide attention through their creation of the Kony 2012 campaign. Javan then founded Donately and Fifty & Fifty to support the many causes and organizations that need that same level of storytelling and digital support. Javan is speaking out language in this episode and has so much wisdom to share with the We Are For Good community

It was the 30 minute 'documentary' that had an absolute grip on the world. Kony 2012 was the first Youtube video to reach 100 million views in less than a week. Everybody on the planet seemed swept up in the attempt to 'Make Kony Famous'. We shared the video along with the #Kony2012 hashtag. We donated. We agreed to 'COVER THE NIGHT'. Even Oprah was excited. Then, less than two weeks later, it all came crashing down (and the term 'slacktivism' was born). So what was Kony 2012 all about? What was with Invisible Children, Inc., the charity behind it? Why did Kony 2012 director Jason Russell end up naked and ranting on a public street? And, most importantly, what ended up happening to Joseph Kony? We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this: WATCH: Kony 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc Invisible Children: The Musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg5-_Rib9S4 Jason Russell TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRtO9W6hhOk&t=886s The Story of Kony 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nymZEXjf8 READ: Kony 2012 wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kony_2012 Invisible Children, Inc. wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Children,_Inc. Huff Po article from 2012: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joseph-kony-2012-children_b_1327417 NY Times look back: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/style/kony-2012-invisible-children.html Guardian look back: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/27/kony-2012-10-years-africa-problem LISTEN: Binchtopia episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/lv/podcast/wtf-was-kony2012/id1542744511?i=1000543620339 It's A Continent episode: https://anchor.fm/its-a-continent/episodes/Kony-2012-Activism-or-Slacktivism-e1g246p Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are rejoined by Legalman of The Quash podcast to discuss one of the first viral psyops in internet history: KONY 2012. The eponymous video released by Invisible Children, sought to bring international attention to the misdeeds of  Joseph Kony,the leader of the radical Ugandan rebel group Lord's Resistance Army, operating out of the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Little did we know when embarking on this seemingly quaint topic just how deep the fake rabbit hole goes. Check out Legalman's podcast The Quash wherever podcasts are found and follow his NEW twitter account @uscrimereview Don't forget to join our Telegram channel at T.me/historyhomos and to join our group chat at T.me/historyhomoschat The video version of the show is available on bitchute, odysee. For weekly premium episodes or to contribute to the show subscribe to our channel at www.rokfin.com/historyhomos Any questions comments concerns or T-shirt/sticker requests can be leveled at historyhomos@gmail.com Later homos --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyhomos/support

To request a custom story, visit www.makedupstories.com. The story is about two kids named Jonah and Jesse who have see-through bodies. They try to keep this a secret from their friends by wearing gloves and clothing, but one day their gloves get wet and they have to take them off, revealing their see-through hands to their classmates. The other kids are fascinated by this and start to look at Jonah and Jesse's internal organs, but Jonah and Jesse feel embarrassed because they are the only ones who are see-through. They decide to continue picking weeds and ignore the other kids, but then they find a pillow that they think would be perfect for their friend's birthday present. They decide to give it to their friend and hope that they will still be friends despite the fact that Jonah and Jesse are see-through.

Alison Brahe burst on the Australian modelling scene as a 16 year old in the mid-80's and her career journey has travelled through roles in education, charities, podcasting and writing. With her gorgeous smile and all-Australian beach body, she lit up the covers of Australia's top fashion and pop magazines. Cleo, Dolly and Cosmopolitan, kept her face front and centre with fashion spreads and stories. It was rare that she was not on the cover every month of one of these publications, well into the 90's. Cleo and Dolly readers often voted her as one their women of the century, such was the impact Alison was having. Advertisers knew this and clambered to have Alison Brahe be their face – Portmans, Cover Girl makeup, Nivea, Blackmores, Brian Rochford and JaquieE were major clients. Television soon followed with Channel Nine giving Alison her the daily afternoon children's show GUESS WHAT, which enjoyed great success and she was a popular guest host of the iconic, HERE'S HUMPHREY which cemented a place in the hearts of many Australian families. In 1991 Alison Married Cameron Daddo and the pair emigrated to the USA where Alison's life began a new path. She studied acting and worked on television commercials, was cast in the pilot remake of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and some episodes of comedy television. But this was not Alison's passion… teaching children/ taking care of children and indeed, having her own children were her heart's desire and she took a break from the entertainment scene. Alison studied at the Bodyfulmind Institute, founded by LA 80's health expert Doreen Rivera (the driving force behind Jane Fonda's Workout). There she trained and taught Bodyfulmind exercise classes and headed up the Pregnancy Program which readied couples for birth, labour support and post-partum support. Whilst doing this she studied Massage Therapy at IPSB and in 1999 received her degree. Alison's work at DRBMI took her into 2010. Her passion for teaching moved into another phase, school teacher. She'd given birth to 3 children- Lotus '96, River '00 and Bodhi '06. For three years she worked close to south central Los Angeles at Windsor Hills Elementary School (LAUSD) teaching 3rd graders expression of emotions and anti- violence through nature- based arts. In 2013, she achieved her teaching degree from UCLA in Early Childhood, and began full-time teaching at Under the Oaks, Malibu with the pre-school class. She continued her own studies and training in Rudolph Steiner Education at Highland Hall Waldorf School. Alison has always been active in charity work, sponsoring children of WORLD VISION for three decades. From 2007-12 she was involved with GULU WALK and The Invisible Children, a charity that works with rehabilitating child soldiers in Uganda. 2017 saw Alison and her family move back to live in Australia, since moving she has become patron of RizeUp Australia a charity that assist domestic abuse families settle in a new home and begin their lives in safety. Her first book, QUEEN MENOPAUSE – a friendly, frank, compassionate and comprehensive companion for any woman experiencing menopause – was published in 2022 by Allen & Unwin.  She also Co-hosts  with  her husband of 30 years on their hit podcast “Separate Bathrooms”. Interviewing some of the most interesting couples in Australia, they take a look behind the closed doors of their relationships. Separate Bathrooms has had over 100,000 downloads in 2021. Alison continues to write articles on parenting, relationships and the joys of being a woman. Her articles have been published in Kidspot, Powderoom Graffiti and Mamamia. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/janelle-johnston/message

Want to build trust with donors at first glance? That's what happens when you have a solid, user-friendly platform like the one my guest, Justin Wheeler, has developed. As he shares in this episode of What the Fundraising, years of field experience are baked into Funraise, a digital ecosystem that streamlines nonprofit messaging and fundraising. Their state-of-the-art tool is designed to help nonprofits acquire donors at scale by tapping all the traditional and new fundraising channels available with amazing results. The more efficiently we fundraise, the more deeply our organizations can focus on the core mission! You'll learn all about what Funraise's platform has to offer, including everything from event ticketing and management to recurring giving, online campaigns, email automation, CRM, automated workflows, data mining, and dashboard/reporting. Justin shares insights from his experience building up multi-million-dollar philanthropic organizations (Invisible Children Uganda and Liberty in North Korea), busts some fundraising myths and reminds us of the importance of maintaining a positive mindset. In wrapping up, Justin reflects on things he knows now that he wishes he knew earlier in his fundraising journey as well as the essence of Funraise's top priority: Modernizing giving through a powerful platform maintained at a price point accessible to nonprofits with budgets of any size. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: (00:30) How an "Invisible Children" documentary changed the course of Justin's life.  (01:32) Justin's work with Liberty in North Korea. (03:02) The myth of fundraising ratios. (05:20) How to inspire donor trust by ensuring a user-friendly experience. (08:00) What it looks like to establish digital trust and remove donor doubt. (09:09) Trends that Funraise is monitoring. (10:10) Mallory and Justin reflect on the important influence that narratives – positive and negative – have on donor behavior.  (14:00) Why it's so important to incorporate clear, repeated “asks” without fear of overstepping.  (16:26) What Justin wishes he'd known during his early days in the trenches. (18:00) Funraise's core mission.  Get all the resources from today's episode here.  Follow along on Instagram  Connect with Mallory on LinkedIn Ready to streamline and modernize your organization's fundraising strategy? Smash through stumbling blocks with my VIP Day, an intensive one-to-one executive coaching experience. You can also click here to learn how I can work with you to pinpoint problems, develop a clear plan, and create content and design habits to support your nonprofit in achieving its goals. Please note: This episode is a part of a very special series called The People Behind the Products. More than ever, nonprofits care about the company behind their technology and service providers. What's the underlying mission and vision of the company? What do they stand for? And how are they thinking about the sector and serving nonprofits? This series is an opportunity to get to know some of my favorite nonprofit technology companies so that the next time you're making a tech decision, you can understand a little bit more about the people behind the product. There is no sponsorship or industry money behind the production of this series and the editorial content was at the sole discretion of the What the Fundraising team. 

** This is an unlocked episode. For access to full-length premium episodes and the SJ Grotto of Truth Discord, subscribe to the Al-Wara' Frequency at patreon.com/subliminaljihad. ** Dimitri and Khalid continue to STOP AT NOTHING exposing the complex geopolitical/religious intrigues at play in the Kony saga, including: the shadowy Evangelical group “The Family” and its recruitment of Museveni in 1986, Uganda receiving conspicuous amounts of (literal) USAID, Internally Displaced Persons camps as neocolonial weapon/target rich environment for Evangelicals, the overtly Evangelical 2006 documentary “An Unconventional War: How Kony and His Satan's Resistance Army were Defeated”, the importance of spiritual warfare in the Museveni/Kony conflict, the Holy Spirit Movement in northern Uganda, a leaked US embassy document describing the “American intelligence officer” spirits who guide Kony and give him SITREPs, sus Bridgeway hiring South African mercenary Eeben Barlow of Executive Outcomes infamy to get Kony, the rise of humanitarian espionage, IC working directly with AFRICOM to provide intel, Museveni launching Operation Gideon to conduct mass spiritual warfare against Kony's shrines, multiple child sex abuse scandals at Christian Youth Theater, similarities between Jason Russell and Josh Harris, Invisible Children's High School Musical/Captain Eo promo video from 2006, and SJ's plan to STOP John Train and the ghost of Michael Aquino by selling lots of red t-shirts.

For access to full-length premium episodes and the SJ Grotto of Truth Discord, subscribe to the Al-Wara' Frequency at patreon.com/subliminaljihad. Dimitri and Khalid continue to STOP AT NOTHING exposing the complex geopolitical/religious intrigues at play in the Kony saga, including: the shadowy Evangelical group “The Family” and its recruitment of Museveni in 1986, Uganda receiving conspicuous amounts of (literal) USAID, Internally Displaced Persons camps as neocolonial weapon/target rich environment for Evangelicals, the overtly Evangelical 2006 documentary “An Unconventional War: How Kony and His Satan's Resistance Army were Defeated”, the importance of spiritual warfare in the Museveni/Kony conflict, the Holy Spirit Movement in northern Uganda, a leaked US embassy document describing the “American intelligence officer” spirits who guide Kony and give him SITREPs, sus Bridgeway hiring South African mercenary Eeben Barlow of Executive Outcomes infamy to get Kony, the rise of humanitarian espionage, IC working directly with AFRICOM to provide intel, Museveni launching Operation Gideon to conduct mass spiritual warfare against Kony's shrines, multiple child sex abuse scandals at Christian Youth Theater, similarities between Jason Russell and Josh Harris, Invisible Children's High School Musical/Captain Eo promo video from 2006, and SJ's plan to STOP John Train and the ghost of Michael Aquino by selling lots of red t-shirts.

Jason Russell is a creative director powerhouse and the visionary behind viral videos for Invisible Children's KONY 2012 which amassed a staggering 103 million views on YouTube, and charity: water, which skyrocketed their monthly donors from 800 to over 80,000.During our conversation today, Jason gets into the nitty gritty of his video creation process, including the key components that make up a piece of content to inspire action. We also debunk the myths about video length and how to be really creative with your marketing and media budget. It was an honor for me to host this conversation - let's go!Episode Partner: This episode is presented by Feathr - Expand your reach, further your mission. Use Feathr's digital marketing tools to increase awareness, boost online donations, promote events, recruit volunteers, and ultimately do more good. Learn More.Resources & LinksFREE Webinar: The Top 5 "Set It and Forget It" Marketing Tips for Building Momentum During the Summer on May 19th at 2 pm ET | 11 am PT with Feathr's President and Co-founder Aidan Augustin and Dana Snyder. Click here to RSVP!Follow Jason at his agency, Broomstick Engine, where he partners with brands and organizations to tell their story and learn more about his children's book, A Little Radical. Want to work with Jason? Email him at jason@broomstickengine.com. Watch Invisible Children's viral KONY 2012 campaign video, The Spring, a charity: water story, and Preemptive Love's Love Anyway.Want to make Missions to Movements even better? Take a screenshot of this episode and share it on Instagram. Be sure to tag @positivequation so I can connect with you.

Flash back. The year is....2012. You're still sending pokes to your friends on Facebook in-between Farmville gaming sessions. "Call me maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen is still top of the charts for hottest singles of the year. Part 2 - In this episode Brett & James explore the fallout from Kony 2012. Whether or not Jason Russels intentions were pure, who actually was the Invisible Children organization, and the shocking truth behind how Brangelina and Clooney were involved (not kidding).

My guest for this episode of the podcast is Sam Mazzeo of Better, a law firm that I'd love to see others emulate. To give you a sense of Sam, here's his bio: "We like to think of Sam as an approachable renaissance man. Here are some things he can help you better understand: trademark, business formation & securities, contracts, Halloween party planning, how to do a standing backflip, and the proper pronunciation of the word “GIF.” When Sam isn't providing legal advice and empowering his clients, he's either outdoors exercising or working on local policy and social justice initiatives, often through his volunteer positions with Business For Good San Diego. Sam also serves on several Boards of Directors, including A Reason to Survive (ARTS), Space4Art, and The Foundation at Hearst Castle."We had a great conversation about Sam's journey through the field of law, his work with Invisible Children and how it was transformative for him, and how and why he, and Better, approach the practice of law from a different perspective.If you're in an industry that you feel needs to be shaken up a little bit, I think you'll definitely get some useful ideas from our conversation.

Jon Foreman sits down with me to talk about his fatherhood journey. He talks to me about the values he looks to instill into his kids as they grow up. Jon looks to teach his kids about self-worth. After that we talk about his music career. We chat about his time with Switchfoot as well as his solo music. Lastly, we finish the interview off with the Fatherhood Quick Five. About Jon Foreman  Jon Foreman is the lead singer and guitarist of the Grammy Award winning rock band Switchfoot. He is also known for his intimate solo albums and his work with the band Fiction Family. Over the years, Foreman has become known for his honest lyrics, highly prolific song-writing, and his involvement in various humanitarian endeavors: Habitat for Humanity, The ONE Campaign, Not For Sale, Invisible Children, Life Rolls On, and To Write Love On Her Arms. Switchfoot was formed in 1996 and has been making music ever since. This acclaimed live band has played thousands of sold out concerts, sold more than five million records, had more than a few radio hits, and have had their songs used in countless films and TV shows. Make sure you follow Jon on Twitter and Instagram at @jonforeman and check out his new music and news over at jonforeman.com. Solid Roots Is This Week's Podcast Sponsor  Solids Roots is on a mission to create unique content, products, and experiences that bring you closer to your people. They want your friends to become your family and your family to become your friends. Having solid roots is about connection to something deep and meaningful. Over the years, they have found that some of the most profound moments of connection with their own friends and family came through fun and whimsical experiences they shared. They created Solid Roots because they think having fun and being together is important. Check out all the games they have including your next favorite family game, Mind The Gap over at their site at solidroots.com.  About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast  The Art of Fatherhood Podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with fantastic dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. In addition, you get a unique perspective on fatherhood. You hear from guests like Joe Montana, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Jerry Rice, Jeff Foxworthy, Patrick Warburton, Jeff Kinney, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kyle Busch, Dennis Quaid, Dwight Freeney and many more.

In March 2012, a 30-minute film produced by U.S.-based not-for-profit Invisible Children and narrated by co-founder Jason Russell, aimed to shed light on Joseph Kony, the leader of the Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). He was the target of the Kony 2012 campaign led by Invisible Children, which garnered international attention. Before Invisible Children existed, in 2003, Russell, along with Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole, set out to create a film on the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan and travelled to northern Uganda to speak with those who had fled Sudan. Their plans changed when they witnessed the war in Uganda with the Lord's Resistance Army. Russell, Baily and Poole produced their first film, Invisible Children Rough Cut, and out of that film, the not-for-profit Invisible Children was born. On this episode of What happened to…? Russell speaks about how the idea of Kony 2012 started, how it became a viral sensation after its release and the swift criticism that followed. Contact: Email: erica.vella@globalnews.ca See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Somewhere in between Gangnam Style and Susan Boyle singing Les Mis, a different kind of video went viral on YouTube; a heart wrenching 30 minute documentary about a Ugandan warlord named Joseph Kony. This week AJL is raising awareness about Kony 2012, the internet's biggest slacktivist movement, and the strange media flurry that followed it. Also we talk about emissions so much on this one— I mean Jesus Christ it's disgusting.  Sources:The Story of Kony2012- Internet HistorianThe 'Kony 2012' Effect: Recovering From A Viral SensationKony 2012 quickly became a punch line. But what if it did more good than harm?What Happened With Kony 2012, The Most Viral Video Ever?BBC World Service - Outlook, Kony 2012: My Breakdown After Viral FameAdam McShane, Joey Bednarski, and Cosmo Nomikos are stand up comedians based out of Chicago, IL.AJL is part of the Lincoln Lodge Podcast Network: https://www.thelincolnlodge.com/podcasts

Our special guest today is Kyle Moss, a joyful mindset coach and self-proclaimed purveyor of joy. She provides vibrant mindset coaching and consulting services for ambitious women and organizations looking to live with more bold clarity, firm confidence and daily contentment. For about 10 years, Kyle developed programs, mostly with nonprofits and social enterprises that utilized technology for a greater good in some capacity. In 2008, she decided to quit her steady job and work for free. Every time she makes a pivotal change in her life and her career, she makes sure to align her decisions with her soul convictions. It was not an easy journey for Kyle and having a second child with special needs has been a turning point for her. She did not stop pursuing what she felt she needed to do. As a coach, Kyle conducts group classes helping people to reconnect with their souls and experience something spiritual and beautiful which brings out joy. Kyle is someone who believes that everything she experienced in the past has a great impact on where she is right now as a joyful mindset coach.She has mainly worked with people, having been exposed to different cultures and has dealt with different circumstances. All of those played a great part in where she is in her life. Today's Guest Kyle Moss aims to infuse positive energy and enthusiasm everywhere she goes. She provides vibrant mindset coaching & consulting services for ambitious women and organizations looking to live with more bold clarity, firm confidence and daily contentment – no matter their circumstances. She has more than two decades of global leadership and mentoring experience most notably at Qualcomm, Classy, & Invisible Children. While not coaching, Kyle can be found creating her signature “Joy in a Jar” body products, practicing at-home yoga and also adventuring gratefully through each day with her family. Social Handles: https://www.experts-together.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/justalittlemorejoy What You'll Learn: Explore, Evaluate and Experiment Learn to pause and listen to your soul Joy starts with yourself, then it ultimately leads to serving others

The nonprofit Invisible Children released a 2012 documentary about Ugandan militia leader Joseph Kony. The group hoped to raise awareness about Kony and his crimes against humanity. It did that, but what did it do with all that attention?Casting directors are crucial for a film's success, finding the right actor for the proper role. How do they do it?  Plus, some of the most interesting ‘what if' casting decisions in film history. Wait, that guy almost played Han Solo!?Would you allow a demon-possessed doll (like Chucky) to come into your home? Would you pay for the opportunity??http://www.commutethepodcast.comFollow Commute:Instagram - instagram.com/commutethepodcast/Twitter - @PodcastCommuteFacebook - facebook.com/commutethepodcast***Episode Sources/Go Deeper:https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/09/kony-2012-quickly-became-a-punch-line-but-what-if-it-did-more-good-than-harm.htmlhttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502068/10-secrets-casting-directorshttps://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502068/10-secrets-casting-directors

When Helping HelpsAs a college student at the turn of the century, I was bombarded with opportunities for activism. The biggest push at the time was a cause known as the Invisible Children, in support of Ugandan communities ravaged by the despotic terror of Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army. Students were encouraged to watch a film, raise awareness, and fundraise support for… something. I'll bet it was very clear and I'd imagine their efforts were even somewhat successful, though decades later the man still evades capture. For my own part, I was genuinely moved by that story – and I believe I tried to connect as best as I could – but I wasn't really in a place where I was looking to give my life away to that cause. I did feel pretty guilty about it though, as I was getting serious about my faith and the consensus was that everyone should do, well, whatever it was that was being championed at the moment. I don't know whether a general spirit of cynicism is replacing the optimistic activism I saw in that era of my life. Maybe worldwide concerted efforts didn't produce the results we were all hoping for, and so now we know better. Or, maybe college students are still on a mission to save the world and my own guardedness is just a function of the age I am now versus the age I was then. What I do know is that often the way we engage in helping others can actually do harm to them and to us. This leads some folks to feel the same even about non-government organizations as they do about that other group of altruists. They say the most terrifying words in the English language are, “We're from the government and we're here to help.” And the poor's posture in the meantime can be echoed by a recent blockbuster's voiceover lament, “Who will our next oppressors be?” Some of us have a pathological need to help people. Others have a pathological need not to get involved. But Jesus' posture toward his neighbors wasn't pathological at all. It was healthy humanity. His way looks a bit less like an international revolution and a bit more like intimate restorations, (though one certainly does lead to the other). So, this Sunday I hope we can all learn from his story about the Good Samaritan, how we might recover some healthy habits of helping. Oh, and feel free to get a bit of practice in by volunteering to serve at our Fall Festival tomorrow! Sign up here - josh

When Helping Helps As a college student at the turn of the century, I was bombarded with opportunities for activism. The biggest push at the time was a cause known as the Invisible Children, in support of Ugandan communities ravaged by the despotic terror of Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army. Students were encouraged to watch a film, raise awareness, and fundraise support for… something. I'll bet it was very clear and I'd imagine their efforts were even somewhat successful, though decades later the man still evades capture. For my own part, I was genuinely moved by that story – and I believe I tried to connect as best as I could – but I wasn't really in a place where I was looking to give my life away to that cause. I did feel pretty guilty about it though, as I was getting serious about my faith and the consensus was that everyone should do, well, whatever it was that was being championed at the moment. I don't know whether a general spirit of cynicism is replacing the optimistic activism I saw in that era of my life. Maybe worldwide concerted efforts didn't produce the results we were all hoping for, and so now we know better. Or, maybe college students are still on a mission to save the world and my own guardedness is just a function of the age I am now versus the age I was then. What I do know is that often the way we engage in helping others can actually do harm to them and to us. This leads some folks to feel the same even about non-government organizations as they do about that other group of altruists. They say the most terrifying words in the English language are, “We're from the government and we're here to help.” And the poor's posture in the meantime can be echoed by a recent blockbuster's voiceover lament, “Who will our next oppressors be?” Some of us have a pathological need to help people. Others have a pathological need not to get involved. But Jesus' posture toward his neighbors wasn't pathological at all. It was healthy humanity. His way looks a bit less like an international revolution and a bit more like intimate restorations, (though one certainly does lead to the other). So, this Sunday I hope we can all learn from his story about the Good Samaritan, how we might recover some healthy habits of helping. Oh, and feel free to get a bit of practice in by volunteering to serve at our Fall Festival tomorrow! Sign up here - josh

In 2012, the non-profit organization Invisible Children released Kony 2012, a short film about the human rights violations in Uganda perpetrated by Joseph Kony, which rapidly took over the internet and made Joseph Kony a household name. On today's episode, Rachelle and Madison look back at the origins of the organization, how its creator handled the extreme popularity of their viral moment, and what lessons we learned from its utter failure. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2012, the non-profit organization Invisible Children released Kony 2012, a short film about the human rights violations in Uganda perpetrated by Joseph Kony, which rapidly took over the internet and made Joseph Kony a household name. On today's episode, Rachelle and Madison look back at the origins of the organization, how its creator handled the extreme popularity of their viral moment, and what lessons we learned from its utter failure. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2012, the non-profit organization Invisible Children released Kony 2012, a short film about the human rights violations in Uganda perpetrated by Joseph Kony, which rapidly took over the internet and made Joseph Kony a household name. On today's episode, Rachelle and Madison look back at the origins of the organization, how its creator handled the extreme popularity of their viral moment, and what lessons we learned from its utter failure. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Invisible Children, Jason Russell led the company's creative vision, emphasizing the power of storytelling for over a decade. In 2016, he launched Broomstick Engine, a creative agency dedicated to storytelling to inspire movements and real action. Jason is both a work and life partner to his childhood sweetheart, Danica, and they recently released a children's book “A Little Radical: The ABC's of Activism.”  However, he believes the greatest stories he gets to co-direct are those of his two children, Gavin Danger and Everley Darling. In this episode, Jason shares about his love project of creating A Little Radical Book, a kids' book that teaches the ABCs of advocacy and empowers young minds to have the hard conversations that evoke the big voice of radical change that they do have. He goes on to share about his current project on branding and marketing and how ethical storytelling plays a significant role in building sustainable systems for organizations and social enterprises that drive donors and investors.

Mont Vernon is a quiet town, pretty close knit and rather unremarkable. On a cold night in early October of 2009, four boys break into a home in the small community, forever damaging the lives of many. **Please join us in donating anything you can to the scholarship fund in Kimberly Cates' honor: http://www.kimcatesfund.org** Sources: Blanco, Juan Ignacio. “Steven Spader: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers.” Steven Spader | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers “Christopher Gribble.” Homeschooling's Invisible Children, 12 June 2014 Crompton, Jennifer. “10 Years after Violent Attack, Jaimie Cates Living for Every Day.” WMUR, WMUR, 4 Oct. 2019 Tuohy, Lynne, Associated Press. “NH Jurors Hear Graphic Details in Murder Trial.” Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2010. “Mont Vernon Murder Case Background.” WMUR, WMUR, 8 Oct. 2018 “Mont Vernon Murderer Injured in Prison Fight.” WMUR, WMUR, 9 Oct. 2017 “Mont Vernon Thrill Killing.” SwordAndScale 'Cates: Death Is Justice, Not Vengeance'.” Concord Monitor, Concord Monitor, 2 Feb. 2011 State of New Hampshire vs. Steven Spader. “The Unfixable Steven Spader: A True Sick Person.” Murdervictims.com, 3 Dec. 2019 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mass-hysteria-pod/support

Happy Friday! May today be your payday because we're talking about

Hi, I've missed you. I took a week off because I can. But I'm glad to report, our return is real strong since in this episode, I get to share a conversation I had with my good friend, an incredible visionary, Jason Russell. As one of the founders of Invisible Children, author of A Little Radical and who currently runs a creative agency, Broomstick Engine all alongside his wife, Jason is someone who is clearly passionate about justice and the injustices of our world, strategies for change and most importantly, he's all about people. I can gush about him all day. Instead, I did so on the podcast. So, we talk about A LOT. We traverse his journey and experiences with IC and devotion to literally saving lives, he shares his secret dream behind pushing the BLM movement even further through means of….marching bands! (COUNT ME IN), we lightly graze about that time he got advice from Oprah, what fear has fueled in him and there's also an accidental rating of Taylor Swift's catalogue which I mostly agree with.I'm excited for you to meet and get to know Jason. And yes, we are going to be working something together but I'm going to make you listen to find out. Enjoy. LYSM.The best way to do it is to do it. You just have to do it…I'd rather live on the other side of fear and actually fail than not having tried something that is deeply embedded into my heart. Subscribe + follow @gladyousaidno @TRACE This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit listentotrace.substack.com

Javan Van Gronigen joins Gabe Cooper to talk about the power of story to bridge the gap between givers and the good you're making in our world, the importance of pivoting to think of donor cultivation less like a funnel and more like a network, and more. Javan is the Founder and Creative Director at Fifty & Fifty. When not directing the path of his creative team, he's driving strategy to roll out new solutions for the nonprofit world through web design. With previous professional experience as the Art Director for companies like Digitaria and Invisible Children, he founded Fifty & Fifty in 2009 to put nonprofit web design and branding on the same playing field as Fortune 500 brands. Javan and his wife Candice have sons named Sebastian and Graeme along with a brindle Boxer named Brutus...who is inadvertently (or advertently) the office mascot. https://www.linkedin.com/in/javanvangronigen/ https://fiftyandfifty.org/about/ ----- Learn more about the tools Virtuous provides leading nonprofits to grow giving at: https://www.virtuouscrm.com/. Get an in-depth guide to responsive fundraising to help your organization grow generosity from the modern donor at: https://www.virtuouscrm.com/responsive/.

Many people, on their deathbed, regret they didn't pursue their ambitions more. In hindsight they did what they felt like they were supposed to do, and didn't live in the freedom to create their own stories. Jason Russell is not going to be one of those people, and you don't have to be, either. Jason Russell As Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Invisible Children, Jason Russell led the company's creative vision with an emphasis on the power of storytelling for over a decade. In 2016, he launched Broomstick Engine, a creative agency that is dedicated to using storytelling to inspire movements and real action. Jason is both a work and life partner to his childhood sweetheart Danica, and recently released their book "A Little Radical: The ABC's of Activism". He believes the greatest stories he gets to co-direct are those of his two children, Gavin Danger and Everley Darling. Are you ready to start dreaming big? CLICK HERE to receive your free Dream Big Workbook. ————————— On the episode: Producer : Haley King Engineer : Jackson Carpenter Co-host : Scott Schimmel

Undeniably captivating from the moment she enters the room, Tigerlily's electrifying stage presence and drive to transcend the traditional expectations of a DJ puts her in a league of her own. A true entertainer taking the world by storm, she finds herself among Australia's elite performers and top tier DJs. She's also a mainstay across the biggest festival and club stages in both Australia and around the world. After her track “Invisible Children” was released through Spinnin' Records and reached the #1 spot on the Beatport chart, Tigerlily has continued to tour globally. Hand-picked as one of Tiesto's main support acts for Asia and the USA, Tigerlily has enthralled audiences on some of the world's most renowned stages and venues, like Hakkasan in Las Vegas, Echostage in Washington D.C, Create Nightclub in Los Angeles, Club Octagon in Seoul, Tomorrowland in Belgium and the Main Stage of Ultra Music Festival Croatia. Aside from completing a Media & Communications degree at the University of Sydney, Tigerlily continues to speak publicly about mental health, acting as an ambassador for RU OK? DAY and Lifeline and completing the NYC Marathon in 2016 to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention. With the world at her feet and #TeamTiger at her back, Tigerlily has proven herself as one of the powerhouses of the Australian music industry, creating a global social movement full of music, happiness and positivity that is felt the world over. ------------------ Tracklist: 1. Tigerlily, KSHMR - Invisible Children 2. K-Billy - Axel F 3. Marshmello - Silence (feat. Khalid) [Tiësto's Big Room Mix] 4. Zedd - The Middle [Curbi Remix] 5. twoloud, Nuki - Double Double 6. David Guetta, Chris Willis, Garmiani - Love Is Gone Nomads [Tomcio's Trash Up] 7. Anti Up - Hey Pablo 8. Cat Dealers, Bruno Martini, Joy Corporation - Gone Too Long [MorganJ Remix] 9. DJ Flash - Monster 10. J Balvin, Willi William - Mi Gente [Cedric Gervais Remix] 11. Macklemore, GAMMER, Dyro - Can't Hold Us vs. The Drop [Crunkz Mashup] 12. Max Vangeli, Flatdisk - Blow This Club 13. D.O.D. - According To Me 14. Daddy's Groove - Been A Long Time 15. Steff Da Campo, Dave Crusher - September 16. Bon Jovi, Calvin Harris, Quintino - Let's Go On An Epic Prayer [Chunky Dip & Jesse James Edit] 17. Funkstar De Luxe - Sun Is Shining [Firebeatz Remix] 18. Oomloud - Body Pop 19. Axwell - Nobody Else 20. Tiësto - Grapevine [Tujamo Remix] 21. David Guetta, Sia, DJ Snake, Lumberjack - Magenta Flames [Crunkz Mashup] 22. Titus, Afrojack, BROHUG - Let It Rip 23. Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes [Don Diablo Remix] 24. Malaa - Notorious 25. Rune RK - Calabria [Firebeatz Remix] 26. Tigerlily - Let's Think About 27. Armin van Buuren, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano - You Are Too 28. Axwell / Ingrosso, RØMANS - Dancing Alone [BROHUG Extended Remix] 29. David Guetta, Nicky Romero - Ring The Alarm ------------------ Check out Tigerlily: http://www.facebook.com/djtigerlily http://twitter.com/djtigerlily http://soundcloud.com/dj_tigerlily http://www.instagram.com/djtigerlily ------------------ Listen to more exclusive mixes: iedm.com/blogs/iedmradio www.youtube.com/c/Iedmradiopodcast www.mixcloud.com/iEDMradio/ iedmradio.podbean.com/?source=pb Need the hottest in EDM apparel? Buy the latest here: iedm.com/ ------------------ Discover more: www.facebook.com/iEDMOfficial www.twitter.com/iEDMofficial instagram.com/iEDMofficial iEDMofficial.tumblr.com www.youtube.com/c/IEDMhomeoftherave

Tonight's special guest is Mike Tikkanen from Minnesota, a returning NAASCA family member who founded KARA ("Kids at Risk Action"). He's also the author of the free book "Invisible Children; the American cycle of abuse and its cost." Mike explains, "The need for civic involvement of young future community leaders is the solution to America's 'At Risk Youth' problem. Without today's college students understanding and support, schools will continue to fail, streets to be unsafe, and jails to fill." Mike addresses the social and political child protection problems and solutions that need action now. He speaks at local and national venues and has been the keynote speaker at business, community, and religious organizations. He lead a workshop at the United Nations in New York addressing the rights of children. Since 1996, he's volunteered in the Guardian ad-Litem program as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and has worked with many 'Invisible Children' who are part of the County Child Protection System. Mike is passionate about improving the treatment of abused and neglected children and has formed the non-profit "Kid's At Risk Action" (KARA) to bring public awareness to children's rights and form action groups to improve public policy towards at-risk children. Contact him at: Mike@Invisiblechildren.org

Cynthia Luce, Author of Invisible Girl  Cynthia's memoir is a heart wrenching story of children that live within our society yet, remain invisible. Cynthia has conquered hardships that most could not fathom. Courageously, she exposes these issues in her book with tremendous strength and power to help others overcome adversity. She teaches all of us how to make a difference and where to begin. Sharing accounts of children in the foster-care system, bullying, physical abuse, mental torment, and living on the streets as prey to those that you depend on are only some of the most daunting issues Cynthia covers in her book. She reveals how we can help identify and resolve these cases of neglect and why it is necessary to help these invisible children. Cynthia is an advocate for change and uses Invisible Girl as a benchmark to teach us how we can alter the lives of our children, as well as our future. Click here to purchase Invisible Girl from Amazon.com For more information visit: http://www.cynthia-luce.com

Mike Foster sits down with Jason Russell of Invisible Children at Catalyst Atlanta 2013 and chats about authenticity plus the personal impact Invisible Children's recognition has had on Jason's life. Then, Ken Coleman talks to Angie Smith about her book, Chasing God, and how she's relearning her faith.

The final episode of 2011 includes two great interviews with Priscilla Shirer, author, Bible teacher, powerful communicator and frequent Catalyst speaker, along with Bobby Bailey, co-founder of Invisible Children and now the Global Poverty Project.