Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)

Word Balloon's John Siuntres - Episode 377

Word Balloon's John Siuntres - Episode 377
My guest on this episode of Voices In My Head is John Siuntres.
John is a pioneer in the realm of podcasting and his show, Word Balloon, is one of the greatest comic conversation shows ever made. He even has an Ultimate Spider-Man comic book character named after him (Principle Siuntres).
WORDBALLOON features one on one interviews with the writers and artists behind today's pop culture favorites. The creative minds behind today's hottest comics, films, and Television , tell behind the scene stories providing a DVD like commentary on their works, without spoiling the stories.
I’ve been a Word Ballon listener for over a decade and I’m thrilled to dig a little deeper and find out more about the man who created it.
--Rick Lee James
 
Support John Siuntres on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/wordballoon
 
Word Balloon Web Site
http://wordballoon.com/
 
Subscribe To John's YouTube Page
https://www.youtube.com/user/wordballoon

Saint Francis - Episode 376

Saint Francis - Episode 376
This is the book I read from and talk about in the show tonight, Francis of Assisi In His Own Words. You can find it at this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1640600191/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1640600191&linkCode=as2&tag=rickleejame00-20&linkId=d26585bda4ddbf791eb4611b076ec8a2

A Jewish Conversation with Rabbi Cary Kozberg (Re-Release) - Episode 375

A Jewish Conversation with Rabbi Cary Kozberg (Re-Release) - Episode 375
This week's episode of Voices In My Head was recorded live at temple Sholom in Springfield Ohio in 2017. Rabbi Cary Kozberg was gracious enough to sit down for a bit to discuss the things that we share in common as people of faith. It is our belief that in Judaism and Christianity there is a whole lot more that we share in common than what divides us. This is the first of what we hope will be many inter-faith dialogues between the Voices In My Head Podcast and of people of other faith. There is so much in this world that we can learn from each other, no matter how young or how old we are.
Bio for Cary Kozberg
Rabbi Cary Kozberg is currently serving as Rabbi of Temple Sholom in Springfield Ohio—the position he first held after his rabbinical ordination in 1977.
Rabbi Kozberg served as Director of Religious Life at Wexner Heritage Village, a senior residential care facility in Columbus, Ohio, from 1989 to 2015.
 
A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Texas (Phi Beta Kappa), Rabbi Kozberg received his Masters of Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.  He served as Rabbi of Temple Sholom from 1977 to 1980, and then as of Beth Israel Congregation in Roanoke, VA from 1980 to 1982.
 
From 1982 to 1987, Rabbi Kozberg was the Hillel Director at the University of Texas in Austin, and then spent two years as a kibbutznik in Israel at Neve Ilan.
 
As Director of Religious Life for Wexner Heritage Village from 1989 to 2015, he developed and broadened religious and spiritual programming for both Jewish and non-Jewish residents, their families and staff, and worked to integrate spiritual values into WHV’s program of providing holistic care to older adults.  
 
He is a Board Certified Chaplain, and an active member of the National Association of Jewish chaplains, having received that organization’s “Chaplain of the Year” Award in 2012.
 
Rabbi Kozberg is a Past Chair of the Forum on Religion Spirituality and Aging, a constituent group of the American Society on Aging, and a past editor of FORSA’s quarterly newsletter. A published author and poet, he has presented workshops and seminars around the country, and is a nationally recognized resource on the spiritual, emotional, and psychological challenges that face older adults and their families.  His many publications include Honoring Broken Tablets: A Jewish Approach to Dementia (Jewish Lights Publishing), “The Whole World is Full of God’s Glory” in Broken Fragments: Jewish Experiences of Alzheimer’s Disease through Diagnosis, Adaptation, and Moving On, edited by Rabbi Douglas Kohn (URJ Press), and Flourishing In The Later Years: Jewish Pastoral Perspectives on Senior Residential Care, co-edited with Rabbi James Michaels (Mazo Publishing).  He has been an Instructor in the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School for Jewish Education in Columbus, and is a Past President of the Columbus Board of Rabbis.   As part of his commitment to healthy and sacred living, Rabbi Kozberg is committed to physical fitness and teaches personal self-defense techniques to children, teens and adults.

God and Hamilton with Guest Kevin Cloud - Episode 374

God and Hamilton with Guest Kevin Cloud  - Episode 374
On July 3rd, Hamilton, featuring the original 2015 Broadway production of the smash hip-hop musical, releases on Disney+. Having captured the collective imagination of audiences across the globe, Hamilton has been woven into the cultural fabric of society, shedding light on issues such as immigration, gender equality, diversity, and race. But it has also raised deeply spiritual issues found throughout the life of Alexander Hamilton. 
 
The often forgotten and overlooked Founding Father, Hamilton, an orphan and immigrant from the Caribbean, impacted the government of the early republic as much as, if not more than, any other Founding Father. As Kevin Cloud, a pastor and author, details in his book, God and Hamilton: Spiritual Themes from the Life of Alexander Hamilton and the Broadway Musical He Inspired (Deep River Books), Hamilton’s life story serves as a lens through which we can learn more about God and our ourselves, with themes like grace, faith, shame, doubt, forgiveness, and ultimate redemption.
 
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/30JVA7t
 
Web Site: https://www.godandhamilton.com/

Royce Lovett - Episode 373

Royce Lovett - Episode 373
 
Royce Lovett has been making music since he was a kid in Tallahassee Florida.
Royce’s star has been steadily rising over the years, but his soothing-yet-gritty reggae/rock performances as a contestant on the last season of NBC’s The Voice made him a recognizable face around the nation. While The Voice viewers saw a distinctly reggae side of Royce, his albums are musically quite diverse, mixing rap, hip-hop, rock and reggae with a whole lot of soul.
I met Royce in 2018 at UTR Media’s Escape To The Lake Event near Chicago Illinois. I found his performance to be like nothing I had ever seen. His music and his message mesmerized every person in the audience that evening and to say the least, I wasn’t too surprised to see him on a national TV show like The Voice.
But it wasn’t just Royce’s voice that left an impression on me, it was his heart and the way that He allowed God to minister through him with the performance he gave. I would still classify it as one of the most meaningful live performances that I personally have experienced.
I invited Royce here today for two reasons, I love his music and I wanted a chance to showcase it on my show, but I also wanted to let him share from his heart as a black man, a parent, a son, and a person of faith living in the United States in 2020.

A Star Trek Conversation with Mike Poteet - Episode 372

A Star Trek Conversation with Mike Poteet - Episode 372
 
On September 8, 1966, NBC aired the first episode of a new TV series about a starship on a five year mission of space exploration. That series was called, Star Trek. The first episode told of an endangered shape-shifting, salt-sucking alien posing as a human woman to lure prey to its lair. Over 50 years, nearly 1000 episodes, at least 8 spin-off series, and 13 movies later, we’ve yet to meet any shape shifting salt vampires in real life.
 
We have however seen a surprising number of ideas and technologies that appeared on the shows over the years have come to pass in the real world. We wanted to talk about some of those things as well and social and theological implications of the show.
 
Mike Poteet is a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), currently serving the larger church as a curriculum writer. He, his wife, and their two children live near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 
I’ve invited him here today to talk about Star Trek.
     

Dan Koch Is Giving You Permission - Episode 371

Dan Koch Is Giving You Permission - Episode 371
 
Dan Koch is the host of the popular podcast You Have Permission, which deals with theology, science, prayer, psychology, and related topics. His listeners range from moderate Evangelicals to Progressive/Liberal Christians, with a few non-religious folks sprinkled in.
Recently, Dan conducted 20 interviews around the topic of End Times theology and its relationship to mental health issues as part of his doctoral dissertation in psychology. He has turned those 20 conversations into a 4-part highly-produced series, currently airing now on the You Have Permission podcast feed. The stories include self-proclaimed prophetesses, doomsday prepping, praying the Rapture would keep a young man from having to live out a gay lifestyle, and more. Dan also deals with topics on his show like Universal Salvation, Trump & Evangelicals, his own faith story of anxiety and control vs. awe and wonder, Old Testament violence, Purity Culture, and LGBT Affirmation.
 
Dan's Website: 
http://dankoch.net/
 
You Have Permission Podcast Web Site:
https://www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html
     

Kerri Pomarolli Is A Proverbs 32 Woman - Episode 370

Kerri Pomarolli Is A Proverbs 32 Woman - Episode 370
 
 
 
 
 
Kerri Pomarolli is a national headlining standup comedian who has worked with everyone from Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, Sherri Shepherd, Carol Channing, and Jerry Lewis. She's been featured on The Tonight Show 29 times, Comedy Central, ABC and more. She is a popular TV host, actor, celebrity correspondent (Showbiz Tonight), currently writing films for the Hallmark Channel, and an “out of the closet” Christian in Hollywood.
 
As a sought-after comedian living in Hollywood, Kerri understands the pressure to keep up impossible standards and present a perfect image. In her book, Confessions of a Proverbs 32 Woman: How I Went from Messed Up to Blessed Up Without Changing a Single Thing (Harvest House Publishers), Kerri turns the notion of perfection on its head and bravely shares the messiness of her life in her trademark witty style.
 
She delves into the struggles of the modern woman tired of trying and failing to live up to Pinterest-looking, air-brushed, and Insta-filtered “real life” role models telling her she’s not quite good enough. Kerri discusses and encourages readers with two things they can hold onto for longer than their smartphone: genuine self-awareness and humble God-awareness.
 
 
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/2ZmWSob
Website         www.kerripom.com   
Social Media Handles:     
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerripom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerripom/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KerriPomarolli/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/kerripom
 

Clay Finnesand and North Point Worship - Episode 369

Clay Finnesand and North Point Worship - Episode 369
 
North Point Worship members traversed the nation this past fall on The Faith Tour with Jordan Feliz.
Pictured (l-r) are Alex Thompson, Clay Finnesand, Jordan Feliz, Heath Balltzglier and Brandon Coker.
North Point Worship’s first recording, No One Higher, released in 2012 and hit the Top 20 on Billboard’s Christian Albums chart. The album was followed by 2015’s Hear that soared to No. 2 on the chart while further hitting the Billboard Top 200 for the first time. Signing with Centricity Music in 2017, the group released the EP Nothing Ordinary, which featured its song “Death Was Arrested” that is being heard across the globe and has been re-recorded by artists like Aaron Shust and Laura Story. Five more EPs have released to critical acclaim, including Nothing Ordinary, Pt. 1 (Live)and Pt. 2 (Live), the Christmas offering Ring The Bells (2018), North Point InsideOut (2018) and Abundantly More (2019).
 
Clay Finnesand from North Point Worship has stopped by for a visit today to catch us up on some of the exciting new things that are happening with North Point Worship, even in these strange times of social isolation that we are living in.
 
North Point Worship Music Link: https://amzn.to/2W6CIgh
 
For all the latest North Point Worship tour, music, song tutorials and more news, visit http://northpointmusic.org/, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and  Apple Music.
 
 

The Good Life with Derwin L. Gray - Episode 368

The Good Life with Derwin L. Gray - Episode 368
Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. Gray met his wife, Vicki, at Brigham Young University (BYU). They have been married since 1992 and have two adult children. After graduating from BYU, he played professional football in the NFL for five years with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers. 
In 2008, Gray graduated from Southern Evangelical Seminary magna cum laude with a Master of 
Divinity, with a concentration in Apologetics. While there, he was mentored by renowned theologian and philosopher Dr. Norman Geisler. In 2018, Gray received his Doctor of Ministry in the New Testament in Context at Northern Seminary under Dr. Scot McKnight. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. Gray is the author of “Hero: Unleashing God’s Power in a Man’s Heart” (2009), “Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future” (2013), “Crazy Grace for Crazy Times Bible Study” (2015) and “The High- Definition Leader” (2015). 
Book Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/35oQ6Q1
 
Derwin L Gray Web Site: https://www.derwinlgray.com