Farming God

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My great great grandma left the White Earth Reservation in 1915 and our family has never returned. I’m turning 30 and am biking back. Amidst statistical poverty, attacks on Ojibwe culture, and a century of land theft, White Earth, Minnesota is rich in natural beauty and the people carry a truth that they will share if you listen.

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Subscribe for Steve updates at https://tinyletter.com/FarmingGod​

Thanks to the Ojibwe People’s dictionary for providing the Ojibwe chapter titles. You can look up Ojibwe words and pronunciation here: https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/​ Thanks to my grandma, Maggie Rousu, Merlin Deegan, Joe Allen, Father Joe and the White Earth community. Thanks to Alex.

Finally, thanks to my family: past, present, and future, for keeping the threads together.

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Featured in this episode:
Essential Everyday Mini Pretzels 

The End.

Sleeper hopes to have his website i-am-paradox.com live by the end of the week.

Learn more about Steve Ray Media here. 

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On computer> http://deepnorthpodcast.com/

On iPhone> https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/deep-north/id1357648245?ls=1

But Farming god isn't going anywhere. Stay tuned. 

Jay Walljasper (author of The Great Neighborhood Book) and Alexandra Connett (Minneapolis transplant) make a case for a city beyond cows, cold, and camp snoopy. Before moving to Minneapolis, Alexandra had no expectations for Minnesota, "Everyone was asking me why I was moving to the middle of nowhere." Since arriving, her experience has been much different than she had imagined. 

Walljasper says Alexandra isn't a unique case and that this perception is partially Minnesotans fault. In the age of social media and the brand called you "it's time that MSP set aside its suburban sensibility and proudly say we are a city." 

Music by Zack Baltich and intro music by Enjoy the Cat

Click here to learn more about Jay Walljasper

Paul Spring https://paulspring.bandcamp.com/

Paintings by:

Sophia http://sophiaheymans.com/

Recipe developed by:

https://farminggod.org/

• https://librivox.org/character-building-by-booker-t-washington/
• https://librivox.org/the-wind-among-the-reeds-by-william-butler-yeats/
• https://librivox.org/ogura-hyakunin-isshu-by-fujiwara-no-teika/
• https://librivox.org/search?q=farming&search_form=advanced
• https://archive.org/details/78_rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer_spike-jones-and-his-city-slickers-rudolph-himself_gbia0018975b

I’m not condemning what the women did, I’m not condoning it either. But I’d like to talk about it. Email me: steve@farminggod.com with any thoughts.

Music by Paul Spring and Brian Thavis. Thanks to the Minneapolis Catholic Workers. 

Former episodes featuring rural Wisconsin ‘Ice age trail’, ‘Cardinal Directions’, and ‘Silicon Valley Fox’

Russian Revolution 1905-1921 By Dr. Mark Steinberg 

Country strummin’ by Chip

The rest of the the spectacular music by members of the Midwest Bard Club.

Sailing across the Atlantic documentary 

Artists and songs in order of appearance:

Boston: Rockin Roll Band

Boston: More than a feeling

Chip and Isak

Avett Brothers: Please Pardon Yourself

Avett Brothers: Life

Mapei: Don’t Wait

Father John Misty: Bored in the USA

Father John Misty: Well, you can do it without me

Father John Misty: Leaving L.A.

Paul Spring: Take Another Moment

Music used in this episode is commented on for a limited transformative purpose in a creative fictitious context. No revenue was generated through this episode which warrants it protected under fair use copyright clause.

More on Firewood Farming 

I went camping in the boundary waters. The wilderness and conversations that filled my time lead me to consider climate change in a new way. This story includes a conversation on  Naomi Klein’s 2014 book, This Changes Everything.

Smoke signals at farminggod.org 

Music by Brian Travis

Thank you Collin.

Eight months ago Brian Clark moved to Song of the Morning yoga retreat center in upper Michigan- an ideal space to live his contemplative vocation of meditation, consciousness, and creativity. 

Begin meditating: 

Because of my time at Song of the Morning Yoga Retreat, I reestablished my contemplative practice (at least for now). If you are interested in beginning a contemplate practice, here are a few resources that were helpful for me along with a few books Brian recommended.

Resources:

Be Here Now by Ram Dass

Mysticism: A study in Mans Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill

The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley

Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch

Farming god episodes:

• Meditation Pt.1

• Meditation Pt. 2

Thanks to everyone at song of morning for their hospitality. Music by Isak Sommer

More helpful tidbits at Farminggod.org 

Science Mike and Michael Gungor of the Liturgists podcast help me wrestle with what Wild Goose Festival means for Christianity. Originally published after the 2016 Wild Goose Festival, we are joined by a host of authors and speakers who discuss topics ranging from transgender Christianity to support for recovering racists. This episode will undoubtably give you a peek into the slurry known as Wild Goose Festival, happening this weekend in Asheville, NC.

If you want more episodes like this, rate and subscribe to Farming god on iTunes or Stitcher.

Music in this episode is by Paul Spring. Intro music and horns are by Winston Drei Tod. Thanks to Mike McHargue, Michael Gungar, Tom Sine, Matt Morris, Mirabai Starr, Austin Hartke, Versandra Keningbrew, the band Hardworker, Lawton Higgs Sr., Merideth Owensby, Larry Reed, Rick Meredith and the entire creative team at Wild Goose Festival. 

Smoke Signals at https://farminggod.org/

Poet Mirabai Starr, emergent post-pastor Rick Diamond, Christian Shaman Iris Bolton, professor and social activist Joerg and RoseMarie Rieger, Sunday morning dance church, and a visit to Christian China.

Episodes in order of appearance:

• Meditation Part 1 and 2
• Beyond Activism
• Christian Shaman Iris Bolton
• Alternative Worship post-pastor
• Dance Church
• Christian China and the end of times

Newsletter at https://farminggod.org/

To learn more about Farm Church, Green Gate Farms, or the community living Shannon references, go to 'Farm Church and Feminine Spirituality' on farminggod.org .

For the first time Farming god is doing a show loosely related to farming. I had the privilege of speaking with Brin Bon and Shannon Preston (@PrestonCottage) in the historical hayloft of Green Gate farms. Brin and Shannon are female priests.  Instead of shying away from big questions, they approach them in a refreshingly practical way.

We discuss:

• Becoming priests in the Episcopal church
• The daily activities of a priest
• Are they worried about millennial's disinterest in organized religion?
• Is Sunday the problem with Church?
• Finding God through commitment in people and places.
• Farm Church
• Feminine spirituality
• How will the church transform to meet the needs of a divided community?
• "There will be a time that we need to trust the god we believe in."

For an artistic rendition of Green Gate Farms, check out Welcome to Season II

Whether or not I agree with the ideals of communism, it's refreshing to experience a discussion beyond the duality of American politics. See the video of Robert F. Kennedy’s speech and sign up for the farming god newsletter at FarmingGod.org

Make sure to stay tuned for the conclusion. Curtesy of Edward Murrow: March 9, 1954 CBS News

If you go to this episode on farminggod.org. I’ve posted a video of one of sandal’s lectures at Harvard. 

Michael J Sandel book, Justice: What’s the right thing to do http://amzn.to/2rnwl8N

Some of these ideas of neighborly politeness vaguely come from Slavo Zizek. I’ve also included this video on farminggod.org

Maybe instead of driving to a high end fitness center, try out a community center near you. You just might like it.

A special thanks to Dan and Kell for speaking with me.

Tom Fenwick-Smith started his career in the film industry as an Assistant Director for film and television, working on over 30 feature films, 60 commercials and countless music videos. Tom is now the creative director at REWIND, a London based creative agency that specializes in virtuality reality.

We discuss the future of virtual reality and the role it could have in spiritual development. But of course, technology comes with consequences. As Tom says, VR has the potential to cause PTSD and has the power to take it away. It’s up to us as individuals to decide how we want to use it.

We crossed paths at the Ginger Man bar during the SXSW conference and the following conversation is what ensued.

Connect with Tom @tomfenwicksmith

Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter everyone is talking about at https://farminggod.org/

The progressive christian arena it scattered with the term, deconstruction. It’s often tossed around without any context. Just about every blogger, podcaster, or influencer speaking about “progressive Christianity” is using the term. For more on “deconstruction” in a theological context, I wrote an article and linked to a helpful video here on Farminggod.org .

Having grown up in a rigid Christian setting in Oklahoma, Kayt Johnson (@KaytJohnson) entered the non profit world to pursue her calling. After a 2 year fast and a variety of missionary work, her Christian conviction became less certain. Kayt is now involved in a host of creative ventures. Possibly more valuable than her creative ability is her willingness to engage tough questions. And that is where this interview begins.

I crossed a shin deep river in west Texas and found myself in Mexico. This is the Mexican American border. See pictures of Boquillas, the Rio Grande, and my van by clicking here. 

I recently left my job to work on the Farming god podcast and farminggod.org full time. I have to admit, it’s a ridiculous leap. But it’s a risk that today’s guest is very familiar with.

Too often spirituality gets quarantined in a small corner of our life, reserved for only specific moments.  What if this wasn’t the case and our daily work could be an adventure in itself?  Today I’m speaking with someone who embodies exactly this. Jasmin Rhia is a leader in America’s creative revolution. She runs the website, “I’d rather be rich not famous (https://idratherberichnotfamous.com)," dedicated to providing motivated individuals with tools to monetize their greatest passions. After speaking with her at South by Southwest, it’s obvious that the richness she discusses extends far beyond monetary wealth. Unedited, I turned on the recorder and let it roll. From the frontlines of the freelance lifestyle, Jasmine Rhia.

We discuss:

• What are we talking about when we talk about spirituality.
• Transition from 9-5. To independent projects.
• Set schedule to setting your own.
• Jasmine’s 62 side hustles
• 21st century gig economy. How it’s different from our parents generation.
• Listening to advice
• Getting comfortable with the same group of friends vs. spontaneity.
• Challenges that come with freelancing.
• Finding a balance and staying grounded
• The inherent privilege that we (especially me) are benefactors of. (I think Jasmine was a little soft on my white privilege but we’ll come back to this later)

Learn more about Jasmin at https://idratherberichnotfamous.com and on Twitter @Jasminrhia

Subscribe to the Farming god newsletter that everyone is talking about.

Music is by Tabah https://www.tabahsound.com/

If you want to learn more about the 500 year hinge periods, check out Phyllis Tickle's book, The Great Emergence: How christianity is changing and why

Music by Tabah. They have a new album called Symmetry Somewhere. You can hear more on Tabahsound.com

Thanks to my framily at the Duchess compound!

Learn more at FarmingGod.org

Sources: 

The public religion research institute

Phyllis Tickle

For Green Gate Farms and the barn they saved.