The Soul's Garage

The Soul's Garage

by David Ezekiel & Paris Donehoo

Christianity Spirituality

Season 3

What It Was, Was Football

As two good ol’ boys who grew up in the land of cornbread, bluegrass music, and the phrase “Bless your heart” spoken as an insult, we come by our love of football honestly. And we unapologetically support our favorite teams. However, we are not oblivious to the physical dangers of the gridiron. In addition, there is the skewed effect that sports, and its glitz and enticement, has upon the values of American society. What does it say about us when we think nothing of paying an athlete millions of dollars to play a game while veterans go homeless and children go hungry? Join us in the garage as we “tackle” (get it?) the issues raised by football and other diversions.

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning, and Where Do You Want to be Now?

As our country approaches the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we reflect on the changes we have seen since that day 25 years ago. Of particular interest to us is the divisiveness that has crept into American society, and our inability to even agree on what it means to be a patriot. We conclude with a plea for our listeners to contact us with suggestions for how to move in a different direction. What do we mean by that? Join us in the garage to find out.

To Tell the Truth

When Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness” he was not just making a joke. He was naming one of the crucial issues of our time—namely, our world’s fast and loose relationship with Truth. Is Truth always a reference to objective reality, or does it refer to whatever a person wants to claim as truth, whether verifiable or not? Both approaches are littered with land mines. Is there another way to define truth? Is there a way to relate to truth that brings us together rather than driving us apart? Join us in The Soul’s Garage as we do our best this week “To Tell the Truth.”

Back to Basics (Part 3) – What’s Wrong with This Picture?

Both of us cling desperately to belief in a God of boundless love and unfathomable grace. But if such a God is at the heart of human life why is the history of humanity a sordid tale of hatred, division, greed, and rampant self-interest? What’s wrong with this picture? Join us in The Soul’s Garage this week as we tackle Part 3 of our “Back to Basics” series. We delve into the “dark side” (to use a Star Wars reference) of human life. What has gone wrong, and continues to go wrong, and is there anything we can do about it?

Back to Basics (Part 2) – What Kind of God Do You Believe In?

A woman once came to her pastor and said, “I’ve decided I don’t believe in God,” to which the pastor replied, “Tell me which God you don’t believe in. Chances are, I don’t believe in that God either.” Just deciding to believe in God is not enough. The content of that belief is crucial. Does the God we believe in merely reflect our own preferences and prejudices, or do we believe in a God who comforts us and calls us to be more than we are? In The Soul’s Garage this week we tackle Part 2 of our “Back to Basics” series as we ask the question, “What kind of God do you believe in?”

Back to Basics (Part 1) – Does God Exist?

In almost any life endeavor it helps occasionally to review basic understandings and skills. The same is true of the spiritual life. A return to the ABCs of spirituality can help us decide if we need to reassess or reaffirm our beliefs or lack thereof. As the poet T. S. Eliot said, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” Therefore, in The Soul’s Garage today we begin a series we’re calling “Back to Basics,” and we start with the most fundamental question of all: “Is there a God?” Join us for a discussion of a subject that has comforted and vexed humanity for millennia.

What’s so “Christian” About Christian Nationalism?

There is nothing new about mixing politics and religion. Christians, unfortunately, have been doing it ever since the time of Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century. More recently there is a growing movement in the United States called “Christian Nationalism” which is gaining traction and influencing officials at some of the highest levels of government. To help us explore the rise of this phenomenon, and assess what can be done about it, we are joined in the garage by Dr. Tom Mockaitis, professor of history at DePaul University.

Where is the Easter Bunny at the Empty Tomb?

As we come to Easter this year, we tackle one of the questions that has vexed theologians and ordinary believers for many years; i.e., where can you find a white rabbit with a basket full of candy eggs hanging around the empty tomb? But seriously, we think there is a deeper truth to the story of Jesus’s resurrection that applies to people whether they are believers or not, or whether they think the story is factual or metaphorical. So grab a few chocolates out of your Easter basket and join us in the Soul’s Garage.

Getting Life’s Nouns and Adjectives Right – Part 3

For this final episode in the garage with Emily Hensley we concentrate less on the words that are mere descriptor’s of our lives—life’s adjectives—and focus instead on the words that encapsulate the essence of who we are—life’s nouns. We dare to dream how different our world might be if we could think of ourselves and others as the latter instead of the former as well as the implications for our spiritual lives too.

Getting Life’s Nouns and Adjectives Right – Part 2

This episode we continue our discussion with Emily Hensley about the adjectives we use to describe ourselves and others, and how negative—maybe downright hurtful—they can be. We explore how to let go of those adjectives, what is helpful and unhelpful in the process, and the implications for relating to ourselves and others.

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