All That's Holy Blue Collar Podcast: Episode 5

Welcome to the All That's Holy Blue Collar Podcast

In this episode, Cody becomes startlingly aware of Bart Simpson's lack of aging (raising profound questions about time and preadolescence and Bart's development); Justin inspires political opinion; and Craig talks about the community of people who are there after his most recent crash-test.  Our interview in this episode is with Mennonite pastor, Steve Kimes, of Anawim Christian Community in Portland, Oregon's Gresham neighborhood.

Steve Kimes has been creating community for the people of Portland who live without a house.  Anawim is not just a church that works with the homeless, it is a church of and for the homeless: " a church made up of the poor and outcast from 'normal' society—the impoverished, the homeless, the mentally ill and those on public assistance," (Anawimcc.org/about).  In the extended interview, Steve talks about relationships with the homeless, the police, the neighborhood of Gresham, and introduces us to the lives of the people with whom he works. Steve is also a prolific blogger who writings can be found at http://stevekimes.blogspot.com/.  Anawim Christian Community exists on the donations of others.  So please go to the donation page for Anawim and see how you can be of help. 

Talking about Politics (Who isn't these days?)

We cover a lot of topics in this episode. One of the topics was presidential politics.  Our hour long conversation was edited in half, just to save you from our endless opinions.  One of the issues covered had to do with the notion of "facts", and a general sense of cynicism regarding political statements and journalism.  The following websites are offered as suggestions to help in your digging for facts.  I hope they help.

Music in This Episode

The musical selections we have on the podcast we review and pass on to you as suggested titles, hopefully exposing you to new artists, or digging up some forgotten tunes from the past. Sometimes they are classics, and sometimes they are new selections from artists who's style and perspective tend to be a bit "blue collar", help us with theological reflection, or we want to give props and introduce to you .   

The episode's music and artists:

The Mowgli's: Always a favorite for summer days, The Mowgli's sound like summer and friendships. We heard, You're Not Alone, check out The Mowgli's at: http://www.themowglis.net/#home-section, and check out their merch at: http://mowglis.gomerch.com/. You can also find their music at iTunes.

Branches: Steve Kimes alluded to Branches in his interview. So we thought we'd give them a listen. You heard Tomorrow and Helicopter. Learn more about them at: http://branchesmusic.com/ and look for the merch at: http://branchesmusic.com/store.You can find their music on iTunes.

Bruce Springsteen: What's more "blue collar" than the Boss? In 1978, on Darkness on the Edge of Town, Springsteen brought us The Promised Land. Still worth pondering; "I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm/ Gonna be a twister to blow everything down/ That ain't got the faith to stand its ground/ Blow away the dreams that tear you apart/ Blow away the dreams that break your heart/ Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted" (Google Play Lyrics).  Stay updated on The Boss at: http://brucespringsteen.net/ and visit the store. Or, find The Promised Land on iTunes.

Styx: There are not a lot of songs out there about being blue collar, but this is one of them.  Blue Collar Man tries to catch some of the desperation of blue collar workers. Still love the sound of the Hammond B3 holding the rhythm down! Styx recorded Blue Collar Man, on the Pieces of Eight album, in 1978. Check out http://styxworld.com/ for more information about the band, and look up the tune on iTunes.

Make sure to check out The All That's Holy Blue Collar Podcast on Facebook. While you're there, let us know what you think, what you like, and what you would like to hear about.

DISCLAIMER: Profound things will be said, but it will be entirely by accident.

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