Nerdy Folks Podcast

Recorded live and unscripted at Lake Geneva Bible Campto let everyone know that the show will go on!

On this episode, Matt talks about the new series Hawkeye. Is Hawkeye a hit or a miss? It depends on what your expectation are. One thing seems certain. Hawkeye's unlikely protégé Katie Bishop appears to be set up to replace our beloved Hawkeye. News Sources:   https://www.geekwire.com/2021/amazon-preps-for-a-multi-robot-world-roborunner-cloud-service-builds-on-its-own-warehouse-tech/ https://screenrant.com/hawkeye-show-venom-2movie-piratec-details/  

This is the maiden voyage for the podcast! On this episode, Matthew discusses the new Captain America movie, election year politics, and Christian involvement in politics. 

This episode gives some of the background of the National Day of Prayer, the First and Second Great Awakenings, and even dives in the world of sports. 

May 4th is known as Star Wars Day and is celebrated by fans all over the world. This episode dives into Star Wars Day, the state of the Star Wars Universe, and the philosophy of Star Wars. 

The internet allows brands and celebrities to connect with people like never before. However, there are times when this connection has unintended consequences. 

From the president of the Philippines encouraging citizens to shoot drug dealers to average joes donning homemade superhero costumes to fight crime, vigilantism is on the rise.  The Telescope Podcast looks at culture through the spyglass of faith. It's light and funny. It's also very real and pertinent. 

Matt talks about his days as a slacker in Junior High Band. He also discusses Jesus' encounter with Pontious Pilate, where Jesus said that everyone on the side of truth listened to His voice. The meaning of this is that the search for truth begins with a willingness to listen. Finally, Matt asks the question, "can we live as if there is no absolute truth." 

This episode explores the world of running. It touches on some of the common and some of the lesser known injuries that are common for marathoners, pokes fun at spandex and runner's high. On the spiritual side, spandex is compared to baptism. The main takeaway from the episode is that running takes commitment and sustained determination. Life in general and our spiritual lives in particular require the same type of grit. 

It's tempting to believe that a future world, where religion has gone the way of dial-up internet, will be a place of complete peace. Matt makes the case that un-forgiveness is central to much of today's unrest.  

I was thinking about the old song "Heart Of Gold" by Neil Young recently. As people, we are always looking for someone to believe in, and we are wanting to believe in ourselves. People are flocking to this year's election because they are looking for someone to believe in. Interestingly, people flocked to John the Baptist during a similar time when people to believe in were hard to come by. 

It's time to go back to school! Summer ends quickly, and students shift into a new season. Similarly, life's season change, sometimes without warning. This episode offers some laughs and nostalgia about high school and some advice for how to deal with the seasons of life. 

Hollywood is churning out lots of blockbuster action flicks that feature female leads. These modern female heroes serves as a good metaphor for the church, which is referred to as the bride of Christ. If the church is a tough heroin, there has never been a time when she is more needed than now. The church is a force for good and has answers for the most perplexing moral questions of our time such as the question of why is there evil and suffering in this world. 

On this episode, Matthew sits down with Erick Hermanson. Erick is the Youth For Christ director in Duluth, MN. His ministry is based out of the Encounter building, where they have the largest in-door skateboard park north of the Minneapolis / St. Paul metro area. Erick also plays in the Christian metal band Lessons. Lessons recently released the third album, which is available everywhere. On this episode Erick talks about his ministry, his take on church culture, and the state of Christian music today. We go down memory lane a little and reminisce about our days playing music together and about MySpace. This is a landmark episode because it is the first to feature a guest, something that will be a new hallmark of the show. 

Grant and Danielle share their story of being called to campus ministry and of the road to getting there. The need for campus ministry has never been greater. The dethroning of truth has left many students feeling lost, confused, and purposeless. Chi Alpha provides a loving community that offers human connection, provides clear direction, and restores the foundation of Biblical Truth for students. 

On this Episode Matt talks Star Trek! With the new series Star Trek Beyond looming, he looks back at what made him fall in love with the franchise and how the franchise treats issues of faith and science. This episode is only a drop in the bucket. Trek has such a rich body of work! 

On this episode, Matt sits down with Dr. Ralph Seelke to discuss intelligent design. Highlights the show include exposing the false rift between faith and science, how science actually affirms faith, and an explanation of some key ideas essential for understanding intelligent design. It was a massive blessing to visit with Dr. Seelke. The episode will affirm your faith Jesus and challenge your faith in blind, unguided evolution, without forcing you to abandon reason.    The Discovery Institute is referenced several times. They are an organization that is on the cutting edge of culture, science, and faith. They are the premier promoter of intelligent design and have load of resources available. Here's a link to their site: http://www.discovery.org/id/   My website is www.mysaviorsanthem.com

Matt talks about drugs, friends, and God. He references a few articles and a few resources for people struggling with addiction. Here are those sites:  NYT Article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/05/upshot/opioid-epidemic-drug-overdose-deaths-are-rising-faster-than-ever.html   CNN Article: http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/10/health/drinking-alcoholism-study-trnd/   Minnesota Teen Challenge: https://www.mntc.org   Celebrate Recovery: http://www.celebraterecovery.com  

Matthew discusses how negative news causes us to amplify our person worries. The simple answer is to redirect our thinking. Matt offers some points from a recent message he delivered at Living Faith Ministries to help with redirecting our minds to more positive fare.  Here are the sources of his quotes:  The Psychological Effects of TV News: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-we-worry/201206/the-psychological-effects-tv-news Isaiah 60:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 1 Cor 14: 20 Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is [e]lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, [f]dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.  

Matthew is narrowing his focus and starting a new show. His new show will be called The Savior's Anthem Podcast, which will go live in the next month or so.