Season 2 of Rings of Power shows us a flashback of a moment in the history of Middle-earth during which Sauron seemed to be defeated and eradicated for good. Only to emerge again in another form at another time and place. We may get discouraged to see how humanity falls for the temptation of evil time and again. But Tolkien teaches us an important lesson: that the tenacity of evil should never discourage us, since "Evil labours with vast power and perpetual success - in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in." (J.R.R. Tolkien , “The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien”) We have a moral obligation to keep fighting evil whenever it shows up: "It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule." (J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings”) [This episode contains mild spoilers for Rings of Power Season 2, episode 1]
In this episode of The Break, I talk about the supposed cancellation of Star Wars: The Acolyte and about its implications for the future of the franchise in a radically changed media landscape. I also share my thoughts about a ground-breaking iPhone accessory that was launched on Kickstarter by Lexar. Check out my new landing page for my Storytelling course: https://fatherroderick.com/storytelling
D23 gave us more information about what to expect from Disney when it comes to Star Wars, but not as much as I hoped. Skeleton Crew may bring an essential element back to the franchise. I'm wrapping up the UK series 'Life on Mars', I am almost done building the LEGO Ghostbusters Fire Station and I share my thoughts about Donald Miller's book 'Hero on a Mission'. I also talk about Deborah Ann Woll's explanation of Dungeons and Dragons on the show 'Real Ones' (https://youtu.be/hC07aVjdRC8?si=8AQ_mO-T9PJfqh67) Move your Patreon subscription to my new membership community before time runs out by going to https://fatherroderick.com/join
During my break, I look ahead at Disney's D23 Fan Event this week. Will there be new Star Wars announcements? Also in this episode: Daisy Ridley opens up about being diagnosed with Graves' disease Rings of Power season 2 will include an appearance of Tom Bombadil Pope Francis writes a letter about the importance of reading poetry and fiction Retro Arch offers free gaming emulation on iOS and on the Apple TV Want to continue to receive these podcasts and get access to even more perks? Make sure join my new community (or to migrate from Patreon!) by going here: https://www.fatherroderick.com/join Check out my new video course about Storytelling if you want to learn how to become a better storyteller and share your message through stories online, in public speaking or when sharing your faith. With a one-time donation of €99, you get access to 2 months of lessons and you help me produce more of these courses. Follow this link to sign up: https://fatherroderick.com/storytelling
Disney has given us a first look at their upcoming live TV series 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew'. I share my initial thoughts. I also talk about the TV series 'Life on Mars', I discuss the early reviews of the game 'Star Wars: Outlaws', and I talk about the upcoming Castlefest Fantasy Fair this weekend. Join my new community that replaces this Patreon community and get access to many new perks and features: https://fatherroderick.com/join (after signing up, you can stop your Patreon support; you will be able to access this podcast through a new personal feed on the new website). Become a sponsor of my learning project and get early access to my London course about storytelling: https://fatherroderick.com/storytelling
In this episode of my podcast The Break I sit down for lunch and coffee in the center of Leicester as I review the classic Doctor Who episode "Planet of the Daleks", the anime series Demon Slayer and the future of the story of The Acolyte. I share my thoughts on the importance of rest even in times of high pressure. I talk about my experience playing Rummikub for the first time and I give you my impressions of the latest update of the game No Man's Sky.
During my coffee break, I review the first season of The Acolyte now that the series has wrapped; I talk about some of the books I read this week and I talk about the risk of seeing modern day events as fulfillments of Biblical prophesies or as signs of Divine intervention. Go to fatherroderick.com/storytelling to learn how you can get early access to my full course about storytelling!
In this episode of The Walk, I walk along the Thames in London as I share with you some of the things I've been doing during my first week as a Digital Nomad in the UK. More information about my Storytelling Course and about how to sign up is coming soon!
The new documentary 'I am' in which singer Celine Dion shares the heartbreaking consequences of being diagnosed with the rare 'Stiff People Syndrome' may be one of the most important things she has ever recorded. In this episode, I explain why. I also talk about the controversial superhero series 'The Boys' and how its story reflects the current climate in large parts of the western world. I review Bear Grylls book 'A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character', and I explain why we need more Catholic testimonials like this. And I share with you what technology I'm taking with me on my first 'Digital Nomad' experiment this upcoming month.
In this episode, I give you an update about my travel plans for the month of July, I review the Doctor Who season finale, I talk about what's going on with Star Wars fans and I tell you why I think the Catholic Church has a marketing problem. I talk about my experiences with the Pokemon Plus + and about why the Meta Quest makes me nauseous. The migration from Patreon to my new membership community and Premium Podcast feed is now in full swing; all patrons should have received an invitation to migrate. Let me know if you have any issues, I'm here to help!
During my coffee break I share my thoughts on the new episodes of Doctor Who, I give you an update on my writing, coaching and travel plans, I talk about Lego and I share my recent experiences in VR.
During my coffee break, I talk about how the first episodes of the new Star Wars show 'The Acolyte' touch me on a personal level. I also share my impressions of the movie Godzilla Minus One and I tell you about the surprising connection between Young Sheldon, Toy Story and The Princess Bride. Inconceivable! I also discuss the latest innovations Apple presented during this week's WWDC.
During my coffee break this week I share my thoughts about the new Star Wars series 'The Acolyte' and about the upcoming 'Starfleet Academy' series. I also rave about T. Kingfisher's book 'A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking' and about a VR demo I saw that let's you walk around Hogwarts Castle. To conclude, I talk about my intention to live and work as a 'digital nomad' in the month of July in one of three countries: Portugal, France or Ireland.
This week, I talk about the real reason I want to discuss Star Wars and Anime on my YouTube and TikTok channels. I also share with you some insights I learned from Alex Hormozi about identifying the dreams and fears of the people you would like to reach and I tell you the surprising treasure I discovered when I cleaned up my kitchen. Lastly, I tell you about my new teleprompter setup in my home studio.
Recently, I've found myself binge-watching the TV show 'Young Sheldon'. This delightful comedy series offers a glimpse into the early life of Sheldon Cooper, the iconic character from 'The Big Bang Theory' sitcom. Sheldon, an exceptionally gifted and nerdy boy, finds the concept of God illogical, as the existence of a deity cannot be empirically validated. Intriguingly, it is Sheldon who, in the second season, provides comfort to his very religious mother when she experiences a crisis in faith. In this podcast episode, I share my thoughts during a coffee break.
This podcast episode was recorded at a local coffeehouse in my hometown during a break with coffee and apple pie. I share my excitement about all the Tolkien-related news we got this week: the new trailer for Rings of Power Season 2, the announcement of a new Peter Jackson movie set in the world of the Lord of the Rings called 'The Hunt for Gollum', and the reveal of an amazing new Lord of the Rings LEGO set. I also talk about my preferred learning process by which I quickly figured out how to use Notion for my creative work and for my coaching endeavors.
In this episode of The Break, I take you outside for a visit to my local Italian ice cream parlor. I talk about what happened after the real stalker whose story was used as an inspiration for the Netflix TV-series 'Baby Reindeer' came forward and agreed to an interview with Pierce Morgan. I also share how a couple of life-style changes allow me to play more video games while helping my health efforts at the same time, and how a new strategy might solve my problem of not having enough time to watch the Star Wars, fantasy and anime series that I use as the basis for my YouTube and TikTok channels. Finally, I discuss the fallout of the controversial new iPad Pro ad that enraged creators all over the internet.UPDATE: Apple has publicly apologized for its iPad Pro advertisement: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/09/tech/apple-apologizes-for-ipad-pro-ad/index.html
In this episode of The Break I talk about Apple's new iPads, about Speechify and other text-to-speech technologies, I review the end of The Bad Batch and the beginning of Tales of the Empire, I talk about the Netflix show 'Baby Reindeer' and I explain why catholics celebrate the feast of the Ascension and why it matters.I also announce the next chapter in my podcasting adventures, bringing the best of The Walk and of The Break into one premium show for my patrons.
In this episode of the Break I discuss what Daisy Ridley says about reprising the role of Rey in the upcoming Star Wars movie; I talk about The Bad Batch, Fallout and Star Trek and I react to the trailers for Atlas, Transformers One and Twisters. In the Premium part of the episode, available to my patrons, I talk about returning to reading and workout routines that made me happy, about intermittent fasting and cravings, about the best filming rig for my iPhone 15 Pro Max and about the recent news about the Apple Vision Pro and the about the Meta Horizon OS. Make sure to subscribe to my email newsletter to be informed about my new communities and about future podcasts: sign up at www.fatherroderick.com/free and get my newest book for free!
This weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of my cosplaying friends again at Haarzuilens Castle during the Elfia Fantasy Festival. I vividly remember my first visit to this festival and how out of place I felt as a priest among thousands of people dressed in fantasy costumes. But I kept coming back year after year, and made lots of friends that shared so much of their lives with me. I talk about it in this episode of The Break, and I also discuss X-Men 97, the Fallout TV show and recent developments in the Vatican. In the premium version of the show for my patrons, I talk about intermittent fasting, Spanish Tortilla, the theology of Diablo IV and more.
Kamila Solecka
Father Roderick, thank you for your incredible work! I'm so happy I've found your podcast! I was wondering if there's any chance to listen to archival episodes? I missed the one about Dr Strange...