The Kubik Report

I found a 30-year-old cassette containing my ice-breaker address to the newly formed Lafayette, Indiana, United Church of God congregation.  It contains an interesting history of our formation and a prediction of our aspirations.  The date of this address is January 20, 1996.  

Ken Murray and I discuss the most common practice of Christians:  Prayer.  Prayer is mentioned 650 times in the Bible and is associated with every faithful man and woman.  Here is some good advice to keep your prayer life active and effective.  This is how you get to "Know the Lord."  

Melvin Rhodes goes through his latest almost (weekly) newsletter that has more than 2,500 subscribers.  You can subscribe, too, at  https://melvinrhodes.wordpress.com/ Melvin and I talk about when his family almost migrated from the U.K. to Australia.   Then we talk about war in Ukraine and world debt.   Melvin is a long-time news analyst, author and part of our family.      

I started my first website  www.kubik.org in 1996.  One of the first posts/blogs/essays was on Thanksgiving Day 1996.   I give you an audio version of it 30 years later. 

Today we continue discussing personal defeat and how to use the Power of God's Spirit to overcome it.   This is Podcast number 23 with Greg. Earlier, we talked about overcoming setbacks with secular tools. Today we talk talk about using God's Power.  See all of Greg Thomas's podcasts at https://vkubik.podbean.com/category/greg-thomas What is the right approach regarding our personal disappointments and mistakes? We live in a world of increased anxiety and emotional stress. Since the pandemic, many studies have shown a dramatic rise in loneliness and discouragement. Many people have given up on life because of their negative life experiences, including addictions, relationship issues, or guilt from past serious mistakes. Order Greg Thomas' book at Amazon:  Making Life's Puzzle Pieces Fit

Discussion with Howard Marchbanks, Certified Financial Planner and I talk about Year-end Charitable Giving. There are several things that you may not be aware of that could help you and a charity. Howard is also a UCG elder living in Santa Ana, California. Signs of trusted charities Charity rating services Leverage what you give Donor-advised funds Giving appreciated stocks Matching campaigns Legacy and estate gifts Lessons from giving Documents referred to in this podcast in downloadable PDF Income Tax Charitable Deduction Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD)

Human beings were designed to have a day off to function.  Ken Murray takes us back to creation of the Sabbath which is revealed in Genesis 1.  The 7-day week is universal.  We also touch on the life of Charlie Kirk and his discovering the Sabbath as vital to keep from being burned out.  

Mark Kellner and I discuss his October 24, 2025, article in The Epoch Times where he states that more "Americans now say religion is gaining influence in national life than at any point in the past 15 years," which comes from a Pew Research Center report on October 20, 2025. Mark and I have been friends for 30 years and have discussed many topics related to faith and the Churches of God.  He is a well-known author and a great person to talk to.  This is our third podcast.   Career highlights Kellner began writing about issues of faith and freedom in 1983.   From March 11, 1991, to January 18, 2014, he wrote some 1,200 weekly—and for about 18 months, semi-weekly—technology columns for The Washington Times.   He authored a religion-news column for The Washington Times titled “Higher Ground,” which debuted January 25, 2013.   From February 2014 to September 2015, he served as national reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City.   From 2021-2024, Kellner was a national “Faith & Family” reporter for The Washington Times.   He is now based in Mesquite, Nevada.  Areas of focus & contributions Kellner has covered technology topics (especially earlier in his career) and later moved strongly into religion, faith institutions, family issues, religious liberty, and cultural trends.   He has also contributed to other outlets such as Religion News Service, Christianity Today, and various magazines/newspapers.  1 Kellner is a philatelist (stamp collector) and is a member of philatelic societies including the Royal Philatelic Society London, the Collectors Club of New York, and a life member of the American Philatelic Society.   Notable publications He is the author of God on the Internet.   He also wrote a book in the “For Dummies®” series (about WordPerfect or other software) during his technology-writing era.  Significance in journalism Kellner’s career reflects a breadth of reporting: from technology journalism to deep engagement with faith and family issues in the public square. His long tenure at The Washington Times (both in tech and faith reporting) gives him significant institutional memory in those realms. Because of his religion and family-focus work, his writing often intersects with cultural, social and values-based dimensions of journalism. Current status As of his website update (2024–25), Kellner remains a freelance journalist available for assignments and has experience covering swing-state elections (for the New York Post in Nevada).  He continues to maintain his portfolio of stories on faith, family, culture and technology.  

Guy Swenson was my assistant at the Worldwide Church of God for the last two years. We reminisce 30 years later.  It was a painful time that tore apart many relationships and tested faith not from the outside, but from within,

Scott Ashley and I talk about the release of the hostages in Gaza on the day before the Last Great Day.  Scott reminisces about being in Israel when the hostages were taken, a mere 50 miles away. Scott speaks about long-term peace projection for the Middle East and the world.   See the earlier podcast done a few days after the hostages were taken. https://vkubik.podbean.com/e/scott-ashley-return-from-israel-and-witnessing-the-hamas-attack/  

After doing the first podcast about Estonia a few days ago, I thought of a few more things.  Give a listen to this 9 minute microcast. 

Greg Dullum and I have known each other for 60 years going back to Minneapolis/St. Paul days of old.  We discuss his continuous newsletter Sabbath Scoop that he has produced in all this time.  Also we discuss his recent article "The Widows Might."   Greg is an elder in the United Church of God serving in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and can be reached at greg.dullum@yahoo.com.

These are my personal observations from my 60th Feast of Tabernacles.  This one was in Estonia, a country between Russia, the Baltic Sea, and the Nordic countries.  70 of us had a wonderful experience the first two weeks of October 2025.  

Ken Murray and I discuss one of the shortest letters in the Bible, which gives us a wealth of advice about relationships and reconciliation that we could all benefit from.  Download notes about this podcast

The ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are called the Days of Awe.  Also known as the Days of Repentance.  The fast day of Atonement is considered the most sacred day among many Jews.   Five years ago almost exactly I gave a sermon on the Day of Atonement in Cincinnati, Ohio about our visit to an event in Washington D.C. known as The Return which featured Jonathan Cahn who spoke along with many others about the need for our nation to return to God.  See full video version on YouTube at https://youtu.be/p4mS8qfQOxE  

My third podcast with Kurt Hoyer about his archeological work in Israel.  The first extra biblical links to the book of Isaiah have been found.  We talk about Scarabs Seals and Bullae.  Seals are the objects, often rings used to mark a document with the ancient equivalent of a signature, scarabs, can be seals but are usually carved in the shape of a scarab beetle. Scarabs also have names of powerful Egyptian kings on them and were used for good luck charms. (Not really going to talk about scarabs much) Bullae are small dabs of clay that were used to seal documents and other things. They have the impression of the seal on them.  Why care?  Seals and bullae give us attestation of the names of biblical figures. Most recently an official from the court of Josiah, was found in Jerusalem.  Other Biblical names found include. Hezekiah, Jeroboam II, Ahaz, Isaiah, and Baruch, among others.   Link to the st. Anthony Liturgical House where Kurt Hoyer is teaching. https://www.stanthonysliturgicalhouse.org/product-page/bib050-introduction-to-archaeology-for-bible-student-ceu

Bryan McClain holds a Master of Science in computer science and a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics.  He took machine learning as part of graduate school in mathematical theory.   He has designed and trained his own models and has done research into how various AI models work.  Bryan works as a senior software engineer for an Indianapolis tech company. In our podcast, we talk about Artificial Intelligence, what it is and what it is NOT.  Humans are conscious, AI is not.   Does AI bring us closer to eternity, God, and a fascinating future?     

Julie Zutz Brown has conducted various surveys for the United Church of God for the past 17 years.  She and her team have read and analyzed the various surveys.  Some surveys have been conducted by members, others by the ministry, employees, and other entities within the Church.  Darris McNeely is chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, which uses surveys to help the Council of Elders develop a Strategic and Operating Plan.  Every three years, the plan goes through a significant update.  This year is one of those years.  Julie is a senior executive at Johnson Controls, driving innovation in HVAC, security, and fire solutions. She is Vice President of the Global Customer Office, responsible for deploying a customer-centric culture.  

Free speech.  Have we ever really had it?  When did freedom of free speech start?  What is the future of free speech?  What about free speech in the World Tomorrow?  We need your thoughts on this one.....

Recorded two days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  Rex gives insight into what real and meaningful Christianity and prefaces it with a tribute to  Charlie Kirk.