The Iron Rodcast

Rodcast 91: Baby Blessings (pt. 1)

2012-02-11T00:44:00.001-08:00

I think we talked about the beginning of 2 Nephi. We also officially spoke about TV on Sunday. But all of us have a new obsession: baby blessings. Do not listen lest you become obsessed with baby blessings yourselves.

Download here!

Next week: Sacrament DOs and DON'Ts (specifically with the "hey we know it's the water being passed now, but we missed the bread -- can we have some?"

Rodcast 90: Liahona

2012-02-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

This week: Matt makes a case for the Liahona being the result of time travel! Also: a truly humble person? We can't relate. And: boats. All this plus the revelation of our new Plain English Book of Mormon! Be there!

Download here!

FYI: get your comments in quick on TV on Sunday. This was posted late and we're likely to record again tomorrow.

Rodcast delayed this week

2012-01-24T23:26:00.000-08:00

We will likely not be doing the Rodcast this week because apparently nobody went to Sunday school and our sound engineer (the guy who pushes the record button (me (Jon))), is pretty much gone all week worshiping matinee idols.

Rodcast 89: Exclusivity

2012-01-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

Before we forget, here are some of links of Matt's that we mentioned:

My Religious Blog
Axl Rose: Hungry Time Traveler
Matt's Art
... and of course The Galactus Imperative

Things we learned:
We don't read.
Our listeners wanna talk about sex.
There are many ways to laugh.
Our Twitter followers are Democrats and other infidels.

This week we hit the vision of the tree of life.

Also... something else... oh yeah that this is the only true church (sorta).

Download here!

Next week: humble personality and boats!

Rodcast 88: Evolved

2012-01-10T23:44:00.001-08:00

The long-awaited Rodcast on evolution is finally here! We had Matsby this week as well as long-time contributor Ethan (En.). Oh, also we cracked open The Book of Mormon for Sunday school for the first time in Rodcast history. Nephi killed a guy.

Download here!

If you're interested, here's the link to the evolution poll at By Common Consent.

Rodcast 87: Resolutions '12

2012-01-07T23:43:00.001-08:00

Please help me become a better person. Like I said before, EPIC FAIL.

Download here!

You have a few hours left to send in your evolution advice.

Rodcast 86: Sunday Christmas

2012-01-05T21:45:00.000-08:00

Listen to this one. We were honored to have my personal nemesis Joey Smith with us to have a very lovely talk about how we don't suffer enough during Christmas.

Download here!

Send in your resolutions!

Send in your thoughts and research about evolution!

Rodcast 85: Beards

2011-12-21T23:38:00.001-08:00

Neither of us had Sunday school and our second topic was beards. Still think we can talk for 45 minutes?

Download here!

Send in the needed poll questions.

Also, remember next week we're talking about Christmas on Sunday. The week after that is resolutions and the week after that will be our big evolution conversation (in which we will have no idea what we're talking about). If you have anything to say on any of that stuff, drop a line.

Rodcast 84: Jon's Big Day

2011-12-12T23:04:00.000-08:00

My grand re-entrance into activity all happened on Sunday!

Also: hot Revelation action!

Also: to pray or not to pray... too much?

Also: poll results!

Download here!

Next week: hot beard action!

Rodcast 83: Divine Beloved Eagle

2011-12-07T19:30:00.000-08:00

Art by Matt Page

Matt Page joined us for a wonderful discussion.

First of all, we talked about some of Matt's visual contributions to a couple of (awesome sounding) Mormony anthologies. Click on them to buy them!

Monsters and Mormons (that's the fiction collection)

Between Pulpit and Pew (the one with Mormon folklore (so lots of it might be true!))

ALSO! We talked about the beginning of the Book of Revelation (the boring part without the harlots and dragons and destruction and stuff)!

ALSO! We had another ignorant conversation about what to think about during the sacrament. This one was action packed!

Download here!

Next week! When are we supposed to say opening prayers?

Rodcast 82: 316

2011-11-28T18:46:00.001-08:00

We got Peter in repeats (and some Matthew) and John live (but not regular John).

Also, an extremely ignorant discussion of illegal immigrants and church callings.

Be there!

Download here!

Rodcast 81: Vanilla

2011-11-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

We pretty much talked about everything. We were all over the place. The only subjects we didn't cover well were Sunday school and second topic.

Download here!

Next week we're gonna try to tackle illegal immigration and Mormonism. We could use some help on this, so send us your thoughts as well as any information and other links. Send to ironrodcast@gmail.com.

Rodcast 80: Home Teaching

2011-11-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

Photo apparently courtesy of 9thwardcartoons.com.

Stake conference is expendable!

We also spoke of home teaching.

Wow! Check out the Wikipedia article on Home Teaching here.

Download the Rodcast here!

Rodcast 79: Timothy

2011-11-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Also included: Titus (the Robin to Timothy's Batman (or perhaps the Moneypenny to Timothy's 007)).

Download here!

You'll have to listen to the whole thing to find out what the second topic is next week!

... okay, whatever. The second topic next week is home teaching or something.

Rodcast 78: Philemon

2011-11-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Philemon.

Remember kids: send in your second topic request (now more important than ever!) and assign a beatitude to yourself (and tell us which one!).

Download here!

Rodcast 77: Ephesians

2011-10-26T22:57:00.001-07:00

Download here!

procrastinating the day...

2011-10-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

There will be no Rodcast this week. Neither Jon nor Peter attended Sunday school this week and Rhett no longer attends Jon or Peter.

Sorry.

If you'd like us to discuss ANYTHING at all next week, please comment or email or vote in the poll.

Rodcast 76: Mormon

2011-10-13T17:30:00.001-07:00

What's in a name? Would a Coriantumr by any other name smell as sweet?

Please send us MormonAd ideas.

Vote in the poll!

Download here!

Rodcast 75: Annual

2011-10-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Time stamp at 2:00.

This is our second annual General Conference summary (but the third one we've done so far).

We have a few comments that we'll probably get into next week. In the meantime, if you have any bits from Conference you'd like to discuss or whatever, send a comment or a line.

Download here!

Rodcast 74: Romans

2011-09-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

We covered Romans, but it bled into James quite a bit. I can't remember. I don't work very hard at the notes for the Rodcast -- I just have faith.

Also worth noting, we made a few General Conference hopes and predictions.

Download here!

Oh yeah, also, here's that picture from the program in Rhett's ward that I forgot to post like 5 weeks ago:

Rodcast 73: Rich

2011-09-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

Pete added Elder's Quorum to the list of stuff he hates.

I think we're still talking about Corinthians.

For the second topic, Mark asked us if it's alright to be rich and righteous. Thanks Mark! Your check's in the mail!

Notice the new poll. Also, if anybody has a list of all the dispensation heads please send it in.

Download here!

Oh, this is last week's Rodcast. Expect another one soon.

Rodcast 72: Meet Me on the Dark Side of the Moon

2011-09-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna lie to you. I spent a really long time on the picture for this week. I'm gonna miss Photoshop when I turn off the computer.

We spent some time in Corinth, plus mused slightly on the very devilish topic of secret combinations. Thanks to Mark for submitting the idea.

Hey! We need another poll idea. Submit some ideas. The winning idea gets an extra vote.

Download this week's podcast here!

Fasting

2011-09-06T19:48:00.001-07:00

There will be no Rodcast this week because we don't know where Rhett is. Also Jon had to work again on Sunday. Also Pete got a church headache. Plan on next week. Sorry folks!

Rodcast 71: Crispus/Gaius

2011-08-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

Rhett and Alexis were actually in studio for once so we talked longer than usual. About, what I really have no idea. Well, there were some Corinthians, and body temple stuff, and Diana, and Diane, and mission age and Mormon celebrities. The usual.

Download here!

Rodcast 70: Volunteers

2011-08-22T23:38:00.001-07:00

Before I forget, the movie with Geordi LaForge is obviously not a documentary, but an actual feature. I think it was a made for TV movie. Ned Beatty was in it too, I believe.

So Paul's still at it in Acts! Good for him. He's a big fat dynamo.

Second topic is regarding the importance and difference between an assignment and volunteering.

Download here!

Oh, and here's my ancestral fan chart if anyone's interested:

Rodcast 69

2011-08-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

Sighting of one of the three Nephites, Genealogy report, s'more Acts, rundown of potential second topics. Sounds boringer than it actually was.

Download here!

Rodcast 68: Psaul

2011-08-07T21:06:00.000-07:00

Neither of us went to all of Sunday school so we kind of had to "wing" it. Get it? Wings?

Download here!

And this is bugging me. Yes, the name of the Rodcast is Psaul. It's a play on Psaltery and Saul and Paul. It's sort of genius, but it mostly looks like a major typo.

Rodcast 67: Silly Rhett, Ricks is for Kids!

2011-08-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Someone did not want this week's Rodcast to be published. We were busy at the beginning of the week and waited for the middle of the week (also so Rhett could call in). The recording recorded slow for some reason, meaning I had to do all sorts of audio trickery to get it up to speed (literally). Also, there was an audio filter on the recording that made us sound like we're in a cathedral. You'll here some heavy duty spacey echoes. Aaaand... for some reason the audio recording stops a few minutes before we actually finished (although I don't recall what we spoke of at the end there). So it does abruptly end. Sorry. Keep that in mind when you listen.

Plenty of pluses though. Rhett eventually called in. The lovely Keira was able to join us and weigh in on all the topics including the first few acts of the original apostles, some freaky weird stuff involving gift of the tongues, some further insight on Peter as denier, Rhett's rant on genealogy and especially Rhett's rant on Rick's College. I tell ya, if Rhett's ever been good at anything, it's making good girls angry.

Download here!

Please remember also to vote in the new poll regarding what your least favorite anti-Mormon mass marketed production (dang it, I should have also put Big Love on the list).

If you're curious, click here to buy Snow Crash at O.co!

Rodcast 66: Seth

2011-07-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

So we talked a little resurrection stuff. Also we had a special call in regarding "perfection."

As promised, we talked about pioneers. We hate them.

Download here!

Rodcast 65: Pores

2011-07-20T21:18:00.001-07:00

A little bit about Gethsemane. A little bit about the next day. I guess that about covers everything doesn't it?

Next week! Pioneers! Overrated?

Download here!

(one day left to vote in the Rolling Stones poll, btw!)

Rodcast 64: Woodrow

2011-07-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

There really wasn't a Sunday School discussion this week. Pete and Jon are pretty much less active now. And has anyone seen Rhett?

We also had a mild discussion of The Book of Mormon Musical and planets and such. Here's the video of the song "I Believe" from the Tony Awards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tggtPHDmrR8

Download here!

Rodcast 63: Freedom

2011-07-03T21:51:00.000-07:00

((Sometimes I'm terrified to realize how many options other people have.))

Attribution for the picture, of course, goes to xkcd.

This week we spent five seconds talking about John 14 and 15. Or was it 16 and 17? Actually it was a five second discussion, and then a ten second discussion about which chapters it actually was.

In celebration of flag day (last month) we also discussed a little bit about freedom, liberty, independence, redundancy and redundancy.

Download here!

Sorry Folks!

2011-06-30T00:14:00.000-07:00

Due to an unforeseen single click of the mouse, the audio for the most recent Rodcast was lost. The moose out front should of told you.

Here's the summary. We brought another Scott on as a new voice and Laura convinced me that Girls Camp is actually the greatest thing ever.

Rodcast 62: Service

2011-06-19T18:26:00.001-07:00

We lost a good chunk of this one. Plus we were tired. We rambled. It's short. At least.

Download here!

Rodcast 61: Oil

2011-06-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Special guest Stephanie brought treats and awesome input. Sunday school went over Matthew 25. We also discussed Rice Chex for sacrament and the recent immigration news. Oh, and Rhett called in from "the mission field."

Download here!

Rodcast 60: Jagger

2011-06-08T01:19:00.000-07:00

Hey, sorry! We totally missed a week. First time ever. Hopefully we make up for it by... not knowing really what to talk about again.

Pete and Jon discuss Judas the thief a little. Also we get a little feedback.

Hey, if nothing else comes of that whole Gene R. Cook/Mick Jagger story, at least we got a cool pop art rendering out of it, eh?

Hey, here's another theory to the story. It wasn't Mick Jagger, but it was a drunk weirdo claiming to be Mick Jagger while flying coach.

Download here!

The bonus outtake may be worth your time (it better be, it took freaking long enough to find).

Rodcast 59: R.I.P. Second Topic (2010-2011)

2011-05-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

This time it was more of a late night ice cream party. We do those sometimes. That's a thing. Alexis and Laura were kind enough to lend some semblance of a female perspective (about stuff like mummies and microphones). We're also continuing our discussion from last week.

Download here!

If you're confused by the outtake, Pete silently raised his hand shortly after Rhett said that he and Jon were the only two people who didn't buy the CD.

Rodcast 58: Sorry! (again)

2011-05-17T00:09:00.001-07:00

We need another intern.

I forgot to switch microphones again. You can still hear everything, it just sounds like you're eavesdropping from the next room over.

Anyway, Rhett and Alexis stopped by on their way to an eternity together. Pete finagled his way into Mormon exclusivity and Jon apparently brought a "heated" element to the conversation.

Download here!

Rodcast 57: Ignorance

2011-05-09T13:12:00.000-07:00

Just so you're aware, sometimes, when I need to occupy myself during sacrament meeting, I don't doodle. Rather, I see how much of a piece of paper I can completely cover in black ink. Fortunately, there's a app for that (see above).

We had Laura filling in for Rhett this week. Remember, we need a third host for most of this summer so get your submissions in (let us know and we'll plan around you if you'd like to join us for the recording)!

Oh yeah, we recorded something. Download here!

Rodcast 56: Scattering

2011-05-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

This week we were very fortunate to have Keira and Jenniferpeck join us. They had no idea what they were in for when they walked into the house when they did. Welcome ladies!

We spent 40 minutes complaining about family wards.

Download here!

Rodcast 55: Eastest

2011-04-27T21:41:00.001-07:00

Pete and Jon for this one. Join us for the continuing saga of the disintegration of student wards.

Also, the most holy day and the fertilest rabbit.

Download here!

Rodcast 54: Peter Nash (Rhett Weller)

2011-04-20T18:43:00.001-07:00

The end of the Rodcast... the end of the ward. Could our lives be much further behind?

Also we talked (sorta) about ward choir.

Download here!

Next week: The return of the Rodcast!

Rodcast 53: Running on Water

2011-04-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

With faith we can walk on water. But why would we unless we were in quite a hurry?

Our youthful end is nigh!

Who is responsible for baptizing the Buggers?

Download here!

ALSO: contact Pete ASAP and tell him what to prepare for his last lesson.

Rodcast 52: Revelation

2011-04-05T19:12:00.001-07:00

Rodcast 52. We've gone from Genesis to Revelation. No man knows if this book will be added unto. No doubt, plagues will occur.

Oh, and also, it was General Conference. Funny how the title worked out for this one, huh?

Download here!

(Btw, now that we've done 52 of these, I no longer feel obligated to limit the titles to one word. I do, however still possess the same amount of laziness that it takes to only think of one-word titles.)

Rodcast 51: Parable

2011-03-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

So we talked about a couple of parables. Then we got distracted and talked about something else. Don't really remember what that other thing is, but I remember it was pretty interesting.

Download here!

Rodcast 50: Yoke

2011-03-22T22:51:00.001-07:00

Just Pete and Jon again. We talk about Christ's yoke (superficially). We talk about St. Patrick's Day (ignorantly).

Download here!

Btw, here is the image of Richard Scarry's lowly worm:
Oh, and I hate having to do this, but I'm afraid I have to just to make sure. Yes, the yellow part of the egg is actually spelled Y-O-L-K.

Rodcast 49: Lent

2011-03-14T23:44:00.001-07:00

Finished up the sermon on the mount and had an incredibly ignorant mention of Lent. Rhett's back. Be sure to vote in the poll.

Download here!

Rodcast 48: Bullets

2011-03-08T00:06:00.000-08:00

Just Pete and Jon this time. We discussed the beginning of the sermon on the mount and the official ward "mate attractiveness checklist" (be sure to follow along with the lists below!).

Download here!

Very very VERY obnoxiously, my scanner decided to stop working (or at least stop working with my current OS (one more thing that doesn't work by upgrading!)), so the Rodcast is a day late because I gotta type out the whole "what guys want/what girls want" lists. Enjoy:

WHAT GUYS WANT:

HONESTY
SENSE OF HUMOR
ATTRACTIVE/CLEAN/NICE SMILE/GOOD HAIR/NICE LEGS/ CUTE!!/HOT!!
ABILITY TO MAKE ME BETTER
FAITHFUL/GROUNDED SPIRITUALLY
CHILL/COOL/VIBRANT PERSONALITY
TESTIMONY!!!/STRONG FAITH
COVENANT KEEPER/ATTENDS TEMPLE OFTEN
GREAT FAMILY
MAKES ME LAUGH
KIND/LOVING
CAN COOK (APPLE PIES)
FEMALE
INTEGRITY
HEALTHY, (Physically, Mentally & Spiritually)
ADVENTUROUS
LOVES CHILDREN
VERY POSITIVE & OPTIMISTIC
FUN/ TO BE AROUND
FORWARD
CONFIDENT/HAS AN OPINION/STRONG WILLED
FRUGAL/WISE WITH $$$$
HARD WORKER
WANTS TO BE A MOTHER/GOOD MOTHER
SECURE OF HERSELF/ POSITIVE
EASY TO TALK TO/GOOD COMMUNICATOR/LIKES CONVERSATION
SMART/EDUCATED/LOVES TO LEARN
HAS ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
LOVES THE SAVIOR & ME
Doesn't have to be perfect all the time
OBEDIENT TO THE GOSPEL
Is your taxilight on or off?

WHAT GIRLS WANT

RESPECT WOMEN/CHURCH
SELF CONFIDENCE/STRONG
COMPASSION/LOVES KIDS
PATIENCE
WORTHY PRIESTHOOD HOLDER
STRONG TESTIMONY/SPIRITUALLY CENTERED
LOVE FOR GOD/OBEDIENT
GOSPEL STRENGTH/GOOD LEADER
FUNNY/SENSE OF HUMOR
INTELLIGENT/SMART
COMMITTED TO GOSPEL
KIND/ A GENTLEMAN
HONEST/INTEGRITY
HAPPY/POSITIVE
TEMPLE WORTHY
PEACE & SECURITY/GROUNDED
CONSISTENT/HAS VALUES
GIVING/SERVES OTHERS
GOOD TO HIS FAMILY
HARD WORKER/GOOD WORK ETHICS
STRONG PROVIDER/ $$$$
UNDERSTANDING
GOOD COMMUNICATOR
SMILES/LAUGHS A LOT
INDEPENDENT
HUMBLE/ TENDER HEART
LOVING
SEXY/ATTRACTIVE
AMBITIOUS/GOAL ORIENTED
ACTIVE IN LIFE/CARES ABOUT HEALTH/LOVES TO DANCE
ENJOYS CUDDLING
HAS A "BEARD"
WILLINGNESS
OUTDOORSMAN
MUTUAL INTERESTS/LIKES
ATHLETIC

Rodcast 47: Issues

2011-03-01T13:12:00.001-08:00

Many apologies for this week's rodcast. First of all, I forgot to switch the microphone input (again), which means it wasn't the table microphone that was used, but the computer one. Most of you know that THAT means it recorded from the next room. Also, a bit closer to the microphone, Dre and Alexis were having a conversation of their own. All in all, it's a bit hard to hear. Also, it cut off at the end right in the middle of one of my sentences, so I set something up and I was just about to take it in another direction but... alas. Miracles!

Download here!

Rodcast 46: Artsy

2011-02-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

Finally! Elusive listener and local spiritual celebrity Matsby makes his first appearance! Listen as we discuss the Sunday school lesson we didn't pay attention in. Also Matt responds to his story in the Trib. Also we ate cake.

Download here!

Listeners! What do you think of this link?

2011-02-16T11:51:00.001-08:00

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/music/2011/02/09

Rodcast 45: ?

2011-02-15T23:57:00.000-08:00

So we had this weird stake conference where there was this sort of town hall Q&A. The stake president did his best to answer all the questions, but we give the proper answers in this week's Rodcast (it's all in how you define proper answers, I suppose).

Download here!

Rodcast 44: Remission

2011-02-08T22:29:00.001-08:00

Fast forward to 2:10 to get to the place where we ACTUALLY start.

Art, Twitter, Pizza, opinions, Jimmer, missions, baptism, fire, remission.

The last minute of the rodcast got suddenly cut off for some reason. It's probably Garageband's fault.

Remember to vote in this week's poll!

Download here!

Rodcast 43: Engaged

2011-02-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

We're Peteless, but not Scottless! We still managed 55 minutes though.

Download here!

Rodcast 42: ;)

2011-01-24T23:02:00.001-08:00

Just the three of us. Oldschool!

Download here!

Rodcast 41: Mommies

2011-01-19T23:34:00.000-08:00

Illustration by John Lang

Laura joins us and Stephanie finally joins us. Prepare for no comments this time around because all our commenters were with us.

Download here!

Rodcast 40: Word

2011-01-11T22:11:00.001-08:00

Begin again! Let's see if this New Testament thing catches on. Here's that sheet thing we were looking at (click to embiggen):

Download here!

Rodcast 39: Resolute

2011-01-04T23:45:00.001-08:00

You say you wanna resolution? Well you know we all wanna change the world...

Do more to be indeed a god and let the other guy be the bad guy.

Download here!

Rodcast 38: Boxing

2010-12-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest. I don't even remember what we talked about. I'm just glad I didn't have to work on Boxing Day.

Maria joined us!

Download here!

Rodcast 37: Festivus

2010-12-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Ezra, Nehemiah, favorite Christmas movies, airing of grievances and the opening of gifts. Sounds like it won't take too long right? RIGHT?! ... wrong.

Download here.

By the way, I love It's a Wonderful Life, but I can't explain how. So I got Stephanie Asalone to do it for me. Here are her words:

Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" with my brother, dad, and his wife on Christmas Eve night, the thought crossed my mind that I should write a post about the unique power of this particular movie. There really aren't many movies out there that speak to so many people from so many walks of life for so many years (64 this year) as this one does. Why is that the case, though?

1) Universal concepts: Redemption and second chances (for George, for Clarence...). The little-considered power of one person's influence on another (which is not as cliched or pollyanna as some may claim), and the ripple effect of that influence. The fact that you don't know what you have until it's gone. This is a Christmas movie that doesn't necessarily fall along religious lines.

2) Couching these concepts in a life situation many people could identify with in post-World War II America (the movie came out in 1946) and can today in the current economic troubles...and could through many social and economic troubles in the years in between. It is "evergreen" for this reason--George Bailey is as much 'everyman' now as he was back in '46.

3) The lack of preachiness. George and his family aren't perfect, and the fact that no one is made out to be a martyr, a "devil" (I would argue Potter is made to seem more lost-in-selfishness than outright evil), or an angel, for that matter (except Clarence, of course) makes what could be a choke-on-it-syrupy ending into a tearjerker. The belief that all people are good at heart, but some have forgotten that fact for one reason or another (Mr. Potter, Sam Wainwright to a lesser degree) is an unspoken sermon to be found here. Being reminded of that concept--either for oneself or in regard to those around them--adds to the way this movie gets to people, regardless of personal circumstance.

4) When George is standing on the bridge, crying and praying: "I want to live again. Please God, let me live again"...that was the moment the tears started to flow for me this last time. He was obviously speaking about more than one kind of living. The idea you can be alive and just go through the motions...waste your time and forget your potential...that's huge too. George may well have been doing it just as much as Mr. Potter, though in a different way. As one of my former home teachers once told me: "Don't judge someone just because they choose to sin differently than you do." The same can be said for the way in which an individual chooses to "play small". George was doing great things with his life, both for his family and for his community, but he was missing the end result of those efforts, either through lack of opportunity to see them or through his own refusal to believe he could mean so much to so many. When all those people come flowing into the house at the end and throw money on the table...George finally sees it. Which leads me into...

5) The idea that good people have good returned unto them. In a world where it seems no good deed goes unpunished, to see "an Israelite without guile" be rewarded for his honesty, his integrity, his doing what's right in so many situations can't help but be encouraging. To see evidence that when the giver is the one in need, those who've received will step up and take their turn at giving encourages people to continue giving, or, alternatively, become givers. Which leads me into...

6) "It's a Wonderful Life" is also impactful because it can be seen as a call to service above self. People sometimes need reminded that they really are their brother's keeper...or need to be encouraged to continue in their acting upon this realization. It can be easy to become cynical in either role, and to have the opportunity to see a "third party example" situation and realize the reward to be had--however delayed--in being a giver, is helpful in bringing people to see the value of taking care of others at any stage of either person's life.

There is so much that can be said for and about this movie. It is timeless and I hope it continues to be shown Christmas Eve night on NBC for many years to come. It is encouraging and inspiring without crossing the line into hokeyness. Thank you, Frank Capra, for the marvelous gift you gave in making "It's a Wonderful Life". If we were to be honest with ourselves, we'd realize it really is.

pre-festivus

2010-12-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone remember to send us your airing of grievances and your favorite Christmas movies. Send to ironrodcast@gmail.com or tweet to @ironrodcast.

Rodcast 36: Clay

2010-12-14T23:32:00.000-08:00

Daniel 2. Not much reading this week. Also, a few bits of preparation for Christmas and also a discussion of the best church time and schedule. You may have noticed there was less throat-clearing. That's because Rhett was gone.

Download here.

Hey! Your homework for this week: send in your favorite Christmas movies and your personal Festivus airing of grievances and also what you're getting and giving for Christmas.

Rodcast 35: Hananiah

2010-12-08T22:21:00.001-08:00

Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah. Cultural pride. Dig in. Jon was gone by the way.

Download the podcast here.

Rodcast 34: Thankamony

2010-11-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

Rhett's word this week: evangical.

This week we continued with a discussion of Ezekiel and then went into full on thankamony mode. If you're grateful for anything, feel free to share. All positivity will be gone by the time we get to the year-end airing of grievances.

Download the podcast here!

If you're curious, here's my list of 100 things I need to do in this life.

Here is a link to an archived version of Provoparty.com.

Rodcast 33: Wheel

2010-11-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

Ezekiel. Polygamy. Wheel. Listen.

Download.

Rodcast 32: Witness

2010-11-14T18:16:00.001-08:00

There was cooking noise in the background. Don't worry about it. Rest assured we're eating well. We talked more Jeremiah, wacky Thanksgivings and the Old Testament events we most want to go back and witness.

Download here!

Hey, we lowered the audio quality heavily on this one in hopes of lowering the file size making it a more convenient download and more efficient, etc. Please let us know if the audio quality is annoying or if you have any problems with listening at all.

Rodcast 31: Favorite

2010-11-09T22:43:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah + favorite BOM characters! All this and a conversation on testimony meeting. Plus we were all super on edge because we were hungry because it was Fast Sunday.

Download here!

Rodcast 30: Hallows

2010-11-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up Isaiah, plus... Halloween!

Send your comments. I think we must have left a lot out. What needs to be said?

Also, here's that book Pete mentioned: Isaiah: Prophet, Seer and Poet.

Download the Rodcast here!

Rodcast 29: Nemesis

2010-10-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's an ugly picture, but I used it for a reason. I'll give anyone five bucks if they can tell me what that reason is.

Joey Smith joined us this time with a barrel full of topics. Resulted in us running quite a bit longer than usual, but good times had by all. Sean pops in a bit too, so that's totally a bonus.

I think we talked a little about regional conference in there too. Plus there was some Matsby correspondence. All this and polls!

Download here!

a slight delay

2010-10-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

Sorry to everyone waiting on Rodcast 29. It's nearly finished, I just need to get home and post it (which may not be until 1 am). Sorry! Usually I get all this posting garbage done on Sunday afternoon.

Podcast 28: Shopping

2010-10-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

Joining us this week, is Laura! She also got some high quality cable television in, so it was a very efficient Sunday afternoon.

Isaiah continues his healthy obsession with the Savior and we talk about that (with tangents). Our second topic is the idea of ward shopping and ward squatting. We don't actually use the word "squatting" but it's probably a word that's quite applicable to us.

Download here!

Podcast 27: Fast

2010-10-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

More Isaiah.

Also a very quick discussion on fasting. Next week we'll probably have a fast discussion on the quickening.

Download here!

Podcast 26: Sleep-overs

2010-10-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoyed the 180th Semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! If you didn't, no doubt you won't enjoy this edition of the Rodcast.

Joining us this time, we had Sleepy Laura and Skypey Rhett.

Download here!

Revelation! Next Topic: 180th Semiannual General Conference

2010-10-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's conference weekend coming up, so we'll be doing a conference report. Send in relevant comments and stuff so that we'll have something to talk about in case we forget to watch conference.

Thanks to Matsby for the image.

Podcast 25: Maher-shalal-hash-baz

2010-09-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hey! Here we go with a bit more Isaiah!

Second topic this week is humility. No doubt we'll get hammered with humility once the angry letters come rolling in. As a special guest on this topic (for about 30 seconds) we brought in a ringer for the opposition -- Dre Deming.

Download it here!

next topic!

2010-09-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

Alright ya'll. Warning you in advance that the topic for the next Rodcast is HUMILITY. Send us what you want us to say so that you don't yell into your earbuds when you hear us say the lame things that we say. We don't hear you when you yell into your earbuds.

Podcast 24: Scarlett

2010-09-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 101. And we're off! Isaiah 1:18.

As a bonus topic we reminisced on our favorite pulpit stories. Laughter and death ensued.

Download here!

Hopefully Jim won't mind, but here are his great comments on the Isaiah lesson this week. We'll reference it next time. Enjoy!

Ironrodcasters,

If I understand correctly, the reading for this week is Isaiah 1-6. Here are some thoughts on the chapters as I read them.

Isaiah is a delicious book. I think that is undeniable. Many beautiful things are written therein, and it all begins in the first chapter.

In Isaiah 1, G-d speaks out against Israel, very much in the way He did in Hosea, Isaiah’s contemporary. He compares Judah to children just like Israel in Hosea (and once to a harlot.) And just as in Hosea, the message is more than a rebuke, but a message of hope.

For Judah, things are going difficult. Israel and Syria have been coming against them, with devastating consequences. During this time, 120,00 men of Judah had been killed in one day. (See Chronicles 28.) Here, in Isaiah 1, G-d tells them the reason for their suffering. They are being punished that they might learn. But they are not learning, and so they continue to be punished.

One problem is that the people have seized upon a foreign idea of propitiating G-d. In the pagan world, the gods were bought off by sacrifices. Their favor was not earned by moral living but by rituals and devotion. If one reads The Iliad or The Odyssey one is likely to find divine favor is capricious. Greek deities are bought off by sacrifices. In Iphigenia at Aulis, the innocent Iphigenia is herself sacrificed so that the gods will send a wind to carry the Greeks to Troy so that they may lay siege to the city. This idea of earning divine favor through sacrifice had crept into Jewish practice. Ahaz had begun sacrificing to the gods of Damascus “Because the gods of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them” (2 Chron. 28.23).

He has a totally wrong conception of G-d, though. G-d cannot be bribed. While he set up a system of sacrifices, they are largely disconnected from atonement. The blood of an innocent is not what appeases G-d. (Of the personal sacrifices, as opposed to national, only unintentional sins are atoned by a sacrifice, a sin sacrifice. And theft, I think.) In all of Leviticus, G-d does not spend time talking about the necessity of blood for atonement, because this does not interest him. The sacrifices are for us, not for him, a way for us to express our devotion and thankfulness. But G-d is not bought by sacrifices.

And this is the beauty of Isaiah 1. G-d corrects the view that He must be appeased with blood and through ritual. He desires something else: “Wash, cleanse yourselves, remove the evil of your deeds from before My eyes, cease to do evil. Learn to do good, seek justice, strengthen the robbed, perform justice for the orphan, plead the case of the widow” (Is. 1.16-17.) The atonement is reached through teshuvah, repentance. And we see here that it’s a two-fold process. Verse 16 is about purification and cessation of wrongdoing. Verse 17 is about doing good. It’s not enough to not do bad. One must do good.

And the next thing he says isn’t, “And then I’ll accept your sacrifices, that you may be atoned.” No, he invites Judah to argue with him and tells them that their sins will be whitewashed. All he requires is repentance, a change. (See also Ez. 18.) To do this, though, they will have to fix their conception of G-d. They will have to reject the notion that G-d’s favor is earned by sacrifice. They must return to a Torah worldview, rather than the pagan worldview. And then they will understand what G-d wants is repentance. “For you do not want a sacrifice, or I should give it; You do not desire a burnt offering. The sacrifices of G-d are a broken spirit; O G-d, You will not despise a broken and crushed heart” (Ps. 51.18-19.)

I think this is what G-d means, too in Is 5.13 when He says that His people go into exile for a lack of knowledge. They’ve not heeded the signs, their punishments. They seek to appease G-d and the gods of the nations with sacrifices. But if only they knew what He wanted of them, they could turn aside. A bad idea of Who G-d is can make a terrible mess of things. Judah will be exiled because they have a bad understanding of G-d. They think the rituals are for Him. But we can give nothing to G-d.

This isn’t the end of Isaiah 1, but already this is getting long, so I press on. Isaiah 2.1-5 is Messianic. And like the first chapter, the second chapter helps to correct a misconception about G-d, but this is the misconception of the modern scholar who sees Hashem as a tribal deity. (I do not say that this was the purpose of this chapter.) Here G-d clearly tells us that the “nations shall stream to” the Lord’s house (Is. 2.2.) This is a universal message, and it echoes Solomon’s prayer for the temple, that foreigners would pray toward the temple and be heard by G-d (I Kings 8.41-43.) Likewise, in the Messianic era, G-d tells us, again through Isaiah, that His house “will be called a house of prayer for all peoples (Is. 56.7.) G-d is concerned with all peoples. And so, he brings peace, not just to Israel, but also to the entire world.

Already this has gotten long. My apologies. I will stop here for the sake of brevity.

Shalom,

Jim

Jon's meat consumption for the week of September 12-18, 2010

2010-09-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 12 September 2010
-Two platefuls of beef stroganoff at my parents' house

Monday, 13 September 2010
-One plateful of leftover beef stroganoff from the day before

Tuesday, 14 September 2010
-Leftover Ming's General Tao's chicken from the previous Saturday night (before our meat goals)

-A deep fried PB&J and half of Grant Baron's funnel cake at the Utah state fair (both were possibly fried in the same oil that much chocolate-covered bacon was fried in)

Wednesday, 15 September 2010
-One plateful of leftover beef stroganoff from three days earlier

-Half of Matsby's cheese fries at Wiseguy's (later found out there were bacon bits sprinkled on)

Thursday, 16 September 2010
-Half a plateful of leftover beef stroganoff from four days earlier

-Stroganoff on toast

Friday, 17 September 2010
-Maruchan instant yakisoba noodles (spicy chicken flavor)

Saturday, 18 September 2010
- 2.5 pork enchiladas at the Lowell Bennion service thingie

Podcast 23: Secret

2010-09-13T00:28:00.000-07:00

First of all, here's Peter's autographed program for today (hope you don't mind, Megan).

Our discussion today was about Amos and Joel. They seem pretty on the ball.

Besides talking a little about the Iron Rodcast polls we also got incendiary with a continuation of the Word of Wisdom from last week. This time the focus was on meat.

Vote in the polls! We re-opened a couple of ties.

Download here!

Podcast 22: Whore

2010-09-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Your seminary teacher probably skipped Hosea when he taught your Old Testament class. Good reason too. God telling a guy to go shack up with a prostitute may be taken the wrong way by impressionable youths. I think we agreed that you're not actually supposed to do that. And ladies, don't become a hooker in hopes of marrying a prophet of God. The story of Hosea is probably more of an exception than a rule -- although it is the basis for the film Pretty Woman (as is my understanding anyway).

Whoring it up may be a sensitive topic, but it didn't stop us from having two girls join us. Welcome aboard Alexis and Mandi!

Our secondary this week was the incendiary topic of caffeine. We drink more than we should (and eat apparently -- there really is lots of caffeine in chocolate. No lie).

Vote in TWO new polls this week!

Download the podcast here!

Podcast 21: Footnotes

2010-08-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, you'll have to listen carefully to this one, because we say some really profound stuff (but mostly because it sounds like we're behind a closed bathroom door).

This week the topic was supposed to be Micah and Jonah, but we probably spent most of the time discussing the merits of scripture footnotes that only lead to the topical guide.

We wrap up with a cute discussion about techno-gossip.

Download here!

Micah 6:9

Podcast 20: Job

2010-08-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Alright here's the deal. We talked about Job this week. We should have talked more, but I forgot to read up on stuff. If you have any comments about Job, please post them.

Check out this cartoon. Click on it to make it bigger.

Also we talked about laughter and humor. Should we cease from all laughter?

Check out the talk called "A Serious Look at Humor" by Peter B. Rawlins. I think I said it was from General Conference but it's actually a New Era article from 1974. The New Era is a pretty sweet magazine. I especially like some of the fiction in there because there's some subtle romance sometimes.

Download here!

Podcast 19: Turn

2010-08-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

We really had a full house this time around! Yay! Besides the three of us, we had our old lady, Alexis, plus our old friends (now married) Adam and Laura! Also Pete's parents voiced themselves a little behind the scene.

Ecclesiastes. It's not just where the lyrics to "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)" are from (although I think we never actually mentioned the title of the song in the podcast).

Why are Mormons Republicans? We attempt to answer that. We don't succeed. Special thanks to Laura for being a Democrat in on the discussion. Special thanks to Pete for predictably being a Republican. Semi thanks to the rest of us who just tried to find their way.

Download here!

Podcast 18: Tunnel

2010-08-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this podcast should have been called "Opening Remarks." We did a lot of housecleaning, so your patience is appreciated. Rhett spoke in church, Rhett had a birthday, Jon tried out a different ward, we responded to emails and we responded to our first batch of audio questions. Pretty packed. Plus there were all the tangents. Oh the tangents! Oh the humanity!

Anyway, anybody know anything about Hezekiah? If you answered anything less than "Mmmm, a bit" then prepare to have your mind grapes blown with Hezekiah knowledge.

We skipped out on our second topic this week, since podcast announcements took longer than our actual first topic.

Download here!

Podcast 17: Bald

2010-08-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

Elijah, Elisha. I still think it's weird that their names are so similar. Not only did we complete the Eli epic, but we dabbled a little in heaven as a motivation for goodness vs. goodness for its own sake. I think we talked about a bunch of other stuff too, but what we were supposed to talk about was Elisha and his mantle -- which we did.

Also, tithing. How much should you pay? How much do you pay? What if you're paid in food? How do you get 2.75 chickens into one of those grey envelopes?

As an added added bonus if you listen all the way to the end you'll be able to hear the spiritual conversation we have before every podcast to get us ready for what we'll eventually discuss.

Also, I tried to get rid of some of the background ceiling fan noise, so I eliminated some of the audio in the 160-200 Hz range using an artificial graphic equalizier. What do you think? Is that frequency range a good one to eliminate?

Download here!

Podcast 16: Voice

2010-07-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Rhett was gone this week, but we were able to talk to another Sunday school teacher in the form of repeat guest Laura! The life, power and attitude of Elijah was this week's topic.

On the secondary we took advantage of Laura being around by discussing hymns in slightly more detail than we did before.

We wrapped things up with a very fun (for Jon) rendition of The Hymn Game!

Download the podcast right about here.

Podcast 15: ...oboam

2010-07-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Chatting about Rehoboam and Jeroboam which one would you follow? Check out the new poll!

Click here for "What Every Elder Should Know."

Doctrine & Covenants 84:38 -- And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

Also read page 67 of the OT student manuel -- the one with Daniel in the lion's den on the front.

Download the mp3 here!

Also: remember Peter's birthday.

Podcast 14: Wisdom

2010-07-13T23:43:00.000-07:00

I think our exhaustion after watching the World Cup final is very apparent. Here's a fun game -- see how many "ums," "you knows" and "likes" you can count during the course of the podcast. Being tired didn't stop us from setting a new record in podcast length. Perhaps you should listen to this one in stages (or more stages than usual).

Download here.

Podcast 13: Praise

2010-07-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Peter and Jon talk Psaltry. We talked a lot about the hymns. Surely we'll talk more about hymns as an official second topic soon.

And speaking of the second topic, happy 4th of July everybody (unless of course you're from a different country).

Download here.

Also: I'm trying something new this week. I'm not editing it. I'm pretty much just taking the audio file and posting it as is (which is practically what I do anyway). In short, I'm not listening to the thing after it's done. If there's a problem with the audio, let me know.

Podcast 12: David

2010-06-29T01:15:00.000-07:00

Alternate title for this week's rodcast: "Humorically."

David's downfall: how far down was it exactly?

Why do priesthood holders in a single student ward need to learn about mothers educating their children in the home?

Ought the Song of Solomon be solemnized?

Were the New Testament wise men Chinese guys, Nephites or some of Santa's elves?

Will The Iron Rodcast survive through the World Cup?

Download the answers HERE!

Podcast 11: Jonathan

2010-06-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

This week we welcomed special guest Maria!

Sunday school this past week dealt with the story of Jonathan and David. Full disclosure: Jonathan is actually my first name. I hardly ever use it to the fullest though. Too many syllables. Fun fact: Jon Stewart was also named Jonathan when he was born. True story.

Priesthood meeting was taught by Rhett this week and we do a mild re-cap of that.

Of course the big highlight of the Rodcast is Maria's take on women in the church. Certainly the Rodcast deserved to be named "Women" this week, but it's sort of Rodcast tradition to be named after the Sunday school lesson (plus I can never pass up an opportunity to promote my own name). It went a bit long, but quite informative and engaging. As an added bonus we discussed why we tend to leave the room when women speak in General Conference.

As mentioned earlier, this one is really long. Apologies to everyone who prefers them short. Hopefully you'll be able to listen in shifts and eventually hear the whole thing.

Comments are welcome and expected (and also slightly feared, but don't worry about that)!

Download this week's Rodcast right here!

Podcast 10: Diligence

2010-06-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

Just Peter and Jon this time around. Unfortunately, even though there were two of us, we still approached an hour.

This week's Sunday school lesson was Lesson 22 -- "The Lord Looketh on the Heart." We mostly talked about Saul and not David. Perhaps next week we'll get into David a little.

As a bonus we not only touched on home teaching slightly, but we also went over Pete's talk that he gave in church!

All this and brownies!

Download the podcast here.

Vote in the poll!

Podcast 9: Eli

2010-06-08T01:13:00.000-07:00

Running long again, but quite interesting. If you don't listen completely in one session, continue listening over the course of a couple of days. We got some good stuff goin' on here.

We had hymn specialist Laura on board for certainly not the last time.

Download the podcast here.

Vote in the poll!

Podcast 8: Gleaning

2010-06-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

We've shortened this one a bit by ONLY talking about what happened at church today... but it ran long again.

Today's topic is the one about Ruth and Hannah. Also we chatted a bit of marriage, because our bishop gave us the annual reminder this week.

Also, Alexis graced us with her presence and Happy Meal toys.

Download the podcast here.

EDIT: Also notice that we've put a poll up. Vote in it!

Podcast 7: Awareness

2010-05-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

This week's lesson is number... whatever the one with Samson is in. Looks like 19.

Also, Peter and Rhett briefly discuss the proper method of passing the sacrament and passing the roll in class. They neglected to discuss the concept of non-priesthood holders passing the roll around.

Jon was gone, so apparently half the length of the podcast was gone as well.

Download here.

Podcast 6: Joshin'

2010-05-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

This week we had the fortune of having Alexis help out. Nice to have the girl perspective on the show -- even though by definition it's always wrong. Kidding! Kidding!

This week's Sunday school lesson is #18: "Be Strong and of a Good Courage."

Also, we talked about what to wear (and what not to wear) to church. Interesting stuff. Please comment on it here on the blog or email us your comments to ironrodcast@gmail.com.

Download the podcast HERE!

My apologies to Watterson

2010-05-18T14:34:00.001-07:00

Podcast 5: Remember

2010-05-10T15:34:00.001-07:00

Discussed today: Lesson 17 "Beware Lest Thou Forget."

ALSO! Our super big conversation on Mormon movies we like and dislike. If you really love those movies they show in the JSMB, this may not be the podcast for you.

Download the thing HERE!

EDIT: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! If anybody out there has a copy of the 70s recording of "Saturday's Warrior" please give it to Jon. He wants it.

Peter's in charge next week so email him about what you wanna talk about (peter.nash@gmail.com).

(Hey, also take note of the list of topics we've put over on the left side of the page!)

Podcast 4: Quails

2010-05-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

This week we discussed OT lesson 15: "Look to God and Live."

Also we had a wondrous discussion about the merits of the Church program known as Especially for Youth. Pete was in a ball whimpering the whole time.

Download and/or listen right here.

Also, here are a couple of visual aids to help you get through this one. Pete was talking about the geography of the Exodus, which we can see right here:

Also, here's the amazing graph Pete drew as we were talking about the spiritual merits of EFY:

Next week we'll probably be discussing lesson 17: "Beware, Lest Thou Forget." Check out the teacher's instruction here.

ALSO: we'll probably be discussing our favorite and least favorite Mormon movies! Should be way way fun.

Podcast 3: Stakey

2010-04-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just Pete and Jon for this one, but only one of us went to stake conference... place your bets!

This one was quicker. We just summed up some stake conference stuff. Plus there was a little legitimate insight too.

Be sure to listen all the way to the end so that you can hear Jon's temple rant.

Download the mp3 RIGHT HERE!

Oh btw, forgot to mention the best comment by our listener Jake from last time! Why not change Rhett's name to James? Then it would be Peter, James and Jon. Middle name's Jensen. What if we went by PeterJensenJon?

Bbttww, we are now on iTunes! Audio manna! If you EVER use iTunes, click here to subscribe to the podcast. Doing so allows iTunes to download future Iron Rodcasts automatically.