Listen Now

Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of doing good? What happened and how did it make you feel? Often times when we seek to do good in the communities that we are part of, we can get caught up thinking that we are the ones doing the good. But what about the times when we unexpectedly find ourselves on the receiving end from those we are journeying with? Join Ken and Rob in this final conversation of season one of Rumors of Doing Good as they share their experiences of being surprised when the tables have turned in their journeys with folks who live outdoors as well as punks, squatters and the activist community. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please consider sharing, rating as well as subscribing to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Look out for season two of Rumors of Doing Good early 2021!

In today's conversation Rob & Ken are joined by Blessi Kumar, a health activist from New Delhi, India. For the past ten years, Blessi has been passionately advocating on behalf of folks with TB in the developing world. She is the co-founder of the Global Coalition of TB Activists which seeks to destigmatize as well as create space at the table for folks with TB when it comes to policies, healthcare as well as social norms. Listen in to Blessi's story of journeying with folks with TB as well as why this is such an important issue in the developing world. Go here for more info on today's show, including links and show notes. Intro/Outro music by skinfiltr8r. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please consider sharing, rating as well as subscribing to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks!

Everybody Now is a conversation about what it means to be human on the threshold of a global climate emergency, in a time of systemic injustice and runaway pandemics. Scientists, activists, farmers, poets, and theologians talk bravely and frankly about how our biosphere is changing, about grief and hope in an age of social collapse and mass extinction, and about taking action against all the odds. 
On 19th October 2020, Everybody Now is being released by podcasters all over the world as a collective call for awareness, grief and loving action. With contributions from: Dr. Gail Bradbrook - scientist and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion Prof. Kevin Anderson - Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester Dámaris Albuquerque - works with agricultural communities in Nicaragua Dr. Rowan Williams - theologian and poet, and a former Archbishop of Canterbury Pádraig Ó Tuama - poet, theologian and conflict mediator Rachel Mander - environmental activist with Hope for the Future John Swales - priest and activist, and part of a community for marginalised people Zena Kazeme - Persian-Iraqi poet who draws on her experiences as a former refugee to create poetry that explores themes of exile, home, war and heritage Flo Brady - singer and theatre maker Hannah Malcolm - Anglican ordinand, climate writer and organiser Alastair McIntosh - writer, academic and land rights activist David Benjamin Blower - musician, poet and podcaster Permissions: The song Happily by Flo Brady is used with permission. The song The Soil, from We Really Existed and We Really Did This by David Benjamin Blower, used with permission. The Poem The Tree of Knowledge by Pádraig Ó Tuama used with permission. The Poem Atlas by Zena Kazeme used with permission. The Poem What is Man? by Rowan Williams from the book The Other Mountain, used with permission from Carcanet Press.

Sometimes in doing good we find ourselves in situations where the environment is unpredictable, hostile, where the demands are overwhelming, and the social support is sorely lacking. When this happens, the joy of caring for our neighbors can become difficult. When we're running on empty, it's hard to continue to care for others when we find ourselves worn out. It's not a personal failing or a flaw, it's simply a matter of being human. Join Ken & Rob in part II of their conversation as they share their experiences of burnout and how they dealt with it. In today's episode, Rob concludes the conversation by sharing how he experienced burnout after finding himself journeying with the activist community that was highly unpredictable, at times hostile, the needs being overwhelming while feeling under-supported by the church.

In today's conversation Ken and Rob are joined by Vivian Brocato from Orange County, California where she started and heads up Punx & Monx, a church for those on the fringes of society. Listen in as Vivian shares her experiences of loving folks who live in the margins in O.C., and her passion for the arts. Vivian also discusses her commitment to the monastic lifestyle, cultivating silence, solitude, retreats as well as service to those impoverished in various mental, physical, spiritual and emotional ways.  

As people who are endeavoring to do good, what does it mean to befriend others? In today’s conversation Ken and Rob explore what it means to engage with folks on their terms rather than on our terms and why its important. Ken and Rob also take some time to share their experiences of relating to punks, metalheads, folks without homes as well as anarchists and squatters on their terms and some things they have learned along the way.

In today's conversation, Rob & Ken are joined by Mark Seger who facilitates Community Dinners in low income apartment buildings in Portland Oregon USA. Listen in as Mark shares how Community Dinners was born out of the ashes of a "failed" church plant and how it transformed his understanding of what doing good looks like. Intro/Outro music by skinfiltr8r.  

What message do we communicate when we seek to do good in our communities and what does it say about the values that we hold? In today's conversation Ken and Rob take some time to share their hearts on what they hope to communicate when they are out and about doing good in their communities. Intro/Outro music by skinfiltr8r. If you enjoyed today’s conversation, please consider sharing, rating as well as subscribing to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Thanks!

Jhon Henry Camargo from Barrancabermeja, Colombia joins us in today's conversation as he shares about his experiences as part of Christian Peacemaker Teams, accompanying campesinas who are experiencing the effects of corruption in Colombia. For more info including links and show notes for today's conversation, please visit www.rumorsofdoinggood.com Special thanks to Criseida Blancas for her production assistance. Intro/Outro music by Skinfiltr8r.

Ken and Rob take time to chat about Ken’s mantra, ‘Because Everyone Deserves to Be Loved‘ and how this mantra can help guide us in our day to day lives. For more info including links and show notes, please visit www.rumorsofdoinggood.com. Intro/Outro by skinfiltr8r.  

In today's conversation, we are joined by Rachel Byers from Cologne, Germany. Listen in as Rachel shares about her experiences of journeying with sex workers in one of the largest brothels in Europe. For more info including links and show notes, please visit www.rumorsofdoinggood.com. Intro/Outro by skinfiltr8r.

We thought it was only fitting that we begin this podcast by taking the time to introduce ourselves and talk about how and why we got into doing good, especially among marginalized folks. Join us as we take a trip down Memory Lane and chat about some of the highlights of what we have been up to over the years until now. If you enjoyed today's conversation, please consider sharing, rating as well as subscribing to the Rumors of Doing Good podcast! Intro/Outro by skinfiltr8r.

Rob and Ken talk about how they first met on Valentine's Day 2002 in Portland Oregon which sparked a lifelong friendship as well as what Rumors of Doing Good podcast is about and how it got started. For more info including links and show notes, please visit www.rumorsofdoinggood.com Intro and Outro music by skinfiltr8r.