Old news. Bad news. Fake news. Sometimes you want to shut down and get no news at all! I aim to change that by focusing on good people doing good works. I visit with artists, educators, civic & spiritual leaders, musicians, business owners, students, volunteers, and everyday citizens who are using their creativity, resources, and talents to bring hope, happiness, and goodness to their corner of the world.
Episodes
Wednesday Aug 28, 2019
Ep. 54 - The Girl in the City Ft. Breenie Dowies - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Aug 28, 2019
Wednesday Aug 28, 2019
When I started Find the Good News I never really thought about listeners becoming guests. As it turns out, people attracted to good news have ended up being good people themselves. After so many wonderful conversations, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised when a guest takes me into uncharted waters. The truth is I was surprised and taken places I didn’t expect to go when I visited with Breenie Dowies, woman-about-town and moderator of The Lake Charles Scene, a page focused on promoting businesses and events that make Southwest Louisiana a diverse and exciting place to live. Breenie was an early fan of Find the Good News, interacting, commenting, and sharing many of the interviews through her page. Over the past year, I watched Breenie enthusiastically share information, photos, and videos promoting the area. On her personal page, I noticed something that went further than the surface of her playful fashion sense and lively smile. I saw Breenie going far beyond the average effort to be social, genuinely social, online. She would cut through the simple selfie or highly manicured pictures with personal stories from deep beneath the shallow surface where we’re all invited to dwell. She was showing her heart, her mind, her emotions, her feelings, her true-self—not perfectly crafted for public consumption—in a raw and uncensored way, paired with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. My emotions were stirred by her posts, her willingness to share without worry. I suspect that many—like me—had relatable experiences, secretly thanking her for having the courage. Has the woman behind the enthusiastic smile, and the fun persona had a charmed life? Absolutely not. In fact, I would say that I have rarely visited with someone so young that has had as much to face, but face it she does. Breenie looks at her life honestly, and with the help of a loving community, she works to transform the empty spaces and lonely times in her life into service and light for others. Next time you see this girl in the city, let her charm and smile serve as a reminder that doing good does not always come from being treated good. Sometimes, in spite of the dark cards they have been dealt, people like Breenie are actively working to find and share the bright lights.
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SUPPORT FIND THE GOOD NEWS ON PATREON >> www.Patreon.com/FindTheGoodNews
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT BREENIE DOWIES & THE LAKE CHARLES SCENE >> www.facebook.com/BreenieLynn or https://www.facebook.com/groups/544984835982050/
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Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
LIVE - FIND THE GOOD NEWS - FT. THOM TRAHAN & KAT GODSEY
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
Tuesday Aug 27, 2019
HOSTED BY Oran Parker & Mike Brignac
In this episode of Find the Good News we go LIVE with Thom Trahan & Kat Godsey of the Brimstone Museum and Henning Cultural Center in Sulphur, Louisiana. They talk about the Chaos Theory art exhibit on display now at the Henning Cultural Center, and their Totally Rad 80s Party to send off the show in style, Saturday, August 31 from 6-8pm at the Henning Cultural Center.
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EVENT FEATURES:
80s Costume Contest, the movie Ghostbuster on the lawn, the Chaos Theory art exhibit, Artists and Art Vendors, BoomBox Frozen Pops & Ice Cream, the 80s Kids Bedroom display for photo ops, Retro Piano Man Jack Harrell, and the Louisiana Ghostbusters with Ecto-1!
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SUPPORT FIND THE GOOD NEWS ON PATREON >> www.Patreon.com/FindTheGoodNews
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT CHAOS THEORY & THE TOTALLY RAD 80s PARTY >> www.facebook.com/events/380920635942205/ or www.facebook.com/ChaosTheoryArtShow/
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Wednesday Aug 21, 2019
Ep. 53 - The Organism Ft. Abbie Dixon - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Aug 21, 2019
Wednesday Aug 21, 2019
I remember when I was a child, those key moments that softened my heart, the events that really made me tender, that helped me feel for others. Looking back I can see how often those feelings were turned off and on during my life. On reflection, I see the times when I saw the suffering and misfortune of others as benchmarks, moments when I felt my higher self, the part of me that longed to be a balm or a servant to others. If I had one great regret it would be that I didn’t string those moments closer together, with higher frequency recurrence, tuning my focus on them sooner. Perhaps that is why I am fascinated when I meet people like Abbie Dixon, a woman who seems to have found her calling to serve others at a young age, which is one of the reasons I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to visit with her on Find the Good News. Abbie is one of the founders of Ezer Ministries, a newly formed non-profit that is working to help people in our community using whatever resources are available for a variety of ongoing needs. In speaking with Abbie I learn that one doesn’t have to have a lifetime of pains and tragedies to fuel a desire to help. In Abbie’s case, her heart started opening up to the people around her as early as eight years old, and she has used the energy of the things she witnessed as a child to draw her closer to the Divine Heart, a Spirit that has set her on a mission. This mission she has committed to is simple; love others, love those that society deems unlovable, love beyond the boundaries erected by legalism, tradition, and prescribed forms. Abbie quite clearly senses her place within the body of humanity, the place of a servant, and with kindness, gentleness, and humility she settles into this space with each passing day. I can’t go back and stitch the moments of sweetness in my life any closer together than they already are, but after visiting with Abbie I am fully convinced that I can make the days I have left more joyful, filled with service, and kinder still.
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SUPPORT FIND THE GOOD NEWS ON PATREON >> www.Patreon.com/FindTheGoodNews
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT ABBIE DIXON & EZER MINISTRIES >> www.instagram.com/ezerministries or wwww.facebook.com/abbied98
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Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
When you find out an old friend has started a hot sauce brand called Jammin’ Jelly’s Hot Sauce,… and you happen to like hot sauce,… and you have a podcast, then you know what you’re supposed to do next. I hadn’t seen Jelly Reynolds since we had worked together a K.D.’s Diner almost 23 years ago, so I invited mad food scientists—Jelly Reynolds and his business partner Charlie Frye—to come sit in the hot seats on Find the Good News. Jelly and Charlie have the honor of being a part of the very first cuisine focused episode of this show, and our conversation does not disappoint. It’s an origin story—which I love—with all the savory details that make the tastebuds in your mind hungry for more. It seems Jelly and Charlie's line of comfort sauces are moving on a steep incline, with the right amount of heat for a solid launch. What you get to be a part of in this episode are the stories behind the clever names, unique colors, and ingredients, plus the curious and mouth-watering flavor profiles that are putting Jammin’ Jelly’s Hot Sauce on the tingling tips of Southwest Louisiana tongues. These are sauces that are born right here in Southwest Louisiana, and they're raising the stakes even further by using them in their signature Louisiana comfort foods that they’ll soon be serving from the Jammin’ Jelly’s Hot Sauce food truck. I don’t want to overcook the intro—I have to leave you something to listen to—so I’ll keep a little simmering on the side. Know this, Jelly and Charlie are cooking up good things. I hope you’ve saved room for more.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT JAMMIN' JELLY'S HOT SAUCE >> www.facebook.com/jamminjellyshotsauce/
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Wednesday Aug 07, 2019
Ep. 51 - The Guest House Ft. DeWanna Tarver - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Aug 07, 2019
Wednesday Aug 07, 2019
I don’t know if you have children, but if you do—as I do—then you’ve had to dig deep when summer ends, and it’s time to buy school clothes, uniforms, and supplies. Sometimes life takes a turn for the better, your resources become more plentiful and paying for school supplies, and fees aren’t such a heavy burden. For many, that turn has not arrived. For some, it never does. I have been in that situation before, shaving money from places that were already thin, to ensure my children could attend public school with the minimum requirements. There were times when I couldn’t afford all new uniforms, secretly praying that my children wouldn’t grow much over the summer, hoping I could squeeze a little more time out a pair of pants, shoes, or shirts. It is a reality for many parents in Calcasieu Parish. It was this stark realization that motivated DeWanna Tarver to take action. That action evolved into DeWanna’s Community Closet, a non-profit service that now provides school uniforms, shoes, undergarments, and school supplies to children all across Calcasieu Parish. I’d heard of DeWanna’s Community Closet before, but I didn’t really understand the full scope of the service, so I asked DeWanna to come and visit me on Find the Good News. What I learned, and what touched my heart the most, is that for so long the teachers of Calcasieu Parish—and I’m sure teachers around the country—were meeting the needs of the children in their classrooms with their own funds. As DeWanna explains, teachers are on the frontline, seeing and assessing the students' needs directly, and for years, they were doing this on their own. In it’s earliest incarnation, DeWanna’s Community Closet was no closet at all; it was just DeWanna, her keen sense for sniffing out good deals, purchasing items herself, and bringing them to schools for students with potential needs. This original inspiration has unfolded and expanded to a fully stocked facility, formerly DeWanna’s guest house, that offers brand new uniforms, undergarments, supplies, shoes, and other resources for educators in Calcasieu Parish. Through the ongoing generosity of DeWanna’s patrons, this facility is able to deliver much-needed resources directly to schools in Calcasieu, with systems in place for teachers to request specific items. Because DeWanna Tarver listened to her heart, her eyes were opened to the needs that parents, teachers, and children face at the beginning of each school year. Because her heart moved her to action, DeWanna’s Community Closet exists to serve. This year when I went school supply shopping I noticed that the list was shorter, something I had not paid attention to in recent years past. On the sheet, it mentioned all the businesses and individuals that donated to help provide the remainder of the school items. On that sheet, I saw the logo for DeWanna’s Community Closet. My eyes filled with tears and my heart swelled. I knew somewhere there was a father that was in my shoes all those years ago, worrying, shaving funds, not sure how he was going to get everything his children needed. As I meditated on that mystery father, I was comforted knowing that his burden was made lighter. I am so thankful for DeWanna Tarver, and that her goodness and love manifested to meet the needs of so many families in our area.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT DEWANNA'S COMMUNITY CLOSET >> www.facebook.com/DeWannasCloset/
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Wednesday Jul 31, 2019
Wednesday Jul 31, 2019
If you are having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
I’ve often wished that I could see the private sufferings of the people around me, to behold their secret worries, fears, and pains on a scale of colors. That may sound dismal to some, but it doesn’t to me. I feel that if I could clearly see their pains, then I’d know exactly what ingredients to include in their particular medicinal balm. A caution light—flashing bright red—I’ve imagined what it would be like if people came equipped with such a signal. It would let others know they had reached the edge of what they believe can be tolerated, and that they are considering taking their own life. In reality, seeing the burdens people carry inside takes a more delicate awareness than my color warning fantasy could muster. Knowing what to do when the red light is flashing takes a set of skills that are sorely needed in Calcasieu Parish. In an attempt to understand these skills, I asked the Assistant Professor of Psychology at McNeese State University, Dr. Kevin Yaudes and Director of Student Health & Development at McNeese State University, Ramie Thibodeaux, to share their experiences and knowledge on suicide prevention with me on Find the Good News. Kevin began our talk with a sobering fact—the suicide rate in Calcasieu Parish is 42% higher than the national average, making death by suicide more common in our region compared to other areas of Louisiana. While Kevin and Ramie could not definitively say why there is such a disproportionate amount of suicides in our area, they did share ways that each of us can help. Kevin believes we need to have more open and healthy conversations about suicide, not just among mental health professionals, but in the actual tribes that make up our communities. Suicide is dyed in manifold pain and grief, a subject with deep stains compared to other mental health-related topics. Kevin and Ramie both working passionately to remove the stigmata from the issue of suicide, bringing it out of the shadows and into the light where it can be discussed in healthy and healing ways. The upcoming Out of Darkness walk on September 21, 2019, in Lake Charles, Louisiana is just one of many national events taking place in September that have been created to bring suicide into the public dialogue. The Out of Darkness Walk is designed to bring families, friends, and survivors together in solidarity, understanding, and love while raising funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. As a family member of a suicide survivor, I understand all too well how deep the stigma of suicide stains the fibers of your life. I have experienced the verbal dancing that takes place to avoid talking about suicide openly. As a man that was lead to suicidal thoughts through mind-altering medications, I have seen just how seductive depression can be, and how dark and lonely the hole is. I have been one of the lucky ones twice in my life, and I know that silence is not a solution. I’ve received second and third chances. These have tilled my heart, allowing compassion to bloom for those contemplating suicide. Unlike my colorful imaginings, we can’t see the various tints of pain and despair that lead to suicidal thoughts. As Kevin proposes, we can change the way we talk about suicide, and who we talk about it with. More than that, we can each take steps to cultivate awareness, greater listening skills, loving-kindness, and—most important of all—conscious presence for those exhibiting suicidal signs.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT DR. KEVIN YAUDES >> wwww.facebook.com/kevin.yaudes
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THE OUT OF DARKNESS WALK >> https://www.facebook.com/events/376325236256582/
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Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
Ep. 49 - The Starfish Ft. Kayla Rigney - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
Wednesday Jul 24, 2019
When I sit and reflect on all the people I've encountered in my life, I feel grateful. It's not because every person I've met has been pleasant—I'm just thankful to have encountered the variety. On one end of the spectrum, I've met many people filled with pride and hubris, touching others with the subtleness of a shotgun blast. Sometimes I've even been that person. Other times I've met extremely grounded people that choose to affect the world kindly, one day at a time, person-to-person. It was my good fortune to have that friendly and gentle type come and visit me on Find the Good News in the person of Kayla Rigney. Kayla Rigney is the executive director of the Calcasieu Community Clinic, a non-profit free health care clinic located on the McNeese State University campus in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Kayla and the staff at the Calcasieu Community Clinic provide medical care to low-income and working uninsured people in the Imperial Calcasieu region. As it turns out, this is the perfect home for a good-natured person like Kayla, and the more I spoke with her, the more I could see the fit. Kayla has a knack for being realistic yet optimistic, grounded and hopeful. She seems to understand whether life brings you troubles or rewards, it is your attitude that makes all the difference in your quality of life. While the clinic she works for affects the many, Kayla tries to keep her focus on the individuals, the particulars of the people she encounters. She knows their stories, she knows where they come from, and because her heart is open to them, she can genuinely care about them in a personal way. I'd like to adopt more of Kayla's direction in my life, touching people in simple ways, one-by-one, face-to-face, not from a distance. I think we could all benefit from that. The world could benefit from that. The world is full of problems—It's easy to get gridlocked. If we take a page from Kayla Rigney, if we do one good thing for one person, just a little, when and where we can, then we won't have to find the good news. Like Kayla, we'll be making good news every day.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT KAYLA RIGNEY >> www.facebook.com/Kayla.Mallett.Rigney or www.calcasieucommunityclinic.com
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Wednesday Jul 17, 2019
Ep. 48 - The Turn of the Wheel Ft. Mike Brignac - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Jul 17, 2019
Wednesday Jul 17, 2019
I have always been attracted to stories of transformation and enlightenment. A man is one way today, then something critical shifts in his life, and he wakes up as a new man. It had been years since I had seen Mike Brignac, but when he came to visit me on Find the Good News it was clear that I was talking with a man that had come out of a chrysalis. Mike spoke to me with an honesty that I’ve come to appreciate from my guests. He was fearless and truthful in the way he recounted his days as a local media personality. He relentlessly dissected and described the man he was, someone that he painted as filled with ego and self-centered ways. In one of the most humble and graceful testimonies I’ve ever heard, Mike described his shift away from media, local fame, and his decent. After an unfortunate accident, Mike entered a seven-year sentence of declining health which left him debilitated and dependent on others for his care. It was in this state—bed-ridden and imprisoned within his own body—that Mike Brignac changed his mind. He discovered that the healing of his body, mind, and spirit lay within the power of his imagination. Only one word could describe what came next—a miracle. Mike’s story will challenge the logical thinker, the supernatural denier, a hardened unbelieving heart, or a mind that disregards anything fantastic as fiction. Maybe it will challenge you. Regardless, I would encourage you to listen to Mike’s story with an open mind and heart. Listen to every word. Perhaps he has been where you have been, or to places you have yet to go. Maybe you have your cocoon yet to weave, or perhaps you are just emerging from your chrysalis. My conversation with Mike Brignac reminded me—yet again—that we all have the potential to change. Sometimes life is like a wheel spinning around us, out of control, but the good news is that sometimes— through our imaginative thinking—we can turn the wheel ourselves to a better way.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT MIKE BRIGNAC >> www.facebook.com/mike.wbrignac or https://feelingtwisty.podbean.com/
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Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Ep. 47 - The Skyscraper Ft. Braylin Jenkins - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
Wednesday Jul 10, 2019
I’ve always tried to be honest in these introductions, hopefully giving you the best short reflection on my conversation with the guest of the week, and a brief sketch of the dialogue I’m presenting. I think it’s vital that I be clear that this episode of Find the Good News with Braylin Jenkins—the creator and host of the show Wide Awake With Bray J—takes a long way around to the find the good. As we drew near to the end of our conversation, Braylin and I lovingly addressed that very point. As creators of digital content, Braylin and I happened to contact each other to do separate interviews on each other’s shows, trading stories, perspectives, and motivations. In following Braylin online, and in visiting with him before our Wide Awake interview, I could tell that he had been through something with stout gravity, maybe several heavy somethings, and that whatever he had been through drafted a new purpose and vector to his work in media. In visiting with Braylin, I was reminded that sometimes the sky is just out of reach, no matter how passionate we are when we first stretch to touch it. We extend our arms, our palms wide, ready to grip, but for all of our efforts, we barely scrape the clouds before falling to the ground. Often, our true resilience doesn’t come from climbing our way to the top. Our real strengths are formed in the times after our wax wings have melted, when we’ve fallen to the ground amidst our scattered pinions, and found the will to get back up—hopefully, wiser and better equipped—to make another solid try for the clear blue sky. Braylin Jenkins took the time to share his story with me, and I listened to his testimony. This is a sketch of a young man finding his way in Southwest Louisiana media, and hoping do a little good.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT BRAYLIN JENKINS >> www.facebook.com/braylinjenkins1 or hhttps://soundcloud.com/braylin-jenkins-773954728
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Wednesday Jul 03, 2019
Wednesday Jul 03, 2019
We walk around people everyday, pass by strangers, carried by the momentum of our own agendas, desires, worries, and goals. What happens when we slow things down, get out of the pulling and hauling, drive away from the path we're familiar with, and point our compass toward someone else's world? What happens when we listen to their story, and they graciously offer us port and harbor inside their heart? That's the type of journey I experienced when I drove south toward the gulf coast and visited with Cameron Parish Port Director, Clair Hebert Marceaux, for this Road Trip episode of Find the Good News. There is no fabricated care, forced love, or feigned concern with Clair. When I sat with her at Rutherford Beach in Cameron, it was immediately apparent that I was visiting with a living spiritual heart that is connected to the life-blood and history of the land. Gulf waves gently crested on the beach and washed away as I talked with Clair. Coastal birds offered their audience and songs to our conversation. While there were a plethora of things to stimulate my eyes, ears, and mind, it was Clair's passion for Cameron that consumed my full attention. Her heart is so expansive, so open, and so complete—not unlike the slumbering giant that is the Gulf of Mexico—and it contains a history that runs the full spectrum of Cameron's sorrows and joys. As the Cameron Parish Port Director, Clair is intimately connected to the upper echelon of global affairs that affect the economics and lives of everyone in Southwest Louisiana. This space in which she operates is far beyond the scope of the average citizen. While this work is impressive, it is this shared space where she takes off her shoes and puts her feet in the sand with everyone else that moved my spirit the most. Clair Hebert Marceaux feels the pain and loss that the people of Cameron suffered from the berserker winds and surge of Hurricane Rita, and she still weeps at the ghosts that haunt a coastline forever changed by Rita's wraith. Clair's heart is wide enough to contain the happiness and the sorrows of what has come before, and it is getting bigger still to make room for the good news that comes with the life-giving work she is doing for this gulf coast region she calls home.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT CLAIR HEBERT MARCEAUX or CAMERON PARISH PORT >> www.facebook.com/clair.marceaux or http://www.cameronparishport.com/
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Wednesday Jun 26, 2019
Wednesday Jun 26, 2019
If your heart is invested in a creative endeavor, and you're in a relationship, there's almost nothing better than having the full support of your partner or spouse. There is a feeling of uncertainty when you step out into the unknown as a creative. It can feel a bit like shifting sand beneath your feet, but knowing that someone is there for you with faith like mountains can turn shifting-sand to the firmness of rock, making each step more stable. While you're honing your craft, figuring out how to navigate the uncharted way, your other is there with love, encouragement, ideas, and support. That's the type of solidity of faith and support I got to witness between Justin & Emily Martindale when they came to sit at my table on Find the Good News. Between the two of them, you'll find a creative carousel of talents. Justin is an accomplished and talented musician, producer, and designer, while Emily is a sought after photographer and writer. They are both reflective creators that find a great deal of joy in all the works they do. In short, they seem to be having fun together, supporting each other's works, and building a line-up of services that are helping other creatives bring their ideas to life. At the very heart of their relationship is a desire to help each other breath life into their ideas, and that energy and support spill off of them in waves. Emily nurtures Justin's passion for music, while Justin actively cheers Emily into new ventures in writing, and on and on they go and grow. In Justin's music and Emily's images, you'll find an expert quality that appeals to the eye and the ear. In Justin and Emily's story, you'll discover good news, and perhaps a little song that smiles in your heart.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT JUSTIN MARTINDALE >> www.facebook.com/justin.martindale.5 or www.instagram.com/justin_martindale_music/
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT EMILY MARTINDALE >> www.facebook.com/EmilyRoseMartindale or www.instagram.com/martindalemediagroup/
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Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
Ep. 44 - The Saving Throw Ft. Bruce Plauché - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
Wednesday Jun 19, 2019
When you produce a show about good people doing good works, when you open that door, you never know who's going sit across the table from you, or how they're going to end up there. Someone contacts me and says, "This guy really helped my family and me; you should get him on Find the Good News," it's hard to resist making the first contact. I've learned to trust my listeners because they've been right every single time, and that track record didn't change when local counselor Bruce Plauché sat down behind the microphone. There was an instant easiness with Bruce, and our conversation flowed naturally from the jump. Bruce used our natural affinity for comic books and science fiction as the building blocks of our discussion, not all dissimilar from the way he uses them to help the people he works with to build better lives for themselves. He's a natural talker and listener, and I found that he engaged everything I asked with enthusiasm. At Bruce's center, I experienced an authentic nature and honesty, qualities that were flourished by petals of his quick wit and humor. If you tune in to this show because people share openly, then you've picked a good one because Bruce illustrates just how healing it can be to open up in a healthy way. He's teaching children and adults how to develop more robust communication and relationship practices through role-playing, and he sees results. What I learned from Bruce is that it's essential to understand the origins of others, and it's of equal importance to know where you come from as well. Sometimes you have to roll the dice and mix things up to discover your saving grace, your superpower. The good news is that in trying on a lot of masks and cloaks, you sometimes find the one that fits just right, and you may discover your true face in the process.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT BRUCE PLAUCHÉ >> www.facebook.com/bruce.plauche or https://nh-cc.com/index.html
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Wednesday Jun 12, 2019
Ep. 43 - The Legacy - Road Trip Ft. Chris Breaux - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Jun 12, 2019
Wednesday Jun 12, 2019
If you want to find a quiet place to think, I can’t think of any place more peaceful than a cemetery. There’s a reason we call it the quiet of the grave. It was in one of these garden’s of the dead where my life found purpose and meaning over 23 years ago. Each year I go that that sacred place, to revisit the cause for my desire to awaken, and my hope that we—that I—can be a more loving and compassionate being. I always go there alone, but I’m never truly alone when I’m there. It was this affinity for sacred spaces and final resting places that drew me to Chris Breaux, the owner of Monumental Life, so I asked if he would share his good works with me on Find the Good News. Chris asked me to take a road trip to visit with him at Orange Grove Cemetery in Lake Charles, Louisiana so I could experience his service to the dead first hand. Orange Grove Cemetery is home to the largest display of flags for American veterans in the United States, and it is the abode for the bones of many of Southwest Louisiana’s founding fathers and mothers. In seeking his own founding mothers and fathers, Chris found a new calling, a way to honor those that have come before us, that lived, loved, laughed, suffered, and cried,… just like us. Since his initial motivation, I would describe Chris’s work as a personal piety, and crusade of sorts, a mission to remind us that everything shiny we chase after is fleeting, temporary, dust and that the most glorious crown we could ever have isn’t made of earthly jewels, or polished gold. Our greatest treasure is a life well-lived, a good heart, and service to one another. Beneath blues skies, with a chorus of birds, and cooled by the shadow cast of 200-year-old oaks, I sat down with Chris for an extended visit and discovered he has made a journey, not unlike mine, or possibly yours. There have been joys, there have been sorrows, and there has been a change of heart. Not only did he share his motivations with me, but he also graciously allowed me to assist him in his holy work, in honoring the lives of those that came before us through the revitalization of their monuments. It was a memento mori, a day to remember that we too must die, but before we cross through that gate and enter the great mystery we should find the capacity within ourselves to truly appreciate the good we see before us, and also do whatever good we can.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT CHRIS BREAUX >> www.facebook.com/chris.breaux.395 or www.facebook.com/monumentallifelc
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Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
Ep. 42 - The Norns Ft. Rex Alexander - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
Wednesday Jun 05, 2019
There’s nothing better than a good origin story, especially the ones where the little details and chance encounters could have made everything turn out different. What if the main character had arrived a little earlier, or a little later in their tale? What if they had gone left instead of right? When local potter, Rex Alexander, came by to visit Find the Good News, those were the types of legendary details that stood out to me. It seems to me that Rex has always had a desire to create, a part of himself that was looking for its place in the sun. Rex’s story is of a chance encounter, smoke, fire, a path, when on the right day at the right time—and with the right people—the course of Rex Alexander’s life changed. I personally love Rex’s pottery, especially his mugs, and if you own one, then you’ll know what I mean when I say they look like they crawled right out of the earth into your hand. When I drink from his mugs, it changes the drink, not in any physical way that’s discernible. His containers change your mind if you allow them to because they are imbued with the ethereal energy of his story, containing his passion for sharing what he knows, and the joy he finds in experimenting with the medium he was called to use. These vessels were made by his hands with love. I find I get a lot out of discovering people’s hinge moments, the things that happen in their life that places them on a new trajectory, creating a new timeline. I can’t say that I didn’t wonder what would have happened had Rex Alexander walked past his destiny just a few minutes earlier, a few minutes later, or if he’d decided to take another route on the day that the hinges pivoted, the day his door opened. Perhaps there’s an alternate reality out there where Rex Alexander isn’t throwing, turning, and shaping clay into the great works we know him by. If so, I’d say I’m glad I live in this one where I get to share his good news just as it’s been formed.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT REX ALEXANDER >> www.facebook.com/Rexthepotter or www.instagram.com/rexalexanderpotter/
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Wednesday May 29, 2019
Wednesday May 29, 2019
If there’s one recurring theme on this show it is that people feel a little worn down from taking a “business-as-usual” approach to life. Many are looking for a fresh approach to the way they work, play, interact, eat, and move. What’s even more prevalent is that many people are using their disenchantment with the status quo as an opportunity to start over, to rebuild from the ground up, and then they’re sharing their journey with others in the hopes they can make a change to. I recently had the pleasure to visit one of those special people when Meghan Abraham, the creator of Fresh Fuel, came to visit me on Find the Good News. Meghan hit the status quo, got fed up with it, then changed her life, and she continues to change it daily by focusing on critical elements. She wanted to eat better. She wanted to be more active. She wanted the changes she made to areas to be practical for the average person trying to make their way in a 24-hour world. If you follow Meghan on social media then you’ll find very quickly that she values honesty and transparency. Is she living her hashtag “best life?” You bet she is, and as it turns out her best life is her real life. She shares the good days and bad ones because let’s face it,… that’s what real life is made of. In sharing this way she is encouraging others to take that first fresh step toward a brand new life. With Fresh Fuel, she wants to help you start cooking and eating fresher food at home, and by taking the planning off your plate she believes you’ll put healthier food on the table for you, and your family. Beyond that, I believe Meghan follows the “just do something” philosophy. If you want to make a change try taking a different path, but don’t stand still. I gathered that she believes there is a new you on standby, waiting for you do that next simple thing that’s going to put a whole series of fresh new actions into motion, making each day a celebration of life. She’s here to help you so you don’t have to get kickstarted alone. Change can be hard, and Meghan is here to help make it easier. If you’re parked in idle and not sure where to start, Meghan Abraham has good news.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT MEGHAN ABRAHAM & FRESH FUEL >> www.facebook.com/meghanhanksabraham or https://thefreshfuel.com/
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Wednesday May 22, 2019
Ep. 40 - The Tulips Ft. Susan Riehn - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday May 22, 2019
Wednesday May 22, 2019
You know the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” I was never fond of that saying, to be honest. I’ve known a lot of people with a surplus of lemons, little strength or help to squeeze them, much less sugar to sweeten things up. That said, I’ve still come to believe it is in the womb of our adversities that our gifts gestate, and eventually bloom into virtues that manifest blessings for others. That’s exactly the type of tale I got to enjoy when I sat down to visit with Susan Riehn on Find the Good News. Susan is the director of “Families Helping Families of Southwest Louisiana,” a non-profit organization and team that puts people with disabilities, their caregivers, and their families in touch with resources they may not have been aware of otherwise. Selfishly, I love to fill my mind and feed my spirit with stories like the one Susan shared. The beauty is not in the story alone, but in the echo and rhyme I sense in it, a set of somewhat common words and tales that reinforce what I hear over and over again on this podcast; “I saw a way I could help my fellow beings, and I chose to act.” That’s really what’s at the heart of Susan’s story. She had a desperate need—she did not know where to turn—and a helper arrived. Her story is now the story of “Families Helping Families of Southwest Louisiana;” a willingness to be a helper for those without one. If you listen to enough volunteers and servants in our community—especially those at “Families Helping Families of Southwest Louisiana”—you’ll hear some version of this story of the able helper. I heard this good news clearly when I spoke with Susan Riehn, and I believe fully that you will hear it too.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT AMANDA YELLOTT >> www.facebook.com/charliesuea or www.instagram.com/a._man._duh/
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Wednesday May 15, 2019
Ep. 39 - The Wormhole Ft. Amanda Yellott - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday May 15, 2019
Wednesday May 15, 2019
What happens when a fan becomes a guest? That’s what I found out when I asked wonder-fan Amanda Yellott to come in and visit me on Find the Good News. With a young podcast like this one, it’s a little easier to engage with listeners in a personal way, and Amanda is precisely the type of listener a show like this needs. She’s engaged, introspective, encouraging, willing to challenge the thoughts and ideas presented, and open to absorbing new perspectives and practices as takeaways she can apply to her own life. What more could any podcaster ask for? As I got to know Amanda as a fan, I ended up learning about her specific good news, her good works. Amanda is the director of the dance program at the Whistle Stop, a program designed to engage youth using dance as a vehicle, giving them a place to receive mentorship, learn exciting new skills, and work with others. These children may be learning to dance literally, but they are also learning to dance with life metaphorically, to take the right steps, to find the rhythm, and move with the ebb-and-flow. As much as I enjoyed speaking with Amanda about her good news as the director of the Whistle Stop dance program, it was her perspective as a listener that I think I got the most out of. Our conversation was a bit like entering a wormhole, wondering where exactly where we’d travel as we cross the bridge, and wondering where we would come out on the other side. What was quite lovely and refreshing was that we didn’t always agree, or have the same perspective, and that was a-okay. For that solitary reason, my visit with Amanda Yellott was pretty good news to me.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT AMANDA YELLOTT >> www.facebook.com/charliesuea or www.instagram.com/a._man._duh/
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Wednesday May 08, 2019
Ep. 38 - The Pizzeria - Mixtape Vol. 1 - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday May 08, 2019
Wednesday May 08, 2019
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Wednesday May 01, 2019
Ep. 37 - The Time For Tea Ft. Julia O'Carroll - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday May 01, 2019
Wednesday May 01, 2019
Tea. Like many things, it’s always felt like there was a layer to uncover. Perhaps I’ve observed it, or read about it, but there seemed to be some type of atmosphere around it, an allure that brings people together in the sharing of the little warm cup, or maybe its the steeping, the waiting for heated water to bring the dried leaves, flowers, peels, or berries back to life. Whatever magic tea holds, it was obviously present when Julia O’Carroll, the owner of Tea at Walden, came to visit me on Find the Good News. Oddly enough, Julia and I didn’t share a cup of tea during her visit. In our sharing, I felt something else brewing. I like to think that from a certain perspective one might even see of our conversation as a type of tea, not one that you can drink or taste, but consumable and comforting nonetheless. Our cup of metaphorical tea contains the ingredients we brought to our visit, our sufferings, tragedies, pains, old regrets, deep fears, with notes of our beautiful hopes and dreams, wonderful wishes for positive change, and our personal desires to help others form new habits that will bring them peace and tranquility in a world that celebrates busyness with new fervor each day. The more our ingredients steeped in the waters of our conversation, the more they flowered into a drink that warmed my heart. Julia O’Carroll wants something very simple, and ultimately accomplishable. She wants you to sit with a cup of tea, to give yourself a moment in time to just be with it, to inhale the aroma as the leaves come to life. Through the tea she wants you to find a space—not unlike Thoreau’s cabin at Walden—where you can simply be, reflect, and perhaps get in touch with a part of yourself that can get muddled in the pulling and hauling that's filled with the pings and dings of our lives. Find a quiet place, put on a kettle, cradle a special cup, and pick a tea that appeals to your palette. Let the leaves steep while your ears listen to something good.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT JULIA O'CARROLL >> www.facebook.com/julia.ocarroll or www.facebook.com/TeaatWalden
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Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
Ep. 36 - The Chain Breaker Ft. Rusty Havens - Find the Good News with Oran Parker
Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
For a long time, I thought of sex trafficking as something that happened somewhere else, or maybe as a plot device for action films. If I'm honest, I feel pretty ignorant even admitting that. Like, many of the things that plague our world, it was an out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem. It wasn’t happening in my life, and there was not information stream putting it in my view to make me aware. That’s where Rusty Havens comes into the picture, and it’s the reason I asked him to visit me on Find the Good News. Rusty is the founder of the Southwest Louisiana Abolitionists, a local group of volunteers with the mission of creating more awareness on human trafficking in our region, as well providing resources, services, and compassion to victims. That’s the part that seems to be the hardest in this world today—the compassion—but it isn’t for Rusty and the volunteers that work with him. Sitting across from Rusty, looking in his eyes as he spoke, I could see that he looks on the children of creation with eyes of love and mercy. He allows the suffering of others to enter his heart, to wound him with their wounds, turning that energy into loving service. When I get to visit with someone like Rusty Havens it’s hard to leave without a change taking place. I think it’s because the love he’s sharing, the compassion and care that he’s promoting are made of spirit. It breaks chains, enters through locked doors, seeps through the pores in prison walls, it enters where there is no space. Listen to Rusty Havens in this visit and you’ll be made aware of things that pierce through the comfy thin cushion that keeps the worlds suffering at bay, just outside the safe spaces we’ve built for ourselves. There are terrible things out there, tragedies and horrors, even if they are not our own,… but they are happening to our brethren,… they are happening right here at home. Does another’s pain and despair absolve us of right speech or right action, release from the duty of engagement, just because we were the lucky ones? I don’t know the answer to those questions, but I’ve believed for a long time that on some level we should each be asking some version of it. When Rusty Havens sat down at my table, I met a man who is asking that question. When he asked it his heart quivered, and it led him to do something good.
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FOR MORE INFO ABOUT RUSTY HAVENS>> www.instagram.com/rusty_havens or www.facebook.com/swlaAbolitionists
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