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Appalachia Meets WorldAppalachia Meets World Episode 150 - ERC Fellow "Spin and Chat" (in Appalachia) with Mick ThorntonIn this inaugural (and monthly) Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) Fellow "Spin and Chat," Neil and Will sit down with Mick Thornton - a self described builder of things and current Fellow in San Juan County, Utah. In a previous episode (episode 139) Nathan Ohle, President and CEO of the International Economic Development Council, explained the purpose of the ERC - as described on the website - "a new collaborative initiative designed to accelerate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in distressed communities and regions throughout the U.S. by connecting organizations with the talent and capacity needed to advance new ways of...2024-05-031h 07
Mick's MinuteEmpty Well
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I don’t think much about water wells. Probably because I have never been without one. But if it weren’t for wells, we would have a lot less corn, a lot fewer cows, and my dishwasher wouldn’t work. They make land more usable and life more livable. And sometimes, wells run dry.Water wells serve as a pretty good metaphor for our lives. Sometimes in life, we are just rocking it. We’re pumping at 1,500 gallons a minute. No matter what happens, we can make it work. Other times...2020-08-2900 min
Mick's MinuteEmpty WellThe subtle art of sucking sand.2020-08-2904 minMick's MinuteOlympianAdam Nelson is a great Olympian from the United States. His event is the shot put. As a shot-putter, he made no money, had no fame, and wasn’t even offered Olympic training. When He graduated college he had the opportunity to become an investment banker and the opportunity to possibly play in the NFL. He turned down both.Because of his passion to win Olympic gold for the USA in the shot put he got a regular job and spent his days going to work at 6am, and then training until midnight. He would fly from sporting ev...2020-08-2105 minMick's MinuteOlympianAdam Nelson is a great Olympian from the United States. His event is the shot put. As a shot-putter, he made no money, had no fame, and wasn’t even offered Olympic training. When He graduated college he had the opportunity to become an investment banker and the opportunity to possibly play in the NFL.He turned down both.Because of his passion to win Olympic gold for the USA in the shot put he got a regular job and spent his days going to work at 6am, and then training until midnight. He would fl...2020-08-2105 minMick's MinuteHappy TreesOnce upon a time in Oklahoma we had a neighbor with a strange hobby. She would record this super-boring painting show on her old VCR and then she would follow along, pausing and rewinding and pausing some more, trying to paint the picture that the guy on TV was painting.As a little kid, it was the most excruciatingly boring thing I had ever seen in my life. It was literally like watching paint dry, and then rewinding and watching the same paint dry again.To say the least, I did not get that.The painting show...2020-08-1606 minMick's MinuteHappy TreesOnce upon a time in Oklahoma we had a neighbor with a strange hobby. She would record this super-boring painting show on her old VCR and then she would follow along, pausing and rewinding and pausing some more, trying to paint the picture that the guy on TV was painting.As a little kid, it was the most excruciatingly boring thing I had ever seen in my life. It was literally like watching paint dry, and then rewinding and watching the same paint dry again.To say the least, I did not get that.2020-08-1606 minMick's MinuteJumpThere is a creature in this world called a barnacle goose.If you ever meet one (and if it will let you) you should give it a pat on the head because every living barnacle goose has had at least one very bad day. Barnacle geese are largely from Greenland where there are no trees and arctic foxes quickly raid any next laid upon the ground. Barnacle geese solve that problem by flying up and building their nests on rocky crags a few hundred feet above the ground. That is a great plan, and works brilliantly until...2020-08-1105 min
Mick's MinuteJumpThere is a creature in this world called a barnacle goose. If you ever meet one (and if it will let you) you should give it a pat on the head because every living barnacle goose has had at least one very bad day. Barnacle geese are largely from Greenland where there are no trees and arctic foxes quickly raid any next laid upon the ground. Barnacle geese solve that problem by flying up and building their nests on rocky crags a few hundred feet above the ground. That is a great plan, and works brilliantly until exactly t...2020-08-1105 minMick's MinuteHomeI am thinking about what makes a place home.At first I thought that the answer to that question would be pretty simple. But it really isn’t. If you look around, there are two very different ways that people answer that question. Many people go by the motto that home is where your heart is. From this perspective, home is typically the place where you are from. Or more specifically, home is the place that identifies who you are. That is usually the place where you grew up, but it might be a place that you never ev...2020-07-2506 minMick's MinuteHomeI am thinking about what makes a place home.At first I thought that the answer to that question would be pretty simple. But it really isn’t. If you look around, there are two very different ways that people answer that question.Many people go by the motto that home is where your heart is. From this perspective, home is typically the place where you are from. Or more specifically, home is the place that identifies who you are. That is usually the place where you grew up, but it might be a place th...2020-07-2506 minMick's MinuteTubingTubing down a river is a beautiful thing.A tube is a perfect device on which to float down a river because it does two jobs really well. First, it floats. That’s important if you swim like I do. Secondly, because of its shape a tube catches a lot of current. That combination makes a trusty old inner tube the perfect device upon which to float lazily down a river.If you ever try to tube up a river, however, you will discover instantly that your tube isn’t your friend anymore. No matter how hard...2020-07-2202 minMick's MinuteTubingTubing down a river is a beautiful thing.A tube is a perfect device on which to float down a river because it does two jobs really well. First, it floats. That’s important if you swim like I do. Secondly, because of its shape a tube catches a lot of current. That combination makes a trusty old inner tube the perfect device upon which to float lazily down a river.If you ever try to tube up a river, however, you will discover instantly that your tube isn’t your friend anymore. No matter how...2020-07-2202 minMick's MinuteThe LawnEvery house has a lawn full of grass. Yet I can think of exactly one person that I know who says that they enjoy mowing their yard.For that one guy, mowing his yard is a hobby. And maybe for a few others also. But for the rest of us, we do not mow our yards because we specifically enjoy it or look forward to it. We mow our yards because we like having a nice yard. For most of us, mowing the lawn is not something we particularly want. Having a mowed yard is what...2020-07-1505 minMick's MinuteThe LawnEvery house has a lawn full of grass. Yet I can think of exactly one person that I know who says that they enjoy mowing their yard.For that one guy, mowing his yard is a hobby. And maybe for a few others also. But for the rest of us, we do not mow our yards because we specifically enjoy it or look forward to it. We mow our yards because we like having a nice yard.For most of us, mowing the lawn is not something we particularly want. Having a mowed yard is...2020-07-1505 minMick's MinuteArtI have a bit of an odd interest in things that are together, but don’t go together. If that makes sense. A small storm cloud surrounded by blue sky. A run-down house in a nice neighborhood. An Iowa fan in the middle of the Husker student section.Weird and out of place things like that are, for whatever reason, really interesting to me.Once upon a time in Montana there was a meek, soft-spoken, 83-year-old man named Eugene Peterson. He was famous for writing a book that is a super-famous re-telling of the whole Bi...2020-07-1105 minMick's MinuteArtI have a bit of an odd interest in things that are together, but don’t go together. If that makes sense. A small storm cloud surrounded by blue sky. A run-down house in a nice neighborhood. An Iowa fan in the middle of the Husker student section. Weird and out of place things like that are, for whatever reason, really interesting to me. Once upon a time in Montana there was a meek, soft-spoken, 83-year-old man named Eugene Peterson. He was famous for writing a book that is a super-famous re-telling of the whole Bible, call...2020-07-1005 minMick's MinuteCloudsI’m not much of a joiner, but there is at least one organization in this world that I would like to be a part of. It is an international organization called the Cloud Appreciation Society. The membership process is as follows:1. Sign up.2. Wait for your membership badge to arrive in the mail.3. Go out, find a comfortable place to sit or lay down, and watch the clouds. You watch the clouds. Not for any scientific purpose. Not to predict the weather. If you are a member of the Cl...2020-07-0303 minMick's MinuteCloudsI’m not much of a joiner, but there is at least one organization in this world that I would like to be a part of. It is an international organization called the Cloud Appreciation Society.The membership process is as follows:1. Sign up.2. Wait for your membership badge to arrive in the mail.3. Go out, find a comfortable place to sit or lay down, and watch the clouds.You watch the clouds. Not for any scientific purpose. Not to predict the weather. If you are a member of th...2020-07-0303 minMick's MinuteOld CarRecently I stumbled across an interesting discovery. I walked up to the edge of an embankment out in a pasture and there, at the bottom of the embankment, was an old car.Think about that. Once upon a time, this old car was a tremendous feat of human accomplishment. It was as sleek, powerful, comfortable, and cool as anything that people had ever made. It had been meticulously designed, engineered, produced, and marketed. Someone had handed over a lot of hard-earned money and proudly driven that car home and parked it in their driveway. Imagine their s...2020-06-2403 minMick's MinuteOld CarRecently I stumbled across an interesting discovery. I walked up to the edge of an embankment out in a pasture and there, at the bottom of the embankment, was an old car.Think about that.Once upon a time, this old car was a tremendous feat of human accomplishment. It was as sleek, powerful, comfortable, and cool as anything that people had ever made. It had been meticulously designed, engineered, produced, and marketed. Someone had handed over a lot of hard-earned money and proudly driven that car home and parked it in their driveway. Imagine...2020-06-2403 minMick's MinuteFootballImagine with me for a moment that you are spending a little time this Summer thinking about football season. As you are daydreaming, you start to wonder, “What is the very best play to run when it's third down and five and your team is down by two points in the third quarter?”That seems like a tough question. Especially because I do not daydream about football. But no worries. In our imaginary world your buddy has just loaned you a copy of a book called the Ultimate Book of Football, and everyone agrees that it has all...2020-06-1703 minMick's MinuteFootballImagine with me for a moment that you are spending a little time this Summer thinking about football season. As you are daydreaming, you start to wonder, “What is the very best play to run when it's third down and five and your team is down by two points in the third quarter?”That seems like a tough question. Especially because I do not daydream about football. But no worries. In our imaginary world your buddy has just loaned you a copy of a book called the Ultimate Book of Football, and everyone agrees that it has all the...2020-06-1703 minMick's MinuteMysteryOne of my favorite mysteries is an old Sherlock Holmes story about a murdered man and a stolen horse. It's called The Adventure of Silver Blaze. One of the things I love about it is that the clue that Sherlock Holmes recognized that opened up the whole case for him was not something that happened, but rather something that didn’t happen. It's a fun detective story, you should check it out sometime.Even if you don’t, the truth of life is that you will have more than your fair share of mysteries.That is n...2020-06-1003 minMick's MinuteMysteryThe way of things, and the Why’s that guide our lives.2020-06-1003 minMick's MinuteBuckOnce upon a time wagon trains moved back and forth across the country and adventurers from the East Coast tried their hand at life in the Wild West. During that time it was a common scene in every town big enough to have a saloon to see a group of guys huddled around a table playing poker. And if you would have walked up to one of those poker tables, most likely you would have seen a big buck horn handled knife stuck in the table in front of one of those guys.The players called that...2020-06-0804 minMick's MinuteBuckOnce upon a time wagon trains moved back and forth across the country and adventurers from the East Coast tried their hand at life in the Wild West. During that time it was a common scene in every town big enough to have a saloon to see a group of guys huddled around a table playing poker. And if you would have walked up to one of those poker tables, most likely you would have seen a big buck horn handled knife stuck in the table in front of one of those guys.The players called that knife “th...2020-06-0704 minMick's MinuteSpidersThe meadow was beautiful and so was the morning. The sun shined above me, to my left was a small pond created by an ingenious little beaver dam, and directly in front of me was a small, lively stream bubbling its way to a nearby creek. There were birds singing, ducks quacking, and the occasional turkey gobbling in the trees. It was like a little piece of Heaven on earth.And as I sat there in the green grass of the meadow taking it all in, I glanced downwards just in time to see a huge hairy spider...2020-05-3004 minMick's MinuteSpidersThe meadow was beautiful and so was the morning. The sun shined above me, to my left was a small pond created by an ingenious little beaver dam, and directly in front of me was a small, lively stream bubbling its way to a nearby creek. There were birds singing, ducks quacking, and the occasional turkey gobbling in the trees. It was like a little piece of Heaven on earth.And as I sat there in the green grass of the meadow taking it all in, I glanced downwards just in time to see a huge hairy...2020-05-3004 minMick's MinuteWaitingMany years ago I spent my summers traveling on a wheat harvest crew. We would take our equipment to exotic places (like Oklahoma) and we would cut wheat like crazy.Except when we didn’t.The name of the game in wheat harvest is hurry up and wait because you always have to be ready for the wheat, but the wheat is very often not ready for you. As a result, almost every morning after rushing to the field and preparing our equipment for the day we would have to wait for the sun to dry up...2020-05-2403 minMick's MinuteWaitingMany years ago I spent my summers traveling on a wheat harvest crew. We would take our equipment to exotic places (like Oklahoma) and we would cut wheat like crazy.Except when we didn’t.The name of the game in wheat harvest is hurry up and wait because you always have to be ready for the wheat, but the wheat is very often not ready for you. As a result, almost every morning after rushing to the field and preparing our equipment for the day we would have to wait for the sun to dr...2020-05-2403 minMick's MinuteSkateboardBig air, old bones, and Jesus.2020-05-1704 minMick's MinuteSkateboard
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Once upon a time when I was a kid, I had a dream. Specifically, I wanted to be good at riding a skateboard. To be clear, I never lived in a town that had decent streets or sidewalks, and I have about enough natural athletic ability to fill a small thimble. But I had a skateboard and I had a dream, and man, did I try. My greatest accomplishment on that skateboard was teaching our dog to pull me down the sidewalk. And that was about it. Fast forward a few decades, and no...2020-05-1700 minMick's MinuteFour WordsThe way of things, and the Why’s that guide our lives.2020-05-0104 minMick's MinuteFour Words
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It has often been said that there are three little words that every person longs to hear—“I love you.” It is true that we all long to hear those words because we all need to be loved. But it is also true that there are four little words that every person longs to say at some time or other—four little words that feel like they bring justice to the world.Those words are “I told you so.”Doesn’t it feel great to be right? Being right may not be anywhere nea...2020-05-0100 minMick's MinuteTasteI have a brother-in-law named Matt. Matt is a good guy as far as brother-in-laws go, but in one pretty important way he has kind of destroyed my life. Here’s how it happened. If you know me, then you know that I like coffee. And it used to be that I liked all coffee. I first started drinking coffee when I was in Middle School and got a job on the clean up crew at our local sale barn. Whatever coffee was left over in the coffee pot from the sale a few days before, that’s what we d...2020-04-1704 minMick's MinuteTasteI have a brother-in-law named Matt. Matt is a good guy as far as brother-in-laws go, but in one pretty important way he has kind of destroyed my life. Here’s how it happened. If you know me, then you know that I like coffee. And it used to be that I liked all coffee. I first started drinking coffee when I was in Middle School and got a job on the clean up crew at our local sale barn. Whatever coffee was left over in the coffee pot from the sale a few days before, that’s what we dran...2020-04-1704 minMick's MinuteEncyclopediaI was raised in a house that had a complete set of big, blue, encyclopedias. They took up an entire book shelf full of space. But, these particular encyclopedias did not just take up space. I was raised to love knowledge, and we read those encyclopedias. In fact, when I was a child my dad would actually gather us up and read to us not from children's books, but from those big blue encyclopedias. Fast forward a few decades to today and--fun fact about me--I do not own a set of encyclopedias. But it's not because I don’t l...2020-04-1104 minMick's MinuteEncyclopediaI was raised in a house that had a complete set of big, blue, encyclopedias. They took up an entire book shelf full of space. But, these particular encyclopedias did not just take up space. I was raised to love knowledge, and we read those encyclopedias. In fact, when I was a child my dad would actually gather us up and read to us not from children's books, but from those big blue encyclopedias.Fast forward a few decades to today and--fun fact about me--I do not own a set of encyclopedias. But it's not because I...2020-04-1104 minMick's MinuteGood FridayI’m thinking about this day that we call Good Friday, the Friday before Easter. Good Friday is the anniversary of the day that Jesus was executed by being nailed to a big wooden cross and hanging there until he died. This form of execution, called crucifixion, was the ancient world’s most brutal, painful, and humiliating form of the death penalty. And on this day not quite 2,000 years ago, it was done to Jesus.But Jesus was the last person on earth who deserved to die like that. He was amazing. Everything about Him...2020-04-0403 minMick's MinuteGood FridayI’m thinking about this day that we call Good Friday, the Friday before Easter.Good Friday is the anniversary of the day that Jesus was executed by being nailed to a big wooden cross and hanging there until he died. This form of execution, called crucifixion, was the ancient world’s most brutal, painful, and humiliating form of the death penalty. And on this day not quite 2,000 years ago, it was done to Jesus.But Jesus was the last person on earth who deserved to die like that.He was amazing. Everything abou...2020-04-0403 minMick's MinuteThe RaceOnce upon a time, my spring sport of choice was track and my specific event of choice was the high hurdles. I spent a lot of time training to be in the best shape to run those hurdles with the best form. And in the meantime, I got a lot of bruises, a few pulled muscles, and not very many medals.Fast forward to today, a couple of decades later, and these days I try not to hurdle much of anything if I can help it.So from a certain perspective it would be easy to...2020-03-2704 minMick's MinuteThe RaceOnce upon a time, my spring sport of choice was track and my specific event of choice was the high hurdles. I spent a lot of time training to be in the best shape to run those hurdles with the best form. And in the meantime, I got a lot of bruises, a few pulled muscles, and not very many medals.Fast forward to today, a couple of decades later, and these days I try not to hurdle much of anything if I can help it.So from a certain perspective it would be easy...2020-03-2704 minMick's MinuteFace BlindnessI learned the other day that every time one person looks at another person a special part of our brains kick into gear that help us to see the intricate details of each others’ faces. The reason for that is a good one—its so that we can tell each other apart. There are hopefully people in your life who are important to you, and hopefully there are people out there who think of you as important. But the fact is that pretty much everybody you ever meet has the same number of eyes and...2020-03-2004 minMick's MinuteFace BlindnessI learned the other day that every time one person looks at another person a special part of our brains kick into gear that help us to see the intricate details of each others’ faces.The reason for that is a good one—its so that we can tell each other apart.There are hopefully people in your life who are important to you, and hopefully there are people out there who think of you as important.But the fact is that pretty much everybody you ever meet has the same number of eyes...2020-03-2004 minMick's MinuteEntropyIt is a beautiful thing when the supporting details of our lives are shiny and new and in tip top shape. There is nothing quite so grand as a life that is firing on all cylinders with blue skies and clear paths as far as the eye can see. Its a beautiful thing that kind of life, but alas, it is not a permanent thing. To the contrary, it is likely that most of the supporting details of your actual life are squeaking and creaking along and just generally wearing out. The very irritating fact of life is...2020-03-1304 min
Mick's MinuteEntropyIt is a beautiful thing when the supporting details of our lives are shiny and new and in tip top shape. There is nothing quite so grand as a life that is firing on all cylinders with blue skies and clear paths as far as the eye can see. Its a beautiful thing that kind of life, but alas, it is not a permanent thing.To the contrary, it is likely that most of the supporting details of your actual life are squeaking and creaking along and just generally wearing out. The very irritating fact of life...2020-03-1304 minMick's MinuteSermon: Going To JerusalemI recently shared this sermon at the Broken Bow Evangelical Free Church in Broken Bow, Nebraska.2020-03-1037 minMick's MinuteSermon- Going to JerusalemI recently shared this sermon at the Broken Bow Evangelical Free Church in Broken Bow, Nebraska.2020-03-1038 minMick's MinuteSimple TruthWe live in a super-complicated world. Relationships are complicated. Health is complicated. Finances are complicated. Work is complicated. We are complicated. From the deepest of the inside of us to the farthest reaches of our lives and beyond, there is so much that has gone on and is going on, and all of that is highly interconnected in ways that we never fully understand.Everybody wishes that we had a firm handle on our lives, like the world's best bull-rider on an enjoayble but mediocre ride, fully in charge, and fully in the know. But instead we are...2020-03-0604 minMick's MinuteSimple TruthWe live in a super-complicated world. Relationships are complicated. Health is complicated. Finances are complicated. Work is complicated. We are complicated. From the deepest of the inside of us to the farthest reaches of our lives and beyond, there is so much that has gone on and is going on, and all of that is highly interconnected in ways that we never fully understand.Everybody wishes that we had a firm handle on our lives, like the world's best bull-rider on an enjoayble but mediocre ride, fully in charge, and fully in the know. But instead we...2020-03-0604 minMick's MinutePeople And ThingsI am a pretty laid back guy. But there is this one thing that I experience from time to time that drives. me. crazy! I can deal with a broad range of irritating and frustrating things without getting worked up about it, but when I have a technology problem, it makes me furious. In a moment I transition from being a sane and rational person who capably navigates the challening waters of life into some kind of crazy man. I find myself having to control the volume of my voice and even fight the urge to...2020-02-2804 minMick's MinutePeople And ThingsI am a pretty laid back guy. But there is this one thing that I experience from time to time that drives. me. crazy! I can deal with a broad range of irritating and frustrating things without getting worked up about it, but when I have a technology problem, it makes me furious.In a moment I transition from being a sane and rational person who capably navigates the challening waters of life into some kind of crazy man.I find myself having to control the volume of my voice and even fight the urge...2020-02-2804 minMick's MinuteRutsGreetings, fellow humans. A long time ago, pioneers would travel from the eastern to western United States on a trail just a few miles from my modern day front door. For the most part, those individuals and families traveled in large, spoke-wheeled wagons across all kinds of terrain and in all kinds of weather. And as they did so, the wagons in front made very deep ruts in the trail, and the wagons in the back fell into those ruts and could not get out. And just like that, the phrase "stuck in a rut" was born. 2020-02-2304 minMick's MinuteRutsGreetings, fellow humans. A long time ago, pioneers would travel from the eastern to western United States on a trail just a few miles from my modern day front door. For the most part, those individuals and families traveled in large, spoke-wheeled wagons across all kinds of terrain and in all kinds of weather. And as they did so, the wagons in front made very deep ruts in the trail, and the wagons in the back fell into those ruts and could not get out.And just like that, the phrase "stuck in a rut" was born.2020-02-2304 minMick's MinuteLife Goes OnYou’ve probably noticed by now that there is a lot going on in this world in which we live. There are people and places and cultures that are completely foreign to us, and in which the most basic activities of life seem strange and bizarre. And some days, things aren't much better even right in the middle of our own lives. We are confronted with people we don't know how to deal with, problems we don't know how to solve, and situations that we can barely even comprehend. And all of those things can happen at the same time, ev...2020-02-1603 minMick's MinuteLife Goes OnYou’ve probably noticed by now that there is a lot going on in this world in which we live. There are people and places and cultures that are completely foreign to us, and in which the most basic activities of life seem strange and bizarre. And some days, things aren't much better even right in the middle of our own lives. We are confronted with people we don't know how to deal with, problems we don't know how to solve, and situations that we can barely even comprehend. And all of those things can happen at the same ti...2020-02-1603 minMick's MinuteBibleGreetings and Salutations delightful people one and all, I hope that you are having a wonderful day doing whatever it is that you're finding to do today. One of the cool things about my life is that I am a book nerd, and I get to spend lots of time studying the greatest collection of books that has ever been or will ever be written. I am of course talking about the Bible, which, although we tend to think of it as one book, is actually a collection of sixty six different books written over a period of about 1,500...2020-02-0903 minMick's MinuteBibleGreetings and Salutations delightful people one and all, I hope that you are having a wonderful day doing whatever it is that you're finding to do today. One of the cool things about my life is that I am a book nerd, and I get to spend lots of time studying the greatest collection of books that has ever been or will ever be written. I am of course talking about the Bible, which, although we tend to think of it as one book, is actually a collection of sixty six different books written over a period of about 1,500 years...2020-02-0903 minMick's MinuteShelterThese days I am just cold. The temperature has been pretty low, the wind chill has been brutal, and sometimes when I go outside I feel like my bones are starting to freeze. On the up side, I have been really thankful for my house. Its warm in there, and I am amazed by the fact that the freezing wind and snow can be blowing against the north wall of my house, and yet, six inches away on the other side of that wall, the temperature can be 60 or 70 degrees warmer. And its a good thing, because if it wasn’t...2020-02-0202 minMick's MinuteShelterThese days I am just cold. The temperature has been pretty low, the wind chill has been brutal, and sometimes when I go outside I feel like my bones are starting to freeze. On the up side, I have been really thankful for my house. Its warm in there, and I am amazed by the fact that the freezing wind and snow can be blowing against the north wall of my house, and yet, six inches away on the other side of that wall, the temperature can be 60 or 70 degrees warmer. And its a good thing, because if it...2020-02-0202 minMick's MinuteFirst CarWhen I was fifteen years old I had a dream. I had a job and a little bit of money, and my dream was to figure out a way to convert that money into my first car.And not just any car, mind you. My dream was to buy a used silver 1988 two-door hatch-back 4-cylinder Dodge Daytona. That very car had been sitting for a few months on the dusty back lot of the used car lot in the town where we lived, and I thought that it was just about the coolest thing on four wheels. I...2020-01-2603 minMick's MinuteFirst CarWhen I was fifteen years old I had a dream. I had a job and a little bit of money, and my dream was to figure out a way to convert that money into my first car.And not just any car, mind you. My dream was to buy a used silver 1988 two-door hatch-back 4-cylinder Dodge Daytona. That very car had been sitting for a few months on the dusty back lot of the used car lot in the town where we lived, and I thought that it was just about the coolest thing on four wheels...2020-01-2603 minMick's MinuteChangeThere was a time when it would take centuries for a culture to undergo any kind of significant change. But that has changed. Now major change can happen in months, or even days. Because of that, we live in a very exciting time. It could be the case that today is the day that somebody somewhere cures cancer, finds a way to drastically reduce poverty in the world, or invents a cheap flying car. That’s exciting stuff.But in the midst of all that excitement, the rapid pace of change in our lives has also created a...2020-01-1903 minMick's MinuteChangeThere was a time when it would take centuries for a culture to undergo any kind of significant change. But that has changed. Now major change can happen in months, or even days. Because of that, we live in a very exciting time. It could be the case that today is the day that somebody somewhere cures cancer, finds a way to drastically reduce poverty in the world, or invents a cheap flying car. That’s exciting stuff.But in the midst of all that excitement, the rapid pace of change in our lives has also created a lo...2020-01-1903 minMick's MinuteShelfWeird confession time. I have a lot of stuff in my garage. My problem is that every time I'm about to throw something away I hear the voice of my father screaming out from my childhood and saying, "now somebody could get some use out of that."And while I admit that it is a great feeling to wade into my garage, step over that old piece of lawn furniture, and grab hold of exactly the thing that I happen to need at the time—usually, that voice turns out not to be right.Usually, I...2020-01-1204 minMick's MinuteShelfWeird confession time. I have a lot of stuff in my garage.2020-01-1204 minMick's MinuteSameStarting off a new year is always an interesting kind of experience for me. The promise of a new year is really wrapped up in that word—new. New days, new beginnings, new opportunities, those are the kinds of things that a new year seems to promise. But as the new year begins to take shape, most of the time we come to realize that the word that is most likely to characterize the new year is not new. The word that is most likley to characterize our new year is same—as in, pretty much the same as last...2020-01-0506 minMick's MinuteSameStarting off a new year is always an interesting kind of experience for me. The promise of a new year is really wrapped up in that word—new. New days, new beginnings, new opportunities, those are the kinds of things that a new year seems to promise. But as the new year begins to take shape, most of the time we come to realize that the word that is most likely to characterize the new year is not new. The word that is most likley to characterize our new year is same—as in, pretty much the same as last year...2020-01-0506 minMick's MinuteNext LoopOnce again we find ourselves on the cusp of a brand new year. We have drawn an imaginary line in the solar system, we have all traveled one complete loop around the sun together, and now we cross that line again and start our next loop.It’s interesting to me that, in the cosmic sense, a year just means our planet has traveled in a great big circle. Because in the personal sense, that is the last thing that most of us want to do in a year.2019-12-2803 minMick's MinuteThe Next Loop
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Once again we find ourselves on the cusp of a brand new year. We have drawn an imaginary line in the solar system, we have all traveled one complete loop around the sun together, and now we cross that line again and start our next loop. It’s interesting to me that, in the cosmic sense, a year just means our planet has traveled in a great big circle. In the personal sense, that’s the last thing most of us want to do in a year. For the most part, we all want our l...2019-12-2803 minMick's MinuteGiftedWe are all very different people who like to give and receive different kinds of gifts. But though you may be giving and receiving everything from sledge hammers to soup bowls this Christmas, I’ve noticed that there is one thing all our varied gifts tend to share in common—the condition of the gift.Your gift might be anything from a paintball gun to a pasta maker, but the thing that most of us share in common is that we like our gifts to be new, and we like them to work...2019-12-2204 minMick's MinuteGifted
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We are all very different people who like to give and receive different kinds of gifts. But though you may be giving and receiving everything from sledge hammers to soup bowls this Christmas, I’ve noticed that there is one thing all our varied gifts tend to share in common—the condition of the gift.Your gift might be anything from a paintball gun to a pasta maker, but the thing that most of us share in common is that we like our gifts to be new, and we like them to work. 2019-12-2204 minMick's MinuteIn Tense
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Birthdays are a funny thing because they are moments that simultaneously connect us with the past, the present, and the future.Follow me here: on somebody's birthday, we celebrate the past tense fact that they were born and the present tense fact that they are where they are in their life. But we also look forward to a future tense hope by wishing them a great upcoming year of life.I'm thinking particularly about that today because Christmas Day is drawing nearer by the day. And though we sometimes forget it, C...2019-12-1504 minMick's MinuteIn TenseBirthdays are a funny thing because they are moments that simultaneously connect us with the past, the present, and the future.Follow me here: on somebody's birthday, we celebrate the past tense fact that they were born and the present tense fact that they are where they are in their life. But we also look forward to a future tense hope by wishing them a great upcoming year of life.I'm thinking particularly about that today because Christmas Day is drawing nearer by the day. And though we sometimes forget it...2019-12-1504 minMick's MinuteThe FindI love quirky, one-of-a-kind type things.If something out there is both hard to find and hard to explain, then chances are, I want it.To that end, I own my very own African spear, my very own piece of the Berlin Wall, and a bunch of other things that might not be worth a nickel to anybody else, but mean a lot to me. But as much as I might treasure each of those little finds, the best deal I ever got was on something that means more to me...2019-12-0804 minMick's MinuteThe Find
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I love quirky, one-of-a-kind type things.If something out there is both hard to find and hard to explain, then chances are, I want it.To that end, I own my very own African spear, my very own piece of the Berlin Wall, and a bunch of other things that might not be worth a nickel to anybody else, but mean a lot to me. But as much as I might treasure each of those little finds, the best deal I ever got was on something that means more to me t...2019-12-0804 minMick's MinuteWhyThe way of things, and the why’s that guide our lives.2019-12-0104 minMick's MinuteWhy
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I’ve been thinking about why I do the things that I do. We all do the things that we do—you've probably noticed that—but the big question for me is WHY?As I ask that question of myself, I want to tell you about two of the things that stand out as guiding principles in my life.First off, when I look around at the world, I don’t like what I see.Now don't get me wrong. Everybody loves baby animals, and there are lots of c...2019-12-0104 minMick's MinutePerspective
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Once upon a time I found myself standing in a redwood forest. A few miles away on one side of me was the booming metropolis of San Francisco, California. Less than a mile in the other direction was the roaring Pacific Ocean. But as I walked into that giant, ancient forest, a curtain of absolute silence descended. Not only did all outside sounds stop, it was as if time stopped.On one side of me, an ocean churned its way between California and China, and on the other side of me the entire S...2019-11-2404 min
Mick's MinutePeanuts
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My grandfather was a peanut farmer in Oklahoma. So when I was growing up it was not unusual for us to have a large burlap sack full of peanuts hanging around the house somewhere. Peanuts grow off the bottom of a peanut plant, and they actually grow down into the ground. Because of this, peanuts grow inside of a protective shell. If there was no shell, there would be no peanut. But the good stuff of a peanut is not the shell, it's the stuff on the inside. The point of the shell is...2019-11-1704 minMick's MinuteEclipseA while back there was a total solar eclipse, and I got to see it. I confess that, in the beginning, I wasn’t really all that impressed. Everything looked exactly the same, except when I looked directly at the sun through special glasses. That was interesting and all, but then something started to happen. The shadows all started to get a little strange. Then even though it was almost noon, the world began to darken. The air cooled. Locusts started to sing in the trees as if it was evening. Cloud banks to the north and the...2019-11-1004 minMick's MinuteVernonOnce upon a time in what seems like a lifetime ago, I spent four years at a school called Denver Seminary getting my Master’s degree.Denver Seminary has a big library. In the back of the library there was a small office, and inside of the small office there was a small old man. His name was the Reverend Doctor Vernon Grounds. While that name may not mean much to you today, on the campus of Denver Seminary and in many other places, Dr. Grounds is famous. He was a pastor and an evangelist and a th...2019-11-0305 minMick's MinuteTreadmillIf you have ever run on a treadmill then you know that a treadmill is a great thing, depending on what your goals are.Here’s what I mean by that. If your goal is to get in shape without ever having to leave your house, then a treadmill is a great thing and you should get one. You can run for miles, in any kind of weather, and be in exactly the same place when you’re done that you were when you started.But let’s say your goal is not just to get in...2019-10-2703 minMick's MinuteCold WindA strange thing happened to me the other day. I stepped out of my car and I got cold. I’m one of those people who loves the heat of summer. And that brief burst of chill reminded me of something that I’m not particularly excited about: things are changing. The weather is changing, as it does every year, but even more than that, we are changing. Our lives are constantly changing and so are we. Summer will come again. But the summer that just ended will never come again. The sun will rise again...2019-10-2003 minMick's MinuteSamsonOnce upon a time, we had a very friendly cat named Samson. He was fluffy and white with blue eyes and a top speed of about one mile an hour, and people loved him. Anytime he moseyed into a room people would scoop him up and say things like, “What a beautiful cat!” And they were right.For several years, anyway. But as Samson got older, all that white fluffy hair started to get less and less fluffy. Poor Samson's slow mosey started to turn more into a mope, and even though we still loved him...2019-10-1304 minMick's MinuteMagazine RackThe next time you go to the store, I want you to notice something for me. When you go to check out, it is very likely that you will find yourself standing beside a rack of magazines. Several of those magazines are devoted to one purpose, and that is sharing with you the misery that is taking place in the lives of rich and famous people. And if you are paying attention, believe it or not, those pitiful magazines can teach you a lesson that can change your life forever.Let me back up for a...2019-10-0604 minMick's MinuteThe LifeThings are changing. Drastically, in fact. There was a time when it would take centuries for a culture to undergo significant change. But now, major change can happen in months, or even days. Because of that we live in a very exciting time. It could be the case that today is the day that somebody somewhere cures cancer, or finds a way to drastically reduce poverty in the world, or invents a cheap flying car.That’s exciting stuff.But in the midst of all that excitement, the rapid pace of change in our lives ha...2019-09-2903 minMick's MinuteMayfliesFun fact today for all you bug-lovers out there: every single summer about 18 trillion mayflies all hatch at the same time on the upper Mississippi River, and they create a swarm so huge and disgusting that it can appear on weather radars. Just the dead ones can pile up deep enough to shut down bridges and fill up entire parking lots three feet deep.So, knowing this makes me wonder… if every year brings 18 trillion new mayflies to the river, why does anybody live anywhere near the Mississippi River at all??The answer, surprisingly, has ev...2019-09-1504 minMick's MinuteSurvivingIt occurs to me that almost everybody I know is busy.What’s the deal with that? Why do we all stay so busy?Think of it this way: If someone were to walk up to you right now and ask, “Why do you do the things that you do?”, what would be the true answer to that question?In answer to that question, I think that some of us would talk about our dreams—the things we want in life; and others of us would talk about our problems—the things we believe ar...2019-09-0803 minMick's MinuteWaterWater is a very good thing. We are all made up largely of water, we need to drink lots of it, and everything that we eat needs to drink lots of it, so it’s a good thing when good water is easy to come by. But no matter how good the water is, and no matter how much of it we drink, we will always need more. With that in mind, one day a long time ago, Jesus was sitting by a well in the hottest part of a very hot day on the outs...2019-09-0103 minMick's MinuteChurchFor years my life revolved around this thing that we call church. My office was at the church, people called me at the church, and I spent bunches of time planning for church. But here's where it gets weird:Church is one of the most misused words in the English language. When we talk about church we say things like, “I’m on my way to church,” or “What time is church?", things like that. But here’s the problem: the word “church,” not surprisingly, comes from the Bible. In fact, it’s used something like...2019-08-2503 minMick's MinuteCrazy DaysI am living through some crazy days right now. I am following God out of a pastoral ministry that God has blessed me with for the last 12 years. I'm following Him into a whole new thing, and some moments, my world feels like it’s turning upside down.As I end my time as the Senior Pastor of a church that I love dearly and that dearly loves me, I'm walking into the unknown of starting a brand new ministry of writing and radio.My passion is to help people to know in the...2019-08-1105 minMick's MinuteQuestion and AnswerOne of the great things about being a Christian is that every single day comes with a built-in, life-shaping question.The question goes like this:If Jesus is Jesus... who should I be?The big story of life is that God has created every single person, including us, in His image. That makes people the most important thing God ever made.And then on top of that, God custom-built every single person, including us, to be exactly the person that He wanted in exactly the life that He planned for us.2019-08-0405 minMick's MinuteHow Things WorkIt’s funny to me how things work out sometimes. It seems to me like there are times in life where people basically mess everything up, and yet everything works out. And there are other times in life where people basically do everything right, and yet everything falls apart.As I ponder that, it occurs to me that if I were a person who believed that my life depended on me making things work, I would be so frustrated by that. I think I’d just want to give up and live in the woods becau...2019-08-0403 minMick's MinuteHypocriteThere is a word that plays a surprisingly important role in my life these days, and that word is hypocrite.Nobody likes to think of themselves or anybody they like as a hypocrite, but in conversations about Christianity this word seems to come up all the time.For example, If you are a person who does not particularly like Christianity and thinks it’s a bunch of baloney, there is a really good chance that when you talk about Christians, or talk about church, or talk about people like me, you say something like this--“Thos...2019-07-2805 minMick's MinuteThunderBe it a questionable call in a football game, a famous person getting into trouble with the law, or just hearing two random strangers arguing at the grocery store, people love controversy.We’re drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and often with the same result.But in addition to all of the meaningless little controversies that occupy our lives, there are also some very important controversies in life that, sooner or later, every person must weigh in on.Who forgot to put the milk in the refrigerator? It may be...2019-07-2104 minMick's MinuteControversyBe it a questionable call in a football game, a famous person getting into trouble with the law, or just hearing two random strangers arguing at the grocery store, people love controversy.We’re drawn to it like a moth to a flame, and often with the same result.But in addition to all of the meaningless little controversies that occupy our lives, there are also some very important controversies in life that, sooner or later, every person must weigh in on.Who forgot to put the milk in the refrigerator? It may be...2019-07-1404 minMick's MinuteFoundationsRight now you are being supported by something. Maybe you are riding in your car being supported by a seat on a frame with wheels. maybe you are at home or at work sitting in a chair that is resting on a floor made of wood or concrete. maybe you are standing with your own two feet planted directly on a corn field. Wherever you are, your physical body is being supported right now by…SOMETHING.And not only that, your heart and mind and soul are all being supported also by this foundational network of beliefs th...2019-06-1604 min
PRIMAL RADIO#50 Mick Thornton - B.O.T.M.AJim & Tom interview Mick Thornton. Mick is the founder of the BOTMA system (Blending Of The Martial Arts) and has studied extensively in many arts; Mick is a Full Instructor under the Tim Tackett's JKD Wednesday Night Group as well as an Full Instructor under our very own Jim McCann. He is a Master Firearms and CQC Instructor and serves as on the New World Mixed Martial Arts Association Advisory Board as their Chief Weapons Tactics Instructors. Mick is located in Philadelphia, PA. Sifu Mick available for Seminars and Group training sessions.2018-11-1454 min