Redemption's Table with Robert Barge

To curate is to bring together something unique - sometimes, something that has never been brought together before or has been apart for a long, long time.  It may have all originated from the same source, from the same Creator, but it has been a long time in coming back around to one specific place.  And sometimes that place is you.   Today's appetizer episode explores the curiosity, wonder,...

A Conversation With Special Guest:  Russ Ramsey Art is often the surprise I did not expect.  In 2022, the surprise swept from canvas to page with the discovery of Russ Ramsey's wondrously titled book - Rembrandt Is in the Wind.   This was one of my favorite books last year.  And I could hardly wait to bring Russ to the Table for this week's conversation. Russ is a pastor and an...

There's a reverence and rhythm to life on the streets, where worship and party mingle with joy and affliction. It is a good thing to walk where any one of us could be; it is a good thing to be where Jesus already is. Guest co-host Steph Cherry and I have both walked alongside sidewalk parishioners and broke bread in the cathedrals of the street.  We have been taught by the wisdom of homeless...

We've all heard about The Box.  Most of us probably have a Box collection.  Everybody wants us to have one.  Or if we don't have one yet, they encourage us to make one.  But they would really rather prefer we took one of theirs.  Their boxes usually tell us how to believe and what to believe and sometimes even convey their most important rule - "stay in the box." Today's e...

Lunch and Conversation at Ladybird Taco in Nashville, Tennessee Featuring Special Guest:  Skye Peterson I don't find songs so much as songs find me.  Out of the blue they walk up to me and introduce themselves like long lost friends.  That is exactly how I would describe meeting today's feature song, "Searching For Us," by today's special table guest, singer-songwriter Skye Peterson...

Welcome to the 100th setting of the Table! There is so much good awaiting you here today. A tasty banquet of thought, music, and treasure await. Do you know God's middle name? Do you know where the Garden of Eden is? Can you remember the last time you were wowed by God? Get ready, 'cos it might just happen in the next 24 minutes! Our very first Table guest - Johnny Mount - returns for a special ca...

A Conversation With Special Guest:  Andrew Lowen Are you a gamer?  Check your closet.  The average gamer owns 1-25 board games.  You may be a gamer and not even know it!  And there's a new game coming out this spring that is already proven to be a game changer. Guest co-host Steph Cherry and I converse with game designer Andrew Lowen about his upcoming board game Deliveran...

ROAR BACK! A Conversation With Special Guest:  Dr. Brian Guenther I met Brian Guenther at a backyard concert in June 2021.  He was recovering from a second brain surgery performed on him just six weeks prior.  I never would have guessed.  And then I heard his astounding story. Dr. Guenther is an educator - the President of San Marcos Academy in San Marcos, Texas.  He is a...

This is an amazing time we live in.  We have the ability to place a device on our wrists to record how many steps we take in a day and how much rem sleep we get at night.  We are surrounded by specialists and trainers who can tell us an abundance of details about certain aspects of our lives.  And there are 3 to 4 million podcasts out there to fill in the void.  With all this k...

A Deeper Conversation With Special Guest:  Steph Cherry "I'm overwhelmed by the power of edit." "A lot of trauma is the lack of a compassionate witness." These were just two of the gems shared round last week's table with Hope Coach and Counselor Steph Cherry.  And our Season 5 opener "Bless the Tacos and Pop the Clutch" resonated with so many listeners, we thought it would be nice to br...

BLESS THE TACOS & POP THE CLUTCH! A Conversation With Special Guest:  Steph Cherry Welcome to 2023 and our 5th Season Premiere! Imagine today's table conversation taking place under an interstate bridge sharing tacos with the homeless and you'll catch a glimpse into the heart of today's very special guest - Steph Cherry.  Steph and her husband Denbigh set The Boho Table as volunteers...

Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version) by Singer-Songwriter Ross King* It's Christmas!  Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.  The gift of God's peace comes in a variety of ways.  Peace as presence.  Peace as mystery.  Peace as vocation.  Which peace do you know? Today's table visits a variety of places including Bethlehem's manger, Ukraine, Lechugu...

Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version) by Singer-Songwriter Ross King* Winter Solstice.  The scent of fresh balsam.  The crunch of fresh fallen snow.  The laughter of children at play.  Luminaries lining walls and walkways.  A crackling fireplace.  The hush of a falling star.  The midnight church bell.  How would you describe peace? It's Christmas Eve Eve and t...

Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version) by Singer-Songwriter Ross King* Joy is my favorite kind of ambush; it renders you speechless in a triage of worship, wonder and peace! A trio of ambushes are shared in this special Christmas episode.  One took place this fall on the Pacific Coast north of San Francisco.  One took place in Luke 1 as someone is ambushed right in the middle of their best...

Featuring "Bethlehem (2022 Version) by Singer-Songwriter Ross King While visiting the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California this fall, I came across one particular Peanuts comic strip that was absolutely brilliant. This episode shines the light on one thing we all need this holiday season.  It's a little bit of Charlie Brown and Lucy, an updated version of a Ross King song*,...

Featuring a Song by Singer-Songwriter Don Francisco Children ask on average 125 questions a day.  Adults ask 3.  Big difference. According to the Gospels, Jesus asked 307 questions.  He was asked 183.  He only answered 3.  Big difference. According to the Bible, Jesus and children are close to God.  They get their question-asking naturally.  They get it from God....

A Conversation With Special Guest:  Clark Cothern Life is a curious thing.  You never know the next saint or neighbor you will meet.  You never know the lasting impression the person who moves in next door might make upon your life.  And that works both ways.  How will your current neighbors remember you? Once upon a time about a couple of score ago, two young couples move...

Staying in the moment does not come naturally to me.  My mind is constantly drifting back to special memories, or sometimes pivotal events from the past.  I see a calendar date or hear a favorite song and immediately I flip back to that season of my journey.  And if I’m not circling back, then my mind is possibly racing towards the uncertain turns and curves of the future. Can anybo...

A Lyrical Conversation with Special Guest:  Jeff Gore. Some of my favorite conversations revolve around music and favorite song lyrics.  It is even more exciting when the person you’re talking to is an award-winning cowboy musician.  And so back in the fall of 2021, I took advantage of being with one of my best friends who fits that bill and recorded two conversations instead of one...

Home.  The place we were always meant to be. Home.  Where peace and being should be synonymous.  But when they’re not? Home.  The place where wounds are often felt the deepest. Wherever you are in the Advent Christmas journey this year, please embrace this encouragement.  Let Jesus enter the home of your 2021 heart and heal and restore all that this broken world has brough...

If you’re happy and you know, you’ll get over it.  Everybody eventually does.  But if you have ever known Joy and suddenly step into a season where it seems to have vanished…. well, that’s unsettling.  And some of us are in that season. Last year, I found myself wrestling through a winter wonderland.  In the process, I renamed the 4 candles of Advent to bring a little clarity t...

Last year, I tossed the traditional Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace candles to help me make sense of a season that, at the time, I had little desire to celebrate.  Perhaps you’ve been there before.  Perhaps you’re there now or know someone who is.  These special Advent episodes are for all who have wrestled or who are wrestling through this season of wonder. Last week, instead of lightin...

Two questions I often ask:  “Where are you hurting?”  “What is your hope?” We live in a world where hurting seems more prevalent than ever before as hope keeps wearing thin. Welcome to Advent and not a moment too soon.  For the next four weeks, many followers of Jesus will light candles of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace in anticipation of Christmas. Last year, I tossed Hope, Love, Joy,...

Lunch and Conversation at Moe’s Original Bar B Que in Vestavia Hills, Alabama Featuring Special Guest:  Jordan Cox Our cars are packed and the journey awaits.  We move through the autumn cool towards welcome and warmth.  We gather together and abundance overflows to every plate.  We have a place at the table.  For many of us, this is the Thanksgiving we anticipate or at le...

It’s mid-November.  The season of gratitude and anticipation is upon us.  Preparation for the celebration of the birth of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, has begun.  The birth of God’s only begotten Son.  The birth of God’s own fool. Jesus is a fool! If you have a pulse, those four words ought to evoke something besides indifference.  And you might want to buckle up your seat...