Tornado Watches, Snakes, and the Holy Spirit

Tornado Watches, Snakes, and the Holy Spirit

• Tornado Watch Context: Hosts record during a tornado watch in Tulsa, Oklahoma, joking about their indifference to watches (less severe than warnings) and the confusing terminology.
• David humorously claims to become a "seasoned meteorologist" each spring, sensing storms "in his bones" and using terms like "hook echo".
• Brief tangent on Ralph Nader, who ran for president (circa 2000, Bush vs. Gore) and claimed never to have eaten McDonald’s, deemed unbelievable at the time due to McDonald’s ubiquity and lack of stigma.

Main Discussion

Minihan Household Adventures

• Possum Incident: While Adam was away, his wife Haylee killed a possum in their chicken coop with a .44 Magnum (jokingly exaggerated), impressing Adam via text.
• Snake in the House: Upon returning from a trip, Adam’s family found a large snake (not a rat snake, possibly a king snake) in their home.
• A child’s blood-curdling scream alerted Haylee; Adam initially deferred to her but helped after learning of the snake.
• Snake was fast, striking, and required corralling kids into a closet for safety; Adam trapped it using a box and cardboard, later regretting not feeding it to their seven roosters.
• Diocesan Rat Snake Story: Adam recalls handling a 5+ foot rat snake at the Diocese of Tulsa early in his job, earning awe from coworkers and a social media post.

Nashville Recording Mishaps

• Forgotten Suit Pants: At a black-tie event in Nashville with Fr. Mike Schmitz, Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Harrison Butker, David forgot his patterned suit pants, non-replaceable due to the unique design.
• Father-in-law Dan O’Brien and Jim Spencer overnighted them via UPS, arriving 45 minutes before recording.
• Equipment Failure: Their recording case’s main power supply cord was severed in transit, requiring significant pivoting.
• David predicted the need to “pivot” before the trip, likening their adaptability to NBA players; the weekend involved constant problem-solving but was ultimately fun.

Catholic Radio Station Launch

• McAlester Station: David and Adam helped launch 90.9 FM in McAlester, Oklahoma, a full-power Catholic radio station built on a shoestring budget.
• Located on parish grounds (no studio costs, using existing internet/power), it reaches McAlester’s community, including three correctional facilities (e.g., “Big Mac” maximum security prison).
• Launched on the Feast of the Ascension (moved to Sunday in Tulsa’s mission diocese), aligning with the Great Commission to evangelize.
• Aims to evangelize incarcerated individuals without the red tape of prison ministry; David gave a speech post-Mass, nearly upstaged by Adam’s readiness to intervene.
• Prayer request for the station’s success.

Eucharistic Procession in Tulsa

• National Eucharistic Procession Stop: Tulsa hosted a stop in the nationwide procession, attended by 500–800 people (David’s estimate).
• Counter-evangelists (not protesters) with megaphones followed the procession, slandering the Church; persistent but civil, they lacked goodwill due to rudeness.
• Police (not necessarily Catholic) found them annoying; hosts advise listeners to prepare for similar disruptions at other stops.
• Defense of Faith Question: David ponders if modern Christians are too pacifist compared to Crusade-era defense of faith, citing G.K. Chesterton’s The Ball and the Cross (an atheist’s slander of Mary prompts a Catholic to challenge him to a duel).
• Asks Adam if the pendulum has swung too far from defending honor; discussion deferred to post-break.

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