The Brant and Sherri Oddcast,
My favourite podcast, which I reference embarrassingly often.
I should maybe soften my recommendations
Lest I raise the expectations too high.
But why?
Excessive hype is the type of thing Brant would certainly do.
He’s the Shock Jock who announces the shock in advance,
As if it enhances the surprise when you know that it’s coming?
He’s shockingly interesting, so that counts for something.

This poem is my biggest Oddcast endorsement of all time,
Or at least my endorsement with the most amount of rhymes.
Prime numbers are not as rare as this one of a kind show.
The unofficial motto: refreshingly odd and oddly refreshing;
Swinging wildly from silly to profound.
I have found myself breaking apart in laughter after “Breaking Animal News,”
Then 2 minutes later stunned into solemn self-reflection.
Then suddenly there’s a prize wheel,
And a real person calling in could win
Eighteen MILLION dollars in Chipotle gift cards.
But discard that cause the other prize is better:
A not-so-inspiring quote about nature from actor Nicholas Cage.
Then turn the page and they’re talking about outrage,
Our supposedly righteous anger
Cause we’re just so much better than all those sinners over there.

Brant and Sherri:
Very different people with polar opposite personalities.
Brant is caucasian, nerdy,
He married young and is on the autism spectrum.
Sherri Lynn, an African American extrovert,
Grown up and single and she’s grown to be content.
Brant from a small town. Sherri from the big city.
She’s naturally the life of the party,
While Brant studies humans in his attempts to fit in.
He’s filled with passion for animals, robots and World War 1 info. . .
Sherri not so much.

But despite drastic differences they’ve found a treasure of common ground,
So their friendship is shaped by a shared worship of Jesus.
Now, they both have witnessed incredible church hypocrisy,
Have personally been burnt and burdened,
But the person of Jesus is their oasis in this wasteland.
So if you’ve been slapped by the back hand of Christianity,
Your story might not be so different from theirs.
That’s something they share:
Painful pasts and plenty of reasons to be jaded.
Yet they’ve made it to a place of peace, joy, and simple humility.
Their honesty and respect echoes out across the airwaves,
So I’d ask you to save your judgements until a few episodes in.
You can begin more or less anywhere, but HERE is fair place to start.

You may be “the type” who gets the Oddcast instantly,
Or maybe you’ll warm up gradually to these weird friends on the other end.
But as you spend time, I suspect they’ll climb close into your heart.

The Oddcast is an artful mix of Monty Python-esque antics,
Silly segments spliced by “and now for something completely different” abrupt transitions into the human condition and fresh reflections on how humans thrive.
Then they dive into the kindness of God, genuine gratitude expressed.
All this in episodes less than 25 minutes long.
How could you go wrong?

Plus, they have a strong non-political commitment,
So it is a safe place to escape from that insanity,
To breathe a rare bit of air that isn’t supercharged with electricity.
They spend their energy on an entirely different type of Kingdom,
One that births joy in the face of despair.

Their words have lifted my spirits. . .
And deflated my ego.
This show has so often spoken the exact thing I needed to hear.
And while I don’t agree with every single statement they’ve ever made,
They have played a beautiful role in the life of Bruce.
Brant and Sherri have made me laugh, ponder, pray, confess.
Countless timely reminders of crucial wisdom
With some silliness sprinkled in.

My life has been so enriched by these two,
Which is why I’m introducing Brant and Sherri to you.
May their friendship do what it has done to me.
May they be new friends on your journey.
And they all listened happily ever after.

(available wherever you find your podcasts or at www.branthansen.com)