Remember the story where Jesus enters the Temple and overturns the tables?

It’s the one that asks uncomfortable questions about money, power, and what doesn’t belong in sacred spaces. When Reverend Billy Talen began preaching in the heart of Times Square against the Disney corporation and Mickey Mouse in the late 90s, many thought he was doing the same thing.
But he insists, he wasn’t. More than 25 years later, he’s become America’s leading anti-consumerist pastor, preaching a different kind of end times with a focus on profits and rising seas.

On this episode of It Is Your Birthday, we’re joined by the leader of the Church of Stop Shopping for a conversation on consumer culture and the meaning of Christmas amidst a warming planet that keeps trying to get our attention.
Come listen.
LINK HERE
Show Notes:

• Reverend Billy's early work
• Hollywood Bowl performance
• What Would Jesus Buy
• See more about the Church of Stop Shopping here

Having a birthday on November 22 means you know that is the day John F. Kennedy was shot. It also means having a few lonely birthdays, at least if you live in the U.S., because it sometimes falls on Thanksgiving. In this episode of It Is Your Birthday, Sayre Quevedo talks about the unique experience of trying to celebrate yourself while the rest of the country is focused on giving thanks, talking about the traffic, and pretending to like certain relatives.

As a Sagittarius sitting right on the Scorpio cusp, Sayre talks about the weird math of wins and losses, the personal relationship with failure and time, and comes prepared for this conversation with a reading of a special poem.

Give this episode a listen and join me in wishing Sayre a happy birthday.
Editor’s Note: Sayre and I also share the same birthday. :)

Listen to some of Sayre's work here:

The Quevedos

Re:Construcción

Weekend World

One of the more memorable cards I’ve received was shortly after a mishap. A timing issue. A misalignment in travel plans—it was the worst (relax, I’m exaggerating). And while the whole experience felt trivial in that moment, the memory stands grand in part because of this card.

Admittedly, I don’t remember exactly what the card said, but it was something along the lines of “Sorry, it didn’t work out.” A little humor/humour can go a long way.

Had I taken Ashley Cleek’s advice, I would’ve saved this card so I could reminisce in great detail at a whim’s notice. Ashley saves her cards, birthday cards especially, nestled away like treasures, each one a tiny fragment of memory, placed in a small red suitcase, ready to be opened like a time capsule at a moment’s notice. Imagine flipping open a clasp, sifting through years of celebrations, apologies, inside jokes, and love, each card a miniature relic of a moment that would otherwise be lost.

Ashley is our guest in this month’s episode, and her story is about more than keepsakes. It’s about memory, family, and what it means to share a birthday not just with the world, but with her own son.