The Eric Metaxas Show - James Kearny (Encore)

Episode Date: March 28, 2023

James Kearny sang in the exclusive Yale Whiffenpoofs club and shares stories from his world travels, his conversion to Christianity and, today as a pastor, his battles with the demonic. (Encore Presentation)

Folks, welcome to the Eric Mattaxas show, sponsored by Legacy Precious Metals. There's never been a better time to invest in precious metals. Visit legacy p.m.investments.com. That's legacy p.m. Investments.com. Ladies and gentlemen, he has a jar of peanut butter and he's not afraid to use it. Here comes Eric Mattaxas. Folks, welcome back. As you know, we're crazy on this show.

We believe crazy things like, There are two genders. One plus one equals two. The election was stolen. Trump actually won. We have evidence to back these things up. But in the crazy world in which we live, these beliefs are called crazy.

And I want to own that. These are crazy beliefs that we cling to with our Bibles and our guns. And we're not the only ones. I got, I had the joy recently of finding out that a recording artist, Natasha Owens, has written a song called Trump One. And I thought, wouldn't it be great to get her on the program? Because the song has been doing incredibly well. And what do you know, we got her.

Natasha, welcome. Hello. Thank you for having me. Listen, how in the world did you get the idea to write this song called Trump One? It's obviously doing tremendously well, which is how it came to our attention. Where did you get the idea to do this? What is your background? This is just delightful.

You know, my husband had the idea two years ago. He said, Trump won and you know it. And I said, I know it. Everybody knows it. But it just didn't feel like the right time. They were really coming against that rhetoric and censoring it. And so two years later, we've been on the road to private events. We did a political patriotic album this past year.

And everyone is saying the same thing. They wanted it knowledge. They want it fixed. And they just kept saying Trump. one and you know it. And so this song, we said, we've got to sit down and write it now. And so we did, and I'm so glad we did. I come from a contemporary Christian background. So this was my, the American Patriot album from last year was my sixth album that came out. And we're just excited to be in this lane. We're paving a path that not many go down. Well, the crazy thing about Christians

is we have this loony idea that there's such a thing as truth. And not telling the truth is like lying. Lying is bad. We have that kind of crazy idea. We also believe stealing is wrong, which means that stealing elections is actually morally wrong. And we ought not to be afraid to talk about it, but to sing about it is next level. And I still, I just have to ask you, because we'll be playing the song on the program, but how do you, how has the song done? I mean, you know, it's been on the Billboard charts. Talk about this. You know, it hit number one on iTunes last week until Taylor Swift decided to throw four songs on there that had never been heard again before.

And so it dropped, but it keeps going right back up. There's several patriotic songs on the top five and top 10 charts right now. But it went on Billboard. It hit number five in total downloads. It also hit number two on the country genre market, which is unusual because we market. it is pop. So this was number one on iTunes. Let's focus on the positive.

This was number one on iTunes. You're not making that up. A song called Trump One, written by you and sung by you, was number one on iTunes. What do you think this says? I think it says it something about what's going on in the country. I think it says the silent majority there is more of us than them. I think people are so tired of the rhetoric. they're so tired of the tech censorship and they're finding a way to go around it.

And I mean, it shows a red wave to the pop charts is what it shows to me. And I think it's exciting and encourages everyone that we're binding together. And everybody, everybody knows it, whether they want to admit it or not that Trump did win. We, you have to understand, you do understand this, I think. The, the Democrats, the left, it's no longer the Democratic Party of our Trump. childhood. They have become leftist, anti-Americans. And the greatest threat to those people is losing power, which means the greatest threat to those people is the free market, which is people choosing what they like, having an opportunity actually to pick something that they like. For

example, a song like yours, Trump won. The idea that that song could exist, that it could be available on iTunes, that it could be available anywhere that people can go and Google it right now. that scares them to death. That's why they're in the business of censorship. It's why they're in the business of stealing elections because the idea that we, the people, could actually get to choose who we want to represent us in the White House is frightening to them.

And they're so frightened that they're doing dramatically desperate things that they've never done before. But every now and again, we get hope. And your song, Trump One, gives us hope. In the song, you actually give examples like in the lyrics of how it is that we know he won. I mean, can you mention some of those? You don't have to sing them, but if you can mention them. Well, we start out the song by saying we've got dead people boating and drop boxes.

And, you know, we just picked fun. During the 2020 election, everyone saw this play out. You had 100-mile, you know, car lines for in support of Trump. You had boat rallies. you had thousands of people who were spending the night standing in line waiting to get into his rallies. And then you see the other side where Joe Biden barely has six people sitting in circles. And so we just wanted to make fun of that. And then we wanted to bring it back around that the truth always comes out.

It always does. And at some point, even Twitter and the FBI is going to have to acknowledge that. Well, you might not believe this, but I actually sang a song called Biden, Did You Know? this was Christmas of 2020. Oh, that was you. I got that this Christmas and I laughed so hard. It was on my playlist for at least several weeks. Oh, I love it.

Well, the lyrics were written by our friend, John Zmirach, but I performed it. You know, I was thinking like, how would the Pet Shop boys sing this song? And it was just so pathetic and funny and stupid. But it was banned over and over again. It kept tearing it down from different platforms and stuff. Because listen, the truth hurt.

And I think it's still someplace that people search for it. But the fact of the matter is that we know what happened. And this is still a free country. We still get to talk about it. We get to sing about it. We get to make jokes about it because this is a free country. And if you're quiet, if you're silent about it, you're part of the problem. And that's why I want to have you on, Natasha, because you have become a voice for so many.

The song, again, people can Google it, people can download it. But it's just amazing to me that. that people are beginning to figure out. The ones who didn't figure it out initially are beginning to figure out, you know what? Yeah, as the evidence comes out from the Twitter files, from what Congress is discovering, from what we're discovering about the vaccines,

we've been lied to and lied to and lied to and lied to and lied to and told to shut up. And unless we shut up, the more we gain our power back. So, I mean, look, this must be fun for you to see this happening. You know, it's almost a dream come true. It's just amazing. I'm glad you touched on this point a little bit just a while ago. You know, I wanted to give a voice to the people who either weren't strong enough or didn't

feel like that they could come out and say it. And we had been getting messages from all around the world, not just the United States, saying, you know, I'm surrounded by liberals. I'm surrounded by people that don't believe the way I do. And I'm afraid to talk about it. But thank you so much for giving me a voice back. And so that gives me more strength than anything and knowing that whatever the headwinds are coming my way, that it's all worth it.

Well, that's the point, right? And that's kind of why I've done a lot of what I have done, is because I know there are people out there. They need a little bolstering in the courage department. They're afraid. They're looking around. What are people saying? I want to be one of those people to say,

I see exactly what you see. And I'm going to say it so that you might say it when you get an opportunity. And then when you say it, somebody else will hear you say it. And they'll say, you know what? I was thinking the same thing. We need to be more vocal. We need to be out there. And when you create something like you did with this song and the other songs that you've created,

it just gives people an opportunity. We can share these things on social media. And the message is getting out. Natasha, you know the message is getting out. Most Americans know something fishy was going on. And because everything is fishy, they are basically figuring out that, Well, then why wouldn't this be fishy? People can find you at Natasha Owens.com.

Is that right? It's Natasha Owensmucic.com. And you can go there. It will expand you out to everywhere I am on a platform, whether it's social media, whether it's music, anywhere you normally download music, you can find me as of now. Okay. We are just thrilled to have you on. God bless you, wonderful sister and patriot.

Natasha Owensmusic. com. Natasha Owens, bless you. you. Thank you guys so much. Appreciate it. Legacy precious metals has a revolutionary new online platform that allows you to invest in real gold and silver online. In a few easy steps, you can open an account online, select your medals of choice, and choose to have them stored in a vault or ship to your door. You have access to a dashboard where you can track your portfolio growth in real time anytime. You'll see transparent pricing on each coin and bar. This puts you in complete control

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Travel. Hey there, folks. I'm excited because I have a new friend. Some of you heard me talk about this. when John Zmirak and I had our odyssey in Seattle in the Pacific Northwest, we didn't have plans on that Saturday night. And we were contacted by our new friend Andrew McDermott from the Discovery Institute. It said, hey, if you guys want to come, I'll get some pastors together and we can have

dinner someplace. And we went to Bucca di Beppo, an Italian chain. restaurant that I have mixed feelings about. And when I arrived there, I met a number of people, just delightful people. But one of them, the Reverend Dr. James Carney, was absolutely different. Why? because he claimed at some point in the conversation to be a Yale graduate.

I said, what? I'm in the Pacific Northwest with some pastors that are all extremely bearded. This clean-shaven man looks kind of like he might have graduated from Yale. So, folks, without further ado, my new friend, the Reverend Dr. James Carney, as an art carny from the honeymooners.

James, welcome. That's so good to be here. And it's so good to have a new friend in you, Eric. I've wanted to meet you for years. Well, you're very kind and flattering. Thank you for seeing that. But I have to tell you, you know, when we got to talking that night at that hackneyed cliché of a restaurant. I'm sorry.

I was so embarrassed. I meant delightful mockery of the Italian people. I, you said a few things. And I thought, you know, when you said you graduated Yale in 79, I thought, whoa, like what? Like, what are you doing here? here, who are you? And you start telling your story. And I thought, I want you to tell that story on my program and how you got involved in deliverance ministry and the demonic, completely unexpected, crazy stuff. So, you know, where do we, where do we start, James? Where did you grow up?

Let's start there. Well, I'm a product of the Navy. So my dad, my grandfather, my great grandfather. In fact, my great, great grandfather came to Seattle in 1855 with a distress call to help Seattle in terms of their first battle of Seattle against the local natives that were trying to massacre the city. So this was not the Mariners. This was the actual people of Seattle. Yeah. And in looking at it, I actually found they had a lot of reasons to be angry, but that's another story. The local natives had reason to be angry or the Seattle people? who were infiltrating that part of the world. Well, after a few of them were massacred, they had reasons to be angry.

But I think that a lot of the treaties that were established, Seattle, were immensely unfair. And so there was a lot of local anger. Yeah. And that was not isolated to Seattle. No, it's an American story. Oh, it's horrifying. It's horrifying. But, okay, so the Navy.

But I was raised in the Navy. So I was actually born in the island of Malta, right? Oh, go on. Did a snake affix itself to your hand when you went to reach for the firewood? Come on. Did it happen? It didn't happen. You were born on the island of Malta where Paul was shipwrecked 2,000 years ago?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so you were born in the island of Malta, so you can't become president of the United States. But keep going. I think you're the first person on this program who's been born on the island of Malta. So Albin, I think, is going to send you a check or a teddy bear or some kind of gift. Well, good. So I asked my mother if I could become a citizen in Malta. She said, sure, but you'd have to go live there.

And that'd be worse than anything I could do to you. Wait a minute. So how long? So you were born there. So obviously you don't remember living there. But your mother was not a fan of living in Malta for whatever reason. No, no. But here's the funny thing.

The reason I was born in Malta is because of the Maltese postmaster. I think the reason you were born in Malta was because it's where your mother was at the time. Well, it was, but she came to Malta pregnant with my sister, had my sister sent for birth control. But being a Catholic country, so it was intercepted by the postmaster. He called her into the office and gave, with the package of her whatever in back of him opened, gave her a lecture on the evils of birth control. she's mortified, right? This little 20-year-old something from America in the 50s,

she goes and then asks for some more birth control from through the Navy, but before it came, that, uh, that's, I mean, that is absolutely level. You may, you kind of, when you said it, you said my mother came to Malta, pregnant with my sister, and I thought you were going to say, and oddly enough gave birth to me instead. And I was going to say, I don't believe that story.

That's a lie. So we're left in the Europe. But you, wow. Wow, I love this. That's actually, that's pretty amazing. Hey, listen, I'm one of those evangelicals that agrees with the Catholics on all that stuff, but we don't have time to get into that. Okay, so you're born in Malta.

Where did you go from there? So to Connecticut, because my dad was in submarines, through London, then down to Newport News, because he goes picked by Rick over to being part of the nuclear program. So he was commanding officer of the James Madison. You say he was picked by Rickover? Yeah. As an Admiral Rickover. Admiral.

You need to use the word Admiral, because not everyone in the non-naval world is, you know, going to pick up right that on, oh, yeah, Admiral Rickover. Kind of a famous Admiral. So your father's picked to work in the nuclear submarine program first in the New London, Groton area, and then down in Newport News, Virginia. He had to, we went to Washington, D.C., where he went to nuclear. power school. Nuclear power school? They have a school? Yeah, there's one there and one in Idaho.

Okay. My dad said it just about killed him because it was hard. Going to nuclear power school. Just about killed him. That's why I didn't go. Okay, keep going. I know. All right.

But they ended up in Charleston where they were developing the Polaris missiles. Wait, wait. Johnson, South Carolina, they were developing Polaris missiles. Yeah. I didn't know about it. My dad actually went out and had a little super eight movie taken of a missile taking off because he was in another submarine accompanying some test fires. And then brought it home.

We showed his home movies of missiles going off. It was completely illegal. Wow. Unbelievable. We thought it was super cool. And this is what, the early 60s? It's right up there. This is the 60s?

Yeah. Yeah, this was the late 60s. Holy guacamole. Okay. What happened was he's gone all the time, right? Because they're all underwater and they're going around and keeping the world safe, you know, in terms of the Cold War. But he was gone all the time and he ended up getting out. He actually broke his neck water skiing.

Behind a submarine? No, I was driving the boat. Oh. So just a little kid, and he hit a sandbar. And, of course, we were laughing at him that he got his hair wet, but he ended up having to go to the hospital. But during the 10 weeks in a striker frame, he had time to think. And in God's Providence, because he was a good Catholic,

he took a Harvard School of Business course and got interested in business and got out of the Navy and then moved us to Atlanta, where he became a stockbroker and a successful former military guy, So basically a lazy, shiftless man is what you're trying to tell us. I am so proud of my dad. Holy cow. That's kind of amazing. Okay.

So where are you now? Where do you end up now? Okay. So then he's really, you know, wanting me to advance. He puts me to prep school, go to Yale. But the big, the big, and then I go to Yale and have a great time at Yale because he went to Yale too. So he was super excited about that.

I didn't want to go because it looked like everybody was working too hard. which they were, and as you know, but it was the 70s. So I also found how to not just work hard, but to play hard. That's the problem. That's the problem. That's the problem. And so this leads more into my testimony, if I could talk a little bit about that. Try to avoid the subject of God on my program, if you don't mind.

If you don't mind. Try to walk us around that. I was a good time in Catholic, you know. as my mother said, he said, no one had a better time at Yale than GM. Your mother has a Charleston accent. What's that? Where is she from? Actually, she doesn't, but it just sounds better when you give it a southern accent. At the Malta accent. Okay, so you go to Yale, and you are a, you're a good guy, but

you think of yourself as a Catholic. You are a Catholic, but you're not a good Catholic. You're not walking with God. Therefore, you're doing what people do in universities. And when we come back, we're going to hear the rest of the story. This is some crazy stuff, folks. It involves the whiff and poofs, not joking. Don't go away. Tell me why Relief Factor is so successful at lowering or eliminating pain.

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friends, your family, and everyone you know. So go to mypillow.com and use promo code Eric or call 1-800-978-3057, and you'll get huge. huge discounts on all MyPillow betting products, including the Giza Dream bed sheets for as low as 2998, and get all your shopping done now while quantities last. Again, use code Eric and Save MyPillow.com. Welcome back, folks. I'm talking to my fellow Yaley, the Reverend Dr. James Carney, who is a PCUSA pastor. We're going to get into some pretty amazing stuff.

Trust me on this. but we are currently talking about you, James, you're at Yale. You consider yourself a Catholic, but you're not really serious about your faith. And you're doing what people do. This is the 70s. And I assume that includes drinking and various drugs. How did you get involved in the whiff and poofs and tell my audience, so I don't have to, what the whiff and poofs are?

Okay, so I was a guy who in high school found himself not in sports, but in theater and in singing and did quite a bit of singing and traveling around. And what prep school did you go to? So it was the Westminster School for Bowes in Atlanta. Where? Boas. Atlanta. It was the Westminster School for girls, but they were on the field. I have my friend, one of my best friends from Yale who I, I have.

I had a long conversation with on the phone literally yesterday. He went to the Westminster School for boys. No, no. And I've actually spoken at the Westminster School for boys in Atlanta. Yeah. Okay, so you went to the Westminster School of Boys. You got involved not in sports, but because you're kind of a tall, thinner guy. You got involved in theater and singing and piano, all of that. So I was an arts guy. And my best friend wanted to go to Yale and so I went with him. There was a little group of us that went up there. So I got involved with the singing group scene. So Yale has this huge informal acopelo singing group scene.

And so I was first in the SOBs, the Society of Orpheus and Bacchus. Right. And then the Wiff and Poofs is a all-male group, or it used to be, until a couple of years ago. Well, let me just say, I was in two musicals at Yale. So I sang at Yale. And and on the strength of my singing performance in one of the musicals, I think it was 1776 put on Calhoun College. You went to Calhoun. I was a hoony, too. I can't believe we're both from Calhoun.

Eric, the thing that you're not realizing here is as much as you're looking at me and going, what happened? How did you come to Christ? I'm looking back at you and going, how in the world did this guy that went to Yale and was formed at Yale came to Christ? How did that jerk become a Christian? And I'm looking at you thinking, Now, did that jerk become a Christian? What a jerk.

And how did he become a Christian? No, but seriously, it's kind of funny. I shared with you a vision that God gave me about the Calhoun Courtyard. And it is a lot of crazy things. That's why when I met you was exciting. But so we need to explain to the audience that at Yale, there are all these a cappella singing groups, mostly male, or they started out male. Now they're co-ed.

but I was invited to be in one of them on the strength of my performance in 1776 as John Hancock. And I was involved to be in the baker's dozen and I declined. I don't know why. But the ultimate would be to be invited as a senior because it's just a one-year gig. Right. To be invited to be a member of the elite, the illustrious whiff and poofs of Yale. Now, when did they start? What year did the whiff and poofs start whiff and poofing, I think, is the verb?

Yeah, that's what my grandfather said. He used to call it all that whiffin and poofin. So they started in 1909 at Moray's Tavern. So to the tables down at Mori's to the place where Louis dwells to the dear old temple bar we love so well. So they have the drinking song and they would meet every Monday night and drink and sing. Yes, and Mori's is a Yale institution. And they, yeah, so they started in 1929, they're this elite group. And they were, I mean, in previous years when people cared about, you know, the Ivy League and Ivy League football and all that kind of stuff, they were a very big deal.

But still, so it's the late 70s. You are chosen to be a whiff and poof. I was. It was a really great honor because there was all these different undergraduate groups, the SOBs, the Baker's Dozen, the Spiswinks, you know, the Duke's men, all these different. groups and the height was to be one of these members of this group. There were just 14 guys, just a single year. And you were singing, we sang so much. We started our first concert after three days.

We went to a cocktail party in Chatham, Massachusetts, where Ted Kennedy was at. Right. You know, Charles Schultz, I mean, this was sort of the- Was he conscious at the time? Now, Charles Schultz was a wonderful Christian, but you've got to be clear. The Wiff and Booth's traveled literally all over the world. In your senior year, if you were chosen to be a Wiff and Poof, you traveled all around the world, all around the world wearing white tie and tails.

Big deal stuff. I did. In fact, one day I was in Monaco and had gotten a shirt from Bangkok that was red, put it in with my whites, and it turned them all pink, right? So I'm not in white tie and tails. I'm in pink tie and tails. Part of the poofs, right? So go figure.

The whole thing's kind of coming together. That night, we had dinner with Princess Grace of Monaco. Oh, who did it? Don't make a big deal out of it. Most people here have had dinner with Princess Grace in Monaco, right, guys? Are you kidding? You had dinner with Princess Grace in 1979? And talked with her.

It was a couple years before she died. And I was really interested in being an actor and breaking into the movies. and asked her how to break into the movies. Of course, she was highly cultured and gave a very funny story of why she never gave advice to aspiring actors. But it was, I was just sitting there in my pink tie and tails. Pink tie and tails talking to Princess Grace, formerly known as Grace Kelly.

Grace, Grace Kelly. Well, we, I think we have to go to a break. We'll be right back, folks. plenty more. You're not going to believe it. We haven't yet transitioned to the demonic talking to James Carney, spelled K-E-A-R-N-Y. Don't go away. Folks, welcome back talking to James Carney, but it's spelled K-E-A-R-N-Y. Okay, so you're a member of the illustrious Wiff and Poofs at Yale, 1979. What happens that would interest us beyond the fact that? that you get to do this?

Well, yeah, I came to Christ. And it's not that I came to Christ. I was a sincere Catholic when I went through Yale, and I loved God, and I read my Bible. I used to go to the rectory. I was on the parish council, but I used to drink with my priest. He was interested in being kind of a buddy,

and I didn't need a buddy. I needed a pastor. I needed a priest. So I led a double life, and I was really beneath all, all the high living and the jokes and everything, I was conflicted. And my senior year, with the whiffs, we each had a position within the group. And the guy who had the position called the nadir, which, you know, means the lowest point,

he was the group drunk. And that was his position was to drink more than anyone else. He was the bibulous false staffing figure. Yes. Well, what happened the summer before our senior year, he came to Christ. And he became as big a spiritful Christian as he had been a high living drunk. As he had been filled with other spirits is really the sentence you were looking for. Exactly.

So he filled himself with the Holy Spirit. And this guy came on like gangbusters. I mean, and he was talking about Jesus and just cutting a swath through the group. I was just going to imagine that at a place like Yale, especially at the whiff and poofs, they didn't take kindly to this kind of stuff. That cuts rather dramatically against the grain of hyper-secular, cynical Yale. Yeah, you're breaking rank. Wow.

And so he comes in and totally tease me off because I'm convicted, right? I have the position of the cook, which means I just do meals. My best friend was the position of the apothecary, which you could imagine his. job in the whip and poofs, right? He's just giving you, like, jars of like, rainbows, bennies, black beauties. Is that what we're talking about? Quailudes?

What are we talking about? Lecter feel good. You can fill in the blank. I mean, it's fascinating that you actually had, that the whiff and poofs actually have these roles that they assign. You're supposed to be singing, but it's like a creepy kind of fraternity. It's a group of guys that are all 21,

so you can imagine, you know, anyway. So he, the Lord starts working on him, my friend Rob. And he is like not wanting anything. He doesn't want to have anything to do with Christ. Wait a minute. So the guy who came to faith the summer before senior year, what was his name? His name was Jim, Jim Yant.

Okay. But he was in Nadir. No, so Jim comes into the senior year. And it's like having tenure. They can't kick him out because he is officially a whiff and poof. So he comes in. He brings Jesus in. and your friend, the apothecary, you just mentioned,

something starts to happen with him. Yeah, starts to stir in him. And he named Rob, and he is, he is, as, I was kind of a go-for-it guy, right? He was even more. And we were, we were like this. We ran together all senior year. Well, and I remember we actually went to a, in the middle of the year, we went to a mass led by a charismatic priest, Ralph

De Noreo who had a healing ministry, right? And I don't know why we went, but we were there. And it was one of these things, full Catholic Mass, and then he was calling out healing, you know. Well, this is, I mean, we should be clear in case people on tracking. In 1979 was really the height of the charismatic movement, which, which, which, which, which, which bled over into every denomination. So there was the Catholic charismatic movement, but it was in the Episcopal Church, St. Paul's, Arienne, which was Terry Fullum. So this was going on all kinds of places. And this comes right out of the Jesus movement, the Jesus Revolution, the Jesus people. So this is really kind of revival happening in a way in America. And so you're talking about a piece of that. That's exactly right.

That's exactly right. And that's so important because we forget that Lutherans and Catholics and Presbyterians and Baptists, we're all getting revived by the Holy Spirit, it wasn't the Pentecostals, which tend to be more of a blue collar movement. This was all your white collar denominations getting baptized, speaking, and tongues healing. Anyway, we're in the car after the mass. And my friend Rob looks at me and he goes, Jim, because I was called Jim back then. He said, I could never be a Christian like you. And I said, what do you mean?

He said, if ever I was to become a Christian, I'd have to do it all the way. And he had me dead to rights. But wait a minute. He didn't realize he was, that was a heavy statement what he said to you because he cut you. He has no memory of this movement. He cut you. He didn't mean to cut you, but he's kind of saying like, I couldn't be a Christian who has one foot in the world and one foot in the church. If I were to do it, I would have to do it all the way.

And that was God speaking to you through your friend inadvertently. Yes. And he was my guy, right? So there was nowhere to hide. I couldn't deflect, and the Holy Spirit just nailed me right dead set. I mean, and I knew he was true, and it stuck in me. Well, fast forward to May, we're at the beginning of our world tour. He graduated, had gone all over the place, but now we were actually starting.

We got a plane ticket on Pan Am that said, as long as you just go in one direction, you can go as far as you want, you know. So, meaning it's around the world ticket, and you can go anywhere you want it. Wow. Isn't that fun? I wish Pan Am were still a thing. But okay, so now at the end of the year, you go on your world tour. Go ahead. World tour. So first stop is on the West Coast, California. I'm standing out by the pool. And a friend of mine, David, comes up to me. He goes, did you hear that Rob got saved? And I said, what? He said, yeah, Jim Yant, the Nader, the crazy guy, is where he lived. They had a Bible study. And Rob repented. and he got saved. And at that point, I went, I'm going to repent too. I said, I cannot have Rob go anywhere where I can't go.

So I went back and I reconvened the prayer group. It was this little group of charismatic moms. You know, it was 70s housewives and mu-moos and hairdos. And we all went to their house. And I told them, look, I want to do exactly what robbed it. And they went, okay. And they were all excited. So we had a Bible study.

It was really nice. And I said, I'm going to put my chair in the middle. I want you to lay hands on me. I'm going to repent, and I want you to pray for me. And they did. I still can't believe that three whiff and poofs came to radical faith in Jesus. Radical faith in Jesus. In the year that they're wiff and poofs while they're, this is insane.

It's why I want to have you on the program. And we're just getting started. We'll be right back talking to James Carney, spelled K-E-A-R-N-Y. We were laughing sings. Welcome back, folks. I'm talking to my new friend James Carney. So James, you're at Yale, senior year, your whiff and poof. Two of the least likely members, this is what God always does, become born-again believers very radically while they're whiff and poofs. That's simply not done, ladies and gentlemen. And then you decide you want it, that you can't hang, you can't hold back anymore.

So you have this born-again experience. As you've begun the world tour, you're in California when this occurs. Right. So we sing all up and down the California coast, go to the Bohemian Club in San Francisco and sing for Stanford with the mendicants, right? Because every Ivy League school has their own, you know, a cappella group. But then we get on a plane to go to Japan, right? So we're on the plane, big 747.

and I'm sitting next to my friend John Deloise. And he's also been born again this year in the group. Wait a minute. And I said, there's a fourth member? There's a fourth member. Who has been born again in the Wiff and Poohs who are only 14 of you. And four Wiff and Poos in the 79 class are born again. Yeah.

There was a fifth, too, Rick Westerfield, who was the music director of the group. I know that. I know that name. Somehow I know the name Rick Westerfield. I must have met him someplace in latter years. Yeah. He went on to have quite a storied career in music as an orchestral conductor. It was a Leonard Bernstein protege and has led numbers of orchestras. He's really smart and really talented. He's the successful member of the group. Uh-huh. Anyway, so I'm sitting next to John Deloise. You know him because his uncle was Dom Deloise. Oh, you're kidding. There's nobody I love more than Dom Deloise. Nobody.

Don Belize is the pinnacle. It destroys me that I never got to meet him. People need to watch the movie Fatso. Unbelievable. But like anything he did, Fatso is directed by Anne Bancroft, who also. produced The Elephant Man, which is a Christian film. We don't have time for this.

So your friend, who's the nephew of the great Dom Deloese, also becomes a Christian on the Whiff and he was working. He introduced me when he was working at Paramount Studios to Dom DeLuiz when he was working on Fatso. We actually went into the studio. Wait a minute. You were on the set of Fatso?

No, they were in the booth when they were correcting sound. Okay, but I still can't. That's just too much for me. I need a moment. I need a moment. I need to go see the movie, too. I never saw it. Oh, Fatso is so sweet and charming.

I mean, it's insane. It's insane. So you met Deloise while he was working on Faso. I'm so jealous now. I'm going to have to repent. I don't have time right now. Go ahead. All right.

So we're sitting next to each other on the plane. And I go, John, I hear you guys speak in tongues. he goes, yeah, we do. I said, well, how's that work? He goes, well, you just, you just do it. And I go, what do you mean? I said, because I was waiting for lightning to strike, right? And like I was thinking, like the Jerry Mahoney dog,

God was going to, the Holy Spirit would put his hand up your back and start moving your mouth. He said, no, you just do it yourself and step out. And I said, okay, he goes, why don't you try it? I was like, all right, so I just started whispering in his ear. And he goes, yeah, you're doing it. I said I am. He goes, yeah. And then they served the meal and watched the movie, and we got to Japan. That's how I got the gift of tongues.

Wait a minute. So seven feet above the surface of the planet, traveling 600 miles an hour, you received the gift of tongues. I've never heard that. Give the tongues without any fanfare, without any striving, without any, you know, all the histrionics. It was just God just saying, yeah, you want it? Here you go. You know what? We're going to go to a break. Folks, we've got plenty more. There is plenty more to this story. Don't go away. I don't know.