Well, hi, everybody. It's Steve Hayward here with a special holiday episode of the Rikersh

podcast. It's just me in conversation with Rob Long, one of Rikershers, well known to nearly

all of you, of course. And I thought, who better to talk about Christmas and the meaning of religion

than our own in-house seminarian? And so without further ado, here's me and Rob.

Well, I'm delighted to have one of Rickettsies co-founders, Rob Long, joined me for this special

year-end episode.

I have for the longest time been wanting to talk to Rob about this midlife change from

Hollywood to theology, from the studio to the church.

And partly because, I mean, a fellow Christian, of course, but also because it parallels

a trajectory of a very good friend of mine who unfortunately passed away in his early 50s after deciding to leave a very successful legal career to go to seminary and become ordained.

So in other words, your story, Rob, sounds familiar to me.

And the reasoning is interesting.

But anyway, listeners, you won't be able to see this, of course.

But at first I thought, what are you lighting up there, Rob?

Is that incense since your high church?

Well, I'd be very much in favor of it if it were incense.

I do have incense in the house.

I had to tell you, I'm like, I am kind of an incense freak.

This is a cigar.

It just wrapped up on

Friday exams and papers. I had much to do. And I'm here to tell you, it's very, very, a lot of, a lot of

school is harder than it was when I was a student, last time I was a student, 40 years ago.

...