The Kubik Report

12 Essential Qualities of Effective Leaders (part 1) with Greg L. Thomas

In our first 23 podcasts we have now had 106,416 YouTube views!  
Continuing on with our 24th podcast in this first of two parts, Greg Thomas outlines the first six of 12 ESSENTIAL QUALITIES of effective leaders which are: 
Self-Awareness
Respect
Compassion
Vision
Communication
Learning Agility

Navigating Your Anxiety with David Cobb and Mike Snyder

David Cobb has written an article for Compass Check magazine for teens entitled "Practical Tools For Navigating Anxiety."   It is not just for teens. 
Mike Snyder is a crisis communication professional who has worked with mental health care.
We discuss three tools you can use to reduce worry.
Books recommended in the podcast:Redefining Anxiety: What It Is, What It Isn't, and How to Get Your Life Back is a concise guide by Dr. John Delony, published in November 2020. Drawing from his personal experiences and over two decades in counseling and research, Dr. Delony addresses common misconceptions about anxiety and offers practical steps for managing it.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry is a comprehensive guide co-authored by psychologist Catherine M. Pittman, PhD, and Elizabeth M. Karle, MLIS. Published in January 2015, the book delves into the neurological underpinnings of anxiety, focusing on the roles of the amygdala and cortex in the brain. It offers evidence-based strategies to manage and alleviate anxiety by addressing both the primal fear responses and the cognitive aspects of worry

Part 2! Unravelling the Mysteries of Jerusalem with Kurt Hoyer

PART 2 with Archeologist Kurt Hoyer as he describes new finds in well-excavated Jerusalem.  
December 23, 2025

Unravelling the Mysteries of Jerusalem with Kurt Hoyer Part 1

Archeologist Kurt Hoyer talks about recent findings in Jerusalem that give clearer understanding to understanding the secrets of this focal point in history and future.  Here is first of two parts.

Life, Abortion and the Gospel with Glendie Loranger

This podcast is for women, men and families. This is the most compelling podcast I've ever done.  I speak to Glendie Loranger who is the Executive Director of Life Services in Spokane, Washington.  She tells a transformative story of coming out of brokenness from serious mistakes made in her teen years to become a leader of a ministry and service to families who have been scarred by the curse of abortion.
Glendie LorangerExecutive DirectorLife Services Spokane
509.327.0701
glendie@lifeservices.org
www.lifeservices.org
 

UCG in 30 years (given in Lafayette, IN 1996): Victor Kubik

I found a 30-year-old cassette containing my ice-breaker address to the newly formed Lafayette, Indiana, United Church of God congregation.  It contains an interesting history of our formation and a prediction of our aspirations.  The date of this address is January 20, 1996.  

"I was almost an Australian," What's next in Ukraine? Debt: Melvin Rhodes

Melvin Rhodes goes through his latest almost (weekly) newsletter that has more than 2,500 subscribers.  You can subscribe, too, at 
https://melvinrhodes.wordpress.com/
Melvin and I talk about when his family almost migrated from the U.K. to Australia.  
Then we talk about war in Ukraine and world debt.  
Melvin is a long-time news analyst, author and part of our family.
 
 
 

Happy Thanksgiving 2025 - 30 Years Later

I started my first website  www.kubik.org in 1996.  One of the first posts/blogs/essays was on Thanksgiving Day 1996.   I give you an audio version of it 30 years later. 

Overcoming Defeat with the Spirit. Greg Thomas

Today we continue discussing personal defeat and how to use the Power of God's Spirit to overcome it.   This is Podcast number 23 with Greg.
Earlier, we talked about overcoming setbacks with secular tools. Today we talk talk about using God's Power. 
See all of Greg Thomas's podcasts at
https://vkubik.podbean.com/category/greg-thomas
What is the right approach regarding our personal disappointments and mistakes? We live in a world of increased anxiety and emotional stress. Since the pandemic, many studies have shown a dramatic rise in loneliness and discouragement. Many people have given up on life because of their negative life experiences, including addictions, relationship issues, or guilt from past serious mistakes.
Order Greg Thomas' book at Amazon:  Making Life's Puzzle Pieces Fit

Year-end Charitable Giving. Things You May Not Know -- with Howard Marchbanks

Discussion with Howard Marchbanks, Certified Financial Planner and I talk about Year-end Charitable Giving. There are several things that you may not be aware of that could help you and a charity. Howard is also a UCG elder living in Santa Ana, California.
Signs of trusted charities
Charity rating services
Leverage what you give
Donor-advised funds
Giving appreciated stocks
Matching campaigns
Legacy and estate gifts
Lessons from giving
Documents referred to in this podcast in downloadable PDF
Income Tax Charitable Deduction
Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD)

Religion Gaining Significant Influence in America: Mark Kellner

Mark Kellner and I discuss his October 24, 2025, article in The Epoch Times where he states that more "Americans now say religion is gaining influence in national life than at any point in the past 15 years," which comes from a Pew Research Center report on October 20, 2025.
Mark and I have been friends for 30 years and have discussed many topics related to faith and the Churches of God.  He is a well-known author and a great person to talk to.  This is our third podcast.  
Career highlights
Kellner began writing about issues of faith and freedom in 1983.  
From March 11, 1991, to January 18, 2014, he wrote some 1,200 weekly—and for about 18 months, semi-weekly—technology columns for The Washington Times.  
He authored a religion-news column for The Washington Times titled “Higher Ground,” which debuted January 25, 2013.  
From February 2014 to September 2015, he served as national reporter for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City.  
From 2021-2024, Kellner was a national “Faith & Family” reporter for The Washington Times.  
He is now based in Mesquite, Nevada. 
Areas of focus & contributions
Kellner has covered technology topics (especially earlier in his career) and later moved strongly into religion, faith institutions, family issues, religious liberty, and cultural trends.  
He has also contributed to other outlets such as Religion News Service, Christianity Today, and various magazines/newspapers.  1
Kellner is a philatelist (stamp collector) and is a member of philatelic societies including the Royal Philatelic Society London, the Collectors Club of New York, and a life member of the American Philatelic Society.  
Notable publications
He is the author of God on the Internet.  
He also wrote a book in the “For Dummies®” series (about WordPerfect or other software) during his technology-writing era. 
Significance in journalism
Kellner’s career reflects a breadth of reporting: from technology journalism to deep engagement with faith and family issues in the public square.
His long tenure at The Washington Times (both in tech and faith reporting) gives him significant institutional memory in those realms.
Because of his religion and family-focus work, his writing often intersects with cultural, social and values-based dimensions of journalism.
Current status
As of his website update (2024–25), Kellner remains a freelance journalist available for assignments and has experience covering swing-state elections (for the New York Post in Nevada). 
He continues to maintain his portfolio of stories on faith, family, culture and technology.
 

What Happened After We Left WCG? Guy Swenson

Guy Swenson was my assistant at the Worldwide Church of God for the last two years. We reminisce 30 years later.  It was a painful time that tore apart many relationships and tested faith not from the outside, but from within,

Scott Ashley: Peace! Peace? Hostages released. Thoughts 2 year later

Scott Ashley and I talk about the release of the hostages in Gaza on the day before the Last Great Day.  Scott reminisces about being in Israel when the hostages were taken, a mere 50 miles away.
Scott speaks about long-term peace projection for the Middle East and the world.  
See the earlier podcast done a few days after the hostages were taken.
https://vkubik.podbean.com/e/scott-ashley-return-from-israel-and-witnessing-the-hamas-attack/
 

Estonia part 2: Taxi cab evangelism, the Russians are (very) close and more.

After doing the first podcast about Estonia a few days ago, I thought of a few more things.  Give a listen to this 9 minute microcast. 

With Greg Dullum: Sabbath Scoop; The Widows Might

Greg Dullum and I have known each other for 60 years going back to Minneapolis/St. Paul days of old.  We discuss his continuous newsletter Sabbath Scoop that he has produced in all this time.  Also we discuss his recent article "The Widows Might."  
Greg is an elder in the United Church of God serving in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and can be reached at greg.dullum@yahoo.com.

Vic Kubik: Estonia Feast 2025 -- What We Saw and What We Did

These are my personal observations from my 60th Feast of Tabernacles.  This one was in Estonia, a country between Russia, the Baltic Sea, and the Nordic countries.  70 of us had a wonderful experience the first two weeks of October 2025.  

Victor Kubik: From Trumpets to the Day of Atonement - the 10 days of Awe.

The ten days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are called the Days of Awe.  Also known as the Days of Repentance.  The fast day of Atonement is considered the most sacred day among many Jews.  
Five years ago almost exactly I gave a sermon on the Day of Atonement in Cincinnati, Ohio about our visit to an event in Washington D.C. known as The Return which featured Jonathan Cahn who spoke along with many others about the need for our nation to return to God. 
See full video version on YouTube at https://youtu.be/p4mS8qfQOxE
 

Kurt Hoyer: First Extrabiblical Evidence of Isaiah Found....and much more

My third podcast with Kurt Hoyer about his archeological work in Israel.  The first extra biblical links to the book of Isaiah have been found. 
We talk about Scarabs Seals and Bullae.  Seals are the objects, often rings used to mark a document with the ancient equivalent of a signature, scarabs, can be seals but are usually carved in the shape of a scarab beetle. Scarabs also have names of powerful Egyptian kings on them and were used for good luck charms. (Not really going to talk about scarabs much) Bullae are small dabs of clay that were used to seal documents and other things. They have the impression of the seal on them. 
Why care?  Seals and bullae give us attestation of the names of biblical figures. Most recently an official from the court of Josiah, was found in Jerusalem.  Other Biblical names found include. Hezekiah, Jeroboam II, Ahaz, Isaiah, and Baruch, among others.
 
Link to the st. Anthony Liturgical House where Kurt Hoyer is teaching.
https://www.stanthonysliturgicalhouse.org/product-page/bib050-introduction-to-archaeology-for-bible-student-ceu
 
 
 
 
 

Bryan McClain: Consciousness, Intelligence, AI, Spirit, Eternity

Bryan McClain holds a Master of Science in computer science and a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics.  He took machine learning as part of graduate school in mathematical theory.   He has designed and trained his own models and has done research into how various AI models work.  Bryan works as a senior software engineer for an Indianapolis tech company.
In our podcast, we talk about Artificial Intelligence, what it is and what it is NOT.  Humans are conscious, AI is not.   Does AI bring us closer to eternity, God, and a fascinating future?   
 

Julie Zutz Brown/Darris McNeely: UCG Member Survey. What are Brethren Telling the Church?

Julie Zutz Brown has conducted various surveys for the United Church of God for the past 17 years.  She and her team have read and analyzed the various surveys.  Some surveys have been conducted by members, others by the ministry, employees, and other entities within the Church. 
Darris McNeely is chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, which uses surveys to help the Council of Elders develop a Strategic and Operating Plan.  Every three years, the plan goes through a significant update.  This year is one of those years. 
Julie is a senior executive at Johnson Controls, driving innovation in HVAC, security, and fire solutions. She is Vice President of the Global Customer Office, responsible for deploying a customer-centric culture.