That’s the Word presents wholesome tales for the whole family, telling short stories in Paul Harvey’s iconic format. Key details are intentionally left out, so that listening to the podcast becomes a game to deduce who or what the story is about. The audience probably has heard of the story’s subject, but may not be able to put the pieces together until the big reveal.
The podcast is the result of a collaboration between Fr. Yamauchi, who served as pastor of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Talty, and his brother John Peter Yamauchi. Together, they have been releasing new stories every Wednesday since November.
“We, as humans, love stories, and we love to learn through them,” John Peter says. “However, storytelling is feeling more and more like a lost art. We want to do our part to keep simple storytelling alive and use stories to bring a little joy into people’s day.”
In March 2020, the brothers teamed up to host a daily half-hour Facebook Live show called Father at 5. Every evening at 5 pm, they would present some topic from the Faith or give a parish update, then lead the parish in prayer.
“The show lasted for two months, and the St. Martin of Tours parishioners really loved it,” Fr. Yamauchi recalls. “We had talked about doing a podcast before, but the experience with Father at 5 cemented the idea.”
The stories range from ancient history to current figures, saints, heroes, and prominent men and women from every age. They span a variety of fields and interests, and they are always familyfriendly.
By podcast standards, the 5-minute episodes of That’s the Word are very short. The length and style of the stories are inspired by the work of the father/son duo Paul Harvey and Paul Harvey, Jr., who broadcasted The Rest of the Story for 33 years. “Their approach of presenting stories so that the listener is an active participant putting the pieces of the story together for the eventual punchline is such an engaging and fun style,” Fr. Yamauchi says.
John Peter, a software developer, manages the show, including recording and editing the podcasts. Both brothers share the duty of writing the stories.
“Writing is the part of the process that takes the longest,” John Peter says. “Between the idea and the finished story there is a lot of research, false starts, and discarded subjects that wind up not fitting our format. Sometimes the story just flows in one draft, like A Trustworthy Imposter. Most of the time, though, the story requires at least one major revision or rewrite, if it works at all.”
Ultimately, the brothers hope that That’s the Word will delight, entertain, and bring the light of Jesus Christ into listeners’ days.
You can listen to That’s the Word on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, sonsofthunderrock.com, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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