I started listening to Catholic Answers (like intentionally--not just overhearing my dad play it) around 2018 when I was a high school English teacher. As a teacher, I most appreciated when Jimmy Akin would be answering apologetics questions from callers because his responses would always be charitable without compromising logic and clarity. He has a talent for explaining things to children. I also really appreciate his beard and his cool hats and t-shirts.
He's also fascinated by super mysterious and weird stuff, and you can see this especially in his documentary podcast with StarQuest Media, Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World, which you can check out here: https://sqpn.com/podcasts/jimmy-akins-mysterious-world/. In this podcast, Mr. Akin will take an urban legend, curiosity, conspiracy theory, etc. (like Bigfoot and the Kennedy assassinations) and investigate it according to the twin perspectives of faith and reason. His pattern of critical thinking appeals to me especially as someone who used to dissect dozens of research papers in my university's Writing Center and later in my English classroom.
Anyway, I painted Mr. Akin. Theological fan art that I tried to make as cosmic as possible. Because I'm not just an artist. I'm a nerd, I tells ya. A NERD!
BEHOLD!
And despite how weird it is to paint your favorite apologist, or maybe because it's so weird, I emailed him that I painted his portrait. I feel like if I were the cosmically-cool Mr. Akin, I would want to know if a 20-something-year-old grad student painted my portrait.
Long story short, it's now in his home office! He really loves my artwork! You can see the portrait on his shelf in his videos on YouTube. Here are some screenshots. I am beyond honored. Like...nothing I ever do will top this. Nothing. Well, maybe the births of my future children. Maybe. But look:
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God bless this man. Anyway, please read Mr. Akin's books and listen to his podcasts. Part of being a human being means you have to wonder, and Mr. Akin invites us to wonder with him by looking at the mysteries--and mysteries lead us to the ultimate Mystery Himself (God! I'm talking about God!)
*doo doo doo doo doo doo* That's supposed to be the theme song of Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World. Hope y'all like the podcast!