Episode 17: Mary & Clark

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson. In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick. In this episode I'm in Toronto, Canada interviewing husband and wife Mary Darling and Clark Donnelly. Besides having more kids than I can ever keep track of, they have their own media company called WestWind Pictures, which aims to promote themes of beauty and unity. Among many other things, they are known for their popular TV comedy series called 'Little Mosque on the Prairie', and I ask them how the series started and what sort of impact the show has had. They share the challenges of working on a comedy that deals with things that are sacred, and how they bring Baha'i principles into the creative process. We discuss the importance of consultation, what it's like working as a husband and wife team, the role of a producer, and how they each became Baha'is. They also share what books they're reading, what they personally strive to be better at, and their favorite Baha'i Writings. To find out more about Mary and Clark and some of the things we covered in the podcast, check out the following links: * Find out more about 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' and Mary and Clark's production company here on their website: http://www.westwindpictures.com/ * Check out 'The Baha'is' documentary and their interview about it on Baha'i Blog: http://bahaiblog.net/site/2017/05/bahais-documentary-mary-darling-clark-donnelly/ * Here's the CNN article Mary mentions about 'Little Mosque on the Prarie' called 'Want to end prejudice? Watch a sitcom': http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/health/sitcoms-prejudice-study/ * Mary mentions the book 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' by Salman Rushdie: http://amzn.to/2qFEZiP * Clark mentions the book 'Abraham: One God, Three Wives, Five Religions' Paperback by Frances Worthington: http://amzn.to/2rGoTnt * Clark talks about the long Obligatory prayer which you can learn more about from this Baha'i Blog article, 'A Prayer to Power Up Your Day: The Long Obligatory Prayer': http://bahaiblog.net/site/2015/02/prayer-power-day-long-obligatory-prayer/ * Mary mentions her favourite prayer which we've added below: "O my God! O my God! Thou seest me in my lowliness and weakness, occupied with the greatest undertaking, determined to raise Thy word among the masses and to spread Thy teachings among Thy peoples. How can I succeed unless Thou assist me with the breath of the Holy Spirit, help me to triumph by the hosts of Thy glorious kingdom, and shower upon me Thy confirmations, which alone can change a gnat into an eagle, a drop of water into rivers and seas, and an atom into lights and suns? O my Lord! Assist me with Thy triumphant and effective might, so that my tongue may utter Thy praises and attributes among all people and my soul overflow with the wine of Thy love and knowledge. Thou art the Omnipotent and the Doer of whatsoever Thou willest." -Abdu'l-Baha Be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more weekly episodes on: *iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/bahai-blogcast-rainn-wilson/id1127132519 *Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-545312385 You can also stream the Blogcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7CKRNCqEyyl8lWYW6jvYWI Thanks for listening! -Rainn Wilson