23 Nov 2020

Melinda Schmidt-episode 252

Melinda Schmidt joins me again as we look at wrapping up 2020 with our year end observations. We are hoping to spark your thinking about your year and give you time before the actual end of the year. As you can imagine, lots of Covid-19 references as well as things that helped feed our soul during this difficult year.

Find Melinda:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram…Read More

16 Nov 2020

Kathy Escobar-episode 251

Kathy Escobar is a favorite guest of mine. She is copastor of The Refuge, a Christian community and mission in North Denver, and a trained spiritual director. I’ve talked to her on the podcast about her books Faith Shift and Practicing. This time we focus on a new advent devotional Kathy has penned that helps us honor our struggles during the holidays. The devotional is titled, A Weary World: Reflections for a Blue Christmas. Kathy has been leading her church community through “Blue Christmas” experiences for nearly a decade, and just experienced her bluest season of all following the sudden death of her son. 2020 has been a year of struggle for most. I think all will identify with this week’s conversation.

Links mentioned: Blue Christmas Event & A Weary World Digital Downloads

Find Kathy here:
• Website
•…Read More

09 Nov 2020

Mike Murphy-episode 250

Mike Murphy joins me on the podcast this week as we talk about our historic presidential election. We are not used to waiting beyond election night or early the next morning for election results but nothing about 2020 is business as usual. Listen in as we debrief this roller coaster week for Americans.

Find Mike Murphy:
• Facebook
• Twitter
 
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02 Nov 2020

Melinda Schmidt-episode 249

2018

Melinda Schmidt joins me again on the podcast to discuss a topic that everyone is thinking about and dealing with. In fact, it’s the title of a book by Buster Benson, Why Are We Yelling: The Art of Productive Disagreement. Certainly a timely topic for the week of the election and beyond.

Check out the two resources we mention:
• Why Are We Yelling
• Speaking Peace in a Climate of Conflict
Find Melinda in the following places.
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
 
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26 Oct 2020

Melinda Schmidt-episode 248

Melinda Schmidt is back on the podcast. We talk about what has helped us through transitions. It seems the past 5 years or so have been laden with transitions for both of us and, honestly, aren’t we all either entering or exiting some kind of life transition? I think you’ll really resonate with this conversation. We mention many resources that have been helpful to us in seasons of transition. They are all linked here for your convenience.

Melinda’s list:
Anchors for the Soul by Joyce Rupp
Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope by Joan Chittister
Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
The Other Side of Chaos by Margaret Silf
Autumn Gospel by Kathleen Fischer
South by Patrick McDonnell
Dear Girl by Amy Krause Rosenthal
Falling Upward, by Richard Rohr
Anita’s list:
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
It’s Never Too Late to Begin…Read More

19 Oct 2020

AJ Sherrill-episode 247

AJ Sherrill joins me on the podcast this week to talk about The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation: How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus. Maybe you’ve never heard of the Enneagram or maybe everywhere you turn these days you are hearing about the enneagram. It has become a popular tool for self-awareness and improvement as well as spiritual growth.

Author, pastor, and speaker AJ Sherrill takes the Enneagram a bit further and reimagines it as a discipleship tool and an entree to spiritual practices. If you are an Enneagram newbie or already knowledgable, you’ll appreciate this week’s conversation with AJ Sherrill.

Find AJ Sherrill in these places:
• Facebook
• Twitter
 

 
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12 Oct 2020

Michelle DeRusha-episode 246

Michelle DeRusha is back on Faith Conversations! We talk about a variety of topics—from the effects of the pandemic on us, now 7 months in, to the devastating loss of a pet, to good reading that can help sustain us during hard times.

Find Michelle’s Back Patio Newsletter here.

Here is the article we discussed about ambiguous loss.

Here are the books we mentioned: Late Migrations, Evie Drake Starts Over, Rules for Visiting, Journal of a Solitude.

Find Michelle in these places:
• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
 

Note: When clicking through on links to products on Amazon, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases….Read More

05 Oct 2020

Rich Villodas-episode 245

Five years ago to the day, I began Faith Conversations! I’m now 245 episodes in and I hope I’ve exceeded expectations 🙂

This week’s episode introduces a new voice to me and likely to some of you—Rich Villodas. Rich is the lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church in Elmhurst, Queens. He is Brooklyn-born and follows founding pastor Pete Scazzero into the spot of lead pastor at New Life Fellowship. Rich’s book, The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus, is a relevant read at this time in our history. Written before 2020 hit, it provides a good framework for living in our current crazy climate and culture. I know you’ll enjoy our conversation as we unpack Contemplative Rhythms, Racial Justice, and Interior Examination.

Find Rich here:
• Website
• Twitter
• Insta…Read More

28 Sep 2020

Melinda Schmidt-episode 244

Melinda and me – 2016

My good friend and wonderful conversation partner, Melinda Schmidt, joins me on the podcast this week. We spend time talking about whether or not we can trust ourselves. Many of us have grown up with the verse Jeremiah 17:9 thrown at us about our heart being deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Author, speaker, and therapist Alison Cook challenges that thought and says we’ve taken that verse out of context, used it to proof text. What does trusting ourselves look like and how do we trust both God and ourselves? It’s an enlightening conversation on this week’s Faith Conversations.

Here is Alison Cook’s post that we use as the springboard for our conversation.

Find Melinda here:
• Facebook
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 …Read More

21 Sep 2020

Jemar Tisby-episode 243

Jemar Tisby joins me on the podcast this week as we talk about his book The Color of Compromise. In our unfolding conversation, we talk about the American church and how it’s been complicit in racism through history. We also dialog about how there has been some progress in fighting racism but that the church has often failed to speak out against this evil. I highly recommend the book that is a story-driven survey of American Christianity’s racial past. John Lustrea joins in the conversation and brings his knowledge of history to the table as a Civil War scholar.

Find Jemar Tisby in the following places:
• Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
 

 
Note: When clicking through on links to products on Amazon, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases….Read More