14 Jan 2019

Michelle DeRusha-episode 159

Have you ever thought of decluttering your heart, mind, and soul? Or do you even have a handle on what that might look like? When we start letting go of false identities, our relationships change including our relationship with God. On this week’s Faith Conversations, Michelle DeRusha joins me to talk about what it means to let go of your false self to uncover the person God created. Sound like something you’d like to sign up for? Take a listen as we talk about True You.

Find Michelle here.

Follow Michelle on Twitter.

Find Michelle on Facebook.

Find Michelle on Instagram.

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07 Jan 2019

Ruth Haley Barton-episode 158

We talk about time away with God, then often never get around to it. Ruth Haley Barton joins me on the podcast to focus in on her latest offering, Invitation to Retreat. If you are like me, in this new year, you want to make it happen and not just talk about it.

This is a relevant and real topic not to mention greatly needed. Ruth says it’s a necessity of the spiritual life yet doesn’t get much press from our pulpits. I hope you’ll check out this week’s podcast with Transforming Center founder and seasoned spiritual director, Ruth Haley Barton.

Find her on Twitter @RuthHaleyBarton and also @TransformingCnt

And on Facebook here.

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24 Dec 2018

Phileena Heuertz-episode 157

Phileena Heuertz is a spiritual director, yoga instructor, public speaker, retreat guide, and author. She is also a founding partner of Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism. On this week’s podcast, we focus on her latest offering, Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation.

One thing most of us can agree on is the crazy pace with which most of us live. Phileena was no different. After a point where she experienced the deconstruction of her worldview, faith, and identity, Centering Prayer was a significant remedy. We talk through the importance of solitude and silence and stillness.

We also mention Phileena’s first book, Pilgrimage of a Soul.

Find her on Twitter.

And on Facebook.

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17 Dec 2018

Kathy Khang-episode 156

Kathy Khang joins me on the podcast this week and she admits it can be hard to speak up, especially due to the ugly climate on social media. But it’s important to speak up and to have our voice rooted in the image of God.

On the podcast, we talked about the importance of finding and speaking our own voice, but also using our voice to speak up on behalf of others. Kathy’s book, Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up, is an important one and I highly recommend it.

Find Kathy on Twitter @mskathykhang

Find Kathy on Facebook

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10 Dec 2018

Rick McKinley-episode 155

Rick McKinley is the founder and lead pastor of Imago Dei Community and a prolific author. He is a nationally known conference speaker at conferences including Q, Catalyst, and The Justice Conference. He has been putting one foot in front of the other in Portland, Oregon, for many years and was even voted one of Portland’s 50 Most Influential People in 2012.

On the podcast, we take a look at issues of faith, culture and the Church. Rick guides us through the question, “What does it mean to be the people of God now?” This is a question he answers in even more depth in his latest book, Faith For This Moment: Navigating a Polarized World as the People of God.

You’ll hear an enlightening conversation and Rick’s book will develop it even further.

Find Rick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

And check out The Adve…Read More

26 Nov 2018

Shawn Smucker-episode 154

Shawn Smucker joins me to tell a story of friendship. It’s a story of unlikely friendship, actually, and one that is beautiful and hard and inconvenient at times. I highly recommend Shawn’s book Once We Were Strangers: What Friendship with a Syrian Refugee Taught Me about Loving My Neighbor.

As Shawn struggles to make a living as a writer, into his life comes Mohammad, struggling to make a new life with his family in a strange new place.  The story is riveting and the struggles real.

This is a podcast that will make you think and ponder a bit.

Check out Church World Services Global that gets mentioned a few times during the podcast. And Church World Services in Lancaster County where Shawn lives.

Follow Shawn on Twitter @ShawnSmucker.

Find him on Facebook.

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19 Nov 2018

Melinda Schmidt-episode 153

Melinda Schmidt joins me on Faith Conversations this week. It’s been months since we’ve talked on the podcast and it was a wonderful reunion. You know what it’s like to not talk to a friend for a while—one of those really good soul friends—and when you see them you pick right up where you left off? It was exactly like that. We talked about life and grief and maybe about writing a book together.

Follow Melinda @melindaschmidt on Twitter.

Find her on Facebook here.

And Instagram here.

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12 Nov 2018

Heath Adamson-episode 152

Heath Adamson is a speaker at conferences, seminars, universities, and churches. He has an amazing backstory coming out of drug abuse and the occult. He currently serves at Convoy of Hope, a global nonprofit focusing on compassion and justice.

The focus of our conversation on the podcast is Grace in the Valley: Awakening to God’s Presence When He Feels Far Away. Heath walks us through Psalm 23 in a unique way. He asks provocative questions that we don’t usually think of when reading through Psalm 23, like “What if the green pasture and valley of the shadow of death are the same place?” That kind of hooked me and Heath and I were off on a fascinating conversation about the nooks and crannies of a Psalm I thought I knew really well. I hope you’ll come along on the journey, too!

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05 Nov 2018

Karen Swallow Prior-episode 151

Karen Swallow Prior is an award-winning professor of English at Liberty University and she is an acclaimed author. If you follow her on social media you know that she not only posts thought-provoking articles but also possesses a quick wit.

Our conversation on the podcast centered around her latest release On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books. Prior walks us through some important virtues using great books as the backdrop.

While we talk extensively about her latest book, we begin by talking about the serious accident that sidelined her for half of this year, the current stories circulating about plagiarism in Christian circles, and how she is one of the Evangelical women who reject Donald Trump.

Follow her on Twitter @KSPrior and on Facebook here.

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29 Oct 2018

Grace Ji-Sun Kim-episode 150

Grace Ji-Sun Kim joins me on the podcast this week as we talk about Healing Our Broken Humanity. Grace and her co-author Graham Hill have written about practices for revitalizing the church and renewing the world. We touch on only some of those practices. Lament and repentance as well as relinquishing power and reinforcing agency definitely enter our dialog. If you don’t think we need the healing and hope of Christ, then your head has been in the sand. I hope this conversation spurs you on to prayer and action.

Find Grace Ji-Sun Kim at her website here.

Find Graham Hill at his website here.

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