Christmas 2020 felt like it was stolen. Many of the things we enjoy most about the season—travel, parties, exchanging cookies, and singing Christmas carols/hymns in a filled sanctuary—were not the same. It made us feel a bit more Grinchy than we may have ever felt before. In this episode of Get Your Spirit in Shape , Crystal talks with author and United Methodist pastor Matt Rawle about his new book The Heart that Grew Three Sizes: Finding faith in the story of the Grinch . Matt talks about how ...
Oct 13, 2021•31 min
For our 100th episode, we talk with Bishop Minerva Carcaño. Not only is she the current bishop of the San Francisco Episcopal Area, she is the first Hispanic woman appointed as a district superintendent in the continental United States and the first Hispanic female ever elected bishop. She is a leader in social justice ministries, probably best known for her long history of committed involvement in ministries with immigrants and refugees, the poor and communities on the US/Mexico border. And unk...
Sep 30, 2021•27 min
As Jesus is preparing his disciples for when he will no longer be with them in the flesh, he tells them how those who believe in him will continue his work. But he doesn’t leave it there. He then says, “and they will do even greater things than these” ( John 14:12 NIV ). Wow! Can we do greater things? Len Wilson, Director of Innovation and Strategy at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas; Publisher of Invite Resources and author of a new book called Greater Things: The Work of the ...
Sep 23, 2021•30 min
While some bishops in the United States serve episcopal areas that include three or four states, Bishop Patrick Streiff serves one that includes 14 countries. The Central and Southern Europe Episcopal Area consists of 12 countries in Europe and two in Africa. In addition to talking about his amazing work as a bishop, in this conversation from Zurich, Switzerland, we talk about his early life in Bern, the beginnings his faith development, his love of study and skiing, and his doctoral thesis on e...
Sep 09, 2021•25 min
United Methodist pastor and author the Rev. Sherry Cothran invites us to take a closer look at the stories of some of the wild and holy women of the Bible. While we may be familiar with Esther, Rahab and others, Cothran teaches that their lives and circumstances hold clues for healing our own pain. In this conversation, Crystal and Sherry talk about how resurrecting these stories may encourage us to untame certain parts of who we are.
Aug 27, 2021•28 min
Many of us have experienced trauma and how the danger of unhealed trauma can keep us from connecting with one another and with God. In this episode, our new cohost Crystal Caviness speaks with the Rev. Dr. Ron Bell about his book that teaches us how, step by step, to tackle the important work of healing, how to move us from victim to survivor and explains why the childhood song, “If you’re happy and you know it…” may offer clues to how we heal.
Aug 12, 2021•28 min
The Rev. Arthur Jones, preaching pastor at St. Andrew UMC in Plano, Texas, is the author of a new book called Solid Souls . In this conversation, we talk about what the soul is and some common misconceptions. Arthur teaches that when we keep an eternal perspective, we make better choices for ourselves, the people around us, and our souls.
Jul 30, 2021•35 min
Growing up as a preacher’s kid in Kentucky, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett dreamed of a career in athletics. A passion for education, led to a career in pastoral ministry, but those lessons from her athletic background never left her. For example, in basketball no one makes every shot. “So it’s so important not to focus on the misses,” she teaches, “but to keep moving forward.” Today, Bishop Debra serves as resident bishop North Alabama Conference. Also, as part of her work as a bishop, she serves...
Jul 14, 2021•20 min
Recently, many of us have grown increasingly comfortable in digital spaces. We may have worshiped on Facebook, connected with family on Zoom, had a meaningful conversation over Twitter, or joined a prayer group on Twitch. All of which raises questions about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ online. The Rev. Ryan Dunn, Minister of Online Engagement with RethinkChurch, joins for a conversation about digital discipleship. How can you and I be a pleasant presence of grace when we’re onl...
Jun 30, 2021•34 min
The United Methodist Social Principles call us to faithful engagement with the world around us. They remind us of our connection to God, one another and the created world. Living a life in service to God and others has been part of our United Methodist history since John Wesley in the 1700s who visited those in prison, preached against slavery, and led the first Methodists to help their communities with things like healthcare and education. All of this is in service to what Jesus lifted up as th...
May 05, 2021•30 min
When we think of evangelism, many Christians feel some guilt. We know it is something we ought to be doing, but it makes us uncomfortable. In this podcast episode, we talk to Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison, professor and Dean at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and the author of Models of Evangelism. In this conversation, she helps us better understand what evangelism looks like in real life (in contrast to the caricatures) and encourages us to explore ways to share the Go...
Apr 16, 2021•26 min
When faced with resistance, we sometimes back down, even when we believe we are doing what God has created us to do. In this conversation, the Rev. Donna Fowler-Marchant, author of a new book titled, Mothers in Israel: Methodist Beginnings Through the Eyes of Women , introduces us to some of the amazing women of the early Methodist movement. Each chose to follow God, even when the tradition of the day (and many of the men) were saying what they were doing was wrong. You may have heard about the ...
Mar 17, 2021•33 min
Two of the authors of I’m Black. I’m Christian. I’m Methodist . talk about the importance of confronting racism both within the Church and throughout society. They share stories of their experiences as United Methodist pastors and differences they have noticed in the ways we talk about and process racial injustice. The Rev. Rudy Rasmus, senior pastor of St. Johns United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, and the Rev. Jevon Caldwell-Gross, teaching pastor at St Luke’s United Methodist Church in ...
Feb 19, 2021•35 min
Many of us have questions about the Holy Spirit. We’ve heard things and assume others, but we’re unsure if any of them are true. Jack Levison, Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Perkins School of Theology and the author of several books, addresses many of these issues and helps us to understand how the Holy Spirit infuses our ordinary days with the extraordinary presence of God. Jack talks specifically about Pentecost, Jesus’s baptism, and the way the Spirit works in our lives today....
Jan 29, 2021•30 min
As many focus on their health in a new year, Kathleen Griffith reminds us to have a holistic approach—body, mind and spirit. “When one is unwell, one’s whole being is affected,” explains the interim Global Health Team Lead and the Program Manager of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health with the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church. “We are such integrated beings.” Griffith also shares how the Abundant Health Initiative of the UMC’s audacious goal of reaching one millio...
Jan 15, 2021•30 min
We continue our Advent 2020 missionary conversations with Temba Nkomozepi, a United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries missionary serving as an agriculturalist for the Mujila Falls Agriculture Center in Kanyama, Zambia. Temba helps provide healthy, nutritious food, and teaches others how to best grow crops and maintain livestock. It’s important work that helps improve the health of the people of Zambia. Hear the rest of our 2020 Give Love missionary episodes ....
Dec 11, 2020•18 min•Ep. 85
Our second missionary conversation for Advent 2020 is with Lily Maijama’a, a Global Missions Fellow with the General Board of Global Ministries serving the West Africa Initiative of Liberia where he serves as a project manager. But Lily’s service goes far beyond his office job. He trains young people in the dangers of the internet and might organize a football match (what we in the U.S. call soccer ) just to meet people and invite them into a small group. A passion for connecting people to one a...
Dec 04, 2020•15 min•Ep. 84
We begin our missionary conversations for Advent 2020 by meeting Ben Lasley, a Global Missions Fellow with the General Board of Global Ministries serving Arch Street United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Growing up in North Carolina, Ben was active in his United Methodist church where he developed his relationship with Jesus Christ. In Philadelphia, he serves as a community organizer, coordinating a meal service for those experiencing homelessness and overseeing a community gard...
Nov 27, 2020•16 min•Ep. 83
Bryce Hillhouse knows the value of education. He worked hard and made his own path. Today, he serves as Development Coordinator at the Lydia Patterson Institute a United Methodist-related and church-supported middle and high school in El Paso, Texas. Through their robust scholarship program, Lydia Patterson provides a quality education to impoverished children in Texas and Mexico. In this conversation, Bryce shares the value of education, the importance of spiritual formation, and the challenges...
Oct 30, 2020•24 min•Ep. 82
Energy is one of those things many of us can take for granted. We flip a switch and bring light to a darkened room. Outlets are plentiful where we charge our phones or power a tool. We have refrigerators that keep our food fresh and water heaters to make our showers comfortable. In some places where The United Methodist Church is in mission, however, that is not the case. Hospitals rely on cellphone flashlights. Students struggle to study at night. Vaccines are unable to be stored due to a lack ...
Oct 16, 2020•25 min
“The length and width of our table determines the depth and breadth of our compassion,” teaches the Rev. Mark Feldmeir. “If we can get folks to the table and stay there, even in the difficult conversations, that compassion grows deeper and wider and allows us to be agents of compassion.” As the U.S. presidential election nears, we appear to be a divided nation—not only in politics but also in the church. In his new book, A House Divided: Engaging the Issues through the Politics of Compassion , U...
Sep 04, 2020•26 min•Ep. 80
“Maybe the big things in your eyes are actually really small things,” the Rev. Adam Weber wonders aloud, “and the small things in your eyes are actually huge.” Instead of searching for the big things we want to do for God, Adam encourages us instead to look for the places where we can love our neighbors, even the ones who are difficult to love. He’s learned that lives can be powerfully impacted by simple things like free cookies and basketball hoops. Adam Weber is the founding pastor of Embrace ...
Aug 21, 2020•36 min
Dr. Leah Gunning Francis describes herself as a seminary dean, mother and author. As a seminary dean and scholar, she shares a theology of anti-racism and racial justice that begins with the imago dei , the recognition that all human beings are created in the image of God. As an author, Dr. Gunning Francis wrote Ferguson and Faith after interviewing more than two dozen faith leaders who participated in the protests following the shooting death of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Miss...
Aug 07, 2020•38 min•Ep. 78
In her new book The Way Up is Down , author Marlena Graves shares the example of Jesus, who, “Though he was in the form of God… emptied himself” ( Philippians 2:6-7 ). In this conversation, Marlena and Joe talk about how all too often we do the opposite—trying to fill ourselves with power, money, comfort and more. Often, despite all our striving, we find that we can never be satisfied. When we surrender those desires and instead allow God to fill us, we can find the peace and satisfaction we des...
Jul 24, 2020•32 min•Ep. 77
“Issues don’t move people,” shares United Methodist missionary Eric Soard. “People move people. And we need to be better at getting close to the people that are affected by the issues we are supposedly passionate about.” Soard learned about the importance of ‘proximity’—what John Wesley called “watching over one another in love”—while serving as an educator and the founder of Wesley College in Mwanza, Tanzania. After weeks of quarantine and stay-at-home orders, we all have a renewed appreciation...
Jul 10, 2020•32 min•Ep. 76
Todd Seifert, Great Plains Conference Communicator, describes himself as a media mutt. He’s worked for print publications, digital media companies, produced videos and recently won the United Methodist Association of Communicators’ 2020 Best in Class award for his podcast In Layman’s Terms . Todd’s been a Sunday School teacher for years and loves sharing about scripture. He uses that knowledge in his podcast as he shares stories about the body of Christ while reflecting on God’s Word. In this co...
Jun 19, 2020•27 min
On Friday, June 5, 2020, we spoke with 2 bishops about racism, the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police, and the protests happening across the United States. They express their anger, how they approach the world and are treated differently because of race and gender, and some steps United Methodists can take to be part of the solution of dismantling racism. Bishop LaTrelle Easterling of the Baltimore-Washington Episcopal Area participated in a vigil at St. John’s Episcopal Church n...
Jun 08, 2020•39 min•Ep. 74
Meet Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the New York Episcopal Area. He was raised in West Virginia where his family worked in the glass industry and raised him in the church from day one. At West Virginia Wesleyan College, he developed an appreciation for the stories each person has to tell, which later deepened as he had opportunity to travel the world. When asked about the best part of being a bishop, he responded, “Being a bishop.” Bickerton is clearly enthusiastic about his ministry. Although a sel...
May 29, 2020•23 min•Ep. 73
While serving as a hospice chaplain, United Methodist pastor the Rev. Gary Shockley, noticed parents, grandparents and other caretakers struggling to help children in times of grief. Because he is also a children’s author and illustrator, Gary created My Heart Sings a Sad Song, a wonderful new resource to help kids and their families as they experience the complicated emotions of grief. In this conversation, Gary shares some tips for helping children—and all of us—face our emotions during diffic...
May 15, 2020•28 min
In the stillness of the night during a youth retreat, his pastor asked a simple question. “Bruce,” Bishop Ough recalls him saying, “have you ever thought about ministry?” Several years later, in another quiet moment at night, this time looking up at the stars, he was struck with a sense of his place in the universe and with God. As Bishop Ough shares his journey of faith and ministry, we get a glimpse into our own spiritual lives and the ways God speaks to us in the stillness. What a great remin...
May 04, 2020•27 min•Ep. 71
