Pilgrimages are not tourism. Rather, these holy treks have the power to change lives. The Rev. Steven Manskar and the Rev. Chris Heckert discuss their roles as both pilgrimage leaders and pilgrims on “Get Your Spirit in Shape.” Learn more about this episode at https://www.umc.org/en/content/pilgrimage-a-path-to-getting-unstuck-get-your-spirit-in-shape-ep-132 Have questions or comments? Email us at gysis@umcom.org ....
Jan 06, 2023•43 min
“Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” is indisputably one of the most popular Christmas hymns of all time. When Charles Wesley penned the lyrics, however, the opening line read, “Hark, how all the welkens ring!” World-renowned Wesley scholar Paul Chilcote shares fun and interesting insights about a selection of Wesley hymns and explains how all of the 9,000 hymns written by The United Methodist Church’s most enduring and prolific hymn writer centers on one theme: love. Learn more about this episode at ...
Dec 02, 2022•34 min
What is gaslighting? What is cultural bias? What is implicit bias? We hear these terms in the news, on social media, perhaps even at church. Dr. Enger Muteteke who works with The UMC’s General Commission on Religion and Race, shares how understanding the terms and viewing them through a scriptural lens can help us build a culture of belonging in our congregations and communities. Learn more on our episode page ....
Nov 18, 2022•33 min
We all have an inner critic, that voice in our heads that is sometimes quite loud telling us we are not good enough, we are not in control and even that we are not lovable. In his new book, “Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted life,” author Andrew Lang shares steps for how we as people of faith can expand through these constrictions to a place of healing for ourselves and offer healing to those around us.
Nov 04, 2022•35 min
After more than 20 trips to Africa to work primarily with vulnerable children who often lived in orphanages, Laura Horvath and her work with Healing Children Worldwide, has determined that centuries’ old wisdom about caring for underserved areas may need reimagining. Laura shares how the lessons she learned while working with communities across the globe have led her to engage in a radical initiative to unite and empower families.
Oct 21, 2022•24 min
When it comes to the Brothers Wesley, most people know John as the preacher and Charles as the hymn writer. What is less recognized, however, is how Charles, the younger of the two, was a trailblazer, often forging ahead of his brother. The Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote, world-renowned Wesley scholar, discusses the lingering influence of Charles’ lyrical theology on the Methodist movement and poses the question that Chilcote believes Charles would ask: What is the song that sings in your heart?...
Oct 07, 2022•39 min
As a freshman at Memphis State University, Kyla Smith was shy and introverted when she joined her college’s Wesley Foundation chapter. Two years later, Kyla has been transformed into a leader who now believes she can take on anything, as evidenced by her role of traveling to United Methodist churches throughout the state to speak about the importance of campus ministries, a message she wants the entire denomination to hear.
Sep 16, 2022•18 min
Seven times in the Gospel of John, Jesus describes himself in ‘I am’ statements: I am the light of the world, I am the bread of life, and others. In this episode, we talk with the Rev. Matt Rawle about his new book ‘Jesus Revealed’ and how the ‘I am’ statements depict a beautiful mosaic that help us discover the person of Jesus and God’s narrative for our own lives.
Sep 02, 2022•40 min
In the mid-1700s, John and Charles Wesley were known as radical dissidents who had a lot to say about the church, faith and following God. The UMC’s General Commission of Archives and History’s chief executive, Dr. Ashley Boggan, shares why the Methodist movement message shared by John and Charles Wesley remains relevant almost 300 years later.
Aug 19, 2022•30 min
Helping men live a bold life of faith by overcoming isolation and anxiety is a passion for the chief executive of United Methodist Men.
Aug 05, 2022•35 min
In this re-release of a 2020 ‘Meet a Bishop’ episode of Get Your Spirit in Shape , Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the New York Episcopal Area and now President of the Council of Bishops talks about his knowledge of glass, his interest in every person’s story and his love for his work.
Jul 22, 2022•23 min
Leah Wandera, the first United Women in Faith deaconess in Africa, is working to bridge The United Methodist Church and the global community through her work in social justice advocacy and public health.
Jul 10, 2022•40 min
Loneliness, grief, anger, exhaustion and a longing for peace. United Methodist pastor and author Elizabeth Shulman says these emotions frequently surround families dealing with dementia. In her new book, Finding Sanctuary in the Midst of Alzheimer’s: A Spiritual Guide for Families Facing Dementia , Shulman offers steps for how caregivers, as well as members of the church community, can find and offer support for one another.
Jun 24, 2022•25 min
United Methodist and Enneagram master Suzanne Stabile shares how she uses the Enneagram to feel closer to God and how it can help us achieve more balance and wholeness in our daily lives.
Jun 10, 2022•48 min
People of faith cannot be effective and relevant in the world today if they are not well informed, says Tim Tanton, who oversees UM News. On today’s episode of “Get Your Spirit in Shape,” Tim shares details about the news agency of The United Methodist Church and shares why UM News is an important ministry in the church, one that can be trusted as a reliable source of information.
May 27, 2022•32 min
For more than 38 years, the Rev. Vance Lowe was a successful United Methodist minister, with churches growing and thriving under his leadership. What his congregations and those closest to him did not know was that Vance daily struggled with mental illness, which led to addiction and eventual hospitalization in a psychiatric ward. Listen as Vance candidly tells his story, sharing hope to those who, like him, live with mental health struggles, as well as suggesting ways United Methodists can comb...
May 13, 2022•27 min
No plastic for 30 days! That’s the challenge the Rev. Cary James Jr. and his 16-year-old son, Caleb, recently undertook in support of their roles as EarthKeepers, trained by the General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, to address topics such as environmental justice, green technology and waste reduction in their communities. Hear about the outcome of the “no plastic for a month” endeavor along with why the James family is passionate about environmental stewardship....
Apr 29, 2022•28 min
You are invited to ponder the events of Jesus’ final hours on earth through the contemplative spiritual discipline of guided meditation. The Rev. Cindy Serio, a retired United Methodist pastor and current spiritual director, leads us through the narrative as we stay attentive to God’s invitation to us.
Apr 14, 2022•21 min
Did Jesus laugh? Did he find humor with his friend, the disciples, as they moved through the region? Robert Darden, Baylor University professor and religious humorist, emphatically says, “Absolutely!” Learn how humor can be a part of your faith journey in this conversation Darden, author of “Jesus Laughed: The Redemptive Power of Humor.”
Apr 01, 2022•22 min
Time Magazine called Dr. E. Stanley Jones the most important missionary of the 20th century. Commissioned by the Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Board in 1907, Jones traveled the world, befriending Mahatma Gandhi and inspiring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to adopt non-violent methods in the Civil Rights movement. The Rev. John Harnish, a retired United Methodist pastor, details Jones’ work and messages of hope in Harnish’s new book, 30 Days with E. Stanley Jones: Global Preacher,...
Mar 18, 2022•27 min
United Methodist pastor and author Juanita Campbell Rasmus, a self-professed performance-addicted perfectionist, shares her story of hitting bottom, an event that led her on a healing journey of learning to be still and truly coming to know God. Discover how leaning to be still and ridding yourself of the world’s expectations can help you keep your spirit in shape. Juanita is senior pastor at St. John’s Downtown United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. She is the author of “Learning to Be: Fin...
Mar 04, 2022•41 min
Angela Chadwick, Global Director of Prayer for Alpha International, talks with us about prayer, what it looks like day in and day out, and how prayer is that place where God becomes personal when we show up as our authentic selves.
Feb 18, 2022•24 min
Dr. David Boan, a member of First United Methodist Church of Boise, Idaho, and Kathleen Griffith, a veteran global heath leader with the General Board of Global Ministries, discuss Love Beyond Borders, an equitable vaccine distribution campaign.
Feb 03, 2022•30 min
Dr. David Field, Ecumenical Staff Officer for Faith & Order and Theological Dialogue for The United Methodist Church’s Council of Bishops, shares thoughts on how we, as Christians, might follow the complex command to love – and respect – all people, even those with whom we vehemently disagree. Discover how respect for others can help you keep your spirit in shape. David is the Ecumenical Staff Officer for Faith & Order and Theological Dialogue for The United Methodist Church’s Council of...
Jan 21, 2022•31 min
United Methodist missionary the Rev. John Calhoun, who pastors the English-Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna (ESUMC), shares how radical hospitality with a multicultural population is playing an important role in congregations in Austria. Discover how hospitality can help you keep your spirit in shape. John is an ordained elder of the New York Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church who has served in New York City, Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow and Kiev.
Jan 07, 2022•23 min
Desiree Segura-April and her husband are United Methodist missionaries serving throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and currently living in Honduras. As a Resource Person for Children at Risk Ministries, Desiree is passionate about creating safe spaces for children and shares with us how her life growing up in the Pacific Northwest continues to influence her current ministry.
Dec 16, 2021•25 min
Helen Roberts-Evans grew up in the United States, in Chicago. But returning to the continent of Africa, to Liberia, where she was born, was a lifelong dream. Today, Helen is a United Methodist missionary, serving in Liberia. In this special Advent episode of “Get Your Spirit in Shape,” we chat with Helen and learn the story of how God weaved together a series of incidences that led her back to the country of her birth.
Dec 11, 2021•36 min
Linda Bruner is a cradle Methodist, raised in the church as a preacher’s kid. Today, Linda works for the global denomination as senior manager of connectional giving and marketing for United Methodist Communications. We talk with Linda about her enduring United Methodist roots, what generosity means to her and why being part of a local congregation is key to her faith journey.
Nov 29, 2021•29 min
Food blogger and ministry leader Annette Spence talks about using food to help share God’s love and connect with our neighbors—a practice Jesus knew well. For more than 20 years, Annette has told the stories of the Holston Conference of The United Methodist Church in her role as editor of the The Call , the conference’s weekly newsletter. Many of these stories are about how churches eat together and use food in their ministries.
Nov 12, 2021•26 min
Thinking about what she had not read in parenting books was the springboard for the Rev. Kim Meyers when she started writing Parenting with Perspective . Kim’s new book is a candid look at the various stages of child rearing, from bringing home our newborn babies through guiding our adult children. We talk with Kim about the sometimes messy reality of raising kids, as well as the reason we can have hope that as a parent or as part of the community raising a child, you are enough for whatever adv...
Oct 29, 2021•25 min
