Everyday Spirituality Podcast: Recent Episodes
James Hazelwood
Exploring the topic of the sacred in the everyday ordinary existence of people. Through interviews, readings, reflections, Bishop James Hazelwood helps us find Meaning, Hope, and Peace through stories of people realizing the Grace that is already here.
I'm closing down this podcast at the end of June 2024. But, life goes on. I've moved all my written, audio and even video over to www.jameshazelwood.substack.com
Join me there.
It's been great
Thank you
James
I read the opening chapter of my new book, Ordinary Mysteries: Reflections on Faith, Doubt & Meaning. The book launches on April 30, 2024. But I've got a pre-launch special of a hardbound color edition. More information at www.ordinarymysteriesbook.com
or my website www.jameshazelwood.net
Book Description
Journey between two realms—the sacred and the mundane—with this thoughtful collection of essays on spirituality in everyday life. Drawing upon personal stories, cultural references, and wisdom from every age, James Hazelwood invites readers to uncover the thin spaces where heaven and earth meet.
From daily encounters in nature to the symbolism of dreams, the mundane is revealed as a gateway to the divine. Hazelwood explores the power to awaken grace and meaning through spiritual practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and compassion. With humor and heart, these stories and reflections offer insight for those looking to deepen their faith and nurture their spiritual life amidst the complexities of the modern world.
Blending theology, philosophy, and psychology, this book will open you to the extraordinary mysteries in ordinary life. Discover how attentiveness and an open heart can reveal the holy ground beneath your feet. This is an invitation to the spiritual journey, where your own story is woven into the Infinite.
Endorsements
“ORDINARY MYSTERIES is extraordinary in how much in-depth theology, psychology, and spirituality are brought together in one book. Here is Carl Jung paired with Howard Thurmond. Explorations into Trinity, Beatitudes, Ash Wednesday. We are invited to a “holy curiosity” and “a gritty mysticism grounded in compassion.”
Bishop Doug Fisher Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
“Throughout this book of essays, James Hazelwood extends a continual and continuous invitation that dares us to see differently. Adjusting the lens and opening the aperture, he offers a view that is wider, deeper and nuanced by a light that allows the detail of shadow to emerge. Jim's scope is broad, his humor wry and his gaze unflinching. Reading Ordinary Mysteries felt like meeting a friend for honest conversation over multiple cups of strong coffee. I was left with a sharpened awareness of The Holy within and around me.”
Sheila Longo Petruccelli Director of Creative Embodiment The Haden Institute
James Hazelwood serves as Bishop of the New England Synod (ELCA Lutheran). His previous books include Everyday Spirituality and Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson is Associate Pastor at Tokyo Lutheran Church and the Founder of Thornbush Press. She has written, edited, and contributed to numerous books of both theology and fiction and has published hundreds of articles. She hosts the podcasts Queen of the Sciences, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Stories, and The Disentanglement Podcast, and writes the e-newsletter Theology & a Recipe.
She is the Founder of Thornbush Press, launched in 2020, and author of a number of books under its imprint: I Am a Brave Bridge, Sermon on the Mount: A Poetic Paraphrase, Small Catechism: Memorizing Edition, Pearly Gates: Parables from the Final Threshold, To Baptize or Not to Baptize: A Practical Guide for Clergy, and A-Tumblin’ Down.
https://www.sarahhinlickywilson.com/theology https://thornbushpress.com/books/
Guest: Professor Volker Leppin, Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology at Yale Divinity School. He is a native of Germany, and a Reformation scholar
Show Notes
In the interview, Volker suggests people read Martin Luther’s Treatise on Christian Liberty also called the Freedom of a Christian. You can find many translations. Here is one for free online, though I prefer the version in Timothy Lull’s Martin Luther’s Writing collection.
My regular Newsletter with an Essay on Mysticism and Psychology
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Volker Leppin Bio
Educated at the University of Marburg Heidelberg University, and the Theological Academic Year in Jerusalem program, Volker Leppin received a chair in Church History at the University of Jena (Thuringia, Germany) in 2000. Ten years later, he moved to the University of Tübingen in Southern Germany, where he held the chair in Church History and directed the Institute for Late Middle Ages and Reformation from 2010 to 2021. He is a member of the Academies of Sciences at Heidelberg, the Saxonian Academy of Sciences, and as well the European Academy of Arts and Sciences, Salzburg, Austria, three distinguished scholarly societies in Europe.
Professor Leppin is the author of 20 monographs, most of them in German.
His biography of Martin Luther, Martin Luther. A Late Medieval Life, (Baker Academic, 2017) is also available in English. He has provided several critical text editions, e.g. William of Ockham, Dialogus. Part 2. Part 3, Tract 1, ed. with John Kilcullen, John Scott and Jan Ballweg (Oxford, 2011). In addition, he is the editor or co-editor of 53 books, and the author of more than 300 scholarly articles and chapters, altogether covering a broad range of interests from antiquity to the modern area.
Professor Leppin’s scholarship is particularly interested in medieval and Reformation studies. He argues that the Reformation should be understood as a transformation of the medieval world rather than a stark rupture. His work also focuses on the history of spirituality, mainly in mysticism. Accordingly, his most recent book is a history of Christian mysticism from the Bible to the 20th century: Ruhen in Gott (Rest in God).
https://divinity.yale.edu/faculty-and-research/yds-faculty/volker-leppin
Host: James Hazelwood
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Joanna Penn on Writing the Shadow
Episode 89. Special Edition Interview with Author, Creative, Businesswoman and Host of the Creative Penn podcast, Joanna Penn.
Joanna is a multidimensional person with interests spanning psychology, theology, business, writing, publishing, and Artificial Intelligence among many pursuits. She is the author of over 45 books, and she’s already imagining the next one. Her most recent is Writing the Shadow: Turn your Inner Darkness into Words. That’s the focus of our conversation in this episode.
To join the kickstarter campaign or buy the book click here www.TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook
Personal Updates
On Wednesday evening, October 11, I’ll be joined by local musician Mike Bussey for an evening called “Songs and Stories of Weird Wisdom.” Cross Mills Library in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Write me at jim@jameshazelwood.net
My Weekly Newsletter with an Essay on Mysticism and Psychology
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Guest Bio - Joanna (J.F. Penn) Penn
www.TheCreativePenn.com
www.CreativePennBooks.com
She is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with 45+ books, with almost a million sold across 169 countries and 5 languages. She is a podcaster, international speaker, and award-winning creative entrepreneur.
Joanna (J.F.) Penn New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Thriller Author Podcaster. Speaker. Award-winning Entrepreneur. For authors and writers:
www.TheCreativePenn.com
www.CreativePennBooks.com
The Creative Penn Podcast: www.TheCreativePenn.com/podcasts/
www.twitter.com/thecreativepenn
Thrillers, dark fantasy, crime, horror:
www.JFPennBooks.com
www.instagram.com/jfpennauthor
www.Facebook.com/jfpennauthor
Host: James Hazelwood
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Encountering Mystery
Guest: Professor Dale Allison, Princeton Theological Seminary, author of many books on the New Testament. The most recent book and topic of our conversation is Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age
Personal Updates
On Wednesday evening, October 11, I’ll be joined by local musician Mike Bussey for an evening called “Songs and Stories of Weird Wisdom.” Cross Mills Library in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Write me at jim@jameshazelwood.net
My Weekly Newsletter with an Essay on Mysticism and Psychology
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Dale Allison Bio
Dale C. Allison, Jr. is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. He earned his MA and PhD from Duke University. His academic research and publications include the historical Jesus, the Gospel of Matthew, Second Temple Judaism, and the history of the interpretation and application of biblical texts. His book, Constructing Jesus, was selected as “Best Book Relating to the New Testament” for 2009–2010 by the Biblical Archaeology Society. His most recent books are The Resurrection of Jesus: Apologetics, Polemic, History and Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age. He served for several years as the main New Testament editor for de Gruyter’s International Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception and has been on the editorial boards of multiple academic journals. On a more popular level, he has written books on George Harrison, religious experience, and death and what might lie beyond.
https://www.ptsem.edu/people/dale-c-allison-jr
Host: James Hazelwood
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Guest Sept 2023 is Sheri Kling
Coming up. Interviews with Dale Allison Encountering Mystery, David Tracey, Volker Leppin and Joanna Penn
Substack Newsletter. https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Thanks to the newest supporter, Jonathan V, and others Charlie, Paul, Marilyn, Rick, Matt, Ron, William, Leslie.
https://www.jameshazelwood.net/
Today's interview
As an accomplished keynoter, faculty member of the Haden Institute, and director of Process & Faith for the Center for Process Studies and Claremont School of Theology,
Dr. Sheri regularly speaks to groups, leads retreats, works one-on-one with individuals who seek to deepen their spiritual lives, and guides groups in online and in-person special events. Her primary text, A Process Spirituality: Christian and Transreligious Resources for Transformation was published by Lexington Books in 2020. She has numerous other publications and has released three music CDs.
Dr. Sheri Kling holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Religion (Claremont School of Theology) and a M.A. of theological studies (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago). She is a faculty member of the Haden Institute and a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist who considers herself a “voice for transformation."
https://www.sherikling.com/
Episode 86 or Episode 5 of Season 2
Guest: Rev. Stuart Higginbotham, Episcopal Priest serving Grace Episcopal Church in Gainsville, Georgia. http://www.gracechurchgainesville.org. Full Bio below
Author of The Heart of a Calling
News
Commend to you the work of Dr. Martin Shaw. Martin is a storyteller and author. https://drmartinshaw.com
Stephen Jenkinson. He is a former Hospice and Palliative Care director in Toronto, Canada. Grief & Mystery. https://orphanwisdom.com
Dr. Fanny Brewster has a new book out titled Race and the Unconscious: An Africanist Depth Psychology Perspective on Dreaming
August 4, 2023 Book Launch
https://www.pacifica.edu/pacifica-news/dr-fanny-brewster-book-launch/
Personal Updates
On Wednesday evening, September 13, I’ll be joined by local musician Mike Bussey for an evening called “Songs and Stories of Weird Wisdom.” Cross Mills Library in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Write me at jim@jameshazelwood.net
My Weekly Newsletter with an Essay on Mysticism and Psychology
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Poem by William Stafford
The Way it Is
There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding. You don’t ever let go of the thread.
Stuart’s Bio
I began my cure as rector of Grace in early January 2014, after serving as Senior Associate at St. Benedict’s in Smyrna, Georgia, for over five years. Working with the entire leadership team at Grace, I have a particular passion for the intersection of contemplative practices and congregational development. Grace is an extraordinary community of nearly one thousand souls, and I feel blessed to live and pray among them as we prepare to celebrate our Bicentennial in 2028. I also serve as Assistant Professor in the Practice of Spiritual Formation and Ministry at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. At Candler, I focus on the contextual education of the Episcopal and Anglican seminarians, exploring the dynamics of congregational life in a “laboratory of spiritual imagination.”
Candler School of Theology Anglican/Episcopal Studies Program
My broader work as a priest, teacher, retreat leader, and author is grounded in the Christian contemplative tradition. I continue to share in ongoing conversations with friends from the New Contemplative Exchange, a fellowship first gathered by Thomas Keating, Richard Rohr, Tilden Edwards, and Laurence Freeman at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Snowmass, Colorado in August 2017. Since that time, I contributed to and co-edited the volume Contemplation and Community: A Gathering of Fresh Voices for a Living Tradition (Crossroad, 2019) and am the author of The Heart of a Calling: The Practice of Christian Mindfulness in Congregational Ministry (Crossroad, 2021).
Before “church life,” I studied in the pre-med program at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas (B.S. in Biology, summa cum laude), and I did my initial theological studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia (M.Div, honors in spiritual formation). I also completed a certificate in Anglican Studies and the Doctor of Ministry degree from the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee Tennessee.
With the global contemplative community, I have worked with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, the World Community for Christian Meditation, Contemplative Outreach, the Candler School of Theology, Mepkin Abbey, and others. As well, I continue my practice and research into the connections between the Christian contemplative tradition and the Tibetan/Himalayan Buddhism, and I have a deep appreciation for the intersection of poetry and contemplative practice.
My wife, Lisa, and I have one daughter, Evelyn. We both grew up in Southeastern Arkansas, in the Mississippi Delta, with fried catfish, sweet tea, and mosquitoes the size of small birds.
https://contemplativereformation.blog
Host: James Hazelwood
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 85 or Episode 4 of Season 2
Guest: Sheila Petruccelli
Emails and letters
Write me at jim@jameshazelwood.net
My Weekly Newsletter with an Essay on Mysticism and Psychology
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Interview Guest & Links
Sheila Petruccelli is the Director of Creative Embodiment at the Haden Institute which is a Center for Spiritual Direction training in North Carolina. She is also an artist and spiritual director herself.
You can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sheila.petruccelli/
Links from our conversation
Haden Institute https://www.hadeninstitute.com
The Poetry of David Whyte https://davidwhyte.com
Photo of My Dream Book from my time in the Creative Space
The Work of Brene Brown on Creative Shame https://brenebrown.com
Robert Bly’s Poetry https://robertbly.com
His book Loving a Woman in Two Worlds
Rag & Bone Shop of the Heart : Poetry for Men Edited by Bly, Hillman and Meade
About Sheila Sheila Petruccelli is the Director of Creative Embodiment at the Haden Institute, a Center for Spiritual Direction training in North Carolina. She is also an artist and spiritual director herself.
You can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sheila.petruccelli/
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 84 or Episode 3 of Season 2
Guest: Dr. Lerita Coleman Brown
Link to my Substack Article on Howard Thurman and Carl Jung
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/p/howard-thurman-and-carl-jung
News
I was a guest on the Retirement Wisdom Podcast
Podcast Episode here
PSYCHE & EARTH -A Relationship in Crisis https://www.civilizationintransition.com November 2–5, 2023 Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hartford International University
Eco-Spirituality Program
Click here
Personal Updates
Emails and letters
Write me at jim@jameshazelwood.net
My Weekly Newsletter with an Essay on Mysticism and Psychology
https://jameshazelwood.substack.com/
Interview Guest & Links
Lerita Coleman Brown, author, speaker, heart and kidney transplant recipient, and former psychology professor. As a Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation graduate, I serve as a *spiritual director/companion retreat leader.
She lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA, with my husband, and our family includes two grown children and one grandchild who resides in Dallas, Texas, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Author of a New Book on Howard Thurman, “What Makes Your Heart Sing: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman.”
Lerita Coleman Brown's website https://leritacolemanbrown.com
Howard Thurman resources
On Dr Coleman Brown's website page https://leritacolemanbrown.com/?page_id=76262
PBS Documentary on Howard Thurman “Backs Against the Wall” https://youtu.be/wVl_irB59lM?t=2
Candler Emory University Thurman Audio Archives https://thurman.pitts.emory.edu/items/browse
Books by Howard Thurman mentioned in the Podcast
- Howard Thurman, With Hand and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman
- New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1981.
- Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited
- Boston: Beacon Press, (1949), 1996 (reprint edition).
- Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart
- Boston: Beacon Press, 1999
Doctor Coleman Brown’s new book What Makes Your Heart Sing 2023
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 83 or Episode 2 of Season 2
Guest: Rev Dale Selover, Spiritual Director at the House Next Door
News
Holy Land trip January 15 to 25, 2024
NY Jung on Hudson Event July 16 - 22
Where did the phrase gritty mysticism come from?
Book Contemplating Christ: The Gospels and the Interior Life by Vincent Pizzuto
Discussion Guide for Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life is available now, The Study Guide can be found here - click here
Personal Updates
Emails and letters
Sue asks a question about John 14:6 and the seemingly exclusionary saying of Jesus “I am the Way, the Life, and the Truth; no one comes to the Father except through me.
I recently preached on this text at Redeemer Lutheran in Bangor, Maine, and they recorded the sermon on their Facebook page. It’s here, and the sermon begins at the 26-minute mark.
Write me at jim@jameshazelwood.net
Interview Guest
Pastor Dale Selover serves as the Director of The House Next Door, a Prince of Peace Lutheran Church ministry in Princeton Junction, NJ where she provides a spiritual direction and retreat ministry. Pastor Selover received her training as a spiritual director through Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development. She also on the teaching staff of Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development.
Pastor Selover has been a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for over thirty years. She has served congregations in New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and Gettysburg College. Dale is married to Pastor Peter Froehlke. They are the proud parents of two daughters: Sara Grace and Hannah Ruth.
To contact Dale Selover, visit the House Next Door’s website: www.housenextdoornj.org.
James Hazelwood, author, bishop, and spiritual companion, is the author of Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life and Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. His website is www.jameshazelwood.net
April 29, 2023, Everyday Spirituality Podcast Show Notes
Yes, we are back after a two-year period of hibernation.
In this episode, I relaunch the show, describe the new format and play a throwback interview from November 202 with Jungian Analyst Jason Smith.
Dick Russell Biography of James Hillman Volume II releases May 30, 2023
The Life and Ideas of James Hillman: Volume II: Revisioning Psychology
News of the Passing of Rev Bob Haden, Founder of the Haden Institute
Obituary Here
Haden Institute Summer Conference on Dreams & Spirituality
With Joy Harjo, Catherine Meeks & John Phillip Newell
May 28 to June 2
My New Book, Weird Wisdom for the Second Half of Life
Released April 27, 2023
Interview Guest - Jason Smith, Jungian Analyst
Author of Religious but Not Religious: Living a Symbolic Life
Host of the Digital Jung Podcast
Website
Connect with me on Social
Email jim@jameshazelwood.net
Episode 81 is a sermon preached at Trinity Lutheran Church in Brattleboro, Vermont on May 16th on the occasion of their Confirmation of two young men in the rite of Affirmation of Baptism.
The reference to the book Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer by Ann & Barry Ulanov
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 80. I speak with Dave Daubert about his new book the Hybrid Church. What's going to happen as we emerge from the pandemic?
https://www.day8strategies.com
https://www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 79: We make the transition to a new format of Poems, Stories and Ancient Tales around a particular theme. This episode explores "Friendship"
In this episode, we listen to the final chapter Chapter 27 "Wonder" from Everyday Spirituality
www.everybodyspiritualitybook.com
We grieve, and yes, it's a form of Spirituality. We listen to chapter 26 of the audiobook Everyday Spirituality
www.everdayspirituality.org
Episode 76 We listen to Chapter 25 "Lose" from the audio book of Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspirituality.org
Episode 75 Author Anna Woofenden is our guest. We discuss her new book "This is God's Table.' Anna is also the co-host of the Food & Faith Podcast.
https://annawoofenden.com/podcast-2/
https://annawoofenden.com
www.everydayspirituality.com
Episode 74 features Chapter 24 "Disagree" from the audiobook Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspirituality.org
Episode 73 - We listen to Chapter 23 from the audio version of my book Everyday Spirituality. I originally titled this chapter "Both" but since I had all these verbs for other chapters, my editor talked me out of it. Thus an awkward title for a chapter that tries to get at the idea of paradox.
www.everydayspirituality.org
Episode 71 We listen to Chapter 22 "Surrender" from the audiobook Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Episode 71 we listen to Chapter 21 of the audio book Everyday Spirituality
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 70 we talk with Jungian Analyst Jason Smith about his new book Religious but not Religious.
www.jungiantherapist.net
Religious but not Religious book site
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 69 we listen to Chapter 20 of the Everyday Spirituality Audiobook.
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Everyday Spirituality Chapter 19 "Garden". We listen to the practice of gardening in this episode
www.jameshazelwood.net
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
In this episode we listen to chapter 18 on Service from the book Everyday Spirituality
www.jameshazelwood.net
In this Episode we listen to Chapter 17 "Clean" from the book Everyday Spirituality. No it's not about that kind of clean, it's about another kind.
In this Episode 65, we listen to chapter 16 from the book Everyday Spirituality. "travel"
Chapter 15 'Sing' from the audiobook Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspiritualitybook.org
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 63 we resume our publishing of the audiobook Everyday Spirituality. Thiis is chapter 14 'Walk'
www.jameshazelwood.net
In Episode 61, I talk with Arnold Thomas about his project in Vermont to engage helpful conversations on the topic of Racism in Vermont and in America. Note: This interview was originally recorded in April 2020.
Episode 60 features a conversation with three ministry leaders on the subject of Generosity & Stewardship in a TIme of a Global Pandemic. A brief letter highlighting some of the best practices can be found here.
Pastors Marjo Anderson, Erik Karas, and Steven Wilco are my guests.
Episode 59 features a recording of my sermon on Doubting Thomas as the patron Saint of these Pandemic TImes. You can also view a video of this message on You Tube via my website www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 58 of the Podcast explores the creation of a home altar. In this episode, which is an audio recording of a YouTube video I made link here we look at an altar I have created over the years. This may be a helpful resource for people cultivating an everyday spirituality, especially in these times of the Coronavirus.
You Tube Link https://youtu.be/3E2UuU5R3ME
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 57 I talk with Pastor John Polk, Board Certified Chaplain and Transition Pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in N Easton, MA. John has developed a strategy for providing a Lay led shepherding ministry. We also talk about grief and lament during this time. of the Coronavirus Crisis.
John's Paper on the work can be found here Click Link
You can also contact John with question at pastor@htlceaston.org
Episode 56 We discuss the Coronavirus and the ways we can respond. Personal, Spiritual, Communal, Financial and Societal. Everyday Spirituality has applications. here as well.
Here is Dr. Sharkawy's letter
I’m a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I’ve been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria…there is little I haven’t been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared.
I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.
What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they ” probably don’t have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know…” and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.
I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games…that could be kiboshed too. Can you even imagine?
I’m scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession.
But mostly, I’m scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, open-mindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.
Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and “fight for yourself above all else” attitude could prove disastrous.
I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let’s meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.
Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.
Our children will thank us for it.
Dr. Abdhu Sharkawy, University of Toronto, Canada
We listen to Chapter 13 "Cook" from the Audiobook of Everyday Spirituality.
www.everydayspirituality.org
Chapter 12 "Question" from the audiobook of Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspirituality.org
A reading of Chapter 11 "Trust" from the book Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspirituality.org
www.jameshazelwood.net
Get the Book on Amazon here https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733388605
In Episode 52, we speak with Emily Carson about her new book Holy Everything. This compilation of selected essays from her regular column in the Rochester Minnesota Post Bulletin Newspaper.
Find out more about her book at www.holyeverything.com
Emily serves as the Assistant to the Bishop in the Southeast Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.
Everyday Spirituality www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 51 includes a reading from Chapter 10 "Friend" from the book Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
We read chapter 9 "Laugh" from the book Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Episode 49 Jeffrey Kjellberg is our guest as we discuss his new book, Imagining a New Church. We discuss how the Christian Church got to its current point as well as some options for moving forward.
Jeff's Author website is https://www.jeffreykjellberg.com
Kairos website https://www.kairosandassociates.com
Information about my work can be found at www.jameshazelwood.net
In Episode 48, We listen to Chapter 8 "Sleep" from the book Everyday Spirituality
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Chapter 7 Spend from the AudioBook Everyday Spirituality. We explore how money is EVERYWHERE in our lives, and how its use is an expression of our spirituality.
www.everydayspirituality.org
A Conversation with Charles Lane author of Ask, Thank, Tell and the new book Reflections on Faith & Finances.
www.embracingstewardship.com
www.jameshazelwood.net
We listen to Chapter Six "Move" from the Audio Book Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning.
The full audiobook is now available everywhere as a digital download.
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Chapter Five "work" from the AudioBook Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace and Meaning.
www.jameshazelwood.net
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Chapter 4 from the Book Everyday Spirituality focuses on Smell as an act of spirituality. We also celebrate fall with Pumpkin Pancakes and announce the winners of our AudioBook Giveaway.
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
www.jameshazelwood.net
We listen to Chapter 3 "Taste" from the AudioBook Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace and Meaning.
In this episode we explore the delight of chocolate chip mint ice cream and a thousand other delights, only to realize that every time we eat we are practicing a holy and sacred engagement.
You can find the full AudioBook at www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
I'm giving away 10 AudioBook codes via Authors Direct. Simply send me an email at jim@everydayspiritualitybook.com to request a code and the first 10 responders will be given the AudioBook version. All for Free. Woohoo!
www.jameshazelwood.net
We continue our progress through the chapters of the AudioBook version of Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace and Meaning. This is Chapter 2 "Thank."
The full Audiobook version is now available at www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
You can also purchase the eBook or Print version on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other places where fine books are sold.
www.jameshazelwood.net
Everyday Spirituality Episode 40. We continue our read through the Audiobook version of the book. This is chapter 1 "Breathe". The full Audiobook will be released later this month in October 2019.
www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Everyday Spirituality Episode 39.
This show features the start of a series in which I release the audiobook version of my newly released book Everyday Spirituality. This episode features the introduction to the book, which in many ways sets the tone for the whole work.
We'll be working our way through the book every week going forward. However, from time to time we will interrupt the series for a feature interview.
The full audiobook will be released in October of 2019 on all the major platforms. The print and eBook version are available now.
On Amazon
On Barnes & Noble
On Kobo
https://www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
Earlier this Fall, Dwight Zscheile, a professor at Luther Seminary authored an article/blog post titled "Will the ELCA be around in 30 years?" That article features some research the reveals the dramatic decline of the ELCA projected from 2017 to 2050.
In this episode of the Everyday Spirituality Show we sit down, via a telephone, with Dwight and ask him to unpack this article in greater depth.
Dwight Zscheile is vice president of innovation and associate professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary. His most recent books are Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the Church in America (with Craig Van Gelder) and The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age
James Hazelwood is the host of the Everyday Spirituality podcast and author of the book Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace, and Meaning. He blogs at www.jameshazelwood.net
Jim reads an excerpt from his new book Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace and Meaning. As we begin a new focus of the podcast formerly known as the Bishop on a Bike Podcast. Chapter 12 from the upcoming book focuses on Questions.
www.everydayspirituality.org
www.jameshazelwood.net
Episode 36 In this episode we announce changes to the Bishop on a Bike Podcast. The focus will shift toward Everyday Spirituality. As a way to continue the conversations and stories that shape the book Everyday Spirituality: Discover a Life of Hope, Peace and Meaning, which will be released in August 2019.
The interview portion is a recording of the 2 Bald Pastors Podcast. Geoff and Joe interviewed me about the upcoming book. It seemed to make a good transition to the next phase of this podcast.
http://2baldpastors.com
https://www.everydayspiritualitybook.com
www.jameshazelwood.net
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 35 we talk with Emily Swanson of Holy Cow Consulting about their work using the Congregational Assessment Tool aka the C.A.T.
https://holycowconsulting.com
You can also learn more about the Forward Leadership Community of the New England Synod here
https://www.nelutherans.org/resources/forwardleadership
Bishop Hazelwood's website
https://www.bishoponabike.com
Ep 34 Storytelling with Margot Leitman. Moth Grand Slam Storytelling champion, and author of Long Story Short and the soon to be released What's Your Story is our guest this month.
https://www.margotleitman.com
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 33 Dr Christine Helmer of Northwestern University discusses her new book, How Luther Became the Reformer. She argues that the picture we have of Luther today is based on a construct of 19th and early 20th Century German identity.
https://helmer.northwestern.edu
https://www.jameshazelwood.net
https://www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 32 Pastor Tim Keyl discusses his work as a Parish Pastor, Global Mission Partner and neighbor to Yale Divinity School at Bethesda Lutheran Church in New Haven, Connecticut
https://bethesdanewhaven.org
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 31 Comedian Poppy Champlin discusses her life and work as a comedian, producer, and writer including tips on the use of humor in public speaking.
www.poppycockprod.com
www.jameshazelwood.net
www.bishoponabike.com
Ep. 30 features a sermon I delivered to the Episcopal and Lutheran Clergy & Deacons for the Renewal of Ordination Vows during Holy Week. Bishop Nick Knisely invited me to preach for our joint worship service, which was sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Worship was held at St Luke's Episcopal Church in Pawtucket, RI.
www.bishoponabike.com
https://www.episcopalri.org
https://www.nelutherans.org
Episode 29 Forward Leadership Community is the renewal strategy for congregations in the New England Synod. Kim Bergstrand and Sara Anderson provide insight into this opportunity for congregational renewal.
www.nelutherans.org
Episode 28 with Mike Girlinghouse who serves as the Bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. We talk about his new book Embracing God's Future without Forgetting the Past which will be released this summer by Fortress Press.
An episode that features a description of a new project I'm working on, Everyday Spirituality, and a sermon preached at St Matthew Lutheran Church in Avon, CT
Storytelling and Comedy in the role of Christian Ministry with Rev. Rebecca Anderson. Rebecca is a storyteller and pastor of Gilead Church in Chicago. She is also a teacher of storytelling and you can find out more about her at http://www.earshotstories.com
http://www.gileadchicago.org
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 25 We talk with Grace Pomroy of portico benefit Services about Stewardship, Financial Planning and FIRE. SPECIAL NOTE - I apologize for the audio quality of this recording, we add technical difficulties in the Skype connection.
https://gracepomroy.com
Episode 24 We talk with Pat Speer who is a Community Organizer with the Christian Activities Council in Hartford, CT. In this episode, we discuss Pat's early life and the events that shaped him and then beginning around the 18-minute mark we dive into the core principles of organizing. You can learn more about the work of the CAC at www.christianactivities.org
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 23. We talk with Pastor Kirsten Nelson Roenfeldt about her 2018 Sabbatical, her travels and why congregations benefit from sabbaticals, as much as the pastor does.
www.bishoponabike.com
www.nelutherans.org
Episode 22: Richard Blackburn and I discuss the work of conflict mediation as he works with congregations experiencing conflict. We discuss the background and history of the center, as well as it's tools for helping people learn to talk and listen to one another.
Lombard Mennonite Peace Center
www.lmpeacecenter.org
Bishoponabike.com
Episode 21 is our conversation with Rev Jim Antal who recently authored the book Climate Church Climate World with an introduction from Bill McKibben. Jim has a long history of work in this area, and his new book is a wonderful resource for congregations wanting to engage on the topic.
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 20. We talk with Phoebe Morad of Lutherans Restoring Creation. How is the church involved in addressing the vital issue of Climate Change.
http://www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org
http://www.nelutherans.org
Matt Wilhelm worked for a year of City Year Service, that led he and some friends to an idea of traveling the country with Rock Bands as they performed concerts and acts of service in those communities. Now he lives in Manchester, NH where he recently announced his candidacy for State elected office.
https://twitter.com/mbdubayou
www.bishoponabike.com
Jeff Thiemann is the CEO of Portico Benefit Services, which provides Financial, Health and Planning services to over 10,000 members in the ELCA. (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) In this episode, we talk about Jeff's call to ministry, as well as the work of Portico. The kicker is in the second half where we explore the topic of Discipleship.
www.porticobenefits.org
www.bishoponabike.com
This episode features a conversation with Pastor Carrie Smith, who serves the English Speaking congregation of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem in the old city. We talk about the Palestinian Israeli conflict, serving the Lutheran church as a missionary and discover her love of cats.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Carrie's Blog
In Episode 16 I sit down with Tim Gnaneswaran who works at Mosaic Ministries in Cromwell, CT. This organization works with people with Intellectual Disabilities. www.mosaicinfo.org Tim's personal story is equally remarkable, as he had an early spiritual encounter that brought him to a life of service.
www.bishoponabike.com
No, not the former NFL player. This Reggie McNeal is the author of the Get off Your Donkey, and most recently Kingdom Collaborators. I had the opportunity to speak with Reggie via a Skype call, and recorded it for the podcast. You can listen to it here.
Reggie has a perspective on US American congregational life that spans the range of mainline as well as evangelical christianity. He used to work with leadership Network, as well as serving as a denominational executive in the Southern Baptist church. But, now he is working on a new project helping cities discover ways they can improve the quality of their communities. Check out what he has to say about being a 21st Century church.
www.bishoponabike.com
Episode 14: When Gary Anderson was about to begin a position in city planning for the Town of Manchester, CT, he was surprised to see an early appointment on his calendar. Some people from a local church wanted to meet with him. They had been praying for him, for the city of Manchester, and they had a project in mind to help build community life in the downtown section. This episode, recorded in the noisy coffee shop tells that story.
www.silkcitycoffee.com
In this Episode, number 13, I have recorded my presentation to the Lutheran and Episcopal Clergy of New Hampshire. I discuss themes around the challenges of being a pastor in today's cultural climate. This was a part of our joint, Chrism Mass, and day away during Holy Week 2018.
www.bishoponabike.com
In this Episode number 12, I talk with Diana Butler Bass about her new book Grateful. But, before we get to that we cover a wide range of topics including her life journey and the parallel of North American Christianity, what might mainline protestants do in response to all the changes we are experiencing. You can learn more about her work at www.dianabutlerbass.com
My website is www.bishoponabike.com
I am James Hazelwood the host of this podcast.
Many thanks to the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA for sponsoring this podcast www.mif.elca.org
We catch a glimpse of what the church of the future might look like, or at least one variation of it, in this episode. Pastor Linda Forsberg leads the ministry Church Beyond the Walls in downtown providence, Rhode Island. You'll hear about the history of this project birthed out of the Occupy Providence movement along with ideas for your own congregation. You can find out more at www.churchbeyondthewalls.org
I invite you to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a rating on iTunes at this link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bishop-on-a-bike-religion/id1329206621?mt=2
Our Website is
www.bishoponabike.com
How do you lead a 150 year old congregation from a traditional church structure to a multipurpose sanctuary? In my conversation with Pastor Tim Weisman of Zion Lutheran in Pittsfield, MA http://zionlutheranpittsfield.org/ we learn about how to lead change, renovate a building and remain a centered person in the face of resistance.
Pastor Jon Niketh serves First Lutheran Church in Lynn, Massachusetts. He is a man who cares deeply about liturgy and the life of the people in his congregation. In this episode he defines the parameters of what it takes to be a pastor, what he learned about his role in the years since he was ordained.
My website is
www.bishoponabike.com
The New England Synod can be found here
www.nelutherans.org
So when was the last time you stood on your head? How is your health? Are you sleeping, eating, exercising, praying? Pastor Heidi Johnston of Faith Lutheran Church in Quincy, Mass joins us for a conversation about here journey from aspiring broadway singer to ordained Lutheran minister. Along the way, she discovers the healing power of food. Real food. It changed her life.
My website, blog and podcast site
www.bishoponabike.com
The website of the New England Synod of the ELCA
www.nelutherans.org
This episode is a recording of Bishop Mitchell Rozanski and I live at the Student Prince, a bar and grill in Springfield, MA. This was the concluding event in our emphasis on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Rev. Nathaniel Anderson serves as host of the conversation.
Part 2 of my conversation with Heidi Richards about raising a child who has identified as transgender. We discuss the way in which she connected with health professionals, how this experience has impacted her family, as well as her understanding of God and her Christian faith.
In this episode, I talk with Heidi Richards, who is the mother of two children. One of her children is transgender. In part one, of this two part episode, we discuss how she came to understand her child, and the various experiences of navigating a culture that is still learning about transgendered persons.
In this episode (part 2 of 2), we sit down with Laura Everett. She serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, and is the author of the book Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels. Most of our conversation addresses the question of church vitality, spiritual maturity and what's going to happen to denominations. This is a two part Interview.
In this episode, we sit down with Laura Everett. She serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, and is the author of the book Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels. Most of our conversation addresses the question of church vitality, spiritual maturity and what's going to happen to denominations. This is a two part Interview.
In this episode, I talk with Tim Stein about his new company, which is called "Verse 4." We discuss his unusual path to ministry and the work he is doing helping congregations with their buildings, as they transition to a new way of doing ministry.
Profiles and interviews exploring the questions of being people of faith in progressive New England. This is the semi-official podcast of Bishop James Hazelwood of the New England Synod of the Lutheran Church in America.