Praying In Place: Recent Episodes
The Meeting House Ottawa
Jenny Naismith Yandt shares a final teaching with our TMH Ottawa community before she goes on maternity leave for the next year.
Stephen Kidd shares the story of his journey of faith and what he's learned about loving people like Jesus.
What does it mean to be an intergenerational community where everyone, of all ages and stages, can both be discipled and disciple others? Eric helps us look to Deuteronomy 6 for some ideas on how we can be a community where all ages and stages are growing to be more like Jesus, together.
What would it look like for us to be a church community inspired by the church community in Acts 2? What kind of rhythm's could we build together that would form us to be like Jesus? What would it look like for us to be a community that held "everything in common"? Jenny takes us through these questions and more as we kick off our new ministry year.
Heather takes us through a look at 1 John 4: 1-21 and asks us to reconsider our understanding of false teaching, the Fruit of the Spirit and what it means for love to overcome fear.
Jenny Naismith Yandt continues our exploration of 1 John by offering some reflective thoughts on 1 John 2:15-29.
Discipleship is a word that gets used in church a lot but what does it really mean? Jesus told his followers to "go and make disciples". But how? Many of us have likely seen complex discipleship pathways, with multiple steps to be taken and likely a catchy hook to try and make the complex seem more simple. But does it have to be this way? In this teaching, Jenny helps us see the core essence of discipleship and gives us a simple framework for how we can be discipled and help others to be discipled as well.
Eric talks about how discipleship and spiritual growth happens best in a local, relational context and yet TMH successfully operated as a multi-site megachurch with centralized teaching and discipleship models for many years. Yet, what has worked in the past has been slowly becoming increasingly ineffective over the last decade and this decline of the model was steeply accelerated by both Covid and the sexual abuse findings in our church. So we cannot continue to do what we have always done, but what could be a potential way forward? What about instead of a mega-multi site church, we became a network of small, locally embedded churches that were part of a network family held together by shared values and shared resourcing and support structures. Would this position us to better be the church locally while being supported in some of the administrative and values keeping areas that take up so much time and energy in many smaller churches? We discuss all this and more as an "appetizer" to a more detailed local community conversation to come in June.
6 practical pieces of advice for how to better integrate spiritual practices in our daily routines as a means of establishing small, consistent rhythms that will help us become more like Jesus over our life time.
Jenny take us through a in-depth reading of Romans 14 and then shares with us how spiritual practices have impacted her life positively.
Looking back over our TMH Ottawa history for encouragement as we look forward to our future.
Dr. Keith Dow helps us explore what we can learn from the story of the mother who confronts Jesus.
How can we be a community that helps each other and other know that they are enough and that they have enough?
One of our dreams for TMH Ottawa is to be a community that cares for others. That means loving our neighbours and care for the communities in which we live (ie. "our parish"). In our final "Into The Neighbourhood" teaching, Eric explores several simple ways to help us put this goal into practice.
So if God is with us, where are we? This week we take a look at where we are both literally (as in, learning more about Riverside United Church) and metaphorically (like, what kind of community do we want TMH Ottawa to be and how are we going to get there).
The audio in this podcast is primarily made up of a recording of our live, in-person gathering on November 21, 2021 so that we could share some of the "one-time-only" moments that happened in the room that day with those of us who are connecting to our community from home.
As we think about being people "in place", it's helpful to wonder about where God is in relation to "our place". In this recording of a teaching by Eric Versluis, we echo the mystic poet Chelan Harkin by wondering if "The worst thing we ever did was put God in the sky."
Pull up a chair and sit back as Stacey-Ann Morris uses scripture, poetry and prayer to help us consider who is welcome to gather at our table.
Scripture references:
- Matthew 22:2
- Luke 5:17-26
- Luke 14:12-14
Poem Reference:
- Table Blessing © Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com
Settle into a place where you feel at peace, as Kathryn Patricia guides us through a meditation that helps us find a sense of peace, even in the midst of every day chaos.
All music composed and performed by Kathryn Patricia.
Narration by Kathryn Patricia.
Scripture Used In This Episode:
Isaiah 26 (NLT)
John 14:25-27 (MSG)
Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)
Philippians 4:7-9 (NIV)
When you think of a place of worship, what comes to mind?
Do you think of a church building with stained glass windows or the local mosque in your neighbourhood?
In this episode, Eric Versluis uses a variety of contemplative practices, including a meditation inspired by Emily Dickinson, to help us consider the possibility that a place of worship may not be a place at all, but a posture of our hearts.
Scripture Used In This Episode:
Acts 7:48-50 (NIV)
Acts 17: 24-28 (NIV)
Matthew 6: 28-30 (NLT)
Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV)
This Is My Father's World: lyrics by Maltbie Davenport Babcock
Navajo Prayer: Taken from the Anglican Church of Canada, National Aboriginal Day of Prayer, 2004.
Narrator: Eric Versluis
Musical Score: "Thankfulness" and "Ambient Piano Drone 2" composed and performed by Carlo Tayler.
Whether at a splash pad, out for a walk on a favourite trail or at home in a comfy chair, settle into your happy place as Jenny Naismith Yandt guides us into a place of joy.
Using scripture readings and prayer prompts, this meditation helps us to purposefully practice gratitude, which is the gateway for joy.
Prayer Guide: Jenny Naismith Yandt
Musical Score: "Thankfulness" composed and performed by Carlo Tayler
(Listen to more by Carlo here: https://metapop.com/c-a-t)
Settle in to "a place of daily bread" as Kathryn Patricia guides you through the perfect meditation for waiting in a grocery store parking lot, standing in a checkout line, wandering your local farmers market or preparing your next meal in your kitchen.
Backed by a musical score she composed and performed herself, Kathryn uses selected scripture readings to help us consider what it means to simply "abide" and trust that we have been given everything we need for today.
You can find more of Kathryn's incredible music at kathrynpatricia.bandcamp.com
Scripture Used In This Episode:
Matthew 6:13 (MSG)
John 15:1 (NLT)
John 14:4 (MSG)
John 15: 5 (NLT)
15:9-10 (MSG)
John 15:11-13 (NLT)
John 15:13-15 (MSG)
John 15:16-17 (NLT)
Settle into a place where you feel connected, as Jenny Naismith Yandt leads you through a guided meditation designed to move you towards saying "Yes" to greater connection with God, with others and with yourself.
Through scripture meditation and guided prayers, this episode invites us to see the potential for connection everywhere we are.
Scripture Found In This Episode:
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1 Samuel 3:10
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John 4:19
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Romans 12:1-3 (MSG)
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Romans 15:7
"Yes" by Walter Brueggemann is taken from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann
Settle into a place that makes you feel thankful as Eric Versluis leads you through a guided prayerful meditation designed to elicit feelings of gratitude . Through imaginative prayer, scripture meditation and a prayer of confession, this episode invites us to to open our eyes to the reality that all of life is a gift. So settle into a comfy chair, talk a walk on a nearby trail or find a spot under your favourite tree and join us as we pray in place.
Created by The Meeting House Ottawa, Praying in Place is a podcast of guided meditative prayers designed to connect us more deeply to the places inside and around us.
Scripture Found In This Episode:
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1 Samuel 3:!0
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John 4:9
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James 1:17
Confession For Thanksgiving is written by Carol Penner and can be found here: https://leadinginworship.com/2019/10/confession-on-thanksgiving/
This episode was written, read and produced by Eric Versluis.
Praying in place is a podcast of guided prayers to help connect people to the places within them and around them, so that they can become more aware of the presence of the divine in whatever space they find themselves.