The Podluck: Recent Episodes
Megan Westra
*CONTENT NOTE*In this episode Jon and I talk about the gender politics in the Barbie movie, and our conversation touches briefly on eating disorders, body image, sexual violence, harassment, and purity culture. Please be aware of these themes and care for yourself accordingly. Make sure you're in a space where that flow of conversation is something you can navigate at the time, and that you drink water and snuggle your pets afterward.
You can find Jon's work, podcast and written, at cinema faith.com.
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Quotes today from the books The Fifth Seasonby N.K. Jemisin and This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley.
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Quotes in this episode taken from I Want You to Be: On the God of Love by Tomáš Halík and A Women's Lectionary for the Whole Churchby Dr. Wilda C. Gafney.
You can listen to "The Kingdom is Yours" by Common Hymnal here, and maybe have tissues nearby if you cry during songs. (The last time I tried to lead this in a congregational setting I literally couldn't finish the song because I was weeping. It's fine.)
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Quotes this week taken from the documentary Crip Camp, which you can stream on Netflix.
Blessed are you who wait for tomatoes.
Who water and weed and pray for rain and sun.
Blessed are you building a highway in the wilderness,
Or at least you were,
Until you were stopped by the zoning board.
Since when does the wilderness have a process for proposals and approvals anyway?
Blessed are you who are unexpectedly, wonderfully filled.
And you who are becoming acquainted with feeling of leaving empty.
May this cosmic reversal be the fertile ground in which solidarity grows, rather than resentment.
“Back in the day, things were different.” You’re right. And they needed to change.
We will always need to change.
Soil becomes deplete if you only grow tomatoes.
Farmers show us the wisdom not only of patience, but of rotation.
If we don’t change, welcome new in, dedicate our attention and shift our routines and expectations toward what is needed for renewal, we will die.
Blessed are you who look out on the stark field, wondering if all that effort worked at all.
Blessed are those, waiting, looking desperately for a crocus to bloom.
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Quotes and information this week drawn from Anna Case-Winters' commentary on Matthew, part of the Belief Series.
A Blessing for Advent week 2:
Blessed are you who escaped from the vipers nest.
Who found yourself growing up in a world that had so thoroughly forgotten the very-goodness baked into its bones and bark that all it offered were tenuous pathways of escaping calamity with the smell of fire on your heels. And only if you kept on the straight and narrow.
Blessed are you who found that the ever-elusive path you were told to stick to is actually a fun house affair, where finding the on ramp may be tricky, but once you are on the whole thing opens up stretching before you until the way you are walking becomes the skyline and the desert and the trees.
Blessed are you who walked away. Knowing a vipers nest is no place to flourish. Who rejected the familiar numbness a low dose of poison can bring, because at the end of the day it’s still poison and grace doesn’t ask us to numb.
Blessed are you dreamers. Who live in the tension of hoping and working for a world in which we love our enemies, and lions nap in the meadow with lambs and yet…you cannot bring yourself to even turn toward the snake pit from whence you came.
Time may heal wounds, but this one is not even scabbed over yet and you cannot imagine a day when the mere thought of where you have been won’t rub you like salt.
Blessed are you who live wild and free in the deserted places. You who feast on the sweetness and absurdity that find you there. Blessed are the ones who have become spectacles for the respectable, as you show us the way back to life.
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It's Advent y'all!
Each week during Advent I'm ending the episode with a blessing I wrote, text is included below for reference:
When the World is Ending...or Beginning
Blessed are you who sit in stunned silence in the driveway or parking lot, on the curb for just a moment too long because the illusion has broken yet again
And you remember that twinkling lights strung on gutters and trees are illuminated by power plants belching smog and making life on this planet as tenuous and flickering as the tiny incandescent bulbs.
You remember the empty chairs at family gatherings, due to health or death or because someone who claimed to love you actually loves their idea of you more than the glorious human before them.
Blessed are you, sitting, fingers growing cold as the warmth fades from your now idle car, but unable to will yourself inside where you have to go back to pretending.
At least, until you remember that we contain multitudes.
The illusion shatters, then you pretend things are fine, then things are fine because while the ice caps are melting, so is your heart for those you love.
While relationships and families fracture and split, so do the ice crystals as they drift to earth, picking up all manner of dust and dirt along the way, and it’s the splitting and the grime that turns each pristine water drop into a beautiful, unique snowflake.
You chuckle bitterly, breath fogging the air.
Perhaps it would be best if we did not contain multitudes.
You trudge inside, to whatever gathering or empty house or workplace or appointment lies beyond you. Waiting for your hands to warm up and for the buoyancy of hope to return.
The red wing of a cardinal catches your eye.
The sun peaks from behind the ever-present clouds.
A child laughs.
A stranger shares a quarter with you to get a cart at Aldi.
There are a million assurances that we will be okay, and they do not negate the severity of the danger and rupture we are surrounded by.
But this season, of all seasons, we remember that the way the Divine answered the fearsome, the reductive, the shattering, was with birth.
The most vulnerable.
Flesh bearing and breaking open to bring forth new flesh.
All tenderness. All strength.
And at the moment you believe you will break, you actually do.
And you go on living, New. And more abundantly.
This is the way the world begins again.
Blessed are those who wait for it, with hope and trepidation, sitting slightly too long in the car, before walking inside.
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Quotes this week from the Luke commentary of the Belief series, by Justo González and Just Mercyby Bryan Stevenson.
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Quote taken from Justo González's commentary on Luke from the Belief Commentary Series.
Also, a few impact words toward the end of this episode, so be mindful if you're listening at work or with young children around.
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I'll be on Instagram live this coming Thursday evening (October 6th) at 7pm Central with Kelley Nikondeha talking about her new book The First Advent in Palestine.
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Sources cited in this episode:
You Can Talk to God Like Thatby Abby Norman.
Luke commentary by Justo González as part of the Belief Commentary series.
Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder's chapter on Luke in True to Our Native Land.
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This week I gleaned a lot from the notes in my New Oxford Annotated Bible, which is my favorite study Bible. Highly recommend if you're not quite ready to buy a bunch of commentaries, but you'd still like more background info on the text as you read.
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Sources engaged in this episode are The Prophetic Imaginationby Walter Brueggemann, Short Stories by Jesusby Amy-Jill Levine and Clarice J. Martin's chapter on 1-2 Timothy in True to Our Native Land.
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Sources mentioned in this podcast include, Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder's commentary on Luke contained in True to Our Native Land and concepts from Dr. Scot McKnight's commentary on Philemon in the New International Commentary series. I can't remember which episode it was in, but adrienne maree brown talks about the wisdom of mushrooms on her podcast How to Survive The End of The World, which I highly recommend as well.
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In this episode I reference quotes from Dr. Soong-Chan Rah's book Prophetic Lamentand Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder's commentary on Luke 14 in True to Our Native Land.If you want to learn more about the formation of the Biblical canon and the deuterocanonical books, I love this quick intro from The Bible Project.
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Referenced in this podcast are (again) Justo González's commentary on Luke, and the scholarship of Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg who graciously does an extraordinary amount of public theology--much of it on Twitter--you can (and should) follow her at @TheRaDR.
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Referenced in this episode are the BRILLIANT commentary by Justo González on Luke and this interview with Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright from 2008.
All readings are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
If you're enjoying the show please consider leaving a review wherever you're listening, sharing on social media or supporting on Patreon.
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JustTexts discussed in this episode are from Proper 14 in the Revised Common Lectionary.
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Psalm 50: 1-8, 22-23; Genesis 15:1-6; Psalm 33:12-22; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40.
Sources engaged and uplifted:
Patricia K. Tull's commentary on Isaiah in The Women's Bible Commentary.
Randall C. Bailey's work on the concept of "white as snow" in "Race, Class and the Politics of Biblical Translation."
James Earl Massey's commentary on Hebrews in True to Our Native Land.Willie J. Jennings' quote taken from his lecture series at Northern Seminary in June 2022.
Robert L. Brawley's commentary on Luke in the Fortress Commentary on the Bible: New Testament.Justo L. González's commentary on Luke, a volume in the Beliefcommentary series.
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The Podluck is back! We're going to be walking through the Revised Common Lectionary. Megan maps out why the change and what she hopes we can do together in this audio space.
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Check out Dr. Alexander John Shaia's work with Quadratos on the Quadratos website.
You can also follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for The Rest Stop, centering practices for our road trip through Matthew.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A little detour on our Matthew road trip to talk with author and speaker, Tiffany Bluhm!
Make sure you take a moment to read more about Tiffany's work on her website, subscribe to her podcast Why Tho? and pick up your own copy of Prey Tell.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for The Rest Stop, centering practices for our road trip through Matthew.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
I couldn't find the clip from Beauty and the Beast I referenced, so if you don't know what I'm talking about...sorry.
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for The Rest Stop, centering practices for our road trip through Matthew.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
The quote I share in this episode is from Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González.
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for The Rest Stop, centering practices for our road trip through Matthew.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
The quote I share from Dr. Michael Joseph Brown is from his entry on Matthew in the commentary True to Our Native Land.
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for The Rest Stop, centering practices for our road trip through Matthew.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Rev. Alyssa Peterson-DeWitt is a writer, chaplain and sacred space holder. She is ordained in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). You can connect with Rev. Alyssa on Twitter or Instagram, and sign up for her weekly Zoom prayer through her website.
For weekly centering exercises based on each episode, please join me over on Patreon.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Matthew 1:1-17
I reference Carolyn Custis James' post "The Fab Four" in this episode.
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for centering practices based on the weekly episodes.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Join me on Patreon for centering reflections on Fridays throughout this season.
I'll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Join me on Friday's over on Patreon during this series for centering practices based on the weekly episodes.
During this series I'll be drawing from the following sources:
The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Matthew for Everyone by N.T. Wright
Three Months with Matthew by Justo L. González
True to Our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary edited by Brian K. Blount
The Women's Bible Commentary edited by Carol A. Newsom
Matthew: A Theological Commentary on the Bible by Anna Case-Winters
There will be other specific sources for particular passages, but these are the major ones I'll be drawing from throughout.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Join me on Friday's on Patreon throughout this season for centering work based on this episode.
Three important questions to consider when approaching Scripture:
1) Who am I? (What is your social location? What is your context? What are your assumptions?)
2) Who is the author(s) of this text? Who is their audience?
3) So What?
For more background on different books of the Bible or biblical themes online check out
The Bible Project
Dr. Wil Gafney's blog
The Bible for Normal People
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Jessica is a writer, theologian and editor. She has two books, The Long Night and 365 Days of Peace.
You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or visit her website to learn more about her work.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Holly is the founder of the nonprofit Rise, whose mission is to connect, equip and empower people to build a Church where women thrive. People are her passion. Rest for her is hot tea, good books, painted nails & delicious food shared with good people. She lives with her beloved dog Jack in Fort Worth, Texas.
You can follow Holly's work on Twitter and Instagram.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Lyndsey Medford is Director of Discipleship at Two Rivers United Methodist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. She is an indecorous Southerner, an erstwhile evangelical, and an inexpert advocate for justice. She also manages autoimmune disease and a tiny front-yard garden.
Lyndsey holds a Master's degree in Theology from Boston University, but she's most proud of her improv theater, food pantry, and gluten-free baking bona fides, her family, and her rescue dog Miya's dainty high-fives. She writes regularly on her email newsletter and at lyndseymedford.com.
Her book, Making Friends with My Body and God, is available through Amazon.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Michelle Van Loon is the author of six books, including Becoming Sage: Cultivating Maturity, Purpose, and Spirituality at Midlife (Moody Publishers, 2020). Michelle is a longtime contributor to Christianity Today, In Touch magazine, and is the co-founder of ThePerennialGen.com, a website for midlife women and men. She’s married to Bill, and is mother of three and grandmother of two. Learn more about her writing and speaking ministry by visiting her website, MichelleVanLoon.com.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Stephanie Tait is a writer and speaker serving at the crossroads of joy and pain.
You can read her work online at stephanietaitwrites.com or follow her on social media at @StephTaitWrites on Twitter and @StephanieTaitWrites on Instagram.
Her book, The View from Rock Bottom, is available wherever books are sold.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson is a pastor, prophet, digital evangelist and author. He is a graduate of St. Catherine University and Liberty Seminary. Rev. Richardson is on staff as lead minister at Linden Hills UCC, is a media trainer for Auburn Seminary and works as an executive clergy coach for the Center for Progressive Renewal.
The author of, I Know What Heaven Looks Like, Rev. Richardson writes about and advocates for LGBTQ people, people of color, and the flourishing of all; with his works appearing in Huffington Post Religion, The Root, Believe Out Loud, The Salt Collective, Rachel Murr's Unnatural, Austen Hartke's Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, and numerous national and international publications. Rev. Richardson has received awards and commendations for his service, including the Humanitarian Award from Black Transmen Inc. and the Stellar Award for his work in global communication.
When he is not ministering, researching, or writing, Pastor Lawrence loves reading, trying different cuisine, traveling, spending time with family, and empowering people to live life from a place of joy, abundance, faith and gratitude. You can read more about him and his work at www.ltrichardson.com
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Nathan Roberts serves as the Director of Community Engagement at First Lutheran Church in Columbia Heights, MN. He is a founding editor of The Salt Collective magazine. He spent a year as the guest progressive on a weekly live radio show on Fox Radio Affiliate Twin Cities News Talk Closing Argument with Walter Hudson where he discussed progressive politics, faith, and culture. He is also the co-founder and U.S. director of Daylight Center and School in Kenya.
You can contact Nathan for speaking and writing opportunities through Twitter, Facebook, or email him at nathan.irons.roberts@gmail.com
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In this episode, three books are mentioned:
Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem
The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James H. Cone
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Rev. Lawrence T. Richardson is a pastor, prophet, digital evangelist and author. He is a graduate of St. Catherine University and Liberty Seminary. Rev. Richardson is on staff as lead minister at Linden Hills UCC, is a media trainer for Auburn Seminary and works as an executive clergy coach for the Center for Progressive Renewal.
The author of, I Know What Heaven Looks Like, Rev. Richardson writes about and advocates for LGBTQ people, people of color, and the flourishing of all; with his works appearing in Huffington Post Religion, The Root, Believe Out Loud, The Salt Collective, Rachel Murr's Unnatural, Austen Hartke's Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, and numerous national and international publications. Rev. Richardson has received awards and commendations for his service, including the Humanitarian Award from Black Transmen Inc. and the Stellar Award for his work in global communication.
When he is not ministering, researching, or writing, Pastor Lawrence loves reading, trying different cuisine, traveling, spending time with family, and empowering people to live life from a place of joy, abundance, faith and gratitude. You can read more about him and his work at www.ltrichardson.com
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Nathan Roberts serves as the Director of Community Engagement at First Lutheran Church in Columbia Heights, MN. He is a founding editor of The Salt Collective magazine. He spent a year as the guest progressive on a weekly live radio show on Fox Radio Affiliate Twin Cities News Talk Closing Argument with Walter Hudson where he discussed progressive politics, faith, and culture. He is also the co-founder and U.S. director of Daylight Center and School in Kenya.
You can contact Nathan for speaking and writing opportunities through Twitter, Facebook, or email him at nathan.irons.roberts@gmail.com
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Additional podcasts I've been listening to in recent weeks to continue learning, reflecting, dismantling and growing are:
Imagining a World Without Police with Lisa Sharon Harper on Pantsuit Politics
Interviews with Austin Channing Brown and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi on Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Stop Giving White Evangelicals the Benefit of the Doubt and I Bring the Voices of My People with Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes on Profane Faith
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Beth Watkins spent 6 years working in North and East Africa with vulnerable populations and now lives in Baltimore, MD where she works with humanitarian immigrants and resettled refugees. Beth is a writer, former missionary, recovering white savior, and wannabe homesteader. You can find her on Twitter and instagram at @iambethwatkins and blog - iambethwatkins.com, where you can also sign up for her bi-weekly Neighborly Newsletter, a round-up of thoughts and articles on about loving our neighbors, strangers, and even our enemies better.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
D. L. Mayfield lives and writes on the outskirts of Portland, OR with her husband and two small children. Her first book of essays, Assimilate or Go Home: Notes from a Failed Missionary on Rediscovering Faith was released by HarperOne in 2016. Her second book, The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power released last week on InterVarsity Press. Her writing has appeared in a variety of places, including McSweeneys, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Washington Post, Image Journal, Vox, and The Rumpus, among many others.
Follow D.L. on social media @d_l_mayfield and check out her podcast, The Prophetic Imagination Station for all the critiques of 90s evangelical nostalgia you never knew you needed.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Tracie has been an educator for 30 years. Though her degree is in Art Education with an additional focus on English and Writing, the focus of her teaching has evolved right along side of her life journey. From art to adoption; spirituality to self-care, her message has grown to include grieving, healing and growing through loss and trauma.
Tracie has been married for 30 years to her husband John, is mother to 7 amazing children (4 who entered her heart through adoption, 3 of whom have special needs), and “Noni” to two grandchildren. Her youngest son Mattie died in 2014 just before his 4th birthday. His life and his death have been one of her greatest teachers.
Tracie's artwork has become a healing modality and part of her self-care as she has walked through the years of grief following the Mattie's death. She creates for her own healing, rest and growth with the hope that others will experience the same as they view her work. Tracie is available to paint commissioned both memorial and celebratory paintings. Prints and greeting cards of her work are available.
Website: thehealingbreath.org
Instagram: @tracieloux and @thehealingbreathstudio
Twitter: @tracieloux
Facebook: The Healing Breath- Tracie Loux https://www.facebook.com/tracielouxfromtheheart/
For information on commissioned paintings email: thehealingbreathstudio@gmail.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Robert is a therapist who works primarily with adolescents & young adults, specializing in areas like anxiety, depression, and suicidality. He’s also an advocate for better understanding of mental health in the church, offering resources such as Suicide Prevention trainings, other mental health trainings, and hosting the CXMH podcast which focuses on these topics. Find him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @RobertVore.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Elizabeth Behrens is a consultant and educator with Be The Bridge. You can access her anti-racist children's literature lessons and guides on Facebook.
Follow her on Twitter @EB_FindingMercy.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Rev. Dr. Eric Atcheson is an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the author of Oregon Trail Theology: The Frontier Millennial Christians Face—And How We’re Ready and On Earth as It Is in Heaven: A Faith-Based Toolkit for Economic Justice.
Eric is a parish minister by training who has dedicated himself through his preaching, speaking, and writing to his calling as a prophetic and pastoral voice rooted in the Scriptures. You can read more about his work on his website, or follow him on Twitter @RevEricAtcheson.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Kaitlyn Schiess is a writer and theology student living in Dallas, TX. She is a staff writer at Christ and Pop Culture, and her writing has also appeared at Christianity Today, Relevant, and Fathom Magazine. She is finishing a ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary while working in local church ministry with young adults in their 20s and 30s. Her first book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor, will be released on August 25thwith InterVarsity Press.
Follow Kaitlyn on Twitter and Instagram @KaitlynSchiess.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Dillon is a theologian and permaculturist. You can read more about his work on his website, tattooed-theologian.com, or by ordering his book Go Golden.
Follow Dillon on Twitter @CruzControl72.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Rev. Anita Peebles (she/her) currently serves as the Associate Pastor for Next Generation Ministries at Seattle First Baptist Church. She received a Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2018 and was ordained by Glendale Baptist Church, affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, in April 2018. Anita contributed the Holy Week section to the Growing in God’s Love Storybook Bible(John Knox 2018) as well as written Sunday school curriculum for the UMC, PC(USA) and American Baptist denominations. She is working on several children’s book concepts connecting her passion for environmental justice with spirituality. Originally from Michigan, Anita loves the Great Lakes, writing, gardening, baking pies, and kayaking.
You can find Rev. Anita's work online on her blog, or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
Rev. Anita also recommends the books When Sadness is at Your Doorby Eva Eland and The End of Something Wonderful by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Becky L. McCoy is a writer, podcaster, speaker, widowed single mother, and the founder of the virtual and live BRAVEtogether retreats. She lives on the Connecticut coast with her two precocious and hilarious children. Having struggled with depression and anxiety and experienced several seasons of grief and struggle, Becky is passionate about creating an online community where people share their stories and encourage one another to build resilience and endurance and choose to live bravely and confidently when life is hard.
Follow along with her work on social media @BeckyLMcCoy.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Kelley Nikondeha is the co-director and chief storyteller for Communities of Hope, a
community development enterprise in Burundi. She is the co-founder of Amahoro Africa, a
conversation between theologians and practitioners within the African context. Kelley's latest book, Defiant: What the Women of Exodus Teach us About Freedomis out this week wherever books are sold. She is also the author of Adopted: The Sacrament of Belonging in a Fractured World.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
Nathan Robertsserves as the Director of Community Engagement at First Lutheran Church in Columbia Heights, MN. He is a founding editor of The Salt Collective magazine. He spent a year as the guest progressive on a weekly live radio show on Fox Radio Affiliate Twin Cities News Talk Closing Argument with Walter Hudson where he discussed progressive politics, faith, and culture. He is also the co-founder and U.S. director of Daylight Center and School in Kenya. He is also the author of Deserted: Retelling Bible Stories Without an Angry God, available inprint, digital, and Audible formats.
You can contact Nathan for speaking and writing opportunities through Twitter, Facebook, or email him at nathan.irons.roberts@gmail.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Becky Castle Miller serves on the pastoral staff at an international church in Maastricht, Netherlands. She is the author of the study guide Teaching Romans Backwards and the co-author, with Scot McKnight, of the discipleship curriculum Following King Jesus. She conveys her five kids around town on bikes and studies New Testament in the middle of the night via Northern Live. Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @bcastlemiller.
Resources mentioned in this show:
Untangle Workbookby Marc Alan Schelske
BetterHelp.com
Other resources Becky recommends:
Faithful Feelings by Matthew Elliott
The Wisdom of Your Heart by Marc Alan Schelske
Jesus' Emotions in the Gospels by Stephen Voorwinde
How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Pete Scazzero
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
This is a special edition of The Podluck featuring Megan's sermon on Matthew 15 entitled, Nevertheless, She Persisted.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
To email suggested topics for future seasons of The Podluck, send your ideas to thepodluck.megan@gmail.com
Lent-ish is available to read at meganwestra.com/lent-ish.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Megan's forthcoming book, Born Again and Again, is available for preorder here.
To subscribe to Lent-ish for daily reflections, click here.
To support The Podluck, visit our Patreon page.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Dr. Cherith Fee Nordling holds a PhD from University of St. Andrews. She is the co-author of the Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms and the author of Knowing God by Name.
To support The Potluck visit our Patreon page.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Karen's book, The God Who Sees is available wherever books are sold.
Please follow her other work on her website, or on Twitter @_karenjgonzalez.
Karen mentions Father Oscar Romero at the end of this episode, I appreciate this book as a great intro to his life and work. We all need to read more Fr. Romero.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.
David Congdon is the author of several books, including The God Who Saves.
You can find David's work on his website, dwcongdon.com, or on Twitter at @dwcongdon.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.To learn more about Dominique Gilliard's work, please visit his website, dominiquegilliard.com, or follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
Rethinking Incarcerationis available from InterVarsity Press wherever books are sold.
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Kathy Khang is a writer, speaker, coffee drinker and yoga teacher. She is the author of Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up.
Follow along with Kathy's work at kathykhang.com; on Twitter at @mskathykhang or @kathykhangauthor on Facebook.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.
Daniel White Hodge, Ph.D. is a professor of Intercultural Communications . He is the author of several books, most recently Homeland Insecurity: A Hip Hop Missiology for the Post Civil Rights Context. His next book is forthcoming in December 2019.
He is the host of Profane Faith, a podcast that examines the intersections of the sacred, secular and profane. Follow on Twitter at @danwhitehodge.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.Porter C. Taylor is the editor of We Give Our Thanks Unto Thee: Essays in Memory of Fr. Alexander Shmemann. You can find his other articles, blogs, and sermons on his website.
Follow Porter on social media at @PorterCTaylor.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.Lisa Sharon Harper is the president and founder of Freedom Road US. To find out more about the work Freedom Road does, or to listen to the Freedom Road Podcast, please visit freedomroad.us.
Lisa is the author of several books, Left, Right and Christ; Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican...Or Democrat; Forgive Us, and most recently The Very Good Gospel.Follow Lisa on social media at @lisasharper on Twitter and Instagram.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.To support The Podluck, please visit our Patreon.
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A transcript of this episode is available here.
The Apostles' Creed:
"I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen."You simply must stop everything you're doing and read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis.
von Balthasar's book Dare We Hope That All Men Be Saved? is another good one.If you must, Love Wins by Rob Bell.
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A transcript of this episode is available here."Can a Christian be a Pluralist?" debate between Paul Knitter and Harold Netland.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (the page number of the quote I read will vary depending on your copy, but it's from Chapter 10--"Nice People or New Men.")
Before Religion by Brent Nongbri.
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A transcript of this episode is available by clicking here.
To read more about atonement theories in general, I recommend checking out Triune Atonement by Andrew Sung Park, and The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant by Michael Gorman.
The children's book I reference is Jesus Showed Us! by Brad Jersak.
Turns out, you can still buy those "WWJD" bracelets on Amazon--who knew!
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A transcript of this episode is available here.
To read more about atonement theories in general, I recommend checking out Triune Atonement by Andrew Sung Park, and The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant by Michael Gorman.
To support The Podluck, please visit our Patreon page. For a dollar a month you get access to the official Podluck Slack channel to discuss this and other episodes.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
To read more about atonement theories in general, I recommend checking out Triune Atonement by Andrew Sung Park, and The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant by Michael Gorman.
In this episode I quote Walter Wink from his book The Powers That Be.
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To view a transcript of this episode, click here.
To read more about atonement theories in general, I recommend checking out Triune Atonement by Andrew Sung Park, and The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant by Michael Gorman.
To support The Podluck, please visit our Patreon page. For a dollar a month you get access to the official Podluck Slack channel to discuss this and other episodes.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Introducing the question for Season 1: "what does it mean to be saved?"
To read more about atonement theories in general, I recommend checking out Triune Atonement by Andrew Sung Park, and The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant by Michael Gorman.
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Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mkwestra)
A transcript of this episode is available here.
Welcome to The Podluck! Serving up bite-sized tastes of the best theology.
To support The Podluck, please visit our Patreon page. For a dollar a month you get access to the official Podluck Slack channel to discuss this and other episodes.
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