Harmonize: Developing Church Communities That Heal

Catch Ruth and Diamond as they continue the conversation about reshaping identity and answer the question of what this means from a Biblical perspective, how it relates to our relationships to each other, and how understanding and creating space for authenticity is key in embracing a Revelation 7 mindset. Want to connect throughout the week? Email us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com.Text us at 612.470.5419Join us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/voiceofthemiddlegroundSupport the showThanks for being part of the Voice of the Middle Ground Family! Continue the connection and conversation when you connect with us in any of these ways:Find us on Facebook.Find us on Instagram.Connect with us by email. Send us a text. We look forward to hearing from you!

Bet you can't listen to this episode without laughing at least once. But no, seriously. Merry and Blessed Christmas to you, our Voice of the Middle Ground Fam! Here's the Voice of the Middle Ground Christmas episode. In it, we talk about the upcoming Rev 7 Conference. You can register at the Rev 7 Conference website. Want to hear more about something we talk about in this episode? Send us an e-mail at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com or send us a text. We look forward to hearing from you!Support the showThanks for being part of the Voice of the Middle Ground Family! Continue the connection and conversation when you connect with us in any of these ways:Find us on Facebook.Find us on Instagram.Connect with us by email. Send us a text. We look forward to hearing from you!

Want to know something that's revolutionary? Understanding and embracing the value that God has placed into each of us and the role this has in who he's made us to be. In this episode, we review an interview with Dr. Scott Gostchock of Partner2Learn and take a bit of a deep dive into what all of this means for us as individuals and the life-changing impact this can have for us as a society. This episode's reflection is by Dr. Scott Gostchock of Partner2Learn.Have any questions or comments about this episode? E-mail us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com. Or, you can text us at 612.470.5419.Support the show

To our listeners in Tanzania, Kenya, the United States, and yes even to our invisible Apple users, we say "Hello!" Welcome to the 4th episode of Harmonize 2.0. In this episode we talk about racial justice, the Church, community, a special event going on in January at Martin Luther College, and Pastor Aaron Robinson's upcoming podcast about what's up on the hill. This episode is pretty heavy listening in some places. So be prepared. And, as always, we can't wait to hear from you all. So, don't forget to text us at 612.470.5419 or to e-mail us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com and let's keep the conversation and the action going. Support the show

Stay tuned for an interview with Voice of the Middle Ground Founding Director, Ruth Jefferson and as Ruth Jefferson and Diamond Faucha talk about Voice of the Middle Ground's past, present, and hopes for the future. The reflection for this episode is presented by Pastor Mark Wenzel. Support the show

They say there are 3 ways to perceive a thing...my way, your way, and the right way. But how can we identify the right way, the third way In this episode of Harmonize 2.0, Ruth Jefferson, Diamond Faucha, and special guest Pastor Mark Wenzel will talk about the third way, what it looks like in practice, and what can be missed when we don't practice this third way. Want to connect with us about this or another episode, or have an idea for something you'd like to see us talk about, reach out to us by text here. We love to hear from you!Support the show

They say if you want to keep your friends, you have to avoid talking about both religion and politics. We say, "Why not?" In this episode of Harmonize 2.0, we'll be talking about politics and the church, racial justice, community, and how we can work together toward change and toward the Revelation 7 view for diversity that's laid out for us in Revelation 7:9. Got some feedback or questions for one of our hosts or our special guest this episode, Pastor Jeff Gunn? Reach out to us by texting "Let's Get Political" to  612.470.5419.  We look forward to hearing from you!Support the show

Join Ruth Jefferson and Pastors Aaron Glaeske and Mark Wenzel as they discuss the life issue and specifically look to answer the question: What does it mean to show love to and to walk with women; who are facing the difficult life situations that lead to decisions to have abortions, women who are struggling spiritually and in other ways because of past abortions, and also struggling mothers who do choose life. We understand that this topic may be sensitive for some listeners. So, if this is one of those more difficult topics for you, we invite you to revisit one of the older episodes of Harmonize. You can also reach out to us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com if you or someone you know is struggling with these realities and you'd like to know more about resources that could be helpful to you. You can also text "life" to 612.470.5419.

Mental health. It's a topic that not that many people want to talk about even though it's gaining traction in some circles. But today, it's one we're going to talk about anyway. Join Diamond Faucha and Ruth Jefferson as they talk about mental health, counseling, intergenerational trauma, spiritual care, and other topics that are so important as we walk together as Christians and as part of the communities in which we live. Want hear more about mental health from the Voice of the Middle Ground Team? Check out this playlist on our YouTube channel. And, don't forget to like and subscribe for more content as it's released.If there's any topic that you want to hear us talk about in a future episode, or if you have questions about anything you see or hear presented in any of Voice of the Middle Ground's content, please feel free to reach out to us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com or to connect with us on Facebook @voiceofthemiddleground. We love to hear from you!

Safe spaces. We hear about them all the time. In educational settings. In communities. Sometimes even in the workplace. And, what we hear may not necessarily leave us with the best feeling about the phrase. Those ideas that we commonly think about when we think about safe spaces, let's leave them behind. Instead, let's step into the world of the engagement space. What's the difference between the two? How can engagement spaces help us to grow both in our relationship with God and in our relationship with each other? Join Pastor Aaron Glaeske, Pastor Phil Merten, and Ruth Jefferson as they dive head first into this conversation and explore these waters. And also. Don't forget to e-mail us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com to share with us your experience with this conversation and where that conversation has led you into places of action. We love to hear from you!

Yes, we did really just identify this topic a few minutes before pressing record. BUT we found value in this conversation for ourselves and wanted to share it anyway. Join us as Ruth Jefferson and Pastor Aaron Glaeske talk about the difference between racial justice and social justice, what it means for the Church to be part of the communities where it's placed, and also talk more about the lived gospel. Let us know your thoughts by e-mailing admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com

"Were You There". "Precious Lord". Both of these songs are ones with titles we may be familiar with. But how does understanding music and church culture more deeply empower us to promote authenticity within church culture and to work more toward diversity and a Revelation 7 view? Join us for this episode of "Harmonize" as Ruth Jefferson and Pastor Phil Merten speak about this topic.

This past weekend, the world was shaken again as yet another mass shooting took place, this time in Buffalo, New York. But is there more that can be done than feeling bad in the moments after? What are some of the things that we should keep in mind as we answer this for ourselves and for our communities? Join Ruth Jefferson and Diamond Faucha as they come together and share their perspectives as women of color wrestling with these issues. If you would like to tap into resources for you or your church as you wrestle through these issues or if you would like to connect with other resources within the Voice of the Middle Ground network, please e-mail us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com. To find out more about the Rev 7 Conference, visit the Rev 7 website here. 

Join Ruth Jefferson and Pastors Phil Merten and Aaron Glaeske as they talk about fatalism in the Church when it comes to conversations and actions surrounding diversity and racial justice. This is another one of those #harmonizeconversations. Want to hear more conversations like this one, let us know by e-mailing us at admin@voiceofthemiddleground.com

Welcome to the Good Friday Edition of Harmonize. Join Phil, Ruth, Pastor Glaeske, and Dr. Victor Vieth as they talk about Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley, dive deeper into personal and current connections with the Church and culture today, and connect it all back to the central message of Good Friday.

This weekend, Voice of the Middle Ground was on the move out here in the Twin Cities! We had the opportunity to visit Crown of Life Lutheran Church in West St. Paul. During this conversation, Ruth Jefferson and Scott Gostchock got to connect with the church during its Bible study hour to talk about what it means to be ambassadors for Christ as we think about how to walk with those in the community of faith and in the community at large. 

Join Ruth Jefferson and Chaplain Phil Merten as they talk about the new Voice of the Middle Ground mission rollout. 

Join Ruth Jefferson, Pastor Phil Merten, and special guest Denise Sizzle Fit Hunt as they connect for this conversation about church community and culture that you won't want to miss! In this episode, we talk about the connection between community and culture, the tangible and intangible elements of culture, lived experience, and other topics. That again, you won't want to miss! So, if you've been waiting for the right moment to join the Harmonize community. Now's the time. 

What??? Pastor Glaeske showed up in a cowboy hat? Join Pastor Glaeske, Chaplain Phil Merten, and Ruth Jefferson as they talk about this and the topic of segregation as legacy. What does the legacy of segregation mean for the church? How can we respond both to those who have been hurt by this legacy and those who are hurting others? We talk about this and more in this episode of "Harmonize". 

The topic of defunding the police goes in and out of the news cycle as some departments that have been defunded are now being refunded and as the conversation continues as to how we can improve the experiences and interactions people of color have with the police. But what exactly is defunding the police? What are some of the conversations we need to have in order to better understand this topic? Is the question of defunding the police really the right one? And what does the Bible have to say about all of this?

Join the crew from "Harmonize" as we talk about the topic of anger as it relates to race or ethnicity and how to better walk with others who are angry. What does the Bible say about anger? What role, if any, does anger play in our lives as Christians when it comes to racial justice? And, how can we navigate all of these questions from a Biblical perspective? Let's talk.

"Trauma is everywhere in the sacred texts both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. And we know from multiple verses, things that happen in the past can be passed down from generation to generation." ~Dr. Victor Vieth, Zero Abuse ProjectTrauma is everywhere. And, as we look deeper into topics of diversity, what we find is that developing an understanding of how this affects people of color is an important part of also understanding how we, as Christians, can walk together with those who are hurting because of intergenerational trauma. Join Chaplain Phil Merten of Institutional Ministries, Dr. Victor Vieth of the Zero Abuse Project, and Ruth Jefferson of Voice of the Middle Ground as they talk about these things. 

Our first episode of "Harmonize" was marked by all of the usual things you'd expect. Technical difficulties? Check. Awkward pauses in a couple of places? Check. And maybe a few things you wouldn't expect. But hey. Welcome to "Harmonize". We're glad you could join us!