Podcast appearances and mentions of amanda meisenheimer

Sunday, July 2, 2023Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer

"Patience like a farmer recognizes that we aren't the only force working on whatever it is we are currently tending to."How would you describe your relationship with patience?//James 5:7-10Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Brothers and sisters, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Bethany Peerbolte, a Digital Minister and TikTok Pastor in the Denver, Colorado area. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and Living For the Dead by Corrina Repp.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.rev-bethany.com to find out more about Rev. Bethany Peerbolte. Visit www.tiktok.com/@revbethany to follow her on TikTok. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.

"The subtle power of this song is that forces me to confront the reality that I am perfectly content singing joy to my world, or maybe even our world, so long as I like the people around me. But joy to the whole world?"If you're honest, who are the people that you do not want to have joy? What difference would it make if you prayer for “joy to the world” could extend to them as well?//Psalm 98: 4-6Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;break forth into joyous song and sing praises.Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,with the lyre and the sound of melody.With trumpets and the sound of the hornmake a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.Joy to the world; the Lord is come; let earth receive her King:Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing.-Isaac Watts//This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat. It was originally published on December 16, 2018 as part of season 2. Background tracks include Relinquish and Slotcar by Podington Bear, Joy to the World by Amanda Meisenheimer, and Golden Light by Young Bay.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.

"When Jesus comes to town, the bullies tremble whether they are wearing a badge, a robe, or a bandana."What would Jesus say or do if he came to your town?//Isaiah 42:1-9Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.He will not cry out or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street;a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands wait for his teaching.Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it,who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I have taken you by the hand and kept you;I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind,to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare;before they spring forth, I tell you of them.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish, Arctic, and Sauter by Podington Bear.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.

Let us transform our weapons into garden tools.Let us study love and justice. Let us lay down our burdens, down by the Riverside.Where do you go and what resources do you turn to in order to study love and justice?//Isaiah 2:1-5The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.In days to come the mountain of the Lord's houseshall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised above the hills;all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”For out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples;they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.O house of Jacob, come, let us walkin the light of the Lord!//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer the Interim Minister of Worship and the Arts at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and Riverside by the Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit https://youtu.be/ZZyrNXTDxAI to watch the Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir perform "Riverside" at Middle Collegiate Church.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.

Sunday, September 4, 2022Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer and Rev. Jim Keat

"What is justice if we can't hear the judge? What is love without the voice of the lover?"These aren't rhetorical questions. Love and justice are essential to our humanity.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer and Rebecca Stevens-Walter. It was originally published on March 16, 2019 as part of Season 3 of Be Still and Go. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. The spoken word portions were written by Amanda Meisenheimer. Vocals by Amanda Meisenheimer. Background vocals and acoustic guitar by Rebecca Stevens-Walter. Say Something was originally written by A Great Big World. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

"In paradise, we all have names."What are people calling you today? What will you hear when you enter paradise? What do you call yourself?//Luke 23:43“Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Buona Sera by Sam BarshVisit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

Sunday, January 9, 2022Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer

"Jesus has challenged the authority of oppressive regimes for 2000 years because love is undefeatable, justice is unavoidable, and what appears to be tiny and weak changes everything."What oppressive regimes need to be challenged in our world today?//Herod, O HerodHave you heard the newsA baby is born todayTo free all the captivesTo find the lost sheepTo bring hope and peace to people in needOh babiesMay be tiny and weakAnd babies change the worldCaesar, O CaesarRuler of RomeA baby is born todayTo feed all the hungryTo share the good newsTo speak to the ones who have nothing to loseOh babiesMay be tiny and weakAnd babies change the worldMagi, O wise onesA child is growingA child whose star you have sceneSo follow that starThe light up aboveTo find the young boy who will teach us to loveOh Children may be tiny and weakAnd children change the worldOh Children may be tiny and weakAnd children change the worldJesus was tiny and weakBut Jesus changed the world//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and Tiny Carol by Amanda Meisenheimer.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.• Visit https://open.spotify.com/track/4ZLicVzc7UZKTxVqLxXHXp?si=JgRm1EyjQNCthbnjtY9zcw to listen to Tiny Carol on Spotify.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them."What will you do to advocate for children in our world?//Matthew 19:14-15Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and When All Have Left by Kurtis Parks.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.

"Our world tell us that salvation happens at the center. There is a hero and there is a person in distress. But salvation happens at the edge."How have you experienced salvation in your life?//Jeremiah 33:14-16The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and In the Dark You're More Colorful by Corrina Repp.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital ministry resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episodes by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app to download the Riverside app.

Join us this week as we re-visit an early episode of the podcast. Be sure to tune back in next week for a new episode! This week we welcome Amanda Meisenheimer and there are parenting fails, confessions, and wins to go around. We'll talk about the lectionary passage (John 2:13-22) and discuss Angry Jesus and that one time he flipped over the tables in the temple. Follow us on IG & Twitter @autoparent to share your own fails, confessions, and wins! Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children and Families at the Riverside Church in the City of New York. Amanda specializes in intergenerational and therapeutic approaches to ministry, theology, and curriculum. Amanda has written curriculum, music, and worship resources for Illustrated Ministry, Sparkhouse, United Methodist Women, Nooma, and Mars Hill Bible Church (MI). She and her two children make their home in Manhattan.

"Our communities are strongest when the voices of our disabled friends are heard."What voices do you need to be intentional to listen to?//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Barefoot by Podington Bear and I'm So Glad that You Exist by Will Bangs.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all seven seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

Each year at Mission u events around the country, adults, children, and youth prepare their hearts and minds for faithful living and response to needs of the world. Join the next Faith Talks event on June 3 at 2 pm ET as we talk with some of the writers and planners of the 2021 Spiritual Growth Studies being offered at Mission u events this year.Our guests include:*Amanda Meisenheimer, author of the study guide for Bearing Witness in the Kin-dom: Living Into the Church's Moral Witness through Radical Discipleship, this year's adult spiritual growth study.*Jay Godfrey, Transformative Education and Training Specialist for United Methodist Women and author of Becoming Peacemakers in a Culture of Violence, this year's youth study, and*Sue Raymond, author of Responding to Violence, this year's children's study.Visit http://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/FaithTalks to find out more and register for upcoing Faith Talks events.

Sunday, April 18, 2021by Amanda Meisenheimer

"You are shining. At least, that’s how God sees you. You do not need a reality show or a makeover or an Instagram filter to be complete and whole and amazing."What does it mean for you to see yourself as "shining"?//1 John 3:1-12What marvelous love God has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who God is or what God is up to. But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up!//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children and Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Just A Little More by Brent Wood. The cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water was performed by Victory Boyd at The Riverside Church on May 27, 2019.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Visit https://youtu.be/lxjwn4DD87E to see Victory Boyd's full performance of Bridge Over Troubled Water.

If you have been Bathsheba. If you didn’t consent. If you have never told anyone or if you have, if you have restitution or  justice or you don’t. My God is big enough to write a Psalm to you. My beloved,What happened to you was wrongIt was not your faultAnd you don’t have to make sense of why it happenedI should have rescued you I will do what it takes to restore youI will not walk away from youEven if you are very angry.Even if you are finished with me.I will love you until the end.//Psalm 51:1-2Have mercy on me, O God,    according to your unfailing love;according to your great compassion    blot out my transgressions.Wash away all my iniquity    and cleanse me from my sin.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Threnody by Goldmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Visit https://youtu.be/n4swfassCas to hear The Alchemy of the Apology by V (formerly Eve Ensler)

This week we welcome Amanda Meisenheimer and there are parenting fails, confessions, and wins to go around. We'll talk about the lectionary passage (John 2:13-22) and discuss Angry Jesus and that one time he flipped over the tables in the temple. Follow us on IG & Twitter @autoparent to share your own fails, confessions, and wins! Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children and Families at the Riverside Church in the City of New York. Amanda specializes in intergenerational and therapeutic approaches to ministry, theology, and curriculum. Amanda has written curriculum, music, and worship resources for Illustrated Ministry, Sparkhouse, United Methodist Women, Nooma, and Mars Hill Bible Church (MI). She and her two children make their home in Manhattan.  

"The precious gift of Lent is that we have 40 days to re-orient ourselves from the navel-gazing self-centered, private chambers of our minds to the multi-dimensional, infinite diversity around us. We take our focus off of ourselves and we look around to the people around us we have missed. And when we reorient ourselves to see and love our neighbor, we find ourselves with Jesus."In your own words, how would you describe the season of Lent?//Philippians 2: 3-8Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with Godas something to be exploited,but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,he humbled himselfand became obedient to the point of death—ven death on a cross.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms, B Roll, and Sepia by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

"God is not crushing us. As we face these days of Judgment, of wrath, brought on by ourselves, brought on by evil in this world, brought on by systemic failure, I don't ask God, 'What did we do to deserve this?' I ask God, 'where shall I go to cry? Will you weep with me?'"Where do you find God when you're experiencing a "judgment day"?//Joel 2:1-2, 12-14Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem.    Shout a warning on my holy mountain.Let all the people who live in the land shake with fear.    The Lord’s day of judging is coming.    The Lord’s day of judging is near.It will be a dark, gloomy day.    It will be a cloudy and black day.Like the light at sunrise,    the great and powerful army will spread over the mountains.There has never been anything like it before.    And there will never be anything like it again.There has never been anything like it before.    And there will never be anything like it again.The Lord says, “Now, come back to me with all your heart.    Go without food, and cry and be sad.”Tearing your clothes is not enough to show you are sad.    Let your heart be broken.Come back to the Lord your God.    He is kind and shows mercy.He doesn’t become angry quickly.    He has great love.    He would rather forgive than punish.Who knows? Maybe the Lord will change his mind    and leave behind a blessing for you.Then you may give grain and drink offerings    to the Lord your God.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Headwind by Wild Wonder.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

O come, Desire of nations, bindAll peoples in one heart and mind;Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.In your own words, what does it mean for the whole world to be filled with heaven's peace?//This episode was recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear. *Correction: These verses were written by Henry Sloane Coffin. H.S. Coffin was the president of Union Theological Seminary and the uncle of William Sloan Coffin.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episode by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app or text TRCNYC to 77977 to download the Riverside app.

"We need a Mother God right now because our brains are so saturated in patriarchy that a subtle change to a pronoun here or there can awaken our minds to a fuller understanding of the personality of God."How does the idea of a Mother God awaken your mind to a fuller understanding of the personality of God?//Psalm 11:4-7The LORD is in her holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven. Her eyes behold, her gaze examines humankind.The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and her soul hates the lover of violence.On the wicked she will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.For the LORD is righteous;she loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold her face.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children and Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and On Our Way by Brent Wood. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episode by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app or text TRCNYC to 77977 to download the Riverside app.

"Sumak Kawsay inspires me to examine how I live in relationship to the Pacha Mama – to the living and breathing creation that God made."What does it mean to live a good life in such a time as this?//Psalm 104You set the earth on her foundations, so that she shall never be shaken.You cover her with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—who looks on the earth and she trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.May my meditation be pleasing to God, for I rejoice in the Lord.Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.Bless the Lord, O my soul.Praise the Lord!//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Changing Me and Andean Valley by Madison York. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episode by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app or text TRCNYC to 77977 to download the Riverside app.

"Teenage girls are visionary. They always have been."Who are the teenage girls that you know. What can you do to support and encourage them today?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms and Hopeful Child by Podington Bear. Sample tracks include Emma González from an interview on 60 Minutes, Claudette Colvin from an interview on Great Big Story, and Greta Thunberg from her 2018 TED Talk.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episode by email. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/app or text TRCNYC to 77977 to download the Riverside app.

“Here in the center, in the big middle of the crisis, with months behind us and months ahead of us comes Advent."What does Advent mean to you this year?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Thousand Miles by Goldmund. • Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. She’s also the only minister at Riverside who knows how to use TIkTok.• Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all eight seasons of Be Still and Go. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice. • Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo/#sign-up to receive new episode by email.

"Your strength and dignity comes from your humanity itself. God made you in their image. You are dressed in garments of glory whether you are wearing scrubs or 3-day-old jeans."What garments of glory are you wearing today?//Proverbs 31: 24-25She makes linen garments and sells them;she supplies the merchant with sashes.Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.Isaiah 61:10-11I will sing for joy in God,explode in praise from deep in my soul!He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedoand a bride a jeweled tiara.For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,and as a garden cascades with blossoms,So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloomand puts praise on display before the nations.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Barefoot, Triste, Wilt, and Moonglow by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. Visit http://trcnyc.org/OnlineKidsWorship to watch her weekly family worship videos.

"Your strength and dignity comes from your humanity itself. God made you in their image. You are dressed in garments of glory whether you are wearing scrubs or 3-day-old jeans."What garments of glory are you wearing today?//Proverbs 31: 24-25She makes linen garments and sells them;she supplies the merchant with sashes.Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.Isaiah 61:10-11I will sing for joy in God,explode in praise from deep in my soul!He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedoand a bride a jeweled tiara.For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,and as a garden cascades with blossoms,So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloomand puts praise on display before the nations.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Barefoot, Triste, Wilt, and Moonglow by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. Visit http://trcnyc.org/OnlineKidsWorship to watch her weekly family worship videos.

"He will bring the good news to this atrophied, sun-starved people who had experienced such loss."What does “good news” look like in our world right now?//John 13:1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks are by Podington Bear and Gillicuddy.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. Visit https://www.trcnyc.org/tag/amanda-meisenheimer/ to listen to every episode she’s recorded for all six seasons of Be Still and Go.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

"He will bring the good news to this atrophied, sun-starved people who had experienced such loss."What does “good news” look like in our world right now?//John 13:1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks are by Podington Bear and Gillicuddy.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. Visit https://www.trcnyc.org/tag/amanda-meisenheimer/ to listen to every episode she’s recorded for all six seasons of Be Still and Go.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

We must meditate through the noise, call the darkness our friend, and rest in the silence.How are you handling the noise in your mind and the silence in our world?//Hello darkness, my old friendI've come to talk with you againBecause a vision softly creepingLeft its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brainStill remainsWithin the sound of silence//The reflection at the beginning of this episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. The cover of The Sound of Silence was recorded with Amanda Meisenheimer on vocals and Rev. Jim Keat on guitar. Rev. Keat produced the episode. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

We must meditate through the noise, call the darkness our friend, and rest in the silence.How are you handling the noise in your mind and the silence in our world?//Hello darkness, my old friendI've come to talk with you againBecause a vision softly creepingLeft its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brainStill remainsWithin the sound of silence//The reflection at the beginning of this episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. The cover of The Sound of Silence was recorded with Amanda Meisenheimer on vocals and Rev. Jim Keat on guitar. Rev. Keat produced the episode. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

“These are hard times and your feelings of frustration, fear, sadness, disappointment, and confusion are valid. We need to feel our feelings."What are you feeling right now?//Romans 5:2-5We boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Threnody by Goldmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

“These are hard times and your feelings of frustration, fear, sadness, disappointment, and confusion are valid. We need to feel our feelings."What are you feeling right now?//Romans 5:2-5We boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Threnody by Goldmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

"If you can’t find your god in the grit of this life, your god is not so big."Where do you find God in the grit of life around you?//A poem by 14th century Persian Poet Hafiz (1320-1389 CE)Translated by Daniel Ladinsky Somegods say, the tiny ones,“I am not here in your vibrant, moist lipsthat need to beach themselves upon the golden shoreof a naked body.” Some gods say, “I am not the scarred yearning in the unrequited soul;I am not the blushing cheek of every star and planet— I am not the applauding Creator of those precious secretions thatcan distill the whole mind into a perfect wincing jewelif only for a moment; Nor do I reside in every pile of sweet warm dung bornof the earth’s gratuity.” Some gods say, the ones we need to hang, “Your mouth is not designed to know His, love was not conceived to consume the luminous realms.”Dear ones beware,beware of the tiny gods frightened menworship To bring an anesthetic control and reliefto their saddays.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Woods by Corrina Repp.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children and Families at The Riverside Church. She is an author and speaker and you should definitely follow her on twitter at @mandymeis.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

"If you can’t find your god in the grit of this life, your god is not so big."Where do you find God in the grit of life around you?//A poem by 14th century Persian Poet Hafiz (1320-1389 CE)Translated by Daniel Ladinsky Somegods say, the tiny ones,“I am not here in your vibrant, moist lipsthat need to beach themselves upon the golden shoreof a naked body.” Some gods say, “I am not the scarred yearning in the unrequited soul;I am not the blushing cheek of every star and planet— I am not the applauding Creator of those precious secretions thatcan distill the whole mind into a perfect wincing jewelif only for a moment; Nor do I reside in every pile of sweet warm dung bornof the earth’s gratuity.” Some gods say, the ones we need to hang, “Your mouth is not designed to know His, love was not conceived to consume the luminous realms.”Dear ones beware,beware of the tiny gods frightened menworship To bring an anesthetic control and reliefto their saddays.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Woods by Corrina Repp.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children and Families at The Riverside Church. She is an author and speaker and you should definitely follow her on twitter at @mandymeis.This season of Be Still and Go is supported in part by Convergence as they help share each episode with their community. (You should do the same!) Convergence a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

The purifying baptism of God’s Holy presence, disinfects the lies you’ve been told, the lies you have told, and the names you’ve been called.God calls you Blessed. God calls you child. And you are enough.What difference does it make to know that God loves and accepts you, exactly as you are?//Psalm 51:1-2, 15-17Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Evelyn by Goldmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children and Families at The Riverside Church. You can follow her on Twitter a @MandyMeis and can join her for Riverside Family Worship on the first Sunday of the month in Christ Chapel.This season of Be Still and Go is sponsored in part by Convergence, a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

The purifying baptism of God’s Holy presence, disinfects the lies you’ve been told, the lies you have told, and the names you’ve been called.God calls you Blessed. God calls you child. And you are enough.What difference does it make to know that God loves and accepts you, exactly as you are?//Psalm 51:1-2, 15-17Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Evelyn by Goldmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Amanda Meisenheimer is the Minister of Children and Families at The Riverside Church. You can follow her on Twitter a @MandyMeis and can join her for Riverside Family Worship on the first Sunday of the month in Christ Chapel.This season of Be Still and Go is sponsored in part by Convergence, a network that supports the reshaping of organizations, congregations and leaders engaged in an age of movement from “organized religion” to “organizing religion” driven by the values of an inclusive, progressive theological vision for a more just world for all. Visit www.convergenceus.org to find out more.

“The most important task in life is to find out what is broken in our world and to repair it.” -Lawrence KushnerWhat’s broken in the world around you? And what can you do to help repair it?//Isaiah 35:1-5The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;your God will come, God will come with vengeance;with divine retribution God will come to save you.”Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.//This episode was written and recorded by Bruce Lamb and Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relenquish by Podington Bear and Come As You Are and Come As You Were by Blue Dot Sessions.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

“The most important task in life is to find out what is broken in our world and to repair it.” -Lawrence KushnerWhat’s broken in the world around you? And what can you do to help repair it?//Isaiah 35:1-5The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;your God will come, God will come with vengeance;with divine retribution God will come to save you.”Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.//This episode was written and recorded by Bruce Lamb and Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relenquish by Podington Bear and Come As You Are and Come As You Were by Blue Dot Sessions.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

"Violence is a vibrant part of the American imagination. Can we make room for peace and plowshares even in the spaces that we guard most closely?"What are the swords in your world that need to be beaten into plowshares?//Isaiah 2:1-5In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s houseshall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills;all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples;they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relenquish by Podington Bear, Seeking Clarity by Alex Fitch, and Make Room by Jonathan McReynoldsVisit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

"Violence is a vibrant part of the American imagination. Can we make room for peace and plowshares even in the spaces that we guard most closely?"What are the swords in your world that need to be beaten into plowshares?//Isaiah 2:1-5In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s houseshall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills;all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob;that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples;they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relenquish by Podington Bear, Seeking Clarity by Alex Fitch, and Make Room by Jonathan McReynoldsVisit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

Dirt matters. Shit matters. When we bring an eternal perspective to our temporal home, we can see that resurrection is a reality, even on earth.What does the end of the world look like?//1 Corinthians 15:55“Where, O death, is your victory?Where, O death, is your sting?”//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Ghost Suite by YEYEY.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

Dirt matters. Shit matters. When we bring an eternal perspective to our temporal home, we can see that resurrection is a reality, even on earth.What does the end of the world look like?//1 Corinthians 15:55“Where, O death, is your victory?Where, O death, is your sting?”//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Trundle by Podington Bear and Ghost Suite by YEYEY.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all four seasons of Be Still and Go.

“We often skip to the resurrection, we often skip to butterfly Jesus all the way past caterpillar Jesus. But a life spent with Jesus is a life of wilderness and suffering, a life on the margins.”Where are the margins in our world today and who is pushed into them?//Philippians 3:4b-14If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, I Want Jesus to Walk With Me as covered by Sharon Groves, and Belle Merville by Stephen Keech.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“We often skip to the resurrection, we often skip to butterfly Jesus all the way past caterpillar Jesus. But a life spent with Jesus is a life of wilderness and suffering, a life on the margins.”Where are the margins in our world today and who is pushed into them?//Philippians 3:4b-14If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, I Want Jesus to Walk With Me as covered by Sharon Groves, and Belle Merville by Stephen Keech.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“We are called to see our life work for justice and peace as preparation for resurrection."What are you doing to prepare for and practice resurrection?//“We resist. We refuse to let hatred in. We rise up. We won’t back down. We’re in this til the end. Pray for your enemies. Welcome the stranger. Show love to your neighbor. We’re in this til the end.” – Mark Miller//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Bruce Lamb. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Samples include We Resist by Mark Miller and Ella’s Song by Sweet Honey and the Rock. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms, Orchid, Arctic, and Spokes by Podington Bear, We Resist as performed by Amanda Meisenheimer, and God of Grace and God of Glory.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“We are called to see our life work for justice and peace as preparation for resurrection."What are you doing to prepare for and practice resurrection?//“We resist. We refuse to let hatred in. We rise up. We won’t back down. We’re in this til the end. Pray for your enemies. Welcome the stranger. Show love to your neighbor. We’re in this til the end.” – Mark Miller//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Bruce Lamb. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Samples include We Resist by Mark Miller and Ella’s Song by Sweet Honey and the Rock. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms, Orchid, Arctic, and Spokes by Podington Bear, We Resist as performed by Amanda Meisenheimer, and God of Grace and God of Glory.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“When bad things happen to some, they happen to all of us."Why do bad things happen to good people?//Luke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Silence of Sleep by Silence is Sexy.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

“When bad things happen to some, they happen to all of us."Why do bad things happen to good people?//Luke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Silence of Sleep by Silence is Sexy.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

"What is justice if we can’t hear the judge? What is love without the voice of the lover?"These aren’t rhetorical questions. Love and justice are essential to our humanity.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer and Rebecca Stevens-Walter. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. The spoken word portions were written by Amanda Meisenheimer. Vocals by Amanda Meisenheimer. Background vocals and acoustic guitar by Rebecca Stevens-Walter. Say Something was originally written by A Great Big World. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

"What is justice if we can’t hear the judge? What is love without the voice of the lover?"These aren’t rhetorical questions. Love and justice are essential to our humanity.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer and Rebecca Stevens-Walter. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. The spoken word portions were written by Amanda Meisenheimer. Vocals by Amanda Meisenheimer. Background vocals and acoustic guitar by Rebecca Stevens-Walter. Say Something was originally written by A Great Big World. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

"This is what the church is: a group of beautiful, beloved, flawed creatures who believe that love saves us and love can save the world."How would you describe the church?//Psalm 118:1O give thanks to the Lord, for she is good; her steadfast love endures forever!//This episode was written and recorded by Pastor Amy Butler. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, Seeking Clarity by Alex Fitch, and Love Can Change the World by Aaron Niequist (as performed by Amanda Meisenheimer and the Fifty6 Band).Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

"This is what the church is: a group of beautiful, beloved, flawed creatures who believe that love saves us and love can save the world."How would you describe the church?//Psalm 118:1O give thanks to the Lord, for she is good; her steadfast love endures forever!//This episode was written and recorded by Pastor Amy Butler. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, Seeking Clarity by Alex Fitch, and Love Can Change the World by Aaron Niequist (as performed by Amanda Meisenheimer and the Fifty6 Band).Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all three seasons of Be Still and Go.

Luke 3:15-18As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.//In Advent we get to sit still, to be still, and to meditate in quiet anticipation of the great celebration to come. Luke’s telling of the importance of John is just the kind of nourishment we need in a season like this. The world is so good at grabbing and holding our attention, demanding our engagement—unfortunately in so much that is trivial, mere distractions from what really matters, and if it isn’t the trivial then it’s another tragic event. We can’t change that kind of hatred overnight. Part of our work will always be: relationships, truth, forgiveness, giving, being and doing in the world—acts of kindness and mercy, transforming work to change the balance of power, to redistribute God’s abundance among especially those who are too often left outside in the cold. After all the meditating is done, not forever, but for the moment—we are called to act—to follow Jesus into the world—doing the gospel. -Rev. Michael Livingston//How would you explain what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit to an eight year old?What else would you add to Rev. Livingston’s list of what “our work will always be”?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish, Downtown, We Make a Good Team, and Rain On Glass by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to download the 2018 Advent devotional and to listen to more episodes of Be Still and Go.

Luke 3:15-18As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.//In Advent we get to sit still, to be still, and to meditate in quiet anticipation of the great celebration to come. Luke’s telling of the importance of John is just the kind of nourishment we need in a season like this. The world is so good at grabbing and holding our attention, demanding our engagement—unfortunately in so much that is trivial, mere distractions from what really matters, and if it isn’t the trivial then it’s another tragic event. We can’t change that kind of hatred overnight. Part of our work will always be: relationships, truth, forgiveness, giving, being and doing in the world—acts of kindness and mercy, transforming work to change the balance of power, to redistribute God’s abundance among especially those who are too often left outside in the cold. After all the meditating is done, not forever, but for the moment—we are called to act—to follow Jesus into the world—doing the gospel. -Rev. Michael Livingston//How would you explain what it means to be baptized with the Holy Spirit to an eight year old?What else would you add to Rev. Livingston’s list of what “our work will always be”?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish, Downtown, We Make a Good Team, and Rain On Glass by Podington Bear.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to download the 2018 Advent devotional and to listen to more episodes of Be Still and Go.

Isaiah 12:2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,for the Lord God is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation.//The Good News of Jesus is that God entered the pit. God walks the valley. God is knowable. Emmanuel, God with us, is everywhere, waiting to be discovered. We can see God and hear God and taste God and touch God and smell God. The prophet Isaiah says that God is my Salvation. God is my strength. God is my song. When you are saved from circumstances, from troubles, from oppression, or even saved from yourself. Look around. You are seeing God. When you feel a ripple of energy and the strength to survive one more day, You are feeling God. When you sing a song in the shower and you reach for those high notes because you are alone and safe at last, you are hearing the voice of God.A New Testament writer gave us another clue in our quest to see God. The writer said “God is love.” When you experience love, this radical opposition to a world of fear and hate, when you experience love, you are experiencing God. -Amanda Meisenheimer//Where are you seeing, tasting, touching, feeling God today?If God is your song, what are some of the lyrics?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and Pause, Go and Lemonfade by Broke For Free.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to download the 2018 Advent devotional and to listen to more episodes of Be Still and Go.

Isaiah 12:2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid,for the Lord God is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation.//The Good News of Jesus is that God entered the pit. God walks the valley. God is knowable. Emmanuel, God with us, is everywhere, waiting to be discovered. We can see God and hear God and taste God and touch God and smell God. The prophet Isaiah says that God is my Salvation. God is my strength. God is my song. When you are saved from circumstances, from troubles, from oppression, or even saved from yourself. Look around. You are seeing God. When you feel a ripple of energy and the strength to survive one more day, You are feeling God. When you sing a song in the shower and you reach for those high notes because you are alone and safe at last, you are hearing the voice of God.A New Testament writer gave us another clue in our quest to see God. The writer said “God is love.” When you experience love, this radical opposition to a world of fear and hate, when you experience love, you are experiencing God. -Amanda Meisenheimer//Where are you seeing, tasting, touching, feeling God today?If God is your song, what are some of the lyrics?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer. It was produced by Jim Keat. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear and Pause, Go and Lemonfade by Broke For Free.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to download the 2018 Advent devotional and to listen to more episodes of Be Still and Go.

Amanda Meisenheimer is a progressive children and families minister. She creates music and curriculum to help families raise children with healthy spirituality, and I am excited to have her on the show to share the resources she’s created for all of us.   Amanda and I start the show with the intense and complicated topic of adoption, as she is the adoptive mother of two children, and how she has changed and repented of some of the views surrounding adoption ethics. Then we talk about her faith deconstruction and why she stays in the Christian church to serve children and families.   I ask her for advice on how to raise children with healthy spirituality. She shares a couple of her songs with us and why she teaches the Bible the way she does with kids.   We talk about child liberation and Freedom School and allowing children into all spaces of worship. Amanda is such an inspiration as someone who works in the trenches of children and progressive faith. I hope you will learn and grow from her wisdom from this rich conversation.   Links: Child of Mine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i56-IsgcgQ&feature=youtu.be Gospel of John - https://www.facebook.com/mandymeisenheimer/videos/10156448554277422/ Family Minute - https://www.trcnyc.org/families/ Join the Parenting Forward Patreon team at: https://www.patreon.com/cindywangbrandt

Wednesday, June 6, 2018Space For GraceMs. Amanda Meisenheimer

"Broken hearts don’t get fixed. They become the soil for a new heart to grow."//Matthew 9:36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.5://This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Associate Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

"Broken hearts don’t get fixed. They become the soil for a new heart to grow."//Matthew 9:36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.5://This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Associate Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

What kind of prayers does God hear?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Associate Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

What kind of prayers does God hear?//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Associate Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

"May justice increase and oppression decrease. May wisdom increase and ignorance decrease. And may it be so with me."//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Associate Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

"May justice increase and oppression decrease. May wisdom increase and ignorance decrease. And may it be so with me."//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Associate Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

Space for GraceJanuary 3rd, 2018.Ms. Amanda Meisenheimer