Podcasts about buechner

Drop us a text message to say hi and let us know what you think of the show. (Include your email if you'd like us to reply)In which John and David explore Jonah's second calling and the grace woven into the story's repetition. They reflect on Buechner's and Tolkien's ideas of myth, Hebrew wordplay that shifts God's tone from 'against' to 'toward', and the layered symbolism of Nineveh's name—revealing a God who commands even the 'gods' of the world.Episode 219 of the Two Texts Podcast | Jonah Beyond the Whale 16If you want to get in touch about something in the podcast you can reach out on podcast@twotexts.com or by liking and following the Two Texts podcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love it if you left a review or comment where you're listening from – and if you really enjoyed it, why not share it with a friend?Music by Woodford Music (c) 2021________Help us keep Two Texts free for everyone by becoming a supporter of the show John and David want to ensure that Two Texts always remains free content for everyone. We don't want to create a paywall or have premium content that would exclude others. However, Two Texts costs us around £60 per month (US$75; CAD$100) to make. If you'd like to support the show with even just a small monthly donation it would help ensure we can continue to produce the content that you love. Thank you so much.Support the show

Elaine Heath is the abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastic community in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Spring Forest centers around communal prayer and meals, a vibrant farm, refugee support, and other ministries you can read about here. You can learn more about Elaine's work as an author and speaker on her website, or in articles like this one from the Center for Action and Contemplation.Many thanks to Elaine and her husband Randall for welcoming Ron and I and our audio producer, Colin, to the farm last June. Besides relishing the good company of our hosts, we enjoyed harvesting cabbage, feasting and praying with the Sunday evening group, walking through the woods, and petting some good-natured goats.Dr. Elaine HeathOn the farm.Someone had to help harvest the cabbage, so Ron and Colin and I pitched in.Elaine, husband Randall, and I in their lovely home.TRANSCRIPTElaine Heath If you are nurtured by traditional church—or let's say, conventional church—keep doing it, but also realize that for other people that's not nurturing. It feels dry and lifeless, and it's clear the Spirit is doing something new. So instead of insisting everybody stop doing the new thing, and everybody has to come and do the conventional thing, you can be conventional in your worship and bless and make space for others so that we have a plethora of experiments going on.Debra Rienstra Welcome to the Refugia Podcast. I'm your host, Professor Debra Rienstra. Refugia are habitats in nature where life endures in times of crisis. We're exploring the concept of refugia as a metaphor, discovering how people of faith can become people of refugia: nurturing life-giving spaces in the earth, in our human cultural systems, and in our spiritual communities, even in this time of severe disturbance. This season, we're paying special attention to churches and Christian communities who have figured out how to address the climate crisis together as an essential aspect of their discipleship.Today, I'm excited to introduce you to Dr. Elaine Heath. Elaine is founder and abbess of Spring Forest, a new monastic community centered on a 23-acre forest and farm property near Hillsboro, North Carolina. The farm supplies a CSA and supports food security for refugees and serves as the setting for outdoor programs for kids, cooking classes, potlucks, forest walks and more. But the Spring Forest community is a dispersed network of people who move in and out of the farm space in a variety of ways. They live on the farm for a time, they visit often to volunteer, or they simply join the community online for daily prayer. We got to visit the farm last spring, and I can tell you that Elaine's long experience with new monasticism, trauma-informed care, and contemplative practice make her an ideal curator of refugia space. The vibe on the farm is peaceful, orderly, and full of life. It's a place of holy experimentation in new ways to form Christian community and reconnect with the land. Let's get to it.Debra Rienstra Elaine, thank you for talking with me today. It's really great to be with you.Elaine Heath Yeah, I'm glad to be with you too.Debra Rienstra So you served in traditional parish ministry and in religious academia for many years, and then in 2018 you retired from that work to found Spring Forest. Why a farm and a new monastic community? What inspired and influenced this particular expression of faith?Elaine Heath I've always loved farms and forests. But actually, my dream to do this started about 25 years ago, and my husband and I bought a 23 acre property in North Central Ohio, right when I was right out of my PhD program and I got my first academic job at my alma mater, which is Ashland Theological Seminary. So I went there to direct the Doctor of Ministry program, and we bought this beautiful property. It had a little house that looked like the ranger station, and it had a stream and a big labyrinth cut in the field, and it had beautiful soil to grow, you know, for market gardening. And what we planned to do was gradually develop retreat ministries there. My husband was going to build some hermitages up in the woods, because I did a lot of spiritual direction with pastors who were burned out and traumatized, and we felt like that, you know, as I got older and phased out of academia, that would be something we could do together.So we were there for a couple years, and then I was recruited to go to Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. And we were very sad to leave our property behind, but we were clear that we were being called to Texas. So we bought a home in the city in a sort of mixed income, racially diverse neighborhood in Garland, and it was a big house with a nice yard, and soon after starting to teach evangelism—which, I kind of created my own path for how to teach evangelism, because I don't believe in selling Jesus or any of those kinds of colonizing things. So I was teaching about living a contemplative life and practicing social and environmental justice and being good news in the world, and being good neighbors to all our neighbors, and thinking of our neighbors as us and not them. And I had them reading Shane Claiborne and the people writing with the emerging church movement at the time, and pretty soon, I had students in my class coming to my office every week. It was a different student, but the same tears and the same kind of narrative: “Dr. Heath, I think I'm going to have to leave the church to answer my call. Tell me what I should do.” And it was because they were being called to do innovative, new monastic ministry, missional, new monastic kinds of things. But our denomination in particular didn't quite get it, even though early Methodism was very much like that.So I realized fairly quickly that this was God calling me through these students to focus my research and writing and my teaching in the area of emergence. Emergence theory, what's happening in the world. How do these currents of emergence intersect with what's happening politically and environmentally, and what's happening, you know, in the economy and with the church. So pretty soon, I don't know, it wasn't very long, I felt God was calling me to gather students and start some experiments outside, out in the city. And so I had a prayer partner, and we were praying for a house to come available, so that we could start a new monastic house. And she came to me one day and she said, “I saw the house coming. It'll be here soon.” And I said, “Okay.” I had no money for a house. You know, kind of a lowly professor, didn't make that much. And within two weeks, one of our neighbors came to me, who didn't really know me well at all, and said, “Hey, my mom has a rental property. It's been in our family for a long time, and we wondered if you might have some students that would like to live there. We won't even charge rent, just pay their utilities and not have drug parties or whatnot.” And I said, “No, that's unlikely,” you know. So I said, you know, I could throw the phone down and ran down to get in her car and go over to this house with her. And we were driving over, and she says, “You know, it's not the best neighborhood.” I said, “Perfect!” But we got there, and it was a really great little three bedroom house in a predominantly Latina neighborhood, and that was our first new monastic house. So I asked three of the students who'd been crying in my office, “Would you be willing to break your leases wherever you live and come and live here for a year?” And I can assign a spiritual director to work with you, and I can write a curriculum for an independent study on the theory and practice of new monasticism. And we can develop a Rule of Life based on our United Methodist membership vows. And they all immediately said yes, and so that's how we got started with our first house.Elaine Heath And then right around the same time, I started a missional house church that was quickly relocated into the neighborhood where most of the refugees are resettled in Dallas, because one of my students brought six Congolese men to our little house church worship, and that that was the beginning of realizing we were called to work with refugees.Debra Rienstra Oh, I see.Elaine Heath So that all got started around 2008. And by 2009, there was a student who came to Perkins who had been a commercial real estate banker on Wall Street. And he came to Perkins as a student. He was an older man. And we were going on my very first pilgrimage to Iona, Northumbria, and Lindisfarne, and Michael Hahn was with us too. He and I team-taught this class, so it was my first one. But it turned out that Larry Duggins, the student, had come to seminary because he really wanted to be equipped to help young adults who were feeling disillusioned with the church but wanted to be out in the world doing good work. And he started describing what he was called to, and I'm like, “Well, that's what I'm doing with these students.” So we joined forces and created a nonprofit called Missional Wisdom Foundation, and within three years, we had a network of eight new monastic communities across the metroplex. They were all anchored at local churches. Some of them were parsonages that weren't being used. And we wove into the expectations and sort of the lifestyle of those houses, urban agriculture.Debra Rienstra Oh, I was waiting for the farm to come back into it. Yeah, because I'm seeing these threads of experimentation and monasticism and place. We're sitting here today on your current farm land. So it's really interesting to hear all these threads being developed early on in an urban context.Elaine Heath Yes, it was quite something. These houses were all in different social contexts. There was one house, the Bonhoeffer house, that was in East Dallas, in a neighborhood that was not only mixed income and racially diverse, but also used to be where the mayor lived. And now there are people who are unhoused living there, and there are also people with nice houses living there. So it was a very interesting neighborhood. So that house, we learned quickly that you needed to take a year to get to know the neighborhood before you try to figure out how you're going to support whatever justice work needs to happen in the neighborhood. But that house got really close with the unhoused community and did a lot of good ministry with the guys and a few women. Then there was one for undocumented workers, the Romero House, and just different social contexts. But all of them had a backyard garden or, you know, some type of growing food kind of thing. And I used to take students to this farm that was an urban farm in DeSoto, which is just south of Dallas, where it was quite small, but these were former missionaries, the type that have crusades and show the Jesus film and everything in sort of poor countries. And then they had an awakening that happened, and they realized they were being called to help people in orphanages learn how to grow their own food in a sustainable way and raise the living standard for the whole village. So they had this little farm, and I would take students there every semester to experience the conversion of thought that this couple had over what mission is, and to experience the beauty and joy of tilapia that provide food for the lettuce, that provide for the bees, you know. So this closed system. So that also affected my imagination about what I really wanted to do in the future.And so gradually, the years—we were there for 11 years, and we lived in community the whole time that we were there. By the time we came here for me to work at Duke, we had a very clear picture of what we wanted to do here. And so we looked for the property back when we had to sell that first farm, when we were so sad about selling it, I had an experience in prayer where I sensed God was saying to me, “Don't give up on this dream. It's sacred, and it will happen in the future on a better piece of property, at a better time in your life for this.” And so when it was time to move here, I said to Randall, “This is the time. Let's look for that property.” So that's how we landed here.Friendly, very contented dairy goats, hanging out in the afternoon.Debra Rienstra Yeah. When talking about your students, you mentioned yesterday that you like to “ruin them for fake church.” So what do you mean by fake church, and how exactly do you ruin them for it?Elaine Heath Well, you know, church is really the people and not the building. You all know that. It's the people and we're called to be a very different kind of people who are a healing community, that neighbor well, that give ourselves away, that regard our neighbors—human and non human—as part of us, whether they think they're part of us or not. We have this sort of posture in life. And when I think of how Jesus formed the church, Jesus had this little ragtag group of friends, and they traveled around and did stuff and talked about it, and they got mad at each other and had power struggles and drama and, you know, and then Jesus would process the drama with them. And he would do these outrageous things, you know, breaking sort of cultural taboo to demonstrate: this is what love really looks like. And so we don't get to do much of any of that, sitting in a pew on Sunday morning, facing forward while the people up in the front do things. And so many churches—maybe you've never experienced this, but I certainly have. The pastor's sort of the proxy disciple while people kind of watch and make judgments and decide whether or not they want to keep listening to those sermons.Debra Rienstra Oh yes.Elaine Heath So when you experience Christian life in a community where it's both natural, it's just the way you live in the world, and it's also liturgically rich, and the life is a contemplative life, and it's also a life of deep missional engagement with the world— that other version of church, it's like oatmeal with no flavoring in it. It makes you, I mean, it's about the life together. It's how we live in this world. It's not about sitting somewhere for an hour once a week and staring forward.Debra Rienstra Right. Yeah, so I would, you know, of course, I would describe what you're describing as refugia, being the people of refugia. You know? Not that I'm—we'll come back to traditional worship and traditional forms of faith and religion. But it seems like what you're doing is living into something you say on your website that we are in the midst of a new reformation in the church, and I certainly sense that too. I think the evidence is all around us, and the research bears out that we've reached this inflection point, and it's a painful inflection point that a lot of people think of as decline, because living through it feels confusing and bewildering and dark and full of loss. So what is your sense of when we are, in this point in history, in particular, for those of us who've been part of church communities, where are we finding ourselves? Why is it so confusing?Elaine Heath I really believe we're in a dark night of the soul as the church in the West and perhaps places in the East too. I know we've exported a capitalist version of church all over the world, sadly. But I believe we're in a dark night of the soul, you know, classically understood, where it's spirit-breathed. It's not that the devil is doing something to us. It's spirit-breathed to detach us from our sort of corporate ego that thinks we get to show up and boss the world around and act like we own the joint.Debra Rienstra We call that church of empire.Elaine Heath Yeah. And so I think that's what's happening. And when, you know, if you study the literature, if you work in spiritual direction, and you're looking at what happens with the dark night of the soul. That's a real dark night, not a clinical depression or something like that, but an actual dark night. You have to go through it. You can't bypass it. You can't work your way out of it. You can't talk your way out of it. And what happens is you find yourself increasingly hungry for simplicity, for a simple but clear experience of God, because it's like God's disappeared. There's a deep loneliness, even a sort of cold hell, to being in a dark night of the soul. And so there's a restlessness, there's a longing for actual experience of God. There's a feeling of futility. Things that used to work don't work anymore. So you know the threefold path? The purgation, illumination and union is one way that we've learned to think about what happens. The purgation part is— we're there.Debra Rienstra We're being purgated.Elaine Heath We're being purgated, yeah. And at the same time that we're having these flashes of intuitive knowing, this sort of illumination is coming. “Oh, let's pay attention to the saints and mystics who lived through things like this. What gave them life? What helped them to keep showing up and being faithful?” And we're having moments of union too, when we feel like, “Oh, discipleship means I make sure that the trees are cared for and not just people. Oh, all living things are interconnected. Quantum physics is teaching us a spiritual truth we should have known already.” So the three parts of that contemplative path are happening simultaneously. But I think what feels most forward to a lot of people is the purgation piece where you're like, “Oh, things are just dropping away. Numbers are dropping. Things that used to work don't work. What's going to happen now?” Sort of a sense of chaos, confusion. Tohu va bohu, yeah.Debra Rienstra Yeah, do you want me to explain what that is?Elaine Heath Yeah, chaos and confusion. From the beginning of time.Debra Rienstra It's the realm out of which creation is formed. So the idea that the spirit is drawing us into this dark night is actually really reassuring. We are where we're supposed to be. And even though it feels confusing and painful, there are these moments of wisdom—that's so reassuring. In fact, one of the things you write: the new reformation is all about the emergence. So this emergence is happening of a generous, hospitable, equitable form of Christianity that heals the wounds of the world. What is your vision about what the church needs to release and hold and create right now?Elaine Heath We need to release everything that even slightly has a hint of empire, that we have thought of as what it means to be the church, because that completely reverts what church is supposed to be about. So giving up empire, we need to take up the great kenotic hymn of Philippians two and actually live it.Debra Rienstra The self emptying hymn.Elaine Heath The self emptying. And it's not—I know that that can be problematic when we're thinking of women or, you know, groups that have been forced to empty themselves in an exploited way. But that's not really what that's all about. It's about showing up to God, paying attention, seeing what God's invitation is, then cooperating with that and just releasing the outcome. That's what that's about, and really finding out, what am I in this world for? What are we in this world for? And being about that and not about something else.Debra Rienstra Yeah, it's hard to release the ways that we have done things. Well, you have a congregation, you have a pastor, you have a sanctuary, you have programs, you want the kids to come, you need tithes, all of those systems. And actually, what you're doing here at Spring Forest—let's talk about that. What you're doing here at Spring Forest doesn't have any of that. Sunday services. There's no church building. You have barn buildings, you have farm buildings. No Sunday school, no adult ed, no choirs, organs, praise bands, any of that stuff, right? Do you think of Spring Forest as a new model for church? Perhaps one among many?Elaine Heath It's one among many. We're definitely shaped by traditional monasticism. We're shaped by early Methodism. We're influenced by the Catholic Worker Movement, and definitely Bonhoeffer's work and a number of others: the Clarence Jordan and Koinonia farms. And so we're influenced by all of those. We do have music sometimes at Forest Feast, if we have someone that can lead it, and, you know, do a good job. But the backbone of our worship life is morning and evening prayer. And that is so wonderful. You were here last night for Forest Feast, and we use the same structure we use for morning and evening prayer, and we have a group of about six people who are writing the liturgies for us, who have been writing for a year and a half now.Debra Rienstra Who are those people?Elaine Heath Well, there's Steve Taylor is our lay leader, and his wife, Cheryl, and then there's Donna Patterson, who's—none of them were here last night. They all had to go somewhere. But some of them are lay people. Some of them are clergy.Debra Rienstra And they don't live here?Elaine Heath No, they live— well, some of the people that write live far away, and they're in our digital community. But, yeah, Steve and Cheryl live in Lumberton, which is, you know, almost two hours away. But they're beautiful. I mean, if you go online and look at some of the last month, look at the prayers and see the—they're just truly beautiful, and they reflect our spirituality of our community.Debra Rienstra Yeah. So the community, it seems to me, you have had people living on the farm itself, but your community, like the Iona community, is both located here on this land, but also dispersed. And so you have that interaction, that conversation between this residential life. So let's try to describe for listeners: there's the farm. You live here with your husband. You have interns from Duke. You have a farm. What do you call Larry?Elaine Heath He's our farm coach.Debra Rienstra Coach, yes, I love that. They have the farm coach who has the farming knowledge that you all sort of follow. You have chefs. They don't live here either, but they come in. So you have a lot of people coming in and out on this farm. And you do regenerative farming. You have programs for kids, you have refugee support, and you can talk about that, trauma informed rest for spiritual leaders. And then a number of other things. The farm produces vegetables and those go to a CSA, and also a lot of it is donated. Why this particular assembly of activities? How does it all fit together? And what are the theological principles beneath each of these endeavors?Elaine Heath The overarching principle is that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to every believer and to every person, let's just be honest. And the job of the pastor, the pastor teacher, is to fan those gifts into flame, to help them have the support they need to use their gifts and that the ministries should be shaped by the gifts of the people, which means you can't use a cookie cutter. And we have numerically a small community, but incredibly high capacity of people. So we have these gifts that they have, and then the ministries are emerging out of those gifts. And it might seem like, why do you have refugee support? And you know, just name anything else we're doing. How does this fit together? The organizing principle—okay, so you have the foundation. These are gifts given by the Spirit. Our ministries are emerging from our gifts. And the organizing sort of a cohesive piece is our rule of life that ties everything together. And so our rule of life is prayer, work, table, neighbor and rest. And that rule of life came about after we lived here for a year, when we first started Spring Forest with—there was another pastor that co-founded it with me, Francis Kinyua, who's from Kenya, and he was my student in Dallas, and did all those other things with me. So we invited him to come. We had to work with three different bishops to kind of make it work. But it worked, you know. Anyway, we just waited for a year to see. We had lots of work to do with getting the farm ready to go and Francis and I went to Church World Service right away to say, “Hey, we have a lot of experience supporting refugees, and we would like to do that here as well.” So we got started with that, but we waited a year and then just articulated, what are the practices that we do that are keeping us grounded here and keeping us right side up. And it was those things, so we named it.Debra Rienstra Okay, you were just doing it, and then you named those things.Elaine Heath Instead of creating sort of an aspirational rule and tried to live into it, we named what was actually working, what was actually grounding us and felt life giving.Debra Rienstra Hi, it's me, Debra. If you are enjoying this podcast episode, go ahead and subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. If you have a minute, leave a review. Good reviews help more listeners discover this podcast. To keep up with all the Refugia news, I invite you to subscribe to the Refugia newsletter on Substack. This is my fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper. Every two weeks, I feature climate news, deeper dives, refugia sightings and much more. Join our community at refugianewsletter.substack.com. For even more goodies, including transcripts and show notes for this podcast, check out my website at debrarienstra.com. D-E-B-R-A-R-I-E-N-S-T-R-A dot com. Thanks so much for listening. We're glad you're part of this community. And now back to the interview.Debra Rienstra You do partner a lot with, you know, “regular church folk.” It's that sort of in-and-out permeable membrane. How do you think about the relationship of what you're doing here, with Spring Forest, with the work of sort of standard congregations, is there like a mutuality? How do you think about that?Elaine Heath It's just like traditional monasticism. You've got a community that have this rule of life they follow. People who are not living in the community can become Oblates to the rule of life and have a special relationship. And usually those people go to church somewhere else. Part of our ethic here is we want to resist competition between churches, so we don't meet on Sundays to do things like programmatically. We usually just rest on Sundays and watch a movie and eat popcorn, you know.Debra Rienstra That's a spiritual practice.Elaine Heath But also, so there's that sort of historic piece, and people from churches come here for retreats. Lead teams come for retreats. People come—pastors, we have a lot of pastors who come here for a retreat. But also we are a mission community, so we're very active with supporting refugees. We're very active with the food programs that we have, and that gives people from a church—lots of churches don't have things like that going on. They don't have the resources for it, or they haven't figured it out. But that way, we can partner with churches and people can come here and they can actually get their hands in the soil, and they can teach somebody to read, and they can see little children learning where food comes from. They can help the chef with her kitchen things, you know. So it's a wonderful way to provide spiritual formation and missional formation to congregations that don't have those resources. And we can do these things together.Debra Rienstra Yeah. And that's that's premised on this being a place, an embodied place, a refugia space that people can come to. Yeah. I think that's a wonderful model. Do you yourself ever feel a sense of loss for “the old ways?” And I'm just thinking of this because at the beginning of your book, God Unbound, which is about Galatians, you write about how Paul challenges the Galatians to let go of their tight grip on the past, and you write about how you, reading that, felt yourself like a little bit of a traditionalist, you know, sort of defending, “But what about the past? What about the old ways?” Which you have loved too, right? So, how would you counsel people who have loved traditional church despite everything, and really do feel this sense of loss and wonder anxiously about what's next?Elaine Heath Yeah, I feel empathy. You know, something was going on in the Middle East at the time. I can't remember exactly the situation. There's always something going on, but it had to do with people's culture being wiped out and being told that what they believed didn't count and wasn't right and everything. And I was feeling such grief for them, and then all of a sudden, you know, I'm in Galatians, and think, “Well, that's how those people felt.” And even myself, there are things in my own daily practice that are—they're precious to me. My way of praying in the morning, the facing into the forest, you know, and things like that, that are rituals for me. And thinking, you know, if somebody told me “that doesn't matter,” how hard that would be. So I think in the spiritual journey, we come to the place, if we keep maturing, where we realize, in Merton's words, that so often we think it's the finger pointing to the moon, we think the finger is the moon. And it's that way about rituals and all sorts of things that we do, and we get to a place where we realize that intellectually and even spiritually, in an emotional way. But you can't force people to get to that point. This is something that happens as we grow and mature as life goes by. So what I have said to many people is, “If you are nurtured by traditional church, or, let's say, conventional church,”—because which traditional church are we talking about? One, right here, middle class, white, are we talking about Brazil? —”So if that nurtures you, keep doing it. But also realize that for other people, that's not nurturing. It feels dry and lifeless, and it's clear the Spirit is doing something new.” So instead of insisting everybody stop doing the new thing, and everybody has to come and do the conventional thing, you can be conventional in your worship and bless and make space for others so that we have a plethora of experiments going on. Because we're in a time of great emergence, as Phyllis Tickle wrote, and we need lots of experiments.Debra Rienstra Yeah. I appreciated what you wrote about trial and error. It's a time of trial and error, and it's okay to try things and have them not work. And that fits the refugia model too, really, really well. I mean, refugia don't always work. They just sometimes fail. Let's talk about a couple of key metaphors that I've noticed in your writings and in the website for Spring Forest too. One is that metaphor of the mycelial network, so the underground fungus that connects the creatures, the beings, the plants, the trees of the forest. I think is a wonderful metaphor too, for the way that faith and climate people, people who are worried about the climate crisis, and also people of faith—it's a great metaphor for how they're finding each other and connecting and building this sort of cultural and spiritual soil where the seeds of the future can grow. How is that metaphor meaningful for you here at Spring Forest?Elaine Heath Well, it means a lot in terms of the first of all, the diversity of expressions of ministry that are even here on the property, but also, especially in our dispersed community, through following the rule of life together, which—we are a practice-based community, rather than a dogma-based community. So as people are practicing those practices where they live and work and play, then they are forming community in a very specific, contextual way where they are. I think of Steve and Cheryl again, the friends I mentioned earlier. He's our lay leader. They live in a, I think a working class neighborhood in Lumberton, which is the land of the Lumbee here in North Carolina. And they have developed a wonderful, just neighborhood ministry there with—and they've been able, through potluck dinners and front yard barbecues and remembering people's birthdays and things like this, they've developed this friendship network in the neighborhood with people that are on complete opposite sides, politically, racially, and this is in the South, where you've got all sorts of issues. And they've taken the sort of ethic of Spring Forest here, but it's caused a mushroom to bloom there that looks really different from here. They don't have a farm, they don't have a forest, they've got this neighborhood. But the neighboring, the praying, the tabling, resting, all of those things are part of how they live there. And so it's fruiting there. And it's the same in other places in the world where we have people that live there.Debra Rienstra It's a good example, too, of how eating together is sacramental, both here and in these other networks that are connected to you. The Garden of Eden and the vision of the New Earth in Revelation are both important to you, that that whole long scriptural arc begin in a garden, end in a garden city, and then the Tree of Life is also your symbol, your logo. So how would you situate our work today as people of faith in that long arc of history, from the garden to the Garden City, and how does the Tree of Life fit into that for you?Elaine Heath There's a way in which the whole story is happening simultaneously. Does that make sense?Debra Rienstra Yeah.Elaine Heath It's all happening beyond time, sort of simultaneously. So sometimes we're living in the garden and we've been deceived, and now we have to figure out what to do, and sometimes we're rebuilding the wall, and sometimes we're on our way to Bethlehem, and sometimes we're in the garden of the new creation. And we can see it, and we're living that truth even while there's still the wall being built. There's a simultaneity to it all. But for me, I think especially of the theology of Julian of Norwich. That's why we have her icon here. There's this vision of love making all things new, that God, Christ, the risen Christ, says in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.” All things, not just a handful of people who get the right doctrine, not just—no, all things: horses and amoeba and all things are being made new in mysterious ways that we can't completely know.Debra Rienstra And that's Colossians one and Romans eight as well.Elaine Heath It's this thread that comes through scripture, and we get to participate in that, even while we don't see all the things completely made new, we get to be part of that. And to me, that's what it means to follow Christ. That's what it means to be a disciple. And to be the love of God enfleshed in this world is to keep participating in the making of all things new. This is why healing has such a central role in my theological vision and my practice, is it's making all things new.Debra Rienstra Healing land, healing people, healing communities.Elaine Heath Yeah, yeah. Healing theology. Theology has been so damaged by patriarchy and philosophy and all sorts of things, you know, and racism.Debra Rienstra Colonization. Yeah, so that embodiment is important even theologically, because we're not aiming for some abstract doctrinal perfection. We're not aiming to become disembodied creatures. We're aiming for this embodied redemption. And so working on the farm, healing, you know, getting muddy, walking through forests, harvesting veg, and you're able to invite people into that embodiment. Little kids doing yoga, I think that's wonderful. You know, just finding this kind of rest in their own little bodies. Eating—one of the most embodied and kinship-with-creation things we do, right? Taking it inside ourselves. And that, I think, is condensed in ritual. So I know that you have been playfully experimenting with rituals. I was able to be a part of the Forest Feast last night with my husband Ron and our friend Colin. And it was this beautifully curated event where we shared table together and then went through this prayer sequence that you described, and it was beautifully participative. I noticed you do a blessing of the animals too on the farm. So good thing these are blessed chickens and blessed dairy goats, blessed dogs and cats. What other sort of liturgical shenanigans have you tried to help people live into this embodied faith practice?Elaine Heath We do so many things. It's so much fun. It's never boring. It's never boring. We have a ritual in the fall, in late November, where we tuck the farm in and put it to bed for the winter, and we have the children come, we get some compost. You know, we've cleared out the beds, and they're gonna rest now. And so the children put some compost in. And we have a liturgy that we use. We light candles, and we thank Mother Earth for the food, we thank God for the opportunities. And so this is one of the things that we do ritualistically. We also have a spring ritual. It's very Hebrew-Bible like, right? With these seasons and the crops and the things with the liturgical seasons, we also have done a bunch of things. My favorite one so far was for epiphany, and this was two years ago. And so I had the interns from Duke Divinity School do the bulk of the planning. I just gave them a little bit of guidance about the four-fold order of worship and just some things like that. So we had a journey through the forest. It started here. We went on the forest trail. Of course, it was dark outside, and they had gone ahead and set up fairy lights at certain places where we're going to stop. And one of the interns' fiance was a musician, so he had his guitar, and he had one of those things where you can play the harmonica and play the guitar at the same time, but he was our troubadour, and all of us were the Magi. So there's this troop of Magi, and we would stop at each station along the way, and there were prompt questions that we would take five minutes, and people could respond to these questions. There would be a scripture reading, and we respond to the question, we go to the next station. And it was so amazing. People shared from their lives in a very deep way. It surprised me how quickly they went deep. Well, it was dark, and there were these twinkle lights, and there was the troubadour. Then we finally got up to the Christ child, and we went into the goat barn. And honestly, I get chills every time I even remember this. But the students had set up in the goat barn—and the goats were in the barn. Okay, they were behind a little chain link thing so they didn't step on the icons and everything. But they had set up an altar at the base of the feeding trough with a big icon of Mary with the Christ Child, candles, and some other things there. There were different icons and some fairy lights. And we went in there, and we all crowded in and began to sing. We sang “This Little Light of Mine,” we sang some Christmas carols, and finished the story. And then we came back to the house and had some snacks and talked about what kind of wisdom was given to us since we were Magi. We were going to be people seeking wisdom and seeking—it was the most beautiful thing. And we've done lots of things like that. We see the land here is a primary text to learn from and to listen to and to observe, not as a metaphor, but as, it's actually a conversation partner. So we do things like that.Debra Rienstra That playfulness is so exciting to me, this sense of using our tradition, using our scriptures, using the skills that we've honed as people of faith over generations, singing together, praying together, but experimenting with those things in new contexts and new ways, in new forms of embodiment that are just faithful and yet playful. And so, as you say, people go deep because they're sort of jarred out of their habitual ways, and that can be such a great formational moment and bonding moment too, and it's very memorable. We remember that in ways—you know, you had such joy on your face as you're describing that. What would you say as you look back over the last, well, let's see, it's been almost eight years? Seven, eight years here at this location. What would you say has given you the most anguish and what has given you the most joy?Elaine Heath Oh, anguish. Which story should I tell?Debra Rienstra Yeah, I don't want to make it sound like it's all been beautiful and romantic and perfect.Elaine Heath Whenever you have community, you have drama. Well, you know, at your typical church, you're gonna have drama sometimes. But what we've found a few times, and it's pretty predictable. This happens in traditional monasteries too, which is why they have novitiate periods that are sometimes quite lengthy and sort of staggered, like you put your toe in the water. People of very high capacity who are deeply grounded spiritually and have a real vision for the gospel, are attracted to community life like this. People who are really hurt, who've had a lot of brokenness, especially from religious institutions or abusive situations, trauma that that is unresolved, that has a lot of unhealed wounds, are also attracted to places like this, often with a sort of utopian hope, because of, you know, life's deficits.Debra Rienstra And they feel that this is a place of healing, and they're right about that.Elaine Heath They're right about it. And so what actually happens is sometimes with the person, the second category of person, will come and join in and just be so full of gladness, because, “Oh, these, these are real people, like they're really doing things in the world. This is what I've longed for.” But then, as relationships form, and we're doing life together, and we all bump up against each other at times, the unhealed wounds fester. And the way I see it is, God's bringing them to a place where, if they'll just do their inner work now, now that it's clear what's the next step—if they'll take the next step, whether it's get some therapy, stay on your meds, get some support for your addiction recovery, whatever the things are—if you'll take the next step, then this is a very supportive community that can help you. It's a village that can be around you and you will heal here in the context of this village. But sometimes people are not willing or not able, or it's not time in their own sense of what they can do, and so then they'll leave. Sometimes when people leave, this happens in traditional churches, for whatever reason, this is a common sort of psychological reaction, they'll create some sort of chaotic drama to be the excuse for leaving, rather than have to face the fact that it was time for me to take the next step, and I was too scared. Because that takes a lot of self awareness, you know, to come to realizations about things like that. So I know from talking to people, from, you know, friends that are in traditional monasteries and convents that this is a common thing that happens there. So it happens here sometimes, and it's never easy. It's always painful and always challenging, you know, but with God's help, we get through it. And so that's the anguish, when those kinds of things happen. We've had a time or two where, over the last 20 years, really, where a person would come in, usually a young adult who's very idealistic, and they're like, “This isn't a new monastic community. You're not forcing people to pray three times a day!” You know, whatever the thing is that they have in their head that is supposed to be, because we're pretty gracious, you know.Debra Rienstra You don't get up at three in the morning.Elaine Heath Yeah, that's not us. We can't do that because, especially if you've got families with children and, you know, you've got to get up and go to work in the morning. So sometimes there will be somebody that figures they know more than everybody else in the room, and they want to take over and run the joint. You know, that's not going to happen. So then that sometimes creates some anguish. What about the joy? The joy is—and there's so much to give me joy. I really, really love seeing people come alive, like I really love seeing people who have, especially people who have been harmed by religion, because of their identity or because of anything, and they find deep spiritual friendship. They find how to connect, in Buechner's words, their deep passion with the world's great need, and start a new thing. And it gives them so much joy. And it's actually helping people. It's helping the world. And just sort of fanning that flame, that gives me a lot of joy. I have so much joy being in touch with the land and the animals. I just really experience them directly mediating God to me. I feel the divine life in them, and I feel, I guess I get a lot of dopamine hits when I'm out there harvesting and when I'm, you know, brushing the goats and talking to the chickens and whatnot.Debra Rienstra They are blessed chickens!Elaine Heath They are blessed chickens.Debra Rienstra What advice would you give to church people who, even though they love their church and their community, recognize that something needs to change, but they don't know where to start? What advice would you give?Elaine Heath To start in their own home, if at all possible, start in their own neighborhood. Start having neighbors over for dinner. Do not tell them we're going to have a Bible study now, because that's—it's not to have a Bible study. It's to form friendships with our neighbors. Start neighboring well. Figure out who lives on my street. Who lives across the street? Invite them for dinner. Have neighborhood potlucks. We did this in Texas, right after we moved there, I think they're still going. We'd have 50 people in our house sometimes. But just invite the neighbors for dinner. Have a potluck. Get to know them. Remember their birthdays, go to their kids' graduation. When you find out their mother died, go to the funeral. It's so simple. It's just such basic neighboring. That's where to start. It's not a church program. It's not making you stop going to church somewhere, to go to church over here. What you're actually doing is living church in your own neighborhood. Start doing that.Debra Rienstra Elaine, it's been such a pleasure to be here on the farm with you and to talk with you, get to know you a little bit. Thank you for what you do, and thank you for spending some time with me today.Elaine Heath It's been a joy. Thank you for the interview.Debra Rienstra Thanks for joining us for show notes and full transcripts, please visit debrarienstra.com and click on the Refugia Podcast tab. This season of the Refugia Podcast is produced with generous funding from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Colin Hoogerwerf is our awesome audio producer. Thanks to Ron Rienstra for content consultation as well as technical and travel support. Till next time, be well. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit refugianewsletter.substack.com

The titular characters in Frederick Buechner's historical novels Godric (1980) and Brendan (1987) are wayward priests and unsaintly saints, “just as clay-footed and full of shadows as the rest of us,” and yet, nonetheless, remarkable ministers of divine grace. In his portrayal of such saints, Buechner probes one of the central questions raised by the fourth-century Donatist Controversy—namely, whether the sinfulness of the minister compromises the divine grace which is mediated through his ministry. As we shall see, Buechner's vision is profoundly Augustinian—and yet, his is an Augustinianism inflected through the Protestant Reformation and into Modernity. Even so, Buechner upholds the wisdom and hope of the ancient Church for the contemporary Church, as the Church reels from and reckons with the exposure of moral failures and ecclesial scandals. The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2020

Send us a text In a rare convergence of literature and hardcore ethos, The Vulgar Display of Podcast recently welcomed Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis, Freya, and Apocalypse Tribe and along with co-authors Keith Ward and Jeremy Mueller, to discuss their debut novel, The Unraveling: The Council of Crows. This middle-grade fantasy adventure is more than just a story—it's a decade-long project that evolved from a short story into a fully realized trilogy. The book drops May 5, 2025, with a limited hardcover edition available on Earth Day (April 22) via 3rd World Studios. The Council of Crows is crafted with the heart of three lifelong creatives who've spent over ten years meeting weekly to bring this story to life. It weaves humor, adventure, and timeless themes of animal rights and environmentalism into an engaging narrative tailored for young readers aged 8-12.“This book is a love letter to Earth,” said Beechner during the interview. “It reflects who we are—not just as artists, but as people. It's dedicated to the loved ones we've lost, and it's a call for compassion, kindness, and change.”The trio's “three-tier process” of writing involved brainstorming, independent drafting, and collective refinement, allowing each voice to shine through while delivering a unified message. Though the writing process spanned years, the team agrees the hardest part was knowing when it was “done.”They describe the book as the first in a three-part series, with the next two entries planned over the next three years. And while the story stands strong on its own, it's also deeply personal—an expression of grief, hope, and growth.For environmental activists, or those looking for impactful stories for the next generation, The Unraveling: The Council of Crows promises to be a powerful bridge between hardcore legacy and hopeful storytelling.Stay tuned. The crows are gathering.Karl also touched on Earth Crisis' upcoming tour with Judge and Integrity, hitting both coasts later this year. The band will also travel to England and Western Europe, while Karl's other project, Freya, embarks on an Eastern European tour.Following the well-received Fight as One album, the band continues to uphold its tradition of challenging norms and promoting alternative perspectives. The podcast reflects on the band's enduring legacy and their ability to bridge music, message, and now literature.www.BetterHelp.com/TheBarnhttp://www.betterhelp.com/TheBarn http://www.betterhelp.com/TheBarnThis episode is sponsored by www.betterhelp.com/TheBarn and brought to you as always by The Barn Media Group. YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@TheBarnPodcastNetwork SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/09neXeCS8I0U8OZJroUGd4?si=2f9b8dfa5d2c4504 APPLE https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625411141 I HEART RADIO https://www.iheart.com/podcast/97160034/ AMAZON https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7aff7d00-c41b-4154-94cf-221a808e3595/the-barn

We're joined by one of the most influential frontmen in hardcore music history, the godfather of vegan straight edge: Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis, Path of Resistance and Freya. We were lucky enough to spend nearly three hours with Karl talking about his journey from being a young punk in Syracuse, to starting Earth Crisis and influencing countless people worldwide over the last 30+ years. An incredible chronological journey documenting the band's rise in the 90's, the controversies that followed, the people and bands that accepted and didn't accept them, his new venture as a sci-fi/fantasy author and MUCH more. Enjoy this incredible conversation with a key pillar of straight edge hardcore. Destroy the Machines!!! Pre-order Karl's debut novel, The Unraveling: The Counsel of Crows here: https://www.th3rdworld.com/products/the-unraveling-the-counsel-of-crows?srsltid=AfmBOopkHoweIRmA04Mpne9xwukHNiom8Ciw3KNIyyAC5POBlxVszK5f Join the HARDLORE PATREON to watch every single weekly episode early and ad-free, alongside exclusive monthly episodes: https://patreon.com/hardlorepod Join the HARDLORE DISCORD to get in on the conversation about each episode, every week: https://discord.gg/jA9rppggef Cool links: HardLore Official Website/HardLore Records store: https://hardlorepod.com Try AG1 at DrinkAG1.com/HARDLORE to receive a free 1-year supply of vitamin D and 5 travel packs of AG1. Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code HARDLORE at MANSCAPED.com! #ad #manscapedpod FOLLOW EARTH CRISIS: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/earthcrisisofficial/ FOLLOW HARDLORE: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/hardlorepod/ TWITTER | https://twitter.com/hardlorepod SPOTIFY | https://spoti.fi/3J1GIrp APPLE | https://apple.co/3IKBss2 FOLLOW COLIN: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/colinyovng/ TWITTER | https://www.twitter.com/ColinYovng FOLLOW BO: INSTAGRAM | https://www.instagram.com/bosxe/ TWITTER | https://www.twitter.com/bosxe 00:00:00 - Start 00:02:53 - The Unraveling 00:06:25 - How Many Years Vegan / Straight Edge 00:14:24 - Straight Edge Becoming More Than Just A Song 00:16:31 - Skateboarding 00:17:20 - Playing Bass 00:20:53 - Framework / Vegan Straight Edge 00:23:31 - finding Veganism 00:26:22 - Writing Along the Way 00:29:22 - The Wrenches 00:31:27 - All Out War Ep 00:33:35 - Reception To All Out War 00:35:36 - Straight Edge Rushmore 00:38:54 - Rise in Vegan Straight Edge Hardcore Activists 00:41:18 - Signing To Victory 00:48:01 - Firestorm 00:51:17 - Songs about Veganism and songs about straight edge 00:58:30 - Touring on Firestorm 01:03:06 - Destroy the Machines 01:06:28 - The Discipline 01:09:30 - Tour Stories 01:16:25 - When did Firestorm become the closer? 01:17:23 - Pardon This Interruption 01:21:15 - Floorpunch Yogurt Incident 01:27:32 - Path of Resistance 01:37:10 - Gomorrah's Season Ends 01:39:37 - Writing Style 01:46:35 - Touring on Gomorrah's 01:51:00 - Breed the Killers 01:54:58 - Earth Crisis Merch 01:59:59 - Roadrunner Treatment 02:01:56 - Slither 02:03:48 - The Break Up 02:09:14 - Bandanas & Construction Gloves 02:12:39 - What Brought Earth Crisis Back Together? 02:14:32 - Difference in Response 02:22:35 - The Bunker 02:26:03 - DVD 02:27:36 - Discord Q&A 02:39:53 - Top 4 Hardcore Records of All Time

Chapter 1 What's Telling The Truth by Frederick Buechner"Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale" is a theological work by Frederick Buechner that explores the multifaceted nature of the Gospel through the lenses of tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale. Buechner argues that the Christian message embodies elements of all three, reflecting the complexities of human existence.In tragedy, Buechner examines the profound suffering, sin, and despair found in the human condition, emphasizing that the Gospel does not shy away from these harsh realities. He illustrates how the story of Christ's crucifixion resonates with deep personal and collective human pain.Conversely, in his exploration of comedy, Buechner highlights the joy and humor embedded in the Christian narrative. He invites readers to see the lighter side of faith, recognizing that life, even amidst trials, can be filled with laughter and unexpected grace.Finally, he approaches the Gospel as a fairy tale, emphasizing the themes of redemption, hope, and transformation. He suggests that, like the greatest fairy tales, the Gospel offers a sense of wonder and the possibility of a happy ending, countering despair with the transformative love of God. Through this tripartite analysis, Buechner provides a rich, nuanced perspective on the Gospel, encouraging readers to embrace its complexities and the profound truths found within it.Chapter 2 Telling The Truth by Frederick Buechner Summary"Telling the Truth" by Frederick Buechner is a thought-provoking exploration of the nature of truth, particularly in the context of Christian faith and storytelling. In this work, Buechner delves into the importance of honesty and authenticity in both life and literature, examining how truth can be multifaceted and complex. Key Themes:The Nature of Truth: Buechner argues that truth is not just a set of factual statements but an experience that encompasses emotional and spiritual dimensions. He posits that the deepest truths often come from personal narratives and can reveal profound insights into the human condition.Storytelling as a Means of Revelation: Buechner emphasizes the role of storytelling in conveying truth. He suggests that stories have the power to illuminate truth in ways that abstract concepts cannot. Through parables, personal anecdotes, and biblical tales, he illustrates how narratives can touch the heart and resonate with individual experiences.The Relationship between Truth and Faith: The author connects the concept of truth with the foundations of Christian belief. He invites readers to consider how faith itself is rooted in a kind of truth that transcends rational understanding. Buechner reflects on biblical stories, suggesting they reveal deeper truths about God, humanity, and the nature of reality.Honesty in Human Experience: Buechner candidly discusses the challenges of living truthfully in a world that often values convenience over honesty. He encourages a pursuit of authenticity, even when the truth is difficult or painful, as it ultimately leads to a richer understanding of oneself and one's relationship with God. Conclusion:In "Telling the Truth", Buechner invites readers to consider the implications of living truthfully both in their personal lives and in their spiritual journeys. By combining literary skill with theological insights, he creates a poignant reflection on what it means to tell the truth in a world that is often more comfortable with falsehood. This work thus serves as both a call to authenticity and an affirmation of the transformative power of truth.Chapter 3 Telling The Truth AuthorFrederick Buechner was an American author, theologian, and Presbyterian minister known for his works that blend fiction and non-fiction, often exploring themes of faith, doubt, and the human experience. He was born on July 11, 1926, and

John 20:24-28But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hands in his side, I will not believe.”A week later, the disciples were again in the house, and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus came, again, and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” And he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand put it in my side. Do not doubt, but believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord, and my God.” David Brooks, in his book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen, the inspiration behind our Advent journey this season, tells some beautiful and hard stories about grief and despair and suffering. He gives some sad statistics about how and why we are such a disconnected people these days – and about what it means to experience hardships ourselves, to learn to see them in others, and to walk with others – and each other – through the struggles of this life.If you've picked up the book, but haven't made your way into it, yet – and you're here tonight – maybe Part 2, Chapter 8, page 97, is a place you could begin reading. (If you don't have this book – or don't know or care about any of that – fear not; none of it is necessary. I plan to fill in all the gaps you might be missing.)But in discussing what it means to see one another in our struggles, David Brooks tells part of Frederick Buechner's story. Buechner was a Presbyterian minister, theologian and very prolific author – a few of who's books were required reading in my Pastoral Care and Counseling courses back in seminary. When Buechner was just ten years old – and his younger brother, only 8 – their dad peaked in them early one morning in their bedroom before they were set to go on a family outing about which the brothers were quite excited.It was too early that morning to get up so the boys stayed in bed, in their room, anticipating the fun day they had planned. As Brooks writes it, “A little while later, they heard a scream and the sounds of doors opening and closing. They looked out their window and saw their father lying in the gravel driveway, with their mother and grandmother, barefoot and still in their nightgowns, leaning over him. Each woman had one of his legs in her hands. They were lifting his legs up and down as if they were operating two handles of a pump. Nearby, the garage door was open and blue smoke was billowing out.“… their father had gassed himself to death. It took them a few days to find the suicide note, which their dad had scratched in pencil on the last page of Gone with the Wind. It was addressed to their mom, [and said]: ‘I adore you and love you, and am no good … Give Freddy my watch. Give Jamie my pearl pin. I give you all my love.'”Within just a couple of months, Buechner's mother moved them to Bermuda, where they started a new life, and little Freddy effectively avoided and denied whatever grief he would have/could have/should have probably wrestled with until he couldn't avoid it any longer – when he became a young adult. His work as a teacher and author helped with that, as did more life experiences and research into his dad's past and family history. Sadly, and surprisingly, it wasn't until he reached middle age that Frederick Buechner was able to cry real tears – to actually grieve – the loss of the father he loved very much.I picked this story to tell, because I agree with David Brooks: that the trajectory and experience of Frederick Buechner's grief is a familiar one for many people. See if this scenario sounds familiar:Some sadness, struggle, or even tragedy strikes. There is a period of shock and grief that feels too great to face or engage, so that grief – and all the emotions that come along with it – are packed away, avoided, denied, whatever. We suck it up and move on, because we think that will be easier. We brave the grief alone, or quietly, because that looks like “strength” to us – and that supposed “strength” is often affirmed as such by the world around us. At the very least, maybe we minimize whatever grief or struggle finds us because we are needed by others – children, parents, spouses – or because we don't want to appear weak, or to be a burden or a buzz-kill, or something of the like.(Again, not that anyone here would ever … but does any of this sound familiar?)Whatever the case, this can go on for quite some time … until it can't anymore. In Frederick Buechner's case, it took decades before it caught up with him and before he was finally able to find meaning and new life through the grief he learned to experience and engage over having lost his father so young and so tragically.Anderson Cooper tells a similar story. (I know I am a broken record about Anderson Cooper and his podcast “All There Is,” and I'm sorry – not sorry – that I bring it up every chance I get. If nothing else I have to say tonight resonates or sounds encouraging or helpful to you, make listening to that podcast part of your holy homework soon and very soon. I propose – I almost promise – it will either help you find some words and wisdom about whatever grief you've already experienced, or it will prepare you for the grief that will find you – as it does us all – at some point in our lives.)Anyway, the whole reason Anderson Cooper started this podcast a few years ago, where he interviews others all and only about their grief is because – at the age of 55 – he realized he had never been taught or encouraged to engage, let alone wrestle with or mend, the deep grief he endured by losing his father to heart-failure when he was just 10 years old (like Frederick Beuchner was); or the grief he suffered after losing his 23 year-old brother to suicide when he was just 21.Instead of grieving well, Anderson says as a young adult, he traveled the world, risking his life to report on wars and tragedies and disasters – literally on a global scale – so that, while simultaneously running from and avoiding his own grief, he could subconsciously measure that kind of horrific sadness against his own, and maybe see how other people survived in the face of it.Anderson Cooper embodies Frederick Buechner's suggestion that, even though we long more than anything to be known fully, grief – even though it is utterly universal – may be one of the things that is most difficult to embrace, admit, or share about ourselves.It's why what we're up to tonight is as practical as it is holy to me. It's why I'm so grateful you've showed up. It's why I wish this place was as full tonight as it will be on Christmas Eve.See, on a recent episode of that podcast, Anderson Cooper interviewed the actor Andrew Garfield, who talked about the loss of his mother. And Andrew Garfield said something so profound it's been making its way around the internet, lately. Maybe you've seen or heard it. “The wound is the only route to the gift.”I wonder if, when Jesus showed up for the disciples after his death – and then again to Thomas, who refused to believe it …I wonder if he was doing even more than proving his identity … if he was doing more, even, than just showing evidence of his resurrection … I wonder if, when Jesus showed off the wounds in his hands and on his sides… If, when he invited Thomas to put his fingers “here” and to see his hands, to reach out his own hands and to touch the wounded sides of Jesus…I wonder if Jesus was offering Thomas healing for the deep grief he surely felt, and if he was showing them all – and us, too – that “the wound is the only route to the gift” that even our grief can be for us, as people of faith.Not that we would ever choose the grief that comes our way …Not that we deserve the deep sadness and struggle that finds us, too often, on this side of heaven …But that, because God shows up in Jesus to walk the way of suffering before and beside us as we go, we can remind ourselves and each other that God does God's best work in the dark, sad, scary places of our lives.See, I believe God showed up, in Jesus, to remind us that the only way through the grief that finds us in this life – and toward the healing and hope we desire and deserve – is to trust that it won't last forever; that we don't need to fear or deny or avoid or pretend that it shouldn't exist; that we can come to and through the wounds of our sadness and struggle… We can touch and tend to what hurts us most… (“The wound is the only route to the gift.”)And we can share all of that with one another, without fear, shame, or hesitation. And we can let the light of God's grace – the light that shines in the darkness – shine in our direction, too. And we can let it heal what we cannot, on our own … and we can let it bless our lives with the love that is born for us all, even and especially in our darkest days … with thanks for this Jesus – who was, who is, and who is to come.Amen. Merry Christmas.

This episode is brought to you by Keys 2 Success, bringing classical music opportunities to Newark and its surrounding suburban communities Visit their website to learn more.We're kicking off the new season of Joy and Authenticity with an incredible guest—renowned pianist and educator, Dr. Sara Davis Buechner!

The Trailer for Season 5 Episode 1 of The Piano Pod

In this Episode we talk to Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis and Ed Ordez to talk About the The Latest Release from Freya on Upstate Records titled "Fight As One" as well as History of EC and Freya. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deadairhardcoreradio/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/deadairhardcoreradio/support

Karl Buechner & Ed Ordez of Freya https://www.upstaterecordsny.com/freya This podcast is powered by ZenCast.fm

This is our final message in the series, "A Wandering Heart: Figuring Out Faith with Peter." It is also my final Sunday as pastor of the Holmesville Church of the Brethren. I am borrowing Frederick Buechner's essay on Peter for my final message. (You didn't think I would let any opportunity to quote Buechner go by, did you?) Our scripture is John 21:1-19. Our hymns are "Come thou fount of every blessing," "Christ is risen, shout hosanna," and "Thine is the glory." Lyrics are here: https://hymnary.org/text/come_thou_fount_of_every_blessing, http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/i/r/s/cirshout.htm, and here: https://hymnary.org/text/thine_is_the_glory_risen_conquering. 

Recorded on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Other scripture cited: Isaiah 65:17-25; Mark 13:5-8.Support the show

What does it look like to show up for each other in newly connected ways?How can we reorient ourselves to prioritize human connection and relationships?How can we break out of unwanted repetitive patterns by engaging in conversations that open us up to alternatives we may never had considered?   …⁠Terry Strauss⁠ is a producer, writer, director. Her documentaries include, ⁠AS IF THEY WERE ANGELS⁠, ULTIMATE RESTORATIONS, as well as documentary programs for DISNEY, DISNEY CHANNEL, LIFETIME, ⁠I WISH I WERE A PRINCESS⁠, and her current project WHAT NOW? CANARIES IN CAMO, which focuses on the struggles of our veterans to reintegrate and truly come home, and the necessity of civilian engagement and responsibility in that struggle.⁠Barton Buechner⁠ is the Interim Director and a founding faculty member of the ⁠Military Psychology MA program at Adler University⁠, and has served as a Board member of the ⁠Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Institute for Personal and Social Evolution⁠ since 2014.  He is a 1978 graduate of the US Naval Academy, and earned an MA in Organization Development and Assessment degree from Case Western Reserve University (1993) and PhD from Fielding Graduate University (2014). He is currently working with Terry on the film WHAT NOW? CANARIES IN CAMO.Listen to Part 1 with Terry and Bart here.Today, Abbie, Bart, and Terry continue their conversation by discussing the realities of moral injury, tangible ways of creating connection, and a need for “waging peace.” Terry speaks about isolation as a public health issue and our need for interdependence. Bart shares the challenges and meaning around telling the stories of veterans through his work. Finally, Abbie, Bart, and Terry explore the value of service, integration, and joining the conversation.…Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter.Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution....Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. Find Rik on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to our conversation with Rik in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ep. 8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠....⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email me! storieslived.storiestold@gmail.comFollow me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Check out my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Learn more about the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Brianna Buechner was nominated as a Beck's Player with Heart for her commitment and passion on and off the court. Her favorite part about high school sports re the moments not only on the court but off the court. For volleyball, anywhere a teammate is outside of school the whole team is close behind and of course she loves the bus rides to and from games. Brianna is involved in student council, FBLA, key club, yearbook, Family Career and Community Leaders of America, NHS, class officer, link crew, volleyball, cheer, basketball, wrestling, and softball. She is also active in her church local 4-H club and volunteers in highway cleanup, food pantry, and the June Dairy Breakfast. Brianna's future plans are to attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for Ag Business-Management.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jennie Buechner is a Senior Software Engineer and the first hire at Metacast. We discussed leaving Amazon to join an early stage startup and how we thought about equity compensation when we can't afford to pay a salary yet. Segments: [02:04] Jennie introduces herself [03:57] ChatGPT introduces Jennie, Ilya and Arnab [07:29] Explaining the number 42 [10:38] Leaving Amazon [20:46] Joining Metacast [28:08] Working for equity without a salary component [45:57] Living off savings [49:29] Jennie's role at Metacast ✉️ Subscribe to Metacast newsletter: https://www.metacastpodcast.com

How can we better support veterans and make space to hear their stories?What are the stories we have around war and those who serve? How do these stories keep us isolated and disconnected?How do we overcome the impulse to “look away” from painful realities and instead create opportunities for connection to our own (and others' humanity)?...Terry Strauss is a producer, writer, director. Her documentaries include, AS IF THEY WERE ANGELS, ULTIMATE RESTORATIONS, as well as documentary programs for DISNEY, DISNEY CHANNEL, LIFETIME, I WISH I WERE A PRINCESS, and her current project WHAT NOW? CANARIES IN CAMO, which focuses on the struggles of our veterans to reintegrate and truly come home, and the necessity of civilian engagement and responsibility in that struggle.Barton Buechner is the Interim Director and a founding faculty member of the Military Psychology MA program at Adler University, and has served as a Board member of the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Institute for Personal and Social Evolution since 2014.  He is a 1978 graduate of the US Naval Academy, and earned an MA in Organization Development and Assessment degree from Case Western Reserve University (1993) and PhD from Fielding Graduate University (2014). He is currently working with Terry on the film WHAT NOW? CANARIES IN CAMO.Today, Abbie, Bart, and Terry discuss Bart and Terry's background, their current film project, What Now: Canaries in Camo, and the retreat the film follows. Terry explores our relationships to veterans and their stories, the disconnection between civilians and veterans, and the responsibility we have to each other. Bart explains how the CMM-ish ideas of meaning-making, co-creation, cosmopolitan communication, and emergence can help us understand of the stories of Veterans and our socially constructed relationship to them. Finally, Abbie, Bart, and Terry discuss told and untold stories, systems that isolate us, and what can offer in addition to “thank you for your service.” …Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter.Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution....Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann. Find Rik on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to our conversation with Rik in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ep. 8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠....⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore all things Stories Lived. Stories Told.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email me! storieslived.storiestold@gmail.comFollow me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Chec

Leitura bíblica do dia: Romanos 8:14-21 Plano de leitura anual: Jeremias 3–5; 1 Timóteo 4; “Não fale, não confie, não sinta era a lei pela qual vivíamos e ai daquele que a quebrasse”, diz Frederick Buechner em seu livro de memórias Telling Secrets (Contando Segredos). Buechner descreve a experiência que ele chama de a “lei não escrita de famílias que por um motivo ou outro enlouqueceram”. Em sua família, essa “lei” significava que ele não podia falar ou lamentar o suicídio de seu pai, deixando-o sem alguém a quem pudesse confiar sua dor. Você se identifica? Muitos de nós aprendemos a viver com uma versão distorcida do amor, que exige desonestidade ou silêncio sobre o que nos feriu. Esse tipo de “amor” depende do medo para controlar, e é um tipo de escravidão. Não podemos esquecer que o convite de amor de Jesus é diferente do tipo de amor condicional que muitas vezes experimentamos — um tipo de amor que sempre temos medo de perder. Como Paulo explica, por meio do amor de Cristo finalmente entendemos o significado de não sermos “escravos medrosos” (Romanos 8:15) e entendemos o tipo de liberdade gloriosa (v.21) que é possível quando sabemos que somos profunda, verdadeira e incondicionalmente amados. Somos livres para falar, para confiar e para sentir mais uma vez, para aprender o que significa viver sem medo. Por:  Monica La Rose

A Hunger For Healing That Gives Us HopeIt may be lost on many who spend all their time navigating the toxicity of the internet ecosystem, but there is a deep hunger for civic renewal and a return to civility in public discourse. As hardworking individuals in the exhausted middle, who often feel overlooked or caught in the crossfire of partisan battles, many yearn for a political landscape that prioritizes practical solutions over ideological grandstanding. Our concerns lie in the everyday struggles of making ends meet, and we recognize the importance of respectful dialogue in finding common ground to address pressing issues. We are tired of the constant bickering and divisiveness that seem to overshadow the real problems facing our communities. Why do people like me and this week's guest, Brian Allain, do what we do within the depolarization movement? Among many reasons is that a hunger for healing gives us hope. Who is Brian Allain?Brian Allain founded Writing for Your Life, a resource center and conferences for spiritual writers, and the Publishing in Color conference series, intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color. Brian also founded Compassionate Christianity and How to Heal Our Divides. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner's online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships. Brian has developed and led spiritual writers' conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, Belmont University, New Brunswick Seminary, and several churches. He led the publishing effort for the book "Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner" in collaboration with Anne Lamott, and also the books in the How to Heal Our Divides series. Brian serves on the Board of non-profit TechFoundation and was named a 2014 Top Fundraiser by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Along with his work in the depolarization space, Brian's latest passion is with his start-up "Find Your Next Calling".Learn more about and connect with Brian Allain by visiting the full show notes for this episode at DerateTheHate.com.What have you done today to make your life a better life? What have you done today to make the world a better place? The world is a better place if we are better people. That begins with each of us leading a better life. Be kind to one another. Be grateful for everything you've got. Make each and every day the day that you want it to be!Please follow The Derate The Hate podcast on:Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , TruthSocial, Parler, Rumble, YouTube Subscribe to us wherever you enjoy your audio. Please leave us a rating and feedback. Send me a message on any media platform or subscribe directly from our sites. Let us know about someone you think should be on our podcast. If we book them for a conversation, I'll send you a free gift! Not on social media? You can share your thoughts directly with me at wilk@wilksworld.comI look forward to hearing from you!Please check out our affiliates page by clicking HERE!

Kat compliments Moose's new do, Sara celebrates her curls and Kat insists on a new hair dresser for the podcast. Kat goes on a shopping spree, a hike and Moose has an escape plan. Kat seeks understanding, Moose considers a career change and a transcendental experience. Moose is a master of smartness, explores Buechner, deep gladness and Sara gets a little itchy.Support the showVisit us on the Interwebs! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! Support the show!

HOW TO BE GOOD...AND MAD! Ephesians 4:26-27 • FCBC • 6/25/23 Intro: We live in a polarized world. Put a Democrat and a Republican together and you'll likely see an argument or a fight. Post anything remotely controversial on Facebook and you'll probably get called a name or have your motives impugned. Even in your car you'd better buckle up because if you go any distance with any traffic there's a better than even chance someone may anger you or you may anger them. We're fast losing civility in our civilization. And it gives all of us a great opportunity to grow and highlight the transformation God is working in us. And in fact, if anyone ought to be distinctive in their attitudes, reactions and behavior, it ought to be people who say they know the Living and gracious God. We should think differently, and see things differently, and behave differently, than if we had never put our lives and futures in Jesus' hands. Remember the [insight] about those who know God? “You are not the person you once were, so you must no longer live as you once lived.” Salvation isn't merely adding something new to your old life, but becoming someone new, replacing an old life with a new one. •So, precisely what should change in my life? Paul doesn't leave anything to the imagination: he points out five critical exchanges. Last week we were first challenged to replace all forms of lying & deception w/truth. (So how did Truth Week go? Catch yourself in any lies? I hope we all have a stronger hold on the truth as a result of Truth Week.) •This week we're about to hear a second challenge: When God wants to expose areas that distinguish our new lives in Christ from how we once acted/reacted, He also points to our temper, and commands that we replace sinful with righteous anger: NB: (4:26-27). “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” •“Wait a minute! Are you saying I can be angry? I thought Bible taught us NOT to be angry at all? Isn't anger a sin?” This is one of the more misunderstood & mishandled areas of our lives—how we think about and deal with our anger. So: I. [WHAT IS ANGER?] [A. It is an internal emotion:] Websters: “a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility.” Want a clearer picture? OT/Hebrew word for anger literally means, “to get red in the face” or “to see nostrils flare”. It's an accurate picture because physiologically, when we become angry, adrenalin pumps into our bloodstream (we feel a rush); our blood pressure rises & our pulse accelerates; our pupils dilate & our muscles tense. It happens whether we like it or not/whether we want it to or not. It's an emotion. We feel angry. How we respond may also be seen as anger: [B. It is an external reaction] We respond in anger—and here is where we can have some control over our anger—in its expression. “But I can't help it–when I get mad, I react.” Really? Have you ever been mad and the phone rings, and you answer it and say sweetly, “Hello?” Apparently, you do have some control. • The OT Hebrew language doesn't distinguish between kinds of anger—good and bad; just pictures it. But the NT Greek language is far more specific; it IDs 3 kinds of anger: II. [WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?] [A. There is a slow–burning anger]: (vs. 26a) (“anger”/orgh) the most common term for anger can be described as getting hot under collar, we set our jaw, our eyes ablaze, fuming. Interestingly, it can describe both sinful OR righteous anger. But it's not the only kind: [B. There is a seething anger]: (vs. 26b) (parorgismoß) This is the deep-seated, unforgiving, unrelenting resentment. It is anger that has been nursed, fueled, and coddled over a period of time. It's always sinful. [C. There is an explosive anger]: Never used of the righteous human anger. You've known people with hair-trigger temper. Like Mt. St Helens erupting, or a bomb exploding—you blow up. If you were in terrible 2s, we'd call it temper tantrum. It's translated in vs. 31 as “wrath” (ESV) or “rage” (NIV). So: III. [IS ANGER ALWAYS WRONG?] Not at all. God created you with the capacity to get mad. It's as legitimate as your capacity to laugh/cry. Need to ask yourself, “Is anger an emotion designed by God, or it is a sinful short-circuit in our emotional system? Check out: [A. A Few Examples:] [1. God does get angry] [Exodus 34:6-7/x] (repeated 9x). God doesn't anger quickly, but in time, if a matter is not resolved, his anger can be great as Moses predicts: [Deut. 29:28/x]! The Bible never blushes to portray God's anger; but his anger is not the result of his being touchy or bad tempered; it is the expression of his holiness and righteousness, and directed toward evil in his creation: [Rom. 1:18] God is angry with anyone who suppresses the truth about Himself. [God] does get angry. But what about Jesus? [2. Jesus became angry], even though never sinned! He was angry at people who sold the right to worship [Jn 2:13-16]. Yet he was never explosive nor out of control. NB it took him a while to make the whip of cords. Not an emotional, spontaneous outburst, but a controlled, careful and determined response to a situation. He was angry at men in the synagogue [Mk 3:1, 5]: they were using a handicapped man as bait to catch Jesus! [x] And what about us? [3. Believers should get angry!] Bible never forbids anger, just qualifies it. NB vs. 26: “Be angry and do not sin” — it is assuming you will and even should get angry at times. Anger not always wrong, like lying or casual sex; rather, it depends upon why you're angry, & how you respond when you are angry. EG David: [Ps. 119:53/x] In face of blatant evil, we should be indignant rather than tolerant; angry, not apathetic. What other reaction can wickedness be expected to provoke in those who love God? [Beecher/x] So how do I know if my anger is right or wrong? [B. A CLOSE COMPARISON]: [Chart: Sinful vs. Righteous Anger] •Anger is sinful when it's [selfish]: when our desires, our needs, ambitions are frustrated; when our demands not met, our expectations not realized, our well-being threatened, our selfesteem questioned, when we're embarrassed, inconvenienced. (e.g “you're in my way, bothering me, hurt me...); but it's all about me. That anger is sinful, defensive, full of pride, resentful of what happened to you. But righteous anger is [unselfish]: Can be angry in behalf of God: angry at unbelief, at dishonoring God, at warping the truth, or hurting others. •Anger is sinful when it [controls us]; it causes us to say/do things to hurt another. Looking back on our anger, we realize had we been in control, we never would have said/done that! You had a bad day, kids getting wild, bills thick and wallet thin; and you explode at the person you love most/closest to. If you lose control, it's not righteous. But righteous anger is always [controlled]; it never short-circuits a person's thinking or blinds a person to the truth; it never makes a person do what God would never want him to do. •Anger is sinful when it seeks [revenge], when it breeds malice, resentment. Righteous anger seeks [resolution]. Righteous anger vanishes when a person really repents; or when justice is done. You don't make a person pay at your hands to your satisfaction. It has limits how long it lasts. [C. A Key Insight]: (Pr. 22:24-25) [Anger is a learned response] Which means, however you learned to be angry, you can unlearn it. What you have seen modeled/been exposed to is probably what you've picked up. With God's help, you can learn the respond better, differently! So: IV. [HOW CAN I HANDLE MY ANGER?] How can I be good & mad at the same time? 2 unbiblical, unhealthy ways of dealing with our anger: [A. Don't:] [1. Blow up] (Prov. 29:11/x): Slow down! Don'tlet loose. When you blow up, it's usually destructive. The energy of your emotions is released not toward the problem, but toward another person. The classic example is in sports—e.g. hockey fights, baseball umps & managers. Some psychologists have advocated unrestrained expression of anger; they encourage angry person to fully ventilate the anger against a punching bag, or a pillow, or golf ball. Not wise because you're cultivating a learned response. What you may be doing is encouraging a spirit of murder in your heart; all you need now is an opportunity. Not to mention that merely expressing anger doesn't get rid of it; in fact, anger breeds anger (Pr. 29:22)— apparently not only in you, but in others around you; angry people make people angry. AND it clouds your judgment, making you less able to respond clearly, thoughtfully. You're increasingly enslaved to your own responses. (So don't blow up. On the other hand, you don't want to just:) [2. Clam up]: We clam up for a couple of reasons: We may be trying to: 1) deny our anger. When I see anger, I point it out (“you seem angry”). Common response: “NOT angry. I'm concerned, I'm hurt, I'm upset, I'm disappointed.” Uh huh (you're angry!) Even those who come to admit their anger sometimes try to do 2nd thing: 2) we may try to suppress our anger. We bottle it up (“keep a lid on it”) You let it simmerinside. When clam up, like a can of pop shaken up–when opened, spews out all over. People become angry, bottle it up, then go home and yell at kids, or snarl at wife, snap at others. Makes person irritable, sullen, tense, miserable, even depressed. Best way to ensure that when you do get angry, it will be a blow up. •EG: Boy Scouts/snow camp. Tenderfoot dropped can of corn into fire. Wearing poncho, sat on log shivering, waiting for dinner. I heard “shotgun” blast,ran over to noise; found blackened pit where once was fire, kid on his back, dazed, and splattered with million niblets of corn. Toss the can of your anger on the fire, & when it blows, it won't be pretty. So what's the alternative? B. [Do:] [1. Face it.] (vs. 26): “Be angry.” Don't deny it. Admit you're angry and accept full responsibility for it. Not “you make me angry!” Just say, “I am feeling angry when you said/did that.” No blaming, no sarcasm or put downs; just the honest statement of fact. Me: “Honey, I'm feeling angry & touchy right now. Not even sure why. I don't like it when I feel like this, but I am. Amazing how quickly anger is diffused when you admit it. [2. Evaluate it.] “...do not sin.” Idea isn't to count to ten before getting angry; if you have to do that, probably already are angry! Now you're simply deciding if and how you'll express it! Instead, think. Are you certain you know the facts? Some people get angry over a perceived but unreal situation (Prov. 18:17/x). Getting the whole story might change your feelings. Then, consider your motives. Righteous anger rarely spontaneous: requires you to examine the cause before choosing to express it. What has set you off? Is it selfish or is it something that hurts you because it hurts God? Make certain anger isn't from injured pride, malice, revenge, resentment, self-righteousness. Need to know if it's right or wrong so you can deal appropriately with it. May help to take time out or do something physical. Anger releases all kinds of adrenalin in bloodstream, so good walk may be effective in reducing the initial tension of anger. Yet if problem isn't dealt with, only temporary. More you think about it, it may increasing the churning inside. But whatever you do, ponder, & evaluate before speak! James' advice is very good: [James 1:19-20] Anger may be short-circuiting your ability to hear what God is telling you; and even if you are angry over something legitimate, you still have to ponder your response, because simply being angry isn't enough. Just being angry won't accomplish what God desires. Have to do something more. {Then] [3. Deal with it]: vs. 27: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Don't let it fester. Don't nurse it. It's never safe to let it smolder. No anger (righteous or otherwise) must be allowed to continue. Deal with it, ASAP. The limit is one day. Terminal point is bedtime. The same day you get angry is the day you deal with it. The sun which rises to mark a new day must not be a witness to yesterday's outburst. Left-over anger sours in a person. (So I should deal with my anger. Precisely how do you suggest I do that?) •[You can overlook the offense] (Pr. 12:16, 19:11/x) Just drop the matter. Not man's glory to win, but to overlook an offense! •[You can short-circuit the anger:] [Pr. 15:1, 18/x] You shortcircuit anger through a gentle answer or through patiently trying to understand. The other person may be well-intentioned, or spoke/acted out of mood, or was completely oblivious to the fact he hurt you. •At the theater, we were watching a particularly tense movie, when the guy in front of me turned around and said, “If you touch the back of my chair again, I'll take you out and kick your behind.” (But he didn't say, “behind.”) Shocked, my immediate response was...like to see you try it, bub. Instead, I took a breath, realized I might in fact have been kicking his chair (& who likes that?); so I leaned over to his side and whispered, “I'm really sorry. I didn't even know I was doing it. I'll be more careful.” After the movie we all stood, he turned to me, apologized, embarrassed, and told me he had had a very bad day. Then he asked me, “What do you do for a living?” (*!) •[You can confess it to another.] One of the very dark memories I can't forget is when my daughter was trying to help her frustrated father with his computer, and he got angry, snapped and said something brutally unkind to her. She quietly left, teary. Somebody once pointed out, “Temper is what gets us into trouble; Pride is what keeps us there.” I instantly knew I had stepped in it, and knew what I needed to do. I went down to her room. I felt like I had lead feet & a swollen tongue, but when I began to apologize, the anger evaporated. God says there is one way you can be sure to always have the last word when you're angry: Just say, “I'm sorry. I was wrong. Will you forgive me?” •[You can confront the underlying problem.] (Prov. 24:26/x) Express your wishes openly. What do I want? Do I want to be treated right? Or shown respect? or loved? Or to be listened to? Say it plainly. “Sweetheart, I would like you to turn the TV off and talk with me about your day...throw your own clothes into the dirty hamper...kiss me and take a few minutes for me as soon as you get home... (Many wives furiously writing...) Jimmy, when you use my coffee cup for your earthworm collection, I really have tough time drinking out of it. How about if we get a jar for you to use?” You may be tired, troubled, or worried; need to pray. •(Wait! What if I can't resolve everything quickly? What if the person isn't sorry, or won't reconcile, or situation is beyond my reach? Do I have to forgive and forget before sundown? No. Lifeisn't a half-hoursitcom that resolves neatly from episode to episode. But God forbids your angers to continue...So—) [4. Let go of it]: “...give no opportunity to the devil.” (4:27) •Negatively: Anger can give Satan an opportunity—lit. a foothold in your life. Don't help him by staying angry. If we follow these instructions, Satan would have no room to maneuver, no way to leverage our anger against us. Satan knows there is a fine line between righteous & unrighteous anger. Knows we have difficulty finding that line, and do poor job of responsibly handling anger for very long. What might start off as righteous anger may quickly degenerate into unrighteous resentment, or self-righteous pride. (If I keep it, Satan uses it; but how do I let it go, to whom? •Positively: [Rom. 12:18-19/x] Entrust to God your hurt. Let Him be the Judge. He's a whole lot smarter, wiser, righteous. What if you don't? Cherish and coddle your anger and it will someday consume you [Buechner]. Concl: 2300 years ago, Aristotle rightly observed, [quote/x] But the Master clearly points the way (4:26-27). “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”

Episode 115 Karl Buechner of Earth Crisis A guest of this magnitude doesn't need a bio entry from the likes of me. Earth Crisis over the last 30 plus years has shifted and shaped hardcore with a metallic influence and a clear focus on animal rights, veganism and an earth conscience mindset. With new music from his other project Freya, and Earth Crisis playing TIHC 2023 friday, it was good timing to finally get Karl on the show. www.instagram.com/earthcrisisofficial/ Opening Track of the Episode "Sense of Doom" Premiere! New Freya music coming courtesy of Upstate Records Look Out June 9!! www.instagram.com/freyaband/ www.upstaterecordsny.com/freya Episode Photo taken by Danielle Dombrowski

Jessica is joined by Austin Carty to discuss Frederick Buechner's Pulitzer Prize nominated novel, Godric. The pair discuss the themes found not only in Godric, but in other of Buechner's novels that hint at his dealings with the history of death in his family. Loosing both his father and grandfather to suicide, Buechner has echoes of this theme along with his resoluteness to not follow in their footsteps.  Books Referenced:  Godric by Frederick Buechner The Scandal of Reading is sponsored by Brazos Press. Information on the Host: Jessica Hooten Wilson is a Senior Fellow at Trinity Forum, the inaugural Visiting Scholar of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University, and the author of several books, including The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints, Learning the Good Life: From the Great Hearts and Minds that Came Before, and Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O'Connor and The Brothers Karamazov.  Learn more about Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson. Information on Austin Carty: Austin holds degrees in literature and divinity from High Point University (B.A.) and Wake Forest University (M.Div.), and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Emory University. He is the author of Christianity Today's Book Award of Merit for Church and Pastoral Leadership, The Pastor's Bookshelf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jessica is joined by Austin Carty to discuss Frederick Buechner's Pulitzer Prize nominated novel, Godric. The pair discuss the themes found not only in Godric, but in other of Buechner's novels that hint at his dealings with the history of death in his family. Loosing both his father and grandfather to suicide, Buechner has echoes of this theme along with his resoluteness to not follow in their footsteps.  Books Referenced:  Godric by Frederick Buechner The Scandal of Reading is sponsored by Brazos Press. Information on the Host: Jessica Hooten Wilson is a Senior Fellow at Trinity Forum, the inaugural Visiting Scholar of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University, and the author of several books, including The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints, Learning the Good Life: From the Great Hearts and Minds that Came Before, and Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O'Connor and The Brothers Karamazov.  Learn more about Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson. Information on Austin Carty: Austin holds degrees in literature and divinity from High Point University (B.A.) and Wake Forest University (M.Div.), and a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) from Emory University. He is the author of Christianity Today's Book Award of Merit for Church and Pastoral Leadership, The Pastor's Bookshelf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Timothy Robert Buechner returns as dual guest & substitute cohost for Jason. We talk about the fledging effort to make neoliberalism cool (again?); the nature of all 'centrisms'; Volcels are Basically Cows; how the most labor friendly president in US history has recently shown his friendliness to railway union members; how the NYTimes has suddenly, cynically, meaninglessly, developed an interest in human rights vis-à-vis Julian Assange; and finally, where are the best places to survive nuclear war in the US? Crack open a recent Newsweek to find out!Commiserate on Discord: discord.gg/aDf4Yv9PrYSupport: patreon.com/heatdeathpodNever Forget: standwithdanielhale.orgGeneral RecommendationsJNM's Recommendations: 1) Pearl 2) Triangle of SadnessTim's Recommendations: 1) Getting pussy 2) Physical 3) Blood Meridian  More From Timothy Robert BuechnerWe Don't Know WrestlingWDKW Ko-fiBIG EGG Substack Further Reading, Viewing, ListeningCan these Gen Z and millennial wonks make neoliberalism cool again?What Biden and Congress' move to ban railroad strike revealsBernie Sanders, DSA play crucial role in passing anti-strike law against railroadersRail workers: A single day of sick leave please. CNN: WHY DO GREEDY RAIL WORKERS NOT WANT LITTLE JIMMY IN THE CHILDREN HOSPITAL TO GET SANTA'S DELIVERY THIS YEAR Why The New York Times Is Too Late (to finally call for the end of torturing Julian Assange) - VIDEO SEGMENTAn open letter from editors and publishers: Publishing is not a CrimeUS defense to its workforce: Nuclear war can be wonThe U.S. Should Show It Can Win a Nuclear WarBest Place to Survive Nuclear War in the U.S.Locationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Twitter: @heatdeathpodPlease send all Letters of Derision, Indifference, Inquiry, Mild Elation, et cetera to: heatdeathoftheuniversepodcast@gmail.com

In our third and final conversation about Frederick Buechner's The Remarkable Ordinary, Aaron, Matt and Jana discuss Chapters 7-8. They talk about the challenge of engaging the world and the ways that is fueled for Buechner by his own experiences of God's silence. They also explore the various ways we react to God and his silence. Plus, Aaron offers some music enjoyment tips! Looking for a copy of Buechner's book? You can read a description of the book here and pick up a copy on Amazon or wherever books are sold.

In our second conversation about Frederick Buechner's The Remarkable Ordinary, Aaron, Matt and Jana discuss Chapters 3-6. They talk about the ways Buechner highlights story as the key part of our faith, the ways that major events in our lives and the daily rhythms intellect and wrestle a little with how we discern the intersection of our story and God's story. Plus, a surprise beef at the beginning of the episode! Looking for a copy of Buechner's book? You can read a description of the book here and pick up a copy on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Our next episode will discuss Chapters 7 & 8.

In our first conversation about Frederick Buechner's The Remarkable Ordinary, Aaron and Matt are joined by Jana Dykhuis to explore Chapters 1 and 2. They talk about Buechner's unique style, why he opens his book with a discussion of art as a means of helping us pay attention and how we might pay attention to God in our ordinary lives. Plus, Aaron grapples with our podcast's “branding” and we share the story of a couple of lost episodes of Curious Church! Looking for a copy of Buechner's book? You can read a description of the book here and pick up a copy on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Our next episode will discuss Chapters 3-6.

A podcast where we share sixty seconds of inspiration to help you create a kinder, gentler world faster than the speed of heartbreak. We believe that kindness needs to be the number one cherished idea in the world today. So, we created a show that adds one sweet droplet of goodness into the ocean of your life - every day.    Yesterday by John Hobart - Music Design by Jason Inc. https://brucewaynemclellan.com/  

Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

Interested in knowing more about my forthcoming biography of Walter Brueggemann? Or more about unpublished Brueggemann materials? Or why and how the study and practice of the prophetic imagination can impact you and your religious community? Enroll for 4.95 annually at https://centerforpropheticimagination.org!

A sermon by Jamie Howison from Sunday September 4, 2022. Our texts for the day were Jeremiah 18:1-11 and Luke 14:25-33. Subscribe to the show wherever you listen to audio and recommend this episode to your friends. We invite you to rate us or write a review of what we are doing on Apple Podcasts. Reviews help others join the conversation.* * *This podcast is created at saint benedict's table, a congregation of the Anglican Church of Canada in Winnipeg, where we've been making great audio since 2006. Listen to other recent episodes on our website and see our entire catalogue of over 600 shows on our hosting page.Our MissionTo provide rich and stimulating audio resources to the wider church and engage topics and issues relevant to the concerns and questions of the larger culture in which we live.

Is our modern immiseration just some jazzy jazz? Tune in to find out this and more. (Too tired to summarize further, Ed.)Commiserate on Discord: discord.gg/aDf4Yv9PrYSupport: patreon.com/heatdeathpodNever Forget: standwithdanielhale.orgGeneral RecommendationsJD's Recommendation: The Parking Lot is FullTim's Recommendation: Sam Hyde (in general) and his bizarre crashing of a TED TalkJNM's Recommendations: 1) Alex's War 2) Knowledge FightMore From Timothy Robert BuechnerWe Don't Know WrestlingWDKW Ko-fiPod King's PatreonFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningPalate Cleansers: A List of Things People Blamed on JazzFact Check: Did Donald Trump Give Out 'Nuke Codes' in Fundraising Email?Does Mark Zuckerberg Not Understand How Bad His Metaverse Looks?"NPR scolding Beto for cussing out the guy laughing at 19 dead children is the essence of modern liberalism">>> Weighing the pros and cons of Beto O'Rourke dropping an f-bomb on a hecklerBill to enshrine gig work into federal labor law 'would effectively get rid of the minimum wage and overtime compensation'My favorite Facebook genre is parents posting unhinged nanny requirements>>> Unhinged requirements continuedVIDEO: Ted Cruz spews bullshit about student loan forgivenessWrinkly 'sac' with no anus probably isn't humans' earliest ancestorGOP operative wants LGBTQ community put in “isolation camps for their own protection”For some adults who love Disney, it's like a religionLocationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Twitter: @heatdeathpodPlease send all Letters of Derision, Indifference, Inquiry, Mild Elation, et cetera to: heatdeathoftheuniversepodcast@gmail.com

In their first episode following the summer hiatus RJ, Sarah, and Dave talk Frederick Buechner, worker productivity scores, Effective Altruism, and Afrikaner sadness. Also, Sarah's sabbatical diverts her somewhere fabulous. Recommendations: The Brothers Zahl (https://thebrotherszahl.fireside.fm/) podcast, Soultime (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/soultime-christian-meditation/id1369059690), Radical Love (https://amzn.to/3cw8FcY) by Zachary Levi, Better Call Saul, and The Neal Morse Band (https://www.nealmorse.com/) Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/opinion/columnists/frederick-buechner-inner-depths.html) to read David Brooks' "The Man Who Found His Inner Depths". Click here (https://mbird.com/literature/corresponding-with-buechner/) to read Mischa Willet's "Corresponding with Buechner". Click here (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html) to read about The Rise of Worker Productivity Score by Jodi Kantor and Arya Sundaramin the NY Times Magazine. Click here (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/15/the-reluctant-prophet-of-effective-altruism) to read about The Reluctant Prophet of Effective Altuisim by Gideon Lewis-Kraus Click here (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/south-africa-apartheid-white-afrikaners-the-inheritors/670554/) to read Eve Fairbanks's piece taking the pulse of contemporary Afrikaners in The Atlantic.

Larry says that Dallas Willard hurts his head. Frederick Buechner, popular Christian ‘writer's writer' and ‘minister's minister,' dies at 96

As a result of her opposition to the former president, Liz Cheney was defeated last night in a landslide, losing the Republican primary to Harriet Hageman, a political newcomer who was endorsed by Trump. In The Daily Article for August 17, 2022, Dr. Jim Denison also quotes from Thomas S. Kidd's book on Thomas Jefferson, noting that Jefferson, as well as our current society, has a “dissonance between stated belief and practiced reality.” He then shares the news of author Frederick Buechner's death at ninety-six and quotes Buechner on proving God's existence. For more on practical ways to trust God for his best, read “A ‘limited' nuclear war would starve millions of people.”     Author: Dr. Jim Denison Narrator: Chris Elkins Subscribe: http://www.denisonforum.org/subscribe

Jason's on vacation, so I had the pleasure of sitting down with Timothy Robert Buechner of the We Don't Know Wrestling Podcast Network and ending up with a sprawling-in-the-best-way, fuller-length episode. Biden v. Trump w/r/t Covid-19, mental deterioration, and more. Mayor Pete has a weird exchange while testifying before Congress in which he cartoonishly pledges fealty to whoever he has to in order to get ahead. Stephen King is hilariously pranked and promotes genocide in the process. Then we shift towards the news of Vince "The Rapist" McMahon retiring from the WWE, the metafictional narratives and the Andy Kaufman of the pro wrestling world, the useful wrestling-to-politics analogies found in the field, and the "Dark Side of the Ring," both literally and figuratively, in tragic figures like Chris Benoit, Jake the Snake, Brian Pillman, and in bizarro events like "The Plane Ride from Hell."Commiserate on Discord: discord.gg/aDf4Yv9PrYSupport: patreon.com/heatdeathpodNever Forget: standwithdanielhale.orgGeneral RecommendationsTim's Recommendations: 1) We Don't Know Wrestling Podcast Network & 2) Joseph Montecillo's Video EssaysJNM's Recommendations: 1) Cosmopolis &  2) Maps to the StarsFurther Reading, Viewing, ListeningUS President Joe Biden 'doing great' after testing positive for CovidSec. Buttigieg clashes with GOP congressman on Biden's mental fitness | USA TODAY>>> House Approves 25th Amendment Resolution Against Trump, Pence Says He Won't InvokeStephen King admits to falling for Russians' prank: ‘Fool me once, shame on them'>>>FULL VIDEO: Video-prank with Stephen King (Original in English)Dark Side of the Ring:S02E01 - Chris Benoit Part OneS02E02 - Chris Benoit Part Two S03E01 - Brian Pillman Part OneS03E02 - Brian Pillman Part TwoS03E06 - In the Shadow of Grizzly SmithS03E08 - The Plane Ride from HellLocationless Locationsheatdeathpod.comEvery show-related link is corralled and available here.Twitter: @heatdeathpodPlease send all Letters of Derision, Indifference, Inquiry, Mild Elation, et cetera to: heatdeathoftheuniversepodcast@gmail.com

There's a little-known secret to being considered by others as a thought leader in an area of law.And of the few that know the secret they practice it often without knowledge in subtle and nearly unnoticed ways.Our guest this week, Brian Redden is an excellent example of this secret marketing trait.Let's talk on Tuesday on how Brian uses marketing for himself and others and how you can leverage similar for yourself.Find Brian at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrredden/Find all our videos at:https://www.youtube.com/c/NoLawFirmLeftBehindCatch our podcast on your favorite platform:https://linktr.ee/splicenet/

We think we have the answers, but we need to be asking a lot more questions. Partisanship is up, trust is down, and our social media feeds make us sure we're right and everyone else is ignorant (or worse). But avoiding and attacking one another is breaking… everything. Journalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted—twice—for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide, Mónica set out to find what was blinding us and discovered the most eye-opening tool we're not using: our own curiosity. In this timely, personal guide, Mónica Guzmán, takes you to the real front lines of a crisis that threatens to grind America to a halt—broken conversations among confounded people. She shows you how to overcome the fear and certainty that surround us to finally do what only seems impossible: understand and even learn from people in your life whose whole worldview is different from or even opposed to yours.   About the book: “I Never Thought of It That Way“ Drawing from cross-partisan conversations she's had, organized, or witnessed everywhere from the echo chambers on social media to the wheat fields in Oregon to raw, unfiltered fights with her own family on election night, Mónica shows how you can put your natural sense of wonder to work for you immediately, finding the answers you need by talking with people—rather than about them—and asking the questions you want, curiously. In these pages, you'll learn: • How to ask what you really want to know (even if you're afraid to) • How to grow smarter from even the tensest interactions, online or off • How to cross boundaries and find common ground—with anyone Whether you're left, right, center, or not a fan of labels: If you're ready to fight back against the confusion, heartbreak, and madness of our dangerously divided times—in your own life, at least—Mónica's got the tools and fresh, surprising insights to prove that seeing where people are coming from isn't just possible. It's easier than you think.   Author Mónica Guzmán is the Director of Digital and Storytelling at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America and host of the Crosscut interview series Northwest Newsmakers. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public. Mónica lives for great conversations sparked by curious questions. Before committing to the project of helping people understand each other across the political divide, Mónica cofounded the award-winning Seattle newsletter The Evergrey and led a national network of groundbreaking local newsletters as VP of Local for WhereBy.Us. She was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle, served twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes, and plays a barbarian named Shadrack in her besties' Dungeons & Dragons campaign.   Discussant Brian Allain founded and leads Writing for Your Life, a resource center and conference for spiritual writers, which includes the Publishing in Color conference series, intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color. Brian also founded and leads the teams that produce Compassionate Christianity and How to Heal Our Divides. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner's online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships. Brian has developed and led spiritual writers conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, Belmont University, New Brunswick Seminary, and several churches. He led the publishing effort for the book Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner, in collaboration with Anne Lamott, and also the book How to Heal Our Divides. All of this is a second career, coming after business and technology leadership in high-tech. Brian has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was designated a Palmer Scholar, their highest academic award.

Today's podcast is all about moving your body!  Nathan and Carly share with us how they got started in flow arts in the form of hoola hooping and ecstatic dancing.  I had the privilege of meeting both of these beautiful people! They taught me how to get out of my head and into my body through hoola hooping.  In this episode we talk about how flow movements can bring you into a flow state, where you are fully immersed in the energy of the moment.  This increased enjoyment and energy  can bring more focus, concentration, and enjoyment to other areas of your life. Carly is 29 and just moved to Pensacola Beach with her 5 year old son. You can catch her serving tables at Crabs on the Beach, long boarding down the street or hula hooping just about anywhere. She started hooping 6ish years ago when she was pregnant with her son as an outlet for her mind and body. What started as simple waist hooping in her backyard expanded into something she is extremely passionate about. She enjoys teaching lessons, hosting workshops and flow meet ups, spinning fire and performing. She hosts a free class at Shoreline Park at 2pm on available Sundays.  She also offers lessons and workshops. Carly's contact info: Experiences on Airbnd IG @Callmecarlyy FB @Carly Circles She will post flow meet ups on my social media as well as the Next Door App. Nathan is an ecstatic dancer with over a decade of experience attending dances on the East Coast, Midwest, South, and West Coast.  He loves to dance and host dances.  He encourages everyone to move their body!  Get out of your mind and into your body! Nathan's contact info: IG @siriusecstaticdancer For information and timings on local ecstatic dances: IG @ecstaticdancepensacola

Frank Schaeffer In Conversation with Brian Allain, leader of Writing for Your Life, a resource center and conferences for spiritual writers, which includes the Publishing in Color conference series.Writing for Your Life invites you to our Fall 2021 Online Conference “Writing in the second half of life”, featuring authors Diana Butler Bass, Patricia Raybon, Marilyn McEntyre, Wes Granberg-Michaelson, Bruce Reyes-Chow, Erin Healy, Victoria McAfee, and Kaya Oakes, along with publishing industry experts Susan Salley(Abingdon Press), Amy Gingerich (Herald Press), Sharon Elliott (literary agent), and Lyn Cryderman (consultant), with special guests Frank Schaeffer, Parker Palmer, Sophfronia Scott, David Morris, Kate Rademacher, and more!November 8-12, 2021. Tuition for the conference is only $249.Learn more and register at https://writingforyourlife.com/fall-2021-wfyl-conference/_____Brian Allain leads Writing for Your Life, a resource center and conferences for spiritual writers, which includes the Publishing in Color conference series, intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color. Brian also leads the teams that produce Compassionate Christianity and How to Heal Our Divides. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner's online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships. Brian has developed and led spiritual writers conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, Belmont University, New Brunswick Seminary, and several churches. He led the publishing effort for the book Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner, in collaboration with Anne Lamott, and also the book How to Heal Our Divides. _____In Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer is a production of the George Bailey Morality in Public Life Fellowship. It is hosted by Frank Schaeffer, author of Fall In Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy.Learn more at https://www.lovechildrenplanet.comFollow Frank on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16https://twitter.com/Frank_Schaefferhttps://www.youtube.com/c/FrankSchaefferYouTubeIn Conversation… with Frank Schaeffer PodcastApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-conversation-with-frank-schaeffer/id1570357787Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FVF48mNwzNaLd1tJ4zH6y?si=aeVQ54ieTA-hlSuMNB5APA&dl_branch=1_____Support the show

Frederick Buechner schrieb "Schönheit ist für unseren Geist was die Nahrung für unseren Leib ist." Wir erkennen mit unseren Augen und in unserem Geist, was schön ist. Schön vielleicht nicht im Sinn der Perfektion, aber ich glaube in einem umfassenderen Sinn, den Worte gar nicht ausdrücken können. Schönheit kann von einem zum andern Moment plötzlich geschehen: ein Lächeln, ein warmer Händedruck, ein aus tiefstem Herzen kommendes Danke oder eine Blume, die vom Wind bewegt wird, das Gesicht eines Menschen unabhängig von Geschlecht und Alter. Als Menschen sind wir für mehr geschaffen als nur für Funktionalität. Schönheit ist - um mit Buechner zu sprechen - genauso eine essentielle Nahrung für uns wie die Mahlzeiten. Deshalb, so glaube ich, müssen wir es uns leisten, uns Schönheit zu gönnen und dabei auch lernen sie zu sehen und bewusst wahrzunehmen - so wie man zur Erntezeit Beeren sucht, pflückt und geniesst. Öffne Deinen Geist heute und Deine Augen für die Schönheit um Dich herum und sättige dich daran! Ich wünsche Dir einen aussergewöhnlichen Tag! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/audiostretto/message

"To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontation still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you're given and the pain you're given back --- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is what you're wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you." (Buechner, 1993) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paula599/message

We've got a great episode with guest Steve Buechner of San Diego. Steve is one of the most accomplished San Diego, or So Cal Kayak Anglers that shares some of his winning tactics and thoughts on the upcoming year. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Toby Buechner is the owner of Troy Gymnastics.

Jeff Munroe is Executive Vice President of Western Theological Seminary and author of the book Reading Buechner. Today, Jeff shares the story of the bad advice he received about emotions, how Frederick Buechner helped him fix it, and looks back at the providence of God in leading him to Western Theological Seminary. Along the way, we talk about Buechner's work and how it applies to today. Jeff's story reminds us that the Lord is always at work and he never wastes anything. Listen to Jeff's story now! Stories Jeff shared: Serving as an administrator at Western Theological Seminary Growing up in a Christian family and being discipled in a Young Life style His wife's stroke one month before their wedding Losing touch with his emotion based on bad advice Discovering Frederick Buechner in a bookstore What he things of the person who gave him bad advice Finding peace with God through community Leaving Young Life during a difficult season Receiving a call to Western Theological Seminary How speaking at a workshop about Buechner and being asked to write this book Great quotes from Jeff: We go to books and we want lots of different things. But we want books that change our lives. That's what Buechner did for me. Pain is a universal human experience. I spend the whole week figuring out the ways I don't believe in God and then the community calls be back every week. Resources we mentioned: Reading Buechner: Exploring the Work of a Master Memoirist, Novelist, Theologian, and Preacher by Jeff Monroe Western Theological Seminary The Clown in the Belfry: Writings on Faith and Fiction by Frederick Buechner Related episodes: Douglas Groothuis and Walking Through Twilight Sarah Geringer and Transforming Your Thought Life Jay Holland and the Goodness of God The post Jeff Munroe and Stewarding Your Pain appeared first on Eric Nevins.

This week's meet and great takes us to Roswell, Georgia where we meet up with Christopher Buechner. His program is killing it because of his passion to work with students. He gives us practical advice that we can all use-even the season veteran teacher. This week, we take a little diversion in the questions to get into the "random question" segment. Take a listen! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/tracy-misner/support

Brian Allain is an entrepreneur. He's an IT guy who made the leap to the literary world—first by becoming the Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center and then as Producer of Writing for Your Life. Allain grew Mr. Buechner's online presence from zero to over 2 million Facebook fans and over 300,000 Twitter followers. […] The post Brian Allain-episode 126 appeared first on Anita Lustrea.

Sara Davis Buechner has been hailed by The New York Times for her “intelligence, integrity and all-encompassing technical prowess”. As one of the leading keyboard artists of our time, Sara has an active repertoire of over 100 piano concertos and has appeared with prominent orchestras all over the world. Sara was recently appointed to the piano faculty at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance, in Philadelphia. Sara Davis Buechner first came to prominence as David Buechner, winning the gold medal in the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and a Bronze Medal in the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. Incidentally, as a result of being the only medal winner to perform on a Yamaha piano at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, David was invited to tour Japan, and subsequently became the first American Yamaha artist. In 1998, David came out as Sara Davis Buechner, and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2002. Now residing in Philadelphia, I had the opportunity to visit Sara for this interview at her new center city apartment.  Links Sara's website: http://saradavisbuechner.com/