Podcast appearances and mentions of Frederick Buechner

What does a Shire full of hobbits in Middle-Earth, a county full of farmers in Kentucky, and a wardrobe full of a lion have in common? For Russell Moore and singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson, they were all a way to find home.    In this episode—recorded inside Peterson's book-lined Chapter House in Nashville, right down the road from Moore—the two talk about the authors who, by God's grace, helped hold their faith together when it could have come apart. From the wisdom of Wendell Berry to the imagination of C.S. Lewis to the honesty of Frederick Buechner, these authors gave a clarity that helped these two keep the faith.    This isn't just a literary conversation. It's about how God uses stories, sentences, and sometimes even sword-wielding mice to reach people in moments of doubt, disillusionment, or despair. Along the way, they talk about what it means to read widely, to hold onto wonder, and to be the kind of Christian who can still be surprised by joy.   They also somehow end up talking about Moby Dick, Dungeons & Dragons, and how ChatGPT was wrong and right about what books each of them would take to a desert island.    Books and authors mentioned in this episode include: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry A Room Called Remember and Telling Secrets by Frederick Buechner The Chronicles of Narnia, Till We Have Faces, Mere Christianity, and more by C.S. Lewis Godric by Frederick Buechner David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Four Quartets by T.S. Eliot Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson Moby Dick by Herman Melville Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs And selections from Andrew's own works: Adorning the Dark, The God of the Garden, and The Wingfeather Saga Whether you're deep in faith, on the brink of losing it, or just looking for something beautiful to read, this conversation will remind you why the right book at the right moment can do more than explain—it can point to new life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is God's will for your life more of a dot or a circle? That's one of the questions addressed by Grammy Award–winning producer and artist Charlie Peacock, whose new memoir Roots & Rhythm explores what it means to find one's calling in life, how to heal from the past, and how to give up the quest for holding on to power. This conversation reveals at least one middle-school-era debate over what counts as “Christian music” (spoiler: there was almost a fistfight over Amy Grant), and they explore deeper questions about fame, ambition, and why some artists burn out while others grow deeper with time.   Peacock shares stories behind producing music for Amy Grant, Switchfoot, and The Civil Wars—and what he's learned from the visible economies of success and the hidden “Great Economy” about which Wendell Berry wrote.   You'll hear thoughtful conversation on everything from Zen Buddhism and Jack Kerouac to AI and the future of music. Along the way, Peacock reflects on a note found after his mother's death, a formative encounter with Kierkegaard, and what it means to live with grace as “an antidote to karma.” Peacock and Moore also talk about Frederick Buechner and Merle Haggard, as well as fatherhood, how to find a “circle of affirmation,” and why failing is as important as succeeding. If you're curious about how art and faith intersect in an age of algorithms and ambition, this conversation offers a human and hopeful perspective. Resources mentioned in this episode or recommended by the guest include: Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music by Charlie Peacock On the Road: The Original Scroll by Jack Kerouac  Distant Neighbors: The Selected Letters of Wendell Berry and Gary Snyder Special offer for listeners of The Russell Moore Show: Click here for 25% off a subscription to CT magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this message from the Chasing Empty series, Pastor Tim Dunn explores the concept of calling—what it is, why it matters, and how to pursue it. Grounded in Scripture and wisdom from thinkers like Os Guinness and Frederick Buechner, this sermon unpacks the difference between primary calling, secondary calling, and occupation, helping you discern where your life aligns with God's purpose. If you've ever wrestled with direction, identity, or significance, this teaching will guide you toward clarity by helping you steward your current season, listen for God's voice, and take practical steps forward.

The world rings with praise only because the whole of creation is in on it! Praise the Lord! The sun and moon, the sea, fire and snow, speckled frogs and spotted dogs, wrens and thrushes, old men with walkers and little babies who do little more than drool and sleep. The world joins up in the praise parade not with words, but with being. The snow whirls, the fires roar, the frogs croak, the cows moo, the birds sing, the old men sigh, and the little babies burp. In short, we learn to praise God not by paying compliments, but by paying attention. Have you ever watched a forest dance in the wind? Or listened to the symphony of a thunderstorm? Or sat in the silence and sound of a church service? Or experienced the fog lifting while you're on the back of a motorcycle on your way to the zoo? We can praise when all is well and when all is hell because, as Frederick Buechner puts it, “What's lost is nothing to what's found, and all the death that ever was, set next to life, would scarcely fill a cup.”

What if doubt isn't the enemy of faith but the beginning of deeper belief? On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss explores spiritual deconstruction and the way writers like Frederick Buechner and Madeleine L'Engle paved the way for honest, Christ-centered wrestling with belief. Sharing personal stories and biblical insight, Steve unpacks how anxiety, reactivity, and certainty can block spiritual growth—and how curiosity and vulnerability open the door to true connection with Jesus and others. If your faith is shifting, this episode offers clarity, hope, and a path toward deeper belief and renewal. Resources mentioned in this episode include: A conversation with Philip Yancey on faith and doubt Excerpts from the works of Frederick Buechner on faith despite doubt Madeleine L'Engle on those without doubt (video clip) Madeleine L'Engle on faith (video clip) The meaning of the disciples' doubt in Matthew 28:17 Jude 1:22 and what it means to have mercy on those who doubt  John 8 and lessons of the woman caught in adultery “Have Mercy on Those Who Doubt” by Jon Bloom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if doubt isn't the enemy of faith but the beginning of deeper belief? On this episode of Being Human, Steve Cuss explores spiritual deconstruction and the way writers like Frederick Buechner and Madeleine L'Engle paved the way for honest, Christ-centered wrestling with belief. Sharing personal stories and biblical insight, Steve unpacks how anxiety, reactivity, and certainty can block spiritual growth—and how curiosity and vulnerability open the door to true connection with Jesus and others. If your faith is shifting, this episode offers clarity, hope, and a path toward deeper belief and renewal. Resources mentioned in this episode include: A conversation with Philip Yancey on faith and doubt Excerpts from the works of Frederick Buechner on faith despite doubt Madeleine L'Engle on those without doubt (video clip) Madeleine L'Engle on faith (video clip) The meaning of the disciples' doubt in Matthew 28:17 Jude 1:22 and what it means to have mercy on those who doubt  John 8 and lessons of the woman caught in adultery “Have Mercy on Those Who Doubt” by Jon Bloom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(The God Who Sees) Jesus submitted himself to the ultimate test. An enormous stone shut him away from the land of the living, but he burst out of the tomb in everlasting victory over sin and the grave, our purchase complete, to the praise and glory of his Father. And what was his supreme agenda after his early Sunday morning return from the grave? To reestablish connection with his closest followers, re-affirming his continuing love, having proven it as a brother who has laid down his life for his friends, and to quiet all remaining doubts about who he was and what he had done for his disciples, for us, for his Church. John 20:1-18, Jer. 29:13, Genesis 16:14,15,19-21,24-29, Genesis 21:1-17 1. John 20:1-18 – Jesus saw ______________________________________________ 2. John 20:19-21, 24-29 – Jesus saw ______________________________________ 3. John 21:1-17 – Jesus saw ______________________________________________ There are mysteries you can solve by taking thought. There are other mysteries that do not conceal a truth to think your way through, but whose truth is itself the mystery. The more you try to fathom it, the more fathomless it is revealed to be. To say that God is a mystery is to say that you can never nail him down. Even on Christ the nails proved ultimately ineffective. ~Beyond Words, 2004, page 267, Frederick Buechner.

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings are joined by special guest Karen Stiller, author of Holiness Here and the author and editor of many other books, magazines, essays, and more.Holiness Here by Karen StillerReview of Holiness Here — Marty Solomon, GoodreadsReview of Holiness Here — Brent Billings, GoodreadsMeadow Lake Progress — WikipediaBooks by Frederick BuechnerBooks by Anne LamottThe Minister's Wife by Karen StillerCraft, Cost & Call by Patricia Paddey & Karen StillerKaren Stiller's coachingFaith Today PodcastKaren Stiller's websiteKaren Stiller on InstagramKaren Stiller on Substack Special Guest: Karen Stiller.

How can we stay grounded in an anxious political climate?   Leadership anxiety expert Steve Cuss joins the Good Faith Podcast to help us navigate Trump's turbulent second term without becoming overwhelmed. We explore how chronic anxiety spreads through reactivity, why political leaders and their followers often amplify fear through straw man arguments, and how we can break free from the cycle. Drawing from his experience as a trauma chaplain and beyond, Steve shares practical tools for maintaining spiritual and emotional balance. If political division is making your mind race, heart pound, or body tense, Steve offers wisdom and encouragement to help you find calm and clarity in the chaos.   Send written questions or voice memos for “Ask Curtis” episodes to: askcurtis@redeemingbabel.org   Send Campfire Stories to: info@redeemingbabel.org   Resources or references mentioned in this episode: Frederick Buechner's Whistling in the Dark The Evangelical vote in 2024 The Los Angeles Times: Is Donald Trump a new King David? “Remember the Lord” from Proverbs 3:6-16 GNT Jacob's assurance from Genesis 28 NLT  Jesus' trial before Pilate John 18:28-40 NLT Paul's trials before Festus and Felix Acts 24-26 NLT Jesus calls Herod a “fox” Luke 13:31-32 NLT Freedom to love others Galatians 5:13 More about Gregory Boyle More From Steve Cuss: Steve's podcast Being Human Steve's book Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs Steve's book The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God Steve's website (free access to the Life Giving List and Conscious List of Relationships) Register for the Illuminate Arts & Faith Conference   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter

Hello to you listening in Powder Springs, Georgia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.What is vocation? Frederick Buechner says, “...it's the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep hunger. What a long time it can take to discover, to be called to  your deep identity, your true self who came here with your very own vocation. Yes, for some of us it can be a long way to find out who we've always been and then to become that. We may wish to try on the selves of other people but at the end of the day the question still remains: Why are you not you?It was a very long walk but I found my way as Quarter Moon Story Arts. Story Prompt: Who are you when you are your truest self? Where does your deep gladness meet the world's deep hunger? Write that story!You're always welcome: "Come for the stories - Stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you'll subscribe, follow, share a 5-star rating and nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, bring your friends and rellies, and join us again! You will have wonderful company as we continue to walk our lives together. Be sure to stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with me as "Wyzga on Words" on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved.

Recorded on Sunday, February 23, 2025. Other scripture cited: Exodus 24:12-18; Hebrews 1:1-3.Support the show

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

If you're feeling the weight of past trauma and struggling to heal, then you are not alone! The journey to healing from abuse and trauma is often filled with challenges, and finding the right tools to navigate this journey can be overwhelming. But what if there was a resource that could guide you through this process and help you cultivate well-being? In this episode, you will be able to: Explore the transformative power of therapy in healing from abuse and trauma and reclaiming your well-being. Uncover the impact of narcissism in church leadership and gain insights into navigating the complexities of this issue. Discover the invaluable benefits of professional mental health support and how it can positively impact your healing journey. Understand the profound connection between attachment issues and trauma recovery and how it influences your healing process. Embrace the role of self-regulation in effective leadership and learn how it can enhance your personal and professional growth. My special guest is Dr. Chuck DeGroat Dr. Chuck DeGroat, a professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the podcast. With a background in therapy, spiritual direction, and as a licensed therapist, Chuck specializes in navigating issues of abuse, trauma, pastoral and leadership health, and doubt. His profound insights and compassionate approach make him a thought leader in the space of healing from workplace abuse and trauma. Chuck's dedication to helping individuals understand and heal from the impact of abuse and trauma, combined with his extensive experience in training clergy and consulting with churches, makes him an invaluable resource for anyone seeking insight and guidance in their healing journey. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:02 - Introduction to the Podcast 00:01:40 - Chuck DeGroat's Background 00:03:22 - Evolution of Chuck DeGroat's Approach 00:11:03 - Faux Vulnerability in Church Leadership 00:13:09 - Misuse of Self-Work for Immunity 00:13:40 - Dysfunctional Dynamics in Churches 00:14:58 - Toxic Leadership and Manipulation 00:19:06 - Nervous System Dysregulation 00:22:10 - Healing Attachment Wounds 00:25:52 - Transformation and Non-Anxious Presence 00:26:17 - Recognizing Patterns of Toxic Behavior 00:27:24 - Accountability and Systemic Change 00:29:15 - Rebuilding for the Future 00:30:49 - Understanding Shame Dynamics 00:35:15 - Rediscovering the Goodness of the Heart 00:39:20 - Men Doing Deeper Work 00:40:02 - Bullying and Women 00:41:15 - Complimenting Each Other's Work 00:41:39 - Encouraging Curiosity and Healing 00:42:42 - Embracing Curiosity and Healing 00:53:11 - Finding Healing and Freedom 00:53:32 - Hope in "Healing What's Within" Trauma is not what happens to us, but what happens within. - Chuck DeGroat Order Healing What's Within by Dr. Chuck DeGroot on his website chuckdegroat.net or through major book retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository. Join the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference to access exclusive content, one you don't want to miss an exclusive with Dr. Chuck DeGroat. Listen to our first episode with Dr. Chuck DeGroat about his book When Narcissism Comes to Church Explore additional resources recommended by Dr. Chuck DeGroot at the end of each chapter, such as Dan Allender's To Be Told: Know Your Story, Shape Your Life and Frederick Buechner's Telling Secrets. Engage in introspective and mindful practices to support your healing journey, such as deep breathing, visualization, EMDR and brainspotting. Gift Healing What's Within to friends or loved ones who could benefit from the valuable tools and insights shared in the book. Connect with us: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com Linkedin YouTube FaceBook Instagram Threads Patreon Bluesky TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you're feeling the weight of past trauma and struggling to heal, then you are not alone! The journey to healing from abuse and trauma is often filled with challenges, and finding the right tools to navigate this journey can be overwhelming. But what if there was a resource that could guide you through this process and help you cultivate well-being? In this episode, you will be able to: Explore the transformative power of therapy in healing from abuse and trauma and reclaiming your well-being. Uncover the impact of narcissism in church leadership and gain insights into navigating the complexities of this issue. Discover the invaluable benefits of professional mental health support and how it can positively impact your healing journey. Understand the profound connection between attachment issues and trauma recovery and how it influences your healing process. Embrace the role of self-regulation in effective leadership and learn how it can enhance your personal and professional growth. My special guest is Dr. Chuck DeGroat Dr. Chuck DeGroat, a professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the podcast. With a background in therapy, spiritual direction, and as a licensed therapist, Chuck specializes in navigating issues of abuse, trauma, pastoral and leadership health, and doubt. His profound insights and compassionate approach make him a thought leader in the space of healing from workplace abuse and trauma. Chuck's dedication to helping individuals understand and heal from the impact of abuse and trauma, combined with his extensive experience in training clergy and consulting with churches, makes him an invaluable resource for anyone seeking insight and guidance in their healing journey. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:02 - Introduction to the Podcast 00:01:40 - Chuck DeGroat's Background 00:03:22 - Evolution of Chuck DeGroat's Approach 00:11:03 - Faux Vulnerability in Church Leadership 00:13:09 - Misuse of Self-Work for Immunity 00:13:40 - Dysfunctional Dynamics in Churches 00:14:58 - Toxic Leadership and Manipulation 00:19:06 - Nervous System Dysregulation 00:22:10 - Healing Attachment Wounds 00:25:52 - Transformation and Non-Anxious Presence 00:26:17 - Recognizing Patterns of Toxic Behavior 00:27:24 - Accountability and Systemic Change 00:29:15 - Rebuilding for the Future 00:30:49 - Understanding Shame Dynamics 00:35:15 - Rediscovering the Goodness of the Heart 00:39:20 - Men Doing Deeper Work 00:40:02 - Bullying and Women 00:41:15 - Complimenting Each Other's Work 00:41:39 - Encouraging Curiosity and Healing 00:42:42 - Embracing Curiosity and Healing 00:53:11 - Finding Healing and Freedom 00:53:32 - Hope in "Healing What's Within" Trauma is not what happens to us, but what happens within. - Chuck DeGroat Order Healing What's Within by Dr. Chuck DeGroot on his website chuckdegroat.net or through major book retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Book Depository. Join the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference to access exclusive content, one you don't want to miss an exclusive with Dr. Chuck DeGroat. Listen to our first episode with Dr. Chuck DeGroat about his book When Narcissism Comes to Church Explore additional resources recommended by Dr. Chuck DeGroot at the end of each chapter, such as Dan Allender's To Be Told: Know Your Story, Shape Your Life and Frederick Buechner's Telling Secrets. Engage in introspective and mindful practices to support your healing journey, such as deep breathing, visualization, EMDR and brainspotting. Gift Healing What's Within to friends or loved ones who could benefit from the valuable tools and insights shared in the book. Connect with us: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com Linkedin YouTube FaceBook Instagram Threads Patreon Bluesky TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.” - Frederick Buechner

Luke 2:16 “A God for the Everyday”Series: Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child Preacher: Will SpinkSunday MorningDate: 29th December 2024Passage: Luke 2:16-------------------“Those who believe in God can never in a way be sure of him again. Once they have seen him in a stable, they can never be sure where he will appear or to what lengths he will go or to what ludicrous depths of self-humiliation he will descend in his wild pursuit of man. If holiness and the awful power and majesty of God were present in this least auspicious of all events, this birth of a peasant's child, then there is no place where we can hide from God, no place where we are safe from his power to break in two and recreate the human heart because it is just where he seems most helpless that he is most strong, and just where we least expect him that he comes most fully.” Frederick Buechner, The Hungering DarkIntroduction: A Baby in a Manger?Three Meditations Messiah in a Manger (Luke 2:16) Word takes on Flesh (John 1:14)King becomes Servant (Philippians 2:7)One Application Where will God show up in and through your everyday life?

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.

For those who have been with us from the beginning, you might remember how this podcast started with just Matt and Dave, and how we didn't tell each other the question we were going to bring in, and just stumbled our way through thinking on our feet about how we might answer that question. We are recapturing a bit of that feeling in this episode! We sat down at our microphones at our normally-scheduled recording hour…and looked at each other expectantly, waiting for someone to remind us what our topic was for this week's episode. We quickly realized that we never agreed on a topic! But we decided to go forward, and record anyway. We hope that this conversation gives you a further sense of who we really are behind our podcast personas! Matt gave us a little direction by sharing an Advent piece by Frederick Buechner to begin, and we launched into a ranging conversation about what gives us hope right now. We also talk about recommendation letters, the amazing students we get to teach, some recent adventures in pedagogy, things we are grateful for, and other playful shenanigans. Maybe this episode will be a good reminder to take some time to check in and connect with your colleagues! Hallway Conversations is sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education. You can learn more about the good work CACE is doing at https://cace.org/ In this episode, Dave mentions Andy Crouch's book, The Life We're Looking For, which is one of his favorites lately. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+life+we%27re+looking+for&hvadid=593689271884

Jesus is reminding us that no matter how broken things seem, nothing is so broken that God can't make something beautiful out of the brokenness. There is no soil so ruined that God isn't willing to toss another seed on it. There is no sinner so sinful that God can't make a saint out of them. Frederick Buechner said that the grace of God is the declaration that beautiful and terrible things will happen but we need not be afraid because God will be with us, always. Advent, as we've been saying, is the time when time gets confused. We look backward, forward, and everywhere in between. But one thing that endures through time is the hope we have in the Lord. It's that hope that sustains us through what is coming upon the world. The time being really is the most trying time of all, but we can look straight into the darkness because we know the dawn will break from on high.

Marty Solomon, Brent Billings, and Reed Dent look to Hosea 4 to answer the question of how we can find ourselves in a mess like this.BEMA 386: Psalms — The Whole Human Experience“Lord's Supper” by Frederick Buechner

Sermon Resources: Scriptures - John 4, John 2:24-26, John 19:28 1. “Our stories are all stories of longing. We long for a good self to be and for good work to do. We long to become human in a world that tempts us always to be less than human or looks to us to be more. We long to love and to be loved. And in a world where it is often hard to believe in much of anything, we long to believe in something holy and beautiful and life-transcending that will give meaning and purpose to the lives we live…The word longing comes from the same root as the word long in the sense of length in either time or space and also the word belong, so that in its full richness to long suggests to yearn for a long time for something that is a long way off and something that we feel we belong to and that belongs to us.” -Frederick Buechner, "The Longing For Home" 2. “The main emotion of the adult American who has had all the advantages of wealth, education, and culture is disappointment.” -John Cheever 3. “Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God.” -A.W. Tozer, "The Pursuit of God" 4. “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country.” -C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity" 5. “You have made us for Yourself; and our hearts are restless until they find rest in You.” -Augustine of Hippo

If you're feeling the weight of past trauma and struggling to heal, then you are not alone! The journey to healing from abuse and trauma is often filled with challenges, and finding the right tools to navigate this journey can be overwhelming. But what if there was a resource that could guide you through this process and help you cultivate well-being? In this episode, you will be able to: Explore the transformative power of therapy in healing from abuse and trauma and reclaiming your well-being. Uncover the impact of narcissism in church leadership and gain insights into navigating the complexities of this issue. Discover the invaluable benefits of professional mental health support and how it can positively impact your healing journey. Understand the profound connection between attachment issues and trauma recovery and how it influences your healing process. Embrace the role of self-regulation in effective leadership and learn how it can enhance your personal and professional growth. My special guest is Dr. Chuck DeGroat Chuck DeGroat is a professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, where he also serves as the founding executive director of the clinical mental health counseling program. He is a licensed therapist, spiritual director, author, retreat leader speaker, and faculty member with the Soul Care Institute. As a therapist, he specializes in navigating issues of abuse and trauma, pastoral (and leadership) health, and doubt and dark nights on the faith journey. He trains clergy in handling issues of abuse and trauma, conducts pastor and planter assessments, and facilitates church consultations and investigations of abuse. Before transitioning to training and forming pastors, Chuck served as a pastor in Orlando and San Francisco. He and his wife, Sara, have been married for 30 years and have two adult daughters. Listen to our previous episode with Chuck DeGroat on EPS 42. The key moments in this episode are: 00:11:03 - Faux Vulnerability in Church Leadership 00:13:09 - Misuse of Self-Work for Immunity 00:13:40 - Dysfunctional Dynamics in Churches 00:14:58 - Toxic Leadership and Manipulation 00:19:06 - Nervous System Dysregulation 00:22:10 - Healing Attachment Wounds 00:25:52 - Transformation and Non-Anxious Presence 00:26:17 - Recognizing Patterns of Toxic Behavior 00:27:24 - Accountability and Systemic Change 00:29:15 - Rebuilding for the Future 00:30:49 - Understanding Shame Dynamics 00:35:15 - Rediscovering the Goodness of the Heart 00:39:20 - Men Doing Deeper Work 00:40:02 - Bullying and Women 00:41:15 - Complimenting Each Other's Work 00:41:39 - Encouraging Curiosity and Healing 00:42:42 - Embracing Curiosity and Healing 00:53:11 - Finding Healing and Freedom Trauma is not what happens to us, but what happens within. - Chuck DeGroat Pre-order Healing What's Within by Dr. Chuck DeGroat on his website chuckdegroat.net. Join the Launch Team. Join the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference to access exclusive content, including additional insights from Dr. Chuck DeGroat. Explore additional resources recommended by Dr. Chuck DeGroat at the end of each chapter, such as Dan Allender's To Be Told: Know Your Story, Shape Your Life and Frederick Buechner's Telling Secrets. Engage in introspective and mindful practices to support your healing journey, such as deep breathing, visualization, EMDR and brainspotting. Gift Healing What's Within to friends or loved ones who could benefit from the valuable tools and insights shared in the book. Follow the podcast here: https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/aworldofdifference/ https://www.twitter.com/@awodpod https://www.youtube.com/@aworldofdifference https://www.facebook.com/A-World-of-Difference-613933132591673/ https://www.instagram.com/aworldof.difference https://www.patreon.com/aworldofdifference Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sermon Resources: Scripture References - John 8:31-32, John 14:6, Deuteronomy 23:21-23, Ecclesiastes 5:4, Psalm 50:14, Matthew 5:34-37, Luke 16:10 1. "Spin Room" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_room 2. “There is perhaps nothing that so marks us as human as the gift of speech…By speaking, we can reveal the hiddenness of thought, we can express the subtlest as well as the most devastating of emotions, we can heal, we can make poems, we can pray. All of which is to say we can speak truth—the truth of what it is to be ourselves, to be with each other, to be in the world—and such speaking as that is close to what being human is all about. What makes lying an evil is not only that the world is deceived by it, but that we are dehumanized by it.” -Frederick Buechner, "Wishful Thinking" 3. "The essence of swearing that Jesus targets here is about invoking something or someone else, especially God, to make your own words more significant or weighty. The aim is to impress others with your seriousness or piety so that you get what you want. It's a device of manipulation designed to override the judgment or input of others in order to possess them for our purposes. It's manipulation, or, as we say in our culture, “spin.” And Jesus says it's evil. Instead of loving and honoring others with truthfulness, the intent is to get one's way by verbal manipulation of the thoughts and choices of others.” -Dallas Willard, "The Divine Conspiracy" 4. “The tendency to lie is absolutely natural in the child, and if not checked, leads to deeper and deeper evil. That children lie, steal, cheat, and want to make reality what they want it to be is routinely observable. The fact that some people grow into honest adults is absolutely remarkable.” -M. Scott Peck, "People of the Lie" 5. "Just as forgiveness is the one way to be free from your painful past, so promising is the only way to be free from your unpredictable future. But it is not only that I know myself in the mirror of my promises. My people, the ones who belong to me, who depend on me, also know me by the promises I have made. What I promise is what I am and will be to them. Only if they really know what I am can they live with me in trust. They know me in the important way, not by reading my therapist's notes, but by knowing my power to keep promises.” -Lewis Smedes, "Controlling The Unpredictable"

There is this quote by writer and theologian Frederick Buechner. He writes, “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.” …But I always sort of wanted to amend his original words. Because the more honest truth is: “Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Be a little afraid.” Life is so beautiful. And life is so hard. For everyone. Sometimes at the same time. That is the premise behind my latest book of meditations called Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day! Perhaps these reflections on hope and fear in the midst of our real lives resonate with whatever it is you're facing today. Pick up a copy (or listen on audio) wherever books are sold.   Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts. Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this interpolated episode among those on our slow-walk through Dante's masterpiece, COMEDY, let's discuss the specific sin of anger (or wrath), particularly as it related to both PURGATORIO (the canticle we're in) and INFERNO (where we've come from).Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the definitions and inside-the-poem problems of anger.If you'd like to help underwrite the fees associated with this podcast, please consider donating a one-time gift or a small monthly stipend through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:22] Anger is the first sin or human failing found overtly in both INFERNO (at cantos VII and VIII) and PURGATORIO (at cantos XV - XVII).[08:14] Dante's earlier thoughts on the answer to wrath in CONVIVIO.[12:10] Why is calling anger a sin such a problem in Christian theology?[16:02] Comparing INFERNO, Cantos XV and XVI, with PURGATORIO, Cantos XV and XVI.[21:00] Frederick Buechner's definition of anger from WISHFUL THINKING: A SEEKER'S ABC.

Our country needs healing, and it starts with bringing healing to your workplace.    Frederick Buechner said, "Pay attention to the things that bring a tear to your eye or a lump in your throat because they are signs that the Holy is drawing near." What injustice in your community brings you to tears? Homelessness, poverty, joblessness, sexual exploitation? What can you do about it? God provided you with a job and an income. What is that income for? For providing for your family and for bringing healing to your community. God asks that you Consider 10% of your income for ministering to the needs of the lost and broken. Sometimes those lost and broken are right next to you at work. Remember, Jesus is a healer, and since we follow Jesus, we are healers too. 

Our country needs healing, and it starts with bringing healing to your workplace.   Frederick Buechner once said, "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." I believe the greatest need is the healing of the lost and broken. Likely you have noticed brokenness in your workplace that needs to be healed. What are you doing about it? Praying about it? Seeking to understand it? Trying to find the person who is causing the brokenness? In our workplaces, we often find broken people bring their brokenness to work with them, and it multiplies. It's one reason you as a Jesus-follower are there. That brokenness needs healing, and you know the best healer in the world. Remember, since we follow Jesus, we are healers too. 

Mark 4.26-34 In the end the parables are stories that Jesus tells about himself. He is the Good Shepherd off in search of the lost, he is the fatted calf sacrificed for the party, on and on. And the branches of his kingdom are a place of grace for everyone. Grace, as Frederick Buechner was apt to say, is something you can never get but only be given. There's no way to earn it, or deserve it, or bring it about, anymore than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream, or earn good looks, or bring about your own birth. And a crucial eccentricity to our faith is that we are saved by grace, by God's action toward us in the person of Jesus Christ. There's nothing *you* have to do, there's nothing you *have* to do, there's nothing you have to *do*. Which means grace might seem like a small thing, but Jesus does a lot with a little...

Hello to you listening in Powder Springs, Georgia!Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.What is vocation? Frederick Buechner says, “...it's the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep hunger. What a long time it can take to discover, to be called to  your deep identity, your true self who came here with your very own vocation. Yes, for some of us it can be a long way to find out who we've always been and then to become that. We may wish to try on the selves of other people but at the end of the day the question still remains: Why are you not you?It was a very long walk but I found my way as Quarter Moon Story Arts. Story Prompt: Who are you when you are your truest self? Where does your deep gladness meet the world's deep hunger? Write that story!You're always invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you please subscribe, spread the word with a generous 5-star review and comment - it helps us all - and join us next time!Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:✓ Check out Services I Offer,✓ Arrange your no-sales, Complimentary Coaching Consult,✓ Opt In to my Every Now and Again NewsAudioLetter for bonus gift, valuable tips & techniques to enhance your story work , and✓ Stay current with Diane on Substack (Wyzga on Words) and on LinkedIn Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Mer's Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicAll content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. 

Brent Billings and Reed Dent listen to the voice of Psalm 19.Firefly [Lightning Bug] — WikipediaWishful Thinking by Frederick BuechnerPsalm 19: The Heavens Declare the Glory of God — Aleph BetaReflections: Christianity Makes Sense of the World — C. S. Lewis Institute“The Merton Prayer” — Reflections, Yale Divinity School

Ep. 125 (Part 1 of 3) | Purpose guide, activist, nonduality student/teacher, and meditation teacher Jonathan Gustin is passionate about bringing the subject of the metacrisis into spiritual practice, essentially updating spiritual traditions that originated on deeply local levels to reflect the world of interrelated global crises we live in today. Jonathan proposes we delve into the relationship between nondual awakening and the metacrisis, using the metacrisis as our spiritual koan, and fostering within our contemplative practice a sense of responsibility for life that manifests in activism. Jonathan's focus is also on guiding individuals to explore the notion of soul-level purpose—not only to discover our true purpose but embody a purpose that is consistent with love without boundaries. This is a warm, lively, far reaching, and enlightening discussion, tying many intriguing subjects to the overarching theme of nonduality, metacrisis, and soul-level purpose: Native American vision questing, karma yoga, skillful communication, the developmental stages of purpose, the consequences of the delusion of separateness, the difference between humancentric nonduality and ecocentric nonduality, and much more. It is deeply inspirational to approach the metacrisis (which Jonathan provides a wonderful definition of) as an investigation into our relationship with life and reality. Recorded April 4, 2024.“When we wake up, we wake up to a love and a responsibility for all things.”(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1Introducing meditation teacher, activist, nondual student/teacher, and founder of the Purpose Guides Institute & the Green Sangha organization, Jonathan Gustin (00:51)What inspired Jonathan to adopt climate change as a spiritual practice: Jonathan's vision of whole person midwifery (02:20)A passion for bringing spiritual practice and activism together (04:20)How can the metacrisis inform nonduality? How can nonduality inform the metacrisis? (05:27)Why does a nondual experience not effect more change in people? (07:43)Nonduality defined: “not two;” the difference between separate and individual, and the underlying unity of reality (09:42)The responsibility aspect: expanding our circle of care, the realization that we are responsible to life brings us to our purpose (12:50) Marrying liberation (moksha) and service (dharma) into one: liberation/service (15:03)Purpose discovery falls between self-actualization and self-transcendence (17:04)Native American nondual wisdom and Jonathan's daily practice (19:45)“What is this?” Seung Sahn and Kalu Rinpoche (23:16)For the first time in history we can access all the world's wisdom: YouTube is the new Alexandria (24:12)Privilege, the top 1%, and the option of service (26:11)Handling the overwhelm of the world's suffering (29:10)Awakening soul-level purpose and mythopoetic identity (31:09)Understanding and implementing whole person midwifery: Who are you at a soul level? Who are your people? What are you good at? (34:27)“Find the place where your deepest gladness and the world's deep hunger meet” – Frederick Buechner (37:51)Resources...

Sermon Resources: 1. “We don't believe something by merely saying we believe it, or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true.” -Dallas Willard, "Renovation of the Heart" 2. “Do you love your faith so little that you have never battled a single fear lest your faith should not be true? Where there are no doubts, no questions, no perplexities, there can be no growth." -George MacDonald, "The Curate's Awakening" 3. “We live in a culture that has, for centuries now, cultivated the idea that the skeptical person is always smarter than the one who believes. You can be almost as stupid as a cabbage, as long as you doubt. The fashion of the age has identified mental sharpness with a pose of doubt, not with genuine intellectual method and character.” -Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing A Conversational Relationship With God 4. “I believe in Christ and confess him not like some child; my hosanna has passed through an enormous furnace of doubt.” -Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Last Notebook | 1880-1881 5. “I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; and consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption…For myself, as no doubt for most of my friends, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation from a certain system of morality. We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.” -Aldous Huxley, Ends and Means 6. “What we have to remember is that our eyes are not all we have for seeing with, maybe not even the best we have. Our eyes tell us that the mountains are green in summer and in autumn the colors of flame. They tell us that the nose of the little girl is freckled, that her hair usually needs combing, that when she is asleep, her cheek is flushed and moist…But all these things are only facts because facts are all the eye can see. Eyes cannot see truth. The truth about the mountains is their great beauty. The truth about the child is that she is so precious that without a moment's hesitation we would give our lives to save her life if that should somehow ever become necessary. It is not with the eyes of the head that we see truths like that, but with the eyes of the heart.” -Frederick Buechner, "The Seeing Heart"

Author, pastor, educator, counselor and storyteller Jeffrey Munroe shares his new book, Telling Stories in the Dark: Finding Healing and Hope in Sharing our Sadness, Grief, Trauma, and Pain. Jeff draws on a lifetime of ministry in churches, universities, and Young Life both in the USA and Europe. He's concluded that spiritual health is not so much about right beliefs as it is about telling our stories in an environment of safety and affirmation. In a chapter entitled,  “I'll Go First,” he shares the traumatic moment, just a month before his planned wedding, when his fiance with no warning experienced a sudden, massive stroke. As a young man, he got very little support. He was told to “be strong.” “There's a purpose.” You need to hear this story. It's the age-old problem of theodicy - how can a loving God allow unimaginable tragedy? In a wide-ranging conversation, Jeff draws on significant sources like Bessel VanderKolk, Frederick Beuchner, and Richard Rohr. In sharing some very personal stories, he deals with issues like terminal cancer, racial disparity in health care, gun violence, white privilege, Alzheimer's and suicide. In each, he applies a strong message from the vulnerable writer, Frederick Buechner who introduced the notion of “the stewardship of pain.” SHOW NOTESBuy Jeff's Book on AmazonBecome a PatronSupport the show

Sermon Resources: 1. Audio clip is not our own - from Disney's "Zootopia" (2016) 2. Sloth is "aversion to the divine good in us." -Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae" 3. “Sloth is not to be confused with laziness. Lazy people, people who sit around and watch the grass grow, may be people at peace. Their sun-drenched, bumblebee dreaming may be the prelude to action or itself an act well worth the acting. Slothful people, on the other hand, may be very busy people. They are people who go through the motions, who fly on automatic pilot. Like somebody with a bad head cold, they have mostly lost their sense of taste and smell. They know something's wrong with them, but not wrong enough to do anything about. Other people come and go, but through glazed eyes they hardly notice them. They are letting things run their course. They are getting through their lives.” -Frederick Buechner, "Wishful Thinking" 4. “The puzzle is why so many people live so badly. Not so wickedly, but so inanely. Not so cruelly, but so stupidly. There is little to admire and less to imitate in the people who are prominent in our culture. We have celebrities but not saints. Famous entertainers amuse a nation of bored insomniacs. Infamous criminals act out the aggressions of timid conformists. Petulant and spoiled athletes play games vicariously for lazy and apathetic spectators. People, aimless and bored, amuse themselves with trivia and trash. Neither the adventure of goodness nor the pursuit of righteousness gets headlines.” -Eugene Peterson, "Run With The Horses" 5. Article on "languishing:" https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html 6. “To our chagrin we discover that the declaration of self-determination has issued not in a race of free, masterly humans, but rather in a race that can be described by its poets and dramatists only as bored, vexed, frantic, embittered, and sniffling.” -Thomas Howard, "Chance or The Dance?" 7. “Sloth is the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, loves nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing, and remains alive only because there is nothing it would die for.” -Dorothy Sayers, "Letters to a Diminished Church: Passionate Arguments for the Relevance of Christian Doctrine" 8. “Can you hate the world enough to want to change it, and yet love it enough to see it worth changing?” -G.K. Chesterton, "Orthodoxy" 9. Boston Globe study: https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2018/05/19/don-get-too-comfortable-america-relentless-pursuit-convenience-and-relaxation/liWGIaQgFNWMXVU7Pvl0rN/story.html 10. "The Lonely Century," by Noreena Hertz 11. “‘Nothing' is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like…You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy [God]. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the ‘Nothing.' Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” -C.S. Lewis, "The Screwtape Letters" 12. Prayer from the Breastplate of St. Patrick

Weekend Edition for March 9-10, 2024 Show Notes: Support 1517 1517 Podcasts The 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 on Youtube What's New from 1517: Remembering Rod Rosenbladt New 1517 Academy Course: The Early Church: Christ, Controversies and Characters with Bruce Hillman Preorder: Encouragement for Motherhood Edited by Katie Koplin Preorder: Be Thou My Song by Kerri Tom Here We Still Stand 2023 Videos are Available on YouTube Last Chance: NWA Conference May 3rd-4th More from the hosts: Dan van Voorhis SHOW TRANSCRIPTS are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac CONTACT: CHA@1517.org SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Overcast Google Play FOLLOW US: Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (gillespie.media).

Join us this Lenten season for a transformative journey as we delve into the depths of human nature with our sermon series titled "Glittering Vices." In this series, we will courageously confront the timeless struggles that plague our souls – the seven deadly sins. As we explore each vice, from vainglory to greed, envy to wrath, we will uncover the deceptive allure that they hold, captivating us with their glittering promises of fulfillment and always leading us instead to spiritual, emotional, and physical ruin. Through reflection we will learn how so many of our regular behaviors can easily stem from these seven vices, and how learning to repent and return to God in the midst of them can lead us to the sort of eternal life Jesus came to bring us. Join us as we journey through the shadows of our souls, seeking redemption and embracing the light of God's love. Listen as Pastor Clint explores the sin of wrath this week through Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. We'll see wrath's primary symptoms, the way they are prevalent in our hearts and culture, and the prescription Jesus gives for them. Sermon Resources: 1. Mark 3:1-6 2. Mark 10:13-16 3. Ephesians 4:26 4. “Think how we feel when we see someone we love ravaged by unwise actions or relationships. Do we respond with benign tolerance as we might towards strangers? Far from it. We get angry. Anger isn't the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference. The more a father loves his son, the more he's angry at the drunkard, the liar, the traitor in him.” -Becky Pippert, "Hope Has Its Reasons" 5. “He who is not angry when there is cause sins, for unreasonable patience is the hotbed of many vices; it fosters negligence, and incites not only the wicked but the good to do wrong.” -John Chrysostom 6. Colossians 3:8 7. James 1:9 8. Proverbs 14:29 9. Proverbs 19:11 10. “He is a fool who cannot be angry; but he is wise who will not remain so.” -English Proverb 11. “The most important thing in your life is not what you do. It is who you become.” -Dallas Willard 12. Road rage studies: https://www.thezebra.com/resources/research/road-rage-statistics/ 13. Yale study on social media: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/430608-trending-science-social-media-making-us-angrier-study-reveals 14. “Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back–in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” -Frederick Buechner, "Wishful Thinking" 15. “My anger has too often seemed out of proportion–that is, too great or too little, more often too great–for the occasion that gave rise to it. My anger has more often distressed those I love than it has afflicted those at whom I was angry. My anger has not carried me far enough toward changing what legitimately enrages me.” -Garret Keizer, "The Enigma of Anger: Essays on a Sometimes Deadly Sin" 16. “Every time you decide to let your anger smolder on inside you, you are becoming a little less than fully human. You are deciding to belittle yourself. And if you are the sort of person who sneers at everybody and calls them names, the fire inside you may eventually become all that's left of you, as Gehenna–the smoldering garbage dump of ancient Jerusalem–may take you over completely.” -N.T. Wright, "Matthew For Everyone" 17. "Love Your Enemy," sermon by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Lenten season is a time of thoughtfulness and reflection, a call to remember who we are, and a time to get back in touch with our souls; our guide to the more of life. And Jesus' life renews all of this in every one of us. SLIDES GEORGE READ IN OUR GATHERING Our stories are all stories of searching. We search for a good self to be and for good work to do. We search to become human in a world that tempts us always to be less than human. We search to love and to be loved. And in a world where it is often hard to believe in much of anything, we search to believe in something holy and beautiful and life-transcending that will give meaning and purpose to the lives we live.    Frederick Buechner, The Longing For Home God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. Romans 8:29, The Message Jesus was able to listen to each of these voices and knew he was rooted in the strength and peace of divine love that was deeper than any other aim or attempt at significance, meaning, or strength. It is the genius of Jesus. And of us, too.

Brent Billings, Reed Dent, and Josh Bossé discuss Psalm 13.The Message of the Psalms by Walter BrueggemannTelling the Truth by Frederick BuechnerBEMA 282: John — The Dance of Grief

Sermon Resources: 1. "Rethinking Sex: A Provocation," by Christine Emba 2. Washington Post Article on sex: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/03/17/sex-ethics-rethinking-consent-culture/ 3. NYT Article on sex: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/07/opinion/sex-consent-dating-boundaries.html 4. CNN Study on American sex lives: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/health/young-americans-less-sex-intl-scli-wellness/index.html#:~:text=Young%20Americans%20are%20having%20less%20sex%20%E2%80%93%20and%20they%20can't,survey%20data%20from%20US%20adults. 5. Pew study on dating dissatisfaction: https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/08/20/nearly-half-of-u-s-adults-say-dating-has-gotten-harder-for-most-people-in-the-last-10-years/ 6. “The bodily exposure that arouses and accompanies sex can be profoundly symbolic and powerfully healing if it's the concrete sign of what's happening in the whole relationship…Mutual disclosure and tender acceptance is not the activity of a moment but the fabric of a lifetime's weaving.” -John White, "Eros Defiled" 7. “Contrary to Mrs. Prude, sex is not a sin. Contrary to Hugh Hefner, it's not salvation either. Like nitroglycerin, it can be used either to blow up bridges or heal hearts.” -Frederick Buechner, "Wishful Thinking" 8. “I cannot keep a bird from flying over my head. But I can certainly keep it from nesting in my hair or biting my nose off.” -Martin Luther 9. “Chastity is a pro-love lifstyle, and therefore a virtue one needs whether single, married, old, or young. It is not something you need only when dating or surfing the internet; it is a quality of one's character, evident in all areas of life. It is a project of becoming a person with an outlook that allows one to selflessly appreciate good and attractive things--most especially bodies and the pleasures they afford--by keeping those goods ordered to the good of the whole person and his or her vocation to love. Christianity's fundamental question is, “How can my life--my thoughts, my choices, my emotional responses, my conversation, and my behavior--make me a person who is best prepared to give and receive love in relationship with others.” --Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, “Glittering Vices”

In the Season 4 premiere episode of the Behold Podcast, our hosts Beth Whitney and Craig Hardinger discuss the most impactful books they've read in 2023. Sit back and enjoy the dialogue between Beth and Craig as they share the stories that inspire and challenge them. Beth's Reading List: 1. "Everything Sad is Untrue" - Daniel Nayeri https://amzn.to/49gUhNB 2. "Telling the Truth: the Gospel as Comedy, Tragedy, and Fairytale" -Frederick Buechner https://amzn.to/3wi1QFv 3."Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts" - Jennie Allen https://amzn.to/4bEl6wT 4. "The Invisible Library" -Genevieve Cogman https://amzn.to/3uArB3a 5. "7 Family Ministry Essentials" - Michelle Anthony & Megan Marshman https://amzn.to/49DIkBF   Craig's Reading List: 1. "After Doubt" - A.J. Swoboda https://amzn.to/3SY5ywB 2. "John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace" - Jonathan Aitken https://amzn.to/3UHpLrU 3. "The Lies We Are Told, The Truth We Must Hold" - Sharon James https://amzn.to/3wkDbzZ 4. "Bullies and Saints" -John Dickson https://amzn.to/49fUEbc 5. "How The Nations Rage" - Jonathan Leeman https://amzn.to/3wijrgkIf you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or feedback about this podcast. Please send our team an e-mail at behold@arcadechurch.com Follow us on Social Media Instagram: @arcadechurch YouTube: Arcade.Church Facebook: Arcade Church

Bringing curiosity to whatever happens: Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. -Frederick Buechner

“Here is the world,” writes theologian Frederick Buechner. “Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.”Those words rooted Amy Butler through some of the darkest moments of her life. As Butler slowly embraced her call to be a pastor, she was rejected by her conservative evangelical family, who doesn't believe women should be in pastoral roles. She was the first woman ever appointed to lead the historic Riverside Church in New York City, but the challenges of breaking the “stained glass ceiling” almost caused her to lose her faith. In her new memoir, “Beautiful and Terrible Things,” Butler takes us inside her life story. She covers joyful and painful moments, including the loss of a child, her unexpected divorce and the hardships of being a woman in ministry. But ultimately, as she tells MPR News host Kerri Miller on this week's Big Books and Bold Ideas, she found that vulnerability is worth it. Butler writes in the introduction, “The invitation to become who we're meant to be happens at the intersection of human pain and divine hope, and almost always in the context of relationship.”Guest: Rev. Amy Butler is currently pastoring a Baptist church in her home state of Hawaii. Her new book is “Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt and Discovering a Way Back To Each Other.”Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“For outlandish creatures like us, on our way to a heart, a brain, and courage, Bethlehem is not the end of our journey but only the beginning - not home but the place through which we must pass if ever we are to reach home at last.”~Frederick Buechner, The Magnificent Defeat “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” ~The Gospel of Matthew 26:52-54 “The Trumpet Child will blow his hornWill blast the sky till it's rebornWith Gabriel's power and Satchmo's graceHe will surprise the human race;The trumpet he will use to blowIs being fashioned out of fireThe mouthpiece is a glowing coalThe bell a burst of wild desire. The Trumpet Child will riff on loveThelonious notes from up aboveHe'll improvise a kingdom comeAccompanied by a different drum;The Trumpet Child will banquet hereUntil the lost are truly foundA thousand days, a thousand years,Nobody knows for sure how long. The rich forget about their goldThe meek and mild are strangely boldA lion lies beside a lambAnd licks a murderer's outstretched hand;The Trumpet Child will lift a glassHis bride now leaning in at lastHis final aim to fill with joyThe earth that man all but destroyed.”~ “The Trumpet Child,” Over the RhineSERMON PASSAGEMicah 4:1-7 (ESV)1 It shall come to pass in the latter days  that the mountain of the house of the Lord  shall be established as the highest of the mountains,  and it shall be lifted up above the hills;  and peoples shall flow to it,2 and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,  to the house of the God of Jacob,  that he may teach us his ways  and that we may walk in his paths.”  For out of Zion shall go forth the law,  and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.3 He shall judge between many peoples,  and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;  and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,  and their spears into pruning hooks;  nation shall not lift up sword against nation,   neither shall they learn war anymore;4 but they shall sit every man under his vine and  under his fig tree,  and no one shall make them afraid,  for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.5 For all the peoples walk  each in the name of its god,  but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.6 In that day, declares the Lord,  I will assemble the lame  and gather those who have been driven away  and those whom I have afflicted;7 and the lame I will make the remnant,  and those who were cast off, a strong nation;  and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion  from this time forth and forevermore.

Join Katherine & Jay as they welcomes beloved friends of the Hope Heals community, David Thomas and Sissy Goff in for a candid conversation on parenting. The best stuff comes from the hard stuff, but none of us want our kids to go through the hard stuff. What decisions are we making to stand in the way of our kids experiencing opportunities for resilience and growth in safe ways? This is a great conversation that you do not want to miss! David is the Director of Family Counseling and has been a part of the Daystar staff for the last 25 years. He guides Daystar as co-executive director, meets with clients for parent consults, provides assessments with new families and supervises the guys' staff. He is the author of ten books including the best-selling Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son can Build on for Life. He co-hosts the “Raising Boys & Girls” podcast and has become a sought-after speaker across the country. Sissy is the Executive Director of Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, where she works alongside her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Since 1993, she has been helping girls and their parents find confidence in who they are and hope in who God is making them to be. Sissy is a sought-after speaker for parenting events across the country and is a frequent guest on media outlets including CNN, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, NBC Nightly News, and Christianity Today. She is the bestselling author of 13 books including her latest, The Worry-Free Parent: Finding the Confidence You Need So Your Kids Can, Too. -- “If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it.” - Richard Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality ““Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.” - Frederick Buechner, Beyond Words: Daily Readings in the ABC's of Faith “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being,the more joy you can contain.” - Khalil Gibran, “Oh Joy and Sorrow” ---- Want some hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for our semi-monthly Hope Note⁠⁠ for a little dose of hope and encouragement along the way. Learn more about us here: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Find us on Instagram⁠

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“We must never look at any sin in our past life in any way except that which leads us to praise God and to magnify His grace in Christ Jesus.”~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) in Spiritual Depression “What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are … because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing.”~Frederick Buechner (1926-2022) in Telling Secrets “The Christian is righteous and a sinner at the same time, holy and profane, an enemy of God and a child of God. Only those who understand the true meaning of justification will understand this apparent paradox.”~Martin Luther (1483-1546) in Second Lectures on Galatians “[T]he moment you begin to have faith, you learn that all things in you are altogether blameworthy, sinful and damnable. When you have learned this, you will know that you need Christ, who suffered and rose again for you, so that if you believe in him, you may, through faith become a new man… [Y]our sins are forgiven, and you are justified by the merits of another, namely of Christ alone.”~Martin Luther in The Freedom of a Christian “We obey God not because we are afraid of what He will do to us if we do not. Rather, we obey Him because we are moved by all that He has done for us in Jesus Christ. He has lovingly elected us and sprinkled us with the sin-forgiving, grace-abounding blood of Jesus.”~Anthony J. Carter, pastor and author “Of all the things the serpent could come for, it is our faith he attacks most.” “You may be tempted to believe that God has changed because your circumstances have, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be God. He'd be you.”~Jackie Hill Perry in Holier Than Thou: How God's Holiness Helps Us Trust HimSERMON PASSAGE Galatians 3 15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. Genesis 3 14 The Lord God said to the serpent,“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.15       I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring;he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.”

In this episode Dr. Jeff Myers speaks with Dr. Andrew Newell. He is the Junior Research Fellow in Literature & Theology at Wycliffe Hall and the English Faculty at the University of Oxford. He has researched and taught on topics including theology, poetry, hymnology, museology, and more. Andrew is also the editor of The Buechner Review: an annual publication dedicated to the work of the American author, Frederick Buechner. Listen to every episode of the Dr. Jeff Show wherever you listen to podcasts. For more from Dr. Jeff on YouTube visit http://bit.ly/3flbj2j For more resources from Summit Ministries visit their Resource Library at www.summit.org/resources/

Ask A Question: saythatpodcast@gmail.com thebridgechicago.tumblr.com/ask (Anonymous) It's been a while since I have prayed. It feels weird to try to like, get back in the habit. How do I do that?  (14:42-28:00) In Luke 10, Jesus tells the disciples “whoever rejects you rejects me”. What does this mean for us today. I reject a lot of the stuff said by Christian leaders. I don't think that means I am rejecting Jesus. (28:04-40:52) I know that negative emotions can't lead me to change. But I do have negative feelings that are part of me wanting to change, so what do I do with them while I am working on things? (40:58-57:51) Passage on prayer by Frederick Buechner that Jed mentioned: https://www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day/2016/4/25/prayer Closing Song: Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee (Eric Peters)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comJon is the chief national correspondent for Yahoo News and the host of “The Long Game” podcast. His first book was Camelot's End: Kennedy v Carter and the Fight that Broke the Democratic Party, and his new book is Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation. You can also follow Jon's writing on his substack, Border-Stalkers, and on his website, jonwardwrites.org.For two clips of our convo — on the joys of being evangelical Christian, and the sexual struggles of male evangelicals — pop over to our YouTube page. Other topics: Jon growing up in the Jesus Movement in the '70s and '80s; speaking in tongues; the insecurity of evangelicals toward mainstream culture; Catholic hymns vs the music of evangelicals; Catholicism as anti-subjective and anti-emotional compared to evangelicalism; when the Southern Baptist Convention tolerated abortion; the evangelical and Catholic alliance after Roe v. Wade; Paul Weyrich; Reinhold Niebuhr; Frederick Buechner; structural sin; Calvinism and predestination; Saint Francis; the indifference of Jesus toward gender roles; same-sex marriage and the Mormon settlement over it; Garry Wills' Constantine's Sword; Kevin Hasson's The Right to Be Wrong; how Christians should embrace political loss; Christianism and Trump; and the crosses wheeled out on January 6.Heads up that the Dish is taking Holy Week off as our spring break. See you back on the pod the Friday after the Good one. Happy Easter and Passover!

We're checking back in with Solomon in this latest episode! Join Knox and Jamie along with Resident Bible Scholar Erin Moon as we explore Solomon's interaction with one of the most disputed and over-decorated characters in the Bible, the Queen of Sheba. You'll also hear a history of shaving, talk about a whisper network of birds, and why you shouldn't have any new friends. MENTIONSMain Biblical Text for the Episode: 1 Kings 9-11Casting: LaKeith Stanfield | Gabrielle Union Summer of Solomon: Listen to Solomon, Pt 1Author Queen of Sheba: Read You Got Anything Stronger by Gabrielle UnionExtra Credit: Listen to BSQTNA: Solomon's Temple on PatreonSolomon Deep Dive: Extend your learning hereSo did he write any books in the Bible? Learn more hereBONUS CONTENTIn this week's Mini-Favored or Forsaken, Erin and Jamie are talking about Frederick Buechner and Jehovah's Witnesses returning to door knocking. You can listen to this conversation and so much for just $5 a month over at The Bible Binge Seminary. GENTLE REBUKEOur resident Bible scholar Erin Moon offers a gentle rebuke at the end of most episodes. Erin is a Bible study editor and Senior Creative/Producer of The Popcast Media Group from Birmingham. Find her on Instagram.THE POPCASTCheck out our other podcast: The Popcast with Knox and Jamie. It's a weekly show about pop culture where we educate on the things that entertain, but don't matter. Here is our suggested Popcast starter playlist.Subscribe to our Newsletter: The Bible Binge Bulletin Get The Bible Binge Merch: Shop hereShop our Amazon Link: amazon.com/shop/thepopcastFollow The Bible Binge on Socials: Instagram | Twitter | FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.