Podcasts about other conversations

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. We're talking with Jon Thompson, senior pastor of Sanctus Church, a multisite church on the east side of Toronto. Jon has served at Sanctus for 25 years and has helped lead the church through seasons of growth, renewal, revival, and cultural change. In this conversation, he shares insights from his latest book, Presence: Resilient Witness in Times of Retreat and Revival, and explores how churches can faithfully witness in an increasingly post-Christian—and even re-paganized—culture. Learn to minister in a re-paganized culture. // Jon believes Canada offers a glimpse of where many parts of the United States may be heading. Churches are increasingly engaging people with little or no Christian memory alongside Muslims, Hindus, atheists, New Agers, nominal Christians, and people shaped by contemporary cultural movements. The challenge is not simply to defend Christian truth, but to communicate the gospel thoughtfully and winsomely to radically different audiences at the same time. Open the three evangelistic doors. // Historically, love, word, and power describe three ways people encounter God. Love demonstrates God's character through hospitality and care. Word clarifies truth through preaching, apologetics, and teaching. Power reveals God's presence through experiences such as healing, deliverance, dreams, and other supernatural encounters. Jon argues that churches need all three doors open because different people encounter Jesus through different pathways. Admit your church's bias. // Most churches naturally lean toward one or two of these categories. Conservative evangelical churches often emphasize word. Other churches may prioritize love through compassion and justice, while still others focus heavily on supernatural experiences. Jon encourages leaders to honestly identify their bias and intentionally elevate the areas they tend to neglect. A healthy church needs all three working together rather than allowing one to dominate. Don't let fear quench what God is doing. // Jon tells the story of a woman who came to faith out of Hinduism after experiencing visions, spiritual conflict, and encounters with Jesus. When her church removed those elements from her baptism testimony because leaders were uncomfortable with them, she felt that an essential part of her story had been denied. Jon warns that fear, theological bias, and lack of experience can cause churches to suppress genuine ways God may be working in people's lives. Choose encounter and systems. // Jon believes churches often falsely pit spiritual encounter against organizational structure. Healthy churches need both. Leaders should build systems that support what God is doing without attempting to control it. As spiritual activity increases, churches may need to adjust volunteer processes, pastoral care systems, staff expectations, and leadership structures. The goal is not to eliminate order but to make the organization flexible enough to respond when circumstances change. Understand renewal, revival, and awakening. // Jon distinguishes between renewal, revival, and awakening. Renewal is the recovery of first love in individual believers. Revival is a sovereign move of God that He initiates and ends where sin is revealed and there’s widespread healing. Awakening happens when revival leads to widespread conversion. Leaders should not assume revival is guaranteed, but they should remain faithful and responsive whether God brings extraordinary renewal or simply calls them to steady obedience in an ordinary season. Start by refusing to resist God. // Before changing structures or launching new ministries, Jon believes leaders should begin with a simple posture: “Lord, whatever you want to do, I won't fight you.” Many pastors love God but still struggle to trust Him when ministry becomes unpredictable. Jon encourages leaders to confront their fear, relinquish control, and remain open to correction, repentance, and change. To learn more about Jon Thompson and his books, including Convergence, Perseverance, Presence, and the upcoming re-release of Deliverance, visit jonthompsonresources.com or Amazon.com. Other Conversations with Jon Thompson Reflections on Christian Ministry at the Halfway Point with Jon Thompson // February 8, 2024 What if John Stott, John Wimber, Dallas Willard & Andy Stanley Planted a Church with Jon Thompson? // March 14, 2019 Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. 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Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, Rich from the unSeminary Podcast. Listen, you’re going to want to lean in today for this conversation because I think this kind what you’re going to get a sneak peek on is something that’s impacting churches all over the world that’s having, I think, an interesting kind of moment and is maybe points to a bit of where God is at work. And I think could for many churches that are listening in today, give them a sense of maybe some next steps, what the kind of evolution or the development of their church, what that could look like for the future.Rich Birch — Plus, it’s one of those times where I get to talk with like a real live friend, somebody that I know from the real world, not just on the internet, which is so fun. Excited to have Jon Thompson with us. He is the senior pastor at Sanctus Church, a multi-site church in the east side of Toronto with four in-person locations plus church online. This church began in 1985 with just 40 people meeting and now averages over 2,600 weekend attendees with a plan to reach 3,600 by the end of the decade and open a sixth site in the T. Dot in Toronto in the six by 2030. Rich Birch — Jon has served at Sanctus for 25 years, starting as a youth pastor before becoming the senior pastor. He holds both a masters from Tyndale and a doctorate from Fuller. He grew up in Ecuador from missionary parents, he and his wife, Joanna, who’s incredible, have three kids. His books include Convergence, Deliverance, and Perseverance. And the brand new one that I’m excited to have him talk about today, Presence: Resilient Witness in Times of Retreat and Revival. And it’s from our friends at Zondervan Reflective.Rich Birch — Jon, welcome to the show. I am so glad that you’re here today. Welcome.Jon Thompson — Yeah great to be here. Great to be back on the podcast. Hang out with a real friend, like you said, and hi to anyone listening anywhere around the world today.Rich Birch — Yeah, this is good. I’m excited for this. For folks that haven’t maybe picked up a past episode, which you haven’t, you should go go back and find them. Jon’s been on a couple times, a few times. But give us kind of a picture of a normal Sunday at Sanctus. Who’s in the room? Give us a flavor for the church.Jon Thompson —  Yeah, so our church is located, like you said, on the east side of Toronto. And some of your viewers will know this, but lots might might not. Toronto is the most multicultural city on earth, more than London, more than, well, LA, more than New York, more than Singapore, more than Hong Kong. And so there’s between 150 and 300 heart languages spoken every single day in our amazing city, by the way, you got to come to Toronto. The food culture is unbelievable…Rich Birch — That’s true. That is true.Jon Thompson — …and unparalleled because everyone’s here. So on a Sunday morning, depending on our locations, again, because we have rural sites, urban sites, and suburban sites, which makes life interesting to say the least, but we probably got 55 plus identified nationalities. We probably I think we’re on 13 on staff right now. And so everything from someone from Hong Kong to someone who’s moved here from Pakistan. We’ve got Congolese. We’ve got Irish. I mean just fill in the blank and you’re going to discover the amazing diversity of the human race on this side of heaven. And we you know we made a decision a long time ago that we were going to fight for Revelation 7 on this side of uh the moment. Rich Birch — So good. Jon Thompson — And it’s exciting, it’s hard, it’s difficult, and it’s um and it’s worth it.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. You know, Canada is and I know we share this conviction. I know you’ve said it and I’ve said it on other podcasts when we’ve had Canadian friends on the podcast. But I think it’s really important, particularly, you know, 95 plus percent of the people listening are in the States. But I think it’s important just to to set the context. Because in a lot of ways, Canada is a few a few years ahead or behind, depending on what language you want to use, of our friends in the States. What do you mean by that? When you say that, what springs to mind?Jon Thompson — Yeah, so this is a very interesting place, right? Because Canada moved from, ah you know, Christendom worldview, to a nominal Christian worldview, to a struggling Christian worldview, to a post-Christian worldview. And now I think we’ve moved to a new place, which is not post-Christian, but repaganized.Jon Thompson — And so it’s a it’s a fascinating place. Because In our context, One moment, you’ll be talking to someone who still has Christian memory, who actually doesn’t love Jesus at all, but it’s a family thing. And it’s nominal Christianity. Jon Thompson — The next moment, you’ll still run into a Mormon telling you you’re worshiping the right and wrong Jesus. The next moment, it’s a New Ager. The next moment, it’s ah a Muslim activist. The next moment, it’s a transgender activist. The next moment, it’s someone who has no clue at all on anything.Jon Thompson — And so what’s fascinating about up here is you’ve got modern, postmodern. You’ve got conservative, you’ve got liberal. You’ve got the heart of the sexual revolution in the center center of our city. It’s one of the hubs of that globally. You’ve got every religion on earth. And you’ve got churches that are dying.Jon Thompson — I think, I don’t know of the latest stats. I still think that they’re they’re estimating one third of churches will close in the next decade in Canada, like physical ah buildings will close. And while that’s happening. And all that’s happening. You’ve got still sort of Christianity memory in certain groups, and then there are churches that are exploding. Jon Thompson — And so the the way I talk about we’re a little ahead is we are your future in some form. Because we’re facing down Jesus and how we deal with the gift of immigrants globally, but also the complication of that. We’re dealing with having to pivot the gospel to an a Muslim person, a Hindu person, a nominal Christian, and and a Mormon all in one conversation.Jon Thompson — There are Bible belts left in Canada, very small ones. But like Abbotsford, for example.Rich Birch — Little teeny tiny belts.Jon Thompson —  But but there are those places.Rich Birch — Sure. Yep.Jon Thompson — At the same time there is the post-christian thing. And the reason why I think our American friends should pay more attention to us is not because we’re we’re having a third cousin issue up here and we’re jealous. It’s because actually we reflect where you’re going. Because there are going to be sections in the United States that probably will remain nominally Christian and culturally Christian for a very long time. You know, in certain parts of Houston, for example, or maybe in sections of Kentucky or Louisiana. But then you go to New York and LA or Seattle. And here’s the point. The church has to speak to both audiences at once, which feels in contradiction. But isn’t.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. Yeah and I’ve definitely seen that. I like the uh the re-paganizing language you know I’ve used the uh the pre-christian that we’ve it’s like we’ve gone kind of all the way through. And that that totally has been my experience serving here. You know I took a break. I was in the States for a number of years better part of a decade and then came back. And one of the things I’ve noticed has been this shift kind of under the current. We used to say we used to joke actually we ain’t your mama’s church. But like, you can’t make that joke anymore because like mom didn’t go to church. Grandma didn’t go to church. Like nobody in there, you know, we run into that all the time. Like that’s, you know, really common.Jon Thompson — So like literally this week. This week, my daughter is doing swimming lessons. A woman comes up to us and says, hey, I hear you’re a pastor.Rich Birch — Yeah.Jon Thompson —  Really tragic thing. She says, my husband’s dying, 45 years old. And so my wife and I end up speaking to her, praying for her. And she’s like, I have never. So she’s 45 grown up Canada. She says, I’ve never owned a Bible. I’ve never read a Bible. Could I have a Bible? Jon Thompson — Now, for you listening in the Bible Belt before you dismiss this conversation and say not our fight, I just…May I do something for a moment? That might not be true because you’re surrounded by 400 churches. But every time you go online, it is your reality. So what we experience physically in Canada you digitally experience every day. And you have to be as as adaptive thoughtful, winsome, orthodox on your digital thinking as you do your physical thinking. And again, I’ll say this a little strongly. I find a lot of you aren’t.Rich Birch — Okay. We’re starting off spicy, which is great. Okay, so you’ve seen a lot of people. Part of what I love about Sanctus, friends like, I’m trying to, again, give some context. For folks that are listening in, Sanctus is known as a, you know this is a life-giving church. People, they come to Jesus here. This is the kind of place where people take steps towards faith in in Christ, which is amazing. You’ve seen a lot of that happen over the years at Sanctus—thousands of people. When you look back on some of the patterns in people’s lives, some of the, you know, the kind of themes that come back time and time again and how they arrived at that sort of decision. What are you noticing in people’s lives?Jon Thompson —  Well, like I just said about the diversity of our place, the diversity of conversions come from those places. And so like on a Sunday morning, I mean, our baptisms aren’t more epic than yours or anyone else. I mean, praise the Lord. Right.Rich Birch — Yes.Jon Thompson — We’ve got we’ve got 10 year olds confessing the faith of their parents. But it won’t be unusual for literally, I mean, this just happened. So we’ll have like two or three, not babies, but children who say, you know, I want to get baptized. And the next person’s like, I grew up an atheist. I’ve encountered the living God through Christ. The next person is I’m a former witch. And I just actually want to renounce Satan in the tank. And the next person’s like, I used to be a Muslim. And now I’ve actually found out that Jesus is Lord.Jon Thompson —  So, so, that is not now an uncommon experience at any of our sites. And what is behind that is not only that the gospel is good for everyone—praise the Lord—but we worked really hard to make sure that all the doors are open evangelistically to all people. And that gets to our bias in spiritual gifts. But you know—and we’ve had this conversation many times, you and I, Rich—but there are three historic categories that Bobby Clinton invented years ago we’ve used where he divides all the gifts, love, word, and power.Jon Thompson — So love gifts demonstrate the love of God in the room. Word gifts clarify who God is, who he’s not, what he likes, what he doesn’t. Power gifts evidence his presence in the room. That’s true of gifts, but to take a farther step out, those are three doors evangelistically.Jon Thompson — And this is why this is so critical. Because we have to have all three of those doors—such as, hospitality, apologetic defense of the gospel, and miracles and deliverance—open all the time. Because these are the ways people have always come to faith in our movement for 2,000 years. Jon Thompson — Now, all three doors have to lead to the true Christ because there are fake Jesuses. And there’s lots of heresy out there. And it has to be involved in repentance and belief and evidence by baptism. Amen. But I find most churches, theologically and experientially, are comfortable with one or maybe two of those things. And as I always lecture on this, like formally, if you sit on a three-legged stool and there are three legs…Rich Birch — Right.Jon Thompson — …and one leg is missing. You wobble on the best of days, but you usually fall down.Rich Birch — Yeah. I’d love to kind of double click on love, word, and power, these three legs of the stool. And so familiar with, some people will be familiar with that framework for gifting like you talked about, and but kind of give us a little more, you gave you kind of a quick overview of each of them from an evangelistic point of view, but kind of give me some examples or what it might look like in a church that’s opening that that door evangelistically, you know, the love, word, and power door.Jon Thompson — Yeah, and um I think we’re going to talk about this a little bit later. I mean there’s a lot behind these statements.Rich Birch — Yep. Yes.Jon Thompson —  Like almost 30 years of conversation. Rich Birch — Yes. Jon Thompson — But like this is the best way I’ll say it. I’ve seen this in my life. I’ve seen this in my kids’ life. I’ve seen this across our church for two two plus decades, almost three now. Can I tell some stories that might help?Rich Birch — Yeah of course. I love a good story.Jon Thompson — Yeah, so… yeah so like here here’s a great example guy a young adult guy is in his basement.And he’s smoking weed, high as a kite. Freaks freaks out. Okay, great.Rich Birch — Shocker.Jon Thompson — Shocker. But actually sees a demon and like panics. Calls someone at our church, a friend of his, and is like, I’m really scared. And she laughs. And she’s like, no problem. So her first thing is not. Oh you’re an idiot. Her first thing is not, oh, you’re inventing that. The first thing is not, well, of course you’re high, you’re seeing that. Her first reaction is, well, I’ve got an answer to that.Jon Thompson — She’s like, yeah, his name is Jesus. By the way, if you say his name, watch the demon leave and then come talk to us. So the guy—total pagan—does it. Rich Birch — Yeah.Jon Thompson — The demon leaves. He shows up next Sunday. He’s radically converted. Didn’t used to be able to read, by the way, very well. Now reads at a PhD level and on a theology sort of thing, like radically converted. And his starting point was a power encounter.Jon Thompson — Now the person next to it, next to him in a conversation is the one listening to John Lennox at Oxford on the the lack validity and the historicity of Jesus.Jon Thompson — Or or you know, and we’re like, yeah, of course. And then the next person, we were just talking to this on staff. So one of our so SLT members (senior leadership team) was talking about his conversion story. And his conversion story is one of his relatives—I think it was his mom—was really sick in the hospital. Two nurses come in, and and are Christians, start praying over her, and basically start committing you know hospitality in the hospital, probably in a way they’re not supposed to. She’s radically saved, ends up leading her son to Christ, and the hus…Jon Thompson — And and so so here’s all I’m trying to say. We have a gift bias that everyone should know their gifts and be using them not only internally in the church, but see how they work out evangelistically, but beyond the gift thing. This for us is normal. We talk about this in our sermons. We actually take the Bible literally in the sense of what we’ve defended is what we believe. I find a lot of conservative people defend the scriptures and don’t believe the thing they’re defending.Jon Thompson — So for us, when I look at the book of Acts, I’m like, we will see people come to faith through healings and through deliverances and through visions and through dreams, as much as John Lennox or or our good new friend Wes Huff from Canada, who’s on every podcast showing up why the Bible is reliable, and also through that incredible, Hey. Can you just talk to me? I’m really sad. Jon Thompson — And what I’m begging churches to do is this this matrix gives you the ability to pivot to multiple people, but you have to have a culture that believes this, defends it, defines it.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Jon Thompson — And makes the weird normal, as we’ve said for years.Rich Birch — Yeah, okay. So you earlier you talked about how most churches are comfortable with one or maybe two, back to the three-legged stool.Jon Thompson —  Yep.Rich Birch — Unpack that a little bit. How have you seen that? Or maybe even more pointedly, how do you fight a get that against that in your own church? Because I you know I can see naturally we would all kind of lean in one way because of our giftings.Rich Birch — you know As a leader, I always see I see the world through my lens. And so the stuff that’s important to me, if I was leading, we would be we’d love all that stuff, but we might not be into the other two. So help help me understand, what does that look like? How do you fight against that at Sanctus?Jon Thompson — So I’ll step back and just say that you know this has been almost like a three-decade journey. For us, everything changed when we got serious about spiritual gifts, unpacking them and doing all of that. That’s a different podcast we’ve done. But what I will but what i will say is this… is that there are most conservative evangelical churches are word churches: Who God is, who he’s not, what he likes, what he doesn’t, the power of preaching. I’m all for it. I preach for a living. And by the way, for people who are starting to dismiss me, I’m reformed in my soteriology. And not only that, I’m an expository preacher. So you don’t get to throw me out the window too quick. Jon Thompson — So, I mean, i’m’m I’m all I’m all for that. But that is not the answer. It’s part of the answer. And so what we continually have done is when we realize that love, word and power are things that are all needed at once, we made them equally important. In staffing, in our conversations. That’s one. Jon Thompson — Two, you need to admit as a church where you’re comfortable and where you’re not. Because there’s a lot of churches, for example, that I always say it like this. You can have all the word people on earth in your church and know all truth, but you’re cold as anything and you’re not even sure if anyone’s been saved lately. Jon Thompson — I’m in all sorts of other churches where it’s love, love, social justice, and hospitality. But I’m like, but are you believing heresy? Do you even have any compass? Rich Birch — Right. Jon Thompson — And then I’m in other environments where it’s, you know, glory clouds and all this amazing spiritual stuff. But I’m like, do you even know the source of this?Jon Thompson — Where is this coming from? Rich Birch — Yeah that’s good.Jon Thompson — Just because it’s good doesn’t mean it’s from our Lord. The spirit of Antichrist and Christ are identical in action. So so what we’ve tried doing is saying, number one, we have to admit these three things are important. Number two, we have to come up with language for each one of them and affirm them. Number three, and you just did it live so I love this, you need to admit where you’re limited.Jon Thompson — So you’re like, Jon, I mean we know each other you’re like One of my strongest spiritual gifts is leadership. That’s what you said. This is the way I immediately instinctually and spiritually react. So, Rich’s responsibility, if he was the senior pastor, is then to publicly talk about why he’s actually not biased in other directions and why he needs to be, and find other people to be that voice.Rich Birch — Yeah. That’s so good.Jon Thompson — Because a lot of people want to be open to this, but since they have not experienced it, they don’t know what to do. And I’m like, right, because it’s about interdependence. It’s not just about you.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good. I think this is a great framework. And you know, it it explains what I can think think could be what’s missing in, you know, so many of our churches and you know we so many of us are are led by uh very gifted word-oriented gift people. Like our churches are led by those people… Jon Thompson — Right. Rich Birch — …and which is amazing… Jon Thompson — Yep. Rich Birch — …but we could miss the other two. And you know in the last year our mutual friend Jeff Brody said something and that resonates with what you were saying. He’s talked about, you know you might believe that it’s true, but is it real for you? And that has like resonated with me so so deeply. It’s similar to when you talked about you know conservatives defend what they don’t necessarily believe. And you know, does this actually work out in our lives, I think is a powerful idea.Rich Birch — Now, there was a story in your book about a young woman who left Hinduism and then joined a reformed church.Jon Thompson — Yeah.Rich Birch — I thought this was a vivid example. And particularly for us on the system side, I thought, oh, this is a good way to kind of systematize this…Jon Thompson — Yeah.Rich Birch — …or think about this at a systems level. Can you unpack that story?Jon Thompson — A hundred percent. And I just want to acknowledge as we keep going, I know the vast majority of your viewers or listeners are more probably on the system side executive pastor, like that type of leader, which by the way, without you, we all die. So thank you for all your service and what you do.Rich Birch — Sure. Yeah. Yep.Jon Thompson — We’re so thankful for you. But as we keep having this conversation, think this is a challenge for you to think deeply theologically, even before your systems, because what you systematize better be true. Rich Birch — That’s good.Jon Thompson — And so this is a great example of what we’re talking about. So I teach a course up here in a seminary on spiritual conflict, a very boring, non-controversial course. And so I was teaching this, I think it was two years ago now, and a young woman comes on and takes the course, and she is in tears at the end of one of the lectures. And ah and it’s all, it’s online. So so she said, can I meet?Jon Thompson — So I said, yeah. She says, look, she said, I just, I was radically saved out of Hinduism, which is incredible, and and she said soI you know I became a christian, I renounced my hinduism, and I I have no background. Either my family are Hindus or atheists and nothing in between, which even shows you the contradiction there. Her family is made up of atheists and Hindus.Rich Birch —Right.Jon Thompson — Like she is the embodiment of what we’re talking about.Rich Birch — Absolutely.Jon Thompson — And so she says, well, I’m going to find a church. She goes to a very small Reformed church locally, like a Christian Reformed, Dutch Reformed church. They’re of course excited that she’s come to faith, which is great. The average age in the church is much older. She told me, I think she’s the first adult baptism in over a decade or maybe two.Jon Thompson — So, because of course they’re covenantal, they baptize children overall. Fun. So he’s like, well, we want to hear your story. So she writes the whole story of encountering Jesus through visions and dealing with demons and Jesus setting her free. And so submits the the testimony, and the pastor edits every single encounter out of it. And this is like in the last three years in Toronto.Rich Birch — Right. Right. Jon Thompson —  This is in Toronto.Rich Birch — Yes.Jon Thompson — And so she said, why have you edited this out? And he said, because I don’t fully understand this, though it’s true. My people will be afraid and I don’t want to make them afraid. And right there, she wept. And then she said to me. When I took your class, you not only affirmed everything that happened to me was true. Second of all, you gave me the theological principles and categories scripturally and historically to show that I am in the great line of succession of the church. If anyone should be defending the great line of succession of the church, it’s the Reformed kids. I mean, those reform kids.Rich Birch — Yes.Jon Thompson —  And so what I want to point out is in that story, fear and lack of experience, and theological bias ended up quenching what the Spirit wanted to do. Jon Thompson — And I just want to say to anyone listening. I’m not saying that every environment that you’ve been in has been perfect. I mean i think a lot of us have had experiences spiritually where people with right motives have done things wrong.Rich Birch — Yep, true.Jon Thompson — And we ended up getting hurt. So it’s sort of like dating. If you’ve ever dated and broken up or you married and and then and then got divorced, the amount of intensity it takes to re-engage is a lot. Rich Birch — Yep.Jon Thompson — So there’s a lot of you listening, you’re like, Jon, I don’t want this conversation because I don’t want to touch that again. And I’m like, you have to. You have to. The scriptures are chock full of this. This is the only way we’re going to do well between retreat and revival, whether you’re in an environment where everyone’s a false nominal Christian or everyone’s not a Christian at all. This has been the pattern since the beginning. And it’s the way the Spirit works. So maybe I’d encourage some of you to pray about your fear and your anger. So you can get on with the thing.Rich Birch — So good. and And I would say um this, what we’re talking about right here, that story of um you know, this this you know young Hindu woman who came to know Jesus, praise God, amazing story. And, you know, kind of God appearing in dreams and all of that. I feel like has, been or I don’t feel like, has become more normative in my church experience in the same kind of climate that that you’re in. And that was not normative 30 years ago when I started. Rich Birch — Like, you know, it is this kind of like, you know, we have a laundry list of similar conversations where it’s like, you know people are having dreams and then wandering into church you know they’re having dreams on a Tuesday you know between Monday and Tuesday night and then they’re just wandering to the church because they’re like I think that’s a church over there. And are like hey, Jesus told me to come here. And you know then we end up having you know deeper conversations and they you know their life gets transformed. Rich Birch — I don’t remember that stuff going on. That’s happening more, which makes sense, I think, in this context of you know this uh what did you call it repaganizing or you know pre-christian kind of context because, you know, the Spirit’s got to work directly. He’s got to, you know, get directly encounter people. So I think that’s, you know, interesting. Rich Birch — So the people that might be because people listening and…you want to say something?Jon Thompson — Well, I was just going to say, yes, and…Rich Birch — Yep. Good.Jon Thompson — 30 years ago, it was happening.Rich Birch — Sure.Jon Thompson — See, this is this is what we have to admit. Rich Birch — Yep.Jon Thompson — It was happening, but we weren’t open.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s true.Jon Thompson — So for a lot of you listening you’re like, well I don’t live in Toronto. I’m like, I know you don’t. But what you legitimize from your pulpit tells your people what you’re allowed to talk about.Rich Birch — Right. That’s good.Jon Thompson — So if you’re going to have a sincere conversation about love, word, and power, and how the Spirit really works evangelistically, whether you’re speaking again to a a cultural Christian or someone else, here’s the point. I guarantee you in the Bible Belt, lots of people are having dreams too.Rich Birch — Right.Jon Thompson — They just have been told that’s weird, and we don’t talk about that.Rich Birch — Those are the kind of things we don’t talk about here. Yeah.Jon Thompson —  Right.Rich Birch — That’s good. Okay, so pivoting in a slightly different direction. One of the things that I love about Sanctus that’s, you know, if you’re kind of in the outer orbit of the church, eventually you’ll start to hear like, oh, they have a deliverance ministry over there. That’s not on the list of like, you know, men’s ministry, women’s ministry, pioneer girls, deliverance ministry that I hear like in so many churches out there. And you’ve had it for a long time. What does that actually look like? So like an average Tuesday, how does that fit into what’s going on at Sanctus?Jon Thompson — Yeah, so this is a conversation we wanted nothing to do with. Again, we were just again, you know Willow Creek, seeker-sensitive, historic church.Rich Birch — Yep.Jon Thompson — And this is like 27 years ago now where people started coming to us and they’re like, I think I have something happening in my life that is beyond psychological or biological wiring. And we were like, we are not that church that does that. That’s the weird people down the street. You know, we’ll deal with them in heaven, but you know. And the Lord wouldn’t give it up. Jon Thompson — So 27 plus years later, I think we’ve had either been involved in or helped assist globally in a thousand cases. And just for, I love how you put that. It’s just normal for us. It’s not this thing. It’s a thing. Jon Thompson — So for us, a worship team practice and, you know, a youth gathering taking place, an Alpha running and a deliverance having the same building is just normal. Because again, our bias on spiritual gifts is there’s 21 gifts, 21 directions. We need to try to make sure that all the gifts are employed in some way. And this is a certain group of gifts.Jon Thompson — So, yeah, we’ve done it for years. The whole story of that is in the book, Deliverance, which I think you and I maybe have talked about. It’s coming out again in February through Zondervan Reflective.Rich Birch — Yep. Jon Thompson — That’s the whole story. But like for us, dealing with the demonic, both in oppression issues and demonization issues and sanctification with Christians, but also evangelistically with non-Christians is just sort of normal.Rich Birch — Yeah. So good.Rich Birch — Yeah, I yeah there’s ah there’s a lot there that you I just think is kind of ah a great part of the story that God’s writing at your church, and I think can be instructive to many of us as we’re thinking about the future.Rich Birch — So let’s let’s kind of draw in the person that’s listening, maybe like an executive pastor, church of, I don’t know, 800 to a thousand, something like that. And they’re struck by this idea this like ooh maybe we are only opening one door. We’re not talking about these other these other doors. We’re not engaged in any of that.Rich Birch — Where would you suggest that they start? (Outside of actually picking up a copy of the book.) I you know I think that’s an obvious thing where we’re going to get to, but like outside of that, how would you help them think about um you know what they should be thinking about?Jon Thompson — Yeah. So just to step back a little to this question. This book conversation we’re having is about how you deal with an environment where renewal and retreat are happening in the same place. That’s very true in our social media feeds and it’s true in a lot of our cities.Jon Thompson — So I happen to know you and I happen to know your church. Because I’ve been conspiratorially involved behind the scenes at points. So your church’s own story is where all your people need to begin.Jon Thompson — And it’s this. Only when the leaders decide not to resist God will things change. And what I mean by that is not like open rebellion against God. It’s this. The lead, I just happen to know there were moments in your church’s own story where the leaders went, you know what? We’re not going to resist you anymore, Lord. What do you want to do?Rich Birch — Yeah.Jon Thompson — That was it. That and that’s not, you know, like earthquake you know, feel. But it changed everything. I mean what are you starting this week? Is it this week you’re starting? 30 days of like. praying, or has that happened?Rich Birch — Well, yeah, we’ve done that already, which is amazing, and but there’s more of that coming… Jon Thompson — Yep. Right. But… Rich Birch — …like it’s there’s there’s lots of that stuff happening that wasn’t happening 10 years ago for sure.Jon Thompson — Right. The inception point, though, is when people just went like this. You know what? We’re afraid.Rich Birch — Yeah.Jon Thompson — We don’t understand. We prefer system over encounter. We prefer system over encounter and they’re not in competition, but both have to be there. So, Lord, what do you want to say? What do you want to do? That’s the starting point. Rich Birch — Right. Jon Thompson — Because before you work out the theology of love, word, and power and start thinking about how you, you know, witness to people from all the nations and not have a you know a vicious reaction towards them. And how you think through the, like all that.Jon Thompson — The first place is you say to the Lord, I won’t fight you. And the truth is the vast majority of us love God, but don’t trust him. And I said this on a former podcast with you. And and and lots of executive pastors, when they hear me talk, way more than this, get nervous because this starts sounding like Pandora’s box. Well, how do I systematize this? And what would be the implications?Jon Thompson — And I’m like, yeah, before any of that conversation, have you said to the Lord, whatever you want to do, I won’t I won’t fight you.Rich Birch — So good.Jon Thompson — Most pastors would say they have not prayed that. I don’t think. I also think, too, there are a series of systems that relate to what happens in an empowered encounterist church, a systemized church, and then a church going through a revival. Three very different things. And there’s there’s a set of systems.Rich Birch — You want to unpack…you want to unpack that a little bit?Jon Thompson — Yeah, sure. So I mean, there are lots of amazing churches that are commonly faithful who serve communion and preach God’s word and help the poor. And and and and those are all guaranteed places of encounter according to the scriptures. And so amazing. They’re that’s good. That’s right. That’s holy. And that’s one expression of it. Jon Thompson — When you start saying to the holy spirit not only common faithfulness but anything else you’d like to do? At that moment I have a saying, most people praying for revival aren’t praying for revival, they’re praying for a normal church on Monday, they just don’t know it.Rich Birch — That’s good.Jon Thompson — And what I mean by that is most people praying for revival are actually praying for a church where the Spirit is more present, there are more encounters, and everyone’s using their gifts and loving each other better. That’s not revival. That is actually what it’s supposed to be. So when you have a whole group of encounters taking place more than a system, there are other things you have to adjust like we’ve done. Jon Thompson — For example, you start asking your volunteers, what are your spiritual gifts? You start clarifying from the front what encounters look like. You start building house rules of how encounters are handled. It’s part of your intake process. You think about this through pastoral care. There’s no dismissing of experience. You now become an interpreter of experience 24-7.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Jon Thompson — So like there’s that. And then there’s revival. And revival is a sovereign act of God where everything falls apart, and all sin is revealed, and there’s en masse healing. And if it’s a genuine move of God that moves from renewal to revival to awakening, there’s en masse conversion.Jon Thompson — And as I share in the book, because we went through a three year experience with that, it was documented. There’s another set of organizational rules. I was meeting with a lot of leaders in England for the last three years because they are experiencing this genuinely. And I was just telling them what we went through historically. And I used the analogy for the executive pastors or the admin leaders saying, You’ve got to think about renewal and revival like being on a bike. And I said, you’re all English and you all ride bikes, so you should be fine.Jon Thompson —  And I just said, you know how there are gears on a bike? And I just said, when a move of God actually takes place, you have one set of things that are in place for that. And then when you go back to normal, you use another set. And we just said, you have to have a code word for your staff where you literally say, Monday was normal. Wednesday is now not normal, so the whole system collapses and now looks like this. And when the Spirit walks back, you go, okay. We’re going back to the other gear. Jon Thompson — That thinking is incredibly important in renewal and revival environments for sustainability of staff, for clarification of experience, and also for literal helping people not burn out. Because when God shows up, all hell and heaven break loose. And and maybe I’ll just throw this out quickly too.Rich Birch — Yeah.Jon Thompson — We should never forget that a lot of people dismiss revival-like environments because a lot of things are done wrong. And that’s a horrific starting point. Actually, that’s true in all of this.Jon Thompson — So we forget that, you know, I don’t know if I said this on this pod one of this one of these episodes, but we forget that that that Moses went up the mountain. The people were looking at the physical Shekinah glory of God. And while God was present in the most magnificent of way, they still built the golden calf in real time while they’re looking at him.Rich Birch — Right.Jon Thompson — So anytime there’s a significant move of God, the devil is in the room, the flesh is in the room, and God’s in the room at the same time. If you think God’s just going to be in the room, you’re going to end up dismissing much of what he’s done.Rich Birch — That’s so good. Talk about, you kind of you breezed over this, but I think it’s an important piece of the puzzle—the connection between repentance and revival, you know, and how repentance fits into the overall picture. The reason why I asked that, I don’t know, a year ago, I was at an event where a bunch of leaders were there and there was a Gen Z leader who has been involved in some stuff that’s been going on. And led like a public confession experience with the leaders that were there. And he was challenging us around you know, basically the question was like, well, why why is why repentance? Why is that such a big deal? Rich Birch — And this leader, which I loved, you know, was like, Well, hasn’t that isn’t that always the way? Like isn’t that what isn’t that what this is about? Like aren’t we aren’t we shouldn’t repentance be a part of the transformation of Jesus in in our lives like that? How can you separate those two? And I was like, oh yeah, right. Rich Birch — But I think that that… issue could be the fear you know you’ve mentioned talked about fear a little bit could be a part of the fear that’s in many leaders lives today. Jon Thompson — Yeah. Rich Birch — It’s like man, I’m not sure I want to engage that. Unpack that. Jon Thompson — Yeah, so I’ll I’ll I’ll do it like this. The language we’ve come up with, because I always find that categories are helpful for translation and expectations. So we always talk about renewal as the recovery of first love in an individual’s life.Jon Thompson — Revival is a sovereign act of God that he initiates and he ends. Awakening is when mass conversions take place out of a revival. What you’re talking about is probably the renewal category even more than the revival. Rich Birch — That’s good. Jon Thompson — Revival people tend to mush everything together, which is never helpful.Rich Birch — Yes.Jon Thompson — And it really bothers me.Rich Birch — Yeah. That’s good.Jon Thompson — So and I’m friends with lots of the people. Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. That’s good. Jon Thompson — So I keep helping I keep saying, please, please help us. Rich Birch — Yes. Jon Thompson — So here’ here’s what I would say about you know repentance. Yes, of course, it’s always part of the thing. Of course it is. And It’s a fascinating reflection when we look at Adam and Eve. The very first thing that Adam and Eve did when they sinned is they hid. So hiddenness is the first sign of trouble. Then they tried fashioning something to cover their hiddenness. Then, of course, God comes and finds them, exposes them and gives them a better, of course, covering. Jon Thompson — Why this matters is this gets back to the love and trust thing. Lots of us are comfortable with Jesus at the wedding of Cana. Most of us are not okay with Jesus glorified at the Mount of Transfiguration. Or actually the encounter between Jesus and John in Revelation 1. Jon Thompson — And so I think a lot of times as leaders, and and let me just say this boldly too, your people will not go beyond you. You are Moses to your movement. And so I think saying to the Lord, you know, I’m open to what you would say to me, good or bad. And would you help me be in a position where I would want to repent. Jon Thompson — And I think this is okay to say. Regularly, I pray that the Holy Spirit would give me desires I don’t have. Because I don’t have lots of desires for repentance or you know. Rich Birch — Right, right. That’s good.Jon Thompson — So I think for leaders listening, whether God decides sovereignly to bring revival to your church or awakening to your area is not the starting point. That’s actually a sovereign decision. And in in the book, I talk about how I’m really concerned these days that everyone’s saying revival’s coming, revival’s coming. I’m like, actually, the Bible says revival’s not guaranteed. You have to ask if he’s decided to come. If he says, yes, you pray back the prayers, then all Heaven and hell breaks out.Jon Thompson — But if he doesn’t do that, in other words, if summer doesn’t come and you’re stuck in winter you still have to be involved in common faithfulness, including no hiddenness as a leader. And so anyone listening, I would just encourage you to trust the goodness of the God you continually tell others to trust in.Jon Thompson — I was writing a section. yesterday for a sermon I’m doing out of Mark where, you know, Martha is serving in Lazarus’s house and Mary takes the nard and smashes it on Jesus’s feet. And Judas gets really pissed off and says, how dare you do this? Jon Thompson —  And I was reflecting on how her—everyone ready, system leaders?—her uncontrolled, embarrassing, inappropriate public activity exposed his double life. And so I just want to challenge everyone that when genuine encounter starts happening, systems are not the enemy, but it will expose double lives.Rich Birch — So good, Jon, this is I feel like we could go for so long about these things. And I’m always got I got a page of notes here and other questions I’d love to ask you. But this is super helpful.Rich Birch — So the thing for folks that haven’t been tracking along, you’ve been writing a number of books.Jon Thompson — Yeah.Rich Birch — And that, you know, and they they hang together as a bit of a the thing you’re tricking people into is it’s like they think it’s one book, but really it’s like it’s like a Tolkien, more than trilogy. Kind of talk to us how these all fit together. At least that’s how I see them. I see them as like, it’s kind of one continuous conversation around the similar kind of stuff. How does Presence, this current work, fit in the context of the other stuff that you’re working on?Jon Thompson — Sure. You are right about the conspiracy. And I’ll take I’ll take the Tolkien nod.Rich Birch — Yes, I figured you’d like that.Jon Thompson — That’s very kind of you, because I don’t deserve it. I only quote him once in all my books, though. So the only once for one section.Rich Birch — Oh nice. Yes.Jon Thompson — ah Yeah, here’s how I would say it. Convergence is the is the story and the theology of how we wrestled down love, word, and power from the gift side of things. How it was implemented. How we move, basically what is the theology thing what is it what does it feel like, how do you actually build house rules around it, all the good and bad that happened with it, and then tells the story of the renewal and revival we went through, and how we survived it. So that’s book one.Jon Thompson — Book two, well, it’s not really book two anymore, but I’ll do it like this. Deliverance, which comes out in February, is a 25-plus year theological and practical experience of how we dealt with the demonic.Jon Thompson — Perseverance, book three, which is still out which will disappear soon, is all my reflections at the midway point on survivability, because you and I have talked about this before, only 30% of leaders in the Bible end well; 70% fail. The stats have not changed. So there’s a lot of the first two things involved in this. Jon Thompson — This book Presence is talking honestly about retreat and revival, talking about incarnation and why multiple models of church that feeling contradiction to each other is the point. That’s always been the point, which again, for a lot of you as admin leaders, I’d really beg you to read this, not because it’s my book. Because a lot of the battles between churches is a misunderstanding of mission. Jon Thompson — And then I talk about how love, word, and power are employed evangelistically, and then walk again through revival and how you can ask for it and what you do if He says yes or no. But the majority of the book is actually on long-term witness to a very diverse, complicated world.Rich Birch — Yeah, so good.Jon Thompson — That’s the trellis.Rich Birch — Yeah.Jon Thompson —  And the book I’m writing right now is on suffering, but we’re not there yet.Rich Birch — Yeah, so good. Friends, I would strongly encourage you, you know, listen, I’ve had multiple friends, multiple teams who have just been incredibly blessed by by Jon’s work and has challenged and done the best kind of disruptive work that this kind of thinking can do. And so i would strongly endorse uh you know that you pick up copies of Presence for your team. Rich Birch — This could be a great um you know resource to work through with your leaders and ask the question all the time. So what does that mean for us? What does that mean for us? What does that mean for us? Don’t just let these be ideas in your head, but something you can really wrestle with. Rich Birch — Where do we want to send people to pick up, you know, to get copies and all that stuff. I’m assuming you can get them on Amazon, but are there other places we want to let people know about?Jon Thompson — Yeah, so Amazon, of course, is easy for all of us these days. But jonthompsonresources.com has it too. J-O-N. Jon Thompson Resources will have all of that. Like I said, Convergence is out. Presence comes out September 22nd. Deliverance is re-released in February 2027. And Perseverance is available now and will disappear and then we’ll come back…Rich Birch — It’s like the Disney vault.Jon Thompson — …sooner than later. It is like, it’s like the Disney. Yes, it is like the Disney vault.Rich Birch — That’s a throwback to the, the you know for people of a certain age, we’ll get that. And Gen Z friends will be like, what? What are you talking about? Rich Birch — Well, Jon, I just also want to just publicly honor you. You’re you’re doing a fantastic job. Like it’s been fun to watch over the years, your continued leadership and the positive impact you’ve been having and the community that you have stewarded. And you know I can’t I love when you know more people get a chance to interact with you. So thanks so much for being here on the show today. Appreciate your time with us. Thank you.Jon Thompson — Yeah, thanks for your friendship and your prayers. 

Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and journalist Diana Evans. Born and brought up in London and Lagos, Diana started her career as a journalist. She has written for publications including the Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, the New York Review of Books, Time and Vogue. After she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Diana published her debut novel, “26a”, in 2005; the book won the inaugural Orange Award for New Writers and was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel and the Commonwealth Best First Book. “The Wonder”, which drew on Diana's own experience as a dancer, followed in 2009. Diana's third novel, “Ordinary People” (2018), was widely feted: it won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Literature and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Her fourth book, “A House for Alice” (2023), was also shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. We spoke to Diana about “I Want to Talk to You and Other Conversations”, a collection of her journalism, publishing “26a” and moving between fiction and non-fiction. We've made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We've added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a whopping 160 pages. For Patreons who contribute $10/month we're now also releasing bonus mini-episodes. Thanks to our sponsor, Scrivener, the first ten new signs-ups at $10/month will receive a lifelong license to Scrivener worth £55/$59.99 (nine are left). This specialist word-processing software helps you organise long writing projects such as novels, academic papers and even scripts. Other Patreon rewards include signed copies of the podcast book and the opportunity to take part in a monthly call with Simon and Rachel.A new edition of “Always Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World's Greatest Writers” - a book drawing on our podcast interviews - is available now. The updated version now includes insights from over 100 past guests on the podcast, with new contributions from Harlan Coben, Victoria Hislop, Lee Child, Megan Nolan, Jhumpa Lahiri, Philippa Gregory, Jo Nesbø, Paul Theroux, Hisham Matar and Bettany Hughes. You can order it via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waterstones⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.You can find us online at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠alwaystakenotes.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, on Twitter @takenotesalways and on Instagram @alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.

On January 20, 2025, and within hours of returning to power, the Trump administration issued an executive order that the U.S. government would recognize only two genders, male and female, defined at birth. In contrast, in 2014, the Supreme Court of India ruled that transgender people have the right to self-identify as male, female, or a “third gender.” The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 in India allows transgender people to have a self-declared gender identity and receive a certificate of identity. It is currently estimated that there are more than 3 million third-gender people living in India alone. Similar rulings and laws have been passed in neighboring Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.  What are the implications and impacts on the transgender people of the rest of Asia and the United States? At a time when the current U.S. administration has issued an executive order recognizing only two genders, we will discuss this and other issues with Amrita Sarkar, one of the leading transgender activists of India, and Zia Jaffrey, author of The Invisibles: A Tale of Eunuchs of India.  Amrita Sarkar is a leading activist who has been working for the transgender community and their wellbeing for more than two decades and has been involved in numerous capacity-building initiatives for the same communities at the national and international level. She is the one of the founding members and the Secretary of IRGT – A Global Network of Trans Women and HIV. She also has made two films on transgender issues. Amrita is a trained counsellor and had completed her post-graduation in social welfare.  Zia Jaffrey is the author of The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India (Pantheon/Vintage). She has written cover stories, features, and book reviews for many publications, including Vogue, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Elle, where she ran the front of the magazine, wrote literary pieces, and cultivated new voices. Her work has been anthologized in several tomes, most recently, in PEN America's India at 75, and Toni Morrison: The Last Interview and Other Conversations. She has covered South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, AIDS, and the Israel/Palestine conflict, and is currently writing a book about Palestinian-Americans. Organizer: Kalidip Choudhury   An Asia-Pacific Affairs Member-led Forum program. Forums and chapters at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A palavra deste episódio é: FÉRIAS. Não só porque nós precisamos muito de umas, mas sobretudo porque vos trazemos sugestões de leitura para vários contextos. Querem livros para ler na praia? Temos. Para levar para o campo? Sim. Para descansar o cérebro? Também. Se, depois disto, forem de férias e não levarem um livro, chamamos a Amália (a lontra). Livros mencionados neste episódio: - The Candy House, Jennifer Egan (0:41) - Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano (1:11) - The Dictionary of Lost Words, Pip Williams (3:53) - The Switch, Beth O'Leary (4:27) - Swimming in the Dark, Tomasz Jedrowski (5:33) - Writers & Lovers, Lily King (5:47) - Books Lovers, Emily Henry (7:12) - O Lugar das Árvores Tristes, Lénia Rufino (8:07) - Bringing Down the Duke, Evie Dunmore (9:03) - Conversations with Friends, Sally Rooney (9:31) - The Paper Palace, Miranda Cowley Heller (11:27 & 37:35) - Every Summer After, Carley Fortune (12:09) - Série Bellinger Sisters, Tessa Bailey (12:46) - Lizzie & Dante, Mary Bly (13:39 & 42:59) - You and Me on Vacation, Emily Henry (14:03) - Autobiografia Não Autorizada, Dulce Maria Cardoso (15:24) - Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid (17:32) - To the Wedding, John Berger (19:13) - Leme, Madalena Sá Fernandes (19:43) - O Pintor Debaixo do Lava-Loiças, Afonso Cruz (20:03) - O Terceiro País, Karina Sainz Borgo (20:40) - Foster & Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan (22:14) - The Penelopiad, Margaret Atwood (22:36) - Mulheres de Sal, Gabriela Garcia (23:44) - Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson (26:28) - Happy Place, Emily Henry (27:09) - Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love, Huma Qureshi (27:34) - Daisy Jones and The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid (28:52) - Omelette: Food, Love, Chaos and Other Conversations, Jessie Ware (30:10) - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz (31:09) - Send Nudes, Saba Sams (31:39) - The Sun is Also a Star, Nicola Yoon (32:36) - Shipped, Angie Hockman (36:01) - Other People's Clothes, Calla Henkel (38:17) - The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak (38:59) - Strange Weather in Tokyo, Hiromi Kawakami (39:31) - Burial Rites, Hannah Kent (40:05) - One Italian Summer, Rebecca Serle (44:33) ________________ Enviem as vossas questões ou sugestões para livratepodcast@gmail.com. Juntem-se ao nosso Discord em: https://discord.gg/aRR7B2dfBT. Encontrem-nos nas redes sociais: www.instagram.com/julesdsilva www.instagram.com/ritadanova/ twitter.com/julesxdasilva twitter.com/RitaDaNova [a imagem do podcast é da autoria da maravilhosa, incrível e talentosa Mariana Cardoso, que podem encontrar em marianarfpcardoso@hotmail.com]

What to do when your debriefing gets dragged off-track by someone who was supposed to be on your side? Join us this week for more SimFails... and Other Conversations from the Sim Sofa.

In this inspiring conversation with president emerita of Spelman College, author and thought leader, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, we are challenged to remain hopeful, even in the face of great disruption, and actively look for signs of progress and positive change.  Currently serving as interim president of Mount Holyoke College, Dr. Tatum is a clinical psychologist widely known for both her expertise on race relations and higher education. Her thirteen years as the president of Spelman College (2002-2015) were marked by innovation and growth and her visionary leadership was recognized in 2013 with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award. The author of the best-selling “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”and Other Conversations About Race (now in the 2017 20th anniversary edition) and Can We Talk About Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation (2007), Tatum is a sought-after speaker on the topics of racial identity development, race and education, strategies for creating inclusive campus environments, and higher education leadership. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, she was the 2014 recipient of the APA Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology.   During our conversation, Dr. Tatum recommends the book, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides (2022) by Geoffrey L. Cohen as well as The Intergroup Dialogues Program (IDP) at the University of Michigan. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/chelip/message

Welcome to the All of Life podcast from Redemption Church Tempe where we have conversations on faith, culture, theology, and beyond to help us live all of life all for Jesus. This episode is a recording from our September 2022 First Wednesday: "End Times, Ethics, and Other Conversations with Your Crazy Uncle" with Co-Lead Pastor Josh Butler and guest speaker Dr. Vincent Bacote. Dr. Bacote is an Associate Professor of Theology and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. He is also the author of The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life (2015), and The Spirit in Public Theology: Appropriating the Legacy of Abraham Kuyper (2005). Contributors for this podcast were Jim Mullins, Josh Butler, and Vincent Bacote. Editing by Jordan Unterburger, music provided by Warren Williams, and this podcast was produced by Jordan Unterburger. Subscribe to the All of Life podcast and to get more information on Redemption Church Tempe download our app or email tempe@redemptionaz.com.

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Jane shares her decision to retire from the podcast as she realigns her time, energy and focus on herself and her family.  Her written conversation with Wendy and me (KB) is the springboard for this week's conversation.Here are our takeaways for this week:  WendyA grateful heart for the beauty of the friendship between women who respect and support one another - there is enough for each of us and a shift is not a break.Pure joy and excitement for the next season of the podcast and the beautiful conversations still to be hadJane Listen to the universe when it is telling you to slow down, to shift, to make changes...otherwise it will keep smacking you until you do!Take time to mind map and reflect on what it is you need in the season you are in and then go with your heart.Kristina (KB)As a listener or a participant, conversations have a beautiful impact on our growth, our discovery and our way of seeing the world.  These conversations have been a lovely experience and I look forward to all the ones to come! From all of us, we are all so excited for the next season of the podcast and all the beautiful conversations still to be had.  Keep listening here as we bring you new episodes on the newly named 'say YES to yourself!' podcast.————————————————Stay connected  with us...Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop @phineaswrighthouseKristina (KB)The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Jane shares an Instagram post from Molly Burford, called"What is Vulnerability" as the springboard for the conversation. Jane and Wendy talk about how the idea and definition of vulnerability may be different for each person, and that once you decide to be vulnerable, there is no going back.  They also talk about how when you speak from a scar versus a wound you have had the time to learn and grow from the experience of being vulnerable.  Here are our takeaways for this week:  WendyThe duality of offering a hand and being willing to receive when being vulnerableBeing true to yourself when its not reciprocatedJane Vulnerability is saying 'I love you' first. It is the foundation of love.Kristina (KB)Vulnerability wins because you open yourself up to love. ————————————————Stay connected  with us...Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop @phineaswrighthouseKristina (KB)The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Jane shares a quote from Simone de Beauvoir as the springboard for this week's conversation, and also reads a few excerpts from the book, Becoming Beauvoir by Kate Kirkpatrick.  The quote: 'One's life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others'  ~ Simone de BeauvoirWendy and Jane talk about how you will find what you are looking for, and if you change your perspective, you can shift what you are calling into you.And for those of you who love beautiful and interesting words as much as the three of us do, Jane shared that Simone considered herself solipsistic, and 'solipsism is the philosophical idea that only one's mind is sure to exist.' Here are our takeaways for this week:  WendyThe beautiful way in which Simone uses contrast in her writingAnd... she shares in Jane's beautiful takeaway.Jane Jane's takeaway was summed up in an excerpt of Simone's writing: “I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself”Kristina (KB)How Simone questions as she writes. Inviting herself and the reader to question along with her. ————————————————We want to encourage you to share your takeaways with us too!  Send them and your love letters to us at loveletterconversations@gmail.com Stay connected  with us...Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop @phineaswrighthouseKristina (KB)The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Wendy shares her experience listening to Terri Cole speak on two podcast episodes as a springboard for the conversation.  She shares about how she is challenging herself to stop saying an automatic yes for seven days.  To give thoughtful consideration to the ‘yes' response vs giving it freely and without thought.Jane and Wendy also talk about how not only is it important to stop the auto yes, but it is equally important to omit the unnecessary apology, and they discuss the gift (although a bit awkward at first) of a pregnant pause when communicating. Here are our takeaways for this week:  WendyThe pregnant pause and how I take time to answer questions and requests, and in conversations when the subject matter requires more attention I want to Jane Quit the apology, quit the quick answer, and quit the quick rhetoric.Kristina (KB)The idea of letting go or the auto yes, and the unnecessary apology feels like a way to find confidence in communication without the need to provide justification. Listen to the Springboard Podcast  EpisodesDon't Keep Your Day Job Podcast - S5 Ep141https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dont-keep-your-day-job/id1191831035?i=1000574611487Don't Keep Your Day Job Podcast - S6 Ep75https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dont-keep-your-day-job/id1191831035?i=1000529312873————————————————We want to encourage you to share your takeaways with us too!  Send them and your love letters to us at loveletterconversations@gmail.com  Stay connected  with us... Jane Webster @janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop @phineaswrighthouse Kristina (KB) The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services @thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Jane shares the following writing from @mombrain.therapist as the springboard for the conversation.  'Your grown up kids aren't going to sit around and talk about how the house was decorated or what size clothing you wore. They are going to talk about how safe they felt at home, how you loved them unconditionally and how it felt to be a respected family member.'Wendy and Jane each share their own experiences as the adult child now sitting around talking about their parents and their conversations with their own children, and the hopes for how they have shaped the stories that do and will share.Here are our takeaways for this week:WendyTo continue to parent in a way that makes the conversations 20 years from now one that I'm proud to be listening toJane Consideration of what legacy we are leaving and how we will be remembered as we remember our parents.  Kristina (KB)That as a parent it is not perfection but intentional consideration for creating a feeling for our children of being loved and considered. ---------------------------------We want to encourage you to share your takeaways with us too!  Send them and your love letters to us at loveletterconversations@gmail.comStay connected  with us...Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouseKristina (KB)The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Wendy shares two excerpts from the book A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson for this week's springboard. One that talks about faith and the other that talks about surrender.  The each share their own stories of faith and surrender and agree that the two are inextricably linked.  Here are our takeaways for this week:WendyShe loves the expansiveness of sharing the journey through conversation that lends to new perspective and growth. Everything that has turned her off about religion has been people and the misinterpretation or misuse of faith. JaneThat a conversation about God, faith and religion doesn't have to be scary or uncomfortable.  Faith and religion are not always the same thing. Kristina (KB)Prayer is the talking to God and meditation is the listeningOnce you surrender to the faith, the getting there is easy.---------------------------------Say YES to yourself and book your spot for one of the Phineas Wright House On the Road trips to France! Click below for whichever delights you! Paris & Versailles - September 5th - 12th, 2022Charente Maritime (Cookbook Project) - September 20th - 26th---------------------------------We want to encourage you to share your takeaways with us too!  Send them and your love letters to us at loveletterconversations@gmail.comStay connected  with us...Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouseKristina (KB)The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life & Other Conversations podcast Jane shared a quote she heard as their springboard for the conversation."Don't regret being a good person to the wrong person. Your actions say everything about you and your actions say everything about you. "  ~AnonymousThey talk about the idea that we each own our experience and that our actions reflect who we are, including our reactions to what others are putting out.  Jane also shares a Brené Brown quote, 'Strong Back, Soft Front, Wilde Heart' and they talk about how this relates to owning your experience by continuing to be kind when faced with someone who isn't but also holding your boundaries firm, and beautifully embracing having a 'wild heart'.   The conversation winds around the idea of owning your actions and your experience and how we can never know what someone else is going through so cannot make assumptions about their perspective or behaviour.  Hello.. KB here - Jane and Wendy shared their 'thank yous' to everyone who has given us such beautiful feedback about these episodes and how you are using them as your own springboards either with others or for yourself.   I want to add my thanks to that as well.  I am inspired by how these conversations are impacting others, as I know how they impact me as I am the 'first' listener to each one!  Inspired by your feedback we are going to update our weekly shownotes to include not just Jane and Wendy's takeaways, but mine as well.   Here are our takeaways for this week: WendyAlways let them eat sorbet in Versailles!How owning our experience is not at the expense of others but a way of embracing our perspective, our joy and our experience without trying to force or figure out the other persons experience or perspective. She loved the Brené Brown quote and how it encourages the 'empowered bravery', but also holding true to our own boundaries.JaneShe loves the simplicity of the springboard quote, but that through the conversation recognizes that who are we to determine who is the wrong person, and  that we need to focus instead on that idea of owning our experience.The idea that someone by be the 'wrong person' doesn't mean that they are always the wrong person, but that it may be isolated to that particular experience.Kristina (KB)Our actions and reactions show who we are and it is so helpful to remember that when faced with a situation that is uncomfortable.  The other person's actions are not a reflection of you, but of themselves. This conversation made me ask myself, 'Where am I not owning my experience and instead deferring to another's' perspective...and how can I with kindness and grace change that? We want to encourage you to share your takeaways with us too!  Send them and your love letters to us at loveletterconversations@gmail.com---------------------------------Congratulations again to the winner, Beverley on being the winner of our Raison d'etre contest!Stay tuned for details of the live Podcast recording on Zoom - yes I almost always say YES to Jane and Wendy's ideas ;)---------------------------------Stay connected  with us...Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouseKristina (KB) The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

On this week's podcast Jane and Wendy discuss self worth.  A rich conversation flowed as a result of Jane's springboard for this week.  She had read the following:"I will never for a moment in my life ever again fight for somebody to see my worth. Never, ever again."      ~ Author UnknownThrough the conversation Jane and Wendy share their own experiences with moments of not feeling their self worth and moments when they embraced it and declared that they too would never, ever, again fight for somebody to see their worth.    In the conversation Jane proposed an exercise for you to try as well: Write down 10 things that you like about yourself. Ask 2 friends to give you 10 things that they like about you.Write down 10 things that you have achieved in your life.Take this information and read it over and over.  Internalize your self worth and create a solid foundation for it.  Wendy's TakeawaysChoosing yourself is a decision away.You are worth choosing yourself,  no longer available to hand your power over to someone else.Jane's TakeawaysWe all have to be our own cheerleader.  Not in a saccharine way, but in that if you don't believe in 'you' how will anyone else.Without self worth, belief in yourself, you really won't reach your potential. ---------------------------------You are invited  to participate in our Raison d'etre contest!  Submit one paragraph of no more than 150 words telling us why you would like to join Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Years' class that starts on November 1st, 2022  to discover or articulate your reason for being, and why you want to win this prize!Submit your entry by midnight EST on July 4th to our Love Letters, Life and Other Conversations email for consideration.Email: loveletterconversations@gmail.comAll entries must include:Your 150 word paragraphFull NameAddressTelephone numberDate of birthConfirmation for availability to travel in March Jane, Wendy and KB (Kristina) will review the entries and choose one person as the winner.  They winner will receive a place in Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Year's' 6-month program which begins November 1st, 2022,  a 4 day retreat at Chateau Bosgouet in March of 2023 and airfare to attend.The winner will be contacted prior to being announced on our July 20th podcast episode!---------------------------------You are also invited to share your love letters with us for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Stay connected  Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse---------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

On this week's podcast Jane and Wendy discuss three quotes that Wendy brought forward as the spring board for their conversation.You can live your life out of circumstance or you can live your life out of vision.  ~ Werner ErhardPain pushes until the vision pulls.~ Reverend Dr. Michael Beckwith Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.  ~ Jean-Paul SartreEach of these quotes centres around the idea of the push and the pull in life.  Jane and Wendy talk about how the discomfort and even pain of the push can lead to the greatest discovery.  Wendy's TakeawaysThe reminder that sharing our story, our journey, our pain and our response to it in the hopes of our growth, in the desire for our breakthrough is a double please.  Our experience and the ripple effects of that shared experience.Jane's TakeawaysTo be remembered as being available for someone. That the pain in the push can lead to such growth---------------------------------You are invited  to participate in our Raison d'etre contest!  Submit one paragraph of no more than 150 words telling us why you would like to join Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Years' class that starts on November 1st, 2022  to discover or articulate your reason for being, and why you want to win this prize! Submit your entry by midnight EST on July 4th to our Love Letters, Life and Other Conversations email for consideration. Email: loveletterconversations@gmail.comAll entries must include:Your 150 word paragraphFull NameAddressTelephone numberDate of birthConfirmation for availability to travel in March Jane, Wendy and KB (Kristina) will review the entries and choose one person as the winner.  They winner will receive a place in Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Year's' 6-month program which begins November 1st, 2022,  a 4 day retreat at Chateau Bosgouet in March of 2023 and airfare to attend.The winner will be contacted prior to being announced on our July 20th podcast episode!---------------------------------You are also invited to share your love letters with us for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Stay connected  Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse---------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast Jane and Wendy discuss 'The 5 balls of Life' speech by Coca-Cola's former CEO Brian Dyson and the concept of having a purpose or a raison d'etre, as the springboard for their conversation.  The five balls of life are made up of work, family, health, friends and spirit.  Jane and Wendy discuss the importance of these, and that ultimately it is having purpose or a raison d'etre that gives life meaning.  They talk about how purpose can change and evolve with the seasons in life, but that it is also really simple - their reason for being is to enjoy the simple pleasures in life and be present in and for them.  Wendy's TakeawaysEven if your reason for living seems silly or inconsistent with others, if it makes your heart swell and everything inside you screams Yes! Please...it is enough, you are enough. Be 100% committed to your success!Jane's TakeawaysThat the purpose of her life is to taste and experience everything to the utmost of her ability and to reach out and truly feel what is there for her. To have new experiences without fear.  Inspired by their conversation we are inviting you to participate in a contest!  Submit one paragraph of no more than 150 words telling us why you would like to join Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Years' class that starts on November 1st, 2022  to discover or articulate your reason for being, and why you want to win this prize!  Submit your entry by midnight EST on July 4th to our Love Letters, Life and Other Conversations email for consideration.  Email: loveletterconversations@gmail.comAll entries must include:Your 150 word paragraphFull NameAddressTelephone numberDate of birthConfirmation for availability to travel in March Jane, Wendy and KB (Kristina) will review the entries and choose one person as the winner.  They winner will receive a place in Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Year's' 6-month program which begins November 1st, 2022,  a 4 day retreat at Chateau Bosgouet in March of 2023 and airfare to attend.The winner will be contacted prior to being announced on our July 20th podcast episode! ---------------------------------Jane's 'I Want More the Next 30 Years' is a 6-month online & in person course that will explore & redefine every aspect of your life.  You will ask yourself  "Do you want more?  and understand that ..."What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you become."  Anonymous---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Stay connected  Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse---------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast Jane and Wendy use a long love, and slightly modified quote by John C Maxwell as their springboard.  The original quote is 'Learn to say no to the good so you can say yes to the best'.  Wendy shares that she has held this quote near and dear for a long time with a slight modification to 'say not to the good and yes to the best!'The talk about how this is essentially setting personal non-negoitables and priorities to ensure that you have space to the things that are a full body yes! And, that those yeses can change based on the season you are in time wise and growth wise.  Wendy's Takeawaysto look at her calendar and review what is a full body yes and what needs to be a no. Jane's Takeawaysthat the yeses are our personal non-negoitables and we need to honour those.---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Stay connected  Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse---------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

Listening to this episode with my dear friend Wendy is like giving yourself a golden ticket to YESville. She drops so many hot nuggets, you'll feel like you're standing in the McDonald's drive thru on a Friday lunch hour. (Except Wendy would suggest – instead of nuggets – you seek a Beecher's mac ‘n' cheese.)Listen in to this episode and learn how doing more of what delights you is the fast track to a life of ease and abundance.Takeaway questions to consider for yourself:What delights me?What's one small way I can choose myself today?What is my biggest, dreamiest dream? Where am I? Who am I with? What does it feel like?ABOUT WENDY HARROPWendy Harrop, is a West Coast wedding planner turned East Coast barn lover and the owner of the Phineas Wright House, an antique home and barn in rural Massachusetts. She is also the co-host of the Love Letters, Life and Other Conversations podcast.  A show that digs into the richness of connection and explores how a love letter can come in many forms; a letter, a poem, a song, a recipe to name just a few. Wendy curates intimate, interactive and immersive experiences that are about connecting people to each other and themselves through creative expression, celebration, and collaboration. Cooking classes, floral workshops, kids nature programs and luxury trips abroad to name a few. She invites you to say Yes to yourself and do what delights you, then makes sure that you feel welcomed, anticipated and celebrated when you do.Website: phineaswrighthouse.comInstagram: @phineaswrighthousePodcast: Love letters, life, and other conversationsJoin Wendy's Entertaining with Ease Membership-------Are you ready to up level your fun and creativity, inviting more joy and abundance into your life? Here are a few ways to join in the fun with Jen:Apply to be a guest on the podcastApply to work with Jen in her 12-week coaching programStay connectedFollow Jen on Instagram @chromaticjennJoin the FB Group

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast we welcome our second guest to the podcast.  Jane speaks with one of her Chateau Life Residency guests, Dr. Ruth Anderson.  They use a quote by one of Jane's favorites, Yung Pueblo, as a springboard for their conversation about anxiety and its role in peak performance. Ruth is a sports psychologist specializing in peak performance for athletes.  She works with athletes working under pressure to manage their thought processes so that they can have an awareness of how to think when they are actually performing. The idea is to equip people proactively to be self aware of their psychological processes and how to perform when they need to in a high performance way.Jane and Ruth talked about how the skills applied by high performance athletes are applicable to those in business and the average person who wants to function at their best level.  Anxiety is a universal emotion.  The flight or fight reflex.  And when flight is your reaction of choice this is not because of weakness.  Think of it rather that anxiety can actual help you perform better because you are  aware and your reaction and decision making time is heightened. What you need to learn is how to not allow the anxiety to stay high, but how to manage it and perform in the moment.The only thing that is within your control is what you think what you do and what you focus on. What do you need to do to get the best outcome possible for your situation.  If you're not 20-30% anxious about something, you are probably not challenging yourself. If you want to move forward you have to be willing yourself in that challenged position, but have the skills to put into place.Jane share some of her current tools for managing anxiety: Implementing ‘worry time' which can help manage anxiety in an incremental way vs letting it become overwhelming. The 5-4-3-2-1 processHabit Stacking Ruth shared  that there are some common though traps: Common thought trapsSelf doubtWorryPredictionsRuminationsShe also share that it is important to individualize what is right for you, but that there are two practical things we can do for our mind and our body to help manage our anxiety and improve our performance:Slow deep abdominal breathing Work on our awareness -  paying attention to what you are thinking---------------------------------Connect with RuthHer website is: https://mindhq.com.au/ruth-anderson/On Linkedin------------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation. Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter? It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered. It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

Listening to this episode with my dear friend Wendy is like giving yourself a golden ticket to YESville. She drops so many hot nuggets, you'll feel like you're standing in the McDonald's drive thru on a Friday lunch hour. (Except Wendy would suggest – instead of nuggets – you seek a Beecher's mac ‘n' cheese.)Listen in to this episode and learn how doing more of what delights you is the fast track to a life of ease and abundance.Takeaway questions to consider for yourself:What delights me?What's one small way I can choose myself today?What is my biggest, dreamiest dream? Where am I? Who am I with? What does it feel like?ABOUT WENDY HARROPWendy Harrop, is a West Coast wedding planner turned East Coast barn lover and the owner of the Phineas Wright House, an antique home and barn in rural Massachusetts. She is also the co-host of the Love Letters, Life and Other Conversations podcast.  A show that digs into the richness of connection and explores how a love letter can come in many forms; a letter, a poem, a song, a recipe to name just a few. Wendy curates intimate, interactive and immersive experiences that are about connecting people to each other and themselves through creative expression, celebration, and collaboration. Cooking classes, floral workshops, kids nature programs and luxury trips abroad to name a few. She invites you to say Yes to yourself and do what delights you, then makes sure that you feel welcomed, anticipated and celebrated when you do.Website: phineaswrighthouse.comInstagram: @phineaswrighthousePodcast: Love letters, life, and other conversationsJoin Wendy's Entertaining with Ease Membership-------Are you ready to up level your fun and creativity, inviting more joy and abundance into your life? Here are a few ways to join in the fun with Jen:Apply to be a guest on the podcastApply to work with Jen in her 12-week coaching programStay connectedFollow Jen on Instagram @chromaticjennJoin the FB Group

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast Jane and Wendy use a listeners email as a springboard and an example of how recognition of the state of things can be a love letter to your relationship.They talk about how recognition of the state of things is the first step to growing in a relationship. Wendy shares a quote by Cherralea Morgen, “Life is not fair. Sometimes you get a splinter sliding down a rainbow.” and they both remind us not to panic, because the reality is, that there are ebbs and flows in a relationship but that being intentional about checking in and connecting is key to sustaining a close relationship.  Wendy's TakeawaysThat our story has impact and the lovely way in which our stories have a ripple effect when they are shared. How this podcast is like having others seated at our table and provides an opportunity for our stories to be shared. The way in which ‘Eve' is intentionally approaching her current situation with a beautiful sense of how her actions are going to be successful. Jane's TakeawaysHow ‘Eve' recognized her relationship had gone a bit beige and she showed courage in her intentional instigation to take action to refresh the connection.How important is when we are in a state of ‘instigating' change that we are really looking after our own well being at the same timeThank you to our 'Eve' this week for sharing your beautiful love letter with us.---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter? It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast Jane and Wendy's springboard for there conversation is a post from a favorite, Yung Pueblo. A particular instagram post hit home for Jane and together she and Wendy shared a deeper conversation about the impact of a good-bye. The post read: manage your reactions but do not suppress your emotions ~ Yung PuebloWendy's TakeawaysA 'too-da-loo' means you're in the inner circle There are such benefits to being a life long learnerJane's TakeawaysThe gift of being able to reframe the way in which you see things in order to grow through them.---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtable Wendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by: The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast we are wrapping up our conversation with our first guest, Trish Donnelly.  In this episode, Trish joins Jane and Wendy and they take more about the idea of the love journal and how implementing the intentional practice helped heal and grow the relationship between Trish and her husband.Wendy's TakeawaysThe intentionality of the actions of creating a space and sharing the wordsHow all the things that were being said were then also reflected in the actions.The rules of engagement for the journal and the space. The idea of using something beautiful for the journal Jane's TakeawayThe word intentionalTrish's TakeawayGratitude for the experience and where they are now. ---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter? It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Stay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast we are delighted to have our first guest!  Last week we shared a beautiful and inspiring love letter from a listener who we no longer need to call 'Eve'.  Trish Donnelly joins Wendy to talk about the letter, her story and reflect on last week's podcast.  Wendy and Trish share a beautiful conversation about being women of faith and how that has supported them, how Trish's story inspires others, the gift of reaching for our dreams and so much more. Jane was kept away this week by all the delightful details with Chateau Residency, but she will be back next week as Trish will return so the three of them can dig in deeper to this amazing love letter. Connect with our guest Trish Donnelly on Instagram---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtable Wendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast Jane and Wendy use the listener's beautiful and inspiring love letter, as their springboard for their conversation.  And...this week's conversation was so good that we decided to invite the author of the springboard letter to be the first guest on the podcast!  Jane and Wendy decided to hold their takeaways from this two part series until after next week's conversation.  We hope you loved this conversation and we invite you to join us next week as we continue the conversation with our first guest. ---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtable Wendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

As we close out the first season of Love Letters, Life and Other Conversations we wanted to re-share  the prelude episode in which Jane and Wendy outline what a love letter is.  We are getting ready for Season 2 and are excited to be adding guests to upcoming episodes! Continuing to use yours and our love letters, we will be inviting others to join the conversation with Jane and Wendy.  If you would like to share your love letter with us for consideration in a future episode, please send it to us a loveletterconversations@gmail.com What is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtable Wendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This week on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast Jane and Wendy use the song 'Let it all Go' by the artists Birdy + Rhodes, as their springboard for their conversation.   We invite you to find the song where you listen to music and then join the conversation.Wendy's TakeawaysMaking a habit of saying yes to yourself is everythingJane's TakeawaysThe big lesson behind the song - is that if we are strong enough to get into the murky waters, then we are strong enough to get out of them.---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast PageStay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtable Wendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse----------------------------------------------This podcast is produced by:The Spectacular Middle Virtual Entrepreneur Support Services@thespectacularmiddle

This episode is part three, the last episode in the special three-part series of the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast celebrating Valentine's Day. In this episode, Jane and Wendy each answer the final set of questions based on the article ‘The 36 Questions That Lead to Love'.  Here are this episode's questions:25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ... “26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... “27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you've just met.29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven't you told them yet?34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner's advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.comWhat is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast Page:  https://bit.ly/3d8sCDo Stay connected with Jane and Wendy on InstagramJane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse

This week, on the Love Letters, Life, and Other Conversations podcast, Jane and Wendy talk about possibility and perspective. Inspired by Rosamund & Benjamin Zander's book,“The Art of Possibility,” they discuss:- How the stories we tell ourselves about what's going on in our lives can affect our mindset and experiences. They explore the idea of changing the narrative and empowering a new story that infuses meaning and quality into your life.- Turning challenges into opportunities by questioning our circumstances and viewing the situation through an alternative lens instead of simply following the status quo. - The freedom of seeing the world as a place full of possibility and abundance, instead of a place of scarcity.Wendy's Takeaways:Being able to articulate that although we haven't arrived at a place where everything is "perfect," we can still acknowledge the good that's a part of our day-to-day life.The joy of the idea that anything is possible while recognizing that possibility is an art, which means it requires practice.The little girl in the book's default outlook was “perfect.” It is what you make it.Jane's Takeaways:The concept that whatever the problem, whatever the story, whatever the framework, it's all been invented already. And we as individuals have everything we need at our disposal to reinvent it.Taking an alternative approach to problem-solving and reframing with a picket fence rather than a circle.Conversation cements both new ideas and new habits. Resources mentioned in this episode:Seth Godin's altMBAThe Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life - Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander The Audacity to Be Queen: The Unapologetic Art of Dreaming Big and Manifesting Your Most Fabulous Life  - Gina DeVeeTo find out more about Jane's "I Want More the Next Thirty Years"  group that she mentions in the episode,  get in touch via email at: jane.thefrenchtable@gmail.com, or drop Jane a direct message via Instagram at @janewebsterthefrenchtable. ---------------------------------You are invited to share your love letters with them for consideration for a future conversation.  Email your love letter to loveletterconversations@gmail.com What is a love letter?  It is a letter, a text, a poem, a direct message, a drawing, a voice message, a watercolor, a recipe, a cup of tea, a smile, a home-baked meal delivered.  It's anything that connects us and makes us feel all those messy emotions, that without life would be pretty beige.Visit the Podcast Page:  https://bit.ly/3d8sCDo Stay connected with Jane and Wendy on Instagram:Jane Webster@janewebsterthefrenchtableWendy Harrop@phineaswrighthouse

Helping children develop their identity is integral to making them self-sufficient and independent, as well as to master their Executive Function skills. In addition to children's cognitive, linguistic, and emotional development, parents and educators alike must understand the social science behind the development of racial, ethnic, and cultural identities, which play a major role in shaping a child's lens on life and how they relate to other racial and ethnic groups different than their own.On this episode, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum—President Emerita at Spelman College, a clinical psychologist, and the author of several books including the best-selling book Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race, discusses racial identity development among children growing up in the U.S.. Throughout this conversation, she brings to life a crucial perspective raised in her book that “people, by being ignorant or unaware of race, can unwittingly perpetuate a cycle of oppression.”.About Dr. Beverly Daniel TatumDr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College, is a clinical psychologist widely known for her expertise on race relations and as a leader in higher education.  In 2013 she was recognized with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award.  Author of several books including the best-selling “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and Other Conversations About Race, she was the 2014 recipient of the American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. A civic leader in the Atlanta community, Dr. Tatum serves on the boards of Westside Future Fund, Achieve Atlanta, Morehouse College and the Tull Charitable Foundation.  She is also a trustee of Sesame Workshop, Smith College and the Educational Testing Service.She holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, and M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan as well as an M.A. in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary.  Website:http://www.BeverlyDanielTatum.comBooks: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? and Other Conversations About RaceCan We Talk About Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School ResegregationAssimilation Blues: Black Families in White CommunitiesAbout Host, Sucheta KamathSucheta Kamath, is an award-winning speech-language pathologist, a TEDx speaker, a celebrated community leader, and the founder and CEO of ExQ®. As an EdTech entrepreneur, Sucheta has designed ExQ's personalized digital learning curriculum/tool that empowers middle and high school students to develop self-awareness and strategic thinking skills through the mastery of Executive Function and social-emotional competence.Support the show (https://mailchi.mp/7c848462e96f/full-prefrontal-sign-up)

In this episode, I'm chatting with Simona Altavilla Moss about infertility and motherhood. Simona is a wife and mama to two little ones that keep her on her toes! She's a teacher, an artist and now, a published author. She likes to stay busy - clearly. She loves to draw, paint, craft - you name it - ever since she was a little girl. It's always been a hobby of hers and she's lucky enough to have turned it into a small business with her Etsy Shop, Simona's Collections! Simona has recently published her first book, The B Word: Infertility and Other Conversations, where she shares her journey of secondary infertility, along with contributions from a few friends, her sister, and her husband. With the help of family, friends, and the infertility community, she's found the strength to share her story. She hopes to continue raising awareness around the topic of infertility and bringing it into normal conversation. You can follow her on social media @simply_simona to learn more about her story, her small business and life after infertility

Welcome back!It's week twenty-three of The Graham Norton Radio Show with Waitrose, and Graham and trusty accomplice Maria McErlane are sorting you out and helping you with your dilemmas in Graham's Guide.This week's guests include:Stephen Mangan, who joins to chat all about adventure and humour in healing with his new book Escape The Rooms.Jessie Ware tells tales from her 'Food-oir' (Food Memoir) Omelette: Food, Love, Chaos and Other Conversations.Author, model and writer extraordinaire Jack Guinness brings his editorial book debut The Queer Bible.The Body Coach, aka Joe Wicks, chats about his delicious but easy-peasy recipes in brand new cookbook Joe Wicks: Family Food.Graham will be back on your radio for The Graham Norton Radio Show with Waitrose on Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am on Virgin Radio UK.Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear all the highlights every week! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Now more than ever the movement for social justice is finding allies in the white community seeking to know more about our different experiences. In "Why are All the Black Kids SItting Together in the Cafeteria and Other Conversations about Race," Spelman College President Emerita Beverly Daniel Tatum explores the life experiences that force the races to separate.

SimFails … and Other Conversations from the Sim Sofa: Janice Palaganas, Kirsty Freeman, and Marcus Rall are an experienced, interprofessional, global healthcare simulation team, and they're here to talk about all the ways they've “stuffed it up” over the past 20 years so that you can learn from their failures! Join them in the coming months for SimFails … and other conversations from the sim sofa. About Us Dr. med. Marcus Rall is founder and CEO of InPASS, Institute for Patient Safety & Team Training in Reutlingen, Germany with a focus on human factors, teamwork and simulation team training, as well as train-the-trainer concepts. He worked 17 years as a physician in anesthesiology and prehospital emergency medicine. He studied medicine in Germany, at Harvard, and at the University of Michigan and has worked as a fire-fighter and paramedic. He is founding president of the German Society for Simulation in Healthcare (DGSiM) and was Co-Chair of the IMSH World Congress of Simulation 2008. He is associate editor of the international journal Simulation in Healthcare. Over the last 15+ years Kirsty Freeman has been in simulation-based education and research within both the clinical and academic settings. The most recent of her positions is with The University of Western Australia, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, where she is part of the academic faculty in the Division of Health Professions Education. With a Masters in Health Professions Education (Research), Kirsty is currently a PhD Candidate researching the incidence of impostor phenomenon in healthcare simulation faculty, and the impact of professional identity. Co-Chair for IMSH 2020 and Chair of the Media and Communications Committee for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, Kirsty is soon to be inducted as a Fellow in the SSH Academy Class of 2020. Dr. Janice Palaganas is currently the Director of Educational Innovation and Development for the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS) in Boston, Massachusetts and a Lecturer for Harvard Medical School, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Pain Management. Janice has developed a passion in teamwork from her background as an emergency nurse, trauma nurse practitioner, director of emergency and critical care services, and faculty for schools of medicine, nursing, allied health, management, physician assistant program, and emergency medicine. As a behavioral scientist, her passion is in using healthcare simulation as a platform for interprofessional education (IPE) and has served as a committee member of the National Academy of Medicine's (formerly the Institute of Medicine [IOM]) report on measuring the impact of IPE on practice.

Delia Horwitz is an entrepreneur, collaboration specialist, leadership coach and professional facilitator. In addition to founding and owning several businesses, she has extensive experience helping good people do great things….together: strategic planning with non-profit Boards of Directors, teambuilding with small and large corporations, goal setting with City Councils, corporate culture work with Fortune 500 senior leadership teams, and visioning with community stakeholders. She even taught collaboration in Moscow, and her Achieving Agreement Workbook is used as curriculum in the Russian schools. Delia is also co-founder and served for three years as Executive Director of Leadership Santa Barbara County. In addition to partnering with Paula Vigneault to write COLLABORATION SOUP:A Six-Step Recipe for Co-Creative Meetings and Other Conversations, she is the author of The Achieving Agreement Workbook and Letters From My Future Self