118: Take a Picture
the remind{h}er podcast
It is true that taking a photo and trying to capture a moment often ends up distracting us from it. It’s a reality we need to recognize, because our screens do often keep us from truly experiencing and even deeply remembering. We say a picture will last longer, but some research shows a picture only skims the surface of all our memory can hold. In recent years, in attempt to avoid this, I pretty much gave up taking photos altogether. Because if I forget to take a photo, it must mean I’m fully present to the moment, right? Well, not always. Often I find I’m just as distracted, with...
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117: Bend Low
the remind{h}er podcast
As we journey with God through the ups and downs, twists and turns, stops and goes of life, I'm learning that the posture we assume, matters. And I’d like to offer that we might do well to bend low. Not in a way that diminishes the fullness of who we are, but in a way that grounds us, that keeps us close to the heart of God. To the way of Jesus. To the promptings of the Spirit. Rooted deep down in our souls. What might it look like for us to remember the way of Jesus and boldly bend low? Listen in.
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116: Celebrating Four Years | Q+A!
the remind{h}er podcast
Today we are celebrating FOUR years of the remind{h}er podcast! And we are doing so by engaging in a q+a conversation of sorts. I'll answer the following five questions today: How did I know I wanted to start a podcast? How did I come up with the name? Basically, what is the podcast's origin story? How do you decide what to talk about/cover in each episode? Where does your inspiration come from? Do you have a favorite episode? Is there a spiritual practice you have tried recently that you have continued? Are there any you tried that you wanted to make work but just did not work? How do you...
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115: John 13
the remind{h}er podcast
With Holy Week in mind, I’m offering a simple reading of a Holy Week passage that has been particularly meaningful in my own life and faith over the years. I’ll be reading from Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation, and after reading it through, I’ll offer just a few questions for your consideration, as you explore how God’s Spirit might be speaking to you through these holy words. Feel free to pause, to rewind, to experience this passage in whatever way you need. As always, I hope it serves you well. If you'd like to submit a question to help celebrate FOUR years of the...
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114: Use Your Imagination
the remind{h}er podcast
What might it look like to use our imaginations in the context of our faith? Well, with wise guardrails and discernment in place, I wonder if our experience and connection with God and with one another can be enriched through our imaginations. Maybe we can channel our imaginations for good. So what might it look like to reawaken our imagination through spiritual practice? Well, there are probably lots of possibilities, but for this particular episode, I’d like to offer two. One that could be helpful as we seek a deeper connection with God and one that might help as we seek to do good and...
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113: Welcome Your Weakness
the remind{h}er podcast
I don’t know about you, but typically, if I’m hoping to be hired, if I want to be noticed, if I want to be picked, if I long to be liked, I’m probably going to try to put my best self forward. I’ll want you to know all I can do and what I can offer. I’ll try to paint myself in a positive light. I’ll showcase the strengths of who I am, and I’ll make sure you know how I will add value if you choose to accept me. Maybe you can relate? But would it look like if we were to welcome our weakness? If we were to show up as our whole selves—strengths and weaknesses? How might that add...
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112: Remember We Are Dust
the remind{h}er podcast
Ash Wednesday is the day the season of Lent begins. It's a season in which we are invited to think about dying and confront the straightforward reality of our humanity—our flaws and frailty and limits and imperfections. We remember and admit our need for God. We accept our mortality. For me, it's typically a reminder I hold personally. I don’t alway recognize the reality of our shared mortality. But the truth is, we are all dust. We are all fragile and limited beings, in need of God’s grace, God’s care, Christ’s compassion. I am dust and you are dust and we are dust. And maybe...
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111: How to Greet Your Soul
the remind{h}er podcast
How do we greet our souls? Our souls are more shy than we often realize, even for the most outgoing and extroverted among us. More often than not, they are stifled by the burden of daily demands and over-functioning schedules. There is so much noise and distraction, so much vying for our attention. We are pushed and pulled in multiple directions. We are stretched too thin. And in all of that swirling noise and chaos, our souls cower, scurry off, crumple up, and hide away in a dark, undisclosed corner, overlooked and ignored. Just like that, an integral part of who we are is completely out of...
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110: Be
the remind{h}er podcast
"So, what do you do?" It's a familiar question that's often asked, and sometimes it's one we might struggle to answer. And I wonder if, at its core, we so readily ask it because we have been somewhat conditioned to believe that who we are is synonymous with what we do. One of the things I’m learning is that those two things—who we are and what we do—are certainly connected, but they are not the same. It’s a distinction we often overlook, but it’s a distinction that matters. Listen in.
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BONUS: A New Year Benediction
the remind{h}er podcast
Typically, a benediction is given at the end of a worship service—after we’ve prayed and sung and confessed and listened to the word of God proclaimed. It’s a way to seemingly seal it all up, close it all out. But what’s interesting to consider is that, really, a benediction is a beginning. A blessing. A sending. A gift. It’s a way to say, “As we move into what’s next, this is what we hope will be true. This is who we hope we will be. And this is who we hope we will become.” So, as we step into this new year, I’m offering a brief benediction for the brand new year. I...
info_outlineWhen it comes to hope, I'd prefer if someone would hand me a metaphorical bouquet of hope-in-full-bloom, something I can point to and easily say, “There’s the beauty. There’s the color. There’s the life.” Like a bunch of hope-filled balloons, I want to grab hold and immediately float above the struggle, the disappointment, the heartache, the fear. I want hope in an instant, hope on-demand.
And yet, if you’re like me, our experience of hope isn’t always that easy or care-free. Hope doesn’t always make a bright, grand entrance; hope often starts small, sneaks in the side door and, rather than flipping a switch to turn on the light, it quietly keeps us company in the dark.
And maybe that's a good thing. Because maybe that's exactly where hope is cultivated, where hope takes root, where hope begins to grow. Listen in.
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor