Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast

This podcast conducts short interviews of faith leaders. Every interview is story-based asking about a biggest blunder in their lives, a happiest moment and a favorite story of theirs. You will get to know all of these diverse leaders because you will know some of their best, deepest and most touching stories. So grab the cream and sugar or drink it black because it is always time for the Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast.

Coffee with Sarah Arthur 2018 07/30/2018

Coffee with Ari Moffic 07/02/2018

Coffee with Eric Jackson 06/11/2018

Coffee with Lyvonne Proverbs Picou 05/14/2018

Coffee with Lyvonne Proverbs Picou Minister Lyvonne “Proverbs” Picou is a preacher, speaker, poet, educator, creative social entrepreneur, and an Emmy-award-winning media producer. A New York City native, Lyvonne is currently a part of the inaugural cohort for the Do Good X Startup Accelerator. nurtures Christian social entrepreneurs who wish to do good in the world. She was also recently profiled as a Millennial Womanist to Watch by . Through her organization, , Lyvonne promotes healthy and safe conversations around religion, sex, and Blackness in order to, ultimately, address the silence in the Black Church on sexual abuse. Lyvonne graduated from Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Honors, Yale Divinity School with a Master of Divinity, and Columbia Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology. At Columbia, she published her thesis, The Problem with 'Father' God: Incest as a Silent Killer in the Black Church, an exploration of the praxis of using poetry to preach about sexual abuse from the pulpit. Lyvonne is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She currently resides in Oakland, CA with her husband, Brandon, and can be found on the instructor bike teaching classes at and on Facebook and Medium, as well as Twitter and Instagram (@LyvonneP). Lyvonne was kind and courageous enough to be our first podcast guest to be interviewed in front of a live audience inside of the private Facebook group. It was awesome for me, as the host, to be able to share - in real time - the conversation as it unfolded and receive live responses with Facebook Live. Faith leaders are welcome to join at . Members of Clergypreneurs Congregate get to give feedback and ask questions for future interviews in the extended, full interview inside the group. And, in this case, hear the very best part of the whole interview, was an original poem of Lyvonne's read by Lyvonne. All I can keep thinking is that I almost didn't ask her if she'd share a second poem with us before we said good-bye. Lyvonne, T-H-A-N-K--Y-O-U-! The poem was amazing! Thank you for speaking so much truth: here, in pulpits, everywhere. Links: Sponsor: Sponsor: Twitter: @LyvonneP Instagram: @LyvonneP /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/6584136

Coffee with Patrick Beaulier 04/09/2018

Coffee with Patrick Beaulier Rabbi Patrick Beaulier is a co-founder of and . He is an author, speaker, pastor, seeker and facilitator. He is the rabbi for , an independent, progressive Jewish community started south of Richmond, VA. Patrick has written or edited several books including Ahavah Rabbah, PunkTorah: The First Anthology and the NewKosher Vegan Cookbook, as well as countless articles for blogs such as PunkTorah and My Jewish Learning. Rabbi Patrick was ordained by , a progressive rabbinical program in Manhattan, founded by the late Rabbi Joseph Gelberman. Patrick is also a member of the Richmond Rabbinical Association. You can find Patrick's profile at where he also sits on the . Patrick has also been featured in many books, including, The New Reform Judaism: Challenges and Reflections, Contemporary American Judaism: Transformation and Renewal, Oy Oy Oy Gevalt!: Jews and Punk, as well as articles in the Times of Israel, the Atlanta Jewish Times, and several other Jewish newspapers, magazines and blogs. Patrick's happiest ministry moment story revolves around the idea that "Every person matters." It is a powerful message and brings clarity to how ministry can look. As the pastor of Bonay Kodesh, Patrick respects and honors everyone's unique journey. Whether people are served by a ministry or minister of Bonay Kodesh for a moment or a period of time, Patrick is not attached to the metrics of their community. Taking the "long view," according to Patrick, "leads toward something that is just ... a promised land." Say little, do much. (Pirkei Avot 1:15) Evident from our Christmas and Hanukkah references, our conversation was recorded months ago. Sharing a message that is as valid in April 2018 as it was in December 2017, he offered encouragement in our difficult times. An important element of our conversation which should not be overlooked, is Rabbi Patrick's comment on the rise of nazism. Despite the gravity of this observation, Patrick, with a nod to , reassures our listeners that, in the end, love wins. LINKS: Sponsor: Sponsor: /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/6455425

Coffee with Micah Redding 04/02/2018

Coffee with Melanie Mullen 03/26/2018

Coffee with Lisa Sharon Harper 03/12/2018

Coffee with Stephanie Sorge Wing 03/05/2018

Coffee with Patricia Lyons 12/24/2017

Coffee with Patricia Lyons The Rev. Dr. Patricia (“Tricia”) Lyons is currently serving on the Bishop’s Staff as Missioner for Evangelism and Community Engagement for the . For 17 years, she was a chaplain, religion teacher, varsity coach and JK-12 Director of Service Learning at St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Episcopal) School in Alexandria, VA. She has also taught as an adjunct at the , teaching evening and summer courses to masters and doctoral students. Tricia has taught courses in Systematic Theology, C.S. Lewis, Sigmund Freud, Theology and Fiction, and most recently, Christian Themes in Harry Potter. Tricia is an honors graduate from in the Comparative Study of Religion. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from the . She received her doctorate from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Her doctoral thesis was a study of the stages of moral and spiritual development of adolescents. Tricia is the author of two acclaimed books. The first is a study of the spiritual lives and languages of teenagers, entitled, . And she recently published her second book on faith formation, . She has published numerous sermons, articles and book chapters on moral and spiritual development theory, as well as consulted for independent schools on moral formation and service learning programs. She has been a speaker at the annual conferences of regional independent school associations across the country as well as the national conferences of NAIS. She has worked as a consultant to individual independent schools, as well as to The National Association of Episcopal Schools on how to handle issues of community, diversity and justice in JK-12 independent schools. Tricia has also been a speaker at regional and national conferences in the Episcopal Church on faith formation, social justice, digital ministry and evangelism. Tricia was surprised as any that Harry Potter became something of importance in her life and ministry. The latest developments in God's surprising Tricia are in her role as the Hogwarts Chaplain! That's right, Tricia's most recent Facebook video as the Hogwarts Chaplain has over 2.5 thousand views! So your first stop should definitely be the to watch some videos. Fair warning, don't underestimate the depth and information you're about to experience! Within our interview Tricia a provocative question arose, "Why doesn't God autosave?" As we conclude I invite you to ponder and respond on the . LINKS: Jay's Year-End Updates: Sponsor: Interview with Dr. Lyons: ! by Patricia Lyons by Patricia Lyons /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/6080115

Coffee with Danya Ruttenberg 12/11/2017

Coffee with Bethany Stolle 11/27/2017

Coffee with Sarah Trone Garriott 11/11/2017

Coffee with Marsha Foster Boyd 10/27/2017

Coffee with Katie Amin 10/16/2017

Coffee with Amelia Fulbright 10/02/2017

Coffee with Kyle Oliver 08/21/2017

Coffee with Amir Hussain 08/07/2017

Coffee with Amir Hussain Dr. Amir Hussain is Professor of Theological Studies at in Los Angeles, where he teaches courses on world religions. His own particular speciality is the study of Islam, focusing on contemporary Muslim societies in North America. His academic degrees (BSc, MA, PhD) are all from the University of Toronto where he received a number of awards, including the university’s highest award for alumni service. His most recent book is where Dr. Hussain addresses the fear of American Muslims and the misconceptions regarding the religion. In this interview Amir mentions some fascinating distinctions in the story of Abraham's being called to sacrifice his son. While Jews and Christians work from the shared text of Genesis 22, Muslims have the same story with slightly different text in the Quran. The name of the son is missing in the Quran and is believed to be Abraham and Hagar's son, Ismail. In Amir's story of greatest trial he graciously reflected with us just after the 25th anniversary of his wife's passing. Shannon died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism when she was just 28. In his reflections Amir invoked this poem by William Blake when Amir said, "It is any easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity." “What is the price of Experience? Do men buy it for a song? Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price Of all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy And in the wither'd field where the farmer ploughs for bread in vain It is an easy thing to triumph in the summer's sun And in the vintage and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted To speak the laws of prudence to the homeless wanderer To listen to the hungry raven's cry in wintry season When the red blood is fill'd with wine and with the marrow of lambs It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughterhouse moan; To see a god on every wind and a blessing on every blast To hear sounds of love in the thunderstorm that destroys our enemies' house; To rejoice in the blight that covers his field and the sickness that cuts off his children While our olive and vine sing and laugh round our door and our children bring fruits and flowers Then the groan and the dolour are quite forgotten and the slave grinding at the mill And the captive in chains and the poor in the prison and the soldier in the field When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity: Thus could I sing and thus rejoice: but it is not so with me.” ― The is with Morgan Freeman and the American Muslim calligrapher, Mohamed Zakariya. Amir is an advisor to , and they filmed a segment at the Islamic Center of Washington DC. This was the third episode of the second season, titled “Proof of God”. Links: Sponsor: by Amir Hussain by Amir Hussain (Travis Smiley Show) (Muslim, Christian, and Jewish interpretations vary) (Amir referred to chapter 55) (not Albert King) (from Dire Straits) /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5614811

Coffee with Takiyah Nur Amin 07/27/2017

Coffee with Deanna Thompson 07/11/2017

Coffee with Deanna Thompson Dying is part of America's null curriculum. Even in many Christian congregations, denominations, and seminaries, death and dying are rarely discussed. Today's guest is an author, speaker, and professor of religion at in St. Paul, Minnesota, . Like all our listeners, she's living. But like only some of our listeners, she's living with incurable cancer. Since her diagnosis, Dr. Thompson has brought her experiences of cancer to bear on her work as a religious scholar. Recent books include and We could easily have focused on the Book of Deuteronomy or Martin Luther and the Reformation for our interview. But we’re focusing instead on Dr. Thompson’s insights into what’s it’s like to live acutely aware of her mortality. You can order any of Deanna's books below except one she's writing about trauma, illness, and religious communities’ understandings and responses to those who are seriously ill. The new book takes some of its inspiration from Paul Kalanithi's book, . Reading Kalanithi may be the best way to prepare for Deanna's next publication. Both books will help readers find the strength and appreciation to get up and engage the day we have. I can only imagine how hard it is to get up and live a day fully when one feels badly. I imagine that it is challenging to plan trips and activities if one doesn’t know how they’ll feel on those distant days. But look at all Dr. Thompson has accomplished since her own diagnosis. In addition to the professional records there are vast numbers of family pictures of fun stuff going on with her, her husband, and her daughters. Even as this podcast is in production she is on a trip to London. In preparation for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation marked by Martin Luther's posting of his 95 Theses, I must also recommend ordering Dr. Thompson's . My final note, which I just find too cool to resist mentioning, is that Dr. Thompson was recently inducted into her high school hall of fame! Dr. Thompson’s 8th grade English teacher saw the potential in 14-year-old Deanna, recognized Deanna’s teaching and leadership at Hamline University since 1996, her consistent personal traits, and recommended Dr. Thompson for consideration. October 7th, 2016, Burnsville High School immortalized one of its Class of 1985 graduates in Professor Deanna A. Thompson. While neither the Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast nor United Faith Leaders officially gives out awards yet, we’re certainly proud to stand up and cheer Dr. Thompson. Links: Sponsor: by Deanna A. Thompson by Deanna A. Thompson by Deanna A. Thompson by Deanna A. Thompson by Paul Kalanithi ("I am not in danger, only near to death.") ("I can't go on. I'll go on.") (PhD) (M.A.R.) (B.A.) /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5518952

Coffee with Jeanne Pupke 06/17/2017

Coffee with Jeanne Pupke Getting 30 minutes with this particular week was an honor and nearly miraculous since there are just seven days left in her 18-month presidential campaign! Rev. Jeanne will be in New Orleans this week for the of the . In exactly one week, Saturday June 25th, 2017, all three candidates will be sweating it out as the votes are counted. And while my title won't change based on the votes, I'll be at the assembly praying it out as well. Your prayers are welcome too. While I cannot give an adequate presentation of the powerful impact Unitarian Universalists have had on the United States, I know that UU clergy can. What I can do is share some of my remarkable experience being part of Rev. Jeanne Pupke's church this year. I, a Baptist minister, and my wife, Kelli, arrived at in September 2016. My wife was a dual-degree student at (Master of Divinity) and (Master of Social Work). Kelli was the Social Justice Intern as part of her social work degree program so we knew we would be at this church every Sunday for the school year. I had very little expectation when I arrived. I was a veritable tabula rasa. The only expectation I believe I brought was that I would likely be, at best, a fringe member of the community that was not declaratively Christian. I could not have been more wrong. The senior pastor, the associate pastors, the religious educator, the assistants, the interns, and the other Christian clergy in the congregation(!) were fast colleagues. But colleagues in what? How would they lead worship with a community that did not all profess to follow God in general, let alone Jesus Christ? How could I worship Jesus Christ in my seat, as someone next to me worshiped the God of Judaism, next to someone who was an atheist? How would we pray? What songs could we sing? I won't answer these questions except to say that there are indeed answers. I knew quickly that this was a place I could "work" as a pastor because I loved what they were about. It took me just a few more months to join the congregation, all the while remaining a Christian and a Baptist minister. I was able to ally myself with the people of First UU and the values of Unitarian Universalism, integrating my experiences with my Christian beliefs. This was very significant to me and a powerful statement about Unitarian Universalists. My wife's story is similarly powerful but I will leave that for Kelli to tell and turn focus back to today's guest. A Catholic nun in a previous lifetime, Rev. Jeanne Pupke has been the senior pastor at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond Virginia for over a decade. It is a religion and a congregation so radically open-minded that beliefs of different religions and no religion are embraced in the one community. The church has grown in her time and continues its growth. In the era of donald trump they have experienced a particular surge. People are seeking community in a place that does not place them under the thumb of a narrow belief system. As most of my Richmond relationships revolve around Christian communities, I have found myself saying through this year that our church vastly congregates around social justice missions. Rev. Jeanne leads two Sunday services at 9 and 11AM. They are powerful and deeply meaningful. There are various other groups that meet to dive into specific spiritual education and worship every week - a Christian group, Buddhist group, Jewish studies and many more. Other groups are advocating for racial justice, women’s rights, LGBTQIA rights, immigrant rights through becoming a sanctuary congregation, and much more. I have also heard several critical voices that don't know Rev. Jeanne or this congregation tell me they had visited this church more than ten years ago. And I don't recognize the description. Every church has conflict; conflict is natural. There is healthy conflict happening today; the conflict of courageously moving forward. On one hand, we are not moving fast enough. On the other hand, I know that Rev. Jeanne is keeping a pulse on what we can handle, and pushing us. I knew that Rev. Jeanne had business experience before becoming clergy. I did not know that part of that experience was in this podcast's wheelhouse as a "coffee executive!" Mind blown. What else will we learn about Rev. Jeanne?!?! For example, who knew her exquisite drink of choice would be espresso con panna (hot espresso with cold whip cream on top)? What's more, I've been drinking in Rev. Jeanne's wisdom and inspiration Sunday after Sunday. I've been talking with her in the hallways of First UU and at meetings. She knows that sometimes things are more complicated than they seem. So when she delivers wisdom that is simple, do not miss its value. It's powerful and distilled to work in your heart and mind. When asked what she wanted to promote explicitly, it was simply this: we are one family. When we can remember and own this truth, "we are one family," then we will treat each other the way that we ought and the world will indeed be a better place. Links: Sponsor: Twitter: /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5457372

Coffee with April Blaine 06/12/2017

Coffee with April Blaine Rev. April Blaine lives in Columbus, Ohio and is the Lead Pastor at Hilliard United Methodist Church. She went to and . She is married with kiddos and is a passionate advocate for the enneagram. Babes, blessings, and bathtubs - that's what we're talking about today with April. If you think we're blessing babes in bathtubs ... well, you're not totally off the mark! I noticed a little pattern in April's stories, she's able to gain huge insights into our humanity through the lives of amazing young people in her midst. Those stories involve the full range of being human. This podcast episode is almost like watching the movie Inside Out where you, literally, get to name experiences like Joy and Anger. What we see, in its raw form in children (and college students), can help us be honest about all that is pretty and pretty ugly in us. Coming to grips with our true selves has innumerable benefits. First, we experience our own liberation. We no longer have to lie to or pretend with ourselves or others. Then we can have more compassion and grace with others because we know we're just as beautiful and just as ugly, just as wonderful and close-to-terrible as anyone else. April's courage to know and share her journey demonstrates how this is happening with her. What would you do with the claw-foot bathtub mysteriously chilling out in your church? Throw it away? Make an art project out of it? Paint it rainbow colors? Grow plants in it? Make a reading nook out of it? Fill it with holy water? Float things in it? Make it a float in a parade? I'll tell you that, after hearing April's bathtub story, I want to have a rainbow bathtub in any sanctuary I pastor in. Of course I'll do full immersion baptisms in it. And, what's more, every year I want to use it for blessings just like April did (hear episode) so that everyone knows God loves them just as they are and they are welcome just as they are because the Water is for them, just like the Bread of Life is for them. As Christians we definitely want everyone to come to the table, any table. We want everyone to come find and know that they are loved, by God and by others. We want everyone to experience the fullest life possible and extend that space to others. If others don't find their way to the table, a table, then God will find and make a way to them, just like April took the water to the parade, just like the water leapt from the parade route onto the crowd. There is a joyful responsibility upon each of us that we are not compelled to pick up but that many, fortunately, do. Thank you, April Blaine, for engaging a life of love so deeply. Links: Sponsor: by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert (OSU) /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5430611

Coffee with Paula Owens Parker 05/27/2017

Coffee with Paula Owens Parker The Rev. Dr. Paula Owens Parker is a Presbyterian minister and senior program developer of . Though Roots Matter’s approach to generational healing is rooted in the traumatic experience of chattel slavery and the African American spirituality created out of that experience, it has a deep and powerful connection with other groups and cultures who have experienced historical trauma. was published in July 2016. Dr. Parker received her Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary (San Anselmo, CA.). She is a professor of Spiritual Formation at Union Presbyterian Seminary (Richmond, VA.), is a retreat leader, spiritual director, and healing prayer minister. She's received many awards including the 2013 Union Presbyterian Seminary Black Alumni/ae Trailblazer Award. Dr. Parker takes her coffee with 100% pure, light amber maple syrup. Dr. Parker is the founder and former executive director of The Daughters of Zelophehad, Inc., an ecumenical Christian transitional housing program for women in crisis and their children. The Daughters of Zelophehad name came from Numbers 27:1-11 when Moses was dividing up the promised land. Moses protected the rights of these women when there was no male heir. Dr. Parker is also a co-founder of SOZO School of Christian Healing Prayer at , an urban ecumenical retreat center, and co-founder of Seven Sisters Sharing Seven Sayings, a Good Friday service that is held each year in the Richmond metropolitan area. SOZO means to save or to heal in Greek. Both scholars and ministers in their own rights, Paula Parker and Katie Cannon are collaborating on the development of a Center of Womanist Leadership. and look forward to that exciting project which Dr. Parker discusses in this episode. In conclusion, as you consider these two quotes from our interview, we urge the reading of Dr. Parker's book, , for people of all backgrounds. "The decision you make today effects seven generations." -Sioux proverb "Trauma is trauma. It happens in all families, in all ways." -Rev. Dr. Paula Owens Parker Links: Sponsor: (Wipf & Stock, 2016) by Paula Owens Parker on Facebook on Facebook /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5394997

Coffee with Sarah Langford Berger 05/22/2017

Coffee with Sarah Langford Berger Let's go now to our Real World Correspondent, Sarah Langford Berger! Sarah is a hospice nurse with Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care. She has her Bachelor of Science from National American University. She's married to Chris Berger with two gorgeous kiddos. Make sure you listen to hear who Sarah met unexpectedly when she went to church! This show notes page is going to be more of a prequel to meeting Sarah. It will tell you about Sarah by telling you what kind of Jay McNeal she and her friends let in. If we do another episode together then it should include the story of the first night we actually met. But, for now, let's start before the beginning. We were both poor young adults living in one of the wealthiest counties in America when I showed up. I was doing my best to fit in when I arrived in the midwest but Sarah and her friends cared about more important things than conforming. I was a peculiar outcast when our paths crossed. I was, literally, working at Blockbuster Video after having resigned, burned out from my full time youth ministry job nearby. I was divorced, bankrupt, and failed at the ministry I left everything to serve. In the podcast you will hear what our common time was like to Sarah. For myself I remember many great joys, every youth I served and almost every adult but I also know how destructive a few of those adult church members were before I met Sarah. I was so naive. I do not have much of a theology of sin, evil, or the devil. Well, I do but I don't think they're worth much of my time or brain power. Learning to love and be kind consume all of my time and will consume all of my life, knowing that mastery is never in the cards. So why waste life teaching people about sin? People are good. People need love. Talk to them about the beauty, magnificence, courage, and other virtues that make them up! Find their joy and gifts and massage those into the raging fire they can become. But with that said, the same way Sarah cannot deny the truth of her wonderful church experience, I had an experience with my Kansas church staff that included the opposite of love. In the church I served I may have experienced something like the devil and certainly something of evil. The senior pastor kept his distance from my youth ministry. The associate pastor supervised me and we met weekly one-on-one. Let's call him Steve. The meetings were always positive and productive. The ministry was certainly an enormous beast. I will always be the first to say it was a huge job with a notable learning curve, with exactly one staff person - me. What I know in hindsight was that some of the youth parents gossiped about me when the plans for a youth evening fell through because of a funeral. Those voices funneled their criticism to one adult volunteer I'll call Victor. Volunteer Victor spent another three months attending every youth activity and building his case to have me fired. Then he brought his case to the associate pastor. My first discovery that there was a major problem was a meeting in a classroom in the basement with Victor and Steve where Victor read three full pages of single-spaced, 10-point font, bullet points about how I was incompetent. The only other time in my life I had received anything but high praise was was when I was a student teacher to 3rd graders. (I truly cannot communicate with 3rd graders.) While I'd have preferred earlier, more constructive communication, I was elated (after 24 hours of privately taking it personally) to have such thorough feedback. I took the information and made changes to my priorities in the youth ministry to deliver more of what they had been looking for (more administration and less pastoral care, more visible leadership and less letting others have the spotlight). In the classroom I said virtually nothing. Steve (associate) did not add anything or come to my defense. I simply heard and received the information. I was absolutely stunned. It was vicious and malicious. I don't know if he's proud of his accomplishment but he really had to want it. I had trusted him and welcomed him into every youth event and activity. There was nothing bad to hide and everything good to witness. While I provided for his comfort, he was sharpening his blade. The next meeting they brought me into was in Steve's office. This time, however, the devil was sitting behind the desk. Victor's presentation was predictably composed again but he was clearly out of control with the content of his spoken words now and written words before. Regardless of his professional execution, the entire situation was not insurmountable with appropriate response from our church leadership (myself included). Certainly, Steve would hear Victor politely and then kindly set the record straight. I may as well have not been in the room for what happened next. Steve mirrored Victor's play and increased the showmanship. Steve began whole-heartedly agreeing with Victor as if this had been Steve's exact feeling since I had been hired. Steve agreed with Victor and made up complete fiction that Steve had been telling me the same things for many months in our weekly meetings. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone. I was staring at Steve as this experienced pastor spilled bold-face lies about the content of dozens of meetings. These were not subtle misunderstandings or differences of perception; these we donald trump, throw-him-under-the-bus style lies. Because I loved the youth and I loved the church I've never told this story publicly. I did not fight to stay at the church. I left depressed and confused. They barely knew me and did not know how pure my heart was, how honestly I was bearing the love I knew through Jesus Christ to them. I did nothing to protect myself. I didn't keep contemporaneous notes like James Comey. I didn't make a big stink and try to stay, even though I'd seen other staff members treated badly also. I had no leverage. I had no power. I had no money. And, in the long view, I was still very young in my career in ministry. I had no resources, internally or externally, to fight their resources. And what would "winning" look like? I knew who my successor would be and I had set her up to be very successful with the youth that I loved. For them and their next leader, ugly as it was behind the scenes, I had to go. I ended up in the hospital being treated for depression. It was there that I wrote my letter giving two weeks notification to the church. I believe it was there that the senior pastor described Victor as a "lightning rod for negativity." The youth would never know this despicable story. They would always think of me with suspicion. Their next leader would get to tell them more about Jesus, and that was what it was suppose to be about - knowing Him and living into who we are called to be. One last unforgettable detail, my last day was a Sunday about ten days after I got out of the hospital. I was in our fellowship hall stationed behind a table for something. Victor came up and handed me a store-bought greeting card, which I opened with reluctance and trepidation. He had simply signed his name to the pre-printed message, "I see Jesus in you." Christians, this is a problem. You cannot do evil, you cannot kill Jesus, and then make it all better with a Hallmark card or a compliment. The two do not offset one another. The last thing I'll say is that I love that church. I did know many amazing adults. Two adult friends, Lara and Angela, will always stand out. Everyone deserves friends like them. I love that church because Victor and Steve aren't the whole church. Because of gossip I don't know which other parents fueled Victor's mission. How can one love and serve a congregation with secret enemies shaking your hand after the sermon? Whether you are a lay member or a staff person, if anyone gossips to you then it is your responsibility to direct the speaker to the person they are talking about! Never get in the middle. Never make a triangle. Communicate your own experience, opinions and observations to the source first. Do not start with a supervisor, senior pastor, other parent, or lightning rod for negativity. If you are intimidated, bring an observer. Church staff are real people with real lives. We have real families and real life expenses. Conflict itself is healthy, good, and normal but only when it is handled maturity and grace. Please stop undermining the church and its leadership. Well, before I go, senior pastors, that goes double for you. Send the gossipers, even if they're staff, to the person they have conflict with. Don't provide secret cover. You cannot deliver their feedback as accurately as they can. Hold people accountable, follow up, but do not deliver their messages. As one might imagine, my next phase of being in the midwest was a very dark time after the hospital and resignation. The dark season was mostly internal; it was emotional and spiritual. I didn't know Christians could be like this. Although this is when I met Sarah, Mike (her boyfriend), and Scott, they were the light. Links: Sponsor: /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5376514

Coffee with Teresa Pasquale Mateus 05/15/2017

Coffee with Teresa Pasquale Mateus Teresa Pasquale Mateus lives in Chicago, IL where she is a student at . She is a a trauma specialist, a contemplative, a speaker, hails from Bogotá, Columbia, and is the author the books Sacred Wounds and Mending Broken. Her third book is forthcoming with the working title, Going Naked: The Art of Spiritual Shedding. Teresa Pasquale Mateus is a trauma specialist, integrative psychotherapist, contemplative practice and contemplative action educator, and a writer. She is a graduate of and . She is also a trained yoga teacher through the Sivananda tradition and a provider of equine-facilitated psychotherapy. She teaches, speaks, leads workshops and retreats in the areas of trauma, spirituality and justice - often at the intersection points between those areas and paths to healing. As a trauma survivor herself, Teresa is fascinated with the resiliency of the soul. It is no surprise, therefore, that her full book titles are: , , and Going Naked: The Art of Spiritual Shedding (working title). Teresa Pasquale Mateus' birthday is October 15th, which is the feast day of St. Teresa of Ávila. While much less exciting, this episode is being published on - wait for it - Teresa's half birthday (and, therefore, the half feast day of St. Teresa)! Happy halves, to both Teresa's. To my own (poor) recollection, Teresa and I were not introduced prior to the podcast even though I believe we had been at the together, probably more than once. She is familiar to me from her leadership roles there. I do my best to take in the wonderful and wide-ranging teachers and leaders at the Wild Goose Festival but, as one might imagine, it is an impossible task. Fortunately it was enough of an introduction to rightly convince me to follow up with her and ask if she'd talk with us here. I've been grateful for her roles at the Goose and now I know a fair bit more to appreciate. Thank you, Teresa, for the courage to heal, share that journey, and just fully be you. It's inspiring and permission-giving. Links: Sponsor: Sponsor: (UCC) Going Naked: The Art of Spiritual Shedding (working title) by Teresa Pasquale Mateus with Martin Sheen /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5345411

Coffee with Sarah Are 05/08/2017

Coffee with Grace Aheron 05/01/2017

Coffee with Grace Aheron Grace Aheron is a force of nature all unto herself. She is wise, courageous and full of faith. Her stories include advocacy for others, leaps of faith, and living into her own being. I took some time at the beginning of our conversation to make relationship connections. Being introduced to and helps all of us know Grace and helps the world be a better place. The web of goodness and love I see developing in the Coffeepot Fellowship and United Faith Leaders is a beautiful thing. They are certainly forging new connections. However, they are mostly shining a light on the kinds of interconnectedness, beauty, and strength that already existed. We're truly grateful just to be participants. Do, please, make connections with Claire and Taylor. Grace promoted , which describes itself as an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other. Grace asked us especially to become penpals. There are many ways to get involved and support , so definitely dig into their website. Grace mentioned that Black and Pink also does work toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex with special urgency focused on the violence upon LGBTQ people. I'm glad this abolition came up, even briefly, because Americans (myself included) need to become much more aware of the injustices that are being perpetrated as law enforcement and incarceration. Our nation was on track to radically reduce the number of prisons when our government pivoted toward "law and order" and rapidly increased incarceration rates instead. And, spoiler alert, people of color were - and still are - incarcerated at disproportionately higher rates. So while it may seem instinctively absurd for 21st-century Americans to consider abolition of the prison industrial complex, that is largely a factor of 1) one's age and 2) one's skin color (and not necessarily in that order). Grace is presently accomplishing all of the good you hear about in the interview while being the "Y00f wrangler" and campus minister at and while living in the (Charlottesville, VA) which she founded after working for the Episcopal Diocese of California. "Nothing about us, without us, is for us." - slogan of South African disability and youth activists / poster by Ricardo Levins Morales Links: Sponsor: () (UVa) /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5313520

Coffee with Lisa Cressman 04/22/2017

Coffee with Lisa Cressman Rev. Dr. Lisa Cressman is the Founder and Steward of . She is the Assisting Priest at Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Houston, Texas. Her Doctor of Ministry is from in Indianapolis, Indiana, and her Master of Divinity is from in Berkeley, California. Lisa also has her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the . "Let your life speak" is an old Quaker adage and the title has given to his popular book which is common reading at every seminary. For any preacher, like Lisa Cressman, the adage would become "let your life preach." Put better by Lisa herself, you will hear her adieu at the end of our interview as "be good news to preach good news." First we must be the Good News. Then and only then we can preach the Good News. If this is the life, promise and love you want to preach then you have come to the right place to get all the pieces in place that you will need to bring your preaching life into one accord. In my own mathematical, engineering undergraduate existence I developed an understanding that none of us gets to be a non-factor in life. While a lot of people try to effect nothing and no one, attempt to do no damage or no harm. That is not an available option. We are all a factor. If an equation of life could be written, like "Life = 7R x 8Q(3T/4P) - 2B + 9D," then what would you be? Yes, we get to choose. Of course, my job is to be asking myself, "What will I be? Will I be a plus or minus in the equation?" Even if I tried to be a zero, I'd fail. Try it yourself and you'll see, you only end up hurting people (minus). There's more. Multiplication is repeated addition, right? That's an option. As is division. And while superscripts aren't an option with my editor here, in life we can strive to have exponential effects. Saving the world from one lousy sermon at a time This mathematical construct may seem strange but it is what I was reminded of when Lisa talked with me about everyone preaching all of the time with the lives that they are living. When we recognize that we're already being a factor - that we cannot be otherwise - then we can choose to do it as well as possible. You're already preaching with your life you might just as soon preach well. Whatever we asses ourselves to be in life, with my equation, why don't we improve our impact (our role in the equation and in life, and, in this case, in our preaching)? Somewhere I read that Backstory Preaching is saving the world from one lousy sermon at a time! Lisa says, "Anybody can preach in the pulpit! Absolutely anybody can learn to do this." She gives us these critical questions: What does 'an effective sermon' mean? How do you recognize one? How do you produce one? What do we do with those questions now? Did I mention that her Doctor of Ministry is in PRACTICAL Theology? That means she won't give you theory without praxis. Try these. (PDF e-course) Now let's finish where we usually start, coffee. Lisa is also a doctor of coffee and gave us these words: "Coffee is an event; it is not a beverage." Links: Sponsor: (instant access, self-paced course) The Preacher's Trust (forthcoming book) San Antonio, TX, May 15-19, 2017 /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5289263

Coffee with Sushama Austin-Connor 04/17/2017

Coffee with Cathie Caimano 04/10/2017

Coffee with Cathie Caimano Hello, friends. I'm Father Cathie. I'm an Episcopal priest in North Carolina, serving congregations and people with the freedom to go where I am called. That's why my ministry is called — instead of serving one church or group, I serve in many places and many ways. Through teaching and discussing Christian practice in everyday life, I help clergy and congregations re-imagine relationships and connect with audiences through digital evangelism. I became a after a decade serving in Episcopal congregations in New York City, Durham, NC and Wichita, KS, then another five years serving regionally on a bishop's staff, where I worked with clergy and congregations through mission and ministry development. Today I consult and teach for , an online preaching program, as part of my Free Range Priest Ministry, along with blogging, speaking, coaching, and leading worship. I’m married to the love of my life, and together we raise my two and his three kids (but don't call me a ). I’m an avid runner, a pretty committed vegan, and a champion coffee-drinker. Jay: Coffee drinker!?!? Well then, Cathie, you've come to the right place! Welcome to the show and thank you for the introduction. As most of you know, I'm your host at Coffeepot Fellowship and a bit of a free range priest myself. If you were to browse the web pages for and you would quickly understand why I am so excited to get to know Father Cathie. Cathie brings great experience and expertise to her ministries. One of the areas of expertise that has caught my attention has to do with her conceptualization and language. Her bachelor of science degree from Georgetown University is in Linguistics and her master of divinity is from The General Theological Seminary in NYC. What does a pastor with a linguistics degree - a degree in the study of language - feel or say when she is holding The Word of God in her hands, called to transfer, teach or communicate that holy body of words? Does it feel possible? Is it a burden? Does it feel futile? Or, rather, is it an easy joy? Jesus is the Living Word; is that even more marvelous to a Christian with a linguistics degree? Father Cathie shares that we each carry that Word - Jesus Christ - in us, that the Word is alive. The beauty is that we have been reading and communicating the Word, this Love, to one another for centuries. It is infinitely creative and mysterious. Each one of us is "translating" it and adding to that conversation all the time. This linguist is also a Biblical literalist, "a real one," she declares! You'll have to listen to this podcast episode to hear her make her case. Last but not least, Cathie also shared that she is at the beginning of this magnificent, risky, and exciting endeavor. Find ways to stay tuned and stay involved while the brainstorming and development take place. Father Cathie, with others, is facilitating a better, more creative future for God's beautiful Church and world. Let her know that you are interested in becoming certified as an official . (By the way, you cannot simply start calling yourself a without the certification. The name is actually Cathie's property.) To stay tuned in you can: follow her on and like the . Links: (UCC) (the book!) by Fr. Cathie Caimano Website on Facebook (subscribe in right margin) Twitter: on Facebook (don't forget to subscribe!) on Facebook /episode/index/show/clergyforhire/id/5204745

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