Anita Lustrea

My two good friends Melinda Schmidt & Michelle Van Loon join me on the podcast this week. We do some freeform conversation reminiscent of the Millrose Club, for those who used to listen to Midday Connection. Our first topic centered on favorite vacations. Topic number two looked at how we grow and if we need to move beyond things that once helped us grow. We'd love to hear your thoughts.

What does it look like to experience the audacious power of empathy? Belinda Bauman joins me on the podcast this week to talk about the message of her book Brave Souls. We touch on cutting edge neuroscience as well as biblical parables along with stories of brave women from across the globe. Belinda's journey toward empathy can also be ours.

Christopher Smith is a writer, community developer, and founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He has authored a number of books, including the award-winning Slow Church. This week he joins me on the podcast to talk about How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church. ...

Marilyn McEntyre joins me again on Faith Conversations. She is an award-winning author of several books on language and faith. Her current title is another beauty, When Poets Pray. Marilyn is also a retreat leader and workshop presenter. We dive into the content of several poems on the podcast and Marilyn has the opportunity to explicate them for us.

Michelle Van Loon joins me again in follow up of our last conversation where Michelle posed the question, "When was the last time God moved you deeply?" We'd love to hear your stories as well. Send an email to [email protected]. Michelle also mentioned two older books of hers, Parable Life and Uprooted.

I've taken this week off. In the post-Easter fog I thought I'd release again the Parker Palmer podcast from last fall. It's one of my all-time favorite conversations. If you missed it, check it out. If you heard it last fall, it's worth another listen. Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Parker Palmer joins me on the podcast this week. I asked Mike to co-host and we had an incredible conversation with this nearly 80-year-old Statesman. Parker is founder and senior partner emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal and the author of ten books. On the podcast we talk about his latest and possibly final book, according to him, On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity & Getting Old. Parker's latest book, as well as much of our conversation, settles on "reframing aging as a passage of discovery and engagement, not decline and inaction." How inviting is that?

Michelle Van Loon joins me at my kitchen table this week as we encourage you to look for ways to connect to God during Holy Week. We talk about the stations of the cross and Michelle asks us to think about when was the last time we connected deeply with God. She also mentions a great liturgical resource website. We move from Holy Week and how we connect with God to a discussion about nostalgia in worship.

Christie Purifoy joins me on the podcast this week. Christie holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and she traded the classroom for a farmhouse, a garden, and a writing desk. She is a gorgeous writer. We had a beautiful conversation about her book, Placemaker: Cultivating Places of Comfort, Beauty, and Peace. It’s interesting to me how much of my life I lived feelings that beauty was a luxury and not a necessity. As you hear Christie’s story and her heart, I believe it will encourage you in the things of God that we sometimes feel are selfish pursuits but aren’t!

Barbara Brown Taylor is a New York Times best-selling author. You might know her from her books Leaving Church, An Altar in the World, or Learning to Walk in the Dark. On this week's edition of Faith Conversations we focus in on the content of a brand new release, Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others.

As Barbara talks about her nearly 20 years of teaching World Religions to college students, she looks at her own journey of learning and growing and changing as a result. How does Christianity hold up alongside these other religions? You might be surprised by some of Barbara's conclusions.

Pete Enns joins me on the podcast this week. He is the Abram S. Clemens Professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, St. David's Pennsylvania. He is also host of the podcast The Bible for Normal People and author of How the Bible Actually Works, which has an incredibly long subtitle that I won't bother with here :-). We dive into the content of Pete's latest book with the long subtitle and talk about how to rethink how we understand the Bible. I think you'll appreciate and be challenged by this conversation.