Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast

Sarah Arthur returns to the podcast as "A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle, Author of A Wrinkle in Time" is arriving in stores. We laugh our way through episode #140 and back at episode #59. Sarah is the author of numerous books and resources on the intersection of faith and great stories. Her first book was the best-selling youth devotional, "Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through The Lord of the Rings," followed by the award-winning "Walking with Bilbo: A Devotional Adventure through The Hobbit." She's also the editor of the literary guides to prayer series by Paraclete Press, including "Between Midnight and Dawn: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide" (Jan. 2016).

Sarah is a graduate of Wheaton Collegeand Duke University Divinity School, she speaks around the country on the role of stories and imagination in spiritual formation. She lives in Lansing, Michigan, with her young sons, Micah and Sam, and her husband, Tom, pastor of Sycamore Creek Church.

A Light So Lovelyincludes interviews with people who knew Madeleine, including movie producer Catherine Hand and Madeleine's granddaughter, Charlotte Jones Voiklis, who wrote the book's foreword. Sarah also interviewed other writers/thought leaders including Phillip Yancey, Jana Riess, Sarah Bessey and Madeleine's longtime housemate Barbara Braver. Be sure to look into Sarah's website for fall 2018 activities, including a podcast, in honor of Madeleine's would-be 100th birthday. Use the hashtag #mymadeleinemoment to share your favorite Madeleine moments on social media. Also keep Sarah in the loop with @holydreaming #alightsolovely!

Lastly, Sarah has just finished her first novel which she has been working on for 15 years! She is currently shopping it to publishers, so look for that in the future.

LINKS:

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

alightsolovely.com

#121 Coffee with Deanna Thompson

#136 Coffee with Patrick Beaulier

Madcap Coffee

Michigan State University

A Wrinkle In Time

The Glorious Impossible

The Crosswicks Journals: A Circle of Quiet, The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, The Irrational Season, and Two-Part Invention

1. Coffee with God: 365 Devotions to Perk Up Your Day
2. Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through The Lord of the Rings
3. Walking with Bilbo: A Devotional Adventure through The Hobbit
4. Between Midnight and Dawn: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Lent, Holy Week, and Eastertide
5. Light Upon Light: A Literary Guide to Prayer for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
6. A Light So Lovely: The Spiritual Legacy of Madeleine L'Engle, Author of A Wrinkle in Time

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

Cohere Chicago

Rabbi Riffs

Open Dor Project

ELI Talk: "Community IS Everything"

Honi the Circle Maker

Hebrew Union College

Baltimore Hebrew University

Indiana University

InterfaithFamily/Chicago

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Founder of Cohere Chicago, Rabbi Ari Poster Moffic was ordained in 2007 from Hebrew Union College. She has an undergraduate degree from Indiana Universityin Religious Studies, a time when, she says, she got "slightly obsessed with Buddhism." She then went on to Baltimore to complete a Masters Degree in Jewish Education from Baltimore Hebrew University. She has been the Director of InterfaithFamily/Chicagoand spends her full-time rabbinate focused on supporting interfaith couples and families who are exploring Jewish life. Her husband is also a Reform Rabbi and they are the proud parents of a 8 year old and 10 year old. She is open to mall walking or meeting for a coffee and discussing how it is someone from Boston now lives in Chicago with no ocean.

Rabbi Ari is usually giving people a multitude of options to try out Judaism. Here, though, she challenges us with a dynamic new way to understand Jewish community, obligation, and belonging. Watch her ELI Talkon the Coffeepot Fellowship show notes page.

"Synagogues can't have the monopoly on what it means to be affiliated and what constitutes Jewish community. Synogogue is a vehicle for community for so many people. But the model isn't working for the majority of American Jews. And so we're going to need new models and new ways to think about Jewish community, not as opposed to or against, but in addition to. And we can tell people, We can encourage people to call their friendship groups and the people they meet up with to do Jewish things "community." - Rabbi Ari Moffic

Like Ari, I (Jay McNeal) deeply appreciate the sacred spiritual moments in Starbucks with engaged couples, sharing the journey into their married lives. The opportunity to support and assist wandering souls in love through a sacred, confusing and critical time is precious. This is, of course, the story of being a pastor, helping people through sacred times. And, indeed, what time in life is not sacred?

You can catch more of Ari in Rabbi Riffs!

Rev. Eric Jackson's quote from the Freedom New Hampshirewebsite jumped out at me. Perhaps it should not be outstanding that a pastor is firmly standing up for transgender people. As humans we shouldn't be surprised anymore that God surprises us with naturally occurring phenomena. It makes sense to be surprised at what the surprise isbut decreasingly so that there is a surprise at all. God has got us beat, hands down, in the creation department. Now can we stop hurting the souls, transgender and everyone else, who are blessings in God's beautifully diverse Creation? This pastor and Hartford Seminarydoctoral student is helping all of us understand that God's love is for everyone.

"I believe in the radically inclusive love of God. This love extends to all of creation--including our transgender brothers and sisters-and calls me to support transgender equality in New Hampshire. At Smith Memorial UCC we are proud to welcome ALL of God's children to our congregation." -Rev. Eric Jackson

Eric Jackson received his Master of Divinity from Drew Theological Seminaryand is clergy in the United Church of Christ. Eric is currently the senior pastor at Brookside Congregational Church. When asked he said he'd apply the following hashtags to describe himself: #coffeefiend #pastor and #activist. If you or your congregation want any resources or assistance for making your faith community more multi-cultural or more multi-racial then you can contact Eric at [email protected].

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

Freedom New Hampshire

Drew Theological Seminary

Hartford Seminary

Brookside Congregational Church

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. Do Good X nurtures Christian social entrepreneurs who wish to do good in the world. She was also recently profiled as a Millennial Womanist to Watch by The Millennial Womanism Project.

Through her organization, beautiful scars, 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 RiDE Oakland 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 Clergypreneursprivate 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 clergypreneurs.com. 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.

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

Sponsor: Clergypreneurs Congregate

beautiful scars

RiDE Oakland

Do Good X

Twitter: @LyvonneP

Instagram: @LyvonneP

Squarespace

Psychology Today

2-1-1

Rabbi Patrick Beaulier is a co-founder of Darshan Yeshiva and PunkTorah. He is an author, speaker, pastor, seeker and facilitator. He is the rabbi for Bonay Kodesh, 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 Rabbinical Seminary International, 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 unitedfaithleaders.comwhere he also sits on the Board of Advisors.

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 Rob Bell, reassures our listeners that, in the end, love wins.

LINKS:

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

Sponsor: Clergypreneurs Congregate

Rabbinical Seminary International

United Faith Leaders Board of Advisors

United Faith Leader Profile for Rabbi Patrick

Bonay Kodesh

Darshan Yeshiva

rabbipatrick.com

PunkTorah

Patrick on Wikipedia

Micah Redding is the Executive Director of the Christian Transhumanist Association and producer of The Christian Transhumanist Podcast. Micah is from many places including Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today he lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his spouse. What's Christian Transhumanist, you ask? Micah is the right Christian to ask.

(Full show notes with pictures and links at http://coffeepotfellowship.com/micahredding)

On their public sites you will find the following explanation.

As Christian Transhumanists, we seek to use science & technology to participate in God's redemptive purposes, to cultivate life and renew creation.

1. We believe that God's mission involves the transformation and renewal of creation including humanity, and that we are called by Christ to participate in that mission: working against illness, hunger, oppression, injustice, and death.

2. We seek growth and progress along every dimension of our humanity: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental—and at all levels: individual, community, society, world.

3. We recognize science and technology as tangible expressions of our God-given impulse to explore and discover and as a natural outgrowth of being created in the image of God.

4. We are guided by Jesus' greatest commands to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength…and love your neighbor as yourself."

5. We believe that the intentional use of technology, coupled with following Christ, will empower us to become more human across the scope of what it means to be creatures in the image of God.

In this way we are Christian Transhumanists.

By listening to the Christian Transhumanist Podcast you can discover that Micah is a software engineer, the history of the word transhumanist, and that "ultimately it's about creating a world with more good and less bad in it" (Koen De Paul).

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

The Christian Transhumanist Podcast

The Christian Transhumanist Association

The Christian Transhumanist Facebook Page

Rev. Melanie Mullen lives her life in professional service to God and others as the Director of Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care at the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. So this episode holds stories that connect her North Carolina roots, her time in Richmond, and certainly her time now in D.C., New York City, and everywhere Bishop Curry's staff goes!

My original lead for the show notes was, "If you're wondering what a "drag show for the saints" is then this could be your favorite episode of the Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast," but I went another way. That statement, however, still holds true. This is another great story of an Episcopal priest truly asking herself (and letting congregants ask) what a gathering time together can and should look like, how it can be most fulfilling for participants? (I cannot help recall a future podcast guest, Rev. Megan Anderson, in California and several guests from the past. Keep your eyes open for Megan in the future.)

We interviewed Melanie especially because I kept crossing paths with her in Richmond every time I showed up for a justice event! Often she would be one of the coordinating leaders. Clearly we were colleagues who cared about many of the same things in the world and it can feel lonely out there as clergy doing justice work. I'm sure, at least I hope(!), that Melanie wished I had been more present, more supportive at more justice advocacy events! And she would not be surprised that I also wish I was able to be present for more advocacy ministry.

The first place I met Melanie was requesting special assistance from an Episcopal priest as a Baptist seminary student. My final year of seminary I was fulfilling an internship and one of my personal objectives was to learn to offer Eucharist in the tradition of the Catholic Church. But no Catholic priest was allowed to teach a non-Catholic minister that holy sacrament. So my Sr. Pastor (past guest, Jim Somerville) reached out to to the Rector at St. Paul's and poor Melanie got asked if she would help me out. I met her in her office, we talked, she lent me some of her personal books on the matter and I kept them entirely too long! (But I did eventually return them.) It was after I graduated and engaged Richmond more widely as clergy that I began happily seeing her out and about.

Melanie is also my second Episcopal priest friend who has worked closely with Bishop Curry. The Rev. Canon Catherine A. Caimano served as canon for regional ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina before launching her Free Range Priest ministry. Father Cathie speaks very well of Bishop Curry so I was frustrated when he came to Richmond recently and he was preaching at the same time as my wife.

With so many Episcopal connections in Upstart Ministry, Free Range Priest, United Faith Leaders, the Coffeepot Fellowship, and social justice in general, it is no surprise that I keep crossing paths with Melanie Mullen. For Mellanie's time at Virginia Theological Seminary I checked her connections with our past podcast guests: Tricia Lyons, Kyle Oliver, Alex Moreschi, Sarah Stonesifer, and Taylor Devine.

Another mutual friend was revealed because of ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) rather than being Episcopalian. That connection is with our common colleague Wendy McCaig. Wendy and I both went to Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. My wife, Kelli, also did her first year master of social work internship at Embrace Richmond, the ministry Wendy founded. Embrace Richmond has been implementing ABCD for over a dozen years. Now Wendy and Melanie have both taken this model of ministry to the national scene, Melanie with Called to Transformation and Wendy with View from the Bridge. I know Wendy and Melanie both want to spread this model as widely as possible so that the greatest benefit can be affected for the most people. So please review all of their resources and contact them both. The work is plenty and the laborers are few so this is an "all hands on deck" endeavor.

There may be more, in hindsight, but I have only just realized before publication that past guest Stephanie Spellers is also an Episcopal priest and currently on the Presiding Bishop's staff! Maybe with all of these connections, we'll get to have the Bishop himself on the show! Would he be the first bishop on the Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast? Indeed, he would not. Let the record show Coffee with Will Willimon Part 1 and Coffee with Will Willimon Part 2.

Thought we had to be done? As we had photos to the show notes, more connections become apparent! Coffee with Phoebe Roaf and Coffee with Winnie Varghese! I may need to convert if this keeps up.

Called to Transformation

View from the Bridge

From the Sanctuary to the Streets: How the Dreams of One City's Homeless Sparked a Faith Revolution that Transformed a Community by Wendy McCaig

Coffee with Wendy McCaig

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

Sponsor: Free Range Priest

Sponsor: Clergyprenuer Training

Clark Atlanta University

Virginia Theological Seminary

University of NC Chapel Hill

Coffee with Stephanie Spellers

Coffee with Tricia Lyons

Coffee with Kyle Oliver

Coffee with Alex Moreschi

Coffee with Sarah Stonesifer

Coffee with Taylor (Poindexter) Devine

Lisa Sharon Harper confirms here that one reason President Obama was able to create the DACA program was because of a broad coalition of evangelical Christians advocating for major immigration reform?

From Ferguson to New York to Germany and South Africa, Lisa leads trainings and helps mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good. A prolific speaker, writer and activist, Lisa is the founder and president of FreedomRoad.us, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by convening forums and experiences that bring common understanding, common commitment, and common action toward a just world.

In 2015 The Huffington Post recognized her as one of "50 Powerful Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women's Day." Most recently, Relevant Magazine recognized The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong can be Made Right as one of "Six Books that Will Change the Way You See the World" and Lisa as one of "Seven Leaders to Follow in 2017."

In the ordination process with the Evangelical Covenant Church, Lisa is the author of several books. We have linked to four titles below and included a video about The Very Good Gospel.

As we interview and publish this episode I (Jay McNeal) am in the midst of getting to experience Lisa's leadership firsthand as she is facilitating a great conversational work in Richmond, VA over the course of many months. If you move quickly enough, you too can come aboard. There will be two more three-day opportunities, the next is March 20, 2018.

Lastly, we reopen this interview after our initial sign-off, so be sure to hear the most urgent part of the interview after our usual ending.

LINKS:

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

FreedomRoad.us

LisaSharonHarper.com

Lisa at FreedomRoad.us

Lisa at Sojourners

Lisa on Facebook

March 20, 2018 in Richmond with Lisa

Matthew 25 Pledge

UCLA

The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong can be Made Right

Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith

Left Right and Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics

Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican...or Democrat

Stephanie is the pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Formerly she was the Associate Pastor for Campus Ministry at Davidson College Presbyterian Church. She has also served other churches in Kentucky.

She is married to Andy Wing, another Presbyterian minister. They have two boys, Isaac and Micah, 4 and 2 years old, respectively. Both Stephanie and Andy are children and grandchildren of pastors.

In this interview Stephanie asks those of us not already engaged in self-awakening to take action on our own development. We're invited to encounters with racism. As resources Stephanie recommends the work of Sandra Kim, Safety Pin Box, and the fast-approaching March for Our Lives.

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

March for Our Lives: March 24, 2018

Stephanie on Facebook

Trinity Presbyterian Church on Facebook

Trinity Presbyterian Church

Sandra Kim: everyday liberation

Safety Pin Box

Kenyon College

Presbyterian Church (USA)

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

The Rev. Dr. Patricia ("Tricia") Lyons is currently serving on the Bishop's Staff as Missioner for Evangelism and Community Engagement for the Diocese of Washington. 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 Virginia Theological Seminary, 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 Harvard College in the Comparative Study of Religion. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Harvard Divinity School. 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, The Soul of Adolescence. And she recently published her second book on faith formation, Teaching Faith with Harry Potter. 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 Hogwarts Chaplain Facebook Page 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 Coffeepot Fellowship Podcast's Facebook Page.

Sponsor: United Faith Leaders

Upstart Ministry

Clergypreneur Project

Free Range Priest

Backstory Preaching

The Hogwarts Chaplain!

Teaching Faith with Harry Potter by Patricia Lyons

The Soul of Adolescence: In Their Own Words by Patricia Lyons

Harvard College

Harvard Divinity School

Virginia Theological Seminary